If the present possessors of any of them
should happen to read this sketch I hope they will communicate with
me, as I should like to see these books. I should also like to see
some numbers of the Drawing-Room Gazette, which about this time
belonged to or was edited by a Mrs. Briggs. Miss Savage wrote a
review of Erewhon, which appeared in the number for 8th June, 1872,
and Butler quoted a sentence from her review among the press notices
in the second edition. She persuaded him to write for Mrs. Briggs
notices of concerts at which Handel's music was performed. In 1901
he made a note on one of his letters that he was thankful there were
no copies of the Drawing-Room Gazette in the British Museum, meaning
that he did not want people to read his musical criticisms;
nevertheless, I hope some day to come across back numbers containing
his articles.
The opening of Erewhon is based upon Butler's colonial experiences;
some of the descriptions remind one of passages in A First Year in
Canterbury Settlement, where he speaks of the excursions he made
with Doctor when looking for sheep-country.
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