Book Description

Excerpt from Reply of Dr. Kingsford to the Strictures on Volume VIII. Of the History of Canada in the Review of Historical Publications Relating to Canada Iwill briefly deal with the personal allusions to myself. I have to act in this case as many men have to do in a difficult po sition. I have to throw myself on my character and refer to the text of the book. Mr. Wrong, in his barbarous English, once before this occasion wrote of me that I was not a stylist, whatever the word may mean; an expression to call forth from the Toronto press a contemptuous reproval, as he doubtless well remembers. My text can be adduced to show the character of the English I write, as well as the care taken by me to re present what I hold to be the truth. I am told that in this book there is an excessive amount of careless writing. If the defects claimed be admitted, they must not be attributed to this cause. My sheets in form were jealously read by a friend, to whose cri ticism they were subjected. From feelings of delicacy I do not mention his name. He is an associate of King's College, Lon don, one of the highest honours attainable in the world of let ters a graduate of Oxford, where he took high honours and ob tained a reputation rarely surpassed; in Montreal he is known by his brilliant and learned contributions to periodical literature, by his admirable and unsurpassed translations of Horace, and, among other writings, by a volume of poems of the highest merit. He is a member of the Royal Society. Although unnamed, his identity is sufficiently plain. If I wrote bad English, he is par tieeps criminis in allowing it to pass. He differs in his training and attainments from Mr. Wrong, as he surpasses him in learn ing, courtesy and reputation. Who the unsigned critic may be I have yet to learn. This, however, may be said of him. He writes as one living in a petty parish commrfnity, imperfectly educated with some superficial, miscellaneous reading; with an unbounded admiration for ob scure United States authorities, and with an unfathomable Opin ion Of his own powers and merits; a living example of the truth of the oft-quoted French proverb, that an royaume des aveugles les borgnes sont rois. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.