conviction of the arduous undertaking in hand, he lent to it all his energies, and soon the "New Monthly" exhibited fresh spirit and power, and for the ten years following, during which he continued editor, was inferior to none of the magazines in public favour and estimation.

Having bidden farewell to Sydenham, which he often said was the "greenest spot in memory's waste," he settled down permanently in London, projecting new efforts in the cause of literature.

Now another domestic calamity befell him, an affliction which embittered many days, which otherwise, humanly speaking, would have been joyous and tranquil; his only son was pronounced, either from hereditary taint or accident at school, incapable of prosecuting his studies with advantage; every thing was done that affection could devise, struggles were made, sacrifices gladly undergone, no pecuniary expense spared. It was only after many alarms that Campbell could be brought to believe that the symptoms manifested, were any thing more than the effects of temper, or mere physical derangement.

In November, 1824, while his mind was still on the rack, alternating between hope and fear concerning his son's malady, appeared the poem of "Theodric." Considerable popularity was anticipated for it, which its author, however, did not live to see realized. While the work was in the press, in writing to his sister, he says, "I am sorry there should be any great expectation excited about the poem, which is not of a nature to gratify such expectation. It is truly a domestic and private story. I know very well what will be its fate; there will be an outcry and regret that there is nothing grand or romantic in it, and that

it is too humble and familiar. But I am prepared for this; and I also know that when it recovers from the first buzz of such criticism, it will attain a steady popularity."

The founding of the University of London is the next feature of Campbell's life which deserves notice; the idea, as is well known, entirely originated with him, and its realization he ever felt a source of satisfaction; he looked upon the event, as he chose to say, as "the only important one in his life's little history."

From the occasion of his visit to the Universities of Bonn, Heidelberg, and Vienna, this subject had occupied most of his thoughts, and from time to time, as opportunity served, he mentioned the subject to his friends. At length his plans became matured, and he was enabled, at a public meeting summoned for that purpose, to set forth his scheme in a manner which exhibited not only its feasibility, but at once won over the entire audience to coöperation and an unanimous determination to carry out his suggestions.

After the matter had progressed, and his views been explained, we find him (in a letter dated April 30th, 1825,) thus referring to the subject:"I have had a double quick time of employment since I saw you. In addition to the business of the magazine, I have had that of the University in a formidable shape. Brougham, who must have popularity among Dissenters, propounded the matter to them. The delegates of almost all the dissenting bodies in London came to a conference at his summons. At the first meeting it was decided that there should be Theological chairs, partly Church of England, and partly Presbyterian. I had instructed all friends of the Univer

sity to resist any attempt to make us a Theological body; but Brougham, Hume, and John Smith, came away from the first meeting saying, 'We think with you, that the introduction of divinity will be mischievous; but we must yield to the Dissenters, with Irving at their head. We must have a Theological College.' I immediately waited on the Church of England men, who had already subscribed to the number of a hundred, and said to them, 'You see our paction is broken. I induced you to subscribe on the faith, that no ecclesiastical interest, English or Scotch, should predominate in our scheme; but the Dissenters are rushing in. What do you say?' Theythat is, the Church of England friends of the scheme-concerted that I should go commissioned from them, to say at the conference, that either the Church of England must predominate, or else there must be no Church influence. I went with this commission; I debated the matter with the Dissenters. Brougham, Hume, and John Smith, who had before deserted me, changed sides, and came over to me. Irving, and his party stoutly opposed me; but I succeeded at last in gaining a complete victory. ... The Dissenters themselves, I must say, behaved with extreme candour: they would not even suffer me to conclude my reply to Mr. Irving; but exclaimed, 'Enough, enough. We are convinced, and concede the point, that the University shall be without religious rivalship.' The scene concluded amicably: Lord Althorp appeared on the part of the Church, and coincided in the decision.

"A directory of the association for the scheme of the University is to meet in my house on Monday, and every thing promises well. You

cannot conceive what anxiety I have undergone, whilst I imagined that the whole beautiful project was likely to be reduced to a mere Dissenters' University. But I have no more reason to be dissatisfied with the Dissenters than with the hundred Church of England Subscribers, whose interests I have done my best to support. I regard this as an eventful day in my life."

A few days afterwards he thus writes:"You will not grudge postage, to be told the agreeable news that Brougham and Hume have reported their having had a conference with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Liverpool; and that they expressed themselves not unfavourable to the plan of a great College in London. Of course, as ministers had not been asked to pledge themselves to support us, but only to give us a general idea of their disposition, we could only get what we sought, a general answer, but that being so favourable, is much. I was glad also to hear that both Mr. Robinson and Lord Liverpool approved highly of no rival theological chairs having been agreed upon. Mr. Robinson even differed from Mr. Hume, when the latter said, 'Of course getting a charter is not to be thought of.' I beg your pardon,' said Mr. Robinson, I think it might be thought of; and it is by no means an impossible supposition.'

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"A copy of my scheme of education, but much mutilated and abridged, is submitted to their inspection. I mean, however, to transmit to them my scheme in an entire shape, and to publish it afterwards as a pamphlet. In the mean time, I must for a while retire and leave this business to other hands, now that it seems safe from any mischief which hitherto threatened it. I send you

this intelligence because it is an event to me, or at least a step in a promised event, which will be, perhaps, the only important one in my life's little history."

Subsequently he wrote: "I rejoice to find the wisest Churchmen and the wisest Dissenters decidedly agreeing on this point, that we ought in this scheme religiously to avoid all chance of religious controversy. Mr. Irving said, that learning and science were the natural enemies of religion; but if he said so, I paid him home for it very well. He came and shook hands with me at the conclusion."

From this time, comparatively, all was plain sailing; difficulties were mastered, and the project daily advanced in popularity. Campbell's scheme of education was founded on the basis of the plans resorted to both in British and Foreign Universities, adapting the leading features of each to the advance of knowledge and the growing necessities of the age. In order to leave no system unnoticed, he determined to visit the University of Berlin, and ascertain whether its system and curriculum of education could with advantage be adopted in the London University. With this in view, on the 10th of September, he embarked for Germany, and in eighty hours arrived in safety at Hamburg. On the 21st, he wrote from Berlin, "I have just been through the University. I have taken the dimensions of its rooms, and got some books which give an account of its institutions. I have also given my letter of introduction to the librarian (Dr. Spiker), who has given me the liberty of getting out any books I may wish for. I told you, in my letter from Hamburg, that I should go to Leipsic; but I was soon after informed that Berlin is a place much preferable for my