5793. Frederic Chapman to RB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 32, 113–115.
193 Piccadilly
July 26. 1866.
My dear Mr. Browning,
I much regret that I did not see you yesterday. There can be nothing painful to me in seeing you or any one else on this miserable affair– There has been no transaction on my part that can make me think that I have been in Error, and I do feel most deeply the unfavourable view you have taken of me in this case—
Pray let me repeat it again, and I confidently trust to your Judgement.
To begin– We had no transaction with Miss Blagden about the book, nor did we hear from her concerning it but through you when she requested your assistance to get her claim settled. We published the book for Bradbury & Evans on commission at Xmas 1862 and undertook to let them have two payments for the Author when they applied for them– They did apply for £75– in February 1863 and had the money.
Soon after Midsummer 1863 they again applied for whatever might be due on the sales of the book—the account was made up and in August 1863 they had £200/./. more.
In March 1866 (2½ years later) they requested us to make up the account of ‘The Cost of a Secret’ and asked if we would let them have a cheque for the balance as Miss Blagden had written to them for the money due to her– I was astounded that Miss Blagden had been kept out of her money so long, and agreed that the account should be made out at once and that the cheque should be paid for Miss Blagden–
On March 28th I rendered the account and enclosed with it a cheque for the balance due on it amounting to £4/11/8–
Now when I assented to make up the account at once and promised that the cheque should be at once paid for Miss Blagden it was on the supposition that during 2½ years sufficient copies of the book had been sold to pay Miss Blagden, but when the account was made up and only showed a balance of £4/11/8, due to Bradbury’s, what right had Bradbury & Evans to expect me to pay them £75–
At this time I have no doubt they wrote to Miss Blagden to say that I had promised to pay—instead paying her what they owed.
Mr. Evans called on me and asked me to let him have a cheque for £75/./.—his reason for asking such a thing was what I have already explained about the old firm—and he promised if I would let him have the cheque he would return the balance to me of £70/6/4 the next day.
This I would not agree to.
During March, April and May the same request has often [been] made to me, and at last I regret to say I was foolish enough to write out a cheque on May 21 on Mr. Evans promising to return me £70/8/4. the next day— I have not the slightest doubt but that Miss Blagden was again informed that I had promised to pay, but there was yet this difficulty, I would not agree to my cheque being paid to Bradburys until I received Bradburys; I therefore handed it to one of my clerks to pay in as soon as Bradburys[’] cheque arrived. Their cheque did not come, and it was only on June 8th the day I left London for my week’s holiday that I was foolish enough to let the cheque be paid on– During my absence our Mr. Orr [1] made four applications to Bradburys for £70/8/4 and at last got it on June 18th
This is my statement, and I brought with me yesterday to your home my ledger, bank book and cheque book to corroborate it.
I do feel that I have been most cruelly used, and I regret that ever I consented to let Bradburys have the £75/./– which has undoubtedly made Miss Blagden think, that because my cheque was paid to her account that I must as a matter of course have owed the money.
I hope that you will put her right upon this,—and tell her that if she feels aggrieved at my note, that I am truly sorry, but you might also say that I felt greatly aggrieved at receiving her message through you at a moment when I could least afford such a matter to prejudice you against me– She should have referred you to Bradbury & Evans who owed her the money.
Messrs Bradbury & Evans have treated me so badly, that with regard to them I have the remedy in my own hands, they knew very well when they wrote to Miss Blagden stating that I would pay the money on such a day, that the reason that money was not paid was because they did not send me their cheque.
I have troubled you with this long letter, I will at any time show you my books to prove the truth of my statement, and I feel now certain that whatever opinion you may have formed that you will readily exonerate me from blame–
Believe me
Yrs most truly
Fred Chapman
I did see Bradbury & Evans about their letter to Miss Blagden and I also told them that after such treatment they could not expect more work from me.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Yale University.
1. William Somerville Orr (1799–1873), former publisher in his own right (under the imprint of William S. Orr & Co., first in Paternoster Row, then Amen Corner), mainly of works on natural history.
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