ABSTRACT
John Gibson Lockhart (1794–1854), Scott’s son-in-law and biographer, and editor of the Quarterly Review from 1825 to 1853, was one of the main contributors to Blackwood’s in its early years. His authorship of John Bull’s Letter has been established by A. L. Strout, from whose edition the following extract is reprinted. (John Bull’s Letter to Lord Byron, ed. A. L. Strout Norman [Oklahoma], 1947, pp. 80–8, 90–100.) Byron enjoyed the pamphlet: ‘I have just read “John Bull’s letter”, ’ he wrote to Murray on 29 June 1821, ‘it is diabolically well written, and full of fun and ferocity. I must forgive the dog, whoever he is.’ (LJ, V, 315–6.)
