While the 'Quarterly' was still struggling two of the most important incidents in Murray's life occurred his purchase in May 1812 of the historic house No. 50 Albemarle Street, and his acquaintance with Byron. The house was bought from William Miller (1769-1844) [q.v.], a retiring publisher, along with his copyrights. The price paid for the whole was 3,822l. 12s. d., which was not finally liquidated until 1821, and for which Miller received as security the copyrights of the 'Quarterly Review ' and Mrs. Rundell's 'Cookery' (one of Murray's most successful speculations). Murray's acquaintance with Byron had been made the preceding year by his agreement to publish the first and second cantos of 'Childe Harold' on account of Mr. Dallas, to whom Byron had given them in one of his fits of whimsical generosity. After Byron ' awoke and found himself famous,' Murray purchased the copyright from Dallas for six hundred guineas, contrary to the advice of Gifford. Rogers, however, assured him that he would never repent it, and this judgment was soon verified. For several years Murray's relations with Byron continued to be a singular inversion of those usually existing between author and publisher, the former continually striving to force money upon the latter, which the poet long rejected. Byron probably could not forget that he had himself most unreasonably denounced Scott for making money out of 'Marmion;' but at length his consistency and his pride gave way to his necessities, though he magnanimously refused the relief which Murray with equal generosity pressed upon him when his affairs had become hopelessly deranged about the time of his separation from Lady Byron. The alliance subsisted long after Byron's retirement to the continent, and only broke down under the strain of 'Don Juan;' Murray produced cantos i. to v., however, before his tory principles compelled him to desist. The mutual regard of the two was never impaired, and, notwithstanding much caprice on Byron's part and some self-interest on Murray's, this episode in their lives must be pronounced equally honourable to both. Murray did not shine equally in his relations with Coleridge, to whom he offered no more than 100l. for a translation of 'Faust.' It is probable, however, that he had a very imperfect idea what 'Faust' was like, and doubtless believed that Coleridge, who accepted his terms and never produced a line of the translation, would have followed the same course if the terms had been ten times as liberal. Murray made one great mistake when he declined to buy the copyright of the 'Rejected Addresses' for 20l. He wished to obtain a share of the ' Waverley Novels,' but Scott was bound hand and foot to his Edinburgh publishers. He had himself made an excursion into Scotland by becoming a joint publisher of 'Blackwood's Magazine,' but relinquished it after a while from disapprobation of its personalities. The list of important books published by him at this time would be a very long one, but not many have maintained a permanent place in literature. The more remarkable exceptions were perhaps the novels of Jane Austen, which afterwards passed into the hands of Bentley, and the poems of Crabbe, for whose 'Tales of the Hall' Murray gave three times as much as was offered by Longman. A noticeable feature of his business was the number of books of travel, in the selection of which he derived much assistance from Sir John Barrow [q. v.], who had become one of the most extensive contributors to the 'Quarterly.'
The year 1824 produced two events of importance to Murray first, the controversy relating to Lord Byron's 'Memoirs,' resulting in their destruction. (The history of this transaction is fully related under Byron. Murray's view of it is fully presented in Dr. Smiles's 'Biography,' chap, xvii.) Towards the close of the year Gifford's health compelled him to retire from the editorship of the 'Quarterly.' He was succeeded by Mr. (afterwards Sir) John Taylor Coleridge, who withdrew after a year in consequence of increasing practice at the bar. He may not have been a very strong editor, and his views on the catholic question were too liberal for Southey and others of Murray's allies. He was succeeded by Lockhart, a rather surprising choice when Lockhart's share in the personalities that had driven Murray away from 'Blackwood' is considered. Lockhart, however, had been brought into intimate connection with Murray through his having been selected by Disraeli for the editorship of a proposed newspaper called 'The Representative,' and although Scott disapproved of his son-in-law's connection with a newspaper, he was most willing to see him editor of the 'Quarterly.' His influence carried the day, and Lockhart soon proved himself one of the greatest of editors, far more efficient than Gifford in business matters, and, unlike Gifford, able to enrich the 'Review' with a series of brilliant contributions from his own pen. He entered upon his office with an unfriendly feeling towards Croker, but they were soon reconciled, and during Lockhart's editorship Croker continued to be more intimately identified with the periodical in the public mind than Lockhart himself, not entirely to its advantage.
