That Burke wrote the _Annual Registers_ for Dodsley for some period
after its commencement, is well known, but no one has yet distinctly
stated when his participation in that work ceased. Mr. Prior, in his
_Life of Burke_, places in his list of his writings: "_Annual Register_,
at first the whole work, afterwards only the Historical Article, 1758,"
&c. He also states that "many of the sketches of contemporary history
were written from his immediate dictation for about thirty years," and
that "latterly a Mr. Ireland wrote much of it under Mr. Burke's
immediate direction." (_Life_, vol. i. p. 85. edit. 1826.)
In proof of this statement, a fac-simile is given of Burke's receipts to
Dodsley for two sums of 50_l._ each "for the _Annual Register_ of 1761,"
the originals of which were in Upcott's collection. At the sale of Mr.
Wilks's autographs this month, I observe there was another receipt for
writing the _Annual Register_ for 1763. I am not aware whether any
other receipts from Burke are in existence for the money paid to him for
his contributions to this periodical, but for the _Annual Registers_
beginning with 1767, and terminating in 1791, I have the receipts of
Thomas English, who appears to have received from Dodsley, first
140_l._, and subsequently 150_l._ annually, for writing and compiling
the historical portion of the work. Burke's connexion with the
publication must therefore have lasted a much shorter period than Mr.
Prior appears to have supposed, and apparently was not continued beyond
seven or eight years, from 1758 to 1766, after which year, English seems
to have taken his place.
Everything relating to Burke is of importance; and if any of your
correspondents can afford any further assistance in defining as
correctly as possible the limits of his participation in the _Annual
Register_, I feel assured that the information will be gladly received
by your readers.
I have not seen it noticed, that the historical articles in the _Annual
Registers_, from 1758 to 1762 inclusive, were collected in an 8vo. vol.
under the title of--
"A compleat History of the late War, or Annual Register of its
Rise, Progress, and Events in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America,
&c." London, 1763.
This work went through more than one edition. My copy, containing 559
pages, is a Dublin edition of the date of 1763, printed by John Exshaw.
As there seems to be no question that what is contained in this volume
is the composition of Burke, and as it has never yet been superseded as
a spirited history of the stirring period to which it relates, it ought
undoubtedly to be attached as a supplement to the 8vo. edition of
Burke's _Works_, with his "Account of the European Settlements in
America," his title to which is now placed beyond dispute.
It is greatly to be regretted that some of Burke's early publications
are yet undiscovered, amongst which are his poetical translations from
the Latin, and his attack upon Henry Brooks, the author of the _Fool of
Quality_.