Oakleigh Leader (North Brighton, Vic. : 1888 - 1902), Saturday 24 November 1888, page 9


P.ider Haggard. Some interesting facts respecting the author of " King Solomon's Mines" are published in a recent review. In 1882 Mr. Rider Haggard wrote " Cetowayo and his White Neighbours," over which he lost £60. The sight of a fair face. in a church at Norwood gave, him, he says, an inspiration for "Dawn." The pub. lishers regarded his first novel with disfavour, undthe rewriting it against time very nearly cost him his [eyesight. It was produced at last,, and his profits amounted to ten pounds.. Encouraged. by a very favourable review in the imes, he set to.work on the " Witch's Head," and this time' he realised no less than fifty pounds. In 1885 he was called to the bar, commenced his legal career in the Probate and Divorce Court, and wrote "King Solomon's Mines" in the leisure evenings of bis first term. He woke up one morning to find himself famous, and this time he very fortunately retained a royalty of 10 per cent. "She," "Jess," and "Allan Quatermain" . were each phenomenally successful; and the still youthful author practically abandoned the drafting of pleas in matrimonial causes for the prctice of romantic liteiature. He cannot satisfactorily explain why "Maiwa's Revenge," the work of a smglo fortnight, excited so much notice; while the elaborate preface to the second edition of "Cetewayo," to write which he patiently disseeted the pile of Blue-books which nearly bury the gun-cases out of sighlt, passed almost unnoticed, even by the politicians. Allen B. Wilson,pcrfector and part inventor of the sewing machine, who, with Nathaniel Wheeler, established the Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machine Company, of Bridgeport, died on the 29thlult., in Woodmont, Conn. Hewas born in Nes York in 1827, learned the cabinet. making trade, and in 1840, never having seen a sewing machine. invented one.