Mr.  Thompson's  copy  contained,  in  addition,  an
autograph  note  of  his  own,  giving  some  account  of  an
eccentric  fellow-collegian,  Thomas  Sunderland,  from
whom  the  poem  entitled  "A  Character  "  was  supposed
to  be  drawn.
1830-183I.
^  The  Gem,  for  1831  (London),  an  illustrated
Annual,  contains  three  original  unpublished
poems  by  Alfred  Tennyson,  never  included
by  the  author  in  any  of  his  subsequent
volumes,  "uiz.,  "No  More,"  "Anacreontics,"
and  "  A  Fragment,"  the  last-named  in  blank
verse,  somewhat  in  the  style  of  "  Timbuc-
too."  These  are  reprinted  in  a  small
volume  entitled  "  The  Lover's  Tale  and
other  Poems,  now  first  collected,"  of  which


1 831.]  OF  TENNYSON.  9

an  edition,  limited  to  fifty  copies,  was
issued  for  private  circulation  in  1875,  "with
a  monograph  by  the  author  of   "  Tenny-


soniana."


This  little  volume  was  suppressed  at  the  Poet's
instigation  by  a  decree  of  the  Court  of  Chancery  and
is  now  very  difficult  to  find.  It  contained  twelve  pages
of  preliminary  matter  (with  title,  contents,  indicating
the  sources  of  the  minor  poems,  and  "a  Monograph  on
'  The  Lover's  Tale,'  a  Supplementary  Chapter  to
'  Tennysoniana  '  "  (of  which  the  second  edition  had  not
then  been  published),  and  sixty-four  pages  of  text,  of
which  forty-eight  were  occupied  by  the  principal  poem,
and  sixteen  by  the  minor  poems,  not  accessible  else-
where, except  in  the  publications  to  which  they  were
originally  contributed.  Some  of  the  copies  were  done
up  in  blue  and  white  boards,  entirely  uncut ;  others
were  bound  in  vellum  or  half  roan,  with  edges  uncut
and  tops  gilt  ;  others  remained  loose  or  stitched,  in  the
original  sheets.  But  a  large  proportion  of  the  copies
were  confiscated  ;  and  probably  not  more  than  twenty
or  two  dozen  were  put  into  actual  circulation.
