on with Lady Morgan at length because
at no other point do we come into so near a contact with him. In Fell's
_Memoir_ Phillips is described--in 1808--as 'certainly now the first
publisher in London,' but while he may have been this in the volume of
his trade--and school-books made an important part of it--he was not in
mere 'names.' Most of his successful writers--Sydney Owenson, Thomas
Skinner Surr, Dr. Gregory, and the rest--have now fallen into oblivion.
The school-books that he issued have lasted even to our own day, notably
Dr. Mavor's _Spelling Book_. Dr. Mavor was a Scotsman from Aberdeen, who
came to London and became Phillips's chief hack. There are no less than
twenty of Mavor's school-books in the catalogue before me. They include
Mavor's _History of England_, Mavor's _Universal History_, and Mavor's
_History of Greece_. In the _Memoir_ of 1808 it is claimed that 'Mavor'
is but a pseudonym for Phillips, and the claim is also made, quite
wrongfully, by John Timbs, who, before he became acting editor of the
_Illustrated London News_ under Herbert Ingram, and an indefatigable
author, was Phillips's private secretary.[54] It seems clear, however,
that in the case of Blair's _Catechism_ and Goldsmith's _Geography_, and
many another book for schools, Phillips was 'Blair' and 'Goldsmith' and
many another imaginary person, for the books in question numbered about
two hundred in all. For these books there must have been quite an army
of literary hacks employed during the twenty years prior to the
appearance of George Borrow in that great army. On 9th November 1807,
the Lord Mayor's procession through London included Richard Phillips
among its sheriffs, and he was knighted by George III. in the following
year. During his period of office he effected many reforms in the City
prisons. John Timbs, in his _Walks and Talks about London_, tells us
that Phillips's colleague in the shrievalty was one Smith, who
afterwards became Lord Mayor:

The _personnel_ of the two sheriffs presented a sharp contrast.
Smith loved aldermanic cheer, but was pale and cadaverous in
complexion; whilst Phillips, who never ate animal food, was
rosy and healthful in appearance. One day, when the sheriffs
were in full state, the procession was stopped by an
obstruction in the street traffic; when droll were the mistakes
of the mob: to Smith they cried, 'Here's Old Water-gruel!' to
Phillips, 'Here's Roast Beef