The poetical works of James Thomson ...

Cxxvi MEMOIR OF THOMSISON.
There is reason to believe that a fragment of a
poem was found amongst Thomson's papers, as
Dr. Bell remarks, in his letter to Lord Buchan,
in September, 1791:"II remember to have heard my aunt, Mrs. Thomson, say, that the outlines of a fine poem were found
among her brother's papers after his death. If this
was "the case, Mr. Gray, of Richmond Hill, got possession of them. The heirs of that gentleman will be
able to ascertain the fact; and to put it in my power,
if they are worthy of Thomson's character, to give
of the agreements respecting them, derived from an appeal
against a decision of the Court of Chancery, many years
since, on a question of literary property.
It appears that Thomson sold "Sophonisba," a Tragedy,
and "Spring," a Poem, to Andrew Millar, on the 16th of
January, 1729, for 1371. 10s. On the 28th of July, in the
same year, he sold to John Millan, "Summer," "Winter,"
"Autumn," "Britannia," Poem to Newton, the H-lymn, ant
an Essay on Descriptive Poetry, for 1051. On the 16th of
June, 1738, Andrew Millar purchased these Poems of John
Millan at the original price. On the 13th of June, 1769,
Andrew Millar's executors sold the copyright of the whole by
auction to fifteen London booksellers, for the sum of 5051.
Soon after Davis, the Bookseller, sold half his twelfth, for the
shares were unequal, to Becket and Dehondti not of the original list of purchasers, for 211., being the price he had paid for
that proportion.
This was a close sale; and Alexander Donaldson, the Edinburgh Bookseller, who wished to attend, was not admitted.
He then published a copy of " The Seasons " at Edinburgh,
stated in the title to be printed in 1768, the sale of which was
said, however, to have begun, before the auction of the copyright took place.