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COLLECTION 

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.  ~is((>f  Lenox  and  I ilaen  Foundations 

by  Victor  Hugo  Paltsits 

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Catherine  Gansevoort  Lansing 

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HUDSON  EDITION 


THE 
LIFE   AOT)    LETTERS 


OF 


WASHINGTON    IRVING 


BY   HIS   NEPHEW 


PIERRE   M.   IRYESTG 


IN  THREE  VOLUMES 


VOLUME   I 


NEW   YORK 

G.   P.   PUTNAM'S   SONS 
27  and  29  West  23d  Street 


I      AST 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869,  by 

PIERRE  M.    IrtVING. 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  C  ouit  of  the  United  Slates,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


Preface  to  the  First  Edition. 


HE  work,  of  which  I  now  offer  the  first  volume 
to  the  public  with  the  most  unfeigned  diffidence, 
has  been  mainly  compiled  from  papers  commit- 
ted to  me  by  Mr.  Irving,  with  the  understanding  that  I 
was  to  construct  a  biography  from  them,  should  it  be  my 
fate  to  survive  him.  "  Somebody  will  be  writing  my  life 
when  I  am  gone,"  said  he  to  me  some  years  before  his 
death,  and  after  having  resisted  repeated  applications  for 
an  autobiography,  "  and  I  wish  you  to  do  it.  Tou  must 
promise  me  that  you  will." 

Though  deeply  sensible  of  the  confidence  implied  in 
such  a  request,  my  first  impulse  was  to  decline  an  office 
so  responsible,  and  for  which  I  felt  myself  so  little  quali- 
fied; but  the  request  was  repeated  with  an  earnestness 
which  showed  the  subject  had  seriously  engaged  his 
thoughts,  and  with  the  assurance  that  he  would  be  able 
to  place  in  my  keeping  materials  which  he  would  only 
confide  to  a  relative,  and  which  would  of  themselves  go 

7 


8  PREFACE. 

far  to  furnish  a  picture  of  his  life  from  his  first  launch  in 
the  world.  I  yielded  my  scruples  to  this  assurance  ;  and 
not  long  after,  he  placed  in  my  possession  a  mass  of  ma- 
terial, consisting  of  journals,  note-books,  diaries  at  scat- 
tered intervals,  and  a  large  collection  of  family  letters, 
with  files  of  others  from  various  correspondents,  which, 
as  he  said,  he  had  neither  time  nor  spirit  to  examine  or 
arrange.  He  afterwards  procured  for  me  his  numerous 
letters  to  his  friend,  Henry  Brevoort,  which  were  fur- 
nished through  the  kindness  of  his  son,  J.  Carson  Bre- 
voort, Esq.;  and  shortly  before  his  death  indicated  to  me 
others,  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  which,  if  still 
in  existence,  might  be  of  interest  in  a  narrative  of  the 
shifting  scenes  of  his  life.  Of  these  I  have  been  able  to 
obtain,  since  his  death,  the  originals  or  copies  of  such 
as  had  been  preserved  ;  and  to  them  have  been  added 
numerous  letters,  both  of  his  early  and  later  life,  which 
have  been  contributed  by  various  friends,  to  whom  I  here 
offer  my  acknowledgments. 

In  the  delicate  office  of  sifting,  selecting,  and  arrang- 
ing these  different  materials,  extending  through  a  period 
of  nearly  sixty  years,  it  has  been  my  aim  to  make  the  au- 
thor, in  every  stage  of  his  career,  as  far  as  possible,  his 
own  biographer,  conscious  that  I  shall  in  this  way  best 
fulfill  the  duty  devolved  upon  me,  and  give  to  the  world 
the  truest  picture  of  his  life  and  character. 


Contents   of  Volume   I. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGB 

Birth,  Parentage,  and  Ancestry. — William  De  Irwin. — Curious  Trac- 
ing of  the  Descent. — Settlement  in  New  York.— Flight  to  Rail- 
way.— A  Prisoner's  Certificate. — Home  of  the  Author's  Boyhood. 
— His  Domestic  Training. — His  Baptism. — Early  Introduction 
to  his  Namesake 21 


CHAPTEE  II. 

Benjamin  Romaine. — Passion  for  Reading. — Longing  to  see  the 
World. — Commences  the  Study  of  the  Law. — His  First  Voyage 
up  the  Hudson,  as  related  by  himself 31 


CHAPTEE  III. 

Enters  the  Office  of  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman.— The  Hoffman  Family. 
— First  Letters. —First  Essays  in  Print. — Expedition  to  Ogdens- 
burg. — Extracts  from  Journal. — Plunge  in  the  Black  River.— 
Capture  of  a  Deer. — Hardships  of  the  Wilderness. — A  Jealous 
Savage. — Indian  Ceremonial.— An  Exchange  of  Names.— Ogdens- 

burg  Revisited 40 

9 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

PAGE 

Departure  for  Europe. — Emotions  on  Leaving. — Letter  from  Quaran- 
tine.— Arrival  at  Bordeaux. — Commencement  of  Journal. — From 
Bordeaux  to  Nice. — Scenes  and  Incidents  by  the  Way. — Whimsi 
calities  of  the  Little  Doctor. — A  Sham  Prisoner. — French  Pass- 
port.— Spice  of  Travelling  Philosophy.  —  Police.  —  A  Spy. — A 
Suspected  Traveller. — Detention 57 

CHAPTER  V. 

Continued  Detention. — Friendly  Offices  of  Dr.  Henry. — Liberation. 
— Takes  Felucca  for  Genoa. — A  Whistling  Shot. — Loiter  at  Ge- 
noa.— Agreeable  Acquaintances. — Determines  to  visit  Sicily. — 
Allusion  to  Duel  of  Hamilton  and  Burr 72 

CHAPTER  VI. 

From  Genoa  to  Messina. — Christmas  at  Sea. — Adventure  with  Pi- 
rates.— Quarantine. — High  Converse  with  Captain  Strong 80 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Scylla  and  Charybdis. — Nelson's  Fleet.—  Passage  to  Syracuse. — Ear 
of  Dionysius. — The  Listening  Chamber  Explored. — Catania. — 
Partial  Ascent  of  iEtna. — To  Palermo. — Dismal  Accommoda- 
tions.— A  Night  Alarm. — A  Chance  Entertainment 83 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Palermo. — Passage  to  Naples. — Ascent  of  Vesuvius. — Farewell  to 
Naples. — Rome. — Allston  the  Painter. — Proposes  to  Irving  to 
try  the  Brush. — Suspense  of  the  Latter. — Torlonia  the  Banker. — 


CONTENTS.  11 

PAGE 

His  Flattering  Attentions. — Its  Ludicrous  Solution.— Baron  Von 
Humboldt. — Madame  De  Stael 104 

CHAPTER  IX. 

From  Rome  to  Paris. — Milan. — Increasing  Fondness  for  Opera. — Ar- 
rival in  Paris. — Journal  relinquished. — Vanderlyn. — Extract  of 
Letter  to  Peter. — From  Paris  to  London. — Kemble. — Cooke. — 
Siddons. — Anecdote  of  Geoffrey  Crayon  and  Mrs.  Siddons. — Nel- 
son's Victor)'. — Passage  Home 113 

CHAPTER  X. 

New  York  Society  in  1806.— The  Lads  of  Kilkenny.— The  Old  Hall 
at  Newark. — City  Resorts. — Admission  to  the  Bar. — Letter  to 
Mr.  Hoffman 130 

CHAPTER  XL 

Letter  to  Miss  Fairlie. — Mingles  in  an  Election. — Passage  of  a  Letter 
from  Miss  Fairlie. — His  Likeness. — Letter  to  Miss  Fairlie. — At- 
tends the  Trial  of  Burr. — Letter  to  Mrs.  Hoffman. — General 
James  Wilkinson. — Letter  to  James  K.  Paulding. — Striking  Ac- 
count of  the  first  Encounter  of  Burr  and  Wilkinson. — Strictures 
on  No.  10  of  "Salmagundi"  by  himself.— Thomas  A.  Cooper, 
the  Tragedian. — Letter  to  Miss  Fairlie. — Last  Interview  with 
Burr. — Death  of  his  Father 146 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Discontinuance  of  "Salmagundi."— Disparaging  Estimate  of  the 
Work  by  Irving. — Paulding's  Allusion  to  it.— Remarks  on  the 
Subject  by  Duyckinck  and  Bryant. — Reprinted  in  London  in 
1811.— Reviewed. — Knickerbocker  Commenced. — Peter  Embarks 


12  CONTENTS. 

PAOS 

for  Europe. — Change  in  the  Plan  of    Knickerbocker. — Matilda 
Hoffman.— Her  Death 162 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Letter  to  Peter  Irving. — Curious  Heralding  of  the  "  History  of  New 
York." — Concern  of  a  City  Functionary  for  the  Missing  Diedrich. 
— Its  Publication.  — Visit  to  Albany.  —  Diedrich's  Reception 
among  the  Dutch. — Opinions  of  Knickerbocker. — Scott. — Ver- 
planck. — Letter  to  Mrs.  Hoffman 175 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Letter  to  Mr.  Hoffman. — To  Mrs.  Hoffman. — Biographical  Sketch  of 
Campbell. — First  Perusal  of  the  "Lady  of  the  Lake." — Long- 
ings for  Independence. — Partnership  Proposal. — Embraces  it. . .  189 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Visit  to  Washington. — Letter  to  Brevoort. — Jarvis  the  Painter. — Mrs. 
Madison's  Levee. — Knickerbocker  the  Congressman. — Extract  of 
a  Letter  to  Mrs.  noffman. — Mrs.  Renwick. — Letter  to  Brevoort. 
— Letter  to  William  Irving. — Joel  Barlow  and  the  Secretaryship 
of  Legation. — Letters  to  Brevoort. — George  Frederick  Cooke,  the 
Actor. — His  Performance  of  Macbeth. — His  Benefit  at  the  Park 
Theatre 198 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Change  of  Quarters. — Literary  Relaxation. — Passages  of  a  Letter  to 
Brevoort. — Breaking  out  of  the  War. — Letter  of  James  K.  Paul- 
ding.— Visit  to  Washington. — Letter  to  James  Renwick. — Letter 
to  Peter  Irving. — To  Brevoort 21-1 


CONTENTS.  13 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

PAGK 

The  "  Analectic  Magazine"  commenced. — His  Contributions  to  it. 
— Letter  to  Ebenezer  Irving. — Brevoort  Transmits  Scott's  Opin- 
son  of  the  "  History  of  New  York." — Introduces  Francis  Jeffrey. 
— Peter  Irving  and  Campbell  the  Poet. — Letter  of  Peter  Irving. 
— A  Day  at  Sydenham. — Mrs.  Siddons. — Brevoort's  Return. — 
Change  of  Quarters  to  Mrs.  Bradish's. — Letter  to  Ebenezer 
Irving 225 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  War. — The  Flag. — Hears  of  the  British  Entry  into  Washington. 
— Joins  the  Staff  of  Governor  Tompkins. — An  Expected  Attack 
on  the  City. — Sent  to  Sackett's  Harbor  on  Lake  Ontario. — His 
Journey. — Return  to  New  York. — Tompkins. — An  Unexpected 
Salute  and  its  Result. — William  Irving  in  Congress. — Washing- 
ton's Letter  to  him. — His  Visit  to  Philadelphia. — Failure  of 
Moses  Thomas,  the  Publisher  of  the  "Analectic." — Decatur  and 
his  Proposition. — Embarkation  for  Europe 233 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Arrival  at  Liverpool. — News  of  the  Battle  of  Waterloo. — Elation  of 
John  Bull. — Peter's  Indisposition. — Visit  to  Birmingham. — To 
London. — To  Sydenham. — Mrs.  Campbell. — Tour  in  Wales. — 
First  Experience  in  the  Cares  of  Business. — Extracts  from  Let- 
ters to  Brevoort. — Letter  to  Brevoort. — Sordid  Cares. — Anxiety 
for  Remittances. — Excursion  to  London. — Miss  O'Neil. — Kean. 
—Campbell 249 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Anxious  Days. — Letter  to  Brevoort.— Peter's  Return  to  Liverpool. — 
Vain  Attempts  to  revive  the  Literary  Feeling. — Letter  of  All- 


14  CONTENTS. 

PAQB 

ston. — Death  of  his  Mother.— Letter  to  Allston. — Ogilvie's  Pre- 
diction. —  A  Day  with  Campbell.  —  Dinner  with  Murray.  — 
D'Israeli. — Letter  to  Peter  Irving 261 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Letters  to  Peter.— Visit  to  Edinburgh.— Jeffrey.— William  C.  Pres- 
ton.— Lady  Davy. — Visit  to  Abbotsford. — Anecdotes  of  Scott 
and  his  Family. — Excursion  to  the  Highlands  with  Preston. — 
Constable. — Scott's  Impression  of  Irving. — Letter  to  Brevoort  on 
his  Approaching  Marriage. — Campbell. — Exertions  of  William 
to  obtain  for  Washington  Secretaryship  of  Legation 278 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

Bankruptcy. — Studies  German. — Letter  from  Allston,  giving  Ac- 
count of  his  New  Subject  for  Knickerbocker. — His  "Angel 
Uriel." — Leslie's  Opinion  of  it. — Letter  from  Allston. — Lord 
Egremont's  Purchase  of  his  "Jacob's  Dream." — Letter  to  Leslie. 
— Goes  up  to  London  to  try  his  Pen. — Parting  with  Allston. — 
Sketch  of  Leslie  and  Newton. — Letter  to  Brevoort  about  New 
Edition  of  Knickerbocker. — No  intention  of  Publishing  in  Eng- 
land.— Declines  an  Offer  of  a  Place  under  Government 290 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Transmits  Number  I.  of  the  "Sketch  Book." — Letter  to  Ebenezer 
Irving  on  the  Subject. — Motives  for  Remaining  in  Europe. — 
Letter  to  Brevoort  requesting  him  to  assume  the  Guardianship 
of  his  Literary  Interests,  etc. — Moses  Thomas  and  Third  Edition 
of  Knickerbocker. — Publication  of  First  Number  of  "Sketch 
Book." — Verplanck's  Notice  of  Number  I. — Number  II.  of  the 
"  Sketch  Book." — Dana's  Remarks  on  "  Rural  Life  in  England." 


CONTENTS.  15 


PAGK 

— William  Godwin  on  Number  II. — Impatient  Longing  for  Ac- 
counts from  America. — Ogilvie's  Sympathy. — Letters  to  Bre- 
voort. — Letter  from  Brevoort. — Publication  of  Number  III. — 
Number  IV.  forwarded. — Letters  to  Brevoort. — Letter  to  Leslie. 
— Republication  of  Number  I.  in  the  "London  Literary  Ga- 
zette."— The  Three  American  Numbers  offered  to  Murray. — His 
Refusal. — Applies  to  Scott. — His  Reply. — Draft  of  Irving's  Re- 
ply.— Second  Letter  from  Scott. — Resolve  to  Publish  in  England 
at  his  own  Risk 302 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Ebenezer  Irving  takes  charge  of  his  Literary  Concerns  in  America. — 
Transmits  No.  V.  to  him.  consisting  of  "Christmas." — Written 
for  Peculiar  Tastes. — Transmits  No.  VI. — "Legend  of  Sleepy 
Hollow." — The  first  Four  Numbers  published  in  England  by 
Miller. — Author's  Advertisement  to  the  Edition. — Letter  of  Scott 
on  the  Subject. — Passage  of  a  Letter  from  Leslie. — Failure  of 
Miller. — Murray  takes  "Sketch  Book  "in  Hand. — A  Peep  into 
his  Drawing-room. — Letter  to  James  K.  Paulding. — Gifford,  the 
Editor  of  the  "  Quarterly  Review." — Scott. — Views  of  Matri- 
mony.— Decatur. — English  Edition  of  a  Second  Volume  of  the 
"Sketch  Book"  commenced. — Transmits  No.  VII.  to  New  York. 
— The  last  of  the  American  Series. — Publication  of  Second  Vol- 
ume in  London.  —  Allusion  to  Lockhart's  Review  of  Knicker- 
bocker in  "Blackwood." — Letter  to  Brevoort. — Belzoni. — Hal- 
lam. — About  to  cross  the  Channel. — Yearnings  for  Home 333 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Lodgings  in  Paris. — Growing  Popularity  of  the  "Sketch  Book  "in 
England. — Its  Parentage  ascribed  to  Scott. — Correspondence  on 


16  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

the  Subject. — Christmas  Invitation. — Murray  authorizes  Draft 
of  One  Hundred  Guineas  for  "Sketch  Book,"  in  addition  to  the 
Terms  agreed  upon,  and  publishes  Knickerbocker. — Letter  to 
Leslie. — His  Designs  for  Knickerbocker. — His  Likeness  of  Geof- 
frey.— Peter  Powell's  Burlesque  Account  of  its  Costume. — The 
Author's  Sensitive  Comment,  and  Leslie's  Reply. — Subjects 
chosen  by  Leslie  for  Knickerbocker. — The  Author's  Opinion  of 
them. — Increasing  Reputation  in  England 349 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Makes  the  Acquaintance  of  Thomas  Moore,  the  Poet. — Visit  to  the 
Prison  of  Mario  Antoinette. — Letter  to  Brevoort. — Reasons  for 
remaining  Abroad.  —  Moore. — Canning. — Moore's  Hint  of  the 
Origin  of  "Bracebridge  Hall." — Another  Glimpse  of  Irving  from 
Moore.  —  John  Howard  Payne.  —  Talma.  —  His  Performance  of 
Hamlet. — Letter  to  Leslie.  —  Kenney,  Author  of  "Raising  the 
Wind,"  etc.  — Luttrel.  —  Introduced  to  the  Hollands.  — Murray 
begs  his  Acceptance  of  an  Additional  One  Hundred  Pounds  for 
the  "Sketch  Book." — The  Author's  Letter  thereupon.  —  Reads 
Manuscript  to  Moore. — Bancroft. — Sets  off  for  England  July 
11th,  hoping  to  have  Something  ready  for  the  Press  by  Autumn.  363 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Coronation  of  George  IV.  — Meeting  with  Scott. — Detained  in 
London  about  a  Play  of  Payne. — Literary  Concerns. — Excursion 
to  Birmingham  with  Leslie.  —  "The  Stout  Gentleman."  —  Its 
Moral. — Kept  at  Birmingham  by  Hlness. — Newton's  Introduc- 
tion to  La  Butte  by  himself. — Leslie  and  Powell's  Joint  Account 
of  their  Housekeeping  in  Buckingham  Place. — Letter  to  Leslie. 
—Death  of  his  Brother  William.— Moore 379 


CONTENTS. 
CHAFTEE  XXVIII. 

PAGE 

Return  to  London. — Transmits  First  Volume  of  "  Bracebridge  Hall." 
— Moses  Thomas. — Cooper  and  "  The  Spy." — Sends  off  Volume 
II.  "  Bracebridge  Hall." — Makes  Contract  with  Murray  for  Pub- 
lication in  England. — John  Randolph.— Mrs.  Siddons. — Visit  to 
Wimbledon,  one  of  the  Country-seats  of  Earl  Spencer. — Meeting 
with  Rogers. — Visit  to  the  Country-seat  of  Thomas  Hope. — 
Lines  written  in  the  Deep  Dene  Album. — Rogers. — Matthews, 
the  Comedian. — Preparing  for  an  Excursion  into  Germany 391 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Aix-la-Chapelle. — Old  Custom. — Mayence. — Introduction  to  the 
"  Tales  of  a  Traveller." — Heidelberg. — Letter  from  Moore. — 
Munich.  —  Eugene  Beauharnois.  —  Vienna.  —  The  Young  Xa- 
poleon 403 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

From  Vienna  to  Dresden. — Private  Theatricals. — Letter  to  Mrs.  Van 
Wart. — Letter  to  Peter.  —  The  Conspiracy. — Plays  Sir  Charles 
Rackett  in  "  Three  "Weeks  after  Marriage." — Letter  to  Leslie. — 

Extracts  from  Xote-book. — Leaves  Dresden  for  Paris 408 

vol.  i. — 2 


LIFE    AND    LETTERS 


OF 


"Washington   Ikying. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH,  PARENTAGE,  AND  ANCESTRY.— WILLIAM  DE  IRWIN.— CURIOUS  TRACING 
OF  THE  DESCENT. —  SETTLEMENT  IN  NEW  YORK. — FLIGHT  TO  RAHWAY. — A 
PRISONER'S  CERTIFICATE. — HOME  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  BOYHOOD.  —  HIS  DO- 
MESTIC TRAINING. — HIS  BAPTISM. — EARLY  INTRODUCTION  TO  HIS  NAME- 
SAKE. 

ASHINGTON  IRVING  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  April  3d,  1783.  He  was  the  eighth 
son  of  William  and  Sarah  Irving,  and  the 
youngest  of  eleven  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. He  had  four  brothers  and  three  sisters  who  lived 
to  mature  age,  and  whom,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to 
speak  of  them  in  the  course  of  my  narrative,  I  here  name 
in  the  order  of  birth  :  "William,  Ann,  Peter,  Catharine, 
Ebenezer,  John,  Sarah. 

The  parents  of  "Washington  came  from  the  opposite 

ends  of  Great  Britain ;  his  father  from  the  Orkneys ;  his 

21 


22  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

mother  from  Cornwall.  The  father  was  the  son  of  Mag- 
nus Irving  and  Catharine  Williamson,  and  his  ancestors 
bore  on  their  seals  the  three  holly  leaves,  which  are  the 
arms  of  the  Irvines  of  Drum,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
respectable  families  of  Scotland,  which  dates  its  origin 
from  the  days  of  Kobert  Bruce. 

According  to  a  received  tradition,  in  his  secret  and 
precipitate  flight  for  Scotland  from  the  court  of  Edward 
I.,  Bruce  sought  shelter  in  the  tower  of  Woodhouse,  the 
dwelling  of  an  Irving  of  Bonshaw,  who  was  chief  of  the 
name.  Here  he  was  harbored  for  some  time,  and  on 
leaving,  he  took  with  him  the  eldest  son  of  his  host, 
whom  he  made  his  secretary  and  armor-bearer.  The 
son  accompanied  him  through  all  his  varying  fortunes, 
was  with  him  when  he  was  surprised  and  routed  at  Meth- 
ven,  in  June,  1306,  shared  all  his  subsequent  dangers  and 
hardships,  and  was  one  of  seven  who  lay  concealed  with 
him  in  a  copse  of  holly  when  his  pursuers  passed  by. 
In  memory  of  his  escape  in  this  extremity  of  peril,  Bruce 
assumed  the  holly  as  a  device,  and  afterwards  gave  it  to 
his  faithful  secretary,  with  the  motto,  Sub  sole  sub  umbra 
virens.  The  motto  and  the  evergreen  leaves,  both  having 
relation  to  his  unchanging  fidelity  to  his  king  in  prosper- 
ity and  adversity,  in  sunshine  and  in  shade,  have  been 
the  arms  of  the  family  ever  since.  Sir  William  Irvine, 
as  he   is   styled  in  Nisbet's  "  Heraldry,"  *  was   subse- 

*  The  name  is  written  in  ancient  deeds  and  parchments  in  a  great 
variety  of  ways,  as  Irvin,  Erwyne,  De  Irwin,  etc.     Dr.  Christopher  Irvine, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  23 

quently  Master  of  the  Kolls,  and  the  charter  is  still 
extant,  dated  4th  October,  1324,  by  which  the  king  con- 
veyed to  his  faithful  and  beloved  William  De  Irwyn,  in 
free  barony,  the  lands  of  Drum,  a  hunting-seat  of  the 
kings  of  Scotland,  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
river  Dee,  about  ten  miles  from  Aberdeen.  The  tower 
of  Drum,  with  its  walls  of  solid  masonry,  still  stands  as 
sound  and  unimpaired  as  when  the  estate  was  conveyed, 
and  is  still  occupied  by  the  Irvings,  and  lays  claim  to 
the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  inhabited  dwelling  in 
Scotland. 

William  De  Irwyn  married  Mariota,  the  daughter  of 
Sir  Eobert  Keith,  Great  Mareschal  of  Scotland,  who  led 
the  horse  at  Bannockbum  and  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Duplin  in  1332. 

Of  this  family,  says  Dr.  Christopher  Irvine,  historiog- 
rapher of  Charles  II.,  in  an  ancient  document  quoted  in 
Playfair's  "  British  Family  Antiquity,"  are  the  Irvines  of 
Orkney.  But  at  what  time  his  branch  of  the  family  was 
transplanted  to  that  locality,  the  author  had  no  informa- 
tion other  than  a  family  tradition,  that  it  was  during 
some  troubles  in  Scotland  prior  to  the  reign  of  Charles 
II.  A  few  years  previous  to  his  death,  some  legal  con- 
troversy arising  in  England  on  the  subject  of  the  copy- 
right of  his  works,  a  London  publisher  was  led  to  apply 
to  Kirkwall  for  documentary  proof  of  his  father's  place 

one  of  the  stock,  in  1CG0  says  :  "Some  of  the  foolish  write  themselves 
Irving."    The  present  family  of  Drum  spells  the  name  Irvine. 


24  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

of  birth.  In  making  the  necassary  researches,  the  Clerk 
of  the  Records  was  induced  to  trace  his  descent  as  far 
back  as  possible,  and  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  he  was 
enabled  to  do  it  through  four  centuries,  from  a  facility- 
afforded  by  the  ancient  "  Udal "  laws  of  that  region, 
which  required  that  lands,  on  the  death  of  the  owner, 
should  be  divided  equally  among  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters ;  a  peculiarity  which  led  in  the  partition,  to  the 
mention  of  the  names  and  relationships  of  all  the  par- 
ties who  were  to  draw  a  share.  The  result  of  these  re- 
searches showed  that  "William  De  Erwin,"  the  first 
Orkney  Irvine  and  earliest  cadet  of  Drum,  was  an  inhab- 
itant of  Kirkwall,  the  metropolis  of  the  island  group,  in 
1369,  the  same  year  in  which  Thomas,  the  eldest  son  and 
successor  of  the  armor-bearer,  is  mentioned  among  the 
barons  of  the  Scottish  Parliament ;  that  the  Irvings  held 
landed  possessions  in  Pomona,  the  island  in  which  Kirk- 
wall is  situated,  up  to  1597,  when  Magnus,  eldest  son  of 
James  the  "Lawman"  or  chief  judge  of  the  Orkneys, 
sold  his  share  of  his  father's  property  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Kirkwall  to  a  younger  brother,  and  removed  to 
the  contiguous  island  of  Shapinsha,  where,  in  1731,  was 
born  William,  the  father  of  the  author. 

On  the  death  of  his  mother,  who  had  always  opposed 
his  wishes  on  this  point,  William  yielded  to  the  long- 
cherished  desire  of  his  boyhood,  and  went  to  sea.  Dur- 
ing the  war  between  France  and  England  he  engaged  on 
board  of  an  armed  packet  ship  of  his  British  Majesty 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  25 

plying  between  Falmouth  and  New  York,  and  was  a  petty 
officer  in  this  service  when  he  met  with  Sarah  Sanders, 
the  only  child  of  John  and  Anna  Sanders,  and  grand- 
daughter of  an  English  curate  whose  name  was  Kent. 
Their  marriage  took  place  on  the  18th  May,  1761,  and 
two  years  thereafter,  on  the  return  of  peace,  the  youth- 
ful pair  embarked  for  New  York,  where  they  landed  on 
the  18th  July,  1763,  having  buried  their  first  child  on  the 
shores  of  England. 

Mr.  Irving  took  up  his  residence  in  the  city  not  far 
from  "  The  old  Walton  House,"  as  it  now  proclaims  it- 
self with  boastful  longevity,  then  recently  erected,  which 
with  the  Middle  Dutch  Church,  still  resisting  at  that 
time  the  language  of  England  in  spite  of  a  century  of 
British  domination,  now  shorn  of  its  honors  and  trans- 
formed into  a  post-office,  are  almost  the  only  relics  left 
of  the  contracted  and  half  rural  city  of  that  day. 

On  settling  in  New  York,  the  father  of  the  author  en- 
tered into  mercantile  business.  He  was  getting  on  suc- 
cessfully, when  the  Revolution  broke  out ;  and  he  found 
his  quiet  dwelling  under  the  guns  of  one  of  the  English 
ships  in  the  harbor  at  the  time  when,  in  consequence  of 
General  Lee's  measures,  it  was  apprehended  they  would 
fire  upon  the  town.  A  general  panic  prevailed  ;  many  of 
the  inhabitants  fled  to  the  country,  and  among  the  num- 
ber Mr.  Irving  and  his  little  flock,  with  whom  he  took 
refuge  at  Eahway  in  New  Jersey.  Here  he  was  not  much 
better  off :  business  was  at  an  end  ;  his  children  suffered 


26  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

from  fever  and  ague,  and  finally,  when  the  British  made 
an  incursion  into  the  Jerseys,  he  returned  to  New  York, 
after  an  absence  of  nearly  two  years,  during  which  almost 
half  of  the  city  had  been  destroyed  by  fire. 

Throughout  the  revolutionary  contest,  he  and  his  wife 
exerted  themselves  without  ceasing  in  alleviating  the  suf- 
ferings of  American  prisoners.  The  mother  of  the  au- 
thor, who  possessed  a  character  of  rare  generosity  and 
benevolence,  was  especially  zealous  in  this  charitable 
ministry.  Prisoners  were  supplied  with  food  from  her 
own  table  ;  and  she  often  went  in  person  to  visit  them 
when  ill,  furnishing  them  with  clothes,  blankets,  and 
other  necessaries.  Cunningham,  so  noted  for  his  bru- 
tality, always  softened  at  her  appearance.  "  I'd  rather 
you'd  send  them  a  rope,  Mrs.  Irving,"  he  would  say ;  but 
her  charity  was  invariably  permitted  to  reach  its  object. 

Mr.  Irving  was  particularly  concerned  in  administering 
to  some  patriot  clergymen  of  his  denomination,  who  were 
imprisoned.  From  one  of  these,  as  the  time  approached 
for  the  British  to  evacuate  New  York  and  the  Ameri- 
can troops  to  take  possession,  he  received  the  following 
quaint  certificate,  evidently  given  under  an  impression 
that  his  residence  in  the  city  during  the  war  might  sub- 
ject his  loyalty  to  doubt,  and  expose  him  to  the  risk  of 
harsh  and  proscriptive  treatment. 

"These  may  certify  whom  it  may  concern,  whether 
civil  or  military  officers,  that  Deacon  William  Irving, 
merchant    in    this    city,    appeared    to    be    friendly    in- 


OF   WASHINGTON  IB  VINO.  27 

clined  to  the  liberties  of  the  United  States,  and  greatly 
lamented  the  egregious  barbarities  practised  by  her 
enemies  on  the  unhappy  sons  of  liberty,  that  un- 
happily fell  in  their  power — contributed  largely  to  my 
relief  (who  was  a  prisoner  in  this  city  as  early  in  the  war 
as  June,  1779),  and  was  probably  an  instrument  under 
God  of  the  preservation  of  my  life — and  by  credible  ac- 
counts I  have  had  from  other  prisoners,  both  in  the  city 
and  country,  has  been  the  means  of  the  preservation  of 
theirs  also." 

This  document  is  signed  "Blackleach  Burritt,  Minis- 
ter of  the  Gospel  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  and  bears 
date  November  15,  1783,  ten  days  before  Washington  and 
his  army  entered  the  city. 

It  was  some  months  previous,  as  we  have  seen,  that 
his  infant  namesake  first  saw  the  light.  The  two-story 
dwelling  in  which  he  was  born,  No.  131  William  Street, 
about  half-way  between  Fulton  and  John,  was  long  ago 
pulled  down.  Within  a  year  after  his  birth,  the  family 
moved  across  the  way  to  No.  128.  A  deed  from  the  exec- 
utors of  Samuel  Prince,  bearing  date  in  the  August  suc- 
ceeding his  birth,  conveys  to  "William  Irving,  Mer- 
chant," the  house  and  lot,  "  25  feet  front  by  156  feet 
deep,"  for  the  "consideration  of  two  thousand  pounds 
current  money  of  the  State  of  New  York."  This  was 
then,  or  had  lately  been  occupied  by  a  British  commis- 
sary, and  after  some  alterations  and  additions  it  became 
the  family  residence,  and  was  the  homestead  in  which  the 


28  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

author  grew  up,  and  around  which  were  gathered  the 
recollections  of  his  infancy  and  boyhood. 

It  was  a  triple  structure,  composed  of  a  front  and  rear 
edifice  of  two  stories,  with  a  narrow  central  buiklincr, 
forming  a  passage  between  them  and  connecting  the  two ; 
its  roof  descending  to  an  attic  window  in  each  division. 
It  was  my  fortune  to  accompany  the  author  when  he 
visited  the  old  homestead  in  1849,  on  the  eve  of  its  dem- 
olition, and  I  remember  with  what  a  half  giddy  feeling, 
as  we  stood  in  the  yard,  he  pointed  out  the  rear  building 
from  which,  a  venturesome  urchin,  he  would  climb  to 
this  sloping  roof,  steal  along  its  dizzy  edge  to  the  higher 
window  of  the  front  garret,  mount  thence  to  the  roof  of 
one  of  the  adjoining  buildings,  drop  a  stone  down  the 
chimney,  and  then  clamber  back  to  his  hiding-place, 
chuckling  over  the  imagined  wonder  and  perplexity  he 
had  created. 

This  was  but  one  instance  of  a  mischievous  vivacity  of 
spirits,  which  showed  itself  in  a  great  variety  of  pranks ; 
though  the  system  of  domestic  government  under  which 
he  grew  up  was  little  calculated  to  foster  a  lively  dispo- 
sition. The  father,  a  sedate,  conscientious,  God-fear- 
ing man,  with  much  of  the  strictness  of  the  old  Scotch 
Covenanter  in  his  composition,  had  small  sympathy  with 
the  amusements  of  his  children,  and  lost  no  opportunity 
of  giving  their  thoughts  a  serious  turn.  That  he  was 
somewhat  overstrict  in  his  discipline  there  can  be  little 
doubt — at  least  his  children,  with  a  high  respect  for  his 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  29 

character,  always  retained  that  impression  of  him.  "  When 
I  was  young,"  I  have  heard  Washington  say,  "  I  was  led 
to  think  that,  somehow  or  other,  everything  that  was 
pleasant  was  wicked."  Notwithstanding  the  paternal 
strictness,  however,  they  were  a  merry  household,  find- 
ing diversion  in  everything  ;  and  though  sometimes  their 
frolics  partook  of  mischief,  and  they  were  tempted  to 
steal  away,  as  they  grew  older,  to  some  fascinating,  the 
more  so  because  forbidden,  place  of  amusement,  the 
foundation  laid  resulted  throughout  in  characters  of  rare 
uprightness,  combined  with  a  more  than  ordinary  degree 
of  the  intellectual  and  imaginative.  Among  his  contem- 
poraries, the  father  was  held  in  the  highest  regard. 
"  You  come  of  a  gude  stock,"  said  a  worthy  Scot  of  his 
acquaintance  to  the  writer  of  this  memoir,  waiving  a 
proffered  security ;  "  I'll  trust  you." 

It  is  a  little  curious,  considering  the  form  of  faith  in 
which  the  author  was  reared,  that  he  should  have  been 
conducted  to  the  chapel  of  St.  George  in  Beekman  Street, 
to  receive  his  baptismal  name.  This  was  soon  after 
Washington  and  his  army  had  entered  the  city.  But  the 
rite  was  performed  by  a  Presbyterian,  though  in  an  Epis- 
copal sanctuary,  an  anomaly  growing  out  of  the  circum- 
stance that  the  churches  of  that  denomination  had  been 
dismantled  during  the  Kevolution,  and  were  now  being 
refitted  with  pulpit  and  pews;  during  which  interval 
their  Episcopal  brethren  gave  the  returning  congrega- 
tions the  use  of  their  precincts  for  half  the  Sabbath. 


30  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

His  name  of  Washington  was  the  means  of  procuring 
him  an  early  introduction  to  that  illustrious  personage, 
when  he  came  back  to  New  York,  then  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment, as  President  of  the  United  States.  A  young 
Scotch  maid-servant  of  the  family,  struck  with  the  en- 
thusiasm which  everywhere  greeted  his  arrival,  deter- 
mined to  present  the  child  to  his  distinguished  namesake. 
Accordingly,  she  followed  him  one  morning  into  a  shop, 
and  pointing  to  the  lad  who  had  scarcely  outgrown  his 
virgin  trousers:  "Please  your  honor,"  said  she,  "here's 
a  bairn  was  named  after  you."  In  the  estimation  of  Liz- 
zie, for  so  she  was  called,  few  clailns  of  kindred  could  be 
stronger  than  this.  Washington  did  not  disdain  the  deli- 
cate affinity,  and  placing  his  hand  on  the  head  of  her  lit- 
tle charge,  gave  him  his  blessing. 


CHAPTEE  H. 


BENJAMIN  ROMAINE. — PASSION  FOR  READING. — LONGING  TO  SEE  THE  WORLD. 
— COMMENCES  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  LAW. — HIS  FIRST  VOYAGE  CP  THE  HUD- 
SON,   AS   RELATED   BY   HIMSELF. 


IN  Lis  fourth  year,  "Washington  was  sent  to  a 
school  in  Ann  Street,  between  William  and 
Gold,  kept  by  a  Mrs.  Ann  Kilmaster.  Here  he 
continued  upwards  of  two  years,  making  very  little  prog- 
ress beyond  the  alphabet. 

From  Mrs.  Kilmaster's  he  was  transferred,  towards 
the  close  of  1789,  to  a  school  for  both  sexes  kept  by  Ben- 
jamin Komaine  at  198  Fulton,  then  37  Partition  Street. 
Romaine  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  a 
thorough  disciplinarian.  He  was  a  man  of  good  sense 
and  sound  judgment,  but  of  moderate  scholarship.  At 
this  school  the  author  remained  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  He  soon  became  a  favorite  with  the  quon- 
dam soldier,  who  had  a  way  of  designating  his  prefer- 
ence by  calling  him  "General,"  though  his  partiality 
seems  to  have  arisen  at  first,  not  so  much  from  any  indi- 
cations of  talent  in  his  pupil  as  from  the  fact  that,  though 

constantly  in  mischief,  he  never  sought  to  shelter  himself 

31 


32  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

by  prevarication  when  called  up  to  be  questioned,  but 
always  confessed  the  truth. 

Another  trait  which  was  mentioned  by  a  female  school- 
mate in  after  life,  was  his  unwillingness  to  witness  the 
chastisement  of  the  other  boys.  The  standing  punish- 
ment inflicted  on  truants  was  horsing,  or  hoisting,  so 
called,  and  as  the  culprits  had  to  be  untrussed,  it  was 
always  administered  after  school  when  the  girls  had  been 
dismissed.  But  little  Irving,  she  said,  could  not  endure 
the  spectacle ;  the  sight  of  the  unlucky  urchin  shrinking 
under  the  rod  was  too  much  for  his  nerves,  and  he  finally 
insisted  on  leaving  with  the  girls,  and  was  permitted. 

Though  he  had  little  inclination  for  dry  study,  his 
taste  for  reading  was  early  developed.  In  his  tenth  year, 
he  fell  in  with  Hoole's  translation  of  the  "  Orlando  Furi- 
oso,"  then  just  published,  and  I  have  heard  him  recur 
with  delight  to  the  exciting  interest  of  its  pages,  and 
dwell  with  evident  complacency  upon  his  achievements 
in  parodying  the  feats  of  arms  of  which  he  had  been 
reading ;  sallying  forth  into  the  yard  of  his  father's  house, 
the  grand  theatre  of  his  youthful  exploits,  with  wooden 
sabre  to  encounter  some  little  playmate,  fired  like  him- 
self with  noble  zeal  to  prove  himself  a  true  knight,  and 
rushing  to  the  onset  with  his  favorite  motto  : — 


*fc> 


"Where'er  my  footsteps  go,  my  deeds  proclaim, 
War  is  my  sport,  and  Rodomont  my  name." 

At  the  age  of  eleven,  books  of  voyages  and  travels 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  33 

became  his  passion.  This  feeling  was  first  awakened 
by  the  perusal  of  "  Robinson  Crusoe  "  and  "  Sindbad 
the  Sailor."  Afterwards  he  met  with  "  The  World  Dis- 
played," a  collection  of  voyages  and  travels,  selected 
from  the  writers  of  all  nations,  in  twenty  small  duo- 
decimo volumes,  embellished  with  cuts,  and  this  was  an 
inexhaustible  treasure.  He  was  not  permitted  to  read  at 
home  after  retiring  to  his  bed,  but  such  was  their  fascina- 
tion that  he  used  to  secrete  candles  to  enable  him  to  do 
so.  These  volumes  he  would  also  take  to  school,  and 
snatch  hasty  moments  of  reading  under  the  shelter  of 
his  desk.  One  day,  Eomaine  saw  him  busily  intent  on 
one  of  them,  and  creeping  up  slyly  behind  him,  thrust 
his  hand  down,  and  seizing  the  forbidden  book,  ordered 
him  to  remain  after  school  to  answer  for  the  offense. 
The  result,  however,  was  very  different  from  what  he 
had  anticipated ;  for  his  instructor,  perceiving  in  what 
the  reading  consisted,  gave  him  credit  for  the  taste  he 
showed  in  the  selection,  and  only  cautioned  him  that  he 
could  not  permit  him  to  cultivate  the  propensity  to  the 
neglect  of  the  regular  exercises  of  the  school. 

This  continual  reading  of  travels  and  voyages  begot  in 
time  a  great  desire  to  go  to  sea.  "  How  wistfully,"  says 
he,  in  the  introduction  to  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  "  would  I 
wander  about  the  pier-heacls  in  fine  weather,  and  watch 
the  parting  ships  bound  to  distant  climes — with  what 
longing  eyes  would  I  gaze  after  their  lessening  sails,  and 
waft  myself  in  imagination  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ! " 

VOL.  i.— 3 


34  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

A  performance,  which  indicates  an  early  literary  ten- 
dency, and  which  may  be  referred  to  the  age  of  thirteen, 
was  the  writing  of  a  play,  which  was  represented  at  a 
"  friend's  house  in  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Melmoth,  a  well- 
known  actress  of  that  day.  He  had  first  attended  the 
theatre  with  James  K.  Paulding,  his  early  literary  asso- 
ciate, who  had  left  his  home  in  Westchester  County  for 
the  city,  where  he  was  then  living  with  William  Irving, 
who  had  married  his  sister.  Paulding  was  four  and  a 
half  years  his  senior.  The  performance  was  "  Specula- 
tion," a  comedy  in  which  Jefferson  was  the  chief  attrac- 
tion. He  was  delighted  with  the  acting  of  this  comedian, 
and  from  this  time  he  conceived  great  fondness  for  the 
theatre.  It  was  at  this  period  that  he  was  delivered  of 
his  play,  of  which,  however,  not  a  fragment,  not  even  the 
title  lingered  in  his  memory.  It  is  fair  to  presume  it  had 
great  dramatic  demerit. 

The  anecdote  is  of  use  only  as  serving  to  display  an 
early  scribbling  propensity.  He  had  been  remarked  at 
school  for  the  ease  and  fluency  of  his  pen,  and  would  fre- 
quently effect  an  exchange  of  tasks  with  the  other  boys, 
and  write  their  compositions,  while  they  in  turn  would 
work  out  his  sums ;  for  arithmetic  was  the  most  tedious 
of  all  his  studies. 

His  education  was  completed  before  he  had  attained 
his  sixteenth  year ;  at  least  from  this  period  he  assumed 
the  direction  of  his  own  studies.  His  brothers,  Peter 
and  John,  had  been  sent  to  Columbia  College,  and  why 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  .    35 

he  did  not  receive  the  same  advantage  he  could  never 
satisfactorily  explain,  except  that  he  was  more  alive  to 
the  drudgerv  than  the  advantage  of  a  course  of  academic 
training.  He  never  failed,  however,  to  regret  the  omis- 
sion in  after  life. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  the  law-office  of 
Henry  Masterton,  a  respectable  practitioner  with  whom 
his  brother  John  was  also  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  a 
distasteful  vocation;  for  though  this  brother  afterwards 
attained  to  the  dignity  of  the  bench,  his  early  preference 
inclined  him  to  the  ministry. 

Whatever  may  have  determined  the  choice  of  Wash- 
ington to  the  thorny  paths  of  the  law,  it  is  certain  he 
could  not  have  been  prompted  to  it  by  his  father,  for  the 
profession  never  enjoyed  his  good  opinion.  At  an  earlier 
period,  when  Peter  had  decided  to  embrace  it,  he  inter- 
posed his  authority  to  prevent  him,  and  he  thereupon 
turned  his  attention  to  medicine,  a  pursuit  always  uncon- 
genial to  him,  and  speedily  abandoned ;  though  the  title 
of  "Doctor"  remained  with  him  for  life.  Washington 
spent  an  interval  of  two  years  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Master- 
ton,  which  was  marked  by  considerable  proficiency  in 
belles-lettres,  but  very  slender  advancement  in  the  dry 
technicalities  of  the  practice. 

It  was  at  this  period  of  still  happy  boyhood,  that  he 
made  his  first  voyage  up  the  Hudson,  the  extraordinary 
beauty  of  which,  says  Bryant,  he  was  the  first  to  describe. 
His  eldest  sister,  Ann,  in  1788,  at  the  early  age  of  seven- 


36*  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

teen,  had  married  Eichard  Dodge,  of  Dutchess  County, 
who,  previous  to  their  marriage,  while  employed  as 
surveyor  on  the  Mohawk,  had  been  tempted  to  try  his 
fortunes  in  this,  at  that  time,  frontier  world.  He  had 
persuaded  William  Irving,  the  elder  brother,  then  just 
twenty-one,  to  accompany  him.  They  established  them- 
selves on  the  river  about  forty  miles  west  of  Albany,  that 
country  being  then  filled  with  Indians,  with  whom  the 
trade  in  furs  was  extremely  profitable.  William  remained 
there  four  years,  when  he  wearied  of  the  frontier  life,  and 
in  1791  returned  to  the  city  to  engage  in  commercial 
business,  and  Mr.  Dodge  removed  to  Johnstown,  a  colo- 
nial town  founded  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  and  having 
something  of  historic  interest  as  the  scene  where,  at  his 
stately  mansion,  "the  Hall,"  this  agent  of  the  British 
Government  ruled  for  years  over  the  neighboring  tribes 
of  Indians  with  sovereign  sway.  His  second  sister,  Cath- 
arine, some  years  later  had  married  Daniel  Paris,  a  young 
lawyer  of  that  region,  with  whom  she  had  become  ac- 
quainted at  New  York,  while  in  college  with  her  brother 
Peter,  and  who  afterwards  removed  to  the  same  place, 
which,  from  the  character  of  its  early  settlement  and  its 
proximity  to  Schenectady  and  Albany,  still  boasted  at 
that  time  quite  a  gay  and  cultivated  society.  To  gratify 
his  restless  desire  to  see  more  of  "the  vast  globe"  he 
inhabited,  his  parents  had  consented  to  his  making  an 
excursion  to  visit  these  two  married  sisters.  He  had 
before  passed  a  holiday  in  Westchester  County,  during 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  37 

the  fever  of  1798,  and  explored  the  recesses  of  Sleepy 
Hollow  with  his  gun,  but  his  migrations  had  extended  no 
further.  The  Highlands  and  all  beyond  were  still,  to  his 
eager  imagination,  a  realm  of  wonder  and  enchantment. 
From  the  moment,  therefore,  the  expedition  was  men- 
tioned, he  thought  and  dreamt  of  nothing  else. 

I  transcribe  from  his  papers  some  reminiscences  of  this 
early  voyage,  which  was  made  in  1800.  They  form  part 
of  an  unfinished  article  commenced  in  June,  1851,  for 
"  The  Home  Book  of  the  Picturesque,"  and  afterwards 
thrown  aside  to  give  place  to  "  The  Kaatskill  Moun- 
tains," the  title  of  the  contribution  from  his  pen  which 
appears  in  its  pages.  The  reader  familiar  with  that 
sketch  will  detect  here  and  there  a  passage  which  has 
been  retained  from  the  rejected  fragment,  but  with  this 
exception  the  extract  is  new,  and  affords  a  curious  pic- 
ture of  some  of  the  features  of  the  river  travel  of  by-gone 
days. 

My  first  voyage  up  the  Hudson  was  made  in  early  boyhood,  in  the  good 
old  times  before  steamboats  and  railroads  had  annihilated  time  and  space, 
and  driven  all  poetry  and  romance  out  of  travel.  A  voyage  to  Albany 
then,  was  equal  to  a  voyage  to  Europe  at  present,  and  took  almost  as 
much  time.  We  enjoyed  the  beauties  of  the  river  in  those  days  ;  the 
features  of  nature  were  not  all  jumbled  together,  nor  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages huddled  one  into  the  other  by  railroad  speed  as  they  are  now. 

I  was  to  make  the  voyage  under  the  protection  of  a  relative  of  mature 
age — one  experienced  in  the  river.  His  first  care  was  to  look  out  for  a 
favorite  sloop  and  captain,  in  which  there  was  great  choice. 

The  constant  voyaging  in  the  river  craft  by  the  best  families  of  New 


38  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

York  and  Albany,  made  the  merits  of  captains  and  sloops  matters  of  no- 
toriety and  discussion  in  both  cities.  The  captains  were  mediums  of  com- 
munication between  separated  friends  and  families.  On  the  arrival  of 
one  of  them  at  either  place  he  had  messages  to  deliver  and  commissions 
to  execute  which  took  him  from  house  to  house.  Some  of  the  ladies  of 
the  family  had,  perad venture,  made  a  voyage  on  board  of  his  sloop,  and 
experienced  from  him  that  protecting  care  which  is  always  remembered 
with  gratitude  by  female  passengers.  In  this  way  the  captains  of  Albany 
sloops  were  personages  of  more  note  in  the  community  than  captains  of 
European  packets  or  steamships  at  the  present  day.  A  sloop  was  at 
length  chosen  ;  but  she  had  yet  to  complete  her  freight  and  secure  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  passengers.  Days  were  consumed  in  "drumming  up" 
a  cargo.  This  was  a  tormenting  delay  to  me  who  was  about  to  make  my 
first  voyage,  and  who,  boylike,  had  packed  up  my  trunk  on  the  first  men- 
tion of  the  expedition.  How  often  that  trunk  had  to  be  unpacked  and 
repacked  before  we  sailed  ! 

.  .  .  .  At  length  the  sloop  actually  got  under  way.  As  she  worked 
slowly  out  of  the  dock  into  the  stream,  there  was  a  great  exchange  of 
last  words  between  friends  on  board  and  friends  on  shore,  and  much 
waving  of  handkerchiefs  when  the  sloop  was  out  of  hearing. 

Our  captain  was  a  worthy  man,  native  of  Albany,  of  one  of  the  old 
Dutch  stocks.  His  crew  was  composed  of  blacks,  reared  in  the  family 
and  belonging  to  him,  for  negro  slavery  still  existed  in  the  State.  All  his 
communications  with  them  were  in  Dutch.  They  were  obedient  to  his 
orders  ;  though  they  occasionally  had  much  previous  discussion  of  the 
wisdom  of  them,  and  were  sometimes  positive  in  maintaining  an  opposite 
opinion.  This  was  especially  the  case  with  an  old  gray-headed  negro, 
who  had  sailed  with  the  captain's  father  when  the  captain  was  a  mere 
boy,  and  who  was  very  crabbed  and  conceited  on  points  of  seamanship. 
I  observed  that  the  captain  generally  let  him  have  his  own  way. 

.  .  .  .  What  a  time  of  intense  delight  was  that  first  sail  through 
the  Highlands!  I  sat  on  the  deck  as  we  slowly  tided  along  at  the  foot  of 
those  stern  mountains,  and  gazed  with  wonder  and  admiration  at  cliffs 
impending  far  above  me,  crowned  with  forests,  with  eagles  sailing  and 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  39 

screaming-around  them ;  or  listened  to  the  unseen  stream  dashing  down 
precipices  ;  or  beheld  rock,  and  tree,  and  cloud,  and  sky  reflected  in  the 
glassy  stream  of  the  river.  And  then  how  solemn  and  thrilling  the  scene 
as  we  anchored  at  night  at  the  foot  of  these  mountains,  clothed  with 
overhanging  forests  ;  and  everything  grew  dark  and  mysterious  ;  and  I 
heard  the  plaintive  note  of  the  whip-poor-will  from  the  mountain-side, 
or  was  startled  now  and  then  by  the  sudden  leap  and  heavy  splash  of  the 
sturgeon. 

.  .  .  .  But  of  all  the  scenery  of  the  Hudson,  the  Kaatskill  Moun- 
tains had  the  most  witching  effect  on  my  boyish  imagination.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  effect  upon  me  of  the  first  view  of  them  predominating 
over  a  wide  extent  of  country,  part  wild,  woody,  and  rugged;  part  soft- 
ened away  into  all  the  graces  of  cultivation.  As  we  slowly  floated  along, 
I  lay  on  the  deck  and  watched  them  through  a  long  summer's  day,  under- 
going a  thousand  mutations  under  the  magical  effects  of  atmosphere  ; 
sometimes  seeming  to  approach,  at  other  times  to  recede  ;  now  almost 
melting  into  hazy  distance,  now  burnished  by  the  setting  sun,  until  in 
the  evening,  they  printed  themselves  against  the  glowing  sky  in  the  deep 
purple  of  an  Italian  landscape. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  I  have  given  the  reader  my  first  voyaging  amid 
Hudson  scenery.  It  has  been  my  lot,  in  the  course  of  a  somewhat  wan- 
dering life,  to  behold  some  of  the  rivers  of  the  old  world,  most  renowned 
in  history  and  song,  yet  none  have  been  able  to  efface  or  dim  the  pictures 
of  my  native  stream  thus  early  stamped  upon  my  memory.  My  heart 
would  ever  revert  to  them  with  a  filial  feeling,  and  a  recurrence  of  the 
joyous  associations  of  boyhood  ;  and  such  recollections  are,  in  fact,  the 
true  fountains  of  youth  which  keep  the  heart  from  growing  old. 

To  me  the  Hudson  is  full  of  storied  associations,  connected  as  it  is  with 
some  of  the  happiest  portions  of  my  life.  Each  striking  feature  brings  to 
mind  some  early  adventure  or  enjoyment ;  some  favorite  companion  who 
shared  it  with  me  ;  some  fair  object,  perchance,  of  youthful  admiration, 
who,  like  a  star,  may  have  beamed  her  allotted  time  and  passed  away. 


CHAPTER   m. 

ENTERS  THE  OFFICE  OF  JOSIAU  OGDEN  HOFFMAN. — THE  HOFFMAN  FAMILY. — 
FIRST  LETTERS. — FIRST  ESSAYS  IN  PRINT. — EXPEDITION  TO  OGDENSBURG. 
— EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL. — PLUNGE  IN  THE  BLACK  RIVER. — CAPTURE  OF 
A  DEER. — HARDSHIPS  OF  THE  WILDERNESS. — A  JEALOUS  SAVAGE. — INDIAN 
CEREMONIAL. — AN   EXCHANGE    OF   NAMES. — OGDENSBURG   REVISITED. 

N  the  summer  of  1801,  Mr.  Irving  left  Master- 
ton,  and  entered  the  office  of  Brockholst  Liv- 
ingston ;  and  when  that  eminent  lawyer  was 
called  to  the  Bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State, 
in  January,  1802,  he  continued  his  clerkship  with  Josiah 
Ogden  Hoffman,  a  distinguished  advocate  of  the  city,  who 
took  a  fancy  to  him,  though,  as  he  says  himself,  a  very 
heedless  student.  The  house  of  Hoffman  soon  became 
another  home  to  him. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Hoffman  consisted  of  a  second  wife, 
whom  he  had  lately  married,  a  Miss  Fenno  of  Philadel- 
phia, much  younger  than  himself,  a  daughter  of  the  Fed- 
eral editor  of  that  name,  and  five  children  by  a  former 
marriage — four  daughters,  the  two  eldest,  Ann  and  Ma- 
tilda, of  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  twelve,  and  a  son,  quite 
a  child,  Ogden  Hoffman,  afterwards  distinguished  at  the 
bar  and  on  the  floor  of  Congress  for  his  silver-tongued 

40 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  41 

oratory.  With  Mrs.  Hoffman,  a  most  amiable  and  inter- 
esting woman,  the  young  student  formed  an  intimacy 
which  continued  till  her  death,  and  to  her  many  of  his 
letters  are  addressed.  "  She  was  like  a  sister  to  me,"  is 
the  language  in  which  he  once  wrote  of  her. 

Soon  after  his  admission  to  this  little  circle,  he  made 
a  second  visit  to  Johnstown.  The  following  letter,  dated 
from  that  old  colonial  town,  is  the  earliest  which  has 
come  into  my  possession,  and  is  of  interest  chiefly  as 
showing  his  delicate  state  of  health  at  this  period,  and 
the  indications  of  that  consumptive  tendency  which  sub- 
sequently led  to  his  first  visit  to  Europe. 

Johnstown ,  July  2, 1802. 

My  dear  Paken-ts  : — 

We  had  a  very  quick  passage  to  Albany,  where  we  arrived  at  three 
o'clock  on  Thursday  morning.  I  was  unwell  almost  the  whole  time,  and 
could  not  sleep  either  night.  We  left  Albany  about  an  hour  after  we 
arrived  there,  in  a  wagon,  and  reached  Johnstown  between  ten  and  eleven 
in  the  evening.  The  roads  were  fine,  being  turnpike  almost  the  whole 
way  ;  but  I  was  so  weak  that  it  was  several  days  before  I  got  over  the 
fatigue.  I  have  had  a  little  better  appetite  since  I  have  been  up  here, 
though  I  have  been  troubled  with  the  pain  in  my  breast  almost  constantly, 
and  still  have  a  cough  at  night.  I  am  unable  to  take  any  exercise  worth 
mentioning,  and  doze  away  my  time  pretty  much  as  I  did  in  New  York  ; 
however,  I  hope  soon  to  get  in  a  better  trim. 

The  letter  next  in  date  is  written  nearly  a  month  later, 
and  is  addressed  to  a  young  friend  of  his  own  age,  at 
whose  father's  place  at  New  Kochelle,  about  eighteen 


42  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

miles  from  New  York,  he  was  often  a  guest,  and  whose 
sister  became  afterwards  the  wife  of  his  brother,  John  T. 
Irving. 

Johnstown,  Jaly  26th,  1803. 

To  Mr.  John  Furman,   at  Alderman  Beefoman's,    Vesey  Street,  New 
York : — 

Dear  John  :  ....  I  have  been  unwell  almost  all  the  time  I  have 
been  up  here.  I  am  too  weak  to  take  any  exercise,  and  too  low-spirited 
half  the  time  to  enjoy  company.  My  chief  amusements  are  reading, 
drawing,  and  writing  letters — the  two  latter  I  have  to  do  more  sparingly 
than  I  could  wish,  on  account  of  the  pain  in  my  breast.  I  have  nothing 
particular  to  communicate  at  present  that  would  be  in  the  least  interest- 
ing. I  shall  go  shortly  to  the  springs,  and  will  write  to  you  from  there, 
if  any  private  opportunity  presents.  Do  write  to  me  immediately,  about 
even-thing  and  everybody— every  trifle  of  news  from  New  York  is  in- 
teresting ;  tell  me  how  all  the  girls  do,  both  in  the  city  and  country. 
Make  my  warmest  remembrances  to  all  your  family,  and  believe  me,  my 
dear  fellow,  Your  friend, 

Washington  Irving. 

From  Johnstown  he  accompanied  his  brother-in-law, 
Daniel  Paris,  to  Ballston  Springs.  His  cough  would 
seem  to  have  been  very  aggravated.  "  Was  that  young 
Irving,"  asked  Judge  Kent  of  Mr.  Paris,  "  who  slept  in 
the  next  room  to  me,  and  kept  up  such  au  incessant 
cough  during  the  night?  "  "It  was,"  was  the  reply.  "He 
is  not  long  for  this  world,"  rejoined  the  foreboding  que- 
rist. The  Judge,  afterwards  the  distinguished  Chancel- 
lor, lived  to  preside  at  a  public  dinner  given  thirty  years 
later  to  the  consumptive  invalid. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IB  VINO.  43 

Though  his  health  was  still  drooping,  we  find  him  a 
few  months  after  his  return  commencing  a  series  of  hu- 
morous contributions  to  the  "  Morning  Chronicle,"  under 
the  signature  of  Jonathan  Oldstyle.  This  was  a  daily 
paper,  of  which  his  brother  Peter  was  proprietor  and 
editor,  and  which  was  established  in  October,  1802. 
The  first  of  these  articles  appeared  in  the  middle  of  No- 
vember, when  the  writer  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  In 
these  juvenile  essays  we  may  see  traces  of  the  same  play 
of  humor  which  marked  his  pen  in  after  years ;  and 
though  of  local  and  temporary  interest,  it  is  singular  to 
what  degree,  in  that  barren  period  of  our  literature,  they 
attracted  attention,  being  generally  copied,  as  I  have 
been  informed,  into  the  newspapers  of  the  day.  They 
also  procured  him  a  visit  from  Charles  Brockden  Brown, 
who  had  given  to  the  world  a  series  of  remarkable  nov- 
els, and  was  the  first  in  our  country  to  make  a  profession 
of  literature.  Brown  sought,  but  without  success,  to  en- 
list his  pen  in  the  service  of  the  "  Literary  Magazine  and 
American  Register,"  a  periodical  he  had  just  undertaken 
in  Philadelphia.  In  1823,  when  Mr.  Irving  was  abroad, 
and  had  become  something  of  a  literary  lion  in  Europe, 
the  Oldstyle  Papers  were  given  anew  to  the  world  with- 
out his  knowledge  or  consent,  and  a  good  deal  to  his  re- 
gret, though  he  subsequently  thought  of  including  four  of 
them  in  his  collected  writings. 

In  the  summer  of  1803,  Irving  was  invited  by  Mr. 
Hoffman  to  accompany  him  on  an  expedition  to  Ogdens- 


44  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

burg,  Montreal,  and  Quebec,  and  gladly  availed  himseli 
of  the  opportunity  to  extend  the  range  of  his  travels.  In 
this  progressive  age,  when  we  can  be  whirled  the  entire 
distance  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  a  journey  from 
New  York  to  Ogdensburg  would  promise  little  of  inci- 
dent or  adventure ;  but  it  was  a  formidable  undertaking 
at  that  early  day,  and  involved  difficulties,  discomforts, 
and  trials  of  patience,  of  which  the  modern  tourist  can 
have  no  idea.  Indeed,  could  the  travellers  themselves 
have  foreseen  the  fatigues  and  hardships  they  would 
have  to  encounter,  it  is  certain  their  enterprise  would  not 
have  been  equal  to  the  trial.  Without,  however,  any  just 
knowledge  or  appreciation  of  its  labors  or  privations,  the 
party  of  seven,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffman,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ludlow  Ogden,  Miss  Eliza  Ogden,  Miss  Ann  Hoffman, 
and  himself,  found  themselves,  on  the  31st  of  July,  1803, 
on  board  of  a  sloop  bound  for  Albany.  From  that  place 
they  proceeded  to  Ballston  and  Saratoga  Springs,  and 
thence,  Irving  making  a  flying  visit  to  Johnstown  by  the 
way,  to  the  modern  city  of  Utica,  then  a  village  uncon- 
scious of  the  sound  of  "  church-^oins  bell."  From  this 
point  they  were  to  diverge  to  Ogdensburg,  or  Oswegat- 
chie,  as  it  was  then  called,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  where 
Hoffman  and  Ogden  owned  some  wild  lands,  and  pur- 
posed to  lay  out  a  town. 

Irving  kept  a  journal  of  the  expedition  from  New  York 
to  Ogdensburg,  which  was  struck  off  in  the  midst  of 
hurry  and  fatigue,  and  of  course  is  very  carelessly  writ- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  45 

ten ;  but  it  has  an  interest  independent  of  any  literary 
value,  as  a  picture  of  travel  in  those  early  days  of  our 
country. 

On  Monday,  August  9th,  they  set  off  from  Utica  for 
the  High  Falls,  on  Black  River,  in  two  wagons,  having 
despatched  another  with  the  principal  part  of  their  bag- 
gage. The  roads  were  bad,  and  lay  either  through  thick 
woods,  or  by  fields  disfigured  with  burnt  stumps  and 
fallen  bodies  of  trees.  The  next  day  they  grew  worse, 
and  the  travellers  were  frequently  obliged  to  get  out  of 
the  wagon  and  walk.  At  High  Falls  they  embarked  in  a 
scow  on  Black  River,  so  called  from  the  dark  color  of  its 
waters ;  but  soon  the  rain  began  to  descend  in  torrents, 
and  they  sailed  the  whole  afternoon  and  evening  under 
repeated  showers,  from  which  they  were  but  partially 
screened  by  sheets  stretched  on  hoop  poles.  About 
twenty-five  miles  below  the  Falls  they  went  ashore,  and 
found  lodgings  for  the  night  at  a  log-house,  on  beds 
spread  on  the  floor.  The  next  morning  it  cleared  off 
beautifully,  and  they  set  out  again  in  their  boat.  On 
turning  a  point  in  the  river,  they  were  surprised  by  loud 
shouts  which  proceeded  from  two  or  three  canoes  in  full 
pursuit  of  a  deer  which  was  swimming  in  the  water.  A 
gun  was  soon  after  fired,  and  they  rowed  with  all  their 
micdit  to  set  in  at  the  death.  "  The  deer  made  for 
our  shore,"  says  the  journal.  "  We  pushed  ashore  im- 
mediately, and  as  it  passed,  Mr.  Ogden  fired  and 
wounded  it.     It  had  been  wounded  before.     I  threw  off 


46  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ray  coat,  and  prepared  to  swim  after  it.  As  it  came  near, 
a  man  rushed  through  the  bushes,  sprang  into  the  water, 
and  made  a  grasp  at  the  animal.  He  missed  his  aim,  and 
I  jumped  after,  fell  on  his  Lack,  and  sunk  him  under 
water.  At  the  same  time  I  caught  the  deer  by  one  ear, 
and  Mr.  Ogden  seized  it  by  a  leg.  The  submerged  gen- 
tleman, who  had  risen  above  water,  got  hold  of  another. 
We  drew  it  ashore,  when  the  man  immediately  de- 
spatched it  with  a  knife.     We  claimed  a  haunch  for  our 

share,  permitting  him  to  keep  all  the  rest In 

the  evening  we  arrived  at  B 's  at  the  head  of  the  Long 

Falls.  A  dirtier  house  was  never  seen.  We  dubbed  it 
"The  Tenrple  of  Dirt ;'  but  we  contrived  to  have  our  ven- 
ison cooked  in  a  cleanly  manner  by  Mr.  Ogden's  servant, 
and  it  made  very  fine  steaks,  which  after  two  days'  living 
on  crackers  and  gingerbread  were  highly  acceptable. 

Friday,  13th — "We  prepared  to  leave  the  Temple  of 
Dirt,  and  set  out  about  sixty  miles  through  the  woods 
to  Oswegatchie.  We  ate  an  uncomfortable  breakfast, 
for  indeed  it  was  impossible  to  relish  anything  in  a 
house  so  completely  filthy.  The  landlady  herself  was 
perfectly  in  character  with  the  house  ;  a  little  squat 
Frenchwoman,  with  a  red  face,  a  black  wool  hat  stuck 
upon  her  head,  her  hair  greasy  and  uncombed,  hang- 
ing about  her  ears,  and  the  rest  of  her  dress  and  per- 
son in  similar  style.  We  were  heartily  glad  to  make 
an  escape." 

The  journal  omits  to  mention,  that  just  before  they 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  47 

started,  the  young  traveller  took  out  his  pencil,  and  scrib- 
bled over  the  fire-place  the  following  memorial : — 

"  Here  Sovereign  Dirt  erects  her  sable  throne, 
The  house,  the  host,  the  hostess,  all  her  own." 

In  a  subsequent  year,  -when  Mr.  Hoffman  was  passing 
the  same  way  with  Judge  Cooper,  the  father  of  the  dis- 
tinguished novelist,  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  he  pointed 
out  this  memento  of  his  student,  still  undetected  and 
uneffaced  ;  whereupon  the  Judge,  whose  longer  experi- 
ence in  frontier  travel  had  probably  raised  him  above 
the  qualms  of  over-nicety,  immediately  wrote  under  it 
this  doggerel  inculcation  : — 


'C>Ov 


"  Learn  hence,  young  man,  and  teach  it  to  your  sons, 
The  wisest  way  's  to  take  it  as  it  comes." 

They  set  off  again  "  in  caravan  style,"  two  wagons  for 
themselves,  and  another,  drawn  by  oxen,  for  the  lug- 
gage. They  found  the  road  dreadfully  rugged  and  miry. 
The  horses  could  not  go  off  a  walk  in  any  part.  The 
road  had  not  been  made  above  a  year,  and  the  stumps 
and  roots  of  trees  stood  in  every  direction.  At  night 
they  put  up  at  a  small  hut  consisting  of  but  one  room, 
which,  however,  the  hostess,  by  the  sagacious  expedieut 
of  stretching  a  long  blanket  across,  managed  to  divide 
into  two.  "  On  one  side,"  says  the  journal,  "  we  spread 
our  mattress  for  the  ladies,  and  great-coats,  blankets,  etc., 


48  LIFE  AND   LETTERS 

for  ourselves.     The  other  side  was  left  for  the  drivers, 
etc." 

The  next  day  the  wagon  in  which  Irving  and  some  of 
the  ladies  were  riding  stuck  fast,  and  one  of  the  horses 
laid  down,  and  refused  to  move.  They  had  therefore  to 
get  out  and  travel  after  the  other  wagon,  into  which  the 
ladies  mounted ;  but  soon  that  also  mired,  and  there  was 
no  alternative  but  for  them  to  take  to  their  feet.  "  The 
rain  by  this  time,"  proceeds  the  journal,  "  descended  in 
torrents.  In  several  parts  of  the  road  I  had  been  up  to 
my  middle  in  mud  and  water,  and  it  was  equally  bad,  if 
not  worse,  to  attempt  to  walk  in  the  woods  on  either 
side. 

"  We  helped  the  ladies  to  a  little  shed  of  bark  laid  on 
crotches,  about  large  enough  to  hold  three,  where  they 
sat  down.  It  had  been  a  night's  shelter  to  some  hunter, 
but  in  this  case  it  afforded  no  protection.  One-half  of  it 
fell  down  as  we  were  creeping  under  it,  and  though  we 
spread  great-coats  over  the  other,  they  might  as  well  have 
been  in  the  open  air.  The  rain  now  fell  in  the  greatest 
quantity  I  had  ever  seen. 

"  The  wind  blew  a  perfect  hurricane.  The  trees  around 
shook  and  bent  in  the  most  alarming  manner,  and  threat- 
ened every  moment  to  fall  and  crush  us The 

ladies  were  in  the  highest  state  of  alarm,  and  entreated 
that  we  should  walk  to  a  house  which  we  were  told  was 
about  half  a  mile  distant." 

They  therefore  dragged  along,  and  after  a  most  painful 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  49 

walk  arrived  at  the  hut,  which  consisted  of  one  room 
about  eighteen  by  sixteen  feet.  In  this  small  apartment, 
fifteen  people  were  to  pass  the  night ;  for  besides  the 
owner,  they  found  here  two  men  who  were  driving  an  ox- 
team  through  to  Oswegatchie,  both  noisy  and  boisterous, 
and  one  of  them  stigmatized  in  the  journal  as  "  the  most 
impudent,  chattering,  forward  scoundrel "  the  writer  had 
ever  known.  There  was  much  noisy  greeting  between 
these  and  the  drivers,  and,  to  add  to  the  confusion  of 
the  scene,  they  soon  seated  themselves  in  a  corner  and 
"began  to  play  cards  for  liquor;"  an  amusement  from 
which  they  retired  after  a  while  almost  intoxicated,  and 
stretched  themselves  on  the  floor  to  sleep.  "  I  never," 
says  the  journal,  "  passed  so  dreary  a  night  in  my  life. 
The  rain  poured  down  incessantly,  and  I  was  frequently 
obliged  to  hold  up  an  umbrella  to  prevent  its  beating 
through  the  roof  on  the  ladies  as  they  slept.  I  was 
awake  almost  all  night,  and  several  times  heard  the 
crash  of  the  falling  trees,  and  two  or  three  times  the 
long  dreary  howl  of  a  wolf." 

On  resuming  their  route  the  next  day,  they  found  it 
impossible  to  travel  the  road  with  horses,  and  they  were 
therefore  compelled  to  engage  the  men  to  take  their  bag- 
gage through  in  their  ox-cart,  while  the  ladies  rode  in 
the  ox-wagon  which  had  hitherto  held  their  luggage,  and 
the  gentlemen  proceeded  on  foot. 

Two  days  more  of  the  same  forlorn  travel,  through 
deep  mudholes,  over  stumps  and  stones,  obliged  at  times 
VOL.  1. — 4 


50  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  cut  their  way  through  fallen  trees,  and  resting  at  night 
in  the  same  wretched  hovels,  brought  them  at  last  in 
sight  of  Oswegatchie.  The  journal  says  :  "  The  prospect 
that  opened  upon  us  was  delightful.  After  riding 
through  thick  woods  for  several  days,  ....  the  sight 
of  a  beautiful  and  extensive  tract  of  country  is  inconceiv- 
ably enlivening.  Close  beside  the  bank  on  which  we 
rode,  the  Oswegatchie  wound  along,  about  twenty  feet 
below  us.  After  running  for  some  distance,  it  entered 
into  the  St.  Lawrence,  forming  a  long  point  of  land  on 
which  stood  a  few  houses  called  the  '  Garrison,'  which 
had  formerly  been  a  fortified  place  built  by  the  French 
to  keep  the  Indians  in  awe.  They  were  now  tumbling  in 
ruins,  excepting  two  or  three,  which  were  still  kept  in 
tolerable  order  by  Judge  Ford,  who  resided  in  one  of 
them,  and  used  the  others  as  stores  and  out-houses.  "We 
recrossed  the  Oswegatchie  Biver  to  the  Garrison,  as  we 
intended  to  reside  with  Judge  Ford  for  some  time." 

The  interval  spent  by  the  young  traveller  on  the  St. 
Lawrence  was  divided  between  Oswegatchie,  Lisbon,  one 
of  Mr.  Hoffman's  townships,  ten  or  twelve  miles  further 
down  the  river,  and  Madrid,  at  a  still  greater  distance, 
where  lay  the  lands  of  Mr.  Ogden.  His  sports  would 
seem  to  have  been  fishing  and  shooting,  while  in  the  last 
entry  but  one  of  his  journal,  which  breaks  off  at  this 
point,  we  have  this  hint  of  recreation  of  another  kind : — 

August  29th. — "Hired  a  horse  to  take  me  to  Lisbon, 
where  Mr.  Hoffman  was.     Arrived  about  one  o'clock,  and 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  51 

found  him  surrounded  by  tenants,  and  hard  at  work. 
Amused  myself  the  rest  of  the  day  writing  bonds  and 
deeds." 

It  was  at  Lisbon  that  he  encountered  his  first  rude 
experience  of  savage  life.  I  give  the  anecdote  as  I  have 
heard  it  from  himself.  He  was  staying  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Turner,  Mr.  Hoffman's  agent,  with  whose  son  he  had 
rowed  to  a  small  island  to  hire  a  bateau  to  take  the  trav- 
ellers down  the  river.  At  the  wigwam  where  they  ex- 
pected to  engage  the  boat,  they  found  a  number  of  per- 
sons of  both  sexes,  but  the  Indian  of  whom  they  were  in 
quest  was  absent  selling  furs.  He  soon  came  home,  how- 
ever, rather  tipsy,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a  pretty- 
looking  squaw,  whose  potations  also  had  been  somewhat 
liberal.  The  latter  seated  herself  beside  Irving,  and, 
either  attracted  by  his  personal  appearance,  or  hoping  to 
cajole  from  him  a  fresh  draught  of  the  fiery  beverage, 
began  to  show  him  much  flattering  attention.  The  hus- 
band, a  tall,  strapping  Hercules,  sat  scowling  at  them 
with  his  blanket  drawn  up  to  his  chin  and  his  face  be- 
tween his  hands,  while  his  elbows  rested  on  his  knees. 
In  this  posture  he  watched  the  pair  for  some  time,  until 
at  length  the  continued  assiduities  of  his  wife  becoming 
too  much  for  his  patience,  he  suddenly  rushed  upon 
Irving,  calling  him  a  "  damned  Yankee,"  and  with  a  blow 
leveled  him  to  the  floor.  Taken  by  surprise,  and  utterly 
unconscious  of  offense,  the  young  traveller  jumped  up, 
and  asked  the  meaning  of  this  strange  salutation.     "  He 


52  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

is  jealous,"  hinted  one  of  the  company.  Perceiving  that 
he  was  feeling  for  his  knife,  Irving,  retreating,  requested 
the  men  to  hold  the  savage,  evidently  maddened  by  drink, 
and  young  Turner  immediately  went  up  to  him,  when  a 
sudden  revulsion  of  feeling  ensued.  Ho  and  the  Indian 
had  exchanged  names,  and  were  therefore  sworn  friends. 
The  savage  hugged  him  in  his  arms,  called  him  "good 
fellow  "  and  other  endearing  names ;  "  but  he,"  said  he, 
glaring  again  with  eyes  of  ominous  ferocity  at  his  com- 
panion, "he — damned  Yankee."  Apprehending  further 
violence,  Turner  intimated  to  Irving  that  he  had  better 
escape  to  the  boat,  and  he  would  follow — which  he  was 
glad  enough  to  do. 

This  adventure  was  a  capital  joke  for  Hoffman,  who 
was  never  weary  of  quizzing  his  student  on  the  subject  of 
his  delicate  attentions  to  the  squaw. 

Proceeding  in  their  bateau  to  Montreal,  the  party 
stopped  at  Caughnawaga,  where  they  were  received  in 
great  state  by  the  Indians.  Here  Hoffman,  in  a  spirit  of 
frolic,  persuaded  them  to  go  through  the  ceremonial  of 
exchanging  names  with  Irving,  or  of  giving  him  a  name — to 
the  great  annoyance  of  the  former,  and  the  infinite  diver- 
sion of  the  ladies,  who  stood  at  the  door  enjoying  the 
scene  with  undisguised  unction.  The  ceremony  was 
novel,  and  to  the  object  of  it  extremely  embarrassing,  as 
one  of  the  chiefs  or  principal  Indians  took  him  by  the 
hand,  led  him  out  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  then  com- 
menced a  sort  of  Indian  waltz,  turning  slowly  round  with 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  53 

him  to  a  low  chant,  while  the  others  would  look  gravely 
on,  and  every  now  and  then  strike  in  with  a  monosyl- 
labic chorus,  "  Ugh  !  ugh  !  "  The  solemn  gravity  of  the 
Indians  and  the  merriment  of  the  lookers-on  formed 
quite  a  ludicrous  contrast.  The  chant  concluded,  the 
chief  made  him  a  formal  and  deferential  speech,  and 
gave  him  his  name,  which  was  Vomonte,  meaning,  as 
interpreted  to  him,  Good  to  everybody. 

It  was  now  Irving's  turn  to  have  his  fun,  and  as  soon 
as  the  Indian  had  concluded,  he  told  him  he  had  made  a 
great  mistake  in  conferring  this  distinction  on  him  ;  that 
he  was  but  an  insignificant  individual  to  be  so  highly 
honored;  but  that  the  other,  pointing  to  Hoffman,  had 
been  Attorney-general  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  was 
much  more  worthy  of  this  great  distinction  than  himself ; 
that  he  would  feel  it  an  abatement  of  his  dignity  if  they 
honored  an  obscure  stripling  in  this  way,  and  passed  by 
so  illustrious  a  personage. 

Nothing  would  do,  therefore,  but  they  must  march 
Hoffman  out,  and  go  through  the  same  parade  with  him, 
to  the  great  amusement  of  the  ladies,  and  the  irrepressi- 
ble glee  of  Irving,  who  had  felt  too  keenly  the  rueful 
dignity  of  the  situation  in  his  own  case,  not  to  enjoy  it 
with  the  highest  relish  when  the  tables  were  turned. 
Hoffman's  name  was  Citrovani,  or  Shining  Man. 

At  Montreal,  which  was  the  great  emporium  of  the 
fur  trade,  the  party  was  feted  in  genial  style  by  some  of 
the  partners  of  the  Northwest  Fur  Company.     "  At  their 


54  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

hospitable  board,"  says  Mr.  Irving,  in  his  introduction  to 
Astoria,  including  in  his  allusion  two  later  visits,  "  I  oc- 
casionally met  partners  and  clerks  and  hardy  fur  traders 
from  the  interior  posts ;  men  who  had  passed  years  re- 
mote from  civilized  society,  among  distant  and  savage 
tribes,  and  who  had  wonders  to  recount  of  their  wide 
and  wild  jDeregrinations,  their  hunting  exploits,  and 
their  perilous  adventures  and  hair -breadth  escapes 
among  the  Indians.  I  was  at  an  age  when  the  imagi- 
nation lends  its  coloring  to  everything,  and  the  stories  of 
these  Sindbads  of  the  wilderness  made  the  life  of  a  trap- 
per and  fur  trader  perfect  romance  to  me." 

Here  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  his  life-long  friend, 
Henry  Brevoort,  a  native  and  resident  of  New  York,  but 
then  on  a  visit  of  business  or  pleasure  to  Montreal. 

It  was  not  until  a  lapse  of  fifty  years  that  Mr.  Irving 
made  a  second  visit  to  Oswegatchie,  now  Ogdensburg ; 
and  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  take  from  its  place 
the  letter  which  gives  the  touching  contrast.  On  a  re- 
turn from  a  tour  by  the  Lakes  to  Niagara,  he  writes  to  a 
niece  at  Paris  (Mrs.  Storrow)  : — 

September,  19,  1853. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  circumstances  of  my  tour  was  the  sojouni 
of  a  day  at  Ogdensburg,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswegatchie  River,  where  it 
empties  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  I  had  not  been  there  since  I  visited  it 
fifty  years  since,  in  1803,  when  I  was  but  twenty  years  of  age  ;  when  I 
made  an  expedition  through  the  Black  River  country  to  Canada  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  and  Mrs.   Hoffman,  and  Ann  Hoffman,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  55 

Ludlow  Ogden,  and  Miss  Eliza  Ogden.  Mr.  Hoffman  and  Mr.  Ogden 
were  visiting  their  wild  lands  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  All  the  country  then 
was  a  wilderness  ;  we  floated  down  the  Black  River  in  a  scow  ;  we  toiled 
through  forests  in  wagons  drawn  by  oxen  ;  we  slept  in  hunters'  cabins, 
and  were  once  four-and-twenty  hours  without  food  ;  but  all  was  romance 
to  me. 

Arrived  on  *he  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  we  put  up  at  Mr.  Ogden's 
agent,  who  was  quartered  in  some  rude  buildings  belonging  to  a  ruined 
French  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswegatchie.  What  happy  days  I  passed 
there  !  rambling  about  the  woods  with  the  young  ladies  ;  or  paddlin^ 
with  them  in  Indian  canoes  on  the  limpid  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ; 
or  fishing  about  the  rapids  and  visiting  the  Indians,  who  still  lived  on 
islands  in  the  river.  Everything  was  so  grand  and  so  silent  and  solitary. 
I  don't  think  any  scene  in  life  made  a  more  delightful  impression  upon 
me. 

Well— here  I  was  again  after  a  lapse  of  fifty  years.  I  found  a  popu- 
lous city  occupying  both  banks  of  the  Oswegatchie,  connected  by  bridges. 
It  was  the  Ogdensburg,  of  which  a  village  plot  had  been  planned  at  the 
time  of  our  visit.  I  sought  the  old  French  fort  where  we  had  been  quar- 
tered—not a  trace  of  it  was  left.  I  sat  under  a  tree  on  the  site  and  looked 
round  upon  what  I  had  known  as  a  wilderness— now  teeming  with  life — 
crowded  with  habitations — the  Oswegatchie  River  dammed  up  and  en- 
cumbered by  vast  stone-mills— the  broad  St.  Lawrence  ploughed  by  im- 
mense steamers. 

I  walked  to  the  point,  where,  with  the  two  girls,  I  used  to  launch  forth 
in  the  canoe,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  would  wave  handkerchiefs,  and 
cheer  us  from  shore  ;  it  was  now  a  bustling  landing-place  for  steamers. 
There  were  still  some  rocks  where  I  used  to  sit  of  an  evening  and  accom- 
pany with  my  flute  one  of  the  ladies  who  sang.  I  sat  for  a  long  time  on 
the  rocks,  summoning  recollections  of  bygone  days,  and  of  the  happy 
beings  by  whom  I  was  then  surrounded  ;  all  had  passed  away— all  were 
dead  and  gone  ;  of  that  young  and  joyous  party  I  was  the  sole  survivor  ; 
they  had  all  lived  quietly  at  home  out  of  the  reach  of  mischance,  yet  had 
gone  down  to  their  graves  ;  while  I,  who  had  been  wandering  about  tha 


56  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

world,  exposed  to  all  hazards  by  sea  and  land,  was  yet  alive.  It  seemed 
almost  marvelous.  I  have  often,  in  my  shifting  about  the  world,  come 
upon  the  traces  of  former  existence  ;  but  I  do  not  think  anything  has 
made  a  stronger  impression  on  me  than  this  second  visit  to  the  banks  of 
the  Oswegatchie. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DEPARTURE  FOR  EUROPE. — EMOTIONS  ON  LEAVING. — LETTER  FROM  QUARAN- 
TINE.— ARRIVAL  AT  BORDEAUX. — COMMENCEMENT  OF  JOURNAL. — FROM  BOR- 
DEAUX TO  NICE. — SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS  BY  THE  WAT. — WHIMSICALITIES 
OF  THE  LITTLE  DOCTOR. — A  SHAM  PRISONER. — FRENCH  PASSPORT. — SPICE 
OF  TRAVELLING  PHILOSOPHT. — POLICE.— A  SPT.— A  SUSPECTED  TRAVELLER. 
— DETENTION. 

iE.  IRVING  came  of  age  on  the  third  of  April, 
1804. 

The  delicate  state  of  his  health  at  this  time 
began  to  awaken  the  solicitude  of  his  family,  and  the 
father,  now  paralytic,  having  retired  from  business  with 
a  moderate  independence,  his  brothers,  animated  by  a 
common  spirit,  determined  to  send  him  on  a  voyage  to 
Europe. 

"  It  is  with  delight,"  writes  his  brother  William  to  him 
soon  after  his  departure,  "  we  share  the  world  with  you  ; 
and  one  of  our  greatest  sources  of  happiness  is  that  for- 
tune is  daily  putting  it  in  our  power  thus  to  add  to  the 
comfort  and  enjoyment  of  one  so  very  near  to  us  all." 

William  was  the  third  child  of  his  parents,  and  the 
oldest  who  lived  to  grow  up.     He  was  nearly  seventeen 

57 


58  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

years  the  senior  of  Washington,  and  there  was  something 
of  the  father  mingled  with  the  strong  fraternal  affection 
with  which  he  regarded  him.  Of  this  brother,  "Washing- 
ton remarks  in  one  of  his  letters,  "He  was  the  man  I 
most  loved  on  earth,"  and  his  conversation  would  often 
turn  on  his  rich  mellow  humor,  his  range  of  anecdote, 
his  quick  sensibility,  and  fine  colloquial  flow. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  he  was  helped  up  the  side  of  the 
vessel,  in  which  he  had  engaged  his  passage  for  Bor- 
deaux. The  captain  (Shaler)  eyed  him  with  a  forebod- 
ing glance  as  he  stepped  upon  the  deck,  and  as  he  after- 
wards told  him,  said  to  himself,  "  There's  a  chap  who 
will  go  overboard  before  we  get  across."  Mr.  Irving 
himself  seems  also  at  times  to  have  had  his  fears  that  he 
was  sinking  by  slow  degrees  to  the  grave.  His  emotions 
on  leaving  are  described  in  a  letter  from  Bordeaux  to 
Alexander  Beebee,  one  of  his  young  friends. 

I  felt  heavy-hearted  on  leaving  the  city,  as  you  may  suppose  ;  but  the 
severest  moments  of  my  departure  were  when  I  lost  sight  of  the  boat  in 
which  were  my  brothers  who  had  accompanied  me  on  board,  and  when 
the  steeples  of  the  city  faded  from  my  view.  It  seemed  as  if  I  had  left 
the  world  behind  me,  and  was  cast  among  strangers  without  a  f  riend, 
sick  and  solitary.  I  looked  around  me,  saw  none  but  strange  faces,  heard 
nothing  but  a  language  I  could  not  understand,  and  felt  "  alone  amidst 
a  crowd."  I  passed  a  melancholy,  lonesome  day,  turned  into  my  berth  at 
night  sick  at  heart,  and  laid  for  hours  thinking  of  the  friends  I  had  left 

behind Had  this  unhappy  mood  held  possession  of  me  long, 

I  do  not  know  if  I  should  not  have  been  a  meal  for  the  sharks  before  I  had 
made  half  the  passage,  but  thanks  to  "the  Fountain  of  health  and  good 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  59 

spirits,"  He  has  given  me  enough  of  the  latter  to  brighten  up  my  dullest 
moments.  My  home-sickness  wore  off  by  degrees  ;  I  again  looked  for- 
ward with  enthusiasm  to  the  classic  scenes  I  was  to  enjoy,  the  land  of 
romance  and  inspiration  I  was  to  tread,  and  though  New  York  and  its 
inhabitants  often  occupied  my  thoughts,  and  constantly  my  dreams,  yet 
there  was  no  longer  anything  painful  in  the  ideas  they  awakened. 

On  the  25tli  of  June  his  vessel  was  quarantined  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Gironde.  From  shipboard  he  writes  to  his 
brother  William  the  next  day  : — 

My  health  is  much  better  than  when  I  left  New  York.  I  was  but 
slightly  sea-sick  for  about  a  day  and  a  half  on  first  coming  out.  The  rest 
of  the  voyage  I  was  tolerably  well,  except  fevers  that  often  troubled  me 
at  night.  We  were  seventeen  in  the  cabin  besides  the  master  and  mates, 
and  as  I  cannot  speak  very  highly  of  the  cleanliness  of  some  of  my  fellow- 
passengers,  you  may  suppose  our  nights  were  not  over  comfortable.  I 
have  often  passed  the  greatest  part  of  the  night  walking  the  deck. 

Our  passage  was  what  the  sailors  term  "  a  lady's  voyage,"  gentle  and 
mild.  We  were  tantalized,  however,  with  baffling  winds,  particularly 
after  entering  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  where  the  wind  came  directly  ahead.  The 
first  land  we  made,  therefore,  was  Cape  Penas,  on  the  coast  of  Spain  (on 
the  20th  of  the  month).  I  cannot  express  the  sensations  I  felt  on  first 
catching  a  glimpse  of  European  land. 

In  a  postscript  he  adds  : — 

The  only  news  I  have  yet  heard  is,  that  Bonaparte  is  declared  emperor 
of  the  Gauls — Moreau  is  banished  two  years  to  his  estate  in  the  country — 
Georges  is  shot— Pichegru  has  hung  himself  in  prison,  and  preparations 
are  still  making  for  the  invasion. 


■"■o 


In  a  letter  a  few  days  later  to  the  same  brother,  he 
writes  from  Bordeaux : — 


60  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

On  yesterday  morning  [Saturday,  the  30th  June]  we  arrived  and  dis* 
embarked  at  this  port,  after  having  been  exactly  six  weeks  on  shipboard. 
I  had  begun  to  be  considerably  of  a  sailor  before  I  left  the  ship.  My 
round  jacket  and  loose  trousers  were  extremely  convenient.  I  was  quite 
expert  at  climbing  to  the  mast-head  and  going  out  on  the  maintop-sail 
yard. 

.  .  .  .  Even-thing  is  novel  and  interesting  to  me— the  heavy 
Gothic-looking  buildings — the  ancient  churches — the  manners  of  the 
people, — it  really  looks  like  another  world. 

In  this  city,  where  the  young  traveller  remained  sis 
weeks  to  improve  himself  in  the  language,  he  commenced 
a  copious  journal,  which  he  continued  with  some  inter- 
missions until  his  arrival  in  Paris  in  the  following  year. 
His  plan  in  regard  to  it  was  to  minute  down  notes  in 
pencil  in  a  small  book,  and  extend  them  whenever  he 
could  seize  a  moment  of  leisure.  This  journal,  his  notes 
in  pencil  when  the  journal  was  suspended,  and  his  letters 
to  the  family  which  are  preserved,  will  enable  us  to  ac- 
company him  in  his  journeyings.  I  shall  have  but  par- 
tial recourse  to  the  journal,  however,  and  confine  myself 
mainly  to  such  selections  from  his  letters  as  may  serve 
to  illustrate  his  life  and  personal  adventures,  and  give 
his  character  a  chance  to  unfold  itself;  omitting  alto- 
gether, or  retrenching  largely  from  the  descriptions  of 
scenery  and  places  with  which  they  abound,  and  other 
particulars  which  would  be  minute  or  tedious,  and  add- 
ing here  and  there  such  anecdotes  worthy  of  note  as  do 
not  appear  in  either,  but  have  been  gathered  from  his 
own  lips. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  Gl 

« 
On  the  5th  of  August,  Irving  set  out  in  the  diligence 

from  Bordeaux.  The  company  presented  a  curious  "jum- 
ble of  character  " — a  little  opera  singer,  with  her  father 
and  mother,  who  were  returning  to  Toulouse  after  a  short 
visit  to  Bordeaux ;  a  young  officer,  not  much  older  than 
himself,  going  to  see  his  mother  in  Languedoc ;  and  a 
French  gentleman,  who  had  some  knowledge  of  English, 
and  had  just  returned  from  a  voyage  round  the  world. 
But  the  most  amusing  personage  was  a  little  American 
doctor,  full  of  whim  and  eccentricity,  who  had  taken 
passage  in  the  cabriolet,  a  seat  in  front  of  the  diligence, 
and  who  is  thus  introduced  in  the  journal,  which  records 
the  fact,  that  after  breakfast  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  the 
writer  exchanged  places  with  a  Frenchman  who  was  seated 
in  the  cabriolet,  to  obtain  a  better  view  of  the  luxuriant 
and  enchanting  country  through  which  he  was  passing. 

In  this  place  [says  the  journal],  I  found  a  singular  little  genius,  quite 
an  original — his  name  was  Henry,  a  doctor  of  medicine,  originally  of 
Lancaster,  in  Pennsylvania  ;  by  his  talk  he  appears  to  have  been  for  a 
long  time  a  citizen  of  the  world.  He  is  about  five  feet  four  inches  high, 
and  thick-set  ;  talks  French  fluently,  and  has  an  eternal  tongue.  He 
knew  everybody  of  consequence — ambassadors,  consuls,  etc.,  were  Tom- 
Dick-and-Harry,  intimate  acquaintances.  The  Abbe  Winkleman  had 
given  him  a  breast-pin  ;  Lavater  had  made  him  a  present  of  a  snuff-box, 
and  several  authors  had  sent  him  their  works  to  read  and  criticise. 

Whenever  the  diligence  stopped  in  any  of  the  towns  to  change  horses, 
etc.  [he  writes  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  William],  we  generally  strolled 
through  the  streets  talking  to  every  one  we  met.  We  found  the  women 
very  frequently  seated  at  the  doors  at  work,  and  they  were  always  ready 


62  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  enter  into  conversation.  The  lower  ciass  throughout  this  part  of 
France  speak  a  villainous  jargon,  termed  patois,  composed  of  a  jumble  of 
Italian,  French,  and  Spanish,  so  that  I  found  it  difficult  to  understand 
them,  though  I  can  make  them  understand  me  very  readily.  In  one  of 
our  strolls  in  the  town  of  Tonneins,  we  entered  a  house  where  a  number 
of  girls  were  quilting.  They  gave  me  a  needle,  and  set  me  to  work.  My 
bad  French  seemed  to  give  them  much  amusement,  as  I  talked  contin- 
ually. They  asked  me  several  questions;  as  I  could  not  understand  them, 
I  made  them  any  answer  that  came  into  my  head,  which  caused  a  great 
deal  of  laughter  amongst  them.  At  last  the  little  Doctor  told  them  that 
I  was  an  English  prisoner,  whom  the  young  French  officer  (who  was  with 
us)  had  in  custody.  Their  merriment  immediately  gave  place  to  pity. 
"Ah  !  le  pauvre  garcon,"  said  one  to  another;  "he  is  merry,  however,  in 
all  his  trouble."  "And  what  will  they  do  with  him  ?"  said  a  young 
woman  to  the  voyageur.  "0,  nothing  of  consequence,"  replied  he; 
' '  perhaps  shoot  him,  or  cut  off  his  head."  The  honest  souls  seemed  quite 
distressed  for  me,  and  when  I  mentioned  that  I  was  thirsty,  a  bottle  of 
wine  was  immediately  placed  before  me,  nor  could  I  prevail  on  them  to 
take  a  recompense.  In  short,  I  departed,  loaded  with  their  good  wishes 
and  benedictions,  and  I  suppose  furnished  a  theme  of  conversation 
throughout  the  village. 

The  kind-hearted  creatures  not  only  brought  him  wine, 
but  obliged  him  to  fill  his  pockets  with  fruit.  Some  of 
them  got  round  the  young  officer  to  intercede  in  his  be- 
half, and  to  charge  him  to  be  kind  to  him. 

The  incident  here  related  seems  to  have  left  so  durable 
an  impression  on  the  fancy  of  the  pretended  prisoner, 
that  long  years  afterwards,  in  1845,  when  Minister  to 
Spain  and  on  his  way  from  Madrid  to  Paris,  we  find  him 
diverging  from  his  route  expressly  to  revisit  this  scene 
of  his  youthful  travel. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  G3 

In  a  letter  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Paris,  dated  Paris,  No- 
vember 1,  1845,  lie  writes  : — 

My  visit  to  Tonneins,  and  the  banks  of  the  Garonne,  was  induced 
by  recollections  of  my  youthful  days.  On  my  first  visit  to  Europe,  when 
I  was  but  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  my  first  journey  was  up  along 
the  banks  of  this  river  on  my  way  to  Montpellier  ;  and  the  scenery  of  it 
remained  in  my  memory  with  all  the  magic  effects  of  first  impressions. 

Then  after  recounting  the  incident  as  given  in  his  early 
letter,  and  adding,  "  it  was  a  shame  to  leave  them  with 
such  painful  impressions,"  he  proceeds  : — 

The  recollections  of  this  incident  induced  me  to  shape  my  course  so  as 
to  strike  the  river  just  at  this  little  town.  A  beautiful  place  it  is  ;  sit- 
uated on  a  high  cote,  commanding  a  wide  view  of  the  Garonne  and  the 
magnificent  and  fertile  region  through  which  it  flows.  I  found  all  my 
early  impressions  of  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  fully  justified,  and  almost 
felt  a  kindling  of  the  youthful  romance  with  which  I  once  gazed  upon  it. 
As  my  carriage  rattled  through  the  quiet  streets  of  Tonneins,  and  the 
postilion  smacked  his  whip  with  the  French  love  of  racket,  I  looked  out 
for  the  house  where,  forty  years  before,  I  had  seen  the  quilting  party.  I 
believe  I  recognized  the  house  ;  and  I  saw  two  or  three  old  women,  who 
might  once  have  formed  part  of  the  merry  group  of  girls  ;  but  I  doubt 
whether  they  recognized  in  the  stout  elderly  gentleman,  thus  rattling  in 
his  carriage  through  their  streets,  the  pale  young  English  prisoner  of  forty 
years  since. 

The  little  Doctor  had  an  incessant  flow  of  spirits,  and 
was  continually  creating  whimsical  scenes  and  incidents 
throughout  the  journey. 

In  another  town  [says  a  further  extract  from  the  letter  to  his  brother 
William],  he  took  the  landlady  aside,  told  her  I  was  a  young  Mameluke 


64  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

of  distinction,  travelling  incog.,  and  that  he  was  my  interpreter  ;  asked 
her  to  bring  me  a  large  chair  that  I  might  sit  cross-legged,  after  the  man- 
ner of  my  country,  and  desired  a  long  pipe  for  me  that  I  might  smoke 
perfumes.  The  good  woman  believed  every  word,  said  she  had  no  large 
chair,  but  she  could  place  two  chairs  for  me  ;  and  as  to  a  pipe,  she  had 
none  longer  than  was  generally  used  by  the  country  people.  The  Doctor 
said  that  would  not  do,  and  since  she  could  not  furnish  the  articles,  she 
might  bring  a  bottle  of  her  best  wine  with  good  bread  and  cheese,  and 
we  would  eat  breakfast. 

The  Doctor,  who  was  "  a  continual  fund  of  amusement 
to  him,"  he  also  found  an  "excellent  hand,"  as  an  old 
traveller,  in  protecting  him  from  imposition,  so  that 
when  any  unreasonable  demand  "was  made  upon  me," 
he  writes,  "  I  pretended  not  to  understand  and  turned 
them  over  to  him ;  by  this  means  I  escaped  much  trou- 
ble, and  the  Doctor  was  highly  pleased  with  his  employ- 
ment." 

At  Meze,  "  a  small  town,  beautifully  situated  on  the 
sea-shore,"  he  parted  with  this  eccentric  genius,  who,  in 
bidding  him  good-by,  told  him  when  next  they  met  he 
might  probably  find  him  a  conjurer  or  High  German 
doctor. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  missed  the  services  of  his 
amusing  companion,  for  he  had  no  sooner  stopped  at 
Montpellier  than  he  was  assailed  by  a  regiment  of  por- 
ters, two  of  whom  seized  his  trunk  and  brought  it  to  his 
room. 

One  of  them  [says  the  journal],  I  paid  amply  ;  the  other  insisted  on  a 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  65 

gratuity,  and  was  so  clamorous,  that  I  had  to  bundle  him  head  and  heels 
out  of  the  door,  and  slammed  it  to,  telling  him  to  go  and  divide  the  spoils 
with  his  brother  vagabond. 

This  summary  method  of  settling  with  the  persistent 
porter  affords  a  characteristic  illustration  of  the  travel- 
ler's nervous  impetuosity  under  annoyance.  "  You  have 
a  little  of  the  family  impatience,"  says  an  admonitory 
passage  in  one  of  his  brother  William's  letters.  It  was 
a  peculiarity  which  all  the  children  inherited  in  greater 
or  less  degree  from  the  mother. 

But  his  protector  is  soon  back  again.  On  returning  at 
night  from  the  theatre  to  the  inn,  says  a  letter  to  his 
brother,  "  I  was  surprised  to  find  the  little  Doctor  at  the 
hotel.  He  had  despatched  his  business  at  Cette,  and  in- 
tends going  on  to  Nice.  I  shall  travel  in  company  with 
him,  and  by  that  means  be  protected  from  extortion.  I 
find  he  is  a  more  important  character  than  I  at  first  sup- 
posed." 

On  the  16th,  early  in  the  morning,  he  set  off  in  a  voi- 
ture  with  the  Doctor  for  Nismes,  and  arrived  in  the  even- 
ing. Here,  where  his  curiosity  and  admiration  were 
strongly  excited  by  the  Roman  antiquities  of  the  place, 
he  began  to  have  misgivings  about  the  sufficiency  of  his 
passport. 

By  some  conversation  [says  the  journal],  I  had  with  Dr.  Henry,  I  had 

got  quite  out  of  conceit  of  my  American  protection  ;  it  was  in  writing 

from  the  mayor  in  New  York,  and  he  said  it  was  a  chance  if  any  of  the 

French  officers  of  police  would  be  able  to  read  it,  or  would  know  whether 

vol.  i. — 5 


66  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  give  credence  to  the  signature  of  the  mayor  or  not.  My  French  pass- 
port also  gave  a  very  poor  description  of  me  ;  and  as  I  was  continually 
mistaken  on  the  road  for  an  Englishman,  I  began  to  apprehend  I  might 
get  into  some  disagreeable  situation  with  the  police,  before  I  could  reach 
Marseilles.  I  was  much  startled,  therefore,  while  sitting  at  supper  with 
several  others  in  the  hotel,  at  the  entry  of  two  or  three  officers  of  the 
police  with  a  file  of  soldiers.  They  only  came,  however,  to  examine  our 
passports,  and  they  passed  over  mine  very  lightly. 

The  traveller  would  seem  to  have  had  two  passports 
from  the  city  of  Bordeaux,  one  from  the  Police,  the  other 
from  the  Chancellerie.  A  comparison  of  the  description 
given  of  him  in  each,  discloses  some  discrepancies,  es- 
pecially as  to  the  color  of  his  eyes,  which  is  described 
as  blue  in  one  and  gray  in  the  other.  Their  actual  color 
was  sometimes  a  moot  point  among  his  friends.  "  Nose 
long,"  "  nose  middling,"  "  forehead  high,"  "  forehead  mid- 
dling," mark  a  further  disagreement,  though  more  easily 
reconciled.* 

At  Nismes  he  parted  once  more  with  the  little  Doctor, 
who  was  so  unwell  that  he  determined  to  return  to  Mont- 
pellier,  and  endeavor  to  proceed  from  Cette  by  water. 

After  staying  two  days  at  Nismes  [says  a  letter  to  his  brother  William], 
I  set  off  for  Avignon,  full  of  enthusiasm  at  the  thoughts  of  visiting  the 

*  I  give  the  entire  passports  in  translation  : — 

Chancellerie. — Hair  chestnut— eyebrows  do.— eyes  gray— nose  long — 
mouth  middling — chin  large — forehead  middling— face  oblong — height 
5  feet  7  inches. 

Police. — Hair  and  eyebrows  chestnut— eyes  blue— nose  middling — mouth 
middling— chin  round — forehead  high — face  oval. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  67 

tomb  of  Laura,  and  of  wandering  amid  the  wild  retreats  and  romantic 
solitudes  of  Vaueluse. 

The  sun  was  setting  when  he  caught  his  first  view  of 
the  city  of  classic  immortality,  and  the  next  morning  he 
rose  early,  and,  to  resume  with  the  letter, — 

Inquired  for  the  Church  of  Cordeliers  that  contained  the  tomb  of  the 
belle  Laura.  Judge  my  surprise,  my  disappointment,  and  my  indigna- 
tion, when  I  was  told  that  the  church,  tomb,  and  all,  were  utterly  de- 
molished in  the  time  of  the  revolution.  Never  did  the  revolution,  its 
authors  and  its  consequences,  receive  a  more  hearty  and  sincere  execra- 
tion than  at  that  moment.  Throughout  the  whole  of  my  journey  I  had 
found  reason  to  exclaim  against  it  for  depriving  me  of  some  valuable 
curiosity  or  celebrated  monument,  but  this  was  the  severest  disappoint- 
ment it  had  yet  occasioned I  had  calculated  much  upon 

visiting  Yaucluse,  but  had  most  reluctantly  to  abandon  the  idea.  It 
would  have  taken  me  two  days  to  go  there  and  return  to  Avignon.  My 
passport  mentioned  that  I  was  to  go  directly  to  Marseilles,  which  I  was 
told  was  something  particular.  I  had  been  continually  mistaken  on  the 
road  for  an  Englishman,  and  there  were  one  or  two  spies  of  the  police 
keeping  a  strict  watch  on  me  while  at  Avignon.  To  have  set  off  for 
Yaucluse  might  therefore  have  occasioned  an  arrest,  and  as  I  could  not 
understand  the  patois  which  is  spoken  throughout  these  parts,  I  might 
have  been  involved  in  vexatious  difUculties,  so  that  I  had  to  deny  myself 
the  gratification.  One  of  the  spies  paid  me  a  visit,  incog. ;  I  however 
discovered  him  by  a  ribbon  he  wore  under  his  coat,  and  as  I  was  not  in 
the  best  of  humors,  I  gave  him  a  reception  so  dry  and  ungracious,  that  I 
believe  he  was  glad  to  make  his  conge. 

He  spoke  a  little  English,  and  introduced  himself  by  asking,  in  a  care- 
less manner,  if  I  was  from  England.  I  said  I  was  from  America. 
"From  what  part  of  America,  if  he  might  take  the  liberty  to  ask?" 
"From  North  America."    The  dry,  laconic  manner  in  which  this  was 


68  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

given,  rather  disconcerted  him — he  soon  recovered.  "  Perhaps  Monsieur 
experienced  some  vexations  in  travelling,  from  resembling  so  much  an  An- 
glois."  "  No— not  much — though  I  was  sometimes  subjected  to  imperti- 
nent intrusions  !  "  "Hem — hah — Monsieur,  sans  doute,  took  care  always 
to  be  provided  with  good  passports," — no  answer.  "Because,  Monsieur 
must  know,  the  police  was  very  strict  in  the  interior,  and  had  a  sharp  look- 
out on  every  stranger."  "Yes,  Monsieur,"  said  I,  turning  pretty  short 
upon  him,  "I  know  very  well  the  strictness  of  your  police,  the  constant 
watch  they  keep  on  the  actions  of  strangers,  and  the  spies  with  which  an 
unfortunate  devil  of  a  traveller  is  continually  surrounded.  Above  all  des- 
picable scoundrels  I  despise  a  spy  most  superlatively — a  wretch  that  in- 
trudes himself  into  the  company  of  an  unwary  traveUer,  endeavors  to  pry 
into  his  affairs,  and  gain  his  confidence  only  to  betray  him ;  such  creatures 
should  be  flogged  out  of  society,  and  their  employers  meet  with  the  con- 
tempt they  merit  for  using  such  ungenerous  means."  The  poor  chap 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  bit  his  nails,  shifted  his  seat,  and  when  I  had  fin- 
ished, replied  that  all  that  I  had  said  was  very  true;  the  police  were  very 
wrong,  their  regulations  very  vexatious,  that  he  had  thought  proper  as  I 
was  a  stranger  to  give  me  a  hint  or  two,  hoped  I  might  have  a  good  jour- 
ney, and  wished  me  a  good-day.  I  heard  him  diable-ing  to  himself  all 
the  way  down  stairs,  and  meeting  the  master  of  the  hotel  at  the  foot  he 
exclaimed  in  a  half  loud  tone,  "  Je  crois  il  est  veritablement  un  Anglois." 
In  the  evening  the  master  of  the  hotel  required  my  passport  to  show  to 
the  police;  it  was  returned  to  me  without  any  further  trouble,  and  I  was 
permitted  to  resume  my  journey  without  interruption. 

At  Marseilles,  where  lie  spent  three  weeks,  the  ubiq- 
uitous Doctor  turns  up  again. 

I  was  agreeably  surprised  the  other  evening  [says  the  journal],  on  re- 
turning to  the  hotel  from  a  promenade,  to  find  Dr.  Henry  quietly  seated 
in  the  parlor.  It  seemed  as  if  the  little  man  had  dropped  from  the  clouds, 
for  I  had  supposed  him  still  at  Cette.     He  told  me  he  had  reached  there 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  69 

the  day  after  he  parted  with  mo  at  Nismes,  but  found  that  no  vessel 
would  sail  in  less  than  two  months,  as  they  would  not  have  a  convoy  be- 
fore that  time.  His  complaint  increasing,  he  determined  once  more  to 
try  the  journey  by  land,  and,  after  divers  misfortunes,  the  carriage  over- 
turning, etc.,  he  arrived  safe  at  Marseilles.  His  health  is  better  at  pres- 
ent, Ms  spirits  have  returned,  and  he  is  again  as  merry  as  a  cricket. 

On  the  10th  of  September  he  left  Marseilles  in  com- 
pany with  Dr.  Henry,  having  engaged  a  carriage  to  take 
them  to  Nice.  The  inns  on  the  road  are  described  in 
the  journal  as  miserable.  "  Dirt,  noise,  and  insolence 
reigned  without  control.  The  custom  of  piling  manure 
up  against  their  houses,  which  was  used  to  fertilize  the 
country,  was  destructive  to  comfort."  In  a  letter  to  his 
brother  William,  he  remarks  : — 

Fortunately  for  me,  I  am  seasoned,  in  some  degree,  to  the  disagreeables 
from  my  Canada  journey  of  last  summer.  When  I  enter  one  of  these 
inns,  to  put  up  for  the  night,  I  have  but  to  draw  a  comparison  between  it 
and  some  of  the  log  hovels  into  which  my  fellow-travellers  and  myself 
were  huddled,  after  a  fatiguing  day's  journey  through  the  woods,  and 
the  inn  appears  a  palace.  For  my  part,  I  endeavor  to  take  things  as 
they  come,  with  cheerfulness,  and  when  I  cannot  get  a  dinner  to  suit 
my  taste,  I  endeavor  to  get  a  taste  to  suit  my  dinner. 

And  he  adds  : — 

There  is  nothing  I  dread  more  than  to  be  taken  for  one  of  the  Smell- 
fungi  of  this  world.  I  therefore  endeavor  to  be  pleased  with  everything 
about  me,  and  with  the  masters,  mistresses,  and  servants  of  the  inns, 
particularly  when   I   perceive  they  have  "ail  the  dispositions  in  the 


70  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

world"  to  serve  me  ;    as   Sterne  says,   "It   is  enough   for  heaven  and 
ought  to  be  enough  for  me." 

On  the  evening  of  the  13th  September  the  travellers 
arrived  at  Nice. 

Thus  [says  he  in  the  letter  before  quoted],  having  happily  accomplished 
my  journey  through  the  South  of  France,  I  felicitated  myself  with  the 
idea  that  nothing   remained  but  to  step  into  a  felucca  and  be  gently 
wafted  to  the  classic  shore  of  Italy  !    Little  did  I  think  of  being  per- 
suaded by  the  police  to  defer  my  departure  and  take  time  to  enjoy  the 
climate  and   prospects    of  Nice.     The   next  morning  I  waited  on  the 
municipality  to    deliver  my  passport   and   request  another  for  Genoa. 
Monsieur  Le  Secretaire-general    perused   my  passport,  and  told  me   it 
was  not  in  his  power  to  grant  me  permission  to  depart — that  my  pass- 
port was  such  as  is  given  to  suspected  persons,  and  that  I  must  rest 
here  contented  until  a  better  passport  was  sent  on,  or  a  permission  from 
the  Grand  Judge  at  Paris  authorizing  my  departure.      This  speech  ab- 
solutely struck  me  dumb.     The  Doctor,  however,  who  was  with  me  and 
could  speak  French  far  more  fluently  than  I,  took  up  my  cause.     He  rep- 
resented to  the  Secretary-general   my  situation  :   young,  inexperienced, 
for  the  first  time  separated  from  my  family,  in  a  foreign  land  and  igno- 
rant of  the  language,  a  vile  passport  had  been  given  to  me,  and  I,  igno- 
rant of  the  forms  of  the  police,  had  taken  it  as  one  of  the  same  kind  that 
was  generally  given  to  my  countrymen.     That  now  I  would  be  detained 
among  strangers,  not  understanding  their  language,  out  of  health,  soli- 
tary (as  his  affairs  obliged  him  to  set  off  immediately  for  Italy).    In  short, 
I  cannot  repeat  one  half  of  the  distresses,  the  calamities,  and  the  bug- 
bears that  the  Doctor  summoned  to  his  assistance  to  render  his  harangue 
as  moving  as  possible.     The  Secretary-general  assured  him  that  he  felt 
for  my  situation,  but  it  was  absolutely  out  of  his  power  to  allow  me  to 
proceed— that  he  was  amenable  to  superior  authority,  and  dared  not  in- 
dulge his  inclination,  and  that  something  suspicious  in  my  deportment 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  71 

or  affairs  must  certainly  have  occasioned  this  precaution  in  the  munici- 
pality of  Bordeaux.  The  Doctor  assured  him  that  it  was  a  mistake. 
He  had  travelled  with  me  all  along,  and  would  swear,  would  pledge  hid 
person,  his  property,  his  all,  for  my  being  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  that  nothing  had  occurred  either  in  my  deportment  or  conversation 
that  merited  suspicion.  In  short,  he  manifested  the  most  friendly  zeal 
and  earnestness  in  my  cause,  and  said  everything  he  could  think  of  to  ob- 
tain my  passport.  It  was  all  in  vain.  The  Secretary  repeated  it  was  out 
of  his  power  to  grant  it,  or  he  would  with  the  sincerest  pleasure,  but  that 
he  would  write  to  the  Commissary-general  of  Police  at  Marseilles,  inclos- 
ing my  passport,  and  requesting  another  that  should  enable  me  to  pro- 
ceed ;  in  the  meantime  he  would  give  me  a  letter  of  surety  that  granted 
me  the  liberty  of  the  place  without  being  subject  to  molestation  from  po- 
lice officers,  Having  received  this  we  withdrew,  thanking  him  for  the 
politeness  he  had  shown.  By  the  Doctor's  advice  I  immediately  wrote  to 
Mr.  Schwartz  and  our  consul  at  Marseilles,  requesting  them  to  represent 
my  case  to  the  Com. -general  and  endeavor  to  have  a  good  passport  sent  on 
immediately,  or  if  there  was  no  other  way,  to  reclaim  me  as  an  American 
citizen.  I  have  written  to  Dr.  Ellison  and  our  consul,  Mr  Lee,  at  Bor- 
deaux, requesting  them  to  take  the  same  measures  there,  and  as  Dr. 
Henry  was  to  depart  from  here  for  Genoa  in  two  days,  I  wrote  by  him  to 
Hall  Storm  to  get  our  consul  there  to  reclaim  me.  Dr.  Henry  has  prom- 
ised to  do  all  in  his  power  to  forward  the  business  in  that  quarter,  so  I 
think  it  will  be  hard  if  there  does  not  come  relief  from  one  quarter  or 
another. 

Hall  Storm,  here  mentioned,  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  established  in  business  at  Genoa,  and  then  acting 
as  vice-consul.  He  had  been  an  early  playmate  of  Mr. 
Irving,  though  somewhat  his  senior. 


CHAPTEK  V. 

CONTINUED  DETENTION. — FRIENDLY  OFFICES  OF  DR.  HENRY. — LIBERATION.— 
TAKES  FELUCCA  FOR  GENOA. — A  WHISTLING  SHOT. — LOITER  AT  GENOA. — 
AGREEABLE  ACQUAINTANCES. — DETERMINES  TO  VISIT  SICILY. — ALLUSION  TO 
DUEL   OF   HAMILTON   AND   BURR. 

CONTINUE  my  extracts  from  the  letter  last 
quoted,  to  his  brother  William. 

The  next  day  [15th  September],  I  was  lying  down  after 
dinner,  when  I  was  suddenly  awakened  by  the  noise  of  some  persons 
entering  my  chamber,  and  found  an  officer  of  the  police  and  the  Doctor 
standing  before  me.  He  had  come  to  demand  my  papers  to  carry  before 
the  mayor,  for  particular  reasons.  The  Doctor  told  me  not  to  disturb 
myself,  that  he  would  accompany  the  man  and  learn  what  was  the  cause 
of  this  visit.  In  about  half  an  hour  I  heard  him  coming  up  stairs  hum- 
ming a  tune  in  a  voice  something  like  that  of  Tom  Pipes — between  a 
screech  and  a  whistle.  He  entered  my  room  with  a  furious  countenance, 
flung  himself  into  a  chair,  and  stopping  all  at  once  in  the  middle  of  his 
tune,  began  to  curse  the  police  in  the  most  voluble  manner,  nor  could  I 
get  a  word  of  intelligence  out  of  him  until  he  had  consigned  them  all  to 
purgatory.  He  then  let  me  know  that  we  had  been  dogged  about  by  some 
scoundrel  of  a  spy  who  had  denounced  me  as  an  Englishman,  which  had 
occasioned  the  demand  of  my  papers.  He  told  me  he  had  been  before 
the  Adjoint  of  the  mayor,  who  spoke  English  and  was  very  polite  ;  that 
he  had  represented  my  situation  to  him,  and  had  told  him  that  he  would 
bring  me  before  him,  and  if  he  did  not  at  once  see  by  my  counter  ..nee 

72 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  73 

that  I  was  an  honest  man,  incapable  of  deceit,  he  would  himself  pledge 
both  his  property  and  his  person  that  I  would  prove  so  in  the  end.  I 
accordingly  accompanied  the  Doctor  before  the  Adjoint.  The  latter  re- 
ceived me  very  politely  ;  as  he  spoke  English  I  simply  stated  the  circum- 
stances of  my  case,  but  he  told  me  that  it  was  unnecessary  ;  he  was  con- 
vinced of  the  folly  of  the  suspicions  that  had  been  indulged  against  me, 
and  assured  me  that  while  I  remained  in  Nice  my  tranquillity  should  not 
be  again  disturbed.  Having  received  my  papers  we  withdrew.  On  the 
17th,  the  Doctor  set  off  in  a  felucca  for  Genoa,  and  though  I  was  sorry  to 
part  with  a  man  whose  company  was  so  amusing  and  who  had  proved 
himself  sincerely  my  friend,  yet  I  could  not  but  be  pleased  on  one  ac- 
count, as  it  would  facilitate  my  own  departure,  for  I  look  chiefly  to  Genoa 
for  effectual  assistance. 

Sept.  26. — I  have  just  received  two  or  three  letters  ;  to  express  to  you 
the  revolution  of  feelings  they  occasioned  is  impossible.  They  were  put 
into  my  hands  by  the  maitre  d'hotel  just  as  I  returned  from  one  of  my 
solitary  morning  rambles  on  the  sea-shore,  where  I  had  been  wistfully 
contemplating  the  ocean,  and  wishing  myself  on  its  bosom  in  full  sail  to 
Italy.  The  first  packet  was  from  my  indefatigable  friend,  Dr.  Henry,  in- 
closing a  letter  from  Hall  Storm,  and  a  reclamation  from  our  consul,  and 
all  within  twenty-four  hours  after  his  arrival.  As  to  the  letter  from  Storm, 
it  breathes  all  the  warmth  and  openness  of  heart  that  distinguishes  that 
worthy  fellow. 

.  .  .  .  I  have  also  received  a  packet  from  our  consul  at  Marseilles, 
inclosing  a  letter  to  the  Prt-fet  of  Nice,  representing  my  case  and  urging 
him  to  give  me  a  passport  for  Italy.  Thus  you  see  the  prospect  is  opened. 
I  have  but  to  go  to  the  municipality,  get  a  passport,  etc.,  and  then  away 
to  Italy  and  Hall  Storm  ! 

Evening. — Such  were  the  enlivening  ideas  of  this  morning,  and  with  a 
light  heart  I  danced  attendance  on  the  Secretary-general  five  or  six  times 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  At  last  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  my 
paper  carried  either  before  him  or  the  Prefet  by  one  of  the  head  clerks, 
and  after  waiting  in  sanguine  expectation  of  a  passport  being  ordered 
me,  I  was  greeted  with  the  cheering  intelligence  that  I  must  rest  here 


74  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

still  for  four  or  five  days  till  they  received  an  answer  to  a  letter  that  had 
been  written  to  the  Commissary-general  of  Marseilles.  What  this  answer 
is,  or  of  what  importance  it  is,  I  neither  know  nor  care  ;  it  is  sufficient 
for  me  to  know  that  I  am  in  their  power,  and  that  it  is  needless  to  com  • 
plain— patience  par  force  is  my  motto.  [The  journal  says,  "I  never 
wanted  a  knowledge  of  the  language  so  much  as  when  the  clerk  brought 
this  answer  ;  I  fairly  gasped  for  words.  As  it  wTas,  I  gave  him  my  senti- 
ments pretty  roundly  in  the  best  French  I  could  muster."] 

Tlie  letter  continues  : — 

I  was  promised  that  I  should  be  forwarded  with  pleasure  when  a  rec- 
lamation arrived  from  Genoa,  and  now  that  I  have  a  reclamation  sup- 
ported by  a  letter  from  our  consul  at  Marseilles,  I  am  still  detained  ;  and 
shall  be  obliged  to  dance  attendance  on  these  scoundrels,  I  do  not  know 
how  much  longer  ;  I  have  felt  what  it  is  to  have  to  deal  with  Dogs  in 
office,  and  can  say  with  Swift : — 

"  Ye  gods  !  if  there's  a  man  I  ought  to  hate, 
Attendance  and  dependence  be  his  fate." 

October  14. — Upwards  of  two  weeks  have  elapsed  since  the  above  was 
written— the  time  in  that  interval  has  dragged  on  without  anything  par- 
ticular to  vary  its  monotony.  I  have  been  made  the  sport  of  promises 
and  evasions  by  the  police,  who  pretend  that  they  are  unable  to  give  me 
a  passport,  notwithstanding  the  reclamation,  etc. ;  that  they  must  have 
authority  from  Paris,  though  they  have  not  taken  the  trouble  to  write  to 
Paris.  Fortunately,  however,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Lee,  our  consid  at  Bor- 
deaux, when  I  was  first  detained  ;  he  immediately  wrote  to  our  minister 
at  Paris,  in  my  favor,  in  consequence  of  which  I  received  a  very  polite 
letter  from  Robert  L.  Livingston,  Esq.,  son-in-law  of  the  minister,  in- 
forming me  that  the  minister  had  received  the  account  of  my  situation 
from  Mr.  Lee,  and  immediately  had  sent  a  passport  to  the  Grand  Judge 
for  his  signature,  and  that  it  would  most  probably  come  on  by  the  same 
mail,  at  furthest  by  the  mail  ensuing. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  75 

The  promised  passport  arrived  on  the  16th,  and  the 
next  morning,  after  a  tedious  detention  of  five  weeks,  he 
set  sail  in  a  felucca  for  Genoa  coasting  along  near  th  3 
land,  for  fear  of  the  privateers  that  infested  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  in  the  evening  putting  into  the  towns  to  pass 
the  night.  At  one  place  near  Alberga  the  felucca  had 
receded  beyond  her  usual  distance  from  the  shore,  when 
a  small  vessel  that  lay  under  an  island  fired  a  gun  ahead 
of  them  on  suspicion  of  her  being  a  privateer. 

"  Our  padrone,"  says  the  journal,  "  immediately  dis- 
played the  Genoese  flag,  and  hailed  the  vessel.  Either 
they  did  not  see  or  hear  him,  or  their  suspicions  were 
very  strong,  for  they  fired  another  shot  at  us,  wdrich 
whistled  just  over  our  heads.  Towards  evening  the 
breeze  died  away,  and  the  men  had  to  take  to  their  oars. 
It  was  a  bright  moonlight,  and  the  sound  of  a  convent 
bell  from  among  the  mountains  would  now  and  then 
salute  their  ears,  and  immediately  the  rowers  would 
rest  on  their  oars,  pull  off  their  caps,  and  offer  up  their 
prayers." 

They  passed  the  night  at  Savona,  and  the  next  day  en- 
tered the  harbor  of  Genoa,  where  he  met  with  a  most 
cordial  and  open-hearted  reception  from  his  friend 
Storm,  with  whom  he  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  wing 
of  an  old  palace.  The  pleasure  of  this  meeting  was  no 
doubt  wonderfully  heightened  by  his  long  and  friendless 
solitude  at  Nice.  In  a  letter  to  his  young  friend,  John 
Furman,  dated  Genoa,  October  24,  1804,  he  is  almost  at 


76  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

a  loss  to  express  Iris  sense  of  the  happiness  of  this  meet- 
ing with  an  old  comrade  from  New  York. 

You  [he  says],  who  have  never  been  from  home  in  a  land  of  strangers, 
and  for  some  time  without  friends,  cannot  conceive  the  joy,  the  rapture 
of  meeting  with  a  favorite  companion  in  a  distant  part  of  the  world. 

Time  passed  rapidly  and  pleasantly  with  the  young 
traveller  at  Genoa. 

I  have  now  been  in  Genoa  six  weeks  [he  writes  to  William,  November 
30th],  and,  so  far  from  being  tired  of  it,  I  every  day  feel  more  and  more 
delighted  with  my  situation,  and  unwilling  to  part.  I  cannot  speak  with 
sufficient  warmth  of  the  reception  I  have  met  with  from  Storm.  We  have 
scarcely  been  out  of  each  other's  sight  all  the  time  I  have  been  here,  and 
he  has  introduced  me  to  the  first  society  in  Genoa,  from  whom  I  have 
received  the  most  flattering  attentions. 

Some  weeks  later  we  find  him  in  the  following  letter 
still  at  Genoa,  preparing  to  tear  himself  away  from  the 
friendly  circle  of  acquaintance  he  had  formed,  and  min- 
gle again  among  strangers. 

[To  William  Irving.  J 

Genoa,  December  20, 1804. 
Dear  Brother  :— 

I  yesterday  received  your  letter,  and  return  you  a  thousand  thanks  for 
the  length  and  minuteness  of  it.  You  cannot  imagine  how  enlivening  it 
was  to  me,  and  with  what  a  greedy  eye  I  read  every  line  three  or  four 
times. 

.     .     .     Part  of  your  letter  was  written  on  the  25th  of  October, 
which  was  Jive  days  after  I  arrived  in  Genoa,  and  here  it  found  me  still 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  77 

It  is  a  most  fortunate  thing  that  I  received  your  letters  before  ray  depart- 
ure, as  they  will  influence  me  much  in  my  route.  You  will  be  pleased 
to  hear  that  your  wish  that  I  should  visit  Sicily  will  be  fully  gratified, 
and  in  a  manner  most  convenient  and  agreeable  to  myself.  I  set  sail  to- 
morrow in  the  ship  Matilda  of  Philadelphia,  bound  for  Messina  in  Sicily, 
where  she  takes  in  a  cargo  of  wines  for  America,  The  ship  was  formerly 
a  Charleston  packet,  and  has  excellent  accommodations.  The  captain  is 
an  honest,  worthy,  old  gentleman,  of  the  name  of  Strong.  He  is  highly 
delighted  with  the  thoughts  of  my  going,  has  laid  in  excellent  stores,  pre- 
pared the  best  berth,  and  says  he  intends  to  make  my  passage  as  com- 
fortable as  possible.  Had  not  this  opportunity  offered,  I  would  have  been 
obliged  to  make  a  long  roundabout  tour  by  the  way  of  Milan,  Bologna,  An- 
cona,  etc.,  etc.,  to  Rome,  as  all  Tuscany  is  surrounded  by  cordones  (lines  of 
soldiers)  where  I  should  be  detained,  quarantined,  smoked,  and  vinegared, 
and  perhaps,  after  all,  not  have  been  suffered  to  pass 

I  have  been  to-day  to  bid  farewell  to  my  Genoese  friends,  and  a  painful 
iask  it  was  I  assure  you.  The  very  particular  attentions  I  have  received 
here  have  rendered  my  stay  delightful.  I  really  felt  as  if  at  home,  sur- 
rounded by  my  friends.  Though  my  acquaintances  were  very  numerous, 
I  particularly  confined  my  visits  to  three  places,  Lady  Shaftesbury's, 
Madame  Gabriac's,  and  Mrs.  Bird's.  From  Lady  Shaftesbury  I  have  ex- 
perienced the  most  unreserved  and  cordial  friendship.  I  visited  her 
house  every  night,  dined  there  freqiiently,  and  supped  whenever  1 
chose 

Madame  Gabriac's  was  another  favorite  visiting  place.  She  is  a  lady 
of  the  first  rank,  and  speaks  English  extremely  well.  We  were  always 
sure  of  a  merry  evening  in  her  company,  when  she  woidd  discuss  the 
fashionable  intelligence  of  Genoa  with  a  whim  and  humor  peculiar  to 
herself.  She  expressed  the  greatest  regret  at  my  departure,  and  furnishes 
me  with  a  letter  of  introduction  to  her  friend,  the  Marchesa  Miranda  at 
Florence,  a  lady  of  whom  I  have  heard  much,  both  for  beauty  and  under- 
standing. 

I  dined  to-day  at  Mrs.  Bird's  at  Sestri,  to  bid  her  family  farewell.  I 
believe  I  have  spoken  before  to  you  of  this  charming  woman  and  her 


78  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

lovely  daughters.  We  have  spent  several  delightful  days  in  their  com- 
pany at  Sestri,  and  received  the  most  hospitable  attentions 

I  had  nearly  forgotten  to  mention  to  you  that  I  was  presented  to  the 
Doge  on  his  levee  night  by  his  nephew,  Signor  Lerra,  and  had  a  very 
polite  reception 

It  is  with  the  greatest  uneasiness  that  I  hear  of  the  continued  precari- 
ousness  of  sister  Nancy's  health.  I  wish  to  heaven  I  had  her  with  me  in 
these  mild  climates,  where  her  feeble  frame  would  soon  recruit.  The 
rude  shocks  of  the  western  winters  she  has  to  encounter  are  too  violent  for 
a  delicate  constitution  that  is  at  the  mercy  of  every  breeze.  For  myself 
I  am  another  being.  Health  has  new  strung  my  limbs,  and  endowed  me 
with  an  elasticity  of  spirits  that  gilds  every  scene  with  sunshine  and 
heightens  every  enjoyment. 

It  was  at  Genoa  that  the  traveller  received  a  letter 
from  his  brother  William,  inclosing  an  official  account  of 
the  sad  duel  in  which  Hamilton  fell  by  the  hand  of  Burr, 
and  exhibiting  a  distressing  picture  of  the  political  ex- 
citement which  was  then  at  its  height  in  his  native  city. 
His  reply  gives,  incidentally,  an  insight  into  his  early 
political  preferences ;  while  he  regrets  the  rancorous 
height  party  animosity  was  attaining  in  the  country,  he 
speaks  of  himself  as  "  an  admirer  of  General  Hamilton, 
and  a  partisan  with  him  in  politics."  "  My  fellow-coun- 
trymen do  not  know  the  blessings  they  enjoy,"  he  adds  ; 
"  they  are  trifling  with  their  felicity,  and  are,  in  fact, 
themselves  their  worst  enemies.  I  sicken  when  I  think 
of  our  political  broils,  slanders,  and  enmities,  and  I 
think,  when  I  again  find  myself  in  New  York,  I  shall 
never  meddle  any  more  in  politics." 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  79 

I  close  this  chapter  with  his  last  lines  from  Genoa,  in 
a  letter  to  his  brother  William,  already  quoted  in  part. 

I  am  finishing  this  letter  in  the  morning;  the  wind  is  fair,  the  day 
lovely,  and  everything  appears  to  befriend  me.  I  have  to  haste  and  pack 
up  my  trunk,  so  that  I  must  tear  myself  away  from  the  pleasure  of  writ- 
ing to  you.  In  a  little  while  I  shall  be  once  more  on  the  ocean.  I  am 
a  friend  to  that  element,  for  it  has  hitherto  used  me  well,  and  I  shall  feel 
quite  at  home  on  shipboard. 

You  see  I  set  off  in  high  glee,  though  I  expect  to  have  a  serious  heart- 
ache when  I  lose  sight  of  Genoa. 

Heaven  bless  you,  my  dear  brother. 

W.  L 


CHAPTEK  VI. 

FROM   GENOA   TO  MESSINA. — CHRISTMAS   AT    SEA. — ADVENTTTRE   WITH   PIRATES, 
— QUARANTINE. — HIGH   CONVERSE  WITH   CAPTAIN    STRONG. 

[To    William   Irving.] 

Ship  Matixda,  December  25,  1804. 
My  dear  Brother  : — 

T  N  my  last  letter  from  Genoa,  I  mentioned  that  I  was  on  the 
point  of  embarking  with  a  fine  wind  and  charming  weather. 
1  was  disappointed  in  the  expectation.  The  wind  blew  too 
strong  for  the  vessel  to  warp  out  of  the  harbor,  and  we  were 
detained  till  the  23d,  when  we  set  sail  at  two  o'clock  with  a  brisk  gale, 
and  soon  left  sweet  Genoa  and  all  its  friendly  inhabitants  behind  us.  [I 
remained  (says  the  journal)  alternately  gazing  upon  Scstri  and  Genoa, 
till  they  faded  in  the  distance,  and  evening  veiled  them  even  from  the 
sight  of  the  telescope.]  The  wind  died  away  before  evening,  and  the  next 
day  it  sprung  up  ahead,  where  it  has  continued  ever  since,  keeping  us 

baffling  about  opposite  Leghorn 

1  began  this  letter  on  Christmas-day — it  is  now  the  evening  of  the 
twenty-eighth;  all  this  while  have  we  been  beating  about  in  nearly  the 
same  place,  among  some  small  islands  that  he  between  Corsica  and  the 
Tuscan  shore.  There  are  three  other  passengers,  Genoese  captains  of 
vessels,  who  speak  French  very  well ;  they  sleep  in  the  steerage,  and  leave 
me  the  cabin  to  myself.  The  captain  is  an  honest,  worthy  old  soul  of  a 
religious  turn  (though  he  never  talks  of  religion),  and  violently  smitten 
with  an  affection  for  lunar  observations.     The  old  gentleman  has  likewise 

80 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  81 

an  invincible  propensity  to  familiarize  the  names  of  people;  it  is  always 
Tom  Truxton,  Kit  Columbus,  and  Jack  Styles  with  him,  and  he  cannot 
tell  you  the  name  of  the  author  of  a  book  without  Jacking  or  Gilling  him. 
He  is  extremely  obliging  and  good-humored,  and  strives  to  render  my 
situation  as  agreeable  as  possible. 

29th. — We  have  at  length,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  cleared  the  island 
of  Elba,  and  are  now  passing  between  it  and  the  island  of  Planosa.  The 
latter  is  a  place  of  shelter  and  ambuscade  for  small  privateers  that  infest 
these  parts,  and  lie  in  wait  here  to  sally  out  on  vessels  as  they  pass.  These 
little  privateers  are  of  the  kind  that  seamen  term  pickaroons.  They  are 
unprincipled  in  their  depredations,  plundering  from  any  nation.  One  of 
the  Genoese  captains  assured  me  that  they  were  worse  than  the  Algerines 
or  Tripolitans,  as  the  latter  nations  only  capture  and  make  prisoners, 
whereas  these  villains  often  accompany  their  depredations  with  cruelty 
and  murder,  and  have  even  been  known  to  plunder  the  ship,  sink  her, 
and  kill  the  crew  to  prevent  discovery  and  punishment.  They  may  be 
termed  the  banditti  of  the  ocean,  having  very  seldom  any  commission  or 
authority. 

oOth.—J  was  sitting  in  the  cabin  yesterday  writing  very  tranquilly, 
when  word  was  brought  that  a  sail  was  seen  coming  off  towards  us  from 
the  island.  The  Genoese  captain,  after  regarding  it  through  a  spy-glass, 
turned  pale,  and  said  it  was  one  of  those  privateers  of  which  he  had  been 
speaking  to  me.  A  moment  after  she  fired  a  gun,  upon  which  we  hoisted 
the  American  flag.  Another  gun  was  fired,  the  ball  of  which  passed  be- 
tween the  main  and  foremasts,  and  we  immediately  brought  to.  "We  went 
to  work  directly  to  conceal  any  trifling  articles  of  value  that  we  had.  As 
to  myself,  I  put  my  letters  of  credit  in  my  inside  coat  pocket,  and  gave 
two  Spanish  doubloons  (which  was  all  the  cash  I  had),  one  to  the  cabin- 
boy,  and  the  other  to  a  little  Genoese  lad,  to  take  care  of  for  me,  as  it  was 
not  very  probable  that  they  woidd  be  searched.  By  this  time  the  priva- 
teer had  come  within  hail.  She  was  quite  small,  about  the  size  of  one  of 
our  Staten  Island  ferry-boats,  with  lateen-sails,  and  two  small  guns  in 
the  bow.  (As  for  us,  we  had  not  even  a  pistol  on  board.)  They  were 
under  French  colors,  and  hailing  us,  ordered  the  captain  to  come  on 
vol.  i. — 6 


82  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

board  with  his  papers.     He  accordingly  went,  and  after  some  time  re- 
turned, accompanied  by  several  of  the  privateersraen.     One  of  them  ap- 
peared to  have  command  over  the  rest ;  he  was  a  tall,  stout  fellow,  shab- 
bily dressed,  without  any  coat,  and  his  shirt  sleeves  rolled  up  to  his 
elbows,  displaying  a  formidably  muscular  pair  of  arms.     His  crew  would 
have  shamed  Falstaff's  ragged  regiment  in  their  habiliments,  while  their 
countenances  displayed  the  strongest  lines  of  villainy  and  rapacity.   They 
carried  rusty  cutlasses  in  their  hands,  and  pistols  and  stilettos  were  stuck 
in  their  belts  and  waistbands.      After  the  leader  had  given  orders  to 
shorten  sail,  he  demanded  the  passports  and  bills  of  health  of  the  passen- 
gers, etc.,  and  made  several  inquiries  concerning  the  cargo.     These  we 
answered  by  means  of  one  of  his  men,  who  spoke  a  little  English,  and 
another  who  spoke  French,  and  to  whom  I  translated  our  replies.     He 
then  told  the  captain  and  myself  that  we  must  go  on  board  of  the  priva- 
teer, as  the  commander  wanted  to  make  some  inquiries,  and  that  I  could 
act  as  interpreter.     As  we  were  going  over  the  side,  the  Genoese  captain 
stopped  me  privately,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes  entreated  me  not  to  leave 
the  ship,  as  he  believed  they  only  intended  to  separate  us  all,  that  they 
might  cut  our  throats  the  more  easily.     I  represented  to  him  how  useless 
and  impolitic  it  would  be  to  dispute  their  orders,  as  it  would  only  enrage 
them  ;  that  we  were  completely  in  their  power,  and  they  could  as  easily 
despatch  us  on  board  the  ship  as  in  the  privateer,  we  having  no  arms  to 
defend  ourselves.     The  poor  man  shook  his  head,  and  said  he  hoped  the 
Virgin  would  protect  me.   When  we  arrived  on  board  the  privateer  I  own 
my  heart  almost  failed  me  ;  a  more  villainous-looking  crew  I  never  be- 
held.   Their  dark  complexions,  rough  beards,  and  fierce  black  eyes  scowl- 
ing under  enormous  bushy  eyebrows,  gave  a  character  of  the  greatest 
ferocity  to  their  countenances.     They  were  as  rudely  accoutred  as  their 
comrades  that  had  boarded  us,  and  like  them,  armed  with  cutlasses, 
stilettos,  and  pistols.    They  seemed  to  regard  us  with  the  most  malignant 
looks,  and  I  thought  I  could  perceive  a  sinister  smile  upon  their  counte- 
nances, as  if  triumphing  over  us  who  had  fallen  so  easily  into  their  hands. 
Their  captain,  after  reading  over  our  papers  and  asking  us  several  ques- 
tions about  the  vessel  and  cargo,  said  he  only  stopped  us  to  know  if  we 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  83 

had  the  regular  bills  of  health,  telling  us  some  confused  contradictory 
story  of  his  being  employed  by  the  health  office  of  Leghorn.  After  a 
while  he  gave  us  permission  to  return  on  board,  with  which  we  cheerfully 
complied,  but  our  pleasure  was  damped  when  we  found  that  he  retained 
all  our  papers.  On  arriving  on  board  we  understood  that  they  had  been 
rummaging  the  ship,  and  had  ordered  them  to  stand  for  the  shore  that 
the  vessel  might  be  brought  to  anchor.  When  our  sails  were  almost  in, 
a  signal  was  given,  upon  which  the  privateer  fired  a  gun,  gave  three 
cheers,  and  hoisted  English  colors.  The  captain  or  leader  then  turned 
round  with  a  grin,  and  said  that  we  were  a  good  prize.  We  told  him  to 
recollect  we  were  Americans.  He  said  it  was  all  one  ;  everything  was  a 
good  prize  that  came  from  Genoa,  as  the  port  was  blockaded.  We  re- 
plied that  there  had  been  no  English  frigates  off  the  port  for  six  months 
past,  consequently  they  could  not  pretend  but  that  the  blockade  had 
ceased.  He  said  we  would  find  the  contrary  when  we  arrived  at  Malta, 
where  he  intended  to  carry  us.  We  thought  it  most  advisable  to  be 
silent,  confident  that  if  we  were  carried  to  Malta  they  could  do  nothing 
with  us.  The  Genoese  captain  said  he  was  convinced  from  their  behavior 
that  they  had  no  idea  of  carrying  us  there,  but  that  they  were  merely  a 
band  of  pirates  without  commission,  and  bent  upon  plundering. 

They  then  commenced  overhauling  the  ship  in  hopes  of  finding  money. 
The  leader,  and  one  of  his  comrades  who  spoke  a  little  English,  began 
with  the  cabin,  ordering  the  others  to  remain  on  deck  to  keep  guard. 
They  first  came  across  my  portmanteau,  which  I  opened  for  them,  and 
the  captain  rummaged  it  completely  without  finding  any  money,  which 
appeared  to  be  his  main  object.  The  one  who  spoke  English  was  em- 
ployed in  reading  my  papers,  perhaps  hoping  to  And  bills  of  exchange  ; 
but  as  they  were  chiefly  letters  of  introduction  he  soon  grew  tired,  and 
turning  to  his  companion  said  it  was  an  unprofitable  business,  that  I  had 
letters  for  all  Italy  and  France,  but  they  were  nothing  but  recommenda- 
tions. 

Eh  Men,  replied  the  other,  we  may  as  well  let  his  things  alone  for  the 
present — c'est  un  homme  qui  court  tout  le  monde.  ('Tis  a  man  who  is 
rambling  over  all  the  world.)    Among  other  letters  of  introduction  they 


84  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

came  across  two  for  Malta,  one  to  Sir  Isaac  Ball,  the  governor,  and 
another  to  a  principal  English  merchant;  after  this  they  treated  me  with 
much  more  respect,  and  the  captain  told  me  I  might  put  up  my  things 
again  in  the  portmanteau.  I  huddled  them  in  carelessly,  as  I  expected 
never  again  to  have  the  use  of  them,  and  locking  the  trunk  offered  the  key 
to  the  captain ;  he,  however,  told  me  to  keep  it  myself,  as  he  had  no  present 
occasion  for  it.  By  this  time  his  myrmidons  on  deck  had  lost  all  patience, 
and  came  crowding  into  the  cabin  demanding  permission  to  search  the 
vessel.  The  leader  spoke  something  to  them,  and  immediately  they 
went  to  work,  ravenous  as  wolves,  ransacking  every  hole  and  corner. 
They  were  extremely  disappointed  at  finding  so  little  aboard  to  pillage. 
The  vessel  having  an  intention  of  loading  with  wine  at  Messina  had  no 
cargo  on  board  but  five  or  six  pipes  of  brandy,  some  few  tons  of  paper,  a 
little  verdigris,  and  two  boxes  of  quicksilver.  The  latter  they  hoisted  out 
of  the  run  with  triumph,  thinking  them  filled  with  money,  but  were 
highly  chagrined  at  discovering  their  real  contents. 

After  several  hours  spent  in  this  manner,  the  commander-in-chief  came 
off  from  the  island  in  a  boat.  This  fellow,  I  believe,  was  commodore  of 
the  squadron,  for  I  learned  that  there  were  two  more  small  privateers  in 
a  harbor  of  the  island.  He  was  as  ragged  as  the  rest,  though  rather  a 
good-looking  fellow  in  the  countenance.  After  looking  over  our  papers 
and  consulting  with  his  comrades,  I  suppose  they  found  out  that  it  was 
impolitic  to  be  very  hard  upon  us,  as  we  had  not  sufficient  on  board  to 
encourage  them  in  running  any  risk,  and  they  well  knew  they  could  not 
justify  themselves  in  taking  an  American  vessel.  They  therefore  returned 
our  papers,  and  told  us  that  though  the  ship  was  a  lawful  prize,  yet  they 
would  be  generous  and  permit  us  to  proceed  ;  that  they  did  not  wish  to 
use  any  force,  but  would  be  much  obliged  to  us  for  some  provisions,  as 
they  were  almost  out.  We  of  course  had  to  comply  with  their  request, 
and  they  took  about  half  the  provisions  that  we  had  on  board. 

They  likewise  took  some  articles  of  ship  furniture,  and  one  of  the  under 
vagabonds  stole  a  watch  and  some  clothes  out  of  the  trunks  of  the  Gen- 
oese passengers.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  chagrin  and  rage  of  the 
common  fellows  at  being  restrained  from  plundering  ;  they  swore  the 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  85 

ship  was  a  good  prize,  and  I  almost  expected  to  see  them  rise  against 
their  leaders  for  contradicting  them.  The  captains  then  gave  us  a  receipt 
for  what  they  had  taken,  requesting  the  British  consul  at  Messina  to  pay 
for  the  same ;  and  about  sunset,  to  our  gveat  joy,  they  bade  us  adieu, 
having  been  on  board  since  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  For  my  own 
part,  they  did  not  take  the  least  article  from  me.  The  wind  was  fair,  and 
we  spread  every  sail  in  hopes  of  leaving  this  nest  of  pirates  behind  us  ; 
but  the  wind  fell  before  dark,  and  we  lay  becalmed  all  night.  You  may 
imagine  how  unpleasant  was  our  situation,  under  strong  apprehension 
that  some  of  the  gang,  inflamed  with  the  liquor  they  had  taken  from  us, 
might  come  off  in  the  night,  unknown  to  the  leaders,  and  commit  their 
depredations  without  fear  or  restraint.  In  spite  of  my  uneasiness,  I  was 
so  fatigued  that  I  laid  down  in  my  clothes,  and  soon  fell  asleep  ;  but  my 
rest  was  broken  and  disturbed  by  horrid  dreams.  The  assassin-like  fig- 
ures of  the  ruffians  were  continually  before  me,  and  two  or  three  times  I 
started  out  of  my  bed,  with  the  horrid  idea  that  their  stilettos  were 
raised  against  my  bosom. 

Happily  for  us,  a  favorable  wind  sprung  up  early  this  morning,  and 
we  had  the  satisfaction  of  leaving  the  island  far  behind  us  before  sun- 
rise  

January  5. — At  daybreak  this  morning  we  found  ourselves  within  a 
few  miles  of  the  straits  of  Messina,  and  near  to  the  Calabrian  coast.  The 
sunrise  presented  to  us  one  of  the  most  charming  scenes  I  ever  beheld. 
To  our  left  extended  the  Calabrian  mountains,  their  summits  stdl  par- 
tially enveloped  in  the  mists  of  morning,  the  sun  having  just  risen 
from  behind  them,  and  breaking  in  full  splendor  from  among  the  clouds. 
Immediately  before  us  was  the  celebrated  straits  immortal  in  history  and 
song  ;  to  the  right  Sicily  gradually  swept  up  into  verdant  mountains, 
skirted  with  delightful  little  plains.  The  whole  country  was  lovely  and 
blooming  as  if  in  the  midst  of  spring  ;  and  villages,  towns,  and  cottages 
heightened  the  beauty  of  the  prospect 

On  arriving  at  Messina  the  vessel  had  to  undergo  quar- 


86  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

antine,  "  one  of  the  torments  of  these  seas,"  he  pro- 
nounces "  infinitely  more  hideous  than  Pelorus,  Scylla, 
and  Charybdis  with  all  their  terrors." 

January  10. — We  are  safely  moored  at  Quarantine  [he  continues]  in 
front  of  the  Lazaretto,  which  is  built  on  the  promontory  facing  the  town. 
They  have  doomed  us  to  this  species  of  imprisonment  for  twenty-one 
days,  notwithstanding  we  come  from  a  healthy  port,  are  all  hearty,  and 
have  scarcely  any  cargo  on  board.  Our  quarantine  is  longer  than  it  oth- 
erwise would  have  been,  in  consequence  of  our  having  been  boarded  by 
the  pirates  off  Planosa 

The  Genoese  captain  had  advised  Strong  to  suppress 
the  fact  of  their  having  been  boarded  by  the  pirates,  if  he 
wished  to  escape  quarantine.  If  the  question  is  put  to 
me,  said  the  honest  captain,  I  must  tell  the  truth.  I  have 
heard  the  author  relate,  with  marked  satisfaction,  another 
instance  of  the  scrupulous  probity  of  the  captain.  The 
pirates  took  half  a  cask  of  brandy.  There  were  five  on 
board,  one  of  which  belonged  to  Strong.  "  That's  from 
my  cask,"  said  the  captain,  as  he  noted  the  depredation. 
"  Tut,  captain,"  rejoined  the  mate,  "  don't  you  know  the 
proverb, '  Captains'  fowls  never  die.'  "  "  No,  no,"  said  the 
captain.     "  I  marked  it — it  is  my  cask." 

I  resume  with  the  letter : — 

.  .  .  .  The  same  day  that  we  arrived,  there  entered  also  the  United 
States  schooner  Nautilus  from  Syracuse.  I  have  already  become  quite 
intimate  with  the  officers,  and  have  had  several  conversations  with  them. 
As  we  are  an  infectious  vessel,  we  are  not  allowed  to  communicate  with 
them,  except  at  a  proper  distance.  Dent  (the  captain)  is  a  Philadelphian, 
and  appears  to  be  a  very  clever  gentlemanlike  fellow.    He  expects  to 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  87 

return  to  Syracuse  in  a  few  days,  and  has  invited  me  to  take  a  passage 

■with  him,  which  I,  of  course,  shall  do At  Syracuse  there 

are  several  of  our  vessels,  so  that  I  shall  be  quite  among  my  fellow-coun- 
trymen, and  most  probably  find  some  old  acquaintances 

His  long  quarantine  had  proved  an  intolerable  species 
of  imprisonment  to  the  traveller ;  though  what  with  the 
study  of  Italian,  the  reading  of  books  on  Sicily,  pro- 
cured from  shore,  and  ranging  the  harbor  in  the  yawl  of 
the  ship,  which  he  had  fitted  up  with  sails,  he  managed  to 
pass  away  the  time.  This  last  amusement,  however,  was 
attended  with  the  drawback  of  having  a  guard  from  the 
health  office  constantly  with  him.  He  also  found  a  fund 
of  entertainment  in  frequent  discourses  with  the  captain. 

Our  conversation  [he  -writes]  is  whimsical  enough,  and  we  alternately 
discuss  the  New  Testament  and  the  Nautical  Almanac,  and  talk  indis- 
criminately of  Joe  Pilmore,  Jack  Hamilton  More,  Tom  Truxton,  Kit  Co- 
lumbus, and  Jack  Wesley.  Methodism  and  lunar  observations  preside 
by  turns,  and  you  may  judge  how  well  calculated  I  am  to  shine  at  either. 
The  poor  old  gentleman  thinks  he  is  among  a  set  of  barbarians,  who  are 
groping  in  ignorance,  and  "stumbling  upon  the  dark  mountains."  He 
groans  whenever  the  bells  ring  for  mass,  abominates  the  herds  of  priests 
and  monks  that  crowd  this  place,  and  has  plainly  demonstrated  to  me, 
that  the  Roman  Church  is  the  great  beast  with  seven  horns,  and  the  pope 
is  no  more  and  no  less  than  the  whore  of  Babylon. 

Poor  Strong !  on  his  next  voyage  his  vessel  was  found 
a  floating  wreck,  but  he  always  lingered  in  the  mind  of 
his  young  companion  in  loving  remembrano , ;  &,nd  one 
of  the  last  allusions  to  his  early  years  that  he  over  made 
to  me  recalled  the  worthy  commander. 


CHAPTER  m 

SCTLLA  AND  CHARYBDIS. — NELSON'S  FLEET.— PASSAGE  TO  SYRACUSE. — EAR  OV 
DIONYSIUS. — THE  LISTENING  CHAMBER  EXPLORED. — CATANIA. — PARTIAL 
ASCENT  OF  uETNA. — TO  PALERMO. — DISMAL  ACCOMMODATIONS. — A  NIGHT 
ALARM. — A   CHANCE   ENTERTAINMENT. 

ESSINA  was  at  this  time  but  the  shadow  of 
what  it  had  been,  not  having  yet  recovered 
from  the  paralyzing  effects  of  the  earthquake 
of  1783,  the  marks  of  which  were  everywhere  discernible 
in  heaps  of  ruins.  His  stay  in  it  was  short,  and  was 
rendered  unpleasant  by  an  unfortunate  rencontre  in  the 
streets  at  night  between  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Nauti- 
lus and  the  mate  of  an  English  transport,  in  which  the 
latter  was  killed.  This  occasioned  much  stir  among  the 
English  at  Messina,  who  insisted  upon  the  governor's 
demanding  the  officer  from  the  captain  of  the  schooner. 
Captain  Dent  refused  to  give  him  up,  but  pledged  his 
word  of  honor  that  he  should  be  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  the  commodore  at  Syracuse,  with  a  full  statement  of 
the  affair.  With  this  the  governor  was  satisfied,  though 
the  English  were  strenuous  that  he  should  use  forcible 
measures,  urging  him  to  have  the  forts  manned,  and  the 

88 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  89 

Nautilus  stopped  from  leaving  the  port  until  the  officer 
was  surrendered.  Mr.  Irving,  who  had,  as  soon  as  he 
was  released  from  Quarantine,  taken  up  his  quarters  on 
board  of  the  Nautilus,  where  he  was  treated  quite  like  an 
old  friend  by  Captain  Dent,  in  consequence  of  this  unfor- 
tunate affair,  avoided  mingling  much  in  company  at  Mes- 
sina, especially  as  the  society  to  which  his  letters  intro- 
duced him  was  chiefly  English,  and  a  circumstance  of 
this  nature  must  necessarily  throw  a  constraint  over  that 
intercourse.  "When  so  far  from  home,"  he  remarks,  in 
alluding  to  the  affair,  "it  is  impossible  to  avoid  being 
extremely  national." 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  January  they  set  sail 
for  Syracuse,  in  company  with  an  English  schooner,  with 
timber  for  repairing  the  mast  of  the  President.  Losing 
sight  of  their  convoy  the  next  morning,  and  supposing 
she  had  put  back  to  Messina,  they  veered  about,  and  ran 
before  the  wind  for  that  port.  "We  passed  through 
Charybdis,"  says  the  journal,  "which  made  a  heavy 
broken  sea.  After  all  that  has  been  said  and  sung  of 
this  celebrated  place,  it  would  make  but  a  contemptible 
appearance  aside  of  our  pass  called  Hell-gate ;  and  is 
nothing  to  compare  to  it  either  in  real  or  apparent 
danger." 

They  found  the  city  in  a  state  of  alarm.  News  had 
been  brought  that  a  fleet  had  been  seen  off  the  Straits, 
and  the  inhabitants  feared  that  it  was  the  French  or 
English  coming  to  take  possession  of  the  place.     The 


90  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

richer  part  began  to  push  off  into  the  country  with  their 
money  and  valuables. 

The  next  morning,  to  resume  with  the  journal, 

Two  ships  of  the  line  were  seen  entering  the  Straits.  The  whole  town 
was  immediately  in  an  uproar  ;  the  Marino  was  crowded  with  spectators  ; 
couriers  passing  and  repassing  from  the  city  to  the  Faro,  and  troops 
marching  about  to  man  the  forts.  Several  more  ships  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  it  was  ascertained  to  be  the  English  fleet.  In  a  short  time 
Lord  Nelson's  ship,  the  Victory,  hove  in  sight.  They  all  advanced  most 
majestically  up  the  Straits.  The  people  seem  to  wait  in  fearful  expecta- 
tion. The  fleet,  however,  soon  relieved  their  apprehensions  ;  they  con- 
tinued on  without  entering  the  harbor.  We  immediately  got  under  way, 
making  a  signal  for  the  English  schooner  to  do  the  same,  as  we  wished  to 
have  a  good  view  of  them.  The  English  schooner  was  a  long  time  in 
coming  out,  which  gave  us  a  fine  opportunity  by  standing  back  again  to 
examine  the  fleet.  It  consisted  of  eleven  sail  of  the  line,  three  frigates, 
and  two  brigs,  all  in  prime  order,  and  most  noble  vessels.  We  had  un- 
derstood, before  we  left  Messina,  that  Nelson  was  in  search  of  the  French 
fleet  which  had  lately  got  out  of  Toulon.  They  continued  in  sight  all 
day.  It  was  very  pleasing  to  observe  with  what  promptness  and  dex- 
terity the  signals  were  made,  answered,  and  obeyed.  It  seemed  as  a 
body  of  men  under  perfect  discipline.  Every  ship  appeared  to  know 
its  station  immediately,  and  to  change  position  agreeably  to  command, 
with  the  utmost  precision.  Nelson  has  brought  them  to  perfect  disci- 
pline; he  has  kept  them  at  sea  a  long  time  with  very  little  expense,  they 
seldom  having  more  than  three  sails  set  all  the  while  they  were  off  Tou- 
lon. He  takes  great  pride  in  them,  and  says  there  is  not  a  vessel  among 
them  that  he  would  wish  out  of  the  fleet. 

In  less  than  a  year,  Nelson's  young  admirer,  who 
chronicled  this  animating  spectacle,  was  one  of  throng- 


OF  WASHING TOX  IRVING.  91 

ing  thousands  that  pressed  to  behold  his  remains  as  they 
lay  in  state  at  Greenwich,  wrapped  in  the  flag  that  now 
floated  so  proudly  above  him. 

The  passage  to  Syracuse  was  short  and  agreeable. 
The  society  of  the  officers  made  a  lively  wardroom. 
"  Good  humor  reigned  among  them,  and  they  had  always 
a  joke  or  a  good  story  at  hand  to  make  the  time  pass 
away  gayly."  He  found  at  Syracuse  several  of  the 
American  ships  that  had  been  sent  out  against  Tripoli — 
the  frigates  President,  Essex,  Constellation,  and  Congress, 
and  the  brig  Vixen,  and  was  introduced  to  the  officers. 

Arrived  at  Syracuse,  "  I  was  impatient  to  land,"  says 
the  journal,  "  and  view  the  interior  of  a  city  once  so  cele- 
brated for  arts  and  arms.  But,  heavens  !  what  a  change  ! 
Streets  gloomy  and  ill-built,  and  poverty,  filth,  and  mis- 
ery on  every  side  ;  no  countenance  displaying  the  honest 
traits  of  ease  and  independence ;  all  is  servility,  indi- 
gence, and  discontent." 

In  this  once  magnificent  and  populous  city,  now  so  re- 
duced, there  was  still  much  to  interest  the  imagination 
and  gratify  the  curiosity  of  the  young  traveller  :  the  sin- 
gularly picturesque  and  beautiful  garden  of  the  Latomie, 
that  needed  only  the  hand  of  taste  to  make  another 
Eden ;  the  classic  fountain  of  Arethusa,  whose  gushing 
waters  were  now  the  resort  of  "  half-naked  nymphs 
busily  employed  in  washing  ;  "  the  remains  of  its  ancient 
theatre,  aqueduct,  and  temples,  which  spoke  of  the  days 
of  its  highest  splendor,  and  the  vast  catacombs  that  ex- 


92  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

tended  to  an  unknown  distance  under  ground — the  silent 
abodes  of  a  mighty  population  passed  away. 

His  journal  contains  descriptions  of  these  and  other  in- 
teresting curiosities,  which  it  does  not  fall  within  my  plan 
to  extract.  I  give  only,  as  partaking  of  adventure  and 
presenting  some  features  of  novelty,  his  exploration  of 
the  secret  chamber  of  Dionysius,  which  Brydone,  in  his 
tour  in  Sicily,  describes  as  "totally  inaccessible."  To 
make  proof  of  its  mysteries,  therefore,  was  something  of 
a  notable  exploit. 

February  4. — This  morning  I  walked  out  of  town  to  visit  the  cele- 
brated Ear  of  Dionysius  the  Tyrant.  1  was  accompanied  by  Dr.  Baker  of 
the  President,  Davis,  a  midshipman,  and  Tootle,  purser  of  the  Nautilus. 

The  approach  to  the  Ear  is  through  a  vast  quarry ;  one  of  those  from 
whence  the  stone  for  the  edifices  of  ancient  Syracuse  was  procured.  The 
bottom  of  this  quarry  is  cultivated  in  many  places,  and  being  entirely 
open  overhead  to  the  sun  and  sheltered  on  every  side  from  the  wind  by 
i-igh  precipices,  it  is  very  fertile. 

Travellers  have  generally  been  very  careless  in  their  account  of  the 
Ear.  Some  one  originally  started  the  observation  that  it  was  cut  in  the 
form  of  a  human  ear,  and  every  one  who  has  since  given  a  description  of 
it  has  followed  in  the  same  track  and  made  the  same  remark.  Brydone, 
among  the  rest,  joins  in  it 

The  Ear  is  a  vast  serpentine  cavern,  something  in  the  form  of  the  letter 
§  reversed;  its  greatest  width  is  at  the  bottom,  from  whence  it  narrows 
with  an  inflection  to  the  top,  something  like  the  external  shape  of  an 
ass's  ear.  Its  height  is  about  eighty  or  ninety  feet,  and  its  length  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty.  It  is  the  same  height  and  dimensions  from  the 
entrance  to  the  extremity  where  it  ends  abruptly.  The  marks  of  the 
tools  are  still  perfectly  visible  on  the  walls  of  the  cavern. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  93 

The  rock  is  brought  to  a  regular  surface  the  whole  extent,  without  any 
projection  or  curvatures  as  in  the  human  ear.  About  half  way  in  the 
cavern  is  a  small  square  recess  or  chamber  cut  in  one  side  of  the  wall  even 
with  the  ground,  and  at  the  interior  extremity  there  appears  to  be  a  small 
recess  at  the  top,  but  it  is  at  present  inaccessible.  A  poor  man  who  lives 
iu  the  neighborhood  attended  us  with  torches  of  straw,  by  which  we  had 
a  very  good  view  of  the  interior  of  the  Ear.  Holes  are  discernible  near 
the  interior  end  of  the  cave,  which  are  made  in  the  wall  at  regular  dis- 
tances and  ascend  up  in  an  inclined  direction.  They  are  about  an  inch 
in  diameter.  Some  of  the  company  were  of  opinion  that  they  have  for- 
merly contributed  to  the  support  of  a  stairs  or  ladder,  but  there  is  no  vis- 
ible place  where  a  stairs  could  lead  to,  and  the  holes  do  not  go  above  half 
the  height  of  the  cavern. 

There  are  several  parts  of  the  Ear  in  which  the  discharge  of  a  pistol 
makes  a  prodigious  report,  heightened  by  the  echoes  and  reverberations  of 
the  cavern.  One  of  the  company  had  a  fowling-piece  which  he  discharged, 
and  it  made  a  noise  almost  equal  to  a  discharge  of  artillery,  though  not 
so  sharp  a  report.  A  pistol  also  produced  a  report  similar  to  a  volley  of 
musketry.  The  best  place  to  stand  to  hear  the  echoes  to  advantage  is  in 
the  mouth  of  the  cavern.  A  piece  of  paper  torn  in  this  place  makes  an 
echo  as  if  some  person  had  struck  the  wall  violently  with  a  stick  in  the 
back  of  the  cave. 

This  singidar  cavern  is  called  the  Ear  of  Dionysius,  from  the  purpose 
for  which  it  is  said  to  have  been  destined  by  that  tyrant.  Conscious  of 
the  disaffection  of  his  subjects,  and  the  hatred  and  enmity  his  tyrannical 
government  had  produced,  he  became  suspicious  and  distrustful  even  of 
his  courtiers  that  surrounded  him.  He  is  said  to  have  had  this  cavern 
made  for  the  confinement  of  those  persons  of  whom  he  had  the  strongest 
suspicions.  It  was  so  constructed  that  anything  said  in  it,  in  ever  so  low 
a  murmur,  would  be  conveyed  to  a  small  aperture  that  opened  into  a  little 
chamber  where  he  used  to  station  himself  and  listen.  This  chamber  is 
still  shown.  It  is  on  the  outside  of  the  Ear  just  above  the  entrance,  and 
communicates  with  the  interior.  Some  of  the  officers  of  our  navy  have 
been  in  it  last  summer  ;  they  were  lowered  down  to  it  by  ropes,  and  men- 


94  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

tion  that  sounds  are  conveyed  to  it  from  the  cavern  with  amazing  dis- 
tinctness. I  wished  very  much  [continues  the  journal]  to  get  to  it,  and 
the  man  who  attended  us  brought  me  a  cord  for  the  purpose,  but  my  com- 
panions protested  they  would  not  assist  in  lowering  me  down,  and  finally 
persuaded  me  that  it  was  too  hazardous,  as  the  cord  was  small  and  might 
be  chafed  through  in  rubbing  against  the  rock,  in  which  case  I  would  run 
a  risk  of  being  dashed  to  pieces.  I  therefore  abandoned  the  project  for 
the  present.     [He  resumed  it,  however,  in  two  days.] 

6th. — This  morning  [says  the  journal],  Lieuts.  Murray  and  Gardner,  and 
Capt.  Hall,  of  the  ship  President,  Capt.  Dent  of  the  Nautilus,  and  myself, 
set  off  to  pay  another  visit  to  the  Ear  of  Dionysius.  We  despatched  be- 
forehand a  midshipman  and  four  sailors  with  a  spar  and  a  couple  of  hal- 
yards. On  arriving  there,  we  went  to  the  top  of  the  precipice  immediately 
over  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  Here  we  fastened  ourselves  to  one  of  the  hal- 
yards, and  were  lowered  successively  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice  (having 
previously  disposed  the  spar  along  the  edge  of  the  rock  so  as  to  keep  the 
halyard  from  chafing)  into  a  small  hole  over  the  entrance  of  the  Ear,  and 
about  fifteen  feet  from  the  summit  of  the  precipice.  The  persons  lowered 
were  Murray,  Hall,  the  midshipman  and  myself,  the  others  swearing  they 
would  not  risk  their  necks  to  gratify  their  curiosity. 

The  cavern  narrows  as  it  approaches  the  top,  until  it  ends  in  a  narrow 
channel  that  runs  the  whole  extent,  and  terminates  in  this  small  cham- 
ber. A  passage  from  this  hole  or  chamber  appears  to  have  been  com- 
menced to  be  cut  to  run  into  the  interior  of  the  rock,  but  was  never  car- 
ried more  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet.  We  then  began  to  make  experiments 
to  prove  if  sound  was  communicated  from  below  to  this  spot  in  any  ex- 
traordinary degree.  Gardner  fired  a  pistol  repeatedly,  but  it  did  not  ap- 
pear to  make  a  greater  noise  than  when  we  were  below  in  the  mouth  of 
the  cavern.  We  then  tried  the  conveyance  of  voices  ;  in  this  we  were 
more  successful.  One  of  the  company  stationed  himself  at  the  interior 
extremity  of  the  Ear,  and  applying  his  mouth  close  to  the  wall,  spoke  to 
me  just  above  a  whisper.  I  was  then  stationed  with  my  ear  to  the  wall 
in  the  little  chamber  on  high,  and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  dis- 
tant, and  could  hear  him  very  distinctly.    We  conversed  with  one  another 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  95 

in  this  manner  for  some  time.  We  then  moved  to  other  parts  of  the  cav- 
ern, and  I  could  hear  him  with  equal  facility,  his  voice  seeming  to  be 
just  behind  me.  When,  however,  he  applied  his  mouth  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  cave,  it  was  by  no  means  so  distinct.  This  is  easily  accounted 
for,  as  one  side  of  the  channel  is  broken  away  at  the  mouth  of  the  cavern, 
which  injures  the  conveyance  of  the  sound.  After  all,  I  doubt  very  much 
whether  the  cave  was  ever  intended  for  the  purposes  ascribed  to  it.  The 
fact  is,  that  when  more  than  one  person  speaks  at  a  time,  it  creates  such 
a  confusion  of  sound  between  their  voices  and  the  echoes,  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  distinguish  what  they  say.  This  we  tried  repeatedly,  and 
found  to  be  invariably  the  case. 

But  the  antiquities  of  Syracuse  did  not  engage  the  ex- 
clusive attention  of  the  traveller.  He  found  a  romantic 
interest  in  visiting  the  convents,  and  endeavoring  to  get 
a  "  sly  peep  "  at  the  nuns.  The  following  extract  from 
his  journal  shows  him  seeking  amusement  in  another 
scene. 

10th. — In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  masquerade  at  the  theatre. 

I  had  dressed  myself  in  the  character  of  an  old  physician,  which  was 
the  only  dress  I  could  procure,  and  had  a  vast  deal  of  amusement  among 
the  officers.  I  spoke  to  them  in  broken  English,  mingling  Italian  and 
French  with  it,  so  that  they  thought  I  was  a  Sicilian.  As  I  knew  many 
anecdotes  of  almost  all  of  them,  I  teazed  them  the  whole  evening,  till  at 
length  one  of  them  discovered  me  by  my  voice,  which  I  happened  not  to 
disguise  at  the  moment. 

In  the  further  prosecution  of  his  tour  in  Sicily,  Mr. 
Irving  found  it  impossible  to  continue  the  accustomed 
minuteness  of  his  journal.  His  correspondence  also  was 
suspended.     He  was  so  constantly  in  motion,  and  objects 


96  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

presented  themselves  so  rapidly  and  in  such  variety  that 
he  had  scarcely  a  moment  to  write,  and  was  obliged  to 
content  himself  with  a  few  hurried  notes  in  pencil,  and 
to  forego  altogether  his  usual  mode  of  scribbling  a  little 
every  day  or  two  to  his  brother  William,  treating  of  ob- 
jects and  incidents  as  they  occurred.  In  a  letter  to  the 
latter,  dated  at  Rome,  he  attempts  a  brief  retrospect  of 
his  tour,  from  which  I  make  an  extract. 


I  remained  at  Syracuse  [he  writes]  about  nine  days,  delighted  with 
finding  myself  surrounded  with  fellow-countrymen.  Among  the  officers 
of  the  ships,  I  found  several  of  the  finest  young  fellows  I  ever  knew, 
"  open,  and  generous,  and  bountiful,  and  brave."  Every  ship  was  to  me 
a  home,  and  every  officer  a  friend.  Having  satisfied  myself  with  respect 
In  1  he  melancholy  monuments  of  ancient  greatness  that  remain  around 
Syracuse,  I  left  there  with  extreme  regret  on  the  11th  February,  in  com- 
pany with  Captain  Hall,  captain  of  marines  on  board  of  the  President,  a 
young  fellow  of  Charleston,  of  great  vivacity  and  spirit;  Wynn  and  Wads- 
worth,  of  Connecticut,  pursers  of  the  Congress  and  President,  both  excel- 
lent companions,  particularly  Wynn,  who  is  a  fellow  of  great  whim  and 
humor.  Our  destination  was  Catania,  and  we  made  a  very  respectable 
dcade.  Hall,  myself,  and  a  servant  we  had  with  us,  were  mounted 
.•a  mules.  Wynn  and  Wadsworth  were  seated  in  a  lettiga,  a  kind  of 
a  chair  that  accommodates  two  persons  who  sit  facing  each  other  ; 
it  is  slung  on  two  polos,  that  are  borne  by  two  mules,  one  before  and 
one  behind.  We  had,  besides,  a  numerous  retinue  of  guides  and  mule- 
'i'liis  is  the  only  mode  of  travelling  in  this  country,  for  the  roads 
are  mere  footpaths  that  wind  among  rocks  and  along  precipices,  where 
it  would  be  impossible  for  carriages  to  pass.  We  were  well  armed  with 
pistols,  swords,  and  dirks,  to  guard  against  the  attacks  of  banditti,  of 
which  the  island  is  said  to  be  full. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  97 

About  two  o'clock  of  the  second  day  they  arrived  at 
Catania.     The  letter  proceeds  : — 

Our  stay  in  Catania  was  rendered  extremely  agreeable  by  the  attentions 
of  the  Chevalier  Landolini,  a  knight  of  Malta,  to  whom  we  had  brought 
letters.  He  introduced  us  to  several  of  the  nobility,  by  whom  we  were 
received  with  great  politeness  and  attention,  and  invited  to  all  the 
parties  that  took  place  during  our  stay.  The  situation  of  Catania  is  very 
beautiful ;  behind  it  the  mountain  rears  its  awful  head,  vomiting  smoke, 
and  often  enveloped  in  clouds  ;  in  front  is  the  ocean  forming  a  vast  bay, 
and  to  the  right  is  the  extensive  plain  of  Catania  with  the  river  Giuretta 
wandering  through  it.  We  ascended  about  half  way  up  the  mountain, 
but  were  prevented  from  attaining  the  summit  by  the  vast  quantity  of 
snow  in  which  it  was  enveloped.  No  guide  would  venture  up  it,  and  the 
attempt  we  were  told  would  be  hazardous  in  the  extreme,  and  certainly 
fruitless.  We  mounted  to  the  top  of  several  of  the  small  mountains 
thrown  up  on  the  sides  of  the  great  one  by  different  eruptions,  particu- 
larly Monte  Rosso  (red  mountain),  from  which  issued  the  last  stream  of 
lava  that  destroyed  Catania.  The  view  from  hence  was  superb,  and 
almost  unbounded,  and  we  could  trace  the  enormous  flood  of  lava  till  it 
lost  itself  in  the  sea,  about  ten  miles  distant. 

.  .  .  .  At  Catania  our  company  divided.  Wynn  and  Wadsworth, 
returned  to  Syracuse,  and  Captain  Hall  and  myself  set  out  to  cross  the 
island  to  Palermo.  We  were  mounted  as  before  on  mules,  armed  our- 
selves well  with  pistols  and  swords,  and  had  a  servant  with  us,  a  coura- 
geous fellow,  with  at  least  half  a  dozen  pistols  stuck  in  his  pockets  and 
girdle. 

I  give  a  few  reminiscences  of  this  part  of  his  tour, 
gathered  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Irving. 

The  evening  after  their  departure  from  Catania,  for 
lack  of  better  accommodations,  they  were  forced  to  ac- 
cept an  offer  to  sleep  in  a  chapel,  much  to  the  discomfort 
vol.  i.— 7 


98  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

of  their  servant  Louis,  who,  though  willing  to  submit  to 
any  privation,  professed  that  he  did  not  quite  fancy  "  le 
bon  Dieu  "  for  "  a  Maitre  d'Hotel."     The  next  dav,  at 
dusk,  they  reached  the  village  of  Guadarara,  consisting- 
of  a  few  wretched  cabins.     The  muleteer  stopped  at  a 
solitary  house,  where  he  told  them  they  must  pass  the 
night.     It  was  the  only  inn  in  the  place,  but  the  landlord 
was  absent,  and  it  was  without  master  or  mistress,  or  at- 
tendant of  any  kind.     They  did  not  at  all  like  the  looks 
of  the  house  or  the  place  ;  everything  had  an  appearance 
the  most  deplorable  and  forlorn.     Their  sleeping  room 
was   a   long   dismal-looking  apartment,  to   the   door  of 
which  the  ascent  was  by  outside  stairs,  and  underneath 
it  was  a  shed  for  horses.     It  was  almost  bare  of  furni- 
ture.    In  one  part  were  a  few  chairs,  and  in  the  corner 
furthest  from  the  door  was  a  large  mattress  which  a  man 
from  the  village  had  brought  for  the  night,  and  spreading 
a  blanket  over  it,  had  left.     They  purchased  some  fowls 
from  the  village,  which  Louis  cooked  for  supper ;  and 
after  a  tolerably  comfortable  meal  they  fastened  the  door 
as  securely  as  possible,  and  prepared  to  retire  for  the 
night.     There  was  a  small  room  near  the  door  in  which 
the  servant  slept.     Hall  chose  the  mattress  in  the  further 
corner  of  the  room,  nothing  daunted  by  the  swarming 
fleas  which  had  driven  his  companion  from  it  on  turning 
down  the  blanket ;  while  the  latter  spread   a  mattress 
brought  with  them  on  some  chairs  near  the  door,  and 
wrapped  in  his  great-coat,  and  with  his  pistols  and  port- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING. 


'.'!< 


manteau  under  his  head,  prepared  to  resign  himself  to 
sleep.  He  was  far,  however,  from  feeling  at  ease  in  his 
forlorn  lodgings;  the  wild  and  solitary  situation  of  the 
house,  the  abject  poverty  of  the  inhabitants,  combined 
with  the  constant  rumors  of  robbers,  were  enough  to  pro- 
duce disagreeable  sensations.  In  spite,  however,  of  his 
uneasy  reflections,  he  soon  fell  asleep.  It  was  not  lono-  be- 
fore he  was  awakened  by  Louis  calling  in  Italian,  "  "Who's 
there  ?  "  Mr.  Irving  asked  him  what  was  the  matter, 
and  he  answered  that  he  heard  some  one  at  the  door. 
The  latter  laid  his  hand  on  his  pistol,  prepared  to  fire  if 
the  door  opened.  He  heard  nothing,  however,  and  tell- 
ing Louis  his  imagination  had  been  playing  him  a  trick, 
soon  fell  asleep  again.  Again,  however,  was  he  roused 
by  the  sudden,  sharp  cry  of  Louis,  "  Who's  there  ?  "  and 
on  listening,  he  now  heard  with  painful  distinctness  a 
sound  as  of  some  one  slyly  attempting  the  door.  Louis 
could  endure  the  suspense  no  longer,  but  resolved  to  con- 
front the  danger  at  once,  and  in  a  few  brief  words  whis- 
pered his  determination  to  get  to  the  door,  and  throw  it 
suddenly  open,  hoping  the  surprise  might  frighten  the 
intruders,  or  thinking  that  at  all  events  they  could  be 
better  kept  at  bay  on  the  stairs,  where  one  could  be  en- 
countered at  a  time.  Mr.  Irving  assented  to  the  plan, 
and  grasping  a  pistol  firmly  in  each  hand,  stood  ready  for 
the  fray.  Louis  seized  his  dirk,  and  groping  his  way 
with  a  light  tread  to  the  door,  threw  it  suddenly  open, 
and  in  bolted— a  half-starved  and  inoffensive  dog.     The 


100  LIFE  AND   LETTERS 

denouement  was  prosaic  enough.  The  poor  animal  had 
been  attracted  by  the  smell  of  some  bones  which  had 
fallen  from  the  supper-table  just  inside  of  the  door,  and 
w.us  trying  in  vain  to  reach  them  with  his  paws  under  the 
crevice.  The  feeling  of  relief  which  followed  this  discov- 
ery may  readily  be  imagined.  Mr.  Irving  had  a  hearty 
laugh  at  the  adventure,  and  soon  fell  again  into  a  sound 
sleep,  from  which  he  awoke  the  next  morning,  as  he  said 
to  me,  "  perfectly  satisfied  to  be  neither  robbed  nor  mur- 
dered." 

Two  days  more  brought  them  again  to  the  sea-side,  and 
they  pursued  the  road  along  the  coast  to  Termini,  a  town 
of  some  three  thousand  inhabitants,  delightfully  situated 
on  the  side  of  a  hill,  and  commanding  from  its  higher 
parts  a  fine  view  o*f  the  Mediterranean  and  of  the  Sicilian 
coasts.  Here  they  arrived  after  dark.  Irving  was  much 
fatigued,  and  on  reaching  the  inn,  threw  himself  on  a  bed 
in  a  corner  of  the  large  room  into  which  they  were  shown, 
and  fell  asleep.  He  was  roused  from  his  slumber  by  the 
sound  of  voices  in  conversation  at  the  other  end  of  the 
apartment,  and  listening,  perceived  the  language  was  Eng- 
lish. Hall,  observing  that  he  was  awake,  immediately 
turned  to  him,  and  told  him  there  was  to  be  a  ball  that 
evening,  it  being  the  season  of  the  carnival,  and  that  the 
gentleman  with  whom  he  was  conversing,  and  who  was  in 
mask  of  a  Turk,  had  promised  them  admittance  ;  and  be- 
ing ever  ready  for  a  frolic,  he  proposed  that  they  should 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  lOl 

go.     His  fellow-traveller  made  some  demur  oa  the  score 
of  fatigue,  and  the  trouble  of  unpacking  his  trunk  to 
dress,  but  finally  consented  to  appear  in  one  of  Hall's 
uniform  coats,   as  a  Captain  of  Marines.     The  stranger 
then  took  leave,  promising  to  return  after  supper  and 
conduct  them  to  the  place.     At  the  appointed  hour  he 
came,  dressed  as  a  Turk,  and  masked  as  before,  and  the 
two  set  out  with  him,  supposing  they  were  going  to  a 
public  entertainment.     They  were  somewhat  staggered, 
however,  when  they  found  themselves  ascending  the  stairs 
of  a  stately  mansion,  through  rows  of  servants  in  livery, 
and  a  brilliant  array  of  lights,  and  the  feeling  was  not 
dissipated  when  they  were  ushered  into  a  spacious  sa- 
loon adorned  with  taste  and  magnificence  ;  and  casting  a 
startled  glance"  upon  the  numerous  company,  they  saw  in 
their  conductor  the  only  mask  in  the  room.     Before  they 
had  recovered  from  their  surprise,  the  Turk  marshaled 
them  to  the  part  of  the  saloon  where  stood  the  master  of 
the  entertainment  and  his  daughters,  in  waiting  to  receive 
their  guests.     Pointing  to  his  companions  as  they  drew 
near,  then  crossing  his  arms  and  making  a  low  salaam, 
without  a  word  of  explanation  or  introduction,  he  stood 
as  mute  as  a  statue.     It  was  an  awkward  situation  for  the 
two  guests,  and  the  idea  flashed  across  their  minds  that 
they  had  been  decoyed  into  what  could  not  but  seem  a 
graceless  intrusion  upon  the  hospitality  of  a  stranger. 
With  much  confusion,  therefore,  and  in  the  best  Italian 
he  could  muster,  Mr.  Irving  announced  their  names,  and 


102  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

attempted  an  explanation  of  the  apparent  indecorum,  by 
stating  their  impression  that  they  were  coming  to  a  pub- 
lic entertainment.  Their  host  replied  very  graciously, 
that  they  were  at  the  house  of  the  Baron  Palmeria,  and 
asked  the  name  of  their  conductor.  Here  was  a  new  em- 
barrassment, for  they  could  not  give  it.  "  Whoever  he 
is,"  he  rejoined,  "  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  introducing 
to  my  house  gentlemen  whose  uniform  is  a  sufficient 
passport  anywhere."  Upon  this  the  Turk  whispered  a 
rapid  explanation  of  his  interview  with  the  strangers, 
and  the  Baron,  turning  to  them  with  a  smile,  informed 
them  that  their  unknown  conductor  was  a  teacher  in  his 
family,  who  was  engaged  in  instructing  his  daughters  in 
English.  Confiding  in  the  general  popularity  of  strangers 
in  Sicily,  and  the  special  attraction  to  his  pupils  of  two 
who  could  converse  with  them  in  the  language  they  were 
acquiring,  it  turned  out  that  he  had  assumed  the  responsi- 
bility of  contriving  what  he  had  little  doubt  would  prove 
to  both  parties  an  agreeable  surprise.  Renewing  his 
welcome  with  genuine  hospitality,  the  Baron  now  com- 
menced a  conversation  with  the  spurious  captain,  in  the 
midst  of  which  the  folding-doors  were  suddenly  thrown 
open,  and  a  corps  de  ballet  made  its  appearance  to  com- 
mence the  ball.  After  this  the  rest  of  the  company  pre- 
pared to  join  in  the  dance ;  the  two  strangers,  on  being 
urged,  excused  themselves  on  the  plea  of  ignorance  of  the 
figures.  Perceiving,  however,  the  dance  to  be  a  country 
dance  with  which  they  were  familiar,  they  were  induced 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  [03 

to  change  their  minds,  and  Mr.  Irving  having  been  intro- 
duced to  a  daughter  of  the  Baron,  and  his  companion  to 
one  of  the  belles  of  the  place,  they  soon  entered  with  zest 
into  the  spirit  of  the  scene.  Other  dances  followed  in 
which  they  took  part,  and  before  they  had  finished  the 
evening,  their  spirits  had  risen  to  so  high  a  point,  and 
they  abandoned  themselves  with  so  little  constraint  to  the 
animation  of  the  scene,  that  they  heard  a  Sicilian  whis- 
per, as  they  raced  by  him  in  the  dance,  Son  diavoli ! 

"When  the  assembly  broke  up,  the  master  of  the  house 
expressed  great  regret  at  parting  with  them,  and  pressed 
them  to  remain  some  days  at  Termini,  tendering  them 
the  hospitality  of  his  own  mansion,  and  offering  to  send 
for  an  American  in  Palermo  to  keep  them  company. 
This  was  Mr.  Nathaniel  Amory,  of  Boston,  whose  brother 
was  an  officer  in  the  fleet,  and  to  whom  the  author  had 
a  letter  of  introduction.  The  invitation,  however,  was 
declined.  The  Baron  then  despatched  a  servant  with 
them,  with  torches  to  light  them  to  their  lodgings,  and 
bade  them  farewell. 

There  was  a  strangeness  and  a  spice  of  romance  about 
this  adventure  that  gave  it  a  wonderful  zest  to  the  young 
traveller,  and  separated  it  in  his  after  recollections  from 
all  his  commonplace  experiences.  Twenty  years  later 
he  records  in  his  note-book  a  meeting  with  a  cousin  of  his 
"  chance  acquaintance,  the  Baron  Palmeria." 


CHAPTER  YIIL 

PALERMO. — PASSAGE  TO  NAPLES. — ASCENT  OF  VESUVIUS. — FAREWELL  TO  NA- 
PLES.— ROME. — ALLSTON  THE  PAINTER.  —  PROPOSES  TO  IRVING  TO  TRY  THE 
BRUSH. — SUSPENSE  OF  THE  LATTER. — TORLONIA  THE  BANKER. — HIS  FLAT- 
TERING ATTENTIONS. — ITS  LUDICROUS  SOLUTION. — BARON  VON  HUMBOLDT. 
— MADAME  DE   STAEL. 

COPY  from  a  letter  to  his  brother  William, 
elated  Pome,  April  4,  1805. 

We  arrived  at  Palermo  about  the  24th  of  February,  and 
passed  several  days  there  very  agreeably.  We  had  brought  letters  to 
Mr.  Gibbs,  American  agent  there,  and  to  the  Princess  Camporeale  from 
her  sister  at  Catania.  We,  therefore,  soon  found  acquaintance  among  the 
nobility ;  and  as  it  was  the  latter  part  of  carnival,  the  gayest  season  of 
the  year,  our  time  was  completely  occupied  by  amusements.  A«  the  time 
for  my  departure  from  Palermo  approached,  I  began  to  feel  extremely 
uneasy.  The  packet  that  sails  constantly  between  that  city  and  Naples, 
and  is  always  well  armed,  was  unfortunately  undergoing  repairs  at  Na- 
ples. No  alternative  offered  than  to  venture  across  in  one  of  the  small 
vessels  that  carry  fruit  to  the  continent.  Reports  were  in  circulation  of 
two  or  three  Tripolitan  cruisers  hovering  about  the  Italian  coast,  and  that 
they  had  taken  two  American  ships  ;  besides  these  the  Sicilian  vessels  are 
subject  to  capture  from  the  cruisers  of  every  Barbary  power. 

He  determines  to  risk  the  fruit  boat,  which  started 
after  dark,  as  was  usual,  to  escape  any  lurking  cruiser 

104 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  105 

near  the  land,  and  in  the  morning  was  almost  out  of  s: 
of  Sicily,  when  the  wind  turned  ahead,  and  the  captain, 
without  more  ado,  put  back  to  a  small  bay,  about  h  d 
miles  from  Palermo,  where  he  remained  two  days  waiting 
for  a  favorable  wind. 

All  that  time  (the  letter  continues)  I  passed  on  shore  in  a  w 
hovel,  where  I  had  scarce  anything  to  eat,  and  where  I  had  to  sleep  in 
my  clothes  and  great-coat  at  night,  for  want  of  other  covering.  After 
these  two  days  of  suffering,  we  made  out  to  get  to  Palermo.  There  I 
passed  another  day  of  uneasiness  of  mind  till  a  favorable  wind  sprung  ap. 
We  hoisted  sail  and  weighed  anchor  at  night ;  the  next  morning  we  wero 
out  of  sight  of  Sicily,  had  a  fine  run  all  day,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
next  night  entered  the  bay  of  Naples,  where,  to  my  great  comfort,  I 
the  flaming  summit  of  Vesuvius,  which  was  a  joyful  token  that  we  wero 
out  of  danger.  I  have  been  several  times  congratulated  on  my  good  for- 
tune, for  three  or  four  days  after  two  Neapolitan  vessels  were  taken  by 
Barbary  cruisers,  as  they  were  crossing  from  Sicily.  [His  travelling  notes 
give  a  little  more  minuteness  to  the  picture.]  I  had  lain  down  (he 
on  deck  and  fallen  asleep,  and  on  waking  after  dark,  the  first  thing  that 
struck  my  eyes  was  Mount  Vesuvius  afar  off  making  a  most  luminous  ap- 
pearance. It  has  been  in  a  state  of  eruption  for  several  months.  I  could 
plainly  perceive  the  red-hot  lava  running  out  of  one  side  of  the  crater, 
and  flashes  at  intervals  from  its  mouth.  I  was  up  the  greater  part  of  the 
night,  contemplating  this  interesting  object. 

March  7.— This  morning  early  I  arose,  and  found  that  we  were  within 
the  Bay  of  Naples.  Mount  Vesuvius  still  continued  luminous  ;  by  de- 
grees the  day  broke  ;  the  objects  were  gradually  lighted  up.  I  remained 
earnestly  gazing  around,  endeavoring  to  trace  places  that  I  had  often 
read  descriptions  of.  At  length  the  heavens  were  brilliantly  illuminate  1. 
The  sun  appeared  diffusing  the  richest  rays  among  the  clouds,  and  gild- 
ing every  feature  of  the  prospect.     Then  it  was  that  I  had  a  full  vi< 


106  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

this  lovely  bay:  the  classic  retreats  of  Baise,  Pozzuoli,  the  superb  city  oi 
Naples,  the  delightful  towns  of  Portici,  etc.,  that  skirt  the  Mount  Vesu- 
vius ;  the  mountain  itself  emitting  an  immense  column  of  smoke,  with 
the  coast  that  terminates  the  bay  beyond  the  mountain,  affording  the  most 
picturesque  scenery.  The  view  of  Naples  from  the  sea  is  truly  magnifi- 
cent and  imposing. 

His  stay  at  Naples  was  rendered  particularly  agree- 
able by  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Joseph  C.  Cabell  and 
Colonel  John  Mercer,  "two  gentlemen  of  Virginia,  of 
superior  talents  and  information."  The  latter  was  one 
of  the  Commissioners  of  Claims  sent  out  to  France. 
"  We  examined  all  the  curiosities  of  the  place  together," 
he  writes,  "and  mounted  Vesuvius  at  night,  when  we 
had  a  tremendous  view  of  the  crater,  a  stream  of  red-hot 
lava,  etc.  "We  approached  near  enough  to  the  latter  to 
thrust  our  sticks  into  it." 

The  journal  gives  a  full  account  of  this  night  ascent, 
but  I  will  not  fatigue  the  reader  with  the  description  of 
a  scene  so  familiar.  I  give  only  this  little  item  of  per- 
sonal experience  : — 

"We  were  toiling  up  the  crater,  nearly  in  a  parallel  line  with  this  object 
[a  hillock  in  the  lava,  out  of  which  sulphurous  flames  issued  with  a  vio- 
lent hissing  noise],  when  the  wind  set  directly  from  it  and  overwhelmed 
us  with  dense  torrents  of  the  most  noxious  smoke.  I  endeavored  to  hold 
my  breath  as  long  as  possible,  in  hopes  another  flaw  of  wind  would  carry 
it  off,  but  at  length  I  was  obliged  to  draw  it  in,  and  inhale  a  draught  of 
the  poisonous  vapor  that  almost  overcame  me.  Fortunately  for  us  the 
wind  shifted,  or  I  sincerely  believe  that  in  a  little  time  we  should  have 
shared  the  fate  of  Pliny,  and  died  the  martyrs  of  imprudent  curiosity. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IBVINQ. 

Col.  Mercer,  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  smoke  coming,  turned  about  and  r      i 
a  precipitate  retreat,  and  did  not  make  a  second  attempt  to  ascend 
crater.     As  to  Cabell  and  myself,  we  were  so  exhausted  and  bewild 
that  we  could  not  stir  from  the  spot,  but  should  have  fail 
sacrifice. 

On  the  24th  of  March,  Irving  and  Cabell  bade  adieu 
to  Naples.  Colonel  Mercer  had  sailed  a  few  days  before 
for  Marseilles.  "I  have  been  in  no  city,"  says  the  jour- 
nal, "  where  the  population  is  so  crowded  and  the  bustle 
so  great  as  at  Naples,  and  I  shall  be  heartily  glad  to 
bid  it  adieu,  and  repose  myself  in  the  silent  retreats  <>f 
Rome."  If  all  was  hurry  and  bustle  at  Naples,  he  had 
ample  time  for  reverie  and  reflection  on  the  road.  "  There 
is  no  country,"  he  writes,  "where  the  prospects  so  min-h 
interest  my  mind,  and  awaken  such  a  variety  of  ideas  as 
in  Italy.  Every  mountain,  every  valley,  every  plain,  tells 
some  striking  story I  am  lost  in  astonish- 
ment at  the  magnificence  of  their  works,  at  their  sublime 
ideas  of  architecture,  and  their  enormous  public  under- 
takings." At  half-past  one  o'clock  on  the  27th  they 
entered  Eome  by  the  Lateran  gate,  "  and  we  made  our 
way,"  says  the  journal, 

"  '  'Mid  fanes,  and  wrecks,  and  tumbling  towers,' 

to  our  hotel,  which  is  situated  in  the  modern  part.  To  describe  the  emo- 
tions of  the  mind  and  the  crowd  of  ideas  that  arise  on  entering  this  '  mis- 
tress of  the  world,'  is  impossible  ;  all  is  confusion  and  agitation.  The 
eye  roves  rapidly  from  side  to  side,  eager  to  grasp  every  object,  but  con 


108  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

tinually  diverted  by  some  new  scene  ;  all  is  wonder,  restlessness,  unsatis- 
fied curiosity,  eagerness,  and  impatience. 

"  On  arriving  at  the  hotel  we  determined  to  rest  ourselves  for  the  day, 
collect  our  scattered  ideas,  and  prepare  to  examine  things  deliberately 
and  satisfactorily.  We  heard  that  there  were  three  American  gentlemen 
at  Home  on  their  travels,  namely,  Mr.  Allston  of  Carolina,  Mr.  Wells  of 
Boston,  and  Mr.  Maxwell.  As  Mr.  Cabell  was  acquainted  with  two  of 
them  we  called  on  them.  Mr.  Allston  only  was  at  home.  He  is  a  young 
gentleman  of  much  taste  and  a  good  education.  He  has  adopted  the  pro- 
fession of  painter  through  inclination,  and  intends  to  remain  in  Rome 
two  years  to  improve  himself  in  the  art." 

Such  is  the  brief  allusion  to  his  first  meeting  with 
our  distinguished  painter,  "Washington  Allston,  then  un- 
known to  fame.  Allston  was  about  three  years  his  se- 
nior. In  a  few  evenings  he  returned  the  call,  and  his 
society  is  pronounced  to  be  "peculiarly  agreeable."  In 
moro  mature  years  he  writes :  "I  do  not  think  I  have 
ever  been  more  completely  captivated  on  a  first  acquaint- 
ance. He  was  of  a  light  and  graceful  form,  with  large 
blue  eyes  and  black  silken  hair,  waving  and  curling 
round  a  pale,  expressive  countenance.  Everything  about 
him  bespoke  the  man  of  intellect  and  refinement.  His 
conversation  was  copious,  animated,  and  highly  graphic, 
warmed  by  a  genial  sensibility  and  benevolence,  and  en- 
livened by  a  chaste  and  gentle  humor." 

The  third  of  April  (Irving's  birthday)  was  spent  by 
him  and  Allston  in  visiting  a  variety  of  paintings.  "  We 
visited  together,"  savs  the  former,  in  a  communication 
to   Duyckinck's  "Cyclopedia   of  American  Literature," 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  100 

"some  of  the  finest  collections  of  paintings,  and  ho  taught 
me  how  to  visit  them  to  the  most  advantage,  guiding  me 
always  to  the  masterpieces,  and  passing  by  the  others 
without  notice.  '  Never  attempt  to  enjoy  every  picture 
in  a  great  collection,'  he  would  say,  '  unless  you  have  a 
year  to  bestow  upon  it.  You  may  as  well  attempt  to  en- 
joy every  dish  in  a  lord  mayor's  feast.  Both  mind  and 
palate  get  confounded  by  a  great  variety  and  rapid  suc- 
cession even  of  delicacies.  The  mind  can  only  take  in  a 
certain  number  of  images  and  impressions  distinctly :  by 
multiplying  the  number  you  weaken  each  and  render  the 
whole  confused  and  vague.  Study  the  choice  pieces  in 
each  collection ;  look  upon  none  else,  and  you  will  after- 
wards find  them  hanging  up  in  your  memory.' ' 

I  give  a  further  extract  from  the  communication  here 
quoted,  which  brings  the  author  before  us  seriously  re- 
volving a  project  of  remainiDg  at  Home  and  becoming  a 
painter. 

We  had  delightful  rambles  together  about  Rome  and  its  environs,  one 
of  which  came  near  changing  my  whole  course  of  life.  We  had  been 
visiting  a  stately  villa,  with  its  gallery  of  paintings,  its  marble  halls,  its 
terraced  gardens  set  out  with  statues  and  fountains,  and  were  returning 
to  Rome  about  sunset.  The  blandness  of  the  air,  the  serenity  of  the  sky, 
the  transparent  purity  of  the  atmosphere,  and  that  nameless  charm  which 
hangs  about  an  Italian  landscape,  had  derived  additional  effect  from  be- 
ing enjoyed  in  company  with  Allston,  and  pointed  out  by  him  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  an  artist.  As  I  listened  to  him,  and  gazed  upon  the  land- 
scape, I  drew  in  my  mind  a  contrast  between  our  different  pursuits  and 
prospects.     He  was  to  reside  among  these  delightful  scenes,  surrounded 


HO  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

by  masterpieces  of  art,  by  classic  and  historic  monuments,  by  men  of 
congenial  minds  and  tastes,  engaged  like  him  in  the  constant  study  of 
the  sublime  and  beautiful.  I  was  to  return  home  to  the  diy  study  of  tho 
law,  for  which  I  had  no  relish,  and,  as  I  feared,  little  talent. 

Suddenly  the  thought  presented  itself, — "Why  might  I  not  remain 
here,  and  turn  painter  ?  "  I  had  taken  lessons  in  drawing  before  leaving 
America,  and  had  been  thought  to  have  some  aptness,  as  I  certainly  had 
a  strong  inclination  for  it.  I  mentioned  the  idea  to  Allston,  and  he 
caught  at  it  with  eagerness.  Nothing  could  be  more  feasible.  We  would 
take  an  apartment  together.  lie  would  give  me  all  the  instruction  and 
assistance  in  his  power,  and  was  sure  I  would  succeed. 

For  two  or  three  days  the  idea  took  full  possession  of  my  mind,  but  1 
believe  it  owed  its  main  force  to  the  lovely  evening  ramble  in  which  I  first 
conceived  it,  and  to  the  romantic  friendship  I  had  formed  with  Allston. 
Whenever  it  recurred  to  mind,  it  was  always  connected  with  beautiful 
Italian  scenery,  palaces  and  statues  and  fountains  and  terraced  gardens, 
and  Allston  as  the  companion  of  my  studio.  I  promised  myself  a  world 
of  enjoyment  in  his  society,  and  in  the  society  of  several  artists  with 
whom  he  had  made  me  acquainted,  and  pictured  forth  a  scheme  of  life 
all  tinted  with  the  rainbow  hues  of  youthful  promise. 

My  lot  in  life,  however,  was  differently  cast.  Doubts  and  fears  grad- 
ually clouded  over  my  prospect;  the  rainbow  tints  faded  away  ;  I  began 
to  apprehend  a  sterile  reality,  so  I  gave  up  the  transient  but  delightful 
prospect  of  remaining  in  Rome  with  Allston,  and  turning  painter. 

Whether  he  had  any  peculiar  gifts  for  such  a  vocation, 
I  am  unable  to  say ;  but  he  once  remarked  to  me  that  he 
thought  he  might  have  succeeded  in  landscape  painting, 
for  which  he  had  a  great  passion.  One  qualification  he 
certainly  possessed,  an  eye  for  color ;  and  no  painting 
could  long  please  him,  whatever  might  be  its  other  mer- 
its, if  its  tints  were  cold  and  raw.     "I  should  get  the 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  ^  1 1 

rheumatism,"  said  he  once  to  Leslie,  "  if  I  were  com 
to  live  in  a  room  surrounded  with  such  landscapes." 

Mr.  Irving  had  brought  a  letter  to  Torlonia,  the 
banker,  which  his  travelling  companion  advised  him  not 
to  deliver.  "It  will  procure  you  no  attention,"  said  he. 
"I  have  been  here  before  and  have  tried  it."  His  recep- 
tion, however,  was  very  flattering.  He  gave  him  a  gen- 
eral invitation  to  conversaziones,  that  were  held  twice  a 
week  at  his  house,  offered  to  introduce  him  to  a  conver- 
sazione of  nobility  on  the  following  night,  and  through 
his  stay  continued  to  treat  him  with  marked  politeness 
and  civility,  to  the  no  small  surprise  of  Cabell,  who  was 
at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  difference.  Irving  jocularly 
ascribed  it  to  the  superior  discrimination  of  Torlonia. 
The  joke  was  turned,  however,  when  he  came  to  make 
his  adieus,  and  Torlonia,  calling  him  aside,  said,  "  Dites 
moi,  Monsieur,  etes  vous  parent  de  General  Washing- 
ton ? "  [Tell  me,  sir,  are  you  a  kinsman  of  General 
"Washington?]  It  was  to  the  name  of  "Washington" 
and  the  supposed  relationship  it  indicated  to  him  that 
he  was  indebted  for  his  extra  attention. 

As  a  set-off  to  this,  I  may  mention  an  anecdote  of  a 
conversation  overheard  by  Carter,  author  of  "Letters 
from  Europe,"  and  by  him  communicated  to  an  intelli- 
gent female  friend,  who  told  it  to  me.  Not  long  after  Mr. 
Irving  had  attained  celebrity  in  Great  Britain  by  his 
writings,  an  English  lady  and  her  daughter  were  passing 
along  some  gallery  in  Italy  and  paused  before  a  bust  of 


112  LIFE  A?TD  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

Washington.  After  gazing  at  it  for  a  few  moments,  the 
daughter  turned  to  her  mother  with  the  question : 
"  Mother,  who  was  Washington  ? "  "  Why,  my  dear, 
don't  you  know  ?  "  was  the  rej)ly,  "  he  wrote  the  '  Sketch 
Book.' " 

The  journal  records  that  he  was  present  the  evening  of 
April  7th,  "  at  a  crowded  assembly  that  filled  four  rooms, 
consisting  of  the  first  nobility  of  Rome,  and  several  for- 
eigners of  distinction." 

In  this  converzasione  he  accompanied  the  Baron  de 
Humboldt,  Minister  of  Prussia  to  the  Court  of  Rome,  and 
brother  of  the  celebrated  traveller,  to  whom  he  had 
brought  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Naples.  On  a  pre- 
vious evening,  at  the  house  of  this  gentleman,  he  had  met 
Madame  de  Stael.  The  literary  reputation  of  this  gifted 
woman  had  not  yet  reached  the  height  to  which  it  was 
carried  by  the  publication  of  her  "  Corinne  "  (in  1807), 
and  "  .Delphine "  was  the  only  one  of  her  productions 
which  Mr.  Irving  had  then  read.  "  We  found  there," 
says  he,  in  recording  the  visit,  "  Madame  de  Stael,  the 
celebrated  authoress  of  '  Delphine.'  She  is  a  woman  of 
great  strength  of  mind  and  understanding,  by  all  ac- 
counts. We  were  in  company  with  her  but  a  few  min- 
utes." He  afterwards  dined  with  her  at  the  table  of  the 
minister,  and  would  seem,  by  what  he  once  stated  to  me, 
to  have  been  somewhat  astounded  at  the  amazing;  flow  of 
her  conversation,  and  the  question  upon  question  with 
which  she  plied  him. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


PROM  ROME  TO  PARIS.— M-ILAN. — INCREASING  FONDNESS  FOR  OPERA. — ARRIVAL 
IN  PARIS. — JOURNAL  RELINQUISHED. — VANDERLTN. — EXTRACT  OF  LETTER  TO 
PETER. — FROM  PARIS  TO  LONDON. — KEMBLE. — COOKE. — SIDDONS. — ANECDOTE 
OF  GEOFFREY  CRAYON  AND  MRS.  SIDDONS. — NELSON'S  VICTORY. — PAB8AGH 
HOME. 


FTER,  remaining  in  Rome  long  enough  to  wit- 
ness the  ceremonies  of  the  Holy  Week,  which 
were  rendered  less  imposing  than  usual  by  the 
absence  of  the  Pope,  the  young  traveller  proceeded  on 
his  journey,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Cabell. 

As  the  two  fellow-travellers  drew  near  to  Bologna, 
they  found  the  road  thronged  with  French  soldiers  on 
their  way  to  Castiglione,  to  form  a  camp  for  the  purpose 
of  celebrating  the  approaching  coronation  of  Bonaparte 
as  king  of  Lombardy.  "  Each  had  his  knapsack  on  his 
back,  his  gun  on  his  shoulder,  and  a  loaf  of  brown  bread 
slung  on  one  side,  and  was  trudging  along  through  mud 
and  mire,  with  all  the  cheerfulness  and  flow  of  spirits 
of  a  Frenchman." 

They  arrived  at  Bologna  about  sunset,  and  put  up  at 
the  Albergo  del  Pelegrino,  "  glad,"  says  the  journal,  "  to 
be  emancipated  from  the  miserable  carriage  in  which  we 
vol.  i.— 8  113 


114  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

had  been  jolted  along  for  nine  days  successively."  They 
lingered  a  few  days  in  Bologna,  and  then  s%t  out  for 
Milan,  after  some  difficulty  in  getting  their  passports 
signed,  orders  having  been  issued  enjoining  the  greatest 
strictness  in  respect  to  passports,  in  consequence  of  the 
approaching  coronation.  They  reached  Milan  by  way  of 
Modena,  Parma,  Piacenza,  and  Lodi.  Between  this  last 
place  and  Milan  the  country  was  very  much  infested 
with  robbers,  and  they  were  cautioned  against  travelling 
either  before  sunrise  or  after  dark.  They  had  sufficient 
proof  that  the  caution  was  well  founded,  in  the  number 
of  crosses  they  passed  nailed  to  trees,  to  mark  the  spot 
where  travellers  had  been  robbed  and  murdered.  "In 
one  place  five  crosses  were  nailed  on  one  tree,  in  another 
place  two."  The  road,  however,  was  rendered  perfectly 
safe  at  the  time  they  passed  by  the  number  of  peasants 
going  to  their  labor  in  the  fields. 

They  arrived  at  Milan  on  the  29th  of  April,  and  re- 
mained three  days,  but  they  were  so  fatigued  in  body, 
and  their  imaginations  were  so  sated  with  the  profusion 
of  masterpieces  they  had  seen,  that  they  could  not  pre- 
vail upon  themselves  to  visit  any  of  the  productions  of 
art  to  be  found  in  this  city.  It  was  a  sad  disappoint- 
ment to  them,  however,  not  to  be  admitted  to  a  sight 
of  the  inside  of  the  famous  cathedral,  which  was  being 
fitted  up  for  the  approaching  coronation,  and  none  but 
the  numerous  workmen  employed  upon  it  were  allowed 
to  enter. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  H.-, 

If  Mr.  Irving's  admiration  of  the  paintings  and  sculp- 
ture of  Italy  had  become  somewhat  sated,  his  fondm 
for  its  music  would  seem  to  have  grown  by  what  it  ft  I 
When  he  first  attended  one  of  its  operas,  he  had  been 
inclined  to  think  the  frantic  bravos  and  bravissimos  with 
which  the  Italians  gave  vent  to  their  feelings  "  a  ridicu- 
lous affectation.  I  allowed  the  Italians,"  he  says,  "  the 
hightest  musical  disposition,  but  thought  they  carried 
their  applause  beyond  their  real  approbation.  In  a  little 
while,  however,  by  frequenting  the  operas  and  accustom- 
ing myself  to  the  novelty  of  their  music,  I  began  to  find 
a  fondness  for  it  stealing  on  myself,  raid  I  now  hurry  to 
an  opera  with  as  much  eagerness  as  an  Italian."  This 
was  a  passion  which  knew  no  decline  ;  throughout  life 
he  was  devotedly  fond  of  this  entertainment. 

They  left  Milan  on  the  2d  of  May,  and  the  same  day 
arrived  at  the  little  village  of  Sesto,  where  they  procured 
a  bark  to  transport  them  across  the  Lago  Maggiore  to 
Magadino  at  the  other  end.  The  remainder  of  their  jour- 
ney, upon  which  I  cannot  detain  the  reader,  lay  over 
Mount  St.  Gothard  to  Altorf,  from  Altorf  along  the  Lake 
of  the  four  Cantons  to  Lucerne,  from  Lucerne  to  Zurich, 
from  Zurich  to  Basle,  and  from  Basle  through  Franche 
Comte,  Alsace,  and  Champagne  to  Paris,  which  they 
reached  on  the  24th  of  May. 

The  distant  view  of  this  capital,  when  they  first  came 
in  sight,  was  very  fine.  "To  us,"  says  the  journal, 
"it   was  a  most    interesting   sight,    and,   like    mariners 


116  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

after  a  long  voyage,  we  hailed  with  joy  our  haven  of  re. 
pose." 

His  residence  at  Paris  extended  through  four  months, 
during  which  time  he  kept  no  journal,  and  would  seem, 
also,  from  the  few  letters  that  remain,  to  have  remitted 
his  usual  punctuality  to  the  family.  The  only  record  he 
has  left  behind  of  his  mode  of  life  in  the  gay  metropolis 
during  this  sojourn,  consists  of  some  brief  and  hasty 
memoranda,  continued  through  a  few  weeks,  which  I  give 
in  pari  below. 

May  2itTi. — Arrived  in  Paris  this  afternoon.  Put  up  at  the  Hotel  de 
Richelieu,  Rue  de  la  loi. 

25th. — Had  a  levee  of  tailors,  shirt-makers,  boot-makers,  etc.,  to  rig 
me  out  a  la  mode  de  Paris 

In  the  evening  went  to  the  Theatre  Montansier  in  the  Palais  Royal. 
Acting  humorous  and  rather  gross  ;  scenery  tolerable.  After  theatre  took 
a  stroll  in  the  garden  of  the  Palais  Royal ;  accosted  by  afille  dejoie,  who 
begged  me  to  purchase  a  bouquet  for  her.  I  saw  it  was  a  mere  scheme  of 
the  poor  girl  to  get  a  few  sous  to  buy  herself  some  bread  for  the  next  day ; 
it  was  evident  she  and  the  old  woman  who  sold  bouquets  acted  in  concert. 
I  pitied  her,  and  paid  double  price  for  the  bouquet.  My  head  is  as  yet 
completely  confused  with  the  noise  and  bustle  of  Paris. 

29^.— Get  my  protection  from  the  police.  In  the  evening  to  the  The- 
atre Francais— Tragedy  of  the  Templars — Talma,  La  Fond,  and  Made- 
moiselle Georges — Talma  fine  figure — great  powers. 

Slst. — 'Tended  lectures  on  Botany — evening,  opera, — music  sublime — 
costume  and  scenery  fine  and  appropriate. 

June  2d. — Walking  in  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  encountered  young 
French  officer  with  whom  I  had  travelled  in  diligence  last  summer  from 
Bordeaux  to  Toulouse.     He  had  passed  all  the  winter  at  his  mother's  in 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  H7 

Languedoc,  find  had  come  to  Paris  in  hopes  of  getting  a  commission  to 
go  over  to  England  in  the  flotilla— warm  in  praise  of  the  Emperor— said 
the  army  universally  loved  him,  and  would  carry  him  even  in  I  heir  hands. 

The  young  officer  here  mentioned  was  the  one  whom 
the  compassionate  damsels  of  Tonneins  besought  to  be 
kind  to  his  prisoner.  As  the  quondam  prisoner  was  pass- 
ing by  without  seeing  him,  he  suddenly  broke  from  a 
group  of  companions,  and  rushing  towards  him,  threw 
his  arms  around  him  and  kissed  him  a  la  Francaise  on 
both  cheeks  before  he  had  time  to  scan  his  features  or 
know  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  such  an  affectionate 
salutation. 

Ath. — Left  Hotel  de  Richelieu  and  took  room  the  other  side  of  the 
Seine.  Hotel  d'Angleterre,  Rue  de  Colombier,  Faubourg  St.  Martin,  at 
60  livres  per  month — room  pleasantly  situated  on  ground  floor,  well  fur- 
nished, looks  out  on  a  handsome  little  garden — hotel  genteel  and  ex- 
tensive— in  the  neighborhood  of  Vanderlyn. 

&h. — Dined  with  Vanderlyn  at  a  Swiss  restaurateur's  in  Louvre — 
cheap.  In  evening  went  to  little  theatre  of  Jeunes  Artistes — garden  des 
Capuchins — boys  acting  plays — sing  the  fine  airs  that  are  produced  at 
the  great  theatres. 

8th. — Went  with  Vanderlyn  to  theatre  of  Port  St.  Martin — built  in 
thirty  days  in  time  of  revolution — intended  for  an  opera — superb  the- 
atre. 

12th. —Went  to  a  15-sous  ball  in  Palais  Royal  with  Vanderlyn. 

The  following  letter,  among  other  particulars,  makes 
further  mention  of  Vanderlyn  :— 


118  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


[To  Peter  Irving.'] 

Paris,  July,  15,  1805. 
My  dear  Brother  : — 

.  .  .  .  In  consequence  of  my  acquaintance  at  the  Minister's,  I 
have  the  reading  of  all  the  American  papers  which  he  receives,  so  that 
I  have  continually  opportunities  of  informing  myself  how  matters  go  on 

at  home I  am  very  agreeably  situated  in  respect  to  lodgings. 

I  have  taken  handsome  apartments  in  company  with  Mr.  Bankhead,  late 
secretary  to  Mr.  Monroe.  They  are  in  a  genteel  hotel  in  the  Faubourg 
St.  Germain,  near  the  Seine.  Though  retired  from  the  gay,  noisy  part 
of  the  city,  we  have  but  to  cross  the  Pont  des  Arts,  and  we  are  im- 
mediately among  the  amusements.  This  part  of  Paris  is  tranquil  and 
reasonable,  and  almost  all  the  Americans  of  my  acquaintance  reside 
here. 

One  of  my  most  intimate  acquaintances  is  Vanderlyn ;  he  lives  in  my 
neighborhood.  By  the  bye,  I  wish  you  would  interest  yourself  with  the 
Academy  about  this  worthy  young  fellow.  He  has  been  sent  out  here 
by  the  Academy  to  collect  casts,  etc.,  and  has  executed  his  commission 
with  faithfulness,  but  he  is  extremely  in  want  of  money.  The  Academy 
gave  him  a  credit  on  Leghorn,  in  the  name  of  Wm.  M.  Seton,  but  the 
death  of  that  gentleman  has  rendered  the  letter  useless.  He  has  writ- 
ten repeatedly  to  the  Academy,  but  has  received  no  answer.  His  ob- 
ject was  to  go  on  to  Italy,  and  he  has  been  detained  here  merely  for 
want  of  the  means.  Mr.  McClure,  one  of  our  commissioners,  has  gen- 
erously patronized  him,  and  advanced  him  money  for  the  journey;  he 
will  therefore  set  off  in  about  a  fortnight.  I  trust  the  Academy  will 
evince  a  spirit  of  generosity  towards  a  young  artist,  whose  talents  and 
character  do  credit  to  our  country.  They  are  in  a  manner  responsible, 
having  already  taken  such  marked  notice  of  him.  I  beg  you  to  attend  to 
this  request,  and  to  write  Vanderlyn  word  as  soon  as  possible,  of  the  dis- 
position and  intentions  of  the  Academy  towards  him.  The  poor  fellow 
seems  to  be  quite  low-spirited,  and  to  think  that  the  Academy  has  for- 
gotten him  ! 


OF  WASHINGTON-  IRVING.  \\$ 

By  the  papers  I  find  that  the  Emperor  is  at  Fontainebleau,  having 
travelled  incog,  from  Genoa  to  that  place  in  eighty  hours  !  This  is  an 
instance  of  that  promptness,  decision,  and  rapidity  that  characti 
his  movements.  You  may  well  suppose  I  am  impatient  to  see  this  won- 
derful man,  whose  life  has  been  a  continued  series  of  actions,  any  one 
of  which  would  be  sufficient  to  immortalize  him. 

You  expect,  most  probably,  that  I  will  say  something  of  Paris,  but 
I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  me.  I  have  neither  time  nor  inclination  to 
bogin  so  endless  a  subject.  I  should  be  at  a  loss  how  to  commence,  and 
I  am  almost  afraid  to  own  that  I  have  not  taken  a  single  note  since  I 
have  been  in  this  metropolis.  This,  however,  I  find  to  be  the  case  with 
all  my  acquaintances,  so  that  I  plead  for  some  degree  of  indulgence  on 
that  score.  The  city  is  rapidly  beautifying  under  the  auspices  of  the  Em- 
peror ;  the  Louvre,  Tuileries,  etc.,  are  undergoing  alterations  and  repairs. 
The  people  seem  all  gay  and  happy,  and  vive  la  bagatelle  I  is  again  the 
burden  of  their  song. 

Of  all  the  places  that  I  have  seen  in  Europe,  Paris  is  the  most  fascinat- 
ing, and  I  am  well  satisfied  that  for  pleasure  and  amusement  it  must 
leave  London  far  behind.  The  favorableness  of  the  climate,  the  brill- 
iancy of  the  theatres,  operas,  etc.,  the  beauty  of  the  public  walks,  the 
gayety,  good-humor,  and  universal  politeness  of  the  people,  the  per- 
fect liberty  of  private  conduct,  are  calculated  to  enchant  a  Strang;']-, 
and  to  render  him  contented  and  happy  with  everything  about  him. 
You  will  smile  to  see  that  Paris  has  obtained  complete  possession 
of  my  head,  but  I  assure  you  that  America  has  still  the  stronghold  of 
my  heart. 

I  am  busily  employed  in  studying  the  French  language,  and  I  hope 
before  I  leave  France  to  have  a  pretty  satisfactory  acquaintance  with  it. 
I  shall  remain  in  Paris  as  late  in  the  fall  as  possible,  as  there  is  no  place 
where  I  can  both  amuse  and  instruct  myself  at  less  expense,  and  more 
effectually 

When  you  see  Mr.  Hoffman  present  him  my  warmest  remembrances, 
and  tell  him  I  long  for  the  time  when  I  shall  be  once  more  numbered 
among  his  disciples. 


120  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

You  will  excuse  the  shortness  and  hastiness  of  this  letter,  for  which  1 
can  only  plead  as  an  excuse  that  I  am  a  young  man  and  in  Paris. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

W.  I. 

In  what  proportion  the  "  young  man  in  Paris  "  man- 
aged to  combine  amusement  and  instruction,  pleasure 
and  study,  it  would  not  be  easy  to  determine.  That  he 
did  not  make  complete  default  in  his  plans  of  improve- 
ment may  be  inferred  from  some  entries  in  his  expense 
book,  by  which  I  find  he  paid  for  two  months'  tuition  in 
French,  and  bought  a  Botanical  Dictionary.  In  the  same 
memorandum  book,  under  date  of  August  12th,  occurs  an 
entry  of  payment  to  "  Yanderlyn  for  Portrait."  This  was 
a  crayon  sketch  taken  of  him  by  the  painter,  and  repre- 
sents his  hair  as  falling  over  his  forehead,  a  peculiarity 
not  observable  in  any  later  likenesses. 

The  letter  which  follows  will  enable  us  to  accompany 
him  to  London. 

[To  Peter  Irving.] 

London,  October  20,  1805. 
My  dear  Brother  : — 

By  the  date  of  this  letter,  you  will  perceive  that  I  am  safely  arrived  in 
the  land  of  our  forefathers,  and  have  become  an  inhabitant  of  the  famous 
and  foggy  city  of  London.  Thus  you  see  I  shift  from  city  to  city,  and 
lay  countries  aside  like  books,  after  giving  them  a  hasty  perusal.  Thank 
heaven  my  ramblings  are  nearly  at  an  end,  and  in  a  little  while  I  shall 
once  more  return  to  my  friends,  and  sink  again  into  tranquil  domestic 
life  !     It  may  seem  strange  to  you,  who  have  never  wandered  far  from 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  121 

homo,  but  I  assure  you  it  is  true,  that  in  a  sliort  time  one  gets  tired  of 
I  a  veiling,  even  in  the  gay  and  polished  countries  of  Europe.  Curiosity 
cannot  be  kept  ever  on  the  stretch  :  like  the  sensual  appetites  it  in  time 
becomes  sated,  and  no  longer  enjoys  the  food.it  formerly  searched  after 
with  avidity.  On  entering  a  strange  place  at  present,  1  feel  no  more  that 
interest  which  prompted  me  on  first  arriving  in  Europe  to  be  perpetually 
on  the  hunt  for  curiosities  and  beauties.  In  fact,  the  duty  imposed  upon 
me  as  a  traveller  to  do  so,  is  often  irksome. 

On  arriving  at  Naples,  1  became  acquainted  with  an  American  gentle- 
man of  talents,  who  had  made  the  tour  of  Italy.  I  was  much  diverted 
with  the  manner  in  which  he  addressed  his  valet  de  place  one  morning, 
as  we  were  going  out  in  search  of  curiosities.  "Now,  my  friend,"  said 
he,  "  recollect,  I  am  tired  of  churches,  convents,  palaces,  galleries  of 
paintings,  subterraneous  passages,  and  great  men — if  you  have  anytliing 
else  to  show  me,  allons  !  "  At  present  I  could  almost  feel  inclined  to 
make  a  similar  speech  myself.  I  own,  notwithstanding,  that  London  is 
extremely  interesting  to  me,  as  it  offers  both  in  buildings  and  inhabitants 
such  a  contrast  to  the  cities  on  the  continent,  and  then  it  is  so  completely 
familiarized  to  me  from  having  heard  and  read  so  much  about  it  since 
my  infancy,  that  every  square,  street,  and  lane  appears  like  an  old  ac- 
quaintance. 

I  left  Paris  on  the  22d  September,  in  company  with  Mr.  Gorham  of 
Boston,  and  Mr.  Massie  of  Virginia,  and  after  a  pleasing  tour  through 
the  Netherlands,  by  the  way  of  Brussels  and  Maestricht,  we  arrived  at 
Rotterdam  on  the  thirtieth.  We  had  made  a  stop  of  two  days  at  Brus- 
sels, which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  I  have  seen  in  Europe.  We 
stayed  another  day  at  Maestricht,  in  order  to  visit  a  remarkable  cavern  in 
its  neighborhood,  but  I  will  not  fatigue  you  with  a  description  of  it.  I 
was  much  interested  by  the  change  that  I  continually  observed  as  I  pro- 
ceeded from  ttie  carelessly  cultivated  plains  of  France  to  those  of  the 
Netherlands,  where  the  hand  of  labor  appears  to  be  never  idle  in  the 
improvement  of  the  soil  ;  from  the  dirty,  comfortless  habitations  of  the 
French  peasantry,  to  those  of  Holland,  where  cleanliness  is  almost  a  vice: 
in  fine,  from  the  light  skip  and  gay,  thoughtless  air  of  the  Frenchman,  \<\ 


IOO  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

the  heavy  tn    ■!    rid  phi     matie  !•    t  ires  of  the  Dutchman.     How  aston- 

— ,i  mere  ideal  line — should  occasion  such 

[crence  1  .  that  neither  the  people,    houses, 

manners,  lanj  .    'lould  resemble  each  other.     The  Italian  and 

r  than  the  Parisian  and  the  Hollander. 

1  |  i  making  a  hasty  tour  in  Holland,  but  on  arriving  at 

:.   I    found  an  excellent    packet  about  sailing  for  Gravesend. 

aiul  repassing  of  these  packets  is  connived  at  by  the  French 

rai  who  commands  at    Rotterdam,  as  he  pockets  a  part  of  the  pas- 

ney  of  i  Dger.     The  vessel  clears  out  for  Embden  under 

:'  On  mj  arrival  at  Rotterdam,  I  heard  a  report  that 

Prussia  either  had  declared,  or  was  about  to  declare  in  favor  of  France, 

quence  of  which  the  owners  were  fearful  of  sending  any  more 

Ingland  under  Prussian  colors.     As  I  dreaded  any  accidental 

:i  in  tin.'  I'll'  cities  of  Holland,  I  determined  on  availing 

I  the  pa  I  was  about  sailing,  as  did  likewise  my  compan- 

L,  I  did  much  my  not  being  able  to  see  more  of 

the  little  I  had  already  seen,  I  was  told,  was  a  faithful  speci- 

of  tin'  n  st— a  monotonous  uniformity  prevailing  over  the  whole 

TV. 

Leavii  .  the  gentle  Mynheers  to  smoke  their  pipes  in  peace, 

irked  on  the  evening  of  the  third  of  October,  and  on  the  morning 

led  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mense.     The  next  morning  on 

I  had  the  first  glimpse  of  old  England  ;  we  were  just  oppo- 

.  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  shore.     We  anchored  the 

:  in  the  Thames,  opposite  Gravesend.     As  we  were  direct 

i  an  enemy's  country,  we  were  not  permitted  to  land  till  permits 

•i  the  alii  n  office  at  London.     I  did  not  receive  mine  till 

•  ighth   suffering  a  detention  of  three  days\  when  I 

a  shore,  took  a  post-chaise,  and  arrived  in  the  after- 

S  ich  is  a  concise  sketch  of  my  journey 

In  this  city,  as  in  Paris,  lie  was  a  frequent  attendant 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  123 

upon  the  theatres,  and  his  impressions  of  John  Kemble, 
Cooke,  and  Mrs.  Siddons,  are  thus  given  in  a  letter  to 
his  brother  William  : — 

Kemble  appears  to  me  to  be  a  very  studied  actor.     His  performances 
throughout  evince  deep  study  and  application,  joined  to  amazingly  judi- 
cious conception.     They  are  correct  and  highly-finished  paintings,  but 
much  labored.     Thus,  therefore,   when  witnessing  the  exertion  of  his 
powers,  though  my  head  is  satisfied  and  even  astonished,  yet  my  heart  is 
seldom  affected.     I  am  not  led  away  to  forget  that  it  is  Kemble  the  actor, 
not  Othello  the  Moor.     Once  I  must  own,  however,  I  was  completely  over- 
powered by  his  acting.    It  was  in  the  part  of  Zanga.    He  was  great  through- 
out, but  his  last  scene  with  Alonzo  was  truly  sublime.     I  then,  in  very 
truth,  forgot  that  it  was  a  mere  mimic  scene  before  me — indeed  Kemble 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  himself,  and  for  the  moment  to  have  fancied 
himself  Zanga.     When  the  delusion  ceased  I  was  enraptured.     I  was  sur- 
prised at  what  had  been  my  emotions.   I  could  not  have  believed  that  tragic 
representation  could  so  far  deceive  the  senses  and  the  judgment.     I  felt 
willing  to  allow  Kemble  all  the  laurels  that  had  been  awarded  him.     The 
next  time  I  saw  him,  however,  I  was  less  satisfied.     It  was  in  the  char- 
acter of  Othello.     Here  his  performance  was  very  unequal.     In  many 
parts  he  was  cold  and  labored  ;  in  the  tender  scenes  he  wanted  mellow- 
ness (I  think  him  very  often  wanting  in  this  quality)  ;  it  was  only  in  par- 
ticular scenes  that  he  seemed  to  collect  all  his  powers,  and  exert  them 
with  effect.     His  speech  to  the  Senate  was  lofty  and  admirable  ;  indeed, 
in  declamation  he  is  excellent.     The  last  time  I  saw  him  was  in  the  part 
.of  Jaffier,  and  I  again  remarked  that  it  was  but  in  certain  passages  that 
he  was  strikingly  fine,  though  his  correct  and  unceasing  attention  to  the 
character  was  visible  throughout.     Kemble  treads  the  stage  with  peculiar 
grace  and  dignity  ;  his  figure  is  tall  and  imposing,  much  such  an  one  as 
Fennell's.     His  countenance  is  noble  and  expressive  ;  in  a  word,  he  has  a 
most  majestic  presence.     I  must  not  forget  to  observe  that  the  Pierre  to 
Kemble's  Jaffier  was  acted  by  Mr.   Hargrave,  and  a  noisy  swaggering 


124  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

bully  did  he  make  of  him.  I  would  have  given  anything  to  have  had 
Cooper  or  Fcnnell  in  the  character  ;  so  you  see  a  principal  character  may 
be  miserably  performed  even  on  a  London  stage.  Kemble's  grand  dis- 
advantage is  his  voice  ;  it  wants  the  deep,  rich,  bass  tones,  and  has  not 
sufficient  extent.  Constant  exercise  has  doubtless  done  a  vast  deal  for  it, 
and  given  it  a  degree  of  flexibility  and  softness  which  it  had  not  natu- 
rally. Some  of  its  tones  are  touching  and  pathetic,  but  when  violent 
exclamation  is  necessary,  it  is  evident  from  the  movements  of  his  head, 
and  mouth,  and  chest,  that  he  is  obliged  to  use  great  exertions.  This 
circumstance  was  at  first  a  considerable  drawback  on  the  pleasure  I  re- 
ceived from  his  performances.  I  begin  now  to  get  reconciled  to  it,  and 
not  to  notice  it  so  much,  which  confirms  me  in  the  opinion  I  originally 
entertained  that  it  is  necessary  to  become  in  some  degree  accustomed  to 
Kemble's  manner  before  you  can  perfectly  enjoy  his  acting.  To  give  you, 
if  possible,  a  fuller  idea  of  my  general  opinion  of  Kemble,  I  shall  only 
say  that  though  at  present  I  decidedly  give  him  the  preference,  yet  were 
Cooper  to  be  equally  studious  and  pay  equal  attention  to  his  profession,  I 
would  transfer  it  to  him  without  hesitation.  It  would  be  a  long  time, 
however,  before  Cooper  woxild  be  equally  correct  in  his  performances. 
Perhaps  he  would  never  be  so  ;  his  style  is  different,  and  with  a  little 
correction,  its  warmth  and  richness  would  make  up  for  the  want  of  Kem- 
ble's correctness  and  precision.  Actors  are  like  painters— they  seldom 
combine  all  these  qualities,  but  excel  in  different  styles. 

Cooke  is  the  next  to  Kemble  in  the  tragic  department,  cr  rather  his 
equal,  taking  them  in  their  different  lines.  Cooke's  range  is  rather  con- 
fined; the  artful  designing  hypocrite  is  his  forte,  and  in  Iago  he  is  admir- 
able. I  never  was  more  completely  satisfied  with  a  performance.  His 
Richard,  I  am  told,  is  equally  good,  but  1  have  not  seen  it.  In  Sir  Pcr- 
tinax  MacSycophant,  also,  he  is  everything  that  could  be  desired,  and 
gives  the  Scotch  accent  with  peculiar  richness.  Notwithstanding  that  he 
has  disgusted  the  audience  several  times  in  consequence  of  his  bacchana- 
lian festivities,  he  is  a  vast  favorite,  and  is  always  hailed  with  the  warm- 
est applause.  Indeed,  I  am  told  he  performs  with  peculiar  spirit  when 
inspired  by  the  grape;  he  must  at  any  rate  be  mellow  on  such  occasions. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  [26 

Were  I  to  indulge  without  reserve  in  my  praises  of  Mrs.  Sid  i 
afraid  you  would  think  them  hyperbolical.  Whal  a  wonderful  woman  ! 
The  very  first  time  I  saw  her  perform  I  was  struck  with  admira- 
tion. It  was  in  the  part  of  Calista.  Iler  looks,  her  voice,  her  gestures, 
delighted  me.  She  penetrated  in  a  moment  to  my  heart.  She  froze  and 
melted  it  by  turns ;  a  glance  of  her  eye,  a  start,  an  exclamation,  thrilled 
through  my  whole  frame.  The  more  I  see  her,  the  more  I  admire  her. 
I  hardly  breathe  while  she  is  on  the  stage.  She  works  up  my  Ee  lings  till 
I  am  like  a  mere  child.  And  yet  this  woman  is  old,  and  has  losl  all  ele- 
gance of  figure;  think  then  what  must  be  her  powers  that  she  can  dciight 
and  astonish  even  in  the  characters  of  Calista  and  Belvidera.  la  person 
Mrs.  Siddons  is  not  unlike  her  sister,  Mrs.  Whitlock,  for  she  has  latterly 
outgrown  in  size  the  limits  even  of  embonpoint.  I  even  think  there  is 
some  similarity  in  their  countenances,  though  that  of  Mrs.  Siddons  is 
infinitely  superior.  It  is  in  fact  the  very  index  of  her  mind ;  and  in  its 
mutable  transitions  may  be  read  those  nice  gradations  of  passion  that 
language  is  inadequate  to  express.  In  dignity  and  grace  she  is  no 
way  inferior  to  Kemble,  and  they  never  appear  to  better  advantage  than 
when  acting  together.  What  Mrs.  Siddons  may  have  been  when  she  had 
the  advantages  of  youth  and  form  I  cannot  say,  but  it  appears  to  me  that 
her  performance  at  present  leaves  room  to  wish  for  nothing  more.  Age 
has  planted  no  visible  wrinkles  on  her  brow,  and  it  is  only  by  the  prac- 
tice and  experience  of  years  that  she  has  been  enabled  to  attain  her  pres- 
ent consummate  excellence 

The  enthusiasm  here  expressed  for  the  great  actress, 
leads  me  to  step  aside  from  the  regular  order  of  events 
to  give  an  anecdote  of  a  later  date,  for  which  I  shall  not 
find  a  more  appropriate  introduction. 

Not  long  after  the  "  Sketch  Book  "  had  been  published 
in  London,  and  made  its  author  remarked  among  its  lit- 
erary circles,  he  met  Mrs.  Siddons  in  some  fashionable 


126  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

assemblage,  and  was  brought  up  to  be  introduced.     The 
Queen  of  Tragedy  had  then  long  left  the  stage,  but  her 
manner  and  tones  to  the  last  partook  of  its  measured 
stateliness.      The  interview  was  characteristic.     As  he 
approached  and  was  introduced,  she  looked  at  him  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  in  her  clear  and  deep-toned  voice,  she 
slowly  enunciated,  "You've  made  me  weep."     Nothing 
could  have  been  finer  than  such  a  compliment  from  such 
a  source,  but  the  "  accost "  was  so  abrupt,  and  the  man- 
ner so  peculiar,  that  never  was  modest  man  so  completely 
disconcerted  and  put  out  of  countenance.     The  appropri- 
ate response  would  have  been  obvious  enough  at  a  more 
collected  moment,  but  taken  entirely  by  surprise,  Geof- 
frey had  not  a  word  to  say  for  himself,  and  very  soon  took 
occasion  to  retreat  and  join  a  group  of  talkers  that  were 
near.     After  the  appearance  of  his  Bracebridge  Hall  he 
met  her  in  company  again,  and  was  asked  by  a  friend  to 
be  presented.     He  told  him  he  had  before  gone  through 
that  ceremony,  but  he  had  been  so  abashed  by  her  ad- 
dress, and  acquitted  himself  so   shabbily,  that  he  was 
afraid  to  claim  acquaintance.     "  Come  then  with   me," 
said  his  friend,  "and  I  will  stand  by  you;"  so  he  went 
forward,  and  singularly  enough  was  met  with  an  address 
of  the  self-same  fashion  :  "  You've  made  me  weep  again." 
But  now  he  was  prepared,  and  immediately  replied  with 
a  complimentary  allusion  to  the  melting  effect  of  her  own 
pathos,  as  realized  by  himself  at  the  period  we  have  been 
tracing. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVINQ.  127 

In  the  following  letter  we  Lave  an  allusion  to  Nelson's 
victory  and  death.  The  traveller  was  at  the  theatre  when 
the  thrilling  tidings  were  announced  from  the  stage,  and 
was  witness  to  the  deep  and  mingled  emotions  with 
which  it  was  received. 

[To  Peter  Irving.] 

London,  November  7th,  1805. 

My  deae  Brother  : — 

By  the  papers  you  will  perceive  that  England  is  all  alive  with  the  news 
of  Nelson's  victory.  It  could  not  have  happened  more  opportunely,  for 
the  disastrous  accounts  from  the  continent  had  made  poor  John  Bull  qui  to 
heart-sick — nothing  was  heard  from  him  but  execrations  of  Mack's  con- 
duet  as  cowardly  and  treacherous,  and  desponding  anticipations  of  the 
future.  It  is  the  prevalent  opinion  here  that  Mack  has  been  bribed,  and 
they  are  vociferous  in  their  abuse  both  of  him  and  his  purchasers. 

Poor  John,  however,  was  so  completely  down-hearted  and  humble,  that 
I  began  really  to  pity  him,  when  suddenly  the  news  of  Nelson's  triumph 
arrived,  and  the  old  fellow  reared  his  broad  rosy  countenance  higher 
than  ever.  To  his  honor,  however,  let  me  say,  that  I  have  universally  re- 
marked, that  whenever  speaking  of  the  affair,  his  first  mention  was  of 
"poor  Nelson's  death,"  with  a  tribute  of  feeling  to  his  memoiy  ;  but 
John,  as  I  have  before  testified,  is  a  "  kind-hearted  old  soul"  at  bottom. 
Notwithstanding  the  brilliancy  of  this  victory  and  its  importance  at  so 
alarming  a  crisis,  yet  I  can  scarcely  say  which  is  greatest,  joy  at  its 
achievement,  or  sorrow  for  Nelson's  fall.  Last  evening  tho  chief  streets 
and  buildings  were  illuminated,  but  the  illumination  was  not  universal. 
The  song  of  triumph  is  repressed — among  the  lowest  of  the  mob  I  c  ;m 
hear  Nelson's  eulogium  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  ;  every  one  yields 
his  voice  to  the  national  tribute  of  gratitude  and  affection. 

Mr.  Irving  had  anticipated  on  his  arrival  in  London  a 


128  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

number  of  introductory  letters  from  home,  that  would 
have  procured  him  an  agreeable  and  advantageous  ac- 
quaintance ;  but  these  letters  unfortunately  miscarried, 
and  the  disappointment  prevented  him  from  fully  enjoy- 
ing the  pleasures  of  a  city,  in  which  everything  bore  to 
him  an  air  of  business,  and  in  which  he  had,  for  a  while, 
to  find  his  entertainment  in  rambling  about  the  streets. 
The  only  letter  which  he  brought  with  him  was  one  from 
Mrs.  Johnson  of  the  Park  Theatre,  to  Miss  De  Camp  of 
Covent  Garden,  which  proved  in  the  dearth  of  others  a 
valuable  resource.  He  had  a  most  friendly  reception 
from  her,  and  I  have  heard  him  speak  with  interest  of  a 
dinner  at  her  house,  in  which  he  met  for  the  first  time 
with  Charles  Kemble,  whom  she  afterwards  married. 

Left  still  more  solitary  by  the  departure  of  his  compan- 
ions from  Paris,  the  young  traveller  began  to  turn  his 
thoughts  towards  home,  without  going  to  Scotland,  as  his 
brother  had  desired.  As  in  Paris,  so  in  London,  he  kept 
no  journal,  but  it  appears  by  a  small  memorandum  book, 
among  his  papers,  that  he  set  out  on  the  14th  of  Decem- 
ber, on  a  short  tour  to  Oxford,  Bath,  and  Bristol,  with  a 
Mr.  Mumford  from  New  York,  as  a  travelling  companion ; 
and  that  the  two  left  London,  January  17th,  in  a  post- 
chaise  for  Gravesend,  where  they  embarked  the  next  day 
in  the  ship  Remittance,  Captain  Law,  for  New  York.  They 
had  a  stormy  passage  of  sixty-four  days,  and  for  twenty- 
four  hours  were  in  imminent  danger  of  going  ashore  in  a 
snow-storm  off  Long  Island.      "  The  passengers,"  said 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  129 

Mr.  Irving,  in  speaking  of  this  voyage,  "  cracked  their 
jokes  on  each  other  in  great  good  humor  at  first,  while 
Mumford  sat  like  an  owl,  and  said  nothing ;  but,  before 
we  landed,  he  became  the  greatest  favorite  of  all.  The 
familiarity  of  the  others  led  to  quarrels,  and  the  jokes  we 
had  cracked  on  each  other  soured  on  our  stomachs." 
vol.  i.— 9 


CHAPTEE  X. 

NEW  YORK  SOCIETY  IN  1806.  —  THE  LADS  OF  KILKENNY.  —  TJIE  OLD  TTATT, 
AT  NEWARK. — CITY  RESORTS.— ADMISSION  TO  THE  BAR. — LETTER  TO  MR. 
HOFFMAN. 

|wpr| HE  traveller  bad  felt  a  growing  impatience  to 

SSi&lf  return  home  before  lie  embarked. 

■:--*"^l       "Already,"  lie  writes   in  one  of  his  letters 

prior  to  his  departure  from  Europe,  "  I  begin  to  feel  the 

truth  of  the  line  in  Voltaire, — 


<<  < 


II  est  doux  de  rentrer  dans  sa  chere  patrie.'" 


There  was  much  to  gladden  his  return.  He  came 
back  with  health  renewed  and  invigorated.  The  reputa- 
tion achieved  by  his  scribblings  before  he  left  had  made 
him  an  object  of  attention  and  civility,  and  at  that  "home- 
keeping"  era  to  have  visited  foreign  parts  was  of  itself 
quite  a  title  to  consideration. 

New  York  was  a  more  "handy"  city  in  those  days,  to 
borrow  a  descriptive  epithet  of  the  author,  and  offered 
much  greater  facility  of  intercourse.  No  man  could  hide 
his  light  under  a  bushel.  Everybody  knew  everybody, 
and  there  was  more  of  good  fellowship  and  careless  ease 

130 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  \\)\ 

of  manners  than  distinguish  the  social  circles  of  either 
sex  in  these  more  formal  times.  The  literati  and  men  of 
wit  and  intellect  entered  more  into  society,  and  gave  to 
it  something  of  their  own  tone  and  character.  If  tho 
dinners  were  less  costly  than  now,  they  were  more  merry, 
and  there  was  greater  heartiness  of  enjoyment.  Singing 
— sentimental  and  bacchanalian — was  quite  a  feature  in 
the  entertainment.  Conviviality,  however,  it  must  be 
confessed,  was  sometimes  pushed  to  an  extreme ;  it  was 
almost  treason  against  good  fellowship  not  to  get  tipsy, 
and  the  senseless  custom  of  compelling  guests  to  drink 
bumpers,  not  unfrequently  laid  many  under  the  table 
who  never  would  have  been  led  willingly  to  such  excess. 

Mr.  Irving  used  to  relate  a  piece  of  pleasantry  of  one 
of  his  early  friends,  Henry  Ogden,  illustrative  of  this 
feature  of  the  dinners  of  those  times.  Ogden  had  been 
at  one  of  these  festive  meetings  on  the  evening  before, 
and  had  left  with  a  brain  half  bewildered  by  the  number 
of  bumpers  he  had  been  compelled  to  drink.  He  told 
Irving  the  next  day  that  in  going  home  he  had  fallen 
through  a  grating,  which  had  been  carelessly  left  open, 
into  a  vault  beneath.  The  solitude,  he  said,  was  rather 
dismal  at  first,  but  several  other  of  the  guests  fell  in,  in 
the  course  of  the  evening,  and  they  had  on  the  whole 
quite  a  pleasant  night  of  it. 

Among  Mr.  Irving's  associates  at  this  time,  few  of 
whom  now  survive,  were  Peter  and  Gouverneur  Kernble, 
Henry  Brevoort,  Henry  Ogden,  just  named,  and  James 


132  LIFE  AND   LETTERS 

K.  Paulding,  who,  with  himself,  his  brother  Peter,  and 
a  few  others,  made  up  a  small  circle  of  intimates  desig- 
nated by  Peter  as  "  the  nine  worthies,"  though  Washing- 
ton in  his  correspondence  more  frequently  alludes  to 
them  as  "  the  lads  of  Kilkenny." 

One  of  their  favorite  resorts  was  an  old  family  man- 
sion— old,  at  least,  according  to  the  American  calendar 
of  antiquity — which  had  descended  to  Gouverneur  Kem- 
ble  from  a  deceased  uncle.  It  was  on  the  banks  of  the 
Passaic,  about  a  mile  from  Newark,  and  has  been  shad- 
owed forth  in  "  Salmagundi  "  as  Cockloft  Hall.  It  was 
full  of  antique  furniture,  and  the  walls  were  adorned 
with  old  family  portraits.  The  place  was  in  charge  of 
an  old  man,  his  wife,  and  a  negro  boy,  who  were  its  sole 
occupants  except  when  "  the  nine,"  under  the  lead,  and 
confident  in  the  hospitality  of  the  Patroon,  as  they  styled 
its  possessor,  would  sally  forth  from  New  York  and  en- 
liven its  solitude  by  their  madcap  pranks  and  juvenile 
orgies.  "  Who  would  have  thought,"  said  Mr.  Irving  to 
Gouverneur  Kemble,  in  alluding  to  these  scenes  of  high 
jollity,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six,  "that  we  should  ever  have 
lived  to  be  two  such  respectable  old  gentlemen ! " 

Some  of  the  letters  preserved  by  Mr.  Irving  contain 
pleasant  allusions  to  the  Hall,  and  show  how  fondly  this 
scene  of  youthful  frolic  was  remembered  by  the  little 
circle  in  the  separation  of  after  years.  "  Cockloft  Hall 
is  still  mine,"  writes  Gouverneur  Kemble  to  his  long 
absent  friend  in  1824.     "  I  still  look  forward  to  the  time 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  ];;:; 

when  you,  Paulding,  Brevoort,  the  Doctor  [Peter  Irvii 
and  myself  shall  assemble  there,  recount  the  stories  of 
our  various  lives,  and  have  another  game  at  leap  frog." 

"Your  mention  of  James  Paulding  and  Gouverneur 
Kemble,"  writes  Peter  to  him  in  1832,  "brings  to  my 
memory  some  of  the  pleasant  scenes  in  the  Hall  near 
Newark,  and  among  the  rest  the  procession  in  the  Chi- 
nese saloon,  in  which  we  made  poor  Dick  McCall  a 
knight,  and  I,  as  the  senior  of  our  order,  dubbed  him 
by  some  fatality  on  the  seat  of  honor  instead  of  the 
shoulder."  And  in  a  still  later  letter  he  writes  :  "  I 
often  call  to  mind  our  Sundays  at  the  Hall,  when  we 
sported  on  the  lawn  until  fatigued,  and  sometimes  fell 
sociably  into  a  general  nap  in  the  drawing-room  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening." 

One  of  the  rendezvous  of  the  little  coterie  in  the  city 
was  Dyde's,  a  genteel  public  house  in  Park  Eow,  near 
the  theatre,  in  which  they  held  convivial  suppers,  and 
sometimes  regaled  their  friends  from  Philadelphia,  who, 
for  the  time,  became  "  true  lads  of  Kilkenny." 

"  To  riot  at  Dyde's  on  imperial  champagne, 
And  then  scour  our  city — the  peace  to  maintain," 

is  a  distinction  of  "  Sad  Dogs  "  in  the  rhymes  of  "  Sal- 
magundi." There  was  another  place  of  less  note  and 
cheaper  prices,  a  porter-house  at  the  corner  of  John 
Street  and  Nassau,  to  which  they  occasionally  repaired 
for  festivity  and  refreshment  when  their  purses  were  low, 


134  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

.and  where  they  probably  had  equal  merriment,  though 
these  entertainments  they  characterized  with  humorous 
disparagement  as  their  "  blackguard  suppers."  Pauld- 
ing has  an  allusion  to  them  in  a  letter  to  Washington  in 
1824,  recalling  old  times,  in  which  he  indulges  in  whim- 
sical lament  over  the  degenerate  transformation  which 
their  host  had  since  undergone.  "  When  I  mentioned  a 
jollification  just  now,"  he  writes,  "  do  you  know  that  the 

word  conjured  up  the  idea  of  poor  B .     Alas  for  this 

topsy-turvy  world !  He  who  whilom  wore  a  long  coat, 
in  the  pockets  whereof  he  jingled  two  bushels  of  six- 
penny pieces,  and  whose  daughter  played  the  piano  to 
the  savory  accompaniment  of  broiling  oysters,  hath  sunk 
into  a  measurer  of  tape  at  the  foot  of  Vesey  Street." 

In  July  Mr.  Irving  concludes  an  epistle  to  his  young 
friend,  Henry  Ogden,  who  had  recently  sailed  for  China, 
as  follows : — 

I  am  so  completely  engrossed  with  law  at  present  that  I  have  no  time 
to  go  about  and  pick  up  intelligence.  Examination  comes  on  in  about 
three  weeks,  and  I  begin  to  feel  the  fever  incident  to  occasions  of  the  kind. 
I  wish,  while  in  Canton,  you  would  pick  me  up  two  or  three  queer  little 
pretty  things,  that  would  cost  nothing,  and  be  acceptable  to  the  girls  ;  but 
above  all,  do  not  forget  the  Mandarin's  dress.  If  you  can  conveniently, 
get  two  or  three  drawings  of  the  most  superlative  tea  put  up  in  a  little 
quizzical  bos  for  me,  and  packed  up  with  mighty  care  and  importance. 
I  will  have  some  hirfi  fun  with  it. 


*&*■ 


The  Mandarin's  dress  and  the  tea  evidently  point  to 
some  whimsical  project,  but  whether  any  "  high  fun  "  came 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVIM,'.  [35 

of  it  I  cannot  say,  though  there  is  a  hint  in  his  correspond- 
ence of  Ogden's  return,  "laden  with  the  riches  of  the  East, 
some  of  which  were  intended  for  him,"  and  of  a  supper 
at  the  Kembles  which  followed,  "  in  true  Chinese  style,  in 
which  none  were  permitted  to  eat  except  with  chopsticks." 

Though  Mr.  Irving  would  seem  to  have  been  prepar- 
ing for  an  examination  in  August  by  the  preceding  ex- 
tract, he  must  have  deferred  it  until  the  autumn,  for  it 
was  on  the  21st  of  November,  1806,  that  he  went  through 
the  ordeal  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  termina- 
tion of  his  clerkship,  however,  found  him  still  sadly  de- 
ficient in  legal  lore.  His  studies,  previous  to  his  depart- 
ure for  Europe,  as  we  have  seen,  had  amounted  to  lit- 
tle ;  his  almost  two  years  of  absence,  though  computed 
in  the  period  of  clerkship,  could  not  have  enlarged  the 
sphere  of  his  legal  knowledge,  and  the  few  months  of  his 
return  previous  to  his  admission,  did  not  add  much  to 
the  stock. 

Soon  after  his  admission,  I  find  him  sharing  the  office 
of  his  brother  John,  at  No.  3  Wall  Street,  and  invoking 
the  influence  of  Mr.  Hoffman  with  the  Council  of  Ap- 
pointment, for  some  professional  office  which  he  might 
turn  to  the  advantage  of  both,  evidently  reposing  for  suc- 
cess in  the  discharge  of  its  duties,  should  his  application 
prevail,  more  on  the  superior  legal  competency  and  as- 
siduous business  habits  of  his  brother  John  than  upon 
his  own  qualifications.  I  give  the  letter,  which  is  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Hoffman  at  Albany. 


136  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

New  York,  February  2,  1807. 
Dear  Sir: — 

I  am  writing  this  letter  from  your  parlor,  and  have  the  pleasure  of 
informing  you  that  the  family,  at  this  moment,  are  perfectly  well  ;  the 
girls  all  out  in  the  sunshine;  Mrs.  H.  sewing  like  a  good  housewife;  little 
Charles  sleeping  up  stairs,  and  little  old  fashion  by  my  side,  most  studi- 
ously turning  over  the  leaves  of  a  family  Bible.  The  only  occurrences 
of  importance  that  have  taken  place  in  the  family,  since  Mrs.  Hoffman 
wrote  last,  are,  that  Mr.  Edgar  has  sent  to  know  if  you  took  the  house 
for  the  ensuing  year,  and  Mrs.  Hoffman  has  answered  in  the  affirmative. 
Louis  has  received  sailing  orders,  and  I  have  beaten  the  old  lady  most 
deplorably  at  cribbage 

Having  given  you  all  the  domestic  intelligence  that  I  am  master  of,  I 
hope  you  will  not  think  it  impertinent  if  I  speak  a  little  of  myself. 

I  learn  with  pleasure,  that  the  council  of  appointment  are  decidedly 
Lewisite.  As  there  will,  doubtless,  be  a  liberal  dispensation  of  loaves  and 
fishes  on  the  occasion,  I  would  humbly  put  up  my  feeble  voice  in  the  gen- 
eral application.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  speak  "  a  word  in  season  " 
for  me  ?  There  will,  doubtless,  be  numerous  applicants  of  superior  claims 
to  myself,  but  none  to  whom  a  "crumb  from  the  table  "  would  be  more 
acceptable.     I  can  plead  no  services  that  I  have  rendered,  for  I  have 

rather  shunned  than  sought  political  notoriety I  know  that  there 

are  few  offices  to  which  I  am  eligible,  either  from  age  or  legal  informa- 
tion. My  brother,  John  T.  Irving,  is  much  older  than  myself,  and  from 
his  knowledge  of  the  law  is  capacitated  to  fill  offices  to  which  I  cannot 
pretend ;  our  interests  are  the  same,  as  we  shall  share  whatever  falls  to 
either  of  our  lots I  do  not  intend  that  you  should  give  your- 
self any  trouble  on  my  account;  your  good  word  is  all  I  solicit,  should 
anything  present  which  you  should  think  suitable  to  me 

So  little,  however,  does  he  seem  intent  at  this  time 
upon  professional  employment,  that  we  find  him  concert- 
ing with  James   K.   Paulding  the   project   of   "  Salma- 


OF  WASHINGTON  FRYING.  I.;; 

gundi,"  the  first  number  of  which  appeared  only  two 
months  after  the  date  of  his  license,  and  prior  by  a  few 
days  to  this  unfruitful  appeal  to  Mr.  Hoffman.  Panldi 
was  then  a  clerk  in  the  Loan  Office,  living  under  the  same 
roof  with  his  brother-in-law,  William  Irving,  and  used 
to  amuse  his  leisure  by  scribbling  satirical  strictures 
for  the  newspapers.  Washington  proposed  to  him  to 
drop  that  and  join  with  him  in  the  plan  of  a  work  which 
should  be  mainly  characterized  by  a  spirit  of  fun  and  sar- 
castic drollery,  and  should  come  out  in  numbers,  and  at 
such  intervals  as  should  suit  their  pleasure  and  conve- 
nience. Paulding  readily  fell  in  with  the  idea.  They 
were  afterwards  joined  by  "Washington's  eldest  brother, 
William,  who  made  up  the  trio,  Launcelot  Langstaff, 
Anthony  Evergreen,  and  William  Wizard.  Peter,  no 
longer  editor  of  the  "Morning  Chronicle,"  in  which 
Paulding  and  Washington  had  first  tried  their  wings, 
would  in  all  probability  have  formed  a  fourth  if  he 
had  been  in  the  city,  but  he  had  departed  on  a  tour  in 
Europe,  just  previous  to  the  appearance  of  the  first 
number. 

The  work  was  undertaken  purely  for  their  own  amuse- 
ment ;  to  please  themselves,  and  with  no  expectation  of 
pecuniary  profit.  If  they  covered  the  expense  of  paper 
and  printing  it  was  all  they  cared  for,  and  the  publisher, 
David  Longworth,  "dusky  Davie,"  as  they  called  him 
from  a  song  of  the  period,  was  made  to  profess  "the 
same  sublime  contempt  for  money  with  the  authors." 


138  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

The  work  ran  through  twenty  numbers,  and  was  con- 
tinued one  year. 

The  first  number  appeared  on  the  24th  of  January, 
1807,  and  the  opening  article,  the  joint  product  of  "Wash- 
ington and  Paulding,  breathes  a  dashing,  buoyant  audac- 
ity, well  calculated  to  disturb  the  sobriety  of  Gotham. 
The  second  article — "  From  the  Elbow-chair  of  Launce- 
lot  LangstafT,  Esq." — came  from  the  pen  of  Paulding,  and 
the  two  which  followed,  "  On  Theatrics,"  and  "  The  New 
York  Assembly,"  were  written  by  Washington. 

The  success  of  the  first  number  was  decisive.  The 
sensation  produced  by  it  in  the  New  York  circles  was 
intense,  and  great  was  the  curiosity  and  speculation  to 
know  who  were  the  mysterious  trio,  who,  with  such  un- 
questioning confidence,  had  undertaken  to  amuse,  edify, 
and  castigate  the  town. 

The  second  number  appeared  on  the  4th  of  February, 
of  which  the  first  article  was  by  Washington,  the  second 
and  third  by  Paulding,  the  poetry,  signed  Pindar  Cock- 
loft, by  William  Irving,  and  the  concluding  advertise- 
ment by  Washington.  There  is  a  trivial  anecdote  con- 
nected with  this  last  article,  which  illustrates  the  free 
and  daring  humor  in  which  the  work  was  conceived. 
The  manuscript  had  characterized  their  satirical  pleas- 
antries as  "  good-natured  raillery,"  which  last  word,  by 
an  expressive  blunder,  the  printer  converted  into  "vil- 
lainy." Whether  the  blunder  was  felicitous  or  not, 
there  was  something  waggishly  descriptive  in  the  epi- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IllYIXC  1;;<.) 

thet  which  hit  the  humor  of  Washington,  and  ho.  re- 
solved at  once  to  retain  it.  The  adopted  misprint, 
"good-natured  villainy,"  has  stood  from  that  day  to  this 
to  characterize  the  merry  mischief  of  their  labors. 

The  third  number  appeared  on  the  13th  of  February, 
containing,  among  other  papers,  the  first  of  the  series  of 
letters  from  Mustapha  Rub-a-dub  Keli  Khan,  which  avis 
written  by  Paulding,  with  the  exception  of  the  paragraph 
giving  the  account  of  the  Tripolitan's  reception  on  land- 
ing, which  was  thrown  in  by  Washington. 

In  the  preface  to  the  "  Salmagundi "  in  Harper's  uni- 
form edition  of  his  works,  Paulding  remarks :  "  The 
thoughts  of  the  authors  were  so  mingled  together  in 
these  essays,  and  they  were  so  literally  joint  productions, 
that  it  would  be  difficult  as  well  as  useless  to  assign  to 
each  his  exact  share."  The  indication  I  have  here  given 
of  their  joint  property  in  this  oriental  paper  will  elu- 
cidate the  remark,  though  it  would  be  pressing  it  beyond 
its  intent  and  meaning  to  confound  all  the  essays  in  a 
joint  indeterminate  authorship.  Many  of  the  articles 
were  exclusively  from  the  pen  of  Paulding ;  Washington 
stood  alone  in  the  authorship  of  others,  while  William's 
participation  in  the  work  was  confined  to  the  poetry  and 
the  letters  of  Mustapha  in  Nos.  V.  and  XTV.,  though 
to  these  last  Washington  contributed  some  additional 
touches.  All  the  remaining  letters  of  Mustapha  came 
exclusively  from  the  pen  of  Washington,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  in  No.  XVIIL,  which  is  to  be  ascribed  to 


140  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Paulding.  I  speak  with  the  more  confidence  in  this 
matter,  that  I  have  Paulding's  own  authority  for  these 
special  assignments,  who  claims  but  two  of  the  nine  let- 
ters of  Mustapha,  and  distinguishes  the  authorship  of  the 
others  as  I  have  indicated.  His  share  in  the  work,  how- 
ever, though  it  could  not  be  accurately  discriminated, 
was  quite  equal  to  that  of  Washington. 

The  fourth  number  of  "  Salmagundi "  appeared  on  the 
24th  of  February,  making  four  numbers  in  a  month.  The 
sensation  increased  with  every  issue,  and  eight  hundred 
copies  were  once  disposed  of  in  a  day.  They  were  also 
circulated  in  other  cities  of  the  Union,  where  imitations 
sprung  up,  went  through  a  few  numbers,  and  died.  The 
authors  were  astonished  at  their  own  success,  and  finding 
that  the  work  was  yielding  a  large  profit  to  the  publisher, 
began  to  doubt  whether  some  share  of  the  advantage 
should  not  accrue  to  themselves.  Washington,  in  par- 
ticular, who,  as  we  have  seen,  had  but  recently  taken  his 
license,  was  by  no  means  raised  above  the  necessity  of 
turning  the  unexpected  success  of  the  papers  to  account. 
"What  arrangements  have  you  made  with  the  Dusky  for 
the  profits  ?  "  he  writes  to  Paulding  from  Yirginia,  in  a 
letter  to  be  hereafter  given  in  full ;  "  I  shall  stand  much 
in  need  of  a  little  sum  of  money  on  my  return." 

Some  months  prior  to  the  date  of  this  extract,  Long- 
worth  had  taken  out  the  copyright  of  "  Salmagundi " 
before  Paulding  or  Irving  was  aware  of  its  value,  and 
all  they  ever  received  from  him  was  a  hundred  dollars 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  m 

apiece,  although  at  the  time  the  original  copyright  ex- 
pired, in  1822,  Paulding  conjectures,  in  a  letter  to  Eben- 
ezer  Irving,  that  he  had  made  by  all  accounts  ten  or 
perhaps  fifteen  thousand  dollars  out  of  it ;  probably  an 
extravagant  estimate.  Longworth  had  at  first  suggested 
a  copyright  to  them,  but  they  did  not  think  it  worth 
while,  and  he  thereupon  took  it  out  himself. 

Net  long  after  the  appearance  of  the  fourth  number  of 
"  Salmagundi,"  Mr.  Irving  visited  Philadelphia,  and  went 
the  rounds  of  fashion  and  gayety.  I  give  some  specimens 
of  his  correspondence  at  this  period. 

The  letter  which  follows  is  addressed  to  Miss  Mary 
Fairlie,  a  belle  famed  for  her  wit  and  vivacity,  who  was 
afterwards  the  wife  of  the  eminent  tragedian,  Thomas  A. 
Cooper.  The  "  fascinating  Fairlie,"  as  she  is  styled  in  a 
letter  of  Mr.  Irving,  was  the  "  Sophy  Sparkle,"  of  "  Sal- 
magundi." I  am  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Robert  Tyler,  for  this  and  other  letters  which 
will  be  given  to  the  same  address. 

[To  Miss  Mary  Fairlie.'] 

Philadelphia,  March  17,  1807. 
Your  charming  letter  has  just  reached  me,  and  the  post  shall  not  de- 
part without  an  answer,  if  it  is  only  to  testify  my  gratitude  for  the  exqui  • 
site  entertainment  you  have  furnished  me.  I  should  have  written  you  a 
second  letter  without  waiting  for  a  reply  to  my  first  ;  but  really,  I  I 
been  reduced  to  such  an  extremity  of  nervous  affliction,  that  I  dared  not 
run  the  hazard  of  being  stupid.  0,  my  friend,  how  dreadfully  I  have 
been  maltreated  in  this  most  facetious  city  !    The  good  folk  of  this  place 


142  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

have  a  most  wicked  determination  of  being  all  thought  wits  and  beaux 
esprits,  and  they  are  not  content  with  being  thought  so  by  themselves, 
but  they  insist  that  everybody  else  should  be  of  the  same  opinion,  and  it 
lias  produced  a  most  violent  attack  of  puns  upon  my  nervous  system. 
The  Fhiladolphians  do  absolutely  "live  and  move,  and  have  a  being," 
entirely  upon  puns,  and  their  wits  are  absolutely  cut  up  into  sixpenny- 
bits,  and  dealt  out  in  small  change.  I  cannot  speak  two  sentences  but 
that  I  see  a  pun  gathering  in  the  faces  of  my  hearers.  I  absolutely  shud- 
der with  horror — think  what  miseries  I  suffer — me  to  whom  a  pun  is  an 
abomination;  is  there  anything  in  the  whole  volume  of  the  "miseries  of 
human  life "  to  equal  it  ?  I  experienced  the  first  attack  of  this  forlorn 
wit  on  entering  Philadelphia  ;  it  was  equal  to  a  twinge  of  the  gout,  or  a 
stitch  in  the  side.  I  found  it  was  repeated  at  every  step.  I  could  not 
turn  a  corner,  but  that  a  pun  was  hurled  at  my  head  ;  till,  to  complete 
my  annoyance,  two  young  devils  of  punsters,  who  began  just  to  crow  in 
the  art  like  young  bantams,  penned  me  up  in  a  corner  at  a  tea-party,  and 
did  so  bepun  me,  that  I  was  reduced  to  absolute  stupidity.  I  hastened 
home  prodigiously  indisposed,  took  to  my  bed,  and  was  only  roused  there- 
from by  the  sound  of  the  breakfast-bell.  I  have  suffered  more  or  less 
ever  since  ;  but,  thank  heaven,  it  is  a  complaint  of  which  few  die,  other- 
wise I  should  be  under  no  small  apprehension.  Your  message  to  the  ele- 
gant   shall  be  faithfully  remembered. has  sent  him  a 

handkerchief  of  yours,  which  she  happened  accidentally  to  have  with  her. 
I  expect  to  see  him  wearing  it  in  his  bosom,  or  on  his  hat,  or  perhaps  as 
a  night-cap.  He  still  retains  a  spark  of  faithful  i-eeollection,  and  was 
particular  in  his  inquiries  of  Brevoort,  whether  you  were  not  in  low  spir- 
its. He  called  on  me  two  or  three  times,  and  I  on  him,  but  we  could  not 
find  each  other  at  home  ;  by  good  fortune,  however,  I  overtook  him  yes- 
terday, as  he  was  treating  his  legs  to  an  airing  in  Market  Street.  As  I 
hold  those  ponderous  supporters  of  his  body  in  no  inconsiderable  estima- 
tion, I  was  particular  in  noticing  their  appearance,  and  am  happy  to  say 
they  are  in  a  state  of  tolerable  prosperity,  though  they  have  rather  a  pen- 
sive aspect,  owing,  I  suppose,  to  the  weight  of  misery  and  carcass  they 
have  to  undergo  (meaning  a  villainous  pun,  for  which  God  forgive  me). 


OF  WASHINGTON  IIIVING.  \\.\ 

The  dear  dog  was  very  loving  in  his  salutation,  and  made  several  kinds 
of  pulse-feeling  questions.  Were  there  not  several  ladies  coming  on  from 
New  York  ?    No  !     The  reply  was  like  a  guillotine  ;  it  chopped  off  his 

hopes  and  his  question  at  one  stroke,  and  the  unhappy relapsed 

into  stupidity,  and  thought  of  the  moon  !  As  I  have  no  such  thing  as 
malice  in  my  composition,  and  do  love  dearly  to  make  even-body  happy, 
I  advised  him  to  make  New  York  a  visit.  He  expressed  a  wish  to  do  so. 
I  begged  him  to  go  with  me  ;  he  wanted  to  know  how  soon  I  should  go  ; 
this  I  could  not  tell ;  as  my  stay  depends  entirely  on  my  whim  and  my 
pocket ;  he  seemed  to  listen  to  the  proposition  with  complacency,  and  it 
shall  go  hard,  but  you  will  have  him  puffing  and  lumbering  about  your 
parlor  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  two 

I  have  been  introduced  to  Mrs.  D by  her  husband.     I  won't  speak 

all  that  I  think  of  her  ;  you  would  accuse  me  of  hyperbole  ;  but,  to  say 
that  I  admire  her  would  be  too  cold,  too  feeble.  I  think  she  would  be  a 
belle  in  heaven  itself.  I  cannot  refrain  from  gazing  on  her  continually 
whenever  I  meet  her,  and  were  I  an  Eastern  visionary,  I  should  bow  down 
and  do  her  homage,  as  one  of  the  Houris  destined  to  perfect  the  bliss  of 
true  believers.  This  is  all  honest,  sober  fact,  whatever  you  may  think 
of  it 

You  need  not  be  under  any  apprehensions  of  my  forgetting  New  York 
while  you  are  in  it  (very  like  a  compliment)  ;  but  I  have  so  many  engage- 
ments on  hand,  am  so  intolerably  admired,  and  have  still  so  much  money 
in  my  pocket,  that  I  really  can  fix  no  time  when  I  shall  return  to  my 
New  York  insignificance. 

I  fear  I  shall  miss  the  post,  so,  though  I  have  a  world  of  matter  more 
to  communicate,  I  must  hastily  conclude  with  my  warmest  remembrance 
to  your  family,  and  a  fervent  request  for  an  immediate  answer. 

P.  S. — As  your  mamma  is  so  kindly  solicitous  about  my  health,  do  not 
let  her  know  of  my  being  so  violently  indisposed  with  {his  pun  fever,  par- 
ticularly as  I  feel  myself  on  the  recovery  ever  since  I  have  read  that  esti- 
mable work  entitled  "  God's  Revenge  against  Punning." 

In  her  reply  of  March  19th,  this  lady  begs  him  to  try 


144  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  come  back  by  the  next  assembly,  which  was  that  day 
week  and  was  to  be  the  last. 

It  seems  that  he  must  have  returned,  for  a  female 
correspondent  at  Philadelphia  (March  30th)  gives  with 
playful  extravagance  the  following  picture  of  the  impres- 
sion he  had  left  behind.  "  As  for  me,  my  consequence 
lessens  every  day ;  indeed  I  begin  to  think  seriously  of 
leaving  this  terrestrial  paradise.  Half  the  people  exist 
but  in  the  idea  that  you  will  one  day  return.  When  will 
pleasure  return  to  these  wretched  beings?  They  have 
no  philosophy,  and  ages  will  not  reconcile  them  to  the 
loss  of  your  society." 

It  was  on  this  visit  to  Philadelphia  that  Mr.  Irving 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Joseph  Dennie,  then  in  high 
repute  as  the  author  of  the  "  Lay  Preacher  "  and  conduc- 
tor of  the  "  Portfolio,"  and  next  to  Charles  Brockden 
Brown,  the  first  American  writer  who  made  a  profession 
of  literature. 

In  the  eighth  number  of  "  Salmagundi,"  which  ap- 
peared soon  after,  he  incorporated  in  the  character  of 
Langstaff  the  following  sketch  of  Dennie's  peculiari- 
ties : — 

Langstaff  inherited  from  his  father  a  love  of  literature,  a  disposition 
for  castle-building,  a  mortal  enmity  to  noise,  a  sovereign  antipathy  to 
cold  weather  and  brooms,  and  a  plentiful  stock  of  whimwhams.  From 
the  delicacy  of  his  nerves  he  is  peculiarly  sensible  to  discordant  sounds  ; 
the  rattle  of  a  wheel-barrow  is  "horrible  "  ;  the  noise  of  children  "  drives 
him  distracted  "  ;  and  he  once  left  excellent  lodgings,  merely  because  the 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  H5 

lady  of  the  house  wore  high-heeled  shoes,  in  which  she  clattered  up  and 
down  stairs  till,  to  use  his  own  emphatic  expression,  "  they  made  life 
loathsome  "  to  him.  He  suffers  annual  martyrdom  from  the  razor-edgi  d 
zephyrs  of  our  "  balmy  spring"  ;  and  solemnly  declares  that  the  boasted 
month  of  May  has  become  a  perfect  "  vagabond."  As  some  people  have 
a  great  antipathy  to  cats,  and  can  tell  when  one  is  locked  up  in  a  closet, 
so  Launcelot  declares  his  feelings  always  announce  to  him  the  neighbor- 
hood of  a  broom — a  household  implement  which  he  abominates  above  all 
others.  Nor  is  there  any  Living  animal  in  the  world  that  he  holds  in 
more  utter  abhorrence  than  what  is  usually  termed  a  notable  housewife — 
a  pestilent  being,  who,  he  protests,  is  the  bane  of  good-fellowship,  and 
has  a  heavy  charge  to  answer  for  the  many  offenses  committed  against  the 
ease,  comfort,  and  social  enjoyments  of  sovereign  man.  He  told  me  not 
long  ago,  "  that  he  had  rather  see  one  of  the  weird  sisters  nourish  through 
his  key-hole  on  a  broomstick,  than  one  of  the  servant  maids  enter  the 
door  with  a  broom." 

Dennie  had  all  the  nervous  irritability  here  ascribed  to 
Langstaff,  and  when  he  read  this  extract  he  saw  that  he 
had  been  sitting  for  his  likeness,  and  afterwards  acknowl- 
edged to  the  author  with  evident  gratification  the  truth 

of  the  portraiture. 
vol.  1. — 10 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

LETTER  TO  MISS  FAIRLIE. — MINGLES  IN  AN  ELECTION.— PASSAGE  OF  A  LETTER 
FROM  MISS  FAIRLIE. — HIS  LIKENESS. — LETTER  TO  MISS  FAIRLIE. — ATTENDS 
THE  TRIAL  OF  BURR. — LETTER  TO  MRS.  HOFFMAN. — GENERAL  JAMES  WIL- 
KINSON.— LETTER  TO  JAMES  K.  PAULDING. — STRIKING  ACCOUNT  OP  THE 
FIRST  ENCOUNTER  OF  BURR  AND  WILKINSON. — STRICTURES  ON  NO.  10  OF 
"SALMAGUNDI"  BY  HIMSELF. — THOMAS  A.  COOPER,  THE  TRAGEDIAN. — 
LETTER  TO  MISS  FAIRLIE. — LAST  INTERVIEW  WITH  BURH. — DEATH  OF  HIS 
FATHER. 

OON  after  liis  return  from  Philadelphia,  his 
lively  correspondent,  Miss  Fairlie,  paid  a  visit 
to  Boston.  In  the  following  fragment  of  a  let- 
ter addressed  to  her  at  that  place,  we  have  an  amusing 
sketch  of  himself  and  other  juvenile  patriots  at  the 
polls : — 

[To  Miss  Mary  Fairlie.] 

New  Vork,  May  2,  1807. 
I  thank  yon  a  thousand  times  for  the  wish  you  express  that  I  should 

write   to    you Well     ....     We  have  toiled  through 

the  purgatory  of  an  election,  and  may  the  day  stand  for  aye  accursed 
on  the  Kalendar,  for  never  were  poor  devils  more  intolerably  beaten 
and  discomfited  than  my  forlorn  brethren,  the  Federalists.  What  makes 
me  the  more  outrageous   is,  that  I  got  fairly  drawn  into  the  vortex, 

146 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  \fl 

and  before  the  third  day  was  expired,  I  was  as  deep  in  mud  and  politics 
as  ever  a  moderate  gentleman  would  wish  to  be  ;  and  I  drank  beer  with 
the  multitude  ;  and  I  talked  handbill-fashion  with  the  demagogues,  and 
I  shook  hands  with  the  mob — whom  my  heart  abhorrcth.  Tis  tru 
the  two  first  days  I  maintained  my  coolness  and  indifference.  The  first 
day  I  merely  hunted  for  whim,  character,  and  absurdity,  according  to  my 
usual  custom;  the  second  day  being  rainy,  I  sat  in  the  bar-room  at  the 
Seventh  Ward,  and  read- a  volume  of  Galatea,  which  I  found  on  a  shell  ; 
but,  before  I  had  got  through  a  hundred  pages,  I  had  three  or  four  _ 
Feds  sprawling  around  me  on  the  floor,  and  another  with  his  eyes  half 
shut,  leaning  on  my  shoulder  in  the  most  affectionate  manner,  and  spelling 
a  page  of  the  book  as  if  it  had  been  an  electioneering  handbill.  But  the 
third  day — ah  !  then  came  the  tug  of  war.  My  patriotism  all  at  once 
blazed  forth,  and  I  determined  to  save  my  country  !  0,  mv  friend,  I 
have  been  in  such  holes  and  corners  ;  such  filthy  nooks  and  filthy  corners, 
sweep  offices  and  oyster  cellars  !  "  I  have  been  sworn  brother  to  a  leash  of 
drawers,  and  can  drink  with  any  tinker  in  his  own  language  during  my 
life  " — faugh  !  I  shall  not  be  able  to  bear  the  smell  of  small  beer  or 
tobacco  for  a  month  to  come  !     .     .     .     . 

Truly  this  saving  one's  country  is  a  nauseous  piece  of  business,  and  if 
patriotism  is  such  a  dirty  virtue — prythee,  no  more  of  it.     I  was  almost 
the  whole  time  at  the  Seventh  Ward — as  you  know  that  is  the  most  fer- 
tile ward  in  mob,  riot,  and  incident,  and  I  do  assure  you  the  scent 
exquisitely  ludicrous.    Such  haranguing  and  puffing  and  strutting  among 
all  the  little  great  men  of  the  day.     Such  shoals  of  unfledged  heroes  from 
the  lower  wards,  who  had  broke  away  from  their  mammas,  and  run  to 
electioneer  with  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter  in  their  hands.     Every 
riage  that  drove  up  disgorged  a  whole  nursery  of  these  pigmy  won 
who  all  seemed  to  put  on  the  brow  of  thought,  the  air  of  bustle  and  busi- 
ness, and  the  big  talk  of  general  committee  men 

I  extract  from  the  lady's  reply;  reminding  the  reader 
that,  in  the  number  of  "  Salmagundi "  issued  a  few  weeks 


148  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

before,  there  was  a  queer  likeness  of  Launcelot  Lang- 
staff  with  a  preposterous  length  of  nose. 

Boston,  11th  May. 

How  my  heart  joyed  to  hear  of  your  defeat  !  never  did  I  receive  a  let- 
ter which  gave  me  so  much  pleasure.  I  cannot  say,  however,  that  it  was 
unexpected,  as  I  am  too  good  a  Republican  to  have  thought  of  leaving 
New  York  without  being  perfectly  sure  of  our  victory. 

You  are  all  blown.  A  cute  young  man,  an  author  of  the  Anthology, 
dined  with  us  to-day.  After  having  (by  the  way  of  entertaining  me) 
been  catechized  by  him  on  all  points,  he  asked  me  the  usual  question  of 
who  was  the  author  of  "  Salmagundi"  ?  I  told  him  that  it  was  not  abso- 
lutely known,  but  that  you  were  shrewdly  suspected ;  he  said  he  thought 
so  ;  that  he  had  seen  you  in  Italy  ;  that  the  instant  he  saw  the  likeness  of 
Launcelot  in  No.  8,  he  perceived  it  bore  a  strong  likeness  to  you,  indeed 
very  striking  ;  it  had  your  nose  and  the  whole  contour  of  your  face  ex- 
actly ;  to  be  sure,  he  added,  it  was  a  little  caricatured  !  I  forthwith 
determined  to  have  it  set  in  pearl,  and  shall  evermore  wear  it  next  my 
heart,  in  token  of  the  great  love  and  kindness  I  bear  the  original ! 

Mr.  Irving  had  made  a  sudden  departure  from  New 
York  before  the  date  of  this  extract,  and  what  follows  is 
written  in  advance  of  its  receipt. 

[To  Miss  Mary  Fair  lie.] 

Fredericksburg,  Va.,  May  13, 1807. 
"There  is  a  tide  in  the  :iffairs  of  men," 

and  a  pretty  rapid  one  too,  sometimes,  as  witness  myself  all  at  once  hur- 
ried off  by  the  stream  to  this  part  of  the  Union,  without  a  previous  pro 
or  con  about  the  matter.     You  are,  doubtless,  surprised  (if  any  movement 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  149 

of  mine  interests  you  sufficiently  to  occasion  surprise)  at  my  sudden  tran- 
sition from  New  York  to  Virginia,  without  giving  you  an  inkling  of  such 
an  intention  in  my  last  letter.  To  save  you,  therefore,  the  trouble  of 
wondering  about  the  circumstance,  and  of  running  through  the  whole 
catalogue  of  certainties,  probabilities,  and  possibilities,  with  their  attend- 
ant hows,  and  whens,  and  whys,  I  merely  inform  you  that  I  did  not  so 
much  as  dream  of  this  jaunt  four-and-twenty  hours  before  my  departure 
— that  I  am  on  business  ;  but  having  got  into  this  part  of  the  world,  I 
shall  spend  some  time  in  visiting  my  Virginia  friends,  'tending  Burr's 
trial,  etc.,  etc. 

At  Baltimore  I  made  a  stay  of  two  days,  during  which  I  was  toted 
about  town  and  introduced  to  everybody  ;  in  the  course  of  which  labo- 
rious occupation  I  encountered  several  very  imminent  hazards  from  the 
beauteous  damsels  of  the  place,  who  have  the  same  murderous  thirst  for 
conquest  that  characterizes  their  sex  throughout  the  world  ;  I  particu- 
larly mention  a  Miss  ,  a  very  pretty  young  woman.    I  had  not  been 

in  her  company  long,  before  her  manners  alarmed  my  suspicions,  and 
upon  whispering  to  a  gentleman  next  to  me,  I  had  them  fidly  confirmed  ; 
in  short,  I  discovered  that  I  had  fallen  into  the  clutches  of  a  declared 
belle;  whereupon  I  seized  my  hat  and  retreated  as  rapidly  as  ever  did  his 
Highness  the  Duke  of  York.  Of  all  things  in  the  world,  I  do  eschew  a 
professed  belle  from  my  very  soul.     .     .     . 

I  am  now  with  my  friend  Colonel  Mercer  of  Fredericksburg :  to-morrow 
I  set  off  for  Richmond,  and  from  thence  almost  immediately  to  Williams- 
burg to  see  Cabell,  who  has  lately  married  one  of  the  finest  and  richest 
girls  in  Virginia. 

This  was  his  friend  and  travelling  companion,  Joseph 
C.  Cabell,  who  had  lately  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  a 
gay  and  humorous  letter  from  him,  which  convinced  him 
that  he  was  "  the  same  Washington  Irving  whose  name 
resounded  so  long  in  the  valley  of  the  Ticino." 


150  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

The  real  explanation  of  his  sudden  flight  from  New 
York  was  that  he  went  off  on  an  informal  retainer  from 
one  of  the  friends  of  Colonel  Burr,  whose  trial  was  ex- 
pected to  take  place  in  Richmond.  His  client  had  little 
belief  in  his  legal  erudition,  and  did  not  look  for  auy 
approach  to  a  professional  debut,  but  thought  he  might 
in  some  way  or  other  be  of  service  with  his  pen.  He 
himself  felt  that  the  movements  and  deportment  of  Burr 
were  likely  to  be  highly  interesting  in  his  present  cir- 
cumstances, and  seems  eagerly  to  have  embraced  the 
opportunity  of  mingling  in  the  excitements  of  the  trial. 
Enveloped  as  had  been  the  proceedings  of  Burr  in  doubt 
and  mystery,  he  did  not  at  this  time  share  in  the  preva- 
lent belief  of  his  treason,  and  he  writes  to  Mrs.  Hoffman, 
"though  opposed  to  him  in  political  principles,  yet  I 
consider  him  as  a  man  so  fallen,  so  shorn  of  the  power  to 
do  national  injury,  that  I  feel  no  sensation  remaining  but 
compassion  for  him." 

In  the  following  letter  to  the  same  lady,  we  find  him  in 
attendance  on  the  trial. 

[To  Mrs.  Hoffman.'] 

Richmond,  June  4, 1807. 
.  .  .  You  expected  that  the  trial  was  over  at  the  time  you  were 
writing  ;  but  you  can  little  conceive  the  talents  for  procrastination  that 
have  been  exhibited  in  this  affair.  Day  after  day  have  we  been  disap- 
pointed by  the  non-arrival  of  the  magnanimous  Wilkinson ;  day  after 
day  have  fresh  murmurs  and  complaints  been  uttered  ;  and  day  after  day 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  151 

are  we  told  that  the  next  mail  will  probably  bring  his  noble  self,  or  at 
least  some  accounts  when  he  may  be  expected.    We  aro  now  enjoying  a 
kind  of  suspension  of  hostilities  ;  the  grand  jury  having  been  dismi 
the  day  before  yesterday  for  five  or  six  days,  that  they  might  go  home, 
see  their  wives,  get  their  clothes  washed,  and  Hog  their  negroes.     As  yet 
we  are  not  even  on  the  threshold  of  a  trial ;  and,  if  the  great  hero  of  tho 
South  does  not  arrive,  it  is  a  chance  if  we  have  any  trial  this  term.    I  am 
told  the  Attorney-general  talks  of  moving  the  Court  next  Tuesday,  for  a 
continuance  and  a  special  Court,  by  which  means  the  present  grand  jury 
(the  most  enlightened,  perhaps,  that  was  ever  assembled  in  this  country) 
will  be  discharged  ;  the  witnesses  will  be  dismissed  ;  many  of  whom  livo 
such  a  distance  off  that  it  is  a  chance  if  half  of  them  will  ever  be  again 
collected.     The  Government  will  be  again  subjected  to  immense  expense, 
and  Colonel  Burr,  besides  being  harassed  and  detained  for  an  additional 
space  of  time,  will  have  to  repeat  the  enormous  expenditures  which  this 
trial  has  already  caused  him.     I  am  very  much  mistaken,  if  the  mot . 
underhand  and  ungenerous  measures  have  not  been  observed  towartu 
him.     He,  however,  retains  his  serenity  and  self-possession  unshaken 
and  wears  the  same  aspect  in  all  times  and  situations.     I  am  impatient, 
for  the  arrival  of  this  Wilkinson,  that  the  whole  matter  may  be  put  to 
rest  ;  and  I  never  was  more  mistaken  in  my  calculations,  if  the  whole 
will  not  have  a  most  farcical  termination  as  it  respects  the   charges 
against  Colonel  Burr 

To  understand  the  force  of  this  allusion  to  General 
James  Wilkinson,  then  at  the  head  of  the  army,  and  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  remember  that  he  was  supposed  at  the  time  to  bo  in 
some  way  implicated  in  the  schemes  of  Burr.  He  h;u\ 
known  him  in  the  Eovolution,  and  the  intimacy  had  con- 
tinued through  a  long  course  of  years.  Not  a  great  whik 
prior  to  the  arrest  of  Burr,  when  he  was  wandering  iu 


152  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

the  "West,  they  had  corresponded  in  mysterious  charac- 
ters, as  if  the  subject  of  their  communications  required 
concealment,  and  though  he  had  finally  taken  an  active 
part  in  baffling  his  schemes  and  bringing  him  to  trial, 
doubts  were  still  entertained  whether — if  clear  of  actual 
participation  in  the  designs  of  his  former  friend — he  had 
not  at  least  pursued  a  temporizing  policy,  until  he  saw 
the  impending  explosion.  Certain  it  is  that  Burr  claimed 
him  as  an  associate,  and  charged  him  with  perfidy. 

On  the  24th  of  June  the  grand  jury,  of  which  the  cele- 
brated John  Randolph  was  foreman,  came  in  with  charges 
of  treason  and  misdemeanor  against  Burr.  Two  days  be- 
fore, Mr.  Irving  had  written  a  letter  to  James  K.  Pauld- 
ing, which,  among  other  matters  of  interest,  contains  a 
striking  account  of  the  first  encounter  of  Burr  and  Wil- 
kinson.    I  give  the  letter. 

Richmond,  June  22, 1807. 
Dear  James: — 

I  have  been  expecting  a  few  lines  from  you  for  some  time  past,  and  am 
sorry  to  find  you  stand  upon  ceremony.  Had  I  the  same  leisure  that  I 
had  when  in  New  York,  you  should  not  want  for  scrawls  as  often  as  you 
choose,  but  here  I  have  but  a  few  moments  that  are  not  occupied  in 
attending  the  trial,  and  observing  the  character  and  company  assembled 
here.  I  wish  to  know  all  the  ne^s  about  our  Trork,  and  any  literary  in- 
telligence that  may  be  in  circulation.  I  am  much  disappointed  at  your 
having  concluded  the  first  volume  at  No.  10.  Besides  making  an  insig- 
nificant baby-house  volume,  it  ends  so  weakly  at  one  of  the  weakest 
numbers  of  the  whole.  At  least  it  is  a  number  which  is  not  highly  satis- 
factory to  me,  perhaps  because  T  wrote  the  greatest  part  of  it  myself,  and 
that  at  hurried  moments.     I  had  intended  concluding  it  in  style,  and 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  153 

commencing  Vol.  2  with  some  eclat  :  "but  let  that  pass."  I  have  no 
doubt  you  had  three  special  reasons  for  what  you  have  done,  and  am  con- 
tent. What  arrangement  have  you  made  with  the  Dusky  for  the  pro; 
I  shall  stand  much  in  need  of  a  little  sum  of  money  on  my  return. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  send  you  more  matter  for  another  number,  as 
soon  as  I  can  find  time  and  humor  to  write  it  in  ;  at  present  I  have 
neither. 

I  can  appoint  no  certain  time  for  my  return,  as  it  depends  entirely 
upon  the  trial.  Wilkinson,  you  will  observe,  has  arrived  ;  the  bets  were 
against  Burr  that  he  would  abscond,  should  W.  come  to  Richmond  ;  but 
he  still  maintains  his  ground,  and  still  enters  the  Court  every  morning 
with  the  same  serene  and  placid  air  that  he  would  show  were  he  brought 
there  to  plead  another  man's  cause,  and  not  his  own. 

The  lawyers  are  continually  entangling  each  other  in  law  points,  mo- 
tions, and  authorities,  and  have  been  so  crusty  to  each  other,  that  there  is 
a  constant  sparring  going  on.  Wilkinson  is  now  before  the  grand  jury, 
and  has  such  a  mighty  mass  of  words  to  deliver  himself  of,  that  he  claims 
at  least  two  days  more  to  discharge  the  wondrous  cargo.  The  jury  are 
tired  enough  of  his  verbosity.  The  first  interview  between  him  and  Burr 
was  highly  interesting,  and  I  secured  a  good  place  to  witness  it.  Burr 
was  seated  with  his  back  to  the  entrance,  facing  the  judge,  and  convers- 
ing with  one  of  his  counsel.  Wilkinson  strutted  into  the  Court,  and  took 
a  stand  in  a  parallel  line  with  Burr  on  his  right  hand.  Here  he  stood  for 
a  moment  swelling  like  a  turkey  cock,  and  bracing  himself  up  for  the  en- 
counter of  Burr's  eye.  The  latter  did  not  take  any  notice  of  him  until 
the  judge  directed  the  clerk  to  swear  General  Wilkinson  ;  at  the  mention 
of  the  name  Burr  turned  his  head,  looked  him  full  in  the  face  with  one  of 
his  piercing  regards,  swept  his  eye  over  his  whole  person  from  head  to 
foot,  as  if  to  scan  its  dimensions,  and  then  coolly  resumed  his  former  po- 
sition, and  went  on  conversing  with  his  counsel  as  tranquilly  as  ever. 
The  whole  look  was  over  in  an  instant  ;  but  it  was  an  admirable  one. 
There  was  no  appearance  of  study  or  constraint  in  it  ;  no  affectation  of 
disdain  or  defiance  ;  a  slight  expression  of  contempt  played  over  his 
countenance,  such  as  you  would  show  on  regarding  any  person  to  whom 


154:  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

you  were  indifferent,  but  whom  you  considered  mean  and  contemptible. 
"Wilkinson  did  not  remain  in  Court  many  minutes. 

Do  write  me  immediately.     Answer  me  the  questions  I  have  already 
asked,  and  give  me  all  the  news  you  hear. 

Love  to  Pindar  and  family.  Yours  truly, 

W.  1. 

"  Pindar "  was  his  brother  "William,  who  wrote  the 
poetical  pieces  of  "  Salmagundi "  under  the  signature 
of  Pindar  Cockloft.  The  hurried  article  to  which  he 
objects  as  having  been  written  by  himself,  was  styled 
"  The  Stranger  in  Philadelphia."  It  was  made  up  of 
satirical  observations  on  men  and  manners  in  that  city, 
but  did  not  satisfy  him,  and  was  not  retained  in  subse- 
quent editions. 

Mr.  Irving  was  still  absent  at  Richmond,  when  the 
number  which  succeeded  this  appeared,  containing  a  let- 
ter from  Mustapha  by  himself,  and  "Mine  Uncle  John," 
which  is  exclusively  from  the  pen  of  Paulding.  Of  this 
finished  and  delightful  sketch  he  used  always  to  speak  in 
terms  of  warm  admiration.  He  ajopreciated  it  the  more, 
no  doubt,  from  having  known  the  original,  a  veritable 
uncle  of  the  writer. 

Though  his  attendance  at  the  trial  turned  out  a 
professional  sinecure,  Mr.  Irving  contrived  to  pass  two 
months  in  Richmond  very  agreeably.  "  I  have  been 
treated,"  he  writes  some  time  before  he  left,  "  in  the 
most  polite  and  hospitable  manner  by  the  most  distin- 
guished persons  of  the  place — those  friendly  to  Colonel 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  I", 

Burr  and  those  opposed  to  him,  and  have  intimate  .  - 
quaintances  among  his  bitterest;  enemies.  I  am  abso- 
lutely enchanted  with  Eichmond,  and  like  it  more  and 
more  every  day.  The  society  is  polished,  sociable,  and 
extremely  hospitable,  and  there  is  a  great  variety  <>f 
distinguished  characters  assembled  on  this  occasion, 
which  gives  a  strong  degree  of  interest  to  passing  in- 
cidents." 

One  occurrence  which  befell  him  there  illustrates 
somewhat  comically  a  romantic  phase  of  his  charac- 
ter. 

Cooper,  the  actor,  had  been  playing  a  round  of  charac- 
ters at  Eichmond  during  the  trial,  and  was  requested 
to  give  the  part  of  Beverly  in  the  "Gamester,"  but 
he  lacked  the  necessary  equipment  of  small  clothes. 
Whereupon  Mr.  Irving  lent  him  a  pair  for  the  occasion 
— breeches  being  all  the  vogue  in  those  days — which 
Cooper  afterwards  carried  off  to  Baltimore.  Here  he 
discovered  in  the  pocket  a  mysterious  locket  of  hair  in 
the  shape  of  a  heart,  and  he  thereupon  despatched  a 
humorous  half-poetical  epistle  to  Irving  to  relieve  the 
anxiety  he  presumed  he  might  feel  on  account  of  its  sup- 
posed loss.  The  whole  lines  need  not  be  quoted,  but 
after  sundry  inquiries  as  to  : — 

"Where  was  the  sylph  when  his  fingers  entwined 
The  dear  lock," 

he  adds, — 


156  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

"Receive  these  inquiries,  dear  friend,  in  good  part, 
And  since  you  have  locked  the  fair  hair  in  your  heart, 
Ne'er  trust,  of  the  girl  who  your  fancy  bewitches, 
Such  an  emblem  of  love  in  another  man's  breeches." 

The  history  of  this  "  emblem  of  love "  is  curious. 
During  his  romantic  sojourn  at  Genoa,  Mr.  Irving  was 
very  much  taken  with  the  beauty  of  a  young  Italian  lady, 
the  wife  of  a  Frenchman.  He  had  met  her  frequently  in 
the  social  circles  of  Genoa,  but  had  never  been  intro- 
duced to  her,  and  was  content  to  worship  the  lovely 
vision  afar  off.  At  a  party  which  he  attended  just  prior 
to  his  leaving,  she  dropped  her  handkerchief,  which  he, 
observing,  picked  up,  and  with  more  gallantry  than  hon- 
esty transferred  to  his  own  pocket  as  a  secret  but  pre- 
cious keepsake.  At  Catania  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be 
robbed  of  this  handkerchief.  He  had  gone  one  evening 
to  the  cathedral  of  St.  Agatha  to  be  present  at  a  fete  in 
honor  of  the  saint.  The  church  was  brilliantly  lighted 
and  densely  filled.  After  moving  about  among  the  crowd 
for  a  Avhile,  he  and  his  naval  companions,  whose  uniform 
denoted  them  to  be  strangers,  were  ushered  very  politely 
into  the  chapel  of  St.  Agatha,  separated  from  the  rest 
of  the  church  by  a  grating  of  gilt  iron,  and  from  hence, 
heretics  as  they  were,  they  were  admitted  into  an  inner 
chapel  where  the  bust  of  the  saint  was  deposited,  and 
which  was  generally  sacred  from  profane  intrusion.  It 
was  an  unusual  stretch  of  civility  towards  heretics,  and 
here  it  was — in  these  sacred  precincts — as  if  as  a  set-oft 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  157 

to  the  unwonted  courtesy,  that  his  pocket  was  picked  of 
its  stolen  treasure. 

A  history  of  the  whole  affair  was  despatched  to  hi-; 
friend  Storm  at  Genoa,  lamenting  his  misfortune.  Tho 
latter,  through  some  fair  medium,  communicated  it  to 
the  lovely  Bianca,  for  that  was  her  name,  who  thereupon 
sent  him  a  lock  of  her  hair,  with  a  request  that  he  would 
come  to  see  her  on  his  return  to  Genoa.  He  did  not  re- 
turn that  way,  as  we  have  seen,  though  such  had  been 
his  intention,  but  the  hair  was  inclosed  in  a  locket  and 
worn  round  his  neck,  a  cherished  memorial  of  a  radiant 
vision  which  had  once  crossed  his  path  and  been  seen 
no  more.  It  was  this  locket  which  had  been  left  in  the 
borrowed  breeches,  and  gave  occasion  to  Cooper's  witty 
jeu  d' esprit. 

On  his  way  home  from  Richmond,  he  writes  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  his  charming  correspondent,  Miss  Fair- 
lie,  which  among  other  things  gives  an  interesting  ac- 
count of  his  last  interview  with  Burr,  who  seems  to 
have  exercised  over  his  youthful  fancy  that  peculiar  fas- 
cination for  which  he  was  so  remarkable. 

[To  Miss  Mary  Fair  lie.] 

Washington  City,  July  7,  1807. 
The  interval  that  has  elapsed,  since  last  I  wrote  to  you,  certainly  re- 
quires some  apology  ;  but  apologies  I  always  consider  as  implying  some 
restraint,  or  ceremony,  or  control ;  and,  as  I  wish  our  correspondence  to 
be  perfectly  free,  pleasant,  independent,  voluntary,  unconstrained,  un- 


158  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

shackled,  etc.,  etc.,  I  am  determined,  though  I  have  some  half  a  dozen 
excellent  apologies  at  the  end  of  my  pen,  yet  they  shall  be  passed  over  in 
silence,  or  taken  for  granted,  as  best  suits  your  humor.  I  feel  the  more 
indebted  to  you  for  the  letters  I  have  received,  inasmuch  as  they  must 
have  interfered  with  a  thousand  of  those  splendid  enjoyments  by  which 
you,  as  a  declared  belle,  must  be  necessarily  engrossed.  Trust  me,  it  is 
grateful  to  my  feelings,  and  not  a  little  flattering  to  my  vanity,  the  proud 
idea,  that,  when  surrounded  like  the  grand  Lama,  or  the  immortal  Josh, 
by  a  crowd  of  humble  adorers,  you  can  still  think  upon  such  an  insignifi- 
cant personage  as  myself,  and  even  steal  away  from  the  shrine  at  which 
you  are  worshipped,  to  bestow  on  me  an  hour's  conversation.  Inspired 
by  such  thoughts,  I  open  your  letters  with  a  kind  of  triumph ;  I  consider 
them  as  testimonies  of  those  brilliant  moments  which  I  have  rescued  from 
the  buzzards  that  surround  you ;  moments,  perhaps,  for  which  some  hap- 
less Damon  sighed,  of  which  he  counted  the  tedious  seconds  by  a  stop 
watch ;  fancied  them  puffed  up  into  half  hours  or  any  other  portly  dimen- 
sions, and  cursed  the  giant  minutes  as  they  passed  !  Vain-glorious  mor- 
tal that  I  am  !  perhaps  these  same  epistles  on  which  I  so  much  value 
myself  are  merely  the  effusions  of  some  vacant  hour,  some  interval 
between  dressing  and  dinner,  or  dinner  and  a  ball;  perhaps  the  mere 
method  by  which  you  detassitude  yourself  after  the  fatigues  of  an  even- 
ing's campaign,  like  the  illustrious  Jefferson,  who,  after  toiling  all  day  in 
deciding  the  fates  of  a  nation,  retires  to  his  closet  and  amuses  himself 
with  impaling  a  tadpole ;  but  let  them  be  written  when,  where,  or  how 
they  will,  be  assured  they  will  ever  be  received  with  delight,  and  read 
with  avidity. 

I  am  now  scribbling  in  the  parlor  of  Mr.  Van  Ness,  at  whose  house  I 
am  on  a  visit  ;  having,  as  you  plainly  perceive,  torn  myself  from  Rich- 
mond. I  own  the  parting  was  painful,  for  I  had  been  treated  there  with 
the  utmost  kindness,  and  having  become  a  kind  of  old  inhabitant  of  the 
place,  was  permitted  to  consult  my  own  whims,  inclinations,  and  ca- 
prices, just  as  I  chose ;  a  privilege  which  a  stranger  has  to  surrender  on 
first  arriving  in  a  place.  By  some  unlucky  means  or  other,  when  I  first 
made  my  appearance  in  Richmond,  I  got  the  character,  among  three  or 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  |  59 

four  novel-read  damsels,  of  being  an  interesting  young  man ;  now  of  all 
characters  in  the  world,  believe  me,  this  is  the  most  intolerable  for  any 
young  man,  who  has  a  will  of  his  own  to  support;  particularly  in  warm 
weather.  The  tender-hearted  fair  ones  think  you  absolutely  al  their 
command  ;  they  conclude  that  you  must,  of  course,  be  fond  of  moonlight 
walks,  and  rides  at  daybreak,  and  red-hot  strolls  in  the  middle  of  the  day 
(Fahrenheit's  Thermom.  98£  in  the  shade),  "and  melting-hot— hissing- 
hot"  tea-parties,  and  what  is  worse,  they  expect  you  to  talk  sentiment 
and  act  Romeo,  and  Sir  Charles,  and  King  Pepin  all  the  while.  'Twas 
too  much  for  me  ;  had  I  been  in  love  with  any  one  of  them,  I  believe  I 
could  have  played  the  dying  swain,  as  eloquently  and  foolishly  as  most 
men ;  but  not  having  the  good  luck  to  be  inspired  by  the  tender  passion, 
1  found  the  slavery  insupportable  ;  so  I  forthwith  set  about  ruining  my 
character  as  speedily  as  possible.  I  forgot  to  go  to  tea-parties  ;  I  over- 
slept myself  of  a  morning  ;  I  protested  against  the  moon,  and  derided 
that  blessed  planet  most  villainously.  In  a  word,  I  was  soon  given  up  as 
a  young  man  of  most  preposterous  and  incorrigible  opinions,  and  was  left 
to  do  e'en  just  as  I  pleased.  Yet,  believe  me,  I  did,  notwithstanding,  ad- 
mire the  fair  damsels  of  Richmond  exceedingly;  and,  to  be  candid  at 
once,  the  character  of  the  whole  sex,  though  it  has  ever  ranked  high  in 
my  estimation,  is  still  more  exalted  than  ever.  I  have  seen  traits  of  fe- 
male goodness  while  at  Richmond,  that  have  sunk  deeply  in  my  heart — 
not  displayed  in  one  or  two  individual  instances,  but  frequently  and  gen- 
erally manifested  ;  I  allude  to  the  case  of  Colonel  Burr.  Whatever  may 
be  his  innocence  or  guilt,  in  respect  to  the  charges  alleged  against  him 
(and  God  knows  I  do  not  pretend  to  decide  thereon),  his  situation  is  such 
as  should  appeal  eloquently  to  the  feelings  of  every  generous  bosom. 
Sorry  am  I  to  say,  the  reverse  has  been  the  fact — fallen,  proscribed,  pre- 
judged, the  cup  of  bitterness  has  been  administered  to  him  with  an  un- 
sparing hand.  It  has  almost  been  considered  as  culpable  to  evince  1  - 
wards  him  the  least  sympathy  or  support;  and  many  a  hollow-hearted 
caitiff  have  I  seen,  who  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  his  bounty,  when  in 
power,  who  now  skulked  from  his  side,  and  even  mingled  among  the 
most  clamorous  of  his  enemies.     The  ladies  alone  have  felt,  or  at  least  had 


160  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

candor  and  independence  sufficient  to  express  those  feelings  which  do 
honor  to  humanity.  They  have  been  uniform  in  their  expressions  of 
compassion  for  his  misfortunes,  aud  a  hope  for  his  acquittal  ;  not  a  lady, 
I  believe,  in  Richmond,  whatever  may  be  her  husband's  sentiments  on 
the  subject,  who  would  not  rejoice  on  seeing  Colonel  Burr  at  liberty.  It 
may  be  said  that  Colonel  Burr  has  ever  been  a  favorite  with  the  sex  ;  but 
I  am  not  inclined  to  account  for  it  in  so  illiberal  a  manner  ;  it  results 
from  that  merciful,  that  heavenly  disposition,  implanted  in  the  female 
bosom,  which  ever  inclines  in  favor  of  the  accused  and  the  unfortunate. 
You  will  smile  at  the  high  strain  in  which  I  have  indulged  ;  believe  me, 
it  is  because  I  feel  it  ;  and  I  love  your  sex  ten  times  better  than  ever. 
The  last  time  I  saw  Burr  was  the  day  before  1  left  Richmond.  He  was 
then  in  the  Penitentiary,  a  land  of  State  prison.  The  only  reason 
given  for  immuring  him  in  this  abode  of  thieves,  cut-throats,  and  incen- 
diaries, was  that  it  would  save  the  United  States  a  couple  of  hundred 
dollars  (the  charge  of  guarding  him  at  his  lodgings),  and  it  would  insure 
the  security  of  his  person.  This  building  stands  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  town,  situated  in  a  solitary  place  among  the  hills.  It  will  prevent 
his  counsel  from  being  as  much  with  him  as  they  deemed  necessary.  I 
found  great  difficulty  in  gaining  admission  to  him,  for  a  few  moments. 
The  keeper  had  orders  to  admit  none  but  his  counsel  and  his  witnesses 
— strange  measures  these !  That  it  is  not  sufficient  that  a  man  against 
whom  no  certainty  of  crime  is  proved,  should  be  confined  by  bolts,  and 
bars,  and  massy  walls  in  a  criminal  prison  ;  but  he  is  likewise  to  be  cut 
off  from  all  intercourse  with  society,  deprived  of  all  the  kind  offices  of 
friendship,  and  made  to  suffer  all  the  penalties  and  deprivations  of  a  con- 
demned criminal.  I  was  permitted  to  enter  for  a  few  moments,  as  a 
special  favor,  contrary  to  orders.  Burr  seemed  in  lower  spirits  than  for- 
merly ;  he  was  composed  and  collected  as  usual  ;  but  there  was  not  the 
same  cheerfulness  that  I  have  hitherto  remarked.  He  said  it  was  with 
difficulty  his  very  servant  was  allowed  occasionally  to  see  him  ;  he  had  a 
bad  cold,  which  I  suppose  was  occasioned  by  the  dampness  of  his  cham- 
ber, which  had  lately  been  white-washed.  I  bid  him  farewell  with  a 
heavy  heart,  and  he  expressed  with  peculiar  warmth  and  feeling  his  sense 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  \§\ 

of  the  interest  I  had  taken  in  his  fate.  I  never  felt  in  a  more  melancholy 
mood  than  when  I  rode  from  his  solitary  prison.  Such  is  the  last  inter- 
view I  had  with  poor  Burr,  and  I  shall  never  forget  it.  I  have  written 
myself  into  a  sorrowful  kind  of  a  mood,  so  I  will  at  once  desist,  beggin<» 
you  to  receive  this  letter  with  indulgence,  and  regard,  with  an  eye  of 
Christian  charity,  its  many  imperfections. 
Believe  me,  truly  and  affectionately, 

Your  friend, 

Washington  Irving. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  Mr.  Irving  lost  his  father, 
who  had  long  been  suffering  from  paralysis.  He  died 
October  25,  1807,  at  the  age  of  76,  having  sustained 
through  life  a  character  for  undeviating  rectitude  and 
the  most  sincere  piety.  Washington  continued  for  some 
time  to  reside  with  his  mother,  who  was  left  in  inde- 
pendent circumstances.* 

*  The  dwelling  in  which  the  father  died,  and  which  the  widow  con- 
tinued to  occupy,  was  one  which  he  had  purchased,  and  to  which  he  had 
removed  in  1802.     It  stood,  but  stands  no  longer,  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  William  and  Ann  Streets. 
vol.  i. — 11 


CHAPTEK  XH. 

DISCONTINUANCE  OF  "  SALMAGUNDI."— DISPARAGING  ESTIMATE  OF  THE  WORK 
BY  IRVING.— PAULDING'S  ALLUSION  TO  IT.— REMARKS  ON  TI1E  SUBJECT  BY 
DUYCKINCK  AND  BRYANT. — REPRINTED  IN  LONDON  IN  1811. — REVIEWED. — 
KNICKERBOCKER  COMMENCED. — PETER  EMBARKS  FOR  EUROPE. — CHANGE  IN 
TUE   PLAN  OF   KNICKERBOCKER.— MATILDA   HOFFMAN. — HER   DEATH. 

jHE  twentieth  number  of  "Salmagundi,"  in 
which  the  writers  take  leave  of  the  public,  ap- 
peared on  the  25th  of  January,  1808.  It  was  an 
unexpected  and  abrupt  discontinuance.  I  have  heard  the 
youngest  of  the  trio  say  the  work  was  given  up  just  when 
his  mind  was  kindling  with  new  conceits,  and  he  had 
designed,  among  other  plans  in  embryo,  a  marriage  of 
William  Wizard  with  one  of  the  Miss  Cocklofts,  and  had 
amused  himself  in  idea  with  a  description  of  their  queer 
nuptials.  Paulding  also  intimates  in  the  opening  article 
of  the  number,  which  is  written  by  him,  that  it  was  not 
"  for  want  of  subjects  "  they  did  not  keep  on,  but  gives 
no  glimmering  of  the  true  cause,  which,  in  fact,  grew 
out  of  a  difficulty  between  themselves  and  their  pub- 
lisher, who  had  put  the  price  at  a  shilling,  and  was  dis- 
posed to  limit  somewhat  dictatorially  for  these  novices 

1G2 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  \\\:\ 

in   authorship   the   quantity    of  matter   for   each  num- 
ber. 

The  reader  of  "  Salmagundi  "  at  the  present  day  must 
bear  in  mind  that  it  was  given  to  the  world  when  our 
city  scarce  numbered  more  than  eighty  thousand  inhab- 
itants, and  that  its  pages  are  impressed  with  the  local 
images  and  humors  of  that  epoch.  "  Take  it  altogether," 
says  a  critic  in  the  "  North  American  Review,"  in  look- 
ing back  upon  it,  "  it  was  certainly  a  production  of  ex- 
traordinary merit."  Whatever  its  merit,  however,  in 
other  eyes,  Mr.  Irving  never  valued  himself  much  upon 
his  share  of  it  in  his  riper  years.  Paulding  has  an  allu- 
sion to  this  in  one  of  his  letters  to  him,  in  which  he 
says  :  "  I  know  you  consider  old  Sal.  as  a  sort  of  saucy, 
flippant  trollope,  belonging  to  nobody,  and  not  worth 
fathering."  "  The  work  was  pardonable  as  a  juvenile 
production,"  writes  Washington  to  Brevoort,  in  1819, 
"but  it  is  full  of  errors,  puerilities,  and  imperfections. 
I  was  in  hopes  it  would  gradually  have  gone  down  into 
oblivion."  But  this  is  the  rigorous  and  over-sensitive 
estimate  of  his  maturer  years.  Mr.  Evert  A.  Duyckinck, 
in  his  preface  to  the  recent  volume  of  "  Salmagundi," 
printed  from  the  original  edition  with  notes,  gracefully 
remarks,  in  allusion  to  Mr.  Irving's  too  slighting  appre- 
ciation of  the  work  :  "We  cannot  suppose  him  insensible 
to  the  many  excellences  which  the  work  undoubtedly 
possesses ;  charms  of  manner  and  of  thought  springing 
from  the  fresh,  joyous  period  of  youth,  and  lending  their 


164  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

grace  to  the  brightest  pages  of  his  matured  labors.  '  Sal- 
magundi '  is  the  literary  parent  not  only  of  the  '  Sketch 
Book '  and  the  '  Alhambra,'  but  of  all  the  intermediate 
and  subsequent  productions  of  Irving,  even  of  some 
slight  ornaments  of  the  graver  offspring  of  the  '  Colum- 
bus '  and  'Washington.'  There  is,  for  instance,  in  one  of 
the  later  numbers,  a  chapter  of  '  The  Chronicles  of  the 
renowned  and  ancient  city  of  Gotham,'  which  anticipates 
the  humor  of  Knickerbocker ;  there  are  traits  of  tender- 
ness and  pathos  suggestive  of  the  plaintive  sentiment  of 
the  '  Sketch  Book ; '  and  the  kindly  humors  of  the  Cock- 
loft mansion  are  an  American  Bracebridge  Hall."  Bry- 
ant, too,  in  his  genial  and  very  beautiful  commemorative 
address,  remarks  of  "  Salmagundi : "  "  Its  gayety  is  its 
own  :  its  style  of  humor  is  not  that  of  Addison  nor  Gold- 
smith, though  it  has  all  the  genial  spirit  of  theirs ;  nor 
is  it  borrowed  from  any  other  writer.  It  is  far  more 
frolicsome  and  joyous,  yet  tempered  by  a  native  grace- 
fulness. '  Salmagundi '  was  manifestly  written  without 
the  fear  of  criticism  before  the  eyes  of  the  authors,  and 
to  this  sense  of  perfect  freedom,  in  the  exercise  of  their 
genius,  the  charm  is  probably  owing,  which  makes  us 
still  read  it  with  so  much  delight.  Irving  never  seemed 
to  place  much  value  on  the  part  he  contributed  to  this 
work,  yet  I  doubt  whether  he  ever  excelled  some  of  those 
papers  in  '  Salmagundi,'  which  bear  the  most  evident 
marks  of  his  style  ;  and  Paulding,  though  he  has  since 
acquired  a  reputation  by  his  other  writings,  can  hardly 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  \fo 

be  said  to  have  written  anything  better,  than  the  best  of 
those  which  are  ascribed  to  his  pen."* 

"  Salmagundi  "  was  reprinted  in  London  in  1811,  and 
critically  noticed  in  the  "  Monthly  Review."  "I  don't 
know  whether  I  mentioned  to  you  "  [writes  Washington 
to  his  brother  William],  "that  'Salmagundi'  has  been 
reviewed  in  the  London  'Monthly  Review,'  and  much 
more  favorably  than  I  had  expected.  The  faults  they 
point  out  are  such  as  I  had  long  been  sensible  of,  and 
they  seem  particularly  to  attack  the  quotations  and  the 
Latin  interwoven  in  the  poetry,  which  certainly  does  halt 
most  abominably  in  the  reading.  On  the  whole,  how- 
ever, I  think  we  came  off  very  handsomely,  and  I  only 
hope  the  other  critics  may  be  as  merciful." 

It  was  not  long  after  the  completion  of  "  Salmagundi " 
that  Mr.  Irving  resumed  his  literary  labors.  Peter  had 
returned  from  a  year's  absencs  in  Europe,  just  before 
the  appearance  of  the  last  number,  and  in  conjunction, 
as  the  younger  informs  us  in  the  account  of  its  composi- 
tion, the  two  brothers  commenced  the  "  History  of  New 
York."  The  first  idea  of  the  work  was  a  mere  jeu  <V  esprit 
in  burlesque  of  Dr.  Samuel  Mitchill's,  "  Picture  of  New 
York,"  then  just  published,  and  with  this  view  they  took 
a  vast  quantity  of  notes,  in  emulation  of  the  erudition 


-  A  Discourse  on  the  Life,  Character,  and  Genius  of  Washington 
Irving,  delivered  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  at  the  Academy 
of  Music,  in  New  York,  on  the  3d  of  April,  1860,  by  William  Cullen 
Bryant. 


16G  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

displayed  in  the  commencement  of  that  work,  which  be- 
gan with  an  account  of  the  Aborigines.  They  started, 
therefore,  with  the  creation  of  the  world.  The  author 
has  informed  us  how  this  idea  expanded  into  a  different 
conception,  after  the  departure  of  his  brother  a  second 
time  for  Europe;  but  it  would  seem  that  the  original 
plan  of  the  work  must  have  been  near  its  fulfillment,  as 
early  as  April  30, 1808,  as  I  find  a  letter  of  that  date  from 
his  brother  Peter  to  him,  in  which  he  says  :  "  I  presume 
you  must  be  aware  esta  obra  "  (the  language  used  to  des- 
ignate it — being  the  Spanish  for  "  that  work ")  "  must 
terminate  for  the  present  at  the  point  at  which  I  left  it. 
It  should,  therefore,  be  completed  without  loss  of  time, 
and  I  entreat  you  either  to  whip  your  imagination  into  a 
gallop,  or  to  leave  it  for  an  uncomplying  jade,  and  saddle 
your  judgment.  If  you  do  not,  I  shall  have  to  give  the 
thing  such  a  hasty  finish  as  circumstances  may  permit, 
immediately  on  my  return — for  my  pocket  calls  aloud 
and  will  not  brook  delay."  At  the  date  of  this  letter  the 
writer  was  at  Schenectady,  on  his  way  to  Johnstown,  to 
visit  a  sick  sister  (Mrs.  Dodge).  The  next  day  he  met 
very  unexpectedly,  at  the  same  place,  the  party  to  whom 
it  was  addressed,  Washington  having  left  New  York  on 
the  28th,  on  a  sudden  mission  to  Montreal,  and  having 
diverged  at  Albany  to  Schenectady.  Here  he  prevailed 
on  Peter  to  defer  his  visit  to  Johnstown,  and  accompany 
him  to  Montreal ;  and  the  two  brothers,  partners  in 
pleasure  as  in  purse,  proceeded  together  to  that  place. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  \ffj 

On  his  return,  Washington  hears,  at  Saratoga  Springs, 
of  his  sister's  death. 

The  following  letter  was  written  the  next  day,  at  Al- 
bany : — 

[To  Mrs.  Hoffman.] 

_,  _  Alb  ant,  June  2,  1808. 

My  dear  Friend  : — 

I  have  just  arrived  in  Albany,  and  found  two  letters  from  you  and  Mr. 
Hoffman,  so  kind  and  so  affectionate  that  I  cannot  express  to  you  how 
grateful  they  were  to  my  feelings.  My  journey  has  been  tedious  and  un- 
pleasant, but  it  is  so  far  over,  and  past  fatigues  are  soon  forgotten. 

On  the  road,  as  I  was  travelling  in  high  spirits  with  the  idea  of  home  to 
inspire  me,  I  had  the  shock  of  reading  an  account  of  my  dear  sister's 
death,  and  never  was  a  blow  struck  so  near  my  heart  before.  Five  years 
have  nearly  elapsed  since  I  have  seen  her,  and  though  such  an  absence 
might  lessen  the  pang  of  eternal  separation,  still  it  is  dreadfully  severe. 
One  more  heart  lies  still  and  cold  that  ever  beat  towards  me  with  the 
warmest  affection,  for  she  was  the  tenderest,  best  of  sisters,  and  a  woman 
of  whom  a  brother  might  be  proud 

To-morrow  morning  early  I  set  off  for  Johnstown.  Would  to  Heav<  n 
that  I  had  gone  there  a  month  ago 

On  returning  to  Albany  from  Johnstown,  he  had  the 
novel  luxury  of  descending  the  Hudson  by  steamboat ; 
leaving,  as  his  record  testifies,  June  8th,  at  8  A.  m.,  and 
arriving  in  New  York  the  next  evening. 

In  December  of  this  year,  Mr.  Irving  made  a  second 
trip  to  Montreal,  on  business  for  a  commercial  house  in 
New  York.  It  was  a  sad  disappointment  to  him,  upon 
his  return,  to  find  that  his  brother  Peter  had  sailed 
again  for  Europe.     He  had  gone  out  to  Liverpool,  about 


168  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

the  1st  of  January,  on  pressing  business  for  his  brother 
William's  house,  Irving  &  Smith,  leaving  Washington  to 
proceed  with  the  "  History  of  New  York."  It  was  then 
that  the  latter  changed  the  whole  plan  of  the  work,  and, 
discarding  what  had  reference  to  a  later  period  than  the 
Dutch  dynasty,  and  grappling  with  the  other  mass  of 
notes,  undertook  to  frame  a  work  according  to  his  new 
conception.  I  have  heard  him  say  he  had  hard  work  to 
condense  into  its  present  shape  the  ponderous  mass  of 
notes  which  had  been  taken  for  the  first  book,  as  a  bur- 
lesque of  erudition  and  pedantry ;  that  he  managed,  with 
infinite  labor,  to  compress  it  into  five  introductory  chap- 
ters, and  in  subsequent  editions  would  have  been  glad  to 
compress  these  into  one,  but  was  deterred  from  under- 
taking it  by  the  labor  it  would  cost.  The  residue  of  the 
book  was  exclusively  his,  and  I  cannot  but  regard  it  as 
a  fortunate  circumstance,  that  it  was  not  completed  in 
conjunction,  for  Peter  had  not  the  rich  comic  vein  of 
Washington  ;  and  though  his  taste  was  pure  and  classic, 
it  was  a  little  too  nice  and  fastidious  not  to  have  some- 
times operated  as  a  drawback  upon  the  genial  play  of  his 
brother's  exuberant  humor. 

The  "  History  of  New  York  "  was  far  advanced  towards 
its  completion,  when  Mr.  Irving  was  called  to  encounter 
a  blow  which  left  him  for  a  while  little  heart  for  his 
work,  and  probably  gave  a  color  to  his  whole  future  ex- 
istence. For  some  months  past,  the  partiality  with  which 
he  had  regarded  the  second  daughter  of  Mr.  Hoffman 


OF   WASHINGTON  IRVINO.  \QQ 

had  deepened  into  a  serious  passion,  and  the  point  to 
which  all  his  hopes  "were  turning  lay  in  a  union  with  her. 
He  was  not  one,  however,  to  have  been  easily  instigated 
to  the  imprudence  of  involving  another  in  his  own  lot 
without  some  "sober  certainty"  of  income.  "I  think," 
he  writes  in  one  of  his  later  letters,  "  these  early  and  im- 
provident marriages  are  too  apt  to  break  down  the  spirit 
and  energy  of  a  young  man,  and  make  him  a  hard-work- 
ing, half-starving,  repining  animal  all  his  days."  Some- 
times his  sense  of  the  imprudence  of  early  matrimony, 
where  the  lover  is  without  the  means  of  maintaining  a 
wife,  would  appear  in  a  playful  illustration.  "  Young 
men  in  our  country,"  he  would  say,  "think  it  a  great 
extravagance  to  set  up  a  horse  and  carriage  without  ade- 
quate means,  but  they  make  no  account  of  setting  up  a 
wife  and  family,  which  is  far  more  expensive."  But  in 
proportion  as  he  felt  the  improvidence  of  such  a  step,  in 
the  same  degree  did  he  feel  his  own  precarious  prospects, 
and  the  necessity  of  bettering  his  condition.  His  letters 
to  Peter,  of  this  period,  are  unfortunately  lost,  but  the 
replies  of  the  latter  have  been  preserved,  and  show  what 
uncongenial  plans  he  was  sometimes  revolving  to  advance 
his  fortunes.  "  I  am  averse,"  says  this  brother,  in  a  letter 
dated  Liverpool,  March  9th,  1809,  "to  any  supercargo- 
ship,  or  anything  that  may  bear  you  to  distant  or  un- 
friendly climates.  I  would  not  take  one  of  those  cursed 
India  voyages — hardly — for  a  young  fortune."  Other  let- 
ters contain  intimations  of  his  repining  at  being  unem- 


170  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ployed  in  some  means  of  steady  livelihood  ;  and  of  plans 
and  purposes  which  were  passing  through  his  mind,  evi- 
dently pointing  to  some  advantage  which  might  place 
him  in  a  condition  to  link  another's  fortunes  with  his 
own.  In  the  midst  of  these  came  the  blow,  by  which  the 
dearest  hojDe  of  his  life  was  forever  overthrown. 

Matilda  Hoffman,  the  intended  sharer  of  his  lot  in  life, 
closed  her  brief  existence  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the 
26th  of  April,  1809,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  her  age. 
Though  not  a  dazzling  beauty,  she  is  described  as  lovely 
in  person  and  mind,  of  the  most  gentle  and  engaging 
manners,  and  with  a  sensibility  that  mingled  gracefully 
with  a  delicate  and  playful  humor.  In  a  letter  to  Wash- 
ington, written  just  after  the  tidings  of  her  death  had 
reached  him,  Peter  has  this  allusion  to  her:  "May  her 
gentle  spirit  have  found  that  heaven  to  which  it  ever 
seemed  to  appertain !  She  was  too  spotless  for  this  con- 
taminated world."  It  is  an  indication  of  the  depth  of  the 
author's  feeling  on  this  subject,  that  he  never  alluded  to 
this  part  of  his  history,  or  mentioned  the  name  of  Matilda 
even  to  his  most  intimate  friends ;  but  after  his  death,  in 
a  repository  of  which  he  always  kept  the  key,  a  package 
was  found,  marked  on  the  outside  "Private  Me  ins.;" 
from  which  he  would  seem  to  have  once  unbosomed  him- 
self. This  memorial  was  a  fragment,  of  which  the  begin- 
ning and  end  were  missing.  The  ink  was  faded,  and  it 
was  without  address,  but  it  has  since  appeared,  from  the 
testimony  of  a  daughter,  that  it  was  addressed  to  Mrs. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  171 

Amelia  Foster,  an  English  lady  whom,  as  will  be  seen 
hereafter,  he  met  at  Dresden  at  the  close  of  182.!,  and 
with  whose  family,  during  his  sojourn  in  that  city,  he 
became  extremely  intimate.  The  daughter  says  :  "  It  \\  as 
left  with  us  under  a  sacred  promise  that  it  should  be 
returned  to  him  ;  that  no  copy  should  be  taken  ;  and  that 
no  other  eyes  but  ours  should  ever  rest  upon  it.  The 
promise  was  faithfully  kept" — which  will  account  for  its 
remaining  among  his  papers.  The  communication  was 
evidently  the  result  of  inquiries  about  his  early  history, 
and  how  it  happened  he  had  never  married,  for  towards 
its  close,  after  recounting  the  story  of  his  youthful  love, 
and  its  sad  termination,  he  says  :  "You  wonder  why  I  am 
not  married.  I  have  shown  you  why  I  was  not  long  since. 
My  time  has  now  gone  by,  and  I  have  grow- 
ing claims  upon  my  thoughts,  and  my  means,  slender  and 
precarious  as  they  are." 

"With  these  private  memoranda  was  found  a  miniature 
of  great  beauty,  inclosed  in  a  case,  and  in  it  a  braid  of 
fair  hair,  and  a  slip  of  paper,  on  which  was  written  in  his 
own  handwriting,  "  Matilda  Hoffman." 

The  two  months  succeeding  the  death  of  Matilda,  were 
spent  in  the  retirement  of  the  country,  at  the  house  of 
his  Mend,  Judge  William  P.  Van  Ness,  at  Kinderhook, 
afterwards  the  residence  of  President  Van  Buren. 

It  is  a  striking  evidence  how  little  Mr.  Irving  was  ever 
disposed  to  cultivate  or  encourage  sadness,  or  suffer  his 
"melancholy  to  sit  on  brood,"  that  he  should  be  engaged 


172  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

during  this  period  of  sorrow  and  seclusion,  in  revising 
and  giving  additional  touches  to  his  "History  of  New 
York."  In  the  private  communication  before  mentioned, 
in  alluding  to  this  period,  he  says :  "  TvThen  I  became 
more  calm  and  collected,  I  applied  myself,  by  way  of 
occupation,  to  the  finishing  of  my  work.  I  brought  it  to 
a  close,  as  well  as  I  could,  and  published  it ;  but  the  time 
and  circumstances  in  which  it  was  produced,  rendered 
me  always  unable  to  look  upon  it  with  satisfaction." 

Although  the  poignancy  of  his  grief  had  worn  away 
when  he  returned  to  the  city,  his  countenance  long  re- 
tained the  trace  of  melancholy  feelings.  A  portrait  by 
Jarvis,  taken  some  months  afterwards,  and  conceded 
without  dissent  at  that  time,  to  be  a  faithful  and  ad- 
mirable likeness,  is  remarkable  for  its  expression  of  pen- 
sive refinement.  Mr.  Irving  never  alluded  to  this  event 
of  his  life,  nor  did  any  of  his  relatives  ever  venture,  in 
his  presence,  to  introduce  the  name  of  Matilda.  I  have 
heard  of  but  one  instance,  in  which  it  was  ever  obtruded 
upon  him,  and  that  was  by  her  father,  Mr.  Hoffman, 
nearly  thirty  years  after  her  death,  and  at  his  own  house. 
A  granddaughter  had  been  requested  to  play  for  him 
some  favorite  piece  on  the  piano,  and  in  extracting  her 
music  from  the  drawer,  had  accidentally  brought  forth 
a  piece  of  embroidery  with  it.  "  Washington,"  said  Mr. 
Hoffman,  picking  up  the  faded  relic,  "this  is  a  piece  of 
poor  Matilda's  workmanship."  The  effect  was  electric. 
He  had  been  conversing  in  the  sprightliest  mood  before, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  173 

and  he  sunk  at  once  into  utter  silence,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments got  up  and  left  the  house. 

It  is  an  evidence  with  what  romantic  tenderness  M  . 
Irving  cherished  the  memory  of  this  early  love,  that  he 
kept  by  him,  through  life,  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book  <  >f 
Matilda.  He  lay  with  them  under  his  pillow,  in  the  first 
days  of  keen  and  vivid  anguish  that  followed  her  loss ; 
and  they  were  ever  afterwards,  in  all  changes  of  climate 
and  country,  his  inseparable  companions. 

Perhaps  the  following  anecdote  may  be  regarded  as  of 
kindred  significance.  But  two  or  three  years  before 
his  death,  in  the  course  of  an  interesting  conversa- 
tion with  a  niece,  who  was  visiting  him,  he  was  led  to 
descant  upon  the  solitude  of  a  life  of  celibacy  ;  and  then, 
as  if  suddenly  struck  with  the  incongruity  of  his  own 
practice,  he  remarked  to  her  in  a  half-playful,  half- 
mournful  way,  "You  know  I  was  never  intended  for  a 
bachelor."  She  did  not,  of  course,  intrude  upon  the 
sacredness  of  his  recollections  to  inquire  how  it  hap- 
pened he  had  never  married ;  but  a  few  hours  after- 
wards, as  if  furnishing  his  own  solution  to  the  enigma, 
he  handed  her  a  piece  of  poetry,  with  the  remark, 
"There's  an  autograph  for  you."  She  took  it  and  c;: 
ing  her  eye  upon  the  paper,  perceived  it  to  be  a  copy 
of  those  noble  lines  of  Campbell,  "What's  hallowed 
ground?"  It  was  in  his  own  handwriting,  and  bore 
the  marks  of  having  been  transcribed  years  before.  I 
quote  some  of  the  stanzas  : — 


174  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

"That's  hallowed  ground,  where,  mourned  and  miss'd, 
The  lips  repose  our  love  has  kiss'd  : — 
But  where's  their  memory's  mansion  ?    Is't 

Yon  churchyard's  bowers  ? 
No  !  in  ourselves  their  souls  exist, 

A  part  of  ours. 

"  A  kiss  can  consecrate  the  ground 
Where  mated  hearts  are  mutual  bound  ; 
The  spot  where  love's  first  links  were  wound, 

That  ne'er  are  riven, 
Is  hallowed  down  to  earth's  profound, 

And  up  to  heaven. 

"  For  time  makes  all  but  true  love  old  ; 
The  burning  thoughts  that  then  were  told 
Run  molten  still  in  memory's  mould, 

And  will  not  cool 
Until  the  heart  itself  be  cold 

In  Lethe's  pool." 

It  is  in  the  light  of  this  event  of  Mr.  living's  history, 
that  we  must  interpret  portions  of  his  article  on  "  Rural 
Funerals  "  in  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  and  also  that  solemn 
passage  in  "  St.  Mark's  Eve,"  in  "  Bracebridge  Hall,"  be- 
ginning, "  There  are  departed  beings  that  I  have  loved  as 
I  never  shall  love  again  in  this  world — that  have  loved 
me  as  I  never  again  shall  be  loved."  To  this  sacred 
recollection  also,  I  ascribe  this  brief  record,  in  a  note- 
book of  1822,  kept  only  for  his  own  eye  :  "  She  died  in 
the  beauty  of  her  youth,  and  in  my  memory  she  will  ever 
be  young  and  beautiful." 


CHAPTER  Xin. 

LETTER  TO  PETER  IRVING. — CURIOUS  HERALDING  OF  THE  "  HISTORT  OF  NEW 
YORK." — CONCERN  OF  A  CITY  FUNCTIONARY  FOR  THF,  MISSING  DEBDRICH. — 
ITS  PUBLICATION. — VISIT  TO  ALBANY. — DIEDRICIl'S  RECEPTION  AMONG  THE 
DUTCH. — OPINIONS  OF  KNICKERBOCKER.— SCOTT. — VERPLANCK. — LETTER  TO 
MRS.  HOFFMAN. 

|  HE  first  letter  I  find,  after  his  return  from  Kin- 
derhook,  is  addressed  to  his  brother  Peter,  from 
which  I  make  the  following  extract : — 

.     .     .    .    I  am  really  at  a  loss  what  to  write  to  you  about.    I  have 
been  so  little  abroad  in  the  world  since  my  return  from  Van  Ness'  that  I 

know  nothing  how   matters  are  going  on My  health  has 

been  feeble  and  my  spirits  depressed,  so  that  I  have  found  company  very 
irksome,  and  have  shunned  it  almost  entirely.  I  propose  setting  out  on 
an  expedition  to  Canada  with  Brevoort  on  Saturday  next,  to  be  al 
sixteen  days.  There  is  a  steamboat  on  the  lake  which  makes  the  journey 
sure  and  pleasant.  I  trust  the  jaunt  will  perfectly  renovate  me.  On  my 
return  I  shall  go  to  Mr.  Hoffman's  retreat  at  Hellgate,  and  prepare 
obra  for  a  launch 

We  are  all  well.     Irving  &  Smith  are  highly  satisfied  with  your  a 
duity.     I  refer  you  to  Hal  and  Sally  for  family  particulars. 

The  "Hal  and  Sally"  here  mentioned,  were  Henry 
Van  "Wart  and  his  wife,  the  youngest  sister  of  Mr.  Irving. 

175 


176  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Mr.  Van  Wart  had  engaged  in  business  in  England,  just 
after  his  marriage  in  1806,  in  connection  with  the  house 
of  Irving  &  Smith  in  New  York ;  he  had  returned  to  this 
country  in  1808,  under  an  apprehension  of  impending 
war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  and 
was  now  about  to  go  back,  to  find  in  England  his  perma- 
nent home. 

The  country  retreat  spoken  of,  in  which  Mr.  Irving  was 
to  prepare  his  "  History  of  New  York  "  for  publication, 
was  delightfully  situated  at  Ravenswood,  near  Hellgate. 
He  passed  much  of  his  time  here  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember, and  had  a  boat  at  command  belonging  to  his 
friend  Brevoort,  called  The  Tinker,  in  which  he  used  to 
ply  between  the  city  and  this  summer  residence  of  the 
Hoffmans. 

In  the  November  succeeding,  Mr.  Irving  repaired  to 
Philadelphia,  to  superintend  the  publication  of  his  "  His- 
tory of  New  York."  He  adopted  the  expedient  of  putting 
it  to  press  in  that  rather  than  his  native  city,  to  prevent, 
as  far  as  possible,  any  idea  of  the  real  character  of  the 
work  from  getting  wind  in  advance  of  its  appearance. 
At  the  same  time  curiosity  was  awakened  in  New  York, 
by  a  series  of  preparatory  advertisements,  foreshadowing 
its  appearance,  without  betraying  its  grotesque  and  mock- 
heroic  qualities.  These  were  afterwards  collected  by  me 
at  his  request,  and  inserted  by  him  after  "  The  Author's 
Apology,"  in  the  introduction  to  his  revised  edition  of 
Knickerbocker  in  1848. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  177 

The  first  of  these  Notices  appeared  in  the  "Evening 
Post "  about  six  weeks  prior  to  the  publication,  and  was 
as  follows  : — 

DISTRESSING. 

Left  his  lodgings  some  time  since,  and  has  not  since  been  hoard  of,  a 
small  elderly  gentleman,  dressed  in  an  old  black  coat  and  cocked  hat,  by 
the  name  of  Knickerbocker.  As  there  are  some  reasons  for  believing  ho 
is  not  entirely  in  his  right  mind,  and  as  great  anxiety  is  entertained 
about  him,  any  information  concerning  him  left  either  at  the  Columbian 
Hotel,  Mulberry  Street,  or  at  the  office  of  this  paper,  will  be  thankfully 
received. 

P.  S. — Printers  of  newspapers  would  be  aiding  the  cause  of  humanity 
in  giving  an  insertion  to  the  above. — Oct.  25. 

In  less  than  a  fortnight  this  was  followed  by  another : — 

To  the  Editor  of  the  "Evening  Post "  .•— 

Sir:— Having  read  in  your  paper  of  the  26th  October  last  a  paragraph 
respecting  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Knickerbocker,  who  was 
missing  from  his  lodgings  ;  if  it  would  be  any  relief  to  his  friends,  or 
furnish  them  with  any  clue  to  discover  where  he  is,  you  may  inform  them 
that  a  person  answering  the  description  was  seen  by  the  passengers  of  the 
Albany  stage  early  in  the  morning  about  four  or  five  weeks  since,  resting 
himself  by  the  side  of  the  road  a  little  above  Kingsbridge.  He  had  in  his 
hands  a  small  bundle  tied  in  a  red  bandana  handkerchief  ;  he  appe 
to  be  travelling  northward,  and  was  very  much  fatigued  and  exhausted. 

Nov.  6,  1809.  A  Travell.  k. 

To  this  succeeded,  in  ten  days,  a  letter  signed  by  Beth 
Handaside,  landlord  of  the  Independent  Columbian  Ho- 
tel, Mulberry  Street : — 

VOL.  I.— 12 


178  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Sir  : — You  have  been  good  enough  to  publish  in  your  paper  a  para- 
graph about  Mr.  Dicdrich  Knickerbocker,  who  was  missing  so  strangely 
from  his  lodgings  some  time  since.  Nothing  satisfactory  has  been  heard 
of  the  old  gentleman  since  ;  but  a  very  curious  kind  of  a  written  book 
has  bee*  found  in  his  room  in  his  own  handwriting.  Now  I  wish  you  to 
notice  him,  if  he  is  still  alive,  that  if  he  does  not  return  and  pay  off  his 
bill,  for  board  and  lodging,  I  shall  have  to  dispose  of  his  Book,  to  satisfy 
me  for  the  same. 


This  device  to  call  attention  to  the  appearance  of  the 
forthcoming  work  was  sufficiently  ingenious  and  original, 
and  it  is  an  amusing  incident,  in  this  connection,  that 
one  of  the  city  authorities  found  his  sympathies  so  much 
enlisted  by  the  appeal,  as  to  call  on  the  author's  brother, 
John  T.  Irving,  and  consult  him  on  the  propriety  of 
offering  a  reward  for  the  discovery  of  the  missing  Die- 
drich. 

Though  the  author  had  carried  the  manuscript  in  a 
complete  state  to  Philadelphia,  yet  he  afterwards  made 
some  additions,  as  was  not  unusual  with  him,  as  the 
work  was  going  through  the  press.  It  was  here  that  he 
wrote  the  voyage  of  Peter  Stuyvesant  up  the  Hudson, 
and  the  enumeration  of  the  army.  Coming  home  late 
one  night,  and  finding  himself  locked  out  of  his  lodgings, 
he  repaired  to  the  quarters  of  a  bachelor  friend,  but 
could  not  sleep  after  obtaining  admittance.  It  was  then 
that  the  idea  of  that  journey  flashed  through  his  mind ; 
and  so  rapidly  did  the  images  crowd  upon  him,  that  he 
rose  from  the  bed  to  strike  a  light,  and  write  them  down 


OF  WASHING  TON  IR  VINO .  1  7  ■  I 

— but  he  could  not  find  the  candle,  and  after  stumbling 
about  for  awhile,  to  the  annoyance  of  his  sleepy  but 
wondering  companion,  he  managed  to  get  hold  of  a  piec  ■ 
of  paper,  and  jot  down  some  of  his  impressions  in  pencil 
in  the  dark.  The  next  morning  he  stopped  the  press, 
until  he  had  finished  his  picture  and  secured  its  ad- 
mission. 

On  the  6th  of  December,  1809,  appeared  the  advertise- 
ment of  its  actual  publication,  in  these  words : — 

IS  THIS   DAY  PUBLISHED, 
BY  INSKEEP  AND  BRADFORD— No.   128  BROADWAY, 

A  HISTOKY  OF  NEW  YOKK. 

In  2  vols,  duodecimo— price  3  dollars. 

Obtaining  an  account  of  its  discovery  and  settlement,  with  its  internal 
policy,  manners,  customs,  wars,  etc.,  etc.,  under  the  Dutch  government, 
furnishing  many  curious  and  interesting  particulars  never  before  pub- 
lished, and  which  are  gathered  from  various  manuscripts  and  other 
authenticated  sources,  the  whole  being  interspersed  with  philosophical 
speculations  and  moral  precepts. 

This  work  was  found  in  the  chamber  of  Mr.  Diedrich  Knickerbocker, 
the  old  gentleman  whose  sudden  and  mysterious  disappeararce  has  been 
noticed.  It  is  published  in  order  to  discharge  certain  debts  ho  bas  left 
behind. 

This   advertisement,  it  will  be  seen,  is  unpromising 
enough,  and  awakens  no  expectation  but  of  a  sober  mat- 


180  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ter-of-fact  history  of  our  Dutch  progenitors — an  impres- 
sion which  the  covert  humor  of  its  dedication,  "To  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,"  "  as  a  humble  and  un- 
worthy testimony  of  the  profound  veneration  and  ex- 
alted esteem  of  the  Society's  sincere  well-wisher  and 
devoted  servant,  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,"  would  no 
doubt  help  to  confirm.  It  is  easy,  therefore,  to  imagine 
the  astonishment  of  many,  on  taking  up  the  work,  to  find 
that  the  author  had  seized  upon  "  the  events  which  com- 
pose the  history  of  the  three  Dutch  governors  of  New 
York,  merely  as  a  vehicle  to  convey  a  world  of  satire, 
whim,  and  ludicrous  description." 

I  give  a  contemporaneous  notice  of  the  work  from  the 
"  Monthly  Anthology  and  Boston  Review,"  the  precursor 
of  the  "North  American."  The  notice  begins  with  a 
short  sketch  of  the  original  possession  of  the  country  by 
a  few  Dutch  colonists,  and  its  erection  into  an  English 
province  in  1664,  and  proceeds  : 

The  meagre  annals  of  this  short-lived  Dutch  colony  have  afforded  the 
groundwork  for  this  amusing  book,  -which  is  certainly  the  wittiest  our 
press  has  ever  produced.  To  examine  it  seriously  in  a  historical  point  of 
view  would  be  ridiculous  ;  though  the  few  important  events  of  the  period 
to  which  it  relates  are,  we  presume,  recorded  with  accuracy  as  to  their 
dates  and  consequences. 

These  materials,  which  would  hardly  have  sufficed  to  fill  a  dry  journal 
of  a  few  pages,  are  here  extended  to  two  volumes.  They  only  compose 
the  coarse  net-work  texture  of  the  cloth,  in  which  the  author  has  embroid- 
ered a  rich  collection  of  wit  and  humor.  The  account  of  these  honest 
Dutch  governors  has  been  made  subservient  to  a  lively  flow  of  good- 


OF  WASHINGTON  TRYING.  181 

natured  satire  on  the  follies  and  blunders  of  the  present  day,  and  th  ■ 
plexities  they  have  caused. 

The  great  merit,  and  indeed  almost  the  only  one,  which  the  varied 
labors  of  former  times  have  left  to  the  literature  of  the  present  day,  apt- 
ness and  fertility  of  allusion,  will  be  found  almost  to  satiety  in  tl 
pages.  Those  who  have  a  relish  for  light  humor,  and  are  pleased  with 
that  ridicule  which  is  caused  by  trifling,  and,  to  the  mass  of  the  world, 
unobserved  relations  and  accidents  of  persons  and  situations,  will  be  often 
gratified.  They  will  soon  perceive  that  the  writer  is  one  of  those  priv- 
ileged beings,  who,  in  his  pilgrimage  through  the  lanes  and  streets,  the 
roads  and  avenues  of  this  uneven  world,  refreshes  himself  with  manv 
a  secret  smile  at  occurrences  that  excite  no  observation  from  the  dull, 
trudging  mass  of  mortals.  ' '  The  little  Frenchmen,  skipping  from  the 
Battery  to  avoid  a  shower,  with  their  hats  covered  with  their  handker- 
chiefs;" the  distress  of  the  "worthy  Dutch  family"  annoyed  by  the 
vicinage  of  "a  French  boarding-house,"  with  all  its  attendant  circum- 
stances, even  down  to  "the  little  pug-nose  dogs  that  penetrated  into  then- 
best  room,"  are  examples,  among  many  others,  of  this  disposition.  The 
people  of  New  England  are  the  subjects  of  many  humorous  remarks,  but 
we  are  glad  to  observe  made  with  so  much  good-nature  and  mingled  com- 
pliment and  satire,  that  they  themselves  must  laugh. 


Many  of  the  descendants  of  the  original  colonists,  how- 
ever, looked  at  it  with  a  less  indulgent  eye.  This  irrev- 
erent handling  of  their  Dutch  ancestors,  and  conversion 
of  the  field  of  sober  history  into  a  region  of  comic  ro- 
mance, was  not  to  their  taste.  "  Your  good  friend,  the 
old  lady,"  writes  Mrs.  Hoffman  to  him,  at  Philadelphia, 
on  its  first  appearance,  "  came  home  in  a  great  stew  this 
evening.  Such  a  scandalous  story  had  got  about  town — 
a  book  had  come  out,  called  a  '  History  of  New  York ; ' 


182  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

nothing  but  a  satire  and  ridicule  of  the  old  Dutch  peo- 
ple— and  they  said  you  was  the  author ;  but  from  this 
foul  slander,  I'll  venture  to  say,  she  has  defended  you. 
She  was  quite  in  a  heat  about  it."  The  old  lady  here 
alluded  to  was  the  mother  of  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman. 

If  some  of  the  Dutch  were  nettled,  others  perceived 
that  the  work  was  written  in  pure  wantonness  of  fun, 
without  a  particle  of  malevolence,  and  were  willing  to 
laugh  with  the  rest  of  the  community,  over  pages  of 
which  a  correspondent  of  a  Baltimore  paper  wrote  at  the 
time :  "  If  it  be  true,  as  Sterne  says,  that  a  man  draws  a 
nail  out  of  his  coffin  every  time  he  laughs,  after  reading 
Irving's  book  your  coffin  will  certainly  fall  to  pieces." 

Walter  Scott  was  the  first  transatlantic  author  to  bear 
witness  to  the  merit  of  Knickerbocker.  In  the  following 
letter  to  Henry  Brevoort,  who  had  presented  him  with  a 
copy  of  the  second  edition  in  1813,  he  writes  : — 

My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  beg  you  to  accept  my  best  thanks  for  the  -uncommon  degree  of  enter- 
tainment which  I  have  received  from  the  most  excellently  jocose  history 
of  New  York.  I  am  sensible,  that  as  a  stranger  to  American  parties  and 
politics,  I  must  lose  much  of  the  concealed  satire  of  the  piece,  but  I  must 
own  that  looking  at  the  simple  and  obvious  meaning  only,  I  have  never 
read  anything  so  closely  resembling  the  style  of  Dean  Swift,  as  the  annals 
of  Diedrich  Knickerbocker.  I  have  been  employed  these  few  evenings  in 
reading  them  aloud  to  Mrs.  S.  and  two  ladies  who  are  our  guests,  and  our 
sides  have  been  absolutely  sore  with  laughing.  I  think,  too,  there  are 
passages,  which  indicate  that  the  author  possesses  powers  of  a  different 
kind,  and  has  some  touches  which  remind  me  much  of  Sterne.    I  beg  you 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  Is: J 

\rill  have  the  kindness  to  let  me  know  when  Mr.  Irving  takes  pen  in  hand 

again,  for  assuredly  I  shall  expect  a  very  great  treat  which  1  may  chance 

never  to  hear  of  but  through  your  kindness. 

Believe  me,  dear  sir, 

Your  obliged  humble  servant, 

Walter  Scott. 
Abbotsford,  23  April,  1813. 

It  was  some  years  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  that  his 
friend,  Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  in  an  anniversary  discourse, 
delivered  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  De- 
cember 7,  1818,  when  the  author  was  in  Europe,  took 
occasion  to  allude  to  this  burlesque  history  in  a  spirit 
of  regret,  at  the  injustice  done  by  it  to  the  Dutch  char- 
acter. "  It  is  painful,"  he  says,  "  to  see  a  mind  as  ad- 
mirable for  its  exquisite  perception  of  the  beautiful,  as 
it  is  for  its  quick  sense  of  the  ridiculous,  wasting  the 
riches  of  its  fancy  on  an  ungrateful  theme,  and  its  ex- 
uberant humor  in  a  coarse  caricature." 

This  censure  was  much  softened  by  the  complimentary 
remarks  which  followed,  which  nevertheless  did  not  pre- 
vent his  brother  Ebenezer,  who  feared  its  effect  upon  a 
new  edition  of  the  work  which  had  just  been  put  to  press 
in  Philadelphia,  from  giving  vent  to  some  vexation  on  the 
subject  in  a  letter  to  Washington.  The  latter  writes,  in 
reply : 

I  have  seen  what  Verplanck  said  of  my  work.  He  did  me  more  than 
justice  in  what  he  s:iid  of  my  mental  qualifications  ;  and  he  said  nothing 
of  my  work  that  I  have  not  long  thought  of  it  myself He  is 


184:  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

one  of  the  honestest  men  I  know  of,  in  speaking  his  opinion.  There  is  a 
determined  candor  about  him,  which  will  not  allow  him  to  be  blinded  by 
passion.  I  am  sure  he  wishes  me  well,  and  his  own  talents  and  acquire- 
ments are  too  great  to  suffer  him  to  entertain  jealousy  ;  but  were  I  his 
bitterest  enemy,  such  an  opinion  have  I  of  his  integrity  of  mind,  that  I 
would  refer  any  one  to  him  for  an  honest  account  of  me,  sooner  than  to 
almost  any  one  else. 

To  Brevoort,  to  whom  he  had  just  transmitted  across 
the  Atlantic  the  first  number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book," 
which  included  the  story  of  "  Kip  Van  Winkle,"  he  al- 
ludes to  these  critical  strictures  in  a  more  playful  vein. 
After  a  high  compliment  to  the  oration  of  Verplanck,  he 
adds  : — 

I  hope  he  will  not  put  our  old  Dutch  burghers  into  the  notion  that  they 
must  feel  affronted  with  poor  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,  just  as  he  is  about 
creeping  out  in  a  new  edition.  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  this  burst  of 
filial  feeling  in  Verplanck,  on  the  jokes  put  upon  his  ancestors  ;  though  I 
honor  the  feeling,  and  admire  the  manner  in  which  it  is  expressed.  It 
met  my  eyes  just  as  I  had  finished  the  little  story  of  "Rip  Van  Winkle," 
and  I  could  not  help  noticing  it  in  the  introduction  to  that  bagatelle.  I 
hope  Verplanck  will  not  think  the  article  is  written  in  defiance  of  his 
Vituperation.  Remember  me  heartily  to  him,  and  tell  him  I  mean  to 
grow  wiser,  and  better,  and  older,  every  day,  and  to  lay  the  castigation 
lie  has  given  seriously  to  heart. 

The  avails  of  the  first  edition  of  Knickerbocker,  I  have 
heard  Mr.  Irving  say,  amounted  to  about  three  thousand 
dollars. 

Soon  after  its  publication  he  was  urged  by  his  friends 


OF  "WASHING  TON  IRVING.  [85 

to  offer  himself  at  Albany  as  a  candidate  for  a  clerkship 
in  one  of  the  Courts  in  New  York.  He  could  plead  no 
party  services,  for  he  had  shunned  rather  than  sought 
political  notoriety,  but  his  brother-in-law,  Daniel  Paris, 
was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Appointment,  and  ready 
to  forward  his  interest,  and  this  presented  an  opportunity 
to  provide  for  his  maintenance  and  give  him  leisure  for 
literary  pursuit,  which  it  was  urged  he  ought  not  to  lose. 
He  failed  to  get  the  post,  however,  mainly  through  the 
counterworking  of  some  candidates  for  other  offices,  who 
sought,  by  such  manoeuvre,  to  compel  the  support  of 
Paris  to  their  claims.  The  integrity  of  Paris,  however, 
was  of  too  stubborn  a  mould  for  such  a  game. 
I  insert  two  letters  written  during  his  absence. 


{To  Mrs  Hoffman.'] 

Johnstown,  Feb.  12,  1810. 

My  dear  Friend  :— 

I  wrote  Mi*.  Hoffman  a  hasty  letter  from  Albany,  uncertain  whether  it 
would  reach  New  York  before  his  departure,  and  should  have  written  him 
again,  but  that  I  concluded  from  what  he  told  me  before  I  left  the  city, 
that  he  would  start  for  Albany  on  Saturday  last.  His  presence  has  I 
anxiously  looked  for  at  Albany,  and  I  am  in  hopes  he  will  arrive  thi  ra 
either  this  evening  or  to-morrow.  I  stayed  three  days  there,  and  then 
left  it  for  Johnstown  ;  though  I  could  have  passed  several  days  then'  with 
much  satisfaction,  in  attending  the  profound  discussions  of  the  Senate 
and  Assembly  ;  and  the  movements  of  the  crowd  of  office-hunters,  who, 
like  a  cloud  of  locusts,  have  descended  upon  the  city  to  devour  every 
plant  and  herb,  and  every  "green  thing."    The  anxiety  I  felt,  however, 


186  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  see  my  sister  induced  me  to  hasten  my  departure,  and  one  or  two  other 
considerations  of  trifling  moment,  concurred  in  urging  me  on 

Your  city  is  no  doubt  waiting  with  great  solicitude  to  hear  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Council  of  Appointment.  The  members  have  a  difficult 
task  allotted  them,  and  one  of  great  responsibility.  It  is  impossible  they 
should  avoid  disappointing  many,  and  displeasing  more,  but  the  peculiar 
circumstances  in  which  they  are  placed  entitle  them  to  every  indulgence. 
I  wish  Mr.  H.  had  started  when  I  did  ;  his  presence  would,  I  think,  have 
been  of  infinite  service. 

I  can  give  you  nothing  that  will  either  interest  you  or  yield  you  a  mo- 
ment's amusement.  I  have  witnessed  nothing  since  my  departure  but 
political  wrangling  and  intriguing,  and  this  is  unimportant  to  you;  and 
my  mind  has  been  too  much  occupied  by  worldly  cares  and  anxieties  to 
be  sufficiently  at  ease  to  write  anything  worthy  perusal.  Add  to  this,  I 
have  been  sick  either  from  a  cold,  or  the  intolerable  atmosphere  of  rooms 
heated  by  stovoe,  and  have  been  disgusted  by  the  servility,  and  duplicity, 
and  rascality  I  have  witnessed  among  the  swarms  of  scrub  politicians  who 
crawl  about  the  great  metropolis  of  our  State  like  so  many  vermin  about 
the  head  of  the  body  politic ;  excuse  the  grossness  of  this  figure,  I  entreat 
you. 

I  have  just  written  to  Peter  Kemble,  and  strangely  forgot  to  tell  him 
(being  a  brother  sportsman)  that  I  had  just  returned  from  a  couple  of 
hours'  bushbeating,  having  killed  a  brace  of  partridges  and  a  black  squir- 
rel !    Give  my  love  to  all,  and  believe  me  ever  affectionately, 

Your  Friend, 

W.  I. 

The  following  letter  was  written  after  he  had  renounced 
all  hopes  of  success,  and  gives  an  amusing  picture  of  his 
reception  at  the  head-quarters  of  Dutch  domination,  and 
his  success  in  mollifying  the  wrath  of  some  of  the  older 
families  who  had  felt  themselves  aggrieved  in  the  liber- 
ties taken  with  their  ancestors. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  1^7 

[  To  3frs.  Hoffman.  ] 

Albant,  Feb.  20,  1810. 

My  dear  Friend  : — 

I  have  just  left  Mr.  Hoffman,  who  is  suffering  under  a  severe  attack  of 
the  sick  headache,  and  groaning  in  his  bed  most  piteously.  Since  lasl  I 
wrote  you,  I  have  relinquished  all  cares  and  thoughts  about  an  appoint- 
ment, and  am  now  merely  remaining  in  Albany  to  witness  the  interesting 
scenes  of  intrigue  and  iniquity  that  are  passing  under  my  eye— to  inform 
myself  of  the  manner  of  transacting  legislative  business,  with  which  I 
was  before  but  little  acquainted — to  make  myself  acquaint)  d  with  the 
great  and  little  men  of  the  State  whom  I  find  collected  here,  and  lastly  to 
enjoy  the  amusements  and  society  of  this  great  metropolis.  I  think 
I  have  most  bountiful  variety  of  occupation.  You  will  smile,  perhaps, 
when  I  tell  you,  that  in  spite  of  all  my  former  prejudices  and  preposses- 
sions, I  like  this  queer  little  old-fashioned  place  more  and  more,  the 
longer  I  remain  in  it.  I  have  somehow  or  another  formed  acquaintance 
with  some  of  the  good  people,  and  several  of  the  little  Yffrouws.  ana 
have  even  made  my  way  and  intrenched  myself  strongly  in  the  parlors  of 
several  genuine  Dutch  families,  who  had  declared  utter  hostility  to  me. 
Several  good  old  ladies,  who  had  almost  condemned  my  book  to  the 
flames,  have  taken  me  into  high  favor,  and  I  have  even  had  the  hardi- 
hood to  invade  the  territories  of  Mynheer  Ilans ,  and  lay  siege  to 

his  beauteous  daughter,  albeit  that  the  high  blood  of  all  the  burghers  of 

the family  was  boiling  against  me,  and  threatening  mo  with  utti  r 

annihilation. 

So  passes  away  the  time.  I  shall  remain  here  some  day-,  longer,  and 
then  go  to  Kinderhook.  What  time  I  shall  return  to  New  York  I  cannot 
tell.  I  have  no  prospect  ahead,  nor  scheme,  nor  air  castle  to  engage  my 
mind  withal  ;  so  that  it  matters  but  little  where  I  am,  and  perhaps  I 
cannot  be  more  agreeably  or  profitably  employed  than  in  Van  Ness 
library.  I  shall  return  to  New  York  poorer  than  I  set  out,  both  in  p 
and  hopes,  but  rich  in  a  great  store  of  valuable  and  pleasing  knowledge 


188  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

which  I  have  acquired  of  the  wickedness  of  my  fellow-creatures.  That, 
I  believe,  is  the  only  kind  of  wealth  I  am  doomed  to  acquire  in  the  world, 
but  it  is  a  kind  of  which  I  am  but  little  covetous 

Though  he  was  very  much  feted  and  caressed  at  Al- 
bany before  he  left,  yet  many  at  first  were  very  slow  to 
extend  any  civility  to  him.  One  lady  was  pointedly  in- 
dignant against  him,  and  in  an  outburst  of  wrath  vowed, 
if  she  were  a  man,  she  would  horsewhip  him.  The  his- 
torian was  wonderfully  amused  on  hearing  this,  and  with 
a  degree  of  modest  impudence  quite  foreign  to  his  nat- 
ural character,  forthwith  determined  to  seek  an  introduc- 
tion. He  accordingly  prevailed  on  a  friend  to  take  him 
to  her  house.  She  received  him  very  stiffly  at  first,  but 
before  the  end  of  the  interview  he  had  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing himself  so  agreeable  that  she  relaxed  entirely  from 
her  hauteur,  and  they  became  very  good  friends. 

She  was  satisfied,  I  presume,  that  he  had  taken  the 
old  Dutch  names  at  random,  without  intending  personal 
allusion,  which  was  the  case,  as  he  has  himself  told  me. 
"  It  was  a  confounded  impudent  thing  in  such  a  young- 
ster as  I  was,"  said  he  to  me  in  his  latter  years,  "to  be 
meddling  in  this  way  with  old  family  names ;  but  I  did 
not  dream  of  offense." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

LETTER  TO  MR.  HOFFMAN.— TO  MRS.  HOFFMAN.— BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  O* 
CAMPBELL.— FIRST  PERUSAL  OF  THE  "LADY  OF  THE  LAKE."— LONGINGS 
FOR  INDEPENDENCE. — PARTNERSHIP   PROPOSAL. — EMBRACES    IT. 

HE  following  account  of  a  journey  to  Philadel- 
phia, in  which  Mr.  Irving  acted  as  escort  to 
Mrs.  Hoffman  and  her  three  infant  children,  is 
not  without  interest,  as  an  example  of  the  jocose  extrav- 
agance in  which  he  sometimes  indulged  in  scribbling  to 
Mr.  Hoffman : — 

[To  Mr.  Hoffman.'] 

Philadelphia,  June  5,  1810. 
Dear  Sir  : — 

We  arrived  safe  in  Philadelphia  this  morning,  between  eight  and  nine 
o'clock,  and  took  the  city  by  surprise,  the  inhabitants  not  having  expected 
us  until  evening.  All  this  is  in  consequence  of  my  unparalleled  general- 
ship, which  already  begins  to  be  talked  of  with  great  admiration  through- 
out the  country.  I  took  a  light  coachee  from  Brighton  to  Brunswick 
where  we  breakfasted,  and  finding  it  impossible  to  procure  a  four-horso 
carriage  there,  I  changed  carriage  and  horses  and  pushed  on  to  Trenton, 
where,  while  the  Philistines  were  dining,  I  engaged  a  fresh  carriage  and 
horses  for  Philadelphia,  and  made  out  to  reach  Homesburgh  (about  ten 
miles  from  Philadelphia)  between  seven  and  eight  in  the  evening.     I  was 

189 


190  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

anxious  to  get  as  far  as  possible,  lest  the  weather  might  change,  or  the 
children  get  unwell.  The  journey  has  been  infinitely  more  comfortable 
and  pleasant  than  I  had  anticipated.  Yesterday  was  a  fine  day  for  travel- 
ling, and  I  never  knew  children  to  travel  so  well.  Charles  has  behaved 
like  a  very  good  boy,  and  George  is  one  of  the  sprightliest  little  travellers 
I  ever  knew  ;  he  has  furnished  amusement  during  the  whole  ride,  and 
what  is  still  better,  has  gained  unto  himself  a  very  rare  and  curious  stock 
of  knowledge ;  for  besides  the  unknown  tongue  in  which  he  usually  con- 
verses, and  which  none  but  Mammy  Caty  (who  you  know  is  at  least  one- 
half  witch)  can  understand,  he  has  picked  up  a  considerable  smattering 
of  High  Dutch  since  he  entered  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  so  that  I  re- 
gretted exceedingly,  and  that  more  than  once  during  my  travels,  that  the 
immortal  Psalm anazar  was  not  present  to  discourse  with  him. 

Little  Julia  has  had  an  astonishing  variety  of  complaints  since  our 
leaving  New  York  ;  has  had  two  doctors  to  attend  her,  has  taken  three 
score  and  ten  doses  of  medicine,  not  to  mention  anise-seed  tea  and  pepper- 
mint cordial,  and  what  is  passing  strange,  is  still  alive,  fat  and  hearty  ; 
a  case  only  to  be  paralleled  by  that  of  the  famous  Spinster  of  Ratcliff 
Highway,  who  was  cured  of  nineteen  diseases  in  a  fortnight,  and  every 
one  of  them  mortal  ! 

You  cannot  conceive  what  speculation  our  appearance  made  among  the 
yeomanry  of  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania.     Many  of  the  excellent  old  Dutch 
farmers  mistook  us  for  a  family  of  Yankee  squatters,  and  were  terribly 
alarmed,  and  the  little  community  of  Bustletown  (who  are  very  apt  to 
be  thrown  into  a  panic)  were  in  utter  dismay  at  our  approach,  insomuch 
that  when  we  entered  one  end  of  the  town,  I  saw  several  old  women  in 
Pompadour  and  Birdseye  gowns,  with  bandboxes  under  their  arms,  mak- 
ing their  escape  out  of  the  other.     However,  I  contrived  to  pacify  them 
by  lotting  them  know  it  was  the  family  of  the  Recorder  of  New  York, 
who,  being  an  orthodox  Bible  man,  always  travelled  into  foreign  lands, 
as  did  the  Patriarchs  of  yore— that  is  to  say,  with  his  wife,  and  his  sons, 
and  his  daughters,  his  men-servants  and  his  maid-servants,  and  his  cattle 
and  the  stranger  that  is  within  his  gates,  and  everything  that  is  his, 
whereat  they  were  exceeding  glad  and  glorified  God. 


OF  WASIUNGTON  IRVING.  1<H 

We  are  all  comfortably  situated  at  Ann's,*  who  lives  in  a  little  palace. 
.  .  .  .  Mary  is  much  improved  in  her  looks,  and  appears  to  bo  a  ^nut 
favorite  with  the  family.  Ann  has  taken  her  under  her  care,  and  is  mak- 
ing her  a  hard  student.  She  has  already  read  seven  pages  in  Kollin,  and 
the  whole  history  of  Camilla  and  Cecilia,  not  to  mention  a  considerable 
attack  which  she  has  made  upon  "the  Castle  of  Inchvalley  ;  a  talc,  alas, 
too  true  ! " 

In  the  hurry  of  my  writing  the  above  (for  I  write  as  fast  as  we  trav- 
elled) I  forgot  to  mention  to  you  that  having  safely  arrived  within  the 
suburbs  of  Philadelphia,  the  old  carriage  in  which  we  came  from  Trenton 
sank  beneath  its  burden  and  gave  up  the  ghost ! 

In  other  words,  we  broke  down  just  after  entering  the  city;  but  as  it 
was  merely  a  spring  had  given  way,  the  whole  party,  man,  woman, 
and  child,  were  dug  out  of  the  ruins  without  any  other  mishap  than 
that  of  overturning  the  medicine  chest,  and  spilling  fifteen  phials, 
which  were  as  full  of  plagues  as  those  mentioned  in  the  Revelation.  I 
immediately  perceived  a  change  in  little  Julia  for  the  better,  and  I  make 
bold  to  conjecture  that  had  a  dozen  more  been  demolished,  she  would 
have  been  the  heartiest  child  in  Philadelphia  at  this  present  writing. 
You  cannot  imagine  the  astonishment  of  all  Philadelphia  at  seeing  so 
many  living  beings  extracted  out  of  one  little  carriage. 

Farewell,  my  good  sir.     Remember  me  to  the  remnants  and  rags  of 

your  household  that  remain  behind.     Keep  all  marauders  from  breaking 

into  my  room  and  disturbing  the  pictures  of  my  venerable  ancestors,  and 

believe  me  Ever  your  friend, 

W.I. 

A  letter  to  Mrs.  Hoffman  at  Philadelphia,  after  his  re- 
turn to  New  York,  shows  him  to  be  domesticated  at  a 
cottage  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson,  within  a  few 


*  Ann  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  Hoffman,  married,  the  year  before,  to  «  harlefl 
Nicholas,  of  Philadelphia.  Mary  was  a  younger  eister  by  the  first  marriage,  atterv,  udfl 
Mrs.  Philip  Rhinelander. 


192  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

miles  of  the  city,  which  Mr.  Hoffman  had  hired  for  a 
summer  retreat.     At  its  close  he  says  : 

Tell  Charles  I  will  be  able  to  write  to  him  about  the  beginning  of  the 
week,  as  Mr.  Campbell  is  to  spend  part  of  to-morrow  with  me 

The  Campbell  here  mentioned,  was  a  brother  of  the 
Bard  of  Hope.  He  was  a  resident  of  New  York,  and 
had  lately  applied  to  Mr.  Irving  for  his  good  offices  in 
procuring  the  publication  of  "  O'Connor's  Child,"  and  a 
new  edition  of  "  Gertrude  of  Wyoming,"  the  manuscript 
of  which  the  poet  had  sent  out  to  him,  with  a  view  to  a 
pecuniary  remuneration  on  this  side  of  the  water.  Mr. 
Irving  proposed  the  publication  to  Charles  I.  Nicholas 
and  his  partner,  booksellers  in  Philadelphia,  who  agreed 
to  undertake  the  work  for  a  stipulated  sum,  provided  he 
would  preface  it  with  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  poet. 
To  this  he  assented ;  and  having  obtained  some  meagre 
particulars  from  the  brother,  worked  them  up  into  a 
brief  biography,  which  was  received  with  approbation 
by  the  public,  though  it  gave  little  satisfaction  to  the 
author  himself.  He  once  told  me  it  was  written  against 
the  vein,  and  was,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  up  hill  work." 

In  a  pencil  memorandum,  half  effaced,  which  I  found 
among  his  papers  after  his  death,  we  have  this  further 
sketch  of  him  at  the  Hoffman's  rural  retreat  on  the 
Hudson.  He  had  borrowed  from  Inskeep  and  Bradford, 
the  English  copy  of  the  "Lady  of  the  Lake,"  before  they 
were  to  put  it  to  press,  and  all  eagerness  to  devour  it, 


OF  WASHING? OS  IRYIXG.  193 

had  stolen  forth  with  his  secret  treasure  to  have  the  first 
reading  to  himself.  More  than  once  I  have  heard  him 
descant  upon  the  delight  of  this  stealthy  perusal,  and  the 
surprise  with  which  he  started  to  his  feet  at  the  unex- 
pected denouement, 

"And  Snowdon's  knight  is  Scotland's  king." 
But  here  he  is  at  his  solitary  enjoyment : — 

August  12,  1810. 
Seated,  leaning  against  a  rock  with  a  wild  cherry-tree  over  my  head, 
reading  Scott's  "Lady  of  the  Lake."  The  busy  ant  hurrying  over  the 
page — crickets  skipping  into  my  bosom — wind  rustling  among  the  top 
branches  of  the  trees.  Broad  masses  of  shade  darken  the  Hudson  and 
cast  the  opposite  shore  in  black. 

I  am  strongly  reminded,  by  this  picture,  of  his  expres- 
sive invitation  to  a  friend  at  a  later  day — to  make  him  a 
visit  at  Sunnyside.  "  Come  and  see  me,  and  I'll  give  you 
a  book  and  a  tree." 

In  the  next  written  trace  of  him  this  year,  I  find  him 
towards  the  end  of  August,  at  the  hospitable  seat  of  Cup- 
tain  Phillips,  in  the  Highlands,  a  favorite  resort  of  him- 
self, the  Kembles,  Paulding,  Brevoort,  and,  somewhat 
later,  James  Benwick.  Near  by  was  the  mountain  brook 
described  in  "The  Angler"  of  the  "Sketch  Book,"  and 
here  it  was  that  Brevoort  sallied  forth  to  catch  trout, 
with  the  elaborate  equipment  set  forth  in  that  article. 
A  female  correspondent,  describing  to  him  a  walk  over 
vol.  1. — 13 


194  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

these  grounds  some  years  later,  and  "up  the  lonely  brook 
so  familiarized  to  her  by  his  descriptions,"  says:  "Here 
we  were  shown  Paulding's  seat,"  and  "  your  place  of 
study  (and  I  suspect — sleep)." 

The  biographical  sketch  of  Campbell  was  the  only 
thing  which  came  from  his  pen  this  year,  and  his  literary 
pursuits  would  seem  now  to  have  been  brought  to  a 
stand.  The  success  of  Knickerbocker  had  been  far  be- 
yond his  expectations,  but  it  did  not  quicken  his  zeal  for 
literature  as  a  profession.  He  liked  the  exercise  of  his 
pen  as  an  amusement,  or  a  source  of  occasional  profit, 
but  to  be  tied  down  to  a  literary  career  as  his  destiny,  »to 
be  under  bonds  to  write  for  a  livelihood,  this  presented 
no  enviable  prospect  to  him.  Indeed,  his  whole  soul 
recoiled  from  the  idea  of  a  dependence  upon  literature 
for  his  daily  bread.  Such  a  career  was  beset  with  too 
many  trials  and  vexations,  was  too  precarious,  too  fitful, 
too  much  exposed  to  caprice,  vicissitude,  and  failure. 
His  happiness  was  at  stake  in  obtaining  some  employ- 
ment that  would  insure  a  steady  income;  and  disap- 
pointed, as  we  have  seen,  in  some  hopes  of  an  office,  for 
which  his  friends  had  urged  his  claims,  and  shut  out 
apparently  from  every  other  avenue  to  a  modest  com- 
petence— he  seems  at  this  period  to  have  pondered  the 
future  with  a  boding  heart.  Brevoort,  to  whom  he  con- 
fided his  doubts  and  misgivings,  used  playfully  to  rally 
him  on  his  dread  of  the  alms-house ;  but  his  brother 
Peter,  with  a  deeper  insight  into  his  nature,  read  the 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  1<)5 

traces  of  these  feelings  in  his  letters  in  a  different  vein. 
He  knew  well,  that  though  never  inclined  to  take  trouble 
upon  interest,  he  was  not  so  constituted  that  he  could  live 
for  the  moment  without  casting  anxious  glances  ahead, 
dreading,  of  all  things,  to  have  his  spirit  clouded  by  an 
uncertain  future. 

As  there  had  been  a  sort  of  literary  alliance  in  regard 
to  Knickerbocker,  so  whatever  either  did  at  this  time 
was  for  the  benefit  of  both.  Peter's  letters  abound  in 
allusions  to  a  sort  of  compact  or  partnership,  by  which 
they  held  all  things  in  common.  His  main  anxiety 
abroad  seems  to  have  aimed  at  rendering  his  expedition 
useful  to  Washington  as  well  as  to  himself. 

I  have  already  authorized  you  (he  writes)  to  appropriate  the  proceeds 
of  my  expedition  in  any  way  that  may  seem  for  our  mutual  benefit.  I 
need  not  repeat  that  I  consider  your  attention  to  esta  obra  as  amply  per- 
forming your  part  in  our  little  partnership.  In  truth  I  only  require  you 
to  be  cheerful  and  not  to  repine  at  being  unemployed,  and  I  shall  be 
happy.  My  only  fear  is  that  you  may  indulge  different  feelings,  and  so 
acquire  a  temper  of  mind  unfavorable  to  happiness.  Be  assured  that  if 
nothing  of  further  profit  grows  out  of  my  present  occupation,  we  will,  on 
my  return,  devise  other  plans  of  advantage. 

And  again : — 

I  need  not  say  how  deeply  essential  your  health  and  happiness  aiv  to 
my  own  enjoyment.  I  have  the  apprehension  that  you  allow  yourself  to 
be  dispirited  by  the  idea  that  you  are  prevented  by  want  of  opportunity 
from  playing  an  active  part  in  our  little  partnership.  Be  assured  thai  I 
am  sincere  in  the  expression  of  my  opinion  that  the  state  of  compelled 


196  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

inactivity  is  much  the  more  irksome  than  that  of  active  employment.  On 
my  honor,  I  consider  yours  the  more  difficult  situation  of  the  two.  I 
shall  only  regret  that  you  should  view  it  differently,  yet  that  I  trust  can- 
not be.  We  certainly  understand  each  other  too  well  to  have  any  con- 
sideration for  the  laws  of  meum  and  tuum  between  us,  or  for  either  of  us 
to  care  on  which  side  the  opportunity  of  profitable  exertion  lies. 

These  passages  give  an  interesting  picture  of  the  char- 
acter of  Peter,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  would 
have  been  effectual  to  repress  the  impatient  longing  of 
Washington  for  some  active  pursuit ;  if  they  had  not 
speedily  been  followed  by  a  letter  from  his  brother,  of  a 
very  different  description,  which  seemed  to  open  the 
long-coveted  prospect  to  independence. 

I  have  just  received  (writes  Peter  from  London,  May  31,  1810)  a  propo- 
sal from  brother  Ebenezer  to  form  a  connection  in  business,  and  have 
written  to  him  that  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  me,  if  it  wdl  be  agreeable  to 
him,  to  form  a  third  with  you  and  myself.  He  will  explain  the  plan 
contemplated 

It  has  never  been  my  idea  that  you  should  become  engaged  in  com- 
merce, except  so  slightly  as  not  to  interfere  with  your  other  habits  and 
pursuits.  Nor  would  I  have  it.  The  drudgery  of  regular  business  I  would 
not  undertake  for  any  reasonable  consideration.  Those  who  have  been 
educated  for  it,  and  practiced  in  it,  I  have  no  doubt  find  it  pleasant  ;  to 
me  and  to  you  it  would  be  excessively  irksome. 

My  own  plan  here  is  to  give  it  close  attention  at  the  necessary  periods 
of  purchase  and  shipment,  and  to  be  a  man  of  leisure  during  the  inter- 
vals. I  have  no  doubt  that  we  shall  in  a  short  time  realize  enough  to 
establish  a  little  castle  of  our  own,  in  which  we  may  assemble  the  good 
fellows  we  esteem. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING. 


197 


"Washington  grasped  readily  at  this  proposal,  especially 
as  the  busiuess  was  not  likely  to  be  attended  with  any 
trouble  to  himself,  while  it  allowed  long  intervals  of  lei- 
sure to  his  brother  Peter — and  afforded  to  Ebenezcr  a 
sphere  of  activity,  in  which  he  took  delight.  The  firm 
took  the  name  of  P.  &  E.  Irving  &  Co.,  in  New  York,  and 
P.  Irving  &  Co.,  in  England.  Peter  made  the  purchases 
and  shipments  at  Liverpool,  while  Ebenezer  conducted 
the  sales  at  New  York.  By  the  terms  of  the  partnership, 
the  profits  were  to  be  divided  into  fifths,  the  two  active 
partners  to  receive  each  two  fifths  and  Washington  one ; 
but  if  he  should  marry  or  become  an  active  partner,  the 
profits  were  then  to  be  divided  into  equal  thirds.  It  was 
not  expected  by  his  brothers,  however,  that  he  would  pay 
any  attention  to  the  business ;  their  object  in  giving  him 
an  interest  in  their  concern,  being  mainly  to  provide  for 
his  subsistence,  and  leave  him  at  liberty  to  cultivate  his 
general  talents,  and  devote  himself  to  literature. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

VISIT  TO  WASHINGTON. — LETTER  TO  BREVOORT. — JAKVIS  THE  PAINTER. — MR3. 
MADISON'S  LEVEE. — KNICKERBOCKER  THE  CONGRESSMAN. — EXTRACT  OF  A 
LETTER  TO  MRS.  HOFFMAN. — MRS.  RENWICK. — LETTER  TO  BREVOORT. — ■ 
LETTER  TO  WILLIAM  IRVING. — JOEL  BARLOW  AND  THE  SECRETARYSHIP  OF 
LEGATION.  —  LETTERS  TO  BREVOORT.  —  GEORGE  FREDERICK  COOKE,  THE 
ACTOR. — HIS  PERFORMANCE  OF  MACBETH.  — HIS  BENEFIT  AT  THE  PARK 
THEATRE. 

HE  winter  which  succeeded  his  partnership 
was  one  of  great  anxiety  to  the  merchants. 
Their  interests  were  likely  to  be  seriously  af- 
fected by  the  measures  of  Congress ;  and  his  brothers, 
William  and  Ebenezer,  thought  it  advisable  to  have  an 
agent  at  the  seat  of  government,  to  watch  the  moving 
of  the  waters,  and  give  the  earliest  intimations  of  com- 
ing danger.  This  business  was  confided  to  "Washington  ; 
who,  nothing  loth,  accordingly  started  for  his  destination, 
on  the  21st  of  December,  1810,  and  reached  it  on  the  9th 
of  January,  1811 — a  degree  of  speed  not  calculated  to 
encourage  the  hope  of  Ins  proving  a  very  alert  channel  of 
intelligence. 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother  Ebenezer,  dated  Washington, 
January  9,  1811,  he  writes : — 

198 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  l,i.) 

I  arrived  here  this  evening,  after  literally  struggling  through  the  mu<l 
and  mire  all  the  way  from  Baltimore.  1  must  confess  I  am  nol  one  of 
the  most  expeditious  travellers  in  the  world  ;  but  it  was  impossibl 
withstand  the  extremely  friendly  and  hospitable  attentions  of  the  good 
people  of  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  ;  at  any  rate,  I  am  a  mere  mortal 
on  these  occasions,  and  yield  myself  up,  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter. 

Congress  has  been  sitting  with  closed  doors  for  two  or  three  days,  en- 
gaged, as  it  is  supposed,  in  the  Florida  business.  I  have  not  been  able  to 
learn  anything  of  matters  as  yet,  but  I  mean  to  be  as  deep  in  the  mys- 
teries of  the  cabinet  as  that  "  entire  chrysolite  "  of  wisdom,  .... 
notwithstanding  that  he  rode  post,  as  I  am  well  informed,  from  New 
York  to  Washington,  with  his  finger  beside  his  nose,  and  nodding  and 
winking  all  the  way  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child  he  saw. 

In  a  letter  which  follows  to  Brevoort,  who  had  accom- 
panied him  to  Philadelphia,  we  have  among  other  things 
an  allusion  to  a  French  translation  of  Knickerbocker,  to 
Jarvis  the  painter,  and  to  Mrs.  Madison. 

Citt  op  Washington,  Jan.  13,  1811. 
Dear  Brevooet  : — 

I  have  been  constantly  intending  to  write  to  you ;  but  you  know  the 
hurry  and  confusion  of  the  life  I  at  present  lead,  and  the  distraction  of 
thought  which  it  occasions,  and  which  is  totally  hostile  to  letter  writing. 
The  letter,  however,  which  you  have  been  so  good  as  to  write  me,  de- 
mands a  return  of  one  kind  or  another  ;  and  so  I  answer  it,  partly  through 
a  sense  of  duty,  and  partly  in  hopes  of  inducing  you  to  write  another. 

My  journey  to  Baltimore  was  terrible  and  sublime— as  full  of  adventur- 
ous matters  and  direful  peril  as  one  of  Walter  Scott's  pantomimic,  melo- 
dramatic, romantic  tales.  I  was  three  days  on  the  road,  and  slept  one 
night  in  a  log-house.  Yet  somehow  or  another,  I  lived  through  it  all  ; 
and  lived  merrily  into  the  bargain,  for  which  I  thank  a  large  stock  of 
good  humor,  which  I  put  up  before  my  departure  from  New  York,  as 
travelling  stores  to  last  me  throughout  my  expedition.     In  a  word,  I  left 


200  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

home,  determined  to  be  pleased  with  everything,  or  if  not  pleased,  to  be 
amused,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  distinction,  and  I  have  hitherto  kept  to 
my  determination. 

I  remained  two  days  in  Baltimore,  where  I  was  very  well  treated,  and 
was  just  getting  into  a  very  agreeable  society,  when  the  desire  to  get  to 
Washington  induced  me  to  set  off  abruptly,  deferring  all  enjoyment  of 
Baltimore  until  my  return.  While  there  I  dined  with  Coale  [the  book- 
seller]. At  his  table  I  found  Jarvis,  who  is  in  great  vogue  in  Baltimore, 
painting  all  the  people  of  note  and  fashion,  and  universally  passing  for  a 
great  wit,  a  fellow  of  infinite  jest ;  in  short,  "the  agreeable  rattle."  I 
was  likewise  waited  on  by  Mr.  Tezier,  the  French  gentleman  who  has 
translated  my  history  of  New  York.  He  is  a  very  pleasant,  gentlemanly 
fellow,  and  we  were  very  civil  to  each  other,  as  you  may  suppose.  He 
tells  me  he  has  sent  his  translation  to  Paris,  where  I  suspect  they  will 
understand  and  relish  it  about  as  much  as  they  would  a  Scotch  haggis 
and  a  singed  sheep's-head. 

The  ride  from  Baltimore  to  Washington  was  still  worse  than  the  former 
one  ;  but  I  had  two  or  three  odd  geniuses  for  fellow-passengers,  and 
made  out  to  amuse  myself  very  well.  I  arrived  at  the  inn  about  dusk  ; 
and  understanding  that  Mrs.  Madison  was  to  have  her  levee  or  drawing- 
room  that  very  evening,  I  swore  by  all  my  gods  I  would  be  there.  But 
how  ?  was  the  question.  I  had  got  away  down  into  Georgetown,  and  the 
persons  to  whom  my  letters  of  introduction  were  directed,  lived  all  upon 
Capitol  Hill,  about  three  miles  off,  while  the  President's  house  was  exactly 
half  way.  Here  was  a  non-plus  enough  to  startle  any  man  of  less  enter- 
prising spirit  ;  but  I  had  sworn  to  be  there,  and  I  determined  to  keep  my 
oath,  and  like  Caleb  Quotem,  to  "have  a  place  at  the  Review."  Sol 
mounted  with  a  stout  heart  to  my  room ;  resolved  to  put  on  my  pease 
blossoms  and  silk  stockings  ;  gird  up  my  loins  ;  sally  forth  on  my  expedi- 
tion; and  like  a  vagabond  knight-errant,  trust  to  Providence  for  success 
and  whole  bones.  Just  as  I  descended  from  my  attic  chamber,  full  of 
this  valorous  spirit,  I  was  met  by  my  landlord,  with  whom,  and  the  head 
waiter,  by  the  bye,  I  had  held  a  private  cabinet  counsel  on  the  subject. 
Bully  Rook  informed  me  that  there  was  a  party  of  gentlemen  just  going 


OF  WASHINGTON  III  I  Y.\  0. 

from  the  house,  one  of  whom,  Mr.  Fontaine  Maury  of  New  York,  1     1 
offered  his  services  to  introduce  rne  to  "the  Sublime  Porte."     1  cu1 
of  my  best  opera  flourishes;  skipped  into  the  d:  -    om,  p<  | 

head  into  the  hands  of  a  sanguinary  Jacobinical  barber,  who   can     1 
havoc  and  desolation  into  the  lower  regions  of  my  face;  mowed  down  all 
the  beard  en  one  of  my  cheeks  and  laid  the  other  in  blood  like  a  i 
quered  province  ;  and  thus,  like  a  second  Banquo,  with  "twenty  mo 
murthers  on  my  head,"  in  a  few  minutes  I  emerged  from  dirt  ami  dark- 
ness into  the  blazing  splendor  of  Mr.  Madison's  drawing-room.     Hero  I 
was  most  graciously  received  ;  found  a  crowded  collection  of  groat  and 
little  men,  of  ugly  old  women   and  beautiful  young  ones,  and  in  h  n 
minutes  was  hand  and  glove  with  half  the  people  in  the  assemb] 
Mrs.  Madison  is  a  fine,   portly,   buxom  dame,  who  has  a  smile  and  a 
pleasant  word  for  everybody 

Since  that  memorable  evening  I  have  been  in  a  constant  round  of  ban- 
queting, reveling,  and  dancing.  The  Congress  has  been  sitting  with 
closed  doors,  so  that  I  have  not  seen  much  of  the  wisdom  of  the  nation  ; 
but  I  have  had  enough  matter  for  observation  and  entertainment  to  Jast 
me  a  handful  of  months.  I  only  want  a  chosen  fellow  like  yourself  to 
help  me  wonder,  admire,  and  laugh — as  it  is,  I  must  endeavor  to  do  these 
things  as  well  as  I  can  by  myself. 

I  am  delightfully  moored  "head  and  stern  "in  the  family  of  John  P. 
Van  Xess,  brother  of  William  P.  He  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  in- 
sisted on  my  coming  to  his  house  the  morning  after  my  arrival.  The 
family  is  very  agreeable. 

The  other  evening,  at  the  City  Assembly,  I  was  suddenly  introduced 
to  my  cousin,  the  Congressman  from  Scaghticoke,  and  we  forthwith 
became  two  most  loving  friends. 

is  here,  and  "my  brother  George"  into  the  bargain. 

is  endeavoring  to  obtain  a  deposit  in  the  Mechanic's  Bank,  in  case 


the  U.  S.  Bank  does  not  obtain  a  charter.     He  is  as  deep  as  usual  ;  -I 
his  head,  and  winks  through  his  spectacles  at  everybody  ho  meets.     Ho 
swore  to  me  the  other  day,  that  he  had  not  told  anybody  what  his  opinion 
was,  whether  the  bank  ought  to  have  a  charter  or  not  ;  nobody  in  Wash- 


202  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ington  knew  what  his  opinion  was — not  one — nobody — he  defied  any  one 
to  say  what  it  was — "anybody — damn  the  one — no,  sir — nobody  knows" 

— and,  if  he  had  added  nobody  cares,  I  believe  honest would  have 

been  exactly  in  the  right.     Then  there's  Ins  brother ,  "damn  that 

fellow — knows  eight  or  nine  languages — yes,  sir — nine  languages — Arabic, 
Spanish,  Greek,  Ital — and  there's  his  wife  now — she  and  Mrs.  Madison 
are  always  together.  Mrs.  Madison  has  taken  a  great  fancy  to  her  little 
daughter  ;  only  think,  sir,  that  child  is  only  six  years  old,  and  talks  the 
Italian  like  a  book,  by  God — little  devil  learnt  it  all  from  an  Italian  ser- 
vant— damned  clever  fellow — lived  with  my  brother ten  years — says 

he  would  not  part  with  him  for  all  Tripoli,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

A  letter  to  Mrs.  Hoffman,  from  Washington,  at  this 
time,  concludes  with  the  following  message  to  Mrs.  Ren- 
wick  : — 

When  you  see  my  good  friend  Mrs.  Eenwick,  tell  her  I  feel  great  com- 
punction at  having  deprived  her  of  her  Tartan  piaddie  all  the  winter  ; 
but  if  it  will  be  any  gratification  to  her,  she  may  be  assured  it  has  been 
of  signal  comfort  to  me,  and  has  occasionally  served  as  a  mantle  to  some 
of  the  prettiest  girls  in  Washington. 

This  lady,  whose  name  will  be  held  in  honor  as  the 
heroine  of  "  The  Blue-eyed  Lassie  "  of  Burns,  was  the 
daughter  of  the  Bev.  Andrew  Jeffrey,  of  Lochmaben,  in 
Dumfries-shire,  Scotland.  She  was  early  transplanted  to 
these  shores,  and  passed  the  greater  part  of  her  life  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  her  house  was  a  cherished  re- 
sort of  Mr.  Irving.  A  brief  and  well-written  Memoir  of 
her,  by  Mrs.  Balmanno,  printed  privately  for  her  family 
and  friends,  speaks  of  her  as  follows  :  "  Up  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  seventy-seven,  she  adorned  a  high  social 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING. 

position  with  all  those  qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  all 
those  sweet  and  captivating  amenities  of  manner,  which 
had,  in  her  youth,  when  joined  to  great  personal  attrac- 
tions, rendered  her  one  of  the  most  fascinating  maidens 
of  Annandale."  She  often  met  the  Scottish  poet  at  her 
father's  fireside,  and  besides  "  the  blue-eyed  Lassie,"  ho 
made  her  the  subject  of  another  song,  "  When  first  I  saw 
my  Jeanie's  face,"  which  is  contained  in  the  memoir 
above  mentioned.  As  this  effusion  has  never  appeared 
in  any  collection  of  the  works  of  the  immortal  bard,  I  am 
tempted  to  quote  the  fine  compliment  of  the  concluding 
stanza : — 

"  But  sair  I  doubt  some  happier  swain 
Has  gained  my  Jeanie's  favor, 
If  sae  may  every  bliss  be  hers, 
Tho'  I  can  never  have  her. 


"  But  gang  she  east,  or  gang  she  west, 
'Twixt  Nith  and  Tweed  all  over, 
While  men  have  eyes,  or  ears,  or  taste, 
She'll  always  find  a  lover." 

It  was  to  the  subject  of  this  poetic  effusion,  that  the 
author  of  the  "  Sketch  Book"  was  indebted  for  the  slip 
of  ivy  from  Melrose,  which  she  planted  with  her  own 
hands,  and  lived  to  see,  running  in  rich  luxuriance  over 
the  walls  of  Sunnyside. 

I  give  some  further  letters  of  this  period : — 


204  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Washington,  Feb.  7,  1811. 
Dear  Beevoort  : — 

I  am  ashamed  at  not  having  answered  your  letter  before,  but  I  am  too 
much  occupied  and  indeed  distracted  here  by  the  multiplicity  of  objects 
before  me,  to  write  with  any  degree  of  coherency. 

I  wish  with  all  my  heart  you  had  come  on  with  me,  for  my  time  has 
passed  delightfully.  1  have  become  acquainted  with  almost  everybody 
here,  and  find  the  most  complete  medley  of  character  I  ever  mingled 
amongst.  As  I  do  not  suffer  party  feelings  to  bias  my  mind,  I  have  as- 
sociated with  both  parties,  and  have  found  worthy  and  intelligent  men 
in  both,  with  honest  hearts,  enlightened  minds,  generous  feelings,  and 
bitter  prejudices.  A  free  communication  of  this  kind  tends  more  than 
anything  else  to  divest  a  man's  mind  of  party  bigotry  ;  to  make  him  re- 
gardless of  those  jaundiced  representations  of  persons  and  things  which 
he  is  too  apt  to  have  held  up  to  him  by  party  writers,  and  to  beget  in  him 
that  candid,  tolerant,  good-natured  habit  of  thinking,  which  I  think 
every  man  that  values  his  own  comfort  and  utility  should  strive  to  cul- 
tivate. 

You  would  be  amused,  were  you  to  arrive  here  just  now,  to  see  the  odd 
and  heterogeneous  circle  of  acquaintance  I  have  formed.  One  day  I  am 
dining  with  a  knot  of  honest,  furious  Federalists,  who  are  damning  all 
their  opponents  as  a  set  of  consummate  scoundrels,  panders  of  Bonaparte, 
etc.,  etc.  The  next  day  I  dine,  perhaps,  with  some  of  the  very  men  I 
have  heard  thus  anathematized,  and  find  them  equally  honest,  warm,  and 
indignant ;  and  if  I  take  their  word  for  it,  I  had  been  dining  the  day  be- 
fore with  some  of  the  greatest  knaves  in  the  nation,  men  absolutely  paid 
and  suborned  by  the  British  government. 

To  show  you  the  mode  of  life  I  lead,  I  give  you  ray  engagements  for 
this  week.  On  Monday  I  dined  with  the  mess  of  officers  at  the  barracks  ; 
in  the  evening  a  ball  at  Van  Ness's.  On  Tuesday  with  my  cousin  Knick- 
erbocker and  several  merry  Federalists.  On  Wednesday  I  dined  with 
General  Turreau,  who  had  a  very  pleasant  party  of  Frenchmen  and 
democrats  ;  in  the  evening  at  Mrs.  Madison's  levee,  which  was  brilliant 
and  crowded  with  interesting  men  and  fine  women.     On  Thursday  a  din- 


OF  WASHING  TO  X  IRVING. 

ner  at  Latrobe's.     On  Friday  a  dinner  at  the  Secretary  of  I 
in  the  evening  a  ball  at  the  Mayor's.     Saturday  as  yet  is  unengaged.     At 
all  these  parties  you  meet  with  so  many  intelligent  people  that  your  mind 
is  continually  and  delightfully  exercised. 

The  Supreme  Court  has  likewise  within  a  day  or  two  brought  a  crowd 
of  new  strangers  to  the  city.     Jo.   Ingersoll,  Clement  Biddle,  Clymer, 

Goodloe  Harper,  and  several  others  have  arrived This  place 

would  suit  you  to  a  fraction,  as  you  could  find  company  suitable  to< 
varying  mood  of  mind,  and  men  capable  of  conversing  and  giving  you 
information  on  every  subject  on  which  you  might  wish  to  be  informed. 

To  make  intelligible  the  following  interesting  portion 
of  a  reply  to  a  letter  of  his  brother  William,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  premise,  that  his  name  had  been  stiggested  as 
Secretary  of  Legation  to  France,  under  Joel  Barlow  as 
Minister.  The  author  of  the  "  Columbiad,"  however,  had 
somehow  or  other  associated  him  with  some  strictures 
on  his  Epic  of  which  he  was  innocent,  and  would  not  be 
likely  to  incline  to  such  a  secretary. 

[7o  William  Irving.] 

Washington,  Feb.  9, 1811. 
My  dear  Brother  :— 

I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  kind  letter  of  the  5th.  I  had 
begun  to  feel  quite  impatient  at  not  hearing  from  home,  and  to  think 
that  the  news  I  occasionally  scribbled  from  here  might  be  of  little  im- 
portance  

Your  opinion  with  respect  to  the  matter  I  hinted  at  has  decided  me, 
shoidd  anything  of  the  kind  be  proposed.  I  have  heard,  however,  noth- 
ing further  on  the  subject,  and  do  not  suffer  it  to  occupy  my  thoughts 
much.     I  should  only  look  upon  it  as  an  advantageous  opportunity  of 


206  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

acquiring  information  and  materials  for  literary  purposes,  as  I  do  not  feel 
much  ambition  or  talents  for  political  life.  Should  I  not  be  placed  in  the 
situation  alluded  to,  I  shall  pursue  a  plan  I  had  some  time  since  contem- 
plated, of  studying  for  a  while,  and  then  travelling  about  the  country  for 
the  purpose  of  observing  the  manners  and  characters  of  the  various  parts 
of  it,  with  a  view  to  writing  a  work,  which,  if  I  have  any  acquaintance 
with  my  own  talents,  will  be  far  more  profitable  and  reputable  than  any- 
thing I  have  yet  written.  Of  this,  however,  you  will  not  speak  to  others. 
But  whatever  I  may  write  in  future  I  am  determined  on  one  thing — to 
dismiss  from  my  mind  all  party  prejudice  and  feeling  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, and  to  endeavor  to  contemplate  every  subject  with  a  candid  and 
good-natured  eye. 

Whether  the  author  ever  finished  the  contemplated 
plan  of  study,  here  alluded  to,  does  not  appear ;  but  cer- 
tain it  is,  that  the  literary  promise  of  thi3  letter  was 
never  fulfilled.  The  work,  of  the  nature  and  design  of 
which  we  have  only  this  imperfect  intimation,  was  not 
even  commenced. 

In  the  letter  which  follows,  we  have,  with  other  mat- 
ters, further  allupion  to  the  appointment : — 

[To  William  Irving]. 

Washington,  Feb.  16, 1811. 
.  .  .  .  The  discussion  of  the  Bank  question  is  going  on  vigorously 
In  the  Senate.  Giles  made  a  very  ingenious  speech  both  for  and  against 
it.  He  wa3  opposed  to  the  Bank,  but  the  enemies  of  the  Bank  thought 
he  had  done  their  cause  more  harm  than  any  that  had  spoken  on  the  op- 
posite side.  It  seems  Giles  was  compelled  to  take  the  side  he  did  by  the 
instructions  of  his  constituents,  but  like  an  elephant  he  trampled  down 
his  own  army.     I  was  very  much  pleased  with  his  speaking  ;  he  is  a  close 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  207 

reasoner  and  very  perspicuous.  Clay,  from  Kentucky,  spoke  again-' 
Bank,  lie  is  one  of  the  finest  fellows  I  have  seen  here,  and  one  oi  the 
finest  orators  in  the  Senate,  though  I  believe  the  youngest  man  in  it. 
The  galleries,  however,  were  so  much  crowded  with  ladies  and  gentlen 
and  such  expectations  had  been  expressed  concerning  his  speech,  that  he 
Kras  completely  frightened  and  acquitted  himself  very  little  to  his  own 
satisfaction.     When  his  speech  is  printed,  I  will  send  it  to  you  ;  he  is  a 

man  I  have  great  personal  regard  for 

As  to  the  appointment  of  which  I  spoke  to  you,  I  do  not  indulge  any 
sanguine  hopes  about  it,  and  don't  trouble  myself  on  that  score.  I  find 
that  it  has  been  the  custom  to  leave  the  choice  to  the  minister  himself,  in 
which  case  I  have  no  chance.  The  Secretary  of  State  was  the  first  person 
who  suggested  the  idea,  and  he  is  very  solicitous  for  it  ;  indeed,  I  have 
experienced  great  civility  from  him  while  here.  The  President,  on  its 
being  mentioned  to  him,  said  some  very  handsome  things  of  me,  and  I 
make  no  doubt  will  express  a  wish  in  my  favor  on  the  subject,  more  espe- 
cially as  Mrs.  Madison  is  a  sworn  friend  of  mine,  and  indeed  all  the  ladies 
of  the  household  and  myself  great  cronies.  I  shall  let  the  thing  take  its 
chance.  I  have  made  no  application,  neither  shall  I  make  any  ;  and  if  I 
go  away  from  Washington  with  nothing  but  the  great  good  will  that  has 
been  expressed  and  manifested  towards  me,  I  shall  thank  God  for  all  his 
mercies,  and  think  I  have  made  a  very  advantageous  visit. 

To  the  same  brother  lie  writes,  February  20,  1811  :— 

The  non-intercourse  question  will  come  before  the  House  either  to- 
morrow or  next  day,  and  the  discussion  will  be  extremely  anim. 
....     Jack  Randolph  has  been  keeping  himself  up  for  the  non-in- 
tercourse question,  and  I  expect  will  attack  it  with  all  his  forces.    Then 
is  no  speaker  in  either  house  that  excites  such  universal  attention  as 
Randolph.     But  they  listen  to  him  more  to  be  delighted  by  his  eloquer 
and  entertained  by  his  ingenuity  and  eccentricity,  than  to  be  convinced 
by  sound  doctrine  and  close  argument. 


208  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

[To  Henry  Brevoort.] 

Washington,  March  5,  1811. 

.  .  .  .  I  shall  leave  this  city  the  day  after  to-morrow.  I  should 
have  gone  to-morrow,  but  the  stage  books  are  full.  You  cannot  imagine 
how  forlorn  this  desert  city  appears  to  me,  now  the  great  tide  of  casual 
population  has  rolled  away.  The  three  or  four  last  days  have  been  quite 
melancholy.  Having  formed  a  great  number  of  intimate  and  agreeable 
acquaintances,  I  have  been  continually  taking  leave  of  persons  for  whom 
I  had  contracted  a  regard,  and  who  are  dispersing  to  various  parts  of  this 
immense  country,  without  much  chance  of  our  ever  meeting  one  another 
again.  I  think  nothing  would  tempt  me  to  remain  again  in  "Washing- 
ton, until  the  breaking  up  of  Congress  ;  unless  I  might  start  off  with  the 
first  of  the  tide. 

P.  S. — About  the  time  you  receive  this,  I  expect  "my  cousin  "  Knick- 
erbocker will  arrive  in  N.  Y. ;  I  wish  you  would  call  at  the  City  Hotel, 
and  look  for  him,  and  give  him  some  attention  among  you ;  he  is  a  right 
honest,  sound-hearted,  pleasant  fellow. 

[To  the  same.] 

Philadelphia,  March  16,  1811. 

My  dear  Fellow  :— 

I  arrived  in  this  city  the  day  before  yesterday,  and  was  delighted  to 
find  a  letter  from  you,  waiting  for  me  on  Charles'  mantel-piece.  I  thank 
you  for  this  mark  of  attention,  and  for  the  budget  of  amusing  and  inter- 
esting news  you  have  furnished  me  with.  I  stopped  but  four  days  at 
Baltimore  on  my  return ;  one  of  which  I  was  confined  at  home  by  indis- 
position. The  people  of  Baltimore  are  exceedingly  social  and  very  hos- 
pitable to  strangers  ;  and  I  saw  that  if  I  let  myself  once  get  into  the 
stream,  I  should  not  be  able  to  get  out  again  under  a  fortnight  at  least ; 
so  being  resolved  to  push  homewards  as  expeditiously  as  was  reasonably 
possible,  I  resisted  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  at  Baltimore ;  and 
after  three  days  and  nights'  stout  carousal,  and  a  fourth's  sickness,  sor- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  209 

row,  and  repentance,  I  hurried  off  from  that  sensual  city.  By  the  bye, 
that  little  "Hydra  and  chimera  dire,"  Jarvis,  is  in  prodigious  gnat  cir- 
culation at  Baltimore.  The  gentlemen  have  all  voted  him  ;i  rare  wag 
and  most  brilliant  wit;  and  the  ladies  pronounce  him  one  of  the  queerest, 
ugliest,  most  agreeable  little  creatures  in  the  world.  The  consequence  is 
that  there  is  not  a  ball,  tea-party,  concert,  supper,  or  any  other  private 
regale,  but  that  Jarvis  is  the  most  conspicuous  personage  ;  and  as  to  a 
dinner,  they  can  no  more  do  without  him,  than  they  could  without  Friar 
John  at  the  roystering  revels  of  the  renowned  Pantagruel.  He  is  over- 
whelmed with  business  and  pleasure,  his  pictures  admired  and  extolled  to 
the  skies,  and  his  jokes  industriously  repeated  and  laughed  at 

Jack  Randolph  was  at  Baltimore  for  a  day  or  two  after  my  arrival.  He 
sat  to  Jarvis  for  a  likeness  for  one  of  the  Ridgeley's,  and  consented  that  I 
should  have  a  copy.  I  am  in  hopes  of  receiving  it  before  I  leave  Phila- 
delphia, and  of  bringing  it  home  with  me 

I  was  out  visiting  with  Ann  yesterday,  and  met  that  little  assemblage 
of  smiles  and  fascinations,  Mary  Jackson.  She  was  bounding  with  youth, 
health  and  innocence,  and  good  humor.  She  had  a  pretty  straw  hat 
tied  under  her  chin  with  a  pink  ribbon,  and  looked  like  some  little  wood- 
land nymph,  just  lured  out  by  spring  and  fine  weather.  God  bless  her 
light  heart,  and  grant  that  it  may  never  know  care  or  sorrow !  it's  enough 
to  cure  spleen  and  melancholy  only  to  look  at  her. 

Your  familiar  pictures  of  home  make  me  extremely  desirous  again  to  be 
there.  It  will  be  impossible,  however,  to  get  away  from  the  kind  atten- 
tions of  our  friends  in  this  city,  until  some  time  next  week,  perhaps  to- 
wards the  latter  end,  when  I  shall  once  more  return  to  sober  life,  satisfied 
with  having  secured  three  months  of  sunshine  in  this  valley  of  shadows 
and  darkness 

I  rejoice  to  hear  of  the  approaching  nuptials  of  our  redoubtable  High- 
land chieftain,  and  hope  you  are  preparing  a  grand  Epithalaraium  for 
the  joyful  occasion.  Remember  me  affectionately  to  the  Hoffmans,  Kem- 
bles,  etc.  Yours  ever, 

W.    iRVINli. 
VOL.  I.— 14 


210  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

March  18th  he  writes  to  Brevoort : — 

I  shall  be  with  you  in  a  few  days,  and  then  we  will  look  out  for  Gouv, 
and  prepare  for  the  captain's  Hymeneals. 

He  had  hardly  reached  New  York,  however,  before  he 
found  himself  constrained  to  return  to  Washington — ap- 
parently on  some  mission  of  commercial  necessity.  He 
writes  thence  to  Brevoort,  April  2d,  1811 : — 

I  have  been  whirled  here  with  such  rapidity,  that  I  can  scarcely  realize 
the  transition  ;  it  is  quite  contrary  to  ray  loitering  hospitable  mode  of 
travelling.  I  have  seen  nobody  on  my  route  but  the  elegant  Jarvis,  whom 
I  found  sleeping  on  a  sofa  bed  in  his  painting  room,  like  a  sleeping  Venus, 
and  his  beautiful  dog  couched  at  his  feet.  I  aroused  the  varlet,  and  bid 
him  on  pain  of  death  to  have  the  likeness  of  Kandolph  done  on  my  re- 
turn; he  breakfasted  with  us,  and  entertained  us  with  several  jokes, 
which  had  passed  the  ordeal  of  Baltimore  dinner-tables. 

In  the  following  letter  to  Brevoort  from  Philadelphia 
on  his  return,  we  have  an  allusion  to  George  Frederick 
Cooke,  the  great  actor,  who  had  come  the  year  previous 
to  this  country,  in  which  he  died  in  1812. 

Philadelphia,  April  11,  1811. 
Dear  Brevoort  : — 

I  have  neglected  answering  your  letter  from  an  expectation  that  I 
should  have  been  home  before  this  ;  but  I  have  suffered  day  after  day  to 
slip  by,  and  here  I  still  am,  in  much  the  same  mood  as  you  are  when  in 
bed  of  a  fine  genial  morning,  endeavoring  to  prolong  the  indolent  enjoy- 
ment, to  indulge  in  another  doze,  and  renew  those  delicious  half-waking 
dreams  that  give  one  an  idea  of  a  Mussulman's  paradise. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  01  ^ 

I  have  for  a  few  months  past  led  such  a  pleasanl  life,  thai  I  almost 
shrink  from  awaking  from  it  into  the  commonplace  round  of  regular  ex- 
istence ;  " but  this  eternal  blazon  must  not  be"  (Shakespeare),  so  in  two 

or  three  days  I'll  take  staff  in  hand  and  return  to  the  land  of  my  fathers. 
To  tell  the  truth,  I  have  been  induced  to  stay  a  day  or  two  longer  than  I 
otherwise  would  have  done,  to  have  the  gratification  of  seeing  Cooke  in 
Kitely  and  Lear;  the  first  he  plays  to-night,  the  other  on  Wednesday. 
The  old  fellow  is  in  great  repute  here,  and  draws  excellent  houses.     I 
stopped  in  accidentally  at  the  theatre  a  few  evenings  since,  when  he  was 
playing  Macbeth  ;  not  expecting  to  receive  any  pleasure,  for  you  recollect 
he  performed  it  very  indifferently  in  New  York.     I  entered  just  at  the 
time  when  he  was  meditating  the  murder,  and  I  remained  to  the  end  of 
the  play  in  a  state  of  admiration  and  delight.     The  old  boy  absolutely 
outdid  himself  ;   his  dagger  scene,  his  entrance  to  Duncan's  chamber, 
and  his  horror  after  the  commission  of  the  deed,  completed  a  dramatic 
action  that  I  shall  never  forget  as  long  as  I  live  ;  it  was  sublime.     I  placo 
the  performance  of  that  evening  among  the  highest  pieces  of  acting  I  have 
ever  witnessed.     You  know  I  had  before  considered  Cooper  as  much  supe- 
rior to  him  in  Macbeth,  but  on  this  occasion  the  character  made  more  im- 
pression on  me  than  when  played  by  Cooper,  or  even  Kemble.     The  more 
I  see  of  Cooke,  the  more  I  admire  his  style  of  acting  ;  he  is  very  unequal, 
from  his  irregular  habits  and  nervous  affections  ;   but  when  he  is  in 
proper  mood,  there  is  a  truth,  and,  of  course,  a  simplicity  in  his  per- 
formance, that  throws  all  rant,  stage-trick,  and  stage-effect  completely  in 
the  background.     "Were  he  to  remain  here  a  sufficient  time  for  the  public 
to  perceive  and  dwell  upon  his  merits,  and  the  true  character  of  his  play- 
ing, he  would  produce  a  new  taste  in  acting.     One  of  his  best  perform- 
ances may  be  compared  to  a  master-piece  of  ancient  statuary,  where  yon 
have  the  human  figure,  destitute  of  idle  ornament,  depending  upon  the 
truth  of  anatomical  proportion  and  arrangement,  the  accuracy  of  char- 
acter and  gracefulness  of  composition  ;   in  short,  a  simple  display  of 
nature.     Such  a  production  requires  the  eye  of  taste  and  knowledge  I  i 
perceive  its  eminent  excellences;  whereas,  a  vulgar  spectator  will  turn 
from  it  to  be  enraptured  with  some  bungling  workmanship,  loaded  with 


212  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

finery  and  drapery,  and  all  the  garish  ornaments  in  which  unskillfulness 
takes  refuge. 

Sully  has  linished  a  very  fine  and  careful  portrait  of  Cooke,  and  has 
begun  a  full-length  picture  of  him  in  the  character  of  Richard.  This 
he  is  to  receive  three  hundred  dollars  for  from  the  gentlemen  of  Philadel- 
phia who  opened  a  subscription  for  the  purpose,  which  was  filled  up  in  an 
hour.     The  picture  is  to  be  placed  in  the  Academy  of  Arts 

Walsh's  2d  number  will  be  out  in  two  or  three  days  ;  I  have  seen  it, 
but  not  had  time  to  read  more  than  a  few  pages  of  a  masterly  review  of 
Hamilton's  works.     I  think  the  number  will  do  him  great  credit. 

Give  my  love  to  all  who  love  me,  and  remember  me  kindly  to  the  rest. 

Yours  truly,  W.  I. 


I  know  not  how  soon  it  was  after  his  return  to  New 
York,  that  he  witnessed  a  performance  of  Cooke,  of  an- 
other sort,  which  I  have  heard  him  describe.  It  was  at 
his  benefit  at  the  Park  theatre,  and  he  was  to  play  Shy- 
lock  and  Sir  Archy  MacSarcasm.  Mr.  Irving  was  in  a 
stage  box.  He  went  through  Shylock  admirably,  but  had 
primed  himself  with  drink,  to  such  a  degree,  before  the 
commencement  of  the  afterpiece,  that  he  was  not  himself. 
His  condition  was  so  apparent  that  they  hurried  through 
the  piece,  and  skipped,  and  curtailed,  to  have  the  curtain 
fall,  when  lo !  as  it  was  descending,  Cooke  stepped  out 
from  under  it  and  presented  himself  before  the  footlights, 
to  make  a  speech.  Instantly  there  were  shouts  from 
the  pit :  "  Go  home — Cooke — to  home — you're  drunk." 
Cooke  kept  his  ground.  "Didn't  I  please  you  in  Shy- 
lock?"  "Yes— yes— you  played  that  nobly."  "Well, 
then,    the   man  who   played  Shylock   well   couldn't  be 


OF  WASHINGTON  IR  VINO.  -  | ;  | 

drunk."  "You  weren't  drunk  then,  but  you're  drunk 
now,"  was  the  rejoinder,  and  they  continued  to  roar : 
"Go  home — go  home — go  to  bed."  Cooke,  indignant, 
tapped  the  handle  of  his  sword  emphatically:  "'Tis  but 
a  foil;"  then  extending  his  right  arm  to  the  audience, 
and  shaking  his  finger  at  them — "  'tis  well  for  you  it  is," 
and  marched  off  amid  roars  of  laughter.  It  was  a  rich 
scene. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CHANGE  OF  QUARTERS. — LITERARY  RELAXATION. — PASSAGES  OF  A  LETTER  TO 
BREVOORT. — BREAKING  OUT  OF  THE  WAR. — LETTER  CF  JAMES  K.  PAUL- 
DING.— VISIT  TO  WASHINGTON. — LETTER  TO  JAMES  RENWICK. — LETTER  TO 
PETER  IRVING. — TO  BREVOORT. 

N  tlie  spring  of  1811,  Washington,  who  had 
hitherto  resided  with  his  mother,  took  up  his 
quarters  with  Brevoort,  at  Mrs.  Ryckrnan's,  in 
Broadway,  near  the  Bowling  Green.  Here  they  had  a 
parlor  in  common,  with  bedrooms  off,  and  Brevoort  had 
a  large  and  well-selected  library,  which  was  always  at 
the  command  of  his  companion.  This  would  seem  to 
have  been  a  situation  propitious  to  literary  labor,  yet, 
with  the  exception  of  a  revised  edition  of  the  "  History 
of  New  York,"  the  two  years  spent  here  were  barren  of 
literary  fruit.  He  had  at  first  intended  a  pretty  thorough 
dedication  of  his  time  and  talents  to  these  congenial  pur- 
suits, but  this  purpose,  however  sincerely  entertained, 
soon  lost  its  sway  over  him.  The  spur  of  necessity  was 
needed  to  quicken  and  invigorate  his  literary  ambition, 
which  gradually  wore  off  under  the  temptations  to  ease 
and  indolence  which  his  circumstances  offered,  until  at 

214 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IE  VINO.  215 

last  lie  settled  down  into  a  sort  of  gentleman  of  leisure  ; 
not  neglectful  of  mental  cultivation,  it  is  true,  yet  mainly 
intent  upon  the  pleasures  and  amusements  of  the  | 
ing  hour.  Not  without  a  shade  of  self-upbraiding,  how- 
ever, did  he  surrender  himself  to  the  indulgence  of  such 
entire  literary  relaxation.  His  conscience  often  smote 
him  during  this  interval,  I  have  heard  him  say,  that  he 
did  not  devote  himself  more  closely  to  his  pen  ;  hut  his 
compunction  was  not  sufficiently  keen  to  break  the  spell 
which  held  his  faculties  in  bondage. 

In  March  of  the  following  year,  Brevoort  sailed  for 
Europe,  leaving  Irving  at  Mrs.  Ryckman's,  in  possession 
of  his  library,  but  sadly  missing  his  intellectual  sym- 
pathy and  companionship,  and  earnestly  longing  for  his 
return  from  an  absence  which  was  unexpectedly  length- 
ened to  twenty  months.  "  I  have  not  been  very  well  since 
your  departure,"  he  writes  to  him,  March  17th,  "  and  am 
completely  out  of  spirits.  I  do  miss  you  terribly.  I 
dined  yesterday  at  a  small  party  at  Mrs.  Eenwick's,  and 
was  at  a  tea-party  in  the  evening  ;  and  yet  passed  one  of 
the  heaviest  days  I  have  toiled  through  this  long  time." 
Brevoort,  too,  seems  to  have  felt  the  separation,  and 
writes  :  "  I  long  to  fill  the  vacant  chair,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  well-recollected  table  in  our  private 
sanctuary.  Ah !  how  often  has  that  friendly  table  sus- 
tained your  incumbent  head  of  a  winter's  evening! 
What  treasures  of  moral  precepts  and  good-humored 
sallies  has   that  table  witnessed  !    enough    to   reform  a 


210  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

guilty  world,  but  alas!  forever  lost  to  an  admiring  pos- 
terity." 

lu  a  letter  to  Brevoort,  of  March  29,  1812,  we  have  this 
allusion  to  the  revised  edition  of  Knickerbocker,  upon 
which  he  had  been  engaged  : — 

I  have  been  so  much  occupied  of  Late,  partly  by  a  severe  indisposition  of 
my  good  old  mother  (who  1ms,  however,  recovered),  and  partly  by  my  His- 
tory, that  I  have  not  had  time  to  write  you  a  letter  worth  reading.  I  will 
atone  for  it  hereafter.  I  have  concluded  my  bargain  with  Inskeep  and  am 
about  publishing.  I  receive  ,$1,200  at  six  months  for  an  edition  of  1,500 
copies.     lie  takes  all  the  expense  of  printing,  etc.,  on  himself. 

In  this  edition  he  dropped  the  dedication  to  the  New 
York  Historical  Society. 

The  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States, 
which  broke  out  in  June,  1812,  presented  no  very  com- 
fortable prospect  to  the  merchant,  and  Mr.  Irving  seems 
to  have  entertained  the  most  serious  forebodings  of  its 
effect  upon  the  commercial  interests.  It  was  probably 
this  circumstance  that  turned  his  thoughts  once  more 
into  the  channel  of  literature,  and  induced  him  to  harbor 
a  project  of  a  joint  undertaking  with  Paulding,  which  is 
alluded  to  at  the  close  of  the  following  extract  from  a  let- 
fcer  of  the  latter.  The  letter  transmits  a  copy  of  Paul- 
ding's "  Diverting  History  of  John  Bull  and  Brother  Jon- 
athan," and  is  addressed  to  Washington  at  the  residence 
of  Captain  Phillips,  that  favorite  rendezvous  in  the  High- 
lands, to  which  he  had  gone  in  August : — 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  217 

September  5th,  1812. 

Dear  Washington: — 

I  send  you  a  copy  of  "John  Bull,"  who  has  made  some  talk  here,  but  I 
believe  don't  sell  very  well ;  for  what  reason  I  leave  you  to  judge,  it  be- 
ing such  an  excellent  work.  There  has  been  an  advertisement  in  the 
papers  for  a  week  past,  noticing  the  intended  publication  of  a  work,  called 
"  The  Beauties  of  Brother  Bullus,  by  his  sister  Miss  Bull — a."  The  title, 
I  think,  is  not  very  promising;  and  I  have  discovered  that  it  is  written 
against  my  Bull.  Inskeep  says  it  is  the  joint  production  of  Parson  Mason 
and  his  Polygraph  Bristed,  so  you  see  What  Goliaths  are  coming  forth 
against  me.  If  this  piece  should  be  illiberal  towards  me,  and  I  can  once 
fasten  it  upon  these  jockeys,  I  think  there  will  be  a  little  sport,  particu- 
larly if  you  should  be  here  and  inclined  to  lend  a  hand.  I  have  finished 
the  draft  of  one  essay  and  am  at  work  with  another ;  so  you  see  I  don't 
forget  the  main  object  of  our  lives;  nor  do  I  mean  to  suffer  myself  to  be 
involved  in  any  controversy  that  will  interfere  with  our  contemplated 
under  t.  king. 

Wliat  this  contemplated  undertaking  was  does  not  ap- 
pear. It  was  never  carried  out,  very  possibly  from  Mr. 
Irving's  being  soon  after  induced  to  listen  to  a  proposi- 
tion to  assume  the  conduct  of  a  periodical  magazine,  the 
"  Select  Reviews,"  in  which  Paulding  also  found  scope 
for  his  pen. 

In  the  autumn  of  1812,  Mr.  Irving  was  selected  to  form 
one  of  a  Committee  of  Merchants,  deputed  by  the  com- 
mercial community  to  repair  to  the  seat  of  government, 
to  obtain  a  remission  of  their  bonds.  This  kept  him  for 
six  weeks  at  Washington.  During  this  period,  he  ad- 
dressed several  letters  to  James  Renwick,  then  at  the 
early  age   of  nineteen   filling   gratuitously  the    chair   of 


218  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Natural  Philosophy  in  Columbia  College,  made  vacant 
li\  the  <loath  of  his  relative,  Dr.  Kemp.  I  have  space 
only  for  the  last,  which  treats  of  the  "Select  Keviews" 
I  •  had  undertaken  to  edit,  and  makes  allusion  to  a  matri- 
monial report,  out  of  which,  no  doubt,  his  friends  were 
having  a  little  fun  at  his  expense. 

[7b  James  Renwich.'] 

Washington,  Dec.  18,  1812. 
Dear  James  : — 

In  one  df  your  letters  you  desired  to  know  when  I  would  be  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  you  proposed  passing  the  holidays  there.  I  forgot  to  answer 
the  question,  nor  would  I  have  been  able  to  have  done  it  with  certainty. 
I  now  expect  to  leave  this  city  to-morrow.  Our  business  is  yet  undecided, 
and  wdl  probably  linger  through  several  days  more  ;  but  I  consider  the 
battle  as  won  ;  and,  as  there  are  enough  here  without  me,  to  take  care  of 
our  interests  ;  and  as  it  is  very  important  I  should  be  elsewhere,  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  to  depart.  I  may  possibly  stop  a  day  in  Baltimore,  as 
I  shall  meet  Gouverneur  Kemble  there,  and  I  wish  to  give  him  a  fare- 
well cheering  ;  T  shall  then  make  the  best  of  my  way  to  Philadelphia, 
re  I  shall  probably  pass  some  days  ;  but,  if  possible,  I  will  pass 
my  holidays  in  New  York.  I  never  wish  to  spend  the  merry  Christmas 
and  jolly  New  Year  elsewhere  than  in  the  gamesome  city  of  the  Man- 
hattoes. 

My  dear  fellow,  you  cannot  imagine  how  I  long  to  be  once  more  at 
hum',  to  doff  this  burden  of  care  and  business,  and  resume  what  the 
"Portfolio"  calls  my  "elegant  leisure."  By-the-bye,  I  have  been 
with  flagons  and  comforted  with  apples  "  by  these  editors  and 
newspaper  writers,  until  I  am  sick  of  puffing.  This  "Select  Review" 
has  drawn  upon  me  such  an  abundance  of  worthless  compliments,  that  I 
really  stagger  under  the  trash.     Add  to  this,  my  publisher    .... 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  219 

has  been  advertising,  every  day  or  two,  some  new  edition  and  improve- 
ment to  be  made  to  the  "  Select  Reviews,"  of  which  I  have  known  nothing 
until  I  saw  the  advertisements.  At  one  time  there  is  to  be  a  series  of 
portraits  of  our  naval  commanders,  with  biographical  sketches.  At  an- 
other, a  history  of  the  events  of  our  maritime  war,  etc.,  on  the  plan  of 
— the  British  Naval  chronicle  !  and  here  am  I — poor  I — while  absent 
here,  tied  by  the  leg  to  the  footstool  of  Congress,  most  wickedly  made  the 
editor  of  a  vile  farrago,  a  congregation  of  heterogeneous  articles,  that 
have  no  possible  affinity  to  one  another. 

I  have  written  to  Philadelphia  that  I  would  not  consent  to  have  siich  a 
fool's  cap  put  on  my  head  ;  and  if  they  intended  to  interfere  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  work,  I  should  decline  having  anything  to  do  with  it.  I 
think  Job  was  a  little  out  when  he  wished  that  his  enemy  had  written  a 
book  ;  had  he  wished  him  to  be  obliged  to  print  one,  he  would  have 
wished  him  a  curse  indeed  !     .     .     .     . 

Tell  your  good  lady  mother  that  Mrs.  Madison  has  been  much  indis- 
posed, and  at  last  Wednesday  evening's  drawing-room  Mrs.  Gallatin  pre- 
sided in  her  place  ;  I  was  not  present,  but  those  who  were,  assure  me  she 
filled  Mrs.  Madison's  chair  to  a  miracle.     You  may  likewise  tell  her  that 

she  may  call  in  her  report  about  Madame and  myself  as  soon  as 

she  pleases,  for  it  is  all  over  with  me  in  that  quarter  ;  I  was  last  evening 
to  have  been  introduced  to  her,  and  to  have  gone  on  a  little  moonlight 
party  to  Mason's  Island  ;  you  may  suppose  what  a  favorable  opportunity 
it  was  for  sentiment  and  romance.  As  my  unlucky  stars  would  have  it, 
I  dined  with  a  choice  party  at  the  Speaker's,  drank  wine,  got  gay,  went 
home,  fell  asleep  by  the  fireside,  and  forgot  all  about  Madame un- 
til this  morning.  Do  beg  your  mother,  for  God's  sake,  to  look  out  for 
some  other  lady  for  me.  I  am  not  particular  about  her  being  a  princess, 
provided  she  has  plenty  of  money,  a  pretty  face,  and  no  understanding. 

God  bless  you, 

W.  I. 

Not  long  after  the  date  of  this  extract  he  had  returned 


220  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  "  the  gamesome  city  of  the  Manhattoes,"  whence  he 
addressed  the  following  letters  : — 

[To  Peter  Irving  at  Liverpool.] 

New  York,  Dec.  30,  1812. 

.  .  .  .  I  mentioned  in  former  letters  that  I  had  undertaken  to  con- 
duct the  "  Select  Reviews  "  at  a  salary  of  1,500  dollars.  It  is  an  amusing 
occupation,  without  any  mental  responsibility  of  consequence.  I  felt 
very  much  the  want  of  some  such  task  in  my  idle  hours  ;  there  is  nothing 
so  irksome  as  having  nothing  to  do.  You  will,  in  future,  send  the  peri- 
odical publications  to  me,  and  from  time  to  time  send  an  account  of  cost 
and  charges,  that  I  may  settle  with  my  bookseller.  I  wish  you  also  to 
forward,  as  soon  as  they  can  be  procured,  copies  of  new  works  that  ap- 
pear, that  are  not  of  a  local  or  too  expensive  nature,  fit  for  republication 
in  this  country.  I  suppose  you  can  make  arrangements  with  the  princi- 
pal booksellers  to  this  effect,  who  would  be  attentive  to  so  regular  a  cus- 
tomer. Any  periodical  work,  besides  those  at  present  sent,  which  you 
may  think  of  importance,  I  wish  you  to  subscribe  to. 

We  are  all  alive  at  present  in  consequence  of  our  naval  victories.  God 
knows  they  were  well-timed  to  save  the  national  spirit  from  being  de- 
pressed and  humiliated  by  the  paltry  war  on  the  frontiers.  The  impolicy  of 
depending  on  militia  and  volunteers  is  now  made  glaringly  apparent,  par- 
ticularly for  offensive  war,  and  the  nation  is  incensed  at  having  its  char- 
acter for  bravery  jeoparded  by  such  short-sighted  measures  and  such  mis- 
erable military  quacks  as  have  been  bolstered  into  command.  Should  this 
war  continue,  resort  will  be  had  to  regular  forces,  a  larger  army  will  be 
raised  by  means  of  increased  bounty  and  pay ;  and  from  the  evidences  given 
by  our  regular  troops  whenever  they  have  had  an  opportunity  to  grapple 
with  the  foe,  I  make  no  doubt  that  they  will  sustain  the  national  charac- 
ter as  gallantly  on  land  as  it  has  been  on  the  ocean 

The  day  before  yesterday  a  public  dinner  was  given  in  honor  of  Hull, 
Jones,  and  Decatur.     It  was  the  most  splendid  entertainment  of  the  kind 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  221 

I  ever  witnessed.  The  City  Assembly  Room  was  decorated  in  a  very 
tasteful  manner  with  the  colors  and  nags  of  the  Macedonian.  Five  rows 
of  tables  were  laid  out  lengthways  in  the  room,  and  a  table  across  the 
top  of  the  room,  elevated  above  the  rest,  where  the  gallant  heroes  were 
seated,  in  company  with  several  of  our  highest  civd  and  military  officers. 
Upwards  of  four  hundred  citizens  of  both  parties  sat  down  to  the  dinner, 
which  was  really  sumptuous.  The  room  was  decorated  with  transpar- 
encies representing  the  battles,  etc.  The  tables  were  ornamented  with 
various  naval  trophies,  and  the  whole  entertainment  went  off  with  a  soul 
and  spirit  which  I  never  before  witnes3ed.  I  never  in  my  life  before  felt 
the  national  feeling  so  strongly  aroused,  for  I  never  before  saw  in  this 

country  so  true  a  cause  for  national  triumph 

P.  S. — I  had  almost  forgot  to  mention  that  Dunlap  has  nearly  finished 
a  Biography  of  Cooke.  He  wishes  to  send  a  copy  of  the  MSS.  out  to  you 
and  get  you  to  dispose  of  it  advantageously  for  him.  He  will  write  to 
you  particularly  on  the  subject,  and,  as  he  is  an  old  friend  and  a  very 
worthy  man,  I  make  no  doubt  you  will  do  everything  in  your  power  to 
benefit  him 

[To  Henry  Brevoort.~\ 

New  York,  Jan.  2, 1813. 
.  .  .  .  I  am  now  once  more  at  my  old  quarters,  and  am  at  this 
moment  writing  at  my  usual  corner  of  the  table  before  the  fire,  which 
honest  John  has  just  trimmed  and  replenished  ;  would  to  heaven,  my 
dear  fellow,  you  were,  as  formerly,  seated  opposite  to  me  !  I  cannot  tell 
you,  my  good  Hal,  how  very  much  I  miss  you.  I  feel  just  as  I  did  after 
the  departure  of  my  brother  Peter,  whose  place  you  had,  in  a  man 
grown  into  and  supplied.  The  worthy  Patroon,  also,  has  departed  for 
Spain,  to  reside  at  Cadiz,  and,  though  I  rejoice  in  his  good  prospects,  yet 
I  cannot  but  deplore  his  departure.  So  we  get  scattered  over  this  trou- 
bled world— this  making  of  fortunes  is  the  very  bane  of  social  life  ;  but, 
I  trust,  when  they  are  made,  we  shall  all  gather  together  again  and  pasa 
the  rest  of  our  lives  with  one  another. 


222  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

When  you  return  we  must  determine  on  some  new  mode  of  living,  for 
I  am  heartily  tired  of  this  boarding-house  system.  Perhaps  it  will  be 
better  to  get  a  handsome  set  of  apartments  and  furnish  them.  But  of 
this  we  will  talk  further  when  wo  meet.  I  was  at  your  father's  two  or 
three  days  since.  The  old  gentleman  is  highly  tickled  with  the  success 
of  our  navy.  He  was  so  powerfully  excited  by  the  capture  of  the  Mace- 
donian, that  he  actually  performed  a  journey  to  the  Brothers,  above  Hell- 
gate,  where  the  frigates  lay,  wind-bound  ;  and  he  brought  away  a  piece 
of  the  Macedonian,  which  he  seemed  to  treasure  up  with  as  much  devo- 
tion as  a  pious  Catholic  does  a  piece  of  the  true  cross.  Your  mother  is 
well,  and  is  looking  forward  with  the  utmost  impatience  for  your  return. 

A  few  days  since  we  had  a  superb  dinner  given  to  the  naval  heroes,  at 
which  all  the  great  eaters  and  drinkers  of  the  city  were  present.  It  was 
the  noblest  entertainment  of  the  kind  I  ever  witnessed.  On  New  Year's 
eve  a  grand  ball  was  likewise  given,  where  there  was  a  vast  display  of 
great  and  little  people.    Little  Rule  Britannia  made  a  gallant  appearance 

at  the  head  of  a  train  of  beauties,  among  whom  were  the  divine  H , 

who  looked  very  inviting,  and  little  Taylor,  who  looked  still  more  so. 

Britannia  was  gorgeously  dressed  in  a  queer  kind  of  hat  of  stiff  purple 
and  silver  stuff,  that  had  marvelously  the  appearance  of  copper,  and  made 
us  suppose  she  had  procured  the  real  Mambrino's  helmet.  Her  dress  was 
trimmed  with  what  we  simply  mistook  for  scalps,  and  supposed  it  was  in 
honor  of  the  nation  ;  but  we  blushed  at  our  ignorance  on  discovering  that 
it  was  a  gorgeous  trimming  of  marten  tips — would  that  some  eminent 
furrier  had  been  there  to  wonder  and  admire. 

The  little  Taylor  was  as  amusing  and  fascinating  as  ever.  She  is  an 
arrant  little  tory,  and  entertained  me  exceedingly  with  her  sly  jokes 
upon  our  navy.  She  looks  uncommonly  well,  and  is  as  plump  as  a  par- 
tridge  

Our  winter  does  not  promise  to  be  as  gay  even  as  the  last  ;  neither  do 
I  feel  as  much  disposition  to  enter  into  dissipation.  Mrs.  Renwick's 
family  is  in  mourning  for  the  death  of  Dr.  Kemp ;  of  course,  they  do  not 
go  abroad  so  much,  and  their  fireside  is  more  quiet  and  pleasant 

The  Grades  are  likewise  in  mourning  for  the  death  of  old  Mrs.  Rogers. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  223 

Mrs.  Grade's  mother.  Mr.  Graeie  has  moved  into  his  new  house,  and  i 
find  a  very  warm  reception  at  the  fireside.  Their  country-seat  was  ono 
of  my  strongholds  last  summer,  as  I  lived  in  its  vicinity.  It  is  a  charm- 
ing, warm-hearted  family,  and  the  old  gentleman  has  the  soul  of  a  prince. 

.  .  .  .  This  war  has  completely  changed  the  face  of  things  h< 
You  would  scarcely  recognize  our  old  peaceful  city.  Nothing  is  taJ 
of  but  armies,  navies,  battles,  etc.  Men  who  had  loitered  about,  tho 
hangers  on  and  incumbrances  of  society,  have  all  at  once  risen  to  impor- 
tance and  been  the  only  useful  men  of  the  day.  Had  not  the  miserable 
accounts  from  our  frontiers  dampened  in  some  measure  the  public  zeal,  I 
believe  half  our  young  men  would  have  been  military  mad.  As  it  is,  if 
this  war  continue,  and  a  regular  army  be  raised,  instead  of  depending  on 
volunteers  and  militia,  I  believe  we  shall  have  the  commissions  sought 
after  with  avidity  by  young  gentlemen  of  education  and  good  breeding, 
and  our  army  will  be  infinitely  more  respectable,  and  infinitely  more  suc- 
cessful. 

I  hope  this  letter  may  find  you  on  the  eve  of  your  departure  for  this 
country.  I  do  long  most  earnestly  to  see  you  here  again.  I  suppose  my 
brother  will  remain  longer  in  Europe  ;  and  much  as  I  wish  to  see  him 
home  once  more,  I  feel  content  that  he  should  stay  until  he  can  return 
with  money  in  both  pockets,  and  the  whole  of  us  be  able  to  live  after  our 
own  hearts  for  the  rest  of  our  lives. 

God  bless  you,  my  dear  fellow.  Yours  ever, 

W.  I. 
Mr.  Henry  Breyoort,  Jr. 

The  vessel  being  detained,  he  adds  in  a  postscript  of 
January  12th. 

Get  my  brother  Peter  to  have  his  likeness  taken  by  some  good  painter, 
and  bring  it  out  with  you— do  not  neglect  this*  Look  for  scarce  and  odd 
books,  and  make  up  a  collection  of  quaint  and  curious  works.     When  at 

*  Peter,  though  not  ill-favored,  would  not  consent  then,  or  ever,  to  have  his  lik 
taken. 


224  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

London  visit  the  Talbot  Inn  Burrough,  nigh  Street,  Southwark.  It  is 
the  ancient  Tabard  Inn  where  your  old  friend  Geoffrey  Chaucer  and  his 
pilgrims  lodged  on  their  journey  to  Canterbury,  1383 ;  and  they  pretend 
to  show  you  the  chamber  where  he  supped — vide  "Gentleman's  Maga- 
zine "  for  September,  1812.  I  happened  to  lay  my  hands  on  the  passage 
this  morning. 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

THE  "ANALECTIC  MAGAZINE"  COMMENCED.— HIS  CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  IT.— 
LETTER  TO  EBENEZER  IRVING. — BREVOORT  TRANSMITS  SCOTT'S  OriMON  OP 
THE  HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK. — INTRODUCES  FRANCIS  JEFFREY. — FETER 
IRVING  AND  CAMPBELL  THE  POET. — LETTER  OF  PETER  IRVING. — A  DAY  AT 
SYDENHAM. — MRS.  SIDDONS. — BREVOORT'S  RETURN. — CHANGE  OF  QUARTERS 
TO  MRS.    BRADISH'S. — LETTER   TO  EBENEZER    IRVING. 

ROM  Edinburgh,  where  Brevoort  was  busily 
employed  in  various  studies,  which  were  enliv- 
ened by  the  kind  attentions  of  a  most  intelli- 
gent circle  of  acquaintances,  he  writes  to  Washington, 
December  9th,  1812  :— 

I  have  just  written  to  my  friend  Sherbette  in  Paris  to  use  his  utmost 
endeavors  in  procuring  and  forwarding  to  New  York  the  different  peri- 
odical journals  of  France,  as  well  as  those  of  note  published  on  the  con- 
tinent, such,  for  instance,  as  Kotzebue's,  etc.  All  these  are  intended  for 
the  benefit  of  "  The  Independent  Columbian  Review,"  which  I  am  happy 
to  learn,  is  soon  to  issue  from  Mulberry  Street  under  the  fostering  care 
of  Seth  Handaside,  Esq.,  already  so  advantageously  known  to  the  read- 
ing world  for  his  spirited  efforts  in  the  cause  of  letters. 

The  work  here  playfully  mentioned  as  "  The  Indepen- 
dent Columbian  Review,"  was  the  "  Select  Reviews,"  a 
vol.  i.— 15  225 


226  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

monthly  periodical  established  in  Philadelphia,  to  which 
allusion  has  been  made  in  former  letters.  The  name  was 
changed  to  the  "  Analectic  Magazine  "  when  Mr.  Irving 
assumed  the  editorial  charge.  His  contributions,  ex- 
tending through  the  years  1813  and  1814,  consisted  of  a 
review  of  the  works  of  Kobert  Treat  Paine,  then  dead ; 
a  review  of  odes,  naval  songs,  and  other  occasional  poems 
by  Edwin  C.  Holland  of  Charleston ;  a  notice  of  Paul- 
ding's "  Lay  of  the  Scottish  Fiddle ; "  of  Lord  Byron  ; 
"  Traits  of  Indian  Character,"  and  "  Philip  of  Pokano- 
ket,"  afterwards  incorporated  in  the  "  Sketch  Book ; " 
and  biographies  of  Captain  James  Lawrence,  Lieutenant 
William  Burrows,  Commodore  Oliver  Perry,  and  Captain 
David  Porter. 

There  was  also  a  biographical  sketch  of  Thomas  Camp- 
bell, the  poet,  revised,  corrected,  aud  materially  altered 
from  the  former,  published  in  the  March  number  of 
1815. 

In  addition  to  these  productions  from  his  own  pen,  he 
received  occasional  articles  from  Paulding  and  Yer- 
planck,  which  are  designated  by  their  respective  initials, 
P.  and  V. 

The  conduct  of  this  Magazine,  which  he  had  hoped  to 
find  a  mere  pastime,  proved  to  be  an  irksome  business. 
He  had  a  great  repugnance  to  periodical  labor  of  every 
description,  and  to  one  branch  of  it,  criticism,  his  aver- 
sion was  pointed,  for  he  wished  to  be  just,  and  could  not 
bear  to  be  severe.     He  shrunk  from  the  idea  of  indicting 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  227 

pain.  "  I  do  not  profess,"  he  says  in  one  of  his  articles, 
"  the  art  and  mystery  of  reviewing,  and  am  not  ambitious 
of  being  wise  or  facetious  at  the  expense  of  others." 
The  naval  biographies  afforded  a  more  agreeable  occu- 
pation. It  was  a  proud  satisfaction  to  record  the  tri- 
umphs, to  quote  the  strong  language  of  a  letter  to  his 
brother  William,  "  of  that  choice  band  of  gallant  spirits 
who  had  borne  up  the  drowning  honor  of  their  country 
by  the  very  locks,"  and  he  hoped  by  these  hasty  and  im- 
perfect sketches  "  not  merely  to  render  a  small  tribute  of 
gratitude  to  these  intrepid  champions  of  his  country's 
honor,"  but  to  assist  in  promoting  a  higher  tone  of  na- 
tional feeling. 

It  was  about  this  period  that  Mr.  Irving  received  from 
his  friend  Brevoort  the  letter  of  Scott  already  given, 
speaking  in  such  cordial  praise  of  his  "  History  of  New 
York":— 

Before  I  left  Edinburgh  (he  writes  from  London,  June  24th),  I  pre- 
sented Walter  Scott  with  a  copy  of  the  second  edition  of  Knickerbocker, 
in  return  for  some  very  rare  books  that  he  gave  me,  respecting  the  early 
history  of  New  England.  I  inclose  you  a  letter  that  I  received  from  him 
since.  You  must  understand  his  words  literally,  for  he  is  too  honest  and 
too  sincere  a  man  to  compliment  any  person. 

In  the  same  letter,  after  giving  a  sketch  of  Sir  James 
Mackintosh  and  other  luminaries  whom  he  had  met, 
Brevoort  adds : — 

And  now,  having  made  you  slightly  acquainted  with  these  eminent 
personages,  let  me  have  a  higher  gratification  in  making  you  personally 


228  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

known  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  literary  ornaments  of  this  coun- 
try. I  mean  Francis  Jeffrey,  Esq.,  of  Edinburgh,  the  conductor  of  the 
'•  Review." 

lie  is  to  embark  from  Liverpool  in  the  ship  Hercules  by  the  5th  of  next 
month  for  Boston,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Mr.  John  Jeffrey,  for  the 
purpose  of  settling  some  domestic  concerns.  I  am  deeply  indebted  to 
him,  both  for  his  hospitality  to  me  in  Edinburgh,  as  well  as  for  the  let- 
ters he  gave  me  to  persons  in  London.  I  have  endeavored  to  repay  him 
by  giving  him  a  letter  to  you,  one  to  Mr.  Hoffman,  one  to  our  friend  Mrs. 
Kenwick  (who  is  his  namesake),  and  another  to  Judge  Van  Ness,  besides 
many  others  to  different  parts  of  America. 

I  enjoin  it  upon  you  all  to  receive  him  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  so 
that  I  may  make  some  returns  to  him. 

I  really  cannot  fix  upon  any  man  in  this  country,  whose  acquaintance 
is  better  worth  cultivating  than  Mr.  J.  You  will  find  him  full  of  the 
most  precise  as  well  as  universal  knowledge  of  men  and  things  on  this 
side  of  the  water,  which  he  will  delight  to  communicate  as  copiously  as 
you  please.  You  will  do  well  to  see  as  much  of  him  as  you  can  ;  he  will 
be  glad  to  make  friends  with  you,  and  after  you  have  become  reconciled 
to  somewhat  of  an  artificial  manner,  you  will  find  him  one  of  the  most 
sprightly  and  best-tempered  men  imaginable. 

As  his  introductory  letters  will  be  chiefly  to  persons  connected  with  the 
Federal  party,  I  wish  you  to  make  him  known  to  both  sides.  It  is  essen- 
tial that  Jeffrey  may  imbibe  a  just  estimate  of  the  United  States  and 
its  inhabitants  ;  he  goes  out  strongly  biased  in  our  favor,  and  the  influ- 
ence of  his  good  opinion  upon  his  return  to  this  country,  would  go  far  to 
efface  the  calumnies  and  the  absurdities  that  have  been  laid  to  our  charge 
by  ignorant  travellers.  Persuade  him  to  visit  Washington,  and  by  all 
means  to  see  the  Falls  of  Niagara  :  the  obstacles  which  the  war  may  op- 
pose may  be  easily  overcome,  and  at  all  events  he  may  see  them  without 
ever  crossing  into  Canada. 

As  his  business  is  wholly  of  a  private  nature,  neither  political  nor  com- 
mercial, I  hope  Government  will  not  limit  his  motions. 

Your  brother  has  also  given  Mr.  J.  a  letter  to  you. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  229 

Mr.  Irving  could  not  be  indifferent  to  the  pleasure  of  a 
meeting  with  this  celebrated  personage  ;  but  whether  he 
obeyed  the  injunction  of  his  friend  and  saw  as  much  of 
him  as  he  could,  I  cannot  say.  I  have  heard  him  recall 
a  dinner  at  Mr.  Grade's,  in  which  he  was  particularly 
brilliant,  and  he  always  spoke  of  him  as  one  of  the  ce- 
lebrities that  did  not  disappoint  you,  whose  conversation 
was  as  eloquent  as  his  reviews. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  Peter  Irving  had  interested 
himself  most  warmly  in  behalf  of  Thomas  Campbell,  the 
poet,  who  was  in  great  need  of  an  American  friend  to 
secure  for  him  the  copyright  of  a  work,  which  he  meant 
to  publish  contemporaneously  in  England  and  the  United 
States.  Campbell  says  to  him  in  a  letter,  dated  Septem- 
ber, 17,  1813:  "I  look  back  to  th3  day  we  had  to  our- 
selves at  Sydenham  as  one  which  I  shall  never  forget ; " 
and  in  another,  a  month  later  (October  19),  in  return  for 
a  copying-machine,  which  Peter  had  sent  him,  he  writes : 
"It  is  really  like  a  friend  and  most  warm-hearted  on 
your  part  to  take  such  an  interest  in  my  new  work.  Your 
present  shall  be  beside  me,  and  my  constant  friend  and 
memorial  of  you,  as  long  as  I  continue  to  scribble  prose 
or  verse."  December  15th  he  invites  him  to  Sydenham 
to  meet  Mrs.  Siddons;  and  here  is  Peter's  hasty  account 
of  the  visit  in  a  letter  to  Washington : — 

London,  Dec.  18,  1813. 
Mr  dear  Brother  : — 

I  this  instant  learn  that  a  vessel  is  to  sail  from  Liverpool,  but  that  I 

must  write  this  day,  and  the  hour  of  limitation  is  nearly  at  hand 


230  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

The  day  before  yesterday  I  passed  delightfully  with  Campbell,  the 
poet,  in  his  retreat  at  Sydenham.  I  had  also  the  further  treat  of  meeting 
Mrs.  Siddons  there,  and  having  considerable  conversation  with  her  dur- 
ing dinner.  It  was  a  rich  gratification  to  see  the  Queen  of  Tragedy  thus 
oat  of  her  robes.  Tot  her  manner  even  at  the  social  board  still  partakes 
of  the  state  and  gravity  of  tragedy.  Not  that  there  is  an  unwillingness 
to  unbend,  but  that  there  is  a  difficulty^  in  throwing  aside  the  solemnity 
of  long-acquired  habit.  She  reminded  me  of  Walter  Scott's  knights 
• '  who  carved  the  meal  with  their  gloves  of  steel,  and  drank  the  red  wine 
through  their  helmets  barred."  There  was,  however,  entirely  the  dispo- 
sition to  be  gracious,  and  to  play  her  part  like  herself  in  conversation. 
She,  therefore,  exchanged  anecdote  and  incident,  in  the  course  of  which 
she  detailed  her  feelings  and  reflections  while  wandering  among  the  sub- 
lime and  romantic  scenery  of  North  Wales  and  on  the  summit  of  Pennman- 
mawr.  As  she  did  this,  her  eye  kindled  and  her  features  beamed,  and 
in  her  countenance,  which  is  indeed  a  volume  where  one  may  read  strange 
matters,  you  might  trace  the  varying  emotions  of  her  soul.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  her  face,  even  at  the  near  approach  of  sitting  by  her  side, 
absolutely  handsome,  and  unmarked  with  any  of  those  wrinkles  which 
generally  attend  advanced  life.  Her  form  is  at  present  becoming  un- 
wieldy, but  not  shapeless,  and  is  full  of  dignity.  Her  gestures  and  move- 
ments are  eminently  graceful.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  say  that  I  was 
quite  fortunate,  and  might  flatter  myself  on  her  being  so  conversible,  for 
that  she  is  very  apt  to  be  on  the  reserve  towards  strangers.  The  circum- 
stance of  being  from  another  quarter  of  the  world  has  given  her  an  inter- 
est in  the  conversation  she  would  not  otherwise  have  felt. 

Campbell  is  just  completing  a  work  in  three  pretty  thick  octavo  vol- 
umes. The  subject  is  to  be  characters  of  the  principal  poets,  with  speci- 
mens of  their  writing.  From  the  passages  he  read  to  me  from  the  ac- 
count of  Sir  William  Jones  and  some  others,  it  will  be  a  most  eloquent 
and  interesting  work.  He  will  wish  you  to  dispose  of  the  copyright  in 
America,  or  make  such  arrangements  as  may  be  best  for  his  interest. 
And  as  he  intends  the  publication  to  be  contemporaneous  in  both  coun- 
tries, and  contemplates  to  publish  here  about  in  June,  it  may  be  advis- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  o;;j 

able  for  you  instantly  to  take  preparatory  steps.  The  manuscript  will  bo 
sent  in  a  few  weeks.  This  opportunity  is  so  excessively  sudden,  that  I 
am  unable  to  give  further  particulars.  But  lose  no  time  and  do  every- 
thing the  best  in  your  power,  as  I  have  a  warm  friendship  for  him.  Give 
my  love  to  mother  and  to  all. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

P.  I. 

Washington,  however,  had  no  opportunity  of  support- 
ing the  interest  of  Campbell,  as  his  brother  urged,  for 
there  was  greater  delay  than  the  poet  anticipated  in  the 
preparation  of  his  work  ;  and  in  March,  1814,  he  informs 
Peter  he  had  come  to  an  arrangement  with  Murray  not 
to  deliver  his  MSS.  until  September,  and  that  he  would 
not  publish  before  December,  1814,  or  January,  1815  ; 
and  he  was  anxious,  if  possible,  to  sell  the  copyright  in 
the  United  States  for  as  much  as  it  would  fetch,  instead 
of  waiting  the  slow  return  of  profits  by  editions.  "  Of 
that  sort  of  profit,"  he  says,  "  I  have  had  too  sad  experi- 
ence on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

On  his  return  to  New  York,  Brevoort  resumed  his 
quarters  with  Irving  at  Mrs.  Eyckman's,  No.  16  Broad- 
way, but  they  soon  after  changed  to  Mrs.  Bradish's,  a 
choice  house  kept  on  the  most  liberal  scale  at  the  corner 
of  Greenwich  and  Eector  Streets.  Here  they  had,  as  be- 
fore, a  parlor  in  common.  Among  the  occasional  inmates 
in  1814  were  that  "  second  Sindbad,  Captain  Porter,"  of 
whom  Mr.  Irving  prepared  a  biographical  sketch  for  the 
"  Analectic,"  and  Commodore  Decatur  and  his  wife. 

In  the  subjoined  extract  we  have  a  playful  account  of 


232  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

a  transient  visit  to  the  household  of  his  brother,  who 
was  absent  on  a  tour  with  his  wife.  The  interest  and 
diversion  he  found  with  children  was  characteristic  of 
him  through  life. 

[To  Ebenezer  Irving.] 

New  York,  August  12, 1813. 
Dear  Brother  : — 

I  have  just  come  from  your  house,  where  they  are  all  well  and  in  good 

order The  children  are  very  hearty,  and  exceeding  good 

boys.  They  were  highly  delighted  with  your  letter,  received  yesterday, 
in  which  you  mention  them  all  ;  and  Pierre  assures  me  that  Theodore 
not  only  spells  Ba-ba,  but  Di-al,  which  he  intends  informing  you  of  un- 
der his  own  hand.  He  has  been  projecting  a  mighty  letter  to  you  for 
several  days,  but  has  been  delayed  by  a  great  scarcity  of  pen,  ink,  and 
paper.  The  two  latter,  he  informed  me  this  morning,  he  had  procured, 
but  was  in  want  of  a  pen.  I  have  put  him  in  the  way  of  getting  one, 
and  trust  he  will  find  no  further  difficulty  in  accomplishing  this  great 
undertaking.  I  have  told  him  to  write  on  one  page  of  a  sheet,  and  I  will 
fill  up  the  letter.  He  said  he  supposed  his  mamma  would  be  able  to  tell 
his  writing  from  mine  ;  but  to  make  him  quite  easy  on  that  score  I  have 
agreed  that  we  shall  each  put  our  names  to  our  respective  letters. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  WAR. — THE  FLAG. — HEARS  OF  THE  BRITISH  ENTRY  INTO  ■WASHINGTON.— • 
JOINS  THE  STAFF  OF  GOVERNOR  TOMPKINS. — AN  EXPECTED  ATTACK  ON  THE 
CITY. — SENT  TO  SACKETT'S  HARBOR  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO. — HIS  JOURNEY. — 
RETURN  TO  NEW  YORK.— TOMPKINS. — AN  UNEXPECTED  SALUTE  AND  ITS 
RESULT.  —  WILLIAM  IRVING  IN  CONGRESS. — WASHINGTON'S  LETTER  TO  HIM. — 
HIS  VISIT  TO  PHILADELPHIA. — FAILURE  OF  MOSES  THOMAS,  THE  PUBLISHER 
OF  THE  "ANALECTIC." — DECATUR  AND  HIS  PROPOSITION. — EMBARKATION 
FOR   EUROPE. 

R.  IRVING  bad  deeply  regretted  that  the  diffi- 
culties between  England  and  the  United  States 
had  reached  the  lamentable  extremity  of  war, 
but,  hostilities  once  commenced,  his  sympathies  were  all 
on  the  side  of  his  country.  In  his  biographical  sketch 
of  Perry,  published  in  the  "Analectic  Magazine,"  he 
writes  : — 

Whatever  we  may  think  of  the  expediency  or  inexpediency  of  the  pres- 
ent war,  we  cannot  feel  indifferent  to  its  operations.  Whenever  our  arms 
come  in  competition  with  those  of  the  enemy,  jealousy  for  our  country's 
honor  will  swallow  up  every  other  consideration — our  feelings  will  ever 
accompany  the  flag  of  our  country  to  battle,  rejoicing  in  its  glory,  la- 
menting over  its  defeat.  For  there  is  no  such  thing  as  releasing  our- 
selves from  the  consequences  of  the  contest.  He  who  fancies  he  can  stand 
aloof  in  interest,  and  by  condemning  the  present  war,  can  exonerate  hiin- 

233 


234  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

self  from  the  shame  of  its  disasters,  is  woefully  mistaken.  Other  nations 
will  not  trouble  themselves  about  our  internal  wranglings  and  party  ques- 
tions ;  they  will  not  ask  who  among  us  fought,  or  why  we  fought,  but 
how  we  fought.  The  disgrace  of  defeat  will  not  be  confined  to  the  con- 
trivers of  the  war,  or  the  party  in  power,  or  the  conductors  of  the  battle  ; 
but  will  extend  to  the  whole  nation,  and  come  home  to  every  individual. 
If  the  name  of  American  is  to  be  rendered  honorable  in  the  fight,  we  shall 
each  participate  in  the  honor  ;  if  otherwise,  we  must  inevitably  support 
our  share  of  the  ignominy. 

With  such  sentiments,  watching  with  mingled  pride 
and  sorrow  the  alternations  of  defeat  and  success,  it  may 
be  imagined  with  what  a  feeling  of  outraged  patriotism 
he  heard  of  the  triumphant  entry  of  the  British  into 
Washington,  and  the  acts  of  uncivilized  hostility  which 
followed. 

He  was  descending  the  Hudson  in  the  steamboat  when 
the  tidings  first  reached  him.  It  was  night,  and  the  pas- 
sengers had  betaken  themselves  to  their  settees  to  rest, 
when  a  person  came  on  board  at  Poughkeepsie  with  the 
news  of  the  inglorious  triumph,  and  proceeded  in  the 
darkness  of  the  cabin  to  relate  the  particulars ;  the  de- 
struction of  the  President's  house,  the  Treasury,  War, 
and  Navy  offices ;  the  Capitol,  the  depository  of  the  na- 
tional library  and  public  records.  There  was  a  momen- 
tary pause  after  the  speaker  had  ceased,  when  some 
paltry  spirit  lifted  his  head  from  his  settee,  and  in  a  tone 
of  complacent  derision  "  wondered  what  Jimmy  Madison 
would  say  now."      "Sir,"  said   Mr.    Irving,  glad   of  an 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  235 

escape  to  his  swelling  indignation,  "  do  you  seize  on  such 
a  disaster  only  for  a  sneer?  Let  me  tell  you,  sir,  it  is 
not  now  a  question  about  Jimmy  Madison,  or  Jimmy 
Armstrong.*  The  pride  and  honor  of  the  nation  are 
wounded  ;  the  country  is  insulted  and  disgraced  by  this 
barbarous  success,  and  every  loyal  citizen  would  feel  the 
ignominy  and  be  earnest  to  avenge  it."  "  I  could  not  see 
the  fellow,"  said  Mr.  Irving,  when  he  related  the  anec- 
dote to  me,  "  but  I  let  fly  at  him  in  the  dark."  A  mur- 
mur of  approbation  followed  the  outburst,  and  then 
every  ear  was  listening  for  the  reply,  but  the  energy  of 
the  rebuke  had  cowed  the  spokesman,  for  he  did  not 
again  raise  his  voice. 

The  spirit  shown  in  this  rebuke  did  not  evaporate  in 
words.  On  his  arrival  in  New  York  he  repaired  imme- 
diately to  Governor  Tompkins  with  an  offer  of  his  ser- 
vices. The  latter  showed  no  backwardness  in  securing 
the  new  recruit,  and  at  once  made  him  his  aide  and  mili- 
tary secretary  with  the  rank  of  Colonel.  The  letters 
addressed  to  him  at  this  period  bear  this  martial  des- 
ignation; "Washington  Irving,  Esquire,'  being  trans- 
formed into  "  Colonel  "Washington  Irving."  A  general 
order  of  the  commander-in-chief,  of  2d  September,  1814, 
bears  the  signature  of  "  Washington  Irving,  Aide-de- 
camp." 

This    destruction   of  Washington  kindled  a  flame   of 

*  The  Secretary  of  War. 


236  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

patriotic  energy  throughout  the  country.  The  citizens 
of  New  York  had  before  been  busy  in  making  prepara- 
tions to  repel  a  threatened  invasion,  but  this  urged  them 
to  the  completion  of  their  works  of  defense  with  redou- 
bled spirit.  The  city  was  alive  with  the  zeal  of  its  in- 
habitants. Persons  exempt  from  military  service  enrolled 
themselves  anew;  all  trades  and  professions  took  their 
tour  of  duty  at  the  line  of  fortifications,  raised  night  and 
day  on  the  heights  of  Brooklyn  and  Harlem  ;  even  cler- 
gymen with  their  parishioners  sometimes  volunteered  in 
these  measures  of  defense  ;  and  teachers  with  their  juve- 
nile scholars  also  turned  out  for  a  day's  duty.  The  vic- 
torious outrage  was  well  stigmatized  in  the  House  of 
Parliament  as  an  "  enterprise  which  most  exasperated 
the  people,  and  least  weakened  the  Government  of  any 
recorded  in  the  annals  of  war."  Scarcely  two  weeks  had 
elapsed  before  the  disgrace  was  wiped  out  in  the  death 
of  the  invading  general,  the  repulse  of  the  British  at  Bal- 
timore, the  defeat  of  England's  veterans  at  Plattsburg, 
and  the  overthrow  and  surrender  of  her  fleet  on  Lake 
Champlain.  If  Mr.  Irving  entered  upon  his  military 
functions  at  a  disastrous  period,  it  was  not  long  before 
he  had  cause  for  rejoicing. 

He  had  been  two  or  three  weeks  in  the  staff  of  the 
governor  when  it  became  necessary  for  the  latter  to  pro- 
ceed to  Albany  to  attend  an  extraordinary  session  of  the 
legislature,  which  he  had  convened  to  meet  on  the  26th 
of  September. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  237 

From  Albany  lie  writes  to  Brevoort,  at  Burlington,  on 
Lake  Chaniplain,  September  26th,  1814 : — 

I  have  been  incessantly  occupied  since  I  saw  you  by  the  duties  of  my 
station  ;  and  feel  more  pleased  than  ever  with  it.  I  am  veiy  anxious  to 
hear  how  matters  go  with  you.  I  think  there  is  no  prospect  of  immediate 
peace,  and  am  of  opinion  that,  should  the  British  wait  the  results  of  the 
present  campaign,  they  will  rather  be  disposed  to  continue  hostilities,  to 
wipe  out  the  stains  of  late  defeats.  This  scourging  campaign  has  on  the 
whole  been  thus  far  a  degrading  one  to  them,  and  the  victory  on  Cham- 
plain  will  be  a  pill  not  easily  swallowed.  I  wish  you  would  treasure  up 
all  the  striking  particulars  you  may  hear  concerning  it,  as  I  must  give 
McDonough  a  dash. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Albany,  it  was  rumored 
that  Sackett's  Harbor  was  threatened  with  an  attack  by 
land  and  water ;  and  eager  to  share  in  the  excitement, 
the  secretary  requested  from  the  governor  some  mission 
to  the  lines*.  He  was  accordingly  sent  to  Sackett's  Har- 
bor with  discretionary  powers  to  consult  with  the  com- 
manding officers  stationed  there ;  and,  if  necessary,  to 
order  out  more  militia. 

I  leave  this  (he  writes  from  Albany  to  his  brother  Ebenezer,  September 
28th),  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  for  Sackett's  Harbor.  Affairs,  I  am 
afraid,  are  about  to  look  squally  on  our  Canada  frontier.  Drummond 
has  fallen  back  to  Fort  George,  and  Brown  is  not  in  sufficient  force  to 
pursue  him.  Izard  has  landed  at  Genesee  River  ;  and  by  the  time  he 
forms  a  junction  with  Brown,  or  advances  on  Fort  George,  Drummond,  I 
apprehend,  will  be  able  to  get  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  so  that  I  think  lie 
has  escaped  from  our  clutches.  In  the  meanwhile,  we  hear  that  Chauncey 
is  at  Sackett's  Harbor.     If  the  enemy  takes  the  lake  with  his  large  ship, 


238  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Chauncey  is  dished ;  he  dare  not  come  out,  and  may  be  attacked  in  the 
harbor  by  land  and  sea.  It  is  said  he  does  not  mean  to  remain  in  the 
harbor  ;  but  to  put  out  again  immediately.  As  there  is  no  regular  force 
there  of  any  consequence,  I  shall  be  empowered,  if  on  consulting  the 
officers  there,  it  is  deemed  necessary,  to  order  out  a  requisite  militia  force. 
Should  matters  be  safe  there,  and  the  lake  be  unmolested  by  the  enemy, 
I  think  it  probable  I  shall  sad  to  the  upper  part  of  it,  and  visit  Brown's 
army  ;  having  powers  to  transact  business  there,  if  necessary. 

The  tra veiling,  at  present,  is  rough  ;  but  the  expedition  will  be  a  very 
interesting  one. 

He  proceeded  to  Utica  in  the  stage,  and  at  that  point 
took  horse  for  Sackett's  Harbor,  which  with  all  diligence 
he  could  not  reach  under  three  days,  for  the  roads 
were  exceedingly  heavy,  and  the  journey  rough  and  toil- 
some, though  not  without  interest.  A  great  part  of  his 
lonely  ride  lay  through  the  track  which  he  had  traversed 
with  the  Hoffmans  and  Ogdens  in  1803 ;  but  eleven  years 
had  made  great  changes  in  the  face  of  the  country. 

At  the  close  of  an  account  of  this  forest  ride,  left 
among  his  papers,  he  says  : — 

After  toUing  along  this  rough  road,  amidst  the  most  lonely  and  savage 
scenery,  I  at  length  came  to  where  the  country  suddenly  opened ;  Sackett's 
Harbor  lay  before  me — a  town  which  had  recently  sprung  up  in  the  bosom 
of  this  wilderness  ;  beyond  it  the  lake  spread  its  vast  waters  like  an  ocean, 
no  opposing  shore  being  visible  ;  while  a  few  miles  from  land  rode  a 
squadron  of  ships  of  war  at  anchor  on  the  calm  bosom  of  the  lake,  and 
looking  as  if  they  were  balanced  in  the  air. 

The  next  day  he  writes  : — 


OF  WASHINGTON  IB  VINO.  239 

[To  Ebenezer  Irving.] 

Sackett's  Harbor,  Oct.  3,  ISM. 

Dear  Brother  : — 

I  arrived  here  this  morning  after  incessant  travelling  through  the  mire 
for  four  or  five  days— the  last  three  on  horseback.  The  British  have  com- 
pleted their  large  ship,  and  she  has  dropped  down  to  Snake  Island,  where 
she  lays  under  the  batteries.*  Chauncey  lays  at  anchor  about  six  miles 
off  the  harbor.  It  is  expected  the  British  will  immediately  take  the  lake, 
and  Chauncey  be  obliged  to  come  in.  Preparations  are  making  to  resist 
an  attack  by  land  and  sea,  which  is  expected.  Breastworks  are  throwing 
up  and  pickets  erected,  which  will  inclose  the  whole  place,  and  form  pro- 
tection for  the  militia.  I  have  been  constantly  employed  at  the  general's 
quarters  all  day,  so  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  look  about  me.  In  com- 
pliance with  the  instructions  of  the  governor,  I  have  ordered  out  a  large 
reinforcement  of  militia,  and  hope  they  may  come  in  time  ;  but  there  is 
a  sad  deficiency  of  arms  and  military  munitions.  I  write  in  great  haste, 
as  the  mail  is  on  the  point  of  departing.  Give  my  love  to  mother  and 
the  family  ;  I  am  in  excellent  health,  and  feel  all  the  better  for  hard 
travelling.  Should  there  be  no  business  to  detain  me  here,  I  shall  leave 
this  place  in  a  day  or  two.  I  wish  first  to  visit  Chauncey's  fleet,  and 
should  like  to  witness  an  action  were  there  a  prospect  of  an  immediate 
one. 

The  first  wish  -was  gratified  the  next  day.  In  a  letter 
to  his  brother  William  he  says  : — 

The  Lady  of  the  Lake  happening  to  come  into  the  harbor,  I  went  out 
in  her  to  the  fleet,  which  lay  at  anchor  off  Stoney  Island,  about  eleven 
miles  distant,  and  remained  aboard  with  Chauncey  for  part  of  two  days  : 
during  which  time  he  took  me  round  the  little  fleet,  and  I  had  a  fine  op- 
portunity of  witnessing  their  admirable  order  and  equipment,  It  is  a  gal- 
lint  little  squadron,  and  I  could  not  but  regret  continually  that  it  should 

*  A  mistake.  She  had  not  dropped  down.  This  large  ship  was  the  St.  Lawrence,  ot 
90gun8. 


240  LTFE  AND  LETTERS 

be  doomed  to  rot  in  a  fresh-water  pond.  The  Superior  is  by  great  odds 
the  finest  frigate  I  was  ever  on  board  of.  Her  gun-deck  shows  a  tremen- 
dous battery.  I  was  in  hopes  of  having  an  opportunity  of  looking  into 
Kingston  harbor  and  getting  a  peep  at  that  big  ship,  which  is  the  bug- 
beai  of  these  seas  ;  the  Lady  of  the  Lake,  however,  was  not  sent  on  a 
reconnoitring  expedition  while  I  was  in  the  fleet,  and  I  did  not  think 
proper  to  make  any  request. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  surprise  of  Chauncey  on  re- 
ceiving Mr.  Irving  on  board  of  his  ship  in  these  remote 
solitudes.  "  You  here  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  in  extending  his 
hand ;  "  I  should  as  soon  have  thought  of  seeing  my 
wife." 

As  there  was  no  immediate  prospect  of  anything  at 
Sackett's  Harbor,  the  aide  set  off  on  the  7th  of  October, 
for  Albany,  in  company  with  a  commissary. 

As  they  were  wending  their  way  towards  Utica  they 
were  constantly  meeting  with  squads  of  militia  from 
Herkimer,  Oneida,  and  the  Black  River  counties,  trudg- 
ing towards  Sackett's  Harbor  to  reinforce  the  inadequate 
defense  for  that  place,  who  would  hail  him  as  they  passed 
with  "  What  news  of  the  Big  Ship  ?  "  then  jeer  him  for 
going  the  wrong  way,  and  banter  him  to  face  about,  little 
dreaming  that  it  was  to  him  they  were  indebted  for  the 
summons  to  turn  out. 

On  the  12th  of  October  he  was  again  in  New  York, 
having  every  reason  to  be  delighted  with  his  position  in 
the  governor's  staff.  In  a  letter  to  his  brother  William, 
at  Washington,  he  says  (October  14th) : — 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  241 

I  feel  more  and  more  satisfied  with  my  situation.  It  gives  mc  a  charm- 
ing opportunity  of  seeing  all  that  is  going  on,  and  Tompkins  is  absolute  ly 
one  of  the  worthiest  men  I  ever  knew.  1  find  him  honest,  candid,  prom]  fc, 
indefatigable,  with  a  greater  stock  of  practical  good  sense  and  p 
talent  than  I  had  any  idea  he  possessed,  and  of  nerve  to  put  into  immedi- 
ate execution  any  measure  that  he  is  satisfied  is  correct.  I  expect  he  will 
have  the  command  here  in  a  few  days,  in  which  case  my  situation  will  bo 
everything  I  could  wish. 

A  letter  of  the  27th  October  to  tlie  same  brother 
says  : — 

The  governor  arrived  in  town  yesterday,  and  this  day  will  take  com- 
mand. I  expect  and  hope  he  will  keep  his  staff  stirring,  and  have  been 
endeavoring  as  much  as  the  little  leisure  I  have  would  permit  to  prepare 
myself  for  the  duties  of  my  situation. 

These  duties  were  sufficiently  agreeable,  but  he  used 
frequently  to  be  annoyed  by  the  good-humored  facility 
of  Tompkins  in  giving  audience  to  the  hosts  of  danglers 
that  beset  a  man  in  office,  when  his  time  was  too  pre- 
cious for  such  courtesy,  even  if  his  personal  dignity  had 
not  required  a  more  chary  demeanor.  "  Let  me,"  he 
would  sometimes  say  in  a  spirit  of  friendly  expostula- 
tion, "  receive  their  messages,  and,  if  it  be  important  for 
you  to  see  them,  I  will  admit  them  one  at  a  time.  Some 
degree  of  form  and  etiquette  is  indispensable."  Tomp- 
kins would  consent,  but  soon  his  good-nature  would  get 
the  better  of  his  dignity,  and  he  would  sally  forth  to 
meet  some  importunate  demand  from  without,  when  his 
attention  would  be  instantly  claimed  by  a  multitude  of 
VOL.  i. — 16 


242  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

other  spirits  in  waiting.  "  I  had  constantly  to  go  ont," 
said  once  the  quondam  aide  to  me,  "  and  dig  him  out  of 
the  crowd." 

While  Washington  was  in  the  staff,  his  brother  Wil- 
liam was  representing  his  native  city  in  Congress.  This 
brother,  like  himself,  lacked  confidence  for  a  public 
speaker,  and  was  too  apt  to  become  embarrassed  and 
break  down  under  any  formal  attempt  to  deliver  his 
views  ;  while  in  conversation  he  spoke  with  an  anima- 
tion and  fluency  that  once  elicited  from  the  distinguished 
Lowndes  of  South  Carolina  the  exclamation,  grasping 
him  at  the  same  time  by  the  hand,  "  Why  in  the  name  of 
God,  will  you  not  speak  in  this  way  in  the  House  ?  "  He 
could  not,  however,  command  his  nerves,  and  lost  heart 
whenever  he  attempted  to  speak ;  so  that,  during  the 
seven  years  that  he  was  in  Congress,  though  an  efficient 
and  popular  member,  he  rarely  rose  to  his  feet.  The 
following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Washington,  dated  De- 
cember 20th,  1814,  and  which  I  quote  in  illustration  of 
the  writer's  sensitive  patriotism,  has  reference  to  one  of 
the  few  occasions  on  which  he  broke  silence.  It  was  on 
a  bill  to  authorize  a  draft  of  militia  from  the  several 
States.  His  speech  took  strong  ground  in  favor  of  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war,  and  reprobated  the  mis- 
taken economy  which,  by  withholding  what  was  neces- 
sary, rendered  useless  what  was  bestowed.  The  bill,  as 
introduced,  provided  for  eighteen  months'  service,  but 
was  reduced  to  twelve. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  243 

As  to  the  bill  on  which  you  spoke  (writes  Washington),  I  consider  it 
another  of  those  skeleton  measures,  which,  after  having  been  stripped  oi 
flesh,  and  blood,  and  muscles,  is  sent  forth  to  mock  the  country  with  a 
mere  shaking  of  dry  bones.  We  shall  now  have  men  for  six  month 
drill  and  make  soldiers  of,  and  six  months  to  feed  and  support  in  w  int. -r- 
quarters.  If  it  had  been  eighteen  months  we  might  have  had  two  cam- 
paigns out  of  them,  or  if  six  months,  we  could  have  one  and  no  after 
trouble  and  expense  of  keeping  them  through  a  long  winter  :  I  think  you 
were  right,  however,  to  support  any  show  of  defense,  though  I  regret  that 
you  were  not  able  to  effect  anything  more  substantially  efficient.  I  am 
really  heartsick  at  the  present  wretched  state  of  public  affairs,  and  loathe 
that  make-shift  policy  that  has  only  aimed  at  scuffling  through  present 
embarrassments,  and  maintaining  present  popularity  at  the  risk,  or  rather 
certainty,  of  future  confusion  and  disaster. 

A  few  days  after  this,  Governor  Tompkins  repaired  to 
Albany  to  attend  the  session  of  the  legislature,  leaving 
General  Boyd  in  command  of  the  station.  Mr.  Irving's 
connection  with  the  staff  was  consequently  dissolved 
without  anything  having  occurred  to  give  prominence  to 
his  brief  military  career  of  four  months,  or  test  his  mar- 
tial accomplishments.  He  used  jokingly  to  speak  of  an 
equestrian  mischance  of  the  governor  as  the  only  event 
of  his  campaign.  Tompkins  was  about  to  visit  a  fort  on 
Brooklyn  Heights,  manned  by  marines.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  deep  trench,  over  which  you  passed  into 
the  fort  by  a  somewhat  narrow  causeway.  The  governor, 
who  was  not  over-firm  in  the  stirrups,  had  a  rather  met- 
tlesome steed,  and,  fearing  the  effect  of  the  customary 
salute,  sent   his  aide   in  advance  to  have  it  dispensed 


244  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

with.  The  marines  would  not  be  balked  in  this  way. 
They  were  annoyed  at  being  disappointed  of  their  salute, 
and,  determined  upon  some  ceremonial  of  respect,  when 
the  governor  was  making  his  exit,  by  a  preconcerted 
movement  they  jumped  upon  the  cannon,  and  made  the 
welkin  ring  with  their  cheers.  Never  was  a  popular 
demonstration  so  ill-timed.  The  governor  was  just  cross- 
ing the  causeway,  when,  startled  with  the  stentorian 
chorus,  the  horse  gave  a  pirouette,  and  the  next  thing  I 
saw,  said  his  aide,  was  Tompkins  lying  in  the  ditch  and 
his  steed  bounding  madly  away.  The  aide  hastened  to 
the  rescue  of  his  dismounted  chief,  and  was  glad  to  per- 
ceive that  he  had  received  no  greater  injury  than  a 
sprained  thumb  and  a  sudden  sickness  of  the  stomach ; 
but  ever  afterwards — on  such  perilous  occasions — the 
governor  was  apt  to  give  his  steed  to  him  and  borrow  for 
the  nonce  his  "  Archy."  This  was  a  little  bay  of  which 
he  once  wrote,  "  I  never  had  occasion  to  lay  the  whip  on 
his  back,  and,  indeed,  would  almost  as  soon  have  had  it 
laid  on  my  own."  * 

Of  a  piece  with  this  military  history  was  his  jesting 
advice  to  Samuel  Swartwout,  the  Major  of  the  Iron 
Greys,  a  choice  corps  of  volunteers  to  which  his  friend 
Brevoort  belonged.  The  Major  was  very  fussy  about 
their  equipments  ;  first  this  thing  was  wrong,  then  that ; 

*  A  letter  to  his  brother  Ebenezer  furnishes  this  other  characteristic 
token  of  affection  for  the  animal  :  "When  you  next  visit  little  Archy's 
stall,  pat  him  on  the  sides  for  me." 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  245 

now  their  guns  were  too  light,  then  they  were  too  heavy. 
"  Put  two  men  to  a  gun,  Sam,"  was  the  remedy  advised 
under  the  last  annoyance. 

Soon  after  his  retirement  from  the  staff,  Washington 
made  a  jaunt  to  Philadelphia,  and  had  thoughts  of  pro- 
ceeding to  the  seat  of  government  to  apply  for  a  commis- 
sion in  the  regular  army,  but  was  prevented  in  the  way 
detailed  in  the  following  letter  to  his  brother  William  : — 

Philadelphia,  January  15,  1815. 

Deae  Bbother  : — 

On  arriving  in  Philadelphia  I  find  that  Bradford  and  Inskeep  have 
failed  and  ruined  poor  Moses  Thomas,  the  bookseller,  who  publishes  the 
"  Analectic."  This  will  detain  me  here  some  time  to  arrange  my  affairs 
with  him  and  settle  about  the  future  fate  of  the  Magazine.  This  circum- 
stance, and  the  vileness  of  the  roads,  etc.,  have  induced  me  to  give  up  my 
intention  of  visiting  Washington  for  the  present.  I  shall  therefore  return 
to  New  York  in  about  a  week. 

He  "signed  off  what  was  owing  to  him,"  and  being 
anxious  that  the  Magazine  should  not  fall  through,  ef- 
fected an  arrangement  by  which  it  was  continued,  though 
he  never  resumed  the  editorship. 

Before  he  returned  from  Philadelphia,  where  his  stay 
was  prolonged  to  the  beginning  of  February,  came  the 
news  of  the  victory  of  New  Orleans  and  the  tidings  of 
peace. 

During  his  absence  his  friend  Decatur  had  put  to  sea 
in  the  frigate  President  and  been  captured  by  a  British 
squadron.    Having  been  released,  he  got  back  to  the  city 


246  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

in  time  to  witness  the  illumination  which  announced  the 
rejoicing  of  the  citizens  at  the  return  of  peace ;  but  he 
had  scarcely  arrived  when  an  act  passed  the  two  Houses 
of  Congress,  announcing  the  existence  of  a  state  of  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Algiers.  The  Dey  of 
Algiers  had  taken  advantage  of  the  war  with  England  to 
prey  upon  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  in  the 
Mediterranean,  and  several  citizens  had  been  confined  in 
prisons,  and  large  sums  refused  for  their  ransom.  Two 
squadrons  were  accordingly  fitted  out  to  obtain  redress. 
The  command  of  the  first  was  offered  to  Decatur,  and  of 
the  second  to  Bainbridge.  This  last  was  to  follow  the 
first,  and  on  its  arrival  in  the  Mediterranean  the  com- 
mander of  the  first  was  to  return  in  a  single  vessel,  and 
leave  the  two  squadrons  in  charge  of  Bainbridge.  The 
command  of  the  first  had  been  offered  to  Decatur  by  the 
government  in  token  of  their  undiminished  confidence ; 
yet  he  hesitated  about  accepting  it,  and  consulted  Irving 
on  the  subject.  The  latter  was  his  fellow-boarder  at  Mrs. 
Bradish's,  whence  Decatur  had  started  on  his  unfortu- 
nate cruise,  leaving  his  wife  behind,  who  was  miserable 
during  his  absence,  and  would  sometimes  walk  her  room 
whole  nights,  incapable  of  sleep.  Mr.  Irving  strongly 
urged  his  acceptance,  insisting  that  he  should  by  no 
means  lose  the  opportunity  of  emerging  from  the  cloud 
which  had  come  over  his  celebrity  by  the  loss  of  the 
President;  that  here  was  a  chance  for  a  brilliant  dash; 
that  he  could  precede  Bainbridge,  who  was  fitting  out  at 


OF   WASHINGTON  IRVING.  -j  j 7 

Boston,  and,  as  lie  expressed  it  to  me,  "whip  off  the 
cream  of  the  enterprise."  The  distress  of  his  wife  at  the 
idea  of  this  renewed  separation  so  soon  after  his  return 
caused  Decatur  to  hesitate,  but  at  length  he  decided  to 
go,  and,  turning  suddenly  to  Mr.  Irving,  he  proposed  that 
he  should  accompany  him,  offering  as  an  inducement  the 
attraction  of  a  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  a  prom- 
ise to  land  him  wherever  he  wished. 

The  project  was  too  captivating  to  be  resisted.  Mr. 
Irving  took  but  half  an  hour  to  consult  with  his  brother 
Ebenezer,  his  partner,  and  decided  to  go.  His  trunks 
were  soon  packed  and  on  board  of  the  frigate,  the  Guer- 
riere.  Just  at  this  time,  when  on  the  eve  of  departure, 
came  news  of  Bonaparte's  return  from  Elba,  and  it  was 
deemed  prudent  by  the  government  to  delay  the  expedi- 
tion for  a  while  under  this  new  turn  of  affairs.  Mean- 
while, Mr.  Irving  thought  he  perceived  some  little  wav- 
ering on  the  part  of  the  Commodore,  and  unwilling  to 
embarrass  his  decision,  should  he  incline  to  relinquish 
the  command,  he  had  his  trunks  brought  ashore.  But  as 
he  was  now  fully  bent  on  a  voyage  to  Europe,  had  made 
all  his  preparations,  and  was  sure,  as  he  thought  himself, 
of  fortune's  favors  from  the  success  of  the  commercial 
establishment  into  which  he  had  been  admitted,  he  de- 
termined to  embark,  and  mingle  for  a  while  in  the  ex- 
citing scenes  that  seemed  to  be  opening  on  that  side  of 
the  Atlantic. 

The  fleet  weighed  anchor  on  the  20th  of  May,  ami  if 


248  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

Mr.  Irving  had  accompanied  Decatur,  as  he  was  so  near 
doing,  he  would  have  been  on  board  of  his  vessel  in  her 
brilliant  action  with  the  Mazouda,  which  took  place  in 
less  than  a  month  after  the  gallant  hero  had  sailed,  and 
in  which  the  Algerine  frigate  was  captured,  and  Ham- 
mida,  her  famous  Eais  or  Admiral,  killed. 

It  was  on  the  25th  of  May,  only  five  days  after  the 
departure  of  Decatur,  that  he  bade  adieu  to  his  aged 
mother,  his  brothers,  and  friends,  and  embarked  on 
board  of  the  ship  Mexico  for  Liverpool,  looking  forward 
to  a  pleasant  voyage,  but  little  dreaming  that  the  ocean 
he  was  to  cross  would  roll  its  waters  for  seventeen  years 
between  him  and  his  home. 


CHAPTEK  XIX. 

ARRIVAL  AT  LIVERPOOL. — NEWS  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.— ELATION  OF 
JOHN  BULL.— PETER'S  INDISPOSITION.— VISIT  TO  BIRMINGHAM.— TO  LONDON. 
— TO  SYDENHAM.— MRS.  CAMPBELL.— TOUR  IN  WALES.— FIRST  EXPERIEN'  E 
IN  THE  CARES  OF  BUSINESS.— EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS  TO  BREVOORT.— LET- 
TER TO  BREVOORT. — SORDID  CARES. — ANXIETY  FOR  REMITTANCES. — EXCUR- 
SION TO  LONDON. — MISS  O'NEIL. — EJEAN. — CAMPBELL. 


p.  IKVING  had  led  a  very  listless  life  for  a 
month,  or  two  before  he  left  New  York,  and  was 
building,  at  his  departure,  large  anticipations 
upon  the  exciting  scenes  that  would  follow  the  return  of 
Bonaparte  from  Elba.  The  curtain,  however,  had  already 
fallen  upon  this  brief  interlude  wrhen  he  landed  at  Liver- 
pool. The  first  spectacle  which  met  his  eye,  was  the 
mail  coaches  coming  in,  decked  in  laurel,  and  dashing 
proudly  through  the  streets  with  the  tidings  of  the  battle 
of  Waterloo  and  the  flight  of  Napoleon.  From  this  time 
he  was  all  alive  to  watch  the  progress  of  Bonaparte's 
disastrous  career,  though  his  letters  are  somewhat  spar- 
ing of  remark  on  the  astounding  catastrophe.  In  writing 
to  Brevoort,  July  5th,  he  observes : — 

I  have  forborne  making  any  comments  on  the  wonderful  events  that 
are  taking  place  in  the  political  world.     They  are  too  vast  and  astonish- 

249 


250  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ing  to  bo  grasped  in  the  narrow  compass  of  a  familiar  letter,  and,  indeed, 
as  yet  I  can  do  nothing  but  look  in  stupid  amazement,  wondering  with 
vacant  conjecture  "what  will  take  place  next  ?"  I  am  determined,  how- 
ever, to  get  a  near  view  of  the  actors  in  this  great  drama. 

In  pursuit  of  this  purpose  in  part  he  went  up  to  Lon- 
don for  a  few  days  before  Parliament  rose,  and  on  his 
return  to  Birmingham  he  thus  records  his  impressions  of 
the  prince  and  people  most  deeply  interested  in  these 
momentous  events : — 

Since  I  wrote  you  last  (to  Ebenezer,  July  21st)  I  have  made  a  short 
visit  to  London,  where  I  was  much  gratified  by  seeing  the  Ilouse  of 
Lords  in  full  session,  and  the  Prince  Regent  on  the  throne,  on  the  pro- 
roguing of  Parliament.  The  spirits  of  this  nation,  as  you  may  suppose, 
are  wonderfully  elated  by  their  successes  on  the  continent,  and  English 
pride  is  inflated  to  its  full  distention  by  the  idea  of  having  Paris  at  the 
mercy  of  "Wellington  and  his  army.  The  only  thing  that  annoys  the 
honest  mob  is  that  old  Louis  will  not  cut  throats  and  lop  off  heads,  and 
that  Wellington  will  not  blow  up  bridges  and  monuments,  and  plunder 
palaces  and  galleries.  As  to  Bonaparte,  they  have  disposed  of  him  in 
a  thousand  ways  ;  every  fat-sided  John  Bull  has  him  dished  up  in  a 
way  to  please  his  own  palate,  excepting  that  as  yet  they  have  not  observed 
the  first  direction  in  the  famous  receipt  to  cook  a  turbot — "first  catch 
your  turbot." 

In  a  postscript  he  adds  : — 

The  bolls  are  ringing,  and  this  moment  news  is  brought  that  poor 
Boney  is  a  prisoner  at  Plymouth.     John  has  caught  the  Turbot  ! 

I  am  extremely  sorry  (he  writes  to  his  brother  William  the  same  day) 
that  his  carcsr  has  terminated  so  lamely  ;  it's  a  thousand  pities  he  had 
not  fallen  like  a  hero  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 


OF  WASHINGTON  III  J ' ! .  w  /.  i .  ~  | 

And  soon  after,   announcing  to  Brevoort  that  Bona- 
parte had  at  length  left  the  coast  for  St.  Helena,  he  says, 
with  a  strong  feeling  of  sympathy  for  his  fallen  fortu 
and  the  dreary  exile  to  which  he  was  devoted : — 

I  must  say  I  think  the  Cabinet  has  acted  with  littleness  towards  him. 
In  spite  of  all  his  misdeeds,  he  is  a  noble  fellow,  and  I  am  confident  v.  ill 
eclipse,  in  the  eyes  of  posterity,  all  the  crowned  wiseacres  that  have 
crushed  him  by  their  overwhelming  confederacy. 

If  anything  could  place  the  Prince  Regent  in  a  more  ridiculous  light, 
it  is  Borraparte  suing  for  his  magnanimous  protection.  Every  compli- 
ment paid  to  this  bloated  sensualist,  this  inflation  of  sack  and  sugar, 
turns  to  the  keenest  sarcasm  ;  and  nothing  shows  more  completely  the 
caprices  of  fortune,  and  how  truly  she  delights  in  reversing  the  relative 
situations  of  persons,  and  baffling  the  flights  of  intellect  and  enterprise — 
than  that,  of  all  the  monarchs  of  Europe,  Bonaparte  should  be  brought 
to  the  feet  of  the  Prince  Regent. 

"  An  eagle  towering  in  his  pride  of  place 
Was  by  a  mousing  owl  hawked  at  and  killed." 

And  now,  having  been  led  away  for  a  moment  to  trace 
the  tone  of  his  allusion  to  the  vast  events  that  came 
breaking  upon  him  at  his  arrival  on  the  shores  of  Eu- 
rope, I  return  to  more  domestic  details. 

Nearly  seven  years  had  passed  since  his  parting  with 
Peter,  "  a  fearful  lapse  of  time  to  gentlemen  of  a  certain 
age ; "  yet  he  found  him  in  manner  and  conversation  so 
much  like  old  times  that  it  soon  seemed,  he  says,  as  if 
they  had  parted  but  yesterday.  "  I  found  him,"  is  his 
language  to  Ebenezer,  "very  comfortably  situated,  hav- 
ing handsome  furnished  rooms,  and  keeping  a  horse,  gig, 


252  IWE  AND  LETTERS 

and  servant,  but  not  indulging  in  any  extravagance  or 
dash.  He  lives  like  a  man  of  sense,  who  knows  he  can 
but  enjoy  his  money  while  he  is  alive,  and  would  not 
be  a  whit  the  better  though  he  were  buried  under  a 
mountain  of  it  when  dead."  Peter  was  at  this  time  con- 
fined to  the  house  by  an  indisposition,  which,  though 
apparently  yielding  to  strict  regimen  and  medical  pre- 
scription, ultimately  lengthened  into  a  most  tedious  ill- 
ness, driving  him  in  September  to  Harrowgate  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  waters,  and  thence,  almost  a  cripple  from  rheu- 
matism, to  his  sister's  house  in  Birmingham,  where  he 
lingered,  an  uncomplaining  invalid,  to  the  middle  of  May. 
Washington  spent  a  week  with  Peter  at  Liverpool,  and 
then  took  leave  of  him,  seemingly  recruiting  rapidly  in 
health,  "for  the  redoubtable  castle  of  Van  Tromp,"  as 
he  playfully  styles  the  residence  of  his  brother-in-law, 
Henry  Van  Wart,  in  the  vicinity  of  Birmingham. 

I  found  (he  -mites  to  Brevoort)  the  baron  and  the  baroness,  and  all 
the  young  Van  Tromps,  in  excellent  health  and  spirits,  and  most  delight- 
fully situated  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town. 

Everything  about  the  little  retreat  he  describes  as  ex- 
actly to  his  taste.  "  The  house,  the  grounds,  the  house- 
hold establishment,  the  mode  of  living ;  never  before  did 
I  find  myself  more  comfortably  at  home."  From  Bir- 
mingham he  went,  for  a  few  days,  to  London,  and  made 
an  excursion  thence  to  Sydenham  to  visit  Campbell,  who, 
unfortunately,  was  not  at  home. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  -j-;; 

I  spent  an  hour  (he  writes)  in  conversation  with  Mrs.  Campbell,  who  is 
a  most  engaging  and  interesting  woman.  Campbell  was  still  engaged  in 
getting  his  critical  work  through  the  press  ;  and  as  he  is  a  rigid  censor 
of  his  own  works,  correcting  is  as  laborious  as  composition  to  him.  He 
alters  and  amends  until  the  last  moment.  I  am  in  hopes  when  he  has 
this  work  off  his  hands,  he  will  attempt  another  poem.  Mrs.  Campbell 
gave  me  some  anecdotes  of  Scott,  but  none  so  remarkable  as  to  dwell  in 
my  memory.  lie  has  lost  much  by  the  failure  of  the  Ballantynes,  but  is 
as  merry  and  unconcerned  to  all  appearance  as  ever  ;  one  of  the  happiest 
fellows  that  ever  wrote  poetry.  I  find  it  is  very  much  doubted  whether 
he  is  the  author  of  Waverley  and  Guy  Mannering.  Brown,  one  of  the 
publishers,  positively  says  he  is  not. 

It  was  in  this  interview  with  the  poet's  wife,  that  the 
conversation  took  place  of  which  he  has  given  an  account 
in  the  introduction  to  the  American  reprint  of  Beattie's 
"Life  of  Campbell." 

I  had  considered  (he  says)  the  early  productions  of  Campbell  as  brilliant 
indications  of  a  genius  yet  to  be  developed  ;  and  trusted  that,  during  the 
long  interval  which  had  elapsed,  he  had  been  preparing  something  to 
fulfill  the  public  expectation.  I  was  greatly  disappointed,  therefore,  to 
find  that,  as  yet,  he  had  contemplated  no  great  and  sustained  effort. 
[He  expressed  to  Mrs.  Campbell  his  regret  "  that  her  husband  did  not  at- 
tempt something  on  a  grand  scale."]  "It  is  unfortunate  for  Campbell," 
said  she,  ' '  that  he  lives  in  the  same  age  with  Scott  and  Byron. "  I  asked 
why.  "0!"  said  she,  "they  write  so  much  and  so  rapidly.  Xow 
Campbell  writes  slowly,  and  it  takes  him  some  time  to  get  under  way  ; 
and  just  as  he  has  fairly  begun,  out  comes  one  of  their  poems,  that  sets 
the  world  agog,  and  quite  daunts  him,  so  that  he  throws  by  his  pen  in 
despair."  I  pointed  out  the  essential  difference  in  their  kinds  of  poetry, 
and  the  qualities  which  ensured  perpetuity  to  that  of  her  husband. 


251  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

"You  can't  persuade  Campbell  of  that,"  said  she.  "  Tie  is  apt  to  under- 
value his  own  works,  and  to  consider  his  own  little  lights  put  out  when- 
over  they  come  blazing  out  with  their  great  torches." 

I  repeated  the  conversation  to  Scott  (continues  Mr.  Irving)  some  time 
afterward,  and  it  drew  forth  a  characteristic  comment, 

"Pooh  !"  said  he,  good-humoredly,  "how  can  Campbell  mistake  the 
matter  so  much  ?  Poetry  goes  by  quality,  not  by  bulk.  My  poems  are 
mere  cairngorms,  wrought  up,  perhaps,  with  a  cunning  hand,  and  may 
pass  well  in  the  market  as  long  as  cairngorms  are  the  fashion  ;  but  they 
are  mere  Scotch  pebbles,  after  all ;  now  Tom  Campbell's  are  real  diamonds, 
and  diamonds  of  the  first  water." 

From  London  Mr.  Irving  returned  to  his  "English 
home,"  the  domestic  circle  at  Birmingham,  and  made  an 
excursion  thence  to  Kenilworth,  Warwick,  and  Strat- 
ford-on-Avon  with  James  Renwick. 

After  pausing  a  few  days  at  Birmingham,  on  their  re- 
turn, he  and  Renwick  set  out  again  on  a  tour  by  the  way 
of  Bath  and  Bristol  through  South  and  North  Wales  to 
Liverpool,  where  he  joined  his  brother  Peter  about  the 
middle  of  August.  "  I  found  Renwick,"  he  writes,  "  an 
excellent  travelling  companion,  and  from  his  uncommon 
memory  an  exceeding  good  book  of  reference,  so  as  to 
save  me  a  vast  deal  of  trouble  in  consulting  my  travelling 
books."  He  gives  no  particulars  of  his  "  delightful  tour," 
but  his  pencil  memoranda  abound  with  sketches  taken 
on  his  route,  and  record  in  language  that  cannot  clearly 
be  deciphered  that  he  clambered  up  to  the  tower  of  the 
cathedral  which  commands  a  noble  view  of  the  valley  in 
which  Gloucester  stands,  and  was  locked  up  by  the  old 


OF   WASHINGTON  IRVING.  255 

sexton  while  he  accompanied  other  visitors  round  the 
church,  fearful  he  might  give  him  the  slip. 

Soon  after  Washington  got  to  Liverpool,  Peter  left  for 
Harrowgate,  and  his  indisposition  continuing,  his  ab- 
sence was  prolonged  through  more  than  eight  months. 

Washington  had  now  to  take  charge  of  the  establish- 
ment, which,  as  he  was  very  inexperienced,  was  a  suffi- 
cient employment  for  all  his  faculties.  The  confused 
manner  in  which  the  business  had  been  conducted  in 
consequence  of  Peter's  illness  and  the  death  of  his  prin- 
cipal clerk,  obliged  him  to  examine  everything  thor- 
oughly, and  by  that  means  to  acquaint  himself  with 
every  detail.  Averse  as  he  was  to  business,  he  now  gave 
himself  up  to  it  entirely,  and  he  had  a  faculty  of  apply- 
ing himself  thoroughly  to  a  subject  until  he  had  mas- 
tered it.  "I  am  leading  a  solitary  bachelor's  life  in 
Peter's  lodgings,"  he  writes  to  his  mother,  September 
21st,  "  and  perhaps  should  feel  a  little  lonesome  were  I 
not  kept  so  busy."  September  24th,  he  was  instituting 
an  examination  into  the  accounts  of  the  concern,  and 
having  the  books  brought  up,  for  which  purpose  he  had 
studied  book-keeping. 

I  bring  together  some  passages  from  his  letters  to 
Brevoort  during  this  period. 

Liverpool,  Aug.  19,  1815.—  ....  I  received  a  very  good,  that 
is  to  say,  a  very  characteristic  letter  from  that  worthy  little  tar,  Jack 
Nicholson,  dated  7th  July,  on  board  the  Flambeau  off  Algiers;  and  giv- 
ing a  brief  account  of  our  affairs  with  Algiers.     He  mentions  that  "  they 


256  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

fell  in  with  and  captured  the  admiral's  ship,  and  killed  him."  As  this  is 
all  Jack's  brevity  will  allow  him  to  say  on  the  subject,  I  should  be  at  a 
loss  to  know  whether  they  killed  the  admiral  before  or  after  his  capture. 
The  well-known  humanity  of  our  tars,  however,  induces  me  to  the  former 
conclusion 

This  triumph  will  completely  fix  Decatur's  reputation  ;  he  may  now 
repose  on  his  laurels,  and  have  wherewithal  to  solace  himself  under  their 
shade.  Give  my  hearty  congratulations  to  Mrs.  Decatur,  and  tell  her 
that  now  I  am  willing  she  shall  have  the  Commodore  to  herself,  and  wish 
her  all  comfort  and  happiness  with  him.  A  gallanter  fellow  never 
stepped  a  quarter-deck.     God  bless  him ! 

Sept.  8. — I  am  in  hopes  of  soon  seeing  Charles  King,*  in  Liverpool, 
to  await  the  arrival  of  his  family.  I  saw  much  of  him  while  in  Lon- 
don, and  as  you  may  suppose,  found  him  a  most  desirable  companion  in 
the  metropolis.  Charles  is  exactly  what  an  American  should  be  abroad 
— frank,  manly,  and  unaffected  in  his  habits  and  manners  ;  liberal 
and  independent  in  his  opinions,  generous  and  unprejudiced  in  his 
sentiments  towards  other  nations,  but  most  loyally  attached  to  his 
own 

I  should  like  to  see  the  "National  Intelligencer,"  now  that  Jim  is 
writing  for  it.  The  late  triumphs  on  the  continent  will  be  sore  blows  to 
Jim's  plans;  they  will  materially  delay  the  great  object  of  his  life — the 
overthrow  of  the  British  empire. 

During  this  interval,  though  his  letters  to  Brevoort 
might  savor  of  pleasantry,  the  sordid  cares  of  the  count- 
ing-house took  up  his  whole  time  and  completely  occu- 
pied his  mind,  "  so  that  at  present,"  he  writes  in  Octo- 
ber, "  I  am  as  dull,  commonplace  a  fellow  as  ever  figured 
upon  'Change."    At  this  time  he  had  begun  to  apprehend 

*  Now  President  of  Columbia  College. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  057 

that  Peter,  following  too  many  others  at  that  period,  had 
purchased  too  deeply  for  their  capital,  and  he  had  be- 
come very  anxious  and  apprehensive  about  their  fall 
payments,  and  how  he  was  to  meet  the  great  demands 
for  funds  which  began  to  press  upon  them. 

His  constant  injunction  to  his  brother  Ebenezer,  who, 
meanwhile,  was  straining  every  nerve  to  do  it,  was  to  re- 
mit continually  until  all  the  goods  were  paid  for ;  not  to 
flag,  nor  think,  because  he  had  done  well,  he  could  af- 
ford for  a  time  to  do  nothing. 

I  could  not  help  smiling  (says  he)  at  a  passage  in  one  of  brother  Wil- 
liam's letters  to  Van  Wart,  wherein  he  intimates  that  they  should  have  to 
stop  to  take  breath  from  remitting ;  but  in  the  meantime  he  must  wait 
patiently  and  do  his  best.  This  was  something  like  the  Irishman  calling 
to  his  companion,  whom  he  was  hoisting  out  of  the  well,  to  hold  on  below 
while  he  spit  on  his  hands. 

On  the  10th  of  November  Mr.  Irving  was  able  to 
"  emerge  from  the  mud  of  Liverpool,  and  shake  off  the 
sordid  cares  of  the  counting-house,"  and  join  "the  little 
family  circle  at  Birmingham,"  where  Peter  was  now  con- 
fined in  helpless  inactivity.  From  Birmingham  he  made 
a  three  weeks'  visit  to  London,  returning  in  time  to  eat 
his  Christmas  dinner  with  his  relatives,  and  to  learn  how 
cruelly  circumstances  had  operated  against  their  fall 
business  ;  the  goods  that  had  been  shipped  for  New  York 
failing,  through  adverse  winds,  to  reach  that  market  in 
season,  and  having  to  lie  over  for  the  spring.  Notwith- 
vol.  1. — 17 


258  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

standing  this  great  discouragement,  Ebenezer  wrote  in  a 
cheerful  and  resolute  spirit,  but  it  was  easy  to  foresee 
how  much  their  difficulties  must  be  increased  from  this 
source,  and  what  a  taste  they  were  likely  to  have  of  the 
anxieties,  embarrassments,  and  disadvantages  of  an  over- 
strained business. 

I  close  the  year  1815  with  the  following  letter  to  Bre- 
voort,  which  touches  upon  his  visit  to  London,  and  his 
theatrical  experiences  : — 

Bieminghaji,  December  28, 1815. 
Dear  Bbevooet  : — 

It  is  a  long  while  since  I  have  heard  from  you ;  and  since  your  last, 
"we  have  been  very  uneasy,  in  consequence  of  hearing  of  your  being  dan- 
gerously ill.  Subsequent  accounts,  however,  have  again  put  you  on  your 
legs,  and  relieved  us  from  our  anxiety.  I  have  lately  been  on  a  short 
visit  to  London;  merely  to  see  sights,  and  visit  public  places.  Our 
worthy  friend  Johnson,  and  his  brother,  arrived  in  town  while  I  was 
there,  and  we  were  frequently  together.  The  Governor  enjoyed  the 
amusements  of  London  with  high  zest,  and,  like  myself,  was  a  great  fre- 
quenter of  the  theatres — particularly  when  Miss  O'Neil  performed.  We 
were  both  agreed  that  were  you  in  England,  you  would  infallibly  fall  in 
love  with  this  "  divine  perfection  of  a  woman."  She  is,  to  my  eyes,  the 
most  soul-subduing  actress  I  ever  saw.  I  do  not  mean  from  her  personal 
charms,  which  are  great,  but  from  the  truth,  force,  and  pathos  of  her  act- 
ing. I  never  have  been  so  completely  melted,  moved,  and  overcome  at  a 
theatre  as  by  her  performances.  I  do  not  think  much  of  the  other  novel- 
ties of  the  day.  Mrs.  Mardyn.  about  whom  much  has  been  said  and  writ- 
ten, is  vulgar  without  humor,  and  hoydenish  without  real  whim  and  vivac- 
ity ;  she  is  pretty,  but  a  very  bad  actress.  Kean— the  prodigy — is  cried 
up  as  a  second  G-arrick — as  a  reformer  of  the  stage,  etc.,  etc. ;  it  may  be 
so.   He  may  be  right,  and  all  the  actors  wrong:  this  is  certain,  he  is  either 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  259 

very  good  or  very  bad — I  think  decidedly  the  latter  ;  and  I  find  no  me- 
dium opinions  concerning  him. 

I  am  delighted  with  Young,  who  acts  with  great  judgment,  discrimi- 
nation, and  feeling.  I  think  him  much  the  best  actor  at  present  on  the 
English  stage.  IlLs  Hamlet  is  a  very  fine  performance,  as  is  likewise  his 
Stranger,  Pierre,  Chamont,  etc.  I  have  not  seen  his  Macbeth,  which  I 
should  not  suppose  could  equal  Cooper's.  In  fact,  in  certain  characters, 
such  as  may  be  classed  with  Macbeth,  I  do  not  think  that  Cooper  has  his 
equal  in  England.  Young  is  the  only  actor  I  have  seen  that  can  be  com- 
pared with  him.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  if  Cooper  had  a  fair  chance, 
and  the  public  were  to  see  him  in  his  principal  characters,  he  would  take 
the  lead  at  once  of  the  London  theatres.  But  there  is  so  much  party 
work,  managerial  influence,  and  such  a  widely  spread  and  elaborate  sys- 
tem of  falsehood  and  misrepresentation  connected  with  the  London  thea- 
tres, that  a  stranger,  who  is  not  peculiarly  favored  by  the  managers  or 
assisted  by  the  prepossessions  of  the  public,  stands  no  chance.  I  shall 
never  forget  Cooper's  acting  in  Macbeth  last  spring,  when  he  was  stimu- 
lated to  exertion  by  the  presence  of  a  number  of  British  officers.  I  havo 
seen  nothing  equal  to  it  in  England.  Cooper  requires  excitement  to 
arouse  him  from  a  monotonous,  commonplace  manner  he  is  apt  to  fall 
into,  in  consequence  of  acting  so  often  before  indifferent  houses.  I  pre- 
sume the  crowded  audiences,  which  I  am  told  have  filled  our  theatres  this 
season,  must  bring  him  out  in  full  splendor. 

While  at  London  I  saw  Campbell,  who  is  busily  employed  printing  his 
long-promised  work.  The  publisher  has  been  extremely  dilatory  ;  and 
has  kept  poor  Campbell  lingering  over  the  pages  of  this  work  for  months 
longer  than  was  necessary.  He  will  in  a  little  while  get  through  with 
the  printing  of  it  ;  but  it  will  not  be  published  before  spring.  As  usual, 
he  is  busy  correcting,  altering,  and  adding  to  it,  to  the  last,  and  cannot 
turn  his  mind  to  anything  else,  until  this  is  out  of  hand. 

Later  in  life,  after  fuller  opportunity  of  seeing  him, 
Mr.  Irving  wrote  to  Brevoort  of  Kean  as  follows  : — 


260  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

Kean  is  a  strange  compound  of  merits  and  defects.  His  excellence 
consists  in  sudden  and  brilliant  touches— in  vivid  exhibitions  of  passion 
and  emotion.  I  do  not  think  him  a  discriminating  actor,  or  critical 
either  at  understanding  or  delineating  character;  but  he  produces  effects 
which  no  other  actor  does.  He  has  completely  bothered  the  multitude  ; 
and  is  praised  without  being  understood.  I  have  seen  him  guilty  of  the 
grossest  and  coarsest  pieces  of  false  acting,  and  most  "tyrannically 
clapped  "  withal ;  whde  some  of  his  most  exquisite  touches  passed  un- 
noticed. 

Miss  O'Neil,  of  whom  lie  writes  with  such  enthusiasm 
in  the  letter  just  given,  afterwards  played  a  round  of  her 
most  effective  parts  at  Birmingham  ;  and  Mr.  Irving  was 
so  completely  carried  away  by  his  admiration  of  her 
acting,  that  when  offered  to  be  introduced  to  her  he  de- 
clined, unwilling  to  take  the  risk  of  a  possible  disen- 
chantment. She  had  lost  herself  so  completely  in  the 
characters  she  represented  that  he  feared  to  have  the 
illusion  broken.  "  Well,"  said  Scott,  when  he  afterwards 
told  him  of  his  reasons  for  this  avoidance,  "  that  was  very 
complimentary  to  her  as  an  actress,  but  I  am  not  so  sure 
that  it  was  as  a  woman." 


CHAPTEK  XX. 

ANXIOUS  DATS. — LETTER  TO  BREVOORT. — PETER'S  RETURN  TO  LIVERPOOL.— 
VAIN  ATTEMPTS  TO  REVIVE  THE  LITERARY  FEELING.— LETTER  OF  ALLSTON. 
— DEATH  OF  HIS  MOTHER.— LETTER  TO  ALLSTON.— OGILVIE'S  PREDICTION. 
— A  DAT  WITH  CAMPBELL. — DINNER  WITH  MURRAY. — D' ISRAELI. —LETTER 
TO   PETER    IRVING. 

HAVE  no  intention  for  the  present  of  visiting  the  continent. 
I  wish  to  see  business  on  a  regular  footing  before  I  travel  for 
pleasure.  I  should  otherwise  have  a  constant  load  of  anxiety 
on  my  mind. 

So  wrote  "Washington  to  his  brother  Ebenezer  at  the 
close  of  1815.  Yielding  to  a  roving  propensity,  "the 
offspring  of  idleness  of  mind  and  a  want  of  something  to 
fix  the  feelings,"  he  had  pulled  up  anchor  in  New  York 
seven  months  before  to  drift  about  Europe  in  search  of 
novelty  and  excitement,  ready,  as  he  expresses  it,  "  to 
spread  his  sails  wherever  any  vagrant  breeze  might  carry 
him,"  and  now,  for  weary  months,  he  is  detained  in  Liver- 
pool by  irksome  and  unexpected  employment,  and  we 
find  him  at  the  opening  of  another  year  renouncing  every 
project  he  had  in  view  when  he  embarked,  and  sighing 
for  the  easy,  unconcerned  days  and  tranquil  nights  he 

had  enjoyed  before  he  left. 

261 


262  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Peter  still  continued  an  invalid  at  Birmingham.  "Wash- 
ington,  therefore,  went  to  Liverpool  after  New  Tear  to 
put  business  in  train  for  the  next  month's  payments,  and 
then  start  for  London,  "  to  endeavor  to  make  some  finan- 
cial arrangements."  Expecting  little  from  remittances 
for  some  time  to  come,  he  wished  to  make  matters  easy 
ahead  as  much  as  possible.  "  I  would  not  again,"  he 
writes  from  Liverpool,  January  9th,  1816,  "experience 
the  anxious  days  and  sleepless  nights  which  have  been 
my  lot  since  I  have  taken  hold  of  business  to  possess  the 
wealth  of  Croesus."  The  next  evening  he  left  that  city 
for  Birmingham,  where  he  spent  a  few  hours  on  the  mor- 
row, and  then  proceeded  to  London,  in  which  city  he 
remained  two  months.  I  give  some  extracts  from  a  letter 
to  Brevoort,  dated  at  Birmingham,  March  15,  1816 ;  after 
his  return  from  that  city. 

My  dear  Brevoort  : — 

I  have  received  your  most  kind  letter  of  February  18th,  and  also  the 
magazines  and  newspapers,  forwarded  by  Mr.  Selden.  I  believe  I  am  also 
still  in  your  debt  for  your  letters  of  the  1st  January  ;  but,  indeed,  I  have 
been  so  completely  driven  out  of  my  usual  track  of  thought  and  feeling 
by  "stress  of  weather"  in  business,  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  pen  a 

single  line  on  any  subject  that  was  not  connected  with  traffic 

We  have,  in  common  with  most  American  houses  here,  had  a  hard  winter 
of  it  in  money  matters,  owing  to  the  cross  purposes  of  last  fall's  business, 
and  have  been  harassed  to  death  to  meet  our  engagements.  I  have  never 
passed  so  anxious  a  time  in  my  life ;  my  rest  has  been  broken,  and  my 
health  and  spirits  almost  prostrated;  but  thank  Heaven,  we  have  weath- 
ered the  storm,  and  got  into  smooth  water  ;  and  I  begin  to  feel  myself 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  2G3 

again.  Brom*  has  done  wonders,  and  proved  himself  an  able  financier  ; 
and,  though  a  small  man,  a  perfect  giant  in  business.  1  cannot  help 
mentioning  that  James  Renwick  has  behaved  in  the  most  gratifying  man- 
ner. At  a  time  when  we  were  exceedingly  straitened,  I  wrote  to  him  beg- 
ging to  know  if  he  could  in  any  way  assist  us  to  a  part  of  the  amount  we 
were  deficient.  He  immediately  opened  a  credit  for  us  to  the  full  amount, 
guaranteeing  the  payment  of  it,  and  asking  no  security  from  us  than  our 
bare  words.  But  the  manner  in  which  this  was  done,  heightened  the 
merit  of  it,  from  the  contrast  it  formed  to  the  extreme  distrust  and  ten- 
fold caution  that  universally  prevailed  throughout  the  commercial  world 
of  England,  in  the  present  distressed  times 

I  have  had  much  gratification  from  the  epistles  of  that  worthy  little 
tar,  Jack  Nicholson,  who,  I  find,  still  sighs  in  the  bottom  of  his  heart  for 

the  fair  ,  though  he  declares  that  his  hopes  do  not  aspire  to  such 

perfection.  Why  did  not  the  varlet  bring  home  the  head  of  Rais  ITam- 
mida,  and  lay  it  at  her  feet  ?  that  would  have  been  a  chivalric  exploit 
few  ladies  could  have  withstood ;  and  if  Paulding  had  only  dished  him  up 
in  full  length  (if  I  may  be  allowed  the  word),  in  a  wood-cut  in  the  "  Naval 
Chronicle,"  like  little  David  of  yore,  with  the  head  of  Goliah  in  his  fist, 
I  think  his  suit  would  have  been  irresistible. f 

.  .  .  .  I  wish  you  would  send  to  me  the  numbers  of  the  "An- 
alectic  Magazine  "  that  have  the  Traits  of  Indian  Character  and  the  story 
of  King  Philip;  likewise  a  copy  of  the  "History  of  New  York  ;"  send 
them  by  the  first  opportunity. 

He  was  probably  meditating  at  this  time  a  revised  edi- 
tion of  Knickerbocker,  with  illustrations  by  Allston  and 
Leslie,  whom  he  had  met  in  London. 

At  the  date  of  this  letter  Mr.  Irving  hoped  that  they 
had  now  got  through  their  difficulties,  and  that  future 

*  A  nickname  for  his  brother  Ebenezer. 

t  The  "American  Naval  Chronicle"  formed  a  department  of  the  Analeclic  Migazine, 
to  which  Paulding  was  contributing  the  biographies. 


2G4  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

business  would  not  merely  be  profitable,  but  easy  and 
pleasant ;  and  with  such  feelings  he  returned  to  Liver- 
pool, leaving  Peter  still  at  Birmingham,  not  yet  "  able  to 
trust  his  rheumatic  limbs  out  of  the  house."  He  was 
destined,  however,  to  find  "  everybody  dismal,"  from  the 
hard  times,  and  to  continue  to  lead  an  anxious  life. 
May  9th  he  writes  to  Brevoort : — 

I  was  in  hopes  of  hearing  from  you  by  the  Rosalie,  but  was  disap- 
pointed. A  letter  from  you  is  like  a  gleam  of  sunshine  through  the  dark- 
ness that  seems  to  lower  upon  my  mind.  I  am  here  alone,  attending  to 
business  ;  and  the  times  are  so  hard,  that  they  sicken  my  very  soul. 
Good  God  !  what  would  I  give  to  be  once  more  with  you,  and  all  this 
mortal  coil  shuffled  off  my  heart. 

About  this  time  Peter  returned  to  Liverpool  reestab- 
lished in  health,  and  his  presence  enabled  Washington 
once  more  to  repair  to  Birmingham.  But  he  had  been 
"  so  harassed  and  hag-ridden  by  the  cares  and  anxieties 
of  business,"  and  had  been  so  long  "  brooding  over  the 
hardships  of  the  disordered  times,"  that  it  was  in  vain 
that  he  attempted  to  divert  his  thoughts  into  other  chan- 
nels and  employ  himself  with  his  pen.  "  My  mind  is  in 
a  sickly  state,"  he  writes  July  16th,  "and  my  imagination 
so  blighted  that  it  cannot  put  forth  a  blossom  nor  even  a 
green  leaf.  Time  and  circumstances  must  restore  them 
to  their  proper  tone." 

The  sunny  spot  in  this  gloomy  year  was  a  little  excur- 
sion into  Derbyshire   which   he   concerted  with   Peter, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  265 

when  a  suspension  for  a  while  of  dismal  letters  from 
New  York  left  him  a  disposition  for  a  ramble  among  the 
scenes  described  by  "  old  Izaak  Walton."  This  excur- 
sion was  made  about  the  beginning  of  August.  The  rest 
of  the  year  was  spent  under  his  sister's  roof  at  Birming- 
ham, in  a  vain  attempt  to  revive  the  literary  feeling. 

On  the  23d  of  February  in  the  following  year  he  went 
back  to  Liverpool,  feeling  that  his  company  was  impor- 
tant to  keep  up  Peter's  spirits. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Irving  was  preparing  a  new  edi- 
tion of  his  "  History  of  New  York,"  for  which  Allston 
and  Leslie  were  making  designs.  In  a  letter  from  the 
former,  dated  London,  April  15,  he  remarks  : — 

I  have  made  a  design  for  your  Knickerbocker,  but  I  shall  say  nothing 
about  it,  as  I  hope  you  will  soon  be  here  to  see  it. 

He  then  speaks  of  having  "  added  four  new  incidents 
to  the  first  three  acts  of  the  play  "  he  was  intending  to 
offer  to  the  theatres,  and  adds  in  a  postscript :  "  I  have 
completed  a  sketch,  and  am  making  other  preparations 
for  a  large  picture  ;  but  more  of  this  when  I  see  you.  I 
promise  myself  much  advantage  as  well  as  pleasure  from 
your  society  the  ensuing  summer." 

This  expectation,  however,  was  put  to  flight  by  a  sud- 
den resolution  of  Mr.  Irving  to  return  home,  which  gives 
occasion  to  the  following  interesting  letter  from  Allston, 
in  which  he  unfolds  the  design  of  his  large  picture,  and 
of  his  sketch  for  Knickerbocker  : — 


2G6  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

London,  9th  May,  1817,         » 
8  Buckingham  Place,  Fitzroy  Sq.  ) 

Dear  Irving  : — 

Your  sudden  resolution  of  embarking  for  America  has  quite  thrown 
me,  to  use  a  sea- phrase,  all  a-back  ;  I  have  so  many  things  to  tell  you  of 
— to  consult  you  about,  etc.,  and  am  such  a  sad  correspondent,  that  be- 
fore I  can  bring  my  pen  to  do  its  office,  'tis  a  hundred  to  one  but  the 
occasions  for  which  your  advice  would  be  wished,  will  have  passed  and 
gone.  One  of  these  subjects  (and  the  most  important)  is  the  large  picture 
I  talked  of  soon  beginning  :  The  prophet  Daniel  interpreting  the  hand- 
writing on  the  wall  before  Bclshazzar.  I  have  made  a  highly  finished 
sketch  of  it,  and  I  wished  much  to  have  your  remarks  on  it.  But  as  your 
sudden  departure  will  deprive  me  of  this  advantage,  I  must  beg,  shouid 
any  hints  on  the  subject  occur  to  you  during  your  voyage,  that  you  will 
favo^  me  with  them,  at  the  same  time  you  let  me  know  that  you  are 
again  safe  in  our  good  country.  I  think  the  composition  the  best  I  ever 
made.  It  contains  a  multitude  of  figures,  and  (if  I  may  be  allowed  to 
say  it)  they  are  without  confusion.  Don't  you  think  it  a  fine  subject  ?  I 
know  not  any  that  so  happily  unites  the  magnificent  and  the  awful  :  a 
mighty  sovereign,  surrounded  by  his  whole  court,  intoxicated  with  his 
own  state — in  the  midst  of  his  revelings,  palsied  in  a  moment  under  the 
spell  of  a  preternatural  hand  suddenly  tracing  his  doom  on  the  wall  before 
him  ;  his  powerless  limbs,  Like  a  wounded  spider's  shrunk  up  to  his  body, 
while  his  heart,  compressed  to  a  point,  is  only  kept  from  vanishing  by 
the  terrific  suspense  that  animates  it  during  the  interpretation  of  his 
mysterious  sentence  :  his  less  guilty,  but  scarcely  less  agitated  queen,  the 
panic-struck  courtiers  and  concubines,  the  splendid  and  deserted  ban- 
quet table,  the  half-arrogant,  h'llf-astounded  magicians,  the  holy  vessels 
of  the  Temple  (shining,  as  it  were,  in  triumph  through  the  gloom),  and 
the  calm,  solemn  contrast  of  the  Prophet,  standing  like  an  animated  pillar 
in  the  midst,  breathing  forth  the  oracular  destruction  of  the  empire  ! 
The  picture  will  be  twelve  feet  high  by  seventeen  feet  long.  Should  I 
succeed  in  it  even  to  my  wishes  I  know  not  what  may  be  its  fate.  But  I 
leave  the  future  to  Providence.     Perhaps  I   may  send  it  to  America, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  267 

Agreeably  to  your  request  I  send,  by  the  coach,  the  design  for  Knicker- 
bocker. The  subject  is  Wouter  Van  Twiiler's  decision  in  the  case  ol 
Wandle  Schoonhoven  and  Barent  Bleecker.  I  think  the  astonished  con- 
stable the  best  figure.  Indeed,  that  relating  to  him  appeared  to  me  the 
driest  part  of  the  joke.  Let  me  know  how  you  like  it.  If  you  don't  like 
it — mind — I  sha'n't  be  offended.  Tis  a  sad  bore  to  be  obliged  to  laugh 
through  complaisance  ;  so  I  won't  take  it  amiss  even  though  you  should 
be  grave  upon  it.  By  the  bye,  I  should  like  to  know  whether  that  lawsuic 
satirizes  any  living  persons.  If  so.  I  should  be  sorry,  for  though  they 
may  cheerfully  join  in  the  laugh  themselves  at  a  ridiculous  description, 
they  would  not  so  well  bear  a  pictured  personal  caricature.  Do  let  me 
know,  and  I  will  make  a  design  for  another  part  of  the  book  that  shall 
hurt  nobody.  Now,  don't  laugh  at  me.  I  would  only  be  a  harmless 
creature.  I  send  at  the  same  time  a  design  by  Leslie.  The  subject  is  I  be 
Dutch  courtship.  It  is  really  a  very  beautiful  drawing.  If  you  mean  to 
have  them  engraved,  I  think  they  had  better  be  done  here.  They  could 
not  engrave  them  well  in  America.  Here  they  would  be  well  done,  and 
much  cheaper.  If  you  think  so  too,  and  will  leave  them  with  your 
brother  to  be  sent  to  me,  I  will  see  that  they  are  properly  done.  You  will 
probably  see  in  New  York  a  little  picture  of  "Rebecca  at  the  Well" 
which  I  painted  last  summer  for  my  friend  Van  Schaick.  My  friends 
here  thought  it  one  of  my  best  pictures.  I  hope  he  likes  it.  I  have  not 
heard.  I  shall  not  regret  that  I  have  written  so  much  about  myself  if  it 
induce  you,  in  return,  to  favor  me  with  some  of  your  plans  and  projects. 
Wishing  you  a  prosperous  voyage,  and  happy  meeting  with  your 
friends,  I  remain  truly  your  friend, 

Washington  Allston. 

Campbell,  also,  under  the  impression  that  he  was 
about  returning  to  America,  had  sent  him  the  printed 
sheets  of  the  greater  part  of  the  first  two  volumes  of  his 
new  work,  wishing  him  to  try  if  something  could  not  be 
procured  for  it. 


268  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

In  the  conclusion  of  his  letter,  dated  May  26th,  he  re- 
marks : — 

I  congratulate  you  on  the  happiness  of  returning  to  your  native  land. 
Alas  !  you  leave  us  in  sad  times.  I  have  been  just  telling  Ogilvie  that  if 
things  get  worse  here  I  shall  expect  to  finish  my  days  teaching  Greek  in 
America.  I  fear  our  political  horizon  is  brewing  a  storm  that  will  not 
soon  be  allayed.  I  see  no  termination  of  our  difficulties.  God  knows  I 
love  my  country,  and  my  heart  would  bleed  to  leave  it,  but  if  there  be  a 
consummation  such  as  may  be  feared  I  look  to  taking  up  my  abode  in  the 
only  other  land  of  Liberty,  and  you  may  behold  me  perhaps  flogging 
your  little  Spartans  of  Kentucky  into  a  true  sense  and  feeling  of  the 
beauties  of  Homer. 

Mr.  Irving  sent  the  sheets  to  his  friend  Brevoort,  with 
an  earnest  request  that  he  would  do  what  he  could  to 
promote  the  poet's  interest,  and  in  the  conclusion  of  his 
letter  gives  this  explanation  of  his  change  of  purpose  : — 

I  received  some  time  since  your  kind  letter  urging  my  return.  I  had 
even  come  to  the  resolution  to  do  so  immediately,  but  the  news  of  my 
dear  mother's  death  put  an  end  to  one  strong  inducement  that  was  con- 
tinually tugging  at  my  heart,  and  other  reasons  have  compelled  me  to 
relinquish  the  idea  for  the  present. 

What  the  "  other  reasons  "  were,  does  not  appear. 

The  death  of  his  mother,  which  was  the  main  cause  of 
his  postponement,  took  place  on  the  9th  of  April.  When 
he  parted  from  her  in  New  York  he  had  expected  to  re- 
turn after  a  short  absence  and  settle  down  beside  her  for 
the  rest  of  her  life.  She  was  near  seventy-nine  when  she 
died. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  269 

I  now  follow  with  the  reply  to  Allston's  letter. 

[  To  Wash ington  A llstoji.  ] 

Birmingham,  May  21,  1817. 

My  dear  Allston  : — 

Your  letter  of  the  9th  instant,  and  likewise  the  parcel  containing  the 
pictures,  came  safely  to  hand,  and  should  have  been  acknowledged  sooner, 
but  I  hare  been  much  discomposed  since  last  I  wrote  to  you,  by  intclli- 
gence  of  the  death  of  my  mother.  Her  extreme  age  made  such  an  event 
constantly  probable,  but  I  had  hoped  to  have  seen  her  once  more  before 
she  died,  and  was  anxious  to  return  home  soon  on  that  account.  That 
hope  is  now  at  an  end,  and  with  it  my  immediate  wish  to  return  ;  so  that 
I  think  it  probable  I  shall  linger  some  time  longer  in  Europe. 

I  have  been  very  much  struck  with  your  conception  of  the  warning  of 
Belshazzar.  It  is  grand  and  poetical,  affording  scope  for  all  the  beauties 
and  glories  of  the  pencil  ;  and  if  it  is  but  executed  in  the  spirit  in  which 
it  is  conceived,  I  am  confident  will  insure  you  both  profit  and  renown. 

As  to  its  future  fate,  however,  never  let  that  occupy  your  mind,  unless 
it  be  to  stimulate  you  to  exertion.  As  to  sending  it  to  America,  I  would 
only  observe  that,  unless  I  got  very  advantageous  offers  for  my  paintings, 
I  would  rather  do  so — as  it  is  infinitely  preferable  to  stand  foremost  as 
one  of  the  founders  of  a  school  of  painting  in  an  immense  and  growing 
country  like  America — in  fact,  to  be  an  object  of  national  pride  and  af- 
fection, than  to  fall  into  the  ranks  in  the  crowded  galleries  of  Europe,  or 
perhaps  be  regarded  with  an  eye  of  national  prejudice,  as  the  production 
of  an  American  pencil  is  likely  to  be  in  England.  I  will  not  pretend  at 
this  moment  to  discuss  the  merits  of  your  design  for  the  proposed  paint- 
ing ;  I  do  not  feel  in  the  vein  ;  but  if,  at  a  more  cheerful  moment,  any 
idea  suggests  itself  that  I  may  think  worth  communicating,  1  will  write 
to  you. 

I  cannot  express  to  you  how  much  I  have  been  pleased  with  the  two 
designs  for  Knickerbocker.  The  characters  are  admirably  discriminated, 
ihe  Lumor  rich  but  chaste,  and  the  expression  peculiarly  natural  and 


270  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

appropriate.  I  scarcly  know  which  figure  in  your  picture  to  prefer  ;  the 
constable  is  evidently  drawn  con  amore,  and  derives  additional  spirit  from 
r !  anding  in  high  relief  opposed  to  the  ineffable  phlegm  of  old  Wouter.  Still, 
however,  the  leering  exultation  of  the  fortunate  party  is  given  to  the  very 
life,  and  is  evident  from  top  to  toe — the  bend  of  the  knee,  the  play  of  the 
elbows,  the  swaying  of  the  body,  are  all  eloquent  ;  and  are  finely  con- 
trasted with  the  attitude  and  look  of  little  Schoonhoven.  By  the  way,  I 
must  say  the  last  figure  has  tickled  me  as  much  as  any  in  the  picture. 
But  each  has  its  peculiar  merits,  and  is  the  best  in  its  turn.  The  sketch 
by  Leslie  is  beautiful.  The  Dutch  girl  is  managed  with  great  sweetness 
and  naivete.  The  expression  of  her  chin  and  mouth  shows  that  she  is 
not  likely  to  break  her  lover's  heart.  The  devoted  leer  of  the  lover's  eye 
and  the  phlegmatic  character  of  the  lower  part  of  his  countenance,  form 
a  whimsical  combination.  The  very  cat  is  an  important  figure  in  the 
group,  and  touched  off  with  proper  expression  ;  a  delicate  humor  pervades 
the  whole  ;  the  composition  is  graceful,  and  there  is  a  rural  air  about  it 
that  is  peculiarly  pleasing. 

I  dwell  on  these  little  sketches  because  they  give  me  quite  a  new  train 
of  ideas  in  respect  to  my  work;  and  I  only  wish  I  had  it  now  to  write,  as 
I  am  sure  I  should  conceive  the  scenes  in  a  much  purer  style,  having 
these  pictures  before  me  as  correctives  of  the  grossierte  into  which  the 
writer  of  a  work  of  humor  is  apt  to  run.  At  any  rate,  it  is  an  exquisite 
gratification  to  find  that  anything  I  have  written  can  present  such  pleas- 
ing images  to  imaginations  like  yours  and  Leslie's  ;  and  I  shall  regard  the 
work  with  more  complacency,  as  having  in  a  measure  formed  a  link  of 
association  between  our  minds. 

The  lawsuit  was  an  entirely  imaginary  incident,  without  any  personal 
allusion,  though  by  a  whimsical  coincidence  there  was  a  Barent  Bleccker 
at  Albany  who  had  been  comptroller  ;  and  his  family  at  first  suspected 
an  intention  to  asperse  his  official  character.  The  suspicion,  however, 
was  but  transient,  and  is  forgotten  ;  so  that  the  picture  will  awaken  no 
hostility. 

I  had  no  idea,  when  I  began  this  letter,  that  I  should  have  filled  the 
sheet ;  but  words  beget  words  ;  I  shall  write  to  you  again  before  long, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  271 

and  will  then  endeavor  to  direct  my  attention  to  topics  more  immediately 
interesting  to  you.  In  the  meanwhile  give  my  most  friendly  remem- 
brances to  Leslie,  and  believe  me  truly  yours, 

Washington  Irving. 

Some  time  in  June,  William  C.  Preston,  then  a  young 
man  of  twenty-three,  afterwards  a  distinguished  Senator 
of  the  United  States,  arrived  in  Liverpool,  where  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  author,  with  whom  and  his 
brother  Peter  he  arranged  a  pedestrian  excursion  into 
Wales.  I  find  among  Mr.  Irving's  papers  some  rough 
notes  of  this  excursion,  made  in  the  latter  part  of  June. 

They  were  afterwards  together,  as  will  be  seen,  in 
Scotland. 

July  11th  he  writes  to  Brevoort,  who  kept  urging  his 
return  : — 

I  have  no  intention  of  returning  home  for  a  year  at  least.  I  am  wait- 
ing to  extricate  myself  from  the  ruins  of  our  unfortunate  concern,  after 
which  I  shall  turn  my  back  upon  this  scene  of  care  and  distress,  and  shall 
pass  a  considerable  part  of  my  time  in  London.  I  have  a  plan,  which, 
with  very  little  trouble,  will  yield  me  for  the  present  a  scanty  but  suffi- 
cient means  of  support,  and  leave  me  leisure  to  look  around  for  something 
better.  I  cannot  at  present  explain  to  you  what  it  is.  You  would  prob- 
ably consider  it  precarious,  and  inadequate  to  my  subsistence,  but  a 
small  matter  will  float  a  drowning  man. 

The  plan  here  hinted  at  was  to  make  some  arrange- 
ments with  booksellers  for  the  republication  in  America 
of  choice  English  works,  and  to  throw  them  into  the 
hands  of  Moses  Thomas,  the  Philadelphia  publisher,  at  a 


272  LIFE  AXD  LETTERS 

stipulated  compensation.  It  was  a  plan  -which  could  give 
him  present  subsistence,  and  enable  him,  in  the  mean- 
while, to  employ  his  pen,  to  which  his  thoughts  now 
began  to  turn,  though  he  kept  it  a  secret  even  from 
Brevoort. 

At  this  period  of  gloom  and  disaster  he  received  from 
one  whose  name  will  recur  hereafter  the  following  ani- 
mating and  almost  prophetic  epistle.  The  writer  had 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Irving  in  the  United 
States,  which  he  visited  about  the  time  of  the  completion 
of  "  Salmagundi,"  as  a  lecturer  on  eloquence  and  criti- 
cism, introducing  a  style  of  reading  and  speaking,  traces 
of  which,  I  have  been  told,  remain  to  this  day.  He  was 
the  son  of  Dr.  Ogilvie,  the  Scottish  poet. 

London,  July  22d,  1817. 

The  intelligence,  my  dear  Irving,  of  the  misfortune  you  have  sustained, 
has  reached  me,  and  as  it  may  affect  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  per- 
sons near  and  most  dear  to  you,  all  my  sympathy  with  your  feelings  was 
awakened. 

So  far,  however,  as  you  are  individually  concerned,  I  should  deem  the 
language  of  condolence  a  sort  of  mockery. 

I  am  perfectly  confident  that  even  in  two  years  you  will  look  back  on 
this  seeming  disaster  as  the  most  fortunate  incident  that  has  befallen 
you. 

Yet  in  the  flower  of  youth,  in  possession  o;  higher  literary  reputation 
than  any  of  your  countrymen  have  hitherto  claimed,  esteemed  and  be- 
loved by  all  to  whom  you  are  intimately  or  even  casually  known,  you 
want  nothing  but  a  stimulus  strong  enough  to  overcome  that  indolence 
which,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  besets  every  human  being.  This  seem- 
ingly unfortunate  incident  will  supply  this  stimulus — you  will  return  with 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING. 


273 


renovated  ardor  to  the  arena  you  have  for  a  season  abandoned,  and  in 
twelve  months  win  trophies,  for  which,  but  for  this  incident,  you  would 
not  even  have  contended. 

At  this  moment,  in  your  secret  soul,  you  feel  aspirations  and  Teachings, 
which  presage  and  guarantee  the  completion  of  all  and  more  than  all  to 

which  I  look  forward 

Believe  me  to  be, 

Yours  most  affectionately, 

James  Oc.ilvte. 

Soon  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Irving  left 
Liverpool  for  London,  where  he  arrived  about  the  first 
of  August,  and  spent  three  weeks  during  the  summer 
heats.  It  was  in  this  interval,  as  his  memoranda  show, 
that  he  made  that  ramble  of  observation,  depicted  in  the 
"  Sketch  Book,"  in  which  he  was  so  sorely  buffeted 
against  the  current  of  population  setting  through  Fleet 
Street,  and,  in  a  movement  of  desperation,  tore  his  way 
through  the  throng  and  plunged  into  a  little  narrow  by- 
way, which  led  him  through  several  nooks  and  angles, 
until  he  found  himself  in  a  court  of  the  Temple.  Of  this 
period  we  have  some  further  particulars  of  interest  in 
the  following  passages  of  a  letter  to  Brevoort,  dated 
August  28 : — 

I  was  in  London  for  about  three  weeks,  when  the  town  was  quite  de- 
serted. I  found,  however,  sufficient  objects  of  curiosity  and  interest  to 
keep  me  in  a  worry  ;  and  amused  myself  by  exploring  various  parts  of 
the  city,  which  in  the  dirt  and  gloom  of  winter  would  be  almost  inacces- 
sible. 

I  passed  a  day  with  Campbell  at  Sydenham.  He  is  still  simmering 
vol.  I. — 18 


274:  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

over  his  biographical  and  critical  labors,  and  has  promised  to  forward 
more  letterpress  to  you.  lie  says  he  will  bring  it  out  the  coming  autumn. 
He  has  now  been  teasing  his  brain  with  this  cursed  work  about  seven 
years — a  most  lamentable  waste  of  time  and  poetic  talent. 

Campbell  seems  to  have  an  inclination  to  pay  America  a  visit,  having 
a  great  desire  to  see  the  country,  and  to  visit  his  brother,  whom  he  has 
not  seen  for  many  years.  The  expense,  however,  is  a  complete  obstacle. 
I  think  he  might  easily  be  induced  to  cross  the  seas  ;  and  his  visit  made 
a  very  advantageous  one  to  our  country.  He  has  twelve  lectures  written 
out  on  poetry  and  belles-lettres,  which  he  has  delivered  with  great  ap- 
plause to  the  most  brilliant  London  audiences.  I  believe  you  have  heard 
one  or  two  of  them.  They  are  highly  spoken  of  by  the  best  judges. 
Now  could  not  subscription  lists  be  set  on  foot  in  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia, among  the  first  classes  of  people,  for  a  course  of  lectures  in  each 
city ;  and  when  a  sufficient  number  of  names  is  procured  to  make  it  an 
object,  the  lists  sent  to  Campbell  with  an  invitation  to  come  over  and 
deliver  the  lectures  ?  It  would  be  highly  complimentary  to  him — would 
at  once  remove  all  pecuniary  difficulties  ;  and,  if  he  accepted  the  invita- 
tion, his  lectures  would  have  a  great  effect  in  giving  an  impulse  to  Amer- 
ican literature,  and  a  proper  direction  to  the  public  taste.  Say  the  sub- 
scription was  ten  dollars  for  the  course  of  lectures.  I  should  think  it  an 
easy  matter  to  fill  up  a  large  list  at  that  rate  ;  for  how  many  are  there  in 
New  York,  who  would  give  that  sum  to  hear  a  course  of  lectures  on  belles- 
lettres  from  one  of  the  first  poets  of  Great  Britain  !  I  sounded  Campbell 
on  the  subject,  and  have  no  doubt  that  he  would  accept  such  an  invitation, 
Speak  to  Ren  wick  on  the  subject,  and  if  you  will  take  it  in  hand  I  am  sure 
it  will  succeed.  Charles  King  would,  no  doubt,  promote  a  thing  of  the 
kind  ;  and  Dr.  Hosack  would  be  delighted  to  give  his  assistance,  and 

would  be  a  most  efficient  aid I  saw  two  or  three  of  the  Lions 

of  the  "  Quarterly  Review"  in  Murray's  Den  ;  but  almost  all  of  the  liter- 
ary people  are  out  of  town  ;  and  those  that  have  not  the  means  of  travel- 
ling lurk  in  their  garrets,  and  affect  to  be  in  the  country  ;  for  you  know 
these  poor  devils  have  a  great  desire  to  be  thought  fashionable. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  275 

The  proposition  here  suggested  in  Campbell's  behalf 
was  taken  up  in  America,  but  afterwards  discouraged  by 
himself ;  he  pleading  that  he  was  too  old. 

The  following  letter  gives  an  account  of  a  dinner  at 
Murray's,  and  has  allusion  to  his  project  of  procuring 
works  for  republication  in  America,  with  glimpses  of 
Scott,  Campbell,  and  D'Israeli,  the  author  of  the  "  Curi- 
osities of  Literature"  and  other  works  which  had  a 
great  currency  in  the  United  States.  "King  Stephen"  is 
Stephen  Price,  the  manager  of  the  Park  Theatre  in  New 
York,  and  the  "  Dusky  Davy "  is  Longworth,  the  pub- 
lisher of  "  Salmagundi,"  and  who  at  this  time  aspired  to 
a  monopoly  in  the  publication  of  plays.  "  Mishter  Mil- 
ler "  is  the  London  bookseller  who  preceded  Murray  in 
the  publication  of  the  "  Sketch  Book." 

[To  Peter  Irving,  Esq.] 

London,  August  19,  1817. 
Mr  dear  Brother  : — 

I  have  yours  of  the  17th.  I  received  likewise  the  parcel,  which  con- 
tained a  letter  from  Brevoort,  and  one  from  Mrs.  Bradish.  I  inclose  Bre- 
voort's  to  you. 

I  had  a  very  pleasant  dinner  at  Murray's.  I  met  there  with  D'Israeli, 
and  an  artist,  just  returned  from  Italy  with  an  immense  number  of 
beautiful  sketches  of  Italian  scenery  and  architecture. 

D'Israeli's  wife  and  daughter  came  in,  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  and 
we  did  not  adjourn  until  twelve  o'clock.  I  had  a  long  tete-a-tete  with 
old  D'Israeli  in  a  corner.  He  is  a  very  pleasant,  cheerful  old  fellow  ;  cu- 
rious about  America,  and  evidently  tickled  at  the  circulation  his  works 
have  had  there  ;  though,  like  most  authors  just  now,  he  groans  at  not 


276  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

being  able  to  participate  in  the  profits.  Murray  was  very  merry  and 
loquacious.  He  showed  me  a  long  letter  from  Lord  Byron,  who  is  in 
Italy.  It  is  written  with  some  flippancy,  and  is  an  odd  jumble.  His 
lordship  has  written  104  stanzas  of  the  4th  canto.  He  says  it  will  be  less 
metaphysical  than  the  last  canto,  but  thinks  it  will  be  at  least  equal  to 
either  of  the  preceding.  Murray  left  town  yesterday  for  some  watering- 
place,  so  that  I  had  no  further  talk  with  him ;  but  am  to  keep  my  eye  on 
his  advertisements,  and  write  to  him  when  anything  offers  that  I  may 
think  worth  republishing  in  America.  I  shall  find  him  a  most  valuable 
acquaintance  on  my  return  to  London. 

I  called  at  Longman  &  Co.'s,  according  to  appointment,  and  saw  Mr. 
Orme.  They  are  not  disposed,  however,  to  make  any  arrangement.  They 
have  been  repeatedly  disappointed  in  experiments  of  the  kind,  and  are 
determined  not  to  trouble  their  thoughts  any  more  on  the  subject.  They 
had  just  received  letters  from  America  on  the  subject  of  Moore's  poem, 
"Lalla  Rookh,"  which  they  had  sent  out  either  in  MSS.  or  sheets  ;  but 
there  were  two  or  three  rival  editions  in  the  market,  which  would  prevent 
any  profits  of  consequence. 

They  intimated  that  they  would  be  willing  to  give  an  advantage  in  re- 
spect to  the  republication  of  new  works,  for  any  moderate  price  in  cash  ; 
but  they  would  not  perplex  and  worry  themselves  with  any  further  ar- 
rangements, which  were  only  troublesome  and  profitless.  They  inti- 
mated, for  instance,  a  disposition  to  sell  an  early  copy  of  "  Rob  Roy  "  for 
a  small  sum  in  hand.  But  as  I  knew  they  had  not  yet  received  the 
MSS.  of  that  work,  I  did  not  make  any  offer.  It  will  be  time  enough 
by  and  by.  I  find  it  is  pretty  generally  believed  that  Scott  is  the  author  of 
those  novels,  and  Verplanck  *  tells  me  he  is  now  travelling  about,  col- 
lecting materials  for  "  Rob  Roy."  I  see  that  there  will  be  a  great  advan- 
tage in  being  here  on  the  spot  during  the  literary  seasons,  with  funds  to 
make  purchases  from  either  authors  or  booksellers.  They  consider  the 
chance  of  participation  in  American  republication  so  very  slender  and 

*  Gulian  C.  Verplanck.  who  was  then  travelling  in  Europe. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IE  VINO.  077 

contingent,  that  they  will  accept  any  sum  in  hand,  as  so  much  money 
found.  I  have  written  to  Thomas,  advising  him  to  remit  funds  to  me  for 
the  purpose  ;  if  he  does  so,  I  will  be  able  to  throw  many  choice  works 
into  his  hands. 

Mishter  Miller  is  full  of  the  project  of  going  out  to  New  York,  to  set 
up  an  establishment  there.  He  thinks  he  will  have  an  advantage  in  pub- 
lishing plays,  from  his  interest  with  the  theatres  here,  which  will  enable 
him  to  get  MS.  copies,  and  the  countenance  of  King  Stephen,  which  has 
been  promised  him.  He  talks  of  embarking  in  September  or  October, 
should  he  be  able  to  make  his  arrangements  in  time.  He  must  beware 
the  "Dusky  Davy." 

In  some  notes  of  this  dinner  at  Murray's,  which  came 
off  August  16th,  I  find  this  record  :  "  Lord  Byron  told 
Murray  that  he  was  much  happier  after  breaking  with 
Lady  Byron — he  hated  this  still  quiet  life." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


LETTERS  TO  PETER. — VISIT  TO  EDINBURGH. — JEFFRET. — WILLIAM  C.  PRES- 
TON.— LADT  DAVT. — VISIT  TO  ABBOTSFORD. — ANECDOTES  OF  SCOTT  AND 
HIS  FAMILY.  — EXCURSION  TO  THE  HIGHLANDS  WITH  PRESTON. —  CON- 
STABLE.— SCOTT'S  IMPRESSION  OF  IRVING. — LETTER  TO  BREVOORT  ON  HIS 
APPROACHING   MARRIAGE. — CAMPBELL. 


tiWlrW^ 


HE  following  letter  from  Mr.  Irving  is  dated 
?K£§jiy  Edinburgh,  August  26th,  1817  ;  to  which  place 
^■4^f:]  he  had  gone,  as  well  for  pleasure  as  with  some 
views  to  future  plans.  After  giving  to  his  brother  Peter, 
to  whom  it  is  addressed,  some  account  of  his  fellow-pas- 
sengers on  board  the  smack  Livdy  for  Berwick,  in  which 
he  had  embarked,  he  proceeds  : — 


The  first  two  days  of  our  voyage  were  unfavorable ;  we  had  rain  and 
head  wind,  and  had  to  anchor  whenever  the  tide  turned.  But  Saturday, 
though  calm,  was  beautiful,  with  a  bright  sunny  afternoon  and  a  bright 
moon  at  night.  On  Sunday  we  had  a  glorious  breeze,  and  dashed  bravely 
through  the  water.  I  have  always  fine  health  and  fine  spirits  at  sea, 
and  enjoyed  the  latter  part  of  this  little  voyage  excessively.  On  Mon- 
day morning  we  came  in  sight  of  the  coast  of  Northumberland,  which  at 
first  was  wrapped  in  mist ;  but  as  it  cleared  away,  we  saw  Dunstanbor- 
ough  Castle  at  a  distance ;  and  sometime  after,  we  passed  in  full  view  of 
Bamborough  Castle,  which  stands  in  bleak  and  savage  grandeur  on  the 

278 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  270 

sea-coast.     You  may  recollect  these  places,  mentioned  in  the  course  of 
the  Abbess  of  Hilda's  voyage  in  "  Marmion  "  : — 


"  And  next  they  crossed  themselves  to  hear 
The  whitening  breakers  sound  so  near, 
Where  boiling  through  the  rocks  they  roar 
On  Dunstanborough's  caverned  shore. 
Thy  tower,  proud  Bamborough,  marked  they  there ; 
King  Ida's  castle,  huge  and  square, 
From  its  tall  rock  look  grimly  down 
And  on  the  swelling  ocean  frown." 

We  next  skirted  the  Holy  Isle,  which  was  the  scene  of  Constance  de 
Beverly's  trial;  and  where  the  remains  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Cuthbert 
are  still  visible;  though  apparently  converted  into  some  humbler  pur- 
poses, as  a  residence  of  people  that  attend  the  beacons.  To  make  a  long 
story  short,  however,  about  twelve  o'clock  I  landed  at  Berwick.  I  had 
intended  proceeding  from  thence  to  Kelso,  and  so  to  Melrose,  etc. ;  but  I 
found  there  would  be  no  coach  in  that  direction  until  Wednesday;  so 
I  determined  to  come  to  Edinburgh  direct,  and  visit  Melrose  from 
thence.  After  walking  about  Berwick,  therefore,  and  surveying  its  old 
bridge,  walls,  etc.,  I  mounted  a  coach  and  rattled  off  through  the  rich 
scenes  of  Lothian  to  this  place,  where  I  arrived  late  last  night. 

I  got  the  parcel  from  you  this  morning  ;  but  neither  Mrs.  Fletcher  nor 
Mr.  Erskine  are  in  town.  I  left  a  card  for  Jeffrey,  whose  family  is  three 
miles  out  of  town.  His  brother  called  on  me  about  an  hour  afterwards, 
but  I  was  not  at  home.  Edinburgh  is  perfectly  deserted,  so  that  I  shall 
merely  have  to  look  at  the  buildings,  streets,  etc.,  and  then  be  off.  I  am 
enchanted  with  the  general  appearance  of  the  place.  It  far  surpasses  all 
my  expectations  ;  and,  except  Naples,  is,  I  think,  the  most  picturesque 
place  I  have  ever  seen. 

I  dined  to-day  with  Mr.  Jeffrey,  Mrs.  Renwick's  brother.  He  informs 
me  that  Mrs.  Fletcher  is  in  Selkirkshire,  but  that  the  family  is  rather 
secluded,  having  lost  one  of  the  young  ladies  about  three  months  since  by 


280  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

a  typhus  fever.  1  did  not  learn  which  it  was.  Mrs.  Grant  is  likewise  in 
the  Highlands. 

Walter  Scott  is  at  Abbotsford;  busy,  it  is  supposed,  about  "  Rob  Roy," 
having  lately  been  travelling  for  scenery,  etc.  They  told  me  at  Con- 
stable's that  it  will  be  out  in  October,  though  others  say  not  untd  to- 
wards Christmas.  As  it  will  probably  be  some  days  before  Preston 
reaches  here,  I  do  not  know  but  I  shall  make  an  excursion  to  Melrose,  and 
make  an  attempt  on  Walter  Scott's  quarters,  so  as  to  be  back  in  time  to 
accompany  Preston  to  the  Highlands.  I  have  a  very  particular  letter 
to  Scott  from  Campbell 

August  27th. — A  gloomy  morning,  with  a  steady  pitiless  rain.  What 
a  contrast  to  the  splendor  of  yesterday,  which  was  a  warm  day,  with  now 
and  then  a  very  light  shower,  and  an  atmosphere  loaded  with  rich  clouds 
through  which  the  sunshine  fell  in  broad  masses  ;  giving  an  endless 
diversity  of  light  and  shadow  to  the  grand  romantic  features  of  this 
town.  It  seemed  as  if  the  rock  and  castle  assumed  a  new  aspect  every 
time  I  looked  at  them;  and  Arthur's  Seat  was  perfect  witchcraft.  I 
don't  wonder  that  any  one  residing  in  Edinburgh  should  write  poetically ; 
I  rambled  about  the  bridges  and  on  Calton  height  yesterday,  in  a  perfect 
intoxication  of  the  mind.  I  did  not  visit  a  single  public  building;  but 
merely  gazed  and  reveled  on  the  romantic  scenery  around  me.  The  en- 
joyment of  yesterday  alone  would  be  a  sufficient  compensation  for  the 
whole  journey. 

There  is  nobody  in  Edinburgh,  and  I  shall  merely  remain  here  as 
headquarters  from  whence  to  make  two  or  three  excursions  about  the 
neighborhood.  I  thii  k  it  probable  I  shall  leave  this  by  the  4th  of  next 
month. 

Your  affectionate  Brother, 

W.  I. 

Half-past  one. — Jeffrey  has  just  called  on  me.  I  am  to  dine  with  him 
to-day  en  famille,  and  also  to-morrow,  when  I  shall  meet  Dugald  Stewart 
and  Madame  La  Voissier,  whilom  the  Countess  De  Rumford.     Jeffrey 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  osj_ 

tells  me  I  am  lucky  in  meeting  with  Dugald  Stewart,  as  he  does  not  come 
to  Edinburgh  above  once  in  a  month. 

P.  S. — As  I  was  too  late  for  the  mail  yesterday,  I  have  reopened  this 
letter,  merely  to  add  a  word  or  two  more. 

I  walked  out  to  Jeffrey's  castle  yesterday  with  his  brother,  John  Jef- 
frey, and  had  a  very  pleasant  dinner.  I  found  Jeffrey  extremely  friendly 
and  agreeable  ;  indeed,  I  could  not  have  wished  a  more  cordial  reception 
and  treatment.  He  has  taken  an  ancient  castellated  mansion  on  a  lease 
of  thirty-two  years,  and  has  made  alterations  and  additions,  so  that  it  is 
quite  comfortable,  and  even  elegant  within,  and  is  highly  picturesque 
without.  Jeffrey  inquired  particularly  after  you.  He  offered  me  a  letter 
to  Scott ;  but  as  Campbell's  is  very  particular,  I  thought  it  would  be  suffi- 
cient. He  is  to  mark  out  a  route  for  me  in  the  Highlands.  I  expect  to 
be  much  gratified  by  my  dinner  there  to-day.  I  find  in  addition  to  the 
persons  already  mentioned,  we  are  to  have  Sir  Humphry  Davy's  lady, 
who  was  formerly  Miss  Apreece,  and  a  belle  esprit 

The  weather  is  still  sulky  and  threatening.  If  it  is  fine  to-morrow,  I 
shall  probably  be  off  for  Melrose. 

[To  Peter  Irving. J 

Abbotsford,  September  1,  1817. 

Mv  dear  Brother  : — 

I  have  barely  time  to  scrawl  a  line  before  the  gossoon  goes  off  with  the 
letters  to  the  neighboring  post-office. 

I  was  disappointed  in  my  expectation  of  meeting  with  Dugald  Stewart  at 
Mr.  Jeffrey's  ;  some  circumstance  prevented  his  coming  ;  though  we  had 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Stewart.  The  party,  however,  was  very  agreeable  and  in- 
teresting. Lady  Davy  was  in  excellent  spirits,  and  talked  like  an  angel. 
In  the  evening,  when  we  collected  in  the  drawing-room,  she  held  forth 
for  upwards  of  an  hour  ;  the  company  drew  round  her  and  seemed  to 
listen  in  mute  pleasure  ;  even  Jeffrey  seemed  to  keep  his  colloquial  pow- 
ers in  check  to  give  her  full  chance.  She  reminded  me  of  the  picture  of 
the  Minister  Bird  with  all  the  birds  of  the  forest  perched  on  the  surround- 


282  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ing  brandies  in  listening  attitudes.  I  met  there  with  Lord  Webb  Sey- 
mour, brother  to  the  Duke  of  Somerset.  He  is  almost  a  constant  resident 
of  Edinburgh.  He  was  very  attentive  to  me  ;  wrote  down  a  route  for  me 
in  I  lie  Highlands,  and  called  on  me  the  next  morning,  when  he  detailed 
the  route  more  particularly.  I  have  promised  to  see  him  when  I  return 
to  Edinburgh,  which  promise  I  shall  keep,  as  I  like  him  much. 

On  Friday,  in  spite  of  niJlen,  gloomy  weather,  I  mounted  the  top  of  the 
mail  coach,  and  rattled  off  to  Selkirk.  It  rained  heavily  in  the  course  of 
the  afternoon,  and  drove  me  inside.  On  Saturday  morning  early  I  took 
chaise  for  Melrose  ;  and  on  the  way  stopped  at  the  gate  of  Abbotsford, 
and  sent  in  my  letter  of  introduction,  with  a  request  to  know  whether  it 
would  be  agreeable  for  Mr.  Scott  to  receive  a  visit  from  me  in  the  course 
of  the  day.  The  glorious  old  minstrel  himself  came  limping  to  the  gate, 
took  me  by  the  hand  in  a  way  that  made  me  feel  as  if  we  were  old  friends ; 
in  a  moment  I  was  seated  at  his  hospitable  board  among  his  charming 
little  family,  and  here  have  I  been  ever  since.  I  had  intended  certainly 
being  back  to  Edinburgh  to-day  (Monday),  but  Mr.  Scott  wishes  me  to 
stay  until  Wednesday,  that  we  may  make  excursions  to  Dryburgh  Abbey, 
Yarrow,  etc.,  as  the  weather  has  held  up  and  the  sun  begins  to  shine.  I 
cannot  tell  you  how  truly  I  have  enjoyed  the  hours  I  have  passed  here. 
They  fly  by  too  quick,  yet  each  is  loaded  with  story,  incident,  or  song  ; 
and  when  I  consider  the  world  of  ideas,  images,  and  impressions  that 
have  been  crowded  upon  my  mind  since  I  have  been  here,  it  seems  incred- 
ible that  I  should  only  have  been  two  days  at  Abbotsford.  I  have  ram- 
bled ,  about  the  hills  with  Scott  ;  visited  the  haunts  of  Thomas  the 
Rhymer,  and  other  spots  rendered  classic  by  border  tale  and  witching 
song,  and  have  been  in  a  kind  of  dream  or  delirium. 

As  to  Scott,  I  cannot  express  my  delight  at  his  character  and  manners. 
He  is  a  sterling  golden-hearted  old  worthy,  full  of  the  joyousness  of 
youth,  with  an  imagination  continually  furnishing  forth  pictures,  and  a 
charming  simplicity  of  manner  that  puts  you  at  ease  with  him  in  a  mo- 
ment. It  has  been  a  constant  source  of  pleasure  to  me  to  remark  his 
deportment  towards  his  family,  his  neighbors,  his  domestics,  his  vciy 
dogs  and  cats;  everything  that  comes  within  his  influence  seems  to  catch 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  •>:; 

a  beam  of  that  sunshine  that  plays  round  his  heart  ;  but  1  shall  say  moro 
of  him  hereafter,  for  he  is  a  theme  on  which  I  shall  love  to  dwell. 

Before  I  left  Edinburgh  I  saw  Blackwood  in  his  shop.  Ii  was  acci- 
dental— my  conversing  with  him.  He  found  out  who  I  was  ;  is  extremely 
anxious  to  make  an  American  arrangement ;  wishes  to  get  me  to  write 
for  his  Magazine  ;  (the  "Edinburgh  Monthly.")  Wishes  to  introduce  me 
to  Mackenzie,  Wilson,  etc.  Constable  called  on  me  just  before  I  left 
town.  He  had  been  in  the  country  and  just  returned.  lie  was  very 
friendly  in  his  manner.  Lord  Webb  Seymour's  coming  in  interrupted  us, 
and  Constable  took  leave.  I  promised  to  see  him  on  my  return  to  Edin- 
burgh. He  is  about  regenerating  the  old  "Edinburgh  Magazine,"  and 
has  got  Blackwood's  editors  away  from  him  in  consequence  of  some  feud 
they  had  with  him 

Commend  me  to  Hamilton.  I  hope  to  hear  from  him  soon,  and  shall 
write  to  him  again. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

W.  I. 

P.  S. — This  morning  we  ride  to  Dry  burgh  Abbey  and  see  also  the  old 
Earl  of  Buchan — who,  you  know,  is  a  queer  one. 


[To  the  same.] 

Edinburgh,  September  6, 1817. 
My  dear  Brother  : — 

....  I  left  Abbotsford  on  Wednesday  morning,  and  never  left 
any  place  with  more  regret.  The  few  days  that  I  passed  there  were 
among  the  most  delightful  of  my  life,  and  worth  as  many  years  of  ordi- 
nary existence.  We  made  a  charming  excursion  to  Dryburgh  Abbey,  but 
were  prevented  making  our  visit  to  Yarrow  by  company.  I  was  with 
Scott  from  morning  to  night  ;  rambling  about  the  hills  and  streams, 
every  one  of  which  would  bring  to  his  mind  some  old  tale  or  picturesque 
remark.  I  was  charmed  with  his  family.  He  has  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.     Sophie  Scott,  the  eldest,  is  between  seventeen  and  eighteen, 


284  LIFE  AND   LETTERS 

a  fine  little  mountain  lassie,  with  a  great  deal  of  her  father's  character  •, 
and  the  most  engaging  f  rankness  and  naivete.  Ann,  the  second  daugh- 
ter, is  about  sixteen  ;  a  pleasing  girl,  but  her  manner  is  not  so  formed  as 
her  sister.  The  oldest  lad,  Walter,  is  about  fifteen  ;  but  surprisingly  tall 
of  his  age,  having  the  appearance  of  nineteen.  He  is  quite  a  sportsman. 
Scott  says  he  has  taught  him  to  ride,  to  shoot,  and  to  tell  the  truth.  The 
younger  boy,  Charles,  however,  is  the  inheritor  of  his  father's  genius  ;  he 
is  about  twelve,  and  an  uncommonly  sprightly  amusing  little  fellow.  It 
is  a  perfect  picture  to  see  Scott  and  his  household  assembled  of  an  even- 
ing— the  dogs  stretched  before  the  fire  ;  the  cat  perched  on  a  chair  ;  Mrs. 
Scott  and  the  girls  sewing,  and  Scott  either  reading  out  of  some  old  ro- 
mance, or  telling  border  stories.  Our  amusements  were  occasionally 
diversified  by  a  border  song  from  Sophia,  who  is  as  well  versed  in  border 
minstrelsy  as  her  father. 

I  am  in  too  great  a  hurry,  however,  to  make  details.  I  took  the  most 
friendly  farewell  of  them  all  on  "Wednesday  morning,  and  had  a  cordial 
invitation  from  Scott  to  give  him  another  visit  on  my  return  from  the 
Highlands  ;  which,  I  think  it  probable,  I  shall  do. 

I  found  Preston  here  on  my  arrival ;  he  had  been  in  Edinburgh  for 
three  days.  We  shall  set  off  for  the  Highlands  to-morrow.  Scott  has 
given  me  a  letter  to  Hector  Macdonald  Buchanan  of  Ross  Priory,  Loch 
Lomond,  with  a  request  for  him  to  give  me  a  day  on  the  lake.  This  Mac- 
donald is  a  fine  fellow,  I  understand,  and  a  particular  friend  of  Scott. 
He  took  Scott  up  the  lake  lately  in  his  barge,  when  Scott  visited  Loch 
Lomond,  so  I  shall  be  able  to  trace  Scott  in  his  Rob  Roy  scenery. 

We  dined  yesterday  with  Constable,  and  met  Professor  Leslie  there  ; 
with  whom  I  was  somewhat  pleased,  and  more  amused. 

I  have  arranged  with  Constable,  greatly  to  my  satisfaction  in  respect 
to  books,  etc.,  and  shall  be  enabled  to  forward  "Rob  Roy"  in  time  to 
secure  the  first  publication  to  Thomas. 

I  have  also  made  an  arrangement  with  Blackwood. 

I  shall  return  to  Edinburgh  after  my  visit  to  the  Highlands,  and 
stop  here  a  day  or  two  ;  so  you  may  address  letters  to  me  here — Mae- 
Gregor's. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVINO.  285 

I  received  a  very  pleasant  letter  from  Hamilton,  for  which  give  him 
my  thanks,  and  assure  him  I  will  answer  it  the  first  leisure  moment. 

Affectionately  your  brother, 

W.  I. 

[To  the  same.] 

Edinburgh,  September  20,  1817. 
My  dear  Brother,  : — 

I  arrived  here  late  last  evening  after  one  of  the  most  delightful  excur- 
sions I  ever  made.  We  have  had  continual  good  weather,  and  weather  of 
the  most  remarkable  kind  for  the  season— warm,  genial,  serene  sunshine. 
We  have  journeyed  in  every  variety  of  mode— by  chaise,  by  coach,  by 
gig,  by  boat,  on  foot,  and  in  a  cart  :  and  have  visited  some  of  the  most 
remarkable  and  beautiful  scenes  in  Scotland.  The  journey  has  been  a 
complete  trial  of  Preston's  indolent  habits.  I  had  at  first  to  tow  him 
along  by  main  strength,  for  he  has  as  much  alacrity  at  coming  to  anchor, 
and  is  as  slow  getting  under  way,  as  a  Dutch  lugger.  The  grand  diffi- 
culty was  to  get  him  up  in  the  morning  ;  however,  by  dint  of  persever- 
ance, I  at  last  succeeded  in  rousing  him  from  his  lair  at  six  o'clock,  and 
making  him  pad  the  hoof  often,  from  morning  till  night.  The  early  part 
of  the  route  he  complained  sadly,  and  fretted  occasionally ;  but  as  he  pro- 
ceeded, he  grew  into  condition  and  spirits,  went  through  the  latter  part 
in  fine  style,  and  I  brought  him  into  Edinburgh  in  perfect  order  for  the 
turf 

I  must  hasten  to  conclude  this  letter  ;  this  is  Saturday,  and  I  wish  to 
arrange  what  I  have  to  do  in  this  place  this  morning,  that  I  may  leave  it, 
if  possible,  on  Monday  morning.  I  intend  to  pay  another  visit  to  Abbots- 
ford  ;  I  could  not  leave  Scotland  with  a  quiet  conscience,  if  I  did  not 
have  one  more  crack  with  the  prince  of  minstrels,  and  pass  a  few  more 
happy  hours  with  his  charming  family.  I  want  to  set  out  another  even- 
ing there  ;  Scott  reading,  occasionally,  from  "  Prince  Arthur  "  ;  telling 
border  stories  or  characteristic  anecdotes  ;  Sophie  Scott  singing  with 
charming  naivete  a  little  border  song  ;  the  rest  of  the  family  disposed  in 
listening  groups,  while  greyhounds,  spaniels,  and  cats  bask  in  unbounded 


286  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

indulgence  before  the  fire.     Everything  around  Scott  is  perfect  character 
and  picture. 

On  my  return  to  Edinburgh,  I  found  a  most  friendly  note  from  Jeffrey, 
dated  some  time  back,  inviting  me  to  dinner  on  the  day  after,  to  meet 
again  Lady  Davy  and  Sir  Humphry  ;  or  three  days  after  to  meet  Dr. 
Mason  of  New  York.     I  am  too  late  for  either  party. 


[To  the  same.] 

Edinburgh,  Sunday,  September  22,  1817. 
Dear  Brother  : — 

I  leave  Edinburgh  in  about  half  an  hour  on  my  way  to  England.  I 
have  been  induced  to  hasten  my  departure  a  little  for  the  purpose  of 
having  Preston's  company,  whom,  I  think  it  probable,  I  shall  bring  to 
Liverpool,  and  then  send  him  on  by  South  Wales  to  London.  I  have 
arranged  matters  entirely  with  Constable  and  Blackwood,  and  have  noth- 
ing further  to  detain  me  here. 

I  dined  yesterday  with  Jeffrey,  and  found  a  very  agreeable  party  of 
Edinburgh  gentlemen  there  ;  I  cannot  but  repeat  how  much  I  feel 
obliged  to  Jeffrey  for  his  particular  attentions,  and  the  very  friendly 
manner  in  which  he  has  deported  towards  me.  He  has  made  his  house 
like  a  home  to  me.  I  have  had  many  kind  invitations  to  return  and  pass 
part  of  the  winter  in  Edinburgh,  when  the  fashionable  world  will  be 
here  ;  and,  indeed,  I  have  met  with  nothing  but  agreeable  people  and 
agreeable  incidents  ever  since  I  have  been  in  Scotland. 

Mr.  Constable  will  send  by  coach  a  parcel  for  me  containing  an  engrav- 
ing from  a  fine  painting  which  he  has  of  Walter  Scott.  I  wish  you  to 
take  care  of  it.  There  are  but  a  limited  number  of  impressions  taken  ; 
I  feel  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Constable  for  the  present,  and  great  value  for 
the  engraving.  I  forgot  to  mention  that  I  did  not  visit  Inchbracken,  as 
the  coach  to  Perth  did  not  go  in  that  direction,  and  we  could  not  conve- 
niently bring  it  into  our  route.  We  go  to  Selkirk  to-night,  and  to-mor- 
row shall  pay  Scott  a  visit.     I  do  not  mean  to  stop  with  him,  however,  as 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  287 

I  understand  he  has  been  ran  down  with  company  lately,  and  must  re- 
quire all  his  leisure  to  get  "  Rob  Roy  "  through  the  press  in  time. 

I  can  perceive  Constable  is  a  little  uneasy  lest  Scott's  time  should  be 
too  much  taken  up  by  company.  Your  affectionate  brother, 

W,  I. 

Scott  was  absent  on  this  second  call,  so  that  he  was 
disappointed  in  seeing  him. 

In  a  note  in  his  "  Life  of  Scott,"  Lockhart  gives  the 
minstrel's  impression  of  his  American  visitor,  which  I 
quote : — 

There  is  in  my  hand  a  letter  from  Scott  to  his  friend  John  Richardson, 
dated  22d  September,  1817,  in  which  he  says  :  "  When  you  see  Tom 
Campbell,  tell  him,  with  my  best  love,  that  I  have  to  thank  him  for 
making  me  known  to  Mr.  Washington  Irving,  who  is  one  of  the  best  and 
pleasantest  acquaintances  I  have  made  this  many  a  day." 

The  situation  to  which  allusion  is  made  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  Brevoort,  was  the  Secretaryship  of  Legation 
at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  for  which  his  brother  William, 
then  in  Congress,  was  exerting  himself  to  get  him  ap- 
pointed, but  without  success.  The  preface  shows  that 
Brevoort  had  announced  to  him  his  intended  marriage. 

Liverpool,  October  10,  1817. 

My  dear  Brevoort  :— 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  August  21st,  and  congratulate  you  most 
heartily  on  the  happy  change  you  are  about  to  make  in  your  situation. 
I  had  heard  rumors  of  the  affair  before  I  received  your  letters,  and  every 
account  represented  the  lady  of  your  choice  exactly  such  a  one  as  your 
best  friends  could  have  wished  for  you.  I  am  almost  ashamed  to  say 
that  at  first  the  news  had  rather  the  effect  of  making  me  feel  melancholy 


« 


•jss  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

than  p-ln<l.  It  seemed,  in  a  manner,  to  divorce  us  forever  ;  for  marriage 
is  th'  grave  of  bachelor  intimacies,  and  after  having  lived  and  grown 
Lher  for  many  years,  so  that  our  habits,  thoughts,  and  feelings  were 
<juit''  blended  and  intertwined,  a  separation  of  this  kind  is  a  serious 
matter  ;  not  so  much  to  you,  who  are  transplanted  into  the  garden  of 
matrimony,  to  flourish,  and  fructify,  and  be  caressed  into  prosperity,  but 
for  {Hxtr  me,  left  lonely  and  forlorn,  and  blasted  by  every  wind  of  heaven. 
.  .  .  .  I  feel  gratified  by  the  exertions  my  friends  are  making  to 
gi  t  me  the  situation  in  London,  though  I  doubt  their  success.  These 
plan's  are  generally  given  to  political  favorites.  I  merely  wanted  such  a 
situation  for  a  little  while.  I  have  no  desire  to  remain  long  in  Europe  ; 
still,  while  I  am  here,  I  should  like  to  be  placed  on  good  ground,  and 
look  arouud  me  advantageously. 

Though  William  had  failed  to  obtain  for  Washington 
the  Secretaryship  of  Legation,  his  situation  continued  to 
engage  his  mind  ;  for  early  in  December  I  find  him  writ- 
ing to  Ebenezer,  froni  the  seat  of  government : — 

I  have  not  been  inattentive  to  the  situation  of  brothers  Washington 
and  Peter.     I  have  had  two  conversations  with  Clay  on  the  subject.    He 

stands  ready  to  aid  in  anything  that  can  be  suggested You 

may  rest  assured  that  I  will  do  my  best.     I  need  no  pressing  on  that 
head,  for  my  mind  is  full  of  the  subject.     I  think  on  it  night  and  day. 

The  author,  however,  was  shaping  his  course  for  him- 
self ;  and  we  have,  in  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to 
his  brother  William,  the  first  indistinct  intimation  of  his 
intention  to  make  a  business  of  literature. 

Liverpool,  December  23,  1817. 
.     .     .     .     Ebenezer  tells  me  you  have  been  exerting  yourself  to  get 
me  apjK)inted  to  the  Secretaryship  of  Legation  at  the  Court  of  St.  James. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  289 

but  without  success  ;  but  that  you  hoped  to  get  some  other  appointment 
for  me.  I  feel  in  this  as  in  many  other  things  deeply  indebted  to  your 
affectionate  care  for  my  interests  ;  but  I  do  not  anticipate  any  favors 
from  government,  which  has  so  many  zealous  and  active  partizans  to 
serve  ;  and  I  should  not  like  to  have  my  name  hackneyed  about  among 
the  office-seekers  and  office-givers  at  Washington. 

For  my  own  part,  I  require  very  little  for  my  support,  and  hope  to  be 
able  to  make  that  little  by  my  own  exertions.  I  have  led  comparatively 
such  a  lonely  life  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  that  I  have  been  in 
England,  that  my  habits  and  notions  are  very  much  changed.  For  a 
long  while  past,  I  have  lived  almost  entirely  at  home  ;  sometimes  not 
leaving  the  house  for  two  or  three  days,  and  yet  I  have  not  had  an  hour 
pass  heavily  ;  so  that  if  I  could  but  see  my  brothers  around  me  prosper- 
ing, and  be  relieved  from  this  cloud  that  hangs  over  us  all,  I  feel  as  if  I 
would  be  contented  to  give  up  all  the  gayeties  of  life.  I  certainly  think 
that  no  hope  of  gain,  however  flattering,  would  tempt  me  again  into  the 
cares  and  sordid  concerns  of  traffic 

I  have  been  urged  by  several  of  my  friends  to  return  home  immedi- 
ately ;  their  advice  is  given  on  vaguo  and  general  ideas  that  it  would  be 
to  my  advantage.  My  mind  is  made  up  to  remain  a  little  longer  in  Eu- 
rope, for  definite,  and,  I  trust,  advantageous  purposes,  and  such  as  ulti- 
mately point  to  my  return  to  America,  where  all  my  views  and  wishes, 
my  ambition  and  my  affections  are  centred.  I  give  you  this  general 
assurance,  which,  I  trust,  will  be  received  with  confidence,  and  save  the 
necessity  of  particular  explanations,  which  it  would  be  irksome  for  me  to 
make.  I  feel  that  my  future  career  must  depend  very  much  upon  myself, 
and  therefore  every  step  I  take  at  present,  is  done  with  proper  considera- 
tion. In  protracting  my  stay  in  Europe  I  certainly  do  not  contemplate 
pleasure,  for  I  look  forward  to  a  life  of  loneliness  and  of  parsimonious 
and  almost  painful  economy. 
vol.  i. — 19 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

BANKRUPTCY.— STUDIES  GERMAN. — LETTER  FROM  ALLSTON,  GrVTNG  ACCOUNT 
OF  III-  NEW  SUBJECT  FOR  KNICKERBOCKER. — HIS  "ANGEL  URIEL." — LE3- 
LIE'S    OPINION     OF     IT.— LETTER  FROM   ALLSTON. — LORD   EGREMONT'S    PUR- 

<  ii  iSE  of  his  "Jacob's  dream."— letter  to  Leslie. — goes  up  to  london 

TO   TBI    HIS   PEN.— PARTING   WITH  ALLSTON. — SKETCH  OF  LESLIE  AND  NEW- 
SI,       11    I  IKK   TO   BKEVOORT   ABOUT    NEW   EDITION   OF    KNICKERBOCKER. — 
N-i    INTENTION    OF    PUBLISHING     IN    ENGLAND. — DECLINES    AN   OFFER    OF    A 
PLACE    UNDER    GOVERNMENT. 

N  the  beginning  of  the  year  1818,  after  yam  and 
harassing  attempts  to  compromise  with  their 
creditors,  Peter  and  Washington  made  up  their 
minds,  as  the  surest  mode  of  perfect  extrication,  to  take 
the  benefit  of  the  Bankrupt  Act.  It  was  a  humiliating 
ordeal  to  go  through  for  two  proud-spirited  men;  and 
esp<  dally  for  Washington,  who  was  a  mere  nominal  party 
in  the  concern.  Their  first  meeting  before  the  Comniis- 
sinners  of  Rinkrnptcy  took  place  on  the  27th  of  January, 
and  their  last  on  the  11th  of  March.  At  this  time  Wash- 
ington had  shut  himself  up  from  society  and  was  study- 
ing German,  day  and  night,  in  the  double  hope  that  it 
would  be  of  service  to  him,  and  tend  to  keep  off  uncom- 
fortable  thoughts.     Three  days  after  he  received  from 

290 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  JR  VING.  291 

Allston  the  following  letter,  which  gives  the  artist's  own 
notion  of  a  new  comic  subject  he  had  chosen  for  illus^ 
tration,  designed  for  a  third  edition  of  Knickerbocker's 
"History  of  New  York,"  with  other  particulars  of  inter- 
est respecting  himself : — 

London,  March  13, 1818. 
Mr  dear  Irving  : — 

I  received  yours  of  the  5th,  and  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that 
the  drawing  is  finished,  and  now  in  the  hands  of  the  engraver  ;  to  whom 
I  gave  it  (since  you  were  so  good  as  to  rely  on  my  judgment)  as  soon  as  it 
was  finished.  I  gave  up  the  subject  which  Leslie  mentioned,  and  chose 
another  with  which  I  am  much  better  pleased,  namely,  a  Schepen  doing 
duty  to  a  Burgomaster's  joke. 

Leslie  agrees  with  me  in  thinking  it  superior  to  the  lawsuit.  Indeed, 
so  far  as  I  can  judge  of  my  own  work,  it  is  one  of  my  happiest  comic 
efforts,  if  not  the  best.  It  contains  six  figures.  I  think  no  one  could  fail 
to  see  that  the  Burgomaster  is  bringing  forth  a  joke  ;  for  the  action  is  so 
contrived  as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  it.  The  Schepen  who  sits  opposite  to 
him,  is  laughing  with  all  Ins  might  and  main  ;  while  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany, who  have  nothing  to  gain  by  a  laugh,  are  impenetrably  and  most 
Dutchly  grave.  But  I  think  I  had  better  not  describe  it.  Descriptions  of 
pictures  are  generally  flat.  Besides,  their  impression  is  always  better,  at 
least  truer,  when  they  come  upon  us  without  preparation.  So  the  less 
said  the  better. 

The  plate  after  Leslie's  *  is  finished,  and  I  think  you  will  be  very  much 
pleased  with  it.  It  makes  a  very  beautiful  print  ;  is  extremely  well  en- 
graved, but  what  particularly  pleases  me  in  it,  is  the  close  rendering  of 
the  characters,  which  is  the  most  important  part  in  subjects  of  this  kind. 
If  the  engraver  preserves  mine  as  well,  I  shall  be  amply  satisfied.  I 
hope  the  time  the  engraver  demands  for  graving  my  drawing  will  not 

*  The  allusion  is  to  Leslie's  sketch  of  the  Dutch  courtship. 


202  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

inconveniently  affect  your  plans.      His  engagements,  he  says,  are  so 
:n ■;.  just  at  this  time,  that  he  could  not  possibly  promise  it  sooner 
than  four  months  hence. 

The  price,  also,  is  considerably  higher  than  for  Leslie's,-'  being  from 
thirty-five  to  forty  guineas.  If  he  can  do  it  for  thirty- five,  he  says  he 
will  :  but  he  will  not  limit  himself  to  less  than  forty,  nor  be  bound  to 
five-and-thirty. 

The  reason  he  gives  for  demanding  so  much  more  is  the  greater  num- 
ber of  the  figures  and  the  quantity  of  detail.  I  was  a  little  at  a  stand 
when  I  heard  this  ;  but  knowing  no  other  engraver  of  his  abilities  that 
works  so  cheap,  I  concluded  it  must  be  done  by  him  even  at  this  rate. 
Do  let  me  know  by  return  of  post  if  you  approve  of  what  I  have  done. 

Since  my  return  from  Paris  I  have  painted  two  pictures,  in  order  to 
have  something  in  the  present  exhibition  at  the  British  Gallery  :  the  sub- 
jecta  the  angel  Uriel  in  the  sun,  and  Elijah  in  the  wilderness.  "Uriel" 
was  iur.uediately  purchased  (at  the  price  I  asked,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
guineas)  by  the  Marquis  of  Stafford,  and  the  Directors  of  the  British  In- 
stitution, moreover,  presented  me  a  donation  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  "as  a  mark  of  their  approbation  of  the  talent  evinced,"  etc. 
The  manner  in  which  this  was  done  was  highly  complimentary;  and  I 
can  only  say  that  it  was  full  as  gratifying  as  it  was  unexpected.  As  both 
these  pictures  together  cost  me  but  ten  weeks,  I  do  not  regret  having  de- 
ducted that  time  from  the  "  Belshazzar, "  to  whom  I  have  since  returned 
with  redoubled  vigor. 

I  am  almost  sorry  I  did  not  exhibit  "Jacob's  Dream."  If  I  had 
dreamt  of  this  success,  I  certainly  would  have  sent  it  there. 

I  hope  your  affairs  are  being  settled  to  your  mind,  and  that  we  shall 
see  you  here  soon.  Yours  affectionately, 

Washington  Allston. 

Ogilvie  has  returned  full  of  health  and  spirits  from  his  success  in  Scot 
*  Leslie's  was  twenty-five  guineas. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  293 

land.     He  has  overcome  his  formidable  enemy  laudanum,  and  looks  like 
another  being.     Leslie  begs  to  be  remembered. 

Of  the  picture  which  received  this  emphatic  approba- 
tion from  the  Directors  of  the  British  Institution,  Leslie 
had  before  written  to  Mr.  Irving  this  opinion : — 

Allston  has  just  finished  a  very  grand  and  poetical  figure  of  the  angel 
Uriel  sitting  in  the  sun.  The  figure  is  colossal,  the  attitude  and  air  very 
noble,  and  the  form  heroic  without  being  overcharged.  In  the  color  he 
has  been  equally  successful,  and  with  a  very  rich  and  glowing  tone  he 
has  avoided  positive  colors,  which  would  have  made  him  too  material. 
There  is  neither  red,  blue,  nor  yellow  in  the  picture,  and  yet  it  possesses 
a  harmony  equal  to  the  best  pictures  of  Paul  Veronese. 

Mr.  Irving  was  at  Birmingham  when  he  received  from 
Allston  the  following  reply  to  a  letter  on  the  subject  of 
a  plate  for  the  Knickerbocker  engraving.  It  is  the  last 
letter  of  Allston  which  I  find  among  his  papers,  and  con- 
cludes with  the  saddening  announcement  to  his  corre- 
spondent that  he  had  taken  his  passage  for  America. 

London,  July  24, 1818. 
My  dear  Irvi>-g  : — 

You  are  so  accustomed  to  my  apologies  for  epistolary  delinquency  that 
they  must  be  to  you  like  old  stories;  so  I  had  better  say  nothing  about  it. 
Leslie,  I  believe,  has  already  written  to  you  on  the  subject  of  the  plate. 
I  called  on  the  engraver  soon  after  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  and  was 
more  grieved  than  surprised  that  it  was  not  already  finished ;  for  I  know 
the  press  of  his  engagements,  and  remembered  the  difficulty  he  had  in 
fixing  on  the  time  of  its  completion,  when  I  first  put  it  into  his  hands. 
I  would  have  strained  a  point  to  scold  about  it,  if  I  had  thought  that 
would  have  mended  the  matter.  But  as  it  would  not,  I  could  only  urge 
the  importance  of  its  speedy  termination  in  the  strongest  way,  and  leave 


294  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

the  reel  to  the  engraver,  who  then  promised  to  finish  it  as  soon  as  it  was 
in  Ins  power,  and  he  has  since  engaged  to  produce  a  proof  in  the  course 
of  t  he  next  week.  lie  bogged  that  1  would  not  insist  on  seeing  the  plate, 
a?  he  never  liked  to  show  his  works  in  an  unfinished  state.  As  that  is 
also  the  case  with  myself,  I  did  not  urge  it.  But  I  have  no  doubt,  from 
the  ability  he  lias  shown  in  other  works,  that  it  will  be  well  done.  If 
it  is  equal  to  that  ho  did  from  Leslie's  drawing,  I  shall  be  more  than 
satisfied.     As  soon  as  I  see  a  proof  I  will  write  you. 

Now  that  you  arc  your  own  master  again,  your  muse,  I  suppose,  has 
already  paid  you  a  visit.  Pray  do  not  turn  your  back  upon  her,  for  I 
have  it  on  the  testimony  of  thousands  that  she  has  not  a  greater  fav- 
orite than  yourself  in  all  Parnassus.  Do  tell  me  what  you  are  doing, 
or  mean  to  do.  Your  imagination  has  been  so  long  fallow  that  I  an- 
ticipate  a  most  luxurious  harvest  when  you  again  cultivate  it. 

I .  slie  tells  mo  he  has  informed  you  of  the  sale  of  "  Jacob's  Dream."  I 
do  not  remember  if  you  have  seen  it.  The  manner  in  which  Lord  Egre- 
mont  bought  it  was  particularly  gratifying — to  say  nothing  of  the  price, 
which  is  no  trifle  to  me  at  present.  But  Leslie  having  told  you  all  about 
it.  I  will  not  repeat  it.  Indeed,  by  the  account  he  gives  me  of  his  letter 
to  you,  he  seems  to  have  puffed  me  off  in  grand  style.  Well,  you  know 
I  don't  bribe  him  to  do  it.  And  "  if  they  will  buckle  praise  upon  my 
back,"  why,  I  can't  help  it. 

Leslie  has  just  finished  a  very  beautiful  little  picture  of  Anne  Page  in- 
viting Master  Slender  into  the  house.  Anne  is  exquisite;  soft  and  femin- 
ine, yet  arch  and  playful,  she  is  all  she  should  be.  Slender,  also,  is  very 
happy;  he  is  a  good  parody  on  Milton's  "  linked  sweetness  long  drawn 
out."  Falstaff  and  Shallow  are  seen  through  a  window  in  the  back- 
ground. The  whole  scene  is  very  picturesque,  and  beautifully  painted. 
'Tis  his  best  picture.  You  must  not  think  this  praise  the  "return  in 
kind."  I  give  it  because  I  really  admire  the  picture,  and  I  have  not  the 
smallest  doubt  that  he  will  do  great  things  when  he  is  once  freed  from 
the  necessity  of  painting  portraits. 

Believe  me  affectionately  yours, 

W.  Allston. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  295 

I  suppose  Leslie  has  told  you  that  the  price  of  printing  your  plates 
would  be  five  pounds  a  thousand — and  that  on  French  paper,  which  is 
the  best ;  this  includes  paper.  As  I  shall  leave  my  lodgings  in  a  short 
time,  pray  direct  to  me  to  "  the  care  of  Samuel  Williams,  Esq.,  No.  13 
Finsbury  Square."  Lord  Egremont  has  invited  me  to  his  seat  at  Pet- 
worth,  and  I  shall  go  down  there  next  week.  I  have  taken  my  passage  in 
the  Galen  from  this  port.  Shall  not  I  see  you  here  before  I  go  ?  She 
sails  about  the  tenth  of  August. 

A  few  days  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Irving 
writes  as  follows  to  Leslie  : — 

Birmingham,  July  29,  1818. 
My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  thank  you  for  your  letter  and  for  the  information  it  contains.  I  have 
since  received  one  from  Allston  ;  but  as  he  will  probably  be  out  of  town 
about  this  time,  I  must  trouble  you  instead  of  him.  I  wish  the  plates  put 
in  the  printer's  hands  as  soon  as  possible,  and  to  be  executed  on  the 
best  paper.  Two  thousand  of  each.  I  should  like,  also,  to  have  three 
hundred  proof  impressions  of  each  struck  off  in  such  a  manner  that  they 
would  do  to  frame  should  any  persons  like  to  have  them  in  that  manner  ; 
if  not,  they  can  hereafter  be  cut  down  to  the  size  of  the  volume.  You 
and  Allston  will  have  as  many  struck  off  for  yourselves  as  you  please. 
Let  me  know  the  whole  expense,  and  I  will  send  the  money  immediately. 
I  have  had  my  trunk  packed  to  come  to  London,  and  should  have  attended 
to  all  this  myself,  but  one  circumstance  or  other  occurs  to  baffle  my 
plans,  and  I  am  at  this  moment  in  a  little  uncertainty  when  I  shall  get 
there.  I  shall  try  hard  to  see  Allston  before  he  sails  ;  had  he  been  going 
to  embark  at  Liverpool  the  thing  would  have  been  certain.  I  regret  ex- 
ceedingly that  he  goes  to  America,  now  that  his  prospects  are  opening  so 
promisingly  in  this  country  ;  but  perhaps  it  is  all  for  the  best.  His 
"Jacob's  Dream"  was  a  particular  favorite  of  mine.  I  have  gazed  on  it 
again  and  again,  and  the  more  I  gazed  the  more  I  was  delighted  with  it 


296  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

lieve  if  I  was  a  painter  I  could  at  this  moment  take  a  pencil  and 
delineate  the  whole  with  the  attitude  and  expression  of  every  figure. 

Allston  gives  me  a  charming  account  of  your  picture  of  Anne  Page 
arvl  Master  Slender.     I  hope  you  will  take  frequent  opportunities  to  steal 
away  from  the  painting  of  portraits  to  give  full  scope  to  your  taste  and 
_i  nation. 

About  the  middle  of  August  Mr.  Irving  -went  up  to 
London  and  cast  himself  upon  the  world,  determined  to 
seek  support  from  his  pen.  He  had  brought  with  him 
some  unfinished  sketches  upon  which  he  had  been  en- 
gaged,  and  which  he  had  hoped  to  work  up,  but  the  very- 
foreboding  of  his  mind  seemed  to  unfit  it  for  compo- 
sition. 

He  had  been  but  two  weeks  in  London  when  he  was 
called  to  the  hard  trial  of  parting  with  Allston.  On  first 
arriving  in  London  he  heard  from  Leslie  that  Allston 
was  dining  with  Coleridge  at  Highgate,  and  he  went 
out  there  to  meet  him,  and  tried  in  vain  to  dissuade  him 
from  returning  by  urging  he  could  do  better  where  he 
was.  Until  informed  of  his  intention  to  embark  for 
America  he  had  been  looking  forward  with  delight  to  a 
meeting  with  him  and  Leslie,  and  to  an  exchange  of  the 
hard  and  painful  life  he  had  been  leading  for  one  of  in- 
tercourse with  them.  "As  he  drove  off  in  the  sta^e  and 
waved  his  hand  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Irving,  in  adverting  to 
this  parting,  "  my  heart  sank  within  me,  and  I  returned 
gloomy  and  dispirited  to  my  lodgings."  At  another  time 
he  said  of  Allston  to  me  : — 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  297 

He  was  the  most  delightful,  the  most  lovable  being  I  ever  knew  ;  a 
man  I  would  like  to  have  had  always  at  my  side — to  have  gone  through 
life  with  ;  his  nature  was  so  refined,  so  intellectual,  so  genial,  so  pure. 

But  though  he  felt  deeply  the  departure  of  Allston,  he 
could  still  hope  for  sympathy  and  companionship  from 
Leslie  and  Newton.  Leslie  he  had  known  as  a  boy,  when 
he  was  attracting  attention  at  Philadelphia  by  his  like- 
ness of  Cooke,  the  actor,  and  he  had  met  him  since 
during  his  transient  visits  to  London ;  but  their  intimacy 
dates  from  the  period  of  his  present  sojourning  in  the 
English  capital.  Leslie  writes  to  him  more  than  two 
years  afterwards : — 

You  came  to  London  just  when  I  was  losing  Allston,  and  I  stood  in 
need  of  an  intimate  friend  of  similar  tastes  with  my  own.  I  not  only  owe 
to  you  some  of  the  happiest  social  hours  of  my  life,  but  you  opened  to 
me  a  new  range  of  observation  in  my  art,  and  a  perception  of  qualities 
and  characters  of  things  which  painters  do  not  always  imbibe  from  each 
other. 

Stuart  Newton  he  now  met  for  the  first  time.  He 
was  the  nephew  of  Gilbert  Stuart,  so  well  known  for  his 
celebrated  portrait  of  Washington,  and  Leslie  had  met 
him  the  preceding  year  at  Paris  on  his  way  from  Italy  to 
London. 

In  the  following  year,  about  fifteen  months  after  he  had 

come  up  to  London,  he  writes  thus  of  the  two  to  Mrs. 

Hoffman : — 

My  especial  intimates  are  our  young  countrymen,  Leslie  and  Newton, 
who  have  lodgings  not  far  from  mine,  so  that  we  see  each  other  almost 
every  day.     You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  Leslie's  rapidly  increasing  repu- 


298  l'11'1"  AND  LETTERS 

i.  11.  lias  done  himself  vast  credit  lately  by  a  beautiful  picture  of 
Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  going  to  church.  He  bids  fair  to  take  the  lead  in 
thai  :  lino  of  painting,  which  consists  in  the  delineation 

miliar  life.     I  make  no  doubt,  in  the  course  of  a  little  while,  he  will 

■ f  the  most  celebrated  and  most  popular  painters  in  Great  Britain. 

Be  lias  all  the  materials  within  him  for  excelling  in  the  walk  he  has 

n  a  deep  sense  of  moral  feeling  ;  an  exquisite  idea  of  beauty  ;  a 
quick  eye  for  character,  and  for  external  nature  ;  a  rich  vein  of  humor, 
1  and  sweetened  by  the  purest  benevolence  of  heart;  add  to  these 
a  perfeel  devotion  to  his  art,  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  everything  in 
it  that  depends  upon  study  and  diligent  practice,  and  I  think  you  will  agree 
with  me  in  forming  the  highest  anticipations  of  his  future  celebrity. 

Newton  is  the  nephew  of  Stuart,  our  great  portrait  painter.  He  is  not 
so  experienced  in  his  art  as  Leslie,  but  has  uncommon  requisites  for  it. 
There  is  a  native  elegance  about  everything  he  does  ;  a  delicate  taste,  a 
playful  fancy,  and  an  extraordinary  facility  at  achieving,  without  ap- 
parent labor  or  study,  what  other  painters,  with  the  labor  and  study  of 
years,  cannot  attain,  nis  eye  for  coloring  is  almost  unrivaled,  and  pro- 
duces beautiful  effects,  which  have  surprised  experienced  painters,  who 
have  been  aiming  at  coloring  all  their  lives.  The  only  danger  is  that  his 
uncommon  natural  advantages  may  make  him  remiss  in  cultivating  the 
more  mechanical  parts  of  his  art  ;  and  he  may  thus  fall  short  of  that  pre- 
eminent stand  in  his  profession  which  is  completely  within  his  rea.h, 
tli' nigh  he  cannot  fail  at  all  events  to  become  a  highly  distinguished 
painter.  He  is  yet  but  a  student  in  his  art,  but  has  produced  several  ad- 
mirable portraits,  a  little  fancy  piece  of  Falstaffs  escape  in  the  buck- 
basket,  of  great  merit,  and  is  now  engaged  on  a  little  cabinet  picture  for 
the  next  exhibition  of  the  British  gallery,  which  will  be  quite  a  gem.     I 

1.  en  rather  prolix  about  these  two  intimates  of  mine,  but  I  thought 

count  of  them  would  be  interesting  to  you,  as  being  young  men  of 
whom  our  nation  will  hereafter  have  reason  to  be  proud.* 

•  From  the  Evening  Post  of  January  12,  1820,  where  it  was  copied  for  insertion  hy 
Boffman.    The  letter  from  which  it  is  extracted  bore  date  November  26,  1819,  and 

>t. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  299 

About  two  months  after  he  came  up  to  London,  Octo- 
ber 13th,  he  writes  to  Ebenezer  : — 

I  have  forwarded  to  your  care  a  parcel  containing  plates  for  the  new 
edition  of  the  "History  of  New  York,"  which  I  will  thank  you  to  for- 
ward safely  and  without  delay  to  Mr.  Thomas,  as  I  wish  the  work  to  be 
printed  as  soon  as  possible.  There  are  but  two  plates,  one  for  each  vol- 
ume ;  but  they  are  charming  little  things  by  Allston  and  Leslie,  and  are 
engraved  in  the  best  style.  The  engraving  and  printing  of  them  has  cost 
me  about  one  hundred  pounds  sterling. 

He  had  no  purpose,  as  will  be  seen  from  this  extract, 
of  publishing  the  "  History  of  New  York  "  in  England  ; 
nor  had  he  any  views  of  that  kind  in  preparing  the 
"  Sketch  Book,"  upon  which  he  was  now  engaged.  The 
postscript  to  the  letter  would  seem  to  be  in  reply  to 
some  inquiry  of  his  brother,  and  has  a  melancholy  signi- 
ficance. 

As  to  the  sealed  packet,  which  I  left  with  you,  it  may  be  destroyed.  I 
have  nothing  now  to  leave  my  brothers  but  a  blessing,  and  that  they  have 
whenever  I  think  of  them. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  he  received  a  letter  from  his 
brother  William,  informing  him  that  his  old  friend,  De- 
catur, was  keeping  a  place  open  for  him  in  the  Navy 
Board  ;  that  it  was  then  in  waiting  for  his  answer,  and 
would  make  him  as  independent  and  comfortable  as  he 
could  wish. 

Commodore  Decatur  informs  me  (says  the  letter  of  October  24th)  that 
he  had  made  such  arrangements,  and  such  steps  would  further  be  made 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

I  v  the  Navv  Board,  as  that  you  will  be  able  to  obtain  the  office  of  first 
.  in  the  Navy  Department,  which  is  similar  to  that  of  under- secretary 
i   England.     The  salary  is  equal  to  $2,400  per  annum,  which,  us  the 
iys,  is  sufficient  to  enable  you  to  live  in  Washington  like  a 
i  h  try  <>l  the  Navy  has  resigned,  and  as  harmony  in  that 

Mm  ni  is  wished,  the  President  desires  that  the  new  one  may  meet 
with  their  approbation.  They  have  been  looking  round  for  a  suitable 
n,  and  tiny  are  resolved  to  make  it  a  sine  quanonvfitb.  him,  whoever 
In'  may  hr,  that  the  present  chief  clerK,  who  has  rendered  himself  peculi- 
arly obnoxious  to  all  the  line  spirits  of  the  Navy,  shall  be  dismissed  ;  and 
termined  to  secure  the  berth  for  you,  until  your  answer  can 
be  obtained.  It  is  a  berth  highly  respectable — very  comfortable  in  its  in- 
come,  light  in  its  duties,  and  will  afford  you  a  very  ample  leisure  to  pur- 
sue  the  bent  of  your  literary  inclination.  It  may  also  be  a  mere  stepping- 
stone  to  higher  station,  or  may  be  considered  at  any  rate  permanent. 

To  the  great  chagrin  of  his  brothers,  William  and 
Ebenozer,  and  contrary  to  their  expectations,  Washington 
declined  this  offer. 

Flattering  as  the  prospect  undoubtedly  is,  which  your  letters  hold  out 
fin'  writes  to  Ebenezer),  1  have  concluded  to  decline  it  for  various  reasons, 
-  ni'  of  which  I  have  stated  to  William.  [This  letter  never  came  to  hand, 
or  has  been  lost.]  The  principal  one  is,  that  I  do  not  wish  to  undertake 
any  situation  that  must  involve  me  in  such  a  routine  of  duties  as  to  pre- 
vent my  attending  to  literary  pursuits. 

It  was  not  without  many  misgivings  that  he  brought 
iself    to  decline  a  certainty  on  such  vague  grounds; 
and   I   have  heard  him  say,  that  he  was  so  disturbed  by 
tli«>  responsibility  he  had  taken  in  refusing  such  a  situa- 
tion, and  trusting  to  the  uncertain  chances  of  literarv 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  301 

success,  that  for  two  months  he  could  scarcely  write  a 

line. 

His  declining  was  a  sad  disappointment  to  his  brother 
William,  especially  as  Peter  had  also  made  up  his  mind 
to  remain  abroad,  and,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  battle  the 
watch  for  himself."  "  Home,"  writes  this  brother  to  Eben- 
ezer,  "  has  lost  its  charms  to  both  the  Doctor  and  Wash- 
ington. It  is  as  well  to  accommodate  the  heart  to  its  loss, 
and  to  consider  them,  as  to  all  but  epistolary  correspond- 
ence, dead  to  us."  So  far  as  William  was  concerned, 
this  sentence  was  indeed  prophetic.  His  health  was  al- 
ready failing ;  but  he  lived  long  enough  to  witness,  with 
the  deepest  emotions  of  pride  and  delight,  the  brilliant 
success  of  the  "Sketch  Book." 


CHAPTER   XXin. 

TRANSMITS  NUMBER  T.  OF  TIIE  "SKETCn  BOOK." — LETTER  TO  EBENEZER  IRVING 
UN  UN.  BUBJECT. — MOTIVTES  FOR  REMAINING  IN  EUROPE. — LETTER  TO  BRE- 
VOORT REQUESTING  HIM  TO  ASSUME  TUE  GUARDIANSHIP  OF  HIS  LITERARY 
INTERESTS,  ETC. — MOSES  THOMAS  AND  THIRD  EDITION  OF  KNICKERBOCKER. 
r:  BLICATION  OF  FIRST  NUMBER  OF  "SKETCH  BOOK." — YERPLANCK'S  NO- 
TRE OF  NUMBER  I.— NUMBER  II.  OF  THE  "  SKETCH  BOOK."— DANA'S  REMARKS 
ON  "  l:l  RAL  LIFE  IN  ENGLAND." — WILLIAM  GODWIN  ON  NUMBER  II. — IMPA- 
TIENT LONGING  FOR  ACCOUNTS  FROM  AMERICA. — OGILVIE'S  SYMPATHY. — 
I  T'.TTERS  TO  BREVOORT. — LETTER  FROM  BREVOORT. — PUBLICATION  OF  NUM- 
BER III.— NUMBER  IV.  FORWARDED. — LETTERS  TO  BREVOORT. — LETTER  TO 
LESLIE.— REPUBLICATION  OF  NUMBER  I.  IN  THE  "LONDON  LITERARY  GA- 
ZETTE."— THE  THREE  AMERICAN  NUMBERS  OFFERED  TO  MURRAY. — HIS  REFU- 
SAL.—APPLIES  TO  SCOTT.— HIS  REPLY. — DRAFT  OF  IRVING'S  REPLY. — SECOND 
LETTER  Ik.  IM  SCOTT.— RESOLVE  TO  PUBLISH  IN  ENGLAND  AT  HIS  OWN  RISK. 

IN  the  beginning  of  this  year  Washington  was 
joined  by  Peter,  who  had  been  detained  at 
Liverpool  and  Birmingham,  and  who  left  soon 
after  for  Bordeaux  on  confidential  business  for  a  house 
of  high  standing  in  London,  while  William  was  pressing 
him  at  home  for  an  appointment  of  importance  and  hand- 
some emolument  under  the  treaty  with  Spain  for  settling 
claims.  Meanwhile,  Washington  was  preparing  to  launch 
the  first  number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book." 
The  letter  in  which  he  transmits  the  manuscript  to  his 

302 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING.  303 

brother  Ebenezer,  and  the  contents  of  which  he  requests 
him  to  keep  to  himself  as  "  babblings  only  fit  for  a  broth- 
er's eye,"  is  characteristic  and  full  of  interest.  It  bears 
date  London,  March  3,  1819. 


I  have  sent  (he  writes)  by  Capt.  Merry  of  the  Rosalie  the  first  number 
of  a  work  which  I  hope  to  be  able  to  continue  from  time  to  time.  I  send 
it  more  for  the  purpose  of  showing  you  what  I  am  about,  as  I  find  my 
declining  the  situation  at  Washington  has  given  you  chagrin.  The  fact 
is,  that  situation  would  have  given  me  barely  a  genteel  subsistence.  It 
would  have  led  to  no  higher  situations,  for  I  am  quite  unfitted  for  politi- 
cal life.  My  talents  are  merely  literary,  and  all  my  habits  of  thinking, 
reading,  etc.,  have  been  in  a  different  direction  from  that  required  for 
the  active  politician.  It  is  a  mistake  also  to  suppose  I  would  fill  an 
office  there,  and  devote  myself  at  the  same  time  to  Literature.  I  require 
much  leisure  and  a  mind  entirely  abstracted  from  other  cares  and  occu- 
pations, if  I  would  write  much  or  write  well.  I  should  therefore  at 
Washington  be  completely  out  of  my  element,  and  instead  of  adding  to 
my  reputation,  stand  a  chance  of  impairing  that  which  I  already  possess. 
If  I  ever  get  any  solid  credit  with  the  public,  it  must  be  in  the  quiet  and 
assiduous  operations  of  my  pen,  under  the  mere  guidance  of  fancy  or 
feeling. 

I  have  been  for  some  time  past  nursing  my  mind  up  for  literary  opera- 
tions, and  collecting  materials  for  the  purpose.  I  shall  be  able,  I  trust,  now 
to  produce  articles  from  time  to  time  that  will  be  sufficient  for  my  present 
support,  and  form  a  stock  of  copyright  property,  that  may  be  a  little  cap- 
ital for  me  hereafter.  To  carry  this  into  better  effect  it  is  important  for 
me  to  remain  a  little  longer  in  Europe,  where  there  is  so  much  food  for 
observation,  and  objects  of  taste  on  which  to  meditate  and  improve.  I 
feel  myself  completely  committed  in  literary  reputation  by  what  1  have 
already  written  ;  and  1  feel  by  no  means  satisfied  to  rest  my  reputation 
on  my  preceding  writings.      I  have  suffered  several  precious  years  of 


30|  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

h  and  lively  imagination  to  pass  by  unimproved,  and  it  behooves  me 
the  most  of  what  is  left.  If  I  indeed  have  the  means  within  me 
lishing  a  legitimate  literary  reputation,  this  is  the  very  period  of 
lifo  uao3l  auspicious  for  it,  and  I  am  resolved  to  devote  a  few  years  exciu- 
attempt.  Should  I  succeed,  besides  the  literary  property  I 
amass  in  copyright,  I  trust  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  obtain  some 
official  situation  of  a  moderate,  unpretending  kind,  in  which  I  may  make 
my  bread.  But  as  to  reputation  I  can  only  look  for  it  through  the  exer- 
tions of  my  pen 

In  fact,  I  consider  myself  at  present  as  making  a  literary  experiment, 
in  the  course  of  which  I  only  care  to  be  kept  in  bread  and  cheese.  Should 
it  not  succeed — should  my  writings  not  acquire  critical  applause,  I  am 
content  to  throw  up  the  pen  and  take  to  any  commonplace  employment. 
But  if  they  should  succeed,  it  would  repay  me  for  a  world  of  care  and 
privation  to  be  placed  among  the  established  authors  of  my  country,  and 
to  win  the  affections  of  my  countrymen. 

.  .  .  .  I  have  but  one  thing  to  add.  I  have  now  given  you  the 
leading  motive  of  my  actions — it  may  be  a  weak  one,  but  it  has  full  pos- 
session of  me,  and  therefore  the  attainment  of  it  is  necessary  to  my  com- 
fort. I  now  wish  to  be  left  for  a  little  while  entirely  to  the  bent  of  my  own 
inclination,  and  not  agitated  by  new  plans  for  subsistence,  or  by  entrea- 
ties  to  come  home.  My  spirits  are  very  unequal,  and  my  mind  depends 
upon  them  ;  and  I  am  easily  thrown  into  such  a  state  of  perplexity  and 
such  depression  as  to  incapacitate  me  for  any  mental  exertion.  Do  not,  I 
beseech  you,  impute  my  lingering  in  Europe  to  any  indifference  to  my 
own  country  or  my  friends.  My  greatest  desire  is  to  make  myself  worthy 
t.f  the  good-will  of  my  country,  and  my  greatest  anticipation  of  happi- 
■  -is  the  return  to  my  friends.  I  am  living  here  in^a  retired  and  soli- 
tary way,  and  partaking  in  little  of  the  gayety  of  life,  but  I  am  deter- 
mined not  to  return  home  until  I  have  sent  some  writings  before  me  that 
.  if  they  have  merit,  make  me  return  to  the  smiles,  rather  than 
skulk  back  to  the  pity  of  my  friends. 

In  this  letter  lie  had  requested  his  brother  Ebenezer 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  305 

to  send  the  manuscript  to  for   publication,  but 

getting  a  communication  from  Brevoort  just  after  he 
had  concluded  it,  informing  him  of  this  bookseller's 
delay  in  paying  a  draft  for  books  purchased  for  him,  and 
of  which  he  (Brevoort)  had  advanced  the  amount,  he 
now  determines  to  place  the  manuscript  in  charge  of 
Brevoort,  and  draw  upon  him  when  in  want  of  money, 
against  the  probable  profits  of  his  new  writings. 

I  give  his  letter  to  Brevoort,  which  introduces  his 
request  to  his  friend  to  assume  the  management  of  his 
literary  interests,  and  brings  them  together  in  a  new  and 
interesting  relation. 

London,  March  3, 1819. 
My  dear  Brevooet  : — 

I  have  this  moment  received  your  letter  of  February  2d,  which  came 
most  opportunely,  as  it  showed  the  impossibility  of  my  relying  further  on 

in  literary  matters,  and  I  was  on  the  point  of  commencing  further 

operations  with  him.  He  is  a  worthy,  honest  fellow,  but  apt  to  entangle 
himself.  Were  I  a  rich  man  I  would  give  him  my  writings  for  nothing  ; 
as  I  am  a  very  poor  one  I  must  take  care  of  myself. 

I  have  just  sent  to  my  brother  Ebenezer  MS.  for  the  first  number  of  a 
work  which,  if  successful,  I  hope  to  continue  occasionally.     I  had  wished 

him  to  send  it  to for  publication,  but  I  now  must  have  it  published 

by  some  one  else.  Will  you,  as  you  are  a  literary  man  and  a  man  of  lei- 
sure, take  it  under  your  care  ?  I  wish  the  copyright  secured  for  me,  and 
the  work  printed  and  then  sold  to  one  or  more  booksellers,  who  will  take 
the  whole  impression  at  a  fair  discount,  and  give  cash  or  good  notes  for 
it.  This  makes  short  work  of  it,  and  is  more  profitable  to  the  author 
than  selling  the  copyright.  I  should  like  Thomas  to  have  the  first  offer, 
as  he  has  been  and  is  a  true  friend  to  me,  and  I  wish  him  to  have  any 
advantage  that  may  arise  from  the  publication  of  it. 
vol.  i.— 20 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

I  f  t  ho  work  Lb  printed  in  New  York,  will  you  correct  the  proof-sheets, 
fear  the  MS.  will  be  obscure,  and  you  are  well  acquainted  with  my 
hand*  riting  ? 

I  feel  great  diffidence  about  this  reappearance  in  literature.     I  am  con- 
is  <>f  my  imperfections,  and  my  mind  has  been  for  a  long  time  past 
I  upon  and  agitated  by  various  cares  and  anxieties  that  I  fear  it 
I       [osl  much  of  its  cheerfulness  and  some  of  its  activity. 

I  have  attempted  no  lofty  theme,  nor  sought  to  look  wise  and  learned, 
which  appears  to  be  very  much  the  fashion  among  our  American  writers, 
nt   present      I   have  preferred    addressing  myself    to  the  feeling  and 
fancy  of  the  reader  more  than  to  his  judgment.     My  writings,  therefore, 
appear  light  and  trifling  in  our  country  of  philosophers  and  politi- 
cians ;  but  if  they  possess  merit  in  the  class  of  literature  to  which  they 
,_r.  it  is  all  to  which  I  aspire  in  the  work.     I  seek  only  to  blow  a  flute 
impaniment  in  the  national  concert,  and  leave  others  to  play  the  fiddle 
and  French  horn. 

I  shall  endeavor  to  follow  this  first  number  by  a  second,  as  soon  as 
blc  ;  but  some  time  may  intervene,  for  my  writing  moods  are  very 

precarious 

God  bless  you,  my  dear  Brevoort, 

Your  friend, 

W.  I. 

In  a  postscript  to  this  letter,  lie  adds  : — 

Do  not  press  poor about  the  draft,  if  still  unpaid — let  him  have 

time.  I  fear  I  shall  be  sadly  disappointed  in  the  receipt  of  funds  from  the 
new  edition  of  the  "  History  of  New  York."  I  had  depended  upon  it  for 
current  expenses,  but  must  now  look  forward  .to  the  future  exertions  of 
my  pen. 

The  first  number  of  the  "Sketch  Book  of  Geoffrey 
Crayon*  Gent.,"  the  title  chosen  for  the  series,  was 
printed,  as  were  the  others,  in  New  York,  by  C.  S.  Van 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  307 

Winkle,  and  consisted  of  the  Prospectus,  the  author's 
account  of  himself,  "The  Voyage,"  "  Eoscoe,"  "The 
Wife,"  and  "  Eip  Van  Winkle  ; "  making  ninety-three 
pages  of  octavo  of  large  type  and  copious  margin. 

The  first  edition  consisted  of  2,000  copies.  The  num- 
ber was  got  up  in  beautiful  style  for  that  day,  and  the 
price  was  made  to  conform  to  it,  being  75  cents.  In  the 
Prospectus,  not  to  be  found  in  the  late  editions  of  the 
work,  he  thus  introduces  himself  anew  to  the  public : — 

The  following  writings  are  published  on  experiment ;  should  they 
please  they  may  be  followed  by  others.  The  writer  will  have  to  contend 
with  some  disadvantages.  He  is  unsettled  in  his  abode,  subject  to  inter- 
ruptions, and  has  his  share  of  cares  and  vicissitudes.  He  cannot,  there- 
fore, promise  a  regular  plan,  nor  regular  periods  of  publication.  Should 
he  be  encouraged  to  proceed,  much  time  may  elapse  between  the  appear- 
ance of  his  numbers  ;  and  their  size  will  depend  on  the  materials  he  may 
have  on  hand.  His  writings  will  partake  of  the  fluctuations  of  his  own 
thoughts  and  feelings — sometimes  treating  of  scenes  before  him,  some- 
times of  others  purely  imaginary,  and  sometimes  wandering  back  with  his 
recollections  to  his  native  country.  He  will  not  be  able  to  give  them  that 
tranquU  attention  necessary  to  finished  composition  ;  and  as  they  must  be 
transmitted  across  the  Atlantic  for  publication,  he  will  have  to  trust  to 
others  to  correct  the  frequent  errors  of  the  press.  Should  his  writings, 
however,  with  all  their  imperfections,  be  well  received,  he  cannot  conceal 
that  it  would  be  a  source  of  the  purest  gratification  ;  for  though  he  does 
not  aspire  to  those  high  honors  which  are  the  rewards  of  loftier  intellects, 
yet  it  is  the  dearest  wish  of  his  heart  to  have  a  secure  and  cherished, 
though  humble  corner  in  the  good  opinions  and  kind  feelings  of  his  coun- 
trymen. 

This  number  was  published   simultaneously  in  New 


308 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


Ymk,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore;  it  was  de- 
posited for  copyright  on  the  15th  of  May,  1819,  and  its 
appearance  took  place  shortly  after.  It  was  soon  evident, 
from  tin1  sensation  it  produced,  how  warmly  the  public 
were  disposed  to  welcome  an  old  acquaintance. 

When  the  first  number  of  this  beautiful  work  was  announced  (says  a 
contemporaneous  notice),  it  was  sufficient  to  induce  an  immediate  and 
importunate  demand,  that  the  name  of  Mr.  Irving  was  attached  to  it  in 
the  popular  mind.  With  his  name  so  much  of  the  honor  of  our  national 
literature  is  associated,  that  our  pride  as  well  as  our  better  feelings  is 
interested  in  accumulating  the  gifts  of  his  genius.  We  had  begun  to 
reproach  him  with  something  like  parsimony  ;  to  tell  him  that  he  was  in 
debt  to  us  ;  that  the  wealth  and  magnitude  of  his  endowments  were  the 
patrimony  of  his  country — a  part  of  our  inheritance. 

Of  the  different  papers  of  this  number,  "Rip  Van 
"Winkle"  was  the  favorite;  and  the  popularity  which  it 
seized  at  the  outset  it  has  ever  retained.  "  His  stories  of 
'  Rip  Van  Winkle,'  and  '  Sleepy  Hollow '  "  (says  Cham- 
bers' "  Cyclopaedia  of  English  Literature,"  more  than 
twenty  years  after  the  appearance  of  the  "  Sketch  Book" 
in  Great  Britain),  "  are  perhaps  the  finest  pieces  of  orig- 
inal fictitious  writing  that  this  century  has  produced  next 
to  the  works  of  Scott." 

It  was  just  as  he  had  finished  the  story  of  "  Rip  Yan 
Winkle,"  as  he  has  before  told  us,  that  he  received  a  copy 
of  the  discourse  of  Verplanck  before  the  New  York  His- 
fcorical  Society,  in  which  he  administers  his  reproof  of 
the  Knickerbocker  travestie.     As  this  story  purported  to 


OF  WASHINGTON  IB  VINO.  300 

be  a  posthumous  production  of  Diedrich,  he  took  occa- 
sion in  the  introduction  to  allude  to  the  misdeeds  of  the 
departed  sage. 

The  old  gentleman  (he  remarks)  was  apt  to  ride  his  hobby  his  own  way  ; 
and  though  it  did  now  and  then  kick  up  the  dust  a  little  in  the  eyes  of 
his  neighbors,  and  grieve  the  spirit  of  some  friends  for  whom  he  felt  the 
truest  deference  and  affection,  yet  his  errors  and  follies  are  remembered 
"more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger,"  and  it  begins  to  be  suspected  that  he 
never  intended  to  injure  or  offend. 

The  "  Analectic  Magazine  "  for  July  of  this  year,  had 
a  notice  of  the  first  number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  from 
the  classic  pen  of  Verplanck,  which,  under  the  circum- 
stances, has  a  peculiar  interest.  I  quote  the  kindly 
opening  : — 

"We  believe  that  the  public  law  of  literature  has  entirely  exempted 
periodical  publications  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  ordinary  critical  tri- 
bunals :  and  we  therefore  notice  the  first  number  of  this  work  without 
any  intention  of  formal  criticism,  but  simply  for  the  purpose  of  announc- 
ing its  appearance,  and  of  congratulating  the  American  public  that  one 
of  then-  choicest  favorites  has,  after  a  long  interval,  again  resumed  the 
pen.  It  will  be  needless  to  inform  any  who  have  read  the  book,  that  it  is 
from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Irving.  His  rich,  and  sometimes  extravagant  hu- 
mor, his  gay  and  graceful  fancy,  his  peculiar  choice  and  felicity  of  origi- 
nal expression,  as  well  as  the  pure  and  fine  moral  feeling  which  imper- 
ceptibly pervades  every  thought  and  image,  without  being  anywhere 
ostentatious  or  dogmatic,  betray  the  author  in  every  page  ;  even  without 
the  aid  of  those  minor  peculiarities  of  style,  taste,  and  local  allusions, 
which  at  once  identify  the  travelled  Geoffrey  Crayon  with  the  venerable 
Knickerbocker. 


310  LIFE  A. YD  LETTERS 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1819,  tlio  author  writes  to  Bre- 
v<x  »ri  : — 

1  oiid  number  of  the  "Sketch  Book."  It  is  not  so  large  as 
the  first,  luii  I  have  ooi  been  able  to  get  more  matter  ready  for  publica- 
tion ;  and,  in  leed,  I  am  not  particular  about  the  work  being  regular  in 
any  way.  The  price  of  this  number,  of  course,  must  be  less  than  the 
fir>t 

I  hope  you  have  been  able  to  make  arrangements  with  Thomas  for  the 
publication  of  my  writings.  I  should  greatly  prefer  its  being  published 
by  him. 

The  number  here  transmitted  across  the  Atlantic  con- 
sisted of  four  articles:  " English  Writers  on  America;" 
"  Rural  Life  in  England;"  "The  Broken  Heart;"  and 
the  "  Art  of  Book-making."  The  size  was  not  so  large  as 
th"  first,  but  the  same  price  was  put  upon  it,  though  he 
had  intimated  in  his  letters  it  must  be  less. 

A  notice  of  this  number  at  that  day  remarks  :  "  When 
we  read  the  description  of  English  scenery,  we  are  apt 
to  think  the  descriptive  is  Mr.  Irving's  forte,  but  the 
'  Broken  Heart '  convinces  us  that  his  prevailing  jDower 
is  in  natural  and  sweet  pathos." 

This  story  was  undoubtedly  the  general  favorite.  The 
particulars  had  been  given  to  Mr.  Irving  by  a  young 
Liverpool  friend,  Mr.  Andrew  Hamilton,  long  since  dead, 
who  had  himself  seen  the  heroine,  the  daughter  of  Cur- 
ran,  the  celebrated  Irish  barrister,  "at  a  masquerade" — ■ 
the  scene  in  which  she  is  introduced  by  the  author. 

But  though  this  story  won  the  palm  of  popularity, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  311 

there  were  not  wanting  many  with  whom  the  first  was 
most  commended,  while  the  essay  on  "  Rural  Life  in 
England "  was  considered  by  others  as  exhibiting  most 
of  the  peculiar  talents  of  the  author.  In  this  light  it 
seems  to  have  struck  one  of  the  most  eminent  names  in 
American  literature,  Richard  H.  Dana,  who,  in  his  notice 
of  the  first  two  numbers  of  the  "  Sketch  Book "  in  the 
"North  American  Review,"  after  some  rather  critical 
animadversions  on  the  "  Broken  Heart,"  thus  speaks  of 
this  essay : — 

We  come  from  reading  "Rural  Life  in  England"  as  much  restored 
and  as  cheerful  as  if  we  had  been  passing  an  hour  or  two  in  the  very 
fields  and  woods  themselves.  Mr.  Irving's  scenery  is  so  true,  so  full  of 
little  beautiful  particulars,  so  varied  yet  so  connected  in  character,  that 
the  distant  is  brought  nigh  to  us,  and  the  whole  is  seen  and  felt  like  a 
delightful  reality.  It  is  all  gentleness  and  sunshine  ;  the  bright  influ- 
ences of  nature  fall  on  us,  and  our  disturbed  and  lowering  spirits  are 
made  clear  and  tranquil — turned  all  to  beauty  like  clouds  shone  on  by 
the  moon. 

This  beautiful  tribute  exhibits  the  mellow  charm  of 
that  essay  upon  an  American  mind.  I  follow  it  with  an 
extract  from  a  letter  of  the  distinguished  author  of  "  Ca- 
leb Williams,"  in  which  we  have  his  verdict  on  a  copy  of 
the  second  number,  which  had  been  transmitted  to  Lon- 
don from  New  York,  and  in  which  he  singles  out  the 
essay  on  "  Rural  Life  in  England "  for  special  commen- 
dation. This  letter  from  such  a  source  and  so  long  in 
advance  of  the  London  publication  of  the  "  Sketch  Book," 


312  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

has  a  marked  literary  interest.  I  found  it  among  Mr. 
lr\  tug's  papers,  to  whom  it  had  been  given  by  his  friend 
( >gilvie,  wlio  had  two  years  before  predicted  his  success- 
ful return  to  the  literary  arena. 

[To  James  Ogilvie.] 

Skinner  Street,  September  15,  1810. 
Dkar  Sir  : — 

You  desire  me  to  write  to  you  my  sentiments  on  reading  the  "Sketch 
Book,"  No.  II.,  and  I  most  willingly  comply  with  your  request. 

Everywhere  I  find  in  it  the  marks  of  a  mind  of  the  utmost  elegance  and 
refinement,  a  thing  as  you  know  that  I  was  not  exactly  prepared  to  look 
fur  in  an  American Each  of  the  essays  is  entitled  to  its  ap- 
propriate praise,  and  the  whole  is  such  as  I  scarcely  know  an  Englishman 
that  could  have  written.  The  author  powerfully  conciliates  to  himself 
our  kindness  and  affection.  But  the  essay  on  "Rural  Life  in  England" 
is  incomparably  the  best.  It  is,  I  believe,  all  true  ;  and  one  wonders, 
while  reading,  that  nobody  ever  said  this  before.     There  is  wonderful 

sweetness  in  it 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  Godwin. 

I  have  anticipated  a  little  in  giving  this  letter.  On  the 
13th  of  May,  four  months  before  its  date,  Mr.  Irving 
writes  to  Brevoort : — 

By  the  ship  which  brings  this,  I  forward  a  third  number  of  the  "  Sketch 
Book  : "  and  if  you  have  interested  yourself  in  the  fate  of  the  preceding, 
I  will  thank  you  to  extend  your  kindness  to  this  also.  I  am  extremely 
anxious  to  hear  from  you  what  you  think  of  the  first  number,  and  am 
looking  anxiously  for  the  arrival  of  the  next  ship  from  New  York.  Mj 
fate  hang.-,  on  it,  for  I  am  now  at  the  end  of  my  fortune. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  313 

It  was  not,  however,  until  July  that  his  suspense  was 
relieved,  and  he  received  the  letter  which  gave  Bre- 
voort's  opinion.  It  was  still  later  before  he  heard  of  the 
encouraging  reception  of  his  work  and  the  run  it  was 
having.  It  would  seem  from  an  intimation  in  a  letter  of 
Ogilvie,  that  the  author  was  painfully  depressed  during 
this  interval.  "  I  am  impatient,"  writes  that  gentleman, 
"  for  the  arrival  of  the  first  number  of  your  '  Sketch 
Book,'  because  I  feel  assured  that  nothing  else  is  want- 
ing to  restore  the  equipoise  of  your  mind,  the  steadiness 
of  your  intellectual  exertions,  and  to  prevent  those  occa- 
sional fits  of  depression  which  I  can  never  witness  or 
even  think  of,  without  feelings  of  sincere  and  even  pain- 
ful sympathy." 

The  following  letters  to  Brevoort  also  give  glimpses  of 
this  state  of  feeling : — 

Loroo*.  July  10,  1819. 
My  dear  Brevoort  : — 

I  received  a  few  days  since  your  letter  of  the  9th  June,  and  a  day  or 
two  afterwards  yours  of  2d  and  8th  May,  which  had  been  detained  in 
Liverpool.  This  last  gave  me  your  opinion  of  ray  first  number.  I  had 
felt  extremely  anxious  to  ascertain  it,  and  your  apparent  silence  had  dis- 
couraged me. 

I  am  not  sorry  for  the  delay  that  has  taken  place  in  the  publication,  as 
it  will  give  me  more  time  to  prepare  my  next  number.  Various  circum- 
stances have  concurred  to  render  me  very  nervous  and  subject  to  fits  of 
depression,  that  incapacitate  me  for  literary  exertion.  All  that  I  do  at 
present  is  in  transient  gleams  of  sunshine  which  are  soon  overclouded, 
and  I  have  to  struggle  against  continual  damps  and  chills.     I  hold  on 


;;l  I  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

my  purpose,  however,  in  hopes  of  more  genial  -weather  here- 
after,  when  I  will  be  able  to  exert  myself  more  effectively. 

It  is  a  long  time  >incc  1  have  heard  from  my  brother  William,  and  lam 
apt  to  attribute  his  silence  to  dissatisfaction  at  my  not  accepting  the  situ- 
•i  at  Washington  ;  a  circumstance  which  I  apprehend  has  disappointed 
f  my  friends.     In  these  matters,  however,  just  weight  should  be 
given  to  a  man's  tastes  and  inclinations.    The  value  of  a  situation  is  only 
as  it  contributes  to  a  man's  happiness,  and  I  should  have  been  perfectly 
out  of  my  i  Lement  and  uncomfortable  in  Washington.     The  place  could 
merely  haw  supported  me,  and  instead  of  rising,  as  my  friends  appeared 
■.I  should  have  sunk  even  in  my  own  opinion.     My  mode  of 
life  lias  unfortunately  been  such  as  to  render  me  unfit  for  almost  any  use- 
ful purpose.     I  have  not  the  kind  of  knowledge  or  the  habits  that  are 
ssary  for  business  or  regular  official  duty.     My  acquirements,  tastes, 
and  habits  are  just  such  as  to  adapt  me  for  the  kind  of  literary  exertions 
I  contemplate.    It  is  only  in  this  way  I  have  any  chance  of  acquiring  real 
reputation,  and  I  am  desirous  of  giving  it  a  fair  trial. 

I  feel  perfectly  satisfied  with  your  arrangements  respecting  the  work, 
and  more  than  ever  indebted  to  you  for  these  offices  of  friendship.  I 
have  delayed  drawing  on  you  until  I  should  hear  further  about  the  work, 

but  shall  have  to  do  so  soon 

Give  my  sincere  regards  to  Mrs.  Brevoort,  and  speak  a  good  word  for 
me  now  and  then  to  your  little  boy,  whom  I  hope  some  day  or  other  to 
f  ir  a  playmate. 
Remember  me   to  the  rest  of  your  domestic  circle,  and  believe  me 

as  ever, 

Affectionately  yours, 

W.  I. 

[To  Henry  Brevoort,  Esq.] 

London,  July  28,  1819. 
My  dear  Brevoort: — 

As  usual,  I  have  but  a  few  moments  left  to  scribble  a  line  before  this 
opportunity  departs  by  which  I  write.     I  have  seen  a  copy  of  the  first 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  315 

number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  which  was  sent  out  to  a  gentleman  of  my 
acquaintance.  I  cannot  but  express  how  much  more  than  ever  I  feel  my- 
self indebted  to  you  for  the  manner  in  which  you  have  attended  to  my 
concerns.  The  work  is  got  up  in  a  beautiful  style.  I  should  scarcely 
have  ventured  to  have  made  so  elegant  an  entree  had  it  been  left  to  my- 
self, for  I  had  lost  confidence  in  my  writings.  I  have  not  discovered  an 
error  in  the  printing,  and  indeed  have  felt  delighted  at  my  genteel  ap- 
pearance in  print.  I  would  observe  that  the  work  appears  to  be  a  little 
too  highly  pointed.  I  don't  know  whether  my  manuscript  was  so,  or 
whether  it  is  the  scrupulous  precision  of  the  printer.  High  pointing  is 
apt  to  injure  the  fluency  of  the  style  if  the  reader  attends  to  all  the 
stops. 

I  am  quite  pleased  that  the  work  has  experienced  delay,  as  it  gives  me 
time  to  get  up  materials  to  keep  the  series  going.  I  have  been  rather 
aflat  for  a  considerable  time  past,  and  able  to  do  nothing  with  my  pen.  I 
was  fearful  of  a  great  hiatus  in  the  early  part  of  my  work,  which  would 
have  been  a  disadvantage.  My  spirits  have  revived  recently,  and  I  trust, 
if  I  receive  favorable  accounts  of  the  work's  taking  in  America,  that  I 
shall  be  able  to  go  on  with  more  animation. 

I  bad  intended  to  despatch  a  number  by  this  ship.  It  is  all  written  out 
and  stitched  up,  but  as  I  find  you  will  not  stand  in  immediate  need  of  it, 
1  will  keep  it  by  me  for  a  few  days,  as  there  is  some  trivial  finishing  neces- 
sary. You  may  calculate  upon  receiving  it,  however,  by  one  of  the  first 
ships  that  sails  after  this. 

I  do  not  wish  any  given  time  to  elapse  between  the  numbers,  but  that 
they  should  appear  irregularly;  indeed,  the  precariousness  and  inequality 
of  my  own  fits  of  composition  will  prevent  that 

I  look  anxiously  for  your  letter  by  the  packet,  which  must  come  to 
hand  in  a  few  days;  and  trust  at  the  same  time  to  hear  something  of 
the  reception  of  my  work;  until  then  I  shall  continue  a  little  ner- 
vous  

Most  affectionately  yours, 

W.  L 


310  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

The  following  is  Brevoort's  reply  to  the  two  foregoing 
Letters: — 

Bloomingdale,  September  9,  1819. 
My  w.\k  Irving:— 

Just  as  I  was  preparing  to  answer  your  letter  of  the  10th  July,  I  had 
the  pleasure  to  receive  by  the  Amity  your  letter  of  the  28th  July. 

I  hope  we  shall  soon  receive  the  4th  number,  which  you  state  was 
Dearly  completed.  The  3d  number  will  be  published  on  Monday,  the 
loth.  We  were  retarded  a  few  days  by  not  getting  the  paper  from  Mr. 
Thomas.  The  orders  for  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore  were  for- 
warded this  day,  in  order  that  the  publication  may  be  contemporaneous 
— a  point  very  much  insisted  on  by  the  craft.  The  edition  of  the  first 
number  has  all  been  sold  ;  of  the  2d  number  only  150  copies  remain  un- 
sold.    The  demand  rises  in  every  quarter. 

Your  corrections  shall  be  carefully  inserted,  and  the  punctuation  some- 
what diminished.  It  was  not  owing  to  your  MS.,  but  to  the  scrupulous- 
ness of  Van  Winkle.  The  2d  edition  of  No.  1  will  be  sent  to  press  in  a 
few  days.     The  2d  edition  of  No.  2  will  also  follow  that  of  No.  1,  as  soon 

as  possible It  is  a  point  universally  agreed  upon  that  your 

work  is  an  honor  to  American  literature,  as  well  as  an  example  to  those 
who  aspire  to  a  correct  and  elegant  style  of  composition. 

By  the  James  Monroe  I  have  forwarded  to  Richards  five  copies  of 
No.  3 

I  think  you  are  mistaken  in  supposing  your  brother  "William  dissatis- 
fied respecting  the  Washington  affair.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  him  a  day 
or  two  since,  in  the  course  of  which  he  adverted  to  that  business,  and 
i.il  rather  to  have  yielded  to  the  justness  of  your  objections.  He  ex- 
pressed great  remorse  at  his  long  silence  to  you,  and  resolved  to  take  pea 
in  hand  and  write  you  a  long  epistle,  by  way  of  atonement.  He  retains 
his  old  habit  of  burdening  himself  with  a  world  of  unnecessary  cares  and 
vexations.  In  walking  the  street  he  seems  literally  bent  downward  with 
at  least  a  dozen  gratuitous  years  ;  yet  his  heart  is  as  mellow  and  his  sen' 
ilities  just  as  acute  as  ever. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  317 

The  third  number,  which  was  published  on  the  13th  of 
September,  consisted  of  four  articles  :  "  A  Royal  Poet ;  " 
"  The  Country  Church  ; "  "  The  Widow  and  her  Son," 
and  "  The  Boar's  Head  Tavern,  Eastcheap — a  Shake- 
spearian Research."  The  fourth  number,  which  Bre- 
voort  was  expecting  at  the  date  of  his  letter,  was  for- 
warded on  the  2d  August,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  follow- 
ing epistle  : — 

[To  Henry  Brevoort,  Esq.] 

London,  August  2,  1819. 

My  dear  Bkevoort  : — 

I  forward  "  Sketch  Book,"  No.  4,  to  my  brother  E.  Irving 

I  send  the  present  number  with  reluctance,  for  it  has  grown  exceeding 
stale  with  me;  part  of  it  laid  by  me  during  a  time  that  I  was  out  of 
spirits  and  could  not  complete  it. 

So  much  time  has  elapsed,  however,  that  I  dare  not  delay  any  longer. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  get  up  another  number  immediately,  having  part  of 
the  materials  prepared.  Should  you,  at  any  time  think  any  article  so  in- 
different as  to  be  likely  to  affect  the  reputation  of  the  work,  you  may  use 
your  discretion  in  omitting  it,  and  delaying  the  number  until  the  arrival 
of  my  next  number,  out  of  which  you  can  take  an  article  to  supply  the 
deficiency. 

I  write  in  great  haste,  and  am  as  ever, 

Affectionately  yours, 

W.I. 

The  number  here  transmitted  consisted  of  three  ar- 
ticles :  "The  Mutability  of  Literature;"  "The  Spectre 
Bridegroom,"  and  "John  Bull ;  "  but  this  last  was  after- 


318  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

wards   reserved  for  the  sixth,  and  the  essay  on  "  Bural 
Funerals"  was  substituted  for  it. 


[  To  Henry  Brevoort,  Esq.  ] 

London,  Angust  12, 1819. 
My  dbab  Rkeyoort  : — 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  July  9th,  which  has  given  me  infinite 

gratification  ;  but  I  have  not  time  to  reply  to  it  as  I  could  wish.     I  wrote 

i   lately,  i  ixpressing  how  much  I  was  delighted  by  the  manner  in 

which  you  got  up  my  work;  the  favorable  reception  it  has  met  with  is 

extremely  encouraging,  and  repays  me  for  much  doubt  and  anxiety. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  my  brother  Ebenezer,  that  you  think 
my  se<  <  tid  number  better  than  the  first.  The  manner  in  which  you  have 
spoken  of  several  of  the  articles  is  also  very  serviceable;  it  lets  me  know 
where  I  make  a  right  hit,  and  will  serve  to  govern  future  exertions. 

I  regret  that  you  did  not  send  me  at  least  half  a  dozen  copies  of  the 
work  ;  I  am  sadly  tantalized,  having  but  barely  the  single  copy.  I  have 
not  made  any  determination  about  republishing  in  this  country,  and  shall 
ask  advice,  if  I  can  meet  with  any  one  here  who  can  give  it  me  :  but  my 
literary  acquaintance  is  very  limited  at  present.  I  wish  you  would  in- 
quire, and  let  me  know  how  the  "  Ilistory  of  New  York  "  sells,  as  Thomas 
is  rather  negligent  in  giving  me  information  about  it.  Let  him  have  his 
own  time  in  settling  for  it. 

You  observe  that  the  public  complain  of  the  price  of  my  work  ;  this  is 
the  disadvantage  of  coming  in  competition  with  republished  English 
works,  for  which  the  booksellers  have  not  to  pay  anything  to  the  authors. 
If  the  American  public  wish  to  have  a  literature  of  their  own,  they  must 
consent  to  pay  for  the  support  of  authors.  A  work  of  the  same  size,  and 
got  tip  in  the  same  way  as  my  first  number,  would  sell  for  more  in  Eng- 
land, and  the  cost  of  printing,  etc.,  would  be  less 

I  drew  on  you  lately,  in  favor  of  Mr.  Samuel  Williams,  at  thirty  days' 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  319 

sight,  for  $1,000.  General  Boyd  bought  the  draft,  and  I  have  the 
money 

I  feel  very  much  obliged  by  Verplanck's  notice  of  my  work  in  the 
"  Analectic;"  and  very  much  encouraged  to  find  it  meets  with  his  appro- 
bation.    I  know  no  one's  taste  to  whom  I  would  more  thoroughly  defer. 

You  suppose  me  to  be  on  the  continent,  but  I  shall  not  go  for  soma 
time  yet;  and  you  may  presume  on  letters,  etc.,  finding  me  in  Eng- 
land  

Four  days  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  in  which  he  had 
forwarded  a  correction  for  "  John  Bull,"  he  sends  his 
essay  on  "  Rural  Funerals,"  to  be  substituted  for  that 
article ;  a  rapid  effusion,  to  which  he  had  been  stimulated 
by  Brevoort  and  Ebenezer's  letters,  communicating  the 
favorable  reception  of  his  first  number,  their  opinion  of 
the  superiority  of  the  second,  and  the  popularity  of  the 
pathetic  element  in  his  compositions. 

[To  Brevoort.] 

London,  August  16, 1819. 
Dear  Brevoort  : — 

In  great  haste  I  inclose  you  an  essay,  which  I  have  just  scribbled,  and 
which  I  wish  inserted  in  the  fourth  number  in  place  of  one  of  the  articles, 
as  I  am  afraid  the  number  has  too  great  a  predominance  of  the  humorous. 
You  may  insert  it  in  place  of  "John  Bull,"  and  keep  that  article  for  the 
fifth  number.  I  have  not  had  time  to  give  this  article  a  proper 
finishing,  and  wish  you  to  look  sharp  that  there  are  not  blunders  and 
tautologies  in  it.  It  has  been  scribbled  off  hastily,  and  part  of  it  actually 
in  a  church-yard  in  a  recent  ramble  into  the  country. 

The  unnamed  essay  here  sent,  was  "Eural  Funerals.'1 


320  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

He  had  forwarded  a  correction  for  "John  Bull"  on  the 
12th  of  August,  and  on  the  16th  he  is  putting  that  aside 
for  this,  which  must  have  been  prepared  in  the  interim. 
Part  of  it,  the  letter  informs  us,  was  written  in  a  church- 
yard, on  a  ramble  into  the  country;  and  part,  I  have 
heard  from  his  own  lips,  was  written  at  Miller's,  where 
he  stopped  in  at  early  dawn,  feverish  and  excited,  after 
having  been  all  night  at  a  dance,  and  borrowed  pen  and 
paper  to  jot  down  his  "thick-coming  fancies,"  some  of 
which  no  doubt  were  brought  from  memories  of  the  past. 

In  your  sketch  of  "Rural  Funerals"  (writes  Mrs.  Hoffman  to  him),  I 
recognized  a  scene  which  you  have  related  in  a  very  touching  manner. 
It  surprises  me  to  see  that  your  memory  is  as  tenacious  as  mine— some 
things  are  so  deeply  fixed  there,  which  passed  without  striking  others 
nearly  interested.  I  should  think  your  mind  would  be  relieved  by  writ- 
ing off  these  melancholy  feelings. 

About  three  weeks  after  he  had  despatched  this  essay, 
he  receives  two  parcels  from  America,  containing  copies 
of  the  first  and  second  numbers  of  the  "  Sketch  Book," 
and  a  letter  from  Brevoort,  inclosing  commendatory  no- 
tices of  the  press.  I  give  his  touching  and  characteristic 
reply :— 

London,  September  9,  1819. 

My  bear  Buevoort : — 

I  have  received  this  morning  a  parcel  from  Liverpool,  containing  two 
parcels  from  you — one  of  four  of  the  first  number,  and  the  other,  five  of  the 
second  number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  with  your  letter  per  courier.  The 
second  number  is  got  up  still  more  beautifully  than  the  first.  I  cannot 
express  to  ycu  how  much  I  am  delighted  with  the  very  tasteful  manner 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  321 

in  which  it  is  executed.  You  may  tell  Mr.  Van  Winkle  that  it  docs  him 
great  credit,  and  has  been  much  admired  here  as  a  specimen  of  American 
typography;  and  among  the  admirers  is  Murray,  the  "prince  of  book- 
sellers," so  famous  for  his  elegant  publications.  Indeed,  the  manner  in 
which  you  have  managed  the  whole  matter  gives  me  infinite  gratiiication. 
You  have  put  my  writings  into  circulation,  and  arranged  the  pecuniary 
concerns  in  such  a  way  as  to  save  future  trouble  and  petty  chafferings 
about  accounts,  and  to  give  the  whole  an  independent  and  gentlemanlike 
air.  I  would  rather  sacrifice  fifty  per  cent,  than  have  to  keep  accounts, 
and  dun  booksellers  for  payment. 

The  manner  in  which  the  work  has  been  received,  and  the  eulo°nums 
that  have  been  passed  upon  it  in  the  American  papers  and  periodical 
works,  have  completely  overwhelmed  me.  They  go  far,  far  beyond  my 
most  sanguine  expectations  ;  and,  indeed,  are  expressed  with  such  pecu- 
liar warmth  and  kindness,  as  to  affect  me  in  the  tenderest  manner.  The 
receipt  of  your  letter,  and  the  reading  of  some  of  those  criticisms  this 
morning,  have  rendered  me  nervous  for  the  whole  day.  I  feel  almost  ap- 
palled by  such  success,  and  fearful  that  it  cannot  be  real,  or  that  it  is  not 
fully  merited,  or  that  I  shall  not  act  up  to  the  expectations  that  may  be 
formed.  We  are  whimsically  constituted  beings.  I  had  got  out  of  con- 
ceit of  all  that  I  had  written,  and  considered  it  very  questionable  stuff ; 
and  now  that  it  is  so  extravagantly  be-praised,  I  begin  to  feel  afraid  that 
I  shall  not  do  as  well  again.  However,  we  shall  see  as  we  get  on.  As 
yet  I  am  extremely  irregular  and  precarious  in  my  fits  of  composition. 
The  least  thing  puts  me  out  of  the  vein,  and  even  applause  flurries 
me,  and  prevents  my  writing  ;  though,  of  course,  it  will  ultimately  be  a 
stimulus. 

I  hope  you  will  not  attribute  all  this  sensibility  to  the  kind  reception 
I  have  met  with  to  an  author's  vanity.  I  am  sure  it  proceeds  from  very 
different  sources.  Vanity  could  not  bring  the  tears  into  my  eyes,  as  they 
have  been  brought  by  the  kindness  of  my  countrymen.  I  have  felt  cast 
down,  blighted,  and  broken-spirited,  and  these  sudden  rays  of  sunshine 
agitate  even  more  than  they  revive  me. 
vol.  i. — 21 


3-jo  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

\  hope — I  hope  I  may  yet  do  something  more  worthy  of  the  approba- 
t  i •  >i i  lavished  on  me 

Give  my  best  regards  to  your  wife,  and  remember  me  heartily  to  the 
little  circle  of  our  peculiar  intimacy. 

I  am,  my  dear  Brevoort, 

Yours  affectionately, 


W.  1. 

It  was  probably  under  the  influence  of  this  encourag- 
ing news  that  he  wrote,  four  days  after,  the  following 
familiar  and  playful  letter  to  Leslie,  then  on  a  visit  to 
some  Quaker  friends  in  Wales.  They  had  been  living 
near  together  and  meeting  almost  every  day ;  and  this 
letter  is  pleasantly  indicative  of  the  perfect  cordiality 
and  freedom  that  existed  between  them.  Newton  cuts 
quite  a  figure  in  it.  The  others  who  are  mentioned,  be- 
longed to  an  American  ciicle  in  London,  in  which  Irving, 
Leslie,  and  Newton  seem  to  have  mingled  in  easy  famil- 
iarity. 

London,  September  13,  1810. 

You  Leslie  !— What  is  the  reason  you  have  not  let  us  hear  from  you 
since  you  set  out  on  your  travels  ?  We  have  been  in  great  anxiety  lest 
you  should  have  started  from  London  on  some  other  route  of  that  six-inch 
square  map  of  the  world  which  you  consulted,  and  through  the  mistake 
of  a  hair's  breadth  may  have  wandered,  the  Lord  knows  where. 

Eere  have  been  sad  evolutions  and  revolutions  since  you  left  us.  New- 
ton had  his  three  shirts  and  six  collars  packed  up  in  half  of  a  saddle- 
bag for  several  days,  with  the  intention  of  accompanying  Lyman,  Ever- 
ett, and  Charles  Williams  to  Liverpool,  and  returning  with  the  lifter 
through  Wales,  in  which  case  they  intended  beating  up  your  quarters, 
and  endeavoring  to  surprise  you  with  your  mahl  stick  turned  into  a  shep- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  323 

herd's  crook,  sighing  at  the  feet  of  Miss  Maine.  Newton  did  nothing, 
for  two  or  three  days,  but  scamper  up  and  down  between  Finsbury  Square 
and  Sloane  Street,  like  a  cat  in  a  panic,  taking  leave  of  everybody  in  the 
morning,  and  calling  upon  them  again  in  the  evening,  when  to  his  aston- 
ishment ho  found  Charles  Williams  had  the  private  intention  of  embark- 
ing for  America.  Charles  has  actually  sailed,  and  Newton,  instead  of 
his  Welsh  tour,  accompanied  me  on  a  tour  to  Deptford  and  Eltham.  He 
has  now  resumed  his  station  at  the  head  of  Sloane  Street.  Jones  has 
taken  possession  of  the  bottom,  and  between  them  both  I  expect  they 
will  tie  the  two  ends  of  the  street  into  a  true  lover's  knot.  For  my  part 
I  have  been  almost  good  for  nothing  since  your  departure,  and  would 
not  pass  another  summer  in  London  if  they  would  make  me  Lord 
Mayor. 

I  have  received  the  second  number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  and  shall  be 
quite  satisfied  if  I  deserve  half  the  praise  they  give  me  in  the  American 
journals  ;  but  they  always  overdo  these  matters  in  America.  I  am  glad 
to  find  the  second  number  pleases  more  than  the  first.  The  sale  is  very 
rapid,  and,  altogether,  the  success  exceeds  my  most  sanguine  expectation. 
Now  you  suppose  I  am  all  on  the  alert,  and  full  of  spirit  and  excitement. 
No  such  thing.  I  am  just  as  good  for  nothing  as  ever  I  was  ;  and,  in- 
deed, have  been  flurried  and  put  out  of  my  way  by  these  puffings.  I  feel 
something  as  I  suppose  you  did  when  your  picture  met  with  success — 
anxious  to  do  something  better,  and  at  a  loss  what  to  do. 

But  enough  of  egotism.  Let  me  know  how  you  find  yourself  ;  how 
you  like  Wales  ;  what  you  are  doing  ;  and  especially,  when  you  intend 
to  return.  I  hope  you  will  not  remain  away  much  longer.  Newton's 
manikin  has  at  length  arrived,  and  he  is  to  have  it  home  in  a  few  days, 
when  it  is  to  be  hoped  he  will  give  up  rambling  abroad,  and  stay  at  home, 
drink  tea,  and  play  the  flute  to  the  lady.  William  Macdougall  means  to 
give  her  a  tea-party,  and  it  is  expected  she  will  be  introduced  into  com- 
pany with  as  much  eclat  as  Peregrine  Pickle's  protegee.  I  have  no^v 
fairly  filled  my  sheet  with  nonsense,  and  craving  a  speedy  reply. 

I  am  yours, 

W.I. 


324  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

It  must  have  been  about  the  date  of  this  letter  that 
Mr.  Irving's  sympathizing  friend,  Ogilvie,  left  with  God- 
win, for  his  critical  opinion  one  of  the  copies  of  No.  II. 
of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  which,  as  we  have  seen,  the  au- 
thor had  received  a  few  days  before  from  New  York.  I 
have  already  given  Godwin's  letter,  which  may  be  taken 
as  the  first  sound  of  that  cheering  voice  which  was  soon 
to  greet  him  from  the  English  public. 

Ten  days  after  Godwin  had  written  his  critical  ap- 
probation of  No.  II.,  the  "London  Literary  Gazette," 
a  weekly  periodical,  commenced  a  republication  of  the 
sketches  from  No.  I.,  which  was  continued  through  two 
successive  issues.  A  copy  of  the  third  number  also 
reached  England,  and  it  was  said  that  a  London  book- 
seller was  about  to  have  these  separate  portions  printed 
in  a  collective  form.  It  had  not  been  the  intention  of 
the  author  to  publish  them  in  England,  conscious  that 
much  of  their  contents  could  be  interesting  only  to 
American  readers,  and  having  a  distrust  of  their  being 
able  to  stand  the  severity  of  British  criticism;  but  he 
now  determined  to  revise  and  bring  them  forward  him- 
self, that  they  might  at  least  come  correctly  before  the 
public.  The  rest  shall  be  told  in  his  own  words,  as  given 
in  his  preface  to  the  revised  edition  of  the  "Sketch 
Book  "  of  1848  :— 

I  accordingly  took  the  printed  numbers  which  I  had  received  from  the 
United  States,  to  Mr.  John  Murray,  the  eminent  publisher,  from  whom  I 
had  already  received  friendly  attentions,  and  left  them  with  him  for  ex- 
amination, informing  him  that  should  he  be  inclined  to  bring  them  be- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  325 

fore  the  public,  I  had  materials  enough  on  hand  for  a  second  volume. 
Several  days  having  elapsed  without  any  communication  from  Mr.  Mur- 
ray, I  addressed  a  note  to  him,  in  which  I  construed  his  silence  into  a 
tacit  rejection  of  my  work,  and  begged  that  the  numbers  I  had  left  with 
him  might  be  returned  to  me.     The  following  was  his  reply  :  — 

My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  entreat  you  to  believe  that  I  feel  truly  obliged  by  your  kind  intentions 
towards  me,  and  that  I  entertain  the  most  unfeigned  respect  for  your 
most  tasteful  talents.  My  house  is  completely  filled  with  work-people  at 
this  time,  and  I  have  only  an  office  to  transact  business  in  ;  and  yesterday 
I  was  wholly  occupied,  or  I  should  have  done  myself  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing you. 

If  it  would  not  suit  me  to  engage  in  the  publication  of  your  present 
work,  it  is  only  because  I  do  not  see  that  scope  in  the  nature  of  it  which 
would  enable  me  to  make  those  satisfactory  accounts  between  us,  without 
which  I  really  feel  no  satisfaction  in  engaging  ;  but  I  will  do  all  that  I 
can  to  promote  their  circulation,  and  shall  be  most  ready  to  attend  to  any 
future  plan  of  yours.     With  much  regard,  I  remain,  dear  sir, 

Your  faithful  servant, 

John  Murray. 

The  letter  here  given  is  now  before  me  ;  it  is  without 
date  by  Murray,  but  is  marked  in  the  author's  hand- 
writing, October  27,  1819.  It  bears  also  this  later  in- 
dorsement by  him,  made  probably  in  1848  at  the  time  he 
transcribed  it  for  the  preface  to  his  revised  edition  of 
the  "  Sketch  Book," — "  Letter  from  Murray  declining  the 
publication  of  the  '  Sketch  Book,'  after  I  had  sent  him 
the  first  three  or  four  numbers  of  the  American  edition  in 
print,  comprising  the  first  volume."     It  is  manifest  from 


326  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

this  indorsement  that  the  author  was  a  little  at  fault  as 

fi>  the  precise  contents  submitted  to  Murray's  inspection, 

1 1  if  none  but  printed  numbers  of  the  American  edition 

re  handed  to  the  great  bibliopolist,  the  fourth  number 

dd  not  have  been  included,  for  that  was  not  published 

in  America  until  November  10,  a  fortnight  after  his  de- 

clension,  and   did  not,  in  fact,  reach  England  until   the 

i     -inning  of  January,  more  than  two  months  later.     It 

is  not  a  point,  however,  upon  which  I  lay  any  stress. 

Mr.  Irving  intimates  in  his  preface,  that  after  this  he 
might  have  been  deterred  from  any  further  prosecution 
of  the  matter,  had  the  question  of  republication  in  Great 
Britain  rested  entirely  with  him :  but  he  apprehended 
the  appearance  of  a  spurious  edition.  I  find  no  trace  in 
his  letters  of  discouragement  under  the  disheartening 
d  cision,  for  only  four  days  later  he  writes  to  his  brother 
Ebenezor:  "I  intend  republishing  in  this  country,  the 
work  having  been  favorably  received  by  such  as  have 
seen  it  here,  and  extracts  having  been  made  from  it  with 
encomiums  in  some  of  the  periodical  works."  And  now, 
recalling  the  cordial  reception  he  had  experienced  from 
Scott  at  Abbotsford,  the  impression  made  upon  him  by 
his  manners  and  conversation,  and  the  favorable  opinion 
he  had  expressed  of  his  Knickerbocker,  he  turned  to  him 
in  his  perplexity,  and  sent  him  the  printed  numbers  of 
the  "  Sketch  Book,"  with  a  letter  in  which  he  observed 
that  since  he  had  the  pleasure  of  partaking  of  his  hospi- 
tality, a  reverse  had  taken  place  in  his  affairs  which  made 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  327 

the  exercise  of  his  pen  important  to  him.  He  begged 
him,  therefore,  to  look  over  the  literary  articles  he  had 
forwarded  to  him,  and  if  he  thought  they  would  bear 
European  publication,  to  ascertain  whither  Mr.  Con- 
stable would  be  inclined  to  be  the  publisher. 

"The  parcel  containing  my  work,"  says  the  preface, 
"went  by  coach  to  Scott's  address  in  Edinburgh;  the 
letter  went  by  mail  to  his  residence  in  the  country.  By 
the  very  first  post  I  received  a  reply." 

This  reply,  of  which  the  preface  contains  some  ex- 
tracts, I  transcribe  in  full : — 

November  17,  1819. 
My  dear  Sib  : — 

I  was  down  at  Kelso  when  your  letter  reached  Abbotsford.  I  am  now 
on  my  way  to  town,  and  will  converse  with  Constable  and  do  all  in  my 
power  to  forward  your  views  ;  I  assure  you  nothing  will  give  me  more 
pleasure. 

I  am  now  to  mention  a  subject  in  which  I  take  a  most  sincere  interest. 
You  have  not  only  the  talents  necessary  for  making  a  figure  in  literature, 
but  also  the  power  of  applying  them  readily  and  easily,  and  want  nothing 
but  a  sphere  of  action  in  which  to  exercise  them.  Let  me  put  the  ques- 
tion to  you  without  hesitation  :  Would  you  have  any  objection  to  super- 
intend an  Anti-Jacobin  periodical  publication  which  will  appear  weekly 
in  Edinburgh,  supported  by  the  most  respectable  talent,  and  amply  fur- 
nished with  all  the  necessary  information  ?  The  appointment  of  the 
editor  (for  which  ample  funds  are  provided)  will  be  £500  a  year  certain, 
with  the  reasonable  prospect  of  further  advantages.  I  foresee  this  may 
be  involving  you  in  a  warfare  you  care  not  to  meddle  with,  cr  that  your 
view  of  politics  may  not  suit  the  tone  it  is  desired  to  adopt  ;  yet  I  risk 
tho  question  because  I  know  no  man  so  well  qualified  for  this  important 
task,  and  perhaps  because  it  will  necessarily  bring  you  to  Edinburgh.     If 


328  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

my  proposal  does  not  suit,  you  need  only  keep  the  matter  secret  and 
there  La  no  harm  done  ;  "  and  for  my  love  I  pray  you  wrong  me  not."  If, 
on  the  contrary,  you  think  it  could  be  made  to  suit  you,  let  me  know  as 
soon  as  possible,  addressing  Castle  St.,  Edinburgh. 

I  have  not  yet  got  your  parcel.  I  fancy  I  shall  find  it  in  Edinburgh 
1  wish  I  were  as  sure  of  seeing  you  there  with  the  resolution  of  taking  a 
lift  of  this  same  journal.  One  thing  I  may  hint,  that  some  of  your  coad- 
jutors being  young  though  clever  men,  may  need  a  bridle  rather  than  a 
spur,  and  in  this  I  have  the  greatest  reliance  on  your  prudence.  I  my- 
self have  no  more  interest  in  the  matter  than  I  have  in  the  "Quarterly 
Iu  \  Lew,"  which  I  aided  in  setting  afloat. 

Excuse  this  confidential  scrawl,  which  was  written  in  great  haste  when 
1  understood  the  appointment  was  still  open,  and  believe  me, 

Most  truly  yours, 

Walter  Scott. 

This  is  dated  Abbotsford,  Monday.  In  a  postscript 
dated  Edinburgh,  Tuesday,  lie  adds  : — 

I  am  just  come  here  and  have  glanced  over  the  "  Sketch  Book  ;  "  it  is 
positively  beautiful,  and  increases  my  desire  to  crimp  you  if  it  be  possi- 
ble. Some  difficulties  there  always  are  in  managing  such  a  matter,  espe- 
cially at  the  outset.  But  we  will  obviate  them  as  much  as  we  possibly 
can. 

I  find  among  the  author's  papers  the  "imperfect  draft" 
of  his  reply,  to  which  he  alludes  in  the  preface  as  having 
undergone  some  modifications  in  the  copy  sent ;  and  as  I 
have  given  the  whole  of  Scott's  letter,  I  copy  this  too  in 
full. 

I  tv  dear  Sir  : — 

I  cannot  express  how  much  I  am  gratified  by  your  letter.  I  had  begun 
t  i  feel  as  if  I  had  taken  an  unwarrantable  liberty,  but  somehow  or  other 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  329 

there  is  a  genial  sunshine  about  you  that  warms  every  creeping  thing  into 
heart  and  confidence.  Your  literary  proposal  both  surprises  and  flatters 
me,  as  it  evinces  a  much  higher  opinion  of  my  talents  than  I  have  myself. 
I  am  peculiarly  unfitted  for  the  post  proposed.  I  have  no  strong  political 
prejudices,  for  though  born  and  brought  up  a  republican,  and  convinced 
that  it  is  the  best  form  of  government  for  my  own  country,  yet  I  feel  my 
poetical  associations  vividly  aroused  by  the  old  institutions  of  this  coun- 
try, and  should  feel  as  sorry  to  see  them  injured  or  subverted  as  I  would 
to  see  Windsor  Castle  or  Westminster  Abbey  demolished  to  make  way  for 
brick  tenements. 

But  I  have  a  general  dislike  to  politics.  I  have  always  shunned  them 
in  my  own  country,  and  have  lately  declined  a  lucrative  post  under  my 
own  government,  and  one  that  opened  the  door  to  promotion,  merely 
because  I  was  averse  to  political  life,  and  to  being  subjected  to  regular 
application  and  local  confinement. 

My  whole  course  of  life  has  been  desultory,  and  I  am  unfitted  for  any 
periodically  recurring  task,  or  any  stipulated  labor  of  body  or  mind.  I 
have  no  command  of  my  talents  such  as  they  are,  and  have  to  watch  the 
varyings  of  my  mind  as  I  would  a  weathercock.  Practice  and  training 
may  bring  me  more  into  rule  ;  but  at  present  I  am  as  useless  for  regular 
service  as  one  of  my  own  country  Indians  or  a  Don  Cossack. 

I  must,  therefore,  keep  on  pretty  much  as  I  have  begun — writing  when 
I  can,  not  when  I  would.  I  shall  occasionally  shift  my  residence,  and 
write  whatever  is  suggested  by  objects  before  me,  or  whatever  runs  in  my 
imagination  ;  and  hope  to  write  better  and  more  copiously  by  and  by. 

I  am  playing  the  egotist,  but  I  know  no  better  way  of  answering  your 
proposal  but  by  showing  what  a  very  good-for-nothing  kind  of  being  I 
am.  Should  Mr.  Constable  feel  inclined  to  make  a  bargain  for  the  wares 
I  at  present  have  on  hand,  he  will  encourage  me  to  further  enterprise  ; 
and  it  will  be  something  like  bargaining  with  a  gypsy,  who  may  one 
time  have  but  a  wooden  bowl  to  sell,  and  at  another  a  silver  tankard. 

The  following  is  Scott's  considerate  reply,  in  which  he 


330  TJFE  AND  LETTERS 

enters  into  a  detail  of   the  various  terms  upon  which 
ka  were  published,  that  his  correspondent  might  take 
his  choice  of  them  : — 

Edinburgh,  December  4, 1819. 
My  deae  Sir  : — 

I  am  sorry  but  not  surprised  that  you  do  not  find  yourself  inclined  to 

in  the  troublesome  duty  in  which  I  would  haYe  been  well  con- 

tented  to  engage  you.    I  have  very  little  doubt  that  Constable  would  most 

willingly  be  your  publisher,  and  I  think  I  could  show  him  how  his  in- 

:  is  most  strongly  concerned  in  it.     But  I  do  not  exactly  feel  empow- 

.  to  state  anything  to  him  on  the  subject  except  very  generally.  There 
are,  you  know,  various  modes  of  settling  with  a  publisher.  Sometimes  he 
gives  a  sum  of  money  for  the  copyright.  But  more  frequently  he  relieves 
the  author  of  all  expense,  and  divides  what  he  calls  the  free  profit  on  the 
editions  as  they  arise.      There  is  something  fair  in  this,  and  advanta- 

is  for  both  parties  ;  for  the  author  receives  a  share  of  profit  exactly 
in  proportion  to  the  popularity  of   his  work,  and  the  bookseller  is  re- 

sd  of  the  risk  which  always  attends  a  purchase  of  copyright,  and  has 
more  rapid  returns  of  his  capital.  In  general,  however,  he  contrives  to 
take  the  lion's  share  of  the  booty  ;  for,  first,  he  is  always  desirous  to 
delay  settlement  till  the  edition  sells  off,  and  if  disposed  to  be  unfair 
(which  I  never  found  Constable)  he  can  contrive  that  there  be  such  a 

rre  of  the  edition  as  shall  put  off  the  term  of  accounting,  to  him 

.  •iart  d'hcure  de  Rabelais  au  Gnecas  Kalendas  ;  2dly,  the  half  profits 
are  thus  accounted  for :  Print,  paper,  and  advertising  are  usually  made 

mount  to  about  one  third  of  the  whole  price  of  the  edition,  and 
one  third  is  deducted  as  allowance  to  the  retail  trade.     The  bookseller 

illy  renders  something  about  the  remaining  third  as  divisible  profit 
betwixt  the  author  and  himself  ;  so  that  upon  a  guinea  volume  the  author 
receives  three  and  sixpence.  In  cases  where  a  rapid  sale  is  expected,  book- 
sellers  will  give  better  terms  ;  for  example,  they  will  grant  bills  for  the 
author's  share  of  profit  at  perhaps  nine  or  twelve  months'  date,  and  thus 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  331 

insure  him  against  delay  of  settlements.  They  have  also  been  made  to 
lower  or  altogether  abandon  the  charge  of  advertising,  which  in  fact  is 
a  stump  charge  which  booksellers  make  against  the  author,  of  which 
they  never  lay  out  one  sixth  part,  because  they  advertise  all  their  produc- 
tions in  one  advertisement,  and  charge  the  expense  of  doing  so  against 
every  separate  work  though  there  may  be  twenty  of  them,  from  which 
you  can  easily  see  he  must  be  a  great  gainer.  Xow  this  is  all  I  know  of 
bookselling  as  practiced  by  the  most  respectable  of  the  trade,  and  I  am 
certain  that  under  the  system  of  half  profits  in  one  of  its  modifications 
Constable  wUl  be  happy  to  publish  for  you.  I  am  certain  the  ' '  Sketch 
Book  "  could  be  published  here  with  great  advantage  ;  it  is  a  delightful 
work.  Knickerbocker  and  "Salmagundi "  are  more  exclusively  American, 
and  may  not  be  quite  so  well  suited  for  our  meridian.  But  they  are  so 
excellent  in  their  way,  that  if  the  public  attention  could  be  once  turned 
on  them  I  am  confident  that  they  would  become  popular  ;  but  there  is  the 
previous  objection  to  overcome.  Xow  you  see,  my  dear  sir,  the  ground  ou 
which  you  stand.  I  therefore  did  no  more  than  cpen  trenches  with  Con- 
stable, but  I  am  sure  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  write  to  him,  you  will 
find  him  disposed  to  treat  your  overture  with  every  degree  of  attention. 
Or  if  you  think  it  of  consequence  in  the  first  place  to  see  me,  I  shall  be  in 
London  in  the  course  of  a  month,  and  whatever  my  experience  can  com- 
mand is  most  heartdy  at  your  service.  But  I  can  add  little  to  what  T 
have  said  above,  excepting  my  earnest  recommendation  to  Constable  to 
enter  into  the  negotiation. 

In  my  hurry  I  have  not  thanked  you  in  Sophia's  name  for  the  kind 
attention  which  furnished  her  with  the  American  volumes.*  I  am  not 
quite  sure  I  can  add  my  own,  since  you  have  made  her  acquainted  with 
much  more  of  papa's  folly  than  she  would  ever  otherwise  have  learned, 
for  I  had  taken  special  care  they  should  never  see  any  of  these  things 
during  their  earlier  years.  I  think  I  told  you  that  Walter  is  sweeping 
the  firmament  with  a  feather  like  a  May-pole,  and  indenting  the  pave- 

*  An  American  edition  of  his  own  poems. 


3.32  LIFI:  AXD  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

men!  with  ;v  sword  like  a  scythe  ;  in  other  words,  he  is  become  a  whis- 
ks red  hussar  in  the  18th  dragoons.  Trusting  to  see  you  soon,  I  am 
always,  my  dear  sir, 

Most  truly  yours, 

Walter  Scott. 

"  Before  the  receipt  of  this  most  obliging  letter,"  says 
Mr.  Irving  in  his  preface,  "  I  had  determined  to  look  to 
no  leading  bookseller  for  a  launch,  but  to  throw  my  work 
before  the  public  at  my  own  risk,  and  let  it  sink  or  swim 
according  to  its  merits."  But  though  he  had  come  to 
this  resolution  before  the  receipt  of  Scott's  letter,  it  was 
not  until  the  9th  of  the  succeeding  month  that  his  con- 
tract with  Miller  took  a  written  form  and  the  latter  un- 
dertook to  proceed  with  the  publication.  "  I  have  just 
made  arrangements  to  have  a  volume  of  the  '  Sketch 
Book'  published  here,"  he  writes  to  his  brother  Eben- 
ezer  from  London,  January  13th.  "I  expect  the  first 
proof-sheet  to-day,  and  the  volume  will  be  published  in 
about  a  month.  If  the  experiment  succeeds  I  shall  fol- 
low it  up  by  another  volume." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


EBENEZER  IRVING  TAKES  CHARGE  OF  HIS  LITERARY  CONCERNS  IN  AMERICA. — 
TRANSMITS  NO.  V.  TO  HIM,  CONSISTING  OF  "CHRISTMAS." — WRITTEN  FOB 
PECULIAR  TASTES. — TRANSMITS  NO.  VI.  — "  LEGEND  OF  SLEEPY  HOLLOW." 
— THE  FIRST  FOUR  NUMBERS  PUBLISHED  IN  ENGLAND  BY  MILLER. — AU- 
THOR'S ADVERTISEMENT  TO  THE  EDITION. — LETTER  OF  SCOTT  ON  THE  SUB- 
JECT.— PASSAGE  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  LESLIE. — FAILURE  OF  MILLER. — MUR- 
RAY TAKES  "SKETCH  BOOK"  IN  HAND. — A  PEEP  INTO  HIS  DRAWING-ROOM. 
— LETTER  TO  JAMES  K.  PAULDING. — GIFFORD,  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  "QUAR- 
TERLY REVIEW." — SCOTT.— VIEWS  OF  MATRIMONY. — DECATUR. — ENGLISH 
EDITION  OF  A  SECOND  VOLUME  OF  THE  "SKETCH  BOOK"  COMMENCED. — 
TRANSMITS  NO.  VII.  TO  NEW  YORK. — THE  LAST  OF  THE  AMERICAN  SERIES. 
— PUBLICATION  OF  SECOND  VOLUME  IN  LONDON. — ALLUSION  TO  LOCK- 
HART'S  REVIEW  OF  KNICKERBOCKER  IN  "BLACKWOOD." — LETTER  TO  BRE- 
VOORT. — BELZONI. — HALLAM. — ABOUT  TO  CROSS  THE  CHANNEL. — YEARN- 
INGS  FOR   HOME. 


RAVING  anticipated  a  little  in  giving  the  letters 
of  Scott  in  the  preceding  chapter,  I  now  go 
back  in  my  narrative  to  a  period  just  succeed- 
ing the  author's  receipt  of  the  great  publisher's  "  civil 
note  "  of  refusal,  when  Brevoort  was  writing  to  him  :  "  I 
wish  you  would  permit  Murray  to  publish  your  work." 
At  this  time  Brevoort  was  about  to  leave  for  Charleston, 
where  he  was  to  spend  the  winter,  and  had  written  to 
Mr.  Irving :   "  After   distributing  the    fourth   number  I 

333 


334  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

11  settle  accounts  with  the  purchasers  as  well  as  with 
the  printer,  and  advise  you  of  the  balance  in  your  favor, 
which  will  be  payable  within  ninety  days.  Your  brother 
Ebenezer  will  then  take  charge  of  No.  V.  and  the  second 
edition.  I  shall  give  him  every  sort  of  information  as  to 
the  manner  of  managing  the  work." 

Ebenezer,  upon  whom  this  novel  guardianship  now 
devolves,  writes :  "Brothers  William  and  John  T.  will 
assist  iiif  in  the  correction  of  proofs." 

The  day  after  Murray's  non-acceptance,  and  about  a 
fortnight  prior  to  the  publication  of  No.  IV.  in  America, 
he  transmits  No.  V.  to  his  brother  Ebenezer,  consisting 
of  "  Christmas."  "  Whether  No.  V.  will  please  or  not," 
he  writes,  "  I  cannot  say,  but  it  has  cost  me  more  trouble 
and  more  odd  research  than  any  of  the  others." 

This  number  did  not  exactly  hit  the  taste  of  his 
brother.  He  missed  the  pathetic  element  which  had 
been  so  attractive  a  feature  in  the  former  numbers,  and 
allowed  himself,  on  a  first  perusal,  to  remark  upon  its 
length,  and  to  lament  the  absence  of  the  usual  variety. 
In  reply  to  these  remarks,  Washington  writes  : — 

The  article  you  object  to,  about  Christmas,  is  written  for  peculiar 
-—those  who  are  fond  of  what  is  quaint  in  literature  and  customs. 
The  scenes  there  depicted  are  formed  upon  humors  and  customs  peculiar 
to  the  English,  and  illustrative  of  their  greatest  holiday.  The  old  rhymes 
h  are  interspersed  are  but  selections  from  many  which  I  found  among 
old  works  in  the  British  Museum,  little  read  even  by  Englishmen,  and 
which  will  have  a  value  with  some  literary  men  who  relish  these  morsels 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  335 

of  antiquated  humor.  When  an  article  is  studied  out  in  this  manner,  it 
cannot  have  that  free  flowing  spirit  and  humor  that  one  written  off-hand 
has  ;  but  then  it  compensates  to  some  peculiar  minds  by  the  points  of 
character  or  manners  which  it  illustrates.  Had  I  not  thought  so,  I  cer- 
tainly would  not  have  taken  the  trouble  which  the  article  cost  me.  If  it 
possesses  the  kind  of  merit  I  mention,  and  pleases  the  peculiar,  though 
perhaps  few  tastes  to  which  I  have  alluded,  my  purpose  in  writing  the 
article  is  satisfied,  and  it  will  go  to  keep  up  the  variety  which  is  essential 
to  a  work  of  the  kind. 

On  the  29tli  of  December,  he  transmits  to  New  York 
No.  VI.  consisting  of  the  "  Pride  of  the  Tillage,"  and  the 
"Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow" — "John  Bull,"  which  formed 
one  of  the  articles,  being  already  there. 

I  send  you  MS.  for  No.  VI.  (he  writes  to  Ebenezer).  There  is  a  Knick- 
erbocker story  which  may  please  from  its  representation  of  American 
scenes.  It  is  a  random  thing,  suggested  by  recollections  of  scenes  and 
stories  about  Tarrytown.  The  story  is  a  mere  whimsical  band  to  connect 
descriptions  of  scenery,  customs,  manners,  etc. 

The  outline  of  this  story  had  been  sketched  more  than 
a  year  before  at  Birmingham,  after  a  conversation  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Van  Wart,  who  had  been  dwelling 
upon  some  recollections  of  his  early  years  at  Tarrytown, 
and  had  touched  upon  a  waggish  fiction  of  one  Brom 
Bones,  a  wild  blade,  who  professed  to  fear  nothing,  and 
boasted  of  his  having  once  met  the  devil  on  a  return  from 
a  nocturnal  frolic,  and  run  a  race  with  him  for  a  bowl  of 
milk  punch.  The  imagination  of  the  author  suddenly 
kindled  over  the  recital,  and  in  a  few  hours  he  had  scrib- 


336  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

bled  off  the  framework  of  his  renowned  story,  and  was 
reading  it  to  his  sister  and  her  husband.  He  then  threw 
it  by  until  he  went  up  to  London,  where  it  was  ex- 
panded into  the  present  legend. 

In  the  interval  between  the  transmission  of  the  sixth 
and  seventh  numbers  to  New  York,  a  volume  of  the 
"  Sketch  Book  "  was  published  in  England.  February 
24,  1820,  Washington  writes  to  Ebenezer  : — 

The  volume  containing  the  first  four  numbers  of  the  "Sketch  Book" 
was  published  on  Monday  last  by  John  Miller,  Burlington  Arcades.  I 
shall  not  publish  any  more,  and  should  not  have  done  this,  had  there  not 
been  a  likelihood  of  these  works  being  republished  here  from  incorrect 
American  numbers. 

On  the  publication  of  this  volume,  Miller  urged  Mr. 
Irving  to  send  copies  to  the  different  periodicals  ;  but  he 
declined,  being  unwilling  to  do  what  might  appear  like  a 
desire  to  propitiate  their  favor. 

It  was  put  to  press  (as  he  says  in  his  preface)  without  any  of  the  usual 
arts  by  which  a  work  is  trumpeted  into  notice.  All  he  permitted  himself 
was  an  appeal,  not  to  the  indulgence,  but  the  candor  of  the  critics  in  his 
advertisement  to  the  edition.  The  following  desultory  papers  (he  says) 
are  part  of  a  series  written  in  this  country,  but  published  in  America. 
The  author  is  aware  of  the  austerity  with  which  the  writings  of  his  coun- 
trymen have  hitherto  been  treated  by  British  critics  ;  he  is  conscious,  too, 
that  much  of  the  contents  of  his  papers  can  be  interesting  only  in  the 
eyes  of  American  readers.  It  was  not  his  intention,  therefore,  to  have 
them  reprinted  in  this  country.  He  has,  however,  observed  several  of 
them  from  time  to  time  inserted  in  periodical  works  of  merit,  and  has 


OF  VfASHINGTON  IRVING.  337 

understood  that  it  was  probable  they  would  be  republished  ia  a  collective 
form.  He  has  been  induced,  therefore,  to  revise  and  bring  them  forward 
himself,  that  they  may  at  least  come  correctly  before  the  public.  Should 
they  be  deemed  of  sufficient  importance  to  attract  the  attention  of  critics, 
he  solicits  for  them  that  courtesy  and  candor  which  a  stranger  has  some 
right  to  claim,  who  presents  himself  at  the  threshold  of  a  hospitable 
nation. 
February,  1820. 

Before  this  lie  had  written  to  Scott,  who  had  not  come 
to  London  at  the  time  proposed  in  his  letter,  informing 
him  of  the  arrangement  he  had  made  with  Miller,  by  the 
terms  of  which  the  publication  was  to  consist  of  one 
thousand  copies,  and  the  author  took  upon  himself  the 
entire  expense  of  paper,  printing,  and  advertisements,  and 
the  risk  of  sale.     The  following  is  Scott's  reply  : — 

Edinburgh,  March  1, 1820. 
My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  was  some  time  since  favored  with  your  kind  remembrance  of  the  9th, 
and  observe  with  pleasure  that  you  are  going  to  come  forth  in  Britain. 
It  is  certainly  not  the  very  best  way  to  publish  on  one's  own  account,  for 
the  booksellers  set  their  faces  against  the  circulation  of  such  works  as  do 
not  pay  an  amazing  toll  to  themselves.  But  they  have  lost  the  art  of  al- 
together damming  up  the  road  in  such  cases  between  the  author  and  the 
public,  which  they  were  once  able  to  do  as  effectually  as  Diabolus,  in  John 
Bunyan's  "Holy  War,"  closed  up  the  windows  of  my  Lord  Understand- 
ing's mansion.  I  am  sure  of  one  thing,  that  you  have  only  to  be  known 
to  the  British  public  to  be  admired  by  them  ;  and  I  would  not  say  so  un- 
less I  really  was  of  that  opinion.  If  you  ever  see  a  witty  but  rather  local 
publication  called  "Blackwood's  Edinburgh  Magazine,"  you  will  find 
some  notice  of  your  works  in  the  last  number.  The  author  is  a  friend  of 
mine  to  whom  I  have  introduced  you  in  your  literary  capacity.  His  nama 
vol.  I. — 22 


338 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


is  Lockhart a  young  man  of  very  considerable  talent,  and  who  will  soon 

ntimately  connected  with  my  family.  My  faithful  friend  Knieker- 
;er  is  to  be  next  examined  and  illustrated.     Constable  was  extremely 

willing  to  enter  into  consideration  of  a  treaty  for  your  works,  but  I  fore- 
..  ill  be  still  more  so  when 

■■  ',  .mi  name  ia  np  and  may  go 
From  Toledo  to  Madrid." 

And  thai  will  be  soon  the  case. 

Scott  came  to  London  about  the  middle  of  March,  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  his  baronetcy,  at  which  time  Mr. 
Irvine  was  on  a  visit  to  his  brother-in-law,  Van  Wart,  at 
Birmingham,  not  having  seen  the  family  for  more  than  a 
year  ;md  a  half,  during  which  interval  he  had  been  lead- 
ing a  solitary  life  in  London.  He  had  returned  on  the 
kJ7t!i  of  March,  and  on  the  9th  of  April,  Leslie  wrote  to 
his  sister : — 

Walter  Scott  (now  Sir  Walter)  is  in  London  ;  and  I  am  to  have  the 
honor,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  be  the  very  great  pleasure,  of  breakfasting 
with  him  at  his  lodgings  on  Friday  next.     Irving,  who  I  suspect  of  being 
a  very  great  favorite  of  Scott's,  is  to  introduce  me.     It  is  what  I  did  not 
ire  to  ask  of  him  ;  but  Irving  knowing  how  much  such  an  introduc- 
tion would  gratify  me,  proposed  it  himself.     I  believe  we  are  to  meet 
;  he  poet,  there.     Scott  is  one  of  those  men  of  genius  who  delights 
in  the  genius  of  others,  and  is  not  for  having  it  all  to  himself.     He  has 
d  the  highest  opinion  of  Irving's  productions,  and  perhaps  there 
is  iv  t  another  man  in  this  country  whose  good  opinion  is  so  valuable. 
\     i  will  be  hear  that  there  is  every  prospect  of  Irving's  writings 

speedily  becoming  as  popular  here  as  they  are  in  America.  An  edition 
he  first  volume  of  the  "Sketch  Book"  is  very  nearly  sold  off  here  al- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IR  VINQ.  339 

ready.  One  of  the  stories,  "The  Wife,"  has  been  translated  into  French; 
and  many  of  the  articles  have  been  extracted  for  the  magazines  and  news- 
papers. Scott  was  very  much  delighted  with  the  sixth  number,  partit  u- 
larly  with  the  story  of  "  Brom  Bones." 

This  allusion  to  the  sixth  number  of  the  "  Sketch 
Book,"  which  was  not  yet  printed  in  England,  would 
imply  that  an  American  number  had  been  shown  to 
Scott,  or  a  duplicate  in  manuscript.  But  while  Leslie 
was  penning  this  account  of  the  success  of  his  friend,  the 
volume  he  had  put  to  press  in  England  was  destined  to 
an  untoward  mischance.  His  bookseller  failed,  and  the 
sale  of  the  work,  which  was  just  getting  into  fair  circula- 
tion, was  interrupted,  and  his  hopes  of  profit,  if  he  had 
been  sanguine  of  any,  dashed  to  the  ground.  At  this 
juncture  Scott  interposed  his  good  offices. 

I  called  to  him  for  help  (writes  Mr.  Irving  in  the  preface  to  the  revised 
edition  of  the  "Sketch  Book  ")  as  I  was  sticking  in  the  mire  ;  and  more 
propitious  than  Hercules,  he  put  his  own  shoulder  to  tho  wheel.  Through 
his  favorable  representations,  Murray  was  quickly  induced  to  undertake 
the  future  publications  of  the  work,  which  he  had  previously  declined.  A 
further  edition  of  the  first  volume  was  struck  off,  and  the  second  volume 
was  put  to  press,  and  from  that  time  Murray  became  my  publisher  ; 
conducting  himself  in  all  his  dealings  with  that  fair,  open,  and  liberal 
spirit,  which  had  obtained  for  him  the  well-merited  appellation  of  the 
Prince  of  Booksellers. 

The  following  letter  to  Brevoort  will  now  be  in 
place  : — 


340  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

London,  May  13, 1320. 
31 Y  dear  Brevoort  : — 

I  send  this  letter  by  my  friend  Delafield,  whom,  I  presume,  you 
know  ;  if  not,  you  ought  to  know  him,  for  he  is  a  right  worthy  fellow. 
Be  has  in  charge  a  portrait  of  me,  painted  by  Newton,  a  nephew  of  Mr. 
Si  nil-;.  It  is  considered  an  excellent  likeness,  and  I  am  willing  it  should 
be  thought  so— though,  between  ourselves,  I  think  myself  a  much  better- 
looking  fellow  on  canvas  than  in  the  looking-glass.  I  beg  you  to  accept 
ii  as  a  testimony  of  my  affection  ;  and  my  deep  sense  of  your  truly  broth- 
erly kindness  towards  me  on  all  occasions 

The  "Sketch  Book"  is  doing  very  well  here.  It  has  been  checked  for 
a  time  by  the  failure  of  Miller  ;  but  Murray  has  taken  it  in  hand,  and  it 
will  now  have  a  fair  chance.  I  shall  put  a  complete  edition  to  press  next 
week,  in  two  volumes  ;  and  at  the  same  time  print  a  separate  edition  of 
the  second  volume,  to  match  the  editions  of  the  first  already  published. 
1  have  received  very  flattering  compliments  from  several  of  the  literati, 
and  find  my  circle  of  acquaintance  extending  faster  than  I  could  wish. 
Murray's  drawing-room  is  now  a  frequent  resort  of  mine,  where  I  have 
been  introduced  to  several  interesting  characters,  and  have  been  most 
courteously  received  by  Gifford.  Old  D'Israeli  is  a  staunch  friend  of 
mine  also  ;  and  I  have  met  with  some  very  interesting  people  at  his 
house.  This  evening  I  go  to  the  Countess  of  Besborough's,  where  there 
is  to  be  quite  a  collection  of  characters,  among  whom  I  shall  see  Lord 
\\ "« llington,  whom  I  have  never  yet  had  the  good  luck  to  meet 
with 

I  shall  not  send  any  more  manuscript  to  America,  until  I  put  it  to 
here,  as  the  second  volume  might  be  delayed,  and  the  number  come 
out  here  from  America.  The  manner  in  which  the  work  nas  been  re- 
ceived  here,  instead  of  giving  me  spirit  to  write,  has  rather  daunted  me 
for  t lie  time.  I  feel  uneasy  about  the  second  volume,  and  cannot  write 
any  fresh  matter  for  it 

The  following  letter  to  James  K.   Paulding,  written 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  341 

twelve  days  later,  is  in  answer  to  one  from  him,  dated  afc 
Washington,  where  he  now  held  a  post  under  Govern- 
ment, and  of  which  Mr.  Irving  says  in  a  letter  to  Bre- 
voort :  "  It  brought  so  many  recollections  of  early  times, 
and  scenes,  and  companions,  and  pursuits  to  my  memory, 
that  my  heart  was  filled  to  overflowing."  In  the  allusion 
to  Decatur,  it  will  be  recollected  that  he  had  on  the  22d 
of  March  previous  fallen  in  a  duel  with  Commodore  Bar- 
ron, induced  bv  some  animadversions  of  his  on  the  con- 
duct  of  the  latter  in  the  affair  of  the  Leopard  and  the 
ChesajpeaJce. 

London,  May  27,  1820. 

My  dear  James  : — 

It  is  some  time  since  I  received  your  very  interesting  and  gratifying 
letter  <^f  January  20th,  and  I  have  ever  since  been  on  the  point  of  answer- 
ing it,  but  been  prevented  by  those  thousand  petty  obstacles  that  are 
always  in  the  way  of  letter  writing. 

As  1  am  launched  upon  the  literary  world  here,  I  find  my  opportunities 
of  observation  extending.  Murray's  drawing-room  is  a  great  resort  of 
first-rate  literary  characters  ;  whenever  I  have  a  leisure  hour  I  go  there, 
and  seldom  fail  to  meet  with  some  interesting  personages.  The  hours  of 
access  are  from  two  to  five.  It  is  understood  to  be  a  matter  of  privilege, 
and  that  you  must  have  a  general  invitation  from  Murray.  Here  I  fre- 
quently meet  with  such  personages  as  Gilford,  Campbell,  Foscolo,  Hallam 
(author  of  a  work  on  the  Middle  Ages),  Southey,  Milman,  Scott,  Belzoni, 
etc.,  etc.  The  visitors  are  men  of  different  politics,  though  most  fre- 
quently ministerialists.  Gifford,  of  whom,  as  an  old  adversary,  you  may 
be  curious  to  know  something,  is  a  small,  shriveled,  deformed  man  of 
about  sixty,  with  something  of  a  humped  back,  eyes  that  diverge,  and  a 
large  mouth.  He  is  generally  reclining  on  one  of  the  sofas,  and  support- 
ing himself  by  the  cushions,  being  very  much  debilitated.     He  is  mild 


342  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

and  courteous  in  his  manners,  without  any  of  the  petulance  that  you 
would  be  apt  to  expect,  and  is  quite  simple,  unaffected,  and  unassuming. 
Murray  tells  me  that  Gifford  does  not  write  any  full  articles  for  the  "Re- 
view," but  revises,  modifies,  prunes,  and  prepares  whatever  is  offered  ; 
and  is  very  apl  to  extract  the  sting  from  articles  that  are  rather  virulent. 
Scott,  or  Sir  Walter  Scott,  as  he  is  now  called,  passed  some  few  weeks  in 
town  lately,  on  coming  up  for  his  baronetcy.  I  saw  him  repeatedly,  hav- 
ing formed  an  acquaintance  with  him  two  or  three  years  since  at  his 
country  retreat  on  the  Tweed.  He  is  a  man  that,  if  you  knew,  you 
woidd  love  ;  a  right  honest>hearted,  generous-spirited  being  ;  without 
vanity,  affectation,  or  assumption  of  any  kind.  He  enters  into  every 
passing  scene  or  passing  pleasure  with  the  interest  and  simple  enjoyment 
of  a  child  ;  nothing  seems  too  high  or  remote  for  the  grasp  of  his  mind, 
and  nothing  too  trivial  or  low  for  the  kindness  and  pleasantry  of  his 
spirit.  When  I  was  in  want  of  literary  counsel  and  assistance,  Scott  was 
the  only  literary  man  to  whom  I  felt  that  I  could  talk  about  myself  and 
my  petty  concerns  with  the  confidence  and  freedom  that  I  would  to  an 
old  friend.  Nor  was  I  deceived  ;  from  the  first  moment  that  I  mentioned 
my  work  to  him  in  a  letter,  he  took  a  decided  and  effective  interest  in  it, 
and  has  been  to  me  an  invaluable  friend.  It  is  only  astonishing  how  he 
finds  time,  with  such  ample  exercise  of  the  pen,  to  attend  so  much  to  the 
interests  and  concerns  of  others  ;  but  no  one  ever  applied  to  Scott  for  any 
aid.  counsel,  or  service  that  would  cost  time  and  trouble,  that  was  not 
most  cheerfully  and  thoroughly  assisted.  Life  passes  away  with  him  in  a 
round  of  good  offices  and  social  enjoyments.  Literature  seems  his  spoit 
rather  than  his  labor  or  his  ambition,  and  I  never  met  with  an  author  so 
completely  void  of  all  the  petulance,  egotism,  and  peculiarities  of  the 
craft  ;  but  I  am  running  into  prolixity  about  Scott,  who  I  confess  has 
completely  won  my  heart,  even  more  as  a  man  than  as  an  author  ;  so, 
praying  God  to  bless  him,  we  will  change  the  subject. 

Your  picture  of  domestic  enjoyment  indeed  raises  my  envy.  With  all 
my  wandering  habits,  which  are  the  result  of  circumstances  rather  than 
of  disposition,  I  think  I  was  formed  for  an  honest,  domestic,  uxorious 
man,  and  I  cannot  hear  of  my  old  cronies  snugly  nestled  down  with  good 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  343 

wives  and  fine  children  round  them,  but  I  feel  for  the  moment  desolate 
and  forlorn.  Heavens  !  what  a  haphazard,  schemeless  life  mine  has  been, 
that  here  I  should  be,  at  this  time  of  life,  youth  slipping  away,  and  scrib- 
bling month  after  month  and  year  after  year,  far  from  home,  without 
any  means  or  prospect  of  entering  into  matrimony,  which  I  absolutely 
believe  indispensable  to  the  happiness  and  even  comfort  of  the  after  part 
of  existence.  When  I  fell  into  misfortunes  and  saw  all  the  means  of  do- 
mestic establishment  pass  away  like  a  dream,  I  used  to  comfort  myself 
with  the  idea  that  if  I  was  indeed  doomed  to  remain  single,  you  and  Bre- 
voort  and  Gouv.  Kemble  would  also  do  the  same,  and  that  we  should 
form  a  knot  of  queer,  rum  old  bachelors,  at  some  future  day,  to  meet  at 
the  corner  of  Wall  Street  or  walk  the  sunny  side  of  Broadway  and  kill 
time  together.  But  you  and  Brevoort  have  given  me  the  slip,  and  now 
that  Gouv.  has  turned  Vulcan  and  is  forging  thunderbolts  so  success- 
fully in  the  Highlands,  I  expect  nothing  more  than  to  hear  of  his 
conveying  some  blooming  bride  up  to  the  smithy.  But  heaven  prosper 
you  all,  and  grant  that  I  may  find  you  all  thriving  and  happy  when  I 
return. 

I  cannot  close  my  letter  without  adverting  to  the  sad  story  of  our  gal- 
lant friend  Decatur  ;  though  my  heart  lises  to  my  throat  the  moment  his 
idea  comes  across  my  mind.  He  was  a  friend  "faithful  and  just"  to 
me,  and  I  have  gone  through  such  scenes  of  life  as  make  a  man  feel  the 
value  of  friendship.  I  can  never  forget  how  generously  he  stepped  forth 
in  my  behalf  when  I  felt  beaten  down  and  broken-spirited  ;  I  can  never 
forget  him  as  the  companion  of  some  of  my  happiest  hours,  and  as  min- 
gled with  some  of  the  last  scenes  of  home  and  its  enjoyments  ;  these 
recollections  bring  him  closer  to  my  feelings  than  all  the  brilliancy  of  his 
public  career.  But  he  has  lived  through  a  life  of  animation  and  enjoy- 
ment, and  died  in  the  fullness  of  fame  and  prosperity  ;  his  cup  was  al- 
ways full  to  the  brim,  and  he  has  not  lingered  to  drain  it  to  the  dregs 
and  taste  of  the  bitterness.  I  feel  most  for  her  he  has  left  behind,  and 
from  all  that  I  recollect  of  her  devoted  affection,  her  disconsolateness 
even  during  his  temporary  absence  and  jeopardy,  I  shrink  from  picturing 
to  myself  what  must  now  be  her  absolute  wretchedness.     If  she  is  still 


344  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

near  you  give  her  my  most  affectionate  remembrances  ;  to  speak  of  sym- 
pathy to  her  would  be  intrusion. 

And  now,  my  dear  James,  with  a  full  heart  I  take  my  leave  of  your 
Let  me  hear  from  you  just  when  it  is  convenient;  no  matter  how  long  or 
how  short  the  letter,  nor  think  any  apologies  necessary  for  delays,  only  let 
me  hear  from  you.  I  may  suffer  time  to  elapse  myself,  being  unsettled,  and 
often  perplexed  and  occupied  ;  but  believe  me  always  the  same  in  my 
feelings,  however  irregular  in  my  conduct,  and  that  no  new  acquaint- 
ances that  a  traveller  makes  in  his  casual  sojournings  are  apt  to  wear  out 
the  deep  recollections  of  his  early  Mends.  Give  my  love  to  Gertrude, 
who  I  have  no  doubt  is  a  perfect  pattern  for  wives,  and  when  your  boy 
grows  large  enough  to  understand  tough  stories,  tell  him  some  of  our 
early  frolics,  that  he  may  have  some  kind  of  an  acquaintance  with  me 
against  we  meet. 

Affectionately  your  friend, 

W.  Irvxsg. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  after  the  printers  had  commenced 
upon  the  English  edition  of  the  second  volume  of  the 
"Sketch  Book,"  Mr.  Irving  transmitted  to  his  brother 
Ebenezer  the  sheets  for  the  seventh  number,  to  be  made 
up  of  "  Westminster  Abbey,"  " Stratford-on-Avon,"  "Lit- 
tle Britain,"  and  the  "  Angler." 

Of  the  last  article  he  writes  : 

It  is  a  sketch  drawn  almost  entirely  from  the  life;  and,  therefore,  if  it 
has  no  other  merit,  it  has  that  of  truth  and  nature. 

It  is  not  likely  (he  adds)  that  I  shall  publish  another  number  soon. 
I  have  had  so  much  muddling  work  with  the  "Sketch  Book"  from  pub- 
lishing in  both  countries,  that  I  have  grown  tired  of  it,  and  have  lost  all 
excitement.  I  shall  feel  relieved  from  a  cloud,  when  I  get  this  volume 
printed  and  out  of  my  sight 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  345 

The  seventh  number,  published  September  13,  1820, 
terminated  the  series  in  America ;  but  the  second  vol- 
ume of  the  English  "  Sketch  Book,"  included  two  addi- 
tional articles,  previously  contributed  by  Mr.  Irving  to 
the  "Analectic  Magazine,"  namely:  "Traits  of  Indian 
Character,"  and  "Philip  of  Pokanoket."  These  articles 
were  subsequently  incorporated  in  the  American  vol- 
umes. 

The  following  letters  to  his  brother  Ebenezer  and  Bre- 
voort  were  written  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  the 
continent  on  that  long-talked-of  excursion,  to  which  he 
was  looking  forward  when  he  embarked  from  America ; 
but  which  circumstances  had  so  conspired  to  delay. 

[To  Ebenezer  Irving.] 

London,  August,  15,  1830. 
.  .  .  .  The  "  Sketch  Book  "  has  been  very  successful  in  England. 
The  first  volume  is  out  of  print,  which  is  doing  very  well,  considering 
that  it  is  but  four  or  five  months  since  it  was  published  ;  that  it  has  had 
to  make  its  own  way,  against  many  disadvantages,  being  written  by  an 
author  the  public  knew  nothing  of,  and  published  by  a  bookseller  who 
was  going  to  ruin.  The  second  volume,  of  which  a  thousand  were 
printed,  is  going  off  briskly  ;  and  Murray  proposes  putting  to  press  im- 
mediately a  uniform  edition  of  the  two  volumes  at  his  own  expense.  I 
have  offered,  however,  to  dispose  of  the  work  to  him  entirely,  and  am 
to  know  his  answer  to-morrow.*  He  wishes,  likewise  to  publish  an 
edition  of  Knickerbocker,  which  has  been  repeatedly  spoken  well  of  in 

*  Murray  bought  the  copy  right  for  two  hundred  pounds. 


:;n; 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


the  British  publications,  and  particularly  in  "Blackwood's  Magazine,"  in 
which  1  hare  received  the  highest  eulogium  that  has  ever  been  passed 
upon  me.  It  is  written  by  Lockhart,  author  of  "Peter's  Letters  to  his 
Kinsfolk,"  and  son-in-law  to  Sir  Walter  Scott.  You  will  perceive  that  I 
have  dedicated  my  second  volume  to  Scott;  but  this  dedication  had  not 
been  seen  by  Lockhart  at  the  time  he  wrote  the  eulogium.  Should  a  new 
and  complete  edition  of  the  work  be  published  in  America,  I  wish  the 
dedication  to  be  placed  in  the  first  volume.  I  cannot  sufficiently  express 
how  sensible  I  feel  of  the  warm  and  affectionate  interest  which  Scott  has 
a  in  me  and  my  writings.  My  second  volume  has  been  noticed  by 
two  or  thn  e  periodical  publications,  and  in  the  same  favorable  way  with 
the  first.  I  have  received  abundance  of  private  marks  of  approbation 
from  literary  people  here  ;  and  upon  the  whole,  have  reason  to  be  highly 
gratified  with  the  success  of  my  literary  enterprise  in  this  country.  After 
all,  1  value  success  here  chiefly  as  tending  to  confirm  my  standing  in  my 
own  country  ;  for  it  is  to  popularity  at  home  that  I  look  as  the  sweetest 
source  of  enjoyment. 

London,  August  15,  1820. 
My  dear  Brevoort  : — 

I  am  now  in  all  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  breaking  up  my  encamp- 
ment, and  moving  off  for  the  continent.  After  remaining  so  long  in 
one  place  it  is  painful  to  cast  loose  again  and  turn  oneself  adrift  ;  but  I 
do  not  wish  to  remain  long  enough  in  any  place  in  Europe  to  make  it  a 
le. 

Since  I  have  published  with  Murray,  I  have  had  continual  opportunities 
of  seeing  something  of  the  literary  world,  and  have  formed  some  very 
agreeable  acquaintances 

There  have  been  some  literary  coteries  set  on  foot  lately,  by  some  Blue 
Stockings  of  fashion,  at  which  I  have  been  much  amused.  Lady  Caroline 
Lamb  is  a  great  promoter  of  them.  You  may  have  read  some  of  her 
writings,  particularly  her  "Glenarvon,"  in  which  she  has  woven  many 
dotes  of  fashionable  life  and  fashionable  characters;  and  hinted  at 
particulars  of  her  own  story,  and  that  of  Lord  Byron.     She  is  a  strange 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  347 

being,  a  compound  of  contradictions,  with  much  to  admire,  much  to  stare 
at,  and  much  to  condemn 

I  have  been  very  much  pleased  also  with  Belzoni,  the  traveller,  who  is 
just  bringing  out  a  personal  narrative  of  his  researches,  illustrated  with 
very  extraordinary  plates.  There  is  the  interior  of  a  temple,  excavated  in 
a  hill,  which  he  discovered  and  opened  ;  which  had  the  effect  on  me  of  an 
Arabian  tale.  There  arc  rows  of  gigantic  statues,  thirty  feet  high,  cut  out 
of  the  calcareous  rock,  in  perfect  preseiwation.  I  have  been  as  much  de- 
lighted in  conversing  with  him,  and  getting  from  him  an  account  of  his 
adventures  and  feelings,  as  was  ever  one  of  Sindbad's  auditors.  Belzoni  is 
about  six  feet  four  or  five  inches  high  ;  of  a  large  frame,  but  a  small,  and, 
I  think,  a  very  fine  head  ;  and  a  countenance  which,  at  times,  is  very 
expressive  and  intelligent 

I  have  also  frequently  met  with  Mr.  Hallam,  whose  able  and  interesting 
work  on  the  Middle  Ages  you  have  no  doubt  seen,  and  most  probably 
have  in  your  library.  Like  all  other  men  of  real  talent  and  unquestiona- 
ble merit,  he  is  affable  and  unpretending.  He  is  a  copious  talker,  and  you 
are  sure,  when  he  is  present,  to  have  conversation  briskly  kept  up.  But 
it  is  useless  merely  to  mention  names  in  this  manner  ;  and  is  too  much 
like  entertaining  one  with  a  description  of  a  banquet,  by  merely  naming 
the  dishes.  One  thing  I  have  found  invariably,  that  the  greater  the 
merit,  the  less  has  been  the  pretension  ;  and  that  there  is  no  being  so 
modest,  natural,  unaffected,  and  unassuming  as  a  first-rate  genius. 

I  am  delighted  to  hear  that  our  worthy  Patroon  is  doing  well  with  his 
foundry.  God  bless  and  prosper  him,  and  make  him  as  rich  and  as  happy 
as  he  deserves  to  be.  I  believe  I  told  you  in  my  last  of  a  long  letter, 
which  I  received  from  James  Paulding — it  was  a  most  gratifying  one  to 
me;  and  it  gave  me  a  picture  of  quiet  prosperity  and  domestic  enjoyment, 
which  it  is  delightful  for  a  wandering,  unsettled  being  like  myself  to  con- 
template. 0  !  my  dear  Brevoort,  how  my  heart  warms  towards  you  all, 
when  I  get  talking  and  thinking  of  past  times  and  past  scenes  !  What 
would  I  not  give  for  a  few  days  among  the  Highlands  of  the  Hudson, 
with  the  little  knot  that  was  once  assembled  there  !  But  I  shall  return 
home  and  find  all  changed,  and  shall  be  made  sensible  how  much  I  have 


348  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

(•hanged  myself.  It  is  this  idea  which  continually  comes  across  my  mind, 
when  1  think  of  home  ;  and  I  am  continually  picturing  to  myself  the 
dreary  state  of  a  poor  devil  like  myself,  who,  after  wandering  about  the 
world  among  strangers,  returns  to  lind  himself  a  still  greater  stranger  in 

his  native  place 

And  now,  my  dear  fellow,  I  must  take  my  leave,  for  it  is  midnight,  and 
I  am  wearied  with  packing  trunks  and  making  other  preparations  for  my 
departure.  The  next  you  will  hear  from  me  will  be  from  France  ;  and 
after  passing  five  years  in  England  among  genuine  John  Bulls,  it  will  be 
like  entering  into  a  new  world  to  cross  the  channel. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

lodgings  in  paris. — growing  popularity  of  the  "sketch  book"  ih 
england. — its  parentage  ascribed  to  scott. —  correspondence  on 
tee  subject. — christmas  invitation. — murray  authorizes  draft  of 
one  hundred  guineas  for  "  sketch  book,"  in  addition  to  the  terms 
agreed  upon,  and  publishes  knickerbocker. — letter  to  leslie. — 
his  designs  for  knickerbocker. — his  likeness  of  geoffrey. — peter 
Powell's  burlesque  account  of  its  costume. —  the  author's  sen- 
sitive COMMENT,  AND  LESLIE'S  REPLY. — SUBJECTS  CHOSEN  BY  LESLIE 
FOR  KNICKERBOCKER.— THE  AUTHOR'S  OPINION  OF  THEM.  —  INCREASING 
REPUTATION  IN    ENGLAND. 

HE  two  brothers  left  London  for  Paris  on  the 
17th  of  August. 
I  ought  to  have  mentioned  before,  that  they 
had  occupied  the  same  lodgings  in  London  for  about  a 
year,  during  which  Peter  gave  anonymously  to  the  world  a 
Venetian  tale,  taken  from  the  French,  entitled  "  Giovanni 
Sbogarro,"  which  he  had  written  at  Birmingham.  It  was 
published  in  London  and  in  New  York,  but  belonging  as 
it  did  to  a  school  of  fiction  that  was  passing  away  under 
the  brilliant  advent  of  Scott,  its  pecuniary  success  was 
not  very  encouraging. 

Mr.  Irving  took  lodgings  at  Paris,  at  No.  4  Rue  Mont 
Thabor,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Tuileries  ;  but  he  had  be- 

349 


:;:,(> 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


come  so  unsettled  in  mind  by  shifting  his  quarters  to 
new  Bcenes,  that  it  was  some  time  before  he  was  able  to 
resume  his  pen. 

I  have  been  about  a  month  in  Paris  (he  writes  to  William,  September 
22il).  and  begin  to  feel  a  little  more  at  home.  Mr.  Gallatin  *  has  been 
extremely  attentive  tome.  I  have  dined  with  him  repeatedly.  Either 
Paris  or  myself  has  changed  very  much  since  I  was  here  before.  It  is  by 
no  means  so  gay  as  formerly  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  populace  have  a  more 
grave  and  triste  appearance.  You  see  but  little  of  the  sprightliness  and 
gayety  of  manner  for  which  the  French  are  proverbial.  However,  as  I 
have  been  here  but  a  little  time  I  will  not  begin  to  give  opinions  ;  and  as 
I  wish  my  letter  to  go  safe,  I  will  not  interlard  it  with  any  speculations 
on  national  character  or  concerns. 


Meanwhile  the  "Sketch  Book"  was  making  a  fame  for 
him  in  England.  The  "Edinburgh  Keview,"  in  an  article 
written  by  Jeffrey,  contained  a  handsome  tribute  to  his 
talents,  and  perhaps  not  the  least  flattering  circumstance 
connected  with  its  publication  in  the  eyes  of  Mr.  Irving, 
was  a  rumor  which  ascribed  its  parentage  to  Sir  Walter 
Scott. 

This  fact  was  brought  to  his  knowledge  in  a  most 
gratifying  manner  in  a  letter  from  Mr.  Eichard  Kush,  our 
minister  at  the  court  of  St.  James,  transmitting  one  from 
the  accomplished  Lady  Lyttleton,  the  daughter  of  Earl 
Spencer.    As  it  forms  a  curious  and  interesting  anecdote, 

*  Albert  Gallatin,  the  American  Minister. 


London,  October  20,  1820. 
11  Blenheim  Street. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  351 

I  give  the  correspondence  ;  a  portion  of  it  being  from 
copies  retained  by  Mr.  Irving. 

[From  the  Hon.  Richard  Rush  to  Wash.  Irving.] 

My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  value  the  inclosed  letter  very  highly,  and  would  not  trust  it  out  of  my 
own  hands  but  to  pass  it  to  yours,  and  almost  tremble  at  risking  it  to 
Paris.  Pray,  therefore,  do  not  fail  to  return  it,  and  I  must  say  the 
sooner  the  better,  as  I  shall  wait  impatiently  for  your  answer  before 
returning  a  final  one  to  my  fair  correspondent. 

She  is  Lady  Lyttleton,  the  daughter  of  Earl  Spencer,  and  is  among  the 
most  accomplished  and  lovely  women  of  England  ;  worthy,  as  I  think, 
of  another  monody  from  Hayley,  should  fate  ever  snatch  her  from  her 
almost  equally  estimable  husband.  If  you  do  not  write  to  me  soon  all 
that  you  have  to  say  upon  her  letter,  I  shall  certainly  give  her  to  under- 
stand, and  perhaps  under  my  official  seal,  that  you  are  the  author  of 
"  Waverley,"  "Rob  Roy,"  and  some  two  or  three  more  of  the  Shake- 
spearian novels  ;  for  as  Sir  Walter  Scott  is  to  have  the  credit  of  the 
' '  Sketch  Book, "  I  can  see  no  good  reason  why  a  portion  of  his  laurels 
should  not  be  transferred  to  you  by  way  of  indemnification 

[From  Lady  Lyttleton  to  Mr.  Rush.] 
Dear  Sir: — 

I  hope  your  Excellency  will  not  think  that  I  am  presuming  too  far  upon 
your  goodness  in  taking  the  liberty  of  making  an  inquiry  which  relates  to 
a  subject  of  some  interest,  I  think  to  yourself  as  well  as  to  me.  A  report 
has  lately  prevailed  in  the  literary  world,  I  do  not  exactly  know  upon 
what  grounds,  that  the  "Sketch  Booh,"  which  you  first  procured  us  the 
very  great  pleasure  of  reading,  was  written,  not  as  it  professes  to  be,  by  a 
countryman  of  yours,  but  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  whose  very  numerous  dis- 


352  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

guises  and  whose  well-known  fondness  for  literary  masquerading  seem  to 
have  gained  him  the  advantage  of  being  suspected  as  the  author  of  every 
distinguished  work  that  is  published.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  merits 
of  the  "Sketch  Book"are  so  very  unlike  those  of  Scott,  and  that  the 
style  and  nature  of  the  work  are  so  new  and  peculiar,  that  it  puts  me  out 
of  all  patience  to  hear  the  surmise,  and  I  could  not  rest  till  I  had  applied 
to  your  Excellency  for  some  proof  of  its  falsehood.  I  am  told  that  nobody 
has  yet  actually  sei  n  a  copy  of  the  book  printed  in  America  ;  that  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  a  great  friend,  as  he  calls  himself,  of  the  pretended  author, 
inadvertently  asserted  one  day  that  Mr.  Washington  Irving  had  resided 
in  London  all  the  time  he  was  in  England  ;  he  could  not,  therefore,  it 
was  inferred,  have  written  the  admirably  just  descriptions  of  English 
rural  life;  and  upon  my  appearing  obstinately  incredulous,  I  was  assured 
that  if  Sir  Walter  Scott  did  not  write  the  whole,  he  at  least  revised  the 
language,  and  had  all  the  merit  of  the  style.  Let  me  entreat  your  Excel- 
lency to  send  me  a  triumphant  proof  that  all  this  is  groundless,  and  that 
the  very  prettiest  and  most  amiable  book  we  have  read  for  a  long  time  has 
not  the  defect  of  being  a  trick  upon  readers 

[From  Washington  Irving  to  Mr.  Rush.] 

f 

My  dear  Sib  :— 

I  feel  very  much  obliged  by  your  letter  of  the  20th,  and  am  highly  flat- 
tered by  the  letter  of  Lady  Lyttleton,  which  you  were  so  good  as  to 
inclose,  and  which  I  herewith  return.  It  is  indeed  delightful  to  receive 
applause  from  such  a  quarter.  As  her  ladyship  seems  desirous  of  full  and 
explicit  information  as  to  the  authorship  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  you  may 
re  her  that  it  was  entirely  written  by  myself  ;  that  the  revisions  and 
corrections  were  my  own,  and  that  I  have  had  no  literary  assistance  either 
in  the  beginning  or  the  finishing  of  it.  I  speak  fully  to  this  point,  not 
from  any  anxiety  of  authorship,  but  because  the  doubts  which  her  lady- 
ship has  heard  on  the  subject  seem  to  have  arisen  from  the  old  notion 


Paris,  October  28,  1820. 

4  Rue  Mont  Thabor. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  353 

that  it  is  impossible  for  an  American  to  write  decent  English.  If  1  have 
indeed  been  fortunate  enough  to  do  anything,  however  trifling,  to  stagger 
this  prejudice,  I  am  too  good  a  patriot  to  give  up  even  the  little  ground 
I  have  gained.  As  to  the  article  on  "Rural  Life  in  England,"  which 
appears  to  have  pleased  her  ladyship,  it  may  give  it  some  additional 
interest  in  her  eyes  to  know  that  though  the  result  of  general  impressions 
received  in  various  excursions  about  the  country,  yet  it  was  sketched  in 
the  vicinity  of  Hagley  *  just  after  I  had  been  rambling  about  its  grounds, 
and  whilst  its  beautiful  scenery,  with  that  of  the  neighborhood,  were 
fresh  in  my  recollection. 

I  cannot  help  smiling  at  the  idea  that  anything  I  have  written  should 
be  deemed  worthy  of  being  attributed  to  Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  that  I 
should  be  called  upon  to  vindicate  my  weak  pen  from  the  honor  of  such  a 
parentage.  He  could  tenant  half  a  hundred  scribblers  like  myself  on  the 
mere  skirts  of  his  literary  reputation.  He  never  saw  my  writings  until  in 
print ;  but  though  he  has  not  assisted  me  with  his  pen,  yet  the  interest 
which  he  took  in  my  success  ;  the  praises  which  he  bestowed  on  some  of 
the  first  American  numbers  forwarded  to  him  ;  the  encouragement  he 
gave  to  me  to  go  on  and  do  more,  and  the  countenance  he  gave  to  the  first 
volume  when  republished  in  England,  have,  perhaps,  been  more  effectu- 
ally serviceable  than  if  he  had  revised  and  corrected  my  work  page  by 
page.  He  has  always  been  to  me  a  frank,  generous,  warm-hearted  friend, 
and  it  is  one  of  my  greatest  gratifications  to  be  able  to  call  him  such. 
Indeed,  it  is  the  delight  of  his  ncble  and  liberal  nature  to  do  good  and  to 
dispense  happiness;  those  who  only  know  him  through  his  writings  know 
not  a  tithe  of  his  excellence. f 

Present  my  sincere  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Rush,  and  believe  me,  dear 
sir,  With  very  great  respect, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Washington  Irving. 


♦The  seat  of  Lord  Lyttleton,  where  the  old  customs  were  kept  up,  as  related  by 
Geoffrey  Crayon  in  his  Christmas  Eve  and  Christmas  Dinner. 
t  Prom  a  draft  of  Mr.  Irving' s  reply. 

vol.  i.— 23 


354  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

The  information  contained  in  this  letter,  or  perhaps 
tht1  letter  itself,  was  communicated  by  Mr.  Rush  to  Lady 
Lyttleton,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  message  from  Lord 
and  Lady  Spencer,  her  parents,  expressing  an  earnest 
desire  to  become  acquainted  with  the  author  of  the 
"  Sketch  Book,"  and  inviting  him  to  spend  the  approach- 
ing Christmas  at  their  place.  The  invitation  was  con- 
veyed  through  Mr.  Rush,  in  a  note  from  Mr.  Lyttleton. 
The  following  is  Mr.  Irving's  reply,  which  I  give  from  a 
copy  preserved  among  his  papers. 

[To  the  Hon.  Richard  Rush.] 

Paris,  December  6,  1830. 

My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  feel  very  much  indebted  to  you  for  your  letter  of  the  27th,  and  hardly 
know  how  to  express  myself  as  to  the  very  flattering  communication  from 
Mr.  Lyttleton.  It  is  enough  to  excite  the  vanity  of  a  soberer  man  than 
myself.  Nothing  would  give  me  greater  gratification  than  to  avail  my- 
self of  the  hospitable  invitation  of  Lord  and  Lady  Spencer,  but  at  pres- 
ent it  is  out  of  my  power  to  leave  Paris,  and  would  be  deranging  all  my 
plans  to  return  immediately  to  England.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to 
convey  to  Mr.  Lyttleton  my  sincere  acknowledgments  of  his  politeness, 
and  also  of  the  honor  done  me  by  Lord  and  Lady  Spender  ;  but  above 
all,  in v  heartfelt  sense  of  the  interest  evinced  in  my  behalf  by  Lady 
Lyttleton,  which  I  frankly  declare  is  one  of  the  most  gratifying  cir- 
cumstances that  has  befallen  me  in  the  whole  course  of  my  literary 
errantry. 

Excuse  all  this  trouble  which  circumstances  oblige  me  to  give  youi 
Excellency,  and  believe  me,  with  my  best  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Rush, 

Yours  very  faithfully, 

Washington  Irving. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  355 

Some  weeks  prior  to  the  date  of  this  letter  (October 
26),  Mr.  Murray  informed  the  author  that  his  volumes 
had  succeeded  so  much  beyond  his  mercantile  estimate, 
that  he  begged  he  would  do  him  the  favor  to  draw  on 
him  at  sixty-five  days  for  one  hundred  guineas,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  terms  agreed  upon. 

He  had  also  been  encouraged  to  publish  the  "  History 
of  New  York." 

I  did  not  know  you  [he  writes]  as  I  ought  and  might  have  known  you 
until  I  read  "Knickerbocker,"  of  which  I  am  equally  happy  and  proud  to 
have  been,  though  tardily,  the  publisher.  After  all,  it  is  at  present,  and 
only  at  present,  I  trust,  your  opus  magnum ;  it  is  the  Don  Quixote  or  Iludi- 
bras  of  your  country,  and,  connected  with  your  age  at  the  time  it  was 
written,  displays  most  certain  marks  of  genius.  It  is  very  generally  liked 
here  ;  and  if  so,  how  much  more  it  must  be  felt,  and  therefore  much 
more  enjoyed  by  your  own  countrymen.  I  am  cmite  delighted  with  the  nov- 
elty of  character  and  sceneiy,  which  you  have  so  admirably  dramatized, 
and  so  vividly  painted.  I  have  printed  it  in  one  octavo  volume  to  range 
with  the  "Sketch  Book  ; "  but  I  think  this  is  not  the  form  most  appro- 
priate to  it,  and  I  now  propose  to  reprint  it  in  four  or  five  small  volumes 
bike  Lord  Byron's  works,  and  denominated  foolscap  octavo. 

In  the  same  letter,  Mr.  Murray  informs  him  that  he 
had  been  very  much  struck  with  the  exquisite  humor 
and  correct  taste  of  Leslie's  first  design,  and  had  en- 
gaged him  to  look  over  the  volume  and  see  if  he  could 
make  eight  or  twelve  designs  equally  happy  with  the 
first.  He  also  urges  him  no  longer  to  conceal  his  name 
from  the  world,  but  to  accept  openly  the  wreath  the  pub- 


366  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

lie  had  in  store  for  him,  give  his  name  to  the  works,  and 
write  a  simple  preface  announcing  it. 

At  this  time  Murray  had  already  reprinted  the  second 
volume  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  and  was  preparing  a  new 
and  uniform  edition  of  both  volumes  in  a  smaller  size. 

In  another  part  of  his  letter  he  says :  "  By  the  way, 
Lord  Byron  says  in  his  pithy  manner,  in  a  letter  received 
to-day,  of  date  October  8,  '  Crayon  is  [very]  good,'  inter- 
lined as  I  have  written  it."* 

It  is  very  evident,  if  Mr.  Murray  had  placed  too  low 
an  estimate  upon  Mr.  Irving  at  first,  he  was  fully  alive 
to  his  merits  now.  "  I  am  convinced,"  he  says,  "  I  did 
not  half  know  you,  and  esteeming  you  highly  as  I  did, 
certainly  my  esteem  is  doubled  by  my  better  knowledge 
of  you."  It  was  something  of  a  triumph  to  receive  such 
a  letter  from  the  bookseller  who  had  first  declined  being 
his  publisher. 

*  In  a  manuscript  account  of  a  visit  to  Byron  at  Eavenna,  in  June, 
1821,  now  before  me,  by  a  young  American,  whom  Byron  describes  as 
"  intelligent,  very  handsome,"  "a  little  romantic,"  the  poet,  after  a  high 
encomium  upon  the  Knickerbocker  history,  thus  breaks  off  about  the 
"  Sketch  Book  : "  "  His  Crayon— I  know  it  by  heart,  at  least  there  is  not 
a  passage  that  I  cannot  refer  to  immediately." 

In  alluding  to  this  American  visitor,  Mr.  Coolidge  of  Boston,  Byron 
Bays  in  a  letter  to  Moore  :  "I  talked  with  him  much  of  Irving,  whose 
writings  are  my  delight.  But  I  suspect  that  he  did  not  take  quite  so 
much  to  me,  from  his  having  expected  to  meet  a  misanthropical  gentle- 
man, in  wolf-skin  breeches,  and  answering  in  fierce  monosyllables,  instead 
of  a  man  of  this  world.  I  can  never  get  people  to  understand  that  poetry 
is  the  expression  of  excited  passion,  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a 
life  of  passion  any  more  than  a  continuous  earthquake,  or  an  eternal 
fever." 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  357 

On  the  receipt  of  this  letter  he  writes  to  Leslie  : — 

I  have  just  received  a  very  long  and  friendly  letter  from  Mr.  Murray, 
who  in  fact  has  overwhelmed  me  with  eulogiums.  It  appears  that  my 
writings  are  selling  well,  and  he  is  multiplying  editions.  I  am  very  glad 
to  find  that  he  has  made  your  acquaintance,  and  still  more  that  he  has 
taken  a  great  liking  to  you.  He  speaks  of  you  in  the  most  gratifying 
terms.  He  has  it  in  his  power  to  be  of  service  to  you,  and  I  trust  he  will 
be.  He  tells  me  he  has  requested  you  to  look  over  " Knickerbocker"  for 
subjects  for  eight  or  ten  sketches,  and  the  "Sketch  Book"  for  a  couple, 
and  he  wishes  me  to  assist  you  with  my  opinion  on  the  subject.  I  will 
look  over  the  books  and  write  to  you  in  a  day  or  two.  Murray  is  going 
to  make  me  so  fine  in  print  that  I  shall  hardly  know  myself.  Could  not 
Allston's  design  be  reduced  without  losing  the  characteristic  humor  of  it  ? 
I  am  delighted  to  think  that  your  labors  are  to  be  thus  interwoven  with 
mine,  so  that  we  shall  have  a  kind  of  joint  interest  and  pride  in  every 
volume. 

My  dear  boy,  it  is  a  grievous  thing  to  be  separated  from  you,  and  I  feel 
it  more  and  more.  I  wish  to  heaven  this  world  were  not  so  wide,  and 
that  we  could  manage  to  keep  more  together  in  it ;  this  continual  separ- 
ating from  those  we  like  is  one  of  the  curses  of  an  unsettled  life,  and  with 
all  my  vagrant  habits  I  cannot  get  accustomed  to  it. 

.  .  .  .  Mr.  Tappan,  who  bears  this  letter,  told  me  that  it  was  the 
wish  of  Fairman  and  yourself  that  an  engraving  should  be  made  from  the 
likeness  you  have  of  me.  It  is  a  matter  I  do  not  feel  so  much  objection 
to  a3  I  did  formerly,  having  been  so  much  upon  the  town  lately  as  to  have 
lest  much  of  my  modesty.  And  as  I  understand  that  there  has  been  some 
spurious  print  of  my  phiz  in  America,  I  do  not  care  if  another  is  made  to 
push  it  out  of  sight.  You  will  only  be  caref  ul  to  finish  the  picture  so  as 
not  to  give  it  too  fixed  and  precise  a  fashion  of  dress.  I  preferred  the 
costume  of  Newton's  likeness  of  me,  which  was  trimmed  with  fur.  These 
modern  dresses  are  apt  to  give  a  paltry,  commonplace  air. 

This  caution  to  Leslie  about  the  costume  proved  the 


358  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

occasion  of  a  piece  of  waggery  on  the  part  of  a  facetious 
friend,  Peter  Powell,  one  of  his  little  circle  of  intimates  in 
London,  consisting  of  Leslie,  Newton,  the  "  Childe,"  as  he 
was  nicknamed,  and  Willis,  an  Irish  landscape  painter, 
more  frequently  spoken  of  in  his  letters  as  Father  Luke. 
In  writing  to  him,  Powell  informed  him  that  he  under- 
stood the  world  was  soon  to  be  gratified  by  an  engraving 
of  his  physiognomy,  to  grace  the  next  edition  of  his 
works.  "  Leslie's  picture  is  very  much  like  you,"  he 
writes,  "but  I  think  plain,  unsophisticated  people  will 
be  monstrously  puzzled  to  know  why  you  should  be 
drawn  in  the  habiliments  of  a  Venetian  nobleman  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  though  as  far  as  effect  goes  it  is  pic- 
turesque enough." 

This  supposed  change  in  Leslie's  portrait  of  him  called 
out  the  following  sensitive  comment  in  a  letter  to  the 
artist,  of  December  19. 

I  received  a  letter  from  Peter  Powell,  in  which  he  speaks  of  my  por- 
trait being  in  the  engraver's  hands,  and  that  it  is  painted  in  the  old  Vene- 
tian costume.  I  hope  you  have  not  misunderstood  my  meaning  when  I 
spoke  about  the  costume  in  which  I  should  like  to  be  painted.  I  believe 
I  spoke  something  about  the  costume  of  Newton's  portrait.  I  meant 
Newton's  portrait  of  me,  not  of  himself.  If  you  recollect,  he  painted  me 
as  if  in  some  kind  of  an  overcoat  with  a  fur  cape  ;  a  dress  that  had  nothing 
in  it  remarkable,  but  which  merely  avoided  any  present  fashion  that 
might  in  a  few  years  appear  stupid.  The  Venetian  dress  which  Newton 
painted  himself  in  would  have  a  fantastic  appearance,  and  savor  of  affec- 
tation. If  it  is  not  too  late,  I  should  like  to  have  the  thing  altered.  Let 
the  costume  be  simple  and  picturescpie,  but  such  a  one  as  a  gentleman 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  359 

might  be  supposed  to  wear  occasionally  at  the  present  day.  I  only 
wanted  you  to  avoid  the  edges,  and  corners,  and  angles  with  which  a 
modern  coat  is  so  oddly  and  formally  clipped  out  at  the  present  day. 

"I  received  yesterday  yours  of  the  19th,"  writes  Leslie  in  reply,  "and 
hasten  to  relieve  your  mind  from  any  apprehensions  you  may  enter- 
tain with  regard  to  the  costume  of  your  portrait,  which  is  still  in  my 
room  exactly  in  the  state  in  which  you  last  saw  it.  I  shall  finish  it  in  a 
day  or  two  strictly  according  to  your  wishes.  The  Venetian  dress  was 
only  a  phantom  of  Peter  Powell's  imagination,  conjured  up  to  disturb 
your  evening  dreams." 

The  whimsical  personage  who  had  thus  amused  him- 
self at  the  expense  of  the  author,  I  have  heard  Mr.  Ir- 
ving characterize  as  a  fine,  honorable  little  fellow,  with  a 
fund  of  humor  and  a  special  gift  for  mimicry.  One  of 
his  performances  was  a  burlesque  of  the  opera  of  "Moses 
in  Egypt " ;  another,  an  oratorio  in  which  he  began  by 
handing  in  his  imaginary  female  singers,  and  Leslie  hints 
at  a  third,  in  an  allusion  to  his  "  gallanting  that  imagi- 
nary flock  of  geese."  It  was  a  great  treat  to  his  friends 
to  witness  these  comic  exhibitions,  but  in  all  his  traves- 
ties, said  Mr.  Irving,  in  attempting  an  exemplification  of 
one  of  them,  there  was  nothing  overdone.  He  made  his 
acquaintance  when  preparing  the  first  number  of  the 
"Sketch  Book,"  and  introduced  him  afterwards  to  Leslie 
and  Newton,  with  the  first  of  whom  he  became  a  great 
crony. 

November  30,  1820,  he  writes  to  Leslie  : — 

I  hear  that  you  are  going  on  with  the  sketches  for  "Knickerbocker," 
and  that  you  have  executed  one  on  the  same  subject  Allston  once  chose, 


3(-()  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

namely,  "Peter  Stuyvesant  rebuking  the  cobbler."  I  wish  you  would 
drop  me  a  line  and  let  me  know  what  subjects  you  execute,  and  how  you 
and  Murray  make  out  together.  I  hear  that  you  have  taken  the  "  Childe  " 
to  Murray's  ;  you  have  only  to  make  him  acquainted  with  Willis  and 
Pi  ter  Powell,  and  he  will  then  be  able  to  make  one  at  your  tea-kettle 
debauches. 

"  The  Childe  "  had  just  written  to  him  that  Willis  had 
sent  them  home  at  four  in  the  morning,  "  reeling  with 
Bohea." 

The  letter  proceeds  : — 

I  have  jiist  made  a  brief  but  very  pleasant  excursion  into  Lower  Nor- 
mandy in  company  with  Mr.  Ritchie.  I  must  refer  you  to  a  letter  scrib- 
bled to  Peter  Powell  for  a  full  and  faithful  narrative  of  this  tour. 

I  have  not  this  letter,  but  some  pencil  memoranda  of 
the  tour  show  that  he  started  on  the  8th  November,  arid 
that  his  travels  extended  to  Honfleur,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Seine,  the  scene  of  his  story  of  "  Annette  Delarbre  " 
iu  "Bracebridge  Hall." 

In  his  answer,  dated  December  3,  Leslie  says : — 

The  subjects  I  have  chosen  are  a  Dutch  fireside,  with  an  old  negro  tell- 
ing stories  to  the  children  ;  William  the  Testy  suspending  a  vagrant  by 
the  heels  on  his  patent  gallows  ;  Peter  Stuyvesant  confuting  the  cobbler  ; 
i  n  1  Anthony  Van  Corlear  taking  leave  of  the  young  vrows.  All  of  them 
I  have  finished  except  the  last,  and  Mr.  Murray  appears  to  be  highly 
pleased  with  them. 

He  is  delighted  with  Allston's  picture  of  "  Wouter  Van  T wilier,"  which 
will  be  engraved  with  the  rest.  He  talks  a  great  deal  about  you,  when- 
ever 1  see  him,  in  terms  of  the  highest  praise  and  friendship.  The 
"  Sketch  Book  "  is  entirely  out  of  print. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  3G1 

1  like  all  the  subjects  that  you  have  chosen  for  the  designs  [writes  the 
author  in  reply]  except  that  of  William  the  Testy  suspending  the  vaga- 
bond by  the  breeches.  The  circumstance  is  not  of  sufficient  point  or 
character  in  the  history  to  be  iUustrated. 

Leslie,  in  explanation,  assigns  as  a  reason  for  the  selec- 
tion, that  Murray  wished  one  design  at  least  from  the 
reign  of  each  governor,  and  he  was  puzzled  in  finding 
one  that  could  be  brought  within  a  small  compass  from 
that  part  of  the  book.  "  I  was  somewhat  fearful  of  it 
myself,"  he  adds,  "  but  Newton  thinks  you  would  like  it." 

Meanwhile  the  new  candidate  for  fame  was  steadily 
gaining  in  reputation  in  England.  "  I  think  you  are  a 
most  fortunate  fellow  of  an  author,"  writes  Peter  Powell, 
December  3,  "  in  regard  to  your  debut  amongst  us  in 
this  critical  age,  for  I  have  not  heard  of  your  having  so 
much  as  a  nose  or  a  member  of  any  kind  cut  up  by  the 
anatomists  of  literature  ;  on  the  contrary,  there  seems  to 
be  almost  a  conspiracy  to  hoist  you  over  the  heads  of 
your  contemporaries."  And  Leslie  writes,  December  24 : 
"Miller  says  Geoffrey  Crayon  is  the  most  fashionable 
fellow  of  the  day.  I  am  very  much  inclined  to  think  if 
you  were  here  just  now,  '  company  would  be  the  spoil  of 
you.'  "  Then,  begging  to  be  remembered  to  his  brother 
Peter,  he  concludes  :  "  All  the  lads  join  in  wishing  you 
both  a  merry  Christmas  and  happy  New  Tear.  I  intend 
appropriating  a  part  of  to-morrow  to  reading  your  Christ- 
mas article.  I  shall  stick  up  your  portrait  before  my 
face,  and  bury  myself  in  an  enormous  elbow-chair  I  have 


362  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

got,  over  which  '  Murphy  often  sheds  his  puppies/  re- 
lying  on  the  book  I  shall  hold  in  my  hand  to  act  as  a 
charm  ugainst  the  seductions  of  the  seat.  These  asso- 
ciations are  the  best  means  by  which  I  can  console  my- 
self for  your  absence." 


CHAPTEK  XXVI. 


MAKES  THE  ACQUAINTANCE  OF  THOMAS  MOORE,  THE  POET. — VISIT  TO  THE 
PRISON  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE. — LETTER  TO  BREVOORT. — REASONS  FOR 
REMAINING  ABROAD. — MOORE. — CANNING. — MOORE'S  HINT  OF  THE  ORIGIN 
OF  "BRACEBRIDGE  HALL." — ANOTHER  GLIMPSE  OF  IRVING  FROM  MOORE. 
— JOHN  HOWARD  PATNE. — TALMA. — HIS  PERFORMANCE  OF  HAMLET.— LET- 
TER TO  LESLIE. — KENNET,  AUTHOR  OF  "RAISING  THE  WIND,"  ETC. — LUT- 
TREL. — INTRODUCED  TO  THE  HOLLANDS. — MURRAY  BEGS  HIS  ACCEPTANCE 
OF  AN  ADDITIONAL  ONE  HUNDRED  POUNDS  FOR  THE  "SKETCH  BOOK." — 
THE  AUTHOR'S  LETTER  THEREUPON.  —  READS  MANUSCRIPT  TO  MOORE.  — 
BANCROFT. — SETS  OFF  FOR  ENGLAND  JULY  llTH,  HOPING  TO  HAVE  SOME- 
THING  READY    FOR    THE    PRESS    BY  AUTUMN. 


T  was  at  the  close  of  this  year  that  Mr.  Irving 
made  the  acquaintance  of  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  delightful  of  his  contemporaries, 
Thomas  Moore,  the  Irish  poet,  then  an  absentee  in  Paris, 
on  account  of  some  pending  liabilities  of  government 
against  him,  arising  out  of  the  defalcation  of  his  deputy 
at  Bermuda,  which  he  was  hoping  to  adjust.  Moore  has 
this  entry  on  the  subject  in  his  diary : — 

December  21,  1820. — Dined  with  McKay  at  the  table  d'hote  at  Meurice'g 
for  the  purpose  of  being  made  known  to  Mr.  Washington  Irving,  the 
author  of  the  work  which  has  lately  had  success,  the  "Sketch  Book  ;"  a 
good-looking  and  intelligent-mannered  man. 

363 


364 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


McKay,  who  brought  the  two  authors  together,  was  an 
Irish  gentleman  who  had  come  to  the  French  capital 
from  England  on  a  mission  to  inspect  the  prisons ;  and 
two  days  after  (December  23),  he,  Lord  John  Russell, 
Moore,  and  Mr.  Irving  were  visiting  in  company  the  room 
in  which  the  ill-fated  Marie  Antoinette  was  confined. 

I  find  loose  among  his  papers  this  brief  record  of  the 
visit  to  a  place  seldom  open  to  a  stranger's  inspection. 

I  have  just  returned  from  the  prison  of  Marie  Antoinette.  Under  the 
palace  of  Justice  is  a  range  of  cavernous  dungeons,  called  the  Concier- 
gerie,  the  last  prison  in  which  criminals  are  confined  previous  to  execu- 
tion. We  were  admitted  through  grated  doors,  and  conducted  along 
damp  dark  passages,  lighted  in  some  places  by  dim  windows,  in  others  by 
lamps.  On  these  passages  opened  the  grates  of  several  dungeons  in 
which  victims  were  thrown  during  the  revolution,  to  indulge  in  the  hor- 
rible anticipation  of  certain  death.  My  flesh  crept  on  my  bones  as  I 
passed  through  these  regions  of  despair,  and  fancied  these  dens  peopled 
with  their  wretched  inhabitants.  I  fancied  their  worn  and  wasted  faces 
glaring  through  the  grates,  to  catch,  if  possible,  some  ray  of  hope  or 
mitigation  of  horror,  but  seeing  nothing  except  the  sentinel  pacing  up 
and  down  the  passage,  or  perhaps  some  predecessor  in  misery,  dragged 
along  to  execution.  In  this  were  confined  the  victims  of  Robespierre, 
and  finally  Robespierre  himself. 

From  this  corridor  we  were  led  through  a  small  chapel  into  what  at 
present  forms  the  sacristy,  but  which  was  once  the  dungeon  of  the  un- 
happy Queen  of  France.  It  is  low  and  arched  ;  the  walls  of  prodigious 
thickness,  lighted  dimly  by  a  small  window.  The  walls  have  been  plas- 
tered and  altered,  a^d  the  whole  is  fitted  up  with  an  air  of  decency  ; 
nothing  remains  of  the  old  dungeon  but  the  pavement.  In  one  part  is  a 
monument  placed  by  Louis  XVII T.,  and  around  the  dungeon  are  paint- 
ings illustrating  some  of  the  latest  prison  scenes  of  her  unhappy  life. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  365 

The  place  is  shown  where  her  bed  stood,  divided  simply  by  a  screen  from 
the  rest  of  the  dungeon  in  which  a  guard  of  soldiers  was  constantly  sta- 
tioned ;  beside  this  dungeon  is  the  black  hole — I  can  give  it  no  better 
term — in  which  the  Princess  Elizabeth  was  thrust  a  few  hours  prior  to 
her  execution. 

Never  have  I  felt  my  heart  melting  with  pity  more  than  in  beholding 
this  last  abode  of  wretchedness.  What  a  place  for  a  queen,  and  such  a 
queen  !  one  brought  up  so  delicately,  fostered,  admired,  adored. 

The  acquaintance  with  Moore  thus  commenced  grew 
speedily  into  intimacy,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
letter  to  Brevoort,  in  answer  to  one  urging  his  return  to 
New  York. 

Paris,  March  10,  1821. 

Dear  Brevoort  : — 

.  .  .  .  You  urge  me  to  return  to  New  York,  and  say,  many  ask 
whether  I  mean  to  renounce  my  country.  For  this  last  question  I  have 
no  reply  to  make,  and  yet  I  will  make  a  reply.  As  far  as  my  precarious 
and  imperfect  abilities  enable  me,  I  am  endeavoring  to  serve  my  country. 
Whatever  I  have  written  has  been  written  with  the  feelings  and  published 
as  the  writing  of  an  American.  Is  that  renouncing  my  country  ?  How 
else  am  I  to  serve  my  country  ?  by  coming  home  and  begging  an  office 
of  it ;  which  I  should  not  have  the  kind  of  talent  or  the  business  habits 
requisite  to  fill  ?  If  I  can  do  any  good  in  this  world  it  is  with  my  pen. 
I  feel  that  even  with  that  I  can  do  very  little,  but  if  I  do  that  little  and 
do  it  as  an  American,  I  think  my  exertions  ought  to  guarantee  me  from 
so  unkind  a  question  as  that  which  you  say  is  generally  made. 

As  to  coming  home,  I  should  at  this  moment  be  abandoning  my  literary 
plans,  such  as  they  are.  I  should  lose  my  labor  in  various  literary  ma- 
terials which  I  have  in  hand,  and  to  work  up  which  I  must  be  among 
the  scenes  where  they  were  conceived.  I  should  arrive  at  home  at  a  time 
when  my  slender  finances  require  an  immediate  exercise  of  my  talents, 
but  should  be  so  agitated  and  discomposed  in  my  feelings  by  the  meet- 


.;,;,;  LIFE  AND   LETTERS 

with  my  friends,  the  revival  of  many  distressing  circumstances  and 
trains  of  thought,  and  should  be  so  hurried  by  the  mere  attentions  of 

ty,  ih.it  months  would  elapse  before  I  could  take  pen  in  hand,  and 

then  I  would  have  to  strike  out  some  entirely  new  plan  and  begin  ab  ovo. 

Ls  to  the  idea  you  hold  out  of  being  provided  for  sooner  or  later  in  our 

mate  city,  I  can  only  say  that  I  see  no  way  in  which  I  could  be  pro- 
vided for,  not  being  a  man  of  business,  a  man  of  science,  or  in  fact  any 
thing  but  a  mere  belles-lettres  writer.  And  as  to  the  fortunate  character  of 
our  city;  to  me  and  mine  it  has  been  a  very  disastrous  one.  I  have  writ- 
ten on  this  point  at  some  length,  as  I  wish  to  have  done  with  it.  My  re- 
turn home  must  depend  upon  circumstances,  not  upon  inclinations.  I 
have  by  patient  and  persevering  labor  of  my  most  uncertain  pen,  and  by 
catching  the  gleams  of  sunshine  in  my  cloudy  mind,  managed  to  open  to 
myself  an  avenue  to  some  degree  of  profit  and  reputation.  I  value  it  the 
inure  highly  because  it  is  entirely  independent  and  self-created;  and  I 
must  use  my  best  endeavors  to  turn  it  to  account.  In  remaining,  there- 
fore, abroad,  I  do  it  with  the  idea  that  I  can  best  exert  my  talents, 
for  the  present,  where  I  am  ;  and  that  I  trust,  will  be  admitted  as  a 
sufficient  reply  from  a  man  who  has  but  his  talents  to  feed  and  clothe 

him 

I  have  become  very  intimate  with  Anacreon  Moore,  who  is  living  here 
with  his  family.  Scarce  a  day  passes  without  our  seeing  each  other,  and 
he  has  made  me  acquainted  with  many  of  his  friends  here.  He  is  a 
charming,  joyous  fellow;  full  of  frank,  generous,  manly  feeling.  I  am 
happy  to  say  he  expresses  himself  in  the  fullest  and  strongest  manner  on 
the  subject  of  his  writings  in  America,  which  he  pronounces  the  great 
sin  of  his  early  life.  He  is  busy  upon  the  life  of  Sheridan  and  upon  a 
Hi-  acquaintance  is  one  of  the  most  gratifying  things  I  have  met 
with  for  some  time;  as  he  takes  the  warm  interest  of  an  old  friend  in  me 
and  my  concerns. 

Canning  is  likewise  here  with  his  family,  and  has  been  very  polite  in 
his  attentions  to  me.  He  has  expressed  a  very  flattering  opinion  of  my 
writings  both  here  and  in  England,  and  his  opinion  is  of  great  weight 
and  value  in  the  critical  world.     I  had  a  very  agreeable  dinner  at  his 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  3G7 

house  a  few  days  since,  at  which  I  met  Moore,  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  and 
several  other  interesting  characters. 

"You  keep  excellent  company  in  Paris,"  Brevoort  an- 
swers. "  Anacreon  Moore  and  Mr.  Canning ;  these  are 
names  that  set  one's  blood  in  motion."  Brevoort  would 
have  been  glad  if  he  had  enriched  his  letters  with  more 
particulars  of  the  interesting  characters  he  was  meeting, 
but  his  friend  used  jestingly  to  say  that  he  was  now  liv- 
ing by  his  pen,  and  must  save  up  all  his  anecdotes  and 
good  things  for  his  publishers. 

Nine  days  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  March  19, 
Moore  furnishes  this  interesting  glimpse  of  the  author, 
and  of  the  origin  of  "  Bracebridge  Hall,"  the  work  which 
Mr.  Irving  was  next  to  give  to  the  world. 

lMh. — Too  happy  to  dine  at  home  to-day.  Bessy  in  low  spirits  at 
parting  with  our  dear  Anastasia,  who  goes  to-day  to  Mrs.  Forster's.  Ir- 
ving called  near  dinner  time ;  asked  him  to  stay  and  share  our  roast 
chicken  with  us,  which  he  did.  He  has  been  hard  at  work  writing  lately; 
in  the  course  of  ten  days  has  written  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  pages 
of  the  size  of  those  in  the  "Sketch  Book  ;"  this  is  amazing  rapidity. 
Has  followed  up  an  idea  which  T  suggested,  and  taken  the  characters  in 
his  "Christmas  Essay,"  Master  Simon,  etc.,  etc.,  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing a  slight  thread  of  a  story  on  which  to  string  his  remarks  and  sketches 
of  human  manner  and  feelings  ;  left  us  at  nine. 

A  week  later  we  have  from  Moore  this  further  glimpse 
of  Irving  at  a  dance  at  the  poet's  new  apartments,  in 
celebration  of  the  tenth  anniversary  of  his  marriage  to 
Bessy,  for  whom,  with  all  his  devotion  to  the  gay  world, 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


Mr.  Irving  used  always  to  bear  witness,  his  affection  was 
deep  -'Aid  unchanging. 

With. — Bessy  busy  in  preparations  for  the  dance  this  evening; 

Went  into  town  (no  late  to  return  to  dinner,  and  dined  at  Very's  alone. 
Found  <ni  my  return  our  little  rooms  laid  out  with  great  management  and 
decorated  with  quantities  of  flowers,  which  Mrs.  Story  had  sent.  Our 
company,  Mrs.  S.  and  her  cousins,  Mrs.  Forster,  her  two  daughters  and 
Miss  Bridgeman,  the  Yillamils,  Irving,  Captain  Johnson,  Wilder,  etc., 
and  the  Douglases.  Began  with  music;  Mrs.  V.,  Miss  Drew,  and  Emma 
Forster  sung.  Our  dance  afterwards  to  the  pianoforte  very  gay,  and  not 
the  less  so  for  the  floor  giving  way  in  sundry  places  ;  a  circle  of  chalk 
was  drawn  around  one  hole,  Dr.  Yonge  was  placed  sentry  over  another, 
and  whenever  there  was  a  new  crack,  the  general  laugh  at  the  heavy  foot 
that  produced  it,  caused  more  merriment  than  the  solidest  floor  in  Paris 
could  have  given  birth  to.  Sandwiches,  negus,  and  champagne  crowned 
the  night,  and  we  did  not  separate  till  near  four  in  the  morning.  Ir- 
ving's  humor  began  to  break  out  as  the  floor  broke  in,  and  he  was  much 
more  himself  than  ever  I  have  seen  him. 

A  few  loose  leaves  of  an  imperfect  journal  of  the  au- 
thor, found  among  his  papers  after  his  death,  give  an 
interesting  account  of  his  first  meeting  with  Talma,  the\ 
great  French  tragedian,  in  company  with  John  Howard 
Payne,  the  young  American  Koscius  of  former  days. 
Payne  was  a  fellow-townsman  of  Mr.  Irving,  who  had 
appeared  with  great  eclat  at  the  Park  Theatre  in  New 
York  in  his  sixteenth  year,  in  the  character  of  young 
Norval.  He  had  outgrown  all  tragic  symmetry  after  leav- 
ing his  country  in  1813  to  try  his  success  in  England,  and 
from  being  an  actor,  had  assumed  at  one  time  the  man- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  369 

agement  of  Sadler's  Wells  ;  had  failed  in  this  and  got  in 
debt.  He  afterwards  brought  out  Junius  Brutus,  a  trag- 
edy which  he  had  manufactured  out  of  two  or  three 
plays.  It  had  a  great  run,  and  Mr.  Irving  called  on  him 
in  London  to  congratulate  him  on  his  success  :  but  alas! 
its  success  had  proved  his  ruin.  It  brought  his  creditors 
down  upon  him,  and  he  was  thrown  into  prison.  Here 
he  wrote  "  Teresa,  or  the  Orphan  of  Geneva,"  which  was 
successful  and  extricated  him.  Then  he  escaped  to  Paris, 
where  Mr.  Irving  met  him.  Payne  was  a  fluent  writer, 
and  for  a  while  a  successful  performer ;  but  he  is  most 
favorably  known  at  the  present  day  as  the  author  of 
"Home,  Sweet  Home,"  a  popular  song  which  he  intro- 
duced in  his  opera  of  "Clari,  or  the  Maid  of  Milan." 
The  profits  arising  from  it,  realized  by  the  manager  and 
not  by  Payne,  have  been  stated  to  have  amounted  to  two 
thousand  guineas  in  two  years. 

Paris,  April  25th,  1821. — Breakfasted  this  morning  with  John  Howard 
Payne.  He  has  the  first  floor  of  a  small  house,  in  a  garden  No.  16  Petit 
rue  de  St.  Petre,  Pont  aux  choux.  The  morning  was  fine  and  the  air 
soft  and  spring-like.  His  casements  were  thrown  open,  and  the  breezes 
that  blew  in  were  extremely  grateful.  He  has  a  couple  of  canary  birds, 
with  a  little  perch  ornamented  with  moss.  He  stands  it  in  the  window, 
and  they  fly  about  the  garden  and  return  to  their  perch  for  food  and  to 
rest  at  night. 

Payne  is  full  of  dramatic  projects,  and  some  that  are  very  feasible. 

After  breakfast  we  strolled  along  the  Boulevards,  gossiping,  staring  at 
groups  and  sights  and  signs,  and  looking  over  booksellers'  stalls.  He 
proposed  to  me  to  call  on  Talma,  who  had  just  returned  to  Paris.  He  has 
vol.  i. — 24 


;j70  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

a  suite  of  apartments  in  a  hotel,  No.  —  Rue  des  Petites  Augustines. 
He  has  a  seat  in  the  country  about  —  miles  from  Paris,  of  which  he  is 
extremely  fond,  and  is  continually  altering  and  improving,  though  he  can 
Beldom  gel  there  above  once  a  week.  He  is  about  to  build  a  town  resi- 
dence, and  at  present  lives  in  lodgings.  I  got  Payne  to  mount  before  me, 
as  I  did  not  wish  to  call  on  Talma  so  unceremoniously.  Payne  found  him 
changing  his  linen.  lie  requested  him  immediately  to  bring  me  up.  On 
ing  he  receive  1  me  in  a  very  friendly,  frank  way,  and  turning  to 
Payne,  said  :  "  Why  lie  is  quite  a  young  man  ; "  it  seems  he  had  expected 
e  an  old  one  ;  his  room  was  full  of  furniture,  and  books,  etc.,  rather 
confused.     I  remarked  a  colored  engraving  of  John  Kemble. 

Talma  is  about  5  feet  7  or  7£  inches  English,  rather  inclined  to  fat,  with 
large  face  and  thick  neck.  His  eyes  are  bluish,  and  have  a  peculiar  cast 
in  them  at  times.  He  speaks  English  well,  and  is  very  frank,  animated, 
and  natural  in  conversation  ;  a  fine,  hearty  simplicity  of  manner.  Asked 
me  if  this  was  my  first  visit  to  Paris  ;  told  him  that  I  had  been  here  once 
before — about  fourteen  years  since.  "  Ah  !  that  was  in  the  time  of  the 
Emperor,"  said  he.  He  remarked  that  Paris  was  very  much  changed  ; 
thinks  the  French  character  greatly  changed;  more  grave.  You  see  the 
young  men  from  the  colleges,  said  he  ;  how  grave  they  are  ;  they  walk 
:her,  conversing  incessantly  on  polities  and  other  grave  subjects  ; 
says  the  nation  has  become  as  grave  as  the  English. 

We  spoke  of  the  French  play  of  Hamlet.  I  asked  if  other  of  Shake- 
speare's plays  were  adapting  for  the  French  stage.  He  believed  not.  He 
thinks  there  is  likely  to  be  great  changes  in  French  drama.  The  public 
greater  interest  in  scenes  that  come  home  to  common  life  and  people 
in  ordinary  situations,  than  in  the  distresses  of  heroic  personages  of  clas- 
si  literature.  Hence  they  never  come  to  the  Theatre  Francais  except  to 
see  a  few  great  actors,  but  they  crowd  to  the  minor  theatres  to  see  the 
representation  of  ordinary  life.  He  says  the  revolution  has  made  so  many 
strong  and  vivid  scenes  of  real  life  pass  before  their  eyes,  that  they  can 
no  longer  be  affected  by  mere  declamation  and  fine  language  ;  they 
require  character,  incident,  passion,  life. 

Says  if  there  should  be  another  revolution  it  would  be  a  bloody  one. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  371 

The  nation  (t.  e.  the  younger  part,  children  of  the  revolution)  have  such 
a  hatred  of  the  priests  and  noblesse,  that  they  would  fly  upon  them  like 
sheep.  Mentions  the  manner  in  which  certain  parts  of  plays  have  been 
applauded  lately  at  Rouen  ;  one  part  which  said,  "  Usurpers  are  not  al- 
ways tyrants."  When  we  were  coming  away  he  followed  us  to  the  door 
of  his  ante-chamber;  in  passing  through  the  latter  I  saw  children's 
swords  and  soldiers'  caps  lying  on  the  table,  and  said,  "  Your  children, 
I  see,  have  swords  for  playthings."  He  replied  with  animation,  that  all 
the  amusements  of  the  children  were  military  ;  that  they  would  have 
nothing  to  play  with  but  swords,  guns,  trumpets,  drums,  etc. 

It  was  after  this  interview  that  Mr.  Irving  saw  Talma's 
performance  of  Hamlet,  and  I  find  among  his  papers  this 
allusion  to  the  tragedy  and  the  actor. 

The  successful  performance  of  a  translation  of  Hamlet  has  been  an  era 
in  the  French  drama.  It  is  true  the  play  has  been  sadly  mutilated  ;  it 
has  been  stripped  of  its  most  natural  and  characteristic  beauties,  and  an 
attempt  has  been  made  to  reduce  it  to  the  naked  stateliness  of  one  of  their 
own  dramas  ;  but  it  still  retains  enough  of  the  wild  magnificence  of 
Shakespeare's  imagination  to  give  it  an  individual  character  on  the  French 
stage.  Though  the  ghost  of  Hamlet's  father  does  not  actually  tread  the 
boards,  yet  he  hovers  in  idea  about  his  son,  and  the  powerful  acting  of 
Talma  gives  an  idea  of  this  portentous  visitation  far  more  awful  and 
mysterious  than  could  be  presented  by  any  spectral  representation.  The 
effect  of  this  play  on  the  French  audiences  is  astonishing.  The  doors  of 
the  theatre  are  besieged  at  an  early  hour  on  the  evening  of  its  represen- 
tation ;  the  houses  are  crowded  to  overflowing  ;  the  audience  continually 
passes  from  intervals  of  breathless  attention  to  bursts  of  ungovernable 
applause.  I  have  seen  a  lady  carried  fainting  from  the  boxes,  overcome 
by  the  acting  of  Talma  in  the  scene  with  his  mother,  where  he  fancies  he 
sees  the  spectre  of  his  father. 

Newton  had  at  this  time  acquired  a  good  deal  of  dis- 


372  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

tinction  from  a  picture,  "Le  Facheux,"  which  had  got 
one  of  the  best  places  at  the  exhibition,  between  Wilkie 
and  Jackson.  It  had  made  quite  a  sensation  in  the 
papers,  and  had  been  purchased  by  Thomas  Hope,  the 
author  of  "  Anastasius."  He  could  hardly  have  been  more 
fortunate  in  the  character  of  the  purchaser  or  the  gal- 
lery to  which  it  was  destined,  Hope  having  the  finest  col- 
lection in  London.  "  I  have  something  of  your  feeling,"  he 
writes  to  the  author  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  February  10, 
1821,  "  on  occasion  of  this  distinction,  and  am  terribly  ner- 
vous lest  I  should  not  get  as  good  a  subject  for  my  next." 
At  the  date  of  the  leaf  or  fragment  which  follows,  and 
which,  like  the  note  of  his  visit  to  Talma,  I  gleaned  from 
some  literary  rubbish  of  the  author,  Moore  had  changed 
his  quarters  for  a  cottage  in  the  neighborhood  of  St. 
Cloud;  and  Kenney,  the  delineator  of  "Jeremy  Diddler," 
had  found  a  nestling  place  in  the  elbow  of  an  old  royal 
castle  on  the  crest  of  a  hill  opposite. 

2Iay  lCrfh,  1821. — I  took  an  early  dinner  at  4  o'clock,  and  rode  but 
afterwards  to  see  Moore.  Took  a  place  in  a  cuckoo  to  St.  Cloud.  It  was 
a  lovely  afternoon,  and  the  walk  through  the  park  of  St.  Cloud  was  de- 
lightful ;  views  of  the  Seine,  with  boats  drifting  down  it ;  bridges  cross- 
ing it.  Found  Moore  at  his  cottage  in  the  park  of  Mr.  Villamil's  seat,  La 
Butte  ;  a  very  pretty  cottage  ;  magnificent  scenery  all  about  it.  It 
stands  on  the  side  of  the  hill  that  rises  above  Sevres.  To  the  left  is  St. 
Cloud  and  its  grand  park.  The  Seine  winds  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and 
the  great  plain  of  Xeuilly  lies  before  you,  with  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and 
Paris  in  the  distance  ;  glorious  effect  of  sunset  on  Moore's  balcony  ;  the 
gilded  dome  of  the  Invalides  flamim?  in  the  sunshine. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  373 

Accompanied  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore,  and  the  Villamils  to  Mr.  Kenney's, 
author  of  "  Raising  the  Wind,"  etc.  He  married  the  widow  of  Ilolcroft, 
who  had  several  children  ;  her  stock  and  his  own  made  eight  children. 
They  have  apartments  in  one  of  the  wings,  or  rather  the  offices  of  the 
old  chateau  of  Belle vue,  built  by  Louis  XV.,  where  he  and  Madame 
Pompadour  lived.  The  old  chateau  is  a  picture  of  grandeur  in  decay  ; 
the  windows  broken  ;  the  clock  shattered  ;  the  court-yards  grass-grown  ; 
apartments  in  a  ruined  and  dilapidated  state.  Kenney's  establishment 
squalid  ;  remains  of  magnificent  furniture  ;  old  sofa,  with  griffin-head 
arms  ;  old  stools,  which  had  doubtless  been  for  the  courtiers  in  the  royal 
apartments. 

Kenney  a  very  worthy  and  a  very  pleasant  fellow ;  a  thin,  pale  man,  with 
a  gentleness  of  demeanor  and  manner,  and  very  nervous.  He  gave  some 
descriptions  of  scenes  in  London  with  admirable  truth  and  character. 
Moore  told  me  that  he  was  once  giving  Kenney  an  account  of  his  mis- 
fortunes ;  the  heavy  blow  he  sustained  in  consequence  of  the  default 
of  his  agent  in  Bermuda.  Kenney  expressed  the  strongest  sympathy. 
"  Gad,  sir,  it's  well  you  were  a  poet  ;  a  philosopher  never  would  have 
borne  it." 

June  21,  we  have  this  mention  in  Moore's  diary  of  a 
dinner  at  his  cottage,  in  which  Lord  John  Russell,  Lut- 
trel, the  author  of  "  Advice  to  Julia,"  then  newly  arrived, 
and  Irving,  were  his  guests.  "  In  speaking  of  my  abuse 
of  the  Americans,  Irving  said  it  was  unlucky  that  some 
of  my  best  verses  were  upon  that  subject ;  '  put  them  in 
his  strongest  pickle,'  said  Luttrel." 

Luttrel  was  noted  for  the  grace  and  delicacy  of  his  wit, 
and  I  have  heard  Mr.  Irving  express  admiration  of  an 
impromptu  specimen  which  occurred  about  this  time  in 
his  presence. 


374  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Moore,  Luttrel,  and  himself  were  walking  together, 
when.  Moore  alluded  to  the  uncertain  fate  of  a  female 
aeronaut  who  took  her  flight  into  the  empyrean  and  con- 
tinual to  ascend  in  her  "airy  ship,"  until  she  was  lost 
to  view,  and,  added  the  poet,  "never  heard  of  more." 
"  Handed  out  by  Enoch  and  Elijah,"  was  Luttrel's  imme- 
diate and  happy  response. 

In  Moore's  diary  we  have  this  further  glimpse  of  his 
friend  at  Paris. 

July  2d,  1821. — Took  Irving  to  present  him  to  the  Hollands  ;  my  lady 
very  gracious  to  him. 

Mr.  Irving  was  at  this  time  so  anxious  to  get  on  with 
his  literary  pursuits,  that  he  rather  avoided  the  gay 
world. 

I  have  advances  made  me  by  society  [he  writes  to  Brevoort  not  long 
before],  that  were  I  a  mere  seeker  of  society,  would  be  invaluable  ;  but  I 
dread  so  much  being  put  out  in  my  pursuits  and  distracted  by  the  mere 
hurry  of  fashionable  engagements  that  I  keep  aloof  and  neglect  opportu- 
nities which  I  may  perhaps  at  some  future  day  look  back  to  with  regret. 

About  this  time  he  received  from  his  London  publisher 
the  following  concise  authority  to  draw  on  him  for  a  hun- 
dred pounds,  a  second  gratuitous  contribution  for  the 
"  Sketch  Book,"  of  which,  writes  Newton,  "  Murray  says 
its  success,  considering  all  things,  is  unparalleled." 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  375 

London,  June  20,  1821. 
My  dear  Irving  : — 

Draw  upon  me  for  a  hundred  pounds,  of  which  I  beg  thy  acceptance, 
and  pray  tell  me  how  you  are  and  what  you  arc  about  ;  and  above  all, 
pardon  my  short  letter.    .Believe  me  ever, 

Thy  faithful  friend, 

John  Murray. 

There  is  a  review  of  the  "Sketch  Book  "in  the  "Quarterly,"  which 
you  will  like. 

The  following  is  the  author's  reply  : — 


[  To  John  Murray.  ] 

Pabis,  July  6, 1821. 

My  dear  Sir  : — 

I  write  in  very  great  haste  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  29th  ult.  I  am  extremely  happy  to  hear  that  the  "  Sketch  Book  "  has 
been  favorably  noticed  in  the  "Quarterly."  I  have  not  seen  the  Review, 
but  I  doubt  whether  any  criticism  in  it  can  be  so  emphatic  as  that  in 
your  letter.  You  were  certainly  intended  for  a  critic.  I  never  knew  any 
one  convey  so  much  meaning  in  so  concise  and  agreeable  a  manner.  In 
compliance  with  your  request,  I  have  drawn  on  you  for  a  hundred  pounds 
in  favor  of  Mr.  Samuel  Williams  of  London.  The  supply  came  oppor- 
tunely. I  am  on  the  point  of  leaving  Paris  for  Brussels,  and  where  I 
shall  go  from  thence  is  at  present  undetermined  ;  but  I  shall  write  to  you 
from  the  Netherlands,  should  I  make  any  stop  there. 

I  have  been  leading  a  "  miscellaneous  "  kind  of  life  at  Paris,  if  I  may 
use  a  literary  phrase.  I  have  been  rather  distracted  by  engagements,  in 
spite  of  all  my  efforts  to  keep  out  of  society.  Anacreon  Moore  is  living 
here,  and  has  made  me  a  gayer  fellow  than  I  could  have  wished  ;  but  I 
found  it  impossible  to  resist  the  charm  of  his  society.     Paris  is  like  an 


376  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

English  -watering-place,  with  the  advantage  of  the  best  kind  of  amuse, 
ments,  and  excellent  society. 

I  have  scribbled  at  intervals,  and  have  a  mass  of  writings  by  me  ; 
rather  desultory,  as  must  be  the  case  when  one  is  so  much  interrupted  ; 
but  I  hope,  in  the  fullness  of  time,  to  get  them  into  some  order. 

I  write  in  extreme  haste,  having  to  pack  up  and  make  other  prepara- 
tions for  departure. 

With  my  best  regards  to  Mrs.  Murray  and  the  rest  of  your  family,  I 
am,  my  dear  sir, 

Very  faithfully  yours, 

Washington  Irving. 


In  this  letter  the  author  is  "  on  the  point  of  leaving 
Paris  for  Brussels  ; "  but  a  sudden  change  of  purpose 
comes  over  him,  and  he  determines  to  start  for  London 
at  once,  to  be  in  time  for  the  approaching  coronation  of 
George  IV.  ;  hoping  also  to  get  something  ready  for  the 
press  by  autumn.  One  of  his  last  acts  in  Paris,  is  to 
read  to  Moore  a  portion  of  the  manuscrij)t  of  "  Buck- 
thorne  and  his  Friends,"  originally  designed  for  "  Brace- 
bridge  Hall,"  his  next  work,  but  forming  part  of  the  con- 
tents of  "  The  Tales  of  a  Traveller  "  which  succeeded  it. 
He  had  already  read  a  portion  of  it  to  the  poet,  "  sitting 
on  the  grass  in  the  walk  up  the  Eocher." 

July  9th. — Moore  has  the  following  :  Irving  came  to  breakfast  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  leave  (being  about  to  set  off  for  England),  and  of  read- 
ing to  me  some  more  of  his  new  work  ;  some  of  it  much  livelier  than  the 
;  he  read.     He  has  given  the  description  of  the  booksellers'  dinner  so 
ctly  like  what  1  told  him  of  one  of  the  Longmans  (the  carving  partner, 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  377 

the  partner  to  laugh  at  the  popular  author's  jokes,  the  twelve  edition 
writers  treated  with  claret,  etc.),  that  I  very  much  fear  my  friends  in 
Paternoster  Row  will  know  themselves  in  the  picture. 

Subsequently,  he  affords  the  uuthor  an  opportunity  to 
improve  the  picture  by  personal  observation,  a  part  of 
his  record  of  May  22,  1822,  in  London  being:  "Intro- 
duced Irving  to  the  Longmans,  and  dined  with  him 
there." 

It  is  no  disparagement  of  the  poet,  however,  to  say, 
as  has  been  said  by  a  critical  authority,  that  the  picture 
"  owed  everything  to  Irving's  handling." 

It  must  have  been  about  this  time,  also,  that  Mr.  Irving 
read  to  our  distinguished  historian  George  Bancroft, 
then  fresh  from  two  years'  study  at  Gottingen,  a  portion 
of  the  work  he  was  preparing  for  the  press.  "  During  a 
summer  in  Paris,"  says  that  gentleman  in  his  commemo- 
rative remarks  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society, 
"I  formed  with  him  that  relation  of  friendly  intimacy, 
which  grew  in  strength  to  the  last.  Time  has  in  a  meas- 
ure effaced  the  relative  difference  in  our  years,  but  then 

he  was  almost  twice  as  old  as  I One  evening, 

after  we  had  been  many  hours  together,  he  took  me  to 
his  room,  and  read  to  me  what  he  had  written  at  one 

sitting I  remember  it  to  this  day :  it  was  his 

'St.  Mark's  Eve,'  from  the  words,  'I  am  now  alone  in  my 
chamber,'  to  the  end." 

The  last  glimpse  we  have  in  Moore's  Diary,  of  Irving 
at  Paris,  is  the  following : — 


378  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

July  10/h. — Went  in  to  dine  at  Lord  Holland's.   Company,  Lord  John, 

Fnznkcrly,   Irving,  Allen Kenney  and  Irving  set  off  for 

I       land  to-morrow. 

The  poet  does  not  mention  what  I  have  heard  Mr.  Ir- 
ving speak  of  as  an  impressive  recollection  of  the  occa- 
sion, that  Talma  came  in  after  dinner  with  the  news  of 
the  death  of  Napoleon. 

The  next  day  he  set  off  for  England,  accompanied  by 
Kenney,  who  by  the  way,  was  the  personage  alluded  to 
in  his  "Life  of  Goldsmith,"  as  the  author  whom  he  had 
seen  with  his  back  to  a  tree  and  his  foot  to  a  stone,  try- 
ing to  bother  out  a  scene  in  a  farce  which  he  could  not 
manage  to  his  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  CORONATION  OF  GEORGE  IV. — MEETING  WITH  SCOTT. — DETAINED  IN  LON- 
DON ABOUT  A  PLAY  OF  PAYNE.  — LITERARY  CONCERNS.  —  EXCURSION  TO 
BIRMINGHAM  WITH  LESLIE.  —  "THE  STOUT  GENTLEMAN." — ITS  MORAL. — 
KEPT  AT  BIRMINGHAM  BY  ILLNESS. — NEWTON'S  INTRODUCTION  TO  LA  BUTTE 
BY  HIMSELF. — LESLIE  AND  POWELL'S  JOINT  ACCOUNT  OF  THEIR  HOUSE- 
KEEPING IN  BUCKINGHAM  PLACE.  — LETTER  TO  LESLIE. —  DEATH  OF  HIS 
BROTHER  WILLIAM. — MOORE. 

R.  IRVING  arrived  in  London  the  day  before 
the  coronation,  and  the  next  morning  got  a 
stand  on  the  outside  of  Westminster  Abbey, 
with  Newton  and  Leslie,  to  see  the  procession  pass.  The 
following  day  he  called  on  Scott,  who  congratulated  him 
in  his  hearty  manner  on  his  success,  and  asked  him  if  he 
had  seen  the  coronation.  He  told  him  he  had  seen  the 
procession  on  the  outside.  "O  you  should  have  been 
inside."  "  Why  I  only  came  over  the  day  before,  and  I 
did  not  know  how  to  manage  it."  "  Hut,  man,"  said 
Scott,  "you  should  have  told  them  who  you  were,  and 
you  would  have  got  in  anywhere."  At  parting,  Scott 
expressed  his  regret  that  he  would  not  probably  see  any- 
thing more  of  him  in  London,  as  he  was  engaged  up  to  the 
hub. 

379 


380  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

Mr.  Irving  had  not  meditated  any  stay  in  London,  but 
was  kept  there  some  time  in  a  fruitless  attempt  to  bring 
upon  the  stage  a  petite  comedy  of  John  Howard  Payne, 
entitled  "The  Borrower,"  which  he  had  sent  him  from 
Paris.  The  circumstances  of  Payne  were  such  as  to  call 
for  prompt  action  in  the  matter,  and  as  England  was  not 
open  to  him  by  reason  of  his  debts,  he  had  availed  him- 
self of  Mr.  Irving's  kindness  to  send  him  the  manuscript. 
He  wrote,  July  14,  apprising  him  of  its  transmission, 
but  the  letter  would  seem  not  to  have  taken  a  very  direct 
course,  and  to  have  kept  Mr.  Irving  in  London  waiting 
its  receipt  some  time  after  he  had  hoped  to  have  joined 
his  sister  in  .Birmingham.  Payne  laments,  in  a  letter 
of  August  12,  that  his  kind  dispositions  towards  him 
should  have  been  the  source  of  any  derangement  of  his 
plans. 

In  a  letter  to  Peter,  dated  London,  September  6,  he 
says : — 

I  have  a  variety  of  writings  in  hand,  some  I  think  superior  to  what  I 
have  already  published  ;  my  only  anxiety  is  to  get  them  into  shape  and 
order 

I  have  fagged  hard  to  get  another  work  under  way,  as  I  felt  that  a 
great  deal  depended  upon  it.  both  as  to  reputation  and  profit.  I  feel  my 
system  a  little  affected  now  and  then  by  these  sedentary  fits  to  which, 
until  two  or  three  years  past,  I  have  not  been  accustomed.  When  I  get 
my  present  manuscript  finished  and  off  of  hands,  I  think  I  will  give  my- 
self holiday. 

Mr.  Irving  brought  with  him  to  London  the  manu- 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  381 

script  of  the  chief  part  of  "  Bracebridge  Hall,"  in  the 
rough,  intending  or  hoping  to  make  arrangements  for  its 
publication  in  the  autumn.  On  reading  to  Leslie  "  Buck- 
thorne,"  the  part  of  his  "writings  in  hand"  which  he  had 
in  view  in  the  letter  to  Peter,  just  quoted,  as  in  his  judg- 
ment "superior  to  what"  he  had  "already  published," 
the  artist  suggested  that  he  should  retain  that  as  the 
groundwork  of  a  novel,  and  substitute  something  else. 
He  accordingly  threw  it  by,  and  replaced  it  with  the 
"  Student  of  Salamanca ; "  an  ill-judged  change,  as  he 
afterwards  regarded  it,  but  he  was  prone  to  yield  too 
readily  to  the  suggestions  of  others. 

It  was  about  the  9th  of  September,  that  Mr.  Irving  and 
Leslie  started  on  the  excursion  to  Birmingham,  of  which 
the  latter  speaks  in  the  extract  given  below.  Irving  had 
been  previously  suggesting  to  Leslie  for  his  pencil,  the 
subject  of  Shakespeare  brought  up  for  deer  stealing, 
having  a  picture  in  his  own  mind,  which  the  artist,  after 
repeated  efforts,  could  not  make  out.  He  caught  at  the 
idea  at  first,  however,  and  was  in  pursuit  of  materials, 
when  they  started  off  together,  intending  to  bring  up  at 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Van  Wart,  Irving's  brother-in-law. 

In  the  account  of  the  expedition  which  follows,  Leslie 
touches  upon  the  origin  of  "  The  Stout  Gentleman,"  the 
gem  of  "  Bracebridge  Hall."  I  transcribe  from  his  Au- 
tobiography. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1821,  I  made  a  delightful  exciu> 
sion  with  Washington  Irving  to  Birmingham,  and  thence  into  Derby- 


382  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

shire.  We  mounted  the  top  of  one  of  the  Oxford  coaches  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  intending  only  to  go  as  far  as  Henley  that  night ;  but 
the  evening  was  so  fine,  and  the  fields  filled  with  laborers  gathering  in 
the  corn  by  the  light  of  a  full  moon,  presented  so  animated  an  appear- 
i  ace,  that  although  we  had  not  dined,  we  determined  to  proceed  to  Ox- 
1 .  which  we  reached  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  then  sat  down  to  a  hot 
sapper. 

The  next  day  it  rained  unceasingly,  and  we  were  confined  to  the  inn, 
like  the  nervous  traveller  whom  Irving  has  described  as  spending  a  day 
in  endeavoring  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  "  the  stout  gentleman."  This 
wet  Sunday  at  Oxford  did  in  fact  suggest  to  him  that  capital  story,  if 
story  it  can  be  called.  That  next  morning,  as  we  mounted  the  coach,  1 
said  something  about  a  stout  gentleman  who  had  come  from  London  with 
us  the  day  before,  and  Irving  remarked  that  "The  Stout  Gentleman" 
would  not  be  a  bad  title  for  a  tale;  as  soon  as  the  coach  stopped,  he  be- 
gan writing  with  his  pencil,  and  went  on  at  every  like  opportunity.  We 
visited  Stratford-on-Avon,  strolled  about  Charlecot  Park  and  other  places 
in  the  neighborhood,  and  while  I  was  sketching,  Irving,  mounted  on  a 
stile  or  seated  on  a  stone,  was  busily  engaged  with  "The  Stout  Gentle- 
man." He  wrote  with  the  greatest  rapidity,  often  laughing  to  himself, 
and  from  time  to  time  reading  the  manuscript  to  me.  We  loitered  some 
days  in  this  classic  neighborhood,  visiting  Warwick  and  Kenilworth  ;  and 
by  the  time  we  arrived  at  Birmingham,  the  outline  of  "  The  Stout  Gen- 
tleman "  was  completed.  The  amusing  account  of  "  The  Modern  Knights 
Errant,"  he  added  at  Birmingham,  and  the  inimitable  picture  of  the  inn- 
yard  on  a  rainy  day,  was  taken  from  an  inn  where  we  were  afterwards 
quartered  at  Derby. 

If  I  may  venture  to  add  anything  to  this  delightful 
sketch  by  Leslie,  which  harmonizes  with  all  that  Mr. 
Irving  has  told  me  relative  to  the  composition  of  that 
story,  one  of  the  few  things  he  had  written,  of  which 
from  the  first,  as  I  have  heard  him  say,  he  had  never 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  383 

doubted,  it  is  that  he  gave  the  concluding  touch  to  it, 
sitting  on  a  grave-stone  in  Lillington  church-yard  close 
by  Leamington,  while  Leslie  was  sketching  a  view  of 
Warwick  castle,  which  the  yard  commanded. 

Another  anecdote  rises  to  my  memory,  connected  with 
that  light  and  frolicsome  specimen  of  his  pen. 

I  was  once  reading  aloud  in  his  presence,  a  very  flat- 
tering review  of  his  works,  which  had  been  sent  him  by 
the  critic  in  1848,  and  smiled  as  I  came  to  this  sentence  : 
"  His  most  comical  pieces  have  always  a  serious  end  in 
view."  "  You  laugh,"  said  he,  with  that  air  of  whimsical 
significance  so  natural  to  him,  "  but  it  is  true.  I  have 
kept  that  to  myself  hitherto,  but  that  man  has  found  me 
out.  He  has  detected  the  moral  of  the  '  Stout  Gentle- 
man.' " 

Mr.  Irving  had  intended  but  a  short  visit  to  the  resi- 
dence of  his  sister  at  Birmingham,  but  was  detained  there 
nearly  four  months  by  illness,  most  of  the  time  confined 
to  the  house. 

I  have  been  upwards  of  two  months  in  England,  [he  writes  to  his 
brother  Ebenezer,  September  28],  I  came  over  in  hopes  of  getting  some 
manuscript  ready  for  the  press  this  autumn,  but  ever  since  my  arrival  in 
England  I  have  been  so  much  out  of  health  as  to  prevent  my  doing  any- 
thing of  consequence  with  my  pen.  I  have  been  troubled  with  bilious 
attacks,  to  which  I  had  never  before  been  subject.  It  is  the  consequence 
of  being  too  much  within  doors,  and  not  taking  exercise  enough.  I  am 
now  dieting  myself  and  taking  medicine,  and  I  trust  I  shall,  with  a  little 
care  and  attention,  get  myself  in  fine  order  again.  I  am  very  anxious  to 
get  something  into  print,  but  find  it  next  to  impossible,  in  my  present 


384  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

state  of  health,  to  do  anything  material.     Murray  is  also  extremely  desir- 
ous ;  and  indeed  the  success  of  my  former  writings  would  insure  a  run  to 

anything  1  should  now  bring  forward 

You  have  wished  for  an  additional  number  of  the  "  Sketch  Book,"  but 
I  have  not  been  able  to  prepare  one,  being  occupied  with  other  writings. 
If  you  could  clear  oil  the  stock  of  odd  numbers  that  remain,  even  though 
it  should  be  at  considerable  sacrifice,  I  wish  you  would  do  it.  We  could 
then  publish  a  complete  and  corrected  edition  in  two  volumes. 

The  following  letter  to  Leslie  is  written  eleven  days 
later  from  his  sister's  house,  which  he  designates  with 
characteristic  playfulness,  Edgbaston  Castle,  as  he  had 
styled  her  husband,  Van  Wart,  on  a  former  occasion, 
Baron  Von  Tromp,  and  his  residence  the  Castle  of  the 
Von  Tromps. 

Edgbaston  Castle,  October  9,  1821. 
Mv  dear  Leslie  : — 

I  have  been  looking  for  a  letter  from  you  every  day.  Why  don't  you 
drop  me  a  line  ?  It  would  be  particularly  cheering  just  now.  I  have  not 
been  out  of  the  house  since  you  left  here ;  having  been  much  indisposed  by 
a  cold,  I  am  at  the  mercy  of  every  breath  of  air  that  blows.  I  have  had 
pains  in  my  head,  my  face  swollen,  and  yesterday  passed  the  greater  part 
of  the  day  in  bed,  which  is  a  very  extraordinary  thing  for  me.  To-day  I 
feel  better  ;  but  I  am  sadly  out  of  order  ;  and  what  especially  annoys  me 
is,  that  I  see  day  after  day  and  week  after  week  passing  away  without 

being  able  to  do  anything Have  you  begun  any  new  picture 

yet,  or  have  you  any  immediately  in  contemplation  ?  I  received  a  letter 
from  Newton,  which  I  presume  was  forwarded  by  your  direction.  Why 
did  you  not  open  it  ?  It  was  dated  the  loth  September.  He  had  arrived 
but  two  or  three  days  ;  had  sailed  up  the  Seine  from  Havre  to  Rouen 
with  my  brother  in  the  steamboat.  He  had  dined  with  Moore,  had  passed 
a  day  in  the  Louvre,  where  he  met  Wilkie,  and  strolled  the  gallery  with 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  385 

him.  He  speaks  in  raptures  of  the  Louvre.  He  says  it  strikes  him  in 
quite  a  different  way  from  what  it  did  when  he  was  there  before.  He 
intended  to  go  to  work  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  and  expected  to  pass  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  there. 

Have  you  seen  Murray  ?  when  you  see  him  you  need  not  say  where  I 
am.  I  want  the  quiet,  and  not  to  be  bothered  in  any  way.  Tell  him  I 
am  in  a  country  doctor's  hands  at  Edgbaston  somewhere  in  Warwick- 
shire. I  think  that  will  puzzle  any  one,  as  Edgbaston  has  been  built 
only  within  a  year  or  two.  Get  me  all  the  pleasant  news  you  can,  and 
then  sit  down  in  the  evening  and  scribble  a  letter  without  minding  points 
or  fine  terms.  My  sister  is  very  anxious  to  hear  of  you.  You  have  quite 
won  her  heart,  not  so  much  by  your  merits  as  by  your  attention  to  the 
children.  By  the  way,  the  little  girls  have  become  very  fond  of  the  pen- 
cil since  you  were  here,  and  are  continually  taking  their  dolls'  likenesses. 

Ever  yours, 

W.  I. 

In  a  postscript,  dated  the  17th,  of  Newton's  letter  here 
alluded  to,  the  artist  mentions  his  dining  with  Moore  the 
day  preceding,  and  in  the  body  of  the  letter  he  gives  this 
account  of  his  introduction  to  La  Butte  : — 

I  was  presented  last  night  at  La  Butte  in  a  most  characteristic  manner. 
As  Mr.  Moore  leaves  town  in  a  day  or  two,  Mr.  Story  thought  no  time 
should  be  lost  to  introduce  me,  so  set  off  for  that  purpose  after  dark  and 
in  the  rain,  which,  as  you  know  the  place,  will  of  itself  give  you  an  idea 
of  the  enterprise.  I,  of  course,  was  ignorant  of  the  situation,  or  I  should 
have  opposed  it,  as  it  was  undertaken  on  my  account.  As  it  was,  figure 
to  yourself  Mrs.  Story  equipped  with  an  old  gentleman's  shoes  (who  sat 
in  a  carriage  the  while),  and  me  with  a  lanthom  and  umbrella,  slipping 
about,  drabbled,  and  sometimes  lost  in  those  mazes  of  which  I  have  only 
still  a  sort  of  nightmare  recollection.  I  was  extremely  mortified  at  being 
the  cause  of  so  much  disaster,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  think  it  so  much 
vol.  i. — 25 


38(5  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

out  of  the  way,  and  as  we  came  off  happily,  I  was  on  the  whole  glad  of 
the  oddity  of  the  adventure.    This  and  some  other  little  traits  amused  me 
extremely,  as  corresponding  with  the  idea  you  had  given  ine  of  this 
rie. 

October  22,  Leslie  writes  him  : — 

Powell  and  I  commenced  housekeeping  a  week  ago.  It  is  probable  that 
nothing  will  more  i  stonish  you  on  your  return  than  the  metamorphosis 
at  Buckingham  Place.  Not  to  speak  of  window  curtains,  a  piano-forte, 
small  knives  and  plates  at  breakfast,  you  will  be  surprised  to  find  an 
academy  established  on  the  principle  of  mutual  education  in  various 
branches  of  learning  and  the  fine  arts.  During  breakfast,  Powell  gives 
me  a  lesson  in  French.  At  five  we  both  study  carving.  After  tea  I  teach 
him  to  draw  the  figures,  and  at  odd  times  he  instructs  himself  in  German 
and  the  piano-forte,  and  once  a  week  he  unfolds  to  me  the  mysteries  of 
political  economy  according  to  Cobbett.  Instruction  is  even  extended 
beyond  our  walls,  as  far  indeed  as  Sloane  Street,  where  Powell  delivers  a 
weekly  lecture  on  perspective.  In  this  way  we  pass  the  time  ;  and  I  am 
quite  sure  that  if  I  get  through  the  winter  as  I  have  passed  the  last  week, 
and  with  you  and  Newton  here,  it  will  be  the  most  agreeable  one  I  shall 
have  spent  in  London.  I  was  glad  to  hear  of  Newton  from  you.  I  did 
not  see  his  letter  or  I  should  have  opened  it.  I  am  at  present  painting 
the  portraits  of  two  little  girls,  and  making  a  drawing  from  the  "Royal 
Poet,"  the  incident  of  the  dove  flying  into  the  window.  Powell  has 
promised  to  fill  up  the  sheet.     I  must  therefore  bid  you  good-by. 

Powell  fill3  up  the  sheet  after  this  burlesque  fashion : — 

I  am  beginning  to  be  ashamed  of  the  prejudices  I  had  imbibed  about 
Buckingham  Place.  All  prejudices  are  hateful,  and  people  ought  to  live 
in  every  spot  they  do  not  like,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  their  opinions 
are  well  or  ill-founded.  There  are  many  charms  about  this  place,  the 
enjoyment  of  which  I  never  contemplated.     While  I  am  now  writing,  in 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  387 

addition  to  the  enjoyment  of  my  tea  and  rolls,  a  sort  of  troubadour  is 
warbling  beneath  my  window,  together  with  the  partner  of  his  bosom, 
and  a  little  natural  production  between  both,  equally  regardless  of  fame 
and  weather,  and  seemingly  smitten  only  by  the  love  of  half-pence  ;  the 
pleasure  of  getting  which  in  this  neighborhood,  must,  I  suppose,  like  that 
of  angling,  be  greatly  increased  by  the  rarity  of  the  bite.  Those  things 
about  us  here,  that  to  the  common  view  appear  disagreeable,  tend  to 
increase  our  happiness.  The  repose  and  quiet  of  our  evening  talk  or 
studies  is  rendered  still  more  so  by  its  contrast  with  a  matrimonial  squab- 
ble in  the  street,  or  the  undisguised  acknowledgment  of  pain  in  the 
vociferations  of  a  whipped  urchin  up  the  court. 

We  are  also  much  more  pastoral  here  than  you  would  imagine. 

We  have  a  share  in  a  cow,  which  makes  its  appearance  twice  a  day  in  a 
blue  and  white  cream-jug.  We  eat  our  own  dinners,  and  generally  have 
enough.  Yesterday,  to  be  sure,  we  came  a  little  short,  in  consequence  01 
Leslie,  who  acts  as  maitre  d'hotel,  having  ordered  a  sumptuous  hash  to 
be  made  from  a  cold  shoulder  of  lamb,  the  meat  of  which  had  been  pre- 
viously stripped  from  it  with  surgical  dexterity  by  our  host  himself  during 
the  three  preceding  days.  There  have  been  a  great  many  disputes  in  all 
ages  about  the  real  situation  of  Paradise.  I  have  not,  to  be  sure,  read  all 
the  arguments  upon  the  subject ;  but  if  I  were  to  go  entirely  by  my  own 
judgment,  I  should  guess  it  to  be  somewhere  near  the  comer  of  Cam- 
bridge Court,  Fitzroy  Square. 

Adieu,  and  increased  health  to  you. 

Yours,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

P.  P. 

The  following  is  the  author's  reply  to  Leslie,  the  ad- 
dress to  his  "friend  Peter"  being  missing. 

Edgbaston,  October  25,  1821. 
My  deae  Leslie  : — 

I  thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  your  letter.  I  had  intended  to  have 
answered  your  preceding  one  before,  but  I  am  not  in  mood  or  condition 


388  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

to  write,  and  had  nothing  to  say  worth  writing.  I  am  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  physician.  I  have  taken  draughts  and  pills  enough  to  kill  a  horse,  yet  I 
can  not  determine  whether  1  am  not  rather  worse  off  than  when  I  began. 

I  cannot  at  this  moment  suggest  anything  for  your  Christmas  piece. 
I  do  not  know  your  general  plan.  Is  it  to  be  a  daylight  piece,  or  an  even- 
ing round  a  hall  fire  ?  Is  there  no  news  of  Newton  ?  If  I  had  thought  he 
would  remain  so  long  at  Paris,  I  would  have  written  to  him.  I  am  glad 
to  hear  that  you  are  so  snugly  fixed  with  friend  Powell  for  the  winter, 
though  I  should  have  been  much  better  pleased  to  have  heard  that  you 
were  turned  neck  and  heels  into  the  street.  Reconcile  it  to  yourself  as 
you  may,  I  shall  ever  look  upon  your  present  residence  as  a  most  serious 
detriment  to  you  ;  and  were  you  to  lose  six  or  even  twelve  months  in  look- 
ing for  another,  I  should  think  you  a  gainer  upon  the  whole. 

What  prospects  are  there  of  the  plates  being  finished  for  Knickerbocker 
and  the  "Sketch  Book  ?"  When  do  you  begin  a  large  picture,  and  what 
subject  do  you  attack  first  ?  It  is  time  you  had  something  under  way. 
I  must  leave  a  space  to  reply  to  friend  Peter  ;  so  farewell  for  the  present. 

Yours,  ever, 

W.I. 

Two  days  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Irving  re- 
ceived one  from  Ebenezer,  informing  him  that  his  brother 
William  was  gradually  growing  weaker  under  a  seated 
consumption.     He  died  November  9,  1821. 

In  alluding  to  the  loss  of  this  brother,  whom  he  de- 
scribes as  having  been  "  a  kind  of  father  to  them  all,"  he 
speaks  of  him  in  a  later  letter  as  "  a  man  full  of  worth 
and  talents,  beloved  in  private  and  honored  in  public 
life."  Paulding  has  also  recorded  his  appreciation  of 
him  as  "a  man  of  wit  and  genius."  William  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-five.     His  disease  was  thought  to  have  been 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  389 

hastened  by  over-anxiety  in  business.  He  bad  been 
about  retiring  at  the  close  of  the  war  with  a  handsome 
fortune,  when  a  cloud  came  over  the  commercial  world, 
and  though  not  involved  in  the  embarrassments  of  his 
brothers,  he  found  himself  a  serious  sufferer  from  the 
times,  and  obliged  to  continue  a  life  of  exertion  when  his 
health  required  entire  repose. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Irving  received  from  Newton  a 
letter,  which  gives  the  following  tidings  of  Moore. 

Moore's  affairs  are  settled,  and  he  is  coming  to  live  in  England  ;  he 
goes  to  France  on  Monday  next  ;  he  is  sitting  to  me.  He  desires  his  best 
regards  to  you,  and  had  he  known  you  were  in  Birmingham  would  hava 
stopped  there. 

Moore  had  come  over  incog,  from  Paris  some  three 
weeks  before  the  date  of  this  letter ;  had  settled  his 
affairs;  that  is,  the  Bermuda  difficulty,  with  the  money 
arising  from  the  sale  to  Murray  of  the  "Memoirs  of 
Byron,"  which  the  poet  had  given  him  in  Italy  some  two 
years  previous,  to  make  what  use  of  them  he  pleased, 
though  with  the  understanding  that  they  could  not  be 
published  during  his  life.  He  was  now  about  to  return 
to  Paris,  where  he  remained  nearly  four  months  after 
Mr.  Irving  had  gone  up  to  London.  He  had  passed 
through  Birmingham  twice  during  his  incognito,  without 
being  aware  of  Mr.  Irving's  presence  in  that  city.  The 
last  time  was  October  21,  on  his  way  from  Ireland  to 
London.  His  diary  gives  the  following  record  for  the 
next  day. 


390  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

Octobt  r  22.— Arrived  in  London  at  7  incog Was  preparing,  as 

usual,  to  gneak  nut  in  a  hackney  coach,  when  Rees  arrived  with  the  im- 
portant and  joyful  intelligence  that  the  agent  has  accepted  the  £1,000, 
and  that  I  am  now  a  free  man  again.  Walked  boldly  out  into  the  sun- 
shine, and  showed  myself  up  St.  James  Street  and  Bond  Street. 

Moore  had  returned  to  Paris  on  the  11th  of  November, 
and  when  he  visited  London  again  in  April,  he  rescinded 
his  bargain  with  Murray  for  the  "  Memoirs  of  Byron," 
making  himself  a  debtor  to  the  publisher  for  the  two 
thousand  guineas  advanced,  and  leaving  the  manuscript 
in  his  hands  as  security  for  its  repayment.  These  me- 
moirs, which  were  not  destined  to  see  the  light,  Mr. 
Irving  had  read  while  in  Paris  with  Moore. 


CHAPTEE  XXVm. 

RETURN  TO  LONDON. — TRANSMITS  FIRST  VOLUME  OF  "  BRACEBRIDGE  HALL." 
—MOSES  THOMAS. — COOPER  AND  "THE  SPT."  —  SENDS  OFF  VOLUME  II. 
"BRACEBRIDGE  HALL." — MAKES  CONTRACT  WITH  MURRAY  FOR  PUBLICA- 
TION IN  ENGLAND. — JOHN  RANDOLPH. — MRS.  SIDDONS.— VISIT  TO  WIMBLE- 
DON, ONE  OF  THE  COUNTRY  SEATS  OF  EARL  SPENCER. — MEETING  WITH 
ROGERS. — VISIT  TO  THE  COUNTRY  SEAT  OF  THOMAS  HOPE. — LINES  WRITTEN 
IN  THE  DEEP  DENE  ALBUM. — ROGERS. — MATTHEWS,  THE  COMEDIAN. — PRE- 
PARING  POR   AN   EXCURSION   INTO   GERMANY. 

*K.  IKVING  returned  to  London  on  the  26th 
of  December,  and  four  weeks  thereafter  trans- 
mitted across  the  Atlantic  the  first  volume  of 


"Bracebridge  Hall,"  which  he  had  hoped  to  have  had 
ready  for  the  press  the  preceding  autumn,  but  which  had 
been  retarded  by  indisposition,  depression,  and  the  fact 
that  when  he  had  got  it  nearly  complete  he  was  in- 
duced, as  has  been  before  stated,  to  subtract  from  it  a 
large  portion,  which  would  form  the  foundation  of  a 
work  by  itself,  and  task  himself  in  the  height  of  his  ill- 
ness to  supply  its  place. 

[To  Ebenezer  Irving. ] 

London,  January  29,  1822. 

My  dear  Brother  : — 

By  the  packet  from  Liverpool  which  brings  this  letter  I  forward  you  a 
parcel  containing  the  first  volume  of  "Bracebridge  Hall,  or  the  Humour 

391 


392  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

i-t.s."  a  medley  in  two  volumes.  I  had  hoped  to  have  sent  both  volumes, 
hut  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  the  second  volume  ready  in  time  for  this 
opportunity,  though  I  have  tried  until  the  last  moment,  You  will  re- 
ceive it,  however,  by  the  next  opportunity,  and  very  probably  before  you 
can  have  made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  printing.  At  any  rate, 
put  the  first  volume  to  press  immediately  and  publish  it  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, with  or  without  the  second  volume.  As  it  is  not  like  a  novel,  but 
rather  a  connected  scries  of  tales  and  essays,  it  is  of  no  great  importance 
that  they  should  be  published  together;  but  it  is  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance that  some  part  of  the  work  should  appear  as  early  as  possible,  to  give 
me  some  chance  of  securing  copy-right.  I  shall  have  to  put  it  to  press 
here  in  a  very  short  time,  as  the  season  is  advancing,  and  my  publisher  is 
very  impatient  ;  besides,  the  public  has  been  expecting  something  from 
me  for  some  time  past,  and  it  will  not  do  to  let  expectation  get  too  high. 
If  the  work  is  not  got  out,  therefore,  very  soon  in  America,  there  will  be 
a  chance  of  an  English  copy  getting  out  beforehand,  and  thus  throwing 
me  at  the  mercy  of  American  publishers.  Should  the  number  of  copies 
make  any  material  difference  in  the  time  of  getting  out  the  work,  you 
had  better  let  the  first  edition  be  rather  small  ;  and  put  another  to  press 
the  moment  I  furnish  you  with  proof-sheets  of  the  English  edition,  in 
which  there  will  doubtless  be  many  alterations,  as  I  have  not  had  time  to 
revise  some  parts  of  the  work  sufficiently,  and  am  apt  to  make  alterations 
to  the  last  moment. 

The  work  had  better  be  printed  in  duodecimo,  and  to  save  time  in 
binding,  let  the  volumes  be  put  up  in  lettered  covers  like  the  "Sketch 
Book."  The  second  edition  can  be  got  up  in  better  style.  The  first  vol- 
ume runs,  as  near  as  I  can  guess,  between  340  and  350  pages  of  the  Amer- 
ican edition  of  the  "Sketch  Book."  The  second  volume  will  be  about 
the  same  size.  You  can  make  your  estimates  accordingly.  Put  wht't 
price  you  think  proper.  I  do  not  care  about  its  being  a  very  high  one, 
I  wish,  expressly,  Moses  Thomas  to  have  the  preference  over  every  other 
publisher.  I  impress  this  upon  you,  and  beg  you  to  attend  to  it  as  ear- 
nestly as  if  I  had  written  three  sheets  full  on  the  subject.  Whatever  mr  " 
have  been  his  embarrassments  and  consequent  want  of  punctuality,  he  ' 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  393 

one  who  showed  a  disposition  to  serve  me,  and  who  did  serve  me  in  the 
time  of  my  necessity,  and  I  should  despise  myself  could  I  for  a  moment 
forget  it.  Let  him  have  the  work  on  better  terms  than  other  publishers, 
and  do  not  be  deterred  by  the  risk  of  loss. 

My  health  is  still  unrestored.  This  work  has  kept  me  from  getting 
well,  and  my  indisposition  on  the  other  hand  has  retarded  the  work.  I 
have  now  been  about  five  weeks  in  London,  and  have  only  once  been  out 
of  doors,  about  a  month  since,  and  that  made  me  worse. 

From  what  Mr.  Irving  has  told  me,  I  infer  he  must 
have  left  his  sick  chamber  this  "  once  "  to  confer  with  Mur- 
ray respecting  the  publication  of  "  The  Spy,"  the  first  of 
Cooper's  novels  which  created  his  reputation  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  claim  to  enduring  literary  distinction. 
Wiley,  his  American  publisher,  had  sent  the  printed 
volume  to  Murray,  accompanied  by  a  letter  from  Cooper, 
referring  him  to  Mr.  Irving  for  terms.  Mr.  Wiley  at  the 
same  time  wrote  to  Mr.  Irving,  apprising  him  of  this  pro- 
ceeding, and  requesting  him,  should  Murray  decline  to 
make  such  an  offer  for  the  work  as  in  his  opinion  it 
might  be  worth,  "to  call  on  some  other  respectable 
house."  Murray  retained  the  work  until  Mr.  Irving 
grew  impatient  for  an  answer,  and  then  declined  its 
publication,  as  he  had  formerly  done  in  the  case  of  the 
"Sketch  Book."  Meanwhile,  it  found  its  way  to  the 
English  public  through  another  channel.  Mr.  Irving  re- 
ported its  fate  in  a  letter  to  Wiley  not  in  my  possession, 
if  it  be  still  in  existence,  and  it  is  that  communication 
which  led  to  this  direct  epistle  from  Cooper,  prior  to  his 


;,.ij  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

adoption,  us  will  be  seen  from  the  signature,  of  his  mid- 
dle name  of  Fenimore. 

Dear  Sir  : — 

The  friendly  interest  you  have  taken  in  the  success  of  my  books,  de- 
mand- of  me  a  direct  acknowledgment  of  your  kindness.  I  was  not  very 
Banguine  as  to  the  success  of  the  "Spy"  in  England,  nor  was  I  at  all  sur- 
(]  when  I  learnt  that  the  book  was  referred  to  Mr.  Gifford,  that  Mr. 
Murray  declined  publishing  it.  If  the  latter  is  made  sensible  of  the  evil 
guidance  that  he  has  been  subjected  to,  one  good  purpose,  at  least,  will 
follow  the  success  which  you  are  so  good  as  to  communicate.  Mr.  Ben- 
jamin W.  Coles,  of  this  city,  is  now  in  Europe,  and  has  been  so  kind  as 
to  take  charge  of  my  new  work,  "  The  Pioneers; "  I  should  be  pleased  to 
have  him  aided  by  your  experience.  If  you  meet  he  will  probably  call  on 
you  and  you  will  find  him  a  gentleman  of  acquirements,  and  modest, 
pleasing  manners. 

By  a  Mr.  Ilalleck,  the  admirable  Croaker,  I  have  sent  to  Mr.  Coles  the 
first  hundred  pages  of  the  work  in  print.  I  shall  take  proper  caution  to 
secure  the  copy-right  in  both  countries,  if  it  can  be  done. 

I  desire,  sir,  to  thank  you  again  for  your  attention  to  my  interests,  and 
the  advice  for  my  future  government. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  servant, 
New  York,  July  30,  1822.  JAMES  COOFEE. 

Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  mentioned  above,  who  shared 
with  Joseph  Rodman  Drake  the  authorship  of  the  satiri- 
cal effusions  first  published  iu  the  New  York  Evening 
Post,  under  the  signature  of  "  Croaker  and  Croaker  and 
Co.,"  was  soon  destined  to  a  wider  and  more  exalted  ce- 
lebrity in  the  front  rank  of  American  poets.  Drake, 
whose  genius  gave  promise  of  a  brilliant  career,  died  at 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  395 

the  early  age  of  twenty-five,  leaving  behind  him  in  manu- 
script that  exquisite  creation  of  fancy,  "  The  Culprit 
Fay." 

Mr.  Irving  was  in  Germany  when  this  letter  of  Cooper 
was  received,  and  did  not  return  to  London  for  some 
time,  so  that  he  had  no  opportunity  of  conferring  with 
Murray  respecting  the  "  Pioneers,"  of  which  he  [Murray] 
became  the  publisher. 

The  second  volume  of  "Bracebridge  Hall"  was  de- 
spatched to  New  York  the  last  of  February,  a  month 
after  the  other,  but  reached  its  destination  within  eight 
days  of  it,  the  first  having  a  passage  of  sixty  days.  They 
were  received  in  April,  and  hurried  through  the  press  by 
Ebenezer  for  fear  of  being  anticipated  by  the  copy  on 
the  English  side.  The  work  was  printed  in  the  style  of 
the  "  Sketch  Book,"  and  for  want  of  time  only  a  thou- 
sand copies  were  printed  in  the  first  edition ;  "  it  would 
have  been  more  profitable,"  says  Ebenezer,  "to  have 
made  the  edition  larger,  but  it  would  not  do  to  venture 
on  it."  It  appeared  May  21,  1822.  Soon  after  Mr.  Ir- 
ving had  sent  the  second  volume  to  America,  and  thus 
given  it  a  fair  start,  he  proceeded  to  make  a  contract  with 
Murray  for  its  publication  in  England. 

When  the  author  came  up  from  Birmingham  to  London 
with  the  MS.  of  "  Bracebridge  Hall,"  Colbum  called  on 
him,  introduced  by  Campbell  the  poet,  and  offered  him  a 
thousand  guineas  for  it,  but  he  would  not  entertain  a 
proposition  to  leave  Murray.     The  latter  had  been  very 


396  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

anxious  to  have  something  from  him  as  the  season  was 
advancing,  and  when  Mr.  Irving  went  to  him,  at  the  in- 
etance  of  his  friends,  wlio  probably  knew  his  too  easy 
ac  [uiescence  in  any  sum  that  might  be  offered,  he  was 
induced  to  name  his  own  price,  which  was  fifteen  hundred 
guineas.  This  staggered  Murray,  who,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation,  began  :  "  If  you  had  said  a  thousand  guineas ; " 
"  You  shall  have  it  for  a  thousand  guineas,"  said  Mr.  Ir- 
ving, breaking  in.  Murray  was  taken  aback  by  this.  He 
had  probably  been  prepared  to  divide  the  difference,  and 
go  the  length  of  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  guineas.  When 
he  found  Mr.  Irving  respond  so  promptly  to  the  lesser 
sum,  he  sat  down  at  once,  and  drew  out  the  notes  for  the 
amount,  and  gave  them  to  him,  although  he  did  not  re- 
ceive the  manuscript  until  nearly  two  weeks  afterwards. 
He  also  threw  in  a  handsome  donation  of  books,  which 
the  author  sent  to  his  sister  at  Birmingham. 

After  all,  as  his  brother  Peter  writes  him  on  hearing 
of  the  bargain  with  Murray,  "  a  thousand  guineas  has  a 
golden  sound." 

Mr.  Irving  sent  the  last  proof  of  "  Bracebridge  Hall " 
to  press  in  London,  May  11,  1822.  He  had  made  great 
alterations  and  additions  as  the  work  was  printing,  so 
that  the  first  English  edition  differed  considerably  from 
the  first  American  one.  The  two  editions  were  published 
within  two  days  of  each  other,  the  American  appearing 
on  the  21st,  and  the  English  on  the  23d  of  May. 

Some   time  before   the   appearance    of   "  Bracebridge 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  397 

Hall"  in  London,  Mr.  Irving  found  himself  getting  the 
better  of  the  tormenting  malady  in  his  ankles,  which  had 
troubled  him  at  Birmingham,  and  confined  him  to  the 
house  since  his  arrival  in  London.  He  had  been  at  a 
grievous  expense  with  doctors  to  but  little  purpose,  and 
he  finally  determined  to  undertake  his  own  cure  ;  "  for 
I  fancy,"  he  says,  "  I  understand  the  complaint  as  well 
as  any  of  them."  His  first  step  was  to  go  out  and  take 
exercise  every  day.  Finding  his  health  improving  under 
this  regimen,  he  began  to  pay  visits,  and  was  soon  in  a 
constant  hurry  of  engagements,  in  the  midst  of  which 
Moore  came  over  to  London  from  Paris  for  a  brief 
sojourn,  arriving  April  16,  and  leaving  May  7.  During 
this  interval  his  diary,  for  Mr.  Irving  kept  none  at  this 
period,  gives  us  a  few  glimpses  of  the  author,  of  which  I 
select  the  following  : — 

May  2d. — Went  with  Irving  to  breakfast  at  Holland  House.  The  Duke 
of  Bedford  came  in  after  breakfast,  fresh  from  his  duel  with  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham. 

May  5th. — Irving  walked  about  with  me  ;  called  together  at  Lady 
Blessington's,  who  is  growing  very  absurd.  "I  have  felt  very  melan- 
choly and  ill  all  this  day,"  she  said.  "  Why  is  that  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Don't 
you  know?"  "No."  "It  is  the  anniversary  of  my  poor  Napoleon's 
death." 

In  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  to  Brevoort,  dated 
London,  June  11,  we  find  mention  of  John  Kandolph  and 
Mrs.  Siddons. 


398  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

John  Randolph  is  here,  and  has  attracted  much  attention.  He  has 
been  Bought  after  by  people  of  the  first  distinction.  I  have  met  him  re- 
peat nil  v  in  company,  and  his  eccentricity  of  appearance  and  manner 
mak.s  him  the  more  current  and  interesting  ;  for  in  high  life  here,  they 
are  always  eager  after  anything  strange  and  peculiar.  There  is  a  vast 
deal,  too,  of  the  old  school  in  Randolph's  manner,  the  turn  of  his 
thoughts,  and  the  style  of  his  conversation,  which  seems  to  please  very 
much. 

Among  other  interesting  acquaintances  that  I  have  made  is  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons.  She  is  now  near  seventy,  and  yet  a  magnificent  looking  woman. 
It  is  surprising  how  little  time  has  been  able  to  impair  the  dignity  of  her 
carriage,  or  the  noble  expression  of  her  countenance.  I  heard  her  read 
the  part  of  Constance  at  her  own  house  one  evening,  and  I  think  it  the 
greatest  dramatic  treat  I  have  had  for  a  long  time  past. 

Four  days  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Irving  re- 
ceived an  invitation  from  Lady  Spencer  to  dine  with  her 
at  "Wimbledon,  one  of  the  country-seats  of  Lord  Spencer, 
about  twelve  miles  from  London.  This  was  the  lady 
whose  Christmas  invitation  he  had  not  been  able  to 
accept.  At  this  dinner  he  first  met  the  poet  Kogers,  who 
had  lately  returned  from  the  continent;  and  who,  though 
a  stranger,  received  him  with  the  hearty  cordiality  of  an 
old  friend.  Irving  at  this  time  was  overrun  with  invita- 
tions from  many  of  whom  he  knew  nothing.  Rogers  cau- 
tioned him  to  be  on  his  guard,  or  the  commonplace  would 
hunt  him  down.  "  Show  me  your  list  of  invitations," 
said  he,  "and  let  me  give  you  a  hint  or  two.  This  ac- 
cept," to  one;  "that  decline,"  to  another;  to  a  third, 
"  this  man  avoid  by  all  means ;  O !  he's  a  direful  bore." 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  399 

Mr.  Irving  was  quite  amused  at  this  worldly  advice  of  the 
poet,  and  especially  at  the  decided  emphasis  of  the  last 
sentence.  Who  the  individual  was,  so  impressively  com- 
plimented, he  did  not  specify  when  the  anecdote  fell  from 
him. 

I  have  heard  Mr.  Irving  relate  the  following  curious 
incident,  as  occurring  at  Wimbledon,  where  it  appears  he 
passed  the  night.  He  was  reading,  as  was  his  custom 
through  life,  in  bed.  His  door  suddenly  opened  cau- 
tiously, and  in  stalked  a  grim  apparition  in  the  shape  of 
a  man  with  a  lantern,  who  quietly  walked  up  to  his  light, 
and  with  some  muttered  sentence  which  escaped  him,  ex- 
tinguished it,  and  then  walked  out,  shutting  the  door 
after  him,  and  leaving  Geoffrey  in  a  maze  at  the  myste- 
rious intrusion.  Lady  Spencer  laughed  heartily  when  he 
mentioned  the  incident  the  next  morning  at  breakfast. 
"O,"  said  she,  "that  was  my  fireman;  we  once  lost  a 
country-seat  by  fire,  and  ever  since  he  has  had  orders  to 
walk  the  corridors  at  night,  and  when  he  detects  a  light 
from  under  the  door,  to  extinguish  it." 

The  next  trace  of  him  is  June  21,  when  he  is  passing  a 
few  days  at  the  country-seat  of  Mr.  Thomas  Hope,  author 
of  "  Anastasius ; "  from  which  he  writes  to  his  sister 
Catherine : — 

I  am  now  writing  from  a  country-seat  in  a  beautiful  part  of  the  coun- 
try, where  I  am  passing  a  few  days.  It  is  the  residence  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Hope,  one  of  the  richest  and  most  extraordinary  men  in  England,  not 
more  famous  for  his  wealth  and  magnificence  than  for  being  the  author 


400 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


of  "  Annstasius,"  a  work  of  great  merit  and  curious  character.  His  wife, 
the  Bon.  Mrs.  Hope,  is  one  of  the  loveliest  women  in  the  kingdom,  and 
one  of  the  reigning  deities  of  fashion.  Their  country-seat  is  furnished  in 
a  style  of  taste  and  magnificence  of  which  I  can  give  you  no  idea.  With 
nil  this,  they  are  delightfully  frank,  simple,  and  unpretending  in  their 
manners,  especially  in  their  country  retreat  ;  which  is  the  true  place  to 
see  English  people  to  advantage.  There  are  several  persons  on  a  visit 
here,  besides  myself,  and  time  passes  away  very  pleasantly. 

The  following  contribution  to  the  Album  at  Deep 
Dene,  the  country-seat  above  mentioned,  I  take  from  the 
"  Cornhill  Magazine  "  of  May,  1860,  in  which  it  appeared 
after  Mr.  Irving's  death. 


WRITTEN  IN  THE  DEEP  DENE  ALBUM. 
June  24,  1822. 

Thou  record  of  the  votive  throng 
That  fondly  seek  this  fairy  shrine, 

And  pay  the  tribute  of  a  song 
Where  worth  and  loveliness  combine — 

What  boots  that  I,  a  vagrant  wight 
From  clime  to  clime  still  wandering  on, 

Upon  thy  friendly  page  should  write — 
Who'll  think  of  me  when  I  am  gone  ? 

Go  plough  the  wave,  and  sow  the  sand; 

Throw  seed  to  every  wind  that  blows  ; 
Along  the  highway  strew  thy  hand 

And  fatten  on  the  crop  that  grows. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  401 

For  even  thus  the  man  that  roams 

On  heedless  hearts  his  feeling  spends; 
Strange  tenant  of  a  thousand  homes, 

And  friendless,  with  ten  thousand  friends. 

Yet  here  for  once  I'll  leave  a  trace, 

To  ask  in  aftertimes  a  thought ; 
To  say  that  here  a  resting-place 

My  wayworn  heart  has  fondly  sought. 

So  the  poor  pilgrim  heedless  strays, 

Unmoved,  through  many  a  region  fair ; 
But  at  some  shrine  his  tribute  pays, 

To  tell  that  he  has  worshipped  there. 

Washington  Irvtng. 

June  30,  lie  writes  to  Brevoort  from  London : — 

Rogers,  the  poet,  returned  not  long  since  from  the  continent,  and  I 
breakfast  occasionally  with  him,  and  meet  Crabbe  and  others  of  his  liter- 
ary friends.  He  has  one  of  the  completest  and  most  elegant  little  bache- 
lor establishments  that  I  have  ever  seen.  It  is  as  neat,  and  elegant,  and 
finished,  and  small,  as  his  own  principal  poem. 

Matthews,  the  comedian,  is  coming  out  to  make  a  tour  in  America, 
which  I  have  no  doubt  will  be  a  successful  one.  His  powers  of  entertain- 
ment are  wonderful.  By  his  talents  at  imitation,  he  in  a  manner  raises 
the  dead  and  makes  them  walk  and  talk  for  your  amusement ;  for  his 
specimens  of  Tate  Wilkinson,  Macklin,  Wilkes,  etc.,  etc.,  are  among  the 
best  of  his  imitations.  He  is  a  very  correct,  gentlemanlike  man  in  private 
life,  and  at  times  the  life  of  a  dinner-table  by  his  specimens  of  characters 
of  the  day.  I  shall  give  him  letters  to  America,  and  among  others  to 
yourself. 

When   Mr.  Irving  returned  from  Deep  Dene  to   his 
vol.  i.— 26 


402  TJFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

lodgings  in  London,  he  found  his  table  covered  with  in- 
vitations which  had  accumulated  during  his  absence. 

I  have  been  leading  a  sad  life  lately  [he  writes  to  his  brother  Peter, 
June  30],  burning  the  candle  at  both  ends,  and  seeing  the  fashionable 
world  through  one  of  its  seasons.  The  success  of  my  writings  gave  me 
an  opportunity,  and  I  thought  it  worth  while  to  embrace  it  if  it  were  only 
for  curiosity's  sake.  I  have  therefore  been  tossed  about  "hither  and 
thither  and  whither  I  would  not ;"  have  been  at  the  levee  and  the  draw- 
ing-room, been  at  routs,  and  balls,  and  dinners,  and  country-seats  ;  been 
hand-and-glove  with  nobility  and  mobility,  until,  like  Trim,  I  have  satis- 
fy.! the  sentiment,  and  am  now  preparing  to  make  my  escape  from  all 
this  splendid  confusion. 

He  was  intending  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  to  AU- 
la-Chapellc,  for  the  benefit  of  the  baths  and  waters. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

JUX-LA-CHAPELLE. — OLD  CUSTOM. — MAYENCE. — INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  "  TALES 
OF  A  TRAVELLER." — HEIDELBERG.  —  LETTER  FROM  MOORE. — MUNICH. — 
EUGENE  BEAUHARNOIS. — VIENNA. — THE  YOUNG  NAPOLEON. 

HE  restless  life  which  the  author  had  been 
leading  in  London,  had  thrown  him  back  in 
his  recovery,  and  when  he  started  for  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  he  was  still  rather  lame  from  the  lingerings  of 
his  complaint.  From  this  ancient  city,  which  he  reached 
on  the  17th  of  July,  and  where  he  spent  some  weeks,  he 
writes  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Van  "Wart : — 

This  is  the  birthplace,  and  was  once  the  seat  of  empire  of  Charlemagne, 
that  monarch  so  renowned  in  history  and  song.  His  tomb  is  in  the  ca- 
thedral, and  is  only  marked  by  a  broad  slab  of  black  marble,  on  which  is 
the  inscription,  Carolo  Magno.  The  cathedral  is  an  extremely  ancient, 
venerable-looking  pile.  Every  night  I  hear  the  hours  chimed  on  its  bells ; 
and  the  midnight  hours  announced  by  the  watchman  from  its  tower. 
The  Germans  are  full  of  old  customs  and  usages,  which  are  obsolete  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  At  eleven,  twelve,  and  one  o'clock,  the  watch- 
man on  the  tower  of  the  cathedral,  when  the  clock  strikes,  blows  as  many 
blasts  of  a  horn  as  there  are  strokes  of  the  clock ;  and  the  sound  of  these 
warning  notes  of  time  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  has  to  me  something 
extremely  solemn. 

403 


40-i  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

From  this  "  little  old  ghost-ridden  city,"  as  he  terms 
Aix-la-Chapelle  in  his  notes,  he  ascended  the  Rhine  to 
Wisbaden,  and  proceeded  thence  to  Mayence,  where  he 
remained  about  three  weeks. 

It  was  from  the  Hotel  de  Darmstadt  at  Mayence,  that 
the  introduction  to  the  "  Tales  of  a  Traveller  "  is  dated. 
The  author  was  thrown  back  in  his  recovery  after  his 
arrival  at  Mayence,  and  was  detained  there  some  time  by 
indisposition,  as  stated  in  that  introduction,  nor  was  Ka- 
trina,  the  pretty  daughter  of  mine  host,  under  whose 
tuition  he  conjugated  ich  liebe,  a  fiction,  but  the  tales 
really  were  written  partly  in  Paris,  and  partly  in  Eng- 
land. As,  however,  he  tells  Peter,  he  was  in  hopes  to 
have  something  under  way  for  spring  publication,  it  is 
probable  he  attempted  some  scribbling  under  the  roof  of 
the  jolly  publican,  John  Ardnot,  from  which  the  fancy 
took  him  to  date  his  lucubrations  from  that  hotel.  From 
Mayence,  which  he  left  on  the  13th  of  September,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Frankfort,  and  thence  through  Darmstadt  to 
Heidelberg. 


Ln* 


With  all  my  ailments  and  my  lameness  [he  writes  to  a  sister  from  this 
place],  I  never  have  enjoyed  travelling  more  than  through  these  lovely 
countries.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  the  peculiar  fineness  of  the  sea- 
son, or  the  general  character  of  the  climate,  but  I  never  was  more  sensi- 
ble to  the  delicious  effect  of  atmosphere :  perhaps  my  very  malady  has 
made  me  more  susceptible  to  influences  of  the  kind.  I  feel  a  kind  of  in- 
toxication of  the  heart,  as  I  draw  in  the  pure  air  of  the  mountains;  and 
the  clear,  transparent  atmosphere,  the  steady,  serene,  golden  sunshine, 
seems  to  enter  into  my  very  soul. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  405 

Awaiting  his  arrival  at  Heidelberg,  which  he  had  ex- 
pected to  reach  much  earlier,  when  he  set  out  on  his 
tour,  Mr.  Irving  found  the  following  letter : — 

[From  Tliomas  Moore.} 

August  5,  1822. 

My  dear  Iryixg  : — 

I  have  been  so  deplorably  lazy  about  writing  to  you,  that  I  fear  I  am 
now  too  late  to  catch  you  at  Heidelberg,  and  lest  it  should  be  the  fate  of 
my  letter  to  die  in  the  Dead  Letter  office  of  a  German  town  ("la  plus 
morte  mort "  as  Montaigne  calls  it,  that  I  can  imagine),  I  will  only  ven- 
ture two  or  three  hasty  lines,  to  tell  you  that  we  are  all  quite  well,  and 
full  of  delight  at  the  idea  of  seeing  you  here  in  autumn.  I  have  taken  up 
a  subject  for  a  poem  since  I  came  to  Passy,  and  nearly  finished  it — only 
about  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  lines  in  all,  which  I  shall  publish  singly. 
Bessy  has  been  for  some  weeks  (with  that  "John  Bull,"  as  Tom  now  calls 
himself)  at  Montmorenci,  drinking  the  waters.  I  will  just  give  you  an  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  I  received  from  her  yesterday,  because  I  think  it  is 
about  as  good  criticism  as  is  to  be  had  (for  love  at  least,  whatever  there 
may  be  for  money),  nowadays.  "  I  have  just  finished  •  Bracebridge  Hall,' 
and  am  more  than  ever  delighted  with  the  author.  How  often  he  touches 
the  heart  !  at  least  mine."  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  mod- 
esty of  this  last  limitation  is  such  as  critics  would  do  well  to  imitate 
oftener.  "  Parlez  pour  vous  "  would  dispel  the  illusions  of  the  plurality 
exceedingly. 

I  want  you  very  much  here,  and  often  express  my  wants  aloud,  though 
I  have  not  Mrs.  Story  to  give  her  gentle  echo  to  them.  She  complains  in 
her  last  letter  to  Bessy,  that  she  has  no  longer  any  traces  of  your  exist- 
ence in  the  world.  I  could  scribble  a  good  deal  more,  now  I  have  begun, 
but  having  the  fear  of  that  Epistolary  Death  at  Heidelberg  before  my 
eyes,  I  must  stop  short,  and  am,  my  dear  Irving, 

Ever  faithfully  yours, 

Thomas  Moore. 


400  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

At  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Irving  was  undeter- 
mined  whether  to  return  to  Paris,  or  to  strike  into  the 
interior  of  Germany  and  pass  his  winter  in  Dresden.  He 
left  Heidelberg  on  the  30th  of  September,  with  his  mind 
made  up  to  the  latter  course,  though  at  Strasburg  as  he 
records,  he  had  to  resist  "  several  strong  tugs  of  feeling 
that  pulled  him  towards  Paris."  He  reached  Ulm  on 
the  5th  of  October,  continued  along  the  Danube  the 
next  day  to  visit  the  field  of  Blenheim,  the  famous  battle- 
ground, and  the  day  following  arrived  at  Munich,  the 
capital  of  Bavaria,  where  "  a  grand  fete  on  the  king's 
birthday  "  gave  him  a  fine  opportunity  of  seeing  both  the 
court  and  the  populace. 

I  had  a  good  view  also  [he  writes],  of  Eugene  Beauharnois,  the  stepson 
of  Bonaparte.  He  married  a  daughter  of  the  King  of  Bavaria,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  fortunate  of  Bonaparte's  relatives  and  followers ;  for  he 
has  ever  maintained  a  character  for  honor  and  bravery,  and  now  lives  in 
opulence  and  ease,  with  a  superb  palace,  a  charming  wife  and  family, 
beloved  by  his  father-in-law,  the  old  king,  and  esteemed  by  the  public. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  he  left  Munich  for  Salzburg, 
which  he  pronounces  "  one  of  the  most  romantic  places, 
as  to  its  situation  and  scenery  he  had  ever  beheld." 
Here  he  remained  two  or  three  days  and  then  resumed 
his  journey  for  Vienna,  where  he  was  occupied  "in  look- 
ing about  for  nearly  a  month."  In  a  letter  to  his  sister 
from  this  city,  dated  November  10,  he  gives  this  glimpse 
of  the  young  Napoleon. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  407 

The  Emperor  is  at  present  in  Italy,  attending  the  Congress  at  Verona. 
I  have  seen  the  other  members  of  the  Imperial  family  several  times  at  the 
theatre,  where  they  appear  in  the  Imperial  box  without  any  show,  nor 
any  sensation  on  the  part  of  the  audience,  as  it  seems  quite  a  common 
occurrence.  The  most  interesting  member  of  the  family,  however,  was 
the  young  Napoleon,  son  of  poor  Boney.  His  mother,  now  called  the 
archduchess  Marie  Louise,  was,  as  you  may  recollect,  daughter  of  the 
Emperor  of  Austria.  She  is  now  at  Verona.  The  young  Napoleon,  or 
the  Duke  of  Reiehstadt,  as  he  is  called,  is  a  very  fine  boy,  full  of  life  and 
spirit,  of  most  engaging  manners  and  appearance,  and  universally  popu- 
lar. He  has  something  of  Bonaparte  in  the  shape  of  his  head  and  the 
lower  part  of  his  countenance  ;  his  eyes  are  like  his  mother's.  I  have 
seen  him  once  in  an  open  carriage,  with  his  tutor.  Every  one  took  off 
his  hat  as  the  little  fellow  passed.  I  have  since  seen  him  at  the  theatre, 
where  he  appeared  to  enjoy  the  play  with  boyish  delight  ;  laughing  out 
loud,  and  continually  turning  to  speak  to  his  more  phlegmatic  uncles, 
the  other  young  princes. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

FROM  VIENNA  TO  DRESDEN. — PRIVATE  THEATRICALS. — LETTER  TO  MRS.  VAN 
WART. — LETTER  TO  PETER. — THE  CONSPIRACY. — PLAYS  SIR  CHARLES  RACK- 
ETT  IN  "THREE  WEEKS  AFTER  MARRIAGE." — LETTER  TO  LESLIE. — EX- 
TRACTS  FROM    NOTE-BOOK. — LEAVES   DRESDEN   FOR   PARIS. 

lEFORE  lie  left  Vienna,  the  author  visited  the 
Imperial  library,  where  he  saw  the  MSS.  of 
Tasso's  "  Jerusalem."  He  has  this  note  on  the 
subject:  "I  thought  I  saw  a  similarity  between  his 
handwriting  and  Lord  Byron's ;  many  alterations  in 
MSS."  He  left  Vienna  on  the  18th  of  November,  and 
passing  a  few  days  at  Prague,  on  the  way,  arrived  at 
Dresden  on  the  28th. 

In  this  little  capital,  where  his  stay  was  prolonged 
through  several  months,  the  author  was  destined  to  find 
a  delightful  residence. 

He  met  an  old  acquaintance  here  in  Morier,  the  Brit- 
ish minister,  whom  he  had  known  as  Charge  at  Washing- 
ton, in  1811,  and  through  him  he  soon  found  himself 
mingling  familiarly  with  the  diplomatic  corps,  who 
formed  a  sort  of  social  brotherhood.  Here  he  also  met 
for   the    first   time,  an  English    family  by  the  name  of 

408 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IR  VINQ.  409 

Foster,  with  whom  he  became  extremely  intimate  and  to 
whom  allusion  is  made  in  the  notes  and  letters  which  are 
to  follow.  Mrs.  Foster  had  been  for  some  time  residing 
in  Dresden  for  the  education  of  her  children,  two  daugh- 
ters now  grown  up,  and  two  younger  sons.  Her  house 
soon  became  a  home  to  him.  One  of  the  daughters,  in 
a  letter  addressed  to  him  long  years  afterwards,  says  of 
this  period  :  "  You  formed  a  part  of  our  daily  life."  I 
transcribe  a  letter  from  another  daughter,  which  gives 
her  impression  of  his  character,  as  exhibited  at  this 
period  of  familiar  intercourse.  The  letter,  it  will  be 
seen,  bears  date  after  the  author's  death,  and  was  ad- 
dressed to  me  in  reply  to  an  application  for  his  corre- 
spondence with  the  family. 


Thornhaugh  Rectory,  Wansford, 

Northamptonshire,  March  10,  1860. 


\ 

Dear  Sir 


I  have  sent  a  few  extracts  from  Mr.  Irving's  letters  that  I  thought  were 
characteristic,  or  might  be  generally  interesting,  but  only  a  few,  for  he 
expressed  so  strong  a  desire  that  his  correspondence  should  be  strictly 
private,  that  I  have  only  chosen  those  that  I  think  he  would  not  have  dis- 
liked being  made  public,  or  I  should  feel  as  if  I  had  violated  the  sacred 
confidence  of  a  friendship  so  valued.  The  passages  I  have  sent  give  an 
idea  of  his  life  in  Dresden.  Sought  after  by  all  in  the  best  society,  and 
mingling  much  in  the  gay  life  of  a  foreign  city,  and  a  court  where  the 
royal  family  were  themselves  sufficiently  intelleetu;#  to  appreciate  genius; 
but  really  intimate  with  ourselves  only,  and  to  such  a  degree  that  it  gives 
me  a  right  to  judge  of  some  points  in  his  character.  He  was  thoroughly 
a  gentleman,  not  merely  externally  in  manners  and  look,  but  to  the  inner- 
most fibres  and  core  of  his  heart.     Sweet-tempered,  gentle,  fastidious, 


410  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

sensitive,  and  gifted  with  the  warmest  affections,  the  most  delightful  and 
invariably  interesting  companion,  gay  and  full  of  humor,  even  in  spite  of 
occasional  fits  of  melancholy,  which  he  was  however  seldom  subject  to 
i  with  those  he  liked— a  gift  of  conversation  that  flowed  like  a  full 
river  in  sunshine,  bright,  easy,  and  abundant.  He  stayed  at  Dresden 
till  we  left,  and  then  accompanied  us  on  our  return  home,  even  into  the 
packet-boat,  and  left  us  in  the  channel.  That  was  not,  happily,  our 
last  parting;  he  visited  us  in  England,  and  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  him  in 
I.,  ml  11  afterwards;  but  the  farewell  in  that  open  boat,  with  the  looks  of 
regret  on  all  sides,  seemed  the  real  farewell,  and  left  the  deepest  impres- 
sion. The  picture  he  received  in  Paris  was  the  little  miniature  you 
mention.  I  am,  dear  sir, 

Yours  very  truly, 

Emily  Fuller. 

You  are  quite  welcome  to  make  any  use  of  my  letter  that  you  please. 
It  is  a  very  faint  testimony  of  a  real  friendship. 

The  "picture"  referred  to  at  the  close  of  this  tribute 
to  the  departed,  was  a  miniature  copy  of  the  "  Head  of 
Herodias,"  painted  by  Miss  Foster,  from  the  Dresden 
gallery,  and  which  has  been  for  years  suspended  from  the 
walls  of  Sunnyside.  "  I  treasure  it,"  says  the  author  in  a 
letter  to  her  a  few  years  before  his  death,  "  as  a  precious 
memorial  of  those  pleasant  days."  It  was  received  by 
Mr.  Irving  at  Paris  four  or  five  months  after  his  parting 
with  the  family  on  their  return  to  England  in  July,  1823. 
One  of  the  records  of  his  diary  at  Paris,  under  date  of 
December  15,  1823,  is  as  follows : — 

Return  home,  and  find  parcel  from  Mrs.  Foster,  with  German  books, 
and  miniature  painted  by  Emily. 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  411 

The  first  letter  I  find  from  Dresden  was  addressed  to 
Leslie  a  few  days  after  his  arrival.     In  it  he  says  : — 

By  dint  of  bathing  and  a  little  attention  to  diet,  1  have  conquered  the 
malady  that  so  long  rendered  me  almost  a  cripple  ;  and  the  exercise, 
change  of  air,  and  refreshment  of  spirit  incident  to  travelling,  have  oper- 
ated most  favorably  on  my  general  health.  Since  I  wrote  to  Newton,  I 
have  been  among  the  Salzburg  mountains;  then  by  the  way  of  Lintz  to 
Vienna,  where  I  remained  nearly  a  month;  then  through  part  of  Moravia 
and  Bohemia,  stopping  a  few  days  at  the  fine  old  city  of  Prague,  to  this 
place,  where  I  mean  to  winter.  How  I  should  have  liked  to  have  you  as 
a  travelling  companion  throughout  my  summer's  tour.  You  would  have 
found  continual  exercise  for  the  pencil,  and  objects  of  gratification  and 
improvement  in  the  noble  galleries  that  abound  in  the  principal  German 
cities.  I  shall  now  take  a  master  and  go  to  work  to  study  German.  If  I 
can  get  my  pen  to  work,  so  much  the  better  ;  but  it  has  been  so  long  idle 

that  I  fear  it  will  take  some  time  to  get  it  in  a  working  mood 

How  often  have  I  thought  of  you,  in  exploring  some  of  these  old  German 
towns,  where  you  might  have  a  wing  of  a  deserted  palace  almost  for  noth- 
ing. Such  glorious  painting-rooms,  that  might  be  blocked  up  or  pulled 
to  pieces  at  your  humor  !  The  living,  in  fact,  is  wonderfully  cheap  in 
many  of  the  finest  cities  of  Germany.  In  Dresden,  for  example,  I  have  a 
very  neat,  comfortable,  and  prettily  furnished  apartment  on  the  first  floor 
of  a  hotel  ;  it  consists  of  a  cabinet  with  a  bed  in  it,  and  a  cheerful  sitting- 
room  that  looks  on  the  finest  square.  I  am  offered  this  apartment  for  the 
winter  at  the  rate  of  thirty-six  shillings  a  month.  Would  to  Heaven  that 
I  could  get  such  quarters  in  London  for  anything  like  the  money.  I  shall 
probably  remain  here  until  the  spring  opens,  as  this  is  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  winter  residences,  and  peculiarly  favorable  for  the  study  of  the 
German  language,  which  is  here  spoken  in  its  purity.  Which  way  I  shall 
direct  my  wanderings  when  I  leave  this,  I  cannot  say ;  I  find  it  is  useless 
to  project  plans  of  tours,  as  I  seldom  follow  them,  but  am  apt  to  be  driven 
completely  out  of  my  course  by  whim  or  circumstance. 


412  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

The  letter  concludes  : — 

Farewell,  my  dear  boy. 

Give  my  hearty  remembrance  to  the  " Childe,"  Father  Luke,  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  fraternity,  not  forgetting  my  excellent  and  worthy  friend, 
Peter  PowelL 

The  following  letters,  written  after  lie  had  been  more 
than  three  months  in  Dresden,  give  some  pleasant 
glimpses  of  his  mode  of  life  in  that  city. 

[To  Mrs.  Sarah  Van  Wart.~\ 

Dresden,  March  7,  1823. 
My  dear  Sister  : — 

My  winter  in  Dresden  has  been  extremely  agreeable.     I 

have  become  quite  at  home  among  the  good  people,  and  am  invited  to 
everything  that  is  going  on  in  the  world  of  fashion  and  gayety.  The  old 
court  has  particularly  pleased  me  from  its  stiff  old-fashioned  formali- 
ties, and  buckram  ceremonies.  I  have  been  treated  uniformly  with  the 
most  marked  attention,  by  all  the  members  of  the  royal  family,  and  am 
in  ^reat  favor  with  the  old  queen.  There  is  a  singular  mixture  of  state 
and  familiarity  in  some  of  the  court  fetes.  There  have  been,  for  instance, 
several  court  balls  given  by  the  royal  family.  At  those  given  by  the 
king  the  common  people  are  admitted  as  spectators,  and  rows  of  seats  are 
1  for  them  on  each  side  of  the  great  saloon  in  which  the  company 
dance.  Here  then  you  see  the  nobility  and  visitors  of  the  court,  in  full 
court-dresses,  dancing  in  the  centre  of  the  saloon,  while  on  each  side  are 
long  banks  of  burly  faces  wedged  together,  men,  women,  and  children, 
nndgaaing,  and  courtesying  as  at  a  theatre.  As  the  court  dances  are 
not  the  most  dignified,  one  would  think  this  opportunity  of  seeing 

royalty  i  •  ould  b?  enough  to  destroy  the  illusion  with  which 

it  is  sun  .     There  is  one  romping  dance  called  "the  Grandfather." 

something  in  the  style  of  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley,  which  generally  winds  up 


OF  WASHINGTON  IE  VINO.  413 

the  balls,  and  of  •which  the  princes  and  princesses  are  extremely  fond. 
In  this  I  have  seen  the  courtiers  of  all  ages  capering  up  and  down  the 
saloon  to  the  infinite  amusement  of  the  populace,  and  in  conformity  to 
the  vagaries  of  the  dance,  I  have  been  obliged  to  romp  about  with  one  of 

the  princesses  as  if  she  had  been  a  boarding-school  girl 

I  wish  I  could  give  you  a  good  account  of  my  literary  labors,  but  I 
have  nothing  to  report.  I  am  merely  seeing  and  hearing,  and  my  mind 
seems  in  too  crowded  and  confused  a  state  to  produce  anything.  I  am 
getting  very  familiar  with  the  German  language;  and  there  is  a  lady 
here  who  is  so  kind  as  to  give  me  lessons  every  day  in  Italian  [Mrs.  Fos- 
ter], which  language  I  had  nearly  forgotten,  but  which  I  am  fast  regain- 
ing. Another  lady  is  superintending  my  French  [Miss  Emily  Foster], 
so  that  if  I  am  not  acquiring  ideas,  I  am  at  least  acquiring  a  variety  of 
modes  of  expressing  them  when  they  do  come 

[To  Peter  Irving.] 

Dresden,  March  10, 1823. 
My  dear  Brother  : — 

What  a  time  have  I  suffered  to  pass  by  without  writing  to  you.  I  can 
give  no  excuse  for  it  but  the  wretched  and  unsatisfactory  one,  of  continual 
procrastination,  and  too  much  distraction  and  dissipation  of  mind ;  but  I 
know  you  to  be  indulgent  in  these  cases,  and  not  to  consider  a  casual 
career  of  dissipation  among  the  crying  sins.  I  have  been  passing  a  very 
agreeable,  a  very  idle,  but  I  trust  after  all,  a  very  profitable  winter  in 
Dresden ;  for  though  I  have  done  nothing  with  my  pen,  and  have  be?n 
tossed  about  on  the  stream  of  society,  yet  I  console  myself  with  the  idea 
that  I  have  lived  into  a  great  deal  of  amusing  and  characteristic  infor- 
mation; which  after  all,  is  perhaps  the  best  way  of  studying  the  world. 
I  have  been  most  hospitably  received  and  even  caressed  in  this  little  capi- 
tal, and  have  experienced  nothing  but  the  most  marked  kindness  from 
the  king  downwards.  My  reception,  indeed,  at  court  has  been  peculiarly 
flattering,  and  every  branch  of  the  royal  family  has  taken  occasion  to 
show  me  particular  attention,  whenever  I  made  my  appearance.     I  wish 


414  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

you  were  here  with  me  to  study  this  little  court;  it  is  just  the  thing  that 
would  delight  you.  It  is  one  of  the  most  formal  and  ceremonious  in  Eu- 
rope, keeping  np  all  the  old  observances  that  have  been  laid  aside  in  other 
courts.  The  king  is  an  excellent  old  gentleman,  between  seventy  and 
eighty,  but  a  stanch  stickler  for  the  old  school.  He  has  two  brothers, 
Prince  Max  and  Prince  Antoine,  and  the  trio  are  such  figures  as  you  see 
in  the  prints  of  Frederick  the  Great.  Prince  Max  is  one  of  the  most 
amiable  old  gentlemen  I  have  ever  met  with;  his  countenance  and  man- 
nera  peculiarly  benevolent;  he  has  two  sons,  Frederick  and  John  (the  for- 
mer will  one  day  inherit  the  throne),  and  two  daughters,  the  youngest  of 
whom  is  the  present  Queen  of  Spain.  Prince  Antoine,  the  other  brother 
of  the  king,  is  a  brisk,  lively  little  gentleman;  very  religious,  but  withal 
as  great  a  hunter  as  Nimrod,  and  as  fond  of  dancing  as  King  David.  He 
married  a  sister  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  an  old  lady  that  is  a  complete 
picture  of  the  dames  of  the  old  school.  Prince  Antoine  has  always  shown 
a  great  fancy  for  me,  and  I  believe  I  owe  much  of  my  standing  in  the  old 
gentleman's  favor,  from  dancing  French  quadrilles.  I  have  dined  with 
the  king,  and  been  at  a  number  of  balls  and  soirees  given  by  the  different 
members  of  the  royal  family.  As  at  these  balls  every  one  must  be  in  uni- 
form or  court  dress,  they  are  very  showy. 

Among  the  other  amusements  of  the  winter,  we  have  had  a  little  at- 
tempt at  private  theatricals.  These  have  been  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Fos- 
ter, an  English  lady  of  rank,  who  has  been  residing  here  for  a  couple  of 
years.  She  has  two  daughters,  most  accomplished  and  charming  girls. 
They  occupy  part  of  a  palace,  and  in  a  large  saloon  a  little  theatre  was 
fitted  up.  the  scenery  being  hired  from  a  small  theatre  and  the  dresses 
from  a  masquerade  warehouse.  It  was  very  prettily  arranged,  I  assure 
you.  We  first  tried  Tom  Thumb,  which,  however,  went  no  further  than 
a  dressed  rehearsal,  in  which  I  played  the  part  of  King  Arthur,  to  Mrs. 
V  si  r'e  Dollalolla;  and  the  other  parts  were  supported  by  some  of  the 
iish  who  were  wintering  in  Dresden.  There  was  then  an  attempt  to 
up  a  little  opera,  altered  from  the  French  by  Colonel  Livius,  a  cousin 
of  Mrs.  Foster,  and  some  such  a  character  as  1  have  described  in  Master 
Simon   in  my  last  work.     The  colonel,  however,  who  is  a  green-room 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  415 

veteran,  and  has  written  for  the  London  theatres,  was  so  much  of  a  mar- 
tinet in  his  managerial  discipline,  that  the  piece  absolutely  fell  through 
from  being  too  much  managed.  In  the  meantime  a  few  of  the  col 
theatrical  subjects  conspired  to  play  him  a  trick,  and  get  up  a  piece  wit  k- 
out  his  knowledge.  We  pitched  upon  the  little  comedy  of  "  Three  Weeks 
after  Marriage,"  which  I  altered  and  arranged  so  as  to  leave  out  two  or 
three  superfluous  characters.  I  played  the  part  of  Sir  Charles  Racl 
Miss  Foster,  Lady  Rackett;  Miss  Flora  Foster,  Dimity;  Mrs.  Foster,  Mrs. 
Druggett;  and  a  young  officer  by  the  name  of  Corkran,  the  part  of  Mr. 
Druggett.  You  cannot  imagine  the  amusement  this  little  theatrical  plot 
furnished  us.  We  rehearsed  in  Mrs.  Foster's  drawing-room,  and  as  the 
whole  was  to  be  kept  a  profound  secret,  and  as  Mrs.  Foster's  drawing- 
room  is  a  great  place  of  resort,  and  as  especially  our  dramatic  sovereign, 
Colonel  Livius,  was  almost  an  inmate  of  the  family,  we  were  in  con- 
tinued risk  of  discovery,  and  had  to  gather  together  like  a  set  of 
conspirators.  We,  however,  carried  our  plot  into  execution  more 
successfully  than  commonly  falls  to  the  lot  of  conspirators.  The  colonel 
had  ordered  a  dress  rehearsal  of  his  little  opera  ;  the  scenery  was  all  pre- 
pared, the  theatre  lighted  up,  a  few  amateurs  admitted  ;  the  colonel  took 
his  seat  before  the  curtain,  to  direct  the  rehearsal.  The  curtain  rose,  and 
out  walked  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Druggett  in  proper  costume.  The  little  colonel 
was  perfectly  astonished,  and  did  not  recover  himself  before  the  first  act 
was  finished;  it  was  a  perfect  explosion  to  him.  We  afterwards  per- 
formed the  little  comedy  before  a  full  audience  of  the  English  resident  in 
Dresden,  and  of  several  of  the  nobility  that  understood  English,  and  it 
went  off  with  great  spirit  and  success.  We  are  now  on  the  point  of  play- 
ing "  The  Wonder,"  which  I  have  altered  and  shortened  to  suit  the 
strength  of  the  company,  and  to  prune  off  objectionable  parts.  In  this, 
I  play  the  part  of  Don  Felix,  to  Miss  Foster's  Violante.  She  plays  charm- 
ingly; the  part  of  Colonel  Briton  I  have  had  to  alter  into  a  British  captain 
of  a  man-of-war,  to  adapt  it  to  the  turn  of  the  actor  who  is  to  play  it, 
namely,  Captain  Morier,  of  the  navy,  brother  of  the  British  Minister.  I 
have  dwelt  rather  long  on  this  subject  because  I  know  you  relish  matters 
of  the  kind. 


410  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

[To  C.  R.  Leslie.] 

Dresden,  March  15,  1823. 

I  have  just  been  seized  with  a  fit  of  letter-writing,  after  having  nearly 

1 1  how  to  use  ray  pen,  so  I  take  the  earliest  stage  of  the  complaint 

ribble  to  you.     1  had  hoped  to  receive  a  gratuitous  letter  from  you 

1  this,  hut  you  are  one  of  those  close  codgers  who  never  pay  more 

than  the  law  compels  them. 

Eow  often  I  have  wished  for  you  and  Newton  during  the  last  eight  or 
nine  months,  in  the  course  of  which  I  have  been  continually  mingling  in 
scenes  full  of  character  and  picture. 

The  place  where  1  am  now  passing  my  time  is  a  complete  study.  The 
court  of  this  little  kingdom  of  Saxony  is,  perhaps,  the  most  ceremonious 
ami  old-fashioned  in  Europe,  and  one  finds  here  customs  and  observances 
in  full  vigor  that  have  long  since  faded  away  in  other  courts. 

The  king  is  a  capital  character  himself, — a  complete  old  gentleman  of 
the  ancient  school,  and  very  tenacious  in  keeping  up  the  old  style.  He 
has  treated  me  with  the  most  marked  kindness,  and  every  member  of  the 
royal  family  has  shown  me  great  civility.  What  would  greatly  delight 
you  is  the  royal  hunting  establishment,  which  the  king  maintains  at  a 
vasi  expense,  being  his  hobby.  He  has  vast  forests  stocked  with  game, 
and  a  complete  forest  police,  forest  masters,  chasseurs,  piqueurs,  jagers, 
etc. ,  etc.  The  charm  of  the  thing  is,  that  all  this  is  kept  up  in  the  old 
style  ;  and  to  go  out  hunting  with  him,  you  might  fancy  yourself  in  one 
of  those  scenes  of  old  times  which  we  read  of  in  poetry  and  romance.  I 
have  followed  him  thrice  to  the  boar  hunt.  The  last  we  had  ex- 
tivin.lv  good  sport.  The  boar  gave  us  a  chase  of  upwards  of  two  hours, 
and  was  not  overpowered  until  it  had  killed  one  dog,  and  desperately 
wound*  d  several  others.  It  was  a  very  cold  winter  day,  with  much  snow 
on  the  ground  ;  but  as  the  hunting  was  in  a  thick  pine  forest  and  the 
day  was  sunny,  we  did  not  feel  the  cold.  The  king  and  all  his  hunting 
i"  were  clad  in  an  old-fashioned  hunting  uniform  of  green,  with 
i  caps.  The  sight  of  the  old  monarch  and  his  retinue  galloping 
through  the  alleys  of  the  forest,  the  jagers  dashing  singly  about  in  all 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  417 

directions,  cheering  the  hounds  ;  the  shouts;  the  blast  of  horns;  the  cry 
of  hounds  ringing  through  the  forest,  altogether  made  one  of  the  most 
animating  scenes  I  ever  beheld. 

I  have  become  very  intimate  with  one  of  the  king's  forest  masters,  who 
lives  in  a  picturesque  old  hunting  lodge  with  towers,  formerly  a  convent, 
and  who  has  undertaken  to  show  me  all  the  economy  of  the  hunting 
establishment.  What  glorious  groupings,  and  what  admirable  studies 
for  figures  and  faces  I  have  seen  among  these  hunters. 

I  have  done  nothing  with  my  pen  since  I  left  you,  absolutely  nothing  ! 
I  have  been  gazing  about,  rather  idly,  perhaps,  but  yet  among  fine  scenes 
of  striking  character,  and  I  can  only  hope  that  some  of  them  may  stick 
to  my  mind,  and  furnish  me  with  materials  in  some  future  fit  of  scrib- 
bling. 

I  have  been  fighting  my  way  into  the  German  language,  and  am  regain- 
ing my  Italian,  and  for  want  of  more  profitable  employment  have  turned 
play  actor. 

"We  have  been  getting  up  private  theatricals  here  at  the  house  of  an 
English  lady.  I  have  already  enacted  Sir  Charles  Rackett  in  "Three 
Weeks  after  Marriage,"  with  great  applause  ;  and  I  am  on  the  point  of 
playing  Don  Felix  in  "  The  Wonder."  I  had  no  idea  of  this  fund  of  dra- 
matic talent  lurking  within  me  ;  and  I  now  console  myself  that  if  the 
worst  comes  to  the  worst  I  can  turn  stroller,  and  pick  up  a  decent  main- 
tenance among  the  barns  in  England.  I  verily  believe  nature  intended 
me  to  be  a  vagabond. 

I  continue  the  sketch  of  his  life  at  Dresden,  with  some 
extracts  from  his  note-book,  beginning  some  days  after 
the  date  of  the  letter  to  Leslie,  just  given. 

April  1st.— Write  letters  all  the  morning— little  Madame  de  Bergh* 
makes  an  April  fool  of  me.    2d.—  In  the  evening,  dressed  rehearsal  of 

*  Wife  of  the  Danish  Minister. 
vol.  i. — 27 


•  IS  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

ler"  at  Mrs.  Foster's.    3d.  [Tliursday.]— My  birthday— at 
rive  into  the  country  with  the  Fosters  and  Colonel  Livius  ; 

return  before  dark.     In  the  evening  a  small  party  at  Mrs. 

to  keep  my  birthday.     The  Miss  Fosters  prepare  a  surprise  by 

up  tableaux  of  scenes  in  the  "Sketch  Book"  and  "Bracebridge 

and  Knickerbocker.     The  picture  by  Leslie  of  Dutch  courtship 

admirably  represented  by  Madame  de  Bergh  and  Captain  Morier.     An- 

■  Delarbre  by  the  young  Countess  Hernenbern,  Madame  Foster,  and 

Captain  Morier.     Boar's  Head  Tavern,  Eastcheap,  by  Mrs.  Foster,  Miss 

Flora  Foster,  and  Captain  Morier — conclude  the  evening  by  waltzing. 

Friday,  ith. — Busy  all  day  getting  dress  for  the  character  of  "Don 
Felix"— Mrs.  Foster  assists  in  new  trimming  a  very  handsome  velvet 
< In  ss,  and  makes  a  new  scarf — in  the  evening  we  performed  the  play  of 
"The  Wonder,  a  Woman  keeps  a  Secret,"  with  great  alteration. 

Don  Felix,  Mr.  Irven-g. 

Col.  Briton,  Capt.  Morier. 

Don  Pedro,  Mr.  Pigott. 

Lissardo,  Col.  Livius. 

Donna  Yiolante,  Miss  Foster. 

Isabella,  Miss  Flora  Foster. 

Marguerite,  Mrs.  Foster. 

Among  the  audience  were  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  Count  and  Count- 
Palffy,   Count    and  Countess  Luxbourg,    Count  Rumigny,    Cheva- 
lier Campuzano,  Countess  Loos  and  daughters,  Monsieur  and  Madame 
de  Bergh,  the  Lowensteins,  Malsburg,  Miss  Fitzhern,  Countess  Lubinski, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

April  10/7).—     .     .     .     Go  to  Ponic  to  hear  decision  about  my  having 
I  a  pistol  out  of  my  window.     The  legal  penalty  twenty  dollars  and 
forfeiture.     I  am  let  off  for  two  dollars  eight  groschen  fine,  and  two  dol- 
lars some  groschen  cost,  and  the  pistol  returned  to  me.     Very  lenient  on 
the  part  oi  Mr.  Rarow  the  President. 


OF  WASHIXOTOX  IRYIXG.  419 

[The  pistol  -was  a  small  one,  borrowed  of  Colonel  Liv- 
ius,  to  be  used  in  playing  Don  Felix  in  "  The  Wonder," 
in  the  mock  drunken  scene.  Finding  it  loaded,  he  opened 
a  window,  and  fired  it  off;  making  himself  unconsciously 
amenable  to  the  law.] 

April  11th. — Head  Italian  with  Mrs.  Foster — dine  there — after  dinner 
read  them  some  MS3. 

12th. —  ...  Go  to  the  Fosters,  and  pass  the  evening  reading 
from  scrap  books,  and  telling  ghost  stories  until  eleven  o'clock. 

loth. —  .  .  .  Go  to  the  Lowensteins  and  pass  the  evening  there 
until  near  eleven — Mademoiselle  Annette  very  curious  about  my  early 
history. 

Sunday,  April  27th. — Go  to  Mrs.  F. — read  Italian  till  two — dine  there 
early  as  there  is  a  court  ball  at  six — return  home  to  dress — at  six  go  to 
ball  given  by  Prince  Max  in  Prince  Frederick's  apartments — the  King 
and  Queen  of  Bavaria  and  of  Saxony  there — dance  with  E.  and  F.  Fos- 
ter— Queen  of  Saxony  sent  the  master  of  ceremonies  to  bring  me  to  her — 
said  she  had  not  seen  me  for  a  century — that  she  had  just  received  my 
works  from  Paris,  and  made  many  compliments  on  it — said  she  expected 
I  would  write  something  about  Dresden,  etc.,  and  about  the  chasse  [a 
purpose  entertained  by  him,  but  never  fulfilled].— King  of  Bavaria  told 
me  he  knew  Franklin  in  Paris,  and  after  Franklin's  departure  he  had 
bought  a  horse  and  cabriolet  which  belonged  to  him — returned  home 
about  ten  or  half  past. 

May  5th. — Trotter  calls  and  postpones  the  journey  to  the  Riesen  Ge- 
birge. — Go  to  Mrs.  Foster's  to  read  Italian — dine  there  with  Cockburn, 
etc. — pass  evening  there  till  nine — Mrs.  Foster  very  anxious  for  me  to 
change  my  travelling  plans  and  accompany  them  to  England. 

May  14th. — Walked  out  to  Prussnitz  in  morning — saw  Cockburn,  who 
agreed  to  accompany  me  in  tour  to  Riesen  Gebirge — went  to  Foster's  in 
evening — spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  chatting. 


;ji)  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

On  the  20th  of  May,  in  company  with  the  young  Eng- 
aamed,  Mr.  John  Cockburn  of  the  artillery, 
.  Irving  set  out  on  a  tour  he  had  been  some  time  con- 
templating to  the  Eiesen  Gebirge,  or  Giant  Mountains,  a 
chain  of  mountains  that  separate  Silesia  from  Bohemia. 
He  revisited  Prague  seven  days  after  his  departure,  and 
in  this  picturesque  old  city  his  stay  was  prolonged  by  the 
illness  of  his  companion  to  the  24th  of  June.  He  returned 
to  Dresden  on  the  26th  of  June,  after  an  absence  of  five 
weeks.  Here  he  remained  until  the  12th  of  July,  when 
he  took  his  final  departure  for  Paris,  travelling  part  of 
the  way  in  company  with  his  friends,  the  Fosters,  who 
were  on  their  return  to  England. 

They  had  made  their  house  absolutely  a  home  to  me  [he  writes  to  Peter] 
during  i  ly  residence  in  Dresden.  I  travelled  in  an  open  carriage  with 
Mrs.  Foster  ;  the  two  Miss  Fosters  and  her  two  little  boys  followed  on  in 
a  post  chaise  with  their  German  tutor. 

The  commencement  of  our  tour  was  most  auspicious,  but  after  leaving 
Leipsic,  as  we  approached  the  Hartz  regions,  we  met  with  one  of  the 
most  tremendous  squalls  of  wind,  dust,  rain,  hail,  thunder  and  lightning 
I  ever  experienced. 

I  extract  the  particulars  of  this  travelling  incident 
from  some  scarcely  legible  pencilled  memoranda. 

Foster  gets  on  the  box  with  me— fine  and  warm — country  begins 

to  grow  more  varied — see  a  storm  gathering  ahead — it  advances  rapidly — 

I  see  that  it  is  a  thunder-gust  and  likely  to  be  a  severe  one — get  Mrs. 

r  into  carriage — make  the  carriage  all  fast  and  ready — mount  the 

•'  with  box  coat  and  a  fur  mantle  about  my  legs,  and  umbrella — gust 


OF  WASHINGTON  IRVING.  421 

comes  on  with  a  hurricane  of  wind,  raising  clouds  of  dust — the  earth 
seems  thrown  up  into  the  air — the  clouds  brown  with  dust — the  wholo 
atmosphere  thickened  and  darkened — gust  comes  more  and  more  terrible 
— horses  can  hardly  draw  on  the  carriage — begins  to  rain — rain  driven 
with  incredible  violence — hail — large  as  hazel-nuts — storm  increases — one 
horrible  blast  of  wind  succeeds  another — umbrella  breaks  and  is  whirled 
off  into  a  neighboring  field — mantle  flies  after  it — horses  get  frightened — 
I  descend  from  coach-box — fear  the  carriage  will  be  blown  over — the  two 
leaders  become  unmanageable — postdion  jumps  off  and  tries  to  hold  them 
— they  turn  round  and  go  down  a  bank — try  to  keep  them  quiets — they 
continue  restive — drag  carriage  after  them  down  a  steep  bank  into  a  ditch 
— pole  breaks — carriage  overturns — rush  to  the  place  and  get  the  ladies 
out — none  hurt  materially — bruised  a  little — drenched  to  the  skin  in  an 
instant — leave  them  there  and  run  to  a  house  about  half  a  mile  off — find 
a  smith's  shop  with  a  small  country  inn  beside  it — send  workmen  to  look 
after  the  carriage,  and  order  rooms  to  be  prepared  for  ladies — run  back  to 
carriage — the  storm  is  already  over — find  them  all  drenched  to  the  skin, 
but  in  good  spirits  and  unhurt — they  walk  to  the  inn — the  carriage  is 
with  much  trouble  righted  and  dragged  up  the  bank  backward  by  two 
horses  and  six  or  eight  men — get  safe  to  the  inn — a  new  pole  is  made — we 
all  change  our  clothes,  and  after  a  repast  of  cold  tongue  and  wine,  set  off 
in  good  spirits — the  ladies  give  their  hats,  which  were  quite  wet,  to  a 
pretty  maid  servant  at  the  inn — and  likewise  a  shawd — she  wdl  bo  the 
belle  of  the  neighborhood. 

This  storm  was  "the  overture  to  a  long  series  of  bad  weather"  [he 
writes  to  Peter]  that  lasted  during  our  tour.  Still  there  were  intervals  of 
beautiful  sunshine  which  we  enjoyed  the  more  from  contrast.  We  accom- 
plished a  tour  through  the  Hartz  mountains,  which  surpassed  my  expecta- 
tions ;  not  from  their  height,  but  from  the  magnificence  of  the  forest  scen- 
ery, which  reminded  me  of  our  American  forests.  We  then  passed  through 
the  Golden  Arc  or  Golden  Meadow,  which  lies  between  the  Hartz  and  the 
Kyffhauser  mountains,  and  continued  on  to  Hesse.  I  was  delighted  with 
the  beauty  of  this  last  country,  of  which,  somehow  or  other,  I  had  no  ex- 
pectation.   In  about  ten  days  from  our  leaving  Dresden,  we  arrived  at  the 


.j o.)  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  IRVING. 

itiful  little  city  of  Cassel,  the  capital  of  Hesse,  where  we  remained  a 
couple  of  days  to  repose  from  the  fatigues  of  travelling,  and  to  have  a 
little  pleasant  time  together  before  we  parted,  as  I  had  intended  making 
the  beat  of  my  way  for  Paris  from  that  place.  When  it  came  to  the  last 
i  rening,  however,  it  seemed  hard  to  part  thus  in  the  midst  of  a  tour,  so 
t  be  xx-xt  morning  I  resumed  my  seat  in  the  carriage,  determined  to  see  my 
fair  companions  safely  on  board  the  steamboat  at  Rotterdam.  We  had 
better  weather  during  the  remaining  part  of  the  journey  and  passed 
through  some  lovely  country ;  a  part  of  what  was  formerly  Westphalia. 
At  Rotterdam  the  Fosters  embarked.  I  accompanied  them  down  to  the 
Brille  and  then  bade  them  adieu  as  if  I  had  been  taking  leave  of  my  own 
family ;  for  they  had  been  for  nearly  eight  months  past  more  like  relatives 
than  friends  to  me. 

I  now  made  the  best  of  my  way  for  Paris,  travelling  day  and  night,  ex- 
cepting a  short  stay  of  a  night  and  part  of  a  day  at  Antwerp.  I  arrived 
here  the  day  before  yesterday  [August  3],  and  have  been  taking  lodgings 
in  the  Hotel  de  YorcJc,  Boulevard  Montmartre.  I  shall  now  put  myself 
en  train  for  literary  occupation,  as  it  is  high  time  for  me  to  do  something, 
having  been  so  long  unsettled. 


END  OF  VOLUME  L 


>w