Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-14 00:00:00

DEATH OF WASHINGTON IRVING.

The celebrated American author, Washington
Irving, died at • his residence. at •Tarrytown--the
spot familiarly known to . his reader:3 as" Sunny-
side"—on 'Monday, the 28th of November last.
Having been born in 1783, he was consequently
in the seventy-sixth year of his age. For some
months previously, his health had been failing,
and he had been recommended by his medical.
adAisers to take a journey into Florida. He r 6.
fused to act Upon the recommendation, and, as
already stated, he expired on the evening of the
28th ultimo.

In a brief essay on the melancholy event, the
Boston Ackert:4er says : It is given to few
men at the close of life to look back upon a
literary career so long and so distinguished as
that of Washington Irving, which has just closed;
and certainly none can look back with more
genuine 'satisfaction. We do not speak now of
the high place which the great author had won,
or of the universal admiration which both Europe
and America conceded to the charms of his style
and the beauty and excellence of his matter. iris
fame as an author was, no doubt, a gratification
and encouragement in his declining years, but it
was not that upon which he must have finally
relied for his chief satisfaction in reviewing his
industrious life. He no doubt had the honest
pride in literary success, which it is a shame to
which
proved iabpoonurs w
wit hhi
he m s t
no man to feel, but he was very far from placing
such success uppermost in his estimation, and we
are certain that it was not that which he finally
remembernedof
lrietflereactery l
d his
l
dp
sl elta sti t
have been the effect rather than the
the chief compensation for half a century of active
effort. It is just fifty rears since the publication
of " Knickerbocker's History of New York," that
inimitable work which secured for its author the
notice of Scott, and prepared the way for a warm
friendship. There are not many men who con-
tinue for so long a period in active authorship,
and the number is still smaller of those who can
point to labours of such extent, untarnished by
any spot, dimmed by no long-regretted personal
jealousies, so steadily directed to promote healthy
enjoymentand right feeling, so constantly directed
by a kindly spirit and pure principle.
We have already referred to the friendship be-
tween Irving and Scott. One of the pleasantest
pictures which we have of Scott's life at Abbots-
ford and of his genial hospitality is that which Ir-
ving gave in his delightful essay on Abbotsford and
1 Newstead. In reading his charming dose, iption

- -t

of his visit at Abbotsford -(where he was intro-
duced by Campbell), it is impossible not to see
that the warm cordiality with which he was re-
ceived was due as much to the claims and per-
sonal qualities of the guest,--familiarly known
from his works,—as to the open generosity of the
noble host, and Lockhart is glad to record the
delight with which Scott heard his visitor
announced. The kindly nature which shone
through all of Irving's Works and thus brought
him into sympathy with such a character as
Scott, displayed itself through his whole life. It
imparted a &atm to the hospitalities of his own
dwelling
.upon the Hudson, it
.gained him the
affection of an admiring public, it saved him from
the petty jealousies which sometimes. mar an
author's career, and gave to his name its brightest
and most endearing- attractions. _ .
The following memoir of the deceased is taken
from " Men of the Time :" -

,
" Washington Irving, one of the-most graceful
:4-
. writers that America has hitherto produced, was
born in New York, April 3, 1783. His father, -a.
respectable merchant, originally from Scotland,
. died. while Washington was yet young, and his
education was superintended by his elder brothers,
three of whoth had,-without relinquishing active
pi.ofessiorial pursuits, gained considerable reputa-
, tion for literary, abilities. As his health did not
permit_ any close application to business or study
he rambled about the picturesque island, of Man-
hattan, gathering up those traditions and receiving
those impressions which Mr. Seth Handiside's eru-
dite and conscientious lodger has made immortal.
Mr. Irving's first essays in literature were made in
the New York 211Orning Chronicle, in which he
published his 'Letters of Jonathan Oldstylc, Gent.'
These letters were concluded in 1802 ; and as
- symptoms of pulmonary disease now betrayed
theniselves, it was resolved that in the following
_year he should visit the south of Europe,. He
accordingly sailed, for Bordeaux, and travelled
through-the-south of France-to Nice, where he
took . a felucca to Genoa, in which city he re-
mained same two months. He then went by sea
to Sicily, made the tour of the island, crossed from.
Palermo to Naples, passed through Italy, meeting
Allston at Rome, who strongly recommended him
to devote himself to art; thence over the St.Gothard,
through Switzerland to Paris, where he remained
several months. He next went _to . Holland,
whence he embarked for England ; and passing
there a -part of the autumn, he returned to New
York in March, 1806, completely restored to
' health. He again resumed the study of. the-law, '
and was admitted to the bar in November of that
- year, but never practised. Shortly afterwards he
took the chief part in ' Salmagundi," the first
number of which appeared in January, 1507, and •
the-. last in January, 1808. .In December the
following year, he. published. his Knickerbocker's
History- of New York.' • In 1810, two of - his
brothers whO were engaged in commercial
busineSs, one being at the head of the
establishment in America, and the other in
Liverpool, gave him an interest in the concern,
with the understanding that he was not to
enter into the diitieS and details of the bnsiness,
but pursue his literary avocations. During the
war with Great Britain, in 1813-14, he edited the
naleetie -Magazine, and in the fall of the latter
year joined the military staff of the governor of
the state of New York as aide-de-camp and mili-
tary secretary, with the title of- colonel. At the
close of the war (May,
.1815), he .embarked for •
Liverpool, with the intention of making a second
tour of Europe, but was prevented by the, sudden
and great reverses which followed the return of •
peace, overwhelming, after a struggle of two or
three years, in which Mr. Irving took an
active part to avert the catastrophe, the house
in which his brothers had given hit-Li an
interest, and involving himself in its ruin.
VAS- he determined to employ his. pen ..as.
means of support, and commenced the series of
papers entitled Sfreteli Book,' which were trans-
mitted piecemeal from London, where he resided,
to New • York for publication. Three or four
numbers were thus produced, when, finding that
they attracted notice in England, he fir.sa them
published in a volume, Feb. 1820, by Mr. John
Miller. On his failure shortly afterwards, the
work was transferred to Mr. Murray, with
second volume, published in July of that year.
Mr. Murray had 'bought the copyright.for £2OO,
but its success far. surpassing his expectations, he
. sent Mr.. Irving,.of his own accord, fir _llOO, and
the sale still increasing, an additional £lOO. After
a residence of five years in-England, Mr. Irving
removed to Paris in August 1820, and remained
there until July of the following year, when he re-
turned to England and published his Bracebridke
Hall,' in London and New York, in. May, 1822.
_ The__ following - winter he passed-in - Dresden ;.
returned to Paris in 1823 ; and crossed to London
in May, 1824, to publish his Tales of a Travel-
ler,' which appeared in August of that year in
two volumes, and in four partS in New York. In.
August he returned to Paris; and in the..auttuun
. of 1825 visited the south of France, -passing part
of the winter' in Bordeaux. In February, 1826,
he left-that city- for Madrid, where—he-remained
two years. There he wrote the Life of Colum-
bus;' which appeared in 1828. In the spring of
1828 he left Madrid on a tour to the: south of
Spain, visiting Granada and the main points men-
tioned in the ' Chronicles of the Conquest. of.
Granada, by Frit Agapida,' of which he had made
a rough sketch. This he prepared for the press at
Seville, and transmitted to London and Now York
for publication ;it appeared in 1829. In ::the
-spring of this year he again visited Granaaa, and.
resided some three months in the Alhambra, where
he .collected materials for the _work published
under that name in 1832. In July he came to
England, 'having been appointed secretary of
legation to the American embassy, which Office
6rgtrheeetionfiNL•mis!nty.
he held until the return of Mr. M'Lane in 1831,.
when, after remaining a few months as charge,
he resigned, on the arrival of Mr. Van Buren.
While in England, in 1830, Mr. Irving received
. one of the fifty-guinea gold medals, provided by
George IV. for eminence in historical composition,
the other having been awarded to Mr. Hallam the.
intgheyeda
ohfisotoxfrioarnd; aconidifeinrrtehdeotllhoil-
In the spring of 1832 he returned to New York,
after an absence of 18 years. His appearance was
greeted on all hands with the warmest enthusiasm;
a public dinner was given to him, at which Chan-
cellor Kent presided ; and simil
ar testimonials
were offered in other cities, which he declined.
In the summer of that year he accompanied Mr.
EllSworth, One of the commissioners for removing
the . Indian tribes west of the Mississippi, and
whom he had met on a tour to the West, on his
.expedition. The most interesting portion of this
journey has appeared in the 'Tour on the Prairies,'
183
published in :
' This was followed in the same
0
year by 'Abbotsford and Newstead Abbey,' and
H
Legends of the Conquest of Spain.' In 1836 he
published Astoria,' and in the following year
The. Adventures of Captain Bonneville.' .1830
he entered into an engagement which lasted two
years, with the proprietors of the Knickerbocker
Mogazine, to furnish articles for that periodical.
In February, 1842, he received, unsolicited, the
appointment of minister to Spain. He left fcr
Madrid on the 10th of April of that year. Rio
official duties terminating in the summer -of 1846
he retarned. to America, and in 1848 commenced .
the publication of a revised edition of his works,
Most of which had long been out of print. In
1849 he published Oliver Goldsmith : a Biogra-
phy ;" Mahomet and his Successors,' 1840.7j0 ;
and 'Life of Washington,' 1855, Mr. Irving is
essentially the man of his works, genial, warm-
:hearted, and benevolent; so much so,that all who
see him would be apt to forget the author in the
man. He has a. country seat, Sunnyside,' on the
banks of the Hudson, twenty-five miles from the
city of New York, which is now his home."

By order of the Mersey Dock and,Harbour Board. '
On atcomit of whom it may concern, and without reserve.
On Thursday neit, the 15th 'natant, at One o'clock, at the
Brokers' saleroom; Wahner-buildings, Water-street,
The Schooner .
kifk FIDELITY,
itt to.* 60 tons, as she nor lice in 'a damaged state in
Canning Half-tide Dock ' • and, immediately after,
62 tons Rushy Park best House COAL. This ves-
sel was ro.paired'at"PrurJ 'eight months since. ..I)imenSions :
Lergth, 56 test ; breadth, 15 feet ; depth, 8 ,fe'et 8 inches.
Apply to CVRTIY, 11,LOCE, and CO., Eroltgrs.-