The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-09 00:00:00

"here's a bairn was named after you." In the estimation
of Lizzie, for so she was called; few c'aims of kindred could
bsstronger than this. Wash ngton did not disdain the

delicate affinity,. and placing his hand on the head of her
little charge, gave him his blessing.
It was at the age of 10 that his love of reading
first developed itself, when be met with Hoole's
translation of the a Orlando Furioso," and he next
had a fancy for books of voyages and travels, to
which succeeded a longing to go to sea. A rooted
antipathy to salt pork, however, nipped his resoln-

tion in the bud. He turned foreontiolation to

poetry, and at the age of 13 wrote a play.

At 16

his education was finished, and he then entered a

awyer's office. Three years afterwards he began

his literary career by contributing a series of hu—nao-
rous articles to a paper called the Ilforrang Chro-

nicle, of which his brother Peter was editor:

These

were collected in,1823, though without his know-
ledge or consent, and given to the world under the
title of the " Old Style Papers." His first journey
from home was to Ogdensburg, Montreal, and

Quebec with a party of friends—ti' tour at that time
of no little difficulty, as the following extract will

show

The next day the waggon in which Irving and some of
he 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 waggon, into which the ladies
mounted ; but soon that also mired, and there was no al
ternative but for them to take to their feet. " The rain by
this time," proceeds the journal, "descended in torrents.
In several parts of the toad I had been up to my middle in
mud and water, and it was equally bad, if not worse, to at-
tempt 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 prptection. One-half of it fell as we were creeping under
L it,, and though, we spread greatcoats 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 peffect hurricane. The trees around shook and
bent in the most alarming manner, and threatened 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
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, chatter-
ing, forward scoundrel" the wtiter 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

themseh es in a corner, and "began to play cards for liquor,"
an amusement from which they retired after a while almost

in' oxicated, 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 waa
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."

He,was now turned 21, aneas the delicate state of
his health inspired his friends with alarm, they des
termined to send him to Europe for a change.
Accordingly he set sail for Bordeaux, where he
stayed six weeks to study the language, and then
started for Nice, where, through an informality in
his passport, he suffered along and vexatious deten-
tion. Genoa was.the next place he visited, meeting
there some 'very pleasant society. And on his
voyage thence to Messina the vessel was boarded by
pirates; but, being American, was suffered to pro-
ceed with but little loss. He now made a tour
through Sicily, being forcibly struck with the,
beauty of the scenery and the wretchedness of the
inhabitants.' And at a town called Termini he met
with the following adventure :
Two days more brought them again to the seaside, 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 of the Mediterranean and of the Sicilian
coasts. Here they arrived after dark. Irving was much
fatigued, and on reaching the inn, threw himeelf 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
English. 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 being
ever ready for a frolic, ho proposed that they should go.
His fellow-traveller made some demur on 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 saloon adorned with taste and mag-
nificence; 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 marshalled them to the part of the saloon where stood
the master of the entertainment and his daughters, in wait-
ing 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 introductioa, 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 attempted
an explanation of the apparent indecorum, by stating their
impression that they were Coming to a public entertainment.
Their host replied very graciously, that they were at the
house of the Baron Palrneria, and asked the name of their
conductor. Here was a new embarrassment, for they could
not give it. " Whoever he is," he rejoined, "I am indebted
to him for introducing to my house gentlemen whose uni-
form 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
intbrmed 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
f strangers in Sicily, and the special attraction tb his
pupils of two -who could converse with them in the language
they were acquiring, it turned out that he had assumed
the responsibility of contriving what he had little doubt
would preed.to both parties an agreeable surprise. Renew-
ing his welcome with genuine hospitality, the Baron now
commenced 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, howdver, the dance to be a country
dance with which they were familiar, they were induced to
change their rainds, and Mr. Irving having been introduced
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
spirit 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 whisper, as they raced by
him in the dance, " Son diavoli I"
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
I to light them to their lodgings, and bade them farewell.
I 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. experience. Twenty years later he
records in his note-book a Meeting with a cousin of his
"chance acquaintance, the Baron Palmeria."
He then made short visits to Naples and Rome,
making the acquaintance at. the latter place of
firsti
n e ih tlr eso az pw
e d
rf
Calista. Her looks, her voice, her gestures, delighted me.
a
Allston, the painter, and meeting with Madame de
Steel but he was eager to get to Paris, where he
stayed four months and then left for London. At this
time he was an enthusiastic theatre goer, and his
letters and journal contain some very interesting
'comments on the great performers of the day 1 we
meet with the following description and anecdote—; of Mrs. Siddons:
Were I to indulge without reserve in my praises; of Mrs.
Siddons, I am afraid you would think fthem hypeibolical.
rahtneo
Wperhfoarro
ta,wlowndoesrof
tulruwekom wiatnhladmTihreatvioenry time
.
was
mSbeeltpedebiettbraytetudrnins
;aamgolmonenoot
ofto reir Yr heart.
eye, a start, an excla-
mation, thrilled through my whole
frame.
The more see
her the more I admire her. I hardly breathe while she is
on the stage. She works up my feelings till lam like a
mere child. And yet this woman is old, and has lost all
elegance of figure; think then what must be her powers
that she can delight and astonish even in the characters-of
Calista and Belvidera. In
person Mrs. Siddons is not un-
like her sister, Mrs. Whitlock, for she has latterly rather
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 gradatiene. of pass on that language' is
inadequate to express. In dignity and grace she is no way.
inferior. to Ke
usele, and they never appear .to better advan-
tage than when acting together. What Mrs. Siddons may
h
have been when she had the advantage of youth and form,
b
1 cannot say, but it
t appewairsshtoto me entohthaitng herropoerref.ormAagnecehaast
present leaves
planted no visible wrinkles on her brow, and it is only by
the erectice and experience of years that she has been en-
abled to attain her present consummate excellence.
The enthusiasm here expressed for the great actress,
leads me to step aside from the regular order of events to
give an ane, dote of a later date, for which I shall not find
a more appropriate introduction
Not long atter the Sketch book had been published in
London, and made its author remarked among its literary
circles, he met Mrs. Siddons in some . fashionable assem-
blage, and was brou Oat up to be introduced. The Queen
of Tragedy had then long left the stage, but' her manner
and eines 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,
e 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 manner so psculiar, that
never was modest man so completely disconcerted, and put
out of countenance. The appropriate response would have
been obvious enough at a more collected moment, but
taken entirely by surprise, Geoffrey 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