The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1823-09-16


said he would not wish TO see finer men from
Iany country. Ia reference 60 the Uuiiet
States, he spoke like every intelligent an,
hberal-minded EngIishman have met with
in the most favorable terms Of our progress
and prospects as nation. He Joined me il
ldePrecating the hippant sarcasms, and iII-na
ltnred structures Of certain English traveller,
IN America, and also the manner IN which
their books, and the subject Of tile United
Estates IN general, are treated by some Of the
reviewers. He thinks the Edinburgh and
! Quarterly Reviews are, upon the whole, iniu-
rlous to learning. BY the decisive tone which
they hold, they create prejudice. They pre-
4 vent, IN great degree, tile reading of those
books which they do review, and indirectly
lessen the reputation of those they do not
The taste for genuine poetry, and the talent
lforpoetic composition, he thinks, have greatly
Increased with the progress Of general knowl-
ledge; and he has no doubt that there are
twenty poets now living, each Of whom, had
tie lived some ages ago, would have established
e high reputation. He spoke highly Of Scott
No person. perhaps, has offered amusements
70 so extensive portion Of mankind and as
bis writings are all at least innocent, he will
have nothing to regret in the close Of his lit
erary life.*
There are few men. presume, in England,
who are spending their lives more cIassicalIy,
10 more agreeable literary retirement than
Robert Southey. His library occupies several
! rooms The fertility of his mind, and the acl
tivity of his researches, appear to leave him
at no loss in the selection of subject for the
employment of his genius; and the different
productions of his pen are too well known TO
need any remarks from me upon their various
merits. His early life was spent in Bristol
1t was IN that neigbborhood that Coleridge,
Lowell, and himself, all fellow commoners at
Oxford, attached themselves to three sisters
of a respectable family, whom thev married /;
and, in the ardor Of youthful anticipation. and
with those high-wrought notions of worldly
happiness, which always have much more Of
poetry than Of sober judgment in them. they
resolved, with their wives, 10 embark for the
| United States, to settle themselves in retired
spot on the banks of the Susquehannah there
to plant an Arcadia, and there to spend life
of primitive simplicity and Elysian enjoyment.
Happily for their comfort, and for the credit
| of England, the scheme was given up.
| Southey is about forty FIVE years of age
| His person is of the middle size. His looks
and manners are indicative of frankness and
amiableness of character. In the same house,
but in separate apartments, the two sisters OF
MS wife, the widow of Lowell and the wife OF
Coleridge, the Poet, also reside The former
Of these two, who lost her husband soon after
marriage, has employed herself in instructing
the daughters of her brother-in-law Cole
ridge lives, believe, altogether in London
tie sepaf zion from bis wife arising more from
hly eoceDtricities and singularities than from
any breach Of family agreement. His two
sons remain with their mother; and | have
understood that Southey, with liberaIity that
does him the highest honor, takes upon him
self the responsibility of their education, and
that the utmost harmony prevails in the family.
| He has had the laureatship about five wears.
Ii is, in his hands, an Office of more dignity
than it has ever been. He is not under the
servile necessity of producing, either with OF
without inspection, an ode on every birthday
occasion; but is at liberty to Weld, as bis
genius may direct, to such impulses Of loyalty
and affection as the muses. ma, enkindle. The
butt OF sack, have been informed, has been
committed for 200l. per annum.
| In rising TO take leave. after an hour OF
delightful conversation, Southey proposed to
walk with me on the margin Of the lake. We
had charming ramble Of half mile, along a
path which presented, at various points, beau
tiful views of the Derwent-water
Our walk along the Derwent having exten.
ded as far my limited time would permit
we returned to one of the village inns, where
parted with person whose conversation anC
suayty of manners, more than the poetry and
4 xUbt oh Il =
most prominent of living authors, have left ar
impression which shall delight in cherishiDg
! *See review Of one Of the Waverly Novels. In
the 2lst volume Of the Christian Observer, 1322.
| Most of our readers are, we doubt not familiar
with the names Of Sir James Macintosh and The
Rev. Robert Hall, both or Great Britain, the forme
one of the most accomplished scholars and civilians
Of the age-the latter, clergyman Of the Baptis
order, whose sermons will be an impershabe mon
unent OF his piety, genius and learning.-Sir James
formerly occupied high judicial Office in British
India, and during his residence there the following
beautiful letter was addressed to his friend Hall
1t affords interesting illustration of the charac
l tiers Of these two distinguished men.
| BOMBAY, August, 1906.
| My dear Hall believe that in the hurry
of leaving England, did not answer the let.
ter you wrote me in December, 1903. | did
not however forget your interesting young
friend, from whom have received one letter
from Constantinople, and to whom / have
written to Cairo, where be now is. No re
quest indeed ofyours could be lightly esteem.
ed by me. 1t happened to me few days age
in drawing up merely for my own use) shor
sketch Of my life, that had occasion to give
faithful statement of my recollection Of the
circumstances Of my first acquaintance witt
you. On the most impartial survey of m,
early life, did see nothing which tended $
much to excite and inyigorate my understand
ing, and to direct it towards high and per