The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1841-06-05

tween the grave and the gay the phllo-
sophicai and the frivolous, "predestina
ton and slea silk than in the romances
Of her girlish days, when ''she wrote as
well as she could, and got the hard words
out of Johnson's Dictionary, 1t is only
the inevitable consequence of that expe-
rience which comes with time and
knowledge, and which teaches US that
truth is none the less authoritative, and
deep feeling all the more impressive,
for being exhibited as they exist, largely
mixed up and altegnated with la 6dgdteI-
lc.
Touching, as we do, but slightly up
on the private history of such of our
English authors, as being yet alive, have
not become the property of the biogra-
pher, a few words will sufficiently tell
that Lady Morgan's parentage almost
insured to her the heritage OF talent
which has placed her where she now
stands. Her father, Mr.. Owenson, (the
''real ould" name is Mac Owen) was an
actor Of great excellence in bis particu-
lar walk; in Cumberland's opinion, the
Irish fine gentleman" par excellence,
and not merely thus distinguished IN his
own profession, but the author, we are
told, "of some of the best Irish songs ex-
tant;" enthusiastic in the legendary and
musical antiquarlanism Of his country,
and for the sake of these accomplish
ments, a popular guest in society. 1t
was he, too, who cherished and brought
forward the "Irish Chatterton," as Der
mody, the poet has been too fatteringly
styled; and that his daughter inherited
much of her peculiar talent from him,
she herself has been foremost to own in
her dedication to the Lay Of the Irish
Harp"
The history of Lady Morgan's author
ship may be cleaned from her own wri-
tings.. In these we learn, that she be-
gan to publish when little more than a
child, impatient to give vent to her ge-
MUS Ito the very young always distur-
bing possession and yet more delighted
| by its exercise to assist those dearest 10
her, than eager to advance herself. Her
first essays were poetical:--a little shah
by volume lies before US, picked up at a
book-stall, its verses brimful of pleasant
thoughts and warm affections, clothed in
that gay but borrowed language, in which
the very young always ''lisp their num-
bers." She afterwards published ''The
Lay oftho Irish Harp and a selection
Of twelve Irish melodies, with music
| The latter suggested the idea of the lar
ger ana more popular work subsequent
| " undertaken by Mr., Moore and Sir
John Stevenson. The curious in ballads
will be glad to hear, that Skate kear-
ney,"tO this day prime t6yorlte with
molodists, was written and adapted to
the air by Miss Owenson. We have pur-
posely mentioned these, her only metri-
cal efforts, in conjunction. The compo-
sition of verse was early abandoned by
her for prose, in which she felt that her
strength lay, and that her success was
to be gained.
Miss Owenson's early novels, "St.
Clair" ''The Novice of St. Dominick, +"
"The Wild Irish Girl, 'Patriotic Sketch
esq 'Ida," and 'The Missionary" y
though they may be said to belong to a
past dynasty of fiction, whom the story
was all in all, and tho manner Of telling
it but little heeded; when tears to any
measure could be drawn by tenderly
wrought love scenes, and heroines and
heroes were abSolved from the necessity
OF possessing the indiyidualites Of hu-
man character, so but they ''protested
enough" and aced up to their protesta-
tions,--have still something of their own
which distinguishes them among their
contemporaries Their scenery, their
passion, their enthusiasm is eminently
national; and, being dashed off with all
the fervour and selfconfdence Of youth,
it is not wonderful that they speedily
made their way to distinguished success.
| The "Wild Irish Girl" was at once re-
ceived, both in Dublin and London,
into those aristocratic circles whose grea-
test honour it is to open their doors to
genius: alas! that SO often they welcome
it with the childish and fantastic cour-
tesies oflion-worship! A thousand sketch
es and remembrances of the time when
Miss Owenson made her debut at Lady
Cork's route, Gin the Identical frock and
flower in which not many days before
she had danced jig on an eartLen floor
with an O'Rourke Prince of Brefney IL
the County of Leitrim," thousand
. notices, too, of the delightful friendships
and homages which followed the trans
mission of what she calls "her petit bou
of reputation "from England to France
will be found collected in that pleasan
Htest of all modern collections of Ana, the
| the shrowd and sparkling Shook of thu
, Boudoir.''
, "O'Donnel,n the novel which come
next III. order to those just enumerated
IS of a far higher order of merit. 1t
authoress there began to record tn,
fruits of her observation. as we'll as tn,