New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-12-21
THE TRIBUNE.
IrVing's Columbus.

In our notice of the kncke1bocker for Decem.
her few days since, alluded to an elaborate
paper in the Southern Literary Messenger, in
4 which WAsHIsoTos IRVING is charged with
having appropriated TO his own use, without proper
! acknowledgement, the labers of Don Martin Fer
= p.nde. Navarette-a Spanish gentleman OF emf
zen. literary abilities and especially celebrated
for his very courninous collection of manuscripts
I relative to the early voyages of Columbus, made
with loncg ontinued toll and at great expense
The literary fame of MIR. IRVING stands so high
that whatever nssails it in the point be-
comes matter Of general interest; and, as in our
former notice we merely alluded to the charges,
without due reference to an article in refutaton
Of them, which appeared in the Angus, number Of
the Knickerbocker, we think it both Just and
proper to present a brief statement of both sides
Of the controversy.
The subject FIRST opened in two articles of
some length in the Southern Literary Messenger
for March, 184l, and May, lS42-purporting to
be review OF Navarette on Spain, but being
mainly occupied with an examination Of the Life
of Columbus by Irving, with especial reference to
his Indebtedness to the labors of Navarette. The
charge was there brought forward-thot Mr.. r.
wing vas thus Indebted to the work of another
and that his Preface, in which reference 10 the au-
thorities he consulted is made, does not convey
any Just idea of the obligation which compari-
son of the two works demonstrates that he owes"
The writer proceeds at great length to establish
this position by reference to the circumstances I'M
der which Mr.. Irving's work was written, and by
~ Of, no Tbo Eret ~;
noted is the fact that Navare,te was employed for
tairtyise years with industrious associates, under
pay Of the Spanish Government, in seeking out
among the libraries of Spain the documents reat
ing to her elder voyagers. In 1895 two volumes
Of his work were published, covering Thousand
closely printed pages and containing the history OF
the first voyage to America written by Columbus
himself, that OF the second written by DR.. Chanca
the companion of Columbus, those of the third
and fourth from the great mans own hand to
ge,her with q great number of diplomatic docu-
ments and other papers bearing upon the subject.
Very many of these had never before seen the
light. lust as the work came from the press Mr..
IRVING found in Madrid and in twenty-one
months thereafter his History in three octave vol
umes came finished from his hands.
In his preface to the History Mr.. IRVING states
that his work was digested from various sources:
l. books in various languages relating to Colum-
bus but containing incomplete accounts of his life
and VOYAGES 2. numerous valuable tracts on the
subjec, which existed only in manuscript letters,
journals, &c. The books were accessible in the
public libraries of Madrid: "the manuscripts
were found where they were known TO exist and
placed at the authors disposal by the berality of
is referred to as containing many documents before
unknown, but presenting "rather mass OF rich
materials for history than history itself" With
these and other aids" says Mr.. Irving :" have
endeavored to the best ofmy abilities and the time
! could allow myself, during sojourn in foreign
country, to construct this history. have dill
gently collated all the aoorks that could find re-
a,ive to my subject in print and manuscript, COM
pairing them as far TN my poacer with original
documents" This ncknowlcdg cement, coupled as
it is with the claim to orig ina research the writer
in the Messenger thinks quite insufficient and u-
worthy the high fame of Mr.. IRVING. The I'M
preston left upon the public by the Preface, the
critic says, is that the whole merit of profound,
original and protracted research is laid at Mr.. IT.
Wings door. None of the notices of the work oil
Irvine, collected and pre6xed to an abrdgement
of his History of which the copyright was held by
himself, make the slightest mention of Navarette,
but claim for Irving the praise of having himself
discovered, by personal research during some
years of his life the original documents for his His
tory. This the writer maintains Is false and
most unjust mrression-entirely unsupported by
facts
In the Knickerbocker for July 1912 Is brlet
editorial notice of the paper in the Messenger, in
which the writer is snecrinsly spoken of as
"querulous fault.hnder"-an Z" cnvous literary
nonproducer:" his highly probable statement
is said of course to have excited little attention.
and the editor premises to take on early occasion
to puncture the bladder which the self-compla-
cen, critic has inflated In the August number
about four pages of the knickerbocker are de-
voted to the redemption of this promise. The
general acknowledgements contained IN the IRE
face of Mr.. Irving are cited as amply sufficient
and several places referred 10 through the
work in which Navare,tes Journal is expressly
quoted The editor quotes also paragraph
from an introduction by Navarette to the third vol
u'ne ct his work, written after the appearances OF
lrsing's History, in which Irving is spoken OF as
the first who has availed himself of our Naya-
rc;,e's publication" and in which the position OF
Mr. Irving situated in Madrid, with an oppor
,uni,y of examining excellent books and precious
manuscripts, and having ALWAYS at hand the au.