Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-06-05

who would have been transported with Joy have had
the half of these obgng things said to him by either of thsse
great ladies but what may appear extraordinary both
of them far could conjecture have read with
care all my writings that have been translated into French
that is almost all my writings The King said nothing
ticuIar to Jne when introduced him and (can you
imagine i was become so silly to be little mortified by
till they told that he says thing any body
the first time he them The Dauphn, told from
all hands, declares himself every occasion very strongly in
my favor and many people assure that have reason TO
be proud of his Judgment he individual.
have any Of the geniuses of Paris who think
have in general great merit of letters. But every
body forward to tell the high panegyrcs receive from
them and you may believe that -- appreciation which
has procured me all these civties from the courters
And to Robertson he his wonderful reception by
the Dauphn and his family
"'Do you ask about my of lie can only say
that nothing but ambosia drink nothing but nectar
breathe nothing but Incense and tread nothing but flow
ers Every man meet and, still more every lady, would
think they wanting in the most indispensable duty if
they did not make long and elaborate haangue praise
What happened last week. when had the honor of being
presented to the Dauphns children at Versailles, of the
most curious have yet passed through Tbs Due de
Berr the eldest boy of years DID, stepped forth, and
told me how many friends and admirers had in this country
and that he reckoned himself in the number from the plea
he had received from the reading of many
works When he had finished, his brother, the Count de
Provence who younger began his DISCOURSE and
informed that had been long and mpaenty expected in
France and that he himself expected have great
siaciOn from the reading OF history Du Wnat Is
curious when carried thence TO the Count PAR
o who is but four years age, heard him humble
thing which, though he had forgot in the way, conectued
from scattered WORDS to have been also panegyc die
taed to him. Nothing could surprise my friends the
Partisan philosophers than this incident. 1t is con-
ectured that this honor paid by express order from
the Dauphn who, indeed not any occasion sparing
my praise.
Thirty years after they received Franklin similarly this
luckess which pursuing fashion that was to end
the downfall of all of them.
Wh true British independence the great people of his
own country and (Which he detesed most heartily de-
signaling the English the barbarians who inhabit the
banks of the Thames seeing him so well received BY the
French arsocracy began condescend notice him. and
to ask favors of him The suy philosopher shook off
these geneel parasites and, indeed in the midst of his
pendor conesses occasionally that he ghs his armchair
1t Edinburgh and the and homeness the Poker Club
But newspaper cannot afford space 10 analyze these
'ook or to extract more than two of the thousand in
eestng passages and anecdotes which they contain They
Ire an excellent and most amusing contribution to literary his
ory' most carefully compiled by competent scholar"
None can be more convinced than we Of the in
iulgence which his life claims whose personal in
ercourse was so amiable and good as that of HUME.
ct we cannot entirely assent to the very mild,
charitable judgment which the biographer seems to
ShaSi, aS W d WHO ulu So nuCn lDtellectual
II as must be laid to the account of DAVID HUME
n truth, the rule to men who write not-that
hey are TO be Judged by their actions only-must
'e reversed in the of the author of him who
ives chiefly in his mords, and through them if ofI
The sort that lasD does, through generation. after
generation OF men, good or i'll, not to few trades
men or servants, or the gentlemen and ladies with
whom he dimes or takes his tea or conyerses. but
to all who speak the tongue in which he has writ.
ten. Who shall measure by nothing but their per-
sonal conduct Diderot or d'Aembert-recluses shut
up, by intellectual activity from the entire world,
except housekeeper, mistress, and the circles of
Mesdames Geoffrin and du Deffand or Mile LES
with whom one spends only the
hours of ease, that one is almost compelled by self.
ishness itself to render amiabe! Is il the petty
and careless action within this little sphere that is
TO fix the man as virtuous or is it the deliberate,
the selected the strenuous effort TO which he bends
his whole faculties, in abors that are to affect mu
tltudes OF men, and moraze or corrupt them through
whole ages and even in distant countries No;
the writer, We repeat, must be estimated by his in
not his personal action.
As to this, we look on HUME with exceedingly
little indulgence We read him at that early sea-
son of life at which novel opinions sustained by the
acutest diaectics and adorned by every charm off
style, so easily capivate and mislead US and we
read him with the usual effect upon minds as vet
luil OF senslbIty and not grown up to soundness. |
In Morals, in Religion, and in Politics, he only |
teaches the young to doubt to disbelieve to adopt
the sensual, the materialist the epcurean systems
1t was, however, not in these but in History. that
we first learned to dstrust his solidity and his hon
esty His great historical performance was the
hrst book placed in hands, TO teach us those
annals which are the elder and 1--WE dare TO saw in
lar the most instructive part Of our own. That we
read HIM with great delight, we need scarcely saw
lor ms book is History made specious Still,
rough the chasms Of his carelessness and the gilt
'erlng veil OF his sophistcations, could see that
there was much that he had omitted and perhaps
something that he had perverted so we sought
elsewhere information of those eras or institutions
which he has sighted and particularly Of the Ro-
man and pre-Roman and Saxon times of the Nor
man Conquest, concerning which great and curious
event ne IS so entirely unsatisfactory Of the grea,
Rebellion and Commonwealth, which he so eyi.
IDENTIFY dislikes and misrepresents, because they
were then too republican and yet too religious for
his taste and 6nallv yyaro -