The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-09-01

sllusion to Dabney Carr, the father oil MS
friend, and the compatriot oil HenryIa
gentleman most favorsbly known IN 'he
short legislative career to which we nave
heretofore adverted, and whose early DEAN
had blighted the promise Of a far renoWh'
Mr.. lanes Webster, OF PhiladelPhia'
to whom also this letter has reference,
was already engaged as the publisher Of
the forthcoming volume, and had made
some announcements Of it to the public,
which. il will be seen, had served to
augment the authors disrelish oil his enter
prise.
WILLIAM WRIT TO JUDGE CARR.
Richmond, Aug. 20, 1915.
My DEAR FRIEsD:-
Now for Patrick Henry. have delved
on 10 my one hundred and seventh page;
uphill all the way, and heavy work. |
promise you; and heavy and unleavened
lump fear me it will be, work il as !
NAV. | can tell you, sir, that it is much
the most oppressive literary enterprise that
ever embarked in, and begin TO apPIe-
bend that shall never debark from it with
out ''rattling ropes and rending sails" |
write in a storm, and worse tempest, j
fear, will follow its publication. Let Inc
give you some idea of my difficulties
fmprimis. them always thought that
Bozzy ranted, in complaining SO heavily oil
the infinite difficulty and trouble which he
had 10 encounter in fixing accurately the
dates of trivial facts; but now know by
woful experience that Bozzy was right
And, in addition TO the dates, have the
facts themselves to collect. | thought L
had them all ready cut and dry, and sat
down with all my statements of cores
pondents spread out before me; pile Of
old journals on my right, and another Of
old newspapers on my left, thinking that
had nothing else 10 do but, as Lingo says,
.to saddle Pegasus, and ride up Parnassus.
Such short.sightedness is there in ''all the
schemes O. mice and men;" for | found, al
every turn Of Heny's life, that | had "a
Stop and let fly volley Of letters over the
State, in all directions, 10 collect dates anc
explanations, and try to reconcile contra
dictions. Meantime, until they arrived, :"
kept sowing on.
In the next place, this same business o
stating facts with rigid precision, not ont
lot more or less than the truth-whst TN
deuce has lawyer TO do with truth! TX
tell you one truth. however, find that it i
entirely a new business 10 me, and l ali
proportionatsly awkafd at it; for after
have gotten the facts accurately, they ar
then to be narrated happily; and the styl
Of narrative. fettered by a scrupulous re
gard to real facts, is TO me the most diff
cult in the world. 1t is like attempting Il
run, tied up in bag. My pen wants per
; petually to career and (rolic il away. Blu
i. must not be. must move like Sterne'
mule over the plains Of Languedoc, "a
slow as foot can fall, and that, too, with
out one ventage frolIc with Nanelte on th
green, or even the relief of mulberry ire
TO stop and take a pinch OF snuff at.
was very sensible, when | began, that
wss not in the narrative gait. tried
over and over again, almost as often q
G;bbon did to hit the key note, and withoI
his success. | determined, therefore, I,
move forward, In hopes thai my palfre
would get broke by degrees, and learn
! and by to obey the slightest touch of III
snafile. But | am now, as i said, in m
hundred and seventh page, which, by an al
curate computation, on the principles {
3 Cocker, taking twenty-four sheets to tn
quire, and four pages to each sheet, yo
will find to exceed 9uire by eleven. An
yet am | as far to seek, as ever, for III
lightsome, lucid, simple graces Of narrativ,
You may think this sffectation, il yo
please, or you may think it Jest; but ii
dying confession Of a felon under the ga
n lows mo disparagement to himD is NJ
more true, nor much more Notifying.
S Tertio: The incidents of MIR. Henry
life are extremely monotonous. 1t is a
speaking, speaking, speaking. IT'S trr
s he could talk-"Gods! how he could talk!
e but there is no acting ''the while" FroI
II the bar to the Legislature, and from II
legislature I'd the bar, his peregrinations r.
e sembled, good deal, those Of some one,
g forget whom-perhsPs some Of our frien
n Tristram's characters, .from the kitchen
g the parlor, and FROM the parlor to the kite
en-" And then, 10 make the matter wors
g from 1863 to 1889, covering all the blool
e and pride Of his life, not one Of bis speech,
! lives in print writing, or memory. A
k that is told me is, that, on such and sue
y an occasion, he made distinguished speecl
It Now to keep saying this over, and owe
il and over again, without being able to 81,
il any account Of what the speech was-wh
s sir, what is il but a vast, open. sunburl
: field, without one spot Of shade or verdur
It My soul is weary Of it, and tho days ha,
g come IN which can say that | have Z
/ pleasure in them. | have sometimes "a
:, ton Of trying the plan Of Boua, who HI
}; written an account Of the American wa
v and made speeches himself for his prom
}. men; characters, initiating. in this, the hist
!. rians Of Greece and Rome; but think wi
# Polybius, that this is making too free wi
e the sanctity Of history. Besides, Henry
II eloquence was all so completely ssi gener
v as to be inimitable by any other; and
e make my chance Of Initiating him SIT
= worse, | never saw or heard him. Eve
e The speeches published in the debates
8 the Virginia convention are affirmed by a
v my correspondents not to be his, but to ia
n far short OF his strength and beauty. Ye
i in spite Of all this monotony and destitute
1 Of L. r.