Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1849-09-13

Richard Lowell Edgeworth, the father
Of Miss Edgewerth, the novelist, is now
little remembered but by the scientific
few, as one who made considerable ina
provement in telegraplie communication,
and by contemporaries, as man of talent,
ready wit. and considerable eccentrieity.
1t was believed ia his dag that his daugh-
ter's fame owed much to his assistance,
and think this opinion we'll founded
When I was just en- .ering life, Mr.. Edge
worth paid visit to near connection
who lived in county bordering on that
of Dublin, where nay family resided at
that period, and within half a mile of US.
A kinsman Of mine had recently publish
ed book Of considerable popularity.
Edgeworth, on the day of his arrival ia
the neighborhood, havinglearned that the
family of this then distinguished writer
was SO near him, with his usual promp.
titude Of action, volunteered an unex-
pected visit, and Enthusiastically an-
nounced himself. A visit ffom so eele-
brated man produced sensation in
our family. and the exciting cause rem
dered it the more gratifying. A sister
and myself received him. He was very
anxious to converse with young people,
to sound their depths Of mind and traits
Of character. He was unsparing of ques-
tons, and candid in approval Or condem-
nation. During his stay in the neigh
borhood, he renewed his visits almost
daily. Our parents were proud Of this
notice of their children The Ina preston
he made on us then, which more expe-
rience confirmed, was, that he was u man
talents and requirements far super Or to
what the world gave him credit for
having diminished his general reputation
by considerable egotism, eccentrieity and
arp exuberance Of livelincss approaching
to levity. From subsequent experience,
we thought--and / still think--that the
racy hunor Of Irish character, anitnating
Miss Edgeworth's early works, was al
most exclusively his, He took great de-
light in conversing with the peasantry land
knew we'll how to draw them out. Miss
Edgeworth did not evince the same dis
position. and her cold manner was un-
Favorable to iavitiag their confidence OF
throwing tbem off their GUARD. The
"Irish Blunders," bearing Miss Edge
worth's name on the title page, l know
to have been virtually his. The man
who said he was changed at aurse," and
the servant who, when his mistress COM
planned of noise in the kitchen, said it
was "a noise in his own ears with which
he had been tornaented for years" were
blunders which Edgeworth told me came
within his personal knowledge ] re.
member that while he was in the habit
of visiting US, there resided man named
Dunn in the next village, whose early
life had been very questionable. He had
the reputation Of having committed some
daring burglaries. He. had also been
coiner, and admitted that the material fol
his first essay in that line was procured
by climbing up the nainaret of the churcl
of Galtrim, the aame of . village in hi,
neighborhood, and stealing the bell
which he converted into dollars. He kat
been, in fact, che of those daring. active
intrepid, clever fellows, at once wicket
and popular. who robbed the rich ant
gave freely to the poor. and Of whom w
used to read in the popular ronances 0
our early days. Dunn became tolera
bly, wealthy, whether by success in hi
lawless pursuits, or. as some said, b,
giving iaeorsatisa against associates,
cannot say; but, after having been two
years hunted by the authorities as afelon
he made his peace one way and anothes
settled in the neighboring village. built {
house from top to bottom with his owl
hands, for he evinced decided nacehan
ical genius, and invented pillow for clear
ing roads INSTRUCTED by snow. The no.
ted robber, Dunn, thus become honest
and prosperous. was "a character" in
the locality. / mentioned him to Mr..
Edgeworth, who Immediately sent for
him. He came to our house. Edge
worth used to visit him afterwards al
most every day at his own residence,
! while he remained in the neighborhood'
and expressed a high opinion of his orr
ginal talent, particularly in mechanism
mention this incident to show the orr.
gin of one Of Mr.. Edgeworth's best Irish
characters, and the means by which he
| obtained the strange stimulus that gave
such popularity to bis daughters works
works which Sir Walter Scott admit
ted first suggested his own portrayals Of
Scottish character.-Dablin Press.
Thorn, T,,on The i'm pOrtation of iron