New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-18

oor,nanv NJ literary men, Donnie must have been
dehehtfnl and fascinating coupsbion' Ia sne psln.
ipg.ogice bis conyers alton WIN me aPpteIs.ea 49,
nl9ssant an instructive HIS department toFafd
ham war marked with great uR5anlty ana genus
na.s Baipg the voungest apprebtica-n Vulgar
TLrsse the rrfntefis Doubt was my iot 70 can
p,nn hin, for copy, and carry the proof 30 nin -
Thus for seven or eight months my la'eEc91's0
with bin was almost d ally and was as lAiho'a, -
I,ronriety would sanction between 81 ediIo soa al
apprentice never ae~ ulni o'"o " 80
good humor
Dennie wrote with greasrapidty, and generally
roatnored his task til De called upon ijF copy
IL was frequently necessary 10 60 10 nus ONCE ana
il YVES not uncommon n find him in bed s. iase
! hour in the morning His cory vas often gwen ou'
! in small portions, d paragraph or two a. sn5
sometimes il was written in the printing OUNCE
while the compositor was waiting to pat IL IN type
One Of the best OF his Lay sermons was written az
the village tavern directly oP Joslte to the ote5 Ia
A chamber where he and his friends were annainS
/ Themselves with cards IL was delivered 10 NE
by Dieoemeal at four or Eve different times Ii be
/ happened to be engaged il a game, when app1ed
for COPY, he would ask soms one to pay hiS EaaG
far HIM teke he c0nld give The deUR has due. Whsn
I called for the closing paragraph OF the sermon ha
/ said call again in fire minutes. "No SAID Tyler
I 81 n write the improve men. for you ii accord
| ipely wrote g concluding paragraph, ana Dehnle
! never saw il till il WA in print.
Per sone uuaccounCable cause, lunaccounsaoe 0S
! mel Dennie hated des ?ised, the faculty OF az
vsrd College, aud be never neglected an o2Porsu-
nity to ismpoon the individuals OF which 1t was
CONFUSED and would often step li!te oas OF dis
vay to level bis arrows ct the Professors and tu
tors, and exult in the belief that he had nlE tne
mark.
Il has been frequently remarked that Donnie left
nc work that will sustain the reputation be enloyed
ga writer The Lay Preacher the most elaoor
ate OF all bis literary compositions, is no unkno IN
fha raadin
meat forgotten by those who read and admired II,
"a il came fresh from the press. 1t is true, thar
there are some things in this series OF eaiays ina!
have not the attributes that will insure Immortal
ity; but it is also true, that they contain muGn
which bears the stamp OF genius aud "9icn ou51'
rot to sink into oblivion He wss protessed ad'
mirer of the STYLE of Addison and Sterne aad was
NOT unwilling to have bis Lay Preacher compared
with the Spectator and the Sermons oy Mr.
Yoricb'
The subject Of The following sketch waa one of
the most original characters ever born1n New
England-a man of uncommon ability-but now
scarcely remembered exec pit for his eccentrolueSp
never having squared his habits according to the
nreoise standard of oston da;orum, and above all
Democrat. when Democracy in MASSACHUSETTS
was sin
WILLIAM BENTLEY was born in Boston, lune
| Bentley ard was named William in honor OF his
maternal grandfather, William Pains Who was a
man of some property at The northerly part OF Bos
ton. This old gentleman had atFoDg attachment
to bis gfandchild, attended to his early edaca!lon
! and paid his expenses at college. Young Bentley
was early distinguished for his natural talents, and
! for bis uncommon acquisitions ia classical and gen.
| eral literature. BE graduated IN lT17, Hnd WAS
Immediately employed as assistant teacher IN the
| Boston Latin Grammar school, where he had been
= L.
! Tor OF the North Grammar school. he was ap.
pointed tutor in Creek and latin at Harvard Col
fege IN 1880, and while holding this office be pre-
pared himaelf for the. ministry On the 2i'h oil
! september, 1783 he was ordained, as colleague
pastor with Rev. James D1mon, over the haas
| Church in Salem His colleague died in 1888, and
/ MIR Bentley continued his pastoral relation, alone,
with the church, till bis death, December 20, 1917
&c war distinguished for the position, which he
took in the early part of hia creer-wih his friend
| and class mate, Rev. James Freeman OF BostoD,--
I in favor OF Unitariansn.
In 1894. when William Carleton undertook the
publication OF the Salem Gazette he and Mr.. emit
| ley boarded with an old ady,-a relative of Care.
tons and, TO assist the young kinsman Of his land.
lady, Mr Bentley was induced to write summary
OF news, weekly, for the Gazette. Not long after,
| Carleton had long and severe sickness and as sn
act of friendship, he conducted the paper alone.
While thus engaged, be opened correspondence
with Professor Ebeng of Hamburg, who was ore.
pairing History and Geography OF the United
States The German professor wanted materials,
and Mr. Bentley took unwearied pains to oleot
and send them to him. He cent all the curious
books he could procure and wrote many letters.
Il then occurred to him that by writing summary
of intelligence for the Gazette, he might aid both
Ebelipg and Carleton, and this was the origin and
motive Of bis labors in that department of the pa.
per; for he was never paid dollar for his serYices
which were constantly and industrously continued
for ear quarter OF century. The various news
paperF, received in exchange for earle tons paper
Mr. Bentley was accustomed to pack in the neat
esimGnner, and sand to Professor Ebeling, with an
index TO ouch papers and articles as be deemed
moat important. In return for such books as Mr
Bentley gent to him. the Professor sent Germau
publications. bot no cash transactions ever passed
between them
Mr. Bently was one of the earliest members Of
the Massachusetts Historical Society and was in
duced to write for its Collection History OF Sa-
lem but becoming disgusted with the conduct of
Of the publishing committee, Rev. Dr., Morse
he abandoned the design after having made aome
progress. This is to be regretted for he was mi
nutely acquainted with every interesting incident
concerning his adopted town, and retained in bis
iron memory thousand facts which he had labor
ed to collect, but which be had not recorded.
Nothing could exceed the labor and activity Of
Mr. Bentley in bis profession, and in every depart
ment Of social life. He left three thousand three
hundred sermons and ftiq.stz other manuscripts
of varoua sizes, some quite large and elaborate IN
which he had recorded the events Of the passing
day, and his observations in philosophy, theology,
astronomy, meteoroIoey geology and many other
branches Of science, that in his day, rarely
attended to BY the scholar. He was expert in at
least twenty one languages, beside having that
smattering OF others which arises from thorough
Acquaintance with so many. Ia Latin Greek, He
brew, Arabic and Persian he probably had no rival
in this country He read all the popular languages
OF Europe, not excepting the Russian. &c cores
Al - n. A
ern Africa; and il is related Of him, that when the
Tunsian Ambassador presented his credentials to
our Government no one, but Mr. Bentley, could
translate them. His library contained four thous-