Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-07-21


When | was called to the bar, he was
on the bench, and not only bagicss but
brielless, / was one day, with many an as
sociate. taking the idle round oil the hall,
Of the -Four Courts. when a common Trend
told me he was commissioned by the Mas
ter of the Rolls to invite me in to dinner
that day at the Priory, little country villa
about four miles from Dublin. Those
who rccollect their first Introduction to a
really great man may easily comprehend
my delight and my CONSERVATION. Hour
after hour was counted as II passed,
and. like ,iuid bride. feared the one
which was to make me happy. ! came
at last--,he important fee o'clock. the ne
plus ultra. Of the guests who would not
90 dipnerless at Curran's. Never shall l
forget my sen sations when | caught the
first glimpse ofthe little man through the
vista Of his avenue. There he was. as
thousand times afterwards ! saw him. in a
dress which-you would imagine he had
borrowed from his tipstaiI-his hands in
his sidcs--llis face almost parallel with the
horizon--his under lip protrudcd, and the
impaiicn, step and the eternal attitude only
varied by the pause during which his
eye glanced from his guest to his watch
and from his watch rcproachiully to his
dining room. 1t was an invincib!e pecu-
liarity; one second after five o'clock, and
he would not wait for the viceroy. The
moment he perceived me, he took me by
the hand, said he would not have any one
introduce me, aud, with a manner. which
often thought was charmed. at oncc ban
isbed every apprehension. and completely
famliarzcd me at the Priory. l mad Of
ten seen Curran-ofien heard OF hr-oi-
ten read Of him--but no man ever knew
anything about him who did not see HIM
Mt his own table with the few whom he
selected. He was little cornwall deity.
lie scared in every region, and was at
home in all: he touched everything, and
seemed as if he had created it--nastered
the human heart with the same case that
he did his violin. You wept. and you
laughed and you wondered: and the Won
deriul creature who made you do all at
will, never let it appear that he was more
than your equal, and was quite wiling, II
Won chose, TO become your auditor. 1t Is
said ofswiii, thothis rule was to allow
minutes pause after he bad concluded,
then. IL no person took up the conversation,
be commenced. Currnn had no CONVEX
sational rule whatever, he spoke from I'M
pulse; and be had the art so to draw You
into participation, that, though you felt
an inicrority, it was quite commended one.
Indeed. nothing could exceed the urbanity
of his dcmeanor At the time | speak ct,
he wus turned Of sixty. yet he was as play.
ful as child The extremes Of youth and
age were met in him. he had the expert
cncc Of one aud the simph city ofthe other.
Atiive o'clock we sat down to dinner. du-
ring which the host gave ample indications,
that it was one of his happy days. He
had his moody ones; there was no one
more uncertain. Joyous was my anticipa-
ton Of delightful evening. Bot, alas!
what are the hopes Of man! When the
last dish had departed, Curran totally con
founded me with proposal for which
was anything but prepared; "Mr' Phil
bps, Us this is the first of, | hope, your
very many visits to the PROXY, may as
well at once initiate you into the peculiar
tiles Of the place. You may observe,
though the board was cleared, there are
no preparations for sym osinm: 1t all de-
ponds on you. My friends here generally
prefer icaik after dinner. 1t is sweet
evening; but if you wish for wine, say SO
without ceremony" Even now can see
Curran's star like eyes twinkling at the
no doubt visible in mine
! had heard, and truly, that he was never
more delightful than with half dozen
friends, after dinner over his bottle. The |
hope in which had so long reveled was
realized at last, and here came this Internal
walk and the "sweet EVENING" Oh. how
i world have hailed thunderstorm
But to say the truth, the sun was shining
and the birds were singing, and the flow
crs We're blooming and breathingso sweet
lyon that autumn eve, that, wondering not
at thcw ofmy companions, also voted
for the walk" Never was man so mys-
titled. We took the walk, no doubt, but
it was only TO the drawing room, where
over desert freshly culled from his gar
dens, and over wines for which his board
was celebrated, we passed those hours
which formed era in my life. 1t was
the commencement of that happy inter-
Course which gave this world charm. it
ough, perhaps never to possess. Yet,
alasl that evening has its moral now
The tongue which chained its hours is in
the dust; the joyous few who have felt Its
spell have followed; and all are gone save
the mourner who recalls il! There is, in
fact, scarcely page Of these rccollcctons
which docs not ill me with sense Of sol |
i,udc.