New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-26

vnntsse In HE Yomances OF the se~, ~. .-...,.
vy;ttsn. il q common and oovoasreoMH ~.
M been, 20 far % know, OBSERVES ~ s..,..d
aisetnaine of sesnAns life No nay s...,;,,,
~. ,..d,,e,s and fertility OF in"snuon'
nses - ran in surYoundips the personases OF
s.s.,. nth imaginary perils, aud rescnns Iaem
N.s.s,. .roedisnts OF all pursuits, the lie oil
yT'. !. "a, vAich IA niliarizes men to danger In
49,. e,.rfui shapes, most cultivates presence OF
..d and most efectually calls forth the resources
- . ,rompt and fearless dexterity by which inmnsn'
svfl 10 avoided.
In 1871, Cooper, having resigned his posi- rs m'o-
sh,pnap began the year by marrying Miss Delanee''
setsr of the present Bishop OF the Diocese OF YVES
tern Eew.York, and entered upon domessic h'o
hnppily passed 70 its close. He went 10 I've a.
Nanaroneck, in the County OF Westcnes'ef' Hn1
vhiIe hare he wrote and published the nn' VI ni'
>ovel,. entitled Preceution. Concerning INC o0"
.,on sf Writing this ~ork it is related shas once a.
he 80 reading an English novel 10 mis. Coopo''
- has. within short time past, been iAia In the
80. h., ,linstfious husband, and OF whom
~, nov cav, taa, her goodness was no less emf
-, tn.n his genius, he suddenly laid down the
n,ol and said, :" believe could write better my
ssnv Almost Immediately he composed chapter
~ = projected work OF fiction, and read it TO the
came friendly Judge, VINO encouiageo nim 20 nn, ans
Nestion OF this he had at the time no Invention,
but he vas at length induced to submit tas maui
seYipt 70 the examination OF the lac Cnas wilkes,
Of tSs City, in whose literary opinions ne nao gicat
confidence. Mr.. Wilkes advised that IL snouia DC
nubIisheo and to these circumstances we owe nIna'
Ceoper became an author.
: Ieonfess have merely dipped into THIS WORK
The experiment made with the hrst edition, dc.
formed by q strange punctuation-a proiusioh Oh
commas, and other pauses. which puzzled ana re-
>>iIoo me. Its author. many years afterwaro re-
viaed and fepublished it, correcting this fault and
some faults OF style also, so that to casual lnspec
ton, it appeared almost another worx IL vas
pyofessed delineation of English manners, though
the author had then seen nothing OF E9gi'sh sociey
II had however, the honor OF being adopted oy tno
county Nos; 70 G,sas stsin pa,sed from the rst
ler an English novel. l am not unwilling 70 peneve
vhst is said Of IT, that it contained promise OF sne
powers which it, author a'terwsrd pSs 'oitn :, N.
Thirty years ago, in the year 1921, ana In tne
thirty second Of his life, Cooper puolsned tne nts
Of the WORKS by which he will be known to posterty
he SPY. 1t took the reading world by kho OF sur
pyse ito merit was Acknowledged BY rapid sale :;
he public read with eagerness and the critics won
dsrec. Many withheld their commentators on ac'
count OF defects in the plot or bemishes IN the com
position, arising from want OF practice, ana some
waited till they could hear the judgment OF Euro
pean readers. Yet there were not wanting critics
N this country, OF whose good option any author
81 n n The terms il deserved Are you not de-
hskted," wrote q literary friend to me, VINO mas
since risen TO high distinction as wrter' oosn In
Ssy q . work OF infinite spirit and genius In
that word genius, lay the explanation OF the hold
which the work had taken on the minds OF men
what il had OF excellence was peculiar aud unoor-
vOwed ito pictures OF life, whether In repose or ac'
ivity, were drawn, with broad lights and shadows,
Immediately from living originals In nature or In MS
own imaanatiOn. To him, whatever he described
was True it was made a reality to him by the
strength with which he conceived 1t His power IN
the delineaton OF character was shown In the prln-
eipsl parsonage of his story, Harvey Birch, on
HON n11ohh no haa oh IN
tsnoblc Office Of spy, and endowed MIN with tnc
qualities necessary to his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. cir,
eunspection, fertility in stratagem and the art OF
eoHcsaliDg his real character qualities which, in
conjunction with selfshness and greediness, make
the scoundrel, he has bestowed the virtues OF gene
rosity, magnanimlty, intense love Of country, a
ldelitv not TO be corrupted and disnterestedness
beyond temptation Out of this combination OF
qualities he has wrought character which Is a
favoIite in ali nations, and with all classes OF man
hind.
Is said that II you cast pebble into the oce an,
at the mouth OF our harbor, the vibration made in
the water passes gradually on I'LL strikes the ICY
barriers Of the deep at the South Pole. The spread
Of Cooper's reputation 10 not confined within mar
rover limits. The Spy 10 read in ali the written
dialects OF Europe, and in some OF those OF Asia.
The French, Immediately after Its first appearance,
gave into the multisudes who read their far diu ,ed
language, and placed among the first works OF its
class. IL was rendered into Castilian, and passed
INTO the hands Of those who dwell under the beams
eastern frontier OF Europe and the latest record
have seen M iis progress to ward absolute snivoi-
salty, 10 contained In statement OF 1he Inferno
ssoNai Magazine derived presume, from Its author,
that in lS47 1t published In Persian translation
ct Ispahan. Before this time, DOUBT not, they are
reading IL in some OF the languages Of iindossan and
II the Chinese ever translated any thing, 1t would be
in the hands OF the many millions who inhaoit the
far Cathsy.
critics feli In admitting the merits OF The Spy,
count Of cfucities In the plot or the composition,
SEINE of which no doubt really existed An excep-
In notice written BY Mrs. Hale, gave the work
cordial. though cannot call II an enthusiastic,
welcome, and Cooper, az am informed never for.
got this act Of timely and ready kindness.
Of the Spy, that Cooper had few American authors
70 divide with him the public attention. That crowd
OF clever men and women who now write for the
0sgazines who send out volumes OF essays, sketches
and poems. and who supply the press with novels,
biographies and historical works then, for the
moot part, either stammerDg their lessons in the
schools or let unborn. ct 1t 10 worthy of NOTE that
Just about the time that the Spy made its appearance
The dawn OF what We now call our literature was
jest breaking. The concluding numbers OF Dana's
Idle Man, work neglected at hrst, but now number
ing among the best things of the kind in our Ian
Qusge, were issued In the same month The Sketch
Book Was then just completed the world was ad-
0t1iDg IT, and its author was meditating his Brace
trsdss Hail. Miss Sedgwick, about the same time.
made her first ESSAY In that charming series OF novels
Of domestic lie In New-England which have gained
lei 20 high a reputation Percivsl. now unhsppily
nleAt had just put to press volume of poems. /
have copy Of an edition OF HAlecks Fanny, pub
nehed In the same year the poem Of Yamoydea by
Eassourn and Sands, appeared almost stimuli neousy
with IT. Livingston was putting the finishing hand
70 me report on the Penal Code of Louisiana work
wiiueA with such grave, persuasive eloquence tina,
belongs ~ much 70 our literature as TO our Iurs.
prudence. Other cotemporaneous American works
0ero were, now less read. Paul Aliens poem Of
NeeAwAs just laid on the counters Of the
Arden published at The same time in this CITY, a
translation OF Ovid's ISistia. in heroic verse, in
which the complaints OF the effeminste Roman poet
wsre rendered with great fidelity to the original and
sometimes not without beauty. IL may speak Of
nysslf 1t Vas In that year that timiily entrusted
70 the winds and waves OF public opinion a small
cargo Of my own-a poem entitled The Ares and
half coxen shorter ones, In thin duoiecimo vol
nDs, printed at Cambridge.
We had, at the same time, works OF elegant liter
azure ffesh nom the press OF Great Britain wbich