New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-09-16
DAILY CRESCENT.


On the summit Of hill IN Z sns boupa,
commanding splendid prospect of ciIy I'D
green fields, and forests, such : uruspeoS = :
poet in full communion with bjs fGfIov.cnnn
would love to lock On, we found t1us nense e
| JAMES MONTGOMERY
on the door. We had heard that the vouG.
| able poet was now 30 advanced in life, and %
feeble in health that he was not wiling %
see company, and it was with many mi9gfs-
ings that stood at the door, and ashsd tie
servant if he was in. Learning that be was
at home, l handed her my card and bade her
say that three gentlemen from AmsEiss
would be glad to pay their respects TO Mr..
Montgomery. Before had finished my mes
sage, he stepped from his library into The
hall, and received me with greeting that
went to my heart. You do me too much
honor" he said. "Come in and your friends
He led US all into his study, and insisted on
our sitting down.
| said to him, You were known, sir, in
America, and loved before we were born.n
He replied, T" thank you It is grateful 70
me to know that any thing have ever writ
country has published many beautiful edi-
tions Of my poems, and | am grateful for
their favorable regard
He spoke with some hesitation, and ap-
peared feeble, though far less than had a.
pected. A small thin man, about my Gze, p
and slightly STOPPING, with bright eye and
sharp face, he would mot have appeared 10
me, had met him in the street, e the man
to write "The World before the Flood,n or
| the "Wandercr Of Switzerland Ifthsce ere
not in both of these poems beauties Of the
highest order, and specimens Of the power Of
pathos equal to the poetry Of any nan who
has died within the last twenty-five years,
then confess that lost . crown IN going to
Sheffield to see their author Sew men,
said to him, have lived as you have, to hear
the verdict of posterity.n
"Yesn he replied, 81 have survived nearly
all contemporaries"
sAnd you have survived the attacks Of the
Edinburgh Review, which predicted that you
would not live at alln
The old man laughed gaily at thisreminis-
cence Of slashing review forty years ago,
and said, "The Review was young then, and
they thought they must kill some one in
every number; and they sought to make .
victim of me, but lived through it. Those
were early trials, and had others, but trials
are good for us, and they will soon be over.n
MAY ! ask how old you are now, sir :"
81 shall be eighty-two years old on the
fourth day Of November nextn
l could not refrain from telling him that
the fourth of November is my birth-day,
also, and, How old will you be, if p ks
added. Twas not unwilling to find another
coincidence in the fact, that should be then
just one-half of his age. And this led to .
religious conversation, in which he spoke Of
that peaceful but trembling hope he had that
he should soon enter upon the promised rest ;
his lips quivered, his voice broke, and big
tears dropped from his eyes, as he spobe q
his unworthiness to be accepted, but Of his
trust in the Saviour, whose grace is sufficient
for the chief of sinners. We rose TO take
leave, and as we shook hands in silence, Ed
wards repeated ono Of the poets own stanzas,
from "The Grave:n
"There is a calm for those who wsep
| rest for weary pilgrims found, !"
and he had strength to say, 81 hope we shall
meet in heaven,n and following Us to the
door, bade US an afectionate farewell
INswrork Observer.