The daily Minnesota pioneer., 1854-05-24

"Among the English authors living here," says
the Florence correspondent to the NeOark Adrert's,
care Mrs. SomervilIe, the Brownings, Chas. Lever,
Mr. Kirkup, the antiquarian, Mr.. Tennyson, brother
of poems now in press; Mr.. and Mrs. TrolIope, who
made her debut in authorship through her libe'lous
work on America. Since then her prolific brain has
produced eighty-nine volumes Of $3.50 taes-provng
that &C weeds grow apacc." Not unproductively.
however, for her, since she has reaped thereirom
an abundant pecunary harvest, and now occupies
beautiful villa built by herself and her son,
who is also successful story teller. Mrs. IrolIope
has one of the largest and choicest of the private IL
braries in the city; the library room Is an expansive
Gothic hail. the furniture being all after the antique
and decorated with statuary and paintings In TINS
hall she holds her Saturday morning receptions, ana
strange to say, she affects Americans so much as to
hunt them up and load them with hospitaties. she
is afabe, pleasant old lady Of about seventy, and
probably more disguised with her pec,iniary mis-
adventures in the United States than with the people
she rdcu.ed in her spleen. Mrs. Somerville is now
about seventy three years Od-in an excellent state
of preservation, and is altogether a remarkable
man. She rises early, devOtes her time till to
scientific study and writing, and at other times
pies herself much with sketches from nature, paint
ing in oil and embroidery, thus showing that the pur
suit of mathematics is not incompatible with love
for the fine arts.
No living woman received more fatterng
compliments from her government, and from
great of all nations, than Mrs. SOmcrviIle; her
bust stands in the British Academy by the side Of
Sir Isaac Newtons, and Baron Humboldt has called
her "the greatest Of women." She is perfectly sim
pic and nos' 'entatious in her manners, and
fers to her own labors, which, Notwithstanding the
extensive circulation Of her works, have yielded her
small pecuniary benefit. But she has pension from
the British Crown and lives here with her husband,
a retired surg of the Navy, and their two daugh
ters going much into society, being welcomed every
where, and admired Er her quiet manners and agree
able conversation. Mr.. Lever lives generously in a
palace; gives dinners sparkling with his wit and
wine; loves horses like true Irish Enslishn'an;
rides on the cascno with his rosychccked daughters
on either side of him, and is literally "a good fellow
his conversation being full of huunor his Irish
tales. Mr.. Tennyson lives retired, though in easy
and elegant circumstances, occupying a fine villa
filled with choice books and aintings.
"The BrOwnings still occupy the Cast Guidi, an
old palace go into society, but receive their
friends quietly in the evening. Mrs. b. is physically
as fiai az her mind and strong, with such
gentle, unpre'cnding manners, and such pleasant
expression O face, that one, to look mt her, would
believe that such force and passion could out of
such apparently delicate, unperturbcd nature Mr..
Browning is alive with good nature and humour, full
of practical knowledge, and plain and smooth in
his talk rough in his writings; in Short is the
case with Mrs. b., the very opposite of the book
Browning. Mr.. Rcade, one of our American artists
now in Florence, has painted lately cabinet portraits
of both, and they truthful liken sses-thcy belong
to gentleman in Philadelphia, and will give oil who
sec them there, just notions of the original"