The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-10-30

but L think the former will do nothing officially
to interrupt it.
One OF the prisoners, who is a Frenchman
and good artist, several days since sketched
the inside OF the prison, and to-day asked leave
to go out on the hill on the southwest, and take
one OF the outside. His request was granted
They will be sent East for publication. Lieu
tenant Pelot and Sergeants Stanswell and Mil
Ter, (the latter Hungarian,) who have always
treated US kindly, are on duty to-day. No
other officers would have allowed this privilege
l learn that Captain Walker has raised bis
one hundred men for life guard to the Gov
ernor, who compliments them very highly. K.
THE LATE SAMUEL ROGERS.
Some friend and companion of the late Sam
uel Rogers has furnished the following anecdotes
and specimens of his table-talk to the London
Illustrated Nesos:
In his ninetieth year, his memory began tc
fail him in a manner that was painful to his
friends. He was no longer able to relate his
| shortest stories or welcome his constant com
panions with his usual complimentary expires
sions. He began to forget familiar faces, and
at last forgot that he had ever been a poet. II
was impossible, however, even when Memory
had at length deserted the poet who had sung
her charms, to look upon him without feeling
of veneration. Faces Of other times seemed to
crowd over him as he sat, and what that now
vacant mind had once known, what those now
faltering tongue could once relate so well, were
the thoughts uppermost in the minds of all who
knew him.
On the morning Of the 18th December, 1855
the Tithonus of living English poets was taken
from among US. He died in his own house, sur.
rounded by the works of art which his fine taste
had brought about him. He expired" writes
DR.. Beattie, tue physician who with him,
"at halfpast twelve this morning. A more
tranquil and placid transition l never beheld
His devoted niece closed his eyes, and his faith.
fnl domestics stood weeping around his bed.
Some of the attendant circumstances reminded
me of the death.bed of Campbell; but this was
more calm, solemn, and impressive, quite in
keeping with the scene in his Human Life "
His face is said to have been prepossessing
in his youth, and the drawing of him by Sir
Thomas Lawrence, from which so many engra.
wings have been made, seems to support such
belief His eyes were blue in color, and large,
and his nose long. His complexion must al.
ways have been pale. His height was about
FIVE feet five inches.
As he advanced in years, the color retreated
altogether from his face, and the satire of By
ron was then true to his appearance. His looks
afforded. of course, fine field of sarcastic COM
ment. Theodore Hook, who was often merci-
less at his expense, recommended bis friends to
induce him to abstain from attending Lord By
ron's funeral He stood in danger, he said, OF
being recognised by the undertaken as a corpse
he had screwed down some six weeks before.
Thus eminent by position and genius, his
opinion was frequently sought by authors and
by artists He was shy of praise, shy of censure.
! In an age when almost every poet of any name
was a reviewer, Rogers was not reviewer.
When in the presence of the painter of any
picture, he had constant recourse to the safe
and general criticism of Sir Joshua. "Pretty,
very pretty" were the words that conveyed sat
isfaction to the eager ears of many clever
artist.
The critic who annoyed Mr.. Rogers in the
| Quarterly was never more In the wrong than
when he asserted that bis author was a hasty
writer A man of letters and Of fortune from
his birth, whose literary life extended sixty
produce of lis IS life led can Be- 6Ib acsd With case the
an ordinary pocket volume, for such is the shape
his works assumed in the latest edition. The
fact is, that his were hard bound brains, and
not a line be ever wrote was produced at a sim
| gle sitting.
This was we'll exemplifed 10 fsvorite saying
of Sydney Smith "When Rogers produces a
couplet, he goes to bed, and the l1nocker is tied,
and straw is laid down, aud the caudle is made,
and the answer to inquiries is, that Mr.. Rogers
is as we'll as can be expected"
! Pointed axioms and acute replies fly loose
about the world, and are assigned successfully
to those whom it may be the fashion to cele.
brats. How many smart sayings are assigned
to Sheridan and Selwyn, to Jekyll and Rose, to
/ Wy Al r. L. IL, =
which, in truth, they never uttered Many were
and are still assigned to Mr. Rogers, with which
he had nothing whatever to do. In the early
days of the John Bull newspaper, Sam Rogers
was fathered with many smart saying, and
many q clever and many stupid jest. 1t will
be the business of Mr.. Dice to select the genuine
| from the false, the smart from the dull, of the
many sayings attributed to Mr.. Rogers. A few,
most truly aud Enthusiastically hs, will not be out
of place in these columns.
Sir Thomas Lawrence and Mr.. Phillips have
both very great merits as painters of female
portraits. When Rogers was asked to distin
gush their different excellences, he replied,
"Phillips shall paint my wife, and Lawrence my
mistress"
OF the late Lord Holland, whose face was
full of sunshine, he observed, most happily,
Lord Holland always comes down to break.
fast like man upon whom some sudden good
fortune has Just fallen" On another occasion
he exclaimed, alluding to the same nohleman
His was the SMILE that spoke the mind ease"
A line, believe, Of his own composing, though
not included in his works.
He could be severe upon his own friends.
| OF the same nobleman, he observed, Painting
gives him no pleasure, and music absolute
pain"
In Italy, he said, "The memory sees more
than the eye"
q envy no man of my time any saying, so
much as l envy Lord John Russell that admi-
rable definition of q proverb--' The wisdom of
many and the wit of one.'"
"What lucky fellow you are" he said to
Moore; surely you must have been born with
rose in your lips, and nightingale singing
on the top Of your bed"
"I cannot admire Murillo to the extent that
| is now in fashion. The undigni6ed and or
binary nature of his figures and faces always
| otfends me-"
| There are two parties before whom every
body must appear-the Hollands and the po-
lice"
"Lady Holland was always lamentipg that
she had nothing to do; that she did not know
what to be at, or how to employ her time. She
Vas one day worse on this subject than ever,
and could not resist recommending her to try
novelty-try and do little good.'"
"When Croker wrote his Review, in the Quar-.
terly, of Macaulay's History he intended muir
der, but committed suicGe.p
Of Sydney Smith, he observed: "Whenever
the conversation is getting dull he throws in
some touch, which makes it rebound and rise
again as light as ever. There is this difference
between Luttrell and Smith !: after Lutrrell, you
remember what good things he said after
Smith. you remember bow much you laughed