New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS..
THE PRIVATE CORRESPONDENTS or
o,,NIEL WEBSTER.

| Boston, about the IUlsde |" bVcrW"~f W." ~
two octave volumes Of $50 pages each. The earii'
est letter in the collectsu is dated In Dece neef
1893 when Mr.. Webster Was only sixteen years
old, and the latest in Octobev, ls5e few days b.
fore his death. Large gaps Intervene in the coz
respordence Of this extended period, there beng.
in fact, whole years in which not letter OF DIR.
Webster sppears, his e.. respondents having neg
lected 70 preserve them. I he letters OF tho LAST
and most important years Of his life are D, lar me
most Duaerous and interessir,-
The worn begins with an 81 'obiograPhy written
| IN 1929 when Mr. Webster ~, ~ yean Of age.
The following extracts viii give, n idea Of it, style
and character:
NE wear following my birth my sa er removed fron
his sst residence, which was log k"s sc on the hui 70
the river side, in the same town; Ance OF 'ncsS
miles Here, in the meadow land, By tne nver, win
rough high hills hanging over, was eScne !" my
earliest recoecfions; or as was SAID N enosnet osscs
Here found myself i can ecoilcct .Nn Uss
1880 bIt cannot say that can remember fnss esnx
| have very vivid impression, indeed, ;y- ~
WHICH S P''s -; =; AZ. ,vsr mu.-u,k er how the
deuge Of rain beat, for two days, on tho pass ~
all looked anNously to the river overflow "s oan,
how the waters spread over the Meadow, nov .no
boat coming from afar. on the other sde OF 49,.
was rowed up till IL almost touched the e~ sH :;
how Mr. G.. great barn, fifty feet by tweesy ,aH =
hay and grain, sheep turkeys and chickens, sou" S
down the current mejestcaly before our sye nomn-
how all busy preparing TO fly to thei 'si
tains, as our house should manifest % ~.
ton 10 follow Mr.. G.s barn. remember OF We "a -
remember all these things; old, indeed see ~ = n,
Of them schilj OF five years could see, tor thsn "
was in l7S', but still am of opinion that my mp ~
sion is from narrative, and no, from remembrsnce
the vision Plain, Ineligible and striking things v'
this kind, have learned, make an impression ON
young minds in recital, which IT is difficult aerwasa ="
distinguish from actual personal recollection 4.
do not remember when or by whom WIS tanga
to read; because cannot and never could recoeete
time when could not read the Bible. soPPs.et
taught by my mother or by my elder sister.
father seemed to have higher object in the w,rtA
than 20 educate his children, to the full extent OF h
very limited ability. No means were within his reech,
generally speaking, but the small town schools. These
were kept by teachers sufficiently indifferent IN the
several neg hborhoods of the tow nship, each small
part of the year. To these was sent, with the other
children.
When the school was in our neighborhocd 1t was
EASY 10 attend; when removed 10 more dntsnt dis.
rict followed it, still living at home. While yet qute
Young and in Winter, was sent daily y or mies'
10 the school, When removed still further, my father
sometimes boarded cut in neighboring famhy, so
that could still be in the school, good deal oil tins
was an extra care, more than had peen oee'osea on
my elder brothers, and originating In convlcuon
the slenderness and frailty OF my constitution wnrn
was thought not likely ever to allow me to purue roouss
occupation. -
writing and as to these the frat generally could
perform better thsn the teacher and the last good
master could hardly instruct me in writing weseo"
aborous inks some and repulsye an occupation 10 mo
always Nv masters used to tell me that they fesreds
after all my fingers were destined for the plowtail
must do myself the justice to say that in those boy
ish days. there two things did dearly love, VIZ;
reading ard playing passions which did not ceaseto
struggle when boyhood have theyyet alto
getber and in regard to which neither the ea mofs
nor the r,ctOri ia i0td could DO said OF either
AT very early day, owing believe mainly TO the
exertions Of Mr. Thompson the lawyer the clergyman,
and nv father, very small circulating library had
been bought These institutions, believe, about thAt
tin recei,e ed impulse, among other causes, from
the efforts of Dr. Belknap, our New'hampshire niue
riap obtained some of these books and read them.
| remember the Spectator among them; and rcmer-
Der too that turned over the leaves of Addison's
criticism Chevy Chase for tbe sake OF reading con
nectedy the song the verses OF whieh NE quo'eS mv
obIso said in another case, that the poet was read
and the critic neglected. could not understand
why necessary that the author OF the Spectator
| should take such great pains to prove tha' Coev{
| Chase was a good story that was the last thing
doubted. d, IN .
Wat.ss Psalms and Hymns could repeat memor,ter,
a ten or twelve years age am sure that no other
sacred poetry will ever appear to me so anectns ana
devout. 80 -
of the lower towns Popes Essay Man. publAhed In
sort Of pamphlet. took H. and very soon could re-
peat it, from beginning to end we had 40 Few 0ooxs
that TO read them once or twice was nothing. Wo p
thought they were all TO be got by heart. have
thought of Ibis frequently since, when that sagscou
adnonon OF one Of the ancients was II fiiny noS
been quoted, keere mut'rm non mnHd.
reinembsr one occurrence that shows the value then
attached 10 books The close Of the year bad brought
along the next years almanac. This was an acquei-
top page was devoted TO each month, add ON tho
ton of zach page four nss Of poetry some moral,
some ser tnental some ludcrous The almanac came
in The MOI ming and before night my brother ana my
self were masters Of its contains. at least OF ~ poey
and its anecdotes We wen. to bed upon III but awak-
ing long before the morning light we had diie'ence
of recollection about one word In the tnird line Oh
| ADyfPs poetry We could not settle II by agumenSs
And there was no umpire Bn the fact could be ascer-
tanned by inspection of the book. arose, CROPPED nv
/ way TO The kitchen, lighted candle, proceeded 70
distant room in search of the almanac found H. ana
brought it away. The disputed passage wss o1amned,
bei.sye was found 10 30 IN the wrong AMI blew ous
nv cande and went to bad. Bot the consequence o.
| nv error had well nigh been serious twas about
O'clock in the morning, and just a. was a8am going
to sleep thought sas signs of light In the room
had visited. spresg out OF bed ran 20 the doors
opened the room, and it was all on hre hah et IA
| spark or touched tho light TO something which haa
nunicated fire to parcel OF cotton clothes tney
lad communicated Ito the furniture, ard to the sidex
OF the room and tn aames had already begun 10 sho1
themselves through the ceiling, ia the chamber above.
pretty earnest cry brought the household TO,
gether. BY gree. good luck we escaped. Two OK
three minutes nor and should all have been In dan
ger Of burning together As it was, think the house
was saved BY my fathers presence o! mind. WHie
| Others went for 8aer, he seized eyTything movable
| which was Oh f-e, and wrapped it ~ la wooiea blan-
keis. Ny maternal grandmother, then OF the age ot
eighty wss sleeping in the room. 80
At Fryebury found another REGULATING library, and
| mace some Of it. remember to have reod WINE
at FRI eburg Adams Defense Of .be American Constl
| tution. Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, Goldsufh4
! History of Enesnd, and some other small things.
| borrowed Blackstones COmmeniaries also. and reaos