Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-10-15
WHOLE NO. 1,04l.
WASHINGTON IRVING AT SUNNY
SIDE

SIDE.
Mr.. Irving came out while we were exchang-
ing salutltions to the group under the porch
his true and easy step, plant motion, ad-
mirable spontaneousness of good spirits, and
quiet simplicity of address giving him the pres
ence of man Of half his age. This impress
ion was somewhat corroborated no doubt, by
the summer airiness of his dress, and GER
tain iuvenescence that there will always be
about light walking shoes, and low crowned
straw hat-somewhat, too, perhaps, by the un-
changed erectness and eompactness OF his
well proportioned tignre-but did not realize
(then nor afterwards during the day) that
the re was anything in his mien or appearance
but the healthfulness OF middle age-anything
but the uncompelled promptness and elastici-
ty of vigor unabsted.
Our conversation for the half hour that we
sat in that little library, turned first upon the
habits Of literary labor. Mr.. Irving, in re-
ply to my inquiry, whether like Rip Van
Wrinkle, he had "arrived at that happy age,
when man can be idle with impunity,' said
| "No--that hesometimes worked fourteen hours
\ day, but that he usually sits in his study, oc-
4 cupied from breakfast to dinner (both of us
agreeing that in literary vegetation the ''do'
/ is in the mnrning, and that he should be sorry
| to have much more leisure. He thought in.
deed, tnat he should s'die in the harness." He
never had headache--that is, his workshop
never gave him any trouble; but among the
changes which time has wrought, one, he says
is very decided the desire of travel is dead
within him. The days are past when he could
sleep or eat anywhere with equal pleasure
and he goes to town as seldom az possible.
Motley's g Dutch Republic" lay open on the
table, and Irving said he had been employing
a little vacation from his own Iabors in the
reading of it. 1t had interested him exceed
ingly. elbow surprising" he exclaimed,
quite energetically, sf that SO young a man
should jump at once, full grown to fame,
with big book, so well studied and com
plete 20 This turned the conversation upon
the experiences of authorship, and he said
that he was always afraid to open the first
copy that reached him of new book of his
own. He sat and trembled, and remembered
all the weak points where he had been em-
barrassed and perplexed, and where he felt he
might have done better-hating to think OF
the book, indeed, until the reviewers had
praised it. Indifference to praise or censure,
he thought, was not reasonable or natural; at
least, it was impossible to him. He remem-
bered how he had suffered from the opinion
OF a Philadelphia critic, who, in reviewing the
Sc Sketch Book,'' at its first appearance said
that sc Rip Van Wrinkle" was a silly attempt at
hnmor, quite unworthy of the authors genius.
My mention Of Rogers, the poet, and some
other friends of MIR. liying's, who had asked
me about him in England, opened vein of
his London recollections. He was never more
astonished, he said, than at the success of the
&C Sketch Book His writing OF those stories
was so unlike an inspiration--sO entirely with
out any feeling of confidence which cond be
prophetic of their popularity. Walking with
his brother, ons dull, foggy Sunday, over
Westminster Bridge, he got to telling old
Dutch stories which he had heard at rarry-
town, in his youth--when the thought sud
denly struck him--sS l have it I'll 60 home
and make memoranda of these for book -
And leaving his brother TO go to church, he
went back TO his lodgings aud iotted down all
the data; and, the next day--the dullest and
| darkest Of London fogs--he sat in his room
and wrote out &c Sleepy Hollow by the light
Of a candle.-N. P. Willis Leiier in Hon,
Journal.
4 We learn from the Baltimore Sun that H..
Hon. Louis NeLane died on "wednesday, n
his residence, in that city, in the seyenty-sec
ond year Of his age. He was the son OF Allai
McIIane, distinguished officer in the reyolu
tionary war, and was born in the village o
Smyrna, Kent county, Delaware, on the 2Stl
day of May, 1884.
In the year 1898, being then only fourteen
J years of age, he served with great credit as
nidshipman on board the frigate Philadelphia
| then on her first cruise, and under the com
| Inapd of Stephen Decatur, the father of com
modore Decatur. In 1901, yielding TO the dc
sire of his family, he left the navy; and, hay-
! ing completed his education at Delaware Col
| lege, in his native State, he began the study
| OF the law in 1906, under the instruction OF
Hon. James A. Bayard. He was admitted TO
the car in 1907, and rapidly attained high
place in his profession. In the war of 1872
! he was volunteer in q company commanded
by Cesar A.. Rodney, who had been the At
torney General of the United States under
| MIR. Jefferson, and marched with that company
to the relief OF Baltimore when it was threat
ened by the British.
The great capacities of Mr.. McLane now be-
gan to attract public attention in another di-
rection, and in 1916 he was elected to the
House OF Representatives from Delaware and
so largely had he won the confidence of his
constituents, that he remained a member OF
that body until 1927, when he was chosen by
the Legislature as a Senator Of the U. s.
In May, 1929, he was appointed by President
jackson to he the minister of the United States
to Great Britain, where he remained two year.
and on his return he was called by the same
President to take q place in the cabinet al
Secretary of the Treasury. He served in thu
place until 1888, when he became Secretary o
State, and in June, 1884, he retired from po
litical life.
In 1887, Mr.. McIIane was prevailed upon t.
accept the presidency of the Baltimore ant
Ohio Railroad Co., and removing to Mary
, land, he discharged the duties of this laboriou
office until 1847. In this time he was requeste
by Pres. Polk TO occupy, during the pendel
! cy of the Oregon negotiations, the mission
, England, and this duty being accomplished
, he again returned to Maryland. In 1850 l
: was solicited and prevailed upon by his tello
citizens in Cecil county, where he resided,
a serve as thsir representative in the conventiS
i called to reform the n.titution of Maryland
4 After performing this service he finally retire
r from public life.
a Mr.. McLane was a chief actor in all th
!, | great political events which marked the av
half Of this century. He was the eempanIo
fellow -laborer and friend Of those who haT
!. with him, won the remembrance OF our con
9 trymen as the statesmen of America,
II -----A---SaFS---=-
d EXTRAORDINARY CANINE ISsrINcr.-Tl
10 most remarkable instance OF instinct or sagat
e ty ia a dog that we remember to have hea
Is Of occurred In the town of Fairhayen, te
in days since, and it was this Two children b
e tween the ages of five and seven years, we
J. playing in the middle Of the street in Fairh
d ven, when an unloaded wagon without dri
IF er, drawn by runaway horse, was seen a
= proaching at furious rate. A large dog
rs cross of the Newfoundland and mastitf breed
I'd who was lying near, saw the approaching pei
and going to the rescue OF the innocen
,p took them up by the clothes in his teeth, ii
- one of the children, and deposited the lit
W thing out of danger on the sidewalk, and IL
at returned and took the other, and also pla'
nm it safely on the walk. As the wagon was ps
as ing the dog made spring ut the horse ;
nd tried to seize him by the throat, but failed
he | stop him. We have these facts from gen
he man whose veracity is unquestionable.--
ed Bedford Mercury.
oh A WELL DESERVED COMPLIMENT. = The
NJ ~ folk (Va.) papers say tho Navy Departm
ns has given orders that the Norwegian bark
oi len, Captain johnson, which saved the live
forty-nine of the passengers of the ill-i