Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1857-03-28
A DAY WITH WASHINGTON IRVING

i WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 6, 1857.
To the Editors Of the National Intelligencer.
The enclosed letter, written by mutual friend Mr.
L., will tell its interesting story Though of pr
yate character, it touches upon nothing that man o
Mr. IRvISGs fame could reasonably find fault with and
as it cannot but crafty large number of your readers
| do not see any improperly in making it public
WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 90 1853
Ny DEAR SIR: Washington Irving has been as you
aware, the lion of the Metropolis for more than
week. and it has been my good fortune see much
of him. He here for the purpose examining the
Washington Papers in the Department of State and he
is the guest of his friend Mr.. JOHN P KENNEDY. Nv
official position in the Department has made it my
duty to treat him with attention there have met
him also in company, have had long talk with
him in my quiet little library, and have been his guide
and companion in visit to Arlington. That my head
should therefore be full of ideas gathered from his de-
ightfu conversation is quite natural and the fact that
he wrote to friend personal letter about Sir
Walter Scott would to sanction my recording for
your qualification and according to my promise few
paragraphs bearing upon his private habits and
opinions The title of his essay was Abbotsford and
the subject of mine shall be g Day with Washington
Irving for propose to confne myself in this letter to
what obtained while on our visit to Arlington.
Hardly had carriage ceased rafting over the stony
streets and reached the Long Bridge the Potomac
before his conversation became interesting that in
voluntarily seized my note book At this professional
movement he smiled, and as he did not demur pro-
ceeded to question him in regard to his literary career
and other kindred matters the substance of his replies
being as follows:
William Jordan, of the London Literary Gazette was
Of his earliest and best friends He was the first to
repubsh some of the stray papers of the Sketch Book
and it you will pardon my egotism will here fix the
fact that the first and several of the most friendly re-
views published in England of my own poor pro-
dnetions were written by the distinguished critic
At the time alluded to Mr. Irving afoat in the world
and depended upon his pen for living After several
of the essays had appeared in the Gazette the editor
commended that the whole collection should be printed
IN book, and this. after some delay, accomplished
The book was offered to John Murray, but declined
Walter Scott recommended it Archibald Constable of
Edinburgh and he ready to take it, but in the
time Mr. Irving had it published upon his own venture.
That effort proved failure but the work was suisse
quently successful with the imprint upon it of John
Murray.
questioning Mr. Irving in regard to Knicksrbocksrs
History of New York. he told that had cost him
hard work than other of his productions though
he considered it decidedly the most original he was
often greatly perpexed to fix the boundary between the
purely historical and the Imaginative The facts of his
tory had given him great trouble
As to his " Life of Washington" which has been SO
long expected by the public and which was announced
contrary his Wishes and had given him great annoy
ance he said he hardly believed he would send
press. He loved the subject and thought first of writing
such work twenty years ago. But many able
had written upon it he did believe he could say any
thing Many people had said he ought to write it,
but why should he? Ten years ago he had the work
all written in chapters, to the Inauguration of Washing
ton President, and he could finish it in few
days But he did not like it it did not suit him. and he
really expected to put it in the fire of these days
He ought to have commenced it forty years ago. All
that he could hope to do that would be net
into his narrative what incidents he could obtain of
private and personal character. He supposed some
people thought very foolish for him to be writing any
DID, but the subject intensely interesting to him. and
he wished to write it for his qualification He might
not live complete it, but he would try what he could
do He must be doing something he could not be dle
With regard to the Washington Papers in the Depart
ment of State he said he had found very little in them
worth printing which had not already been published
Mr. Irvngs main object in visiting Arlington to
gather items of personal information about Washington
W
ing much upon interview with Mr. Custis he not
disappointed. The and character of Washington
he seems to love and admire with intensity he looks
upon him special gift from God to this country and
have not heard our great author speak of great
General without emotion He says that every American
should be proud of the memory Washington and should
make his example and his wonderful character con-
tinual study.
Our mutual friend of Arlington House. with his wife,
received Mr. Irving with every manifestation of regard
and after the true, openhanded and openhearted Vir
ginia fashion The pictures, the books and the furn
ture relics from Mount Vernon all exhibited and
it seemed to me that Mr. Gusts particularly happy
in expressing his recollections of the chief, which
you all remember is pet phrase with our friend But
Mr. Irving had himself General Washington. He
said there celebration going on in New ork
and the General there to participate In the cere-
mony ssMy nurse" continued Mr.. Irving " a good
old Scotehwoman, very anxious for me to see him,
and held up in her as he rode past This, how
ever did not satisfy her the next day, when walking
with me in Broadway, she espied him in shop; she
seized my hand, and darling in exclaimed In her bland
Scotch Please, your excellency here's BARN that's
called after ye Gen. Washington then turned his be-
neSoent face full upon me- smiled laid his hand upon
my head and gave his blessing, which,, added Mr.
Irving earnestly have to believe has attended
me through life. but FIVE years old, yet can feel
that hand upon my head even now 7"
OF all the pleasant "reminiscences which MIR. Irving
brought from Arlington House, the most agreeable was
that he had noticed striking resemblance between Mrs
Gusts and his mother. The latter had been dead
for nearly forty years. and he had been very
traveller but he had never seen face towards which
his heart seemed to yearn strongly. noticed the
fact that he could hardly keep his off of her. and he
thought proper apologize for his apparent rudeness
nv abiding to the emotions which her excited
in his breast He subsequently accounted to me for the
resemblance by analyzing the peculiar expression OF
the eyes, caused by unusually long eyelashes all OF
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