The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-11-12
Authors and Takers.

There was Harr, WHO died while we were
i'll the middle OF our teens. lie WAS u be-
wigged, pc,lantic, li>iins mass Of garrulily,
who strovc to be Johnsunan, and ludicrouSly
failed. To app! V Il sentence of Harl;e'S, "lIc
exhibited the conturIius OF the SyLil with
out he: inspiration, the nolusy Of the oak
withou. its strength doctor Samuel rarr,
who never iolgave Providence because Mr.
Fox did not make him Il bishop, was
great rather than a gool convcrSntonaliSt,
aNl certain degree Of roarscncas made
him rcpuisive an! ,islkcl.
There was Coleryo, whose latter years
literally passed away in talk. lie had i'm
mems" and varied attainmcnts, genuine
poe!i:: feeling, s!!"n. logical powers rcat
ri.cioriral skill, a pprvading sense of the
beautiful, clear convictions on Revelation
and Faith, an! Il command Of language
which rcmnIr,l one OF All Italian impro
"iSoipr". Evening. after evening, for many
years, he would pour forth IN avalanche Of
conversation to crowd Of admrin~ auditors
If that can bc called conversation where one
man had all tlic talking to himself Half
The time he WAS under the influence Of
opium, and, indeed, the mnnptonou, sound
OF his voice hal u very soothing effect.
Over his own circle his sway was great
ba'. then, his circle was not large.
There was Sir james Macintosh, with n
mind Glcl-wc might say even crowded.
VIII information. His col.ycrsatiom was
extraordinary, from the vast number Of
topics which it embraced. as we'll as from
the admirable languag. into which he put
his thoughts, without the sl:gh.cS: effort
For nearly twenty-five years, extending from
his return from India, where he l,al been
ln'lyc TO his death, in 1882, Mackin:o,!
Was the oracle Of that large segment Of
society IN which he lived. But, breathing
only the atmosphere Of Wing association,
what Goldsmith said of burke nigh, be
applied TO Macintosh. tha, he
Narrowed his mnd
And to party gave up what VA, .neant formaa.
! kind
! There was Sir Walter Scott, who. more
than any other, since Johnson, received the
homage of his literary contemporaries
ms wei! AS Of society at larse. Had he
lived in London, as johnson always lived,
SCOTS supremacy would probably have
been even greater than that Of the great
photographer. He made only occasional
visits, and was awlu!lv lionizcI daring each
of them.
! ordsworil', we need scarcely mention,
though he enjoyed great consideration in
London society which, however, he visited
even scldpmcr Diam Scott. His conycrsa-
! ton, which flowed perpetu,Ilv, was almost
wholly about his own poems, and entirely
unreleved by the slightest wit or humor.
There remain two: Broucham and Mac
: an!ay, pair Of intellectual giants II is
difficult to decide between ,hcir rival claims
for supremacy III society. We might dis
tlngui>l' perhaps, and say that, in large
mixed assembly, Brou.lam would have
more Influence, so vast the range of his
mind, and SO coliouS, rs well rs striking.
his conversation. But, among authors AMI
people Of literary tastes, Macaulay wouII as
sure'lly be considered superior. Ono al
vantage is possessed by Broucham-hc
docs not monopolize .llc conversation, but
permits Others to chime in, and supply new
materials for Illustration. Macau,ay, on
the contrary, seems possessed by a talking
spirit, which II" SPELL human or divine, can
exercise. He is like machine which wound
up, must go on until it stops from sheer en-
s'"Il<!l"n Of power. Macaulay's talk is bill
iiani, though ditiusc. It's eternity is the
drawback. How keen was the satire of
sidney S'ni'h, when writing 70 fricn,l
about Macaulay's return from India, lie said
"he has come back much improved, and,
! last night, surprised as well as delighted us
with several bsiliant flashes of silcnce!'
Tie House OF Turkish LADY,
These rooms ere p,etticst of all, and look
ing on to the garden. They were hung
with pale blue silk, instead Of lowered chintz,
like the others; for the lady inhabitant had
been present from the Sultan, etiquette de-
mands that her apartments be better fur
| nislicd and adorned than all the rest Her
bedroom was charmingly fitted ups deep
alcOve covered with rich persian cornots
filled with luxurious cushions and elnbroid-
cred coverlets, taking up one side of it. On
the other side was light green and gold
bcdstead, covered with gauze curtains
The toilet-tablc was extremely pretty, dres-
sed with muslin and lace, after our fashion
Persian looking glass, shaped like sun.
flower, in mother'otpearl, hanging above it.
The ceiling was painted with a trellis- work
of birds, leaves and flowers. Three stems
1o1 into tho roOt and ebo1,, o.o.lo a.