The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-12-09

visited the South of France, spending part
lif the winter in Bordeaux. In February,
1926, he left that city for Madrid, where he
remained two years. Here he wrote the
ofe of Columbus" which appeared in
1928. In the spring of 1928, he left Mad
rid on tour to the south of Spain, visiting
Granada and main points mentioned in he
" Chronicles of the Conquest of Granada,
by Fray Agapida," of which he made a
rough sketch. This he prepared for the
press at Seville, and transmitted to London
and New York for publication it tappeared
in 1929. In the spring of this year he
again visited Granada, and resided some
three months in the Alhambra, where he
collected materials for the work published
under that name in 1882.
In July he went to England, being ap-
pointed secretary of legation to the Ameri-
can embassy in London, which Office he held
until the return of Mr.. McLane in 1881,
when, after remaining few months as
charge, he resigned, on the arrival of Mr..
Van Buren. While in England, in 1880.
Mr.. Irving received one of the fifty-guinea
gold medals, provided by George ~, for
eminence in historical compassion, the other
was awarded to Mr.. Hallam, the historian.
In 1881, the University of Oxford, England,
conferred on Mr.. Irving the degree Of LII.
D. In the spring Of 1882, he returned to
New York, after an absence of seventeen
years. His return was greeted on all hands
with the warmest enthusiasm; public
dinner was given to him, at which Chancel.
lor Kent presided and similar testimonials
were offered in other cities, but which he
declined. In the summer of this year he
accompanied Mr.. Ellsworth, one of the
commissioners for removing the Indian
tribes west of the Mississippi, and whom he
had met on a tour to the west, on his expe-
dition. The most intere sting portion of this
journey has appeared in the "Tour on the
Prairies," published in 1885. This was
followed in the same year by "Abbotsford
and Newstead Abbey" and Legends of
the Conquest of Spain" In 1886 he pub.
lished Astoria" and in the following year
he published the " Adventures of Captain
Bonneville" In 1889 be entered into an
engagement which lasted two years with the
proprietors of the Knickerbocker Maga-
zine" to furnish monthly articles for that
periodical. In February, 1912, he received
unsolicited the appointment Of minister to
Spain. He left for Madrid on the 10th of
April of that year. His official duties ter
minating in the summer of 1916, he returned
to this country, and, in 1848, commenced
the publication of revised edition of his
works which had long been out of print.
In 1849 he published "Oliver Goldsmith,
a Biography" and 4" Mahomet and his Sue
cessors," 1S49-'5O. His last work was a
Life of Washington. Mr.. Irving was essen
TALLY the man of his works, genial, warm
hearted, and benevolent. His country seat
was Z" Sunnyside," on the banks of the Hud.
son, twenty-five miles from the city Of New
York, where he died.
We make the following extracts from a
letter of THEODORE TILToN's to the Inde-
pendent for this week, describing visit he
made to WASHINGTON IRVING. They will
be read with extreme interest: aa Is
'lt sUNNYsIDE. aaa
The morning had been rainy, and the
afternoon showed only a few momentary
openings of clear sky so that saw Sunny
side without the sun. But under the heavy
clouds there was something awe-inspiring in
the sombre view of those grand hills with
their many colored forests, and of Hendrix
Hudsons ancient river still flowing at the
feet Of the ancient palisades. s gas9 7.
The mansion of Sunnyside has been stand
ing for twenty three years but when first
its sharp angled roof wedged its way up
among the branches of the old Woods, the
region was far more a solitude than now
for at that time our busy author had
secluded himself from almost everybody but
one near neighbor while be has since un-
Willingly gathered around him little com.
munity of New York merchants, whose
elegant country seats, opening into each
other by mutual intertwining roads, form
what looks like one vast and. free estate,
called on the time tables of the railroad by
the honorary name of Irvington. ID q !;
MR.. IRvING's APPEARANCE
Mr.. Irving is not SO old looking as one
would expect who knew his age. fancied
him as in the winter of life; found him
only in its Indian summer. He came down
stairs, and walked through the hall into the
back parlor, with a firm and lively step that
might well have made one doubt whether be
had truly attained his seventy-seventh year
He was suffering from asthma, and was
mufied against the damp air with Scotch
shawl, wrapped like a loose scarf around BIZ
neck but as he took his seat in the ole
arm. chair, and, despite his hoarseness ant
troubled chest, began anunexpectedly viva
cious conversation, he made me almos
forget that was the guest Of an old maj
long past his "three score years and ten"
At WHAT he THINKS OF HIS WORKS.
But what should one talk about who hat
only half an hour with Washington Irving
ventured the question, ea g
Now that you have laid aside your pen
which Of your books do you look back upo
with most pleasure = ''' ''' = 's''ia