, 1859-02-21
neatt of HAllam the Historian

[Ffon ths London T1uss.l
The constellation Of wsitess who shed fad''
a,Ice on the early part Of the present century Is
fast vsuishing away. Not the least Temarkaoie
the Revival of Letters, and Of the EaRllsh Cou-
stitution, Henry Italian. died on Saturday, Jan.
% at the 9reat age of 81. He has left but lew
OF bis companions behind him. mud, more tnan
this. it wa his bitter fate to outilve those "ho
should have come after him, to See two sons Ct
rare promise, who should have preserved hta
name, 20 before hi1 the pride OF aus n.e
snesched from his eyes, the delight ot h1s Old
aRe laid low ia the dust OF death. One Of these
VA that Arthur Henry Hallam, who died in
1888. aod to whom Tennyson ded1c1ted toe re-
| nartsble series Of poens which hare been pub"
! lshed under the title OF sin Memoriam. TIE
| bereayed father was broken hearted foT his son,
| and spoke OF his hopes On thia side the tomb be-
| ing struck down for ever. AYear OF two aiter-
| wards, when be produced tae 1nuoaueuo9 10
| most affecting passage in the preface, which TO
! those Who knew him, suggested the hidden grief
| that was preTipg on bis mind. he referred 70
the impeffection Of his work, to the i;npossl1ll'
| ity OF rendering it complete under any cifcum'
stances md the especial inpossibiliiF OF h's de-
| in1 80. IL have other warnings, be said, to
! bind up nv ahesves while msY-Cny o~n ad-
| vancjue years aud tho gathering in the heav-
! eus.'' His hopea, however, revived ID h's
! Younger sau grew up to nanhood. and seemed
| promise QDt l&68 kuAQ tAt AElNAA F+A1A&AJ1Aho
rhon bis father had regarded, and not without
reason, a. an only one without fellow. But
| Thin son aaAo, Henry F,tzmaprice Hailam, was
taken from him shortly after be had been called
to .he bsr in 1850, apd the poor hereaved father
buried him in tteveden Church, IN Somerset
shire, hy tbs side Of his orother ano nls s1s'e1'
| and bis mother. :,
There are few literary men who have reached
m euaineuce to be compared with ths Of as.
Hailan, OF whose psrsoaal history 30 ittue IS
| known 10 the great public Thss he was born IN
| or about l778, that be was educated st Etou,
| that from Exon he passed to Christ thnteh. OK
ford, aud that at this University be took bis d.
9ree in l79Y are almost all the facts of bis early
lie which hare been publisbed. After learirg
the UniversitY be took up his residence IN Lon.
don, joined himsslf to the Wnigs. and seqs.rea
bis iest reputation as q contributor TO the great
Whjv Reyiew established ia the northern me-
it vas IN account Of bis supposed connection
With the 1inburgh Rpitto that be incurred the
wrath Of Byron, who, in thai aottre in which be
frat Of all showed biz power. referred in lronl-
| cal terms to 1.-The cla sic Rallam, much fenoWn
| I'd for Greek" Greek, however, was mol ths
peculiar study Of our historian, who set hinss
she task Of lesrnia1 sil the European Languages
o: importance as the stepp'19efoae TO an ~ &c
ouaiutance with the state vi Europe during tue
Niddle Ages. He quietly settled down to ~,
| work, marrying in toc Ineanti4le, and IN ISL
rejoicing in The birth Of his little Arthur, wht
! was suca marvel of a child that ct the age
seven he learned to read Latin with haency IN
Year. 1t was amid this domestic happiness nnF
the repose WHICH it provided that, in ISIS. be
length eaye to the world the first, and, perhap
the erestest of his works, the 'pieH OF n
.,tats Of Europe during the Middle Agea"
Il work, which although somewhat extensive an
q or no means adnp.ed 10 the popular tasse, na
) gone through dozen editions-
! Ia every paga nt this history We are stTucl
= | with the enormous industry snd the conse'er
\ s,ousness of the writer, which ia union With b.
Z ssRacitY Of thought aud psth Of conposss'o
hare rendered every work produced BY hin
standard Of its kind. He waited nine yesEs an
then esYe to tbs world g Constitutions! Hi
tory OF England from the Accession Of Heni
VII, to the desth Of George H." Nothing G.:
be more mastery thln the manner IN which
has bere traced the history Of ne M
to its perfect Development. 1t is
vast treasury Of poli,,cai thought =
arr,orr Of political facts; in itself the Nag
Chxrta OF our liberty AID our rights, ~hi
be.rs the sgn manual. not Of A'ngs or to. tae
these publications, Ar. H.1lau turoed from P
liticsi to literary history, preparing to "riae
fall account ot The revival OF letters ana
yssious ssepa by which literature came 10
cultivated in ths !ernacular Languages o. : :
Wills biz heart vas full OF ioY iu Tie aqul
menks Of his elder son, Who 'hsd just lets Z
leae, and who. under h1a fathers eye. mas a
stnd5ing the lastisute. Of 5us'inian ant! Go
ntatdri<s oil Backbone, now writing short
ners for various works, reviews OF Tenovson
msgazioe, biographies Of Burke and Volts
for tbe Portrait Gallery Of the ueeful hno
edge Sooiety. that the great snt!eslon O.
which seemed for time 70 prostrsse tbs BIZ
risu, and which certsinly gave 4 mello~nesa
his habits Of shongnt II we'll a. depth Of II
;n1 70 his wholc character thst had she haF
q ~ fnnnenop Cd ,,ia cr,ticat dig cuis'tiops.