Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-12-08

an English woman.
! After receiving an ordinary school education,
at the age Of sixteen, he commenced the study
of the law Three years later he contributed,
under the signature Of, " JOhnathan Oldstyle,f
series of letters to the Morning Chronicle,
newspaper of which his brother, Peter Irving,
was editor. These Juvenile essays attracted
much notice at the time, were extensively cop.
led by Other journals, and IN 1923 OF II were
collected and published without the sanction of
the aCthor.
In 1901, in consequence of i'll health, he sail
ed Tor Bordeaux on IL visit to Europe, and tray
elel through the SJuth ut France to Mice,
where he took II fclucca to Genoa, in which city
he manned some Two months. lie then went
Ivy a to SI,ill made the tour Of the island,
crossed from Palermo to Naples, passed through
Italy, meeting AllstOn ut lone, who strongly
recommended Lis dev ting himself to art, tbeLc,
over the st. Gothard. through Switzerland Ia
| Paris where he remained several months. Ilo
then went to Holland, whence be embarked for
! England where he spent part of the autumil
and returned to New York IN March 1866, COM
plctely restored to health tie again resumed
The stddy OF the law, and was admitted to tic
bar in November of that year. but never prac-
It's d. Shortly after he took the chief part in
: SAlnG.glndl the first number of which ap-
| pared January 1877 and the last in january
| lS08 In December the following year, 10
published his " Knibkerbockers History of
New York"
In 1910, two of his brothers who were en-
gagged IN commercial business. one being at the
head of the establishment in this city, and the
other in Liverpool, gave him an interest in the
concern, with the understanding that ho was
not to enter into the duties and details Of the
business, but pursue his literary avOca,, IN. 49,.
During the war with Great Britain, il
IA he edited the g Analectic Magazine,
in the fall of the latter year, joined the m
staff of the Governor of the State of New lolA.
as aid. de camp and military secretary with the
title of Colonel On the close of the war, Nav.
1915, he embarked for Liverpool with the in
tenton of making second tour of Europe, but
was prevented by the sudden and great reverses
which followed the return of peace overwhelm-
ing, after struggle of two or three years, in
which Mr.. Irving took an active part to avert
the catastrophe, the house in which his brothers
had given him an interest, and involving him in
| its ruin.
In 1918, he determined to try his pen as a
means OF support, and commenced the papers of
the "Sketch- Book, which were transmitted
pecemeal from London, where he resided, to
New York for publication. Three or four mum.
bers were thus published, when finding that
they attracted notice in England he had them
published in a volume, February, 1920, by Mr.
John Miller; but he, failing shortly after, the
work was transferred to Mr.. Murray, with
second volume, published in July of that year.
Mr.. Murray bought the copyright for E2OO,
but its success far surprising his expectations,
l. To- i C. 70 n
and the sale still increasing, an additional
9l00. After residence of five years in Eng
land, Mr.. Irving removed to Paris in August,
1920, and remained there till July of the follow
ing year, when he returned to England and pub
New York, in May 1922. The following win
ter he passed in Dresden, returned to Paris in
1928 and crossed to London in MAY 1924, to
publish his g Tales of Traveller" which ap-
peared in August of that year in two volumes,
and in four parts in New York. In August
he returned to Paris, and in the autumn of
1925, visited the south of France, spending
part of the winter in Bordeaux In February,
1926, he left that city for Madrid, where he re-
manned two years. Here he wrote the life of
g" Columbus, which appeared in 1928.
In the spring of 1923, he left Madrid on
tour to the south of Spain, visiting Granada
and the main points mentioned in the Chroni-
Giles of the Conquest of Granada, by Fray Aga
pida,' of which he had rough sketch. This
he prepared for the press of Seville, and trans
mitted to London and New York for publication;
it app AIRED in 1929. In the spring of this
year he again visited Granada, and resided some
three months in the Alhambra, where he COL
lected materials for the work published under
that name in 1882 In July he went England
beng appointed Secretary of Legation to the
American embassy in London, which Office he
he held until the return of Mr. NJ Lane in 1881 X.
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 tifty-guinea gold madals, provided
by George w., for eminence in historical com,
position the other was awarded to Mr.. Halam
, the historian. In 1881, the University of Ok
ford, England conferred on Mr. Irving the de-
!, gree of LII. D.
In the spring of 1882, he returned to New
York, after an absence of seventeen years. His
return WIS greeted on all hand with the warm
est enthusiasm; public dinner was given to
him, at which Chancellor 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 tour to the west, on his expedition The
most interesting portion of this journey has ap-
peared in the 6 Tour on the Prairies, published
in 1885. This was followed in the same wear
by 'Abbotsford and Newstead Abbey, and
Legends of the Conquest of Spain In 1896
he published Astoria, and in the following
year he published The Adventures of Captain
Bonneville. In 1889 he entered into an en-
gagement which lasted two years with the pro-
, prietors of the Knickerbocker Magazine to
furnish monthly articles for that periodical In
February, 1912, he received unsolicited tic 81. =
pontment of Minister to Spain He left ior
Madrid on the 10th of April of that year.
i, His official duties terminating in The summer t
lS46, he returned this country, and in 1918,
commenced the publication of a revised edition
of his works which had long been out of print
In 1O49 he published Oliver Goldsmith, a BIZ
! ography,' and 'Mahomet and his Successors,
lS49-' so"
Mr.. Irving had now arrived at period of life
when his advancing years, his ripened fame.
and his affuence, as well as his love of domes-
f tic retirement, might have suggested his with
. drawal from active labor. But he had long
, cherished scheme for writing the Life of
Washington, which he could not forego
And to the completion of this, the browning
work of his life, was left all his fine powers
lie was spared to complete this elaborate and
by far the most interesting and reliable biogra-
ply, of the Father of his Country, ever written,
the publication of the last volume of which he
survived but few months, and had laid aside
his pen to enjoy the autumn of his life in his
beautiful retreat upon the banks of the Hudson
: Here, surrounded by his books, and in the soci-
: ETY. of few friends, the Reaper found him.