Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-03-07

one hue June morning IN the year 1891 turned from
the whirl of Pccady assembled the stairway OF one OF
tine diugy Old buildings and enjoyed the pleasure OF an
interview with the occupant OF ID. H-ThOmas Babiug-
ton Mlcaulay. / do not speak Of him Is Lord
Mlclulay for at that time he was not peer OF the
realm he had been created by his sovereign, but
the patent from Heaven his, and he Stood c0nsptu-
Gus In the ranks of higher peeragc, more ldstrous
nobility NolJlrc told COngreve that had he been only
gentleman he EOaire) should have come to see
uin aud 60 certain that had A1caulay been only Lord
%. Nctorias making the world would NOT have 80 Ia
luant 81 bi. recent DEATH Assurety should have ieit
far less uncomfortable had 1 been about to enter the
1rssr, of the Prime Minister i'm Downing street, than
il i'm mounting up the staircase 20 d. ia. For apart
from the immense respect for hs intellectual character,
which had derived from his writings had somehow
learned 90 -cCIrd MIcauuy with an underlined dteal oil
admiration as one who though belonging 20 the Nine
eeuth Century must have drcoursed with Socrates in
person and sat with Bacon lac Untolded the
meaning of the Noylng OygdNtWl, ana rode over
tle Buckiqghamshire wolds with Udripdeu, and
heard au ode o; P!ndu rolling from Millions lips
aud who had thus invested himself with something OF the
awe which we attach these august names. Moreover
remembered among my earliest readings the great re-
viewer nrvcy carried in the college ltcture-room,
the terrible criticism Of Mr.. Robert Montgomery, aud 1t
occurred chat such E1n must read every visitor
through and through IN five minutes, exposing the shall
lowuess of his learning TO his own Inundated self 1t
seemed TO me as about to be aunIhated by the
mere presence of superior power. Perhaps Mr.. Van
Amburch nav al times, have experienced feeling akin
TO this Bu. why enter the lions dcu: Was 1t a vul-
gar curiosity silly vanity to say had seen hacauy
that led me To the Albany? trust not Only very fool
sh and nseu,ibe person visits Westminster Abbey SIM
DIV TO say he has been there. had indeed curiosity
10 see m, mn who had afforded me so mueh gratihca
oa but wished also TO watch the play OF that great
intellect in conversation and TO hear cOuoqUal e!o
queuce which the highest charm OF the LIsSh din
uert4Jie
carried no letterof introduction to Macaulav. Some
month, before, had sent him a copy Of the Wesoyer
MSS of Col VIM. Byrd, and the correspondence which
cu,uei tAerelgom constituted the sole claim had 70 his
personal attention. But Immediately on receiving my
card he hlde the servant show me TO his stungroom
and was greeted with kindly shake of the haud-the
lions paw was al, veiyct-aud with thanks for the vol
ume He said he had derived great delight from the mar
rlriye and tue pictures IL presented OF society m rsua
ID hundred and twenty years ago. lie commended the
s,yla especially q. COuOrmed % the best English stand
ards The conversation thus directed TO American az
fairs the historian made many inquiries concerning lite
nature and art in the United H. said me admired
our people and had watched the astonishing progress We
had made with the deepest utorcs-that he dstru'icd
he success OF republican Institutions beyond certain
density of population, more particularly under the
operation of universal suffrage but no one would re-
i5.ce more than he entertain diff rent views add
yertin- 20 the relations between Great Britain and
this country he said be could imagine no condition
of things u which should not be avcred by the Wis
dom aud prudence OF leading statesmen but that ne
thought there were many ties Of interest and sympathy
that ought 20 be more closely drawn among which was
the international copyright measure necessary TO pro-
teCt such writer's lryug and Prescott m England not
less than Buiwer aud Thlckcray in Amorca waving his
own pccuuisy stake in the matter which he was surprs-
ed TO hear from not inferior 10 that OF any Brit
:,h author-appropos of his American reputation, OF
which he Wa proud he had two grave complaints to bring
against U.S. that publishers had made him spell
most abom.nab'y aud he bad maintained good standing
no school I'm bis spelling class and The other that our ed
tors would insists upon u that he was an opumeater,
whereas he had recollection OF ever having taken the
drug In any form but twice in his lie and then IN ODE
de1ce TO the advice OF physician Such were the lead
iug topic, of hs talk during the hour sat with hun,
though be- varied 10 with references many other inter
c-tng subjects the in the Crimea just then becom-
ing of momeutOus import Parliamentary eloquence, the
opera the syaeuham Crystal Palace TO be opened by
the Queen that very week, and the third ana Gurth vol
umes of nj. History the MSS. aud proosheets Of which
ay before him. This outline Ola mornings chtchat OF
Mucluly is but dry and hard reproduction IRON notes
aud memory Of most animated aud charming informal
DISCOURSE was glad that there we're but few OF those
brilliant flashes of silence" OF which Sydney Smith
spoke with rapture aud graled above all that had un-
d.rcoue no examination IN tle Greek poets or German
philosophy. il is probable, nay II is certain, that the
great takar Na- heard by to the best advantage,
Tor il was said Of him. that be required 70 be fed in order
that his full ability in this way should be brought out and
hat his witiet things always thrown loose among
the walnus aud the wine; but certainly never listened
20 cOuversa'qnaii,t yhc 80 fascinated without fatigue
ing and charmed s auditor without placing him AN
der the slightest cuu-aint. II has been remarked that
hearing him 6i was like reading one OF ms essays Ihs
was not true OF bis conversation ON that June morning
In the Albany. lie used few OF those short sentences
that abound in his essays He did not ride the see-saw
of autithc,s very much. There was no rcduudnce OF
ornament, no parade Of learning. The difference be-
tween bis writings aud his cOoquy seemed TO me just
.I. NH..I.
some great occasion of state in which ali the figures sac
ceeded each other in due order and according to their
proper dignity aud miuglng in the miscellaneous ranks
OF a holiday crowd where continual succession OF INA
yes enteraius the eve but does not tire H. and where
there is variety without, confusion.
What impressed me most in Macaulay's manner was
Es SIMPLICITY. Everything he said natural and his
movements wlicu were wholly uEs,-d!et, would have
seemed easy but Tor ausuarty, bordering on awk-
wariuess that belongs TO his conutTymcn. In person.
he vas bulky Lg cOpulcHt his face cican-shayed eX
cent a small Sde-wnsker silver grey, and his hdir,
then full and almost white was thrown back in disorder
from q brow massive aud smooth but gathering into
FUCKERS about .Ge keen, grey eyes. He wore loose
lroca coat OF plain black the worst fitting garment saw
IN England, that land of bad habits and hi' standing
shirt collars truly memorable The sittngroom IN
which he received me- fitted Up AZ library, and the
shelves which reached quite 10 the ceiling might have
contained from eight TO ten thousand volumes. The
books rich ia calf aud morocco bindings, such as
man OF Nacauays taste and his ability to crafty it would
be apt to indulge himself with
Al this time June 1854 it his custom to spend
three or four hours day in the British Museum collect
iE the materials for the prosecution OF his great work.
aud even writing portions OF it, in room full OF lit
crdry engaged an similar but les important labors
pou visiting the Museum, | was shown the table be oc-
cupiod, piled around knee deep with pondarous tohos
bound volumes OF OLD newspapers AID other venerable
records Of the past Bur though his mornings thus
employed he did fail in his attendance on Parliament
where he then sat for the city of Edinburgh Perhaps
The combination, hot conflict OF his literary and public
duties together with the exacous OF society elded to
hasten the crisis OF the maady which, while yet in the
prime of his vigorous intellect, he fell victim.
/ never ASoaulay afterwards, but heard much
said OF him by English people and / convinced that
his character not rightly understood by them He
passed for a cold and selfish man with the multitude,
while those whose knew him best declared that kinder
heart never beat in human frame Punch joked him,
now and them about his having dated letter once from
"Wiudsor Castle while a guest Of her Maestya liberty
TO Eugiishmea l.uathomaba and unpardonable,-th
Quas,r, Justly aggrieyed u lis historic treatment Of
William Penn, held him in great d5tlvor and clever last
literary men of Bohemia from whom he kept aloot pa
rolled his laws with great effect but the bachelor in
his snug apartments in the Albany, paid little attention
10 their ATTACKS and went on writing those magnificent
and tremendous which were TO stir the pulses
Of the Anglo Saxon long after he should be COM
mtted 10 me silence and res. of the Abbey. II he had
resenments he did enuQuio MS atrss by disclosing
them Il IL worthy Of remark that no breath Of scandal
ever imputed an immoral life to Ascaulay lasensibe to
womans beauty he certainly not, and yet the gossip
of London wholly unsparrng OF great names, left him
"a unassaied as William Pitt
1t would baYe been better for the fame of Macaulay
rackeray ouce told me- that upon the occasion OF his ectnrns
for III e In Loadon saw looking the house, be
fore olar rwsr desk the WekuoWn person VI MacsGy
on the third bench from the front farming 10 some eHds ne
-" Ave un mote 70 any man viii get Maeaulay out Of
the horse 'Egad said he In relating The