The semi-weekly mountain Democrat., 1860-09-08
charaeterlstles Of lraeauIs1.


chester Guardian reports the following
particulars respecting the late Lord Ma
caulay and his family, and his unfinished
History Of England:
It was very Characteristic of the Ma
caulay family that the tidings Of Lord
Macaulay's death should have reached the
public ears so slowly and circuitously.
All courting Of publicity, all craving for
public expression Of admiration, all ira
ding upon fame and name, was peculiarly
alien from the character Of the deceased
nobleman, IS well as from those Of his sur.
viving brother, Charles Zachary AIacaulay,
Secretary Of the Board Of Audit, and his
sister, Lady Trevelyan. The brothers
and sisters were linked by strong affec-
ton, and unmingled with pride on either
side. They were proud Of their brothers.
unparalleled popularity as writer he
was proud of his brother Charles rising
repute as q most valuable and conscien.
tiOus public servant; Of Lady Treyelyan's
| intelligence and usefulness as the help
mate Of Sir Charles Trevelyan, whose
labors in the public service Lord Macaulay
keenly sympathized with, and approvingly
watched and cheered.
Macaulay's conversation, more than
that ofany man have ever met, impressed
| me with the notion of memory Of peer
less accuracy, the stores of which were
used with an unfailing and disciplined
energy Of mind, manifested especially in
the force and finish Of the speakers Ian
guage. All Macaulay's conversation would
admit Of being put in print just as it was
| spoken. There was nothing unfinished,
slipshod, hesitatingly, or half expressed.
The sentence was flung before you with
an irrepresSible buoyancy and fOrccfuI
ness Of utterance, complete, clean cut,
| well rounded, and well linked to each other.
And yet there was nothing Johnsonian,
nothing PomPous, SeSquipcdalian, or ped
antic in the phraSeolOgy. And as the
manner, so was the matter-pleasant. in
teresting, amusing, but never prosy, boring
or over ambitious for the company or the
time.
Never were pleasanter, more unre-
strained, or more genial breakfasts than
those Of Lord Macaulay, at lis rooms in
the Albany-while he was still liver in
chambers, before he removed to Holly
Lodge, at Campden Hill, which he has
not occupied for three ycarS-if my men,
ory be exact Macaulay m0u0logized,
only because he had so much ready to
flow forth on most subjects, that it took a
long time to pump oil even his surface
water. But, in company with people who
had something to say and could say it,
Macaulay did not habitualIy take up more
than his fair share Of the conversation.
Sidney Smith used to complain Of Macau-
lay, because he was rival, and a worse
monopolist, and could not bear to see the
attention of the table distracted from his
own rampant and Rabelaisian fun. He,
by-his allusion to 'Macaulay's brilliant
flashes Of silence, gave color to the impu
tation of burdensome loquacity, often
urged against the deceased historian. But
| believe no one who saw much Of Macau.
lay in society will be found to indorse that
charge.
Among the most honorable character.
istics of Lord Macauay-of which am
glad to sec such general recognition
should be mentioned, his rare freedom
from all taint Of self.serving relatives, con-
nections, or dependents; he systemati.
cally abstained from all exercises of his
influence on their behalf; and this, though
warm friend, an attached kinSmaD, and
most affectionate brother. When be
was last in Office, his brother-who was
at the bar, but who was at once we'll fitted
and inclined for the public service-was
without any public employment. Lord
John Russell, when be subsequently ap.
pointed this brother to the treasuryship
of the Mauritius informed him that he
never even knew Lord Macaulay had q
brother available for public employment.
Indeed, Lord Macaulay may be thought
by many to have carried this abnegation
of influence to an excess I; for this brother
has in ell his subsequent employments
proved himself one Of the most efficient
and popular of civil servants. Imay also
mention-what in Lord Macaulay's life
time the public never learned from him or
by his wish-that Lord Macaulay was
unwearied and most liberal in his charities,
especially to all needy literary brethren.
The amount distributed by him in this
way would, ! am satisfied, astonish the
public; but it will never be known. Care.
ful as he was in his business matters, in
his charities at least, his right hand never
knew what his left hand was doing.
"Though when Lord Macaulay begun
his history he hoped to bring it down to
the limits Of living memory, he had long
ago abandoned this hope. Latterly the
utmost range he gave himself was down
to the accession of the House of Hanover,
and this he had hoped to accomplish in
five, if not four more volumes. do not
think he would ever have so compressed
his material The reign Of Queen Anne
with its statesmen, poets, and cssayists-
would have been ground too tempting to
his well-stored memory, and his strong
love of the writers Of that age, for any
sharp or narrow limitation. He must
have ovcrflowed into comment, portraiture
and criticism. The volumes Of the unfin-
ished history are, believe, so far advanced
to completeness, as that we may look to
see them before long And with these
two, l fear, concluding the reign of Will
liam, and ushering US over the threshold
Of that Of Anne, We must rest content"