New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-04

Of New-York.p
SalpsguDd had prepared the public 10 receive this
work with favor, and Seth Handasde mad reason to
ie,ret having undertaken its publication. recoect
well Ifs early and immediate popularity. ] was then
yon,h in college, and having committed TO memory a
portion Of tito repeat as defamation before my class
was so overcome with LAM hter when appeared on
the floor that unable to proceed, and drew upon
myself the rebuke of the tutor.
have just read his History Of New-York over
sgsn, and found myseh 10 less delighted than when
fret Turned its pages In my early youth. When 4
compare il with other works OF wit aud humor OF a
similar length find that unlike most Of them, 1t car
res forward the reader to the conclusion without wea
riDess safety, so unsough spontaneous selIsng
eested are the wit and the humor. The author makes
ns laugh because he can no more help it than we can
help laughing Scott, in of his lettere, compared
te umor of this work TO that of Swift. The Ien VEN
of IvDgs mth ia Of quality quite distinct from tue
Dry drolery Of Swift bat they have this in common
that they charm by the utter absence Of effort ana
this was probably the ground OF SCOTS remark. a
critic in the'London Quarterly, some years aiter its
appearance, spoke of it as "taDtalizing BOOK, on
account of his inability TO understand what he Galed
" the point of many OF the illusions in this poltca
satiIe. fear that he must have been one OF those
respectable persons who find 1t difficult TO understand
Joke unless it be accompanied with a commentary
opening and exp aiming 1t to the hamolest capacity
Scott found no such difficulty. Our Sides, ne says
IN letter to Mr. Brevoorr, friend Of lrviog written
iust after he had read the book "are absolutely sore
with laughing" The mrth OF the history OF
New-YoTk" is of the most Transparent sort, anu me
author in even the later editions udicously aost hned
from any attempt TO make 1t more intelDgiOle ny
notes. ~.
find in this work, more manifest traces than in hs
other writings of what Irving owed to the carrier su
bors in our language The quaint poetic col0rng and
often the phraseology betray the disciple OF ChauIer
and Spenser We are conscious of flavor OF the
the oten time as ofa racy wine of some iieh vintage
Cooled q long age in the deepdelved earth
will not say that there no passagesn this WORK
If nfex NJ
sometimes meet with phraseology which we could
with changed, that the wit does not sometimes run
| wild and drop here and there jet which we could
willingly spare. We forgive, we overlook, we forget
all this as we read in consideration Of the entertain
uent we have enjoy ed and OF that which beckons US
onward in the next page. vi all mosk.herolc works,
Knckerbockers History OF New YORK If the gayeS',
| the ARREST, the least tiTesome.
In 1913 Mr. living issued an edition OF this work, to
| which he ,reiixed what he called an " Apology, m
tended in part ans Ter to those who tnongnt ne
had made too fee with the names OIL our ola Daien
| families. To speak frankly do not much wonder
that the ndants of The original founders OF New
! Amsterdam should have hardly known whether 10
laugh or lock grave finding the names OF their an
cesors of whom they never thought out with resPecs
now connected with ludicrous associations, oy w Oh
another race In one of bis excellent Historical DIS
courses Mr. Verplanck had gently complained OF this
freedom expressing bimselt as he sald, more IN BOT.
| row than in anger Even the borrow, believe, must
have long since wholly passed away when it IS seen
how little Ityines peasantIes have detrac ed from
the boLor paid 10 the early history of our ctyat all
events, we do not see how it could survive irvings
| good humored ard grace full Apology.
n was not long after the publication of the History
of New York that Irving abandoned the profession OF
law for which he had decided dlstaste as never
10 have fully tried his capacity Tor pursuing II. Two
of his brothers were engaged In commerce, and they
4 received him as silent partner be did not, how.
ever renounce his literary occupations. lie wrote, in
| 1910 memoir of Campbell, the poet prefaced to ao
edition of the writings of that author which appeared
| in Philadelphia; and 10 The Anaectc Magazine, pub
ahed in the city, he contributed series OF bio
GRAZ hical accounts OF the naval commanders OF the
United States OF this magazine, in 1873 and the fol-
lowing ears, he the editor making the expert
neut Of his talent for vocation to which men OF de-
cded literary tastes in this country strongly inclined
\ 10 betake themselves. Those who remember The
Analectie Magazine cannot have forgotten that 1t was
a most en- erainDg miscellany, partly complied from
English publications. mostly periodicals, and party
MADE up of contributions OF some of our own best
| writeIe. The biographical essays OF which have
fpoken were the only published writings of Irving be
| tween the appearance Of the History OF New-York, in
| 1862 al d That OF the sketch Book III 1919.
II was during this interval that an event took place
which had q mari ed u luence on IrvIDgs future Ite
affected the character OF his writings, and now that the
death of both parties allows 1t 10 be spoken OF without
reserve gives peculiar interest TO his personal his
| tory lie became attached 10 young LADY, " ION he
| wss 10 have married. She died unwedded, in the
| flower Of her age There was sorrowfal leave TAX
| ing between her and her lover, as the grave was
about 10 eeparae them on the eve OF what should have
been her bfidal and Irving AFTER the close of
bis ife tenoerly and faithfully cherished her memory.
In one Ct the biographical notices published imme-
datey after lrvngs death, an old, wel'worn copy OF
| the Bible is spoken of which kept lying the
table in his chamber wi hin reach of his bedside bear
| ing her name the tte-page in delicate female
banda relic which we may presume 10 have been his
constant companion Those who are fond OF searching
| IN the biographies Of eminent men for the circun-
stances which determined the bent OF their geDius,
find in this sad event, and tue cloud il threw over the
hopeful and chez rnl period Of early hood an ex-
PLANTATION Of the transition from the unbounded play
fuIDess Of the History OF New H0t TO the eefioa5,
| tender, and medtative vein Of the "Sketch Book"
In lsl5, soon after our second peace with Great
Britain, living sailed again for Europe and fixed HIM
self at Liverpool where braDch of the large CONNER
sal house TO which he belonged was established His
old love of rambling returned upon him; he wandered
| first into Wales and over some Of the finest counties
in England and then northward to the region
| Of the Scottish Hie hlands. Hs memoir Of Campbell
procured him the acquaintance and friendship of that
poet. Campbell gave him, tnan year after h.s
ARRIVAL in England, letter of intIodu jon to SOFT,
who, already acquainted with him by his writings,
| welcomed him warmly 10 Abbo sford, and made HIM
bis friend Cor life. Scott cent special message 10
| Campbell thanking him for having made HIM known
10 Irving. He IL one Of the best and pssslutest
qusin snces said Scott, that have made this many
day."
| In the same year that he visited Abbotsford his
brothers failed The changes which follow the peace
Of 1915 swept away their AID his together and
| be was DOW TO begin he world anew.
| In 1919 he began TO publish The Sketch Book II
was rltten in England and sent over to New-York,
| where 1t was issued by Van Wrinkle, in octave num-
beIe, containing from seventy TO hundred pages In
| the preface he remarked that he unsettled In
"bis abode" that he had "hIs and vcissades,"
and could not therefore, give these papers the tran
| "qul attention necessary TO finished composition"
Several Of them were copied with praise In The Lon
don Literary Gazette and intimation was conveyed
to the author that come person in London about to
publish them entire. He preferred TO do this himself
and accordingly, offered the work to the famous book
s.ler Murray. Mnrray WI slo0 IN giving the mat