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

and hs of the ridcue OF meaner ntelleats.
took strong hold on the mind Of Irving and formed
the inspiration OF the work.
knew Irving intimately an instrletiye anecdote re-
lating to The Life of Columbus. When the work was
nearly finished il put into the hands Of Lieutenant
Sldell Mack emile, himself agreeable writer, then
on Welt to Spain, who read 1t with yis~ OF giving
critical opinion Of its merits cit 10 quite perfect
tad he on returning the manuscript, Except the style
and that il unequal" The remark made such an I'M
pesson on the mind of the author that be wrote over
he whole narrative with the view Of making the style
more uniform, but he aferward thought that he had
| not improved it.
In t6is have DO doub. that Irving quite right
and tbst IL would have been better II he mad never
touch. the work after he had brought il 10 the state
which Satisfied his Individual Judgment An author
commit agreater error than to alter what ne
writes, except wDen he has clear perception lnAt inc
alteration is for the better and make IL With as
hearty confidence in himself as he felt ia giving the
work its fret shape WHAT strikes OCCASIONAL
defect in the Life Of Columbus is thus elaborate UNI
formity Of stye-a certain prsmatic coi0rng III pas
cages where absolute simplicity would have satieleu
us better. II may well be supposed that Irving org.
pally wrote some parts of the work with the quie
planners Of calm relater Of facts and others VIII
lie spirit and fire of who had become warmed WIN
bis subject and this probably gave occasion 70 wnat
was said of the inequality Of the stye. The attempt
10 elevate the dicon of The simpler portions, we may
suppose marIed what Irving afterward PerceNou h@d
really been one of the merits OF the work.
the South of Spain cole sting materials from when ne
afterward composed some OF his most popular worKs'
When the traveller now Wits Granada and u taken
TO The AlbaDbra bis gaide will say, Here 10 one Oh
the curosiies of the place. this s the chamber occu-
pied BY Washington Irving" and he will show an
spartnept from the windows Of which you have
view Of the glorious valley OF the Genl with the
mountain peaks overlooking it, and near the murmur
Of many mountain brooks at once az they hurry 10 he
plain In July Of the same year he repaired 10 Lon
dop where he was act Secretary Of the American
Legation. Here he published his " Chronicles OF the
OF Granada one Of the most % y,
his works. al hist Jryor such it Is admitted 10
be by those no Rave searched mos carefully tne an
cieDi records Of Spainyetso full or personal lnclden
20 diversified with surprising turns oil fortune, ana
these wrought up with such picturesque ehee that, 70
use sn expression of Pope, young lady might read IL
BY mistake for q In 1881 he gave the world
another work Spanish history the Voyages OF the
Companions of Columbus" and in the year follow
ing, the Alhaubra," which Is another Sketch
"Book" with the scene laid in Spain
While in Spain Irving had planned Life OF Cortez,
the Conqueror OF Mexico, and collected the facts IRON
which it wae 10 be written. When, afterward, he
happened to learn that Prescott designed 70 write the
| History of the Mexican Conquest, he Immediately
desisted II was his intention 10 nterweave With the
narrative descriptions of the ancient customs OF the
aboriojnes such as their modes of warfare and their
gorgeous pag ealts by way OF relief TO the sangonary
barbarites OF the Conquest. he saw what rch ma.
teIals of the picturesque these opened to him. and
be had plshed his plan, ne would probably have
produced one Of his most popular works.
In 1882 living returned TO New.Iorks lie returned
after absence of seventeen yes TO lind bis native
city doubed in populaton It's once quiet waters awe
with calls and furrowed by steamers passing TO and
fro wharves crowded with mas,s the Nights which
surround it, and which he remembered wild and sou
aJy and ling in forest, now crowned with stately
country seas or with dwellings clustered 10 villages,
and every where the activity and hustle of prosperous
and hopeful people. And he, TOO, how mad ne re-
turnedf The youDg and parativey obscure author,
WI ose works had only found here and there reader
| IL. IL. do fha 0rtl-
lied world All the trophies he had won In this field
be brought home TO lay at the feet of his country.
Meanwhile all the country was moved to meet him;
the rejoicing was universal that one VINO had repre-
seDted us illustriOusly abroad vas henceorth to
| live smongus
Irving hated public dinners, bat he was forced TO
| accept one pressed upon him by his enthusiastic
| countrymen Ii was gwen at the City Hall on the
3Otb Of Nav Chancellor Kent presiding and the most
eminent ctizens of NewYork assembled at the table.
remember The accounts of this festyitS reaching me
as was wandering in Illinois, hoverng on the skirts
of the Ind an waJ, Id region now popuious bat than
| untitled and waste, and i could only write to Irving,
and AK leave TO add my voice 70 the general accama-
ton In his address at the dinner, Chancellor Kent
| welcomed the historian of New. Amsterdam back 10
his native city, and Irving in reply poured forth his
heart in the wsrmest expressions OF delight at finding
himself again among his countrymen and kindred, In
land of sunshine and freedom, and hope. :" am
"asked," he said, how long j mean to remain here.
"Tbey know little of my heart who can ask me this
"1uesiion l answer, a, long as lge."
The instinct of rambling had not, however forsaken
him. In the Summer after his return, he ade jour-
pey to the country west OF the Mississippi in company
| with Mr.. f lsworth a commissioner inuusted with
the removal of certa Indian tribes, and roamed
wild regions then the hunt grounds OF the savage
| but into which the white man has since brought his
pow and his herds lie did not publish his account of
this journey until 1885, when il appeared the first
| Volume of the "Crayon scellan,," under the title
| of "a Tour on the Praries" In this work the
original West is described Irving knew how 10 de-
|
| gayety peculiar to lis writings. "Abbotsford add
| Newstead Abbey" formed the second volume Of the
"Crayon Miscellany" and TO these he has added
another entitled Legends Of the Conquest Of Spain
In 1856 he published Astoria; Or Anecd 1tes of an
| Enterprise hey ord the Rocky Mountains" some
| what curious example of literary skill. vouminons
c. mercal coIrespo denee was the dull ore OF the
earth which he refined and wrous mt into symmetry
and splendor. Irving reduced to regular narrative
the events 10 which il referred bringing out the pictu
resque whenever he found it, and envening the whole
| with touches OF his native humor. His nephew,
Pierre NJ Irving lightened his labor materially by
aiming and coDat NJ the letters, and making memo
rsnda OF their contents In 1884, ne prepared for the
| press the Adventures Of Captain Bonneville Of the
| United States Army in the Rocky Mountains and the
Far West" He had the manuscript journal Of BoDne
Vile before him, but the hand of lrv ng apparent In
| every sen ence.
About the time that this work appeared Irving was
| drawn Into the only public controversy in which, so
far as know, he ever engaged. William Leggett
then conducted weekly periodic Al entitled The Plain
dealer, remarks both Tor It's ability and s love OF
disputaiion 1t attacked Mr. Irving for al ering line
or two in one Of my poems, with view OF making 1t
LEES offensive 10 EDg readers and for rting pre-
| face TO the American edition OF his p" Tour on the
Praires full OF professions of love for his country,
| which were studlously omitted from the English
EDITION. From these circumstances The PiaindeGter
| drew an inference untavorabe to Irvings sincerity
should he re mention, and hope may do it with
| out much egotlsn, that when volume of my poems
was published here in the year 1882, Mr.. Verplanck