New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-04
MR. .BRYANTpS DISCOURSE
s,s, WRITINGS AND GENIUS OF WASHINGTON IRVING
psrersd sttorc The Historical Society last eOsnia.
ON TIE

cert ia bis departure from among tina. assem-
bling is rather expression of for his death
than Of congrstnlaton that such was born iato
he world. His admirable wrings, the beautiful
products of his peculiar genius remain to be the ENJOY
neDt of the present and future generstons we Seep
the recollection Of his amsble and blemeess hie anu
As kindly MANNERS and for these We give tnanAsi O
the thought will force itself upon IA that tne hSu' y
his friendly eye is quenched-bat we mus n0s s ~
more bis beloved voice, nor take ha weivOno :;
IL ss If come genial year had just closed quo ,si' 80
bos, aud oloo. ia aoWery SPRING it's eafy Summer,
Rs p.pteous Autumn, flown, never 10 Ie'An ~
lifts are steyn around its harvests are In our gar
Sers, bu, It's season bloom and warmth ana IfolHu
pess is past We look around MS and zee tel' .ne sun
shire which Glled the golden ear ana uogeu INC re"
Sepina apple brightens the earth no more'
r TwslDe years siDce the task was assigned to me to
Jstvsr the funeral euloey of Thomas Cole, the great
SEQ sber of landscape painting in America, the artist who
M frst taught the pencil to portray with tue boldne OF
nature our wio and lake shores our mountain
regions and the borders of our majestic rivers Five
ysars later was hidden express, in such terms as
could command tho general sorrow which wac felt
for he death of Fenmore Cooper, equally great, ana
equally the leader of his conntryme IN a ON oreat
wsk of creative genius. Another grave has been
opened he who has gone down to II, earlier IMAM
mot in the peculiar path to which his genius attracted
him Cole was taken from rs ia the zenith OF his man
hood, Cooper when the son OF life had stopped NON
its meTdisn In both instances the day was darkened
by the cloud of death before the natural hour OF ITS
until in the fulnes Of Time aud by the appointment OF
nature, it carried below the HORIZON; o.,
. Washington Irving was born 10 New York on the I'd
.f Anil 1888 but q fe~ days after the OF the
treaty. with Great Britain, ackno wedgiDg our indepen.
SeDee mao og osnsS His ewes 10 me Sb therefore
iust IN the dawn OF that sabbath OF peace viii IN brought
me etV. Of which he was native AID republic,
of which he yet to be the ornamen were enteIln
q greatness and POspe s o. SeSmsd
IL seems fitting that OF the first births OF the new
pease so welcome to the country, should be that OF
repos as kindly and fruitful pea itself, a1d
seslneo TO make The world better and happier by its
eenie DfueI ces In respect those who were born
at that time had tie advantage of those who are edu
eatea under the vulgar Influences OF the present
age. Before their eyes were BET in the pubic actions
OF The WHO achieved our revolution, NOBLE ex au,
ples of steady reCtitude, magnlnm0us seldenal and
ehseriul tusacrihce for the sake OF their country
Irving came into world when these great ana
tuousmen in the prime OF their manhood and
passed youth in the midst of that general reverence
wbleh gstis red round them as they grew DID,
William Irving, the fa,hero OF. the great author, was
native Of ScOtland-one Of race In winch tue IN
sainct of yeperaIiOn is ekOng-ant Scottish woman
was employ ed as a IN HE household IL is re-
hated that day while she walking IN the street
withber lutte Charge, then i've years old she saw
General Washington in shop, and enterDg led up
the boy, whom she presented as one to whom ms
name had been given. Inc General turned, laid his
hand on the ehids head and gave him his smile and
his blessing, lit thinking thai they were besto wed
nPon his future bloerapher The gentle prees are Oh
tbat hand Irving al way remembered, and that bless
ing, he believed attended him through hie Who shall
cav what power that recollection may have had IN
keeping him true TO high and generous aims.
Al the tiue that Washington Irving born, the
City New-YoIk contained scarcely than % OOC
inhsbtants Daring the war It's population had prob
ably diminished. The town scarcely built up to
Warren street, broadway, a little beyond, was los
among grassy pastures and titled fields the Park, IN
which Low sian ds City Hail, open com.
mon, and beyond IL cleaned in a hollow among the
meadows little sheet OF fresh water, the Koch,
from which sluggish rivulet stole through the low
grounds called Lspenard's Meadows, ana folio wing
The course Of what is nov Canal street. entered the
Hudson. With the exception OF the little corner Of the
IA and below the present City Hall the rural character
of The whole region Yves unchanged aud the fresh ar
Of the country entered New YorA at every street, Tne
town thai time contained a mingled population
drawn from different eOaDtTiss but the descendants of
the old Datch settlers formed large proportion of the
inhabiiauts, and preserved many Of their pecu
Ear cust Js and had not ceased TO the speech Of
iheir their fresides. Many Of them lived
IN the quaint old housep, bnt of small yellow brick
from Holland, with their notched gable ends on the
streets which have since been swept away with that
In the surrounding country, along its rivers ard be-
eide It's harbors ana IN many parts lar lnana, he org
char gtd. Here they read their Bibles and said their
prayers and listened to sermons IN the ancestral tongue.
Remains Of this language yet hnger In few neigh.
bOILoods; but an most the common schools, ana the
inupuOns Of the Yankee race aud the growth OF a
population newly derived from Earope, have stihed
Inc ancient utteranees of New Amsterdam. remen-
Der twenty years since the market people of Ber-
gen chartered Dutch in the steamers which brought
them " the early morning 10 New-York. remember
also that about Ten yess before there were families in
the westeInTnos Of Massachusetts where D1tch
sti the household tongue, and marOns of the
English stock, marrying into .them were laughed at
Il will he readily inferred that the isolation in which
,hs Of aanguaRe strange the rect of the
a. placed thess people, would form them charae-
80, peculiar simplicity, in which there great
SaaI hat quaint and not little that would appear
go 70 their neighbors Of the AngloSaxon stock.
It~as among such population, friendly AMI h0spta-
H. T. airing ,her faults the outside, and living in
bI1sis comfort their fertile and ample aces, that
~. ~ h God and early youth Of Irving passed.
~ 80, while yet a boy 10 wander alb out the
1o DsS .ountry, fo- the love of rambling
, kable pec9ierity of that period of his he
NJ haoame as he himself writes, familiar with all the
G places famous in history fable, knew
he'enDvl , here a murder a robbery had been
eVeIy spoJs a e1ost seen; aroed into the vilageS
colnnii s toms and talked with their cages well
nOeso e, So, bees, with his kindly and ingenious
COo "a th material play fal tnrn OF MS conversa-
ton. 80 uo..;onlora bacanse thew helm IN
1uwen "H - 81 mind of Irving trained and
by what process he H. .ho o. ore an nnncb adj
hs1s SiTi .b o rambles that his strong love OF
miie. ~ "as ~ and nourished. Those who only
naaTe w~s .'S S a ewYork as it n, zee few
traces Of the beauty 1t w W. t S ~ ha.Ider Inmed
en4oOlneu ron .,fo bgn il was ch&ymingly diver
tihtd with nights and hol I'VE, ~ niss onef conn
sunny openings, shining tr - avsoyas of trees