The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-04-04

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you will 90 that" Was the reply or tho bookseller, 81
shan net republ'sh the Life by Foster" wltha three
months Afterwards IrvnEs " Ixfo of tsoldsmiph Was
finished and in press Il so much superior to ths
sketch rho the PARTICULARS tho en-
tanment Of the anec'oes and the beauty Of tia si,
tina, 1t was really sew work For nay part / knss Of
nothing like ii / have read biographical memoir
which carries forward the reader deg h1uy ana wts
90 little teoiouaDess OF recital or recnou never take
without being tempted 70 wish Irving had vrN-
ten more wUtks Of the KIND but this could hardly be- for
where oould he have found another Goldsmith In is5e
composed principally from meraorands made BY HIN
oosiog his kss,dence in Spain; aud in the same
non OF his wcrka which brought out by
Putnam, bookseller Of whoss oblging aud her,
with whom not easy 70 have misunder stsndir9-
put even he had been OF different temper theee ooS
menssons you'll have been none the less well deserved
cooper oed towards the close Of the year 1859.
irving who had not long before met him. apparently Il
the FUN vsor OF h's exoeent constitution, ives nue1
shocked by the event. and took the eetuRs hoA
for the purpose Of collecting funds to erect
to his memory In this citya design which am sorry e
ray, has wholly failed He wrote letter advising Il. =.
the monument should be . statue and attended the or
me mortal meeting held in Metropolitan Hall In February
Of the next year. At which Webster presided He h q
near the end Of bis sixty eighth year, and cmNsA
whom the ast twenty years had passed lightly
He, whom Or Francis deecrbes as In early life slender
and delicate youth, preserving his health BY habua daily
exercise, appeared before that vast assembly fresc
we'll preserved gentleman scarcely more than elderly.
with irm but benevolent feasurcs we'll knit and nusosi
isbed ply steal vigor In bis retirement st SunnyaAs
Irving planned and executed hts last great work. to
'Le Of waAhngon," TO which ho says he had long LOOK
cd forward his GROWING literary effort Constable -
Ednburs bookseller had proposed 70 him thirty years
be should return to the United STATES was postponed
in favor Of other projects, but never abandoned A.
length the expected time seemed 10 have arrived; ~
other tasks had been successfully performed tse worA
waiting for new works from his pen; hts mind aad
body yet in their vgor the habit ana love Of sra
his greatest Of his Iabors Yet he had his mise siass
though they could not divert hu from bis purpose.
"They expect TOO much-soo much" be eaid 70 foad
the task and the difficulty Of satisfying the public We
cannot wonder at these doubts Al The when be h0
near the age Of resscore and ton. wSe U'K VITA -
men the season Of hope and confidence past He Wsg
like one who should begin the great labor OF the day
the shadows II night should descend him before
task was ended vast labor had been thrown upoa
him by the almost numbsress documents and papers
gently brought TO light relating to the events which
Waship gtoa was copceS ned-sucn amassed and
the commentary OF his excellent biography These wsr
all to he carefully examined and their spirit extracted
Historians had in the meantime arisen in country Of
world wide fame, with whose works his own must Be
compared and he 70 be judged py public whom hs
more than almost oher man had taught to DO inpa
tent Of meoiocrity not believe however that r.
Wings task would havo been performed ably il thaA
been undertaken whes IL was susg sted by Constable
the narrative could not have been complete In Its fass
might not have been written with the besominE
simplicity. Ii was fortunate that the work delayed
till could be written from the arges: Of matenss
and = iii 1T the authors mind had become aiIsd -
the prooundest venerat0n Of his subject The simplicity
aready mentioned ia the first quality OF this work which
impresees the reader Here man OF genius poet By
temperament, writing the life Of OF trausceudaak
wisdom and vrtue-a life passed amidst great
temptation eulogy the temptation is resisted
the actions Of his hero left to speak praise
He records events emily ss one might have
them before the art Of rhetoric was Invented with no
exaggerat0p with parade Of reflection tho Lessons Of
the narrative made TO impress themselves the mind
hD thn polseOn NJ
time the narrator keeps himself in the background sesiy
occupied with the due presentation Of his subject Our
never think Of Mr. Irving, closer examination reveals
another great merit q the work. the admirable proper
ton in which the author keeps the characters and
OF his story suppose be could hardly have been osa-
scous Of this merit, and that It attained without
direct effort Long meditation had probably 80 shaped
It's parts 10 their Just that executing il a. =
did conscient,ousy, he could not have made dfereuk
thing from what we have T. There nothing distorted:
the shade The incidents OF our Revolutionary war; the
grea, event Of wsshingtons lite, pass before us,
erin chief himself, and from time to time varied
his designs Washington kept always in sight .sd the
q the Of 70 =:
companions Of Washington in the field civil life are
shown only In their association with him, yet arc tha
characters drawn not only with skil and spirit but with
hand that delighted to 90 them justice. Nothing, be-
ieve could be more abhorrent 10 IrvDgs ideas Of the
from the merits Of others that bis hero might appear
more eminent. So remarkable is his work in
hi H 5sspss, that sos..s SsDShsd member q
cal stucies'D wto has ana'yzed the merits sr
he "Lhe Of Washington with critical skill which nskss
that writer within the circle Of his reading 90 sus
oesstuly established his claim to the and difficult vtr
tue OF lDpsrtay confess that my admiration q tA
other writings Of Irving beauties which strike the read
er at once. In tbs recognise qualities which Lie deeper
and which ] was not sure Of nndng-a rare equity n
judgment large grasp Of the subject profound phloso
ply independent OF philosophical forms and even nstac
lively rejecting them the power of reducing an immense
crowd Of loose TO clear and orderly
and forming them into one grand whole, skilled
commander from rabbe Of raw recruits forms disoi-
pined army, animated and Moved by q single will The
greater part Of this last work Of Irving composed
while be was in the enjoy ment Of what might be called
SoPp his o' Ws was vet not rs his
bright and active, and the hour OF decay sesn-
ed yet distant BE had become more thAa
ever the object of public veneraon and in his beautiful
retreat enjoyed all she advantages and few OF the moe
tsons Of acknowledged greatness little much viasd
perhaps but submitting the intrusion OF hs admirers
win his characteristic patience And kindness That re-
treat had become charming than ever the
domestic lie within was as beautiful as the nature vi
out. surviving brother older than himself shared Il
with him, and several aiectionae nephews and a0ces
stood to him in the relation Of and daughters He
honored and loved him the for knowing 90 wen
While he was engaged in writing the last pages his "fs
health failing and his strength wss ebbns away Hs
completed the work, however, pough he was abs
revise the last sheets, and We then heard that
his nights bad become altogether sleepless He Was
hmseh OF opinion that bis abors had boon toe
severe for bis time Of life, and had som ,dnss
feared that the power continue them would desert hin
before dis task should be ended. catarrh to which he
had been subject, had by some inudcous prescr ptoa
been converted into asthma and the asthma according
the testimony Of his ply sican Dr. Peters OF the
most attentive and assducus Of his profession, ct
length accompanied by an enlargement Of the heart Thu
disease ended the usual way by sudden dssoatios.
On the 18th Of November last, In the evening, he had
baden the family good night in his usual kind msnaee,
and had WITHDRAWN to his room attended by Of bis
Aieces, carrying his medicines, when he complained Of
sudden feeling OF intense sadness sank Immediately into
her and died without struggle. Although he haa
reached beyond which life rarely prolonged, the
Of his death where received with proouad
sorrow The whole country mourned but the grief Was
deeply felt in his immediate neghborhood the little
children wept for the loss Of their good friend When the
day OF his arrived the people and near
the railway crowded, and multitude, like mass
meeting reverentay Silent moved through the
embems Of mourning, and clustered shout the church