Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-12-10

Traits of Character; being TiesntyyjOs Years
Literary and Personal RecoIlecEoas, By a Co.
temporary there is the following interesting
sketch of the late Duke of Wellington. The
writer is o lady;
THE DUKE IN A BAD TEMPER.
My friend, when so unusual snd important
an event was to take place as a visit to the
worlds greatest living hero, had taken es-
pecial pains with her toilette, which, on This
occasion, was in faultless tosre and Of costly
material. She really looked so hewitching,
that told her, as we drove along, that was
sure the Iron Duke would find her irresist
ible, and surrender ready accordance to her
petition
We arrived at his well-knowp residence
at the exact moment ntimsted-half-past
nine in the morning-aud were shown into
a large, of course handsomely furnished
room, into which. sg it was the depth of
winter, sundry domostics were constantly
entering to attend to and replenish the fire.
Each time the door opened was trial Of
nerve to my poor yourg friend, as she i'm
agined it ushered in the Duke. After we
| had waited what seemed to our impatience
q considerable time, unannounced, unat-
tended, the Hero of Waterloo suddenly stood |
| before us.
The abruptness of bis entrance completely |
threw me off my guard, and I exclaimed |
aloud, very stupidly, now, | think, 1t is ne |
| Duke himselfW
He was dressed in full uniform, as he was |
| about to proceed to some court or military !
| ceremonial forget which, held that day. 1t !
can not surely be necessary that should |
! enter intos,a description of his appearance
and features, which csuntless portraits have
made familiar to every man, woman and
| child in the British Empire. In all the IN
finity of pictures and busts taken Of him,
sufficient likeness is perpetuated 70 transmit
an accurate idea of him TO posterity, and
| the unborn will see the type of fashion of
him whose glory will last while England
herself survives. The only thing that struck
me when brought into personal contact with
I him, was that he seemed much shorter
than l had fancied he looked on horse
back, where alone l had seen him before.
My friend, who ordinarily was remarkable
for the ease and gracefulness of her manner,
on this unfortunate occasion completely lost
all selfpossession; and, in fact, was speech
less and unable to stammer out one articu-
late word. The Duke regarded her for
awhile with cold and pitless gaze, nor
sought in the remotest degree to remove or
dssipate the .coniusion which so overpow-
eringly aud really distressingly Overcame
Ler.
Finding she did not speak, he said, in q
voice of exceeding sternness, "What paper
is that you hold in your hand ?" She faltered
out that it embodied the petition that she
came to request in behalf of her relative,
"Give it mel" he said. He took it from her
hand and read it itattentively over and then,
in tones the most curt, most harsh, most
hopelessly and ineS Sorsbly decisive, said 81
, am not the proper person to apply to about
this could not do IL if wished-I do not
know that should if could
In convey ng this cruel negative, not one
softenipg tone of manner-nOt one transient
look of sympathy or admiration in any wise
mingled with or. mitigated the pain he in
flcted on his beautiful suppiant. | was pet
Tified that a man could be so ungentle and
uncourteous to any woman, much less to
, such one as then stood before him. Nor
= canI now account for his severe, | may al
most add ungentlemanly, reception Of her,
|, except by the supposition that he was an
a moved ut her exceeding gnervousness--a phase
offeeling alike to him unknowa-perhaps
ncomprehensible; aud possibly he thought
it WCs assumed for effect which it certainly
l were not; and as he was known TO detest any
3 thing approximating 10 affectation or un-
reality, resolved, it might be, to punish what
he fancied an exhibition oft.
: But if was astonished at his treatment OF
= Mrs. -, was yet more immeasurably so
when, as / had never opened my lips except
to utter the exclamation as he entered the
5 room, he came up to me, took hold of both
Q my hands, and said in the gentlest and
z blandest Of tones, is there anything can
do for your mo- tnank your Grace-l
merely came as this lady's friend" was my
reply. And so our brief interview termin-
: ated; and from the moment we entered the
= carriage that awaited us to the period when
we arrived at my friends house, was eu-
tertained with nothing but the most vehe.
/ ment anathemas uttered by her against the
I, 'brutaity" Of the Duke, as she called it. and
s wondering amazement at the cause of hil
extraordinary urbanity to me. - -
v THE DUKE IN GOOD TEMPER.
y Describing subsequent interview in Whicl
, she herself waited upon the Duke reluestint
permission to dedicate to him new work
/. The writer says He received me most court
y eously and kindly, himself rising to place
- chair for me- He looked at me with intens
u scrutiny, and then reverted to the subjec
which had led me to seek the interview, ask
ID ing, "Tell me-haye not seen you before
/ em sure | have" .r -
in 1t was said he never forgot any one he ha
once spoken TO. ] then recounted my forme
interview, when / accompanied Mrs. -
"a rob, / remember it perfectly-the litti
<, woman that " as so frightened at me. | di
'u not like her; thought her artificial. l tax
likings and dislikings in moment.
TO thought, after you were gone, of your re
ev fusal when | offered to do any thing fo
O. you. 1t is not often this occurs to me; | a;
sure you it is much more frequently hav
to say no"-laughing heartily as he said i
-e, "But, come now, tell me all about yoursel
an Are your parents liviDg2 are you a widow
10 have you any children2 and what made yo
literary These interrogatories were spoke
of somewhat rapidly. ! then gave him shol
" biography of my then brief but TOO eventfl
II. life, to the details of which he listened wit
the deepest tinterest-going into the minute
facts-commenciDg with singular shrewC
vs.: ness and sagacitY on some of the events ma
OF rated. He showed an extraordinary aptne
m in discerning truth. A casual word or e.
preston suficed for him at once to compn
ala hend a meaning not expressed. When,
bt, the course of my brief history, had to te
M him of sorrow suffered, wrong inAicte
nothing could exceed the kindly-I mig
=. Say tender-symPathy he eyineed. OF n
esl father he inquired much. When | told hi
ng he had been identified greatly with Wilde
ps force and others in writing pamphlets, 4
toward the achievement of that great al
lot noble work, the abolition of the slave trad
ia1 i'Wss your father English2 You are not
ed Englishwoman.
''Your Grace, am a Scotchwoman."
md swell, you may be, though you are n
ty, the least like one; but am certain of this
as you have Italian blood in your veins-y
,lio are the image of an Italian lady | once to-
q great interest in. q wonder who 1t wa
ana II thouPhtso the instant saw you sol
afv y