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

cation, in which declared In subeance tia, nevss
had complained Of the alterations Of say poem that
though they were Dot such az l should have made 4
wac certain they were made with the kndest io.In.
tons, and that bad feeling toward Mr. ryar ~
gratitude for the service be had rendered ne. The err
PLANTATION was grsc ousy accep I'd. and 10 bsf note
printed in The PLaindeaLer Irving pronounced M a.
quitta. -
the following year. for the KnckerbockerS .
monthly peIiocical conducted by bis friend, L. ,;s
Gaylord Clark, all Of them such as he ocly so1d
write. They were afterward collected INTO yolume
entitled Wolferts Roost from the aacen. nape II
that beautiful residence of his on the banks OF be
Hudson, in which they were mostly written They
WERE perhaps, read with interest in the volom
than in the magazine, just az some paintings Of tn
highest merit seen with more pleasure in tn,
painters room than on the walls OF an exhibition.
In 1872 no went TO Spain as the American hInister
and renamed in that country for four years. nav,
never understood that anything occurred daring tia
time TO put his talents for diplomacy - any rigorous
test he Old, atlesst, what all American Mnistersathe
European Courts are dong, and suppose my hsasen
dersaDd very well what that is; but II there hsd
been any question OF importance TO be settled, think
he might have acquitted himself as well "a cany wis
who have bad higher reputation for dsxtsrty in
bus'ress. When was a, Madrid, in 1851, Dis in
guisbed SpaniaTd said 10 me: {" Why does not your
Government send out Washington Irving 10 this
Court Why DO you not take as your a.ent The man
whom all Spain admires, venerates, iovssi Assure
you il woulo be difficult for our Governmsn t 10 refuse
snyibipg which Irving should ask, and his signa.are
would make almost any treaty acceptable 10 our
people,"
Returning in 1916, Irving went back % sunnysds,
On the Hudson and continued 10 make u he abode for
the rest of his l5e Those who passed up and do Tn
the river before the year 1885 may remember neg
eced cottage On green BANG Win ie~ iocns' trees
before IT, close TO where little brook brings in i.s
tribute TO the mjghter stream. In that year Irving
became i've posseesor; be gave it the name il now
wears, planted s pleasant slopes with trees and
shrubs laid it out in walks, built outhcuses add con-
vered the cottage into more spacious dwelling In
the old Dutch tye of architecture with rowetepe on
the gables quaint, picturesque building, with az
many angles and corners, to nse his own worts "a
a cooked hat" He cansed creeping plants and climb
ing roses to be trained up is wallis tho trees he
ante prospered 10 that sheltered situation and were
filled with birds which would not leave their nests at
the approach Of the kind master Of the place. Inc
house became almost hidden from sight by their loisy
sum mits the perpetual rustl Jgs of which 70 those
who eat within were blended with the murmurs OF the
water Van Tassel would have had some difficulty in
recognizing his old abode in this little paradise, with
the 6eauty q which OF lryings friends he's made
the public familiar ia prose and verse.
At SuDDys;de Irving wroe bis :" Life OF Oliver
Goldsmith Putnam, the oosselier, had said 10 him
one day, "Htre is Foeers Life Of Goldsmith; think
"GOldsmt5," answered Living, which was pre-
fixed to an edition of his works printed AZ Paris a1d
have thought Of enlsrging w. and making it more
"perfect" "If you will do tba,,' was toe reply OF
the bookseller, shall not repabish the Life by
" Life of Goosmiih" was finished aud 10 press. It
was so much superior 70 the original sketch IN the ex-
actness Of the particulars, the entertainment OF the
anecdotes and the beauty Of the STYLE tina. i was
ally a new work. For my part, know Of nothing
Ike IT, / have read no Biographical memoir which
carries forward the reader so delightfully."- and with 90
little tedousness Of recital or rehecton never take
1 I'D without being tempted TO wish that living had
written MOI works Of the kind bot this could hardly
be-for where could he have found another Cold
smith
In 1850 appeared his Olives Of Mahomet and hia
" Successors" composed principally from memoranda
made by him during his residences In SPAIN ana 10 tue
same year he the revision OF the ne edition
of his works which was brought oct py Putnam,
bookseller Of whose obigipg and honorable conduct no
delighted TO speak. Irving was man with whom it
was not easy TO have msunderstan iing but even
if he had been of different temper, these CON nenda-
tons would have been Doue tie iess well deserved
WWben Cooper DIED, toward the close OF he year
1850 Irving who bad MT long before met hin, sQpa-
rebtly in the full vigor of his exceent consaaon,
was much shocked by the event, and took part In the
meetings held for the purpose OF collecting funds 70
which am sorry TO say has wholly failed. He wrote
letter advising that the monument should be statue
ard attend ed the great memorial meeting held In Ne
tropoitan Hall in February Of the next year at which
Webster presided. Ae was then near TIE end Of his
sixty eighth year, and was remarked as one over
whom the Last twenty years had passed lightly. He,
whom DIR. Francis describes as in eIly lfo slender
end delicate youth, preserving bis health by haoitua
daily exeJcife appeared before that vast assembly
fresh, we-preserved gentleman, scarcely more thin
elderly, with firm but benevolent features, well knf
snd muscular limbs and an elastic sep, the sn Of IN
diminished physical yigor. Il
In his retirement at Sunnyside Irving planted and
executed bis last gre work, the y Lite OF sshog
ton" to which be rays he had long looked forS@i
his GROWING literary effort. Constable the Edinsn9
bookseller, had proposed il 10 bin thirty years osfors
and he then resolved TO undertake il as soon ss 10
should return TO the United States Il was postponed
in favor Of other projects, but never abanooned ~
length the expected time seemed to have arrived -
other tasks bad been successfully performedi ns
world was waiting for works from his penn d.
mind and body were yet in their vigor, the hsbH saa
the love of literary production yet rem1iaed, sad
addressed himself TO this greatest Of bis nbors.
Yet he had his misgviDgs, though they could NOT o
vert him from his purpose. "They expecI too much
too much" he said to friend Of mine, 10 whom
was speaking Of the magnitude Of the task aa1 the d.
feulty Of satisfying the public. We cannot W )ndef
these doubts. At the time when he began to employ
himself steadily on this work, he was near the aged
threescOIe and ten, when with most men the season
hope and confidence Is past. He was Ike one VIC
should begin the great labor OF the day when the 9a
was shedding his latest beams and what ns
shadows of night should descend upon him before d.
task was ended vast labor bad been thro Sn upoa
him by the almost Dumbeiless documents and psPen
recently brought 70 lgbtrelspg to the events IN wn
Washington was concerned-such rs were aSasesa
and digested by the research OF Sparks, and seen
panied by the commentary of his excellen; bioapay
These were all TO be carefully examined and tnea
spirit extracted. Historians had In the mean uns
arisen in our country OF worldwide fame, win
whose works his own must be compared, and ne Wa
to be judged by public whom he, more than amlS
any other man, had taught 20 be impatient Oh nsu
ocTity. al
l do not believe, however that Irvings task wena
have been performed ably if II had been undsriaxs1
when it was suggested BY Consable the narraiveeeaa
not have been so complete IN its factsi ID mgnsh"
have been written with the same becoming simpieA{;
1t was fortuna that the work delayed I'LL h coas
be written from the largest store OF materia's-"S