The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-09


city six weeks to improve himself in the
language. He Travelled then by way of
Nismss, Marseilles and Nice to Genoa.
Here be staid another six weeks, ENJOYING
the society of friends, and thence by way
of Messina went to Naples, Rome, Milan
and Paris. At Rome he formed the &C.
quaintance of Washington Allston, q young
art student then unknown to fame. and
about threeiyears bis senior. With him he
visited the picture galleries and formed the
idea of becoming an artist, too. Uircum.
stances prevented him from carrying out bis
plan, but he always thought be might have
made a respectable landscape painter.
While at Rome be received great attention
from the banker Torlonia, who thought be-
cause his name was Washington he was
relative of the General.
Washington Irving's tour through Italy
was not satisfactory to his brother, who
provided the funds and it is no wonder he
wrote this complaining letter-while Wash
ington Irving himself ever afterwards re-
GREETED that be had thrown away his best
opportunity of familiarizing himself with
the great cities of Italy:
"JULY 9th, 1805.-This day your letter
dated Rene, 4th April, was received, and
afforded US both pleasure and modification
pleasure to hear that your health is so
completely re-established, and modification
to lean that you have determined to gall
lop though Italy. Has it been reserved
for yol, my dear brother, to make, in these
latter days, the discovery that all that is
worth strangers curiosity in Naples and
in Rome may be completely viewed in the
short space of time comprised between the
18th March, the time you arrived at Naples,
and the 4th April, the date of your last
letter, when you inform me that you are
detained week longer in Rome only on
account of its being Holy week! And, as
you propose to be at Paris to attend the
lectures which are to commence in May, all
Italy, 1presume, is to be secured through
Qeaving Florence on your left and Venice
on your right in the short period of eight
or nine weeks
II have no doubt but that Mr.. Cabell,
who is 10 be your fellow traveller, is very
estimabe fellow, and your meeting with
him I construe to be the most unfortunate
occurrence of all your journey; as his ex.
cellence has induced you to give up, for the
momentary pleasure of his society to Paris,
all the advantages of patient and leisure.
ly journey through Italy. Mr.. Cabell fin
ished his tour, and was flying on the wings
of impotence back to Paris, and has so far
imposed on your good sense as to hurry you
back with him in his flight. Coed com.
pany, find, is the grand desideratum with
you; good company made you stay eleven
weeks at Genoa, where you needed not to
have stayed more than two, and good CONF
yany drives you through all Italy in less
time than was necessary for your stay at
Genoa. find no fault, however, with your
stay at Genoa; your skipping through
Italy, emitting to visit Florence and Ven~
ice, cannot forget. But it is painful to
find fault-especially when the evil is now
without remedy"
Washington Irving's diary, while at
Paris, shows that he was much fonder of
the theatre than the lecture room. The
very first night of his arrival there he went
to the Theatre Montansier in the Palais
Royal, and after that became a most de-
voted patron of the French drama. In
Paris he made the acquaintance of Van.
derlyn. At London he met the greatest of
English actresses, and his biographer gives
this account of an interview between
IRVING AND MRS. sIDD0Ns.
Not long after the Sketch Book had
been published in London, and made its au.
thor remarked among its literary circles, be
met Mrs. Siddons in some fashionable as
semblage and was brought up to be intro
duced. The Queen of Tragedy had then
long left the stage but her manner and
tones to the last partook of its measured
stateliness. The interview was character
istic. As he approached and was inroduc-
ed, she looked at him for moment, and
then, in her clear and deep~toned voice, she
slowly enunciated, "You've made me weep"
Nothing could have been finer than such q
compliment from such source, but the
"accost" was so abrupt and the manner 30
peculiar, that never was modest man so
completely Disconnected and put out of
countenance, The appropriate response
would have been obvious enough at more
collected moment, but taken entirely by
surprise, Godfrey had not word to say for
himself, and very soon took occasion to re-
treat and join group of takers that we're
near. After the appearance of his Brace
bridge Hall, he met her in company again,
and was asked by frieod to be presented.
He told him that be had before gone
through that ceremony, but he had been so
abashed by her ad 1ress and acquitted him-
self so shabbily, that be was afraid to claim
acquaintance. Come with me, then, said
bis friend, and l will stand by you; so he
went forward and sipguIarly enough was
met with an address of the self same FASH
ion: "You've made me weep again." But
now he was prepared, and Immediately re.
piled with complimentary allusion to the
melting effect of her own pathos, as realized
by himself at the period we have been trac
ing.
In his twenty-third year (l807 Irving
and his brother William and James K.
Paulding, began the famous "Salmagundi
Papers," which though written only for
amusement, met with wide success, were
continued for a year, and first made the
name OF Irving known to the literary men
Of the day.
THE FIRST BOOK.