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

from Washington to James Renwick, then
at the early age of nineteen, filling gratuit-
ously the chair of Natural PHILOSOPHY in
Columbia College. Here is one in Irving's
pleasantest epistolary style:
| ''WAsHINGToN, December 8, 1872.
My Very Good Lad: am exceeding.
ly glad to hear from your own self, which.
of course, is the highest authority, what a
prodigious fine fellow you have turned out
to be. Your praises trumpeted forth by
that bang up stentor, John Mason, echoed
through the nose of the worthy Doctor Til
larry, while all the young ladies join in the
| chorus and laud you Secula SecuIOrum! (iod
help thee, poor lad dost thou take all this
for sterling coin l am half inclined to let
thee remain in so vain-glorious an error;
but l hold him to be no true friend who suf-
fers another to be happy without reason.
Gas to the praises of John Mason, /
would not have you to count much on them,
as they are founded on your disinterested.
ness; in other words, you lecture for moth.
ing, and Johnny Mason is too well versed
in the proverbs to think of looking a gift
horse in the mouth. As to the good DR..
Hillary, be, you say, takes his cue from the
account given of you by Mason; which, of
course, speaks vastly in favor of his faith,
but nothing of his judgment; and, as to the
ladies, (but this speak under the most tire.
mendous injunction of secresy,) their praises
are mere continental currence--one hundred
pounds for dollar. l see how it is, you
have been playing off your natural philoso.
ply in the parlor, burning steel, making
nitrous oxyde, and worrying my old friend
and favorite the jumping cat, by exhibiting
her in an airspump, to the great delight and
wonderment of your good mother, and
number of ladies of her acquaintance.
II suppose by this time total revolu-
tion has taken place in your domestic circle.
The young ladies tend lectures instead of
dancing schools, read elementary works in
stead of novels and romances; and, as to
the statutes of those two Scottish Grecians,
who whiloam graced the mantle piece, clad
in tartan plaids, they have had to make
way for Sir Isaac Newton and Ben Frank
lin. But jesting apart, my dear James, l
am really glad to hear, from various &C.
counts, that you succeed so we'll in your
perilous undertaking; and have no doubt,
maugre the eulogiums of John Mason and
the ladies, that you will do yourself great
credit by this winters campaign. Still,
however, let me beg you not to give ear to
these tel.tale women nor attempt to make
them wiser than they are. 1t is only spoil
ing them. I do adore their ignorance of
divine philosophy, and beg you will suffer
them still to believe that the sun travels
daily round the earth, that the moon is made
of green cheese, and that the antipodes
crawl against the bottom of the earth on
all tours like flies against the ceiling. X
"Phil Rhinelander and Paulding arrived
here last evening, and informed me they
had come on to attend my wedding. have
determined, therefore, to give as much
countenance to this report as possible, and
am resolved to become acquainted with the
lady forthwith-that necessary preliminary
not having as yet been attended to. Adieu,
Domino felix Remember me to your good
lady mother, and ask her what is her opin-
ion of the perpetual motion-if she has stu.
died so far.
"Yours truly, WI"
SECOND VISIT TO EUROPE.
In 1915 efnd Washington Irving again
in Europe, where he remained some time in
the commercial house of his brother, in Liv-
erpool. In letter to Mr.. Brevoort be
thus acknowledges his indebtedness to Mr.
Renwick
II cannot help mentioning that James
Renwick has behaved in the most gratifying
manner. At time when we were exceed
ingly straitened, wrote to him begging
to know if he could in any way assist us to
a part of the amount we were deficient. He
Immediately opened credit for US to the
full amount, guarantying the payment of
it, and asking no security from US than our
bare words. But the manner in which
this was done heightened the merit of it,
from the contrast it formed to the extreme
distrust and tenfold caution that UNIVERSAL
ly prevailed throughout the commercial
world of England, in the present distressed
times"
SCOTT AND IRVING.
In London he visited Campbell, and in
Edinburg saw jeffrey, Scott and Dugald
Stewart. He spent day with the "Wiz-
ard of the North" at Abbotsford. Under
date of September 6, 1917, he writes
''ED1NBURGH. September 6, 1917.
"My Dear Brother: l left
Abbotsford on Wednesday morning, and
never left any place with more regret. The
few days that 1 passed there were among
the most delightful of my life, and worth as
many years of ordinary existence. We
made a charming excursion to Dryburgh
Abbey, but were prevented making our
visit to Yarrow by company. was with
Scott from morning to night; rambling
about the hills and streams, every one of
which would bring to his mind some old
tale or picturesque remark. 1 was charmed
with his family. He has two sons and two
daughters. Sophie Scott, the eldest is be-
tween seventeen and eighteen a fine little
mountain Iassie, with great deal of her
fathers character, and the most engaging
frankness and naivete. Ann, the second
daughter, is about sixteen; pleasing girl,
but her manner is not so formed as her sis.
ter. The oldest lad, Walter, is about fif
teen, but surprisingly tall of his age, hav
ing the appearance of nineteen. he is
quite sportsman. Scott says he has
taught him to ride, to shoot, and to tell the
truth. The younger boy, Charles, how.
ever. is the inheritOr of his fathers geniu.