The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-07-21
Ladies with Literary husbands.

A brief sketch of the late Madam de Lam
urtine has Just been published in Paris,
which tells the world something of her do
nestle life. 1t appears that she copied with
her own hand all of Nj. de Lamartine's works
except Gle Grondins." All of the copy
supplied to the printer is in her hand she
kept the poets own manuscripts as a pre-
cious treasure, which she knew posterity
would value as highly as she did. He wrote
the poem ''Jocelyn" in a large album which
he used for an account book. The obve rse
face of the leaves contained the accounts of
the laborers in his vineyards the reverse
was covered with poetry. After the poem
was completed, and negotiations with pub
Usher was carried to a successful issue, Lam
airline, pointing to the album as he mounted
his horse to make one Of his usual long ex-
cursions, asked his wife to send it to the
printer She opened it, and seeing at first
nothing but the accounts Of the laborers in
the vineyard, thought there must be a mis-
take. She examined further, and found the
reverse face Of every leaf contained 'tJocelyn''
She laughed, took the album to her secretary,
and resoIutely set to work to copy the DO
EN-. NJ de Lamartine thought his work in
the publishers hands, until a week after
ward, when, as they were sitting down to
breakfast, she gave him the album and the
unblotted manuscript of ''Jocelyn." The
poet was so deeply tou ched that he took a
pen and wrote the three dedicatory strophes
to Maria Anna Eliza, which are to be found
on the first page of that work She copied
all of M. de Lamartines correspondence.
She leaves a grert many letters scattered in
the hands of friends, which NJ. Dargaud it
is said, is collecting with view to publca-
ton. They are represented as written with
great talent
A still greater service was performed by
the wife of Sir William Napier in the COM
position Of his great work on the History
of the Peninsular War In the Life" of
Sir William recently published in London.
we find an interesting alIusion to her ad-
mirable zeal and ability: "When the i'm
mense mass of King Joseph's correspon-
dence taken at Nittoria was placed in my
hands, was dismayed at finding it to be a
huge collection of letters, without order, and
III three languages, one of which | did not
understand. Many, also, were in very grabbed
and illegible characters, especially those of
Joseph's own writing, which is nearly as
difficult to read as kapoeon's. The most
important documents were in cipher, and
there was no key. Despairing of any prof
liable examination in these valuable mate
rails, the Thought crossed ME of giving up
the work, when my wife undertook, first to
arrange the letters by dates aud subjects,
next to make table of reference, translating
and epitomizing the contents of each and
this, without negIecting for an Instant the
care and education of very large family
she effected in such simple and compre-
hensive manner, that it was easy to ascer-
tain the contents of any letter, and Law
hands on the original document in few
mordd4ts. She also undertook to decipher
the secret correspondence and not only
succeeded, but formed a key to the whole,
detecting even the nulls and stops, and so
accurately, that when, in course of time the
original was placed in my hands, there was
nothing to learn. Having mentioned this
10 the Duke OF Wellington, he seemed at
trst incredulous, observing that | must
mean that she had made out the contents
of some letters. Several persons had done
this for him, he said, but none had ever
made out the nulls or formed key,adding.
81 would have given 32O, 900 to any person
who would have done that for me in the
Peninsular.