Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-02-06
william Makepeace Thackery.


BY the Africa We have the announce
ment of the death of the popular English
novelist. Tbackeray. This comes unex.
pectedly, as we had received no previous
intima,ion of the probability of such an
event.
This brilliant and mordant writer was
born in Calcutta in the year 1911. His
father, 'Dan Of good family, WAS in the
East India Company's civil service. Young
Thacxery was sent at sn early age to
England. and received the best part Of
bis education at the Charterhouse School
He then entered the University of Cam.
bridge, but did not take degree there,
owing, probably, to the fact that he came
into possession OF Aegacy Of 10000,
which, left him free to consult his own
tastes. He chose the : profession of an
nHNt and. spent several years on the con-
tipaat IN travel and: study. OF the prof.
e'eas> Atrxt. he 4iaixa ip this pursuit
h AforA some SHa No$ ,e@a>i'al
drying w..whehe Illustrated some
.iAsi irrlie, works 4 neRA'apefsfscu.
'a'ion in'whtehhesss3satkN Il wi!b h, father
in London swal'owsd up The efeatsr part
Of the fortune %he he had .ac< fred on
coming Of age, and he decided on devot
ing himself to literature as n profession.
Whatever may be the d.linquencies of
Of the London Times, one great quality
cannot be denied to its management. Its
columns are always open to the articles of
young writer's whose contributions exhibit
evidence Of talent. In artistic, literary
and political efforts for that paper Thack.
eray's pen found for time profitable EN-.
ploymen, lie then became contributor
to Fazers Magazine, for which he wrote
stories and little Of almost everything.
Under the pseudonym of Michael Angelo
Ti.marsh he produced succcssively "Our
Wives" 1.-The Yellow Plush Papers, 1.-The
Paris Sketchbook," "Rebecca and Rowe,
ma" Journey from Cornhill to Cairo"
The Irish Sketchbook,' &c. None Of
these attained atty great popularity, nor
did their author take any real hold Of the
public favor until the establishment of
Punch. Here his peculiar vein Of satire
found i:s natural field Of em mployment -
The papers entitled The Fat Contribu>
tor" 'Jeemes' Diary" and "The Snob
Papers, at orcc attracted attention and
fixed his place as a writer. The high es-
timate formed of his abilities from these
efforts was confirmed by the publication of
VANITY Fair The completion of the
work, which was published in mon,h'y
parts, left bin second in popularity only
to Dickens.
The reputation thus acquired was bril-,
Iiantly sustained by "Pendennis,' "The
History Of Henry Esmond.' "The New.
comes," &c, published in the CornhiH
Magazine, a periodical Of which he assum.
co the editorial charge.
In the summer Of 1851 Mr.. Thackeray
made his Grst essay before London audi.
ence as a lecturer. The subject tLat he
chose for this occasion was "The English
Humorists Of the Eighteenth Century, to
which no man was more qualified to do
justice. The brilliant series OF d,scourses
which he grouped under this head had an
immense success, and were repeated with
the same favor in Scotland aud this coun-
try. He found the results of his visit here
50 profitable that he embraced the first
opportunity tha. his literary engagements
afforded to repeat it. His lectures on the
-Four Georges formed the staple of his
budget this time, and they were delivered
in New York and all our principal cities
in tie winter of 1856 Mr.. Thackeray
made a large sum Of money by these lee.
lures, and was received with the utmost
cordiali,y and friendship a, the houses of
all our lending people. And now, having
done justice 10 his merits as n writer, we
must in justice to ourselves say something
as to his merits as a man.
Notwithstanding the severity with which
he lasLed the snobbery which pervades
English society from the highest to the
lowest, We question if there could have
been found more amusing embodiment
of that tendency than Thacktray himself
No man could .oady when it suited his
purpose with more humbleness, or be
more overbearing to his interiors -- al other
phase of the same quality. Certainly no
one could have repaid with more ingra',.
tude the many kindnesses that he received
here. La his manner of speaking Of .his
country, its people and its institutions,
there was always tone Of disparagement
and IN affected pity, which, however
laughable in an ilIi.erate cockney, are