The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-21
William Makepeace Thackeray.

William Malepeace Thackeray.
This brilliant and mordant writer was born In Cal
cutia tn 1S1l His father, nan OF gnod flBily,
was In the East india Csmpany's civil ser.scas-
Young Thackcray was seni ut an early age to Eng
land, and received the best part of his edJeation ~
the ChaIts rhuHse School. He ihrt, entered the
Uniyersity of Cambridge, bu diti not take degree
ttets, owing probably To The fact tiat DC CANE into
possession OF legacy of G11 ,01o, which iefthfm
iree 10 consult his o.sn tastes. lie chose he pro-
fesston of an artist, and spent several years on the
continent In travel and study OF the proficiency
which he atiaised in this parsui: we can form
some Idea from the capital drawings with which
lie illustrated some of his earlier works. A news
papeE speculation in which lie embarked with his
rather In London swallowed the greater part OF
the fortune which he had acquired on coming If
age, aud he deciiei Oh devotng hlmssif IN iifera-
ture professinr
Whatever may be the delinsueaces of the Lon
It's management, Its Columns are away open to
the articles OF young writers whose contributions
eahihLt evidences OF iairn. In artistic, literary,
and political efforts for That paper, Tbackeray's
pen found for tiIle Pr~f able employment He
then became IL coniribtrter to FsaasT'S M1gns,;ls,
inf whieh he wio'e stories and title o. almost
esetJ hiog. Under the pseJdonpn of Michael
Aree'' 7 .tmH'h, he ptodttced successively ssOur
Wives, ''Tne yellow Plush Papers, ssThe
Paris : S~e tchbona,' s.Rebecca and Rowena,"eA
Jour ey rom Coruiii tn Clisn.,, ts'j'he irish
SkeichhcoF.' TIE 7GcGad Eunerai of NapoIeon,'
'N!he Chtoh.-i. .fthe Gnim - SC. None OF these
aianee any sseat popniasity, nor did their anthor
take fny real no,d Of The public favor until the es
*ittrel found its uatnre field of els piogment The
papers entitled s'fhe Fat Contributor" .tJeemes's
DIasIk' and "Fie snoD Papcrz' at once attracted
'tifnhon and fixed bis place writer. The
b,ra Estimate 10 med OF his abilities sfum these
e;ort was confirmed by The publication of "Vant-
~ FIT" The completion of the WORK, which
was anb isned in monthly parts, left him second
ohN, IN popularity, to Dickens.
iIa reputation thus acquired was brilliantly sus
talked by " Pendennis,' (lo50) ''i'he History oC
Hehig Esmond.' 1882 .sTbc Newcomes," (I85:3)
and 9 Fee Vir.nsns +" (!657) His later novels,
''LoWci. the WidoHer," published in the Cor1,3ju
l5EJsfi"@, periodical of which he assumed tf,-
editorial chafge, aud .'fae Adventures OF Philip
take lower raBk. In the intervals between he
appeHahce o ''ie above he published several tiuor
tales and Christmas stories, such sour Street"
''i}f. Birch and his Young Friend, )" ''Tnc KICKED
turys on the Rhine,' sc.
i. the summer of 1851 TT. Tiackeray mad. hi,
firsressay before London audience as a lecturer
TIC subject that br chose for this occasion was
''ihe English NunOTsts OF the Eighteenth Cen
uiFy,' 10 whic:t 40 man was NOR qualified 10 fn
justice. Ihe brilliant series Of hiScoHrses which
he grouped under this head han immense sue
cess, aud were repeated wish The same favor III
Scotland and ibis country. HeAfonnd the results
visit here profitable that II. embraced the
i4fueI 40 repeat IL, His lectures .'I'he Four
t:Tac5 formed e pie OF his budget tiiis iifiA,
ald they were delivered i'll \ ew York and other
Cities III the winter ot 1860, Nr. Tl9CkgFay made
a large sum at money by Eaese lectures.
4 mritag in ths London Cfi.s gives the following
rather uattvorahe Criticism upon THackeray, yet
al who are familiar wjti :s'yeriiings will acknow-
ledge that there > MITCH truth In it:
Uulike Dickens, ThacSeray has more genius
than genEality. Where tese Is genius o. tie high
est kind, the geailitty Will ai~aYs be ia proportion.
a. we see in The i.iuatYius Instance Of : rdst,-dr
but ia genius of high kimd. tsiosgA not o: ih.
highest, gen atty il the Dante, may i,n
altogether wanting. Without genius of tge highest
kind. withC<t genius o! a hilh khi, Th.tckcT4g il
Il destitute OF gcnia!its it i possible lor i mau
0i ge5us 20 be. EVan NOR" importaAt than iaith
in Gn,i Is Iit u !rljn nature, This faith haca-
kefsy does h,- utmost 90 oestrag. H. paints; lie
seldom cancatufes. 0ut he seems 10 degat in
painting ou.y such tie as can b" seen ia London
Cinb= and Paris heii~
Every man h's Ugly leProns spots 9n his own
nature, which the avcugiug deitics continually
thrust before his eyes. Hay. tn XII shame, cr
hope, nubleaes9 iljs >0ui, should ou ia iGdt
ti0n drive him iato Az atuU~P Phtfe hgayy WilfGie
stencil of all the III ,alnie>. EaU make fresh pl-
luton when Continually atITriEg tne pHutiOHs.---
Let the pOHi0ns alone, Baicss, ike Hercules yuu
c'tn tuTa river ia Gpou them 81 carry them away.
GianCina back for { hundred and fifty years,
THaeseray cnuid see nothing but four dejesiabie
k.4gS CHANGING around, lie can nothing but
Pa!ineTs that murder, R0bRas that suicide, and
universal Enohhe,y. Gdrn' say ali the While
iEacsUIay, a. prosperous author and lecturer CON
Times in the midst oi this horrible world to make
himself very comfortable. our misanthropist, or
pretended n,is4ntFopist, loves al least one man
weIi. [,GaFrciias ":!:h fHac6eray's criticisms, do
likewise qcGgECi witi ;is s,y.e NJ; style, for
few st les bo better. object il thai it, j. an
elaborate imitation EA-si, styfe III the addi-
s0aidn period.
Iii Edmund Yates, member like Tnaekeray,
Of The. CGrfirk Cub in London, gives Us tie fol
lowing portrait uf the great autAof-a portrait, by
the Hay. ;har called i3fih a sharp .etter~ron
T6aGi.eray, demanding an apology
''s!.. 9nackeray is ~ years Old, ttsis was in
So though from the sti.rry whlJeness of his
hair, Ae appears somewhat Older. H. Is vary tail ;
standing upwards o SIX feet tW inches, a:,a as he
walks erect lis HejTllt salkrs hiH. conspicuous iii
every assembly. His face is 5io0t,ess, and got
particularly expressive, huL remarkable tOr the
fracture ot tie Llidge Of Ihe u0se Ae result OF
&c ident In yoUtu He wears Stu-ii sfey WAi>krr,
bu, otherwise = clean sli4Yen No HI1tiug
him eDuid iail 10 recognise in him Zehlieman
his bearing j. cold aal unagtjn. his stye of coa-
ve:Satipn ctl:cr openly cy"scti of "iiectedy god
i.aured ana a"ne,0iGHt Ills Ltt1j3s i Forced, his
viii biting, hs pride -d>i'y ttsiched-bnt his dp-
pgaTGHce Is invariably that OF the cC3i silage,
we'll bred gentleman, who, WhateTer may lie rank
ling within, suffers no surface display oi bis emo
iioa."
HnRRBLs AFFAIR --J4cpb Schr;aer and Adam
~t,I