New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-11-03
DINING DIXON.

book.writer who has been travelling IN this country,
departed for home last week IN state OF health which
we can but consider mracuously good after the Sc
we're attack Of leonization to which be was subjected
in Philadelphia; for in that town he was not only pub
lcy dined and wined but he was also remorselessly
taken to see one of Benjamin Vests pictures Tin
the possession Of the unfortunate Dir. Harrson) with
which work OF art Mr. Hepworth Dixon declared
| himself g charmed" Well do we remember this
mighty canyas-six Indians upon one side, six Quak-
ers upon the other SIDE witha fresh invoice of season.
able dry goods in the middle There are from eight
70 ten square miles (be the same more or less) Of
pictures by the same artist in England, which Mr.
Dixon might have seen without the trouble OF sea
voyage and the agonies of nautical nausea; but it
was q sort Of satisfaction we suppose, to view the
picture Of the landing upon the very place Of the
landing, and to compare the rather than else wooden
" friends Of Mr.. West with their more yvaclouS
descendants
Mr. Hepworth Dixon, it is well known, is the
champion of William Penn's moral character against
the ISLANDERS Of Lord Macaulay That his lordship
was substantially wrong IN his general estimate OF
William PennS character. personal and political, Is
STILL in spite of Mr.. Dixons calculations, doubtul
but he was unquestionably at fault in few OF his
Details and of these the most has been made
Lord Macaulay is by no means the first writer who
has ventured TO doubt the absolute perfection oil
William Penn, and to maintain that, although an
excellent man, he was not without his foibleS. That
he kept upon good terms with the most wretched of
monarchs will remain significant fact to those who
remember the proud indignation with which George
Fox told Oliver Cromwell! that he would neither eat
OF his bread nor drink Of his cup. But, talking of
bread and cups let return to Mr.. Dixohs dinner.
Over this banquet Mr. Morton McMchael presided,
and very severely Mr.. Mem. must have tried Mr.
Dixon's modcsty for he told that gentleman to his
face that his knowledge" comprehensive and
accurate" - that his "powers of observation"
were "acute and vigorous that he was very
strong in his discrimination, illustration, descup-
ton and narrative" and as for his style" it
was like "a fncly.polished blade OF damask
Steel bright and keen, and incisive.' Mr.
Men, told off Mr.. Dixon's virtues as practical
phrenologist tells off subjects bumps. He was also
lkened to Ithuriel and his pen to the spear OF
Ithuriel whereas according TO our private inorma-
ton, Mr.. Dixon uses an extrafne Joseph elliott No
1903, and not in the least like a spear. Mr.. Mem.
called this =" a trenchant weapon" All we have TO
say is that gross of them perfect little armOry
may be bought for an inconsderabe sum of money
By any proudly ambitious gentleman DESTROYS of set
ting up as an Ithuriel. In nfy to these highly COM
plimcntary observations, the slightly embarrassed
Mr. Dixon made speech which The philadelphia
Press tells us was quite witty, which we must say
strikes US as damnaby faint praise. The blushing
| guest ended by inviting the whole company to dine
with him at his residence in Yorkshire, England
upon a day uncertain and very much we hope they
| will enjoy the return dinner, when they get 1t.
But ifMr Dixon was the lion of the evening, II is
pleasing to know that he not, so to speak, ZOO
logically isolated for according TO the report before
u.s. there were there eating their dinner and making
their speeches. and looking hard at Mr.. Dixon that
they might know him if they should meet him again,
great number Of lesser lons not of the Lybian but
of the Philadelphia breed. There was DIR. Shelton
| Mackenzie who never" according TO The Press,
appeared in a more brilliant yen"-the IMAM of true
genius" that he is There was Mr. Boxer, who for
some reason or other is called the excellent George"
"A famliarly reverential style Of appeation which
reminds US Of 20 Rare Ben" aud which is the more
appropriate because Mr.. Boxer, like Ben Jonson. has
written anumber Of plays Then comes Mr. Glngham
Fell who was eloquent and just "a compound OF
Dcmosthcnes and Aristidcs. Then Mr. John Jay
Smith Of Germantown, who is not reported because
it would be trenching family privacy to do so,
which seems little odd after the liberties taken with
Mr.. Bayard Taylors name, and with the names OF
several other gentlemen present, including Doctor
Austin Abone, the immor,alizer of authors, and
Mr. Joseph Harmon, whose collection of pictures,
containing Vests celebrated one Of Penn's Landing,
Mr.. Dixon had been charmed with in the morning"
Dr. H. Coates read an " excellent" ODE "To the
Defender of Penn, but before he did Mr.. Daniel
Dougherty concluded this charming evening with
one Of those displays of witty eoqueuce for which he
!, so ccurted aud admired at every gay and festive
scene" Mr.. d. is apparently such tremendous fell
low that we must quote at length what is said of
him.
"Thcre are those who Doughery only the eloquent
adv terrible the powerful defender nj the
har OF Justice and there those who have thought OF him
lately scarce otherwise than the eloquent orator arguing the
Of aggreycd nation before listening electors But ms
glory well where from behind our screen saw m On
the time that he forced to come out there was
nothing sdrog, ' somc,SnS 10 continue n concluded as
delightful occasion suspect as Mr. epworth Dixon has
ever enjoyed will, either side Of the Atlantic"
This Is really like the laughter Of the gods in
high state of nectar If Mr. II. ID. didn't enjoy it no
deserves never to be invited to private dinner pub
licly TO be reported again. "Sad boys sad boys!"
We fear William Penn would have raped on the
cleaning mahogany his spirit could have been sue
cessfully invoked We leave this jolly company over
their cups in which we trust headache lurked; and
conclude our notice by condoling with all these gen.
temen who find themselves so decidedly advertised,
excepting always Dr. Shelton Mackenzie, who is not
probably in the least angry, being "a man OF true
genius" and Mr.. Dan. Dougherty, who no doubt
laughs over these aurels as joke almost as good as