The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-05-25
Charles Lamb.


thing relating to this beloved humor-
list. Tie place where he last lived and
where he died is visited, even thus
early, by pilgrims, who have n kindly
curious sympathy with anything ever
associated with his name. A cores.
pondent of the New York Tribune
lately visited Edmonton and gives the
following interesting narrative of his
excursion:
Edmonton is about ten miles out
of London, lying on the southeast; you
reach it by the Great Eastern railway,
starting from Shoreditch A journey,
mostly over the hous tops of dingy
neighborhood, brings you through the
outskirts of the giant metropolis and
heterogeneous blending of town and
country common TO all suburbs, to
fields and the little town i'll questions
the S alton where one ahghts being
partially over the wash, or pond, cele-
DRAFTED IN Cowper's immortal ballad of
John Gilpin. Church lane, leading to
the church yard, is close behind; five
minutes will bring you TO the latter
| inquired my way of fellow travel
Ter, who lesenbled retired military
officer, wearing the cap, beard and
moustache appropriate to one: He
prOiessod himself an inhabitant Of
Edmonton, and ci,illy asked me if he
could be of any service in directing
me more infinitely, when / tod him
MY object "Chnrles Lamb r. said he;
II rocollect the old gentleman very
we'll | helped to bury him. | stared
ana questioned Inn, when he proved
TO be the sexton Of the place. He
could give me no live memoranda of
Eia, beyond the fact that "he always
dressed in black (Which / knew be-
fore, but pointed ont the house
where he died were close to it
aud subsequently guided me to the
grave. | shall speak of the house
first; it has not been described in any
of the publications. about Lamb, nor,
SO far as / am aware of, been put IN
print at all.
1T is in Church lane. and known
as Bay Cottage then as now, a mod
est little tenement, approached by a
narrow stnp of garden, aud Shout
dered into the background by more
pretentious nj bbUts -one Il ",iila,
with hon ranplug N stone, or ut
least IN plaster, on each side of Its
carriage entrance Down this strip
runs "A central grass-plot, margined by
tnm flower beds, II walk of neat whit
ened tlag-stones leading to the low,
Old fashioned door The house is a
decidedly small Que, two stories in
height, evidently Of brick, plastered,
with yellow-brown stains upon It, a
blue slate roof, Of two different angles,
divided by horizontal line. The adj
Joining houses rise above It, is well as
squeeze 1t INTO the rear. One old
fashioned window, opening centrally,
with sixteen small panes OF glass to II,
atoids hight 10 the ground moor; there
are two above Ia tins upper room
Charles Lamb died The neatest,
humbiest quetest Of retiring places,
Bay Cottage may take ats name
from ciump OF greeuery near the
door-must have looked Just the
same dunng hls residence rs it does
now--as 1t did on the mild, duh April
afternoon that / stood gazing through
the rails ut 1t, listening to the reedy
thrill of thrush Singing III the trees
next door, and fancylng that quaint
figure III black emerging over the
Threshold, and coming with "a bland
sweet smile toward me.
"A very brief space brought us tc
the churchyard 1t is large, irregu-
lar shaped one, with many perpendic,
ular white tombstones IN it, fewer flat
ones, and numerous green mounds Of
the ordinary form; there are trees
environmg II. The church, built Of
white stoue, with some handsome win
dows of the decorated and 'perpen.
dIcular styles, and here and there wei
massed with ivy, is above the average
Lambs grave lies away to the left
as you enter from Church lane, be
tween two gravel paths, not far from
the taned fence of large garden
which makes II sharp angle in the
churchyard. II has tallish stone al
the head, with the inscription and wei
known lines written by Dante Carey
cut entirely i'll Italian pital letter.
(tGo lines overruning, the redundant
words are inserted below on the right
hand side of the stone, like refrain }
and small one at the foot, containing
simply the initials of those beneath
Between is IL neatly, and, l think, new
ly-tulfed mound. The adjacent monu
ment of 'Gidon Rippou, of Eagle
House, Edmonton, aud the Bank o
England. on the right, Is no, II hide
Gus erection OF the tiuted order of VII
lage architecture, mvidiously descr.b
ed in The Saturday Reuie,c, four years
ago, but peatish tomb of the moderi
Greek style, with quandrupled pedl
ment, Soaneau ornaments and low
) iron rail surrounding 1t.
Neither is Lambs grave no,o over
grown with nettles and long grass
as then was probably the disgracefu
truth though. by the way, the sexton
denied it), for one could see by thu
disco. Grafton of the headstone that "a
least one foot nine inches of eartl
had, not very long ago, been removed
from it, while that at the foot mus
have needed all but excavation. a