The New York herald., 1866-09-19
BOOK NOTICES.
On AAIHs LAnR: A Hem90n BY Barry Cornwall
Roberts Brothers, Boston.

Barry Cornwall hr Proctor now his seventy seventh
year, is perhaps the only surviving Intimate friend
Of Charles Lamb. IN this volume, which is less a mo
mor Of the exceibui Ella than OF desultory
mniscences, particularly OF the last seventeen
eighteen yesIa Of his fe the poetwrtng prose charm
ingy, like almost all Roets-adds but few facts not
already familiar to the reading world Yet how fully
well as briefly and with what psthos he repeats the
story Of Charles Lambs life A life simple and mono
tonous enough that OF poor clerk the India House.
but interesting to all lovers Of the best old English liter
ature tasto for which he revived by his enthusiastic
study Of It, and by the reproduction, in his sxqui
site style Of It's finest Qualities superadding the flavor
OF very curious and peculiar humor and spirit moro
human than breathes other page interesting also
from the loving companonship Of some OF the foremost
men in modern English literature Colerdge, southey,
Wordsworth, HazIitt Leigh Hunt Tafourd, Berry Corn
wall and other ntllnates Of Charles Lamb, all OF them
like Barry Cornwall, "proud TO associate their names
with his; and above ALL life heroic in constant and
uncomplaning endurance Of a fato mysteTiously
awful mpended tragedies Of ancient Greece
Mr. Proctor says-"The fact that distinguished Charles
Lamb from other men was his entire devotion 10
grand and tender purpose. There Ia, probably,
nance involved In every me. Iu his life il exceeded
that Of Others In gravity In acuteness in his mob e
battle with great calamity Il was beyond tho rest
Neither pleasure toll ever distracted him from his
holy purpose Everything made subservient TO IL
He had an insane sister, who. In moment Of uncon-
troabe Madness had unconsoousIy destroyed her own
mother; and TO protect and this sister-a gentle
woman--who had watched like mother over his
infancy, the whole length Of his life devoted What
he endured through the space Of nearly forty years
from the ncesssnt fear and frequent OF his
sister's insanity, can only be conjecturedn
One Of the earliest sacrifices which he made to his
OF duty 70 this unfortunate sister giving up
her sake the only real attachment Of his life Mr. Proc
tor sayss-It has been considered somewhat probable
that Alice W. was an imaginary being-some Celia,
Csmpsspc Lindamra Y but no persuaded that tho
attachment real. Lamb confessed that he never
spoke to Hester savoy, the young Quakoress with whom
he fell in love- At q later period. He cherished 70 the
last "a very deep patcrnal Affection for tour Emma as
he used TO call Miss Emma lsola now Mrs. Moxon whom
he and his sister Mary nSt knew when little orphan
girl at school, and afterwards, as 1t were, adopted
We have no space for extracts and must be content
to refer readers this charming Charles
Lamb for q mastery analysis OF his character and
genius account Of his literary experiences appre
cstve criticism Of his writings for choice specimens OF
his hamor from Mr. Proctors recollection and
rsspondenoe sketches Of his familiar companions,
few Of them famous writers, list Of his various lodg
ings In and London and descriptions Of his per-
sonal appearance These portraits Of him are lfeke
representing him . sehoolboy at Christ's Hospital;
clerk - the South Sea House. meeting in leisure
hours his old school-fei,ow, Samuel Taylor Cosridge
then Of Jesus College, Cambridge At the smoky little
public house in the neghborhooc Of smith6eId-the
"safntasion and cai'-consecrated by pipes and to-
bacco lOrinoco), by egg hot and Welsh rabbits
physics and poetry; India House clerk, a small
spare man, clothed in black, with . long melancholy
face and keen, penetrating eyes, walking, with short
rsouts step. ctywards, looking the face for
more than moment yet osntrivlng to everything
~ be went along, or on hts return homo stopping
pore over the shelves Of street book stall and again
as moss bospitabls host his Wednesday and Thun-
day evenings st home In the midst Of select company
Of guests reading men or authors old friends who
had no name or pretensions" playing "a not silent
whist" and nsglsctng neither the veal pie the side
board, nor the pipes nor the cheerful glasses Mr..
Proctor ushers into the plainly and almost
csrelsssly furnished where his old friend
hvsd, Al his house In Russell street, Covent Gar.
den. "Ist us enter it for q moment Its ovnaments
you zee, are Principally several long shelves OF
ancient books THESE his ragged Veterans Some
Of Hosarth's prints-two after Leonardo ds vinc and
rtAn--and porsrai, Of Pope enrich tho wallis At the
table sits elderly lady lin apectacies rssding while
from old-fashioned chair by the nre springs up
little spare in black, with . couutensaoe pregnant
with expression, deep pes In bis forehead quick lumi.
nous resslem eyes, and smile ~ sweet threw
sunshss upon the human face. You see that you are
welcome He spsaks:-'wsll, boys, how you :
What's the news with your What viii you takep You
are comfortable In . moment Reader, IL 10 Charles
Lamb who 10 before you-ihs CRITIC the essayist the
poet the w.t. the large minded human being whose ap
prshsnson could grasp without effort ofiiest sub
jsc and descend In genteness upon the bumbles who
synpaihired with all classes and conditions OF men,
readily with the sunerings OF the tattered besgax and
the poor chimney sweepers boy with the starry con
temptations OF Hamlet tho Dane the eagle cd
madness Of Lear
An appendix presents the opinions Of Hazlitt Leigh
Hunt, John Forster, Tsfourd, and Barry Cornwall him.
self, respecting Charles Lamb who an sssayis says
Mr Forster, viii be remembered in years come with
Rsbslss and hontsigne, with Sir ThomAe Browne with
Steele and with Addison.
SrANIsH PAPKRs AND OrHRn MrscgLIAxrEs HIrH.
RRro UNPUBLISHED ON UscoLLEcrgD by Wash
ington Irving Arranged and edited by Pierre
NJ. Irving. In two volumes. g. r. Putnam
and Hurd Houghton, New York.
A portrait OF Washington Irving, from Q drawing by
wkic taken At Seville in ls2s prsnred 70 the arst Of
these two volumes Tho editor states ha, for the por.
ton Of the volumes here given 20 the press for The
time he has drawn upon the unpublished manuscripts
beqaeshed TO him by Mr. Irving This portion Is Mus.
rave Of the the between tho spanisrds and the
Moors and consists Of the Legend Of Pslayo,n the
Chronicle OF Count Fernan Gonsaes" the illus.
trsous hero OF his epoch Who united the kingdoms of
Leon and CASTLE. aud the "Chronice Of Fernando the
Saint, that renowned champion OF the Faith, under
whom tho greater part Of Spain rescued from the
Moors or The Chronicle or the onnmsdss the editor
has given only the story OF Abdsahman the founder OF
the dynasty This had already been published but not
precisely 10 iis present form The volume commences
with the fascinating Legends Of tho Conquest OF span
limited edition of which published In 1885, but
long ago exhausted. The second volume com.
posed Of the Letters OF jonathan 0ldstye, Gent,
Biographical sketches, Reviews and Mscelsncs II s
selection from ths scattered productions OF Mr. Irvngs
pep which hls intention have brought together
and Included In the collective edition Of his works
rhsss two volumes carry the purpose which be ef
unfunisd hs death and will satisfy the public desire
70 have the COLLECTION of his writings complsts