Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-08-19
ALEYA. GAZETTE & VIRGINIA ADVERTISER.
Lever. the Novelist.

OF professional jokers, Lever was the most
obstinate and obstreperous and lteratlve. Flash
es of silence were as rare with him as they were
with Macaulay himself. The jokes were always
uttered, too, with overwhelming assurance that
they could never become stale or fiat. There
was pun of Sydney Smiths, and not a very
eminent one, which he seemed never to tire OF
telling. Mrs Grote, the wife Of the distinguish
ed historian, appeared once at solree with a
queer sort of turban on her accomplished head.
Look at that" said Sydney, ''shat's the origin
of the word grotesque.
Levers sweet brogue was decided helper OF
his fun, and so was his aboundlDg good fellow
ship. When he pleased, he could talk continu-
ously and Interestingly. | once heard him dis
course Sir Henry Bulwer on hygienlcs in style
that was worthy Of Il professor though occa-
sionally with sly allusion to the weakness of
the hynochoudriacal diplomat, The ambassa.
dor in Glcncovc is a caricature photograph OF
Sir Henry in Levers best manner. As the
novelist was originally medical man, he knew
enough Of the pharmacopGia to make quite a
show of powders and pills, and possessed tamll-
arity enough with ailments to exhibit skill 10
diagnosis so that his hipped Envoy is crack
character in his gallery. There were other
individuals resident iu Florence whom he
took off in his novels in unmistakable por-
Major, more military than martial, was very
fierce in vengeful talk against the mlrth making
artist, but discrectly confined himself to verbal
Indignation He might, indeed, have said to
his prosecutor, as little DR.. Hewson, Of Phi!a-
dephia, said to big lawyer Broome OF that llk ::
''Sir your size protects you for Harry Lor-
requer would have been an ugly customer III a
scuffle His potent physique sufficiently ex-
planned his power Of work, which must have
been enormous, considering the time he devot-
ed to amusement.
No afternoon but he was to be seen at the
Cascine galloping around with his wife and
daughters, and taking all the sport OF the place
and no night when he was not to be found,
either at his own house or some one S else with
his hands full of cards. Great was he at whist,
and great were his gains theretrom; so much
so that at times there were uglywhlspers about
his play, which no one. however, seriously be-
lered. He commanded success because he de-
served it, his skill at the game being unique;
and, then, nothing succeeds like success. For
tune don't, in general, like to waste her favors
on desertless players. Why Lever should have
been so acrimonious as he often was 10 his
O'Dowdisms particularly, against Americans
is hard to explain.
Levers pen was the property of great pub
fishing house in London, to which he was un-
der contract for el,5O0 yecr to furnish GER
tain amount of manuscript Quantity, there
fore, even more than quality, was his object,
so everything, pretty much, was grist that
came to his mill When he couldn't snow
white paper any longer, he showed brown with
equal GOODNESS. Had he condensed himself, he
might have done much that would live instead
of many things that ''to-rorr will be dy-
ing" That contract once saved his life. He
had taken passage in the unfortunate Arctic to
pay us visit, but his employers forbade the
trip for the moment and thus prevented him
from going down into the sea with the ship
One can imagine his Erinica rage at the pro-
hbtion, and his Hibernian ecstasy at the es-
cape How often do we vituperate the sources
OF salvation. Our prayer ought mostly to be-,
DO not grant me what ask Lever s resi-
dence was in the Paazzo Capponi on the Arno,
until his appointment to the Vice. Consulate at
Spezzia. Afterwards he was promoted to the
Consulate at Triest, where he lost his wife. 1t
seems but yesterday that saw her cantering
in buxom life between her husband and her
rosy daughter through the alleys Of the Cas-
cine, laughing gayly at her owD or his quips.-.
q" English Singing Birds IN Florcuce," IN
!ScriJncr $ for September.