Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-03-01

grown to q graceful and lovely maindenhood,
son lives to bear his fathers title and ancient
state, and to pTolong the literary fame of the
Ly.tons by the production Of such poems as
ssLucille." For some time after the separation
the children remained with the mother; subs
quently-how, is not publicly known--they we're
q ansferred to the fathers household.
Bulwer vas always loyal subject OF the sin
gular and fascinating sovereignty, which the
Countess Of Blessington, with the witty and inn
maculately -attired D'Orsay as her prime minis
ter, established at Gore House; and be was
handsome royalty of that sple Ddid resort looked
with especial favor. Lady Blessington was
three yesrs older than Bulwer, and when, in
or esh anu IN t nes lane
ty OF her beauty. Lander declared to Crabb
Robinson, In his hearty, extravagant way, that
she was "by far the most beautiful woman he
ever saw, and was 30 deemed at the court Of
George W. She was full of lively anecdote, q
most agreeable talker, an authoress of no slight
merit and yivacity, and was never tired of talk
ing about Byron, whom she had known well,
bnt whom She does not appear to have greatly
admired. She was, in short, most char ming,
dressed richly and with remarkable taste, and
was, to RobinsOn's eyes, ga handsome French
man, of stately person." Among the frequent
ers Of her saloons were many, IL not most, Of
Marryat, Landor, Rogers, Hood, Moore, Camp,
bell, and . host of others. Sir Thomas Law
renee was often seen there, and painted pOr
trait Of her, which preserves to pOsterity a face
Of singular loneliness and spirit. Bulwer found
her a delightful friend-one who heartily ap-
preciated lin, and trumpeted his praises In
just the regions where he desired most to be rec
ognized. When he went to Italy, and after his
return, when away from London, he kept up
with Lady Blessington a lively and spar ding
correspondence. Many of these letters have
Deen printed, and in them are glimpses of the
novelist's nature, habits, hopes. fears, emotions
Writing on one occasion, he saws, 81 am now
going to plunge into histories of China, light
my pipe, read a page, and muse an hour. and
be very dull and melancholy for the rest Of the
evening" Again he exclaims: ''After all, life
is q troublesome business, and often long {,
shut up shop and retire from the profession"
Dorset, he gives an outline Of his daily rou-
tine: "My avocations are rs simple my his
tory. hterdifxc away the morning, ride at
through the evening as 1 best may-sometimes
by correcting proof" He was an incorrigible
reader, as well as writer of novels, and his let
tiers abound with illusions to, and 'fashing wit
ticisms of, the fcti0ns of the day. OF his habits
a. an author, which are called up by the last
quotation, a writer in Bentley said: "Bulwer
failure, through ridicule. His facility is ONLY
the result of practice and study. He wrote at
hrst very slowly and with great difficulty, but
ne resolved to master the stubborn instrument
OF thought, and did IL. He has practised writ
ing as an art, and has rewritten some of his es-
SAYS unpublished, nine or ten times over. H,
writes three hours day-from ten till ONE
seldom later. He writes very rapidly, averag-
ing twenty pages day of novel print, BOtli
his hours OF writing, and the length of his daily
application to the pen, conceded with the lit
ef en- habit OF his rival, Charles Dickens. Som,
OF the essays spoken of as having been 50 NAM
tunes rewritten, were doubtless published MANI
years aftcrward in the remarkable SERIES under
the name OF "Caxtoniana," which he cOntribu-
ted to BlackwoOd.
Lady Blessington never wearied of descant-
ing uPon BulMers genius and social virtue.
She told n. p. Willis, the first time he called at
Gore House, that he was envied and abused b.,
all the literary men of London, for nothing ey
cept that be got ESQ for his books. where the
got t50 Bulwer, aware of this cause of tn,
abuse he received, affected PRIDE which som,
called puppyism, but which LADY Blessin gtou
considered ''only the armor of a sensitive mind,'
She described him as one of the frankest anu
gayest OF men among his intimates Open To bov.
lshness with those whom he thought appreciate,
him. 'Bulwer swife, !" added the countess, .sis
You know, one OF the Most beautiful women in
London, and his house l. the resort of both fash
ion and talent" In the same interview LADY
Blessington spoke of Disraeli as ga bit of a cox
comb, about whom there is no reserve, and who
Is the only joyous dandy 1 ever saw" Willis's
own impression Of Bu!wer, when he was able t.
judge Of him by personal inspection. was not 50
enthusiastic; indeed, il was party if not ainly
his structures upon Bulwer which raised such an
outcry against his book s.Pencilinps INV tn
Way" in England. He describes him CiS;3I az
not handsome, short, very much bent in the
back, slightly knOck-kneed, and as addressed n
man for gentleman as might be seen in Lon
ton. His figure was slight and badly put tOge-
ther, aud the only comedy feature was 9Th
smallest loot l ever saw a man stand upon"
put ms mead, phrenoiogicaiiy speaking, was
defined forehead, ami the whole AIR one o.
marked mental superiority. His nose was a1uI-
line, far too large for proportion; here is Ladv
Ha,wer "earica,ure" on paper Willis though
THAT Buiwer tried to conceal the bieness of hi
nose by an immense pair of red whiskers. His
complexion was fair, his hair profusc, curly,
and bright auburn; his 1"eye not remarkable.
mouth contradictory of all talent" When Bull
wer talked, however, the American guest be-
came more reconciled to him. He had voice
Exceedingly loyer-like and sweet, with play
ful tunt quite delicious; aclear laugh, which
was the soul OF sincere and careless merri
pent" HIS conversation was CAV and free
quick, various, half satirical. and ;iiwav. fras
and different from others-in short, bright and
original. ''He seemed to talk as if he could not
help 1t, and affected every one with his spirits"
When, soon after, Willis spent an evening AZ
Bulwer's, he found him living in Fashionable
quarter Of London, and house loaded down
pensive habits and generous self-indulgence OF
:" Pelham" The pariors were extensively fur
nshed, the library model OF taste and cosev
ness. 1t was there that Willis saw Augusta By
ron, the sister of the poet; and, among the com
pany were Shiel, the Irish orator, with whom
Bulwer was intimate, Albany Fonblan1ue, long
one OF the leading lights English periodical and
critical literature; the refOrmer Earl of Dur
ham; the old Earl of Clarendon, the Prince de
Ia MOskowa, "a son of Marshal New y and Sir
John Bowring. The company stood OF sat about
engaged in conversation, which from time To
time was interrupted by duet or solo from
popular opera, executed by singers hired for the
occasion, nor was there any dancing. Willis de-
clares that, meeting Bulwer q few days after
ward, In Regent street, he looked .'uncOmmon
seedy," and adds: "He is either the worst or the
best dressed man in London, accOrdingto the
time of day or night you see him." 1t may be
added that, later in life, Bulwer dressed with
the most sombre piainness. II was my fortune
10 see Bulwer in the House of Commons i'm 1855
and 1sO5, and in the House OF Lords, to which
he had recently risen, in 1868. He then had the
appearance of being man of some fifty years.
tailish, straight, stiff, and proudly sedate. Hi.
long, sombre face was no longer '.fair, butw
yellow and wrinkled; while the almost cadayer-
Gus aspect Of his features added the really far
from observation-disclosures of his long aaui-
line nose. He now wore mustache with his
''heavy red whiskers," which had themselves
become a dull brown, plentifully sprinkled with
gray, and upon his chin he grew an imperial.
His hair was still thick, but no trace of its rich
auburn hue of youth remained; il was a heavy
gray in color. Spectacles partially concealed
the large, but now dulled and CLASSY blue eyes
and the whole appearance was far from pre-
possessing. On the former occ aston referred to-
1 heard him address the House in an eloquent
and evidently carefull-prepared speech of half
an hour. His manner was quiet and subdued
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