The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-20


EW ORLEANS BULLETIl
l MACAULAY AND BROUGHAM.
From the 0reville Memorial
February 9 C1836). Twas talking yesterday
with Stephen about Broughaml and Macaulay
He said he had known 3rougham about thirty
years, and well remembers walking with hun
down to Chaplain to dine with old Zacharie Ma
caulay, and telling him he would find . prodigy
Of boy there, Of whom he must take notice:
This was Tom Macaulay. BrOugham afterward
put himself forward a. the monitor and director
Of the education of Macaulay, and remember
hearing letter he wrote to the father on
the subject, which made great noise at the
time; but he was like the man who brought up
young lion, which finished by biting his head
off Brougham and Macaulay disliked each other.
= Stephen said that if ever Macaulay's life
was written by competent biographer, it would
appear that he had displayed feats Of memory
which he believed to be unequalled by any human
being. He can repeat all Demosthenes by heart,
and all Milton and great part Of the Bible, both
in English and (the New Testament) in Greek
besi1es this his memory retains passages in
Vulnerable Of every description Of books, which
in discussion, he pours forth with incredible IA
cility.
He is passionately fond of Greek literature
has not much taste for Latin or French. Old
Mill, one Of the best Greek scholars of the day,
thinks Macanlay has a more extensive and accu-
rate acquaintance with the Greek writer's than
any note which he has not read over and over
again. In the Bible he takes great delight and
there are few better Biblical scholars. In law he
| made no proficiency, and mathematics he abom-
mates but his great forte is history, especially
English history. Here his superhuman memory,
which appears to have the faculty of digesting
and arranging, as well as retaining, has con-
| yer. ed his mind into mighty magazine of knowl-
edge, from which, with the precision and cor
rectness OF q kind of intellectual machine, he
pours forth stores of learning, information, pre-
cept, example, anecdote and illustration with q
familiarity and facility not less astonishing than
Far superior to Brougham in general know
composition, he is greatly inferior to him in
those qualities which raise men to social and po-
litical eminence. Brougham, tall, thin and COM
handing in figure, with q face which, however
power, variety, and even melody, notwithstand-
ing his occasional prolixity and tediousness, is
an orator in every sense of the word. Macaulay
short, fat and ungraceful, with round, thick,
unmeaning face, and with rather iisp-though
he has made speeches of great merit, and Of q
very high style of eloquence in point of compo-
sition-has no pretentions to put in competition
with Brougham in the House Of Commons. Nor
is the difference and the inferiOrity Of Macauay
less marked in society. Macaulay indeed lis great
subjects; but the gracelulness, lgbtness and va
riety are wanting in his talk which are go con-
spicuous in his writings; there is not enough Of
alloy in the metal of his conversation it is too
flexible plastic and diversified for general society.
Brougham. on the other hand, is all life, spirit
and gayety-from grave to gay, from lively to
severe-dashing through every description Of
which the attention and imaginations are arrested
and excited; always amusing, always instructive,
never tedious, elevated to the height of greatest
intellect, and familiar with the most abstruse
subjects, and at the Same moment conciliatlng
the humble pretensions of inferior minds by
dropping into the midst Of their pursuits and
objects with fervor and intensity of interest
which surprises and delights his associates, and,
above all, which puts them at their ease"
And then, under date of 1850, we have this
note, evidently interjected when Mr.. Greviile was
revising his memoirs:
"Qud,.tun, n,utatus All this has long ceased
to be true of Brougham. Macaulay, without
having the wit OF the charm which constitutes the
is q marvellous, an unrivaled lin his way, and a
delightful talker."
It was in 1882, four years previous to the date
Of this first entry in the Journal that Mr. Greville
lands he was seated next "a common looking
man in black, whom he took to be ''some OBJ
scure man of letters or of medicine, perhaps q
cholera DOCTOR" The conversation turned upon
early ana late eQucaClOn:
MY neighbor observed that he thought the
most remarkable example of self-education was
that of Alfier, who had reached the age of thirty
without having acquired any accomplishment,
and who was SO ignorant of his own language
that he had to learn it like child, beginning
with elementary books Lord Holland quoted
Julius Cesar and Scaliger as examples Of late
education, and said that the latter had been
wounded, and that he had been married and
commenced learning Greek the same day, when
hos bad hat l. 80
learning Greek was not an instantaneous act like
his marriage. This remark, and the manner Of
it gave me the notion that he was dull fellow,
for it came out in way which bordered on the
was little surprised to hear him continue the
thread of conversation from Scaligers wound),
and talk of Loyola having been wounded at Pam
peluna. I wondered how he happened to know
anything about Loyola's wound.
ing my dinner, when Auckland, who was sitting
opposite me, addressed my nelghbor: Mr.. Ma
caulay, will you drink glass of wineY thought
1 should have dropped off my chair. 1t was Ma
caulay, the man had been so long most curious
to see and hear, whose genius, eloquence and as
tonishing knowledge and diversified talents have
excited my wonder and admiration fer such
length of time, and here had been sitting next
to him, hearing him talk, and setting him down
my thought, and Precipitation burst from my face,
and yet it impossible not to be amused at the
idea. After dinner Talleyrand and Nine. |
De Demo came in. He was introduced to Talley- |
rand, who told him that he meant to go to the |
House of Commons on Tuesday, and that he hoped !
he would speak, sq,tH draI entendm tous les |
grdndes Orateurs ct Il desirdU present entend,e
Monsieur M1cduldy.'"
For good shoes, at fair prices, go to Bachman's,
IS Camp street.
Says the Atlanta Ne,cs: The distinguished |
Englishman, Sir George Gore, Bart, has come to |
our country for the purpose of ndulging his
fondness for shooting -on-the-wing. He passed
through Atlanta to-day, from New York: It'll
the South. his headquarters during the winter,
and he will probably visit the far. famed hunting
grounds OF the ''Land Of Flswers" before he
leaves the Gulf States. The lovely waters of the
st. Johns will be likely to claim much of his time,
as they are known to furnish fine sport for pleas