Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-11-23

Personal and Literary.

Mrs. Harriet Prescott Spofford is
described by a paragrapher as a tlarge-
minded little person, with beautiful
eyes, sweet voice, and most refined
and womanly manners"
William Black, the English novel
ist, was particularly struck with the
newspaper humor of this country, and
learned by heart numerous witticisms
of the Detroit Free Press.
The will of the late Judge Bellows
of st. Albans, VT, leaves 100000 in
Government bonds to establish a col
lege in that city. He also leaves his
residence there as site for the college.
Miss Ada Sweet, who runs the Chi
cago Pension Office, is described as true
to her name. She is never sour to those
having official business with her, and
the employees have never heard a bitter
remark from her lips.
The testimonial fund for the widow
of Haywood, the cashier who lost his
life in the raid on the NorGhfield Bank
recently, has reached the sum of 3d.
OF 50, of which the bank whose vaults
he defended with his life contributed
$4,000.
Philip Bourke Marston, one of the
minor poets of England, and son of the
dramatist Westland Marston is 26 wears
old and has been blind since babyhood,
yet he excels in descriptions of nature.
His sister acts as his amanuensis, and
he has already published two volumes
of delicately imaginative and beautiful
verse. He is tall and slight, and his
large brown eyes, though sightless,
are very expressive.
John Morley says: "The best
thing that / can think of as happening
to young man is this That he should
have been educated at a day school in
his own town; that he should have op-
portunities also of following also the
higher education in his own town, and
that, at the earliest convenient time, he
should be taught to earn his own living;
and | never yet knew max who was
not the worse for university props and
bribes.''
-" Ouida," the novelist, has written
to the London Times disclaiming re-
sponsibility for the "ori ginal - drama,
Ethel's Revenge, founded on her novel
of " StrathmOre." She protests against
this travesty as the grossest and most
injurious form Of plagiarism; states
that she intends to secure such redress
rs she can under the present imperfect
copyright laws, and adds: 81 have at
all times refused permission to drama
tie my works, considering as do that
in the present state of the English stage
a novel must be alike caricatured in its
characters and vulgarized in its Incl
dents by any theatrical representation
of it,
"A correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune says that Joaquin Miller's con-
versation is '' full of fiery grace" and
gives the following, which is rather
funny than fiery: "Conway," said Mr..
Miller, ''what a fellow he is Tor story!
He told that story of my going about in
England in a red shirt and nay trowsers
tucked into my boots. You've all
heard it, dare say. There wasn't the
slightest foundation for it. never had
any such costume with me in England.
/ left all that kind of thing at the
mines. dined with Conway at din
ner party one day, and l asked him
where he got such story. He said
that he picked it up somewhere, but, if
would like to have him, he'd retract
it. 90, no. I told him; sit wasn't
worth while, but l hated to have people
disappointed. AS long as they expect
ed to see me in that style, was sorry
so disappoint them.