New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-02-22


in .eliterature Of the modern languages.
Mr.. Tietnor continued his studies at Cutting ii
until March. 1917 when ne took his departure iof
pari. arriving in that city on the 9th of April Ills
letters OF Introduction brought him into ifieildiy re-
lations with Humboldt Augustus Schiesel, Ma'a"hc
de Stai1 the Duke and Duchess de Biogiic, ANA
other celebrated residents IN the French capital vi
the two former eminent pcrsOnagcs We haFo INC ~"
lowing agreeable sketchcs" The TWO mort interest
Ing acquaint have met IN Paris, .hus lar, are
Schlecel and humboldt and the manner of living
adopted by both of them IL original. Scnlcgeis u
SIC indeed ~ partly to account for MS success ds
man Of letters, and member Of the gay society oi
PARIS. He wakes at four o'clock III the moi.hng'
and instead OF getting up, has ms candle brought 10
him and reads five or six hours then sleeps TWO vi
three more and then gets M ami works tiil uer III
~ six From this time I'll ten O'Clock he is - man Of
the world, in society, and overlooking with AMUSING
conversations; but at ten he goes to his study ami
labors until midnight, when he begins the same
course again Humboldt's is entirely different. but
not less remarkable For him, night aud day form
one mass Of time which he for sleeping for meal,
for labor without any arbitrary division OF IT,
linus. be confessed that this power or habit - con
venient in the kind Of life winch must be led III "a
great metropolis by one who. with great talents
wishes to be at a learned man and man oil the
world. NJ dc Humboldt, therefore, sleeps only
when lie il weary and has eisuro, and If Inc wakes ~
midnight lac rises and begins his work as he would
in the morning He eats when he is hungry, and II
he is invited dine at six O'Clock, tins does not pre-
vent him from going at five to restaurant because
he considers n great dinner only as party OF
pleasure and amusement But all the rest of the
time when he is not in society, he locks his door ana
gives himself up TO study. rarely receiving visits
4. l.. -. Tn, ltfpt he
day previous, and never, believe, refusing these,
because, as he well explained 10 me, when he can
foIcsoe an interruption, he prepares himself for IT,
and II ceases 10 be SUCH All this is to be sure, very
fine but then such life prcsupposes two thing,
. constitution able to resist all fatigue, physical and
moral, and a reputation which puts its posseSsor
above the conventions Of society, and allows hun 10
act a. a king. Baron Humboldt unItcs them both
His ample aud regular frame. his firm step, and the
decision and force vi IA which he marks every move
mcnt indicate the man vino has survived The trop-
zeal heat Of the Orinoco and assembled the peak Of
CAimborazo: . while, on the other hand, his
prodigiou3 requirements, extending nearly on all
sides 10 the limits of human discovery, kudled by
an enthusiasm winch has supported him where
every other principle would have failed, and pre-
vented from being oppressive or ohtrading by SORT
of modesty which makes it impossible Tor him TO
tcrcstug men in the world, and the idol OF Partisan
society" At the house of Madame de >tail, he had
the good fortune 10 meet NJ. Chatcaubriand and
Madame Recanicr. the two persons whom hc
was NOR, curious TO see than almost any other
in the brilliant circle of French literary society
OF this rencontrc, he writes IN his journal
The Duchess dc Brog'ie. with her characteristic
good-uaturc finding how much was interested in
these new acquaintance. placed me between them
at dinner, 80 that / had an opportunity to know
something more of them. Mime. ltecam.er must now
be forty or more though she has not the appearance
of 50 much. and the lu,trc of that beauty which
filed Europe with it, fame Is certainly faded | do
not mean 10 say she j. not stl beautiful, for she
tany is and very beautiful. Her igur, Is ine her
mild eyes fail OF expression aud her arm and hand
most beautiful. was surprised 20 find her with
fair oompcxion and 10 less surprised 90
find the general expression OF her couuteaance any
thing but melancholy, and her conversation gly and
full of yyacity, though at the same tino 10 should
be added, always without CXtrayagauoe. Chateau
brand is a short man, with a dark complexion,
black hair black eyes. and altoRcihera most marked
countanauce. Il needs no skill III piysouony to
say n once that he is man Of irnncs9 ard d.
cislon Of character for every feature ana every
movement of his person announce 1t. IL is too
grave aud serious. and gives grave and serious
turn to the conversation III which lac engages;
and even when the whole table laughed at la
rante's wit Chateaubriand did not even smile;
MOI. perhaps. because hc did not enjoy the wit
as much as the rest, but because laughing is
too light for the enthusiasm which forms the
basis Of his character, and would certainly offend
AGAINST the consistency always require. IL was
natural for Us g. talk about America, and he gave
me a long and eloquent; description of his travels
frou PHILADELPHIA 10 Niagara, and from Niagara
across the unbrokcn forests to Ncw-Orleans; but !
must confess hc did not discover that eagcTncss and
vanity ON the subject which ] think lac docs in his
Martyrs and his Itinerary. On the contrary,
lac seemed rather 10 prefer 20 talk OF Italy aud
Rome of which his rccollcctions seemed more lively
than of any other part of his travels and, indeed.
toahl not he would Ike 10 return there rather
than 10 revisit any country he has yet seen, for he
spoke Of Rome rs place where IT is so easy To be
happy His conversation. like his character, seems
prompt original, decisive, aud. like his works. full
Of sparkling phrases, happy combinations and
thoughts. sometimes more brilliant than just His
general tone was declamatory, though not extraya-
pautly 80 and its general effect that Of interesting
the feelings and attention. without producing con-
viction or changing OPINION"
Upon leaving Paris in September QSl0, Mr..
Tcknor pursued his travels in switzerland, and part
of Italy, including Milan, Bologna and Venice until
about the first of November when he arrived in
Rome, in which city and in Naples he passed the
Winter, remaining in the South of Italy until the
22d of March OF the following year. The solnber
grandeur of Rome at once made II more agreeable
impression on his mind than ii often does on lncXpc-
rienced visitors and he did not need TO wait, like
Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller, for n prolonged
residence in the Eternal City, to feel the full force
Of its weird entertainments. On the 1st of January,
1918. he writes with Rome, find every day