New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-20
BIRRY CORN WALL.
AN INTERESTING BIOGRAPHY.
book-making.

TIERS.
FRoN AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRiBONEI
BosToN, March 12.-The early sheets OF the
first part Of the book on Barry Cornwall winch
Ncssrs Roberts Brothers TO publish III America nave
reached this city II is entitled Autobographical frng
ments and Biographical Notes." and is made up oil
brief autobiography interspersed with recoecons ana
other matter from the editor. One learns from the
former portion that Bryan Waller Proctor was OF iorh
shire extraction and came of family that had shOWh
few instances Of talent though there was gentle bood III
one branch OF ancestry He gives short sketch OF Ills
childhood, and pleasing picture OF French emisran'
his instructor. He was, lad, attracted to literature
by female servant in an uncles family. "she 1t was,
he vr1tes, "who fist taught to know and to love
shakesneare" "she used to read TO NE whole
scenes selecting those best adapted to
boys apprehcnsion." al viii buy Shakes
peare with the first money that l get, saiu
J." The promise was kept. At public school, among
his mates were Robert Peel sHd Lord Byron Feel IN
derook On one occasion write for him an imposition
OF Latin verse Tor i consideration OF halt crown. VI
Byron lac SAYS lie was loud, coarse, aud v'rJ
capa!le of a boys vulgar erjOymenis. He played ri
hockey and rackcts, and occasionally eBEaged III
pugil!stc c0nbats." Mr. Proctor essays To ara" his
own portrait at this period Of life lie says As m -
am able to compass such an heroic achievement IL
shall be sincere neither very snort nor very Tan
neither handsome nor h.dcouS. / had iBdcoi wheh
young some acbNtIN tuu i'll' '''i''1'' '''' w.
gone In reference to my intellect, may say, with my
hand on iny heart had nothing superfuOus; nothing
either very bad or very good; nothing very stupid or
very bright. 4 little quckuoss once existed. / was
without ambiton-a fatal detect. Even my small at
ternIfs at literature subsequently unattended by
ambitious thoughts | always wrote rom INC mere
pleasure If writing. had no other stimulus
His father bad "a very saving SOUL, and, balancing
between oxford something cheaper he sent his son
MIC wiltshire under the OF professional man.
solicitor. Here he was educated for the law He began
10 read in circulating library. Cesar ana virgil o'd
Thoacrita5 and Homer passed unpfoiiibe over MS
mind" at the age II He found in prose fiction ne
gui,s ct knowlcGle. 'If had never become intimate
with lie Sage and Fielding and Richardson
With stcrne and Inchb1id and Radcliffe. l
should perhaps nave stopped dlshcalfencd an my
wa.." Forgetting almost every thing else IL his
latest wears declares, cicayc To those who were
truc M. my boyho0d SIN" little later hc read
an tire English poets, from Cnauccr down to Burns lie
BEGAN himself 70 write verse, and also EEL ~ love al Tue
same tue. At 10 he went 10 London again 10 pursue
hi. legal studies This IN 1877. In 1915 he began
TO rubbish poetry The Literary Gn-cfie In 1916 his
ftaer died. leaving hm properly upon whiei he lived
handsomely HIS taste largely for dramatic poetry.
In 172l ne wrote MirandJid,' play produced under
NJ. MacIcady's auspices Ia which Maacady, Charles
FrInbc, ana Miss Foote appeared. Il was tragedy,
aud ytecn nights, producing FOR HIN tiiclndng The
coryIisLO sc50 The play poor one. but he had
no trouble from II at "a" time beyond IA" excessive
cdiuu, tac rcheIgs1is and the pr"Se tones in wiicn
iag er erest sentences pronounced" Lord jeffrey
viewed il in The EdiaGurgh referring to tire author
d" NJ Cornwall"
II was III this year that Mr. Proctor became engaged
10 Ni.- skcppor the daG- nJcr 81 Mrs Basil Montague
by her trst husband Few extracts from his letters 10
this lady given. They are lively III style, bat not
important. Here l. Of them:
yyprt tO the % the - Arcade" lgft
Miss Patton triiinE away like d GfGmih"i'S me-, ana
III cen, a. u.u.; s!r t.io;er as big - Iu.t ~ sherry;
and fafrch lihe AIcaiitl a. scs,h ent Az foolish
c'cG - an Enss'' justice but perhaps httio more
s0Od-udtGrcd.
H. wrote two or three essays for The EdiatGg4 Re
rie,r at this time. Af.cT Ills marriage. in 1874 lie ~,
turned 20 lis profession rracci1- principally IL
yeyahcer. lie very industrious III i. lie took many
up- among whom Kiuglas" and War'arton,
AT rWard Eastern travellers. The portrait, The work
OF III P?oce.s contemporaries 10; nunelous bit
there graphic touches IN them. o. the Krni
bics hc says:
r,w John Kcm5le only once in private, bu' ! was
once o. twice IA coinsin' win Ms ddonN, aaI may
ven say | Wa, Intimate with 81. an MTs. Charles
isur" aH'th"r accom- he'd daJl..s Di tIa itmiiy
Slrs Cila,"s Kr:Jic MS inc n,cgt ari;yc-iniufpT /
found Ter vcrl ready IN COnycr5itiOG and caaablc ~
aiB0s. subject. Sac st'is My we'll!
oi Inc World Being Of q quir. Iiarr she Wss moi 80
uNersti!y liked - sic deserved. Her eldost
daughter EJJi ami NclJ isr'ic tragic actress
CHarl,s X mD,c Vas not good in tragedy In
which he wac arcL,l ON, lis cogcuy was sui',rI.tvc
saw ; TLouIas J.lwrcur. G,,, al :. q. MI, ? al dr
G. KcnDe's. Mrs Sdl,Ds was there, eatin; and drunk
1.ortls in ef,yr, parlrps soeIan Zones. Her " viii
taae a slice OF mutton, !: You please" would have be
com" Lady Macbeth. II vas i.i,ncd 20 with awe
Nevertheless nothing aGerted III her tone ar
manner winch YVES merely seiicas frs,n ls.bi,.
her perform IN al Ter Lannon'S siae characters and she
u.uttcriDly The greatest raic whom have
se' On inc English sage.
Under date OF May Il, 1928, he writes:
met this evening or the hrst time) with Cooper. the
American writer He Is the author OF the Pioneers"
tao spy az. lie has dogEcd, disconlented look and
ready 10 afrOnt or 10 be ahrOnttd. Ms eye is
iagine That nc had los; his life IN gzng at and
woods and rivers, and that Il. would aze-gaze
; old that H. recount adventure well. and
easily believe There was something peculiar IN
told Mrs NJ that c eined a. though he ought
10 4avt Is;ai 70; hai) Il; the back of bis mead. sac
senDlance e. Capt. Cook whose portrait with pigaI
had been us1i 10 Hut tat not il. aitcrwaid
as though he ccwed tobacco the fact that lie bad
tine loO o sailor which neither Tie author
heye mate OF an Indianau iu American lndaman), and
had brought The habits a. bs OF iferud all
10 dine AT tue Dhkc OF DeyOnsre, hut lac aiOned
because the DuAe had not called upon him. / forget
lie went to Lord 5pcncers. At dinner e did not take
any thing, aud on Lady $ inqurng whether he would
brought round 10 hun" Lady Spencer said that this
was not The custom here. lie answered that il was the
custom at Paris As be had been IN England three tunes
before and had passed the part his life at
and III America aud only Il months France, lady
iet ttr surIsed az his eGpccta ions and asked INN
II the Hast IL months OF his lite bad eaced ali his old
impressions. forget what lac made but he de-
ported himself Neiy biuiily aud dsagreeaby. He re-
seinDles very much caricature that 1 remember 10
have seen indicative Of g Datmiuc, who carrsi"
Cooper also az Lord H0.land's When thero ally
Holland (WhO had heard that lie told some story about
whale or a shark very Wclb turned the conversation
upon ms adventure. e believe Mr. Cooper ihat Won
have sustained some pegils Of the kind a. he als mad
previously been about marine mcuSer-underboard and
GDBari). Cooper Replied " Yes Your
with a vhaleF No; shark" Had YOU a uarrow
escaped " Yes" Pray how was ia" "iye told tho
befuFeto those two and he pointed 10 Kngsrs
aud another gentleman VINO at table lie shouId
be put ia cage and taught civil turns; or he Will grow