The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-12-20

ternoon. The fatal symptoms came n sudden
ly. He had been out Of bed and was transact
log business with the officials of the American
legation "Wednesday. His death was peaceful
aud painless.
Bayard Taylor was the son of a Pennsylva-
mia farmer, descendant of one of the emil
grants who came to this country with William
Penn, and was born in the village of Kepnett
Square, Chester county, PsnD., January II,
1926. He received such early education as the
country schools afforded, and at the age Of II
years became an apprentice 10 q printing
office 10 Westchester. He early developed
taste for letters and while working at his trade
employed what few leisure moments be could
command in learning Latin and French. Oc-
casionally be wrote verses for the New York
Mirror and Griswold's Magazine. These fugi-
tive pieces were collected together by him in
1874 and published in volume entitled Kim
ena, his object in publishing being to gain suf-
ficient reputation to enable him to secure en-
ployment IS contributor to some leading news.
papers, while he was making q tour in Europe.
which he projected. He succeeded in his OBJ.
ject, procuring from the United States Gazstte
and from the Saturday Evening Post an adj
vance OF Sl0O for letters to be written abroad,
and with this he started on his European tour.
With some further remittancss from home he
was enabled to make the tour of Europe, Scot
land, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France.
renaiuibg abroad two years. his expenses for
that time Being but $500. An account of this
journey was given in "Vlews Afoot." He
next engaged 10 editing and pubmshing . -news-
paper at Pboeoixvlle, Pa, which resulted in
pscunsry failure. At the close of 1847 be re-
moved to New York where be was FREQUENT
contributor to the Literary World. In F.bru.
airy, 1913, ha secured q position of editorial
writer on the New York Tribune, and shortly
after published a vOlame of poems entitled
Rhymes of Travel" The next year be b..
came one of the proprietors of the Tribune and
one Of Its associate editors. 10 1849 he trav.
elled in California and Mexico writing letters
for the Tribune, that were af erwards collected
10 volume entitled "EI D,rado, or Adven-
tures 10 the Path of Empire" In the summer
OF 1851 be set out on protracted tour In the
East, leaving with his publisher "a Book Of
finances Lyrics and Sougs." In this iour-
ney be proceeded to Esyut by way of England,
the Rhine, Vienna aud Trieste After passing
through Esypt Nubia, Ethiopia md Sudan
be visited the Kingdom of the Shillook negroes
on the White Nile, and returned to Cairo In
April, 1852, having made q journey of abou.
1000 miles in the interior of Africa. He then
made tour of Palestine and Syria. Coming
back to Europe by way of Constan tinople he
visited Malta aid Sicily, Italy, the Tyrol, Ger
many, England and Spain. Thence he pro-
ceeded to Iodia, from there to China, where he
was attached to the American legation and &C.
compsned the American minister to Shang.
hal. On the arrival of Commodore Psrry's
squadron he entered the naval service for the
purpose of accompanying it to Japan From
Japan he sailed for America and reached New
York December 20, 1858, after an absence of
two years and four months and having travell.
ed $4,000 miles. While abroad letters descrb.
ing his journey were from time to time pub
lished in the Tribune. They were subseo uen,-
ly enlarged and published in several series OF
volumes. under the titles of "a journey 10
Central Africa,'' 1.-THE Lands Of tha
Ssracen, or "Pictures of Palestine,
Asia Minor, Sicily and Japan" and
"a Visit to India, China aud Spain.' In 1858
these volumes we're succeeded by "Northern
Travel, Summer and Winter Pictures of Swed.
en-, Denmark and Lapland,'' narrative of
journey 10 the countries named, performed in
the winter of 1867. He also published "Tray-
els in Greece and Russia, With an Excursion to
Crete" On accouut of the reputation which
these works gave him as a descriptive writer
Mr.. Taylor was in 1856 selected to edit 10y
clopedis of Modern Travel' which was pub
lished in Cincinnati and obtained wide crca-
lation.
In 1862 Mr.. Taylor was appointed Secretary
OF Legation to Russia, while Mr.. Cameron was
our minister to that country. The next year he
published ''Hsnnah Thurs N, Story of
American Life which was succeeded in 1865
by "John Godfrey's Fortunes, related by him.
self" "The Story Of Kenneth Tale of
American Life" appeared 10 1866. which was
followed in 1870 by Joseph and His Friend.
Story of Pennsylvania, and Two years later by
Beauty and the Beast" a series of magazine
Stories "The Picture Of St. Johu," poe % of
artist life, was published ia 1866, "The Ballad
of Abraham Lincoln'' in 1869, Version of
Faust ms the original metre in 1871, "The
Masque of the Gods 1872, and Glars, Pas
toral Of Norway" in 1873, dedicated to the poet
Whittier. His last work, Prince Deuk alton, and
perhaps the MODEST completed one Of his life,
WAS but recently published, and was reviewed
at length in the columns of the PRESS a short
time since. President Hayes appointed Mr..
Taylor minister to Germaoy, and he was
abroad in that capacity at the tins of his
death. Ills Life of Goethe, which he has been
engaged on for some years and which he in
tended should be the m asterpiecs of his life, is
doubtless left incomplete.
MIR. Taylor stood 10 the very forefront of
American writer's. HIS works both 10 prose
aud verse, we're very varied in their character.
and consequently appealed to all classes of read
ers. Few authors have enjoyed greater popu-
larity in their lifetime than he. and few have
been more deserving of it. Though his
published volumes ore many they by no means
represent the extent of his laoors For thirty
years and more he has bsen journalist as we'll
as author aud done regular editorial work on
the Tribune, in which he was an owner. His
literary career has been progressive one, each
new volume beng better than the one that
preceded IT, His death at this time in the
full strength of his powers, is calamity
which American literature can ill afford to suf.
fer.