New-York tribune., 1878-11-21
LONDON TOPICS.
,pOov,r. CHAT IN SERIOUS DAYS.

FIELD.
1...,,,, ,rc,-r Ap CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
IoNDoS. Nov. IN. Turgeneh, VINO mas oceh
having n visit at q English country hOuSe' pdosou
tbroupb London on Monday. think lie must nave
,ome American admirers WHO will he glad 10 near
,bot he is in excellent health. NJ. Turgeneh Is IN
bissIxty-frst year. and one OF the youngest men i
have lately met His scTOwn of snOw-Whlte hair WIN
his spow-white beard and mustaches, seem 10
be rather freak of nature than the proper
ornament Of old age. His face Is horid win you'h
fnness his shoulders are unbent his step Is hIIn
bis whole bearing full of robust vigor' lheie
must be something in the Sav blood when taxes I'-
tie account Of advancing years; unless NJ luisI
neff be an exception rather than a Type Ills '"tN
is full of acute observation mingled WIN sInpir
citv and an absence of sefcOnsciOusness when 1e"
Europeans of the West preserve after early you'n'
He is not ono of those writer's whom you admire IN
their hooks only and who disappOint you when you
moot them As if they had not enough TO 90 Touhu'
lint must husband their genius for PRINT, ana 80
starve the conversation in which they profess 10
take part. | heard hlm pour out anecdotes IoI
hours He told them with point and huihor' lie
did not mind telling story at his own expense
&c u ,vore n good ODe-sometmes did not seem to
mind telling them at other peoples expense, but
always with perfect good nature. His eyes arc luil
of kindly light; his mouth seems quite wanting
In that kind of firmneSs which enables man 10
bear his friends misfortunes with hrmness' lou
rouh not but ask YOURSELF If Russians are ike tnS'
how can they be the terror to Europe ana 10 clNll
zation which English JngOes are forever making
them out1 But NJ Turgeuef said not word OF
poltics His talk ran on books, on men OF letters
nm hunting. and on the social life of England,
which. Russian as he is, he had found charming,
possiblv as charming as his host and friends found
him. He inquired eagerly for an American novel
Ist Mr. Henry James, jT., got his address, and set
off 70 find him. 1t is indiscreet, fear, to say all
this, but | assure you i, could be much
more indiscreet if / chose and II l were
not checked By that ngid sense of propriety which
preSldes over the personal department OF American
Journalism. As NJ. Turgenetf has lived IN Paris'
where journalism is much more free spoken, trust
be will pardon the liberty take with his name,
and set it down to irTopreSSlble sentiment o1 ad
miratIOn and liking.
If there were much room for personal chat in
these busy and days, people are not wanting
about whom one might gossip. London in October
has ceased to be-if at any time it ever really Is
the bowlng wilderness which it is supposed to he
In Augnst and September Our Minister, Mr.. Welsh,
came back to town a fortnight ago or moro, and
q Munster is so great parsonage that this fact
ought 10 have been mentioned at the time. At the
Legation ITSELF of course no such thing as holiday
Is ever heard of, Sundays excepted. Inc
travelling American would think himself
much misused if a Government official were
not always on hand TO help him out OF
his difficulties with cabmen and shopkeepfTS. Mt
Welsh and his daughter were in Switzerland for a
time but Mr.. HOppn remained on guard with ms
nexhaustbe good nature and patience-qnalities
which he shares withhis popular chief. Oril not Mr.
Hoppin. there was Mr. Nadal. whose acquaintance
f1ra of
countrymen dates back to a second or third genera
tion of Ministers Of Americans who have passed
through London during the Summer l can say lit
tie for was elsew here. Those who come in OctO-
ber are mostly too eager to regain their natlYo
Shores or to get to the Continent to stay long here
Mr. X. II. Dana, jr., who arrived fortnight since,
from Boston, went through to Paris, and made
no sign. More recently. the Britannia brought
Mr. James Gordon Bennett, and he too sped
Oh his way to the French capital after two
nights rest in London. He returns to England be-
fore long and goes to Melton Mowbray for a WIN
ters campaign with that wonderful string of horses
mot less than twenty, report says-which were the
envy of Leicestershire last year. Mr.. Bennett is
keen Sportsman and good rider enough to do JUS
tice to their merits. 1t is quantity said of Melton
Mowbray IN a geographical work of Tepute that it
has a Gotmc church. and stablng for eight hundred
horses The same ship had General Van Alien. OF
New-York, among its many passengers, returning
after a three weeks trip. He leaves tomorrow to
Join his family IN Paris going thence to Arcachon
where he and they will pass the Winter. Mrs. Julia
Ward Howe is here, preparing for journey to the
East as far as Egypt and proposing to take Greece
and Coustantinople on her road. Here too, this
week was a man who has come back from much
longer journey. Mr.. H. NJ. Stanley has been lcctur-
ing in ST. Jamess Hall on his expedition Through
the Dark Continent" with crowded houses and
great applause am glad to hear it reported that
his visits in France and Italy have taken some of
the African poison out of his system, and that he
calls himself very we'll lie had a cold on the
second night. but that is the penalty most people
nav for coming to London from the South at this
season. He characterlstcally told his audience that
he should not allow it to prevent him from beng
heard, and heard he was.
Messrs. Gilig & Co.'s registry shows, doubt not,
q long list of Americans beside those have named
above. More and more people are yearly in the
habit of reporting themselves at that favOrie and
useful resOrt-almOst the only one, so far as know,
except the Legation where the American may be sure
of meeting any great number Of his own people.
Most of the great bankIng-hOuses in the City, which
used to furnish a kind of headquarters for their
clients seem longer TO find their account in 1t.
They allow their customers to come and 90 with as
little ceremony possible, and have made il under
stood that bank is place Of business and not a
lounge nor reading-roOm. Mcssrs. Gilllg & Co.'S
American Agency is centrally placed at Charos
Cross West Strand, and the stranger has only 10
pay his fee and loaf" long he likes over his
American papers-of which lie finds good CO. &C.
tion-and with or without his cigar. He may have
his letters addressed hore or his luggage, and con-
missions of any sort attended TO- ciYilly and
promptly.
Certain critics arf making remarEs-not for the
first time-on the Prince Of Waless dOngs in Paris.
They belong, perhaps, to tho class of those pious