New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-23

hardly know whether ought TO mention sucn Nv
incident but my mention of 10 is. at any rltc; rev
erent as the act was Cerlyle never troubled him-
self about cOnventOnalities. What he toit that DC
said and as he felt it; aud It did not nauUur
whether he sat in his own room OF in public hail
AT one of Dickens's readings he has been Known 70
burst out IN irrepresslbe iong-contiluen '
swinging bis hat in the air mednWhile tie ha1 ~
unbounded admiration for Dickens. lne
noat conspicuous books IN his dlninv-rcOn WeIo
set of ID ckeus IN red cloth, which bad grown DARK
with constant use. All his books had the 81 ne
appearance Of much handing. lie BAD none Oh tio
dandyisms of the amateur or the coneGtor; "a a.
Swift SAID in his lrOnc.l way Of BOiIngbroke, ne
had an altogether mistaken notion OF the trde USES
OF books which he thumbed and spoiled by reading,
when he ought to have multiplied them on us
shelyesD | once asked him II he often read nOveIs;
Not often" wns the answer out wheh t no =
have debauchp IL WAS one OF his ways oil see k'ng
complete mental relaxation At another uulo ne
told me that after ne heard of the loss on lne
manuscripts of the first volume OF me ye fer
three weeks The story Of the loss Is 80 well known
m substance that will not repeat it though mere
are dc. ais which have not been quite arcuIateS
gwen IL deserves mention that Air Mill was 80
borror-struck at the accident that ne c0tlu nut
make up bis mind 10 communicate 1t 70 Carlyle MN
self. Mrs. Taylor broke the news To hlm. Dun ~
was one Of those calamites which no " breaking
could soften hon ,,o,vn
to ne French mainly through Binors translation
n book of when once owned u copy ana at 'itnoS
tired 10 read, but found unreadaDe Dy Ono VINO "'S
able to read the original. dull man once saul -
think In BlackwoOd--In one OF those ndshes, OF
false wit which SOMETIMES come 10 dull men, tndt
Carlyles " French Revolution" wouid De Vai',aoio
book if it were translated into Englls1; ~ Is
moi tTanslatable into French. or scarcely transaaue
The life, the animation, the rapldItY OF movement
the pIcturesqueuess. the dranai nc quality eVapOrae
IN TRANSACTIONS But know At least one trenchnlan
who. 10 far as knowledge of English can make alnah
peteut To judge of That nconpara6ie prosePoeI,
is a competent judge of It. mean NJ. LOUIS bianc
who knows, 10 say the least oil u, AS mucn EhRllsn
az You and know. de, unhappily, no more approves
of the book than his fellOw-countrymen VINO nave
Ind IN form fbpF
ing Of NJ. BaTrOt. 1t is "A history" have ueard
NJ. LOUIS Blanc eXciaim more than once written
IN the future tense y; which wac ms way OF saying
that it not history ~ all. But N; Ions Blanc
though one of the most sincere men who ever INeu,
a man wholly incapable OF CONSCIOUSLY dishonest
Judgment or criticism, or word OF any
kind, is, as all Frenchmen are on the
iHHIS' Robesp n"S AND Mr. Corys verdict
upon R0besperre and upon JacOblnlsn. ana upon
the Revolution as whole IS such as nece Sarlly 10
put NJ. Ions Blanc into the rank ks OF his antago-
nIsts Moreover. they are rival historians, and Mr..
Carlyle Is known to have expressed with Character
istIc emphasis and In words prefer not to repeat.
his Estimate Of the value OF NJ Louis Bancs history.
NcitheT could judge the other justly. Inc DuOilo,
which as whole Is capable 81 Importantly, has
rles-Mr. Carly5s lOr ono kind OF merit. and d.
Louis Blsnc's tor another aud very different knd.
And yet bcth their the Jres OF tue Revolution canh9t
by any possibility be true. They mutually exclude
each other
CARLYLE AND The QUEEN
Bat these reflections and memories arc leading me
too far | must be content 10 add an anecdote or
two and 80 bring tins letter to an end. Dean STAN
ley. who was among Sir. Carlyles friends, and who
is one of several ecclesiastical pets of royalty, once
arranged a meeting at the DeanerV between Mr.
Carlyle and the Queen, by the Qnoon's desire IL
took place not long after Mr. Carlyle had declined
the Grand Cross OF tho Bath-the acceptance Of
which would have made hin Sir Thomas Carlyle.
G. c. b. Perhaps the interview WAS meant to dspel
the foolish notion that the Queen vcxed by his
refusal. More probably It was because the Queen,
who was little likely 10 concern herself about such
reports, wanted to SEQ tie philosopher. HE
Queen H.. after all, woman, ana mas
more than once shown that she has n
woman's curiosity. They mot al five o'clock
tea; and n cons ,dcrable number Of persons were
present Mr.. Carlyle was duly presented to her
Majesty by the Dean, and was gr0ciousy received
lt s said that he at took tho lend IN the con
yersation aud even gave voice to his loyal wishes
for the Qneen's health--two breaches of etiquette
which made tho hair of the assembled courtiers to
stand on end. This | believe 10 be- scandal, but
what is certain Ia that Mr. Carlyle, the Queens
polite speeches 20 him coming T. an end, forthwith
looked about mm for seat and sat down. 20 the
unavoidable horror of the company, every other
member of which knew we'll that II WAS high
treason to SIT in the Quees presence tIll her MAI
esty had commanded thum TO DO seated. But the
Queen less hOrror-struck than tue rest and with that
good breeding of which she il mistress when she
chooses saved the situation BY seating herseli aud
waving her royal hand to the rest to be seated
Also: enforcing her command with the voice. afttr
n moment, upon one or two upright mem Ders OF the
group. , ,
difficulties into which Dean Stanley fell IN couae-
auence Of ms unlucky attempt AT setthV up ~
monument IN the Abbey 10 the late Prince l4ouiS
Napoleon. Mr.. CarlylTs Opposition to mat scheme
,l,f,, I ell
tween HIM and the Dean though III other caHe4 tie
Dean took opposition hardly; and IN CaryioS
cas' had 10 retract an accusation against an
innocent thiri person (Mr Fordh2m) OF
forglnR Carlyle's signature to the memorial
against te plan. Cd Bht III b,s dislike to be
ing buried m the Abbey. There must be a general
iail delivery of scOunlre,s now blug there before
any honest mar's bones rest peacefully IN us
WALSH he has been known Osay here ~ question
whether he or another gave The Dean that Almost
savage nickname which society now langhngly aD-
plies 10 hun; and which referring roo clearly iotho
Deans cage rne5s TO the bodies OF departed
heroes, Is better Tilted for talk than PRINT. Bnt !
NAV quote without offence, hope, CariYles remark
| Of an earlier date when Dean Slanevs adhesion to
the Broad CnaTon plrty exposed Inn to much lligh
Church enmlty: There goes our friend, the Dean,
boring holes In tho bottom OF the good ship Church
OF England-dnd dOesHt kHO0itP
INK kssAYIsT AID TIE PoEr
Mr. Carlyle had very definite views about poetry
and was wont 10 express them in his usual definite
way. 10 was a maxim with hun, at one time, that a
man who had anything 20 say could say 1t IN prose-
say it more freely and ntclgby, and that # no re-
sorted poetry 1t was from want OF cleamess in bis
own mind as to what he meant. eff he have a mes
sage 10 the universe worth hearing, IN Cots name
let him deliver his message in manner all mon
can understand" For nero form he avowcd
/ contempt; aud this contempt for form is one OF
the things for which the French used TO repIoach
hun, aud have approached him since his
death. One Of the strongest expressions Of 1t
was IN his early estimate Of TennysOr.