New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-27

d.
the most impudent attempts upon the curiosity OF
the public is the insertion by DIR. Smollett OF Lazy
yane's Memoirs in Peregrine Pickle under the
title of Memoirs OF Lady of Quality" IL is moi
an edifyiEg chapter; but the most remarkable
thing about il is that all the facts for IL were uf
nished by the lady herself. Her various adven-
lures did not shorten her lfe for she survived until
1888. and completed seventy-two years. There are
other real characters. public and private, i'll
Smollett but the mention of her ladyship must Tor
the present suffice.
There are several literary works of the kind
which we have been discussing. very personal
book is Lockharts Peters Letters to His Kins-
folk" which was published about 1919, and is
p;quant description of men and things at that in
terestng period OF the history Of the city OF Edin-
burgh. Lockhart himself said afterward OF the
book: "Nobody but a very young aud very
thoughtess person could have written It," origin
ally the work contained large number OF we'll
engraved portraits some of them dashed with carl
cature. As an illustration of the mad and mystery
loving humor of the time, it may be mentioned tnat
the author contributed to Blacknoods Magazine two
reviews of the Letters before they were printed or
even written. They contain capital but very free
sketches Of Edinburgh nota )ilites Of the day, as
we'll as of local manners aud social pecuiaiitles.
We have Scott. jeffrey, Wilson, DIR. Robertson, Sir
Henry Moncrieff The EttIick Shepherd, and MANY
other notable persOnaaes. Two chapters fuI OF lie
and interest given to an account OF the FIREMAN
Burns Dinner This is remarkable for Lockharts
fine appreciation Of the "Jolly Beggars" OF the
poet, which had lately been set to music and was
f" got up in high style' 1t is odd that the world
and especially the Scotch world, was so long IN
finding out the rare excellence, l may say the
Shakespearean force and color, Of this inimitaoie
piece AZ lyrical production l doubt II there Is
anything finer in the English language. LOCK-
harris account of the conclusion OF the BANQUET at
not very early hour of the morning explains that
there was q halo Of punch-steam," and the letter
thus concludes: How we got on III tnat atnlos-
phere cannot say l remember"
Perhaps the most completely personal book In the
English language is the novel of Ten Thousand
Year. by Samuel Warren, London lawyer. who
was the son of Methodist minister. Turning
Tory he became so outrageOusly Conserv atlve and
such an intense haer of anything like REFORM that
Old Ebony took him to his bOok-selins BOSOM ana
welcomed him to the hospitality OF Btdcs~ooGS
Edinburgh Magazine. His first book, or at least the
first which attracted attention, was entitled, Pas-
sages from the Diary of q Late Physician melo-
dramatic work with great smell Of the surgery, and
quite as redolent of drugs and medicines as tne
patti illogical play OF Camille" in which Miss Clara
Norris continues to illustrate the tragedy OF pull
monary affections. peIused the tales OF the Late
Physician when boy, with tears coursing down ipy
innocent nose in piteOus chase" There was III Tue
book one young lady, of course OF the very Duest OF
aristocratic blood, and immensely itch, whose death
by consumption prolonged through great number
of pages never tired of reading about. None OF the
Earl of BcaconsGeld's heroines lived In bigger
bouses OF wore stockings Of finer silk. The Diary
was spasmodically mel'dramatic and full OF false
pathos: alien Thousand o Year" is bulky series
of libels, lampoons and carcatures The good
people in it are like Jeremiah's figs, very good in
deed and, by strange coincidence, are all lorieSi
the bad people are very bad indeed, and. ms Feter
Pindar coarsely puts it, not fit for pigs"-mere
Radicals and Dissenters Of tho Unitarian or other
low persuasion. All the well-born and well-Dred
characters have names expressive of their moral
greatness. intellectual excellence, pure and long
pedigrees and plethoric virtues-a cheap expediene
of writer's for tho stage, and one which oven good
noyel-wrters have found convenient. Among MT
Warren's unexceptionable people are the Aubreys,
the De In Touches the Delameres. All the bad
characters are Wings and have contemptuous and
ipnoble names-TItmouse, Cannon, Yahoo. Tagrag,
V,per. Venom Tuft, MudAint, Bloodsuck, Cent?
pede; and there is one patriot, hanged for high
treason, who is named Arthur Grizzlegut. There
are also really distinguished people with high
ynlpar appellations in the novel; showing that MI
Warren was not among their admirers. The pro-
verb Of giving dog bad name never had q more
amusing illustration. But Warren carries MS
nomenclature to ridiculous excess. Thus, In giving
the organization of an election committee OF the
House of Commons the names Of the Ministerial
members are Sir Shipper Silly, Noah No'lanu'
Phelim O'Doodle, Micah McSquash, SIR Caleb Calf,
and Och Hubbaboo while the Tories are Castleton
Plume Charles D'Eresby, Merton Mortimer, Sir
Simon Almond, Bart, and Lord Frederick Brack-
enbury. This is the foolishness OF the Laura
Matilda novels of the last century-the books which
our grandmothers read IN bed through the long
hours of nights In which they should have been
sleeping, and webt over to the spelling of their
pretty eyes.
When Ten Thousand Year" was published in
England. the fact that 1t was collection OF per
sonal portraits was well enough known, and gave
the book q tactitious interest, In addition to that
which is always excited when John Bull has o
blessed opportunity of reading about the aristoc-
racy. Soon after Key was published which may
| have been more or less guess-work. but which IN
some of its guesses was evidently right. The book
was printed not long subsequent to the passage OF
the Reform Bill, which filled the mind OF this son OF
n Methodist minister with dismal forebodings OF tho
impending ruin of the Established Church and OF
all other truly British institutions. Some of the
characters intended were easily to be traced. Lord
Brougham is Mr.. Quicksilver in the carly part OF
the story and figures Enthusiastically in the &C.
count Of tho tral-afterward he is Lord Blossom
and Box (Brougham and Vauxl, having been made
| Lord Chancellor. He Is thus described: "Nex'
| came Mr. Quicksilver, who had received what may
| be called uGlnG retainer. What contrast was
he 10 Mr.. Subtle (Sir William Toilet, it is under
ssood). He was Of vast capacity and versatile
powers. In grasp and strength Of intellect Mr.
| Subtle was q nero boy in comparison. His acquire