New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-26

one of Cuyier and Goethe all is so clear and def-
mite He talks much, but with no pedantry, ana
enjoys funny story quite as much as reconui'o
PATHOLOGICAL fact. lie thinks the Englsh inIatuateu
about German critics, and showing III by 'hoh Ia
discriminate imitation of them tasteess he CON-
siders them" The historians son, Henry Hallan'
ir. is also mentioned in complimentary terms
"Young Henry Halam was brea1asting SOME
where in London with Louis Blanc. who for Two
hours talked necessarily, and almost always about
himself lie is very little man, and though .elo'
auent on his idea. gives you no feeling OF power
or trustworthiness, there is so much snowy declaa
ton instead. Carlyle was there and IL was INC
veriest fun to watch their conversation Carlyes
French was literal translation OF his own untrans
latable English, uttered too in his own broad
Scotch Louis Blanc could not at all understand
him. but would listen attentivcly and then answer
very wide of the mark" "The Brghts are staying
here" she writes TO a friend, so we consider our
selves very pleasant party John Bright is great
fun always ready for q chat and a Illumination,
and filing up the intervals of business with Para
disc Regained.' . . One likes to have his opinion
on men and things as 1t is strong, clear and honest
however one-sided. But he flies OFF provoklngly
into pounds, shillings and pence when one wants
hun to abide for a little amongst deeper and less
tangible motives, powers and arguments" when
she came to know Bright better she praised HIM
much more warmly, and without this qualification.
Indeed, Mr.. Brights unwiilneness TO tarry III inc
depths of philosophical and speculative discourse
with our amiable darst may be explained in
various ways. 1t reminds us of story which MISS
Fox tells about Florence Nightingale, on the
authority of Warrington Smyth: Il" He and sir
He lrv de In Beche dined at her fathers, anG
Florence Nightingale sat between Them she
began by drawing Sir Henry out on geology, ana
charmed him by the bOdness ana Dreadho i hcr
views. which were not common then. she accident
ally proceeded into regions of Latin and Greek and
then our geoogist had to get out OF 1t. she was
fresh from Egypt, and began talking with W.
Smyth about the inscriptions, ETC., where he
Thought he could do pretty well; but when she
began quoting Lepsus, which she had been study
ing in the original he was the same case as Sir
Henry When the ladies left the room the latter
said to him, a capital young lady that, ii she
hadn't so noored me with her Latin land Greek"
Ii is not likely that Miss Fox hoored John Bright,
but she may hag bored him little
In 1860 Tennyson was at the house of the Foxes,
in Falmouth with his friend Francis Palgrave;
and the account of the visit is an excellent specl
men OF Miss Foxs gilt as a diarist We copy 1t IN
full:
As Tennyson has a perfect horror of being lion
iZed we left him very much 10 himself LOT "hilc'
till he took tue INITIATIVE ana came Iolth c1PiPS
of the Leonardo he said that the head OF ChlSt III
ti,a Rats off |
et representation of the subject which b. had ever
seen. His bright thoughtful friend, Francis raj
grave was the more fond of pictures OF thc TWO;
tney both delighted III the little Cuyp anu tle
great Correggio; thought the Guido a pleasant
thing TO have, though feeble enough; believed III
the Leonardo, and Palgrave gioated over thc Dlg
yose On the Leads all very happy ana
talked apace "The great IT, groaned niue over
The lionling to which he is subject. ana wondered
tH,s was Ipro9os of my speaking of Henry Hallams
story of a miner hiding behind wall 10 look at
him which he did not remember; bnt when he
ne ard the name of Halan, how his great gray eyes
opened aud gave one a moments glimpse ihto tlo
deptns in when" In MemOrIam learned lts minnie
wall. lie talked great deal OF his former WISH 10
Carnival ami his accident at Bude. all owing to
stupid Seryant-maid. In the garden ne was greatly
for be too is trying to acclimalZe plants
bu finds us far ahead because he is at the western
extremity of the Isle OF Wight. where tDc Keen
winds cut up their trees and scare away inc hlghI-
ingaes in consequence. But he Is proud ahd hapPy
i'm "A great magnolia in his garden lie talked OF the
Cornish and rather liked the concelt OF their couh-
tryiSm amused to hear OF the refractory ilulo
clergyman being buried by the cornish miners,
whom he forbade to sing at their own funeral; put
he thought it rather an uniortuhat9 IL
stance OF the cvzing power of Wesley; 10y de-
grees we got to Guineyere, and he spoke KINDLY OF
s. Hodges picture of her at the Polytechnlc though
he doubted if il told the story very distinctly;
This led TO real talk of Arthur and the Z" Idyls"
and his firm belief IN HIM as an HISTORICAL peIsoHdS',
though old Speeds narrative has mncn lhat can DC
only traditional. He found great dlihculiY III re-
constr acting the character, IN correcting molerh
with ancient leelng i'll representing the lueal
King | asked whether Nlyen might not be me
old Brittany 1airy who wilcd Merlin INTO her nei
and not an actual woman. But no." he SAID; IL
is full of distinct personality, though never expect
women TO like It," The river Camel he wei ne
Ieyes in particularly as he slipped his foot and tell
in the other day. but found no EXcahbur. Camcl
means simply winding; crooked. IKE lhe IAN n'
Cambridge The Welsh claim Arthur as their own,
but TennysOn gives all his votes to us. some nave
urged him to continue the ldyis. hut he does not
feel 1T expedent to take peoples advice as an a'Io
lutte law but to wait tor the vision. He reads the
| reviews of his poems, and is amused to ilnd now
often ne is misunderstood. Poets often mlsnter-
| pet poets, and he has never seen an artist tny
! illustrate poet Talked of Garlbaldl whose lie
was like one out of Putarch, he said, so grand ana
| simnIe: and of RuskIn as one who has said many
foolish things: and of John Sterling. whom he met
twice. and whose conversational powers lie well rc-
| members .:.. to.
his friend: if he had never written line of poetry
| he should have felt him none the less poet; he
| had an ambition TO make him and Anna Uurhey
| known to each other as kindred spirits ana oi
| similar calibre. We gricved not to take them 10
| Penierrck, but they were engaged to the truro
| River; so with farewell graop of the great brown
! hand they left us.
There is an engaging union of refinement, SYM
| uathy and acute observation in many of the pages
| devoted to the Carlyles, to the Bunsens to John
| Sterling, to John Stuart Mill and others from
| which we can afford the room for only few eX-
| tracts The portrait which Miss Fox presents OF
CARLYLE is much pleasant than most Of the sketches
| of him that have recently been exhibited. but 1t
| is not without a certain grim humor OF which she
herself was perhaps only half conscious. The fol-
lowing are among the most interesting of the Car
LYLE passages though not the most complete OF Miss
| Fox's reports of what she heard from the Scottish
| philosopher:
| Got somehow TO Emerson, who is quietly but
deeply influencing a few both in England and
America. Fraser tells him that the English edition
OF the Lectures" is disappearing, which he Is clad
| to hear of. In America he is indeed great phe-
! nomenon he must live and feel and think apart
from public opinion the adanartlne basis of his
| own manhood. The Carlyles Ike his conversation
much better than his books which they think often
| obscure and involved both in conception and exc
| o,+;on 1 remarkc1 m fine democratic waV in