New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-26
STUDIES IN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
BY cHARI.Es T. CoNGDoN.
ALEXANDER CARLYLE.


fntergently edited by the late John Hill Burton IN
1850. IL is book 50 amusing and SO full OF con-
temporary anecdote and history, Tat in spite oil Its
recent publication, am tempted to include IL IN
This series of studies The title which the writer
rave his own Ms. was Anecdotes and Cha racters
of the Times" and one reason which he aSsgnes lot
composing his memoirs is that history is usually SO
carelessly and consequently so falsely written.
When he began the book he had entered on the
seventy-ninth year of his age and he brought his
story down TO 1870. when he was forty-eght years
old Thus ii is somewhat more fragment
than autobiographies usually are; but it has an
advantage of them in another respect, for no one
can read it without wishing il longer.
Alexander Carlyle born at Prestonpans IN
1922. His father was minister of that parish. His
mother as he is careful to record, was person of
superior understanding. of a calm and firm temper,
of an elegant and rejecting mind" He draws
nice and suggestive distinction when he says that
she was as much respected as his father was be-
lored" When Carlyle was six years old he read a
large portion of the Bible to a dozen old women
who had been excluded from the church by a
crowd" The portion which he selected for the de-
location and edifcation of these ancient ladies
was the Song of Solomon. Carlyle saw the famous,
or rather the infamous, Colonel Charteris profii-
gate notorious in the satires of Pope and Arbuthnot
swhen was five or six years CT age; and being
fully impressed with the popular opinion that he
was a wizard who had fascinating power, never
once took my eyes of him during the whole service,
believing l should be q dead man the moment
did" There Lord Grange in the neighbor-
hood who was religious enthusiast and at the
same time lcentious in his morals After spending
the evening in discussing the high points of Cal
yinism he finished the n ght in cOnviviality. Car
lyle is charitaby inclined to believe that this
debauched Christian quite sincere IN his reli-
gious professions for human nature is capable OF
wonderful freaks"
CARLYLE entered the College of Edinburgh in 1875.
He thought at first of adopting the medical profess
sion, but was disguised with 1t when two of his
friends dissected a child which they had bought of
its father q poor tailor, for six shings The man
had asked six shilngs and sixpence, but they beat
him down the six pence by asserting that the bar
gain was to him worth more thar twelve shillings,
as il saved him all the expenses of burial So the
young man enrolled himself as a student of
divinity. He mentions that living at Edinburgh
was wonderfully cheap there were ordinaries for
Young gentlemen at fourpence head Tor very
good dinner of broth and beef and roast and pota-
toes every day, with fish three four times a week,
and all the small beer that was called for till the
cloth was removed. At Glasgow, Carlyle attended
the lectures of Hutcheson which he delivered with
out notes. walking backward and forward i'll the
area of his room." His fame had filed the college
with students of philosophy. Carlyle undertook to
answer his treatise the Passions" This refuta-
tlon was shown to Hutchinson. who only said that
the young gentleman might be right, but that he
had long ago made up his mind on these subjects.
and could not take the trouble to revise them -
certainly a sensible resolution
Dr. Carlyle was personal observer of the Rebel
lion of AS. He joined company of volunteers in
Edinburgh Two-thirds of tie ladies of the city
were Jacobites and two-tbrds CT the men were
Wings The former laughed from the windows at
the volunteers they II archcd by. Afterward he
saw Prince Charles at Edinburgh and describes him
as "a good looking man, of about five feet ten
inches: his hair was dark-red and his eyes black.
His features were regular, his visage long.
much sunbnIned and freckled. and his conn
tenance thoughtful and melancholy" When he
YVES twenty-five years old. Carlyle went to Leyden
to study. Among the British students whom he
found there John Wilkes even IN his youth
preternaturally ugly. When he came TO know
Wilkes well he found him sprightly entertaining
fellow" too much so for his years. he was but
eighteen for even then he showed something of
daring proflgacy, for which be was afterward
notorious lie was an avowed disbeever In the
truth of Christianity" Another fellow student
was Charles Townshend, who then showed much
wit and humor, and urn for mmlcrv. quite out
shining Wilkes i'll conversation. Townshend had
the convenient talent of " translatIng other mems
thoughts winch they had produced in the simple
style of conversation, INTO the most charming Ian
sguage which not only took the ear but elevated
the thoughts" 1t is mentioned that Dr. Robertson
had the same knack, which caused Dugald Stewart
to remark that he liked Robertsons talk the best
when he had no audience.
H. lvla alafp a auppdOtp which Will
be interesting to lovers of theatrical gossip On his
voyage home from Holland, he observed young
person about sixteen, whom he took for a Hano-
yerian baron coming to Britain TO pay his court at
St. Jam j. During rough weather the young for
eigner became much frightened and called out to
Carlyle to know if there was any danger The
voice BETRAYED her sex, and she turned out o be
yioetti the dancer, who was engaged to perform at
the Haymarkot. Carlyle consoled her as well as he
could, and promised to be at the theatre upon the
night of her first appearance. This was the lady
who af;erward became the wife of David Garrick.
In London Carlyle was intimate with Smollett, the
novelist who told agreeable stories with pecu-
liar grace" He felt very kecnly the cruelties to
which his countrymen were subjected. after the
suppression of the rebellion and showed Carlyle in
manuscript his wcll-known little poem, The Tears
of Scotland" Carlyle met also certain Rev.
Patrick Murdoch, who was the original of the
little, fat, round oily man of God in Thomsons
@Castle OF Incidence"
Recalled by his father. DR.. Carlyle went home to
Scotland. where he began to preach and in time he
was presented TO Invoresk. His parishoners had
their doubts OF him. for he danced frequently in
manner prohibited by the Jaws of The church; he
wore his hat agee y; and had been seen galloping
through the Links one day between one and two
o'clock There were many doubts of his having the
- oil nm nccult uuplitVO lac which
the people cannot define" But an old lady who had
nrd him rnadnr the Song OF SOomnn Ontsde the