The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-01-12
A NOVELIST BY ACCIDENT.
London World. !

Alt Ems has grown since the Renaissance into Altemps, the ''p' being interpolated perhaps on the same principle that it is into Thompeon. Here, some sixty steps higher than the roofs of the remainder of the building, dwells Mir. Crawford, in the enjoyment of ample space and air, as we'll as an unrivalled view over the eter- nal city. From the half-dozen windows an apartment some twenty four feet square may be seen the Pincian, the castle of St. Angelo, St. Peters, the capitol and magnificent stretch of the Campagna. It is large apartment for wliting-room, and is cumbered with very few books.
 From the red armchair rises a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed youog man, whose feet are incased in red silk slippers and red silk stockings, and around whose throat is red and blue cravat His well come is hearty, and his voice has bright English tone. His powerful shoulders and muscular limbs make him appear less than his true height, and the pose is distinctly that of trained athlete for the moment at rest, the glance of the blue eyes frank and merry, the laugh at quip or jest long and ringing, the utterance quick and entirely devoid of the exasper- ating slowness and precision which in some Americans convey the impression that they are always speaking for report CTS. The general effect is tha, of black bearded Northerner, endowed with all the high spirits and sense of humor, as we'll as force and tenaeity of purpose, characteristic of the north. Yet Mir. Crawford is an American. born at the Baths of Lucea, twenty-nine years ago, and by accident the recipient of cosmo- politan education. if there ever were one But although he has pursued his studies by turns at Cambridge, Carlsruhe, Bom- bay and Rome, he remains true AmeIi- can, loving Newport among the watering places of the earth, and believing with untlinching faith in Boston, Mass.
 Francis Marion Crawford is the son of Mir. Thomas Crawford, of New York, the sculptor of the Washington monument, who lived in Rome, and died young. after having married Miss Louisa Cutler Ward, the sister of" Uncle Sam" who has since married Mir. L. Terry, and resides in Rome. With Italian and French as na- tive languages, Mir. Crawford was sent to New Hampshire to learn the English tongue, and, from the age Of twelve to tha, of fifteen, studied under Dr. Colt, whose school is still famous. After three boyish years in America, MT. Crawford went back to Rome 10 his family, and studied Greek ard mathematics. He came to England to private tutors at Hat field Broadoak, in Essex, where his schoolmates were Leslie Goodwin. son of hA kschnv> af f l,el> ,l ,I r. Goodal, K. A. From this seat of learn- ing the transition was easy to Trinity college, Cambridge, where Mir. Crawford passed four terms in boxing and tandem driving. passing, however, his little go" very smartly. Presently he found lan- guages to be his strong point, and ac- quired rapidly German, Swedish and Spanish. His fondness for Oriental lan- guages made him acquainted with MT. I. G. DaCunha. who won the first prize at the Oriental congress at Florence in 1878, aud who IS now practising as physician in Bombay. In his companionshlp Mir. Crawford went to the East, studied Zend with Parsee high priest, and read the Zendavesta.
 IL was in India that Mir. Crawford, after his Polyglot education, began to write for the press Indian papers are greedy of writing by young men fresh from Europe. and rom Ihe I!Wss of /gdIa! the transi- ton was easy to IAe inaiaH HyaIf, a venture launched al Allahabad As edi- tor of the latter journal. started in the na- tive interest, Mir. Crawford did much hard work for little more than a year. Then his health compelled him 10 leave India. ar, ha l.. l. has lived for nearly forty years. In India he had improved his Sansorit and learned to speak Hindustani. and to read and write rdu. Returned to Italy in deli cate health, he passed many months Tn wandering in the Abruzzi. where. thanks to his disguise and a good knowledge of the language, he passed as native vine dresser. IL was d rough time there was nothing to eat in the Abruszl but milk, Salt-nsh and ccrn-cake. Family reasons then called MT Crawford to America. where he remained on visit ,o Mrs Julia Ward Howe. in Boston. In that pleasant city he inscribed himself as d student of Harvard university. and finally took a diploma iE Sanscrii. after study ing under Prof Charles l.anman. He wrote on the Silver Question" pam phlet for the bankers convention, at Nj agara, which was subsequently, reprinted in the Banke,s .Htga-ine. and a long list of reviews concerning political, social and economic philosophy. but never touched notion. either as creator or re- viewer. The young athlete thought he had no imagination. He believed in his knowledge. rare and varied. as an Ori- entalist, and had at various times and seasons attacked the Theosophists, who are ..very difficult fellows 10 understand.
 The now famous novel. Mir. Isaacs," was acciden, just like the late NJ. Fey deau's !" Fanny" Everybc dy now knows that philosophic reading and writing bring little sris, to the mill, and tha, popular tic,lon is the most lucrative form of liter a,ure. Mir. Crawford was unmindful of such thing when he was sitting at the same table with his uncle. Mir. Sam Ward, at the old New York club in Mad ison square. Gossip turned on India.