Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-05-02
O.IJlDA.
4 letter from Florence says:


Louisa de Ia Rance is of French extrac.
ton, her grandfather having been q French
man, but sue is English On both sides of the
house, having been born at Burg st. Ed
muads. Suffolk, forty three years ago. The
story runs that her father and mother, being
inharmouious in their domestic relations,
separated during her girlhood-he coming
10 tie Continent and she remaining in Eng
laud Ouiaa'3 youth was passed III various
countries, 50 thai she may be said 10 have
no particular nationality. She speaks flu
entity French, Italian and German, as well
as her native tongue, and writes those fore
ign languages with facility.
If Ouidas books she derived her pen
name from the childish pronunciation by
her little niece, Of her first name, which is
Louisa &c la Rance arc not quite apprei
ated by the critics, they are appreciated by
her publishers, for they sell largely and
rapidly Her first novel, Held in Bond
age" brought her, understand, $4,000, and
she now gets at least $4,000 for every new
work i'll three volumes that she writes
She has grown SO popular within the last
eight or ten years that she can make very
favorable terms with publishers, and she
never negIects, it is said, her own interests.
''Moths" ard "Friendship'' have been ex-
ceeGingly profitable, yielding her to date,
respectively, $4,000 and $4,000 and are
still in demand.
She is reported TO have made from $780,
900 and $500 900 by her writings, and her
money has been so we'll invested that her
income is estimated at $4,000 q year, con-
siderel very large in Italy. When to this
is added her annual earnings by the pen, it
is not strange that she is counted here as
very rich.
The celebrated authoress lives iu hand
some villa outside the gates, furnished and
decorated handsomely and extensively. i!
is full OF pictures, engravings, statuettes,
hronZes books, and ;li sorts Of bric-a-brac
for which she has great ionauess and fine
taste. If she has little love Of her own
kind. she loves dogs horses cats, birds, and
auiH,ai generally, having III her house
many pets She often says that they ere
neither perlaious nor ungratclul, and lhat
10 call y man a dog, as most men are con-
stituted, is {! compliment that he seldom
merits. She drives out daily when the
weather is pleasant, and is usually accom-
panied by two or three dogs.
Every body in and about Florence knows
her by sight She is Il rather striking figure,
being tall and well formed, and having q
strong rememGerab!c face, with light eyes
and an abundance Of yellow hair. She
dresses handsomely and extensively but in
an unconventional manner, and not always
in good taste. AT times she is overloaded
v.jih color and ornaments, and then, again,
she IS simple in attire TO Il point OF sever
ity. 1t would sccEl mat she enjoys at
,rac!iaS attention and making n scnsa-
ton, although she prctcnds otherwise. An
American artist here calls her Il feminine
imitalor OF Byron, iUr whom she chcrishes
an enthusiastic admiration. She also
a.iore- Heinrich Heine and Leopard, " hich
show that the bent Of her mind is sombre
and cviicai. III fact, most OF her literary
tastes are what would be denominated un-
heaithtul. Her views of life are not cheer
lu. and iier countenance is generally mar
red by All expression Of unamiabihty.
What has made her bitter nobody knows.
| Il is due partly TO temperament and partly
to circumstances. Her early life has prob
ably been such as to sour her. Moreover,
she is ~ iGealist, and, consequently, doom
ed to disappointment in all her relations
with tho world
The poor are very much attached to Ouida
which. is natural. as she is very kind to them
personally and pecuniarily. She gives
freely and largely in charity, and she is said
never 10 hear ofa case Of indulgence and suf-
fering which she does not try to relieve.
On the whole, she appears 10 be strong,
earnest, generous, honorable. pure-minded
woman, whose faults are mostly on the
surface. She believes she does much good
by exposing the weaknesses and meanness-
es and vices of society, and by presenting
patterns of men and women who put the
common creatures of life 10 shame. She
travels good deal, spending six or seven
months here, and the rest OF the year in
France and England. She has few friends
who are devoted to her, and for them and
to them she is goodness itself. With all
her talents and success she is discontented,
and is, inwardly, 4 solitary and unsatistied
soul.