New-York tribune., 1886-04-04
FROM THE HANDS or FAMOUS NEN.
THE osGooD COLLECTION NoFAuroGRApHs

LETTERS FROM MANY CKLlBRATED AUTHORS AND
PERSONS OF NOIf
Autograph collectors may be roughly divided
into two classes. those who collect mere sicnatuIcs
urged thereto by a form tho Ordinary collecting
mania and those who always glad 10 secure sone
interesting letter or manuscript possessing additional
interest the wellknowD hand in which II Is W.T.
ten The content to show 20 admiriuS friends a
gaudy album containing 80 many hundred nls'
natures OF all sorts OF people, great and
small The other devotes years to "nlsy.ns'
with pertinent letters some fine edition of sandaid
author or TO acquiring q collection OF manuscripts of in
teres AL students OF literature. To the latter ani
more worthy class belonged James Osgcot, the vol
known publisher, who from his position was aAe 10
gather together in the course OF years COLLECTION Of
autographs valuable well as ttrlctve Ills brother
collectors will rejoice ami grieyc when they learn that
Mr. Osgood has paced his treasures ia the hands OF
W. l.. Benjamin. OF this city, for sale IhrY
will grieve that such q wcll-ch0sen store OF
precious letters written" should be broken up, and
rejoice at the which enables them to h4i IN TIE
chinks and crannies OF their own accumula,ions Even
to the on, slider who for OF these things
glance over catalogue shortly TO be issued will not
be labor lost for 1t is curious 10 the estimation ~
which the living and dead celebrities held by
the sutograph-hunter.
Among Americans we ind that General Grants
name attached to request for "box" tickct
addressed to Tailacks Theatre is worth 81,
while ii letter from j. G.. Holland, in which
he makes with weather prophecy OF TIE TRIBUNE,
is priced III IS. An autograph letter Of Lincoln. dated
1860 worth Sl0 ana one OF Aaron Burr. dated 1892
is marked 81 80 tltlo deed sgnei by Governor Cn-
ton dated l7ss. cheap So Is, does two
page letter Of our own Barnum which may he had for
ST. one OF the signers OF the Declaration Robert Nor
r Is quoted at - 50, while Roscoe Conkling sells for
| tenth OF that SUM. namely. % cents Oakley Hall is
worth five cents Rufus Choate brings 81. and
Victoria Woodhull falls TO so cents.
II Is in the department devoted TO literary men that
the choicest treasures be found. There is for
instance the original autograph manuscript OF Lmer-
sons Representative Men comprised in 79O quarto
pages. Bound together these are priced at $500 Ere
ouent erasures alterations and corrections and
to what must been the despair o. the composing
room, Emerson frequently wrote on both sides OF his
paper The hand bold clear and characteristic OF the
man. Among the many passages bodily eXcscd Is the
following:
There is nothing comparable in literature to Shake
speares expression for strength and for dccacy. Men
of celestial angels and talked with them but that when
they returned into the natural world though they pre-.
translate the things that had been SAID into human
thoughts and words. But Shakespeare 10 one who
having rapt purer state OF sensation and
had learned the secret OF finer dlcton, and
when he returned 10 this world retained the Hue org an
which had been opened above
OF De Quincy there is quantity OF material consist
tograph letters The greater part OF these letters ad
dressed to his publishers and unsigned Written in lie
Ouincey's small fine handwriting, they breathe in every
line the nervous supersensve nature OF the author.
Appeals for time TO finish copy or correct proofs for
money for thing and another without ray OF nope
or enjoyment striking through the gloom. form the
general tenor OF them For the lot $50 Is asked or
nearly half the prioe angle letter Of Addison dated
1903 letter from Robert Burns TO his friend Robert
Cleghorr contains original songs never published
and ends "Thne In all tho sincerity OF
brace OF honest Port r. b." II s valued at Ss5. let
ter from James Fenimore Cooper j. ID. +. Ogden Ia
dated $780, and speaks bitterly OF Colonel Webb Editor
of The Courier and Enquirer who has been this day
indicted for other libel against your humble servant
and mentions his intention OF suing for libel Colonel
stove editor OF The Commercial doerser and Spectator
The libel is contained the imputation OF an attempt
10 falsify history" Oliver Goldsmith In postscript to
aleter to his uncle valued at 5000 In which he dis
medicine speaks OF trip TO tho Highlands He says:
hired horse OF about the size Of and he walked
away (trot he could mott pensive his master Bret
Harte contributes tho manuscript OF the play TWO
Men OF Sandy Bar which nearly ruined Stuart Robson
and contained volumes OF l25 pages each priced
1T s7b. OF Hawthorne there is tho manuscript OF
"a London Suburb" one OF the sketches In "Our Old
Home" which 10 priced at 800 Two interesting auto
graphs of oliver Wendell Holmes those OF the FRO
essor at the Breakfast Table and the Autocat OF tho
Table, the first complete and the latter near