New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-03
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A LOYALIST'S JOURNAL.
TILE DIARY OF MILAN PYNcHOY. or sMEM

among his ancestors some OF The men llOSl uiS-
iinguSled in early Ncw-England history: ne was
4 graduate of Harvard of ,l3. lawyer OF no'e
and man Of csimable character and honorable
life Although he never sat upon ;he bench, ne
was something's called Judge" and i, may be
tina, Hawthorne in boyhood heard from the lips
of the oldest jnhabiiant some re ference 70
Judge Pynchon," which left t.c name II his
memory for future use when writing the House
of the Seven Gables" Mr. Julian Hawthorne
quotes his father writing 20 Louisa hawthorne
his sister soon after the publication OF tins novel
receive very complimentary letters from poets
and proscrs. and adoring ones from young ladies':
and | have almos. challenge from a gentleman
who complains of me tor introducing his grand
father, Judge IynChcOn. 1t seems there was
really Pyncheon family formerly resident in
Salem and one cf them bore the title of Judge,
and was a Tory at the time Of the Revolution
with which facts was entirely Inacqdain'ed.
/ paciled the gentleman by a letter
This paciiicatofy letter is quoted by Mr.. Oliver
i'll his biographical introduction to his ancestors
Diary, and it is eminen,ly worth giving here
LenoX, May 3, 1851.
Sir 1t pains me to learn that have given
you what | am content 10 acknowledge Il reason
able ground of offence by borrowing the name OF
the Pynclon family for my fictitious purposes IN
The House of the Seven Gables. 1t ne 'er oc-
Cured 10 me- however. that the name was not
much the property of romance writer as thai
of Smith, Tor instance; while ITS unhackneNco
singularity and a certain indcscrlbabc illness u
the tone Of my work gave II value which no
other of the many surnames wnlcn sutScsled
themselves to me seemed 10 possess Writing the
book at n distance from Salem, ! had no oppor-
tunity for consulting ancient records or the 1tco-
lectiors of aged persons. and be- YOU u DeneNc
that ] was wholly unaware; tnu! the iecelp. Vi
Your letter, that the Pynchons, at so recent y
pcrod as Won mention, if nj any former one. had
been II sidcnts of that place Had ihls fact been
within my knowledge and especially had known
,l.nr.
title Of Judge. | should certainly have consl crcl
it discouIteous and unwarrantlbe to make Tree
wit. the namc. | would 1ntthcr say ,ii"' i III
tended no alusiOn to any PNnchOn now or A.
any previous period cXtant: that never heard
ANYTHING TO the discrcdn. IN the Slghiesi de,
gree. of this cid and respectable race. and thar
give the fullest crcdcnce TO Yonr testimony IN
favor of your grandfather. Judge Pynchon, ana
greatly regrci that should have seemed to sull\
his honorable name by plastcrinS II upon an
imaginary villain.
Won suggest that rcparation is due for these IN
jnres OF my pen. but poiai oat no MODE IN WIFI
II NAV I've practicable. II is my own OPINION 1hau
mn real In rm has been done. inasmuch as enter
a protest i'm thc preface Of The House % the
Seven Gables" against the narrative ana 1hc per
sonages being considered a, other than imaginary
But. since it appears otherwise 10 YOU no better
coursp occurs TO me than 10 pat tins letter al
your disposal. TO he used in such manner as n
nropcr regard for your family honor may DC
Thought TO demand Respectfully. Sir yonI oDc-
d;ent servant. NATH'L HAWTHORNE.
The certain indcscribablc fitness TO the tone
Of my work. is a phrase TO he appreciated by all
literary artists-who are something more than
artists.
Although like many other eminent lawyers OF
his time the writer OF this diary was LOFTY
dnrinq the years of the Revolution. he was not
a violent one. and the lamentS in these pages are
chiefly concerning the evils attending the issue OF
paper money He notes that SO must be
maid in IT'S for "a six 10 seven feet load" Of
wood and sadly describes the sale of 4 good house
and land al only four shillines more than the price
.,ven for a hoeshcad Of West India rum. Under
date of June so 1871, he writes The Acts Oi
Inc State absolutely prohibit every kind of depre-
citation of the paper currency either by words or
actions: vet every trader, huckster, markctman
and peder with open mouths. unltedly declare
and publicly say it is of little or no value; ohef
10 take anything in payment for their wares o.
for their debts except paper. Broadcloth saId 10
be &C S. Adj per yard, and scarcely any 10 be had
Il. Tea at s. and So per pound The lot oi
the New-England Tory during the Revolt
tion was not particularly pleasant
one Mr. Pynchon sets forth in q letter written
in 1875 the manner in which the rabblc of Salem
broke the windows daubcd and painted the doors.
and tarrcd the houses OF the loyal subjects Of
George These gentry were, moreover. bawled al,
sneered at and Kissed at in the streets; and
some Of them incurred even gravcr penalties.
Some have been seized, yoZcd. and driven Ike
cattle" writes Pynchon. One or more haih
been bound out TO hard labor. One respectable
householder in particular, was bound and let out
10 several masters at different days, ana was
sent or carried to meeting on Sundays as
criminal and at length was forced % attend 10
q sermon preached principally for him. an
enemy Of his country, till. weary OF insults d.
subscribed a confession prepared for him and
no q MlrblcncdG
excessively high and outrageous, and some OF their
shoremen declare publicly that rs soon as General
Gage shall begin TO execute any OF his orders
every friend of Government there is 10 be Imne-
diately seized and destroyed; that neither parents
nor children shall be spared. deacon OF not"
declares that hc would Kill his own children If
Inc sbould find them to be Tories, and that none
will be allowed to be neuters. But those vino
talk the loudest generally do least" There was
in Salem at that time what Mr. Pynchon calls
"a clubb.7 among whose members were the
prominent Tories of the place. men for the most
part of literary tastes and attannents. As the
war went on and political feeling grew more
bitter the Republicans Withdrew, and the Tories
were left to meetings which were but dismal
AS the Wages say quotes Pynchcn, I'VE
sit looking at one another speeches.
as the cats in cloudy weather"
and if a word of news popped out foreiinsers
were instantly pointed at the doors and windows,
and gloomy silence followed.
The Diary contains some details Of eighteenth
century customs which raise a smile IN these
DAYS What would be thought Of the modern
physician who should carry patient through tine
violent course of medication which followed the
incubation for smallpox of Mr.. Pynchon The
glasses of SIENNA" which succeed one another
in unrelentng profusion through this portion OF
the Diary fill the reader with awe and wonder.
Several wcll-lsnown names recur Ill these pages,
among them that of Samuel Curwen. n Salem
loyalst. who sought refuge in England from the
consequences of his devotion to tie Kings Gov
eminent letter written from i-ol"oh -