New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-06
{" EOTHENn KLNGLAKE.
From Temple Bar.

Friend. under date of October 81. 1854 Ave
were saying yesterday that though he might write
he might write book. And a friend of his
added, he is wild about matters military, II so
calm man is ever Wild We all hope that ne
may come home unscathed: that no ilnatmred
fellow may say, Serve him right for going at ALL
Kinglake was in the Crmea at the above date.
He was with Lord Raglan's staff at the storming
of the heights of Alma. The first sensation OF
being in battle he lllxened TO the excitement OF
fox-hunting; but in far other terms he described
the night scene when the din and turmoil OF
the fight was over. lie among those who
carried succor 10 the wounded-succor TO 1Tlend
hnd foe alike-on the deadencumbered helds
dancing lanterns borne by the searchers.
Kinglakes interest in military matters was
indeed very genuine; it was disappointment 70
him in life that his extreme shortness OF slgnt
rendered him physically unfit for the pro-
fesson which. Of all Others, he would nave pre-
ferred. In the daily routine OF conventional eS'
istence his nature became somnolent; IL was prop
ably the unconscious effort 10 escape from Ihls
deadening influence that sent him in carry ne
70 encounter the dangers and dhe9lties OF LAS.
and 10 the Crimea that the blast OF trumpets
and the roll of drums might stir to action the
frost bound volcano of the soul wlthln MN.
Mr.. Kinglake's defective sight may in some
degree he held responsible for the shyness ana
formality of his manners in general society IN
person he was short and slight, with finely ems
elled features and an intellectual brow: he had
singularly bloOdless complexion not the pailoF oi
ill-health. but rather the gray whiteness OF d
ner his slowneSs of speech and gentle voice. were
strangely at variance with the biting sarcasm
that at times fell from his lips But his pei pen
was ever more virulent than his spoken Word.
His hatred of wrong-doers was expressed WIN SO
much elaboration and reiteration that the tlraue
occasionally lost somewhat OF the genGe Iof1 ill u
spontaneity. In his happier moods OF table talk'
Kinglake would poise his eplgrams with eNUraore
binary deliberatiOn. His wit had the charm b Ha
said what no one else would ever have Thought
of saying; therein was the quln'eSSence OF ltS
81 Yplf M n
be initiated or parOdied. He was 0lten AT MS
best when two three were gathered togetheer
or long ago at his mothers dinner tabie' Wheh Ine
world was younger ana before LOUIS N"Po''o
Kinglake was only an intermittent tallSer IN
general society. for-rare habit even among d so ro
wisest of us-he never spoke unless he had some
thing to say. We gods, what golden silence tleIe
would be if this an abiding law IN our heroS.
Crabb Robinson averred that Hlngake in The
slept for a brief space, when his interest IN an, me
conversation tagged much as he himself deScrIpes
Ministers doing at the celebrated Cabinet Oouhcl
where peace and war were IN .n neari, that for
berson of his reputation Mr. kinglake was tne
dullest man that he had ever met at a ui aT
Grote was so ladyke." He was in iact IN ,h n,t
measured, courteous manner the very iSPe VI inst
utter responsibility" which is ralied aga nnSi
man IN the pages of Eothen" Kinglake, encased
in his own Formally. would douDtlChs nav
warmed toward the gentleman--i1e MIS-. M[I,t,
who with her robust language, ana trehcnan9
remarks never lost time over euphemlSns or caIeu
70 call a spade by any other name hlngaNe, ny
force of contrast liked dash ana vlgoI III stonned
n he was bored A lady friend Of his suggesteu
that his pulse should be felt at dinner aiter Ille
second entree, and if not satisfactory nc Snoul'
pe KinoloEe was certainly not in a state of bore:
dom when he shrewdly observed. IN SPEAKING Vi
the sage of Chelsea whom he did not love, CaT7
iyle talks like jeremiah, but SO far IRON Deing
a prophet, he is a bad Scotch joker" adding, !
believe he knows himself to be win mdr1,3sr
Kinglake was not in sympathy with. with German German
modes of thoughts his early preJudlce agaili St
everything Teutonic very markcd: lie "ent
30 far as to say that he did not DeheNe IN any
one succeeding in life who took up strong
iy with the German language or It's
literature. Though far from being a
typical Englishman he had some amusing Sl crnod
prejudices One of the few canons OF ms ct ie
was-at least he averred it was-a belief that II a
Frenchman behaved well he would he REWARDED DS
finding himself born an Engshman+ IN Rritsber
would be degraded into becoming French IN ms
secondary stage of existence .,.,.ou ,,O,ron
KinoIake liked the society OF clever women
The illogical vivacity Of the female mlnd amused
and excited him. He was capable OF very seuatg
friendships with the other sex his is etrn
for Mrs Proctor is an instance Alter ls ls'I EN-
5pon, the East he read with her husband 1or
the Chancery bar, and in this way became &C
ouainted with one of the cleverest, and at the
London society. 1t was believed among ms as
sociates that Mrs Proctor was Our I LADY Q,
Bitterness, aIluucu 10 III tiiV PiS4"NN
This preface, by the way unlike m9sG t1a It 81
the kind is excellent reading. Klngake 1eit anu
believed in female influence; ne usen 70 iu say KY
SMcn will never be made really religious III the
church establishes an order of pr1esteSSes. omen
have their spiritual pastors; man should nave
his priestess-hiS Egeria
family being no woman-hater, he replied, Be-
cause he had observed that wives always pre-
ferred other men to their own husbands Ming
lake was chivalrous about ideal men and women
his Imagination reveled in q picturesque glamor
of things; but his fastdious nature would never ever
have borne with equanimlty the 1nevltaDle ruos
of life in double harness.
Kinglake's fastidiOusneSs moulded his manner
into its ultimate form of literary presentm I6
His letters generally wanting in the char
ncteristic brilancy of style that marked MS IN
Ished work Some mems letters, on the contrary
in their freshness and freedom, are better reading
than their more labored productions. The proof
sheets of some portions Of the Invasion OF the
Crimea' were perfect maTyel oil eiaDGra aoer ana
lions were endless. The writer was evidently
o severe critic of his own work. The balance OF
a sentence was very often rearranged, ana othcI
words and phrases substituted for those that stood
In the first reading The corrections were done
with such consummate skill that You came to
zee IL would not be possible to find language
more terse. more lucid or more appropriate than
that of the final form adopted by Kinglake to eX-
press what he had to say: 1t is the old remark
exempliied-easy reading is hard writing.
But with all its elaboration, perhaps over
elaboration of style, there is nothing in the
History" which can at all compete with the
charm Of that single volume of travel which made
Kinglakes reputation.
"Eothen" is n chapter of autobiography written
I'm the happiest vein of humorous Sef-portraiture.
Who forget the incident, as Kinglake de-
scribes It, of his meeting in the desert English
man with his cavalcade?
AS We approached each other" he
says, sit became a question whether We
should speak. thought it likely
that the stranger would accost me,
and in the event Of his doing so, was quite ready
to be as sOciabe and chatty as / could be accord
ing to my nature but still could not think Of
anything particular that ] had TO say TO him.
OF course among civilized people the not having
anything TO say is I.o at all for not speak
ing; but / shy and INDECENT and felt no
great wish to stop and talk like morning visitor
In the midst Of these broad sOitudes The
traveller perhaps felt as l did, for except that
we lifted our hands TO our caps and waved our