The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-05
MIR. Lowell and the Three I,,s.

Lord CRANBRooK has rendered no service
to the memory OF the late JAMES RUSSELL
LOWELL by publishing in the London Times
q private letter written to him In March.
| 1881, by the American Minister. Lord GRAN
BROOK at that time had recently been q
member Of the BEAooNsFIELD Administers
ton as Secretary Of State for India.
The private letter which the Conservative
statesman makes public as evidence OF Mr..
LowELL's kindly humor" and genial way
OF sustaining his burden OF diplomatic re-
sponsibility, enclosed some verses written
by MIR. LOWELL at Lord CRANBRooK's re-
quest for somebody's autograph album.
The American Minister wrote as follows:
"DxAR LORD c.: Are you human enough cts nice
test 10 like puns In proportion to their poorness So
you will not be much Mortified with an old ono OF
mine-that tho first graphs the tracks left
by birds on ancient margins and to DO seen In
geological museums on tablets OF stone-where more
store set by them fear than by those Mosxs
They WERE .: any rate. the only uncous cious auto
RraphA for when We asked for I'm able
TO be natural as when We arc sitting for photo
grapha felt so much hattsred by what You told
mo the other day that In the expansion (which
Is tho Latin for being puned up, as tdce In
for candle) OF the moment I promised to write
you another But have found It dreadfully hard to
do tho same thing again. especially while my hsa
Is humminR with tho three Ps-pi,catory rights pi<s
and PADDY But nke to keep my word, aud 80 to dis
tract mind from tho irritation OF the feas afors
said compelled It into your service in ham out
the written opposite. which hand over to your
entire control for the exiEsnces OF autogr aph writing
for tho waste paper basket II that you he
moro proper destiny. Pray don't thank me for them
you will make ashamed They will prove At least
land that 10 what they meant for sine erely
am yours ~. r. LowKLl.
40 LowsDrs SQUARE g. W., March Is 1881"
Except in single passage. this epstolary
effort will strike most readers as trivial to
the verge Of Stiffness. Men OF intellectual
force and literary eminence. we suppose, do
sometimes pen such letters in moments of
mental relaxation, but they are not anxious,
as rule that such letters should find their
way into print. The exception noted is tho
passage wherein Mr.. LOWELL refers to his
official duties as Minister OF the United
States near the Court OF st. James's He in
forms Dear Lord c." that 1t is with diff.
Guilty that he has constructed the verses for
the autograph album, because his poor head
sis humnins with the three P.'s-piscatory
rights, pigs. aud PADDY" And little
further along he characterizes the aforesaid
topics OF International discussion rs irritat-
ing fleas. from which his mind can find dis
ouly III Lllc IlODlcT occupation OF
poetic endeavor.
What We're the three lcas which gave Mr..
LOWELL SO much annoyance while he was
drawing his salary as American Minister to
England that Ito communicated his distress
to British statesmen? By pscatory rights.
he undoubtedly meant the questions arising
out Of tho outrage on American fishermen In
Fortune Bay, and the resulting difficulty be-
tween the United States and British Govern
ments as to the Interpretation of the fishery
clauses of the Washington Treaty When
Mr.. LOWELL was transferred from Madrid
to London no found this important question
awaiting his most earnest thought and most
energetic and patriotic action. We see In
the letter to Lord CRANBRooK how much OF
an impression the responsibility for the
American case in the great fishery dispute
produced upon the mind OF the American
Minister. 1t was one OF the three Irritating
aeas that prevented him from making
rhymes In peace and comfort.
Mr.. LowRLLs pigs" We suppose, was
the general question OF the unjust exclusion
OF American pork from certain European
markets TO mind capable OF producing
and chuckling over the pun which Mr..
LOWELL so gleefully communicated to the
British statesman. lately Secretary Of State
for India, 1t may have seemed an tgnoble
thing to concern itself with pork In any
form. even when the matter involved the
commercial interests OF hundreds of thou
sands OF his fellow citizens to the extent an
nually OF millions OF dollars.
The third item in the American Minister'S
alliterative catalogue OF personal annoysnces
Is PADDY" 1t will bereihembered that dur
Ing Mr.. LowELLs term OF service at Lon.