New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-05
AN AMUSING BOOK,
AWONLAN'S "REMINISCENCES.

The daughter OF Sir Alexander and Lady DUN uoruo'
tbe writer Of these "reminiscences has had particularly
GOOD opportunities Of meeting and knowing peoPe Vi
distinction and celebrity in various ways. Her recol
octons date from 1916 when though only four years
ola ehe distinctly remembers the universal interest,"
| aroused by the debates on the Corn Laws. Que ol
| her earliest recollectons was "warMng my Ho'ncr
dress for a party at Charles Dickenss IN thae same
vear and being awole after midnight by violent rhsus
| Of the dool.bell This policeman who had ioahn
nv father holding on 10 the ratings, and too Ill 10
| move MY mother was acting in charade' ana my
father feeling unwell forgetful OF sell ana Only
living 10 see others happy, had left the room unseen 10
| ccme home our cousin and DOCTOR Edward hlgoy,
was nj once sent for, and pronounced IL bad case Vi
cholera NV mother soon afterward feturileu' NoIS
| uneasy; and I shall never forget how strange sio
! looked next morning IN a dressng-gown, even paer
than usual with her magnificent hair stll coleo rVu
| and round her head and Jewel stuck in mere ana
| ,bore Mrs Ross in her childhood sometimes drank
tca with the famous Mss BerTys, to whom Hoi"e
WaIpole was so strongly attached. Mrs ROSS says tha'
| " had Mary Berry been less honorable ana upren'
she might have been Lady Oxford. lie ohered her MS
hand and handsome iontmc promising 'tha' ne "ouu
soon die, Al the Berrys' the author often saw Ma
oo,,Iav N whom she observes: lie astonbhed ana
interested all who heard him, but Re was not man
,nado for SALON. In former DAYS when poor Syuhey
smith was their constant visitor, fun gayety' ana
roars OF laughter followed his steps Macauiay was
| Niagara, stupendous in powell oVeF"heiiine 0''i'
| body" -,
The following anecdOte serves to remind us no"
recent Is the cult of personal cleanliness MY grand
mother told me how Mortified the good people of Here
| fordshire were when It known that the MISS
| C8rncwaIIs took baths why my dear, suppose
Won have TO take of all your clothes-how shocKng'
| exclaimed one "propcr nelghbor" Charles DlctAs
was always very kind to Janet. lie pretended 10 DC
terribly ,hockca ut my resoute determination not TO
| ,..u, 49,. Il Tho trTth thPt nurse read
fairy tales aloud 70 me- and 1t not until she mar
red and ft MS that began 10 read. az six years Oh
Dickens Their gave me what he called 'ohc Oh inc
most delightful Of books the seven Champions OF
Christendon' which shared my affections Witf tie
arabian knights and Andersen's Fairy Tales ThacR
eray was another constant visitor at Queen square
and favorite Of Jancs though he played her trick
on her fifth birthday, which long remained standing
Toxic between them. she says: Ny birthdays were
always celebrated by dinner when was allowed to
dine late, and 10 invite the guests Few children
could boast such an array of friends! This dinner
included Mrs. Norton Lord Lansdowne, Tom Taylor
{. J. Bayley, Richard Doyle, and Thacleray, VINO
gave ne an oyster declaring ii was like cabinet pud-
ding But | turned the tables on him, for l liked 1t
80 well that insisted queen OF the day, on having
moren she adds Il still possess sketch he made
for the frondspiece of Pendennls' while was sitting
on his knee
When the French Revolution Of 1eAs sent the royal
family to England Janet was introduced 10 II. Guizot
with whom she became fast friends. At first. how
ever she was disappointed when a small neatly
dressed gentleman with rather cold manners came into
the room, looking very much like other people. l
had heard 50 much about the Prime Minister Of France
from my grandmother Mrs. AUSTIN and Of the dan
gers he had escaped that expected to a mag
nGccnt man. covered with gold embroidery and
spiashed with blood. and / told my nurse it had not
been az all worth while 10 put my best f~Ock, as
there was nothing extraordinary In VI. Guzot" Car
lye did not get into the little critics good graccs.
She SAYS: The only visitor ! cordially disked was
Mr. CARLYLE. He really better acquainted with
nv grandmother. Mrs Austin. than with nv parents.
and came but seldom. one afternoon my mother had
a discussion with him on German literature; her
traOrdnary eOqucnce and fire prevailing CARLYLE lost
his temper and burst forth in his Scotch tongue
You're just a windbaC Luce, you're Just a wind
bag | had been listening with all my ears, and,
conceving him T. be very rude, interrupted him by
SAVING Ny papa always says men should be civil TO
women; for which pert remark | got scoding
from my mother But Mr.. Carlyle not Offended.
and turning her, observed: 'Lucic that child of
yours has eye for an inference She met Carlyle
again some ytars later and used rather 10 dread hav
ing to ride with him in Rotten Row. One day his
felt wideawabe blew off, and laborng man picked it
up and ran after Us Mr.. Carlyle, instead Of giving
him slXpcnce as I expected, merely said Thank We,
my man. you can say you've picked up the hat of
Thomas Carlyle
Janet had the privilege Of attending many OF the
famous breakfasts Of samuel Rogers the old poet being
fond OF her great tcat it was for he Ike pt bunch
Of grapes in the s!debo9rj, which ate perched on
chair and two sofa Gu mons by his side. / wish l
could recoect the talk that charmed me, Young as
was-so much 50 that the highest praise I could think
Of for grand twclfhnight party at Baroness Lionel
de Rothschd's was III IS almost rs nice as Mr.. Rogerss
breakfasts The conversation morning turned Oh
fame and Mr.. Rogers related how he dining
II Popes villa at Twickenham, with Byron and Moore
when the same subject was discussed. Singing was
beard in the distance and presently boat full OF peo
pie Go9tcd past. They singing Loves Young
Dream Byron put his hand Moorc's shoulder,
SAYING There that IS fame'' curous incident IS re.
corded as happening 10 Lady DuG Gordon. Kinglahc
'yghOn his friends then called "EOthcn." after his
famous book Of travels was at the time abroad and
Lady Gordon sitting evening feeding little
mouse she had tanned, when, says Janet, 81 my
mothers large eyes suddenly grow bigger stu the
exclaimed MY dear Eothcn, what you backr She
forgot all about the pct mouse which sCuTl back 70
It's hole as she rose. had seen nothing. bat my
mother declared that KlnClac had into the back
drawinG-roOm, which divided by an archway with
heavy red lOopcdup curtains from the room We were
in and had walked across. The faithful black boy
Iussan, was and declared that the bell
had not rlng and that no one had come in The
hour and minute written down, but nothing came
Of it. Hincake returned safe and sound, and reported
that no adventure was happening to him when Lady
Duff Gordon thought she him.
Mrs. Ross WAS brought In contact with ever 50 many
interesting and famous people during her childhood,
youth and carly womanhoOd and she has something
relate Of most of them which, if not very important
sensational highly illustrative, IS at least entertain
ing and not seldom amusing. Grote, the historian
| Mrs Ope, Babbage, Henry W. Phillips tile artist
IIallam Lord HoughtOn, \. II. Layard. Nassau Senior
| Sir Charles Trevelyan. are among the many well
known names TO be found In these pages, and there
Ii are many more, familiar I'm mouths as house
hold wo.ds.7 Mrs Ross has pleasant gossippy STYLE
simple and careless regards composition but
perhaps all the more readable for - carelcssness
she does not pretend 70 order sequence
ia her "reminiscences beyond rough division Of her life
INTO periods, but the volume may be opened anywhere
and read with pleasure and interest Among the
really curious things recorded Is d prediction Of the
Indian Mutiny two years before II broke OUT by A
| Frenchman who had been travelling I'm India a
| Bammcvllc. Mrs. Ross writes 4 friend Of nv
mothers, NJ. de Bammevile, spending some time