New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-06
BOOK-NOTES.
DR. HOLAfES-SIR DANIEL GOOCHS Arm
BIOGRAPHY-MR LEWIS MORRIS AND
HIS MISFORTUNES-THE VALET

| London, April "a,
| Ii Is pleasure to note the fact that ~
| Times" dcvotes three Of it's columns to 80
| review OF the collected writings Of Oliver Wcnd.m
Holmes, Riverside edition, in thirteen volumes n.
Holmes will not like it the less because h. ..
bracketed with his friend Lowell, or becaus. 4.
| the opinion Of this critic and eulogist Few me,
who have written as much and expressed then
selves so freely can look back on fairer reco,d
with more jnstifable comrlacency' That "a n.
| keynote Of the whole review, or perhaps tbi.
His genius s quaint, characteristic and original
| and he early asserted his intellectual indcnena'
| ence."
| Nor will the venerable and admirable American,
who is one of the glories of American lteratur.
dislike to find himself likened to Mr. Gladstone h
respect Of go" and versatile enthusiasm. Thu
Englishman who reviews him would not be an
Englishman if he did not claim something in d.
| Holmes as English. Speaking of both Lowell and
| Holmes he says: "These ilIustrious Americans
acknowledge two nationaties and in some respecta
! the Old World is dearer to them than the News
| | thiak not, but we need not quarrel with him
since he fairly admits not only that DR.. Holmes
| is very American, Tut that much Of his charm
comes from his Americansm.
The late Sir Daniel GOoch has entered the ranlu
| of the autobiographers. Sir Daniel was sort Of
railway king not of the greatest; chairman till
he died Of the Great Western Railway. The Great
Western disputes with the South Western the pres.
tige of being the worst managed line in the
Kingdom This is not an extract from it,
chairman's diary. but from general opinion.
How much Of tire credit for that condition
of things belonged to Sir Daniel Gooch ID
n question which IL may be left to rail-
10 had -
belief in his road, and in himself, and in many
other things. lie believed in the broad gauge,
which is extinct and in the Great Eastern steam.
ship, which is also extinct: and in the Severn
Tunnel which is not extinct, but monument to
his prescence and courage.
lie believed in the Atlantic Telegraph also, and
somebody has called him the English Cyrus Field
There never an English Cyrus Field; he who
hears that name is an American, and has no English
rival. This above all others is the year in which
to remind oneself that Bright called him the
Columbus Of the Nineteenth Century. should
have been just as happy if the Atlantic Telegraph
had been postponed for a generation or two
know other men who would but we all agree In
honoring Mr.. Cyrus Field as the real author Of
this portcntous innovation: the man without
whom it would not have come in time. Sir
Daniel Gooch had his reward for his share in the
enterprise in the shape OF baro1etcy. Inii-
rectly. the Queen is responsible for the present
book With simplicity that would be curious il
il were not common among men on whom a new
title is conferred Sir Daniel says.
Her Majesty having by Royal Letters Patent
conferred upon the rank and dignity Of
baronet, feel it may not be undressing TO
those who succeed me in the hronctcy, and to
others. to know something OF the life of him upon
whom tie title WAS first cOnferrpl7
II your typographical resources or rules per.
mitted. I should like to italicise the words and
70 others" There is something touching in this
belief that the world will want 10 know all about
a man because he has been made baronet. Il
is also very English.
What is really interesting in Sir Daniel is what
he did for himself, not what the Queen and Gar
ter King alarms did for him. He was, in truth,
a self-made man 4: began from nothing became an
engineer, and at twenty-one picked out by Bru-
mel superintendent Of the locomotive department
of the Great Western. Thenceforward his sue.
cess seems TO have been unbroken. lie kot
into Parliament, sitting for what was practically
q borough OF his own creation, Swindon; where
the Great Western is as powerful as the London
and North Western is at Crewe. His relations
with the Queen began long before the baronetcy
business He used TO have charge of the trains
with pride more honorable TO him than his pride
in the baronetcy, that she had journeyed in his
charge great many miles. and never met with
an accident or delay. II sounds odd indeed 10
read in these DAYS th1t d" II was some time before
the Queen had occasion u travel any line hut
the Great Western More interesting by far
is his story of the landing Of the cable Of 1860
az Hearts Content
The old cable hands seemed as though they
could eat the end one man actually put 1t into
his mouth, and sucked it. They held it up and
danced round il. cheering at the top of their
voices IL was a strange sight, nay. sight that
filed our eyes with tears. Yet ! felt not less
than they did did cheer, but / could better
have silently cried"
Not equal to this but still interesting was DIS
adventure when the headings met in the Severn
funnel lie and Lord Bcssborough wen: down
together. Tho men got q small hole through
making the tunnel OPEN throughout. / was the
first 70 creep through. and Lord Bessborough fol-
owed me- 1t was very difficult piece Of navisa-
ion. but by little pulling in front and pushing be-
lind we managed it. and the men gave us some
hearty cheers" And he adds with the childlike-
,ess Characteristic Of him, l am glad l was the
irst TO 90 through
Childlike or not. he was, believe, reck0ncd an
stute man OF business with very considerable
apacity for looking after the interests OF Sir
Daniel Gooch lie piously records hi OBLIGATIONS:
God has greatly blessed NE in every way
cmembcr Sir Daniel at some Of Mr.. Fields tele-
raph dinners: smooth-faccd man. with smooth
manner and Just the suggestion Of satisfaction
With the world and with himself. and with the
eneral course of events. which comes out SO
aively in his diary, rather silent withal, as il
to hear what other men had to say
1t is positive distress TO have 10 put down the
act that the political aspirations Of Mr.. Lewis
iorris are at last blghtcd. You remember-or il
on do not, you ought-the Homeric contest for
he Carmarthen Boroughs which Mr.. Lewis Morris
arried on so long and so CALAMITY against our
riend-we once thought him our countrynan-
fajor Evan Jones. You remember the manifestN
L. Morris put forth the lofty tone Of them. the