New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE MEMOIRS or MRS. BoTTA.

tho course OF a beneNcent life may be uaceu III 10
nap.s 1t is made up of a series of papers written
nv friends who loved her and have devoted them
selves 10 describing her intellectual and spirituai
or.ces rather than the happenings Of her journey
,,rouph the world 1t is an enviable testimony
n the beauty of Mrs. Botta's character ana 'he
worth Of her brains that these chapters set lor'h
hut the reader must regret the comparative TACK
of detail and anecdote.
Anne Charlotte Lynch was the ddus"'e' VI
a brilliant Irshman who, before ne 'a'"e
TO this country. had spent four years III
nr,son as a result of his participation III
the Rebellion of 1898. As a handsome anu
ACCOMPLISHED young exile and the lrlehu Vi io''i
Moore he won the heart of Charlotte gray
practical New-England girl. the daughter Vi an
ad1cer in the Revolutionary army. Anne was ."o
younger Of their two children, ana not lons ".'e
nor birth her mother was left a widow MIS-
Lynch was a judcious woman and she gave hoi
clever little girl education as good as Vou'u
ho found IN this country in the early part OF the
oo,,urv Anne was a thorough and an energetic
strd.pt and promptly turned he grl!sh learning
.,,ou,, in tic work of teaching For nearly
twenty wears she occupied herself with the i'-
struc;ion of youth" as the phrase went '"c'''
with the writing Of grav' and carelui verse. anu
with the acquisition Of the friendship ol 'hc
literary and artistic celebrities OF her tl'He anu
country When she was nearly forty she sue
ceeaed In carving through Congress her Ho'hc'
c,a,n to money due to Leutensnt-Colohe1 o'a!'
her grandfather. for military services reIueieu
durine the Revolution. Wisely hNesteu' ''''
$3.50, ,aooroe a comfortable fortune and the
future of Miss Lynch and the mother 10 WHOM" sne
wos over lovingly devoted was assured. In 1879
,be married Professor Nincenzo Bota, schoiariy
italian rentlemar. with whom she led thereafter
1lgDtflcl
agreeable hospitality,
,,,,s briefly stated is the record Of the events
f ,his ladv's career That which makes IL
r,arorohla in American literary history is the
Fact that she became for the greater part ol her
NE the friend and hostess Of all the literary
reople and artists, native or foreign VINO Wl'nl'
that period have trodGen our soil. WAhe sun
humble Young teacher. known chiefly as 'he
ouuhor OF a few verses and essays. she peSah
o. d,ow 70 her mothers simple home in this
CITY the writers Of these Eastern States. Some
NJ them are fading into we!l-earned ooscu'i'!
now. and one who. by chance. peruseS theN
artificial, and "genteel'' productions. Is IAN u
acknowledge that the modest price OF y
mage paid them by editors or perouCdIs was
quite enough for matter so feeble. h"t III
thos. DAYS the weak brothers and hall-nedgeu
sisters Of the Graf. doomed quite as large as
work has survived and that serious word
"co,,rs" became as common as strawberries in
June in the mouths Of those who dehgh'eu !"
.o,nre themselves the ''literati." In the matter
~ "canius. there was not much distinction
,oade between Fanny Osgood and Poe. the
daughter Of the Irish rebel had a quiet sense
Of hunor and saw without doubt. the comlcai
phascs Of the early literary society OF the city,
but hers was a loyal soul. and in AFTER years
she could rarely be persuaded INTO giving
utterance to "reminiscences of that society," Whiie
of the man or woman who had broken her preau
Il was impossible for her TO speak save IN
praise and kindness. Such as they were. real
genius or mock genius they all f1ocked TO the
Saturday evenings of Miss Lynch to talk "a
great deal Of themselves), TO read aloud thelr
latest verses, and to comfort themselves with
such mild nourishment as pure water and biscuits
might supply Few Of the poems of the young
ladv's earlier guests are remembered to-day.
putting aside those of Poe and few OF the
verses of Willis and Morris Those were the
davs of the sentimental and commonplace in
verse. and Of the DULY pretentous in prose
Even now America is more or less given 10
the undue exaltaton OF small literary lights
What the country did In this direction in the
first half Of the century 1t is amusing TO
remember
Among the people who gathered about her,
gentle Miss Lynch moved always with tact ana
sympathy. soothing wounded susceptibiities, IN
spring young ambitions and avoiding antagon-
isms Many were the quarrcls Of the "hterati
but this wise young lady had no part In them,
and those who hated each other most bitterly
united IN liking her No woman ever lived Of
whom II could be more truly said that she never
uttered an unkind word about another. This
tot
partly good taste belief in the Golden Rule.
and a certain largcness OF nature that lifted her
above pettlness Of any kind. As a taker she was
easy animating and genial. always bringing out
in her quiet way good talk in others.
What she seemed TO one among the many for
egners Of distinction. who have tested her hos
pltaMty in later years. is set forth in this passage
from letter written by Mr.. Froude Il have
known many interesting women in my life but
about her there peculiar grace when l
have never seen in any other person. She had
brilliant gifts yet she never seemed to know that
she bad any gifts at all. And she had that rarest
OF qualites-that she never thought about her
self at all Her life seemed to be spent in dis
Interested care and affection for others. and
while all who knew her admired her intellect.
her simplicity and unvarying kindness were
more admirable still. Nothing seemed to put
her out or disturb her temper" This is an esti-
mate in which all who knew her best concur,
as shown in this bulky volume.
Among those gifts mentioned by Mr.. Froude
was pretty talent for sculpture. Her verse
was thoughtful. musical and refined; her prose
serious logical and well-cOnsidered. One Of the
selections from her writings, included In the
volume. shows phase Of her literary ability
which she did not often exhibit IL Is merry
account Of a walking excursion along the Erie
Canal TO Niagara The nights were spent with
her mother on board crowded canal-boa n
packet of the period while tramp on the tow
path and all along shore filled the daylight
hours. The trip took five days and the fair
writer her mother and their escort were. at the
end Of that time. fatigued and Ill that Niaga-
IA had no charm for them. and they left 1t as
quickly possible. The discomfOrts OF the
canal-boat are described in lively vein, quite
like that OF the travelling essayist of to-day
Other extracts from her writings appear in this