New-York tribune., 1898-11-22
THACKERAY.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE BOY AND OF
THE NOVELIST.

Mrs. RitChieS lNlrONuCtlOn 10 ihC Nv"
comes" gives her readers some pleasant elimpscs
Of her fathers childhood at the time when the
lonely little boy was sent home from India. to
stay with his old Aunt Becher in Hampshire
and to go 10 school. Her own "reminiscences ana
The letters she quotes certainly recall. as she de-
clares the early chapters Of THE Ne"comes
Her description OF Aunt Becher justifes her IN
saving. Il do believe her other name was MISS
Martha Honeyman"; and this earliest known
letter of the little rhackeray might nave peen
the work OF young Give Newc0me himse"'
MY dear mama.-I hope you are quite We'll
] have given my dear grandmama a KISS III!
Aunt Richie is very good TO me. ike Ohis-
wick: there many good boys 10 play Will
s.: Jamess Park is very fine place. -. fau
Church too like very much; 1t Is hner place
than expected. l hope captain Smyth IS "e"'
give my love to aim and tell him he must bring
YOU home TO your aNectona;e son. William
Thackeray.'
Captain Carmichael -Smyth was then ABOUT 10
be married to the young WIDOW in India. and
was to become the kindest Of parents 10 MS
stepson u never heard my father say re-
marks Mrs. Richie. that when he wrote Colonel
NewcoYne any special person was IN his mind'
hut Il was always an understood thing that my
grandfather had many Of Colonel New
comes characteristics and there was also
brother Of the Majors. General Charles Car
michael who was very like Colonel Newcome
IN looks: third family Colonel Newoome was
Sir Richmond Shakespear" a cousin HIS big,
tender-h hearted stepfather was the subject or
much sketching on Httie Williams part-he WAS
indeed continually drawing. and his roma
mamma pronounced IT "wonderful' He liked 10
draw. his daughter tells us. not so much the
things he saw as the things he thought about
knights with heraliic shields soldiers, brgands.
dragons demons his sChOolbooks were orna-
mented with funny fancifu designs. his papers
were covered with them. when he was stu quite
q little fellow he used 10 manufacture small
positions out OF waters. with the top-boots IN
ink and the red water coats neatly stuck on.
As he grew older he took 10 a iourshing style,
sketching gentlemen with magnificent wreaths
Of hair and flaps to their coats. ladies with won
derful eyes and lips in a curly and hourishlns
style" A member Of the family has recorded
Of The child that his habit Of observation began
very early.
HIS mother told me that once. when only three
or four years old. and Willie sitting on her knee
at the evening hour. she observed him gazing
upward and lost IN admiration. "Ecco ne eX-
claimed. pointing to the evening star which was
shining like a diamond over the crescent moon
This struck her the more. she had noticed
the same beautiful combination on the night OF
& Hindostanee for look l have often heard
that when he first came to London and was
driving through the city he called out THAT Is
St PauIs" He had recognized IL from
picture. He was with his fathers sister, Mrs
Ritchie AT the time. and she was alarmed by
noticing that his urcles hat which he had put
on in play quite fitted him She took him TO
see Sir Charles Clarke. the great physician OF
the day. who examined him, and said. Don't he
afraid he has large head. but there is a great
deal in it.
The story of The Newcomes" Thackeray had
had in mind for long time. and his daughter
remembers the summer day in Switzerland,
when the silent AMI preoccupied novelist who
had been walking thoughtfully apart. came
back in good spirits saying that he now saw
his way quite clearly. He began the novel at
once. and wrote industrously throughout that
lazy summer journey with his two girls. At
Baden he wrote to his mother, Honest old Miss
Claphams are here ana recall the days Of my
youth to me I 60 back into those well-remem-
bered regions to get materials for the commence
mont Of the new s.oI}. On. Of Dickens s immense
superiorities over me is the great fecundity Of
his Imagination. Perhaps Bulwer is better than
both # Us in this quality; his last book written
q; fiftv is better and richer than any he has
done. II l last long. l dare say l shall be
busy in parliamentary reports or historical
studies more possibly at that age And in
later letter he Saws Of publishers proposal
that he should edit Horace Walpoles letters
that it is just the sort Of work he should Ike;
such as would keep me at home pleasantly en-
ployed some evenings and potterine over old
volumes of old biographies ana histories.
When the Imagination work IS over. that Is the
kind Of occupation of.en propose 10 myself for
my Old age A large part Of The Newcomes
was dictated To- his daughter Anne, the novelist
walking up and down the room meanwhile; but
she remembers that when he came TO a critical
point hc would always send his secretary away
he saii "he could think best with pen in his
hand" The girl was still writing at his dicta-
ton as the novel approached its end; but with
the Culoners illness the words fell slowly and
more 81 )wly. and the novelist took the pen and
shut himself behind ne closed door. We do not
need 20 he told though it is recorded elsewhere.
that that heart-searching paf-agc was written
in deep emotion. Many of th' chapters OF the
novel were penned in Rome. where father and
childrcn spent a par. of the winter Of 49, -.
and whence the former wrote this letter to his
mother
This shall serve as an envelope TO tho girls
letter. which SEQ is fun Of raptures and pleas
urc. and that is something worth travelling ior.
We went To- -. + i~l'S Yesterday. and agreed
Pisa Is the best. the other is a huge heather
parade. all the statues represent lies omOst,
and the Founder Of the religion utterly disa2-
pears under thr enormous pie Of fiction and
ceremony that has been built around Him. Im
not quite sure that think 81 PEERS handsome.
Yes. a. handsome as one of those women saw
81 the ball al Paris The 'front.' is positively
ugly. that's certain, but, ne, orthcless the city
IS glorious had famous walk on the Pincio,
ana the sun sct for US with a splendor quite
imperial
| wasn't soiry WhCn the Journey from Civita
tecchiH was oyer Having eighty OF ninety
louis IL my pocket. ! should have been good
meat for me brigands had ihoy chosen 10 come.
Everybody have net is more or less thief or
hcegar. Every mis- rahle official al every post
house customs. what not holds out his swim
ding hand and begs. and the earth swarms with
myliads OF priests and friars who neither toll
nor spin. bur live on the people, and perform