New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-14

| think little at all about it"-might be taken al
prophetic Of the restless manner In which he
was to travel up and down the world thinking
not at all OF pounds, shillings and pence: but
the fact Island here we feel very grateful 10
DR.. Knapp for his dsclosures-that those Ar
menian and other requirements were destined
to lead their possessor into very busnesslike
paths
We are apt to regard the linguistic studies Of
Borrow's youth a kind OF impassioned prep
aration for a future entirely personal enthusi-
astc, and Economically literary William Tay-
Tor. of Norwich. his master in German says:
What tell Borrow once. he ever remembers"
and the words prefgure for us the traveller GO
ing forth triumphant with the gift OF tongues
to make friends in the four corners OF the
earth. We read 1.-The Bible in Spain" and we
think OF the British and Foreign Bible Society
merely as an institution which had the priyi-
lege of giving the author the opportunity 10 pro
duce a masterpiece. This is all very well But
it is good to have DR.. Knapp set forth the cir
cumstances under which Borrow first put his
linguistic gifts to good purpose He had gone
up to London as a young man and had dabbled
in literature without doing much more than ex-
hibit his erudtion to limited number Of peo-
pie. and earn little money at hack work II
various sorts We find him home again in Nor
witch in 1892. being then Twenty-Five years old.
waiting for something to turn up. Friends in
terested themselves In his situation. and their
efforts resulted in an invitation ID Borrow -
confer in London with the secretaries Of the
Bible Society He left Norwich foot. He
walked the entire distance, ~ miles. in
twenty -seven hours. His expenses amounted
to fivepence ha'penny, laid out in pint Of ae
a half pint of milk. roll Of bread and two ap-
pies" The secretaries examined him in Oren-
tai languages. and in a short time he returned
to Norwich with the understanding that Il bee
would acquire the Manchu- Tartar language he
might come up again in six months for another
examination. with the hope Of obtaining en-
ployment. There existed at that time in 81.
Petersburg a manuscript translation Of the
New Testament into Manchu-Tartar The
translator himself one Lipoftsof. was attached
to the Russian Government. and HhetheTi i3r
that reason some other could not supervise
the printing of his Ms. Accordingly. an Eng
lishman had to be sent out: and Borrow pass
ing his second examination with honors was
chosen for the task.
In due course he proceeded to the Russian
capital and threw himself into his work. ~
course he made many friends. learned Russian.
engaged in several literary enterprises Of his
own, and played the picturesque part which
Borrow would be expected to play. But do MT
let US forget that he devoted himself to n,
printing of Ms. with as mach shretsi basihr4s
energy as could have been expected of the mJst
commonplace clerk in the Bible Socetys Lon
don office. He got hold of a Tartar "Pundit'
to assist him in his editorial task and We can
imagine the wide scope of their Conversations
the talk which fed his Unsuitable curiosity and
spurred his imagination; but all the time he
was running the printing office with the utmost
practically. He turned compositor SO as ID
show the workmen how to set up the strange
type. and when they threatened TO strike he
bribed them with drink money provided by the
Bible Society for the purpose. In short ne