New-York tribune., 1903-07-19

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icaI works" That last sentence. with its tacit
testimony to delightful friendship. reminds US
of the gift which Layard had for endearing him
self to men and women OF the most diverse
/ characters 1t was one OF his associates IN his
work at Nineveh who said of him: He was an
extraordinary friend, sincere and true. He hated
humbug and UndeThand intrigue. he had
knack of being kind, yet firm. and the widest OF
the people with whom came in contact looked
on him with great respect and affection" From
the beginning he was respected and loved. We
have already mentioned his friendship with
Crabb Robinson. Wherever he went and he
mighty traveller, he made new friends. II
would be pleasant to Hnger over his Italian
! days, full they were of intercourse with in
teresting people and of the adventures among
| the Old Masters which were later to bear fruit
in a remarkable cOnnOisseurship But Layard
in due course, was sent to study law in Eng
land. and there it seemed for a time as if his
existence were to be COIored by few if any OF
the interests Of his bOyhood and youth.
Once more he met DisraeH. and wondered at
! his gorgeous waistcoats his velvet pantaIoons
| and the red rosettes his shoes He thought
! the young dandy cOnceited and unkInd-
Disraeli would answer none of the questions
put to him about his travels in the East. once
he asked, apropOs of his descriptions OF
Corfu and its orange groves. if he still cOnSid-
cred that island the most beautiful spot III the
world He replied. with mOcking laugh, that
he really did not know what he had written.
| having written much. nor could he remember
| whether or not there were orange groves in the
| Ionian Islands," There is another anecdote
here of the famous man. LaYard's aunt vas
wont TO tell him how on one occasion. when
Disraeh was hOtly engaged in political argu-
| ment. he excited general mirth By saying.
When Prime Minister L shall do SO and
So" He was walking excitedly up and down
the room, and. advancing to the chimney piece
struck it violently with his fist. excIaiming at
the same time, Laugh as you may 1 shall be
Prime Minister" This at a time Tong be
| fore the possibility of his rising to that lofty
position was contemplated, and when the very
| notion OF it was treated with derision." I.ayard
in that epoch saw a good deal OF other ceIebri-
ties, Samuel Warren author of Ten Thousand
| a Year" among them. and in a kind of supe-
rior Bohemia, gTavitated not unnaturaIIy toward
the cultivation Of literary ambitious He had
already contemplated writing history of Italy
and he took to borrowing all manner of books
on the subject from Robinson. We read also
Of his intercourse with Polish refugees; of Z.
tour in Switzerland with an artist friend. of his
making the acquaintance of CavOur and of
SilviO PellicO. and of trip to the North OF
Europe, which he saw Sweden and had a
glimpse of St Petersburg. But suddenly. after
ne mad been enrolled an attorney of His Maj
esty's Court of Queens Bench at Westminster.
he started for CeylOn with i view to practising.
there and went about the enterprise in a fashion
that completely changed the direction of his
career
a friend of his, Mr.. f. L. Milford who was
also going to Ceylon. persuaded him TO go with
MIN by land through Europe. Central Asia and
india They started. and Layard henceforth
was ready to be anything save a lawyer. In
one OF the early pages of his autobiographv he
says: My admiration for the Arabian Nights
mas never left me. 1 read them even now
with almost as much delight as 1 read them
when was boy. They have had no little in
huence upon my life and career; for to them
attribute that love OF travel and adventure which
took me to the East. and led me to the disco.erv
or the ruins OF Nineveh-" The story of his tour-
ney east reads like page from the work he
IoFed SO We'll. 1t is fun of exotic coor- of
stf1hSe cities. Vlyidly described; OF picturesque
types portrayed TO the life. For its details Tho
reader is commended to the book Itself thu h
there are many Passages which one would IKE 10
quote notably the one Lady Hester Stn-
nope. HIlng IN Oriental style and slate on the
western slope OF Mount LeoanOn. where she WIS
looked upon by the natives as = kind of mad
prophecies At ConstantInOpIe he made tEe C.
qutlhtdnce OF Sir StratfOrd Canning and trot
Individual has good deal of space in the second