The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30
v /.

final instalment Of Grant Dud's remtnis-
cences will be found In the second page
Of the first volume. Our author in jan
uAry. 1895, had run down to Eastboume
TO dine with wnfrd Ward. who had just
been putting together a number Of recollec-
tions Of Tennyson, Ward Quoted felicit-
Gus phrase Of II KEYS ato-t Tennyson's
conversation; IF you hear only little
OF IL, you are apt 20 say: All, yes, he
wrote the Northern Farmer; II you
hear a good deal Of il, you become
impressed with its Doric beauty II
seems that the poet came one day to see
the Wards accompanied by Mrs. Cameron.
Cardinal Vaughan, then Bishop Of Stafford,
was standing in front Of the fire, and Mrs,
Cameron, on catching sight Of him, e1-
claimed: oh, Alfred. l have found face
for Lanoelot.' L want said Tennyson
in his deep voice, "a face fuTowed with
evil passions In August, 1897, Mrs.
Locker IAmpson told Grant Duff that the
two lines Of Browning's which Tennyson
most admired were: ..
o. the little more and hSw much-n ia.
o. the little less. and what worlds away.
George Boyle made them both laugh by
relating that some one had read Lady
Geraldins's Courtship" 70 Lockhart, who
remarked at the close; Il am afraid that
union would not be successful"
Reading LeoOy's @Recollections Of Ten
nyson' In December, 1897, our author
learned that the great poet, whose botanical
knowledge was. there is reason TO think,
much overTated. reproved Lecky on one
occasion because. he mistook an oIlip for
a cowslip. Grant Duff proceeded 20 write
10 Leoxy to say that the chances we're about
one thousand to one that he Decky) was
the more nearly right Of the two, for what
he saw in all likelihood was not an oxlip,
but hybrid between a Oowslip and prim-
rose.
Under date Of January. 1898, our author
opines that no reasonable person could
have expected that THE Life Of Tenny-
SON. by his son would be an actual picture
Of the man with all his roughnesses and
oddities. At the same time, Grant Duff
does not think that posterity would have
gained anything by possessing a careful
transcript OF these He points out that,
in tho Life there are many letters Of Mr.
James SPEEDING the j. s. Of Tennyson' =
early poems, but nothing 10 explain the
extraordinary impression which Spedding
made upon those Of his contemporaries
who knew him best. Our author, for his
own part. testihes i found Speeding a
sensible, agreeable man, but had to take
his greatness altogether on trust; yet he
was thought 30 highly Of by men Of such I'm
Questionable power and aCuteness as Vena-
bles. that / must Perforoe believe in it,
and can only regret that this book throws
no light upon the mystery
In connection with the record OF one Of
Jowett's earlier visits to the poet. there
comes back 10 our author one Of his own
first conversations with the former. which
took place in Is47 at tAte-a-tete dinner in
Balhol Common room, when Jowett (the
host and young Grant Dun Cthe guest
were equally shy and panic stricken by
each other. In the course Of the dinner
! the youthful guest spoke Of Tennyson and
| Jowett, who was later TO know him 20 well
! described him "a the poet Of "the highly
| the almost over. educated" Our author
| did not know, he says, until he read the
| Life that st. Agnes one Of the best
| things Tennyson ever wrote. was pub
! lished in the Reepsdke a. far back az 1897
Under date Of April, 1898, our diarist notes
| that Miss Svsnwick told him that in her
presence tor IN that Of one Of, her friends,
! Tennyson had been asked to read aloud
! Cowper's Lines on His Mothers Picture
and had replied Il will, IL you insist upon
| IL; but very much fear that shall break
down. He nearly did 30 at the same time
in reading the verses about Mrs. Irwin
the same concerning which Sainte-Be
wrote in his paper about the poet in hit
sCauseries de Lundi.'