with entertainments.
It was pleasant to meet again those dearest to him,—Ingham, Morpeth, and
, and others.
He failed to see Lord Brougham, who was at the time absent.
On his last day in
.
Among the many expressions of regret at parting with him, and of interest in his welfare, were the following:—
Choosing his homeward voyage by a sailing vessel as less expensive than one by steamer, he left
as fellow passengers.
He left land with a heart full of gratitude for all he had enjoyed her people.
Without blindly approving her insti<*> customs, he had seen much in her older society which would yet be realized in our newer and less cultured his youth he loved the country where he had passed s days, and he never after loved her less.
Next to t of the African race, no political object was ever so co<*> him as perpetual peace between
<*> There came a time when in the discharge of his duty, as <*> understood it, he set forth in strong language her failure to deal justly with us in our conflict with a pro-slavery Rebellion.
He spoke then with the profound conviction that lasting peace between the two nations, and also the wider interests of civilization, required an end of the controversy; and that, as the first step towards a complete settlement, the
people should be brought by an emphatic statement to realize the full justice and import of our case: but his regard for them, and his interest in their welfare were as lively then as in his youth.
On his fourth and final visit to
, a third of a century after the first, he passed the last night, before sailing on his return, with John Bright, at
, and of her public men, and with much tenderness of the many friends he counted among her well-known names.
did not make him less an American and a republican.
Writing a few years later, he said: ‘I have always enjoyed the refinement of the best society; but I have never sat in the palaces of
, without being pained by the inequality of which the inordinate luxury was a token.’
his associations and friendships had no limitation of party or sect, he found his affinities on political and social questions among the Austins,
, and others of their school.
These were the political freethinkers of their time,—drawing their inspirations from
.
Their fearlessness in speculations on the problems of society and government harmonized with tne natural tendency of
, he was yet at no time of their strongly conservative type of thought; and he returned from
.
dear
Hillard,—Which will reach you first, this scrawl or the writer?
This will go by the ‘South American’ which sails from
Liverpool the nineteenth.
I am booked for the ‘Mediator’ which sails from
London the twenty-sixth, from
Portsmouth the twenty-ninth: it is at the latter place that I embark.
London is more mighty, magnificent, and fascinating than ever.
I use strong words, but I have now seen something of the great cities of the world, and to
London above all others do these words belong.
Nowhere have I seen such signs of wealth, power, and various refinement.
It is to me now much more wonderful than when I approached it before.
But I must leave all this; and if I do not force myself away, I shall not be able to go. I find opportunities of seeing all that is worth seeing in rank, fashion, law, and literature, if possible more open than before.
But I have determined not to take advantage of these.
I shall see only a few of my friends.
But I am already (after twenty-four hours presence) nailed for to-morrow to see the
Duchess of
Sutherland in her magnificent palace;
1 for the next day to dine with
Parkes to meet
Charles Austin; the next to breakfast with
Sutton Sharpe (his capital breakfasts!) to meet some of my friends of the Chancery bar; then to dine with the
Earl of
Carlisle;
2 and the next day
[
143]
with
Bates.
3 Morpeth wishes me to see the Lansdownes and Hollands, but I decline.
Yesterday, I fell upon the last ‘North American.’
4 It was precious to me, for it reflected four dear friends.
There I saw in the lucid page yourself and
Cleveland,
Longfellow and
Felton.
Beautifully written and turned was
Cleveland's article; well-poised and careful,
Felton's criticism.
I jumped as I read them.
I am proud of all of you, and rejoice that you are my friends.
I have seen something of the talent of this world in various lands, but give me my friends and their cultured minds.
I have just found
Longfellow's ‘Hyperion,’ and shall sit up all night to devour it. I have bought up all the copies of ‘Voices of the Night’ in
London, to give to my friends.
Have been much disappointed at not finding your brother here.
Be on the lookout for me. The ‘Mediator’ sails fast.
I am coming.
Love to all, and good-by.
As ever, affectionately yours,
C. S.
P. S. Tell the
Judge, and
Greenleaf, and
Fletcher, I am coming.
Tell
Ticknor I am his debtor for an interesting letter received at
Heidelberg.
dear
Judge,—I shall be on our side of the
Atlantic soon,—very soon— perhaps as soon as this sheet, perhaps sooner.
This will go in the packet of the 25th March; I go in the
London packet (the ‘
Wellington’) of April 1, leaving
Portsmouth, April 4.
I first took a berth in the ‘Mediator’ of the 29th March; but
Cogswell and
Willis and his wife go on the 4th, so for pleasant company's sake I shall go in the same ship.
Most of the lawyers are on Circuit.
Hayward, however, rejoices more in literature than law; so he is in town.
The articles on you in the ‘Law Magazine’ are by
Calvert, a very nice, gentlemanly person.
He has another in type on your ‘Bailments.’
Charles Austin is as brilliant and clever as ever,—all informed, and master of his own profession: take him all in all, the greatest honor of the
English Bar. Old Wilkinson I found over black-letter, supported on either side by a regiment of old books of Entries and ancient Reporters, with a well-thumbed
Rolle's ‘Abridgment’ on the table.
But I shall see only a few lawyers; some of my ancient friends in literature and fashion I have found.
Lady Blessington is as pleasant and time-defying as ever, surrounded till one or two of the morning with her brilliant circle.
I rose to leave her at one o'clock. ‘Oh!
it is early yet,
Mr. Sumner,’ said
[
144]
her Ladyship.
Prince Napoleon
5 is always there, and of course
D'Orsay.
The
Duchess of
Sutherland6 I lunched with a day or two ago. She is wonderfully beautiful; I think even more so than
Mrs. Norton.
But I will tell you of these things when we meet.
Strange contrast awaits me!
To quit these iris-colored visions for the stern realities of American life!
To throw aside the dreamy morning-gown and slippers, and pull on the boots of hard work!
Let it come!
I am content.
But who will employ me?
I have read with great delight your ‘Agency,’
Longfellow's ‘Hyperion,’ and
Hillard's ‘Introduction to
Spenser,’—three entertaining productions.
Love to all your family.
Ever affectionately yours,
dear
Hillard,—These are my last words to you from this side.
I sail from
Portsmouth, 4th April, in the ‘
Wellington,’—perhaps shall reach you before this note.
London is more bewitching than ever.
Have already seen many people,—the Lansdownes;
Duke and
Duchess of
Sutherland (the most beautiful woman in the world);
Mrs. Norton;
Lady Seymour (both very beautiful);
Hayward;
Sydney Smith; Senior;
Fonblanque;
Milnes;
Milman; the Grotes;
Charles Austin (more brilliant than ever); the Wortleys, &c. But I must stop.
I must go now to breakfast with
Sydney Smith; to-morrow, with
Rogers; next day, with dear
Sir Robert Inglis; the next with
Milnes.
But I must be off. Good-by.
I shall soon be with you.
Ever affectionately yours,
dear
Greene,—This is my last salute to you from this side of the
Atlantic.
Since I wrote you from
Berlin I have enjoyed myself much,
[
145]
seen more of
Germany, and, what is more to the purpose, learned more of the language.
Shortly after writing, I left the capital of
Prussia; then to
Leipsic,
Weimar,
Gotha,
Frankfort,
Heidelberg.
In this last place I fixed myself for five weeks. I knew the best people there; and I studied, read, and talked
German.
Indeed, I found myself able, when it was time to leave, to understand all that was said, and to carry on a conversation tolerably well.
I love
German; but not as
Italian,—my dear
Italian!
After
Goethe's ‘Werther's Leiden,’ I took up the ‘Letters’ of Ortis,—which I had read as I was leaving
Italy, while we were clambering the snow-capped
Alps.
I think Foscolo's is the best,—though to the German is the palm of originality, if the ‘Heloise’ of
Rousseau does not bear it away.
Lessing's ‘Nathan der Weise’ is considered a masterpiece; but to compare it with my
Alfieri!
What I have read of
Schiller I like very much.
I have his works as my
compagnon de voyageto
America; and hope, before I touch New York, to read him entire.
This morning I breakfasted with
Rogers,—‘old
Rogers,’ as he is called.
It was delightful to listen to his wisdom-dropping voice; but I started when he said
Manzoni's ‘Promessi Sposi’ is worth ten of
Scott's novels.
‘Say thirty!’
said I. ‘Well, thirty,’ said the wise old man; ‘I only said ten for fear of shocking you.’
And this is the judgment of one of the ancient friends of
Sir Walter Scott.
Ah! I remember well the pleasure I had from that book.
I read a copy belonging to you, on the road from
Rome to
Florence, and I cried sincerely over many of the scenes.
At
Heidelberg I passed a sad day, after I read of the loss of the ‘
Lexington.’
I have read
Longfellow's ‘Hyperion,’ and am in love with it. I only wish that there were more of it. The character of
Jean Paul is
wunderschon. I hope to induce somebody to review it here.
But in this immensity of
London everybody seems engaged,—every moment of the present and future occupied; so that I fear I may not succeed.
Sir Charles Vaughan speaks of your kindness in the warmest terms, and of
Crawford also: he has spoken to several of his countrymen of
Crawford.
I hope some good may come of it.
Maxcy, our Minister at
Brussels, requested a line of introduction to you. He goes to
Italy, probably next summer, with his family.
I have also given him a line to
Crawford.
Item: I shall also give an introduction for you to my English friend,
Mr. Joseph Parkes,—a solicitor by profession, but most extensively acquainted with literary and political circles,— one of the ancient editors of the ‘Retrospective Review,’ and the best-informed person in old English literature I know; a lover of art, a friend of
America, and an amiable man. He will visit
Rome in the course of the summer with his wife, who is a granddaughter of
Priestley.
You have doubtless already seen my friend
Kenyon; and I feel sure you must have been pleased with him. I am anxious—I say, freely, on your own account, as well as on his—that you should become acquainted with
Parkes.
I think his conversation will be interesting to you. Take him to the
Capitol,
St. Peter's, &c. He will be in
Rome in September or October, I think,—will pass two or three weeks. Would that I could be with you!
Do not fail to take him to
Crawford.
I sail from
Portsmouth the 4th of April, with
Cogswell,
Willis, and wife, and sister-in-law, as fellow-passengers.
When this
[
146]
reaches you, I shall be tossing on the ocean.
What talks I shall have with friends at home!
and
Rome and
Italy will not be forgotten.
I well remember those three months in that Matron-City,—take them all in all, and though shadowed as they were with grief and vexation, the happiest of my life.
My brother, I suppose, will pass the summer in
Italy.
I have already commended him to your care and kindness.
I trust you will find him worthy of all,—as I believe he is. Do not fail to write me in my exile,—far away as Ceuta to the ancient banished man. Tell me every thing about art, antiquity, literature, and
Crawford.
You will hear from me next from
Boston,—but not till I hear from you. Farewell!
Remember me affectionately to
Mrs. Greene, and to
Crawford; and believe me ever sincerely yours,
To Lord Morpeth.
March 30, 1840.
my dear Morpeth,—Above is a specimen, such as it is, of trans-Atlantic
Greek, on
Chantrey's woodcocks.
7 The verses were written and transmitted to me by a friend of mine, to whom I had sent an account of the Holkham achievement.
I still keep your
Wellesley's poems; I have seen them on the tables of
Hallam and
Rogers.
I leave
London early Friday morn, and on Saturday descend upon the sea. Before I go, I shall resign into your hands your book; and I hope to say ‘Good-by’ to your family.
This morning I breakfasted with dear
Sir Robert Inglis.
I love his sincerity and goodness, though I dislike his politics.
Ever sincerely yours,
P. S. I had the pleasure of hearing your speech on Lord Stanley's motion.
8 Stevenson, who sat by my side, like myself, was much gratified with it.
dear
Hillard,—This will go by the ‘Great Western,’ which sails the fifteenth of this month,
9 and perhaps may reach you even before I have that pleasure.
I saw more of
London than I expected, and enjoyed it much.
My last dinner was on Thursday with
Hallam; where were
Milman,
Babbage,
Hayward,
Francis Horner, &c. I have parted with many friends, and have received the most affectionate good wishes.
Lady Carlisle and my dear, noble friend,
Ingham, shed tears in parting with me. We shall meet soon.
[
147]
The wind is fair; and we now wait only for
Willis's appearance.
Cogswell is by my side at this moment.
Ever affectionately yours,
, on landing, met his brother Albert, then living in the city.
That day or the next he dined with his classmate,
, who remembers that ‘he was full of his trip, and conversed very pleasantly about it. His appearance had been very materially improved under the hands of a London tailor.
He had lost, too, some of the leanness and lankness of face and figure which he carried through his school and college days, and was beginning to fill out, and to assume more of the portly air of his later days.’
happened to meet him as he was walking from the railway station, wearing a light-colored mackintosh, looking rather English in costume, and carrying in his hand some Exchequer tallies.
He went to the family house in Hancock Street, where a letter from his sister Mary, which awaited him in New York, bade him welcome; and where his home was to be during his mother's life.
