66 SYDNEY SMITH. never gave pain. Those were the happiest whole of his life Sydney Smith never ceased against whom he directed his good-humored to take an interest in public affairs, and he sallies. You have been laughing at me for frequently alludes to them; but it is in a He had put forward fifteen years, Sydney, said one of his butts, touch-and-go manner. "but this I will own, that you never said a his strength in his published writings, and did His animal spirits, word that I could wish had not been spoken. not care to recur to the subject at length in May we not add fairly, with this life of him private communications. before us, that he never did a deed that any and natural tendency to jocose exaggeration, are visible at the outset, and were evidently man could wish undone ? a part of his nature. Some of the letters throw From The Spectator. strong light upon his biography, and will enthe chroup THIS selection from the correspondence of able the attentive reader to fill Sydney Smith owes its existence, like Lady nology which was occasionally defective in Holland's Memoir, to the pious regard of Mrs. the Memoir. Wherever Sydney's distinguishSmith for her husband's memory. Deterred ing qualities of directness, animation, and prac by the opinion of friends from at once pub-tical sagacity, either on public or private matlishing a life illustrated by letters, on account ters, have an opportunity to come into play, of the recency of the circumstances to which there they will be found. His love of a joke they often related, it was the widow's gratifi- carried on to mystification is ever visible, as cation to arrange and number the manuscripts well as his truth, honesty, and contempt for tyshe had collected, and to consult with Mrs. ranny, sordidness, shabbiness or pretence. Too Austin, who had consented to edit them, as may of the later letters are on matters of comshe had also undertaken to write the life, pliment or matters merely private. These and but has been prevented by ill health. Mrs. some jokes of a temporary character might Smith seemed to expect that she should not have born curtailment. With this exception, herself survive to see the publication; and the selection has been judiciously made, and the book is well edited. It is introduced by her forebodings were verified. The letters exended over the better part of an admirable preface; in which Mrs. Austin half a century, beginning in 1801, and clos- explains the principles which have guided her ing in November 1844, a few months before in the selection of the correspondence, gives the author's death. The very early letters a broad sketch of Sydney Smith's public caare mostly addressed to Jeffrey; and he con- reer and character, as well as a touching intinues a frequent correspondent till the close dication of Mrs. Smith's affectionate nature. It is curious, in the career of Sydney Smith, of Sydney's connection with the Edinburgh Review, which took place when he became a to see how steadily not only the general prinPrebendal clergyman, upon principles of cler- ciples but most of the particular measures he ical dignity. Their feelings remained as warm advocated have triumphed. His sagacity, like as ever in the breasts of both friends: years that of other Whig politicians, was at fault afterwards, Jeffrey dedicated his collected es- with regard to the Peninsula. In February says to Sydney; and Sydney is frequently al- 1809, when nothing seems to have been known luding to his old associate in his letters to other of Sir John Moore save that he was retreating correspondents. But the necessity for contin- pursued by overwhelming forces, any man uous communication having ceased, the corre- might have been justified in pronouncing that spondence was less frequent. Many of us are" Spain is quite gone;" but even in 1812, so constituted that the stimulus of necessity or business is requisite to bring the feelings into activity. Sydney Smith was not an idle man, but the very reverse; he might not, however, write without some stimulus. when Salamanca had been fought and Bonaparte was approaching Moscow, he writes :— I know not how to rejoice in the useless splendor of Lord Wellington's achievements, for I am But quite a disbeliever in his ultimate success. I am incapable of thinking of anything but building, and my whole soul is filled up by lath and plaster. The other best known persons to whom letters are most frequently addressed are Lord and Lady Holland, Lord and Lady Grey, Mr. Allen, Mr. John Archibald Murray of the As soon, however, as anything like a whole Edinburgh bar, now Lord Murray, and the Misses Berry. He had of course many other view of the question could be obtained, his correspondents; the names already mention- sagacity led him to a true conclusion as to Boed, however, are the most popularly distin- naparte's danger from his unpopularity among guished of the friends to whom he regularly the respectable part of the French people. wrote; though many of the others are known The date of the following is March 1814, in literary, political, or social circles. When when the Emperor was with difficulty opposing the Allies:they are not, the editor usually adds a note. The topics are not of so much interest as might have been expected. Throughout the I have not read a paper for these four days; but this lingering war will not do for Bonaparte. I cannot conclude my letter without telling The white cockade will be up, if he do not pro-you that you are a very good lady for what you ceed more rapidly. I have no doubt but that the have done; and that, for it, I give you my hearty Bourbons must have a very large party in France, benediction. consisting of all those who love stability and peace better than eternal war and agitation; but these men have necessarily a great dread of Bonaparte, a great belief in his skill, fortune and implacability. It will take them years after he is killed to believe that he is dead." Here is another Anti-Whig opinion on the Bourbons, with some good remarks on winedrinking, addressed to Mr. Allen : Respectfully and sincerely yours, There is nothing new in this account of the separation of Lord and Lady Byron, but it neatly tells all that is known, and concludes with a sentence of all that need be said : Lord and Lady Byron are, you know, scparated. He said to Rogers, that Lady Byron had parted with him, apparently in good friendMy dear Allen-I did not know before your idea of their being about to part when he reship, on a visit to her father, and that he had no letter that Lord Holland had been ill, and I re-ceived her decision to that effect. He stated that ceived the intelligence, as you may suppose, with his own temper, naturally bad, had been rendersincere regret. It is very easy and old-womanish to offer advice, but I wish he would leave off ed more irritable by the derangement of his for wine entirely, after the manner of the Sharpe less. The truth is, he is a very unprincipled tune, and that Lady Byron was entirely blameand Rogers school. He is never guilty of excess; but there is a certain respectable and dangerous plenitude, not quite conducive to that state of health which all his friends most wish to Lord Holland. fellow. tion on America; but the Model Republic Time has not fulfilled the following speculaWhat can you possibly mean by lamenting has never yet been tried by circumstances that the restoration of the Bourbons? What so require perfect unanimity, which interest and likely to promote renewed peace, and enable the opinion prevent; the Federal States giving a French to lay some slight foundation of real lib- constitutional and effective power of opposierty? for as to their becoming free at once, it is a mere joke. I think I see your old Edinburgh hatred of the Bourbons; but the misfortunes of the world have been such as to render even these contemptible personages our hope and our refuge. The following letter relates to Tom Campbell, and is as creditable to the poet's right feeling as to the late Lady Holland's generosity: I tion to the general Government, which does not exist where the different provinces of a country have all become reduced into one state. It is quite contrary to all probability that America should remain in an integral state. They aim at extending from sea to sea, and have already made settlements on the Pacific. There can be no community of interest between people placed under such very different circumstances: the maritime Americans, and those who communicate with Europe by the Mississippi, are at this moment, as far as interest can divide men, two separate people. There does not appear to be in America at this moment one man of any considerable talents. They are a very sensible people; and seem to have conducted their affairs upon the whole very well. 8 Doughty Street, Brunswick Square. My dear Lady Holland-I told the little poet, after the proper softenings of wine, dinner, flattery, repeating his verses, etc., etc., that a friend of mine wished to lend him some money, and begged him to take it. The poet said that he had a very sacred and serious notion of the duties of independence; that he thought he had no right to be burdensome to others from the mere John Russell is a curious example of Spencer The following story from a letter to Lord apprehensions of evil; and that he was in no immediate want. If it was necessary, he would Perceval's firmness. It appears from the conask me hereafter for the money without scruple; text to have been written to point a moral and that the knowing he had such resources in touching Sydney's own preferment :reserve was a great comfort to him. This was very sensible and very honorable to him; nor My dear John-At eleven o'clock in the had he the slightest feeling of affront on the sub-morning, some years ago, the Archbishop of ject, but, on the contrary, of great gratitude to his benefactor, whose name I did not mention, as the money was not received: I therefore cancel your draft, and will call upon you, if he calls upon me. This, I presume, meets your approbation. I had a great deal of conversation with him, and he is a much more sensible man than I had any idea of. I have received this morning a very kind letter from Sir Francis Baring, almost amounting to a promise that I am to be a professor in his new Institution. Canterbury called upon a friend of mine (my informant) and said, "I am going to the King, (George III.) to meet Perceval, who wants to make Mansell Bishop of Bristol. I have advised the King not to assent to it, and he is thoroughly determined it shall not be. I will call in an hour or two, and tell you what has passed." Canterbury did not return till eleven at night. "Quite in vain," he said: "Perceval has beaten us all: he tendered his immediate resignation: If he were not considered to be a fit person for recom mending the dignitaries of the Church, he was not a fit person to be at the head of the Treasury." After a conflict carried on all day, we were forced to yield. Such a conflict, carried on once, and ending with victory, never need be repeated. combined with such disarming fairness and such excellent common sense : I thank God [wrote Sydney Smith to Lady Mary Bennett], who has made me poor, that he has made me merry. I think it is a better gift than much wheat and bean land, with a doleful Here is a little trait of the late Lord Mel-heart. bourne, giving way to his love of ease, and dissatisfied for so doing: must be wrong. Sydney Smith might have rejoiced in the possession of justice as well as of merriment Melbourne gives up all foreign affairs to Pal-had he been Pharisaical in his orisons. Commerston, swearing at it all. Lord Grey would pare, for instance, the stories and the sayings never have suffered any Minister for Foreign collected in these two volumes with the treaAffairs to have sent such a despatch as Palmer-sury of brilliant things left us by Horace Walston's note to Guizot: it is universally blamed here. Pray don't go to war with France: that pole. Those will not be found untinctured by ill-nature, preducice, affectation, and a determination to astonish:-in these, sense, spontaneousness, and sweet temper never fail us, let the sarcasm pierce ever so deep or be ever so exquisitely polished. If there be any who fancy Sydney's pedestal too high, let them turn back to the triumphs, and refer to Paris is very full. I look at it with some at- the claims, of another merry man, who, in tention, as I am not sure I may not end my days Sydney Smith's day, might have been also in it. I suspect the fifth act of life should be in produced to the foreigner as the Troy specigreat cities: it is there, in the long death of old men of English brilliancy-we mean Theoage, that a man most forgets himself and his in- dore Hook. Such a parallel is like setting firmities; receives the greatest consolation from the highest, healthiest comedy against the the attentions of friends, and the greatest diver-broadest and smallest farce. The humors of With Sydney Smith's habit of persiflage, it is not always easy to get at his real meaning: if this idea of dying in great cities was actual opinion, it is contrary to most people's : sion from external circumstances. This is a nice appreciation of the weak point of Jeffrey's genius, plainly but pleasantly done: I certainly, my dear Jeffrey, in conjunction with the Knight of the Shaggy Eyebrows, † do protest against your increasing and unprofitable scepticism. I exhort you to restrain the violent tendency of your nature for analysis, and to cultivate synthetical propensities. What is virtue ? What's the use of truth? What's the use of honor? What's a guinea but a damned yellow circle ?-The whole effort of your mind is to destroy. Because others build slightly and eagerly, you employ yourself in kicking down their houses, and contract a sort of aversion for the more honorable, useful, and difficult task of building well yourself. From The Athenæum, 16 June. one flowed from "abundance of heart"-the other was manufactured by readiness of tongue. The spoken repartees and improvisations of the author of "Gilbert Gurney" are already fading from the memories of those who heard them, while the best recorded bon mot by him has the gleam of theatrical tinsel. There is much in these volumes which, we fancy, will only perish with our language. Probably, too, some hundreds of their readers could each add something to the collection of traits and anecdotes. What an inexhaustible, self-generated fountain of mirth does the store, as we have it, reveal! Rarely has such a mass of bright sayings or happy hits been laid together, which owed so little to allusions or suggestions from others, to odd passages from books, to the on dits of rival practitioners. Sydney-unlike Horace-had few peers,-Luttrell, perhaps LAST week we endeavored to sketch the excepted. He had no Charles Townshend-highminded, yet unobtrusive, virtues of the no George Selwyn-to "hold the cards" man, Sydney Smith, which in his lifetime against him. Old Mrs. Salusbury's praise of were hardly appreciated, because of his gay Dr. Johnson, that he could say something social qualities. On returning to this "Me- about "runts," if no higher theme than cattle moir for illustrations of his claims to distinc- came up, might be applied, with a difference, tion as a wit, selection becomes difficult. to this genial man. So strong was the spirit There is hardly a page by which we are not of whimsy within him, that he could not give tempted, hardly a paragraph which would an order to a servant without clenching it by not have made the reputation of a duller man. some original noun or verb which struck him, Such a playful use of unexpected combina- nor answer the commonest note without some tions and whimsical images was surely never quaint turn. Here is an instance : *Francis Horner, Esq. Dear Lady Holland, I take the liberty to send you two brace of grouse,-curious, because | lowing him."-"Did not you? why it was an killed by a Scotch metaphysician; in other and abuse of terms to call it talking at all; for he better language, they are mere ideas, shot by had no teeth, and, I believe, no roof to his mouth other ideas, out of a pure intellectual notion, called a gun. -no uvula-no larynx -no trachea-no epiglottis-no anything. It was not talking, it was gargling; and that, by-the-bye, now I think of it, must be the very reason why Holland understood him so much better than I did," turning suddenly round on him with his merry laugh." Yet no body's wit was of so high an order as Talley rand's when it did come, or has so well stood the test of time." Let us give some further examples. And first, as human beings stood first among Sydney Smith's objects of study and delight, we will string together a few of his personalities. It is fair to presume, that in this portion of the book some suppression has been exercised. One who played with whimsicalities, as the A Hit at the World's Sorrow for a Great Man author of Peter Plymley's Letters" did, departed.-"At a large dinner-party my father, must have dashed off many a sketch inexpe- Dugald Stewart; one whose name ever brings or some one else, announced the death of Mr. dient to circulate, so dull is the world, and so with it feelings of respect for his talents and high determined are the many to confound whimsi- character. The news was received with so much cality with malice. We do not, however, im-levity by a lady of rank, who sat by him, that he agine that any one of the persons so gayly hit turned round and said, "Madam, when we arc off in the following fragments could feel the told of the death of so great a man as Mr. Du smallest" bristle stir, supposing he were gald Stewart, it is usual, in civilized society, to alive to confront his penchant or his personal- look grave for at least the space of five seconds." ity in print, as under :— There is no need to complete the initial, in the following anecdote, with the full name of the borrowing peeress. Different was the figure she made in the days when she was reputed to have always "the best bit of blue" at her house; when Johnson, in the fervor of his admiration for "little Burney," was affronted at being asked by her to meet "that jade, Mrs. Siddons :”— "It happened to be a charity sermon, and I considered it a wonderful proof of my eloquence, that it actually moved old Lady C to borrow a sovereign from Dudley, and that he actually gave it her, though knowing he must take a long farewell of it." A Trait of the Tragic Muse." The gods do not bestow such a face as Mrs. Siddons's on the stage more than once in a century. I know her very well, and she had the good taste to laugh heartily at may jokes; she was an excellent person, but she was not remarkable out of her profession, and never got out of tragedy even in common life She used to stab the potatoes." Daniel Webster struck me much like a steam-engine in trowsers. **The Great western turns out very well. I have been introdured to Miss -; she abuses the privilege of literary women to be plain; and, in addition, A Few Touches concerning Jeffrey." I love has the true Kentucky twang through the nose, converting that promontory into an organ of Jeffrey very dearly;" and speaking of his knowledge of all subjects, and his review of Madame speech. How generous the conduct of Mrs. who, as a literary woman, might be ugly if she de Staël: “I used to say then that the nearest chose, but is as decidely handsome as if she thing Jeffrey had ever seen to a fine Parisian were profoundly ignorant. I call such conduct | lady was John Playfair. * * Jeffrey has been here with his adjectives, who always travel with honorable. him. His throat is giving way; so much wine A Miniature of Talleyrand-"Lady Holland labored incessantly to convince me that Talley-goes down it, so many million words leap over rand was agreeable, and was very angry because it, how can it rest?" his arrival was usually a signal for my departure; but, in the first place, he never spoke at all till he had not only devoured but digested his dinner, and as this was a slow process with him, it did not occur till everybody else was asleep, or ought to have been so; and when he did speak he was so inarticulate I never could understand a word he said. It was otherwise with me," said Dr. Holland; "I never found much difficulty in fol A New Use for dancing." How little you understand young Wedgewood! If he appears to love waltzing, it is only to catch fresh figures for cream-jugs. Depend upon it, he will have Jeffrey and you upon some of his vessels, and you will enjoy an argillaceous immortality." A Word or two concerning a Party made for Malthus." Philosopher Malthus came here last week. I got an agreeable party for him of unmarried people. There was only one lady who had had a ble-temperance and experience as essential to child; but he is a good-natured man, and, if health and light-heartedness. Yet, withal, there are no appearances of approaching fertility, Sydney was no ascetic. As a table must be is civil to every lady. Malthus is a real moral spread in every house, he held that to see it philosopher, and I would almost consent to speak well spread was a social duty:—and he suited as inarticulately, if I could think and act as wisely. After the frequent allusions to Luttrell's witticisms contained in Moore's Diary, it is amusing to consider the pleasant absurdities with which Sydney Smith invested this diner out: practice to theory. Living in Yorkshire, as The above are pleasant contributions to Dr. Doran's " Table Traits" when they come to another course. But let us pass to matters less material, though we still keep in sight of dinners and those who gave dinners. Mrs. Sydney was dreadfully alarmed about her side-dishes the first time Luttrell paid us a On sitting down to dinner [said Sydney], he visit, and grew pale as the covers were lifted; but turned round to the servant, and desired him to they stood the test. Luttrell tasted and praised. | look in his great-coat pocket, and he would find * * Pray tell Luttrell he did wrong not to a lemon; "For," he said, “I thought it likely come to the music. It tired me to death; it would you might have duck and green-peas for dinner, have pleased him. He is a melodious person, and therefore thought it prudent, at this distance and much given to sacred music. In his fits of from a town, to provide a lemon." I turned absence I have heard him hum the Hundredth round, and exclaimed indignantly, "Bunch, bring Psalm (Old Version)! ** I distinguished in the lemon-bag!" and Bunch appeared with a myself a good deal at M. A. Taylor's in dressing bag containing a dozen lemons. He respected salads; pray tell Luttrell this, I have thought us wonderfully after that. about salads much, and will talk over the subject with you and Mr. Luttrell when I have the pleasure to find you together. ** Luttrell came over for a day, from whence I know not, but I thought not from good pastures; at least, he had not his usual soup-and-pattie look. There was a forced smile upon his countenance, which Holland House figures in these volumes alseemed to indicate plain roast and boiled; and a sort of apple-pudding depression, as if he had most as prominently as does Bowood in the No record of been staying with a clergyman. ✶✶ Luttrell Diaries and Letters of Moore. came over for the day; he was very agreeable, Whig London society during the past half-cenbut spoke too lightly, I thought, of veal soup. I tury would be complete without honor done to took him aside, and reasoned the matter with that mansion as a shrine of literary recognihim, but in vain; to speak the truth, Luttrell is tion and political influence. Yet, let us ask if not steady in his judgments on dishes. Individual the extinction of that shrine-of all similar failures with him soon degenerate into generic shrines-be not a sign of the times, betokenobjections, till, by some fortunate accident, he ing health rather than decay? It would be a eats himself into better opinions. A person of more calm reflection thinks not only of what he subject for instructive speculation to examine how much the best of such mansions (supposis consuming at that moment, but of the soups of the same kind he has met with in a long ing it presided over by urbanity without favorcourse of dining, and which have gradually and justly elevated the species. I am perhaps making too much of this; but the failures of a man of sense are always painful. itism, and vivacity clear of caprice) gave to the persons frequenting it, in proportion to that which it took from them. We do not here advert to such persons of rank and station as came and went, and fancied that their What can be better than the solemn comi- fiat determined the fate of Scott's new rocality of the above?-Only such a French re-mance, or of " Furniture Hope's tale." The miniscence as the following, which, as we have touched gastronomy by chance, we will quote: I shall not easily forget a matelote at the Rochers de Cancale, an almond tart at Montreuil, or a poulet a la Tartare at Grignon's. These are impressions which no changes in future life can obliterate. I am sure they would have sunk deeply into the mind of Lord Grey; I know nobody more attentive to such matters. The above dicta are especially droll as coming from one who preached and practised ta circle which they adorned was possibly the worthiest one of its time,-a Paradise of poetry, of wit and sense compared with the coterie of exclusive Fashion which flourished so vigorously during the same period in another London hemisphere. But what did Holland House do for the struggling artist and man of letters? Doubtless, it is well for the obscure, poor man of letters to have the gates of welcome of such palaces thrown open to him-to be "hallmarked" (as silversmiths say) by the approval of the cultivated and refined. To none is the training which good society imparts of more |