Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; With Extracts from His Journals and Correspondence Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 edition. Excerpt: ...a privet hedge To all which I have a great aversion. I would rather see things done than doing. 13th. Drove to town to a christening. The little baby, the clergyman informed us, had been "conceived and born in sin," and he proceeded to cast out of him the "old Adam." How strange all this sounded --in Boston, in the middle of the nineteenth century Then I called on Thackeray. He came over in the same steamer with the Lowells. 1 The Duke of Wellington, who died on the 13th of September. 15th. A letter from Miss Cook in England, about Thomas Hood's grave, and some monument to be erected over it, --in which I shall gladly join. 19th. At a musical party met Count Rossi and the Countess, nee Sontag, the singer, whom I heard in 'La Cenerentola' ages ago in Paris, --in 1826. She has a good deal of beauty still, and sings deliciously. 20th. Dined at the Tremont House; the dinner given by Emerson to Clough.1 The other guests were Horatio Greenough, Sumner, Lowell, Hawthorne, Sam. G. Ward, Theodore Parker, and others. From the dinner, went to the concert in the new Music Hall. I never saw a prettier concert room. Heard Alboni, the contralto, for the first time. A glorious voice; but she sings without expression and does not move one. 25th. Walked to town with Miss Davy, she being curious to hear old Dr. Beecher, the father of Mrs. Stowe. The Doctor is eighty years old, but still erect, with a strong, full voice, and a vigorous gesture. The sermon, however, was a little like that of the Archbishop of Granada which Gil Blas ventured to criticise. Some odd things he said; among others, that if our forefathers had not landed here this part of the country would never have been settled; had they gone to the...