LIFE OF

WASHINGTON IRVING.

To condense the life of a literary man so celebrated as our author, who attained the patriarchal age of seventy-six years, into a few pages, is a work of no common difficulty, and I must trust to the good feeling of my readers to pardon the omission of much that is interesting in consequence of the limited space at my disposal.

Washington Irving, eighth son of William and Sarah Irving, was born in the city of New York, April 3rd, 1783. His father, who, during the latter part of the French war, was engaged on board an English armed packet-ship, married at Falmouth, Sarah Sanders, the granddaughter of a curate in the Church of England, on the 18th of May, 1761; and two years afterwards the young couple embarked for America, landing at New York, July 18th, 1763. Here he abandoned the sea and commenced business on his own account, and though only in a limited way, he was tolerably successful. But the revolutionary war (which ended in the United States

achieving their independence) broke out, and William Irving's quiet dwelling being exposed to the fire of the English men-of-war, at the time when it was feared they would bombard the city, a general panic ensued, and Mr. Irving with his family fled to Rahway in New Jersey, but returned to New York after an absence of nearly two years, to find half the city burned down.

The original name, according to Dr. Christopher Irving (of the same family), was Erinveine, from which it was abbreviated to Eryvein, Erivine, and finally Irvine, while "some of the foolish," he adds, "spell it Irving."

The earliest known ancestor was William de Irwin or de Irwyn, secretary and armourbearer to Robert Bruce, who after the death of Alexander the Third, of Scotland, competed with Baliol for the crown. This William de Irwyn was the devoted follower of Bruce through all his varied fortunes, and was knighted by him. Bruce, to mark his appreciation of de Irwyn's faithful services, gave him for arms, the three holly leaves with the motto, "sub sole sub umbra virens," which he had adopted as a private cognizance in remembrance of an escape from his pursuers. The member of the De Irwyn family from which the subject of this notice was immediately descended, was an inhabitant of Kirkwall, in the island of Pomona, one of the Orkneys, in 1369, and in the following year the name of his brother Sir Thomas de Irwyn, laird of Dunne, appears among the barons in parliament.

The fortunes of the family had gradually declined when the father of Washington Irving, then resident in Shapensha, won a reluctant permission from his mother to go to sea. He was a sedate, God-fearing man, his piety manifesting itself in much of the strictness of the old Scotch Covenanters, and, as may readily be supposed, he lost no opportunity of inculcating his views upon the minds of his children; the only change permitted on Sundays from the Church, morning, afternoon, and evening, being the perusal of the “Pilgrim's Progress," though it is to be feared the wonderful and stirring adventures of the Pilgrim were not always followed in their spiritual import. The mother was of a more ardent and impulsive character, and obtained more of the confidence of her children. She was educated in the Episcopal faith, and although she always attended the same place of worship as her husband, and did not openly controvert the parental discipline, her fine, cheerful nature, could never be brought to harmonize with his more rigid views.

Washington was strongly attached to his mother, and in after-life always spoke of her with loving veneration. But though he stood in considerable awe of his father when a boy, it does not appear that his love of the Covenanting form of religion was increased by the strictness of his father's teachings; for at an early age he stealthily attended the Episcopal Church, and was confirmed there, so that though still constrained to attend his father's place of worship, he felt that it could not claim him for

a member. It was by his mother's desire he was named after the "Father of his country," for she said "Washington's work is ended, and the child shall be named after him." To this circumstance he was shortly after indebted for an introduction to the illustrious man whose name he bore. When General Washington returned to New York (at that time the seat of government) as President of the United States, he was everywhere greeted with the most intense enthusiasm, and a young Scotch girl having the boy in her arms, seeing with what consideration the great man was treated, determined to present her charge to him, and for this purpose followed him into a shop, and pointing to the lad, said, "Please, your honour, here's a bairn was named after you." Washington did not disdain this claim upon his attention, but placing his hand on the little fellow's head, gave him his blessing.

Washington Irving's earliest school-days were spent with Mrs. Kilmaster, with whom he remained more than two years, during which time he learned little more than the alphabet. From thence he was removed to a school kept by Benjamin Romaine, an old soldier of the revolution, and a strict disciplinarian; here he remained until he was fourteen years of age, gaining the goodwill of his teacher, not so much by the precocity of his talents, as from the fact that though constantly in mischief, he never sought to shelter himself by prevaricating, but, when questioned, always spoke the truth. In this school, which was attended by both girls and boys, the regular

punishment for the latter was by "horsing," or hoisting, and as the culprits were partly undressed, it always took place after the girls had been dismissed. Washington, however, could not endure the sight of the unlucky urchin shrinking under the rod, and eventually he insisted on leaving with the girls. It was at this school he took the character of Juba, in the tragedy of Cato, which had been selected for a public exhibition-rather an effort in the hands of a stripling of ten years. We have no record as to his conception or rendering of the character, but a ludicrous scene occurred during the representation. When Juba was called, and should have made his entrance on the boards, he was quietly munching a piece of honey-cake at the side scenes, and suddenly found himself face to face with his audience, with his mouth full of the adhesive substance, which he tried in vain to swallow. There was considerable tittering at his dilemma, which was not lessened when he quietly thrust his finger into his mouth, and cleared out the glutinous mass.

At the age of eleven, books of voyages and travels became his passion, Robinson Crusoe, and Sinbad, the Sailor, being special favourites. He was an ardent student of these and all similar books, and the natural consequence was a desire to roam far away from his native home. Of this he gives us a reminiscence in the introduction to the "Sketch-Book," where he says, "How wistfully would I wander about the pier-heads in fine weather, and watch the ships bound to distant