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amusing occupation" thus proved a source of annoyance; and when the publisher failed, in 1815, Irving was glad to "sign off what was owing to him," and to quit editorship.

In May of this year he went to Europe. It was his intention to remain only a short time, but on reaching Liverpool he found his brother, who managed the English interests of the firm, almost completely incapacitated for business. There was nothing for Washington to do but to take charge of affairs. The firm was not so prosperous as he had expected to find it. The late war had not benefited trade between England and America; and a series of misfortunes had seriously taxed the means of the Irvings. With such assistance as his brother, whose health improved from time to time, could give him, Washington tried bravely to master the details of trade, and to meet bills and notes when they came due. But the task was too great; for three years he held out against ill-fortune, and then was forced into bankruptcy. It was a hard experience, but in the end a fortunate one, for he was now thrown upon his own resources, and wisely determined to support himself by his pen, the only way in which he could reasonably ask the world for a living. The outlook was not particularly bright for a man of thirty-five who had been successful neither in law nor in business, and who for nine years had made no serious effort to realize the promise of his early writings. All the more commendable, therefore, was his refusal to accept a clerkship in the Navy Board at $2,400 a year, which his friend Decatur held open to him.

Still encouragement was not entirely lacking. "Knickerbocker's History of New York" had been kept fresh in the minds of the American people by successive editions. Irving had met Walter Scott-and acquaintance with Scott was worth much in those days,-Francis Jeffrey, the formidable critic of the Edinburgh Review, and others who might be of assistance to him. But it was with some misgivings that he sent the first number of the "Sketch Book " to New York for publication. How eagerly it was received there is well known. Extracts appeared in the English press, too. Not wishing to lose the English copyright, Irving sent the book to a prominent London publisher with

1

the request that he issue an edition; but after some annoying delays the offer was courteously declined. Then it occurred to Irving that Scott might induce his publisher to accept it. This plan also failed, through no fault of Scott's. The only course now left was for the author to publish at his own expense. The printer, opportunely or inopportunely, became bankrupt before the book was fairly launched. Once more Irving appealed to Scott, and this time the novelist was successful; Mr. Murray agreed to place the book in the English market; and he never regretted doing so, for this and the later works of Irving proved a source of great profit to him. Moreover, Scott secured favorable notices in the Edinburgh Review; and thus the most prominent writer of the Old World became the sponsor for the first great writer of the New.

During the years 1819-20 the remaining numbers of the "Sketch Book" appeared. There are many persons to-day who maintain that in these papers Irving's most enduring work is to be found. Certain it is that, while specialists may differ as to the present worth of his histories, Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane have a permanent place in fiction.

The literary experiment having proved a success, Irving followed it up with "Bracebridge Hall" (1822) and the "Tales of a Traveller" (1824). As he had appealed to the public for support, he incurred the penalties to which all wards of the public are liable-criticism. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic stood ready to exercise their privileges. He was charged with being too indolent to write a novel. Some Americans raised a characteristic objection: the prices of his books were too high. Though Irving refrained from publicly answering the critics, in letters to friends he remarked that "if Americans wished to have a literature of their own, they must consent to pay for the support of authors";* and in reply to the advice that he had better get to work and write a novel, explained that he had adopted a "line of writing" peculiar to himself-the sketch or short story-to avoid falling into the school or manner of any other writer.† A period of de† Ibid., II., 64.

* Life and Letters, I., 318.

pression nevertheless followed; he felt "isolated in English literature, without any of the usual aids and influences by which an author's popularity is maintained or "He threw aside certain "American essays promoted." on rather heavy subjects-manners, national prejudices, and the like and waited, until shifting politics turned his thoughts toward the castles in Spain.

In the fall of 1825 Alexander Everett, whom Irving had met in Paris during the summer of that year, was appointed Minister in Madrid. This appointment offered an opportunity to Irving to visit the country about which so much of the romance of the Old World hovers. He wrote to Mr. Everett, asking to be attached to the embassy in some subordinate capacity, in order that he might have access to records which would be closed to a casual visitor. The minister forwarded passports, with an urgent invitation to join him in Madrid, and suggested that the author undertake a translation of Navarrete's "History of Columbus," just about to be sent to press. Irving readily accepted the invitation and adopted the suggestion. But upon examining the work of the Spanish historian he found that, though it contained valuable information for the specialist, it was hardly what a general reader would look for. He therefore abandoned the idea of translating, and began collecting material for a history more in accordance with his sense of the literary demands of the subject. His investigations, which were carried on with an industry unusual among historians of the time, resulted in the "Life of Columbus," published in 1828. Irving was, of course, accused of wholesale borrowing from Navarrete. He did, indeed, use Navarrete's work with that author's consent; but the graces of expression which give the literary stamp to Irving's biography were borrowed from nobody. Spain paid a fine tribute to American genius by extending to the author honorary membership in the Royal Academy of History.

The Conquest of Granada" followed the next year. The residence in Spain was thus turned to good account. Perhaps the most delightful part of it to Irving, and cer

* Life and Letters, II., 62.

tainly the most interesting to his readers, was the three months spent in the Alhambra. Through the courtesy of the Governor the palace was placed at the disposal of the author, and here he lived for the time with the old Moorish kings, breathing the atmosphere of a civilization

long since passed away. "Here I am," he says, "nestled

in one of the most remarkable, romantic, and delicious spots in the world. It appears to me like a dream; or as if I were spell-bound in some fairy palace."* The gossips of the neighborhood furnished the material for the " Alhambra," the Spanish Sketch Book, as it has been called, published in June, 1832, shortly after its author's return to America.

The spell was broken by a tender of the office of Secretary of Legation in London. Somewhat to the surprise of his friends, who considered the position unworthy of his attainments, he accepted. The resignation of Mr. McLane (August, 1831) left the secretary in charge of the Legation until the arrival of the new minister, Mr. Van Buren, in September, when he retired. The "Voyages of the Companions of Columbus" had been published early in the year. Thus relieved from diplomatic duties and literary cares, Irving spent some months wandering leisurely through Robin Hood's country. Meantime, honors had come to him from very high sources. In April, 1830, the Royal Society of Literature "awarded him one of the two medals annually placed by his Majesty at the Society's disposal to be adjudged to the authors of literary works of eminent merit"; † and in less than a month afterward the University of Oxford conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. His return to New York, in 1832, was properly made an event of national importance.

Seventeen years' residence abroad and successes such as Irving had won would have spoiled most Americans. On the contrary, he returned with delight to his native land, modestly accepted the social attentions of his countrymen, and gracefully bore the title of "harbinger and founder of the American school of polite learning." Literary activity was resumed under the stimulus of new scenes. A + Ibid., 183.

* Life and Letters, II., 154.

journey through the West was described in "A Tour on the Prairies" (1835). Under his supervision was prepared “ Astoria," an account of the settlement of a trading town on the Pacific slope by the great merchant. Echoes of experiences in Europe, real and imaginary, are found in "Abbotsford," "Newstead Abbey," and "Legends of the Conquest of Spain," published as "Crayon Miscellany." Captain Bonneville, "who strangely ingrafted the trapper and hunter upon the soldier," told the stories that Irving published as the " Adventures" of the captain.

Literary work was again interrupted by the appointment as Minister to Spain. The office proved more exacting than Irving had expected. It was a delicate mission. Spanish politics were uncertain, and instead of the leisure the minister anticipated, all his time was occupied in avoiding international complications amid the strife of factions. It was with pleasure that he resigned the office in 1846, and returned to Sunnyside. The "Life of Goldsmith," "Mahomet and His Successors," "Wolfert's Roost," and the Life of Washington,” the “great and crowning effort of his life," are the products of his last years.

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Native literature has grown so rapidly during the past few years that it is difficult for us even to imagine a time when Americans were dependent upon Englishmen for intellectual enjoyment. Yet less than a century ago such a condition existed. Irving "declared our literary independence." His humor may not be the kind the present generation enjoys; his style may be a little too deliberate for a busy age. But it must not be forgotten that all that is characteristic in Irving is a far cry from the reading the solemn old gentlemen of the generation before him were accustomed to-reading which, as George William Curtis has it, seemed to say on every page,

"My thoughts on awful subjects roll,

Damnation and the dead."

It is no slight service to be the first to give to one's countrymen books that can be read for amusement purely.

Apart from Irving's direct contributions to our literature, his influence was always and unselfishly exerted in