3 
 
 0 ^ 7.43 
 
 £ S3 T?- 
 
 L1BRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 GEORGE W. CHILDS. 
 
 To Mr. Childs’s life-long knowledge of 
 books, and intimate personal acquaintance 
 with celebrated authors at home and abroad, 
 may be attributed the remarkable character of 
 his collection. Its growth has been gradual, 
 although the most curious portions have been 
 obtained during the last fifteen years. The 
 library contains about five thousand volumes. 
 The room which is Mr. Childs’s reading- 
 room and study is upon the first floor, with 
 direct entrance from the main hall of his 
 mansion, and the woodwork is finished in 
 the Italian style, carved ebony with gold. 
 The book-shelves are on the four sides, and 
 are six feet in height. The walls above are 
 beautifully finished to the ceiling, which is 
 built in heavy sunken panels, blue and gold. 
 In the centre of the room stands the large 
 
4 
 
 library table, literally piled with attractive 
 volumes. This table is in itself a treasure, 
 the ebony of which it is made having been 
 brought from Africa by M. Paul du Cliaillu 
 for Mr. Childs. The furniture is of ebony, 
 and the library chair, also of ebony, is a fac- 
 simile of William Beckford’s chair at Font- 
 liill. The carpet, of a unique design by 
 Owen Jones, corresponds with every part of 
 the room. The remainder of the books are 
 in an elegant apartment upon the third floor, 
 chiefly devoted to the standard works. These 
 include the finest editions of all the best 
 English and American authors, with many 
 specialties in various branches of literature. 
 To us, however, the greatest treasures are 
 those in the library-room first named. In 
 a beautiful cabinet between the windows 
 we find a little 18mo. of 8 pages, bearing the 
 date May 17, 1703, written in a small but 
 very clear hand, the lines close together, but 
 with wide margins for references. This is 
 an original sermon of the Rev. Cotton Mather, 
 endorsed as genuine by Rev. Wm. B. Sprague, 
 Albany. 
 
 We next come to a copy of the Poetical 
 Works of Leigh Hunt, also a little 18mo. 
 This is doubly precious from the associations 
 that cluster around' it, the autograph inscrip- 
 
5 
 
 
 > 
 
 > dr 
 
 1 
 
 tion being, “Charles Dickens, from his Con- 
 stant Admirer and obliged friend, Leigh 
 Hunt.” It is the Moxon edition of 1844, is 
 bound in half morocco, and came to Mr. 
 Childs direct from Dickens’s library. Ac- 
 companying this, and from the same library, 
 is a copy of Hood’s “Comic Annual” for 
 1842. Mr. Welford secured the work with 
 considerable difficulty, as thirty-two applica- 
 tions were made for it by English collectors. 
 The inscription, in Hood’s handwriting, has 
 never been published, but it is too good not 
 to see the light. It is as follows : — 
 
 Pshaw ! away with leaf and berry, 
 
 And the sober-sided cup ! 
 
 Bring a goblet, and bright sherry ! 
 
 And a bumper fill me up. 
 
 Tho’ I had a pledge to shiver, 
 
 And the longest ever was — 
 
 Ere his vessel leaves our river, 
 
 I will drink a health to Boz ! 
 
 Here’s success to all his antics, 
 
 Since it pleases him to roam, 
 
 And to paddle o’er Atlantics, 
 
 After such a sale at home ! — 
 
 May he shun all rocks whatever, 
 
 And the shallow sand that lurks — 
 And his passage be as clever 
 As the best among his works ! 
 
 Tnos. Hood. 
 
6 
 
 Here, also, is a beautiful octavo edition, 
 full morocco, with a wonderfully delicate 
 gold finish, of “ Alnwick Castle and Other 
 Poems,” with the inscription in the poet’s 
 own hand — 
 
 Charles Dickens, Esquire, 
 
 from his friend and admirer, 
 
 Fitz Greene Halleck. 
 
 New York, North America, 
 
 6th June, 1842. 
 
 Another work attracts our attention, which 
 proves to be the original manuscript of Na- 
 thaniel Hawthorne’s Consular Experiences. 
 It contains thirty-seven large quarto pages, 
 is in the author’s hand throughout, and has 
 his signature at the end. It is remarkable 
 for the beauty of its pages, its clean sheets, 
 and its freedom from alterations and erasures. 
 With it is a copy of the first edition of the 
 “ Scarlet Letter,” published by Ticknor, 
 Heed & Fields in 1851, containing an auto- 
 graph letter to Mr. Childs, dated Lenox, 
 September 16, 1851. We give it in full : — 
 
 My Dear Sir : — 
 
 Perhaps it may interest you to know that u The 
 Scarlet Letter” (your favorable opinion of which 
 gratifies me much) is thus far founded on fact, 
 that such a symbol was actually worn by at least 
 
7 
 
 one woman, in the early times of New England. 
 Whether this personage resembled Hester Prynne 
 in any other circumstances of her character, I 
 cannot say ; nor whether this mode of ignomin- 
 ious punishment was brought from beyond the 
 Atlantic, or originated with the New England 
 Puritans. At any rate, the idea was so worthy 
 of them that I am piously inclined to allow them 
 all the credit of it. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 Nathl. Hawthorne. 
 
 George W. Childs, Esq. 
 
 In connection with the above we read the 
 sad letter written by Ex-President Pierce to 
 James T. Fields, giving an account of the 
 death of Mr. Hawthorne. It is in the book 
 of the Presidents of the United States, to 
 which we shall call attention later. It is 
 written on a broad, square, black-edged 
 sheet, and is as follows : — 
 
 PEMIGEW ASSET HOUSE, 
 Thursday Morning, 5 o’clock. 
 My Dear Sir : — 
 
 The telegraph has communicated to you the 
 fact of our dear friend Hawthorne’s death. 
 My friend, Col. Hibbard, who bears this note, 
 was a friend of Hawthorne, and will tell you 
 more than I am able to write. I enclose here- 
 with a note which I commenced last evening to 
 
8 
 
 dear Mrs. Hawthorne. Oh, how will she bear 
 this shock ! Dear mother — dear children. When 
 I met Haw T thorne at Boston, a week ago, it was 
 apparent that he w r as much more feeble, and 
 more seriously diseased, than I had supposed him 
 to be. We came from Sen ter Harbor yesterday 
 afternoon, and I thought he was on the whole 
 brighter than he was the day before. Through 
 the week he has been inclined to somnolency 
 during the day, but restless at night. He retired 
 last night soon after nine o’clock, and soon fell 
 into a quiet slumber. In less than half an hour 
 changed his position, but continued to sleep. I 
 left the door open between his bed and mine, our 
 beds being opposite to each other, and was asleep 
 myself before 11 o’clock. The light continued 
 to burn in my room. At 2 o’clock I went to 
 H.’s bedside; he was apparently in a sound 
 sleep, and I did not place my hand upon him. 
 At 4 o’clock I went into his room again, and, as 
 his position was unchanged, I placed my hand 
 upon him and found that life was extinct. I 
 sent, however, immediately for a physician, and 
 called Judge Bell and Col. Hibbard, who occu- 
 pied rooms upon the same floor and near me. He 
 lies upon his side — his position so perfectly nat- 
 ural and easy — his eyes closed — that it is difficult 
 to realize while looking upon his noble face that 
 this is death. He must have passed from natural 
 slumber to that from which there is no waking 
 within the slightest moment. 
 
9 
 
 I cannot write to dear Mrs. Hawthorne, and 
 you must exercise your judgment with regard to 
 sending this and the unfinished note enclosed to 
 her. 
 
 Yr. Friend 
 
 Franklin Pierce. 
 
 The manuscript of another author who is 
 dear to the American reader, and who has 
 but lately passed away, is William Cullen 
 Bryant’s. It is in quarto form, and contains 
 the First Book of the Iliad. There are six- 
 teen pages, and a vignette portrait on steel, 
 one of the best we have ever seen of the poet. 
 Accompanying it is an autograph letter to 
 Mr. Fields : — 
 
 My Dear Mr. Fields : — 
 
 I send you the first half of the First Book of 
 the Iliad translated by me, relating the conten- 
 tion between Achilles and Agamemnon. If it 
 be desirable that I should see the proof, it should 
 be sent to me immediately/ as I may possibly 
 not be in these parts in about ten days from this 
 time. 
 
 I am, Dear Sir, 
 
 Very Sincerely Yours, 
 
 W. C. Bryant. 
 
 Roslyn, Nov. 6, 1866. 
 
 A nine-page folio, in manuscript, is James 
 Bussell Lowell’s June Idyll, “Under the 
 
10 
 
 Willows,” signed “ J. R. L.” upon the title- 
 page, and at the end with the full name of the 
 poet. This poem was begun in 1850, and com- 
 pleted in 1868, but, despite the length of this 
 period, the work exhibits few emendations. 
 
 A manuscript of interest is the original of 
 James Fenimore Cooper’s “ Life of Captain 
 Richard Somers,” twenty-one pages folio, 
 bound with the text as published in Gra- 
 ham's Magazine , October, 1847. This is 
 bound in half morocco, and it was presented 
 to Mr. Balmanno by Rufus W. Griswold, 
 with his autograph attestation. In addition 
 to the above, the volume contains ten auto- 
 graph letters, signed, to J. D. P. Ogden, 
 Esq., his lawyer, concerning his lawsuit 
 against J. Watson Webb and others for 
 libel, 1839-1840; also, an unsigned letter to 
 the editor of the Commercial Advertiser , 
 with notes and newspaper cuttings inserted 
 by Mr. Balmanno. 
 
 A singular history is attached to a remark- 
 able manuscript to be found here, that of 
 “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” by 
 Edgar A. Poe. The story is complete on 
 seventeen pages of large folio paper, the 
 handwriting being small and close. There 
 are very few alterations, and the letters are 
 clean and clear. The story of the manu- 
 
script can be best understood by the follow- 
 ing, which accompanied it when it came 
 into Mr. Childs’s possession : — 
 
 The foregoing original manuscript of Edgar 
 A. Poe’s story, “ The Murders in the Rue 
 Morgue,” has a history which may be of interest 
 to admirers of the distinguished author. 
 
 I have no data whereby I can fix the exact 
 date at which the manuscript came into my 
 possession, but it was about forty years ago, 
 probably in the spring of 1841, at which time I 
 was an apprentice in the office of Barrett & 
 Thrasher, Printers, No. 33 Carter’s Alley, Phila- 
 delphia. If my memory is not at fault, Graham's 
 Magazine , in whose pages the story first appeared, 
 was printed in the aforesaid office, and the re- 
 vised proof read in the Saturday Evening Post 
 office, Chestnut Street above Third, within a 
 door or two of the old Public Ledger building. 
 
 After the story had been put in type and the 
 proof read, the manuscript found its way into 
 the waste-basket. I picked it from the basket, 
 asked and obtained leave to keep it, and took it 
 to the residence of my father, with whom I then 
 boarded. Here it was put away so carefully 
 that I have no recollection of seeing it for years. 
 
 In 1846, my father, leaving me in Philadelphia, 
 removed to Fawn Township, York County, and 
 thence, a few years later, to Manchester, Md., 
 and Darksville, Va. In these several pilgrimages 
 he had, unknown to himself, carried the Poe 
 
12 
 
 manuscript along: with him, folded up in one of 
 the hooks of his library. Determining to return 
 to Pennsylvania, he made sale of his personal 
 effects, and among a lot of old books offered was 
 found the Poe MS. It was at once recognized, 
 rescued from Ihe rubbish among which it had 
 so nearly been lost, and forwarded to me — I 
 having in the mean time, 1847, removed to 
 Lancaster, Pa., and commenced business as a 
 daguerreotypist. Twice my daguerrean rooms 
 took fire, and once (March 8, 1850) almost all 
 my books, papers, pictures, and apparatus were 
 consumed ; but the Poe manuscript, folded within 
 the leaves of an old music book, escaped the 
 wreck. 
 
 About the year 1857 (I think it w r as) , a gro- 
 cery store, occupying the first floor of the build- 
 ing in which were my rooms, took fire and burned 
 furiously. The flames did not reach my rooms, 
 but the smoke did, and the firemen drenched 
 them with water, destroying books, papers, and 
 other property, but, by rare good fortune, the 
 Poe manuscript again escaped all injury, except 
 a slight discoloration. 
 
 From 1861 to 1864 I was in the army, but, on 
 my return therefrom, I found the Poe manu- 
 script in the old music book where I had left it 
 on leaving home. 
 
 In the spring of 1865 I took charge of the 
 Swan Hotel, Lancaster. Removing therefrom 
 in 1869, a great deal of rubbish was consigned 
 
13 
 
 to the ash-pile, the old music book sharing the 
 fate of other worthless articles. My next-door 
 neighbor, thinking it had been inadvertently 
 thrown away, picked it from the ash-pile and 
 handed it to me. On opening the book, I again 
 beheld the much-neglected and long-mislaid 
 manuscript ! Resolved that it should not again 
 be subjected to so many unnecessary risks, I at 
 once had it bound in its present form. 
 
 J. W. Johnston. 
 
 Lancaster, Pa., July 26, 1881. 
 
 Another interesting memento in connec- 
 tion with the history both of this manuscript 
 and its unfortunate author is given below : 
 
 Messrs. Lea & Blanchard, — 
 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 Gentlemen : I wish to publish a new collec- 
 tion of my prose Tales with some such title as 
 this : — 
 
 1 The Prose Tales of Edgar A. Poe , including 
 11 The Murders in the Rue Morgue” the 
 u Descent into The Maelstiom and all 
 his later pieces, with a second edition of the 
 u Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque.” 9 
 
 The later pieces will be eight in number, making 
 the entire collection thirty-three, which would 
 occupy two thick novel volumes. 
 
 I am anxious that your firm should continue 
 to be my publishers, and, if you w r ould be willing 
 
14 
 
 to bring out the book, I should be glad to accept 
 the terms which you allowed me before, that is, 
 you receive all profits, and allow me twenty 
 copies for distribution to friends. 
 
 Will you be kind enough to give me an early 
 reply to this letter, and believe me 
 
 Yours, very respectfully, 
 Edqar A. Poe. 
 
 Philadelphia, 
 
 Office Graham’s Magazine, August 13, ’41. 
 
 From this it would appear that Mr. Poe 
 was at least modest in liis demands upon his 
 publishers. 
 
 It was principally through Mr. Chtlds’s 
 instrumentality that the monument to Poe 
 was erected in Baltimore, as he volunteered 
 to pay all the expenses attending it, and did 
 furnish the greater part of the money. 
 
 Of great historical value is the original 
 manuscript draft of General U. S. Grant’s 
 Address at the opening of the Centennial 
 Exhibition, May 10, 1876. It is in full, and 
 signed by him. Mr. Childs has had it 
 elegantly bound in full morocco folio, with 
 blue satin lining. 
 
 Probably the unique work in Mr. Childs’s 
 whole collection is the original manuscript 
 of “Our Mutual Friend,” which he has had 
 bound in two large quarto volumes, fine 
 
15 
 
 brown morocco. It is the only complete 
 manuscript of any of Charles Dickens’s 
 novels outside the South Kensington Mu- 
 seum. It is said, however, that one or two 
 of his short Christmas stories are to be found 
 in this country and in England. • 
 
 The manuscript is dated “Thursday, 
 Fourth January, 1866,” and is signed, at 
 the head of the sheet, “Charles Dickens.” 
 Then comes the skeleton of the story. The 
 method Mr. Dickens pursued in the construc- 
 tion of his novels may not be known ; and a 
 brief description of it will to some extent 
 explain the skeleton from which we shall 
 give a few extracts. In the first place the 
 author conceived a plan of liis story, then 
 thought it out carefully, and fixed the plot 
 firmly in his mind, together with the salient 
 trafts of each character This completed, 
 he made his skeleton, from which to work 
 in the details ; and then came the detailed 
 work of the book. We copy from the first 
 part of Volume I. 
 
16 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, NO. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the Lookout. 
 
 The Man, in his boat, watching the tides. 
 
 The Gaffer, — Gaffer — Gaffer Hexam — 
 
 Hexam. 
 
 His daughter rowing. Jen, or Lizzie. 
 
 Taking the body in tow. 
 
 His dissipated partner, who 
 
 has “ Robbed a live man !” 
 
 Riderhood — this fellow’s name. 
 
 , CHAPTER IT. 
 
 The Man from Somewhere. 
 
 The entirely new people. 
 
 Everything new — Grandfather new — if they 
 had one. 
 
 Dinner Party — Twemlow, Podsnap, Lady Tip- 
 pins, Alfred Lighthouse, also Eugene — Mor- 
 timer, languid and tells of Harmon the Dust 
 Contractor. 
 
 Then come sentences like this: “Work 
 in the girl who was to have been married 
 and made rich,” etc. These are written in 
 diagonally, vertically, or horizontally, as the 
 case may be. There is also an outline head- 
 „ ing, as follows ~ 
 
17 
 
 FOUR BOOKS. 
 
 I. The Cup and the Lip. 
 
 II. Birds of a Feather. 
 
 III. A Long* Lane. 
 
 IV. A Turning. 
 
 The skeleton, of which we have given 
 a slight idea, covers nearly sixteen quarto 
 pages. Following this is the text of the 
 work itself. 
 
 The paper used is light blue and heavy ; 
 and the ink is dark blue. Mr. Dickens wrote 
 a peculiar hand, the lines very close together, 
 the letters very small ; and the frequent marks 
 of erasure and change betray the utmost care 
 in the preparation of his work. At times a 
 whole line has been scored out, to be re- 
 placed by another choice of words or a 
 different mode of expression, or to be dropped 
 altogether. Occasionally evidences of the 
 author’s entire absorption in his work may 
 be seen in the departure of the lines from 
 exactness, and their tendency towards the 
 corners of the sheet. It is not difficult to 
 form a mental picture of the self-forgetfulness 
 of the great writer, and of his utter abandon- 
 ment to his work, as he sits at his library 
 table at Gads Hill hour after hour, weaving 
 the threads of his wonderful stories. 
 
 * 
 
18 
 
 In the second volume the same method is 
 observed, the skeleton occupying eighteen 
 similar pages, in which there is an extra note 
 to suggest something regarding Mr. Boffin. 
 
 The story is marked as completed Septem- 
 ber 2, 1865, and has a postscript in lieu of a 
 preface, occupying about one and one-third 
 page, under which is given this date. The 
 manuscript is just as it came finally from 
 Mr. Dickens’s hands, even the names of the 
 compositors in the printing-office remaining 
 at the head of each “take.” 
 
 In the first volume is inserted a letter from 
 Mr. Dickens to Mr. Childs. 
 
 Gads Hill Place, 
 
 High am by Rochester, Kent. 
 
 Wednesday, Fourth November, 1868. 
 My Dear Mr. Childs : 
 
 Welcome to England ! Dolby will have told 
 you that I am reading again — on a very fatiguing 
 scale — but that after the end of next week, I shall 
 be free for a fortnight as to country readings. 
 On Monday next I shall be in tow r n, and shall 
 come straight to pay my respects to Mrs. Childs 
 and you. In the mean time will you, if you can, 
 so arrange your engagements as to give me a day 
 or two here in the latter half of this month ? My 
 housekeeper-daughter is away hunting in Hamp- 
 shire, but my sister-in-law is always in charge, 
 
19 
 
 and my married daughter would be charmed to 
 come from London to receive Mrs. Childs. You 
 cannot be quieter anywhere than here, and you 
 certainly cannot have from any one a heartier 
 welcome than from me. 
 
 With kind regards to Mrs. Childs, 
 
 Believe me, 
 
 Faithfully Yours Always, 
 
 Charles Dickens. 
 
 George W. Childs, Esquire. 
 
 The envelope containing the above is a 
 memento that would be a treasure to many, 
 the great novelist’s autograph appearing 
 upon it as follows . — 
 
 George W. Childs, Esquire, . 
 
 Langham Hotel, 
 
 Regent Street, 
 
 London, West. 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS. 
 
 The same volume also contains a letter 
 from Miss Mamie Dickens, of seven pages, 
 dated February Oth, 1874, giving an account 
 of the family and their movements. 
 
 Another curiosity is the fine Osgood edition 
 of Dickens’s works, in fifty-six volumes, 
 bound in light half calf, very handsome, in 
 each volume of which is inserted an auto- 
 
20 
 
 graph letter from Mr. Dickens to Mr. Childs, 
 the first dated 1855. 
 
 Lord Byron’s works are represented by 
 Murray’s fine six-volume edition, superbly 
 bound, dated 1855, in which is to be found 
 this inscription written by Mr. Murray : — 
 
 To George W. Childs, of Philadelphia, 
 
 In testimony of kind remembrance, 
 from 
 
 John Murray, 
 
 Albemarle Street, London. 
 
 The first volume contains portions of the 
 manuscript of the 44 Bride of Abydos,” and 
 is signed by Lord Byron. An additional 
 signature of note is that of 44 John Murray 
 III., April, 1878.” Byron’s dislike of 
 Wordsworth is well known, and when 
 44 Peter Bell” appeared, he cut it out, placed 
 it in the beginning of a copy of his own 
 works, and wrote a parody upon it, the 
 manuscript verses occupying the margins of 
 the page. This is also inserted in the first 
 volume. Wordsworth’s poem begins as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
21 
 
 Prologue. 
 
 There’s something in a flying horse, 
 
 And something in a huge balloon ; 
 
 But through the clouds I’ll never float 
 
 Until I have a little Boat 
 Whose shape is like the crescent-moon. 
 
 And now I have a little Boat, 
 
 In shape a very crescent-moon : — etc. 
 
 Byron expresses his extreme disgust in 
 these lines : — 
 
 Ravenna, March 22, 1820. 
 
 Byron. 
 
 Epilogue. 
 
 There’s something in a stupid ass, 
 
 And something in a heavy dunce ; 
 
 But never since I went to school 
 
 I heard or saw so damned a fool 
 As William Wordsworth is for once. 
 
 And now I’ve seen so great a fool 
 As William Wordsworth is for once ; 
 
 I really wish that Peter Bell, 
 
 And he who wrote it, were in hell, 
 
 For writing nonsense for the nonce. 
 
 I saw the “ light in ninety-eight,” 
 
 Sweet Babe of one-and-twenty years ! 
 
 And then he gives it to the nation, 
 
 And deems himself of Shakspeare’s peers. 
 
22 
 
 He gives the perfect work to light ! 
 
 Will Wordsworth — if I might advise, 
 Content you with the praise you get 
 From Sir George Beaumont, Baronet, 
 
 And with your place in the Excise. 
 
 The fifth volume of this edition is accompa- 
 nied by a fine line engraving from the finest 
 portrait of Byron known, the original of 
 which hangs in Mr. Murray’s house, and to 
 which is affixed an autograph of Lord Byron. 
 
 Mr. Childs has also in his possession 
 Lord Byron’s writing-desk, on which he 
 wrote Don Juan and other of his Poems. 
 It has his autograph and notes in several 
 places, as well as his crest and monogram. 
 
 A very handsome manuscript by William 
 Godwin next attracts attention. It is the ori- 
 ginal of 44 Cloudesley : a Novel.” Through- 
 out it is the author’s work, written on old 
 parchment paper, upon both sides of the 
 sheet. The chirography is particularly clear 
 and smooth, and the large margin left for 
 notes gives each page a tasteful appearance. 
 The manuscript is bound in half calf, and 
 each leaf is mounted on a strong guard. 
 
 A curiosity, indeed, is the book which has 
 the following title-page : — 
 
23 
 
 La 
 
 DIVINA COMMEDIA 
 
 DI 
 
 DANTE 
 
 Edizione Illustrata 
 da 30 Fotografie tolte da disegni 
 di 
 
 SCARAMUZZA 
 
 Milano 
 
 ULRICO HOEPLI 
 1879 
 
 It is the smallest book ever printed, and 
 is what, the printer would denominate a 
 u 128mo.” It contains the whole of Dante’s 
 Comedy, and the illustrations are clear and 
 excellent. Mr. Hoepli, whose autograph ap- 
 pears on the dedicatory page, printed only a 
 few copies for the Paris exhibition of 1878, 
 and the types were destroyed after having 
 been used on this occasion. The little vol- 
 ume measures, bound in full Turkey gilt, 
 less than two and a quarter inches in length 
 by one and a half inch in width, and yet 
 it contains over five hundred pages of type 
 that can be read with comparative ease by 
 the naked eye. 
 
 Unequalled in its present shape is the 
 manuscript of “The Cow Cliace,” which in 
 
24 
 
 any case would be of interest. It will be 
 remembered that this satirical poem, written 
 by Major Andre, was founded upon an un- 
 successful attempt of a party under General 
 Anthony Wayne to capture a block-house 
 upon the Hudson, in New Jersey, and but 
 a short distance from New York City, on 
 the 21st of July, 1780. It is said to have 
 been the last literary effort of the ill-fated 
 young Englishman, and, singular enough, 
 the last canto was published in New York, in 
 Rivington’s Royal Gazette , on the same day 
 upon which he was arrested. The Poem 
 was afterwards printed, with full notes, for 
 private circulation, and this with the manu- 
 script was the property of the Rev. Wm. B. 
 Sprague, of Albany, N. Y., an extensive 
 collector of autographs, w T lio prized it as 
 probably the most valuable article in his col- 
 lection. The manuscript has been wonder- 
 fully well illustrated by Mr. Ferdinand J. 
 Dreer, of Philadelphia, who has inserted an 
 illustration for every point in the text that 
 would admit of it. These include portraits 
 of the Generals of the Revolution, both Con- 
 tinental and English, well known and his- 
 toric landscapes, characters, and buildings. 
 The closing strain of Andre’s epic, which is 
 complete in three cantos, is 
 
25 
 
 And now I’ve closed my epic strain, 
 
 And tremble as I show it, 
 
 Lest this same warrior-drover, Wayne, 
 Should ever catch the poet. 
 
 Sure enough, just afterward the poet was 
 caught, and some unkind hand continues the 
 movement 
 
 And when the epic strain was sung, 
 
 The poet by the neck was hung — 
 
 And to his cost he finds too late 
 The “ dung-born tribe” decides his fate. 
 
 A book that has no duplicate — in fact, a 
 duplicate to-day would be impossible to 
 make — is what has become known as 
 
 A Collection of Autographs 
 made BY 
 A Scrivener. 
 
 Mr. W. G. Latham, a lawyer of New 
 Orleans, was the compiler, and of him the 
 friend to whom' the book was dedicated 
 writes 
 
 He is, by profession, a Notary Public; and, in 
 this capacity, has had access to many original 
 documents whence he commenced making copies 
 of signatures : and he thus employed the leisure 
 hours of five and twenty years; and probably 
 made at least one journey to Europe. 
 
26 
 
 The accuracy of the imitations has in many 
 instances been proved by comparison with the 
 identical originals — that method, alone, being 
 the true method of comparison : for no one 
 writes uniformly through a series of years. 
 
 No duplicates of these copies have been pre- 
 served : and if this collection should be lost or 
 destroyed, no power could now reproduce it. 
 
 Every autograph in the volume, it must be 
 borne in mind, was copied by Mr. Latham. 
 None are the originals, and none are litho- 
 graphs or engraved facsimiles. There are 
 about four thousand names in the book, and 
 they embrace distinguished Americans of 
 all professions from the beginning ; British 
 authors from before Sliakspeare until within 
 a few years ; men of renown in authorship, 
 in medicine, theology, natural history, bot- 
 any, music, the drama, and the fine arts; a 
 complete list of the Signers of the Declara- 
 tion of Independence ; Washington and his 
 Generals ; Napoleon and leading men of his 
 time and nation ; and, finally, royalty, the 
 nobility, and military and naval celebrities 
 of Europe for the past three centuries. 
 Appended to almost every signature is a 
 brief biographical sketch, which greatly en- 
 hances the value of the work. A much 
 thinner volume, but bound to match exactly, 
 
27 
 
 and corresponding in size of page, is the 
 Index. In the first part of this is the “In- 
 dex to the Index,” which guides to the sub- 
 ject classification ; then under each subject 
 is an alphabetical arrangement of the names. 
 It is so complete that in a moment one may 
 turn to any desired name or epoch. 
 
 Among the most recent additions to Mr. 
 Childs’s library is what is known as “The 
 Hall Collection.” This aggregation of valu- 
 able material embraces letters, manuscripts, 
 and sketches from the most celebrated people 
 of the last fifty years, which were received 
 by Anna Maria Hall and her husband, Mr. 
 S. C. Hall, chiefly during their connection 
 with the London Art Journal. 
 
 Possessing, perhaps, the greatest general 
 interest in the Hall Collection, however, is 
 the album formerly belonging to Mrs. Hall, 
 now the property of Mr. Childs. Not only 
 do we find in it, almost without number, 
 names which everybody knows in Eng- 
 lish literature, many accompanying original 
 verses or bright sayings, but here and there 
 are sketches by well-known hands, some- 
 times in water-colors, sometimes in sepia, 
 sometimes in ink. There are letters from 
 Charles Lamb, Nathaniel HaAvthorne, Mary 
 Somerville, Miss Mitford, Harriet Martineau, 
 
28 
 
 Martin Farquhar T upper, Robert Chambers, 
 S. T. Coleridge, Frederika Bremer, Samuel 
 Lover, Wilkie Collins, William Wordsworth, 
 Daniel O’Connell, Amelia Opie, Robert 
 Southey, L. H. Sigourney, Edward Lytton 
 Bulwer, E. B. Browning, from Rome, G. 
 P. R. James, Robert Burns, Grace Aquilar, 
 and many others. Will. Kennedy has a 
 Moorish Melody ; T. Crofton Croker has a 
 sketch in sepia ; Tom Moore has lines of 
 remembrance, and a sketch of Sloperton Cot- 
 tage ; there is also a page of manuscript 
 from one of his stories, written by Charles 
 Dickens, and signed with that never-to-be- 
 forgotten signature. Under this he has writ- 
 ten, “ Countersigned, Boz.” An interesting 
 sepia sketch of Maria Edgeworth’s library 
 appears ; and following it is “ The Cross,” a 
 poem by Jane Porter. 1 Thomas Hood has 
 written a verse of his “Song of the Shirt,” 
 and Thomas Hood, the younger, presents 
 the lines beginning “ Work, work, work.” 
 There is “A Prayer” by Hannah More; 
 and Barry Cornwall comes soon after with 
 “A Conceit.” Leigh Hunt writes nearly a 
 page of Abou Ben Adhem, and Caroline 
 Norton has “A Blind Man’s Bride.” Two 
 neat charades must not be overlooked, under 
 
29 
 
 which is to be seen the signature of Theodore 
 Hook. 
 
 From Mrs. Hall, though perhaps not 
 strictly to be included in the Hall Collec- 
 tion, is “The Tom Moore Bible.” The fol- 
 lowing, which is from Mrs. Hall, and which 
 accompanies the book, will, no doubt, serve 
 as the best description of its value. 
 
 Avenue Villa. 
 
 50 Holland Street, 
 
 Kensington, W. London. 
 
 This Bible, in which Thomas Moore had en- 
 tered the names, and birth dates, and death 
 dates of his children, was left by his widow, 
 “ Bessy” Moore, td her nephew, Charles Mur- 
 ray. By him it was left to his widow, who pre- 
 sented it to Mrs. S. C. Hall as a very precious 
 relic. 
 
 By Mrs. S. C. Hall it is presented — on the 13th 
 day of October, 1879 — to George W. Childs, of 
 Philadelphia, an honored and much loved citi- 
 zen of the United States of America, as the best 
 and most valuable offering she could make to 
 him, as a grateful tribute of respect, regard, and 
 esteem. 
 
 Curious, as well as rare, is the “Black 
 Book of Taymouth,” a square quarto, very 
 handsome even as to its external appearance, 
 the binding being a rich black calf with all 
 
30 
 
 the tooling in clear gold. This volume was 
 presented to Mr. Childs by the Duke of 
 Buckingham, the last of the Plantagenets, 
 and contains his letter asking its acceptance. 
 The book was printed for private circulation 
 by the Marquis of Breadalbane, who was a 
 relative of the Duke of Buckingham. It con- 
 tains the “Black Book of Taymouth,” which 
 is superbly illustrated in the olden style, with 
 brilliant coloring and much gold, and the 
 text of which is in old English. It also con- 
 tains a fine engraving of Tay mouth Castle 
 and a number of papers from the Breadal- 
 bane Charter-Room, and is replete with in- 
 teresting material connected with this genea- 
 logical history. A superbly bound folio 
 volume of photographs of Stowe, also sent 
 to Mr. Childs by the Duke of Buckingham, 
 serves as an interesting memorial of pleasant 
 days spent with the Duke and his family in 
 that famous lordly palace. 
 
 The 44 Memento of Dean Stanley,” whose 
 recent visit to this country and as the guest 
 of Mr. Childs will be so well remembered, 
 will be a lasting memorial of that great and - 
 good man. It contains two portraits of the 
 Dean, one a full length study, and several 
 letters from him to Mr. Childs. A fine re- 
 production, colored, of “The Herbert Cow- 
 
31 
 
 per Memorial Window,” presented by Mr. 
 Childs to Westminster Abbey also has a 
 place, and all the letters and articles relating 
 to the proposed monument to the Dean are 
 to be found in the volume. 
 
 A valuable reminiscence is “The Need of 
 Two Loves,” the original manuscript of N. 
 P. Willis. It occupies comparatively few 
 pages; but the student of character-penman- 
 ship would find it, in its changes of form, an 
 interesting bit of study. 
 
 Mr. Childs is the fortunate possessor of 
 the original copy of Milton’s “Paradise 
 Lost,” in Armenian, which was exhibited at 
 the World’s Fair in London. It w T as trans- 
 lated by the Rev. Dr. Pakradouny, and is a 
 superb specimen of letterpress. It contains 
 several original illustrations, including a fine 
 portrait of Queen Victoria, to whom the work 
 is dedicated. 
 
 Another work is the manuscript of “Her- 
 tha,” by Frederika Bremer, translated by 
 Mary Howitt. It bears date 1856, Stock- 
 holm, and the work is written by the author 
 upon both sides of the sheet. The writing 
 is smooth and flowing, and quite distinct. 
 The MS. is in fine condition, and has been 
 bound in a style worthy of its talented author. 
 
 By its side is the manuscript copy of Harriet 
 
32 
 
 Martineau’s “Retrospect of Western Tra- 
 vel,” in four quarto volumes, with portraits 
 taken in 1833 and 1850. The sheets are in 
 excellent condition, and it is fascinating to 
 read in her own hand the expression of her 
 thoughts. 
 
 A unique book is a copy of Gray’s Works, 
 in two volumes, quarto* bound in tree calf. 
 Originally it had but four illustrations, but it 
 is enriched by the addition of one hundred 
 and fourteen engravings and two drawings, 
 and by autograph letters of Dr. Beattie, Sir 
 Egerton Brydges, and others. It has an 
 extra title-page marked as sold by the author , 
 giving place and street. It is 18mo. in size, 
 and was printed in London in J.797. Bound 
 up in the work is the “Habitations of our 
 Kings,” an original manuscript of the poet 
 Gray, covering four closely written quarto 
 pages, and embracing the time from William 
 the Conqueror to the Georges. It gives ac- 
 counts of the Tower, the castles, and other 
 old landmarks, so many of which are now 
 destroyed or changed. 
 
 In presentation copies Mr. Childs’s library 
 is particularly rich, there being works from 
 many of the leading authors of England and 
 America during the last twenty-five years, 
 each containing the autograph of the author. 
 
33 
 
 Among these is a copy of the “Autocrat of 
 the Breakfast -Table,” from Dr. Holmes, 
 which contains an interesting letter giving 
 the author’s reasons for beginning the papers 
 in the Atlantic Monthly. A complete set of 
 Longfellow’s works is enriched with auto- 
 graph letter in each volume. 
 
 The book which to most Americans would 
 be fraught with the greatest interest, how- 
 ever, is a large folio containing the portrait 
 of every President of the United States, from 
 George Washington to General Chester A. 
 Arthur. Upon the leaf following each por- 
 trait is an autograph letter from the President 
 represented. The letters begin with the last 
 letter General Washington ever wrote, which 
 is dated “Mount Vernon, 8tli December, 
 1799,” six days before his death. A curious 
 fact comes to light, resulting from the collec- 
 tion of these documents. It is that of the 
 entire list the mo*st difficult letter to be pro- 
 cured was that of President Andrew John- 
 son. Johnson’s letters written by an aman- 
 uensis and signed by himself are easy to 
 obtain ; but so rare is a letter written through- 
 out by him that as high as fifty dollars have 
 been offered for one. The letter in this book 
 covers eight pages, and is written in Mr. 
 Johnson’s incisive style. President Lincoln’s 
 
34 
 
 letter is the celebrated one of instructions to 
 General McClellan, which occupies four large 
 quarto pages, and in which he says forcibly, 
 “But you must act!" Franklin Pierce’s 
 letter has already been referred to in connec- 
 tion with the death of Hawthorne. Opposite 
 General Grant’s portrait is the noted letter 
 from London, which was published through- 
 out the world, giving his opinion of his hearty 
 and enthusiastic reception in England. Six 
 of these letters are personal ones from the 
 Presidents to Mr. Childs. We have not 
 space to refer in detail to all the letters, but 
 from those we have mentioned the character 
 of the whole can be readily judged. 
 
 Of especial importance to Sliakspearian 
 scholars is Mr. Childs’s copy of Mrs. Mary 
 Cowden Clarke’s “Complete Concordance 
 to Shakspeare.” This interesting volume 
 contains a selection of upwards of fifty closely 
 written pages of the original manuscript, to- 
 gether with a long and exceedingly interest- 
 ing autograph letter signed (10 pp.). H gives 
 a minute and detailed account of the progress 
 of the work from its inception, through the 
 twelve years occupied in its compilation, 
 and four more of press corrections, to its final 
 publication. Also, copies of a congratulatory 
 letter from Douglas Jerrold; the author’s 
 
35 
 
 application for the privilege of dedicating the 
 work to the Queen ; and the Queen’s reply ; 
 besides several portraits, and a large number 
 of newspaper cuttings, etc., all neatly mount- 
 ed. The author gives the following account 
 of the origin of a Sliakspearian Concord- 
 ance : — 
 
 One fine morning, the 15th of J uly, 1829, at the 
 table of some friends in Somersetshire, the sub- 
 ject of Cruden’s Concordance to the Bible was 
 started, its vast utility discussed, and a regret 
 expressed that no work existed for the quoters 
 of Shakspeare. The hope of facilitating the use 
 of his universal axioms, of helping to spread still 
 further the knowledge of his wondrous wisdom 
 and truth, fired my ambition ; the desire to be 
 myself the means of supplying a concordance to 
 the Bible of the Intellectual World, seized upon 
 my imagination. That very day I began my 
 glorious task ; with a pencil and the Tempest in 
 my hand, I accompanied my friends in their 
 morning walk, thus offering the first lines of my 
 work in honor of Nature’s poet on Nature’s own 
 shrine — in the face of Nature herself — in the 
 open air. 
 
 This is followed by a letter to Mr. Childs, 
 which we present below : — 
 
36 
 
 Villa Novello, Genoa, 
 
 8th Feb. 1879. 
 
 Dear Sir : — 
 
 The more than kind reception yon gave my 
 letter of 2d November last (acknowledging 
 your packet and sending you a copy of my me- 
 moir of my dear and honored father) in the shape 
 of that truly cordial notice of our books in your 
 Public Ledger Supplement for 23d November, 
 1878, induces me to believe that you will feel 
 some interest in looking through the enclosed 
 Prospectus of the last Shakspearian work my 
 beloved Husband and I wrote together. 
 
 The notice in your paper was read through 
 tears of proud emotion at the way in which your 
 reviewer recognized the admirable characters of 
 my Parents : It was enjoyed in concert by our 
 family party, then assembled around our break- 
 fast-table here ; which included my brother 
 Alfred, my sister Sabilla, and our two charming 
 Italian nieces, Portia and Valeria Gigliucci — to 
 whom I read aloud, as well as my streaming 
 eyes would allow me, this American warmth of 
 tribute to Vincent and Mary Novello’s moral 
 and intellectual excellence. 
 
 With heartfelt thanks, I am, my dear sir, 
 Yours, faithfully and gratefully obliged, 
 Mary Cowden Clarke. 
 
 George W. Childs, Esq. 
 
 The manuscript pages in the Concordance 
 are in Mrs. Clarke’s handwriting, and show 
 
37 
 
 in detail the method of work in the prepara- 
 tion of the volume. 
 
 A book to interest every one is Mrs. 
 Childs’s own album. In appearance it is 
 very unpretentious, though handsome, but 
 its covers contain what it would be impossi- 
 ble to duplicate — the names of the guests 
 who have accepted the hospitality of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Childs at their homes in Phila- 
 delphia, Long Branch, and Wootton. The 
 first name to be seen is that of U. S. Grant, 
 and this is followed by the names of the 
 other members of the general’s family. The 
 signatures embrace those of the ablest men 
 in every profession. Among literary men 
 represented are Longfellow, Holmes, W. 
 W. Story, Wilkie Collins, P. B. ])u Cliaillu, 
 Joaquin Miller, Thomas Hughes, Goldwin 
 Smith, James T. Fields, Bishop Doane, 
 Bishop Coxe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, 
 George Bancroft, Edward A. Freeman, 
 Henry C. Carey, and many others equally 
 well known. A few of the journalists to be 
 found among the many are John Walter of 
 the London Times, J. Watson Webb, Mor- 
 ton McMichael, John W. Forney, Wm. 
 Henry Hurlbert, and Wliitelaw Reid. But 
 to classify and mention the representative 
 men in the different paths in which they 
 
38 
 
 liave become celebrated would occupy more 
 space than we have at our command. We 
 can only refer to the names of the Drexels, 
 J. S. Morgan, Governor Cornell, Henry 
 Wilson, Asa Packer, William M. Evarts, 
 General Sherman, General Phil. Sheridan, 
 General McDowell, Sir Stafford Northcote, 
 Robert C. Winthrop, Hamilton Fish, John 
 Welsh, L. P. Morton, Edwards Pierrepont, 
 Earl of Caithness, Samuel J. Tilden, Profes- 
 sor Joseph Henry, Alexander H. Stephens, 
 Rev. Phillips Brooks, Rev. Dr. Henry C. 
 Potter ; but we must stop, not, however, with- 
 out noting the fact that a very large number 
 of the autographs are accompanied with 
 original sentiments. Dean Stanley adds, al- 
 luding to Mr. Chtlds’s Memorial Window 
 in Westminster Abbey: — 
 
 A grateful farewell to the Angels of Hospital- 
 ity, and a hope that they may find their way to 
 Westminster Abbey, which will rejoice to receive 
 its munificent benefactor. 
 
 Michaelmas, 1878. 
 
 Opposite the Dean’s remembrance is an 
 original poem by Dean Plumptre. Thomas 
 Nast indicates his appreciation of the humor- 
 ous in his sketch of himself painting his name, 
 which occupies a page. Oscar Wilde lias 
 contributed a poem written in his light flow- 
 
39 
 
 ing hand ; while within a couple of pages is 
 a sentiment by Walt Whitman in his bold, 
 sharp chirography. Lord Houghton has a 
 delicate poem ; Charlotte Cushman and Mod- 
 jesk^ each a pleasant thought ; and Lord 
 Dufferin an original poem. Notable espe- 
 cially is the signature of John C. Hamilton, 
 who, as a child, was with his father, xYlex- 
 ander Hamilton, a few hours before he was 
 shot by Burr. 
 
 In connection with the Centennial were 
 many foreign celebrities who remember the 
 hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Childs w T itli 
 great pleasure, and among the countries 
 represented by these are China, Egypt, 
 Japan, South America, Australia, and many 
 in Europe. It is needless to say that a 
 volume so full of pleasant memories, and so 
 identified with their lives, is most highly 
 prized by the honored ones v r lio possess it. 
 
 Mr. Childs has been fortunate enough 
 to secure the original MSS. of Bulwer’s 
 41 Pilgrims of the Rhine” and “Godolphin.” 
 They are splendidly mounted upon large 
 pages, and are arranged in a form worthy of 
 their author. The binding is red levant 
 morocco, richly gilt. 
 
 The ‘ 4 Cabinet of the Earl of Derby” is a 
 rich and handsome privately published voL 
 
40 
 
 ume, and was presented by the Duke of 
 Buckingham to Mr. Childs. The portraits 
 are fine and true, and, particularly as a study 
 of the men of that time (1871), admirable. 
 The first portrait is that of the Earl of Derby, 
 then follow Lord Chelmsford, Duke of Marl- 
 borough, Earl of Malmesbury, D’ Israeli, 
 Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Sir 
 Stafford Nortlicote, and the other members. 
 
 An oddity is “A Collection of the Illustra- 
 tions of H. K. Browne, better known as 
 ‘Pliiz.’” Mr. Browne’s proper name was 
 first used by the publishers with the u Curi- 
 osity Shop,” all previous illustrations of 
 books having been under the sobriquet of 
 “Phiz.” As “Phiz” he is probably best 
 known to the world, and all readers of 
 Dickens’s books, and other illustrated works 
 of that time, will remember the spirit and 
 power of his character sketches. This book 
 contains all the sketches, several hundred, 
 that can be obtained, if not all- that Mr. 
 Browne ever made ; and the collection is 
 enriched by memoranda and notes in his 
 own hand. 
 
 We have, in this brief sketch, of course 
 been able only to note the special features of 
 Mr. Childs’s collection, and we pass by en- 
 tirely many works that are of great interest. 
 
41 
 
 Were sufficient space at our command many 
 t)f the rare editions of celebrated works 
 could be described, and many very interest- 
 ing incidents related concerning them, par- 
 ticularly the presentation copies to which 
 reference has already been made. Of these, 
 all the works of the leading authors of the 
 last twenty years are enriched by the inser- 
 tion of interesting autograph letters. 
 
 In Mr. Childs’s copy of Dr. Allibone’s 
 Dictionary of Authors are many interesting 
 letters from the author, one giving an account 
 of tlie finishing of the work. Thomas Hart- 
 well Horne, the eminent bibliographer, wrote 
 to Dr. Allibone on the completion of his 
 wonderful Dictionary, commending it in 
 high terms, and said, 44 Your dedication to 
 Mr. Childs is both graceful and grateful.” 
 
 We cannot close this article, however, 
 without calling attention to an original score 
 of Tom Moore, signed in full. 
 
 In addition to this, Mr. Childs has num- 
 bers of letters, poems, and manuscripts of 
 Burns, Moore, Swift, Longfellow, Bryant, 
 Holmes, Tennyson, Pepys, Pope, Thomson, 
 Shelley, Keats, William Penn, Voltaire, 
 Goetlie, Irving, Charles Lamb, Gibbon, 
 Hume, Lord Clarendon, Walter Scott, and 
 others. Coleridge, also, is represented ; .and 
 
42 
 
 in a long letter lie states that he would be 
 glad to go to London if he could be assured 
 of a guinea a week . A noteworthy addition 
 is an original manuscript of Schiller — his 
 dramatic poem, entitled 44 Demetrius.” It 
 occupies two folio pages, and was obtained 
 through the kindness of Mr. Longfellow. 
 There is also the original manuscript draft of 
 Tennyson’s dedicatory poem to the Queen, 
 which is prefixed to the last collected edition 
 of his poems, and which differs materially 
 from that printed. It is in thirteen verses 
 of four lines each. All the works of the 
 authors named, as well as many others, have 
 the autographs, and steel plates or photo- 
 graphs of the authors. 
 
 Without following any exact order we will 
 note a letter of Lord Nelson, written four 
 days before his death ; a number of presenta- 
 tion volumes from the brothers Chambers, 
 Robert, William, and David ; many curiously 
 illustrated inlaid and arranged works, espe- 
 cially Ticknor’s Life of Prescott, tw r o vol- 
 umes, quarto, with several hundred illustra- 
 tions ; Life of Everett, quarto ; Rogers’s Italy 
 and Poems, inlaid with three hundred en- 
 gravings, all first impressions ; a work on the 
 Empire of Brazil, presented by Dom Pedro 
 in 1876, and containing his autograph ; a copy 
 
43 
 
 of Chambers’s u English Literature,” which 
 has autograph letters, about seven hundred 
 extra plates, and numerous newspaper cut- 
 tings and references, the work being extended 
 to eight volumes ; many books upon the North 
 American Indians ; quite a large collection of 
 Americana; Lamb’s Works, with autograph 
 letters of Lamb ; Talfourd’s Life of Lamb, 
 with a manuscript poem by Talfourd, and a 
 letter written to Mr. Childs ; Shakspeare’s 
 Works in all the finest editions ; and three 
 large volumes of photographs, many with 
 autographs of celebrated people whom Mr. 
 Childs has met within the last quarter of 
 a century at home and abroad. 
 
 Of portraits, in the library, two are espe- 
 cially prominent : one, that of George Pea- 
 body, full length, who sat for the picture for 
 Mr. Childs ; and the other, that of Mr. 
 Longfellow, painted by Buchanan Read for 
 Mr. Childs, when the three were spending 
 the winter of 1868 in Rome together. Both 
 are admirable portraits, and well adorn the 
 positions selected for them. 
 
 Among the many letters received by Mr. 
 Childs from his friend Mr. Longfellow, the 
 following, written in regard to his seventieth 
 birthday, is so characteristic that we print 
 it 
 
44 
 
 Cambridge, March 13, 1877. 
 Mi Dear Mr. Childs : 
 
 You do not know yet, what it is to be seventy 
 years old. I will tell you, so that you may not 
 be taken by surprise, when your turn comes. 
 
 It is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow- 
 crowned summit, and see behind you the deep 
 valley stretching miles and miles away, and be- 
 fore you other summits higher and whiter, which 
 you may have strength to climb, or may not. 
 Then you sit down and meditate, and wonder 
 which it will be. 
 
 That is the whole story, amplify it as you may. 
 All that one can say is, that life is opportunity. 
 
 With seventy good wishes to the dwellers in 
 Walnut Street, corner of Twenty-second, 
 
 Yours, very truly, 
 
 Henry W. Longfellow. 
 
 There is besides a large, handsome photo- 
 graph of Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, 
 who sent it with his kindest regards to Mr. 
 Childs, and whose autograph, with date, 
 appears upon it. That the Emperor has by 
 no means forgotten Mr. Childs’s hospitalities 
 during the continuation of the Centennial 
 Exhibition is shown by the following brief 
 note which Hon. Thomas A. Osborn, United 
 States Minister to Brazil, writes to a friend, 
 describing his presentation to the Emperor 
 Dom Pedro. He says : — 
 
45 
 
 I have thought that you might not be unin- 
 terested in learning that the Emperor, in an in- 
 formal conversation which followed the presen- 
 tation of my letter of credence, inquired quite 
 feelingly after Mr. George W. Childs, and 
 manifested a deep concern in his welfare. The 
 Emperor spoke of the hospitalities extended to 
 him in Philadelphia, and was especially warm 
 in his expressions touching Mr. Childs. 
 
 A number of time-pieces also adorn the 
 library and other parts of the house. There 
 are eighteen in all, one of which, occupying 
 the most prominent position in the drawing- 
 room, cost six thousand dollars. The others 
 are of interest chiefly from the associations 
 connected with them, and for their great 
 age, but are of exceeding beauty, elaborate 
 in design, and ingenious in construction. 
 To these are to be added the large collection 
 of ivories, many of which have been sent to 
 Mr. Childs from all parts of the world, and 
 include carvings of rare skill and beauty. 
 
 Mr. Childs has the original miniature 
 likeness of General Washington which he 
 left by his will to his niece. It is hand- 
 somely encased in gold, and contains his 
 hair. ' Mr. Childs obtained from Greenway 
 Court, the estate of the Fairfaxes in Virginia, 
 a handsome mahogany table which General 
 
46 
 
 Washington presented to Lord Fairfax, and 
 on which they often afterwards played cards 
 together. He has also eight old style dining- 
 room chairs which Lord Fairfax brought 
 from Leeds Castle one hundred and fifty 
 years ago. 
 
 It is with great regret that we bring this 
 paper to an end. The wealth of material 
 before us is almost confusing, and thrice this 
 space would fail to do full justice to the 
 treasures in the collection ; but we trust some 
 idea may have been given of their value and 
 interest, and that the taste and knowledge 
 of their owner may be appreciated by those 
 who never before heard of the wonderful 
 collection gathered together in the library of 
 Mr. Childs. Even those who have had the 
 good fortune to see it and to study its con- 
 tents, will be glad to read this brief descrip- 
 tion and to refresh their recollection of such 
 a storehouse of rare, curious, and valuable 
 objects.