"

"This tragedy nearly killed Elizabeth | May heaven continue to her such health and Barrett. She was utterly prostrated by the such happiness!"-International.

WILLIAM VINCENT WALLACE.

THIS remarkable man is occupying so large a share of public attention at the present time, that partly from a desire to keep pace with the times, and mostly to gratify our admiration of his genius, we feel constrained to say a few words about him.

horror and the grief, and by a natural, but a most unjust feeling that she had been, in some sort, the cause of this great misery. It was not until the following year that she could be removed, in an invalid carriage,and by journeys of twenty miles a day, to her afflicted family and her London home. The house that she occupied at Torquay, had been chosen as one of the most sheltered in the place. It stood at the bottom of the cliffs, almost close to the sea; and she told It is difficult to state when Art begins in me herself, that during that whole winter, the one whom God has gifted with genius; its sound of the waves rang in her ears like the principles unrecognized, are present when moans of the dying. Still she clung to lit-consciousness begins to dawn upon the inerature and to Greek; in all probability, she fant mind, and everything within and withwould have died without that wholesome out tends at first indirectly to develope the diversion of her thoughts. Her medical at- innate susceptibility to impressions of the tendant did not always understand this. To beautiful, from which all true music springs. prevent the remonstrances of her friendly It is certain that where such genius exists, physician, Dr. Barry, she caused a small edi- its very earliest years are susceptible to the tion of Plato to be so bound as to resemble most rapturous sensations from musical a novel. He did not know, skilful and kind sounds. It may be that the gifted one is though he were, that to her, such books unable to combine the musical ideas it were not an arduous and painful study, but dwells so dotingly upon; it may be also, a consolation and a delight. Returned to that it cannot analyze the emotions that London, she began the life which she con- shake the young heart with a fullness of detinued for so many years, confined to one light; but the soul recognizes the harmony large and commodious, but darkened cham- which is a principle of its existence-an esber, admitting only her own affectionate sence of its being, and the mystic spring is family and a few devoted friends-(I myself unsealed from whence in after years shall have often joyfully travelled five-and-forty flow the streams of melody that will immormiles to see her, and returned the same talize a name, and make poster ty its debtor. evening without entering another house)reading almost every book worth reading in almost every language, and. giving herself, heart and soul, to that poetry of which she seemed born to be the priestess. Gradually her health improved. About four years ago she married Mr. Browning, and immediately accompanied him to Pisa. They then settled at Florence; and this summer I have had the exquisite pleasure of seeing her once more in London, with a lovely boy at her knee, almost as well as ever, and telling tales of Italian rambles, of losing herself in chestnut forests, and scrambling on muleback up the sources of extinct volcanoes.

We will leave some minute historian to

decide at what period WILLIAM VINCENT WALLACE first recognized the presence of strong musical influence; we shall consider ourselves sufficiently minute in our narration, if we commence with the commencement of his public career. Very few have achieved so responsible a post, at so early a period of life. But Wallace, independent of his fine genius, had many early advantages His father was the master of a military band, and an excellent practical musician, playing nearly every instrument in the orchestra.— Young Wallace displayed a wonderful aptitude to excel his father in all these accom

WILLIAM VINCENT WALLACE.

plishments, and at the age of fifteen could handle with considerable mastery nearly every instrument, and could play with extraordinary excellence, the piano-forte, the violin, the clarionette, and the guitar. Nor was this a display of mere mechanical facility; his great store of mechanical power was practically applied, for he had written over two hundred compositions, fantasies, marches, &c., for military bands, before the period at which we have commenced his history. So Wallace at fifteen, though a young leader, was an old musician. His position in Dublin, brought him in contact with all the musical celebrities of that day, and we have no doubt that his musical purposes were much strengthened by the kind encouragement and judicious commendation of Paganini, Catalini, and others.

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heart seemed to spring at once into vivid life, and he became possessed with the great musical desire. Much to the surprise of his host, he played first fiddle to the next quartette, and so they played on till morning.The fame of his playing spread through the town like wildfire, and reached the ears of the Governor, Sir John Burke, who persuaded Wallace to give a concert. After much persuasion, he consented. His success was great, and Sir John Burke, as a mark of his delight, sent him two hundred sheep, which was in that country a princely gift.

After giving several concerts, a restless desire to travel seized upon him, and to use a nautical phrase, he became a "roving blade,” he wandered,be and his fiddle,into "strange countries." First he visited Van Dieman's, then New Zealand, from whence he went on

For three years he occupied a high musi-a whaling voyage in the South Seas. In cal position in Dublin, and had the honor of directing the first performance of Beethoven's "Mount of Olives," in Ireland. At the age of eighteen his strength seemed to sink under the pressure of his many studies and pressing engagements. A long sea voyage was recommended for the establishment of his health; so he packed up his fiddle, what else we do not know, and sailed for Sidney, far away in the South Seas. For a long period after his arrival in Sidney, he led an active life; his fiddle remained unpacked, and he literally plunged into the bush. But for one characteristic circumstance the world might never have known Wallace, the composer; and he might now be counting his sheep and telling the hoards of wealth they produce-or perhaps digging up heaps of gold at Bathurst.

New Zealand he met with many hairbreadth escapes, which we have not space to enumerate. From New Zealand he journeyed to the East Indies. With that unconsciousness, or recklessness of danger which was his characteristic in those days, he penetrated far into the interior, and encountered "incidents" of travel from which nothing but a remarkable coolness and presence of mind could have delivered him. After seeing all he deemed worthy, tiger hunting included, he longed for change of scene, and so started from Madras, after half a day's thought, for Valparaiso, in South America.From Santiago, he crossed the majestic Cordilleras of the Andes, to Buenos Ayres, where his stay, however, on account of the blockade, was but brief. He returned to Santiago, where he displayed a remarkable eviDuring one of his brief visits to the town dence of his enthusiasm for Art. He had of Sidney, he was invited by some friends given a pledge to play at a concert, on a to attend a musical party. He went, little certain day, in Valparaiso, for the benefit of dreaming how that evening was to influence a charity; but some circumstances drove the his destiny for ever,and to add another name promise from his memory. Being reminded to the bright list of musical celebrities.- by a friend of the fact, when it was appaWhen he entered the room, he saw four gen-rently impossible for him to reach Valparaitlemen seated round a table, working away, so in time, Wallace resolved to ride on horsewith greater will than power, at a duetto of back the whole distance, one hundred and Mozart. All the music slumbering at his twenty-five miles, to keep faith; and he

performed this equestrian feat with thirteen horses in less than eleven hours, and was in time for the concert. From Chili he went to Peru, and gave a concert at Lima, which produced the large sum of $5,000.

He then visited the West Indies; from thence to Vera Cruz, Tampico, and the City of Mexico. His success in these cities was great, and there can be but little doubt that he realized a vast amount of money. In New Orleans his triumph was more gratifying than any triumph he had yet achieved, for it was wrung from a highly critical and most exacting audience. So great was the enthusiasm his performance excited, that the musicians in the orchestra forgot to play, and kaid down their instruments to join in the tumult of applause. From New Orleans he journeyed through the States, and his concerts were literally a succession of triumphs.

upon by all as a gifted, wonderful, and eccentric genius, and as a musician of high attainments. His compositions for the instruments upon which he played, were acknowledged as full of originality and power; but no one, we are very sure, ever dreamed that William Vincent Wallace would, in a few years, take his stand among the greatest mental musicians of his age; that he would quench the inspirations of the great executant,and stand forth as a creator of enduring works; that he would rise from the chrysalis of a player, to the full-grown stature of a

musician- creator-a composer! But Wallace had dreamed his dream, and went

to London, full of high aspirations, and prepared to work in that great mill, where there were many workers, and some of whom had won the world's good favor. It was a bold push for fortune, for though his name was We remember as well as though it were well known, there were many who had the but yesterday, and it is now nearly eight start of him by many years, and there was no place for him. He had to make a place years ago, being one of a party invited to for himself. And so he went to work. As Col. James L. Hewitt's rooms, over his music store, now Wm. Hall & Son's, to meet a a pianist, he took a position at once; but new musical wonder from the South. We there were many good pianists, some of were introduced to a tall, slim, and gentle- them the rage, and piano compositions were manly man, carefully and elegantly dressed. a drug in the market. We have often heard There was high intelligence in his face, but Wallace tell how, on his first arrival in Lonit seemed to lack fire; there was a languor don, he left some of his piano compositions in his air, which made us think that the lux-with C., the publisher of Bond street, and urious indolence of the South had become,as it were, a part of his nature. He seemed half-a-dreaming, and the wild romance of his life, which spread abroad, linked half-adozen heart-rending love tales with the name of our melancholy musician. He played the piano-his famous Cracovienne was the first piece, and it was generally acknowledged that he was the greatest pianist that had then visited America. But when he took his violin in hand, and exhibited such extraordinary mastery over the instrument, and such impassioned sentiment, we were, one and all, carried away with mingled feelings of astonishment and delight. His success in this country, which followed this well-remembered evening, is familiar to all, and we need not reiterate it. He was looked

how, on his second visit, they were politely handed back to him; how he, on his return home, somewhat discomfited, but with an inward consciousness of future greatness, marked on the margin of said picces—“ refused by C., on such a date ;" and how, after the triumphant success of Maritana,he came to his lodgings, and gave him twenty guineas for one of the very pieces he had formerly refused, even as a gift; and how they had a hearty laugh at the turn of fortune's wheel.-Musical World.

No man is so truly gaeat, whatever other titles te eminence he may have, as when, afteer taking an errroneous step, he resolves to "tread that step backwards.”

THE PLACE OF PRAYER.

Wherein a christian dieth, here's the consummation Probably the same Celtic wave, which, at a

With Amaranthine flowers, which time nor change sailing westward, founded Carthage, and

Africa and in Spain, and from thence cross-chiefs and vassals together embraced the ed to Ireland, the outer limit of the then new religion. known world. Traces of this Asiatic origin Then rose churches and abbeys in many yet remain in the land. The round towers, a sequestered valley of Ireland. Then were which still stand like solitary columns in her the hill-sides pressed by pious feet. The valleys, were erected at a period beyond the convent bell rang across the vale. Monasreach of history, and are believed to have teries crowned many a hill, which were the been reared for the worship of the sun.- repositories at once of learning and of ChrisThe feastings and cries of the peasantry at tianity. From the sixth to the eighth ceufunerals the Irish wakes-is a custom tury, Ireland was confessedly in advance of which carries us back directly to the East. England in civilization and in piety.Even thus early, portions of the country Hither came the great Alfred to obtain that were inhabited by a powerful race. The learning which his own kingdom could not Irish trace far back into this period the line afford. Irish missionaries propagated the of their kings. "Remember," says Ossian, gospel in the surrounding nations. "the kings of Erin; the stately forms of old. land the Anglo-Saxon king Oswald applied Let not the fallen be forgot, they were for learned men to teach his people Christianity. An Irish monk, Columba, founded mighty in the field." the monastery in the sacred island of Iona, "which was once the luminary of the Cale donia regions, whence savage clans and roving barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge and the blessings of religion."*

But the island was but partially reclaimed by these bands of adventurers. The country

itself was still a wilderness, a wild waste of lakes and mountains, of bogs and moors.The aboriginal savages still roamed through interminable forests. Bears had their dens

To Ire

The Irish chieftains derived wealth and power from the civilization of their people, and began to assume a rude, barbaric splendor. Lofty castles rose in which the bards of Erin, like those of Wales, sung of the deeds of their ancestors, and the harp was

in rocky caverns. The wolf came down to
drink of her mountain lakes, and the deer
slept in his covert unscared by the cry of
the hunter. Wild fowl haunted her inland
waters, and the eagle sailed along her north-heard in the halls of Tara.
ern rocky shores. The island lay in the
solitude of nature.

At length came Christianity, the true civilizer of nations. A holy man landed on the shores of Ireland. The life of St. Pat rick is enveloped in some degree of obscuri ty, and perhaps looms up large in the twilight of tradition. Still there seems no reason to doubt that there was such a man, who came over the sea in the fifth century, and devoted himself to the conversion of the

poor islanders. He gathered them in the open fields or under the shade of an aged oak, at the sound of a drum,* and preached to them the gospel. The savages sat at his feet in mute wonder as he related the story of the cross. They werewon by his mildness, and awed by the sanctity of his life. And

• Neander's History of the Church.

The Irish still linger with fondness on the traditions of ancient days. It is natural for an imaginative and high-spirited peoplecrushed by superior power-to try to forget their present wretchedness in the recollection of ancient glory. The Greek and the Italian, fallen, have never forgotten their former of the ancient races has not become extinct. name. In twenty centuries the intense life "Still in their ashes live their wonted fires." So the traditional glories of Ireland give a charm to her hills and valleys. The songs of her ancient bards linger on the air, fainter and fainter, yet still more sweet, like the sound of bells dying away in the distance.t

Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides.

+ Whoever is curious in such matters will find the subject of Irish Antiquities treated at great length in Moore's History of Ireland.