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Byron and Shelley in the publication of a political and literary journal. Mr. Hunt died in 1859.

Irving, Washington (page 187), one of the most famous of American authors, was born at New York in 1783. He left school when sixteen years of age, and did not go to college. He first came prominently into notice upon the appearance, in 1809, of his "Knickerbocker's History of New York," a good-natured burlesque on the early manners and records of the city. The seventeen years following 1815 he spent in Europe, and during this time published several of his best works, as "The Sketch Book," "Life of Columbus," "Conquest of Granada," and "The Alhambra." In 1842–46 he was United States minister to Spain. The refined feeling, genial humor, and simple language of Irving's writings give them a high place in literature. Mr. Irving died at his home near Tarrytown, New York, in 1859.

Jerrold, Douglas William (page 295), dramatist, novelist, and miscellaneous writer, was born in London, 1803. In his tenth year he was sent to sea, but after serving two years was apprenticed to a printer in London. His nautical drama, "Blackeyed Susan" (1829), first brought him into notice, but his subsequent dramatic writings were of a far higher character. In 1852 he became editor of Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, which post he held till his death, in 1857. His collected works are published in six volumes.

Jones, Sir William (page 279), an English scholar and statesman, was born at Westminster in 1746. He was educated at Oxford, and early distinguished himself by his ability as a student. Much of his life was spent in India, and in 1783 he was made judge of the Supreme Court of Bengal. He died at Calcutta in 1794.

Kinney, Coates (page 76), an American journalist and lawyer was born in Ohio in 1826. He was the writer of several poems, of which "Rain on the Roof" is the best known.

Kipling, Rudyard (page 156), an English writer, was born at Bombay, India, in 1865. He was the author of a number of stories which attained great popularity, and a few poems of

marked originality. His best work is included in his "Jungle Books," collections of stories for young readers.

Lamb, Charles (page 310), an English essayist, was born at London in 1775, and received his education at the school of Christ's Hospital. In 1792 he obtained a clerkship in the office of the East India Company, which he retained until 1825, when he retired on a pension. It is on the "Essays of Elia," collected and printed in 1823, and "Last Essays of Elia," added in 1833, that his reputation rests. In collaboration with his sister Mary, he wrote for children "Tales from Shakespeare," a book which is still in general use. There is a quaint charm of style and a delicate humor in his essays which make them very attractive to people of a dainty taste in literature. Charles Lamb died at Edmonton in 1834.

Lanier, Sidney (page 213), was born at Macon, Georgia, in 1842. He graduated at Oglethorpe College in 1860, and enlisted in the Confederate army. In 1876, through the influence of his friend Bayard Taylor, he was selected to read a Centennial Ode at the Philadelphia Exposition. He soon afterwards removed to Baltimore, Maryland, and in 1879 was chosen lecturer on English literature at Johns Hopkins University. He died at Lynn, North Carolina, in 1881.

Larcom, Lucy (page 97), was born at Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1826. While a young girl working in a cotton factory in her native town, she contributed some poems to the Lowell Offering, which won the admiration and encouragement of the poet Whittier. She taught several years in the seminary at Norton, and her first volume of poetry was published in 1859. She died in 1893.

Lee, Henry (page 288), was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1756; died in 1818. In 1799, when Congress received intelligence of the death of Washington, Lee, being a member of that body, was appointed to pronounce the eulogium. The resolutions which he drew up for the occasion, and from which our extract is taken, were presented during Lee's temporary absence by his friend Judge Marshall. Henry Lee was long known in Virginia by the name of "Legion Harry," or "Light

horse Harry," in allusion to the rapid and daring movements of his corps in the War of the Revolution. He was the father

of General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate armies in the Civil War.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (pages 30, 90, 293), was born at Portland, Maine, in 1807. He was educated at Bowdoin College, and having been appointed professor of modern languages in that institution, he went abroad and spent some time in thoroughly fitting himself for the position. In 1835 he was appointed professor of belles-lettres in Harvard College, and he accordingly removed to Cambridge, where he remained until his death in 1882. He was a genuine singer, and the sweetness of his melody has made him the most popular poet of the last half century among the English-speaking peoples.

Lowell, James Russell (page 109), was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1819, and was educated at Harvard College. From 1877 to 1885, he was U. S. Minister, first to Spain, afterwards to Great Britain. He died in 1891. Lowell's powers as a writer were very versatile, and his poems range from the most dreamy and imaginative to the most trenchant and witty. Among his most noted works are "The Biglow Papers," "The Vision of Sir Launfal," "Among my Books," and "My Study Windows."

Miller, Cincinnatus Heine (page 182), commonly known as Joaquin Miller, was born in Indiana, in 1841. At the age of eleven he emigrated with his father to Oregon, and three years later went to California. His "Songs of the Sierras " was published in London in 1871, and "Songs of the Sun Lands at the same place in 1872.

Nadaud, Gustave (page 37), a French song writer, was born in Paris in 1802. He died in 1893. His beautiful song, "Carcassonne" is known to English readers, through several admirable translations.

O'Gorman, Richard (page 267), was born in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Trinity College. He studied law and became a conspicuous member of the Irish bar. In 1849 he came to New York, where he devoted himself during the remainder of

his life to the practice of his profession. He was an able orator, and his voice and pen always responded to the call of charity and the demands of true patriotism. He died in 1895.

O'Hara, Theodore (page 247), was born in Kentucky in 1820. He was an officer in the United States army during the Mexican War, and served with the Confederates in the Civil War. He died in 1867. His only writing which preserves his memory is the poem which comprises our extract.

Parkman, Francis (page 167), an American historian, was born in Boston in 1823, and was educated at Harvard College. The greater part of his life was spent in a careful study of the French explorations and settlements in America; and he published the fruits of his labor in twelve large volumes. Although troubled with an affection of the eyes, which sometimes wholly prevented reading or writing, his work was most carefully and successfully done. His narratives are written in a clear and animated style, and his volumes are a rich contribution to American history. He died in 1893.

Plutarch (page 106) was a famous Greek historian, born in Boeotia, Greece, about 46 A.D. His principal work, "Parallel Lives of Illustrious Greeks and Romans," has been often translated into English and is known to every schoolboy. He wrote also several works on philosophy and ethics.

Read, Thomas Buchanan (page 151), was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1822. In 1839 he entered a sculptor's studio in Cincinnati, where he gained reputation as a portrait painter. He afterwards went to New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, and, in 1850, to Italy. He died in 1872. Our selection is abridged from "The Wagoner of the Alleghanies."

Richter, Jean Paul (page 157), a celebrated German author, was born at Wunsiedel, Bavaria, in 1763. He was a very prolific writer, his complete works filling sixty volumes. of his best books have been translated into English. He died in 1825.

All

Russell, John (page 233), an American journalist, was born in Vermont in 1793. He was at one time editor of the

Backwoodsman, published at Grafton, Illinois, and later of the Louisville Advocate. He was the author of numerous sketches and essays now no longer current. He died in 1863.

Ryan, Abram J. (page 119), popularly known as "Father Ryan," was a Catholic priest, born in Virginia in 1840. The poems by which he became so well known, especially in the South, were published in 1881. He died in 1886.

Scott, Sir Walter (page 272), was born in Edinburgh in 1771. He was educated at the University, and in 1792 was made an advocate at the bar, but his early mental habits soon led him to devote himself to literature. Scott's earliest works were narrative poems, of which the "Lay of the Last Minstrel" was the first, and "Marmion" and the "Lady of the Lake," the best. In 1814 "Waverley" appeared, the first of that series of romances which has placed Scott's name among the greatest in English literature. In 1825 the failure of his publishers involved his own financial ruin; from that time until his death he was engaged in a heroic and successful struggle to free himself from the debts thus incurred. He died in 1832.

Shakespeare, William (pages 237, 283), regarded by many as the greatest poet the world has ever produced, was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in 1564. He went to London in 1589, wrote poems and plays, was an actor, accumulated some property, and retired to Stratford three or four years before his death which occurred in 1616. Shakespeare's works show a wonderful knowledge of human nature, expressed in language remarkable for its point and beauty.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe (page 328), a famous English poet, was born at Field Place, Sussex, in 1792. He studied at Oxford, but was expelled in 1811 for advocating revolutionary opinions. From this time until his death in 1822, Shelley lived in a state of excitement and unrest, occasioned partly by family troubles, and partly by his consuming desire to reform the world. He united a wide and deep scholarship with a keen intellect and an almost idolatrous love of the beautiful in every form. Had he lived to give to the world

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