dings as, "History of his First Love brought to us, and
returned," and "Irving's Second Attachment," the Fosters tell the
interesting story of Irving's life in Dresden, and give many of his
letters, and an account of his intimacy with the family. From this
account I quote:--

"Soon after this, Mr. Irving, who had again for long felt 'the
tenderest interest warm his bosom, and finally enthrall his whole
soul,' made one vigorous and valiant effort to free himself from a
hopeless and consuming attachment. My mother counseled him, I
believe, for the best, and he left Dresden on an expedition of
several weeks into a country he had long wished to see, though, in
the main, it disappointed him; and he started with young Colbourne
(son of General Colbourne) as his companion. Some of his letters on
this journey are before the public; and in the agitation and
eagerness he there described, on receiving and opening letters from
us, and the tenderness in his replies,--the longing to be once more
in the little Pavilion, to which we had moved in the beginning of
the summer,--the letters (though carefully guarded by the delicacy
of her who intrusted them to the editor, and alone retained among
many more calculated to lay bare his true feelings), even
fragmentary as they are, point out the truth.

"Here is the key to the journey to Silesia, the return to Dresden,
and, finally, to the journey from Dresden to Rotterdam in our
company, first planned so as to part at Cassel, where Mr. Irving
had intended to leave us and go down the Rhine, but subsequently
could not find in his heart to part. Hence, after a night of pale
and speechless melancholy, the gay, animated, happy countenance
with which he sprang to our coachbox to take his old seat on it,
and accompany us to Rotterdam. There even could he not part, but
joined us in the steamboat; and, after bearing us company as far as
a boat could follow us, at last tore himself away, to bury himself
in Paris, and try to work....

"It was fortunate, perhaps, that this affection was returned by the
_warmest friendship_ only, since it was destined that the
accomplishment of his wishes was impossible, for many obstacles
which lay in his way; and it is with pleasure I can truly say that
in time he schooled himself to view, also with friendship