nguage of Chaucer's day, is based
on the Frisic, Belgic, and Low Dutch; and not on the Saxon. (Examples
were given. He fully assented to this, and used his familiarity with
European history to demonstrate it.)

_G_. There was, in fact, no Anglo-Saxon but that of Alfred, which was
the old English. The early migrations were from Belgium. Doubtless the
Teutons had made the conquest ascribed to them, but I think they did not
revolutionize the language. They conquered the people, but not
the language.

WASHINGTON IRVING.--_G_. Washington Irving is the most popular writer.
Anything from his pen would sell.

JOHN JACOB ASTOR.--Several years ago, J. J. A. put into my hands the
journal of his traders on the Columbia, desiring me to use it. I put it
into the hands of Malte Brun, at Paris, who employed the geographical
facts in his work, but paid but little respect to Mr. Astor, whom he
regarded merely as a merchant seeking his own profit, and not a
discoverer. He had not even sent a man to observe the facts in the
natural history. Astor did not like it. He was restive several years,
and then gave Washington Irving $5,000 to take up the MSS. This is the
History of "Astoria."

RAFINESQUE.--This erratic naturalist being referred to, he said--

"Who is Rafinesque, and what is his character?"

NAPOLEON AND NERO.--Bonaparte was a mathematician; but, whatever he did,
he did not appreciate other branches of science and research. On taking
Rome, he carried to Paris all the Pope's archives, containing, in fact,
the materials for the secret history of Europe. The papers occupied
seventy large boxes, which were carefully corded and sealed, and put
away in a garret of the Louvre at Paris, and never opened. On the
restoration of the Bourbons, Louis XVIII. gave them back to the Pope's
nuncio. The seals had never been broken.

Bonaparte hated Tacitus. He was an aristocrat, he said, and lied in his
history. He had blackened the character of Nero merely because he was a
republican. "That may be, sire," said ----, "but it is not the generally
received opinion, and authorities sustain him." "Read Suetonius," said
he. "Truly," said M. Gallatin, "it is there stated that the people
strewed flowers on Nero's grave for years."

ALGIC RESEARCHES.--The oral legends of the Indians collected by me being
adhered to, he said, "Take care that, in publishing your Indian legends,
you do not subject yourself to the imputations made against Macpherson."