ry, no less
than by the admirers of the favorite poet of "The Pleasures of Hope."
The author had _abundance of materials at his command_, and has executed
his task with commendable industry and good taste. In any hands, the
subject could not be without intense interest, and as it has been
treated in the volumes before us, possesses a fascination rarely found
in any recent production. Free use is made of the letters of CAMPBELL,
many of which are of the highest order of epistolary composition,
abounding in those delicate and expressive touches which reveal the
heart of the man and the genius of the poet in the purest and most
beautiful light.

The American edition is introduced by a letter of WASHINGTON IRVING to
the publishers, in which our admirable countryman relates some personal
reminiscences of CAMPBELL with so much felicity and exquisite grace,
that we can not avoid transferring them to our pages:

"My acquaintance with Campbell commenced in, I think, 1810,
through his brother Archibald, a most amiable, modest, and
intelligent man, but more of a mathematician than a poet. He
resided at that time in New York, and had received from his
brother a manuscript copy of "O'Connor's Child; or, the Flower
of Love lies bleeding," for which he was desirous of finding a
purchaser among the American publishers. I negotiated the
matter for him with a publishing house in Philadelphia, which
offered a certain sum for the poem, provided I would write a
biographical sketch of the author to be prefixed to a volume
containing all his poetical works. To secure a good price for
the poet, I wrote the sketch, being furnished with facts by his
brother; it was done, however, in great haste, when I was 'not
in the vein,' and, of course, was very slight and imperfect. It
served, however, to put me at once on a friendly footing with
Campbell, so that, when I met him for the first time a few
years subsequently in England, he received me as an old friend.
He was living at that time in his rural retreat at Sydenham.
His modest mansion was fitted up in a simple style, but with a
tact and taste characteristic of the occupants.

"Campbell's appearance was more in unison with his writings
than is generally the case with authors. He was about
thirty-seven years of age; of the middle size; lightly and
genteelly made: evidently of