yance to his sensitive mind, and may have affected his
popularity. I know not to what else to attribute a circumstance
to which I was a witness during my last visit to England. It
was at an annual dinner of the Literary Fund, at which Prince
Albert presided, and where was collected much of the prominent
talent of the kingdom. In the course of the evening Campbell
rose to make a speech. I had not seen him for years, and his
appearance showed the effect of age and ill health; it was
evident also, that his mind was obfuscated by the wine he had
been drinking. He was confused and tedious in his remarks;
still, there was nothing but what one would have thought would
be received with indulgence, if not deference, from a veteran
of his fame and standing, a living classic. On the contrary, to
my surprise, I soon observed signs of impatience in the
company; the poet was repeatedly interrupted by coughs and
discordant sounds, and as often endeavored to proceed; the
noise at length became intolerable, and he was absolutely
clamored down, sinking into his chair overwhelmed and
disconcerted. I could not have thought such treatment possible
to such a person at such a meeting.

"Hallam, author of the Literary History of the Middle Ages, who
sat by me on this occasion, marked the mortification of the
poet, and it excited his generous sympathy. Being shortly
afterward on the floor to reply to a toast, he took occasion to
advert to the recent remarks of Campbell, and in so doing
called up in review all his eminent achievements in the world
of letters, and drew such a picture of his claims upon popular
gratitude and popular admiration as to convict the assembly of
the glaring impropriety they had been guilty of--to soothe the
wounded sensibility of the poet, and send him home to, I trust,
a quiet pillow.

"I mention these things to illustrate the merit of the piece of
biography which you are about to lay before the American world.
It is a great act of justice to the memory of a distinguished
man, whose character has not been sufficiently known. It gives
an insight into his domestic as well as his literary life, and
lays open the springs of all his actions and the causes of all
his contrariety of conduct. We now see the real difficulties he
had to co