Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/392

362 after-home, and that of his brother and nieces, at Sunnyside, which is shown in the accompanying illustration. But the travelling habit was strong upon him, and within a year he was away upon the prairies, the trip having delightful outcome there- after in his "Tour on the Prairies" (1835). A friendly association, too, with John Jacob Astor, at whose home on Harlem river he spent much time, resulted in the compilation, in conjunction with his nephew Pierre, of the records of " Astoria " (2 vols., Philadelphia, 1836). This was followed by the "Adventures of Captain Bonneville " (1837).

A project for writing a history of Mexico that he had long entertained was given up on learning, in 1839, that William H. Prescott was engaged upon the theme. A temporary association with the " Knickerbocker Magazine " became the occasion of putting to press a few papers of various quality, which served later to make up the bulk of a book of miscellany, called "Wolfert's Roost" (New York, 1854). In the year 1842, while Irving was living quietly at Sunnyside, he was appointed by President Tyler, at the instance of Daniel Webster, then secretary of state, minister to Spain. The United States senate promptly confirmed the ap- pointment, and the whole country gave a quick and loud approval. The author, aged fifty-nine, and be- ginning to feel somewhat the weight of years, was reluctant to leave home ; but the expenses of his household were large; all his earlier books were out of print and bringing no revenue ; his vested property was tied up largely in non-paying stocks or lands ; his purpose of engaging upon the " Life of Washington " might, he thought, find execution in Madrid. He accepted, therefore, and in a letter from Paris, on the way to his post, he says : " I am somewhat of a philosopher, so I shall endeavor to resign myself to the splendor of courts and the conversation of courtiers, comforting myself with the thought that the time will arrive when I shall once more return to sweet little Sunnyside, to be able to sit on a stone fence and talk about politics and rural affairs with neighbor Forkel and Uncle Brom [Ebenezer]." His residence of four years at the court of Spain was uneventful; but his letters of that period afford interesting glimpses of the young queen, of Christina, of Espartero, of Narvaez, of the insurrections of 1843. Even his diplomatic correspondence shows at times the old glow that belonged to his Andalusian life. He was never weaned from a yearning fondness for the atmosphere of Spain, for the dark-eyed women, and for the proud grandees that once gave dignity to its history. Little was accomplished, however, in these years upon his " Life of Washington." Over and over, in his private letters, he lamented his literary inactivity; but the round of diplomatic courtesies and the larger round of friendly sociali- ties were in the way of methodic work. Uncertain health, too, compelled repeated absences, and seri- ously interfered with that old blitheness of mood under which only his best work could find accom- plishment.

Resigning his post some months before the ap- pointment of his successor, he returned to the Unit- ed States, reaching his home of Sunnyside in Sep- tember, 1846, where thirteen years of happy life still remained for him. One of his first tasks upon arrival was to enlarge the country home and make it ample for a household which, by his generous in- sistence, now included his brother Ebenezer and his family. The squat tower, with its pagoda-like roof, added at this time, is perhaps the most salient architectural feature of the homestead. There were periodic dashes from year to year at his long- delayed " Life of Washington " ; and in 1848 an agreement with George P. Putnam — a liberal and energetic publisher of New York, who became a fast friend — demanded revision of all his published works for a new and uniform edition (15 vols., 1848-'50). This enterprise proved extraordinarily successful, and Irving was induced to add to his older books a " Life of Mahomet and his Success- ors " (1849-'50), which had been long floating in his mind, but not of the author's best; also a " Life of Goldsmith " (1849) — this last was an ex- tension of a sketch that was originally printed in the Paris (Baudry) library of British authors, and offered a subject which was at one with all of Irving's tastes and sympathies. It is a delightful biography, and sparkles throughout with the au- thor's best touches. In 1852 he writes, " My ' Life of Washington ' lags and drags heavily " ; indeed, age had begun to tell seriously upon him ; nor did he find in his study of old home records the pic- turesque aspects which so kindled his enthusiasms in his former gropings among the Moorish and Spanish chronicles. Yet he put an honest hand to the work and a clear head ; but it was not until 1855 that the first volume appeared. It was well received ; but it was easy to see that esteem for the author and for his past triumphs lent no inconsid- erable force to the encomiums bestowed upon the new work. At the close of 1855 the second vol- ume appeared; the third in 1856; the fourth in 1857; the fifth dragged wearily. "I have taken things to pieces," he says, " and could not put them together again." " A streak of old age " had come upon him ; he had " wearisome muddles " in his work; his asthma was very afflictive: his years counted seventy-five ; nor was it until 1859, within less than a twelvemonth of his death, that the fifth and last volume appeared. The conditions had not been such as favor vigorous literary work. We must go back to the days of his full strength and vigor to measure his true forces. In this book of " Washington " there is a clear, pale outline of the distinguished American leader, wonderfully vivid transcripts of the battles, sagacious judgments, great fairness, and sturdy American feeling; but there is no such strong grasp of the subject or such sustained vigor of treatment as will rank it with his earlier works or with great biographies.

There were no financial anxieties to disturb his later years ; the revenue from his books was very large; he could and did make his old generosities more lavish; his hospitalities were free and hearty ; he loved the part of entertainer and graced it. His mode of living showed a quiet elegance, but was never ostentatious. At the head of his table — cheered by the presence of old friends — his speech bubbled over with young vivacities, and his arch- ing brow and a whimsical light in his eye foretold and exalted every sally of his humor. His rides and drives and cheery smiles of greeting brought him