Chapter I: Front Matter

Martin Tupper's Autobiography

MY LIFE

AS AN AUTHOR

BY

MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER D.C.L. F.R.S.

_Viri, vivo, vivam._

LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET, E.C. 1886

[_All rights reserved_]

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. Page Preliminary--Sonnet--Public Life, not Private--Benjamin Franklin--Samples from Books--Self-judgment 1-6

CHAPTER II.

Infancy and Schooldays--Parentage--Germany and Guernsey, America and Canada--Winsor's Patent Gaslights--King George III.'s Blessing--My Father's Dream--Second Sight--Heredity--First School at Brentford--Next at Brook Green--Third Charterhouse--Dr. Russell--Parson Schoolmasters--Coins and Hoops--Andrew Irvine--Cockshies--Harpies at the Feast--Dr. Stocker--Holt's--M'Neile--Harold Browne 7-25

CHAPTER III.

Young Authorship in Verse and Prose--Melite--Rough Rhymes--Carthage--Umbrella Sapphics--Height of Honesty--Holkar Hall--Melrose Abbey--Heidelberg--Pterodactyles--The Buckstone--Scotch Journal--Vitrified Forts--Ireland--Kingston Caverns--Cornish Letter and Sketches--Penzance--The Logan--Land's End--St. Michael's Mount--Rapid Travel 26-51

CHAPTER IV.

College Days--Voice from the Cloister--Gladstone--Aristotle Class--Giants in those Days--Studentship--A Reading-Man--College Larks--D.C.L.--Dr. Bliss 52-61

CHAPTER V.

Failure as to Orders--Stammering--Blewbury Vicarage--Lincoln's Inn--Lewin's Critique--Brodie's Cacography--Inkpen's Entomology--Duke of Wellington--Walters'--Letter as to India--Barrister and Benedict--A Hoax--Theodore Hook--Old Lady Cork 62-71

CHAPTER VI.

Stammering--Man's Privilege of Speech--Chess Playing--Anecdotes--Angling--Fishing Sonnets 72-78

CHAPTER VII.

Oxford Prize Poems--Verses in the Schools--Parodies--Rhyme and Rhythm--Scriptural Science--Classic Parallels 79-85

CHAPTER VIII.

Sundry Providences--The Small Semisuicide--A Concussion--Horse Accidents--Perils by Land and Sea--Lydstep Cavern 86-89

CHAPTER IX.

Yet more Escapes--White Cross Guild--Evils and Temptations--Potipheras--Heresies--Creeds 90-94

CHAPTER X.

Fads and Fancies--Vegetarian--Teetotalism--The Anglo-Saxon--Opera Colonnade--Moderation--America Revisited--Poem on Temperance and Total Abstinence--Gough--Dr. Hodgkin--A Martyr--Clerical Letter on Pharisaism 95-104

CHAPTER XI.

Sacra Poesis--Geraldine--Critiques--John and Tom Hughes--Donnington Priory--Little Providences 105-110

CHAPTER XII.

Origin of "Proverbial Philosophy"--M'Neile and Stebbing--N.P. Willis--Harrison Ainsworth--Hatchard's--Moxon's--Cassell's--A Prophecy--My Father's Letter and Gift--Sixty Times--Politeuphuia--Parallels--Mr. Orton's Volume--American Laudations, and English--As to _per contra_--Copyright Question--Wedding Gifts--An Elizabethan Author--Seldom Seen, and Few Adventures 111-133

CHAPTER XIII.

A Modern Pyramid--The Vision--A Fearful Flight--Imagination--The Crystal Cubes and Mud Bricks--Sonnets and Sonneteering--Mackay and Shakespeare's 134-144

CHAPTER XIV.

An Author's Mind--Prefatory Ramble--Addled Eggs--The Mental Cathedral--Probabilities--Job's Trials 145-152

CHAPTER XV.

The Crock of Gold--Dramatised in Boston and London--Origin of the Story--The Twins--Heart: drawn from Living Models--Critiques from Ollier and St. John 153-158

CHAPTER XVI.

Æsop Smith--Mudie's--Rabelaisian Hints--The Early Gallop--Alfred, or Albert Order--Fables 159-162

CHAPTER XVII.

Stephan Langton--King Alfred's Poems--The Silent Pool--Hard Reading for the History--The Book still in Print--Curious Metrical Translation of Anglo-Saxon Poetry--The Jubilee at Wantage and at Liverpool 163-169

CHAPTER XVIII.

Shakespeare Commemoration--Lord Carlisle--Lord Houghton, Leigh Court--Stratford Church--The Baptismal Font--An American Autograph Hunter--Sonnet 170-172

CHAPTER XIX.

Translations and Pamphlets--Homer, _lib._ A.--Tennyson's Vivien--Classical Versions--Hymn for All Nations--Protestant Ballads--Fifteen Pamphlets 173-179

CHAPTER XX.

Paterfamilias's Diary--Courier Pierre--Devil's Bridge--Major Hely--Guernsey--The Haro that saved Castle Cornet--Night-Sail in the Race of Alderney--Durham's Statue of Prince Albert--Isle of Man--King Orry--Walter Montgomery--Bishop Powys 180-189

CHAPTER XXI.

Never Give Up, at Dr. Kirkland's--Harvest Hymns--Gordon Ballads--The Good Earl--John Brown--My Brother--Memory--Evil not Endless 190-199

CHAPTER XXII.

Protestant Ballads--"So help me, God!"--Nun's Appeal, &c. 200-203

CHAPTER XXIII.

Plays--Alfred--Raleigh--Washington--Twelve Scenes--Family Records 204-207

CHAPTER XXIV.

Antiquariana--Lockhart and my Coin Article in the _Quarterly_--Farley Finds--Mummy Wheat and Faraday 208-212

CHAPTER XXV.

Honours--_Times'_ Letter--A Peerage and Baronetcy--Prussian Medal and Chevalier Bunsen's Letter--Authorship a Rank by Itself--Many Inventions and Literary Discoveries, as Punch, Humpty Dumpty, 666, &c. 213-220

CHAPTER XXVI.

Courtly: Prophetic Sonnet on our Empress--Many Royal Poems--Modern Court Suit _v._ Queen Anne's--A Greeting to Prince Albert Victor 221-228

CHAPTER XXVII.

F.R.S.--Lord Melbourne's Carelessness--Spectrum Analysis--Spiritualism--Vivisection--Painted Windows--Parabolic Teaching 229-233

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Personation--Bignor--The Greyhound--Alibis--A Rescue on Snowdon--Fraudulent Collections--Forged Authorials--Boston Unitarianism--Pictures Falsely Signed 234-237

CHAPTER XXIX.

Hospitalities--Farnham Castle--Orchids and Pines--Bishop Sumner--Garibaldi at Gladstone's--Parham and Curzon--Ghosts--Purple Parchments--Uncut Elzevirs--Shenstone's Leasowes--"Little Testy"--Sonnet--Isle of Wight--Sojourns--City Feasts--Ostentatious Hospitality 238-244

CHAPTER XXX.

Social and Rural--No Scandals--Hawthorne's Visit--Alexander Smith's--Jerdan's Haycock--Otto Goldschmidt and Macdougall--Dark Visitors--Liberian Gold Medal--Noviomagians--Lucky Angling--Albury Waltz--Rustic Stupidity--Redmen--The Drinking Fountain--Our House a Hive of Bees--Foxhunt in Drawing-room--The Donkey Burglar--Anthony Devis--Irvingism 245-256

CHAPTER XXXI.

American Ballads: "Ho, Brother! I'm a Britisher"--The Quasi-Inspiration--"Thirty Noble Nations," and Thirty-three--Many Others--Ground-baiting the Transatlantic 257-259

CHAPTER XXXII.

First American Visit--Too Temperate for 1851; not Temperate enough for 1876--Grand Dinner at Baltimore, and Great Speech--The Astor Dinner--"Amice Davis"--Mayor Kingsland and the Mile-long Procession--Willis, at Golden Square--The Fillmore Dinner at the White House--Jenny Lind's Concert--Gordon Bennet--Squier--Barnum 260-270

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Second American Visit--Extreme Gold--Talmage--Bryant--Cooper--"Immortality" at the Tabernacle--Lotus Club--Lord Rosebery--Dr. Levis--Mr. Pettit's Portrait--The Listers at Hamilton--Toronto--Sir Charles Tupper--Elgin--Dufferin--Mackay and Sleighing--Dawson and Eozoa--Vaughan-Tuppers--The Grand John Hopkins' Banquet--Charleston Tuppers--My Palinode to the South--Visit to Williams Middleton--Parting Stanzas--Ruined Mansion--Valete 271-280

CHAPTER XXXIV.

English and Scotch Readings, very rapid, from Isle of Wight to Peterhead--My Entrepreneur D.: his Experiences: I Failed with Him, but Succeeded Alone--Specimen of Readings--Local Critiques--Many Friends Unrecorded--Miscellaneous Poems--Mr. Gall's Primeval Man--Arbroath--Mill the Atheist--Mr. Boyd's Piety--Hamilton Mausoleum--Wild Cattle--Burns's Country--James Baird the Millionaire and the Hodman 281-288

CHAPTER XXXV.

Electrics--Sir Culling Eardley at Erith--Atlantic Telegraph--The First Message--Meddlesome Revisers--Antique Telegraphy--Addison and Strada--Professor Morse--A Telegram-Sonnet 289-295

CHAPTER XXXVI.

The Rifle, a Patriotic Prophecy in 1845--Early Pamphlet--Defence not Defiance--Albury Club--Blackheath Review--Lord Lovelace--Alarums--Drummond's Scare--A Lucky Shot 296-303

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Autographs and Advertisements--Worth Eighteenpence each--A Hundred at Once--Photographs--Oil Paintings--Locks of Hair--Interviewers--Puffs and Anti-puffs 304-311

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Kindness to Animals--Louis Napoleon and Alfort--Vivisection--Pontrilas Court--The Omnibus Hack--Divers Ballads 312-315

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Orkney and Shetland--Our Voyage--Wick Herring Fair--Balfour at Shapinshay--Kirkwall--Aytoun--Gulf Stream--Snuff-Boxes and Corals--Fair Isle Hosiery--Stennis--Scalloway--Lerwick Literature--Artificial Flora--Thurso Castle--Robert Dick--Cape Wrath--Stornoway--Callanish--Pipers--The brooch of Lorne, &c. 316-321

CHAPTER XL.

Literary Friends--Mrs. Somerville, Miss Granville, Mrs. Jameson, Mrs. Beecher Stowe, Ouida, Miss Braddon, Mrs. Carter Hall, Mrs. Grote, Lady Wilde, Miss Mackay, Rogers, Carlyle, Haweis, Tennyson, Browning, Mortimer Collins, Dickens and Son, Owen, Austen, Pengelley, Bowerbank, S. Mackenzie, M. Arnold, S. Brooks, Albert Smith, Mark Lemon, Tenniel, Cooper, P.B. Cole, E. Yates, Frank Smedley, J.G. Wood, Cuthbert Collingwood, Mr. and Mrs. Zerffi, Birch, Miss Hooper, Miss Barlee, G. MacDonald, Ronald Gower, Fred. Burnaby, Charles Marvin--A Diner-Out--A Mormon Guest--Apostles--Frank's Ranche--Twelve Anecdotes--Thackeray and Leech, Longfellow, C. Kingsley, Ainsworth, Lord Elgin 322-350

CHAPTER XLI.

Some Older Friendships--Nightingale, and Farley Heath--Walter Hawkins--His Tomb--Anchor--Anagrams--Christmas Largesse--Sham Antiques--Joseph Durham--Alice's Statue--"Sir Joe" and the Noviomagians--Prince Albert at St. Peter's Port--Baroness Barnekow--Swedish Proverbial--King Oscar's Poems--Geo. Metivier--French Proverbial--John Sullivan--Canon Jenkins--Barnes, De Chatelain, De Pontigny--Correspondents, &c. 351-362

CHAPTER XLII.

Political--A Dark Horse--No Party-Man--Gladstone--Ambidextrous Stanzas--Liberal and Tory--The One-Vote System--Fancy Franchises--The Voter's Motto--Fair Trade _v._ Free Trade--Radically Conservative--Strikes, &c. 363-372

CHAPTER XLIII.

A Cure for Ireland--Racial Difficulties--The Unsunned Corner--Æsop Smith's Prescription--An Irish Balmoral in 1858--My Anti Celtic Ballads--Adventures 373-379

CHAPTER XLIV.

Some Spiritist Experiences--Not a Spiritualist, but an Honest Recorder of Facts--Alexis--Howell--Vernon's Mesmerised Child--Mrs. Cora Tappan--Chauncey Townsend's Book--Spirit-Drawings--Planchette--Showers of Flowers, and Sugar-Plums, and Pearls--Mr. Home--Prayer before _Séance_--The Table in the Air--Live Coals in My Hand--The Vitalised Accordion--The Colonel's Ghost--Iamblicus--Query Electrical Influence--Our Mysterious Key--Miss Hudson--Thought-Reading 380-399

CHAPTER XLV.

Fickle Fortune--Losses and Failures--Testimonial--"L'espoir est ma force"--My _Levée_ in 1851--The Missed Codicil--Life and Death 400-403

CHAPTER XLVI.

Henry De Beauvoir, killed in Africa--Archdeacon Kitton--Our Old Chancery Suit: A Lost Fortune--Belgravian Five Fields, another Missed Chance--Earl Grosvenor 404-407

CHAPTER XLVII.

Flying: my Lecture at the Royal Aquarium with Fred. Burnaby as Chairman--Henry Middleton's Invention--De Lisle Hay's "Conquest of the Air"--Ezekiel's Angels--Ovid, and Tennyson--Claude Hamilton--Extracts 408-412

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Luther--The Peroration as to his Life and Exploits--Anniversary Stanzas, in many Languages--Bullinger's Music--Wycliffe Ballad--Wondrous Parallel 413-416

CHAPTER XLIX.

Final--Whatever is, is Right--Sick-bed Repentance--Intuitions--What We Shall Be--Protest Against Atheism--The Infinities--A Childlike Hymn--Eternal Hope--Mercy for Ever--The Assurance of Ovid 417-431

MY LIFE AS AN AUTHOR.