ET. 43.] FRANKFORT-RETURN TO BONN-PUBLIC DINNER. 127 FRANKFORT, October 12, 1820. "I came from Vienna as far as Ratisbon, in company with Captain Batty, of the Guards-brother of the lady who sketched the Italian scenes which F. so much admires. I had determined to pass the last month of our stay in Germany at Frankfort; but the letter I sent to Matilda did not reach her; and on my arrival, we could find no lodgings to suit us. She is anxious to get over a part of the journey towards Calais, and to be nearer England; and to be nearer England is also a delicious thought to me. To-morrow I hope to be again on the Rhine, and the next evening to see once more my lovely island of the Nonnenwerder.* "BONN, November 2, 1820. "I write to you in high spirits, elated by finding myself nearer England. I staid three days at Frankfort, and descended the Rhine where the Nonnenwerder, the Rolandseck, and the Seven Mountains showed themselves in their best looks, smiling under autumnal sunshine. Their tints were varied; they had not the full, rich, blazing verdure, which they wore in summer; but their mellow, pensive beauty looked very touching. It was like that of some fine face one has admired in youth, and cannot cease loving when past its prime. I only touched at Bonn, thinking it but due to my worthy friends to bid them good bye; but when I talked of setting off next day, they laughed in my face, and said it was 'impossible!' and that, if persuasion failed, they must employ force. "I have been very happy, as you may suppose, in renewing my acquaintance with the literaries' of the place. They showed me a new instance of attention, by inviting me to a public dinner given to the officers of the regiment stationed here, and setting me on the right hand of the Rector, next to the Colonel "But why so rash has she ta'en the veil "Wo-wo! each heart shall bleed-shall break! And he had clasped those peerless charms, Or meet him but in heaven !"-The Brave Roland. Commandant, Count D. We had a splendid repast. The whole body of the University, and many of the students in their old picturesque costume, were present. Some of the toasts argued a very good understanding between the literary and military men. The Colonel-a man universally esteemed for his patriotism-told me very frankly that Prussia was too enlightened to be an arbitrary government; and that I should. live to hear of its becoming a free and legitimately reformed country. . . . It was very amiable to see the Catholic and Protestant Professors, with their respective Doctors of Theology, meeting together with every mark of cordiality. "My joy at the prospect of returning home is very great; but it is damped by the fear of returning with some of the objects of my journey but imperfectly fulfilled. For my purpose, Leipsic should have been my head-quarters; it is there, alone, that one can pick up all sorts of books. . . . I am anxious to leave Thomas* at Bonn; but there is great difficulty in finding a boarding-house, and he is too young to be trusted in lodgings. "The public news from England are so disagreeable, that I scarcely like to allude to them. Here we have nothing publicly important, except that the diamonds of the Three Kings of Cologne, valued at £30,000, were stolen one fine dark night, and all the Catholic world has been terrified at the sacrilege. How long would so many diamonds remain in a church in England, guarded only by religious awe, and a few iron bolts? Now the old women of Cologne go to look at the poor Kings in their niches, bereft of all their finery, and weep, with no consolation, but that the thieves will be roasted in the other world!-We shall set out from this about the 21st, so as to reach London before the month expires, allowing a day or two for bad weather at Calais. T. C." It was ultimately arranged that he should live with Dr. Meyer, where he would have all the advantages of private tuition and public instruction. ET. 43.] RETURN FROM GERMANY. 129 CHAPTER VI. RETURN FROM GERMANY. DURING the last week spent at Bonn, Campbell had the pain of witnessing the suspension, on political charges, of two of the professors who had vied with each other in showing him kindness; and this probably hastened his departure. Placing his son, then in his sixteenth year, under the care of Dr. Meyer, he exchanged a hasty farewell with his friends, and started for England. Of his journey homewards, he has left no particulars; but the following letter to Mrs. Fletcher will in some measure supply the deficiency : "LONDON, November 14, 1820. "From month to month, my dear Mrs. Fletcher, I most culpably broke my intention of sending you an account of my peregrinations, in which I had the vanity to think that you might be interested. As if to punish that sin of omission, I now find myself almost disabled from writing. On the 19th, Mrs. C. and I were overturned in the Dover coach; she happily escaped without injury; but my shoulder was so much bruised, that I was confined for days in the first inn to which I could be conveyed. We came to town yesterday; but, without intending a play upon the word, I can give you but a lame account of my adventures, yet I saw much that interested and delighted me. * "One of my friends at Bonn is married to an excellent woman, the niece of Dr. Fothergill. At her house I met an English lady whose resemblance to you, it seems, is celebrated her name is Collinson; she was only passing on her way to Switzerland. I always felt I had much affection for you, but then most particularly when Mrs. C. brought you in so lively a manner to my recollection, and as if it were before my eyes. Schlegel was of our society, the only evening I spent in Mrs. C.'s company. I was not a little proud of my country-woman, *What follows in the MS. is a recapitulation of the tour already described in the preceding letters. and still more proud when I reflected that her better likeness had been my friend these twenty years. This, said I, is not an old friend with a new face, but a new friend with an old one. * * * * * "After an enchanting journey on the shores of the Rhine, I left Mrs. Campbell and my son to the care of a friendly family at Frankfort, and made a tour as far as Vienna. I was there disappointed in finding all the people to whom I carried introductions either out of town or leaving it; and I remained three weeks with no other society than that of a Jewish poet,* with whom I was reading Hebrew. This Hebrew bard, by the way, has translated my poems into German, and is publishing them at Vienna. At last Lord Stuart, our Ambassador, came to town; and at his house I had occasional society: but my good fortune was not complete till I got an invitation from the Countess R-ski, whose house is the very focus of literary society. She is a highly accomplished and learned woman-majestic and beautiful in her person, and one of the sweetest and most estimable characters that ever adorned society. Her history is very singular: Her father, a Polish nobleman, perished on the scaffold, under the tyranny of Robespierre. She was thrown an orphan on the streets of Paris. A poor shoemaker took her to his house. One day as she was playing at the door, the Russian Ambassador was struck with the child's beauty, and asked her name. She was but eight years old, but distinctly told him her story. He took her home in his carriage, and recommended her to the Court of St. Petersburg, which immediately provided for her, and on her coming of age gave her a handsome portion. Unhappily she was married very young to a madman, who lives estranged from her in a very profligate manner in the East. But in Vienna, where female character is not spared, she lives not only respected but revered. I can never forget the friendship of this excellent woman. "On my return to Bonn, I resided nearly another month among my dear friends of the University. Their pleasant manner of life-their brotherly affection for each other-their social parties, had afforded me constant pleasure; when, all at once, the general happiness was overcast by a decree from the King of Prussia, suspending Arndt and Welcher from their professorships. By this time I fear poor Arndt may be in a dungeon. * Herr Cohen, who translated "The Mariners" in one of the Literary Journals of Vienna. ÆT. 43.] EDITORSHIP OF THE NEW MAGAZINE. 131 His crime is having reminded the king of his promise to give the people a Constitution. He is a man all made of heart and truth; eloquent and energetic as a man, and simple as a child. When the Germans rose against the French, his personal influence was rated at the value of an army, and Buonaparte set a price upon his head. Welcher is an eminent Greek scholar; as a politician, the most moderate and candid I ever heard; and as a man, the most amiable. I called upon him the day the suspension arrived, when he told me, with tears in his eyes—' I give you my solemn word of honor, that I have not uttered or written one seditious word; and this persecution equals any thing in the records of the Inquisition.' T. C." With Campbell's return to England commenced the duties of editorship; for, although not called upon for actual service until the new year, he had to make all the arrangements necessary for a fresh start with the periodical; and his responsibilities were in proportion to the high expectations which the public announcement of his name as editor had excited. His first object was to select an efficient staff; and with this view he wrote to many of his old friends, explaining the nature of his undertaking, the terms of remuneration, and soliciting their support. In this way the list of contributors was soon filled up to his satisfaction. A few, however, and these of very high standing in the literature of the day, were not so easily brought over; and among the letters of those who answered his application for "monthly articles," by query, friendly counsel, or delicate evasion, were the following: "FOSTAN, Dec. 13, 1820. "What line of conduct do you mean to hold on the subject of religion? I beg you to be quite explicit on this point. One subject it is in your power to treat with great advantage-I mean that of Germanyupon which there is much ignorance and much curiosity. Make the proceedings of Portugal, Spain, and South America, short and separate articles in each number-digesting the important information into your own narrative. Remember, also, that a Mag. is not supported by papers evincing wit and genius; but by the height of the tide at London Bridge-by the price of oats, and by any sudden elevation or depression in the price of boilingpeas. If your Mag. succeeds, it will do so as much by the diligence and discretion you will impress upon your nature, as by the talents with which you are born. As for me, I am rusticated-indolent-cut off from the society of clever men-and engaged in the E. R. But answer my question, and I will take time to consider the matter. Will any political changes take place soon in Germany? Can you promise us any decapitation of High-Dutch Princes? What will happen here? Any thing more than fresh restrictions and fresh taxes? Yours, S.S." |