BELLES LETTEES EXTRAORDINARY. 



" Heaven first sent letters to some wretch's aid.*' 



POPE. 



THE correspondence of eminent persons has been always a subject 

 of interest to the world. There are traits of individuality in the 

 ' ' abandon " of a letter which pourtray the character of the writer a 

 thousand times more forcibly than the wordy, elaborate detail of the 

 biographer, the intimate friend, or even the original of the sketch 

 when he attempts to describe himself. The observer imparts only 

 the idea which he has conceived, modified by his own peculiar 

 manner of viewing and judging; the man who endeavours to draw 

 his own moral likeness has a more difficult task even than the painter 

 who essays a physical auto-representation ; like the latter, he can 

 never divest himself of the idea that he is sitting for his picture 

 forgetfulness of his occupation is impossible he gives a portrait at 

 full length, but, as the heralds say, " with a difference." The " alter 

 ego " is a very distinct personage from the original ; in stature, in 

 colouring, in all the more salient characteristics, the resemblance is 

 complete ; but looking on it, we say with fat Sir John, " What care 

 I for the thewes and sinews of a man : give me the spirit, Master 

 Shallow ! " So fares it with him who sits up to reflect his own image 

 upon paper ; and whereas the artist is bound in justice to his skill to 

 note down any little blemish or defect in feature or in form, so the 

 moral painter must in many instances either give himself pain when 

 he dwells on any little foible or irregularity known only to himself, or 

 trusting to that knowledge, become unfaithful to* his purpose, and 

 slur over those points which, united, form a chief part of the indi- 

 vidual's characteristics. 



But in letter- writing this conclusion is forgotten ; we are animated 

 by our theme, we address ourselves in confidence to a friend, a mis- 

 tress or a relative, with greater sincerity than we apply to our own 

 cross-examination ; we have no little concealment to make, the world 

 is never to be the wiser for the communication, the secret subsists 

 only between man and man, we give and take in mutual corres- 

 pondence, careless of the consequence, for it is rarely apprehended. 

 But when once a suspicion arises that our letters may probably some 

 day be brought to light, when eminence in any particular department 

 has rendered our names attractive to the public, the very conscious- 

 ness of our anticipated re-appearance puts us upon our guard, and 

 we labour then to be natural, easy, witty or profound, with much of 

 the success which generally attends the efforts of an amateur actor 

 who exchanges his amusement for a profession. That some men 

 have greater aptitude for the <c style epistolaire " than others is of 

 course too obvious to be mentioned ; the metier is theirs as exclu- 

 sively as the possession and exercise of any other faculty or talent ; 

 but the point for which I contend is, that in the letters of almost all 

 who write, there may generally be found much that is amusing, in- 

 structive, or characteristic, which is vainly sought for elsewhere. 



M.M. No. 90. 41 



