expect to be repaid by any book or books which I may write for the £600 that I must inevitably spend before I reach home; but I hope, by the devotion of my time and money to the purpose I have undertaken, to effect some good. I am going out in the governor's carriage like the queen, with an escort of cavalry, and all sorts of salutes, guards turning out, drums beating, &c.

"Sir J. Carnac is one of the most delightful persons imaginable, a perfect gentleman of the old school; I am much pleased also with the ladies, who are lively, unaffected, and most kind and friendly to me. Lord Jocelyn is expected to join the party to-morrow, for a few days, which will make us very gay. "Believe me, dear Lady Blessington, sincerely and faithfully yours, "EMMA ROBERTS."

"Portland Cottage, Portland Road.

"Will you permit me to introduce to your notice a very learned friend of mine, Dr. Loewè, who is distinguished for his acquaintance with all the dead and living languages, and whose researches have thrown light upon many interesting remains of ancient times, which were previously involved in obscurity? Dr. Loewè is honored with the acquaintance of all the savans of the day, both in Germany, of which he is a native, France, and England, but unfortunately the course of his studies does not lead to emolument. There is little pecuniary encouragement for the pursuit of abstruse branches of learning; and while Dr. Loewè is courted in society, he is left entirely to his own resources. He is anxious, therefore, in order to enable him to prosecute a great design-that of producing a lexicon of all languages to procure some pupils in German, which, of course, he can teach with the greatest facility. It would be a great advantage to any one desirous to acquire a perfect knowledge of German, to learn of a master who is not only perhaps the most erudite person in the ranks of literature, but who takes pleasure in imparting the knowledge he has gained, and who, in explaining the roots of old languages, would, in the course of his lessons, teach more than any master, however skilled in his native tongue, could possibly do.

"Always sincerely and gratefully yours,

EMMA ROBERTS."4

Dr. Loewe, LL.D., the gentleman referred to by Miss Roberts, is truly described by her as a very learned man, distinguished for his acquaintance with all the dead and living languages, and his antiquarian researches. In October, 1840, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Dr. Loewe, and becoming his fellow-traveler to the East, when proceeding with Sir Moses Montefiore on his benevolent mission to Syria, to stay the persecution then raging against the Jews of Damascus. Dr. Loewe accompanied the mission in the capacity of secretary and interpreter. So vast an amount of erudition accompanied with so much modesty I have seldom met associated in an individual as are united in this learned and amiable person. He possessed and deserved the highest confidence and esteem of Sir Moses Montefiore and his excellent lady, the companion in that arduous expedition of her truly good and noble-minded husband, the recollection of

MRS. ISABELLA ROMER.

Mrs. Romer's career was a checkered one of cloud and sunshine, with more of the shadows of the former in it than readers of her lively, entertaining works could easily imagine. Her maiden name was Romer; she was the daughter of a general, and was married to Major, afterward Colonel, Hamerton. The union was not a happy one, nor of long duration. A separation took place about 1825. She died about two years ago, in Paris.

In 1843 Mrs. Romer published, in two volumes, a book of Continental travels, entitled "The Rhone, the Darro, and the Guadalquivir." In the summer of 1842 Mrs. Romer set out from Paris on those travels, of which the above-named account was, I believe, her earliest production in a separate form. She was previously known to the public as a contributor to magazines and annuals. A shrewd, lively, mystery-loving, and “a leetle conceited," occasional authoress, prone to expatiate rather extensively on themes merely personal, and regarding her own feelings, but always redeeming slight defects of that nature by vivid delineations, and smart, interesting, and entertaining descriptions.

In 1846, Mrs. Romer, having rambled in the East, produced "A Pilgrimage to the Tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and Palestine," in two volumes, abounding more in sprightliness than spirituality, and containing a great deal of entertaining description of bazars, harems, Almeh, Circassian slaves, Turkish wives, Levantine women in wide garments spangled to the feet, Arab divinities with blue chins and kohol-painted eyebrows and eyelids, and khennè-dyed tips of fingers.

In noticing the "Pilgrimage," one of the reviews of the time, not in general very complimentary to Mrs. Romer, said: "She appears to have made the most of her opportunities for studying life in Cairo under all its aspects." . . . "The lady has some of the arts and graces of a writer for effect, our consciousness of which in some degree qualifies the value of her testimony,

whose world-wide benevolence and perfectly unsectarian charitableness of heart and mind can never be effaced from my memory.

though it does not destroy the pleasantness of her book for summer reading."

770

In 1849, "The Bird of Passage," in three volumes, made its appearance; a rechauffe of scenes and impressions of Oriental and Continental travel previously described.

Traces of a tendency to mysticism, which are slightly obvious in all the preceding works of Mrs. Romer, were very manifestly displayed in a work of fiction, in three volumes, entitled "Sturmer, or the Mesmerist."

In 1852, the last work bearing the name of Mrs. Romer on the title-page appeared, "Filia Dolorosa: Memoirs of Marie Therese Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême." This, we are informed in the preface, was commenced by her, and completed by Dr. Doran.

LETTERS FROM MRS. ISABELLA ROMER TO LADY BLESSINGTON. "20 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, 14th October, 1839. "DEAR LADY BLESSINGTON,-You see that you can not be amiable with impunity, and that I have not forgotten your kind request that I would write to you, for I avail myself of the first leisure moment that has occurred since my return home to devote it to so pleasant an occupation.

"

"The date of my letter will doubtless surprise you; it almost surprised myself after the vast project which absorbed me when I took leave of you— meditating upon mummies-prating of pyramids-dreaming hieroglyphically, having interviews with Mr. [ ], and seriously turning over in my own mind his suggestions that I should read up other travelers' observations, and note down my own upon the wonders I was going to contemplate-and all to end upon the Boulevard of Paris!! I can only compare myself to Bouffè, in I forget what vaudeville, who, after pompously exclaiming, 'C'etait l'année de mon voyage en Russie!' and being replied to by Comment, vous avez été en Russie" quickly rejoins, Non je suis allé jusqu'à Bondy;' for my grand projects have had the same puny results, and all malgré moi. In fact, we had determined to take a peep at Spain, chemin faisant to Egypt, and therefore journeyed along the coast of Brighton to Falmouth, in order to embark in the peninsular steamer for Lisbon, Cadiz, &c., but at Falmouth we were detained fifteen days in such a stress of weather as it would have been madness to put to sea in. The bay was crowded with yachts, all bound (or, rather, windbound) for the same place with ourselves. Grosvenor Square was assembled at the Land's End. Lord Yarborough, Lord and Lady Wilton, Lord and Lady Godolphin, Mr. and Lady C. Talbot, Mr. and Mrs. Villiers, formed • The Athenæum, August 29th, 1846, p. 879.

part of the aristocratic little squadron. There were also two or three yachts belonging to the Irish Yacht Club, but they seemed to be looked upon as aliens by the others-as distinct from them as Bloomsbury is from May Fair. I suppose there are nautical as well as hunting 'snobs,' and that these latter, being of that sort, would have contaminated the others had they come between the wind and their nobility!'

"But to return to ourselves: we lost patience, and determined to set out and start for Marseilles, there to embark by the Mediterranean instead of the dreadful Bay of Biscay, when I received intelligence which necessitated my giving up the idea of the whole thing for this year. My sole remaining trustee had died, and I was left to the mercy of whoever his executors might be, and obliged to exert myself personally to nominate new trustees, &c., which affair is not yet terminated, and therefore the Egyptian tour is put off until next year. I have been betrayed into this most egotistical detail in order to account for what would otherwise have appeared to you a puerile caprice. My only consolation in this disappointment, caused by 'hope eferred,' is, that I shall be enabled to read your next work as soon as it appears in print, and to retrace my recollections of the dear Clonmel Quakers through the medium of your clever and graceful pen. Apropos to writing, I must tell you that Mr. C called upon me, and discoursed at great length upon the subject of publishing for me; we, however (and, as matters turned out, I consider it a fortunate circumstance), came to no understanding beyond that of Mr. C being offered the refusal of my first production. He wished me to furnish him with articles à fin et mesure for his magazine, but, having already declined Mr. F's very liberal offers to me because I do not wish to write for magazines, I also declined Mr. C- -'s proposal to that effect.

"If it is not asking too much of you, might I request that you would let Mr. C know of my postponed journey for I believe that he now expects to receive a volume from me upon Egypt in the spring. During the fortnight that has elapsed since my return here, I have been so occupied by business as to leave me no opportunity of learning les on dits. There appear to be few English, comparatively to other autumns, now in Paris. The French embassy to Persia has departed, and caused great despair among the Bayaderes of the Opera: one of the calembourgs of the day is that "dans les coulisses on n'entend pas que des cris perçans"-Persans.

"But my papa warns me to conclude. I can not, however, do so without assuring you that, if so very a recluse as I am can be of any use to you here, my services are at your command, and shall ever be most cheerfully exerted on your behalf. Pray, therefore, do not scruple to employ me in any way that I can be useful.

64

"Mr. B

l'homme aimable par excellence le Comte D'Orsay.

"And now, dear Lady Blessington, farewell.

Perhaps it is too much to ask that, in the multitude of your occupations.

charges me to mettre ses hommages à vos pieds, de sa part, à

you should devote half an hour to writing to me. I will only say that your doing so would make me very happy, and that a letter from you would be the next best substitute for the delightful moments I have passed in your society. "Believe me to be, with every sentiment of esteem, your ladyship's sincerely obliged ISABELLA F. ROMER."

"31 Chester Square, Monday, 18th. "I would not thank you in form, my dear Lady Blessington, for the Book of Beauty' until I had read every word of it. I have just finished it, and to my thanks I must add the expression of my sincere admiration for its contents, more especially those portions that have emanated from Gore House.

66

It is no new thing to tell you that you do every thing well that you undertake; but I must, nevertheless, repeat the oft-told tale, and offer my humble meed of praise to your Historical Sketches,' as I have so often done to your works of imagination. How ably you have been seconded by your fair young coadjutrix! Pray congratulate Miss Power, in my name, upon the ability and grace she has evinced in her share of the undertaking. Her style is charming, at once showing extensive reading and deep research, without the alloy of stiffness or pedantry. ISABELLA F. ROMER."

"Cairo, November 9th, 1845.

"As you kindly expressed a wish to hear from me in the course of my peregrinations, I seize upon the first opportunity of sending letters to England which has occurred since my arrival in the City of the Califs, to recall myself to your remembrance, and to tell you that thus far we have journeyed most prosperously, 7, par mer et par terre. A fortnight passed at Malta Sound served to increase my delight in that loveliest of all places, Valetta, and certainly tended to make me fastidious about the spots afterward to be visited. However, after making this declaration, I am bound to admit that traveling in Egypt is far less uncomfortable than I had previously been led to imagine, and that the pleasures so far overbalance the pains of the undertaking that I now begin to wonder at their being dwelt upon so much as they have been.

"We have been only a week in Cairo, and have therefore not yet seen one half of its lions; but as the prevailing winds are now favorable for the navigation of the Nile, we intend to profit by them to make an excursion to Upper Egypt, and on our return to Thebes we shall see Cairo in detail at our leisure. I shall therefore abstain from inflicting upon you any half finished description of the place, but merely say that, in point of local coloring, Cairo is far more interesting than Constantinople, inasmuch as that it is purely an Arabian city, and perfectly Oriental, both as regards men and things, customs and manners. The picturesque façades of the houses; the narrow streets, crowded with camels, dromedaries, and those most delightful of all animals, Egyptian asses; the thronging, noisy population in their graceful costumes; the strange garb of the women, muffled to the eyes in voluminous black manVOL. II.-E