or making so wide an appeal. The series deals with an old English country place, where the author had previously laid the scenes of his Christmas stories in the Sketch Book. The opening and closing sketches are similar to those in the earlier work,1 and at least two of the stories - The Stout Gentleman and Dolph Heyliger—are in Irving's best style. Two years later came Tales of a Traveller, a collection containing some of Irving's most interesting and effective stories. The best of these are in a group called The MoneyDiggers, tales "found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker," in which he returns to the field and style of Rip Van Winkle. The best in this group, and perhaps the best Irving wrote anywhere, is The Devil and Tom Walker, a tale of a miserly fellow living near Boston, who made a bargain with "Old Scratch." Tom made a fortune by usury, as directed by his master; but at his mysterious death, it was found that his wealth had been reduced to cinders, chips, and shavings.

Life and Writings in Spain. In February, 1826, Irving, being drawn to write a life of Columbus, went to Spain to obtain information at first hand, and remained there nearly three years. While in Spain he wrote not only the life of Columbus, but in addition The Conquest of Granada, and The Voyages of the Companions of Columbus. He also gathered material for The Alhambra, a Spanish sketch-book, the record of a stay of some months in the famous old palace of the Moors. The Alhambra has all the qualities of the Sketch Book and Tales of a Traveller that attract young readers. History and legend are skillfully mingled with descriptive sketches and narratives of the author's experiences in this romantic country.

1 In the Sketch Book the titles are: The Author's Account of Himself and L'Envoy; in Bracebridge Hall: The Author, and The Author's Farewell.

FACSIMILE OF A PAGE OF IRVING'S LIFE OF COLUMBUS. (Library of Congress.)

In the latter part of 1829 Irving was offered the position of Secretary of Legation in London, which he accepted somewhat against his will. It is true that before leaving America he had political aspirations for a time; but he now had various literary projects, and feared that this new employment would interfere with them. His former triumph, literary and social, was repeated, with the addition of two great distinctions - the award of one of two gold medals of the Royal Society of Literature, and the degree of Doctor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford.

Irving's home near Tarrytown, now a suburb of New York City.

Return to America. - May, 1832, brought his long foreign sojourn to a close. His reception in America was worthy of a national hero. A public banquet in New York formed part of this reception, and other cities sought opportunity to celebrate his return in the same fashion testimonials

which the diffident author felt compelled to decline. He wished, however, to get acquainted with more of his native country, and for that purpose made a lengthy tour of the South and West, the literary fruit of which was three books

A Tour of the Prairies, Astoria (an account of the attempt to establish a settlement at the mouth of the Columbia River), and The Adventures of Captain Bonneville. On his return East, he purchased a small place on the Hudson near Tarrytown, a short distance from New York City, which he named "Sunnyside "; and there he lived for the next ten years. Other works written at this time are Recollections of Abbotsford and Newstead Abbey (the homes of Scott and Byron); and Legends of the Conquest of Spain, a supplement to The Conquest of Granada.

Minister to Spain. - There came in this happy Sunnyside life a break, which Irving regretted much, but which seemed unavoidable his appointment by President Tyler in 1842 as Minister to Spain. The Senate enthusiastically confirmed the appointment, and it was received with universal approval. Irving accepted it because he saw in it an honor, not merely to himself, but to the profession of letters. His previous residence in Spain, and his diplo matic experience in England, fitted him eminently for the position; and he performed his duties with great credit to himself and to his country.

Life at Sunnyside. At the end of his term in Madrid (1846) Irving returned to Sunnyside. Here he made a home, not only for himself, but for his two dependent brothers and for a number of nieces; and here he lived most happily for the remainder of his life, which came to a close November 28, 1859, in his seventy-seventh year. The last thirteen years were productive and profitable ones. He wrote Wolfert's Roost (roost meaning "rest"), a collection of miscellaneous essays; and three biographies - Gold

smith, Mahomet and his Successors, and Washington. For them and the copyright on his previous writings he received nearly $100,000. Of the biographies the Goldsmith is the most entertaining, and naturally; for the biographer and his subject had many points of resemblance which gave an advantage in interpretation. The Life of Washington, which was not completed until his last year, represents a great amount of careful investigation, and has all the characteristic charms of the author's other works; but it is not a great piece of historical research. In other words, it is, as one would expect it to be, popular rather than scholarly. Characteristics. The chief element of charm in Irving's writings is the character of the man himself displayed on nearly every page. He was an idealist, like Scott. He had a sympathetic nature, and was devoted to his large circle of friends. "His predominant traits were humor and sentiment"; and these touched people, places, and institutions of the past so as to make them live again. "Of England," says Warner, "whose traditions kindled his susceptible fancy, he wrote as Englishmen would like to write about it." And he showed, as a contemporary poet1 also tried to show, that America presented possibilities of fanciful treatment to the man who knew where to look for them.

One other fact should be mentioned before leaving Irving - his accomplishment in the field of the short-story.2 He had not the sense of form possessed by Poe or Hawthorne; but Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Devil and Tom Walker, The Bold Dragoon, and many others in his several collections stand as admirable examples of this literary type, especially when compared with the feeble.

1 Drake, in The Culprit Fay; see page 102.

2 The coining of this compound is due to Professor Matthews, who wished to differentiate this form sharply from the "novelette." See his Philosophy of the Short-story.