was tolerably ed, or at all hot day of June, according to Poe's own state ment, he swam from Ludlum's wharf to War wick, a distance of six miles, against a stron tide; and when the truth of the assertion wa publicly questioned, he obtained a certification of the fact from several companions, including his dear classmate Robert Stannard. Thi document, moreover, declares that "Mr. Po did not seem at all fatigued, and walked bac to Richmond immediately after the feat, which was undertaken for a wager." Our poet had indeed, no little confidence in his swimming powers, and asserted that, on a favorable day he believed he could swim the English Channe from Dover to Calais. In 1827, aroused by the heroic efforts the Greeks were making to throw off the yoke o their Turkish oppressors, and, doubtless, emu lous of Byron, whose example had excited the chivalric boys of both continents, Edgar Po and an acquaintance, Ebenezer Burling, deter mined to start for Greece and offer their ai to the insurgents. Either Mr. Burling's hear failed, or parental authority was too strong for him, for he stayed at home, whilst the em bryo poet, doubtless in headstrong opposition to the wishes of his adopted parents, starte alone for Europe. Poe was absent for mor than a year, but the adventures of his journey have never been told; he seems to have bee very reticent upon the subject, and to hav left uncontradicted the various stories invented and even published during his lifetime, t 2 account for the interregnum in his history. That he reached England is probable, but whether he ever beheld, save in his "mind'seye," the remains of "The glory that was Greece And the grandeur that was Rome," is still uncertain; there are a few slight allusions scattered amid his writings to the scenery of both Greece and Italy, but it is impossible to found anything reliable upon such data. The story as to his having arrived at St. Petersburg, and got involved in difficulties that necessitated ministerial aid to extricate him, must be given up, as must also that founded upon the suggestion made by the anonymous author of a scurrilous paper which appeared in the Southern Literary Messenger, that Poe, when in London, formed the acquaintance of Leigh Hunt and Theodore Hook, and lived like "that class of men, dragging He ercised a conciliato hold, where, we hea and the poor lad, w spoke well of this 1 effects of her loss. to have manifested prodigal's return, Willingness to dev profession, he exer tained a nominatio in the military aca according to the pointments are no they have attained the young author, only just in time Meanwhile Poe h out a precarious existence in garrets, doing drudgery work, writing for the great presses and for the reviews, whose world-wide celebrity has been the fruit of such men's labor." In 1829 Edgar Poe returned home, if Mr. Allan's residence may so be termed. reached Richmond, Virginia, we have been informed, early in March, but too late to take a last farewell of his adopted mother, she having died on the 27th of February, and her funeral having taken place the very day before Poe's return. Mrs. Allan had probably ex of other poems, his firs under the title of poems."" poet's reviewers S this book as publis delicate little lyric extracted. This 1 have received ver veteran author, J peared without edition of 1829, w Grenlation only, Vestige of Poe's li Reverting to *Hatch and Du his history. robable, but his "mind's ome," ercised a conciliatory influence in the house hold, where, we hear, it was frequently needed and the poor lad, who in after life invariably spoke well of this lady, doubtless soon felt th effects of her loss. Mr. Allen does not appea to have manifested any great pleasure at the prodigal's return, but when Poe expressed hi willingness to devote himself to the military profession, he exercised his influence and ob tained a nomination for him to a scholarship in the military academy at West Point. As according to the rules of that institution, ap pointments are not given to candidates afte they have attained their twenty-first birthday the young author, for such he now was, wa only just in time to secure his nomination Meanwhile Poe had published a little volum of poems, his first known essay in literature under the title of "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and other poems." Lowell and others of the poet's reviewers speak of an earlier edition o this book as published in 1827, and from it th delicate little lyric "To Helen" is professedly extracted. This 1827 volume is also stated t have received very flattering notice from th veteran author, John Neal, but it has disap peared without leaving any trace, and th edition of 1829, which was printed for privat circulation only, is the earliest discoverabl vestige of Poe's literary powers. v slight alluCo the scenery is impossible -n such data. rrived at St. in difficulties I to extricate ust also that made by the s paper which ry Messenger, d the acquaintore Hook, and dragging garrets, doing e great presses rld-wide celebmen's labor." home, if Mr. etermed. He e have been ino late to take a nother, she havruary, and her very day before d probably ex Reverting to the military academy, th *Hatch and Dunning: Baltimore, 1829, 81 pp. by the sentence im larged collection of title of "POEMS by une, garnished wi inauld, "Tout le keits predecessor was dedicated to " Cadets," a dedica drawn upon its un of his fellow-stude eral Cullum, allu little volume, say Source of great m Considered the aut ridiculous dogger the opinion of " weight, and Poe quite regardless o ments. This littl only on account of letter of seventee mythical "B that it contains a pressed in latere prose is followed sixty-six lines, a title of "Romand collection of "Po of the omitted p strange biograph sant with the t ecords show that Poe was admitted into that In 1831, whilst still cadet, and all unawed *E. Bliss, N ted into that of July, 1830, pon his new energy, but ally unsuited line and mos West Point. of existence Cogether with e sole master mpossible for raints of this him at the er inefficiency at place. He arks, "follow His mind was e of the drill, med practical y expedition. nant, "for an as utterly uniment and exthe old story e climax was, 1, that, on the d by a general lects of duty which he could the subsequent service of the d all unawed by the sentence impending, he published an e larged collection of his boyish rhymes under th title of "POEMS by Edgar A. Poe." This vo ume, garnished with a quotation from Roch foucauld, "Tout le monde a raison," and whic like its predecessors, was for private circulatio was dedicated to "the United States Corps Cadets," a dedication which appears to hav drawn upon its unfortunate author the ridicu of his fellow-students. A fellow-cadet, a Ge eral Cullum, alluding to the contents of th little volume, says: "These verses were th source of great merriment with us boys, wh considered the author cracked and the verse ridiculous doggerel." Happily for literatur the opinion of "us boys" did not carry muc weight, and Poe continued to write "verses quite regardless of West Point and its jud ments. This little book is most interesting n only on account of its cleverly written prefator letter of seventeen pages, addressed to a certai mythical "B" but also from the fac that it contains a large quantity of verse su pressed in later editions of Poe's works. Ti prose is followed by a poetical introduction sixty-six lines, a portion of which, under th title of "Romance," is included in the gener collection of "Poems written in Youth." Man of the omitted portions of this volume have strange biographical interest for those conve sant with the true story of Edgar Poe's life *E. Bliss, New York, 1831, 124 pp. 12mo. |