uld call de

spondent we ollowing ad

etter written of Mr. Gowconversation . Latto, "he the house of s young wife, e in constituarded at that were in poor ed with them consulted by means, as the pay. He only oken up. Of t opportunity poet led. His was uniformly demeanor, and there, not the or dissipation as inmate, who composition of pt good hours, een to both by r, who watched A been a child. of intelligence,

o means averse

he felt himself

kept at a distance somewhat by Poe's arist cratic reserve."

"Mr. Gowans," remarks Mr. Latto, known to be one of the most truthful and u compromising of men."

دو

During January and February of this ye (1837) Poe contributed the first portions "the Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym the Messenger, and encouraged by the intere it excited, he determined to complete it. was not published in book form, however, u til July of the following year, and although did not excite much attention in America was very successful in England. Griswo displaying his usual animus, remarks th copies being sent to England, and it "bei mistaken at first for a narrative of real expe ences, it was advertised to be reprinted, but discovery of its character, I believe, prevent such a result. An attempt is made in it," continues, "by simplicity of style, minutene of nautical descriptions, and circumstantiali of narration, to give it that air of truth whi constitutes the principal attraction of S Edward Seaward's narrative, and 'Robins Crusoe,' but it has none of the pleasing intere of these tales; it is as full of wonders 'Munchausen,' has as many atrocities as t 'Book of Pirates, and as liberal array of pai ing and revolting horrors as ever was invent by Anne Radcliffe or George Walker." H further depreciatory remarks are not wor reproduction. The fact is that in a short i

erval the story was several times reprinted in ngland, and it did excite considerable notice; le "air of truth," which, it is suggested, was ly in the attempt, having attracted much

terest.

not state to what refers, really relat on the authority, newspaper, decla popular work on well-known natur as by himself," a right for the A Brown's work, an English original, have been under scientific gentlen years after Poe circulated unans biography was to American literati of the story, no facts until ultima of the person of a it which he did Home Journal. of considerable e ments, formed Po his assistance i works on Natura a "Manual of C whose scientific prehensive and that the publish his popular nan he only received tain Brown's Decessarily bea

The independence which Poe had hoped to rn by his pen was not obtainable in those ays at New York, and having prospect of onstant employment in Philadelphia, he emoved to that city late in 1838, and entered to an arrangement to write for the Gentleun's Magazine, a publication of some years' anding. Ilis talents soon produced the usual rilliant effects upon this publication, and in ay, 1839, he was appointed to the editorial anagement, "devoting to it," says Griswold, for ten dollars a week, two hours every ay, which left him abundant time for more mportant labors." What leisure his editorial uties may have left was devoted to writing or other publications, and as several of his les and other compositions first made their pearance at this time, it is to be premed that he managed to obtain a fair livehood. Still he was not only compelled to bor continuously and severely, but was equently forced by the res angusta domi to rsake his legitimate province in literature, nd turn his pen to any project that offered a ertain remuneration. There is a scandalous ory told of him by Griswold in support of s wholesale denunciation of Poe as a plagrist, and which, although the accuser does

reprinted in rable notice; gested, was racted much

not state to what period of the poet's life refers, really relates to this epoch. Griswol on the authority, he asserts, of a Philadelphia newspaper, declares that Poe reprinted popular work on conchology, written by t well-known naturalist, Captain Thomas Brow as by himself, "and actually took out a cop right for the American edition of Capta Brown's work, and omitting all mention of t English original, pretended in the preface have been under great obligations to sever scientific gentlemen of this city." For t years after Poe's death this vile calumi circulated unanswered wherever the poet biography was told, and although many of th American literati must have known the untru of the story, no one ventured to explain t facts until ultimately it came under the noti of the person of all others best able to dispro it which he did through the columns of t Home Journal. Professor Wyatt, a Scotchma of considerable erudition and scientific attai ments, formed Poe's acquaintance, and obtain his assistance in the compilation of sever works on Natural History: among others w a "Manual of Conchology," and to this Po whose scientific knowledge was most co prehensive and exact, contributed so large that the publishers were fully justified in usi his popular name on the title-page, althoug he only received a share of the profits. Ca tain Brown's "Text-Book of Conchology necessarily bears some resemblance to t

mad hoped to ble in those prospect of delphia, he and entered r the Gentle some years' ced the usual ation, and in the editorial ays Griswold, hours every me for more e his editorial ed to writing everal of his st made their s to be prein a fair livecompelled to ly, but was gusta domi to in literature, that offered a sa scandalous in support of Poe as a plag accuser does

mbined work of Poe and Wyatt, from the nple fact that both treatises are founded by e system laid down by Lamarck, but the surd charge that one is therefore plagiarized om the other can only have arisen from gross gnorance or willful falsehood. About this ne Poe also published, as a sequence of such idies, a translation and digest of Lemonnier's Natural History," and other relative writings. In the autumn of 1839, Poe made a collection his best stories, and published them in two lumes as tales of the " Arabesque and Grosque." This collection contained some of his ost imaginative writing, and still further ineased its author's reputation. It included the ory of "The Fall of the House of Usher ". -a ory which contains the characteristic poem of The Haunted Palace." Griswold avers that e was indebted to Longfellow's "Beleaguered ty" for his idea of this exquisite poem, but at Poe asserted Longfellow to have been debted to him for the idea. We do not beve in plagiarisms, as a rule, and whether the thor of "The Haunted Palace" did, or did t, accuse his brother bard of robbery we ow not, but must simply point out that Poe's em had been published long prior to Longlow's and not "a few weeks," as Griswold ys, and in two different publications. The semblance was probably purely accidental, t at all events, Tennyson had worked out e same idea many years previous to either "The Deserted House," published in 1830.

"Ligeia," Poe's fa this collection. O in our possession poet to the effect gested by a dream

poem sent to Mr remarks to her, " dream which occu Towards the Graham, owner o sion of the Gent ing the two pub new series as which, it is belie proprietor was o services of the b his reward in s by Mr. Graham' in little more number of subs five to fifty-two iques, his analyt following one a startled the pu power. He crea the dauntless assailed the fra book-makers, es his papers on " much criticism publication of h which he prom ingenuity could

-a

tt, from the founded by rck, but the e plagiarized | n from gross About this ence of such Lemonnier's ive writings. e a collection them in two ue and Grod some of his 1 further inincluded the of Usher"istic poem of ld avers that Beleaguered te poem, but > have been e do not bewhether the did, or did robbery we ut that Poe's ior to Longas Griswold ations. The y accidental, worked out us to either hed in 1830.

"Ligeia," Poe's favorite tale, also appeared this collection. On a copy of this weird stor in our possession, is an endorsement by tl poet to the effect that "Ligeia, was also su gested by a dream," the "also" referring to poem sent to Mrs. Whitman, and which, remarks to her, "contained all the events of dream which occurred soon after I knew you Towards the close of 1840, Mr. George 1 Graham, owner of The Casket, acquired posse sion of the Gentleman's Magazine, and mer ing the two publications into one, began th new series as Graham's Magazine, a tit which, it is believed, it still retains. The ne proprietor was only too willing to retain th services of the brilliant editor, and he four his reward in so doing-Edgar Poe, assiste by Mr. Graham's liberality to his contributor in little more than two years raising th number of subscribers to the magzine fro five to fifty-two thousand. His daring cri iques, his analytic essays, and his weird storie following one another in rapid succession startled the public into a knowledge of h power. He created new enemies, however, b the dauntless intrepidity with which 1 assailed the fragile reputations of the sma book-makers, especially by the publication his papers on "Autography." He also excite much criticism in literary circles by t publication of his papers on "Cryptology," which he promulgated the theory that huma ingenuity could not construct any cryptograp