DR. WOLFF'S TRAVELS AND ADTE.NTCHES.•
(sEcosu voixma.]
THE editor of Dr. Wolff's very striking and interesting book gives it as his own opinion, and that of another person "most capable of judging," that "it will be a standard book, like Ro- binson 011808. Our own estimate of its claims to be enduringly popular is high indeed, but not quite so high as this ; though pos- sibly the cause of its shortcoming lies in ourselves, and not in the book. The ancient shall not be saved before the lieutenant, and it is not for a reviewer to soar to the topmost pitch of an editor's enthusiasm. Setting aside, however, all questionable comparisons with Robinson Crusoe, or other immortals, let us say that Dr. Wolff's quaint and graphic narrative is singularly amusing, and can hardly fail to win the esteem and goodwill of every reader for its brave, simple-hearted, and very original writer. " Writer " is hardly the proper word, for there is nothing of the art of lite- rary composition in the whole work. From beginning to end, with one or two exceptions in the first volume, it is in manner as well as in fact an oral discourse, taken down as it was delivered, without premeditation, by the speaker. This greatly enhances its interest, because it has been the means of making it more inti- mately characteristic of the mind and ways of the narrator than any written work of his could possibly have been. Those which he has published "have been remarkably muddled," as his friend and editor, Mr. Gatty, declares with perfect truth. There is nothing unusual in this ; it has happened to many a fluent speaker besides Joseph Wolf to find himself embarrassed and confused, and his power of utterance almost paralysed, when he tried to talk on paper. Dr. Wolff's temperament would not allow him to write a calm history, and therefore the friends who were anxious to divert his mind after a great domestic calamity, and to obtain for the public the story of a life which was almost unique in its incidents, proposed that he should dictate it aloud. He caught at the idea at once, began his tale off-hand in the third person, and completed it, without reference to a note, ex- cept in the case of certain long arguments and conversations in the first volume, which were extracted from his original journals. The work proceeded without the least hesitation on the doctor's part, his prodigious powers of memory recalling with minute ac- curacy the details of past events, names both of persons and places, dates, routes through countries several times traversed, and passages quoted chapter and verse from the Bible. When he paused, it was almost invariably because he had tired out his amanuenses ; and no matter when or where he left off in his story, he was always ready to take up the thread again, when a secre- tary was again at his service. Besides contributing in this capa- city to the production of the narrative, Mr. Alfred Getty has also written a preface to the second, volume, in which among other • Travels and Adventures of the Reverend .TosepA Wo4f, IAD., LL.D. Vol. H. Published by Saunders, Otley, and Co.
pertinent remarks are the following, which will greatly help the reader towards comprehending what manner of man is that amiable egotist, untameable hnmourist, and heroic missionary, of whom Sir Charles James Napier testified that he "has worked 'harder for religion, and gone through more dangers for it, with a brave heart, than any man living."
In his autobiography will be found the story of his preaching, and pray- ing, and disputing, for twelve hours in succession, during six days at Cal- cutta, which seems almost incredible ; but when, even now in his old age, he can tire out three youthful writers at a sitting, and be ready for a fourth if he could find one- and when his continued conversation can only be ar- rested by a soothing pipe ; this account loses its wonder with those who know him. And when he tells us of his walk, without a rag of clothing on, for six hundred miles, from the Dooab to the Punjaub, through storms and
snow, and one questions whether any human frame could endure the ex i - posure—the fact loses its improbability n the minds of those who know that he can walk barefoot along stone passages in winter, sleep with door and window open in the foggy nights of Yorkshire, and that, unless he has his cold shower-bath in the morning, be is apt to be irritable and oppressed. His .powerful frame, too, hirsute and indifferent to climate, never wears an extra coat ; and, as to mucous membrane, he seems to have no such delicate lining. One remarkable feature in the character of Dr. Wolff is, that he is consti- tutionally apprehensive. His first feeling is fear ; and yet no man has faced more appalling dangers. The fact is. the elasticity and strength of his spirit seem to recover themselves immediately after the first warning dread --except in facing the elements, with which there can be no contest—as to =en, he can meet them in any shape, and seems even still to love dangerous 'encounters with them. Be recently offered to go to Rome after young Mortara, and to take the pulpit at St. George's-in-the-East. Of course, certain critics interpret all this as mere braggadocio—not so the friends of Wolff who know him."
Talking in his own natural style, when he dictated his first volume, Dr. Wolff scattered through some rather lively epithets ex.pressive of dislike or contempt for sundry persons, which shocked the taste of some of his reviewers, and drew from them grave remonstrances against such breaches of propriety. Dr. Wolff has meekly submitted to their reproofs, and tried to be on his good behaviour in this new volume. He has met with some jackasses in his time, and called them by their name, but he calls them so no longer ; only he reserves to himself the right of desig- -mating himself in that way, and what can any reviewer say against that ? Speaking of a former prediction of his that the millennium would begin in 1847, he says, "If now an opponent were to ask Wolff, Why did you fix that time ? ' he has but one answer to give, which he candidly gives to every one, Because I was a great ass.'" Will the prophet of the Great Tribulation make as candid a confession eight or ten years hence ? Dr. Wolff's editor declares that he was no party to the concessions which his 'rind- pal has made to the critics; and we agree with him in thinking that there was no great harm in the condemned expressions—to say nothing of their being rather amusing—"for, 'being wholly unaccompanied by unkind feelings, they were merely Wolffian ex- pressions, showing the open-hearted candour of the man." He can say rough and biting things without any malice, and take the sting out of them a moment after. Charles Simeon said once to him, "You first give a slap in the face to your opponents, and then aqk them, How do you do ? " As for his love of fun, the good Doctor has an answer ready for those who may think him too much apt to .joke for a missionary. First, it is his nature to be jocular, and he will not disguise it ; and, secondly, he is justi- fied by the example of his great model, St. Francis Xavier, who, when he sailed for Japan, used to make all the passengers roar with laughter by his funny stories. The way in which the Doctor frightened a stubborn Jew at Bombay into compliance with his wishes, is a good specimen of his practical humour. He wanted to see the synagogues of that city; but all the Jews there were in- tensely prejudiced against him, and their chief, Daood Captaan, i.e., Captain David, a very fat man, had issued an order that none of them should talk with Wolff -lest he should make Christians of them by magic. All Wolff's friends advised him not to call upon Captain David, but to try and effect his purpose without him. But Wolff insisted on going to work his own way, and made his incredulous friends accompany him on a visit to the fat gentle- man.
" He was sitting at the gate of his house looking very fierce. They said to him, Here is Joseph Wolff, who wishes to see your synagogue, and to talk with you.' Fat Captain David said to Wolff, You shall neither see the synagogue nor talk with my people, because you are a magician.' Wolff said, Be not foolish, Captain David, but show me your synagogue, and bring me the 'people.' Captain David replied, I won't ; you are a ma- gician.' Wolff took no notice of his statements, but stared at him with all his eyes, muttered with his lips, and pointing sternly at him with his finger, said, 'You are very fat.' Captain David began to tremble, for he was afraid that he would get the evil eye, which all over the East they say people will get whenever they are praised without its being said, 0 that thou mayst be preserved !'
" Captain Darid--‘ Let my fatness alone.' " Wolf again—' You are very fat!'
"Dodd—' What have you to do with my fatness ?—holding his sides with his hands—let my fatness alone !'
"Wolff then said, Then show me your synagogue, and bring your people.' He now said, I will do so immediately.' So the key was brought, the synagogue opened, and the children of Israel were assembled."
Dr. Wolff was ordained by Bishop Doane at New York after an examination, which included among its subjects Natural Theology and Philosophy. His answers to the questions on Na- tural Philosophy were, as he says, rather funny. Examiner- " How do you get up water ?' Ifroltf—" By a pump." B.- ' But how ? " W.—" You must pump hard." .E.—" What must be removed ?" W.—" Difficulties."
There are in Dr. Wolff's second volume four very characteristic letters addressed to him by Sir Charles J. Napier. Here is one of them, written in 1862— " August 20. "My dear Prophet—(I mean _False Prophet, who tried to kill the world before its hour), your name is great and rings through the world. M`Murdo is a valiant man, he slew seven men in single combat : three at Meanee, three at Hydmbad, where one of them wounded him, and one in the Bog- tee Hills. The Kennedy, who published his 'Conversations' with Lord By- ron, was both a doctor and a fool : he afterwards died in the West Indies. He was an amiable, weak creature : weak in mind, and weak in body; so much so, that it was supposed that his very handsome wife sustained no loss at his death. She has since married a Captain Kennedy, of the Navy, and was a very charming woman. Why she ever married the poor man, no one could tell. I believe she published the Conversations,' .S4c. I have not seen them, but they must be foolish, because I was there, and know that Lord Byron was getting out of Dr. Kennedy all sorts of cant and nonsense, on purpose to convereDon Juan in the next canto into a Methodist. So he collected all the expressions he could, and told me one day, I will make Don Juan a Methodist, next canto.' I warned poor Kennedy that the poet was laughing at him ; but the doctor's inordinate vanity would not believe a word of it ; and he was quite sure he had converted Lord Byron, though the latter made him the laughing-stock of Argostoli. In short, Kennedy's con- summate vanity was past endurance.
"I am glad that your lectures are well attended—they are very interest- ing. Lady Napier desires her kind regards.
"Yours, ever, C. NAPIER." "What made you think it was my Kennedy that tried to convert Lord Byron ? fie tries to convert no one, but converts every one to an un- bounded admiration of his own great character."
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