REMINISCENCES OF MRS. DE lir ORGA_N.* THE subject of these

reminiscences inherited much of that strong conscientiousness and true benevolence that dis- tinguished her father, William Freud. Her earliest recol- lections are of Sir Francis Burdett, and the support which Freud accorded him, as he did to all objects benevolent and political that stirred his sense of obligation to mankind. In history Freud is probably better known by the disturbance which followed the avowal of his opinions in regard to the priesthood, expressed in pamphlets and spoken from the pulpit of St. Mary's, Cambridge, and some years later by the publication of a pamphlet which caused his expulsion from the University. He could not, however, complain ; he always remained a member of the Senate, and held his fellowship till his marriage. There was a tradition in the family, Mrs. de Morgan tells us, that her nurse took her to the Tower to see the popular prisoner, and that the woman's strong political opinions found vent in a brief but truly admirable catechism for little Sophia :— " Q. Who put Burdett in the Tower ? '

Ans. 'Naughty menfolk.'"

Even more strongly impressed upon Mrs. de Morgan's mind, are the communications that passed between her father and. the prisoner on the subject of flogging in the Army. Sir Francis observed one day from his window, instead of the usual drill, the flogging of a private, and the sight caused him more mental suffering than a prolonged imprisonment in the Tower could have inflicted. But it was years before flogging except in extreme cases was abolished. The next political event of Mrs. de Morgan's childhood, was the visit of the Allied Sovereigns, and she remembered being taken to view the per- sonages as they showed themselves on a balcony. Of the Czar Alexander she says, after referring to his tall figure and decora- tions, " His features were not, I think, fine or classical, but his countenance was not bad, and at that time he was a popular Sovereign." Bliicher, she says, "looked his character,—a soldier, and nothing but a soldier." Thus early was the youthful Sophia a critic. Mrs. de Morgan goes on to say that the Prussian was immensely admired and applauded ; but that those days are passed, and she hopes that we should no more admire such men as Blucher than we should a royal tiger or hyena fighting for life,—a harsh comparison surely. Then comes the procession of Queen Caroline to St. Paul's to return thanks for her acquittal, and Sophia Frend records that touching instance of loyalty of Denman :—Denman, to whom, next to Brougham the Queen owed most, when the trial was over asked permission to kiss her hand. "Had he been only a professional advocate," says Mrs. de Morgan, "he would not have shown his belief in this way in the justice of her claim." Nor was the laundress less loyal who took her child to be christened by the name of " Carolenia Regenia," and had her way, despite the protests of the clergyman.

William Freud being a man of many-sided acquirements, we are not surprised to learn from his daughter that there was no knowing whom one might meet at his house. Freud was a Radical, but also a scholar, a mathematician, an astronomer, and interested in all that concerned ancient religions and worships ; so that Lamb, Coleridge, Dyer, Godfrey Higgins the antiquary, John Landseer, John Bellamy, Taylor the Platonist, and William Blake, were all well met at his house.

• Reminiscences of Mrs. de Morgan. Edited by her Daughter, Mary I. de Morgan. London : Bentley and Son. In her early days Mrs. de Morgan often wished the in-

terminable Coleridge would stop talking ; but the time came when her only regret was that she had not heard more from him. Godfrey Higgins was not only a genial and interesting character, but an enthusiast and a public benefactor,—witness his searching inquiries as a Justice of the Peace into the management of madhouses. Higgins, a man of much miscellaneous knowledge and research, had hobbies, and rode them bard, and amused his friends with his theories on sun-worship and his suspicions of priests and the relics kept in great shrines for the hoodwinking of the credulous. But he amassed much solid material regarding Eastern symbolism and ancient Freemasonry, so that when he became a Freemason he had little to learn; and the Duke of Sussex could say that he, Godfrey Higgins, and Richard Carlile, the bookseller, were the only persons who knew any- thing about the matter. John Landseer, the author of The Sabxan Researches, was one of the pioneers in Babylonian archmology ; he also dealt in hobbies, and fortunately for his peace of mind, was too deaf to be disturbed by argument. John Bellamy was Bellamy the Hebraist, an uneducated working man, who mastered enough of Hebrew to be able to translate several books of the Bible in a fashion, and being positive and combative, and lacking the finer critical faculty, we can well imagine that he had somewhat heated arguments with the equally positive and very deaf Landseer. Blake, Mrs. de Morgan remembers meeting one day out walking with her father, "a man in a brown coat, and with very bright eyes." "He is a strange man," said Frend to her ; "he thinks he sees -spirits." Mrs. de Morgan goes on to discuss some of the experiences of Sir John Herschel, who read a paper on the pictures that passed before his closed eyes, when awake, and of her father, who could summon at will, pictures when his eyes were closed, and could not understand his daughter's inability to do the like. Herschel was particularly struck by the beautiful geometrical patterns that passed before his eyes from left to right. He often saw faces and landscapes :—

" Sir John told me the last time I ever saw him that he then saw more faces and fewer landscapes. The faces, which appeared in quick succession, were gray and colourless. The landscapes were of great beauty, but such as he had never seen in the world."

Mrs. de Morgan triumphed, she says, when among those

things which the astronomer confessed to be ignorant of, was the reason why a poker laid across a fire made it burn up. But, as she says, he could afford to be ignorant in this matter.

One pathetic figure contrasts strikingly with these brilliant and energetic creatures who met and talked with the many- sided Frend,—George Dyer, who lived in Clifford's Inn. Everybody liked Dyer, and told funny stories about his short- sightedness and absence of mind. Sometimes they would slyly refer to the period when he officiated as a Baptist minister :—

"Wm. Frend : 'You know, Dyer, that was before you drowned the woman.'—G. Dyer : never drowned any woman ! '—Wm. Frond: You have forgotten.' To the company generally : 'Dyer had taken the woman's hand and made her dip in the water ; he then pronounced the blessing and left her there.'—G. Dyer : No, no ; you are joking. It could not be.'—Wm. Frend : 'I think the clerk or the deacon or somebody got her out, so she got off with a bad cold.'"

Lamb said that Dyer, who was coming to call on him, missed his way, walked into the New River up to his waist, and came into the house like a merman. Bowring went even further, and declared that Dyer, being unable to find his hat on leaving, walked off with a small coal-scuttle over his head. A kind- hearted widow took pity on Dyer, and the neglected scholar spent the last years of his life happily. In Frend's last illness, Dyer sent daily to inquire, and when the messenger returned for the last time with the word that Mr. Frend was rather better, the old man said, "I understand, Mr. Frend is dead ; lay me beside him." He

then went into an adjoining room, washed his hands, and returning to his arm-chair, sat down. A lady was preparing to read to him, but the loving-hearted old man was dead. He and Freud were the same age—eighty-four—and Mrs. Dyer, who at .eighty-eight could thread a needle and make a pillow- case, lived to be ninety-nine. Among the notabilities who came to William Freud was Rammohnn Roy, the Brahmin, who created much enthusiasm among various sects, if he

did not win entire approbation, for though devoid of dogma, he was a seeker after righteousness and the truth. He was a tall, fine-looking man, says Mrs. de Morgan, and with his sparkling eyes, olive-brown skin and black beard, together with turban and robe, he made a beautiful "bit of colour on our green lawn." Yet another enthusiast there was, one Abraham Elias, who, partly deceived by the coincidence of names, fancied himself that Elias that should foretell the Second Coming. So that there was some excuse for the Unitarian divine, who probably expressed the general opinion when he said : 'If there is a queer fish in the world he will find his way to Frend's house." This was at a tea-party and in the presence of Frend's daughter, and that daughter records with some satisfaction that she was equal to the occasion :—" Pardon me, Sir, I do not remember our having had the pleasure of seeing you there ! "

To come now to a later period, we are introduced to Daniel O'Connell, and the particular circumstances under which he appears are very characteristic of the great Irishman. The doctrines of phrenology had recently been much discussed, con- sequent to Gall's studies on the subject, and found an intelli- gent disciple in Mrs. de Morgan. She went to meet the Liberator at a friendly gathering, and some humorous creature having proposed the great man's bumps, forth- with spoke to O'Connell, and the two were introduced. Off went the brown wig and the genial Irishman stood ready. "Now thin," said he, "tell me all mee sins." Mrs. de Morgan, who acknowledges the opportunity to have been a capital one, was however nervous, but perceiving that the good man's love of approbation was not small, flattered him somewhat. She sent notes of her observations on the pro- portions to a relative, who, not knowing the head, yet re- turned a character that could have been only O'Connell's, and put this crowning touch upon it that the man was happy when be had a number of people around him, never so happy as when followed by a long retinue of people. Mrs. de Morgan's next great essay in phrenology was a well-authenti- cated skull of Cromwell (it was bought for £100) ; this she reported on and sent the results to the same lady relative, who was told that it bplonged to a "historical character not now in the world " ; she sent back a character "very like that of Noble's Cromwell."

Of the many notabilities that Mrs. de Morgan speaks of, it is ever the kindliest side of them we see, and the few details that she gives us of Thomas Carlyle are of a piece with this tact. Carlyle's niece, says Mrs. de Morgan, with enthusiasm, did all that was possible for a devoted woman to do in alleviating the philosopher's sufferings, —" not grudgingly and of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. Miss Aitken said that he was easy to get on with, for when- ever he thought he had been hasty he was the first to seek reconciliation, and Mrs. de Morgan says that if she heard of clouds caused by the irritating influences of his liver, she also heard that when they passed, they left him kinder and more affectionate.

These reminiscences have interested us, not only on account of those brilliant acquaintances of Mr. Frend's, but in that they reveal the benevolence of William Frend as a man who did much to bring out the brighter side of so many strange characters, and whose heart and purse were open to all noble ideas and human wants. His name lent itself to the humorous fancies of those genial punsters, Jekyl and Lamb, and a more appropriate subject could not have been chosen. Of Mrs. de Morgan we can only say that she seems to have seen the best side of the various " lions " and to have taken pleasure in recording their amiable traits. Of Lady Noel Byron she can never say enough ; and her ladyship seems to have been the spirit of benevolence embodied. If there had not been some dull letters, we should have said that every page of the reminis- cences was readable.