THE LATE MR. ALGERNON WARREN.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.")
SIR,—An old friend and supporter of the Spectator, a constant reader and an occasional contributor for many years, passed away last week in the person of Mr. Algernon Warren, late of 63 Springfield Gardens, N.W. Born in Bristol and educated at Clifton College, he left the West for London, now a good many years ago, retiring from business and devoting himself to the quiet pursuit of much reading and occasional writing. Ho had a working command of a good many languages and a wide and out-of-the-way acquaintance with literature of many kinds. His chief asset was a quite unusually retentive memory, which enabled him, again and again to supply a fact, date, or reference which was wanted for any purpose, and the Spectator not seldom benefited by his powers. He had, too, a ready humour, and was a fairly frequent contributor of quips and bons mots to Punch. Amiable and chivalrous, a Victorian idealist, in public a warm patriot, in private altruistic to a fault, and always ready to prefer others, lie often helped the books of his friends. Among his latest contributions was one to tho pages of the Life o/ Lord Rhondda, with whom he had been at a private school in Bristol. He produced two volumes of his own—Commercial Knowledge, published by Mr. John Murray, which went through two editions, and Commercial Travelling—based on his own experience in early life "on the road." When he gave up his Hampstead home in October last he was entertained by the Literary and Dramatic Society, who gave him a pleasant " send oft" But for the most part, as was said by one who knew him well, he lived the " gentle and unobtrusive life " of a private lover of literature.—T am, Sir,
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