It is more than forty years since Thackeray, who had
just published " Esmond," started for a lecturing tour in the States with Mr. Crowe as his companion. Throughout the
larger portion of his life, Mr. Crowe has been silent with
regard to his six months' familiar intercourse with the famous novelist, and unfortunately, now that he endeavours to re- call that intercourse, ho has very little to say. Tho contents of the book, indeed, scarcely justify its title, for the letterpress resembles the play of Hamlet with the chief character omitted. We much doubt whether there is a single passage about Thu k eray in Mr. Crowe's volume that is worthy of quotation. If there be, it is the statement in the preface that the admirable sketches to be found on almost every page, wore for the most part made with Thackeray's "faithful old gold pen" when he was not sketching with it himself. Mr. Crowe employed his leisure-hours to good purpose, and one cannot but regret that an artist so capable of using the pen in one direction was not able to turn it to better account in another.
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