“22nd May, 1838.—­Breakfasted at Milnes’, and met rather a remarkable party, consisting of Savage, Landor, and Carlyle (neither of whom I had ever seen before), Robinson, Rogers, and Rice.  A good deal of conversation between Robinson and Carlyle about German authors, of whom I knew nothing, nor (from what they paraded of them) felt that I had lost much by my ignorance."[A]

[Footnote A:  Diary of Thomas Moore. (Lond. 1856.) Vol. vii., p. 224]

In 1835, after the publication of “Sartor Resartus,” Carlyle received an invitation from some American admirers of his writings, to visit their country, and he contemplated doing so, but his labours in examining and collecting materials for his great work on “The French Revolution,” then hastening towards completion, prevented him.

We may say that, for many reasons, it is to be regretted that this design was never carried into execution.  Had Carlyle witnessed with his own eyes the admirable working of democratic institutions in the United States, he might have done more justice to our Transatlantic brethren, who were always his first and foremost admirers, and he might also have acquired more faith in the future destinies of his own countrymen.

In December, 1837, Carlyle wrote a very remarkable letter to a correspondent in India, which has never been printed in his works, and which we are enabled to give here entire.  It is addressed to Major David Lester Richardson, in acknowledgment of his “Literary Leaves, or Prose and Verse,” published at Calcutta in 1836.  These “Literary Leaves” contain among other things an article on the Italian Opera (taking much the same view of it as Carlyle does), and a sketch of Edward Irving.  These papers no doubt pleased Carlyle, and perhaps led him to entertain a rather exaggeratedly high opinion of the rest of the book.

  THOMAS CARLYLE TO DAVID LESTER RICHARDSON.

  “5, Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London,
  “19th December, 1837.

“My DEAR SIR,

“Your courteous gift, with the letter accompanying it, reached me only about a week ago, though dated 20th of June, almost at the opposite point of the year.  Whether there has been undue delay or not is unknown to me, but at any rate on my side there ought to be no delay.

“I have read your volume—­what little of it was known to me before, and the much that was not known—­I can say, with true pleasure.  It is written, as few volumes in these days are, with fidelity, with successful care, with insight and conviction as to matter, with clearness and graceful precision as to manner:  in a word, it is the impress of a mind stored with elegant accomplishments, gifted with an eye to see, and a heart to understand; a welcome, altogether recommendable book.  More than once I have said to myself and others, How many parlour firesides are there this winter in England, at which this volume, could one give credible announcement of its quality, would be right pleasant company?