A MEMORY OF MRS. HEMANS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 434, 17 February 1909, Page 3

A MEMORY OF MRS. HEMANS.

"■> In the "Blackstock Papers," Lady Ritchie, who,: as Miss Thackeray, more than ono) delightful book, discourses about various eminent people whom she has mec.The chapter on-Mrs. , Hemans is interesting;. Lady Ritchie emphasises ' Mrs. Hemau's l boauty. and. .personal charm, /though >;they could pot retain the, affection of her husband She first knew and fell in love with Captain liemans when she.was.sixtcen', arid at twentyfive she was parted from/him; for ever. He I wont; away for' a,-chfoge; to Italy arid stayed 1 there seventeen, years, and she never saw - him again, though he ' did'write to.foer occasionally. The desert-ion did not signify -financially, for editors, wrote by. every-post' for contributions from her pen, and admirers trod on- each , other's heels; ' Lady. Ritchie quotes Sir:Walter;Scott as writing to-Joanna Baillie •of' Mrs.; Heman's poems l :' "too many -flowers and_ too little -. fruit;:. but that may be the cynical; criticism -of lan elderly gentleman, foi it -is certain, that when 1 was .young I read verses with Infinitely,- more .indulgence, -because with-more pleasure than I can .uow." But when Mrs. Honians's play "The Sicilian Vespers,'.' which fell very flat in London, was 'produced, in Edinburgh by'the Siddonses r ho contributed seriously 'to .its, success by .the ■personal; interest; lie took 1 in the production, though he.wrote i again .to 'Miss'Baillie.: "but there is no promising, for Saunders is. meanly jealous , ! 'bf: being, thought less -critical than John Bull, and may perhaps despise- to be pleased ivhat -was less fortunato jn London." K".;-'i-'