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MEMOIR
OK
JAMES BROWN;
WITH OBITUARY NOTICES AND TRIBUTES
OF RESPECT FROM PUBLIC BODIES.
BY
GEORGE STILLMAN HILLARD.
B O S 1 O N :
PRIVATELY PRINTED.
1856.
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Riverside, Cambridge,
Printed by H. O. HoUGHTON & Co.
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PREFACE.
The late James Brown was a man so much
respected by the community, and so much be-
loved by his friends, that after the first sharp
sense of the bereavement occasioned by his death
had passed away, there was a general wish ex-
pressed that some memorial of him might be
prepared — not for the public, but for those who
honored and loved him — which should contain
a sketch of his life and a selection from the va-
i:; rious tributes and expressions which were called
^ forth at the time of his death. To meet this
6-
t wish, this volume has been prepared ; and it is
^^ commended by the editor to the friends of its
lamented subject, in the assurance that they will
feel that it has been prepared in tlie spirit ot
truth as well as the spirit of love.
G. S. H.
Boston, October 20. 1856.
2?A9H4
CONTENTS
Life of James Brown i
Obituary Notice from the Boston- Daily Advertiser of
March 20, 1855 71
Obituary Notice from the Boston Atlas of March 13,
1855 89
Extract from a Discourse delivered in the Unitarian
Church at West Cambridge, on Sunday, March 18,
1855 97
Proceedings of the Boston Natural History Society 103
Proceedings of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society.. 109
Proceedings af the Trade Sale in New York 113
Proceedings of the Booksellers of Boston 119
Proceedings of the Trustees of the Boston ATHENituM... . 123
Donation to the Boston Athen^cum in 1853 127
Letter from George Livermore, Esq^ 133
MEMOIR.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
James Brown was born in Acton, in Massachu-
setts, May 19, 1800. He sprang from that class
from which so much of the moral worth and intel-
lectual distinction of the country has proceeded, —
the rural population of New England, — made up
of men who cultivate their own farms with their
own hands, whose characters are strengthened by
the daily exercise of economy and self-denial, but
whose spirits are rarely darkened by hopeless pov-
erty, and never crushed by the consciousness of
inability to rise. His father, Joseph Brown, born
in Stow, in Massachusetts, about IT-^l, was the
youngest son of a numerous family that came from
Rhode Island some years before the date of his
son's birth. He was one of the first to offer his
services to his country at the breaking out of the
Revolution ; and at the battle of Bunker Hill he
was wounded by a bullet, which passed through one
of his legs and lodged in the other. When the
1
2 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
lead was extracted, he put it into his pocket, saying
that they should have it again. He rejoined the
army as soon as his wound was healed, and served
till the end of the war ; rising to the rank of captain.
He was with the northern division of the army, and
took part in the operations which led to the capture
of Burgoyne ; and there, and on other occasions, gave
proof of courage and conduct.
When the war was over, he settled upon a small
farm in Acton, and resided there till his death, in
1813. He held for many years the offices of con-
stable and collector of taxes. His life was the com-
mon life of a New England farmer and householder ;
he worked upon his farm, read the newspapers, dis-
cussed the political men and measures of his time,
took part in town and parish aflfairs, faithfully per-
formed the modest duties of the offices which he held ;
and thus his days were usefully and happily filled.
Capt. Brown was twice married. By his first
wife, whose name was Dorothy Barker, he had five
children, none of whom are now living.
His second wife was Abigail Putnam, daughter of
Deacon Sanmel Putnam of Danvers, in Massachusetts.
She was a woman of an excellent understanding, and
had been well educated for that period. She had
been employed for some time previous to her mar-
riage as a teacher of youth ; a good preparation, it
may be remarked, for household trusts and the care
ot a family. Slie was also a woman of nmch moral
wortb, a good wife and mother, and faithful to all
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. g
the duties devolved upon her. She brouglit up her
children in virtuous habits, and was especially earnest
in imbuing- them with a love of truth. She was
accustomed to devote a part of every Sunday to the
moral and religious teaching of her household — a
good old New England custom which it is to be
feared the establishment of Sunday schools has caused
somewhat to decline. If so, these schools have proved
to be by no means an unmixed good.
The children of the second marriage were eight in
number. Of these, two only now survive ; namely,
Luke, born in 179-5, now residing in the western
part of Massachusetts; and Eunice, born in 1802,
the wife of Mr. J. G. Lyon, residing at Rockton, in
Illinois.
James Brown was the fourth son and sixth child
of the second marriage. Unlike his elder brothers, —
unlike what would have been supposed by those who
knew him in his robust and vigorous manhood, — he
was a delicate and sickly child ; and on this account
he was the object of peculiar care to an affectionate
mother, and was in some degree exempted from the
rougher labors of the farm. From his earliest years
he showed a love of knowledge and a love of books ;
and those of his friends who believe that " the child
is father of the man," and who remember the pleasure
he took in his well-chosen library, may deem it not
unworthy of record that the first great grief of his
childhood arose from the loss, in his third year, of a
little picture-book, his solitary possession of the kind.
4 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
He could only be comforted by the gift of a new
book, then not easily or readily procured.
His early years were by no nieans destitute of
the means of intellectual improvement. Besides such
instruction as he could pick up at the district school,
taught in the winter by a male, and in the summer by
a female teacher, he had access to a good circulating
library, which was kept at the minister's house ; and
he was a diligent reader of such books as were
suited to his age. There was also the society of an
intelligent and well-educated mother, who had among
her own possessions a closet full of books ; among
which those who are conversant with the literary
tastes of the last century will not be surprised to hear
were Young's Night Thoughts and Hervey's Medi-
tations.
Nor should we overlook, in summing up the influ-
ences which acted upon his mind and character, those
elements which grow out of the very constitution of
New England society, and were found, in a greater
or less degree, in every New England town. Life
was more quiet and monotonous fifty years ago than
it now is ; there were fewer books and fewer news-
papers ; the means of communication were far inferior ;
but everywhere there was the pulse of vitality and
the consciousness of belonging to a growing and
progressive community. The newspaper arrived two
or tiiree times a week, and the stage-coach kept up
a regular communication with the metropolis. State
and national |)()liticK were discussed with partisan zeal.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 5
and to\vn affairs were often fruitful in matters which
led to controversy and debate. Thoug^h books were
fewer, and newspapers more meagre than now, they
were both read and re-read with a patient deliberation
which is now becoming obsolete. All these things
would act upon the mind and character of an intelH-
gent and observing boy, who had eyes to see, and
ears to hear, what was going on around him — who
would listen to the discussions in tow'n and parish
meetings, and hear his elders talking about the move-
ments of Bonaparte and the policy of Jefferson, and
gunboats, and the embargo, and the orders in council,
and the Berlin and Milan decrees — and though all
that fell upon the ear was not comprehended, it was
none the less calculated to quicken the faculties and
keep the life-blood of the mind in circulation.
James Brown was a diligent reader of such books
as he could procure ; and he read them understand-
ingly. His sister, Mrs. Lyon, remembers his having,
when only eight or nine years old, prepared a full
abstract of Rollin's account of the seven wonders of
the world, and of adding to it a description of all the
other remarkable objects he had read of, which seemed
to him worthy of being placed in the same class.
This was read aloud to the family circle in the evening
and received A\dth great favor.
A gentleman, now living in Boston, a native of
Acton, and a school-fellow of James Bro\\ni, has given
me some recollections of him in his boyhood. He
describes him as having been a general favorite from
Q LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
his amiable disposition and the sweetness of his tem-
per. At school, he was a good though not a brilliant
scholar ; and was especially remarkable for the correct-
ness of his deportment ; never having been punished,
and rarely reproved. He had a vein of grave drollery,
and was a good mimic; frequently entertaining the
boys by the exercise of this power. His sense and
enjoyment of the ludicrous went with him to the end
of life, but in his maturer years he laid aside the habit
of mimicry.
My informant also remembers him as a boy of
rather slender and loosely compacted frame — not
possessed of much bodily activity — and never taking
a leading part in the athletic sports of early life.
Although of a cheerful spirit, he was rather grave and
conteiuj)lative, but never dependent upon others for
lia|)j)iness or occupation.
From his farm, and the proceeds of the town offices
wliicli he held, Capt. Brown was able to maintain his
faniily in comfort and respectability ; but upon his
d«'atli, in 1818, the widow's means were not enough
to nialdc her to keep all her household together ; and
tlic younger sons were obliged to go from home in
search of enij)loyment and subsistence. James went
to liv(^ with a farmer in Acton, and remained with
liiiii for soin(? time ; taking part in such farm labors as
were suited to his years and strength. It was while
living with Mr. Noyes that his first visit to Boston
was made ; — an event which was looked forward to
witb gn^at interest, and long remembered from the
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. H
distinctness of the impressions which it left. Some-
time in the year 1815, he went to Cambridge, in
search of employment ; probaldy attracted to tliat
place by his love of books, and a sort of undefined
feeling- that it was something to breathe even the air
of learning ; and perhaps by a faint hope that some
of the crumbs of knowledge which fell from that
ample board might drop into his lap.
Immediately upon arriving in Cambridge, he found
a situation as a domestic in the family of the late
Professor Hedge. The fastidious spirit of our times
and our country shrinks from the contemplation of
a position like this, as if there were something in
it of humiliation and pain ; but such a feeling flows
from the weakness, and not the strength, of our
nature. The relation of master and servant is one
which the world is not likely to outgrow; and like
every other relation between man and man, it may be
elevated and dignified by the spirit which animates,
and the motives which govern it. In the present
case, we may be assured that all its duties, on both
sides, were faithfully discharged. Young Brown was
a conscientious and intelligent lad, whose spirit was
docile and whose temper was without a flaw. It need
hardly be said to those who knew the late Dr. Hedge
at all, that he was a just, a good, and a benevolent
man ; and those who knew him well were aware that
under a plain exterior he concealed much tenderness
and delicacy of feeling. Every member of his
household felt the influence and encouragement of
g LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
his gentle and >)enignant nature ; and the friendless
youth from the country began at once to breathe the
genial atmosphere of home. By the surviving
members of Dr. Hedge's family he is well remem-
bered as a well-grown stripling, but of a slender
frame and pallid complexion, bearing the aspect of
delicate health, and holding out no promise of that
vigorous tread, erect bearing, and ample presence
which he afterwards attained. He was perfectly
amiable in temper, irreproachable in moral conduct,
of an obliging disposition and cheerful spirit, and
especially remarkable for his insatiable love of
knowledge — reading everything in the shape of a
book he could lay his hands upon, and by the ener-
gies of a healthy mind drawing nutriment from all.
Dr. Hedge himself, seeing his taste and aptitude
for knowledge, gave him private instruction in mathe-
matics and the Latin language ; and the plan of his
entering college was entertained and discussed, and
might have been carried into effect but for a subse-
(jueut change in his position and prospects.
Tlie whole period of Mr. Brown's residence with
Dr. Hedge, extending through three or four years,
was highly favorable to the growth of his mind and
character. The light services required in a simple
household h*ft him both time and energy to gratify his
love of knowledge ; and in this praiseworthy pursuit
he }>ad not merely the sympathy, but the aid of his
niij)loyer. Living too under the roof of a scholar,
he was never without the means of obtaining books,
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. (J
the first want of an expanding- mind. But in a gentle
and sensitive nature like his these intellectual advan-
tages would have home hut little fruit, had they not
heen attended, as they were, with a spirit of kindness,
with a readiness to acknowledge cheerful and faithful
service, and with a considerate thoughtfulness which
laid no needless burdens upon him. In Dr. Hedge's
family he was never tried with unreasonable requi-
sitions, or capricious exactions, or harsh language ;
and always had the assurance that so long as he did
his duty he might rely upon their friendly regard and
substantial good-will.
Mr. Brown's feeling and judgment upon this part
of his life were characteristic of the simple dignity
of his nature. He never wished to conceal it, or keep
it out of sight, or remove it from the contemplation
of his own thoughts as if there was anything humili-
ating or mortifying in it. Nor, on the other hand, had
he, in regard to it, that subtle vanity which Dickens
so well delineates in the character of Mr. Bounderby,
which delights to make a coarse and noisy proclama-
tion of early disadvantages, and to find food for self-
esteem in the contrast between present glories and
past shadows. It was with Mr. Brown an episode in
his life — no more and no less — not to be put out
of sight and out of mind as something to be ashamed
of; and not to be flauntingly displayed in order to
challenge admiration and applause.
Sometime during the year 1818, as Mr. Brown
was walking through the streets of Cambridge, on a
10
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
Sunday, he was met by the late Mr. WilHam Hilliard,
and asked by him if he would like to enter his service
as a salesman and general assistant. Such a pro-
posal was a piece of good fortune as unexpected as it
was gratifying ; and it was very gladly accepted. For
this offer on the part of Mr. Hilliard, Mr. Brown was
indebted to the thoughtful and considerate kindness of
Dr. Hedo-e, who, seeing the moral worth and intellect-
ual tastes of his young 'protege, had warmly recom-
mended him to Mr. Hilliard as an assistant, when-
ever any vacancy should occur in his business. Mr.
Hilliard was at that time largely and actively engaged
as a publisher and bookseller. He was an intelligent
and estimable man ; and had his love of money and
care of small things been equal to his general capacity
and enterprise, he could hardly have failed to accumu-
late an ample property.
Mr. Brown at once went into Mr. Hilliard's service,
and entered upon an untried occupation. His position
was at first rather difficult and perplexing. Besides
ojuMiiiig and shutting the store, going on errands,
attending to the wants of customers, he was employed
(luring a portion of every day in pressing the sheets
tli.it cinic from the ])rinting-office ; a labor that tasked
severely iiis physical powers. Mr. Hilliard spent a
portion of every day in Boston ; and his former assist-
:inf. who had been expected to initiate Mr. Brown into
liis new duties, immediately left his post, without
w .lining, as soon as the; new comer arrived; jmd he
was tliii^ 1( It to grope lils way, with very imperfect
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. XI
guidance, over an unkno^^^l path. But liis natural
quickness, aided by resolute industry, qualified him to
meet the claims made uj)on him ; and his duties were
soon fulfilled with ease to himself and satisfaction to
his employer.
Mr. Brown's engaging- in the service of Mr. Hil-
liard was the decisive fact of his life, and from that
moment his progress, though slow at first, was sure
and uninterrupted.
But there were no unexpected incidents, no sudden
turns, no lucky windfalls in his career. It was all
substantially moulded of the same elements ; each por-
tion bound by natural relation to what had gone before.
His subsequent prosperity was as much the inevitable
result of the qualities which he showed in the very
first week of his engagement with Mr. Hilliard, as the
oak is of the acorn. He had found an occupation
which suited his tastes and for which his faculties and
capacities were singularly well fitted. He was fond of
books ; he liked not merely to read them but to see
them, to handle them, and to have them about him.
He was orderly and methodical in his habits ; never
idle, and never in a hurry ; never permitting his busi-
ness to get ahead of him ; possessed of a most reten-
tive memory, always knowing whether he had a book
or not, and if he had it, able to put his hand upon it
in the dark.
For some years his principal occupation was that
of selling books at retail. The success of a salesman,
as is well known among men of business, depends
22 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
mainly upon certain natural endowments which may-
be improved by culture, but can neither be taught
nor learned ; they are innate, and dependent upon
organization and temperament. But in a person who
sells books, and thus deals with scholars and men of
letters, these qualities must be more nicely tempered
and harmonized, than in one who sells shoes or domes-
tic goods to country customers. In Mr, Brown the
elements were happily mingled for this object. He
was born with the feelings and instincts of a gentle-
man. He had an unerring power of observation and
a delicate tact that never failed him. His manners
were winning because they were the natural language
of a good heart and a sweet temper ; and their effect
was increased by the open and ingenuous expression
of his countenance. But his success in this depart-
ment came mainly from those sources from which the
whole success of his life was derived — from his entire
truthfulness and perfect honesty. Nothing is more
difficult to assume than the simplicity of truth. An
artful man may make his manners fine, but hardly
natural. But every one who dealt with Mr. Brown
h'k tbat he was dealing with a thoroughly honest man,
and tiiat every word that fell from him could be taken
at its full value, with no qualifications and reservations.
In his intercourse with those who came to buy of him
tlu'H' was no alloy of coaxing or wheedling or fawn-
ing ; no subtle flattery ; no politic use of weaknesses ;
no disingenuous concealments; and no loud vaunting
of tbr mrrits of bis merchandise.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 13
During the period of his residence in Cambridge,
Mr. Brown, though zealous in business, was by no
means ascetic in his habits ; but he gladly sought the
society of congenial friends, and did not deny himself
such amusements as did not interfere with the main
objects on which his thoughts were fixed. He founded
a sort of social meeting which, in imitation of a well-
known society in college, was called the Hasty-pudding
Club, at the meetings of which a subject was discussed
and afterwards the members partook of a simple
repast. On one occasion the subject of discussion
was : " How may eminence in life be attained ; " and
after the other members had given their views, Mr.
Brown took a piece of chalk from the table, and made
a mark on the wall so high that no others could reach
it, saying at the same time, " make your chalk high
enough."
At one time he was in the habit of meeting with
some of his friends to make a thorough study of the
principles of grammar. He also read much, and his
favorite reading lay among the English poets.
He occasionally indulged himself in shooting and
fishing, but never allowing his amusements to encroach
upon the hours of business. He thus acquired some
practical knowledge of ornithology, and was able to
assist his friend Mr. Nuttall in the preparation of his
work on the birds of America. On one of these
sporting occasions, an incident occurred which showed
his self-possession and presence of mind. He was
with his friend Mr. N. J. Wyeth, his usual companion
J4, LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
on these expeditions. They were oWiged to cross a
decayed dam. Mr. Wyeth got safely over, but Mr.
Brown slipi)ed and fell into the water, where it was of
considerable depth. He disappeared for a moment,
but soon emerged dripping like a water-god ; and as
he scrambled up the bank, his friend noticing that he
had his boots in one hand and his gun in the other,
asked him why he did not let them go ; to which Mr.
Bro^vn, with the utmost composure replied : " Because
I thought I should want to use them again."
At this period of his life, as soon as the burden of
business was removed, he was overflowing with animal
spirits and as full of frolic as a schoolboy on a holi-
day. His joyous temperament sometimes broke out in
practical jokes ; but they were of a kind that never
wounded the feelings, nor left a sting in the memory.
Mr. Browni continued in the service of Mr. Hilliard
till 1826, constantly growing in the confidence of his
employer, and gradually assuming a larger share of
tlie management of the business. In that year the
relations between them were substantially, though not
a])|)arently changed, by the formation of a copartner-
ship. The articles were dated September 4th ; and the
(•(•partnership was to continue for five years.
In May, 1832, soon after the co})artnership with Mr.
Hilliard had expired by limitation, Mr. Brown formed
a new connection with the late Mr. Harrison Gray and
Mr, .John H, Wilkins, under the style of Hilliard,
(iray and Company, In June, 1832, a copartnership
was formed between Mr. Lemuel Shattuck, on the one
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 15
part, and the firm of Hilliard, Gray and Company, on
the other, under the style of Brown, Shattuck and
Company, which liad its place of husiness in Cam-
bridge ; and its management was under the personal
superintendence of Mr. Brown. In August, 18S!2,
Mr. Wilkins withdrew from the firm of Hilliard, Gray
and Company, and Mr. Gray and Mr. Bro^vn contin-
ued to carry on the husiness under the same name,
until March, 1833, when Mr. Charles Browne was
admitted a member of the firm, no change taking place
in its designation. The firm of Brown, Shattuck and
Company continued till sometime in the year 1834,
In August, 1837, Mr. James Bro\vn withdrew from
the firm of Hilliard, Gray and Company, and entered
into copartnership with Mr. Charles C. Little, under
the style of Charles C. Little and Company,^ the new
firm taking the law books and foreign books of
Hilliard, Gray and Company. In this business con-
nection Mr. Brown continued till his death ; Mr. Au-
gustus Flagg, and his son, Mr. James Perry Brown,
subsequently becoming members of the firm. These
dates and facts complete the record of Mr. Brown's
business life. We turn back to resume his personal
biography, and to set doAvn those events by which his
character was ripened, his mind expanded, and his
affections quickened and deepened.
1 The name of the firm always known as Little and Brown. The
appeared in the imprint of books present style is Little, Brown and
as Charles C. Little and James Company.
Brown ; and it was also popularly
2g LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
In May, 1825, he married Miss Mary Anne Perry,
daughter of Mr. James Perry of West Cambridge, a
lady to whom he had been for sometime attached, and
with whom he united his fortunes, as soon as he felt
that his position and prospects justified his assuming
the care of a family. A nature -and a heart like his
would be sure to form an early but not a rash mar-
riage. His affectionate temper, and his need of quick
and constant sympathy, drew him strongly towards
domestic life ; and for domestic life he was well fit-
ted by his loving and gentle spirit, his refinement of
feeling, his taste for quiet pleasures, and his perfect
good temper. In this last quality — so large an ele-
ment in the happiness of a happy home — Mr. Brown
could hardly be surpassed. There are men who, by
vigorous exercise of the habit of self-command, can
repress the sallies of an impatient spirit; but the
effort cannot be concealed from an observant eye, and
the enforced virtue has not the grace and sweetness
of the natural growth. Mr. Brown had no rebellious
impulses to subdue, for the pure gold of his temper
never contracted the slightest stain of irritability, and
Ins gentle and gracious bearing had all the charm of
spontaneous movement.
Mr. Brown resided in Cambridge from the time
of bis marriage till 1829, when he removed to West
(Cambridge, and took a house upon Wellington Hill,
now (»(cn|)ied by his second son, Mr. Edward Wyeth
Thrown. In 188.5, he came into Boston and lived for
a year or two in a house upon Washington Place,
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. IJ
Fort Hill, but his love of rural pleasures and rural
occupations was too strong to make him contented
in a city, and he returned to his former residence
upon Wellington Hill, where he remained till IS^O,
when he moved into the house in Watertown which
he built, and in which he continued to reside till his
death.
The children of his marriage were five in num-
ber, three sons and two daughters ; and they formed
an affectionate and a happy household. Mr. Brown
was a kind and indulgent father ; winning from the
first the confidence of his children ; never repelling
their young hearts by coldness or sternness, nor
darkening them by the shadow of fear. Nor did
he live — as is often the case with men absorbed by
the cares of a prosperous and increasing business —
in practical ignorance of the minds and characters
of his children. He was a conscientious as well as
a loving father, and faithfully discharged the trusts
of a parent by his care as well as his tenderness.
When he first set up housekeeping he had very
little property and but a moderate income, and was
obliged to live frugally and in a plain way. But
love makes all sacrifices light; and looking at life
from the beginning to the end, it is beyond question
a gain, in happiness even, to start under the rule of
strict economy and self-sacrifice. Hope is the sun-
shine of the heart ; and those young people who begin
life with a free gratification of wants, and a full
sense of prosperity, lose the fine relish that comes
2
jg LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
with each new and hard-earned indulgence, and the
deho-ht of adiKne: to another's pleasure by self-sacri-
fice and renunciation. They may well be pitied for
not knowing the enjoyment of gradual progress
through their own power and perseverance.
Mr. Brown's business career was uniformly pros-
perous. For some years after his marriage his
progress was not very rapid ; nor were his gains
large. He was not of a scheming and speculating
turn : the foundations of his success were laid slowly
and deeply in industry, economy, sagacity, and a
rigid adherence to plain and safe rules in the con-
duct of business. He was thus spared the corrod-
ing anxieties and the wasting cares that haunt the
path, and murder the sleep, of reckless and daring
spirits. In common with the whole business com-
munity, he passed through more than one of those
periods of pecuniary pressure which recur from time
to time in our country; and there were doubtless
moments of grave examination into his affairs, not
unmingled with uneasiness; but he never suffered
serious einbarrassment or long-continued perplexity.
The clouds never darkened round him so as to shut
out the light. And from the time of his entering
into partnership with Mr. Little, success flowed in
uiKni him in a deeper and broader stream. In the
management of the business of this new firm each
|)artiu'r i'ound the distinct sphere which was in unison
^vifh his tastes and his capacities ; neither interfering
with the other, and both working harmoniously to-
gether.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. jg
In seeking- the causes which led to Mr. Brown's
success in husiness, — and which contributed to the
success of the copartnerships of which he was a
member, — we find them in a combination of quahties
not so rare in themselves as in their harmonious
union. They may be briefly sunnned up by saying
that he had the tastes of a scholar, the manners of
a gentleman, and the habits of a man of business.
He was born with the instincts and perceptions of
good breeding ; and he had nothing to learn or to
forget in order to qualify him to stand in the high-
est social place. He was born, too, with a strong
love of knowledge, and consequently a strong love
of books ; and having had more than common
opportunities in his youth for indulging this taste,
he began active life with an amount of literary and
miscellaneous acquisition not common among men
who have not had what is usually termed a liberal
education. These acquirements were of daily use
to him as a publisher and a seller of books. He
understood books as a scholar, as a bibliographer,
and as a tradesman ; he knew their substantial
worth, their factitious or artificial value in the eyes
of collectors, and their popular estimation. But
these scholarly accomplishments would have been of
doubtful value had they not been tempered and con-
trolled by a sound practical understanding. Book-
sellers and book publishers sometimes fail of success
because they love books not wisely but too well ;
because they push the scholar's tastes and habits
0Q LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
into the region of pure business, and regard the
contents of their shelves more as a hbrary than as
a stock in trade. Mr. Brown was a man of accu-
rate and careful habits of business as well as a lover
of books. These habits did not, perhaps, so much
belong to his original constitution as did his literary-
tastes, but a strong sense of duty and a resolute
will gave them all the energy of natural impulse.
The principal part of the business of the firm of
Little and B^o^\^l consisted in the publication and
sale of law books, and in the importation and sale
of foreigTi books. Their publications in general
literature have been, for the most part, of a grave,
solid, and substantial character, such as works in
theology, history, politics, political economy, and bio-
graphy — rarely meddling with those lighter and
more ephemeral publications that come with the
leaves of spring and go with the leaves of autumn.
In their sales of law books they were, it is be-
lieved, the first to apply that well-known rule in
political economy, that in articles of permanent de-
mand the increase of purchasers is greater, in pro-
portion, than the decrease of price. It was for-
merly the usage to print a small edition of a law
book, and to sell the copies at a high price — a
custom transmitted from England, and there founded
on the limited demand presented by a bar neither
numerous nor rapidly increasing. But Messrs. Little
.•111(1 ]5ro^\^l had the sagacity to perceive that the
lawyers m our country were a numerous body, that
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 21
their increase would keep pace with the progress of
the country ; and they drew the ready inference tliat
if they could offer them at three dollars such hooks
as had formerly cost five, the difl^erence in price
would be more than made up in the difference in
sales. The result justified their enterprise ; and thus
they and the members of the legal profession were
alike benefited. For obvious reasons, the price of
law books must always be more than that of works
in general literature ; but in the legal publications
of Messrs. Little and Brown the diflterence is less
than that which the profession were previously accus-
tomed to.
The importation and sale of foreign books was
the department of their business which came under
Mr. Brown's especial control. For this he was par-
ticularly well fitted by his tastes and accomplishments.
He knew the worth and the value of books ; and he
had an intuitive sagacity in discerning what the
public wanted. This branch of their business was
much increased during the latter years of his life,
and after his successive visits to Europe. His tem-
perament was hopeful and sanguine ; and he bought
very largely both of old works and new editions.
The result did credit to his judgment and discern-
ment ; but his latest purchases were on a scale be-
yond which he could hardly have gone with safety.
During the last fourteen years of his life, Mr.
Brown made five voyages to Europe. With the ex-
ception of his second visit, in 1845, he had always
22 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
the companionship of one or more members of his
family. The formation or extension of his business
connections was the main inducement to these excur-
sions, and London and Paris were his chief points
of interest ; but he allowed himself time to visit
many places interesting from associations or attrac-
tive from natural beauty. He saw England and
Scotland more thoroughly and deliberately than most
American tourists ; and he visited Ireland, Holland,
Belgium, North Germany, the Rhine country, Swit-
zerland, and parts of France. These brief trips to
Europe were sources of high enjoyment to him.
His good health and his stock of animal spirits made
him sensitive to the pleasures of travelling and in-
difi'erent to its discomforts. He took great delight
in examining places and objects familiar to him in
books. His simple, cordial manners, and the un-
affected worth and intelligence which they expressed,
made him everpvhere welcome; and many of his
transatlantic acquaintances ripened into enduring and
valuable friends. The London publishers and book-
sellers with whom he was brought in contact — a
shrewd and observant body of men — at once recog-
nized liis claims as a man and as a man of busi-
ness ; and the favorable relations he established with
them were due not merely to the ample pecuniary
credit he commanded, but also to the confidence in-
sj)ired by his presence.
His first visit to Europe was in 184<1. He was
absent about four months; leaving Boston in June
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 23
and returning- in October. He was accompanied by
Mrs. BroAvn ; and on this account, and from the fact
that his children were too young for any thing- more
than brief communications, there are no memorials
of this tour to be found among his papers. Much
of his time and thoughts were given to business, and
to the establishment of his relations with European
publishers. During this visit he made the acquaint-
ance of that eminent publisher, the late Mr. John
Murray. By this gentleman — a sagacious observer
of men and manners — Mr. Brouni was treated with
a cordial and hospitable kindness which was in itself
a compliment, and which was always warmly and
gratefully remembered. His youngest son — born
after his return — received the name of John Murray,
in honor of his transatlantic friend.
Upon his return home, Mr. Brown wrote a brief
account of his tour to a friend in the western coun-
try. His letter appeared, but without the writer's
name, in the Cincinnati Daily Republican of October
1^7, 1841, and is here reprinted.
Boston, October 17, 1841.
We left Boston in the Caledonia, on the first of
June, and reached Halifax in forty hours. Halifax
harbor looks pretty as you approach it, but is as
dull a city within, as was ever built of shingles or
inhabited by Blue Noses. We remained only a few
hours, and set sail with a fine wind and smooth sea
for Liverpool. Excepting some trilling sea-sickness
24.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
we were well, and enjoyed the remainder of the
voyage as well as any one can on shipboard; for
after all it is a most uncomfortable life at sea, and
it was well said that "it is a poor home that is not
better than a ship." On the eleventh morning we
saw Mizen Head, in Ireland, and the next the shores
and mountains of Wales, and on the thirteenth were
safely landed in Liverpool. This is a fine city, full
of activity, and about the size of New York. On
the morning of the fourteenth, we took our seats in
the cars, and, passing through a most delightful
country, arrived at London, a distance of two hundred
and twenty miles, in the evening. In the course of
the day, we went through Birmingham and several
other large manufacturing towns ; but the charm of
the ride was the rich agricultural country, and espec-
ially the Vale of Aylesbury, a spot unequalled for
rural beauty perhaps in the world.
I made direct for the London Coffee House, Lud-
gate Hill, of course. Besides being one of the
best houses in London, it is the place where Frank-
lin lived, and I sat in the very stall where he and
Strahan used to dine and hold their political discus-
sions. This house, too, is within a stone's thrpw of
St. Paul's, Paternoster Row, Fleet Street, and in
fact is in the very heart of Old London. I called
several times at Dr. Johnson's old home in Bolt
Court, and drank a glass of ale to his memory.
In tlic same dingy, dirty lane, is the Printing Office
where Franklin worked journevwork, if you know
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. g5
what that means. The building is occupied for the
same purpose now. I looked into Wills and But-
ton's also, and did not forget the Boar's Head, nor
the Saracen's, made classic by Dickens, as the haunt
of the hero of Dotheboys Hall. Paternoster Row
I was greatly disappointed in. Instead of a fine
street, full of splendid booksellers' shops, it is a n[u-
row lane (not even a thoroughfare) barely admitting
a carriage, dirty, dark, full of foul odors, gloomy, and
disgusting. It is for the most part filled with book-
sellers ; but what gives a character to the whole
lane is a large tallow-chandler's establishment, and the
beef market. It resembles in size Bromfield Street,
in Boston, but is perhaps twenty rods longer, and
narrower than any of your streets in Cincinnati, that
I saw last ^vinter. In this mean street, however, as
you know, are sold more fine books than in any
other in the world. Here, too, booksellers with their
families live, and here, as elsewhere in London, you
meet the bookseller's wife assisting in the labors of
the shop, — busy with the pen, or assorting parcels
for distant customers, and in the retail shops, dis-
cussing the comparative value of the different editions
of Bayle and Domat ; and if you call to dine with
her, you will find her at home also in all matters
which with us are thought to be a woman's exclu-
sive province — the management of household affairs.
The bookselling business is much more subdivided
than with us. Law booksellers sell only law books.
Medical booksellers only medical books, &c. None
oyQ LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
of them keep what with us is called "an assort-
ment." If you want several books, you call on your
bookseller and give him a list, and he procures them.
No single bookseller, as with us, pretends to keep
every book, new and old.
At a dinner given by one of the trade, I became
acquainted with Mr. Murray, the justly celebrated
publisher. He is now about seventy, but still in
good health and the full enjoyment of a green old
age. I afterwards dined with him and his family
at Albemarle Street, and spent a Sunday with them
at Twickenham, at a delightful country residence on
the Thames, within a few rods of Pope's house, and
ten minutes walk from Strawberry Hill, where
Horace Walpole wrote his charming letters. In the
afternoon we rode down the Thames to Richmond,
walked over the celebrated Park, and enjoyed the
richest view in the world — the valley of the Thames,
Windsor Castle, a glimpse of the Gothic towers of
Eton College, and the thousand delightful palaces
and country seats which are imbedded in the deep
green fields and woods of Old England.
Mr. Murray has published for most of the cele-
brated authors of England, from the time of Sheridan
to the present, and he has a rich fund of anecdote
which he might, and I hope will, embody in a book,
that would be as interesting a one as has been given
to the world in that eventful period in hterary his-
tory. He told me many which I have not time or
room to give you. He doubtless knows as much of
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. oy
Byron's private life as any other person alive, and
his publications are among the best, and their style
infinitely superior to that of any of his contempo-
raries. His splendid editions of Lockhart's Ballads
and of Childe Harold, now just before the pubHc,
bear full testimony to this fact. He has a delightful
family, and lives in the exercise of that hospitality
peculiar, I believe, to Old England — the perfect per-
sonification of the "Old English Gentleman," — the
finest character on earth.
Bound on business, I had not time to go into the
details of England. I went to Eton College, and
Windsor, and Virginia Water ; to Oxford, Hampton
Court, and Bushy Park and Palace ; Chelsea, Green-
wich, &c. ; to Edmonton, and in the city spent a day
or two visiting Westminster Abbey, the Tower, the
Houses of Parliament, Westminster Hall, the Courts,
the Tunnel under the Thames, the Galleries, &c.,
&c. After passing five weeks in London, we went
by Southampton to Havre, and thence up the Seine,
by Rouen, to Paris ; remained ten days ; thence by
diligence through Coutrai, Cambrai, &c., to Leige ;
thence to Brussels, Antwerp, Waterloo, &c. ; thence
to Aix-la-Chapelle, Cologne, and then up the Rhine
to Ehrenbreitstein, Coblentz, and Mayence; thence to
Frankfort-on-the-Maine, which was the end of our
journey. From that place we retraced our steps to
the Rhine, and down through Holland to Rotterdam ;
remained there a day, and took steamer to London ;
thence to York, Newcastle, Alnwick Castle, &c., to
23 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
Edinburgh and Glasgow. From Glasgow I went to
Ayrshire and saw the birthplace of Burns, followed
Tarn O'Shanter from Ayr to the Bridge of Doon,
by old Kirk Alloway ; saw the grand monument to
Burns on the banks of Doon, &c. ; returned by An-
drossan to Fleetwood in England ; thence to Liver-
pool, and here I am.
Though driven by business, I saw much, and
enjoyed myself to the full extent of my capacity.
Within the last eight months, and since I saw you
in Cincinnati, I bave travelled at least fifteen thou-
sand miles, and seen all sorts of " life and manners,"
from the interior of Arkansas to Paris ; from the
swamps of Georgia to the gardens of England and
Belgium. I can hardly realize that I have gathered
cotton and moss from the fields and woods of the
Mississippi, wheat from Waterloo, and roses and
relics from "the banks and braes of bonny Doon,"
in so short a time. But so it is ; they are all before
me, and here I am without accident — not even the
loss of a farthing.
In October, 1844, a severe affliction fell upon him
in the death of his wife, who had been for some
time in declining health. Mrs. Brown was an amia-
ble and affectionate woman, of retiring manners and
rather delicate health, who found her happiness in the
faithful discharge of her duties as a wife and mother.
Mn- husband was tenderly attached to her, and she
d(!served all the love and confidence she enjoyed.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. gQ
Here it may not be inappropriate to introduce a
portion of a letter written to his three youngest
children, during a brief absence from home, which
shows his kindly and playful temper, as well as the
warm and expressive affection which marked his do-
mestic relations.
t
I
Washington, January 28, 1843.
My dear Children, — I wrote a letter from this
place last summer to your brothers and now I shall
try to write something to you. Last Tuesday I
wrote to your mother and gave her some account
of my journey up to that time. On Thursday I
left Philadelphia on the railroad for Baltimore and
Washington. The weather was fine, and has been
during all my journey. The ride through Pennsyl-
vania and Delaware was very pleasant, though not
new to me, as I have been over the ground many
times before
Here I have been about selling books and looking
at the curiosities, &c. From the western part of the
Capitol you can see the Potomac River far down —
almost to Mount Vernon, where Washington lived,
and where his tomb is. You also have a fine view of
Alexandria and Georgetown as well as Washington
City. The weather is very warm here and the ne-
groes are ploughing in the fields. Sometimes I have
counted ten or twelve all driving their horses and
ploughs round a great field. They are very merry,
and sing and laugh as loud as a fish-horn.
gQ LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
In the market are plenty of deer, duck, and fish ;
also spinach, sweet potatoes, &c., and the little
neg-roes bring mocking'-birds in abundance. They
bring- their chickens alive. One negro woman had
half a dozen cackling hens in one hand, and a baby
almost as big as John Murray, and as black as the
shiniest blacking, in the other, and cried who '11 buy ?
I dont know which she meant to sell, but I thought
I would not buy the baby because your mother said,
some time ago, she had enough of them.
This afternoon I had to go from the Treasury
Office to the Capitol ; so, as I was tired, I asked a
negro coachman what he would carry me for. " Oh,
Massa," he said, "for two levies," (twenty-five cents.)
"That's too much," I said, "it is hard times." "Oh,
Massa," he said, "hard times for poor nigger, but
Massa, he no hard times for you. You neber see
hard times nor you neber will ; you dont look like
him." So I had to give him his two levies.
There are rows of carriages all down the great
street, and as a great many of them have little to
do, the drivers, all negroes, have a plenty of fun.
They sing queer negro songs, and I suppose by their
laughing, tell very funny stories. They are very polite
to the ladies. Several of them met this morning in
front of our hotel and made more bows and curtesies
than your dancing parties make in a whole evening,
though all of them had either baskets of marketing
or something else in their hands.
To-morrow morning, if it does not storm badly, I
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 31
shall go back to Philadelphia, and on Monday hope
to be in New York, where I shall have to stay a
day or two, and then shtdl come home, where I hope
to be on Thursday or Friday.
Your affectionate father,
James Brown.
In 1845, Mr. Bro\Aii made a second visit to Eu-
rope, leaving home in the steamer of April first, and
returning in that of July nineteenth. This was the
only occasion on which he was entirely alone during
these foreign excursions. To relieve the irksome-
ness of the solitude which was always distasteful
to his genial and social nature, he kept an ample
journal of his movements and observations, some
extracts from which are here appended. It is an
unstudied record of his daily life, hastily jotted down
in such brief intervals as he could snatch from his
many engagements and occupations; but it will in-
terest his friends alike from the ease and animation
of the style, and from the unconscious revelations
which it makes of his own amiable and kindly nature.
April 14<th, 1845. Took cars for London. The
day was stormy, and cold, and the country showed
few marks of spring. Even the Vale of Aylesbury
looked gloomy and cheerless. Arrived at Old Lon-
don Coffee House, at six o'clock, p. M., being nine
hours from Liverpool, a distance of two hundred and
ten miles. The road is much of the distance uneven,
g2 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
and on the whole appears not so good as our best
roads.
15th. Breakfasted in the stall where, seventy-five
years ago, Franklin usually took his meals, and dis-
cussed with Strahan the then growing troubles with
the mother country. There is a permanency about
things here that does not exist with us. What
stall in America will be found "unimproved" seventy-
five years hence, or has remained so that length of
time 1
21sf. Took tea and supped with Pickering, the
celebrated publisher, in Piccadilly. Saw a large col-
lection of Burns's manuscript poems ; amongst others
the original of "Mary in Heaven," "Auld Lang
Syne," and " Bruce's Address ; " also a copy of the
first edition (1785) of his poems. Mr. Pickering
is an enthusiast in his profession, to which he is
most devoted. He has done more for the advance-
ment of the printing art, and the dissemination of
the best class of English literature, than any other
man alive. He lives over his shop, as is the habit
of some of the wealthiest tradesmen here. We sat
at the table, and drank Old Port, and talked of old
books, till nearly two o'clock. Mr. Pickering under-
stands the value of both. This was a "red-letter day."
25lh. Called on several of the trade, and also on
Mr. Rogers, the poet, at the request of Mr. Moxon.
H(! r(,'ceived me very cordially, and opened his most
curious collection of paintings and curiosities to my
insp(!ction. He has, amongst other rare things, the
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 33
orig-inal contract of Milton with Symmons, for the
sale of Paradise Lost, for <£5, and the first edition
of that work. Spent two hours in the Library, then
returned to the drawing'-rooni and was introduced to
Mr. Wordsworth the poet, who is on a visit to Mr.
Rogers. He had a long conversation with us, —
asked after Pennsylvania, in which he is interested,
as his relatives hold a large amount of her bonds.
Invited us to visit him at Rydal Mount. Told us
not to follow the example of many of our country-
men, and pass our time in the frivolities of Paris,
and the ruins of Italy, to the neglect of our father-
land. I told him that we did not intend to do so,
that I preferred to know the people of England to
any other object. He then said that he was glad
his advice was not needed by us ; that he thought
it a poor way to go abroad to learn German meta-
physics, which could be as well learned at home ;
but the study of man must be made on the spot.
I told him also that I first published his poems in
America. He remembered the edition, and said he
had the copy I sent to him. Mr. Rogers made
us promise to breakfast with him on Monday, and
we then took our leave.
^Sth. Breakfasted at nine o'clock, with Mr.
Rogers, according to appointment. Mr. R. delighted
us with his literary anecdotes of the last sixty years.
Showed us numerous autographs of Dryden, Pope,
Goldsmith, Sheridan, &c. He takes a warm interest
in America, — remembers his father's decided friend-
3
34, LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
ship for the colonies when the war of the Revolution
broke out. The Recorder, his father's friend, when
he heard of the battle of Lexington, went into mourn-
ing-, and the Master of Ordnance at the Tower gave
up his place, worth £1,000 a year, rather than ship
guns to America, to be used against us. Mr. Rogers
directed our attention to Dryden's house, and Milton's
garden. He is now eighty-one years old — -hale and
cheerful.
May 5 th. Went to the Tower — ■ once a prison
of state, now a museum of curiosities and arms.
There is a complete series of arms, from about 900,
down to the present time, arranged by Sir Samuel
Meyrick, in a most beautiful manner. Horses and
horsemen, knights, esquires, yeomanry, — all dressed
and armed according to the times in which they lived.
Many of the kings so mounted, are likenesses as
well in person as armor. In another apartment
we were shown the various instruments of torture,
those venerable arguments for the spread of faith
and the advancement of truth. The axe used in
the execution of Lady Jane Grey, Anne Boleyn,
and the Countess of Salisbury, is here. No English-
man could be found who would act as executioner
to Lady Jane Grey, and a Frenchman was sent for,
for the jjurpose. He was left-handed, and the axe
was made expressly for his use. The block is here
too, on wliicli the Scottish lords were beheaded in
the time of the Pretender (1745). The seams on
It, whicli the axe-man made, when he struck through
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. S5
the neck, are deep, and show with what zeal he (Hd
his work. Here is the httle prison-room, with walls
eighteen feet thick, where Sir Walter Raleigh was
confined for twelve years.
11th. Breakfiisted with Mr. Vertue, and then
took railroad and steamboat to Gravesend, twenty
miles, to visit Colonel William and Major James
Burns, sons of the poet. After an agreealde ride
down the river, the shores of which are highly cul-
tivated, and often ornamented with fine country seats,
we arrived at Gravesend at one o'clock. Called on
Messrs. Burns, whom we found at home, and pleased
with our visit. The daughter of James, (the one
pictured with a daisy in her hand, standing by the
side of her grandmother,) is a very intelligent and
pretty Scottish lassie, and strongly resembles her
grandfather. She talked with nmch interest of the
poet. Her father, (James) the youngest son of
Burns, has no resemblance in person or mind to
the poet: William, on the contrary, resembles him
strongly in person and expression. His face is what
would be called a perfect likeness. He appeared
under some disadvantage, being ill, but his conversa-
tion was animated, and his eye showed the original
fire. He manifested a lively interest in his father's
fame in America, which country he intimated he
might visit. Both these gentlemen are retired offi-
cers from the East India Company's service, and
have both passed thirty-two years at or near Madras.
I left them with a melancholy feeling that it was the
gg LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
last time I should ever see a living- representative
of the greatest poet since Shakespeare.
13fh. Went with Mr. Pickering to Hampstead,
to hear the nightingales in " Caen Wood," and was
gratified with a full concert. The note is very much
like that of the ferruginous thrush, but less varied,
and not so loud. It is very quick and lively, and not
as I expected, slow and pensive. So much for im-
pressions from poets. We had a fine moon, and
remained in the wood listening to the warblers till
after nine o'clock. Then walked through such lanes
as are to be found only in England, to Highstead.
Passed the cottage where Steele wrote his Essays,
and which is pictured in Drake's Essays at Hamp-
stead, — and Coleridge's residence (Mr. Gillman's)
at Highstead. On the whole, had a delightful ram-
ble, with a most intelligent and kind-hearted man,
and returned to his house in Piccadilly, at ten.
Supped with him, talking over literary anecdotes.
• • • • • • •
June 4fth. Went to St. Denis to hear the organ.
I am no musician, but I am sure it was played
with surpassing skill. The imitation of a tremen-
dous storm was perfect. The first grumbling of
the thunder in the distance, its nearer approach, and
finally the awful bursting of the whole storm, thun-
der, rain and hail, was as frightful as any reality
could be. A gentleman sitting near me, uncon-
sciously grasped his umbrella, and was in the act of
handing it to a lady, when he woke from his dream,
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 3y
and was sensible of the deception. I am glad that
I have witnessed so impressive a scene. On my way
back to town, bought some sabots, or wooden shoes.
The woman who sold them expressed her surprise
that sabots were not worn in so cold a country as
America, — said she had no idea that we were so
much behind in the arts of life, and expressed her
belief that those bought by me would be greedily
copied.
7M. The Belgian country over which I passed,
is highly cultivated — to a remarkable extent by the
spade, and the seed sown in drills, instead of broad-
cast. Neither of these methods can be practised
except when labor is very low. Much of the heav-
iest labor is done here by women, who seem to be
treated more like beasts of burden, than the men of
the same rank. I saw this morning two women
just beginning to spade a lot, of I should think four
acres, and I could hardly conceive a more discour-
aging prospect, the progress of the labor is so slow.
Three or four of the lords of creation sat near with
their long, dirty beards, smoking, and observing the
work go on. Yesterday, I passed a man and woman
returning from the day's labor in the field, \\ith
the tools, and the man sat in the handcart, which
the woman dragged, or rather shoved !
X'^th. Leipsic is a nice city, but remarkable for
little except its University. The princii)al building-
is very plain, without any pretensions to the pictu-
resque. In the evening, went with Mr. B. \ audi-
JiS4.9:^.
gg LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
nitz, and Dr. Flueg-el, to Mr. T.'s country-house, or
castle, (as it is in magnitude,) about four miles out of
town. Mr. Tauchnitz lives in a very expensive
way, and is decidedly wealthy. He has a very inter-
esting family. His house is surrounded by water,
(a branch of the Elbe,) and single forest trees, with
gardens, and every thing belonging to a large landed
estate in this country. Passed a pleasant evening.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Tauchnitz speak English. Our
supper would have surprised a New England Teeto-
taller. In the first place, the servant presented me
with what I supposed was a plate of soup, but
which I found to my surprise was quite another
thing. It was a plate of Hock wine, sweetened and
spiced, and with bits of toast floating on it, resem-
bling, in all but the taste, a soup-maigre. It was de-
licious. Then followed pigeons, fowls, &c., &c., with
a constant flow of delicious wines, sweetmeats, and a
long list of delicacies, which I did not venture upon.
• • • • • • •
^Oth. Rejoiced to be once more in Old England
amongst a people that can talk^ and that have always
received me as an old friend. Looked about for
btdgings, but could find none that I would occupy.
TIk? London Coffee House, so long the resort of
Americans, is dark, dirty, and ill-attended. Inquired
of my friend William Smith, bookseller, 113 Fleet
Street, wlio told me there were fine rooms at Stoke
Newington, tliat I could obtain, belonging to a "very
(l<;cent person." As it was only four miles out of
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 39
town, and the communication constant by omnil)us,
I decided to go and look at tliem. Accordingly at
evening he accompanied me, and I was agreeably
surprised to find myself (willy-nillyj his guest. He
said he was alone, having no children, and having
lately lost his wife, and should feel obliged if I
would remain with him, as long as I staid in London.
Of course, I could not resist such an invitation.
'^%nd. Walked with Mr. Smith over the village
of Stoke Newington. It is an extremely pleasant vil-
lage, having Highbury, Hampstead, Tottenham, Clap-
ton, and Islington, as boundaries. It is quite in the
country, and the gardens and villas of the Londoners
are scattered in the rich farms and orchards of the
cultivators. The New River, which supplies a portion
of London with water, runs through the village, and
the river Lea, which was one of Walton's haunts,
runs for some distance parallel with it, in the neigh-
boring town of Clapton. This village seems to have
been the favorite resort of authors. Goldsmith lived
near it, and wrote his Vicar in a house near the
one I occupy. Dr. Watts lived and died here, and
his chapel is now used as a lecture room. Priestley,
too, preached here. De Foe's house is still in fine
repair, and indicates a thrifty and opulent proprietor,
as De Foe is said to have been when he resided
here.
Juhj Qth, Sumhifj. Went by railroad to Slough,
and then walked through the largest and finest
wheat fields to Stoke Pogis church, the burial-|)lace
40 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
of the poet Gray. It was here that he took his
hints chiefly for his Elegy. It is a spot of unequal-
led beauty, — approached only by foot-paths, — stands
in a crescent of groves in the grounds of Mr. Penn,
a descendant of William Penn, who has erected a
statue to Gray, in another part of his grounds. The
yew trees still shade the graves, " in many a moul-
dering heap," and the ivy still literally covers the
little, but singularly beautiful church. I heard ser-
vice in the church ; the music was fine, and the
sermon dull and sensible. The congregation was
almost entirely of rustics, and it required a poet
indeed to imagine that any " inglorious Milton," or
" village Hampden," were amongst them. They were
the most wooden-headed looking persons I have ever
seen, A rural tablet, outside the church, tells that
Gray is buried in the tomb hard by, with his mother.
I looked in vain for any other distinguished name
both in the church and church-yard. Every image,
except the " elms, " recorded or alluded to in the
Elegy, may be traced in this spot. A bell surmounts
the tower. The church and grounds are included in
the farm of Mr. Penn, and the lowing herds feed
on the very borders of the " yard." The " plough-
man," and the "owl," are at home in the fields, —
(lark woods are to be seen on all sides, and the
" rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep " beneath many
a heaving turf, in this little home of the dead, cov-
ered with deep green moss. If I had seen nothing
niorc, tins day's jjilgrimage is worth a journey to
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 41
England. After lingering around this lovely spot,
until the shades of evening hegan to close in, I took
a private way through long fields of heans in hlossorn,
and vrheat, oats, and harley, back to the station, and
returned to the house of my hospitable friend at
Stoke Newington.
VJth. Went to Prescott, to see Mr. Nuttall at
Nutgrove. Found hitn beautifully situated on his
estates, and pleased to see me. Went over his
grounds, and saw his tenantry, who are mostly old
men who have occupied under his uncle for many
years. They are small farmers, occupying from thirty
to sixty acres ; and the rents seemed to me low, but
they pay all taxes, and those are monstrous. For
sixty acres of good grass and grain land the net
rent to Mr. Nuttall was only £^0. In the morning
went to Knowesly Park, the seat of Earl Derby,
with Mr. Nuttall, — a delightful walk through wheat
and bean fields — beans in full bloom. Innumerable
private ways are kept open in England, through
fields, parks, &c. One might almost travel over the
whole country, without setting his foot on a carriage-
way. Earl Derby's seat is surrounded by an im-
mense grove of fine oaks, the whole ranged by deer,
and covered with hares and other game. His fruits
are of the finest varieties, and the gardens of great
extent. I tasted the grapes, peaches, and nectarines,
all of course protected by glass, but all of fine flavor.
His gardener estimated that there were two tliousaiid
pine-apples in various stages of growth in the hot-
42 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
houses. He has also a fine and very extensive avi-
ary, and many rare quadrupeds. Returned to Mr.
Nuttall's, and after dinner visited his orchards and
gooseberry plantations. One of the last covered six
acres, and every bush seemed crowded with fruit to
its greatest capacity. We supposed there were two
hundred barrels of fruit nearly fit to be gathered.
July 19th. At twelve o'clock was under way
for Boston, in the Cambria steamer. 1 am so for-
tunate as to have for a room-mate Dr. Sharp, who
accompanied me over.
The passage home was as agreeable as a pleasant
companion and fine weather could make it. It was
monotonous, but the quickest passage ever made from
Europe to America, — being only eleven days and
four hours, including twenty hours delay by visiting
Halifax. Arrived at my house at nine, after an ab-
sence of four months, lacking two days. In all this
time, and having travelled at least ten thousand miles,
I have not met with the slightest accident, or unpleas-
ant circumstance. I have been everywhere received
with the kindest attention, and most liberal hospital-
ity, and not in a single instance have I met with a
rude action or an unkind word.
In April, 1846, Mr. Brown was married to Miss
Mary Dt'rby Hobbs, daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Hobbs
of Waltham ; a connection in every way fortunate ;
securing to himself the society and conversation of an
intelligent and sympathizing companion, and to his
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 43
younger cliiklren that affectionate maternal care of
which they stood in need ; and increasing his social
resources by his adoption into a most amiable and
cultivated family circle.
In 184'7, Mr. Brown, accompanied by his wife,
visited Europe ; leaving home on the first day of
April, and returning on the first day of September.
They remained in London till the early part of June,
and then went to Paris, to which a fortnight was
given. Another fortnight was spent in an excursion
through Belgium and the Rhine country. They then
returned to London, where Mr. Brown completed
his business engagements ; after which a tour was
made through Scotland and the north of England,
before embarking for home.
In 1849, Mr. and Mrs. Brown again visited
Europe, accompanied by Dr. and Mrs. Hobbs ;
leaving home on the twenty-first day of March, and
returning at the close of August. Their tour com-
prised London and Paris, the English lake country,
parts of Scotland, Germany, and S\A'itzerland. They
had proposed to visit Italy also, but this was pre-
vented by an illness of Mr. Brown which detained
them three weeks in London.
While in Switzerland, a brief separation of the
travelling party took place at Lucerne, Mr. Brown
and Dr. Hobbs going over the Brunig Pass, and re-
joining their friends at Interlaken ; it being deemed
unadvisable for the ladies, one of whom was ill. to
tempt the fatigue of a mountain excursion. ^\ Inle
44 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
at Grindehvald Mr. Brown \\Tote an account of their
journey, to his wife, the greater part of which is
here copied.
Grindelwald, June 26, Tuesday.
My dear Wife, — To compensate you as far as
I can for the loss of seeing with me, the last two
days, I ^vill attempt some description of our little
journey from Lucerne. We left, as you know, in a
row-hoat, with our guide Francis, a most intelligent
and ohliging Swiss, for Alpnach, about nine miles up
the lake. Our guide amused us with his shrewd
remarks, queer stories, and broken English. He
was particularly severe on the priest at Lucerne,
who blessed the boat that went out on Sunday with
music — you recollect it — that is, blessed it for that
trip, for which Francis says he had money. Well,
the boat had just left the wharf when one of the
men went into the engine-room for something, when
the engineer let go the engine and killed him !
Now, Francis says the priest has to say a long list
of ])rayers gratis for the poor boatman whom his
blessing did not save.
The shores of the lake are pretty on this side,
but witbout the grandeur of the Altorf trip which
we made on Saturday. We called at the inn at
Alpuacli, and took some bread, honey, and wine,
whilst Francis hired a carriage to take us to Lun-
gnii, fifteen miles, where we dined pretty well. We
tiuMi t(K»k horses for th(; Brunig Pass, the Bernese
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 45
Oberland and Meyringen. In passing from Alpnach
to Lungern we saw the opening made into tlie lake
by whicli a large portion of its waters were drawn
off*, and its beauty spoiled. The road was so pre-
cipitous we were obliged to wjdk several miles, and
through quite a smart shower. The passage from
Lungern to Meyringen was very grand and varied,
giving us at different times views of the valley of
the Aar, Lake Lucerne, and the Brunig mountains.
On the whole, we thought it inferior to the ride up the
Righi, but it was at times frightfully grand. Parts
of it were hard and difficult for the traveller, and
we were obliged to walk a good deal. In looking
over the books at the stopping-places, we saw but
few ladies' names ; our guide says the journey should
only be made by ladies in chairs. We had a nice
supper of tea, strawberries and cream ! and went early
to bed, intending to be oS" at six in the morning.
I took a bath, as the guide said it would take the
tired out of us. Slept well, and in the morning
went down to the dining-room, where the usual stores
of carved wooden ware were offered. I bought
none, but I found a very nice herbarium at ten francs,
and another at three francs, both of which I secured
for you. Agreeably to our orders, every thing was
ready at six to start — we had before taken some
coffee, eggs and strawberries, — and we took to our
horses, and after passing a mile or more out of the
straggling village, began to rise on the great Schei-
deck, by the side of the Wetterhorn, Wellborn, the
^g LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
Black Forest, and the upper and lower Grindelwald
glacier. We had not rode above a mile, when our
attention was fixed by the grandeur of the scene
around us. The valley of the Aar, the village of
Meyringen, and the thousand little waterfalls that
come down like silver threads, give to the scene a
surpassing beauty. We now left our horses, and took
a road for a mile or so impracticable for them, and
went to the fall of the Reichenbach, one of rare
beauty. We saw it from a small house built to
protect observers from the spray. The sun shone
its brightest, and I think I never witnessed a more
truly beautiful spectacle, a complete rainbow formed
in the spray, and really within our reach. This fall is
about one hundred feet high, but the river falls in
its course two thousand, and we followed it to its
source in the Black Forest glacier, and the neighbor-
ing Alpine snows. After leaving the fall, the way
became very steep, and on the edge of the mountain,
the shelf which served for a road, being for a great
distance hardly more than three feet in width. We
now passed on through scenes of majestic grandeur,
which I cannot attempt to describe. Waterfalls on
all sides, rushing streams and deafening rapids, moun-
tains far above the clouds, capped with snow, and
distant glaciers, all presenting new views at ev'^ery
angle of the path. The chalets of the shepherds
were scattered through the valleys, and numerous
flocks of goats and cattle, tinkling their bells, served
to beautify a scene oppressive by its solemn majesty.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 4y
At first we would call each other's attention to the
more striking scenes, but we soon neglected this,
each being absorbed in his own reflections. I felt
something of tlie confused feeling that I do when
visiting a gallery of fine paintings without time to
examine. The scene shifted so fast that an object
that I could have stood before and wondered at for
days had no time to make a distinct impression.
As we began to descend, we passed the little ham-
let of Rosenlaui, where there is a fine waterfall, and
sulphur bath. We now came in full view of the
upper Grindelwald glacier, stretched out into the
valley before us. The bad state of the road com-
pelled us to leave our horses for nearly two hours,
and walk over morasses and steep banks. At about
ten we reached the borders of the glacier, and in
company with a peasant who cut steps for us hi the
ice, went on to it. It is truly an astonishing spec-
tacle. Full of frightful crevices, some of them of
great depth, of the most solid and transparent ice,
that bids defiance to sun and rain, rising to an un-
known height, and spreading to an almost unknown
extent, the glacier is still surrounded to within a few
feet of its margin with delicate flowers and fruit-
trees, — the apple, pear, cherry, &c. in full fruit,
within five minutes walk of the lower Grindelwald.
We reached our inn tired and hungry, feelings that
we had forgotten until then in the excitement of the
scenes we were passing through. We enjoyed our
dinner with the nice Alpine strawberries, and after a
^3 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
short siesta, I am wTiting these recollections. Before
finishing, I must tell you that our window, literally au
premier, looks out on the innnense Wetterhorn, rising
like a great gothic ruin some eight thousand feet on
my left, — the lower Grindelwald with its silver peak,
the Schreckhorn covered with snow of dazzling
whiteness, sometimes enveloped in clouds, and then
as they melt away seeming to rest on the cerulean
blue behind, far up in the heavens, more than thir-
teen thousand feet from me, but as distinct as the
glaciers at my feet ; this makes the centre and the
background. On the right the Eigher, or Giant, a
rude mass of brown stone, naked, except where a
few lines of snow relieve his savage grandeur, rises
to an immense height, and seems to support his fair
and brilliant neighbor the Jungfrau, Imagine all this
within twenty minutes walk, (I mean of course their
bases,) and I think you will agree with me that such a
scene is not witnessed more than once in any life.
Some further account of this tour is contained in
a letter from Paris, addressed to his eldest daughter,
a portion of which is here given.
Paris, May 28, 1849.
My dear Mary, — Your mother has given such
lull accounts of our travels in her letters, that I
caiuiot add much that will interest you. I must
expect that ahnost all the value my letter can have to
you, will be in the fact that it is mine. Since I
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 49
saw you, as you know, I have been sick for a long-
time, and when I have been well my business has
been so pressing that I have had but little time to
write letters. I hope now to be a better correspond-
ent. We have been in Paris now a week, and
have seen many of its curiosities. Few of them of
course were new to your mother or me, but they
are so beautiful that they very well bear seeing twice.
Mr. and Mrs. Bossange, and other of our friends,
have been very polite to us, and contributed very
much to make our journey pleasant. We live in
fine rooms overlooking the beautiful gardens of the
Tuileries and the palace of the king (when there
is a king.) This garden, or rather park, — for it is
as thickly covered, for the most part, with trees as
our grounds around the pond, — is filled every fine
day with thousands of people who sit there and
read and smoke or sew according to their various
tastes. Children of all ages, from a month old to
eighty years, come there for fine air and various
games. In the street, between our rooms and this
garden, a thousand interesting scenes are constantly
passing. Now a troop of horse, with flourish of
trumpets, go clattering over the pavements, whdst
near them busy chiffoniers are collecting from the
refuse of the streets their foul and scanty fare. Then
a regiment of infantry, with fine music, pass before
us on their way to the Place du Carrousel, or to the
Champ de Mars. Omnibuses, carriages, crowds of
gentlemen and ladies, beggars, grisettes, vagabond
4
^Q LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
looking soldiers in undress, market-women with their
whole wealth on their head, or en crochet, on their
hacks, vary and fill up the always shifting and never
tiresome scene.
Every thing here is scenic, — picturesque. The old
houses, five or six stories high, with their Norman
capped windows and turreted chimneys, and standing
so near each other that in many streets you cannot
drive a chaise between them. The lamp-posts are
covered with allegorical emblems, and surmounted in
many instances with elaborately carved statues. At
every turn, you meet with palaces or churches or
monuments, some of them dating before the Christiar
Era, and others the work of the Emperor Napoleon,
on which the labors of the most celebrated men have
been bestowed, and the wealth of nations compelled
by conquests to contribute to these works as well as
to the resources of the kingdom of France. Even
the trees are trimmed to represent Gothic arches and
other architectural forms. You may walk for miles
under the shade of elms and beeches shaped in this
manner, and so perfectly done, that you doubt whether
you are not in the solenni aisle of some great cathe-
dial. Til Pere le Chaise, with the nightingales for
choristers, and the service for the dead going on in
the midst, the deception is complete.
We visited this celebrated cemetery last Sunday
after hearing higli mass at the cathedral church of
Notre Dame. It is filled, even crowded, with monu-
ments ; some of them in fine taste and of exquisite
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 51
workmanship. But it wants the natural beauties
which will always give Mount Auburn a beautiful
preeminence over all other burial-j)laces. It is not
well kept either, and has many monuments that give
evidence of a perverted taste, which should never
have been admitted. Near the gate where you enter,
is the monument of the celebrated lovers and more
celebrated scholars, Abelard and Heloise ; the term
scholar only applies to the first, except what his fame
has reflected on his pupil. The monument, removed
from a church, destroyed I believe in some of the
commotions of the first French Revolution, is the
most interesting one in the grounds, both for its
architectural ornament and historical associations.
But as a whole the cemetery is full of interest, for
it contains a large portion of the great men of the
nation — scholars, civilians, marshals, &c., &c. ; and
it commands from its high grounds the finest view
of Paris and the surrounding country that can be
had anywhere. You will see that I have referred
to several things in this letter, that you will wish
to consult books in order to understand. The great
Cyclopaedia in the library will help you in any diffi-
culty. You are now enjoying your (too 1) long
vacation. You must not neglect to read regularly
from some good book which Mr. Emerson will
recommend — or let the thimble I gave you rust for
want of use.
Your affectionate fiither,
James Brown.
Miss M. A. E. Brown.
^g LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
In the summer of 1852, Mr. Brown again visited
Europe, accompanied by his second son, Mr. Edward
Wyeth Brown. They sailed from Boston in the
packet-ship Daniel Webster, on the seventh day of
July, and were absent exactly twelve weeks. A
large portion of this time was spent in London and
Paris, and devoted to business engagements ; but a
rapid glance was given to some of the most inter-
esting points in England and Scotland.
The next summer, Mr. Brown made his fifth and
last voyage to Europe. He was accompanied by his
wife, his eldest daughter, and Miss Eliza Hobbs, a
sister of Mrs. Brown. They left home on the thir-
teenth of April, and returned early in September.
They saw Paris, Switzerland, the Rhine country,
and the English and Scotch lakes ; for the sake of
the young ladies, who had never been in Europe
before, going over ground already somewhat famil-
iar to Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Mr. Bro\vn's busi-
ness arrangements kept him in London a consid-
erable time ; during which period the ladies of the
party lived in the inmiediate neighborhood, at such
distance as to permit Mr. Brown to join them after
his daily work was over. During- the hours that
he was busy in London, they made short excursions
to the interesting spots in the vicinity of the great
metro])()lis, such as Hampton Court, Kew, Finchley,
Hannnersmith, and Norwood. One pleasant week
was passed at Richmond ; and the long, silvery twi-
lights of the early English summer were spent in
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. ^^
rowing up and down the Thames, a river so rich
in natural beauty, and so crowded with historical
associations.
Having- thus presented a continuous narrative of
Mr. Bro^\^l's successive visits to Europe, as a sort
of distinct chapter in his experience, we now go
back a few years, and resume our sketch of his
domestic and business life at home.
As Mr. Brown's partnership with Mr. Little was
the crown and consummation of his business career,
so the building of his house, and the establishment
of his family, at \yatertown, in 1840, was an event
of similar moment in his domestic and private life.
The feeling of attachment which gathers round the
spot in which we dwell, depends much upon the
fact whether we look upon it as a permanent, or
only a temporary, home. A man will often live long
in a house, his children will grow up around him in
it, and yet his affections will never take deep root
there, because he is looking forward to something
better. His imagination, his hopes, his thoughts, are
dwelling upon some point not yet reached. He says
to himself that at some future period, when his
means are greater or his occupations less, he will
rear a house which shall l)e and have all that he
desires, — which shall realize his visions of a home,
where he shall be content to rest. It often happens
that the dream never comes to pass — that year
after year slips by, and the final sunmions readies
him in the midst of fruitless wishes and hopes post-
g^ LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
poned. But it is not always so. The airy man-
sion is sometimes fixed upon the firm earth, and
the husband and the father gathers his household
round him in a home from which his feet shall
wander no more on earth, and where he may per-
mit his aifections to strike into the soil, because he
means that no hand but that of death shall uproot
them.
And this assuredly was Mr. Brown's sentiment
in regard to the spot in which he lived during
the last fourteen years of his life. He had pre-
viously resided, as the head of a family, in four
difierent houses; two in Cambridge, one in West
Cambridge, and one in Boston; but when he had
settled himself in this home, he felt that he had
made the last of his earthly removals; that here he
had found his haven of rest in which his anchor
was dropped and his sail furled. The house itself
is a wooden structure, of moderate size, in its ex-
terior making no great architectural pretensions,
and in its situation happily blending with the ob-
jects and scenery in its immediate vicinity. It
stands in Watertown, near the line which di-
vides it from West Cambridge, to the south of
Wellington Hill, just where the lower spurs of this
beautiful elevation subside, by gentle gradations, into
the broad plain which clasps the waters of Fresh
Pond with its belt of verdure. It faces nearly east.
A lawn, of about an acre in extent, lies between it
and the road. To the north — between Welhngton
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 55
Hill and the house — but only a few feet distant
from the latter — is a thick grove of trees, mostly
elms and maples — the natural growth of the soil.
They overshadow, and with their thick-woven cano])y
of leaves, keep dark, amid the blaze of noon, a
steep gorge, or chasm, at the bottom of which runs
a clear stream, mingling its liquid voice with the
whisper of the overhanging trees. The rocky bed,
along which the waters trip and sing, has been ar-
tificially enlarged, and exotic trees have been planted
among those of native growth ; but the essential
character of the spot has not been changed by the
hand of improvement. The brook is near enough
to the house to be heard in the pauses of speech
during the stillness of a summer's day, but not
near enough to be obtrusive in its claims. In the
dust and drought of August, it mocks the ear with
a delusive sound of rain; and at all times it falls
upon the sense like an audible pulse of nature, ever
in movement and yet ev^er the same.
This stream passes under the road which runs in
front of the house and reappears in a broader and
gentler form upon the other side. Here it flows, in
shape like a bended bow, through an ample meadow
of the richest verdure, which, in its soft slopes and
in the marks of finished cultivation which it pre-
sents, recalls some of the characteristic features of
English scenery. To the left, the view is dosed
in by the hills of Medford; and directly in front,
at the distance of about three miles, rises the
gQ LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
rounded elevation upon which the flaring red brick
of Tufts's College certainly sheds no grace. The
white houses and spires of Medford, West Cam-
bridge, and Somerville, stand clearly showTi in the
bright and smokeless air; but Boston is hidden by
the rising ground on the right. Directly in front,
a broad, green plain is unrolled to the eye — a
waveless sea of verdure — richly cultivated, and
thickly sprinkled with fruit-bearing and ornamental
trees.
The environs of Boston, beautiful as they are,
can show few scenes more beautiful than the site
of Mr. Brown's house. It stands in what may be
called the border land between the region of agri-
culture and the region of horticulture, strictly speak-
ing. On the one side, we see trim gardens, orna-
mented pleasure grounds, smooth-shaven lawns, fair
houses, and all the indications of that wealth which
is drawn from the city and expended in the grati-
fication of rural tastes ; and on the other are plain
farm-houses and farms, which have come down from
father to son, orchards, pastures, and grain fields —
a district not yet whirled into the vortex of the me-
tropolis, where land is still sold by the acre and not
by the foot, and where old manners and primitive
habits are yet found. Thus, the grace of nature and
the grace of art are shed over the landscape. And
it has the furthcn- advantage of being thickly wooded
witli trees, some of native growth and some planted
by the hand of man. In early summer, when the
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. ^ri
grass is bright and fresh, and the foHage wears its
hue of " glad, hght green," — when the vault of
heaven rings and overflows with the joyous notes
of the bobolink and the liquid warble of the
wood-thrush — when the breeze seems to caress the
trees that bend to its touch, and the flying clouds
dapple the broad plain with their shadows — the
whole scene is stamped with rich and glowing
beauty; not grand, not strictly picturesque, — but
made up of those soft and gentle elements that are
equally fitted to refresh a wearied spirit and soothe
a saddened heart.
When fairly settled in his new home, Mr. Brown
began to indulge himself in the gratification of two
tastes, which had previously been kept somewhat
restrained by the circumstances of his life ; and
these were his love of land and his love of books.
Born with a love of nature, and having a strong
relish for agricultural pursuits, his purchases of land
kept steady pace vdth the increase of his substance.
One small farm after another was gradually added
to his estate ; until at his death he was the owner
of about one hundred and forty acres ^ in the
vicinity of his residence. This homestead farm, if
it may be so called, stretched along the slopes and
over the upland of Wellington Hill — so well known
for the superb view which it commands. It com-
1 Besides these, he owned a parcel of land, of about eleven acres,
on the banks of Fresh Pond, and several lots and houses in Cam-
bridge.
53 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
prised wood land, arable land, and pasture land. Some
of it was what farmers call rough, and presented
rather a discouraging- aspect to an unprofessional
eye ; but much of it was fertile, and some of it was
well situated for building lots. Even the most un-
favorable portions were of a kind to invite and
reward the application of skill and capital.
In the cultivation of his land, Mr. Brown found
a constant occupation and interest during the latter
years of his life. If as a mere pecuniary invest-
ment, he might have employed his capital better,
he could not have disposed of it in a way to yield
larger returns of happiness and health. His agri-
cultural occupations supplied him with regular and
attractive employment during the hours he rescued
from business, so that no moment ever hung heavy
upon his hands. He had gained some practical
knowledge of farming in his boyhood, which he now
revived ; and he also made himself acquainted with
the best methods which experience and observation
had recorded in print. His farm was not one of
those showy, model establishments, which require
a fortune to carry it on ; nor was it conducted ex-
actly as it would have been done by a sharp New
England farmer, who looked at nothing but the
main chance. It was managed in a liberal spirit;
more with reference to prospective benefit than pres-
ent gain ; but there was no extravagant expenditure,
no whimsical outlay, no ftmtastic indulgence of un-
profitable tastes.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 59
Among' other things, he took pains to provide
himself with specimens of the best cattle that could
be procured, both of foreign and domestic breed ;
and in these he took great delight. His kindly-
nature led him to become attached to every living
thing that was put mider his charge, and his four-
footed dependants shared in this feeling. His Al-
derneys and Durhams were objects of constant and
growing interest to him. Their arrival was im-
patiently waited and eagerly welcomed ; he made
them almost daily visits, to examine their condition
and watch their progress ; he took pleasure in show-
ing them to his friends, and in helping ignorant
eyes to discern their peculiar points of excellence.
The expression of his countenance, as he looked
upon them, seemed to be asking them if they were
contented in their new home, and if he could do any
more than he had already done to make them com-
fortable.
The last few years of Mr. Brown's life do not
present nmch for his biographer to record. His
visits to Europe, and occasional journeys to other
parts of our own country, were the only interrup-
tions to the uniform channel in which his days
glided by. Happy, it has been said, is the nation
whose history is dull ; happy, it may be added, is
the man whose life is uneventful. Certainly the lot
of humanity can hardly permit one to be more ]iap|)y
than was Mr. Brown during the last ten years of
his sojourn upon earth. His business was, of course.
50 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
his primal and paramount interest ; it was the main-
spring- of his mind, calHng forth all its energies, and
allowing- no faculty to gather rust by inaction. But
while his business occupied, it never absorbed or
exhausted, him ; it never left him in such a state of
prostration as to require the sting of some sharp
excitement to rouse his languid spirit. He did not
bring back to his home a brain so worn out by long-
continued toil as to be incapable of any thing but
absolute repose. His days were wisely divided and
happily ordered. He paid to duty its just tribute,
but from the hours of every day something was
reserved for the domestic affections, something for
the claims of health, something for the cultivation
of the mind, something for the gratification of pure
and elevating tastes. His life turned upon two
poles ; one was his place of business, and the other
was liis home, his library, and his farm — and it
turned harmoniously, because it was proportionably
distributed between the two. And this double inter-
est contributed to the health of both body and mind.
The management of his farm, the overseeing of his
laborers, the interest he took in his cattle and the
growth of his crops, gave him an object for long
walks and drives, and prevented his felling into
those habits of bodily inaction which are so apt to
creep over men in our country after middle life.
And the hours not devoted to out-of-door employ-
ments were haj)pily filled up by his books and the
society of his family and friends. Thus, without
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. (JJ
hurry, without feverish excitement — and equally
without apathy and inaction — his hfe ghded by,
passing from resort to retirement, as the stream
steals from sunshine to shade. His business was
securely prosperous, an affectionate family was grow-
ing up around him, he was rich in friends, his influ-
ence in the community was increasing, his past was
without reproach, and no cloud seemed to rest upon
his future.
Mr. Brown was — as the Apostle would have a
bishop to be — "a lover of hospitality and a lover
of good men." His sympathies were generous and
comprehensive, but by no means without discrimina-
tion and preference. He valued men for their per-
sonal qualities, and not for their accidental advan-
tages ; and his simple self-respect inspired a natural
independence of spirit, which had nothing to assume
and nothing to suppress. He had many friends
among the favored classes — among those who had
drawn prizes in the lottery of life — who were in
the enjoyment of wealth, intellectual superiority,
social distinction, wide-spread influence — but these
friendships did not in the least cool his heart to-
wards those who had none of these things to com-
mend them, but who had earned his confidence and
won his affection by their personal worth, their sub-
stantial services, or their attachment to him. He
was of a truly catholic spirit ; and though holding
decided opinions upon the controverted points of the
day, he did not limit his regards to those who
Q2 LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
thought as he did, or insist that his friends should
be also his partisans. Under his benignant and rec-
onciling influence, men of discordant views met to-
gether and learned from his example lessons of
charity and tolerance. His guests will ever recall
with melancholy pleasure the hours they spent under
his roof. His smile of welcome, his outstretched
hand of greeting, will live forever in their memo-
ries. Had an artist sought an embodied type of the
spirit of hospitality, he might have found it in him,
as he stood at his door to receive a friend that he
loved. When presidhig over his generous but never
ostentatious board, his cordial manner and beaming
countenance diffused around him an atmosphere of
ha])piness which " outdid the meats, outdid the frolic
wine." The sunshine of his spirit thawed all the
icy chains of coldness and reserve ; and nowhere
did men appear to better advantage — nowhere did
they bring forth more of their intellectual resources
— than at the table of a man who used no other
art of drawing out than the magic of a warm heart
and a genial nature.
Mr. Brown's love of books was a native taste,
like his love of nature and of rural pursuits ; and
as soon as his means permitted, he began to indulge
himself in tlic purchase of them. This was espec-
ially the CISC after he had removed to Watertovvn,
and felt himself settled for life. So long as a man
is u wanderer upon the earth, he will hardly buy
lM)oks on a large scale ; for a lover of books does
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 63
not like to have them exposed to the mischances of
conveyance from one place to another. Scholars are
often discontented with the smallness of their libra-
ries ; but they will find much comfort therein when
they wish to move them. Mr. Brown's business
relations gave him peculiar facilities in the selection
of his library ; and from his large purchases for the
public he generally reserved some choice specimens
for his own collection. Year by year, this collection
increased, and at his death it numbered about twenty-
five hundred volumes. This statement of its amount,
however, gives a very imperfect notion of its value ;
for it had been slowly gathered together with great
judgment and taste, and it comprised many costly
and many rare works. It was confined, with few
exceptions, to the English language ; and it may
be described, in one word, by saying that it con-
tained the best editions of the best books. All the
great lights of English literature were here, as well
as the best products of our own ; and in a form
and garb worthy of their claims. Mr. Brown was
a little touched with that disease of bibliomania of
which Dr. Dibdin writes in a vein of such pleasant
exaggeration. He liked tall copies, fine impressions,
ample margins ; and was nice and fastidious in bind-
ing. Mingled with those works, the value of which
is as universally recognized as that of gold and sil-
ver, were many chosen for their rarity ; which the
common reader would pass by without heeding, but
wdiich would make the eyes of a bibliomaniac to
54, LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
sparkle with joy, and his hands to tremble with
eager longing".
The library contained some very valuable works
in Natural History, especially Ornithology, always
a favorite pursuit with Mr. Brown. Among these
were Cuvier's Histoire Naturelle, Hardwicke's Indian
Zoology, Lambert's " Genus Pinus," Poiteau's Po-
mologie Frangaise, Gray's Genera of Birds, and the
magnificent publications of Gould on Ornithology, in
sixteen folio volumes. These were all devised by
him to the Boston Society of Natural History.
There were also fine copies of Wilson, and of the
quarto Audubon ; a complete set of Dr. Dibdin's
works, and of the bibliographical productions of Sir
Egerton Brydges ; a copy of Neale's Views of Eng-
lish Seats ; a fine set of the Publications of the
Percy Society ; Scott's editions of Dryden and
Swift ; the Works of Ritson ; Watt's Bibliotheca
Britannica ; Lodge's Portraits ; and Renouard's Works
on the early printers, Aldus and Stephanus.
Mr. Brown was a warm admirer of the genius
of Burns, and read with the liveliest interest every
thing connected with his life and fortunes. He
made it a point to visit every spot that was in any
way associated with his name, and we have seen
witli what animated pleasure he records his meeting
with the poet's sons. His collection of the editions
of Burns's poems, and of works illustrating his hfe
and genius, could not, to say the least, be paralleled
by any other single library in this country. He
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. 65
had every edition, of any note and value, which had
appeared in England or Scotland; including that of
Kilmarnock, in I786, in which this splendid lumi-
nary of song first broke upon the admiring gaze of
his countrymen, and that of Edinburgh, in I787.
He had the copy of Currie's first edition, which
had belonged to Clarinda, (Mrs. McLehose,) with
whom the poet, under the name of Sylvander, car-
ried on a correspondence, in a style of extravagant,
falsetto sentiment, hardly worthy of the honors of
publication, which it has recently attained. Another
copy of Currie in his possession is profusely illus-
trated with autographs, views of places, and por-
traits of persons mentioned in Burns's letters and
poems — making a work of great interest to every
admirer of the poet's genius, the materials of which
must have been collected with a patient assiduity
which nothing but hearty admiration could have in-
spired.
Mr. Brown's library was not an assemblage of
books ranged in handsome cases to please the eye,
— to be looked at merely, and not handled, —
but it was for daily use. To his singularly truth-
ful nature, it would have seemed a little disingenuous
to buy books which he never meant to read ; and it
is not too much to say, that there was not a volume
in his library with the contents of which he was not
more or less acquainted. His day was not so wholly
given to his business, his farm, his family, and his
friends, as not to leave some time for reading; and
D
gg LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
his residence in the country, while it cut him off
from some social privileges and from some attrac-
tive forms of amusement, left him long, unbroken
hours, especially in the winter season, for this occu-
pation, such as the hurry of a city life rarely af-
fords.
Such was Mr. Brown's life at the age of fifty-
four ; such were his sources of usefulness and of
happiness. The bounty of Providence had been
showered upon him with a most liberal hand ; and
it was acknowledged with a proportionably grateful
spirit. Possessed of an ample fortune, rich in
friends, happy in his domestic relations, occupied but
not absorbed by his business, enjoying a daily in-
creasing confidence and respect — he had won, with
no exhausting struggle, all the best prizes of life.
And he had knovAii enough of privation and sacri-
fice to enjoy with keen yet temperate relish the
blessings of his lot. The flavor of prosperity was
heightened by the remembrance of difficulties sub-
dued and obstacles overcome. The delight he took
in aiding others was enhanced by his recollection of
a period when he was in a condition to receive but
not to bestow favors. He had the happiness, in the
closing years of his life, to see his two eldest sons
established in business, and settled in homes of their
own ; and the birth of a grandchild, while it served
to remind him of the lapse of time, by the begin-
ning of a new generation, touched his heart with
the sense of that new relation, which seems to have
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. Q^
the sweetness and tenderness of the parental tie,
without its anxiety and responsibiUty.
And to his friends — even those who knew him
most intimately and saw him most frequently —
there seemed to be no reason why this happy, use-
ful, and generous life should not be prolonged to a
good old age. No preparatory stroke of warning
was sounded, to give them note of the coming sep-
aration. His frame and face betokened more than
ordinary constitutional vigor, and were those of a
man in whom the tide of life had not beofun to
turn. The casual stranger would have seen in him
the promise of that full measure of three score and
ten years which is allotted to man. But it was not
so ordained; and he was called from an earthly to
a heavenly home, in the prime of life, and in the
fulness of his powers — taken away from plans un-
ripened, and unblown hopes.
Some three or four years before his death, he
had suffered from an attack of diabetes ; a disease
which so affects the constitution, that the subject of
it is constantly exposed to fatal effects from causes
which but slightly disturb the system when in
health. This illness was not known to his most
intimate friends, or even to all the members of his
family ; but he took medical advice upon his case,
both here and in Europe, and the remedies pre-
scribed for him gave him material relief, but, as it
appeared, did not effect an entire cure.
About a year before his death, on a slippery day,
gg LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
he fell at the railroad station, and slid down several
steps, sustaining- some heavy bruises. This accident
brought on a recurrence of his former illness, and
he was detained at home a few days ; but he did
not think it of sufficient importance to take medical
advice.
In January, 1855, a large carbuncle broke out
upon him, just below the shoulder-blade, which much
reduced his strength, and was very slow in healing ;
and the physician ^ who attended him found his for-
mer disease unabated. He was kept at home sev-
eral weeks by this illness, and compelled to post-
pone the journey to Washington which he was
accustomed to take in the winter season. But in
time he recovered ; his strength and flesh returned ;
he seemed to have gained his usual health ; and he
felt himself well enough to go to Washington, where
he was called by a matter of business.
Upon his return home, he was attacked by a
sharp recurrence of his old disease. Dr. Hodgdon
was called to him on Saturday, March S, and found
liim in umch sullering. The fatigue of his journey
had j)robably irritated those parts of the system
whi(;h had been injured by the fall of the previous
year, and much infljunmation was the result.
Leeches were applied, and other means tried, but
they gave only temporary relief. Tuesday night and
Wednesday were periods of great suffering. On
I Dr. Hodgdon, of West Cambridge.
LIFE OF JAMES BROWN. (j()
Thursday, he was not in great pain, but liis strengtli
was fast declining. On Friday, his brain began to
be affected by his disease ; and during that night
he was in a state of high fever, and shghtly deHr-
ious. On Saturday, he became insensible, sank rap-
idly through the day, and breathed his last at about
five in the evening.
His illness had been so short, that the news of
his death fell with startling surprise upon the com-
munity ; and the expressions which it called forth
were marked with the sense of an unexpected, as
well as a great loss. His funeral took place on
Tuesday, March 13, and the number and character
of those who were present bore touching testimony
to the wide circle of affection, esteem, and confi-
dence which had gathered round his life.
The foregoing brief sketch comprises a delinea-
tion of Mr. Brown's leading traits of character, and
of those mental and moral qualities to which his
success in life was due, and by which he laid uj)
such treasures in the hearts of his friends. An
obituary notice, written by the author of this bio-
graphy, appeared in the Boston Daily Advertiser of
March 20. It was prepared under the fresh sense
of a great personal loss, and bears obvious marks of
the feeling from which it flowed ; but the author,
looking at it after an interval of more than a year,
sees in it no extravagance or overstatement, but only
a just tribute to a strong, pure, noble, and affection-
•JQ LIFE OF JAMES BROWN.
ate nature. It is here reproduced in its original
form. The ^\Tite^'s eyes grow dim at the pictures
and memories which it recalls ; but mingled with the
sense of an ever-present loss is a feeling of grati-
tude that he has been permitted to lay an oflfering
upon the grave of his friend which may help to
keep his memory green in the hearts of those who
knew him, and justify their love to those who knew
him not.
OBITUARY NOTICE.
FROM THE BOSTON DAILY ADVERTISEK OP MAUCH 20, 1855
OBITUARY NOTICE.
When a man like the late Mr. James Brown
dies, it is due to the esteem and affection with which
he was regarded by his friends, that his eminent
worth should be set forth with somewhat more of
fulness and distinctness than belongs to most men
whose lives were so private as his. Few men not
clothed with official trusts — not set in conspicuous
stations — whose way of life was so far removed
from the glare of public applause — could have left,
by their death, a wider chasm in our conmiunity,
or will be more lovingly remembered and more ten-
derly mourned. And the love and honor which he
enjoyed while living, and which have followed him
to his grave and beyond his grave, were fairly
earned by a rare combination of fine and high qual-
ities.
At the close of a man's life, we naturally and
instinctively first consider the place which he hold ni
the profession, or employment, to which the strength
of his days was given. He avIio fails in the calling
74
OBITUARY NOTICE
of his choice must needs decHne in our regards,
unless such failure be made up by the display of
uncommon virtues or capacities outside of it. Mr.
Brown was a publisher and bookseller, and, as such,
eminently successful. The position which he held
in his profession at the time of his death, and the
wide influence he exerted, would alone have made
him a marked man. His whole career was honor-
able to him, and encouraging to those who start as
he did. He was born in Acton, about the begin-
ning of the present century, of a virtuous but poor
household ; and his childhood was passed under in-
fluences favorable to the growth of the character,
but not to the cultivation of the mind. His book
education was not beyond that which is the common
heritage of every New England boy, but he was
well trained in the school of circumstances. He
began life with a vigorous constitution, a resolute
will, a cheerful spirit, and an affectionate heart.
His time, up to the dawn of manhood, was passed
in modest toils, which earned for him no more
than a decent subsistence. And here it may be
remarked, that, to his intimate friends, the feeling
with which Mr. Brown looked back upon these days
of struggle and privation, formed an interesting trait
in his character. He recalled them with a modest
pride, mixed with a certain grateful tenderness. He
never attempted to conceal any event in his life,
and yet lie was free from the subtle vanity which
(Icbghts to make proclamation of diflficulties subdued
OF JAMES BROWN. ri^
and disadvantag-es overcome. His boyhood was a
happy period, after all ; especially, linked as it was
by ties of such "natural piety" to the prosperity of
his maturer years.
While yet quite young-, and residing- in Cam-
bridge, he was invited by the late Mr. William Mil-
liard to enter his service, as salesman and assist-
ant generally. He once expressed to the writer of
this notice his surprise and pleasure at this proposi-
tion, made to him at an accidental meeting in the
street, and remarked upon his utter ignorance of the
duties he was called upon to discharge. But he
bent his powers to the task committed to him, and
soon learned his work ; and from this point his pro-
gress in business was rapid and uniform. He soon
began to be known as a man diligent in his calling,
and sagacious and successful in his enterprises ; and
a continually widening sphere of action was opened
to him. He early took his place as a man of influ-
ence and consideration in the trade, so called, invit-
ing and rewarding the largest confidence. For many
years past, he has been a member of the widely-
known bookselling and publishing firm of Little,
Brown and Company ; and it is doing no injustice
to any living man to say, that much of the position
held and power wielded by this eminent house was
due to his personal qualities. And as a man of
business merely, his endowments and accomplisli-
ments were of a high order. He was sagacious,
liberal, penetrating, and wise ; he saw far, and he
,yQ OBITUARY NOTICE
saw truly; he was always prompt, and never in a
hurry; his speculations and enterprises were always
well timed and resolutely pursued. His knowledge
of men was instinctive, and he rarely or never made
a mistake in his estimate of them. He perfectly
understood his own interests, and stoutly maintained
them, and no man could either overreach or over-
bear him. x\nd then he was probity itself. He
abhorred any thing mean, or shuffling, or equivocat-
ing. What he said, he stood by; and everybody
who knew any thing about him knew this, so that
no word of his ever fell to the ground. The foun-
dations of his nature were laid in frankness and
simplicity, and these flowed out into his business.
The stranger, who saw his open, cordial counte-
nance for the first time, felt that he was in the
presence of an honest man, and that the air of
truth breathed from him. An Arab in the desert
would have trusted such a face with uncounted dia-
monds.
His great success in business was mainly owing
to his instinctiv^e and unerring judgment. Few men
wiio have published so many books have made so
few mistakes. He understood the literary wants of
the country, and was ready with the right work at
th(* right time. And it was the same in the choice
of the extensive stock which he kept on hand for
sale. He liad a considerable amount of bibliograph-
ic;! 1 knowledge, wliich was turned to good practical
account in this way. He has more than once re-
OF JAMES BROWN. J^
turned from Europe witli a very large collection,
over which a desponding man might well shake
his head ; but the books never cumbered his shelves
long. He would walk through the sales-rooms of
London or Paris, and tell at a glance what would
suit the literary meridian of home. All book-buyers
and book-collectors in this neighborhood — and to
our honor be it said they are numerous — will find
his loss irreparable. He never forgot or neglected
a commission, however trifling ; and if a rare or
curious work were wanted, he would be sure to find
it if it were anywhere to be found.
His taste was as good as his judgment was
sound. He was just enough touched with the bib-
liomania of which Dr. Dibdin so pleasantly writes,
to make book buying and book collecting a labor
of love. He had a quick eye for tall copies, fine
bindings, wide margins, and fair type ; and this
good taste stamped itself upon his business. He
had a just pride in the external aspect of the books
which he published ; and the great improvement
which has taken place within the last twenty years
in New England, in the style and appearance of
books, is due to him more than to any other man.
The house to which he belonged, as is well
known, has been for many years largely engaged
in the publication and sale of law books ; a branch
of their business to the success of ^^■llich Mr. Brown
essentially contributed. He had the same sagacious
comprehension of what was wanted in this depart-
78
OBITUARY NOTICE
meiit as in that of miscellaneous literature. He
saw that in this class of books, as in others, the
true rule of success was moderate profits upon large
sales ; and thus, while his law books were gotten
up in better style than the profession had been ac-
customed to, while his scale of remuneration to au-
thors and editors was more liberal than had been
before known, his prices were lower, a far wider
range of sale was secured, and the highest anticipa-
tions of success were met.
The whole community was a gainer, directly and
indirectly, by the enterprising and liberal spirit in
which Mr. Brown conducted his business, by the
energies which he wielded, and the direction in which
they were moved. He made good books more
abundant and more accessible, and thus created and
diffused a taste for them, which is in itself a sub-
stantial service to the public. He also helped to
elevate the growing profession of authorship ; not
only by his generous way of dealing with writers,
but by his courteous and considerate bearing to-
wards them personally. He was not only just and
])i(>mpt, but liberal and friendly. He never wounded
the feelings of the most sensitive among them by
even a thoughtless word.
He made more than one visit to Europe, in the
way of his business; and there left the most favor-
able impression upon all who met him. His credit
there, in the technical sense of the term, was unlim-
ited ; and he secured the confidence and esteem of
OF JAMES BROWN. 'TQ
many persons, whose regard is not lightly won.
He was an honorable representative of the country,
and any American abroad might have pointed to
him with pride as a specimen of what might be
done and gained among us by a man's unaided
energies. Into whatever society lie was thrown, he
maintained the same simple self-respect, and the
same modest manliness of manner which marked
him at home. His bearing was ever that of a true
man and a well-bred gentleman ; never claiminof
more than M'as due to him, never yielding any thing
of what was due to him.
All that has thus far been said of Mr. Brown
might be true, without his having been so loved
and without his being so mourned. It is no very
rare thing for a poor boy in our country to become
a prosperous man, to accumulate a large property,
and to have a commanding- influence in the business
world. He might have been a sagacious, a respect-
able, an estimable man, even a just and a true man,
and yet not a lovable man. The liberal scale on
which he did business might have been the result
of a far-seeing thrift. Even his courteous manner
might have been the easy growth of a smooth tem-
perament, the cold and politic varnish of an essen-
tially selfish nature. Men who have fought their
May from poverty to wealth, from obscurity to dis-
tinction, are apt to retain some marks and scars of
the conflict. They are apt to be hard, narrow, rest-
less, and grasping, even if not sordid and unscrupu-
gQ OBITUARY NOTICE
lous. But Mr. Brown's title to the hearts of his
friends was founded upon those quahties which lay
outside of his calling, and had no other relation to
his prosperity than that this enabled him to display
them on a larger scale and in a more conspicuous
sphere. He was a remarkable instance of a man
who had achieved great success without paying the
price at which it is usually bought. It seemed
hardly possible that one so energetic and strong-
minded should have so much sweetness, gentleness,
and aiFectionateness ; but it was so. They were as
salient and conspicuous traits as were his sagacity,
his judgment, his enterprise, and his perseverance.
Their charm was the greater, from their contrast
with his resolute will and vig-orous understanding.
Few men had more feminine tenderness and soft-
ness than he. These qualities could be heard in
the quick changes of his ' voice, and seen in the
ready suffusion of his eye, and in the lights of ex-
pression which passed over his countenance, and
gave to his features all the beauty of a beautiful
soul. His warm affections and cordial sympathies
were not clouded by reserve or chilled by self-dis-
trust, but they were ever prompt to reveal them-
selves. They were deep, and at the same time
easily moved. He greeted his familiar friends as
if since their last meeting he had found some new
(^•uise to love them. It is hardly necessary to say
that the life of such a man, blessed as he was
with anij)le means, was marked by a constant sue-
OF JAMES BROWN. gj
cession of kind and generous acts. His bounty
flowed out in all directions, upon every form of
desert that came under his observation. He de-
lighted to give, and his benefactions had all the
charm and grace of spontaneous impulse. His char-
ities were as natural to him as blossoms to the tree
in spring, or fruits in autumn. And his kindness
was as thoughtful and considerate as it was hearty.
There was nothing neutral or indifferent in Mr.
Brown's feelings or affections. As he had warm
sympathies, so he had strong dislikes and antipa-
thies. But these were founded on solid and sub-
stantial grounds, and were not the growth of fas-
tidious caprice. And as they were justified to his
conscience and his reason, they were always as
frankly expressed as were his preferences and his
affinities. He had a vehement and intolerant scorn
of insincerity, meanness, and treachery ; and the
strongest expressions that his gentle nature ever
indulged in \vere called forth by manifestations of
these qualities. But even here the kindness of his
heart interposed ; for he contented himself with an
energetic word or two, and passed on to more ge-
nial subjects. He never dwelt long in the region
of dislike and distaste; and when he could not speak
well of a man, he ceased to speak of him at all.
A mind, a character, a heart like Mr. Brown's
were surely formed to ^vin large measures of re-
spect, esteem, and love. But there was yet another
charm in his nature, flowing from the purity and
6
g£ OBITUARY NOTICE
refinement of his tastes. He was a living refutation
of the notion, that there is any thing necessarily
coarsening or narrowing in a life devoted to trade.
Here was a man born in poverty, reared in priva-
tion, the architect of his own fortunes, cut off from
opportunities of intellectual cultivation in the form-
ing period of life, displaying, the moment he had
the means of indulging them, such tastes as would
seem to be the fine growth of the choicest elements
and the happiest influences. Pope said of Wych-
erly that he had the nobleman look ; it might have
been said of Mr. Brown, that he had the nobleman
spirit. No man had a better sense of the true
value of wealth, or ever contrived to extract from
it a greater amount of happiness. He fixed his
home in a region of varied and picturesque beauty,
he gradually acquired a large and valuable farm,
which he stocked with the choicest cattle and cul-
tivated after the most approved methods of hus-
bandry ; he adorned and improved his grounds, and
called forth all their capacities of embellishment ;
and here, in the society of his family, his friends,
his books, and in rural employments, he found the
purest and most elevating pleasures. And the time
which he spent here was no meagre fragment,
grudgingly torn from the desk and the counter, but
a liberal measure — enough for refreshment, enough
for repose, enough to permit the peace and love-
liness of nature to fall upon his spirit with sooth-
ing and elevating power. He knew his fields, his
OF JAMES BROWN. 3,3
cattle, his trees ; he watched the growth of every
growing- thing upon his form ; he Avas the friend
and companion, as well as the father, of his chil-
dren.
His modest nature would have disclaimed the
praise of scholarship, and yet he had the tastes and
the spirit of a scholar. He was fond of books, and
had collected a library very valuable for its extent,
containing many rare and curious books, chosen
with judgment and discrimination. These were not
kept merely to look at, or to show to his educated
friends, but they were read, comprehended, and en-
joyed. He took especial pleasure in the poetry of
Burns, and had gathered a large amount of mate-
rials illustrative of the life and genius of tliat splen-
did meteor of song. He had a considerable knowl-
edge of natural history, especially ornithology ; and
his library contained a complete collection of books
on this subject.
He had also a poet's love and a poet's compre-
hension of nature. Every " dingle and dell and
bosky bourne " of the wooded and hilly region in
which he lived, was familiar to him, under all the
aspects of the changing year ; in the light, glad
green of early spring, in the rich ripeness of sum-
mer, in the gold and purple of autumn, and in the
winding-sheet of wintry snow. His powers of ob-
servation were acute and practised. He knew the
names and properties of every tree and shrub and
flower that grew in his fields. He had no trained
84.
OBITUARY NOTICE
ear for music, but he would stand and listen in
rapt attention, and with suffused eyes, to the full-
throated and deep-hearted song of the brown thrush,
in the early siniimer. A fine maple, in its autumn
red — an apple-tree, with its shower of vernal blos-
soms — would arrest his steps and call forth expres-
sions of admiration. There was not a latent charm
in the broad landscape that spread around his house
— there was not a fleeting- grace thrown over it by
the sunshine, the cloud-shadows, the rippling breezes,
the showers of sununer — which he had not noted
and enjoyed.
No one could be said to know Mr. Brown who
had not seen him in his own house. No spot on
earth deserved the sacred name of home more than
this. Here the sun of hospitality never set. He
received his friends as if he were an idler in the
land, grateful to any one who would help him to
speed the sluggish hours. No shadow of business
ever sat upon his brow ; but his face glowed with
the light of welcome. His greeting — the clasp of
his hand — were as cordial as the breezes that blew
over his hills. To see him presiding over his hos-
])i table but never ostentatious board, was warming
and refreshing to the heart. Under the genial in-
fluence of his aftiLH'tionate and sympathetic presence,
the most various natures were brought into unison,
and yielded their best tones to swell the general
harmony of feeling. Nor had he one set of com-
pany manners and another set for home consump-
OF JAMES BROWN. 35
tion. Towards the members of his own houseliold,
his bearing was indulgent, affectionate, and tender.
It may be doubted whether his chiklren ever saw a
frown upon his brow. No heavier yoke was ever
laid upon them than the silken cord of love. To
all who stood to him in the relation of service or
dependence, he was kindly, considerate, and abound-
ing in good offices. His bounty to the poor was
constant, ample, but always secretly bestowed.
It is not to be wondered at that a man such as
has been described, should have been very rich in
friends. He had a right to be proud of his friend-
ships ; and his children have a right to be proud of
them, now that he is gone, for they start in life
with a large inheritance of transmitted interest. Few
men not liberally educated, in the technical sense of
the word — not belonging to either of the learned
professions — not engaged in intellectual pursuits —
have ever had so many friends among the culti-
vated and educated classes. His list of friends
embraced statesmen, scholars, men of science, men
of letters — names widely and favorably known —
who yielded to him an unconstrained and unbought
tribute of regard and affection. They valued him
for what he was, not for what he had. They would
have been as much repelled by any thing like obse-
quiousness as by ignorance or coarseness. His rela-
tions to them were founded upon a fair interchange
of equivalents. No man ever patronized him ; no
man ever put on an attitude of condescension to-
86
OBITUARY NOTICE
wards him ; his dignity of character and the manly
self-respect of his bearing forbade this.
And there was another and an unconscious trib-
ute to Mr. Brown's worth, which should not be
forgotten in summing up his merits. His life had
been eminently successful ; he had acquired a large
measure of those things for which most men strug-
gle, and many unavailingly ; he had accumulated an
ample fortune; he held a commanding influence in
the world of business, and enjoyed a high social
position — and yet no man grudged him all this.
Everybody contemplated his prosperity with satis-
faction ; and the reason was, that his increase of
substance not only did not remove him further from
his fellow-men, but brought him into nearer and
more intimate relations with them. The more means
he had, the more happiness he diffused. His grate-
ful heart repaid the sunshine and the dew of pros-
perity with a softer green of sympathy and a quicker
growth of affection. Before good fortune so gently
worn, envy dropt its envenomed arrows, and forgot
to feed upon its own heart.
And now this rich, vigorous, and happy life has
been brougbt to a close. In the midst of unripened
schemes and untinisiied plans, — of enterprises that
ran far ahead, and projects of wider sweep and
broader range, when, in the course of nature, many
active years seemed yet in store for him, — he has
been called away from earth. But the spirit which
animated his whole life forbids his friends to mingle
OF JAMES BROWN. §7.
any bitterness in the grief which his death has called
forth. He was a man of deep and sincere religious
feeling, and his heart was penetrated with gratitude
to God that he had been permitted to accomplish
and enjoy so much. He was well aware of the
insidious nature of the disease to which his frame
finally yielded, and had long contemplated with a
steady gaze the prospect of his departure. He
was as resigned to the future as he was grateful
for the past. His cup had been early made to run
over with blessings, and he felt that he had no
right to murmur if it were taken from his lips be-
fore the full measure of days had been allotted to
him. With gentle submission, he obeyed the sum-
mons that called him from an earthly to a heavenly
home ; and we, on whom the shadow of his depar-
ture rests, should mourn him tenderly and serenely,
mingling with our grief a sense of gratitude for a
life so rounded and finished, so rich in action, so
crowned with happiness.
OBITUARY NOTICE.
FROM THE BOSTON ATLAS OF MARCH 13, 1855.
OBITUARY NOTICE.
It is with no ordinary feelings of pain, surprise,
and regret, that we announce the death of one of
our most esteemed and valued fellow-citizens. James
Brown, Esq., of the well-known puhlishing house of
Little, Brown and Company, expired Saturday even-
ing, at his place of residence, at the age of fifty-
five. In the full vigor of life, in the midst of his
usefulness and the enjoyment of all his mental and
physical powers, he has heen taken. In the large
circle of friends and relatives, of which he was the
cherished and honored centre, — in the larger circle of
the community, of which he was an active and val-
ued member, — his loss is an irreparable one, and
the void his death leaves will long be felt and deeply
mourned. Intelligence, enterprise, activity, benevo-
lence, strong, clear common sense and vigorous intel-
lect, were among the striking traits of his character.
These traits have been faithfully portrayed by the
pen of a sorrowing friend,^ and leave us little to add
I Mr. Rufus Leighton.
92
OBITUARY NOTICE
besides the expression of our sincerest sympathy
with the bereaved, who sorrow thus unexpectedly
for the loss of one who but yesterday was among
them in the full vigor of ripe and noble manhood,
who so well deserved, by his constant ministration
to the wants of others, the whole measure of their
lavish affection.
DEATH OF MR. JAMES BROWN.
The announcement of the death of James Bro\\Ti
will be read with surprise and sorrow by the very
large and widely-extended circle of those who knew
him personally, and also by the larger number of
others, to whom he was known only by reputation,
through his connection with the house of Little,
Brown and Company, of which he had been for so
many years a member. But a few days since he
was among us, in the full possession and enjoyment
of all his powers, looking the very embodiment of
sound and robust health, and apparently destined to
add many years to his mortal life ; and he has been
suddenly cut off in the full strength and vigor of
manhood, having expired on Saturday evening last,
at his residence at Wellington Hill, at the age of
fifty-five, after a brief and painful illness. It is sel-
dom that we behold so marked an example as this
of th(! familiar household truth, that
" In the midst of life we are in death."
Mr. Brown was possessed of large natural abili-
OF JAMES BROWN. 93
ties, and was eminently a self-made man. Like al-
most all of those who in America have arrived at
any desirahle distinction in any department of life,
or exercised any considerable influence, he was horn
in humble circumstances, and by his own industry,
perseverance, and enterprise, worked his way up to
that high social position which he had attained at
his death, and to that eminence which he occupied
in the pursuit he had chosen, as its acknowledged
head and most able representative in this country.
Energy, firmness, and promptitude were among
his most distinguishing characteristics, and these,
united with sterling good sense and a judgment that
rarely erred, contributed largely to that success
which continually marked his progress in life. In
the finer quality of good taste, he was not lacking ;
and the books issued by the house of which he was
a member bear ample testimony to the exercise of
his nice discrimination in their production. He un-
derstood his business well, and was familiar with
all its details ; and this may be said of him, not
only in a mechanical but in a much higher sense ;
for he not only had a knowledge of the market
value and fitness of the wares in which he dealt,
but also an intellectual appreciation of their Morth.
He was well read in general literature ; and the
scholars of America, and those who endeavor to en-
courage and promote a taste for healthy reading,
are greatly indebted to him for the publication and
wide distribution of numberless works of real excel-
Q^ OBITUARY NOTICE
lence ; in which manner he has done a service to
our literature and education, which it woukl not be
easy to estimate.
Mr. Brown was eminently social in his disposi-
tion and habits, and fond of the enjoyments of
home ; he was deeply attached to his family and
friends, and warmly beloved by them in return.
His cheerful face — often illuminated with a smile
which was sunshine itself to the beholder, and which
gave an inexpressible charm to his manner — was
the index of his heart, which overflowed with gen-
erous emotions. Out of the abundance which he
had gathered, he gave liberally; but his many acts
of charity were done without ostentation, and are
better known to the recipients of his bounty than to
the world at large ; being written not before the
public eye of men, but in that book of heaven
wherein the good angel records the noble deeds that
are done on earth.
His death has created a large void in the special
pursuit in wliich he was engaged, and to which he
gave dignity and character ; in the domestic circle,
of which he was the joy and the pride ; and in so-
ciety at large, which he adorned by his presence
and benefited by his influence. His loss is hardly
less a public tlian a private affliction ; and while he
will be widely mourned on this side of the Atlan-
tic, the sad intelligence will carry sorrow to the
other, where he had many friends, by whom he was
respected and loved.
OF JAMES BROWN. 95
He had a firm reliance and trust in God, and
though unconscious for some hours immediately pre-
ceding his death, and not previously aware tliat the
event was so near at hand, he was not unprej)ared
to go, and w^ould have yielded his spirit willingly
and cheerfully to Him who gave it.
In the many places of the earth where he was
loved and cherished, and which he made glad with
his presence, he shall be seen no more ; hut God
has taken him home to himself, to adorn the king-
dom of heaven, and to rejoice in His love.
" He bore him like a man !
And his great presence filled our eyes with joy,
And made us love and honor him ; and though
We may not look upon his generous face.
Nor clasp his friendly hand in ours again, —
Yet shall his memory blossom in our hearts,
And be a fragrance and a beauty there."
EXTRACT FROM A DISCOURSE
DELIVERED IN THE UNITARIAN CHURCH AT WEST CAMBRIDGE,
ON SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 1855.
EXTRACT FROM A DISCOURSE
BY THE REV. S. ABBOTT SMITH.
At the Unitarian Church in West Cambridge,
where Mr. Brown worshipped, the Rev. S. Abbott
Smith, the pastor, dehvered an able and interesting-
discourse. We are indebted to a friend who was
present for the following sketch of the closing re-
marks : —
Death speaks solemnly, under whatever guise he
comes ; but there are some circumstances which
may, at times, give additional solemnity to his mes-
sage.
In every community there are some marked
men — men of enterprise, men of weighty charac-
ter and influence. When such men die, a deeper
feeling pervades the community. We never expect
such men to die ; and when, at last, the change
comes to them, as to the humblest, we stand awed.
God's solemn voice has again sounded among us.
Another home has been darkened with sorrow ;
another of our number has gone to join the great
100 EXTRACT FROM A DISCOURSE
company of the departed. We had not expected it
for him, for health seemed written on his frame ;
and a gloom overspread every face when the sad
tidinsfs came that we should see him no more.
We have lost a generous and faithful friend; our
community has been deprived of one of its most
enterprising and useful citizens ; and the world is
poorer by one whole-souled, generous, cultivated man
who has left it.
We shall miss him from his place on the Sab-
bath, which we seldom used to see vacant ; we shall
miss him from the company of those who meet
around the communion-table ; we shall miss his voice
in our councils, and his hearty shake of the hand in
our social gatherings.
But this is not the lesson to you and me. He
had been busy in many good works, and now that
he is gone there is more for each one of us to do.
The work must go on. We must make good his
place. Was he generous out of the abundance with
which God rewarded his energy % We must be
more so, now that he has left us. The same calls
for benevolence remain, and they must be met.
Was he public-spirited and hberaH The same wor-
thy objects still demand our help. The poor, whom
he relieved, will still need assistance ; the good ob-
jects he promoted still call for support. We must
feel our individual responsibility, and pay the best
respect to the memory of our friend, by not letting
his good purposes foil to the ground.
ON THE DEATH OF JAMES BROWN. JQl
We must not forget, in our sorrow for our loss,
the great lesson God would teach us by it. Let it
remind us of our duties, too often disregarded ; of
the work we have to do in life, and the shortness
of the time for accomplishing it.
God has spoken, and may we give heed to his
words, by being truer men ; so that when our time
comes, we may lie down to die as peacefully as
our departed friend, and leave on our faces the
smile of joy with which the freed spirit gazes first
upon the glories of heaven.
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
BOSTON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.
PROCEEDINGS.
Boston, October 19, 1855.
Mrs. James Brown,
Dear Madam — At the meeting- of the Boston
Society of Natural History, held on the 3d instant,
the munificent hequest of the late lamented Mr. James
Brown was announced to the Society. It was voted
that a Committee be appointed, to express, however
inadequately, in a series of resolutions, the appre-
ciation by the Society of Mr. Brown's worth as a
man, and their grateful sense of the liberality which
prompted his bequest. Accordingly, a Conimittee
was chosen, consisting of Dr. Charles T. Jackson,
Professor Jeffries Wyman, and Mr. Charles K. Dil-
laway, who reported at the succeeding meeting, on
the 17th instant. I herewith transmit a copy of a
portion of the records of the Society, which will
inform you of their action in the premises.
Accept, Madam, for myself, the assurance of my
great respect, and believe me I am
Most truly yours,
S. L. Abhot,
Corresponding Secretary B. S. N. H.
IQQ PROCEEDINGS OF THE
Dr. C. T. Jackson, in behalf of the Committee
appointed to prepare appropriate resolutions, in con-
sideration of the bequest to the Library by the late
James Brown, and also Mrs. Brown's donation of
the portrait of Tliomas Nuttall, reported as follows,
presenting the accompanying resolutions : —
Mr. President — We are called upon to deplore
the loss of one of our highly-valued members, a
patron of this Society, the late James Brown, Esq.,
who died at his residence in Watertown, on Satur-
day, March 10, at the age of fifty-five years.
Mr. Brown was born in Acton, in this State, on
the 19th of May, 1800, and lived, while a young
man, in Cambridge. He was then poor ; but was
always respected for the excellence of his character,
and for his industry and fidelity to his employers.
By his own industry, and intelligent labor and busi-
ness habits, he gradually acquired so large an amount
of property as to be able to make generous presents
to the Library of Harvard College, and to aid in
the advancement of many literary and humane un-
dertakings.
He entered into the business of publishing books,
first in (Jandjridge, and subsequently in Boston;
where he became an active partner in tlie firm of
Little & Brown, a publishing house well known
not only in this community, but all over the Union,
l(jr its sterling publications and great fidelity.
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.
107
Mr. Brown soon took a lively interest in the
Boston Society of Natural History, and freely con-
tributed to its funds and to its Library ; and, by his
active endeavors, induced others also to favor the
Society with liberal donations.
The rank he took in becoming a Patron of the
Society, he always ably sustained during- his life-
time, and bore it in remembrance in his last hours,
as is proved by the valuable bequest which he left
to its Library. Mr. Brown's taste for the beautiful
is admirably exemplified in his selection of the de-
partment of Ornithology as his favorite study ; and
the volumes he has left to the Society in his last
will, prove not only the excellence of his judgment
in their selection, but also a most liberal spirit in
the purchase of such valuable books on his favorite
department of science. Those who knew him well
say that he had a keen relish for the beautiful in
nature, and that he enjoyed especially the observa-
tion of the habits of birds ; and they attribute much
of his cultivated taste to his devotion to one of the
most lovely departments of Natural History.
Li his profession, he was an astute critic, in
judging of the character and value of books ; and
those whose opinion is entitled to respect say, that
there are few men in the country who could have
been more safely trusted with carte blanche in the
selection of a good library.
The Committee beg leave to offer the following
resolutions :
IQg PROCEEDINGS, ETC.
Resolved, That the Boston Society of Natural
History is deeply sensible of the great loss it has
met with in the decease of its eminent patron and
benefactor, the late James Brown, Esq., to whose
numerous donations, made during his lifetime, the
Society has been under obligations ; as also for the
kindly exertions often made by him, to persuade
others to aid in the increase of the Society's means
for the promotion of science.
Resolved.) That the Society having received from
the Executors of the will of their late Patron a
number of magnificent folios on Ornithology, and
other departments of Natural History, which he had
bequeathed to their Library, contemplate this, one
of the last acts of his life, with sentiments of deep
emotion and gratitude, as evincing the friendship and
kind consideration of the testator towards the So-
ciety, and his generous and kind appreciation of their
wants.
Resolved, That a copy of the above preamble and
resolutions be transmitted to the femily of the de-
ceased ; also,
Resolved, That the thanks of the Boston Society
of Natural History be presented to Mrs. James
Brown, for her generous donation of a portrait of
the distinguished naturalist, Thomas Nuttall.
The resolutions were unanimously adopted.
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
At a meeting- of the Board of Trustees of the
Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture,
held at the house of Mr. Lawrence, 17th March,
1855,
Mr. Gray, the President, presiding,
Mr. WiNTHROP said it was already known to most
of the Trustees, that such of them as could be con-
veniently notified had held an informal consultation,
on learning the death of their late associate, James
Brown, Esq., and had proceeded to attend his fu-
neral on Tuesday last ; but it was fit, at this first
stated meeting since the event occurred, the Trus-
tees should put upon record some expression of their
sense of the loss which had been sustained, he there-
fore offered the following resolutions : —
Resolved.) That the Trustees of the Massachusetts
Society for Promoting Agriculture have heard with
unfeigned sorrow of the death of their late esteemed
and respected associate, James Brown, Esq., whose
11*2 AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
connection with this Board for several years past
has been the source of so much interest and pleas-
ure to us all.
Resolved, That while we cordially unite with our
fellow-citizens, in bearing testimony to the integrity
and liberality, the enterprise and public spirit, by
which Mr. Brown was distinguished in other walks
of life, we feel especially called upon to make men-
tion of his earnest interest in the objects of this
Society ; of his intelligent, practical, and personal
efforts for the improvement of Agriculture.
Resolved, That the Secretary be directed to com-
municate the resolutions to the family of the de-
ceased, with an assurance of our sympathy in their
bereavement, and of our deep sense of the loss
which has been sustained by this Society and by the
whole community.
These resolves were unanimously adopted, and the
Secretary directed to have them placed upon the rec-
ords of this Board, and to request their publication
in the newspapers.
A copy of the record,
Benjamin Guild,
Rec. Secretary of the M. S.for P. A.
Boston, 19th March, 1855.
PROCEEDINGS
AT THE
TRADE SALE IN NEW YORK.
8
PROCEEDINGS,
At the Trade Sale Rooms of Messrs. Bangs,
Brothers, & Co., of New York, which were filled
with booksellers from all parts of the country, the
death of Mr. James Brown, their late co-laborer,
was announced this (Thursday) afternoon, the fifteenth
day of March, 1855, whereupon the sale was ad-
journed, and a meeting organized for the expression
of sympathy with the family of the deceased, and
with his late partners in business, the following
gentlemen being appointed officers : —
Mr. James Harper, of New York, President ;
Messrs. W. A. Blanchard, H. Cowperthwait, of
Philadelphia, C. S. Francis, of New York, Vice-
Presidents ; J. S. Redfield, of New York, Secre-
tary.
The Chairman, on taking his seat, announced the
object of the meeting in a few appropriate remarks,
after which Mr. George P. Putnam offered the fol-
lowing resolutions : —
Whereas.^ It has pleased the Almighty Disposer
of events to remove from among us, by death, our
116 PROCEEDINGS AT THE
highly-esteemed friend and fellow-laborer, Mr. James
Brown, publisher and bookseller of Boston, and
Whereas, In the distinguished position so long
and so honorably filled by our departed friend, he
has won for himself our hearty admiration and re-
spect as the worthy leader of the trade, preeminent
alike for intelligent enterprise and judgment, exten-
sive knowledge of books, uncompromising integrity,
and uniform courtesy and kindness of heart ; there-
fore.
Resolved, That the booksellers and publishers from
various parts of the United States, here assembled,
have heard with deep and sincere regret the intelli-
gence of the death of Mr. Brown.
Resolved, That we respectfully tender to the fam-
ily of our late respected associate our earnest sym-
pathy in their affliction.
Resolved, That we also sympathize sincerely with
the surviving partners of the deceased in the great
loss they have sustained — a loss which will be felt
by our whole fraternity.
Mr. James T. Fields, of Boston, moved the adop-
tion of the resolutions with the following remarks: —
It is difficult, Mr. Chairman, to speak of our
buried friend during the first sharp agony of grief,
and while his loss is so recent and startling. His
cheerful smile, his cordial greeting, his ever ready
sympathy — those "small, sweet courtesies in which
TRADE SALP: IN NEW YORK.
117
there is no parade " — were so lately present to us,
that our lips almost refuse to utter how much we
feel in this sad hereavement. Our deceased brother
was a genuine, hearty friend. We all rejoiced in
his prosperity, for it seemed natural and right that
he should be happy and successful. His excellent
qualities we all recognized. He was a man of large
culture, modest in his pretensions, but always com-
petent in whatever affairs engaged his attention and
his energy. He was a merchant in the fullest and
best sense of that term ; his sterling sense and wide
comprehension of business matters claiming for hiui
something more than the qualities of a mere buyer
and seller. Abroad, as well as at home, he was
extensively known and respected ; nay, more, he was
always, wherever he was known, beloved. His char-
ity was liberal, never ostentatious. Doing good by
stealth seemed his vocation. While the sun of pros-
perity warmed his o\\ti mansion, he never forgot
those humble dwellings where poverty and want and
hunger are constant visitors. His tastes were re-
niarkably simple ; and he delighted to walk under
the open sky, abroad in the summer fields and
woods, gathering health and instruction in the free
air. No one came beneath his hospitable roof, as
many here can testify, without a sensation of unal-
loyed pleasure in his hearty welcome.
In that quiet home, at the close of the last week,
at the ending of the day, he died. Tranquil, and
without conscious suffering, he gently yielded up his
118 PROCEEDINGS, El C.
spirit to the God who gave it. Those who loved
him best were about his bedside, — his wife, his
children, a few intimate friends.
They watched his breathing through the day,
His breathing soft and low.
As in his breast the wave of life
Kept heaving to and fro.
Their very hopes belied their fears,
Their fears their hopes belied ;
They thought him dying while he slept.
And sleeping when he died.
So calmly passed our brother to his rest. We
shall never see his form again on earth, but we
shall not cease to cherish his memory with an affec-
tionate and endearing interest. He has gone to his
reward. Let us think of him with a cheerful re-
liance on the goodness of God, and let us be ready
to meet that messenger which sooner or later comes
not unbidden to every human being.
On motion of Mr. Lemuel Bangs, it was resolved
that copies of the proceedings of this meeting be
sent to the family and partners of the deceased, and
that they be published.
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
BOOKSELLERS OF BOSTON.
PROCEEDIIVGS.
A MEETING of the Book Trade of Boston was
called on Monday afternoon, March 12, at four
o'clock, in the room over Messrs. Ticknor and Fields's
store, to consider what action should be had in rela-
tion to the death of the late James Brown, Esq.,
of the firm of Little, Brown and Company. The
meeting was largely attended, nearly every firm in
the city being represented.
William D. Ticknor, Esq., was called to the chair,
and Charles Sampson, Esq., was appointed Secretary.
It was voted, that a committee of five be ap-
pointed to retire and draw up resolutions expressive
of the sense of the meeting.
The following gentlemen were appointed : —
Messrs. Osmyn Brewster, Charles J. Hendee, E.
P. Tileston, William D. Swan, and William J. Rey-
nolds.
The Committee reported the following: —
W/iereas, we have learned, with deep and sincere
regret, of the sudden death of our friend and co-
laborer, Mr. James Brown, therefore
1^22 PROCEEDINGS, ETC.
Resolved, That we cherish in our memories his
noble quahties as a man ; his reliable and steadfast
integrity ; his firm and conscientious purpose ; his
devoted and affectionate friendship ; and his un-
bounded liberality of heart and hand ; and that in
his death we have sustained the loss of one of the
brightest ornaments of our profession.
Resolved, That we sympathize with the afflicted
family of our departed friend, and earnestly com-
mend them to the care and blessing of Him who is
the Father of the fatherless and the widow's God.
Resolved, That in token of our respect for the
deceased we will attend his funeral, and that we will
close our places of business during the services, and
the remainder of the day.
The resolutions were unanimously adopted.
Appropriate remarks were made by Messrs. Tick-
nor, Marvin, Jenks, Dennett, Crocker, and others,
and the meeting dissolved.
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
TRUSTEES OF THE BOSTON ATIIEN^UM.
PROCEEDINGS.
At the regular meeting of the Trustees of tlie
Boston Athenaeum, holden on Monday, March l!;^,
the death of James Brown, Esq., one of the Trus-
tees, was announced, and George Liverniore, Esq.,
offered the following preamble and resolutions, which
were unanimously adopted, and ordered to be pub-
lished : —
The recent and sudden death of James Brown,
Esq., having been announced, the Trustees of the
Boston Athenaeum are miwilling" to allow this event
to pass without some distinct expression of their
sense of the great loss which this institution. ;is well
as the literary comnmnity generally, has thereby sus-
tained. No lengthened eulogy is needed to cause
his life and character to be remembered with grateful
affection. One of tbe most eminent booksellers and
publishers in this country, be digniHed bis |ir()fession
by adding to rare sagacity and probity an ciiligiitened
and disinterested regard for the cause of good learn-
12Q PROCEEDINGS, ETC.
ing, a liberal patronage of public institutions, and a
widely-exercised private beneficence.
Resolved, That the Trustees of the Boston Athe-
naeum have received with deep sorrow the intelli-
gence of the decease of their late respected asso-
ciate, James Brown, Esq.
Resolved, That the valuable services of Mr. Brown
as a member of this Board, his great interest in the
welfare of the Athenteum, his active efforts to place
it in its present position of prosperity and useful-
ness, and his magnificent donations of many costly
and very valuable books, entitled him to a distin-
guished rank among the friends and benefactors of
this institution.
Resolved, That the members of this Board will
cherish with grateful respect the memory of the de-
ceased ; and that a copy of these resolutions, signed
by the President and Secretary, be transmitted to
the family of Mr, Brown.
Attest :
Henry M. Parker, Secretary.
DONATION
TO THE
BOSTON ATHEN^UM IN 1853.
DONATION.
[In the spring of 1853, a liberal donation of books was made by Mr.
Brown to the Boston Athenajum. His letter, and the resolutions of
the Trustees, are now printed for the first time.]
Boston, March 12, 1853.
My Dear Sir — I have for some time intended,
at my earliest leisure, to make a selection of books
as a gift to the Boston Athenaeum, and now heg
your acceptance, for that institution, of tliose named
below. I have been guided, in making the selec-
tion, by my knowledge of the wants of architects
and naturalists, who have often found it convenient
to consult these works in my shop, and who have
often expressed the wish, that these and similar
works might be found in some public collection, to
which they could have free access. Piranesi and
Gould, I think, cannot be consulted in any pubhc
collection in this country, except, perhaps, the Astor
Library in New York.
I ask your acceptance of these books, with my
best wishes for the prosperity and usefulness of the
Athenaeum, and with the assurance that I sliall al-
ways take pleasure in contributing what I may lie
9
J3Q DONATION TO THE
able to its objects. I particularly request, that you
will not make this gift known beyond the Board of
Directors and other officers of the institution.
I am faithfully yours,
James Brown.
To Geoege Livermore, Esq., Chairman of the Committee of the
Library of the Boston Athenaeum.
P. S. I take the more pleasure in making this
donation, since it seems settled by the Directors of
the Athenseum, that our Library is not to be merged
in that proposed to be collected by the city.
[copy fkom the records of the secretary of the board of trustees.]
Boston Athen^um, March 14, 1853.
The Library Committee perform a most agree-
able duty in making the following Report : —
They have received a communication from James
Brown, Esq., one of this Board, in which he ofters
to their acceptance, for the Library of the Athe-
naeum, a large number of costly and splendid vol-
umes, comprising some of the most magnificent and
important works on Antiquities, the Fine Arts, and
Natural History, that have appeared in Europe in
recent times, and indeed that have ever been pub-
lished. The modesty of the donor suppresses all
indication of their value ; but it is well known that
the three works of Champollion, Piranesi, and
(Jould are alone worth more tban one thousand dol-
BOSTON ATHEN^UM. \Ql
lars, and the whole collection of books presented
njust be estimated at more than twice that sum.
The liberality of his views, in making the Athe-
nteum the organ of serving the cause of learning
and art, by this rich contribution to its stores, and
his excellent judgment in the selection of the books,
will best appear from the words of his letter to the
Chairman of the Committee, accompanying the gift.
The Committee would recommend the adoption of
the following votes : —
Voted, That the thanks of the Trustees be pre-
sented to James Brown, Esq., for his munificent
donation to the Library of the Athenaium, une-
qualled in value by any preceding gift of books
since its foundation.
Voted, That the letter of Mr. Brown, accompa-
nying his gift, and the titles of the works presented
by him, be copied into the records of the Trustees ;
that thus it may be perpetuated that the Trustees
fully recognize the enlightened zeal and liberality
with which, in the spirit of its founders, he has
chosen to endow this cherished institution with so
large and rare an apparatus for serving the cause
of science and the arts in this comnuniity.
Respectfully submitted by
George Livermohe,
Samuel G. Ward,
Libruri/
Committee.
Charles E. Norton
The above votes were unanimously adopted.
LETTER
FROM
GEORGE LIVERMORE, ESQ.
LETTER.
[Mr. Livermore, in transmitting to the Editor an account of the
Donation to the Athenfeum, in March, 1853, accompanied it with the
following letter.]
Dana Hill, Cambridge, September 22, 1856.
My Dear Hillard — The munificent donation of
books to the Library of the Boston Athenaeum, made
by Mr. Brown, in 1853, was an act as creditable
to him as it was valuable to the institution wliich
was enriched by his bounty. While Mr. Brown
was living, no public acknowledgment of his princely
gift could be made ; but now that he is beyond
the reach of that human praise which his modest
and retiring disposition led him to shun, there can
be no impropriety in publishing the particulars re-
lating to it.
Mr. Brown had previously given many very val-
uable works to the Library, and his interest in its
prosperity was not surpassed by that of any mem-
ber of the Board of Trustees. When the ert;>rt
was made to raise funds sufficient to j)lace the Athe-
ngeum on an independent and permanent basis, Mr.
Brown became a liberal subscriber. He was a very
IgQ LETTER FROM
useful trustee, performing the duties assigned him
on committees with good judgment and fidelity.
The estimate in which he was held by his associates
appeared by the resolutions passed by them on the
occasion of his death.
You and I well know that Mr. Brown's connec-
tion with the Atheneeum was in accordance with the
general tenor of his life. He was continually ren-
dering invaluable services to public institutions and
to private individuals, by his wise counsels and his
timely gifts ; and all his benevolent acts were char-
acterized by that good judgment and modesty which
render such deeds doubly valuable.
For nearly thirty years, I knew him in various
relations, and every year of the acquaintance deep-
ened my respect and affection for him. As a book-
seller, his genial manners, good sense, and fair deal-
ings, made him a favorite with all who visited his
book-store ; and many a friend of literature and sci-
ence has been drawn to that store, partly by the
desire to enjoy half an hour's intelligent conversa-
tion with him. The little, informal club, of which
the late Rev. Dr. Young was the soul, met there
daily for years, as regularly as the noon returned,
to talk over the literary matters of the day, and to
discuss the merits of new publications. • This daily
gathering of half a dozen persons or less might be
called tlie Ante-Dinner Club ; for none of the mem-
bers would tliink of dining before they had called
on Mr. Brown, or liad met each other in his rooms.
GEORGE LIVERMORE. 1^7
Had there been a Boswell of the iiuniher, witli a
ready pen to record the racy remarks whicli wvw
there made on authors and their works, an interest-
ing and amusing volume might be prepared.
In the summer of 184<5, I visited Europe in
company with Mr. Brown. We occupied the same
state-room during the voyage, and had lodgings
together in London and Paris. I esteemed it a
high privilege to have such a companion. This was
his second visit to Europe. He had been there in
the summer of 184-3, and had made such a favor-
able impression on the minds of those who had made
his acquaintance, that he was cordially received on
his return. John Murray the elder, for whom he
cherished the most afi'ectionate regard, and whose
name he gave to his youngest son, was dead ; but
his son and successor in business was there to wel-
come him. William Pickering and Thomas Rodd.
those intelligent booksellers, were living, and many
a pleasant evening was passed in company witli
them. We were together several times at the li-
brary and the table of the venerable Samuel Rogers,
the banker poet ; and the warm and pressing invi-
tations for him to repeat his visits, j)roved how
highly Mr. Rogers prized his intelligent conversation.
Doubleday, the eminent entomologist, and Nuttall,
the distinguished naturalist, highly appreciated his
attainments as a naturalist, as well as his marked
qualities as a genial companion and an accomplished
gentleman.
138 LETTER, ETC.
It would be pleasant for me to enlarge on various
matters, which the recollection of a long- and friendly-
acquaintance with Mr. Brown revive ; but I am
only able to express in this brief, imperfect, and
hasty manner, my sense of the excellence of his
character, and my enduring respect for his memory.
With the highest regard,
I am ever yours,
George Livermore.
Hon. George S. Hillard.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
This book is DUE on the last date stamped helow
Fiinii L-9-]r)/((-7,'n5
CT
275
Hillard -
A memuli' cT
James Br own J
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