IRVING, WASHINGTON, a distinguished American author, was b. in the city of New York, April 3, 1783. He was the youngest son of William Irving, who had emigrated from Scotland, and settled in New York as a merchant before the revolution. Washing ton Irving at the age of 16 entered a law office; but he profited largely by his father's well-stocked library, Chaucer and Spenser being his favorite authors. hew York, at this period, was a small town of about 50,000 inhabitants, many of whom were descendants of the original Dutch settlers, having quaint manners and customs; of which Irving was a cw ions observer. In 1804, with the excuse of a tendency to pulmonary disease, he visited, and traveled extensively in Europe; returned to New York in 1507, and con tributed a series of genial and humorous essays to a periodical called Salmagundi. 'In 1809 he wrote A History of New York, front the beginning of the World to the end of the Dutch Dynasty, by Died rick Knickerbocker, a burlesque chronicle, written in so quiet a vein of humor that it has sometimes been taken for a veritable history.
Having no inclination for law, he engaged in commerce with his brothers as a silent partner, but devoted his time to literature, and in 1813 edited the Analectic llagazine, in Philadelphia. At the close of the war in 1815 he visited England, where he was warmly welcomed by Campbell, whop biography he had formerly written. and was introduced by him to Walter Scott. Wilde he was enjoying his English visit his commercial house failed, and he was suddenly reduced to poverty, and the necessity of writing for his bread, The Sketch-book, portions of which had appeared in New York, was offered to Murray, and afterwards to Constable, but was refused by both of these celebrated pub lishers. After an unsuccessful attempt of the author to publish it on his own account, Murray, on Scott's recommendation, took the Sketch-Wok, paying V200 for the copyright, which he afterwards increased to £400. It had a charm in its beauty and freshness, and
Was a surprise as the work of an American, and was therefore received with great favor. Irving went to Paris, and in 1829 wrote Bracebridge BA and in 1824 the Tiles of a Traveler. He was then invited by Everett, the American ambassador to Spain, to accom pany him to Madrid, to translate documents connected with the life of Columbus. With these materials he wrote his History of the Life and Voyages of Columbus (1628); 'Foliages of the Companions of Columbus; The Conquest of Granada; The Alhambra (1832), a por tion of which was written in the ancient palace of the Moorish kings; LegendS of the Conquest of Spain (1835); and ./fichomet and his SUCCC8801'S (1844 Jn 1829 Irving returned to England as secretary to the American legation. In 1831 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the university of Oxford; and next year returned to America, where he was received with great enthusiasm. A. visit to the Rocky mountains produced his ?bur on the Prairies. - He also contributed sketches of Abbotsford and Newstcad abbey to the Crayon Miscellany, and from the papers of John Jacob Astor wrote Astoria (1837), and the Adventures of Captain Bonneville; also a series of stories and essays in the Knicker bocker Magazine, collected under the title of Wolfert's Boost. In 1842 he was appointed minister to Spain. In 1846 was published his Life of Goldsmith; and his great work, the Life of Washington, was published in 1855-59. edition of his works in 15 vols. reached a sale of 250,000 vols. He spent the last years of his life at Sunnyside, in his own " Sleepy Hollow," on the banks of the Hudson, near Tarrytown, with his nieces, where he died suddenly of disease of the heart, Nov. 28, 1859. He was never married.