Literature and art were familiar and dear to him, and hence it was that his society was at once so agreeable and so improving.

At his hospitable board, I have listened to disquisitions from his lips on poetry, especially the dramas of Shakspeare, music, painting, sculpture--of rare excellence, and untiring interest.

The extent of his knowledge, indeed, and its accuracy, in all branches, were not less remarkable than the complete command which he appeared to possess over all his varied stores of learning and information.

A critical scholar, alike in the dead languages, in French, in German, in Italian, not less than in English--he could draw at will from the wealth of all these tongues to illustrate any particular topic, or to explain any apparent difficulty.

There was no literary work of merit in any of these languages, of which he could not render a satisfactory account; there was no fine painting or statue, of which he did not know the details and the history; there was not even an opera, or a celebrated musical composer, of which or of whom he could not point out the distinguishing merits and the chief compositions.