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Entered according to Act of Congress, in June, 1870, by J. W. Bprkk & Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District 0 i Georgia Vol. IY—No. 5. WILLIAM GILMORE SIMM3. _ N the death of Mr. Simms, 011 the o f -June, at Charleston, the country has lost one more of its time honored band of authors, and the South the most consistent and de voted of her literary sons. Born in 1806, of a good family, though not among the wealthy proprie tors of the South, Mr. Sim ms grew up under favorable influences of culture, which were not thrown away upon his ingenuous, lively disposition. He early acquired a taste for reading, and some know ledge of the modern languages. The assistance which he received, however, was but slight. The self reliance and energy with which he marked out and pursued his ca reer, proclaim him essentially a self-made man. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-one; but the real bent of his disposition was shown in the same year, in the publication of two small volumes of lyrical poems at Charleston. Several others followed, and in 1832 he fairly began his career as an author by profession, with the publication at New York, by the Messrs. Harper, of “ Atalan tis,” an imaginative poem—a tale of the sea —of considerable merit. The next year appeared his first prose romance, “Martin Faber,” from the same house, followed by “Guy Rivers,” “The Yemassee,” the precursors of a host of novels from his pen, running along the next thirty years. During all this period, and to the end of his life, Mr. Simms’ pen was never idle. Not only were his novels varied in character and subject, embracing several distinct classes of works of fiction, but his poetical pro ductions were numerous; he wrote dra mas, histories of his'native State, several volumes of biography—of Marion, Gen. Greene, and others ; furnished multi tudinous essays and critical articles to MACON, GEORGIA, JULY 30, 1870. WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS. many periodicals, himself editing seve ral, from the quarterly to the weekly newspaper; delivered also various pub lic orations and-addresses ; in fine, was one of the most indefatigable authors of this or any other age. All this work was done under the influence of a commanding genius, seconded by great physical powers. It bore the marks of thought and study. Its author had a genuine love of letters, the passion of his life. For this he turned aside from the immediate rewards of political life, almost irresistible at the South to one of his oratorical powers and ardent temperament. In fact, there have been few examples in the country of so ex clusive and persistent a pursuit of liter ature. The temper of mind which led him to this was essentially poetic and speculative. Though best known to the public as a novelist, he would, we be- Whole No. 161. lieve, greatly have preferred to devote his powers to imaginative compositions in verse, with the lyrical predominant. His works of fiction are colored with this romantic element. Through how many kindling pages has he pur sued his favorite topic, the exer cise of the imagination in the cul ture of the beautiful, which with him meant love, reverence, the virtues for time and eternity 1 His last appearance in public, only a few weeks prior to his death — leaving a couch of sickness for the effort was to deliver an address before the Charleston County Horticultural Society, in stinct with these ideas of his life. It is entitled, “ The Sense of the Beautiful.” Affection with full hand can sprinkle no choicer flowers upon his grave than the lilies and amaranthine blooms reared in the eye of heaven in this his own noble death-song. In his personal character —a man of singular simplicity and straight-forwardness, of sound principles and honest impulses, ready in sympathy, friendly to the young, and where he was best known, in his family, of pe culiar devotion and tenderness. His religious affections, tried by many domestic losses and severe privations, bore a lofty spirit of reverence and profound submis sion to the Divine will. We men tion these traits now, for at his newly-made grave the moral must take precedence of the intellec tual ; and they were qualities not always looked for by those at a distance, who, in the heat of national controversy, make but a rough estimate of the man. Those best acquainted with him, apart from the tribute which they may render to his writings, will ever regard tenderly and affectionately the memory of William Gilmore Simms. Harper's Weekly, July 2. If you suspect anything to be wrong, refrain from doing it.