James Fenimore Cooper American Men of Letters

Chapter 14

Chapter 143,275 wordsPublic domain

(No. 46), and Dale (No. 44); Barry (No. 52) was not included.

62. The Redskins; or Indian and Injin. Being the conclusion of the Littlepage Manuscripts. By the Author of The Pathfinder, Deerslayer, Two Admirals, etc. 2 vols. New York: Burgess & Stringer, 1846.

In England the title of this work was "Ravensnest; or the Redskins."

63. The Islets of the Gulf; or Rose Budd.

Begun in Graham's Magazine for November, 1846, and continued through every succeeding number until March, 1848, in which month it was concluded. It was published in book form March 21, 1848, by Burgess, Stringer & Co., as "Jack Tier; or the Florida Reefs." In England the title was "Captain Spike; or the Islets of the Gulf."

64. The Crater; or Vulcan's Peak. A Tale of the Pacific. By the Author of Miles Wallingford, The Red Rover, The Pilot, etc., etc. 2 vols. New York: Burgess, Stringer & Co., 1847.

The English title was "Mark's Reef; or the Crater." Jack Tier; or the Florida Reefs, 1848. See No. 63.

65. The Oak Openings; or the Bee Hunter. By the Author of The (p. 298) Pioneers, Last of the Mohicans, Pathfinder, Deerslayer, etc., etc. 2 vols. New York: Burgess, Stringer & Co., 1848.

The English title was "The Bee Hunter; or the Oak Openings."

66. The Sea Lions; or the Lost Sealers. By the Author of The Crater, etc. 2 vols. New York: Stringer & Townsend, 1849.

67. The Ways of the Hour; a Tale. By the Author of The Spy, The Red Rover, etc., etc. 1 vol. New York: G. P. Putnam, 1850.

POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATIONS.

68. Old Ironsides.

In Putnam's Magazine, vol. i., No. v., May, 1853, pp. 473-487; and in No. vi., June, 1853, pp. 593-607.

This is a history of the United States frigate Constitution.

69. Fragments from a Diary of James Fenimore Cooper.

In Putnam's Magazine, new series, vol. i., February, 1868, pp. 167-172; and June, 1868, pp. 730-737.

70. The Battle of Plattsburgh Bay.

In January, 1869, of Putnam's Magazine, vol. iii., new series, pp. 49-59.

A note to this article says that it was prepared as a lecture to be delivered before the New York Historical Society. The records of that Society, however, contain no reference to any lecture delivered by Cooper.

71. The Eclipse.

In Putnam's Magazine, new series, vol. iv., for September, 1869, pp. 352-359. Written about 1831, and gives an account of the eclipse of the sun in June, 1806.

Besides these there are numerous letters written to the newspapers, and in particular the letters written to the Paris journal, the "National," in 1833. During Cooper's life it was frequently said that he was engaged in preparing a work on the Middle States of the Union; but no (p. 299) trace of such a production was found among his papers. A work of his on "The Towns of Manhattan" was partly finished and in press at the time of his death; but the portion printed was entirely destroyed by fire. Part of the manuscript, however, was recovered. On the 4th of August, 1841, Cooper also delivered an address before the Literary Societies of Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y.; but this he himself burned on the day it was delivered.

A few works have been wrongly attributed to him. One of these is "The Cruise of the Somers; illustrative of the Despotism of the Quarter Deck; and of the Unmanly Conduct of Commander Mackenzie." New York: 1844. Another is "Elinor Wyllys; or the Young Folk of Longbridge." Philadelphia: 1846. Of this novel Cooper was the nominal editor, and to it he contributed a short preface. A third work, which has been falsely attributed to him, is entitled "The Republic of the United States; its Duties to Itself, and its Responsible Relations to other Countries." New York: 1848.

INDEX. (p. 300)

Adams, John, 113.

Adams, John Quincy, 224-226.

"Afloat and Ashore," 232, 249-253, 263, 296.

Albany, N. Y., 6, 15.

"Albany Argus," 182.

"Albany Evening Journal," Cooper's libel suits with, 187, 190-196.

America, intellectual dependence of, on England in 1820 and later, 18-21, 34, 35, 62, 92; literary state of, in 1820, 30-32.

"American Scott, The," Cooper so termed, 58, 106; his feelings about it, 59, 161.

"American Democrat, The," 177-179, 293.

Angevine, 14-16, 63.

Anti-Rent Novels, The, 251-254.

Ashburton Treaty, 237.

"Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung," 107.

"Autobiography of a Pocket Handkerchief," 249, 293.

Bainbridge, Commodore William, 295, 297.

Balzac, Honoré de, Criticisms of Cooper, 204, 240, 284.

Barry Cornwall. See _Procter_.

Barry, John, 296, 297.

Benjamin, Park, 159; Cooper's libel suit with, 187.

Bentley, London publisher of Cooper's later works, 262.

"Blackwood's Magazine," 58; abuse of Cooper, 174.

Berne, Cooper's residence near, 68.

Boone, Daniel, 72.

"Borderers, The" (English title), 291.

Boston, Cooper's criticism of, 171, 172.

Bostonians practice "gouging," 97.

"Bravo, The," 108-111, 115, 128, 130, 277, 291.

Bread and Cheese Club, founded by Cooper, 63; its members, 63; gives dinner to Cooper, 127.

Brenton's, Captain Edward Pelham, "Naval History of Great Britain," 202.

British press, Cooper's opinion of, 106, 136, 137; its attacks upon Cooper, 138, 173-176, 199, 236.

"Brother Jonathan, The," newspaper, 262, 294, 295.

Brown, Charles Brockden, 30.

Bryant, William Cullen, 17, 63, 80, 266; delivers funeral oration on Cooper, 268.

Bulwer, Sir Edward Lytton, 124, 125.

Burges, Tristam, 213, 221, 224, 226, 233, 295.

Burlington, N. J., 2, 12.

Burton's Theatre, Cooper's comedy acted at, 263.

Campbell, Judge William W., 216.

Canning, George, 68.

"Captain Spike" (English title), 297.

Carey and Lea, publishers, 66.

"Chainbearer, The," 252-254, 297.

Châlet, The, Cooper's farm, near Cooperstown, 263.

Champlain, Lake, 12.

Chauncey, Commodore Isaac, 127.

Chesapeake, American man-of-war, 202.

"Chronicles of Cooperstown, The," 293.

Clay, Henry, 67.

Clinton, DeWitt, 127.

"Coelebs," Hannah More's, 21.

Colburn, London publisher, 28, 94.

"Comparative Resources of the American Navy," 292.

Constitution, ship-of-war, 210, 298.

Cooper, Fenimore, 15, 63.

Cooper, J. F.: born at Burlington, 2; removed to Cooperstown, 2; early education, 6; at Albany, 6; at Yale College, 7; dismissed from college, 8; serves before the mast, 9, 10; enters navy as midshipman, 11; his service, 11; marries, 12; resigns position in the navy, 14; residences from 1811 to 1822, 14, 15; his children, 15; begins literary life, 16; moves into New York city, 63; founds the Bread and Cheese club, 63; has family name changed to Fenimore-Cooper, 3; is given a public dinner, 127; sails for Europe, 67; made consul at Lyons, 67; residences in France, England, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany, 67, 68; cordial reception in Paris, 68, 69; wide extent of his reputation, 56-58, 77; returns to America, 117; refuses a public dinner, 128; resides in New York city, 117; buys his father's house in Cooperstown and makes it his permanent home, 117; has a controversy with citizens of Cooperstown, 142-148; brings a number of newspaper libel suits, 180-197; engages unsuccessfully in business operations, 261; his farm, 263, 264; becomes a communicant in the Episcopal Church, 266; his death, 267; funeral oration over, delivered by Bryant, 268; happiness of his home life, 13, 14, 233, 234, 285; wide circulation of his works, 37, 56, 76, 270; pecuniary profits from their sale, 64-66, 261-263; his success as a lawyer, 182, 189, 216-218, 220; his sensitiveness to criticism, 41-44, 286; defects of his literary art, 50, 51; failure in characterization, 152, 155, 277, 278; female characters, 26-28, 153, 154, 278-281; success in characters from low life, 53-55, 72, 73, 152, 283; fondness for commonplace, 84, 242, 276; prolixity of his introductions, 75, 134, 242, 276; improbability and carelessness in the details of his stories, 51, 53, 276, 277; carelessness in the development of the plot, 28, 271, 272, 275, 276; criticism on language and carelessness in use of it, 130, 272-275; his humor, 119, 239, 240; his fondness for natural scenery, and success in description, 8, 69, 134, 168, 169, 240, 241, 264, 282-284; his political opinions, 82-84, 108, 109; his imperiousness of manner, 79, 80, 286; his pugnacity, 24, 75, 80, 81, 146, 147, 285; his generosity, 81, 82; his patriotism, 49, 85, 86, 94, 110, 115, 128, 231, 237, 238, 243; depth and narrowness of religious feeling, 22-26, 75, 243, 256, 258-261, 266; high sense of honor, 82, 286; love of truth, 202, 203, 222, 232, 287, 288.

Cooper, Paul, 15, 63.

Cooper, Richard, 182, 185, 220.

Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 15.

Cooper, William, Cooper's father, 2, 3, 9, 142-145, 188, 192.

Cooperstown, situation of, 1, 3, 4; when founded, 2; original population of, 5; Cooper's residences in, 2, 3, 14, 117; his controversy with citizens of, 142-148; farm near, 263, 264; his death at, 266, 267; the Chronicles of, 293.

"Cooperstown Freeman's Journal," democratic newspaper, 143, 144; Cooper's letters to, 147, 148, 294.

Copyright, international, Cooper's feelings in regard to, 166; pecuniary loss sustained by the lack of one, 261.

Copyright law, English, of, 1838, 66, 261.

Courier, Paul, liberal sentiments about America, 87.

Court of Errors, The, of New York, 228, 229.

"Crater, The," 255-258, 274, 297.

Cushing, Caleb, replies to Cooper, 132.

Dale, Richard, 295, 297.

Davis, Admiral Charles H., 213.

"Deerslayer, The," 239-242, 272, 294.

DeKay, James E., 63.

DeLancey family, 12, 13.

DeLancey, Susan Augusta, 12-14, 16, 70, 233, 234; married to Cooper, 12; her death, 267.

DeLancey, William H., bishop of Western New York, 266.

Democratic party, Cooper nominally belonging to, 133, 171.

"Democratic Review," 207, 208, 295.

Derby, Lord, 52.

"Diary of James Fenimore Cooper, Fragments from," 298.

Dresden, Saxony, Cooper's residence at, 68, 107, 123.

Duer, William Alexander, Cooper's controversy with, 212, 221-223, 233, 295.

Durand, Asher B., the engraver, 63.

"Eclipse, The," 298.

Edgeworth, Maria, 57.

"Edinburgh Review, The," 205-208, 295.

Elliott, Commodore Jesse, 208-213, 222; has a medal struck in honor of Cooper, 224-226.

"Encyclopedia Britannica," notice of Cooper's life in, 175.

England, Cooper's residence in, 68, 96; feeling of, towards America, 87-98; criticism of, by Cooper, 105, 130, 137; his work on, 135, 293; hostility expressed for Cooper in, 92, 106, 138, 173-176.

Effingham, name applied to Cooper, 156, 158, 183, 191, 294.

Episcopal Church, Cooper's attachment to, 23, 245, 249, 254, 257, 259, 260, 266.

Erie Lake, Battle of, controversy in regard to, 208-227, 294.

European ignorance of America, 86-88, 100, 101.

"Eve Effingham" (English title), 294.

"Excursions in Italy" (English title), 293.

"Excursions in Switzerland" (English title), 292.

Expenses' Controversy, The, 76, 111-115, 292.

Fay, Theodore S., 132.

Federalist Party, 9, 171; Cooper brought up in, 92; feeling of, towards England, 92, 93.

Fenimore family, 3, 188.

Fenimore, near Cooperstown, Cooper's residence at, 14.

Fenimore-Cooper, family name changed to, 3.

Florence, Cooper's residence at, 68, 74, 120.

Foot, Samuel A., 215-221.

France, Cooper's work on, 135, 292, 293.

Francis, Dr. John W., 266, 267.

"Fraser's Magazine," its attack on Cooper, 174-175.

Free trade, Cooper's hostility to, 133, 171.

"French Governess, The" (English title), 295.

French opinion of Cooper, 36, 204.

French social life, Cooper's opinion of, 69.

Galitzin, Princess, 69.

Gardner, Colonel Charles K., 287.

Gifford, William, editor of "The Quarterly," 35.

Gisquet, French prefect of police, 37.

"Gleanings in Europe," 135-140, 204, 292, 293.

Glens Falls, 52.

"Glory and Shame of England," attack on Cooper in, 234, 235.

"Gotham and the Gothamites," 60.

Gouging, prevalence of, in America, 97; practiced by Bostonians, 97.

"Graham's Magazine," 229, 245, _note_, 248, 255, 295-297.

Greeley, Horace, 159, 180, 181, 187; Cooper's libel suits with, 197, 198.

Greenough, Horatio, 81, 115-116, 155.

Grose's "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," 97.

Halleck, Fitzgreene, 63, 246, _note_.

Harris, Leavitt, 113, 114.

Haydon, Benjamin Robert, 58.

Hazlitt, William, 106.

Headley, Rev. J. T., 235.

"Headsman, The," 108, 109, 272, 292.

"Heathcotes, The" (English title), 291.

"Heidenmauer, The," 108, 109, 280, 292.

Heine, 107.

Hillard, George S., 160.

Hillhouse, James A., 7.

"Hints on Manning the Navy," 292.

Hobart College, Cooper's address at, 299.

"Home as Found," 149, 150-159, 294.

"Home as Found, Lost Chapter of," 294.

"Homeward Bound," 149, 150, 152, 155, 293.

Impressment of American seamen, 93.

Indian character, Cooper's view of, 54, 55.

Ingram's, John H., "Life of Poe," 246, _note_.

Irving, Washington, 3, 35, 56, 268, 287.

"Islets of the Gulf, The." See "_Jack Tier_."

Italy, Cooper's work on, 135, 293; attachment of Cooper to, 69-71.

"Jack o' Lantern, The" (English title), 295.

Jackson, President Andrew, 131, 210.

"Jack Tier," 255, 256, 263, 297.

James's, William, "Naval History of Great Britain," 205-207, 295; Cooper's opinion of, 206, 207.

Jarvis, John Wesley, 63.

Jay, John, 29.

Jefferson, Thomas, 67.

Jones, John Paul, 48, 57, 288, 295, 297.

Jordan, Ambrose C., 190.

Judah, Samuel B. H., 60.

Jury, trial by, 260.

Kent, Chancellor James, 63, 127.

King, Charles, 127.

"Knickerbocker Magazine," 160, 161, 293.

Lafayette, 111, 112.

"Last of the Mohicans, The," 52-55, 56, 58, 66, 71, 72, 239, 291.

Lawrence, Captain James, 12.

"Leather-Stocking Tales, The," 40, 55, 239; Cooper's opinion of, 241.

Leghorn, 120.

Lester, C. Edwards, 235, 236.

"Letter to General Lafayette," 112, 291.

"Letter to his Countrymen," 129-132, 292.

"Letter to the American Public," 114, 292.

Libel suits, Cooper's, with the Otsego "Republican," 185, 186; with the Norwich "Telegraph," 184, 186; with the Oneida "Whig," 187; with the New York "Evening Signal," 187; with the New York "Courier and Enquirer," 187-190; with the Albany "Evening Journal," 187, 190, 196; with the New York "Tribune," 187, 197; with the New York "Commercial Advertiser," 187, 197, 212, 214-221, 223-224.

"Lionel Lincoln," 49-52, 291.

Livermore, Rev. T. S., 293.

Livingston, Edward, 114.

Lockhart's, John Gibson, "Life of Scott," 160, 161, 293.

London, Cooper's residence in, 68, 96-98.

"London Times," its attack on Cooper, 175.

Lord, Daniel, Jr., 215-221.

Louis Philippe, 69, 107.

Lowell, James Russell, 156.

"Lucy Harding" (English title), 249, 296; 251.

Lyons, Cooper consul at, 67.

Mackenzie, Alexander Slidell, 212, 213, 216, 221, 222, 233, 295.

Mackintosh, Sir James, 97.

Mamaroneck, N. Y., 12, 13, 14.

Man, Isle of, Cooper reported birthplace in, 3.

"Mark's Reef" (English title), 297.

McHarg, Rev. C. W., 229.

"Mercedes of Castile," 232, 242, 272, 278.

Mickiewicz, Adam, 107.

Miller, London publisher, 35.

"Miles Wallingford," 93, 249, 285, 296.

Mitford, Mary Russell, 57.

"Monikins, The," 133-135.

Montagu, Mrs. Basil, 91.

Moore, Thomas, 88, 96.

More, Hannah, 21.

Morris, George P., 132.

Morse, S. F. B., 63, 76.

Murray, John, London publisher, 35.

Naples, Cooper's residence at, 68.

Naples, bay of, compared with that of New York, 164, 249, 254.

"National" (Paris), 113, 298.

"Naval Magazine," 201, 292.

"Naval History of the United States," 200-230, 232, 233, 294.

"Naval Officers, Lives of," 228, 229, 297.

Neal, John, 30.

Ned Myers, 247, 248, 263, 296.

New England, Cooper's dislike of, 245, 246, 247, 249, 250, 253, 257, 259; Cooper's unpopularity in, 50, 247.

New Haven, 8.

"New Monthly Magazine, Colburn's," sketch of Cooper in, 94.

Newport, 74; stone tower at, 226.

"New World, The," newspaper, 262.

New York (city), Cooper's residences in, 15, 47, 63, 67, 117; Cooper's criticism of society in, 150, 151, 158, 249; social life in, 121; Cooper's prophecy about, 102.

"New York American," 127, 128.

"New York Commercial Advertiser," 129; Cooper's libel suits with, 187, 212, 214-221, 223, 224.

"New York Courier and Enquirer," 129, 130; Cooper's libel suits with, 187-190.

"New York Evening Post," 182.

"New York Evening Signal," Cooper's libel suit with, 187.

New York Historical Society, 298.

"New York Home Journal," 13.

"New York Mirror," 132.

"New York Patriot," 287.

"New York Tribune," Cooper's libel suits with, 187, 192, 197.

"New Yorker, The," 158, 182.

Newspapers, Cooper's attacks on, 43, 176-180; libel suits with, 180-199.

"North American Review, The," 60, 61, 212, 213.

"Norwich Telegraph," Cooper's libel suit with, 184, 185.

"Notions of the Americans," 101-106, 291.

Nugent, Lord, 96.

"Oak Openings, The," 255, 258, 263, 275, 297.

"Odofried the Outcast," 60.

Old Ironsides, 298.

"Oneida Whig, The," Cooper's libel suit with, 187.

Ontario, Lake, 11, 169, 240.

Otsego Hall, Cooper's residence, 2, 117, 267.

Otsego Lake, 1, 4, 117, 142, 240.

"Otsego Republican," Cooper's libel suit with, 185, 186.

Paris, Cooper's residence at, 67-69, 107.

Parsons, Usher, 227.

"Pathfinder, The," 11, 239-242, 283, 294.

Paulding, James Kirke, 30.

Paulding, Hiram, 216.

Peale, Rembrandt, 115.

Percival, James G., 60-62.

Perry, Captain Matthew, 210, 212.

Perry, Commodore Oliver H., 208-229, 295, 297.

"Philadelphia National Gazette," 114, 292.

"Pilot, The," 44-48, 57, 74, 95, 283-288, 291.

"Pioneers, The," 39-44, 61, 65, 72, 117, 156, 239, 287, 291.

Piracy of books, 261, 262.

Plattsburgh Bay, Battle of, 298.

Poe, Elgar A., 245, 246, _note_.

Poland, revolt of, 107; Cooper's efforts to aid, 108.

"Prairie, The," 61, 71, 73, 76, 95, 239, 283, 291.

Preble, Edward, 296, 297.

"Precaution," 16-28, 243.

Price of Cooper's later novels, 262, 263.

Princeton College, 246.

Procter, Bryan Waller, 58, 161.

Provincialism of America, 138, 150, 164, 165, 168.

Puritanism, 23-29, 75, 243.

"Putnam's Magazine," 298.

"Quarterly Review, The," 35, 277, 287; its attacks on America, 89; its attack on Cooper, 205.

"Ravensnest" (English title), 297.

"Recollections of Europe" (English title), 293.

"Redskins, The," 253, 254, 263, 297.

"Red Rover, The," 65, 73, 99, 226, 227, 255, 291.

Reporters of newspapers, Cooper's attack on, 176.

"Residence in France" (English title), 292.

Revolution of 1830, French, 106, 107.

"Revue Britannique," 111-113.

Rhode Island Historical Society, 213; refuses to accept the Cooper medal, 224-227.

Rives, William C., 114.

Rome, Cooper's residence at, 68, 75.

Russia, early cordial relations of, with the United States, 93.

Sand, George, 284.

"Satanstoe," 252, 253, 254, 263, 296.

Saulnier, M., 111, 112.

Scott, Sir Walter, 31, 33, 41, 44, 56-59, 91, 110, 124, 277, 278, 283, 287; his mention of Cooper, 69, 160; Lockhart's life of, 159-161.

Scott, General Winfield, 127.

"Sea Lions, The," 255, 258-260, 263, 298.

Sea novel, Cooper's creation of, 44-47, 57, 74.

Shannon, English ship-of-war, 12, 202.

Shanty, Cooper's derivation of, 275.

Shaw, John, 290, 297.

Shubrick, John Templer, 296, 297.

Silliman, Professor Benjamin, 8.

"Sketches of Switzerland," 135-140, 292.

Slavery, Cooper's feelings toward, 85, 104.

Smith, Sydney, 96.

Smollett, Tobias G., 45, 57.

Somers, American man-of-war, 228.

Somers, Richard, 295, 297.

Sorrento, Cooper's residence at, 68, 71, 75.

Sotheby, William, 97, 98.

Southey, Robert, 91.

Spencer, John C., 228.

Spencer, Joshua A., 186.

"Spy, The," 13, 30-38, 43, 49, 57, 65, 66, 280, 283, 290.

Squier, E. G., 37.

Steevens, Samuel, 215-221.

Sterling, merchant ship, 9, 10, 247, 248.

Stone, William Leet, Cooper's libel suits against, 187, 214-221, 223, 224.

Sumner, Charles, 91, 160.

Susquehanna River, 1, 2, 264.

Talleyrand visits Cooper's father, 5.

Three Mile Point Controversy, The, 142-148, 156.

Ticknor, George, 91.

Tories of American Revolution, Cooper's treatment of, 13.

"Towns of Manhattan, The," 266, 299.

Tuckerman, Henry T., his account of a trial scene, 217, 218.

"Two Admirals, The," 242, 243, 276, 295.

Tyler, John, President, 228.

"United Service Journal," its criticism of Cooper's Naval History, 204, 205.

"Upside Down," Cooper's comedy, 263.

Van Rensselaer, Stephen, the patroon, 251.

Verplanck, Gulian Crommelin, 63.

Vesuvius, American man-of-war, 11.

"Water Witch, The," 75, 76, 78, 106, 291; refused publication in Rome, 123.

Waverley Novels, 31, 44.

"Ways of the Hour, The," 255, 260, 263, 272, 274, 277, 298.

Webster, Daniel, 268.

Weed, Thurlow, 122, 190; Cooper's libel suits against, 187, 190-196; admiration for Cooper's novels, 196.

"Wept of Wish-ton-Wish, The," 74, 99, 272, 291.

Westchester County, New York, 12, 14, 29.

Whig party, its hostility to Cooper 131.

Whig press, attacks on Cooper, 147, 148, 158, 159, 173, 177, 180, 184, 185, 199, 211, 235, 241.

Wiley, John, publisher, 63, 66.

Willis, N. P., 132.

Wilson, John, 58.

"Wing-and-Wing," 93, 243, 244, 247, 262, 295.

Woolsey, Melancthon Taylor, 11, 296, 297.

Wright, Fanny, 36.

"Wyandotte," 13, 244, 245, 263, 295.

Yale College, 246; Cooper's connection with, 7-9.

End of Project Gutenberg's James Fenimore Cooper, by Thomas R. Lounsbury