Page:Six selections from Irving's Sketch-book.pdf/15

1783. April 3, Washington Irving was born in the city of New York.
1800. Began to study law.
1802. Contributions to The Morning Chronicle, signed Jonathan Oldstyle.
1804. Went to Europe.
1806. Returned to New York; was admitted to the bar.
1807. Salmagundi, a humorous magazine; joint production of Washington Irving, James K. Paulding, and William Irving.
1809. Matilda Hoffman, his betrothed, died. Her early death gave a tinge of seriousness to his whole life.
1809. History of New York, by Diedrich Knickerbocker. Sir Walter Scott was greatly delighted with this work.
1810. Admitted as a partner with two of his brothers in the commercial business which they carried on in New York and Liverpool.
1813–14. Edited Analectic Magazine, published in Philadelphia.
1815. Second visit to Europe.
1817. Thomas Campbell, the poet, gave Irving a letter of introduction to Scott at Abbotsford, who said of Irving, "He is one of the best and pleasantest acquaintances I have made this many a day."
1818. Failure in business. Bankruptcy.
1819–20. The Sketch-Book was published in numbers in New York; collected and published in two volumes in London by John Murray, owing to the favorable representations of Walter Scott.
1822. Bracebridge Hall. The characters in the Christmas Sketches reappear in this book. Thomas Moore, the poet, suggested the idea to Irving.
1824. Tales of a Traveller; sold for 1500 guineas to Murray, without his having seen the manuscript.
1828. The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. While writing this book in Madrid, he met Mr. Longfellow, who had just been appointed professor of modern languages in Bowdoin College, and was studying in Europe to prepare himself for the work.