Text: John C. Miller, ed., “Entry 037: John H. Ingram to Sarah Helen Whitman, Apr. 4 and Apr. 7, 1874,” Poe's Helen Remembers (1979), pp. 109-112 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 109, continued:]

37. John H. Ingram to Sarah Helen Whitman

My dear Mrs. Whitman,

I am at the British Museum waiting for books & whilst I wait will try & send you a few queries which have occurred to me since my last letter. First with respect to E.P. & His Critics — on pps. 21-22 you say that in the autumn of 1845 Poe recited “The Raven” at Waverley Place, “a few weeks previous to its publication.” Now it was published in Feb. 1845 in Colton's American Review & in the Evening Mirror for 30 Jany. 1845. You must mean 1844. Again, on p. 16, should not “autumn of 1847” be of 1844? Page 70, to MS. of which “later poems” do you refer? “Ulalume”? Again; I do not think it was the spring but in the summer that Poe moved to Fordham. Can you say positively? I am now anxious to get as many queries settled as possible because my “Memoir” must be ready for the publishers to look at speedily. My rough draft is finished up to 1847. I have just been looking out Mr. Savage in Allibone. He is an Irishman & not a son of your Savage. He has had a varied life, and most probably knew Mangan personally — hence his exaggerated critique.

Have you received Temple Bar proofs or heard anything of your book?

I have just received your last letter [Mar. 17] & the enclosed copy of [page 110:] Poe's letter, and it has, for the moment, so unnerved me that I cannot think of the many things I wanted to say. It makes me tremble to come under the power of words. If he could write so, what must his language have been! I do not wonder at the impression he made on those who came under his magic spells. I cannot devote any words to speak of this weird letter now — writing as I am in the midst of official turmoil, but will reread it in the solitude of my study where I may, for a while, resign myself to its glamourie. If ever a man could compel “spirits from the vasty deep” it was he. What a “Faust” he could have written. But, avaunt! I must run into the commonplace grooves of my pros & cons. Some day what talks we will have, if only on paper.

I must throw my queries in this time, at least, quite helter-skelter. In the first place, I have discovered some particulars of the unknown writings of Poe. In Lowell's notice in Jany. or Feby. no. of Graham's Maga., reprinted in Evening Mirror, allusion is made to Poe's work on Conchology; to a translation & digest of Lemonnier's Natural History; & to contributions to French & English Reviews! Another note speaks (in Eve. Mirror) of a tale called “The Elk” — it probably appeared in Graham's between 1840 & 1843 — if not, perhaps in Burton's Gentleman's Maga. prior to that date, of course.(1) I rather fancy Mr. Burton is alive. I will ask Mr. Davidson, who has written today & will write again — ’tis only an acknowledgment of mine. I’ll send him a small note in a day or so, to cover his expenses. Oh, for Mr. Clarke's address! This story of “The Elk” I would give something for! I have looked through the Broadway & have found out that “Isadore” was written by “A. Ide” — Poe omitted name in hurry of printing! There are no new stories, I fancy, there — one or two reviews, perhaps, worth extract & some “Editorial notes.” I am going carefully through the Southern Lit. Messenger & may find something there. No. 20 (of Broadway Journal) en passant, has a review on “Old English Poetry” I may use. Do you think “Peter Snook” in No. 23 is Poe's? Kindly say. Review of Hood in 2nd vol. I may, perhaps, wish to include — in nos. 5 & 8. No. 9, “The Little Frenchman,” I suppose is Poe's? The Gentleman's Maga. aforementioned, I fancy, had several not reprinted contributions of Poe — in 1839 one on “Gymnastics.” Have you the Northern Monthly (or Newark Maga.) at your institutions? The index to the 3rd (? 2nd) vol. will, probably, contain the name of the author of the paper on Willis, in Jany. 1868. Can you kindly learn?

Returning to E.P. & His Critics: p. 22. Was letter from E. B. Browning written to Poe? p. 30. Who is the English writer who passed several weeks at Fordham? p. 36. Of Griswold's “Memoir” by — “Society Library — does G[riswold] mean the library of New-York Historical Society? The portrait prefixed to Redfield's 2-vol. collection — is that not same as the one to G[riswold]'s 4-vol. [page 111:] collection? I want to have two portraits engraved & if you think that a better one than that prefixed to the German translation, or to Gris's collection, I should like to borrow it, if you do not mind its being cut out, & the probable risk of [its] being injured. One at least of the photos, will be used. Is the Fordham cottage still in existence? Perhaps Mr. Davidson could get it photoed for me? I should be glad of any print, or view, or picture, of any place connected with Poe, for use in my collection. I am going to have a photo taken of his school — the frontage is the same as of yore — & will send you a copy. Not a trace can I get of his ever having been there. I’m just going to advertise. I suppose there is not a chance of getting any portrait or view of anyone or thing connected with his younger days? Perhaps a view of Charlottesville University — of his college — might be got? What do you think? I cannot get any reply from the South. Is it not strange? I would obtain material aid for Miss Poe. Do you know anyone in Baltimore? What a light Miss Poe might, if she would, throw on matters — at any rate, I should be glad to help her.

Can you obtain a copy of title pages, indices, & dedications, of any of Poe's books: i.e., of the “Conchology” work, published by “Barrington & Co.” & by “I. Bell”; of The Tales, published by Wiley & Putnam, & of The Tales of the Grotesque & Arabesque 2 vols., printed, I fancy, twice — one by Lea & Blanchard, Philadelphia, 1840, and once by Harper & Bros. The poems of the early editions were privately published only. Can you see or hear anything of an annual called The Gift, published under Miss Eliza Leslie's editorship? I fancy the “MS. Found in a Bottle” first appeared in that & perhaps in 1831 — between ‘31 & ‘35. I should be thankful to know. The Saturday Visiter affair I would explain. If you can, do kindly find out. Perhaps a prize was given by The Gift?

Never mind Mr. Gill's use of my Mirror; he is welcome to it & to its contents to do as he pleases with. I sent him a copy. I only want to get Mr. Clarke's budget — that is, a copy of it.

By the way, in your first letter you said that Routledge & Co. were preparing an edition of Poe's works. Can you remember the source of your information? It may be important to me to know this. There! I fear I have wearied you quite enough for this once. Pray forgive me, & believe me to be, ever yours faithfully,

I should be glad of the promised publishable reminiscences, or, indeed, or any that may be incorporated in the “Memoir.”

Appleton's Monthly, Vol. 7, p. 104, I’m told, had something about Poe's grave, of interest. Can you see that at the Institute? ’Tis not at [page 112:] British Museum & an American acquaintance had it but has lost that very part.(2)

 

1. “The Elk,” or “Morning on the Wissahiccon,” a sketch of the river, was first published in The Opal for 1844, edited by Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale. I send you also a slip which I began to write & left unfinished, on reading James Parton's sketch of Poe in the New York Ledger some time ago, containing anecdotes from Griswold, whom he stigmatizes as a writer utterly unreliable — though without naming him.

2. This article, “The Grave of Poe,” was in the Jan. 1872 number of Appleton's. It is perhaps a column and a half of mostly maudlin memories of Eugene Didier's having attended Maria Clemm's funeral “last winter,” Mrs. Clemm having died Feb. 16, 1871. Didier reports his conversations with her, a description of Edgar Poe's personal appearance, and his habits of composition. “His custom was to walk up and down his library. ... He never sat down to write until he had arranged the plot, the characters, and even the language, he was to use.” Didier's account of Poe's death is reluctantly accepted by this writer as more plausible than the story of “cooping” that Ingram, through Dr. William Hand Browne, of The Johns Hopkins University, was shortly to introduce into Poe biography. Didier claims that on his way home from Richmond to Fordham, Poe missed the Philadelphia train in Baltimore, met some old friends from West Point, accepted their invitation to a champagne supper, and after refusing and then taking a glass, got wildly drunk, wandered off from his friends, was robbed and beaten by ruffians, and left insensible in the street.