its fearless criticism, lively wit, and irresponsible humor, piqued,
puzzled, and delighted the town. From the first it was an immense
success; it had a circulation in other cities, and many imitations of it
sprung up. Notwithstanding many affectations and puerilities it is still
readable to Americans. Of course, if it were offered now to the complex
and sophisticated society of New York, it would fail to attract anything
like the attention it received in the days of simplicity and literary
dearth; but the same wit, insight, and literary art, informed with the
modern spirit and turned upon the follies and "whim-whams" of the
metropolis, would doubtless have a great measure of success. In Irving's
contributions to it may be traced the germs of nearly everything that he
did afterwards; in it he tried the various stops of his genius; he
discovered his own power; his career was determined; thereafter it was
only a question of energy or necessity.

In the summer of 1808 there were printed at Ballston-Spa--then the resort
of fashion and the arena of flirtation--seven numbers of a duodecimo
bagatelle in prose and verse, entitled "The Literary Picture Gallery and
Admonitory Epistles to the Visitors of Ballston-Spa, by Simeon Senex,
Esquire." This piece of summer nonsense is not referred to by any writer
who has concerned himself about Irving's life, but there is reason to
believe that he was a contributor to it, if not the editor.--[For these
stray reminders of the old-time gayety of Ballston-Spa, I am indebted to
J. Carson Brevoort, Esq., whose father was Irving's most intimate friend,
and who told him that Irving had a hand in them.]

In these yellow pages is a melancholy reflection of the gayety and
gallantry of the Sans Souci Hotel seventy years ago. In this "Picture
Gallery," under the thin disguise of initials, are the portraits of
well-known belles of New York whose charms of person and graces of mind