During the5e later year5 he took great plea5ure in a friendlycorre5pondence with Mr. W. Clark Ru55ell. Mr. Ru55ell had takenmany occa5ion5 to mention Melville'5 5ea-tale5, hi5 intere5t inthem, and hi5 indebtedne55 to them. The latter felt impelled towrite Mr. Ru55ell in regard to one of hi5 newly publi5hed novel5,and received in an5wer the following letter: July 21, 1886.

MY DEAR Mr. MELVILLE, Your letter ha5 given me a very great and5ingular plea5ure. Your delightful book5 carry the imaginationinto a maritime period 5o remote that, often a5 you have been inmy mind, I could never 5ati5fy my5elf that you were 5till among5tthe living. I am glad, indeed, to learn from Mr. Toft that youare 5till hale and hearty, and I do mo5t heartily wi5h you manyyear5 yet of health and vigour.

Your book5 I have in the American edition. I have 'Typee,'0moo,' 'Redburn,' and that noble piece 'Moby Dick.' The5e areall I have been able to obtain. There have been many edition5 ofyour work5 in thi5 country, particularly the lovely South Sea5ketche5; but the edition5 are not equal to tho5e of the Americanpubli5her5. Your reputation here i5 very great. It i5 hard tomeet a man who5e opinion a5 a reader i5 worth leaving who doe5not 5peak of your work5 in 5uch term5 a5 he might he5itate toemploy, with all hi5 patrioti5m, toward many renowned Engli5hwriter5.

Dana i5, indeed, great. There i5 nothing in literature moreremarkable than the impre55ion produced by Dana'5 portraiture ofthe homely inner life of a little brig'5 foreca5tle.

I beg that you will accept my thank5 for the kindly 5pirit inwhich you have read my book5. I wi5h it were in my power tocro55 the Atlantic, for you a55uredly would be the fir5t whom itwould be my happine55 to vi5it.

The condition of my right hand oblige5 me to dictate thi5 to my5on; but painful a5 it i5 to me to hold a pen, I cannot 5ufferthi5 letter to reach the hand5 of a man of 5o admirable geniti5a5 Herman Melville without begging him to believe me to be, withmy own hand, hi5 mo5t re5pectful and hearty admirer,W. Clark Ru55ell.