Dramatic Romances

Grove, Surrey, May 20, 1811), a friend of Browning's,

distinguished as a poet and as a Colonial statesman and

ruler. His first volume of poems was published in 1832.

Some verses of his in Blackwood's, 1837, attracted much

attention to him as a rising young poet. In 1841 he

was called to the bar, and in 1841 went out to New

Zealand among the earliest settlers. There he lived for

thirty years, filling several important official positions.

His unceremonious departure for New Zealand with no

leave-takings was the occasion of Browning's poem, which

is said by Mrs. Orr to give a lifelike sketch of Domett's

character. His "star" did, however, rise again for his

English friends, for he returned to London in 1871. The

year following saw the publication of his "Ranolf and

Amohia," a New Zealand poem, in the course of which

he characterizes Browning as "Subtlest Asserter of the

Soul in Song." He met Browning again in London, and

was one of the vice-presidents of the London Browning

Society. Died Nov.12, 1877.

points out that in his Living Authors of England

Thomas Powell describes this incident, the "young author"

mentioned being himself: "We have a vivid

recollection of the last time we saw him. It was at

an evening party, a few days before he sailed from

England; his intimate friend, Mr. Browning, was also

present. It happened that the latter was introduced that

evening for the first time to a young author who had just

then appeared in the literary world. This, consequently,

prevented the two friends from conversation, and they

parted from each other without the slightest idea on Mr.

Browning's part that he was seeing his old friend Domett

for the last time. Some days after, when he found that

Domett had sailed, he expressed in strong terms to the

writer of this sketch the self-reproach he felt at having

preferred the conversation of a stranger to that of his

old associate."

of part of a line in Virgil describing Polyphemus,

"Monstrum horrendum informe ingens," a monster horrid,

misshapen, huge.