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IRWIN ISABELLA 421 nished by John Jacob Astor. The "Adven- tures of Captain Bonneville, U. 8. A., in the Kooky Mountains and the Far West," was pub- lished in 1837 (2 vols., Philadelphia), and in 1839-'41 Irving contributed to the "Knicker- bocker Magazine" a series of articles which with others were collected in a volume enti- tled " Wolfert's Roost" (New York, 1855). In 1841 he wrote a life of Margaret Miller David- son, to accompany her posthumous works. He was United States minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846, and on his return prepared for publi- cation in separate form his biography of Oliver Goldsmith (New York, 1849), which was origi- nally prefixed to a Paris edition of Goldsmith's works, and also published "Mahomet and his Successors" (2 vols., New York, 1850), com- posed partly from materials collected in Madrid. In 1848-'50, at the suggestion of Mr. G. P. Put- nam, he revised his entire works, which were issued by that publisher in 15 uniform volumes, and met with a large sale. Irving's last, long- est, and most elaborate work, "The Life of George Washington" (5 vols., New York, 1855-'9), occupied the remainder of his life, the final volume appearing only three months before his death. From the time when the " Sketch Book " was published Irving had a wide circle of appreciative readers, which has never diminished. In the department of pure literature he was the earliest classic writer of America, and in the opinion of many he re- mains the first. The remarkable clearness and purity of his English, the freshness of many of his themes, and the genial spirit in which he handles all, seem to have secured for his works a permanent active circulation. During his lifetime 600,000 volumes were sold in Ameri- ca, and since his death the sale has averaged more than 30,000 a year. On account of the early death of a young lady to whom he was attached, Matilda Hoffman, he never married. For several years before his death he resided on the east bank of the Hudson, near Tarry- town, in an old Dutch mansion which he chris- tened "Sunnyside." This place is the scene of the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and Ir- ving's house was the original of the castle of Baltus van Tassel. In private life Irving was very even-tempered, hospitable, genial, and generous, with an almost feminine delicacy of manners and conversation. He was a com- municant of the Episcopal church. He died suddenly from disease of the heart, and was buried in the graveyard at Tarrytown, the fu- neral procession passing through the famous "Sleepy Hollow." His "Life and Letters" (5 vols., New York, 1861-"T) was edited by his nephew Pierre M. Irving, who also col- lected and edited his "Spanish Papers, and other Miscellanies " (3 vols., 1866). IRWIJf, a S. county of Georgia, bounded N. E. by Ocmulgee river, and traversed by the Al- lapaha ; area, about 1,000 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,837, of whom 296 were colored. It has a level surface and a sandy soil, which is not very fertile except in the S. E. part. Pine forests occupy a large portion of the land. The Brunswick and Albany railroad touches the S. W. corner. The chief productions in 1870 were 27,875 bushels of Indian corn, 15,165 of oats, 23,220 of sweet potatoes, 16,510 Ibs. of wool, and 153 bales of cotton. There were 257 horses, 9,021 cattle, 7,372 sheep, and 7,458 swine. Capital, Irwinville. ISAAC (Heb. Yitz'hak, will laugh, whose birth caused laughter), the second patriarch of the Hebrews, son of Abraham and Sarah, younger brother of Ishmael, and father of Jacob and Esau by Rebekah. The narrative of his life is contained in Genesis, according to which he was born when his father was 100 years old, was circumcised on the 8th day of his life, was about to be sacrificed by his father on Mt. Moriah, but was saved by divine interposition, lived partly as a nomad, partly as an agri- culturist, in the southern region of Canaan and in Philistia, and died blind at the age of 180, after bestowing his chief blessing on his younger son Jacob, who, by the advice of his mother, had disguised himself to resemble Esau. ISAAC I., (imnirniis, a Byzantine emperor, died in 1061. He was the son of Manuel Comnenus, prefect of the East, but early lost his father, and was brought up by the emperor Basil II. He married the daughter of the cap- tive king of Bulgaria, and was living privately in Paphlagonia when in 1057 a conspiracy raised him to the throne in the place of Michael VI. He repulsed the Hungarians in 1059, but was a weak and incompetent ruler, and the same year abdicated and retired to a monas- tery, where he remained till his death. He left no son, but the family of Comneni, after an interval of 20 years, occupied the Byzantine throne for a century. ISAAC II., Angelas, a Byzantine emperor, born in 1154, put to death in 1204. A de- scendant of the Comneni through his grand- mother, he held various offices under the em- peror Manuel I. He fell under the displeasure of Andronicus Comnenus, who ordered him to be put to death ; but a popular revolution de- livered him and placed him upon the throne in 1185. He made himself detested by his vices and incapacity, and was dethroned by his brother Alexis III. in 1195, and deprived of his sight. When the crusaders took Constantino- ple in 1203, they restored Isaac to the throne ; but he was again dethroned and put to death by Alexis Ducas in the following year. ISABELLA, a central county of the southern peninsula of Michigan, intersected by Chippewa river; area, 576 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870,4,113. The surface is nearly level, and mostly covered with forests, principally of pine and sugar maple. The Flint and Pere Marquette railroad crosses the N. E. corner. The chief produc- tions in 1870 were 27,786 bushels of wheat, 18,984 of Indian corn, 21,382 of oats, 39,001 of potatoes, 87,854 Ibs. of butter, and 4,268 tons of hay. There were 568 horses, 867 milch