Page:A cyclopaedia of female biography.djvu/672

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ROB.

continued her literary efforts, and the amount of labour performed by her would appear astonishing to any one who did not know her industry and readiness in composition. History, biography, poetry, tales, local descriptions, foreign correspondence, and didactic essays, by turns employed her versatile powers. She also edited "The Sixty-fourth Edition of Mrs. Bundle's Kew System of Cookery, etc." to which she added several receipts of her own. A pleasing biographical sketch of Mrs. Maclean, or L. E. L., was also written by the same lady, which was published with "The Zenena, and other poems," in 1840. In the fall of 1889, Miss Roberts formed the bold design of travelling to India through Egypt, accompanied only by a female friend. Previous to her departure she entered into an agreement with the Asiatic Journal to transmit, on her journey, a series of papers for publication descriptive of her route. The last of these communications appeared in the same number which announced her death; and since then they have been collected and published under the title of "Notes of an Overland Journey through France and Egypt, to Bombay, by the late Miss Emma Roberts."

On the evening of the 29th. of October, Miss Roberts and her friend landed in the harbour of Bombay, having been less than two months in performing their hurried journey from London. Her aid was almost immediately requested by the conductors of periodical works at Bombay, and she likewise undertook the editorship of a new weekly paper—"The Bombay United Service Gazette." She also engaged in schemes for improving the condition of the native women, by devising employment for them suited to their taste and capacity, and in her "Notes" appear some sensible remarks on native education.

These multifarious engagements in a tropical climate soon proved too much for Miss Roberts' constitution, already weakened by excessive exertion. She died suddenly, on the 16th. of September, 1840, while on a visit to a friend at Poonah, and was buried near Mrs. Fletcher i better known to the English world by her maiden name of Jewsbury. The death of Miss Roberts excited universal sorrow, among both natives and Europeans, in India, and many flattering tributes were paid to her memory in the public journals.

ROBINSON, THERESE ALBERTINE LOUISE,

Wife of the accomplished scholar. Professor Robinson, of New York, was born on the 26th. of January, 1797, at Halle, Germany. She was the daughter of Professor L. H. von Jacob, a man distinguished for his learning. In 1806, her father became a professor at the Russian University of Charkow. Here he remained five years, during which time his daughter began the study of the Slavonic languages and literature. Here she also wrote her first poems, afterwards published under the name of Talvi, a title composed of the initials of her maiden name, Therese Albertine Louise von Jacob. In 1811 her father was transferred to St. Petersburgh, and her studies were principally confined to the modern languages; but she also devoted part of her time to historical reading, and to the cultivation of her poetical talent. Her industry was intense and incessant. In 1816 her father returned to Halle, when she found an opportunity to acquire the Latin language. In 1825 she published at Hallo several tales, under the title of "Psycho," with