MEM0I IIES  iF MANY MEN'nb of Sone  onomen:
BEING
PERSOIATAL  REC'O.( LLECTIO.NS
OF
EMPERORS, KINGS, QUEENS, PRINCES, PRESIDENTS, STATESMEN, AUTHORS, AND ARTISTS, AT HOME AND ABROAD,
DURING THE LAST THIRTY YEARS.
BY MAUNSELL  B. FIELD.
NEW  YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1 874.




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
HARPER &  BROTHERS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.




TO
JOHN ADAMS DIX,
TIHE ENLIGHTENED STATESMAN, THE DEVOTED PATRIOT,
THE GALLANT SOLDIER, THE ELEGANT SCHOLAR,
THE CHRISTIAN GENTLEMAN, AND
THE HONEST MAN,
THIS LITTLE BOOK,
ALBEIT UNWORTHY OF SO EMINENT A PATRON,
Ks Most:easectfult i3ebfcatet
BY
THE A UTHOR.








P REFACE.
IMAKE no pretensions to have written any thing in
this little book which rises to the dignity of even
minor history. I know that it is all liable to be treated
with disdainful scorn by the serious and dignified muse
whose recording pen traces the solemnl and heroic records of the world's march through time, and the immortal achievements of the great. And yet it seems to me
that the random, hap-hazard recollections of men and
things herein set down can hardly fail to entertain and
amuse, although they may not instruct the curious reader. If my anecdotes are sometimes trivial, most of them,
at least, concern persons famous, some in civil, and some
in military life. If their perusal should not add any
thing to the real knowledge which you already possess
of those to whom they relate, they may, nevertheless,
succeed in presenting to you in bolder relief some of the
peculiarities which distinguished them.
I have made no attempt to be otherwise than desultory. I have wandered on through the garden of memory, dreamily and almost at random, plucking here
and there, it might be flowers, and it might be weeds,
as they presented themselves to my hand; and I venture to offer them, unsymmetrically arranged and loosely
A




ii                  PREFA CE.
tied together, for your acceptance. Some of them you
may find worthy to be pressed and preserved with your
own collections; and others you may drop by the wayside, as having neither fragrance nor beauty. In either
event, I shall be content.
How many of those about whom I have written have
passed away! WEBSTER, and ADAMS, and VAN BUREN,
and PIERCE, and 3IARCY, and SCOTT, and SouLE., and LINCOLN, and SEWARD, and STANTON, and FESSENDEN, and
GREELEY, and CHASE, are all gone! The martyr President was carried through the land in a triumphal march
to a now neglected and crumbling tomb! But yesterday I followed the remains of the great Chief Justice to
their temporary resting-place in the beautiful Georgetown Cemetery. IRVING, and THACKERAY, and DICKENS,
and HAWTHORNE, and COOPER, and JAMES, and WILLIS,
and POE, have passed before us to the silent land. The
EMPEROR NAPOLEON III. no longer wields a sceptre, but is
again an exile in England, and fills there an exile's grave!
WELLINGTON, PALMERSTON, and MACAUvLAY have dropped
the sword, the portfolio, and the pen!
I feel that it is a privilege to have seen such men, and
to have known most of them; and it has made me happy
during the brief, drowsy hours of a summer vacation to
seek relief from the duties of an arduous profession by
wandering back into the past in their company.
M. B. F.
NEW YORK, October, 1873.




TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PART I. —ABROAD.
CHAPTER I.
An Interview with Edward Everett.-The Duke of Wellington at
the Horse Guards, and in the Lords.-Count d'Orsay's Intererence with the Mob.-Minister King and his Negro Majordomo.-M. Guizot and M. Thiers.-The Duke de Nemours at the
Races.-The Duke d'Aumale returning from  Algeria.-The
Duke de Montpensier at a Concert.-The King of Holland: on
Horseback; in his Picture-Gallery; his Habits.-Minister Wheaton.-The King of Prussia at Potsdam.-The Crown Prince and
Princess of Prussia in Switzerland.-The Emperor and Empress
of Austria, and the Archduchess Sophia.-The "Festive" Mr.
Jenifer.-The Archduke Charles of Austria and his Daughter at
Baden. —The Grand-duke of Tuscany.-Charles Albert of Sardinia. - The Eccentric Hereditary Grand-duke of Lucca: his
Peculiarities, and his Tragical Death. —An Indiscreet "Brummagem" Man. —The Duke d'Ossuna.-The Marquis de St. Jago.
-Pope Gregory XVI., and Cardinal Mezzofanti.-The Roman
Nobility.-Charles Dickens in Rome: Sight-seeing and Carnivalmaking.-King Bomba of Naples: his Vulgarity and Brutality.
-Sultan Abdul Medjid.-Mehemet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, his
Senile Gallantry. - Ibrahim Pasha and Abbas Pasha.-Prince
Albert of Prussia at the Second Cataract.-Sofia, the Discarded
Wife of Abbas Pasha.-The Greek Revolution of 1844.-Prince
Mavrocordato.-The Beautiful Women of Athens.-Washing



iv                 TABLE OF CONTEVNTS.
ton Irving at Madrid. —An Anecdote of Dickens in New
York...   Pages 13-31
CHAPTER II.
Prince Lucien Murat: his Appearance, Manners, and Reputation.His Story about his Uncle, Joseph Bonaparte.-His Election to
the French Legislative Assembly.-Spring and Early Summer
Weather in England.-George N. Sanders and George W. Kendall.-Lord Fitzroy Somerset, a Chance Traveling Companion.
-The Iron Duke and the Chartists.-Yankee Curiosity.-Dispersing the Mob.-Roasting a Cockney.-Queen Victoria at the
Opera.........   32-44
CHAPTER III.
Ralph Waldo Emerson in London.-A Visit with him to the New
Houses of Parliament.-A Call upon Sir Benjamin Brodie.-A
Mysterious Foreigner.-Loyalty of the English Lower MiddleClasses.-A Future Emperor.-Baroness Coutts and Mrs. Bates.
-Lady Blessington.-Mitchel, the Manager of the St. James'
Theatre.-A Problematical Hoax.-An Anglicized Knickerbocker.-Queer Shop Signs....   45-56
CHAPTER IV.
Acting Secretary of Legation in France.-Sweets of Diplomatic
Life.-Yankee " Cheek." —A Virginian Gentlemaln.-Slaveholder
and Abolitionist.-Presenting Unpresentables.-Donn Piatt.A Blunt Soldier.-Sponging a Uniforlm.-Chapeau vs. Chimneypot.-Diplomatic Catastrophe...   57-74
CHAPTER V.
Secretary Marcy and the Ostend Dispatch.-The Author starts for
Madrid.-Riding Spanish. —Pierre Soule. -His Duel with M.
Turgot.-A Baited Minister. —A Spanish Constituent Cortes.Wheedling the Queen-mother.-The Blacck Warrior Affair.-Pre



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
paring for an Audience.-Spanish Etiquette.-Baffling a Chamberlain.-The "Innocent Isabel."-Royal Affability.-A Pressing Invitation.-Baffled again...   75-94
CHAPTER VI.
The " Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin."-The Duke and the Duchess
of Alva.-A Drive with Mr. Soule.-He resigns in Disgust.-His
Confidence in the Ostend " Platform."-Farewell to Madrid.Mr. Mason stricken down by a Paralytic Stroke.    95-100
CHAPTER VII.
President of the Board of United States Commissioners at the Exposition in Paris.-Perplexities and Annoyances.-The SewingMachine People.-Mr. Goodyear's Vulcanized India-Rubber.Plon-Plon.-The Princess Mathilde Demidoff -An " Enfant Terrible."-A Would-be Leader of the French Democracy.-The
Bourbons' Blundeir.......   101-110
CHAPTER VIII.
Stupidity or Malice?-A Gathering of Royal Personages.-The
Empress Eugenie. —The Emperor Intigued. — India-Rubber
Cannon-Balls.-Horace Greeley at the Exposition.-He gets into
Trouble.-He is carried off to Clichy.-A Dinner to the American Commissioners.-" Parson Adams in Jail."-Seeing Good
Society.........111-122
CHAPTER IX.
An Odd Fish in Paris.-Self-titled Iiumanes.-The American Eagle
Soars.-A Free and Easy Diplomatist.-An Attempted Assassination.-Some of the Emperor's Characteristics.-A Royal Anxious Mother.-The Emperor's Irony.-Guizot and Vattemarre.Ex-President Van Buren, Majors Mordecai and Delafield, and
Captain McClellan in Paris. -The Marquis of Farintoslh.
Thackeray's Knowledge of the French.-A Money Lord's Po



vi                 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
liteness.-A Hebrew Funeral. Award of the Cross of the Legion
of Honor.....  123-136
CHAPTER X.
The Ways of the English.-The Duchess of Sutherland and Mrs.
Stowe.-A Negro Sculptor.-Some of Lady Byron's Peculiarities.-Macaulay at Home.-A Dinner with Thackeray at the
Reform Club.-Thackeray and Dickens.-Tom Taylor, Dramatist
instead of Parson.-A Party at Mrs. S. C. Hall's: Professor Owen,
Jenny Lind, Lover, and Hawthorne present.-British Eloquence,
with Mention of Lord Derby, the Bishop of Oxford, the Duke of
Argyll, Lord Grey, the Marquis of Clanricarde, the Earl of Hardwicke, the Earl of Carnarvon, Mr. Disraeli, "Lord John," Mr.
Gladstone, and Lord Palmerston.-The Indecorum of the British
Senate.-Giving Mr. Bull "his Papers."-A Terrific Scream by
the American Eagle.-The Commons in a Twitter.-Her Majesty's Friendliness to the States...         137-152




TABLE OF CONTENTS.                    yii
PART II.-AT HOME.
CHAPTER I.
Aaron Burr at Richmond Hill. —Red Jacket.-General Jackson's
"Weeper," and General Pierce's Umbrella.-Presidents, Past
and Future.-A Visit to Franklin Pierce at Rye Beach.-His
Story about his Nomination. —His Friendship for Nathaniel
Hawthorne.  Political Chowder.  Pierce as President: One
Thing to All Men. —Office-seeking and Office-seekers.-A Joke
of the Secretary of State. — Appointment and Disappointment.-James Buchanan.-Love's Last Shift.-A Final Interview.....   155-174
CHAPTER II.
"Sam" Houston, and " Mike" Walsh.-Daniel Webster.-Tyler,
Fillmore, and Van Buren.-John Van Buren.-A Pun on Cass's
Name.-John Van Buren as a Politician...   175-184
CHAPTER III.
Dickens in Cincinnati.-G. P. R. James.-James and Sir Walter
Scott.-James's Impressions of Horace Greeley.-The Journey
to Hell Gate.-James and Sir Hamilton Seymour.-The Sedgwicks and the Literary Coterie at and near Stockbridge.-A
Disgusted Idler.- Fanny Kemble in Private.- Melville and
Holmes.-Twin Authorship.-Hawthorne's Shyness.-James as
an Official.- Consul-making.- Anecdotes of Campbell, Hogg,
and Byron.-" Alexander in the Tent of Darius".   185-214
CHAPTER IV.
Thackeray at the Century Club.-Jenny Lind and Barnum.Public Charity. —Miss Lind and her Persecutors.-Her Detestation of Humbug and Abhorrence for Negroes..   215-220




Viii'TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
General Scott.-Anecdotes related by him.-His Friendship with
Sir John Harvey.-His Opinion of McClellan, Lee, and Grant.
-Fitz-Greene Halleck. —Edgar A. Poe, and his Lecture upon
"The Universe."-Rufus W. Griswold and N. P. Willis.-John
Quincy Adams and Albert Gallatin.-Charles Francis Adams and ex-President Monroe.-The "Monroe Letter."-Colonel James Monroe.-His Experience as "a Friend". 221-228
CHAPTER VI.
Prince Napoleon and the Princess Clotilde in New York.The Prince's Visit to Mr. Benkard's House, and to the PictureGalleries of Mr. Belmont and Mr. Aspinwall.-A  Dinner in
Brooklyn.-I-e offers to procure Arms for the United States.He visits Lake Superior and the West.-Dinner to him at the
Union Club. —" Vive la France!"-An Entertainment on board
the Prince's Yacht......   229-237
CHAPTER VII.
A Visit to Montreal for the Purpose of Inviting the Prince of
Wales to New York.-An Official Reception.-Dinner vs. Ball.
-Lunching with the Prince.-Preparations for the Ball.-Reception of the Prince at New York.-How he spent his Time.
-The Ball.-He attends Service at Trinity Church.-An Economical Committee......   238-249
CHAPTER VIII.
Howell Cobb, a Secessionist.-An Empty Treasury.-General Dix
appointed Secretary of the Treasury.-A Loyal Democrat.-Mr.
Cisco visits Secretary Chase.-The Sinews of War.-Negotiations with the Banks.-The Government agai in n  ifficulties.Replenishing the Treasury.-Any Thing for Money.-Confidential and Semi-official Correspondence with Washington.-The




TABLE OF CONTENTS.                      ix
Purchase of the Merchants' Exchange Company's Building for
a Custom-House.-The Great Draft Riot.-The Writer invited
to Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. 250-261
CHAPTER IX.
Mr. Seward.-The Emancipation Proclamation. -Mr. Stanton.Mr. Chase's Diary.-Was Mr. Cameron Dismissed?-General McClellan. -Thurlow Weed Governor of Newv Yor. —Mr. Welles.
-Mr. Chase the Foremost Member of Mr. Lincoln's Cabinet........   262-274
CHAPTER X.
John D. Van Buren in Washington.-The Difficulties of Taxation.
-Mistakes of Mr. Chase and of Mr. Pitt.-Mr. Lincoln's Inability
to appreciate Mr. Chase.-Mr. Chase's Delicacy.-His Presidential Aspirations. - Scolding Dignitaries. - His Scrupulousness in signing Warrants. - Mr. Lincoln's Savings. - How  a
State Dinner was Paid for. —Mr. Chase passing Counterfeits of
his own Currency.-Assaulted in his own Department.-His
Opinion of General Butler. —Visit to the General at Fortress
Monroe.-An Incident of the Taylor Campaign.-Mr. Colfax
and Mr. Washburne Competitors for the Speakership.-Mr. Henry G. Stebbins, a Member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
-Mr. Wood's Aspirations for the same Position.-The Swearing
Treasurer.-The Blood of John Brown.-A Cool Government
Clerk.-A Pretty Thief.-Frederick Douglass..   275-295
CHAPTER XI.
How Mr. Chase came to leave the Treasury Department.-Canvassing the Senate. -Mr. Chase Resigns. - Mr. Fessenden is
appointed Secretary. -Mr. Lincoln Explains. - Mr. Chase is
Stubborn.-Mr. Chase's Four Resignations.-A Characteristic
Letter.........   296-306
A 2




X                   TAB1'  OF CQNTENTS.
CHAPTER XII.
Mr. Fessenden as Secretary of the Treasury. —Mr. Hartley.-" Tite
Barnacle " in Washington.-Mr. Lincoln's Sectarian Preferences.
--  A Little Story."-Mr. Lincoln and the Fair Sex.-Mr. Lincoln's Kindness.-General Nye's Republican Saint.-Greeley as
Chesterfield.-Greeley walks Seward around the Block.-The
Foreign Ministers in Washington....307-320
CHAPTER XIII.
Mr. Lincoln's Assassination; Death - bed  Scenes, and  Funeral.........        321-329




PART I.
ABROAD.








MEMORIES OF MANY MEN
AND OF SOME WOMEN.
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
I WENT abroad for the first time in the spring of the
year 1843, and remained absent from America until
the month of December in the year 1845. During the
intervening period I traveled through all the countries
of Europe, except Russia, made the tour of the Seven
Churches in Asia Minor, and ascended the Nile as far
as the second cataract. I was very young at the time,
and my experiences were mostly those of an ordinary
traveler. As I am not writing a book of travels, I do
not propose giving here any extended account of them.
I shall limit myself to a slight, sketchy recital of some
trifling incidents connected with distinguished persons
whom I happened casually to see.
Mr. EDWARD EVERETT was at that time our Minister
at the Court of St. James. I was the bearer to him of
a letter of introduction from Mr. BENJAMIN F. BUTLER,
who had been Attorney-General of the United States
iunder PRESIDENT VAN BUREN. I found Mr. EVERETT as
frigid as an iceberg. His reserve was constitutional.
Hle was as polished as his own writings, but equally cold.




14            MEMORIES OF.MANY MEN.
To a young man just out of college, this sort of reception
operated like a wet blanket. After my first call, I never
ventured upon him again. I feared taking cold.
I had the good fortune to see the famous DUKE OF
WELLINGTON several times on horseback, going to or returning from the Horse Guards, and once in the House
of Lords. He was very feeble, and very bowed and
bent, and much anxiety was felt on account of his persistent habit of riding instead of driving; but the old
warrior was determined to back his steed as long as he
possessed the strength to mount him. Every man removed his hat on meeting the Duke, and he saluted all
in turn with a quick military movement of his forefinger
to his own.
He was then Commander-in-chief.  I saw him in the
House of Lords, and heard him speak. The Peers then
occupied their old apartment in Westminster Hall; it
was very small, and there was scant room for visitors,
and no seats at all for them. When the Duke rose to
speak, his tones were so low as to be almost inaudible to
me. He hemmed and hawed, after the English manner,
and there were painfully long pauses between his sentences. To one who could only see and not hear, it was
a disappointing exhibition.
At this time there were iron shutters upon the front
of Apsley House, his town residence, which were always
kept closed. This was a reminder of ingratitude to the
populace, who had stoned his windows on account of his
opposition to the Reform Bill. The attack might have
had serious consequences had it not been for the gallant
interference of COUNT D'ORSAY, who, although a Frenchman, succeeded in shaming the mob.




KINGS, GRANDEES, AN.D EMBASSADORS.         15
Our Minister to France at that period was Mr. WAM.
R. KING, of Alabama, afterward Vice-President of the
United States, who, with his accomplished niece, Mrs.
ELLIS, dispensed charming hospitality at the Legation.
MIr. KING had brought with him  from home a negro,
whom. he made the major-domo of his household, and
who acquired a surprising ascendency over the other
servants and the tradespeople who supplied the family.
He was strictly honest himself, and would not permit
others to peculate; and this is a terrible hardship to the
underlings of a Parisian establishment.  lie accompanied his master every where.  lIe always coupled his
own name with that of Mr. KING, and constantly employed the expression, " Me and the Minister." Mr. KING
was a tall, stiff, stately Southerner, and a dignified and
high-toned gentleman.
In Paris I attended several meetings of the Chamber
of Deputies, and one of the House of Peers. I saw both
Ml. GuIZOT and M. THIEiS, and heard the former speak.
I recollect one thing lie said which raised a terrific storm
of indignation-" La France a besoin de se sentir gouvernle!" (France requires to fee herself governed!)
I never saw the king, Louis PHILIPPE; but upon different occasions I saw three of his sons, who are still
living. I attended one day in the summer of the year
1843 the races in the Champ de MIars.  The Duc DE
NEEMOURn   was then the leading patron of the turf in
France, and he had a private stand upon the course.
The carriage in which I came was stationed so far off
that, although I could make out that this stand was filled
with people, I was unable to distinguish any faces.
After the first race was over, I alighted from the vehicle,




16            MEMoR311O1IES OF MIANVY -XEN.
intending to walk across the course and have a look at
the Prince, who I was informed was one of the party.
When I got to the stand it was empty, and I supposed
that he had gone home. Lighting a cigar, I turned back
until I reached the centre of the course, where I stood
some time, watching what was going on. Near me was
a young man, who did not particularly attract my attention, in conversation with an older one. I only noticed that he wore very ill-fitting clothes, and had a very
decided lisp in his speech. After a while he took a case
from his pocket, and, selecting a cigar, asked me for a
light. A few minutes later an officer approached him,
bareheaded, and asked when 3onseiyneur would have
his guard. I then knew that the young man was the
Dua DE NEMOUES.
The Due D'AUMALE I saw the next year, when lie returned from the war in Algeria. He made a triumphal
entry into Paris at the head of his regiment, if I recollect aright, the Seventeenth Light Infantry, and marched
down the Avenue of the Champs Elysees. He was on
foot; his uniform was very seedy, and his boots covered
with mud. The regiment had camped outside the walls
the night before in order to make its entrance in the
day-time, and it was said that the Prince, before starting
upon the march, had for effect bedabbled his boots in a
gutter.
The Due DE MONTPENSIER, who was then not much
more than a boy, I saw at a monster concert in the
Champs Elysees. Among the pieces performed was the
chorus from the opera of Charles VI., "Jazais l'Anzglais
ne regnera en France!"  (Never shall the English reign
in France!) Feeling between the two nations was rnn



KINGS, GRANDEES, AND EllBASSA.DORS.      17
ning high at that time, and the applause was tremendous.
The Prince, by his enthusiastic clapping, split his gloves.
His unlucky marriage with the sister of the Queen of
Spain was one of the principal causes which led to the
hurling of his father from the throne.
I twice saw the late KING OF HOLLAND at the Hague.
HIe was reputed the most daring horseman in Europe;
and at the breaking out of the revolution which resulted in the separation of Belgium from Holland, he
performed the feat of riding from Brussels to the Hague
in a single day. The first time that I saw hinm was upon
a Sunday afternoon, when I was walking, accompanied
by a valet de place, on an almost deserted street on the
outskirts of the town. Presently there came in view a
horse, dashing headlong in our direction; and, turning
in alarm  to my companion, I exclaimed, "There is a
runaway!'  " It is the King," he replied, and in a moment his Majesty passed us at the same furious gait. HIe
had a foraging cap upon his head and a cigar in his
m1outh, and, without in the least relaxing his speed, he
bowed and touched his cap. Behind him, at a long distance, came two panting and blowing aids, and behind
them'again two Court carriages. They were all returning from a country palace where they had been dining.
It was said that no aid to the King could stand the service more than two or three years at the utmost, and the
position was not at all in request.
A few days afterward I was loitering in the Royal
Picture-gallery attached to the Palace. Besides myself
there happened to be nobody there but a French artist,
who was making a very creditable copy of an important
picture, Soon I entered into conversation with this




18           iMEMI ORIES OF MIANY JIEN.
gentleman, and while I was so engaged, a door opened
and the King walked briskly in. Instead of crossing
the room, as we supposed it his intention to do, he came
directly to us, and began to compliment the artist upon
his picture. tie then talked to me for a long time,
and tendered me many civilities. At length, offering
us each a cigar, he withdrew as he had entered. On
one side of the gallery there stood, upon a pedestal,
stuffed, the white horse which the King, then PRINCE OF
ORANGE; had ridden at Waterloo.
He was a fearful spendthrift. His father was not
only a king, but also the most successful merchant and
speculator in Europe, and upon his death he left an enormous fortune to his son. The latter managed not only to
squander the whole of it in a reign of about seven years,
but also to accumulate debts, which compelled the sale,
after his death, of his pictures and other effects. He
was a very ill-favored man, although the Orange family
is noted as an uncommonly fine race. The King was the
GRANT of his day in respect of smoking. He was never
without a cigar. He even smoked at the opera. When
he did this, he occupied a latticed proscenium box, where
you could not see him, but whence the odor of the tobacco emerged and impregnated the entire atmosphere
of the house. I-e was a great linguist, and otherwise accomplished; but his reputation as a man was scandalous,
and he made the Hague during his reign the rendezvous
of some of the vilest characters in Europe.
I was well accredited to Mr. HENRY WHEATON, our
Minister at Berlin, and the distinguished writer upon international law. Upon my arrival I sent my letter with
my card to the Legation, and the next day the Minister




KINGS, GRANDEES, AND EM.BASSADORS.       19
called upon me, and, not finding me within left for me
my own card, with "Mr. WHEATON for" written over my
name. It was surprising that such a solecism in manners
should be committed by a diplomatist of Mr.WHEATON'S
experience. Of course, no offense was intended; but I
did not return the call.
The KING OF PRUSSIA, elder brother to the present
Emperor of Germany, I saw once at Potsdam, as he was
entering his carriage.  He was a rough, coarse, redfaced German, and wore an immense military cloak of
Prussian gray.  Hie afterward became mad, or rather
imbecile-from an excessive addiction to champagne, it
was said. The present EMPEROR, then Crown Prince, I
accidentally met one day upon a by-way in Switzerland.
I had left the vettura in which I was traveling to walk
to a water-fall, only accessible to pedestrians. I overtook
several Germans, with whom I entered into conversation.
One of them, who seemed to be the leader of the party,
was particularly polite to me. When we again reached
the highway, I saw, drawn up on the side of the road,
two handsome traveling carriages, with two fourgons,
or luggage-vans, behind them, and I thus became aware
that my chance companions were people of consequence.
In the foremost of the carriages were two ladies, and the
chief personage, after an exchange of compliments with
me, said that he would be pleased to present me to his
wife before we separated. Accordingly I handed him
my card, and he presented me to the " CROWN PRINCESS
OF PRUSSIA."  Hie very cordially invited me to again
visit Berlin, assuring me that it would afford him pleasure to be of service to me there. We spoke French together. Had I understood German, which I did not, I




20           M1iEMifORIES OF MfANY iZLEi.
might perhaps have learned earlier in our interview the
rank of my fellow-traveler.
At Vienna, I saw the EMPEROR FERDINAND, of Austria,
a man of low stature and defective intelligence, with the
overhanging under-lip of the Hapsburgs; and the EMPRESS, an unusually tall woman, who looked like a giantess by the side of her diminutive husband.  The ARiCHDUCHESS SOPHIA, mother to the present Emperor (who
succeeded upon the abdication of his uncle FERDINAND),
was called in those days the most beautiful woman in
Austria. Our Charge d'Affaires in Vienna was Mr. JENIFER, of Maryland. He was an old dandy and beau, and
he had pictures of the lovely Archduchess hung in every
room  of his house. I shall never forget a dinner at
which he produced real Johannisberger of the highest
grade, presented to him  by PRINCE METTERNICH, and
other wines of equal fame, all the gifts of titled and
distinguished friends.
I saw the great ARCHDUKE CHARLES, the most distinguished adversary of the first NAPOLEON next to the DUKE
OF WELLINGTON, at Baden, near Vienna.  1ie was a tall,
slender old man, with the unmistakable features of his
imperial house, and was walking in the public garden,
with his daughter leaning upon his armn, but otherwise
unattended. He was himself in plain citizen's dress,
and so simple a costume as that worn by the Archduchess would disgust a Fifth Avenue belle. Hats were
respectfully doffed to them, but otherwise they moved
among the crowd like any one else. And so it is all
over the Continent of Europe, but not so in England, unless a great change has occurred there. Members of imperial and royal families are accustomed to walk the




KlVNGS, GRANDEES, AND EMIBASSADORS.       21
streets and frequent public places very much as every
body else does. Fancy QUEEN VICTORIA taking a promenade with the PRINCE OF WALES oil Bond Street!
I frequently saw the GRAND-DUKE OF TUSCANY in Florence. HIe was an Austrian Prince, and a plain, farmerlooking person, with a sailor's roll in his gait.
The KING OF SARDINIA at that time was CHARLES ALBERT, the father of VICTOR EMMANUETL, the present King
of Italy.  Unlike his son, he was of very lofty stature,
overtopping most of his subjects by a head.  The angle
of his forehead and nose was unusually acute, and his
face altogether a very peculiar one.
I came upon a very singular personage during my
visit to Turin. I was one day sitting alone in the diningroom of my hotel, waiting for my dinner to be served.
There were a great many ladies and gentlemen in the
room  at the same time, either dining or expecting to
dine. Presently there entered a very tall young man,
dressed, or rather overdressed, in the most outre Paris
fashion, who seated himself at a round table, hitherto
unoccupied, which stood between two windows which
opened upon the street. His first act was to roll up a
napkin into a ball, and throw it at the head of a waiter
in a distant part of the room, for the purpose of attracting his attention.  Shortly afterward he was joined by
two young officers in uniform, and I observed a deference in their manner toward him which strangely comported with his ill-bred conduct. Every few minutes he
would spring from his seat, rush to one of the windows,
shout to some passer-by at the top of his voice, and wave
a napkin as if in salutation.  All the time he talked so
loud as to drown all other conversation in the room. I




22           MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
noticed that the ladies smiled behind their fans; but neither their gentlemen companions nor the people of the
hotel seemed to pay any attention to his eccentricities.
After dinner I went for a walk to the public promenade.
I had been sauntering about for some time, when I saw
approaching an English drag drawn by four magnificent
horses. In the inside were three military gentlemen,
and lying upon the roof at full length, his long legs
dangling over on the one side, and his head extended beyond the other, was the strange young man whom I had
seen at dinner. There was a crowd of pedestrians, and
as the drag rolled on he kissed his hand and fluttered a
pocket-handkerchief at the ladies. I knew nobody there,
and I did not venture to ask who he was. But after I
lad returned to the hotel, I went straight to the proprietor
and inquired about him. He informed me that he was
the HEREDITARY GRAND-DUKE OF LUCCA, and nephew to
CHARLES ALBERT, to whose pious care his father had intrusted him. The King at first gave him apartments
in the royal palace, but he conducted himself so outrageously that it soon became necessary to send him adrift.
Hie was the scandal of all decent people in Turin. IHe
had been turned out of many of the best houses for
his shameful behavior. IHe had ever so many horses
of his own, but he seldom drove any but hired ones. IHe
would sometimes come to the hotel at noon, and order a
dinner for forty, to be ready at six o'clock. He was
both a mountebank and a blackguard.
Some years later this same harlequin made a visit to
the QUEEN OF SPAIN at Madrid. The local newspapers
were full of accounts of his eccentricities. HIe would
never descend the palace stairs by walking down, like




KINGS, GRANDEES, AND EMBASSADORS.        23
other mortals, but always slid down the baluster, like an
untamed school-boy.
Still later, and after he had become GRAND-DUKE, he
was secretly assassinated in his capital. The matter was
never thoroughly elucidated to the public, but it was
supposed that the blow was dealt by the hand of one
whom he had grossly wronged.
I went from Marseilles to Civita Vecchia in a French
steamer. There was a full complement of cabin passengers from all countries, besides a band of Catalonian peasants in the steerage, who were making a pilgrimage to
Rome. At dinner, on the first day out, I chanced to be
seated next but one to a middle-aged Birmingham man,
who had been ordered to Italy by his physician. I had
fallen into a chance conversation earlier in the day with
this person, and from his robust appearance should not
have taken him for an invalid. He had never before
been out of England, and his mind was full of all sorts
of insular prejudices.
Nearly opposite to me at table sat a quiet person,
whose air, complexion, dress, and manners were those
of an English gentleman. As soon as the soup was
served,"Brummagem" began to talk in a loud voice, for
the benefit, apparently, of all the company. He expressed in the most ex cathedra manner his dogmatic
opinions upon every subject that presented itself to his
mind. Finally he slid to the most dangerous of all topics, especially in such a place, the relative merits, or
rather demerits, of the different nationalities. He spoke
in the freest terms of denunciation of French, Germans,
and Italians, and wound up, by way of climax, with the
remark that of all blackguards in the world the Span



24           -EJIEORIES OF MANY ME.
iards were the greatest! He had hardly uttered these
words, before, from the hand of the quiet gentleman opposite, there came a bottle of claret, with such force that
it not only struck " Brummagem" in the breast, but hurled
him  from his seat. The bottle broke, the blood-red
liquid saturated his person and his clothing, and there
ensued a scene of dire confusion. His injuries were,
however, but trifling, and that evening, instead of seeking redress from him, he apologized to his assailant, who
turned out to be the Spanish DUKE D'OssuNA. The
Duke, who had been educated in England, and resided
there many years, was en rotate for Naples, of which his
ancestors had been viceroys, and where his family still
had large possessions.
All the frequenters of the Caf6 de Paris thirty years
ago, at that time the most fashionable restaurant in the
French capital, will recollect the formal and eccentric
MARQUIS DE ST. JAGO, who some years later succeeded to
the Dukedom of Ossuna. It is still said of that princely
family in Spain, that the possessor of the title can travel
from Madrid to Naples by land, and sleep in his own
house every night.
I saw good old POPE GREGORY XVI. in Rome-the
venerable, simple-minded Dominican monk. I had also
the advantage of a long interview with CARDINAL MEZZOFANTI, the greatest linguist of modern times. He was
short in stature, and extremely coarse in appearance, the
last person in the world whom one would have picked
out as an eminent scholar.  The College of Cardinals
was composed of some of the noblest-looking men in
Europe; and it was disappointing to see one of the most
distinguished of their number fall far short of the aver



DICKENS AND THE CARNIVAL.            25
age good looks of his order. Some of the Roman nobility were strange-looking old fossils. I shall never forget old PRINCE COSINI, with his enormous thumb-ring
and dirty finger-nails.
I met CHARLES DICKENs in Rome the winter that I
was there. I felt very ill-disposed toward him at that
time, as did most of my countrymen, on account of his
"American Notes," then recently published. We met,
as sight-seers do in Rome, every where. I particularly
recall the circumstance that at one of the most imposing
ceremonies at Saint Peter's, during holy week, I kept
my eye upon Mr. DICKENS, who was standing listlessly
leaning against a column, apparently paying no attention whatever to what was going on; and yet, in his
book on Rome, he gives a most minute and graphic description of that very ceremony. His powers of rapid
absorption and of accurate retention must have exceeded
those of other men.
During the carnival, I formed one of a party of twelve,
composed of LEUTZE and other artists, American and
French, who, travestied in the costume of the Neapolitan
Punchinello, and armed with twelve hundred pounds of
conifetti in sacks, drove up and down the Corso in an open
c7ar-d-banc, warring and being warred upon. Our first
serious encounter was with the members of the French
Embassy, who, less numerous than ourselves, were rash
enough to attack us. Them we quickly subdued; and
then, upon their proposal, we entered into a treaty with
them of offensive and defensive alliance, it being stipulated, among other things, that they were all the time to
follow in our wake. It was also agreed that our united
forces should bear down upon any person who was
B




26            MEMlORIES OF.MANY MEE.
obnoxious to any one of us. Presently Mr. DICKENS'S
carriage came along, descending the narrow street on
one side as we ascended it on the other. Mrs. DIcKENs
and others were inside. Mr. DICKENS, in a blouse, and
with a wire screen before his face, was in the rumble.
Just as he got opposite, there was a stoppage in both
lines. I immediately gave the word for attack, and the
weight of the avalanche of confetti that fell upon that
devoted head nobody could calculate. DICKENS stood it
as long as he could, but was finally compelled to conceal
his head beneath the seat of the rumble.  We were
masked, and, of course, unrecognizable.  It was fools'
play at best, but all the world turns fool at a Roman
carnival.
KING 13OMBA, of Naples, was a first-class specimen of
disreputable royalty. IHe was obese, vulgar, and filthy
to the eye, and was said to be the most ill-bred man in
Europe, but of this I had no personal opportunity to form
an opinion. Among other stories that were circulated
about him was the following: It was said that soon after
his second marriage, a court ball was given at the Palace
in' honor of the event. The Queen had been dancing,
and the King pretended to conduct her to a chair; but
just as she was about sitting down, he withdrew it, so that
she came in confusion to the floor. In her mortification,
she turned upon him and said, " When I married you, I
supposed that I was marrying a king, whereas I find that
I have married a lazzarone!"  Whereupon, by way of
climax, he slapped her face before the whole assembly!
One expects to find a king at least a gentleman, but this
is not the fact with all of them.
I once saw the SULTAN ABDUL MEDJID on horseback




MEHEMET ALL.                  27
as he was going, on a Friday, from the Seraglio to the
Mosque of Saint Sophia. His dress was European, even to
the patent-leather boots, except that he wore a red Turkish fez upon his head. lie was about thirty at the time,
but so enfeebled by excesses that he had to be lifted on
and off his horse. His features were regular and handsome, his complexion pale, his eyes, hair, and beard jet
black. He looked like an Italian (his mother was one),
and almost like a gentleman.
In Cairo I often saw old MEHEMET ALT, who, although
he looked like a boor, was every inch a king. Ile was
very aged and decrepit, but, like the DUKE OF WELLINGTON, would go on horseback. A party of us, mounted
on donkeys, was one day going to Boulac, the port of
Cairo. Among us there was a very charming and beautiful young English lady, on her way home with her
husband from India. We happened, shortly after leaving Cairo, to meet the old Pasha, followed by a suite.
Ite looked all over our party, and then motioned us with
his hand to stop. When we had done so, he called some
of his people to assist him to dismount. When he reached
the ground, he toddled up to the English lady, kissed her
npon the cheek with the utmost gravity, to her equal
amazement and confusion, and then, with aid, remounted
his steed. As we passed on, he benignantly kissed his
hand to the fair Islander, and touched his fez to the rest
of us. I also saw in Cairo his two sons, IBRAIIIM PASnA,
the conqueror of Syria, and ABBAs PASHA, then Governor of Cairo, and afterward Viceroy of Egypt. The
latter was a very brutal-looking prince, and possessed
but little of the ability of his father and his brother.
I have mentioned that I made the ascent of the Nile.




28            MEMORIES OF MANY IEN.
The river was not navigable quite so far as the second
cataract, and we were compelled to strand our boat
about a mile and a half before reaching it, and make
the rest of the distance on foot across the desert. Just
before we arrived at the place of disembarkment, we noticed another boat, flying the Prussian flag, immediately
ahead of us, the people from which had just come ashore.
Seeing us approaching, they waited for us to land. When
we did so, mutual salutations passed, and we started together to walk to the place of our ultimate destination
in that country. Gradually we paired off into couples,
and there fell to my companionship a stout, middle-aged
German, to whom walking was such an effort that we
soon dropped behind all the others of the party. As he
was getting very much blowed, and as I was younger
and more active than he, he asked me for my arm, and
so we trudged on together, talking and laughing, until
we reached the sandstone rock which projects over the
cataract, the Ultima Thule of our journey, and upon which
it was the custom of adventurous travelers to cut their
names in memorial of their visit. We had provided
ourselves with knives for the purpose, and when we two
arrived, all the others were already busily engaged in
carving their names upon the surface of the stone. My
fat friend, to whom climbing was an impossibility, seated
himself at the base, while I ascended to a more elevated
position. After finishing my work, I came down again
and looked at his inscription. He was just completing
the last letters of " PlINZ ALBRECHT VON PREUSSEN." I
bowed to him, and told him that I had not been aware
of the rank of my companion. I-e laughed, and said
that when he left Cairo he had given orders that all rec



.A DISCARDED SULTANA.              29
ognition of his rank should be dropped. He could see
no sense in class distinction in a barbarous land. I found
him a downright sensible fellow, and we jogged back together to our respective boats. That evening we supped
with him and his companions, and the next morning they
breakfasted with us, our cooks vying with each other to
produce the most sumptuous feast. We then parted,
dropped into the rapid current, and never met again.
On our voyage up the river we stopped, among other
places, at Esneh, for the purpose of visiting the ruins of
the temple of that name. We found established there a
colony of Almies, or dancing girls, at the head of which
was SOFIA, a discarded wife of ABBAS PASHA. She was
a Circassian, and reputed to be the handsomest woman
in the East. I have certainly never seen a more perfect
specimen of female beauty in any other part of the world.
IIer husband had detected her several years before talking to a Greek at the corner of the street. For this offense he condemned her to be put into a sack and thrown
into the Nile. But the European consuls interfered to
save her, and induced him to commute the barbarous
punishment into that of perpetual banishment to this
place, situated a thousand miles distant from Cairo. Annually, and upon the anniversary of her arrival there, she
addressed a letter to the Pasha, begging that she should be
permitted to return. But to none of these appeals did
she ever receive a reply. I have in my possession a very
pleasing picture of her in colored crayons, taken by Mr.
CAMPBELL, an artist, and nephew to CAMPBELL the poet,
who accompanied us upon our expedition. When our
departing boat drifted out into the stream as we left
Esneh, we saw her, in her floating, silken robes, standing,




30            MIEI ORIES OF MANY.IEN.
after the Scriptural manner, upon her " house-top," and
waving us an adieu.  She had discarded the Eastern
fashion of veiling the face. Poor creature! she had
nothing to gain by adhering to it. I saw some pretty
Georgian slave girls in Cairo and in Constantinople; but
none of them were to be compared with her for perfection of face and of form, and for attractiveness of manner. She was worthy to be the heroine of one of Tom
Moore's Eastern tales.
I happened to be in Athens just after the Revolution
of February, 1844, and while there was a large foreign
fleet assembled in the bay of the Piraeus, and a Constituent Parliament in session in the town. Many of the
members of this Parliament were robber chieftains from
the mountains, and superb-looking fellows. Not one half
of them could read or write. The President was Lord
Byron's PRINCE MAVROCORDATO-a Stout, intelligent-looking person. The handsomest woman in Athens was the
QUEEN - OTHO'S wife - and the next handsomest, Miss
BO6TZARIS, her first maid of honor, and daughter to Halleck's MARCO BOTZARIS-not BOTZARIS, with the accent
upon the A, as he incorrectly places it.
When I was in Madrid, Mr. WASHINGTON IRVING, whom
I had known since I was a boy, represented our government at the Spanish Court. I had just come up from
Andalusia, and had spent more than a week in Granada,
devoting the greater part of the time to the Alhambra,
which was then being restored. I was surprised to learn
from Mr. IRVING that since he had arrived in Spain in a
diplomatic capacity he had never once revisited the subject of one of his earliest and greatest literary triumphs.
However, he seemed to take great interest in my account




IRVIVNG AND DICKEMiS.             31
of the condition of the old Moorish palace, and of what
had become of those who lived there when he wrote
about it. His health was not very good, and he suffered
from that overpowering propensity to sleep so common to
overtaxed brains. I never saw Mr. IRVING betray any
excitement but once in my life, and that was upon an occasion when I dined with him in Madrid. The name of
DICKENS happened to be introduced, and he became very
heated in telling me about his relations with that author.
Finally he could no longer contain himself, and, jumping
from his seat, he walked up and down the floor in great
apparent agitation. I-Ie told me that he had corresponded with DICKENS long before they ever met. That both
from his writings and his letters he had formed the
highest conception of his personal character. That under these circumstances DICKENS arrived at New York,
and he, IRVING, called upon him at his hotel. That immediately after sending in his card he was invited to
Mr. DICKENS's parlor, and, as he entered the room, that
gentleman met him, napkin in hand. IHe had been
dining, and the table was covered with a vulgar profusion of food, and the table-cloth was stained with gravy
and wine. Wririning his hand, DICKENS'S first salutation
was, "IRVING, I am delighted to see you!  What will
you drink, a mint julep or a gin cocktail "   The idea
of inviting me to drink juleps and cocktails!" naively
exclaimed Mr. IRVING. lie found DICKENS outrageously
vulgar-in dress, manners, and mind. And none of us
young people were then more incensed against him for
his "American Notes" and- "  artin Chuzzlewit" than
was the gentle Goldsmith of American literature.




CHAPTER II.
IN the spring of the year 1848 I made a flying trip to
Europe for the benefit of my health; a trip entirely
unpremeditated three hours before it was undertaken. I
was sitting at the breakfast-table at nine o'clock in the
morning, feeling very ill from the effects of overwork,
when one present suggested that I should do well to make
a break, and take a run across the Atlantic. By twelve
o'clock, noon, of the same day,I was steaming down New
York harbor on board of a Cunarder, bound for Liverpool. We had a delightful passage, to which the agreeableness of my fellow-passengers largely contributed.
One of the most pleasing and entertaining of them was
PRINCE LUCIEN MURAT, next to whom I accidentally
happened to occupy a seat at table. He was going to
France, to derive what advantage he could from the revolution of the previous February. I found him a most
good-humored, jovial companion, possessing withal a good
deal of a certain kind of wit and shrewdness. IHe was
extremely careless about his person, a voracious feeder,
and the most formidable snorer I ever met. Unfortunately for me, his state-room was directly opposite mine,
and, as he always slept with his door open, I enjoyed the
full benefit of the terrific noises he made in his sleep.
More than once, after lying awake for hours, I used in
sheer desperation to hurl my boots at his berth, which
rather forcible protest he always took very amiably. His




PRINCE LUCIEN MURAT.              33
proportions were already of the Daniel Lambert order,
but they increased considerably afterward. The last
time I saw him was in the year 1855, at Paris. Hie was
then in full uniform, and covered with orders and deeorations; and the brilliancy of his attire, united to the
prodigiousness of his person, made him a sight to behold.
What changes his fortunes have undergone. To be elevated from a sort of New Jersey squatter to be a member of the imperial family of France, with at one time a
squint at the throne of Naples, again to sink to the position of an offshoot of an outcast dynasty!
The Prince used to wear upon his head a very old,
dirty, and dilapidated soft felt hat, which in its best estate could hardly have been ornamental. Apropos of
this hat, he told me that, before he left home, his wife,
who remained in this country to await events, insisted
that he should procure a proper black hat as soon as he
reached town; that unless he would promise to do so,
she declined to accompany him here and see him off.
That he told her he could not afford the extravagance,
and, if she imposed so unreasonable a condition upon
giving him her company to New York, she might stay in
New Jersey. He had with him the famous white plume
which used to distinguish his father upon the field of
battle, or rather the whalebone remains of it, the feathers having long ago fallen victims to time and the moths.
He had acquired a great and somewhat unenviable
reputation in New Jersey as a horse-jockey. It was said
that he would start off from home for a journey upon
the back of a sorry Rosinante, and return, after an absence of several weeks, driving a stylish pair of horses
before an elegant carriage; the whole being the result
2




34           IMEMlORIES OF MANY MEN.
of a series of successful swaps. HIe possessed a great
natural taste for mechanics, and, from his conversation,
seemed to consider Mr. STEVENS, Of Hoboken, the greatest genius of the age.
I was very much amused with a conversation I had
with him  one afternoon about his uncle, JosEPHI BONAPARTE. I well remembered the ex-king, for as a child
I had spent several years as a boarder at the school of
the brothers PEUGNET, in New York, distinguished officers of the Grand Army, at whose house JOSEPH was a
frequent Sunday visitor. I will try to repeat what the
Prince said, as nearly as I can recollect it, in his own
words.
"My Uncle JOSEPH was a very estimable man, with
one great weakness-his excessive and ridiculous affectation of philosophy and martyrdom. lie had been King
of Spain; and yet he had become resigned to live in
obscurity in a Republic! He used to bore me to death
with this nonsense, until one day I lost my patience and
almost my temper.'I am weary of these absurd pretensions,' I said to him.'You are not half the philosopher I am. Compare for a moment our respective fates.
You were born a miserable Corsican peasant. You happened to have a brother who possessed more brains than
are frequently allotted to mankind. IHe grasped the
sceptre of the world, and elevated you to the rank of a
sovereign. You had not a very quiet time of it in your
exalted position, it is true, and you were soon compelled
to descend from  it. But you came to the ground unharmed-with not a feather ruffled; and while your illustrious brother was completing his destiny on a barren
rock in the midst of a distant ocean, you retired in safety




PRINCE L UCIEN  URA T.             35
to this charming place, where you are living like a prince,
surrounded by all the refinements of life, with the comfortable income of sixty thousand dollars per annum. I,
on the contrary, was born upon the steps of a throne.
ly father was shot in Italy; I was condemned to a like
fate at Gibraltar; I escaped with extreme difficulty, and
with nothing but my life; I got to America, and have
been ever since a poor New Jersey farmer. And I take
things as they come, without even imagining that I have
cause for complaint. To say nothing of martyrdom, I
am a hundred times more a philosopher than you are.''
We arrived at Liverpool on a Sunday-the very day
on which the election for members of the Legislative
Assembly was to take place in France. Immediately
after landing, the Prince and I went together to the
Adelphi Hotel, and there learned that, as luck would
have it, the election had been postponed one week. The
Prince, whose elder brother ACIILLE had died in Florida
some years before, and who was consequently the head
of the family, believed that if he could reach his father's
department in time, he would be sure to be elected. Ile
accordingly started at once for London, crossed the Channel, hastened down to his father's native town, and announced himself a candidate. Other arrangements had
been made, and other candidates were already in the
field; but the name of MURAT operated as a spell, and
he overcame all opposition, and was triumphantly returned. Since then, and so long as the Empire lasted, his
fortunes constantly tended upward, with the slight drawback, however, that he was always hopelessly in debt. I
called upon him in Paris in 1855. He was not in town;
but a few days later he sent an aid to me to invite me




36            MEMORIIES OF MANY MENY.
to his chateau at Buzenval, near Rueil. Unfortunately
for me, my engagements at the time would not permit
me to accept this invitation. I subsequently saw him
once, as I have intimated, at a public ceremony, but had
no opportunity of speaking to him.
It was early in April when I reached England, after
the voyage to which I have referred. I think that the
most charming weather I have ever known in any part
of the world I have found in the British Islands during
the months of April, May, and June-particularly the two
latter. Nothing can be more strongly contrasted than
the London of that period of the year and the London
of November. In the month of June particularly, actual
night is there reduced to a duration of not more than
three or four hours, twilight extending into midnight,
and dawn dispelling the brief darkness between three
and four o'clock in the morning.
In my opinion the English climate is greatly misappreciated by foreigners. The sun is not always obscured
by fogs, as many hasty tourists, judging by their exceptional experience, assert. I am confident that nowhere
else can out-door exercise be taken with enjoyment so
many days of the year and so many hours of the day as
in England. One has always sensations of physical comfort there which one never experiences any where else.
This is undoubtedly attributable to the moisture with
which the atmosphere is impregnated, and which exercises a most soothing influence upon the nervous system.
Here the dryness of the air keeps us constantly strung
up above concert pitch. We are all the time under the
influence of an artificial stimulus. Our candles burn at
both ends. Many of our-national peculiarities, both phys



SANDERS AND SOJIERSET.            37
ical and moral, are attributable to this. The reader will
please excuse the foregoing deviation from my crooked
lane of narrative.
Among my other fellow-passengers was the late GEORGE
N. SANDERS, then of Kentucky, going abroad for the first
time with the object of negotiating a contract with the
French Government for the sale of a large stock of Colt's
revolving pistols. When I first noticed Mr. SANDERS
walking upon the deck of the steam-ship, clad in a suit
of light gray homespun, and with a shapeless fur cap
upon his head, his costume, coupled with his features of
the Southern Russian type, led me to mistake him
for a Kalnuck Tartar.  I soon came to know him
well, and thus began an intimacy which lasted, with
some interruptions, until his death in New York last
August. Another passenger was GEORGE W. KENDALL,
editor of The New Orleans Picayune, and then a sheep
farmer in Texas, the forerunner of the ARTEMUS WARDS
and the MARK TWAINS who have since made American
humor known as a national characteristic. Mr. KENDALL
was going to Paris to procure illustrations for a book
which he had just completed upon the Mexican War.
As I have already mentioned, we arrived at Liverpool
on Sunday. On the next (Monday) afternoon, SANDERS,
IENDALL, and myself started by the evening express
train for London. As we were all smokers, we desired
to obtain a carriage where we could enjoy our weeds
without interruption. On all the European railways, except in Germany, there are regulations prohibiting smoking, but their violation is always connived at by the
guard (for a consideration), provided that no occupant
of the same carriage objects. The first-class carriages




38           MJEMIORIES OF MIANY 3IEN.
contain but six seats, and hence it is not always difficult
to make up a unanimous party. In the present instance
we feed the official in advance for the purpose of securing a place all to ourselves. Just as he was unlocking
the door of a hitherto unoccupied carriage for us to enter,
an elderly Englishman, whose high breeding was manifest, and who had lost one arm, came up, and remarking
that he did not think he could be mistaken in taking us
for Americans, inquired if we had any objection to his
joining our party, as he inferred from the cigars already
in our mouths that we proposed to smoke. Of course
we readily assented, and this was the commencement of
one of the most agreeable journeys I ever made by rail.
Our accidental companion turned out to be LORD FITZROY
SOMERSET, afterward LORD RAGLAN. In his capacity of
chief of staff to the DUKE OF WELLINGTON, he had been
on a special mission to some of the great manufacturing
towns to watch the movements of the disaffected Chartists, from whom a formidable demonstration was expected in London upon the occasion of the presentation of
their monster petition to the -Iouse of Commons, which
was to take place in the course of a few days. It will
be remembered that this echo of the Paris revolution of
the previous February was looked forward to throughout England, by the orderly classes, with great apprehension.
We arrived at London in the evening, and parted from
our distinguished traveling companion with mutual assurances of the pleasure we had derived from our chance
acquaintance. My friends had rooms engaged at Morley's Hotel, on Trafalgar Square, and although I, an old
habitue of London, was only too familiar with that sec



THE IRON DUKE AND THE CIATRTISTS.        39
ond-class inn with first-class prices, I was unwilling to
forego their company, and therefore ordered my cab to
the same destination.
I found that nothing else was thought of or talked
about at the capital but the Chartist business. There
was very serious and wide-spread alarm, in which the
Government, to all appearances, largely participated.
Apropos of this, I will mention a circumstance of comparatively secret history. The DUKE OF WELLINGTON
was sent for by the Queen, and requested to take supreme command of the troops upon the occasion. This
he consented to do, with the proviso, however, that he
should possess an absolute dictatorship for the time being, and be, under no circumstances, subject to receive
orders from the Home Department. This condition was
acceded to, and there is no doubt that, had an attack upon
London been attempted, he would have proceeded to the
utmost extremities in its defense. The Court retired to
the Isle of Wight a day or two before, and Punch and
the other wits amused themselves vastly at the expense
of PRINCE ALBERT, who, as a field-marshal, should have
remained at the post of danger. It was supposed that
her Majesty was peremptory upon the subject, and overruled any martial propensities which her consort might
possess.
Great preparations were made for the defense of the
Bank of England, the IRoyal Exchange, and other public
edifices-especially the Bank, the treasure in which was
likely to attract the cupidity of a revolutionary mob.
The roof was protected by sand-bags, behind which
marksmen could be safely placed. The night before the
anticipated outbreak, large stores of muskets and anl



40            MEMORIES OF 3IANY 3IEN.
munition were conveyed there and to other places from
the Admiralty.  My friend KENDALL came to grief that
night from his excessive curiosity. About nine o'clock
in the evening he made his way down past the Houses
of Parliament to the head of Westminster Bridge, where
cannon were planted to rake the insurgents who were expected to come over on the morrow from their campingground on Kennington Common. Her he hwas ordered
back in very peremptory fashion.  Strolling up Whitehall, he managed in some way to slip by the sentinel and
to get into the court-yard of the Admiralty, admission
to which was for the nonce prohibited. Here he was
pounced upon in short order.  In vain he protested that
he was only an enterprising Yankee, actuated by no
worse motive than curiosity.  I-Ie was carried off to
durance vile, and only liberated the next day upon establishing his identity and his harmlessness.
The most exaggerated rumors were circulated in reference to the numbers of the hostile masses collected on
the Surrey side. The general estimate did'not fall short
of thirty or forty thousand, which was afterward proved
to be a grossly excessive one.
The preservation of the peace was primarily intrusted
to the police, and, in addition to the regular force, a large
number of special constables was enrolled for the occasion. The military was of course only to be called out
as a last resort. Some twenty Americans, who lodged at
Morley's, myself and my friends included, offered our
services as specials, which offers were unhesitatingly accepted. And when the time came, each armed with a
formidable club which he had received from the authorities, we were as ready as any of her Majesty's loyal sub



DlISPERSING THE HMOB.             41
jects to do battle in defense of law and order. It was
rather an interesting and exciting sight as, at nine o'clock
on the morning when the demonstration was to come
off, I was quietly taking my tea and muffins, and looking
out of the coffee-room window upon Trafalgar Square.
The whole area was densely filled, principally by a large
body of police, who were going through their military
evolutions with the precision of soldiers. Among them
was a small corps of mounted constabulary, ready for a
charge down Parliament Street if occasion should require it. A good many roughs were scattered about, but
they gave no indications of any but the most peaceful
intentions.
At ten o'clock I emerged from the hotel, and took a
short stroll up the Haymarket. The shops were every
where closed, and the streets were filled with people. I
only remained out about half an hour, and then returned to my quarters.
About eleven o'clock I noticed unusual indications of
preparation among the police upon the square, and shortly afterward a dense mass, composed of the lowest class
of the populace, came struggling up Parliament Street,
and began to pour in upon the open area. They were
singing and shouting, and seemed more impelled by
the love of a frolic than by any thing more serious.
In a moment about a dozen policemen charged at a full
gallop, and the mob, by some remarkable power of elastic self-compression, instantly made way for them in every direction, laughing and hurrahing as they did so.
This brilliant cavalry cotp decided, as it were, the fate
of the day.. The Chartists did not attempt to cross the
river, overawed, probably, by the reception which they




42           13MEMIORIES OF MJANY MEN.
knew was prepared for them. After that there was
nothing but amusing episodes. It was known that London was full of French revolutionary agents, and wherever these gentry showed themselves, they were treated
by the populace with any thing but distinguished consideration. I saw one unfortunate apostle of liberty,
equality, and fraternity so severely ducked in the basin
of one of the fountains of Trafalgar Square, that I was
afraid the poor Gaul was taking his last (and perhaps
his first) bath.
The rest of the day was a sort of carnival. N'o one
attempted to transact any business, and the shops remained closed. Fun was universal, and the special constables, whose name was legion, paraded the streets with
the consciousness that their valor had not been very severely tried. That evening the monster petition was
rolled upon a barrow into the House of Commons, and
duly presented by its godfather, FERGLUS O'CoNNoR. The
next day I happened to be at the railway station as FERGus  was leaving for the country. Poor fellow, he died
insane many years ago, and I am not quite certain that
his insanity was then of recent date.
That evening SANDERS and KENDALL went together to
the opera. They affected extreme rusticity, and absolute
ignorance in regard to every thing pertaining to that or
to any other similar performance. They purposely made
the most uncouth remarks, and asked the most absurd
questions of those who happened to be seated near them.
A well-intentioned but officious Cockney wine-dealer
came to their rescue-one of those weak-minded cits
who so abound in London. Him they at once decided
to unmercifully quiz. During the remainder of the per



ROASTING A COCKNEY.               43
formance they poured into his ears the most marvelous stories of American savagery, and they found his
credulity quite equal to their united powers of invention.
After the play was over they invited him, to sup with
them at Morley's. He accepted the invitation. They
related to him the most horrible stories of Indian butchery until his very hair stood on end. About two o'clock
in the morning they began a war-dance, accompanied
by the most hideous howlings, when suddenly, brandishing some of SANDERS'S sample revolvers, they chased
the now thoroughly "demoralized" ]Briton from  the
house. The noise which the tormentors made, added
to the shrieks of alarm uttered by their victim, aroused
every body in the hotel, and came near resulting in the
summary and ignominious ejection from it of those who
had created the disturbance. The next morning, being
gentlemen at heart, they called upon the frightened
vendor of imitation sherry, and that very afternoon they
all dined together at the Star and Garter at Richmond,
upon terms of the most cordial and affectionate friendship.
One or two evenings afterward, the Court having returned to Buckingham Palace, the Queen went in state
to the opera. I took especial pains to be there, for I expected an extraordinary exhibition of loyalty. And I
was not disappointed. The opera was "Don Giovanni"
-a work which calls for the entire strength, both male
and female, of the company. The house was packed from
pit to dome. I-Her Majesty entered while the orchestra
was playing the overture. In a moment the entire audience arose, and cried with one voice for " God save the
Queen!"  The orchestra ceased playing, the prompter's




44            MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
bell tinkled, the curtain was drawn up and displayed all
the principal artists ranged in a semicircle upon the
stage. At a signal from the conductor a prelude was
played, and then GuISI advanced to the footlights, and
with the glorious voice she then possessed, sang the first
verse, the whole house standing, her Majesty included.
The chorus was taken up by the other singers and by
the entire pit.  Then MAIno sang a verse, and then PERSIAI, and then TAMBURINI, and then LABLACHE. I never
saw such a scene of wild enthusiasm. It was so contagious that I am  confident the Queen had no more
loyal subject there that evening than myself. The boxes
entirely forgot their usual frigid propriety, and marchionesses and countesses vied with each other in clapping
their hands and waving their handkerchiefs.




CHAPTER  III.
lPON the occasion of this visit to London I had
the pleasure to meet and to make the acquaintance of RALPH WALDO EMERSON, the foremost American
philosopher and critic, and the gentlest and most amiable
of men. Mir. EMERSON had letters to SIR CHARLES BARRY,
the architect of the new Houses of Parliament, not
then completed, and we called together upon him. SIR
CHARLES received us stiffly, and with but scant courtesy
of manner; but lie extended to us facilities for visiting
and examnining this structure, in some respects one of the
most remarkable of modern times; although I can not
help considering it, in its entirety very inferior to our
own National Capitol at Washington. Mr. EMERSON and
I also passed much time together in the British Museum,
whose varied collections possess an interest for the cultivated mind, hardly, if at all, equaled by those of any
other establishment in Europe, and compared with which
the best of our own are petty and insignificant. When
we parted after a few short days of companionship, I
looked upon Mr. EMERSON'S acquaintance as a treasure to
be preserved and enlarged by me in the future; but in
the progress of lives devoted, by chance or inclination, to
widely different activities, it has never since been my
fortune to meet him. Ilis name already inspired me
with awe when we first came together. The simplicity
of his nature, and his instinctive abhorrence of all shams,




46            MEMfORIES OF MANY MIEN
soon dispelled the embarrassment of admiration, and substituted in its stead the ease of familiar and unaffected
intercourse.
I have mentioned that I had gone over to England
in the pursuit of health. I was the bearer of a letter of introduction from  a distinguished physician of
New York to the eminent SIR BENJAMIN B1ODIE. I
called upon SmI BENJAMIN soon after my arrival in London, when he made an appointment for me to come
again at nine o'clock on the morning immediately succeeding the operatic fete to which I have referred.
Punctually at the appointed hour I arrived at his house
in Saville Row.  The servant who admitted me told
me that SIR BENJAMIN was engaged with some ladies,
who had come from a long distance in the country expressly to consult him, and that he therefore begged that
I would await his leisure. Accordingly I was shown
into the library, where I found a cheerful fire, and the
morning papers spread out upon a table. Drawing up
an arm-chair to one corner of the fire-place, I seated myself, crossed my legs, and was soon deeply immersed in
the leviathan columns of The Times.
I had been reading perhaps ten minutes, when the
door opened, and another gentleman was ushered into
the room by the flunky. The stranger was a short, thickset man, evidently a foreigner, and dressed in an irreproachable suit of mourning. I glanced at him furtively
from my newspaper, and settled it in my own mind that
he must be a German. In accordance with English custom, not the slightest recognition of the other's presence
passed between us. I-e hovered over the table a moment, selected a paper from among several still lying




A MYSTERIOUS FOREIGNER.             47
there, settled himself in a chair at the opposite corner of
the fire-place, and followed my example by devoting
himself to the news of the day.
After a time I became tired of reading, and threw
down my journal. The stranger, a few minutes later,
did the same thing. I then had an opportunity to more
particularly scan his person. Hie was a heavy, dull, impassive-looling man, and his half-closed eyelids gave a
peculiar expression to his face. I observed that his arms
and legs indicated great strength, but he did not look
like a person of much activity. His arms were very
long, and his legs quite short; he stood of low stature,
and sat decidedly tall. lie kept rubbing the side of his
nose gently with his forefinger —a habit which I frequently had occasion afterward to observe in the same
person. For some minutes we sat like two fools, or like
two thoroughly well-bred Englishmen (by no means convertible terms, however), pretending to gaze at the fire.
At length my companion opened the way for conversation by observing that it was a fine day. His accent,
which was very marked, struck me as decidedly Teutonic, and confirmed me in the impression that he was a
German. I assented to his observation, and, the ice once
broken, we soon got on together famously-he taking me
for an Englishman, and I taking him for a German.
From one subject we passed to another, until he introduced that of the Chartist affair, upon which he talked
so well that I became greatly interested.  HIe was unbounded in his praises of the good sense displayed by
the English people, particularly the lower middle-classes
-meaning the shop-keepers and the artisans. Hle was
happy that lie had possessed the opportunity to see so




48            MEMORIES OF MIANY MEN.
satisfactory and striking an exhibition of this. "A violent revolution will never succeed in Great Britain in
this century, at least," he went on to say, " although your
institutions are in a state of continuous revolutionary
progress, so to speak. There is a vast difference between
the classes to which I have alluded here and the corresponding ones on the Continent, especially in France.
Every thing continues to move on here in old and wellworn grooves. The London shop-keeper of to-day follows the same business, at the same stand, which his father and grandfather followed before him. I-le has the
sense to comprehend and appreciate the difficulty of
making a livelihood amid the competition of so dense a
population, should he once get off the track. In a word,
he knows that in a general scramble he has more chances
of losing than of gaining. Hence, apart from his feeling of loyalty, which is deep-rooted, and impels him toward governmental and dynastic conservatism, his interest, as he understands it, would suffice to induce him to
stand by the institutions of the country, should the attempt be made to overthrow them by violence. Your
agricultural population is only instinctively, not intelligently loyal.  I do not mean at all to imply, by any
thing I have said, that your shop-keepers and artisans are
not dissatisfied with many things, and do not claim and
will not always exercise the right of unlimited grumbling. But at the bottom they know that your Constitution is a self-purifying machine, and that there is a never-ceasing tendency toward improvement. On the contrary, notwithstanding all that experience has shown him
since the commencement of the Revolution of 1789, the
average French bourgeois can not be convinced that an



A FUTUREW EMIPEBOR.              49
other violent change will not better his condition by
some means which he can neither explain nor distinctly
comprehend. His hopes always outweigh his fears, and
his interests are always subordinated to his passions. I-le
can neither be easily governed, nor can he easily govern
himself."
I do not wish to be understood to quote these as the
precise words of my interlocutor, but they substantially
reproduce what he said.
We must have been talking together at least half an
hour, when SIR BENJAMIN opened a door which communicated by a passage-way to his study, and, bowing to
my companion, called me in-probably because I alone
had an appointment.  As soon as we were seated, he
asked me if I knew who it was whom I had left behind me in the library. I told him that I did not; that
I thought he was a German; that, at all events, he was
a remarkably intelligent man, although he did not look
at all so. " Well," he said, with a smile, " that is Louis
NAPOLEON!"  This, be it remembered, was a few weeks
before the Prince passed over to France to take his seat
as a member of the Legislative Assembly. I asked SIR
BENJAMIN what was the motive of his visit to him. He
told me that he had some trouble about the heartwhether organic or functional, I did not inquire. I never met Louis NAPOLEON again until I saw him in Paris,
six years later, Emperor of the French.
And here, perhaps, I ought to stop, as my personal
reminiscences of the exiled Prince go no farther. But
the subject is a tempting one, and, as accident has
brought me into contact with several persons who knew
him during his first residence in England, the reader will
C




50           LJIE3MORIES OF MIANY MEN.
probably excuse me if I draw a little upon the recollections of others.
One of the best friends he ever had on t]le north side of
the channel was BARONESS (then Miss BURDETT) COUTTS.
This estimable lady was unceasing in her kindness to
him, and, what is still more, she was the first person to
appreciate his abilities at any thing like their true value.
So high an estimate of themn did she form and express,
that her friends were both pained and amused at what
they considered her good-natured but most unfounded
prejudice in his favor. The fast young men of London,
whose society he affected, generally pronounced him an
idiot. This was especially true of his associates of the
notorious Coventry Club, which was afterward broken up
by the police. HIe was also very kindly received at the
house of Mr. BATES, of the great firm of BARING BROTI —
ERS, at East Sheene.  MIrs. BATES, like most English
ladies of the day, held tobacco-smoke in horror; but the
Prince, when a visitor, was allowed, as a special favor, to
smoke in his own room; and upon such occasions the
other gentlemen present were told that if they desired
to smoke they might do so in the same place. One
evening something occurred to make him very anxious
to return immediately to London. IIe had no carriage
of his own with him, and was very reluctant to ask M/r.
BATES to lend him one. In this dilemma he went to
a friend of mine, who happened to be visiting at the
house, and asked him if he minded requesting another
gentleman with whom he was intimate to let him have
the use of his brougham for a drive to town, without
mentioning by whom it was desired. My friend unhesitatingly complied with the request; but the owner of the




LAD Y BLESSINGTOIV.              51
broughaln insisted upon knowing who was to use it, saying that he supposed it was "that bloody fool, Louis NAPOLEON," and, if so, that he should not have it. And it
was only with great difficulty that he was finally induced
to yield the point.
LADY BLESSINGTON and COUNT D'ORsAY were like a sister and a brother to him. The gates of Gore House
were open to him at all hours, and he freely availed himself of the tendered hospitality. The only reproach of
serious ingratitude of which I have ever heard him accused refers to his alleged neglect of these persons when,
during his presidency, they came over to Paris after pecuniary reverses had broken up the Lady's London establishment. So far as D'ORsxY is concerned, it is true
that the President tardily conferred upon him the office
of Superintendent of the Fine Arts, the honors and
emoluments of which he did not live long to enjoy.
H-is neglect of LADY BLESSINGTON, although not excesable, may be partly accounted for by the peculiar position
which her ladyship occupied in English society. IHe may
have hesitated to invite her to his balls and receptions,
fearing to give too much offense to her countrywomen,
who crowded them.  At any rate, he delayed a long
time before doing so.
LADY BLESSINGTON, besides being a charming woman,
was one of the most brilliant wits of her day. Shortly
after the breaking out of the Revolution of 1848, a foreign embassador in London asked her what she thought
of M. DE LAMARTINE, who was then playing a conservative rl1e. " le reminds me," she instantly replied, " of
an incendiary who has turned firemtan."  She had been
in Paris for some time, unnoticed by the President, when




52           MJIEMll-ORIES OF ltANY JIEN.
at last she received an invitation from him to a ball at
the Elys6e Bourbon. This she accepted, and as soon as
the President saw her enter the room he advanced to
her, and, extending both hands, said he was glad to see
her, and asked her if she purposed remaining long in
Paris.  "No," she promptly answered; "Do you?"
No one in London, it is said, had a more open hand
for the future Emperor than [MITCHEL, the manager of
the St. James' Theatre. It may be remarked that no
borrower of money ever more scrupulously returned it
than did Louis NAPOLEON. When lie and the Empress
paid the QUEEN a visit in 1854 or 1855-I forget which
-le had been but a few hours in London before he
sent for MITCHEL, with whom he familiarly conversed
for a long time, showing that, with the change in his
fortunes, he had not forgotten old friends.
It is related-but of course I can not vouch for the
truth of the story-that upon one occasion a wag imposed upon the credulity of the exiled Prince by a forged
letter of invitation to dine with the QUEEN at Windsor.
Now in those days her Miajesty was on terms of great intimacy with the Orleans family, and completely ignored
poor Louis NAPOLEON, having declined to even receive
him at Court. Iowever surprised, therefore, he must
have been at so unexpected a mark of royal favor, it
would seem that he did not suspect its want of genuineness. Donning a uniform, and arraying his groom in a
gorgeous livery, he drove to Windsor, where he discovered that he had been hoaxed; and it is said that the
QUEEN was not gracious enough to do any thing to relieve his mortification. If this is not a ccanad, he afterward had an ample revenge: he both visited and re



AN ANGLICIZED KNOICKERBOCOKER.         53
ceived her Majesty while he was supposed to be the most
powerful monarch in the world.
I recollect meeting a gentleman who was well acquainted with the Prince in England. Ie told me that
he once went out hunting with him and his cousin,
PRINCE NAPOLEON (JEROME). As they were driving to
covert, Louis NAPOLEON was dull and moody, whereas
his cousin was f ll of excitement about the anticipated
sport. But the moment they backed their horses they
changed characters; the one became full of energy and
daring, the other subsided into quiet, if not timidity.
During the presidency, LoRD ABERDEEN, afterward
British Prime Minister, went over to Paris with the
real, if not the avowed, object of studying the President.
He remained there more than a fortnight, constantly in
Louis NAPOLEON'S society, and dining with him almost
every day. Just before he left to return to England, he
wrote a private letter to a friend, who afterward showed
me the following extract from it: "As to the President,
I cal make nothing of him but a dismal, dreary creature!" Was he, or was he not, mistaken in his appreciation?
At'this time my dear friend, JoiN ROMEYN BRODHEAD,
whom I had known from my boyhood up, and whom I
only a few months ago followed to his last resting-place,
was Secretary of the United States Legation, under
GEORGE BANCROFT, as Minister. Poor BRODnEAD, who
was one of the most amiable, was also one of the most
nervous of men. During his residence in England he
had become almost painfully Anglicized, and any departure from English usages and etiquette occasioned
him the keenest and most genuine distress. Once I went




4      -~l.MEMlORIES OF MANY MEN.
with him to look for lodgings for a common friend.
Among the houses which we visited, in quest of what we
wanted, was one kept by a person of very ladylike appearance and manners, and on leaving I saluted her by
removing my hat, as we should do upon a like occasion
to any respectable woman in America or in France.
Seeing my action, BIRODHEAD shot off as if he had been
exploded from a gun, and at first I was in a state of innocent amazement as to what could have produced this
extraordinary exodus. lie soon rejoined me, as I was
slowly walking away. lie was out of breath and panting, and, with an expression of deep injury upon his
countenance, he asked me how I could be guilty of the
solecism of taking off my hat to a lodging-house keeper!
"Don't you know," he said, " that it is never done in Englandc" As I didn't know it,I had to crypeccavi. Upon
another occasion, BRODHEAD, SANDERS, PRENTISS, and I
went to DOLLY'S famous old chop-house in the City to
dine. DOLLY'S was a more primitive place than GARRoWAY'S, or than NED'S and the other similar establishments which have recently sprung up in the neighborhood of the Royal Exchange. You went there for chops,
steaks, potatoes, and beer, which were all served to you
in perfection; but for any thing more elaborate and luxurious it was not the habit to call. Some one of the
party, however - I forget who -ordered champagne;
whereat B3ODIEAD, disgusted with our ignorance, incontinently withdrew; and it was only the next day that I
learned that to order champagne at a chop-house was an
evidence of barbarous bringing-up not to be endured by
a civilized man! ]RODHEAD afterward held for four
years the office of Naval Officer of the Port of New York.




QUEER SHOP SIGNS.                  55
He is best known to the public, however, by his " History
of the State of New York," a work of enormous research,
written with great care and discrimination, to the composition of which he devoted the declining years of his
life, with an assiduity which not only affected his health,
but unquestionably hastened his decease.  At one time
he was sent to HIolland by the State of New York to collect documents affecting our early history, and while lie
was in London he industriously prosecuted his researches
in the State-Paper Office.  He had in his veins some of
our best Colonial blood, both Dutch and English, and lie
always entertained against the "pestilent Yankees" almost as strong a prejudice as some of his progenitors in
New Netherlands.
As I sauntered through the streets of London, I was
often struck by the many singular names over the shop
doors. You find no such variety of strange patronymics
in America. It is well known that DICKENS selected the
very peculiar names of some of his characters from real
ones, which his ever-observant eyes fell upon as he walked
the streets of the metropolis. I noticed upon a sign over
a door on St. Martin's Lane the name of " QUILP."  I
think it was a farrier's shop.  This reminds me of a
Scotchman of the same trade who used to keep his shop
in Church Street, New York, at the top of an alley-way.
At the entrance was a sign bearing the following canny
inscription:
"SINCLAIR LITHGOW, horse-shoeing smith,
Warks up this close wi' a' his pith.
He dis his wark baith weel and soon,
But likes the siller -when'tis done."




56           MEMI~ORIES OF MIANY MEliV
I remember a shop near Westminster Bridge, over which
was painted, without punctuation,
"TILL late DARKE;"
meaning, as we should express it, "TILL, successor to
DARKE."  When the words first attracted my attention,
I thought that they were intended to indicate that the
shop was kept open until late in the evening.




CHIAPTER IV.
IN the autumn of the year 1854 1 again visited Europe.
I stayed in England but a few days, and went thence
to Paris, where I engaged apartments in expectation of
a prolonged sojourn in that capital. I had no very definite plans for the future, and looked forward to the
enjoyment for a considerable period, at least, of rest and
leisure. But, as has always happened to me, these expectations were not destined to be realized. I had not
been in Paris a week before I was invited by the Honorable JOHN Y. MiASON, then our Minister to France, to
occupy the position of Secretary of Legation, which
chanced to be temporarily vacant. I accepted it without
much reflection. I supposed that the office was one
which involved but little labor, and the incumbency of
which must necessarily be of the most agreeable character. It did not take me long to find out how greatly I
had been mistaken.  The current work —the answering
daily of scores of letters and the transcribing of dispatches-was enough to occupy one industrious person.
But, added to this, when I took possession of the place I
found every thing fearfully in arrear, and for weeks I
was kept at my desk until a late hour in the evening. It
was true that we had one or two ornamental attaches, but
to do any thing in consideration of having the honor to
bear the title upon their visiting cards never occurred to
them. Again, all the social embarrassments of the Lee, 




58            MEMORIES OF IANY AMEN
gation-and they were both numerous and trying-were
thrust upon the Secretary. Hundreds of our countrymen,
of proverbial modesty, who were entitled at the utmost
to have their passports vis6d, would ask of us the most
unreasonable facilities and the most unheard of favors.
Citizens not even accredited by letters of introduction
would insist upon private audiences of the Emperor,
and, no matter how politely you declined to act as the
medium of their laudable ambition, they would anathematize you, and threaten to "go for" your official head
immediately after their return to America. Crack-brained inventors would ask you to do the most impossible
things for them in connection with the several Departments of the Government, even to bringing them without
circumlocution to the fountain of power; and your mildest protests only subjected you to contumely and abuse.
I particularly remember one lunatic who had come over
with a new projectile, of which he had a wooden model
which looked like a rolling-pin tapered down to a point
at one end. Of course he did not speak a word of
French-they never do-and he pestered the life out
of me, until, in an unguarded moment, I yielded, and
consented to accompany him to the War Department.
It is unnecessary to say that we were-politely received, and
invited to leave our model with the accompanying explanations, with the assurance that they would be promptly submitted to an artillery commission for examination
and report. About a fortnight afterward, my tormentor
received an official invitation to call again at the Department and receive the report of the examiners. Of
course, I was again badgered into accompanying him.
When we arrived, we were conducted to a bureau of the




SWEETS OF DIPLOtMATIC LIFE.          59
Department presided over by a captain of artillery. This
gentleman proceeded in the most delicate manner to explain to me in French that the same invention had been
submitted to his Government so long ago as the year 1827
by a Swedish officer, that it had then been thoroughly
tested, and that it was found to be absolutely worthless.
At every moment, while he was speaking, my companion
impatiently interrupted him by asking me, " What does
he say? What does he say?"  I waited until the statement was completed, and then translated it into English
to the inventor. "Tell him that he is an infernal ass!"
he shouted, when I had got through. The French officer smiled, and, resuming, said to me: "I can make
every allowance for your friend's disappointment, and,
of course, in nowise hold you responsible for his indiscretion, but be pleased to advise him that when he is
again disposed to express himself in such unreserved
terms toward a stranger, he first make sure that he does
not understand English!"  Ladies would sometimes be
so unreasonable as to ask us to do them the trifling favor
of sending over small parcels for them in the dispatchbag. I remember that once, upon opening the London
dispatch-bag, we found in it a corset, which the fair
owner had inclosed as a model by which she desired her
corsetiere to fabricate for her a new one. But the greatest calamity to us was when an official ball or fete was
to be given by some high officer of the Government or
by the Municipality of Paris. Whenever this happened
we would be hunted down for invitations. Where many
asked, the greater number had to be disappointed. The
American residents always thought that they had a superior claim upon the Legation, under whose immediate




Q60          M.3iEilORIES OF MiANY.MEN.
protection they fancied that they lived. The travelers,
on the contrary, thought that, because their opportunities
were fewer, they were entitled to the first consideration.
Those who succeeded did not thank you, and those who
failed devoted you to the infernal gods. I have particularly in mind a grand ball, which the City of Paris
gave at the Hotel de Ville to the KING OF PORTUGAL.
BARON IIAUSSMANN, the Prefect of the Seine, sent an
early notice of the projectedfete to our Legation, coupled
with the request that we would transmit to him a list of
the American ladies and gentlemen for whom we desired invitations. JUDGE MASON protested that he would
have nothing to do with the matter. I was almost in
despair. The only device that occurred to me was to
post up in the Legation a paper to be signed by those
who desired to go. Before the time arrived to make
application, the names on that list had swollen to-I
should be afraid to say how many hundreds. Conscious
of the impropriety which I was committing, I fired the
entire catalogue at BARON HIAUSSMANN. The next day
he returned it to me, with a letter in which he said that,
while it always afforded hlim  the greatest pleasure to
oblige the United States Legation to the extent of his
ability, he was, nevertheless, compelled to inform me that
we had asked for more invitations to that ball than
could be accorded to all the foreign nationalities united;
but that if we would revise it, and send him thirty-five
selected names, it would afford him the highest gratification to immediately forward cards to them. To have to
select thirty-five out of perhaps eight hundred! I forget how we did it; but the vision of outraged fathers,
indignant mammas, and hysterical daughters still floats




A VIRGINIAN GENTLEMAI.            61
before me. I am sure that for this one act my memory
is still execrated by hundreds of worthy and virtuous
citizens of both sexes. Our compatriots in distress, who
had gotten themselves into Cliehy, or worse, added to the
amenities of the situation. So that, as I premised, the
position of Secretary of Legation in France did not
prove to me to be one of unalloyed delight. Nor is it
one that any young gentleman who looks to the office as
a stepping-stone to political preferment at home would
do well to accept (if only he can get it), at least until
lie has thoroughly reconnoitered the situation, and become convinced that it is now a seat of more roses and
fewer thorns than I found it-pressed into the service
and receiving no recompense beyond the consciousness
of good intentions, and discharging its duties as long as
I did, chiefly it would seem at the bidding of the Nemesis of work, which has pursued me through my life and
been the bane of my existence.
JUDGE MASON was a fine specimen of the Virginian
of the old school, and in many respects a remarkable
man. The day after the presentation of his credentials
to the Emperor of the French as Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary from  the United States,
the official.lfonitecr announced the event, calling him
His Excellency Johnny-instead of John Y.-MASON.
The paragraph must have been written by some traveled
Frenchman, who had had a familiar John, to him known
as Johnny, and who supposed that John Y., if so the
name had first reached him, was the erroneous spelling
of some countryman not so well up as himself in English names. The Judge had been on the bench in
his native state, and was at one time Attorney-General,




62           IME1zMOIES OF MANY JENi.
and at another Secretary of the Navy. lie was a man
of commanding presence and of the most generous impulses, which he sometimes indulged to an extent that
defied prudence, as he had a large family, and his private means were very limited. HIis intelligence was of
a very high order, and his knowledge of questions of
state and of political economy thorough and accurate.
HIe was an earnest advocate of free-trade, and reasoned
more cogently in its favor than any one else whom I
ever listened to. The Emperor took great pleasure and interest in hearing him talk upon this subject, and many an
hour did they pass together tete-a-tete at Saint Cloud discussing it. At the same time, Mr. MASON possessed the
tenderness and almost the weakness of a woman. IIis
prejudices for and against persons were of the strongest
and most obstinate character, and he sometimes indulged
them unreasonably and extravagantly. His sensibilities
and his emotional character were morbidly developed.
In a word, his mind was strong and his moral temperament weak, so that he always reminded me of a powerful steam-engine propelling a feeble and ill-contrived
vessel. In spite of all, if you were his friend, you could
not help loving him, for his impulses were noble and
his affection warm and devoted. If there were any two
things in the world that the Judge preferred to all others, they were Virginia hams and Virginia tobacco. A
plentiful supply of both was frequently brought over to
him by the pursers of the steamers from New York to
Havre, and when a fresh provision of hams arrived
there was sure to be feasting at the Legation.  The
Judge had an amiable, accomplished, and hospitable
family, and his eldest daughter supplied by her social




SLA VEYIOLDER AND ABOLITIONIST.        63
tact whatever there was of deficiency in that respect in
her father's composition.
It was either in the winter of 1854-5, or in the following spring, that CHARLES SUMNER came to Paris to
seek medical advice for the injuries inflicted upon him
by PRESTON B3ooKs, of South Carolina, who, it will be remembered, assaulted him with a heavy cane while seated
in his chair in the Senate-chamber, after the adjournment for the day of that body. If there was any thing
in the world that Mr. MASON hated beyond all others it
was an abolitionist, and from what he said about Mr.
SUMNER we were all in the direst apprehension lest, if
that gentleman should call upon the Minister, a very disagreeable scene might be the consequence. It was in
vain that I argued to the Judge that in his capacity of
our national representative he was bound to receive with
politeness and consideration cany United States Senator
who should present himself. He utterly refused to acknowledge the correctness of my reasoning. It turned
out accidentally that Mr. SUMNER called at a time when
Mr. MASON happened to be not at home. When the
Judge found the card, he declared with emphasis that
nothing would induce him to return the call. Two days
thereafter, however, the Minister's cards were left at the
Senator's lodgings; but the former never knew any thing
about it, and the latter was not informed that they came
to him without authority.
Mr. MASoN'S conduct toward HORACE GREELEY, who
came to Paris in the summer of 1855, was quite different. It is certain that Mr. GREELEY was as advanced
an abolitionist as Mr. SUiNER; but then he did not hold
public office. The Judge made just the opposite dis



64           XMEM1ORIES OF MIANY MIEN.
tinction here to that which appeared to me a natural
one. Mr. GREELEY told me that when he first called
upon the Minister he felt very uncertain about the reception which awaited him; that to his surprise he found
his political opponent not only kind, but even cordial.
He continued all the time that he remained in Paris to
receive marked attention from Mr. MASON. Upon several occasions he spoke to me about this matter, and expressed with much feeling his sense of the politeness of
the Minister.
The highest object of ambition of the average American man and woman who came to Paris in those cays
was a presentation at Court, with a vista of future invitations to the Tuileries. Wholesale presentations usually were accorded at uncertain intervals of time, at which
were gathered together representatives of nearly all the
nations of the earth. Preceding the arrival of their Majesties, our people were usually gathered together in the
same room with the Mexicans and South Americans.
Sometimes we occupied an apartment with some of the
nationalities of Continental Europe; but never by any
chance were we.and the English caged together.  I presume that the French notion was that under no circumstances could we be trusted to live together in the harmony of a happy family. There were frequently ridiculous and sometimes mortifying incidents at these presentations.  I recollect one of them  appointed for a
Sunday, the usual day for such ceremonies, the notices
for which were only issued on Saturday afternoon, and
not received by many of the persons interested until the
next morning.  Gentlemen were required to present
themselves "en uniforme," and ladies, "en toilette de




PRESENTING UNPRESEN~TABLES.            6
ille "-this latter expression meaning in full visiting
dress.  The embarrassment which resulted from  the
tardiness of- the notice may be imagined.  The men
rushed frantically to WOODrIAN's, on the -Boulevard des
Italiens, that accomplished knight of the shears being
purveyor-general of court-dresses to Yankeedoodledom
in Paris, and constantly keeping on hand an assortment
ready made, which he hired out as masquerade-costumers do. Those who were so fortunate as to present
themselves on Saturday evening not only had the first
choice, but were in time to have the alterations made
necessary to give something of a fit; whereas the unfortunates of Sunday morning had to take what was left
as they found it.
Such a battalion as presented itself at the Palace at
noon could only be compared to Falstaff's regiment, or
an old-fashioned country militia company. There were
coats too big for their wearers, and coats too small;
sleeves too long, and sleeves too short; trowsers dragging
under the heel of the boot, and trowsers not reaching
down to the ankle-joint; a miscellany of cocked hats, and
a confusion of swords that would trip up the inexperienced wearers. And all these incongruous articles of attire, apart from their unsuitableness to each individual
case, were worn with the awkwardness peculiar to novices in court-dress.  The women were more fortunate,
being generally provided with all the necessary articles
of adornment, as nothing unusual to them was required.
Charming as most of them were, there were a few whose
appearance was such as to keep their male companions in
countenance. You will at any time find in Paris a certain number of peripatetic American ladies, whose whole




66           MlaiEM3IEMORIES OF MIANY JIEN.
being is shrouded in mystery-who come no one knows
whence, and, after a time, go no one knows whither.
They usually travel under the convenient title of widows,
and are looking after some important interests which appear to be of a foggy and indescribable character. I remember upon the occasion in question one lady whom
nobody knew, or could tell how she got there, and whose
appearance attracted some attention.  She wore a rusty
black silk dress, cut very high in the neck, an enormous
shell-cameo brooch, and a Canton crape shawl, which
had been originally white in years long past, but which
was then, to speak plainly, most disgustingly dirty. After a line had been formed on our side of the room, finding herself inconvenienced by the heat, she removed this
shawl, and threw it carelessly upon the back of an armchair, of which several were standing in a row opposite.
A few minutes later a chamberlain, or aid, lounged into
the room, and stood for a moment by the fire-place.
Suddenly he glanced at this suspicious-looking garment,
and he stuck a glass into his eye to examine it more particularly. Then an expression of horror overspread his
countenance, and, stepping upon the points of his toes,
he advanced to it with great deliberation, skewered it
upon the tip of his sword, gravely recrossed the room
with it, and threw it down out of sight in a corner. It
was not a pleasant thing to see done, but the owner of
the offending article was an "unprotected female," and
her ideas of " toilette ded ville" were evidently not up to
the standard of the French Court.
Imagine, then, the American presentees, ranged as at
drill, awaiting the Imperial approach. On the other side
of the same room was drawn up a delegation of Span



DONN PIATT.                   67
iards, Mexicans, and South Americans.  In an adjoining apartment, the door of which was open, were congregated the English and Germans, the greater part of
the former (the men, I mean) in scarlet yeomanry uniforms, with an occasional sprinkling of stunning Highland costumes.  The British ladies, in general elegance
of mzise, and beauty and grace of person, bore no comparison to our fair countrywomen. Why cre the English women so unaccountably awkward? why have
they such distressingly large hands and feet? and why
is their taste in dress so almost universally bad? Beautiful complexions and well-developed forms can not altogether atone for these deficiencies, hardly even kind
hearts and cultivated minds.
Upon this particular occasion our Minister, having
been taken suddenly ill, was unexpectedly absent. A
Secretary of Legation can not present.  That most facetious of living humorists, DONN PIATT, then Secretary,
was, however, in attendance.  A  chamberlain was to
make the presentations, and before the time arrived he
called PIATT to him, and requested him to give him a list
of the persons to be presented, in the order in which they
stood, and to especially mention for what, if any thing,
any of them were distinguished, as the Emperor always
desired to particularly notice persons entitled to more
than a passing word from  him. Heaven only knows
what PIATT said about most of the party; but standing
in about the middle of the line was a Mr. GROESBECI, and,
calling particular attention to him, PLATT told the chamberlain that he was a member of Congress from Ohio.
Their Majesties visited the English and German apartment first. At last they crossed our threshold, the Em



68           lMEMORIES OP MIANYY 1ME.
peror followed by a male suite and the Empress by a female one. I happened to be standing next the door, and
the Emperor stopped directly in front of me, while the
Empress passed on to the farther extremity of the line.
His Majesty, upon that occasion, merely exchanged with
me a few commonplaces, and then addressed himself to
my next neighbor. I continued to keep my eye upon
him in his downward progress, until he crossed the Empress in her advance in my direction. A moment afterward he accosted Mr. GROESBECK, and the chamberlain at
the same time whispered into his ear what he supposed
that gentleman to be. "Ah!" said his Majesty, smiling,
"I understand that you are a member of Congress from
Ohio, Mr. GROESBECK." "No, sir, I am not," answered Mr.
GROESBECK; " but I have a cousin who once was."  Ile
probably never knew to whom he was indebted for the
title. The Emperor bit his lip, and was evidently vastly
amused.
This one presentation was but a specimen of numerous others. I will not undertake to describe a certain
private audience at which I assisted, which was had of
the Emperor at about the same time by the I-on. Mr.
WASHBURNE,n now our Minister to France, and then a
member of Congress from Illinois; the I-Ion. Mr. GIow,
then a member of Congress from Pennsylvania,. and subsequently Speaker of the Iouse of Representatives; the
lIon. AMr. IARRINGTON, late Minister to Switzerland; and
the Hon. Mr. MORGAN, a member of Congress from Western:New York.
All the country knows that DoNN PIATT is an incorrigible wag. He used to give an account of the reception by their Majesties of a distinguished soldier, which




A BLUNT SOLDIER.                 69
he related with the greatest gravity and the most minute
details, and to this day I have never been able to comprehend how much of truth and how much of invention
there was in it. I know that I shall fail to do the subject justice, but, nevertheless, I can not refrain from
making the attempt.
Immediately after the occurrence of what is known in
our diplomatic history as the "Black Warrior Affair,"
our Government sent to Madrid, as a special bearer of
dispatches, CoLoNEL SUMNER, of the United States Army,
who afterward became so famous as GENERAL SUMNER
during the War of the Rebellion.  The Colonel, upon
Iris arrival at Paris from Washington, made no stay
there, but pushed on directly to Madrid. He conveyed
instructions to lMr. SOULE, our Minister to Spain, to lay
the case before the Spanish Government, and to demand
an immediate apology, together with reparation. Mr.
SOULE accordingly addressed a peremptory dispatch to
Mr. LUZURIAGA, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and asked
for a reply within twenty-four hours. The allotted time
passed, and no reply came. Mr. SOULE then wrote still
more peremptorily, saying that he could detain his messenger, an officer of rank, but one day longer. Before
the expiration of this second day an answer came, couched
in those terms of extreme courtesy which Spanish officials always employ, but to the effect that, inasmuch as
the Government had as yet received no report of the
matter in question from its agents in Cuba, it must decline for the present any consideration of the subject.
Whereupon COLONEL SUMNER incontinently packed his
portmanteau and hurried back to Paris. Having a few
days at his disposal before he was compelled to return to




70o          MiEILORBIES OF JIANY ME21Nl.
America, he devoted them to seeing the principal sights
of the French capital. Among other things, he entertained an ardent desire to have an audience of the Emperor and Empress, and JUDGE MASON, who was usually
reluctant to ask these favors, finally consented to do so,
and the matter was arranged. The next Sunday at one
o'clock, was the time appointed.
COLONEL SUMNER was stopping with AMr. McREA, of
North Carolina, the United States Consul in Paris, who
lived somewhere on the Rue de Rivoli, at gquatrienze or
acu cinquigeme. Now JUDGE MASON knew the Colonel to
be a bluff, brusque soldier, who had spent most of his
life fighting Indians on the frontier, and who, as PIATT
said, while sitting one day with JEFFERSON DAVIS on a
log in Mexico, during our war with that country, had
been the joint-inventor with him of the inverted chimney-pot which for so many years formed the regulation
head-gear of our army. At all events, from his brief
communications with him, the Minister did not take him
to be a courtly man. So, on the Saturday evening preceding the appointed Sunday, IMr. MAsoN ordered his carriage after dinner, and directed the coachman to drive
to Mr. McICEA's residence. When he reached that gentleman's apartment, he found the Colonel in the diningroom in his shirt-sleeves, with an old uniform coat and
trowsers, both covered with spots and stains, spread out
upon a table, and which, with a sponge saturated with
benzine, he was vigorously scouring. At this sight a cold
perspiration started out upon the Judge's brow. "Why,
Colonel, what is that 2" he exclaimed.  "That," said the
Colonel, " is my uniform, which I intend to wear to-morrow." c"You certainly can not think of appearing before




CHAPEAU vs. CHIiXNEY-P0OT           71
the Emperor and Empress in such a frightful suit of
clothes as that-all the scrubbing in the world will not
remove those spots of dirt; not to mention that it would
be shabby, even if clean," resumed the Minister. "Well,"
rejoined the Colonel, "it is the only uniform that I possess. It is true that it shows the effects of service; I
don't think that the Emperor will think any the worse
of it on that account.  So I must wear it, or not go at
all." This alternative was, of course, not to be thought
of; and, with a very uneasy feeling, Mr. MASON, after a
short call, took his leave, promising to return on the morrow punctually at twelve o'clock, to take up the Colonel
and convey him to the Tuileries.
The next day the Judge wJ e  as punctual in keeping his
appointment.  Indeed, in his anxiety he somewhat anticipated the hour. I-e climbed up the four or five flights
of stairs with much puffing and blowing, and when he
entered the Consul's drawing-room he found the Colonel
quite ready, ensconced in his rusty blue, and with one of
the inverted chimney-pots already referred to upon his
head.  The Mlinister gazed at him for some moments in
speechless horror, and then broke out with, "I tell you
what it is, Colonel, I can stand the uniform. but hang me
if I will accompany you to the Palace unless you dispense with that frightful object which you have upon
your head."  " But what shall I do for a hat?" querulously asked the Colonel. "This is our regulation cap, and
if it is good enough to wear in the presence of the President of the United States, it is certainly sufficiently so
to wear in that of the Emperor of the French." But the
Judge's foot was down this time, and he would not yield.
So he and the Colonel and Mr. McREA sat down togeth



72           MiIElJfORIES OF JILANY MEN.
er, and, after a long consultation, it was decided that the
latter should go to a shop and purchase a military chapeau, which should be substituted for the obnoxious article. In the mean time it was getting late, and Mr. MASON was becoming fidgety and anxious. They all descended the stairs together, and while the Minister and the
Colonel entered the former's carriage, the Consul dashed
on toward the Rue de la Paix in quest of the chapeau,
for which the others were to await his return.  Mr. McREA was absent a long time; he had to go all the way to
the Rue Richelieu; but jlust as the Judge was about to collapse from utter despair, he returned, triumphantly carrying in his hand an elegant laced chapeau, with a magnificent tricolored plume attached to it. He hastily passed
it in through the carriage window, and Mr. MASON ordered the coachman to drive to the Palace. The Colonel held the chapeau in his hands, twirling it from side
to side, and curiously eying it. At length he burst out,
" Judge, you objected to my hat, but I'll be hanged if I
will go before the Emperor with this one."  "Why, what
is the matter with it "' asked. the Minister.  "Do you
think that I will present myself to him with this infernal
tricolored plume?" was the rejoinder. "Well, then, take
it out," said IMr. 3MASON. The Colonel proceeded to tug
away at it, but without any success. Either he did not
know how to detach it, or else it was too securely fastened for him to do so. Finding that his efforts were in
vain, he began to tear out the feathers one by one, and to
throw them out of the window, until the vertical whalebone alone remained. While he was thus occupied, the
Minister, after some preliminary hemming and hawing,
addressed him somewhat as follows: "Colonel, you are a




A DIPLOJIA TIC CATASTROPHE.           73
man of the world, and therefore there can be no occasion
for me to caution you in regard to your bearing in the
presence of their Majesties. But there is one thing which
I desire you to keep in mind, and that is that the Empress is a Spaniard, and extremely susceptible upon all
questions affecting her own country.  The business
which took you to Madrid was one of a very disagreeable nature, and, I think that, in conversing with the
Empress, you will do well to avoid even mentioning that
you have been to Spain." "You are quite right, Mr. MASON," replied the Colonel; "rest assured that I shall say
nothing about it." The distance which they had to drive
was but a short one, and by this time they had reached
the Tuileries. They were promptly ushered into the audience-chamber, and a few minutes thereafter the Emperor entered. Every thing passed off charmingly, and
the gentlemen had been for some ten or fifteen minutes
engaged in an easy and agreeable conversation, when
her Majesty walked into the room, attended by a lady
of honor. COLONEL SUMNER was presented, and somehow immediately lost his head. After the first words of
courteous greeting, he appalled JUDGE MAsoN by telling
the Empress that he had just returned from a visit to her
native land, and regretted extremely that his business
there was of such a nature that he was only able to remain in the country two days. " Shall I be indiscreet if
I inquire what was the character of the business which
compelled so short a visit " asked the Empress, in her
sweetest tones. "Madame," replied the Colonel, in nowise disconcerted, "I took to Mr. SouLE dispatches in relation to the Black Warrior outrage!"  "How, sir!" asked her Majesty, flashing with indignation; " do you call
D




t74           MIEM3;ORIES OF MIANY  IENlV.
that an outrage-the vessel that took over LOPEZ and his
infamous gang of pirates?"' I beg to observe to you,
Madame," rejoined the Colonel, "that the'Bilack Warrior
was not even built until long after LOPEZ had been executed."  "It matters not," answered the Empress; "you
Americans seem to think that because France is engaged
in a war with Russia you can insult Spain with impunity.
Permit me to tell you that Spain is abundantly able to
take care of herself, so far as you are concerned; that if
she is not, France is not so crippled but that she can
come to her aid; and that if, notwithstanding all, it shall
become necessary to do so, we will liberate the negroes
in Cuba, and thus revolutionize your own country!" "Madame!" answered the Colonel, drawing himself up to his
full height, " I beg to say, with the highest respect for
your iMajesty, that we are not afraid of Spain, that we
are not afraid of Spain and France together, that we are
not afraid of Spain and France together and the niggers
in Cuba to boot!"  I-ow JUDGE MASON dashed from the
Palace, wildly tearing his hair, PIATT used to relate with
picturesque details. I do not know whether his story
had much, little, or even any foundation in fact. Se non
e vero, e ben trovato.




CHAPTER V.
SOMETIME during the month of December, 1854, we
received at the Legation an answer from GOVERNOR
MARcY, then Secretary of State, to the famous Ostend dispatchl upon the subject of the acquisition of Cuba, which
was the result of a conference between Mr. BUCHANAN,
Mr. MASON, and Mr. SOULE, and had been jointly signed
by these three diplomatic representatives of the United
States in Europe. This answer not only took issue with
almost every proposition enunciated in the triune dispatch, but, more than this, it assailed arguments and
conclusions which had not been advanced in it at all.
Mr. MASON was at a loss to comprehend this apparent
waste of logic, although I do not think that he was personally displeased with the issue of the business. For
several days he and I did nothing but read over and talk
about this document from GOVERNOR MARCY, and the peculiar animus which inspired it continued as incomprehensible to us at last as it had been at first.
The same mail that brought to iMr. MAsoN his copy of
this dispatch brought two other copies to Mr. BUCHANAN,
at London. Of these, one was intended for himself, and
the other he was requested to forward to Mr. SoutLE, at
Madrid, by the hands of a confidential messenger-some
person of approved trustworthiness and discretion. After keeping it about a fortnight, without finding any such
person, he transmitted it to Mr. MAsoN, informing him of




76 f          MEOl s0RIES OF 1MANY fENX
his inability, and begging him to find means to forward
it to its destination. Mr. MASON thought that Mr. BuCHANAN did this in order to save the expense of a messenger to the contingent fund of his Legation. However that may be, when Mr. MASON received the document, he was at as great a loss as Mr. BUCHIANAN had
been to find a person who would undertake the task and
to whom he felt justified in intrusting it. For several
days Mr. MASON spoke to me about the matter, hovering
around nearer and nearer, and at last he ventured to ask
me, as a favor to himself and to the Government, to take
charge of this dispatch. It was midwinter, and I knew
what a journey to Madrid meant at that season of the
year. I was reluctant to go, but could not make up my
mind to refuse. So it was finally settled that I should
leave Paris the next afternoon.
Before I started, Mr. MASON over and over again
warned me against the fascinations of Mr. SOULE.  lie
represented him to me as a perfect bird-charmer, and,
while he desired me to be upon the most cordial terms
with him, he was very much afraid that he would absorb
me. I-lad he a recent experience of his own in mind?
I can not say. I had never met Mr. SOULEf, but I went
to the encounter forewarned and forearmed.
So far as Bayonne, the journey was a very easy one,
being even then performed almost entirely by rail. There
was only a short interruption toward its southern extremity, where you were compelled to take the diligence
for a few hours. I was so unfortunate as to reach Bayonne the very day after one of the English " Queen's Messengers " had started for Madrid alone in his own carriage.
Had I been in time, I am certain that he would have ex



RIDING SPANISI.. 77
tended to me the courtesy of a seat. As it was, I had to
take the Spanish mail-a miserable, dilapidated, rickety
vehicle, with accommodations for only two passengers.
My chance companion was a young Mexican. We were
some seventy-six hours on the road, and esteemed ourselves fortunate that we reached our destination at last
without serious accident. We were not robbed, nor even
attacked, although we met at Vittoria the passengers of
a diligence who had had a serious encounter with highwaymen. It is true that we upset twice, both times at
night; but as neither of us suffered any thing worse than
slight contusions, we felt that, considering the condition
of the road, we had every reason to be thankful. The
cold was intense, and we had the full benefit of it, as
there was not a window in our crazy conveyance that
could be securely closed. I had a good provision of
shawls and wraps, which proved, however, so insufficient
that one evening, while we stopped at a post-house to
change horses, I ran into a small posada attached to it,
and purchased the blankets from one of the beds.
We arrived at Madrid early in the morning, and I
immediately proceeded to the Fonda de la Viscaina, in
the Calle Mayor, near the Puerta del Sol. After what
the French call a copious breakfast, at about nine o'clock
I started for Mr. SOULE'S house, which was situated at no
great distance from my hotel. He was living entirely
alone, and in great seclusion. His wife and son were
somewhere in the French Pyrenees, and he had quarreled with his Secretary of Legation, Mr. PERRBY, and remqved all the government archives to his own residence.
I was at once admitted to his presence, and handed to
him my letter of introduction with the dispatch. The




78            MIEMORIES OF -MANY MEN.
former was most cordial. I should have mentioned that
before I left Paris, Mr. MASON had stipulated that I
should not be detained in Madrid more than two or three
days, and this stipulation was incorporated in his letter
presenting me to Mr. SOULE. After the first compliments, as the dispatch was very voluminous, Mr. SOULE
observed to me that I had undoubtedly read it, and
therefore could acquaint him with its contents. I proceeded to do so, when he turned upon nme almost fiercely, saying that I must be. mistaken, that Mr. MARCY never
could have given utterance to such views. I quietly assured him that I was not mistaken, that I had read the
dispatch several times, and that Mr. MASON himself had
been very much surprised by it. Finally he told me that
lie was so overwhelmed by the news that he found it
necessary to be alone; at the same time placing his carriage at my disposal, and inviting me to return to dinner
at six o'clock. Upon parting from him, I went over to
the Foreign Office to call upon my friend the VIZCONDE
DEL PONTON, whom I had known in Washington several
years before. The remainder of the morning I spent in
the Royal Picture-gallery, which I have-always thought,
every thing considered, the most magnificent in the world
-not forgetting Paris, Dresden, Florence, or Rome.
After dressing for dinner, I returned to Mr. SOULE at
a little before six. I found him just where I had left
him  in the morning.  "If you will believe me, Mr.
FIELD," he said," I have done nothing whatever since we
parted but walk up and down this room, and read that
dispatch over and over again. I could almost repeat it
verbatim. My amazement is without limit. I am stunned.
Of one thing only I am certain, and that is, that it is




PIERRE0 SOULl.                 79
the irresponsible work of Mr. MARCY. The President
can neither have inspired nor sanctioned it. You mnust
dismiss from your mind all thought of leaving this place
for some days. I require time to reflect and determine
what course of action it is my duty to take under these
most unexpected circumstances."
I dined with him that day, and almost every other day
for three weeks thereafter.  Our party usually consisted
only of ourselves and of a poor priest, whom Mr. SoULE
had saved from some political proscription by conferring
upon him the title of Chaplain to the United States Legation.  Notwithstanding the irksomeness of my detention, I can never sufficiently acknowledge the cordiality,
kindness, and confidence with which I was treated by
the accomplished Minister.  It would be out of place
here to enter into any discussion of his political principles or his diplomatic career. But I can not refrain from
saying that a more delightful companion, or a more thorough-bred man of the world, it has never been my fortune
to meet.  The life he led at that time was a singularly
quiet and domestic one; he seldom left his house unless
called out by public business. His relations to the Court
were, as they always had been, most friendly and intimate; and if he was not liked by the aristocracy and the
press, at all events they respected his courage. During
his absence from Spain the previous summer, the newspapers assailed him, day after day, with the bitterest
abuse, and with the most violent threats in case he should
ever dare show himself again in Madrid. As soon as he
returned, they became as silent as the grave, and up to
the time of his final departure he was never again annoyed by word or act.




80           lMEMORIES OF MANIY ItMEN.
One afternoon I drove with him over the Toledo bridge
to the ground of his famous duel with M. TURGOT, the
French Embassador, the particulars of which he explained
to me upon the spot. A perfect reconciliation never took
place between the combatants. It will be recollected
that M. TURGOT was severely wounded in the thigh, and
rendered a cripple for life. For a long time he was confined to his bed, and when I saw him in Madrid he walked
painfully upon crutches. Many months after the duel
Mr. SOULEf had occasion to call upon the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He happened to be occupied at the moment, and Mr. SOULE was conducted to the ante-chamber
to wait until he should be disengaged. There he found,
in solitary possession, his old adversary, whom he had not
met since they retired from the field of combat. No recognition took place between them, and the meeting could
not fail to be awkward and embarrassing to both parties.
A very intelligent American gentleman, who had resided a number of years in Madrid, explained to me his
theory of the origin of the difficulty, which struck me
as very plausible. It was as follows: That very decided
nnpopularity had preceded Mr. SOULE to Spain in consequence of his supposed views in reference to the Island
of Cuba; that he came there a Frenchman of humble
birth, who had left his country at an early age on account of his extreme political opinions, to represent a
republic of which he had become an adcpted citizen.
That he found there, as Embassador from imperial France,
a nobleman of ancient lineage, whose family had for
centuries been identified with the elder Bourbons, and
who had himself but recently left the legitimist ranks.
The result was what, perhaps, might have been naturally




A BAITED MINISTER.              81
expected. From the moment that they came together,
M. TURGOT exhibited a prejudice which he sought neither
to control nor to conceal.  If Mr. SOULE had been an
American, instead of a Frenchman, this prejudice would,
probably, not have existed at all, or, if it had, it would
have been very much less decided and acrimonious. As
it was, it manifested itself in a continuous series of petty
slights, each too insignificant to be formally noticed, but
in the aggregate extremely galling. -Nor did the annoyance stop here.  Others took their cue from the Embassador of France, so that the American Minister's position
soon became a very uncomfortable one. MVir. SOUtLE was
not the man to brook this sort of thing long. And when
he fought If. TURGOT, his object was probably as much
to right himself generally with society, and earn its respect and fear, if not its love, as to resent the particular
insult which brought about the issue. I do not assert
the above to be positively true, but it is the surmise of a
close observer of the circumstances at the time.
While I was in Madrid there was a Constituent Cortes
in session, called into existence by the revolution of the
previous June. I had a seat in the diplomatic box, and
frequently attended its meetings. I have seen much of
both houses of the British Parliament, of the French
Chambers, of the Hungarian Diet, and of other deliberative assemblies at home and abroad; but never have I
seen elsewhere such an assemblage of dignified, eloquent, and intellectual-looking men as composed that
Cortes. Integrity and patriotism seemed stamped upon
every countenance. And yet, if what I heard of them
was true, such a body of political prostitutes and unprincipled knaves never before sat together in one room.
D 2




82           MI.TEMiORIES OF MIANY 1IEN
Every evening hosts of the deputies were visitors at
Mr. SOULS'S house. They would begin to arrive singly
soon.after dinner, and would keep on coming until one
or two o'clock in the morning. Long after the lights
were extinguished in the lower hall, gentlemen, muffled
up in their cloaks so as to defy recognition, would ring
at the porte-cochere of the American Minister.  I was
never formally introduced to any of these persons, but
the next morning Mr. SOULE would inform me that I had
met such and such a distinguished member of the Cortes
the evening before.  They represented all the parties
and all the factions, and exactly for what purpose they
came there I never could comprehend.  Since the Black
Warrior business, all chances for the acquisition of Cuba
by our Government seemed to be at an end. Up to the
time of that unfortunate occurrence, Mr. SOULE was very
confident that he would succeed in his efforts to negotiate
the purchase of the island. If lie had only had five
hundred thousand dollars secret service money, le felt
sure that he could accomplish it. The Cortes, being a
constituent body, could do more radical things than an
ordinary parliamentary one.  lle would under no consideration attempt to corrupt the members-certainly
not. But he would lend them  money upon their own
application, and thus as effectually secure their favor for
the measure he desired to promote.  Such diplomacy, I
am happy to be able to say, our Government never resorted to in its better days; and it is to be hoped that it
never will do so in these more degenerate times. I believe that Mr. SouLE applied for, or at all events suggested,
such a subsidy, but the application or suggestion was not
for a moment entertained at Washington. Mr. SouLE




WHEEDLING A QUEEN.                 83
was convinced that he had brought the EX-QUEEN CIRISTINA entirely over to his views; but I doubt,: after all,
whether that very astute lady was not rather the mystifier than the mystified.  HIe told me that hle used to
spend whole evenings in familiar tete-a-tete  with her,
talking' over the Cuban question.  Is line of agunlent,
he said, was as follows: That Spain was in urgent need
of a system of railways, and of other public improvements, in order to develop her resources. That her credit
was at so low a point that it'was impossible for her to
borrow even sufficient money to make a commencement.
That the one hundred or one hundred and twenty millions of dollars which the United States were willing to
give for Cuba would accomplish this. That in answer to
the objection that Spain had a large mercantile marine
dependent upon the commerce of her West Indian colonies, and which would be deprived of employment if
these islands, especially Cuba, should slip from her hands,
he would guarantee that it should be stipulated in the
treaty of sale that Spanish and American bottoms engaged in that trade should be upon precisely the same
footing for ten years after the treaty should go into operation. So that, from a patriotic point of view, he did not
see how her Majesty could hesitate.  So far as her own
personal interests were concerned, the case was an equally strong one. She owned a very large property in Cuba.
That property should be carefully secured to her by a
secret clause in the treaty, and under American dominion it would be certain to increase tenfold in value.
This argument ad hogninen?, or rather adfemninam, if
she accepted the premises, was, I fancy, quite as likely to
affect favorably the royal mind as that addressed to her




84            IfMEz1ORIES OF MJIANY IMENr.
regard for the public interests of her country. However,
as I have said, the Black Warrior business deranged
all Mr. SouLE's combinations. He felt terribly incensed
against our Government for their conduct toward himself in that matter. The dispatch which COLONEL SUMNEz had brought to him was very peremptory in its tone.
In addressing himself to Mr. LuZURIAGA, he adopted the
precise language of MVIr.MARcY to himself, only changing
the formal commencement and ending. He threw down
the gauntlet to Spain, as it were. The reply which he
received was a snub in civil form —at all events, a refusal to comply with his demand. He entertained no
doubt whatever that when news of that refusal should
reach Washington, he would be ordered to demand his
passports and leave Spain, and that war would follow.
He considered it due to himself that, having literally
obeyed instructions, he should be thus sustained. Instead of which, after a considerable interval of delay,
Mr. MArcy quietly instructed him to re-open negotiations! To himi this was an intolerable grievance, for
Iris opportunity in every way had passed.
About ten days after my arrival at Madrid, Mr. SOULE
had occasion to request an audience of QUEEN ISABELLA
for the purpose of presenting an autographic letter from
PRESIDENT PIERCE, condoling with her upon the loss of
I forget what relative. I-Ie was good enough to say that
he desired me to accompany him upon the occasion. I
objected that I had no uniform, which I presumed would
be an insuperable difficulty in the way of my admission
to the royal presence. But he told me that I had no occasion for concern on that account, as he would let me
have one belonging to his son, which would do perfectly,




PREPARING FOR AN A UDIENCE.           85
as we were about the same size. A number of days
passed, and no notice whatever was taken of the application for an audience. Mr. SOULE became daily more and
more impatient and vexed, until he finally threatened to
me that he would demand his passports for this personal
insult, as he conceived it to be. I had a good deal of
difficulty to quiet him, and induce him to refrain from
any hasty and ill-considered action; for his mind and
temper were for many reasons in a very morbid condition
at that time. At last, when I called at his house one
morning, he informed me that he had just been notified
by the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the Queen would
receive him at seven o'clock that evening, and that an
earlier appointment had not been made because her Majesty had been indisposed. He promised to immediately
look up his son's uniform, and to send it over to my hotel
by five o'clock, and he desired me to meet him again,
prepared to go to the Palace, at half-past six sharp. At
five o'clock, instead of receiving the uniform, I got a letter from him, to the effect that he could not find it, that
his son must have taken it away with him, and that I,
must come to him in an ordinary evening suit, being
careful, however, to wear black gloves, as the Court was
in mourning, and that hle would answer for the rest. I
had nothing to do but to comply, which I did with many
misgivings.
Mr. SOULE had an engagement to dine that evening
with LORDI HOWDEN, the British Embassador. Ile wrote
a note of excuse, stating that he had received the Queen's
commands to present himself at the Palace. His Lordship replied that he would not excuse him, but should
wait dinner until midnight, if he did not come sooner.




86           JMEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
Punctually at a quarter before seven o'clock, Mr. SOULE
and I entered his carriage to start for the Palace. He
wore. the Benjamin Franklin costume, which has been
so often described, and which became him  extremely
well. It consisted of a black velvet coat, cut singlebreasted, and with a standing collar elaborately embroidered with black silk, black velvet breeches, black
silk stockings, shoes with black buckles, a black dress
sword, and a black chapeau without plume-every thing
as black as Erebus. He looked as EDGAR or RAVENSWOOD might have looked upon a state occasion; his black
eyes, black locks, and pale complexion completing the
fanciful resemblance.
The Palace at Madrid is situated at one extremity of
the city, and directly over the Manzanares. It is a very
elegant structure, but only one eighth of the size of the
building originally projected.  No finer apartment than
the throne-room is to be found in any palace in Europe.
On arriving, we entered a large vestibule, paved with
marble, and flush with the carriage-way in front. Here
we found an extraordinarily numerous guard on duty. I
never saw any thing like the number at any other similar place. As we passed them we uncovered, and they
saluted us with a clang of their muskets which might
have been heard to the distance of half a mile. Turning to the right, we commenced, hat in hand, the ascent
of the noble marble staircase.  When we reached the
first landing, a body of halberdiers stationed there, in a
uniform  of the sixteenth century, rang their halberds
upon the stone tiles with deafening emphasis. Bowing
our acknowledgments, we proceeded to mount the return




SPANISIH ETIQUETTE.              87
flight. At the head of it we found more halberdiers, who.
did precisely as their companions below had done. We
then entered a door to the left, and found ourselves in a
spacious ante-chamber filled with officials in uniform,
but without side-arms; the inferiority of their grade being thus indicated. These persons bowed to us in the
most deferential manner; but I could not avoid observing that my plain black coat was attracting attention,
and I began to feel decidedly uncomfortable. Maintaining our dignity by rather haughty and condescending
salutations, we moved on into another room, very like
the previous one, except that it was crowded with officers
of superior rank with side-arms. It was evident that
matters were arranged upon the principle of a theatrical
climax. I-Ience we emerged into the so-called "Embassadors' Waiting-room," which far excelled in size all
the apartments through which we ihad reached it. It is
here that the diplomatic body was summoned when a
royal heir or heiress was expected to make its appearance. Tedious hours were sometimes spent there upon
such occasions. As soon as the baby was born, it was
brought in upon a silver dish and exhibited to the assembled ministers, who thereupon attested the birth with
due formalities.
We moved up slowly to the farther extremity of the
room, and stationed ourselves to the right of a closed
door. Opposite us stood about a dozen of the highest
grandees of Spain, headed by the diminutive DUKE OF
MEDINA CELT, all in gorgeous array, blazing with stars
and orders. They had just come from an audience with
the Queen. After a moment's hesitation, the little nobleman above named crossed over with solemn deliberation,




88            MEMORIES OF zMANY IMEN.
and, facing Mr. SOULE, bowed nearly to the ground with
overpowering gravity. He then turned to me, and saluted me with less formality. All the others in turn
went through the same performance. Presently there
advanced toward us a brisk, fidgety personage with gray
hair. lie proved to be the " Introducer of Embassadors," or, as he would be elsewhere called, the chamberlain. Tapping a gold snuff-box, he opened the lid and
offered a pinch to my chief, behind whom I was standing, at the distance of a step or two. "I am glad to see
you well, Mr. SOULE)," he commenced, presenting his hand.
"Your audience is, I think, set down for seven o'clock,
and I believe her Majesty is ready to receive you."
While he said this, his eyes kept wandering from Mr.
SOULE to me, and he scanned me from head to foot.
After a moment's pause, he resumed: "But, Mr. SouLE',
you assuredly do not expect this gentleman to accompany you "
" I beg your pardon; I certainly do," answered Mr.
SOULE.  "This gentleman is Secretary of the United
States Legation at Paris" (I was only so, as I have explained, ad interim). " He has come to me with very
important dispatches, and for the present is attached to
my Legation.  There are very peculiar reasons why I
am anxions that he should see her Majesty on this occasion."
" It is quite impossible, my dear sir-quite impossible.
There are two insuperable objections. In the first place,
no audience has been requested for him; and, in the
next place, he is not in uniform.  It is only the other
day that the French Embassador wished to present a
gentleman connected with the diplomacy of his country,




BAFFLI~NG A ClHAJIBELAIL.           89
who was in uniform, but for whom  an audience had
not been asked, and he was not allowed to do so."
"Nothing," answered Mr. SOULE, " would be farther
from my wish than to violate the etiquette of her Majesty's Court upon a trifling pretext. This gentleman is
not in uniform only because he left Paris in great haste,
and brought none with him. As I have already said, I
have special motives for wishing him to see the Queen,
and, under the circumstances, I must request you to take
her Majesty's personal conmmands upon the subject."
There was no answering this; so the unfortunate
chamberlain bowed with a rueful countenance, and went
to refer the matter to the tribunal of last resort.
As soon as the door closed upon him, Mr. SOULEL took
my arm, and we slowly paced up and down the room.
" It is all right now," he whispered to me; " the Queen
is the best-natured person in the world, and I am sure
that she will not turn you away."
IIis prophecy proved correct, for presently the " Introducer of Embassadors' returned, and with a look in
his face as if some dire misfortune had befallen the
Spanish monarchy, said that her Majesty was ready to
receive us both.
Thereupon he preceded us through a passage-way to
the open door of a moderately sized drawing-room, upon
the threshold of which he bowed profoundly, and then
backed himself out of sight.
As we entered by this door, ISABELLA II. entered by
another door from the diagonal corner. The movement
seemed to be a simultaneous one. I was a little behind
Mr. SOULE, to the right. The instant he perceived the
Queen he bowed to the floor, and I followed his example,




90           MlEMl ORZIES OF MIANY 11EN
as he had instructed me to do in all things. At the
same instant down came her Majesty in the way that
school-girls call "making a cheese."  One step with
each foot, and the ceremony was repeated on both sides.
And so on some six or seven times, until we met at a
marble table in the centre of the room. Mr. SOULE, holding the President's letter in his hand, then commenced in
a low tone a very fluent and elegant little speech in
French, at the conclusion of which he laid the letter
upon the table. While this was going on, the Queen
stood with her right hand resting upon the table, and
with a look which plainly indicated that she considered
such business a bore. I had an ample opportunity to
take mental notes of her appearance.  If my impressions were not flattering, they were, at least, unprejudiced, and I must sacrifice gallantry to truth.
"The Innocent ISABEL," as she was styled in her
youth, is considerably above the average stature of her
sex, and of ample dimensions every way. Her forehead
is low, and her nose and chin unmistakably Bourbon.
She wore a black dress very de'olletee, and the charms
which it partly concealed were evidently of ponderous
proportions.  Upon her hands, which are very large, and
which looked swollen, she wore lace mitts, not gloves,
leaving the fingers bare. IHer whole skin was red, and
had the appearance of being affected by some cutaneous
disorder, which I have understood is the case. I certainly did not fall in love with her Majesty at first sight. I
have heard others declare her handsome; but there is
nothing about which there is a greater difference of opinion than female beauty.
When Mr. SOULBe had finished his address, she replied




ROYAL AnFFABILITY.               91
at less length, in remarkably good French, but with a
very decided Spanish accent. This done, she drew a little sigh and paused a moment, and then abruptly asked,
in a much louder voice, and with a total change of manner:
" Well, Mr. SouLB, and how is MADAME SOULE 2"
"She was very well, your Majesty, when I last heard
from her. She is in the French Pyrenees."
"I thought she could not be in Madrid, for I have
missed her for some time. When you next write to her,
remember me to her. Ah! Mr. SOULE, neither I nor my
mother will ever forget your kindness during those horrible days of June."
I can not say that the Queen's eyes were here suffused with tears, but her countenance exhibited much
emotion. Her manner during the above dialogue had
been as familiar as that of any ordinary well-bred person. In her last remark she alluded to the revolution of
the previous June, when CHRISTINA's life was threatened,
and when Mr. SOULE alone of the diplomatic body offered her the protection of his house and his flag.
Mlr. SouLE then kindly turned toward me, and apologized to the Queen for having brought me with him in
so unceremonious a manner, explaining that, as I might
not improbably see the President before long, he wished
that her Majesty might avail herself of the opportunity
to send to him any verbal message she might desire.
She smiled, and gave nme a commission which it is nnnecessary to repeat, but which was full of kind and
friendly expressions of feeling.  She then asked me how
much longer I intended to remain in Madrid.  I answered only a few days, as I had already overstayed my




92           fMEMORIES OF iMANY MIfEN.
time. " Oh," she replied, "you must certainly stop for
my ball next week. Do you know, Mr. SOULE, it will be
my first really gala ball since I have been upon the
throne 2"
"I should be most happy to do so, your Majesty," I
replied; " but, in the first place, I have no uniform."
"Oh, Mr. SOULE will manage that. Will you not, Mr.
SOULE?
"Certainly, your Majesty."
"J But then there is another impediment," I went on to
say. "I am in the public service, and my instructions
are to return to Paris the moment my business here is
accomplished."
"Now," she continued, with a smile, "if you were a
subject of mine, I would commnand you to wait. But
you Americans are an independent and self-willed race.
Still I presume that, if you will not obey 9my orders, you
will those of Mr. SOUL. MI r. SOULE, please order him
to stay."
"1 order you, sir, to obey her Majesty's commands."
I bowed, and said I would —but I didn't.
After this badinage, there followed a pause of sufficient length to indicate that the audience was at an end.
Perceiving this, Mr. SOUL2 backed a step and bowed as
he had done on entering. I ditto. Majesty ditto. And
so we kept it up, facing each other all the time, until at
last both parties disappeared at the same moment through
their respective doors.
When we again found ourselves in the Embassadors'
Waiting-room, there was the old chamberlain, who evidently belonged to that genus of fossils who believe that
a breach of etiquette is sufficient to make the firmament




BAFFLED AGAIN.                 93
fall.  Advancing to me, he put his arm  around my
neck affectionately, and said:
" Do you know, sir, that an exception has this evening
been made in your favor which I venture to say has
never before been made in the history of the Spanish
monarchy?  I am confident that no person was ever before presented to a Spanish sovereign without being either in court-dress or in uniform!'
I assumed an air of offended dignity, as if piqued by
the impediments which he had at first thrown in my
way, and replied: " I acknowledge the value of the compliment, but I can appropriate no portion of it to my.
self. It all belongs to my Minister.  I counted for
nothing in her Majesty's condescension. She did not
even know my name."
" Well," he answered, " it was a compliment to both."
IBut I stuck to my original proposition, in which I was
unquestionably right.
" We are going," he resumed, "to have a grand ball
at the Palace next week, when the Court goes out of
mourning. You must come."
"I am much obliged to you," I replied; " but I have
already received an invitation from the highest sourcefrom her Majesty herself. If any thing could induce
me to remain for the fete, it would be her gracious request to me to do so."
Thereupon the old gentleman had nothing further to
say, except that he hoped to see me there.
We shook hands with him and commenced our egress,
which was accomplished in the same manner that our entrance had been. When we got outside the abode of royalty, iMr. SOULE went to his dinner-party, and I went home.




9             M~IEMIORIES OF MANY MEN.
The most shocking and disgusting-I might almost
say incredible —stories were told about the Queen at
that time.  All classes seemed to vie in speaking ill of
her, and the foulest anecdotes about her private life were
related to whomsoever would give a listening ear. Indeed, if you believed one half that you heard, all society
in Madrid, emulating the example of the Court, was
sunk to the lowest depths of social degradation.  However that may have been, I saw nothing any where but
perfect decorum.




CHAPTER VI.
BR. SOULIE treated me with unlimited confidence.
HIe threw open his dispatch books to me, and invited me to examine the written history of his mission.
I availed myself liberally of his offer. One day I came
across a dispatch written by him to the Secretary of
State, bearing about the same date as that of the famous
Ostend Manifesto.  The first paragraph in it referred to
that document, and this induced me to read it with care.
What was my surprise to find it a sort of " Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin "-an elaboration and explanation of
that manifesto! Every point made in the manifesto was
cleverly and craftily denuded of all diplomatic reserve
in the dispatch, and pushed to the most extreme conclusions; and positions were taken far in advance of any in
the joint document. It seemed to say to 1Mr. MARcY"We spoke ambiguously, because it would not have been
prudent to speak more clearly; we said so and so, but we
meant so and so."  Here was the veil lifted from my
eyes.  I could now understand why Mr. MARIcY had
written as he had to the three Mlinisters. lie had presumed, or he had affected to presume, that this personal
dispatch had been addressed to him by the Minister to
Spain after he had submitted it to his colleagues, who
were acting with him in the same business. I asked Mr.
SOULE no questions upon the subject, because I felt that
it would be indelicate for me even to suggest the possibility that he had given a personal interpretation to the




96            llMEMIORIES OF MVANY MIEN.
manifesto about which his associates were not informed.
But the incident made a deep impression upon my mind.
While in Madrid I had frequent opportunities of seeing
the DUKE OF ALVA, brother-in-law to the EMPEnRO  NAPOLEON, whom I thought he very much resembled in person. I also saw the DUCHESS several times, at the opera
and elsewhere. Although pleasing in appearance, she
was not nearly so beautiful a woman as her sister, the
Empress. The Opera-house at Madrid was at that time
one of the most elegant and comfortable theatres in Europe.  The house belonged to the Government, which
gave the use of it, rent free, to a first-class, responsible
company. It was here that I first heard Verdi's " Trovatore," before it had been produced at all in Paris.
I had been in Madrid more than two weeks, and was becoming ver'y impatient at my prolonged detention, when
one afternoon Mr. SOULEf invited me to drive out with
him. Up to this time I had daily had the exclusive use
of his carriage, as he was not himself in the habit of going out. After some preliminary conversation upon other subjects, he told me that he had at last decided upon
the course of action which was the best for him to take.
That lie was more and more convinced that Mr. MARnc
was the person exclusively responsible for the change
which had taken place in the policy of our Government
regarding the Island of Cuba.  That he felt sure that
the President had not been a participant in the error, or
that, if he had been, it would be easy to convince him of
his mistake. I-Ie also felt terribly aggrieved by the Secretary of State, because he had not sustained himn in the
action which he took in the Black TWarrior business, although it was that officer who had himself prescribed that




1zR. SOULE9 RESIGNS IN DISGUST.        97
action. Under these circumstances, he thought that, as
Congress was then in session, his best plan was to return
immediately to Washington, and manipulate that body
in the interest of his own policy.  There was but one
difficulty in the way, and that was to determine to whom
temporarily to turn over the Legation. That he had now
seen me sufficiently to acquire confidence in my discretion, and he had the following proposition to make to
me, viz., that I should accept the position of Charge d'Affaires ad interim; that lie would guarantee me the occupation of the office for one year, and that I should
have nothing to do but to be entirely inactive, except in
obeying instructions to the letter, attending to the routine business, keeping my ears open, and advising our
Government fully as to every thing that should occur in
Madrid directly or remotely affecting our interests. I
immediately objected that, as there was a Secretary to
the American Legation then in office, I did not see how
lie could place its control in other hands. I-le answered
that he had considered that, and that he would be responsible that a satisfactory arrangement would be made
as soon as he should reach home. But I had other objections, not necessary here to repeat, which rendered my
acceptance impossible.  I told him so very decidedly,
and he seemed both disappointed and chagrined. "Well,"
lie said, "there is then no alternative left to me but to
resign."  I felt distressed at appearing so ungrateful for
all his kindness, and urged him as strongly as I could to
reconsider this determination. But I failed to move him.
IIis mind had evidently been made up to retire from his
office in the event that he should be unable to make the
arrangement which he had proposed to me.
E




98            MEMORIES OF MANY iIME.
This one matter settled, there was nothing to keep me
longer in Madrid. Accordingly I had myself booked for
the first vacant seat in the cJfalle-Poste for France, which
was only to be obtained by applying several days ahead.
During the interval I made repeated attempts to persuade Mr. SOULE to reconsider his resignation, but all
without effect. The last day of Iny sojourn in Spain I
dined with him, and, while availing myself of that opportunity to thank him for all his kindness and confidence,
I asked him how much of what I had seen, heard, and
read since I had been with him lie desired me to consider personally confidential, and how much I was at liberty to communicate to Mr. MASON. lie answered that
he had no reserve whatever to impose upon me, so far as
Mri. MASON was concerned; that I was quite at liberty to
speak to him with the utmost freedom  about all that I
had learned.  " However," he said, "rest assured, and
do all that you can to keep iMr. MASON in the belief, that
the question of the acquisition of Cuba is going to be
the principal plank in the Democratic platform at the
next national convention of the party. No one can secure the Presidential nomination at that time who shall
not be thoroughly committed to that doctrine. If they
adhere firmly to it, either Mr. MASON or Mir. BUcIIANAN
will probably be the nominee; and Mr. MASON is not the
least likely of the two, because Mr. BUCHANAN has long
occupied a position of party leadership which is sure to
engender those animosities and jealousies which have so
often proved fatal to the aspirations of our most distinguished men. I, being a foreigner by birth, am constitutionally ineligible, even were I, which I am  not, so
conceited as to believe that, under any circumstances, I




FAREWELL TO iMADRID.               99
might be selected. Besides, these gentlemen are equally
responsible with me for the authorship of the Ostend
dispatch, and, should they ever weaken in relation to
the policy therein enunciated, the world would say that
they had been twisted around   myfny gner; and, certainly,
two gentlemen of such distinguished talents would never
permit this to be said of them in respect to so humble
an individual as myself I"  By the bye, I will here parenthetically remark that I have always understood that the
Ostend Manifesto was originally written by Mr. SOULE',
and that it was then revised by Mr. BUCIHANAN; but that
it still remained so extreme in its utterances that neither
he nor Mr. MASON would have signed it had they not
been cajoled into so doing by their astute and specious
colleague.
Mr. SOULE then handed to me his resignation as United
States Minister to Spain, addressed to the President, under cover to the Secretary of State, with instructions to
have it forwarded from Paris to Liverpool, and placed
on board a steamer there by a messenger, who should
not be informed of the contents of the package with
which he was charged. He also desired that the fact
that he had resigned should be kept a close secret between Mr. MASON and myself.  It was, in fact, so kept,
and the first knowledge of it in Paris was obtained
through the medium of American newspapers.
Mr. SouLfL accompanied me to the post-carriage, and
saw me off. He took leave of me with the same cordiality with which he had all the time treated me. He has
been dead now several years, and I never saw him afterward.
My journey back to Bayonne was not so disagreeable




100          XMEMlO1RIES OF MIfANY MEN1.
as that to MBadrid had been. At least we met with no
positive mishaps. My compaynon de voyage was a
charming young Spanish Marquis, and his agreeable
conversation went far to make me forget the discomforts of the road.
I got back to Paris very early in the morning, and at
about nine o'clock went over to JUDGE MASON'S house to
breakfast with him. After breakfast we retired to his
private office. I first told him about Mr. SouLf's resignation, and handed it to him, and, before proceeding further, he made arrangements to forward it to Liverpool.
I then gave him an unreserved and circumstantial account of my visit to Spain. I spoke to him of the private
dispatch which accompanied the Ostend Manifesto, assuming that he already knew all about it. But not only
did its existence prove to have been unknown to him,
but my communication threw him into a paroxysm of
excitement and indignation.  Nothing that I could say
had the effect of quieting him. At first he insisted upou
immediately sending to Mr. BUCHANAN a full account
of it-that very afternoon. I urged him not to be so
hasty, as, with the view which he took of the matter, he
might seriously and unnecessarily compromise me with
Mr. SOULfE. With much effort, I succeeded in persuading him to wait a few days. That very evening he was
stricken down by a paralytic stroke. A second stroke
some years afterward proved fatal to him. I have always surmised that the excitement into which he was
thrown by what I told him upon that occasion precipitated the first attacko




CHAPTER VII.
I  FOUND upon my return that DONS PIATT the Secretary, was back from America, and my official relations to the Legation were thus terminated.  I also
found awaiting me an unsolicited commission from his
Excellency -ORATIO SEYMOUR, Governor of INew York,
appointing me Commissioner from that state to the Paris
Universal Exposition of 1855.  There was already in
Paris a number of Commissioners from other states of
the Union, and the time had arrived to commence the
preliminary arrangements.  Both the French Government and the Imperial Commission refused to hold offcial communication with these numerous American
Commissioners, and the only course open to us was to
organize as a body and appoint officers to represent us.
In this manner I became President of the Board of
United States Colmmissioners, and, as their representative, was brought into relations with many distinguished
people.  I forget how many Commissioners we had in
all. Certainly there were as many Commissioners as exhibitors, all of whom received their appointments from
the Executives of their respective states, the Federal
Government doing nothing in the premises. We had no
money at our disposal except our individual means.  I
was compelled to expend a great deal of money out of
my own pocket, for which I never received a return.
M{y labors were very great, and sometimes of the most




102           MEMORIES OF iMANY MEN
perplexing character.  The greater number of my colleagues had come to Paris for "a good time," and supposed that a passport as Commissioner would aid them in
having it; but very few of them had any notion of doing
any work.  Many of the exhibitors sent us their articles
from home, leaving it entirely to us to take care of them,
and make all the preparations for their exhibition. The
exhibitors who came themselves, or who were represented
by agents, gave us a world of trouble in various ways.
Some sent articles totally unfit to be shown even in a local
country fair. Others, in their unseemly scramble for desirable space, worried and harassed us almost beyond endurance. I remember one of them, who called upon me
in regard to an enormous stuffed American eagle which
he had lost somewhere that morning in the Exhibition
building.  iHe had wandered into it, speaking nothing but
English, and with the eagle in his arms, in quest of the
temporary office of tlhe American Commissioners. Iie
did not happen to light upon any one to whom he could
make himself understood, and, after beating about from
point to point, he finally brought up in the Prussian office, where he deposited his eagle without explanations.
When he returned for it, he got lost, and could not find
the place where he had left it. In his distress he came
to me. It took us a long time to find that eagle, but we
finally did recover the hapless bird.
The place assigned to us in the Palace of Industry, as
it was called, was of large dimensions and most advantageously situated, facing, as it did, the main central
entrance to the building. We had a large place upon
the principal floor, and also another in the gallery directly over it. No matter how one might spread them




THE GREAT "EXPOSITION."            103
out we had not articles enough to fill all this. Before
any arrangements were completed, SIR WILLIAM LOGAN
and Mr. STERRY I-IUNT arrived in Paris with the complete
and admirably selected collection of Canadian products.
They found that Mr. COLE, the British Commissioner, had
omitted to reserve any space for its exhibition, and all
the room in the building had been already assigned to
the several nationalities. Having no other resource, they
applied to me, and I was happy to have it in my power
to place at their disposal our space in the gallery, for
which we really had no use. As the United States, of all
the peoples, made the very worst show for what they
nmight have done and should have done, so I think Canada made comparatively the best. The inhabitants of the
provinces who desired to exhibit were requested to send
their articles to Montreal, and then the Government purchased those which it considered worthy to be shown at
the Great Exhibition. The Colonial Government was the
exhibitor, but the individual inventors and producers received their measure of credit and profit.
The sewing-machine people gave us a fearful amount
of trouble. They insisted upon having the most conspicnous places in the main building-and they constantly
quarreled among themselves for the choice of these-instead of complying with the regulation of the Imperial
Commission, which required all machinery to be exhibited in the Annexe, or supplemental building. There were
only a few of them in existence at that time. What
must it have been in Vienna this summer, now that
there are myriads of them? Well, they urged and pressed us so that we were finally compelled to allow them to
try the experiment, warning them, however, that they




104          lME VOIRIES OF MANY iTEN
would be certain to be driven from their ground as soon
as they began to operate.  One afternoon, just before
the Exhibition was formally opened, the Yanlkee girls,
brought over for the purpose, took their seats at their
machines, which were placed upon an elevated platform,
and the buzzing and whirring commenced. Just at that
moment PRINCE NAPOLEON (JEROmE), who was at the head
of the Imperial Commission, happened to enter the building upon a tour of inspection. Hearing the sound, le at
once searched for the cause. When he perceived it, he
rushed toward the unfortunate sewing-machines, and with
an expressive gesture shouted to his assistants, " Balcyezmoi tout celca!" (Sweep all that away!) I did not feel
that I could conscientiously protest against this judgment, and so Singer and Grover & Baker and the rest of
them were compelled to retire to the machinery hall.
Our people took a great many prizes at the Exhibition in proportion to the number of exhibitors.  Perhaps the most creditable exhibition of all was that of
GooDYEARu's articles of vulcanized India rubber. These
were comparative novelties then, and were manufactured
by Mr. GOODYEAR in France under his patents there, although his inventions had been made and perfected, and
originally patented, in this country.  After he had gone
to a good deal of expense in fitting up the compartment
which we had assigned to him, the French Exhibition
authorities insisted that lie should exhibit with them.
This he was unwilling to do, and he desired us to make
an energetic appeal. We were as anxious as himself to
prevent another nation from appropriating to itself the
credit of these admirable inventions. But in vain did I
ascend the hierarchy of authority.  They were all inflex



PLON-PLON                   105
ible. I pointed out to them that in their own list of
printed questions which exhibitors were required to answer in writing was this: "Does the exhibitor present
himself as mcnzfacturer or as inventor?" leaving it to
be inferred that he had the privilege of exhibiting in either capacity.  No; they were determined to have Mr.
GOODYEAR, and would not forego their claim  to him.
After much discussion, I determined to have recourse to
PRINcE NAPOLEON himself, and, with this object in view,
I addressed him a letter, asking him when it would suit
his convenience to grant me an audience. A  reply
promptly came, making an early appointment at his residence at the Palais Royal, or, as it was then called, the
Palais Imperial.
PRINCE NAPOLEON, as all the world knows, is the soni
of JEROME, the youngest brother of the first Emperor, by
a daughter of the KIing of Wiirtemberg. A previous
marriage of his father, contracted in extreme youth in
this country, with Miss PATTERSON, of Baltimore, was
annulled; and it has been decided, after litigation in
France, that the rights of the issue of that marriage are
limited to the use of the family name.  The Prince has
one sister, the beautiful PRINCESS  MATIILDE, who separated from her husband, the Russian PRINCE DEAMIDOFF,
on account of his alleged cruelty. This allegation seems
to have been well-founded, inasmuch as the EMPEROR
NICHOLAS espoused her cause, and compelled him to pay
to her a handsome annuity as long as he lived.  PRINCE
NAPOLEON-Or, as he is familiarly called, Ploz-Plon-is
tall and portly, but round-shouldered, and somewhat
awkward in his gait. His head is of the unmistakable
BONAPARTE type, common to every member of the famE2




106           MEMORIES OF MANY MIEN.
ily I have ever seen, except the late Emperor, who did
not possess the faintest trace of it. So marked is this
type, that any one familiar with it could not fail to instantly recognize it whenever he accidentally met one of
the blood in any part of the world. It is a curious fact
that the beautiful antique bust in the Vatican, at Rome,
of the EMPEROR AUGUSTUS when a youth, might perfectly
serve for that of the EMPEROR NAPOLEON I. at the same
age, and bears a strong likeness to all his family, with
the single exception above mentioned.
The Prince was in his youth a good deal under the tutelage and guidance of his Imperial cousin, who treated
him as a spoiled child, and whom he was as unlike as
possible. Although a man of genius, and one of the forem1ost orators of Europe, he has always been looked upon
as a sort of enfant terrible; and with good cause, if one
half of the anecdotes related of his indiscretion and violence are true. It was rumored that terrible altercations
frequently took place between himself and the wearer of
the purple, to which he was heir-presumptive, until the
birth of the Prince Imperial put his nose out of joint for
the succession. The story goes that he once so far forgot himself, after an angry discussion with the Emperor,
as to tell him that he was nothing but "a kite in an
eagle's nest." This is said to have occurred previously to
the Crimean War. It will be recollected that the Prince
served in that war, but returned to France some time in
the winter of 1854-5, before the surrender of Sebastopol. A few months later the Emperor made up his mind
to assume command of the army in person, and went so
far as to have his baggage forwarded to Constantinople.
The Prince, who has a considerable taste for intrigue,




AN "ElVFANrT TERRIBLE.'            1 07
was very anxious to remain in Paris during his cousin's
contemplated absence; but this by no means accorded
with the Imperial views. The Emperor is said to have
told him that if he went himself he would insist upon
lis accompanying him, to which the Prince flatly refused
his consent.  Thereupon it is reported that the Emperor put an end to the conversation by telling him that
he should tale him with him, if he had to take him in
irons. The contemplated expedition never took place, so
there was no occasion to execute this threat.
Apropos of the Prince's Crimean campaign, his reputation for courage has never stood high with his countrymen, and many reports to his disadvantage were circulated during the war. I happened accidentally to see a
letter from Sebastopol, addressed by an officer of high
rank to a friend in Paris, and describing one of the engagements-which particular one I can not now remember. Among other things, he said: "Le Prince, a ma
grande surprise, s'est conduit a merveille" (The Prince,
to my great surprise, behaved admirably). Great weight
was attached to this reluctant testimony by those who
knew the writer.
The Prince at that time affected extremely radical political opinions, aspiring to the leadership of the French
Democracy. These pretensions did not then receive
much recognition; indeed, he was decidedly unpopular
with the very class that he desired to conciliate. He
could not show himself at one of the Parisian theatres
without meeting with a very cold reception. The people
seemed to have no confidence in his sincerity, and were
indisposed to excuse certain acts of glaringly bad taste
in his private life. The publicity with which he seemed




108          iME2MfORIES OF 3iANY 3IEN.
to take pains to surround his relations with a distinguished tragic actress, long since dead, offended the popular
sense of propriety. The French are very particular about
external decencies, and this extends even to those among
them who are very liberal about private morals. They
think, with the Spartans, that detection, and not crime,
should be visited with punishment. Particularly, they
can not endure that persons in high station should parade
their immoralities before the public. Now it was said
that the Prince used to drive at all hours to the residence
of the lady referred to in an Imperial carriage, with
servants in the Imperial livery, and that the carriage
would frequently be left standing at the door a very long
time, to the great scandal of the neighborhood. They
said that upon one occasion he was notified some time
after he had entered the house, by a superior officeri of
police, that an indignant mob was collected outside, and
that, unless the carriage was dismissed, he could not be
responsible for the consequences. MIany will undonbtedly recollect with what severity Charivari used to handle
the alleged relations between the late Duke of Orleans,
father of the Count of Paris, and the same lady many
years ago.
To return to my interview with the Prince upon the
subject of the exhibition of Mr. GOODYEAn's  India rubber.
I had to wait a long time in the ante-chamber, as he was
closeted with somebody else when I entered. This antechamber was a plain room, ornamented, however, with
two objects of art (there were no others) which attracted
attention. These were marble busts of RACHEL, the one
as Tragedy and the other as Comedy, placed on pedestals
in diagonal corners of the room.




TIlE BOURBONS' BLUNDER.             109
After a while I was admitted to his presence, and I
had no difficulty whatever in persuading him that I was
right in my controversy with his official inferiors. The
necessary orders upon thle subject were given by him the
next day, and they were peremptory and final. This matter disposed of, we fell into a general conversation about
a variety of subjects. All the time that it lasted the
Prince was incessantly smoking cigarettes. Among other
things, lie asked me if I knew that when CHARLES X. escaped from France to England, after the revolution of
1830, he crossed the Channel in an American ship?
I told him that I never knew it, or, if I had known it,
had forgotten it.
"Yes," he said, "she was called the Charles Carroll,
and a remarkably fine vessel she was. The King was accompanied, among others, by a French Admiral and several naval officers, and le was standing surrounded by
tllem  on the quarter-deck shortly after they got under
way.  l:Ie had been silent for some minutes, when, looking up to the Admiral, lie remarked,' This is a magnificent ship.'   She is, indeed, Sire,' was the reply.' Have
we any equal to her in our commercial marine?' asked
the King.'We have not,' answered the Admiral. Here
the King was again silent, and for some time kept his
eyes fixed upon the deck. After a while he drew a sigh,
and said,' Ah! that was the greatest mistake ever made
in the history of the French monarchy!''To what do
you refer, Sire?' inquired the Admiral.'To the espousal by my brother, Louis XVI., of the cause of the
American Colonies against Great Britain,' he answered.
And that is my opinion, too," said the Prince, laughing,
and slapping me playfully upon the leg.




110             EIMORIES OF MANY  3EY.
He was quite right, in so far as the fate of the BOURBON family was concerned. They joined us in our struggle, not because they loved us, but because they hated
England.  The establishment of a republic upon this
side of the Atlantic precipitated' the revolution of 1789
in France, cost the reigning monarch his head, and has
cost his successors their crown.




CHAPTER VII.
URING the months of May and June, 1855, PRINCE
NAPOLEON had receptions at the Palais Imperial
every Saturday evening. At these receptions were gathered together all the most distinguished people who
happened to be in Paris. The number of invitations
was very limited, there being never more than two hundred and fifty persons in the rooms at one time, so that
there was no crowd.  The apartments are very fine,
much finer than those which were used for similar purposes at the Tuileries. The Prince, who was then a
bachelor, did the honors, assisted by his sister. IHIis father was only occasionally present. At my first visit, I
was accompanied by the Mexican Secretary of Legation,
Mr. ESCANDON. When we got to the first door, an usher
on duty asked our names and titles, that he might announce us. My friend handed him his card. Not happening to have one with me, I wrote my name upon a
piece of paper, and under it, in French, "President of
the Board of United States Commissioners to the Universal Exposition."  What was my dismay and mortification to hear called out, as I made my entrance, "The
President of the United States!"  Whether it was stupidity or malice, who could tell — probably the former.
Fortunately for me, the Prince was standing with only
one or two persons in the outer apartment. ie.laughed
meaningly as he gave me his hand, but made no allusion
in words to my discomfiture.




112         iMEMORIES OF MANY  EM.E
There was a most extraordinary galaxy of celebrities
present that evening. Among others, I may enumerate
the EX-QUEEN CIGRISTINA, of Spain, with her husband, the
DUIE-OF RIANZARES, and her three beautiful daughters,
the eldest of whom was the dashing PRINCESS CZARTORISKI; PRINCE LuCIEN BONAPARTE, from Borne; the late
KING OF PORTUGAL, and his brother, the DUKxE OFPORTO,
the present King, the latter not being more than fourteen
or fifteen years of age.
The King was a slight, fair-haired, German-looking
boy (his father was a Coburg), timid as a girl, and blushing whenever he was spoken to. Hie wore a pair of
gloves immensely too large for his hands, which (his
hands) he seemed to be in continual distress what to do
with. TIe was almost swallowed up in the broad ribbon
of a Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor of France,
which etiquette required him to wear, the Emperor upon
the same occasion wearing the broad ribbon of the Tower
and Sword of Portugal. The DUKE OF OPORTO was a
rosy, plump, cool little fellow, incased in the oddest little
dress-coat imaginable, the skirts of which were a mere
apology for covering.
Besides the foregoing, there were the late DUKE OF
BRUNSVICK, with thickly painted face, wearing a black
silk wig, a black silk dress-coat, of extraordinary cut and
of his own manufacture-and of which no civilized tailor
would have been guilty-and solitaire diamonds, of enormous size and value, for waistcoat buttons; the DUKE
OF HOLSTEINI and I know not how many others. It will
be remembered that when the DUKE OF BRUNSsWICK was
many years ago driven from his throne and his dukedom,
he took the precaution to carry the crown-jewels with




EUGPNIE.                    113
him, and for the rest of his days he was famous as the
greatest collector of diamonds in Europe.  HIe was said
to know more about them than any person engaged in
the trade.  Ils numerous other eccentricities were well
known to the people of London and of Paris, in which
two capitals, at different times, he resided nearly half a
century.
I had been for about an hour wandering from room
to room, unintentionally overhearing at one time a very
curious conversation between the PRINCESS MATHILDE
and the DUIKE OF BIRUINSWICIZ at the bt1iet, when the Emperor and the Empress arrived. After making a tour of
the apartments, her MIajesty seated herself upon a sofa
in the largest of them, with a lady of honor at each side
of her.  I never saw her look so charming as she did
that evening.  She was, as usual at that time, most
becomingly dressed. I say at thact time, because when
she first arrived from Spain she indulged in the strong
colors and decided contrasts which the ladies of that
country, when not in faultless black, affect, and the
French dressmakers had great difficulty in correcting this
bad taste.  When she first took her seat, as I have mentioned, I was standing, at some distance, directly opposite
the sofa; and I found it so agreeable an occupation to
look at her, and was so protected from the appearance
of exceptional intrusiveness by having others near me
similarly employed, that I did not move.  I noticed that
the Emperor was standing at her right, conversing with
the Papal Nuncio, but, after observing the fact, I bestowed no further attention upon him or his movements. A
few minutes had thus passed, when somebody, whose
approach I had not seen, said good-evening to me in




114          JMEMORIES OF JAJANY MEN.
French.  I hastily turned, and to my amazement recognized the Emperor. I understood perfectly that he must
have some particular reason for addressing me, one of
the very least distinguished or conspicuous persons present. After a few commonplaces, he remarked that he
had that afternoon walked through our department of
the Exposition (this was just before it was opened to
the public), that he had seen many things there which
interested him, but that nothing had so much pleased
him as Mr. GOODYEAR'S vulcanized India rubber.  That
among Mr. GooDYEAR's articles, however, lie had noticed
something which had intrigued him then, and continued
to intrigue him ever since.  That he very munch regretted that I was not present at the time of his visit. Here
I interrupted him to say that I very much regretted it
myself, and that, if he had sent me an intimation of his
purpose, I would have been certain to attend.  "Well,"
lie answered, "ill one corner I saw, stacked as one sees
them in an artillery-yard, a pile of vulcanized India-rubber cannon-balls!  There was nobody there to answer
the inquiries which I desired to make. Perhaps you can
explain the matter to me."  I had not even seen the
balls in question, and had to say so. " I can not imagine,"
resumed his Majesty, "how  any preparation of India
rubber can be used for projectiles. It has often occurred
to me that, in combination with other materials, it might,
from its quality of elasticity, be made useful for defensive piurposes-for instance, in breastworks."  I was compelled to admit that it was equally mysterious to me how
Mr. GOODYEAR could have seriously thought of making
cannon-balls of it. After so unsatisfactory an interview,
the Emperor probably did not think that it would be




INDIA-RUBBER CANNON-BALLS.            115
civil to immediately leave me.  So he asked me if I
took much interest in military matters.  I answered that
I did not any more than civilians usually do. lie then
asked me if I had noticed the new cuirasses which he
had just given the Imperial Guard.  I told him that I
had; but that I knew nothing of the difference between
them and the old ones, except the appearance. "Well,"
he said, "I will tell you.  They weigh so much less,"
stating a very long fraction, " and their power of resistance is so much greater," mentioning one that was equally long.  IIe then went on to explain to me various matters of military detail, and finally asked me if I had
heard the news of a French success in the Crimea which
had that afternoon reached Paris. I replied that I had.
"Eh bien i" he said, stroking his moustache and smiling;
" C'est encourageant, mnais nouzs sonmmes encore asses
loin de Sebastopol!"  (Well! it is encouraging; but we
are still far enough off from  Sebastopol!)  With this
observation, which would have affected the stock markets
of Europe had it reached the Bourse, he bowed and
withdrew.
I was at that time residing in the Champs Elysees,
very near the Palace of Industry.  The next morning I
went over before breakfast for the purpose of obtaining
information upon the subject which had so intrigued the
Emperor. I went directly to Mr. GOODYEAR'S compartment, and, sure enough, found the balls there, just as they
had been described to me.  It was too early for me to
expect to see Mr. GOODYEAR himself, but there was a person in charge.  I asked him what in the world he expected to do with India-rubber cannon-balls.  "They
are not cannon-balls," he answered; "'they are foot



116I           1IE3SORIES OF 1MANY MEN_1
balls!"  I am sorry to say that I never had tho opportunity to set the Emperor right upon the subject.
Among my fellow-Commissioners to the Exposition
was my good old friend HORACE GREEELEY. It was at
that time in Mr. GREELEY'S career when he still affected
very old white overcoats and equally old white hats.
This peculiarity of summer attire caused him to attract
more attention on the street in Paris than would have
been attracted by a score of Japanese, Chinese, and SouthSea Islanders. Of this he appeared serenely unconscious.
I remember one high-priced or gala day at the Exhibition,
when all the fashion, elegance, and distinction of Paris
were assembled there.  While I was standing in our
own part of the building, IHOACE entered in his usual
costume.  Telling me that he wanted to show me something, and seizing me by the arm, he started off, with his
peculiar plowman's lope, dragging me along through a
space which the astonished visitors opened for us on
either side.  Wonder was expressed upon every face.
All the way down the principal gallery we went, until
we reached its farther extremity, a distance which I
would be afraid to express in feet. What he desired to
show me was well worth seeing. It was some specimens,
in the Austrian department, of printing and book-binding, executed at the Imperial Press in Vienna, which excelled every thing else of the same character to be found
in the Exposition.
A  very droll circumstance happened in connection
with this visit of Mr. GREELEY to Paris, which he has but
partly described in his " Recollections of a Busy Life."
I will only relate what occurred under my own personal
observation.




IOI.RACE GREELEY IN TROUBLE.          117
I had issued invitations for a dinner to my fellowCommissioners and other distinguished gentlemen from
the United States, to take place at the Trois Freres
Proveqnctux on Saturday evening, June the second, at six
o'clock. I arranged with Mr. PIATT to come to the Legation at half-past five, when he was to drive me down
to the restaurant. My own residence was in the immediate neighborhood of the Legation, and Mr. PIATT occupied an apartment in the same building with it. At a
little before the appointed time I started from home to
keep the engagement. As I turned into the street upon
which the Legation building was situated, I saw an ordinaryfacere, or street-cab, drawn up before the door, and
PIATT standing, in his shirt-sleeves, talking to its occupants. They were three in all, two of them upon the
back seat and one upon the front seat. As I approached
nearer, I recognized one of those upon the back seat as
I-IORAcE GREELEY, who was to dine with me that day.
The other two were very ordinary-looking Frenchmen.
All were talking and gesticulating violently, and as Mr.
GREELEY spoke nio French, and IMr. PIATT very little indeed, and the two Frenchmen no English, the whole was
a Babel of unintelligible jargon.  The moment that Mr.
GREELEY saw me coming, his countenance, which had
hitherto worn an expression of the deepest distress, was
illumined by a ray of hopeful satisfaction. When I got
near enough to hear him, he explained to me that he had
been arrested at the instance of a French sculptor, who
had sent a statue for exhibition to the World's Fair at
New York, of which Mr. GREELEY was one of the managers, because this statue, which he valued at fifteen
thousand francs, or three thousand dollars, had beenr e



118            MEi~EMORIES OF ~IANY IMEN.
turned to him  in a mutilated condition.  lie claimed
that the managers had guaranteed the safety of all the
articles exhibited, and that therefore Mr. GREELEY was
responsible to him  for his loss. Hence he had commenced a civil action for damages against him, and had
obtained an order for his arrest.  That he was taken before the judge who had granted the order, and that the
magistrate had consented that the huissiers, or bailiffs,
who had him in charge should accompany him to the
American Legation, and had ordered that, if the officers
thereof would agree to become responsible for the
amount, in case judgment should go against Mr. GREELEY, he was to be forthwith released.  I translated this
statement to the bailiffs, who admitted its correctness in
all respects except as to the conditions for the release.
They said that the judge's instructions to. them were not
to let Mr. GREELEY go unless some gentleman of the Legation would consent to mlake a deposit in money of the
sum at issue. When I told this to Mr. GREELEY, he emphatically denied its accuracy, and made an effort to elbow himself out of the cab, in order to enforce his explanations to me more at his ease.  Seeing this, the bailiffs supposed that he was endeavoring to take sanctuary
within the Legation, where, by international law, it would
be impossible to arrest him.  So they shoved him back
with somen show of force, and, getting out themselves
upon the sidewalk, tied their tricolored scarfs around
their waists.  At this proceeding Mr. PIATT laughed sarcastically, which threw  them  into a terrible passion.
They desired to be informed if he intended "to ridicule
the colors of France."  PIATT'S hilarity continued, and
it was all that I could do to bring matters back to the




CARRIED OFF TO CLICHY.              119
basis of quiet discussion. In the mean time, Mr. GREELEY, paralyzed by the efforts which he had made, was sitting back in the cab with the most woe-begone look of
martyrdom upon his face that can be imagined. Finally, finding that the officers were inexorable in carrying
out the judge's order, as they understood it, I offered to
draw my check for the amount involved.  This proposition they discussed for a moment between themselves,
and then declined it as unacceptable, upon the not unreasonable ground that, as it was long after bank hours,
it would be impossible for them to ascertain that night
whether the check was good or not.  There, therefore,
remained nothing farther to be done. When I communicated to IMr. GrEELEY the failure of all my efforts to
save 3iim from Clichy, the apathy of despair overcame
him, and lie exclaimed, in that piping treble which we
all remember, " Take me to jail! take me to jail!"  As
he was about to be driven off, we assured him that every
thing, possible would be done to effect his liberation upon
the morrow. The bailiffs re-entered the cab, and it drove
away.
By this time it was nearly half-past six, and Mr. PIATT
was not yet dressed.  The first thing done was to dispatch a messenger to iMrs. GREELEY, at their residence
somewhere outside the Arc de'Etoile.  Then Mr. PIATT
made a hasty toilet, and we starited for the Trois _Frrers.
A roomful of angry gentlemen was awaiting me, indignant that the host was not only not present to receive
themn  upon their arrival, but had actually kept them
waiting three quarters of an hour after the time appointed for dinner.  This necessitated a public explanation from  me of the cause of my delay, which I made




120          IME1VORIES OF MAN1Y lMENV.
upon the spot. In this way the most prominent Americans then in Paris were informed that their expected
fellow-guest and distinguished countryman, IHORACE
GREELEY, was to spend that night behind the bars of the
debtors' prison of the Rue de Clichy.
With this single drawback, the dinner passed off, I believe, to the entire satisfaction of all present. Among
the convives were Mr. O'SULLIVAN, Minister to Portugal; Mr. BELMONT, Minister to Holland; GENERAL THOMAS, Assistant Secretary of State; CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED, EsQ.; several United States Consuls; and all my fellow-Commissioners-whose name was legion. The I-on.
A. C. DODGE, the newly appointed Minister to Spain, left
for the Peninsula that morning, and thus deprived me of
the expected pleasure of his company. 3Mr. liASON was
too ill to attend, but he sent me a very feeling and conmplimentary letter of apology. The authorities so little
understood American gentlemen that they had expressed
some anxiety, which had reached my ears, lest the opportunity should be availed of to ventilate revolutionary
doctrines, and possibly insult the Imperial Government.
The difference does not yet seem to be every where understood between the orderly and elevated republicanism
of the United States and the pandemoniacal red republicanisln of Continental Europe.  Thank Heaven! they
have nothing in common.
The next, Sunday, morning, without any unseemly hurry, I went to the Clichy Prison, at about ten o'clock.
Upon presenting my card, I had no great difficulty in
gaining admittance into the warden's room, and thence
I was gradually forwarded to the interior of the prison,
after a series of innumerable checks and receipts.  The




SEEIAG- GOOD SOCIETY.             121
prisoners were allowed to receive their friends on Sunday, but it was almost as difficult to get into the place as
to get out of it. It seemed that during all the previous
hour there had been a constant stream of visitors for
HORACE GREELEY, and the prison authorities were bewildered to imagine who their singular-looking but evidently distinguished new charge could be.  Finally I
penetrated to the large common room in which the prisoners and their friends were assembled. It presented
altogether a singular scene. In one corner squatted a
laboring man in his blouse, surrounded by his wife and
children, who had brought him  some delicacies for his
Sunday dinner. In another corner lounged a fashionably dressed young gentleman, evidently of the genus.fast, in earnest conversation with a still more fashionably dressed young woman, as evidently of the genus
faster.  The room was filled with the most strangely
contrasted groups.  Standing in the middle of it, wearing his old white overcoat, and with his hat on the back
of his head, his countenance wreathed in smiles, flanked
on either side by a United States Minister, stood HORACE
GREELEY.  To refrain from laughing was impossible.
"Mr. GREELEY,n  I said, "you irresistibly remind me of
PARsoN ADAMS in jail!"  His lassitude and alarm were
all gone, and he was in the very highest spirits. " FIELD,"
he replied to me, "this has been one of the most fortunate incidents in my life. Without it, I doubt if I ever
should have had the opportunity to see good society.
You know that I know nothing about it at home. I
have never associated with the people who compose it
there. I dare say they are very good people, but they
are not my people. Nlow we have two classes of in.
F




122          IMEMORIES OF MXANY MEN.
mates here-aristocrats and plebeians. Scarcely had I
arrived last evening, when I was waited upon by a delegation of the aristocrats, and invited to join their mess.
Of course, I accepted.  We breakfast at ten and pay
three francs, and dine at half-past six for four francs.
Tlie plebeians breakfast and dine earlier, and at much
lower prices. Last evening at dinner we had a prince
at the head of the table, and I was flanked on one side
by a count and on the other side by a baron. If I only
remain here long enough, I shall not only learn the
French language, but good manners into the bargain."
And so he ran on, his auditors hardly knowing whether
they were laughing with him or at him. All our efforts
to get him out that day were, however, fruitless. We
sent for lawyers in every direction, but all the lawyers
were amusing themselves, and none of them  could be
found at home. On Monday Mr. GREELEY was restored
to liberty.
When Mr. PIATT used to tell the story, more stbo, he
related that as soon as Mrs. GREELEY heard what had
happened, she immediately proceeded to pack Mr. GREELEY'S luggage, which consisted of a fine-tooth comb and
a night-shirt, and then incontinently rushed to the prison.
That the moment she was introduced to the presence of
her husband, she frantically threw up her hands and exclaimed, " Why, father!" to which he responded, with a
like gesture, "Why, mother!"  I fear that this was an
apocryphal joke of PIATT'S.
At the trial of his case, Mr. GREELEY came off victor.




CHAPTER IX.
I-IERE was a very odd fish in Paris during the summer of 1855. He came from  somewhere on our
western frontier, and crossed from. New York to Havre
in the North Star. He dressed in a complete suit of
furs, and during the voyage slept on deck every night.
He appeared to be a very intelligent man, and had plenty
of money, but was very eccentric, and even disgusting, in
his habits. He stopped at Meurice's Hotel, in Paris, and
soon became the wonder of the crowds of cockneys who
frequented that house. Standing in the centre of the
court-yard, and describing around him a magic circle of
tobacco-juice, he would tell the most marvelous stories,
with a look which plainly said, " You had better not express any doubts, if you do not want a bowie-knife between your ribs."  A highly cultivated friend of mine,
who had made his acquaintance, was once guilty of the
imprudence of inviting him to walk. After a time they
arrived at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which they entered. As soon as they had done so, the frontiers-man
began to look about, as if anxiously searching for something. Presently he espied a marble font, or receptacle
for holy water. His face at once lit up, and, advancing
to within six feet of it, he with the most accurate aim
discharged a stream of tobacco-juice directly into it. A
sacristan, who happened to be passing, came up, full of
exasperation at the sacrilege. It was difficult to persuade




124           MEMJIORIES OF MANY IMEN.
him that the stranger thought the font was intended for
a spittoon.
The American students —umanes they called themselves-in the Latin quarter were a queer set. Among
them were two young medical men from Louisiana, who
had come over to enter the Russian service, but had
never got farther than Paris. One of them carried a
card, which he seriously presented to every Frenchman to
whom le was introduced, on which was engraved for a
crest a device of two alligators fighting with their tails,
and beneath that the name Le Baron d'Attcdacpas.
The crest of the other was a stalk of sugar-cane, and he
sported the name of Le Comte ce Plazuemine.
I met in the street one day an acquaintance frobm New
York, and not a very young man either, who was making
his first visit abroad. I-e was delighted to see me, for
I spoke French and he did not; and I was supposed to
know all the ropes, whereas he had just arrived. The
first business to be attended to, as is usually the case with
traveling Americans, was a visit to the tailor. This was
dispatched. Then came the bootmaker's turn. This was
likewise attended to. Then some pocket-handkerchiefs
were required, which it was desired should be very elegant.
So I took my friend to DOUCET'S, on the Rue de la Paix.
When we entered the shop, it so happened that neither
M. OUCET nor any of his assistants were in; they had
retired temporarily somewhere into a back room. Lying
on a counter were some beautiful specimens of cambric,
each elaborately embroidered in one corner with a coronet and initials. They at once attracted my friend's attention and admiration. I1Ie asked me what the coronet
meant. I explained to him that it indicated that the




THE AMERICAN EA GLE SOARS.         125
owner was a nobleman. This he doubted; he fancied
that the coronet might be only an unmeaning ornament.
He had a great mind to have some handkerchiefs similarly embroidered. I begged hin not to think of doing any
thing so ridiculous, and just then M. DOuCET, who spoke
English, re-entered the shop. 1 Whose handkerchiefs are
these, M. DOUCET 2" I asked. "They belong to Prince
P  ~, a Russian," was the reply. I supposed that this
explanation would silence lmy companion, and so for a
time it did. At length a happy thought seemed to strike
him, and he abruptly asked the tradesman if he could
not embroider an American Eagle upon some handkerchiefs for him! DOUCET could hardly keep his countenance. He replied, with as much gravity as lie could
command, that it might undoubtedly be done, but that
he was not acquainted with the peculiarities of our national bird. Thereupon my friend triumphantly drew a
silver dollar from his pocket, and threw it upon the counter  The handkerchiefs were selected, and the order
was booked, and, I presume, executed; but I made no inquiry, and registered a mental vow that from that day
forward I would never again allow myself to be persuaded to accompany an American upon a shopping expedition.
And vet I once unintentionally broke my vow. I had
turned from the Boulevard des Italiens into the Rue de
Richelieu one day, when I was overtaken by an American Envoy Extraordinary, who had just reached Paris
on his way to his residence. He was a man of gigantic
stature, who had been a Senator from one of the Western States. On his right shoulder he carried a horrible
baby, about a year old, clad in an abominable pink flare



126           MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
nel dress! Of course, the distinguished diplomatist spoke
no French, or he never would have been appointed to
represent the Stars and Stripes any where upon the Continent of Europe. IIe was in quest of a trunk, and lie
forthwith pressed me into the service of aiding him to
effect the purchase of one. The attention which that unhappy baby —which made itself heard as well as seen-attracted to us was enough to drive a civilized being mad.
The father, however, accepted it with the utmost serenity.
I have been unsuccessfully trying to recall the name
of the Italian shoemaker who fired at the Emperor on
the Champs Elysees some time in the spring or early
summer of the year 1855. He was an emissary from
London, but died, if I recollect aright, without disclosing
the names of his confederates. He had provided himself with two pistols-one a revolver, and the other
an ordinary double-barreled pistol. He fired two shots
from the side of the road at his Majesty, who was on
horseback and quite near him, but neither of them took
effect. I happened to be in a carriage with some friends
at a distance of only a few hundred yards in the rear,
near enough to see the puffs of smoke. I then noticed
the immediate gathering of a group of people, and observed a man being dragged into a cab. We were on our
way to the Bois de Boulogne, and, anxious to ascertain
what had happened, we ordered our coachman to drive
on rapidly. When we reached the Barriere de l'Etoile,
we stopped a moment, and, in answer to our inquiries,
were informed that the Emperor had been fired at, that
he had escaped any injury, and that he had pushed on
for the Bois, escorted by his aids, NEY and FLEURY, on
horseback. We were also told that the Empress and her




AN A'TTEPTED ASSASSINATION.           127
ladies, in two Court carriages, had preceded him some ten
minutes, and could as yet know nothing of the occurrence. With the hope of overtaking him  before he
reached the 3ois, we put our horses to the top of their
speed. But he must have ridden very rapidly, for we
saw nothing of him until we came to the lake, when we
observed the mounted party, followed by the carriages,
coming toward us on their return. We at once reined
up on the side of the drive, and, standing uncovered,
awaited their approach.  The Bois was very crowded
that afternoon, but the news of the occurrence had evidently not yet reached there. As NAPOLEON passed us,
we saluted him, and in so significant a manner that he
could not doubt that we knew of the attempted assassination. Hie bowed in return, and I shall never forget his
look. I-is teeth were closely set, and his face was literally of the color of old parchment.  That this indicated
fear, I do not for a moment believe. The man did not
know what fear is. It only exhibited the strong emotion
under which he was laboring. When the Empress came
up, she was smiling and chatting with the lady on her
left, and was evidently entirely ignorant of the fact that
her husband's life had just been in imminent peril. As
soon as the cortege passed, we wheeled into line and
tried to keep up with it. But we could not do so-our
horses were not equal to the task; and when the Imperial
party reached the Triumphal Arch, we were already a
long way behind.  By this time the news had spread
through Paris like wild-fire, and the Avenue of the
Champs Elysees was one dense mass of human beings.
Every where as the Emperor appeared he was vociferously cheered, and he had not proceeded far before




128           MEMIORIES OF M3ANY iMEN.
the pressure became so great that he was compelled to
dismount from his horse and walk the rest of the way to
the Tuileries.
Among the many talents which the Emperor possessed,
he was said to be unsurpassed as a judge of horses. As
a rider, I never saw his equal, unless it was the late King
of I-olland.  Insignificant on foot, he was superb on
horseback. From the length of his body, he looked like
a tall man when mounted, and he and his steed composed
a perfect centaur. To see him thundering along at a review with the cent gardes at his heels was a magnificent
spectacle.
It was not very often that he was seen in a carriage.
Occasionally he got himself up in gorgeous attire and
accompanied the Empress for a drive. And sometimes
of a morning you met him driving with his own hands a
pair of spanking bays up the Avenue of the Champs
Elysees, accompanied by a single groom. But he went
mostly on horseback. He commonly wore, when riding
for pleasure, an old blue frock-coat, the seams of which
were white from wear, and he indulged in a pair of old
linen or cotton gloves distressing to behold.
I-Iis tact was great, and he sometimes did things very
gracefully. When the Iussian war was over, he determined to make GENERAL BOSQUET a Marshal. Accordingly he invited him to a grand dinner at the Tuileries.
After the cloth was removed, the Emperor requested all
present to fill their glasses for a toast.  iIe then proposed the health of Mlfarshal BOSQUET, who was taken
entirely by surprise.
While the works for the completion of the Louvre
were going on, the Emperor used often to stroll there,




A ROYAL ANXIOUS MOTHER.            129
cigar in month, to watch their progress. Upon one occasion he had not been there long when he noticed a
group of stone-cutters talking together earnestly. Presently one of them, cap in hand, advanced toward him in
a hesitating and abashed sort of way. " My Emperor,"
said the man, " I have made a bet of five francs with one
of my companions that you will permit me to light my
pipe from your cigar."  "You have lost, my friend," answered his Majesty, laughing; "but here is the money to
pay your bet and treat your friends besides," at the same
time placing two golden Napoleons into his hand. He
thus managed to preserve both his dignity and his popularity.
When QUEEN VICTORIA was in Paris, the Emperor was
particularly attentive to the Prince of Wales, then a boy.
This made the Queen very uneasy. She was afraid that
her son might be badly influenced-that he might be induced to smoke cigars, or do something still more horrid. It is related that one day, after both families had
been lunching at the Palace of the Elysee Bourbon, the
Emperor suddenly disappeared with the Prince, whereat
the maternal anxiety and distress were most acute. It
turned out that they had gone by themselves for a two
hours' drive.
I am sure that he was never fond of this country. I
have some reasons for so thinking which I do not consider myself at liberty to mention. But he was very
civil to our countrymen in Paris, and sometimes very
patient with them.
I know a Spanish gentleman of rank who was once
sent to the States upon a special mission. He had been
a friend of the Empress in Madrid, long before she asF 2




130         1ME~MORIES OF MANY ]MEN.
pired to a crown. On his return from America he
stopped in Paris. Immediately after arriving, he addressed a note to her Majesty, requesting the honor of
an interview. He received a prompt reply, in which she
said that she regretted that, in consequence of the absence of her husband at Boulogne, she could not see any
one; but that he would be back in a fortnight, when she
would be most happy to receive my friend. Accordingly, after the delay indicated, an invitation came to him to
take tec at Saint Cloud. He went, and spent the evening en petit comite with their two Majesties. The Emperor did not talk much. He was reading the newspapers, or more likely pretending to read them, nearly all
the time. The Empress was very particular in her questions about this country. Were the women so handsome
as she was induced to believe by the beauty of some whom
she had seen in Paris' Was there so much luxury in
the great cities as she had been told? Was New York
so fine a town as she had heard? I am justified in believing that my friend gave a pretty favorable account of
every thing. Finally, her Majesty asked him, all things
considered, which he preferred, Paris or New York?
"Paris, of course," he replied. Hereupon the Emperor
withdrew his head from behind his paper, and, with a
grim  and ironical smile, exclaimed, "Quel qnauvais
gout!" (What a bad taste!)
I had the honor of knowing M. GuIZOT at this time.
After translating into French for publication the President's Annual Message to Congress, and also some of the
accompanying documents, I was requested to do into
English an address which M. GUIZOT delivered before the
Academy of Moral and Political Sciences upon the in



UIZOT AND VATTE1JARRE.             131
tellectual activity of the United States.  This circumstance brought me into personal contact with that eminent statesman. His character and the tone of his mind
are rather English than French, and so, indeed, is his appearance; but when he speaks, although remarkably sober in gesticulation for a Frenchman, he could not possibly be mistaken for any thing else. He is a Protestant,
as is well known, and, after the downfall of Louis Philippe, under whom he was Prime MIinister, he was offered
the professorship of modern history in the University -of
Oxford, which he declined.  I spent many hours in his
library at his modest residence.  -Ie was an old man
then, and must be an octogenarian now.
I also saw much of that strange character, M. ALEXANDRE VATTEMARRE. Originally a physician, and finding
that he could not support himself in that profession, lie
turned "prestidigitateur," or magician, and, under an
assumed name, being very skillful, became famous all
over Europe. Having accumulated a moderate fortune,
he retired to private life, and devoted the remainder of
his days to promoting literary exchanges between the
different countries of the world.  In this last pursuit he
was enthusiastic and indefatigable, and deserved great
credit for his self-sacrificing industry. At his house I
met the elder DUMAs, who was his friend, and several
other literary celebrities.  I exchanged cards with M. DE
TOCQUTEVILLE, the distinguished political writer, but had
not the good fortune to meet him.
EX-PRESIDENT VAN BIuREN was also in Paris at the
time of the Exposition, and I had the pleasure of being a
great deal in his company. IIe was quite as courtly,
and almost as active, as when he was President of the




132           MIEMO70IES OF MANY MEiE
United States some fifteen years earlier. I have a number of letters which he addressed to me in May, 1855,
written in that slanting manner across the paper which
is so familiar to those who corresponded with him during
the last years of his life. His favorite son, MARTIN, on
account of whose health Mr. VAN BUJEN came abroad,
died in Paris, and the remarks of the ABBE COCQUEREL
at the grave were as eloquent as any to which I ever
listened. All Mr. VAN BuTREN's sons except one have
now passed away. JOHN and ABRAHAM and MARTIN are
dead; SMITH, the youngest, alone survives.
The engineer officers commissioned by the United
States Government to examine and report upon the military operations in the Crimea were also in Paris at about
this time. They were MAJOR DELAFIELD, MAJOR MORDECAI, and CAPTAIN (since GENEIRAL) GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN. I had the pleasure of meeting them several times.
I particularly recall one occasion when they were all in
uniform, with those extraordinary regulation caps to
which I have referred upon their heads. They were just
getting into a cab, and their appearance attracted a crowd
of gaenins to the spot. These caps were the only peculiar thing they had about them, and must have been the
principal cause of the gathering. They did not receive
those facilities for visiting the French camp in the
Crimea which they had the right to expect. Indeed, I
understood that they were treated with scant courtesy
by all the belligerents except the Russians.
I was one day walking up the Avenue of the Champs
Elyses when I met Mr. THIACIKERAY, the author, whom I
had last seen in America. lIe joined me, and we had
proceeded some distance when he recognized a young




THE "MJIARQUIS OF FARINTOSH."       133
gentleman on the other side of the street. The stranger,
a tall and uncommonly handsome person, immediately
crossed over to meet him, and I stepped aside. I overheard THACKERAY ask him  what had brought him to
Paris. He answered that he had come for pleasure.
"And have you found it 2" drawled THACKEEAY, with a
slight sneer in his voice, as if pleasure, as a pursuit, was
an unworthy object for aly man's ambition. When
they parted, and THACKERAY again took my arm, he
said to me, "Of course you know the young man with
whom I was just speaking 2" I answered that I did not.
"You don't mean to tell me," he continued, " that you,
who have been so much in London, don't know him "
I assured him  that I had no recollection that I had
ever before met the gentleman. "Why," he said, " that
is the MARQUIS OF FARINTOSH."'And who is the MARQUIS OF FARINTOSH." I pursued. "Why, the MARQuIS
OF BATIT, of course," he replied. This led to a conversation about several other characters in his books. lie
told me that his own mother was the prototype of HELEN
PENDENNIS, but that the copy fell very far short of the
original. He also told me who had sat for the portrait
of HARRY FoxER, but all the town knows about that.
I then remarked to him that he must have been intimately acquainted with many French families of the
best class; that his French characters were more accurately and delicately drawn than those of any other English writer whom I had ever read-and to this opinion
I still adhere. He assured me that, on the contrary, he
had never in his life been intimate in a single French
family. This is very surprising, for he has exhibited in
his books the most profound knowledge of the nature of




134           3MEMfORIES OF MIANY MEN
the French, as well as of their manners, and he has dissected the former and depicted the latter with the most
wonderful skill, and without any false deductions or
tendency to caricature.
A few days afterward I called upon him at his lodgings in company with my old college classmate, DONALD
G. MITCHELL, better known to the literary world as Ik
Jfarvel. Upon receiving our cards, Mr. THACKEIRAY invited us to come in, but we found him in one of those
moods of surly incivility in which I have seen him a
number of times. IIe was probably busy writing, although, if my recollection is correct, we saw no evidence
of it; and, after remaining a very few minutes, we beat
a retreat. I regretted very much that Mr. MITCHELL,
who had never before seen him, was so unfortunate as to
drop upon him when he was in this unamiable state of
temper.
The reader will long since have observed with what
little plan or system I wander from subject to subject,
like an old woman and some old men. And yet, perhaps, if he be one of those who like to let conversation
flow in its natural bent, and who dislike the use of stilts
in books as much as on dry land, lie will find no great
fault with my discursiveness.
To return to the Exposition. The heads of the various
Commissions organized themselves into a body for purposes of mutual conference and protection, and we used
to meet every Thursday evening at the residence of BARON JAMES DE ROTSCIIILD, the Austrian Commissioner, and
who was also Austrian Consul-General. The Baron was
a portly Hebrew gentleman, with light hair and complexion, and a tendency to redness about the eyes. HIe




A M1ONEY LORDIS POLITENESS.          135
was very abrupt and brusque in his manners, as was natural for a financier who held the purse-strings of monarchs, and he made himself extremely disliked by some
of his associates. Upon one occasion he kept us waiting
for him more than an hour after the appointed time,
without any explanation whatever, and it was all that a
few of us could do to prevent the Commissioners from
leaving the house in a body. When he did join us finally,
he merely casually mentioned that he had friends to dinner, but without taking the pains even to couch the statement in the form of an apology. At these meetings the
Commissioners received the refreshment of a cup of tea.
The Baron spoke a number of times with me of several
persons in New York, but his object was apparently rather to learn about their financial standing than the social
consideration in which they were held.
The old BARON SALOMON DE ROTHSCHILD died in Paris
during the summer of 1855.  The following is a translation of the invitation to the funeral which I received,
and which can not fail to be curious to my American
readers:
SIR,-The BARON and the BARONESS ANSELME DE ROTHSCHILD,
the BARON and the BARONESS JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD, the BARON
and the BARONESS NATHANIEL DE ROTHSCHILD and their children,
the BARON and the BARONESS ADOLPHE DE ROTHSCHILD, the BARON
and the BARONESS WILLY DE ROTHSCHILD and their children, the
BARONS ALPHONSE, GUSTAVE, SALOMON, and EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD, the Misses LOUISE and ALICE DE ROTHSCHILD, and the BARONS NATHANIEL, FERDINAND, and SALOMON DE ROTHSCHILD, the
BARON AMSCHEL DE ROTHSCHILD, Madame WORMS, Madame SICIEL, Madame MONTEFIORE, Madame BEYFUS, the BARON and the
BARONESS LIONEL DE ROTHSCHILD and their children, the BARON
and the BARONESS ANTHONY DE ROTHSCHILD and their children,




136           fMEMORIES OF -IfANY ME.
the BARON and the BARONESS MAYER DE ROTHSCHILD and their
children, the BARON and the BARONESS MAYER-CHARLES DE ROTHSCHILD and their children, Mr. and Madame ADOLPHE BEYFUS, Mr.
and Madame S. SICHEL and Mr. J. SICHEL,
Have the honor to inform you of the irreparable loss they have
experienced by the decease of the BARON SALOMON DE ROTHSCHILD,
who died at his hotel, No. 17 Rue Lafitte, the 27th of July, 1855,
at the age of eighty-two years, their well-beloved father, father-inlaw, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, and uncle;
And invite you to attend the funeral on Tuesday, the 31st of
July, at nine o'clock.
The funeral will take place from the residence of the deceased.
Before the Exposition came to a close, I was called
away from Paris by private business. The United States
made but an indifferent show at this great World's Fair.
Still a comparatively large number of medals and diplomas was awarded to our exhibitors.  Among ourselves
matters worked harmoniously, and nothing scandalous
was ever charged upon our unpaid Commission. If our
services received no particular acknowledgment at home,
they were amply recognized upon the spot. Our fellowcitizens in France exhibited their appreciation of them
in every way open to them, and the Emperor awarded
to some of us the Cross of the Legion of Honor. Before the year expired, the permanent position of Secretary of the United States Legation in France was tendered to me by PRESIDENT PIERCE; but the office had lost
many of its charms for me, and I respectfully declined
the offer.




CHAPTER X.
TOWARD the close of the year 1855 I again went
abroad, and took up my temporary residence in
England. I became very fond of England, as I think
there is reason that every intelligent American should.
Very few of our people, however, are accustomed to
stop there any considerable time, in their hurry on their
arrival to reach the Continent, and on their return to get
home. Paris is the American man's, and especially the
American woman's, paradise. But, after all, for a homne,
I prefer England to France, and London to Paris. English society is a cold and repulsive mystery to us at
first. Our gregarious habits, like those of the French,
render it natural for us to make and to desire to make
chance acquaintances. This you can not do to any
great extent in England, although you may do it with
the English when they are traveling in other lands. You
may reside in England many years, and knzow nobody.
But if you have a proper introduction to one person, it
carries with it the acquaintance of all belonging to the
circle in which he moves. The English, so cold and reserved with strangers, are the kindest and most cordial
people in the world with their friends. According to'my experience, an American is always especially favored
by them. They hardly look upon him as a foreigner.
I have frequently heard this form of phrase, " Oh! there
were two or three Americans and half a dozen foreign



138          JMEMORIES OF JIANY JEN.
ers."  And friendship in England means a vast deal
more than it does in some other parts of the world.
Miany of their social usages are the reverse of ours, and
have a better foundation in common-sense. For instance:
here Brown and Jones are walking upon the street; they
meet Robinson, who is a friend of Brown, but not acquainted with Jones; forthwith Brown introduces the
two strangers to each other, and they affectionately shake
hands; after a brief conversation, they part without shaking hands; and the probability is that Jones and Robinson will never meet again, or, if they do, will forget that
they had ever met before.  In England, however, no introduction ever takes place casually. If made, it is with
a purpose, and with the assumption of responsibility as
to its suitableness in all respects. When persons previously unacquainted are introduced, they do not shake
hands. But they do on parting, and whenever they
again meet and separate.  Giving the hand is looked
upon as a pledge of friendship, not as a mere expression
of civil recognition.  Almost every thing is deeper,
stronger, and heartier in England than with us. All is
surrounded there by a thick rind, hard to penetrate, but
when you have once got within it, you come upon a rich,
fruity core. Shams and superficialities are not so abundant there as elsewhere, notwithstanding the satirizing
of themselves by their native Juvenals.
I remained in England upon this occasion until some
time in the month of July, 1857. I had not been there
very long, when I received a call one day from a mulatto
sculptor from  New Orleans, who had exhibited some
very creditable and promising works at the recent Paris
Exposition.  By some chance the DUCHESS OF SUTIIE



THE D UCHESS OF SUTHERLAND AND.MRS. STO WE. 139
LAND had been attracted to his studio in Paris before the
opening of the Exposition, and it was indirectly through
her agency that my attention had been originally called
to him. I am not quite certain of his name, but think
that it was WARBERG. The poor, foolish fellow, having
exhausted his means, had come over to London to find
his Duchess, hoping that she would relieve his wants
and give him the advantage of her protection. Upon
going to Sutherland House, he was informed that the
Duchess was then in Scotland, and would not return to
town for several weeks. He also learned that M3rs. I-IARRIET BEECHER STOWE was with her Grace. In his disappointment he looked me up, having, I believe, not a single other acquaintance in the great city. To make matters worse for him, he had brought with him a charming
little quadroon wife, of whose existence I had hitherto
known nothing. They were residing in a wretchedly
squalid place on the Surrey side, and were in imminent
danger of starvation. I did the little that I could to relieve their immediate wants, and gave him an order for
a bust. I had not the honor of Mrs. STOWE'S acquaintance, nor have I ever since met the lady. But I took
the liberty of immediately writing her a full account of
my proteg, knowing that it would be laid under the
Duchess's eye. At that time I had some doubts about
Mrs. STowE's sincerity in the cause of the negroes. I
was not sure that she was any thing more than a writer
of sensational fiction. An answer soon came, to the effect that the Duchess and herself would be in London
in a few days, when the matter should have attention.
When these ladies did return, they associated with themselves in their benevolent purpose LADY BYRON, and, for




140           MEJIOSRIES OF JANY MEN.
aught I know to the contrary, some others. Shortly
thereafter they took a nice suite of apartments for WAnBERG, as I shall call him, and his wife, in the artists' quarter, on one of the streets leading into Bedford Square,
paid the rent in advance, and furnished them with every
comfort. After a further interval of time, WARBERG
informed me that the same ladies had arranged to
send him to Italy, that he might have the opportunity
of pursuing his studies in the studio of a famous
sculptor. Never since that time have I doubted Mrs.
STOWE'S sincerity in the great work of African emancipation.
It was not my fortune to personally meet LADY BYRON;
but in the eyes of many people her eccentricities and
restlessness were evidences of a deranged mind. It was
said that she let her house (on Park Lane, I believe), furnished, for a year or longer, and almost immediately tried
to rescind the bargain and re-enter into possession. Failing in this, she hired another furnished house, of which
she became tired in the course of a month or so. She
managed to get rid of this one, and then took another.
And so on to the end of the chapter. Some people who
knew her, did not hesitate to call her downright mad.
Under these circumstances, it is not unreasonable to believe that the horrible revelations which she made to
Mrs. STOWE, in relation to the cause of the separation between herself and her poet-husband, were but the hallucinations of a diseased brain.
It was at about this time that I received an invitation
to breakfast with Mr. MACAULAY, who was not yet elevated to the Peerage, at his chambers in the Albany. I
found him a bluff, downright sort of person, not at all




JIAClAULAY AT JHOJX.            141
like my preconceived ideal of the author of the essay
on MILTON. I am. not quite sure whether he was or was
not at that time in the Ministry. Our breakfast was
tete-c-tete and my host did all the talking. He had no
"brilliant flashes of silence," as SYDNEY SMITH remarked
of him upon another occasion. We were together about
an hour and a half, and most of the conversation turned
upon the institutions of this country, and their probable
future fate.  Mr. MACAULAY shocked me by prophesying with the utmost confidence that slavery was certain
to break up our Government within ten years from that
time, and that in the no very distant future two divided
confederacies would, by their own weight, and from the
operation of other causes, drop into half a dozen broken
states, with military despotisms ruling over them. This
was an extraordinary prediction to an American ear in
the year 1856. At that time we none of us thought of
the possibility of an impending crisis. Slavery brought
us to a civil war, within even less than the limit of
MACAULAY'S prophecy. IHe was mistaken in foreseeing
a dissolution of the Union, as immediately involved in
the struggle which that institution provoked. And it is
to be hoped that he was equally in error in his vaticinations in respect to our ultimate fate. I tried to persuade him to reduce what he had said to writing, and
permit it to be read before the New York IHistorical Society; but he declined, excusing himself on account of
his overwhelming engagements.
He spoke to me of the Chartist demonstration in 1848,
about which I have already written, and told me that
the number of the disaffected collected on llennington
Common, which had been popularly supposed at the time




142           MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
not to fall short of thirty or forty thousand, did not, in
fact, exceed seven thousand. He said that the Government had resorted to the photograph in order to accurately estimate the number. That knowing the area of
the Common, and computing the number of people who
could stand on it side by side, and possessing a picture
showing to what extent the space was covered with human
beings, and in what closeness of proximity they stood,
they were thus enabled to determine how many they were.
I used to see a good deal of Mr,. THACKERAY. He was
living at that time in his new house in Brompton, which
he told me he had purchased, together with the furniture contained in it, from the proceeds of his lectures
in America upon the Four Georges. When I found
him  at home he was sometimes engaged in dictating
to his daughter, and my calls upon these occasions
were necessarily brief. Hiis health was not very good,
and he often dictated lying upon the bed, while Miss
THACKERAY sat upon a chair at its side, with a table
before her upon which she wrote.  I dined with him
one day at the Reform Club. lie was a great gourmet,
although not a great eater, and that day he was suffering from a severe headache. After the soup and the
fish had both been removed, he told me that the next
dish would be one of his own invention. It proved to
be a boiled pheasant, with a soubise sauce, and it was
really delicious. Between us we could not eat more than
half of the bird, and he sent what remained with his
compliments to a friend who was dining on the other
side of the room. Such a proceeding would look odd
in one of our NTew York Clubs, but I presume that it
could not be unusual there.




THACEERA Y AND DICKENS.            143
After dinner we withdrew, or rather ascended, to the
smoking-room, where Mr. THACKERAY introduced me to
several members of Parliament, and, excusing himself on
account of his headache, retired, leaving me to be entertained by them. I have always found it a severe ordeal
to be left to the tender mercies of a member of Parliament. They are so well informed about this country, so
familiar with the Federcalist and other writings of the
Fathers, and so thoroughly versed in our more recent
history, that it is not very easy to hold up one's own end
of the rope in a conversation with them turning upon
these subjects. And these are the subjects upon which
they naturally desire to hear an American talk.
I was one day walking with Mr. THACKERAY, when
something was said by me about Mr. DICKENS. Thereupon THACKERAY, in the most naive manner in the world,
remarked to me that it was very strange, but nevertheless a fact, that DICKENs's publishers sold five copies of
any one of his books for one copy which his booksellers
sold of any of his. It did not appear to me so very singular, but I did not say so. The one appealed to only
the cultivated class, the other to all classes. The one
was a great humorist and moral anatomist, and the other
a great humanitarian.  I then referred to the rumor, at
that time in general circulation, that DICKENS was in
pecuniary embarrassments by reason of his extravagant
living, and was contemplating a flight from England to
avoid his creditors. THACKERAY with great warmth denied this story as a gross calumny. He said that he was
acquainted with DICKENS's affairs, and that, so far from
exceeding his means, he had always lived within them.
I-e complained very much of the annoyances of notori



144:          MEMORIES OF MANY MIEN.
ety. H-e said that he could not walk a foot in London
without being recognized, and that he found this a great
penalty for literary fame.
I once saw the famous dramatic author, TOM TAYLOR,
at the theatre, while I was in England at this time. He
wore his hair long, and combed behind his ears, and was
much changed in appearance since I saw him at Trinity
College, Cambridge, in the year 1843. IIe was then
studying for holy orders, and was private tutor to one of
my particular friends. I remember that he gave me a
delightful breakfast there, and that, notwithstanding the
gravity of his contemplated profession, he was one of
the most amusing and jocular personages that I fell in
with.  SIHERIDAN KNOWLES exchanged play-writing for
the pulpit, and TOM TAYLOR discarded clerical robes for
the pen of the dramatist.
One of the most delightful houses which I visited in
London was that of Mr. S. C. IALL and his accomplished
wife, who both held high positions in the world of letters as well as socially. M3rs. HALL had the faculty of
bringing together in her drawing-rooms people the most
distinguished in all the walks of life. I met there one
evening PROFESSOR OWEN, JENNY LIND, LOVER, IHAwTHORNE, Miss POOLE, and I don't know whom besides.
PROFESSOR OWEN looked like one of his own pre-Acamite
fossils reanimated. I had not seen JENNY LIND since we
parted in America, after her extraordinary musical tour
through this country. She looked thin and wan, very
unlike the vigorous Swedish peasant-like woman whom
I had so well known.  As I entered the room, she
crossed it to meet me, and we seated ourselves upon a
sofa, and had a long chat about old times upon this side




OMJINvIUMf GATIHE RU1t         145
of the Atlantic. LOVER sat down to the piano and warbled, as ToM MOORE is said to have done, rather than sang,
"' The Low-backed Car," and others of his own compositions. I had heard him many years before in the old
B]urton theatre on Chambers Street, in [New York, but the
drawing-room, rather than the stage, was evidently the
proper place for him. HAWTHORNE'S superb head was
by all odds the finest in the room. lie looked genial,
and, mirabile dictu! appeared at his ease. To me, who
had not seen him  since he lived at Lenox, in Massachusetts, this transformation appeared marvelous. I sat
down by his side, and he talked brilliantly for half an
hour, without exhibiting any of the shyness which for
years had made him a perfect recluse. It was said that
he was still unapproachable in his Consulate at Liverpool, but he appeared completely humanized at Mrs.
HALL'S. Miss POOLE sang still more charmingly than
she used to do in New York, I fear to say how many
years ago, when she was the delight of Metropolitan audiences.
I was a very frequent attendant at the meetings of the
two Houses of Parliament, and had many opportunities
of listening to some of the most eminent statesmen and
orators of Great Britain. Among them there were very
few who were eloquent, as eloquence is understood in
this country. There were many good, sensible, downright talkers-men with no nonsense about them. Indeed, there are very few persons to whom  eloquence
would be permitted in the British forum. Bosh and
humbug have become the national aversion, and if a
man has any thing to say, they wish him to say it in the
simplest manner; and, if he has nothing to say, they do
a




146          JMEIMllORIES OF MIANY MIEN.
not want to hear him at all. The truth is that both the
Commons and the Lords meet for business, and not for
buncombe. I heard a great many more good speakers
in the Lords than in the Commons.  This seems natural enough when we remember that nearly all the
Lords have had a preliminary training, and sometimes
a long one, in the Commons before being called to the
Upper House.
The only man in either House to whom I listened,
who possessed the unmistakable gift of eloquence, as
we in America understand it, was the late EARL OF
DERBY. Hle was fluent, forcible, and imaginative; and
his invective and sarcasm were very powerful. He had
a strong tendency toward liberalism in his youth, and
his father sent him to this country to cure him of it —a
remedy which in his case proved effectual, for he htardened in his politics as he advanced in life.  I recollect
one occasion when the BISHOP OF OXFORD, afterward
BISIOP OF WTINCHESTER-the same who was killed last
August by a fall from his horse-one of the most fluent
and forcible speakers in the Whig ranks, had been addressing the House at considerable length upon some
question which I do not at present recall. He was followed by the little DUKE OF ARGYLL, one of the Whig
leaders, who has an amazing gift of language, in a bitter harangue of half an hour's length, every word of
which was directed at LORD DERBY personally. When
the Duke sat down, the Earl arose, and, advancing to the
woolsack, made a powerful speech in reply to that of
the Bishop, without noticing the Duke, as if he was an
adversary unworthy of his attention.
Among the other speakers in the I-ouse of Lords who




BRITZSH ELO  Q UENC.            147
pleased me most were the dyspeptic and bitter LORD
GREY and the MAARQUIS OF CLANRICARDE among the
Whigs, and the bluff EARL OF HARDWICKE among the
Tories. LORD CLANRICARDE, who married the daughter
of PRIME MINISTER CANNING, was said to be the most illfavored man in the United Kingdom. He was at one
time Embassador to Russia, and at another PostmasterGeneral. Notwithstanding his lack of good looks, he
was the most noted man in Great Britain for his gallantries, always excepting the EARL OF CARDIGAN. I heard
the young EARL OF CARNARVON, Of whom great things
were expected, make his maiden speech, and although at
its close LORD DERBY complimented him, as in duty
bound (he is a Tory), it appeared to me both in manner
and in matter an effort that would have been unworthy
of an American school-boy of fifteen. In the Commons
I heard very little agreeable speaking, hardly any from
the leaders.  Mr. DISRAELI has much of the English
stanmmer and stutter, and his tones are deep and monotonous. EARL RPUSSELL, who, as LORD JOHN, was then il
the Commons, is tedious to a degree that is almost unendurable. Mr. GLADSTONE is impressive, but his sentences
are so involved that it is painful to follow him. LORD
PALMERSTON was fearful with his hesitations and his
mumblings, and his ohs and his ahs. There was nothing remarkable in his speeches except his skill as a
tactician.  I never knew him  to meet an argument
squarely, and endeavor to answer it.  Ilis usual manceuvre was to attempt to turn his enemy's flank, raise a
side issue, and, if possible, get up a laugh at his expense.
There was something about him, however, which always
carried the House with him. He was prodigiously mag



148           3IEMfORIES 01F 21IANY  NIEr
netic.  le always appeared to me the incarnation of
John-Bull-isml; and it was from this fact, I believe, that
he acquired much of his popularity. I-Ie was the average
Englishman, as Abraham Lincoln was the average American. HIe was that sort of a man that, if he happened
to be shaving in his bedroom in his shirt-sleeves, and
heard a row in the street below, would be very likely
to drop his razor, and with lathered face rush down stairs
to take a part in the melee.  Hie generally sat on the
front ministerial bench, with his colleagues on either side
of him, and his hat drawn down over his eyes. Occasionally he would jump up suddenly, and go off into the wineroom for a glass of sherry, or into the lobby for a chat;
but while he sat in the House, he never moved or spoke
until he arose to close the debate.  There was that in
his character and in his appearance which made you recognize him as an old boy as long as he lived.  At this
time he was in deep mourning for LouD COWPEr, LADY
PALMERSTON'S son by a former marriage.
English travelers have said a great deal about the indecorum of our Houses of Congress. At the time, ante
bellzmn, when arguments were sometimes enforced by
revolvers, and when violent epithets were occasionally
launched in debate, there was a good deal of truth in
their strictures.  3acis nous avons change tout cela.
In the British I-louses of Parliament the disorder and
indecorum  which prevail affect foreigners very disagreeably. The wearing of hats, the free and easy attitudes,
sitting and lounging, indulged in by the members, and
the unpleasant noises which sometimes prevail, the English are so accustomed to as to be unconscious of their
singularity. I venture to say that to-day, unless there




GIVING.R11. BULL "HIS PAPERS."'      49
has been a great change in that regard on the other
side of the water, the American Senate and House of
Representatives are far more dignified and orderly bodies than the British Houses of Lords and Commons.
Of all the speakers to whom I remember to have listened in the House of Commons, 1Mr. WHITESIDE, the Tory
barrister, pleased me most. IHe is an Irishman, and for
an Irishman to secure an attentive audience in that forum, lie must speak uncommonly well. Mr.WVuITESmE
had a short time before written a book on Italy, which
has not its equal in the English language-not even excepting Mr. HILLARD'S. I believe that he is now Lord
Chief Justice of Ireland.
During a part of the time that I resided in England,
the relations between that country and our own were
very much disturbed by complications and embarrassments growing out of the Central American and enlistment difficulties, as they were called. The Government
at Washington had proceeded to the extremity of dismissing Mr. CRAMPTON, the British Envoy, together with
the Consuls at New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati.
This action produced a very deep feeling in England.
The T'imes thundered from day to day in ominous tones.
Every body was talking about the possibility of war
with America, not flippantly, I must own, but with deep
feeling and sincere regret.  Mr. APPLETON, of Maine,
our Secretary of Legation in London, and afterward
Minister to Russia, applied to'The Times unsuccessfully
for a hearing in its columns. What was refused to him
was conceded to me. This was probably because he
was an official and I only a private citizen. I wrote two
long letters advocating the American side, which were




150           MEMiORIES OF MIANY MIEN.
printed, and upon each occasion The Timnes devoted its
leader of the succeeding day to an answer. The immediate question just then was, should Mr. DALLAS be dismissed from London in retaliation for Mr. CnAAPToN's
dismissal from Washington? Almost every body thought
that he would be.
At this juncture I met one morning, in a Bayswater omnibus going to the city, the venerable GENERAL CAMPBELL,
our Consul in London at that time.  There were one or
two other persons in the'bus who were acquainted with
the General, and conversation naturally turned upon the
subject of the impending difficulties between the two
countries. Finally one of the other gentlemen courteously asked the General how he thought a war would
result, if it should unfortunately occur.  The days of
spread-eagleism were not yet over, and the General, who
was an old war-horse, immediately answered, with more
force than politeness, " Such a war, sir, which God forbid, would never cease until the American flag was
waving over the Tower, at one end of London, and Buckingham Palace at the other!"  The subject of conversation was immediately changed.
At last The Globe, the evening ministerial journal, announced that, at a Cabinet Council, it had been decided
to tender his passports to Mr. DALLAS. Every body considered that announcement as official. As soon as I read
it, I called upon my friend, ADMIRAL WALCOT, member
for Christchureh, for an order to the I-ouse of Commons
for that evening. There was already a great rush for
seats, and the Admiral requested me to meet him at the
House upon the opening of the session, when he would
do the best in his power for me. I went early, but every




TIHE COMM11IONEVS IN A TW'ITTER.     151
seat in tle gallery was already disposed of. Tile Admiral succeeded, however, in seating me in the compartment reserved for the Peers; but I was in danger of being compelled to vacate the position at any moment, if
required by one who was legitimately entitled to it. For
several hours, during the time when committee business
is usually disposed of, there was a thin House. At length
the members began to drop in by the dozen at a time,
from their clubs and their dinners. Mr. MICGREGOR, the
member from Glasgow, whom I knew, and who afterward came to so sad a fate, had been dining altogether
too freely.  He was in a great state of excitement, and
kept rushing from his seat to me to inform me of the
rumors which were floating through the House, and
which other members brought to his ear. Then ensued
a very uninteresting debate upon some unimportant question, which I thought would never come to an end. At
length it closed, and there was a division of the House,
and all who were not members were compelled to leave
for the nonce. It appeared to me a very long time
before we were permitted to return. Soon after I had
resumed my seat, however, Mr. DISRALI arose, amid profound silence, and begged to ask what decision, if any,
her Majesty's Government had arrived at in respect to
the retention or dismissal of the United States Minister.
When he resumed his seat, LORD PALMERSTON got up,
and in a low voice, and with a manner which seemed to
me to indicate infinite disgust, said that, after due consideration, it had been decided to take no present action
in the matter! Mr. DISRAELI and his Tory adherents
looked thunderstruck; they evidently had made up their
minds that Mr. DALLAS would be dismissed, and had




152          ElZlffORIES OF JANY MJiEV.
prepared to avail themselves of what they thought would
prove a political blunder. I rushed out of the House,
took the first cab, and ordered the driver to Mr. DALLAS'S
residence, on Portland Place. I wanted to be the first
to convey the important news to him. But I failed
in this: a more expeditious countryman had got there
before me.
I afterward heard, upon pretty good authority, that it
had been decided, at a Cabinet meeting, to send Mr.
DALLAS home, the only vote in the negative being that
of MIr.VERNON SMITH. That, in the mean time, MADAME
VAN DE WEYER, the wife of the Belgian Minister, and
the daughter of Mr. BATES, and one of the Queen's
favorite friends, had been to her Majesty upon the subject. That thereupon the Queen had sent for LORD
PALIMErSTON, and ordered a reversal of the decision.
That the Government did not care to go to the country
upon the question, and had therefore withheld their resignations. Whether this is true or not, we Americans
hardly know what a good friend the Queen has always
been to us. In more instances than one the weight of
her prerogative has been thrown in our favor. Mr.
CRAMPTON deserved his dismissal for his action in the
enlistment business; but I hope that the occasion may
never again arise which will require so harsh a proceeding on the part of the American Government toward a
diplomatic representative of Great Britain.




PART IL.
AT HOME.
G2








PART I.
C HAPTER 1.
1-IHE first man, famous or infamous, in the annals of
our country whom I recollect seeing is AARON BURR.
I was a mere child, and he was already a withered old
man, who used to walk up and down Broadway, with
his eyes bent upon the ground, never raising them for
recognition. He was at that time residing upon Staten
Island, where he afterward died, equally barren in
friends and fortune.
The late JUDGE AARON VANDERPOEL, of New York,
described to me a party, or rather an orgy, that BUPR
had at his house, at Richmond Hill, on the night before
Ihis duel with ALEXANDER HAMILTON. BUnn was up nearly or quite all night, and was among the gayest of the
gay. This, "parva componere magnis," recalls the incident of the DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S presence at the DucHnESS OF BRUNSWICK'S ball in Brussels the night before the
Battle of Waterloo. The venerable JAMES A. HIAMILTON
told me that his father lingered until some time in the
afternoon of the day after that on which he was shot,
and that he was the last person to whom  the great
Federalist spoke.
Another almost daily walker in the same street in
those days was the noble-looking, half-civilized chief of
the Seneca Indians, RED JACKET. He carried his head




156         31EFORIES OF JIANAY iMEN.
aloft, except when occasionally compelled to let it droop
from an over-dose of the white man's fire-water. tHe
derived his name from an elegantly embroidered jacket
which was presented to him by a British officer during
the Revolution, and he wore upon his breast a silver
medal, the gift of GENERAL WASHINGTON.
The next of our distinguished public men of whom I
have any remembrance is GENERAL JACKSON, then President of the United States, upon the occasion of his visit
to New York in the year 1833. I was but a small boy at
the time, and I remember standing upon the steps of the
American Museum, where the Herald building is now,
to see the procession on its passage up Broadway. The
President was on horseback, and wore upon his head a
white hat almost covered by an enormous "weeper,"
with pendant bands, such as mutes wear at funerals in
England. This was for Mrs. JACKsoN, then recently deceased. I had never before seen one of these strange emblems of mourning, which were peculiar to the South
and Southwest of the country. As he was passing from
Castle Garden to the Battery, the bridge which then connected them broke down, and, although he reached terra
rmna in safety, several of those who followed him were
precipitated into the water. Many years afterward I saw
PRESIDENT PIERCE, as he rode at the head of a procession
to take part in the inaugural ceremonies of the New York
World's Fair. There was a pouring rain, and he protected the Presidential head with an umbrella. I do not
know which impressed me as most odd, GENERAL JACKSON's "weeper" or GENERAL PIERCE'S umbrella.
I saw Mr.TAN BUREN in the summer of the year 1840
at the Executive Mansion. To me, at that time a stu



PRESIDENATTS, PAST AND FUTURE.       157
dent at Yale College, a President of the United States
was an object of awe-an awe which I regret to say,
on my own account, soon passed away with advancing
years. I can see him in my mind's eye now, as I then
saw him in the flesh, dressed in faultless black, with natty
boots, sitting before a sea-coal fire, which he vigorously
stirred during the pauses in the conversation.
On my return from that, my first, visit to Washington,
I stopped in Baltimore. The Democratic National Convention was in session, and in vain I went from hotel to
hotel in quest of lodgings. I finally brought up in a
second-class hostelry called the "Fountain Inn," which
may or may not still exist, and there I was so fortunate
as to find a vacant billiard-table, upon which I was permitted to pass the night, but not to sleep. I was terribly
"demoralized" the next day, and started for New York
by the first train. I was strangely impressed by the
roughness and coarseness of a majority of the delegates
and others who attended that Convention.
It was years after this before chance threw me into
contact with any of the persons who have played leading
parts in our national history. Early in the month of August, of the year 1852, provided with a letter of introduction from CHARLES O'CONOR, I sought at Concord,
Ntew I-Hampshire, where he resided, IFRANKLIN PIERCE,
then recently nominated by the Democratic National
Convention as their candidate for the Presidency at the
ensuing election in November. Not finding GENERAL
PIERCE at home, I followed him to Rye Beach, a watering-place upon the coast, where he was passing a few
days with his only child, a boy of thirteen, who was delicate, and required the tonic of sea-bathing. After se



158          M3LEMIIORIES OF iMIANY XIE.
curing a room at the hotel, I inquired for the General,
and was informed that he was not then within. Presently there came into the hotel office, where I was standing,
a slender, smooth-faced man, apparently of middle age,
very carelessly dressed, with rumpled linen and a shockingly bad white hat, who was pointed out to me as the
person of whom I was in quest. I delivered to him my
letter, and he received me with great cordiality, immediately inviting me to accompany him to his own room.
I had a very long and delightful conversation with him.
He was entirely unaffected, and a remarkably picturesque
talker. He told me how surprised he was at his own
nomination, and the circumstances under which he had
received the news of it. Hte was stopping, with Airs.
PIERCE, at the Tremont HIouse, in Boston, at the time of
the opening of the session of the Convention. There
was balloting after balloting, and it was not until just before the thirty-fifth that his name was at all mentioned,
it then being introduced by the delegation from Virginia.
It was not at first received in a manner to indicate the
probability of its adoption. But the moment she heard
that it had been brought forward, Mrs. PIERcE, who was
an invalid, became very nervous and alarmed lest he
should be finally selected.  GENERAL PIERcE did not explain to me why she was apprehensive, but, in common
with every body else, I understood it. She had persuaded
him some years before to resign his seat in the United
States Senate, where he was conspicuous for one unhappy
personal habit. And she feared that if elected President
he might again relapse into the same habit, a possibility
the thought of which was unendurable to her sensitive
mind. I-e went on to say that one afternoon, while the




PIER CE AND IIAWi T TOi1NE'.       109
action of the Convention was still undecided, lie ordered
a carriage for a drive to Mount Auburn.  As he was descending the steps of the hotel to enter the carriage, into
which Mrs. PIERCE had preceded him, he purchased an
extra edition of a newspaper which was just issued.
Casting his eye over the head-lines, he saw that no choice
of a candidate had yet been made, and a telegram predicted that all the chances were in favor of one of his
competitors. Entering the carriage, lie placed the newspaper in his wife's hand, and, pointing to this paragraph,
told her to read it, and it would set her mind at ease. I-e
then directed the coachman to drive on. About an hour
after they had left the hotel, and while they were driving within the inclosure of the Cemetery, they were
overtaken by a mounted messenger, who brought the
news that the General had been nominated on the fortyninth ballot. Mrs. PIERCE fainted upon the receipt of
the intelligence, as if a disaster, instead of a triumph,
had come to her husband.
I-e asked me if I knew NATHANIEL -IAWTIHORNE, the
author, his class-mate at college, and life-long friend.
Upon my answering in the negative, he gave me a whimsical account of the eccentricities of that great genius.
I-e said that it was several years since they had met,
when only two days before HAWTHORNE called upon him
at the hotel where we then were. The General happened
to be in his room at the time. HAWTIORNE, upon entering, wrung his hand, and then, without a word of salutation, abruptly threw himself upon a lounge at the other
side of the room. Here he lay for several minutes, without speaking, and tangling himself into all sorts of contortions. At last, with an expression of sympathy and




160           liEMORIES OF MIAN;Y MEN.M
woe upon his countenance, he gazed upon the General's
face, and exclaimed, " FRANK, I pity you! Ideed, I do,
from the bottom of my heart!"  In the moment of triumph, the object of his sympathy, probably, did not appreciate the regrets of either his wife or his friend. After
more of this light talk, Mr. PIERcE finally entered upon
the domain of politics. He was sure that he would be
elected, and he gave me unequivocally to understand
that to Mr. CHARLES O'CoNOi  he intended to offer the
portfolio of Attorney-General in his Cabinet.
We had been together some two hours when I got up
to take my leave. HIe asked me how long I intended to
remain at the Beach, and I replied that it was my purpose to go by the early morning train to Boston.  -Ie
told me that I must abandon that idea, that CALEB CUSIING was coming in his yacht from Newburyport the next
day, that they were to have a chowder party, and that he
would be pleased to have my company. I had really no
occasion for haste, so I thanked him, and, without demurrer, accepted the invitation.
I met him at breakfast the next morning, and soon
after breakfast accompanied him to the beach for his
son's bath. I never saw more tender watchfulness exhibited by a parent. He dressed and undressed the child
himself, and while the boy was in the water his attention
was so engrossed by him that it was impossible to pursue
any conversation. Alas! in less than a month from that
time the poor lad was dashed to pieces upon the rocks by
a railway accident, leaving his father's heart crushed and
desolate.
It was not until eleven o'clock on that morning that
Mr. CUSHING's "yacht," as he called it, or " fishing-sloop,"




POLITICAL CHO WDER.              16 
as it might with more nautical propriety be designated,
cast anchor off the beach.  That gentleman came ashore,
and after remaining a few minutes, during which I had
the pleasure of being introduced to him, he re-embarked,
accompanied by the future President and myself. No
time was lost in getting under way, and we all began to
catch fish for the chowder which was the pretext for
our expedition.  The mackerel were running in innumerable shoals, and we soon had a supply far in excess
of our expected wants. An expert in a red-flannel shirt
then commenced, with fish, salt pork, potatoes, and biscuits, the preparation of the savory disl, which was soon
steaming under our watering months. I had never tasted
chowder before, and have never tasted it since-at least,
not the genuine, simon-pure article, served up to appease
appetites sharpened by the sea-air.  The meal disposed
of, there was much private talk, doubtless upon matters
of politics, between the General and our host, in which
I was not invited to participate.  We remained out all
the afternoon, and the shades of evening were approaching when we again stood off Rye Beach.  The wind had
been freshening, and by this time there was such a surf
rolling that the "yacht " could not approach very near
the shore.  She ran in as close as she could, and then a
small boat was lowered to convey Mr. PIERCE and myself
to the beach, Mr. CSHmING intending to sail home without landing. We got on well enough until we were
near the shore, when a huge wave rolled in and upset
our boat.  The water was up to our necks, but we
struggled along until we reached dry land.  As we were
shaking ourselves like water-dogs, I begged the General
to remember, if he should ever become President, that




162          MJIETIORIES OF MIANY iMEV.
there had been a time when he and I were " alone in the
same boat."
I may as well go directly on and relate what afterward happened between this peculiar man and myself.
lie was always so amiable, so friendly in his manner, so
crfectionate even in his demonstrations, that I never
could continue angry with him forty-eight consecutive
hours, although the provocations which he gave me were
frequent enough and gross enough to make me break
with him forever. I presume that my own experience
was similar to that of thousands of others.  He was so
absurdly false to his promises, that, where it did not cut
too hard, it was positively ludicrous.  And yet I never
in my own mind accused him of insincerity. He was a
weak, imaginative, almost brilliant, undetermined man,
who said in the morning that he would do something,
and when lie said it meant it, but who changed his mind
in the afternoon if the smallest obstacle interfered with
his purpose.  lie was no more to be relied upon than
Iorace Skimpole or Micawber. HIe had no fixed will of
his own, and all through his administration he was battiedored and shuttlecocked aboutt by JEFFERSON DAVIS
and WILLIAM L. MARCY, the master minds of his very
able Cabinet.  MIost of the state-papers which appeared
under his signature were attributed to the pen of Mr.
CUSHING, who became his Attorney-General instead of
Mr. O'CONOR. HIe exhibited the same vacillation to all.
Besides the instance just cited, he offered to GENERAL
Dix, whom he had at one time intended to make Secretary of State, the mission to France, and then appointed
1Mr. MASON. As I believe, this arose not from duplicity,
but from  unsteadiness.  But whatever theory in the




1VNE THINVG TO ALL 2IEN.           163
premises be the correct one, he succeeded in alienating
from himself the personal support of many of the very
best members of his party.
I had the audacity at that time to aspire to the office
of United States Cchacrg d'ffaires at the Court of Sardinia. From personal observation, I had satisfied myself
that there was a great future in store for that little country. Besides, there was the opportunity to negotiate a
treaty of commerce, which might largely extend our
Mediterranean trade.  So, armed with the very best
vouchers and recommendations, I began my experience
as an office-seeker by going to Washington on the second
day of March, in the year 1853, two days before the inauguration of PRESIDENT PIERnE.
On the morning of the third, I called upon him in
that drawing-room which forms the south-east corner of
Willard's Hotel, and which has been the reception-room
of so many incoming and outgoing Presidents. When I
entered, there were already probably twenty persons assembled there, about a dozen of whom were standing in
a row, and with them the General was then engaged.
The moment he saw me lie advanced with both hands
outstretched, after the manner of the French and, telling
me how delighted lie was to see me, drew me away from
the crowd to one of the windows. He proceeded to say
that he most especially desired to see me at the Executive Mansion the next day, immediately after the inauguration-that I must on no account fail to come, and under no circumstances be later than four o'clock.  I-He
made no explanation of the reason which impelled him
to urge' so early an interview, but left me with a very
decided impression that I had the good fortune to enjoy
his highest favor.




1614         _MEIOR.IES OF LIliNY LENL.
I repeated his request to an older and more experienced friend, who advised me, notwithstanding it, not to
be so precipitate in making my first call upon the new
President. I-e said that he could not fail to be very
fatigued after the inaugural ceremonies; and that it certainly would be in bad taste, as well as impolitic, to intrude upon him at such a moment. I thought the advice
good, and followed it. I allowed two days to pass before I presented myself at the White House. When, at
last, I did so, I was without delay ushered into the Presidential presence. I reminded Mr. PIERCE of his invitation to me to call sooner, and explained to him the reasons of delicacy which had prevented me from doing so.
He was " delighted," " charmed " to see me, and invited
me to a seat. He sat down by me, and chatted with me
in the most agreeable manner about almost every thing
in the world; but not one word did he say personal to
myself. I was all the time expecting it, but it never
came.  Finally, when it would have been indecent to
remain any longer, I left. IHe accompanied me to the
outer door, and begged me to " call again to-morrow."
I did not go again the next day, but allowed two or
three days to intervene before I once more sought an interview with the " head of the nation."  Upon this occasion I was received as before, "with effusion."  By
this time I had made up my mind that, if the mountain
would not come to Mohammed, Mohammed would go to
the mountain.  So, having brought with me all my documents, I determined to force the fighting, and began at
once to explain, without circumlocution, what I wanted.
I asked the President to read my papers; but this he declined to do, saying that my original letter to him from




OFFICE-SEEKING AND OFFICE-SEEKERS.    165
CGARLES O'CoNoi answered every purpose, and that it
would afford him the very highest satisfaction to comply
with my wishes. I would please file my papers in the
Secretary of State's office, and give myself no further
concern upon the subject.  There might be a little delay in announcing the diplomatic appointments, as some
of the more important ones at home first required attention; but mine was his personal affair, and, under all circumstances, should be made. I think, then, that I was
justified in considering myself booked for Turin for
the next four years.  The President asked me to dine
with him that day, which I did.
The next day I called upon GOVERNOR MARCY, the
Secretary of State, handed him my papers, and explained
to him what the President had said. He was always
friendly to me, and he expressed, and I have no doubt sincerely, his gratification, and his perfect acquiescence in
the President's proposed action. I recollect, as an amusing incident, that in the course of our conversation he
insisted that Genoa was in Tuscany, and not in Sardinia.
As far as I was personally concerned, I saw no reason to
remain longer in Washington; but the incoming of a
new administration is always full of excitement and interest, and there was besides much in our NTew York
matters in which I felt a deep concern.
In those days the New York Democracy was divided
into two factions, severally known by the euphonious
titles of "Hunkers" and "Barn-burners," or "Hardshells" and "Soft-shells."  I was affiliated with the
"Hunkers."  Between those two factions there was a
fierce struggle waging for the possession of the Federal
offices in the city of New York.  And even within the




166          XiEMORIOES OF MIANY MEllT.
ranks of each there were competing candidates. For
instance, both iMr. JOIN J. Cisco and Mr. AUGIUSTUS
SCHELL desired to be made Collector of the Port.  It
was claimed in behalf of the former that, upon the occasion of his declining a nomination for the office of
Mayor, it was arranged that he should have the unanimous support of his faction, the " I-unkers," for the Collectorship; and that Mr. SCI-ILL, who belonged to the
same subdivision of the party, was committed to the
transaction.  But when the time came to make the appointmeent, Mr. SCHELL, who seems not to have.considered
limnself so committed, allowed his friends to press his
own name for the same position.  The result was that
SECRETARY   ARncY cut the knot by having his old friend,
Mr. IHEMAN J. REDFIELD, who happened to be accidentally in Washington, after spending the winter in Florida, made Collector of the Port of New York. At the
same time, to Mr. Cisco was tendered the office of Assistant Treasurer of the United States in that city, wmhich he
was at first very reluctant to accept.  Fortunately for
the country and for himself, he finally was induced, to
yield to the persuasions of his friends, and to take the
position. I-e continued to hold it until the first day of
July, in the year 1864, when he peremptorily resigned it,
his health having become seriously impaired by so long
a term  of arduous official service.  For eleven years,
and under three successive administrations, he had discharged the at all times severe, and during the war overwhelming, duties of his office with the greatest ability,
fidelity, judgment, and delicacy.  He several times before his final withdrawal had tendered his resignation,
but no President or Secretary of the Treasury, even al



OFFICE-SEEKING AND OFFICE- SEEKERS.    167
though of opposite politics to his own, had consented to
accept it.
At a later period, under Mr. BucrHIANAN, Mr. SCHELL became Collector of the Port, and discharged the duties
of the office in a manner entirely acceptable to the Government. He was very vigilant in regard to smuggling,
and the wags used to say that his name should be changed
from AUGUSTUS SCHELL to AUGUSTUS SEIZER.
Before any final decision was arrived at by GENERAL
PIERCE and his Cabinet in regard to the New York Collectorship, Mr. MARcY sent for me to inquire whether
the late Mr. JOHN M. BRADHURST, who was then an old
man, still retained the vigor of former years, telling me
that, if I could give a-satisfactory answer to the question,
the office would be placed at his disposal. I was compelled to tell him that the gentleman to whom he referred had been prostrated by a stroke of paralysis some
time before, and that the condition of his health rendered it impossible for him to discharge any laborious duties.
All the Federal appointments in the city of New York
were simultaneously announced. They were about equally distributed between the two factions. On the same
day, and after they had been made public, I was dining
at Willard's Hotel. Mr. MARcY, who was temporarily
stopping there, occupied a seat at the same table, opposite
to me. I had a bottle of hock, and I asked the Secretary
to take wine with me. As the waiter was filling his
glass, he facetiously exclaimed, "HIic, haec, hoe!"  "All
right, Governor," I replied; "something neuter will not
hurt you after the very decidedly masculine and feminine appointments which have just been made!"  Ite




168           liEMIiORIES OF IMANY  3I1EN.
laughed; and I then asked him whether he had recommended them, or simply acquiesced in them. As some
of them were known to be very objectionable to him, he
did not vouchsafe any reply. He was an inveterate
snuffer, and was constantly to be seen with his long forefinger and thumb applying a pinch to his nose, his head
in the mean while cast down in deep meditation.
About this time he received a letter which afforded
him immense amusement, and which he showed to every
body whom he met. It was from a person in West Troy,
New York, who begged to remind him that he had been
a private in a company commanded by the Governor,
when lie marched to the Canadian frontier in the year
1813. Hle supposed that he might have long since forgotten his very existence, and he therefore took the liberty to inform him that, after the war was ended, le had
settled in West Troy as a mechanic of some sort, had
married, and had reared a family of children. lie had
been reasonably prosperous all his life, and had until
recently been in the enjoyment of uninterrupted domestic
happiness.  But since the election a strange and insane
passion had taken possession of his wife.  She was nnalterably determined to be the wife of the Postmaster at
West Troy, even if, in order to be so, she were compelled
to commit bigamy!  Under these circumstances, he appealed to his old commander to save him from a life of
future wretchedness, and his wife from  destruction, by
getting him appointed to the office. The Secretary enjoyed the joke so hugely that, after some inquiries about
his correspondent's fitness, he went to POSTMASTER-GENERAL CAMPBELL, and had the commission mnade out for
him.




APPOINTMENT AND DISAPPOINTMENT.          169
Having received renewed assurances from the President that my matter was finally settled, I returned home
to await results.
Weeks passed away without any action in relation to the
foreign appointments. I was confined to my bed with a
severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism, when one day
the morning newspaper was brought me to read. It contained a complete list of the new diplomatic appointees,
and my name was not included. A gentleman from Virginia was to go to Sardinia.
After a while I returned to Washington. The President received me with open arms, as he had always previously been accustomed to do. I remember that lie
wore a stunning dressing-gown of black velvet, lined with
cherry-colored silk, which some admiring lady had sent
to him. Hle used to wear it not only in his private apartments, but also in the executive rooms, when he received
the dignitaries of the Senate and others upon business.
Before I could begin the speech of mild reproach which
I had prepared for the occasion, he cut me off by telling
me that, notwithstanding his interest in my behalf, it had
been determined, for reasons which I could better comprehend than he could explain, to send Mr. AUGUST BEL3MONT to I-olland, and that this rendered it impossible to
accord another position of the same character and grade
to the city of New York. It was believed that Mr. BELMONT had contributed largely of his means toward the
election, and Mr. DANIEL E. SICKLES had been in Washington ever since the inauguration in the interest of that
gentleman, as was supposed.
The President went on to say that I had arrived at
Washington at a very opportune moment, and that it
SVVI IV I IVL!  rlIJIV~~L




170          IMEMORIES OF MiANY  IEMN.
was within my power to do a great favor to himself, ao
well as to AIr. BUCHANAN, then lately appointed Minister
to England.  Mr. APPLETON, of Maine, who had been
commissioned as his Secretary of Legation, for private
reasons had suddenly been compelled to abandon the
thought of accompanying him. Mr. BUCIHANAN was besieged by applicants for the place, and  would be delighted to be spared further annoyance by haviing a suitable
appointment made for him. "I expect BUCIINAN here,"
he said, "every minute."  In a word, he offered me the
office. At first I positively declined, and urged many
objections. Among others, I mentioned that I had no
personal acquaintance with iMr. BUCHANAN, that the compensation was very small, and that I did not possess sufficient private means to enable me to live as the Secretary
of the American Legation in London ought to live. He
pooh-poohed all this; told me that as IVlr. BUCIIANAN was
a bachelor we could keep house together, and thus reduce
expenses, and finally insisted that I should go directly to
Mr. MARCY with directions from him to make out my
commission. I was carried away by him as by a torrent;
and before I hardly knew what I was doing, I found myself in the presence of the Secretary of State, who listened to my statement with evident surprise.   "What can
the President mean," lhe asked, "by saying that he expects Mr. BUCHANAN at thle Executive Mansion every
minute?  I have no reason to think that le even intends to visit Washington again before sailing for England.' lie then went on to say that he doubted much
whether Mr. BUCIANAN would, be so pleased as the President supposed at an appointment made without previously consulting him; that he was one of the leading




JAMIJES BUCHANAN.               171
statesmen of the country, and that, in his judgment, it
would not answer to saddle a Secretary of Legation upon
him, as might be done in the case of some of "those
other fellows."  That he would make out the commission, as directed; but that in the mean time he advised me as a friend to go to Wheatland, and have a
conference with Mr. BUCHANAN upon the subject.
Thereupon I went directly back to the President. Iel
told me that he did not intend to be understood as expecting Mr. BUCHANAN every minute at the Executive
Mansion, but in Washington. I-e urged me to take the
first train for Philadelphia, and thence to Lancaster.  -le
was certain that I would find it with Mr. BUCHANAN just
as he had told me. lie sat down and wrote a very strong
letter to him, of which I was to be the bearer. I took
leave of him, and very foolishly, and against my own
better judgment, started for Wheatland.
When I arrived there, I found the old statesman at
home. lie received me courteously, and carefully read
my letter of introduction. IIe then told me that he had
already been treated with such gross discourtesy by the
President that it was very doubtful whether he would
not throw -lp his commission, and not go to England
at all. That, at all events, he did not intend to return to
WVashington.  That about a fortnight before he had
written an important letter to the President, which required, and should have received, a prompt answer.
That no reply coming, after the interval of a week he
had addressed him another, and, in decided language, requested that it have immediate attention. And that the
first word wlhich he had since received from the Executive was the letter which I presented to him, and which




172           MEMOIORIES OF MANY M1EN.
in no way referred to the subject of his two communications. As to the Secretaryship of Legation, he went on
to explain to me that, before Mr. APPLETON was appointed, the office had been influentially solicited for two gentlemen, one of them a friend of his own from Pennsylvania, whom, he admitted, he did not consider competent
to discharge the duties, and the other a South Carolinian,
who possessed every necessary qualification for the position. That he had not again heard from either of them
since Mr. APPLETON had declined, and that, under all the
circumstances, he was not yet prepared to definitely express himself. Of course, I felt, for the time, infinitely
disgusted with the President, although I had no occasion
to find fault with Mr. BUCHANAN. lHe assured me that he
would give the subject his best consideration, and communicate with me before he sailed, if he sailed at all. I
parted from him, and never saw him again. The thousands who knew him will never forget his white neckcloth tied awry, and his head perched on one side like
that of an inquisitive bird.
I returned home, and shortly afterward went to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, for the summer. While there I
received a civil letter from Mr. BIUCIIANAN, telling me
that lie had selected for his Secretary of Legation a gentleman of great abilities and unquestionable fitness. A
few days later, Mr. DANIEL E. SICKLEs was gazetted as
the appointee. I have always understood that Mr. MAncY,
with whom Mr. SICKLES was not a favorite, declined to
sign his commission, and that it was finally signed by
Mr. DUDLEY MANN, the Assistant Secretary of State.
I again went to Washington late in the summer. The
President took me to his heart as usual. It was impos



LOVE'S LAST SHIFT.              173
sible to entertain malice against him.  There was a new
Consul to be appointed at London, and, notwithstanding
my past experiences, I ventured to ask him for the appointment.  I must do him the justice to say that upon
this occasion.he gave me an evasive answer. lie insisted,
however, that I should come and dine with him that aftelrnoon. I accepted the invitation, and was received by
him in the Blue Room at the appointed hour. There was
but one other guest, a very old gentleman, with an enormous ruffle to his shirt, whom he introduced to me as
GENERAL CAMPBELL, of Texas. At dinner we were the
only three persons present. Mrs. PIERCE never came
down when there was company. I noticed that the President took no wine, but placed his hand upon his glass
every time the butler passed him. The conversation
was neither very interesting nor very dull, and was rendered very formal by Mr. CAMPBELL introducing the
word " sir" between every three or four words that he
uttered, after the old-fashioned American lhabit. After
dinner, we again returned to the Blue Room, and in a
few minutes rose to depart. The President followed us,
with one arm around the neck of each. He then turned
to the old gentleman, and told him that he did not wish
him to consider his introduction to me as a casual one;
that he had intentionally brought us together, as we
were both among his dearest friends, and that he hoped
we would ourselves become very close friends. It is unnecessary to say that we were both surprised at this effusion, and I, at least, failed to comprehend the occasion for
it. As we went out it was raining. GENERAL CAMPBELL
had an umbrella, but I was unprovided with one. The
venerable gentleman insisted upon accompanying me to




174           IMELMORIES OF JIANY IMEN.
Willard's Hotel, altliough his own road led in the opposite direction. The next day he called upon me soon
after breakfast.  A few days later it was given to the
public that GENERAL ROBERT S. CAMPBELL was appointed
Consul to London, and the mystery of Mr. PIERCE's conduct was solved.
Once more, and only once, I visited Washington during the time of his administration. This was in the year
1854.  I called to take leave of him, as I was going
abroad as a private citizen. He seemed to love me even
more than ever.  I-e told me that I did quite right to
go, and that he would "jump" me into the first diplomatic vacancy that should occur in Europe. These were
his very words; but I knew him thoroughly by this time,
and placed no reliance upon his promise. The position
of Secretary of Legation in France was, however, formally tendered to me in the year 1855, to be declined.
I saw  Mr. PIERCE but once again. This was after
the expiration of his official term, and just after llis
return from a visit to Europe.  I accidentally met him
on Washington Street, in Boston.  lie wore a flaming
scarlet neck-cloth, and a suit of clothes of some very
light material, which ill became a man of his years and
position.  I-e was as affectionate as of old, and apparently as serenely unconscious that I ever had any cause
to complain of him. Certainly if I had, I did not treasure it up, and I remember no more delightful chat than
the one I had with him that afternoon about old times.
I have written the foregoing pages not to ventilate the
wrongs of a disappointed office-seeker, but to illustrate
sonie of the peculiarities of a man who once held the
first position in our country.




CHAPTER  II.
T this time GENERAL " SAM" HOUSTON was one of
the United States Senators from Texas. He was,
physically, a magnificent specimen of manhood. HIis
dress was extravagantly oatre, suggestive of both the
frontier's-man and the Indian. He possessed a great mind
and a great heart, and his many peculiarities were harmless and endearing, rather than repulsive.  His courtesy
to women was remarkable, and he never addressed one
otherwise than as "lady." "Good-morning, lady," was his
invariable salutation to any fair friend whom hle met at
the breakfast-table or elsewhere during the earlier hours
of the day. I-Ie resided at Willard's when in Washington; and although his room was replete with the appliances of civilized life, he discarded, or pretended to
discard, the use of many of them.  Buffalo robes were
spread upon the carpet, and upon these he slept in preference to using the bed.  Hle had a printed poster upon
the wall bearing the words, "My hour for retiring is
nine o'clock."  This was a silent monition to visitors to
withdraw when that hour arrived. But it was the popular belief that the restless old warrior was in the habit
of nightly pacing the floor until the small hours of the
morning, before he sought repose upon his extemporized
couch of skins.
The eccentric, able, honest, and cynical " MIKE" WALSI
was then a member of the House of Representatives




176           M~EMIfORIES OF MANY.ME.
from  New York. MIKE was the perpetrator of many
practical jokes, which furnished subjects for Washington
gossip. A fellow-member of the House, whose private
avocation was that of a hotel-keeper, rose to make his
elaborately prepared maiden speech. As he proceeded,
MIKE, whose seat was distant from his, would, at every
pause, call out in his deep, bass voice, loud enough to be
heard by those in his immediate neighborhood, but not
so loud as to reach the orator's ear, "John, a pitcher of
ice-water to No. 122!" "William, answer the bell of NAo.
139!" etc., etc. Upon the same fellow-member he played
the rather rough joke of sending him an invitation, in the
name of the President, to dine at the Executive Mansion.
That there might be no occasion for an answer, the invitation was only delivered an hour before the appointed time for dinner. The victim, suspecting nothing, arrayed himself in evening dress, and started for the White
House. HIe was closely followed by MIKI, and half a
dozen of his cronies whom he had let into the secret, for
the purpose of witnessing the discomfiture of the unexpected guest. As the President had happened to go to
Baltimore that very afternoon, this discomfiture was complete. Whether the then somewhat unsophisticated sufferer ever discovered or not who had played this "Heathen Chinee " trick upon him, I am not aware.
I saw DANIEL WEBSTER under the following circumstances. In the month of November, in the year 1851,
I accompanied Mr. AUGUSTUS SCHELL to Washington, for
the purpose of persuading Mr. WEBSTER, then Secretary
of State, to consent to deliver a Memorial Address before the New York IHistorical Society on the twentythird day of the next month. Mr. WEBSTER had previ



DANIEL WEBSTER.                1'77
ously declined a written invitation to do so, but we were
successful in overcoming his objections. Accordingly
he came to New York at the proper time, and took lodgings, as he always did when in that city, at the Astor
Iouse. At about seven o'clock of the evening appointed for the address, Mr. SCHELL and I called there with a
carriage for the purpose of conducting Mr. WEBSTER to
Niblo's Theatre, the place selected for its delivery.  HIe
kept us waiting a long time in his drawing-room, while
he was dressing in his bedroom. When he at last came
out to us he looked wan and exhausted, and appeared almost inanimate.  -Ie was accompanied by his private
secretary, Mr. ABBOTT; and while we were driving from
the hotel to the theatre, hardly a word was spoken by
any of the party. Once only M[r. WEBSTER opened his
mouth, and, in those deep, sepulchral tones which those
who have heard them will never forget, asked, "ABBOTT,
what is that quotation from EURIPIDES 2"  When we arrived at the theatre, the distinguished orator was met by
a committee of the society and conducted to a private
room, that lie might rest and refresh himself before presenting himself to the public. Knowing his habits at that
time, they had provided a bottle of excellent old brandy
for his use, which, with a pitcher of water and a tumbler, stood upon a table in the room. Advancing to it,
Mr. WEBSTER almost filled the tumbler with the spirit,
and then, tempering it with about a table-spoonful of water, drank it down in two or three gulps.  The bottle
was then put aside for future use; and almost immediately thereafter Mfr. WEBSTER was conducted to the stage
and presented to the audience by the president of the
society, the late EX-LIEUTENANT-GOVERNORi LUTHER BRAHI- 2




17S            MEMifAORIES OF MIANY 1ElE.
Disir. He was, of course, received with vociferous applause. and without delay commenced his address.  At
first his voice was so low as to be scarcely audible, his
utterance was hesitating, and his choice of words frequently unhappy.  Gradually, as the stimulus of the
brandy operated upon him, he warmed up and became
fluent and eloquent: and when he had finished, it was
conceded that he had made one of the most masterly
and successful of his later efforts.  By this time he was
again exhausted and overpowered by the weariness and
listlessness which had become habitual to him.  He was
reconducted to the committee-room, that he might take
some more of the brandy before returning to his hotel;
but, unfortunately, in the mean time some toper had
scented the bottle to its hiding-place, and there was not
a drop left in it.  Mr. SCIELL and myself accompanied
him home, and left him more apathetic than we had
found him.
HIe had been persuaded to remain in New Yorkl another day, for the purpose of presiding at a meeting to
be held the next evening in honor of the then recently
deceased novelist, JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. I had known
Mr. COOPER during the later years of his life, and used
to see him occasionally when he visited New York.  IHe
was an amazingly fluent talker as well as speaker and
writer; and he affected an intense bitterness against the
institutions of his native country in his conversation as
well as in his writings.  I can see him now, in my mind's
eye, standing with his back to the fire-place in my office,
with his legs apart and his coat-tails under his arms,
pouring out diatribes which  did not seem  half in
earnest.




DANIEL WEBSTER.                  1 9
The following preliminary notice appeared in the New
York newspapers of the day:
"At a meeting of friends of the late JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, held in the City Hall, in the city of New York, pursuant to notice, the following gentlemen were appointed a Committee to make
the necessary arrangements for a suitable demonstration of respect
for Mr. CooPER'S memory:
WASHINGTON IRVING,   GEORGE BANCROFT,
GULIAN C. VERPLANCK,  LEWIS GAYLORD CLARK,
JOHN DUER,            JOHN A. DIx,.JAMES K. PAULDING,    GEORGE P. MORRIS,
JOHN W. FRANCIS,      SAMUEL OSGOOD,
RICHARD B. KIMBALL,   CHARLES ANTHON,
FRANCIS L. HAWKS,     CHARLES F. BRIGGS,
WILLIAM C. BRYANT,    MAUNSELL B. FIELD,
WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL, PARKE GODWIN,
FITZ-GREENE HALLECK, JONATHAN M. WAINWRIGHT,
{RUFUS W. GRISWOLD,   DONALD G. MITCHELL,
CHARLES KING,         N. P. WILLIS.
"At a subsequent meeting of the Committee, held at the Astor
House, on the 25th of November, it was reported by a special Comlnittee that negotiations were in progress with Mr. H. GREENOUGH
for a monumtent to Mr. COOPER; that Mr. BRYANT had consented
to pronounce a discourse on the life and genius of Mr. COOPER, on
the evening of the 24th of December, at Tripler Hall; and that
DANIEL WEBSTER had consented to preside on that occasion.
" WASHINGTON IRVIN G, President.
"FITZ-GREENE HALLECK, )
RUFUS W. GRISWOLD,   Ser
The meeting was a crowded and a brilliant one.  Mr.
WEBSTER, in his opening address, faltered and hesitated,
and talked as if he did not know the difference between
FENIiMORE COOPER and MUNGO PARIE. Mr. BRYANT' discourse was, as was to be expected, an appreciative and
elegant essay, but his delivery of it was, as is usual with




180           MEMfORIES OF JMIANY JIEZiV.
him, without animation. Then followed some of the
most brilliant and magnetic speeches to which I ever
listened. Rev. Dr..BETHUNE, one of the finest orators of any country or any time, made the room ring
with applause at his eloquent periods. GEORGE BANCROFT, the Rev. Dr. OSGOOD, Dr. JOHN W. FRANCIS, and
Mr. G. P. R. JAMES, followed with feeling tributes to the
memory of the great novelist. Mr. WEBSTER, who had
been half asleep, became aroused. When all the speakers of the evening had concluded, he arose from his
chair, advanced to the edge of the platform, and delivered a short closing address of marvelous elegance and
appropriateness, his glowing and admirably constructed
paragraphs falling upon the audience like a magnificent
funeral dirge after lighter music.  Stimulus was essential to his wearied faculties, and whether it came in the
form of brandy or of eloquence, it served alike to vivify
them into temporary animation.
And this was the last of the COOPER movement, so well
initiated and so successfully carried oni to this point.
There is no monument in Central Park -or elsewhere, so
far as I know, to the spirited, wayward romancer, any
more than there is to the gentle IRVING. Shame upon
New York if statues of both do not soon adorn that magnificent pleasure-ground of which its citizens are so justly proud!
I never saw JOHN TYLER when he was President of the
United States. A very good story was told of him at
the time that he succeeded as Vice-President to the Chief
Magistracy upon the death of PRESIDENT HARRISON. It
was said that he commissioned his Irish coachman to purchase a carriage for him. After searching Washington




FILLMORE AND VAN BURENE            181
a day or two, Pat came to his master and reported that
he had found a very handsome one for sale, but that it
had been used a few times. "That will never do," answered MIr. TYLER; " it would not be proper for the President of the United States to drive a second-hand carriaoge."  "And, sure, what are you but a second-hand
President " was the prompt and unanswerable reply.
I saw Mr. FILLMORE, another " second-hand" President,
in Washington, but had no acquaintance with him. He
looked the President better than any man whom I have
ever seen who occupied the office. It was somewhat
singular that a lawyer who never held more than a secondary rank at a provincial bar should attain so eminent
a position. lie certainly was one of the most discreet
Presidents we ever had, and his administration was an
eminently successful one.  Mrs. FILLMORE died a few
days after the inauguration of Mr. PIERCE, in one of the
same rooms in Willard's Hotel which that gentleman had
just quitted. I saw the venerable ex-President in Albany
last spring, upon the occasion of the delivery of a eulogy
upon the late ]Mr. SEWARD before the New York State
Government by Mr. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS. Mr. FILLMORE looked the same fresh, dignified gentleman that he
did when at the head of the nation. It is a subject of
congratulation that our Chief Magistrates, after their retirement, have always comported themselves in a manner
to do credit to themselves and the country.
I knew the late JOHN VAN BUREN. as who did not?
There never lived another man in this country who
wasted such opportunities and such talents. His power to
adapt himself to all sorts of people and to all kinds of
occasions was simply marvelous. His faculty of ready




182          i3EMORIOES OF 31ANY 1IEN.
and apt speech, his equal happiness as a stump and an
after-dinner orator, his brilliant wit, and his occasional
cynicism, united to make him a remarkable character.
He was an indifferent leader, but an admirable executive.
When he led a portion of his party at Buffalo, in the year
1848, to repudiate the nomination made by the National
Convention of GENERAL CAss for the Presidency, simply
on account of the disappointment of his father, the unsuccessful competitor of CAss, he did nmuch to wreck his
own political fortunes, although he unwittingly planted
a germ there which grew to be a powerful agent in the
regeneration of the country.
Speaking of GENERAL CAss reminds me of a pun which
was once perpetrated upon his name. It will be recollected that he was United States Minister to France
while Louis Philippe was king.  When he returned
home from his mission, he wrote and published a rather
weak book, under the title of " France: its King, Court,
and Government."  Somebody was ridiculing the book
in the presence of a wag, who thereupon remarked that
it was impossible for Cass to cross the sea (c) without
making an c8ss of himself.
But to return to JOhN VAN B3UREN. During the autunmn of the year 1851 there was a terrible contest waging between the "HI-unker" and " Barn-burner" factions
of the dominant party in the city of New York. An
excellent but very young gentleman, afterward a member of Congress, and now holding a high office under the
municipal government of that city, happened to be the
"IHunker" candidate as delegate from the Fifteenth Ward
to the State Convention to be held at Syracuse, in opposition to JOHN VAN BUREN, who was the " Barn-burner "




JOHN VAN BUR E                 183
nominee. There was a great deal of excitement at the
polls, possibly some "ballot-stuffing."  The result was
that the gentleman anonymously referred to was returned, and received the certificate of election, while VAh
BUREN announced that he would go to Syracuse to contest the seat.
Accordingly, the day before the convention was to assemble, I with several others started for Syracuse in
company with our candidate. We arrived at Albany in
the evening, and went to Congress Hall for supper.
When we entered the dining-room, whom should we find
there but JOHN VAN BUREN seated at the head of the
table, and flanked on either side by several of his prominent adherents. Our man and ourselves took seats at
the same table, somewhat lower down, and Mr. VAN BuREN, who knew me, saluted me. This was like waving
a red flag at an enraged bull. Our candidate, who sat
next to me, at once began to abuse VAN BUREN to me
in very savage terms. Presently the latter, who knew
him as well as he knew me, turned to me, and in his
usual drawling tone, but in quite a loud voice, said,
"FIELD, who is that young man who sits next you?"
"That, Mr. VAN BUREN," I answered, "is Mr..
"Oh! that is Mr. -, is it" l he rejoined; "well,
please give him my compliments, and tell him that he is a
confounded young politician."  HIereat my friend waxed
only the more angry and violent in his expressions.
When we arrived at Syracuse, our infuriated candidate threatened to take personal vengeance 1pon VAN
BUREN in case he attempted to contest his seat. The
convention at its first meeting appointed a committee of
three on credentials, composed of two  "Hunkers" and




184           M~EiJORIES OF JIMANY M1EN.
one " Barn-burner."  They were to meet that afternoon
in the hotel where we lodged. At the designated time
we watched them as they went up stairs to their room,
and saw both        and VAN BUREN follow separately
after them. An hour passed, and we became very uneasy. We feared that a personal encounter might actually take place between the contestants. Shortly afterward, to our great surprise, we saw VAN BUREN and
our friend coming down together, VAN BUREN having
his arm around the other's neck, and both laughing in
the best of humor. It appeared that VAN 13UREN told
the committee that he did not think that, under any circumstances, he could expect the seat to be awarded to
him by a tribunal so constituted, and therefore declined
to present his claim.  He made a funny speech, and
by his inimitable facetiousness appeased the angry feelings of his opponent, and hence the tableau which we
witnessed. Friendship between them was cemented over
several bottles of champagne, and their personal animosities were buried for all time.




CHAPTERt III.
N the spring of the year 1842 I was returning Ntorth,
after spending the winter in Cuba and New Orleans.
I stopped a day or two at Cincinnati for the purpose of
visiting an old college friend. Upon my arrival there,
my friend informed me that Mr. CHARLES DICKENS was
in town, and was to hold a levee at his hotel that morning. IIe was going to it, and asked me to accompany
him. At that time I had that admiration, almost heroworship, for DICKENS which was common to all young
men in this country immediately after the publication
of his earlier worlks. I therefore readily accepted the
invitation, and we were soon in the presence of the distinguished novelist. There were not many persons in
the room  when we entered. Immediately behind us
followed a small English gentleman of subdued and
timid manners. Mr. DICKENS was standing in front of
the fire-place, with his coat-tails under his arms, gorgeously attired, and covered with velvet and jewelry.
Mrs. DICKENS was lounging upon a sofa at the farther
end of the room. We were duly presented by an usher,
or master of ceremonies, and, after exchanging a few
words with the author of "Pickwick," retired to give
place to the little Englishman who was behind us. Upon
being introduced, this gentleman deferentially remarked,
"I had the pleasure of meeting you, Mr. DICKENS, at
Mr. LOVER's, in   ~shire, two years ago."  DICIKENS




186           XME MO1ROIES OF MANY MiEN.
looked him  steadily in the face for a minute, and then
answered in a loud voice, "I never was there in my
life!"  "I beg your pardon," replied his interlocutor,
overcome with confusion; "it was in the winter, and"
(naming several persons) " were there at the same time."
DICKENs again gave hlim  a withering look, and after a
pause repeated in a still more elevated tone, "I tell you,
sir, I never was there in my life!"  Here Mrs. DICKENS
interposed, and, addressing her husband, said, "Why,
Charles, you certainly were there, and I was there with
you; don't you remember the occurrence?"  Mr. DIcKENS glared at her almost fiercely, and, advancing a step
or two, with his right hand raised, fairly shouted, " I tell
you, I never was there in my life!"  I had never been
so disenchanted in all my days.  The unfortunate Englishman withdrew  without another word, and I and
my friend retired disgusted.  I then for the first time
reluctantly appreciated the fact that a man may be a
great anthor without being a gentleman, a conclusion
which I have frequently seen verified in mly more mature years.
I became acquainted with Mr. G. P. R. JAMES very
soon after his arrival in this country in the year 1850.
I-is initials stood for GEORGE PAYNE RAINSFORD, but
some wag had once dubbed him George Prince ]?egent,
and this was believed to be his real name by many who
did and many who did not know him.  His original intention in coming to America was to settle in Canada,
but he abandoned that purpose after he had been here a
short time.  IHe had three sons, none of them then grown
to manhood, and he thought it better for them to cast
their fate in a new country than to remain in Europe.




G. P. R. JA1IMES.             1
HIe had recently, too, met with very severe pecuniary reverses. He had contracted with a London bookseller
for the publication of a uniform edition of his novels, to
be illustrated with steel engravings.  The engravings
were all ordered and in course of execution, when, after
the appearance of a few of the volumes, the bookseller
failed.  The engraver brought an action against Mr.
JAMES as a partner with the publisher in the contract
with him, was successful in his suit, and the author,
whose fortune in this instance was similar to that of Sir
WALTER SCOTT in another, was compelled to pay several
thousand pounds sterling.  This was a severe blow to
him, and although he had excellent and powerful
friends at home, such as the late DUKE OF NoRTIIUMBERLANDA and the present DUKE OF WELLINGTON, M1'.
JAMES, who was then residing at Heidelberg, in Germany, made up his mind to turn his face westward.  He
came to London before sailing, and among other leavetaking calls made one upon the DUKE OF NorTInu-MBERLAND. I have often heard him  relate with much emotion what occurred upoln tthe occasion. He told the
story of his misfortunes and his purposes to the Duke,
who listened to the recital with close attention. When
it was finished, his noble auditor exerted himself to the
utmost to dissuade him from carrying out his intention
of leaving Europe.  Finding that his arguments failed
of the desired effect, the Duke asked to be excused for a
moment.  Presently he returned, accompanied by the
Duchess, and holding in his hand a check upon his bankers to Mr. JAMEs'S order, signed, but in blank, begged
him to accept it and fill in the amount.  The Duchess
added her own entreaties to those of her husband. Mr.




188           MJEMORIES OF AMANY MEN.
JAMES firmly, but with overflowing heart, refused to
accept any thing, even in the form of a loan. The Duke
and Duchess had no children, and could afford to be,
as they were, munificently liberal.  The Duke, better
known by his earlier title of LORD PRUDHOE, was an unsung iacaenas to artists and literary men.
IMr. JAMES was a gentleman by birth, and a Tory-of
a very mild form, however-in politics. His father was
an officer in the British Navy, and commanded the frigate which bombarded New London in the War of 1812.
Young JAMES was originally in the army, and after a
short service upon the Continent during the Napoleonic
wars, was wounded, taken prisoner, and detained upon
parole in France until after the battle of Waterloo. An
incident which occurred during his confinement there
cast a gloom upon the rest of his life.  For some cause
which he never explained to me, he became engaged in
a duel with a French officer.  lie escaped unhurt himself, but wounded his adversary, who died after lingering for months. I have still in my possession the oldfashioned pistols with which this duel was fought, which
my deceased friend presented to me at the time of our
early acquaintance.  It was during the period of his
captivity that he devoted himself, for want of other occupation, to thoroughly reading up French history, and
storing his mind with that mass of details upon which
hle was accustomed to draw for his future novels without having to refer to books.
After the pacification, he returned to England with
the intention of devoting himself to a diplomatic career.
His father had some interest with LORD LIVERPOOL, then
Prime Minister, and he secured from him the promise




JAIMES AND SIR WALTER SCOTT.         189
of an early vacancy for his son. Shortly afterward
LORD LIVERPOOL informed CAPTAIN JAMES that he could
give his son the position of Secretary to an Extraordinary Embassy about to be sent to China, but that he did
not advise him to accept it, as it was only of a temporary
character, and would not necessarily lead to preferment,
whereas he expected to be able soon to find for him a
position in the regular corps.  Following this advice,
the proffered place was declined, and a week thereafter LORD LIVERPOOL suddenly died of a stroke of apoplexy.
In the mean time young JAMES had written "Richelieu," his first work of fiction. HIe had kept his manuscript
concealed from his father, who belonged to the old class
of the LAIRD OF AUCHINLECK, who considered it a degradation for a gentleman to print a book. HIe managed,
however, to obtain an introduction to SIR WALTER SCOTT;
and, taking his manuscript with him, lie went to Abbotsford, and with the temerity of a fledgling, asked SIR
WALTER to read it, and give him his opinion of it. This
the great man promised to do. Six months passed, and
no news came from Scotland. One day JAMES was riding
in Bond Street, when his horse shying, pressed against
the side of a carriage which happened to be passing.
There was but one person in it. Putting out his head
to see what was the matter, this person, who happened
to be SIR WALTER, who had just come to town, recognized the young author, and invited him to call upon him
at his hotel the next morning. JAMES went, of course,
and, to his surprise and delight, received from SIR WALTER the warmest encomium of his book. I-e was further
so kind as, at his request, to reduce to writing what he




190          fllE MORIES OF 1zANY MENV.
had said of it. Possessed of this, Mlr. JAMES easily found
a publisher, to whom, however, he sold his copyright for
a song.  " Richelieu " was immensely successful, and his
next books, of which he retained the ownership, brought
him very large prices for those days.
When Mr. JAMES first came to New York, he took
lodgings with his family at the New York Hotel. IIe
had not been here a week before I began to see him almost daily. For some time he was busy presenting his
letters of introduction. Among others, he had one to
IloRACE GREELEY, and lie personally called with it upon
the philosopher. lie found him within, and directly after his interview with him, he came to me. He summed
up the impression produced upon him by Mr. GREELEY
by saying that he had " the head of a SOCRATES and the
face of a baby!"
hMr. JAMES soon found a residence in a hotel incompatible with the prosecution of any literary labor. So many
people constantly called upon him that he had no command whatever of his own time. Accordingly he desired
to find a place, a little out of town, if possible, where he
could be comparatively free from intrusion. After some
looking around, he was offered and finally made an agreement to hire IMr. CIIABLES ASTOR BRISTED'S house at Hell
Gate, opposite Astoria.  The house, which originally belonged to Mr. BRISTED'S grandfather, the late Mr. JOHN
JACOB ASTOR, was not adapted to winter occupation, and
was only partly furnished. After he had removed to it,
JAMES came to me with a plaintive account of his difficulties in getting into it, and of his discomforts when
he got there. A day or two thereafter he sent me the
following amusiing lines, and was to finish the story of




THIE JO UJNEY TO HELL GATE.               191
his mishaps in a second "fytte," which, hlowever, I presume he never wrote, as it never came to hand.
THE JOURNEY TO HELL GATE.
Dear FIELD, I will give you a picture, in verse,
Of disasters it grieves my steel-pen to rehearse,
As trotting fast on the high-road to the devil,
All cookless, and manless, with coachman uncivil,
We set out by some strange arrangement of Fate,
To make our abode just outside of Hell Gate.
But first let me show you the course of the packing,
The cramming, the jamming, the wracking, the cracking;
With boxes too few to contain all our store,
And each minute bringing some thingumbob more;
While WALTER, and COURTNEY, and FLORENCE, and I,
To put gallons in pint-pots laboriously try,
And CHARLIE himself must have finger in pie.
The scene was the parlor, the whole was dramatic,
And wanting in naught but a little salt attic:
In her own quiet chamber, hard by, " Stabat Mater,"
And first of the histrions, " loquitur Pater."
G. P. R. —"Come bustle, come bustle, come bundle the traps,
Come pack up the bonnets and poke in the caps!
The porters are damning,
The doors are all slammling,
Portmanteaus are cramming;
Come, fill up the gaps!"
C.-" Oh  er  e  o, dear     o  dear!
How marvelous queer!
Here's WHIPPLE'S oration got in the slop-pail 1"
G. P. R.-" Leave it there,
And don't stare,
It will very well fare.




192             MIE3lMORIES OF IMANY 3MEN.
One half the world's verse,
More than half of its prose
Is slop, and at last to the slop-pail it goes."
F.-" Here are EVERETT'S speeches; oh, where shall they
go?"
G. P. R.-" On Fame's highest platform, where clouds are below,
And sunshine above them, and clearness around,
And flowers few, but lovely, bespangle the groundBut I'm thinking of tropes, when I should think of locks,
For CICERO, printed, must go in a boxPut him in beside SUMNER-"
F.-" They'll never agree."
G. P. R.-"Jam them tight,
They.can't fight,
At least for one night,
However opposed to each other they be."
W.-" Here are IRVING and LOWELL and HAWTHORNE and
HOLMES,
And BRYANT and TUCIERMAN, too;
And hundreds of vagrant poetical tomesOh, dearie me! what shall I do 2"
G. P. R.-"Put IRVING and ADDISON close side by side,
And GOLDSMITH as near as may be;
Three such kindred spirits may well take a ride,
E'en were it to Eternity.'Tis but to Hell Gate,
And the fiat of Fate
Has decreed that they should not go in:
For the devil himself,
Though a covetous elf,
Would not suffer such spirits within.
The English poet would preach peace
To damned souls longing for release;
The Irishman would teach simplicity
To knaves condemned for earth's duplicity;




THE JOURNEY TO HELL GATE.                  193
And tears and smiles at IRVING'S voice
Would deck the face of hard remorse,
Till, all forgetful of the curse,
Hell's tenants would themselves rejoice,
And RIP VAN WINKLE'S solemn souls,
With laughter cheer their game at bowls.
Put them in! put them in!'Tis a traveling sin
To waste time in packing a box to a pin.
If the binding is hurt,'Tis but the bard's shirt;
He himself will be found
All immortal and sound
Whatever may happen to damage his skin."
C.-" Here's Mr. THACKERAY."
G. P. R.-" He rhymes to quackery."
W.-" Here's CHARLIE DICKENS,
And his whole brood of chickens."
F.-" Here are HALLAM and HUNT,
And JOHNSON and BLUNT,
And a score or two more
Lying round on the floor."
G. P. R.-" Cram them in! cram them in!'Tis a traveling sin
To waste time in packing a box to a pin."
W. —' Here are papers,
And tapers,
And rapiers,
And capers,
And things from the drapers.'
C.-" Here are pistols,
And crystals,
And rifles,
And trifles,
I




194:            OIEMIORIES OF MIANY lMESV.
And holsters,
And bolsters,
And beds made of osier,
And things from the hosier,
And boxes of furs,
To say nothing of curs,
And poor little Frizzy."*
G. P. R.-" You make my head dizzy.
Cram them in! cram them in!'Tis a traveling sin
To waste time in packing a box to a pin."
W.-"They're all in at last!"
C.-"Don't get on so fast!
Here are lucifer matches,
And a box for dispatches."
F.-" A pair of nail-nippers,
An old pair of slippers
That came from Morocco,
And lots of rococco."
G. P. R. —" All presents from friends I shall never see more,
Till the journey of life, like this journey, is o'er;
But their gifts still to fancy shall call back their faces,
And yield the dead present the past's living graces.
Oh! put them by safe, for an hour oft may come
When I long for some sight to remind me of homeOf that home o'er the waters, where hope's early sight
First presented the world all resplendent and bright;
Where memories crowd, and the flowers of past years
Blossomed forth in life's morn to be watered by tears:
Like the lily, that opens its breast for one day,
And closes forever at evening's last ray!
The dear ones around us the present may cheer,
But we can not forget there were others as dear.
* A certain traveled and highly accomplished spaniel-a fiiend
of the family.




THE JOURNEY TO HELL GATE.                  195
Kind friends may be near us-bright skies overheadBut we still must remember the land of our dead;
And, though this new world my dead ashes may share,
One half of my heart is, at least, buried there!
On, on with your work
W.-" It is done"
C.-                       "Oh, what fun!
We shall get there ere nightfall, as sure as a gun!"
G. P. R.-" But the cart's breaking down with the weight of
the packages."
W.-"Ere'tis home, there will be a rare number of crackages."
G. P. R.-" And the wine's left behind, t'other end of the city;
We must temperate dine —"
C.-" Dear me, what a pity!"
G. P. R.-" Well, you all get into the carriage and go,
And I will run off to the stores down below;
Of barrels and bottles make speedy purveyance,
And follow you fast in some other conveyance."'Tis all doneThey are gone,
Wife, daughter, and sons,
Cart, carriage, and boxes, beds, bolsters, and guns;
While, like a sea-weed on some oyster-bed thrown,
I am left on the pave of New York alone.
[Ye end of ye Firste Fytte.]
It will be seen from the foregoing specimen that Mr.
JAMES wrote capital squibs.  I find a copy of another
transcribed in my scrap-book, where two were concerned, and where I am  not sure that JAMES came off with
the highest honors.




196            JIE MiIORIES OF  IANY lItElE.
On the 25th day of December (Christmas), 1840, when
the excitement in diplomatic circles upon the subject of
the so-called Eastern question was at its height, he dined
with SIR HAMILTON and LADY SEYMOUR in Brussels. SEYMouR's note of invitation ran: "Will you and your wife
come and eat a turkey with us "  The dinner was a
very good one, but there was no turkey; and on the following day Mr. JAMES sent to him the lines below:
" ON THE NOTORIOUS BREACH OF POLITICAL FAITH COMMITTED BY
SIR G. HAMILTON SEYMOUR, G. C. H., ETC., ETC., ETC., HER
BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY AT THE
COURT OF BELGIUM, ON THE 25TH OF DECEMBER, 1840.
"Most perfidious, most base of all living ministers,
You deserve to fall back to the rank of plain misters;
Your star taken off, and your chain only serving
To fetter your ankles selon your deserving.
Don't think that my charge is some trumpery matter
Of Court etiquette. It is greater and fatter; i
Fit cause throughout Europe to spread conflagration,
Set king against kaiser, and nation'gainst nation.'Tis a fraud diplomatic-a protocol brokenThe breach of a treaty both written and spokenA matter too bad for e'en Thiers's digestionThe loss of an empire, the great Eastern question!
In vain would you move my ambition or pityIn vain would you offer me province or cityNeither Bordeaux, nor Xeres, nor eke all Champagne,
Can make me forgetful of promises vain.
Such pitiful make-weights I send to perdition;'Twas Turkey you promised-at least a partition.'Twas Turkey you promised-you've broken your word.'Twas Turk7ey you promised-and where is the bird?"
To the above, SEYMOUR sent the following answer within an hour after he received it:




AN EQUIVOCAL COMPLIlMENT.             197
"Of Eastern affairs most infernally sick,
No wonder I failed to my promise to stick.
With the subject of Turkey officially crammed,
If Turkey I dined on, I swore I'd be d-cl.
But, at least, my good friend, and the thought should bring
peace,
If I gave you no Turcey, I gave you no Greece!
While Mr. JAMES was residing at Hell Gate, a gentleman of wealth, and of the best social standing in New
York, came to see me, and requested me to appoint a time
when I would drive there with him and introduce him
to the novelist. A day and an hour were decided upon
sufficiently far ahead to enable me to notify Mr. JAMES
about it. When the time arrived, we went there in my
friend's carriage, and the desired introduction took place.
After the usual words of salutation had passed between
them, the visitor observed to Mr. JAMES that h1e was a
great admirer of his novels, that he believed he had read
all that were published, and that there was one among
them  which he vastly preferred to all the others."
" And which is that?' asked JAMES. "The Last Days
of Pompeii!" was the answer.  " That is BULWER'S, not
mine," replied the mortified novelist.  It was awkward
enough for all present, and JAMES never forgave that
man, as few in his place would do. I am in the habit
of meeting him  in the street almost daily, and I never
do so without thinking of his unpardonably absurd mistake.
I once heard something which was so good that I
could not forbear repeating it to the creator of the " solitary horseman.'  It ran thus: A lady spending the summer in the country was thrown upon the not very exten



198          iIMEIMORIES OF MANY MIEV.
sive resources of a village circulating-library for books.
She was one day pleased to find there, and took home
with her, a copy of an English edition of one of JAxES's
novels in two volumes. She read them through with delight, and only after finishing discovered that she had
been perusing the first volume of one work and the second volume of another! Nothing but our great intimacy could excuse me for telling this to JAMES, but he
winced under it. Mr. JAMES passed the next summer
at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he hired the Ashburner House furnished. I had already spent several
successive summers in that lovely spot. There was no
neighborhood in America at that time so distinguished
for its literary society. The SEDGWICKS were the most
conspicuous family, and their influence had done much
to attract cultivated people there. Mrs. SUSAN SEDGWICK, widowed daughter-in-law of THEODORE SEDGWICK,
some time Speaker of the House of Representatives of
the United States, resided in the old manor-house at
Stockbridge, and Mrs. HENRY SEDGWICK lived in the
same village.  Mr. and Mrs. CHARLES SEDGWICK, and
Miss CATHARINE SEDGWICK, the authoress, resided at Lenox, five miles off. With them Mrs. PIERCE BIUTLER, n.ee
FANNY KEMBLE, was a frequent visitor, until she purchased a residence for herself in the vicinity. Doctor
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES had a summer-seat near Pittsfield, in the same county. HERMAN MELVILLE, the author of " Typee" and "Omoo," occupied a fine old place
between Pittsfield and Lenox. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
resided in a little box of a house, which looked like a
district school-house, near the Lenox Lake. GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS frequented Lenox, as DARLEY, the artist,




THE SEDCG WICKS.              199
and DAVID DUDLEY FIELD did Stockbridge, where iMrs.
FIELD owned an old family residence; CsYus W. FIELD
was a frequent visitor there, and the Rev. Dr. ORVILLE
DEWEY made his home at Sheffield, south of Stockbridge.
Besides those whom I have named, there were numerous
other distinguished people who were constantly coming
and going. There is no more beautiful interior county in America than Berkshire, and there was none other in those days where refinement and culture were
so universal. Every where the influence of the SEDGWIcax made itself felt, and affected the tone of society.
This reminds me of a little story. About this time Mr.
SIGOUBNEY BARKER, son of the famous banker JACOB
BARIKER, of New York and NTew Orleans, came to Lenox
to visit his sister, who had a beautiful estate there.
Mr. BARKER was well known as a young gentleman of
fashion, and a society man. Some three weeks after
his arrival, a friend who had just come from NNew York
called upon him  and found him  at home. "Well,
BARKER," lie asked, "what do you do with yourself
here V"  "Oh, nothing," was the listless answer. "Why,
don't you shoot?.  I understand that there is capital
woodcock-shooting in the neighborhood."  "Oh, no; I
never shoot."' "And I am told that there is excellent
trout - fishing'in the mountain streams. You fish, of
course?"  "Nlever did such a thing in my life," BARKER indolently replied.  "But the  society here is
charming, and that is exactly in your line. You surely
enjoy that?"  "I never go out any more."  "Why,
what in the world has happened to you, old fellow "
"Well," drawled SIGOURNEY, "I suppose that you won't
let me off until I confess the whole truth, and here it is:




200           MIlELSORIES OF MANY MEN.
For the first ten days that I was here, I was out all the
time at evening parties, picnics, expeditions to the iceglen, and all sorts of things. I was charmed for a while;
but at last, when I was driving home of an evening, it
came to seem to me that the katydids and the frogs and
the tree-toads had but one song, and that was'Sedgwick! Sedg-wick! Sedg-wick!' Since then I have kept
to the house, and the most seductive invitations fail to
lure me from it."
Every body there remembers Mrs. PIERCE BUTLER,
who was always called by her maiden name of FANNY
KEMrBLE. She was certainly a lady of great genius, gifted with many masculine accomplishments. I distinctly
remember a certain evening party at the Sedgwick Manor-house. When I arrived, I found Mrs. BUTLER at the
piano in the front drawing-room, singing Spanish ballads,
which she did very sweetly and effectively. After a time
she ceased singing and entered into conversation with me.
Her arms, which she called her " deformities," were bare,
and they, as well as her face, were very much burned by
the sun. She told me that she had been out all the day
alone upon the lake, fishing; that she had had no dinner; that when she returned to the house, she for the
first time heard of the party for that evening, and that
she had not had the time to both eat and dress without
detaining the rest of the family. The result was that she
had not tasted food since breakfast, and felt very faint
and exhausted. All this time she was carelessly drumming the keys of the piano. At length she arose from
her seat and slowly sauntered into the back drawing-room,
while I remained standing where I was. After a short
interval, hearing very loud, talking in the other room, I




FANNY KE3MBLE IN PRIVATE.           201
lounged into it to see what it meant. The rear of the
house was very near the Iousatonic, and it had a baywindow on that side. Seated in this window, with her
back to the river, was FANNY KEMBLE, and sitting on
either side of her were the Rev. Dr. PARKER and the Rev.
JUSTIN FIELD, both clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal
Church. Thereupon I drew up a chair, and, facing the
lady, completed thepartie carree. She was doing the talking just then, and her subject was horses, for which animals she had a passionate fondness. From horses in general, she soon passed to war or cavalry horses. "By the
bye," she went on to say, " this reminds me that the last
time I was in England I met SIR HARRY SMITH. He told
me that he was a captain of horse at Waterloo, but that his
command was not called into action during the day. In
the afternoon the DUKE OF WELLINGTON, at the head of his
staff, rode up to where he was, and called to him,' Come,
sir, get your troop in motion-get your troop in motion!'
Now SIR IARRY did not yet know any thing about the
fortunes of the day; so, saluting his commander, he hesitatingly asked,'Which way, sir?'"  As she gave the
Duke's reply, she rose to her feet like a tragedy queen,
and, with clenched hand, shouted, "Forward, sir, by
God!"  At this her immediate auditors started as if
electrified; but she calmly resumed her chair, and went
on with the conversation as if unconscious that she had
violated any of the proprieties.  She soon fell a-talking
about the transmigration of souls, Brahminism, and I can
not recall what besides. When I withdrew from  the
party she was still engaged with some subject of mystical theology.
And this reminds me of a little excursion which DAR12




202          IMEMfORIES OF iMANY MIEN.
LEY, the artist, and myself once made together from
Stockbridge. We started in a buggy to call upon MELVILLE, intending to go from there to Dr. tOLMES'S, then
to the hotel at Pittsfield to dine, and thence home. We
found MELVILLE, whom I had always known as the most
silent man of my acquaintance, sitting on the porch in
front of his door. He took us to a particular spot on his
place to show us some superb trees. Ile told me that he
spent much time there pacttin  them  upon the bac/7.
When we were about to start for Dr. HOLMES'S, we invited
MELVILLE to accompany us, and he accepted. We found
the poet-physician, to whom I was presented for the first
time, at home, and he took us into a room at the back of
his house, which overlooked the mountains. For some
time the talk, in which all tried to participate, dragged,
and I feared that our visit would only result in boring
our host, if not ourselves. At length, somehow, the conversation drifted to East India religions and mythologies,
and soon there arose a discussion between HOLMES and
MELVILLE, which was conducted with the most amazing
skill and brilliancy on both sides. It lasted for hours,
and DARLEY and I had nothing to do but to listen. I
never chanced to hear better talking in my life. It was
so absorbing that we took no note of time, and the Doctor lost his dinner, as we lost ours. We took tea at Pittsfield, instead of dining there, and reached home late in
the evening.
But I have very discourteously left Mr. JAMES all this
time standing in his new house with his boxes unpacked.
It took him a very short time to convert it into a home,
and to fall into regular habits of living there. His nature was so genial, and his fund of recollections and an



TWIN A UTHORSHiP.              203
ecdotes so inexhaustible, that he soon became the friend
of every man, woman, and child who lived in his neighborhood. He bought property there; but I fear that,
notwithstanding his long India-rubber boots and affectation of rustic attire, he was not a success as a farmer.
In the mean time he was also industriously pegging
away at book-making, although to the casual observer
he appeared to be the least occupied man in the place.
lie never did any literary work after eleven o'clock A.M.
until evening. I-e was not accustomed to put his own
hand to paper, when composing, but always employed an
amanuensis. At this time he had in his service in that
capacity the brother of an Irish baronet, who spoke and
wrote English, French, German, and Italian, and whom I
had procured for him at the modest stipend of five dollars a week. When JAMES was dictating, he always kept
a paper of snuff upon the table on which his secretary
wrote, and he would stride up and down the room, stopping every few minutes for a fresh supply of the titillating powder. He never looked at the manuscript, or
made any corrections except upon proof-sheets.
During the first few weeks that he and I were together at Stockbridge, I related to him several detached incidents in my own experience which I thought he might
advantageously work up in his fictions. One day he told
me that he was determined that we should write a novel
together. The idea appeared to me an absurd one, and
I discouraged it in every possible way, among other
things telling him that I was sure that either of us could
better write a book alone than we could write one together.  But he would not be denied, and moreover
he insisted that we should set to work at once. I con



204           MEA1MOf1 IES OF iMANY IMEN
tinued to object, but saying I "would ne'er consentconsented."
It was a very few evenings after this conversation that
we met at his house to construct our plot. After two
hours' consideration, we completed it; but I may as well
mention that, before we reached the middle of the book,
we had deviated so far from it that we had to recast it.
Our daily habit while engaged upon this work was as
follows: At seven o'clock every evening we would retire into his library, and each read to the other what he
had written on that day. Some filing and dovetailing
was generally necessary to make the parts fit. Then we
would determine what each was to do the next day-up
to what point he was to carry the story. Now the hero
was mine, and the heroine was Mr. JAMEs'S, and we were
constantly and inevitably, in the progress of the tale,
each distorting the ideal conception of the other. But
we got over this the best way we could. After our
evening's consultation, we retired to the dining-room,
and usually supped upon a finnie haddock, prepared in
national style by a Scotch cook. MIr. JAMES threw all
his heart, which was as fresh as that of a boy, into a
book. While he was writing a story, it was a reality to
him. I remember that in our joint work, the wife at
one time ran away from her husband, for we married
our hero and heroine in the middle of the book, and left
them, like young bears, to find all their troubles afterward. She left a letter behind her, explaining her reasons for going. It fell to Mr. JAMES'S lot to write that
letter, and when he read it to me his voice was choked,
and lie was overcome by emotion. JAMES'S style was so
well known to the public, and mine not at all, that I




HA WTHORNE'S SHYNESS.             205
naturally endeavored to assimilate mine to his, and with
good success, as the sequel proved. In five weeks after
the book was commenced it was finished, and it was
published under the title of " Adrian; or, The Clouds of
the Mind."  It was very kindly received by the critics,
and attracted attention by the singularity of its dual
authorship. I remember that my esteemed friend, MIr.
IRICHARD GRANT WHITE, reviewed it at length in the New
York Covrier and Enqzuirer. He undertook to assign
particular passages to each of us, and in almost every
instance he was mistaken. There was an old house described in the first chapter. Mr. WHITE said that if I
had written that, I had better undertake to write "Rejected Addresses."  Now, every word of it was mine.
I had in my mind the old " Salstonstall " house, near
New Haven.
One day JAMES and I started to call upon HAWTHORNE.
As we approached his dwelling, we saw him in a vegetable garden at the side of it. As soon as he noticed
our approach, he concealed himself, like a frightened
school-boy, behind the house, and when we asked for
him at the door, we were told that he was not at home.
Tradition related that nobody had succeeded in interviewing him since he had first settled at Lenox.
Some time in the year 1852 Mr. JAMES was appointed
Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Norfolk, Virginia, and
later at Richmond, in the same state. In 1858 he was
made British Consul-General at Venice, and left this
country forever. I was with him during the last evening that he spent in America, at the Union Place Hotel,
in New York. WASHINGTON IRVING, between whom and
himself there existed a sincere friendship, was also with




206          lJEMlIORIES OF iLMANY lJEIV.
us. JAMES was telling us about all the kindness which
he had received in Virginia.  "'They're a warm-hearted
people-they're a warm-hearted people!" he said, while
tears came into his eyes.  The next morning I accompanied him to the steamer, and took my final leave of
him.  He died in Venice, after a comparatively short
residence there.
If he was sometimes a tedious writer, he was always
the best story-teller that I ever listened to.  He had
known almost every body in his own country, and he
never forgot any thing.  The literary anecdotes alone
which I have heard him relate would suffice to fill an
ordinary volume.  He was a big-hearted man, tootender, merciful, and full of religious sentiment; a good
husband, a devoted father, and a fast friend. If I dwell
longer upon him than upon some others who occupy a
higher niche in the temple of fame, it is because I knew
him so well, and there always existed so affectionate a
regard between us.
I have already mentioned that in consequence of their
alleged connivance in the enlistment of soldiers for the
British Army upon American soil during the Crimean
War, the Washington Government not only dismissed
her Majesty's Minister at that capital, but also withdrew
their exequaturs from her Consuls at New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. When I was in England in the
year 1856, I made some efforts to induce Mr. JAIES's
friends to secure for him the vacant Consulship at New
York. But his own political party was not then in power, and whatever attempt, if any, was made by them,
failed of success. LORD DERBY'S adherents did not like
to ask favors of LORD PALMERSTON'S administration.




CONSUL-MAKING.                    207
Among others, I wrote in his behalf to the DUIKES OF
NORTHUMBERLAND and WELLINGTON and the MARQUIS OF
DALHOUSIE, who had just returned home from  the Governor-Generalship of India.  I received the following
replies to my letters:
" NORTHUMBERLAND HOUSE, June 20, 1856.
" SIR,-I entirely agree with you in the expressions contained in
your letter of the 18th inst. in favor of Mr. JAMES. I have long
had the pleasure of his acquaintance, and, therefore, have long esteemed and respected him. But I can not consent to take a part
in the transaction you propose, as it would not produce the effect
you anticipate.    Yours faithfully,    NORTHUMBERLAND.
" MAUNSELL B. FIELD, Esq."
"LONDON, June 19, 1856.
"SIR,-I am much obliged to you for your letter.
"A few days since I had an opportunity of talking to LORD
CLARENDON respecting Mr. JAMES, and I have hopes that his position may be improved. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient,
humble servant,                              WELLINGTON.
"M. B. FIELD, Esq."
"EDINBURGH, June 30, 1856.
" SIR, —Your letter of the 18th inst. did not reach me until very
lately, in consequence of my having left London before it was delivered at my address there.
" I can not pretend to the possession of any influence with her
Majesty's Ministers; and I am, of course, ignorant of the course
they intend to pursue with regard to the Consuls from whom the
exequatur has been withdrawn.
"But you judge rightly in believing that I should be glad to
serve Mr. JAMEs if I could; and if a proper opportunity for doing
so should present itself, I will not let it pass. I have the honor to
be, sir, your obedient servant,                DALHOUSIE.
"M. B. FIELD, Esq."
I have already devoted so much space to Mr. JAMES
that it would be hardly fair to detain the reader to list



208           3IMEJMORIES OF MJANY MENV.
en to many of the anecdotes which I heard from him.
He had been personally acquainted with SCOTT, CAMPBELL, SOUTHEY, WORDSWORTH, DE QUINCEY, BYRON, and
all the brilliant galaxy of poets and prose writers which
illuminated the earlier part of the present century. lHe
told me that the first time he met the author of the
"Pleasures of Hope" he was taken to his residence, which
was at Camden Town, or one of the other suburbs of
London. It was a poor place; and he found the great
lyric poet in a green-baize jacket, smoking a clay pipe!
CAMPBELL sometimes showed at LONGMAN's literary dinners. Upon these occasions a screen was placed behind
his chair, and behind that screen stood a table with a decanter of spirits upon it. To the latter he made such
frequent application that he was usually under the dinner-table before the fish was removed.
JAMES intimately knew IOGG," the Ettrick Shepherd."
They were one day dining together at a table where
HOGG happened to be seated next to a daughter of SIR
WILLIAM DRYSDALE. She was a charming young lady
-unaffected, affable, and clever. To some remark which
he made, she replied, "You're a funny man, Mr. HOGG;"
to which he instantly rejoined, "And ye're a nice lassie, Miss DRYSDALE. dNearly all girls are like a bundle
of pens cut by the same machine-ye're not of the
bundle."  JAMES once arranged a party for an excursion
to Lake St. Mary, and it was proposed to stop at HOGG)s
house on the way, and take him up. Before they reached it, however, they saw a man fishing in the Yarrow,
not very far from the high-road. The fisherman, as soon
as he noticed a carriageful of people, whose attention
was apparently attracted to himself, gathered up his rod,




lOGG AND BYRON.                 209
and started to run in an opposite direction as fast as his
legs could-carry him. JAMES descended from  the carriage, and shouted after him at the top of his voice. But
it was of no use —the fugitive never stopped until he
reached an elevated spot of ground, when he turned
around to watch the movements of the intruders.  Recognizing JAMES, he laughingly returned his greeting, and,
approaching him, said-I translate his Scotch dialect
into the vernacular-" Why, JAMES, my boy, how are you?
I took you for some of those rascally tourists who come
down upon me in swarms, and eat me out of house and
home."  His fears removed, he accompanied the party
to the lake, and they had a merry day of it.
IOGG'S egotism was very amusing. Witness the following extract from his "Familiar Anecdotes of Sir Walter Scott:"
"One of SIR WALTER'S representatives has taken it upon
him to assert that SIR WALTER held me in the lowest contempt! He never was further wrong in his life; but
SIR WALTER would have been still further wrong if he
had done so. Of that, posterity will judge."
JAMES was a mere youth at the time of his acquaintance with IBYRON. The latter used to call him "little
devil," and at one time proposed taking him abroad with
him.  He had frequent opportunities of noticing BYRON'S lameness; and upon a certain occasion, when they
happened to meet at a fashionable hatter's on the Strand,'his attention was particularly attracted to it. When lie
cane in, the poet was seated before a table with his feet
crossed under it. The boy (for boy he was) being somewhat piqued because BYRoN had not interrupted the conversation in which he was engaged, to be civil to him,




210           MEMORIES OF MANY  IEN.
withdrew to the other side of the shop.  Standing there,
leaning against a counter, he satisfied his own mind that
the lame foot was the left one. In this statement he
disagreed with MOORE. The biographer says in a note:
"In speaking of this lameness at the commencement of
my work, I forbore, both from my own doubts upon the
subject, and the great variance I found in the recollections of others, from  stating in which of his feet the
lameness existed. It will, indeed, with difficulty be believed what uncertainty I found upon this point, even
among those most intimate with him. Mr. HUNT, in his
book, states it to have been the left foot that was deformed; and this, though contrary to my own impression,
and, as it appears, also to the fact, was the opinion I
found also of others who had been much in the habit of
living with him.  On applying to his early friends at
Southwell, and to the shoemaker of that town who worked for him, so little were they prepared to answer with
any certainty on the subject, that it was only by recollecting that the lame foot'was the off one in going up
the street,' they at last came to the conclusion that his
right limb was the one affected; and M1r. JACKSON, his
preceptor in pugilism, was, in like manner, obliged to
call to mind whether his noble pupil was a right or left
hand hitter before he could arrive at the same decision."
And yet, after all, I am inclined to think that JAMES was
right and MooRE mistaken.
Many years ago I met at the " Sailor's Snug Harbor,"
near Port Richmond, Staten Island, a venerable old pensioner named WILLIAM GIRDIIAM. He was the son of an
English sailing-master who fell at Trafalgar, and had
himself seen many years' service in the British Navy. In




BYRON'S PERSONAL TRAITS.            211
the year 1810 he was a seaman attached to the frigate
Salsette, CAPTAIN BATHURST, on board of which LORD
B3YRON embarked at Smyrna on the 11th of April in
that year, and in which he remained as a guest, except
when on shore. at Constantinople, until he was landed at
the Island of Zea, toward the end of the succeeding
July.  GIRDHAM, being all this time cockswain of the
Captain's gig, and always accompanying LORD BYRON in
his frequent excursions upon the water, had abundant opportunities of observing the peculiarities of the noble poet.
When LORD BYRON and LIEUTENANT EKENHEAD performed the feat of swimming from Sestos to Abydos,
GIRDHAM  steered the boat that followed them. According to his statement, three or four times before they
reached their destination, BYRON swam up to the boat,
and, holding on to the side for a minute or two, took
some refreshment to strengthen him.  EKENRUEAD, lhe
asserted, was much the better swimmer of the two; that
is, he swain faster and more gracefully. When they
reached the opposite shore, neither of them appeared to
be exhausted.
It was BYRON'S habit while at Constantinople to swim
early every morning in the Bosphorus. Upon these occasions GIRDHAM represented himself to have been his
only companion.  He rowed him  out daily, he said,
to a particular spot at six o'clock. His Lordship, who always provided himself with two eggs and a few biscuits,
would, after undressing, toss one of the eggs into the air
with all his strength. Then, noticing where it struck
the water, he would swim after it. This proceeding he
would repeat with the other egg, and afterward dress
himself, eat his biscuits, and return to town.




212           ITMEMIORIES OF MrANY MEN.
I questioned GIRDHAM about BYRoN's lameness. I-e
said that he had a very distinct remembrance of it. The
heel of one of the poet's boots was from three eighths to
one half of an inch higher than the other, and the toes of
the foot to which it belonged he turned in when walking. This inequality of gait was, however, so slight that
a person might be some time in his company without
perceiving it. GIRDHAM was sure that the left foot was
the imperfect one. He noticed that when he was in the
water he was almost powerless with the left leg. Iis attention was so frequently called to this circumstance,
that he was certain that he could not be mistaken in his
recollection of it.
At this period of his life BYRON appeared much older
than he really was. He was born on the 22d of January,
1788, and consequently, in May, 1810, was a little more
than two-and-twenty. And yet to the eyes of my informant he then looked at least thirty. Hie was already
quite corpulent. His shoulders were broad and his waist
slender. When undressed, however, his limbs appeared
less muscular than one would expect to find them.
His manners were affable, communicative, and joyous.
HIe was a great favorite with the sailors, both on account
of his liberality and the frankness of his intercourse with
them. HoII-IOSE, who was of the party, and whose bearing was more reserved and aristocratic, was less liked.
BYnoN's dress upon ordinary occasions was exceedingly plain and unpretending. lie had an English love for
soap and water, and was always scrupulously neat about
his person. When on board the frigate, he spent most of
his mornings in the Captain's cabin, reading and writing.
Upon the plain of Troy, GI1DHIAM remained three days




BYRON'S PERSOVAL TRAITS.            213
with the poet. On their return to the water's edge, there
was some delay about the boat. LORD BYRON directed
that his writing-desk be brought to him, which he placed
upon his knees, and before they were ready to embark he
had " covered a sheet of paper with verses."
Upon another occasion, GIRDHAM was sent with a boat
from Scutari, where LORD BYRON happened to be with
CAPTAIN BATHURST, to get some casks of wine. Upon its
return, the boat was upset, and the casks floated off. BYION'S anxiety was all for the man, the Captain's for the
wine-probably because he knew that the man was in
ino danger.
When BYRON was landed at the Island of Zea, he went
ashore with a kid under each arm.
It is proper for me to add that, having myself visited
that part of the world, and being tolerably familiar with
its topography, I was able to confirm in my own mind
the accuracy of GIRDHAM's descriptions. His recollections of the poet were given with but few leading questions from me, and there was an air of truth about him
which satisfied me that he was drawing upon his memory,
and not " spinning a yarn." I asked him, for my own information, the meaning of the word "Salsette," the name
of CAPTAIN BATHURST'S frigate. He replied that it is the
name of an island near Bombay-that he was himself at
Bombay with the frigate, and that he sailed in her in all
ten years. In the year 1815, disgusted with the smallness of a pension which his sisters were receiving from
the Government, lie left the service.  Since then he had
been employed in merchant vessels belonging principally
to Philadelphia and New York, until laid upon the shelf
by age. When I saw him he was about seventy years
old, and a fine specimen of an intelligent, veteran tar.




214           MIETIORIES OF MJIANY JIMEN
There are many engraved portraits of LORD BYRON,
but it is said that none of them are very like him. Mr.
JAMES assured me that the face of the Macedonian monarch in PAUL VERONESE'S celebrated picture of "Alexander in the Tent of Darius," in Venice, is the exact image of his Lordship. Standing before it one day with a
lady, he mentioned the extraordinary likeness to her,
when the cicerone who accompanied them said, "Ah, sir!
I see that you knew my old master well. Many a time
since his death have I stood and gazed upon that face,
which recalled his own so vividly!"
That picture has a curious history, and I may well
deviate here a moment to relate it. The artist was invited by a hospitable family to spend some time with
them at their villa upon the banks of the Brenta. While
in the house, his habits were very peculiar. He remained
in his room the greater part of the time, and refused to
allow any one to enter it upon any pretext. The maid
was not even permitted to make his bed, and every
morning she found the sweepings of the room at the
door, whence she was at liberty to remove them. One
day the painter suddenly disappeared. The door of the
room was found open. The sheets were gone from the
bed. The frightened servant reported to the master that
they had been stolen. A search was instituted. In one
corner of the room was found a large roll. Upon opening it, it proved to be a magnificent picture —the famous
"Alexander in the Tent of Darius." Upon close inspection it was discovered that it was painted upon the sheets
of the bed! The artist had left it as a present to the
family, and had taken this curious method to show his
gratitude for their kindness.




CHAPTER IV.
IHAD a less intimate acquaintance with THACKERAY
when in this country than with JAMES, but I also
knew the former very well. We used constantly to meet
on Saturday evenings at the Century Club, of NewYork,
which then occupied a modest house on Clinton Place.
Mr. THACKERAY very much enjoyed the company and the
entertainment that he always found there, and sometimes
protracted his visits late into the night. I-Ie usually unbent his bow to a very slack cord, and his propensity to
ironical teasing he seldom laid aside. I happened to be
there one evening after all had left except THAGCKERAY,
GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS, and LEUTZE, the painter. THACIKERAY and CURTIS fell to talking about a most respectable
young lady whom we all knew. THACIKERAY was unlimited in his expressions of admiration for her, in some of
which Mr. CURTIS, in the most gentleman-like manner,
declined to concur.
We were all surprised, and, I confess, somewhat
shocked to hear THACKERAY close the discussion by saying, "Well, CuRTIs, you may say what you please about
her, but she is a devilish good fellow!"  He then took
out his watch, said that it was late, and that he must go
home.   To-morrow," he said, " I have to accompany a
lady to church. In the afternoon I shall go to Philadelphia. When I arrive there, I mean to go directly to the
Club, and forthwith begin to intoxicate myself."  Of




216           JIEfIlORIES OF MJIANY iMEN.
course, this was mere badinage, but it was THACKERAY
all over.
JENNY LIND, the world-renowned singer, arrived at
New York on a Sunday, in the month of September, in
the year 1850. I had hardly reached my office on Monday morning before a messenger came there from her,
bringing a letter of introduction in her favor, I think
from the BARINGS, of London, to my law-partner, Mr.
JOHN JAY, with the request that he would immediately
call upon her at the Irving House, where she was then
stopping.  Mr. JAY happened to have recently gone
abroad, and I sent Miss LIND word to that effect. The
messenger soon returned with the request that I would
come in his stead. As soon as I could dispose of some
urgent business, I started for the hotel, which was in the
building at the corner of Broadway and Chambers Street,
now occupied by DELMONICO. Upon my arrival, I mentioned whom I desired to see, and was at once accosted by a stranger, who introduced himself to me as Mr.
BARNUM.  tIe offered to accompany me to Miss LIND'S
drawing-room, and I followed him up stairs. On the
way, hle turned to me and said, "I am going to introduce you to an angel, sir-to an angel!"  We entered
the drawing-room, but it was vacant, and Mr. BARNUM
went to call the distinguished artist. He presently returned, saying that she would come directly, and while
we were waiting he poured into my ear ceaseless praises
of her. After a short delay, the object of his admiration
entered the room, and Mr. BARNUM presented me to her.
She wore a summer dress, cut low in the neck and with
short sleeves, and she looked to me wonderfully substantial for an angel. We soon got to business. It appeared




JENNY LIND.                  217
that she had come to America without any formal contract with Mr. BARNUM.  There was nothing between
them but a very vague memorandum  which had been
executed at Bremen, I believe, by herself and an agent
of the great showman on his behalf.  She desired me to
prepare a proper agreement, and we three sat down together and settled its terms.
When, the next day, I had completed it, and had duplicate copies made of it, I returned to the hotel and
submitted it to my client and to Mr. BARNUM, and it appeared to be perfectly satisfactory to both of them.
Thereupon the two copies were duly signed, sealed, witnessed, and exchanged.
A day or two afterward the first rehearsal took place
at Castle Garden, and I attended it. Never before and
never since has New York witnessed such a furor as
the advent of JENNY LIND produced. Mr. BARNUM,
with unexampled skill and tact, fanned the public excitement, which he had largely created, to fever heat.
Upon the occasion of this rehearsal, the entire Battery
was covered with one dense mass of humanity. When
the performance was over, Miss LIND took my arm to return to her carriage, which she had left standing opposite the Bowling Green.  Immediately after we made
our exit from the Garden, the crowd pressed upon us so
wildly that the police had difficulty in forcing a passage
for us. Some endeavored to thrust petitions for charity
into her hand, and the only object of others was to gratify their curiosity by gazing into her face. The populace made up their minds that I must be BARNUM, and I
was repeatedly addressed by that name. It was with no
small difficulty, and after a great deal of embarrassment
K




218          fMEM3fORIES OF MANY MIEN.
to me, that we finally reached the carriage and drove
away.
After a time Miss LIND became dissatisfied with her
contract, and I was sent for to revise it.  Mr. BARNUM
made the required concessions. I prepared a substitute,
and this also was duly executed.
Before the first concert came off, it was announced in
the newspapers that Miss LIND intended to inaugurate
her career in America by presenting her share of the
proceeds to public charities in the city of New York. I
believe that the suggestion came from Mr. BARNUM, and
it was a master-stroke of policy. The day after that concert I again saw Miss LIND, and received from her about
eleven thousand dollars for distribution.  I asked her to
what institutions I was to present it, and she told me to
select them myself. Accordingly I consulted with two
or three gentlemen, and made out a list which I submitted to her for her approbation.  She approved it, without hardly reading it, and I started upon my mission of
mercy. Before I had got through it, I almost regretted that I had consented to be her almoner.  Scarcely
any body-there were a few praiseworthy exceptionswas satisfied. At almost every establishment at which I
called, they tried to persuade me that a larger allotment
should have been made to their particular institution,
and that its needs and deservings were so much greater
than those of such a sister one.  Of course, we had been
strictly impartial. We had no motive whatever to be
otherwise.
Now the best of it is that, as I have since had reason
to believe, the receipts of that first concert fell far short
of Mr. BARNUM'S expectations, and that the public might




JENNY LIND.                 219
not suspect the fact, he himself furnished a large portion
of the money which figured as Miss LIND's share.
Again and again Miss LIND desired changes made in
the contract to her own advantage, and every time Mr.
BARNUM yielded. Whatever his motive, he was most
obliging and complaisant, and although I have never
since met him, I have always esteemed him for the goodnature and liberality which he exhibited at this time in
his business relations with Miss LIND. I believe that she
received every farthing that belonged to her, and that he
treated her with the most scrupulous honor.  Of what
occurred afterward, I have not so much personal knowledge. Mr. JAY returned from Europe,and became the
more immediate adviser of our fair client. In June,
1851, after singing at ninety-five concerts under Mr. BARNUM's management, the contract between them, which
she had the privilege to extend to one hundred and fifty, was rescinded by mutual agreement, but at her request. The performances which she afterward gave in
the States were on her own account.
I believe that the immediate cause of the rupture was
that BARNUM desired her to sing in a building in Philadelphia which she denominated a circus. I heard that
she told him that she was not a horse, and, therefore,
would not appear there.
Miss LIND soon removed from the Irving HIouse to the
New York Hotel, and it was there that I saw her most
frequently.  The barytone of the troupe which accompanied her, who was in the same house, was madly in
love with her, and he used to lie in bed all day, weeping
and howling over his unrequited affection. The way in
which she was hounded for charity all the time was dis



220           MEMSORIES OF MIANY 1MEN
graceful to the country. Besides receiving scores of letters, she was daily besieged by male and female beggars,
who obtained access to her upon every pretext, and who
tormented her for donations for themselves or others.
The impudence of some of these people was almost incredible. I once saw her play the tragedy queen to perfection
in her own drawing-room. One of her countrymen was
an importunate petitioner for assistance, and not receiving at first a favorable reply, became insolent. The
manner in which she ordered him  from her presence
would have done credit to Rachel or Ristori. I am
ashamed to be compelled to say that many American
ladies urged their pleas in behalf of objects, some of
them undoubtedly meritorious, with an importunity which
overstepped the bounds of propriety.
Miss LIND was a calm, sensible, conscientious woman
of high principles, rather calculating than emotional.
She detested htumbng-a word which was constantly in
her mouth. I was with her when a telegram was shown
to her, mentioning the enormous sum that was paid in
Boston for a choice of seats at her first concert. " What
a fool!" she exclaimed, referring to the purchaser.
She had an abhorrence for negroes, which she could
not overcome. "They are so ugly," she used to say.




CHAPTER V.
T FIRST became acquainted with GENERAL WINFIELD
SCOTT in the spring of the year 1853, after his defeat
for the Presidency by FRANKLIN PIERCE.  -Ie was undoubtedly very much chagrined that one of his least distinguished lieutenants in Mexico had been preferred by
the American people to himself for the highest position
within their gift; but he made no unseemly exhibition
of his feelings. He was then living in his house in
Twelfth Street, in New York; and I particularly rememnber one evening which I spent there, when one of the few
persons in the world who could venture to take a liberty
with him, galled him to the quick by lavish praises of
FRANKLIN PIERCE. This person had just returned from
Washington, and spoke of the President as the most polished gentleman in America, and as in all respects fitted
for his exalted position. One could not help feeling
that this was done with the intent to annoy the old soldier. But he gave no sign of impatience or vexation.
One afternoon, in the summer of the year 1863, I
started for West Point by the steam-boat Xiary Poowell.
A few minutes after myself, GENERAL SCOTT came on
board, accompanied by his friend, Mr.VAIL, of the Bank
of Commerce, who escorted him to the boat. The General took a seat in the cabin, and I took one at his side,
and we did not remove from them during the entire
passage. I had much agreeable talk with him. He told




222          IMEMORIES OF  IANY MEN.
me that after he was taken prisoner at the battle of
Queenstown Heights, in October, 1812, orders came in the
evening to remove him to an interior place, distant some
miles from the frontier. I-e was very indignant at what
he considered an unnecessary and ungenerous proceeding.  When he reached the end of his journey, he was
informed that he was brought there only that he might
participate in a ball which was about to take place. But
here a difficulty arose. IHe had not a proper suit of
clothes with him, and, as he was six feet four inches
high, he could not reasonably expect to supply the deficiency by borrowing.  But it so happened that SIR JOHN.HiARVEY, the Adjuitant-General of the British Army, who
was present, was precisely the same stature as himself,
and from him he borrowed all that he needed for the
occasion. I-e and SIR JOIIN grew to be fast friends. SIR
JOHN subsequently became Lieutenant-Governor of New
Brunswick, and, later, Governor of Nova Scotia. Durinig the boundary troubles between Maine and New
Brunswick in the year 1839, when a recourse to arms
seemed imminent on both sides, our Government sent
GENERAL SCOTT to that province to co-operate with SiR
JOHN in keeping the peace, and allaying the disturbed
feeling which existed.  Their joint efforts were successful, and the matter was finally adjusted by the Ashburton Treaty concluded at Washington in the year 1842.
He told me that during the last war with Great Britain, before an action began between the two armies, it
was customary for the respective commanders to ride
forward, accompanied by their staffs, and formally salute
each other.  Each then returned to his own lines, and
the battle opened.




MfcCLELLAN, LEE, AND GRANT.         223
GENERAL SCOTT expressed to me his great gratification
that in' the War of the Rebellion more than fifty per
cent. of the officers of the regular army who were born
in Virginia had remained loyal to the flag. The percentage of excess was not large, only four or five, I think
he said. He had himself been at pains to male a careful estimate, and he was certain of its correctness.
I asked him  his opinion of MCCLELLAN, LEE, and
GRANT. He told me that he had never been so disappointed in any one as he had been in GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN. Of LEE he remarked, in somewhat turgid language,
that " ROBERT E. LEE had never but once in his life been
guilty of an act unworthy a Christian, a soldier, and a
gentleman!" Hie said that lie only remembered GRANT
as a young lieutenant of average merit in Mexico. I-e
little foresaw the eminence which that' "young lieutenant" was to attain in both military and civil life! He
has in his career presented the antithesis of what
WASHINGTON IRVING once said to my friend CHARLES AsTOR IBRISTED.  3RISTED was speaking to him of somebody as a "promising young man." "Aih! CHARLES," answered IRVING, "most of us are promissory notes, only
too liable to be protested at maturity!"  GRANT did not
promise much in his youth, but his performances at maturity have excelled those of a generation of "promising
young men."
I used very often to see the poet FITZ-GREENE HALLECK, but had not a personal acquaintance with him.
He was stiff, angular, and clean-shaved; wore a high,
standing shirt-collar, and in the finest weather carried a
green cotton umbrella under his arm. He was for many
years book-keeper to the late JOHN JACOB ASTOR. I-e




224          XME-lORIES OF MANY XMEN.
used to tell that gentleman that if he only had an independent income of two hundred dollars a year he could
live contented. Mr. ASTOR, by his will, left to his old
book-keeper just whtt he had professed would satisfy
him. But his son,WILLIAM 3. ASTOR, increased the annuity to an amount which enabled the aged poet to live
comfortably in his native Connecticut until his death.
EDGAR A. PoE I remember seeing on a single occasion. He announced a lecture to be delivered at the
Society Library building on Broadway, under the title of
the " Universe."  It was a stormy night, and there were
not more than sixty persons present in the lecture-room.
I have seen no portrait of PoE that does justice to his
pale, delicate, intellectual face and magnificent eyes.
His lecture was a rhapsody of the most intense brilliancy. He appeared inspired, and his inspiration affected the scant audience almost painfully. He wore his
coat tightly buttoned across his slender chest; his eyes
seemed to glow like those of his own raven, and he kept
us entranced for two hours and a half. The late Mr.
PUTNAM, the publisher, told me that the next day the
wayward, luckless poet presented himself to him with
the manuscript of the "Universe."  IIe told PUTNAM
that in it he solved the whole problem  of life; that it
would immortalize its publisher as well as its author;
and, what was of less consequence, that it would bring to
him the fortune wlich he had so long and so vainly been
seeking. Mr. PUTNAM, while an admirer of genius, was
also a cool, calculating man of business. As such, he
could not see the matter in exactly the same light as the
poet did, and the only result of the interview was that
he lent POE a shilling to take him home to Fordham,




POE, WILLIS, 1AND J. Q. ADiAIS.     225
where he then resided. After poor POE's death, the late
RUFUS W. GRISWOLD, not altogether immaculate himself,
treated his memory with undue severity. I had a correspondence upon the subject with' his fellow-poet and
old-time friend, N. P. WILLIS, who earnestly deprecated
GRISWOLD'S harshness. I knew Mr. WILLIS very well indeed, and have passed many delightful hours at his
house, while he resided in New York. He had committed many errors in his life-as who has not?  But, unlike some, age purified him. I recollect meeting him
one day in Broadway, when his salutation to me was, "I
am sixty years old to-day!"  I first became acquainted
with him in New Haven, when I was a mere boy, and
he was at the zenith of his fame. He graduated at Yale
College in the year 1827. He was always an immense
dandy, and there was a college tradition that while there
lie dressed in white broadcloth, which he had imported
expressly for himself from England.
EX-PRESIDENT JOHN QUINCY ADAMS I saw for the
only time during the winter which preceded his death.
The venerable statesman came to New York, on his way
to Washington, to take his seat in the House of Representatives. On the evening of his arrival, the New York
Historical Society, of which I was then one of the Secretaries, held its monthly meeting, and I was sent with one
other member to Mr. ADAMS'S hotel to invite him to attend it. He consented to do so, and on our way up town
he asked me about its prominent members. Among others, I spoke in strong terms of Mr. GEORGE GIBBS, dwelling particularly upon the fact that he was a grandson of
OLIVER WOLCOTT. I entirely forgot the quarrel that had
occurred, and the bitter enmity which had grown out of
K 2




226            I         MEMIORI ES OF MIANVY.IMEN.
it, between JOHN ADAMS and TMr. WOLCOTT. A descent
from one whom his father had so disliked could hardly
be a recommendation to the son. The even more venerable ALBERT GALLATIN was the President of the Society
at that time, and the meeting between these two old
public servants was interesting and affecting to those of
younger generations who stood around them.
Mr. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS, himself an elderly man
now, looks wonderfully like his father, and his intellectual
and moral similarity to him are equally remarkable. Intelligent, learned, stubborn, and brave, tenacious in all
things and compromisers in none, they stand out as the
most distinguished representatives of the most remarkable family which this country has yet produced.  Some
two years ago Mr. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS read a very
able paper before the same Iistorical Society upon the
American doctrine of neutrality.. lie took occasion to
treat the memory of EX-PRESIDENT MONROE with great
severity, especially denouncing him for his " View of the
Conduct of the Executive in the Foreign Affairs of the
United States," commonly called the " Monroe Letter."
Mr. MONROE was appointed in 1794 by PRESIDENT WASHINGTON Minister to France, to succeed GOUVERNEUR MORRIS. Hiis first act upon his arrival in Paris was to fraternize with the President of the rNational Assembly by
publicly presenting him with a United States flag, and
receiving in turn from him one of the French Republic.
I-is subsequent conduct was such as to seriously interfere
with the successful negotiation of a treaty in England by
Mr. JAY. For this violation of the neutral policy of our
Government, GENERAL WASHINGTON recalled him in August, 1796.  Upon his arrival at Norfolk, on his return,




THE ADAMSES ANDD THE MUNROES.         227
he received a public ovation. Stung by the unmerited
disgrace, as he considered it, which had been inflicted
upon him, he very soon afterward wrote the paper referred to, denouncing the President, and sent it to Philadelphia to be printed. Soon repenting his action, he
wrote to the printer countermanding the order. Unfortunately, one hundred copies had already got out; and
these he made every effort to buy up and suppress. A
reconciliation took place between himself and WASHINGTON, and they continued on friendly terms ever afterward.  These last-mentioned facts I learned from
COLONEL JAMES MONROE, a nephew of the ex-President,
in early life an officer upon GENERAL SCOTT'S staff, and
afterward a member of Congress from the city of New
York. I mentioned them to.Mr. ADAMS, who had never
before heard of the attempt to suppress the "Monroe
Letter" which was made by its author. It is supposed
that there are very few copies of this letter in existence,
and Mr. ADAMS informed me that he had two of them in
his own library. COLONEL MONROE was a Virginia gentleman of the old school. IHe told me that he had been a
" friend " in sixteen affairs of honor, and had in every instance arranged a satisfactory settlement without a fight.
I-le was second to Mr. CUTTING, of New York, in his quarrel with Mr. BRECKENRIDGE, of Kentucky. This was a
very difficult case to settle, but settled it was. He never
went out but once himself, and then when very young.
Although in the army, he served in some capacity in one
of our frigates during the Algerine War. FHe quarreled
upon some unimportant matter with a naval officer, and
early one morning they took the field under the walls of
a convent on the coast of Spain. After preliminaries




2298          f EMORIES OF MiANY MENI.
were arranged, his adversary advanced to him and said,
"LIEUTENANT MONROE, I have been in the wrong; I beg
your pardon."  "My dear fellow," answered MONROE,
"if you had not been quite so quick, I should have anticipated you, and said exactly what you have said." IIe
always declined to mention the name of his antagonist.




CHAPTER VI.
IN the year 1861, PRINCE NAPOLEON (JEROME), accompanied by his wife, the PRINCESS CLOTILDE, daughter
of VICTOR EMANUEL, King of Italy, and a numerous suite,
arrived in a steam yacht at the port of New York. Before landing, he invited me to dine with him on board
his yacht, and I accepted the invitation. I found the
Prince very much as lie was, in appearance at least, when
I had last seen him in Paris. There was a good deal of
conversation at dinner about the Lake Superior copper
mines-a subject upon which the Prince was minutely
informed, and about which I knew little or nothing. I-Ie
had numerous nuggets, or specimens, of this ore upon a
table in his cabin, and to these he constantly referred for
purposes of illustration. The dinner was not a very
good one. I remember particularly that the bread was
detestable.
A day or two afterward lie came ashore with his immediate party, and took possession of the rooms at the
New York Hotel which had previously been secured for
their occupation. The Princess was not pretty, but she
was a kind, unassuming, devotional little lady, who won
the hearts of all who had occasion to pass much time in
her company. She had but one lady of honor with her,
a sprightly little Duchess, the widow of the oldest son of
one of the first NAPOLEON'S marshals, and together they
made their drawing-room on Washington Place a de



230          IME.MORIES OF MANY MEN.
lightful resort for those who had the advantage of their
acquaintance.  The CHEVALIER BERTINATTI, the Italian
Minister in Washington, was a constant attendant upon
the daughter of his king.
As the Prince's oldest acquaintance in this country, it
devolved upon me to show him the sights of New York.
Together we visited the Custom-HoIuse, the United States
Treasury and Assay Office, the Astor Library, the New
York Historical Society's collections, the Cooper Union,
the Novelty Works, and numerous other places and institutions. But what I most desired him to see was a
first-class New York private dwelling.  Accordingly,
with the permission of the owner, I accompanied him to
the palatial residence at the corner of Fifth Avenue and
Fifteenth Street, then belonging to and occupied by Mr.
BENKARD, and now the house of the Manhattan Club.
Nothing in New York interested the Prince so much.
-Ie was delighted with it. IHe went from  cellar to
garret, carefully examining the furnace, the boiler, the
croton-water arrangements, the speaking-tubes, and all
those appurtenances of a model American dwelling
which we are accustomed to designate "modern improvements."  This inspection occupied several hours,
and when we left he expressed the opinion that in domestic architecture and appliances for comfort we were
in advance of the rest of the world. "You know the
state apartments in the Palais Imperial, and they are
magnificent," he said; "but did you ever see the rooms
in which we have to live there?" I told him. that I had
not. "Well," he resumed, "they are small, wretched
holes, unprovided with any of the ingenious and laborsaving contrivances which I have just seen, and so un



PRINCE NAPOLEON IN NEW YORK.           231
comfortable that when I was first married I was ashamed
to take my wife to them."
Afterward I escorted the Prince and Princess to the
picture-galleries of M r B3ELMONT and /Mr. ASPINWALL,
who, being themselves absent from town, kindly permitted them to be thrown open for the purpose.
On the 19th of September, the CHEVALIER BERTINATTI
gave a magnificent dinner to the Prince at the residence
of the DUKEI DI LICIGNANO, the Italian Consul-General at
New York, in First Place, in Brooklyn. Sitting next
to the Prince, all my talk with him on that occasion was
upon the subject of the war, and I told him about the
enormous price which our Government was compelled
to pay for arms, and with what difficulty it procured
them  at all.  I will here observe that his sympathies
were thoroughly and warmly enlisted in favor of the
Union, and against the supremacy of the slaveholding
South. He professed great admiration for the American
people. To what I told him about our condition in respect of arms, he at once replied that he could arrange
the whole matter for us.  -Ie said that they had an excess beyond their requirements of altered muskets in the
French arsenals, and that he could procure them for us
at cost, wvhich was about half the price that we were
then paying.  That, besides, the Swedish Government
possessed a very large supply of muskets of the best
quality, and that he had sufficient influence to secure
some of them also for us; that from these two countries
we could draw  enough for our present needs; that
Switzerland was also well provided with arms, but that
the Government of that country would not part with any
of them. If I could be made the agent in this trans



232            MEMTORIES OF MANY MEN.
action, he would guarantee the result.  lie told me that
through him the Italians had received one hundred thousand stands of arms from the Imperial Government, and
that they had not yet paid a single franc on account of
the purchase.  In conclusion, he advised me to immediately coninunicate with the authorities at Washington.
At this time I had no intimacy with any member of
the Cabinet except SECRETARY CHASE, and to him I addressed a letter, giving an account of my conversation
with the Prince.  I received the following reply under
date of October 3:
"MY DEAR SIR,-Accept my thanks for your very interesting
letter and for the valuable information it contained. I fear negotiations in respect to arms through Mr. SCHUYLER are in such a
condition that the Government will not be able to avail itself of
your valuable services. Had I known some weeks since what I
know now, important advantages might have been derived to the
common cause.
"I shall always beglad to hear from you.
" Yours truly,          S. P. CHASE.
" MAUNSELL B. FIELD, Esq."
So the matter fell through, and the occasion never
arose to revive it.
The Prince carried out his purpose of going to Lake
Superior, and also made a somewhat extensive tour
through the West. During his absence from New York,
the Princess passed nearly all her time with the ladies
of the Sacred H-eart at their convent at Manhattanville.
After his return a magnificent dinner was given to him.
by the members of the Union Club, at their house at the
corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-first Street.  ExGOVERNOR JOHN A. KING, of New York, then President




DINNER TO PRINCE NAPOLEON.               233
of the Club, received him, and EX-VICE-CHANCELLOR AND
JUDGE ANTHONY L. ROBERTSON presided.  The Prince
found the dinner admirable, and was particularly pleased
with the' wines, which lie pronounced equal to any that
he had ever tasted at the Imperial table or elsewhere.
The Prince's particular attention was attracted to Mr.
LEONARD JEROME, and he said that, meeting him in any
part of the world, he should take him for a French cavalry general.  The following clipping from a newspaper
of the next morning gives an accurate account of the
affair:' The dinner given to PRINCE NAPOLEON at the Union Club last
evening was pronounced a capital success by the guests.
" At the door-way of the Club-house stood the inevitable BROWN,
who acted as Master of Ceremonies. The interior of the building
was profusely decorated with natural flowers, and DODWORT''S
Band discoursed music unseen behind a lattice-work erected in
the hall, playing, among other things,'Partant pour la Syrie,' as the
appropriate invitation music to the dinner.
JUDGE A. L. ROBERTSON, Secretary of the Club, occupied the chair.
Mr. MAUNSELL B. FIELD, as an acquaintance of the Prince and Imperial family abroad, very properly held the place of a virtual
Master of Ceremonies, having superintended all the preliminary
arrangements of the banquet, and been appointed to the delicate
office of placing the guests.
"In addition to the members of the Club, there were present at
the dinner: His Imperial Highness PRINCE NAPOLEON (JEROME);
COLONEL RAGON, the celebrated French officer who led the attack
upon the Malakoff; CAPTAIN -BONFILS, of the French Navy, and
formerly Governor of Gaudeloupe; CAPTAIN DE BUISSON, Commander of the Imperial yacht; M.MAURICE SAND, son of the celebrated
GEORGE SAND; M. MERCIER, French Minister to Washington; M.
HOCMELLE; the MARQUIS DE MONTHOLON, French Consul-General
at this port, accompanied by his Vice-Consul; Mr. BERTINATTI,
Italian Minister to the United States, and the DUKE DI LICIGNANO,




234. MlEMORIES OF MANY  I.EN.
Italian Consul -General at New York. The VICOMTE DE BEAUrMONT, and COLONEL FERRI PISANI, though invited, were unavoidably absent, the latter being replaced by LIEUTENANT BECQUE, of
the yacht.
"The restraint natural to Republicans, who have to entertain
representatives of a foreign nobility was removed as early as possible after the ceremonious placing of the guests, and a general
conversation soon prevailed around the table.
*       *       *,       *       *       *       *
" After the removal of the cloth, the Chairman, JUDGE ROBERTSON, proposed the health of the French Emperor, which was replied to in a speech of great cordiality by the Prince. He expressed himself with an unexpected freedom from restraint, and
was received with frequent applause. In return, he proposed the'Welfare of the United States,' which, as need not be said, the
party drank with great enthusiasm. After other toasts, and a free
interchange of kindly sentiments, the Prince was escorted to his
hotel by his friend, Mr. FIELD. By an unfortunate delay, GENERAL
WOOL and his party came to the Club-house to pay their respects
to the Prince and his entertainers just after his Highness had departed."
At a dinner given to the Prince at the Revere House,
in Boston, Dr. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES read the following spirited lines:
"VIVE LA FRANCE!
"The land of sunshine and of song!
Her name your hearts divine;
To her the banquet's vows belong
Whose breasts have poured its wine;
Our trusty friend, our true ally
Through varied change and chance:
So fill your flashing goblets highI give you VIVE LA FRANCE!




"VIVE LA T RANCE!"                   235
"Above our hosts in triple folds
The self-same colors spread,
Where Valor's truthful arm upholds
The blue, the white, the red;
Alike each nation's glittering crest
Reflects the morning's glanceTwin eagles, soaring east and west:
Once more, then, VIVE LA FRANCE!
"Sister in trial! who shall count
Thy generous friendship's claim,
Whose blood ran mingling in the fount
That gave our land its name,
Till Yorktown saw in blended line
Our conquering arms advance,
And Victory's double garlands twine
Our banners? VrVE LA FRANCE!
"O land of heroes! in our need
One gift from heaven we craveTo stanch those wounds that vainly bleedThe wise to lead the brave!
Call back one Captain of thy past
From glory's marble trance,
Whose name shall be a bugle-blast
To rouse us! VIVE LA FRANCE!
" Pluck CONDE'S baton from the trench,
Wake up stout CHARLES MARTEL,
Or find some woman's hand to clench
The sword of LA PUCELLE!
Give us one hour of old TURENNE,
One lift of BAYARD'S lanceNay, call Marengo's chief again
To lead us! VIVE LA FRANCE!
"Ah, hush! our welcome Guest shall hear
But sounds of peace and joy;
No angry echo vex thine ear,
Fair daughter of Savoy!




236             ME2XMORIES OF MANY MEN.
Once more! the land of arms and arts,
Of glory, grace, romance;
Her love lies warm in all our hearts!
God bless her! VIVE LA FRANCE!"
I made the following translation of the above lines
into very indifferent French verse, and read it at a dinner given at the same Club-house some time later to the
Admiral commanding the French fleet on the North
American station:
VIVE LA FRANCE!
Terre de la chanson, du soleil bien aimee,
Qui nous verses le jus divin,
Terre des doux nectars, vos cceurs vous l'ont nomm6e,
A toi les vceux de ce festin;
A l'alli6 fiddle, ami de notre enfance,
Qui partagea notre destin!
Debout! et que, le verre plein,
Chacun repute ce refrain: " Vive la France!"
Les trois mgmes couleurs de triples plis abritent
De nos soldats les loyaux rangs;
Sur les champs de l'honneur quand vaillament s'agitent
Les etendars rouges, bleus, blancs;
A l'aurore du jour le double aigle s'elance
Embrassant de ses yeux ardents
L'empire de deux continents!
Remplissons encore et buvons: " Vive la France!"
0! soeur qui partageas nos revers et nos peines!
Pourrons nous oublier le don
Du sang de tes enfants repandu dans nos plaines
Pour le salut de notre nom?
Jusqu'au jour ou gaiement en double front s'avance
La phalange de nos guerriers,
Tressant ensemble les lauriers
Pour les drapeaux d'Yorktown, chantons: " Vive la France!"




"VIVE LA FRANCE!"                    237
Terre des chevaliers! en ce jour de misbre,
D6couvrant notre flanc sanglant,
Nous demandons au ciel en notre humble pribre
Un sage, guide du vaillant!
Des guerriers dont tes fils gardent la souvenance
Pour nous evoque les grands noms;
M86ls au bruit de nos clairons,
Qu'ils dispersent nos ennemis: " Vive la France!"
Le baton que CONDE langa dans la tranchee,
Ou le fer de CHARLES MARTEL,
Ou bien de JEANNE D'ARn la foudroyante 6pee,
Pour nous attendent ton appel!
Prete nous de BAYARD l'incorruptible lance,
Un jour de TURENNE, OU plutot
La grande ombre de Marengo!
Vainqueurs, nous les suivrons au cri: " Vive la France!'
Mais chut! qu'un chant de paix, que des accents de joie
Charment l'hote que nous fetons;
Qu'aucun accent guerrier, fille de la Savoie,
Jusqu'a toi ne porte ses sons!
A toi, terre des arts! a toi, douce espyrance
De la valeur, de la beaute I
Par nous que ce cri repute
Arrive au Seigneur tout-puissant: " Vive la France!"
The evening before the Prince and Princess sailed
on their return to France they gave a charming entertainment to a party of ladies and gentlemen on board
the yacht, in return for some of the courtesies extended
to themselves.




CHAPTER YII.
OON after the Prince of Wales arrived in America in the year 1860, certain citizens of New York
held a meeting at the Merchants' Bank for the purpose of inviting him  to that city, and of tendering
him some special civilities. A Committee was formed,
and, after much consideration, it was decided to offer
him a dinner. Many preferred a ball; but some of the
most eminent members of the Committee had scruples
upon the subject. Mr. PETER COOPER was appointed
Chairman, and I Secretary, of the Committee. We had
an invitation to a dinner, at such time as the Prince
should designate, appropriately engrossed; and it was determined that a delegation from our number should proceed to Montreal, and there present it to him in person.
Among those who went upon this mission were EXGOYERNOR HAMILTON FISH, EX-GOVERNOR JOIN A. KING,
Mr. JOHIN JACOB ASTOR, Mr. ROBERT L. KENNEDY, and myself, as Secretary of the Committee.  When we arrived
at the railway station upon the St. Lawrence, opposite
to Montreal, upon the 23d of August, we were met
there by the American Consul-General in the British
Provinces, who informed us that the Mayor of Montreal,
Mr. RODIER, was awaiting us upon the other side, in order
to receive us officially. This was very annoying intelligence to us. There were ladies in our party, and they,
as well as ourselves, were covered with dust and be



THE PRINCE OF WALES.               239
grimed by cinders. When we landed from  thle ferryboat which transported us across, sure enough there was
the Mayor in full regalia, chain and all. We had settled it that Mr. FisiH must be the spokesman for usvery much to that gentleman's disgust.  The Mayor
made us a grandiloquent address in broken English, and
Mr. FISH, his person ensconced in a linen duster, and with
a traveling-bag in each hand, made a neat and even elegant reply.  In the mean time the landing-place was
covered by a miscellaneous crowd, principally composed
of small boys, who shouted and cheered us.  Then his
Honor informed us that carriages were in waiting to
conduct us to our hotel.  They consisted of three or
four of the ordinary Montreal street cabs, and we entered them, and were soon comfortably housed in Saint
Lawrence Hall. I will here remark that a very extortionate bill for those cabs was sent to us in tle course of
a day or two, which we paid without demurrer.
On the afternoon of Friday, the 24th, the Prince arrived in town, and we were officially invited to be present upon the occasion.  Saturday was distinguished by
the formal opening of the Victoria Bridge. We were
also provided with tickets to witness that ceremony, and
we made the journey in the Prince's private car by his
invitation. He received us with the greatest courtesy,
shaking hands with us according to American usage,
and treating us in every respect with marked attention.
That evening LORD LYONS and GENERAL BRUCE, the
Prince's "Governor," called upon  us at our hotel.
They made merely a brief visit, inl which the special
business which had brought us to Montreal was only
referred to in very general terms.  But the next day




240          tMEMfORIES OF MIANY.MEN
they came again, and at that interview  the conversation was very free.  The Englishmen would have
preferred any thing to a dinner. The Prince could
not himself speak: lie was to be in the States incognito, under the title of Lord Renfrew. Nor would
it answer that any one should speak for him. Besides,
at a large dinner it was to be apprehended that remarks
might be made by some of the speakers which would
become subjects for future regret. The Prince was
very young. IIe was fond of amusement. A dinner,
if there were no other objections to it, might be too
hleavy an affair to entertain him. In a word, they were
sorry that we had decided for a dinner, although none
the less mindful of the kindly feeling which had
prompted the purpose, etc., etc., etc. And with this they
left us, and we Americans remained for consultation.
They had given us a cue, and we decided, in behalf of
our constituents, to take the responsibility of following it.
We unanimously determined to substitute a ball in place
of the dinner, and, having done so, notified GENERAL
BRUCE to that effect. I-Ie was delighted, and was sure
that the Prince would be charmed to accept.
The next thing was to secure the services of a scrivener to re-engross the invitation which we had brought
with us, so as to make it apply to a ball instead of a dinner. One was very soon found, who executed his commission with great celerity.
Thereupon we were asked to lunch with the Prince
on Monday afternoon, at GENERAL SIR WILLIAM FENWICK
WILLIAMS'S house in the suburbs, where his Royal Highness was stopping. This was to be the occasion for presenting our invitation.




THlE PRINCE OF WALES BALL.           241
Our party included several persons besides those I
have named.  One of us had come in great haste, and
had brought no dress coat with him; but he found a
friend in town who supplied the deficiency.  At the
luncheon, the Prince and all his suite were in full uniform. All the Americans were suitably attired, and conformed to the usages of polite society, except one gentleman who sat opposite the Prince, and who ate with his
knife, and wore a white waistcoat upon which the buttons were missing.  He had, however, supplied their
places with pins, and these pins were very provokingly
visible. After dinner we retired to a reception-room, and
there the invitation was read to the Prince by Mr. KING,
and accepted by him in a few hesitating words.
We then returned to New York, reported our action
to those who had sent us, and received their approval.
The work of preparation commenced, and terribly laborious and trying work it was. The scheme adopted was to
have a Committee of four hundred gentlemen, to be duly
elected by the smaller Committee already formed. Each
member of the Committee was to pay seventy dollars,
and to be entitled to seven tickets; but he was required
to submit a list of the persons for whom he intended
them to an Executive Committee, who passed upon their
eligibility.  Of these seven tickets, at least four must be
for ladies; but this was afterward reduced to three. Besides, every ticket had to be countersigned by a member
of the sub-Committee on Tickets and Finance, and also
by the member of the Committee at whose request it
was issued.  Seven sub-Committees were constitutedviz., one on Invitations, one on Tickets and Finance,
one on Reception, one on Hlouse and Milusic, one on
L




.242          ElEMOIORIES OF 1JMANAY.MEN
Decorations, one on Police and Carriages, and one on
Stpper and Floor.
From. the reports which we received from these subCoinmittees, we were soon induced to believe that we
should require more money than we had in hand. There
was a supper-room to be built expressly for the occasion,
and other expenses to be incurred which we had not at
first thought of.  Accordingly, we made an additional
assessment of thirty dollars each upon the four hundred
members of the General Committee, which was promptly paid into the treasury.
All TNew York soon became wild upon the subject of
this ball.  Venerable citizens who had never attended a
place of public amusement in their lives humiliated
themselves in every possible way in order to have their
names placed upon the Committee.  Ladies begged for
tickets almost upon bended knees.  Such importunities
were never addressed to a Prime Minister as were beseechingly poured into the ears of those members of the
Committee who had the misfortune to be prominent in
the affair.  The applications for complimentary invitations were also overwhelming.  The Press, too, was very
exacting.
Before coming to New York, the Prince made a journey to the West, to Virginia, to Washington, and to Philadelphia.  At Washington he lodged in the Executive
Mansion, and it is said that PRESIDENT BUCHANAN used to
surreptitiously convey choice cigars into his room  after
his mentors had retired for the night. I-e left Philadelphia with his suite early on the morning of Thursday,
the 11th of October. Mr. AUGUSTUS SCHELL, then Collector of the Port of 1New York, invited a distinguished




1ECEPTION OFk TIE PRINCE OF WALES.    243
party to embark on board the United States revenue
cutter Iclarriet Lane, CAPTAIN FAUNCE, at half-past eight
o'clock that morning, to proceed to Perth Amboy to meet
and accompany the Prince and his suite to the city. The
train from Philadelphia arrived on time, and a little after twelve his Royal Highness, followed by the DUKE OF
NEvWCASTLE, the EARL OF ST. GERMANS, and the other gentlemen who accompanied him, all in dusty garments, and
wearing " shocking bad" white hats, stepped on board the
cutter. It took some time to get their luggage on board,
and then to the music of a royal salute the Hctrriet Lane
started upon her return trip. The day was very lovely,
and with a single exception every thing passed off very
agreeably.  One old and rather prosy gentleman deemed
it especially incumbent upon him to entertain the Prince.
For some time he monopolized his attention, and was evidently boring him to the very limit of his boyish patience.  Seeing this, some of us held counsel together,
and decided that GENERAL SCOTT must head a relief
party. The old soldier carried out our suggestion with
perfect success, and during the remainder of the passage the Prince was at liberty to converse with whom
he pleased. After ail elegant luncheon had been served,
the Prince went upon the upper deck, and, with several
of the juniors, smoked cigars of a very superior quality which he produced from his pocket-probably some
of BIr. BlCiiHANAN's. Afterward we went forward, and
EX-JUDGE ROOSEVELT, then United States District Attorney, undertook to point out to the Prince the principal
objects of interest in the harbor, and to explain the associations connected with some of them. While so doing, he had occasion to refer to a date in English history.




244.    MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
The Prince courteously corrected him. Mr. ROOSEVELT
politely insisted that he was right. The DUKE OF NEWCASTLE happened to be standing near, but out of ear-shot.
His'oyal Highness called him, and merely asked him
what was the date in dispute. The Duke unhesitatingly
confirmed the Prince's recollection of it.
WTe reached the pier at twenty minutes past two.
On entering Castle Garden the Prince was received by
the Mayor, FERNANDO WOOD, and a delegation of both
Boards of the Common Council. He immediately retired to the room of the Commissioners of Emigration,
and exchanged his citizen's dress for the uniform of a
Colonel in the British Army. He then mounted a horse
expressly brought for his use from the Provinces, and
reviewed upon the Battery the First Division of New
York State Militia, under the command of MAJOR-GENERAL SANFORD. Afterward he entered an open carriage
drawn by six horses, accompanied by the Mayor, the
DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, and the EARL OF ST. GERMANS, and
drove to the City Hall, where he received the honor
of a marching review. When he re-entered his carriage tle day was already so far advanced that it was
dark before he reached his quarters at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel. All along the route he was vociferously cheered
by the unprecedented niultitude of people that filled
Broadway; but the disappointment occasioned by the
delay in carrying out the military programme, and the
consequent inability of patient sight-seers to scan the
Prince's features at so late an hour, called out many imprecations upon the devoted head of the commanding
General.
It had been desired and intended that the Prince




TIlE PRINCE OF WALES IN NEWT YORK.    245
should ride -lp Broadway on horseback.  lie himself
preferred to do so, and the horse which he mounted on
the Battery had been expressly brought on for the purpose. But some in authority thought. that the street was
too slippery, and therefore dangerous.  Besides, there
was a vague apprehension on the part of the English
gentlemen that some of her Majesty's expatriated subjects, who constitute so large a proportion of the population of the metropolitan city, might attempt to harm
and insult him, if too much exposed. There was not
much foundation for their fears. Only once while in
New York did he receive any discourtesy, and that was
at the hands of an insane English mechanic, who was
promptly arrested.
The' question of how lie should dress was also one that
was much discussed. As he traveled through the States
as Lord Renfrew, his own suite, as well as LORD LYONs,
did not think that it comported with his incognito to appear otherwise than in ordinary citizen's costume. Our
people thought differently. They desired to receive him
as the Prince of Wales, the son of QUEEN VICTORIA.
The matter was finally compromised by the arrangement that he should wear his military uniform at the
review, and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter at
the ball.
While the Prince remained in New York he was kept
pretty constantly on the move. MAYOR WOOD gave a
charming breakfast in his honor, at his residence, Wood
Lawn, Bloomingdale. He called upon GENERAL SCOTT
at his house on Twelfth Street. He lunched with the
British Consul in New York, Mr. ARCHIBALD. IIe had several photographs taken by BRADY and GURNEY. IHe visited




246           MIE1M OR IES OF JMANY ifMEV.
the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Mount Washington, the
University of the City of New York, the INew York Free
Academy (as then designated), the Cooper Institute, the
Astoi Library, etc. There was also a superb torchlight
procession of the New York Fire Department in his honor. At that time the Department boasted of only one
steamer, all the others being the old-fashioned engines
worked by hand. Now there are none but steamers.
The ball took place on the evening of Friday, the 12th
of October. A deputation of the reception Committee,
of which I was one, went to the Fifth Avenue Hotel, at
about nine o'clock, to escort the Prince and his immediate
suite to the Academy of Music. All his party soon made
their appearance in the drawing-ioom, but the Prince
himself kept us waiting a long-time. Finally lie too
came in, and, after shaking hands with us,'retired to the
entrance-door, and was for some time hopelessly engaged
in an effort to force his not very small hands into a pair
of gloves altogether too tight for them. After a moment I stepped up to him, and he said to me in an undertone, " These gloves were sent to me by a lady in this
house, with the request that I should wear them to-night;
I don't know who she is. They are much too small for
me; but I intend to work my hands into them, if I
can."  He finally succeeded. He added, "I am a little
late to-night, because I have been writing home to my
mother."  Although much older than himself, I was so
much younger than the sexagenarians who chiefly had
possession of him that he seemed to take very kindly
to me.
I have no intention to particularly describe the ball.
It was magnificent; but, in spite of all the efforts of the




THE PRINCE OF WALES BALL.            247
Committee, there were too many. elderly persons. Thiirty-three exceptional tickets had been issued to young' dancing-men."  The contretemps of the falling in of a
portion of the floor was most unfortunate.  The Committee had made very particular inquiries about its solidity, and had been assured that it was perfectly safe. The
accident partly arose from the weight of an immense
throng of people who collected around the Prince and
concentrated upon one spot. The crowd was suffocating.
The Coimmittee had been misled as to the capacity of
the house, and people deserted the upper boxes and
swelled the tide below. At one time it was feared that
some must have gained admission by presenting spurious
tickets; but, upon a count, it was found that there were
only three thousand and twenty-five tickets in the boxes,
while three thousand one hundred and ninety-five paid
and complimentary ones had leen legitimately issued.
Of those entitled to come, one hundred and seventy had
stayed away.
The Committee had a great deal of trouble about the
matter of partners for the Prince. Every woman in
New York was dying to dance with him; and husbands,
fathers, and brothers urgently pressed the claims of their
fair relatives. Finally, the Committee referred the whlole
matter to Mr. WILLIAM BUTLER DUNCAN, with po9wer.
This gentleman, as brave as he is courteous, undertook
the obnoxious task of making selections, and performed
it as judiciously and satisfactorily as it was possible to
do. Still, of course, there were grumblers. Female ambition upon suchl a subject was insatiable.
The next Sunday the Prince attended divine service
in Trinity Church. There were four bishops and thirty



248.      MElMORIES OF MAANY MEN.
five clergymen present. A full choral service was performed by nine men and fourteen boys.  He was presented with a very handsome Bible, and almost equally
handsome Prayer-book.  The former was a royal octavo
volume, bound in red morocco, with a large gold clasp,
upon which was engraved a Prince of Wales plume, with
the motto ("Ich Die."  On the cover was the following
inscription in gold letters:
"To his Royal Highness, ALBERT EDWARD, Prince of Wales,
from the Corporation of Trinity Church, New York, in memory of
the munificence of the Crown of England. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, A.D. 1860."
The Prayer-book was bound in brown Russia leather,
and had two silver clasps. On the inside was engraved
the Garter, surmounted by a crown, with the motto,
"Honi soit qui mal y pense," and the royal standard of
England in the centre.  On the opposite page was inscribed:
"To his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, from FRANCIS VINTON, D.D., and FREDERICK OGILBY, D.D., the clergymen in charge
of Trinity Church, New York, as a memorial of the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity."
The Rev. Dr.VINToN preached from the following text:
" Then the Presidents and Princes sought to find occasion against
Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion
nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error
or fault found in him.
" Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against
this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of
his God" (Dan. vi., 4, 5).
The Prince and his party took their departure from




AN ECONOMICAL COIMMIITTEE.           249
New York on the next, Monday, morning at ten o'clock.
I called upon him  at his hotel to take leave of him.
He was very kind and cordial, and when informed that
his carriage was waiting, he walked with me from his
drawing-room to it, holding my hand boy-fashion all the
way. He was at that time as amiable and good-natured
a youth as I ever met.
When the ball Committee came to finally settle its accounts, the following was the result:
Total amount received... $41,006 65
"    "'  expended..   28,746 65
Balance on hand...  $12,260 00
Or $30 65 for each of the four hundred subscribers,
which was returned to them by checks of the Treasurer,
Mr. ROYAL PHELPS.
I believe that there is no other instance on record of a
Committee charged with the expenditure of money which
did not spend the whole of it. In almost every other
similar case that I have ever heard of there has been a
deficiency.  If for no other reason than the foregoing,
the Prince of Wales ball in New York is entitled to be
distinguished from every other public festival of which
our metropolitan annals contain any mention.
L2




CHAPTER VIII.
OWARD the close of the year 1860, after the election of Mr. LINCOLN to the Presidency, but before
the Legislatures of any of the states had passed ordinances of secession, it became necessary for the United
States Government to negotiate a loan of ten millions of
dollars. As the national credit up to this time continued
unimpaired, the rate of interest was fixed at five per cent.
But financiers were already beginning to be somewhat
distrustful about the future of the country, and it was
only through the unremitting exertions of the HIon. JoHN
J. Cisco, the Assistant Treasurer at New York, that the
whole amount was finally subscribed. In accordance
with the terms of the loan, one per cent. of the amount
taken by each subscriber was deposited by him at the
time of making the subscription. A day or two after
the transaction was thus far completed, the lion. HOWELL
COBB, of Georgia, the Secretary of the Treasury, arrived
in New York. When he came to the Treasury, Mr. Cisco
warmly congratulated him upon the success of the loan.
His reply was," Cisco, the people who have taken it are
a pack of d-d fools.  It will never be paid.  The
country is going to be broken to pieces.  Georgia is
going out of the Union; and when she goes, I shall
go with her."'  Why, Mr. Secretary," rejoined Mr. Cisco,
"I am amazed to find yout a secessionist."
The bonds were to be paid for by installments. Before




AN EMLIPTY TREASURY.            251
the time for the final payment arrived, several of the
states had attempted to withdraw from the Union. Of
the ten millions subscribed, only about seven millions in
all was paid. Several prominent banking-houses in New
York and Washington refused to fulfill their obligations,
and allowed their deposits of one per cent. to be forfeited.
Mlr. COBB withdrew from the Cabinet, as he had threatened to do, and was succeeded by Ir. THOMAS, of Maryland. In the mean time, nearly all the money in the
Treasury had been used for ordinary disbursements.
There was a large amount of interest upon the public
debt due upon the first of January, 1861, and the means
were unprovided to meet it. The Secretary wished Mr.
Cisco to use for this purpose the moneys placed to the
credit of the disbursing officers of the Government, but
he peremptorily declined to do so., Mr. TIOrIAS was unable to command the confidence of the people of the
iNorth. At this juncture, a correspondence ensued between himself and ]Mr. Cisco, and he finally, with the approbation of the President, whom he consulted upon the
subject, authorized that officer to obtain a Treasury-note
loan, at the unprecedented rate of twelve per cent. per
annum, in order to save the Government from going to
protest upon its interest.
But even this was not an easy thing to do in the state
of feeling which prevailed among capitalists. As a last
resort, on the evening of the thirty-first of December, Mr.
Cisco, accompanied by Mr. VAIL, Cashier of the Bank of
Commerce, drove to the residences of the largest holders
of the public debt in New York and Brooklyn.  They
represented to those gentlemen the fearful depreciation
in the value of their property which must inevitably oc



252           11MEMORIfOES OF lMANY MENT.
cur if the interest due on the morrow should not be
promptly paid. The result was that they returned home
at a very late hour, having contracted for a sufficient
amount of notes to save the Government from the impending catastrophe.
Although Mr. Cisco was then and afterward satisfied
that SECRETARY THOMAS was a loyal man, so far as his
purposes were concerned, still it is naturally presumable
that in feeling he sympathized with the section of country to which he belonged. At all events, it was apparent that without another change in the Treasury Department there would be no more money forthcoming to the
national coffers from New York. At this juncture Mr.
Cisco wrote to PRESIDENT BUCHAAN, recommending the
appointment of GENERAL JOIN A. Dix as Secretary of
the Treasury. A few days later a delegation of Bank
Presidents and others proceeded to Washington for the
purpose of urging the change. Shortly afterward the
President telegraphed to GENERAL Dix that he desired
him to come to Washington. The General complied with
the request, and, upon his arrival at the capital, Mr. BuCHANAN insisted that he should be his guest at the Executive Mansion. They talked together that evening, and
again the next morning at breakfast. The result was the
immediate appointment of GENERAL DIX as Secretary of
the Treasury. The advent as Financial Minister of this
most respected, and most worthy to be respected, of all
American statesmen, restored to the moneyed people of
the North all that confidence in the Government which
was possible in the unsettled condition of public affairs
which then existed.
Mr. Dix continued a Cabinet officer only until the sue



A LOYAL DEMIOCRAT.                253
ceeding fourth of March, when Mir. LINCOLN coming in
as President, Mr. S. P. CHASE, of Ohio, became his Secretary of the Treasury.
As soon as the new Administration was organized, Mr.
Cisco sent to Mr. CHASE his resignation as Fiscal Agent
of the Government in:New York, with the request that
he would immediately present it to the President, and
secure the appointment of his successor at an early day.
Some time passed and he heard nothing in reply. Having opposed Mr. LINcoLN'S election, he was surprised at
this delay. Besides, the condition of his health was such
that he was anxious to be promptly relieved from the
responsibilities of his office, which had been great in
the past, and promised to become overwhelming in the
future.
In the mean time no less than three gentlemen, eminent in the Republican party, and friends of Mr. CHASE,
called upon Mr. Cisco at different times, for the purpose
of obtaining detailed information upon the subject of the
finances. They all admitted that they came in behalf of
the Secretary. Mr. Cisco resented this action as a slight
to himself, and informed them that, if the Secretary
desired the information in question, the proper course
would be for him to ask it directly from his own Fiscal
Agent.
Then came a letter of apology from Mr. CHASE, whose
only excuse was his want of personal acquaintance with
him. At the same time he assured him that he had satisfied himself as to his thorough loyalty, his fidelity, and
his eminent ability.
A short time afterward lie again wrote to him, requesting him to remain in the Treasury, mentioning that such




254     M~E2MORIES OF MJANY IMEN.
was also the desire of the President. This was followed
by a letter from Mr. LINCOLN himself to the same effect.
Under these circumstances, Mr. Cisco thought it his duty
to yield to their wishes, and withdrew his resignation.
Shortly after it was settled that he'should continue in
office, I accepted an invitation from Mr. Cisco to come
to him in a confidential capacity. As soon as Congress
met they passed an Act authorizing the appointment of a
Deputy Assistant Treasurer of the United States at New
York, and the position was immediately tendered to me
and accepted.  I continued to hold it until I went to
Washington in the year 1863, as Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury.
The number of clerks employed in the New York
Treasury office when I first entered it did not exceed
twenty-five or thirty. The enormous volume of business
which presently devolved upon it, as the medium through
which the public loans were negotiated and collected,
soon required the employment of a clerical force exceeding one hundred in number.
The new Administration had not been a very long
time in office, when Mr. CHASE sent for Mr. Cisco, whom
he had never miet, to come to Washington. By his invitation he.went as a guest to the Secretary's house, at the
corner of E and Sixth Streets. In their first interview,
which took place in the evening, Mr. CI-IASE told him that
he desired his presence in-order to consult with him in
regard to a financial policy for the country. Upon this
occasion they had a very protracted conversation, in
which each was evidently endeavoring to take the measure of the other. "W e are going to have a long, bloody,
and costly war," said Mr. Cisco; "the only possible policy




THE SI-NEWS OF WAR.              255
is that of long bonds and strong taxation."  "How, sir 2"
replied the Secretary; "are you not aware that we shall
soon have seventy-five thousand men in the field?"  At
this time some people high in place were talking about
a sixty-days' war, and Mr. CHASE evidently shared this
most mistaken impression.  "As to strong taxation," he
continued, "the people of this country will not bear it,
and there is no need for it."' Nevertheless, Mr. Cisco adhered to his expressed opinion, and assigned his reasons
for it. Mr. CHASE eyed him curiously, as if he was meditating whether he, after all, could be a secessionist in
disguise.
The next morning they had another long talk before
breakfast. Mr. CHASE told Mr. Cisco that he had been
very much impressed by his views, that he had been all
night thinking over what he had said, but that he could
not "go in" for strong taxation.  "Without it," replied
Mr. Cisco, " we shall inevitably drift into a suispension of
specie payments."  "Never," rejoined Mr. CHASE, "so
long as I am Secretary of the Treasury!" Mr. Cisco also
believed that taxation would hasten the termination of
the war. In conclusion, he told Mr. CHASE that whatever policy he should decide upon, he might rely upon
his earnest co-operation to aid him in carrying it out.
Thus commenced, from the very beginning, that series
of successful expedients, that hand-to-mouth policy, which
carried us along so far without a financial disaster.
Shortly after this, and when some grand negotiation
had become necessary, Mr. CHASE visited New York, and
met the leading bank-officers and capitalists of that city,
and of Boston and Philadelphia, at Mr. Cisco's house, on
the nineteenth of August, 1861. There was much desul



256           MEMORIES OF.MANY iMEN
tory discussion at the begining; and then Mr. CHASE, after
being pushed to the wall to say what le wanted, proposed
a loan of fifty millions of dollars in Seven-thirty Treasury
notes, with the privilege of converting them into Twentyyear bonds, with the option to the subscribers to take fifty
millions more, and again the further sum of fifty millions
-one hundred and fifty millions in all. Many regarded
it as a most plausible suggestion, and a meeting of the
officers of the Clearing-House banks was called for the
next day at the American Exchange Banking-house. At
this meeting both Mir. CHASE and Mr. Cisco were present.
A protracted discussion tool place, and there was some
earnest opposition to the proposition. Mr. STEVENS, of
the Bank of Commerce, and Mr. TAYLOR, of the City
Bank, favored it, but Mr. GALLATIN, of the National
Bank, vehemently opposed it. Mr. KNAPP, of the Mechanics' Bank, said that, if the obligations of the Government should become worthless, the property of the banks
would become so too. Finally, after the meeting had
lasted several hours, a resolution was adopted to accept
substantially the terms proposed by the Secretary.
After the adjournment of the meeting, Mr1. CHAsE said
to Mr. Cisco, "W'ell, we have fifty millions, but how
about the next fifty "  "The banks will take them,"
answered Mr. Cisco; "do you not see that they have
stepped into the same boat with you?"  "And will they
also take the last fifty?" asked the Secretary. " They will
lend you another fifty millions; but then will come the
suspension of specie payments," answered his subordinate. "Never, while I am Secretary of the Treasury!"
was the confident reply.
The banks, after disposing of the first fifty millions




THE G0 VEIRNMirENT IaT  DIFFICUL TIES.  25
of Treasury notes, availed themselves of their privilege
to take another like amount of them. They afterward
refused to advance any more money against these notes,
but agreed to take fifty millions in six per cent. bonds,
redeemable after twenty years, at a rate that equalized
them to similar seven per cent. bonds.
On Saturday, December the thirtieth, 1861, the banks
decided to suspend specie payments on Monday, January
the first, 1862. They carried their resolution into effect,
and the Government simultaneously adopted the same
course in respect to its ordinary disbursements.
The Government was again in straits to pay its interest on the public debt. There were demand notes out
to the amount of sixty millions of dollars; and as these
were receivable at the Custom-House the same as gold,
and did not command so high a premium, duties on inports were almost exclusively paid in them, and little or
no specie was received. About the same time, too, the
principal of the " Texas Indemnity Bonds" fell due, and
although the amount of them was small-say two or three
millions-the embarrassment was by so much increased.
"Pay both principal and interest in paper!" said the
Secretary. It is easy to see what the effect of such a
course would have been. It was of vital importance to
continue to pay in coin both the interest and the principal of the public debt as they matured.
At this time the banks had large stores of gold in their
vaults for which they had no use. Mr. Cisco proposed
to borrow it from them. Mr. CHAse did not believe that
they would lend it at all, or, if at all, only upon extortionate terms. /Mr. Cisco succeeded in borrowing all that
was wanted at the rate of four pe'r cent. per annum, on




258           MIE MfORIES OF llANY IMEY.
notes payable on ten days' notice after thirty days. Mr.
CHASE only consented to this arrangement on the Saturday preceding the Monday on which the bonds and the
interest fell due. I remember that the Park Bank lent
us a million.  A  few  days afterward, and after the
money had been used, the President of that institution
became frightened, and, coming to the Treasury, asked
to have his coin returned. Mr. Cisco told him to immediately send down his carts to receive it.  This rather
staggered him, for he had expected a flat refusal, and he
then made up his mind to let the matter stand over till
the morrow, when he could consult his directors.  The
next day he returned and said, " I shall leave it for the
present."  But he was told that he must choose between
adhering to the terms of his agreement and removing his
specie at once. I-e decided to do the former.
An enormous amount in paper on deposit as a temporary loan upon the foregoing conditions was afterward
procured. The money accumulated as in a savings bank.
This gave the Government the use of a hundred millions
of dollars.
At one time the banks came very near failing on paper. The Treasury was then full of money. We gave
them iwhat they needed, and took their certified checks
in return.
Nearly ninety per cent. of all the early loans negotiated were taken in New York.  The Seven-thirty notes
became very popular.. The Treasury acted as tlhe agent
of the banks in disposing of them to the public.  There
were also private agents appointed for the same purpose.
All classes of society, and persons of both sexes, came to
subscribe for them.  I remember that a hackney coach



ANY THING FOR MONE1Y.               25
man left his carriage at the door, and came rushing in
to us with a hundred dollars in his hand for a note of
that denomination.  A clergyman wrote from  a Western city that he desired t  do oevery thing within his
power to support the Government, but that he had no
money. He had, however, a very good horse, and lie requested to be informed whether we could not give him
a hundred-dollar Seven-thirty Treasury note for it.
As soon as specie payments were suspended, small silver change disappeared from circulation with marvelous
rapidity.  Postage-stamps came into use in its place.
They were a most inconvenient and disgusting substitute
for the metal which the public had been accustomed to,
and as soon as possible they were replaced by what has
ever since been known as "Fractional Currency."  For a
long time this currency could not be produced with sufficient rapidity to meet the popular demand.  The importunities of the people for it were like petitions for
charity.
During all the time that I was in the New York branch
of the Treasury, in addition to the official correspondence, one or more letters, some semi-official and some altogether confidential, passed daily between the Secretary
and the Assistant Treasurer.  If those letters could be
published, they would furnish the most interesting page
in the financial history of the war.  They contain a free
discussion of every expedient presented, and the record
of every purpose formed.  I am proud to say that never
upon a single occasion did a Government financial secret
pass the four walls of the Treasury building until communicated to the entire community.  That institution
was the despair of the speculators.  No pump applied
there ever drew water.




260           IMEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
The Government building on Wall Street hitherto employed as tile Treasury soon ceased to furnish the necessary accommodations and security for the ever expanding-business of the office. An arrangement was finally
effected, involving some complicated negotiations, whereby the Treasury was transferred to the Custom-House,
at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets, and the Custom-House removed to the Merchants' Exchange building, where it still is.  Mr. BIRNEY, the Collector, was
very unwilling to be disturbed.  The Government hired
the Exchange building for three years, at an annual rent
of sixty or sixty-five thousand dollars, with the privilege
of buying it for a million of dollars at any time during
the term. When the time was about to expire, Mr. FESSENDEN was Secretary of the Treasury, and it was with
some difficulty that he was induced to recommend the
purchase to Congress.  lie did so, however; the necessary Act was passed, and the matter consummated.  I
presume that the ground alone is now worth three millions of dollars.
During the riots of July, 1863, very grave apprehensions were entertained lest an organized attempt should
be made to sack the Treasury. Accordingly every thing
was prepared to resist an attack. Arms were distributed
to all the employes, and hand-grenades and carboys of
vitriol were placed at every window. There was a military guard of raw troops about the building nearly all
the time, but we apprehended more danger from it than
from the rioters.  We kept a loaded zmitrailleuse facing
the Pine Street entrance, and we had two field-pieces
worked by gunners from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  A
battery of artillery was kept upon Nassau Street, and




THE GREAT T  R    RIT. RO         261
there was a gun-boat lying at the foot of Wall Street
with shotted guns commanding the street. All through
the nights there were mounted pickets stationed at the
doors, principally for communication with the CustomHouse; and we had relays of confidential agents all
over the city, watching the movements of the rioters.
When one evening they surged down Greenwich Street,
destroying every thing that came in their way, we
tllought that they were making for us. I-Iad they come,
they would have met with a warm  reception.  The
chances are very great that they would never have succeeded in penetrating into the building, and, if they had
done so, it is certain that they would have failed to get
access to the treasure, then very large in amount, contained in the vaults. But they deemed it prudent, after
learning the preparation made to receive them, to keep
away; and we came off free of cost, except the expense
of provisioning so large a number of men as we had
there all the time.
In those trying times the civil servants of the Government suffered as well as the military, and the desk had
its martyrs as well as the field. Incessant labors from
early morning till late at night, and sometimes all night,
with overwhelming responsibility and anxiety, were hardly less fatal than the enemy's guns.
In the summer of the year 1863, the lion. GEORGE
IIARRINGTON, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,
broke down completely in health, and by the advice of
his physicians determined to seek repose and relaxation
by withdrawing for a time from public affairs and visiting Europe. In this emergency, SECRETARY CIHASE illvited me to Washington.




CH-IAPTER  IX.
I  ENTERED upon my new duties as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury upon the first day of October,
1863, and continued in the discharge of them, under Secretaries CIASE, FESSENDEN, and MCCULLOCIT, until the first
of July, 1865, when, with impaired strength and energy,
I was transferred by PRESIDENT JOHNSON, at my own request, to a. Federal office in the city of Tew York.
On the morning of the Sunday succeeding tlat of my
arrival at Washington, I, in company with Mr. CHASE,
attended service at the St. John's Episcopal Church.
Mr. SEWARD occupied the pew directly in front of us.
On our walk homeward, Mr. CHASE spoke to me in extremely kind terms of the Secretary of State, saying
that, since they had been associated together as members of Mr. LINCOLN's Cabinet, he had learned to esteem
and respect him much more than he had done in former
years in the Senate.  I soon after had an occasion to
repeat these remarks to Mr. SEWARD, to whom the recital seemed to afford much gratification.  Ie referred,
in turn, to Mr. CHASE'S handsome conduct in resigning
his seat in the Cabinet immediately after he had himself temporarily withdrawn from it under pressure from
the Senate, and the embarrassment from which this considerate action of his colleague had relieved both the
President and himself.  From that time forward my
personal relations with Mr. SEWARD became quite inti



MR. SEWARD.                  263
mate. I used frequently. to meet him socially at the tables of the foreign Ministers, and I often visited him at
his own house.  The latter was particularly the case
during the months of July and August in the year 1864.
The intense heat had depleted Washington, driving from
the city every body except those officials who found
it impossible to get away. The great Bedouin camp
had struck its tents for a season. One's evening visiting
list thus became very much circumscribed, and SECRETARY SEWARD'S house was one of the few where one
could call with any probability of finding the master at
home. At this time I often passed uninterrupted hours
in his company. I frequently found him swinging in a
hammock, which was slung upon the back porch, and
smoking the inevitable cigar of portentous size and
strength.  As a smoker, Mir. SEWARD was in no way behind GENERAL GRANT. Sometimes, however, our interviews took place in the front parlor. The conversation
was always of the most unreserved and familiar character. Upon one occasion, I remarked to the Secretary
that I supposed he had kept a diary, or at least memoranda, of every thing that had occurred at Cabinet meetings since the incoming of the Administration. lie told
me, in reply, that during several months in the beginning he had very faithfully done so; but that very soon
the personal relations between some of his colleagues became so inharmonious, and so much unworthy bickering,
and even quarreling, was indulged in upon these occasions, that lhe discontinued making a record, and destroyed the notes which he had already taken. Heo
said that a truthful statement of these occurrences, if
ever published, would bring disgrace upon the country,




264           MEMIORIES 1OF MANY MIE.
and that they had better be buried in oblivion. Mr.
SEWARD expressed the very highest opinion of Mr. LINCOLN as apolitician.  Indeed, I think it must be conceded by all who had intimate opportunities to study
that remarkable man, that Mr. LINCOLN was the most consummate politician that this country has yet produced,
except perhaps his great rival, STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS. IIe
was in politics what the London Timzes is in journalism
-never leading public opinion, but always following its
wave so closely that, when it breaks, it is found swimming upon the crest.  To the unobservant he appeared
to lead, whereas he only followed.  -Ie had an unerring
and rapid perception of the popular will, and the policy
which he from time to time adopted was but the crystallization of that will.
Mr. SEWARD told me the story of the Emancipation
Proclamation, and, as he related it, it was strikingly illustrative of this characteristic of Mr. LINCOLN. Months
before it was issued, it was the subject of constant discussion at the meetings of the Cabinet. Day after day
the most earnest and acrimonious debates took place in
relation to the propriety or impropriety of the President
issuing such a proclamation. Although an attentive listener to these discussions of his Secretaries, Mr. LINCOLN
did not take an active part in them. So much was this the
case that several, at least, of his advisers were very uncertain as to what his ultimate determination upon the
subject would be. So bitter did the controversy grow,
that it resulted, after a time, not only in a breach of
personal, and to some extent even official relations between certain of the Cabinet officers, but eventually
even in a prolonged discontinuance of Cabinet meet



THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.         265
ings. During the interregnum matters which had been
usually discussed and disposed of at such meetings had
to be settled by inter-departmental correspondence. One
of the other Secretaries, with the obvious purpose of annoying-I use a mild word —Mr. CHASE, addressed several very important official communications directly to me,
ignoring the head of the Department. This condition
of things lasted until one day Mr. SEWARD received an
autographic letter from the President requesting him to
attend, without fail, a meeting of the Cabinet which he
proposed to hold on the morrow. All the other Secretaries received similar letters, and not one of them knew
or entertained any confident conjecture about the particular purpose for which they were called together. At
the appointed time Mr. LINsOLN waited until they were
all assembled, having been unusually reticent to the first
comers. He then addressed them somewhat as follows:
"Gentlemen, I have asked you to come here that I may
have the opportunity of reading to you a proclamation
which I am about to issue. Before proceeding to read
it, however, I desire to say that not only do I not invite any discussion about the propriety or impropriety
of its issue, but that I am unwilling to listen to any.
My mind is made up. On the contrary, as to matters
of form, I wish you all to make any suggestions that
may occur to you."  He then drew from his pocket a
manuscript, and to the amazement of some, if not of all,
there assembled, proceeded to read the Emanzccipation
Proclamation. When he had finished, for a while nobody spoke. Mr. SEWARD Tas the first to break the
silence, and to recommend a verbal alteration. M3r. LINCOLN adopted it without a word of objection. Other
M




266           JfMEMORIES OF MANY MfEN.
gentlemen suggested further changes. Mr. LINCOLN accepted them all without discussion. When nobody had
any more suggestions to make, the meeting broke up,
and the Ministers soon dispersed. The next day the
emancipation from slavery of four millions of human
beings in the United States was published to the world.
Mr. LINCOLN had waited until the people were ripe for it;
and what he had at first looked upon as inopportune, he
had at last regarded as expedient and necessary.
Mr. SEWARD'S version of how Mr. STANTON came into
the Cabinet afforded another illustration in point. For
a long time the maladministration and non-administration of the War Department had been a matter of the most
serious concern to Mr. SEWARD and several of his colleagues. At one time, with the hope of relief, some of
the duties of that Department were transferred to the
State Department, and later others were turned over to
the Treasury Department. But, notwithstanding this,
the conduct of the War Department was constantly becoming worse and worse.  The most serious apprehensions were entertained by those members of the Cabinet
who conversed together upon the subject; but none of
them ventured to call Mr. LINCOLN'S attention to so delicate a matter. They were, nevertheless, both surprised
and distressed at his apparent blindness or indifference
to so obvious and momentous an evil. "While things
were in this condition," said Mr. SEWARD, "there was a
ring at my door-bell one evening, and, as soon as the servant had answered it, the President walked into the room.
IHe sat down by me on this sofa upon which we are now
sitting, and abruptly commenced talking about the condition of the War Department. lie soon made it appar



JMR. STANTON.                267
ent that he had all along observed and known as mnuch
about it as any of us, if not more, and that he had
been up to that time restrained from taking decisive
action, both because he hoped for an amendment in its
administration, and because he had a natural reluctance
to sever intimate official relations with a gentleman who
had been one of his competitors for the Presidential
nomination. However, his mind was now settled, and
he had come to consult me about a successor to Mr. CA0MERON.'o   Mr. STANTON's name was introduced. I can not
now recollect whether Mr. SEWARD said that it was first
mentioned by Mr. LINCOLN or by himself. At all events,
it was very favorably considered by both, and, after some
later negotiations, the War portfolio was tendered to
and accepted by that gentleman. Mr. SEWARD told me
that he believed that at the time of the conversation
just referred to Mr. LINCOLN and Mr. STANTON had never
met, except upon the occasion, years before, when they
were together employed in a lawsuit in Cincinnati, and
when Mr. STANTON so unmercifully snubbed his associate that the latter withdrew in disgust from the
case.
I take the following extract from  one of the little
diaries in which Mr. CHASE was accustomed to jot down
daily occurrences and transcribe some of his most secret
thoughts. He wrote with a pencil, and, as he was in the
habit of carrying these books loose in his pocket, much
of the writing is wholly or partly obliterated.  I have,
however, been able to make out the following, but not
without a great deal of difficulty:
" 1862, January 12th.-~At church in the morning. Good, plain
sermon. Wished much to join in communion, but felt myself too




268            MfEMI2TORIES OF MANY MEN.
subject to temptation to sin. After church went to see CAMERON
by appointment; but being obliged to meet the President, etc., at
one, could only excuse myself. At President's found Generals
MCDOWELL, FRANKLIN, and MEIGS, and SEWARD and BLAIR.
MEIGS decided against dividing forces, and in favor of battle in
front. President said MCCLELLAN'S health was much improved,
and thought it best to adjourn till to-morrow, and have all then
present attend with MeC. at three. Home, and talk and reading. Dinner. CAMERON came in. Advised loan in Holland, and
recommended BROOKS, LEWIS, and another whom I have forgotten.
Then turned to Department matters, and we talked of his going to
Russia and STANTON as successor, and he proposed I should again
see the President. I first proposed seeing SEWARD, to which he
assented. He declared himself determined to maintain himself
at the head of his Department if he remained, and to resist hereafter all interference. I told him I would in that event stand by
him faithfully. He and I drove to Willard's, where I left him,
and went myself to SEWARD'S. I told him at once what was
in my mind-that I thought the President and CAMERON were
both willing that C. should go to Russia. He seemed to receive
the matter as new, except so far as suggested by me last night.
Wanted to know who would succeed CAMERON. I said HOLT and
STANTON had been named; that I feared HOLT might embarrass
us on the slavery question, and might not prove quite equal to the
emergency; that STANTON was a good lawyer and full of energy;
but I could not, of course, judge him as an executive officer as well
as he (S.) could, for he knew him when he was in BUCHANAN'S Cabinet. SEWARD replied that he saw much of him then; that he was
of great force-full of expedients, and thoroughly loyal. Finally
he agreed to the whole thing, and promised to go with me to talk
with the President about it to-morrow. Just at this point CAMERON came in with a letter from the President proposing his nomination to Russia in the morning! He was quite offended, supposing the letter intended as a dismissal, and, therefore, discourteous. We both assured him it could not be so. Finally he concluded to retain the letter till morning, and then go and see the
President. SEWARD was expecting GENERAL BUTLER, and CAM



311R. CHASE'S DIARY.                269
ERON said he ought to be sent off immediately. I said,' Well, let's
leave SEWARD to order him off at once.' C. laughed, and we went
off together, I taking him to his house. Before parting, I told him
what had passed between me and SEWARD concerning STANTON,
with which he was gratified. I advised him to go to the President
in the morning, express his thanks for the consideration with which
his wishes, made known through me as well as by himself orally,
had been treated, and tell him frankly how desirable it was to him
that his successor should be a Pennsylvanian, and should be STANTON. I said I thought that his wish, supported as it would be by
SEWARD and myself, would certainly be gratified, and told him
that the President had already mentioned STANTON in a way which
indicated that no objection on his part would be made. I said
also that, if he wished, I would see SEWARD, and would go to the
President after he had left him, and urge the point. He asked
why not come in when he should be there, and I assented to this.
We parted, and I came home. A day which may have-and
seemingly must have-great bearing on affairs. Oh, that my heart
and life were so pure and right before God that I might not hurt
our great cause! I fear Mr. SEWARD may think CAMERON'S coming into his house pre-arranged, and that I was not dealing frankly. I feel satisfied, however, that I have acted right, and with just
deference to all concerned, and have in no respect deviated from
the truth."
There is more upon the same subject in the book, but,
unfortunately, it can not be deciphered with any certainty.
Since copying the foregoing, I have been informed
upon excellent authority that the President's letter tq
Mr. CAMERON was very brief, and that the following was
the exact language that he used: "I have made up my
mind to accept your resignation, and tender you the mission to St. Petersburg."  That this was all.  That Mr.
CAMERoN, though he had talked of resigning, had made
neither a written nor verbal offer to do so.  Now  was




270            IME1fORIES OF MANY MEN.
Mr. CAMERON justified or not in considering this a dismisscal?   My informant, whose communication is in
writing, continues as follows:
"Four months before this,-l Mr. LINCOLN expressed a probable
intention to make changes in two Departments, but certainly in
one-the War Department. Mr. STANTON, at that time a resident
of Washington, contemplated removing to New York; but a communication having been made to him from an entirely trustworthy
source that Mr. LINCOLN would regard his removal from Washington as inopportune, coupled with an intimation that he would
probably soon be wanted in an important position under the Administration, he remained in the Federal city. The President's
long delay in making sign in fulfillment of his expectations
angered STANTON, and within a very few days before his appoint~ment he said bitter things not only of the Republicans generally,
but of Mr. LINCOLN personally. Mr. LINCOLN, in explaining the
grounds of the intended change in the War Department, referred
in severe terms to Mr. CAMIERON'S bad management, saying, among
other things, that when absent from Washington he had given
telegraphic orders for the transfer of troops and munitions of war,
of which no record had been made in the Department. Serious
embarrassment and confusion had resulted. The President expressed disapprobation also of some of Mr. CAMERON'S personal
affiliations."
It may not be generally known, but it is nevertheless
true, that Mr. SEWARD entertained great admiration and
a most sincere regard for GENERAL GEORGE 13. MCCLELLAN, or "GEORGE," as Mr. LINCOLN used familiarly and
affectionately to call him.  Once, when speaking of the
General, Mr. SEWARD told me that he considered him one
* It is well known that Mr. CAMERON took Mr. LINCOLN'S letter
so much to heart that Mr. CHASE was induced to take it back to
the President, whom he persuaded to substitute for it another letter containing expressions of regret and of compliment.
t This happened in September, 1861, in the early part of the
month.




GENERAL McCLELLAN               271
of the most forbearing, self-controlled, and patient men
whom he had ever known. lIe only remembered a single
occasion upon which he displayed an implacable feeling
of resentment. This was after his rupture with Mr.
STANTON, and his retirement from the command of the
Army of the Potomac. The rebel invaders were pouring North, and the battle which is known to us by
the name of "Antietam" was to be fought.  There
was a panic in Washington, and, after much consideration, it was determined to invite GENERAL MCCLELLAN to again head our forces.  Mr. SEWARD was selected to convey the invitation to him and urge its acceptance. To his surprise and disappointment, he at first
found " GEORGE " inexorable. I-e felt that Mr. STANTON
had treated him with too much injustice to permit him
to accept the offer consistently with his own self-respect.
For a long time he would not recede from his refusal,
and it was only after repeated urging by Mr. SEWARD
that he was induced to undertake to fight the one battle,
it being, however, distinctly understood that there should
be no personal reconciliation between himself and the
Secretary of War.
At the dinner-parties of the foreign Ministers, which
Mr. SEWARD, being Secretary of State, frequently attended, he was looked upon as rather a tedious guest.
Speaking no language but English, he compelled the
conversation to be carried on in a tongue which was not
familiar to many of those usually present.
Mr. SEWARD told me that soon after his first election
as Governor of the State of:New York, he had occasion
to make a short journey from Albany by stage-coach
The day was fine, and he asked the driver's permission




272          11E fORIES OF MANY MEN.
to mount the box and occupy a seat by his side. This
favor was grumblingly granted by Jehu, who was entirely unacquainted with the Governor's person.  Mr.
SEWARD endeavored to propitiate him by presenting to
him a choice cigar; the ice soon thawed, and they entered into an earnest conversation. After a while the
coachman turned to him, and abruptly asked him who
he was. Mr. SEWARD replied that people called him the
Governor of lNew York. This was met by his companion with a laugh of incredulity. Mr. SEWARD then said
that they could not proceed far without meeting somebody who knew him, who would confirm his statement.
Presently they came up to a person on foot, with whom
Mr. SEWARD was acquainted, and he requested the driver
to stop the coach. Hailing the man at the side of the
road, Mr. SEWARD told him that his identity had been
questioned, and asked him if he was not, in fact, the
Governor. "Certainly not," was the unexpected answer.
Pray, then, who is 2" asked the astonished statesman.
Why, THURLow  WEED, Of course," was the prompt reply. Mr. SEWARD laughed over the story as if the scene
were still vividly before him.
I have mentioned that at one time there was an absolute discontinuance of Cabinet meetings, and that during
that period very important matters, which were usually
disposed of at such meetings, became the subject of correspondence between the several Departments. A very
protracted and very able correspondence passed between
the Treasury and the Navy Departments in relation to
certain regulations issued by the former, affecting what
was called "restricted trade."  The Navy objected to
these regulations, whose enforcement, it was claimed,




_1R. WELLES.                273
would tend to interfere with an efficient blockade.  On
our side, Mr. CHASE himself wrote every letter, and it is
needless to say that they were very ably written. The
letters from the Navy Department were, however, to say
the least, equally able; and I could not help feeling that
we were even a little overmatched in the controversy.
Fox, the Assistant Secretary, we all said must have written those letters; they could have no other author. But
it afterward turned out that they had been written by
the Secretary, Mr.WELLES, and that neither Mr. Fox nor
any body else had even been consulted about them.
This circumstance greatly raised my estimate of Mr.
WELLES; and from my subsequent intercourse with him
I became convinced that he was one of the ablest, and
in every respect one of the best of Mr. LINCOLN'S immediate advisers. The country has never done him any
thing like justice. His patriarchal looks, his immense
wig, his flowing beard, and his somewhat stolid manners, and the names of "FATHER WELLES  and "NOAH"
applied to him by the slang talkers and writers of the
day, created an altogether false impression of him in the
public mind. Whenever I had occasion to call upon him
officially, I always found him, perhaps to a greater degree than any of his associates, well up in all the details
of the Department over which he presided. His personal management of its affairs was intelligent, thorough,
and efficient. More, perhaps, than any other of his colleagues, he was given to minding his own business, and
in the discharge of duty he was as inflexible as an old
Roman.
It affords me pleasure to have here the opportunity to
pay a brief tribute to a public officer who has, apparently,
M 2




274           MIEMfORIES OF MjANY MEN.
been so little appreciated by a country which he so intelligently and so faithfully served.
I think that, all things considered, Mr. CHASE should be
rated first among the members of Mr. LINCOLN'S Cabinet.
In intellectual greatness, he certainly was the foremost. I
have so many reasons for affectionate regard for him and
for devotion to his memory, that, however truthful a witness, I know that I am liable to be considered a partial one.
That Mr. CHASE, as a financial minister, fell into occasional errors, I am the last person in the world to dispute.
But who is there that in those terribly difficult times
would not have fallen into them?  He always had the
good sense, which has not been common to all his suceessors, to constantly consult with those who had more
practical experience than he himself possessed; and, except his great fundamental mistake at the commencement, he probably made as few as would have been made
by any other person in his place.




CHAPTER X.
rNTIL the winter of 1861-2, Congress could not be
induced to take up the subject of internal taxes.
For the first year, the war was conducted without a revenue; for the import duties had fallen to a sum scarcely
adequate to peace expenditures. When the committees of
Congress went to work, Mr. CHASE determined to prepare
also, on his part, a scheme of internal taxation. To assist
him, at the suggestion of Mr. Cisco, he invited to Washington the HIon. JOHN D. VAN BUREN, a distinguished
citizen of New York, of opposite politics to his own. Mr.
VAN BUREN remained two months at the capital, as a
volunteer unpaid attache of the Treasury Department,
in daily consultation with the Secretary. Some time before the Committee of Ways and Means had its Bill
ready to report, Mr. VAN BUREN completed one for Mr.
CHASE, levying taxes which, it was estimated, would yield
over two hundred millions of dollars per annum. No income tax was included, Mr. VAN BUREN, after examining the decisions, coming to the conclusion that it was a
direct tax, and therefore unconstitutional unless levied
upon each state in proportion to population; in which
view Mr. CHASE at that time acquiesced. This Bill was
examined and, in some details, corrected by Mr. CHASE,
and sent by him to the Committee of Ways and Means;
but his note, accompanying it,was not so worded as to
make it absolutely his own measure. The Committee




276          IMEMORIES OF 7MANY MEN.
had already made progress in, but had not completed, a
scheme of its own. The advance sheets of its Bill, furnished to the Treasury Department, showed that it proceeded upon the theory of taxing every thing under the
sun. The Bill submitted by Mr. CHASE had only ten or
fifteen separate subjects of taxation. Under it the number of officials and the expense of collection would have
been much less than under that of the Committee. One
illustration will suffice on this point. The Bill submitted by the Secretary levied a tax of half a cent a mile
on railroad passengers; which would have yielded a large
revenue, the amount of which could be accurately estimated by the statistics given in the railroad report of
the State Engineer of New York, and the reports of
some other states; and all of which tax would have been
collected by the railroads at the same time with their
own fares. So a tax of one cent was proposed on every
passenger by horse-railroads and ferries. This would
have yielded a very considerable revenue-several millions of dollars. The Committee did levy a tax on horserailroads and ferries, but put it down to about one third
of a cent. The ferries and railroads charged an additional cent to their passengers, but two thirds of this
went into their private treasuries. Another tax of the
same nature, cheap of collection, served to illustrate a
kind of patriotism that was very common in those days.
All the moneyed interests were clamorous for taxation,
but every body wanted the taxes laid on every body else
than themselves. It was proposed to tax consumers of
illuminating gas fifty cents a thousand cubic feet, to be
collected with the monthly bills of the gas companies.
This brought a swarm of presidents of gas companies




'THE DIFFICULTIES OF TAXATION        277
from every quarter to Washington. They were loud and
unanimous in their admissions that the Government must
provide for itself an abundant revenue, but insisted that
such a tax as this would bring absolute rain on the gas
companies. One of them from New York never forgave Mr.VAN BUREN for not being convinced by his arguments that, under such a tax, all the gas-consumers
would go back at once to the use of tallow candles.
A very valuable suggestion was made by MrI BIGELOW,
of Boston, the well-known inventor of the carpet-loom.
It was that all the internal taxes should be collected not
in money, but in Government stamps; that the Treasury
should issue stamps of various denominations up to a
thousand dollars, good only in payment of taxes; and
that the tax-payer should simply return his tax-bill to
the Collector, with the necessary amount of canceled
stamps affixed to it. This would have had many advantages. It would have reduced greatly the machinery
and the number of officials to be engaged in collecting
the taxes, and it would have secured the Treasury absolutely against losses by the dishonesty of its agents.
There would have been no handling of money except at
the sub-Treasuries, where, at wholesale, the stamps were
to be sold, with an allowance to compensate the retail
sellers. Moreover, the Treasury would thus have received
its revenue always in advance. This proposal of Mr.
BIGELOW was accepted by Mr. VAN BUREN, and urged
by him upon Mr. CHASE. It may be doubted, however,
whether there was any desire among members of Congress to keep down the number of officials to be created
under the new tax system. The more offices, the more
home patronage for each Representative.




2T8          iMEMOIRIES OF I1IANY 3E1P.
The Committee of Congress had become attached to
its own scheme, and adhered to it. It was manifestly
anxious to make the taxes light, and hoped to do so by
scattering them upon all things. Some of its members,
in conversation, laughed at the tax of fifty cents a gallon
on whisky, proposed in the Bill submitted by Mr. CHASES,
as being absurdly heavy; their own Bill levying only
about one fourth as much. Yet, in a year or two, Congress
went to the other extreme, and put the tax at two dollars
a gallon, giving rise, by excessive temptation, to an organized system of whisky frauds. The Committee expected that its Bill would yield a revenue of nearly
two hundred millions of dollars; the most moderate estimate among the members was one hundred and sixty
millions of dollars. Mr.VAN BUREN was urged by some
of them to estimate its results, and he put them down as
not exceeding sixty millions of dollars net. The returns
for the year showed, I believe, about seventy millions of
dollars gross.
The same mistake was made by Mr. CHASE and by
Congress as that which Mr. PITT confessed he had made
in the Napoleonic wars. Heavy taxes should have been
imposed at the outset. The people were ready for taxation, but their agents were timid. We resorted to all
sorts of expedients, bringing ruin upon our credit; and
then had at last to come to the same amount of taxation
which, if laid in the beginning, would have kept our
credit always high. With the example and tie confession of MBr. PITT before us, our public men were less excusable than he. A tax of two hundred millions of dollars, levied in the first year of the war, would, in Mr. VAN
BUREN'S opinion, have enabled us to borrow freely and




iMR. CHASE.                279
to keep up specie payments; would have served, by the
demonstration of our strength, as a warning to foreign
powers disposed to meddle; would have discouraged the
enemy, compelled themselves to resort at the outset to
irredeemable paper money; and would have greatly
shortened the contest. It would have avoided, probably,
two thirds of our public debt. From how much demoralization and sin it would have saved us is beyond calculation.
It was, at the outbreak of the Rebellion, the opinion of
the venerable AZAbIAH C. FLAGG, formerly Comptroller
of the State of New York, that the Government could
afford to expend one thousand millions a year and yet
maintain specie payments. Our annual expenditures,
even when measured by depreciated paper money, did
not come up to this.
The French proverb that " no man is a hero to his
valet de chiambre," has a wider significance than it expresses. It means that the great become little to those
who are intimately associated with them. I have come
into contact with many of those whom the world calls
great, and, after a personal acquaintance with them, have
found them very small. But, in the case of Mr. CHrASE,
I can honestly and sincerely say that, after the closest relations with him, both official and private, during a period
of time which tried men's brains as well as their souls,
I parted from him with a higher appreciation of his magnificent mind and character than I entertained when I
only knew him as one of the leaders of the land.  lie
had conspicuous weaknesses, but they only served to
throw his great qualities into more prominent relief.
We all remember the movement that was made, pre



280          lMEM3ORIES OF MIANY MEN.
vious to Mr. LINCOLN'S second nomination at Baltimore,
to bring AJr. CHASE forward as a competing candidate.
That Mr. CI-ASE was himself in nowise reluctant can not
be denied, although I know that he all along doubted
that such a movement had. any chance of success. In
those days he failed to appreciate Mr. LINCOLN at his true
value, as, I think, Mr. LINCOLN failed to appreciate him.
Indeed, it would be impossible to imagine two men more
unlike, and having fewer points of contact. Mr. LINCOLN,
at least, was entirely deficient in what the phrenologists
call reverence. No man who ever lived could be in his
presence and dominate him, as the French express it.
There is a certain sort of intellectual atmosphere different from, if not higher than that in which he moved, and
he troubled himself very little about it, or about those
who dwelt in it. At any rate, he instinctively conceded
nothing of superiority to any body, and often failed to
comprehend those whose mental plane was different from
his own. Mr. CHASE honestly felt his superiority to TMr.
LINCOLN in some respects, and could not be reconciled to
his undignified manners and strange ways. While the
movement to bring Mr. CHASE forward as a Presidential candidate was in agitation, a United States Senator,
who actively participated in it, one day came into my office in a towering rage. Striking his fist upon my desk,
he said to me that he considered CHASE the  ~ (using a
very strong expletive) fool in the world. HIe then went
on to tell me that he and others had been unsuccessfully
laboring with the Secretary to induce him  to issue a
" cotton permit" to somebody, precisely as he would issue
one to any respectable person; only that the profits were
to be applied in the interest of his nomination, instead of




SCOLDING DIGNITARIES.            S81
going into private pockets. There was an amount of
principle and delicacy involved in Mr. CHASE's refusal
which the Senatorial mind utterly failed to appreciate.
When speaking of Mr. CHAsE's Presidential aspirations,
I am reminded, as Mr. LINCOLN used to say, of a little
story. When I first went to Washington, the Secretary
occupied for his office a room on the south side of the
Treasury building, with a beautiful outlook down the
Potomac. Soon afterward it was proposed that he should
remove to certain elaborately ornamented and elegantly
furnished rooms on the west side of the building, which
had been arranged for his occupation by Mr. MULLETT, the
architect of the Department. Mr. CHASE had consented
to make the change; but after the new rooms were
ready he delayed removing. Several times he appointed
a day to do so, but when the time came he had changed
his mind. One afternoon, while he was still hesitating,
I was standing with him at one of the windows of the
largest of the new rooms which faced the Executive
Mansion. Turning to me, he asked me to assign one
sufficient reason why he should change his quarters. I
told him that there was at least one obvious advantage
in the exchange, and that was, if he should come to
these offices, he would always be able to keep his eye
uIpon the White House!
Mr. CHASE was a man of extremely nervous temperanment, and he would sometimes be very violent, and occasionally even unjust, while swept by a gale of passion.
On one occasion SENATOR FESSENDEN came into my room
in a terrible rage, occasioned by a scolding which he
had received from the Secretary. GOVERNOR BROUGIT,
of Ohio, visited Washington in the year 1864, and being




282.IMEMORIES OF MANY 1MEN.
an experienced railroad man and familiar with the cost
of transportation, explained to Mr. CHASE the fearful extrayagance of the Quartermaster's Department in the
West. Mr. STANTON, unfortunately for himself, happened to come into the Secretary's room shortly after the
Governor had left it, when lie received such a verbal
castigation at the hands of Mr. CHASE as few men would
have ventured to inflict upon the great War Secretary.
What was more remarkable, however, he bore it with
great meekness.
But Mr. CHASE was always just after the moment of
anger had passed, and knew how to be magnanimous.
Among the innumerable duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, who was the executive officer of a
Department employing at that time in Washington three
thousand persons, was that of taking daily to the Secretary the warrants for his signature.  Any body can readily imagine how numerous they always were, what a
great scope of indebtedness they covered, and what large
sums many of them  represented.  When they reached
him they had already been through the auditing offices,
the Register's office, and the Treasurer's office, and only
awaited the Secretary's signature to be complete. Somehow, Mir. CHASE did not seem to think that he was discharging a merely ministerial duty when he signed
them. On the contrary, notwithstanding the valuable
time that it occupied to do so, he always carefully scrutinized every one of them, and hardly a day passed that
he did not lay aside a dozen or more unsigned for future
explanations.
I happened once to be with the Secretary when the
President, without knocking, and unannounced, as was




MR. LINCOLN'S SAVINGS.            283
his habit, entered the room. IHlis rusty black hat was on
the back of his head, and he wore, as was his custom, an
old gray shawl across his shoulders. To the best of my
recollection, this occurred in the spring of the year 1864.
I said good-morning to Mr. LINCOLN, and then, as was the
established etiquette when the President called, withdrew
from the office. As Mr. LINCOLN, in his infrequent visits
to the Secretary, usually remained a long time, I supposed that I had my freedom for at least half an hour,
and proceeded to attend to the accumulation of business
which awaited me in my own room. But I was mistaken. In less than five minutes I was summoned to
return to the Secretary. Mr. SCI IJCKRERS, his private
secretary, entered the room at the same time that I did.
The President was gone, and there was lying upon one
end of Mr. CIASE'S desk a confused mass of Treasury
notes, Demand notes, Seven-tlirty notes, and other representatives of value. Mr. CHASE told us that this lot of
money had just been brought by Mr. LINCOLN, who desired to have it converted into bonds. He informed us
that the President said that it amounted to sixty-eight
thousand dollars, but that he had not counted it.  GENERAL SPINNER, the Treasurer, was then sent for. When
the General came up from his office down stairs, he, Mr.
ScHucKEs, and myself, proceeded together to count the
money. The amount proved to be, as represented, just
sixty-eight thousand dollars, which was certainly a large
sum for Mr. LINCOLN to have saved from  his salary in
three years. Possibly a good deal of this money may
have been anonymous gifts.  however, it may be said
that there was very clever financiering done in the White
House in those days, about which the President was sup



284         1MEMORIES OF MANY MEN
posed to have little or no knowledge. He only knew
that the establishment was conducted in a marvelously
economical manner. I had it from a Senator, who was
appointed chairman of an investigating committee upon
the subject at a secret session of the Senate, that a state
dinner was paid for out of an appropriation for fertilizers
for the grounds connected with the Executive Mansion.
How far this " Heathen Chinee" business was carried, it
would probably be difficult to ascertain at this distance
of time. One thing only is certain, and that is that Mr.
LNcoLN was personally thoroughly honest.
I remember a very absurd incident connected with Mr.
CHASE. IHe and I happened to be going together one
evening from New York to Washington. We engaged
a coach at the Fifth Avenue Hotel to convey us to the
Cortlandt Street Ferry. When we arrived there, alighting from the carriage, Mr. CHASE paid the driver, and
we hastened toward the boat. We had not gone far, however, before the driver, who did not know his distinguished "fare," shouted to the Secretary to come back. We
accordingly retraced our steps, and when we had again
reached the carriage, the coachman exclaimed: "Halloo,
old man, what do you mean by trying to pass bogus stamps
on me? I have a great mind to have you arrested!" He
then placed into Mr. CHASE's hand two fifty-cent fractional notes, which he asserted he had just received from
him in part payment. The Secretary looked at them,
and, saying that he could not see that they were bad,
handed them to me for examination. I at once perceived
that they were not only bad, but even very bad, being
obviously impressions from a wooden block. I so informed Mr. CHASE, and he gave others for them. But




GENERAL BUTLER.                 285
it always struck me as a huge joke that he had been detected in the attempt, innocent though it was, to pass
counterfeits of his own currency.
Very soon after he became Secretary of the Treasury,
and before his person was known to many of the employes of the Department, he entered the Treasury building one Sunday, and, disregarding the protest of the
watchman at the door, attempted to pass up stairs to his
own room. There was a regulation prohibiting any one
from coming in on that day except upon an order of the
Secretary or of the Assistant Secretary. Finding his calls
disregarded, the watchman started in pursuit of the intruder just as he reached the top step. Seizing Mr. CHASE
by the collar, he was about to use violence, when the latter quietly asked him if it was his purpose to eject the
Secretary from his own Department.  The man, frightened at his act, attempted to excuse himself for his ignorance in assailing his chief, but Mr. CHASE cut him
short by commending him for faithfully discharging his
duty. Returning to his mate, he rubbed his hands and
exclaimed to him, " That keeps me here at least four
years longer!"
Mr. CHASE always entertained a very exalted opinion
of GENERAL BUTLER'S executive ability. I remember
once, that as the General left the Secretary's room, the
latter turned to me and said, "There is the fittest man
in the United States to be Secretary of War!" During
the winter of 1863-4, when the General was in command at Fortress Monroe, I took a revenue cutter and,
accompanied by some friends, among whom were II. A.
RISLEY, Esq., of the Treasury Department, the father of
Mr. SEWARD's adopted daughter, and ARTHURI  LEARY,




286           MJfEJfORIES OF MJANY IEX.
Esq., of New York, paid him a visit. Among other civilities, the General entertained us at dinner.  The dinner
was an excellent one, and was served upon old-fashioned
blue china. The General remarked that lie did not suppose it would injuriously affect our appetites to be informed that we were dining off a service which belonged
to EX-GovERNOR HENRY A. WISE, of Virginia. There was
a good deal of animated conversation at table, and one
of those present expressed the opinion that when our
civil war should be over, such a military spirit would
have been engendered in the American people that we
would become a nation of filibusters. " It is very likely,"
answered the General, "that we shall go about the world
with a chip upon our shoulder!"
An excursion to I-ampton, and a review of the first
negro regiment ever raised, was proposed after dinner by
the General.  Accordingly, four saddle horses, one for
him, two for his aids, and one for myself, besides two
ambulances for the others of the party, were brought to
the door with but little delay.  As I was no equestrian,
I declined the horse in favor of Mr. RISLEY, who is the
most modest man in the world, and who deprecatingly
accepted it; while I hastened to ensconce myself in the
interior of an ambulance. It was a piercingly cold day,
and Mr. RISLEY was as inexperienced a horseman as myself; but this I only learned afterward.  The reins of
the ambulance were reluctantly taken by Mr. LEARY.
The General used very short stirrups, and sat on his
horse like a monkey; but he went like the wind. Mr.
RISLEY galloped at his side, looking like a centaur, and
with a wonderfully complacent expression of countenance.  And yet he was suffering martyrdom, and for




AN INCIDENT OF THE TAYLOR CAIMPAIGN.   287
ten days thereafter was unable to sit upright. Mr. LEARY
endured agony-hlis hands were almost frozen. I was
comparatively comfortable.  I do not think that Mlr.
RISLEY quite forgave me for a long time, although he
is the most amiable man of my acquaintance.
I went on to Washington once during the war in a
private car placed at my disposal by the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company, and meeting GENERAL BUTLER
at the station, invited him to share it with me. In order
to give sleeping accommodations to the ladies who accompanied him, he and I had to sit up all night. I passed
the time smoking, and listening to his delightful and instructive talk. I suppose that GENERAL BUTLER knovws
more about more subjects than any other man in this
country, unless it be CALEB CUSHING. He is a kind, true,
fast friend, and at the same time the most obliging, the
bravest, and the most calumniated man living.
A reference just above to EX-GOVERNOR WISE reminds
me of a little incident. I was traveling in the Southern
States during the winter of 1859, and I happened to
meet at Montgomery, Alabama, a Virginia' gentleman
who had formerly been in the Navy, and was afterward a
member of the National Congress from his native state.
He told me that during the Taylor campaign he stumped
that state in favor of the hero of Buena Yista, while
GoVERNOR WISE did the same thing on the other side.
After the fashion that then prevailed in the South and
the Southwest, the two speakers traveled together, and
alternated in addressing their audiences. They arrived,
in the course of their journey, at Lynchburg, where it
was the Governor's turn to speak first. In his address he
dwelt largely upon the incapacity and unfitness of GEN



288           MEMilORIES OF MANY MEN.
ERAL TAYLOR for the Presidency, said that he had been
unable to write his own dispatches, and that they were
all written by his son-in-law, COLONEL BLISS. He harped
a long time upon his ignorance, even calling him " Old
Ignorance." When my informant rose to reply, he made
a short address upon the political issues involved in the
election, and then closed with the remark that, in answer
to what his friend had said about GENERAL TAYLOR'S ignorance, his only reply was that, "Where ignorance is
Bliss,'tis folly to be VWise!" at the same time pointing
his finger at the Governor.
Mr. COLFAX, late Vice-President, and IMr.'.ASHBURNE,
now Minister to France, were competing candidates for
the Speakership of the Thirty-eighth Congress. Some
three weeks before the time for Congress to meet, Mr.
COLFAX came to Washington, and immediately entered
upon an active canvass for the post to which he aspired.
Mr. WASuBURNE only made his appearance at a very late
moment, and was surprised to find that the question of
the Speakership was already virtually settled against him.
He complained to Mr. CHASE that I was interfering in
Mir. COLFAX's behalf; and the Secretary sent for me, and
cautioned me against doing any thing in favor of or
against either candidate, as they were both very good
friends to our Department. Now what I had done, and
all that I had done, in the premises was this: Before the
organization of the House of Representatives, Mr. EDWIN
CROSWELL, formerly of the Albany Argus, came to me in
Washington in behalf of the Hon. HENRY G. STEBBINS,
member of Congress elect from the first NewYork district.
It is very likely that he came without Mr. STEBBINS'S
knowledge. He desired to have that gentleman made a




MR. STEBBINS AND GENERAL SPINNER.       289
member of the Committee of Ways and Means, and, at
his instance, I not only gave him a letter to Mr. COLFAX
upon the subject, but also called several times upon that
gentleman to urge him to appoint Mr. STEBBINS upon0 that
Committee, in case he should be the successful candidate for the Speakership. After Mr. COLFAX'S election,
and before he had announced the committees, he told
me that although he could not promise to comply with
my wish, still, if Mr. STEBBINS should, after all, find his
name upon the list of committees where I desired to see
it, I was at liberty to say to him that it was through my
intervention that the matter was accomplished. Mr.
STEBBINS received the appointment, and by his course
amply justified the Speaker's action. Although a Democrat, he ardently supported the Government, and during
his brief term of service made two of the soundest and
most eloquent financial speeches that were delivered during the war. His health soon failed, and he was compelled to withdraw for a time from all business. Mr.
CHASE told me that the Hon. FERNANDO WOOD called
upon him several times, with a view to a place upon the
same committee. Mr. CHASE was very much pleased with
Mr. WOOD at these interviews.
I could relate several anecdotes of GENERAL SPINNER, the United States Treasurer, and the author of the
amazing autograph which graces our national money,
but I shall confine myself to a single one which he hirmself told me. The General is equally noted for his honesty and his profanity. Before he was made Treasurer
of the United States by PRESIDENT LINCOLN, he had been
a member of Congress from the Herkimer District, New
York. SENATOR WADE, of Ohio, was as conspicuous for
N




290           MEMORIES OF MANY  EN.
the use of strong language as was Mr. SPINNER. Shortly
after the accession of the latter to office, he made an evening call upon Mrs. WADE. In course of conversation, it
came out that he was no longer a member of the House
of Representatives, as that lady supposed.  "That explains," she said, " Ir. WADE's astonishingly increased
profanity. Formerly he used to swear for the Senate
and you for the House. Now he has to swear for both!"
At one time, when there was a constant apprehension
that Washington would be attacked, we organized a regiment in the Treasury Department for home service. As
I was anxious to do all in my power to encourage
the enterprise, I enlisted as a raw recruit in the company of which COLONEL JONES, of the Treasurer's office,
was Captain.  GENERAL SPINNER, who was a veteran,
joined the same company as a private.  At the drills,
I was always perpetrating the most awkward movemnents, and upon one occasion came very near putting
out with my bayonet the eyes of a fellow-soldier who
stood just behind me. Ite bore my homicidal attempt
with all meekness, because I was Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury. It used to be delightful to witness
the fervor and energy with which GENERAL SPINNER
went through the manual. We had a very fine band
of music, entirely composed of Department clerks, and
the bray of their brazen instruments, as we marched
through the echoing corridors of the Treasury building
of an evening, still lingers in my ears.
Mr. CHASE was induced, at a certain period, to adopt
for the use of the Government, for its.paper obligations,
what was called a "membrane paper," which it was
claimed rendered counterfeiting impossible. The print



THE BLOOD OF JOHN B ROWN V.        291
ing was done in the Department, and the Secretary supposed that this paper was so carefully guarded and
watched that it was impossible for the smallest piece
of it to be abstracted or to get astray. He used to keep
a little specimen of it, about four inches' long by three
wide, upon his desk, and to explain to those to whom he
showed it that he had himself been compelled to give a
receipt for it before he was allowed to take it, so scrupulous was the care with which it was guarded. It happened that I once had occasion to go down to the room
where this paper was received, and where the sheets were
counted before being stored in an apartment below.
There were two doors to this room upon one of the corridors, and they were both open. The corridor was full
of laborers, standing in a line, who had come to receive
their pay from the disbursing agent. Upon a counter
in the room were heaped sheets of the precious paper.
A pile of mutilated sheets stood in one corner. Two
women, upon their knees scrubbing the floor, were the
only occupants of the room, the person in charge having
temporarily gone elsewhere. I immediately ejected the
women, locked both doors, and carried the keys to the
Secretary. This little incident changed his views in relation to the Cerberus-like watchfulness with which his
paper had been guarded.
We had at that time an elephant on our hands in the
Department in the person of a brother of JOHN BRowN,
" whose soul is marching on."  FREDERICK BROWN had
been successively detailed to almost every bureau, and
after a few days dismissed from each as incompetent and
insubordinate. He was a harmless, garrulous old man,
who used to obstruct a corridor for hours, pouring out a




292          MEMIORIES OF.MANY TMEN.
ceaseless stream of talk upon whomsoever would stop to
listen to him. Finally he became a nuisance that had
to be in some way abated; but we were loth to abandon
altogether a man so connected. So we had him appointed keeper of a light-house, situated upon a rock far
off the coast of North Carolina! IHe was employed at
one time in the office of the Light-Iouse Board, of
which the Secretary of the Treasury is, ex-officio, Chairman, and of which ADMIRAL SHuTBRICK was then the
acting chief. BROWN had the habit of sitting with his
feet elevated upon a table even in the presence of his
official superiors. He was remonstrated with, and told
that he ought, at least, to resume a decent position when
ADMIRAL SnUBRICe entered the room. "I don't see why
I should," he answered; "the Admiral doesn't take down
his feet when I come in!"
Upon another occasion ADMIRAL SHUBRICe, desiring to
send him out with a communication, asked him-" Mr.
BROWN, do you know where the Navy Department is?"
" No," answered BROWN. "Do you know where the War
Department is 2 " "No."  "Do you know where Wilder's building is "  "No."' Well," emphatically demanded the old Admiral, "what do you know "  "I
know," coolly replied BRowN, "that Admiral Davis is a
gentleman."
One day the Superintendent of the printing of fractional currency came into my office accompanied by a beautiful but very pale girl of about sixteen. I was engaged,
but I saw that he had something urgent to say, and so I
immediately gave him my attention. He told me that
for some time past there had been frequent thefts of
entire sheets of fractional currency from his office, al



A PRETTY THIEF                293
though he had supposed that he had adopted such checks
as would render any abstraction impossible; that the
amount taken at each successive time was larger than at
the previous one; that the entire sum was altogether
about twelve hundred dollars, whereof some four hundred had been stolen only two or three days before;
that he had not dared to say any thing about it to the
Secretary, and that he had just detected the little girl
who was with him as the culprit. I turned to the girl,
and asked her if the charge against her was true. With
increasing pallor, but without shedding a tear, she admitted that it was. I directed the Superintendent to
take her up stairs again, and await further orders, and I
sent a messenger for POLICE DETECTIVE CLARVOE. Just
then a middle-aged lady, who had been waiting my
leisure, walked up to my desk and urged her claims
to be appointed a clerk in the Department. I courteously made to her the stereotyped statement that we
had thousands of applicants and no vacancies; and
when I had finished, she turned upon me in a vixenish
way and said: "If I were only young and pretty, like
the young person who has just gone out, you would give
me a place, as you have undoubtedly given her one." I
made no reply, but I could not avoid thinking how differently she would have spoken had she known upon
what business that poor child had been brought to me.
Before CLARVOE came I had communicated with the
Secretary upon the subject, and he very properly demanded the immediate arrest of the thief. So I was
compelled to hand her over to the detective for incarceration, and I requested him to report to me as soon as
possible all that he could ascertain about the case. The




294          IMEMORIES OF MiANY.MEN
ensuing day he returned to me, and gave me her whole
history. She was the daughter of an extensive importing merchant in one of our great cities, who had failed in
business soon after the commencement of the war, and
had then, regardless of his family, committed suicide.
Some of the friends of the unfortunate man commanded
influence sufficient to procure for the daughter the position which she held in the mechanical department of the
Treasury.  Soon afterward her mother went to the bad,
and took up with a Portuguese blockade-runner. These
two together corrupted the child. Every penny that she
had abstracted had been taken at their instance, and
for the benefit of one or the other of them. He had
traced the money last stolen to one of the principal drygoods shops in Washington, where she had purchased
silk dresses and other articles for her mother, and paid
for them with the uncut sheets, which the proprietor had
very strangely accepted. Both the man and the woman
had left Washington directly after the arrest. There
was nothing to be recovered.  I thought this a pretty
hard case, and so said to the Secretary; but he insisted
that it was his duty to criminally prosecute the girl for
the sake of the example.  Of course he was right in
principle. But I then asked him where he supposed
the public, if informed of the transaction, would attach most blame, to this tempted, unsophisticated girl,
or to the Treasury Department, which surrounded its
manufacture of paper money with such insufficient
checks as to render the abstraction possible?  I-le understood this as I intended it, and forthwith directed
that the matter be dropped, upon the single condition
that the girl should go away from the capital and not




FREDERICK DO UGLASS.             295
return there. I sent for CLARVOE, and communicated
to him the Secretary's decision. I then ascertained that,
instead of taking the child to jail, he had placed her in
his own' house in charge of his wife, who had kindly
cared for her all the time. We discovered several other
thefts in the Department during my time, but in every
other instance we recovered the entire amount that had
been taken.
I saw FREDERICK DOUGLASS several times in Washington, and he impressed me, as he did every one else, by
his remarkable intelligence. I once heard him, born a
slave, get decidedly the better of PRESIDENT JoHNsoN in
a political discussion; and I was present upon another
occasion when he talked about banking to Mr. FnEEMAN
CLARKE, of the Committee of Ways and Means, with an
astonishing ability and apparent familiarity witlh the
subject.




CHAPTER XI.
CORRECT version of the circumstances which induced and accompanied Mr. CIIASE' withdrawal
from Mr. LINCOLN's Cabinet has never, to my knowledge,
been given to the public.  About the first of June, 1864,
Mr. Crsco tendered to the President, through the Secretary of the Treasury, his peremptory resignation of the
office of Assistant Treasurer of the United States at
New York, to take effect immediately after the close of
the fiscal year, viz., on the first of July. Efforts were
unsuccessfully made to induce him to withdraw it, and
it then became necessary to find somebody to take his
place. A furious competition for the office immediately sprang up. Mr. CHASE, after a few days, went to
New York, where he remained some time. HIe offered
the position to three leading bankers, but they declined
it. I-Ie then returned to Washington, and remained inactive upon the subject until very late in the month.
One morning he sent for me, and told me that he had
some time before decided to nominate me to the President, but that, equally to his surprise and regret, a gentleman of high position and great influence had called
upon him and objected to the nomination.  However,
he had ordered his carriage, and intended to go directly to the Senate, and canvass that body upon the subject; and if he found that I would be confirmed, he
would send my name to the President that very after



CANVASSING THE SENATE.            297
noon. In conclusion, he desired me to call at his house
at five o'clock.
Accordingly, at the appointed time I went there. Mr.
CHASE told me that he had spent two hours upon the
floor of the Senate, and that lie thought I would be
unanimously confirmed; that even the gentleman who
opposed me would not, he believed, carry his opposition
so far as to vote against ny confirmation. I thus knew
that the gentleman to whom  he had referred in the
morning was a Senator, and I fancied that he must be
a Senator from New York. As I was acquainted with
the favorable disposition of one of them toward me, I
had no difficulty in concluding in my own mind who it
was that was hostile to my nomination. Mr. CHASE had
already sent my name to the President, and he desired
me to leave for New York that very evening, so as to arrange for my official bonds, and be prepared to assume
the duties of the office on the first of July. I objected
to this, under the circumstances; but I promised the Secretary that I would take my departure immediately after Mr. LINCOLN should nominate me to the Senate.
The next day a recommendation that I be appointed,
signed by every Union member of the Lower House
from  the State of New York, was transmitted to the
President, and the friendly Senator called upon him to
indorse it.
However, I was not nominated to the Senate on that
day. The following morning Mr. CHASE again sent for
me, and told me that he had received a letter from Mr.
LINCOLN, in which he expressed a disinclination to nominate me on account of the opposition of one of the
New York Senators, and invited him to a conference
N 2




298           MREM ORIES OF MANY MEN.
upon the subject. Mr. CHASE, instead of calling, replied
by letter. For several days communications were passing between him and the President. This correspondence, however, I have never seen. Finally, one day as
I was discharging my official duties as usual, with the
room full of people, Mr. ScHuCKERs rushed in, and whispered into my ear, "We have no longer a Secretary;
Mr. CHASE has resigned, and the President has accepted
his resignation!"  Thereupon I went directly to Mr.
CHASE, and asked him if the news which I had just
heard was true.  He answered in the affirmative. I
then requested his permission to tender my own resignation to the President. I-Ie told me that such action
would look factious, and must not be thought of.
Then Mr. LINCOLN nominated to the Senate Ex-GovEENOi TOD, of Ohio, as Secretary of the Treasury. At
this nomination the Senate and-the country stood aghast.
A Senatorial Committee called upon the President, and
asked him to withdraw the nomination of Mr. TOD, but
he refused to do so. Fortunately that gentleman, who
knew that he had no chance to be confirmed, cut the
knot by declining the appointment.
The afternoon of the day of the acceptance of Mlr.
CHAsE's resignation, I was upon the floor of the House
of Representatives. Mlembers flocked around me, eager
for information, and I was addressed by the facetious
title of " Cabinet-smasher."
Then Congress and the country, with a united voice,
demanded the appointment of Mr. FESSENDEN, at that
time Chairman of the Committee on Finance in the
Senate. Never did a man more reluctantly accept office. Hie knew better than any body else his want of




ilB. LINCOLN EXPLAINS.          299
fitness for an executive position. IHe said that his place,
and his only place, was in a forensic assembly. During
his administration of the affairs of the Treasury he confided much to his subordinates, who had more practical
experience than himself; and I trust and believe that he
was faithfully served.
Mr. CHASE had been out of the Department nearly
two months, when I happened to be spending an evening
with Mr. SEWARD. In the course of the conversation,
I referred to the transaction which had resulted in an
exchange of the Treasury portfolio, and explained the
reasons which had induced Mr. LINCOLN to decline nominating me as Assistant Treasurer at New York, as I then
understood them —viz., that he was unwilling to appoint
to so important an office one of Democratic antecedents;
that he had recognized the propriety of retaining Mr.
CIsco, notwithstanding his politics, on account of his eminent services before and since the war; but that lhe
thought that, if a change was to be made, the office
should be treated as strictly party property. Mr. SEWARD assured me that I took an entirely erroneous view
of the matter, and advised me to seek a personal explanation from  the President.  I asked Mr. SEWARD
to have a preliminary talk with Mr. LINCOLN upon the
subject, which he kindly promised to do. I may here
observe that Mr. CHASE'S feeling had been that the Assistant Treasurer at New York being his right arm, he
ought not to be interfered with in making a selection.
A few days later I walked over to the Executive Mansion at about two o'clock in the afternoon. The President's ante-chamber was crowded with people awaiting
an audience; but as soon as Mr. LINCOLN received my




300          MIEMORIES OF JMANY'MEN.
card he gave orders to admit me. I expected to be
with him ten minutes, at the utmost, but he detained me
nearly two hours. The interview was, altogether, one
of the nmot interesting and amusing I ever had in my
life.
The President received me with great cordiality, and
I began to repeat to him substantially what I had said
to Mr. SEWARD.  He listened to me laughingly, but
impatiently, shaking his head all the time. When I
had got through, he said: "You are altogether on the
wrong track. Why, didn't I nominate, as CHASE'S suCcessor, DAVE TOD, who has been all his life a I)emocrat,
and who worked and voted for DOUGLAS and against
me   N Io, sir; I will tell you all about it. The Republican party in your state is divided into two factions, and
I can't afford to quarrel with either of them. By accident, rather than by any design of mine, the radicals have got possession of the most important Federal
offices in New York. I care nothing whatever about
your personal politics. You were pressed by Mr. CrIASE
and opposed by SENATOR. Had I, under these
circumstances, consented to your appointment, it would
have been another radical triumph, and I couldn't afford
one. That is all that there is about it, so far as you are
concerned. But I'll tell you what happened at the time
between myself and CHASE. One day, early in June,
CHASE came to me and said,'Mr. President, Cisco has
resigned at New York, and I am going on there to see
who is the best man to put into his place."' Here Mr.
LINCOLN'S face assumed an indescribably droll expression, and, drawing his head toward mine, and placing
his enormous hand upon my knee, he said, "That, you




2IR. CHASE IS STUBBORN.           301
understand, was apeg that would fit any hole!"  The
President continued: "Well, CHASE went to New York,
and in due time returned, I suppose, but he did not
come near me.  In the mean time there was the
fiercest contest waging for the vacant office that I remember since I have been in this place."  (This is the
manner in which Mr. LINCOLN always referred to his position as President.)  " I must confess that you were the
most numerously indorsed, but  -   opposed you. The
next time that I heard from CHASE upon the subject was
when he wrote to me requesting me to nominate you.
I answered his communication, and asked him to come
and see me, and talk over the matter. Instead of doing
so, he wrote me again, saying that he would have you
and nobody else. And so we fired letters at each other
for two or three days. I offered to nominate either of
three gentlemen who happened to be acceptable to SENATOR; but CHASE objected to all of them. Finally, as I was sitting here at my desk one morning, with
the room full of people, a letter from the Treasury Department was brought to me. I opened it, recognized
CHASE'S handwriting, read the first sentence, and inferred from its tenor that this matter was in the way of
satisfactory adjustment. I was truly glad of this, and,
laying the envelope with its inclosure down upon the
desk,went on talking. People were coming and going
all the time till three o'clock, and I forgot all about
CHASE'S letter. At that hour it occurred to me that I
would go down stairs and get a bit of lunch. My wife
happened to be away, and they had failed to call me at
the usual time. While I was sitting alone at table my
thoughts reverted to CHASE'S letter, and I determined to




302          MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
answer it just as soon as I should go up stairs again.
Well, as soon as I was back here, I took pen and paper
and prepared to write; but then it occurred to me that
I might as well read the letter before I answered it. I
took it out of the envelope for that purpose, and, as I
did so, another inclosure fell from it upon the floor. I
picked it up, read it, and said to myself,' alloo, this is a
horse of another color!' It was his resignation. I put
my pen into my mouth, and grit my teeth upon it. I did
not long reflect. I very soon decided to accept it, and I
nominated DAVE TOD to succeed him.
"But there is a history behind all this which I don't
mind telling you.  Are you aware that this was the
fourth time that CHASE had tendered me his resignation?
No? Well, it Vas. I will tell you how it all happened.
The first occasion was when SEWARD tendered his, after
the Republican Senators had passed resolutions hostile
to him. CHAsE soon followed suit, and by so doing rendered me a great favor, which I shall ever hold in grateful remembrance. Matters were fxed up, and neither
of them left the Cabinet.
" Some tiine after this there was a Collector of Customs
on the Pacific coast, one of CHAsE's men, who was represented to me to be a worthless vagabond, and even a
defaulter. I spoke to CHASE about him; but he had entire confidence in him, and refused,to listen to any thing
to his disadvantage. While matters stood thus, CHASE
one day told me that he felt overworked, and proposed
taking a little trip down the Potomac, but that he would
not be gone longer than two days. I said,'All right,
Mr. Secretary,' and we shook hands and parted. As luck
would have it, I was waited upon the very next day by




MR. LINCOLN YIELDS.            303
a delegation of all the gentlemen from the Pacific coast,
both official and unofficial, who then happened to be in
Washington. They filed formal charges with me against
the Collector to whom I have referred, and demanded
his immediate removal. I told them that the Secretary
of the Treasury was out of town, that it would be discourteous to him if I acted upon the matter in his absence, but that he would return in one or two days at
the latest, and I invited them to call upon me again in
about a week, when I promised, under all circumstances,
a definite answer to their request. A week passed. No
CHASE. The delegation returned, and as I was thoroughly convinced of not only the propriety of, but even
the necessity for the act, I removed the Collector, and
appointed another in his stead. The first notice that I
received of CHAsE's return was about three days afterward, when I found his resignation lying upon my table.
I waited until evening, and then ordered my carriage
and drove to his house. I found him in the office to
the left as you enter the door. I went directly up to
him with the resignation in my hand, and, putting my
arm around his neck, said to him,'CHASE, here is a paper with which I wish to have nothing to do; take it
back, and be reasonable.' I then explained to him what
had occurred while he was away. I told him that the
man whom I had appointed happened to have been dead
several weeks; that I couldn't replace the person whom
I had removed-that was impossible-but that I would
appoint any one else whom he should select for the place.
It was difficult to bring him to terms; I had to plead
with him a long time, but I finally succeeded, and heard
nothing mxore of that resignation.




304          MEMORIES OF MANY MEN
" You remember," Mr. LINCOLN continued, "that when
HIRAM BARNEY was appointed, at the beginning of this
Administration, Collector of the Port of New York,
every body supposed that he was CHASE'S selection, and
nobody else's. Now BARNEY was as much my choice as
he was CHASE'S; and when-CHAsE, SEWARD, and myself
standing round that table-BARNEY'S appointment was
decided upon, I believe that I was the most gratified
person then present. Well, I have just as great confidence in Mr. BARNEY'S integrity and patriotism now as I
had then. But after a time things got very mixed in the
New York Custom-House, and the establishment was
being run almost exclusively in the interest of the radicals. I felt very great delicacy in doing any thing that
might be offensive to my friend BARNEY. And yet something had to be done. There was no use in attempting
to bring CHASE over to my views. But I tried it, and
failed. Then I waited for a time. At last I made up
my mind to take action, hoping to be able to afterward
reconcile CHASE to it. So I sent for SEWARD, and told
him that he must find a diplomatic position in Europe
for BARNEY. SEWARD said that it was not an easy thing
to do; but I was peremptory, and told him it must be
done. After two or three'days SEWARD came back, and
reported to me that he had found the place. Just then
CHASE became aware of my little conspiracy. He was
very angry; and he told me that the day that Mr. BARNEY
left the New York Custom-House, with or without his own
consent, he, CHASE, would withdraw from the Secretaryship of the Treasury. Well, I backed down again. Now
I ask you, as a reasonable man, whether, when the resignation with which you are concerned came, I could, with
any self-respect, hesitate to accept it?"




A CHARACTERISTIC LETTER.               305
This is the substance of what Mr. LINCOLN told me
that afternoon. When I got home in the evening, I took
notes of the conversation, and I have here endeavored to
reproduce his part of it as faithfully as possible. It was
Mr. CHASE'S nature to command, not to obey. He would
have made an admirable President, but he could not subordinate himself to any superior authority.  I have in
my possession a copy of a letter addressed by Mr. CHASE
to the President, under date of January 13, 1864. It
is, apparently, in reply to two received from  him, one
upon the subject of Mr. BARNEY's removal, and the other complaining about a biographical sketch of himself
which Mr. CHASE had permitted to be written for a magazine published in the city of Philadelphia.. It is as
follows:
"MY DEAR SIR,-I am to-day fifty-six years old. I have never,
consciously and deliberately, injured a fellow-man. It is too late
for me to begin by sacrificing to clamor the reputation of a man
whom I have known for more than twenty years, and whose repute for honesty has been all that time unsullied. I shall not recommend the removal of Mr. BARNEY except upon such show of his.
misconduct or incapacity as makes it my duty to do so. In such
a case I shall not shrink from my duty.
" I pretend no indifference to the consequences, personal to myself, which you refer to as likely to follow this avowal on my part.
But the approval of my own conscience is dearer to me than political position, and I shall cheerfully sacrifice the latter to preserve the former.
"I received some days ago your note in relation to a biographical sketch to be printed in a Philadelphia periodical. It was a
matter in which I had no concern. If any body wants my autograph, and I have time, I give it; if any body wants to take my
daguerreotype or photograph, and I have time, I sit for it; if any
body wants to take my life, in the way of a biographical sketch, I
let him take it, and, if I have time, give such information as is




306            MEMORIES O0F MANY NEN.
wanted, that he may take it the more easily. Some friends wanted
such a sketch prepared, and engaged a gentleman to prepare it.
The publisher of the American Exchange and Reviewo-a respectable
periodical, by the way, I am told-was about to print a series of
such sketches, and proposed to begin with that of me. How could
I object? He asked for subscriptions, and obtained them. How
could I control or supervise that? I was very busy with the affairs
of my Department, and had no time to look after such matters,
even had I been aware of what was being done. If I had been
consulted, I should certainly have objected to any subscription by
Mr. JAY COOKE or his brother; except such a moderate one as any
friend might have made. Not that any wrong was intended or
done, but because the act was subject to misconstruction, and there
are so many to misconstrue. Mr. JAY COOKE is a friend; and though
he did not subscribe to the sketch, he doubtless sanctioned the
subscription of his brother HENRY, who is also a friend (and the
son of a friend), whose friendship was formed when I was powerless to bestow favors. Neither of the brothers, nor the father, have
ever received at my hands, since I have had some power, any favor
which they have not earned by strenuous and untiring labors for
the public interest; nor any which my worst enemy would not
have received as freely had he rendered the same services. What
Mr. H. D. COOKE did about the unfortunate biography was done
of his own accord, without prompting from me, and his brother's
approval was given in the same way.
"You will pardon me if I write as one somewhat moved. It
makes me hate public life when I realize how powerless are the
most faithful labors and the most upright conduct to protect any
man from carping envy or malignant denunciations; and how little
he can expect even from the best and most intelligent when such
noises prevail. It is almost equally painful to think how little
friends are disposed to bear with the mistakes and inadvertencies
of other friends, and how ready to make me responsible for them
as well as my own.      Very sincerely yours,
"S. P. CHASE.
"To the PRESIDENT."




CHAPTER XII.
R. FESSENDEN, while he was Secretary of the
Treasury, was a martyr to dyspepsia. He was
much more familiar in his manners than Mr. CHASE, and
failed to inspire his subordinates with that awe which
his predecessor had always done. He came to be very
much liked. I do not remember any of the moderns who
could stand up successfully against him in an impromptu
discussion in the Senate. It is said that, before the war,
JEFFERSON DAVIS feared to cross swords with him more
than he did with any other member of that body. Mr.
FESSNENE  hated Mr. SUMNER, and Mr. SUMNER very
muchl disliked Mr. FESSENDEN. Upon one and the same
day, Mr. FESSENDEN spoke to me of Mr. SUMNER as "no
gentleman," and Mr. SUMNER designated Mr. FESSENDEN
as "a mere Senatorial gladiator."  I believe that their
relations improved, if they did not become actual friends,
before Mr. FESSENDEN'S death.
I remember that one day, immediately after a Cabinet
meeting, Mr. FESSENDEN, entering his room in the Department where I was awaiting his return, advanced toward me with glowing countenance, and said, " I tell you,
Mr. FIELD., Mr. LINCOLN is more of a politician than all
his Cabinet put together!" Before he had the opportunity to explain what had so excited his enthusiasm, somebody came in upon business, and the matter was dropped.
Mr. FESSENDEN told me what an unruly lad he had




308          MEMIIORIES OF 3IMANY IEN.
been when a student at Bowdoin College. I think he
said that he was finally dismissed without receiving a degree. At anyrate, he mentioned that when he left there,
ill more or less disgrace, he told the President or the Faculty that he would return in less than five years as a
Trustee of the institution-and he did it.
During my time, the present Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury, the Hon. JOHN F. IARTLEY, was Chief Clerk.
This excellent and modest gentleman was a college contemporary of Mr. FESSENDEN. He has now beeA connected with the Department nearly forty years; and is,
unquestionably, the best revenue lawyer in the country.
EX-SENATOR JOHN P. HALE, of New Hampshire, told me
that FRANKLIN PIERCE, WILLIAM PITT FESSENDEN, NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, HUGH MCCULLOCIT, JOHN F. HARTLEY, and himself, were all at Bowdoin College, Maine,
at the same time, although not all in the same class; and
that, had they then been told that among their number
there was one who was destined to achieve great future
distinction, all would have agreed that HARTLEY must be
the man. Going to Washington for his health more than
a generation ago, he accepted a clerkship in the Treasury Department, and there he has ever since remained.
In every Department of the Government there are to be
found a few of these old officials, whose services have
become almost indispensable, and who have grown so
accustomed to a life of routine that they can not emancipate themselves from it. Such were my old friends
lMr. WEST, Mr. WOOD, and Mr. HANDY, all since deceased;
and my college class-mate, Mr. GAINES, and others, who
still remain.
There used to be a clerk in the Register's office who




"TITE BARNA CLE" IN WASHINGTON.        309
belonged to one of those Washington families which
ever since the foundation of the Government have considered themselves, by prescriptive right, entitled to be
provided for by it. At the same time, his father was
chief of one of the bureaus in the War Department,
and he had a brother who was employed in the Interior Department.  HIe had also another brother who
had been ill the Army, but, becoming disabled by illness, had been honorably discharged. For this brother,
too, lie was determined to secure a place in the civil
service. With this object he went from Department
to Department, but always without success. Finally
he determined to go directly to the President himself,
and to appeal to him to intervene in behalf of the discharged soldier. Mr. LINCOLN, it would seem, had heard
of the case before the Treasury clerk secured the audience with him which he sought.  When the interv-iew had terminated, the disappointed clerk rushed
back to our Department and into my office, and commenced, in the most indiscreet and intemperate manner, to express his disgust with the President.  "It is
a disgrace to the country," he said, "that such a boor
should be President of the United States!" I drew from
him the story of what had occurred between the President and himself, and it was something like this: Mr.
LINCOLN received him kindly, and listened to his request.
"Why don't you go directly to the Secretaries'?" he asked. "I have been to them all, and failed with all," was
the answer. "Hasn't your brother sufficiently recovered
his health to enable him to return to the Army i' inquired the President.  "No, sir, he has not," was the reply. "Let me see," continued Mr. LINCOLN, " I believe




310          MIEMORIES OF MANY MIEN.
that you yourself are a clerk in one of the Departmentswhich one is it?"   The Treasury Department, sir." "I
thought so. Has your brother as good clerical capacity
as you possess?" "Yes, sir." "I think that I have somewhere met your father.  Doesn't he hold an office in
Washington?" "Yes, sir; he is chief of the       bureau in the War Department."  "Oh, yes; I now recollect him perfectly well. Has your brother good references as to character?" "Yes, sir; the very best."  " Is
there any other of your family holding office under the
Government?"  "Yes, sir; I have a younger brother in
the Interior Department."  "Well, then, all I have to
say to you, Mr., is that there are too many hogs
and too little fodder!"
I was once in Mr. LINcoLN's company when a sectarian
discussion arose. He himself looked very grave, and
made no observation until all the others had finished
what they had to say. Then, with a twinkle of the eye,
he remarked that he preferred the Episcopalians to every
other sect, because they are equally indifferent to a man's
religion and his politics.
This is not quite so bad as the remark attributed to
the revivalist preacher, ELDER KNAPP, that " it is easier
for a codfish to climb a tree, tail foremost, with a loaf of
bread in his mouth, than for an Episcopalian to go to
heaven."
It happened that at one time a blockade-runner going
out of Charleston harbor was captured, and on board of
her were found certain dispatches from the Spanish Consul in that city for his own Government. These dispatches were very improperly opened by the captor, and then
forwarded to the State Department at Washington. Mr.




"A LITTLE STORY."             311
SEWARD, immediately after they reached his hands, sent
for the Spanish Minister, Mr. TASSARA, and, with expressions of great regret that the envelopes had been tampered
with, offered him the dispatches. The Minister, highly
indignant, declined to receive them. Then Mr. SEWARD
proposed to forward them to their destination through
the medium of our own agents. This proposition was
equally unacceptable, and the Secretary of State was at
a loss what to do. He shortly afterward explained the
difficulty to the President, whom it reminded of " a little
story."  "When I lived in Indiana," he said, " there resided very near us an old negro, known as Uncle Josh.
He was a very pious darkey, but was so infirm that it
was impossible for him to go to the neighboring schoolhouse to listen to any itinerant preacher who might happen to discourse there on a Sunday. However, in order
to make up as far as possible for his own inability to attend, he always compelled his grandchildren to go; and
they were required, not only to recollect the text, but
also to be able to give the old man some account of
the sermon. On one occasion a Methodist came and
preached. He told the congregation that there were two
kinds of people in this world, Methodists and Baptists;
that the Methodists followed a road that led to heaven,
and the Baptists one that led to hell. The next Sunday
there presented himself a hard-shell Baptist, who had
heard about the sermon of his Methodist brother. He
told his auditors that it was true that there were two
kinds of people in the world, Methodists and Baptists,
and that they followed different roads; but that it was
the Baptist road that led to heaven, and the Xethodist
road that led to hell. When old Uncle Josh heard this,




312          MEMORIES OF M-ANY -MEN.
he scratched his wool, and said:'Each one says that there
are only two roads, and that his own leads to heaven, and
the other to hell. Well, this old nigger will go across
lots!? SEWARD, you will have to go across lots!"
Story-telling was often with Mr. LINCOLN a defensive
weapon, which he employed with great skill. Frequently, when he was unwilling to grant a request, he would
tell a story. It was so much easier to do this than to
refuse outright. Many a petitioner was dismissed by
him, overcome with laughter, and forgetting, perhaps,
until he was outside the house, that his visit had been a
failure. With civility the President was not overburdened, and his manners were any thing but acceptable
to the fair sex. I used constantly to observe in Washington during the war, that, whereas all men appeared
more or less abashed on approaching, at least for the
first time, the nation's leaders, the ladies shared in none
of this diffidence. On one occasion a lady was talking
to Mr,. LINCOLN, asking a favor at that, and he remained
sitting while she stood. After a while he arose and drew
up another chair, as she supposed with the intention of offering it to her. Nothing of the sort. He stretched out
his own long legs upon it. This was more than female
patience could endure. " Mr. LINCOLN," exclaimed the
lady, " I think you are the worst-bred man in the world."
" Halloo," asked the President, "what have I done now'9
The lady explained, and Mr. LINCOLN, in the best temper,
admitted that he believed she was right.
But Mr. LINCOLN did not always deal exclusively in
burlesque. He received once a call from a delegation
of bank Presidents, at one of the gloomiest periods of the
war, when depression and even discouragement prevailed




J2R. LINCOLN'S KINDNESS.         313
in many places. One of the financial gentlemen asked
the President if his confidence in the future was not beginning to be shaken. " Not in the least," he answered.
" When I was a young man in Illinois," he continued, " I
boarded for a time with a deacon of the Presbyterian
Church. One night I was aroused from my sleep by a
rap at-my door, and I heard the deacon's voice exclaiming,'Arise, Abraham, the day of judgment has come!'
I sprang from my bed, and rushed to the window; and
there I saw the stars falling in a shower. But I looked
beyond those falling stars, and far back in the heavens
I saw-fixed, apparently, and immovable-the grand old
constellations with which I was so well acquainted. No,
gentlemen; the world did not come to an end then, nor
will the Union now!"
Mr. LINCOLN possessed extraordinary kindness of heart
when his feelings could be reached. IHe was fond of
dumb animals, especially cats. I have seen him fondle
one for an hour. Helplessness and suffering touched
him when they appealed directly to his senses, or when
you could penetrate through his intelligence to them.
His imagination was not vivid. He might know as a
fact that whole hecatombs were lying upon a battle-field
in the agonies of death without being very deeply affected. One afternoon I happenedto be in Baltimore,
and met there one of the most eminent physicians of the
city, who told me a pitiful story. A gentleman of large
wealth and of the highest social position was lying in his
own house in the last stages of consumption. He sympathized with the rebel cause, but had never aided it by
deed or money. He had an only daughter and child,
who had been educated in Paris, and who had been a
0




314          MEMORIES OF MANY rMEN.
recognized belle at home. She married there her cousin,
and went to reside with him in Virginia. When the war
broke out, her husband was appointed a General in the
Confederate service, and was killed in one of the first
engagements. He left his widow with an infant. For
a long time she made vain efforts to go to her father.
Finally, accompanied by her child and a negro nurse,
she followed in the wake of EARLY'S raid into Pennsylvania. Sometimes she walked, and sometimes she was
permitted to ride upon a baggage-wagon, until she finally
reached the Pennsylvania mountains-poor, exhausted,
and ill. But even here her troubles were not at an end,
for our authorities refused to allow her to go to Baltimore to join her dying father. It so happened that, visiting Baltimore when a very young man, I received many
courtesies at the hands of this gentleman. I expressed
a desire to call upon him, and, jumping into the doctor's
gig, I accompanied him to the house. I found my old
friend in a very shocking condition. I expressed to him
my sympathy and my desire to do any thing within my
power to bring father and daughter once again together.
HIe thanked me, but assured me that my efforts would
prove vain. GENERAL DIX, while in command there, and
others, had done all that they could, but MIr. STANTON
was inexorable. I parted from him, and returned to
Washington. The next day I went to Mr. LINCOLN and
told him the story, much better, I hope, than I have told
it here. I succeeded in moving him, and in obtaining
directly from him a telegraphic order permitting the lady
to come to Baltimore, and to reside there under surveillance. I never heard any thing more about it, but presume that the order was carried out, unless the brutal




GENERAL NYE'S REPUBLICAN SAINT.       315
STANTON overruled it, which he was quite capable of
doing.
Probably next to Mr. LINCOLN, the best story-teller in
Washington was SENATOR NYE, of Nevada, commonly
known as "JIM  NYE."  Unfortunately, however, like
some of Mr. LINCOLN'S, many of his stories will not bear
repetition. I remember a dinner that was given at Washington in the club-room at Willard's, by the representatives of the leading express companies, upon the occasion
of the conclusion of a contract with the Treasury Department for the transportation of national bank-notes,
and which was attended by a very distinguished company. If my memory does not fail me upon that point,
among others present was GENERAL GRANT. At all
events, NYE was there in the happiest possible mood.
After the cloth was removed, he kept the table in a continuous roar of laughter, as he has done before and since
inany a time and oft."  Among the best of his stories
was the following, which he related with a gravity and
an unction that it would be impossible to imitate upon
paper. In brief, and divested of NYE'S solemn details
and rich verbiage, it ran somewhat as follows: While
NYE was Governor of Nevada, there came to Carson City
an old man who had been, with varying luck, wandering
among the mines of California since the first discovery of
gold there in 1849. At last he had succeeded in accumulating a snug fortune, and he had come to Carson to
visit an old companion in those early days, who was then
residing there. The visitor very soon after his arrival
fell ill. His host, who was a pious man, begged to be
permitted to call a clergyman, but the guest obstinately
refused to allow it.  He rapidly grew worse, and his




316           MEMORIES OF MANY MIEE
condition soon became critical. But all his friend's importunities that he should see a clergyman proved unavailing. Finally the physician in attendance declared
that the sick man had but a few hours to live; and the
host's conscience impelled him to renew the attack, and
to tell his friend that, if he adhered to his determination,
and continued to refuse to indicate a preference for a
clergyman of any particular denomination, he himself
was determined to send for his own pastor. The moribund, who was rapidly sinking, turned his head upon his
pillow, and, articulating with difficulty, replied: " I can't
see-what occasion-I have-for the services-of a clergyman.  I never —voted-the Democratic-ticket-in
my life."
While I was in Washington, HORACE GREELEY used
occasionally to visit us there. I remember that he once
breakfasted with me, if I recollect aright, tete-c-tete. Mr.
GREELEY had long before this discarded Graham bread
and a vegetable diet, and had grown to be a very hearty
devourer of animal food. After breakfast I lighted a cigar, and offered one to him, although I knew that he did
not smoke. Of course, he declined it. He was in capital humor, and, turning to me, he asked me if I knew
that he claimed to be the most polite man in the country. I told him that I recognized his many excellent
qualities, but was not aware that he was especially remarkable for the graces of politeness. He assured me
that he was, and told me that he had never been beaten
in politeness but once in his life. That happened, he
said, many years ago, before the days of railroads. Early
one morning he left Baggs's Hotel, at Utica, in the stagecoach, westward bound. There was but one passenger




GREELEY AS CHESTERFIELD.           317
besides himself-a gentleman of very prepossessing appearance, with whom he soon fell into conversation.
After a while the stranger slowly and, as it were, mechanically drew a cigar-case from his pocket, and, opening it, tendered it to Mr. GREELEY, who declined the profered offer. The conversation was resumed; and presently the stranger, extracting a cigar from the case, placed
it in his mouth, and returned the case to his pocket. Another interval of talk ensued, when the stranger abruptly
but deferentially remarked to Mr. GREELEY, "I hope,
sir, you have no objection to a cigar?"  "None in the
world, sir," replied Mr. GREELEY, " when it is not alight."
" Oh," replied his companion, " I had not the most remote thought of lighting it!"  Thereupon Mr. GREELEY felt that he had been conquered in politeness; and
he afterward ascertained that the victor was the famous
CAPTAIN SHERMAN, of Lake Champlain.
He also told me that when he was residing in one of
the up-town streets of New York, and before the dissolution of the political firm of " Seward,Weed, and Greeley," Mr. SEWARD came to breakfast with him one day,
just as he had then been breakfasting with me. The
breakfast finished, SEWARD lighted a cigar, just as I had
done. Now Mrs. GREELEY happened to be ill in a room
just over that in which the gentlemen were, and her husband knew that just so soon as the cigar-smoke should
make its way to her nostrils through the flue of the chimney, she would descend upon them like an avalanche in
whatever costume she happened just then tobe. "I was
fearfully terrified," said Mr. GREELEY; " and, starting up,
I said to SEWARD, SEWARD, it's a fine day; let's take a little walk.' In less time than I can tell it I had him out of




318          MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
the house, and we walked round and round the block
more than an hour. And the best of it is that SEWARD
doesn't know to this day what my motive was in so unceremoniously dragging him away from the house that
morning."  lie told the story so earnestly and so quaintly that I hardly knew while he was relating it whether
I was laughing with him or at him.
It was by means of a letter of introduction from Mr.
GREELEY that I made the acquaintance in Washington
of the late MAJOR CHARLES G. HALPINE, better known
to the literary public by his nom de _plume of Miles
O'Reilly. Mr. GREELEY thought that the Major, who was
a War -Democrat, could furnish us important information
about the condition of the New York Custom-House.
It turned out, however, that all that he could tell us of
a reliable character we already knew. The Major possessed much talent as a song and squib writer, but he
was only an indifferent politician. The confidence with
whichli he used to stammer out his reading of the political horoscope was very amusing to those who knew
him.
With a single exception, the foreign Ministers accredited to our Government during the war of the Rebellion
had very little faith in the ultimate success of the Union
cause. That exception was BERTINATTI, the Italian. I
met him the day after that on which we received authentic intelligence of the Bull Run disaster. He declared to me his conviction that it was the most fortunate thing that could have happened to us; that it would
serve to unite and arouse the people of the loyal states;
and that the end would be the abolition of slavery, and
the re-establishment of a Union free in fact as well as in




LORD LYONS.                 319
name. Who of us then made a more promising and
more intelligent forecast of our national future?
LORD LYONS, whatever his opinions, which he was too
trained a diplomatist to express, did excellent service to
our country as well as to his own. He and Mr. SEWARD
acted as two policemen to keep the peace between Great
Britain and the States. LORD LYONS was a most intelligent, cultivated, and laborious man.  He had extraordinary flashes of wit, and, like WASHINGTON IRVING in his
later years, the habit of suddenly falling asleep, any
where and at the most inopportune moments. He treated the juniors of his legation with great kindness, but he
compelled them to work. Some of these young gentlemen, who had been in the habit of kicking their heels in
Paris and Vienna, rather chafed under the restraint of
compulsory business hours. Of all houses, LORD LYONS
preferred the Russian Minister's, because there he felt
perfectly at home. IHe and a lot more of us used to congregate upon the steps of that hospitable mansion, and on
the sidewalk in front of it, during the intolerably hot
summer nights, when sleep was an impossibility, and sip
tea d la R8usse until almost daylight. In this connection,
were there occasion to do so, I might speak more of the
friendly BERTINATTI, who just before the end of his mission here married a beautiful widow, the possessor of
large estates in Mississippi, which she secured from confiscation by her diplomatic alliance; and say something
of that exaggerated cherub, the amiable PIPER; the
jovial, card-loving STOEOKL; the dissatisfied MERCIER;
the crafty BLONDEEL; the kind but timid VON GEROLT;
SCHLEIDEN, the giver of Gothic dinners, at which always
figured that famous " Heidelberg wine;" the good-hu



320           MEMORIES OF MANY MEN.
mored and hospitable LISBOA; the somewhat saturnine
TASSARA; the courtly and elegant BARREDA; and that
eccentric invalid, GEORGI. And I might talk about the
scenes of horror after the battles of the Wilderness, when
for days long files of ambulances filled with the wounded and dying passed through the unpaved streets of
Washington, on their way to the hospitals on the outskirts of the city; of the admirable administration of
those hospitals; of touching incidents which I witnessed
in their wards; and of a thousand other things of daily
or occasional occurrence. But let it all pass-at least
for the nonce.




CHAPTER XIII.
IT was an April afternoon in the year 1865. I was
driving alone on the Fourteenth Street road in the
direction of the Soldiers' Home. Presently I heard a
clatter behind me, and, looking out of the carriage-window, I saw Mr. LINCOLN approaching on horseback, followed by the usual cavalry escort. He soon came up to
me, and, while he rode for some time at my side, we
conversed together upon indifferent subjects. I noticed
that he was in one of those moods when "melancholy
seemed to be dripping from him," and his eye had that
expression of profound weariness and sadness which I
never saw in other human eye. After a while he put
spurs to his horse and hurried on, and he and his followers were soon lost to view.
The next evening I was sitting alone in the readingroom of Willard's Hotel, where I resided during the absence of my family from Washington. Presently I was
joined by Mr. MELLEN, Special Agent of the Treasury
Department. I never saw the hotel so apparently deserted as it was that evening. The usually crowded corridors were empty. Ten o'clock came, and Mr. MELLEN
left me to retire to his room. I then picked up the evening newspaper, intending, after I had read it, to follow
his example. Scarcely had I commenced reading, when
two men rushed headlong into the hotel, shouting that
the President had been shot at Ford's Theatre! I sprang
02




322          MEMORIES OF MANY 3MEN.
from my seat to follow them to the office, but before I
could reach it a third person entered, more calm than
the two who had preceded him, and confirmed their
statement.
I immediately dashed up stairs and called Mr. MELLEN.
IHe was already partly undressed, but he got ready as
soon as possible, and together we rushed down E Street
to the theatre. We found assembled in front of it about
a hundred persons, many of whom knew us. They crowded around us, and each of them had a different story to
tell about what had occurred. We learned that five minutes before our arrival Mr. LINCOLN had been carried over
to the house of PETERSEN, a German tailor, in Tenth
Street, and directly opposite the theatre. I do not remember what became of Mr. MELLEN, but I at once entered the house, the street door of which was standing
open. In the hall I met Miss HARRIS, the daughter of SENATOR HARRIS, of New York, who had been one of the
Presidential party at the theatre. As soon as she saw me,
she exclaimed, "Oh, Mr. FIELD, the President is dying!
but for heaven's sake do not tell Mrs. LINCOLN!" I inquired where Mrs. LINCOLN was, and was informed that
she was in the front parlor. I entered the parlor, and
found her there entirely alone. She was standing by
a marble-topped table in the centre of the room, with
her bonnet on and gloved, just as she had come from
the theatre. As I came in she exclaimed, "Why didn't
lie shoot me? Why didn't he shoot me? Why didn't
he shoot me a" I asked her if there was any thing that
I could do, and she begged me to run for Dr. STONE,
the President's family physician. I started to do so, but
met in the hall MAJOR ECKERT, of the War Department,




ASSASSINATION OF MIR. LINCOLN.     323
who told me that the doctor had already been sent for,
and, not having yet arrived, he was himself going to
bring him. I returned to the parlor, made this explanation to Mrs. LINCOLN, and inquired if there was any thing
else that she desired me to do. She requested me to
try to find Dr. HALL, a retired physician of the highest reputation. It took me a long time to reach him,
for he lived at a distance, but I finally succeeded, and
started with him to walk back to PETERSEN'S house.
As we approached it, we found a military cordon drawn
around the door, and, although the doctor was permitted
to pass, the same privilege was refused to me.
I returned to Willard's Hotel, and went up to the
room of Mr. RUFUS ANDREWS, then recently Surveyor of
the Port of New York, where I met the late CIT- JUDGE
RUSSELL. I remained there perhaps two hours, and then
again started for PETERSEN'S house, accompanied by Mr.
ANDREWS. When we arrived there we found the gnard
withdrawn, and had no difficulty in getting in. We
proceeded directly to the room in which Mr. LINCOLN
was lying, a small extension room at the end of the
hall, from  which you descended to it by two steps.
The room was plainly furnished, and there were some
prints hanging upon the walls. The President was lying
transversely across the cottage bedstead, as he was too
tall to be placed in any other position. HIis head was
supported upon two pillows on the side nearest the
windows, and his feet rested against the opposite end of
the foot-board. Dr. STONE was sitting upon the bed.
SECRETARY WELLES occupied a rocking-chair, which he
did not vacate, I believe, during the entire night. SRuGEON-GENERAL BARNES was sitting in an ordinary chair




324          MEM'iORIES OF MANY MEN
by the bedside, holding Mr. LINCOLN'S left hand. All the
other persons in the room were standing. SENATOR SUMNER and ROBERT LINCOLN were, the greater part of the
time, leaning over the head-board. The others who were
in the room during the whole or a part of the night,
were SECRETARY MCCULLOCH, SECRETARY STANTONy SECRETARY USHER, ATTORNEY-GENERAL SPEED, CHIEF JUSTICE CHASE, GOVERNOR FARWELL, of Wisconsin, GovERNOR OGLESBY, of Illinois, SPEAKER COLFAX, GENERALS
HALLECK, MEIGS, and AUGUR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
THE INTERIOR OTTO, CONGRESSMAN FARNSWORTH, of Illinois, ASSISTANT SURGEON-GENERAL CRANE, COLONEL JOHN
HAY, the President's Assistant Private Secretary, COLONEL TODD, the Rev. Dr. GURLEY, CHARLIE, Mr. LINCOLN'S
body servant, and perhaps a few others whom I do not
at present recall. From time to time Mrs. LINCOLN was
brought into the room,but she never remained there long.
The President's eyes were closed and ecchymose. Below
the lids and around the cheek-bones the flesh was black.
Blood and brains were oozing from the wound in his
head upon the uppermost of the pillows which supported
it. He had been stripped of all clothing, and whenever
one of the physicians turned down the sheet which covered his person, in order to feel the beatings of his heart,
his brawny chest and immensely muscular arms revealed
the hero of many a successful wrestling-match in his
youthful days at New Salem.
His breathing was for a long time loud and stertorous,
ending in deep-drawn sighs. He was totally unconscious
from the moment that he was struck by the assassin's
bullet. Except his breathing, and the sobbing of his
wife, son, and devoted servant, not a sound was to be




" THE KIVG IS DEAD."             325
heard in that chamber for hours. The dropping of a
pin would have been audible.
What a tragic episode in life's history was this to
all there assembled!.And not only. to us, but to the
nation and to the world!
His pulse was vacillating all through-the night-at
times strong and rapid, and at others feeble and slow.
His vital power was prodigious, or he would have died
within ten minutes after he was shot.
The night wore on, long and anxious, and finally the
gray dawn of a dull and rainy morning began to creep
slowly into the room. And still the martyr lived-if living it could be called.
The town clocks struck seven. Almost immediately
afterward the character of the President's breathing
changed. It became faint and low. At intervals it altogether ceased, until we thought him dead. And then
it would be again resumed. I was standing directly opposite his face, with my watch in my hand.
At last, at just twenty-two minutes past seven, he
ceased to breathe.
When it became certain to all that his soul had taken
its flight, Dr. GURLEY dropped upon his knees by the
bedside and uttered a fervent prayer. Never was a supplication wafted to the Creator under more solemn circumstances.
When it was finished, most of the persons assembled
began slowly to withdraw from the chamber of death.
I, however, with a few others, remained. We closed the
eyes completely, and placed silver coins upon them, and
with a pocket-handkerchief we tied up the jaw, which
had already begun to fall. Mr. STANTON threw open the




326          MEMfORIIES OF MANY MEN.
two windows of the room. Just then PETERSEN entered,
and rudely drawing the upper pillow from under the
head of the dead, tossed it into the yard. Shortly afterward we retired from the room. Mr. STANTON locked
the door, and stationed a sentry in front of it. I then
went into the front parlor, where I found Dr. GGURLEY
again praying. Mrs. LINCOLN was lying upon a sofa,
moaning, and her son ROBERT was standing at her head.
When Dr. G-URLEY had finished his prayer, ROBERT
LINCOLN assisted his mother to rise, and together we
walked to the front door. The President's carriage was
standing before the house in the dripping rain, as it had
stood there all through that terrible night. As Mrs. LINCOLN reached the door-steps, she cast a hurried glance at
the theatre opposite, and three times repeated,' Oh, that
dreadful house!" She was then helped into the carriage,
which drove away.
Perhaps the most affecting incident connected with
this drama occurred an hour later.  Mr. LINCOLN'S
body, inclosed in a plain wooden box, around which was
wrapped the American flag, was borne from the house by
six private soldiers; then placed in an ordinary hearse,
behind which the soldiers marched like mourners; and
so carried to the Executive Mansion. As the cortege
passed along, it attracted but little attention, for but few
persons knew what burden was being carried past their
doors. It was fitting that this great man of the people
-plain UNCLE ABE then, as in years gone by in his Western home-should pass through the silent streets of the
capital under the escort of common men. The rude
backwoodsman, who had become a MosEs to lead a people to deliverance from servitude, when dead, first fell




"LONG LIVE THE KING."            327
into the arms of men humble as he himself had been.
But none the less was the pageantry which followed appropriate for that President of the United States whose
name is destined to stand upon the roll of our nation's
history only second to that of the immortal WASHINGTON.
I walked back to Willard's alone that morning. Just
as I turned from Tenth into E Street, I met the Chief
Justice hurrying in the opposite direction. His eyes
were bloodshot, and his entire face was distorted as I
had never before seen it. "Is he dead " he asked. I
answered, "Yes," and gave him a very brief account of
Mr. LINCOLN'S last moments. He passed on, and half an
hour later he proceeded to the Kirkwood House, accompanied by some of the members of Mr. LINCOLN'S Cabinet, and administered there the oath of office to ANDREW
JOHNSON, as President of the United States.
When I reached my hotel, I went directly to my room,
and after washing and arranging my disordered dress, I
came down to breakfast. The tables were crowded with
ladies and gentlemen, the greater number of whom had
only that morning heard of the tragedy, and they were
eating as quietly, and apparently as unconcernedly, as if
nothing unusual had occurred. I distinctly remember
how this jarred upon my overwrought feelings.  The
contrast between the two scenes was too violent to be
endured long. I could not eat, so I lighted a cigar, and
walked up to the Treasury building. I went directly to
my own office, and threw myself upon a lounge. Presently Mr. HARTLEY and one or two of the bureau officers
came in to me. There were but very few of the persons
employed in the Department who came there at all that




328         OMEORLIES OF MLANY 1IEN.
day.  No interruption of business was formally announced, but there was nobody there to transact any.
Gloom, despondency, and even alarm pervaded all Government circles. It was known that Mr. SEWARD and
his son FREDERICK had been stricken down. It was reported that Mr. STANTON had been laid in wait for. The
wildest rumors about the extent of the conspiracy were
circulated. Nothing was positively known, not even that
it was WILKES BOOTH who had murdered Mr. LINCOLN.
I remember that somebody brought me a revolver, and
insisted that I should carry it for my own protection.
Presently a reporter from the New Yor T ii Times obtained
access to me, and insisted that I should write for his
paper an account of the President's death. I excused
myself upon the plea of weariness; but he would not let
me off until I had dictated to him a statement, which he
took down in short-hand. Then followed a reporter of
the Philadelpliia Jlnuirer, and I had to do the same
thing for him. I believe that these were the only circumstantial accounts of the last scenes which were published at the time, perhaps at any time. My head felt
dazed, and I took a street car and went to Georgetown.
I called upon FATHER EARLY, the principal of the College there, and he told me about a mysterious person
who had been lurking around their grounds the previous
night. Then I came home, and being by this time conpletely exhausted, went directly to bed, and soon fell
into a profound sleep.
Three days afterward followed Mr. LINCOLN'S funeral,
of which my colleague, Mr. HARRINGTON, had the principal charge. The various official bodies who were to attend it met before proceeding to the Executive Mansion




THE CURTAIN FALLS.             329
in separate rooms assigned to each of them in the Treasury building.  They were to go thence to the White
House in the reverse order of dignity, and it was my
duty to-so marshal them that there should be no break
in the procession. And here occurred one of those little
conflicts of etiquette which will sometimes obtrude themselves upon the most solemn occasions. The Chief Justice insisted that the diplomatic body precede himself
and his associates, while the foreign representatives demanded that the Supreme Court precede them.  The
rooms occupied by the disputants were distant from each
other. I had to run from one to the other. Finally
BARON VON GEROLT, the dean of the diplomatic corps,
gave way for the occasion, without prejudice, however,
to any claims, etc.
As I saw Mr. LINCoLN lying in state in the East Room
of the Executive Mansion, his appearance was quite unlike what it had been immediately after his death. The
black had gone from his eyes and his face, which had resumed a natural color. This, I was informed, was the
work of an artist. The pencil had been employed to
produce the change. While his corpse was being carried
in procession through the cities of the land, before it
was exposed to public gaze, the coffin was opened, the
dust was brushed from the face, and the discolored parts
were retouched. And so he went to his rest!








INDEX.
Abbas Pasha, 27; Sofia, his Dis- Barney, Collector of the Port of New
carded Wife, 29.                   York, 260, 304.
Adams, Charles Francis, on Presi-  Barnum andJennyLind, 216 et seq.
dent Monroe, 226.                Barreda, the Courtly and Elegant,
Adams, John Quincy, 225.             320.
Adrian; or, the Clouds of the Mind,  Barry, Sir Charles, the Architect,
205.                               45.
Affectionate Behavior of President  Bates, of Baring Brothers, 50.
Pierce, 173.                     Bath, the Young Marquis of, Lord
Albrecht, Prince of Prussia, 28.     Farintosh, 133.
Alexander in the Tent of Darius,  Belmont, August, Minister to Holthe Painting of, 214.              land, 169; his Picture-Gallery,
Alva, the Duke and Duchess of, 96.    231.
Apsley House, Closed Shutters of, 14.  Benkard's Residence, Prince NapoArgyll, Duke of, Attacks Lord Der-   leon's Admiration of, 230.
by, 146.                        Bertinatti, the Italian  Minister,
Aspinwall's Picture-Gallery, 231.    gives a Dinner to Prince NapoAssassination of Napoleon III., At-   leon, 231; his Belief in the
tempted, 126.                      Union, 318.
Assassination of President Lincoln,  Bethune, Rev. Dr., 180.
321 et seq.                     Bigelow, of Boston, on Taxation,
Astor's, John Jacob, Bequest to    277.
Halleck, 224.                    "Black Warrior Affair," the, 69.
Athens in 1844, 30; the Beautiful  Blessington, Countess of, 51; her
Queen, 30.                         Mot about Lamartine, 51.
Audiences, Anecdotes of Private,  Blondeel, the Crafty, 319.
68.                             Bomba, King of Naples, Brutal
Aumale, Due d', Entering Paris, 16.    Treatment of his Wife, 26.
Bonaparte, Joseph, Anecdote of, 34.
Ball to H. R. H. the Prince of  Botzaris, the Handsome Miss, 30.
Wales, 241 et seq.               Bowdoin  College, Distinguished
Bank Presidents Consulted by Sec-    Fellow-students at, 308.
retary Chase, 256.               Bradhurst, Mr. John M., 167.
Barn-burners and Hunkers, 182.     Brodhead, John R., in London, 53;
Barker, Mr. Sigourney, 199.          his Anglicized Ways, 54; Naval




332                           INDEX.
Officer in NewYork, 54; his His-  Chase, S. P., Appointed Secretary
tory of New York, 55.              of the Treasury, 253; Consults
Brodie, Sir Benjamin, the Great    J. J. Cisco, 254; Visits New
Surgeon, 46.                       York, 255; and Seward, 262;
Brough, Governor, of Ohio, 281.       Extract from  his Diary, 267;
Brown, Frederick, Brother of Old    his Mental Calibre, 280; his
John, 291; Anecdotes of, 292.      Honesty of Purpose, 280; Pres"Brummagem"  Manners,  23;    idential Aspirations  of, 281;
Punishment for, 24.                Nervous  Temperament,  281;
Brunswick, the Late Duke of, 112.     ScoldingBrother Secretaries, 281;
Buchanan and the "Ostend Mani-    Careful Discharge of his Duties,
festo," 75; Careful of Expenses,    282; Opinion of Lincoln's Econ76; at Wheatland, 171; Minis-    omy, 284; Passing Counterfeit
ter to England, 172; with Prince    Currency, 284; his Opinion of
of Wales, 243.                     General Benj. F. Butler, 285;
Burr, Recollections of Aaron, 155.    Story of his Repeated ResignaButler, General Benj. F., Chase's   tions, 298 et seq.; Letter to the
Opinion of, 285; Author's Opin-    President, 305.
ion of, 286.                     Christina, Ex-Queen of Spain, and
Byron, Eccentricities of Lady, 140.    her Family, 112.
Byron, his Lameness, 210; Swims  Cisco, John J., 166; and Howell
the Hellespont, 211; his Appear-    Cobb, 250; his Anxiety about
ance, 212; Anecdotes of,211-213.    the Credit of the Country, 252;
Resigns the Fiscal Agency, 253;
Cabinet, Bickerings in Lincoln's,    Withdraws his Resignation, 254;
263.                               Opinions as to the War, 255;
Cameron's, Simon, Dismissal from     Borrows Gold at Four per Cent.,
the Cabinet, 267 et seq.           257.
Campbell, Robert S., Appointed  Clanricarde, Marquis of, 147.
Consul in London, 173, 174;  Clarvoe, Kind Conduct of DetectAnecdote of, 150.                  ive, 295.
Campbell, the Unfortunate Habits  Climate, Influence of the English,
of the Poet, 208.                  36.
Canadian Exhibitors at the Paris  Clotilde, Princess, in New York,
Palace of Industry, 103.           229 et seq.
Carnarvon, the Earl of, 147.       Cobb, Howell, and the First GovCarnival, the Roman, 25.             ernment Loan, 250.
Cass, Pun on Name of Senator,182.  Cockney, Quizzing a, 42.
Champagne in an English: Chop-  Colfax, the Late Vice-President,
house, 54.                         288.
Charles of Austria, Archduke, 20.   Commission of Military Engineers
Charles X., Anecdote of, 109.        to Europe, 132.
Chartist Demonstration in1848,39;  Commissioners to Paris Exhibition,
Macaulay's Estimate of Number    their Perplexities and Worries,
in the, 142.                       102 et seq.




INDEX.                           333
Constituent Cortes at Madrid: Ap-  Douglass, Frederick, 295.
pearance and Real Character of  Duels: Sould with Turgot, 80;
the Members, 81.                   Cutting with Breckenridge, 227;
Cooke, Jay and H. D., 306.           Colonel James Monroe and a
Cooper, James Fenimore, 178; Re-    Naval Lieutenant, 227.
spect for his Memory, 179.      Dumas the Elder, 131.
Counterfeit Currency passed by Secretary Chase, 284.              Ekenhead, Lieutenant, swims from
Coutts, Baroness, 50.                Sestos to Abydos, 211.
Crampton's Dismissal, Complica-  Emancipation Proclamation, Story
tions arising out of, 150 et seq.  of the, 264.
Cross of the Legion of Honor,  Emerson, Ralph Waldo, in LonAwards of the, 136.                don, 45.
Cuba: Soule on the Acquisition of  Emperor Napoleon and Goodyear's
the Island by the United States,    Foot-balls, 114.
98.                              England as a Home, 137; the ManCurtis, Geo. William, 198.           ners of the People, 138.
Cushing, Caleb, and  President  English  Climate, Influence  of,
Pierce, 160.                       36.
Czartoriski, the Dashing Princess,  Episcopalians and President Lin112.                               coin, 310.
Esneh, Visit to, 29.
Dalhousie, Letter from  the Mar-  Eugenie, the Empress, and /the
quis of, 207.:                    "Black Warrior Affair," 73.
Darley, the Artist, 198.           Europe, First Visit to, 13; Second
Derby, Eloquence of the Late Earl    Visit, 32; Third Visit, 57; Fourth
of, 146.                           Visit, 137.
Diary, Extract from Mr. Chase's,  Everett, Chilling Reception by Hon.
267.                               Edward, 13.
Dickens, Charles, his Treatment
during the Carnival at Rome,  Ferdinand, Emperor of Austria,
25; Washington Irving's Indig-    20.
nation at his Rough Manners,  Fessenden, W. P., Relations with
31; Rude Behavior of, 185.         Chase, 281; Appointed Secretary
Dinners to Prince Napoleon in    of Treasury, 298; Martyr to DysNew  York, 233; in  Boston,    pepsia, 307; Relations with Sum234.                               ner, 307.
Disraeli in the House of Commons,  Field, David Dudley and Cyrus W.,
147. -199.
Dix, John A., Appointed Secretary  Field, Rev. Justin, 201.
of the Treasury, 252.           Fillmore, Ex-President, 181.
Dolley's Chop-house, 54.           Flagg, Azariah C., on Expenditures,
D'Orsay, Count, and Apsley House,    279.
14, 51.                         Foreign Ministers in Washington,
Douglas, Stephen A., 264.            Sentiments of, 318.




334                          INDEX.
Fractional Currency, Issue of and  Hawthorne, N., 198; in London,
Demand for, 259.                   145; Anecdotes of, 159.
Francis, Dr. John W., 180.         Hogg, "the Ettrick  Shepherd,"
French Court, Presentations at the,    Anecdotes of, 208, 209.
64.                              Holland, King of, some Account of,
17.
Gallatin, Albert, 226.             Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 198, 202;
Gallatin, James, of the National    his Poem, Vive la France! 234.
Bank, 256.                       Houston, Sam, of Texas, 175.
Gas-Company Presidents and Tax-  Humanes: American Students in
ation, 276.                        Paris, 124.
Georgi, an Eccentric Invalid, 320.   Hunkers and Barn-burners, 182.
Girdham's, William, Anecdotes of
Byron, 210 et seq.               Ibrahim Pasha, 27.
Goodyear's India Rubber at the  Income Tax thought UnconstituParis Exhibition, 104; his Can-    tional, 275.
non-balls, 114.                  Indecorum of Parliament and ConGrant, General Scott's Recollections    gress, 148.
of, 223.                         Irving, Washington, Minister to
Greeley, Horace, 63; Commissioner    Spain, 30; his First Interview
to Paris Exhibition, 116; Arrest    with Charles Dickens, 31; his
on Civil Process, 117; in the    Promising Young Man, 223.
Prison of Clichy, 120; his Good-  Isabella II., Queen of Spain: Prophumor, 121; Donn Piatt's Ac-    erty in Cuba, 83; Soule asks for
count of the Affair, 122; Anec-    an Audience, 84; the Palace and
dotes of, 316.                     the Guards, 87; Reception of
Gregory XVI., Pope of Rome, 24.      American Minister, 89; the InnoGrey, Earl, Dyspeptic and Bitter,    cent Isabel's Appearance, 90; her
147.                               Good-nature and Gratitude, 91;
Griswold, Rufus A., 225.             invites Author to a Ball, 92;
Groesbeck, Anecdotes of Mr., 68.     Public Estimate of her CharacGuizot, M., 130; famous Mot, 15.    ter, 94.
Hall, Mr. S. C., Hospitality of, 144.  Jackson, General, in New York,
Halleck, Fitz-Greene, and John Ja-    156.
cob Astor, 223.                  James, G. P. R., Early Life and his
Halpine, Chas. G. (Miles O'Reilly),    English Friends, 187; his First
318.                               Novel, 190; Arrives in New York,
Hardwicke, the Bluff Earl of, 147.   190; Residence at Hell Gate,
Harriet Lane, Prince of Wales on    190; Poetical Description  of,
board of the, 242.                 191; Witty Effusion, 196; at
Harrington, Geo., Assistant Secre-    Stockbridge, Mass., 197; Consul
tary of the Treasury, 261.         at Norfolk, Va., 205; his ExtenHartley, John F., of the Treasury,    sive Acquaintance with Authors,
308.                               208; Anecdote of "the Ettrick




INDEX.                          335
Shepherd," 208; Acquaintance    ment, 219; Playing Tragedy
with Byron, 210.                  Queen, 220; Hatred of Humbug
Jenifer, of Maryland, Minister at    and Negroes, 220.
Vienna, 20.                     Lisboa, the Good-humored and lIosJerome, Mr. Leonard, 233.           pitable, 320.
Johnson, Andrew, Sworn in as  London  and  the Chartists, 39
President, 327.                   et seq.
Louis Napoleon, First Meeting with,
Kemble, Mrs. Fanny, 198; Anec-    46; his Opinion of Middle-class
dotes of, 200.                    English, 48; his Friends in EnKendall, Geo. W., of N. O. Pica-    gland, 50; Fashionable Opinion
yune, 38; Arrested in London,    of him, 51; as President, 52;
40.                              Lord Aberdeen's Opinion, 53;
King, Wm. R., Minister to France,    Intercourse with the Queen of
15.                              England, 52; on Horseback, 52.
Knapp, Elder, a Remark of, 310.   Lover, Sam, and his Songs, 145.
Knapp, Shepherd, of the Mechanics' Lucca, Grand Duke of, EccentriciBank, 256.                        ties of, 22; his Death, 23.
Lyons, Lord, the English Minister,
Leary, Arthur, of New York, 285.    319.
Lee, General Scott's Opinion of
Robert E., 223.                 Macaulay, Intercourse with T. B.,
Licignano, Duke di, 231.            140; his Prophecy as to the FuLincoln, Accession to Presidency,    ture of the United States, 141.
253; as a Politician, 264, 307;  Madrid,Visit to, 30, 76, 77 et seq.
his Proclamation of Emancipa-  Marcy, and the "Ostend Manifestion, 265; Dismisses Cameron,    to," 75; Secretary of State, 165269; Affection for McClellan,    168; Refuses to Sign Sickles's
270; Estimate of his Cabinet,    Commission as Secretary of Le274; his Economy, 284; Ex-    gation in England, 172.
plains his Acceptance of Chase's  Mason, JohnY., Minister to France,
Resignation, 300; his Style of    57 et seq.
Designating the Presidency, 301;  Mathilde, Princess Demidoff, 105.
Humorous Talk, 310; Story-tell-  Mavrocordato, Prince, 30.
ing, 312; Manners with Ladies,  McClellan, General Scott's Opinion
312; his Belief in the Union,    of Geo. B., 223; Quarrel with
313; his Kind-heartedness, 313;    Stanton, 271; Lincoln's Affechis Assassination, 321 et seq.;   tion for, 270.
his Death, 325; his Funeral,    Me and the Minister," 15.
328.                           Mehemet Ali, his Gallantry to a
Lind, Jenny, Meeting with, 144;    Lady, 27.
her Arrival in New York, 216;  Melville, Herman, 198, 202.
Appears at Castle Garden, 217;  Membrane Paper, 290; Anecdote
Barnum's Master-stroke of Pol-   regarding, 291.
icy, 218; her Changes of Agree-  Mercier, the Dissatisfied, 319.




336                           INDEX.
Mezzofanti, Appearance of Cardi-  Oporto, the Duke of, 112.
nal, 24.                         Osgood, Rev. Dr., 180.
Mitchel, the Theatrical Manager,  Ossuna, Anecdote of the Duc d', 24.
and Louis Napoleon, 52.          "Ostend Manifesto," the, and SecMitchell, D. G. (1k Marvel), and      retary Marcy, 75; the Writer of
Thackeray, 134.                    it, 99.
Monroe, Colonel James, 227.        Owen, pre-Adamite Appearance of
Monroe as Minister to France, 226.    Prof., 144.
"Monroe Letter, "the, 227.
Montpensier, Duc de, at a Concert,  Palmerston, Personal Magnetism
16.                                of Lord, 147.
Montreal, Committee from  New   Paris Exhibition of 1855, 101 et seq.
York City in, 239 et seq.        Parker, Rev. Dr., 201.
Morley's Hotel, Second-class at  Parliament, Attendance on Houses
First-class Prices, 39.            of, 145.
Mulatto  Sculptor in England, a,  Patriotism  of a Western Clergy138; his Difficulties, 139; Kind-    man, 259.
ness of Harriet Beecher Stowe,  Piatt, Donn, Secretary at Paris, 67.
140.                             Picture-Gallery  at Madrid, the
Murat, Prince Lucien, 32; his Ec-    Royal, 78.
centricities, 33; Horse-jockeying,  Pierce, President, and his Umbrel33; his Anecdote of his Uncle,    la, 156; First Introduction to,
Joseph Bonaparte, 34; his Suc-    157; his Nomination, 159; Fish
cess in France, 35.                Chowder with, 160; Upset in the
Surf, 161; his Presidential CaNames of English Shop-keepers, 55.    reer, 162 et seq.
Napoleon III., attempted Assassin-  Piper, the Amiable, 319.
ation of, 126; his Coolness and  Pitt's, Wm., English Taxes, 278.
Courage, 127; on Horseback,  Plon-Plon, 105.
128; his Tact, 129; his Habits,  Poe, Lecture by Edgar A., 224.
129; Dislike  to  the  United  Portugal, the King of, 112.
States, 129; with the Empress in  Presentations at the French Court,
Private, 130.  See, also, Louis    64.
Napoleon.                        President of the United States, AuNapoleon (Prince Jerome) and his    thor Announced as the, 111.
Wife in New York, 229 et seq.    Prince Napoleon (Jerome), 104;
Nemours, Duc de, 15.                 his Personal Appearance, 105;
Nile, up the, 28.                    his Relations with the Emperor,
Northumberland, Letter from  the    106; his Crimean Record, 107; his
Duke of, 207.                      Political Opinions, 107; his MoNye, James, of Nevada, his Story-    rality, 108; his Residence, 109;
telling Powers, 315.               Weekly Receptions, 111.
Prince of Wales. See Wales.
O'Connor, Fergus, and the Chartist Prussia, Encounter with the Crown
Petition, 42.                      Prince of, 19.




INDEX.                            337
Pun on the Name of General Cass,    posed Issue of, 256; Popularity
182.                               of, 258.
Seward, W. A., Secretary of State,
Queen Victoria at the Opera, 43;    262; a Tiresome Guest, 271;
Friendly to the United States,    Anecdote told by him, 272.
152.                             Sewing-Machines at the Paris ExQuizzing a Cockney, 42.              hibition, 103.
Shopping with American Stlangers,
Raglan, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, 38.    125.
Red Jacket, the Indian Chief, 155.  Shubrick, Admiral, 292.
Redfield, Heman J., Collector of  Shuckers, Mr., Secretary to S. P.
the Port of New York, 166.         Chase, 298.
Renfrezo, Lord, the Prince of Wales  Sickles, Daniel E., Buchanan's Secas, 245.                           retary of Legation, 172.
Republicanism in the United States  Sofia, Discarded Wife of Abbas
and Europe, 120.                   Pasha, 29.
Rianzares, Duke of, 112.           Somerset, Lord Fitzroy, afterward
Riots of July, 1863, in N. Y. City,    Lord Raglan, 38.
260.                             Sophia, the Beautiful Archduchess,
Risley, H. A., of the Treasury De-    20.
partment, 286.                   Soule, lPierre, Minister tb Spain,
Roosevelt, Ex-Judge, and thePrince    76; Reception of Author, 77;
of Wales, 243.                     Indignation at Marcy's Dispatch,
Rothschild, Baron James de, 134;    78; Relations with the Court, 79;
his Bad Manners, 135; Invita-    his Duel with Turgot, 80; Polittion to a Funeral, 155.            ical Intrigues with Queen IsabelRussell, Lord John, in the House    la, 83; Resigns his Mission, 99.
of Commons, 147.                 Special Constables, American Citizens in London acting as, 40.
Sanders, George N., of Kentucky,  Specie Payment, Suspension  of,
37.                                Prognosticated, 255, 256; OpinSardinia, Appearance of the King    ions of Secretary Chase, 255, 256;
of, 21.                            Suspended Monday, Jan. 1, 1862,
Schell, Augustus, 166; Auguistus    257.
Seizer, 167.                     Spinner, GeneraliAnecdotes of, 289.
Schleiden, the Giver of Gothic Din-  St. Jago, Formal and Eccentric
ners, 319.                         Marquis de, 24.
Scott, General Winfield, Anecdotes  Stamps, Government, ^77.
of, 221.                         Stanton  appointed  Secretary  of
Secession, Threatenings of, 250.     War, 267.
Secretary of Legation in Paris,  Stebbins, HI. G., of New York, 288.
Troubles of a, 57 et seq.        Stevens, John A., of the Bank of
Sedgwick, the Family of, 198.        Commerce, 256.
Senator, the, and his Baby, 125.    Stoeckl, the Jovial and Card-lovSeven-Thirty Treasury Notes, Pro-    ing, 319.
P




338                           INDEX.
Story-telling, Lincoln's, 312.        250; Howell Cobb'sOpinion, 251;
Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher, her    Thomas, of Maryland, 251; CisSincerity, 140.                     co's Expedients, 251; Seven-thirStudents fromAmericainParis, 124.    ty Notes, 256; Six-twenty Bonds,
Sultan Abdul Medjid, 26.              257; Fractional Currency, 259.
Sumner, Charles, and John Y. Mason, 63; his Opinion of Fessen-  Vail, Cashier of the Bank of Comden, 307.                          merce. Sustaining Credit of the
Sumner, Colonel, at the French        Government, 251.
Court, 69.                       Van Buren, Ex-President, in Paris,
132.
Tassara, the Spanish Minister, and  Van Buren, the late John, 181-184.
the Captured Dispatches, 311;  Van Buren, John D., 275.
somewhat Saturnine, 320.         Vattemarre, M. Alexandre, 131.
Taylor,Moses,of the City Bank,256.  Veronese, Paul, Anecdote of the
Taylor, Tom, the Dramatist, 144.      Painter, 214.
Tax-bills of 1861-2, 275 et seq.   Victoria Bridge, Formal Opening
Thackeray, W. M., 132; the Pro-    of the, 239.
totypes of his Fictitious Charac-  Victoria of England Friendly to the
ters, 133; his Knowledge  of       United States, 152.
French  Character, 133; his  Vive la France! by Dr. O. W.
Brusque Manners, 134; at his    Holmes, 234; Translated  into
HIome in London, 142; Talks of    French by the Author, 235.
Dickens, 143; Anecdote of; 292.,VonGerolt,theKindbutTimid, 319.
Thefts in the Treasury Department,
292.                             Wade's, Senator, Profanity, 290.
Thomas, of Maryland, Secretary of  Wales, the Prince of, to be Invited
the Treasury, 251.                 to New York, 238; Committee of
Tod, Governor, of Ohio, Nominated     Arrangements, 238; Reception in
as Secretary of the Treasury, 298.    Montreal, 239; Lunch with, 241;
Travels, Extent of Early, 13.         Arrangements for a Grand Ball,
Treasury of the United States Emp-    242; Prince and President, 243;
ty, 251; First Expedients to Fill    Arrives in New York, 243; Reit, 252; Loans in New York, 255    view of Troops, 244; Sights of
et seq.; Proposed Issue of Seven-    New York, 245; at the Ball,
Thirty Notes, 256; Author Ap-    246; at Trinity Church, 247;
pointed Assistant Secretary, 262.    Bible and Prayer-book Presented
Turin, Stay in, 21.                  to him, 248; leaves New York,
Tuscany, Grand-duke of, 21.           249; Expenses of the Ball, 249.
Tyler, President, and  his Irish  Walsh, Hon. Mike, PracticalJoker,
Coachman, 181.                     176.
Washburne, E. B., Candidate for
Union Club Dinner to Prince Na-    Speaker, 288.
poleon, 232.                     Washington, D. C., Prince of Wales
United States' First Loan in 1861,    visits, 243.




IVDEX.                           339
War Department, Management in  Whisky, Taxes on, 2'8.
the, 266.                       Whiteside, the Tory Barrister, 149.
Webster, Daniel, 176-180.         Wilberforce, Eloquence of Bishop,
Weed, Thurlow, Governor of New       146.
York, 272.                      Williams, Lunch with Prince of
Welles,'Gideon, Secretary of the    Wales at House of General Sir
Navy, 273.                        W. Fenwick, 240.
Wellington, Appearanceof the Duke  Willis, N. P., 225.
of, 14; and the Chartists, 39;  Wise, Henry A., his Dinner SerLetter fiom, 207.                 vice, 286; Anecdote of, 287.
Wheaton's, Henry, Breach of Eti-  Wood, Fernando, and Mr. Chase,
quette, 19.                       289.
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