171
BLAINE IN ENGLAND.
What the English Papers Say about Our Country and Its Statesman.
From London papers which have just arrived, says W. H. Sivitor in Tid-Bits, we learn a great many fact about Mr. Blaine which have hitherto escaped the American biographers. Some extracts are appended.
The Right Hon. James G. Blaine and wife have just arrived in the city. Mr. Blaine is at present Governor General of Maine, a province on the southwestern coast of Lake Mississippi. In addition to this office he holds that of Vice President of the Republic, in accordance with the rule adopted by the Parliament at Washington, whcih gives the Vice Presidential position to the man who secnres the second highest vote for President. Mr. Blaine would have been elected President and Mr. Cleveland Vice President had not the Chinese delegates to the national convention opposed him on account of a previously expressed opinion that the immigration of Chinese should be stopped.
Mr. Blaine is a first cousin of Right Hon. William F. Cody, better known as "Buffalo Bill," and is expected to call upon him tomorrow to formulate governmental plans for action on the reassembling of the American Senate in November, Mr. Cody being, Senator from the Province of Key West, beyond the Mississippi river, and a strong supporter of the government.
Mr. Blaine's military title is Major-General, although he seldom uses it. He gained it by gallant action on the field at Lookout Mountain, where he commanded the Second Chicago Infantry under General Beaurogard. Besides receiving his commission of Brigadler General he was warmly conplimented in a personal letter from President Jefferson Davis and Secretary of War Stanton. Later he took a prominet part in the capture of New York and in the reduction of Port Du Queene.
While a member of President Garfield's cabinet he proposed the propibition measure known as the Maine law, which is in force throughout all the northwestern provinces with the single exception of Staten Island.
As a literary man Mr. Blaine is wellknown he having issued from the press in the last eighteen months a work entitled "Twenty Years in Parliament," which treats largely of his experiences in the National Assembly, which he have alluded to. Under the nom de plame of "Howells" he has written some very creditable verses for the magazines. He is also editor of the leading Washington newspaper, the Congressional Record.
173
A MESSENGER TO LONDON
Mr Gore Over to Deliver Parcels to some Actor People
Something has been done to elevate the messenger boy. Perhaps it will also be the means of accelerating his speed, at least proving that it is no disgrace to be caught moving rapidly. The thing which has been done is to send an American district messenger boy of New York to London to deliver souvenirs and congratulatory letters to the surviving writers of the play entitled "The Highest Bidder" and others in London. Originally this play was entitled "Trade," and was written by the elder Sothern, Maddasson Merton and Robert Reece. Manager Dan Frobman and E.d. Sothern, of the Lyceum theatre, prepared the souvenir, which consists of a number of sheets of heavy cream and chocolate colored paper bound together with ribbon. The first page has a photograph of E. A, Sothern. At the bottom is the legend in the writing of Sothern: "He didn't do it very well, but he did it." It is signed by Sothern. The four following paged are filled with sketched made by Sothern from scenes in the play.
Low's Exchange will see that the boy is well cared for during his voyage across and returning. On landing in Liverpool he will be met by John B. Curtis, general manager of the Midland railroad, who will whoop him along in a special carriage to the first train for the city. In London he will at once start on his round delivering the souvenirs. Edmund Yates, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, Buffalo Bill, Nate Salsbury, Emily Faithfull, Nat Goodwin, Toole, Clement Scott, and many others will receive them. The list has grown until it is as long as a telegraph pole. Each will sign the little ticket, just as would be done if the recipient were in New York.
As soon as the boy gets his packaged delivered he will take the first ship back to New York. His ticket signed by those who received souvenirs, will be quite a souvenir in itself.
The boy's name is Eugene B. Sanger. he sailed away, not exactly at break of day, on there Gernanic, on July 27, but tolerably early for a messenger boy to be starting off. The experiment is to test the speed of the New York messenger boy. He is to prove how quickly a district messenger can do errands in London and return. it might be said to be an experiment in psychic force.
Various Interesting personages were at the pier to see young Sanger off. He was elegantly caparisoned in blue and brass, and has some personal beauty besides. His fellow messengers, to the number of nearly fifty, headed by a pipe and drum, were there to [?] him off. So was his mother and no end of other interested persons. And he, the hero of the hour- well, if he wasn't lionized no wavy haired boy ever was. No. 1,223 is his number; but what use has a lion for a number? In fact, he had suddenly risen above numbers. he was introduced to many of the passengers, and enriched by numerous floral devices. Before the ship sailed the young hero was taken up to the captain's bridge in order that all might see him as the ship moved down the river into the bay. The other messengers kept the spirits of the assemblage from lagging by exuding great volumes of cheers in boy soprano. They whooped up at the lively rate as the ship moved off. That was not because they felt extremely jolly, but to cover their feelings.
The young traveler is 14 years old. He will sit near the captain all the way over and will have a cabin all to himself. Moreover, he will show John Bull how they order things over here.
174
MEN. J.P. Pomeroy, of Kansas, is called the goal king of Atchison. He can walk over 60,000 acres of good land and call it his own. Buffalo Bill would not feel at all put our if Queen Victoria were to hit him on the shoulder with her sword and tell him to get it up Sir William Cody. Colonel Thom as Ochiltre claims that his family tree grew on the Ochil hill in bonnie Scotland, which may account for his remark-able adhesion to strict veracity in narrative
175
PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES.
There is a church in the east end of London where parties so desiring can be married for seven penoe ha'penny- 15 cents.
Mr. Albert J. Michneils has returned to the city from El Paso, Tex., where he has been residing for the past two years. His many friends will be pleased to welcome him back to his old home.
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes begins to feel worn and weary with overwork, and fears a general breaking down of his system. He makes few visits and is husbanding his strength, passing most of his time quietly among his books.
Mr. Edward Garuor, an attache of Farrell and Boylan's office, found a plain gold ring inscribed "July 16, 1880, M. E. P. - F. H. E." on Valence street yesterday. The owner can recover the same by calling on Mr. Garner at the office, No. 144 Gravier Street.
There are at present at Stratford, Ct., two interesting old ladies. One is Mrs. PErry, widow of Commodore Perry, the hero of lake Erie, and the other is Mrs. Lamb, widow of General Lamb, a prominent officer in the war of 1812. They are both well on in years, but bright and active.
Colonel H. B. Richardson, chief state engineer, arrived in the city yesterday from Talluiaj, La., where he attended a meetin gof the Fifth levee district commissioners. Lieutenant H. Bolivar Thompson, assistant engineer, is surveying the Diamond island be levee, Madison parish, La., whcih is to be rebuilt.
Rev. Alexander Tournier arrived last Saturday by the steamship Nantos from Bordeaux and is a guest at the cathedral. The reverend father is the curato of the cathedral at Bone, Africa. He visits this country for the purpose of collecting funds to build a basilica in honor of St. Augustin. This basillica is to be erected on the hill of Hippone, Africa.
Mine. Nordica, the young andp opular Maine singer, hardly knows whether she is a widow or not. Her husband, Mr. Gowd, was the joint inventor or the Gowd-Bell telephone, which brought him an immense fortune. A few years ago he was experimenting with some balloon engineers, when the balloon sailed away with him and he has not since been heard from.
General Sherman in his West Point speech to the recent graduates sadi: "There is an old saying that 'knowledge is power.' This is not true. Action is power, and when guided byk nowlede produces the largest measure of results. I have encountered men who knew more of the science of war that Grand, Meade or Hancock, whom I would not have trusted with a picket guard."
Bostron Transcript: Mr. John A. Morris of New Orleans has begun work upon a fine cottage at Hull's Cover, in the suburbs of Bar Harbor. This cottage, which will be very expensive, is designed as a wedding gift to his daughter, who is to be married in the fall. Fiver other cottages are to be erected in the same vieinity this season, one of them by Mr. Yulee, son of the late senator.
J.R. Huntington of Amosbury, Mass., has decided to erect on the public square of that town an heroic bronze statue of his maternal ancostor, Dr. Josiah Bartlett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. A portrait of Dr. Bartlett, by Trumbull, will furnish the sculptor, Karl Gerhardt, his inspiration. Dr. Bartlett was the first governor of New Hampshire after it became a state.
A writer in the New York Tribune says: "In Ecclesiastes, chapter ii, verse 8, Solomon says: 'I got me men singers, and women singers, and musical intruments of all sort; and, behold, all was vanity, and vexation of spirit.' From this it is evident that Solomon 'came to grief' trying to run a national opera company. He could manage 800 vices, 700 concubines and the queen of Sheba, but hte opera was too much for him."
When Miue Nilsson first came to this country the Messrs. Strakosch pair her $1,000 a night. When she sung in opera, under Mr. Abbey's management, she received $2000, and previous to returning to Europe she proclaimed that she would not appear again except at an advance of $500 a night. If she shall come in the fall to sing in "operatic concerts" under Mr. Abbey's guidance, she will certianly not get less than $2,500 per concert.