The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1826-08-23
5A[sceLIalrD.
from the New Y ork Statesman. Il
LETTERS FROM EUROPA
No. LXYX.
VISIT TO La FAYETI'E.
PARIS, JANUARY, 1896

On the morning Of the 9th of De-
cember, we took the Diligence for the
village of Rose, within about two miles
Of which La Grange is situated, forty
miles 10 an easterly direction from Par
is.
We reached the village of Rose, at s
O'Clock in the evening; and that no unj
necessary claims might be made to The
hospitality Of General La Fayette, or bis
family subjected TO any inconvenience
we dined at the hotel, before taking d
carriage and setting out for La Grange.
On arriving at the Chateau, the General
gave us warm reception, and presented
us TO, his numerous and Interesting iami-
iy. Consisting of son, two daughters,
and twelve grandchildren, with a beau
tiful and accomplished daughter OF CouP
Segur, together with two or three oihG
inmates, making in all circle oil som+
thing more than twenty. Simplicity,
ooliteness, and ahability of manners. gei-
nine kindness of heart, and unaffected
hospitality, characterize the whoe
group, from the patriarch himself, .doVn
10 the youngest of his descendants. X
They need only the American name
claim to nativity in the land OF Wash
inyton ard FrankIin--to call forth az
the warmth and generosity of their tees
ings, making the stranger at once ~
home, and treating him with the coFdiT
alitv Of a friend or brother. The only
uneasiness which the yisitant experience
es. arises from fear, that the proven
bal politeness of the French, accompa-
MED with all the enthusiasm OF feeling,
will subject the family to Inconvenience
on his account, and lead them 10 do too
much for his happiness.
The evening glided away delightful
", and almost impetceptibly, in the
midst OF conversation on variety OF
topics, chiefly relating to our country /;
for the whole family talk, and seem to
think of nothing else than the United
States, where their feelings, their hopes,
and wishes all centre. The General
considers HIMSELF emphatically citizen
of the American Repoblic, and familiar
ly speaks Of it precisely in the same
way, as if he had been there born and
educated. He receives great number
of American newspapers, reviews, and
other publications, and regularly cores
ponds with many of his friends in every
part of The Union. These various
sources of information, perused with the
utmost attention, added TO the astonish-
ing accuracy OF his observations, and
recoIlections of circumstances connect
ed with his .tonr, render him better ac-
uuainted with the condition of our coun-
try, than almost any one of It's actual
residents. He has visited every State
in the confederacy under favorable cir
cumstances, having been introduced TO
the most prominent individuals, and seen
a large proportion of the whole poPu-
lation in each.
In the course Of the evening, he often
reverted to the scenes he had visited,
and to friends with whom he had met
and parted, withno expectation OF ever
seeing them again. Many anecdotes
were related, which had escaped atten-
ton, even in the voluminous reports of
our papers. He stated that during the
thirteen mouths occupied in his tour, he
travelled between sixteen and seventeen
thousand miles; and that his health had
been greatly improved, instead Of inn
paired, by the necessary fatigues ofsuch
a constant scene of hustle and activity.
Before he left home he had been trou-