The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-07-27
From the Ns,O York Star.
PALACE FURNITURE.

The British Queen and the Britannia having
both arrived and all the news having been read,
considered and digestcs; stocks, flour, the Queens
escape and the Chinese war, we took up Ogles
speech on the Palace Furniture, in order to flirt
away dull hour with this mischievous meddler
in gentleman's private domicil, and that gen
tIeman, the Chief Magistrate OF this great repub-
lie, for we must still call it so, out of attach
ment to the name and early predictions.
1t is beyond doubt the greatest electioneering
paper we ever remembered to have read. Ogle
is a PENNSYLVANIA, and he knew the effect such
speech would have upon the German farmers
of that State who, in their stone-houses, with
high back wooden chairs, oakcn tables, earthen-
ware pans, titled chimney places, sourl1rout and
smoked geese, would find singular contrast
with the magniicence of democratic Palace,
gorgeously carved and gilt, with ottomans and
candelabraras, and all the appurtenances OF roy
atty in its most costly style. 1t was spiteiul IN
Mr.. Ogle, because Mynheer Van Buren, IS hlm-
self Dutch-a kind of lsalf brother TO the Ger
man population of that patriotic State-and his
compatriots all along believed that he wore big
breeches, with large pewter buttons, smoked
long pipe, was fond of chntz and krulers, and
particuS rly attached to an occasional glass OF
the real Scheidam. They believed also that he
lived in large house at Washington, furnished
with republican simplicity-that he kept car
riage and pair of stout Susquehanna horses,
with long tails-that he now and then invited
members of Congress to take pot-luck with him
and play a game at Pdeher at night, and went
to bed at nine oelock-rose early in the morn
in. and went through all the offices to see that
the clerks were at work betimes. If such were
the impressions of Mynhcer Van Buren's Schep-
hens and constituents of that State, most awful
ly and wickedly has MIR. Ogle removed the film
from their eyes by this very speech, which the
wicked ''British Wings" or wags, have had
translated and printed into the German language
and circulated far and wide
Bat, after all, MIR. Van Buren, has no right to
complain. Shakespeare says, "Nlen should be
what they seem;" and when man owes his adj
vancement, step by step, to tie highest honors OF
the republic, to protesting stern democracy,
economy, industry and good ialth, he has no
right to throw off the cloak when he reaches the
top of the ladder, and exhibit laundering after
royalty, by wasting the peoples moneyin foreign
frippery. Instead of urging immense OUTLAWS for
additional furniture to the palace, he should have
said to Congress, EtDo not lay out penny in
these times: let us look at our diminished reve-
nue. and increased expenses, and be wise" Still,
if Congress insisted upon making the appropria-
ton, MIR. Van Buren, should have insisted that
every article in the Presidents house, should
have been of AMERICAN manufacture. Ii 1t
could not be quite as splendid as Windsor Castle,
or Fontainebleau, or SchOenbrun, still 1T was
american ingenuity and taste that had been re-
warded, and the money was expended at home.
Again, Mr. Van Buren, should not complain if this
expose of Mr.. Ogle's, does him infinite political
injury among his radical friends He cannot
avoid calling to mind how we ran through all
the changes against poor MIR Adams, for furnish
ing the East Room-how much political capital
we made out Of it-how we turned up the whites
Of our eyes with holy horror at his old federal
and aristocratic eXtravagance-whats speeches
we made at Tammany--what resolutions we
in fact, the poor man had actually done nothing
to that great barn of a room, excepting furnish
ing it in the plainest New England style. lie
suffered for the sin Of omission; MIR. Van Buren,
is in a fair way to suffer for the sin OF commits
sion. But let us glance at the speech, and make
a. few amusing extracts in this hot weather. MIR.
Ogle, after going over the original cost of the
palace, and expenses IN arranging the grounds
shrubbery, sc. sc. says:
"And now MIR. Chairman, having taken
promenade through the Presidents garden and
grounds, let us enter his palace, and survey its
spacious courts, its gorgeous banduetting halls,
its sumptuous drawing rooms its glitterlng and
dazzling saloons, with all their magnificent and
sumptu0us array of gold and silver, crimson and
orange blue and violet, screens of Ionic columns,
marble mantles, with Italian black and gold
fronts gilt eagle cornices, rich cut glass and gilt
suspended by beautiful Grecian
chains, gid eagic-headed candlebras, French
bronze gilt lamps, with crystal globes, bronzed
and Gilt French bracket lights, gilt framed mir
rors of prodigious sixe, large Italian club man
tel glasses French gilt bronze mantel time pieces,
gilt mounted and rosewood piano
fortes, gilt mounted bureaus, superb mahogany
mahogany gilt-mounted secretaries,
1amask, satin and double silk window curtains,
with gided eagle, stars, and ornamental rays,
royal Wilton and imperial Brussels and Saxon
Carpets, gilt and satin settees, sofas, bergeras,
iivans, tabourets and French comfortables, ele-
CANT mahogany gilt cagle-mounted French bed
steads, gilt plateaus, gaudy artificial flowers,
rich blue and gold bon-bons, tambours, compo
tiers, ice cream vases, splendid French China
vases, olive boats octagon bowls, silver tureens,
boats and baskets, of very rich work, golden COB
lets, table spoons, knives and forks" sc.
MIR. Ogle proceeds to items almost too hume
rous to mention; but some few we must extract,
forthe consideration of our old democratic friends.
In the small elliptical saloon, the additional
items, under the present regime, are as follows:
SO windows, (curtains) 6,307 so
Atm MEDALLION, 176 81
~ r =