The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-07-14
THE TtAILY DISPATCH

- Ne lad The following translation from
,he rrencl, PAPER Repablicains Of New York
;,s,he u ,shiugton Republic. 10 sample
of ,he .so;cs and piquaney elected from the
French wits 10 Paris upon The appearance Of
s1,ncIe Tom Stowe and Staff" there.
rHr TEN rRassLAToRs VISIT MRS. STOWE.
Madame Harriet Beecher Stowe. the author
Of Uncle Tom. arrived last week IN PARIS, and
stopped at an American Hotel IN Serneuii
street.
The report of her arrival having spread
fhtouehout the city, the transtators ot Uncle
Tom generally deemed il their duty TO send 10
their cards. Madame Stowe responded 10 this
courtesy by another. She wrote the follow.
SIR: Permit me to express my eratiica.
finn that YOU should have devoted your lnera-
nv talents and YOUR know ledge OF the Amer.
can lang uage to transating my novel OF Uncle
Tom. OF all the tIanslatons OF this work
which have appeared. yours 70 without qaes
t;on the moe, faithful, and it very often, by the
merits of its style. improves upon the original.
havs the honor, &c,
HARRIET BEEcHER STowE.
OF this letter Midame Stowe made ten CO.
MES, OF which she sent one to each OF the trans.
iators who bad called upon her. Upon the re.
ceipt Of these ten circulars there arose ten
cries Of JOY ia Paris. And very soon ten men
were seen directing their steps to the Rue de
Verneuil.
Where ore these ten men going? inquired
pass.
I hey are going, replied some one, to wait
upon the author OF Uncle Tom, who has Just
arrived in Paris.
The ten iranslators arrived together at the
door of the hotel. They mounted the steps
together, and together they waited ia the ante.
chamber. Each one of the ten regarded the
nine others with the eye of a coDque,er, and
believed that he had in his pocket a certificate
which declared bis translation superior TO any
other. They are invited to the saloon OF Ma
dame Stowe. The celebrated blue stocking
1--we ought perhaps say btack.stocking] saiued
them graciously, and said:
"How do you do, gentlemen"
They replied:
"Bonjour, Madame"
There was then general movement of SUR
prise. Madame Stowe had believed that The
iranslators spoke English, whilst they expect
ed that the conversation would be conducted
in French, sioce the fatiering circular had
Stowe, who could not speak a word of French,
had caused her circular to be translated by
the hoiei interpreter. She remarked, II am
very happy to see you.
TIE ten iranslators looked at each other
with dismay. Not one Of them knew a word
of English. There was pause, during which
each one hoped that amongst his confre1es
some one could sustain the conversation with
Madame Stowe. At last one of the ten, bold
er than the rest, reflected thus: ''As the au
thor of Uncle Tom, she must understand US
of we speak like little negroes" So he said
to Madame Stowe ave little whites, Miss,
like 10 read about the good little blacks-the
good papa Tom, the good little Topsy, the
good mufatto, George"
The niue other uausators adopted the idea,
and cried out, "Oh, papa Tom! oh, papa Tom!
and they were so much delighted that they
danced The bamb0ula.
Madame Stowe, upon her part, reflected -
sit is impossible that these people can trans
late Eugiish, when they do not know a word
of the language. They must be impostors, or
rather thieves of the class called bonjourters :"
Excited " ith this apprehension, she raised lie
window and cried out TO the police. The pc.
lice ran, and Selling the ten translators, hur
Tied them off to the station, 10 spite of their
ten pio,esIations. Seeing them pass between
two pl1tooDs of soldiers, the crowd inquired:
'sWho are these ten men?"
They were told:
"These are the ten translators of uncle
Tom They cannot speak word of Eng.
lish, and therefore they are to be put in the
cage"
They are perhaps there still whilst we pen
this article. CHARIVARl.