Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-07-19
Washington Gossip from a Distance.

washington GOSSIP from Distance.
We clip the following from the New
York Herald of yesterday:
When that good old soldier, General
Taylor, announced to the delighted peo-
pie of this happy country that we were
cat peace with the world and the rest of
mankind" " he was, perhaps, little aware
of the true secret of this pleasant con-
dition of our relations with foreign coun-
tries. Older statesmen, and more expe-
rienced than old Rough and Ready, have
concluded that twas due to that sagacious
policy recommended by Washington, of
avoiding all ''entangling alliances" with
other nations, and all unnecessary inter-.
me,.lling in the affairs of other people.
We apprehend, however, that the real
secret of the friendly sentiments recipro-
cally entertained and so frequently illus
trated during the last twenty years, be-
tween us and the other great Powers of
the earth, may be traced not SO much to
our foreign policy as to the numerous
happy matrimonial alliances contracted
from time to time between foreign diplo-
mats near our Government and the fair
daughters of Brother Jonathan.
"We are reminded of this fact, in seeing
it announced by the Washington news
mongers that the acceptance by Don Cal
deron de la Barca of the portfolio of Sec
retary of Foreign affairs at Madrid, is
somewhat doubtful. If there is any
ground for reasonable doubt upon the
subject, We presume it rests upon his
social and domestic attachments which
have resulted from the long residence of
Mr.. Calderon in Washington. His wife
is an American lady, of a Scotch family
named Mcleod; her sister, we understand
is the wife of Mr.. j. NJ. Carlisle, one of
the foremost men of the Washington bar;
and a promising cousin of these ladies, is
that exceedingly tall and fast young
Baronet, s'Rough Diamond" of comedy,
Sir William Don. So genial too, has Mr..
Calderon made himself to the society of
Washington, so much is he at length
regarded as fixed inhabitant of the place,
and so smoothly has his official and pri-
vate life there glided along, that he cannot
leave without many regrets. #
''M. Alexandra de Bodisco, the Russian
Minister, is similarly situated in his do
mestic relations. He is the oldest of the
diplomatic corps at Washington; and
somewhere about the time of the marriage
of Queen Victoria, he led to the altar the
reigning belle of Georgetown, Miss Will
liams, daughter of respectable citizen of
that little city, belonging to that great
middling class which constitutes the salt
and substance Of the population of this
and every other country. The result of
this alliance has been the addition to the
census returns of seven native born
Americans, sons and daughters. We are
also more than half disposed to believe
that the influence of this charming lady,
at the social reunions between our Cabi-
net and the diplomatic corps has had the.
effect of materially softening the natural
antagonism which would otherwise exist
between the chief officials of this republic
and the admitted servant of "his august
master" the Emperor of all the Russias,
and prospectively of all the Turkeys, too.
Monsieur Pageot, the French minister
to this country during the reign of Louis
PHILIPPE, married an American lady,
daughter of Major Lewis, a warm friend
and high in the personal confidence of
Gen. jackson, and for some years Second
Auditor Of the Treasury Department.
Mr.. Pageot, it will be remembered, threw
up his commission when Louis Philippe
was driven out of France, declining to
serve under the usurpation of the republic !