Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-10-06
I. IT T. X a X v.

gave the following sketch OF the alleged inventor.
VIII" up 10 Nav lS5r had been neglected 4! Eng
land About halt Il century a.o-th" eNa": year i
not kuowr-thcr" was bor! AZ Leeds England Il nan
named Thomas Gray. Scarcely anything Is known
nf his early history. He was, believe, poor col
rr and being very ingenious, he conceived tle Ifr,
Of facilitating the transportation ut coal from the MiS
detown colery OF Leeds. distance OF three mrs.
by means of Ii at railway which lie constructed
nj wood. Upon th. his cars moved at the rat,<
three miles aud half hour, to tho great nIerri
ncrt OF wse and discriminating public who laugh
ei at the idea Of railway rs something very vision
arv and as the mere suggestion Of lazness. Poor
Gray thought otherwise. Magnificent vi.i"m. ri u-
.ure railways, such are now stupcnduW> realities,
oomed M before him, and he began {" talk III public
Of 4 general system Of iron railroads. He wH-, %!
struck fool. Bul the more Gray contemplated hi>
little railway for coal, the more nrm!y did hc believe
in the pracricability ani inlncnHe usefulness az A!S
scheme lie saw III it nj that i, now realized, amd
he resolved in spite OF the riculc the aui re
bus that were heaprd upon him. 10 prosecute bis I'M
ler,akiny. lie peloncd the British Parliament, and
sought interest with oil the great men Of the king
dom but all this hal no effect except 10 bring down
upon him. wherever he went the loud sneers and rt
icule Of oil classes Still he persevcrcd and at length
engaged the attention Of men oi Intelligence ami IN
huence, who finally embraced his views, ur-cd h',
plans and thc result is now before the w"r!G Ih"n-
as GRAY the Inventor OF railroads, who. not longer
ago than 1920, ,vas laughed at for ever Mentioning
the dca s:l! live, in Exeter, EnSlaG, i" IL. i"!l re
az alton Of his crand inI noble railroad -ccm- for
which he was declared >ane. How mach h;I, tie
world been benefited By liz insanity
ROYALTY AT TABLE.-When Peter tie 'ircai
and his corsort dinel together, they were waited on
BY page and the Empress iayorttc chanhrr-mad.
Even nj larger dinners, he bore Gnea>y the presence
and service ul what he called listening larIurys.-
His taste was not an imprrial one ii" loved.
mud most frequently ordered, for his own rSp"-
cial enjoyment, u soup with sour cabbasc- III Il
cruel; pig, with sour cream for sauce cold roast
meat with picked cuculnbcrs Or salad lemons and
lamprevs salt meat, ham, and l.iInburgh ch"csc.--
Previously TO addressing himself toi the "con,umma
ton of this supply, he took glass oi anI>rcd wutc!
At his rcpsst he quaifcd quGss sort ot beer which
would have disgustcd an Egyptian and he finished
with Hungarian or French wine. All Tins was IL"
rcp..: of man who seemed like the nation o! which
he wus the head, in transition state between bar
baris,r and civilization bcgln!ns dinner with cab.
ba.c water, and closing TIE baDGueMt with gob!es Oi
Burgundy
Peter and his cousort hal stranger tate: tiur these
Til. lustrous pair once arrived al Stuthoi III Gerna
nv whero thcy claimed not only the hospitality OF the
table but refuge for The night. The owner o! the
country house ut which they sought 10 be guests was
Herr Schoppenhaucr, who readily agreed 70 give up
10 them small bedroom, the selection OF which la"
beuu made BY the Emperor himself. IL wGs room
without stove or FIRE place, had a brick floor, tho
walls were baro and the season being that Ut rISor-
gu. winter, difficulty arose a. To warming TINS cnan!-
ber The host soon solved the difficulty. Severa!
sk. of brandy were emptied on the floor. the :urp!
ture being first removed, and the spirit was then sot
fire 10, The Gar screamed with delight a. he aaw
the sea OF flames, and scit the "dor y. the CoYns'
The fire was 10 sooner rXtingustcd than the bed Wa
replaced and Peter and Ca,harinc s;caighw"y beto"k
themselves to their rcpo-., and mV only slept pro
foundiv all night in this gloomy bower. GIaldst ih
fumes and -rcat.i u! burnt BRANDY, buy ro-" IN the
morning thorouc!v refreshed and delighted with theI!
couch, and the dcllche vapors which had cEria!ned
their rcpQse.
The Emperor was pleased, because, when au cl!cr
cency had presented itself, provision Ia meet Il Wa
there hand. Napoleon loved 10 be SO served at his
tables when in the field He was irregular III II"
hours Of his repass, and he ne rapidly and not owe;
delicatey. The absolute vii! which he applied -
nust things, exercised also in matters appertan-
ing 10 tho appetite. As soon as sensation OF hunger
was experienced, il must be appeascd and his table
service arranged that III any place and at any
hour be had but 10 give expression In his WILL and The
slaves of his word promptly ~. before him roast fowls,
outlets, and smoking coffee. He dncd "ii mutton be-
fore ri,ku. the battle "a Jcipsic Hnd i, Is sad that
he lost the day because he suffering 40 severely
from indigestion, THAI he unable to arrange. with
sufficient cuuness the mental ca. ulatiOns which hr
Was accustomed 20 make Il. IIr ps IL victory.
l. Nnulron, IN" ".rI:u. Of war; Mns serve N III"
a.. -..:- ~, :., incarnation OF sclhshrctn and
-, q. ..!,,. e.. - tni-tr..ss bower. That bow
err bu., u. -. - - Fulnpadour cost millions. but
il was one Of III, wonders OF the world For h" ROYAL
entertainments, there invented those little tables
called servants" ''wai;crs; they were mechanc
cuutriyances, that mmoja.ized the artist Loriot At
ChOsy every guesI had one of thesc tables {" huns"
no servant stood by to listen, rt.hcr than lend ald
Whatever the guest desired 10 have, he had but I"
write bis wish paper and touch spring, wien the
table sunk through the floor NJ bis feet, AMI Spcc'iE
reappcarcd laden with fruits, with pastry, or whh
wine according TO tine order given. Nothing lIat
been seen like this enchantmemt i'll Franc" b"i'r" ;
and nothing like il, il is hoped, will cN": i" seen
again. The guests thought themselves MI" S"d',
aud were not ot more Reasonable than Augusta,
and his companions, who sat down 10 dinner aitir"t
as dei;ies.
Perhaps Louis XIV. never looked lii,lc Ik" It
king IA when he dined or suppcd III public p'rW-
liar manifestation OF his kimgy character tn" Pa
risans and their wives used 10 hurry down /" N"r-
sailes on Sunday, 10 behold the erdn. "i III" b'a'i
which il cost them much Ia keep. ON tIce- ""a-
sions be always had boiled eggs before him. ii" was
uucommony deXerous in dccapithtlng the shcI by Il
single blow from his fork and this feat he performed
weekly at his own table for the sake of the a'Inra-
lion which II excited i'll tie sight of the C""hly hr-
holders. But egg broken by III" kng, "r Dalniru-
broken alive upon the wheel, aud torn Gsnnd"T ~
wild horscS-cach WAS :. .It gaz"d upon. even by
the youthful fair with sort II admiration i"r Tie "N-
ccutionrr
The glory OF the cpicurcanism "i Louis Nv. WIS
his "nasic table" and the select w"rthi"s, icmih.
especially invited to dine with him h"r""!. Ia I'Nj
the Countess of Obcrkircl saw thi- ahi" even tho!
Il relic aud wreck OF the past. She and Il gay party
OF great people, who hoped that God had created i'
orld only for tho comfort Of those whom IL" hh'i
honorcd by allowing TO be born "noblc rald wit
"to the apartments OF the late king" in the lurIl's
There, among other thngs, she saw the crl"hr""i
magic table, the springs OF which, she sais had b.
coine rusty from disusr." The good Lady WI" "''
not the slightest intention i'll the world in b" Ha'r'h
thus describes the wondrous article. ut tn" rikii2 q"
which Pomprdour had presided: ut Was place.! ~
tho centre Of rooin wlcr" none were allowed tp'-
ter but the invited guests of LOUIS Nv II would e.
commolate thirty r"r-ons In III" ccI'r wis "yI.'-
der of .lt copper, which could b." pr-ss"! down hT
.prinrs md would return with it, toy, which "H.
surrounded hv band. covered with d-hcs Around
we're plnccd tour dumb winters, "n which would J'
found every thing that wa- necessary. In i'S' tH"
Counties. saws "rhIs table no longer cN!si- h"' M
been !nng since destroyed with every thing tia
could recall the las; znd ycaiS of monarch w.''
would have been good II he had not been perverted
By evil cOunsc-.
After all, the gasl,onomic GREATNESS Of Louis ~.
vas small compared with that Of his prcGcc"'r"!.
Louis XIV. The state OF the latter wns' !" in'
things more "runber4ome" To be helpless "Hs 10
be dguitied; and to do nothing for himself, nnd 90
think of nothing but himself was the sole h''-h'-.
ne.s OF this very ilIustri"u1 king. a dozen mon
dressed him; there for every imb that h8h
:, r.. covered. Ills breakfast !uaberIuI =
mater n. his .otie and he tasted nnthtmg til Il D
o;tss.d through the hand, "t Il hn-s dozen duEe'-
II took even tnrr upblcucn, ending with prnC" u!
the blood, to present him with napkin "!th w".'n
10 wipe In. lIi,- before he addressed hui:rt - b.
more serious business Of the day HG,p.r', N1:F-
The following good anecdoto, relative 10 the In
reprcsenta,on ot the opera of "Fidolio" a. l!"nnn
.ecounted By the celebrated Madame Schroeder l's
'rieDt, is given III recent number Of Ban!a2aEtMe
LIep.s Flying Sheets far Art: when was -;I';j
os the character Of Fsdei'o, at VIENNA, s"~ We
lane Schroeder Devricn "I could not attain tbs
which appeared 10 Inc to be TIE desired ana Natn'
expression, at the ,nomeu, when Le'Horo, THROWN
herself before her husband, holds oa' p!'t"! I" 'n7
Governor, with the words, XII tir' hiI WIZ wi S'H
Incs r,v.lf mentally in the situation oil LC2r"rH.---
Ind nr,u-; 10 tve.lf the -itua;i"n, but lei; that
!. ~os crcIr,,'.r without knowing why Or wheE..-
VIII, H.. cIeul. a.r.'.'i The nearer u. m@i"ch;
approasG 's a% & % "a, by hay, sI.S saas tn. My ysa Il %
words, end pou;eI tie piso! at tho C0serso'. H..
,n,o such utter trc!nor al the thought Of Eoi bes