Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-02-09
JOHN MINOR BOTTs, OF VIRGINIA, IN
ROME

Those Of our readers who remember the do
ings Of Mr.. Bolts, in Virginia, during the late
Presidential campaign, will read with interest
the records Of his exploits abroad, as given in
the following extract from a private letter.
Mr. Bolts, il would seem, is as much at home
In the Sistine Chapel at Rome as in the Afri-
can Church at Richmond:
RONs, December 80, 1857.
We have been very much amused with one
OF our countrymen, the Hon. j. NJ. Bolts, of
Virginia, who has recently been travelling in
Italy. He left the United States on the 2lst
September, has travelled over all the north of
Europe, has been in Sweden, Norway, Den
mark, Russia, Germany, Austria, France,
Prussia and Italy. He left Florence on the
18th OF December, went to Naples, assembled
Mount Eesuvius, arrived here in Rome the
day before Christmas, and left the day after
Christmas for France, intending to spend three
days in doing" in Switzerland. This sxpe-
ditiou on the part of a pleasure seeker and
lover of the fine arts is, 1 think unparalleled
Naples and Vesuvius alone consume, with the
most dillgent Of ordinary tourists, two weeks
at least. .f - II q .
Mr.. Bolts, while here, gave a very funny
account OF the manner in which he made his
way into the Sistine Chapel during the cere-
monies Of Christmas Eve His courier had
forgotten to tell him he must appear, on that
occasion, if at all, in full dress-gloves, black
dress coat and all. In his ignorance, there
fore, he presented himself at the chapel " ac.
coutred as he was, with nothing but his ordi-
nary habiliments-a great coat over frock-
and the Italian guard, of course, turned him
back His discontinue, however, was but
momentary. He had made up his mind to 90
in, and no time was to be lost in seeking other
apparel. But the invincible Virginian was
master Of the situation Three things seemed
to be required to be presentable:
First, to throw of his overcOat: second. to
get pair Of gloves; and third, to improv wise
swallOw-tailed coat. The first he did with
emergency As for the second, he would have
willingly have resorted to the time honored ex-
psdient, 50 often resortcd to in such cases by
eur countrynen abroad, of converting his frock
into dress coat by pinning up the skirts, but
as luck would have it, he had 60 pins, and. to
crown his destitution, he had no gloves Here
il was that that invention which is the Off
spring OF necessity, came to his aid, and en-
abled him to overcome both difficulties at once
Tucking under the ends of his coat tail, he pu
his hands in his pocket, which in this way
served the double purpose Of keeping back his
skirts and cOncesling the absence of kids. The
want of pins thus saved him from the conse-
quences of his want of kids. He then boldly
marched up the aisles frustrating the objec-
tons Of one two OF the more fastidious
guards, who still found fault with his costume,
by the constant repetition of the only four
Italian words with which he was familiar
- Non capiseo-sonO Americano"-(ss don t
understand; I am an American."O Thereupon
he was allowed to pass. Having secured a
good place, he saw at the door Judge B., of
Connecticut, who had been put back for the
same cause as himself, and he once more sailed
out 70 the rescue Of his countrymen. It took
him fifteen minutes to arrange the Jud GEL coat
and teach him the magic passwords, after which
they both entered and enjoyed the services
This is one Of Mr.. Botts's good stories, and
will perhaps, find place in the book of trav.
els, which, it is said, he intends publishing
when be arrived home.
He has seen no pictures superior to the works
OF art in Virginia and he tells all the English
people he meets that the English language is
spoken in America in greater purity than in
England.-N. \. Post