Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-09-22

Americans. IL
Under the head "A Dinner at the Mayors Har-
pers Monthly for October contains an article from
which we shall Gull some choice portions. Wemuss
premise That the dinner was given by the Hon Fer
nando Wood, during his mayoraity of New York, in
1855, and thai the party, which private one,
included Gen. Scott, Ex-President Van Buren, and
his son John Washington Irving Commodore Perry,
Bancroft, Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour, Ogden
Hoffman and barrister Gerard representing the bar
and a few other local celebrities:
Upon entering the dining room, the Ex-President /
was waived 20 the right, and General Scout to the !
left of the head. The General, with grace most I
delightful took Irving by one arm and Bancroft by.
the other, saying, playfully;
You honor me, Mr.. Mayor, but allow ME to HON
or myself by being sandwiched between the two
historians"
"a palpable bride to a favorable posthumous BIZ
opraphy instantly cried Prince John,
"And long may it be before it appearsW added the
Presidential father s
These bon nlots seemed to drop from the napkins
| as Commodore Perry HoratiO Seymour and Ogden
| Hoffman obtaining their honorary places at
| the other end. All was napkin rustic and prelimi-
nary hustle when Irving, who had been mOmentari-
ly cogtatng the jokes, twinked his eye mischiev-
| ousIy and in his peculiar low, womanly voice said,
| gancng up the table to Commodore Perry:
| General Scott you ought to have for biography
more genuine lustre than either Mr.. Bancroft or
could give you; in fact you ought to be JapG1aed,
i and the Commodore yonder is your man. -#.
This agreeable sally took all eyes to the burly and
bluff Commodore, who, always blushing like true
seaman, seemed to grow feminine about the eyes as
he saw all the others leveed at his quarterback.
But he rallied enough to stammer out that for his
| part he preferred the Knickerbocker shnes.''
Commodore Perry was the most silent man at ia
Bile. / had never met him before, but was charm
ed with even his silence. He seemed the embOdi
ment of a true sailor who loved so listen TO the
1 80 A. oI,oIo-
spontaniety of hearty response, however, when he
was addressed, that tempered the licenses of the
dining with the decision of the quarterback.
General Scott referred to the first volume of Ir-
Wings Life of Washington, just then in press. IT.
wing said he hoped to live to finish it. Said Bancroft
Il trust the pages not to be your limit of life.
II hope" retorted Prince John, percelVing that Mr.
Irving grew modest, that the pages of your history,
Mr. Bancroft, mag measure y0lsr lifea' BancrotE
laughed heartily at the sally and said that if at his
age he had only got down toward the American rev.
! Olution before he came to the campaigns of the
American Marlborough, blowing to ScOtt) decrepi-
tude. well the responsibility of the task, might
I altogether prevent its completion.
The conversation turning upon historical subjects
Bancroft spoke of Gen. Lees conduct with respect
to Moultrie, on Suliyan's Island. i Ft
81 place that defense of Charleston next to Bunk
err hill in point of interest valor and Importance
e remarked Governor Seymour; and yet some Of
cur Anti-Nebraska orators will have it that SOutl
Carolina had no hand in '76 patriotism in fight
| ing"
1t would be very hard to write sectional his
tory of the American revolution" seid Gen. Scott
\ there must ueeds be such nteracing Of patriotic
i deeds from all the States the tapestry Of com
N memoratioD."
General SCOTS health having been drunk, he was
called upon for his rattle snake story.
1t seemed that during the Florida campaign tn;
e General and his staff were quartered for night il
II a rough building constructed from the ground, anC
. the floor open at various places Scarcely had thu
the preparations for the bivouac been completed
wher a noise from below of rafting told conclu
sively that rattle snakes had their bivOuac thu
l. ground under the floor. Indeed, they were sOoI
= seen from above a gOody battalion. 81 wen
e | outside and measured with my eye,' said Genera
is Scott "the height of the floor from the ground
d saw at once beyond reach, by about two inch
r es of the tallest rattle snake known. knew
D as boy, from experiments, that the rattle snak
y never Bumped or darted. He stood up as far as h
a could reach only and then bit. / returned and toll
the officers that intended, nevertheless to sleep
the floor and pronounced it safe. But they left m
d alone in my glory, with my martial cloak arount
d | me-a temporary Sir John MOore-while they camp
e ed outside. Indeed, rather enjoyed the discOm
d future of the snakes they ratified ME to sleep ant
s. ! yainly tried to reach the holes in the floor"
Is Some one remarked that Thackerary was medi
o tatng a novel in which Washington would be intro
d duced-
1t Irving said that would be difficult, as Washington
has no little private lite.
n UNLESS he chose to write about the lovedittes,
g. added Bancroft; Washing on wrote a good man
e luve-nes, almost many as Judge Story, who's
Is youthful volume of Solitude and Other Poems wa
always kept chained in HarT ard Library to his grea
annoyance"
"Who was Washngtons flame asked Hoffman.
THAT will be left to future historians, l trust
e replied Bancroft Some gentleman OF the Boswell
and Malone school of commentatOrship will embaln
/, the lady or write essays about her."
. Come, now protest against this benttleing tn
= memory of Washington" said Martin Van Burel
! | playfully Remember, at least, that he was one
: so unfortunate to be President"
. Next TO Washington, who is your favorite reVO
= lutionary hero ?" some one asked of Mr.. Irving.
y "A very hard question" he replied; "but my
! | mind nclines to Phillip Schuyler
: ''Ayl" responded Mr.. Hoffman heartily. "hitt
. | all my heart ay? Like Washington, his purse, hi
tme his home sacrifices, his disinterested services
= his burial of siightsall all were at the demand
4 | his country" H..4..
u Gerard. soon after Bancroft's retirement, told
very amusing passage of travel happening to NeC
Sanford this New York cOnfrere, lost in the Arctic
: steamer the previous autumn) and himsetin Vienna
Sanford persisted in wearing felt hat la kOssuth
and had several times nearly got into the clutches
g of the Austrian police. One moonlight night by
s the aid of few groschen, he captured an organ
+ grinder and set him at work in one of our public
squares After he had got freshened up 10 his mel
= ody, Sanford leaving Gerard at the foot OF an adj
joining equestrian statue, by which also the organ
grinder stood climbed upon the railing, and mount
ing the Kossuth hat asked the purveyor of harmony
in rather loud tones please strike up the Marse
lase or any other favorable to liberty At this
Sentence convenient spy, who mentally added that
and liberty together in his despOtic arithmetic a
dangerous sum- arrested the exhubersnt barrister,
and was about to imprison him. when Gerard inter-
fering in the right kind of diplomatic French, con-
, WINGED the official that his American friend was
cry and had been sent abroad for cure. The spy
asked Gerard what made him crazy, to which he
made answer that his friend had unfortunately in
f early youth swallowed spread eagle. Not half
so crazy as the Austrian coat of arms, muttered
Sanford within his breath, for that has swallowed
a tWo-headed eaglel"