The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-13

Jenkins at Home and Abroad.
When Macaulay was engaged in porting over
the manuscripts in the British Museum, search
ing for historic materials, he took occasion to
quote from several works altogether unknown
to the general public. Bookworms had heard OF
the charming volumes written by Mr.. Thomas
Brown, and collectors of Grub street litera'ure
rejoiced when they obtained copy OF Wards
London Spy. The London Post, too, was
curiosity in newspaper literature, and duly
valued as SUCH The most brilliant Of English
historians did not hesitate to take from these
scurrilous writer's such material US would Illus
trate the manners and customs of English men
and women in the last half of the seventeenth
and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries.
Ward, Brown, and other writers OF the same
class who fourished in their day, were the
original Jenkinses. No occurrence was too
trivial for their notice; no man or woman was
too high too low for their praise or censure, as
the case might be; either was utterly valueless.
These writers served, however, a good pur-
pose. They were abstract and brief chroni-
clers of the time, and preserved record more
or less accurate of the doings of our ancestry.
When they died out Jenkins departed, but only
momentarily, from the scene of action. Jenkins
could not be suppressed altogether. He was
not for day, but for all time. So, in the early
part of the nineteenth century, we find Jenkins
in Belgravia, telling an astonished world that
Lady Clara We're dc Vere-married yesterday to
the Honorable Adolphus Haut brion, fifth son
Of the Marquis de Bassanpierre- per-
fectly lovely; that the bridegroom behaved
remarkably well, and that the bridesmaids
(their names appended) should be Immediately
appropriated by eligible bachelors. The
London Jenkins was soon attacked by the sa-
tirists, and no doubt deserved all he got; but he
was far preferable to his American prototype,
inasmuch as the former wrote decent English,
while the style of the latter is vile beyond ex
preston or comparison. New York, however,
could not get on without its Jenkins. New
York is cosmopolitan city, and must have all
the Injuries which the great European capitals
enjoy. So New York has its "Court journalist
in the person of Signor Jenkins Raymond, the
hero of Solferino, the strategist Of the Mincio,
the geographer of the Quadrilateral, and the
Titus Oates who discovered the great plot to
kill off President Lincoln before his iRaugura-
ton. Sgnor jenkins Raymond stands at the
head of his class, so far as richness of inspira-
ton is concerned. Signor Raymond put Mr..
Lincoln in q Scotch cap and long military
cloak for effect. If complete steel armor would
have suited his purpose better, Signor Ray
mond would not have hesitated to use it. Sig
nor Raymond's talents for the description of
fight are ripened by experience. A man who
ran ten miles on hot summers day merely
upon the suspicion that some one had seen an
Austrian hussar was precisely the person
to send the President to the capital after the
manner Of thief who sneaks into the plate
closet. When Jenkins went abroad he con-
fined himself to the details of his own adven-
lures; when he ran away from Solferino he
was careful to give us full particulars of the
affair. His precious life having heen saved, he
comes back and follows the Prince of Wales
upon his American tour. Jenkins is snubbed
by the royal party, but not at all abashed.
He invents romances when he cannot obtain
facts, and does not hesitate to mention the
names of persons and places to give the color
ing of truth to statements which are entirely
false.
The next achievement of Signor Jenkins
Raymond is the discovery of the Presidential
plot already alluded to. He is quite disap-
pointed when he ascertains that the
President has been sworn in without
opposition, but resolves that he will
make the best of the republican court"
as he, with the most delicious absurdi-
ty, calls the half civilized Hoosier horde which
poured in upon Lincoln during his first levee.
Jenkins account of this affair is his chef
deuvre. He states that on the 9Th of March
everybody who felt SO inclined were at liber-
ty to call to see and to shake the hand of the
representative of the people," After an i'm
mense puff for the sojourners in Washington,
followed by slightly contradictory statement
to the effect that few Of them knew how to
dress for the occasion, Mr.. Jenkins takes us to
the point when his carriage was stopped by
the police "arrested the career of our Jehun
is the phrase). After long time, however,
Jenkins gets into the Executive mansion; he is
somewhat dilapidated, but has "sense of per-
conai Triumph. ho mas 'lhu ior himself
plan," Jenkins has; he thinks he would like an
hour Of "innocent firtation," or o private in
terview with the President, but he is dis
appointed In both. The crowd pushes
the distinguished chronicler forward to the
East Room, where he finds "the objects
of universal scrutiny" and number of other
universal things quite impossible to particu-
larize. It may be interesting for posterity to
know that Mr.. incoln's "head bowed con-
tnually," and that his EARN worked uninter-
ruptedly;" that he wore turnover collar
and white Gloves" that his "color was good,
his face but slightly flushed, his manner digni-
fed and CALM" that he was "highly gratiaed,"
and expressed himself 90" to Jenkins several
times during the evening" Mrs. Lincoln stood
near her husband, "with dignity and ease"