The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-06-22

II IL reported that our national nos.
sessions of historical pictures Is 10 be
Increased by a painting Of the eession
Of Russian America 70 the United
States, to take rank with the Signing OF
the Declaration of Independence the
Surrender of CORVALLIS, Westinghouse
Farewell TO his Army, the Embarkn-
ton of the Pilgrims, the Baptism of
Pocahontas, and other wonderfully his
torical works which adorn the National
Capitol, where they are subject to much
irreverent criticism.
It Is said the scene is to be painted by
Leutze, the painter of the great picture
entitled "westward Ho, which faces
one OF the stairways of the Capitol, in
which q party OF emigrants are repre-
scented as behaving in very extEs In..
CANT manner. The scene OF the ceSSion
VIII, OF course, be an imaginary one, as
the high contracting principals were
thousands of miles apart, and Mr.. Sc
wards $1,000 gold cable dispatch, al
though 1t made high figure in the ex-
EeehesituFes, would not make an inlpos-
ing figure in a picture.
As, however, the glory and advan-
tages OF the cquisition were all on our
side, and as the Russian part WAS only
the inglorious one OF taking the money,
our statesmen will chiefly occupy the
picture. II is stated that the prominent
figures are Minister BOdisco, Secretary
coward, Assistant Secretaries +. w.
Seward and VIM. Hunter, Chief Clerk
Chew aud Senator Sumner. OF course
the background of the picture will ex
hibit some of the features and aYailables
ofthe acquisition.
The icebergs will give 1t a bold back
ing. Ex-Consul Collins will beseen In
one corner with a drove of the wRlrus-
SEES that are there found as "plenty as
blackberries." Professor Horace Bus
nell will be shown In the other with the
whales which the savant says we have
bought with the land, thus superseding
0mnipotence in the csuplet In the New
England Primer:
1WhAles In the sea
Gods voice obey"
And Professor Beard will be painted
with his wonderful twisting isothermal
line.
Senator Sumner will be attended by
the wandering COW of Kodiak and the
stump tail hogs of Sitka, whose neither
appendages have been eaten on by the
absolutely fabulous voracity" OF the
Walrussian cows. OF course the cession
will not be represented In any material
way as the passing of papers and money,
but in an allegorical style, In which the
apothesiS Of Mr.. Seward will be seen IL
Illuminated by the Aurora Borealis, while
his devoted assistants squat about him
on one knee, in admiring posture, the
the gorgeous scenes of the Crooked
Black.
Much can be made of this subject If
lis handled with anything like the
Imagination that has enriched Wal
russia since the purchase. No mention
Is made of Mr.. johnson, although Il
would seem that the man whom Mr..
Seward at Raleigh called his ''great
chief" and who is the head of the Adj
ministration which made this acqui-
sition, ought to have a place in the his
torical picture commemorating 1t. But
Mr.. Johnson, leaving his own deeds to
speak for themselves. with only the
continued reminder that he has been
peculiarly devoted to the Constitution,
has recently performed a hlial pilgrims
age to dedicate a gravestone to his de-
ceased father, whose virtues, after ly-
ing dormant for half a century, have
been brought ont by the sons eleva-
tion.-Cin. GAG.