The New York herald., 1867-03-20

tinkering jobs at the hands Of the present
Legislature. The applicants for the Piers and
Wharves bill, and for all the other schemes at
Albany at this time, are only the spectators
and lobbyists, who hope to make a profit out
| OF them. They are looking to their own pock-
cts and not to the real interests Of the city and
of the taxpayers. The Legislature should re-
| fuse to favor these jobs, and should leave the
whole question OF city reform in the hands OF
| the Convention Of Revision.
| The Rev. CLevaiier Abbott aud the Emperor
Louis Napoieon.
| Our readers some Of them at least, have
heard of Abb0tts Life of the First Napoleon,
work the ensravings of which not unire-
| quently remind one OF the caricatures in
| Punch, or which, to put it more correctly,
both because OF the excellency Of its illustra-
| tions and the accuracy Of its historical state
ments, is not unworthy Of place side by side
with Harper's celebrated Journal Of Civiliza-
| ton.
1t appears from letter which we print in
another column, and which we commend: to
| those of our readers especially who have q
| liking for psychological studies. that this same
| Mr.. Abbott, who has done 80 much justice to
the memory Of one Napoleon, has already
set about collecting materials for the perform
ance of similar task for his great namesake
and successor. the present ruler of France.
If this letter does not prove to be a mischevous
practical joke, perpetrated by some knowing
wag, Mr.. Abbott is going about his business
in somewhat practical manner. Ii is per-
fectly natural for an artist who has resolved
upon a great historical picture to obtain. it
possible, sitting from the original. This
favor it appears the Emperor accorded with
"the most gratifying cordality." 1t must,
indeed, have been gratifying to the
Emperor himself to listen to the glowing
eulogy on his life and labors which Mr..
Abbott tells us he pronounced in his pre-
sence, aud which manifestly must have
been written beforehand and carefully
committed to memory-to be told by the
impartial historian Of his uncle that the " acts
of his own administration were to be recorded
in an equally friendly spirit" aud that in order
to do full justice to the subject and 'to carry
the conviction of the truth OF the narrative to
every impartial mind" the libraries and book
stalls Of Paris had been explored by the his
torian himself and that similar work was
being done by an agent in London. II would
certainly have been strange il the imperial
author Of the Lite OF Julius Cesar had not been
enchanted with the thought; strange il the
interesting interview had not been ssprolongsd
for nearly an hour;" stranger still, il, on the
following evening" when the reverend chevalier
was henored with public presentation to the
Emperor and Empress at q magnificent soirSe
in the Tuileres, the Emperor had not, in the
presence offour thousand guests, honored him
As be honored no other. "When my name was
mentioned" the reverend chevalier tells us,
"the Emperor approached, and taking me by
the hand said 81 am happy to see you, Mr..
Abbott l bid you welcome to the Palace of
the Tuileries'v Why did the reverend cheva-
ler not inform us how the Empress Eugenie
looked and what her Majesty was graciously
pleased to say. Did she, too, take him by the
hands But we must not be too inquisitive.
Chcvaliers are men Of honor, aud there are
some things they may not tell.
America is becoming richer in the chevalier
species Of the genus homo; the Rev. John s. G.
Abbott must now be added to the number
In the new r5'e which he has assumed the Rev.
Chevalier John s G. Abbott has evidently
great deal to learn. Compared, for example,
with the Chevalier wikoH. his powers Of OBJ
servation are gricvously defective. From the
book which Wiko6 has already given to the
world and in which he has related his inter-
views with Louis Napoleon. with Lord Pal
merston and Count Cavour and others, as well
a. his bootless chase after the beautiful Miss
Gamble, Chevalier Abbott might have learned
what was expected Of men OF his order when
they are made the honored guests of illustrious
personages. II the Chevalier Abbott could get
peep into that work on which the Chevalier
Wikof Is now engaged, and which will vet
delight and astonish the world he would see
how much he had yet to learn. He has written
letter about Napoleon. With the exception
Of the few complimentary words which Napo-
leon addressed to himself, all that he tells us
about the Emperor is that since he last saw
him he looks fourteen years older. Iuasmuch
- he tells us in the same sentence that It is
just fourteen years since he last saw him. the
information surely is quite unnecessary. Che
valiers are proverbally vain Mr.. Abbott,
however, II he would rise to any eminencs in
his order, must not obtrude self just quite 90
much.
The Supplementary Rsconstructisa Bill
Passed.
The Supplementary Reconstruction bill
flnsiH passed Congress yesterday, the report
q ths committee Of conference havinA been
agreed to by both houses. A formal opposi-
tion to the report was made by the democrats
10 the House, but without avail. The bill
now goes TO the President, and will no doubt