The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-08-16
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A VISIT TO MIR. SEWARD.
THE MEANING OF HIS INTEND
ED TRIP TO JAPAN
AND CHINA. .....
The Stewards and Mr.. Seward-osThe
Mansion of the Statesmnn-.A Book
Built upon an Extract from one Of
Mr.. Stewards Speeches.-.The EX.
tent of his Journey. II
AUBURN, July 80.

tent Of his Journey. +
AUBURN, July 80.
A visit 10 the Stewards, rs the Stewards
must he undertaken very soon, or this dis
tinguished family MAJ. never be found To-
getllcr III tho old homestead, with thcil
distinguished head among them. ! say
tho Stewards, because the simple term
AIr, Seward does not seem to be under
stood here Us designating the able states.
man whom tho COUNTRY would understand
as meant. On my. way from the hoteI
down tho principal street Of the village In
search of the Seward mansion, asked O
youth If he could show NC where Mr.
Seward lived. "DO you mean William
II. sewarlT liG asked, as II l possibly
could mean any other Mr.. Seward
Going on in the direction pointed
out by the lad, | come to where
u man was making q ience, on the
estate adjoining Mr.. Stewards. Look.
ing ut his work cOmplacently'he asked me
If I thought 1t would do for strong. This
was Il very strange way Of putting It, and
| sold thought It would do |. then, ask
Ell him if Mr.. Seward often walked thAi
way. (Which Mr.. SewardH" he inquired
evidently having the younger statesman
in his minds eye. This frequent! 6bense
of confounding the Mr.. Seward / might
be supposed to mean, led me to think Au'
burn knew greater Seward even than
the great Seward the country knows. On
a building at the intersection, Of two
streets, L saw sign, civilian II. Seward,
Jr, & Co., brokers' and as looked at il
l began to understand that very great
man in the eyes of the world might have
a son even greater than. he among his
friends and ncighborS.
The Seward mansion is an old but fine
house, surrounded by, extensive grounds
and almost completelyembowered in trees
AS a country house 1t has more Of what !
might call q baronial air about it than the
house of any statesman that know Of in
this State. Even Sir William Johnston's
"castle" at Youngstown house that
carries us back to the ante-R Revolutionary
periods not in any way more. impres.
sive. Along the sidewalk, in front Of the
house, is a row OF venerable trees, and, IN
the grounds are many other trees quite as
old, interspersed with shrubbery and How
ers. At the south entrance to the house
q fountain plays continually in summer
and two Immense globes adorn tn, en-
traHoe, instead ri tle vases iot flower
which afeso COMMON. TIC house itselfis
airy and comfortable. Tho reception
room is filled with, pictures, among them
fine portrait Id oil Of Mr.. Seward, and
many portraits oflcading statesmen whose
names will be forever associated with the
history OF New York Books also abound
the shelves in the library. revealing them
selves through the open doors, and one
room is almost wholly devoted to public
documents (which in other eyes tlanth
Of Mr.. Seward would have little value.
As We walked through the grounds on
tho way baek!to The house from tile iron
seated chairs on which VIC had been rest
ing in the shade, Mr.. Seward said, "You
see l ain pretty well fixed here, and ]
might stay here in comfort If ! was con-
tent to- busy myself with passing events,
or with books. Butt have not been man
of books and reading. but Of. thought and
action. And so ] undertake my conten-
plated journey ID Japan and China as the
easiest means Of acquiring knowledge, OF
Of confirming views formed many years
ago."Ej.,i ~ .i.i.t,It. Il!
allow long do you propose staying in
the East?" l asked.
"Itcannot tell. Travel is like any other
business. The extent Of my journey and
the Gxactr0ute ofmy travels, can Qn1yfbC
deternnined,upon the eyigendss ofthe ocI
casion. i Shall start on the,9th Of Au'
gust, because ut my time Of life 1t is neces-
sary that should cross the Rocky Noun.
tains before winter sets ip, and, besides, It
Is necessary that IT Should return 2frOIh
,Pckin 10 the mouth Of the Peihp before
the river freezes over, just rs t'wonld
wish TO 90 from hero TO Washington for
the winter before navigation ceases on tue
Hudson. W !IcL.C qfi', @Go.3iS,. 6
While hearing Mr.. Seward talk in this,
confident Nay Riout, o Journey . llat dew
young men would undertake without hes.
itationj II ic0ifid not but, look cautiously IL
the vigorous old mau7NXhO; was talking 10
mic. > 4 strong s6di't felt, nhst, indeed, te
,encaSel tn5that; SyigoroyEs lrame,i hsc y
now In tho SEVENTEEN yeNr OF his age.
More thQpthirty Sears ago he. was CIV
crnOr Of New York. Its only six years
since, when confined to Ais bed yibGfHg
thrown frVm his carriage, the assassin le!y7
eled at him blows tllat'wontd~ have de-
stroyed the lile,ot many,a younger lp.. "
Yet here he was, ready to .f0rSake tho
comforts and .luxuries ofhis home, TO fore
90 the ease of q dignifed retirement-tor
which he must, have often sighed e. yer;
rs in'lfis old age the'politiCal philosophy
which guided his life, but was not fully
developed until the last year Of Johnson's
administration. o. -. d" N-.' %.
Starting up, Mr.. Seward asked inc to
walk with him into, the hohse. Said he,
"Thcre can give you the whole object Of
my Journey In q nutshell" When VIC
reached his reading. room, he took down o
book sent him blythe author and which
has just been. publishes, ,and pointing TO
IN extract from 4 speech made by him in
the United States Senate July 80, 1852, he
declared that in those few words was the
key to tho wllolejogFney: saw in them
the key alsG to lis Alaska and West India
policy. Tho, book ;was by the Rev. VIM.
Speef, the Secret6ry or the Presbyterian
Board Of Education, fOrInerlyA missionary
to China and to the Chinese in California.
It is called Y hinaa and the United sntes, y
and affords Mr.. Seward much satisfaction
as an able, and elaborate working out Of
the text@hichhc laid down nearly twenty
years,aso, and whichhe had himself for.
gotten, though 1t contained the germ OF
lis own policy rs well rs 1t served for the
motto of his book! vlhatman," said Mr..
Sewerd, "has taken up u text which I had
| forgotten, and upon 1.-The has buIdta good
work" In this extract Mr.. Seward, who
WINS sncnlIing ON the commerce of Pa.