, 1873-08-03
JEFFERSON AND MERRY,
Tho Grcat Democrat mud n lIritlnla
Minister.

Tho Gront De'nocrnt nnd n asritlnr,
| Minister.
James Pdrton IN tho Auanst AHdntie.
It go cllancod that tho British Minister from
1909 to 1900, with whom Jofforson Ind most 10
do, Nlorry by nano but not by nature, waa
fanatic Of ottquotto and It nppoara TINT, preyi-
ouB to his presentation to tho President, ho Ind
not lonrd Of tho bueinogB-lllio n1nilnor in which
tho afInirs Of the White 1IouBe wcre conducted.
Ho wns stunned NJ the manner OF lis rocoptonl
1t n1alo MI Impression upon his mind which
neither explanation nor tho 1apso Of yeara could
ovou Hoftou, much 1oBs obhtorato. And, really,
whom wo oonsidor that he llad passed Ills life at
courts " lloro tho nod the Hm!lo, tho frow1l tho
glnnco, tho tone, tho Bilenco, tho presence tho
Rbsonco Of tho hoad Of tho Government wore
mattors OF importance to bo notcd, recorded,
transmitted, aud weighed, NO ought not to laugh
feraon re,narAs. .poor Merry lad learned m ID moth
Ing Of diplomacy but its suspicious without head
enough to distinguish when they woro mis-
placod." Nevertheless ho comes down to ua borno
tue e0T " ~ to this
no racountod lis wooR, threo years after tho
evont. to Dir. Josah Quincy, Of Massachusetts,
tho ablest Federalist In Congroas md ono Of tho
WorthieBt
!" I cnl!od on n1r. Madison, who accompanied
mo oil}eiay to introduce mo to tho President.
1Yc went together to tho manB1on-louse, being
in full official costume, as tho etiquette OF my
place required on such n formal Introduction Of
Of tito United states. On arriving at tho hall Of
audience wo found 1t empty, at which A1r. Mndl-
son seemed surprised, aud proceeded to On entry
leading to tho prosidont's atndy. followed
place ID tho adjoining room. Al this moment
Mr.. Jefforeon entered tho cntry at the othor ond,
and all three OF us woro paclod III this narrow
space, from which. to mako room, I WAS
II. L. IL, To-. T., .,a~.1
pE position : my Introduction to tic tic Prosilont
was made by Mr. AGndison. Mr. JEFF
forHon's appearance soon explained to mo
TINT tho general circrrnstances Of my reception
official costume found inyso1f at tho hour Of re
i1aan as Prosldent Of clio Unitod States, not
merely in an nndress, but actually standing il
cont, aud undorclothcs Indicative Of IN utter
sloyenlnoss and Indifference to appearances. and
iu atnto Of negligence actunlly studied. I
could not doubt that tho whole Bcono was pre-
sonal1y, but to tho sovereign ropresentcd."
It is Just possible that htr. Jotforson thought,
that morning, of tho tiuo when aouvornour
Morris kicked Ills heels four months in London
waiting for the promised answer to tho British
Government to Us reasonable and urgent COM
m1nication from President Washington as ono
Government over made to another, aud thon had
to loayo England without getting it. Possibly,
also, 1t did happon to occur to hiH memory that
Mr.. Adams had been kept vainly waiting threo
years. In England for reply to tho Same pro
posals. Perhaps, too, ho romomberod tho pc
riod when he himself was presented to the King
of England by Mr. Adams, and tho King froze
to them both; an example which wns followed
by tho '.King's friends" and society gonerally;
so that it required courage for a c0urter to show
them moro than cold civility at an evening purity.
And this, while they were only asking tho King
to stay tic bloody rayagos Of tho Indians by Civ
ing up tho seven poBts within tho boundaries Of
their country. He may, too, have thought Of
tho time when he, III Secretary Of State, would
send an important communication to
tho British, Minister ut Philadelphia, and
failed to anBwor Il letter within tlroa or four
cayB, he would bo "goaded" by second. Per-
hnps ho thought tho time had como to show
the FedoraliBts that ho did not accept Great
Britain ut lor own valuation, and did not beliovo
SHE waB fighting the battlo Of man aud liberty
ngainst D0naparto. It may be, too, that he,
knowing tho childish politics Of Europe. md
what ridiculous Importance was attached there
pair OF Shoes not down ut tho heelB, and wou-
derod II his old slippers, duly reported to Bona
partc, might not drive another nail into tho bar
gain for Louisiana. just concluded by Mr. Liv.
ingston and Mr.. Monroe, to tho great Joy Of
President and poopfo. All these thoughts may
hnve 1lttol through tho Presidents mind, and
held back his hand from the bel-ropo; but, in
all probability, ho had no thoughts Of the kind,
work.
4 few weoks aftcr, arrived in Washington tho
young Irish poet Thomaa Moore who ~; p, had 1f.
Britain rolatodhis SORROWS, and evon exhibited
tho President clad III tho Bamo style. A1r. Merry
presented Mr.. Moore to the President at tho
White Honso. II found him, the poet records,
other officers, aud in the sarne lonely costume,
comprising slippers and Conlomara stockings, in
which NIf. Merry had been received by him,
much to that formal Minister'S horror, whom
waiting On him in full dress to deliver his cre-
dontiaiH. My single interview with this remark
able person was of very short duration but to
have seen and spoken to tho man who drow up
tho Declaration OF Independence was an event
not to be forgotten" The poet did not approve
of tho Presidont, and said 30 in Royera1 Batiricnl
stanzas and poems in his next publication, at
which Mr. Jefferson wns amused, md evon STIR
prisel, for ho had not boforo heard Of this new
light in literature. Mr. Randall relates pleas
ant Incident to show how little ho had como to
tics. A few years after his retirement, q grand
daughter placed in his hands hIoore's Irish Molo-
dies, as the book OF tho aoason, which WAS
hnving n great run on both sldos Of tho ocean;
Tho young lady, curious and oxpactant, watched
him as no opened tho work and turnod over tho
leayeB. Said Jefferson, t'This is tho little man
who satirized me Bo.' Reading on, he was won
by the flowing music and patriotic feeling Of
poet, after all;H and, ever aftor. even to tho
end OF his lito, ho was fond Of reading certain
fayortos nmong tho poems Of Thomas Moore.
But poor Morrys troubles wore not yet At IN
White House; aud, when dinner was announced,
tho President offered his arm to tho lady near-
CIT him at the momout, Alra. h1adison,-not to
Mrs. Mor ha waa on the other ;sn,+ side Ct the
Merry" mado such an outery at this IN
Washington. that Mr. MnlfbcQ deomod It