National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-02
sUMYER's REsrDEyoU

a I II
j The Sunday after the funeral went to Mr..
Summers house with Mr.. Theodore Davis, the
artist of Harpsr's Weekly, and, Hhilu he uas
sketchIng with fidelity, Mr.. Balcl, the executor,
permitted me to examine Whatever I wished.
The profizacy Of objects discouraged me rom at
tempting to make an inventory Of them. There
were portraits Of the following persons, that I
remainder: Napoleon Bonaparte, \ sketch in.
4 colors from life Jerome Bonaparte, as King OF
| westphalIa; three different portraits or Edmund
Burke hung adjacent to Mr.. Summers own por--
trait in prohle, probably to call attention to .
very decided resemblance, Fartiealnrly In the
long, retrou5se nose the full. long upper lip. and
long chin; hand-sketch OF General Washington
from life, marked 'arare;" Louis XIV. large
/ and fne engraving, made In his time tho Count
| oe fergenncs, who secured the French alliance
Tor America; Wilberforce, the philanthropist,
| win MS autograph, and Bishop Wilberfores .
large engraving Of Coehorn, bsaring remark
i able resemblance to Bin Tweed presentation
/ portrait from Sumner, Dean of Canterbury
ditto from the Earl Of Aberdeen, aIar1uis OF
Lsndsdowne, Gladstone, Stanhope Lord uaeau-
ley, John Bright Richard Golden, AMI an in
credible plumber Of other State folks: presents
| don-portrat from Joseph Mazzini; ancient por-
traits Of Mercator, vespucci and Columbus; Mar
shall's and Littleheid's portraits Of Lincoln;
| George Read and Henry Water Davis
Many Of the larger portraits are distributed
| with reference to scenes or buildings akin to the
| subject. For instance, the Whlte House accom-
panies Mr.. Lincoln, and beneath It is an unhn--
ished painting, by BENJAMIN Wet, OF the Ameri-
can commissioners to sign the Treaty Of Indepen-
dencc. The portrait Of lafayette accompanies a
view Of the Luxembourg, and 8 large engraving Of.
| the French Assembly meeting at private place
when driven away from their usual resort Other
treaties In the collection that Of Westphalla,
which closed the religious Of the seventeenth
century, the treaty ct Vienna after the DOWNFALL
Il H. - D.. l.. a. . -.
meeting OF soveregns at Brussels after the battle
OF waterloo; and Frumbull's 'Slgnfng Of the
Declaration OF Independence" Il is evident that
all these things have been collected with refer
ence to Mr.. Summers occupation and career as
one Of the school Of humanitarian statesmen, and
astudent Of our foreign affairs.
BOOKS.
There are several desks, besides tina. historic
one where Brooks took Mr.. Sumner Unaware;
and In one Mr.. Balch had collected the most ynlu-
able volumes, such as Bunynn's Bible; the origi-
nal DRAFT Of Bruee's Address; Pope's own copy
OF book Of minor poems; Montesquieu, with the
authors autograph; manuscript, with notes in
the handwriting Of Congreye; q hymn-5ook, or
something Of the kind, which belonged to Drum
mond, OF Hathorn; book an notated By ErasmusI
volume ascrfbed to Tasso and some OF the old
est books In the language, going back to tho hf-
teenth century. There Is o volume OF Thomas
Aguinas which belonged to one Of the Popes.
Bunysn's Bible cost f31 Us, and in 1t is pasted 9
portrait Of his time. It Is bound with brass cor
ners, aud also with brass riVets and face-plates,
so that Is 8 curiousty apart from its association.
Amongst the old engravings IS one of Delfthayen
the year the Pilgrims sailed from Il; and no.
table photogr sph represents the landing OF the
American pilgri ms, by Spanish artist
Mr.. Summers books of reference are few not
above half do zen. His Hazlett's Book of Poetry
gave him most Of hts quotations. HIS own works,
published by subscription, limited In quantity,
and with his autograph, contain o mo ito from
Whittier. As to
Mr. sUMNEH's LEARNING,
asked the Hon. s. s. Cox II It was genuine.
Perfectly So" he said, cas- have often had =
occasion to know by sending over to him from the
House Of Representatives when 1 wan:eI TO be
put on the track Of quotation. In . few minutes
he would send me back memorandum, and
whether It was Greek, or Latin, or French, he
was equally well informed" Mr.. Cox, I may
say, was q pupil Of Dr. wayland at Brown uni
versity, when Mr.. Sumner came there to lecture
In 1s46.
After spending an hour In the study, where, 4
alasI the large presence of the host shall DO seen
no more forever, went into
THE BEDROOM
where he breathed his last. This also, Is IN ele-
giant room, with windows on two sides and plain
walnut furniture. The bed was stripped of it's.
coverlets and the blue mattre IS alone remained.
On the wall was largo figure, in tone and draw
ing Ike Guido. representing an Annuucation,
or something Of that kind. Near this is origi-
nal picture Of the Spanish or Neapolitan school,
representing the bir tn Of Christi very tiny
Christ .indeed-to whom various shepherds are :
bringing in live sheep and lambs, bundles oTgrsin,
and barley, and other fruits and offerings. This
picture might be by Spsgnoletto or Carayaggi0.
Mr.. Balch was not informed as to the pictures
and dealer was expected in on Monday to classify
them. Beside the bed is another original paint
ing, Of the Angel Of the Resurrection. In the
same room is queer aud very old canvas, repre-
ssntirg several ships with high keels lying off .
fortified iowa.
Two Of Turner's proofengravings-the Temple
Of Jupiter and the Old Temerare-arc in this
bedroom. Outside the window is the old gray
house which Mrs. Madison long inhabited; and,
Just beyond 1t. the Clubhouse, where Seward
wss stabbed, and Key carried to expire; the end
Of the view Is the Treasury facade and the unhn-
ished Washington monument. The Sumner man
sion viii probably pass into the hands Of stran-
gers, and, like every other house In Washington,
receive long series OF notabilities, dying In their
turn to fill the pages Of future guide-bookS
At the end Of the hall, behind the study, Is the
guests bed-chamber. Under the study is
THE LIBRARY.
which differs from the room above in having an
extension under the guests bcd-chsm6er afore-
said, which extension Is the dining room when
requisite, but q part Of the salon in general.
These two rooms are Of the most elegant eharac-
ter, and abound In objects OF art and yirtu. On
the mantles are the richest vases, with paintings
by masters, and most tasteful china, articles in
Msjolica and Seyres ware, and restorationsof en-
crossed shields. Between the doors Is Mr.. Sum-
ner's bust by Crawford, taken many years ago.
The Venus de Milo, halfsizs, stands upon table.
Several easels contain original paintings, gener-
ally Of interior scenes. A large engraving Of
President Grant remains over Llncoln's portrait.
In he mar 0f he Medf-
clan tombs, the Boy with the Thorn, tho Farnese
Herculese, and various hne antiques. The Psyche
which goes believe to Professor Longfel--
LOWS lffe-size, but disagreeabls to look at, as
the skull is sawed on square, and the bust Clipped
down where the mutilations formerly were. Some
Of the pictures are quite voluptuous, and the
French school is well represented. In ono corner
is collection Of portraits Of great artists, and
Michael Angelo appears twice. The bookcases
ore very elaborate, and one of them IS wholly
carved by hand, and Is as rich as some Of the old
pulpits Of the middle ages The furniture ID
either very substantial or peculiar, and the books
are so rare as to show q novice that they have
been slowly gathered together through many
years.
Mr.. Sumner Is one Of the few men having some
thing to leave, who has bequeathed 1t in . reason
able way. He puts no coaditions upon his be-
quests, and gives the Boston Art Gallery and
Harvard College unqualified discretion to reject,
nccept anu arrange Is tney llko lorSet 70 say
that the largest painting in the bedroom Is
modern landscape, by Sco.chman, OF Ellen's
Isle; and that the stairways and manor halls are
full Of artistic things-amongst them copies Of
Titlans Flora aud Venus. This paintings in the :
parlor did not exam rs on this occasion, and
have dim o recJl. e;tion Of them that will not
undertake Il Q task. Nor did Ipenetrlte INTO the
vine-cellar, whence, as know, many an old bot
tie has come from the cobwobs. GATH
s-----
PARADOXES.
Water thrown into red-hot metallic vessel
does not boil, rs We should expect, but quietly
gathers itself together, forming 4 more or less
perfect sphere, and In that condition floats about
gracefully on the hot surface as it slowly evapo-
rates away. If at the same time very vaporiza-
BILE substance as liquid sulphurous acid is thrown
in, the water may actually be frozen in the red
hot vessel.
Water boiled 10 glass flask until the upper
part Of the vessel Is entirely filed with steam,
and then dexterously eorked before air can gain
admission and plaecd In cold water. recommence8