The Hawaiian gazette., 1875-06-30

work but little by little, by process IA
miliar to states which undertake to pre-
serve in marble the memory of their he
roes, nearly 10000 was paid to the sculp-
tor, and the ultimate cost of the statue has
amounted to twice that sum. It was in
1882 that the commission was issued, and
in 1910 the Government were informed
that the statue was ready. But it was in
Mr.. Greenhough's studio at Florence, and
the question arose-How was it to be got
to Washington! After a grave debate
Congress passed a resolution authorizing
the Secretary of the Navy to take meas
ures for " importing" the work of art.
The Secretary thereupon sent orders to
he commodore in command of the AIedi-
terranean fleet to despatch a ship OF war to
take it on board. In the meanwhile the
statue, drawn by twenty-five yoke of OK
en-, had been transported from Florence
to Genoa, creating considerable excite
ment en- route, damaging roadside proper
ty, breaking down bridges, and stirring
the simple peasantry up to unwonted re-
ligious exercises, as, according to con-
temporary report, they kneeled down and
said their prayers. Upon the arrival of
the man-of-war at Genoa, an unexpected
difficulty arose. The statue weighing 81
tons, and big to boot, could not be got in
to the ships hold without tearing up the
deck. Rather than this should be done,
a merchantmen was chartered, and after
enormous difficulty, Washington was got
safely on board. Then the Captain show
ed disposition to consider the statue as
only part cargo, and made preparations
for coastwise voyage, taking in some
thing at other ports of the Mediterranean.
Ultimately delivered at Washington, the
trouble appeared only to have commenced.
1t was discovered by the people that the
pedestrian statue was sitting down.
Also, it was nearly nude to the waist, and
a responsive thrill ran through the country
when Mr. Henry A. Wise, standing up in
his place in Congress, declared that "the
man does not live, and never did live, who
ever saw Washington without his shirt"
A storm of obloquy burst around the I'M
fortunate statue, which increased upon the
discovery that the doors of the east front
of the Capitol were by IA inches too
small to admit it. After brief spell of
CONSERVATION, it was decided to cut away
the masonry, and so form an entrance.
This was done, and the statue fixed in its
appointed place in the centre of the rotun-
da. Hereupon fresh difficulty arose.
The weight was so great that the floor be-
gan to sink, and it was found necessary to
build an abutment of solid masonry be-
tween the first and second floors. After
few months it became clear that the cen
tire of the rotunda was not the proper site
for the statue. The figure was too large
for the place, dwarfng the proportions of
the hall, and seriously obstructing the pas
sage. Moreover the light was bad, and
finally, after natural hesitation again to
grapple with it, Congress ordered it to be
taken away. By fresh series of gigantic
efforts the statue was removed and set up
in the centre of the park east of the Capt.
tol, "having,' as has been touchingly said,
"the Western Hemisphere for a pedestal,
and boundless arc of sky for canopy"
Under these circumstances the complaints
of its disproportionate size have of course
ceased but yet new trouble has befallen
it. Certain projected improvements in the
neighborhood of the Capitol are found to
be rendered impossible by the presence of
the statue, and Congress is once more
asked to sanction its removal. Congress
declares it has no objection to its removal,
but is distracted by the necessity of de-
Gliding where it is to go. 1t has been pro-
posed to offer it to the King of the Sand
witch Islands as a souvenir of his visit to
the United States, and a gage of the amity
of the two peoples. Bat there are not
wanting conscientious persons who pro-
test against thus imposing upon the de-
fenceless good nature of guest, and the
statue still stands in the park with its des-
tination undetermined Daily
Ne,os.