New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-05
THE FINANCIAL CAREER OF MIR.
MERDIE.
How Fiction May Suggest Fact.

How Fiction May Suggest Fact.
Imagination is mysterious attribute. A
poet who has never in bis life committed a
wrong divines precisely what the worst
felcn will do under certain inducements.
He traces events to their mt aphysical re-
suits and startles the reader BY describing
consequences which seem impossible. By
and by, almost identically the same
| catastrophe occurs from the same moral
premises, and society is puzzled to explain
| whether the fact has resulted us a logical
consequence or adapted upon the sugges.
| tons OF fiction.
Two recent incidents have occasioned
much surprise. The first can not be pre-
dicated as fact, and is only referred to as
possibility corresponding with circum.
stance OF avowed fiction. We allude to the
| report that the balloonist Donaldson had,
| in the supreme struggle tor life, as the
| last ballast, cast his companion overheard
| into the lake beneath them. Jules Verne,
| in one Of those wonderful novels that EN-
| ploy. tho terms and truths Of science to IL
| lustrate the incidents of fiction, describes
ian unwelcome guest who appears to
| balloonist just as he has got clear of his
| grapplings and is ascending above the tree
| tops and spires. This unexpected and IN
welcome passenger proves to be an aero
naut monomaniac, who, after an exhilarat
| ing lecture upon all the balloonists who
have ever been killed by fire, collapse
! or other casualty, throws overheard
| all the ballast, and with the frenzy of am
bition ascends shouting some six miles
into the air, quietly anticipating the mo-
| ment when, having risen beyond the attrac.
| ton of tho earth, the balloon will take
another direction and course among the
| planets, touching at the intermediate stars
| and nebulosities which occupy space. The
| terrified proprietor of the balloon counter.
| acts this astronomical way bill or sche-
dule, aud pulls open the valve; the balloon
| descends, and in the struggle the insane
aeronaut is thrown overheard and the pro
| prietor SO navigatas it as to escape.
There is next published the death of the
banker Ralston. and this comedies SO well
with the death of an imaginary character
| which Dickens has created, that we COPY
| the latter to show the singular power of
genius which is made the text of this
| article.
We assume that the biography of Ralston
| is fresh in the public memory. The habits
| Of the real and fictitious bankers were not
similar. They resembled only in the great
| faith which society will place in men who
owe their financial success to native shrewd-
| ness, and who obtain a reputation for great
ability for what is only due chiefly to their
own good sense and to the credulity of
others. Here is the description of the great
banker, Mr.. Merde
Harley street, Cavendish Square, was
more than aware of Mr. and Mrs. Merdle.
lntruders there were in Harley street, of
whom il was not aware; but Mr. and Mrs
Merdle it delighted to honor. Society was
aware OF Mr.. and Mrs. Merdle. Society
had said, Let US license them, let us know
them"
Mr.. Merdle was immensely rich: a nan
OF prodigious enterprise; Midas without
the ears, who turned all he touched to gold.
lie was in everything good, from banking
to building. He was in Parliament, OF
course He was in the City, necessarily.
He was Cha rman of this, Trustee of that
President OF the other. The weightiest of
men had said to projectors, "Now, what
name have .ou gotl Have you got Mer.
dle!' And, the reply being in the mega
tive, had said, "Then won't look at you"
Mr.. Merdle did not shine in company; he
had not very much TO say for himself: he
was reserved man, with a broad, over
hanging, watchful head, that particular
kind of dull red color in his cheeks which
is rather stale than fresh, and o somewhat
uneasy expression about his coat cuffs as if
they were in his confidence, and had rea-
sons for being anxious to hide his hands.
In the little he said he was pleasant man
enough; plain, emphatic about public and
private confidence.
There was a dinner given in the Harley
street establishment, and there were mag
mates from the Court and magnates from
the City, magpates from the Commons and
magnates from the Lords, magnates from
the Bench and magnates from the Bar,
Bishop magnates, Treasury magnates, Horse
GUARDS magnates, Admiralty magnates--all
the magnates that keep us going, and some
times trip us up.
Il am told" said Bishop magnate to
Horse Guards" that Mr. Merdle has made
another enormous hi:' They say hundred
thousand pounds"
Horse Guards had heard two.
Treasury had heard three.
Bar, handling his persuasive double eye
glass. was by no means clear but that it
might be four. 1t Was one of those happy
strokes of calculation aud combination, the
result of which it was difficult to estimate
1t was one of those instances OF compre-
hensive grasp, associated with habitual luck
and characteristic boldness, of which an age
presented us but few. But here was Brother
Bellows, who had been in the great Bank
case, and who could probably tell us more. i
What did Brother Bellows put this new
success at
Brother Bellows estimates it at half q
million.
Admiralty said Mr. Merdle was wonder
full man. Treasury said he was a new
power in the county, and would be able TO
buy up the whole House of Commons.
Bishop said he was glad to think that this
wealth flo we'd into the Golfers of a gentleman
who was always disposed to maint ain the
best interests of society.
When they rose, so many of the magnates
had something to say to Mr.. Merdle indivi-
dually, that he held little levees by the
side-to4r1, and checked them Oft as they
went ont st the ooor.
Treasury hoped he might venture TO
cOngrat ulate one of highlands orld famed
capt. 4lists on a new achievement. To ex-
tend The triumphs of such men was to ex-
tend the tliumphs and resources OF the
nation; and Treasury felt-he gave Mr..
Merdle to underst .nd--patriotic "a the
occasion.
He intimated place in the cabinet, or a
title in the peerage as being within the
tone of immediate probabilities,
Bar confided some valuable information
about property to be purchased on re-
markably advantageous terms and which