Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-02-11
AMUSING SPEECHES,

Iu the United States House OF Representa-.
tives, MIR. Springer, in his speech upon the
Consular bill, on Wednesday, exposed an al
lowauoe of $lO,6O7 to Mr.. Boxer, wnen Minis
ter to Turkey, for presents made to Turkish
officials. 1t used to be thought, be said that
presents, like kisses, were reciprocal He did
not know whether or not it was so 10 this in
stance but it seemed that the Turkish officials
had never once said turkey" to MIR. Boxer.
Laugbter.l Passing on to criticism on the
State papers, he ridicu!ed particularly the dis
patches of Mr.. j. Meredith Read, resident
Minister to Greece, 10 one of which Mr.. Read
described 10 grandllOQuent phrases ball given
at Athens, at which he had the honor Of lead
ing o contre dance with the Queen, and from
which he returned at clock, singing las be,
Springer. supposed) that song which must
have been Greek in the ears OF the Athenians:
I'VE won't 90 home till morning, Till day
light does appear" What, he said. must
have been the delightful sensations in the
State Department when this dispatch was re-
ceiyed from Mr. Read. Some of the officials
should have sent him dispatch
'On with the dance; let joy be unoon6ned;
No rest till morn, when youth and pleasure
meet
To chase the glowing hours With flying feet"
Laughter. He then pictured MIR. Read
when hearing of the abolition of his Office, and
supposed him addressing the Queen, as
Maid of Athens, ere We part,
Give, oh, give me back my heart.
Loud laughter. And then, as j. Meredith
was embarked OF some stately ship 10 the gulf
of the Piraeus, and saw the Queen standing on
the shore, he would doubtless 90 on with the
song
MAID of Athens, am gone:
Think of me, sweet, when alone,
Though fly to lstamooul.
Meaning, be supposed, Philadelphia.
Athens holds my heart and soul;
Hear me now, before 60,
Zoe mou sas agapo.
Loud laughter
He would like one of the New York mem
bers to pronounce the last line in the Greek
style. Laughter.
Mr.. Seelye, of Massachusetts, suggested to
MIR. Springer the Latin maxim, "Omne igno-
tum pro magni6co.
Mr.. Springer. Thank you. Sir; thank you.
Laughter.
Mr. Cox, of New York, supported the bill as
bill of rctrcnchment, and read some amusing
extracts from the correspondence of the Consul
General to the Samoan Islands, and from MIR.
Reads description Of the ball at Athens, in
which he danced with Queen Alga, the Grand
Duchess of Russia witt, King George following
ut his heels, jealous of bis beauty and grace,
dancing the contra dance, "hand across aud
down tho middle, to the tune OF flute and id.
die Loud laughter. He then wandered
off to Cons,antinope, and pictured the Ameri
eau minister there Mr.. Maynard after receiv-
ing rebuff trom Mr. Fish, returning in sad
ucss to the cemetery az Scutari, sitting cross
legged on turbancd gravc>tone, slipping his
coffee and smoking his chibouk, uuti thus ad-
dressed by Turkish bashaw "How is it with
you, bashaw from Tennessee? Thou lookest
sad to day. What has come to thee, my broth
er?' And Mr.. Maynard would reply: 9! have
heard from the great bashaw of New York,
Fish, and he is dsp'cased with me. My
unhappy brother, says the Turkish bashaw,
''cast your eyes toward Mecca; bow your head,
with the ftz cap, three times, and all will be
well beshaIlah, Brother Maynard; Allah is
great, and Mahomct is his prophet Laugh
ter