New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-30

an enormous sum for those days, and the depart
ment of commission and banking was assigned 70
him. Then came to Amsterdam two Russian agents
bent upon buying that very dear commonly
INDIGO. As they experienced great dlculV III
making themselves understood, Schllemdhl
Thought he would show his gratitude to his emf
Movers hv learning Russian and thus facilitating
their trade On seeking books he could only ma
tolcrable dictionary, intOlerabe Translation Oh
"Telemachus," still in his possession, ana very
bad grammar which for thirty-one years mas oeeh'
in New-York, the property of Schlemanus lh'iIi''o
friend Mr. G. Jansen, Consul for Oldenburc. Thus
equipped the next thing was TO secure 'eacher'
None conld be found Undaunted as usual, the am
bitious student went to work by himself ana alt'TT
many DAYS succeeded IN learning the chala'ets -
their pronunciation. AS soon az ne couiu iedu ~
took up " IelcmachuS composed eAeIc'SS.9, I e,
after learning hundred or more words, niIcu Iui
four francs Il week old jew, VINO SAT 10 hIi i ~
hours every evening a. audience NoU = T. T.ti to
did the jew understand but TINS mahsIeu IIuto ~
Schliemann, who merely wanted Jay nsulIT III ~
which To hurl Rotations and c0npoSltioils lno
jew nodded applauded and pretended 'oDe ei, ,i
mouslv Interested as he was-n the fee that ioi-
lowed The copy OF "Telemachus' used by Sciiie-
mann was 100 years old, and gave nun very li t
idea of modern Russian, as the lanBuieo Ii"a
undergone radical changes m recent years.
reheaTsals in presence OF the jew hoWeNei, ILL.,
Schliemann toleaby hlent III te use ol Wv tnc
The poor jew could endure these lessons nor 81 tc
inmates OF his wcll-ventilatcd house, ana INlco was
he turned into the street for disturbing ms nelgh,,
bors' peace. His zeal remained unGimlhSheu, anu
in six weeks he began to write business ieo'eS u
Moscow. -. 1870.
Through a Russian family who visited AmSter-
dam in 1915, and with whom he became lhtina'ri
Schlieminn secured orders Tor lndIgo .aJ pfoEVu
very satisfactory to his patrons. ne heau VI uis
family proposed to go INTO parnersnlp WIN e. n no ~
Moscow promising capital TO the amount oI = 1vVV'
Sanctioned by his employers VINO appointed nm
their Rus sian agent, Schiemann JoylnlIy aecePteu
the offer, and i'll January lSIo started Oh MS Ior
A. q In flrpa1 IN
coupot d. he posted, spent half his ready money III
travelling. and arrived with Only IOu Iouples ahu
the credit OF his house The RUSSIAN irleu was ~
competent to undertake the business proposal anu
at the end of SIX days Schliemann went 10 MOSCOW,
where OWING to his speaking the language nc i1et
with considerable success. His first order was lOr
1000 boxes of indigo.
IN CALIFORNIA IN 10.
Though he worked early and late it was not until
the end Of lSf7 that Scahemann put 10y zoo. Ia
1919 his capital amounted to $1,000, aud then the
sailed for California, via New-loIk ana the
lsthmus. in search OF brother whom he had
sent TO America and who was reported to
be very III. On arriving at Sacramento Schiie-
mann learned of his brothers death. Sadly
disappointed, he went to work, first buying gold OF
the miners and sending il TO San Francisco for SALE
Later ne opened small exchange bank, and as on
July 4, 1880, California made State, Schlie-
manu. with the rest OF its population. became cti-
zen Of the American Republic. Having brought
with him about G2,400 which he increased To
10000, Schieuann returned to ST. Petersburg, and
in 1888 made large profits. The Crimean war filled
his pockets Merchants lost courage, everything was
brought overland from Prussian ports, and in the
general panic Schliemann shrewdly harvest.
Thinking il would be advisable TO attend the indigo
sales at Amsterdam, he made extensive purchases,
which, shipped from London and Hamburg, were all
directed TO the Prssian town ofMemelo the Russian
frontier Returning by the way OF K0nigsberg and
TIsit. Schliemann arrived at the hometown during
the night. On looking out Of his hotel window the
next morning ne inc tower of the green gaze, on
which was the following inscription IN large gold
letters:
Vultas fortune
NGlatUr imagine unei
Gre cit, dccIcsClt,
CJustans per,lstere nesct
Strangely impressed 10y tins inscription, tho mcr-
chant ravclcr became convinced of Impending mss
fortune On reaching Ilisl he learned that terrible
cnuHlerai ion had destroyed Mciucl. Hurylng on
by post Schliemanns own eyes soon beneld the
truth the town having been traniormed mo a
smoking graveyard, solitary Chlinncfs standing up
like gloomy scntucls 10 watch over the dcSOall iu.
: .eLIue his correspondent, Schiemann WIS told TO
lool, among tue ashes for his goods. Then am
ruined" exclaimed the unhappy man. He bad ii-
vested his entire capital go, 300 ~ indigo. Gong
TO the past-0ficc, he spoke OF his great loss to an
Official who at once asked for his Name, ana on
beng told exclaimed, " W ny, you are the Only per
son who has not iOst Your goods arrived too late 10
be sent TO their warehouse. 10uli iad them safe
outsiIe the town. IL seemed incredible. yet the
otiici1ls report proved to be correct. Schhemann
thinks that putting on his left stocking first must
have had something e. do Win such good luck.
This fire took place in October, 1s14, the year ln
wuicn he learned Polish and Swedish Returning 10
ST. Petersburg. he DID great business ~ 1870. ana
"A sill greater N 1896. The crisis of 1917 affected
him bat slightly, and the following year ne partially
retired win fortune If ESJ,OOJ. I've male
uo~rv enough" he said; nov ! Will crafty NY
natural nclinatiOhs. j will see the world
HIS FORTUNE CONFLICT D-1bOY AND HOMER.
In 1858 Schliemanu visited Sweden, Denmark,
Germany. Italy. Egypt assembled the Nile TO the
second cataract, studied Arabic IN route, and rode
through the desert on horseback From Jerusalem
he iourneyed through Arabia Pctrea 10 Petra, saw
SYRIA and Smyrna; and in the Summer of 1893 be-
bcId Athens for the FIRST time. The intensity of the
SIM bringing on fever, the indefatigable traveller
proceeded to 81. Petersbuts where he gained law
sniff for the amount OF G1G,0O0. FOresceing the
Gpapcial crisis which would result from the Ancri-
con civil war he secured his capital, sleculatcd
mast successfully in cotton and tea, and III 1868 re-
tired completely from business possessed OF for
fune such as his youth had never dreamed of.
Schllemann regarded il as a means to an end-that
end being the excavation OF lf4ys Ihaca ana
Nvkeup Long afraid TO touch the GNek language,
lest il should distract his mlnd IRON commercial
nursuits he al last found ITS fascination irresistible
a., le,vinp the Lutheran ChUTcl III January, 1906,
he met "a professor, who, on repeating a soh"TOus
' ne,SG Go "t know trcckw That very day sche-
g1 mann no Igs excellent teacher Of ancient Greek
but to his surprise found that for one
entire week he made little progress. 10 break
~ hack of his dtculty the student began modern
GpeeI. which is much easier. First he translated
"Paul and Virginia" of which, on It's complexion he
had learned half the words On gong over IL again
me- me- rScitrd and in six weeks spoke with facility.
Then he betook himself with enthusiasm to The II
classics. beginning with the simplest, and finally
riaGing the "Iiiad" and odyssey" again and
again.
AROUND THE WORLD-THE UNITED STATES.