Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-25
Thurlow Weeds "reminiscences Of VAN
derbilt.

and pithy humor. On one occasion al
gentleman called Or the Commodore
to propose for n of his daughters,
and commenced by the most eager and
vehement protestations, that he was
not actuated by any desire to obtain her
fortune, but was animated by the sin
cerest and purest affection, and in
spired by admiration for her personal
and mental beauty; and when. to en-
phasize these protestations, he was
about to renew them again, the Com
modore stopped him, saying quite
quietly: ST did not know she had any
fortune" On another occasion, when,
after the Commodore had displayed
more than usual judgment and ability
in the conduct of railroad negotiation,
his son-in-law, Horace Clark, said to
him: commodore, it is a pity you
had not a college education" he an
swered: chad you college educa-
ton, Horace?" ayes, sir" "Well,
Horace, l do not think Icould afford
to swap with YOU"
When the late Sir Henry Holland was
in this country he breakfasted with me
very early on the morning of the day OF
his departure for Europe, and | said:
"Now, let us see, have we get through
every thingP" SWELL" Sir Henry
said, "there is one of your merchant
princes of whom I have heard a great
deal-Mr. A. T. Stewart. Ishould like
to see him" "I will take you to him."
said L; but the Commodore immediate
ly came up to my mind, and l said:
"There is a great railway magnate-a
friend of mind-I should like you TO see
FIRST" and l drove him off to the Com
modore. After the usual expressions
on introduction, Sir Henry said: 81
should like, if you will permit me, Com
modore Vanderbilt, to see your bureaus
OF affairs" "What bureaus? ," asked
the Commodore. "Your departments
of business. Where do you conduct
your affairs?" "There,'' said the Com
modore, pointing to u boy at the oppo-
site end of the room seated on a stool at
a desk. "The rest is there,n added l,
pointing to the Comnlodore's head,
But, come; pull out your business
drawer for Sir Henry. Show him the
materials of work" The Commodore
pulled out the drawer, when, to the as
t%orishment of Sir Henry, its contents
were found to be a check-bO and q
box of cigars. Sir Henry subsequently
went over Stewards monster build
ing, aud at the close of his
visit remarked to me-: al have no
doubt that Mr.. Stewart is a keen,
close man of business, ard dieects every
thing, but your Commodore is a genius.
He must have other habits that would
interest me-" When / told Sir Henry
of his passion for trotters and the whist
table,, and his habit of daily being for
many hours in The open air, Sir Henry
said: 81 OWNED as much from his
freshness and the ease with which he
seems to transact affairs"
His prescience was most remarkable.
On N occasion he was pressed to din
ner to meet some important railway
men, who had come together to put
through one of the largest railway en-
terprises in the country, but he declin-
ed, saying: 81 can not wait for my
dinner until 6, but L will look in in the
evening"" which he did, and after lis
tening to the statements of the parties,
said decisively: 81 will have nothing
to do with this" and then took his
leave. One OF the most influential of
the parties followed him into the hall
and tried 10 induce him to reconsider
his decision, adding: "Well, at all
events, you will think over it?" 81 will
think over it," said the Commodore,
"if it pleases you, but l will not change
my mind" A month or so after a large
check was sent to him as his share OF
the profits, but he at nee returned it,
saying: "This money is not mine, /
will have nothing to do with It." A
short time afterward and the enter
prise, although sustained by the strong
est railway interest of the country, col
lapsed, to the heavy loss of all con-
cerned.
During his entire illness--and I was
a repeated visitor to his bedside-his
spirit of terse, quiet humor and his
ciearness of judgement and expression
never forsook him. One evening, a
fortnight since, u glass of some reviv-
ing medicine was handed him. Taking
the glass in his hand he said, with
rather a solemn air: "This is the last
time | shall take this" His family,
thinking he was Respondent, CON
menced to encourage and cheer him,
when, with a merry twinkle in his eve,
he said: "It is the last time I shall
take hts-that is what is in this glass"
Whenever a business matter was
brought before him during his illness
he gave his judgment with as much
precision and vigor as at any time in
his life, and | was present when he
gave to his son William his parting ad-
vice, which, for lessons of wisdom, con-
veyed in language of extraordinary
force and lucidity, l can cnly compare
with Polonius' advice to Laertes. One
of the secrets of his attachment to
me, especially more recently, was
that at q time when he was
in the habit of saying of his
son William, "Oh, Viii is good for
nothing; Will will never do any thing"
[ q always cherished and expressed the
abiding conviction, to watch he .fter-
wards fully arrived, that he would leave
in his eldest Q one amply able, a a
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