New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-26


ARCHIBALD FoEBEss EXCEPTIONS TO The CAT
ALoGUE OF RELICS Al wASHINGTON'S HEAD
QUARTERS.
TO theEditOr OF The tribune.
SIR: In The TRIBUNE of the 18th inst.
there appears letter nom the distinguished English
Journalist and lecturer Mr. Archibald Forbes concern
Ing the Washington's Headquarters at bis place, III
which, speaking of tie catalogue OF guns and other tro-
phies, he says:
On the penultlmate page OF this catalogue there
occurs the tolloAIug lem: 1876. One slncb Howlt-
zcr-Engiish bronze-captured AT Yorktown, Oct. II,
OF tue heaGqurer house, and 1t uGquestOnably bears
the Inscription SurrendG.ed ny me capltqL,uon Oh
inscription DJuay. Berenser. 1779" which proves II
TO be not Eusush DroAz., bu. French bronze
first place, the catalogue Of these guns is not
meant to descriptive giving their history, etc,
for in most cases this is only Evolutionary; but is de-
gned simply give them their place ana leave the in
scrptious on them TO tell Their story. Now, what
are the that Important to de-
nand correction i'll your widely circulated paper!
There only ntioned and The first is that the
catalogue asserts that the captured at Yorktown
is English broDzc, whereas it really is French bronze,
according the inscription on the gun itself Now the
catalogue asserts ro sucn thing. When says English
bronze guns il mas no re the bronze
came from, whether from France Germany or England.
II English in this sense but in the sense Of own
ershp-it belonged TO tie English. The plain meaning
and one which it anyone would give TO the
statement in the catalogue "Ihis gun,whch belonged
to the English made Of bronze ana was captured at
Yorktown" II would not be only error in history ,bu
An egregous an unpardonaOlc biunder to put state
mcr i'll the catalogue fatty cOnradcted by the lnscrp
ton on the gun itself.
The other is thus stated:
One more observation on Two other French-made
BOtn bear the inscription, " Llberte-Egalt0;" one Is
marked Arsenal de Paris" the other rerer Pans"
PM "a
our reckoning 1892. Now, since Inc War OF indie
pendence had come to cose eleven years previously
tncre when these cannon can be STYLED
Tv rcs cxcnnf that indeed taey are relies of
the French Revolution, period which there cannot bc
said 10 have any special apposeness III c0dmtloiatinI
IN connection villa NashingtOn's Headquarters. In
truth, these pieces have commemorative apprO
pracness at all and have therefore 10 business where
they are.
These are put down simply Gums French
bronze- Revolutionary relics" These TWO are
the only ones out Of over thirty that
are styled Revolutionary relies" THIS,
with the that they French and have on them
the words Lberte EgaIite" renders it Impossible for
au yOne but gnOTamus TO doubt OF what revolution
they relics" These words indicate revolution al
period of that makes shuGder he looks upon
them Inscribed Il gun. They were words not only n'
scrbed French cannon, but emblszoned on French
flags uttered along and shouted forth by
French armies the battlefield carrying terror 10
the heart OF desp0sm than the thunder Of their guns.
These words lay at tie bottom Of the most terrible
luton the word Dehed, and IL needed NO long de-
scrpuon TO tell where the guns which they are ip-
scrbed belonged. How they came into our possession
do know and never took the pains 10 inquire, but
suppose that they captured from the French ny
the English during tue that followed the reyou ION
1892 and twenty years after were used by tue
latter against US IN the War OF 1912 and fell into
hands OF the battles In that war being in tue
State arHe1al they probably captured In one OF
those fought northern frontier De that IA II
may the fact il of minor importance; the intcrost al
tached to them arises wholly from their being relcs
on the french revolution. BuC Mr. Forbes SAYS that
even AS such. they have business where they are.
this be- IA correct cricsm then half OF the thirty odd
guns on the grounds nave business there Some OF
the guns there used in the French and Indian war;
some the OF 1875. some III that Of ISL and
others were pured IN the Mexican War aud IN The
War the Rebellion. These all have been sent 10 us by
the General Government by the State Government, and
by individuals The trustees did not feel II their duty
nor were they inclined 10 Gull out those that related
alone TO Revolution OF 1875 and send the rest back
as all OF them memorials OF The various wars
have been engaged IN since tho foundation OF the
Government, and hence objects OF more OF less n-
tetes 10 the than 100000 people that annually
this cODsecra,ed spot om every part OF our coun-
try and OF the civilized world }. L. HkADLEY
Ne,cJu1, n. Y, Dec. Is, 1850.