The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-10-20
LAFAYETTE's LAST VISIT TO AMER
ICA.
From the New York Obserrer.l


In the Mdgd-ine Of AmericaR Hisfory for Nav
Mrs. Ella Rodman Church has u graphic chap
ter descriptive Of this unique aud beautiful incl
dent in our ceuntry's history, which so few are
left TO remember. Some interesting reminiscent
ces of Lafaycrtes interviews at that time with
his old Revolutionary fellow-soldcrs, or with
their family representatives, have never OF but
lately, appeared in print. One of them is re-
corded in the August number of the Magazine Of
imeriodR History, in Il note giving some account
of the ''Cadmus," ship of the old Line Of Hayre
packets, which conveyed him to our shores
Honorable mention is also there made of its
| owners, William Whitlock, Jr, L. Co., an emf
nent old New York firm, who, on learning that
the noble visitor had declined, from motives of
delicacy, the proffer of public ship, patriotcal-
ly offered him the free and sole nse of the sCatl-
mus for his voyage. We would here add. on
the authority of an aged friend, that Captain
Francis Allyn, the commander of the &C admns-
at that time, "a ine-looking and gentlemanly
man." was afterward the Mayor of New London,
Connecticut.
An anecdote, not elsewhere found, is the fol-
lowing, taken from Mrs. Delafeld's /" Biography
of her Grandfather, Governor Morgan Lewisn n
rare volume Of family history: "when we ar
rived abreast of the Rhinebeck landing, the
steamboat was hailed by a rowbOat The Cap
tain stopped, and Colonel Henry Beekman Liv-
ingston was assisted up the side of the steamer
Lafayette received him as he placed his foot ON
deck. The old men fell into each others arms,
| and there was not dry eye in the crowd"
In lS2i he visited, ut their fine old mansion,
still standing in Elizabeth, New Jersey, his
'bons dmis Dayton ct Ogden,r TINS affectionately
styled in letter from France, which we have
seen, to his kinsman, Chevalier DAntroche, in
that town, early after our Revolution. With
the former, General Jonathan Dayton, he spent
night, and with the latter, Col. Aaron Ogden,
who was his aid at the capture of Yorktown SO
soon TO be centennially COMMUNICATED, he break
tasted. Tho widow of his gallant FRIEND Col.
Francis Barber, the brother-in-law of his host,
was present, rs also her daughter, the late Mrs
William ChctwoOd, with the twelve Jewels of
her family easkct clustered about her. 1t was
an occasion of remarkable, memorable interest.
Another touching "reminiscences of Lafayette's
visit at Elizabeth is one lately mentioned by an
aged lady present at the time-that before any
introduction TO citizens, he walked over from
the hotel To the cemetery of the Presby terrain
church, and stood moment at the monument
of the martyred pastor, Caldwell. He had from
the first eyinced deep interest for that or
phaned family, and assumed the education of
son, John Edwards, who accompanied his ben
efactor to France in 1882, and returning to Amer
lea, in 1871, embraced the faith of his father be-
came an elder in the Cedar street Presbyterian
church, and much respected New York Iner-
chant. (see Rev. Dr. Hat6eld's History of Eliz-
abeth, n. j.
Other incidents countless in number, evinced
that the hand of time had bnt lightly touched
his inner nature. A venerable daughter of
Count dAntroches, before mentioned, now re-
VI
of memory her meeting General Lafayette at the
famous old City Hotel in New York, when he
saw his friends, in company with her widowed
mother, an American lady, for whose call, by
special invitation, he had specified an hour
Receiving this acquaintance of early friendly
associations with warm cordiality, and referring
to the changes that had taken place since he
pointed to picture on the WALL representing
him as he appeared when young man, and
then to himself as he then WAS remarking, with
n Of
On the Generals trip up the Hudson, he was
accompanied, among other prominent citizens,
by Mr.. Thurlow Weed, As chief representative Of
the press, who was so agreeable a compagnon do
roydge, and who afterwards gave 80 acceptable
a record of it that, upon Lafayettes return to
France, fine complimentary engraving of La
Grange was sent by him to Mr.. Weed, which
pleasing memento on the honored journalists
library wall, meets the eye of every visitor
1t was the privilege of the present writer,
when a lad, to have q near view Of the illnstri-
Ous visitor, whose, like WashingtOn's, was Doubt
less zone of the few immortal names that were
not born to die" 1t was during this tour in
Western New York, when standing on the deck
of gayly adorned packet boat, crossing the no.
bic stone aqueduct over the Genesee River ut
the city of Rochester, in the midst of dis
tingushed group, with head barred and affably
bowling TO the cheering, admiring multitude.
The scene was inspiring, but it had its parallel
in very many other places.
In the album of respected friend in the city
of Elizabeth, granddaughter of the Hon. Rufus
King, one of his ancient American associates,
we had the pleasure, a few days ago, Of reading
the following sentence:
"Aeeept, my dear Eliza, the blessing of old very
old, friend. LAFAYErTE.-
1t was written during that last visit to Amer
lea, which was undoubtedly n great and lasting
blessing TO us rs nation. And when Lafayette
departed from our shores for the last time, he
was followed with the prayers and benedictions
of the American people. VIII.