The National tribune., 1885-01-08

and splsndor of trappings were match for
| their predecessors.
| THE GAR,
1,400 strong each of the eight Posts of the Dis
trict under its Commander, and the whole
| body under command Of Departmental Com
mander Alexander, who was as handsome and
stately as a French Marshal, moved after the
| Marines. The band struck up When Johnny
Comes Marching Home" and the faces OF the
| President and his fair suite frightened into
| warlnest welcome of the gallant band. The
| comrades went to the War Department and
called on Secretary Lincoln and Gen. Sheri-
| dan. The latter invited them to bis house, but
| the invitation was declined on account Of the
| number of other callers the General would be
| called upon to entertain. Col. Alexander then
marched his command to Gen. Logan's resi-
| dence, where hearty greetings were exchanged
| "CTrIzENs ON FOOT"
| II was l o'clock when the G A. Z. column left
the White House, and then for the next hour
the " citizens" were received This is quite
/ an interesting part of the ceremonies, as every
| body-thc rich and poor, the high and low,
| the black, white and yellow, the lame, halt
| and blind-feel at liberty to approach the
| President, and are eager to avail themselves of
| the privilege. The skies had been overcast all
/ morning, and now the rain began to fall In
earnest. The motley assemblage hurried in
| doors, and with great appropriateness the band
began playing Wait Till the Clouds Roll By.'
THE INEVITABLE DR. MARY.
| DR.. Mary Walker was one of the first to pay
| her respects to the President. Her dress con-
sisted of black cloth trousers long, closefitting
| overcoat, and black beaver tile, which she car
ried jauntily in her left hand, her right holding
a dainty walking stick. In her coat was a
| branch Of heliotrope. She came in the Blue
I ala
| step, shook hands with the President, and was
| profuse in offers of the seasons good wishes
| The President received her with grave cour-
| tesy, but evidently found it hard to conceal
| smile. When she left him she passed along the
| line of ladies, giving to each an airy, self
! satisfied bow. Then she passed into the East
| Room, where she was the object of quiet scru-
tiny for half an hour, attracting more atten-
tion than any other person there.
GENERAL CALLING.
| After all had paid their respects to the
| President they entered upon their duties toward
| their friends. The Diplomatic Corps was enter
| tanned at a State breakfast by Secretary FIRE.
| linghuysen, and the ladies assisting the Presi-
dent hurried away to their own or their
friends homes to receive callers.
Open houses were the rule. Everywhere
were handsomely attired ladies receiving with
smiles and gracious words gentlemen whose
congratulations and good-wishes were too
heartily spoken to be other than sincere.
HEADS OF THE ARMY AND NAVY.
Beyond doubt the two residences most in
favor with callers were those of the General of
the Army and the Admiral of the Navy. At
the former, which was crowded all the time,
the graceful wife Of Gen. Sheridan did the
honorS IN an Incompatible way. If Gen.
Sheridan were not popular on his own account,
his winning wife would make him so on.hers.
Callers at Admiral Porters house were so
lucky as to lind the grand old Viking at home,
surrounded by bevy of fair-facad young
| maidens chief of whom were his own charm
ing daughter and the no less charming Misses
Van Auken, granddaughters Of Commodore
Garrison.
Admiral Porter bears a name made glorious
in our naval annals by his own and his fathers
exploits. His father was the famous Essex"
Porter, one of the very foremost in that won-
derful band of naval heroes of the war of 1872
whose achievements make that part of our his
tory read like romance. The Admiral lays
claim to 72 years. and has been in the Navy So
years, most of it in exceptionally hard sea-
service, but the years sit so lightly on him
that he appears younger than men who were
not yet born when, with characteristic energy,
he was laying his ship within musket-shot Of
the Castle of San Juan d'Ulloa, in the bonn
bardment of that Mexican stronghold. He is
yet the same restlessly energetic leader we all
knew during the war, who never tired of seek
ing the enemy, and of hurting him when found.
Genial bright-eyed and wn-haired dearly
loving chat and a joke, he is still the David
ID. Porter who 20 years and more ago shelled
the rebels out of the forts below New Orleans,
who ran his gunboats up to within 500 yards of
the rebel fort at Arkansas Post, and speedily
battered it into kindling wood about the ears of
its terrified garrison; who gallantly led his do-
tiila past the miles of heavy batteries on the
hills of Nicksburg, to pour a tempest of iron,
at pistol-shot range, on the rebel works at
Grand Gulf, and returning searched every
nook and Granny of NickSburg with shower
OF bursting shells that ceased not, day or night,
until Pemberton surrendered the place to
Grant; and who crowned his achievements by
leading the most powerful fleet ever assembled
under our flag to assault and capture Fort
Fisher.
The soldiers of the Western armies have a
very warm side for Porter He always stood
by them splendidly. Not in all the Navy was
there man more willing at any and all times
TO help the land forces. Some naval officers
seemed to be constantly on the hunt for rea-
sons for not cooperating with the land forces,
but it was only necessary for Porter to know
what was wanted to be done, to have him move
everything that would float to help il along
MRS. BLAINE's RESENTMENT.
1t is currently reported about town that Mrs.
Blaine returned without thanks, President
on New-Year's Day, accompanying it with an
expression of surprise that such an invitation
should be sent her, after the course of the Ad-
ministration towards her husband during the
campaign. Mrs. Blaine is quite capable of
doing such thing.
BADGE FOUND.
Chas. Matthews, of the Pension Office has in
his possession silver badge, with the name on
it OF Robert Meyill, Co. d, 49th N. Y.
MINOR CHAT.
1t is believed by many that Justice Bradley
will soon retire from the Supreme Bench, and
his place be given Secretary Frelinghuysen.
Despite all the newspaper gibes and jokes
there is probably no woman in the United
states who has more and better friends than
Miss Susan Il. Anthony, and it is sufficient to
say that she well deserves them. She received
at the Riggs House on New Years Day and
had throng OF callers of the best class of peo-
pie.
BIG GUNS.
Somebody is waking up to the necessity of an
efficient armament for our ships and forts. The
Gun Foundry Board asks Congress to appropri-
ote $17,000j000 for the manufacture of steel
guns of the highest power known OF this
amount s., $4,000 will go for a gun foundry for
the Navy, and another for a similar factory for
the Army. The remaining $4,000, 900 will be
divided into two equal parts and pay for the
manufacture of the guns for the two branches
of the service. 1t will require two years to
build the factories for making the guns and