New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-09

rived hut the most heartbrcaking difficulties were
occoqoned nv the DELAY of our Government In pay
ing the money agreed upon, and il was only by
Borlow's extraordinary tact, patience and IN
| gcnuity that the Algerne tyrant was prevented
| from declaring the convention at an end. In the
discharge of his duty, and particularly In
| charitable attentions to the captfves The
Consul exposed himself daily to the plaques
and Mr. Todd prints o very interesting
letter which he wrote In expectation of death,
with directions that 1t should be sent to his wife
only in case he should be carried Oft. On the con-
clusion of his mission he returned Immediately to
Paris, and resumed his literary persuts, tho Co.
lumbiad" now taking up most of his time. Robert
Fulton was In France at this period experimenting
with his submarine torpedo and steamboat, and
Barlow besides helping him with money. became
one of his dearest and most intimate friends.
The Directory was now in the full tide
| Of the insolent and injurious acts to-
ward the United States which were
so near involving the two countries in war at the
beginning of tho Administration Of President
| Adams France had the cffrontery to resent the
| election OF Adams over Jefferson. and the long
| series of wrongs eliminated In the refusal to
ceivc the triple commission from the United States
| -Pinckney Marshall and Gerry-without the pay
ment of large bribe to Taleyrand and
the members of the Directory. Adams met this
dangerous crisis with courage. frmness and
sagacity he was ready to fight, but he kept the
door open for an honorable peace and ms tho Di-
rectory did not really wish for war, Taleyrand
soon made proposals of accommodation, and in
| formally but with sufficient painness, invited
the renewal Of negotiations. 1t is not generally
known says Mr. Todd, that the change of tone
| In France largely due to the influence of Joel
| Barlow exerted privately on the members
| Of the Directory and In public on the
French people through the medium OF the
press" 1t is not generally known
and we do not believe that it is true. The biogra-
| pher cites evidence Of any such distinguished
service. He does quote letter of Barlows to Gem
eral Washington, written in October 1903; but 1t
Is almost certain that this letter had no influence
in the settlement of the difficulty. Barlows opinion
| of Washington had greatly changed since he wrote
| to Ruth Baldwin of his delight at being seated on
| the right-hand of the greatest man on EARTH" In
| penning this letter from Paris, he requested his
| brother-in-law, Senator Baldwin, of Georgia, to
! whom 1t was incosed, to take copy Of it land
| If you find that neither this any other
statement of facts is likely to calm the frenzy of
him and his associates. but that they continue run
| ming wild after a phantom to the ruin of their
country should think it best to publish it with
| my name and his that our countrymen may see,
whenever they will open their eyes. that one of
| their chiefs at least has had warning in proper
time and from an unsuspicious quarter" The let
ter deprecated war; recouuted the endeavors OF the
French Government to avert it, assured the General
that if the United States would send
another Minister to negotiate a treaty he
woud he well received, and gave it to be
understood that in making this communication the
writer was inspired by high personages. Presi-
dent Adams. to whom Washington gave the letter,
read it in that sense. But when 1t was written
explicit overtures from Talleyrand himself, and
long before Barlow's letter to hand the affair
was virtually arranged. The French surrender
was undoubtedly precpitated by the publication
in Philadelphia of the famous y. H. dispatches"
III which the whole story of the attempt of the
French Directory TO sell themselves and
blackmail the United s ates was officially told
We find proof that BIrlow's Intervention count
ed at all in the result. nor is it by means clear
that Talleyrand or members of the Directory were
privy to 1t.
In the letter to Washington, Barlow made the as |
tonlshinc statcment that he was not accustomed |
to nterpose his advice in the administration Of
any country" From the time of the French i'm
broglio he to have left of mcddling with for
eign governments. and to have paid long-le- |
fcrrel attention to his own. violent |
letter of his against Adams and the in
sidious purposes Of the Federal party was |
used in the political quarres of the time,
and led him to compose two elaborate addresses to |
his countlymen which extensively circulated. |
They showed strong French bias, and it is curl
.ous that throughout them Barlow always speaks to
the American people of your Government" |
"your Cabinet" your Executive and so on.
never of tours" They forcible. however.
and by comparison with most political pamphlets
of the day they models of dignity. In 1903
the exile returned home. bringing with him the
manuscript of the completed COlumbiad," and a
number of illustrations by the best En- glsh artists
with which the work was published In a style of
spendor never before attempted in America. He
bought and improved a beautiful country seat near
Washington, which he called Kalorama; and there
he spent several years of elegant and not idle
repose, busy with books and literary schemes and
enjoying the friendship of Jefferson and other lead
ers of the Republican party. In 1911 Mr. Madison
appointed HIM Minister to France III the belief that
his personal qualifications and antecedents would
enable HIM to present our complaints arising from
the enforcement Of Napoleon's Berlin decree
with every chance of a favorable hearing. The ne
g0tiations were interrupted by the Emperors
Russian expedition. Barlow followed Napoleon to
Wilma, where it arranged at last that the
American treaty should be signed but at Wilma he
met by the Of the disastrous retreat; he
turned back and at small village in Poland he
died on Christmas Eve, 1872 of rapid attack of
Inflammation of the lungs brought OH by the hard.
ships of the journey.
In characteristic passage of his history
Professor McSlaster speaks Of the contempt
which any man who admires poetry must
feel toward tho scrbbler who dcbased tho
English language by writing rhc Columbiad'D.
and elsewhere he says that Barlow is now remem-
bered the author of some of the most detestable
verses in the English tongue" This is absurd and
ignorant criticism. Like many other respectable
and mistaken versiiiers Barlow labored under the
disadvantage of not being poetj but his elaborate
epic, which our generation cannot read except as
penance, was adapted to the literary tastes
and canOns of his day. and was not en-