New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-03-14
AMERICANS IN LONDON.
WESTINGHOUSE BIRTHDAY LEGATION
CHANGES GREELYS BOOK.


reception held Yesterday at the United
States Legation in celebration Of Washing
toms Birthday. and was. in the customary
phrase of Loudon chroniclers, numerously at
tended The private residence of the American
! Minister and Mrs Phelps is, for most social pur
| poses the United States Legation, and 1t was here
that this company assembled. On some former oc-
casions All invitation has been addressed to
! Americans in London through the public press.
| There are obvious Disadvantages IN tins easy
course and it was not followed this year. Mrs
Phelps sent out cards ali her comPatrIots known
| ut the Legation. Invitations went to Americans
| only. Int the number exceeded 600 As this is not
| the season when MANY Americans are passing
through London, most of Us are aGreeaOiy sur
| prised to find what a multitude We are. inc
multitude filled library aud dinlng-room and three
| drawing rooms from t to on Monday Afternoon
A few distinguished American travellers were to he
recognized, int the great majority we're OF those 10
| whom London il. for the present, a home.
! There were not "A few to " HON it is 4 permanent
home. for many American ladies who have married
! English husbands were present. For this day only
! they had cast OIL their new allegiance TO Her
! MAJESTY and resumed their nationality, and
! appeaTed in their true cOlOrs. They sell
! dom whatever they may think, appear IN any
| other London has long accustomed Itself to pay
! homage to American beauty and American quick
| ness Of wit, and the surprising elegance of AnHr-
can dress and American manners IL Is not pOss Die
! tor the American woman TO Tut of all these attr-
butes merely because she has dropped her Ameri-
can name. and done some Engshman the honor TO
| accept his hand aud his title.
These Ango-Americans however, were not IN
| the majority. The majority consisted of Americans
| who are Americans nrst, last, and all the time and
! not one whit the less so because business or duCy
| in one shape or another keeps them in capital
which is lust As foreign to them Washington is %
! the English ,.Oman-Just as much, and no more so.
| The receptions thr I'D OF February and on the
| Fourth of July prove that the American colony in
! london is pretty steadily ACCOMPLISHMENTS
even faster than the already long list OF American
! women whose husbands are English. 1t IL not
| often that both American aud Anglo American
! women are to he in such force in a single
| drawing room as yesterday at the Legation. The
most representatiye-by which | mean the nretteSt
and most drlightful-had made 1t a point of honor,
as vel a. of pleasure to put in appearance. Nor
" ere the men backward. The muster OF men at Pm
| afternoon at home" in London is seldom very
| large but on this occasion the right thing was 10
/ go. and almost everybody went If | were sure you
would not print this letter should like 10 say that
the greeting Of host and hostess made this bit OF
American soil in England-for such the Legation Is
seem homelike to all their guests The SEMI
public nature of the occasion may excuse the re-
| mark.
Mr.. Hopp.n has resigned his post as Secretary of
! the United States Legation. lie has held his I'M
portant oficc for some years When he took 1t he
was beyond the age at which men usually begin
| their diplomatic lives He nevertheless entered
with zeal upon his new duties. ami became well
quanted with the regular work Of the Legation
doing it with uufailing fidelity and efficiency. lie
t,,t io1 atg he No.
enters. and winch he proposes as understand to
spend for the present in London. where he will con-
tnue to enjoy the respect and good will of his conn
trymen and his late colleagues.
Mr.. Henry White for some tt ne past Second Sec
Rotary Is Mr.. Hopprn's successor He brings to his
| higher duties energy, varied experience, and that
| marked aptitude Tor diplomacy of which he has
given proof both in Vienna and in London. The
duties OF a Secretary OF legation, however, do not
lie wholly within the Office where he writes dis
! patches. HIS personal relations with other diplo-
niatists. with the Foreign Office, aud with society
| in general have mucE influence on his usefulness
| and success. If | had to draw the portrait of IN
| ideal Secretary, | should make him young we'll
hammered. well-known. He would have a shrewd,
| well-fllcd head on his young shoulders and his
circumstances should be such as to make him lnde-
pendent of the meIgrc salary which thrifty Re
!
should put him into a good house and marry him 10
a lie who had beauty, and. what Is more than
beauty. the Indefnable qualities which constitute
distinction and charm. II, in addition TO these,
she had an individuality attractive enough to MAKE
her brilliant figure in that difficult world called
London society, so much the better. Hall the
diplomatic battle would be when the diploma
tlst and his wife ranked already as ornaments of
those circles where the secrets OF so much dlplo-
macy are to be sought. | should Assume that he
did his work inside the Legation all the better for
his position outside. With all this. he is TO he a
Thorough American. and his cOuntrymen are ever 10
lind him helpful aud cOnsiderate of their some
times rather large demands on their representatives.
abroad. These outlines could be easily hucd IN,
but | am afraid the Department won too seldom
take the trOnblc to search out candidates who could
st for the likeness, and | doubt whether they
would fud many who came nearer to IL than MI.
White. ! hope no Hustere patriot at home will
think Il an objection 10 Mr. Whites promotion that
it is extremely popular IN London
The new Second Secretary is Mr.. Charles Phelps
son to the present American Minister. He las
been long enough in London to create good i'm
pressiOu and has every promise OF doing good ser
vice to his chief and his country.
Lieutenant Greelys two volumes on his Three
Years Of Arctic service are e. be published here
on Thursday simultaneously With their appearance
in ew-York me Times favored with a COPY ID
seems in advance Of the other papers. has long
review of the book, and bestOws on IL little but
praise As 10 did not follow up its innovation Of
signed articles, the author OF this remains anOny-
nous. He is il may be gathered more famil ar
with geographical than literary pursuits. There
istevdence enough In his paper that he knows a
good deal aboGt the Arctic regions, and consider
ably less about the business 81 reviewing books
or Of constructing sentences. However, u Is the
geographical verdict on expedition and MARIA
tive which l. eutenant Greedy and other American
explorers may be presumed TO care most about,
American engravers, also, will be glad TO be told
once more that their work Is here thought
mastery The Illustrations TO these volumes are
described as equal IN beauty and truth 10 anything
of the sort that has beeu attempted dare say that
means that they IN fact superior.
With Lieutenant GFesly's narrative our reviewer
is almost entirely satisfied while 10 She rysu u
OF his exploration he accords all or nearly all the