Morning journal and courier., 1886-01-20
A. IT. STEWART,s WINES.
His Sunday Dinner and Weekly R C
 union of Friends.

] union of Friends. 1 sFretn the New York Mercury.1 /! The late 4. T. Stewart although child | less man himself, was finn and steadfas | believer in sociable Sunday dinners, forming ] weekly reun ions of his friends, keeping Ill 5 his circle of aeauaintances and making hin "feeI, once week" as he used to say Hike @ family man." From the time he moved into his marble palace on Flftl, avenue tht Stewart Sunday dinner was the main feature of the week, and pro uably the Stewart Sun daT dinner was the one finest dinner in ev cry respect given that day in New York Stewart, who was thc greatest master in the world of the art of detail" saw to all the details of these dinners himself. So that they were absolutely perfect. He had the best cook, steward etc., that money could procure, yet he personally superintended them all; hs left nothing to chance. He seldom attempted big dinner parties, because he found by experiences as every body else will find who makes the trial-that where there are many guests there are sure to be some bores, or some who do not assimilate and get along with the rest. So, as a rule, he confined his invitations to a dinner to ten or twelve and spent as Tdch time and money on their entertainment as If there
 were 100.
 The millionaire claimed to be as good a judge of wines as he was of pictures, and he certainly spent enormous sums successfully on both He employed one travelling agent in Europe, who did nothing but supply him with choice wines. The choicer and the more expensive the wines his agent selected, the higher was the salary this favored agent received Thus it was mutually satisfac. tory arrangement and on several occasions Stewart actually got the inside track of Flu ropean dukes and princes and got wines that they had endeavored to secure in vain. This would tickle the old greatly, and his lucy wine man would receive by the next steamer some substantial token of his em ployer's satisfaction.
 One day, red letter in the great mer- chants calendar, he received an invoice of the world-fanous wine known as Prince Nefternich's blue Bel" wine he had set his heart upon for years, but h, vain. It took a great deal to move A. I. Stewart out ot hls regular routine i panic wouldn'p have done it, but this "blue seal'' did With | smile of supreme lf-satisfaction, the Napo- icon of trade went with his wine to his palace and enjoyed an hours bliss in the constant contemplation, and an occasional sip, of his treasure
 Stewart was very abstemious man, even in wine. He valued it fer quality. He did not gorge in quantity. He set an example of temperance, even at his own magnificent
 
 wine, and feeling he owned it, was greater than the delirious joy of the most confirmed toper. And his next remittance to his wine agent contained $2, 900 extra as appreeia- ton of his services in securing this prize.
 To be offered sip of this Metternich "blue scalp was to be shown special mark of favor, and was sure sign that the recipi- ent of the courtesy stood high in the rich mans esteem.
 The millionaire had special glasses for this special wine, glasses very costly, very exqui- site and very small. He poured out the wine into these glasses with his own hand, and, small as the glasses were, he hardly ever quite filled them.
 At one Stewart Sunday dinner little cpl sode occurred which cost the man who made a somewhat pointed remark about 1000. An English banker was invited by Stewart to his tables, and the mill ionaire poured out the blue seal. The Englishman quaffed down what there was of it at gulp, in a careless manner, quite at contrast with the solemn style in which Stewart had poured it out. "Ah, you have tasted this wine be- fore," remarked the somewhat chagrined American merchant. "Oh, yes" replied the English banker, ''and in larger glasses" :" Stewart smiled faintly at the somewhat brusque remark, but the Englishman did not smile when Stewart stopped negotiations with his banking house then pending and transferred his favors to rival London house.
 The last Sunday dinner at the Stewart palace was a memorable one. Lord Mande- vile was there, Hon. John Bigelow and Pier repont Edwards, Judge Hilton, oc course, and eight other gentlemen besides the host, Mrs. Stewart being absent. One of the gen tlemen invited, being taken sick, sent his re- grets, and thus, to Hilton's annoyance and Stewards absolute dread, there were just thirteen sat down at table. Hilton offered to leave so as to reduce the number to twelve. But Stewart and the rest would not spare him. No one else could be asked to leave. Stewart couldn't leave himself, and so, with 8 strange forboding the millionaire poured out the blue seal for his guests Eight days later the millionaire lay dead in a chamber near the dining room, and the blue seal has not been poured out since.