The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-19

1
courtesy and hospitality, and General Grant
| never failed to appreciate and remember their
| behavior. But there were indications, after
| while, that they must have received instructions
| from home not to pay too much difference to the
| exPresdent He believed that the British gov
eminent was unwilling to admit to the half
civilized populations OF the East that any West
ern power was i'm portant, or that any authority
deserved recognition besides their own. AT
| least. several occasions in the Chinese
waters and around Burmah, Siam and Japan
there we're marked failures in those compliments
which were paid him everywhere else in Asia.
| was then in England, but kept up a constant
| correspondence with him. Reading of the hon.
| ors offered him in India. / suggested that when
| he left the British dominions in the East he
should request the American minister in Lon
| don to thank the government for the peculiar
| distinction with which he had been treated
| This was his reply:
II received your letter suggesting that /
should write to Mr.. Welsh OH my departure
/ from the last British colony in time to have
| written from Hong Kong But did not do SO
because did not feet like making acknowledg'
ments to the government for any exhibition OF
| respect their part, while gratefully acknowl-
| edge the most marked hospitality and kindness
from all British officials in the East. do not
| care to write the reasons for distinguishing the
people, official and unofficial, of England, and
| the government but will tell you some day."
| He told me fully ,afterward. In December,
| 1878 he wrote to me
| Before your letter suggesting letter of con-
dolence to the Prince of Wales for the death of
the Princess Alice and letter of thanks TO the
| President for his tender Of q ship to take me
east, had written such letter as the latter,
| but to the Secretary of the Navy. without al
| fusion to the President On tho whole, thought
| 1t out OF place, on the estimation of the Ameri-
| can citizen. to write to the Queen. or for her."
| Nevertheless, few months before he had said
| to me, ~ wrote the Duke of Argyll letter of
coincidence the very moment I heard of the
| death of the Duchess. day before yesterday,
| think"
And so he went on from one potentate and
| people to another. at Bombay he said, four
| days after he arrived "The reception here has
been most cordial from the officials. foreign resi-
| dents. Parsee merchants and the bettertod do
Hindoo natives Myself and party were invited
to occupy the government house, where we are
now staying and whore we have received
prncely Inequalities" From Calcutta. month
| later. he wrote me: we nave now done lnoia
| from Bombay to Delhi and back to this place.
| We leave here tomorrow morning for Singapore.
| The English people have exceeded themselves In
Inequalities. Nowhere but at one place have
| we been permitted to stop at hotel, and there
| Jubulpore-it was because no official had the
spare room for our accommodation"
have not space to recite his travels; but the
impression made on him in China was SO pro-
| found that am tempted to quote few lines
| my visit through China was pleasant one,
though the country presents no attractions to in
| vite the visitor to make the second trip From
| Canton to Picking my reception by the civil and
| military authorities was the most cordial ever
| extended to any foreigner, no matter what his
rank. The fact is the Chinese like Americans
| better or rather perhaps hate them less, than
any other foreigners. The reason is palpable.
We are the only power that recognizes their
right to control their own domestic affairs. My
impression is that China is on the eve Of great
revolution that will land her among the nations
| of progress. They have the elements of great
wealth and great power. too, and not more than
a generation will pass before she will make these
| elements felt
Grant often said to me that the four greatest
men he met abroad were Beaconsfeld Bismarck,
Gambetta and the Chinese statesman III Hung
| Chang. Japan, however, interested him more
than any country in the world, except his own
and England, where indeed he never felt as a
foreigner; for he loved England after he knew
Englishmen at home.
OF Japan he said:
1--WE have now been in Japan for nearly a
| month My reception and entertainment has
been the most extravagant [ have ever known,
| or even read of This is most beautiful coun
try and most interesting people. The prog
ress they have made in their changed civiliza-
| tion within twelve years is almost incredible
They have now military and naval academies,
| colleges. academies engineering schools, schools
of science and free schools for male and female,
as thoroughly organized and on as high basis
| of instruction any country in the world.
| Travel in the interior is safe for unarmed,
| unprotected foreigner as it is in the New Eng
land States. This IS marvellous, when the treat
ment these people and all Eastern peoples re-
ceive at the hands of the average foreigner
siding among them lis considered. Ihave never
| been so struck with the heartiessness OF nations
| as well individuals since coming to the
East But day of retribution is sure to come,
These people are becoming strong. and China
| is sure to DO so also When they do, different
policy will have to prevail from that imposed
now"
Grant had conceived many and large ideas in
regard to an Oriental policy for this country du"-
e. all Ia~o
and had he reached the presidency again, to in
aucurate this policy would have been principal
| object of his administration.
On the 28th of August 1879. he wrote to me:
my visit to this interesting country and
abroad is now drawing to a close. On the I'd of
September we sail for San Francisco. Our
ception and entertainment in Japan has exceed
ed anything preceding 1t. At the end of the
first year abroad was quite homesck. but de-
| termined to remain to see every country in
| Europe at least. Now, at the end of twenty-six
months, dread going back, and would not if
there was line of steamers between here and
Australia. But I shall go to my quiet little
home in Galena. and remain there until the cold
| drives me away"
No man enjoyed ordinary travel, the seeing of
strange sights and different countries and
tons more than Grant; and no man ever had
his extraordinary opportunities. Under these
his mind and character grew and enlarged; he
received all the benefits of contact with SO many
minds, OF witnessing so many civilizations of
| studying so many intellectual and moral va
| rieties OF man. He had not in his youth the
advantage of what is called liberal education
but man ever trod. this earth more highly
educated than Grant by events, and experiences,
and opportunities and attrtion with the highest
natures, and association with the grandest com.
panies in the grandest sense of the word.
He kept up his connection with his great COM
| peers after his return He correspondent with
more than one King, and when the history of
/ his campaigns, on which had been engaged for
and whit nh int had aan
almost equal to my own. was at length complete,
| he sent 8 copy to every potentate all over the
world by whom he had been entertained: to the
| Mikado of Japan and to Bismarck; to the Vice
roy of India and the Kings of Siam, and Sweden,
and Greece the Prince of Wales and the Presi-
| dents of Switzerland and the French republic,
and every one ACKNOWLEDGED the present except
| the Prince of Wales.
ILL c.l1. 7.