The Washington critic., 1886-07-24
moons Az THE WHITE house.


uhN NtNs ,ifNfibhhs
President Cleveland while in the
White House library sits at an oaken
desk made of the timber of Her Ma
jcstys Ship Resolutc, which was one of
the vessels of the relief expedition sent
out by Great Britain to search for Sir
Jon Franklin's Arctic exploring party,
and was abandoned in 1854. Subse-
qucntly the Rcsolute was extricated
from the region OF snow aud ice by
Captain Buddington of the whaler
George Henry, who towed her into a
safe harbor and thence back to Eng.
land. Afterward the Resolute was
broken up and its remains were turned
into beautifully carved desks, one of
which was sent to the President of the
United States by Queen Victoria rs a
symbol of the amiCablc relations exist.
ing between her government and ours.
As might be expected from such
busy President, the desk is piled up
with papers and official documents, aud
among the volumes which bear marks
Of most frequent use are the Digest of
Pension Laws, the American Almanac
Report Of the Committee on Naviga.
tion and a handsomely bound copy Of
the Constitution, inscribed "GrOver
Cleveland. At the right of the desk
is a square wooden waste. basket of the
same material that composes the desk,
and the chair occupied by the Presi-
dent Is Il substantial cane, revolving
contrivance, which allows the oCcu.
pant TO tilt back when SO disposed.
Black walnut book cases, with glass
doors, arc disposed at intervals around
the octagon, maroon. .Colurcd room,
and The leather furniture is made to
harmoni2c with the prevailing tint.
a peep inside few of the cases re
ycalcd the following standard works
with which to supply mental pabulum
for the Chief Magistrate: Cyclopedia
Americana, Strickland's Queens of
England, the Literature and Literary
Men of Great Britain and Ireland,
Lives Of the Lord Chancellors, Burke's
Works, Annual Biography and Obit
uary, Irving Works, Gibbons Roman
Empire, History of the Eighteenth
Century, Goldsmi,hs Miscellaneous
Works. BanCroft's History Of the
United States, Blackwood 5 Magazine,
the Edinbureh Review. Niles Regis
ter, Commodore Pcrrys Expedition to
Japan, the Colonial History of New
York, Carlyle's French Revolution,
De Quincey's Writings, the States
man S Manual Life and Works of John
Adams. Writings of Washington by
Jared Sparks, aud Graham's Colonial
History of the United States.
These comprise but a few of the
works in the Presidents library aud
were all on the shelves when the in.
cumbent assumed control. 1t Is part
of the duty of the Commissioner of
Public Buildings and Grounds to pro.
vide books for this room, but nothing
has been added since the advent of the
new administration. Mrs. Cleveland s
private room, or the Red Parlor, in
which she receives visitors, is ele.
gantly equipped with standard literary
and art works Among them being
Masterpieces Of French Art, The In.
goldsby Legends, English Poets, Ay-
toun's Lays, Shakespeare, Picturesque
Washington, Gems of European
Art, Dantes Inside of He'll,
the Dresden Gallery Works of Sir
Edwin Landseer, X. A., Dove Gallery
and the art studios of S. r. Leslie. Pc.
| riodicals lie scattered about on the
pretty marble table, HalperS', The
ContUTy and the North american Re.
riew being conspicuous, but any novels
or other light reading utilized by
the mistress of the White House are
kept in her private apartments.