The St. Johns herald., 1886-10-21
HARRIET LANE.
The Mistress of the White Horse ia
 Buchanan's Time.


 In the array of bea ty witch dis tin guishes the daughters of Pennsylvanla among the IaIrest of their cOuntrywo- men. among the iorenoss in Ter day was Harrlet Lane.
 The powerf l and great of the two continents pad homage to her charms oi person, Of manner and of mind. At 1he court of VIcIori the suve. eign Of Great Britain, she was the object or special attention and admiratiou from tne Queen. the me ibers of the royal family anu the nobility
 At the republican co Tt of her distin- guished uncle. James buchanan, iifGe ent h President or tho United Les, she " 5 queen in her own realm, recognize1 and applauded by statesmen, genera s, poItlcIans and people, and beiove1 OG her own Sex m every grade of the social scale st the National apital.
 AlthOush nearly three uecadeS have elapsed since this Pennsylvania queen leIgned Ill the full glory of preoI ing LAdy of an exceptionally brilliant regime d. Li.e Executive Mansion, and by WIT ue in her etatIon was recogn. zed as the First LsI y of the Land, tie remenIUrance O. Lose days constitutes one oI lh; bright est remlniscence, in the socIal expert ences Of L.any Who survive tue tur- moIls of IebeIlfon and muJatIonS Of pol itIcs, anu eLIil sIare in tiIe zap etIe5 0. tue IashIonable woIld at the seaC UI Ma tIonal government.
 On farK strect, in ore of the most ar istOcr-tic poltIoEs of the city Oi B.lti- more, ill a lain but stately maiIsion, surrObnd.d by all the cJnlOrLso O. wealth and Lhv souyvnirS of the pubic cIreer O. her uncle and of her own sCci Il IT, unphs in England aud AmerlcL, Ives this Gis.oric woman.
 Though past mIddle age. she preserv .,.-, trace or that beauty or lace an ts-- ,I,ich cOntr1outeI so much Jo tho -o,aror of her sway When in the zenILn S,hnr soc,al career. As she entered tho S,,.a ,,,1rs, room she looked even mure h.s,,, s9,l in her robes of wI~ownood and ,o~t,'arbooI robbed by the relentless harvester of her young son.
 Against the wall hung Sir John Watson Gordon's picture of the Prince of Wales, presented to NIT. Buchanan by En. .la..d'5 sovereign in recognition of tho hospit.i- ities shown her son during hlS Nls.t 10 the United States Tn 1860. Marble busts and articles of vertu were d.s- t,ibJted about the room. A picture of Henry Eliot Johnston, the idOl of her young maiden heart an the husband Of her later years, presented the features Of a person of fine presence and ainia- bility of character
 My reccoll ctions of those earlier days" said this queenly woman alter a cordial greeting, seating herself, "are very vivid. lave preserved the most important events of my life at the Court of SC. James and the White House in the form of notes. It has often been sugges- ted that prepare these in a connected shape. so that that they may Le in con- dition for p .blicat.on, but shrink from giving such prominence to events which are not only private but recall some of the dearest memories of my life. I do not object to recal ing these scenes in life spent amo $ the titled personages of the old world and the great men of our own codn- try, but 1 dislike publicity.
 Many of the pr. ncipaI figures in those scenes have passei EwEy, bur many still remain. cherish the memories of the dead Gnd the living Ghke, and realize how favored was in having such oppor- tunities,
 My life now is little spent In social affairs. have my home here. in which l have preserved the souvenirs Of the past and which bring up many pleasant "reminiscences. "-l Philadelphia Times.