The Portland daily press., 1890-03-26
BARNUMS OWN and ONLY IN ENGLAND.
The Great American Snowman Tells
Of His Foreign TrIunphs.
How British Royalty Went to the
Greatest Show on Earth.
London Theatres Missed the Pa
irons Who Attended the Circus.

New YORK, March 25.-The principal
owner of the greatest show on earth is in the
city and has been talking with with the re.
pnrters of his trip to England. Mr.. Barnum
is enthusiastic over the unprecedented sue
cess Of his trip to England. "Just look at
that" he said, pointing to huge volume on
his table containing illustrations of 'the
greatest show on earth" taken from London
and provincial papers, ''and it will give you
an idea of the interest which the English
took in the exhibition. l have had several
volumes bound, and have presented them to
my friends and to several museums .and IL
braries. l do not say 1t in an egotistic sense.
but really no American ever created such a
furor in old England as good old Barnum,
as was everywhere called. OF course the
cable has told you something of my success,
but it could not tell all. The great Olympia.
which seated 1900 people, was crowded con-
stantly night and day. The superintendent
Of the underground railway wrote US that he
had carried back to the city on one night
1000 people who had been unable to gain ad-
mission TO the building. 1t was that way all
the time. Thousands were turned away
from the doors. People came from all over
Great Britain. There was not a town in
Great Britain Of any consequence which did
not have our bills posted up within its lin
its.
"'Why,' said Lord Rosebery, when he
called upon me, 'Barnum, all England is
talking of you.'
"The Royal family, with the exception of
the Queen, and almost all Of the nobility
came to see us. And they came not once,
but many times. When / received the
Princess of Wales upon her second visit l
told Her Royal Highness that was glad to
see her a second time because that proved
she enjoyed her first visit.
Indeed she replied, Mr.. Barnum, l
have been here three times. besides my TWO
official visits
THAT was, she had come incngnito. as did
many other members Of the royal family.
You know they get tired Of hearing God
Save the Queen footed into their ears every
place they go, and they obyiate this by con-
was exceedingly kind. He sent word that
he did not wish to be introduced to Mr.. Bar
mum, because he already knew me, as my
show had been the only entertainment which
he had visited In New York. He laughed
when told him how had used that visit as
drawing card for others. Prince George
and the Crown Prince Of Denmark were also
frequent visitors. The Crown Prince told
me that he had heard of my show during his
whole lifetime, and was happy to see 1t In
reality. Mr.. Gladstone was also greatly in
terested in the sights, and gave vent to his
formers on the stage at once.
The English were glad to see an old fellow
OF eighty cross the Atlantic with three of
Noah's arks. They like plnck and considered
that plucky. When drove around the ring
in the grand procession in my huge carriage,
with c0achmen and footmen, the people stood
up in their seats, the men waving their hats
and the women their handkerchiefs. The
applause was, .believe, more enthusiastic
than that of an American audience.
But" continued Mr.. Barnum, 1--WE COM
pletely depopulated the other places of
amusement in London. Augustus Harris,
who was running Her Majesty's Theatre,
had TO close ID in the middle Of the season.
There was not money enough taken in
to pay the actors and actresses. They
were doing well enough before we arrived
in London The same thing can be said
OF the mdsic halls. l had to laugh when my
old frie1d Henry Irving referred to this.
attended one of his famous suppers, which
begin after IL o'clock and end about in the
morning. When he toasted me he said:
we like Mr.. Barnum; we are glad to have
hic with us; but we wish just now that he
was 3,O00miles away His own theatre had
s1tfered almost as much as the others.
must not think kan8b 8bofeysra MsIa added iad led
Vited dI,ai 10 %ae, one; biaces We dined with the
ne an excellent letter praising the show
rom moral point of view. We were also
Isked to the home of the Lord Mayor
II London, and had standing invitation to
lis receptions. The unfortunate death of
'oung Mr.. Lincoln only prevented US from
icing presented to the Queen. We received |
many other attentions which / cannot men |
ion now"