Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-18
matte corps is particularly subjected to his

abusive criticism.
| In May, 1s4I, he attended one of Carusis
May balls, and says truly, "Mr. Carusi 10 the
dancing master of all the young girls in town,
and In his description of the fete libels the fair
queen OF May, to whom on those delightful &C.
caslons we paid such willing homage. and says
she was ugly" as if il we're possible or prob
| able thing that May queen could be ugly,
and II we remember Alright this queen of May
| was very handsome girl. and today, though
| grandmother, Is a remarkably handsome wo-
man-handsomer, q friend remarks, than any
woman he ever saw in Paris unless she was an
| American. This lady, the wife Of q retired
| commodore still attracts almost much
admiration IN her maturity she did in her
| girlhood Libeous though tho snarling letter
| writer is, we thank him for recalling those
| days-remote almost they seem as the anti
revolutionary days. Amid all the changes Of
| time and circumstances to the few-compara-
tively-who participated in the enjoyments of
| that period they remain as delightful memo
| ries.
| HIS DESCRIPTION OF WASHINGTON
would not be recognized now. He says: "The
avenue is the only street. and it is crossed by
streets at right angles, in each of which are
from five to six houses; you can
reach the oper country in five hundred steps.
The Inhabitants all own cows and
pigs, but no stables. and these animals wander
| about all day and night through the city and
go to their owners houses only in the morning
and evening to be fed. The women milk their
cows on the sidewalk and sprinkle the passers-
| by. The nocturnal wanderings of these beasts
| create an internal racket, in which they are
| Joined by dogs and cats"
| In February, 1S4l he says: II went to see Mr.
| and Mrs. Charles Hill, who live at the extreme
| end of the city (the northwest corner of 14th
| street and Massachusetts avenue-Thomas Cir
| cle). My carriage sank up to the axletree in
the snow and mud. 1t was necessary to leave
| the carriage, which had to be dragged out and
| scraped to remove the mud and slush, which
stuck to it like glue. l don't know how any
one can get to Hills on Monday next, when
they give ball. They count on the moon
| shining on that night to save their necks. This
| Is how ii is in Washing ton-streets not paved
| swep. or lighted"
VISITING ANALoSTAN ISLAND.
He called on Gen. Mason on Analostan
Island. charged by the king Louis Philippe
to assure him of his feelings of friendship
toward him. The old gentleman was tho king s
guide in this part of the United States forty
odd years ago. He sGys the family of Gen.
Mason was very agreeable, and, what was as
tonshIng, prodigious. enormous. They pressed
us to stay to dnner-a politcness unknown to
Americans, who never admit any one 20 their
table without having made their preparations n
long time before and drilled their negroes and
negresses. The good old general who
is sixty-five years old, begged me TO thank the
king for his gracious remembrance; he was
Mason De Bacourt speaks of so patronizingly
was of distinguished family and q gentleman
OF large fortune and the father of the late Hon.
James NJ Mason, who represented Virginia in
the United States Senate for some years and
was with Mr.. John Slidell sent as envoy to Eng
land by the confederate government and was
taken by Capt Wilkes from the British steamer
and brought to the United States, but subse-
quently returned to the steamer from which
they had been taken. Col. John Mason. an
other wn1l-EnnNyn mt cf
Georgetown, where he owned large mills
John \. Mason, who was Secretary of the Navy
under Mr. Polk and minister to Franco, though
related, came from another family, that of
George Mason of Gunston Hall. who was the
| author OF the 'Bill of Rights" and declined to
accept seat III the United States Senate,
though elected. l could follow the libeler
through his whole book and point out the dis
tlngulshed personages whom he traduces. Of Mr.
Van Buren,, for instance, he says: His poiteness
Is perfect; 1t Is the perfect imitation of gen.
teman." Every one who invited him to their
| entertainments he ridicules and abuses. l will
not quote narncs, as many members of the fam
lilies he lIbels live here. He finds it in his heart
to speak well OF the venerable Father Mathews
He says: HE is an American by birth, but was
brought up in Liege; he returned to America
during the French revolution. He came to
Washington, which was being built and think
ing 1t would become q city of importance
bought a large tract of land" (The square
The Able Mathews seems to me to be a good.
honest man, distinguished only for his charity
perhaps the highest of all distinctions" A dis
tinction of which De Bacourt is entirely devoid
will only further notice most interesting
character. who like everybody brought into
this book, is spoken of in an unpleasant manner,
to say the least.
HENRY wYKoFF.
De Bacourt speaks very frequently of Fanny
Elssler, whom he had known in Europe, and
who was making the tour of this country at
that time. Mr.. Henry Wykoff accompanied
her as her agent, beIieve, though Dc Bacourt
asserts he had married her, which is not true.
Mr.. Wykof, despite the unpleasant terms In
which VI. de Bacourt speaks of him. was n man
OF very extraordinary ability, which enabled
him for years, indeed up to the last DAYS of his
life, to sustain the closest relations with the
most distinguished men and rulers of this
country and Europe. He was intrusted with
| most delicate and important negotiations by
the Emperor Napoleon Ill, with whom he had
been on terms of intimacy for many years Asa
diplomatlst he was recognized as having few
| equals III Europe. He for years the asso-
clate and recognized agent abroad of the elder
Bennett, to whom he introduced me after |
had assumed the direction of the National IN
| hHgeHcer. feud had existed for years be-
| tween the Herald and the Natton4l IateLiiqsncer
which was healed only q fow years before Mr.
| Gales death. Meeting Mr.. Wykoff in New
1oTh went with aim 10 call on Mr.. Bennett at
his Office, where We lunched and where | re-
ceived very valuable advice in Journalism and
| In day or two thereafter | dined with Mr.
Bennett at his residence Washington Heights
with Mr.. WykoT and had the opportunity of
seeing the intimate relations existing between
Mr.. Bennett and Wykoff. His access to tine
| seats of power, even to the throne was of no
| recent growth. The late Gen. Ramsay. 40
we'll remembered and esteemed here, told me
an incident of Mr.. Wykoff on one occasion
when dining with him and Mr.. w.
AN INSTANCE OF wYKoFF's INFLUENCE
The general said soon after he had graduated
| at West Point he was sent or made a tour OF
Europe and was in Paris during the temporary
trouble between this country and France. II
was therefore during Gen. Jackson's admins
| tration. Our minister had been recalled
| think. At any rate he was not there and Mr.
Daniel Brent, consul general at Paris for years.
was acting charge d'affaires. There was to
be state ball on some great occasion and the
young lieutenant OF artillery was anxious to 90
and applied to Ibis relative" rs he told me- Mr.
| Brent, for an invitation. Mr. Brent regretfully
! informed him he had disposed of all he had re-
ceived. and said the conditions existing between
the two countries forbade his asking any fayors
| of the government. Very much disappointed.
| Gen. Ramsay, said he met that day Mr.
| Wykoh, to whom he expressed his lisappoint-
| mcnt. ''Ohi don't be worried about that; Twill
| obtain ticket for you," said MIR. Wykoff. an as
surance which seemed SO unlikely that the gen.
! eral said he regarded it as badinage. Some
hours later, when he had returned to his
hotel, an invitation reached him, borne
by parsonage respondent in royal livery On
| the night OF tho ball the consul general and
| charge d'affaires was surprised to meet the