Omaha daily bee., 1890-01-12

wrote my opiu ION in English and my secre-
tary translated it into French and l-gaye 1t
TO the assembly. That day, however, l de-
cided that IL l could not master French
in six months l would throw up my mission.
l told my secretary so and he became my
teacher. From then | ate, drank, slept and
thought Of nothing but French. / studied
all the time and practioed on every man,
woman and child | met. There was no
laborer or beggar so low upon the street that
j didn't "Bon jour, monsieur TO him and
there was no woman so ragged that old not
accost her with u French phrase
longer or shorter as ! was able 10 make
ii. The result was that had q good hold
on the language before my six months were
up, and upon the death of the French envoy
at-Hayti during the latter part OF this time
j delivered an eulogy upon MIN. MY eulogy
was published in the newspapers, and IL was
copied intothe journals of Paris and COM
plimented by them"
WHY MINISTER DOUGLASS Is UNPOPULAR IN
HAYTi.
| asked Prot. Langston as to the objec-
tons of the Haytians to Minister Douglass
on account of his color. He said:
81 don't think there can be any objection
raised to him on that ground, nor on the
ground of his having "A white wife. Not a
few of the most noted people of the island
are blacks who have white wives, and this
was the case of the late President
Solomon. / once heard Solomon make
a speech defending himself against the
charge that he was opposed to the mulattoes.
He SAID: II am a black man myself and my
wife is a white French woman and my wee
president is u Haytian as white as any eau
caslan. | challenge anybody 10 say that l
have any feeling against any one on account
of his color
Il don't know that Minister Douglass is
unpopular in Hayti,n continued Minister
Langston, but If he is so it is because the
Haytians are very jealous IN regard TO the
annexation or sale of any part of their island
to the United States and they may associate
Douglass with such schemes. He was sent
to Santo Domingo with Ben Wade aud other
American statesmen to report as to the ad-
visibility of its annexation. He now goes
back to the country on a war vessel and his
secretary, MIR. Bassett, was, as consul AT
New York, in the pay of the partN which is
now out of power in Hayti. 1t may be that
the Haytlans fear Douglass. do not know.
HOW THE RUSSIANS ARE STEALING CHINA.
Rear Admiral Shufeldt, who has just re-
turned from japan, in speaking of the pos
sibility of Russia Directing to the Chinese
gaining control of Corea, tells the following
story as TO how the Russians have been out
whiting the Mongolians IA TO the boundary
between Siberia and China.
The means of communication are so poor
in China, and the avenues of news are so
few says Admiral Shufeldt, that it is i'm
possible for the Chinese to keep track of the
goings on in their provinces. The Russians
have been steadily inchlng on the Chinese.
Every year they Will send a regiment of Cos
sacks with their families about ten to fifteen
miles into China. This regiment will settle
down, take up the land and cultivate it. They
take up the boundary stones as they
settle down and put lhem at the
edge of their settlements, and the next year
another regiment comes along, takes up the
land below and moves the boundary stones
further on towards Picking. These encroach-
ments have been going on for years and the
Chinese cannot understand the perpetual
shrinkage of their northern frontier.
ANOTHER EPISODE.
] heard from a diplomat at Picking how the
last treaty was made between Russia aud
China. AT the treaty conference the Rus
slams brought forth IA map nearly as big as II
library table and upon this was a big red
line which marked the boundary between
Siberia and China. This line gave the Rus
slams a vast amount of new territory and the
Chinese, as they looked at the big map, threw
up their hands in holy horror and said that
though they were willing to give away some
of their lands they could not think of allow
ing such a vast slice of territory to go. They
were anxious to make a treaty but they could
not give away a fifth of their empire.
'.Ail right said the Russian diplomats,
"all right, we will make a new PROPOSE
tion," and with that they brought a new
map of about the size of n sheet Of note pa
per, but upon which the red line marking
the boundary was on the very same latitude
as on the library table map.
9Oh, that is all right said the Chinese,
That is more reasonable, and we will give
you that much rather than fight"
AMERICAN IN CHINA.
Some of the diplomats whom the United
States have sent to CHINA have been rare
birds, | heard all sSrts of stories about
them during my visit to the country last
year. One of our consuls at Ningpo, south
of Shanghi, was present at a dinner given
by the English consul to the two Sons of
the nrinna Df Wales Uhn Gfnnpn1 thnra on
their way around the world. The American
consul shook hands with the young princes
and threw his arm around one of their
shoulders as he said:
wall boys, so you are the sons of Whales.
| am mighty glad to see you; and how did
you leave your grandma, VictOriat L hope
she is feeling well and | want YOU 10 take
my regards to you when YOU go back
Another consul in the interior of China
was represented TO be in a chronic state of
iutoxication and the stories of General
MOseby and his lack OF a dress suit are
known to all.
Speaking of Fred Douglass and the charge
that he loses social prestige In Hayti by hav-
ing his wife do clerical work for him, recalls
a story which Admiral Shufeldt tells me of
one of our consuls to Cuba at the time he was
consul general at Havana.
This man. said the admiral, drove the
stage during the intervals of his consular
work."
Another of our ministers to "a South Amer
lean country brought his son along with him
and got him a place as a mechanic in the
town where he was located and he tried to
get his daughter a place in the public schools
but the government to which he was sent
refused to allow it. Another minister prac-
ticed medicine at the same time he was act
ing as minister, ana not n few of our consuls
IN out-of-the-way ports are engaged in bust
ness.
MINISTER PALMER's AMBITION,
1t has been reported that Thomas w. Pal
mer, our minister TO Spain, will probably re-
sign his mission in July, but his reason for
doing SO has not been gwen. l am told by "a
Micbican congressman that he proposes
to make a campaign for the governor
ship of Michigan. Said he: "Senator
Palmer would like to have his name
go down into history as the first native gov
ernor of his state. He prldes himself ON his
Michigan birth and he owns the same land
now which his grandfather took out not long
after the end Of the revolution. Palmer
made his first reputation as a speaker as a
candidate for the governorship. This was a
number of years ago. There were four CUB
ernatorial candidates and among them were
Stockbridge, now in the United States SER
ate, Thomas w. Palmer and Gov. Jerome
The contest in the convention was very close
but jerome was finally nominated, Tn
defeated candidates then had to go to the
platform and make speeches supporting the