St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-12

called upon to take foreign mission,
and that ought to know French. If
you care to try it will teach you,' he
said.
Il was. however. busy at the time,
and had no idea that | would be sent
abroad. AT this meeting of the diplo-
mats saw that i must master the
french or could do no efficient serv-
Ice. was as ked of my opinion. and
said in English that the case was very
important to my government. and that
L would like to have until 10 O'Clock the
next Cay to put my opinion in writing.
L was given the Spanish papers and 1
took them home and had my secretary
read them over to me. | wrote out
my opinion in English and
my secretary translated it in
to the French and l gave it to the
assembly. That day. however. | de-
cided that if | could not master the
French i'll six months, would throw
up my mission. l told the secretary so,
and he became my teacher. From then
on | ate, drank, slept and thought
nothing but French. | studied all the
time. and practiced on every man,
woman and child L met. There was no
laborer or begger so low upon the street
that L didn't bon jou, monsieur,' to
MIN, and there was no woman SO ragged
that did not accost her with French
phrase longer or shorter, as | was able
to make it. The result was that l had
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, | delivered a
eulogy upon him. My eulOgy was pub
hshed in the newspapers, and it was
copied into the Journals of Paris and
cOmplimented by them"
DOUGLASS Is UNPOPULAR.
L asked Prof. LangSton as to the OBJ
lectionS of the Haytians to Minister
Douglass on account of his color. He
said:
Il don't think there can be any OBJ
lection raised to him on that ground,
nor on the ground of his having white
wife. Not few of the most noted peo-
pie OF the island are blacks who have
white wives, and this was the case of
the late President Solomon. | once
heard Solomon make speech defending
himself against the charge that he was
opposed to the mulattoeS. He said: L
am black man myself, and my wife
IS white French woman, and my vice
president is a Haytian as white as any
Caucasian. ] challenge anybody to say
that have any feeling against any one
on account of his COLOR
II don't know that Minister Douglass
is unpopular in Hayti," continued eX-
Minister LangstOn, but if he is so it is
because the Haytians are very jealous
In regard to tie annexation or sale of
any part of their island to the United
States, and they associate Douglass with
such schemes. He was sent to Santo
Domingo with Ben Wade and other
American statesmen to report as to the
advlSablIlty of its annexation. He now
goes back TO the country on a war yes
sci, and his secretary, Mr.. Bassett. was.
as consul at New York, in the pay of
the party which is now out of power in
Hayti. 1t may be that the Hay tians fear
Douglass; do not know.'
RUSSIANS STEALING CHINA.
Rear-Admiral Shufeldt who has Just
returned from Japan, in speaking of the
possibility of Russia Directing to the
Chinese gaining control of COrea, tells
the following story as to how the Rus
slams have been outNitting the Mon
g0lians as to the boundary between
Siberia and China. 1.-THE means of COM
muhication are SO poor in China and
the avenues OF news are so few" says
Admiral Shufeldi, that it is impossible
for the Chinese to Keep track of the 60
lngs on in their provinces. The Rus
slams have been steadily inching on the
Chinese. Every year they will send a
regiment OF COSSacks with their families
about ten or 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 them atthe edge of their settle
mentS, and the next year another regi.
ment comes along, takes up the land
below and moves the boundary stones
further on towards Pekin. These ell
crOachments have been going on for
years, and the Chinese cannot under
stand the perpetual shrnkage of their
northern frontier"
ANOTHER DIPLOMATIC EPISODE
l heard from a diplomat at PekIn
how the last treaty was made between
Russia and China. AT the treaty con-
ference the Russians brought forth a
map nearly as big as library table and
upon this was big red line, which
marked the boundary between Siberia
and China. This line gave the Russians
vast amount of new territory, and the
Chinese, as they looked at the 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 allowing such a vast
slice of territory to go. They were
anxious to make treaty, but they
could not give away fifth of their en-
pire.
'AlI right" said the Russian diplo-
mats; ''all right, we will make a new
proposition" and with that they brought
in new map of about the size Of
sheet of note paper, but upon which the
red line marking the boundary was on
the very same latitude as on the library
table map.
ooh, that is all right" said the
Chinese. THAT is more reasonabIe.an
we will give you that much rather than
fight"
MINISTER PALMER's AMBITION.
1t has been reported that Thomas W.
Palmer, our minister to Spain, will pro-
badly resign his mission in July, but
his reason for doing so has not been
given. | am told by Michigan con-
gresham that he proposes 10 make a
campaign for the gOVernOrship of Mich
igan. Said he:
senator Palmer would like to have
his name go down into history as the
first native governor of his state. He
prides himself on his Michigan birth
and he owns the same land now which
his grandfather took up not long after
the end of the Revolution. Palmer
made his first reputation as a speaker
as candidate for the gUyernorship.
This was a number of years ago. There
were four gubernatorial candidates, and
among them were Stock5ridge, now in
the United States senate, Thomas W.
Palmer and Gov. Jerome. The contest in
the convention was very close but Jerome
was finally nominated. The defeated
candidates had then to go to the plat
form and make speeches supporting
the nomination. Palmer made the best
speech of the trio. He said it was
hardly fair to ask man to speak at his
own funeral, but that his situation was
the same Today as was that Of Bona
parties soldier, who, wounded well nigh
unto death, had fallen in the ranks and
had been left by the roadside on that
famous retreat from Moscow. He lay
there dying, and as Napoleon rode by he
raised his hand and shouted "Vive
la emperor" lit is the same with me,'
said Senator Palmer. II have fought
hard; am wounded nigh unto death,
but as long as | exist | will shout .'Vive