New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-01
CAPTAIN BURTON.
THE CLOSE OF AN ADVENTUROUS CAREER


Trieste. October 2l,.
CAPTAIN Burton once asked by frlend WHY
he persisted in living on the fourth floor. %
cause there is no fifth floor" was the character
istic answer: and he meant it. man OF more
prodirious energy one could scarcely hope 10 hhu'
II was a luxury to him TO run up and down 'ie
hundred and twenty steps between the s'reeV '''
the spacious apartments which for many Se'i'
were his home. Nor did his friends WHO ""e"
him we'll enough TO appreciate him muiiiiu' 90
the labor which was amply rewarded "hei INV
they reached him. But Thousand anu '"e
strangers. idle curiosity seekers, were ny '''o0c
tedious stairs discouraged and denarreu Hoin III
truding upon him; and this was TO MN ei'"'
gain For hospitable as he was 10 li'cn'' 0
detested the professional tourist, ana ihc" ~
feel that be was secure from such annoyance "n'
alone with his wife and his books. And then'
his modest fiat allowed him so much rceooih'
"f had a campagna," he once said, and gar
dcns and servants, horses and carriages, ] should
feel tied. weighted down. in fact. With a h"'
ond two or three maidservants one has ONLY 10
lock the door and 60 1t feels like light mofch-
inc order as if we were always ready for an cN-
ned;tion. and il is a comfortable place 20 come
hack TO- Look at our land and SEA scape we
have air. light and tranquility; no dust no noise'
No street smells Here my wife receives some
thing like seventy very intimate frl Nus every
Friday. an exercise of hospitality TO which nave
M objection save one, and that is met pS tne
height we live at There is in every Town d
LOT ~ old women Of both sexes who sit for hours
talking about the weather and the canc'hs VI
tho Mace. and this contingent cannot race 'fe
stairs.
The Burton household was a most ln'ere'uins
Mace. however, despite the deprecauhS Ioi'e III
which it's head always spoke Of IT, Inc &c"
,ooms or most of them were a unique museum
Of the spoils of travel in every quarter OF "a"
Globe all arranged with the consummate skill OF
e. ar,is, and Archaeological combined. IN the
corridor the visitor might imagine hlmset 20
10 in a convent for the most conspicuous opJec's
usro n nicture of the Saviour, a Madonna ana
statnette of St Joseph with lamp rerpeta'iiS
brrnino before each. Lady Burton WIS one ol
the Arundes of Wardour, and of course deVouV
Roman Catholic. They used to say that captain
Burton was Mohammedan: which he was hot,
save for a purpose on that famous UP 10 ~
Medina and Mecca. But one might think 50 from
+be appearance of the chief lrawlng-room. II was
bright with Oriental hanslnes. with Trays anu
dishes of gold and silver, brass trays ana gooe'S,
chibououes with great amber mOdthpleceS' an"
all kinds of Eastern treasures mingled WIN FANNY
souyenirs There no carpet, Duu beuo"i''
rng occupied the middle of the noor ana Nleu III
hriIuoncv of color with Persian enamels aud bits
If pood old china There were no sofas, pu'
rIentv NJ diyans covered with Damascus SUNS
r. Zoo, i was q purely Oriental room, save for a
n;ano and a case full Of European books winch
,rosertcd o striking but not unpleasant contrast
o., +boir surroundings On the walls wee count
LOGS medals. diplomas of honor. etc, of al whch
Coptain Burton probably priced most the preNel
de nointe" earned in France for swordsmanShiP
Nor was the master of the house an homogeneous
figure in such a place He appeared, indeed a
typlcal Arab chieftain. His delcatcy small hahos
and feet and airy grace of movement hni-coi-
ccaled the tall stature and giant mu'cni"rity OIL
mis- British frame His bronzed complexion, black
mustachc. stern expression and gypsy-like eyes
oomplctcd tie illusion, and when he spoke II
might Nc in tie purest Arabian or IN the EEghSA
of Macaulay One was rs easy to nm as 'Ee
othcr In his study were q thousand OF more
volumes. in every European language-ln Arabic
in Persian in lIindoo, and various other tongues
Rut the four books which were his INSOFAR c
travelling companions. which lay on a table at hi
beside. ard with which he was most iamiila'
and 70 which he most delnvoted, were
the h; bic a Roman Catholic BREWERY, Shakespeare
and Euclid The table by the bedside and, H.
deed the dozen more other tables scattered
through the rooms, were odd enough. among al
the Oriental spendoI. They were all made Of
white pine in the simplest manner, and perhaps
cost 30 cents apiece. At these Captain Burton
and his wife read wrote and entertained their
friends The beauty Of them was, Lady Burton
explained that they cost little, so that they could
have as many Of them they liked; and then to
unset an inkstand on one of them did no especial
harm.
Captain Burton lived at Trieste as British
Consul for many years strange experience for
one whose life had been SO restless. For he was
Sa dS bo most o ssa almost
the Equator to the Arctic Circle, in peace and in
war lie discovered Lake Tanganyka and scaled
land LAM and visited Salt Lake City He surveyed the
heart of Brazil and was the guest OF the King
of Dahomey. He fought in the Crimea and dis
covered the Land of indian; 1t is wonder that
he did not 90 to the North Pole. And he was sin
gularly successful in his expeditions. For in,
stance, notice that memorahe lourney TO the Lano
Der TO- 1874 and returned there on Apru 20
1873 During four months of hard travelling and
voyagng upward OF 1900 miles they only los,
one soldier, who died of fever They brought
home some twenty-five tons of geological specl
mems to illustrate the general geological forme
ton Of the land six eases Of
and anthropologcal collections-.such as Mid
ianite coins. Inscriptions in Nabathean an, an.
Cutie remains OF worEea oss s,ohes notter rSs
upward Of 200 sketches in oil and water-colors
photographs OF the chief ruins; including cata
combs and Of classical temple apparently Of
Greek art: and finally. maps and plans Of thu
whole country. including thirty-two ruined cities
some of whose names can he restored by consulting
Strabo and Ptolemy. besides sketches Of many
ateliers where perambuating bands like thu
gypses Of ancient and modern times seem t
have carried on simple mining operations
But il would take too much space to tell here OF
all his journeys and adventures He has told th'
story of them himself in his hooks. which all tht
would has read Sir Richards own life--he was 81
Richard. though we always think Of him as Cap
tain Burton-his own life. in its later years OF
retirement at Trieste. is less familiar to the
word vet full of interest. II was delightful II
see The good comradeship, that existed between
the husband and wife She and l." he once said
ARE like an elder and younger brother living e.
garcon. We divide the work. ] take all th'
hard and scientific part and make her do all the
rest When we have worked all day, and sale
all we have 10 say to each other, we want relaXa
ton To that end we have formed little mess,
with fifteen friends at the table dhote OF IN,
Hotel de Ia Villa where get good dinner ant
pint Of the country. wine. made on the hillside