Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-03


to gaze in consterna-
ton on his visitor, who, having picked mp
pruning knife, was using i. on a bulb that had
been laid upon high shelf with the evident
view of drying.
'Doing?" repeated he Of the pruning knife,
abstractedly. Doing? Why, peeling a most
extraordinary onion with which comment he
carefully CHARTERED the bulb and was eyeirg it
with a scientific cast in his glance, when the en-
ragged Dutehman. snatehing the fragments
from him and giving them one despairinS
glance. exclaimed:
'Hundert tausend duyvel, 1t is an Admiral
''Indeed?" returned tn, English man. inter-
estedly. '.snd are such sdmirals common in
yOur country"
death and devilr' roared the host, agony
and vengeance contending for the mastery in
his tone. Come before the syndic and you shall
seep'
WHAT HIS FUN COST HIM.
And he did see, since for this pleasing little
diversion of peeling and quartering some
what unusual onion. as he supposed it, he
compelled to pay Just 81 300 the .'onion'' prov
ing to be tulip in the time when the mere
word was synonymous with gold. and that age
as this. holding that 4 man meddling with an
others bank account. even though the meddler
occupy the position of guest. was al interior
head of Performances that not virtues.
Every dog has his DIV. il is said and when
one recaAs the history of the Holland tulipo-
mania as ii is termed. il looks if the truth
OF that ancient saving had stretched even
beyond its usual expansive limits and included
the tulips too. for listen to what hunting.
author of the period, who wrote a volume on
the subject AYERS TO have been the articles
given in exchange for a solitary specimen of
rare variety called the Yiceroy:
Tvu, Last of v-fp laztz Of A faf g
fat swine, IL fat sheep, hogshea5s of wine, 4
tuns Of beer. tuns OF butter, 900 pounds Of
cheese. n bed complete, n suit of clothes and
silver drinking cup.
HOW ALL THIS CAME ABOUT.
And how did this astounding state Of affairs
all come about? WHY, from the existance Of
the self same sentiment that today prompts you
and me to pause before the tulip beds that just
now make the parks gay and bask in the vivid
glow of their scarlet aui yellow petals.
The tulip. whose name Is derived from a Per-
sian word signifying turban-a title suggested
no doubt b. the flowers resemblance in hue
and shape to the headgear of some oriental
nabob-was first introduced into Holland from
Asia IN 1859 and took Immediately with the
color-loving Dutch, though the tulip of that
date was to its descendant of a century later
only pale shadow is to its bright substance.
this flower being peculiarly amenabie TO culti-
walton and showing in its evolved condition
and INTENDED state.
Its increased beauty, added to the original
favor with which il was regarded rendered it
Dy 1884 so popular that the wealthy Dutchman
Of the period would soon have thought of
dispensing with his servants and equipage as
with his tulip collection He sent to Constan-
tinop!e direct for the bulbs and We'd with his
neighbor CrCesus in the size, beauty OF hue
and guantitIty of his flowers.
great demand for any product. combined
--k h s.e..N<
tty of the Spectator. and the then-time MEM
bers of the Xix whit behind his brother
of today in being the possessor Of q large eye
to the main chance.
EVERYBODY IN THE TULIP TRADE.
The immense gains Of this class set the popu-
lation at large quite wild, so that i, was not
long before the regular industries of the coun-
try were neglected and everybody. even the
poorest. was embarked in the tulip trade.
At the height Of the furore from 1884 to 1885,
enormous prices were asked and received for
single bulbs Of some choice variety, specimens
OF the kind called the Semper Augustus being
accounted cheap at $500 Dutch forms, a sum
equivalsn INT to something over 81 500 OF our
money.
In 1886 it came about that only two bulbs of
this sort remained in all Holland one being in
Amsterdam and the other in Harlaem. Offers
from all parts Of the Dutch Compass now came
thick and fast. the Amsterdam tulip finally 60
of land for the privilege of possessing il, while
the man who. after a hot race acquired the
ownership of the Harlnem tulip gave 81 800 and
q fine team of gray horses. with complete and
handsome equipment of harness and carriage.
considering himself wlthal a most fortunate in
dividual.
Among the professional dealers the trausac-
tions themselves were not devoid of picturesque
ness. for they met for the purpose in taverns,
where. around banquet boards decorated with
IL
their stock n trade. they bought and sold and
grew convivial over tankards Of ale; and lest
one should get the better OF another by even q
Tot little. the bulbs brought prices not only
according TO their variety, but also according
to ;heir weight. thew being placed for that pur-
pose on delicate scales that registered rs slight
q variation grain-rheir standard Of
weight In these dealings being indeed. a unit
OF measure something less than q grain, called
sperit
A CODE OF LAWS
Matters had now got to such pitch and the
operations OF the trade become so intricate that
1t was found necessary to draw up a code Of
laws for the guidance OF tulip dealers. Nota-
ries and clerks being appointed who devoted
themselves exclusively to the interests Of
the business. The notaries instead of being
called public nOtaries or notarIes public, as be-
fore and since the remarkable craze, we're de-
nominated tulip notaries."
This il very beautiful name and leads the
casual reader to imagine the calling it repre-
sents to be a most delectable one. Quite the
contrary. though. for instead OF wandering over
the aoNery meads Of peace, they trod wits
their Clients the rocky road of pickering and
litigation, especially during the latter days of
Their tenure of Office. the boom in tulips
then having begun to subside. and dealers who
a few months before had bought on futures
feeling disappointment at the drop in prices.
which frequently ended in a refusal to pay
whence defaulters and law suits for breach of
contract were the order OF the day.
The country at last got into a state Of finan-
cial upheaval. and in the autumn of 1886 pro-
visional council was convened at The Hague
for the express purpose Of considering the
perplexity. The result Of their conference was
the passing OF laws which provided that all
who had agreed to pay a certain sum for tulips
to be delivered at certain future time were
thence on to render up 10 per cent only Of
the sum first agreed upon. Then the law
makers went home happy in the consciousness
Of duty done. Their happiness. though. did not
prove contagious to their constituents, these
Continuing to quarrel-the creditor because he
was ordered to pay for something which no