New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-30
VICTORIA'S BLACK KNIGHT.
DISTINGUISHED CONSIDERATION ACCORDED
TO THE NEGRO RACE IN EUROPE.

! DISTINGUISHED CONSIDERATION ACCORDED
| TO THE NEGRO RACE IN EUROPE.
| Sir Samuel Lewis, who has just been raised by
Queen Victoria to the dignity of knight OF the
most distinguished Order Of Saint Michael ana
| Saint George" an honor usually reserved for Her
Majesty's diplomatic ENJOYS, colonial governors
| and premiers and for generals and adniras, Is
| full-blooded, coal-back negro, who, having taken
his degree at the London University. Is now
member of the legislative council Of Sierra Leone
II is the first time that British Order Of Knight
| hood has ever been conferred upon African, or
! that a woman Of color has attained the right OF
being addressed as MY Lady" Yet this is by
| no means the only manifestation on the part OF
| Queen Victoria OF her regard for the negro race
| Two years ago an old colored nanny from the
Free State Of Liberia. who had saved up her
money shilling by shilling for the purpose Of GO
| ing to England to the Queen, was gracously
received by Her Majesty at Windsor, invited to
take seat beside her even the greatest statesmen
and grandest ladies in the land are obliged to re-
main standing in their SOveregn's presence, and
was treated in a manner that led foreign Min
lister who happened to be at Windsor at the time
TO remark palntvely that during all the years that
he had represented his Government at the court
of St James he had never been accorded any
thing like so much consideration. In France the
whole nation, irrespective of party or poiitics'
turned out the other day to welcome home the
conquerOr Of Dahomey, the only 'enerai WIZ
has covered himself with military glory since the
DAYS of the Franco-German war. Yet this Ten
cral who aroused so much popular enthusiasm 'liat
the Government became alarmed. AMI that MS
prospects of taking the place of Sad Carhot as
President of the Republic were openly discussed
in the Partisan press, Is mulatto, TACT ""ic'
bod rrftn
did not prevent him from being invested WIFI
the Star Of Grand Officer of the Legion OF li"hof'
When / was first at Vienna, some hit"eh or
sixteen years ago, I remember that the favortc
and constant playmate of young ArchduciieSS
Valerie. the daughter of the Emperor, was young
negro named Mahmoud, who had been employed III
the Egyptian department of the international
Exposition of 1873, where he had taken the fancy
Of the Empress to such degree that she attached
him TO her household Notwithstanding his color
and the inferiority Of his rank he was treated
with far greater condesccnSiOn and familiarity,
and admitted 10 much more intimacy not only ny
tLo Imperial children, but also by the Empress
and Emperor themselves. than il he had borne
one Of the most ilhstrious names in the Aus'rp-
HUNGARIAN nobility At Lisbon | have been pres
ent when the late King socmnly and in the pres
encp of his whole court invested three fu-Dlooueo
negroes, two of them from the west coast vi
Africa and from the east. with the dignity o'
Knghthood Of the Order Of Christ, and one OF th"
principal personages in the Kingdom In those Gays
was an aged negroes who had been with the queen
ever since her marriage. and VINO was chiet 81
uer Maicstvs attendants and maids, besides being
ber most trusted counsellor and intuentas adviser
the Queen in her turn having her husband, King
Luis. entirely under her thumb and blindly sub
missve TO her will.
T am led to draw attention TO these evidences
Of the marked favor enjoyed by the negro race III
tho old world by the comments OF a number OF the
Ncw-York and Chicago papers on trivial incl
dent that occurred the other day at the Worlds
Fair 4 pretty and perfectly respectabl" niue
Austrian waiting-maid at the cafe in "Old VI
cnn, was challenged by some American visitors
IN kiss a swarthy African seated at one OF the
tables This she proceeded TO do without the
slightest hesitation and apparently without any
suspicion of indclicacy in the act. the fact that
tho victim of the pleasantly was negro possess
inc no more difference than if he had been "A
Coucasian NO woman who had lived any length
NJ time in this country would have done such a
thiur" add the papers, tho offence in their eyes
heino not tho mere act Of kissing stranger Tor
tho sake of a wager and as n piece OF pleasantly,
but that the object of the latter should have been
"A negro.
Great difficulty would be experienced, however,
in bringing the Vienncse waitress to appreciate
this She would find it difficult 10 understand
why il should be regarded as greater breach oil
convcntionalty To kiss n negro by way oil Joke
than TO kiss white man. Indeed, II the truth
were known it is probable that II called upon ID
choose She would probably express her prefer
cnco for the man of color. The latter enjoys "A
favor and consideration in the old world that
those of my readers who have never visited
Europe will find it difficult to comprehend. lie
is made much of, petted and admired, especially
by the fair sex. In fact, l suppose you would
find Just the same difficulty in understanding our
attitude toward the negro as We Europeans eX-
pcriencc in accounting for yours.
obtained some personal experience in the
matter when a greater number Of years ago than
| caro- to admit, I quilted Washington, taking
back with me to Europe Nirginian darky who
during my two years stay in this country hal
served me as n valet His name, l remember, was
Milc-whch did not prevent him from abominat-
ino thc Irish race We were scarcely three days
out on the way across the Atlantic when was
obruptly reminded Of the fact that | no
longer in the United States but on board an Eng
lish ship by finding myself Obliged to apologize
TO a coal black gentleman. the President or Prime
Minister of the I.beran Republic, forget which,
who occupied the cabin next but one to mine, and
whom in the dusk of the evening had addressed
with more vgor than suavity under the impress
sion that instead of being His EXcellency,' he
was my servant Mike. We landed at Queenstown
late mt night after very stormy voyage, ana on
arriving at the hotel was considerably disguised
TO find myself assigned to poky little back room
on the third floor On complaining of the char |
actcr of my quarters, Mike kindly offered TO
change with me, and found that they had given
him the best front room in the house on the first
floor, under the impression as subsequently dis
covered that he was an African Prince and |
merely his attendant.