The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-03
OUR AMBASSADOR.
Col. John Hay as Seen by an Eng.
fish Correspondent.
HIS WASHINGTON HOME AND IT'S
MANY BEAUTIES.

MANY BEAUTIES.
A British Estimate of the American K ep
resentative at the Court of st. James
His Literary Talent and His Life as
Journalist and Diplomat.
The London World publishes the follow
ing sketch of the career. of the new
United States Ambassador to England in
its Celebrities at Home" SERIES
Surveying the city of Washington from
the steps of the Capitol, you may possibly
reflect that it was with characteristic
acumen that George Washington selected
the locality of the little Indian village of
Conococheague, or "the roaring brook, :"
as the site for the future national capital
of the United States; for the undulating
nature of the district which borders the
north bank of the Potomac, and is
framed in by low range of hills, pre-
sented an ideal situation, of which such
advantage was taken that Washington
is now universally pronounced to be the
most beautiful city in America. Its
founder, it is said, would have called it
s'The Federal City, had not general
opinion decided that no name was so ap-
propriate as that of the first President of
the United States.
However, as it is your purpose to call
on Colonel John Hay, the Ambassador at
present accredited to the Court of St.
James, you must turn your back on the
magnificent Capitol, and following the
Pennsylvania avenue, one of the fine as
phalted and tree bordered thoroughfares
named after different States of the Union
which diagonally inters ect the admirable
rectangular arrangements of the streets,
you will presently reach, on your left, the
wooded and beautifully laid out square
dedicated by name to General Lafayette,
the joint founder with Washington and
Franklin of American independence, and
having in its centre a statue of General
Andrew jackson, cast from cannon taken
in battle with the English and the Span
iards
On entering the great hall of Colonel
hays residence, built by him twelve
years ago from designs by the clever
young architect, the late Mr.. Richardson,
joists and exposed beams of the ceiling,
the panelled walls of polished white or
primavera mahogany, the spacious open
CRATE with its marble chimneypiece, and
the carved furniture impart quite ''bar-
onial" air though tempered to some extent
by the luxurious carpeting and by the
rich coloring Of the Eastern rugs. Ascend
ing a broad flight of dozen steps to the
library, you are offered by Colonel Hay
the cordial welcome which SO generally
graces American hospitality. Though
library in name, this charming room
which is much occupied by the master of
the house and his family, has attractions
in its artistic refinement and sumptuous
comfort more extensive than is generally
comprehended by the word. The oak
ceiling in caissons, with a bright metal
disc on each, is distinctly remarkable,
while the beautiful lnantlepiece of
African marble (of the kind much used,
as your host remarks by Mr.. Shaw-Le-
fevre in rebuilding the National Gallery
will very likely claim your attention.
Probably the warm brownish-red color of
the furniture, the panelling and the cur
tains harmonizing with the russell backs
OF the serried lines of books on many
shelves and with the mellow tones of sew
eral old masters-amoDg which you notice
a i1xvjt 1ox-S
youthful face by Sir Joshua Reynolds
assists in producing very pleasing effect
Naturally Colonel Hays recent selection
as American Ambassador to London be-
comes the first topic of converse ton: and
he frankly. admits the pleasure the an
pointment gives him and Mrs. Hay. es-
pecially as he is able to inform you that
the present relations between America
and England are so absolutely satisfactory
that he 'tcannot flatter himself that he
could do anything to make the approach
ment more perfect, the goodwill between
the two nations being all that could DOS
sibly be wished for" However, his visit
will not present the element of novelty
but rather of the renewal of the interes,
and pleasure which he has derived in
coming to London on thirteen previou.
occasions, when he took, as he tells you
the opportunity of "doing" the English
Lakes, of paying visit to Aberdeenshire
and of spending delightful month in.
specting all our cathedrals. He was alst
over here at the last Jubilee.