The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-03
AINE's sEVREs SET.
It's Romantic Use by a Louisiana Mill
 lionaire of Ante-Bellum Days.

Armand Hawkins, the venerable gen. | tleman who fought both in the Mexican
 war and in the civil war as a Confede.
 rate soldier, is in charge of the Louisia.
 na antique collection in the History building at the centennial. Mr. Flaw klns knows the history of his state like book, and, in fact, it would be hard to
 ask him question about any impor- l tant historical event that he could not explain to you fully and with all the details connected with the occasion in question. In his collection in the His tory building he has some of the rarest relics in existence. His exhibit is known all over the United States as a historical collection Of peculiar merit.
 In the collection are two pieces of DOT
 celaln that call to mind the wealthiest
 man in the ante-bellum days in Louis
 lana. The story of this mans life reads
 like fiction.
 lis income amounted to about five million dollars per year. His name was
 Valcour Aine, and the mention of 1t, as
 will develop later in the story, brings
 to mind the largest order that was ever given for set of Sevres porcelain. This order was given by Valcour Aine, and was for ten thousand pieces of por- celain, bought at fabulous price. He
 frequently invited thousand of the
 most prominent people of New Orleans at time to visit him. especially the young men and the young ladies. AL though he has been dead for about for ty years, his hospitality and promi- hence have survived him.
 Valcour Aine's plantation was about fifty miles up the Mississippi river from
 New Orleans. The place Is now owned by General Miles. The garden consist ed of fifty acres, and had heating pines four feet in diameter running two feet under the ground all over it. By this means he could give you in the dead of winter fruits from every cline taken fresh from the trees, and flowers in pro- fusion. The walk from the mansion to the river was inlaid with imported Grecian marble, and to-day the gate columns, with long caps of the purest marble, can be seen still standing
 The house contains twenty rooms, all of them very large, with balcony run ming all the way around the house. Much Of the interior of the house was decorated by Canova. the younger. The large parlors were decorated in the most elaborate style, and in them have gathered the elite of the Crescent City.
 Going back to 1885, it Is found that Dr. Antomarchi, Napoleon's last physi- clan, was the guest of the mansion, and short time afterward he accepted the position of surgeon-G General to the President of Mexico and lost his life. Before Dr. Antomarchi left for Mexico Valcour Aine offered him ten thousand dollars per year to become his family physician. This offer was rejected by the doctor, as it Is understood, so that he could go to Mexico for the purpose or raising an army to again revolution ize France. Marshal Henri G. Der trand and young Ney, son of the Mar shal, came over to New Orleans as as- sistants and organizers of the new rev olution of the French army. This fact is not generally known. Valcour Aine had agreed to advance a million dollars to assist the project.
 On the arrival of Marshal Bertrans and young Ney they immediately pro- ceeded up the river to the mansion of Valcour Aine. They were received roy ally, and the evening on which they were about to return to lay new plans, having learned of the failure of Dr. Antomarchi, they decided to return to France and there report to their revo- lutionary contemporaries.
 Tea was served at ten o'clock at night in a set of enamelled and blue gold Sevres ware The cups and saucers must have cost not less than twenty dollars each. After tea was over and just before the down steamer arrived the whole service was brought out on the balcony in trays by the servants and ordered to be thrown, each piece, down upon the marble walks as a me- mento of shattered hopes of the new revolution that was to come, and Val cour Aine himself, being remonstrated with by the Marshal, said T do this In order that, when you return to France, you may tell your committee that I, Valcour Aine, entertained you as rcyaH as any prince of Europe could have done. Take with you back to France one piece of it in it's shattered condition as memento of what is broken in hopes but not lost"
 Frequently in this mansion receptions were given that far surpassed anything of to-day.
 The most romantic stories are told about the ten thousand pieces of porce- lain that were painted by the best painters of the Sevres works. All had the appearance of being alike to the eye. Each garland of flowers around each piece and on the edge the initials 'F. A." those of Mrs. Aine, would to all appearances look as though they were uniform, and it was called the set, from the fact that many marriages were made. or at least the young people thought they would be made. only to find themselves again disappointed in love. It was in this way. After dinner clean plates were given to all the tables, which could seat one thousand persons com Valcour Aine would rise to 1is feet and ask the young men if they aR had clean plates and if the plates were all alike, and the response would always be in the affirmative. Mrs. Aine would put the same question to he young marriageable girls, and they would also say ives"
 They all had clean plates and each plate looked alike. Valcour Aine would hen announce to the young men to re- ain their plates and take them to tbo