The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-03

trast to another fine chimneypiece in
Royal green Irish marble. However,
your host confesses that he has one hobby
out of doors and that is wildfowl shoot
ing, and he may possibly show you a fine
swan, "the spoil of his bow and spear, :"
as he laughingly remarks, brought down
In Sandusky Marsh He apologies for not
joining you in cigar, telling you that
his not smoking frequently causes Eng
lish guests surprise, but that it is great
mistake to suppose that all Americans
smoke; while he observes, further, that
on neither his father s nor mothers side
was tobacco or alcohol appreciated, though
the family of the former were Southerners
hailing from Kentucky and Virginia. In
natural sequence of idea you may possibly
touch on the remarkable gift of after din
ner speaking which distinguishes so many
of his countrymen and notably in the
case of several of his predecessors repre-
senting America in England. On this
subject Colonel Hay modestly deprecated
all idea of even attempting to rival such
giants as Mr.. Horace Porter-quite IAN
automatic speaker, as he describes the
present American Ambassador in Paris,
whose eloquent words seem 10 flow from
his mouth almost upconsciously-Mr
Chauncey Depew, Mr.. Joseph Choate,
Mr.. Evarts, formerly Secretary of State,
Mr.. Russell Lowell and Mr.. Bayard.
1t must be so wearisome to any one
who has filled many posts and served a
busy life to go back on the past that you
feel especially grateful to your host for
kindly obliging you with some incidents
of his career. Coming from an ancient
Scotch family, Colonel Hay is fifth in
descent from an ancestor who in 1928 emil
grated from the Rhenish Palatinate to
America, giving two grandsons to fight
in the revolutionary war which es-
tablished American independence. He
himself saw the light fifty eight years ago
although he does not look day over
the half century-at Salem, his family
removing presently to Warsaw, or, as he
remarks: II went from Jerusalem to
Poland" At nineteen he took his degree
at the Brown University, having devoted
himself principally to the classics; at
Sprinafeld he studied law under his
uncle, but he never chung up his shin
gle. as one of the English newspapers
has stated. Possibly he might have done
so had not Abraham Lincoln, on his leav-
ing his practice to become President of
the United States, invited young Hay to
pay him visit at Washington, and after
wards appointed him his assistant private
secretary, post retained by him till his
patrons tragic death, with the exception
of a short period when he acted as adju-
tant to the President and served in the
field under Generals Hunter and Gilmore.
After the war, Colonel Hay became Secre-
tary of Legation at Paris for two years,
whence he was appointed Charge d Affairs
at Vienna. 1t was at the time, just after
the resignation of Mr.. J. L.. Motley,
when the American Senate could not be
induced to accept the nominations made
by President johnson. However, Colonel
Hays stay of two years in Vienna was
made especially pleasant to him. Thence
he was transferred as Chief Secretary un-
der General Sickles to Madrid during the
period bridged over from the expulsion of
Queen Isabella, and during the Regency
of Serrano, to the acceptance of the throne
by King Amadeus.
During the tendency of this appoint
ment Colonel Hay found time to write
that delightful little book, Castilian
Days, dealing with Spanish politics, art,
and society in Madrid. Then when the
novelty Of his appointment was begin
ing to wear out, he resigned, he tells you
while explaining that the Diplomatic Ser
vice In America is not career Offering
appointments by steps as it is in this
country On his return to New York he