Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26
Harriet Lime Johnston's Home.
to come.

Harriet Lime JOhnston's Home.
wish could show you President Buchan-
ans niece, Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnston,
l saw her in her Washington home this
week. Her form is as straight it was
when she held the position of First Lady
of the Land and were it not for her
white hair you would take her to be in
in soul. The long pathway of her life has
often been marked with, bitter sorrow.
First her uncle, then her husband and her
children, one by one have passed away.
But she has not allowed her troubles to
sour her and she keeps abreast with the
spirit of the times. She is in sympathy
with the world of today, and although
she Is in her sixties she is still one of
the queens Of Washington society.
Harriet Lanes Warrington Home.
Mrs Johnston is a woman Of means. Her
Washington HON. is a large house, made
Of cream-colored brick, situated the
corner of 18th and I streets. In the
same block is the mansion in which Sec
retaries Frelinghuysen and Whitney and
Postmaster General Wanamaker success
sively lived, and all about are the houses
of distinguished men and women. Mrs.
Johnstons home is beautifully furnished.
1t contains mementoes of travel from many
parts of the world. A screen of Moorish
work. which once formed window to hide
the beauties of Cairo from the gaze Of
the walls hang paintings and engravings.
almost every one Of which is the more
valuable by its associations. In the par
lor. for instance. there is portrait of the
Prince of Wales, painted just after the
prince left the United States, and sent by
him to President Buchanan. Just under
the portrait in a little black frame is the
letter which the prince sent with the por-
trait. The letter was penned by his royal
hishness on the shores Of Palestine where
he was travelling. 1t reads:
"Jaffa, March 20, 1862
Dear Mr.. Buchanan:
Permit me to request that you will ac-
cept the accompanying portrait as a slight
mark of my grateful recollection of the
hospitable reception and agreeable visit at
the White House the occasion Of my
tour in The United States
believe me that the cordial welcome,
which was then vouchsafed to me by the
can never be effaced from my memory.
Il venture to ask you at the same time
to remember me kindly to Miss Lane, and
believe me- dear Mr.. Buchanan,
Yours very truly,
"ALBERT EDWARD"
The Prince of Wales visited the United
States the guest of President Buchanan
He was at the time i'll his twentieth year.
ard Miss Lane could not have been much
Older. She was. you know. then mistress
Of the White House. and the week which
the prince spent there must have been one
of the fullest weeks of that eventful period
of the Prince was 4 most ENJOYABLE one
He came here on English man-of-war
ACCOMPANIED by large suite The prince
ard his suite all stayed with the President
a. the White House. The time was one
round of receptions, dinners and amuse-
ments. Every evening, with one execution
President Buchanan gave Il dinner at
which distinguished people were invited to
meet the prince, and Miss Lane also gave
an invited reception, Introducing his royal
highness to the society of the capital At
the dinners the English minister and his
attaches We're present, and the minister
Wko was Lord Lyons, gave a dinner at the
legation, at which Miss Lane and the Pres
iGent attended. One Of the features of the
occasion was al excursion to Mount Yer
non, in which the party went on the dis
patch boat Harriet Lane" one of The
revenue cutters belonging to the Treasury
Department
Presidential Expenses.
1t was in talking about the Prince of
Wales visit that Mrs. Johnston gave me
some interesting Information to how her
uncie regarded presidential expenses. He
was one OF the most conscientious Presi-
dents we have ever had and was scr,lp,I-
lot sly careful that none Of his personal ex-
ptnses should be paid by the government.
Al OF the bl!is connected with the Prince Of
Wales visit to Washington were settled by
buchanan and the cost of the trip to MI
Vernon was privately arranged for between
him and Mr. Cobb, the Secretary of the
treasury. Congress was not asked for a
cent, and even the fuel which was used for
the revenue cutter for that day was paid
for by the President. President buchanan
never thought of planning hunting excur-
s1ons and vacation tours for himself on
government vessels, our Presidents have
dtne or late years. During his stay in thu.
White House he entertained TO such an ex-
tent that his salary was hardly equal to his
expenses. 1t cost him much more than his
salary to live when he was minister to
England. The salary of the minister at
that time in the neighnorhood of nine
thousand dollars. with a slight addition for
travelling expenses between London ard the
United States. Mrs. Johnston tells me that
MI Buchanan paid almost his wh Die salary
Tor his house rent, and that she understood
that II required all his private income in
&c oltion TO meet his expenses. He appre-
cIs,ed the dsnity OF the British mission,
ard knew that in order 10 do efIiCient ,vorl,