The National tribune., 1899-11-09

George Bancroft was born Oct. 3. 1900.
When first knew him he was already old.
Picture a man slender in figure, of medium
hight. with venerable covering of silvered
hair and wlliskers surrounding the thin,
classic face, soft eyes that have done service
through nearly century, and yet un-
dimmed, and you see the patriarchal his
torian as he looked when we knew him.
His home was spacious mansion not far
from the Presidents House. His pleasant
workshop was in the second story of this
house, where he lived among his books,
his pictures, and the memories of a CEN
tury nearly gone. He lived in the atmos-
phere of this history-making Republic;
within sight of his study windows were the
homes of Commodores Decatur and Rogers;
on the opposite side Of the square is the
house in which Dan Sickles hyed on the
north side, the house out of which Slidell
stepped into the Southern Confederacy.
On the east side of Jackson Square is the
old Seward house, the last home of James
6. Blaine, where the Opera House now
stands. From this house Mr.. Seward
telegraphed Thurlow Weed 10 come to
Washington. Mason and Slidell. at the
command of the English Government,
were released from Fort Warren. and
recognition of the Confederate States by
England and France seemed inevitable.
In this house Thurlow Weed met the COM
mission that Was to hold the conference for
the preservation OF the Union. From this
meeting Archbishop Hughes, Bishop Nc
Hyaine, and T'hurlow Weed were sent to
Europe, and effectively presented their
side of the question. From that time the
mission of Mason and Slidell was doomed.
A short distance from this house was
the home of Charles Sumner. and on the
corner diagonalIy across, the home of
Dolly Madison. In these surroundings
George Bancroft saw the tidal wave gather
that swept over this Nation, and the iron
pen of history kept the record of its ebb
and flow. He saw political giants come
and go; old men pass away and new men
fall into their tracks. He knew Washing
ton when the black pail of slavery hung
over it, and he watched the dissolving
view until the old city with its traditions
melted away, and the beautiful city of
to-day rose from the mist-cloud. He was
a friend of James K. Polk and Martin
Van Buren, and the prominent men of their
day. He was contemporary with Stephen
A. Douglas, Charles Sumner, Ben Wade,
William III. Seward, John C. Breckinridge,
Robert Toombs, John Slidell, and Andrew
johnson. Each of these men were the lead
ers of men and opposite theories, and out of
their contention he saw the coming of the
wave of public opinion that stranded slav-
cry.
When James K. Polk was President,
George Bancroft was Secretary Of the
Navy. He was the prime mover in the
establishment of the Naval Academy at
annapolis. 1t was when Secretary of the
Navy that he sent the following order to
John l.. Sloat, Commander of the Pacific
Squadron, June "a, 1S45, nearly year
before.Mexico declared war upon the United
States:
'If you ascertain that Mexico has de-
clared war against the United States, you
will at once possess yourself of the port of
San Francisco, and occupy such other ports
as your force way permit. You will be
careful 20 preserve, if possible, the most
friendly relations with the inha bitants,
and encourage them to adopt a course of
neutrality"
Later, June 8, 1916, he said:
"If California separates herself from
our enemy, the Central Government of
Mexico, and establishes Government of
its own, under the auspices of the American
flag, you will take such measures as will
best promote the attachment of the people
of California to the United States"
Commodore Sloat, in the harbor of Ma
zsssn, heard, on the 9TH Of June, that the
battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma
had been fought on the Rio Grande He
set sail on the following day with his squad
ron, and on the I'd day of July they sailed
up the beautiful Bay of Monterey. On
&uly Old Glory unfurled her colors and
gathered the old city of Monterey under
ser folds. The flag of red, yellow and
green that had greeted the sunrise of the
century and lowered as the day star set
behind the westward sea, was folded forever
The British fleet had been hovering
around Hawaii all Winter. Admiral Sey-
mour, Of the British frigate Collingwood
on the day following the raising of the
American flag over Monterey, slowly
turned his ship into the Bay of Monterey.
leading the feet, and was saluted by the
American colors. He had watched his
prey on the Pacific Coast, but was one day
too late. In 1916 Mr.. Bancroft resigned his
BDSltlDn III TIE IdBiftl, ana was sent 10
England as Minister to the Court of st.
James. During the years intervening his
return from England 10 1867 he was en-
gagged on the production of his history of
the United States. In 1887 he was ap-
pointed Minister to Prussia. In 1868 he
was accredited to the North German Con-
federation, and in 1871 to the German EN-
pire.
One of the most important services which
he rendered was in his advocacy of the
cause of the United States before the EN-
peror OF Germany in the settlement of what
was known as the San Juan question.
The Commissioners had been unable to
agree on the western portion Of the boundary
hne between America and Great Britain.
The question was at last referred TO the
German Emperor, with power to decide
finally and without appeal the whole
question in dispute. Mr. Bancroft thor.
oughly understood every detail of the
question, having been a member of Presj.
dent Polk's Cabinet when the question
and completion of the treaty of 1916 was
UP. He was Minister TO England when
the San Juan dispute arose.
Mr. Blaine, in his "2G Years of Congress. >
says: This Government was fortunate il
having its rights and interests represented
before the Emperor by its Minister TO Ber
lin, the Hon. George Bancroft His me
mortal to the Emperor of Germany, when ht