Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-14
Recent Departures for Other Posts
and Arrivals Here.
BARON GEVERS OF The NETHERLANDS
Sketch of the Representative From
Queen Emma's Country.
OPINIONS ON TIMELY TOPICS

The diplomatic corps has undergone a
number of changes within the past few
months. The entire body regretted the con-
| templated retirement of Lord Pauncefote
from the head of the British embassy, which
| was to have occurred at this time, and he
and his family have been the recipients OF
| many congratuatory dinners and luncheons
since the announcement that he is 10 re-
main here. Mr.. Jutaro Komura the Jap
aDese minister left this week for his new
post at st. Petersburg, and Mr.. Chin Pom
1e, the Corean envoy, has gone to the
courts of Berlin and Vienna. new Per-
| sian minister is now on his way to this
country and will re-establish the Persian
| legation. which has been closed for some
years. The Portuguese, Ecuadorean Argen-
| tine, Venezuelan and the Dominican lega-
tons are all in the care of charges
daffaires. while Bolivia and Siam have
practically been unrepresented for more
than a year, although they are still
chronicled in the diplomatic list, but the
business for these countries is transacted
| through their consulate offices in New York.
Netherlands New, Envoy.
The latest addition to the corps is the
new minister from the Netherlands Baron
| Gevers, who arrived in Washington last
month, and who has recently established
himself, temporarily, at 1873 De Sales
street. The country of Holland, or the
Netherlands, was one of the first of the
European countries to send a diplomatic
representative to our young republic. near
ly one hundred years ago. and the relations
between the two countries have never been
broken off, although some of the newspa-
pers have persisted in saying that they
were broken at the time of the last min
ister's on. de Weckerlin's) departure. This
was mistake, however as Minister Covers
received his appointment to the Washing
ton mission Immediately thereafter and was
only prevented from coming then by sick
ness. 1t so chances that he is not the first
member of his family who has held his
present diplomatic post. His father, Baron
Gevers, senior was the Netherlands envoy
at Washington from 1851 until 1856 and
during his tenure of the office he mar
ried Miss katherine Wright, daughter of
the late L1lited States Senator Wright of
New Jersey. From here he was trans
ferred to st. Petersburg. where in 1856 his
son was born. He remained in st. Peters
burg until 1865. when he was sent to Lon
don, where he died in 1870. The Baroness
GeVerS returned to her husbands home In
Holland with her children-this son and a
dauShter-and the young baron was given
very broad and scholarly education in
the universities of Holland and Germany.
After his graduation Baron Gevers en-
tered the foreign office of The Hague and
received his first appointment as an attache
Of the Dutch legation at Vienna in 1850.
From that time forward he was steadily
promoted in the service; in 1882 he went as
secretary of legation to St. Petersburg
where he stayed until 1887. He was then
transferred to London as counsellor of leea-
ton, where he remained for seven years,
and where he filled his position accepta-
bly, that he was promoted in rank to min
lister resident and placed at the head of the
Dutch legation at Berne Switzerland. From
1896 to 1900 he was stationed at Roumania-
Servia, from which post he was again pro-
NOTED to minister plenpotentiary and ac-
credited to the United States.
Where Holland Leads.
When seen at his residence on De Sales
street by a Star reporter, Minister Covers
expressed himself as much pleased with his
present appointment, and the prospect of
making his home fer some time in the
United States. He is proud of his American
blood, and as he speaks English without a
flaw and has but few of the earmarks of
foreigner he would easily be taken for a
native OF this country. He talked unre-
servedly on any and all topics and while he
said what all of the world knows, that
Hollands sympathies are entirely with the
Beers, yet he preferred not to elaborate the
subject. In speaking of some of his i'm
pressions Baron Gerers said:
When 1 was little lad 1 came with nv
parents several times on visits to our Amer
lean relatives, and when l was twenty-one
L made quite trip through the country
going as far west as Chicago. 1 remember |
how I was impressed then, and the short
time that have been here now the i'm |
preston has been deepened by the yastness
OF your great country and the vastness Of |
all of your enterprises. In many things Won
lead the world, and yet in some few things |
my own little country leads you Your |
Library of Congress building is a marvel of |
magnihcence and utility, but 1t necessarily |
must be many years before the library It
self can contain such valuable works and |
manuscripts as do our wonderful libraries |
at The Hague. Leyden and Utrecht The |
royal library of The Hague contains some
OF the most priceless letters and manu- |
scripts In existence, and our art galleries in |
these cities and at Amsterdam and Haar- |
artists of all ages. During the jubilee of /
the queens coronation there was a display |
OF me works OF rembrandt at Amsterdam. |
Germany and nearly ALI of the monarchs |
of Europe loaned their copies of the famous |
painter, and the collection was the most
complete and wonderful that was ever GOT |
ten together.
The Dutch are sometimes said to he |
phiegmadc and slow, and certainly We are |