Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-09
NOT AMERICAN SOIL
Frances New Embassy Site Will Be
Foreign Territory.
PRESENT BUILDING INADEQUATE
Was Formerly Used by the British
as a Legation.
A HIST RIG MANS SION
Written for The Evening Star.

| Written for The Evening Star.
Foreign governments are preparing to
annex still more of the territory of the
| District Of Columbia. France Is negotiat-
| ing for land in the West End Of
| Washington. and 1t is rumored that Italy
and China are on the lookout for land. AS
soon as such negotiations are completed
the annexed property becomes foreign soil.
Frances new holding. for instance, will be
exempt from taxation. The French flag
will float over It, If one Frenchman
chooses to murder another within its
bounds it will be none Of Uncle Sans bus
| mess.
One of Washington's most historic houses
will be open to a new tenant when Am
| bassador Cambon removes to this new en-
| bassy. If shades of the departed ever re-
| turn to scenes of terrestrial pleasure many
! illustrious spirits haunt the present French
| embassy. at ITO H street, few doors be-
yond the Metropolitan Club.
| This mansion was built just seventy-five
years ago by Richard Rush. statesman
and diplomatist. The year before its foun-
| dations began to rise Rush had been re-
called from the ministry to Great Britain to
| be Secretary Of the Treasury under John
| Quincy Adams. When originally built the
| house had but two stories and an attic
| Later another story was added and the
| exterior was finished in Its present quaint
| architecture. In the 40's Rush vacated the
| house upon his appointment by President
| Polk as minister to France. Shortly after
ward Hamilton Fish. then in Congress-
moved in and remained until retiring from
| the Senate in 1857. Fish added a large
| ball room to the right of the house proper
The year Fish retired Queen Victoria
| leased the house as her American legation,
and Lord Napier, arriving shortly after
| Buchanan's Inauguration, took possession
| as British minister. There were no foreign
! ambassadors here in those days. His lord
ship was dashing young noble of only
| Napier, four children, tutor, a governess,
| pompous butler, coachman and two
| maid servants Her ladyship was regarded
| at the time as the most beautiful woman
| IN washington. During their three years
| In the Rush house it was the scene of the
| most brilliant functions given at the cap
ital. Her ladyship delighted her guests with
| largely attended musicales and I find in
| an old social diary that at one of her win
| ter parties" her hair was adorned by
wreath OF water lilies, surmounted by
| tara or diamonds and emeralds. Lord
| Napier, In his gold-emb roidered court dress
| was described as vision of brilliance.
Former Occupants.
King Edward well remembers the pres
ent French embassy. A dinner was given
| there in his honor the second night of his
visit to President Buchanan at the White
! House Lord Napier and his beautiful wife
| had by that time departed. Lord Lyons
| was Britannas minister to Uncle Sans
| republican court. The new British minis
ter and Secretary Seward became warm
friends.
| Lord Lyons was an old bachelor. and
thereby hangs tale. One day as he sat
| in his office in the Rush mansion he re-
| ceived from Queen Victoria an autograph
| letter announcing to President Lincoln the
marriage of the present King Edward to
nrl III
down, prepared long and eloquent speech,
| memorized it. called his coroneted carriage,
proceeded to the White House and forth
| with bowling and scraping much, delivered
| to President Lincoln both the letter and
| the carefully studied announcement that
| Albert Edward and Alexandra had entered
| into the holy state of matrimony. His
| lordship then paused in anticipation of an
| equally formal and equally ng-drawn-out
| oratorical effort upon the part of the PreSi-
| dent. But Lincoln took all the dignity out
| of the occasion by replying, in his droll
| manner, Lord Lyons, go thou and do like
| wise" In 1865 Lord Lyons was succeeded
| by Sir Frederick Bruce, another old bach
| elor, who became warm friend of Charles
| Sumner. He remained master of the Rush
house until he died of diphtheria, in Bos-
| ton, during Grants administration. He
| was succeeded by Sir Edward Thornton.
who built the present British embassy.
| Soon after Bruce's death Admiral Porter,
| succeeding Farragut as commanding officer
| of the navy purchased the stately old man
| sion and there remained until his death.
| In 1894, when NJ. Jules Patenotre, former
French ambassador, married Miss EMERSON
| of Philadelphia, France first leased the
property for an embassy.
Diplomats Work in Stable.
The French diplomats have had to fur
| nish the rooms over the stable adjoining
the embassy on the left so badly are they
crowded for room. The old mansion is lux
uriously appointed, but in France it Is no
longer regarded as sufficiently extensive to
maintain French prestige.
For a hundred years France has paid rent
to Washington property owners and has &C.
cupied many houses as temporary homes
for her diplomats. Until recently she has
rated Uncle Sam as only third-class dip
Iomatic power, and 1 understand that a
mission to any European capital has been
regarded by her diplomatists as more de-
sirable than a mission to Washington. NJ.
Patenotre received what was regarded as a
promotion when transferred from here to
Madrid four years ago. But the present
own in our capital indicate that our sister
republic has acquired truer realization of
| our eminence as world power.
Six Patches of Foreign Soil.
That of France will be the seventh patch
of foreign soil acquired within the bounds
of Washington. The first was the acre of
ground at Connecticut avenue and street,
bought by Sir Edward Thornton, British
minister, about twenty-five years ago. With
the exception Of Stewart Castle, two squares
north, there was no other large house in
that end Of town when the present British
embassy was built, at a total cost of Sl25,-
600. Sir Edward paid 10 cents foot for
the ground, now valued at IS foot The
Germans were next to purchase legation
property-a house on 18th street, within the
square just below the Shoreham. Seven
years ago they sold it at a profit and bought
the present embassy on Highland terrace
from Thomas Ferguson, former minister to
Norway and Sweden.
About fifteen years ago the Japanese
bought General Capron's house at 1910 N
street and have occupied 1t since. Two
years later the Mexican government built q
$50, 900 mansion on land purchased in L
street between 14th and 10Th. The notable
feature of this embassy is the huge ball
room with mirror walls. About the same
time Corea bought her present legation at
18th street and Iowa Circle, just opposite
the new Logan statue Finally, the Aus
TRAN government, through Baron Hengel-
muller Won Hengervar, the present minister,
purchased in 1895, for $4,000, the mansion