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
asa Legation.
A HI S RIG NSION
A RIG MAN 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 it is rumored that Italy
| and China are on the lookout for land. AS
| soon 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 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-fve
| years ago by Richard Rush, statesman
and diplomatist. The year before it's 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 attic.
Later another story was added, and the
exterior was finished in It's present quaint
architecture. In the 40s 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
| snip was a dashing young noble of only
tnlfty-elght. He was accompanied by Lady
Napier four children, tutor governess
| pompous butler, a 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 / find in
| an old social diary that at one of her win
| ter parties her hair was adorned by
! wreath or water lilies, surmounted by
| tiara Of diamonds and emeralds Lord
Napier, In his gold-embroidered court dress
was described as vision of brilliance.
Former Occupants.
| King Edward we'll 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 Britannia's 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 a tale. One day as he sat
1 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
| Queen Alexandra. Lord Lyons sat him
down, prepared long and eloquent speech,
memorfzed 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 ong-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 a 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 Bruces death Admiral Porter,
| succeeding Farragut as commanding officer
of the navy, purchased the stately old man.
| In 1894 when NJ. Jules Patenotre, former
French ambas sador, married Miss EMERSON
| of Philadelphia, France first leased the
property for an embassy.
Diplomats Work in Stable. y
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 oc-
cupied many houses as temporary homes
for her diplomats. Until recently she has
rated Uncle Sam as only third-class dip
lomatic power, and l understand that
mission to any European capital has been
regarded by her diplomatists as more de-
sirable than mission to Washington. NJ
Patenotre received what was regarded as
promotion when transferred from here to
Madrid, four years ago. But the present
negotiations for handsome embassy of her
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 N 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 $125,-
600. Sir Edward paid 10 cents foot for
the ground now valued at SIS a foot. The
Germans were next to purchase legation
property-a house on 10Th street, within the
square just below the Shoreham. Seven
years ago they sold 1t at 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
100000 mansion on land purchased in
street between 14th and 18TH 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,