New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-12-13
AN OLD MANS MEMORIES
life IN Paris an the Nineteenth
Century.

,essful life There are few families in England
better known within her borders than his lie
ss directly descended from Sir Robert LIE Blouho'
2 Picard nobleman, who accompanied Nilaln
of Normandy his invasion OF Ehs'd4u
sbekesneare mentions the Blounts twice in the
PLAYS making the King speak or Sir waiter
Blount in King Henry W. as q a dear and true
.,,austrious friend Sir Richard Blount was
me NJ the Privy Council OF Edward VI Sir
Charles died at oxford, fighting the Round
heads for his King. The Blounts were always
Cavalier. always Catholic, often to the deUl-
rnent Of their fortunes An earlier Ed"aiu
Rlount was scholar and a wit and the lnu-
mate friend of Alexander Pope. He appreciated
that fact as of his letters shows nave
a secret pleasure he wrote. Ito have some Oh
INV descendants know that their ancestor was
great with Pope" There was noted striking
testimony 10 the persistence of the race in one
heIoyed corner of the earth at a dinner given
a few years ago TO the Blount tenants. one
Allen a Noodnan proved by documents tna'
for nearly eight hundred years his ancestors
from father TO son. had worked upon the Biount
estate in SHROPSHIRE the first OF them having
eorne over from Normandy with the lie BOUNDS
In his early youth Edward Blount became an
sttache at the Home Office under Canning Emu
took lively interest in politics ana pohtlcrtii''
He remembers OConnell speaking IN faiIi%
-rneut for seven hours on the Cathohc Questic'i
and Gaping every climax with Byron Woros'
know We not. who would be free, themselves
,nust strike the blow?" He describes Lord
Eroughan rafting off atrocious French IN
Paris. and so enamored of the revolution OF ie4o
that he wanted to be q Deputy in France ana
s4 The same time TO keep his position in political
life in England. He describes Palmerstoh rio-
ing about London always with hover between
his teeth and tells two or three anecoot@s OF lhe
great mans labored and rather dull VII III
1S2q Blount was an attache of the British EN-
hassy in Paris and year later was transferred
10 Rome Diplomatic life was agreeable puI
the boy had no fortune, and by and by Lord
Granville advised him to turn TO something else
He accordingly went into finance, becoming a
very popular banker in Paris. Then the chlel
yrorl, Of his life opened out before him The
nrejudice against railways very great on
the Continent in 1888. and in France there vas
only one small line twenty-five miles IN leESth
and national subyentions were imposseie-
BIount went to the government and proposed
10 find In England the necessary money FOR the
making of a line from Paris to Rouen NJ Dn-
saure acouiesced in his plan. Blount got the
money and became the chief founder as wen
as the protector Of the French railways of to-
CAV. He financed the Western of France rail-
wav and was for thirty years chairman of the
Nne He was a practical railroad man. and
knew how to drive engine as well as he knew
how TO get concessions and make contracts
He has many anecdotes of his railway expert
ences and of those with whom his constant
Journeys brought him in contact. One of these
concerns visit TO Switzerland, when he had oc-
casion to call NJ Staempfli, President of the
Swiss Confederation, and found him another
Jefferson for simplicity. ITO reach the Presi-
dent Of the Swiss Confederation says Blount,
1--WE had 70 go up very small and very narrow
staircase and ring bell at a very small door
This was opened by person whom we mistook
for q servant. When we asked to see the Presi- |
dent he answered, j the President
Among the friends to whom his railway work |
introduced him was that of remarkable |
qualities. the great contractor, Thomas Bras |
sey He was the kindest of souls and lavishly !
generous When on that panic day in London |
which was called BLACK Friday Blount ac- |
companied Brassey to his bankers to obtain |
some money old Mr.. Glyn, the head Of the |
house tried TO get Brassey to promise that he |
would not give all Of it away to his friends |
The contractor demurred, and the way out |
asked Blount IL he didn't want some OF IT Il
told him did not" said Blount but the |
steps of the hank met a gentleman whom we
knew well who in g less happy condition. |
and in spite Of my protest Mr. Brassey presented
him with 10000. His reputation for honesty |
and straightforwardness was so great that he |
could always raise money on securities which, |
when he offered them, were sometimes not even |
looked at Perhaps by class Thomas |
Brassey more appreciated than by working |
men. One Of mis- humble admirers summed up !
the general verdict in homely but expressive |
words when he said: IF Mr.. Brassey had been |
a parson he would have been a bishop. and If |
he had been prizehghter he would have won |
the belt "
During the Revolution of 1S4S Bount was In |
the midst of the Partisan turmoil and heartily |
IN sympathy with the government, which had |
co-operated with him cordially IN his rail |
way enterprises He went to the Chamber of |
Deputies 10 protect If possible the Duchesse |
d'orleans while she made her fruitless appeal |
for her two boys At the door Blount found a |
woman smeared with blood. mounted upon the |
horse Of g municipal guard. She SOL |
dier's coat and brandished loaded horse pis- |
toll. The Englishman went up to her, took away |
the pistol and unlocked it, while the tickle mob
spplauded. His picture of Paris filled by the |
crowds OF hungry and penniess men, thrown |
out of work by the closing of all Industrial |
works. is a vivid one These men were set at |
perfectly useless tasks in the so-called Ateliers
Naticnaux the Treasury paying the cost. Thou |
sands Of them. for example, were employed at
shifting mounds Of sand from spot to an |
other In the Champ de Mars. When Blount
went from curiosity to look at this queer kind OF
childs play he asked of the workmen what
they would do next, and the dryly re-
marked: ''Probablernent METRE la Seine en-
bouteilles" At one time more than 10000
men were employed at this fooishness which
was practically idleness. and grievously did
French finances suffer Blount knew the fugi-
tive Louis Philippe We'll and the King once
said to him. when in exile, that royalties ought
not TO show themselves too much in public