St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-06-14

machines and useful inventions as wer
unknown in France"
His book, Letters from an America
Farmer" which he had written, appa1
S emily at leisure moments between III
and 1871, and which was first published
in London in 1882, translated and pub
Z lished in Paris in 1884, had been so wei
, received, especially in England, that b
resolved on this second visit to France
! to venture upon another edition. Thi
work required his attention for som
months. He now mentions his "grea
and warm hearted friend Target" Thi
gentleman, Gui Jean Baptiste Target, {
celebrated lawyer, was very dear to him
and for reason-M. Target was endowed
with attractive social and mental quail
ties. 1t is probable that in the list o.
French names St. John sent to Ethar
Allen for the consideration of the Govern
or and Council, the name of his friend
Target, was intended instead of Turgot las
the editor of the Records Of the Govern
or and Council of the State of Vermont
supposed. In one of his letters St. John
says that he has dined with "the friend,
Target, the best of men,"
The winter of 1856 was evidently
very profitable to St. John in many ways.
On the 18th of February he was present
at sitting of the celebrated French
Academy, where he saw many distin-
guished people. 1t, is probable that he
formed an acquaintance with Thomas
| Jefferson about this time. During the
summer OF 1856 we note the beginning
of correspondence between the two
gentlemen, which reveals considerable
intimacy, SO intimate, indeed, as to in
clude the two sons of st. John; for on the
eve OF his departure for America his good
friend, the Countess d'Houdetot assures
him that she will look after their welfare
and every week will take them to dine
with Mr.. Jefferson. Before he left France
in the spring of 1887 he had the satisfac.
ton of seeing the second and enlarged
French edition of Letters from an
American Farmer" given to the public.
On bis arrival in New York he forwarded
a copy, preceded by recommendation
OF General Lafayette to George Washing.
ton. The latter replied on the 9th Of
July thanking him for the three volumes,
and refers to his good and much esteem.
ed friend, the Marquis de Lafayette,
whose services and zeal for the cause of
this country merit as much the applause
ofits citizens, as they have attracted the
admiration of all mankind"
We have seen that the state of YER
mont had legalized the name St. John
early in 1881 in behalf of his children,
and that he himself had been naturalized
at the same moment. In July 1887, Com
modore Paul Jones wrote him that his
name had been put in canddature for
membership in the American Philosophi.
cal Society; so that the year was for him
an important 'one. So many marks of
esteem are indeed worthy Of record.
The attempts of Fitch and Rumsey to
adapt the use of steam to purposes of
navigation interested him greatly. He
saw that motive power of this char.
acter was of illimitable value to the
needs OF the world in general, and of the
United States with its vast mileage of
navigable rivers, and its great lakes, in
particular. So we are not surprised to
md evidence OF considerable correspond
ence On the part Of St. John in behalf of
the new power, efforts, alas, that were
ineffective because the right mechanism
was not at hand. But we are surprised
to tlnd letter from Benjamin Franklin
to st. John bearing the date of 1 18th of
February, 1888, in which, after admit.
ting he has no doubt but that the
force OF steam properly applied can move
boat against river current, yet, for
certain reasons, principally OF financial
expenditure involved in first cost and
necessary repairs, he is of the opinion
that the invention can never be a practi.
cal success. We must say, however, that
this opinion was qualified by the more
favorable opinion OF Rittenhouse, and
later in the year Franklin had reached a
point OF observation where he could hone
to see the invention "simplifed and per.
tected SO NATURALIZATION by steam might
become matter of universal use." In
this connection it has been said that
Napoleon himself failed to recognize the
advantages of the use ofsteam and "lived
long enough to discover that he had re.
jected power greater than his own"
In these days of rapid transit it is as.
tonshing to find that dispatch written
by the French minister of marine on the
9th of June, 1888, did not reach the con.
sulate in New York until the end of Ianu-
airy, 1883. 1t is little wonder, then, that
commerce and exchange were heavily
handicapped. A letter of the 25th of
december, 1887, reports journey OF M,
st. John undertaken by order of NJ. de
Iastries, to the copper mines of New Ter
sey; the same dispatch refers to some at.
tempts to utilize coal-tar upon the bulls
| of ships In other disna+c has c. Ill. -