Semi-weekly herald., 1909-03-11

n fight. II was written in a plain
rounttAand and reads as follows:
Paris. Aug. 30. 17Ss.--Madame: II
is with great pleasure that l now exc
cute the flattering commission you
gave me before you left this city. Sir
James Stuart. who returns Immediate.
ly to Scotland, does me the honor 10
take charge of the medallion you de.
sired | might send you. am unable
to say whether 1t is we'll or III exc.
cuted but feel that II acquires great
valne from your acceptance OF it--an
honor for which I can never sufficient.
ly express my obligation. but which
II will always be my ambition to mer-
IT..
"My respectful compliments await
your husband am very sensible OF
his polite attentions while here.
MAY you always enjoy state of
happiness as real as is the esteem
and respect with which have the
honor to be. madame. your most obedi-
ent servant, PAUL JONES.
Mrs. Belches, Scotland"
Lord Chesterfield or Sir Philip Sid.
ney would be expected to frame such
phrases as this epistle contains, but
no one would have suspected Paul
Jones capable OF such compliments.
The medallion is Of ivory in strong
relief and represents man with a
handsome profile and wig with long
cue.
The Royal Scottish museum, In
which these things are found, is claim
ed by Edlnburghians to be the finest
institution of the kind In tho world,
outside of London, and its catalogue
Is said to embrace more objects of
historic interest than can be found
elsewhere except in the South Ken
sington and British museums, but the
Scotch, as | have told yon before, have
"A fun appreciation Of themselves and
all their possessions. and you need
not believe this boast unless you pre-
fer TO do so. AZ any rate It is most
Interesting collection of antiquities
and historical objects, and they are
well placed In an admirable building
erected by the municipality. The cor.
ner stone was laid by the late prince
consort In 56l and the museum Itself
was opened in 1866 by the duke OF
Edinburgh. Nearly every department
of art. science, trade and industry Ia
filled with carefully selected exhibits.
and they are all admirably Installed.
In one Of the upper rooms Is ma.
tional portrait gallery founded about
twelve years ago by the late John
Richie Finley, the principal partner
of the Scotsman newspaper, which is
a very profitable enterprise, as any
one can see by examining It's adver-
tising pages. II is made up on the
model OF the London Times and is
extremely circnmgp5ct in handling
news OF events. while its editorials
are long and labored. The Scotsman
has magnificent building on the
brink of the green gorge that divides
the city OF Edinburgh. where 1t does
an enormous business in job and book
work and other lines of printing. while
Its circulation7is about 10000 papers
daily from one end Of Scotland to the
other among the upper classes OF the
population.
There are many admirable newspa.
pers In Scotland Of the blanket sheet
variety. They all seem to be well pa
tronized by advertisers and are wide.
ly read News from America Ia
scarce, however. There seems to be
very little interest In our affairs. The
death OF Senator Allison was announc-
ed in single line in the personal
column Of the Scotsman, and his name
was wrongly spelled. The plans OF
President Roosevelt for big game
hunt in Africa called for brief para.
graph, and II was more of an ad.
vertIsement os the steamship line
which is to have the honor OF trans.
porting him than anything else. But
this is the rule everywhere in Europe.
The average American paper prints
column OF European news for every
paragraph OF American news that Is
published over here.
But ! am wandering and have for
gotten to ray that Mr.. Finley. the edi-
tor OF the Scotsman, who was an ar.
dent collector of portraits OF national
heroes, bequeathed his entire coilec-
tIon to the people of Edinburgh with
an endowment of about 100000, the
interest upon which maintains the gal
lery and provides purchasing fund
for new additions every year as they
can be acquired. The collection Is al.
ready very important. Including five
original portraits OF Robert Burns
nearly all that exist-and sixth In
now here on approval awaiting pur-
chase.
II is surprising tnat man OF Burns
poverty and social insignlficance
should have had his portrait painted
SO many times. but no doubt all OF
these examples are authentic and most
OF them are the work OF eminent ar
lists who must have painted him for