Year: 1872

the the mantle in the reception
room.


Next in order is an oil-painting of
the concluding of the treaty for the
purchase of Alaska. The scene is
midnight; a dispatch has just been
received by the Russian minister,
! that the Gar gave his consent to the
transfer. Mr.. Seward is notified
and calls up his clerks; the party are
consulting the maps. The reason
for holding the consultation at so
late an hour was that the Senate
was to adjourn the next day, and it
was necessary to have the treaty
ready for presentation at 10 o'clock
in the morning. At the left of the
centre of this picture Nr. Seward is
seated at a table with the map of
North America in his hands. At
the left of Mr.. Seward is a large
globe turned so that the light of the
gas falls on Alaska, and the Russian
Minister stands near the globe with
his finger pointing to the proposed
purchase. At Mr.. Seward S right the
chief clerk of the State Department
is just entering with the engrossed
copy of the treaty. In the rear of
the globe a gentluman of the Rus
sian Legislation and one from the
State Department are comparing the
French and English copies of the
treaty. At the extreme right of
the picture we see Mr.. Summer,
Chairman of the Committee on For
eigh Relations, and Mr.. Frederick
Seward, Assistant Secretary of State,
seated on a sofa, the latter explain
ing to the former the provisions of
the treaty in order that he may pre-
sent it understandingly. The pic
ture is a fine one, but it is more in
teresting from its historical reminis-
cences than anything else. 1t was
painted by E. Lentze, and was al
most his last work as he died soon
after. On the center table is a long
case in which is a beautiful cane
made of California wood, which ap-
pears to be a species of ebony and
ornamented with a massive gold
head. Around the head on the out
side are forty-three different kinds of
gold quartz, representing counties of
the State. The top of the head is q
cap or cover which rises by spring
and discloses even different kinds of
gold dust from seven different rivers
in California The inside of the
cover has the words engraved on it:
"The pioneers of California to Will
| liam H. Seward" The cane was pre-
sented to him on his first visit to
San Francisco after the close of the
public career. He was at that time
elected on honorary member of the
society as recognition his services
for California when she was admit
ted as State. On the mantel is a
4 bust of Flora, which was obtained at
the ruins Of Pompeii. 1t is, OF
course, several hundred years of age,
and resembles a sandstone, and is
evidently a composition of some
kind of cement and sand. An East
India shawl is shown which was for
merly the property of a Rajah in In
dia, and was worn on state occa-
sions. 1t is composed of the royal
colors-purple and gold. Although
| Secretary Seward is a Republican he
has throne in his house, 1t, how
ever, looks more like the wooden
portions of a Mcclellan saddle raised
on four short legs than anything else.
It is about four inches high, but
serves to raise an Abyssinian King
above his subjects, who sit on the
ground. We are not told, but who
knows but this was the throne on
which Sheodorus sat before he met
his death at the hands of British
er A small bronze Cupid is shown
which came from the tomb of Ken
ophon. Another curiosity is beau
tiful solid silver Inkstand sent to
Mr.. Seward from Mexico by some
artist who was so modest as to with
hold his name. and no one has any
idea from who it came. It is cover
ed with the most intricate filagree
work, of apparent impossibilities,
and is an equisite work of art. It
contains three receptacles for ink,
sand, waters, &c. The center is sur
mounted by e solid silver bell rep
resenung the traditional bell, with
which Mr.. Seward is said to have
had some connection at one time.