CHAPTER XI

MARRIAGE AND CONTINUED LIFE IN WASHINGTON

I met my future father-in-law, Samuel L. Gouverneur, Sr., for the first

time in Cold Spring, New York. Mr. Gouverneur, accompanied by his second

wife, then a bride, who was Miss Mary Digges Lee, of Needwood, Frederick

County, Maryland, and a granddaughter of Thomas Sim Lee, second Governor

of the same state, was the guest of Gouverneur Kemble. When I first knew

Mr. Gouverneur he possessed every gift that fortune as well as nature

can bestow. To quote the words of Eliab Kingman, a lifelong friend of

his and who for many years was the Nestor of the Washington press, "he

even possessed a seductive voice." General Scott, prior to my marriage

into the family, remarked to me that there "was something in Mr.

Gouverneur lacking of greatness."

The history of my husband's family is so well known that it seems almost

superfluous to dwell upon it, but, as these reminiscences are purely

personal, I may at least incidentally refer to it. Samuel L. Gouverneur,

Sr., was the youngest child of Nicholas Gouverneur and his wife, Hester

Kortright, a daughter of Lawrence Kortright, a prominent merchant of New

York and at one time president of its Chamber of Commerce. He was

graduated from Columbia College in New York in the class of 1817, and

married his first cousin, Maria Hester Monroe, the younger daughter of

James Monroe. This wedding took place in the East Room of the White

House. My husband, Samuel L. Gouverneur, Jr., was the youngest child of

this alliance. _The National Intelligencer_ of March 11, 1820, contained

the following brief marriage notice:

_Married_

On Thursday evening last [March 9th], in this City, by the

Reverend Mr. [William] Hawley, Samuel Laurence Gouverneur,

Esq., of New York, to Miss Maria Hester Monroe, youngest

daughter of James Monroe, President of the United States.

For a number of years Samuel L. Gouverneur, Sr., was private secretary

to his father-in-law, President Monroe. In 1825 he was a member of the

New York Legislature, and from 1828 to 1836 Postmaster of the City of

New York. For many years, like the gentlemen of his day and class, he

was much interested in racehorses and at one time owned the famous

horse, _Post Boy_. He was also deeply interested in the drama and it was

partially through his efforts that many brilliant stars were brought to

this country to perform at the Bowery Theater in New York, of which he

was a partial owner. Among its other owners were Prosper M. Wetmore, the

well-known author and regent of the University of the State of New York,

and General James A. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton and acting

Secretary of State in 1829, under Jackson. Mr. Gouverneur was a man of

decidedly social tastes and at one period of his life owned and occupied

the De Menou buildings on H Street in Washington, where, during the life

of his first wife, he gave some brilliant entertainments. It was from

this house that his son, and my future husband, went to the Mexican War.

Many years subsequent to my marriage I heard Rear Admiral John J. Almy,

U.S.N., describe some of the entertainments given by the Gouverneur

family, and he usually wound up his reminiscences by informing me that

sixteen baskets of champagne were frequently consumed by the guests

during a single evening. My old friend, Emily Mason, loved to refer to

these parties and told me that she made her _début_ at one of them. The

house was well adapted for entertainments, as there were four spacious

drawing-rooms, two on each side of a long hall, one side being reserved

for dancing.

At the time of the Gouverneur-Monroe wedding the bride was but sixteen

years of age, and many years younger than her only sister, Eliza, who

was the wife of Judge George Hay of Virginia, the United States

District-Attorney of that State, and the prosecuting officer at the

trial of Aaron Burr. Mrs. Hay was educated in Paris at Madame Campan's

celebrated school, where she was the associate and friend of Hortense de

Beauharnais, subsequently the Queen of Holland and the mother of

Napoleon III. The Rev. Dr. William Hawley, who performed the marriage

ceremony of Miss Monroe and Mr. Gouverneur, was the rector of old St.

John's Church in Washington. He was a gentleman of the old school and

always wore knee breeches and shoe buckles. In the War of 1812 he

commanded a company of divinity students in New York, enlisted for the

protection of the city. It is said that when ordered to the frontier he

refused to go and resigned his commission, and I have heard that

Commodore Stephen Decatur refused to attend St. John's Church during his

rectorship, because he said he did not care to listen to a man who

refused to obey orders.

[Illustration: MRS. JAMES MONROE, NÉE KORTRIGHT, BY BENJAMIN WEST.

_Original portrait owned by Mrs. Gouverneur._]

Only the relatives and personal friends attended the Gouverneur-Monroe

wedding at the White House; even the members of the Cabinet were not

invited. The gallant General Thomas S. Jesup, one of the heroes of the

War of 1812 and Subsistance Commissary General of the Army, acted as

groomsman to Mr. Gouverneur. Two of his daughters, Mrs. James Blair and

Mrs. Augustus S. Nicholson, still reside at the National Capital and are

prominent "old Washingtonians." After this quiet wedding, Mr. and Mrs.

Gouverneur left Washington upon a bridal tour and about a week later

returned to the White House, where, at a reception, Mrs. Monroe gave up

her place as hostess to mingle with her guests, while Mrs. Gouverneur

received in her place. Commodore and Mrs. Stephen Decatur, who lived on

Lafayette Square, gave the bride her first ball, and two mornings later,

on the twenty-second of March, 1820, Decatur fought his fatal duel with

Commodore James Barron and was brought home a corpse. "The bridal

festivities," wrote Mrs. William Winston Seaton, wife of the editor of

_The National Intelligencer_, "have received a check which will prevent

any further attentions to the President's family, in the murder of

Decatur." The invitations already sent out for an entertainment in honor

of the bride and groom by Commodore David Porter, father of the late

Admiral David D. Porter, U.S.N., were immediately countermanded.

I never had the pleasure of knowing my mother-in-law, Mrs. Maria Hester

Monroe Gouverneur, as she died some years before my marriage, but I

learned to revere her through her son, whose tender regard for her was

one of the absorbing affections of his life and changed the whole

direction of his career. At an early age he was appointed a Lieutenant

in the regular Army and served with distinction through the Mexican War

in the Fourth Artillery. On one occasion subsequent to that conflict,

while his mother was suffering from a protracted illness, he applied to

the War Department for leave of absence in order that he might visit her

sick bed; and when it was not granted he resigned his commission and

thus sacrificed an enviable position to his sense of filial duty. Many

years later, after my husband's decease, in looking over his papers I

found these lines written by him just after his mother's death:--

"A man through life has but _one_ true friend and that friend generally

leaves him early. Man enters the lists of life but ere he has fought his

way far that friend falls by his side; he never finds another so fond,

so true, so faithful to the last--_His Mother_!"

Mrs. Gouverneur was somewhat literary in her tastes and, like many

others of her time, regarded it as an accomplishment to express herself

in verse on sentimental occasions. One of my daughters, whom she never

saw, owns the original manuscript of the following lines written as a

tribute of friendship to the daughter of President John Tyler, at the

time of her marriage:--

TO MISS TYLER ON HER WEDDING DAY.

The day, the happy day, has come

That gives you to your lover's arms;

Check not the tear or rising bloom

That springs from all those strange alarms.

To be a blest and happy wife

Is what all women wish to prove;

And may you know through all your life

The dear delights of wedded love.

'Tis not strange that you should feel

Confused in every thought and feeling;

Your bosom heave, the tear should steal

At thoughts of all the friends you're leaving.

Happy girl may your life prove,

All sunshine, joy and purest pleasure;

One long, long day of happy love,

Your husband's joy, his greatest treasure.

Be to him all that woman ought,

In joy and health and every sorrow;

Let his true pleasures be only sought

With you to-day, with you to-morrow.

Believe not that in palace walls

'Tis only there that joy you'll find;

At home with friends in your own halls

There's more content and peace of mind.

More splendor you may find 'tis true,

And glitter, show, and elevation,

But if the world of you speak true,

You prize not wealth or this high station.

Your heart's too pure, your mind too high,

To prize such empty pomp and state;

You leave such scenes without a sigh

To court the joys that on you wait.

After meeting Mr. and Mrs. Gouverneur, my future husband's father and

his second wife, at Cold Spring, I renewed my acquaintance with them in

Washington, where they were living in an old-fashioned house on New York

Avenue, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets. We often welcomed Mrs.

Gouverneur as a guest at our Washington home and I was subsequently

invited to visit her at their country seat, Needwood, Frederick County,

Maryland, located upon a tract of land chiefly composed of large farms

at one time owned exclusively by the Lee family. I quote Mrs.

Gouverneur's graceful letter of invitation:--

My dear Miss Campbell,

I can not refrain from writing to remind you of your promise

to us; this must be about the time fixed upon, (at least we

all feel as if it was), and the season is so delightful, not

to mention the strawberries which will be in great

perfection this week--these reasons, together with our great

desire to see you, determined me to give you warning that we

are surely expecting you, and hope to hear very soon from

you to say when we may send to the _Knoxville_ depot for

you. I would be so much gratified if Mrs. Eames would come

with you; it would give us all the sincerest pleasure, and I

do not think that such a journey would be injurious. You

leave Washington to come here on the early (6 o'clock)

train, get out at the Relay House, and wait until the

western cars pass, (about 8 o'clock), get into them, and

reach Knoxville at 12 o'clock. So you see that altogether

you have only six hours, and you rest more than half an hour

at the Relay House. From Knoxville our carriage brings you

to "Needwood" in less than an hour. If there is any

gentleman you would like to come as an escort Mr. G. and

myself will be most happy to see him. Dr. Jones, you know,

does intend to travel about a little and said he would come

to see us; perhaps he will come with you, or Mr. Hibbard I

should be most happy to see--anyone in short whom you choose

to bring will be most welcome. Tell Mr. Hibbard I read his

speech and admired it as I presume everyone does. Good-bye,

dear Miss Campbell. I hope you will aid me in persuading

Mrs. Eames to come with you. My warmest regards to Mrs.

Campbell and your sisters, in which my sister [Mrs. Eugene

H. Lynch] and Mr. Gouverneur unite.

Believe me, yours most truly,

M. D. GOUVERNEUR.

Needwood, May 22nd, 1854.

I accepted the invitation and, while I was Mrs. Gouverneur's guest, my

sister Margaret was visiting one of the adjoining places at the home of

Colonel John Lee, whose wife's maiden name was Harriet Carroll. She was

a granddaughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and their home was the

former residence of another ancestor, Governor Thomas Sim Lee of

Maryland. During my visit at Needwood I renewed the acquaintance of my

future husband, which I had formed a number of years before at the

wedding of Miss Fanny Monroe and Douglas Robinson, of which I have

previously spoken. It is unnecessary to refer to his appearance, which I

have already described, but I am sure it is not unnatural for me to add

that a year after the conclusion of the Mexican War he was brevetted for

gallantry and meritorious conduct in the battles of Contreras and

Churubusco. While his general bearing spoke well for his military

training, his mind was a storehouse of information which I learned to

appreciate more and more as the years rolled by. But of all his fine

characteristics I valued and revered him most for his fine sense of

honor and sterling integrity. Like his mother, Mr. Gouverneur was

literary in his tastes and occasionally gave vent to his feelings in

verse. In 1852 Oak Hill, the stately old Monroe place in Virginia where

he had spent much of his early life, was about to pass out of the

family. He was naturally much distressed over the sale of the home so

intimately associated with his childhood's memory, and a few days prior

to his final departure wrote the following lines. In after years nothing

could ever induce him to visit Oak Hill.

FAREWELL TO OAK HILL, 1852, ON DEPARTING THENCE.

The autumn rains are falling fast,

Earth, the heavens are overcast;

The rushing winds mournful sigh,

Whispering, alas! good-bye;

To each fond remembrance farewell and forever,

Oak Hill I depart to return to thee never!

The mighty oaks beneath whose shade

In boyhood's happier hours I've played,

Bend to the mountain blast's wild sweep,

Scattering spray they seem to weep;

To each moss-grown tree farewell and forever,

Oak Hill I depart to return to thee never!

The little mound now wild o'ergrown,

On the bosom of which my tears have oft flown,

Where my mother beside her mother lies sleeping,

O'er them the rank grass, bright dew drops are weeping;

To that hallowed spot farewell and forever,

Oak Hill I depart to return to thee never!

Oh, home of my boyhood, why must I depart?

Tears I am shedding and wild throbs my heart;

Home of my manhood, oh! would I had died

And lain me to rest by my dead mother's side,

Ere my tongue could have uttered farewell and forever,

Oak Hill I depart to return to thee never!

Mr. Gouverneur's pathetic allusion to the graves of his mother and

grandmother affords me an opportunity of saying that in 1903 the

Legislature of Virginia appropriated a sum of money sufficient to

remove the remains of Mrs. Monroe and her daughter, Mrs. Gouverneur,

from Oak Hill. They now rest in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia,

on opposite sides of the grave of James Monroe.

The friendship of Mr. Gouverneur and myself ripened into a deep

affection, and the winter following my visit to Needwood we announced

our engagement. I was warmly welcomed into the Gouverneur family, as

will appear from the following letter:

I can not longer defer, my dear Marian, expressing the great

gratification I experienced when Sam informed me of his

happiness in having gained your heart. It is most agreeable

to me that you of all the women I know should be the object

of his choice. How little I anticipated such a result from

the short visit you made us last summer. Sam is in an

Elysium of bliss. I have lately had a charming letter from

him, of course all about his lady love. I think you too have

every reason to anticipate a life of happiness, not more

marred than we must all look for in this world. Sam is very

warm-hearted and affectionate and possesses a fine mind, as

you know, and when he marries, you will have nothing to wish

for. These are his own sentiments and I assure you I

entirely agree with him.

Mr. Gouverneur is greatly gratified and both wrote and told

me how nobly you expressed yourself to him.

I am going to Baltimore to-day to meet Mr. G. and perhaps

may go to Washington. If I do you will see me soon after I

arrive there. I feel as if I should like so much to talk to

my future daughter. I take the warmest interest in

everything concerning Sam's happiness, and my heart is now

overflowing with thankfulness to you for having contributed

so much to it.

Please remember me in the kindest manner to your mother,

whose warm hospitality I have not forgotten, and to the

girls. My sincere congratulations to Margaret who Mary

[Lee] writes me is as happy as the day is long. Ellen

desires me to present her congratulations to you and

Margaret.

Believe me, very sincerely yours,

M. D. GOUVERNEUR.

Needwood, Feb. 14th.

I was married in Washington in the old G Street house, and the occasion

was made especially festive by the presence of many friends from out of

town. We were married by the Rev. Dr. Smith Pyne, rector of St. John's

Episcopal Church, and I recall his nervous state of mind, owing to the

fact that he had forgotten to inquire whether a marriage license had

been procured; but when he was assured that everything was in due form

he was quite himself again. Among those who came from New York to attend

the wedding were General Scott; my father's old friend and associate,

Hugh Maxwell; his daughter, now the wife of Rear Admiral John H. Upshur,

U.S.N.; and Miss Sally Strother and her mother. Miss Emily Harper and

Mrs. Solomon B. Davies, who was Miss Bettie Monroe, my husband's

relative, came from Baltimore and, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Gouverneur

and Miss Mary Lee from Needwood were also present.

My own family circle was small, as my sister, Mrs. Eames, and her young

children were in Venezuela, where her husband was the U.S. Minister; but

I was married in the presence of my mother, my two younger sisters,

Margaret and Charlotte, and my brothers, James and Malcolm. Mr.

Gouverneur's only sister, Elizabeth, who some years before had married

Dr. Henry Lee Heiskell, Assistant Surgeon General of the Army,

accompanied by her husband and son, the late James Monroe Heiskell, of

Baltimore, a handsome and promising youth, were also there. Among the

other guests were Charles Sumner, Caleb Cushing and Stephen A. Douglas,

none of whom at that time were married; Peter Grayson Washington, then

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and a relative of my husband; Miss

Katharine Maria Wright, who shortly thereafter married Baron J. C.

Gevers, _Chargé d'affaires_ from Holland; her brother, Edward Wright, of

Newark; John G. Floyd of Long Island; James Guthrie, Secretary of the

Treasury, and his two daughters; William L. Marcy, Secretary of State,

and his wife; their daughter, Miss Cornelia Marcy, subsequently Mrs.

Edmund Pendleton; Baron von Grabow and Alexandre Gau of the Prussian

Legation, the latter of whom married my sister, Margaret, the following

year; Mr. and Mrs. William T. Carroll; Lieutenant (subsequently Rear

Admiral) James S. Palmer of the Navy; Jerome E. Kidder of Boston, and

General William J. Hardee, U.S.A.

A few days before my marriage I received the following letter from

Edward Everett:--

BOSTON, 23 Feb.

My dear Miss Campbell,

I had much pleasure in receiving this morning Mrs.

Campbell's invitation and your kind note of the 20th. I am

greatly indebted to you for remembering me on an occasion of

so much interest and importance, and I beg to offer you my

sincere congratulations.

Greatly would it rejoice me to be able to avail myself of

your invitation to be present at your nuptials.

But the state of my health and of my family makes this

impossible. But I shall certainly be with you in spirit, and

with cordial wishes for your happiness.

Praying my kindest remembrance to your mother and sisters, I

remain,

my dear Miss Campbell,

Sincerely your friend,

EDWARD EVERETT.

P.S. I suppose you saw in the papers a day or two ago that

poor Miss Russell is gone.

The Miss Russell referred to by Mr. Everett was Miss Ida Russell, one

of three handsome and brilliant sisters prominent in Boston in the

society of the day.

Soon after my marriage my husband and I made a round of visits to his

numerous family connections. It is with more than usual pleasure that I

recall the beautiful old home of Mr. Gouverneur's aunt, Mrs. Thomas

Cadwalader, near Trenton, which a few years later was destroyed by fire.

A guest of the Cadwaladers at the same time with ourselves was my

husband's first cousin, the Rev. Robert Livingston Tillotson of New

York, who studied for the Episcopal ministry and subsequently entered

the Roman Catholic priesthood.

From Trenton, we journeyed to Yonkers, New York, to visit the Van

Cortlandt family at the historic manor-house in that vicinity. It was

then owned and occupied by Mr. Gouverneur's relatives, Dr. Edward N.

Bibby and his son, Augustus, the latter of whom had recently changed his

name from Bibby to Van Cortlandt, as a consideration for the inheritance

of this fine old estate. Dr. Bibby married Miss Augusta White of the Van

Cortlandt descent, and for many years was a prominent physician in New

York City. When I visited the family, he had retired from active

practice and was enjoying a serene old age surrounded by his children

and grandchildren. Henry Warburton Bibby, the Doctor's second son, was

also one of this household at the time of our visit. He never married

but retained his social tastes until his death a few years ago.

In the drawing-room of the Van Cortlandt home stood a superb pair of

brass andirons in the form of lions, which had been presented to Mrs.

Augustus Van Cortlandt by my husband's mother as a bridal present. They

had been brought by James Monroe upon his return from France, where he

had been sent upon his historic diplomatic mission by Washington. The

style of life led by the Van Cortlandt family was fascinating to me as,

even at this late date, they clung to many of the old family customs

inherited from their ancestors. Our next visit was to the cottage of

William Kemble in Cold Spring, and it seemed to me like returning to an

old and familiar haunt. My marriage into the Gouverneur family added

another link in the chain of friendship attaching me to the members of

the Kemble family, as they were relatives of my husband. I was

entertained while there by the whole family connection, and I recall

with especial pleasure the dinner parties at Gouverneur Kemble's and at

Mrs. Robert P. Parrott's. Martin Van Buren was visiting "Uncle Gouv" at

the time, and I was highly gratified to meet him again, as his presence

not only revived memories of childhood's days during my father's

lifetime in New York, but also materially assisted in rendering the

entertainments given in my honor at Cold Spring unusually delightful.

From Cold Spring we drove to The Grange, near Garrison's, another

homestead familiar to me in former days, and the residence of Frederick

Philipse, where I renewed my acquaintance with old friends who now

greeted me as a relative. At this beautiful home I saw a pair of

andirons even handsomer than those at the Van Cortlandt mansion. They

were at least two feet high and represented trumpeters. The historic

house was replete with ancestral furniture and fine old portraits, one

of which was attributed to Vandyke.

The whole Philipse and Gouverneur connection at Garrison's were devoted

Episcopalians and were largely instrumental in building a fine church at

Garrison's, which they named St. Philips. In more recent years a

congregation of prominent families has worshiped in this edifice--among

others, the Fishes, Ardens, Livingstons, Osborns and Sloanes. For many

years the beloved rector of this church was the Rev. Dr. Charles F.

Hoffman, a gentleman of great wealth and much scholarly ability. He and

his brother, the late Rev. Dr. Eugene A. Hoffman, Dean of the General

Theological Seminary in New York, devoted their lives and fortunes to

the cause of religion. Residents of New York are familiar with All

Angels Church, built by the late Rev. Dr. Charles F. Hoffman on West End

Avenue, of which he was rector for a number of years. During his life at

Garrison's, both Dr. and Mrs. Hoffman were very acceptable to my

husband's relatives, especially as the Doctor was connected with the

family by right of descent from a Gouverneur forbear. Charles F. Hoffman

married Miss Eleanor Louisa Vail, a daughter of David M. Vail of New

Brunswick, New Jersey, who in every way proved herself an able helpmeet

to him. Mrs. Hoffman was educated at Miss Hannah Hoyt's school in New

Brunswick, a fashionable institution of the day, and at a reunion of the

scholars held in recent years, she was mentioned in the following

appropriate manner: "Nearly half a century ago, in the well-known Miss

Hoyt's school, was Eleanor Louisa Vail who was noted for her good

lessons and considerate ways towards all. She never overlooked those who

were less fortunate than herself, but gave aid to any who needed it,

either in their lessons or in a more substantial form. In the wider

circle of New York the benevolent Mrs. Hoffman, the wife of the late

generous rector of All Angels Church, but fulfilled the promise made by

the beautiful girl of former days." Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Hoffman's

daughter, Mrs. J. Van Vechten Olcott, is as beloved in her generation as

her mother was before her.

Samuel Mongan Warburton Gouverneur, a younger brother of Frederick

Philipse, was living at The Grange at the time of my visit. Some years

later he built a handsome house in the neighborhood which he called

"Eagle's Rest," and resided there with his sister, Miss Mary Marston

Gouverneur. After his death, the place was sold to the late Louis

Fitzgerald, who made it his home.

After six months spent in the mountainous regions of Maryland, not far

from Cumberland, on property owned by my husband's family, Mr.

Gouverneur and I returned to Washington and began our married life in my

mother's home. Soon after we had settled down, my eldest daughter was

born. The death of my sister, Mrs. Alexandre Gau, from typhoid fever

soon followed. It was naturally a terrible shock to us all and

especially to me, as we were near of an age and our lives had been side

by side from infancy. My mother, in her great affliction, broke up her

home and Mr. Gouverneur and I rented a house on Twelfth Street, near N

Street, a locality then regarded as quite suburban. Here I endeavored to

live in the closest retirement, as the meeting with friends of former

days only served to bring my sorrow more keenly before me.

Meanwhile my whole life was devoted to the little girl whom we had named

Maud Campbell, and who, of course, had become "part and parcel" of my

quiet life. Mr. Gouverneur was the last surviving member of his family

in the male line, and the whole family connection was looking to me to

perpetuate his name. Soon after the birth of my daughter my husband

received the following characteristic letter from Mr. Gouverneur's aunt,

Mrs. David Johnstone Verplanck, who before her marriage was Louisa A.

Gouverneur, a gifted woman whose home was in New York:

THURSDAY, April 10th.

My dear Sam,

In return for your kind recollections I hasten to offer my

most sincere congratulations to yourself and Mrs. G. As

husband and father you have now realized all the romance of

life, the pleasures of which I have little doubt you already

begin to feel deeply intermingled with many anxious hours.

It is wisest and best to enjoy all that good fortune sends

and fortify ourselves to meet and endure the trials to which

our Destiny has allotted.

Tell Mrs. G. that we must send for the girdle the old woman

sent the Empress Eugénie. She had a succession of seven

sons, and requested her to wear it for luck. As it was very

dirty the royal lady sent it back. It might be procured and

undergo the purifying influence of water. All I can say at

present to console your disappointment I hope a son will

soon consummate all your joys and wishes. You know it rests

with you to keep the name of Gouverneur in the land of the

living. It is nearly extinct and you its only salvation.

I regret to hear your father is unwell at Barnum's [Hotel,

Baltimore]. I hope he will soon be with us. I long to see

him.

Believe me always your friend,

LOUISA VERPLANCK.

I also append a letter received by Mr. Gouverneur from Mrs. William

Kemble (Margaret Chatham Seth), which recalled many tender associations.

NEW YORK 11th April.

I need not tell you, my dear friend, how much we were all

gratified by your kind remembrance of us, in the midst of

your own anxiety and joy, to give us the first news of our

dear Marian's safety. Give my very best love to her and a

kiss to Miss Gouverneur with whom I hope to be better

acquainted hereafter.

Mr. and Mrs. Nourse with our dear little Charlie left us

yesterday for Washington. You will probably see them before

you receive this. I feel assured that Marian is blessed in

being with her mother who has every experience necessary for

her. Therefore it is idle for me to give my advice but I

must say, keep her quiet, not to be too smart or anxious to

show her baby--at first--and she will be better able to do

it afterwards. May God bless you all three and that this

dear pledge committed to your charge be to you both every

comfort and joy that your anxious hearts can wish. Please to

give my best regards and wishes to Mrs. Campbell and her

daughter from

your sincerely attached friend and cousin,

M. C. KEMBLE.

On the corner of Fourteenth and P Streets, and not far from our home,

was the residence of Eliab Kingman, an intimate friend of Mr.

Gouverneur's father. This locality, now such a business center, was

decidedly rural, and Mr. Kingman's quaint and old-fashioned house was in

the middle of a small farm. It was an oddly constructed dwelling and the

interior was made unusually attractive by its wealth of curios, among

which was a large collection of Indian relics. After his death I

attended an auction held in the old home and I remember that these

curiosities were purchased by Ben Perley Poore, the well-known

journalist. Although many years his senior, my husband found Mr. Kingman

and his home a source of great pleasure to him, and he formed an

attachment for his father's early friend which lasted through life. The

Kingman house was the rendezvous of both literary and political circles.

William H. Seward was one of its frequent visitors and I once heard him

wittily remark that it might appropriately be worshiped, as it resembled

nothing "that is in the Heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or the

water under the earth." For a number of years Mr. Kingman was a

correspondent of _The Baltimore Sun_ under the _nom de plume_ of "Ion."

His communications were entirely confined to political topics and he was

such a skilled diplomatist that the adherents of either party, after

perusing them, might easily recognize him as their own advocate. Thomas

Seaton Donoho, of whom I shall speak presently, was a warm friend of Mr.

Kingman and the constant recipient of his hospitality. Among his poems

is a graceful sonnet entitled

E. KINGMAN.

Ever will I remember with delight

Strawberry Knoll; not for the berries red,

As, ere my time, the vines were out of bed,

And gone; but many a day and many a night

Have given me argument to love it well,

Whether in Summer, 'neath its perfumed shade,

Whether by moonlight's magic wand arrayed,

Or when in Winter's lap the rose leaves fell,

For pleasant faces ever there were found,

For genial welcome ever met me there,

And thou, my friend, when thought went smiling round,

Madest her calm look, reflecting thine, more fair.

Those who have known thee as a Statesman, know

Thy noon-day: I have felt thy great heart's sunset glow!

Mr. Kingman married Miss Cordelia Ewell of Virginia, a relative of

General Richard S. Ewell of the Confederate Army. She was in some

respects a remarkable character, a "dyed-in-the-wool" Southerner and a

woman of unusual personal charm and ability. In dress, manner and

general appearance she presented a fitting reminder of the _grande dame_

of long ago. Her style of dress reminded one of the Quaker school. Her

gray gown with a white kerchief crossed neatly upon her breast and her

gray hair with puffs clustered around her ears, together with her quaint

manner of courtesying as she greeted her guests, suggested the familiar

setting of an old-fashioned picture. She was an accomplished performer

upon the harp as well as an authority upon old English literature. In

all the years I knew her I never heard of her leaving her house. She had

no children and her constant companion was a venerable parrot.

John Savage, familiarly known as "Jack" Savage, was an intimate friend

of the Kingmans and also a frequent guest of ours. He was an Irish

patriot of 1848 and was remarkable for his versatility. He had a fine

voice, and I remember seeing him on one occasion hold his audience

spell-bound while singing "The Temptation of St. Anthony." He was an

accomplished journalist and the author of several books, one of which,

"The Modern Revolutionary History and Literature of Ireland," has been

pronounced the best work extant "on the last great revolutionary era of

the Irish race."

After the Civil War I often met at Mr. Kingman's house General Benjamin

F. Butler, whose withering gift of sarcasm is still remembered. Simon

Cameron, Lincoln's first Secretary of War, was also a frequent visitor

there. He was an unusually genial and cordial gentleman, and some years

later Mr. Kingman and my husband, upon his urgent invitation, visited

him at his handsome country place, Lochiel, in Pennsylvania. His fine

graperies made such a vivid impression upon my husband that his

description of them almost enabled me to see the luscious fruit itself

before me.

My old friends, Purser Horatio Bridge, U.S.N., and his wife, lived on

the corner of K and Fourteenth Streets at a hotel then known as the

Rugby House. Mrs. Bridge was a sister of the famous beauty, Miss Emily

Marshall, who married Harrison Gray Otis of Boston. Mr. Bridge, while on

the active list, had been stationed for a time in Washington and,

finding the life congenial and attractive, returned here after his

retirement and with his wife made his home at the Rugby House. While

there the hotel was offered for sale and was bought by Mr. Bridge, who

enlarged it and changed its name to The Hamilton, in compliment to Mrs.

Hamilton Holly, an intimate friend of Mrs. Bridge and the daughter of

Alexander Hamilton. Mrs. Holly, my old and cherished friend, lived in a

picturesque cottage on I Street, on the site of the present Russian

embassy, where so many years later the wife and daughter of Benjamin F.

Tracy, Harrison's Secretary of the Navy, lost their lives in a fire that

destroyed the house. Among the attractions of this home was a remarkable

collection of Hamilton relics which subsequent to Mrs. Holly's death was

sold at public auction. The sale, however, did not attract any

particular attention, as the craze for antiques had not yet developed

and the souvenir fiend was then unknown.

It was while I was living on Twelfth Street that I first met Miss

Margaret Edes, so well known in after years to Washingtonians. She was

visiting her relatives, the Donoho family, which lived in my immediate

vicinity. Her host's father was connected with _The National

Intelligencer_, and the son, Thomas Seaton Donoho, was named after

William Winston Seaton, one of its editors. Thomas Seaton Donoho was a

truly interesting character. He was decidedly romantic in his ideas and

many incidents of his life were curiously associated with the ivy vine.

He planted a sprig of it in front of his three-story house, which was

built very much upon the plan of every other dwelling in the

neighborhood, and called his abode "Ivy Hall"; while his property in the

vicinity of Washington he named "Ivy City," a locality so well known

to-day by the same name to the sporting fraternity. His book of poems,

published in Washington in 1860, is entitled "Ivy-wall"; and, to cap the

climax, when a girl was born into the Donoho family she was baptized in

mid-ocean as "Atlantic May Ivy." In addition to his poems, he published,

in 1850, a drama in three acts, entitled, "Goldsmith of Padua," and two

years later "Oliver Cromwell," a tragedy in five acts.

Soon after my marriage, Mr. Gouverneur acted as one of the pallbearers

at the funeral of his early friend, Gales Seaton, the son of William

Winston Seaton, and a most accomplished man of affairs. In those days

honorary pallbearers were unknown and the coffin was borne to the grave

by those with whom the deceased had been most intimately associated. The

Seatons owned a family vault, and the body was carried down into it by

Mr. Seaton's old friends. After the funeral I heard Mr. Gouverneur speak

of observing a coffin which held the remains of Mrs. Francis Schroeder,

who was Miss Caroline Seaton, and whose husband, the father of Rear

Admiral Seaton Schroeder, U.S.N., was at one time U.S. Minister to

Sweden and Norway. Seaton Munroe, a nephew of Gales Seaton, was

prominent in Washington society. He never married and many persons

regarded him as the Ward McAllister of the Capital. When Colonel Sanford

C. Kellogg, U.S.A., then military _attaché_ of the U.S. Embassy in

Paris, heard of Munroe's death, he wrote to a mutual friend: "I do not

believe the man lives who has done more for the happiness and welfare of

others than Seaton Munroe." He was one of the prominent founders of the

Metropolitan Club, which commenced its career in the old Morris house on

the corner of Vermont Avenue and H Street; and later, when it moved to

the Graham residence on the corner of Fifteenth and H Streets, he

continued to be one of its most popular and influential members.

In April, 1858, occurred the famous Gwin ball, so readily recalled by

old Washingtonians. It was a fancy-dress affair, and it was the

intention of Senator and Mrs. William McKendree Gwin of California that

it should be the most brilliant of its kind that the National Capital

had ever known. Of course Mr. Gouverneur and I did not attend, owing to

my deep mourning, but I shall always remember the pleasure and amusement

we derived in dressing Mr. Kingman for the occasion. We decked him out

in the old court dress which Mr. Gouverneur's grandfather, James Monroe,

wore during his diplomatic mission in France. As luck would have it the

suit fitted him perfectly, and the next day it was quite as gratifying

to us as to Mr. Kingman to hear that the costume attracted marked

attention.

The ball was rightly adjudged a brilliant success. Among the guests was

President Buchanan, though not, of course, in fancy dress. Senator Gwin

represented Louis Quatorze; Ben Perley Poore, "Major Jack Downing"; Lord

Napier, George Hammond--the first British Minister to the United States;

Mrs. Stephen A. Douglas, Aurora; Mrs. Jefferson Davis, Madame de Staël;

and so on down the list. It is probable that the wife of Senator

Clement C. Clay, of Alabama, who represented Mrs. Partington, attracted

more attention and afforded more amusement than any other guest.

Washington had fairly teemed with her brilliant repartee and other

bright sayings, and upon this occasion she was, if possible, more than

ever in her element. She had a witty encounter with the President and a

familiar home-thrust for all whom she encountered. Many of the public

characters present, when lashed by her sparkling humor, were either

unable or unwilling to respond. She was accompanied by "Ike," Mrs.

Partington's son, impersonated by a clever youth of ten years, son of

John M. Sandidge of Louisiana. Mr. John Von Sonntag Haviland, formerly

of the U.S. Army, wrote a metrical description of this ball, and in

referring to Mrs. Clay, thus expresses himself:--

Mark how the grace that gilds an honored name,

Gives a strange zest to that loquacious dame

Whose ready tongue and easy blundering wit

Provoke fresh uproar at each happy hit!

Note how her humour into strange grimace

Tempts the smooth meekness of yon Quaker's face.

* * * * *

But--denser grows the crowd round Partington;

'Twere vain to try to name them one by one.

Mr. Haviland added this to the above:--"Mrs. Senator Clay, with knitting

in hand, snuff-box in pocket, and 'Ike, the Inevitable,' by her side,

acted out her difficult character so as to win the unanimous verdict

that her personation of the loquacious _mal-aprops_ dame was the leading

feature of the evening's entertainment. Go where she would through the

spacious halls, a crowd of eager listeners followed her footsteps,

drinking in her instant repartees, which were really superior in wit and

appositeness, and, indeed, in the vein of the famous dame's _cacoëthes_,

even to the original contribution of Shillaber to the nonsensical

literature of the day."

One of the guests at this ball was the wife of the late Major General

William H. Emery, U.S.A., whose maiden name was Matilda Bache. She was

arrayed for the evening in the garb of a Quakeress, and it is to her

that Mr. Haviland alludes in his reference to the "smooth meekness of

yon Quaker's face."

At the commencement of the Civil War, Senator Gwin was arrested on a

charge of disloyalty and imprisoned until 1863. He then went to Paris,

where he became interested in a scheme for the colonization by

Southerners of the State of Sonora in Mexico, in consequence of which he

was sometimes facetiously called the "Duke of Sonora." While thus

engaged, he was invited to meet the Emperor, Napoleon III., in private

audience, and succeeded in enlisting his sympathies. It is said that,

upon the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he formulated a

plan for the colony which, after receiving the Emperor's approval, was

submitted to Maximilian. The latter was then in Paris and requested Mr.

Gwin's attendance at the Tuileries where, after diligent inquiry, the

scheme received the approbation of Maximilian. Two weeks after the

departure of the latter for Mexico, Mr. Gwin left for the same country,

carrying with him an autograph letter of Napoleon III. to Marshal

Bazaine. The scheme, however, received no encouragement from the latter,

and Maximilian failed to give him any satisfactory assurances of his

support. Returning to France in 1865, he secured an audience with the

Emperor, to whom he exposed the condition of affairs in Mexico. Napoleon

urged him to return to that country immediately with a peremptory order

to Marshal Bazaine to supply a military force adequate to accomplish the

project. This request was complied with but Mr. Gwin, after meeting with

no success, demanded an escort to accompany him out of the country. This

was promptly furnished, and he returned to his home in California.

It seems fitting in this connection to speak of a brilliant ball in

Washington in 1824. Although, of course, I do not remember it, I have

heard of it all my life and have gathered here and there certain facts

of interest concerning it, some of which are not easily accessible. I

refer to the ball given by Mrs. John Quincy Adams, whose husband was

then Secretary of State under Monroe. Mrs. Adams' maiden name was Louisa

Catharine Johnson and she was a daughter of Joshua Johnson, who served

as our first United States Consul at London, and a niece of Thomas

Johnson of Maryland. She gave receptions in Washington on Tuesday

evenings which were attended by many of the most distinguished men and

women of the day. This period, in fact, is generally regarded as,

perhaps, the most brilliant era in Washington society. A generous

hospitality was dispensed by such men as Madison, Monroe, Adams,

Calhoun, Wirt, Rush, Southard, General Winfield Scott and General

Alexander Macomb. The British _Chargé d'affaires_ at this time was Henry

Unwin Addington. The Russian Minister was the Baron de Tuyll; while

France, Spain and Portugal were represented by gentlemen of

distinguished manners and rare accomplishments. The illustrious John

Marshall was Chief Justice, with Joseph Story, Bushrod Washington, Smith

Thompson and other eminent jurists by his side. In Congress were such

men as Henry Clay, William Gaston, Rufus King, Daniel Webster, Andrew

Jackson, Thomas H. Benton, William Jones Lowndes, John Jordan Crittenden

and Harrison Gray Otis; while the Navy was represented by Stephen

Decatur, David Porter, John Rodgers, Lewis Warrington, Charles Stewart,

Charles Morris and others, some of whom made their permanent home at the

Capital.

The ball given by the Secretary of State and Mrs. Adams was in honor of

General Andrew Jackson, and was not only an expression of the pleasant

personal relations existing between John Quincy Adams and Jackson only

shortly before the former defeated the latter for the Presidency, but

also a pleasing picture of Washington society at that time. General

Jackson was naturally the hero of the occasion, and there was a throng

of guests not only from Washington but also from Baltimore, Richmond and

other cities. A current newspaper of the day published a metrical

description of the event, written by John T. Agg:

MRS. ADAMS' BALL.

Wend you with the world to-night?

Brown and fair and wise and witty,

Eyes that float in seas of light,

Laughing mouths and dimples pretty,

Belles and matrons, maids and madams,

All are gone to Mrs. Adams';

There the mist of the future, the gloom of the past,

All melt into light at the warm glance of pleasure,

And the only regret is lest melting too fast,

Mammas should move off in the midst of a measure.

Wend you with the world to-night?

Sixty gray, and giddy twenty,

Flirts that court and prudes that slight,

State coquettes and spinsters plenty;

Mrs. Sullivan is there

With all the charm that nature lent her;

Gay McKim with city air,

And winning Gales and Vandeventer;

Forsyth, with her group of graces;

Both the Crowninshields in blue;

The Pierces, with their heavenly faces,

And eyes like suns that dazzle through;

Belles and matrons, maids and madams,

All are gone to Mrs. Adams'!

Wend you with the world to-night?

East and West and South and North,

Form a constellation bright,

And pour a splendid brilliance forth.

See the tide of fashion flowing,

'Tis the noon of beauty's reign,

Webster, Hamiltons are going,

Eastern Floyd and Southern Hayne;

Western Thomas, gayly smiling,

Borland, nature's protégé,

Young De Wolfe, all hearts beguiling,

Morgan, Benton, Brown and Lee;

Belles and matrons, maids and madams,'

All are gone to Mrs. Adams'!

Wend you with the world to-night?

Where blue eyes are brightly glancing,

While to measures of delight

Fairy feet are deftly dancing;

Where the young Euphrosyne

Reigns the mistress of the scene,

Chasing gloom, and courting glee,

With the merry tambourine;

Many a form of fairy birth,

Many a Hebe, yet unwon,

Wirt, a gem of purest worth,

Lively, laughing Pleasanton;

Vails and Tayloe will be there,

Gay Monroe so debonair,

Hellen, pleasure's harbinger,

Ramsay, Cottringers and Kerr;

Belles and matrons, maids and madams,

All are gone to Mrs. Adams'!

Wend you with the world to-night?

Juno in her court presides,

Mirth and melody invite,

Fashion points, and pleasure guides;

Haste away then, seize the hour,

Shun the thorn and pluck the flower.

Youth, in all its spring-time blooming,

Age the guise of youth assuming,

Wit through all its circles gleaming,

Glittering wealth and beauty beaming;

Belles and matrons, maids and madams,

All are gone to Mrs. Adams'!

The "Mrs. Sullivan" referred to was Sarah Bowdoin Winthrop, the wife of

George Sullivan of Boston, son of Governor James Sullivan of

Massachusetts; while "Winning Gales" was the wife of Joseph Gales,

editor of _The National Intelligencer_. "Forsyth" was the wife of

Senator John Forsyth of Georgia, who subsequently served as Secretary of

State during Jackson's administration; and "the Crowninshields in blue"

were daughters of Benjamin W. Crowninshield, Secretary of the Navy under

Madison and Monroe. "The Pierces, with their heavenly faces," were

handsome Boston women who in after life became converts to the Roman

Catholic faith and entered convents. The "Vails" were Eugene and Aaron

Vail, who were protégés of Senator William H. Crawford, of Georgia. They

married sisters, daughters of Laurent Salles, a wealthy Frenchman living

in New York. Aaron Vail accompanied Martin Van Buren to England as

Secretary of Legation and for a season, after Van Buren's recall, acted

as _Chargé d'affaires_. "Tayloe" was Benjamin Ogle Tayloe, the

distinguished Washingtonian. "Ramsay" was General George Douglas Ramsay,

the father of Rear Admiral Francis M. Ramsay, U.S.N.; and "Hellen" was

Mrs. Adams's niece, who subsequently became her daughter-in-law through

her marriage to her son, John Adams. President Monroe attended this ball

and both he and John Quincy Adams were somewhat criticised for their

plain attire, which was in such striking contrast with the elaborate

costumes and decorations worn by the foreign guests.

In his boyhood Mr. Gouverneur formed an intimacy with George H. Derby,

better known in literary circles under the _nom de plume_ of "John

Phoenix." He is well remembered by students of American humor as a

contemporary and rival of Artemus Ward. He was a member of a prominent

Boston family, and of the class of 1846 at West Point. He was a gallant

soldier, having been wounded during the Mexican War at Cerro Gordo, and

was promoted for his bravery in that battle. Scarcely anyone was immune

from his practical jokes, but, fortunately for his peace of mind, Mr.

Gouverneur was acquainted with an incident of his life which, if known,

would make him a butt of ridicule; and he accordingly felt perfectly

safe in his companionship and well enjoyed his humorous exploits. One

day Derby and Mr. Gouverneur were sauntering through the streets of

Washington when the keen eye of the humorist was attracted by a sign

over a store door which read, "Ladies' Depository"--the old-fashioned

method of designating what would now be called a "Woman's Exchange."

Turning to his companion, Derby remarked: "I have a little business to

transact in this shop and I want you to go inside with me." They entered

and were met by a smiling female to whom Derby remarked: "My wife will

be here to-morrow morning. I am so pleased to have discovered this

depository. I hope that you will take good care of her. Expect her at

eleven. Good-morning."

In the early '50's Adjutant General Roger Jones determined to adopt a

new uniform for the U.S. Army, and Derby was thus afforded a conspicuous

opportunity to exercise his wit. He was an excellent draughtsman and set

to work and produced a design. He proposed changing the entire system of

modern tactics by the aid of an iron hook to be attached to the seat of

each soldier's trousers, this hook to be used by the three arms of the

service--cavalry, infantry and artillery. He illustrated it by a series

of well-executed designs, and quoted high medical authority to prove its

advantages from a sanitary point of view. He argued that the heavy

knapsack induced a stooping position and a contraction of the chest but,

hung on a hook by a strap over the shoulders, it would brace the body

and back and expand the chest. The cavalrymen were to be rendered more

secure in their seats when hooked to a ring in the saddle. All

commissioned officers were to carry a light twenty-foot pole, with a

ring attached to the end, to be used during an engagement in drawing

stragglers back into the ranks. He made a drawing of a tremendous battle

during which the Generals and Colonels were thus occupied, and in many

other ways expatiated upon the value of the hook. When Jefferson Davis,

the Secretary of War, saw Derby's designs and read his recommendations,

he felt that his dignity was wounded and the service insulted, and he

immediately issued an order that Derby be court-martialed. William L.

Marcy, then Secretary of State, was told of the transaction and of the

cloud hanging over Derby. He looked over the drawings and saw a

regiment, their backs towards him and drawn up in line, with knapsacks,

blankets and everything appertaining to camp life attached to each

soldier by a hook. Marcy, who saw the humorous side at once, said to

Davis: "It's no use to court-martial this man. The matter will be made

public and the laugh will be upon us. Besides, a man who has the

inventive genius that he has displayed, as well as the faculty of

design, ill-directed though they be, is too valuable to the service to

be trifled with." Derby therefore was not brought to grief, and in time

Davis's anger was sufficiently mollified for him to enjoy the joke. I am

enabled to state, through the courtesy of the present Assistant

Secretary of War, that the drawings referred to are not now to be found

in the files of the War Department; and a picture, which at the time was

the source of untold amusement and of wide-spread notoriety, seems to be

lost to the world.

[Illustration: MINIATURE OF JAMES MONROE, PAINTED IN PARIS IN 1794, BY

SEMÉ.

_Original owned by Mrs. Gouverneur._]

An incident connected with the Indian War of 1856-58, in Washington

Territory, furnished another outlet for Derby's effective wit. A

Catholic priest was taken prisoner by the savages at that time and led

away into captivity, and in caricaturing the scene Derby represented an

ecclesiastic in full canonicals walking between two stalwart and

half-naked Indians, carrying a crook and crozier, with a tooth-brush

attached to one and a comb to the other; while the letters "I. H. S." on

the priest's chasuble were paraphrased into the words, "I hate

Siwashes." It must not be thought, however, that Derby's life was wholly

devoted to fun and frivolity, for he has been pronounced by an

accomplished military writer and critic to have been "an able and

accomplished engineer." He was the author of "The Squibob Papers" and of

"Phoenixiana; or Sketches and Burlesques," either of which would

worthily place him in the forefront of humorists in the history of

American literature. I own a copy of the latter book which was given by

the author to my husband. It seems strange, when one considers the

character and career of this gifted man, that subsequent to his death

nearly every member of his family should have met with a tragic end.

Although not a practical joker, my husband found much in Derby that was

congenial, as many of their tastes were similar. Both of them were

devoted to literature and both were accomplished writers; but while

Derby published his works and was rewarded with financial success, Mr.

Gouverneur wrote chiefly for the newspaper press. He edited and

published a work by James Monroe, entitled "The People the Sovereigns,"

but never sent to the press any works of his own production. I think

that the lack of encouragement from me was the chief obstacle that

deterred him from embarking upon a literary career. He commenced several

novels but never finished them, and his chief literary remains are

principally confined to the limits of his "commonplace-books."

President Buchanan's niece, Harriet Lane, subsequently Mrs. Henry

Elliott Johnston of Maryland, presided with grace and dignity over the

White House during her uncle's administration. I first met Miss Lane

before the period when Buchanan represented the United States at the

Court of St. James. It was at a party given by Mrs. Hamilton Fish,

whose husband was then a U.S. Senator from the State of New York. Her

blond type of beauty made an indelible impression upon me, as she was

very much the same style as the daughters of General Winfield Scott.

Some years before her death, while she was living in Washington, I

incidentally referred to this resemblance between the Scotts and herself

and was not surprised to hear her say that others had spoken of it. To

an exceptionally fine presence, she added unusual intelligence and

brilliant power of repartee. I have often heard the story that at a

social function at the White House an accomplished courtier was

enlarging to Miss Lane upon her shapely hands--"hands," he ejaculated,

"that might have swayed the rod of empire." Her retort came without a

moment's hesitation, "or wake to ecstasy the living lyre." Emily

Schomberg, who married Hughes Hallett of England, wrote some years ago a

charming sketch of Harriet Lane Johnston which was published in Mrs.

Elizabeth F. Ellet's book entitled, "The Court Circles of the Republic."

Among the prominent belles of the Buchanan administration, and an

intimate friend and companion of Harriet Lane, was Rebecca B. Black,

daughter of the eminent jurist, Judge Jeremiah S. Black of Pennsylvania,

Attorney-General and for a time Secretary of State under Buchanan. She

was the widow of Isham Hornsby of Washington, where, in her beautiful

home, she was surrounded by a charming circle and was much admired and

beloved. Peter Grayson Washington, a son of Lund Washington, whom I have

already mentioned in connection with my wedding, was a conspicuous

figure at the National Capital during the Buchanan _régime_. During the

Pierce administration he was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under

James Guthrie. He had an impressive bearing, and carried a gold-headed

cane which he boasted had originally belonged to his distinguished

relative, the first President. Although by birth a Virginian, Mr.

Washington never wavered in his loyalty to the Union. During the latter

part of the Civil War he made a visit to us in our Maryland home, and I

shall always remember the expression of his opinion that many leaders of

the Confederate cause were not true representatives of the South, citing

as examples some members of Jefferson Davis's cabinet. He concluded his

remarks with the facetious statement that "if they had only chosen a

second Washington as a leader they might have been successful." Earlier

residents of the District will recall Littleton Quinton Washington, a

prolific writer chiefly upon political subjects, and a younger

half-brother of Peter G. Washington.

My old and valued friend, Mrs. Hamilton Holly, and Peter Grayson

Washington were the Godparents of my eldest daughter. At the earnest

request of the former, this ceremony took place in the house of Mrs.

Alexander Hamilton, in the De Menou buildings. Mrs. Holly and I

characterized the gathering as a revolutionary party, as so many of the

guests bore names prominent during our struggle for independence. I

never saw Mrs. Hamilton Holly again. Shortly after this pleasant

function I sailed for China, and just before starting on my long voyage

I received the following note, which saddened me more than I can well

express:--

SEP. 9th.

My dear friend,

For many days I have been blessed by your very kind letter,

but am too, too low to answer it. One day so weak as to be

obliged with my hand to wave Mrs. Furguson away (another

lady obtained admittance), lest in the effort to converse I

might find another home. My hand and head are exhausted.

Most truly yours,

E. H. HOLLY.