when my husband’s parents were members of the congressional circle in washington—1829–’35—the journey to the capital from their home in northern alabama was no light undertaking. in those early days congressman (afterward governor, and united states senator) and mrs. c. c. clay, sr., travelled by coach to the federal city, accompanied by their coloured coachman, toney (who, because of his expert driving, soon became notable in washington), and a maid-servant, milly, who were necessary to their comfort and station. many days were consumed in these journeys, that lay through tennessee, the carolinas and virginia, during which the travellers were exposed to all the dangers common to a young and often unsettled forest country. the tangled woods of the south land, odorous with the cedar or blossoming with dogwood, mimosa or magnolias, were often arcadias of beauty. the land of the sky, now the object of pilgrimages for the wealthy and become the site of palaces built by kings of commerce, was then still more beautiful with primeval freshness. far as the eye could see, as hills were scaled and valleys crossed, were verdured slopes and wooded mountain crests. the palisades of the tennessee, as yet scarcely penetrated by northern tourists, were then the wonder as they still are the pride of the traveller from the south.
in 1853, my husband was elected a united states senator, to take the seat of a former college friend, jere clemens, whose term had just expired, and succeeding 20his father c. c. clay, sr., after eleven years. in december of the same year, we began our trip to the capital under comparatively modern conditions. my several visits to vermont and new jersey hydropathic cures, then the fashionable sanitariums, had already inured me to long journeys. by this time steam railways had been established, and, though not so systematically connected as to make possible the taking of long trips over great distances without devious and tiresome changes, they had lessened the time spent upon the road between alabama and washington very appreciably; but, while in comparison with those in common use to-day, the cars were primitive, nevertheless they were marvels of comfort and speed to the travellers of the fifties. sleeping cars were not yet invented, but the double-action seatbacks of the regular coaches, not then, as now, screwed down inexorably, made it a simple matter to convert two seats into a kind of couch, on which, with the aid of a pillow, one managed very well to secure a half repose as the cars moved soberly along.
our train on that first official journey to washington proved to be a kind of inchoative “congressional limited.” we found many of our fellow-passengers to be native alabamians, the majority being on government business bent. among them were my husband’s confrère from southern alabama, senator fitzpatrick and his wife, and a friendship was then and there begun among us, which lasted uninterruptedly until death detached some of the parties to it; also congressman dowdell, “dear old dowdell,” as my husband and everyone in the house shortly learned to call him, and james l. orr of south carolina, who afterward became speaker of the house of representatives, and minister to russia under president grant. mr. orr, late in 1860, was one of the three commissioners sent by south carolina to president buchanan to arbitrate on the question of the withdrawal 21of united states troops from forts sumter and moultrie, in charleston harbour.
nor should i omit to name the most conspicuous man on that memorable north-bound train, congressman w. r. w. cobb, who called himself the “maker of senators,” and whom people called the most successful vote-poller in the state of alabama. mr. cobb resorted to all sorts of tricks to catch the popular votes, such as the rattling of tinware and crockery—he had introduced bills to secure indigent whites from a seizure for debt that would engulf all their possessions, and in them had minutely defined all articles that were to be thus exempt, not scorning to enumerate the smallest items of the kitchen—, and he delighted in the singing of homely songs composed for stump purposes. one of these which he was wont to introduce at the end of a speech, and which always seemed to be especially his own, was called “the homestead bill.” of this remarkable composition there were a score of verses, at least, that covered every possible possession which the heart of the poor man might crave, ranging from land and mules to household furniture. the song began,
“uncle sam is rich enough to give us all a farm!”
and mr. cobb would sing it in stentorian tones, winking, as he did so, to first one and then another of his admiring listeners, and punctuating his phrases by chewing, with great gusto, a piece of onion and the coarsest of corn “pone.” these evidences of his democracy gave huge delight to the masses, though it aroused in me, a young wife, great indignation, that, in the exigencies of a public career my husband should be compelled to enter a contest with such a man. to me it was the meeting of a damascus blade and a meat-axe, and in my soul i resented it.
in 1849 this stump-favourite had defeated the brilliant jere clemens, then a candidate for congress, but immediately 22thereafter mr. clemens was named for the higher office of u. s. senator and elected. in 1853 an exactly similar conjunction of circumstances resulted in the election of mr. clay. i accompanied my husband during the canvass in which he was defeated, and thereby became, though altogether innocently, the one obstacle to mr. cobb’s usually unanimous election.
it happened that during the campaign mr. clay and i stopped at a little hostelry, that lay in the very centre of one of mr. cobb’s strongest counties. it was little more than a flower-embowered cottage, kept by “aunt hannah,” a kindly soul, whose greatest treasure was a fresh-faced, pretty daughter, then entering her “teens.” i returned to our room after a short absence, just in time to see this village beauty before my mirror, arrayed in all the glory of a beautiful and picturesque hat which i had left upon the bed during my absence. it was a lovely thing of the period, which i had but recently brought back from the north, having purchased it while en route for doctor wesselh?ft’s hydropathic institute in brattleboro, vermont.
the little rustic girl of alabama looked very winsome and blossomy in the pretty gew-gaw, and i asked her impulsively if she liked it. her confusion was sufficient answer, and i promptly presented it to her, on condition that she would give me her sunbonnet in return.
the exchange was quickly made, and when mr. clay and i departed i wore a pea-green cambric bonnet, lined with pink and stiffened with pasteboard slats. i little dreamed that this exchange of millinery, so unpremeditated, and certainly uncalculating, was a political master-stroke; but, so it proved. it undermined mr. cobb’s gibraltar; for at the election that followed, the vote in that county was practically solid for mr. clay, where formerly mr. cobb had swept it clean.
23when, upon the train en route for the capital in the winter of ’53, senator fitzpatrick insisted upon presenting the erstwhile triumphant politician, i took the long, flail-like hand he offered me with no accentuated cordiality; my reserve, however, seemed not to disturb mr. cobb’s proverbial complacency.
“i’ve got a crow to pick with you, mrs. clay,” he began, “for that pink bonnet trick at old aunt hannah’s!”
“and i have a buzzard to pick with you!” i responded promptly, “for defeating my husband!”
“you ought to feel obliged to me,” retorted the congressman, continuing “for i made your husband a senator!”
“well,” i rejoined, “i’ll promise not to repeat the bonnet business, if you’ll give me your word never again to sing against my husband! that’s unfair, for you know he can’t sing!” which, amid the laughter of our fellow-passengers, mr. cobb promised.
our entrance into the federal city was not without its humorous side. we arrived in the early morning, about two o’clock, driving up to the national hotel, where, owing to a mistake on the part of the night-clerk, an incident occurred with which for many a day i twitted my husband and our male companions on that eventful occasion.
at that period it was the almost universal custom for southern gentlemen to wear soft felt hats, and the fashion was invariable when travelling. in winter, too, long-distance voyagers as commonly wrapped themselves in the blanket shawl, which was thrown around the shoulders in picturesque fashion and was certainly comfortable, if not strictly à la mode. my husband and the other gentlemen of our party were so provided on our journey northward, and upon our arrival, it must be admitted, none in that travel-stained and weary company would have been mistaken for a washington exquisite of the period.
24as our carriage stopped in front of the hotel door, mr. dowdell, muffled to the ears, his soft-brimmed hat well down over his face (for the wind was keen), stepped out quickly to arrange for our accommodation. the night was bitterly cold, and the others of our company were glad to remain under cover until our spokesman returned.
this he did in a moment or two. he appeared crestfallen, and quite at a loss.
“nothing here, clay!” he said to my husband. “man says they have no rooms!”
“nonsense, dowdell!” was senator clay’s response. “you must be mistaken. here, step inside while i inquire!” he, muffled as mysteriously, and in no whit more trust-inspiring than the dejected mr. dowdell, strode confidently in. not many minutes elapsed ere he, too, returned.
“well!” he said. “i don’t understand it, but dowdell’s right! they say they have no rooms for us!”
at this we were dismayed, and a chorus of exclamations went up from men and women alike. what were we to do? in a moment, i had resolved.
“there’s some mistake! i don’t believe it,” i said. “i’ll go and see;” and, notwithstanding my husband’s remonstrances, i hurried out of the carriage and into the hotel. stepping to the desk i said to the clerk in charge: “is it possible you have no rooms for our party in this large hostelry? is it possible, sir, that at this season, when congress is convening, you have reserved no rooms for congressional guests?” he stammered out some confused reply, but i hurried on.
“i am mrs. clay, of alabama. you have refused my husband, senator clay, and his friend, representative dowdell. what does it mean?”
“why, certainly, madam,” he hastened to say, “i have rooms for those.” and forthwith ordered the porters to go for our luggage. then, reaching hurriedly for various 25keys, he added, “i beg your pardon, madam! i did not know you were those!”
what he did believe us to be, piloted as we were by two such brigand-like gentlemen as senator clay and mr. dowdell, we never knew; enough that our tired party were soon installed in comfortable apartments. it was by reason of this significant episode that i first realized the potency in washington of conventional apparel and congressional titles.
my husband being duly sworn in on the 14th of december, 1853, in a few days our “mess” was established at the home of mr. charles gardner, at thirteenth and g streets. here my first season in washington was spent. besides senator clay and myself, our party was composed of senator and mrs. fitzpatrick, and representatives dowdell and orr, and to this little nucleus of congenial spirits were afterward added in our later residences at historic old brown’s hotel and the ebbitt house, many whose names are known to the nation.
though a sad winter for me, for in it i bore and buried my only child, yet my recollections of that season, as its echoes reached our quiet parlours, are those of boundless entertainment and bewildering ceremony. the season was made notable in the fashionable world by the great fête champêtre given by the british minister, mr. crampton, and the pompous obsequies of baron bodisco, for many years resident minister from russia; but of these i learned only through my ever kind friend, mrs. fitzpatrick, who for months was my one medium of communication with the fashionable outside world. she was a beautiful woman, with superb carriage and rare and rich colouring, and possessed, besides, a voice of great sweetness, with which, during that winter of seclusion, she often made our simple evenings a delight. while shortly she became a leader in matters social, mrs. fitzpatrick was still more exalted in our own little circle for her 26singing of such charming songs as “roy’s wife of aldivalloch,” and other quaint scotch ditties. nor was mrs. fitzpatrick the one musician of our “mess,” for mr. dowdell had a goodly voice and sang with lusty enjoyment the simpler ballads of the day, to say nothing of many melodious methodist hymns.
my experiences as an active member of washington society, therefore, began in the autumn of 1854 and the succeeding spring, when, notwithstanding an air of gravity and reserve that was perceptible at that social pivot, the white house, the gaiety of the capital was gaining an impetus in what later appeared to me to be a veritable “merry madness.”
it is true that it did not even then require the insight of a keen observer to detect in social, as in political gatherings, the constantly widening division between the northern and southern elements gathered in the government city. for myself, i knew little of politics, notwithstanding the fact that from my childhood i had called myself “a pronounced jeffersonian democrat.” naturally, i was an hereditary believer in states’ rights, the real question, which, in an attempt to settle it, culminated in our civil war; and i had been bred among the law-makers of the sturdy young state of alabama, many of whom had served at the state and national capitals with marked distinction; but from my earliest girlhood three lessons had been taught me religiously, viz.: to be proud alike of my name and blood and section; to read my bible; and, last, to know my “richmond enquirer.” often, as an aid to the performance of this last duty, have i read aloud its full contents, from the rates of advertisement down, until my dear uncle tom tunstall has fallen asleep over my childish efforts. it is not, then, remarkable that, upon my arrival, i was at once cognisant of the feeling which was so thinly concealed between the strenuous parties established in the capital.
mrs. benjamin fitzpatrick
of alabama
27during the first half of the pierce administration, however, though feeling ran high in the senate and the house, the surface of social life was smiling and peaceful. the president had every reason to feel kindly toward the people of the south who had so unanimously supported him, and he was as indiscriminating and impartial in his attitude to the opposing parties as even the most critical could desire; but, gradually, by a mutual instinct of repulsion that resolved itself into a general consent, the representatives of the two antagonistic sections seldom met save at promiscuous assemblages to which the exigencies of public life compelled them. to be sure, courtesies were exchanged between the wives of some of the northern and southern senators, and formal calls were paid on cabinet days, as etiquette demanded, upon the ladies of the cabinet circle; but, by a tacit understanding, even at the entertainments given at the foreign legations, and at the houses of famous washington citizens, this opposition of parties was carefully considered in the sending out of invitations, in order that no unfortunate rencontre might occur between uncongenial guests.
the white house, as i have said, was scarcely a place of gaiety. mrs. pierce’s first appearance in public occurred at the presidential levee, late in 1853. an invalid for several years, she had recently received a shock, which was still a subject of pitying conversation throughout the country. it had left a terrible impress upon mrs. pierce’s spirits. while travelling from her home in new hampshire to washington to witness her husband’s exaltation as the president of the united states, an accident, occurring at norwalk, connecticut, suddenly deprived her of her little son, the last surviving of her several children. at her first public appearance at the white house, clad in black velvet and diamonds, her natural pallor being thereby greatly accentuated, a universal sympathy was awakened for her. to us who 28knew her, the stricken heart was none the less apparent because hidden under such brave and jewelled apparel, which she had donned, the better to go through the ordeal exacted by “the dear people.”
i had made the acquaintance of general and mrs. pierce during the preceding year while on a visit to the new england states; my husband’s father had been the president’s confrère in the senate early in the forties; and my brother-in-law, colonel hugh lawson clay, had fought beside the new hampshire general in the mexican war. the occupants of the executive mansion therefore were no strangers to us; yet mrs. pierce’s sweet graciousness and adaptability came freshly to me as i saw her assume her place as the social head of the nation. her sympathetic nature and very kind heart, qualities not always to be perceived through the formalities of governmental etiquette, were demonstrated to me on many occasions. my own ill-health proved to be a bond between us, and, while custom forbade the paying of calls by the wife of the chief magistrate upon the wives of senators, i was indebted to mrs. pierce for many acts of friendliness, not the least of which were occasional drives with her in the presidential equipage.
a favourite drive in those days was throughout the length of pennsylvania avenue, then but sparsely and irregularly built up. the greatest contrasts in architecture existed, hovels often all but touching the mansions of the rich. the great boulevard was a perfect romping ground for the winds. chevy chase and georgetown were popular objective points, and the banks of the potomac, in shad-seining season, were alive with gay sight-seers. the markets of washington have always excelled, affording every luxury of earth and sea, and that at a price which gives to the owner of even a moderate purse a leaning toward epicureanism. in the houses of the rich the serving of dinners became a fine art.
29on the first occasion of my dining at the president’s table, i was struck with the spaciousness of the white house, and the air of simplicity which everywhere pervaded. very elaborate alterations were made in the mansion for mr. pierce’s successor, but in the day of president and mrs. pierce it remained practically as unimposing as in the time of president monroe.
the most remarkable features in all the mansion, to my then unaccustomed eyes, were the gold spoons which were used invariably at all state dinners. they were said to have been brought from paris by president monroe, who had been roundly criticised for introducing into the white house a table accessory so undemocratic! besides these extraordinary golden implements, there were as remarkable bouquets, made at the government greenhouses. they were stiff and formal things, as big round as a breakfast plate, and invariably composed of a half-dozen wired japonicas ornamented with a pretentious cape of marvellously wrought lace-paper. at every plate, at every state dinner, lay one of these memorable rigid bouquets. this fashion, originating at the white house, was taken up by all washington. for an entire season the japonica was the only flower seen at the houses of the fashionable or mixing in the toilettes of the belles.
but if, for that, my first winter in washington, the white house itself was sober, the houses of the rich senators and citizens of washington, of the brilliant diplomatic corps, and of some of the cabinet ministers, made ample amends for it. in the fifties american hospitality acquired a reputation, and that of the capital was synonymous with an unceasing, an augmenting round of dinners and dances, receptions and balls. a hundred hostesses renowned for their beauty and wit and vivacity vied with each other in evolving novel social relaxations. notable among these were mrs. slidell, mrs. jacob 30thompson, miss belle cass, and the daughters of secretary guthrie; mrs. senator toombs and mrs. ogle tayloe, the riggses, the countess de sartiges and mrs. cobb, wife of that jolly falstaff of president buchanan’s cabinet, howell cobb. mrs. cobb was of the celebrated lamar family, so famous for its brilliant and brave men, and lovely women. highly cultured, modest as a wild wood-violet, inclined, moreover, to reserve, she was nevertheless capable of engrossing the attention of the most cultivated minds in the capital, and a conversation with her was ever a thing to be remembered. no more hospitable home was known in washington than that of the cobbs. the secretary was a bon vivant, and his home the rendezvous of the epicurean as well as the witty and the intellectual.
probably the most brilliant of all the embassies, until the coming of lord and lady napier, was that of france. the countess de sartiges, who presided over it, was an unsurpassed hostess, besides being a woman of much manner and personal beauty; and, as did many others of the suite, she entertained on a lavish scale.
mrs. slidell, wife of the senator from louisiana, whose daughter mathilde is now the wife of the parisian banker, baron erlanger, became famous in the fifties for her matinée dances at which all the beauties and beaux of washington thronged. previous to her marriage with senator slidell she was mlle. des londes of new orleans. a leader in all things fashionable, she was also one of the most devout worshippers at st. aloysius’s church. i remember with what astonishment and admiration i watched her devotions one sunday morning when, as the guest of senator mallory, himself a strict romanist, i attended that church for the purpose of hearing a mass sung.
i knew mrs. slidell as the devotée of fashion, the wearer of unapproachable parisian gowns, the giver of unsurpassed 31entertainments, the smiling, tireless hostess; but that sunday morning as i saw her enter a pew just ahead of senator mallory and myself, sink upon her knees, and, with her eyes fixed upon the cross, repeating her prayers with a concentration that proved the sincerity of them, i felt as if another and greater side of her nature were being revealed to me. i never met her thereafter without a remembrance of that morning flitting through my mind.
during the early spring of 1854 i heard much of the imposing ceremonials attending the funeral of baron alexandre de bodisco, minister from russia since 1838, the days of van buren. his young wife, a native of georgetown, was one of the first to draw the attention of foreigners to the beauty of american women. the romantic old diplomat had learned to admire his future wife when, as a little girl, upon her daily return from school, he carried her books for her. her beauty developed with her growth, and, before she was really of an age to appear in society, though already spoken of as the most beautiful woman in georgetown, harriet williams became the baroness de bodisco, and was carried abroad for presentation at the russian court. her appearance in that critical circle created a furore, echoes of which preceded her return to america. i have heard it said that this young bride was the first woman to whom was given the title, “the american rose.”
i remember an amusing incident in which this lovely baroness, unconsciously to herself, played the part of instructress to me. it was at one of my earliest dinners at the white house, ere i had thoroughly familiarised myself with the gastronomic novelties devised by the gautiers (then the leading restaurateurs and confectioners of the capital), and the other foreign chefs who vied with them. scarcely a dinner of consequence but saw some surprise in the way of a heretofore unknown dish. many a time i have seen some one distinguished for his aplomb 32look about helplessly as the feast progressed, and gaze questioningly at the preparation before him, as if uncertain as to how it should be manipulated. whenever i was in doubt as to the proper thing to do at these dignified dinners, i turned, as was natural, to those whose longer experience in the gay world was calculated to establish them as exemplars to the novice.
on the evening of which i write, the courses had proceeded without the appearance of unusual or alarm-inspiring dishes until we had neared the end of the menu, when i saw a waiter approaching with a large salver on which were dozens of mysterious parallelograms of paper, each of which was about five inches long and three broad, and appeared to be full of some novel conserve. beside them lay a silver trowel. the packages were folded daintily, the gilt edges of their wrapping glittering attractively. what they contained i could not guess, nor could i imagine what we were supposed to do with them.
however, while still struggling to read the mystery of the salver, my eye fell upon mme. de bodisco, my vis-à-vis. she was a mountain of lace and jewels, of blonde beauty and composure, for even at this early period her proportions were larger than those which by common consent are accredited to the sylph. i could have no better instructress than this lady of international renown. i watched her; saw her take up the little trowel, deftly remove one of the packages from the salver to her plate, and composedly proceed to empty the paper receptacle of its contents—a delicious glacé. my suspense was at an end. i followed her example, very well satisfied with my good fortune in escaping a pitfall which a moment ago i felt sure yawned before me, for this method of serving creams and ices was the latest of culinary novelties.
i wondered if there were others at the great board who were equally uncertain as to what to do with the carefully 33concealed dainties. looking down to the other side of the table, i saw our friend mr. blank, of virginia, hesitatingly regarding the pile of paper which the waiter was holding toward him. presently, as if resigned to his fate, he took up the trowel and began to devote considerable energy to an attempt to dig out the contents of the package nearest him, when, as i glanced toward him, he looked up, full of self-consciousness, and turned his gaze directly upon me. his expression told plainly of growing consternation.
i shook my head in withering pseudo-rebuke and swiftly indicated to him “to take a whole one.” fortunately, he was quick-witted and caught my meaning, and, taking the hint, took likewise the cream without further mishap. after dinner we retired to the green-room, where, as was the custom, coffee and liqueurs were served. here mr. blank approached, and, shaking my hand most gratefully, he whispered, “god bless my soul, mrs. clay! you’re the sweetest woman in the world! but for your goodness, heaven only knows what would have happened! perhaps,” and he sipped his liqueur contemplatively, “perhaps i might have been struggling with that, that problem yet!”
i met mme. de bodisco many times during her widowhood, and was present at old st. john’s when her second marriage, with captain scott of her british majesty’s life guards, was celebrated. it was early in the buchanan administration, and the bride was given away by the president. while st. john’s, i may add, was often referred to as a fashionable centre, yet much of genuine piety throve there, too.
mme. de bodisco, who, during her widowhood, had continued her belleship and had received, it was said, many offers of marriage from distinguished men, capitulated at last to the young guardsman just named. great therefore was the interest in the second nuptials of so 34popular a beauty. old st. john’s was crowded with the most distinguished personages in the capital. the aisles of the old edifice are narrow, and the march of the bride and the president to the altar was memorable, not only because of the distinction, but also by reason of the imposing proportions of both principals in it. in fact, the plumpness of the stately bride and the president’s ample figure, made the walk, side by side, an almost impossible feat. the difficulty was overcome, however, by the tactfulness of the president, who led the lady slightly in advance of himself until the chancel was reached. here the slender young groom, garbed in the scarlet and gold uniform of his rank, stepped forward to claim her, and, though it was seen that he stood upon a hassock in order to lessen the difference in height between himself and his bride, it was everywhere admitted that captain scott was a handsome and gallant groom, and worthy the prize he had won.
this was mme. de bodisco’s last appearance in washington. with her husband she went to india, where, it was said, the climate soon made havoc of her health and beauty; but her fame lingered long on the lips of her hosts of admirers in washington. nor did the name of de bodisco disappear from the social list, for, though his sons were sent to russia, there to be educated, waldemar de bodisco, nephew of the late minister, long continued to be the most popular leader of the german in washington.
throughout the fifties, and indeed for several preceding decades, the foreign representatives and their suites formed a very important element in society in the capital. in some degree their members, the majority of whom were travelled and accomplished, and many representative of the highest culture in europe, were our critics, if not our mentors. the standard of education was higher in europe fifty years ago than in our own land, and to be a favourite 35at the foreign legations was equivalent to a certificate of accomplishment and social charms. an acquaintance with the languages necessarily was not the least of these.
the celebrated octavia walton, afterward famous as mme. le vert, won her first social distinction in washington, where, chaperoned by mrs. c. c. clay, sr., a recognition of her grace and beauty, her intellectuality and charming manner was instantaneous. at a time when a knowledge of the foreign tongues was seldom acquired by american women, miss walton, who spoke french, spanish and italian with ease, speedily became the favourite of the legations, and thence began her fame which afterward became international.
during my early residence in washington, addie cutts (who became first the wife of stephen a. douglas and some years after his death married general williams) was the admired of all foreigners. miss cutts was the niece of mrs. greenhow, a wealthy and brilliant woman of the capital, and, when she became mrs. douglas, held a remarkable sway for years. as a linguist miss cutts was reputed to be greatly gifted. if she spoke the many languages of which she was said to be mistress but half so eloquently as she uttered her own when, in 1865, she appealed to president johnson on behalf of “her loved friend” my husband, the explanation of her remarkable nightly levees of the late fifties is readily found.
though never, strictly speaking, a member of our “mess,” mrs. douglas and i were always firm friends. while she was still miss cutts, and feeling keenly the deprivations that fall to the lot of the beautiful daughter of a poor department clerk,[1] she once complained to me poutingly of the cost of gloves.
36“nonsense,” i answered. “were i addie cutts, with hands that might have been chiselled by phidias, i would never disguise them in gloves, whatever the fashion!”
miss cutts entered into the enjoyment of the wealth and position which her marriage with stephen a. douglas gave her, with the regal manner of a princess. her toilettes were of the richest and at all times were models of taste and picturesqueness. the effect she produced upon strangers was invariably one of instant admiration. writing to me in 1863, my cousin, mrs. paul hammond (who, before her marriage, had spent a winter with me at washington), thus recalled her meeting with the noted beauty:
“yesterday, with its green leaves and pearl-white flowers, called to my memory how mrs. douglas looked when i first saw her. she was receiving at her own house in a crêpe dress looped with pearls, and her hair was ornamented with green leaves and lilies. she was a beautiful picture!”
i had the pleasure, on one occasion, of bringing together mrs. douglas and miss betty beirne, the tallest and the shortest belles of their time. they had long desired to meet, and each viewed the other with astonishment and pleasure. miss beirne, who afterward became the wife of porcher miles of south carolina, was one of the tiniest of women, as mrs. douglas was one of the queenliest, and both were toasted continually in the capital.
during the incumbency of mr. crampton, he being a bachelor, few functions were given at the british embassy which ladies attended. not that the minister and his 37suite were eremites. on the contrary, mr. crampton was exceedingly fond of “cutting a figure.” his traps were especially conspicuous on the washington avenues. always his own reinsman, the minister’s fast tandem driving and the stiffly upright “tiger” behind him, for several years were one of the sights of the city. in social life the british embassy was admirably represented by mr. lumley, chargé d’affaires, an affable young man who entered frankly into the life of the city and won the friendly feeling of all who met him. he was one of the four young men who took each the novel part of the elephant’s leg at a most amusing impromptu affair given by mrs. george riggs in honour of the girl prima donna, adelina patti. it was, i think, the evening of the latter’s début in “la traviata.” her appearance was the occasion of one of the most brilliant audiences ever seen in washington. everyone of note was present, and the glistening of silk and the flash of jewels no doubt contributed their quota of stimulus to the youthful star.
within a day of the performance, senator clay and i received a note from mrs. riggs, inviting us informally, not to say secretly, to an after-the-opera supper, to meet the new diva and her supporting artists. we responded cordially and drove to the riggs residence shortly after the close of the performance.
there, upon our arrival, we found representatives from all the foreign legations, patti’s entire troupe, and perhaps a dozen others, exclusive of the family of our hostess. the prima donna soon came in, a lovely little maiden in evening dress, with a manner as winsome as was her appearance. the entertainment now began by graceful compliment from all present to the new opera queen, after which mr. riggs led her to the dining-room where the sumptuous supper was spread.
the table was almost as wide as that of the white house. its dazzling silver and gold and crystal vessels, 38and viands well worthy these receptacles, made a brilliant centre around which the decorated foreigners seemed appropriately to cluster. the little cantatrice’s undisguised pleasure was good to see. she had worked hard during the performance of the opera, and her appetite was keen. she did ample justice, therefore, to mrs. riggs’s good cheer, and goblets were kept brimming for quite two hours.
this important part of the programme over, a young englishman, by name mr. palmer, who, as the chevalier bertinatti (the sardinian minister) whispered to me, had been asked “to make some leetle fun for leetle mees patti,” opened the evening’s merriment by an amusing exhibition of legerdemain. mr. palmer, at that time a favourite music-teacher, who spent his time between washington and baltimore, philadelphia and new york, having in each city numerous fashionable pupils, afterward became known to the world as the great prestidigitator, heller.
on the evening of the riggses’ supper the young magician was in his best form. handkerchiefs and trinkets disappeared mysteriously, only to come to light again in the most unexpected places, until the company became almost silent with wonder. mr. palmer’s last trick required a pack of cards, which were promptly forthcoming. selecting the queen of hearts, he said, looking archly in the direction of the diminutive patti: “this is also a queen; but she is a naughty girl and we will not have her!” saying which, with a whiff and a toss, he threw the card into the air, where it vanished!
everyone was mystified; but baron de staeckl, the russian minister, incontinently broke the spell mr. palmer was weaving around us by picking up a card and pronouncing the same formula. then, as all waited to see what he was about to do, in a most serio-comic manner he deftly and deliberately crammed it down mr. palmer’s collar! amid peals of laughter from all present, the young man gave place to other and more general entertainment, in which the most dignified ambassadors indulged with the hilarity of schoolboys.
adelina patti
aged sixteen
39from the foregoing incident it will be seen that baron de staeckl was the buffo of the evening. he was a large man of inspiring, not to say portly figure, and his lapels glittered with the insignia of honours that had been conferred upon him. like his predecessor, the late baron de bodisco, he had allied himself with our country by marrying an american girl, a native of new haven, whose family name i have now forgotten. she was a lovely and amiable hostess, whose unassuming manner never lost a certain pleasing modesty, notwithstanding the compliments she, too, invariably evoked. her table was remarkable for its napery—russian linen for the larger part, with embroidered monograms of unusual size and perfection of workmanship, which were said to be the handiwork of slav needlewomen. although i had enjoyed their hospitality and had met the de staeckles frequently elsewhere, until this evening at the riggses’ home i had never suspected the genial baron’s full capacity for the enjoyment of pure nonsense.
there were many amateur musicians among the guests, first among them being the sicilian minister, massoni. he was a finished vocalist, with a full operatic repertory at his easy command. his son lorenzo was as fine a pianist, and accompanied his father with a sympathy that was most rare. that evening the massonis responded again and again to the eager urgings of the other guests, but at last the minister, doubtless desiring to “cut it short,” broke into the “anvil chorus.” instantly he was joined by the entire company.
at the opening strain, the jolly baron de staeckl disappeared for a second, but ere we had finished, his glittering form was seen to re-enter the door, with a 40stride like vulcan’s and an air as mighty. in one hand he held a pair of mrs. riggs’s glowing brass tongs, in the other a poker, with which, in faultless rhythm, he was beating time to his own deep-bellowing basso. he stalked to the centre of the room with all the pomposity of a genuine king of opera bouffe, a sly twinkle in his eye being the only hint to the beholders that he was conscious of his own ludicrous appearance.
meantime, mile. patti had mounted a chair, where her liquid notes in alt joined the deep ones of the baron. as he stopped in the centre of the room, however, the little diva’s amusement reached a climax. she clapped her hands and fairly shouted with glee. her mirth was infectious and quite upset the solemnity of the basso. breaking into a sonorous roar of laughter, he made as hasty an exit as his cumbrous form would allow. i think a walrus would have succeeded as gracefully.
we were about to withdraw from this gay scene when the chevalier bertinatti, with the utmost enthusiasm, begged us to stay. “you must!” he cried. “ze elephant is coming! i assure you zere ees not hees equal for ze fun!” a moment more and we fully agreed with him. even as he spoke, the doors opened and mr. palmer bounded in, a gorgeously got-up ring-master. i saw my own crimson opera cloak about his shoulders and a turban formed of many coloured rebozos of other guests twisted together in truly artistic manner.
“ladies and gentlemen!” he began grandiloquently, “i have the honour to present to your astonished eyes the grand elephant, hannibal, costing to import twenty thousand dollars, and weighing six thousand pounds! an elephant, ladies and gentlemen, whose average cost is three and one-half dollars a pound! he is a marvellous animal, ladies and gentlemen, warranted to be as intrepid as his namesake! he has been called a vicious creature, but in the present company i intend to prove 41him as docile as—the ladies themselves! advance, hannibal!”
he threw himself prone upon the floor as the wide doors opened and “hannibal” lumbered in, deliberately wagging his trunk from side to side, in a manner that was startlingly lifelike.
arrived at the prostrate ring-master, he put out one shapeless leg (at the bottom of which a handsomely shod man’s foot appeared) and touched the prostrate one lightly, as if fearful of hurting him; he advanced and retreated several times, wagging his trunk the while; until, at last, at the urgings of the recumbent hero, the animal stepped cleanly over him. now, with a motion of triumph, mr. palmer sprang up and, crossing his arms proudly over his bosom, cried, “ladies and gentlemen! i live!” and awaited the applause which rang out merrily. then, leaping lightly upon his docile pet’s back, the latter galloped madly around the room and made for the door amid screams and shouts of laughter.
in the mad exit, however, the mystery of the elephant was revealed; for his hide, the rubber cover of mrs. riggs’s grand piano, slipped from the shoulders of the hilarious young men who supported it, and “hannibal” disappeared in a confusion of brilliant opera cloaks, black coats, fleeing patent-leathers, and trailing piano cover!
this climax was a fitting close to our evening’s funmaking. as our host accompanied us to the door, he said slyly to my husband, “not a word of this, clay! to-night must be as secret as a democratic caucus, or we shall all be tabooed.”
