His youth had been passed
in the time when the pseudo classicism of the French Republic and Empire
was rampant, and now that, in his old age, he had been raised to the
presidency, his head was probably full of the republics of antiquity, and
of Cincinnatus called from the plough, to take the helm of state.
M. de Bacourt, the French minister at this period, a rather shallow and
illiberal man who disliked Mr. Webster, gives, in his recently published
correspondence, the following amusing account of the presentation of the
diplomatic corps to President Harrison,--a little bit of contemporary
gossip which carries us back to those days better than anything else could
possibly do. The diplomatic corps assembled at the house of Mr. Fox, the
British minister, who was to read a speech in behalf of the whole body, and
thence proceeded to the White House where
"the new Secretary of State, Mr. Webster, who is much embarrassed
by his new functions, came to make his arrangements with Mr. Fox.
This done, we were ranged along the wall in order of seniority, and
after too long a delay for a country where the chief magistrate has
no right to keep people waiting, the old General came in, followed
by all the members of his Cabinet, who walked in single file, and
so kept behind him.
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