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Since Alphonse's visit to the capital of the Union (it is the seat of the
disunion!) Washington has grown large, but it certainly hasn't changed...
In a few days I became acquainted with the most distinguished people of
the country, some of whom I had already seen in New York: [Judah P.] Benjamin...[M.S.]
Latham, one of the senators from California, very young and destined to become the first
man of his country; President Buchanan, the Cabinet members, and all the candidates for
the presidency: there are fifty-three of them.
In the Republican party, [William Henry] Seward has the best chance; among
the Democrats, Joe Lane, [R.M.T.] Hunter, or [John C.] Breckenridge. The latter, who is
now Vice President, has all my sympathies. He is a young man, charming, full of fire,
intelligent, and, what is rare, a perfect gentleman. [John] Slidell gave a dinner in honor
of Benjamin, [Edouard de] Stoekel, the minister from Russia, and myself. The most
interesting men of the area attended, and I was showered by all these gentlemen with
invitations which I could avoid only by promising to come back soon.
Breckinridge, who presides over the Senate, took me to the Capitol, which
is a very beautiful structure, and showed me in detail the two Houses, the Supreme Court,
and all their representatives.
I had intended...to go down to spend several days at the Charlestown
[Charleston, S.C., Democratic presidential nomination] convention, but I took good care
not to do so, after several large placards posted in Cincinnati announced to the public
that the Rothschilds had sent incalculable millions to buy a President of their choice...
In my opinion, the Democrats will lose the game and Seward will win out...
You must have heard of the capture of two Mexican steamers by the American
fleet, which is just waiting for a pretext to mix into everything. Brother Jonathan [the
United States] is like John Bull: he worries little about justice and busies himself only
with his own interest. Within two years, Mexico will be a province of the Union;
meanwhile, the American government, as a reward for services rendered to the cause of
Juarez [President of Mexico], will allow itself to be ceded the port of Sonora. When you
have tasted the cake, you want to eat it all. The Yankees are also turning covetous eyes
toward the beautiful island of Cuba. It would be so happy under American rule! It would be
in the interests of humanity to rescue her from the Spaniards! The pretext will arise, as
it has arisen for Mexico. Besides, General [William] Walker [the filibusterer] is highly
esteemed here, though his intimate friend and confidant was arrested several days ago for
swindling, but this is a detail of relatively little importance...
New York, April 26, '60.
...Something quite unusual happened to me the other day. I received a
letter, telling me that an old woman, age sixty-seven, sick, and confined to her room, had
an important message to give me. It asked me to stop over at her place at a certain time,
when her family would be out. The letter was signed by a well-known and honorable name,
but warned that I had to go alone to the address indicated.
In this country such a meeting could be a dangerous thing, so I was told.
But the billet doux seemed so authentic that I went to the place it mentioned...armed with
my revolver, a precaution which I considered completely useless.
I was escorted through many rooms and two or three dark corridors. A heavy
door closed behind me. I began to feel quite happy that I had six bullets at my disposal,
when I was led into the room where the old lady was. She almost fell down at my feet,
thanking me for having come. I asked her what I could do for her. She answered that she
was a Jewess, that her dream had always been to see a member of the Rothschild family, and
that now she could die happy, since she had satisfied the most ardent of her desires.
Since I was very happy to please this poor lady, I had no need to make use
of my revolver...
New York, May 1, '60.
...I should like to ask you to come in June, to spend some time in Canada,
where the Prince of Wales is expected, and where his arrival will serve as a pretext for
very elaborate Canadian and Indian celebrations. The Prince is then scheduled to visit the
United States, where there is a great deal of embarrassment as to how to receive him.
Since it will be impossible to establish categories and to declare which social class will
have the right to entertain the future King of England, just about no one except
government officials will be able to receive him, and since these persons usually have
only a dubious education, the good Yankees fear, and rightly so, that people will make fun
of them.
Right now they are in a dither trying to figure out how to receive
properly the Japanese embassy which is going to arrive in Washington, and I can't tell you
how amusing the newspapers are with their advice on how to receive these noble barbarians.
They want to impress these new guests with American civilization. But since Emperor Tei
Ho's representative is scheduled to go to Europe afterwards, they are afraid of a
comparison, and don't know what to do, especially since they do not want to untie their
purse strings. This Japanese embassy will share the honors of public interest with General
Tom Thumb and the Barnum museum...
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