LINKED WITH SHAKESPEARE

In the June number of St. Nicholas is printed a list of names of persons constituting "a living chain from Adam to Abraham Lincoln." This list, "prepared some years ago by a certain learned bishop," is very interesting and suggestive, and more so in its later portions. It is evident, however, that the chain contains many more "links" than are necessary. From Adam to Lincoln there are one hundred and sixty-one of these, from Shakespeare to Lincoln twelve. This list being made up entirely on hypothetical grounds, it may be of interest that there should be also placed upon record a similar list extending back to the time of Shakespeare, founded upon actual dates of births and deaths of the persons mentioned. My own grandmother, whom I well remember, died in 1855. She was born in Raleigh parish, Amelia county, Virginia, in 1771. She remembered the raid of Tarleton's green-coated partisans in 1780, and the manner in which the British soldiers appropriated the horses, cattle, and bacon they found on her father's plantation. She had seen, after her marriage in 1793 to my grandfather Philip Goode, her husband's grandfather Samuel Goode, who was born 1706-10, near the spot where the city of Richmond now stands, and who died in Prince Edward county, Virginia, 1796.

Samuel Goode when a small boy saw his own grandfather John Goode of "Whitby," who died in 1711, and who was one of the earliest settlers at the falls of James river, where he lived on a plantation called "Whitby" for over half a century, from 1659 until his death. He was a soldier under Bacon in the Virginia rebellion of 1676, and had lived at Barbadoes during the protectorate of Cromwell, prior to which he was, according to family tradition, a soldier under Charles I. He was born in Cornwall, 1610-25.

The interval between the present time and the early colonial days seems wonderfully short when it can be spanned by two human lives. Reflected by only two mirrors, I have seen the light of the eyes of a man who was a boy in England in the reign of James I., when the settlements of Jamestown and Plymouth were the only strongholds of the English in America -the contemporary of Milton, Bunyan, and Newton-a man whose father might have seen Shakespeare on the stage in his own theatre in London.

WASHINGTON, D. C.

G BrownGoode

MINOR TOPICS

GEORGE W. CHILDS ON GENERAL GRANT

THE GREAT SOLDIER ALSO AN ARTIST

No man has ever had better opportunities for critical observation in his intercourse with public characters than George W. Childs of Philadelphia. His little brochure of Recollections of General Grant is particularly acceptable at this time. The following extracts will be read with unusual interest:

"General Grant was one of the truest and most congenial friends I ever had. We first met in 1863, after the victory of Vicksburg. The general and Mrs. Grant had come to Philadelphia to make arrangements to put their children at school in Burlington, New Jersey. From that time until his death our intimacy grew. In his life three qualities were conspicuously revealed-justice, kindness, and firmness. Seeing General Grant frequently for more than twenty years, I had abundant opportunities to notice these qualities. We lived at Long Branch on adjoining properties on the same land, without any division, and I may say there never was a day when we were together there on which either I was not in his house or he in mine. He would often come over and breakfast or dine with me. I never saw him in the field, though I corresponded with him during the war, and whenever an opportunity presented itself he would come to Philadelphia for the purpose of seeing his family at Burlington, and would often stay with me, and in that way he made a great many friends. That was as early as 1863. He always seemed to enjoy his visits here, as they gave him rest during the time he was in the army. These visits to Philadelphia were continued after he became President, and he always found recreation and pleasure in them.

Much has been published about General Grant, but there are many things I have not seen stated, and one is that he had considerable artistic taste and talent. He painted very well. One of his paintings, twelve by eighteen inches, he gave to his friend the late Hon. A. E. Borie of Philadelphia, who was the Secretary of the Navy in his first cabinet. That picture is, I believe, one of the two he is known to have painted. On the death of Mr. Borie it was presented by his family to Mrs. Grant, and the engraving of it was made from the original sent to me for the purpose by Colonel Fred D. Grant. Of the other painting there is no trace. General Grant stood very high with his professor of drawing at West Point, and if he had persevered in that line might, it has always seemed to me, have made a good artist. He was throughout his cadetship apt in mathematics and drawing. The picture alluded to is that of an Indian chief, at a trading-post in the Northwest, exchanging skins and furs with a group of traders and trappers. The Indian stands in the

foreground and is the central object-a noble figure, well painted, and in full and characteristic costume. I have often seen the painting, which has been very much admired. The general took a good deal of pride in it himself.

General Grant was not an ardent student. Early in life he was somewhat of a novel-reader, but latterly he read history, biography, and travels. He was a careful reader, and remembered everything he read. He was a great reader of newspapers. I recall an incident which happened while we were at Long Branch, just after General Sherman's Memoirs had been published. Referring to the work, I asked him if he had read it. He said he had not had time to do so. One of the persons present observed: 'Why, general, you won't find much in it about yourself. Sherman doesn't seem to think you were in the war.' The general said, 'I don't know; I have seen some adverse criticisms, but I am going to read it and judge the book for myself.' After he had perused it carefully and attentively I asked him what he thought of it. 'Well,' he said, 'it has done me full justice. It has given me more credit than I deserve. Any criticism I might make would be that I think Sherman has not done justice to Logan, Blair, and other volunteer generals, whom he calls political generals. These men did their duty faithfully, and I never believe in imputing motives to people.'

General Sherman had sent me the proof-sheets of that portion of the Memoirs relating to General Grant before the book was published, and asked if I had any suggestions to make, and if I thought he had been just to the general. I informed General Grant that I had read these proof-sheets, and that I thought as he didthat General Sherman had done him full justice. General Grant had the highest opinion of General Sherman as a military man, and always entertained a great personal regard for him. He was always magnanimous, particularly to his army associates. He was a man who rarely used the pronoun I in conversation when speaking of his battles.

There is an amusing little incident I recall, à propos of a large painting of General Sherman on his March to the Sea,' which hangs in the hall of my Long Branch house, and which was painted by Kauffman. Sherman sits in front of his tent, in a white shirt, without coat or vest. The picture shows a camp-fire in front, and the moonlight in the rear of the tents. The criticism of General Grant when he first saw it was, 'That is all very fine: it looks like Sherman, but he never wore a boiled shirt there, I am sure.'

While living at Long Branch few Confederate officers who visited the place failed to call upon General Grant. He was always glad to see them, and he invariably talked over with them the incidents and results of the war. The general held in high estimation General Joseph E. Johnston, and always spoke of him. as one of the very best of Southern generals. At one of my dinners I had the pleasure of getting Johnston, Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan together.

I remember that in 1884 I was notified that a number of scientists would meet in Montreal, from all parts of the world, to attend a convention. Sir

William Thomson, Lord Rayleigh, and others, who were to be my guests, asked whether I would present them to General Grant. Some of them had met him. Of course I was very glad to introduce them. I said to him in the morning, 'General, the scientists from Canada are coming down here, and they are very anxious to pay their respects to you.' 'Oh,' he replied, ‘I have met some of these people abroad: I will be very glad to see them.' They came to my house and we walked across the lawn to the general's. He sat on the piazza, not being able to stand alone without the use of crutches, and was presented to every one of them, shaking hands with each. He would say to one gentleman, 'How are you, professor? I met you in Liverpool;' and to another, 'Why, how are you? I met you in London ;' and 'I am glad to see you, I met you in Manchester.' So he recognized each of his visitors as soon as he laid eyes on them. Many of them said to me afterward, 'Why, I only met him casually with a party of people.' This power of recognition was remarkable. I subsequently asked him whether he had lost the power; he answered, 'No, I have not lost the power. If I fix my mind on a person, I never forget him; but I see so many that I don't always do it.' I can give a remarkable instance of his memory of persons. During one of the times that he was staying with me in Philadelphia, we were walking down Chestnut street together, and just as we arrived in front of a large jeweler's establishment a lady came out of the store and was about to enter her carriage. General Grant walked up to her, shook hands with her, and put her in the carriage. 'General, did you know that lady?' I asked. 'Oh, yes,' he replied, I know her.' 'Where did you meet her?' 'Well, I saw her a good many years ago in Ohio, at a boarding-school. She was one of the girls there.' 'Did you never see her before or since?' 'No,' he said. The lady was the daughter of a very prominent Ohio man, Judge Jewett, and the next time we met she said, ‘I suppose you told General Grant who I was?' I replied that I did not. 'Why, that is very remarkable,' she answered, in a tone of surprise. I was one of two or three hundred girls, and only saw him at school. I have never seen him since.'

I remember an amusing incident which occurred when the English banker Mr. Hope, with his wife and three children, was visiting me at Long Branch. The children wanted to see the general, so one day they were taken over and presented to him. When they came back and were asked whether they had seen him, one of them replied, in rather a disappointed tone, 'Yes, but he had no crown.'"

CORRECTIONS OF HISTORICAL ERRORS

About a month ago a dispatch was wired over from the North Pacific coast, in which First Assistant-Postmaster-General J. S. Clarkson was made to say that William M. Stone was the "War Governor" of Iowa. This dispatch set forth in substance, if not in words, that ex-Governor Stone organized our forty regiments

of infantry, nine regiments of cavalry, and sundry batteries of artillery. This statement is utterly untrue. I do not believe that Mr. Clarkson ever wrote or authorized it. He certainly knows better, and he is a man who always tells the truth. But I have nowhere seen any correction of this wild, unjust assertion. The facts of the case are as follows: Samuel J. Kirkwood was elected governor of Iowa in 1859. His term began in January, 1860, and expired in January, 1864. At this last-named date the formation of regiments in Iowa had ceased. The only enlistments subsequent to that date were of men to fill up depleted regiments or batteries. Our "War Governor" was most unmistakably Samuel J. Kirkwood, afterward United States senator and secretary of the interior. He still lives at Iowa city, hale and hearty, a grand old man, "well-to-do,” contented, and happy, where I saw him one day last week.

Reading an article in Belford's Magazine for August, entitled "Editors that I have known," by Dr. Alexander Wilder, I find this statement in reference to Horace Greeley: "He was twice a candidate . for congress, and always defeated." The fact was very fresh in my memory that he once occupied a seat in congress, and turning to p. 738, vol. ii., of the Messrs. Appletons' most excellent Cyclopædia of American Biography, I find that my recollection is correct. I do not think he was ever nominated for the house of representatives excepting on this one occasion, and that was to fill a vacancy in 1848. Readers who are "up in the sixties" will readily recall the fact that Rust, an Arkansas congressman, committed a most ruffianly personal assault upon Mr. Greeley for something he had said on the floor or written to the Tribune. Mr. Greeley declined to prosecute him, leaving him to the scorn of public opinion.

But reading down to the end of the paragraph referred to in the cyclopædia, I see it stated that when Colonel Charles G. Halpine ("Miles O'Reilly ") died, Mr. Greeley accepted an appointment to the city office held by him, discharged its duties gratuitously, and handed over the salary to Colonel Halpine's widow. believe this statement to be an error, though I have no other data than that which memory supplies. I am quite certain that the man who performed this act of blessed charity was Brigadier-General Patrick H. Jones, a young Irishman, originally from Cattaraugus county, New York, who made a proud record as a soldier, and rose to considerable distinction in the city of New York. I knew "Pat. Jones" when he was a ragged, tow-headed, bright little boy, "some forty years ago," at home with his parents in the old log house on a lone hill-side in Cattaraugus county; and I saw him when he lay disabled in New York city during the war, with shreds of his coat oozing from an ugly wound into which they had been carried by a minie bullet. Horace Greeley would have been the last man in the world to accept for a single instant credit for magnanimity, or anything else, due another, and I know I only do justice to his memory in making this correction.

WEBSTER CITY, IOWA.

CHARLES ALDRICH