part05+-第67章

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opened　on　the　morning　of　that　day；　it　was　found　to　be　even　more



heartily　appreciative　than　his　former　letter；　and　the　same　was



found　to　be　true　of　a　second　letter　by　the　Secretary　of　State；



Mr。　Hay；　so　that　I　add　these　to　the　treasures　to　be　handed　down



to　my　grandchildren。







Shortly　afterward　came　a　letter　from　the　chancellor　of　the



empire；　most　kindly　appreciative。　It　will　be　placed；　with　those



above　referred　to；　at　the　close　of　this　chapter。







Especially　noteworthy　also　was　the　farewell　dinner　given　me　at



the　Kaiserhof　by　the　German…American　Association。　Never　had　I



seen　so　many　Germans　eminent　in　politics；　diplomacy；　literature；



science；　art；　education；　and　commerce　assembled　on　any　single



occasion。　Hearty　speeches　were　made　by　the　minister　of　the



interior；　Count　Posadowsky；　who　presided；　and　by　Professor



Harnack　of　the　university；　who　had　been　selected　to　present　the



congratulations　of　my　entertainers。　I　replied　at　length；　and　as



in　previous　speeches　during　my　career；　both　as　minister　and



ambassador；　I　had　endeavored　to　present　to　my　countrymen　at　home



and　abroad　the　claims　of　Germany　upon　American　good　will；　I　now



endeavored　to　reveal　to　the　great　body　of　thinking　Germans　some



of　the　deeper　characteristics　and　qualities　of　the　American



people；　my　purpose　being　in　this；　as　in　previous　speeches；　to



bring　about　a　better　understanding　between　the　two　nations。







The　Emperor　being　absent　in　England；　my　departure　from　Berlin　was



delayed　somewhat　beyond　the　time　I　had　fixed；　but　on　the　27th　of



November　came　my　final　day　in　office。　In　the　morning　my　wife　and



myself　were　received　in　special　audience　by　both　the　sovereigns；



who　afterward　welcomed　us　at　their　table。　Both　showed　unaffected



cordiality。　The　Emperor　discussed　with　me　various　interesting



questions　in　a　most　friendly　spirit；　and；　on　my　taking　leave；



placed　in　my　hands　what　is　known　as　the　〃Great　Gold　Medal　for　Art



and　Science；〃　saying　that　he　did　this　at　the　request　of　his



advisers　in　those　fields；　and　adding　assurances　of　his　own　which



greatly　increased　the　value　of　the　gift。　Later　in　the　day　came　a



superb　vase　from　the　royal　manufactory　of　porcelain；　bearing　his



portrait　and　cipher；　as　a　token　of　personal　good　will。







On　the　same　evening　was　the　American　Thanksgiving　dinner；　with



farewells　to　and　from　the　American　colony；　and　during　the



following　days　farewell　gatherings　at　the　houses　of　the　dean　of



the　ambassadors；　the　secretary　of　state　for　foreign　affairs；　and



the　chancellor　of　the　empire；　finally；　on　the　evening　of　December



5；　with　hearty　good…byes　at　the　station　from　a　great　concourse　of



my　diplomatic　colleagues　and　other　old　friends；　we　left　Berlin。







Our　first　settlement　was　at　a　pretty　villa　at　Alassio；　on　the



Italian　Riviera；　and　here；　in　March；　1903；　looking　over　my



garden；　a　mass　of　bloom；　shaded　by　palms　and　orange…trees　in　full



bearing；　and　upon　the　Mediterranean　beyond；　I　settled　down　to



record　these　recollections　of　my　lifemaking　excursions　now　and



then　into　interesting　parts　of　Italy。







As　to　these　later　journeys；　one；　being　out　of　the　beaten　track；



may　be　worth　mentioning。　It　was　an　excursion　in　the　islands　of



Elba　and　Corsica。　Though　anything　but　a　devotee　of　Napoleon；　I



could　not　but　be　interested　in　that　little　empire　of　his　on　the



Italian　coast；　and　especially　in　the　town　house；　country…seat；



and　garden　where　he　planned　the　return　to　Europe　which　led　to　the



final　catastrophe。







More　interesting　still　was　the　visit　to　Corsica　and；　especially；



to　Ajaccio。　There　the　traveler　stands　before　the　altar　where



Napoleon's　father　and　mother　were　married；　at　the　font　where　he



was　baptized；　in　the　rooms　where　he　was　born；　played　with　his



brothers　during　his　boyhood；　and　developed　various　scoundrelisms



during　his　young　manhood：　the　furniture　and　surroundings　being　as



they　were　when　he　knew　them。







Just　around　the　corner　from　the　house　in　which　the　Bonapartes



lived　was　the　more　stately　residence　of　the　more　aristocratic



family　of　Pozzo　di　Borgo。　It　interested　me　as　the　nest　in　which



was　reared　that　early　playmate　and　rival　of　Napoleon；　who



afterward　became　his　most　virulent；　persistent；　and　successful



enemy；　who　pursued　him　through　his　whole　career　as　a　hound



pursues　a　wolf；　and　who　at　last　aided　most　effectively　in



bringing　him　down。







After　exhausting　the　attractions　of　Ajaccio；　we　drove　up　a　broad；



well…paved　avenue；　gradually　rising　and　curving　until；　at　a



distance　of　six　or　seven　miles；　it　ended　at　the　country…seat　of



this　same　family　of　Pozzo　di　Borgo；　far　up　among　the　mountains。



There；　on　a　plateau　commanding　an　amazing　view；　and　in　the　midst



of　a　superb　park；　we　found　the　rural　retreat　of　the　family；　but；



to　our　surprise；　not　a　castle；　not　a　villa；　not　like　any　other



building　for　a　similar　purpose　in　Italy　or　anywhere　else　in　the



world；　but　a　Parisian　town　house；　recently　erected　in　the　style



of　the　Valois　period；　with　Mansard　roof。　As　we　approached　it；　I



was　struck　by　architectural　details　even　more　at　variance　with



the　surroundings　than　was　the　general　style　of　the　building：　all



its　exterior　decoration　presenting　the　features　of　a　pavilion



from　the　old　Tuileries　at　Paris；　and　in　the　garden　hard　by　we



found　battered　and　blackened　fragments　of　pilasters；　shown　by　the



emblems　and　ciphers　upon　them　to　have　come　from　that　part　of　the



Tuileries　once　inhabited　by　Napoleon。　The　family　being　absent；　we



were　allowed　to　roam　through　the　house；　and　there　found　the



statues；　paintings；　tapestries；　books；　and　papers　of　Napoleon's



arch…enemy；　the　great　Pozzo　di　Borgo　himself；　all　of　them　more　or



less　connected　with　the　great　struggle。　There；　too；　in　the



library　were　collected　the　decorations　bestowed　upon　him　by　all



the　sovereigns　of　Europe　for　his　successful　zeal　in　hunting　down



the　common　enemy〃the　Corsican　Ogre。〃　The　palace；　inside　and



out；　is　a　monument　to　the　most　famous　of　Corsican　vendettas。







My　two　winters　at　Alassio　after　leaving　Berlin；　though　filled



with　deferred　work；　were　restful。　During　a　visit　to　America　in



1903；　I　joined　my　class　at　Yale　in　celebrating　its　fiftieth



anniversary；　giving　there　a　public　address　entitled　〃A　Patriotic



Investment。〃　The　main　purpose　of　this　address　was　to　promote　the



establishment　of　Professorships　of　Comparative　Legislation　in　our



leading　universities。　I　could　not　think　then；　and　cannot　think



now；　of　any　endowment　likely　to　be　more　speedily　and　happily



fruitful　in　good　to　the　whole　country。　In　the　spring　of　1904　I



returned　to　my　old　house　on　the　grounds　of　Cornell　University；



and　there；　with　my　family；　old　associates；　and　new　friends　about



me；　have　devoted　myself　to　various　matters　long　delayed；　and



especially　to　writing　sundry　articles　in　the　〃Atlantic　Monthly；〃



the　〃Century　Magazine；〃　and　various　other　periodicals；　and　to　the



discharge　of　my　duties　as　a　Trustee　of　Cornell　and　as　a　Regent　of



the　Smithsonian　Institution　and　a　Trustee　of　the　Carnegie



Institution　at　Washington。　It　is；　of　course；　the　last　of　my　life；



but　I　count　myself　happy　in　living　to　see　so　much　of　good



accomplished　and　so　much　promise　of　good　in　every　worthy　field　of



human　effort　throughout　our　country　and　indeed　throughout　the



world。







Following　are　the　letters　referred　to　in　this　chapter。







FROM　THE　PRESIDENT　OF　THE　UNITED　STATES。



WHITE　HOUSE；



WASHINGTON。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　







OYSTER　BAY；　NEW　YORK；