BUELINGAME, AN SON. 



his personal popularity, and in a closely-con- 

 tested district. In the opening of the Thirty- 

 fourth Congress occurred that protracted strug- 

 gle so notorious in our political history, in 

 which for nine weeks the members of the House 

 of Eepresentatives balloted without result for a 

 Speaker. In that struggle Mr. Burlingame 

 took an active part. It was in the course of 

 that Congress, too (in its second session), that, 

 impelled alike by his friendship for the Massa- 

 chusetts Senator, his strong sense of right and 

 justice, and his abhorrence of the cowardice 

 and ruffianliness of the assault on Senator Sum- 

 ner, he uttered in the Hall of Eepresentatives 

 that eloquent but scathing invective which led to 

 a challenge from Preston Brooks. Mr. Brooks 

 a few hours after sent a demand for a with- 

 drawal of his language or a personal encoun- 

 ter. Mr. Burlingame declined to withdraw it, 

 and expressed himself ready to meet any con- 

 sequences which might follow. The friends 

 of Mr. Brooks were apprehensive of Mr. Bur- 

 lingame's well-known skill as a rifle-shot, and 

 they sought to obtain from him some explana- 

 tion of his language which they might con- 

 strue into an apology or excuse for not bring- 

 ing the two parties into a duel. They did ob- 

 tain a memorandum to the effect that it was not 

 his purpose to degrade Mr. Brooks, but find- 

 ing that this was used to give the impression 

 that he was unwilling to fight, he promptly 

 withdrew it in the columns of the Intelli- 

 gencer and accepted Mr. Brooks's challenge, 

 the place of meeting named being Clifton, 

 Canada ; but here Mr. Brooks's friends again 

 objected that they could not have their principal 

 go so many hundred miles through the enemy's 

 country viz., the States of Maryland, Penn- 

 sylvania, and NewYork ; and thus the matter 

 fell through. In the contest for the Thirty- 

 seventh Congress Mr. Burlingame was defeated 

 by Hon. William Appleton, and for a time it 

 seemed as though his wish to retire from pub- 

 lic life was to be gratified. But the Adminis- 

 tration had employment for him. He was first 

 tendered the mission to Austria, and accepted, 

 but this power refused to receive him on ac- 

 count, as is supposed, of Mr. Burlingame's 

 eloquent addresses in favor of Sardinia and the 

 unity of Italy. President Lincoln thereupon 

 offered him the appointment of Minister to 

 China, a position which was promptly ac- 

 cepted. In the performance of the duties of 

 this office Mr. Burlingame exhibited great and 

 peculiar ability. He obtained the confidence 

 of the Chinese authorities to an unusual ex- 

 tent. In 1865 he made a brief visit to this 

 country, and was warmly received by all his 

 personal and political friends. 



In the year 1867 a new era began in Mr. 

 Burlingame's career. Late in that year he an- 

 nounced to Prince Kung his intention of re- 

 signing the office of United States minister, 

 and of returning to his own country. Efforts 

 were made by the prince and all the Chinese 

 officials to induce him to reconsider his deter- 



mination, but in vain. Prince Kung then 

 broached to him the plan, of which the Chi- 

 nese embassy was the realization. It was at 

 first proposed to have him transact a business 

 unofficially at Washington for the Chinese 

 Government. It was next suggested that he be 

 empowered to treat officially in the name of 

 that government with the United States author- 

 ities. Finally the Chinese officials offered to 

 send him on a mission to all the civilized 

 powers at the head of an embassy which should 

 be on a standing of the highest respectability. 

 This offer was accepted, and Mr. Burlingame 

 placed his resignation at once in the hands of 

 the secretary of the American legation. A 

 week later he received his credentials from 

 Prince Kung. Mr. Burlingame and his col- 

 leagues left Shanghai on the 25th of February, 

 1868, for San Francisco. 



After he had accepted this diplomatic trust, 

 and just before he left the shores of Asia, he 

 saw a newspaper which bitterly denounced 

 him for renouncing bis American allegiance, as 

 it charged, to take a lucrative appointment 

 from a foreign power. In the weeks of his long 

 journey across the Pacific, it often oppressed 

 him with gloomy forebodings. Before he 

 reached the Golden Gate they became, at times, 

 almost unendurable. "Is it not possible," he 

 reasoned to himself, " that Americans may re- 

 gard my acceptance of this foreign trust as a 

 Belling out of my birthright?" He knew he 

 had been conscientious in consenting to take 

 it, in the interest of civilization, humanity, 

 progress, and international good-will. But he 

 knew, too, how harshly and unjustly public 

 men are sometimes judged ; and, when the 

 steamer sailed up to the wharf at San Fran- 

 cisco, he was in a state of feverish excitement. ' 

 The wharf was densely crowded. He looked 

 from the deck of the steamer upon them, and 

 wondered if it were possible that, inflamed by 

 hostile criticism, they had come there to jeer 

 and insult him. The first man who came upon 

 the deck before the steamer had swung round 

 to its place was a porter or baggage-man, who, 

 of course, did not know him. Burlingame 

 asked him, as coolly as possible, what all this 

 crowd meant. "Why," answered the man, 

 " the whole city is here to welcome the new 

 Chinese minister, and the city authorities to 

 proffer him its hospitalities." The suspense 

 was over, and his heart never throbbed a sin- 

 cerer "Thank God!" 



The subsequent progress of the embassy is 

 well known. It first visited this country, where 

 it was received with the highest consideration ; 

 and it and its chief were made the recipients 

 of a series of ovations which were hearty and 

 enthusiastic. A treaty was negotiated at 

 Washington between the United States and 

 China, which was liberal and enlightened. 

 The Chinese Government testified its apprecia- 

 tion of Mr. Burlingame's labors by promptly 

 ratifying this treaty. The embassy then vis- 

 ited London, Paris, Berlin, and other Euro- 



