Mr. Stead at the American Embassy. 



These notes were made by Mr. W. T. Stead after attending a reception at the American Embassy on 

 June 4th, 1901, and are interesting both because of the many well-known persons who are mentioned, and 

 because of the characteristic fragments of conversation and criticism. 



I']' was the eve of the Derby, e\'er since the 

 " Maiden Tribute " an eventful day in my 

 historv. I took my wife to Earl's Court 

 Exhibition, where we witnessed the drama of the 

 release of Peking. She went home, and I came back 

 to Westminster, Westminster Bridge Station, and 

 walked across to i, Carlton House Terrace, a spacious 

 palace, rented by Mr. Choate, the American 

 Ambassador, at £5,000 a year. It was a reception 

 from ten to twelve, given to the delegates of the 

 New York Chamber of Commerce. I arrived at a 

 quarter to eleven and left at a quarter to twelve. 



The first person I saw was His Excellency the 

 Chinese Ambassador, waiting for his top-coat in 

 order to leave the house. It was a curious contrast 

 from the mimic representation of the Boxer Rising 

 in China to run across the actual representative' 

 of the Chinese Empire. He wore spectacles, and I 

 was on the point of introducing myself to him, when 

 his carriage was called, and I went away. I was the 

 only man of the company — which numbered about 

 200 (my hat ticket was iq6) — who wore a straw hat 

 and a light coat. Almost all the others wore opera hats. 



• CARNEGIE STILL HOLDING TO STEAD. 



There was a band playing at the foot of the stairs, 

 and on going upstairs my name was announced at 

 the stairhead, and I was received by Mr. Choate, who 

 remembered me at Skibo, and replied as cordially as 

 a man can who has already shaken hands with two 

 hundred people. He said to me, " Mr. Carnegie has 

 come.'' 



I met Sir Robert Porter, who took the American 

 census five years ago, and whom I met in Russia on 

 my last visit. He is staying at Brown's Hotel. 

 After shaking hands we pressed through the crowded 

 room and came upon Mr. Carnegie. 



" You are still holding to Mr. Stead," said Porter. 



" Yes," said Mr. Carnegie. 



" Oh," I said, " it is a case of labouring for my 

 conversion. Mr. Porter ! Mr. Carnegie will not give up." 



" Oh, b\-the-bye," said he. " just on leaving Skiho 

 I got a letter ol yours, to which I have not had time 

 to reply ! " 



" Don't reply to it," I saiil. " It's ail (.iHlcd -thai 

 newspaper." 



" All right," he said. 



" But," I said; " what did you mean by writing 

 that awful article, the cruellest and most ironical 

 article you ever wrote ? " 



He laughed, and somebody came up. 



ALL PRO-BOERS EXCEPTING THE ENGLISH. 



I went into the large room that looks out over the 

 Horse Guards. There the first person I came upon 

 was Philip Stanhope, who said he had only arrived in 

 England yesterday. We sat down and talked. He 

 said he thought things were going as badly as they 

 possibly could be. On the contrary, I told him, 

 they were going admirably ; that I had seen De Wet's 

 doctor this afternoon, and he said they could fight 

 for years. 



Then George W. Russell came up. He has grown 

 fatter than ever. I shook hands, and said : " Well, 

 we are doing splendidly, are we not ? " 



He said, " We ! I wonder whether any person 

 twelve months ago would have dared to have said 

 ' we ' about the Boers.'' 



" I did so," I said. " I have done so from the 

 first. But we, that is the British, have run up against 

 God Almighty in this business, and we are going to 

 have a bad time." 



" I wonder," said Russell, '" whether there are three 

 other pro-Boers in the room, excepting ourselves." 



" I think the\- are pretty well all pro-Boers," I said, 

 " excepting the English," 



SIR HIRAM MAXIM. 



Then I saw Sir Hiram Maxim. He did not recognise 

 me at first. He is very white. He thought 1 was 

 an American of the name of Stewart, I think, but when 

 he recognised me, he shook hands with the greatest 

 cordiality, and we had a little talk about things. I 

 said 1 understood that he had been supphing a lot 

 of ammunition to the Boers. He .said, " Not a 

 single cartridge." 



He said he had refused to supply any cartridges 

 because it would be used against the Govern- 

 , inent, and that not all liie wealth of Atrica would 

 Irmj)! him Ui sell one cartridge to the 15oers. I 

 said I thought he was not going to the help of the 

 Lord against the mighty, and I hoped that, considering 



