516 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-IV 



that which a French minister least wishes to discuss pub- 

 licly is the conferring of the red ribbon. 



Embarrassing also was the jubilation of some of our 

 American exhibitors at our celebration of the Fourth of 

 July in the Bois de Boulogne. Doubtless they were 

 excellent citizens, but never was there a better exempli- 

 fication of Dr. Arnold's saying that "a traveller is a 

 self-constituted outlaw. " A generous buffet had been 

 provided, after the French fashion, with a sufficiency of 

 viands and whatever wine was needed. To my amaze- 

 ment, these men, who at home were most of them, probably, 

 steady-going "temperance men," were so overcome with 

 the idea that champagne was to be served ad libitum, that 

 the whole thing came near degenerating into an orgy. A 

 European of the same rank, accustomed to drinking wine 

 moderately with his dinner, would have simply taken a 

 glass or two and thought no more of it ; but these gentle- 

 men seemed to see in it the occasion of their lives. Bot- 

 tles were seized and emptied, glass after glass, down the 

 throats of my impulsive fellow-citizens: in many cases 

 a bottle and more to a man. Then came the worst of it. 

 It had been arranged that speeches should be made under 

 a neighboring tent by leading members of the French 

 cabinet who had accepted invitations to address us. But 

 when they proceeded to do this difficulties arose. A num- 

 ber of our compatriots, unduly exhilarated, and under- 

 standing little that was said, first applauded on general 

 principles, but at the wrong places, and finally broke out 

 into apostrophes such as "Speak English, old boy!" 

 "Talk Yankee fashion!" "Remember the glorious 

 Fourth!" "Give it to the British!" "Make the eagle 

 scream!" and the like. The result was that we were 

 obliged to make most earnest appeals to these gentlemen, 

 begging them not to disgrace our country ; and, finally, the 

 proceedings were cut short. 



Nor was this the end. As I came down the Champs 

 ^llysees afterward, I met several groups of these pa- 

 triots, who showed by their walk and conversation that 



