THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 693 



The King entered at the hour appointed, with four or five of his orderly officers about 

 him, and, on casting his eyes around the room, his first exclamation was that of sur- 

 prise at its unexpected extent and picturesque effect. 



My friend M. Vattemare, and also another friend, Major Poore,* from the United 

 States, were by my side, and greatly amused and pleased with the remarks made by 

 the King during the interview, relative to my paintings, and also to incidents of his 

 life amongst the Indians of America during his exile. His Majesty soon recognized 

 the picture of an Indian ball-play, and several other scenes he had witnessed on the 

 American frontier, and repeatedly remarked that my paintings all had the strong im- 

 press of nature in them, and were executed with much spirit and effect. He seemed 

 pleased and amused with the various Indian manufactures, and particularly with the 

 beautiful Crow wigwam from the Rocky Mountains standing in the middle of the 

 room, the door of which I opened for his Majesty to pass under. 



After his visit of half an hour he retired, appointing another interview, telling me 

 that the Queen must see the collection with him, and also commanding the director 

 of the Louvre to admit my little children to his presence, having heard of their mis- 

 fortune of losing their mother, for which he felt much sympathy. 



At the time appointed, a few days after, I met His Majesty again, with a number of 

 his illustrious friends, in my collection ; and after he had taken them around the 

 room awhile to describe familiar scenes which he had met there on his former visit, I 

 continued to explain other paintings and Indian manufactures in the collection. 



THE KING'S AMERICAN ANECDOTES. 



In the midst of our tour around the hall His Majesty met something that again re- 

 minded him of scenes he had witnessed in his rambling life in the backwoods of Amer- 

 ica, and he held us still for half an hour during his recitals of them. He described 

 the mode in which he and his two brothers descended the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers 

 in an old Mackinaw boat which they purchased at Pittsburg, and in which they made 



* Major Ben : Perley Poore, of Indian Hill, Newburyport, Mass. The major at Washington, in July, 

 1885, gave the following account of this event : 



"I was a young man of 2G, in 1845. and was in Europe as attache of the American legation at Brus- 

 sels (Minister Hilliard), and also as historical agent of the State of Massachusetts to France. I also 

 acted as correspondent for the Boston Atlas. I saw Louis Philippe frequently, and chatted with him. 

 One day in February, I think, 1845, I was passing through the court-yard of the Louvre, about 12 

 o'clock, when some one called to mo from a second-story window. It was George Catlin, the painter. 

 I knew him very well. He asked me to come into the palace and to the Salle de Seance, where he was, 

 as he was in trouble. I hurried up staii'3 and found him in the midst of about twenty chattering 

 French servants, and the embodiment of personal distress. 'Poore,' he said, 'for Heaven's sake, speak 

 to these people and tell them that I want them to hang the pictures [his collection of 500 or GOO pictures 

 then piled up on the floor], and assist me to put up the Crow Lodge at once, as it is now 12 o'clock 

 and I expect the King at half-past two. I can't speak any French and they no English, and so can- 

 not make myself understood.' I at once addressed the servants in French, appealing to their man- 

 hood, and recalled the friendship for France by America, mentioning La Fayette. They explained 

 to me that they had not understood what Mr. Catlin wanted or meant, but now they would go to 

 work with a will. So in a couple of hours the pictures were hung, and the Crow Lodge of buffalo 

 hide (tanned) erected. We put up its great poles and everything was in ship-shape when the King 

 came. Ho came about half-past two. Mr. Catlin insisted that I should remain. 



"The King was cordial and very chatty. He was a large man, resembling a well-to-do English 

 farmer. His English was almost perfect and his memory prodigious. With him were his personal 

 attaches and Baron Athalin, morganatic husband of his sister Adelaide. He remained several hours, 

 M. Vattemare and myself explaining the pictures. He retired about dusk, and large lamps with tin 

 sconces for reflectors were brought in to view the collection by night. These the King had caused 

 to bo made to view the pictures of the Louvre by. In the evening we sat d«wn and the King related 

 scores of incidents and anecdotes of his tour in America from October, 1796, to February, 1798, along 

 with his brothers, the Duke of Montpensier and the Comte Beau Jolis. His description of General 

 Washington and his farewell address at the inauguration of President John Adams, at which they 

 were present, in the building at the southeast corner of Sixth and Chestnut streets, Philadelphia, 

 adjoining Independence Hall, was most interesting. He visited Washington at Mount Vernon in 1797. 

 The General made them up an itinerary for their western journey, and a map, which he had preserved 



