Chapter XIII: The Reconstruction Period (2)

"Mr. Cyrus W. Field is too earnest and energetic a man, too
completely devoted to great projects and great success, to have
much of mere egotism left in him. A life so thoroughly absorbed in
pursuits which belong to the business and benefit of the whole
world can have little time for the indulgence of vanity. But one
might well excuse a little self-gratulation and pride on the part
of a guest entertained as Mr. Cyrus Field was at Willis's Rooms
last night. Not often, certainly, is such a banquet given in
England to a man who is neither a politician nor a soldier.... Mr.
Field, when he glanced around that splendidly filled banquet-room
last night, may have felt but little personal pride in the
well-merited honors he received. But he must have felt gratified at
the evidence thus practically and brilliantly afforded that the
public of civilized nations are at last trying to unlearn the fatal
habit which made them so long ungrateful to some of their best
benefactors.

"We never remember to have read of a public demonstration to any
individual in London which had less of a sectarian or sectional
character. The Duke of Argyll, one of the most advanced of our
Liberal peers, one of the most enlightened of our scientific
thinkers, was hardly more prominent in doing honor to Mr. Field
than was Sir John Pakington, the steady-going Tory of the old, old
school. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, the great Elchi of Mr.
Kinglake's delightful sensation romance, sat side by side with Mr.
Bright, who denounced in such powerful and unsparing eloquence so
much of Lord Stratford's policy and conduct during the Crimean war.
Mr. Layard joined with Sir Stafford Northcote in the compliment to
the guest. Two common sentiments animated the whole of the
company--a company representing politics, science, literature,
arts, and commerce--the sentiment of personal admiration for Mr.
Field's labors and character, and that of cordial friendship
towards the great people of whose indomitable energy he is so
striking an illustration.... Much of the honor, of course, was
entirely personal. It was tendered to Mr. Field because he
individually had deserved it. Mr. Bright, in a few words,
accurately described Mr. Field's position as regards the Atlantic
telegraph. Other men may have thought of the project; other men
may, for aught we know, have thought of it even before he did;
other men may have mentally planned it out, and proposed schemes
for its realization.... The idea is not exclusively Mr. Field's;
nor is the success exclusively his. But assuredly his was the
energy, the prodigious strength of will, the unconquerable
perseverance, which forced the scheme upon the intellect, the
activity, and the influence of England and America, and never
desisted until the dream had become a reality. A slight and
delicate allusion was made once or twice last night to the
sacrifices Mr. Field had made, the responsibilities he had
incurred, the risks he had run, to bring forward his darling scheme
again and again after each new defeat and disaster. There are more
men by far who could bear to make the sacrifices than men who could
raise their heads as Mr. Field did, undismayed after every defeat,
full of new hope after each disaster. Certainly that glorious
vitality of hope is one of the rarest as it is one of the grandest
of human attributes. Mr. Field brought to the great project with
which his life will be identified more than the genius of a
discoverer--he brought the courage, the energy, the heart, and hope
of a very conqueror. Therefore was his share in the work so unique;
therefore did the company at Willis's Rooms last night do him
special honor. But in honoring him they honored also his country.
Better words, holier messages of peace and brotherhood, were never
sent along a wire than those which thrilled last night through the
depths of the Atlantic from the Englishmen around Mr. Field to the
brethren of their race in America."

"ARGYLL LODGE, KENSINGTON, _July 3, 1868_.

"_My dear Mr. Field_,--I am much obliged by your kind note. I
assure you it gave me great pleasure to preside at your banquet. I
would rather have my name associated with the Atlantic Telegraph
than with any other undertaking of ancient or modern times.

"Yours very sincerely, "ARGYLL."

"MORTIMER READING, _July 2, 1868_.

"_My dear Friend_,--I was exceedingly sorry that I was prevented
from taking part, as I had intended, in doing honor to you last
night. You know that in all that number of admirers there was not
one whose feelings towards you were warmer than mine. Indeed, few
of them could feel the personal gratitude which I feel to the
author and the indomitable promoter of an enterprise the success of
which will link me, though far away, to my English home.

"Ever yours sincerely, "GOLDWIN SMITH."

"CASTLE-CONNELL BY LIMERICK, "_July 20, 1868_.

"_My dear Mr. Field_,--I saw by the papers that the great banquet
given to you at Willis's Rooms passed off most successfully, and
Mr. Bright, who has been staying a week with me, confirms even the
most favorable accounts. I think you may well be satisfied with
the honors that have been paid you on both sides of the Atlantic,
but should more be proffered you may readily receive them as
deserved....

"Very respectfully and truly yours, "GEORGE PEABODY."

When he sailed for England, in February, Mr. Field had taken to Mr. Bright an invitation to visit this country, signed by many of his American friends, and ending with these words: "Your presence at this time would tend to strengthen the ties between your country and ours, and we beg leave to suggest a visit during the ensuing spring."

"TORQUAY, DEVON, _October 13, 1868_.

"_My dear Mr. Field_,--Your letter has been sent on to me, and has
followed me in my journey in Cornwall.... I rejoice at the
patriotism of your countrymen, many of whom have gone or are going
home to take part in the great election; and I hope most earnestly
that the Republican candidates may be elected by a grand majority.

"In this country the elections seem likely to go strongly against
the Tories; they deserve to be well beaten.

"As to the invitation from New York, I can say nothing except that
I am deeply indebted to your friends for their kind invitation, and
that I regret extremely that I have never yet been able to visit
your country. I need not tell you how many are my engagements here,
and how uncertain is the prospect of my being able to see the many
kind friends I have in the States.

"I must ask you to thank the gentlemen who wrote to me, and to say
that I am very grateful to them for their kind remembrance of me.

"I wish you a pleasant voyage and return. I almost envy you the
ease with which, after your long experience, you cross the
Atlantic.

"I shall wait with confidence, but not without anxiety, what the
cable will bring us the day after your election. I see four States
have their elections to-day, from which something may be judged of
what is to come.

"I am, always very sincerely, your friend, "JOHN BRIGHT."

November 2, 1868, in writing to a friend he says, "I returned home last Thursday in time to vote for General Grant."

On December 29, 1868, a banquet was given to Professor Morse, who in closing his speech said:

"I have claimed for America the origination of the modern telegraph
system of the world. Impartial history, I think, will support the
claim. Do not misunderstand me as disparaging or disregarding the
labors and ingenious modifications of others in various countries
employed in the same field of invention. Gladly, did time permit,
would I descant upon their great and varied merits. Yet in tracing
the birth and pedigree of the modern telegraph, 'American' is not
the highest term of the series that connects the past with the
present; there is at least one higher term, the highest of all,
which cannot and must not be ignored. If not a sparrow falls to the
ground without a definite purpose in the plans of infinite wisdom,
can the creation of an instrumentality so vitally affecting the
interests of the whole human race have an origin less humble than
the Father of every good and perfect gift? I am sure I have the
sympathy of such an assembly as is here gathered if, in all
humility and in the sincerity of a grateful heart, I use the words
of inspiration in ascribing honor and praise to Him to whom first
of all and most of all it is pre-eminently due. 'Not unto us, not
unto us, but to God be all the glory.'

"Not what hath man, but 'what hath God wrought.'"

"DEPARTMENT OF STATE, "WASHINGTON, _January 7, 1869_.

"_Sir_,--Pursuant to the resolution of Congress of March 2, 1867,
the President has caused to be prepared for presentation to you, in
the name of the people of the United States, a gold medal, with
suitable devices and inscriptions, in acknowledgment of your
eminent services in the establishment of telegraphic communication
by means of the Atlantic cable between the Old World and the New.
This testimonial, together with an engrossed copy of the resolution
referred to, is herewith transmitted to you by direction of the
President.

I am, sir, your obedient servant, "WILLIAM H. SEWARD."

Two years had passed since this resolution was adopted and the medal ordered, and the reason for its not having been given before this time was a strange one. In 1868 he had received word that the medal would be presented to him on his going to Washington, but upon his arrival there he was asked not to name the subject. The medal had been shown at a meeting of the Cabinet and had disappeared. Another had been ordered, and would be sent to him as soon as possible. The mystery was not solved until 1874, when in London he received a cable message from Washington.

"The missing original Congressional gold medal, a duplicate of
which was made and presented to you, has been found. Its value is
about $600. Secretary Treasury wishes informally to know whether
you wish to possess it. If so, it will be given to you on receipt
of value."

Soon after his return home he was in Washington, and while there was told this story: One day a clerk in the Treasury Department asked the Secretary why Mr. Field had never received the medal ordered for him. When desired to explain his question, he answered that he had been directed to put the medal away _carefully_ after the meeting of the Cabinet, and that he had not heard the subject mentioned since that day; neither had he known that the medal was sought for. And now when Mr. Field called for the "original medal" he was told that it had been given to the Mint in Philadelphia. A telegram was sent to the director, and only just in time, for already a hole had been drilled in it.

Mr. Varley wrote this letter on his visit to New York, but it was over a year before the suggestions that he made were acted upon.

"FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL, "NEW YORK, _October 6, 1868_.

"_My dear Sir_,--I hope you will pardon me for addressing you upon
the subject of the Atlantic circuits.

"I am a small shareholder in the New York, Newfoundland, and London
Telegraph Company, a larger in the Anglo-American and Atlantic
Telegraph companies; and it is with deep regret that I see that the
latter two companies are fighting instead of working.

"It seems as if they were re-enacting just the same farces that
were performed when we were endeavoring to raise funds both for the
1865 and the 1866 cables. I venture unhesitatingly to assert that
we should not have succeeded but for the indomitable energy and the
excellent judgment of Mr. Cyrus Field.

"I do not believe the present attempt at an adjustment will end in
any useful results unless some one like Mr. Cyrus Field, enjoying
the confidence and personal regard of those interested on this
side, as well as such men as Brassey, Hawkshaw, Fairbairne, Fowler,
Gladstone, Bright, Whitworth, and others in Europe, go to England
empowered to act on behalf of your company. The jealousies and
conflicting interests existing between the directors on the other
side prevent them from acting with that vigor and integrity of
purpose so necessary to command success, and which qualities are
possessed to so large an extent by Mr. Cyrus Field, to whom the
world is mainly indebted for the Atlantic cables. He of all others
is, in my opinion, the one most capable of effecting the settlement
we are all so interested in. He succeeded in restoring public
confidence, in harmonizing the disputants, and in raising the money
when the enterprise had twice proved a failure, and had as often
been virtually abandoned by its natural protectors. How much the
more, then, will he succeed now when he reappears amongst his old
supporters and his true friends, backed this time not by failure,
but by triumphant success, and with all his predictions
realized!...

"Very truly yours, "CROMWELL F. VARLEY.

"PETER COOPER, Esq., New York."

On January 20th Mr. Field sailed from New York in the steamship _Cuba_ and joined his wife and two of his daughters, who were in Pau. He was in England early in the spring, and among the cable messages sent to him we find this, dated the 10th of May, which he was asked to forward to General Dix in Paris:

"Completion of Pacific Railway celebrated to-day by Te Deum in
Trinity Church."

He was back in New York early in June, and almost immediately after his return his country-house at Irvington-on-the-Hudson was opened; this was the first summer that he passed there.

"IRVINGTON-ON-THE-HUDSON, _June 24, 1869_.

"_My dear Mr. Sumner_,--Many thanks for your letter of the 13th
instant; it should have been answered at once, but it was sent to
my house in Gramercy Park.

"I thank you for your letter to Secretary Fish. I do most sincerely
hope that we shall soon have a better feeling between this country
and England, and I know of no one that can do more to bring about
this desirable result than yourself.

"You may be sure that I shall do all I can. I wish you would write
our mutual friend, Mr. John Bright, frankly.

"I hope soon to have the pleasure of seeing you again and renewing
our late conversation.

"With great respect I remain, my dear Mr. Sumner, "Very truly your friend, "CYRUS W. FIELD."

"NEW YORK, _August 9, 1869_.

"_My dear President Woolsey_,--I have this day read in the _New
Englander_ for July with great pleasure your very able article on
the _Alabama_ question, and I cannot help writing to thank you for
it. I shall mail it Thursday to my friend, Mr. John Bright.

"With great respect, "I remain, my dear President Woolsey, "Very truly your friend, "CYRUS W. FIELD."

"NEW YORK, _August 9, 1869_.

"_My dear Mr. Bright_,--Since my return from England I have seen
many of our ablest men, including the President of the United
States, the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Senator
Sumner, several other members of the Senate, and members of the
House of Representatives, the Governors of several States, leading
editors in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, and I
have found only one that advocated war with England.

"I am more than ever convinced that if the English government would
send to Washington yourself, the Duke of Argyll, and Earl Granville
as special ambassadors to act with the British minister, the whole
controversy between England and America could be settled in a few
months. Please give this matter your careful consideration. I send
you by this mail the _New Englander_ for July, containing an
article on the _Alabama_ question written by President Woolsey, of
Yale College.

"With kind regards to your family and with great respect,

"I remain, my dear Mr. Bright, "Very truly your friend, "CYRUS W. FIELD."

"ROCHDALE, _August 24, 1869_.

"_My dear Mr. Field_,--I am glad to have your letter, and note its
contents with much interest. I do not see how your suggestion can
be adopted at present.

"Whatever is done now towards a settlement must necessarily come
from your side. We have done all we can. Your government sent an
envoy with the unanimous assent of the Senate. He came avowedly
with the object of arranging an existing difficulty. He made
certain propositions on the part of his government. These were
considered by our government, and finally were adopted and
consented to. A convention was signed, including everything your
minister had asked for, and this convention was rejected by your
Senate. Who knows that it will not reject any other convention? If
you have an envoy who has no power to negotiate, and an executive
government which cannot ratify a treaty, where is the security for
further negotiation? We cannot come to Washington and express our
regret that Reverdy Johnson did not ask for more. We gave him all
he asked for, all that Mr. Seward asked for, all that the then
President asked for. What could we have done, what can we now do
more?

(Home of Cyrus W. Field)]

"It is clearly for your government to explain why the convention
failed, and what, in their opinion, is now required from us. The
civilized world, I am quite sure, will say that we are on a certain
vantage-ground, having consented to all that was asked from us, the
convention not having failed through our default.

"I could easily suggest a mode of settlement which all mankind,
outside the two countries, would approve of; but how do I know what
your government can do? If there is passion enough for Mr. Sumner
to appeal to, or believers in his wild theories of international
obligation, how can any settlement be looked for? There is abundant
good feeling here to enable our government to do what is just, but
no feeling that will permit of any voluntary humiliation of the
country.

"Until something is known of what will content the powers that will
meet in Washington in December next, I do not see what any mission
from this to you would be likely to effect. I have read the article
in the _New Englander_. It is moderate, and written in a good
spirit. I do not know that there is anything in it that I could not
freely indorse. Upon the basis of its argument there could be no
difficulty in terminating all that is in dispute between the two
countries. But the article is in answer to Mr. Sumner; and the
question is, does your government, and will your Congress, go with
Mr. Sumner or with the review article? And what view will your
people take?

"I write all this privately to you. It is not from a Cabinet
minister, but from an old friend of yours, who is a member of the
English Parliament, and who has taken some interest in the affairs
of your country. You will consider what I say, therefore, as in no
degree expressing any opinion but my own. I have abstained from
writing or speaking in public on the subject of the dispute. I
could say something to the purpose probably if I thought men on
your side were in a mood to listen and to think calmly. But after
what has happened in connection with the convention I think we can
only wait for some intimation from your side.

"There is a good opinion existing here with regard to your
government, and especially as regards your Secretary of State. I
hope he may have the honor of assisting with a wise moderation to
the settlement of the disputes on which so much has been said and
written and so little done....

"Believe me always sincerely your friend,

"JOHN BRIGHT."

He answered this letter on September 14th:

"I regret Mr. Sumner's speech and his course about the _Alabama_
claims more than I can express, and shall do all I can to
counteract the effect of his actions, and you can help me, I think,
very much, if you will take the trouble to write your views
fully.... I am anxious to do all in my power to keep good feeling
between England and America."

And on November 1st he wrote again to Mr. Bright:

"I do hope and pray that all matters in dispute between England and
America will be honorably settled, and I felt encouraged when I
read the sentence in your letter, 'I feel sure that some more
successful attempt at settlement cannot be far off.'"

Dean Stanley's words, spoken at the breakfast given to him by the Century Club on his visit to New York in 1878, describe Mr. Field's life during these years:

"The wonderful cable, on which it is popularly believed in England
that my friend and host Mr. Cyrus W. Field passes his mysterious
existence, appearing and reappearing at one and the same moment in
London and New York."