Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/680

 670 Reviews of Books Mrs. Smith mentions (p. 94) that " The house of representatives is the lounging place of both sexes " and refers to " the female crowd who throng the [Supreme] court room" (p. 96). During the celebrated debate between Webster and Hayne, Mrs. Smith writes that " the Sena- tors were obliged to relinquish their chairs of State to the fair auditors " and that " there were 300 ladies besides their attendant beaux on the floor of the Senate ". The stand taken against Mrs. Eaton, and Jack- son's failure to secure the desired social recognition for her, are re- ferred to and show clearly the strength of a single and united society ; but the contest began the breach which destroyed this unity, for since that time there has gradually developed a number of social circles such as the Ultra Fashionable, Diplomatic, Army and Navy, Political, Old Resident, etc., which, although overlapping to some extent, are separate and distinct. Mrs. Smith describes with particularity the social life of the city, the entertainments and the varieties of refreshments served, and many of her intimate friends, which places the reader in the social atmo- sphere of the time. An interesting account is given of Mrs. Madison and the first inaugural ball, also glimpses into the family life of the Wirts, Clays, Calhouns, Crawfords, and others. Among the foreigners described are Mrs. Merry, who rebelled against Jefferson's " pell mell " order, and Harriet Martineau. The account of the latter and the dinner given to her by Mrs. Smith is one of the features of the book. These letters are especially interesting to the student of American history for the descriptions of Jefferson and Madison. Although Mrs. Smith's father, Colonel John Bayard, was a Federalist and prior to meeting Jefferson she had believed him " an ambitious and violent dema- gogue, coarse and vulgar in his manners, awkward and rude in his appearance" (p. 6), she became an ardent admirer of him and later an intimate friend. A letter from Jefferson to her stating his religious views is included in the volume. Mrs. Smith visited both Montpelier and Monticello and gives a detailed and entertaining account of the home life at these places. Mrs. Smith's description of the destruction of Washington by the British, although graphic, is not that of an eye-witness. She left the city on the approach of the enemy, but returned immediately after they had retired, and gives a vivid picture of the ruined buildings and the gloom and depression of the citizens. The well-known story that Mrs. Madison, on leaving the White House, cut the Stuart portrait of Wash- ington from the frame to save it from destruction by the British is shown to be without foundation, as Mrs. Smith writes that Mrs. Madison told her she found the picture in the possession of some men in George- town, when retreating with the " flying army ''. The book is attractively gotten up and has a number of illustrations of the prominent people and places mentioned in the letters. The edi- tor has furnished a satisfactory index and the notes necessary to ex- plain the text. Montgomery Blair.