iWliiiiiM I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. IhapF.i^^Copyright No. UNITED STATES OF AMF.RICA. JOSEPH SMITH. " REMINISCENCES OF SARATOGA OR TWELVE SEASONS AT THE " STATES BY Joseph Smith ILLUSTRATED %^'^' Ube ftnicfterbocftcc fveee •new lorh 1837 o'^H'^^ corrubNT. i«97 • V JOSKi'M SMIDI ——— CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER Autobiography ^ . n I _At THE Famous Old Clarendon 28 II. Beyond the Sea 4° III. London and Paris IV.—The Story of Four Seasons at the States 54 v.—Two Delightful Seasons at the States 69 . 9° VI.—Wisdom, Wealth, and Beauty . VII.—Two Eventful Summers at the Famous Hostelry ^°9 VIII.—A Trip to Carlsbad . • • ^S^ XX.—The Memorable Season of 'Ninety- four ^64 X.—Some of the Most Prominent Events in THE Society World . -193 XI. Important Incidents Recalled during . 229 the Season of 'Ninety-five . XII. Personal Reminiscences of Notable Men who have Visited Saratoga . 278 iii ILLUSTRATIONS. lUnstraticMs. Rev. Oliver Crane, D.D.. Ll^D -MO John H. Van ANTwrki Calvis S. Mav. Ml). a6o II . : . • a7o I .. ' Sm.<N Tmk W 3«o REMINISCENCES OF SARATOGA : Reminiscences of Saratoga. AUTOBIOGRAPHY. WAS born in Charleston, South CaroHna, on I the ninth day of March, 1832, and was edu- cated in the private schools of my native city. At the age of eighteen years, I was sent North by my father in the care of Beale and Craven, who owned and conducted, and were exhibiting in the city at that time, a panorama called " A trip to Cali- fornia by way of the Horn, returning by the isthmus of Panama." On the eve of my departure from home, my father placed in my hand a letter, containing most excellent advice, from which I append an extract "Charleston, March 16, 1850. " Dear Joseph : " As you are about leaving us, and perhaps forever, as life is uncertain, I cannot part with you without a few words of advice. You are going into the world to seek your fortune at a time of life that requires all your en- Rtmintscfiufs 0/ Saratoga. ^r^^ tf> ohtitn vjrrc;*; Ynu well Inow ihe right from rmer, I have .Mr ana,.cr. :ny, •" ' •I I 'V— are >n» and aJluremcnts to 1. If you can overcome rtatn. Shun everything ' * ' I.C Ti\ M!u in )uur in J? to forfeit ^l* con- , if the ny. In the firkt J ufMin ke. Ut cm that you . ; . ( (. tc n^ with aj;c. : in my hands by my eldest : uM t.»(l formerly belonged to my r. Putting the book in my carpct- I ^'^s' ' next morning for lialtimorc, M.irylau... T vc';=;cl. the voyage occupying nearly two weeks. When off Cape IKi... ..c ran into the tcclh of a savage gale, and from that moment began a des- perate struggle that practically lasted until we reached Chesapeake Bay. I became greatly alarmed, my mind and thoughts were wafted back to old A utobiography. Charleston, to my friends and relatives and to the happy Christian home I had so recently left behind. Suddenly I found myself on my knees reaching for the Bible, when on opening it my eyes fell for the first time on a bit of note-paper which my sister had carefully cut to fit the fly leaf, and then sewed on with needle and thread, and which remains intact to this day. On this paper she had traced the following tender words at parting : " Dear Brother make this precious Book your guide through life. Oh remember your Creator in the days of your youth and then you will be prepared for all the hardships you may have to meet with in leaving friends and home. With the hope that you will take my advice, I commit you into the hands of God, who will take care of all who trust in him. May God bless you, is the prayer of your sister, " Emeline S. Kinloch." " March 13, 1850." What a hallowed name is Home. How full of enchantment and how dear to the heart. Home is the magic circle within which the weary spirit finds refuge. "There are many roosts for a man," some one has wittily said, " but only one nest." And now let me say to my readers, especially do I address myself to young men, let your life be attuned to the right chord. Love your Home. Let no flowers be so sweet as those which blossom there. Let your interest cluster like a beautiful vine about your father and mother, your sisters and your brothers. Home, that name touches every fibre of our nature, and strikes every chord of the human soul. 4 Rtmimiuentes of Saratoga. vc may roam, ' xct like home." m.i two ycnrs. ;, I ' ACc in the I .UK iijcc, whose \ f the wife, the three ^ .1 t: t '; n- t !ch ;i . ...y two ' » J. Howard K wife and t: .•!. and his V •t . f. ^ wife, t .. tall. \\ : and General Kin^j t.u,. '-• '•> his children. The I. I. !!oward ^' t :: "vt beautiful out in my memory I T' Presb)tcrian Church M. C. A. January 4, y woman, and within the summer of that year I removed with my wife to Huds^" V N' f^ r.>n,?.,ct a private house called ; Autobiography. 5 Alger, the iron the " Hermitage," owned by C. C. in that city. Our king, whose works were located hmi -Hermitage" became a temporary home for residence was at while in the city, but his family Newburgh-on-Hudson, where he was most pleasantly Andrew housed on the magnificent estate of the late life on the ill-fated Jackson Downing, who lost his about three steamer, Henry Clay, which took fire near Yon- o'clock in the afternoon of July 28, 1852, water's edge, fifty-six kers, and was burned to the boat had been persons perishing in the flames. The is chiefly racing with the Armenia. Mr. Downing gardening. remembered by his books on landscape ^ both of his Mr. Alger was a superb entertainer at Hudson in- establishments, the frequent visitors at David Dudley cluding such representative men as Spring; John Field; Gouverneur Kemble, of Cold both of Troy F. Winslow and John A. Griswold, Conn.; Richard Henry Winslow, of Westport, author of Samuel Ward, the famous epicure, who is man's heart is the adage, "The best way to reach a Leroy, who through his stomach"; and Mr. Jacob Livingston purchased and moved up in the old Manor, Columbia County. of i860, I Remaining at Hudson till the summer to fill a respon- began at Saratoga in 1861, engaging that time conducted sible place at Congress Hall, at Bres- by Hathorn and McMichael. Mr. James H. genial proprietor of lin, the present popular and very young the Gilsey House, New York, then a chief clerk at Congress man, filled the position of when I afifirm Hall; and I think I make no mistake that Mr. 1' Minly on duty seventeen '""' • y ixjur. I do not wonder at hotel life, when I recall the ' him than flat- , - truth when I one of the model hotel proprietors I ri: Confess Hall during the four years ' : It the iuatcd J New ^ tl by 1 c*n, and Charles Lcland. } rc^t hotel reputation in 1 House, of which he . during which t tor of the bon- t I, where for fifteen t people of the land. ic \\;is also proprietor of v Ycfk. TTi s he was, al- :nan, the prop rec highly -.1 the same tim.. , , On the eighteenth day of June. i86$, the United •^^ • Hotel. Saratoga, erected in 1824. was dc- i by fire: and in consequence of this acci- dent, the C* ni once into prominence, and became tel of the Springs. : Autobiography. 7 I continued with Mr. Leland till 1872; and after an absence of one season, 1873, returned to my old place during 1874, '75, and ''j6. In the autumn of the last-named year I sailed for England, and re- mained abroad the two following years. My object in going to London was to open an office for fur- nishing couriers and guides and imparting general information to parties of Americans going on the Continent. During my stay in the world's metropolis, I stop- ped with a family named Terry. Mr. Terry had been in the service of Baroness Burdett Coutts some fourteen years ; and he related to me many interest- ing things about that noble woman. On returning to America I spent a social evening with an esteemed friend at Albany ; and the conversation drifted to the subject of forming a society, the object of which should be charity and benevolence, with special reference to extending a helping hand in time of sickness and death. Invitations were sent out ask- ing co-operation ; and a few of us finally met at my house and effected an organization. Looking around for a suitable name, I suggested that of Lady Bur- dett Coutts which was unanimously adopted, and which has remained the name of the society to the present time. That was in 1879; ^"^ subsequently responding to a sentiment at one of our monthly meetings, I gave expression among other things to the following " ' If you seek his monument look around you.' This phrase, which in its Latin dress was a comphment to Sir iratoga. may, •d to heart* l.rr ! 1 .. I..C \ iirtlctt 1 Association of Alluny, N. Y., : md ha« in • its roll of mcmhv. ...,. ;.. citizens of ih.it city, and \s at present in a i: condi- tion. In the pat^es that follow I &hall have a (;oocl deal t c, which will not be V I tni't.