A CENTURY AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 94, 22 April 1935, Page 5

A CENTURY AGO

WHITE HOUSE DINNER

GUEST RECORDS EVENT

A dinner at the White House when Andrew Jackson' was President of America was described in a letter vividly depicting the customs, food, and wines of the time, which came to light on the 101 st anniversary of its writing, states the "New York Times." The letter is from John R. Montgomery, of Lancaster, to a daughter, Miss Letitia A. Montgomery. The letter recently came into the possession of a Washington lawyer, one of Judge Montgomery's descendants. The letter follows, with the original spelling retained: . "Washington, Feb. 20, 1834. "I told Sis in my letter to her, that I would write my little child, Ammy, an account of the dinner at the Presi- , dent's to which I had been invited and I have come to my room to do what I promised. • ■ ', .■ ■ "But before I begin, I must say I was made very happy in receiving, by Mr. Buchanan, the letters from mother and our dear children. I felt very, uneasy about my little daughter, but what mother says and Mr. Buchanan tells me has given me great relief, and I hope she is now running about as brisk and lively and lovely as ever. TAMMANY COMMITTEE ON HAND. "But now for the dinner. Yesterday was a very wet and unpleasant day, and as Gadsby's is nearly a mile from the President's house, it was impossible to walk there; so that about 5 o'clock I got into a hack at the door, for there, are always a great manystanding there to accommodate whomever may want to ride or visit, and I went up to the White House, as the President's mansion is generally termed. "The'company had mostly assembled, for the party was small. There, were three gentlemen from New York, a Tammany committee, Judge Hopkinson, of Philadelphia, Mr. Ham, pur late charge to Chile, Mr. David, of Baltimore, the Vice-President and his son, Major Van Buren, Mir. Rogers, and myself. "These constituted the party, with the President's own family, and Mrs. Sherman, from Baltimore, and Miss Martin, a very pretty little girl from, Tennessee. About i after six o'clock we sat down to , dinner. 'The table was very splendidly laid and illuminated. There was a large chandelier hanging over the middle of it with 32 candles besides those on the table, mantles, and on the piers. The first course was soup in the French style; then beef bouille, next wild turkey boned and dressed with, brains; after that fish; then chicken cold and dressed white, , interlaided with slices of tongue and garnished With dressed salad, then canvass back ducks and celery, afterwards partridges with sweetbreads and last pheasants and old Virginia ham. SHERRY, PORT, AND CHAMPAGNE. "The dishes were placed in succession on the table, so as to give full effect to the appearance and then removed, and carved on a side table by; the servants. "The first dessert was jelly and small tarts in the Turkish style, then blanche mode and kisses with dryed fruits in them. Then preserves o£ various kinds, after them ice cream, and lastly grapes and oranges. "The wines on the table were sherry, and port to drink with soups and the first course of meats. "When the turkey and fish wese served, madeira was handed and while the wild fowl was eaten champagne Was constantly poured out by the servants; after these were gone through with, claret was substituted to be taken, with the dessert:and old cherry" was put on to drink with the fruits. As soon as all had taken what their appetites could possibly endure, we left the table and returned to the drawing-room. ; , . "I think Ix:an hear Bud say, i£ father ate and drank all this he must have needed an 'eoff pill' and if the style of eating were such as is commonly indulged in, so1 it would have been and most probably two would not have sufficed for relief. "But French servants know how to guard American.appetites from the ill effects of too much indulgence and in helping to anyone dish do it so sparingly, as to leave room for another and yet another to follow. We were at the table till nearly 9 o'clock and were eating " and talking all the time. . • PREFERRED HOME TO "PAGEANTRY." •The President was very affable and his niece, Mrs. Donnelson, the lady of the house, near whom I sat, a very agreeable woman, so that the evening passed very pleasantly. Soon after our return to the drawing-room, a cup of coffee' was handed, then the ladies played the piano and sung and after this glass of 'liqueur' was sent round as the signal for adjournment, and the party broke up about £ past 9 o'clock. \ "I came home and reflecting on all I had seen and experienced, I coul* not help admitting it was all very; well, much of pleasant recreation, and somewhat of very agreeable intercourse1, for I found Mr. Van Buren, whom I had not seen before and from whom I received more attention a good deal that:l thought I had any right to expect, a very polished intelligent and pleasing man; but I feel sure that one hour's society with my, lovely children and their beloved mother would be worth a lifetime o£ such pageantry."