Struggles and Triumphs

On our second visit to the Queen, we were received in what is called the “Yellow Drawing-Room,” a magnificent apartment, surpassing in splendor and…

This answer was as unexpected to me as it was to the royal party. When the merriment it occasioned somewhat subsided, the Queen good-humoredly…

A large party of the nobility were present. The old Duke of Cambridge offered the little General a pinch of snuff, which, he declined. The General…

“I will have them made expressly for you,” responded the Queen Dowager; and at the same moment she called a friend and desired him to see that the…

Co., and many other persons of distinction. We had the free entrée to all the theatres, public gardens, and places of entertainment, and frequently…

Before taking the little General and party to Paris, I went over alone to arrange the preliminaries for our campaign in that city. Paris was not…

There I met and became well acquainted with Robert Houdin, the celebrated conjurer. He was a watchmaker by trade, but very soon displayed a wonderful…

At this quinquennial exposition which I attended, he received a gold medal for his automata, and the best figure which he had on exhibition I…

And now, going to Paris the second time, I was very fortunate in making the acquaintance of Mr. Dion Boucicault, who was then temporarily…

I stopped at the Hotel Bedford, and securing an interpreter, began to make my arrangements. The first difficulty in the way was the government tax…

I expressed my willingness to try the experiment and offered one thousand francs in advance for a license. The chief would not consent and I then…

“All right,” thought I; “if you are satisfied I am sure I have every reason to be so.” I then hired at a large rent, the Salle Musard, Rue Vivienne,…

King Louis Philippe was so condescending and courteous that I felt quite at home in the royal presence, and ventured upon a bit of diplomacy. The…

Our visit occupied two hours, and when we went away the General was loaded with fine presents. The next morning all the newspapers noticed the visit,…

Longchamps day arrived, and among the many splendid equipages on the grand avenue, none attracted more attention than the superb little carriage with…

Thus, before I opened the exhibition all Paris knew that General Tom Thumb was in the city. The French are exceedingly impressible; and what in…

Paris, gave a picture of an immense mastiff running away with the General’s carriage and horses in his mouth. Statuettes of “Tom Pouce” appeared in…

But I did not; for I appealed to the authorities, claiming that I should pay only the ordinary theatrical tax, since the General’s exhibition…

On the Fourth of July, 1844, I was in Grenelle, outside the barriers of Paris, when I remembered that I had the address of Monsieur Regnier, an…

“Yes,” replied M. Regnier, “and he was a great and an excellent man. When he was in Paris in ’98, he was honored and respected by all who knew him,…

While dining one day with my friend, Dr. Brewster, in Paris, all the company present were in raptures over some very fine “Lafitte” wine on the table…

During most of the tour I was a week or two ahead of the company, making arrangements for the forthcoming exhibitions, and doing my entire business…

In fact, I soon became the General’s _avant courier_, though not doing the duties of an _avant courier_ to an ordinary exhibition, since these duties…

This was done quietly, and yet, as an advertisement, effectively, for, strange as it may seem, people who were told to keep quiet, would get terribly…

Of course this law was nearly a dead letter; for, to have taken forty-five per cent of my gross receipts at every exhibition would soon have driven…

I put this precious paper in my pocket, and in a few moments I hired the largest dancing saloon in the place, a room capable of holding over 2,000…

We were in the South of France in the vintage season. Nothing can surpass the richness of the country at that time of the year. We travelled for many…

He was really a “Professor” and teacher of English in one of the best educational establishments in Paris. Very soon after opening my exhibitions…

The Custom-house officers were informed, however, that these medals were mere advertising cards, as they really were, of our exhibitions, and I…

The following day, I opened the exhibition in a beautiful hall, which on that day and on every afternoon and evening while we remained there, was…

Arriving at Mont Saint Jean, a quarter of a mile from the ground, we were beset by some eighteen or twenty persons, who offered their services as…

But his misfortunes did not terminate here. When we had proceeded four or five miles upon our road home, crash went the carriage. We alighted, and…

The cart was “dumped” and a large, lazy-looking Flemish horse was attached to it with a rope harness. Some boards were laid across the cart for seats…

The boy did go ahead, but it was with such a snail’s pace that it would have puzzled a man of tolerable eyesight to have determined whether the horse…

Several months subsequent to our visit to Waterloo, I was in Birmingham, and there made the acquaintance of a firm who manufactured to order, and…

There were many other amusing incidents during our brief stay at Brussels, but I have no space to record them. After a very pleasant and successful…

In London the General again opened his levees in Egyptian Hall with undiminished success. His unbounded popularity on the Continent and his…

Besides giving these daily entertainments, the General appeared occasionally for an hour, during the intermissions, at some place in the suburbs; and…

In addition to other engagements, the General frequently performed in Douglass’s Standard Theatre, in the city, in the play “Hop o’ my Thumb,”…

During our stay of three months, at this time, in Egyptian Hall, we made occasional excursions and gave exhibitions at Brighton, Bath, Cheltenham,…

When our three months’ engagement at Egyptian Hall had expired, I arranged for a protracted provincial tour through Great Britain. I had made a…

In England we went to Manchester, Birmingham, and to almost every city, town, and even village of importance. We travelled by post much of the time--…

The astonished superintendent took the money, bustled about, and the train was soon ready. He was greatly puzzled to know what distinguished person--…

We reached Rugby in time to give our performance, as announced, and our receipts were £160, which quite covered the expense of our extra train and…

At Cambridge, some of the under-graduates pretended to take offence because our check-taker would not permit them to smoke in the exhibition hall,…

In my journeyings through England, I always tried to get back to London Saturday night, so as to pass Sunday with my family, and to meet the…

It must not be supposed that during my protracted stay abroad I confined myself wholly to business or limited my circle of observation with a…

I told the old porter he was entitled to great credit for having concentrated more lies than I had ever before heard in so small a compass. He smiled…

Albert Smith laughed immoderately at the astonishment of the porter when I made this threat, and I was greatly amused, some years afterwards, when…

The appeal was irresistible; so, satisfying his demands, we entered. Upon coming out, a whole bevy of showmen from that and neighboring vans…

While in the showmen’s vans seeking for acquisitions to my Museum in America, I was struck with the tall appearance of a couple of females who…

In less than an hour we were set down at the outer walls of Kenilworth Castle, which Scott has greatly aided to immortalize in his celebrated novel…

We took the cars the same evening for Birmingham, where we arrived at ten o’clock, Albert Smith remarking, that never before in his life had he…

During our three years’ stay abroad, I made a second hasty visit to America, leaving the General in England in the hands of my agents. I took passage…

The captain and myself had no further intercourse for five or six days; not until a few hours before our arrival in New York. Being at dinner, he…

There were a number of pretty wild young men among our passengers, and on several occasions they tried their wits upon Dr. Baird. But he was a man of…

Several years later, when I was engaged in the Jenny Lind enterprise, Doctor Baird called upon me. Having been so long a missionary in Sweden, the…

During my residence in London I made the acquaintance of an American, whom I will call Simpson, and his wife. They had originally been poor, and…

Mr. Simpson was an ignorant, good-natured fellow, fond of sporting large amounts of jewelry; was very social with Englishmen; always bragging of our…

Mrs. Simpson was a coarse woman, yet always studying politeness, and particularly the proper pronunciation of words. She was ever trying to appear…