84, and the whole cost of the monument was
$1,187,710, of which Congress furnished $900,000. An iron stairway of
900 steps and an elevator provide means for ascending the interior.

THE BARTHOLDI STATUE.

When a person enters New York harbor on his visit or return to the New
World, the most striking object upon which his eyes rest is the Statue
of Liberty. This represents the idea of Liberty enlightening the world,
as conceived by Frederick Auguste Bartholdi, the eminent French
sculptor. He began circulating his subscriptions for the work through
France in 1874. The popularity of the scheme is attested by the fact
that contributions were received from 180 cities, forty general
councils, a large number of chambers of commerce and of societies, and
more than 10,000 subscribers. On the 22d of February, 1877, Congress
voted to accept the gift, and set apart Bedlow's Island for the site.
The statue was finished in 1883, and displayed to public view for some
time in Paris. Its official presentation to the minister of the United
States took place July 4, 1884.

The French transport _Isere_, with the Liberty statue on board, arrived
at New York, June 24, 1885, and was saluted and welcomed by a hundred
different vessels. The dedication ceremonies, October 28, 1886, were
among the most impressive ever witnessed in the metropolis of our
country. Among those on the reviewing stand, near the Worth Monument,
were President Cleveland, General Sheridan, the members of the
President's cabinet, M. Bartholdi, M. de Lesseps, representative of the
diplomatic corps at Washington, and many distinguished American
citizens.

The following facts will give an idea of the size of this great statue:
the forefinger is more than eight feet long; the second joint is about
five feet in circumference; the finger-nail is a foot long, and the nose
nearly four feet; the head is fourteen and a half feet high, and can
accommodate forty persons, while the hollow torch will hold twelve
persons. The copper sheets which form the outside of the statue weigh
eighty-eight tons. From the base to the top of the torch is slightly
more than 150 feet, which is 305 feet above low-water mark.

DEATH OF GENERAL GRANT.

In no event of Cleveland's first administration was the public more
deeply concerned than in the death of General Grant, the foremost
defender of the Union. After his return from his triumphant journey
around the world, he engaged in business in t