d two or three very pleasant days with him at Berne. But
he had sent his family away and was preparing to resign his
place. So I had not much opportunity of seeing Switzerland
under his guidance.

Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, then Minister to France, had also
been appointed on my very earnest recommendation. He was
a great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson, a very able business
man, highly esteemed throughout the country. His guidance
was implicitly followed by many people in important business
transactions. He had had the charge of the financial affairs
of some large manufacturing corporations, and was understood
to have extricated the Northern Pacific Railroad out of some
serious difficulties, into which it fell again after he left
its control. He had been a Democrat. But he had seen the
importance of the protective policy to American interests,
as would naturally be expected of a descendant of that high
protectionist, Thomas Jefferson. He had no sympathies with
any measures that would debase or unsettle the currency, and
set his face and gave his powerful influence against all forms
of fiat or irredeemable paper money, and the kindred folly
of the free coinage of silver by this country alone, without
the concurrence of the commercial nations of the world.

Soon after Mr. Harrison's Administration began, I received
a message about nine o'clock one evening, asking me to go
to the White House at once. I obeyed the summons. The President
said he desired, if I had no objection, to send in the name
of Dr. Loring of Massachusetts, as Minister to Portugal. I
told him that I had no objection whatever; that Dr. Loring
was an able man of agreeable manners, and had performed admirably
every public duty he had undertaken. I said that the Doctor
had felt a little disturbed, I thought, that I had refused
to call a meeting of the Massachusetts delegation to press
his name upon the President for a Cabinet office, to which
President Harrison replied, "I put my foot on that pretty
quick." Dr. Loring had been a great friend and supporter
of Mr. Blaine, the Secretary of State. I conjectured, although
the President did not say so, that the choice of Dr. Loring
had been made at the Secretary's instance.

The President then said that he wanted to talk with me about
the English Mission, which had troubled him a good deal. He
mentioned the names of several prominent men in different
parts of the country, including Robert Linco