e sea Chauncey M. Depew said: "It was a feat
which captured the imagination of the country and of the world, because
it was both the poetry of war and the supreme fact of the triumph over
the rebellion."

Another great day on the Avenue was August 28, 1896, which witnessed the
arrival of the famous Chinese statesman, Li Hung Chang. He came as a
special envoy of the Chinese Emperor and stayed at the Waldorf, then a
comparatively new hotel. President Cleveland sent General Thomas H.
Ruger to welcome the visitor. In his cabin on the "St. Louis" in the Bay
Li Hung Chang received the welcoming delegation. The author of "Fifth
Avenue Events" thus describes the great Chinaman on that occasion: "His
appearance was most striking. Over six feet tall, with a slight stoop,
he wore the bright yellow jacket denoting his high rank, a viceroy's cap
with a four-eyed peacock feather attached to it by amber fastenings, and
a beautifully coloured skirt of rich material. His finger-nails were
polished till they shone, a huge diamond flashed on his right hand, and
he peered out benignantly over the tops of a pair of gold-bowed
spectacles. Dignified in bearing, he looked every inch the statesman and
scholar. His gracious manner won him friends during his stay in New
York, and his indefatigable propensity for asking questions--some of
them rather embarrassing to those questioned, as when he politely
inquired the ages of the ladies whom he met and the salaries of the
officials who entertained him--aroused much merriment."

In the way of a distinguished visitor Li Hung Chang was a novelty. New
York gave him a rousing reception. The Avenue was lined by cheering
throngs as the Ambassador and his suite were driven to the hotel. The
carriages were flanked by U.S. Cavalry. Over the gaily decorated
Waldorf the golden imperial banner of the Celestial Kingdom with the
great blue Dragon snapping at a crimson ball fluttered in the breeze.
But Li Hung Chang did not pay the hostelry the compliment of relying on
its cuisine, preferring the services of his own Chinese cooks. The day
after his arrival the Ambassador was received by President Cleveland at
the home of ex-Secretary of the Navy William C. Whitney, Fifth Avenue
and Fifty-seventh Street. Surrounding the President were the Secretaries
of State, War, the Treasury, the Attorney-General, and other officials.
The visiting statesman was presented to Mr. Cleveland by Richard Olney,
Secretary of State, and