Memoirs of Anne C.L. Botta,: written by her friends. With selections from her correspondence and from her writings in prose and poetry.

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verses were original and appropriate, written by the
poets of her society. I well remember the gallant
form of General Gaines as he pleasantly accepted the
tribute to his fame written by our talented hostess.
All the stanzas read and delivered to each Visitor were
spirited, but of a dignified stamp, far above the
maudlin, sentimental, flippant lines that are usually
circulated on the commemoration of St. Valentine.
Another brilliant affair was a series of tableaux arranged by notable artists.' It can easily be imagined
what esthetic effects were produced by such an array
of genius.
The success of these gatherings was principally
due to the fact that the hostess never forced her
opinions on her guests. It was her policy to arouse
the brilliancy of cultured minds, and keep the light
burning by gentle suggestions. She never argued,
and thus kept peace, and avoided hurting the feelings
of her friends. Humorous and witty, she never
allowed her repartee to be tinged with sarcasm.
Besides these regular evenings, she gave occasional receptions to distinguished people, whom she
desired to present to her friends. I remember one
given to Ole Bull - the Norwegian violinist- on
his first visit to America; a friendship followed
which lasted until his death. On his departure from
this country after this first visit, she dedicated a
poem to him, which was placed in a bouquet and
presented at his Farewell Concert. These receptions
1 Such as Darley, Church, Healy, Rossiter, Lang, Richards, May,
Kensett, Elliott, and Hicks.
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