During the year 1848, Mr. Frank Leslie, since so widely known as the publisher of several illustrated journals, came to me with letters of introduction from London, and I employed him to get up for me an illustrated catalogue of my Museum. This he did in a splendid manner, and hundreds of thousands of copies were sold and distributed far and near, thus adding greatly to the renown of the establishment. I count these two years--1848 and 1849--among the happiest of my life. I had enough to do in the management of my business, and yet I seemed to have plenty of leisure hours to pass with my family and friends in my beautiful home of Iranistan. CHAPTER XVII. THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. GRAND SCHEME--CONGRESS OF ALL NATIONS--A BOLD AND BRILLIANT ENTERPRISE--THE JENNY LIND ENGAGEMENT--MY AGENT IN EUROPE--HIS INSTRUCTIONS--CORRESPONDENCE WITH MISS LIND--BENEDICT AND BELLETTI--JOSHUA BATES--CHEVALIER WYCKOFF--THE CONTRACT SIGNED--MY RECEPTION OF THE NEWS--THE ENTIRE SUM OF MONEY FOR THE ENGAGEMENT SENT TO LONDON--MY FIRST LIND LETTER TO THE PUBLIC--A POOR PORTRAIT--MUSICAL NOTES IN WALL STREET--A FRIEND IN NEED. Many of my most fortunate enterprises have fairly startled me by the magnitude of their success. When my sanguine hopes predicted a steady flow of fortune, I have been inundated; when I calculated upon making a curious public pay me liberally for a meritorious article, I have often found the same public eager to deluge me with compensation. Yet, I never believed in mere luck and I always pitied the simpleton who relies on luck for his success. Luck is in no sense the foundation of my fortune; from the beginning of my career I planned and worked for my success. To be sure, my schemes often amazed me with the affluence of their results, and, arriving at the very best, I sometimes “builded better” than “I knew.” For a long time I had been incubating a plan for an extraordinary exhibition which I was sure would be a success and would excite universal attention and commendation in America and abroad. This was nothing less than a “Congress of Nations”--an assemblage of representatives of all the nations that could be reached by land or sea. I meant to secure a man and woman, as perfect as could be procured, from every accessible people, civilized and barbarous, on the face of the globe. I had actually contracted with an agent to go to Europe to make arrangements to secure “specimens” for such a show. Even now, I can conceive of no exhibition which would be more interesting and which would appeal more generally to all classes of patrons. As it was, and while positively preparing for such a congress, it occurred to me that another great enterprise could be undertaken at less risk, with far less real trouble, and with more remunerative results.