Newspaper Page Text
hands for the public furniture, I might, with
Uriel propriety, nave declined paying any
tiling to Inin, on private account, until he had
first shewn, by settlement hw he had dis
posed of those funds. Tins consideration,
however, had no weight with me. Believ
ing him to be a man of s’rict integrity, 1 was
alwav s willing and desir.nis to settle the one
account, in full confidence that he would
settle the other to the satisfaction of the ac
counting officers o! ttie Government.
It is impossible to manage concerns of
great extent, even in private life, without the
aid of agents, or managers, under you, with
wliom accounts must be formed, and which,
si ion Id either of the parties happen to die
before settlement, must be settled with his
representatives. How much more necessa
ry, then, was such aid to the person in tins
trust, and, especially, under the circumstan
ces stated? Whom could I have found bet
ter adapted bj his office to the service, or
m>>re ade to render it effectual? Would it
have oeen proper to have settled the private
account with Col, l.ane, after ihe settlement
of bis public one, when sick in this house,
and of a disease with which lie died? Could
any mode have been adopted better calcula
ted to promote justice or more liberal, than
that which was taken, or was that settlement
delated? That both account were not set
tled at an early period, and by colonel Lane
hinioclf, has been a cause of regret to me.—
B. the delay in settling the intblic account,
1 hive good’ cause to believe that I have sus
tained an injury, by the loss ol some vouen
ets winch were given to him for small items
a >J'occasional repairs, lo wnich such an es
taolish ‘ient is always subject, and which, in
Jjis ilien slate, could no* be found, and of
Strhicn notice was taken in a letter from me
to 1 lie First Auditor of Public Vccotint*, ol
the 5i h March, 1822. I have, also, good cause
to believe that 1 sustained a further injury
by ‘lie delay in settling the pnvate account,
and in making the settlement with his rep
resentative instead of lonise If. For advances
male to him, while in charge of the house,
some of which, according o my recollection,
were made at the mo nent of my departures,
2 never took receipts, nor did I keep any
account; and for such no allowance was made,
■or claimed of his executor. Had the settle
ment been made with him, his own memory
and candor would have been appealed to,
and relied on. It has been already observ
ed, that, for the disbursement of the furm
tu'efund, no commission or compensation of
any kind was allowed, or desired by Colonel
Lau\ In that instance, therefore, some
thing was saved to the public. It will, I pre
sume, he obvious, that, independent of the
casual losses referred to, som - expense must
have been incurred, in the precautions which
1 took for the security of the building, and
of the property within it, in my absences
from the city, bv the household establish
ment which 1 maintained there for that pur
pose. I'iiese were cheerfully borne by me,
nor would they now be noticed, except that,
in rendering an account of my stewardship
in these concerns, they are incidents which
] cannot but recollect, and which I presume,
it will not be deemed improper that I should
advert to.
Had I made an artificial demand for furni
ture, to afford a pretext for the use of my
own, or preferred a mode for ascertaining its
value, less impartial and fair, than might
have been adopted, I should merit censure.
Had the transaction been masked, hidden, or
final, unfavorable inferences might have been
drawn, of the mot ice. Had I applied the
money received for it, to any purpos- of pri
vate emolument, or even to the payment of
debts, which I have contracted in tiie public
service, and which, had justice been render
ed to me, I .might have avoided, 1 should
have evinced more confidence in the justice
and candor of o’ hers, regarding the collisions
and excitements, to which an independent
and conscientious discharge of public duty
will always subject the person in this trust,
that would have comported with a correct
knowledge and jus* estimate of human frail
ties. These are fair objects of inquiry, a.id
I wisbthem to be inquired into. That tlie
fund was necessary for the purpose above
stated, and that a large sum was expended
in Hie accomplishment of it, is certain. Ite
garding the manner of my election,. I will
ask those least friendly to me, whether I
could have hail any motive for making those
visits of inspection and encountering such
expense and fatigue, other than that assign
ed? Whether, if I preserved the confidence
of those who placed me here, any thing more
was necessary to secure my re-election, if
desired, the only selfish motive which could
be imputed or suspected? I will ask, fur
ther, whether 1 expressed one sentiment, on
any occasion, however anxious to extermi
nate the violence of party spirit, and to draw
the country together, in one common effort,
in suppoit of our Republican system, which
was not in strict accord with, and in support
of, those principles, to which my life had
been devoted.
Had the house been finished when 1 enter
ed this office, or, had I resided in another
Until it was finished, had 1 sold my furniture
to others, for the sum it would have com
manded, and applied the money to my pri
vate use; had I also declined those visits of
inspection of our maritime and inland fron
tiers, and retired to the country, when the
State of the public business permitted it, the
difference in my expenses would have been
immense. Being at home, too, I might have
paid the attention to my private concerns,
which, in consequence of my long previous
absences and neglect, they required, and
have avoided other losses in that line, winch
art severely felt. This was the plain and
obvious path before me, but, had I pursued
it, with the warnings I had received, I should
have deemed myself unworthy of the public
confidence. Knowing from long experience
as well as from recent events, that this was
the point at which t tie danger was most im
minent, and for which we were the least pre
pared, I felt it particularly incumbent on me
to direct my efforts to that object.
In reviewing so large a portion of my past
life, which it has been incumbent on me to
do, I cannot but recollect, the period of my
retirement approaching, that I have.served
country other twenty years, in other sta
tions, in our Revolutionary army; in the Gen
eral Assembly, Council, Convention, anti
Executive of my native state, in the
Congress under the Confederation, and in
the Senate oflhe United States. This re
collection at this moment, i natural and in
evitable. Ido not mention the fact as the
ground ofanv Haim. bn,’ *ft the
Jptvisn* wJuvii .-It.,eu/..id, U.“U,*r th in
to shew, that ift| have neglected my public I
duties, how little time I have had to attend
to my private concerns, and in consequence, j
if justice has been withheld from me in any j
instance, that it must have been severely
felt. p
Two questions are involved fl? this inqui
ry. The first relate* to my claim, the second
to my character. Why the first was not
brought under the consideration at an earli
er period, has already been sulk explained. I
Why the second is made a question at all, is
likewise known to you. The proceeding
referred to, regarding the--source from
whence it emanated, has made this call
on my part imperative. 1 could not. after
that proceeding, retire from the public ser- j
vice, and leave n;y character for integrity,
open to attack, after 1 had gone. In what j
••elates jo both objects, I ask no favor, no rJ
do 1 appeal to generous motives. 1 ask no
thing but justice.
On this statement of facts and explanation
of motives, I submit the whole subject to
your consideration. Nothing that has been
done is final, or was ever intended to be so.
Errors are open to correction, and every
thing in the hands of the Government, with ‘
ample means, as I presume, under the con- j
tnd, and as I stated in my letter of tlie 28th
! February, 1821, to the First Auditor of Pub-j
| lie Accounts, to secure the public IVoin loss ,
. under any view that may be taken of it.—
, The same remarks is applicable to the ac
j count with Colonel Lane, for although alto
i gethev'f a private nature, yet I deem it e
quillv proper that it should be open to.the
same scru iny, with ‘he same means and
power to correct errors, if such there be.
In concluding this paper I shall be permit
ted to make a few remarks, which are foun
. dec! on my own experience, in this office,
{ have relation to it, and are dictated by a re
’ gard to the public interes's. They region
elementaly truilis,which cannot be question
ed by any one.
All the duties which are to be performed
; by any individual, f whoever nature they
i may be, or whatever may lie his station, have,
’ in certain respects, a with each
i other. They require Ins superintendenC,
! engage Ins attention, an I consume his time,
i Beyond a certain limit, no one can go, and if
lie bes'ows a large portion on inferior details
, it must take an equal share from the higher
j and operate m the degree, to ilieir preju
dice. If they exceed hi faculties, he must
neglect some portion, and whatever lie hoes
, neglect, is sure to suffer. Such neglect and
1 loss must, of necessity, fall, either on the
public interest, or on ins own, anil if on the
1 former, the greater will the injury be in
proportion to the importance ot the trust
which he holds.
! By the higher duties of this office, the
1 great interests of the nation are placed, in
their most important branches, under tlu
care oflhe chief magistrate. Os these, the
i internal administration, by the expansion of
i our system, with the increased number of
our people and states, becomes daily more
interesting and arduous. Extending as our
relations d<„ to every part of the inhabited
j Globe, and to every Sea, it is nevertheless
,by no means the most difficult. Our posi
■ tion is in many respects peculiar, regarding
which, and the circumstances attending it,
there is no government on earcli whiclifhas
more extensive didies to perform, than our
(own. If the person in this office is anima
j ted by a just sense of these duties, he will
i have little time for inferior concerns, either
of his own or the public. The higher du
ties are sufficient to employ the whole mind,
and unceasing labors, of any individual, how
ever aided he may be, in the several departt
incuts, b> experienced and enlightened men.
, The control of the household establishmen
alone, with its necessary disbursements, to
avoitl waste and ruin, must add much to his
cares. An agency of this kind, with the res
ponsibility attending H, extending in the ex
ecution to details which must be confided to
others, and with which he can have little
! knowledge, must augment greatly his em
barrassment and solicitude. Olhers, it is
true, may he placed in the station, under
more favorable circumstances, than have fal
’ len to my lot. I‘he House is now fiuihcd or
| nearly so; the fortifications are fixed, and
some of them completed, and others much
advanced, so that no trouble or interruption
j can ptoceed from those causes. Still 1 think
i that the other and higher duties and cares
jof the trust, under the happiest cjrcumstan
! ces in which our country can be placed, are
| sufficient for it, and that the public interest
will be injured by committing to the person
in it, this kind of agency, 1 think, also, that
| the agency itself may be better executed, in
regard to its immediate objects, by being
committed to an officer, recognised by law,
j with specified duties, who shall be compen
! sated for his services, and subjected, as oth
er officers are, to the superintendance and
control of the chief magistrate.
Other strong reasons may be urged to
prove that this agency ought not to be com
mitted tQthechief Magistrate. All the duties
which ant enjoined on him, in that office, by
the constitution and laws of the Union, arc
performed by hi iff personally, with such aid
as he can procure from the compensation al
lowed to him, or from his friends, gratuitous
ly. A slight view of those unties will show
that they are of great extent, and of high im
portance. The messages to Congress dur
ing the session comprising only such as give
a general view of our affairs, foreign and do
mestic, and which originate with the Exe
cutive, merit in themselves that character.—
I’lie replies to calls for information, and the
intercourse with the members individually,
their number having much increased of late,
on the affairs of the states and districts, to
which they several); belong, and an impor
tant item, the supervision and control of
the several departments, so as to preserve
efficiency in each, and order and consisten
cy in the general movement of the govern
rnent, is a third. Whether the public inter
est does not require that provision should
be made by law, by special organization in
aid of die Chief Magistrate, in the discharge
of these duties, it a subject into which 1 do
not enter. I well know that they are of great
extent, of high importance, and heavy bur
den. The mere signature of patents, ad
ded to that of missions for the army and na
vy, and of Mediteraneun passsports, con
sumes time which, with one nearly exhaus
ted by other duties, is severely felt.
There is another subject on which I think
proper to make a few observations. The
safety of this spacious and valuable building
merits particular attention. The ordinary ,
domestics, whose ether duties engage their I
I whole time, are not equal to it, even when
the Chief Magistrate and his family are pre
sent. A private dwelling, whose exposed
• parts are occupied by the family and its do
mestics, at all seasons and by night as well
as by day, may be protected by them. But
they cannot be relied on for the protection
of this large public edifice. No establish
ment necessary for the management of the
internal or ‘household concerns would be
equal to it. The first floor is occupied by
night, there being, no room on it adapted to
such a purpose. It is, therefore, assailable
: by robbers and incendiaries, almost without j
the possibility of prevention or detection.— j
; In the absence oflhe Chief Magistrate, it is,
j of course, proportionably, more-exposed.—
It is thought that it cannot be considered
! secure, unless it is protected by a watch, in
manifer with the public officers, espe
pecially in the summer when he retires to
his private residence.
-r* . _
From tbeNew-York Evening Tost
mtory of Napoleon. —A work has lately
been published in Pars, by General Comje
j de Segur, entitled “ IJHisloire de NupotMn , ;
’ etde Grande Armee, pendant /’ j
which is likely to attract general attention.
. A translation of it was making in Ixmdon, and
. it was expected to appear about the beinning
of March. In the last number of the London
Magazine, we observe an article on the sub
ject, accompanied ov several extracts from
tne work, which we have perused with deep
interest. They relate chiefly to jhe battle
of previous to the confl iggration of
that capital, ind are written with clearness
and in a style and manner calculated to en
gage the attei tion of most readers. It would
apoear that Napoleon at the time he entered
on the Russian carn%n, was greatly afflict
ed with a bodily ‘yseasej probably that
witich terminated his life. Alter giving an
account of the battle ol Moscow, winch tast
ed from sunrise till 4 o’clock, in t lie after
noon, the writer proceeds as follows:
** |{ was late inw-tbe day, the ammunition
exhausted, and the battle over. It was only
then that the emperor mounted his horse
with difficulty, and rode slowly towards the
heights of Semennoska. He found there a
field of battle but incompletely gained, for
the cannon baits and even the bullets of the
enemy still disputed it with us. In the midst
of these spiritstirring sounds of war, and the
i still flaming ardour of Ney and Murat, Na
poleon remained the same; his spirits sunk,
his voice languishing, and addressing his vie*
furious generals only to recommend pru
dence to them; after which he returned at a
slow pace to his tent behind the; battery,
which had been carr ed two days before,
and in front of which be had remained, since
morning, an almost motionless spectator of
alt the vicissitudes of that terrible day.
“ Or?entering his tent, he appeared not
only enfeebled in body but prostrated in
mind. The field of battle lie had visited
told him in more convincing terms thsn his
generals, that this victory, so dearly pur-,
chased, was incomplete. Was it him, who
was accustomed to follow up his success to
thellast possible results, that Fortune now
found frigid and inactive when she offered
him her best favour? For the loss was im
mense, and without proportionate result.
Every one around the Emperor had to de
plore the death of a friend ora relation, for
the havoc had been great among the officers
of high rank. Foyty three generals had been
killed or wounded. What mourning in
Paris! What triumph for his enemies’ What
a dangerous subject of meditation for Ger
main ! In his army, even in his tent, victory
oppeared silent, sombre, isolated neglected
even by the flatterers!—Those whom
for, Du mas, Darn, EC. listened to him, but
replied not: but their attitude, their down
cast looks their silence, was sufficiently
intelligible. At ten o’clock, Murat, whom
twelve hours’ fighting had not tired, came
to ask for the cavalry of the guard. “The
enemy.” he said,“ were passing hastily, and
in disorder, the Moskowa; and Ing wished to
“surprise and destroy them.” The Emper
or repressed this sally of immoderate ardour,
and then dictated the bulletin of the day.
lie was pleased to inform Europe that neith
er himself nor his guard was exposed. Some
attributed this to an excess of self-love.
Others, better informed, judged differently,
for they bad never seen him exhibit gratui
tous vanity;! hey thought, that distant as he
was from France, and at the head qf an army
of foreigners, who could be kept together
only by victory, he felt how indispensable
it was to preserve untouched a chosen and
devoted body of troops. Those who had
nut lost sight of Napoleon during the whole
of the day, were convinced that this con
queororof so many nations was vanquished ;
by a burning fever. They then called to ;
mind what lie himself had written down j
fifteen years before in Italy. “Health is j
indispensable to a soldier; its place can be ,
supplied by no other quality;” and also an
expression, unfortunately but too prophetic, |
which the Emperor made use ofon the field i
of Auslerlitz, when lie said, “Oudiuot is ;
worn out; a man can make war but for a cer
tain time; I myself shall be acpable for six
years more, after which I should stop.”’ j
Os the scene which occurred during the
campaign, and after Napoleon had lelt the j
army for Paris, we have this appalling des-1
cription:
“The winter,” says Cos nt de Segur, “now !
overtook us; and by filling up th£ measure of i
each indivinual’s sufferings, put an end to :
that mutual support which had hitherto sus- 1
tained us. Henceforward the scene present
ed only a multitude of isolated and individual
struggles. The best conducted no longer
respected themselves. All fraternity of arms
was forgotten, all the bonds of society were
torn asunder—excess of misery had brutal
ized them. A devouring hunger had re
duced these unfortunate wretches to the
mere brutal instinct of self-preservation, to
which they were ready to sacrifice every i
other consideration; the rude and Barbarous
climate seemed to have communicated its
fury to them. Like the worst of savages,
the strong fell upon the weak, and despoil
ed them; they eagerly surrounded the dying,
and often even waited not for their last sigh
before they stripped them. When a horse
fell, they rushed upon it, tore it in pieces,
and snatched the morsels front each other’s
mouths like a troop of famished wolves.—
However, a considerable number still pre
served enough of moral feeling not to seek
their safety in the ruin of others, but this
, was the last effort of their virtue- If an offi
cer or comrade fell alongside them, or undfr ,
the wheels of the car.su, it ■ *inv no that
he implored them, by a com ion com
ligion and cause, to succor him. i ! >i;nn
ed no 4 even a look: all the frozen i.
lity of the climate had passed into tiins
hearts; its rigidity had contracted their senti
ments as well as their features. All except
a few chiefs, were absorbed by their own
sufferings, and terror left no place for pity.
Thus that egotism, which is often produced
by excessive prosperity, results also from
extreme adversity—but in which latter case
:R i s more excusable; the former being vol
untary, the iatter forced; one a crime of the
! heart, the other an impulse of instinct and
altogether physical; and indeed upon the oc
casion here abided to, there was mnch of
excuse,” to stffp for a moment was to risk
i your own life. In this scene of universal
destruction, to hold out your hand to your
comrade or your sinking chief was and ad
mirable effort of generosiiy. The slightest
act of humanity was an instance of sublime
devotion.
“When unable, from total exhaustion, to
proceed, they halted for a moment, Winter,
with his icy hands, seized upon them for his
pr#y. It was then that, ii) vain, theseunfor
j lunate beings, feeling themselves benumbed,
endeavored to rouse themselves. Voiceless,
insensible and plunged in stupor, they mov
ed forward a few paces, like but
the blood, alreath* freezing**!ii their veins,
flowed laugrtiidly^uhrough their hearts, and,
mounting In their heads, made 1 them stagger
lixe drunken men. For their eyes, become
red and inflamed from the continual view of
the dazzling snow, the want of sleep, and the
smoke of the bivouacs, tbepjjpjiirsl forth real
tear* of blood accompanied by profound sighs;
they looked at sky, at us, and upon the
earth, with a fixed ahd haggard stare of con
sternation: this was their last farewell or ra
ther reproach lo that barbarous nature that
Immured them. Thus dropping upon their
knees, and aftewards upon their hands, their
heads moving for an instant or two from right
to left, w hile from their gasping lips escaped
rite most a&on izirtg moans; at length, they
fell prostrate upon the snow, staining it pith
a gush of living blood, and all their miseries
terminated. Their comrades passed over
them without even stepping aside, dreading
to lengthen their march by a single pace;they
even turned not their heads to look at them,
for the slightest motion of the head to the
left or the right was attended with torture,,
the hair of their heads and beards being fro
zen into a solid mass.
i “Scenes of still greater horror took place
in those immense log-houses, or sheds, w|iich
werejfound at certain intervals along the road.
Into these, soldiers and officers rushed pre
cipitately, and huddled together like so ma
ny cattle. ‘The living, not having strength
enough to remove those who had died close
to the fire, sat down upon their bodies, un
til their own turn came to expire, when tliey
also served as death-beds to other victims.—
Sometimes the fire oammumcated itself to
the wood of which these sheds were com
posed, and then all those within the walls,
already halt dead with cold, expired in ttie
flames. At Jnupranoui, the soldiers set fire
to whole houses, in order to warm them
selves for a few moments. The. glare of
Ihose conflagrations attracted crowds ot
wretches, whom the intensity of the cold
and of suffering had rendered delirious:—
these Pushing forward like mad-men, gnaali
i ing their teeth, and, with demoniac laugh
ter, precipitated themselves into the midst
of the flames, where they perished in horri
ble convulsions Their famished compan
ions looked on without affright, and it is but
too true tlmt some of them, drew the half
roasted bodies from the flames, and ventur
ed to carry to their lips the revolting food.”
From Lond'ir. Papers received at this Os
fee.
PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.
French Ministerial Projects.
Paius, Feb. 5.
You must be surprised at the little interest
excited by the affairs of fiance, since (lie Mi
nistry presented Jo the chamber of deputies
their project of law for affording an indem
nity to the emigrants, and that fur the reduc
tion of the reittes. ‘The quietness; or, to speak
more properly, the torpor—which has pre
vailed for the last month, is only the result
of the'first of these laws. I cannot give a
juster idea of the actual state ofthe country,
than by comparing France to a pre-y which
the blood-hounds have fora longtime been
pursuing, and which they have at last caught.
Their full cry was heard as lohg as the game
was alive, but silence reigns when they taste
the blood.
When the chambers assembled, I inform
ed you that the avidiiy of the members who
! composed them hod increased in proportion
!to the want which ministers Jtave of their
i support, and to the means possessed by M.
I de Vißele of satisfying “them: but I begin to
j think they have exaggerated the wealth of
| the Treasury, for they demand much more
i than can be granteff them. Do not believe
i however, that their influence will be so great
; in the general discussion of the law as it ap
pears at the present moment. The cominis
. bion charged to make its report is unceasing
i ly surrounded with the most greedy depu
ties—with those who demand the highest
I price tor their services. But M. de Villele
i will not submit his projeot to a decision till
|he has become assured that none of it will
Ibe adopted but what suits his purpose. 1
am Bufficienty acquainted with the temper of
! the chamber and the policy of the ministry
1 to be assured, that unless by unexampled
incapacity, the memory of the deputies will
adopt only what is agreeable to the Govern
ment.
Jft is true that the real intentions of the
Government are not always in unison
its apparent objects. Ihe late King has .
more than otfee found means of appearing
to yield to public violence, and thus to.satis
fy his secret passions without.giving too evi
; dently the lie to his public demonstrations.
I shall be very much astonished if in present
circumstances something like this does not
take place. Carles X. shows himself in
public off'endecß’ith the exaggerated pre
tions of his old friends: and he must do so,
in order not to expose himself too much to
the hatred ofthe people; but though he has
much less dissimulation than his brother, it ’
is impossible not to believe, that on all the
questions where the public interest is on one
side, and the interest ofthe emigrants on the |
other, the balance should not incline to the |
latter if it can be done without danger.—l
Whatever may be his apparent ill-humour, I
i doubt not that the pretentions of the emi- 1
seem to him moderate and
b,t •. .ad how could it be otherwise, sii'cfj
; m self, on his return, procured the
f all the arrears to which lie could lay
as Col. of the Swiss. Guanti, from thed..j,
his emigration to the moment of his i e .
trance into France?
As in the projects of Ministers, and i„|j
divisions of the Chambers, the public
est is ;only consulted in relation to the
viduslinterests ot the Ministers aadjj
grants —as, on the other hand, the incim
govern are directed by no principles,
consult onlv their momentary interet'.v,
would be difficult to decide before hand ;
what tht indemnity of the emigrant, t|
consist for this year. It is, however, ont!
project of law relative to tins Wnlernnitypj
the project of law relative to the rediicii
of the rentes depends. ‘The latter is ord,
means towards the execution oflhe
The minister who lias formed it bas ing
ced into it all the cunningsnd all the v„
which a little Gaston Geiudhoinme could
sess. Thus, though it is only compos
five articles, and though it has been pub],
ed for ahout it is understood byb
persons. m
1 o th - r< r i
SSti’iif.ns. —The Croton
John S m Copley, Burt. Attorney-Gotten,l
Some twelve months since Sir. K.
retired tion. the Court ot Common p] ti
when the Attorncv-Genertl became b
Chief Justice ot that Court, andß.irou(
ford of the Home of Ft-ers. Sir. J
of course, suceededto the Attorney-Gei*
ship, and soon afterwards declined q
Lord Chief Justice ol the common Pit*,,
the removal of Lord Gifford to the K,
This was a refusal Without precedent,,
the only reason for it is to he found iiii
shortness of the time during whirl, t
Honorable Gentleman held the very euri.
ing office of Attorney-General. The n
of such a preliminary convenience is mid.
stood to have obliged the present Lord C,
Justice of the K.ng’s Bench to it fuse |
Peerage. The unprecedented busiw
which lus skill as a Pleader, his eloquii
as a Counsel, and his general accoinpi,
inents have obtained, contributed to,; tt
gllien this reason. As Attorney-General
has 10.0001. a year, and as Counsel app
ing only before Special Juries, lie may
fairly allowed 10,0001. move. Such mi
come in this”*prping iiJfWtf peace” ij
i inconsiderable prize,
Sirtfolm has worked for his honors,,
a period of great political ferment, I'e n*
u transition from Whig to Tory politics.
lierby he was Counsel for the Crow*
was Solicitor General against the Cl
street dupes: he was obliged to hamng
against the Queen of England, and to k
the bitter gibes of Mr. Brougham; lie i
tasked to defend Edwards against the Miji
trate of Manchester in the year 1810, amltl
enactments ofl.ord Castlereagh, allotti
banishment to men of letters from Engb
There were besides, sundry minor w
of no light pressure upon the conscience
an honest Whig. But they are all over,
now Sir John Copley enjoys the tran
dignity of Attorney-General, in the lisle
days of Mr.Canning’s English administrsu
Asa lawyer, Mr. Sergeant Copley M
sen to eminence in the Court of Coma
Pleas, and on the Midland Circuit. As*
as he became Solicitor General he tram
red bis business to the Court of Kink’slh
and there he has ever since held the
rank, and the second, if not the first plate
In the Court of King’s Bench therei
exactly three lawyers, whose eloquent
combined w ith thorough knowledge oil
has placed them at an immeasurable dista
before all the whigs of their order. Tin
are Mr. Scarlett, Mr. Attorney-General,i
Mr. Broughapt. Os Mr. Brougham Ihi
already offered some observations, licit
giant wherever he appears. Whether
wield the elements in Parliament, define
gal niceties with my Lord Chief Justice,
trifle in the drawing-room, the same mail
mind is ever apparent, scanning his com
over the whole of life, alive to its sympatlii
yet capable of divesting himselfin a mom
of their trammels. Mr. Scarlett is ani
Counsel as can well betfjund, and, not l
ing any inclination to coutemplate him in!
Stephen’s, let nse pay my court heretol
Hex fori Jhiglicani. He is ‘bnore fat.llu
bard beseems.” lie is verjjj|good-!ooli|
for any years, beautiful for three-score,i
full of alacrity for a than lately annoiyiceil
have “died in the course of nature.” w
out any annoyance from flights of fat
without much disturbance from morbid|
nerosity, be possesses a manly sense ofh
nor, and can be animated in descanting!
on the sensibilities of life. In addressingil
Court or the Jury, he completely adoptstl
interests of his client, and In law, in rhet
in every point of form, and every move®
of feature exhibits the most perfect satisf
tion both with himself and his client. )
Attorney-General is far less pretty, lesss
satisfied, and less artfulr but he is more si
ous, more grave, and more impressive. H
Scarlett puts forth all his strength, but l
trays the Advocate in every turn; Mr. AIM
iiev-Genera! strains every nerve, and yeti
Rears only the generous patron. Mr. Sc
:t is more ingenious and more refined;)
Attorney-General more plausible and ntoi
persuasive. The fat form and smooth chee
of Mr. Scarlett leave the Jury quite at the
ease; the slender frame, the almost paiim
earnestness with which he fetches hi? W’
from the bottom of his heart—the sole*
anxiety by which his whole strength seen
exhausted,'calls forth in favour of Sir Jo
all the sympathies of the Jury, and disp*
their convictions to meet him half way
a verdict.
Asa Parliament speaker, Hr. Attorn*
Genera) is legal without being tedious. *
jjtimentative without excessive refinetnen
grave, plausible, graceful. He is too well*
quainted with the dignity arid prudence’
his station to speak when it is not a duty l
his office. His general deportment and in* l
ners are extremely elegant and concilia' 11 ’
and he is perhaps as amiable as a man can
w ho has left his party, whose talents comp’
respect, and whose vigor or intellect un
formly rises with the occasion.
. JONATHAN.
Catholic Association. —The following > s 3
‘extract from the speech of the Marqu*
Lansdowne on this subject, in the House’
Lords, February 10.
“Whatever we may do, my Lords, to s' o
this association, and it certainly may be P 1
down, as long as there is a grievance and
subject of complaint, there will be discon ,el
and a means of making it known. I w ,llle