The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-02 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

his high moral integrity and the efficiency of his con-
duct of the department, notwithstanding his avowed
preference for General Jackson in opposition to Mr
Adams, But Mr. M`Lean would not allow party politics
to intrude into the administration of his department, and
neither removals nor appointments were allowed by him
from political considerations. Mr. Adams approved of
this course ; and, although the principle cost him his
place, yet he would not displace John M`Lean. On the
accession of General Jackson, the unhallowed resolution
was taken to transform the Post Office Department into
a grand political machine. To this course John NPLean
would not consent, and the consequence was, that he was
transferred to the bench of the Supreme Court, to make
room for a convenient Postmaster-General. Such an
instrument was found in William T. Barry, who filled
the department with corruption to saturation. Judge
M`Lean is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He is a man of activity and energy. He has preserved
the ermine of justice spotless ; and if he leaves the bench
for the camp, he will make an able Secretary of War.
Hugh S. Legare, of South Carolina, the successor of
Mr. Crittenden, as Attorney-General, as a scholar and
statesman, is one of the ablest and most accomplished
men of the republic. The soundness and elegance of his
scholarship were eminently displayed, some twelve to
fifteen years ago, in the pages of the Southern Cituirterly
Review—a work which was published, mainly, to advo-
cate the peculiar doctrines of the South upon the science
—falsely so called—of polil ical economy He has since
written occasionally for other periodicals, and the depth
of his learning has recently been displayed in the
New York Review, by an article upon the charac-
ter and age of 'Demosthenes. Mr. Legare is reputed also
as an able lawyer, as we know he is an eloquent
speaker. He is descended from an ancient Hugue-
not family, which emigrated to South Carolina dur-
ing the age of Protestant persecutions in France. Be-
ing a supporter of General Jackson, he was sent as the
first American Charge to Belgium. On his return, in
1836, he was elected to Congress from Charleston, in op-
position to H. C. Pinckney, the candidate of the Nulli-
fiers. lie separated from the administration of Mr. Van
Buren on the Sub-treasury question, and went out of
Congress. During the late political campaign he was
one of the ablest and most efficient orators before the
public in this and other States ; and inasmuch as we
are obliged to lose Mr. Crittenden, we rejoice that the
President has found Hugh S. Legare.
Charles A. Wickliffe, of Kentucky. succeeds Mr.
Granger at the head of the Post Office Department,
We know less of this gentleman than of either
of his associates in the Cabinet. He came into Con-
gress in the early part of General Jackson's administra-
tion, as his political friend and supporter. Disgusted,
however, with the usurpations and horrible corruptions
of that administration, Mr. Wickliffe soon left the Jack-
son ranks, and has since been acting with the Whigs in
the local politics of Kentucky. He is a man of energy
and ability, and is understood to be rather opposed to
Mr. Clay. He cannot ma'ie a better Post-master than
Frank Granger ; but we trust he will make a; good.
Such, with Daniel Webster at its head, is the new Ca-
binet of President Tyler. It is strong in character and
talent, and thoroughly Whig in its principles. The Op-
position, therefore, who have been laying " the flattering
unction to their souls" that. they were to gain by the
change they have been labouring, with certain conspira-
tors in our own ranks, to produce, are doomed to bitter
disappointment. And in regard to such a Cabinet, with
characters and capacities such as has been briefly
sketched, what is our duty ? Deeply as we lament the
course which the President has pursued on the Bank
question, we can nevertheless perceive no good reason
fir giving countenance to opposition to his administra-
tion, with such a Cabinet.
A. ROW IN CONGWESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Thursday, Sept. 9.
The House went again into Committee of the whole.
Mr. Cushing hoped the amendment of the Senate
would not be agreed to.
Mr. McKeon hoped the amendment would be adopted.
_ _ _ _

Mr. Cushing relined, and was followed by Messrs.
Wise, Adams, Ingersoll and Stanly ; the latter making
some remarks which reflected on Mr. Wise, that gentle-
man moved to the seat of Mr. Stanly, when they were
soon engaged in a personal encounter, Mr. Wise striking
the first blow.

The Speaker having resumed the Chair, and order
being restored,
Mr. Wise gut up and said that he rose; perfectly cool,
to make acknowledgments to the House for baving vio-
lated its dignity, and asking its pardon, submitted him-
self to tile infliction of any punishment which its judg-
ment might dictate. He had suffered his feelings to
overcome him, on the utterance of a -•s•ord from the
gentleman of North Carolina, which he could not brook,
either in this House or elsewhere, and had struck him.
He had gone to his seat to remonstrate with him.
Mr. Stanly said the gentleman had not attempted to

remonstrate with him, -but had attempted to browbeat
him, as he does every one who dares to differ with the
high-souled Virginian.' He began to warn me. I told
him I wanted none of his warning.- He asked me to go
out with him. I told him to go himself, I wanted no-
thing to do with him. He said that what I had said
placed me beneath his contempt. I told him he was a
liar—with that he attempted to strike me, but he failed ;
and if the House had notinterfered, I would have given
him that punishment which his insolence deserved. He
(Mr. Stanly) would 'tsk no pardon of the House, and
if he was in the position of the gentleman from Virginia
he would resign, or submit to the punishment of the
House in silence.
Mr. Ingersoll was not acquainted with the mole of
proceeding in such cases, but offered a resolution that a
Committee be appointed to inquire into the circumstances
attending the affair, and to recommend such punish-
ment as they might think proper.
Mr. Andrews hoped the resolution would not be
adopted, as it was found at the last session, when such
an affray had occurred, that they could not agree on a
salutary and proper punishment. He would therefore
move to lay the resolution on the table, and move farther
that Henry A. Wise be 'immediately expelled from the
floor of the House.
Mr. Hopkins moved the previous question on Mr,
Ingersoll's motion, which was seconded, and his resolu-
tion was agreed to. The Committee was ordered to
consist of seven members.

A more minute account of the " scene," is given by
the reporter of the Intelligencer, as follows
While Mr. Fillmore was in the midst of a sen-
tence, the reporter (who had noticed Mr. Wise cross
over to the seat of Mr. Stanly, and had observed
those two gentlemen in conversation, apparently of
a very excited character) saw Mr. Wise raise his
hand violently, and aim a blow at the face of Mr.
Stanly, who as instantaneously met or returned it.
A violent fight followed, and in less time than it
can be described in this report, a scene of mingled
upruar and fight, such as the reporter in many years'
experience has never witnessed on the floor of the
House, ensued. Messrs. Wise and Stanly were lost
to the sight of the reporter in the general rush, while
Mr. Arnold, of Tennessee, and Mr. Butler, of Ken-
tucky, were noticed in a violent personal struggle,
striking at and grappling with each other. Mr. Dixon
11. Lewis and Mr. Gilmer, and others, were seen
in the midst., endeavouring to quell the disturbance,
which had now reached a point at whieh it seemed
impossible to arrest its progress. The members had
rushed from all parts of the hall. sonic rushing over
and others standing upon the tables, literally piling
themselves one en the other, and several canes were seen
by the reporter raised up as if in the act of striking. The
Speaker during this time had resumed the chairt' in-
formally, but no one paid the least regard to his voice,
and he called in vain on the officers, none of whom were
observed by the reporter, with the exception of the door-
keeper, who was endeavouring to close the doors and
windows against the crowd from without, who attempted
to rush within the hall.
The general melee (of which the reporter was taking
notes) continued from two and a half to three minutes.
It then subsided, as it appeared, though by what direct
process the reporter could not understand ; but he heard
the voice of Mr. Wise, who had returned to his seat, ad-
dressing the chair.

-
MR. WEBSTER'S LETTER.
WASHINGTON, SEPT. 11, 1841.
My Dear Sir—You will have learned that Messrs.
Critteadm have resigned their
Ewing, Bell, Beadgee,,,,nd
ES
-Krobably
_Mr. Granger may feel
bound to follow the exeunDle. This o'ccurrence can
hardly cause you the same
degree of regret which it
has occasioned to me ;they are not Only friends,
but persons
w i All whom have had, for some time, a
daily official intercourse. I could not partake in this
presume, by the differ-
movement.
justified,be tbetween
n the President and Con-
I
It is supposed to be
ences which have arisen
dress, upon the means of establishing a proper fiscal
agency, and restoring a sound stare of the currency, .0
4eZllateral matters growing
out of these differences.l
‘ •
I
r•egret these differences as deeply as any. man ; but I have
not been able to see in what manner the resignation of
the Cabinet was likely either to remove or mitigate the
only reliance
for produced by them. On the contrary the
for it remedy for those evils has been, and is, on the union,
%lamination, aid perseverance of the whole Whig party,
'and I by no means despair of seeing
_yet accomplished,,
by these means, all that we desire. 1 t may render us
more patient under disappointment in
.regard to
o,osine.
measure, to recollect, as is justly stated by tn
dent in his last message, how great a number of impor-
tant measures have been already successfully carried
through. I hardly know when such a mass of business
has I,een despatched in a single session of Congress.
Tbo annual winter Session is now near at hand.; the
same Congress is again soon to assemble, and feeling as
deeply as I ever did the indis-iensable necessity of some
suitable prevision for the keeping oF the public money,
fur aid to the operation of the Treasury, and to the high
public interests of currency and exchange, I am nut in
haste to believe that the party which has now the pre-
dominance will not, in all these respects, yet fulfil the
expectations of the country. If it shall not, then our
condition is forlorn indeed. But for one, I will not give
up the hope.
My particular connexion with the Administration,
however, is with another department. I think very
humbly—none can think more humbly—of the value
of the services which I am able to render to the inibre,
in that post. But as there is, so far as I know, on all
subjects affecting Our foreign relations, a concurrence
in opinion between the President and myself ; and
as there is nothing to disturb the harmony of our in-
tercourse, I have not felt it •consistent with the duty
which I owe to the country, to run the risk, by any
sudden or abrupt proceeding, of embarrassing the Exe-
cutive, in regard to subjects and questions now imme-
diately pending, and which intimately affect the 'reser-
vation of the peace of the country.
I am, dear Sir, with constant regard, yours, &c., &c.,
(Signed) DANIEL WESTER.
H. Ketchum, Esq. New York.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM MIL WEBSTER.
The Secretary of State has addreksed the following
Jotter to the Editors of the NVionyl Intelli!encer