The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1826-04-20


quiry would not end Is ahorti,ely n
all thr other Indian inquests that
had preceded it.
In this state of the proceeding,
Mr.. Sheridan brought forward, on
the 7th of February, in ihc House vi
Commons. the charge relative 10 the
Begun princesses. ol Dude. and de
liNered that celebrated speech. whosc
effect upon its hearers has no paral.
lei in the annals Of ancient or mod
crn rloqnence. When We rceolleCt
the men by whom the House Of Com
mons was Mt that day adorned. aud
the conflict Of high passions and in.
tercsts in which they had been ~
lately cngagcd--whsn We scc them
all, ofall parties, brought CAS- Mr.
Pitt expressed iD i. under the wand
of the enchantcr,' X ouIy wing with
each in their description Of the fas-
Cination by which they were bound
when We call To mind, too, that he
whom the first statesman OF the age
thus laudeh, had but lately descend
ed among them from more aerial
region of intellect, bringing trophies
falsely supposed TO be Incompatible
with political powers---it i lmpossi-
Bile to imagine moment OF more en-
tire and intoxicating triumph. The
only alloy that could mingle with
such complete success must be the
fear that il was too perfect ever In
come again; that has fame had
reached the meridian p0int, d from
that Consummate m0mcnt must date
It's decline.
.Of this remarkable speech there
exists no report /; Tor II would be alb
surd to dignity with that appellatlon
the mcagre and lilcless sketch, Tie
.Teneum sim vlrIbus umbram
In faciem Eneas,
which il given in the Annual Regis
ter and Parliamentary Debates. Its
fame, therefore, rcmaIns, like an
empty shrine,a ccnotaph still crown
ed ana bnuored, though the inmate
~ wanting
Among his habits, II may not be
unintercstlng 10 know that his hours
Of composition, AZ long AZ he oontln
ued an author, were at night. and
that he required II prolosion OF lights
around him while ne wrote. Wine,
too, was one Of his iayOrlte helps To
inspiration. If the Thought he
would bay is slow to come, "A glass
of good VINE encourages II; n when
ii does come. a glass OF good wine
rewards it,
GFNTLEMHN-Ihe incl0sed is a
pretty fair translation ot a passage
from Pascal's Provencal Letters,
aud az variety il one Of the requi-
sites OF a newspaper, may possibly
Int the taste Of some of your readers,
and seIa III lieu OF murder or a
robbery. Yours, l..
From the N. /. american.
ON AFFECTED SOLEMNITY,
OF all the tricks " outward shows
Of this world, | know ofno one more
successful, or more imposing than
this pretcntlous solennliy. IL COW
ers more t0llies than charity itself,
aud masks more sins than affected
grace. Wrapped up in forms aud
vested in immutabllity--inacccSsIbi
to argument and in,ulnerable tn Wit.
Against it, reason Is inefficient, and
even ridicule, all-powcrth as II ~,
is often wasted npon II IN VAIN. II
says nothing great i; II does nothing
good it neither projects nor exc
cutcS. 1t contributes not Il mite
to our sodIaI happiness, nor
adds Que cublt To our moral statue.
Aud yet, such arc lts unutterablt
prctcnsions, and such the credulity
OF The world, that it influences the
good and the bad, the great aud the
small.
10 one half of the world it ap-
pears as the legitimate representa-
tive OF piety land with the other half,
its unintrlligible ncSations arc rccei-
we'd and admitted as proofs of its
profundity. 1t is the worst comp'-
mon under heaven, aud IN business,
IT is the devil all over. 1t has no
despatch, no trace Of feeling.no sym
patty, no generosity. On the con
trary, its aspect is frigid and un.
varying, its temper querulons and
suhacid, and its habit pompous and