Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-01-25


to Russia. He was tender of no dignity, no p.
putation ;-abseace, presence, official eeyat;oe
humble mediocrity, death fatal sickness. had -.
influence to suppress his sarcasms and invectiyes
On no occasion has he been known to forbear ..
forgive. The scenes on the floor of the Senats
which BY mere implication of conniyanSs'
just Or unjust, cost the Vice President his we'll
earned popularity in a considerable part of fl.
Union,--are too generally remembered and An
preciated, to admit ofsympathy on the part oftbk.
People. in any imprisoned and opprobrious d..
fence of the man. against objections to his fitness
to represent the country abroad, and the pronr
ETY. Of the unexampled indulgence which has been
extended to him by the President, at theexpepss
as 1t is alleged and believed, Of the national in.
terests. Mr.. Coke, one ofhis advocates, observ.
ed, in his speech in the House-''The records of
this House and the chronicles Of the times will
abundantly prove, that John Randolph has been.
opposed TO those in power, from the DAYS of Gen.
eral Washington to the last moment of Mr.. Al.
alns's Observation-Disclosures Mr.. CambreIeno n
his sally, bestowed upon the envoy the epithet s.
cen riot. Now, the perpetual opposition-lwe
need not add how rahC0rous and universal)-and
the trait of eccenfricVy-(we need not add how
exorbtant)-are confessions which 60 to warraD,
the blame thrown on the appointment.
Certain things are of a notoriety which cannot
be affected by all the defamation and elossin,
and staggering that can be haZarded any vlerss
Thus it is with the case of Mr.. Randolph. Ifbe
has ever rendered any real service to the nation
it has been indirectly and incidentally, by the
circumstance that the missiles Of every sort which
he necessarily discharged against the character,
aud acts Of men in power, struck where thew were
merited: but it must be considered ;hat all the
Democratic Presidents and administrations were
objects of his warfare, equally with the Federal
and that they, therefore, are equally exposed to
the application ofthat chance. Every one kaOws
that Mr.. Randolph is extremely eccentric, vale
tudinary and whimsical--we speak of him as
pubic mainland that St. Petersburgh is one Of
the last places on the globe, to which man Of
that description should be sent on an important
diplomatic errand and as the representative Of
this Republic. Almost every one predicted, Or
foresaw, that he would not remain more than
sented to the idea of his speedy retreat Itsno
secret that he returned to London, of which city
the winter climate is probably as dangerous for
him as that of the Russian metropolis. Withre.
gard to the transaction of business, it would be
quite as easy for a minister resident at New-York
to negotiate with the French cabinet at Paris, as
it is to act in similar way in this seassn between
London and St. Petersburg.
Mr.. Cambreeng is pathetic about the contin
gency of Mr.. Randolph's demise, recOlecting
perhaps, the melancholy fate Of Joel Barlow, who
did sacrifice himself to his sense of duty, in the
northern frosts; but who can count the number
of times that Mr.. Randolp phi has representative
self, &has been bewaled or regarded by others,as
no,ibm,d? This topic has become like the bows
cry of wolf in the fable. The wolf may come at
last, and all will, though for different reasons, re-
greet the catastrophe; yet many will remain in.
credulous until il can no longer be doubted. And
the story of his life and the nature OF his endOy
ments and attainments may, then even, be scan.
ned and developed, without mourning justly the
anathema with which Mr.. Cambreleng concludes
his extravagant and extatic eulogy. There sn0
parity Of reasoning whatever, in MIR. kings'l
sit to Cheltenham, an England, or that Of Mr.
Brown to Aix-la,Chapelle and Geneva, to which
Mr. Cambreleng refers as analogous and in the
nature of precedent. How far Is Chetenhan
from London? In what time could a minister
return from Aix-la-C hapelle to Paris? If heez
tent of Mr.. Kings physical debility or 'adacty
had been known before he sailed for England it
would have been wrong to depute him; but he was
deemed physically competent, and in all other
respects must have been universally admitted to
be at least as eligible and worthy as any Other
man whatever. Mr.. Brown. when he made his
excursion, had sent his resignation to Washing,
ton: he never ceased to be at hand, in fact; and
circumstances generally allowed OF hi, Temporary
absence for the cure of complaint for which thl'
expedient was indispensable. For the rest,
we believe that at no period has the presence Of
an American Minister, fully qualified, been more
needed, or of greater moment. at St Petersburg
than since that of Mr.. Randolph's preclpltate re-
treat-an interval in which Russian diplomacy
has been intellectually active and pregnant.
Mr.. Archer, and MIR. Camboeleng, or W.
Coke, spoke contemptuousIy ofnewspaPer state
ments IN relation to MIR. Randolph's demeanor&
St. Petersburg. 1t is absolutely possible, ne
vertheIess, that the editors or correspondents oil
the newspapers may have sources of Information
open to them as good and safe as those accessible
to Members of Congress, or of the Cabinet even,
on various subjects, and especially matters o.
fact. There may have been some exaggera'l0H
in the statements thus condemned, though notrt
fuel; but mainly they rest upon testimony,
which we ourselves have seen enough to sa'I'!
US that they are generally exact. The Envoy
eccentriciia was as signal in Russia Us it everWa