The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-02-29
LETTERS FROM WASHINGTON.
W.su,xerox Feb |

WASHINGTON, Feb. |.
If you go into the Supreme Court at ii
o'clock, you will soon see coming in a tall,
spare, slow moving, antique dressed, patriarch
Al man, the honorable relic of another age, dis.
pensing courteous but dignified salutatioDs, 10
which every eve is directed. Who IS that 2
is the question that every stranger puts into
your ear. Z" 1t is Chief Justice Marshal" The |
eye of every inquirer brightens at the answer,
il he has any sensbty, and strains itself for
a keener look. One feels flush of pride that |
he has seen this venerable man, whom insatia- !
bic Time must in the natural course of life, !
soon take to his grave. The very look is sort |
of intangible bsquest for posteritv. Well, the |
other Justices are in, and soon put on their silk |
robes. The members of the bar, such members !
as Sergeant, Writ, Webster, Ogden, &c, soon |
gather round.
My stranger by this time having seated him
self in my neighborhood, proceeds" And who |
is that man TO the right of the Chief Justice
bald-headed, lodging his spectacles up and
down, and moving in his chair TO the right and
left-who looks so zealously, and who hates to
sit still ?" "That is Justice Story" And
"who is that on his right-the young looking
man, with bony figure, projecting nose, a
marked countenance, with ungracelul and rath
er rustic motions, features indicating a strong
rough mind and high passions, and with look
saying he had rather be somewhere else than
theree' THAT is Justice M'Lean." And
who is that on the lett of the Marshal, with a
"head sver'd DER with age"-motionless-
thoughtful-with features indicating mind
well disciplined rather than mighty by nature
with round face and a retreating forehead"2
THAT is Justice Duval." And ''who is that
grey headed man on has left, whom cannot
see distinctly, as the light is so reflected by the
window N the rearrS ssIf 10 InStica Thon,n-
SON." And "who is that middle aged man on
the extreme left, with large figure, active eye,
contriving countenance, and sort of ques-
tonable face? sit is Justice Baldwin" Here
the Inquirer finishes, as the six benches have
been run over, the seventh being vacant as yet
owing to the indispostion of Justice johnson. =
Next a lawyer rises to speak. Perhaps il is
man of small statue, not six feet, who has so
little bulk that you fancy he has no right to be
in this great Areopagus Of our country,-but
who has an air and manner so imposing, with
an eye so speaking, and a mouth so expressively
curved, as to provoke every body 10 inquire his
name. "That is John Sergeant" "What that
little man John Sergeant, the candidate for
Vice President? ayes, and if you hear him
argue his cause, and see his eye kindle, and
mark the grasp of his intellect, you will soon
learn that mind is not proportioned to body
But there is one face here, whose physiognom
cal indications puzzle me grevously. l see a
arge-sized man, with concave-l looking, good
natured phiZ, tearing brother lawyers argu-
ments all to pieces-and pouring forth a pro-
fundity of learning and metaphysical law. And
T all this too from a man whose countenance, the
forehead except, indicates any thing else but
ntellect-but, perhaps, ought also to except
little uaeaslness in the eye, often expressive
of acute powers. But this man is the great
Mr. Ogden of New York. One case more, and
leave the Court, for the great questions Of con-
stitutional law, the rights of States, corpora
tions-when discussed in technical jargon be-
gin to wear an incomprehensible aspect, and
make one seek the noisier forum over head,
where the Senate locally trample Justice under
foot Mr. Roger B. fancy, the Attorney Cen
eral, argues huently and celloqually, but forci-
bly-is about six feet in height, with fine face
and figure, wears spectacles-and looks young.
What more can say?
Over the Court Room is the Senate Hail.
At quarter before 10, you find almost all the
Senators assembled. Certain it is, that about
the first man that comes in will as soon as he
is seated the sofas out the bar, whisper
(which is Mr.. Clay Mr. Hayne Mr.. Web
sterf p A tall, Methodist Minister looking like
-(pardon the phrase, buti; is expressive and
cor iplimentary to the sect) man is convorsing
agreeable faces in the neutrality-suspicious. with Mr.
Calhoun. That man is Mr.. Clay. In another
place, point my Inquiries to pleasant smooth
haired, youthfullooking, genteel, middle. sized
man. often conversing with Mr.. Webster. This
man has graceful, quick air, face brighten
ed by smiles, and indeed full of human kind
ness. That man is MIR Hayne He does not
look in the least like a nulIiier. What Mr.
Hayne and Mr.. Webster talk together, after
rensng the whole nation by pitched battle
try as the battle of Waterloo Indeed they do
very best friends in the world
Prayers come next. The Rev. Mr. Durbin,
a Methodist clergyman, makes the prayers ev-
cry other week. Then, man goes 10 the chair
who has head of hair that looks like a birds
nest. II is rough and bristling. His motions
are quick as lightning. His words flow like
cataract. His voice is harsh and crackLing-
He seems TO think with unaccountable rapidity
But more ofthe Vice President some other dav
81 will make very goot pref of him in my
note 2ook. "-POrtiand .4dUertiSer.
The tasks to which these Judges subject
themselves would apP' much younger men.
They meet at II o'clock, A. NJ, hear counsel
necessarily and patiently till o'clock, P. NJ,
then at ocock in the evening meel in coun-
sci to give their opinions on the cases submit
ted, where they often continue, am tod, till
III or ~, p NJ. Besides this. the opinion on
the case some time or other is TO be made out
by one of the Judges.