Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-07-20
SELECTIONS.
CHIEF JUSTICE. MARSHALL.
nl WILLIAM WRIT.

The Chief Justice of the United States is in hi,
person tall, mcagre, cmaciacd, his muscles relax
ed nnl his oiniS 81 lopsel, connected as not only
TO dlsqu'iis him apparently for any vigorous ever
tons oi the body, bat 10 destroy every thing like
cI" once ami harmony in la, air Or movements
Indeed IN lfs whole appearance aud demcanor,---
dress, attitude aud rcsturc,--,t,ing standing or
wal>ng--he j. ~ far removed from the the idoliznr
craces of Lord Chesterfield, as any other gentle.
man on cartlL To continue the portrait hi,
head aud face small in proportion to his
height his complexion swarth,; the muscles of
his face hclne relaxed, gives him the appearance
OF man o 80 wears OF aye, can he be mucl,
Younger Ills countcuancc las faithful express
sion OF great good humor and hilaritv, while his
black eyes, the unrrrlna indcy-posScss an irrad-
aIine spirit, which proclalms the imperial power of
the mind thu sits enthroncd within.
This extraordinary man, without the aid Of fan.
cy, without the advantage of person, voice. atti-
tudc, gesture, an, of the ornaments Of an ora
tor deserve, To be considered rs ono of the most
eloquent men in the word If clooucnco NAV
be snid to eon>iS, in the power of ,izing the a..
'cntion with irresistible force, and never per-
hitting II To clndc the grasp, until the nearer
has received the conviction which the speaker IN
tends
As 10 his prr'on, it bus already been described
His voice is dry and iarl, his attitude IN his most
effective orations was often extremely awkward
rs il not unusual for him 10 stand with his ecs.
ufes proceeding from, his rieht arm, and con-
>'s'ing merely in "A vehement perpendicular
swinp OF II from above the elevation Of his head
to the bar, behind which he was accustomed 10
stand
Asto fancy, il she hold>a scat in his mind nj all
whiel very much doubt, his Gigantic genius tram
pies with dlsdHin on all her nowcr-dcckcd plantx
and blooming paitcrrcS. How. then, will you ash.
with look 81 incrcdulous euriosiv--how is it no.
Slhlr that such can hold the attention Of an
audienc" cnehained throaah speech OF an ordipa
~ len9th will tell You.
lie possesses the original and almost supernatu-
raj acu''v, al Developing he subject by single
Glance of his mind, and detecting at once the very
point which the controversy depends No
n'ller what the question, though ten times more
Lnoul than the i" enarled oak the iehtn ine of
heaven is no, more rcsisllcsS than hi, astonishing
penetration. Nor docs the c>ercsc of it seem TO
! cost him effort On the contrary it is rs easy
., vision. ! am persuaded thai his eyes do n,
tlS over landscape and take ia lis various obiccs
with moro promppdc and facility, than his mind
embraces and aptilhas the most complex sub
lrets.
Possessing while al the bar this intellectual elc-
Walton, which enabled him to look down aud COM
prchcnd the whole Ground at once, he determined
Immediately, and without difficulty, on which side
the question might be most adyantapeousl, an
preached and assacd in bad cause, his art con-
sisted in h. ing his premises 50 remotely from the
point directly in debate else in terms so oeuc-
raj and specouS, that the nearer seeing no consc-
QUE {" which could be drawn from them, was lust
rs willing 10 admit as not; b0t his promises once
admitted, the demonstration, however distant, fol-
lowed rs certainly, as co"cntly, and inevitably
as any demonstration in Euclid