Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-09-05

BILE aud distinguished Senator from Rhode
Island, Mr.. Robbins, and was occasioned
by the following circumstances; During
the Session of 1878, Mr.: Webster en-
,ertained large party of friends at dinner;
amoug Them the venerable Senator we
have named. The evening passed OF with
much hiIarly. enlivened with wit and
sentiment; hut during the greater part ol
the lime, Mr.. Robbins maintained that
grave hui placid silence which was his
habit. While thus apparently abslracled,
some one suddenly called on him for d
toast, which call was seconded by The
company. He rose, ant! in bis surprise
asked iflhey were serious in making such
a demand OF so old man; and being as
surcd that they wers, he said if they would
suspend their hilarity for few moments,
l- would give them IA toast aud preface ii
will, few observations. Having thus
secured breahless stiffness. he went on
to remark thai they wsre then ON The verge
of The :22d OF February, the anniversary of
the birth Of the great patriotand statesman
0fOur country. whDm all delisnlrd 10 re-
member and 10 honor; and he hoped he
n'ishi br allowed the privilege of an aged
man TO recur tor few moments to past
event, connected with his character aud
history. He then proceeded, and deliv-
cred in the most happy and impressive
manner, The beautiful speech which now
sraces our columns. The whole cunpa-
Nv were electrified by his patrIoic pnrhu-
sIasln; and one of the guests before they
separated, begged that he would take The
trouble to put on paper what he had ST.
happily expressed. and furnish copy for
publIcati"n. Mr.. X. ohligingIy complied
with This request on the following day, but
6y some accident the manuscript g0l
nislaid. aud eIuded all search for iluntil
few day agn. when it was unexpectedly
recovered. and is now presented 10 our
readers -Nati"nut lnteliigencer.
On the near approach ofrhat calendar
day which gave birth 10 Washington,
irel rekindling within me some of those 2.
motions always connected with The rerol
lection of that haIlowed name. Permi,
r'c TO indug then, on this occasion. for ,
m"meul, in "A few remarks. as preimua
=, To sentiment which shall propose.
| consider il as one of The rnnsolatiun,
ol my age that am old ennus1 and fnrIu.
naIe, enough to have seen thai wonderful
man. This happIuess is still common To
50 many yet among The living, thai it i
less thought of now Than it will be- in after
lines; huI it is no less happiness to me
TN that account.
While Il boy al school saw him for
ihe first time. II was when hp was passing
through New Eusllnd, 10 assume The posi-
of Conmand"r-in-chef of the American
armies al Cambridge. Never shall for
gel the impression his imposing presence
then made upon my young Imagination
SO superior did h. seem To me Ia all thai
had seen ar imagined of The human form
Gnr striking effect. rpnrmhrr With what
drligbI. in my after studies, came ID tie
line III Virgil Thai expressed all The enIhu
siasrn of my feelings, as inspired by iha,
presence, and which | could mol often
enough repeat ;--"Credo equidenl, nee onnu
Gdps, G. nus rssr deorum.'
saw him again al his interview with
Rnrhambeau. when they met To settle the
plan of romhined operations between the
Frrnch feet anfAnrrican armies. against
thr British on The Chesapeake; and then
saw lhr immense crowd drawn together
from all the n"iohboring towns, 10 get. il
possible, one look at the man who had
thronrd himself in every hear. M, one
of lIra immense crowd denoted the fma
Triumph of hisrounry in her arluous con
hjrr fer every one saw, or thUuehr he saw
in w shipgton. her guardian angel. con-
nissioned hy Heaven 10 insure that lri
unph. "Nil desperandum, Teucro ducr
anspicr Trucn."
In after life, when the Judgment corrects
the extravaganza of early Impressions,
saw him on several occasions, but saw
nothing al either to ad'nOnish ME Of any
extravaganza in ~, early Impressions
The impression was still the same; had
the same ove:pnwering sense of being iu
the presence Of some superior being.
Ii is Indeed remarkable, aud believe
unique in the history of men. that Wash
inolon made the same impression upon all
places, and at once. When his fame frs,
broke upon the world, il spread at once
over The whole world. Bv the consnn, o!
mankind-by the universal scntiment-he
was placed at The head of the human spe-
cies: above all envy, because above all
emulation, for nnnne then pretended, OF
has preIende'ltO to beat least who has been
allowed to bc-the co-rival of Washington
in fame.
When tho great Frederick Of Prussia
s"ni his porrail TO Washington, with this
inscription npnn il, From Ihr oldest
General in Europe to The greatest General
in the World" he did but echo the senli-
men OF all the chivalry Of Europe. Nor
was the sentiment confined to Europe, nor
10 the hounds ofrivIization for the Arab
of the Desert ialkcd of Washington in his
tent; his name wandered with the wan.
dcrins Scvihiau, aud was cherished by