New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1841-11-29
The Personal Character and Habits of
Washington.

three last years oil ms pubic lie. he was over
six feet in stature, OF strong, bony, muscular frame
without fullness of covering, well-formed and
straight He wa, a man Of mss; extraordinary
strength. In MS house hi. action calm, de-
liberate and dgnified, without pre,enson 10 grace
fulness peculiar manner, but merely natural, and
such as one would think it should be in such
When walking in the street, his movements mad
not the soldierly air which might be expected His
habitual motions had been formed long before ne
took command of ths American armies. In the wars
If the interior and in the surveying OF wilderness
lands. in empIoyments in which grace and elegance
were no, likely TO be acquired
At the age Of sixty-ive, time had done thing
toward bending him out OF his natural erectness.
HIS department was invariably grave, il was so-
briefly that stopped shortof sadness. His preseEce
inspired generation and feeling Of awe, rarely
experienced In the presence of any man. His
mode Of speaking was slow and deliberate, not
though he was in search of fine words, but that nc
might utter those only adapted to his purpose. 1t
was the usage of all persons in good society, 10 at
TEND Mrs. Washingtons leyee Friday evenings
! He was always present. The young ladies used to
,hrong around HIM in conversation. There were
some of the well remembered bellies of that day
who imagined themselves to be favorites with him.
As these the only opportunities they had OF
!
One would think, that q gentleman and gallant
soldier, if he could laugh or dress his counte-
nance in smiles, would DO so when surrounded by
young and admiriag beauties But tins was never
so; the countenance Of Washington never softened
or changed its habitsal gravity.
One who had lived always in his family said,
that his in public life and in the seclusion
of most retired life, always the same. Being
asked whether Washington could laugh, this per
son said that this was a rare occurrence, but that
one instance was remembered, when he laughed
most heartily at her narration OF IN incident in
which she WAS party concerned, and in which no
appauded her agency. The late General Cobb
| who was long a member of his family during the
war-and who enjoyed laugh much As any
man could-said that he never saw Washington
| Iuugh excepting when Col. Scammel-if this was
the per,on-camc 20 dine at head quarters. Scam
mel had fund Of ludcro.s anecdotes, and man
ner of telling them which relaxed even the gravity
of the Commando Chief.
General Cobb also said that the forms of pro-
ceedings at headquarters were exact and precise,
orderly and puncrua At the appointed moment
Washington appeared Mt the breakfast table. He
expected TO find all the members OF his family
Cobb Hamilton, and Humphreys were among
| them-awairing him. He came dressed for TIL
lay, and brought with him the letters and des-
patches of the preceding day, with short memo
randa of the answers to be made-also the sub
stance of orders to be issued. When breakfast
was over, these papers were distributed among his
aids to be put into form.
| Soon after. he mounted his horse to visit his
troops and expected to find, on his return before
noon, all the papers prepared for his inspection
md signature There was no familiarity in his
| oresence it was all sobIicty and business His
node Of life abstemious and temperate. He
aad decided preference for certain sorts of food
probably from early associations. Throughout the
war, as it understood in his military family,
&c gave part OF every day to private prayer and
devotion.
While he lived in Philadelphia, as President,
he at four in the morning, and the general rule
Of his house was, that the fires should be covered,
and the lights extnguished, at certain hour
whether this nine ten, is not recolected
lie devoted one hour every other Tuesday, from
three to fosr, public visits. He understood him
self 10 be visited as the President of the United
States, and not en his own account He was not
to be seen by any body and every body; but re-
CURED that every one who came should be intro
iuccd by his secretary, or by some gentleman
yhem he knew himself. He lived on the south
side of Market-street Just below Sixth. The place
,f reception was the dning-room in the rear,
twenty-five thirty feet in length including the
DOW projecting into the garden. Mrs. Washingtos
received her visitors in the two the second
floor, from front to
At three o'clock, any time within quarter
of an hour afterward the vsiter conducted to
his dinng-room, from which all seats had been re-
| moved for the time. On entering, he the tall
manly figure of Washington, clad in black velvet,
MS hair full dress, powdered and gathered behind
| N a silk bag, yellow gloves hi, hands holding
| cooked hat with a cockadc in it, and the edge
adorned with black feather about an inch wide.
| He wore knee and shoe buckles. and long sword,
with finely wroush, and polished steel hil,, which
| appeared at the left hip tue over the
blade, and appearing from under the folds behind.
| The .cabbard was white polished leather.
| NorEs OF A BooK-MorM -September L.