Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-05-04

lie invited me to walk round his garden.
and we went slowly round, ns he pointed
out the different plants and the pecnlarities
of climate and growth connected with each
We paced frequently an avenue confined
on either side by tall hedges. and covered
with grass under foot, his frequent and favor
ite walk. | thought Of the lettered Pliny
and his elegant villa at L.aurcniinium, with
/ its sheltered walks, with soft acanthus and
clustering vines. A nobler than Pli0y was
here a man whose serene and steody soul
had bai,icd with the wronged and fought for
the right which had not talked much 10 III"
world in books. and had yet brca,hed winged
words. Napoleon. stripped of his false and
hee'ing glorics war. laid with lie bleeding
trophies, shamed by the marble whlteness,
on The altar of Christianity: the tolllng
mnsses of his countrymcn. elevated by his
noble maxins and cheered by his hopeful
words, glided in rapid succession through my
mind. Reader, | cherish the memory Of
that hour, not as the picture Of what Is past,
but as an ever-prescnt and enduring glh
upon which, as upon n talisman, can often
look in the midst Of the ordinary pursuits Of
life and rise up refreshed and elevated.
The sound of the dinner bell summoned
us TO The house. and found long table sur
rounded by DR.. Cummings relatives and
friends. lie himself was as gentle AMI po-
lite n host as | ever remembered, and the
conversation assumed all the playful and
agreeable tone Of social and intelligent,
circle. Little could the heart have made the
sorrowful pro ophecy that he would have been
taken from them and the world so soon.
Just as we had finished dinner, gentleman,
was announced who was going TO Europe
and had called TO bid DR.. Claiming farewell.
We both saw him for tho last time.
In his death and the blank he has left be-
hind, we see the importance of The station he
held as n citizen of the United States. What
were the highest statesmen in the country to
him, with his purity of character and pnr-
pose Armed with this weapon, he freely
and iearlrssly attacked them. and State sec
retarirs and cabinet ministers quailed before
ono Who was greater than them all. A single
citizen may be said to have prevented the
dimming of his coun,ry's stars, by adding
one. which, in the annexation of Texas.
sought to crown its deeds Of hlgh-hnnded
robbery with perfect implnity. Save-own-
inc statesmen, in slavery obnring Rcpub-
lie, trembled before his searching words, as
he wrote in all the spirit of Christianity, and
hdeous system from its double victim, the
master and his scrf That living voice,
qnickened in its action nv his life and exam
pie, will rest neither day nor night; but
with all the power of truth and influence OF
importantly. will yet perform its office in the
successful! efforts OF all good men to redeem
the rights Of humanity and the honor OF their
country.
found my new companion, Boston man,
agreeable, aud, | need not add, intelligent
We spent the evening of this cventtul day
together wandering round the pretty town
and the sea shore. We watched the sunset
from an eminence which commanded n fine
view of land and water, and was crowned
with an old building, not the least Interesting
object about the spot. IL Is n sort Of low
tower, in height about two stories, with round
arches on every side. Its construction Is
rude but strong, and it has evidently been n
place Of refuge. II has some resemblance
To the body of a windmill at short distance.
Its history Is entirely unknown, and tradition
has loft no record OF It's date, Ii has evident.
~ not been the work of the Indians, and it
has lately Dccn surmlsrd, "a the reader will
see in the notes to Mr.. iongielow's ballads,
to have been the work of the Danes or some
other northern tribe, whose very early visits
To these shores are being every day more
confirmed. II is unquesilonably Of great
age, and, | need not say, the more interest.
ing on that account, in a land where every
thing is new in art, if old in nature. Be-
meath its old walls we rested, and, while gaz-
ing on the bay hcneaih, saw the moon rise
round anI large out of the wa,ery horizon.
This night, to me almost the last should
know on a transatlantic shore, was truly
magnificent, and as hour after hour few by,
seemed to gather fresh charms. The even
ing breeze had fallen to dead calm, and, rs
wo walked on the soft turf that iringed The
shore, no sound disturbed the silence but the
deep, measured beat Of the surf on the
white and sandy shore. Fancy could tread
the brilliant line Of silver light that stretched
into infnilndc, far, far away to the east; c"cn
to the sea. girt isles, between which and the
spot where we stood, there lay nothing but
the vide ocean. The air was warm as If IL
was day, and we did not quit the water side
ill we had ba,ied with the surf and swan
in the clear waters Of Narragansett Bay.
The very name was musical, aud recalled it,
possessors, to whom history has not done JUS
,ce in its meagrc records.