New-York daily tribune., 1844-04-15


Photographic Sketches
THE
,oouyENT MEMBERS OF THE NNvIlIh CONGRESS:
Taken from the Ladies Gallery
Hv.u JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
! would be acting in violation of all the rules
/ ,.s,e as we'll as Of common courtesy, were
E..h..d this list Of portraits, if may designate
.,,s. humble and crude sketches by that title,
4 .;,b any other name than his, upon whom the
.,,is of all are turned as they enter the House,
-s,se slightest motion is watched with deieren-
4 - attention, the accents of whose voice are
-rs,ured up by all who hear him, and whose
-,,5. are listened to as emanating from an ora
lin fine who commands universal respect and
,,nirs,on-and yet his name is such house
/ .,d word among our citizens, his character
s,nds in such bold relief in the history of the
count,v-that any notice Of him in these sketches
night seem superAuous. But there are many
who have not had the happiness to sec him, TO
r,ss his hand to listen with rapt attention to the
.,uods of his voice and to drink in with eager
oars his lessons of pure patriotism and of sound,
undertaking and honest policy. To such, few
,utculars with respect to his personal appear
,pce, &C. may not be uninteresting.
Imagine yourself, dear reader, in the front seat
or the Ladies Gallery. Cast your eye over that
l,rge and motley asssemblage of heads-Ah !!
YOUR eve is involntarily arrested by the appear
,nce OF that baldheaded little gentleman sitting
!, the second desk in the fourth row on the left
from the Speaker. Observe his attitude, as he
bans his left arm on that of his chair his right
leo thrown over the other-See with what pa
tsnt resignation he listens to the rothy outpour-
iues Of that Buncombe orator. Mark with what
smile OF pity he hears him blunder about scenes
and occurrences of past years, quorum magma
,us Irso facto. See, he at length tires of this
commonplace stuff, and Stops over his desk to
vnte. Note how he holds the pen i'll that treln-
bling hand-between his forefinger and thumb
alone, Just as we used to hold short slate pencil
a. school-Now a question Of order is raised.
He rises to give his opinion. See with what re-
spectfu attention the gentemanly speaker listens
10 his suggestions-He knows that no man Is
more capable of giving sound opinion on a
question of this nature than he-a man who may
be said to have passed his life amidst the strife
and warfare of debate. With what cleaness and
psrspcuity he illustrates his positions How for
cble his arguments How measured and free
from the impetuosity of passion is his enuncla
ton Observe how audible are those trembling
tones, so distinct is his articulation and at the
same time such breathless attention is paid to
his every word. Every pen is dropped, every
voice is still, every murmur hushed to complete
silence. Verify, what respect is paid to that old
man, even by those who would scarcely acknow-
ledge even to themselves with what degree OF
charmed attention they listen to his eloquencc-
With what dignity and impressivencss, he brings
down the fore finger of his left hand on the open
palm of his right Mark when he comes to a
complicated part of his argument, how he gesti-
culates with his hcad.-AropOs Of that head
when saw Mr.. Adams for the FIRST time was
struck with the resemblance between the contour
Of his head and that of the AbbG Raynal-the
only difference being that the Abbc's chin was
more prominent and that part OF his head which
is said TO be the seat Of the animal propensties,
Of considerably larger volume. Upon referring
to Lavatcr, of whom must confess myself part
y disciple, found the following description OF
the Able from his physiognomical characteristics
=" Nobody who looks at this head for a moment
will pronounce it an ordinary one. The line
which beginning at the brow of the left eye and
passing over the crown Of the head terminates
towards the middle of the ear, indicates alone
and distracted from all the rest thinker endow-
ed with the spirit Of analysis and detail who goes
to the bottom OF his subject and does not easily
yield to the opinion of another. The same is TO
be observed in the expression of the eye and the
ear, and without there being, for that effect, occa-
sion for movement or power of motion, in the
contour OF the nose and of the upper lip and in
the line that the lips form as they close" &c. &c.
may add that the expression of the nose and
lips alone indicate to the observer of Mr.. Adams
keen discriminating Judgment,
refined taste and profound mind. For the ben
eft Of those unacquainted with Mr.. Adams's per
sonal appearance, / will say that he is about five
feet SIX in hight, in figure inclined to spareness
somewhat bent with age, but still active. His
head is bald with the exception of the hinder part
which is covered with hair grown perfectly
white-Hs face is wan and shrunken-but his
eye-,hc index Of his great mind-retains its
wonted briIancy. Time honored monument OF
glorious days! what bright star will have faded
from our horizon when thy eye shall be dimned
forever,--when that venerable head shall have
gone down to the silen, CLEANERS Of the dead
u The ferry boat at the upper landing III
Poughkeepsie was considerably damaged by fire
on Wednesday nigh, last