Washington telegraph., 1849-11-07
DANIEL WEBSTER.
A PEN-AND-INK SKETCH.

Long before I touched American
ground, the fame of the celebrated man
whose name graces the head of this arti-
Gle had been to me familiar sound. [
had heard, with a hearty laugh, what
Sydney Smith said of him, and what only
Sydney, the facetious Canon of St. Paul's,
engine in breeches." had read Carlyle's
description of his eyes, and had been told
by those who had enjoyed opportunity of
seeiug him, that his personal appearance
was remarkable; so l was, of course, anx-
ious to see Americas most popular orator,
nor did my wish remain long ungratiied.
During portion of the time when the
recent Presidential contest was progress
ing, happened to be a sojourner in the
city of Brotherly Love, and to my great
satisfac ction it was announced that Daniel
Webster would speak at a Whig mass
meeting. On the morning of the day ap-
pointed, proceeded in good time to pro-
cure place where l might both see and
hear the distinguished man.
The place of meeting was fixed in
field a mile or so from the city. A stage
had been erected at the foot of a gentle
slope, and the front of the grassy mound
being concave, perfect amphitheatre
was formed. By dint of much persever-
ance and little impudence, l managed
to get front seat on the stand, and having
secured my position, sat quietly down
to await the commencement of the pro-
ceedings.
The orator was to he accompanied to
the platform by a procession. and soon af-
ter three o'clock the head of it appeared
in view-gradually it drew near; and
amid the crash of musical instruments
the cIangor of trumpets-the banging of
arms and the booming of cannon, several
gentlemen ascended the platform, and
were greeted with cheers.
One of the gentlemen was candidate
for the office of Governor of the State-he
was old and white headed; in his hand
he held an assortment of flowers, and
floret garland encirclee his portly figure.
He ascended to his place, and after him
came another gaily decked gentleman,
and at last a shout burst forth, loud and
long, as an individual mounted the stair
case with firm, solid sort of tread, and
stood on the stage full in view of the pop.
ulace.
He was man who would have SEEM
ed above the moderate size. had it not
been for his bulk; he was robust without
being stout, and large boned without
clumsness. AS he came forward on the
platform he was cordially greeted by the
multitude; and whilst the cheering was
going on, and after he had acknowledged
it by slightly lifting his hat, he calmly
folded his arms over his capacious chest,
and gave one of the most steady and ex-
traordinary ganccs on the assembly which
| ever witnessed.
1t would be impossible to describe that
fixed look. His eyeballs were dark as
night, and the whites Of his organs of
vision more resembled twilight in their
hue, than the pure tint which is caused
by the tendenons expansion of the mus
cles covering the ball. They were set in
two caxenrous openings beneath a pair
of dark, thick eyebrows which gradually
rose from the upper portion of the nose
until they nearly reached the temples,
when they suddenly dropped and termin-
ated just below the huge bumps which
extraordinary forehead, just as if nature
IN manufacturing him, had made two re-
ceptacles there for spare brain, on the
same principle that animals are furnished
with bags, to contain an additional stock
to deposit matter for their sustenance
during the hard season.
But | am speaking of the look. | do
not believe that the searching, yet move
less eye of the individual | am describing
failed to notice single person within its
range of vision. He seemed to absorb
the scene. And. having satisfied himself,
he pulled his hat over his eyes, which left
them in deep shade, glowing like dull
Goals in a blast furnace before the stream
of air was applied.
The complexion of the gentleman was
dark-very dark, and swarthy; his FORE
head was piled up, and in fact it bulged
out, as if the brains had been crammed
into it after the packing so swollen it as
to stretchits barrier of bone. The from
tai satire must have been we'll knit, or it
would to a dead certainty have gone;
part of the high, broad forehead was bare;
his hair, which had once been black, but
which was now Of a brownish gray, being
carelessly combed, or rather pushed back,
The nose was large. and at the end rather
knobbed, and the mouth, with its thin
compressed lips, indicated excessive firm.
ness; then grayish whiskers stretched the
side of his face, which, taken as whole,
possessed gloomy grandeur, and made
me say to myself as l gazed-that IS
Daniel Webster or the devil. | consider
it no insult to Mr.. Webster-for he 1t
was-to put him in the same category
with the spirit of evil, inasmuch as only
refer to looks, and we are somewhere