Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-08-31


facer OF the emergency, and OF his ability to control il
seemed to possess him wholly Ii an observer more
than ordinarily Keen sighted, detected sometimes some
thing like exuation in his eye, he presumed sprang
from the excitement OF the moment and the anticipation
ofvlctory.
The anxiety to hear the speech was so intense ire
pessole, and universal, that sooner had the Vice
President assumed the chair than motor was made
and unanimously carried to postpone the ordinary pre-
| rninarles OF Senatorial action.
MIR, Webster rose and addressed the Senate His
exordum is known by heart everywhere: "Mr Presi-
dent when the mariner has been tossed for many days.
IN thick weather, and on an unknown sea, he natu-
rally aVas himself OF the first pause in the Storm the
earliest glance OF the sun, his latitude and as
certain how far the elements have driven him from his
true course. Let us initiate his prudence and before
we float further on the of this debate refer to the
point IRON which we departed, that may at least
| be able to form some conjecture where we now
ask Tor the reading the resolution"
| There wanted to enchan the attention
There was spontaneous though silent expression of
eager APPRECIATION the orator concluded these open
ing remarks And while the clerk read the resolution
many attempted the mpossbllty OF getting nearer the
speaker Every head was inclined closer toward him
every ear turned in the direction Of his voce-and that
Deep sudden, mysterious silence followed, which always
attends fitness ofemotion From the sea oil upturncd ia
ces before him. the orator hehed his thoughts reflected as
from mirror. The varying countenance the suffnsed
eye, the earnest smie and attentive look assured
nm OF his audience entire sympathy, II among his
hearers there those who affected at first an ndif-
terence to his glowing thoughts and ervent periods the
dlflcult mask was soon laid asde and profound unds-
gued, devoted attention followed In the earlier part
of his speech, of his principal opponents seemed
deeply engrossed in the careful peusal Of newspaper
he held before his tace but this, approach,
proved to be upside dorm. In truth all sooner or later,
voluntarily in spite Of themselves holly carried
away by the eloquence of the orator
One OF the happiest retorts ever made in forensic
controversy was his application OF Haynes comparison
OF the ghost OF the murdered coalition the ghost of
Banquo:
sons, entirely happy in his illusions TO the story of
Banquo's murder and Banquo's ghost 1t not,
think, the friends, but the enemies OF the murdered
Banquo at whose bidding his spirit would not dorm.
The honorable gentleman is fresh in his reading of the
English classics, and can put me right if | am wrong;
but according to my poor recollection, those
who had begun with caresses and ended w it'll foul and
treacherous murder, that the CORY locks shaken
The ghost OF Banquo, like that OF Hamlet was an hon-
est ghost. 1t disturbed innocent man. 1t knew
where its appearance would strike terror, and who
woudcry ghost 1t made itself visible in the right
quarter land compelled the guilty and the conscience
smitten, and none others, to start with
"'Pr'ythee, see there behold look 10,
If | stand here him ="
"Their eyeballs were scared twas it not so, sir p who
had thought to shield themselves by concealng their
own hand ,and laying the mputaon of the crime
low and hirelng agency in wickedness who had vain
ly attempted to sti1e the workings of their coward
conscences, by calculating through white lips and
chatering teeth "Thou canst not say did /" have
misead the great poet it those who had way p2rta
ken in the deed O. death, either found that they were,
that they should be, pushed from their stools
by the ghost Of the slain, exclaimed to spectre
ted by their iears and their renorSe, AYaunt!
and quit our sight,!
There was smile OF appreciation upon the faces
all around at this most fectous of anohers illus
tratlonhis turning ones own witness against HMM
which Col Hayne goss humoredly joined
As the orator carried out the moral of Macbeth, and
proved by the example of that deep thinking, nteec-
tual but insaney abous character how little OF sub
stanta good permanent power to be secured by
devious and unblessed policy, he turned his eye with
significance Of expression, full of prophetic revelation
upon the Vice President, reminding him that those who
had BULLY removed Banquo hadplaced
"a barren sceptre in their grippe,
Ihence to be terenche@ by asa UnIincaI hand,
Noson of theirs succeeding
Every of the whole audience followed the direction
OF his own-apd witnessed the changing countenance
and visible agitation Of Mr. Calhoun.
Surely prediction ever met more randi or fuller
| confirmation, even to the very manner in which
tie disaster was accomplished. Within lew brief
months, the political fortunes OF the Vice President at
this moment seemingly the very point determination
had sunk SO low, there so poor 10 do him
| reverence,
Whether for moment presentiment of the APP
preaching crisis in his tate forced upon his mind the
manner and language of the speaker cast gloom
his conntenance or some other cause it is impos
BILE to say; but his brow grew dark, for time
did his features recover their unusual npassibilty
The allusion netted him the more as he could not
but witness the effect it produced upon otbers-and
made him restless He seemed to seek opportunity
break in upon the speaker; and later in the day, Mr.
Webster was exposing lne gross and ludcrous lnconss
tencies of South Carolina politicians, upon the sub
ect OF Internal Improvements, he interrupted him with
some eagerness "Does the chair understand the gentle
from Massachusetts to say that the person now
cupyug the chair OF the Senate has changed his opinions
on this subject?" To this, Mr. Webster replied i'm
mediately and good naturedly "From nothing ever
said to me, sir, have | had reason to know of any
change in the opinion Of the person filling the chair OF
the Senate. Ii such change has taken place, regret
| it's
| Those who had doubted Mr. Websters ability to
cope with and overcome his opponents fully salts
fed of their before he had proceeded far in his
speech Their fears took another direction When
they heard his OF powerful thought, towering
in accumulave grandeur one above the other, as il the
orator srove, Titan like, to reach the very heavens
themselves, they gddY with apprehension that
he would break down in his flight. They dared not be-
eve, that genius, learning, and intellectual endowment,
however uncommon, that was SIMPLY mortal coud sns-
tam itself long III career seemingly so perlous lhey
feared an lcaran fall.
All. who can ever forget that present to hear the
tremendous the atofM burst OF eoquence with which
the crater spoke OF the OLD bay State or the tones OF
deep pathos in which the words were pronounced:
| MIR. President shall enter on no encomium upon
Massachusetts There she is-behold her, and Judge
for yourselves There is her history the world knows
it by heart The past, at least, is secure. There Is
Boston, and Concord, and Lexington, and Bunker
Hiland there they will remain forever. The bones OF
her sons falling in the great struggle for independence,
now lie mingled with the soil OF every State from New
England to Georgia; and there will lie forever. And,
Sir where American Liberty raised Its hrSt voice and
where its youth was nurured and sustained, there it
still lives, in the strength OF its manhood and full OF its
original spirit If discord and disunion shall wound
it--party strife and blind ambition shall hawk AT and
tearit-if folly and madnessif uneasiness, under
utary and necessary restraint shall succeed to separate
it from that Unon by which alone its existence made
sure it will stand in the end by the side OF that cradle
in which its infancy rocked it will stretch forth its
with what vigor it may still retain, over the friends
who gather round it, and will fall at last, il fall must
amid the proudest monuments OF its own glory, and on
the very spot of its origin"
What New England heart there but throbbed
with vehement, tumultuous irrepressbe emotion, he
dwet upon New England sufierings, New England
struggles, and New England riumphs, during the
of the Revoutonl There scarcely dry eye in
the Senate; all hearts grave Judges,
and men grown Old in dignihed life, turned aside their
heads to conceal the evidences of their emotion,t
In one corner otthe gallery clustered group OF
! Massachusetts men. They had hung ttom the first
moment, upon the words OF the speaker, with feelings
variously but always warmly excited, deepening in in
tensity he proceeded. AT first while the orator
going through his exordiun they held their breath and
hid their faces, mindful of the savage attack upon him
and New England, and the fearful odds against him.
her champion; he went deeper into his speech, they