Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-08-31

ful odds tnautlpntieated ruiuers reach
ell us, Of battle-of defeat--of victory
and feat and hope by turns pfetloininated
A week Of suspense Wis fsuWed tiy the
announcement Of tile battle and vietury
Of Butna Vista. General Taylor had re.
teivetl frbti his scouts, tlle Bettain iiitelli.
gehce of the apptuari III Ht hfHiy twenty
thousand stfutis, led ltv the Mexican Pre-
si,ei,t Tie felt thu The lssie Of II conflict
with sttti fofte wits doubtful The
Wihflwihd had gatherpdi III night and black
liess-who should survive when it's fury
was expended He spent sotne hours III
the arrangement Of his private affairs, tiade
Che final disposition Of Ills tf,tups. shd
awaited the onset, Of the advancing col.
ums which to uss hls uWt, lapguage .p.
peared "internllHable," How the ton,
niandet did liis duty, seened to lie present.
at every post Of da,,ger, inspired his troops
to deeds Of valor till tight closed the scene
and the next morning dawned IN, the l@at-
EN- and retreating masses Of the ene,ny, hfe
matters Of history.
As Il sJldier he whs bow ut the zenith
Of lis fame. Hethlled from his command
he returned l,ume to inset The tribute Of q
nations thanks. His presence was jnbi'
lee, and countless thousands tlironged the
streets through which he passed. eager to
grasp the hand whieh had held the sword
80 firmly in war, and sheatIed It only ott
the field Of victory. On steamboats, and
in hotels. among the farmers Of the west,
md the fishermen Of the ocean. in the quiet
hotie and the ct1wded city, was heard the
na,ne Of Taylor. Nominated to the Ptesi-
dehcy, he wHs elected by an overwhelming
popular vote.
Strange '--almost HE whole life exrrsed
to Tie malignHnt diseases OF the frontier
settlenei,tsE--liis infancy startled by the
Wlioop ri the RELENTLESS savHge.~ofteh on
Bloody fields where '',leatl, rode riot. and
now IN comparative Quiet, in security. an
arrow from God piefnes him, and in one
meinent he falls from the pinnacle Of his
power, into sienee and death'O
Yesterday his utterances might con
vulse nations to-day the pail covers all
that remains Of Zachary Taylor
We look tark 4 few days and years, and
fancy secs yo,,tl,-@4a man-~lorka wh'tei,
ed with age. To his word all bend to lis.
ten. Senates convene aud leilernte, reg
iments are moving and disappearing in
the smoke of battle--whole sqt,atlf,us
ders on the breeze There is sleuce now,
aud from the past IN all its activities and
triumph songs, and shoutings. I'VE are look
ing into burial aisles, and hear hut the
nonrnful signing Of winds"
We proceed to consider some Of the
prom miueat traits Of character developed
in on late Presiuent.
He was A MAN. / know not in what
other language to express the idea 50 evi.
dent in all his actions In intercourse
with General Taylor ypt felt thnt you
were dealing with one "of like passions
with ourselves. T" You were not met as
you entered his dwelling, by 1.-THE stately
Earl, tile noble duke the unarproachab'e
hero One Of the defects Of those held up
as claimants for oiir admiration is this, they
lack the traits of human nature akin to
nfirmity Ours is not yet perfect race,
never moved by impulse or controlled by
feeling. The influence upon us of one
destitute Of these. is The same produced by
correct articulation, and faultess prosody
in child. 1t is very perfect but it is not
nature. We wot Of those So surround
ed with ,,nnaturalness, " that from their
intercourse, as sound will not pass through,
n vHeuum--l,tnan feeling never reaches
us:
"-------a sort Of men, whose vissges
Do cream and mantle, like standing pond;
And do wful stiffness entertain,
With purpose to he drest in an opinion
or wisdom, gravity, profound conceit,
As who should say, am str Oracit
And, phen Iepe my hps ii no dog bark J"
It was far otherwise with General Taylor.
lie was stranger to all aaectatiou. lie
had human nature enough to be human.
Il IL said that he had imperfections be il
So, but who would not prefer even the
defects Of real life to- the classic correct
ness Of soulless statue, which never
erfs, for it never moves. Owing to def
cheney in o,tr histories, or for some other
cause, we are apt to make mere fantless
models Of our hefoes.
"A tnan whose blood Is warm within him
Sits like his gfandsire cut in aabaster.'' ~
confess that gleam Of nature in the
career of great man is TO me refreshing.
That General Jackson sometimes gave
way to bursts Of passion--that George
the second, Of England, was found by an
ambassador, on his hands and knees play.
ing with Ills children--that Washington.
when by vuse, he had escaped from the
snemy ut Trenton, and awakened them at
dawn by the report Of his cannon at Prince
ton, as their detachnents fled before him,
eated by his escape from seemingly hope
less destruction, animated by the pursuit
of their flying troops, exclaimed without
the dignity perhaps Of General, but with
the enthusiasm Of man "what a glorious
fox chase" These things may depreciate
the greatness Of the actors. but they exalt
our estimate Of the men.
AtAugostnra General Taylor saw in the
Kentucky regiment, signs Of retreating for
they were overwhelmed by numbers.
Kentucky was the state which had
sheltered his childhood and he felt for its
honor. He watched the movement with
intense interest, until reassured, by the
flash OF their unbrok en- and advancing line,
he lost for moment his self command,
raised himself in his atirrups and shouted
/" "Hurrah for old Kentucky.
The closing empathic words ofour Presi-
dent are TO me deeply affecting. He was
about to leave station and power, even the
very summit Of political domination, "ere