The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-06-05

9sasssszs
forces at discretion, I beg leave to
say, l decline acceding to your re-.
quest, | nm, Sir, With the greatest
respect, your obediont servant.
- ZACHARY TAYLOR
This was not poetry, but it was
stout and sterling old Anglo. Saxon.
prose; and it was followed up in an
Anglo.Saxon manner. Again, there
was great victory, not this time on
the day Of St. Crispin, but ON the
birthday Of Washington. But did
not the old battle Of Agincourt re-
semble the modern battle Of Buena
Vista? Might not they who were
proud of their fathers having been at
one, be as proud that they themselves
had been at The other9 He said yes;
and many were the gentlemen who
had slept quietly in their beds at Bal
timore, on the night Of the 22d Of
February, who would at that moment
give half their fortune to have passed
it by the side of the gallant veteran
who was then at the head of the
Amcrlcan camp, and who now pre-
sides over Amcrica's counsels.
lie should resist the temptation to
pursue subject which, notwithstand-
ing, would give him the opportunity
OF speaking of many friends of his,
distinguished i'll letters and arms. -
But this much he would say, that no
success in letters and arms, adding
to the fame ofthe people of the Uni,
tea States, could be matter of in
difference to the English people, and
nc could not but hope that, as Eng.
land would always feel an interest in
all that added glory to tho history of
america, so America would feel an
interest in al that justly added to the
historical glory Of England. Of this
he was sure, that if it should prove
eternally true that time first reapcd
unto destruction those whom aye and
honor first ripened into maturity; if
the beautiful idea of the great father
ofpocsry should ever become applica-
bic to their common ancestral land
Like leaves on trees the race nf Inrn Il fouu,l.
No" green in youth, now wiherirg on the
| gruuh:
Thus generations in their turn decay;
| Ever 80 flourish ,hcse--wicn those nrc mast
l AWAY
If the arsenals which were then
joyous with the busy hum of mariners
should ever be silent and shirless; if
the warehouses which were then re.
plctc with the countless wealth OF
merchants, should ever be empty and
dccaycd; if the proud march of Eng
land should ever cease TO DC upon the
mountain waves, and the meteor fag
which fora thousand years had bray.
ed the battle and the breeze, become
but the winding sheet Of past renown;
oft then would the historical muse of
America quit the broad rivers of
these grandcr regions for the silent
banks of the deserted Thames, there
to ponder over the tombs and draw
inspiration from the memories of the
once great in war, in politics, in elo.
qucnce and song, whose blood circu.
lated through the veins Of those who
heard him, and whose genius attend
ed them in the cabinet, the council
chamber, aud the field.
But these were gloomy and idle
thoughts, which he had only intro.
duced because he knew that ne,,
rarely discovered how much they low
ed a friend, until they discovered a
possibility of losing him.
4 bright and more real picture of:
tered to his eye. The glorious spec
taclc of two great States, both pow.
crful and ilourishing. the one in the
prime ofyouth, the other in the visor
of manhood; two States, the same in
origin, in language, aud above all, in
character; standing side by side. hand
III hand, in Tie van Of all mankind;
the first whcrcon true glory was to be
gained; justicc and mercy to be vim.
dlcated; commerce and civilization to
DC spread. The past followed their
union; the future smiled on it, and
Heaven could not but bless it-ior it
was the union of one famisy, and had
Tor its object the benefit of the whole
world.
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