Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-03-15

:" h""s a I'uiHK SWHcn cut from the
forest. entirely unattended; and thus you
have Washington on his farm. in his last
days at Mount Vernon.
His rides on his extensive estates
would be from eight to twelve or fourteen
miles (; he usually moved at a moderate
pace. passing through his 6eljs. and
inspecting every thing; but when behind
time, the most Pr ncrual Of men onld dis
play the horscmanship Of his better days.
and h:rd gallop bring him up 10 timr. so
that the sound Of his horses hoof-s and the
first dinner bell should he heard together
at quarter to three o'clock.
The Authorship Of Junius.
It's about eighty wears since Junius
ceased 10 write for the Public Advertiser.
In all that lime. curiosity has been active
and ceaselcss in lis inquiries for the author
No interest such as he excited. has been
attached to The writings Of any other es
ssyist. How happens it that Junius still
excites such interest, and that inquiries
into his identity are so long and so ,igor-
ously coniinuedl To this question. there
can be hut one substantial answer. II is
The superior strenss'h o: lis compositions,
the point and vigor Of his style. hich has
made him model Of English wiring. We
have heard it attributed to various minor
mairers-to mere curiosity about The au-
thor-to the private scandal rctailed-to
the polished abuse of authorities, and to
the associations with the great name. Of
the day. Bat who ever heard of common
place literature beng redeemed from OBJ
lvion by curiosity-or obsolete scandul-
or great names? 1t is in vain TO say that
Junius Was mere sroid. or mere declai-
mcr. or uttrrs only invectivr. The truth
is, that whatever he ha. said, he has said it
in words that burn. and is wondered at for
the admirable and almost unequnllcd vigor
with which he wiclds the prn-,hat lancc
Of Thought, and sword of Defence.
In the January number Of the London
Quarterly is an article on Junius. which
has caused our Remarks. 1t is one of the
most interesting articles written on this
curious subject. The writer begins with
a very just criticism upon the character
" hich Junius must have had, " hoover he
was. II is very correctly said, that he " DIS
Probahl y neither very moral nor a very
mature man; for the figures ofspecch con
slant y employed show his familiarity ith
vice. and the improvement of hi. st lc. as
he proceeds. shows that he did not begin
with the thought and superiority which he
finally exhibited. The great difficulty. il
is said, With Sir Phillip Francis and other
supposed authors Of Junus, is that they
had neither the position nor the character
" hich Junius must have susttincd. They
do not commend themselves TO our iudg
meat as the person likely TO have pc. lo,m m
ed such " ork. The reviewer treats the
Claims of Francis Lightly. nor was there
anything more than certain condolences to
give reason t. his claim.
The article ofthe Quarterly, however.
has great interest from the mention OF q
new name, which comes to us. aiih far
more Of the position. character and circum-
stances, which Junius must have had, Than
any one yet brought before the public
The writer well says. that It is remarka
hle. that one name to which singular and
almost romantic interest is attached--hns
been most unaccountably overlook ed
This is Thomas. Lord Lord Lyitleron.-
This gentleman was possessed ofthe most
brilliant genius in his youth-becamc ex-
cessively dssipatcd and was amos, ban
ished from his fathers house. At the
death of his father. he came into the House
of Lords, and made one Of the ahlesl
speeches, ever made, in that body. In
subsequent debates, he took the same
grounds, as Junius. and defended it wi h
the same fierce aud bitter spirits. He is
the only name yet mentioned. as Junins,
u Io adexaclly The same political position,
the slme causes for his likes and diskes,
the same reason for his changes, and the
same private means Of knowing the scan
dal of great men. and Of possessing early
and minute information. The remark able
fact. in the politics of Junius, was that
while he assai,.d alternately all parties and
all men, and eulogxcd at one time whom
he abused at another, he never attacked,
hut always eulogized the GrcnviIles. und
the Grenvillc interest. The connection and
friendship between them and the Lyttle-
tons was most intimate.
But. it is not our purpose TO rerite. the
evidence produced by the reviewer We
shall leave that 10 the reader, who If he
ever read Junius will read that article
with peculiar interest. Thomas. Lord
Lyul-ton, is one of the mysterious char c.
'ers nf Literary history, and 10 connect his
name with Junius is to envelope him with
greater mystery.
The monuments of Literature have often
hceu cited. even in the pulpit, rs among
the evidences ofihe imperishahle nature OF
Mind. Ii the name Of Junius should sur
vivc no longer than the present generation,
it would be among the greatest Of those
evidences. His Was not Great Epic-a
series of Ciceronan Orations-nor the His.
tory ofa great Country; but simply few
scattered newspaper essays on the heciing
topics ofthe day; yct,for an hundred years,
curiosity necessarily points to them, the
political student looks TO them as model
snd critics issue volumes from the press 10
show who and what as the author!-C n
cinaah Gazette.
The Key Of the BasaiIe.
1t wa3 known that when the Bastile
was demolished at the beginning ef the
French revolution. the key of this famous
prison house was presented to George
Washington as the fttest depository for
this terrible instrument oftyranny. He.
The champion of liberty. was very proper.
ly chosen to he the keeper of the key oi
this terrestrial 'botiomless pit" II is still
preserved al Mount Vernon. and can be
seen in the large hall. secured in = glass
case. 1t is black. rude. huge. cross.
handlcd key and lcnks "a if IL miu,hf ha y q