New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-04-12

i'm and he detained for trial in the Court. a. -,
State. The British Minister at Washington pre,s,,',
to the President. Mr.. Van Buren, demand for b;,,'N
render. Mr.. Van Buren, declined complying with u.
request, and communicated his decision to Gov sev,,
Meantime, the Administration passed into the hand, :.
General Harrison and the affair Of Mcleod v,,
trusted to Daniel Webster, The British Mipjs,s, ~
Fox, insisted on the positions which he had take,
menaced the President with hostilities in Case HI,
mand was refused The Cabinet of Gen. Hsr,iso,t !.
came alarmed and were disposed to make concs.so,.
Gov Seward was urged TO put stop to the proceeds,
by entering n0tie prosequi. This he refused To a,
On thoroughly examining the facts he ascerained a..
the threat of Great Britain was based not on the A.
tenOn Of Mcleod nor yet on his trial. nor even on n,
conviction, but on bis actual execution Gov Sewn,
hrmy decided on his course from which he could no.
be shaken by the urgency of the General Goyernmeo,
He determined that Mcleod should come 70 trial. A,
| the same time, he aware that the evidence W.,
probably not sufficient for his conviction But If "a,
victed, the Governors consent was necessary for E
execution. So that compromise Of our relations With
Great Britain could be avoided without trucking "a
her menaces or suspendng the regular process Of s
The sequel showed the sagacity Of the Governor Tia
prisoner tried in spite of the demand of Presde,
Tyler (whO had now come into the Executive ChairA
for his release He acquitted for want of proofG
his guilt and safely delivered in the British Territor
by Gov. Seward, under military escort Never ha
popular excitement been raised higher pitch thn
just before his trial The fear of collision with Great
Britain widely prevailed Gov. Seward was accusedf
recklessly pursuing course which would plunge the
two nations in the horrors Of war But his frmnes.
and wisdom, in this Try ing moment prevented the d,
grace which the cOwardy policy of Tyler would have
brought upon the country. American honor was su,.
tanned in the eyes of the world and the public mind r.
stored to tranquility.
The contents of these volumes not only illustrate
the public course of Gov. Seward but CONSISTING
of great variety of productions of misce.
laneous character, afford the materials of forming
an accurate estimate of his intellectual qualte,
1t is evident that the foundation of his mental action
is laid in the necessity of clearness of conception which
is inherent in the structure of his mind He is never
satisfied with confusion vagueness or uncertainty Of
thought Cloudy generaties have no charm for bis
sharp, precise understanding He must not only look
at a subject which challenges his attention, but must
see through it, He has love for the fantastic shapes
presented by the imagination in the absence of lucid
evidence, but seeks to discover the proportions
Of subject under the broadest and brightest light
No obscurity that be removed by the power of
refined and searching analysis is permitted to darker
the luminous order of bis thoughts Rarely indeed
has literary work been brought before the public
which throughout its whole extent contains such proof
of cearness of intellect the present volumes For
Al.
of transparent reasoning, although he may have little
taste for the subjects to which they are chiefly devoted
Such structure Of mind, we need not say, is the H.
dspensible condition for the pursuit Of truth 1t &
the foundation of eminence in philosophy and science.
II has been the characteristic of those who have MAJ.
the largest additions to the knowledge of the wOrld
from Socrates and Aristotle to Cuvier and Humboldt
But it is not always combined with corresponding
clearness of expression In very many cases the
tempative searcher for truth, whose sight has been
unsealed to the perception of profound mysteries Is
unable to represent to others the objects which exist
in radiant brightness in his own mind His thought ha
not been welded to bis words The vision passesaw
at the approach of speech.
But in the writings of Gov. Seward we find q re-
msrkabe correspondence between his gift of express
sion and his power of thought His statements have
the finish, the symmetry, the translucent cearness Of
hrs intellect AS proof of this might refer to his
legislative debates and forensic arguments which with
cut exception, are Incompatible models in this
kind, opening the subject of which they treat 70
the comprehension of the most negligent reader.
Merely his statement of case is often demonstration
in itself.
The demand for logical conference is inseparable from
the necessity of cearness of thought This is accord
iDgly predominant element in Gov. Stewards mind.
He arrives at truth less by intuition than by deduction
HIS intellect does not dart at conclusions, like the
ehtning at it's mark but proceeds from point to point
BY the slower methods of ratocnatiOn. His thoughts
are naturally marshaed in consecutive order; one poa.
leading to another by inevitable consequence 20
step is taken on untried ground and thus the ultimate
result resembles spontaneous growth-the ripe fruh
OF the seed whose progress have watched from tho
moment of termination. Not that his style is encuu'
bered with the parade of logical formulas. He makes
10 show of his methods. His reasoning is slnguary
free from the dry. parched shrveed aspect Of techn
cal bair-spittDg casuistry IL is bold, free, manly VI
vacous, moving in leading strings but animated
with the warm glow of conscious truth. Deriving it's
Conference and symmetry from an instructive sense Of
unity, it afford to slight the observance of artificial
rules
Nor does his habit of accurate, logical thought i'm
pair the fresh and genial exercise of the imagination.
Gov. Seward if not poet, is endowed with native
roeca temperament, which is exhibited no lees n the
vitality # his style than In his devotion to high mora
ideal. He certainly never cOnceals principle beneath
profuson Of ornaments but he well knows how to give
freshness and beauty to his language by the graceful
embellishments Of fancy His occasional orations and
dscours-s present more frequent examples of this