The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-08-24
GEN. OGLE AGAIN.

The General was by no means booklearned
man. On the contrary, quite the reverse
And upon this circumstance is founded the
Napital story we are about to copy. Here
it is:
ssProbably (says the writer) not one man in
| a hundred can learn to write his own name.
spell February, or to hit the cases of theperson-
al pronouns, after forty years ofage. The Gen
eral suffered something by the lack of for NAL
training in his youth, which ear-marked his
style of speech and composition while he lived.
An amusing instance will illustrate slight de-
feet of this Sort and his mastery skill in extri-
eating himself, which never deserted him in any
| such exgency. Immediately after Madison's
| second election, the General called upon Gov.
ernor Findlay, then holding the Office of State
Treasurer, with the manuscript ola long letter
which he had written to the President, cover
ing the whole ground of our foreign and domes.
tic policy, and especially the principles and
measures of the Democratic party. Mr.. Find
lay heard with not little admiration of its
merits, matter and form; but, glancing at the
paper, he observed that the General had, in
some hundred instances, written the pronoun
in little with pop over it; and sincerely desir-
ing to reform it for the writer's sake, and for
the effect that it ought to have, but impressed
also with his sensitiveness to criticism, which
in any way impeached his capabilities he coax.
ipgly suggested the much desired correction af.
ter this fashion:
"An excellent letter, General. sound
letter, sir; full of most capital advice, which
Mr. Madison will be glad and proud to receive,
and thoroughly democratic in every sentiment
letter. General, that any man might be proud
to write. Views, sir that will make the admin
stration equal to Jefferson's it they are fully
adopted. But, General, they have a court cus-
tom at Washington, a small matter such as you
and are not apt to treat with much considera-
tion-an Indifferent little piece of etiquette-a
Here MIR. Findlay began to stammer.-
The Generals keen eye was upon him and he
feltit.
/" Percizely! what is it''
ooh, nothing" looking over the paper as if
would be easily altered Astrokeof the pen here
and there merely"
" Pine-blank,' said the General, what is it,
Gov Findlay!"
Why, General, it has become the custom
lately, at Washington, to write the pronoun
with capital letter"
The General was caught, and he knew how
he was caught, and he must recover him
self.
Percizely, Mr., Tindlay; all right Most
as uredly-I know pine. blank-you're right
BY this time he was ready. Look here, my
dear sir" laying his hand OH Mr.. Findlay's
shoulder, as if to re-assure him, for the embar-
rassment was all on the one side now. " You
see, my dear fellow, had design in it. When
write to small pattern of man, make my
capital is two inches long; when | write to
my equal fellow citizens, such as yourself, l
make them the usual length; but, when address
myself to as great man as Mr.. Madison or
Mr. Jefferson, always make them as small
as possible, with pop over them percizely.
need hardly say that the General walked
straight to his room, and raised every letter Of
them to the dignity required by the rules of
grammar and the etiquette of Washington City,
before he despatched the eps,le.