Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-01-26
FROM THE = MY POST.
IT,. i.ta Johu Hamoden Pleasaf1ta.

nose TO NEEDLE. This is what he says Of the lat
ter:
oThe other person then sitting near him at the
clerks table much younger IN yenrs, shaii
in stature careless in his apparel his face bear
ing weight of premature cHre-a prophetic
face which was redeemed by brilliant eye
His intellectual endowments WIRE OF high or
der. In wit. sarcasm, scorn--ln ready COM
mand of the choicest words and phrases-ln
knowledge of men and things passing before HIM,
and in those qualifications which make up dash
ing editorial, he bad no supcrior-hardy an
equal. His writings made a new era IN our
Newspaper literature. Some Of his finer touches
were beyond the reach of Fonblarque. He made
enemies, a. all men who IN exciting times, bring
positive qualities TO bear on exciting topics are
prone to make: vet there were few ot his pollu-
cal opponents who did not occasionally relish his
raillery, even when it played upon their own par
": He sometimes fell into amusing mistakes
for he had read history rather by snutches than
on system, and he was apt, in the hurry of the
moment, to gather his knowledge Mt second hand,
and the lghtnngs Of his genius often scorohcd
too severely the objects which they fell. Nor
did he possess-perhaps be scorncd 1.-THE ex-
quisite tact which is required m public leader
IN a country like ours, aud which was the prom
inent characteristic OF his great opponent; for
with the single exception of the Convention ques-
ton, Thomas Richie and John Ilampdon Pleas
ants held political topic IN unison; but, on that
common ground, they piled their constant task
We have nothing TO say with regard 10 the first
picture. With regard TO the second, we feel II
our duty TO say at least enough To correct n
strange MISREPRESENTATION into which the lecturer
seems TO have fallen. We find no fault whatey
er. with the general character of the picture in
deed ample justice, but not more than justice,
seems to have been done to the original. IL Is
upon a single point alone that we take issue with
the painter.
That Mr.. Peasants may have sometimes fallen
into historical blunders. il highly probable. 1t
il the fate of every man who writes with extreme
rapidity, and who never stops 20 review or eraso
what he has written. But when Mr.. Grigsby
says Tint 'he read history only by snatches, he
himself falls into n blundcr nj least ns grent ns
any ever committed by the subject OF his sketch.
We do not exactly understand what he means by
reading history on SYSTEM" bu, If he means
taking regular course such ns is prescribed by
lawyers to their students when they first enter
upon the study of the Law he is probably right.
Mr.. a. guilty of stupid bmnder,
nor had he any occasion for it. The study of
history was, win hinh a passion nom his tenth
year to the day of his death. IL grew with his
growth, strengthened with his strength, and flour
ished in intense vigor even to the last. His in
formation upon great many portions of His
tory. il is true, was general for he read for the
love of IT, and he contented with only so
much knowledge of certain parts of il as men of
liberal education in general possess. But there
were other portions of il, such as attracted his
fancy with which he was profoundly conversant
No man, for instance, with whom we have yet
been acquainted knew so much with respect to
the history of England during her great constl-
tutional struggle commencing under the reign on
James l., and terminating with the expulsion of
his grand the second OF the name, from the
throne and realm of Great Britain. The bent of
his mind made him dwell with peculiar pleasure
upon this most exciting and most Interesting pc
Rod. He was impressed with an admiration of
the English people, which we thought too deep.
and lie dwelt with delight upon the resistance of
fered by that stiff necked and rebcous people,
10 arhti ary rule at time when all the rest of the
world was divided into the two classes of cour-
tiers and slaves There work upon any
portion Ct that memorable period, from Claren-
don's history of the grand rebellion, down To
Fox's unfinished history of the reign of James
H., that had ever come within his reach, which
he had not read and re perused, until he had oe-
come thoroughly master Of it ; and SO intimate
was he with men, dates, and ! calities, that we
are almost confident he could have written such
history of il as could be gathered from his
authors. by The aid of his powerful memory
alone. No pamphlet, no memoir, review, con
nected with that period, escaped his perusal, if
he had it in his lower to obtain it. Perhaps this
may be what Mr.. GriGsby calls 'reading history
by sDatches," and Perhaps in some sort it may
he so called, for II comprised only the history of
a certain period. 1t should be remembered, how
ever, that some of the creates historians that
/ ave ever lived, have writien history in the same
way; rs, for instance, Tbucydides, Tactus, Ma
chiayelli, Robertson, Roscoe, &c. Nc We
doubt i'll n word, whether any many of his day in
Virginia, had more thorough knowledge of the
whole history of England, far it could he
obtained from such popular writers as Hume,
Lingard, and thu contnuators of the former.
filled up where they deficient by contempt
rary memoirs and histories, than he had
Nor was he less intimately acquainted with the
history of the Roman commonwealth, in the days
of her decline, when the "frst bald Csesar' seiz-
ed upon the crown which, as n modern rival said
of himself, '.he found lying in gutter" or rather,
upon that empire of which the crown rejected
by him with so much reluctance is the emblem.
The Catos, the rnilys. the Brutuses, of those
mighty times ike the HampdeIs, the RUSSELL,
the SidDeys of later periods, excited his i'm
agination and warmed his enthusiasm. for they
found a congenal spirit in him. We mention
these two periods, because they wee fayories
with him but there were many others W til
which he was almost equally eonyersant. But il
is supererogatory TO tell this To any man who is
at all acquainted with his writings. There is no
American author in whose works historical IL
Illustrations so frequently occur, or by whom his
torical incidents and parallels applied with
more force, brlliancy. point vivacity. He
never crdmmed for any occasion, let It be az i'm
portant as it might. He drew from the store
house Of his memory-from the nexhaustbe his
torical resources, which he had laid up without
the slightest design or expectation If ever using
them in the way Of his profession. The argument
and the illustration came unbiddcn into his mind,
as il became warmed by the excitement of compo-
sifiop They had abouf them nothing of the frie-