The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-12-18
ThoMas Jstsersea's Opinsou oi s'e'sish
Henry.

Thouas Jetsersou's Optn,o0 81 r"'sich
! Henry.
The lorlhcoming volumes ui the private cor
rs,,,I,.eu,e IL p.,Del Web,ies VII! sapn ai''
p,ur irom the press OF latte Brown, Boston,
Quo,a,,oas III advance are giVen, aud a'no',s
them are sctue mtcmstiog extracts iron Nj.
Web.,ers Diary. IN 1924 Mr. Webster visit
cJ Mr.. Jefferson. and afterwards wrote out the
following opinion Of Patrick ll,ary, gathered
from conversations w,,h The iormtr
/ ratr,cM ncury was originally u bar.keciu.
Hr was msrr,ed very yonng, apd going 'aio
some business, On his own account WINS bank
rupt b.l,re the year was out. When I was
about the age oil fifteen, lcli the school hrrc.
to 90 to the College ut Williamsburg. |
stopped lew iays al u friends IN The county
Of Louisa There saw and becamc aequani'
ed with Patrick Henry, Having spent the
Christmas holidays there, prcccded to WI
lamsburg. some questions arose about my
ndmisaion, ~ my preparatory studics had not
been pursued ut tic school connected WITH that
Institution, This delayed my admission aboot
a fortnight, at which time Henry appeared al
Williamsburg, and 'rl'eo fora license to rfae'
tice law. having col ..,nnerd the s,ady vt II nt
or subsequently 10 the tins oi my meeting him
at Louisa. There were four examiners. Ny,he
Pcndle,on. Peyton Randolph, and John Ran.
dolph. Wythe and Pcndleton at once ielecle'i
his application The Two kaBdolphs. by his
importantly, were prevailed upon 10 sign tbs
Incense; aud having obtained their sigua'nrc.
be applied again 10 pendleton, and hilrr much
cntreaty aud many promiscs Of Iosnre study.
ruccc,,i,d Ia obtaining hls.
| The frs, case which brought him into no
tice was a contested election, ia winch be ap
pcsrcd ~ counsel before n committee ol the
| iious, Of Uurgcsses. His second was the Par
sous cusc, already well known, These and
similar Efforts soon ohtaine'i Tor him 80 moeh
reputation that he was elected u monibaf OF
The Legislature. lie was ~ well suited 10 The
times ~ ANY maD ever was. nnd u mol now
easy 10 say what We should have done without
pairck Henry. lIe was before oil IN main
tanning the spirit ot the Revolution H's III
auence was most extohs'se with TIC msin'" ~
from the upper counties, and b. bo'lte~s ana
their votes oscrawcd aud controlled 'hs more
cool or the more ti,nid sFistocfaiic gentlemen
oi the lower part ot tle state. liis eioquenee
was peculiar, II Indeed u should bc caIied oi"
! ousnc. /, Iof IL WA Impressive nnd s1biinr Ia
yond wha, can bc ,ioaginod. Although IT was
difficult when hc bad spoken, TO tell what he
had said, yet. while he wns speaking. II always
ws.nsd directly to the point. When hn ha1
spoken In opposition 70 my opinion. bal pro
duocd great eiicc,. and myself been hgh'y
delighted and moved, ! have askcd fny"sli when
be rsw,sd What tic devil has he said 2 /
could never aDswer the enquiry, His pfs"n
was OF full siDe aud hs manner AMI y0lc' he"
AMI manly. He uttcrenoe neither very 'asi
nor very slow Ills speeches very short. IRON
a aoarirr 10 hall an hour Ills pronunciation
was Vulgar abd vicious. bat q was 'o'go'to"
Wills be was speaking.
IIe was a man Of very little knowledge u
any sort be- read nothing, ami had 10 bodsF'
Returning, one November from Albermafie
Court. he borrowed oi ns Hames Essays, 10
two yo.unes, saying be should base ie,surc 10
the winter ior reading. In the spring be -
turned them, npd declared ho lad not ias.n
able 10 70 further than twenty az thirty pages
IN the first yoiurna Iio wroia aim"st nothing
in le, he could no, write. The resolutions
lo,'55. which had booa ascr;bcsl 10 biu. have by
many, believed 90 have boon written by Sir.
u
s,on bD, u they we're written by Henry ham
sslf. they afs B0t sieh ~ 10 prove hny p9~u'
Of co,ursai,ioD Neith.r in poiities, nor ~ his
profession was b. . man DI bu,ineya. iis was
a mnu of debate only. hE bographer say'
that h. rad f'iu,sfcn fhroogh every year
4 doubt wb.ther be- ever read so1Dc oi u ~
bis le. Iia temper WAS siesll,ui, ao'i b'
geueraiiy oiseryei deeorum 10 debats On on
tr two occasiops have ~ecn him angry, NOD
hi. apgtr wa. terrible. Thor who WItoessd
/ Il were not disposed to roaso II again. IN bp
opiu,on be was yielding aud praeticable, ao'
n,,t Disposed 20 dEer from his friends. Ia p,i
yatf eonsesss,i0n be- vas agreeable and fdre
,,o... and, whI!e ia pen,eei society, appssred
, 10 andfrmsnd oil ibe decenciss aud proptietiss
ssit bat 10 his heart. lac pseSefr'd low society
, abd sought it a. often ~ possible. lie souf
. hun, In he pine woods of fiuvsns, with over
!. -.r. aod people u that description, living ID
. camp a fortnight al time withOot q change o
rair,eut. have often been sstDnisbed at hii
|, esDrosbd % proper language how be stialsts
skkbowlsdge of il never could hud cut, a. b
read ~ Ittir, and cDnversed bot little with ed
aca,tsj men. Afsr NIL. il must b. allowed ihsI
|. he wss our leader in the MEASURES 0l the rsvo
/ luton Ia Virginia. Ia that rsspsct mote Wa
, doe 10 him than " huy other persob. 1--we
hsa hot hsd him. ~e should probably have go'
! ost pretty veil. - yoo did. bys nemies d
. psn oi nsaSiy equal tsleois. but ls ie:t ~ all
ias bsbiad him. iis tioyrspbr ssn' ,hf sheets
of hi. work 70 ne ~ thcy were printed, and st
the end ssksd my opinion. iod him u would
I be- . qssstian HEREAFTER vbstisr his work should
hs plsoed on The she'll Of b's,osy Of gsSegyrie.
. 1t y . poos book, written N t'sd ,as'e. sod
, yives 70 imperfect AZ des o. Patrick Henry
tI,ss Il s,uss insepded 10 show IN the writer
ror. ,hss ,ls ,ass-e' oi tbs work.