The Placer herald., 1856-04-19

may take my opinion for what it is worth
In General Pierce | was agreeably disap-
pointed. lie is a gentleman, and unless
misread appearances, large-hearted, gener-
Gus man. Now am well aware this will
create quite an uproar in our little household
and father, who would not let poor James
complete his unique portrait gallery of the
Presidents by bringing that Of Gen. Pierce
into the house. and threw out divers and
sundry hints that made us think for the mo-
ment he would forget his staid habits and
punch something or somebody, will, | have
no doubt, dsown me. Well, abide by my
assertion, and when history comes to clear
away the rubbish of daily papers and windy
speeches, this hump-backed tyrant who muir
dered those babes in the woods Kansas and
Nebraska, will be found a fair-proportioned
gentleman. | say so, and re- wing upon nay
woman's instincts, assert, regardless Of CON
tradiction, that General Pierce is a kind
hearted, generous, impulsive gentleman
Nothing could exceed the ease and dignity
with which he received our great crowd.
Another gentleman seized us-not a small
one this time-and presented us to Mrs.
Pierce. She, too had a smile for US, but it
was so mixed with WEAKNESS and sorrow that
| turned away panied. 1t brought up the
past, real and alpable before me. Power
had come almost unsought to those inmates
of the Presidential mansion, but, aflliction
came too. And 10 them these halls are des-
olate and dreary, and by their side all the
while walks a shadow which says, "Vanity of
vanities-al is vanity"
OF the people she met there she thus
writes:
"And the crowd-what a heterogeneous
mass. Men, women and children, (for half
grown girls and boys made up least one
fourth represented all classes and all climes
The rude drover from Indiana jostled the
New York exquisite, and the dress from the
remotest village, made up from fashion
plates, and fitted in paroXyisms, gave a
striking background to the most perfect Par
sian toilette. So the crowd poured in march
ing in stiff formal procession round the room.
The lady hung on to a biped's arm, clingng
each to the other, as if the enemy were
about, and, dissolution would be disorder and
ruin And here they came-the anxious
office seeker and hungry claimant, indoent
clerks and active mlionares, stray birds Of
passage from the merchant who has bought
goods in Baltimore, to the Hebrew with a
jewelry store on his person. | saw the
bearded Californian walking by tho slender
representative from Maine; the many-wived
gentleman from Utah was hob and mob with
hot gospeller from the West; the owner Of
plantations aud negroes did the agreeable to
the fair Puritans Of the East and said,
What a country is ours The slender gen
tleman in the adjoining room was really the
ruler over nations before whose possessions
the empires of history dwinde into insifnfi-
cance. Stretching from Maine to the golden
sands of the Pacific and embracing, not one
people in fact, but many with wide conflict
ing interests and different manners, customs,
religions and languages, yet, so admirably
and simply bound together, that the wide
extent brings no weakness, but, in their very
diversity, wealth, health and strength.
We had no very distinguished people pres
ent, and the somber dress Of the men, with
the simplicity of toilet exhibited by major
ity Of my sisters in attendance, made the
assembly appear to the eye rather solemn
One misses the gay uniform Of diplomatic
corps, and the glitter of military foppery in
cident to such occasions at European courts.
The diplomatic body at Washington is not
very imposing body, either as to dress, num-
bers or intellect. The fact is, we have no
business of a diplomatic character, and no
court to make such pursuit agreeable The
gentlemen of that bod dy in Europe dread the
United States, and one and all, from the low
est to the highest, consider the mission here
a dismal Punishment.
The $4,000 per annum paid the President
is quite sum Of money, and one would sup
pose amply sufficient to supply his necessities
and leave a balance in his favor at his ban
kcrs. True it is not one-fifth as much as
would be paid to the governor Of a British
Province, but then we are plain republicans,
are horrified at the idea of our chief mags-
trate feeding with gold spoons.
This lady, who seems familiar with courts,
is out upon us for our parsmony. Hear her.
Now let me remark: We give our President
too much for the republican simplicity, and
not eonugh for entertainment We have a
large, handsome house, demanding, like fur
niture, yet badly filed and without a work
of art on its walls Between the endeavor
to do something and the want of means,
the unhappy incumbent generally leaves a
bankrupt, unless, indeed, he acts as one of
them once did friend informs me, that
returning one evening after reception, in
search of missitg article, she found the
President busily engaged turning off the gas
and extinguished the candles. She did not
add that he put the ends in his pocket, but
he was very imprudent not to have done so.
Let the President pocket the candle ends,
and thank Providence that he has something.
1t is said that members Of Congress carry
home pocket knives and spittoons, and why
should not the President have his candle
ends!