New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-29
FROM BOSTON,.

DoSION MOhony, o"c' Ar
We are under the greatest of obligations " --'
Chcate and NJ. George Ticknor Curtis for having
given slight flip TO the monotony of our lives
for the last fortnight. Mr.. Chostes celebrity as
contortionist was fully maintained by the agile
and skilful manner in which he threw this last
summerset. We had been expecting something of
the kind ever since Fremont's nomination aud
those of US who are fond Of theatrical entertain
-rents (fJr which / have to confess weskness)
usr. on the lookout for what We should see, and
uo har> at last been more than rewarded for our
,r.;,;r, ANY one accustomed to Mr.. Choate's
st,e of oratorv cold not fail to see him. with the
m;nSs ar. as he would have delivered his letter
in the Sesh. with all the appropriate clrcumvolu-
tions and syratita,s, and quiverings and grimaces
which occssioned d profane spectator once to
liken him unto "a moi key in convulsiOns.' This
exhibition of himself by SNr. Choate is not of the
slightest consequence pOltica ", as suppose you
know. 1t is Of no interest excep.'n IN an arIsuc
point Of view, as a specimen Of pOti. "i 'uns
Time has been when it would have been al omen h;N
of direful portent. Opponents would have .u' ,
cred in their shoes as they thought of the Ominous
conjecture which the baleful influences OF the &C.
centric planet might cast upon their whole sue
from his horid Aau
Shake pestieIce and war
over their path and hopes. But that is sll gone
by. like demonstration on the part Of poor
Philosopher Mellen, or of Pratt, the Great Amer
can Traveller would influence an election just as
much now.
Then, as if Mr.. ChOates letter were not enough,
Mr. George TicknOr Curtis most kindly volunteered
an Epstle General which had the happy effect
of putting everybody into good hamOr. 1t wsss
species Of homeopathic practice, only the dose
was not precisely nhnitesimal by which the DUH
ness of the town was cured by the administrations
of a medicine of character analogous to the dis
ease. | have seldom seen merrier community
than this on the morning Mr.. Curtis's letter
appeared. This am compelled to say, though 1t
does tell against human nature that men should thus
make mock of one of their chiefest benefactOrs.
When we consider what this man had done. how
he had saved the Union frem the treas0nous hands
of Sims, and sent him back to Georgia to be
seoursed to death as he well deserved 70 De, ana
that he did this great work for nothing, magnan-
mously waving away from him the lawful len
Dollars he had 80 fairly earned, ore would think
that his lightest word would be caught with eager
ness and sbeyed with reverence. And yet have
lived to see the Sims Commissioner laughed at IN
the open street Yes, by Heaven the losels
laughed at this man who had saved them as he
himself las assured u.s. at the peril OF his life Even
the Webyter Wings who were wrOth with him for
telling them what Mr. Webster would have done
we're he alive, Gas if his own authority could be
by that Of any mere man while
they d-d his impudence, laughed cOnsumedly.
The atlas scoffed and The Adrertiser sneered at
hi H. and grieve to say that even The TRIBUNE
has not treated him with the respect his great ser
vices demand If Ihad not long ago fallen back
OIL on the doctrine of Total Depravity as the key
L. ofh the yEQ N
of this great man have been treated
would have converted me to 1t.
know that there are miscreants who insinuate
that our Commissioner was moved to act In the
Sims matter, not by the prospect OF the Ten
Dollars, which 10 the Civic Crown bestowed by
the Nation on him who has saved the State, but by
the possibility Of his receiving the District
AttOrneyship of Massachusetts,. None but infdes
to Public Virtue will listen to such gloss for
To be sure Mr.. George Lunt, who then
held the place, refused in the most dls0bligng
manner either to die or resign, so that those cav
ilers can never be silenced, as the contingency
which would have put them tO an open shame
never occurred. Other some dared to hint that
his action might have been Influenced by the wish
thus to streD gthen the claim of his brother Mr.
Justice Curtis of the Supreme Court OF the United
States, to the high position he holds. But though
we can readily believe our Commissioner to pos
sess fraternal affection, as well as every other
domestic virtue in the highest degree, 1t Is patent
to all the world that it could not have been called
in play for this purpose. For, in the first place,
Mr.. Benjamin r. Curtis was beyond all compar-
isOn at the head Of the bar OF New-En5land, and
was the man for the place, had fitness alone been
regarded. And, secondly, as it is notorious that
fitness alone is not sufficient qualification for
such promotion, he had been long preparing his
way to it by such services as best deserve 1t. he
as the council for the plaintiff in the case OF the
slave child Med which produced the hrst decision
that slave brought into Massachusetts, by the act
Of tfe nAster was thereby emsncipated, and. being
gentleman of flowing courtesy he tined TO per-
suade the Massachusetts, Judges to send this infant
into Slavery for life, 4" as an act Of comfy" Ihe
Judges. however, were ill.bred enough to refuse,
and the little child remained, most mpOlitely. free
during its little life. She died soon, poor thing,
little dreaming that her name would be an hist0r
ical one, and she lies buried IN the cemetery on
the Neck, with white stone at her head recording
her name and history in half dozen words,
erected by member OF the bar who had been her
active friend while che lived.
/ don't know whether ! ought TO tell OF 1t just
At this time lest it may Djure his prospects OF use
fulpess but the fact is that MIR. Rufuf Choate was
the counsel for the child and greatly distinguished
himself by the manner in which he maintained her
rights. He was employed by the Boston Ladies
Anti. Slavery Society, and was reluctant to receive
the fee they insisted on paying him. am afraid
il is i'll natured in me TO tell Of this but it seems
10 be part of the history and cannot well be
omitted would beg of my readers, however, to
be little careful how they mention it, as it might
stand in the way of his confirmation as Attorney
General when Mr. Buchanan comes in, if the
shareholders should get wind of it. Besides this
service to return to Judge Curtis, he is believed
TO have acted az Chamber Counsel in the Sims
matter, and he certainly made the speech we!com,
ing Mr.. Webster after the Seventh OF Marcn
speech, in front of the Revere House the reply 70
which contained that memorable exhortation 70 US