New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-08

The agony-the long agony is over. The golden
box is as good az bestowed. The snuff box Of Gen.
Andrew Jackson, late Of the Hermitage Tenn, for
merly General in the armies Of the United States
Of America, the defender Of New Orleans, three
times run for and twice elected 10 the Presidency
Of this beautiful nation The box has been
awarded to Msjor, who 10 the Mexican war did
deeds doughty enough to ehtitle him to the posses
sion Of the sacred receptacle. What Major
Never mind, oh reader, ,ehat Major Soon enough
his name will be blown to tatters through the trum-
pet of fame, and Numbered in the ears Of distant
nations. The Custodian ofthe Great Snuff Box has
little need Of mention in these humble columns -
though the curious may find on another page some
account Of bis relation to certain defslcations.
Moreover, his modesty might be wounded BY use
too coarse of bis patronymcal aud sponsoral appel
latiOns. Heroes are proverbialy modest, and
THE MAJOR being adudged a hero by the Com
mittee of the Common Council of the City of New
York-heroes themselves, hand inerperti-must
also be modest What did be do in
Mexico9 Really we forget. Something very
fine, no doubt ard chivalrOus, and brave, and gal
liant, and Muratsh, aud all that sort Of thing. He
planted a banner of true Yankee bunting some
where upon a point heretofore deemed slightly
more inaccessible than PopOcatapet or Chimborazo;
be rushed into the jaws of death, which magnan
mously refused to slssr at him, upon some occs
sion; be defed destruction by impending steel and
imminent lead; he barred his bosom to bullets; he
acted in bomb-proof way everywhere did THE
MAJOR, and mines and batteries, sorties, charges,
infantry, cavalry artillery, the rifles the dragons,
the lancers, were to him of no account. He was
the bravest Of the brave. Name him Never !
He shall be known through all time as THE
MAJOR, without any minor considerations of name
or place-the Major of the JacisOnian Snuff Box.
Our condolences to the brave men who have gone
in and have not won As Yellowplush tersely OBJ
serves, "Phansy their pheelinx :" 1t must have
required great courage, of the moral sort, to ask
for the donary utensil-but to ask for il, and not
get 1t! To go down upon ones knees and pitifally
request committee Of cits to adudge one the
bravest man Of modern times and then not to be 81
adjudged, must be raspiDg to the military the mi
ltia mind. We never were sOldier-haye ever re-
NAMED quoad our nteguments, eniltless of the blue
cloth and brass buttons la militaire-we do not
know how an epaulet, whether of worsted or gold,
feels upon the shoulder, and We are strangers to
the sensation produced by saber cank at the heels.
We never went into battle, for various reasons, of
which the most important are, that we had rather
live than die, and that gun-shot wounds are con-
sdered dangerous by the doctors; but if we
were soldier, or had ever been one, or ever
expe cted to be one, We think we should try to cul.
tivatea few Of those exceedingly lofty feelings which
you read Of. 1t is bad enough to be hired muir.
derer at sixpence day, but to be such without the
virtues of the craft 1t is bad enough
and risky enough to lead forlorn hope, with
chance of being divided by capon ball or of being
painfully cut by q sword-but to charge for snuff
box and not get it To be left morally dead upon
the battle field To be adjudeed nobody in CON-
parison with somebody by the Common Council
IT'S Waterloo defeat at the very least. Therefore
do we, with that tenderness which is we'll known TO
be a constituent part Of our nature, cOndOle with
the vanquished and snufboxless. Terrible lions,
ferocious fre-eaters, all Of them were, without
doubt. But then there was but single snuff.box.
1t will be remembered that the feld Of COM
petition was narrowed by the terms of Gen.
JacksOn's will and that only citizens Of New
York were admitted within the barriers. Other
wife many gallant knights might have entered the
list-Gen. Pillow, for instance, who bravely dug
ditch in the wrong place, or Gen. Caleb Gushing,
who bravely tumbed into ditch in the wrong
place. Both these gentlemen would have been
formidable competitors of THE MAJOR; for
though Caleb never set squadron in the field,
ard Pillow should never have been permitted to,
they both showed uncommon courage in attempt.
ing to play soldier at all. Our own suggestion,
made a little while ago, that the box should be
given TO our beloved friend Fernando has also been
disreearded by the committee, probably in conse.
quence of the white feather shown by F. w. in
acknowledging the consttutionality Of the new
charter. There was nothing to do but give it to
THE MAJoR-and much good may it do him.
Dulcet be the sneezes which it may afford, or
delicious the plugs extracted therefrom
This being an age of complimentary cups,
saucers, pitchers tea pots, salvers and snuboxes,
we wish that somebody would offer prizes to all
members of the City Council, Of tho Democratic
persuasion, who may pass through their Official
term without cheating or attempting to cheat, to.
getber with something in the silver way exceedingly
massive and costly to that man who viii mako an
honest contract with the City Government and
honestly abide by it,
Our City has been blessed, BY dispsnsatiOn
which We would rather not ascrbe to Divine Proyi.