Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-01-02
OLD ALMANACkS,

/
1871 tn 1879. We do not know When We have found
relic Of the past more fruitful Of rich Old memories
tbsn tho pages Of his annual. In CHANGING over
i: 80 efs reminded how sad s&d bitter have
been tie changes which quarter Of century hs-
wrought In rhs texture OF the social life IS Richmond
aud bow many Of the greet statesmen OF that axe
have. during that period, past away.
When Il opers, IN 1881, we Ard the following
Executive of Virginia: Thomas Mann Randolph.
Governor; Peter " D0u;sl, Lieutenant Governor;
nf the Cuuncr! Of s,ste, WIN F. Penie,ul, Roasr
g. Scot, WIN. II. Rusme, WIlisn Robertson, VIII.
lig;. S::;r aud Wil.m Yates OF thssg, but three
remain, and hu~ widely diverse tEe- careers sincsi
| yet none Of ttem e'togetbev uad.tiEIuished. Ous
{: tssn is wor'hiy as-s: on the Bsnch Of the ~
peas Court If the Union. Another nns, for psrod.
ie,d gics IN foreign consulate, and the third, stri
being elevated TO the Office of Chief Magistrate Of
his Stat, left her for eeaon, to Tecu2srets HE 'r
tunes in aro,he. country, but returned again to 'ake
position among ha. representatives in tue het0iia
! coauci's Of the dead wllsi shall weeHY th"s<
who knew them best, could best record tier virtues
! Turing l;oln the Executive 10 tue judiciary the
following names orog- sitting in ne highest C"uri
os The Stale W-ili,nn Fleming, Spencer E9Gne,
/ Frsrcis T. Brooke, Wism Il. Cabell and ]. Coal
ter In the Courts of Chsuc-ry: Juin Brown, Johu
". Green, Greed Taylor and Dabney Carr; and
among the Judges of tie General Court Wihitm
I Bfocktnbrough, Jatnts semple, William Danit!. Jas
| Aiun. aud Others. Such names were towers 'f
strength and in the hsrds Of such judges the people
feared urher TO trust their lives .heir fortunes l.
was certainly discrtdt TO be found even in tbs low
eat sest among such cslaIy If learned end judicial
minds The fam. Of Spencer Rpans has become na
tIonal lie WAS said to BIZ n remarkable example o.
Judicial emin+nca II. bench; "f which his pre-, ion.
career a, ,hs bar had given earnest. Hs was ne.
yer remarkable for ready u,terance. While he spoke
! intesibly and always {" the point, he was nsv'.
possessd Of such f4lal fuenry Of rpeech as that he
could discourse when there WAS nothing to bs 81 -
On nj, elevation 10 III. bench, h was in his proper
sphere. and fr,m the beginning Of his Judicial career
his opinions commanded he re,p,ct aud attention o!
hi. brg,hrrn brief skech"f his life may be found
in the fourth volume of Calls reports. HE bioga.
pher says Of hir.: His judicial rnr-us did ro' sup
press hs tu!.i Tor ppiics. Ee belonged 20 what Vas
Gated lac rpphli Gn party ar, N orhar woEd toi
school o. Mr j. :frrs,,.,; and although lie l.yc- ne
l-ctcd the business t.: he Court liz "es i:nvn e"'
gagged IN In. political controversies o! Inc day s"c
frequently in the newspapers c'ncctn's he'n'
| IAnr1.inp-, may say neither to be comm. ndsd
IL ,r sulio,esd.I He had hnp"suhle and inadabe an
binn; but, be:ns; from feeling and education &c
publican, he hated a.s,ocrary and family pride, o.
we'll in tho=e Of his perty. in those Of The op.
pos,e side.
Gle had 'a,,e FIR belle, !etres, although HE rend
Ing was chi ay ned 10 law, history AID politics
| hIfe
/ careless.
"lis wa-, :wce, one Of the persons appointed to
rsv.s The laws Of ihe State; and several t:nrc ono OF
the College Of Electors If President and "ica Pre'
dent Of the United Stn'es. in both situations, ne
gave sar!.f,u.iun and IVES ono Of tbs Commissioners
for locating the University Of Virgins"
Mr. ] # .r.un. i, j. said, wished him, i, tho exp
ration oi Mr.. Munrov's term, 10 be run rs Vice Pre-
| .d.r: under Mr.. Crawford, with Vi " tLnt he
NJ; hit succeed tho Latter Prtsilen!; r.d had hs
lived, all! Mr. Crav f,rds health continued, it is pro.
oable the event ud nave been accomplished.
"As man, Mr. Il ,nrc wn. benevolent, s"c;al, and
u friend 10 general order. Ills pstrnoi: va, small;
hui h nprnved il, ard left Considerable es'h;e-
II. cicd II the nsr OF sixty, The 9TH nf September
1872, survived ny his second wife, Indy whose am!a
l.,cn,.d I; testb."
Judge Fisrling YES more remarkable then eny of
h,s conf-ere. 10. his ,e.ee ami Gacrnr! Judgments,
He directed lis whole battery c. Tie main r. int. Of
cau.r and having settled tn III Jeff lie ,umo. Ont, 10
take care of themselves. lie had bern Judge Il.
mi, period vs our a!,naneck fer nearly City yrars
having been elevated TO the bench in l779 We
should like speak Of the rest but the want of space
forbids Brooke and Cabsll are within The memory
of the living generation, and there others whore
names ar psar al i!,. ,irs tho bench q the Gene
raj Court, some Of whom sat side by side on the pre-
sen, appellate Cour: {: virg;cIs With the spns OF
those who have gone.
glance II, III. Legislative department in ths sp'
per house disclose. the Of George ay, Daniel
Bryan, Chapman johnson t,rho thea represented IN
the Senate the counties Of Augusta Rockbridxs and
p.ndleton and Henry St. Gsnrse Tucker, Of Frcis.
rick. in the lower house, WIN. <. Gordon Of Abe.
marie, Charles YaGcey Of buckingham, John g Bar.
hour If Culp.per, Philip Dudd-idse Of Brook, and
Andrew Stevenson " Richmond city. In the Fede.
raj CnEress il ,;c sensr, James Bsrbou! and James
pleesant. IN the !:nase IF Representatives, John
Tyler pM'p P Barbour, John Randolph, Charlie,
Fea,oa Mercer -ad Georss Tu,kes Voumes Lave
been ysn 10 preserve The memory Of some of these
q unes and there ciers a:ncng them deserving
the pen of The hi"; ;psr. Aud further g'ance u;
our al,neu.ck tells Of others .crxy il not more
Worthy Of the r.o riding. JOHN marshall, Chief Ju.
lice, and Bushrod Washington Thor,es Todd, G.
brit. Duvsi and Joseph S,nry, were on the bench vi
his Supreme Cvar; William Witt the Attorney Gsn.
81 al, ST. George TucE.r, -" fu,htr Of The two
later Judge fuckers, aud srst Virginia cnnmens,
on Blarkstune) or tn. Federal Court beuch. Rober.
s,anard wes the District Attorney.
Turning to the Cuh 4. ot The period :hc Willisn
aud Mar was under the sway Of DR.. Smith; james
Senple, the Judge, WAS prof ssur q. Law, .rd The
R-v. R-vel Keith tthe historanj was professor O.
! humanity. Or Hnmpd-n Sydney, Gushing wss pre-
sident, and in Washington College, Dr.. Bs.'er pre-
-ld-d. having h,as-i,tsnts in the faculty, Edward
Graham as professor # Natural Philosophy, aud the
Rev. Henry Rutuer professor OF Languages.
Our aim.nayk has ~, merely historical Interest.
II dabo, IN science and art and poetry, ara tho
tares OF each may find in lis pases s5h,sthips 70 IN
s-res; anG en!u.e IL, ~
We tnd proposed iii 1922, a. one Of the qaer:es to
bs answered in 1873 ,be following: 'Wns. is tho
Gags. of ,bs Aurora Bjrsa!ls, or n rtheru l. CHAR
Suus1. il, 1898 gives HE ansv.r "'rhu experiments
of Messrs Haskesbee aud Canton gu tn establish the
en,i,y If TIE Aurora realis with 'kct city. Aus
it nAy bs n-n:i,,t c,iia,ersi proofs ,!i's idrii
~. ;nat the au~pher- s"und by tic ell ctr"inei:'
IL sbUrud Will! eIec rcity when the Aurora shines
furrd that the Aurora, hen strong s accompanied
with tho whizzns or c'ark,ug sound Ut electricity
aud that L. ,rsust!c ueed;e is evidently disturbed
py tho aurora, WI. by the sotion VI .lscLi
cal ussats or by The natural electricity Of thun.
dx ssosw'" Tsl' wss Rsay o ps. SEssklis, sad