Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-12-31
CONGRESSIONAL DAGuERREOTYPES.

CONGRESSIONAL DAGUERRE0TYPES.
The Washington Correspondent of the New
York Times in letter dated Dec. 22nd, draws
the following portraits:
On Mr.. Davidson's resuming his seat, Will
hanson X. w. Cobb of Alabama seized the
floor, and delivered an extraordinary hard shell
Baptist sermon, of that original and amusing
kind for which he long ago obtained patent.
The Rev. Mr.. Cobb has been for thirteen years
a member of the house, and pillar of the crus-
tacous Baptist faith. He is model man of
the type half-horsc half-alligator, standing six
feet four inches in his broad-tocd boots, and so
thia as to recall the story of that Western debt
who, when pursued by the sheriff, crept into
his rifle and looked out at his pursuers through
the touchhole. In dress he is all over the Bap-
tist parson-black dress coat, black satin waist
coat and heavy gold seal, yard and half of
thin black trousers, and stiff black satin era
vat, surmounted by appointed white shirt
collars. His face resembles that of DEATHS
head moth-the forehead narrow and prominent,
the dark eyes sunk away out of sight, the cheek
bones hardly covered by the tight-drawn and
sallow skin, the cheeks hollow, the nose short,
and the head thicky matched with a shortish
but strong growth of iron-gray hair, divided in
the middle Of the forehead. Swaying backward
and forward on his legs,like the long pendulum
in the tower of Notre Dame, suspended there
to prove the rotation of the earth,-this gaunt
and grisly orator swings his arms through the
air with sweep as wide and desolating in ges-
ture as if welding the scythe of time His
voice has the wild sinking and falling, shouting
and whispering, shrieking and muttering of
the western Baptist pulpit. His grammar is a
little more uncouth than his appearance, and
his pronunciation keeps unison with all the fan
ct,n nf aud
then he darts forward, thrusting out long
skinny arm and extended forefnger at the Re-
pubcans, while he asks question; then crouch
ing back on his launches, while he feigns to be
shocked with the answer which he has put ito
their mouths: "Have you no other man." he
screams to the Republicans-"Have you no
other man but Sherman to fix in that cheer?
If you her, and doant go to do it, then you're
the meanest kind of white men that crawls this
airth; for ef you du put him thahr, in that cheer,
our peoplell lick us out of our boots when they
get us hoam.' AS another reason for organi-
zng he very frankly confessed that he ''wanted
a little money himself and thahr was no sight
for a-gettin it until the cheer was filed" Never
did provincial tragedian, obtaining his first
chance for fame in a Metropolitan theatre, SO
tear q passion to rags and out-Herod Herod in
the way of stormy gesticulation and wild atti-
tudes as did this orator of the day. His legs
were bendable as length of hosepipe; his arms
extensive and prehensile as if a couple of rat
tle-snakes had been jointed on at his shoulders;
and the hard bones of his fingers ratified to-
gether as he snapped them in the faces of the
Notwithstanding out the idea which the
curving and writhing of his talon-ended arms
suggested.
He was interrupted by Emerson Etheridge,
of Tennessee, who rose on behalf of the South
Americans to protest battle-ground never affili-
ate with the Democrats, who had traduced and
aspersed them since the House had commenced
ballotng for Speaker Mr.. Etheridge is a
man of about 3S years of age, with singular
ly fine and well developed, broad forehead !;
straight, brown hair; brown whiskers and
chinbeard; large hazel eyes, set at an hon.
est distance from each other, and promi-
nent, straight, nose of not any decided type.
He has fine, mellow voice, talks luently, and
his words appear to carry weight both with his
own men and the Republicans. He speaks like
a lawyer, with good deal of emphasis, and his
general appearance is very prepossessing The
point of discussion between this gentleman and
Cobb was whether, as matter of propriety, the
South Americans should 60 over to the Demo-
Gratis, or the Democrats to the South Americans.
Etheridge wound up by declaring that "it would
be the last resort with him-the cup of bitter
ness filled to overfowing before he would ever
cast his vote for any man who had voted for
that Lecompton iniquity which majority of
ten thousand in Kansas had since shown to be
the worst act of despotism ever attempted to be
perpetrated against free people" This brought
down the House, previously convulsed with
laughter at Cobb, into long storm of applause,
which very decidedly showed the feeling to be
in the speakers favor.
Mr. Boteer then rose and nominated Gen.
John S. Mllson, of Virginia,--a nomination
which was received with loud applause. Mr.
Boteler is a 'singularly nelooking man, slight
ly bald in the forehead, with full, dark beard
unconscious of o razor, eyes of the average size,
well set under clearly-marked brows, forid
complexion and Grecian features. He is ex-
tremely English in his style Of speaking--his
voice richly toned and calm, and his whole man
ner of a conciliatory turn. Had the vote been
taken when he sat down, the chances are that
| Millson would have been elected by eombina-
ton of all the anti-Republican elements, But
at this juncture Mr. Horace F. Clark sprang to
his feet and obtained the floor. lie is now
speaking, and his remarks will largely diminish
the chances Of anything which can be construed
into an Administration victory. II is ten min
utes to p. NJ, and the mail closes at that hour
He is listened to with deep attention-sthe Dem
ocratic benches showing that his speech is re-
garded as calamitous to their hopes of succeed
ing on Botelers nomination of Millson, CLARK
has now been speaking eight minutes. but his
drift is not fully revealed. NOBODY.