Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-08-02
ICOMNUSIcAII.D.

and obese man, who has been very unwel
for many days, especially, AS he is not pro-
fcssional writer. But, | suppose, he must
say few words las the phrase goes) in an
swer to Mr.. John Esten Cookies epistle
though, should he follow his example, it may
extend to a good many. Still, for his own
sake-pinguis de grege-but, hush you
may soon be among earnest men-as well h
yours and your readers, he will try to be as
concise ~ possible.
But how the subject theme may gang,
Let time aud tide determine;
Perhaps it may turn out sang,
Perhaps turn out Sermon
Mr.. c. concludes his letter, by saying, "he
thought that if any fault could be found with
his sketch Of Mason, it would have been tie
etagyeratiOn IF enthusiastic" That exagge-
ration, arising from whatever cause, Was
certainly obvious: and though felt that my
grandsire's form was tall and full enough to
need neither stills nor crinoline, yet. | left it
to be appreciated and corrected, by simply
saying, that whatever were the inteller.
tual end"wments aud political influence Of
George Mason, the relicts Of his mind, and
the evidence of his contemporaries, would
| best attest the only firm foundation, after
all, on which they can stand. But, | will now
add, when he talks of his being zone of the
most remarkable men, not only Of his coun-
try and his epoch, but Of all roSnfries and
all hme," | must remind him, that there is
u very wide space from Moses and Cyrus to
Madison and Wellington; and that others
might remember that fact, Us well rs myself
! 1t will be recolected that, Oh the former
! A, | .tal =
sonal appearance, mental culture, and social
characteristics OF Col. VI. | gave my sketch,
aS he had given his, for what it was worth,
merely mentioning who | WAS. lie speaks
now, in general terms, of information de-
rived from my friend, Mr.. James NJ Mason,
our worthy Senator" dare say, MIR. Mason
and myself would not differ materially in our
version of these traditions; but, least there
should be any discrepancy, will only state
the fact, that Mr. James NJ Mason is the
son Of the fourth son, who was the seventh
child Of Col. NJ, rs ain of his second son,
who was his third child | omit those who
died in infancy, III both emumeratiOns.-
Neither he nor ever saw our grandfather;
he died before we were born. Nor do be-
lievr there Is now u single surviving descen-
dant OF his who has any personal recollection
OF him, except one most excellent and intelli-
ligent lady, now the oldest of our race--GOd
ever bless her honUred head who is the
daughter Of Col. NJ. : eldest son and. though
| have seen her but once in the last five and
iorty years, will be very apt to cOrrOborate
my statements. My information was chiefly
derived from my father who as he WAS still
unmarried lived more with his father up to
the time of his death, than any Of his sons
and, at which time, he was about 80 years Of
age. speak from the Gunston Bible, lying
before me. Mr. j. NJ. Mason's father from
whom it is presumed he derived his) WAS
only little upwards of %, at that date, and
had heen most of the time. after he grew up |
engaged in mercantile pursuits abroad 1t
is not to be supposed that Col. NJ. left any
written description of himself.
Mr.. Cooke refers To Mr.. tirigsbys sketch, which |
| have never seen, and tells what he wrote Of
the portrait ut Cle,mon,." Well, this same por-
trait AT CermOnt, what was it? Certainly, no
original but only the duplicate of one | own, |
both copied At the same time, and by the same
Frenchman, Ia very poor artist, all will soe, |
who inspect those paintings) from the original, |
by lleSsilius, which war the property OF Col Ms
eldest My father considered these copies as
giving lite of the expression of his fathers |
lines, thar it long before he would per
nit hls To be hung up in his house, and never |
ceased {" express his disaPprobatlOn Of it, But /
SUPPOSE II you please, that my father had entirely |
forgotten his fathers face and that this perfect
likeness. what, after ALL does this picture represent
Why, n handsome young man, with rather delicate |
features, fresh and torid, with douJie chin, Who
had been great while since married to u very |
pretty girl of sixteen and if he could have looked
ut such season, even "half sad. or half severe" |
either hope will suspect he could have |
been moOdily musing on that line OF his iayOrte |
Ovid-liac bona non prima tribuit natura jmyent:c)
he wGui have richly deserved To have been kick
ed and appeal to all the ladies', young and old,
il he had not deserved Ia be well kicked, too
But. no. n" though cannot say with Byron, that
he was then Juvenile and curlcy," (ior he has OH
"A prim black wig oi the fashion of his time, and
which IL the next ahumination under the sun To
bearded face,) he elegant and gallant man,
every great man has been, before and after him.
Why, methinks have some recollection of Csius
julius, who, it has been said, WAS
The greatest man ia all tide of time
being such II foppish gallant in his youth, that he,
wearing no periwig. scratched his curled and
senced head un0 digit0 and though he certainly
was far much of gallant ut all times, still no
maintained the purity and honor of his own house
hold with the dignity and decucy of the high
born, high hearted, generous gentleman that he
WIZ hhh yet, i"P Baiaht tooJ 10 ho
been, he would have compared hvorably in mind,
manners, age aud morals too, with that trst type
Of your earnest man. that dirty, sloven and drunk
Ell beast, Marcus Cato. Witness his brutal fury,
even in his dying hours, to hs poor, fond slave!
fellow who made il his boast that he had
never INDUCED in female society in his youth, but
waited most stoicully till he felt himself fully
matured for the operation, and then went as cody
and deliberately to bargain for wife, a. he would
to have bought brood mare in the market and
when disappointed in getting her, from her very
natural preference for clean and we'll dressed
gentleman, MAS the very first man on record who
nOurshed III his soul--if soul he could have
had-the peanness Of bringing an action for
breach of marriage contract The man who in
his manhoods prime, turned his then preg-
Dant wife, and the mother Of his children, to the
use Of neighbor, aud then took her back again,
after tiWe; who tippled all night long habitu-
ally, and no doubt, when he ripped up his venter,
il filled with Faernan Paugh! fhese kind
of men, what wreched humtuss!
Nunc nOstras al nugas.
How near my grandfather approached ".ix feet,
never heard but that he not much above the
middle height, and inclined to corpnlence, L. GER
tain. II is all news to me. "his large ana snewy
frame" lie certainly don't look that in the pic
ture-and, he had been from early manhood II
sad victim To the govt, ] fear there could have
been in the year '76 but little of activity in
his ''step gait" Mr.. Cooke says, no did not
say he was sombre seer, that he was gSunt,
and his complexion adjust nor did say he did.
But think his own description of "tall, muscular,