The eastern clarion., 1859-08-24

There, besides in his plain old wooden |
dwelling; quietly sleeping beneath the fO- !
liage of the great elms-with its old-fash- |
ioned garden and trim hedges of box
there, near the Chief Justice's dwelling, |
lived the smiable and accomplished ia |
queline Amber, formerly Treasurer of the |
Commonwealth, and called as have said |
IN former sketch, the "AriStides of Nir- |
ginia.' He was gentle spirit, but with |
rigid ideas Of justice-one of the most |
charming men Of his time. There was |
still, again, Ben njamin Watkins Leigh, the |
intiexible opponent of the erpunglny reso-
lutions in the Senate, under Jackson |
the envoy to South Carolina during the |
troubles Of the proclamation the great |
lawyer-the compiler of the Virginia |
Code; the impassioned advocate, and the |
delightful companion, whose smiles and |
whose voice | shall never forget, as shall |
ever recall his affection and gracious kind |
ness. These and others-great associates |
on the bench and at the bar-the good |
Parson Buchanan, one of the lights of his |
epoch-and moro than one member of |
the fraternity Of merchants these and |
many more persons whom have no room |
to mention, were grouped, IA it were, |
! about the tall central figure, and made up
a society Of rare charms and attrnction.-
II was the honest Old Virginia love for
companiOnship which brought them to-
gether-the desire of congenial minds to
mlngle in the social scenes Of private life
| after the exhausting tolls of the law, or
commerce, or physic, or divinity. There
was no ceremony, no stiffness. All was
| perfectly plain and undresa. A debate OF
a Jest were perfectly appropriate, and the
| dinners were festive occasions Of the pu-
rest enjoyment. Here the erect form of
| Wickham would relax and bend forward
| to catch the Jest from the other end of the
| table-the wit of DIR. M'Clurg would raise
n broad smile-the benevolent counten-
ance of the good old Chief Justice would
reveal the deep enjoyment with which he
| listened to the anecdote or the narrative
which kept THE contTucs at table long after
nightfall.
ltwas at "Buchanan's Spring" however,
on the outskirts OF Richmond, that the
| Judge and his friends shone in all their
| glory. The old oaks, under the cool shad-
ow of which the Barbecue Club" used to
meet, are still standing. and the Club ex-
| lists to-day-but the choice spirits Of whom
write have passed into the land of shad-
| Ows. How they chased the CAV hours with
laughter, there, of old how they pitched
! quoits, without their coats, and ieasted on
the roasted shoat, and drank moderate
juleps, in the days long ago! OF these in
| nocent seasons OF convivial enjoyment the
| Chief Justice was one of the brightest lu-
| minaries. With his coat thrown down,
his eyes sparkling with pleasure, the crowd
| looking eagerly, anxious for his success,
| the Judge addressed himself with ardor to
| the real business of the day. This bust
ness was to overcome all his competitors
in hurting the peaceful discus at the stake
! in the ground. His most dangerous op-
Ponent was a worthy clergyman, between
| whom and the Chief Justice many strug-
giles for the mastery took place. But the
latter was the favorite of the bystanders
lnNmeasuring the distance Of his own and
his opponents quot from the peg, the ar
| bitrator would generally manage to declare
in the Judges favor-in favor of law,
and against divinity. II cheating was ne
cessary to arrive at this result, 40 much
the more unfortunate, but that was all
Judge Marshall was to be, under any cir
cumstances, triumphant; for he was the
tayorite Of all, the pride Of the members
Of the Club, the most despotic pet of them
all. When he made bad throw, or his
quot rolled away to a distance, all faces
became elongated; sadness entered every
heart and his opponent was regarded with
| ill-concealed hostility. When, however,
the quot went straight to its place-above
all, when it ''rung the meg" that is, fell
plump on the top and encircled it, the
enthusiasm the crowd knew no bounds
And the hero of this achievement himself
was not destitute Of elation He thrilled
with all the delights of victory. Clapping
his hands like boy, he would triumph
over his foe, and mingle proudly in the
| general rejoicing. To a stranger all this
might have seemed ndignifed-unwor-
thy of the Judges of the Court of Appeals.
and the most famous consellors of the
Commonwealth. But it did not so seem
70 their companions, nor long to such vis-
ltOrs from a distance who witnessed the
scence. There was 80 much simplicity and
ease in the group, such unconscious grace
in the most careless movements, that the
picture was redeemed from the least touch
of the ludicrOus. Baron Guenet, a Fren-
ch gentleman. was invited one day, and
informed beforehand that the Governor
of the Commonwealth, the Judges Of the
High Court of Appeals, and the Chief JUS
uce, would be present-to banquet with
, tho rest in the open air, and pitch quoits
with the other members of the Club. The
Baron exhibited unaffected astonishment,
and asked 'if il was possible that the dig
nitaries of the land could thus inter1nir tcitF
the private cii.ens'" Worthy Baron! He
was destined to be still more confounded
at what he saw under the oak trees. The
spectacle was nothing less than His Excel
7 | lency, the Judges, the Chief Justice, and
their great associates, all with coats off en-
: tering into the game with bovish enthu
/ 4 - =; 80
ces, crying out when they triumphed. and
: acting generally in a manner the most
i 'undignitied imaginable" The good Ba
ron was taught lesson which he had never
D.. learned in Europe his ideas we're extend
ed, and he declared with enthusiasm that
, he chad never before seen the real beauty
; | Of republcanism." Are there any intel
ligent Americans At the present time who
+ are disposed to think less Of these celebr1-
: ted men for their hoyish sport! We trust
! not. That mind must be mean, and the
>. slave Of silly convention" +" which thinks
j. that John Marshall soiled the dignity OF
his judicial ermine by joining in these
= harmless sports with his neiChbors. To a
! critic Of this description all true admirers
! Of high character, OF genuine dignity,
z might say-Friend, there is something no
1 bier and more beautiful than the etiquette
|
g the courtier or the hanger-on in palaces
e it j. the unaffected simplicity and real dig
nitv of the honest gentleman who is not
n afraid to be natural. Above all, should
I YOU respect and make your lowest bow tc
I the great intellect and pure heart which
! relies upon the public respect and regard
u and does not think II necessary to wrap it
n self in vain trappings, or send herald be
: fore to clear the way for the empty page
$ ant, Louis XVI. would have cheerfully
: died, imagine, rather than take his coat
/ off and pitch quoits with his brother mon
/ archs or his nobility, and doubtless his
views upon the subject were correct. Ht
G was little in the midst of all his greatness
{ and compelled to guard his prestige
/ John Marshall was loftier. Hewas alway
great As you knew him more familiarly
y you loved him all the better. You sav
y that this man was one of natures noble
u men-that n childlike kindness and sweet
l. ness was in his heart. The immense intel
! lect was playing, in its season of relaxa
= ton.