The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-07-16
A Visitor iu Rapturcs.

posed our warrior factory at West Point to be
next to monastery fla Trappe, the least com
Portable institution in this barely comfortable
word. We have figured to ourselves the calow
cadet in high and strangling state of tin stock,
and densely padded about the chest, with de-
spair in his countenance and piece OF chalk
in his hand, facing the Plutonian black board
and wrestling with the most melancholy
mathematics, until despair beaded his brow and
his knees played together like pair of casta-
nets. We have imagined him tossing upon
his hard couch, to which he was marching at
night to the music Of piercing fife and stirring
drum, only to dream Of sines and CO -snes, OF
positive and negative coeffic:ents and the re-
duction OF equations, until hideous formulas
murdered sleep and the little wretch awoke
bathed in an Artic sea Of Precipitation. But il
tbs boys were thus nocturually aud diurnaily
distressed, what, we have thought must be
the pitiful feelings of Board Of Visitors offici-
ally compelled not only to witness but intlic;
these juvenile agonies? We had indeed sup
posed the annual examination to be about as
festive as grand barbecue of heretics by the
lnqaisition. We were mistaken, and we &C
knowledge our mistake. "V.PV.," who is
dcputed this year by Gen. James Buchanan to
inspect his nursery of sucking ieutenants, has
reported in . rosy style to the Keokuk Qowa)
been the cramps and COLES of the young gentle.
men, that this Visitor at least, appears to have
what is termed in light parlance, merry GO
rounder. V.P. V. has experienced nothing but
happiness during his excursion. In this city,
upon his way TO the tented field, he en-
countered the Prince John, who with charac-
teristic affability, carried him to pass the
evening with Mr.. Justice Roosevelt. Who
should be there but Miss Harriet Lanes Who
should be there but the Swedish Minister p
Who should be there but "Frank Wuddell,
an old friend, Uho had not seen for thirty
years." Shades of Damon and Pythias what
an embracing there must have been; and
when V. 2 locked Mr.. Frank in his manly
arms, how the Swedish Minister must have
wept, and how must Miss Harriet have erioyed
the concussion! The young lady who is affa-
oility ITSELF invited V. P. V. "to join small
pretty little war ship bearing her name."
"wit thou tempt the waves with me?"
lwl Miss Harriet, answeredv.
Aud he did. AID SO did Kerr, of North Caro-
lima And SO did Page, OF Mississppi-both
"choice spirits" as We are informed, and not
the only "choice spirits" on board, we fancy
V. could hardly contain himself on the voyage.
There has been nothing like it since Cleopatra's
little water jaunt The music, says v, "s0d
the booming of the guns we're most exciting"
Arriving at West Poin. sterner duties began
the black-boarding and bombarding, the
cross-examinatioas in tactics, in the bookish
theory, and in bloody practice. "V." was in
raptures, and if we had been there, although we
never set squadron in the field, and know no
more OF the disision of battle than Michael
CassIs, yet we suppose that if we had not
been unfortunately killed in sham fight,
h., -
pleasant, we shoud have been enraptured With
the rest. But duty did not monopolize too
jealousy the fleeing moments. ION Saturday."
SAYS V. p ", - dined over the river with
Gov, kemble." Heavens! what an important
piece of information! Gle lives as a gentle
man ought" Does he, indeed? But did yon
never notice anybody existing in that polished
way before? Do NOT gentlemen life as gentle
men oughtto live in Keokuk! But what en-
raptured V. most highly was th,t there was no
4" fuss" at the dinner, from which We infer that
he has been in the habit of partaking of susten-
anee in some popular cellar, of which the
patrons were not only hungry, but in great
hurry, which state OF things, when complicated
with a shortness Of walters, their number and
also their legs. has a tendency to create, or, to
use a more elegant phrase, to kick up a." fuss"
Gov. kembel gave glorious DINNER" with
understand in what sense these adjectves are
used by Gen. Dr.. Buchansn's West Point .Visi
tor. We have heard OF "a light supper." but
We do not know precisely what is meant by ga
glorious dinner Roast does not shine .sthe
dessert does not glow there is nothing re-
spiendent in potato, either mashed or in its
primitive rotundty. And what is SUPERB
wine? We cannot imagine the claret
pompous, the champage lofty, or the port au-
gust -
But now we come TO one Of the most as
tonishing events OF the centusy-to one Of the
most interesting recontera Of modern times
"After dinner Gays v. r. v, II had the
satisfaction 1t beating the first Captain of the
age, At game Of whist, 1t which he seemed
d-bly annoyed" We had supposed Gen.
Scott to be a gentleman and when gentlemen
lose two or three rubbers Of whins. they do not,
however annoyed, make damnable exhibition
of their pique. Perhaps, however, Gen. Scott
noticed that there vas an illbred fellow in
the company, aud did not think it worth
while to restrain himself as he would undoubt-
eddy have done II be been angry with any body
higher in rank than his boot black. v. P. ",
however, will not probably accept our explana-
ton. OF the fact that he 10 gentleman
polished, finished. complete, "very much of .
genteman"-he has not himself the minutest
doubt Upon this point he is exceedingly inn
pressive. A majority Of my fellow members "are
gentlemen" Who then we're the blackguards-
the low fellows-ths Inbred visitors! Really,
Gen. Buchanan, LII. D., sshoald have their
names, lest Miss Lane, may by accident invite
them ON board Doct. Buchanan's ana our eutter.
Let the matter be investigated 1t concerns the
State.
Perhaps after all, V. has overestimated his
own personal polish. Gentlemen when they are
invited to diD6snka private residence, do not
write to the public journals and say what they
had for dinner. Gentlemen do not talk of as
sociating with gentlemen-they suppose the
world will take it for granted that they do not
seek or endure, or associate with rascaions.-
At least, that is the way We feel about 1t
here. In other parts Of the country, diff
ferent opinion may preyail.-lNew York Tri-
bune.