The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1860-02-24
The New York Times Pen and Ink
Portraits. seward, Gwin, Hunter.

lrrepreSSlble Conflict nero, out the aC!empt
shall be made, with faithfulness to the
eye which must make up for any party pre-
judice. Mr.. Seward, then, be it known, is
small man, about five feet seven inches in
height, with nervous and thin fgure-legs
which seem to bend under his light weight;
an immensely tall head, covered with a
thick drift of gray hair; long, pleasant
face, with nose after the Wellington pat
tern; shaved cheeks; small, nervous mouth,
and large blue eyes-the most difficult to be
described of any which your correspondent
has encountered. They are peculiar blue
eyes, with an electric CLEAN in them. These
eyes are shaded under long gray horns of
eyebrows, and have shifting expression,
which never allows one a chance to examine
their true significance. They look beyond
you into space-look into the future, while
you are trying vainly to rivet them. All
the rest of the face is smooth as the skin of
an apple; but, when you approach the eyes,
the lids are wrinkled and puckered, cham
neled and nervous, winking and contracting,
opening and flashing, with a perpetual
change of sentiment and perception, such
as no pen can portray, and no daguerreo-
type reproduce with full justice.
In conversation Mr.. Seward presents
striking contrast to the ideals formed OF
him by those who take their fancy images
from the daily Press. Nothing can be more
philosophic than his tone-nothing calmer
than his statement of political proposition.
He is one of those who can afford to wait for
the justice of history, and who continues
with high and clear faith in the ultimate
success of what he believes to be truth--no
matter how loudly or fercely the multitude
may bray against him for the time. Very
tolerant of different opinions, and very
liberal in all matters touching religious faith,
our irrepressible conflict gentleman is both
generous and just in all private relations
fond, in moderation, of social enjoyments,
and never so much at home as when laugh
ing privately with extreme Southern men
over their public quarrels. He is firm AMI
hearty believer in the Union and it's perma-
nence-one who seems never to have had a
doubt on the subject, and one who can stand
up for justice to the bitter end, all consider
ations of expediency being remitted to the
lower order of minds in his own party. A
generous, philosophic, gentle-bloOded man,
his old fashioned courtesy is very captivat-
ing and certainly no man in the Republi-
can ranks could be put forward who would
command the same personal respect, afec.
tion and confidence on the Southern side of
Mason and Dixon's line. If it were not for
his political heresies, he has in him the larg-
est social elements of strength, next to Judge
Douglas, possessed by any man in the coun-
try.
The reverse of Seward in everything is
Senator Gwin of California-an immense,
large boned, white headed man; with strong
aquiline features large wart on the right
side of his nose small gray eyes shaved
cheeks, a narrow but powerful forehead, of
the Andrew jackson type lips straight and
passionate; chin, square and indicative of
resistless animal energies. On the whole, a
man elopging as decidedly to the animal
type, as Seward belongs to the intellectual
man fit to represent people of the FROM
tier; and one who, in the lower and more
direct arts of the politician, stands as far
beyond Seward, as the little Senator from
New York stands beyond him in the elimin-
alton and support of abstract theories. In
their personal characters, moreover, these
Senators present the most striking contrast
-Gwin belonging to the rough-and-ready
school of those who are willing to " take all
the chances :" while Seward is faithful in
the extreme, and laboriously cognizant of ev-
cry personal obligation--one who never for
gets his indebte dness for moment, and
who is always willing to sacrifice his largest
pecuniary interests, when satisfied that strict
equity is against his claim. DR.. Gwin has
had curious, not to say romantic history
his name still standing on the books of our
government with an unsettled balance fgur
ing opposite thereto; and his present seat
in the Senate being held by tenure which
has in it more of the threat than of affection.
Nevertheless he occupies powerful position
with the President, and bena chiefly allied
to such gentlemen as Samuel F. Butterworth
and VIM. M. Browne of the Constitution,
the Doctor has never failed to obtain bis
full share Of recognition-some think little
more--in the distribution of patronage and
federal resources. Whether he can perma-
nently hold his place in politics, is question
involving some doubt at present, and for the
solution of which short reference may at any
time be made to the private conversations of
Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts,.
Senator Hunter, of Virginia, who is so
much talked of just now as the Southern
candidate for the Presidency, is man of
middle height /; we'll built and full, without
corpulency having dark brown complex
ion features of the Pocahontas form; long,
dark hair-very lank and straight; dark
brown eyes-soft, womanly and genial !;
excellent white teeth and red lips, suave
and rather sleepy address, together with a
rich mellow voice, which rings in the ear
several seconds after the actual sounds have
ceased. He has shaved cheeks and rather
tendency to double chin; great blandness of
manner, and drowsy expression over all
that he says and does, as if he had been a
native born resident Of Sleepy Hollow, with
perpetual inclination to pay homage to
Morpheus, on all possible and impossible
occasions. AS chairman of the committee
on ways and means in the Senate, Mr..
Hunter has had large and thorough acquain.
tance with the requirements of our country
during the past dozen years and his habits
have been of patiently laborious kind,
such as to commend him to continuance in