Litchfield enquirer., 1860-08-09
MIR. BUCHANAN.

MN. DUCHANAN.
 | The New York Leader, a mild organ of tne DouSlas school, draws portrait of Mir. Buchanan, which is not aattering by any means. We extract some of the cioicer touches
 James Buchanan, dressed in full evening costume, and doing the courtcsies of a re- cePtlon, presents very striking and digni- : hea appearance. He is about six feet one or two inches in height, with abundant hair Of glIstening and semi-transparent color small, bluish gray eyes irregular features, and a complexion suggesting by it's unnatu. ral freshness the hectic of constitutional complaint. The head of this venerable man is cooked to the left at an angle of certain degrees the left corner of the mouth shares a similar fate an immense white neckcloth half conceals various cicatrices, or flesh. wounds under the left ear; and the whole body of the man lnrches slightly to the left as he walks-Nature thus seeming to shad- ow forth his constitutional hatred of the right. Mir. B. has shriIl, almost female voice, and wholly beardess cheeks and he IS not by any means, in any aspect, the sort of man likely to cut or attempt to cut his throat for any Chloe or Philis in Pennsyl- vanla. Nevertheless, and in spite of all these drawbacks, the portly figure and cour- tler-llke address of Mir. Buchanan form very striking features at reception. Like Dean Swift and Alexander Pope, he rather courts the reputation of g"l!antry and his half fatherly, half lover-like attentions to such ladies as are presented, rarely fail to fatter the vanity and elicit the gratitude of the t1utterlng and glittering victims. A cour- tier and man of the world, our President must have tcen in lis element representing the United States in England. He is of the old Federal School, looking ever toward Europe as the only fountain of any desirable applause and more anxious to be regarded as Conservative, or Aristocratic Ameri- can by the titled residents of Piccady than to hold in the hearts of the American pco pie that place of devoted confidence md affection which Andrew Jackson occupied.
 At the official dinners in the White House, and few others are given, Mir. Buchanan shines to great advantage. He is attentive, courteous, affable--divding his civilities equally between all his guests. A large ex- perience of public men and measures in ma ny lands, supplies him with an inexhaustible repertory of personal anccdote he amuses, without ever boring or seeming too loqua- clous /; and there is an odd vein of bitter humor running through all his views, such as We can imagine (aftcr reading Lord Or rery's letters to his son Hamilton Boyle) must have pervaded the conversation of Dean Swift. So cold by nature, that not even the warmth of blood can relax his fros- ty politcncss, the Old Public Functicnary addresses his niece and hcircsS as Miss Harriet and insists on being called Mir Buchanan in return. He tolcrates no nti- mate associate or walking companion and his present private secretary, Mr. Mcleod, formerly schoolmaster in Washington stands as much in awe of the wrathy old man as though he were one of the footmen instead Of confidential clerk. To give J.. IS. his due, We must acknowledge that he is industrious aud trouble-seeking to miracle lis suspicious nature will not confde the opening of his letters to any other hand :; and at. present, when stacks of anonymous letters arc reaching him from all parts of the country, denouncng his Postmastcrs and Custom-H House officials as secretly working for the National Democratic candidates. while pretending to support Brcckinridge and Lane, tic mere daily duty of opening and reading the mail becomes in itself a heavy tax. The Cabinet officers are his ser wants, J. B. insists, and not his advisers. Of Governor Floyd alone does he seem to stand in any dread Colonel Holt has had two or three fights with him on questions of honsty, Cobb was deluded for the first three years by hopes of the succession but in the nat uralIy mean and servile natures of such men as Touccy and Black, Mr. Buchanan finds and has ever found Lis readiest instruments
 As for Thompson, he specuIates in Indian | lands, and neither knows enough nor cares enough to give him much trouble. The Pres ident does not believe him sufficiently smart to be intrusted with the execution of any se- rious villainy nor is it likely that Thomp- son would obey him, should any such jobs be offered as seem the peculiar pcrquistc of Attorney General Black. But it is due to the President to say that he himself has never been suspected of pocketing any DOT tion of the vast amounts which he has as- sisted others to obtain in payment for their aid to his Lccompton and other such schemes
 He gratilies his malice while their avarice is gratiied the l,atre(ls which he rolls under his tongue as so many sweet morsels supply to him that reward and plea ure which his subordinates receive from heavy fees for their lobby influence in regard to particular bills: Bright and early each morning Mir. Buchanan is mp and at work, retiring each night to bed by about half after g o'clock. Breakfasting at A. M, our beloved and H. iustrious enters his office by s-said office being large second floor room, to the left of the Presidential mansion as you enter. The Presidents inner-room, or office, in which he receives his Cabinet, has carpet to cor respond with that outside. Fer the rest, there is large table placed close up be- tween the two windows /; there are book cases we'll filled with caIfbound books, round two of the walls there is an immense belLrope dangling down over the Presidents head wicker scrap-basket beside MT. Buchanan's seat bust of poor Pierce storing down from a bad emineuce on his still more unfortunate successor, and at the table, hard at work-up to lis elbows in papers, and up to his neck in political mis- chief-sits the Old Public Functionary He is arrayed in long dressing gown and slippers, holds an unlighted cigar in his