Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1860-04-21

IN the Capitol grounds, when whom should
see but the Colonel and his little ones.--
Shaking me by the hand, he said, "these are
my pickaninnes, General my only treasures.
l bring them every morning among the ilow
ers, sir it teaches thcm to love God-to love
God, sir" | was struck with the sentiment,
and with the labor this greet man performed ;
and yet he never seemed TO be (atigued. lie
was not man Of concilatory manner and
seemed to me to be always braced fer 90
attack. lie spoke with sort Of snarl-a
protracted sneer upon his Gace-but with
great emphasis and vgor. His manner TO-
wards his opponents, and especially his looks,
we're absolutely insulting, but it was well
known that he was ready to stand up to
whatever he said or did. Ii was wonderful
bow be and Mr. Clay avoided personal col
lsion; they hated each other mortally at one
period; they spoke very harsh and cutting
| things in debate bat were proud, ambitions,
| obstinate and imperative; both were fearless
oi consequences, and though habitually iras.
chile and impetuous, perfectly collected in
moments of emergency.
They differed on almost every point, and
only agreed cordially on one-both hated
mr.. Calhoun. AS an orator, Mr.. Clay never
had his equal in Congress. | would liken
him from what have heard, to Mr.. Pitt
No single speech of that consumate orator
and statesman ever made produced the i'm.
preston made by Sheridan, in his celebrated
| oration on the impeachment of Hastings; no
speech of Mr.. Clay's may be compared with
the oraton of Webster, in reply to Iayue
but for series Of parliamentary speeches and
parliamentary triumphs, no British orator
may be compared with Pitt. and no American
to Clay. To very high order Of intellect
they both united bold temperament, indom-
table resolution, and the faculty of command
the highest faculty of all. MIR. Webster,
with brilliant genius, with o wit less studied,
if not so sparkling as Sheridan, and with
oratorcal gifts not surpassed in ancient or
modern times, was Of q convvial, not Of
resolute temperament, and was deficient 10
nerve and tirmness. The want Of these vas
felt throughout his whole career, and enabled
Others to succeed when he should have tri.
umphed. As O companion, especially after
dinner, he was most delightful; at other
times he was saturine and repusive. Mr..
Clay was naughty, and only cordial to his
friends. Colonel Benton was stiff with every
one.
Mr.. Calhoun was afIable and concilating,
and never failed to attract the young. But
for grace Of manner, for the just medium OF
dignity aud aiabllity, and for the capacity Of
influencing men, no one Of these great men,
not oil of them together, NAV be compared
with General Jackson. The untutorcd savage
regarded him as an avengng deity; the
rough bGckwoodsman followed him with fear.
less confidence the theories Of politicians
and juriscoDsuls fell before his intuitve per-
! ceptons systems and statesmen were extin-
q. gushed together; no measure and no mau
survived his opposition, and the verdict Of
mankind awards him precedence over ALL
lie bad faults, but they are lost in the lustre
OF his character; he was too arbitrary aud
passionate and too apt to embrace the cause
oil his friends without inquirng into its jus
tice. But these we're faults incidental, per-
haps, to his frontier life and military training,
and to the injustice he had experienced at
the hands OF his opponents.
saw Blair, of the Globe, Amos Kendall
and Col. Joe. Gales, OF the National Mtelhi.
gencer. Blair has the hardest face ever
Inspected. The late General Glasscock of
Augusta, one of the noblest men that ever
lived, told me that mess Of Georgia and
Kentucky members, dining together one day,
ordered an oyster supper for thirty, to be paid
for by the mess that produced for the occa-
sion, the ugllest man from their respective
States. The evening came, and the company
assembled. aad Georgia presented q man not
naturally ugly, but who bad the knack Of
throwing his features all on one side. Ken
tucky was in peck of trouble. Their man
whom they had cooped up for o week was so
hopelessly drunk that he could not stand on
his legs. At the last moment, q happy
thought occurred to Albert q. Haws. lie
jumped into hack aud drove to the Globe
Office, and brought Blair down as an invited
guest. Just as he entered. looking bis pref.
tiest, Haws sung out, "Blair, look as nature
made yOu, and the oysters are ours"
1t is hardly necessary to add that Georgia
paid for the oysters.
The first time saw Blair, about | o'clock
at night, he was writing an editorial on his
knee. lie read it to Col. King and myself.
1t was laundering attack on Mr.. Calhoun
what is called "sasher"-for something
that had been said that morning 10 the Sen.
ate. Col. King begged him TO soften it.
NO." said Blair, "fet it tear his insdes
out" With oil this concealed fire, he was IA
man OF singular mildness Of character. He
invited me to an excellent dinner at his
splendid mansion, crowded with distinguished
guests. He entertained literally and without
affectation, and was charmed with the beauty
and kindness of his fascinating wife.
Amos Kendall, of whom 1 had heard so
much, as the champion Of the Democracy,
found little, stoopedup man, cadaverous as
q corpse, rather taclturn, unpretenclng 10 his
manner, but OF wonderful resources and
talent.
Col. Joe. Gales is q John Bull, they tell
me, by birth ana in sentiment, and he has the
hearty look Of one. But if so, how came the
Bulls TO burn his Office during the war The
Itelipncer, l well remember stood up for
the country, and often have | and my CON-
rades, in l8l3-'l4, when hungry and despond.
ing, and beset with dangers been cheered up
by a stray fragment Of this paper. Colonel
Gales shook me cordially by the hand, and
invited me to call aud dine with him. Being
compelled to decline, he insisted on my taking
q drink out Of his csnteen. the very best old
rye ! ever tasted. The same evening he sent
me dozen to my quarters-large, honest,
square sided, high-shouldered bottles, that
we rarely see nowadays.
The printers at Washington oil live in a
priucely style spacious dwellings, paintings.
statuary, Partisan furniture, sumptuous Ia.
bes, choice wines Nothing in the metropo-
lis astonshed me so much. A Printer in the
South usually lives in little box Of house,
not big enough for furniture bis pictures and
statues are his wife and children his Office is
a mere shanty, stuck full of glue and paste,
and oil sorts OF traps. lie works 10 bis coat.
sleeves with the assistance, sometimes, Of O
ragged. turbulent daredevil of o boy be
tolls night and day, often never paid and
halfstarved, making great men out OF small