St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1864-05-12
For the St. Cloud Democrat.
"FOSSILS."
Clnnlillart.

Chnn,illnrt. +
The idea that lawyers are all scoundre's |
seems TO- prevail the world over, and like
a great many p' evalent ideas. has about as
much truth as falsity in it. That there are
some honest lawyers, the following anecdote |
viii, prove. Nor is it the only case Of the |
kind. The writer has known many SUCH
Chamillart, Compt, oller-Gencral of the
Finances, in the reign Of Louis XIV: had |
been celebrated pleader. He once lost a
cause in which he was concerned through
his excessive fondness for billiards. His
client callt d Oh him next day in great dis
tress and told him that If he had made use
of certain document which had been pla-
ced in his hands he would not have lost
the cause. Chamillart examined the docu-
ment and found the fact to be as stated.
Said he to his client ''You sued the de-
fenlant for'o 900 1;vrcs. You have failed
by my inadvertauce. 1t is my duty to do
you justice. Call in two or three days"
chamilart procured the money on his in
lividual credit and when his client called.
paid the WI ole amount go, ,000U over on no
other condition than that the whole trans
action should be kept a secret.
Conversational Powers OF Grca. Nc...
All great men possess this conversational
talent in some degree. 1t couldn't be 9th =.
erwise. Figs grow en- fig trees and when
the fig tree is shaken one expects to get
figs not sour grales. 1t is as impossible
| for truly great man to talk and not drop
some gems as 4 fig tree to be shaken and
no, drop figs. But they possess the talent
in different degrees and in different styles.
| For instance, the superiority Of Sir ! .mcs
Mackin;osh over Lord Jeffrey in conversa.
tion was very manifest, although they we're
both men Of very great men, not excelled
in any age in their particular department.
The ideas of Niackiutosh succeeded cacl,
other much more rapidly his expression,
was much more brief and tcrse, his repair.
tee felicitous. Jefrey's great talent con-
sisted in illustration and smplifica,ion, and
there he was eminently great. Moving in
Edin5oro society, he had been allowed b.
his adniring auditors male anu female to
prelec: and e1pend ad itjjla;z', Sir James
had not greater quickncss Of mind. for 10
one could exceed Jeffrey in that, but much
grenter power Of condensed expression and
infinitely more .afid;ty in changing :he
subject Of conversation. Jeffrey in con-
vcrsa,i,n was like q skillful sword5man
Aourishing his weapon in The air; while
Macintosh with a thin sharp rapier in The
midst Of his cv"lu:ions ran him through the
body. 81, Walter SCOTS style was entire
ly different from either. lie had pre-
d;gious fund Of stories and anecdotes, both
| in regard 10 the olden and the present time
which he told with infinite szest and humor,
and his conversation was always inter
spersed with those delicate strokes of satire
and sterling good sense which so abound
! III all MS WOIAS. Iefe was uttle inter
change Of ideas when he talked. lie al
most entirely monopolized the conversation
Byron affected more the man of fash or
than Of literature But it was impossl Il
for man Of his extraordinary mind te
talk and not scin,illate. Sometimes he be-
came excited on some topic and then tLer,
was fash after flash Of thought in rapit
succession. On such occasions his eye
which ordinarily was Of dull ycllowisl
color, would dilate and lurn like ball O
fire, and one who had seen him under sucl
circumstances said it was enough to make
man shudder to look at him. Moore
conversation was very sparkling, and as i
ubounded in a rapid interchange Of poei
cal ideas, impressed one more than the dis
cursive and amusing anecdotes Of Sir Waite
, Scott.