The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-06


ber of the Virginin Constitutional Con-
yention of 1S29-SO, in which body he
sat as a member of the Judiciary COM
mittee along with Chief Justice Mar
shall, and in which he encountered
Randolph and the most distinguished
men of that daysin debate. ItIwas in
that body that he gave prophetic notice
of Western Virginia, and of what he
lived to see accomplished. He had for
his colleague fromthis part of the State
a man worthy to be his any-Phillip
Doddridge-and no two men in that
body of great minds, gave more evil
7dence of Nirginia's intellectual resour-
ces in those days. -ili - l'-'s'i .il,.t
OF Mr.. Campbell's tour 10 Europe, in
1S47, we have also omitted to speak.
Partly for his health, and partly TO visit
the congregations OF his Church in
Great Britain, he undertook the tour.
On reaching London he was the hon
ored guest of our Minister at the Court
of st. James-Mr. Bancroft, and
through him and through letters from
the first men of this country, was the
recipient of honors and attentions from
the great leaders and Inoulders of po-
litichl and religious opinion in Eng
land. Only in Scotland, in the city of
Edinbnrg, did anything occur to mar
the inflence and pleasure of his trip.
His position on the slavery. question
had been grossly misrepresented by n
clergyman who was desirous to engage
him N debate, but with whom Mr.
Campbell refused to hold any inter
course on account Of his questionable
character. The refusal for the cause
assigned lead to a recourse before, the
civil tribunals on the part of the clergy
menln an action for libel, the final re-
sultjof which was. "a verdict in Mr..
! lTtnVfNnhnIlfa f4TynF Mr. CamnhnlI nnVRr
wnsthe champion of American slavery.
he believed, however, that the relation
OF muster and slave had existed in Bib
lical times under the divine sanction,
or, 1t all events, tolerance, and while
he did not desire TO be regarded as the
apoogst of American. slavery, he con-
tented ,thqtiit should not be attest queS-
tiot of communion in the ChurC hes.
This was his position in Scotland, be-
fort the people of that country, as it
adbeen here at home before the Amer
icaI people. His own slaves he had
emtncipated many years previous
The closing hours of this great and
COOL mans life were inexpressibly
affecting to the group of tender friends
and relatives that watched round his
bed side. At times his mind would
wander over old familiar scenes and he
would recall them by name. He was
oppressed with a longing for rest and
uuiei and home. He wis weary with
his lcng journey, and he spoke of his
desire to be led to his friends and KIN
dred and to be at peace. Not muir
mur, not n complaint, once escaped
him-he was gentle and meek and pa
tient throughOut-onlyh he was oppress-
ed with a restless weariness. A letter
dated from his chamber Mt half past
two o'clock of Saturday morning last,
to the writer of this, memoir, speaks
thus of him:
az am sitting up tonight with our
"dear uncle. We fully thought this
"would be his last night on earth. But
che has survived the turn of the night
''and mayEpossibly wear through anOth-
ger day. His strength Is wonderful.-
f" All this night L have thought as /
watched him of giant graphing
"Hanimh1 struggling to be disentangled
4 from the enemy's tolls, chafed and
q fretted within its narrow boundaries
% Death has no power to dim this great
.mind-rhis senses are as acute and
a :. clear as ever, and his beautiful nature
.ffshows the sans in all thin ess-- HisiGen-
tttIeness and patience mid his suffer-
"ing break all our hearts. Snch
6 6sNyeetness and submission to the
Tslightest wish of others around
'rhfmzsuch kind consideration for
g every one who comes into his
f''presence-his little expressions OF
" greeting, and his inquiry after the
"welfare of those who come TO see him,
"and such putting awaylof personal
"complaint or suffering, moves every
g stbeholder tos.tears. All this could
"never be seen in a character less great
"and grand than his. He Is himself,
3. noble and good and great, as nature
made him, 10 the very last. The com
:" manding and fascinating elements of
.this character are intact inthe midst of
~ the wreck of matter Such passages
E of Scripture as he has recited even in
"his wanderings, and such grand sem
licences as have fallen from his lips
If such beautiful soliloquies upon the
g fieetness of time and upon doing
g ful, very wonderful to all of us. IL
F." the records of great men, and their
90 closing hours, give no such precious
g tFemembrances. To us who love him
Z" so, he appears the greatest of them
"all. Humboldt, you know, looking
"upon the setting sun with his dying
+" eyes, said, Light more light !! sand
" CLOSING day, raised his hand and made
"las though he were writing in the air,
"according to his habit of descri-
ching z all his sensations as they
"came. But these dying witnesses
s'of the lives they had led,
''clAraGleTlsllC HIS tu6J lNGISt nov. bftlhS1
lthow Tnehhingless compared with what
"our uncle expressed an evening or so
''ne0 in watching the glories of the de-
tlpartfng sun. Its last rays were stream
't,fng through the windows directly in
afront of his bed, and fell upon It. A
tsCroup of,friends sat round him in
Tsilence, and he turning from them TO
Gthe sinking sun repeated that passage
tifrom Malachi which had been so often
4.on his lips during his life, running
fsthus: "But unto you that fear my
uname shall the sun of righteousness
fsarise with healing in his wings. -
"Wbat a beautiful testimony of the
aw6Fk of his long life was con-
ttYeyed in that quotationU
Such were the closing hours of Alex
ander rCampbell-by thousands and tens
of thousands esteemed to have been the
greatest theologian of his day. We
have taken the liberty to use what was
intended 70 be a private letter, because
in no other way could we give satistae=
ton to his many friends, here and else
where, as to his last hours. May we
not on their behalf appropriately close
this memoir with these lines from Ten
nyson2 o sse iaaiil1sa
'tAfourn, for TO US he seemS the last,
Remembering all his greatness In the past
Mourn for the man OF mPlest inn9enee'
And rs the greatest only are
In his simplicity sublime
Such was he whom We deplore,
The long self sacrifice IS Ger
~ --=---->-S-s-
THE United States Revenue Commits
sionI in their report on petroleum, pre-
sent bill for the repeal of all duty on
crude petroleum, and for the continu-
ance of the present duties on all refined
products of crude petroleum, under the
same mode of collection as at present,
with a provision authorizing the Secre-
farV of the Treasury to appoint special