The Portland daily press., 1867-10-11
Hsccn, rubiica.isn-

1;,,,,ar marty at which Governor John Han
cocL-his uncle by marriage--was one of the
guests; and he lived to congratulate Abraham
Lincoln on the happy effects of tie latter's pol
icy of emancipation. His life began before the
war the Revolution, and lasted long enough
for him toplainly sea the. coming triumph of
the national cause in the war of the great Re-
belllon, covering more than the whole period
of our national existence He was personally
acquainted with General Washington. He
was member of Congress during the admin
istration of Jefferson. He entertained Lafay
cite at his house. He knew Randolph, Madi-
son, Judges Marshall and Story Hamilton.
Burr, Webster, the Adamses, and scores of
others whose names are a part of the history of
the country. "He was a light in three success
sive generations that burned brighter to it's
very close" }eiehol n-ad ,id 7laBis0i
The story of such life, told, as it is with
dignity, grace and simplicity, could not fail to
be of the greatest interest The ,biographer
has wisely allowed his. subject to speak chiefly
for himself, drawing his matter largely from
the speeches, journals, letters and other writ
ings Of his illustrious father. The political
theories and opinions OF Mr.. Quincy and the
history of his Congressional career are given
at length. They are interesting, as a mat
ter OF course, but have hardly the value which
the biographer appears to attach to them They
belong to an age which is wholly past, and
have little bearing upon the present But the
3 book abounds in anecdotes personal and poll
tical, in pictures of life and manners, in strik-
ing glimpses, historical and social, incidentally
revealed in the course of the narrative but fas-
cinatng from the vividness with which they
recall to us the real spirit and flavor of the life
of the last century. When Mr.. Quincy was a
young man he attended one of Washngton's
receptions. He and his wife differed in their
estimate OF the first Presidents manners. She
regarded him as superior being, above the
common race of mortals Her husband always
maintained that Stuart's portrait was a high
lyidealized one. II will tell you" said he to
his son, Just how he struck me. He remind
ed HE or the gentlemen who used TO come to
Boston in those days to attend the General
Court from Hampden or Franklin county in
the western part of the State. A little stiff in
his person, not little formal in his manners,
not particularly at ease in the presence of
strangers. He hal the air of a country gentle
man not much accustomed to mix in society,
perfectly polite, but not easy in his address
and conversation, and not graceful in his gait
and movements" 1t is probable that the Vir-
ginia planter had, without any adinixture of
'vulgarity, a kind of rustiness very noticeable
3 tothe polished Bostonian45dyid1 tR noqn
b., A lively picture is given of John Hancock.
Mr. Quincy, though a young man, was Invited
to dine with the Governor. The party consist
ed OF nifty or sixty persons and the dinner and
appointment were the most splendid then
customary. The Governor, however, did not
sit at meat with his guests but at side table,
in wheeled chair, his legs swatlled in flannel
He was martyr to govt, and made it an excuse
for doing as he pleased in political as well as
social life When hehad dispatched the frugal
! meal to which his infirmities condemned him
he heeled himself about to enjoy the society
OF his guests. In the midst OF the festivities. a
servant, in removing a cut-glass epeygae, the
central ornament, from the table let it fall. and
ii was dashed into a thousand fragments. Mr..
Hancock Immediately relieved the awkward
ness which fell upon the company at the cost
iy accident, by good naturally exclaimins,
James, break as much as you please, but don't
make such a COMPOUNDED noise about it, :" Tai
leyrand when in exile in this country was one
iat the notabilities known to Mr.. Quincy, and
he gives us this anecdote, A French lady of
rank who had been an iemigranti to America
At the ID same time with lTaleyrand,
on presenting an American to him
in 1885,. added, you haye not forgotten,
Prince, The ball you and were at together in
Philadelphia -"Ah, no, "s replied the Prince.
accompanying the sheer by an indescribably
eloquent shrus of the shoulders: t'sthe Ameri-
canpeople are "a hospitable,, a inagnanimous
people, and are destined to be great nation
mails le,tr lure est atfeurp' Perhaps he was
right. 4sls -slasi bnf q.ae, 4 an stishe
In 1863, Mr.. Quincy claiming "the privilege
ofold age" wrote letter to Mr.. Lincoln, which
was printed at the time. 1t thanked him for
his letter 20 the Illinois Convention (Sept.) and
it earnestly urged Emancipation. We COPY
the close of the letter, and Mr.. Lincoln's reply.
Your instrumentality in the work is to you
a subject of special glory, favor and felicity
The madness of Secession and its inevitable
consequence, civil war, VIII, in their result,
give the right and the power of universal
emancipation sooner or later If the United
States do not understand aud fully appreciate
the boon thus bestowed on them, and fail to
improve it to the utmost extent of the power
granted, they will prove recreant to themselves,
and to pOsterity. ~ 10, ..... .ti ,l - }
write under the impression that the victory
of the United States in this war is inevitable. :,
.Compromise is impossible. Peace on any
other basis would be the establishment OF two
nations, each hating the other both militarv
both necessarily hostile their territories inter,
locked, with tendency to increasing hos
hhty. Can we leave to posterity a more cruel
inheritance, or one more hopeless Of happiness
and prosperity fue OIL blua4Ia II - 1f.a0y I
Pardon the liberty I have taken in this let
ter, and do not feel obliged in any way to take.
notice OF it; and believe me ever your grateful
ana Obliged servant, fsfodel josiah QUINCY.
PRESIDENT LINCOLN TO MIR. QUINCY. u. /
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, Sent. 10.
1S63.-Dedr and Honored Sir.-Allow me to ex,
press the personal gratificationII feel at the
receipt OF your very kind letter of the 18th Of
sept, and to thank YOU most cordially for it's
wise and earnest words of counsel. sstsIiW
/. Believe me, my dear sir, to be very respect
folly and sincerely your friend and servant,
: 10 <Aiiia o'" 7Ho ti'i3 ~ A. LINCOLN.
With one more anecdote we must close these
extracts from the very interesting volume be-
fore us. Mr. Quincy and John Quincy Adams
were very early risers, and as aInatural conse-
quence OF such folly had a habit of going to
sleep in the day time. Mature would not be /
cheated Of her dues, and if they were not paid /
in season, she would exact them out of season.
The book says: .. ,,. -.., ~, q. ,.-.,, ,..,.
One day, Mr.. John Quincy Adams, who was
addicted to the same vice of Incorporate early
rising, with much the same consequences
was visiting my father, who invited him to 20
into Judge Story's Lecture room, and hear his
lecture to his law class Now Judge Story did
not accept the philosophy of his two friends in
this particular, and would insist that it was
more excellent way to take ont ones allow {
anee of sleep in bed, and be wide awake when
out of (which he himself most assuredly al
ways was. The Judge received the two Presi-
dents gladly, and placed them in the seat of
honor on the dais by his side, fronting the class
and proceeded with his lecture 1t was not
long before, glancing bis eye aside to see how
his guests were Impressed by his doctrine. he
saw that they were both of them sound asleep.
and he saw that the class saw it too. Pausing
moment in his swift career of speech, he !
pointed to the two sleeping figures, and utter
ed these words OF warning: "Gentlemen, Won
see before you melancholy example of the
evil effects OF early rising!S The shout Of
laughter with which this judicial obiter dictuna
was received effectually aroused the sleepers,
and it is to be hoped that they heard and prof /.
tied by the remainder of the DISCOURSE
We have not undertaken to give any criti-
cism upon this book or even any summary of
its contents; but merely such specimens OF it's
quality as shall induce our readers to examine
it for themselves They will find it singular
ly interesting record of noble life and a Wv
id picture of the manners of more than one de-
parted generation. 1t has the charm of biog-
Al - =