The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-05

"REMINISCENCES OF DANIEL WEBsTER.-My
acquaintance with Daniel Webster was be-
gun i'm the courtroom, where we often met.
lie was forty years old when he came to
Boston from New Hampshire. was at that
time twenty-three. Just about this time the
Spanish claims came up. But must en-
plain them. Our merchants claimed w.
900, 900 Of Spain for losses suffered duIlns
the Napoconic wars. Spain admitted t.ieii
Claim SO far "a to let lis have the + ioflua>
and nav us also s. ,000.0 besides. lt'iS sum
Of money was to be divided among ,hec'
ants. Three commissioners were 10 W ayr
no;n,cd before " whom the claimants WeIe W III
hoard. Parsons was employed ny ihe bose','
MERCHANTS to look after their cliluls-"hich
,,.e.re Immense: in fact, the larger part OF ne
,rhnlo sum--;hcy desired Webster 10 I've WIN
him, and he annroachcd him on the sunlect.
rio eyrrrsscd a willingness to go 10 WASH
;no,,cn They arranged, the fee ana we pun
tho agreement in writing. Ii the sum reco-
vnrad WAS so much, he was to nave I'VE per
cent. if so much more, two aud h;if. we
went on TO Washington. When we got TO
philadelphia he was approached by the mcr-
chant, there and asked to represent them.
He asked me if I thought the Boston .ncr'
chants would object. told him l Thought
nat unless the interests conficted; if so,
they would. He desired me to ascertain. !
did so. aud found the matter rs have stated.
Webster then bargaincd with them. lie re-
ceiycd two thousand dollars i'll hand as re-
tainer. The next day he spent this two
thousand dollars in buying a silver SER
vice. lie was in Washington three
years in looking after these Interests.
At the end Of the time he got
possession Of the money. / called to see hlrn.
lie said. Was there not somcthn" said about
maximum for my fee, Mir. ParsonsI sald
70 him. Yes, q grelt deal was said about 1t,
and written, too. $4,000 was the maximum
fycdA Mr.. Parsons, said he, the calcutta
tons are long and tedious. just let me give
checks for 80 per cent. Of the whole amount.
We can arrange the calculations very well.
We can first put the accounts into The hanc'
Of an accountant, and he can figure 1t out III
whole day and make it al! plain. Well, the
truth Of il il, Mr.. Parsons, have spent the
$40, 900 long ago. Now, you arrange II ior
me write and tell these men thai they never
eyuectcd to do this well; that this is brand
suatchcd from The fire ; and get them to take
% pcr cent. | promised to do so, and dd
write to the leading merchants, who controlled
about threc-fourtEs. They said, "All very
well; the less creditors dare not say any
thing about it. You need not write
to them" In drawing his checks he did de-
duct the five per cent. He got about $Gh,00o
out of these claims. lie then began 10 bil!ld
an elegant house, but soon found himself
hopclcssly in debt again. lie did not seem
to know that money WIS money. His III
come was large, but his expenses were Il
great deal larger. He remained i'll politics
almost all the remainder Of his life. Tic qua
not do much business, but he had Il large in
come. He once told friend that it averaged
$4,000 a year. He grew to be amuSinGiy
Indifferent TO money and debt. The CLERK OF
an attorney once rracticinG in his Office s;''d
to him, Mr.. \. sent me to tell you thai
your note would fall due in day or two.
Very well, sir, said Webster. lie told me TO
tell YOU that he wishes it paid. Wei, sir,
YOU have done so. But he wishes me TO say
to you that it shall be paid. Well, sir, you
have done rs he told you. Tell Mr.. A.
when the note is paid he shall please let ne
know it.
Lis will is a phenomenon. IL Is Gra"n
I'D in a mastery manner, ana Is Just such Il
will as he should have made-if he possessed,
in addition to lis residence, half million to
support it.
or his greatness there cannot be the slight
est doubt, but it was the greatness OF power
and not of learning. He would never study
Il case unless it interested him.
lie was not systematic, thorough'y-rcad
man. He could read II book rapidly, aud
know more OF it than most persons WHO
studied ito use Colcrii%C's phrase, 4" lie
could read il with his thumb and IorcIn%cr.'
He fell into Il great passion for quoln"
Latin sentences iii his speeches. lie did this
in imitation OF the members OF the English
Parliament, who never consider speech lin
i<hed unless there is Latin phrase put
into it.
lie knew very little about Latin. When
we were on tue way to WaslIinStnn-ihc
means of travel were not then rs HOW, we
lad to 20 in stagc-coachcs-l put copy ei
Horace into my yaiSc TO While away the
hours us we jouGncycd. Twas reading it one
dav, and he asked Inc what it was. tod
him. lie sad, "Al, that is just the proper
book to bring; let me see it," L handed II
to him, and he could translate no four con-
secutiye lines i'll it.
Professor FELTON, used to supply him WITH
all of his Greek quotations.
He had all the elements OF real greatness,
DClC some lOIlcS is'SO iiC oLil oSSih0 Y" iii''
| tratc the great maxim. which will not give
for two rcasoDs--tirst. you might not bc
| able to translate it; and second, 1 would not
be able TO render it in Greek, so l will give
Won the translation "There never was yet
very great man without some very great
| folly annexed 10 him."
This is true of all the men I have ever
known except Chict-Justicc Marshall, and
will close with him, as began, by saying
that he was one Of the greatest and kindeSt
men who ever lived. -RCcoNeCii0aS Of Judge
WeY'hiiAs Parsons.