The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1875-08-18
Interesting "reminiscences of Jefferson


A4LAA -
from Washington to fredericksburg
where l stayed all night. | do not know
q how 7 was known, but a gentleman
. called on me and asked me to his house
= and | spent a pleasant evening. l saw
E some Young Virginia ladies there, and
thought they were very charming. ]
! was amused with the curiosity which
nv new friends showed to hear some
news about England. A gentleman came
up to me and asked how | left MIR.
! Campbell, the poet. Luckily l had
: lately called on him in London on some
, business about q relation of his who
thought of emigrating to America, and
I could therefore give q satisfactory
answer. At fredericksburg | first
tasted corn. bread, and I used il all the
time that lived in Virginia. | wish that
Itcould have it now. From Fredericks,
burg [ had n two days rather unpleas-
ant journey to Charlottesville in the
stage coach. The roads were bad, the
accommodation not good. and the COM
pany rather Indifferent. The young men
OF the present day can hardly conceive
what this road wa then, for I suppose
that there is now q railroad the whole
distance.
At the university I lived at least two
months in the house which was assigned
to me in great solitude, and during bad
weather it would have been still worse
if / had not experienced the kindness of
the proctor, Mr.. BrOckenbrough,
whose wife's sister I afterward married.
The other professors had embarked in
an English vessel for Norfolk, and they
had O very long passage. The ship was
described to me as something like an
old hay, stack. It could just float and go
before the wind. I had more wisely en-
parked in. one Of the N6wTYork Ameri-
can packets from Liverpool. Since that
time the English have learned to build
good ships for the American trade.
When my brother professors arrived at
the university, they found me eating
corn bread, and already a Virginian in
taste, and habits. Things were rather
rough, but I have always had and still
have the faculty of making myself hap
ply under any circumstances. Afew days
after my arrival at the university [
walked up TO Monticello to see Mr..
Jefferson, l made myself known to his
servant, and was introduced into his
great room. In q few minutes O tall, dig
nified old man entered, and after look
ing at me a moment, said care You
the new professor of ancient laugUages?"
I replied that | was. He observed,
You are very young" to which I OBJ
served that [ would grow older. He
smiled and said that was true. He
was evidently somewhat startled at my
youthful aud boyish appearance, and l
could plainly see that he was disap-
pointed. We fell to talking, and [ stayed
to dine with him. He was grave and
rather cold in his manner, but he was
very polite and l was pleased with his
simple Virginian dress, and his CONVEX
s~ation, free from all affectation. J. re-
member the interview as if it took place
yesterday.
During my solitary residence before
the university opened / visited Month
cello several timas,- aud occasionally
passed the night there. I thought Mr.,
Jefferson became better satisfied with
the boy professor, and we talked on all
subjects. he saw that 1 took great in
terest in the geography of America and
in the story of the revolution, and he
told me much about it, but in a very
modest way as to himself. He showed me
the original draft of the declaration of in
dependence, andhe could clearly see that
| was in habits, as | have always been
and still am, a mar who preferred plain
republican institutions to the outward
show and splendor of European king
I say republican institu-
tions, I mean genuine republican, for q
republic may have the name, and very
lIfEIo hnnS1aa that 7 rvo1T1n
[ often saw Mr.. Jefferson between
this time and his death. When he
on his horse to the university he
g 3nerally called on me. His thoughts
we're always about this new place of
education, of which he was really the
founder and though the first few years
Of the university were not quite salts
he confidently looked forward
TO the future and to the advantages
which the state would derive from the I
young men who were educated in the t
University of Virginia. c
| remember we'll a long conversation
which l once had with Mr.. Jefferson on +
Washington. He spoke of him 1
RELY and generously, as of a man of c
great and noble character. Mr.. Tuck [
II, in his life of Jefferson, has given
he character of Washington as Jeffer- p
on wrote it, and it is, perhaps, certain .
hat character was written at The time
yhen Mr.. Jefferson spoke of Washing 4
On to me, though he told me something .
aorethan the written character contains,
nut nothing that is contradictory to it.
character is exceedingly well writ
en-. and it proves that as a mere writer !
e~fferson might have excelled most men
+ his day. ,c
I discovered that Mr.. Jefferson was f
acquainted with Polybius, who is o.
OF q good writer, but q man OF excel z
9nt sense and the soundest Judgment. $
last time that I saw Mr.. Jefferson, al
hen he was suffering from q complaint !
'hich caused his death, he was reading =
letters, and we had a converse. d
on about a passage. A few weeks v
fter, when / was at the Sweet Spring n
uriDg the summer vacation, / heard Of y
is death. There was much foolish q
isplay in Virginia, and some e~xtrava- ]
ant bombastic orations. Those who IT
ad more sense showed their feeling in U
way. The man who had done =
} much for Virginia and the United
tates was honored for his services, for Y
talents, and for his grand and simple /
laracter. He ought to be revered by A
/ who enjoy the advantages of being tt
in his university, and ever re- -
embered as n of the great men T.
bom Virginia has produced. His RI
,est deeds are recorded OF the epitaph -
hich he wrote for his own tomb. (
rel
THE ttee.-Another case OF suttee -
tely occurred in a small village in /
lucknow, India. The following are the an
of the case Having bathed and 49,