The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-01-25
ASEi D0TES OF CUSHING

'''h 81 10 bS1!I Win. lt
was in youth IS ambitions as Napoleon,
and liz elevated himself 10 the position Ii,
occupied at his death by sheer force OF
physical application. He had memory
probably unequal led by any man now alive
lie could Rad sixteen hours a day for Z
month aud never forge: AN impoftan, fact
obtained in tina; time, and this faculty
made him the psntouaIest authority on
Federal laws IN this country. His memory
aEd h.s power ol work were the secrets Of
hls success. As an illustration Of Tins the
following aarcdo,e is told In lsI3. or
thoTeahnuts, lac va: appointed Chief Jus
ilcc of the ~urreinc Bench of Massaclus-
cts. lie was ont of practice. and, 10 us,
his own words, very rusty" lie set to
work, however, aad IN nineteen days had
read slxty volumes oh different laws
questions Of precedent, laws OF contract,
laws of exchange. &c. About seventeen
volumes Were devoted to Massachusetts,
.a"; twice as many more were made III, uf
reports. aud the reading was altogether ex
tGcIEe.y varied.
Now Tor an esamp!G OF his power OF
""tk. Between the ages Of twenty seven
AMI fifty fnu:, he nrvcr knew what il wa.
to ue sick. To was accustomed in Wash
.n-,on Ia 20 to wGik in the morning at live
a clock. aud labor tremendously through
meal hours. and without taS ing rest, until
eleven AT night. TLc, lie would snake a
cigar. get into bed aud read history until
he fell asleep. In ono Winter h. finished,
IN ihls manuel. iairtecu octave volumes oi
scientific travel and recent history. Wnil.
Attorney General he wolid have his meals
brought to him and iIi,! upon his writing
Gr,k. His custom often va. to eat th.
emti.c me.l without Io"kiug ii II or rest
ing from his work. Fiiend, or business
associates. during the time when lie wa.
trying to aaiusf the Hudson Bav Com
l.auy' ; claims, aud often on ordinary coca
si"ns, would una him buried in writing
paper 81 law books at four O'Clock IN III.
morning. las having beer At his de.l. Tor
twenty ihIce hours u ilEoat i,,r.
tai.G tashGbg MAS mau II strong pas.
sI"ns, animal and iutcllrctual: there was
probably nos moment in his whole walk
ng life when he was not thinkiag pro.
I"undiy. lie smoked like steam engine.
and rs though there Ietc utIIioy III TOD eco.
iir used profanity 10 I:npart Intense en-
pha>Is to some angry expressions. but
never IDLY q. mrauinglc>>ly. He drank
socially. bat n.a'ie The occasion invariably
tea. ii"lt 10y STARTING All Argument or
making business friend.
Nj Cushing used To say that literary
labor waS. with him. like The labor OF a
school by over his smearrd aud bintttd
essay. iu mad nn tact fur it, although lis
Iudom;tAl.e will ana differentiation 10 con-
Grcr KEEP, h:m making Efforts all his life
lie had no imaginative power. 10 skill Of
fancy whatever. lie had Iitll- or NO kmowl
edge of common law. aud Judge Bigelow
sad OF HIM once that. in matters relative
- the perfect aud imrartial adjustment Of
!. case on the basis q! right and wrong,
Judge -".~ ~as vastly hts superior: while
III cases where authority WAS involved
Cushiu. had n0 superior In abstract law.
that is, he was weak; in precedent and au.
tho;i'y he was powerful. IN example OF
his great energy and force nj character is
contained in the i'lowiu. wonderful story:
He was appointed Minister 20 China at
'imr when there WIS :Io treaty be; wten the
t"iestia! Empire and any country. except
England. There was ~ steanb rats in
those DAYS. The rx,r-.:ciinary man. with
the marvellous knowledge of international
law, crossed the Atlantic, went up tie
Mediterranean. inufueyrd through Europe
aud India to China, established a treaty
and made tho reluctant pIgraiIs ACCEPT il.
came back across the Pacific. landed at
san Francisco went to Mexico and helped
to smnn'h diplomatic matters there. return
inE to Washington IN eighteen months
after his departure ihrrcfrnm lie then
visited his home At Newhu;ypnrt. The
English Ambassador. ON coming back To
England from bis successful mission in
China, MAS cOurtcd. fctc.i aud addressed
10y all the commercial people of England;
YET. although the English complained that
Cu,hiuGs American treaty was much more
favorable, not the slightest notice was
taken of him by the merchants Of Balri
more, Philadelphia. New York or Boston,
as he passed through these cities on his
way home so bitter was the feeling against
John Tyler. who appointed him. Gushing
Il. II. &
The United States OF Columbia to handle
some years $50. and found it necessary To
90 there; aud, although nearly seventy
years old al the time, he travelled 800 miles
on horseback in search of that wandering
Government.
Mr. Gushing was an intimate friend OF
Webster, aud in some respects their tastes
were similar. Webster, at the period Of
his death. owed Nr. Gushing quite a large
amount of money. There were many So.
crrt> Of State locked up in this old mans
breast Once he told i friend that he had
himself written over fifty of Secretary
Tnsnt needs revision or not, probably no
one now alive can :rli An acquaintance
and claSsmate Of MG. Cushing. now dead.
sai ono" that Cu>hing's moral percept IONS
were uot very high. His more intimate
friends say that IN ordinary business trans
actions. or questions OF hight or wrong,
susceptible of mechanical adjustment, he
MAS cxactness itself They also admit that
his clas SInaicS assertion may have been
tiuc enough, If interpreted So as To mean
that he could easily convert his conscience
10 faith in any Of his political plans or
methods of action. 1t is related of Cush
iug, an instance showing his patriotism
aud interest in the Union cause during the
wal Of the rebellion. that. in 1862, on the
list day cf his arrival at Nswburyport,
after the declaration of actual war. he
made speech earnestly in favor Of the
Union. Nevertheless he was hated heat
lily in that city during the war William
i.I0NG tiArI !sou, another New bnIyunrt man