The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-10-30
SELECT LITERATURE.
"REMINISCENCES OF WASHINGTON.
The Tyler Administration from 1s43 to
I845

ne i ylcI ADMINISTRATOR IIOul 1898 "
I845.
| From the atlantic Monthly.
"Blair of the Globe" as he was gener-
ally called. was about five feet ten inches
in height, with an emaciated form and
positively ugly features, light hair, and
clear, untlinching blue eyes. He wore
broad brimmed black hat, and his clothes
were somewhat of the Quaker cut. He
was a trenchant, waspish writer, who APP
parently sought rather than avoided per-
sonal controversies. Although he was
almost skeleton, he once unblushingly
called Judge White in an editorial "Cal-
vim Edison, the name of man who
was then being exhibited to prove that
human being could survive after losing
nearly all his flesh. In another article
| he applied to Senator Poinde Xter-who
was spare mantle sobriquet of the
devils darninS needle;" indeed, he never
his ferocious editorial attacks, that he
might be assailed for any of his severe
structures.
He was the disciplinaran of the Demo-
cratic party, and he had no mercy for
those who refused to work in partisan
harness. Once, when he was about at
| lacking a man whom he respected per-
sonally, but disliked politically. he said
to his partner, "Rives, it gives me pain
to attack that man, but he is FESTIVE and
kicking in the traces, and complaining
that the collar is too small for him and
chafes him. We must whip him in or
whip him out at once, before he gets a
little crowd to go with him." Mr.. Blair
was devoted to Van Buren,, as he had
been to Jackson, and worked hard to Sc
cure his nomination by the Democrats in
1914, as an opponent of the annexation
of Texas.
The New York Tribune was first pub
lished during the Tyler administration
by Horace Greeley, who had edited with
success a political newspaper during the
preceding Presidential campaign. called
The Log Cabin. The Tribune, like the
New York Herald and SIN, was then
sold at one cent copy, and was neces-
sarily little more than brief summary
of the news of the day. But it was the
germ of what its editor lived to see it
a great newspaper,-and it soon had
| ot W,cbipr{op ,rboro bo
eminently respectable National MteH-
gencer and the ponderous Globe failed to
satisfy the wants of the reading COM
munity. A daily penny paper. called
The Capitol, was established at Wash
ington, but it was short-lived.
The Congressional Library was then
respectable collection of books, many of
which had belonged to the library of
Thomas Jefferson, who had sold them to
Congress after the burning of the Capt.
tol by the British. Senator Choate and
Representative Burke were at the head
of the Joint Congressional Committee
which selected the books purchased with
the small annual appropriation, and the
library was the favorite lounging place
of the beaux and bellies. The genial
librarian, Mr.. John S. Mehan, was
Washington journalist, who had sup
ported Gen. Jackson, and had received
his position in return, displacing Mr..
George Watterson, who had been promi-
nent writer for the anti Democratic press,
and had lampooned Mrs. Jackson with
out mercy. General Cass was at that
time the most omnivOrous reader order
ing to his room large collections of books
of travel and novels. Senator Benton
was another industrious reader, and al
ways consulted all available encyclop;r-
dias before he made one of his ponder
GUS and exhaustive speeches.
The electric telegraph was then being
made available by Mr.. S. B. Morse, who
obtained, with great difficulty, all appro-
priation of $50, 600 to aid in it's construc-
ton. To some members of Congress,
who ridieuled the telegraph, it was a
chimera, visionary dream like mesmer-
ism, rather matter of merriment than
to be seriously entertained. The appro-
priation was passed in the house only by
the close vote Of eighty-nine yeas against
eighty-three nays, SO that a change of
three votes would have consigned the
invention to oblivion. The first wires,
between Washington and Baltimore, were
incased in leaden tubes. which were buried
under ground, but this mode proved
failure, and the present plan of extend
ing the wires on poles was adopted.
Another prominent inventor at Wash
ington, during the Tyler administration.
was Mr., or as he was generally called.
! Colonel Samuel Colt. He was man of
fine presence, lavish in his expenditures
of time and Of money to accomplish any
desired results, and of indomitable per-
severance. His six-shooters had been
practically tested in the war with the
Seminole Indians in Florida, but COM
pany formed for their manufacture at
Paterson. n. Jersey, became bankrupted
after having sunk a capital of $500, 900,
without any beneficial results, except
those gained in the further simplifying
the mechanism of the arms, which were
improvements on many chambered guns
and pistols manufactured in Europe a
century before. Disappointed, but not
discouraged, Colonel Colt temporarily
| turned his attention to submarine bat
teries, which he exhibited before the
President and large concourse of Off.
Gals. A large vessel was started under
full sail down the Eastern Branch. oppo-
site the navy yard. AS she moved stead
| lily on, the officers and men on board sud
denly left her, and in a few moments
there was an explosion which threw the
doomed ship up on hillock of water. as
it were, until her keel was for an instant
in view. Then, the enormous bubble
upon which she rested burst, and her
spars and rigging were hurled into frag-
ments, while the remaining portion of
the hull pitched heavily forward, and
settled slowly to the bottom. Colt
submarine battery was decided sue
cess.
Mr.. Edward X. Collins, wealthy New
York ship owner, established and run
successfully for some years what was
known as the " Dramatic Tine'' of sail