New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-18

tax-bill of he elder Breck amount to 81 lharu
dollars for one YEAR he resolved to move to Phila
delphia, and " he never regretted the removal
though he lost $4,000 ON the sale OF his Boston
homestead. The Philadelphia taxes were only 200
per year. The city then contained 5OOOo lhhaol-
tants, " and much larger society oil elegant anu
fashionable and stylish people than at the present
day." General Washington, then PRESIDENT OF the
United States, was residing there, and we are In
formed that he with many other gentlemen had "a
French cook" Many of the eminent Frenchmeh
driven to America by the horrors Of the Revolution
were there, and gave tone to society. bIech
personally knew Talleyrand, and saw him prepareu
for a journey to the West, " IN the costum' Oh "
backwoodsman. The metamorphosls from OlshoP %
lawn and purple 10 this savage garment was sum
GENTLY ridiculous" Volney was a timd peeVlsn'
sour-tempered man." He entertained Breck WIN
stories of his hair breadth escapes from the rapacy
of the Mamelukes of Egypt, who used 10 gai'oP
after him and oblige him 10 redeem hlnSeil rum
fancied danger by hinging them hahuI"l VI
silver. Apropos of the dinners diven by kober'
Morris the financier Breck exclaims: we nave 10
such establishments now. God in His mercy gives
us plenty of provisions but it would seem as IL the
devil possessed the cooks" Poor Morris came to
the debtors prison. where Breck visited him anu
saw him " in his ugly, whltewashed vaults
was in this way that the Republic treated inc h"u
who had furnished it with the sinews OF the 1eNo-
lutionary War. William Cobbett called by brecK
:" the notorious" was then keeping boob-shop I'll
Philadelphia He is characterized as one day
warm Royalist the next low Jacooln; no" uo-
Tending the ultra.aristOcracy, then SURFING 'he
passions of the plebcians by seditous pamphlets anu
penny Sheets General Knox was then Secretary
of War exercising a liberal hospitality upon
salary of 5000 a year His manners were plahd
and dignifed; his conversation sprightly, playful
vet sensible HIS voice." -Breck says, "was a
deem bass. and resounded through the camp wren
exercising the artillery of which he was general
When on the left bank of the Delaware, preparatory
TO the attack on Trenton, his stentoran voice was
heard above the crash of the leo which filled the
river with floating cakes"
Mr. Breck. like Mr. Crabbe Robinson, was an
assduous keeper of notebooks, of which III lhs
volume we have specimens sufficiently interesting
to make us wish for Some memoranda whch
he makes of Joseph Bonaparte, whom he knew very
we'll are historically valuable Inc eA-hihg VI
Spain was accustomed to talk with perfect freedom
of his brother Napoleon, and sometimes IN slra'h
| of great severity Joseph said: When was King
| If Spain | would direct my marshas and generals
tn do one thing but they would Immediately sou
obout doing another If complained, they would
show the Emperors order for what they had JuSU
done so that my plans were frustrated by Ihe coh-
ficting authority of my brother" Joseph SuS-
nectod that Napolson's intention to annex the
greater part of Spain to France, leaving him only
small kingdom in the SOUTH" The world Dy lhis
time knows pretty well how little like tho Dlrus IN
| their nests as described by good Dr watts, were
the Bonaparte family. The appearance OF Joseph
was that of a very plain country gentleman. L
thought" remarks SIR. Breck. that one OF the nine
servants he brought from England might nave
brushed his hat, which looked rather shabby"
| In compan : he was taciturn and grave"
The burning of Washington in 1914 aroused all
the Federal spleen of Mr.. Breck, and he burst into
the following strain of good old-fashoned lhVec-
| tive: % Democracy, to what have you Drought
| us! Madison, Armstrong and your cohee''eu'
| ionorant and improvident Cabinet how guilty are
Won toward this dishonored, unhappy nation! ANA
| SNYDER. thou governor by appellation why mast
thou never visited the great head OF tie STATE inc
city of Philadelphia, during thy SIX years adnhis
| tration1 Thou goader of this war! thou Demo
| cratic feeble disorganizerl say what has thy IN
becility, thy guilty incompetency to answer for
! Is Philadelphia safe, | ask, even against l"ur
| Thousand men | shall be answered by thee. l
! know not and perhaps thou phlegmatic chlei'
| thou wilt add, Il care not" This reads exactly
like a fierce vltriolic diatrbe in an old Federal
newspaper. 1t is refreshing because 1t Is earnest
and sincere Men, Democrats or federallSIs' De-
lieved in their politics then. But now
| Mr. Bfeck is indeed man of plain speech lie
calls John Randolph n troublesome caJih VINO mas
endeavored to vilify every honest man and cmbar-
rass every Administration from the days OF wash
| ington to those Of Jackson" One OF Daniel Web
steTs dismal and boding prophecies Mr.. Brock 10
peats. "Sir" said he, If General Jackson IS
elected the Government OF the country will be
| oyerthrown; the Judiciary will be destroyed; Mr.
Justice johnson will be made Chief Justice IN the
room of Mr. Marshall, who must soon retire, and
then in half an hour Mr.. Justice Washington and
Mr. il stice Story will resign. majority Will be
left with Mr.. johnson, and every constitutional
decision heretofore made will be reversed Mr.
Webster said that he knew more than fifty mem
beers of Congress who had expended and pledged All
they were worth in setting mp newspapers and en-
nlovinp other means to forward Jacksons election.
| Judre Peters told Mr. Brock that Baron Steuben
WAS IN deadly fear that some American college
would make him an LID. Lafayette having re-
ceived that dubious honor. Having at the head OF
his tro Ups to pass through college town. in which
the Marquis had been thus distinguished, the old
warrior halted his men and TINS addressed them
You shall SUR de horse vel and ride troo de town
like de debbi for If dey catch you, dey make one
doctor OF vour The tough soldier of fortune had
no passion for academic distinctions.
When jeffrey, the Edinburgh reviewer, was in
this country AS the story is told, he called upcn
President Madison, who talked with him upon our
existing quarrel with Great Britain. jeffrey
said plainly that he was loyal Briton and IN all
that related to the dispute with America considered
his Government wholly and fully ustifiablc. Mr..
Brock is indignant that Secretary Monroe who was
nresent should have argued the merits OF the ques-
tIon with this Z" foreign coXcomb" and "young
puppy"
The era Of railroads was not pleasant to Mr.
Rreck. whose arstocratic tastes strengthened by
residence abroad were greatly shocked by the
upbling together of all classes IN the cars. Once
two poor follows, who were not much III the habit