Miscellany

Tilt, A very geii'ii: Ijeasi, and of a goud conacienco. üem. Tac very best al a Ijcosi, niy 'ord, thni :'er 1 eaw. 3 i Isummer Xijh'.'s Dram. "Mr. SpeakW!" "Mr. Speaker!" " Mr. Speaker ! " is thouted gímultaneOLislyby filty voiess, of all degree of volume and sharpness, from ihe bnll of the stentor to ün squcak of the pigmy, whilst fifty humnn beings feap with spasmodic eriergy ffom iheir soais', tind, wiili nerks and arms strctclied out, in pninful et'áleptio SDpplicrition, fifiy honorable memtera assail the cy, " and ears of t!:e voi-y eelf-possessed gentleman, wlth exuberant paunch, anti lg.-j so enorm.usly long, wlio is at present cali::lv .survcviiig ene from Mselavated position intlio centre of the inngnificcrit hall. "The gontlermin from ," says the Speaker, with provoking calmness ; nnd, ns If instftuianeously s-truck of the palsy, forty-nine of llio shauiera lrop into thfcir seats, somc to resume franking of tlieir l;ist Iwenty column speech ; others, witl. maiiy inward curses, to dispose of the morning's mail, burdetied, as usual with tí is favo ra of their too atteníive constiluonls ; nnd not a few to medítalo a fresh incursión to the cellarsbelow, wherc a cunning old Connaught nrin re fresh es the thirsty souls of tho memher's with the l best liquors, nl three cents a glaSs." One honorable gentleman rema i ns on his leg?, for on him has the beneficenl eye of the Speaker restcd. Tho " Raw Western Member " is the fortúnate man. He has sought the floor on every occasion, since the honr of two o'clock p. M., on the se..'ond dny of tho sessiot, wlien he endeavorer), vvith patrigtic zeal, to express his apprubation of the " Message j" and now, after ihree weeks' pftrseverance, he may well smile when he fiads his unwearied eíí'orts rewarded. Glorious moment in the life of the "Raw Western Member ! " And vet, with what marvellous coolners he prepares bimself for the effort to which he has looked forward with unwavering hopp, ever since he went to study law at the feet of the great Gamnliel of iiis State - the celobmted Judgo Stmigsins - ar.d pronounced his first Fourth of July oration, in the presenco of the assenibled beauty and intellect of Smugginsviüe ! - First, having ejojted the quid, which is followed by an nlarming expectoration, he roll.N up the cuils of his coat, and, pulling down his shirt sleeve, covers his horny digits with a gracefully negügent drapery of somewhat suspicioua linen. - 'liien. th.'owing hack bis coat collaf looseniog his neckeloth, so as to disclose fu'ly to view an cnormous specimen of lliat cartilngicious si motare lemicd the po.iium ADAMf, in order to remind us of (he fatal pippin, of which one Millón has lurnishe') the best natural history, ourorntor stretcheü forth his right h;in!, and thrusting the forefinger nnd thumb of the otlier into his waistcoat pocket, as if in desbarate pursuit of e. sliüling, which n ijlit posib!y iiave retreated there,breaks forth : Mr. Sppnker : This is thfigreaiest crisis in the history of ihese United Slaies. Sir, I funey it is a tremendoua cri.iij - Tiie eye of Etirnpe is fixcd ihtensely u i"n us. Tlie slsailes of our immoitnl sire.s útb hovering Over these halls, in a stite of translueeiii eagerne.ss. And. sir, as at that uwfully e.vciiing period in Roman history, vyhep the soul'-devoted an;l c.liivalric and lofty'-spiritea nnd heroic Curtius leaped bnldlv iuto tha frowning, ynwning, nnd unfaihoihnBle gujf and abysa ; when the mnlignant nnd evü ge. nius uf the glurious re public oppeared lo be in the ascendant, and Victory, ns if in her indignant &nd vengeftil wrath, seemed resolved no longer to ereh on the Roman engle : wlien tiie charmed sound of iibmty no longer like a soul inspiring trumpet, calling the spil its of men to the conffict, nmid ihe dái'k recessss of the Tnrpeiari rock, nnd the loftv, soa'ring hope of postority, lo the remotest and Most unhear.i-cif genorotions of the human race, nppenred to bc. duonied lo uftercXtmgni-hment, and the destinies of the ancien woild Wer'e hung wilh tlie gloom pull f.f midnlght darknefs, vv h i ] -. i ihc very heavens darled forth their ang;ry threnteningí, and ihe elementa thetíiselv conpired lo drasetnhüttte undontrollabfe perturbation ibroughout tho ininds even f iho most philofiophic and heroic of tlie Senntor, whose stiains of lofty, Ciceronian eloquence ' Shuok the arien&Ia, nni Culmined overGroece.' But, Mr. Speaker, we are fortunalely placed happier cïrcumslances. We mav bid defiancelo ihe as."anlts of time, and lo us has heen reserved the glory OI' deelarfBg, in the faco of ihe wholè univeme, to the British lion, " Thus far shalt thou come, and no f&fther ! " I wish to speak to this question, sir. My constilubnts liavc a right to bn heard on this floor, sir. They ate cntitled to ho heard, sir. They are amongst the most respectable, industrióos; enlighlened, and influential citizens of this country. I stand here in these halls as thiir representative. I claim, then, to bc heard. - And though biood and carnnge - thougl the wail of the widow and iho orphan - though buruingcitiesnnd desolated plair.s - though lerrifio cqhflagrationa should blazo ('onh, and the forked lighining sliould playo round thesummii ofthisCapiinl, whilsi tho thunQejr of British oannon should bo heard reverberating on both coniinents, pnd n starfted nnd astounded world shoa'd shrink frotn beholding the ngony of ibis gicm nmphitheatrc of gloi'y, vt I .■iin willing tr cnoouriter ihe overwhelming agencies of thelemfio nntngonisin, nnd Curtius-like to brave tho impenetrable and concefitrajed mysteries of (hls direful plunge! 1 nm ready, si r, to exclaim, wiih tlifi grest Roman onitor - '■'Sab lgnane foei. ïytcstrem tenui iiius.im I u Jilurii .ven-i ! " or with Brutus, es ho stinck duWD thetyrant - ' Non cqimicti invii!i:O, mirar niipi ! " Thus Ins otirfriwid drnwii blond ufliiv, subject, He is now fuiily into it. Warming wilh it, ho is workii g hirnself lip to i parosygfn of patfiotfcj violen.ee, nnd, fierccly benting tho air, de-ils n!l arour.d bim furious buffet?, as f in a struggle f'or lile nnd death with ttnseen fues. - Now, with lus tliumbslhrust intothe arn:Iets of liis waislcoat, and fingers spread ópt likethe raya frotn the head of John the Baptist in a Germán Wood-cüi, the orator suddenly springs backwacd and " pauses f r o. reply." Now, levelling h is hoad like a battering ram, te shakes j hts matted hair, and rushes wildiy furward, as if he would gore the spvakeron the spot. The perspirntion Hows prol'tisely frotn hlsbrow j whilsl tho saliva, llying in all direction?, not less frothy, but more persuasiva tivn his wordö, wins hi.n the foaming possession of a chirmed circle, where his rightto expecfurate ihere is none lo dispute ' Now his voice sinksto awhisper, and, felicilating himself on the wiihering sarensm of his manner, he bissea his woïds ihro'jgh his teetlv and sticks out his longue after tliem, in a grin which one of Dante's héroes tnight perhaps be ab!e to masier. Ntow his shouts pierce the domo, and slartic the dozing Argus, who, in thedistant corridor, with truo i-epuhiicnn vigilance and virtue guards the entrañes to the ladies' gajlery, nnd now owns the soothing fi-eof his last brifee - a somnolent glass of grog. Now, it is not to be supposed that the of utterfng any thing but the bnlderdash of which we liave given a perfectly accurate speciraa. He could sper.k the language of comtnon .eiise, if' he choíe, Bet (irth in odd enoug'i pliraseeJogy to be snit, but still common sense, which peopla might coraprehend Uu tne subject, indeed, on w-hich he thinkj proper to adciress the Hoube, he has rsflscted bul little, vet he has got a correct view of a of hsbearings, and on few points ís even captfble of throwing additional light. Dut rhe poor man has got an absurd idéa thnt hc must say something verv fine, and full of allusionsto !he Roman rr-pubUe ; and, ba ving t!ms mounted ihesülts, cuts nil manner of ridicujousenpers. And l,e ■'ors not enteiiain this sitiy no'tion alone. Tiie sanie (also tnste peivadts almost the whole congressional oralorv, nnd even public officials too often adopt the sophomore slyle, instead of that of dignified anl so!)"r diplomacy. Dutduwn goes the Spoaker's hammer, and with ö look of utter incredulousnoss on the cloc-k, which, alas ! even Weste n orafory cannot fora moment divert f rom the faithful discharge of itsduty, the orator eeaées, nrul is inlantly extinguiste 1 amid tho din and tumult of ihe conflict for tho succession. Agaui the fifty humaVi Voices shoiit, and again fifiy human heings spring wi'h a simultaneóos jerk upon their fcet, like tho figure of nn Ilal.in showman. Just as the Speaker annourrcas the name of tlie s.accessful com petitor for the fl or, oor Western friend may lie perenived quictly paling through tho Rotunda, accompanied by his fidus n:s - a tall, lauk, salllow-v officc-seekcr, from tho swamps of Michigan, who a-ks a chergeshipi hut u-ould be satiífied with a first-rate consulata - They are on thcir way lo I'oyV shop, in the basement cellar of the Capitol. The offioe-seèker regarda gin aiul gonius, punch and patriotism, drunkenness and domocracy, as closely sllicd, and, just now, our friend, the member, 'inclines to the same opinión, í lio remainder of tlie day is to-be devoted to bacchus - and tubacco. Such s tlie " Raw Western Member," as he appeara in tho most oonspicuous circumst;tnces in the House of Representativos. It would bo a libel i;pon th;t highiy respectable body to suppósethat he is nol nppreciated thero exactly at his proper value. When he speaks, nobodj' l.stfns, excepit the poor reporters, whosn. patiënt ears, daily win thcin the huttors of martyrdom. and the ladies in the gallen', who, half dead from ennui, or the more intolerable infliction of stupid admirers, glndly seek relief n the luns of our higliiy original frieud on the floor. Yet afier all, tl, e " Raw Western Member " is a Vvry useful and folernLly ftiithful representativa of the people. One tbing is cerlain, he is true to "tho party. His naras 's ilwayspvomp lv responded to, and isunif'irnily 10 befuund recordad on iho right side. llia speeches may be ns powerfully argumentativo as thosc of some of his coliengues, bul his voto is equn'ly cojènt. Hof is he a!togetlior without tho accomplishments luid ulakn lo by legisLitor-s of greatcr preten-' sions. Nover to liim, il is true, did any' McCulloch unrol bis imple page, or a Smith revf:il the " Weulth of Nations ; " but Sinnggins taught hitn nll the politica] econoroy which is needed to innko a giod partisnn, whilst nn Indion gene y ïi ■ it iat.'d hiin inlo :ill the mysteries ot tlic most profitsble tnannJamenJt of tho exi-lii- nor. 'J'iio fluency of the oraior, which he posessc-iin coinmnn wi'li all our " gre-t men," la really wondrous. Onlv nbo'ish iho rule, nnd supply liim with an ndequa'e allovvanca of brandy-andwater, and he wil! addiess the House for three days in suecession, without ever bena; at alouiör a word. And it will not nll be absolute nonsonse. Exrept when he lakea a li;h rhelorical flighf, and t renta ua to readings in Roman history, tho man is generally cnuiprehensible. - Stale, nnd cotnmon-plnce, and bomb.-islic, ho al w aya is, of course ; but the maivc! Ia, how he manages to keep up, without onfi moment's pause or cmbarrassment, the everlastiogstream of talk. Aged gosip3 sometí mes stop tú ta!;e breath. - Methodist preachers nt oamp meetings have been known to bogglo in the midst of a three-hinrs haiangue ; a Websier or Calhnun will occasionally stammer ; but the " Ran Western Member" never stops, or boggles, orstarnmers. And of all subjects he rejoices in the same rc.idiness of speech. On the foreign re'aiions of the United States ; on the brink quostion; on the tariff; on slavery ; on tho j public lands; on the public finantes.; on infernal improvementa; on the sub'treasury ; on every question that comes hefoie Congress, the honorable gentleman is prspared to soeak with iho same incj:!i. :ir b:c (uency n;u] the same imsira -".'■. Inglishman uccustomsd to stiimmering public peakers, for inst;inre - with nipre surprise thap tais üCNhrui.stibility of tongiie. Anlrisb lavvyer, a French philosopher, a Scotti: h divine, are uil mighty men of worde ; but nono of them can hold a candió to our Western Goliath, lle is tho only man whose iiicourses fully realiza the pirliy description of the philosophjt; prinee of Denmark - " Words. words, words ! " Nor, rs we have seen, is " action, " the sine qua non of true oratorv, by any means wanting. Galvanistii piavs all sorts of pranks witli the muscles; but what is it. compared with iho generous warmth of a " Raw Western Mérabér ? " In !he wnlksof private life, our fri'end is a highly entbrtaining animal, nnd jargelv cootributes to the interest of Washington society, diiring the winter sensot). At hisboarding house - a 1,-uge establishment on the Avenue, kept by a maiden lady of most mnjestic proiionions, anda nose likea Philadelphia mob, threatening a'conflngration - ho is quite, a lion. To be su re, mánpers at tableare ralher OüTRE, but Miss Laura Augusla kindly regards them as only evincing a " charming eccentricity." Our friend frcquently escorts Miss Laura Augusta to t he Capítol, On these occasions ho dresses wiih charocterisiic tns!e. His coat is emphatically a " tighl ñ," so Jennings ei'v properly ronounced it, and is ndonied with enornious brass biiltons, beariiig the figure if a sportsman nt'eiidodby his dog. A vest and i eckcloth presenting, i'i rtchest combination, a'l the colors of the rainbpw, an immense breastpin, tiids of gigantic magnitude, and a guard chaio, unass've as a small chain cable, and cunningly wound across his e.Xjianded ciiet, couiplete the RORtunjèof tlie " Uaw Western AiembcT." 0i his hca:l, a broad-bijmmed white bat, wiih a narrow band of crape, is jnuniingly set ; and iie grasps in lus right Band a walking stick of hickory, OUt al the Hermitage, and rival ing ín ils diameter the club on whieli Gabriel Ravel leans, as Hercules, in flsh culpred tighls and powdered wig, in his " (ïliirpscs of the Vatiéan, at Rome." Altogeiher, our hero prcíciits an adiuirnbly failhful represenlation, in miniature, of oneofihose fancy stores inChatham street, wherethe descendants of Abraiiam lie in wait for the verdant chilJien of men. Arrivcd at lhe Capítol, our fiiend treats Miss Laura Augusta to a gla-s of soda waier, at the stand in the vestibule of the House, where hungry members regalo themse'.ves with ginger bread nnd boiled ham, at two pence a píate ; and then lie unta her to il e gallery, pointiug out with !iÏ3 hickory tliB :' greatest ruen ia the LJüited Sintes," on the (loor below, ever uid anón laughing so louJ as to draw on Miss Laura and liimself the fixed gaze of the House, to lho untningled deliglit of tint iogenuoua joung lady, who finds in hor own brillhiiteyes a ready excuse for tha mnrked nnd repeated attentión. The ' Raw Western Member " is weü knowu ut 11 tho biliiard saloons, nd hiindles his cue with tl gioat deul of skill. But his favorita gumo is that known by tlie nol very elcg'iiit, but sufticiently exprossive designaiïon, of " cut ihroat." Absorbed In this gnrne, wilh n score of blücklegs, sloiekeoper's clerks, and braken down poütioians, ho mny be I ; een nhnost every niglit at th'o table whero the numbeis ro dealt, and he olten comes o(T wiih treblo his wefk's pny in nockft. The builiesof the evtablishment once tried to frightf-n our hero, but, with j ;ill his rowne.ss, he is braveas a lion, and is not to be assaile 1 vith impuni'.y. ün this occasion, he ripped open the ! inen of one of tho bullies, and gougcd I out the eyo of i!:e olher, in lrss time than the afLir is related ; nnd then quiotlv restoring his knife to his sleeve, bet ' a Mexican" on tho next throw, as if nothing had happened. Our hero will not be re-elected to Congress. He has obtained acommission in one of the rpgiments of o!unteers, and is destined to carry the blessings of pioneer Angle-Saxon civilization into the border provinces of Alt.xico, or, raayhap, the vast regions washed by the broad IV cifio - iheapproprihte instrument lür!ie'ing out the foundations of unother mighty empire of Wealtli, freedorn, refenerheot, nnd intelügencp. Coarse, conceiteJ, nnd illiterate, yet shrewd, énterprising, inspired by an unquenchable love officedom, the " Raw Western Member " is is not to be despised. He cannt be regárded but with great interest, nnd even respect, as the representativa of a remartcable generation of men, who havo wro't mirados in the wilderne.-s of this new World ; amongst whosó descendant, lvs shrewdness, enterp'rise, and love of freed-ni, w ; H Ie perpetuoted to la'est time?, whilst his coar-enos--, conceit, nnd gno, will vvholly disiippear, before that intellefitual and moral ÍVogrcss, which is fast creatiñg in tho fair valfeys of t!-.e West, a community of high refinement nnd Chrisiiari civiliza'ion, in which human socieiy, wc doubt not, will one day, recpive its fullest development and the human mind its utmos' expansión.