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Familiar Letters on Public Characters, and Public Events
Familiar Letters on Public Characters and Public Events Author:William Sullivan Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: His speeches, in manner, and weight, gave him an exalted rank. Among his superior advantages was an accurate knowledge of dates, and facts, of most essential... more » service in the Senate. His two finest speeches are said to have been on the burning of Washington by the British; and on the exclusion of Mr. Gallatin from the Senate, for the reason, that he had not been a citizen long enough to be entitled to a seat there. Mr. King was a public man throughout his long life, with few and short intervals ; but, like all other men, in our country, whose pride or pleasure depends on office, he was subjected to some disappointments. Yet he may be considered as one of the most successful of the eminent men whose relations to the public endured so long. Among other members of this convention, were Samuel Adams, Charles Jarvis, Christopher Gore, Benjamin Lincoln, Theophilus Parsons, George Cabot, Francis Dana, John Brooks, Caleb Strong, John Coffin Jones, Theodore Sedg- wick. There may be occasion to mention these again, except Charles Jarvis, of whom it may be observed, that he was a zealous advocate for the constitution, though afterwards a decided opponent to the administration of it. This gentleman was a physician ; he was a tall fine figure, bald head, rather large face, and small eyes. His motions were vehement, and he was of ardent character. He had a fine voice, and a natural popular eloquence, rarely surpassed. He was accustomed to pause in his eloquence, when he had said something which he thought impressive, and to look round upon his audience for the effect. This was a hazardous experiment, but he never seemed to fail in it. LETTER VIII. Feb. 13, 1833. The history of the world records no case of more intense interest, than that which pervaded the United States, in the ye...« less