New Hampshire
|
From New
Hampshire.
Jn.
Langdon Esq., and Nich. Gilman Esquire.
Mr.
Langdon is
a Man of considerable fortune, possesses a liberal mind, and a good
plain
understanding. -‑about 40 years old.
Mr.
Gilman is
modest, genteel, and sensible. There is nothing brilliant or
striking in his
character, but there is something respectable and worthy in the Man. ‑-
about
30 years of age.
|
|
Massachusetts
|
From Massachusetts.
Rufus
King, Nat'. Gorham, Gerry and Jn. Strong, Esquires.
Mr.
King is a
Man much distinguished for his eloquence and great parliamentary
talents. He
was educated in Massachusetts, and is said to have good classical as
well as
legal knowledge. He has served for three years in the Congress of the
United
States with great and deserved applause, and is at this time high
in the
confidence and approbation of his Country‑men. This Gentleman is about
thirty
three years of age, about five feet ten Inches high, well formed, an
handsome
face, with a strong expressive Eye, and a sweet high toned voice. In
his public
speaking there is something peculiarly strong and rich in his
expression,
clear, and convincing in his arguments, rapid and irresistible at times
in his
eloquence but he is not always equal. His action is natural,
swimming, and
graceful, but there is a rudeness of manner sometimes accompanying it.
But take
him tout en semble, he may with propriety be ranked among the
Luminaries
of the present Age.
Mr.
Gorham is a
Merchant in Boston, high in reputation, and much in the esteem of his
Country‑men.
He is a Man of very good sense, but not much improved in his education.
He is
eloquent and easy in public debate, but has nothing fashionable or
elegant in
his style ;‑all he aims at is to convince, and where he fails it never
is from
his auditory not understanding him, for no Man is more perspicuous
and full.
He has been President of Congress, and three years a Member of that
Body.
M"; Gorham is about 46 years of age, rather lusty, and has an agreable
anti pleasing manner.
Mr.
Gerry's
character is marked for integrity and perseverance. He is a hesitating
and
laborious speaker ;‑possesses a great degree of confidence and
goes
extensively into all subjects that he speaks on, without respect to
elegance or
flower of diction. He is connected and sometimes clear in his
arguments,
conceives well, and cherishes as his first virtue, a love for his
Country. M,
Gerry is very much of a Gentleman in his principles and manners ;‑he
has been
engaged in the mercantile line and is a Man of property. He is about 37
years
of age.
Strong is a Lawyer of some
eminence, -‑he has received a liberal education, and has good
connections to
recommend him. As a Speaker he is feeble, and without confidence. This
Gent". is about thirty five years of age, and greatly in the esteem of
his
Colleagues.
|
|
Connecticut
|
From Connecticut.
Sam.
Johnson, Roger Sherman, and Wm.[Oliver] Elsworth [Ellsworth]
Esquires.
Dr.
Johnson is a character much celebrated for his legal knowledge ;
lie is said to
be one of the first classics in America, and certainly possesses a
very strong
and enlightened understanding.
As
an Orator in my opinion, there is nothing in him that warrant; the high
reputation which he has for public speaking. There is something in
the tone of
his voice not pleasing to the Ear,‑but he is eloquent and
clear,‑‑always
abounding with information and instruction. He was once employed as an
Agent
for the State of Connecticut to state her claims to certain landed
territory
before the British House of Commons ; this Office he discharged with so
much
dignity, and made such an ingenious display of his powers, that he
laid the
foundation of a reputation which will probably last much longer than
his own
life. D.' Johnson is about sixty years of age, possesses the manners of
a
Gentleman, and engages the Hearts of Men by the sweetness of his
temper, and
that affectionate style of address with which he accosts his
acquaintance.
Mr.
Sherman exhibits the oddest shaped character I ever
remember to have met with.
He is awkward, tin‑meaning, and unaccountably strange in his manner.
But in his
train of thinking there is something regular, deep, and
comprehensive ; yet
the oddity of his address, the vulgarisms that accompany his public
speaking,
and that strange new England cant which runs through his public as well
as his
private speaking make everything that is connected with hire grotesque
and
laughable ;‑and yet he deserves infinite praise,‑no Man has a better
Heart or a
clearer Head. If he cannot embellish he can furnish thoughts that are
wise and
useful. He is an able politician, and extremely artful in accomplishing
any
particular object ;‑it is remarked that he seldom fails. I am told he
sits on
the Bench in Connecticut, and is very correct in the discharge of his
judicial
functions. In the early part of his life he was a Shoe‑maker;‑but
despising the
lowness of his condition, he turned Almanack maker, and so progressed
upwards
to a Judge. He has been several years a Member of Congress, and
discharged the
duties of his Office with honor and credit to himself, and advantage to
the
State lie represented. He is about Go.
Mr.
Elsworth is a judge of the Supreme Court in Connecticut ;‑‑he is
a Gentleman of
a clear, deep, and copious understanding ; eloquent, and connected in
public
debate ; and always attentive to his duty. He is very happy in a reply,
and
choice in selecting such parts of his adversary's arguments as he finds
make
the strongest impressions,‑in order to take off the force of them, so
as to
admit the power of his own. M' Elsworth is about 37 years of age,
a Man much
respected for his integrity, and venerated for his abilities.
|
|
New York
|
From New York.
Alexander
Hamilton, Yates, and W. [John]
Lansing Esquires.
Col.
Hamilton is deservedly celebrated for his talents. He is a
practitioner of the
Law, and reputed to be a finished Scholar. To a clear and strong
judgment he
unites the ornaments of fancy, and whilst he is able, convincing, and
engaging
in his eloquence the Heart and Head sympathize in approving him.
Yet there is
something too feeble in his voice to be equal to the strains of oratory
;‑it is
my opinion that he is rather a convincing Speaker, that than] a blazing
Orator.
Col" Hamilton requires time to think,‑he enquires into every part
of his
subject with the searchings of phylosophy, and when he comes forward he
comes
highly charged with interesting matter, there is no skimming over the
surface
of a subject with him, he must sink to the bottom to see what
foundation it
rests on.‑His language is not always equal, sometimes didactic like
Bolingbroke's, at others light and tripping like Stern's. His eloquence
is not
so defusive as to trifle with the senses, but he rambles just enough to
strike
and keep up the attention. He is about 33 years old, of small stature,
and
lean. His manners are tinctured with stiffness, and sometimes with
a degree of
vanity that is highly disagreable.
Mr.
Yates is said to be an able judge. He is a Man of great legal
abilities, but
not distinguished as an Orator. Some of his Enemies say he is an
anti‑federal
Man, but I discovered no such disposition in him. He is about 45 years
old, and
enjoys a great share of health.
Mr.
Lansing is a practicing Attorney at Albany, and Mayor of that
Corporation. He
has a hisitation in his speech, that will prevent his being an Orator
of any
eminence ;‑his legal knowledge I am told is not extensive, nor his
education a
good one. He is however a Man of good sense, plain in his manners, and
sincere
in his friendships. He is about 32 years of age.
|
|
New Jersey
|
From New
Jersey.
Wm.
Livingston, David Brearly, Wm. Patterson, and Jon.
Dayton, Esquires. [W.C. Houstoun
omitted].
Governor
Livingston
is confessedly a Man of the first rate talents, but he appears to me
rather to
indulge a sportiveness of wit, than a strength of thinking. He is
however equal
to anything, from the extensiveness of his education and genius.
His writings
teem with satyr and a neatness of style. But he is no Orator, and seems
little
acquainted with the guiles of policy. He is about 6o years old, and
remarkably
healthy.
Mr.
Brearly is
a man of good, rather than of brilliant parts. He is a judge of the
Supreme
Court of New Jersey, and is very much in the esteem of the people. As
an Orator
he has little to boast of, but as a Man he has every virtue to
recommend him.
M' Brearly is about 40 years of age.
Mr.
Patterson
is one of those kind of Men whose powers break in upon you, and create
wonder
and astonishment. He is a Man of great modesty, with looks that bespeak
talents
of no great extent,‑but he is a Classic, a Lawyer, and an Orator;‑ and
of a
disposition so favorable to his advancement that every one seemed ready
to
exalt him with their praises. He is very happy in the choice of time
and manner
of engaging in a debate, and never speaks but when he understands
his subject
well. This Gentleman is about 34 years of age, of a very low stature.
Cap. Dayton is a young
Gentleman of talents, with ambition to
exert them. He possesses a good education and some reading ; he speaks
well,
and seems desirous of improving himself in Oratory. There is an
impetuosity in
his temper that is injurious to him ;but there is an honest
rectitude about
him that makes him a valuable Member of Society, and secures to him the
esteem
of all good Men. He is about 30 years old, served with me as a Brother
Aid to
General Sullivan in the Western expedition of '79. |
|
Pennsylvania
|
From Pennsylvania.
Benja.
Franklin, Tho. Mifflin, Rob. Morris, Geo. Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimons,
Jared
Ingersol, James Wilson, Governeur Morris.
Dr.
Franklin is
well known to be the greatest phylosopher of the present age;‑all the
operations of nature he seems to understand,‑the very heavens obey him,
and the
Clouds yield up their Lightning to be imprisoned in his rod. But what
claim he
has to the politician, posterity must determine. It is certain
that he does
not shine much in public Council,‑he is no Speaker, nor does he seem to
let
politics engage his attention. He is, however, a most extraordinary
Man, and
tells a story in a style more engaging than anything I ever heard. Let
his
Biographer finish his character. He is 82 years old, and possesses
an activity
of mind equal to a youth of 25 years of age.
General
Mifflin is
well known for the activity of his mind, and the brilliancy of his
parts. He is
well informed and a graceful Speaker. The General is about 40 years of
age, and
a very handsome man.
Robert
Morris is a
merchant of great eminence and wealth ; an able Financier, and a worthy
Patriot. He has an understanding equal to any public object, and
possesses an
energy of mind that few Men can boast of. Although he is not learned,
yet be is
as great as those who are. I am told that when he speaks in the
Assembly of
Pennsylvania, that he bears down all before him. What could have been
his reason for not Speaking in the
Convention I know not,‑but he never once spoke on any point. This
Gentleman is
about 50 years old.
Mr.
Clymer is a
Lawyer of some abilities ;‑he is a respectable Man, and much esteemed.
M'
Clymer is about 40 years old.
Mr.
Fizsimons
is a Merchant of considerable talents, and speaksvery well I am told,
in the
Legislature of Pennsylvania. He is about 40 years old.
Mr.
Ingersol is
a very able Attorney, and possesses a clear legal understanding.
He is well
aducated in the Classic's, and is a Man of very extensive reading. M`
Ingersol
speaks well, and comprehends his subject fully. There is a modesty
in his
character that keeps him back. He is about 36 years old.
Mr.
Wilson
ranks among the foremost in legal and political knowledge. He has
joined to a fine
genius all that can set him off and show him to advantage. He is well
acquainted with Man, and understands all the passions that influence
him.
Government seems to have been his peculiar Study, all the
political
institutions of the World he knows in detail, and can trace the causes
and
effects of every revolution from the earliest stages of the Greecian
commonwealth down to the present time. No man is more clear, copious,
and
comprehensive than M` Wilson, yet he is no great Orator. He draws the
attention
not by the charm of his eloquence, but by the force of his reasoning.
He is
about 45 years old.
Mr. Governeur Morris is one of
those Genius's in whom every species
of talents combine to render him conspicuous and flourishing in public
debate:‑He
winds through all the mazes of rhetoric, and throws around him such a
glare
that he charms, captivates, and leads away the senses of all who hear
him. With
an infinite streach of fancy he brings to view things when he is
engaged in
deep argumentation, that render all the labor of reasoning easy and
pleasing.
But with all these powers he is fickle and inconstant,‑never pursuing
one train
of thinking,‑nor ever regular. He has gone through a very extensive
course of
reading, and is acquainted with all the sciences. No Man has more
wit,‑nor can
any one engage the attention more than M:' Morris. He was bred to the
Law, but
I am told he disliked the profession, and turned Merchant. He is
engaged in
some great mercantile matters with his namesake M.' Rob` Morris.
This Gentleman
is about 38 years old, he has been unfortunate in losing one of his
Legs, and
getting all the flesh taken off his right arm by a scald, when a youth. |
|
Delaware
|
From Delaware.
Jn.
Dickinson, Gunning Bedford, Geo: Read, Rich°. Bassett, and Jacob
Broom Esquires.
Mr.
Dickinson
has been famed through all America, for his Farmers Letters ; he is a
Scholar,
and said to be a Man of very extensive information. When I saw him
in the
Convention I was induced to pay the greatest attention to him whenever
he
spoke. I had often heard that he was a great Orator, but I found him an
indifferent Speaker. With an affected air of wisdom he labors to
produce a
trifle,‑his language is irregular and incorrect,‑his flourishes,
(for he
sometimes attempts them), are like expiring flames, they just shew
themselves
and go out ;‑no traces of them are left on the mind to chear or animate
it. He
is, however, a good writer and will be ever considered one of the most
important characters in the United States. He is about 55 years old,
and was
bred a Quaker.
Mr.
Bedford was
educated for the Bar, and in his profession I am told, has merit. He is
a bold
and nervous Speaker, and has a very commanding and striking manner
;‑but he is
warm and impetuous in his temper, and precipitate in his judgment. M.`
Bedford
is about 32 years old, and very corpulant.
Mr.
Read is a
Lawyer and a Judge;‑his legal abilities are said to be very great, but
his
powers of Oratory are fatiguing and tiresome to the last degree;‑his
voice is
feeble, and his articulation so bad that few can have patience to
attend to
him. He is a very good Man, and bears an amiable character with those
who know
him. M.` Read is about 50, of a low stature, and a weak constitution.
Mr.
Bassett is
a religious enthusiast, lately turned Methodist, and serves his Country
because
it is the will of the people that he should do so. He is a Man of plain
sense,
and has modesty enough to hold his Tongue. He is a Gentlemanly Man, and
is in
high estimation among the Methodists. Mr. Bassett is about 36
years old.
Mr. Broom is a plain
good Man, with some abilities, but nothing
to render him conspicuous. He is silent in public, but chearful and
conversable
in private. He is about 35 years old. |
|
Maryland
|
From Maryland.
Luther
Martin, Ja. McHenry, Daniel of S` Thomas Jenifer, and Daniel Carrol Esquires. [James Francis
mercer omitted.]
Martin was educated for the Bar,
and is Attorney general for the State of Maryland. This Gentleman
possesses a
good deal of information, but he has a very bad delivery, and so
extremely
prolix, that he never speaks without tiring the patience of all who
hear him.
He is about 34 years of age.
Mr.
McHenry was
bred a physician, but he afterwards turned Soldier and acted as Aid to
Gen!
Washington and the Marquis de la Fayette. He is a Man of specious
talents, with
nothing of genious to improve them. As a politician there is nothing
remarkable
in him, nor has he any of the graces of the Orator. He is however, a
very
respectable young Gentleman, and deserves the honor which his
Country has
bestowed on him. MT M' Henry is about 3 z years of age.
Mr.
Jenifer is
a Gentleman of fortune in Maryland;‑he is always in good humour, and
never
fails to make his company pleased with him. He sits silent in the
Senate, and
seems to be conscious that he is no politician. From his long
continuance in
single life, no doubt but he has made the vow of celibacy. lie speaks
warmly of
the Ladies notwithstanding. 111' Jenifer is about 55 years of Age,
and once
served as an Aid de Camp to Major Gen'. Lee.
Mr. Carrol is a Man of
large fortune, and influence in his
State. He possesses plain good sense, and is in the full confidence of
his
Countrymen. This Gentleman is about years of age. |
|
Virginia
|
From Virginia.
Gen.
Geo: Washington, Geo. Wythe, Geo: Mason, Ja. Maddison jun., Jn. Blair, Edm. Randolph, and James McLurg.
Gen.
Washington
is well known as the Commander in chief of the late American Army.
Having
conducted these States to independence and peace, he now appears to
assist in
framing a Government to make the People happy. Like Gustavus Vasa, he
may be
said to be the deliverer of his Country ;‑like Peter the great he
appears as
the politician and the States‑man ; and like Cincinnatus he returned to
his
farm perfectly contented with being only a plain Citizen, after
enjoying the
highest honor of the confederacy,‑and now only seeks for the
approbation of his
Country‑men by being virtuous and useful. The General was conducted to
the
Chair as President of the Convention by the unanimous voice of its
Members. He
is in the 52" ' year of his age.
Mr.
Wythe is
the famous Professor of Law at the University of William and Mary.
He is
confessedly one of the most learned legal Characters of the
present age. From
his close attention to the study of general learning he has
acquired a
compleat knowledge of the dead languages and all the sciences. I‑3e is
remarked
for his examplary life, and universally esteemed for his good
principles. No
Man it is said understands the history of Government better than M.'
Wythe,‑nor
any one who understands the fluctuating condition to which all
societies are
liable better than he does, yet from his too favorable opinion of Men,
he is no
great politician. He is a neat and pleasing Speaker, and a most correct
and
able Writer. Mr. Wythe is about 55 years of age.
Mr.
Mason is a
Gentleman of remarkable strong powers, and possesses a clear and
copious
understanding. He is able and convincing in debate, steady and firm in
his
principles, and undoubtedly one of the best politicians in
America. Mr. Mason
is about 6o years old, with a fine strong constitution.
Mr.
Maddison is
a character who has long been in public life; and what is very
remarkable every
Person seems to acknowledge his greatness. He blends together the
profound
politician, with the Scholar. In the management of every great question
he
evidently took the lead in the Convention, and tho' he cannot be called
an
Orator, he is a most agreable, eloquent, and convincing Speaker.
From a spirit
of industry and application which he possesses in a most eminent
degree, he
always comes forward the best informed Man of any point in debate. The
affairs
of the United States, he perhaps, has the most correct knowledge of, of
any Man
in the Union. He has been twice a Member of Congress, and was always
thought
one of the ablest Members that ever sat in that Council. Mr. Maddison
is about
37 years of age, a Gentleman of great modesty,with a remarkable
sweet temper.
He is easy and unreserved among his acquaintance, and has a most
agreable style
of conversation.
Mr.
Blair is
one of the most respectable Men in Virginia, both on account of
his Family as
well as fortune. He is one of the judges of the Supreme Court in
Virginia, and
acknowledged to have a very extensive knowledge of the Laws. M' Blair
is
however, no Orator, but his good sense, and most excellent principles,
compensate for other deficiencies. He is about 5o years of age.
Mr.
Randolph is
Governor of Virginia,‑a young Gentleman in whom unite all the
accomplishments
of the Scholar, and the States‑man. He came forward with the postulata,
or
first principles, on which the Convention acted, and he supported
them with a
force of eloquence and reasoning that did him great honor. He has a
most
harmonious voice, a fine person and striking manners. M` Randolph is
about 32
years of age.
Mr. McLurg is a learned
physician, but having never appeared
before in public life his character as a politician is not sufficiently
known.
He attempted once or twice to speak, but with no great success. It is
certain
that he has a foundation of learning, on which, if he pleases, he may
erect a
character of high renown. The Doctor is about 38 years of age, a
Gentleman of
great respectability, and of a fair and unblemished character. |
|
North Carolina
Hugh
Williamson
Alexander Martin
William Richardson Davie
Richard Dobbs Spraight
William Blount
|
From
North Carolina.
Mr.
Blount, Rich. Dobbs Spaight, Hugh Williamson, Wm. Davey, and Jn. Martin
Esquires.
Mr.
Blount is a
character strongly marked for integrity and honor. lie has been twice a
,Member
of Congress, and in that office discharged his duty with ability and
faithfulness. He is no Speaker, nor does he possess any of those
talents that
make Men shine ;‑he is plain, honest, and sincere. Mr. Blount is about
36 years
of age.
Mr.
Spaight is
a worthy Man, of some abilities, and fortune. Without possessing a
Genius to
render him briliant, he is able to discharge any public trust that his
Country
may repose in him. He is about 31 years of age.
Mr.
Williamson
is a Gentleman of education and talents. He enters freely into public
debate
from his close attention to most subjects, but he is no Orator. There
is a great
degree of good humour and pleasantry in his character; and in his
manners there
is a strong trait of the Gentleman. He is about 48 years of age.
Mr.
Davey is a
Lawyer of some eminence in his State. lie is said to have a good
classical
education, and is a Gentleman of considerable literary talents. He
was silent
in the Convention,' but his opinion was always respected. Mr. Davy
is about 30
years of age.
Mr. Martin was lately
Governor of North Carolina, which office
he filled with credit. He is a Man of sense, and undoubtedly is a good
politician, but he is not formed to shine in public debate, being no
Speaker.
Mr. Martin was once a Colonel in the
American Army, but proved unfit for the field. He is about 40 years of
age. |
|
South Carolina
|
From South
Carolina.
Jn.
Rutledge, Ch. Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, and Pierce Butler Esquires.
Mr.
Rutledge is
one of those characters who was highly mounted at the commencement of
the late
revolution ;‑his reputation in the first Congress gave him a
distinguished rank
among the American Worthies. He was bred to the Law, and now acts as
one of the
Chancellors of South Carolina. This Gentleman is much famed in his own
State as
an Orator, but in my opinion he is too rapid in his public speaking to
be
denominated an agreeable Orator. He is undoubtedly a man of
abilities, and a
Gentleman of distinction and fortune. M' Rutledge was once Governor of
South
Carolina. He is about 48 years of age.
Mr.
Ch. Cotesworth Pinckney is a
Gentleman of Family and fortune in his own State. He has received
the advantage of a liberal education, and possesses a very extensive
degree of
legal knowledge. When warm in a debate he sometimes speaks well,‑‑but
he is
generally considered an indifferent Orator. Mr. Pinckney
was an Officer of high rank in the American Army, and
served with great reputation through the War. He is now about 40 years
of age.
Mr.
Charles Pinckney is a young
Gentleman of the most promising talents. lie is, altho'
only 24 y." of age, in possession of a very great variety of knowledge.
Government, Law, History and Phylosophy are his favorite studies, but
he is
intimately acquainted with every species of polite learning, and has a
spirit
of application and industry beyond most Men. lie speaks with great
neatness and
perspicuity, and treats every subject as fully, without running into
prolixity,
as it requires. He has been a Member of Congress, and served in that
Body with
ability and eclat.
Mr.
Butler is a
character much respected for the many excellent virtue which he
possesses. But
as a politician or an Orator, he has no pretentions to either. He
is a
Gentleman of fortune, and takes rank among the first in South Carolina.
He has
been appointed to Congress, and is
now a Member
of the Legislature of South
Carolina. 40 years of age ; an Irishman
by birth. |
|
Georgia
|
From Georgia.
Wm.
Few, Abraham Baldwin, Wm. Pierce, and Wm. Houstoun Esquires.
Mr.
Few
possesses a strong natural Genius, and from application has acquired
some
knowledge of legal matters;‑he practises at the bar of Georgia, and
speaks
tolerably well in the Legislature. He has peen twice a Member of
Congress, and
served in that capacity with fidelity to his State, and honor to
himself. Mr.
Few is about 35 years of age.
Mr.
Baldwin is
a Gentleman of superior abilities, and joins in a public debate with
great art
and eloquence. Having laid the foundation of a compleat classical
education at
Harvard College, he pursues every other study with ease. He is well
acquainted
with Books and Characters, and has an accomodating turn of mind, which
enables
him to gain the confidence of Men, and to understand them. He is a
practising
Attorney in Georgia, and has been twice a Member of Congress. M'
Baldwin is
about 38 years of age.
Mr.
Houstoun is
an Attorney at Law, and has been Member of Congress for the State
of Georgia.
He is a Gentleman of Family, and was educated in England. As to his
legal or
political knowledge he has very little to boast of. Nature seems to
have done
more for his corporeal than mental powers. His Person is striking, but
his mind
very little improved with useful or elegant knowledge. He has none of
the
talents requisite for the Orator, but in public debate is confused and
irregular. Mr. Houstoun is about 30 years of age of an amiable and
sweet
temper, and of good and honorable principles.
[Wm. Pierce] My own
character I shall not attempt to draw, but
leave those who may choose to speculate on it, to consider it in any
light that
their fancy or imagination may depict. I am conscious of having
discharged my
duty as a Soldier through the course of the late revolution with honor
and
propriety ; and my services in Congress and the Convention were
bestowed with
the best intention towards the interest of Georgia, and towards the
general
welfare of the Confederacy. I possess ambition, and it was that, and
the
flattering opinion which some of my Friends had of me, that gave me a
seat in
the wisest Council in the World, and furnished me with an opportunity
of giving
these short Sketches of the Characters who composed it. |
.. |