it would require a volume far larger than the present to speak in detail of mr. webster’s public life, to point out his public services, to enumerate the occasions on which he took a distinguished part in debate. but this does not come within my plan. fortunately there are other works in which such as desire it can gain all the information they desire upon these points. they will find how closely mr. webster was identified with the history of the nation, and what a powerful influence he exerted upon all public measures. and all the while he was making an equally brilliant reputation at the bar. he was employed in numerous “great cases,” and in none was he found unequal to his opportunity.
the result of his multifarious and exhausting labors was a determination to make a tour of recreation, and not unnaturally he decided to visit england, a country which to every american of anglo-saxon race must possess a first attraction. his second wife, who died but a few weeks since, his daughter, and mrs. page, the wife of his brother-in-law, were of the party. his youngest son, edward, then a dartmouth student, joined them later.
mr. webster’s fame had preceded him, and he received unusual honors. one paper in announcing his arrival said, “we cordially welcome to our shores this great and good man, and accept him as a fit representative of all the great and good qualities of our transatlantic brethren.” so great was the curiosity to see him that the press of carriages about the door of his hotel was almost unprecedented. he was invited everywhere, and was cordially received by the most prominent men. in fact, he was a “lion,” and that in a marked sense.
among others he met that eccentric and craggy genius, thomas carlyle, and i am sure my readers young and old will like to know what impression the great senator made upon the scotch philosopher.
this is what carlyle writes:
“american notabilities are daily becoming notable among us, the ties of the two parishes, mother and daughter, getting closer and closer knit. indissoluble ties!
“i reckon that this huge smoky wen may for some centuries yet be the best mycale for our saxon panionium, a yearly meeting-place of ‘all the saxons’ from beyond the atlantic, from the antipodes, or wherever the restless wanderers dwell and toil. after centuries, if boston, if new york, have become the most convenient ‘all-saxondom,’ we will right cheerfully go thither to hold such festival and leave the wen.
“not many days ago i saw at breakfast the notablest of all your notabilities, daniel webster. he is a magnificent specimen. you might say to all the world, ‘this is our yankee englishman; such limbs we make in yankee-land!’ as a logic-fencer, advocate or parliamentary hercules, one would incline to back him at first sight against the extant world. the tanned complexion, that amorphous crag-like face, the dull black eyes under the precipice of brows [i am sure no one ever called mr. webster’s eyes dull before or since], like dull anthracite furnaces only waiting to be blown, the mastiff mouth accurately closed—i have not traced so much of silent berseker’s rage that i remember of in any other man. ‘i guess i should not like to be your nigger.’ webster is not loquacious, but he is pertinent, conclusive, a dignified, perfectly-bred man, though not english in breeding, a man worthy of the best reception among us, and meeting such, i understand.”
in a letter to mr. ticknor, john kenyon indulges in some reminiscences of mr. webster, whom he met intimately, having traveled with him and his family party during four days.
“coleridge used to say that he had seldom known or heard of any great man who had not ‘much of the woman in him.’ even so, that large intellect of daniel webster seemed to be coupled with all softer feelings, and his countenance and bearing at the very first impressed me with this.
“all men, without having studied either science, are, we all know, more or less phrenologists and physiognomists. right or wrong, i had found as i thought much sensibility in webster’s countenance. a few weeks afterwards i had an opportunity of learning that it was not there only. we were in a hackney coach, driving along the new road to baring’s in the city. it was a longish drive, and we had time to get into a train of talk, also we were by that time what i may presume to call ‘intimate.’ i said, ‘mr. webster, you once, i believe, had a brother?’ ’yes,’ he kindly said, ‘when i see you and your brother together i often think of him,’ and—i speak the fact as it was—i saw, after a little more talk on the subject of his brother, the tears begin to trickle down his cheek till he said to me, ‘i’ll give you an account of my early life,’ and he began with his father, and the farm in new hampshire, and his own early education, and that of his brother, the details of his courtship and first marriage, and his no property at the time, but of his hopes in his profession and of his success, as he spoke showing much emotion. how could one help loving a man at once so powerful and so tender?”
the opinions of those who are themselves eminent are of interest. let us see, therefore, what hallam, the historian, says of our subject.
“i have had more than one opportunity,” he writes to mr. ticknor, “of hearing of you, especially from your very distinguished countryman, mr. webster, with whom i had the pleasure of becoming acquainted last summer. it is but an echo of the common voice here to say that i was extremely struck by his appearance, deportment and conversation. mr. webster approaches as nearly to the beau ideal of a republican senator as any man that i have ever seen in the course of my life, worthy of rome, or venice, rather than of our noisy and wrangling generation. i wish that some of our public men here would take example from his grave and prudent manner of speaking on political subjects, which seemed to me neither too incautious nor too strikingly reserved.”
it is seldom that a man’s personal appearance is so impressive as that of daniel webster, seldom that his greatness is so visibly stamped upon his face and figure. an admirer of mr. webster was once shocked by hearing him called “a hum-bug.” “what do you mean?” he demanded angrily. “i mean this,” was the reply, “that no man can possibly be as great as he looks.”
i have said that mr. webster was the recipient of attentions from all classes, i may add, from the highest in the land. mr. and mrs. webster dined privately with queen victoria by special invitation, and it is recorded that the young queen, for she was then young, was much impressed by the majestic demeanor of the great american. even the eton boys, who are wont to chaff all visitors, forgot their propensity in the presence of mr. webster. as mr. kenyon, already quoted, writes: “not one look of unseemly curiosity, much less of the quizzing which i had rather anticipated, had we to undergo. webster was not merely gratified, he was visibly touched by the sight. you remember that charles lamb said at eton—i do not pretend to quote his exact words—‘what a pity that these fine youths should grow up into paltry members of parliament!’ for myself, when i saw them so cheerful and yet so civilized and well-conditioned, i remember thinking to myself at the moment, ’well, if i had a boy i should send him to eton.’”
while at the castle inn, in windsor, mr. webster wrote the following autograph, by request, for mr. kenyon:
“when you and i are dead and gone
this busy world will still jog on,
and laugh and sing and be as hearty
as if we still were of the party.”
there is no doubt that mr. webster enjoyed heartily his well-earned recreation. he had good cause. never certainly up to that time had an american been received in england with such distinguished honors. i will close by his own account of the way in which he was received.
“i must say that the good people have treated me with great kindness. their hospitality is unbounded, and i find nothing cold or stiff in their manners, at least not more than is observed among ourselves. there may be exceptions, but i think i may say this as a general truth. the thing in england most prejudiced against the united states is the press. its ignorance of us is shocking, and it is increased by such absurdities as the travelers publish, to which stock of absurdities i am sorry to say captain marryatt is making an abundant addition. in general the whigs know more and think better of america than the tories. this is undeniable. yet my intercourse i think is as much with the conservatives as the whigs. i have several invitations to pass time in the country after parliament is prorogued. two or three of them i have agreed to accept. lord lansdowne and the earl of radnor have invited us, who live in the south, the duke of rutland, sir henry halford, earl fitzwilliam, lord lonsdale, etc., who live in the north.”
of one thing my young reader may be assured, that no attentions, however elevated the source, had any effect upon the simple dignity of a typical american citizen, or influenced him when a few years later, as secretary of state, it became his duty to deal with our relations with england.
