year, of General Adair, who had resigned his seat. In 1809, he was again elected to the same body, for the remainder of Mr. Thurston's time, two years. In the summer of 1811, he was elected to the House of Representatives, and on the first day of the session was chosen Speaker. In 1814, he was appointed by Mr. Madison one of the commissioners (in conjunction with John Quincy Adams, Albert Gallatin and some others,) to negotiate a treaty of peace and amity with England, as they did at Ghent. On his return to the United States, he was elected to the House of Representatives, again appointed Speaker almost unanimously, and continued to fill the chair until March, 1825, when he accepted the office of Seeretary of State tendered to him by his former associate, Mr. Adams, who was now President. In 1831, he was elected to the U. S. Senate where he continued in service eleven years. In 1832, he was supported by the Whig party as their candidate for the Presidency, in opposition to General Jackson; but did not succeed. In 1844, he was again the Whig candidate, and came near being elected, but was defeated by his democratic competitor, Mr. Polk. In March 1844, he retired from the Senate, but returned to it again in 1849. Here his extraordinary exertions for the establishment of the series of measures.commonly called the Compromise, which so happily preserved the integrity of the Union, sapped the strength of his constitution, and brought him. somewhat prematurely, to his. end. Such is a brief outline of his life. For his character,-apart from all reference to his particular politics-he has certainly left one of the noblest names that has ever adorned the annals of our nation. A statesman of large and comprehensive views, an orator of splendid powers, and a leader of various and versatile resources, he stamped his signet upon our legislation, and has left the "image and superscription" of his genius and talents upon the whole course of the government, and upon the very character of our country, for years and ages to come. We do not propose, however, to pronounce his panegyric. Indeed we feel that no words of ours could add any thing to his fame. He, has, besides, been amply and warmly eulogized in the "high places" which he illustrated by his virtues and abilities, by those who knew him much better, and were otherwise far more competent to appreciate his merits, and to proclaim them to the world.. Gentlemen of both parties, and of almost all shades of political opinion, forgetting their former animosities, have most honorably vied with each other in performing this grateful office, and paying their mournful tributes to the dead. They have celebrated his lofty bearing, his patriotic spirit, his soul-stirring eloquence, and above all his generous and self-sacrificing devotion to the interests of his country, in apt and graceful terms-and have left nothing for us to supply. We must, however, subjoin what we are most happy to learn, that his noble character was finished at last by the crowning grace of christian faith, and, as the poet says, And to add greater honors to his age Than man could give him, he died fearing God ;— and hoping for his mercy through the sacrifice of our Redeemer. THE DAY AT OLD POINT. We see by the papers. that the recent anniversary of our national independence which fell this year on Sunday, was duly celebrated on the day after, the 5th inst., in all parts of our State and country with the usual observances and demonstratious of grateful recognition,—somewhat chastened perhaps by the recent death of the eminent statesman whose body was being borne away from the capitol, with mournful honors, amidst the preparations for the occasion, and seemed to cast an unwonted gloom over the whole country;-a loss indeed that could not but be felt with deep impression in all our hearts. In our own city, we understand, there was the usual military parade, with the reading of the Declaration by Wm. P. Munford, Esq., at the African church, and several pleasant little parties of the Sunday-school children at different placesall very orderly and becoming. For ourselves, we were providentially at Old Point, where, of course, we saw the star-spangled banner floating proudly over the fortress-heard the grand salute-and witnessed the very pleasing parade of the small military force under the veteran commander, General Bankhead, with some fine music from the band "Sonorous metals blowing martial sounds"—and the brilliant evolutions of the artillery, (a part of Duncan's battery,) with a sight of the colors visibly pierced, in many places, as we were told, by Mexican balls, and looking as almost conscious of the fact. At the same time, we felt still more enlivened by the sympathy of the large crowds of our fellow citizens who had come in from all parts of the surrounding region-in boats of all sizes, (with gay flaunting pennons and streamers,) and otherwise, to enjoy the festive scene; and who seemed to be all alive with emotion. In short, the whole scene was like a vision, but of the day-and served to give us a very good idea at least-on a small and safe scale—of all "the pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious. war,”—in which, however, we must say, we feel no manner of desire to engage. We had afterwards the pleasure of paying our respects to the General at his own house, where a small party of officers and other gentlemen had been invited to partake of an extempore collation; and enjoyed both the company and the repast. In the evening, we had a brilliant display of fire-works, which had been prepared with great skill and taste under the direction of Major Ramsay, and played their parts as well as possible at the time. The rockets, indeed, and more particularly the shells, (a new article,) went off most admirably, and won great applause. Upon the whole, we were not only highly entertained by this novel celebration of the day; but could not help feeling deeply impressed with the conviction that such a scene as we had witnessed, must have a very fine and salutary effect in diffusing the spirit of patriotism among our citizens, and giving us, as it were, a new sense of all the real grandeur and glory of our free, sovereign and independent States-now united in one common country-and, we trust, for ever. GALT'S PSYCHE. We had the pleasure of seeing, a few days ago, in Norfolk, a new and very beautiful specimen of sculpture from the chisel of a native artist, a young Mr. Galt, (a son of Dr. Alexander Galt) of that city, who, we understand, is now abroad, at Florence, pursuing his studies under the celebrated Powers, and bids fair to become a distinguished artist in time. This piece, which has recently arrived, is a bust of Psyche, and a worthy representative of that truly poetical being. It is wrought indeed of the finest Italian marble, and presents an embodiment of the fair ideal of the human soul-under the form of a lovely woman-"Fair as the first that fell of woman kind" but before she had fallen, and of course before a stain of sin, or a shade of sorrow, had passed over the beauty of her face-a woman, in short, worthy of Paradise, and altogether pure and passionless as an angel of light. We do not know whether the young artist had any reference in his own mind to the poetic fable of Psyche and Cupid; but if he had he has apparently kept it to himself, and has rather chosen to give her as she was before she had received any declaration, or intimation even, of her lover's flame-for she shows no sign, conscious or unconscious, that we could see. of any nascent feeling, and betrays no emotion whatever. This indeed may be thought by some to be a fault in the piece; but, duly considered, is really its proper and appropriate charm. The conception, in fact, is psychologically, and of course artistically, correct. We understand that this beautiful bust has been imported by an association of gentlemen in Norfolk, who have desired to encourage their young townsman, and enable him to pursue his studies abroad, in this graceful and flattering mode. We do not know what they intend doing with it hereafter; but we may be allowed to hope that they will take care to place it in some handsome and honorable position, in which it may meet the eyes of all the lovers and admirers of such things in our State. THE LATE SIR GREY SKIPWITH: BART. The death of this venerable Baronet occurred on the 13th inst. Sir Grey, who was sixth in descent from the first possessor of the title, Sir Henry Skipwith, of Prestwould, county Leicester, distinguished as a poetic writer, represented one of the oldest families in England, and could trace his unbroken male line from Robert de Estoteville, Baron of Cottingham, at the time of the Conquest, whose grandson, Patrick de Estoteville, inherited from his father the lordship of Skipwith, and thus originated the present family name. The deceased Baronet's immediate predecessors were residents of Virginia, North America, to which colony Sir Grey Skipwith, the third Baronet, emigrated during Cromwell's usurpation. The late Sir Grey Skipwith sat in Parliament as one of the knights of the shire, for Warwick, from 1831 to 1834. He was born at Prestwould, in Virginia, 17th Sept. 1771, and married 22nd April, 1801, Harriet, third daughter of Gore Townshend, Esq., of Honington, county Warwick, and by her (who died 7th July 1830) had ten sons and eight daughters: the eldest of the former is now Sir Thomas George Skipwith, Baronet. London News of May 22nd. Aliscellany. A CHARADE. We are not particularly partial to those trifles in verse called Charades-though we have sometimes amused ourselves for a few minutes with reading them, and guessing them when we could. Generally speaking, they are poor things, hardly worth a moment's thought, or the paper on which they are written. Now and then, however, we come across one that is a little better than usual, and may be fairly entitled to some small modicum of praise. Such a one perhaps is the following by the late Catherine Fanshawe, which we take from Miss Mitford's charming volume, entitled "Recollections of a Literary Life," and which, as she says, "our fair friends shall have the pleasure of discovering for themselves"-if they can. Inscribed on many a learned page, Till clothed with flesh and blood. My second is a glorious prize Ye powers! how they would scamper. My tout's a sort of wandering throne The salique law reversing; |