Webster. This last committee, of course, had the power conferred to "send for persons and papers." Under this permission ex-President Tyler had been summoned to Washington. On the committee, as finally organized, were Mr. Vinton, of Ohio; Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi; D. P. King, of New York, and Jacob Brinkerhoff, of Ohio. It was before them that ex-President Tyler appeared and exonerated Mr. Web

ster.

There were two reports written one vindicatory of Mr. Webster, but deprecatory of further inquiry, and a minority report, which was written by Mr. Davis, and was not the one at first designed to be presented, but which finally, after many emendations, was accepted by the committee.

As Mr. Webster was looked upon at the time as the prominent candidate for the Presidency, there were some unpleasant remarks about a Democrat "whitewashing" him; and a Northern tariff Democrat came to Mr. Davis, at our lodging, the night before the result of the committee's deliberations was announced, to argue against the opportunity being lost of "scotching the snake." Mr. Davis told him with much heat that if Mr. Webster was to be entailed upon the country for life," and no one could deprecate his

policy more than I do, I would not make a false and partizan report or parley with my sense of justice and honor, nor would the gentlemen associated with me." The letter is much defaced from which this quotation is made, and all the account cannot be deciphered.

Mr. Webster called upon Mr. Davis and expressed in warm terms his sense of the manly manner in which he had defended him. Mr. and Mrs. Webster came to call upon me, and invited me most kindly to accompany them to Marshfield.

It was in 1845 that the first " Exposition" of a general character took place. It was called then a "National Exhibition." It was a very long, rough, clapboard room, with no pretention to any architectural merit. It occupied nearly two squares on C Street, and was perfectly straight except in the open square of the City Hall, there it extended an ugly arm about twenty feet. The stands for the exhibit were of unplaned wood, and they were covered with coarse, dark cambric. Almost every State sent earnest of its industry and ingenuity. Very wonderful they were to us then; but bungling efforts enough now, viewed by the light of modern discoveries.

The crowd was constant about a certain stand, and my husband made a place for me

to see the wondrous thing on it. It was a small box, and through a slot on the top was slowly pushed two narrow edges of cloth, and a needle with an eccentric motion played laterally through the cloth and sewed a pretty good seam. An old woman with bare knotty hands, a much pricked forefinger, and a large basket of cloth on her arm, pointed to the little box and said, with a snarl, “That's all nice, but sposen it ware breeches" (tapping her basket significantly), "that there box wouldn't begin to hold 'em." Mr. Davis always appreciated with boyish zest any humorous thing, and he laughed aloud. This daunted the exhibitor somewhat, but he shot a look of contempt at the practical old operative and plunged into a state of unintelligible terminology in which slots, tensions, headpieces, spirals, cylinders, cogs, and what not made havoc with his audience. We fled; the old seamstress followed.

A few steps beyond us, coming also to view the "sewing-jenny," as it was most often called, strolled a tall thin gentleman, with a large, hooked nose, steady gray eyes, irongray hair, and a dignified, majestic presence, united to a certain benevolent, bland toleration of manner, like a general in mufti among his troops. He approached us. When just about to pass, one of the loose planks in

the flooring tilted under his feet, and as he was going to fall Mr. Davis caught him. He recovered himself with easy grace and having offered thanks he turned to leave. I whispered, "I am sure he is somebody," which induced Mr. Davis to observe the stranger more narrowly. Immediately he made a vẹry low bow and saluted ex-President Tyler, who was strolling through the Exhibition for the first time.

In that day, except in the case of re-election, no ex-President considered it a dignified course to return to Washington, and ex-President John Quincy Adams's return to serve in the House had been much criticised and regretted by all parties; but the "old man eloquent" concerned himself very little with the standards of others; he enjoyed and took his own way. Mr. Tyler remembered Mr. Davis also, and was gracious enough to speak of the impression he had received when Mr. Davis was presented to him in 1836.

Mr. Tyler accepted my husband's arm, and we walked slowly on, and then those two interesting gentlemen thoroughly succeeded in shuffling off the mortal coil of the childish young person who trotted beside them, ardently longing for a look at all the new and curious wares displayed; but perforce of the dignity and simplicity of their conversation.

was somewhat consoled for the personal sacrifice. However, our few outings generally ended in the same way.

After a cursory view of the political horizon they plunged into a long conversation upon the recent inquiry into Mr. Webster's administration of the "secret service money." Mr. Tyler said he had been summoned to testify before the committee of investigation; that he thought it a great outrage upon a man in whose genius the people of the whole Union gloried; and that Mr. Webster had satisfied him, at the time, of its careful and wise use. Mr. Davis asked him if he had preserved notes of these secret transactions, and taking the affirmative for granted, went on to say: "I suppose you, Mr. President, can spread these now before us, as they are past history and Mr. Webster's best vindication." But Mr. Tyler gravely responded that he had never considered himself authorized to put on any private file the matters that the Government had decided should not appear on those of the country. I can give, if interrogated, dates, sums, and persons to whom the money was paid. The very nature of the service shows that it is Punic faith to those who give the information to expose their agency in the matter by making written record of it." Mr. Davis then politely pressed the stately old