OCR Text |
Show 392 LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. CH_AP. when vested with power, he had wantonly trampled on ~the rights of individuals, and outraged the sacred prin- 1815. ciples of the constitution. Yet was this approval of his conduct not only evinced by citizens of the country where he passed, but by congress and the legislatures of the different states,-all bore testimony to the propriety of his measures, by the Commendations they bestowed. 1 General A tedious journey of eight hundred miles brought Jackson him to Nashville, where he was gratified with a fur;:'~~ 1~~' to ther evidence of a people's regard. An immense conv; ne. course was collected, to greet his return, and welcome his arrival. They had long known him as among the number of their best and most respectable citizens; but curiosity had a new incentive: until now, they had not beheld him as one, who, to protect his country, knew no difficulty too great to be encountered,-who, by his. firmness and unconquerable perseverance, amidst surroundjng dangers, had shielded her from foreign and intestine foes. An elegant address, drawn up and delivered by Mr. Grundy, welcomed his return. Relieved from this further display oi public confidence, the more grateful, because from those who were !lis acquaintances, neighbours, and friends, here· tired home, to enjoy that repose, to which, for eighteen months, he had been a stranger. In the person of general Jackson, is perceived nothing of the robust or elegant. He is six feet and an !~~ ~~~- inch high, remarkably straight and spare, and weighs character. not more than a hundred and forty-five pounds. His conformation appears to disqualify him for hardship ; yet, accustomed to if from early life, few are capable LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. 39!) of enduring fatigue to the same extent, or with less in- CHAP. jury. His dark blue eyes, with brows arched and pro-~ jecting, possess a marked expression; but when, from 1315. any cause, excited, they sparkle with peculiar lustre and penetration. In his manners he is pleasing,-in his address commanding ; while his countenance, marked with firmness and decision, beams with a strength and intelligence that strikes at first sight. In his deport-ment, there is nothing repulsive. Easy, affable, and fa-miliar, he is open and accessible to all. Influenced by the belief, that merit should constitute the only differ-ence in men, his attention is equally bestowed on ho-nest poverty, as on titled consequence. No man, however inconsiderable his standing, ever approached him on business, that he did not patiently listen to his story, and alford him all the information in his power. His moral character is without reproach, and by those who know him most intimately, he is most esteemed. Benevolence, in him, is a prominent virtue, that never passed distress, \Vithout seeking to assist and relieve. He is, however, not without some of those foibles, which heaven always mingles in the composition of man. Vice and virtue are often found in the same bosom, which, like light and shade in a picture, reflect each 'other in brighter contrast. Deriving from his birth a temper irritable and hasty, it has had the effect to create enemies, and involve him in disputes, which have sometimes brought him to the field of indivi-dual contest. On this subject, he has been heard to remark, tl1at, throughout life, he had made it a set-tled rule, never to insult, or wantonly assail, the feel-ings of any. Controlled by this golden rule, and in· 3 D |