428 
army, or during some difficult emer- 
gency in the field of battle; they be- 
come extremely animated, however, 
and lively, in the heat of argument. 
Abundance of good sense is discover- 
able in all his questions and replies ; 
and in his conversation he evinces the 
utmost modesty and diffidence of his 
own powers. He speaks of the Ame- 
rican war asif he had not directed its 
operations, and of his own battles and 
victories, with an indifference that 
would not become a stranger. 
After having given liberty to his 
country, he is now about to add to her 
wealth and her respectability, being 
called, by the unanimous voice of his 
fellow-citizens, to preside over the 
civil government of America, and to 
evince that. zeal, discretion, assiduity, 
and public virtue in peace, which he 
so wonderfully displayed during a 
long, a bloody, a ruinous, but a suc- 
cessful warfare. 
MOORISH CONCEIT. 
The Moors consider Spain as a 
country to which they still have a right 
to aspire; and many families in Mo- 
rocco and Tetuan, as was affirmed to 
me by a gentleman who had resided 
in the country for many years, to this 
day preserve the key of the houses of 
their ancestors in Castille, Arragon, 
Leon, &c. and hope to be able one day 
to use them again. 
THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS. 
A friend of mine, a man of the 
strictest honour, had a cause tried in 
a court of law, of which he had 
scarcely heard of his success, before 
a Mr. C. was announced. “I ama 
writer for the papers, (said he,) and 
have to report on your trial to-day, and 
conceiving you would wish it to be 
properly reported, haye called to offer 
my services.” ‘* Of course, (said my 
friend,) I wish the cause, if reported, 
to behonestly described; but, as youso 
obligingly offer your services, perhaps 
you expectsome compensation.” ‘Oh, 
yes! (rejoined the gentleman,) we al- 
ways expect a compliment on these 
occasions.” ‘‘ We! (said the other,) 
what, are there several to be paid.” 
“Oh, no! (replied the other,) I was 
the only reporter present, but we assist 
one another, and the compliments of 
this kind which we receive go to a 
common purse: whatever you think 
proper to give will be divided among 
seven or eight of us. Some parties 
give five, some ten pounds; and we 
sometimes get, on particular occasions, 
Stephensiana, No. VII. 
[June 1, 
as high a compliment as fifty-pounds.” 
‘Indeed! (exclaimed my friend,) and 
what if the parties refuse to give any 
thing?” “Oh, then, sir, (rejoined the 
gentleman, ) the thing takes its course ; 
there are, you know, two ways of 
telling a story, and at least the speeches 
of the counsel always afford materials.” 
My friend now lost his patience. 
“« Pest and nuisance, (he exclaimed,) 
“how many are hanged and trans- 
ported for demanding money on the 
highway under circumstances of less 
turpitude ; leave my house, or I will 
charge a constable with you.” The 
gentleman quickly retreated, mutter- 
ing as hedeparted. My friend, whose 
cause had to him been an. affair of 
self-defence to defeat a nefarious com- 
bination, and who never before had 
been either plaintiff or defendant, men- 
tioned the application of the gentleman 
of the press in the course of the day, as 
an instance of attempted extortion. 
He was even offended when some of 
his friends shook their heads and por- 
tended mischief. He slept easy; but, 
on the following morning, his neigh- 
bours came running one after another 
with different papers, exclaiming, 
“Good God, sir, you are ruined! 
Behold the nefarious part which you 
are represented as having been play- 
ing. You cannot show your face 
in society again,” On examination he 
found five or six different reports, 
varying in language, but all coloured 
and distorted alike; and, instead of 
haying been the victim of a con- 
spiracy, he was made to appear as the 
chief, if not the only conspirator: No 
assertions were made, but every thing 
was insinuated, and the arguments of 
the adverse counsel were artfully im- 
troduced as facts in the case. His 
attorney went to the newspaper offices, 
and an explanation was admitted ; but 
all the world had read and enjoyed the 
original libel, while few felt any interest 
in reading the explanation. He suf- 
fered accordingly, and for years after- 
wards the libel continued to be ad- 
duced against him, to his personal. an- 
noyance and commercial injury. 
One paper alone had omitted the re- 
port, and, finding that he had paid so 
dearly for his. independence, he now 
sought its, editor, and though’ he 
scorned to become his own reporter, 
yet he had the promise of this persor 
thatthe perverted report should notap~ 
pear. Inthe meantime the disappointed: 
party in the cause (who it afterwards» 
appeared 
