PERTAINING TO SITUATION IN 1852-1853. 165 



Mr. Webster went to Washington during the first week in August, 

 and remained there until the 8th of September. Nothing could be 

 done about supplying his place in the Department of State, and he 

 therefore consented to remain in office, and to continue at Marshfield 

 his attention to the diplomatic business that required his care. But, 

 before he left Washington again, he was obliged to dispose of an 

 embarrassing subject. This was the affair of the Lobos Islands. 



(To Mr. Blatchford.} 



"AUGUST 24, 1852, TUESDAY MORNING, 



Seven o'clock. 



" MY DEAR SIR : You see Lobos. Shall I leave off there, and make 

 that my final, or shall I write an elaborate article on the fisheries, 

 and put finis at the end of that ? As to this fishery question, I have 

 my great halibut-hook in it; and, if Hatch holds on, it must come 

 aboard. 



" No catarrh yet, and the weather a little better. 



" Yours, " D. W." 



* # * * * * # 



On the 20th of September, Mr. Webster made an unexpected visit 

 to Boston, for the purpose of consulting his physician, Dr. Jeffries. 

 He came in his own carriage, driven by Mr. Baker, and accompanied 

 by Mrs. Baker ; for he had now become so feeble, that Mrs. Webster 

 was unwilling to have him go without being attended by those who 

 were accustomed to his wants, and on whose affectionate vigilance 

 she could rely. Of this visit there is an account in Mr. Ticknor's 

 Reminiscences, which shows how great had been the changes in his 

 physical condition during the past ten days. 



" Mr. Webster was ill at Marshfield with his last illness some of 

 us were alarmed all were anxious. Very unexpectedly his card was 

 brought to me at my house, on the 20th of September, dated by his 

 own hand, ' Monday, two o'clock, No. 2 West Cedar Street,' accom- 

 panied with a verbal request that I would go there to see him. I 

 went immediately; he was in bed, looking very ill, but speaking 

 brightly and cheerfully. He told me that he wanted Mrs. Ticknor 

 and myself to come down and make him a visit at Marshfield he 

 had often asked us before, but we had never been, because we had 



the presidency, but he had in no way permitted it to be understood that he was 

 in favor of the election of General Scott, or meant to promote the success of 

 either of the two parties. The information received from the British provinces, 

 before Mr. Crampton's notice had actually reached Mr. Webster, was of a very 

 alarming character; and that notice was not calculated to relieve the apprehen- 

 sion. What Mr. Webster had to do was to prevent our fishermen from sailing 

 without due intelligence of the altered state of things in the waters where they 

 had been accustomed to pursue their vocation ; and he could only do this by a 

 public warning. What he had next to do was to bring Mr. Crarnpton at once 

 into personal communication with himself. There never was a moment in 

 Mr. Webster's life, when he stood more absolutely independent of all political 

 considerations and influences than he did in the summer of 1852. He felt per- 

 fectly indifferent about the success, in the election, of the party with which he 

 had acted. But, while he remained Secretary of State, he intended to keep 

 England and America out of unnecessary national difficulties. 



