OLD WHITEY AND GENERAL TAYLOR.

WE were standing at the corner of President Square, in Washington, the other day-literally brought to a stand-still by the heavenly beauty of the weather-when a loose horse trotted leisurely by us in the open street, and we found ourself expanding towards him, in sympathetic recognition of the similarity of our respective happiness. "There are two of us out of harness, to-day," we mentally said-" God bless you, old brother workey, and may you enjoy, as I do, this delicious sunshine and its heavenly nothings-to-do !" On he trotted toward the President's gate, and, halting a little before the entrance, he seemed hesitating between perfect liberty to go in or stay out-when it suddenly occurred to us that our fellow idler might not be, after all, the "private individual" for whom we had fancied our sympathy to be rather a condescension than otherwise! What if it should be "Old Whitey,"-reposing on his laurels !

A moment's look, up and down the pavé in front of the President's mansion, corroborated the conjecture. There were, perhaps, twenty persons in sight, and, among them, we recognized one of the Cabinet Secretaries, a venerable Auditor, the Austrian Chang', and two of those un-anxious and yet responsible-looking

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persons whom you know to be "Members" and not office-seekers -and-(curious to see)-all eyes were fixed, not upon the distinguished foreigner, not on the Honorable officials, not on the Honorable members, not on an unharnessed and loose Editor of the Home Journal-but, on the unharnessed and loose white horse!

We felt the smoke of Buena Vista and Resaca de la Palma, of Palo Alto and Monterey, pushing us toward the old cannon-proof charger. He went smelling about the edges of the sidewalkwondering, probably, at such warm weather and no grass-and we crossed over to have a nearer look at him, with a feeling that the glory was not all taken from his back with the saddle and holsters. "Old Whitey" is a compact, hardy, well proportioned animal, less of a battle-steed, in appearance, than of the style usually defined by the phrase "family-horse," slightly knockkneed, and with a tail (I afterwards learned) very much thinned by the numerous applications for a "hair of him for memory." He had evidently been long untouched with a currycomb, and (like other celebrities for want of an occasional rubbing down) there was a little too much of himself in his exterior—the name of "old Whitey," indeed, hardly describing with fidelity a coat so matted and yellow. But, remembering the beatings of the great heart he had borne upon his back-the anxieties, the energies, the defiances of danger, the iron impulses to duty, the thrills of chivalric triumphs, and the sad turnings of the rein to see brothers in arms laid in the graves of the battle-field-remembering all that has been thought and felt, in the saddle which that horse was wont to wear-it was impossible to look upon him without a throb in the throat—one of those unbidden and unrcasoning tear-throbs, that seem to delight in paying tribute, out of

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ROUGH AND READY."

time and unexacted, to trifles that have been belongings of glory. We saw General Taylor himself, for the first time, the next day -with more thought and reverence of course, than had been awakened by looking upon his horse-but with not half the emotion.

The "hero-President" has been more truthfully described than any man we ever read much of before seeing. One who had not learned how extremes touch, in manners—the most courtly polish and the most absolute simplicity-might be surprised, only, with that complete putting of every one in his presence at ease, which is looked upon in England as the result of high breeding; and which General Taylor's manners effect, without the slightest. thought given to the matter, apparently, and with the fullest preservation of dignity. "Rough and Ready"-in this way—an English Duke would be, as well; and, by the way, his readiness is of a simplicity and genuineness which it is wonderful indeed to find so high on the ladder of preferment! There were but six or eight persons in the room, when the party we accompanied were presented to the President; and the conversation, for the ten minutes we were there, was entirely unstudied, and between himself and the ladies only. But we should have been anywhere struck with the instant directness, obviousness, and prompt and close-hitting immediateness, with which he invariably replied to what was said. Let it be ever so mere a trifle, the return thought was from the next link of association. Most great men, diplomatists and politicians particularly, go "about the bush" a little, for a reply to a remark, omitting the more obvious and simpler answer it might suggest, for the sake, perhaps, of an appearance of seeing more scope in the bearing of the matter. But Taylor (we thought we could make certain, even from these few

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brief moments of observation)—has no dread of your seeing his mind exactly as it works; and has no care, whatever, except to think and speak truthfully what comes first, regardless of any policy, or management of its impression on the listener. The key of his voice, at the same time, is that of thorough frankness, good humour and unconsciousness of observation, while his smile is easy and habitual. The grace with which these out-of-door

characteristics accompany a mouth of such indomitable resolution and an eye of such searching and inevitable keenness, explains, perhaps, the secret of the affection that is so well known to have been mingled with the confiding devotion felt for him throughout the army. It is impossible to look upon the old hero, we should say, without loving and believing in him.*

* General Taylor's death followed very closely upon the period when this was written

THE LATE PRESIDENT.

GENERAL TAYLOR's life has one most striking lesson. He ascended to the highest honour of his country, by the honest staircase of unobtrusive duty, and not by the outside ladder of brilliant and crafty ambition. Where and what he was, till Glory called him, is the instructive portion of his history. The great deeds he was found ready for when need came-take their best lustre, it seems to us, from the patient heroism with which, in a remoter and lesser sphere, he equally "endeavoured to do his duty."

From the great anthem of culogy and mourning, pealing forth, since his death, in every shape of utterance, it seems to us that this one note should be the dwelt-upon and eternal echo—GLORY SOUGHT HIM, HE SOUGHT NOT GLORY. In this distinctioncould it but be made necessary to American greatness-there would be a 66 divinity to hedge about" the Presidents of our country, which would lift them far above kings; while, in it, at the same time, would live a principle of incalculable security to our institutions.

There seems to have been a design of Providence in the whole fitness of Taylor's character to the times he fell on. The passion