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 DNI "soya 
 
SKETCH OF EVENTS 
 
 IFE OF GEOME LAW 
 
 PUBLISHED IN ADVANCE OF HIS BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 ALSO, 
 
 XTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC JOURNALS 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 . 0. DERBY, PUBLISHER, 119 NASSAU ST. 
 
 &STON I PHILLIPS, SAMPSON A CO. PHILADELPHIA : T. B. PETERSON. 
 CINCINNATI : H. W. DERBY. CHARLESTON : S. G. COURTNEY & CO. 
 
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 YILLE : MORTON & GRISWOLD. NASHVILLE : W. T. BERRY & CO. 
 
 MOBILE : STRICKLAND & CO. PORTLAND : SANBORN & CARTER. 
 
 RICHMOND : J. W. RANDOLPH. RALEIGH : W. L. POMEROT. 
 
 NEW ORLEANS: j. c. MORGAN. BUFFALO: WANZER, 
 M C KIM & co. CHICAGO: D. B. COOKE & co. DETROIT: 
 
 KERR, MORLEY fc CO. ST. LOUIS: EDWARDS & 
 BUSHNELL. 
 
 1355. 
 
 W. H. TWSON, Printer & Stereotype!-, 24 Beekman street, N. Y. 
 
 
SKETCH OF EVENTS 
 
 LIFE OF GEORGE LAW, 
 
 PUBLISHED IN ADVANCE OF HIS BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 ALSO, 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC JOURNALS 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 J. 0. DERBY, PUBLISHER, 119 NASSAU ST 
 
 1855. 
 
- 
 
PUBLISHER S NOTICE. 
 
 THIS short sketch of events in the Life of GEOKGE 
 is published in advance of a volume that will be issued 
 from our press. 
 
 From this brief memorandum the youth of our country 
 may learn what has been done by a farmer s boy, who, 
 like Franklin, embarked on life at an early age, without 
 money or influential friends, and relying on himself alone. 
 They will see that the position of GEOKGE LAW has not 
 been obtained by accidents of birth or fortune, but by 
 industry and perseverance, guided by cultivated intelli 
 gence. That temperance and integrity have marked 
 every step in his path, and that although devoted to 
 physical labor, he still found time for improving his 
 mind by study, and leisure to gratify the kind impulses 
 of his heart by acts of benevolence. 
 
 The rise of a man to such fortune and honor in his 
 own country, among the most enlightened, enterprising 
 and intelligent business community in the world, is cal 
 culated to excite wonder and astonishment. Authentic 
 autobiography serves to dispel those misapprehensions so 
 likely to exist, in reference to the career of any citizen 
 who, like George Law, from humble means unaided by 
 influential family or political connexions, without the 
 dazzling recommendation of military rank or services, 
 and never having held political office, should have risen 
 to the distinction he has acquired at home and abroad. 
 
TO THE PUBLIC 
 
 
 
 The name of GEORGE LAW is familiar to the people 
 of our country.- His characteristics are but partially 
 known, and by many are misunderstood. Some regard 
 him as a lucky man, seeking fortune and finding it; 
 while others suppose him to be a speculator, fond of 
 reckless adventures, and willing to follow any path 
 that may lead to fortune or notoriety. But there are 
 thousands who have been near the scenes of his labors, 
 that appreciate him for what he is. They know him to 
 be a self-made man strong and fertile in intellect, as he 
 is stalwart in person quick and practical in thought, as 
 he is accurate and inflexible in judgment. A man 
 whose sense of justice and right is as indomitable as his 
 will whose mind is well stored with useful learning 
 who will listen to counsel, but never yields his convic 
 tions of duty to the mere opinions of others, and whose 
 life is full of incidents. 
 
 GEORGE LAW S character presents the most favorable 
 type of the youth of America all his characteristics 
 are Utilitarian he is eminently practical, intellectual, 
 systematic and bold a man of deeds and a man of 
 ideas ; with a full knowledge of all the privations of a 
 poor man s life, he sympathetically feels the necessity of 
 extending a helping hand to those who are struggling up 
 the hill of fortune and fame. The Biography of such a 
 man will excite interest and afford instruction. In this 
 short sketch we wish to attract public attention to some 
 points of hia character, and shall leave other topics for 
 *W forthcoming rolume. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 GEORGE LAW is an intelligent AMERICAN, and has a thorough 
 knowledge of the institutions and interests of his country. From 
 the time he was old enough, he was allowed to go to school in 
 the winter, when the labors of the farm did not require his 
 attention. In this way, he obtained the usual information 
 acquired by farmers boys. His mind eagerly sought instruction, 
 and grasped all the subjects presented to it. 
 
 At an early age, he felt the necessity of acquiring more 
 information than he could gain at his winter school, and hence 
 embraced every opportunity to add to the number of his books. 
 
 When he left home, at the age of seventeen, he felt the want 
 of a trade, and a proper education to enable him to undertake 
 business for himself. Accordingly, we find him working as a 
 common laborer, for daily wages, with the intention of obtain 
 ing, through that means, the knowledge of a trade. 
 
 While thus employed, he devoted every leisure hour to read 
 ing and study. All the money he could spare from his sup 
 port he applied to the purchase of books ; and the time 
 too often spent by young men, at his age, in frivolous amuse 
 ments, was employed by him in study. Thus he became taci- 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 turn, and has sinco been more of a thinker than talker. He 
 was careful to select books that would impart to him useful 
 knowledge upon mathematics and mechanics generally. He 
 became a good engineer, and an accomplished and edu 
 cated mechanic. By combining thorough study with the prac 
 tical knowledge of every branch of business, his information 
 became greatly enlarged and strengthened. Experience taught 
 him that knowledge is power ; and he adopted a salutary rule, 
 to which he has steadily and profitably adhered, of reading 
 for two or three hours every night, before retiring to 
 rest. This rule has enabled him to master the contents of 
 hundreds of volumes of the best selected works, notwithstand 
 ing the trying business scenes that he has passed through. 
 All who know George Law personally, concede that on subjects 
 relating to the Mechanic Arts, to practical science, and to 
 government, he is a well-read man. 
 
 There is no subject within the range of social conversation 
 that is not familiar to his mind ; and, by his acquaint 
 ances, his opinions on the practical sciences are esteemed of 
 
 erreat value. 
 
 
 He is a man of great intellectual ability and originality of 
 
 thought. The education and practical experience to which he 
 has been subjected have developed in him the peculiar charac 
 teristics that have, at different periods, distinguished many 
 individuals who have commanded armies and navies, who 
 have controlled the actions of men, who have overthrown 
 despots, and founded liberal governments. These intuitive 
 
 .7 ; ( fcSTOfq/JJ .) *)]W fitSftat 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 perceptions and combinations, manifested in a prominent and 
 attractive manner, in distinguished men, have been the wonder 
 and admiration of mankind. 
 
 * . L A .EiiOIJ 
 
 The power of rapid mathematical combination is the great 
 element that has distinguished all the great military men of his 
 tory. This made the fame of Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Crom 
 well and Wellington, and of our own Washington and Jackson. 
 
 As this intellectual power manifested itself in. George 
 Law, he enlarged the sphere of his operations, until their 
 extent and apparent complication was beyond the grasp of 
 the minds of his cotemporaries, and they expressed doubts 
 of the soundness of his plans and the safety of his busi 
 ness. They could not see or feel the principles that lay at 
 the foundations of his arrangements, and were not able to 
 understand the combinations which rendered all his movements 
 a matter of mathematical certainty. Results however, finally 
 established the correctness of his estimates, and the wisdom of 
 his measures. Each business transaction was closed successfully 
 for himself, and advantageous to his country. 
 
 His great and remarkable knowledge of men, their motives 
 and fitness for place, is a striking characteristic. He selected 
 men best fitted for the places he designed them for, with uner 
 ring certainty ; and it is said, that, of the thousands of appoint 
 ments made by him, there is no evidence that he deceived 
 himself, or was deceived by others, in making his selections. 
 He was inflexible in his rule, to " select men for places, and not 
 make places for men." 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 This perfection of system and sure judgment in the selection 
 of business agents, made him absolute master of all his opera 
 tions. These peculiar faculties enabled him to conduct his 
 business, which involved millions of money, whilst he was travel 
 ling in Europe for health and information. 
 
 His affairs, during the many months that he was absent, 
 suffered no injury, and, although embracing many distinct con 
 tracts, were conducted to the entire satisfaction of himself and 
 
 . oj , T .7JiJ 
 
 others interested with him. 
 
 So easy is it for his well-trained and capacious mind to plan 
 and execute the most complicated matters, that he never 
 neglects an appointment ; and he has been heard to say that 
 his affairs have never hurried him, but that he has leisure 
 at all times to attend to the calls of his friends and his family, 
 as well as his business. 
 
 George Law is not an avaricious man, there is nothing sordid 
 o*r mercenary about fiim. 
 
 We say this, because the passion of avarice generally lies at 
 the foundation of large fortunes. 
 
 His experience in early manhood convinced him that the 
 desires of men depend more upon imagination than reality, and 
 he followed the maxims of Franklin, in restraining his appetites 
 by a habit of self-denial. Hence it was the natural result 
 of this self-education, when, at the age of. twenty-eight, years 
 Ms skill and industry had secured him the possession of 
 fifty thousand dollars, that he felt inclined to retire from busi 
 ness, satisfied that his fortune was ample for himself and family 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 He had been employed, as is stated in the annexed sketch, in 
 different capacities upon some of the most important works of 
 public improvement (canals, railroads, &c.), in the States of 
 ISFew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North 
 Carolina ; and, by dint of hard work and frugality, not by spe 
 culation, had acquired his property. 
 
 At this period of his life, there was little in wealth beyond 
 competency that had attractions for him, and he would have with 
 drawn from business pursuits, if he could have secured for himself 
 happiness in a life of idleness. This he found impossible ; his mind 
 had become thoroughly imbued with the great principles of the 
 mechanic arts, and he had entered so deeply into the spirit of 
 the progressive age, in which he had been educated, that he felt 
 his longing for active pursuits irresistible. 
 
 From this period his career is marked by no events or acts 
 that can justify a belief that he sought the acquisition of 
 great wealth for itself alone. He devoted all the powers 
 of his mind to projecting and constructing works of high 
 public importance, and when offered a contract of great pecu 
 niary profit, he declined to enter upon it, because it was not in 
 his estimation, of sufficient public utility to justify the outlay 
 
 Our great Croton Aqueduct and High Bridge were works 
 worthy of his patriotic feelings and his genius, and they 
 now stand enduring monuments of his fame. Whilst engaged 
 in building the High Bridge, he resuscitated, systematized, and 
 completed two works of internal improvement, that, but for 
 
 1* 
 
 V" t 
 
 \ 
 
10 x IKTRODUCTION. 
 
 him, would have brought ruin upon the stockholders, and great 
 inconvenience to the public. 
 
 We next find him employed in establishing steam communica 
 tion between the Atlanticocean and the newly-acquired possess- 
 sions of the United States on the Pacific. 
 
 The acquisition of wealth was not his chief stimulant in this 
 undertaking. He was actuated by the patriotic motive of bene- 
 fitting his country, as well as by the laudable ambition of iden 
 tifying his name with one of the greatest enterprises of the age. 
 There was no other man in our Confederacy who had the capa 
 city to comprehend, and the capital to accomplish so great and 
 glorious a work. 
 
 Any careful observer could understand, that unless these e:reat 
 channels of commerce with California, were occupied by Ameri 
 can citizens and American capital without delay, they would 
 pass into the hands of foreign capitalists, and thus render all our 
 trade with California and the Pacific ocean tributary to the Bri 
 tish, who had already monopolised the trade of Mexico and of 
 South America. ., 
 
 This result was early seen and clearly comprehended by the 
 penetrating and patriotic mind of George Law ; and although 
 it was apparent to him that this undertaking was of sufficient 
 magnitude and importance to employ the capital and credit of 
 the nation, and might result in the ruin of an individual, 
 yet, perceiving that the advantages of this commerce would 
 be lost to his country if not promptly secured, and rely 
 ing upon his own judgment, energy, and executive power, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 combined with large capital and unlimited credit, his patriotic 
 feelings impelled him to enter upon the undertaking. 
 
 How well he performed his part, the world is now informed. 
 His genius and capital have united the Atlantic and Pacific 
 oceans ; have joined San Francisco to New York by a continu 
 ous line of steam communication ; have opened up the whole 
 Pacific ocean to the business of our merchants, and have de 
 creased the distance to China and Japan several thousand miles. 
 
 This great work is now completed. The name of George 
 Law is identified with it, and he will be remembered as the 
 great pioneer of the commerce that will continue to flow across 
 this continent. 
 
 The profits of this gigantic enterprise to him were immense. 
 They were the results of his far-reaching sagacity, and his clear 
 comprehension of the consequences of certain business arrange- 
 ements ; and all but the envious and selfish will rejoice that his 
 laudable efforts to do good were thus rewarded. But, as 
 before stated, the desire of accumulating great wealth was not 
 the chief incentive to this work ; and the profits so realized, 
 were considered by him as a means only of accomplishing other 
 important public objects. 
 
 The same feelings and the same motives that prompted him to 
 establish communications with California, caused him to risk his 
 fortune to maintain the rights of a private citizen in his service on 
 board his steamer. He knew that the character of our country, 
 as well as the rights of a countryman were involved in thin 
 transaction. This induced George Law to set at defiance 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the threats of the Captain-General of Cuba, that he would sink 
 the steamer, and to denounce the pusillanimous administration 
 of our Federal Government, who sought to use him as an instru 
 ment to injure a private citizen, and disgrace itself. 
 
 And, finally, we will add in support of the opinion we have 
 expressed upon this point, that, although he was in possession 
 of large sums of money, he has never been known to trade in, 
 or lend it for more than legal interest. This fact is mentioned, 
 because it has been imputed as a common vice of capitalists, 
 that they are ready and willing to receive usurious rates of 
 interest, as a means of accumulation, from those whose necessi 
 ties compel them to borrow. 
 
 We make this remark, because the lending of money upon 
 usury is generally regarded as an evidence of an avaricious 
 propensity, and that the practice of it tends to destroy the 
 finer feelings of charity and benevolence, which have adorned 
 the character and rendered illustrious the venerated names of 
 heroes, sages, and patriots. 
 
 George Law is not only not avaricious, but he is kind, gene 
 rous, philanthropic, and liberal. We are in possession of facts 
 which fully justify this remark. The incidents to which we 
 refer may be stated in the forthcoming biography, if we obtain 
 his consent, and that of the recipients of his kindness ; but acts 
 of this description, when proceeding from proper motives, seek 
 concealment, and any direct allusions to them are unpleasant and 
 offensive to the donor. 
 
 George Law is a patriotic man of enlarged and comprehensive 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 views. This is manifested by the character of the business that 
 has occupied his attention from the commencement of his career, 
 He is a lover of good government and social order, and has 
 manifested a disposition to enforce the laws upon all occa 
 sions. The recent reclamation of the fugitive Baker through 
 the use of his yacht, the Grapeshot, is a striking evidence of this 
 trait of his character. 
 
 We have published with these papers, an editorial from a 
 !N~ew York journal upon this subject. The part taken by George 
 Law in this matter, was the result of a thorough conviction 
 that the Mayor had no authority to appropriate funds for this 
 purpose. Prompt action, under the circumstances, was indis 
 pensable, and there was reason to believe that the Government 
 had no vessel of sailing or steaming capacity that could be got 
 ready and dispatched in time to overtake the brig in which 
 Baker was supposed to have sailed. 
 
 It was therefore evident to his mind, that the ends of public 
 justice would be defeated, unless he did, at his own expense, 
 send out his vessel to reclaim the fugitive. He caused his yacht 
 to be rigged, provisioned, manned and anchored in the bay, 
 ready to receive the police officers on board, within twenty 
 hours from the time he engaged to send her to sea. He selected 
 a captain and crew that could be trusted to overtake and bring 
 back Baker, and paid them additional or extra wages. The 
 result of this energetic action was the return of the Grapeshot 
 with Baker on board, in less time than the public expected. 
 The act delighted the whole country, and led many to make 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 comparisons between the energy of a private citizen, and the 
 dilatory conduct -of the administration. 
 
 The people of the United States see and feel the want of 
 efficiency in the naval power of the country, and believe that 
 with less annual expenditure, we might have a marine force 
 in steam vessels of war, that would protect our commerce, 
 and command the respect of all the great Powers of the earth. 
 There is no man more competent to express a correct opinion upon 
 this subject than George Law, or more able to carry into effect 
 his own suggestions. Under his charge, a naval force would 
 spring into existence that would become the pride of our gallant 
 seamen and the admiration of our country. Under his direc 
 tion, ships would not be so constructed that they would founder 
 at sea, or be compelled to abandon a voyage from stress of 
 weather. 
 
 The steamers built, by George Law were constructed of the 
 best materials. Live Oak was universally preferred because 
 his object was to build vessels strong and safe, and to rely upon 
 them, and not upon insurance ; and, as a striking instance 
 of the wisdom of his course, the fact should be noted, that he never 
 lost a vessel at sea. He thought good vessels, well manned, 
 were better for the people, who entrusted their lives and 
 property to them, than poor vessels, illy supplied, though largely 
 and carefully insured. 
 
 This care in building ships of the best material, and in the 
 best manner, has given him among mechanics, the sobriquet of 
 "Livo Oak." A man so careful of the lives and property of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 others under his charge, whilst engaged in commercial pursuits, 
 will be very likely to see that Government vessels are built 
 with like care when the navy shall be under his command. 
 
 From what we have already stated, and from the papers 
 printed with this prospectus, it must be clear to every person 
 who will take the trouble to read this pamphlet, that George 
 Law is well informed upon the Constitution, laws and usages 
 of our government, and that he is eminently qualified to dis 
 charge the duties of President of the United States. 
 
 His thorough practical education, great capacity of mind, 
 demonstrated by his success in the extensive business he has 
 conducted, and illustrated by the patriotic motives that have 
 controlled him, go far to show that his qualifications for the 
 office of Chief Magistrate of this Union, will compare favor 
 ably with any that have heretofore been brought to the Execu 
 tive chair. 
 
 We present herewith the proceedings of a complimentary 
 dinner given to him several years since at the Astor House in 
 New York ; also a letter written by him in answer to a request 
 of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, to allow them to use his 
 name in the next canvass for President of the United States. 
 
 His speech on the first occasion, and his letter on the last, 
 will satisfy any person that he is a man well acquainted with 
 every subject of importance connected with the resources and 
 purposes of our Government. 
 
 The duties devolved by the Constitution upon the several 
 Departments of Government have been so long defined and 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 understood, as taught by the fathers of the Republic, that it is 
 not difficult for any one to comprehend them. Many persons 
 believe that the administration of Governmental affairs, 
 is something mysterious, intricate and difficult to understand ; 
 but to a well-informed mind that has practical knowledge 
 on the subject, nothing can be discovered that differs materially 
 from the general business transactions of private life between 
 intelligent men. Indeed, whenever a difference is found, it 
 would be well that it should be brought back to the plain rules 
 of ordinary life. 
 
 The practical character of our institutions, based as they are 
 upon the Sovereignty of the People, will not allow the adminis 
 tration of the government to be so involved in mystery as to 
 render the execution of any of its trusts, or the discharge of any 
 duties under it, a task to be performed only by persons 
 trained, and educated for that purpose. In monarchies, 
 forms and ceremonies are encouraged, and holding office 
 by hereditary right, has followed, till discomfiture and 
 disgrace have demanded their abolition. Mystery and intri- 
 casy are hostile to the genius of our institutions, and to the 
 principle that man is capable of .self-government. We do 
 not think that the establishment of an aristocracy, whether lorn 
 or educated to office, would be consistent with the principles of 
 equality on which the institutions of this country are founded, or 
 agreeable to the feelings of our People. Whilst the Press is 
 free whilst freedom of discussion exists, and so long as 
 frequent elections enable the People to cancel the errors of their 
 
I X T R O D U C T I O S . 
 
 servants, the best schoolmasters for statesmen, are the 
 People, especially as the lessons they teach are generally 
 remembered. Professional place-seekers, office-holders, and 
 family influences are the bane of good governments. These 
 precedents of the monarchies of the old world sustaining 
 such classes, should not be encouraged here. The simple form 
 of our government enables men of plain education to fill many 
 departments in a creditable manner, and some of our best 
 officers have been more distinguished for plain, practical sense, 
 than for attainments in belles-lettres. 
 
 This principle has been so long recognized in our legisla 
 tive departments, that it would be superfluous to refer to it. 
 The general diffusion of education, the quick and clear percep 
 tive faculties of our people, and the great and varied business 
 occupations which employ them throughout the length and 
 breadth of our country, qualify them for the enactment and 
 administration of all laws necessary for the protection and secu 
 rity of life and property, and the enjoyment of happiness. The 
 same rule has always applied to Executive Officers. The position 
 and character of many of the greatest and most illustrious of 
 our public men justify the remarks we have made. There was 
 no particular education that fitted Washington for the post ho 
 occupied. He was a county surveyor. It was not scientific 
 training that produced our Franklin. He was a printer. It was 
 not a collegiate education, nor was it any superior attainments in 
 fashionable literature, that qualified our Jackson for the high 
 position he occupied in our country. Poetry and the fine arts 
 
18 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 occupied less of their time than more utilitarian studies. 
 These men were more practical than scientific or scholastic. 
 They drew inspiration from the scenes around them, and the 
 high character of their minds enabled them to work out a 
 brilliant career for the benefit of their country. In legal lore 
 in the wiles of diplomacy, and the arts and intrigues of the 
 politician and the professional courtier and place-seeker, they did 
 not pretend to excel. Their judgments were controlled by the 
 dictates of practical good sense, and devotion to the interests 
 and honor of their country. In their early manhood they gave 
 practical examples of their ability to direct great and varied 
 business affairs, embracing the interests of individuals and nations, 
 The call of the American People upon George Law is, because 
 he has exhibited the same qualities, and it is the natural result 
 of the character of our people and the form of our Government. 
 If he had held a cabinet office, occupied a seat in either House 
 of Congress been the Governor of a State, or been a general 
 in the Army little surprise would have been excited among 
 political men.. The people have a right to the services of 
 every citizen ; jwid if they can find in the private walks of life, 
 a man who has shown the proper characteristics, who shall 
 dispute their right to elect him ? We deny that any class of 
 men have special " claims " to the Presidency. That high post is 
 the free gift of the American People, bestowed upon their choice; 
 and for any citizen to arrogate to himself superior pretensions to 
 it over any other, is presumptuous, and of itself evidence of the 
 unfitness of the claimant. But, the selection of a private citi- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 J J 
 
 zen, fresh from the People, and independent of political intrigues 
 and arrangements, is regarded by placemen and professional 
 politicians, as a spectacle calculated to excite wonder. They 
 stared and ejaculated in like manner when Jackson was first 
 announced by the People, in defiance of their intrigues to 
 perpetuate their own power. 
 
 In placing George Law in the Presidential chair, it is but 
 transferring him to a larger field of action. He has proved him 
 self capable in the post of honor," sometimes " the private 
 station/ 7 and, as a citizen, in a sphere of business, equal, in its 
 demand for sound judgment and administrative talents, to the 
 highest executive position in the country. He has regulated 
 with eminent success the great and varied interests under his 
 control. He has had the management of more steamships than 
 have, at any time, belonged to the United States ; surpassing 
 the government in the speed of his vessels, the efficiency of their 
 equipments and the economy of their expenses. He has dis 
 played great practical knowledge as to the duties of the station, 
 and we ask, therefore, why should not George Law be trans 
 ferred and promoted by the People to this great Executive 
 
 Trust ? 
 
 In what way can his great talents, his thorough, knowledge 
 of men, his ability to wield the resources of the nation, and 
 his professional information on all subjects connected with the 
 great interests of the people, be so usefully applied for the 
 benefit of our Country ? 
 Is there auy citizen within the bonndaries of the Confede- 
 
20 
 
 I N T RODUCTION. 
 
 racy who caii present so interesting a record of his life, as an 
 example to the Youth of our Country, and as a guarantee to 
 us that he will discharge faithfully, and with ability, the duties 
 we may impose upon him ? 
 
 George Law does not aspire to the Presidency j his friends 
 do not seek to place him there from any mean or mercenary 
 motive. No desire to possess or exercise power for personal or 
 ignoble purposes moves him or them. He is prompted by 
 patriotism and a noble ambition to apply the great resources and 
 experience of his own mind to promote the glory and pros 
 perity of his country, and to transmit an example to posterity 
 worthy of imitation. 
 
 George Law is a man of progress. All the efforts of his 
 mind have been directed to making improvements in the arts 
 and sciences, and applying them to the practical affairs of life. 
 For this end he travelled through Europe, made experiments in 
 machinery, studied mathematics and engineering, and learned 
 the uses of steam, electricity, and other powers in the mechanic 
 arts. The result is, that he possesses a fund of information on 
 these subjects, which he readily imparts to any one who seeks 
 information from him. 
 
 It cannot have escaped notice, that most of the profes 
 sional politicians and office-holders of our country, are behind 
 the spirit of the age, and the genius of the American People. 
 This should be remedied, and can only be done by placing the 
 control of our affairs in the hands of more efficient agents. 
 George Law will bring the executive branch of the government 
 
INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 up to his own standard. He will require every man to do his 
 duty, and will enforce the same system of economy in public 
 affairs, that he has heretofore exercised in his own transactions. 
 
 George Law regards a strict observance of the laws and 
 treaties of the country as essential to its good character and 
 permanent success. In all his career, there is no incident or 
 event that will lead a careful observer to any other conclusion. 
 He is essentially and eminently a law-abiding man. We say 
 this here, as misrepresentations have been made to the con 
 trary, because of his manly and independent conduct when the 
 minions of the Spanish Crown attempted to outrage the 
 rights of an American citizen, and to dishonor his country s 
 flag. He regards the compacts and compromises of the Con 
 stitution as the sacred legacies of our forefathers, to be guarded 
 and preserved by all good citizens, and as the palladium of our 
 glorious Union. 
 
 George Law has retired from the a,ctive private business in 
 which he has been engaged, and his mind is now directed to 
 public matters and to the amenities of life. 
 
 In his home, in the domestic relations, there is a happy 
 blending of all the characteristics of a good citizen the affec 
 tionate husband, the kind father and the faithful friend. 
 His habits of industry and study, and the moral teachings of his 
 mother have gathered and clustered about his hearth all 
 the social and domestic virtues. Temperate in all things, and 
 benevolent to a fault, he is loved and respected by all who know 
 him. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 2S 
 
 A beautiful and touching testimonial of the estimation in which 
 George Law is held by his neighbors and friends, many of whom 
 rank among the first mechanics, merchants, scholars, and citi 
 zens of New York, may be found in the account of the compli 
 mentary dinner given to him, and which is printed in this 
 pamphlet. It is one of those rare occurrences which prove 
 conclusively the high position and exalted worth of its recipient. 
 At this gathering, sentiments and speeches were uttered that 
 ought to gratify the ambition or vanity of any man. We find 
 among those conspicuous at the festival men who have dis 
 tinguished themselves in the various walks of private and 
 public life all these joined in one paean of applause and 
 admiration for his character, and the achievements that had 
 marked the semi-public services of their distinguished guest. 
 
 This homage, thus expressed, is the strongest testimonial of 
 the kind this community has ever given, in honor of any of her 
 heroes, statesmen, or other citizens. 
 
 We have but slightly glanced at the character and history of 
 George Law, but we think we have said enough to attract 
 public attention, and make them desire to learn the particulars 
 of his eventful and useful life. 
 
 Starting out from a farm at an early age, with no more 
 advantages than the poor boys of our country generally possess, 
 he has steadily followed the path of industry and enterprise, 
 until, under the age of fifty, he can present a record that stands 
 out proudly before his countrymen, and has so far been appre 
 ciated by them, that in the midst of conflicting party strife, he 
 
INTRODUCTION 23 
 
 has been designated by a great State as the "coming man" 
 who is to serve his country in her highest office. 
 
 We present to the Youth of America an example, in tho 
 history and career of the farmer s boy, worthy of all imitation. 
 To the statesmen and sages of our country, a bright embodi 
 ment of the practical workings of our institutions. We are 
 confident that the hopes and anticipations which these pages 
 are calculated and intended to inspire, will be realized in the 
 forthcoming Biography of George Law. 
 
(JVow thA 2few Orleans Delia.) 
 
 OUR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 WASHINGTON, April 19, 1856. 
 
 WHAT THEY THINK OP GEORGE LAW AT WASHINGTON ADMINISTRATION 
 INTRIGUES SPANISH AFFAIRS. 
 
 The rumors respecting the attitude of the administration towards Cuba 
 change like the kaleidoscope every day, leaving us in a great state of 
 uncertainty. The utmost excitement and feeling now exist, in relation to 
 George Law, at the seat of government, and especially among the depart 
 ments and officials of government, who cannot comprehend the enigma 
 of a President being taken from the ranks of the people instead of the 
 politicians. At first it was treated as a joke or malicious hoax of the 
 Herald ; but as the character of George Law begins to be developed, his 
 great administrative talents understood, and his chances brightening with 
 every defeat and discomfiture of the administration, the excitement 
 increases with the increasing chance of his election. Happy would it be 
 for the future weal of this country, if George Law would succeed Franklin 
 Pierce as President of the United States. The grossest misrepresentations 
 prevail through ignorance or malevolence in relation to Mr. Law, his 
 family, education, and character. He is represented by some to be a 
 foreigner. Now, his father was an old and respectable farmer in Wash 
 ington county, New York, and gave his eldest son, Joseph, a collegiate 
 education. Joseph graduated at Union College with high honors, and was 
 a law partner of the Hon. Dudley Selden, of New York. George had a 
 good sound English education, and has improved his truly great powers 
 of mind since, by reading and study. He is a good historian, a logical 
 reasoner, and looks with a practical eye into everything mankind, books, 
 and business. As to his character, he is eminently a moral man, strictly 
 orthodox in American views, feelings and principles, and would bring to 
 the discharge of the executive duties a mind vast and comprehensive, in 
 its full vigor and expansion. 
 
\Frotn tte N&JD York Herald Jwie 2, 186ft.] 
 
 BRIEF BIOGRAPHY 
 
 OP 
 
 GEORGE LAW, OF NEW YORK, 
 
 THE PENNSYLVANIA -LIVE OAK CANDIDATE 
 
 FOR 
 
 THE PRESIDENCY. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE idea is a startling one, that a laborer a mechanic, who 
 commenced his career by laying brick for one dollar a day 
 should be nominated by a great party as a candidate for the 
 office of Chief Magistrate of the United States. Such is the 
 fact. George Law has already been placed in nomination by 
 the American party, in the Legislature of Pennsylvania ; and 
 this premonitory nomination will probably be confirmed by the 
 American National Council. 
 
 Yes, it shocks the prejudices of many good citizens, who have 
 heretofore believed that a man who was fit to be elected Chief 
 Magistrate must have served an apprenticeship in doing mur 
 ders on a battle-field, or doing roguery in a law-office. 
 
 As the name of George Law has already been heard in this 
 high connection, in every village, town and city in each State, 
 
 2 
 
26 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 North, South, East and West, the people are anxious for infor 
 mation in this matter. They want to knew what manner of man 
 this George Law is, who is so widely spoken of for the next 
 Presidency. 
 
 His opponents do not leelieve that a laborer a bricklayer 
 a mechanic a merchant a man of practical genius has any 
 antecedents that betoken great administrative talent. Let facts 
 tell the story ; and let the readers of the following simple 
 history bear in mind the old adage, that "he who attends most 
 faithfully to his own business, is most likely to be faithful when 
 the interests of others are confided to his care." 
 
 GEORGE LAW was born in the town of Jackson, Washington 
 county, State of New York, on the 25th of October, 1806. 
 His father, John Law, was a farmer, and owned about one hun 
 dred acres of land at the time George was born. George had 
 two brothers and two sisters. He was the youngest of the 
 three boys. These children are all dead except George and the 
 youngest sister, who is married, and resides at and owns the old 
 homestead. 
 
 George left home in 1824, when he was eighteen years old. 
 Up to that period he remained upon the farm of his father, 
 doing "chores," attending to the cattle, and in the winter 
 months he attended school. His father s farm was gradually 
 increasing, and before George left home numbered nearly five 
 hundred acres. He had a fine stock of cattle, and kept the 
 largest dairy in that section. His neighbors from this fact gave 
 him the name of " Butter John." 
 
 The farm of George s father was on the road to Troy. In 
 fact, the Troy road ran between the house and the barn. Hi? 
 grandfather, Robert Law, resided about a quarter of a milo up 
 
THE LIES OF GEORGE LAW. 27 
 
 the road. He died in 1809. The father of George died in 
 1853. George had an uncle named .Robert, who took the 
 grandfather s homestead when he died. Upon the farm of his 
 father John was George raised until he was eighteen years old. 
 John Law was an active, energetic, go-ahead farmer. His 
 whole soul was engrossed with the farm. The house was an 
 old-fashioned country farm-house, built of plank. The roof 
 extended down, and covered the stoop. On one side of the 
 entrance was the " buttery," on the other a sleeping-room. It 
 had an old-fashioned kitchen, with the usual monster fire-place 
 of those days. Close by the door was a well of pure water, 
 with " the old pole and bucket." The farm crossed the road. 
 On one side it extended in meadow to the Battenkill river, and 
 on the other, ran back on the pine plain to the hills, which were 
 covered with timber. 
 
 George was about six years old when war was declared 
 between England and the United States. It was evening, and 
 he was lying in an old-fashioned cradle in a corner of the 
 kitchen, when his Uncle Robert came in and told the news ; and 
 he lay and listened to the conversation which it called forth, and 
 the forebodings of invasion of their neighborhood from Canada, 
 which it occasioned. From that time he became a reader of 
 the newspapers. 
 
 Not long after this, he went up on the hill into an orchard to 
 gather some fruit with his mother. It was Sunday. The day 
 was clear, not a cloud in the sky, when they heard what sounded 
 like distant thunder. George placed his ear to the ground, and 
 distinctly heard the low booming of artillery. " Our folks are 
 whipping the British on the lake, mother," said George, and so 
 it proved, for the next day the news came of Commodore 
 McD enough s victory on Lake Champlain. A few days after, 
 the prisoners were brought down on their way to Albany. 
 They were to pass within a mile of the homestead. George 
 
8 SKETCH OF EVEIN TS IN 
 
 asked his father and mother to lot him go and see them. " l> r o," 
 was their decided reply ; but this opportunity was not to be 
 missed, and, for the first time, George became disobedient, and. 
 put across the fields, bare-headed, to the other road. Soon 
 after they came along, and he counted 300 prisoners and sixty 
 guards. At first he was shy of approaching them ; but when 
 the party halted, a few minutes after, to get their dinner, and 
 he saw that they were a laughing, pleasant set of fellows, he 
 made bold to get over the fence and show himself. They began 
 talking with him in a very friendly way, and finally coaxed him 
 to dinner. One of them told him that he would make a good 
 soldier when he got older. Just at this interesting moment, the 
 father of George made his appearance to catch him, and master 
 George expected a whipping ; but the old farmer became inter 
 ested in the conversation and the accounts of the battle, and 
 the result was that George did not get even a scolding from his 
 father. 
 
 As soon as George was able to read, the first book which fell 
 into his hands (for his father possessed very few books), was a 
 CO PZ f tne ltf an d poems of Burns. This he learned by heart, 
 and it gave him a taste for book reading. He had no time to 
 read except evenings ; and when he was sent to bed he would 
 fix a candle at the head of his bed and read while the candle 
 lasted. In this manner he read the Life of Washington, Cook f 
 Voyages, Carver s Travels, Plutarch s Lives, Josephus Works, 
 and Hume and Smollett s History of England, before he was 12 
 years old. On Sundays he was not allowed to read any such 
 books, and on that day his good mother made him read the 
 Bible with Scott s Commentaries ; and this course was followed 
 for many years, until he left home, and could repeat the Bible 
 from "the beginning to the end." During the early period of 
 his history, he rose with the sun a habit never left off in after 
 years, Another favorite book at that time with him, was the 
 
TUT ] LIFE OF OEOMG3 LAW. 29 
 
 Life of William Kay, which gave a history of a youth who left 
 his father s farm and. went off to seek his fortune iu the great 
 world. This and other books of travels settled the future- 
 destiny of George, and decided his mind to leave the farm 
 upon the first occasion that offered . 
 
 When George reached the age of 17, he began to be tired of 
 farm work, arid was exceedingly anxious to leave home, aud do 
 something for himself. There was plenty to do on the farm, and 
 his father opposed the plan. From the time George was 12 
 years old, his mind was occupied with plans of building. He 
 would get a company of boys together and build small dams or 
 miniature bridges, and he was constantly among mechanics, 
 when he could get a chance, to watch what they did, and then 
 try if lie could not do it better. This caused his mother to 
 remark, " You will never be a farmer, George." In 1824 there 
 was a great excitement about the Erie canal in that section. 
 This gave a new direction to the thoughts of George. He then 
 said to his father that he was going away from home. The old 
 man told him that he had better not do so ; that he would 
 regret it ; that he did not know what it was to be away from 
 home. 
 
 At that time George had no money to put his plan of leaving 
 home into effect. He had nothing in the world but the clothes 
 he wore. He hired out that summer to his uncle, and earned 
 $40. With this capital he started for Troy. When quite a 
 lad he had accompanied his father to the same place, and it was 
 the only time he had been away from home. He was then eight 
 years old. His father was after plaster ; but young George left 
 him in the wagon, and made his way to a nail factory, and 
 became deeply interested in the first manufacturing he had ever 
 seen. 
 
 On his second visit to Troy, in the winter of 1824, he hired 
 himself as a day laborer, at $1 per day. His duty was to 
 
30 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 attend on the stone-masons. The name of his employer was 
 Warner ; he worked for him thirty-three days and earned $33. 
 In the following summer he went to Hoosic, in the employ of 
 Mr. Gait, who had a contract to build a house. His object 
 was to commence and learn everything, from bricklaying to 
 stone-cutting, arid he knew that with Mr. Gait lie would have 
 every chance. He worked for him all that season, laying brick, 
 cutting stone and learning the mason s trade. When the fall 
 came, Mr. Gait could not pay his workmen. George lost all he 
 had earned, and was obliged to leave, owing his board bill. He 
 told Mr. Noel, to whom he owed this board bill, how he was 
 situated, but that as soon as he was able he Would send him 
 what he owed. Noel said there was time enough, and George 
 then footed it back to Troy twenty-two miles and hired out 
 to lay brick until the weather became cold, when he received his 
 pay, and at once started for Hoosic Four Corners, where he paid 
 Mr. Noel his board bill. Noel was surprised, and told George 
 he never expected to get it, as none of Gait s workmen got paid. 
 When George -got out of debt, he found he had gained his first 
 lesson in trusting. To pay this money, though it left George 
 Law nothing, he walked twenty-two miles and back making 
 forty-four miles in one day . 
 
 He spent that winter in Troy ; sold an old silver watch 
 which he had purchased in the summer, and with the proceeds 
 bought a few school books, and studied them without a" teacher. 
 These books were few in number, but very important at that 
 period of George s life. They consisted of Daboll s Arithmetic, 
 Morse s Geography and Atlas, Walker s Dictionary, and a 
 work entitled Bookkeeping by Single Entry. These books were 
 learned "by heart/ and, strange as it may seem, in after 
 years, when the operations of George covered millions, he never 
 varied from the rules of his silent instructor. His books were 
 always kept by single entry, and upon a certain occasion, when 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 31 
 
 the head of a company with millions of capital, of which George 
 was chief owner, was explaining the advantages of the system 
 of "double entry," "Pali," said George "had I fooled with 
 such a system I should have spent a fortune in clerk hire, and 
 been penniless myself/ 7 He devoted his whole mind to his 
 books all this winter. 
 
 That spring (1826) he went to work again laying brick, 
 and earned 14s. a day. That May he paid his parents a visit 
 at Jackson, and soon after went to Kingston, Ulster county, 
 New York, to work on the Delaware and Hudson canal. Mr. 
 Murdock, who had been superintendent for Mr. Gait the year 
 previous, wrote to him at Troy to come to Ulster, where he 
 would find work ; at Ulster, George went into the employ of 
 Olliger & Hasbrouck, and commenced building a lock for them. 
 He was ignorant, but Mr. Murdock, who was superintendent of 
 the work, showed him how to do it, and his wages were $2 25 
 per clay. He completed this lock in June, 1826, and then went 
 to the High Falls to finish some locks. Here he superintended 
 the building of a lock for Mr. McGinnis, and received twenty 
 shillings per day. This he completed in August of the same 
 year. He then engaged to build two locks under Murdock, 
 which occupied him three months, for two brothers named 
 Dubois. In November he made his second visit home to Wash 
 ington county. He had saved one hundred and fifty dollars. 
 
 George had now accumulated a lot of small books which he 
 could easily carry, and to which he devoted every leisure 
 moment ; and in addition to those he had procured at Troy, 
 and which to him were " standard " works, he had Shakespere 
 in several pocket volumes, Goldsmith s works, Letters and Life, 
 Pope s Homer, and eight volumes of Byron s works. 
 
 This year he was twenty years old ; and then he started fo 
 Pennsylvania \uth his pocket library. That State was jus. 
 commencing its great work George could now cut stone, lay 
 
32 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 brick, or do any work of that sort as well as any one, and 
 understood building locks, bridges, &c. He saw contractors 
 get work, and then get men to carry it out ; and he said to 
 himself, " If such men can make money, why can t I, who attend 
 to the worK myself? These men do not oversee their work." 
 With such views he left home for the city of New York, his 
 destination being the new public works in Pennsylvania. He 
 came down the North river in the old Chief Justice Marshall, 
 and landed at the foot of Liberty street,. not knowing a soul in 
 the city. He remained in New York three days, during which 
 time he strolled about the city, looking at what was to be seen. 
 He also visited Brooklyn. From New York he went to New 
 Brunswick, and across to the Delaware river by stage to Phila 
 delphia. The trip took one day, and its rapidity was a subject 
 of conversation among the passengers. He remained in Phila 
 delphia three days, then went to Pleading, thence to Harrisburg, 
 and from there to York Mountains, where he commenced 
 getting out stone, and blocking it into shape for locks, at so 
 much a foot. When the weather got cold, he went to work 
 building a heavy wall, nine miles above Harrisburg. 
 
 George then hired out to a man to go to Port Deposit to get 
 out stone to be sent to the Dismal Swamp canal in North 
 Carolina and Yirginia. This was in the month of February, 
 1827. He went on foot from Harrisburg, fifty miles, to Port 
 Deposit. He could not afford to go by stage ; it would have 
 cost too much. He got the stone ready and all shipped but one 
 load to Norfolk. He then went up to Marietta on foot, and 
 came down on an ark for the purpose of seeing the Susque- 
 hanna river, and how that business was conducted. The pilot s 
 name was BaVney Brown. He landed from the ark on the 
 west or York side of the river, and walked until twelve o clock 
 at night to Port Deposit, and embarked in a sloop carrying the 
 last load of stone to Norfolk. This was George s first sea 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 33 
 
 voyage. From Norfolk lie walked to the place of work on the 
 bank of the canal. The water was red, being juniper water. 
 There was no settlement save six or seven shanty groceries. 
 Here he boarded at a place with six other men ; they had a 
 negro woman for a cook. His work was to finish up stone for 
 the canal lock. It became very unhealthy, and in June (1827), 
 he returned to Norfolk, and from thence in a sailing packet to 
 New York. 
 
 During the above trip he had with him all the books whicn 
 he had accumulated, except " Morse s Atlas/ which he could - 
 not conveniently carry. 
 
 George now commenced work on the Morris canal, for Hop 
 kins & Fairbanks, at Mountville, and worked until November, 
 when cold weather commenced. During this time, hearing that 
 his brother Samuel had been taken with paralysis, he made a 
 visit home. In November he heard that the health of his 
 mother was failing ; he went home and remained until she died. 
 He was then 21 years old. 
 
 In the spring of 1828 George went back to Mountvillc?, in 
 Jersey, where there was an acqueduct to build, and also an 
 inclined plane. Here he worked until June. He met with 
 trouble in getting his payments from the company, and left, 
 reaching New York city about July. Here he had a proposi 
 tion made to him to take work on the Harlem Canal, which was 
 to connect the Hudson and East rivers. He regarded the 
 whole concern as nonsensical, and would not continue to work 
 upon it, and concluded to go back to Pennsylvania, to the lower 
 division of the Lehigh Canal, three miles from Easton. He 
 now became superintendent for Mr. Cady, a man about sixty 
 years old, a good mechanic, who had worked on the Erie Canal. 
 This Mr. Cady used to take the world easy. He would get 
 under a shed out of the sun, and watch the operations of his su 
 perintendent and the men. On one occasion he called to George 
 
 o* 
 
34 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 to corne to him. " George," said he, " you are a great fool 
 to work for me as you do." 
 
 " How so ?" inquired George. 
 
 " Why, I- used to work and superintend myself, until I made 
 a name. Now I am living on that and my reputation, while 
 you in reality do all the work. You should make contracts 
 yourself, and work under nobody. You are more capable of 
 doing it than I am." 
 
 George remained with Mr. Cady till the fall of 1828, making 
 dams, locks, &c., and superintending the masonry work. 
 
 During this period he had increased his library to fifty 
 volumes, and had purchased several works on drawing, which 
 he carefully studied at every leisure moment. 
 
 While working for Cady, he was taken sick with fever ami- 
 ague, and went home to Jackson, X. Y. He was sick all that 
 winter, and boarded at a tavern. He never remained at the 
 homestead when he visited his native place. He had too much 
 pride to allow any of the neighbors to say that he sponged 
 on his parents. When spring came, he was out of money, and 
 owed a tavern bill for board. This was in 1829. He then pro 
 cured a horse on credit, and rode to Troy, thence to Athens, in 
 Orange cqjinty, to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and went to 
 work again for the same company, in the employ of Mr. Cady. 
 He got through that job in June (1829), and then went on 
 the, Delaware division, ten miles from Easton, and superintended 
 locks and an acqueduct. Then he took work of a Mr. Otis 
 and built a lock and small acqueduct. He finished this in the 
 fall. This was his first sub-contract. It was in 1829, and 
 George was twenty-three years old. 
 
 George had poor health this summer. His old friend the 
 ague kept him company. He went to Easton, and spent the 
 winter of 1829 and 30. That fall the Morris canal had let- 
 tings, and George put in a bid for the inclined plane. H? tra- 
 
THS LIFE OK G.EOUGE LAW. 35 
 
 veiled over the canal from Eastou to Aiidover, and made his 
 estimates. His bid was accepted with Otis & Carmichael, but 
 in the winter of 1829 George sold out his interest for $200. 
 That winter he made .a contract with Otis, and in the spring of 
 1830, commenced at Gallus Run, taking down acqueducts and 
 building locks. This occupied him until August, 1830. Up to 
 this period George not only kept the accounts and superintended, 
 but worked regularly himself. In the fall of 1830 he went 
 home, and thus he had done every year ; but this time he was 
 worth money. He had accumulated a capital of $2,850, and 
 on the strength of it he visited Marquand, the great jeweller, in 
 Broadway, at that time, and invested $300 in a good solid gold 
 watch, which George wears to this day. After his visit home 
 he returned to Easton, where he was seized with the pleurisy, 
 and came very near dying. Here he was attended by Dr. 
 Swift. In the spring of 1831 George attended the lettings of 
 the Juniata division, at Williamsburg, of the Portage railroad 
 over the Alleghany Mountains ; also on the Columbia railroad, 
 west and north branch, Williamsburg, and the Pennsylvania 
 canal. To complete all these lettings occupied him until July 
 of this year, when he returned to Easton. He then went to 
 work at Williamsburg, on the Juniata division, about twelve 
 miles from Huntingdon. He was building dams, bridges and 
 locks, and had a chill every day. For the first time he became 
 owner of a horse arid wagon, which he bought at Easton. This 
 was the first contract from " first hands" he had ever had alone. 
 All previous were sub-contracts, or with others interested. 
 This work lasted until the fall of 1832, about eighteen months. 
 He then got his brother Sam to come out and visit him for his 
 health. In December, 1832, he had great difficulty on the Del 
 aware division a break out of the river into the canal to 
 remedy which he built stop-gates. In February, 1833, George 
 went to Philadelphia and married a lady to whom he had become 
 
36 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 attached in 1830. The summer of 1833 was spent in fulfilling 
 a contract made at Easton to build a " weigh-lock," capable of 
 weighing a boat of 100 tons, at the head of the Delaware 
 division, and for the Lehigh boats. 
 
 In the fall he returned home, as usual, to see the folks. 
 
 Shortly after his return to Easton, his brother Samuel died ; 
 previous to which, the father of George had paid his sick son a 
 visit, and then savf Mrs. Law for the first time. 
 
 At the time George married, his library had increased to one 
 hundred choice volumes, and they were well read and studied, 
 for George bought no book to lie idle on the shelf. 
 
 In the year 1834, George took a journey to the Western 
 country. He started with some idea of settling at Chicago ; 
 but when he reached that new town, he found too much fever 
 and ague in the region to suit his purpose, and returned home 
 aud employed this summer in doing nothing. Up to this period 
 George had labored to obtain money enough to live without 
 labor. He had achieved his object, but ascertained, from a few 
 months idleness, that it was a miserable life to lead, so he 
 returned to Easton, and commenced building a bridge over the 
 Lehigh. He had become an expert draftsman, and drew all of 
 his working plans, and understood engineering in all its details. 
 He did a large amount of work on the upper division of the 
 Lehigh canal, between Mauch Chunk and White Haven. He 
 was engaged in constructing for the Lehigh Company. From 
 the summer of 1835 to that of 1836, George carried on public 
 works at Easton. During this time he had rented a house for 
 himself at Easton, and moved his family into it. 
 
 In August, 183T, George came to the citj of New York. 
 His brother Joseph resided there, and had correspouu,?^ w ^ 
 him in reference to a contract for the Croton water works, 
 George had watched the progress of this great work for several 
 years, and in 183the bid for three jobs, and got two of them, 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 37 
 
 above Tarrytown. He had two sections iu Sleepy Hollow, 
 made famous by the pen of Washington Irving. When this 
 work was allotted to him, he selected a site for the necessary 
 buildings, and then returned to Philadelphia for his family. He 
 had taken them from Easton to Philadelphia, and left them 
 there while he came on to New York. During this time his 
 children, Josephine and Mary Alice, had the scarlet fever, of 
 which Mary Alice died. He removed his family to Tarrytown 
 in December, 1837, and then commenced the work on the 
 Croton. ;: . 
 
 When he removed from Pennsylvania to New York his 
 library had increased to three hundred volumes, and his leisure 
 moments had a bountiful supply of the most valuable reading 
 matter. 
 
 In the fall of 1839, his brother Joseph, who had spent the 
 previous winter in Cuba for the benefit of his health, died of 
 consumption at the house of his brother George. About this 
 time, George made a bid for the High Bridge, and was success 
 ful. He hurried home to attend his brother, who died ten days 
 after. The same fall, George was attacked with a disease of 
 the throat. He had been attending to both of the great public 
 works, and was constantly exposed to the night air. He lost 
 his voice, could not get sleep, and his business occupation 
 became burthensome ; the doctors gave him no relief, and he 
 told his wife that he was sure of one thing that unless he gave 
 up business for a time he must die. He decided to go to 
 Europe, and in August, 1840, sailed for Liverpool in the packet 
 ship Independence. 
 
 George landed at Liverpool, and visited at once the manufac 
 turing places. Thence to the Grand Leamington Springs, 
 Kenilworth, Stafford and other towns, and then to. London. 
 He crossed to Paris ; Louis Napoleon was then on trial. He 
 was in Paris in December, 1840, when the body of Napoleon 
 
38 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 the Grand was brought there. He remained in Paris some days, 
 in order to witness the great display. From Paris he went to 
 Lyons by diligence. There were three French deputies in the 
 vehicle, but as they spoke no English, and George did not 
 understand French, they could only manage to eat and drink 
 together. 
 
 From Lyons he went to Marseilles, from Marseilles to Genoa, 
 Leghorn, Civita Vecchio and Rome. In the Holy City he remain 
 ed six weeks, and from thence went to Naples. From Naples he 
 returned to Marseilles, Paris, Havre, to Southampton and to 
 London. From London he went to Antwerp and Brussels, and 
 visited the field of Waterloo, and back again to London. In 
 May, 1841, he left for home in the steamship Caledonia, via 
 Halifax and Boston. 
 
 It was at the time the President was supposed to be lost, and 
 his friends advised him not to go home in a steamer ; but he 
 was anxious to see the workings at sea of a steamer. He had 
 made up his mind to build steamers, and believed that the 
 shortening of time of passage proportionally lessened the 
 danger. 
 
 During his absence abroad for his health, he examined all the 
 principal works, especially bridges and aqueducts, but he found 
 that he could obtain no new idea to apply to the High Bridge 
 which he was constructing. He ascertained that we Americans 
 were ahead of anything abroad in the machinery way, and in 
 the adaptation of implements to accomplish work. 
 
 Soon after his return from Europe, he paid a visit home. It 
 was on the occasion of this visit that a little incident occurred, 
 which must have gratified the feelings of George very greatly. 
 As has been said before, John Law, the father, was an energe 
 tic, active farmer. His whole soul was engaged in that 
 pursuit ; he had purchased tract after tract of adjoining lands, 
 until he owned 500 acres. But to do this, he had got in debt 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 3.9 
 
 by notes and mortgages. When George went home on this 
 visit, he said to his father, " Tell me the amount of all that you 
 owe in any shape or way." The father did so, and before 
 George returned back to the city, all his father s liabilities were 
 cleared up, and the old gentleman had no more worry. He 
 died as late as 1853, at the age of 86. 
 
 While in Europe, George visited no place without buying all 
 the books relating to the place or objects of interest which he 
 visited, and brought them home with him for future reference. 
 
 In June, 1841, George removed his family from Tarry town 
 to New York city, and that summer he closed up the work on 
 the Croton at Tarrytown. He took a house in Hammond 
 street, where he resided two years. He also removed the house 
 which, he had occupied at Tarrytown, to the end of the Harlem 
 Bridge, where it still stands ; and in the summer he resided 
 there until the final completion of the High Bridge. He found 
 a great benefit from having his house where his work was to be 
 done. 
 
 In addition to his other books, George had at various times 
 accumulated a large quantity of law books, especially those of 
 New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York States in which he 
 was performing work and made himself familiar with their con 
 tents, especially in cases bearing upon his own interest and 
 contracts ; and in this way gained a legal knowledge of a higher 
 order than is usually possessed by those gentlemen who sport a 
 tin sign, and sometimes occupy seats in Congress or higher 
 places. 
 
 The last part of the year 1841 was devoted mainly to the 
 closing up of the work .at Tarrytown, and continuing on with 
 the High Bridge, The contract was made by George in parts, 
 not as a whole so much for the coffer dam, cutting the rock to 
 such a depth; so much for stone arches, parapets, walls, coping ; 
 in fact, there were about forty different items. The large sum 
 
40 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 which it is supposed George has made by erecting this splendid 
 bridge, which has no rival in the world, was realized by the im 
 provements he made. He introduced steam the pumping was 
 done by steam, piles drove, stone raised, &c. The old mode would 
 have ruined him, or any other contractor; and when the bridge 
 was completed in 1849, George had gained so much practical 
 experience that he could have gone to work again and performed 
 the same work at one quarter less than it actually had cost him. 
 The year 1842 was a witness of more extended operations 
 on the part of George. This year he became interested in the 
 Dry Dock Bank; and it will not be out of place here, to give a 
 succinct narration of George s connection with this institution. 
 Previous to George s embarking for Europe he had purchased 
 one hundred and sixteen shares in this bank, as a good invest 
 ment. There was a company chartered for the purpose of con 
 structing a Marine Railway in 1825, with a capital of seven 
 hundred thousand dollars, with banking privileges. _ It was the, first 
 marine railway ever constructed in the city. The company pur 
 chased a large quantity of land in the vicinity of the railway, 
 and in this purchase of land, and in the construction of the rail 
 way, they expended a large amount of their capital to such an 
 extent that it could not pay dividends on its original capital, and 
 it was therefore reduced to $420,000, and the shares to $30. 
 The Dry Dock charter was perpetual. The concern was a suc 
 cessful one, and the stock, which was $30 per share, got above 
 par. In 1835 and 1836 the Dry Dock Company lost a large 
 amount of money by bad debts, and it was obliged to mortgage 
 the real estate. It loaned money from the American Life and 
 Trust Company of Baltimore. All this was long before George 
 had anything to do with the Dry Dock Company. In June, 
 1842, this loan became due. George was then one of the direc 
 tors, and began to look out for ways and means to meet these 
 loans. The bank had no money. The directors went to see Mr 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 41 
 
 Duer and Morris Robinson, to try and make arrangements to meet 
 the indebtedness of the bank with its real estate. Mr. Stebbins, 
 the president of the bank, by order of the directors, offered to pay, 
 in real estate, at a valuation, the whole amount of indebtedness. 
 The offer was refused and treated with contempt. These foreign 
 agencies then endeavored to ruin the institution, by placarding 
 notices forbidding tenants and debtors to* the Dry Dock Company 
 to pay in theirindebtedness, stating that the property had changed 
 hands and in every way possible endeavored to discredit the Dry 
 Dock Company, in hopes that the stock would go so low that 
 the foreign agents would get it into their own hands, to the utter 
 ruin of the legitimate friends of the bank. They hoped to force 
 a sale of the real estate, so that they could buy it at a ruinous 
 sacrifice to the bank and its stockholders. The Dry Dock Com 
 pany applied to the Court of Chancery to restrain by injunction 
 the parties from such proceedings, and in doing so set out the 
 whole transaction from the commencement, and in reply an injunc 
 tion was issued restraining such proceedings. In the answer of 
 these foreign agents, (for most of the stock of the Baltimore 
 Trust Company was owned in England), they brought the Dry 
 Dock Bank into court. A -long litigation followed. The Mor 
 risons, of London, applied as a party holding 47,000, and they 
 were admitted by the court. These persons then started a 
 scheme to purchase a majority of the stock, and get new direc 
 tors. George suspected this, and at once went to work and 
 bought a majority of the $420,000 stock himself. The election 
 same on, and the old directors were elected. The parties then 
 sent to George, and offered to buy all his stock at 60 per cent. 
 His reply was, "No; buy all the stock give notice to all the 
 stockholders, and buy their stock, and I will sell mine." They 
 di clined, and said they could not afford it. George clearly saw 
 that a fraud was intended by their offering to buy him out, and 
 t) at they would have then sacrificed the balance of the st<v*k- 
 
42 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 holders. The directors then offered to pay 75 per cent on the 
 debt of $240,000. This was more in value than the bank had 
 received. This offer was refused. The bank then told them 
 that they should only get what the law allowed; and so it went 
 into court. The court unanimously decided against them, and 
 the bonds were ordered 4o be cancelled. The bank afterwards 
 paid the balance of the bonds of those who had not come into 
 the prosecution, with interest, although not obliged by law to 
 pay a cent. Since that time George has remained the largest 
 stockholder in the Dry Dock Company, and the stock has been 
 and is increasing in value. It gives aid to mechanics almost 
 exclusively, and is a valuable institution in this regard alone. 
 The fact that George is the largest stockholder is a guarantee 
 of its" prosperity. But to return to the period of 1842, from 
 which we have digressed. 
 
 It was in this year that George went into the Harlem Rail 
 road stock. This road was supposed to be ruined and the stock 
 worthless. Its original capital was two millions. It was selling 
 at five per cent. George made up his mind that with proper 
 management it would be worth half fifty per cent, or one mil 
 lion. Although it was swamped in debts, not paying its expenses, 
 he went to work and bought all it required, and paid cash. He 
 extended its indebtedness for three, five and six years, and made 
 all its debts good. He bought the iron to extend it from Wil 
 liams Bridge to White Plains. He bought engines, and cancelled 
 2,000 shares which had been pledged for $9,000. Under such 
 management as that of George, the stock went from 6 to 75 per 
 cent. Thousands upon thousands had been squandered foolishly 
 upon the best road in the city. He wished to carry it to Albany. 
 But for George this road would have been sold and become a 
 total loss, and thousands would have been sufferers among all 
 classes. 
 
 In the year 1 843 George bought the Neptune to make exp<?- 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 43 
 
 riments with. He bad always had an inclination to build ocean 
 steamers, and during his trip to Europe he seized upon every 
 opportunity to acquire information in regard to steamship building. 
 In addition to these experiments, he was engaged on the Harlem, 
 the High Bridge and the Dry Dock property, and this year he 
 took in hand the Mohawk Railroad. This road was in a wretched 
 way, and the stockholders and others induced George to under 
 take to make it worth something see what could be done. It 
 was a road from Schenectady to Albany, with an inclined plane 
 at each end. The capital was one million and a half, and the 
 stock was worth 27 per cent only when George bought into it, 
 and commenced work. "Do what you please, George, with it, 
 as long as you don t ask money from the company," said the 
 directors. It owed over $200,000 in floating debt. George did 
 uway with the inclined planes, carried it around the hills, con 
 nected it with the Utica road, stocked the cars, and when he 
 left it the stock was worth 75 per cent. He reduced the expenses 
 from $80,000 to $30,000. The stock has since gone up to, and 
 even over par, arid now pays a good 7 per cent interest. 
 
 In addition to these works, in the fall of 1844 George com 
 menced the Oregon, the first steamer he ever built. She was 
 launched in the spring of 1845, and ran that fall. He sold her 
 in 1847. In 1846 George was still engaged on the bridge, and 
 running the Neptune and Oregon, and had increased his library 
 and his reading knowledge several thousand volumes. 
 
 We now come to the year 1847, memorable for the com 
 mencement of the preparations which ended in his building or 
 buying sixteen ocean steamers. 
 
 We have reached a period when the greatest event of this 
 century occurred the opening of the rich treasures of California 
 to the world. We have already spoken of the ambition of George 
 to reach the same perfection in steamships that he had reached in 
 land constructions. In 1847 Col. A. G. Sloo had made a con- 
 
44 SKETCH OF EVICTS IN 
 
 tract with the United States -government to carry the mails to 
 California via New Orleans and Chagres. He could not com 
 ply with the terms of the contract, as he had not the means to 
 build the steamers. Tliere was but one person who could under 
 take so vast an enterprise, and that one was George. Col. Sloo 
 made his acquaintance, and negotiations were commenced, which 
 ended in George agreeing to build the necessary steamers. 
 George, in making such an arrangement, was actuated by the 
 highest motives of patriotism. He desired that the American 
 people should secure the trade of the North Pacific from the 
 English. The latter Power had secured all the trade of the 
 South Pacific, and but for these steamers of his they would also 
 have had the entire trade of the North Pacific and California . 
 It is impossible to estimate the benefit and advantages which 
 have been secured to the United States by these steamers. 
 He purchased the Falcon, which made her first trip in the fall 
 of 1848. She took the first passengers to Chagres that reached 
 California. The Ohio and Georgia, built by George, commenced 
 running in January, 1849. 
 
 In 1850 the Pacific Mail Steamship Company started an oppo 
 sition to George s line of steamers between New York and 
 Chagres. George at once placed an opposition line of four 
 steamers on the Pacific, to run from Panama to San Francisco, 
 so as to make a through line from New York and New Orleans 
 via Panama to San Francisco. 
 
 In January, 1851, George sold out the Pacific line of steamers 
 to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and purchased their 
 line on this side, consisting of the Empire City, the Crescent 
 City, Philadelphia, El Dorado, Illinois, and Cherokee. This 
 arrangement was completed April 1, 1851. 
 
 In the fall of 1852, the Captain General of Cuba issued an 
 order prohibiting the Crescent City or auy other vessel from 
 coming into the harbor of Havana, which should have Mr 
 
THE LIFE OF GEO11GE LAW. 45 
 
 Smith, the purser of the Crescent City, on board. George 
 refused to submit to it, and appealed to our government at 
 Washington. Instead of replying to the letter of George and 
 liis associates, they endeavored to persuade him to remove Mr. 
 Smith, as the easiest way to settle the difficulty, as they could 
 find many men who would answer for purser as well as Smith. 
 George said that was not the question ; that Mr. Smith was an 
 American, and had a right to the protection of our govern 
 ment ; and that he would not dismiss Smith or any other man, 
 under these circumstances, from on board of his vessels, at the 
 dictation of any foreign government. That it was no reason 
 because Mr. Smith was a poor man, and that any other man 
 could fill his place, that his rights should not be protected. 
 President Fillmore replied to George, that if his steamer was 
 destroyed lie would have no claim for damages. George told 
 Mr. Fillniore that if that was all the protection Americans were 
 to receive from their own government, the sooner they found it 
 out the better for them ; that he was satisfied that there was 
 spirit enough in the American people to protect their own 
 rights. George continued Smith as purser until the Spanish 
 government withdrew their order, although they threatened to 
 p,ink the steamer Crescent City every time she entered Havana. 
 The Spanish authorities said that Purser Smith had furnished 
 information to the American newspapers injurious to the Cuban 
 government. George replied that Smith had done nothing of 
 the kind j- but if it was the fact, he had yet to lean; what right 
 the government of Cuba had to muzzle the American press. 
 
 In 1849, George made the famous purchase of muskets of the 
 United States government, and it was the only direct transac 
 tion he ever had with the government in any shape whatever. 
 There were 144,000 muskets ordered for public .auction by the 
 government, at certain prices. The muskets did not bring 
 those prices, and George made an offer at private sale, which 
 
46 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 was accepted. These muskets cost the United States govern 
 ment about $12 each. George ordered them altered to percus 
 sion locks, and many to the Minie rifle. This year, 1849, the 
 High Bridge was completed. 
 
 In the summer of 1851, after the transactions with the Pacific 
 Mail Steamship Company were closed, George took a large 
 interest in the railroad across the Isthmus of Panama. He left 
 STew York the day that he signed the contract for building the 
 steamship George Law, the last steamer he constructed. He 
 left in February, 1852, went to Chagres and Panama, and 
 examined the line of road. The stock was worth 75 when he 
 bought half a million. He went to Aspinwall, located a termi 
 nus, and set men at work building a road, a dock and dep6t for 
 steamers, which was the first dock ever built in that country 
 for commerce between the two oceans. He returned home in 
 April, 1852, after having visited Havana, Porto Bello, San 
 Juan and New Orleans, and examined into the resources of all 
 these places. He sold out his interest in the road in the winter 
 of 1853. 
 
 In 1852, George went into the Eighth Avenue Railroad. 
 The charter had been granted to some men in the city. They 
 quarrelled, and could not go on with the work. There were 
 but two and a half months to build it in. George advanced 
 $800.000, and built the road in the specified time. It is one of 
 the best roads in the city. It is intended to go to Harlem. 
 
 In 1853, George purchased the Staten Island ferry for 
 $600,000, and this year also, he purchased property in the 
 Fifth avenue, and built his present residence, and moved into it. 
 
 In that plain but substantial edifice the fruit of his own 
 labor and industry he resides, surrounded by every comfort, 
 with a library unequalled, including his early friendly volumes ; 
 he philosophizes upon the past, independent in everything, and 
 embodying in America the character of Cincinnatiis, the Roman, 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 47 
 
 or Epaniinondas, the Grecian, the ancient heroes of Plutarch. 
 As has been clearly shown in this brief history, George s ante 
 cedents for the Presidency are those of labor. Up to this time, 
 he has not qualified himself for the high office, either by doing 
 murder in battle-fields, or roguery in a law office. 
 
 In 1854, George sold out all his interest in the sea steamers, 
 and then, intending to visit Europe, he bought the Grapeshot, 
 to be used as a private yacht for himself while abroad. This 
 year he commenced the improved style of fireproof building in 
 the Bowery. 
 
 In February, 1855, George was nominated by the Pennsyl 
 vania Legislature for the Presidency. And here this Biography 
 will break off for a while, to be filled up as the sun goes round 
 and the grass grows that is, by future events. 
 
 [From the New York Herald, May 23, 1852.] 
 
 DINNER TO GEORGE LAW. 
 
 WHAT THE LEADING POLITICIANS, CLERGYMEN, LAWYERS AND OTHERS 
 THOUGHT OF LIVE OAK GEORGE IN 1852, &C., &C. 
 
 THE complimentary dinner tendered by a number of our most 
 eminent citizens to George Law, in token of their appre 
 ciation of his great service to American commercial and indus 
 trial interests, came off last evening at the Astor House, and 
 was, beyond question, the most sumptuous and marked feast 
 ever given within the walls of the Astor or any other place, on 
 a similar occasion. Six o clock was the hour appointed for the 
 dinner, but it was a quarter past seven before the company sat 
 down. The dining hall was decorated with flags and tri-color 
 festooning. 
 
8 SKETCH OF liViiXTS IN 
 
 At the back of the chair was a, model. of the Illinois steam 
 ship, and another of the yacht America, surmounted by the 
 name " George Law/ in large red letters upon a white ground ; 
 and immediately above, the name of " Robert Fulton," in black 
 letters upon a white ground. At the opposite side of the room 
 was the name of " Henry Eckford," also in black letters upon a 
 white ground, with pink border ; and underneath it in immense 
 white letters upon a deep crimson ground, the word " Oregon," 
 and beneath it a beautiful model of the Georgia, George Law s 
 favorite steamship. The tables, with covers for about three 
 hundred persons, presented a magnificent appearance. Messrs. 
 Coieman & Stetson had a carte blanche to provide without limit, 
 whatever could give zest or eclat to the feast, and the fancy of 
 Apicius would have been puzzled to call for a luxury, edible or 
 bibible, that was not ready for his palate. It was a culmination 
 of the glories of the wine cellar, and the cuisine, worthy of the 
 providers and the partakers. Among the splendid confection 
 ery ornaments were a model of the Panama Railroad, and the 
 humble house in which George Law was born. 
 
 At the head of the table, on the right of the President, Isaac 
 Newton, Esq., sat the guest of the evening, George Law, Esq.; 
 the Hon. W. Tucker, Philadelphia ; J. A. Westervelt, Judge 
 Bosworth, General Sandford, Secretary Morgan, (State of New 
 York ;) G. C. Benedict and Dr. J. R. Wood. On the left of 
 the President, Wm. H. Webb, Hon. J. E. Edsall, ex-Recorder 
 Talmadge, Judge Woodruff, the Minister to New Granada, 
 W. H. Aspinwall, and J. L. Stephens. At the foot of the table, 
 the First Vice President was J. Dimon ; Second Yice Presi 
 dent, H. A. Hurlbut ; Third Yice President, E. F. Purdy. 
 
 Among the distinguished gentlemen in the body of the room, 
 we noticed John Yan Buren, James Murphy, (Fulton Iron 
 works ;) Hon. John MeKeon, Col. Stebbins, Capt. Yincent, 
 Capt. Stone, Major Sandford, James T. Brady, Alderman 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 49 
 
 Tweed, Edwin Crosweil, Col. Delavan, Alderman Smith, Alder 
 man ComptoQ (President of the Board of Aldermen,) Alderman 
 Cornell, Prosper M. Wetmore, Col. Richard M Hoe, ex- Alder 
 man James Kelly, Marshall 0. Roberts, Inaac V. Fowler, Esq., 
 Alderman Brisley, Hon. E. Y. R. Wright, of New Jersey, 
 Assistant Alderman Brown, Alderman Ring, Alderman Doherty, 
 Augustus Conover, Esq., Thomas Farron, engineer, George 
 Sanders, of the Democratic Review, Oliver Charlick, C. A. 
 Dana, T. E. Tomlinson, &c. 
 
 An assemblage altogether so striking we have seldom before 
 witnessed. It was a concentration of enterprise, talent and 
 intellect, gathered from the pursuits that most distinguish our 
 country and age the merchant, the mechanic, the inventor, the 
 capitalist, the jurist, the man of ideas and types brave, hard- 
 workers all and the scene was profoundly inspiring of noble 
 pride in our city, our country and our race. It was a grand 
 combination of the elements of modern civilization, power and 
 progress. 
 
 Subjoined from our own notes and the reports of our morning 
 contemporaries, we give such epitome of the proceedings as our 
 space will permit. The speech of the guest of the evening, 
 George Lav/, we have quoted in full. Replete with sound 
 sterling sense, it was received with merited applauser, and will 
 be read with deep interest. The ideas and experiences of the 
 men who pioneer the greatest enterprises of the age, are lessons 
 worthy of study. Mr. Law wasted no words in idle rhetoric. 
 His utterance -was unstudied, compact, weighty ancl to the 
 point like the sledge-hammer blows that shape the cranks and 
 shafts of his matchless steamers. He had an inexhaustible 
 therne, and inexhaustible ideas to develope and illustrate it. 
 But we leave him to the reader. Other speakers, to whom we 
 must more briefly allude, did themselves and the occasion honor. 
 The letters from persons invited but unable to participate in the 
 
 h },. l r L 
 
 3 
 
5CJ SKETCH OF EVENTS Itf 
 
 dinner, read with good emphasis by Gen. Mather, we publish 
 exclusively. They swell the tribute paid to American enter 
 prise, talent and integrity. 
 
 Upon the removal of the cloth, the great business of the 
 evening commenced. 
 
 The President. ISAAC NEWTON, Esq., rose and said : 
 " Time and oft repetition has sanctioned the custom of making 
 appropriate acknowledgments to those engaged in the useful 
 employments and avocations of civilized life. The men who 
 htve excelled in the administration of government in the prac 
 tice of the law in successfully guiding the armed hosts of the 
 nation in the warrior s field, or doomed the foe to ocean s grave 
 -and men successful in the development of the resources of 
 nature and the perfection of mechanics, have, from time to time, 
 been honored by their fellow citizens with public demonstration 
 of their approbation and admiration. Admonished by these 
 time-honored examples, a number of the artizans and mechanics 
 men in commercial and mercantile pursuits in this city hav 
 ing witnessed in one of their fellow citizens that genius in design 
 and energy of purpose in executing, so necessary to the deve 
 lopment of our resources, the perfection of our mechanical arts, 
 and the enlargement of our commerce, at home and abroad, on 
 the land and on the sea, thought it creditable to themselves to 
 make some acknowledgment of their appreciation of his valuable 
 services ; and they have felt that the honor was more especially 
 due to this individual, because his success in the various pur 
 suits and enterprises in which he has been engaged, with like 
 honor to himself and his country, was nnaided by high and 
 collegiate advantages, unsupported by patrimonial wealth, and 
 in the absence of title and privileged progenitors. We have 
 gathered together to honor the man who has honored the occu 
 pation of the farmer in boyhood and youth the laborer and 
 constructor of canals in early manhood the designer and 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 51 
 
 builder of our finest bridges and railroads, our fleetest and 
 noUest steamers, before the prime of life has wasted the man 
 who has extended his influence from the small limits of the 
 farmyard over continent and ocean. And while thus honoring 
 industry, perseverance, energy and genius in our guest, we can, 
 with confidence and pride, say to the farmer boy, the appren 
 tice, the sons of the humblest, that in this glorious country the 
 portals of fame and honor, in every pursuit of life, worthy of 
 man s aspiration, are wide open to industry, application and 
 energy" (Applause.) 
 
 The President concluded by giving the following toast, which 
 was duly honored : 
 
 " The President of the United States." Music " Hail Columbia." 
 
 At this stage of the proceedings, a number of ladies were 
 admitted behind the head table, and contributed by their pre 
 sence to add a feature of interest to the proceedings. 
 
 General MATHER read the following letters of invitation from 
 Washington Hunt, Ambrose C. Kingsland, Daniel S. Dickinson, 
 Samuel Houston (with a sentiment), George Ashmuu, George 
 Briggs, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Luther Bradish, Ernanuel 
 B. Hart, M. C. Perry, A. Ingraham, Thomas S. Bocock, James 
 Bishop, and others : 
 
 From Gen. Cass, U. S. Senator, of Michigan. 
 
 WASHINGTON, May 18, 1852. 
 
 g rR; While I thank you for an invitation to the dinner which the friends 
 
 of Mr. Law propose to give to him on Thursday, as a token of their high 
 appreciation of his enterprise and services, I am compelled to decline, in 
 consequence of the necessity of attending to my duties here. But, though 
 absent, I unite with you in those sentiments which promote this tribute of 
 acknowledgment to one who has done honor to his country by an enlarged 
 spirit of enterprise. 
 
 I am. Sir, respectfully, your obedient servant LEWIS CASS. 
 
 To JOHN DIMON, Esq. 
 
52 SKETCH OF Ev KisTS 18 
 
 Pnm H. Fish, U. S. Senator, of New York. 
 
 WASHINGTON, May ISrn, 1853. 
 
 GEXTLEMEX, I am this day favored with your very polite invitation to 
 attend the dinner proposed to be given ou the 20th inst., by his friends, to 
 George Law, Esq., in token of their appreciation of his energy and talents. 
 I regret that my duties here will put it out of my power to be in New 
 York on the day proposed for your dinner. I shall, therefore, be unable 
 to unite with his friends in the demonstration which they propose to the 
 high mechanical skill and energy exhibited by Mr. Law. 
 
 With my acknowledgments of your kind remembrance of me, I have 
 the honor to be your very-obedient servant, 
 
 HAMILTON FISH. 
 To Messrs. DIMON & CHARLICK. 
 
 From the Hon. T. J. Rusk, Senator from Texas. 
 
 WASHINGTON, Hay 19, 1852. 
 
 DEAR Sra, I have just received your note of the 14th inst., inviting me 
 to a dinner to be given to George Law, Esq., at the Astor House, in New 
 York, on the 20th. 
 
 I regret that it will not be in my power to attend, in consequence of 
 my official engagements here. 
 
 I am, Sir, very respectfully yours, Tnos. J. RUSK. 
 
 To Mr. JOHN DIMON, Chairman, &c. 
 
 wnaiik ,:i-;.-ooU-.y ^^iJldffT^T^.iiii^iil.-.J^^ii^I .0 .[/ ..itwli .<" 
 From Hon. James Brooks, of New York. 
 
 WASHINGTON, May 19, 1852 
 
 Sin, T regret that I have not received in season your note inviting me 
 to a complimentary dinner to George Law, Esq., to reply in a manner 
 suitable to the occasion. 
 
 If I could leave at this time, it would now be too late ; lut it would 
 have given me pleasure to be with you all, and to express the high appre 
 ciation 1 have of the signal services Mr. Law has rendered his country 
 and the mechanic arts, by his enterprise, energy, and, I may add, intelli 
 gent instinct, as to its needs and wants. 
 
 Yours, respectfully, JAMES BROOKS. 
 
 To JOHN DIMON, Chairman, and 0. CHARLICK, Sec. 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 53 
 
 - . ..^--i - ! 
 
 From ike Hon. John C. Mather t of New York. 
 
 ALBANY, May 18, 1852. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, I am in receipt of your favor, requesting my presence at 
 a dinner to be given in your city, on Thursday next, to George Law. 
 Esq. It is but lately that enlightened nations huve begun to honor prac 
 tical, efficient genius. In honoring Mr. Law, you but carry out this prin 
 ciple, for he is a living exemplification of what unassisted energy and 
 talent may accomplish in a free land. Our institutions the very spirit 
 of our glorious Constitution, as well as the nature of our country favor 
 the development of individual enterprise. There are no hereditary pri 
 vileges no titled aristocracy to hedge in and destroy the pursuits of 
 industry ; there are no bounds to the scope of labor, and Mr. Law proves 
 to us that there are no bounds to its success. To him are we greatly 
 indebted as a State to him your nourishing metropolis owes no little of 
 its worth and prosperity. Though compelled to dine beyond hearing 
 of your greetings and your toasts, my heart responds to all things that 
 are said and done to honor those who benefit their country. 
 
 With great respect, I am, yours truly, JOHN C. MATHER. 
 
 From Frederick Follett, Canal Commissioner. 
 
 STATS OF NEW YORK CANAL COMMISSION OFFICE, 
 BATAVIA, May 18, 1S52. 
 
 JOHN DIMON, ESQ., CHAIRMAN. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Your note of the 14th inst., extending to me an invita 
 tion to join the friends of George Law, Esq., in a complimentary dinner 
 to be given at the Astor House, on the 29th inst., only reached me to-day. 
 
 I regret exceedingly that my official duties are such as to forbid the 
 idea of my being present on the occasion referred to. 
 
 It always gives me pleasure to do honor to the self-made man of our 
 country, for in doing so we pay the highest possible tribute to the ener 
 getic and noble institutions of our Republic. 
 
 The character, enterprise, and success of George Law are an instruc 
 tive lesson to mankind, worthy of being held up in bold relief to the 
 young men of our country. Let them pursue and study it, and seek to 
 wreathe their own brows with the laurel that enriches his. 
 
 Hia is a peaceful fame, but none the less glorious because won upon 
 
54 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 fields unstained by the blood of his fellow-men. I have a high regard for 
 his character, and it would give me infinite satisfaction to contribute, per 
 sonally, my appreciation of it, but for the reasons before stated. I beg 
 of you to tender to the gentlemen present the following sentiment : 
 " The friends of George Law honored in doing honor to such a man." 
 Your obedient servant, FREDERICK FOLLETT. 
 
 Prom Hon. James W. Bedim an, of New York. 
 
 STATEN ISLAND, May 20, 1852. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I received this morning the polite invitation with which, 
 by your kindness, I have been favored, to be present at the dinner to be 
 given this evening to Mr. George Law. 
 
 Although not able to accept, I am not the less obliged to you for your 
 attention, and fully agree with Mr. Law s many friends in honoring hia 
 enterprise and public spirit. 
 
 Very truly, and respectfully yours, 
 
 JAMES W. BEEKMAN. 
 To JOHN DIMON, Esq., Chairman. 
 
 From Hon. Hugh Maxwell, late Collector of New York. 
 
 NKW YORK, May 19, 1852. 
 
 DEAR SIR : Your note of invitation to attend a complimentary dinner 
 in honor of George Law, Esq., has been received.. 
 
 I entertain a high regard for the energy and talents of Mr. George 
 Law, and would, on all occasions, be happy to express that regard. 
 
 Absence from the city, at the time of the celebration, will prevent my 
 being present at the day indicated. 
 
 I am, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, 
 
 HUGH MAXWELL. 
 To JOHN DIMOX, ESQ. 
 
 From Hon. IV. J. Me Alpine, of New York. 
 
 ALBANY, May 21, 1352. 
 To JOHN Dnrox, ESQ., Chairman. 
 
 SfR : On my return to the city last evening, T found your invitation to 
 attend a complimentary dinner to George Law, Esq. 
 My absence has prevented me from meeting you, and joining, as I 
 
THE LIFE OP GEORGE LAW 55 
 
 should have been gratified to have done, in paying respect to a citizen 
 who has added so much to the character of the American mechanic and 
 merchant. 
 
 I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 WM. J. McALPiNB 
 
 From Hon. J. Hobart Haws, M. C% of New York. 
 
 WASHINGTON, May 22, 1852. 
 
 GENTLEMEN : Your polite invitation was received by me only yester 
 day, having been absent at the time of its mailing. The compliment 
 which has been paid to Mr. Law, by the citizens of New York, was 
 eminently due to the high character, and distinguished and noble enter 
 prise of that gentleman, and reflects great credit upon those who have 
 thus expressed their appreciation of his energy and talents. 
 I have the honor to be, with great respect, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 J. H. HOBAUT HAWES, 
 JOHN DIMON ESQ., Chairman, 
 
 From Mayor Kingsland, of New York city, 
 
 MAYOR S OFFICE, May 19, 1852. 
 
 DEAR SIR : I am in receipt of your polite invitation to attend the 
 dinner to be given to George Law. Esq., by his fellow citizens, in token of 
 their high appreciation of the benefit which this city has derived from his 
 energy and talents as a mechanic. 
 
 I join heartily in the objects of this festival, and know no gentleman to 
 whom such manifestation is more justly due than to Mr. Law, and would 
 gladly pay my personal testimony to his worth and services by being pre 
 sent on that occasion. 
 
 I regret, however, that an engagement for to-morrow evening will 
 
 deprive me of the pleasure of joining you ; and with my best wishes for 
 
 the continued prosperity of the worthy recipient of your intended honors, 
 
 and my regards to the gentlemen who have favored me with the invitation, 
 
 I am, sir, yours, truly, 
 
 A. C. 
 O. CHARLICK, ESQ. 
 
56 SKETCH OF 
 
 ;nol $-. , o; feSa^n^ a ^oJ ,-V;HA ijlffojin 
 From Governor Hunt, of jYeiu York. 
 
 ALBANY, May 19, 1862. 
 
 DEAR SIR : It would give me pinch pleasure to unite with you in the 
 complimentary dinner to George Law, Esq., if it were practicable. But 
 my official engagements make it impossible for me to accept your kind 
 invitation. The energy and force of character which he has displayed in 
 forwarding useful public enterprises, deserve the highest appreciation. 
 Very respectfully, yours, 
 
 WASHINGTON HUNT. 
 JOHN DIMON, Esq., Chairman, &c. 
 
 From Hon. D. S, Dickinson, of New York. 
 
 BINGHAMPTON, May 17, 1852. 
 
 GENTLEMEN : As I was about leaving home this morning to fulfill a 
 business engagement, I received a polite note inviting me to unite in a 
 complimentary dinner given to George Law, by his numerous friends, as 
 a testimonial. of regard for his character, and. the benefits his enterprises 
 have conferred on the country. Entertaining a high regard for the char 
 acter of this distinguished gentleman, it would afford me much pleasure 
 to atjtend ; bat time is not allowed me, and I can only thank you for your 
 civility, and subscribe myself, 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 D. S. DICKINSON. 
 JOHN DIMON, ESQ., Chairman. 
 
 From General Houston, of Teras. 
 
 WASHINGTON, Slay 18, 1852. 
 
 MY DEAR Sm : Yv r ith pleasure I acknowledge your kindness in for 
 warding me an invitation to a "complimentary dinner," to be given by 
 the citizens of New York, at the Astor House, on the 20th instant, to 
 George Law. -E?qv It will be impossible for me to be present on the occasion, 
 as the press of official business will require ray attendance in the Srnate. 
 The esteem which I entertain i or Mr. Law as a man, united with my admi 
 ration of him as an enterprising citizen, would induce my attendance if it 
 were possible. It must be by the enterprise of such men that our com- 
 
THK.LTFS OF.GiiOKGE LAW. 57 
 
 mercial character is to be advanced, and our national resources developed. 
 I forward a sentiment 
 
 George Law National enterprise deserves national gratitude. 
 
 I am. with sincere regard, 
 
 SAM Huni-ox. 
 O. CHARLTCK. Esq., Secretary, &c., New York. 
 
 From Hon. L. Bradish, of New York. 
 
 ^FS ICK OF ASSISTANT-TREASURER OF UNrrwt STATES, 
 NKW YHRK, May 19, 1852. 
 
 I. . I & ^\l ,;W? *>: 
 
 JOHN DIMON, ESQ., CHAIRMAN. 
 
 Sin, I am this day favored with your note of the 14th inst., inviting 
 me to a complimentary dinner to be given to George Law, Esq., at the 
 Astor House, on Thursday, the 20th instant, and regret exceedingly that 
 my indispensable engagements will not permit me the high gratification 
 BO obligingly offered me in your kind invitation. 
 
 With a request, therefore, that you will be pleased to receive for your 
 self, and communicate to those you represent on this occasion, my cordial 
 and due acknowledgments for your flattering invitation, and the expres 
 sion of my sincere regrets that I cannot avail myself of it, I remain, sir, 
 with great respect, your obedient servant, L. BRADISH 
 
 From the Hon. George Jlshmim, of Mass. 
 
 ASTOR HOUSE, May 20, 1852. 
 
 g 1R; I regret very much that the necessity of my return to Massa 
 chusetts prevents me from accepting the invitation to dine to-day with the 
 friends of Mr. Law. 
 
 I entertain for that gentleman feelings of the highest regard, and know 
 no one more deserving of such a compliment as his friends propose. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, GEO. ASHMUN. 
 
 JOHN DIMON, Esq. 
 
 From the Hou, George JBriggs, Jlf. C., of New York. 
 
 HOUSB OF REPRESENTATIVES, U. S., May 19, 1852. 
 
 Sin I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the 
 14th instant, inviting me to attend a dinner to be given to George Law, 
 Esq., at the Astor House, on the 20th instant. It would afford me great 
 
 3* 
 
68 SKETCH OF EVENTS IS 
 
 pleasure in being present on that occasion of doing honor to our distin 
 guished and enterprising fellow-citizen, George Law, Esq. who from his past 
 career has done so much to reflect credit upon the American character, that 
 deserves well this mark of your approbation. I regret iny public duties 
 compel me to decline accepting your kind invitation. 
 
 Respectfully, your obedient servant, GEORGE BRIGQS. 
 O. CHAKLICK, Esq., Secretary. 
 
 From Commodore M. C. Perry. 
 
 NEW YORK, May 18, 1852. 
 
 GENTLEMEN I very much regret that a previous engagement at dinner 
 on Thursday the 20th instant, will deprive me of the pleasure of accepting 
 your invitation for that day. 
 
 Nothing could have given me greater satisfaction than to have been 
 able to join in doing honor to Mr. George Law, one to whom, as you justly 
 say, the city and country at large are deeply indebted for the extraordi 
 nary skill and energy with which he has conducted some of the most 
 important enterprises of the day. 
 
 With great respect, I am, gentlemen, your most obedient servant, 
 
 M. C. PERRY. 
 JOHN DIMON, Esq., for the Corn, of Arrangements. 
 
 From the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher 
 
 BROOKLYN, May 10, 1S55. 
 
 JOHN DIMOX, Esq : Dear Sir I regret that I am called away from town 
 to-day, and shall be deprived of the pleasure of testifying personally my 
 respect for the services of the gentleman to honor whom you have assem 
 bled. 
 
 It is a pleasant and auspicious token of progress of public sentiment in 
 the right direction, that so many civic testimonials are awarded to men 
 y^ho have no ostentatious victories, but who have won universal attention 
 by persevering or ingenious contributions to the public good, in the devel 
 opment of its material treasures. 
 
 Mr. Law has connected his particular interests with the public good ; 
 and while he has lawfully and honorably advanced himself, he has done it 
 in a way that has greatly enriched multitudes, besides given an impulse 
 and facilities to universal commerce, and added another branch to the 
 tree of his country s glory. 
 
:o. 
 
 THE LIFE OF QEORGK LAW. 59 
 
 There are cases in which I should feel desirous of celebrating military 
 achievements, but they are rare, and growing yearly more infrequent 
 This is the age of labor, and of moral advancement, and the true devel 
 opment of the former will be found so conducive to the latter, that the 
 Inventor and mechanic must be regarded as eminent civilizers and 
 reformers. They who originate ideas, and those who invent modes of 
 almost instantaneous and immense diffusion of them, rank, if not equally, 
 yet near together. Those who develop commerce building clippers so 
 fleet as to put the winds out of breath in keeping up with them-^-steam- 
 Bhips that empty towns, and bear their population round the globe to 
 foand new cities in a day ; immense engines that, in the face of storms 
 and waves, roll around the ponderous wheel with the constancy of tho 
 earth upon its axis ; the benefits of such services are not confined to the 
 sea, or to the commercial cities that wash their feet by the sea-side. 
 They are felt in the whole agricultural realm ; they rouse up the shop, 
 and reflexly they bear upon the interests of science, of general intelli 
 gence, and of morals. 
 
 I submit to your consideration a sentiment : 
 
 " Without expressing any opinion upon the merits of higher law or lower 
 law, we are firm believers in George Law." 
 
 I am, respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 HENRY WARD EEECHEK. 
 
 From James Bishop, Esq. 
 
 NEW YORK, May 20, 1852. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I this morning received your invitation, as Chairman of the 
 committee on a complimentary dinner to George Law, Esq., and very 
 much regret that a previous engagement, distant from the city, obliges me 
 to leave this afternoon. 
 
 I am happy to be numbered among those who are called upon to honor 
 such a character as George Law a character, as your note well remarks, 
 emphatically American ; and, in my judgment, whoever honors the man, 
 honors the country of his birth. 
 
 With my best wishes for Mr. Law s continued health and prosperity, 
 and my regards to the committee, I remain truly yours, 
 
 JAMES BISHOP. 
 
 JOHN DIMON, Esq., Chairman. 
 
60 
 
 SKETCH OF EVENTS IJt 
 
 From Hon. E. B. Hart, M. C., of J\ r ew York. 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, May 19, 1S52. 
 
 GENTLEMEN. I should be deeply gratified if I could be present at the 
 dinner which the friends of George Law, Esq., propose giving him on the 
 20th instant, and to which you do me the honor to invite me ; but my 
 public duties here will prevent me. I know Mr. Law intimately and well. 
 No mail has studied his. history more thoroughly than I have 5 and no 
 man has beeu more fully impressed by the great advantages his energy, 
 his enterprise, and his courage as a business man, have conferred upoj 
 society at large. He possesses an extraordinary intellect, and his example 
 and career are agreeable and inspiring to the American mechanic. Begin 
 ning life unfriended and unaided, save by those great elements of char 
 acter which have made all leading minds great, he toiled along a most 
 difficult pathway, and has finally achieved the mastery, when Others, 
 "better educated 7 in the schools, have faltered or failed. More than one 
 great improvement, conferring benefits and blessings upon thousands, 
 attests the sagacity and the safety of his views. One of the first to see 
 the opening wealth of California, he threw himself into the forefront of a 
 contest for the carrying trade of that wondrous El Dorado, and conferred 
 and confers advantages upon countless communities of men. It is to such 
 men a? Law that we must confide the glorious task of unsealing the now 
 impenetrable regions of the far distant East, if we would realize in the 
 future the advantages of a commerce unapproachable by any event in the 
 whole world s past history. 
 
 For Mr. Law s personal character, I entertain high admiration. He is 
 the friend of the honest, industrious man, always. His heart and his 
 hands are alike open to the calls of benevolence. He deserves to be rich, 
 for he would use his self-earned wealth to help our great city, and to 
 relieve the wants of the poor. Allow me to send you the following sen 
 timent, which I ask you to drink in -flowing bumpers : 
 
 Geor-e Law While the Ci-oton refreshes the masses of New York, and the great deep 
 carries into her harbors the treasures of California, we cannot forget the man whose 
 
 zrgy ccmpletPd one great work of art, and whose intellect pioneered the way to a com- 
 se as sudden in its rise, and rapid in its extension, as it promises to be permanent and 
 prosperous. 
 
 I am, with great respect, very truly yours, 
 
 E. B. HABT. 
 To JOHN Daws, Esq., Chairman, and O. OHARUOK, Esq., Secretary. 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 61 
 
 From the Hon. T. S. Bocock, of Virginia. 
 
 ASTOR HOUSK, NEW YORK, May 19, 1S52. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, I have the honor to acknowledge, in behalf of my friend, 
 Mr Kdmundson, and myself, the receipt of your invitation to attend a 
 dinner to be given at the Astor House, on to-morrow, in compliment to 
 George Law, Esq., for his many valuable services to^this city, and to the 
 country at large. 
 
 Our arrangements have already been made to leave New lork m the 
 morning, and we regret that we shall, therefore, be deprived of the plea 
 sure of meeting you and the friends of Mr. Law on the occasion referred to. 
 He who promotes the mechanic arts, or advances high enterprises of 
 utility, is a great public benefactor. If, in other times and in other coun 
 tries, such men have not met with due appreciation and proper reward, 
 we have reason to hope, that at this time, and in this country, it is other 
 wise. You will, at any rate, have shown, by this testimonial, that you are 
 not unmindful of the obligation which rests upon you, and that you wili 
 cherish and foster, in every proper way, high talent and strong energy 
 applied to the practical pursuits of life. 
 
 % fou gpeak truly when you say that we do but honor the character of 
 American citizens in doing honor to such men." 
 
 I offer you the sentiment expressed below, and have the honor to be, 
 very respectfully, your most obedient servant, 
 
 THOMAS S. BOCOCK. 
 
 < ; The City of New York In extent and wealth already the great city of 
 the American continent, and soon to be among the greatest cities of the 
 world ; but may it find its real greatness in its noble enterprises and its 
 high public spirit." 
 
 To JOHN DUION, Esq., Chairman, &c. 
 
 From Hon. Jl. IngraJiam, Judge of Court of Common Pleas. 
 
 NE-W YORK, May 20, 1852. 
 
 OEOTLBMEX Having received an invitation to join in the festivities of 
 a dinner party, complimentary to George Law, Esq., I assure you it will 
 afford me much pleasure to make one of the number on an occasion so 
 praiseworthy in it s object. 
 
 George Law is one of those rare productions whom a bountiful nature 
 brings into existence only after long intervals of time. I have long 
 
62 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 regarded him as a man admirably calculated to advance the interests of 
 the community in which ho lives, as well as the civilized world. Hia 
 name will descend to posterity with honor and renown. His mind is of a 
 comprehensive character, and though the more ignorant and unthinking 
 portion of the community may associate his name with the accumulation 
 of a fortune in dollars and cents, if I rightly understand human character, 
 or the motives of men of expansive intellects, the predominant character 
 istic of the ruiud of George Law is an honorable rwibition to leave to 
 posterity the evidence of his usefulness in advancing the progress of this 
 mighty Union, in all the diversified and beneficial pursuits of its active 
 and intelligent population. 
 
 1 have ever regardeu such intellects as that of George Law as being 
 destined to fill a position in the transactions of human society far more 
 important than that of the mere politician, or of the several learned pro 
 fessors. Able men in those callings may be found in most localities, or in 
 many sections of a civilized community; but a George Law is a rare 
 production, whom the mere educational acquirements of civilized life 
 could never qualify to act as he can. The plastic hand of nature has 
 moulded liis intellect, and adapted it to the performance of grand opera 
 tions. 
 
 Yours, with sentiments of respect, A. INGICAHAM. 
 
 To JOHN DIMOX, OLIVER CHAKLICK, t;t "V 
 
 and others of the Committee of Invitation. 
 
 The second toast was : 
 
 Our honored Guest, George Law Successful achievements in the 
 mechanic arts attest his genius. Energy, enterprise and integrity shed 
 lustre on his name. Fame, prosperity and happiness to the man whose 
 
 personal worth has elevated the character of our country. Air " Life 
 
 on the Ocean Wave." 
 
 Received with great applause and cheers. 
 
 Mr. GEORGE LAW responded. He said Gentlemen: It is 
 twenty-six years ago since I first visited your city. I was then 
 on my way to Philadelphia. Pennsylvania was about com 
 mencing her works of internal improvement; and I was leaving 
 the State of New York, whose works of this character were bet- 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 
 
 63 
 
 tef known, and in which I had been engaged myself. In Pennsyl 
 vania I hoped to meet with less competition than that which I knew 
 existed in your State. After a period of ten years I returned to the 
 State of New York. That was ia 1837, and I have resided here 
 ever since. I returned here for the purpose of taking part in the 
 Croton aqueduct, which was then about to be constructed. You 
 had then mooted a proposition for the construction of that work. 
 (Cheers.) Prior to my returning to become a permanent resident 
 of your State of my own native State I had usually passed 
 through the city of New York at least once a year. I think 
 it was* in 1834 that I passed through the city of New York, and 
 the building which we are now in was in progress of erection. I 
 then looked upon it as to its proportions, and its architectural 
 design, for in that day it was probably the largest building of its 
 class in this country if it is not at present. I admired the perma 
 nency of the structure. I admired the architectural design, and I 
 supposed that this was all the interest I should ever have in the 
 building. I did not suppose that I was to become acquainted with 
 the hosts to whom every one who has visited them is so much 
 indebted. (Applause.) I did not suppose that a meeting like 
 this was to assemble here, and that I was to be the object of 
 that meeting. (Great applause.) I believe now, gentlemen, 
 that you have a higher point in view, and I believe that point is 
 to bear testimony to the energy of character, to the genius and 
 to the ability which has brought your city forward to the position 
 it now occupies. I attribute no such thing to myself; but it 
 belongs to you all. (Applause.) The honor which you are now 
 conferring on me is one of those honors which would have had 
 much inducement for me when I first passed through your city, 
 a boy of eighteen. (Cheers.) If I could then have looked for 
 ward to this testimony, if I could have looked forward to this 
 expression of your regard, how much would it have done to 
 have nerved the energies of my character! Aye, if I had 
 
$4 SKETCH OF EVENTS O 
 
 then known that I would have been brought forward even if I 
 had no natural quickness of perception; if I could have looked 
 forward and seen what was before me; if I had seen that this 
 would have happened, it would have been an inducement to me 
 at that time, which would have dwelt in my recollection and 
 carried me through many important scenes, and many trying 
 ones, where almost the energies of man had faltered, and it would 
 have brought me to the accomplishment of those things which I 
 have never yet aimed at. (Applause.) Such is the effect of 
 the appreciation of industry. I know you are all men of indus 
 try. I know that in this hall almost every pursuit in your city 
 is represented the mechanic, the architect, the merchant, and 
 all branches of business are here represented. I know that it is 
 very little light I can throw upon this subject, but, notwithstand 
 ing, I will beg your indulgence for a short time. (Applause.) 
 Whatever we are, we owe to the institutions of our country. 
 (Cheers.) No point of merit can we reach which is equal to the 
 advantages that our country has bestowed upon us. (Applause.) 
 The institutions which place us all on an equality, which strip 
 the mind from all restraint, which allow those faculties with 
 which nature has endowed us to be brought forward by our 
 own energies, these institutions enable us to arrive at greatness. 
 
 We live in an extraordinary age. In looking back on the pro 
 gress made within this century, we are amazed at the result. It 
 is within this century that your various improvements, giving faci 
 lities to intercourse between distant parts of this country, have 
 been commenced and have been completed. The first railroad 
 in this country was commenced in or about 1827. The first that 
 was completed was about 1831 or 1832. This was for the trans 
 portation or passengers and freight from the coal mines of Penn 
 sylvania to their rivers. 
 
 The locomotive engine owes its birth to the present age. It 
 originated in about 1831 or 1832, and it was then a very 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 
 
 C5 
 
 nicle thing. It was hoped to attain with it a speed of some 
 four or five miles an hour, but it has now advanced to a speed of 
 forty or fifty miles an hour; and this does not excite any great 
 decree of curiosity. The first application of steam to the propul 
 sion of bcr.ts was also within the present century. It took place in 
 about 1805 or 1806, and was accomplished by your own fellow 
 citizen, Robert Fulton. (Great applause.) The electric tele 
 graph also belongs to the present century. We trace it back as 
 far as Benjamin Franklin. It was with his kite and string a 
 Yankee fixture indeed that he enlightened the world with elec 
 tricity. That is among the most astonishing inventions of the 
 age Your Erie canal was also begun and completed within the 
 present century, and it is to that more than to any thing else, 
 this country owes its great prosperity in internal commerce. 
 Another of your citizens has immortalized himself within the 
 same time. I mean De Witt Clinton. (Cheers.) When we 
 view these improvements, and see individuals doing what we 
 were accustomed to see States do, and States doing what 
 nations were supposed to do, we may well say that this is an 
 astonishing age. (Repeated cheers and Applause.) The great 
 canal which connected the Nile with the Mediterranean was 
 constructed by the greatest monarch of the day, or rather a 
 series of monarchs. They did not know how to join the Medit 
 erranean to the Red Sea, till ingenuity devised a lock and 
 joined them, and thus turned the commerce of Europe into the 
 Mediterranean ; and hence arose those cities of commerce 
 which formerly studded the Mediterranean. They made their 
 way, step by step, till they reached Venice, and till they 
 reached Spain, and till they reached England. And now, 
 gentlemen, we arc looking for another step, and I can foresee 
 where that next step will be it will not be far from the city 
 where we now live. 
 
 The Bomans constructed a work which was their pride and 
 
66 6KETCII OP EVENTS IS 
 
 boast the Appian Way the great military road leading 
 from the Mediterranean to Rome. Napoleon, in the height 
 of his power, constructed a work by which he crossed the 
 Alps. This was also a military road ; but these were works 
 which were put forward and accomplished by monarchs, at the 
 head of mighty empires and absolute monarchies, or by govern 
 ments such as the government of Rome, which carried its 
 military prowess to all parts of the earth and lived on the 
 spoils thereof. (Applause.) But what nerves the American 
 people to great improvements at the present day ? It is 
 not for military conquest. It is not that they may obtain a 
 victory over their neighbors, and rob them of their living and 
 their property ; but it is that they may establish an intercourse 
 between the different parts of our Union, that we may carry on 
 our commerce and exchange the commodities of our manufac 
 tures and agriculture, by which we know there is more to 
 be made than there is by robbing our neighbors. (Applause.) 
 And it is these inducements which stir up the American people, 
 and lead them to progress so rapidly in all the pursuits which 
 they undertake. It is from these that they are entitled to 
 credit. 
 
 Nature has bestowed on the American people a con 
 tinent such as no other people on the globe possess. If you take 
 the great outlets cf commerce on this continent, you will find 
 them to be the mouth of the Hudson, the mouth of the Missis 
 sippi, the mouth of the Oronoco, and the mouth of the Amazon. 
 The last two, it is true, are not in that state of progress in 
 which are the first two. Probably of all the rivers on the habi 
 table globe, there is not one which possesses the advantages of 
 agriculture which the valley of the Mississippi presents, swept as 
 it is by that immense river and its tributaries ; running north 
 and south which is a very different matter from running east 
 and west carrying with it always the fruits of agriculture 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 67 
 
 which grow from 50 deg. of north .latitude to the termination of 
 the river in the Gulf of Mexico. Now, if you take the Gulf of 
 Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, you will find that there is a dis 
 tance of about two thousand miles between the mouth of the 
 Mississippi and the mouth of the Amazon. You will find that 
 within that circle you have a continent 011 one side, on the east, 
 on the north, aud on the south, and that you have these two 
 seas enclosed by islands running from Cuba to the mouth of the 
 Oronoeo. Within that space, then, have centered more facilities 
 of commerce than on any other portion of the globe. There are 
 more square miles swept by those rivers alone the Amazon and 
 its tributaries, the Oronoeo and its tributaries, the Mississippi 
 and its tributaries than by all the rivers of Asia, Europe, and 
 the Mediterranean. (Applause.) You have, then, the fruits of 
 all climates concentrated within that space where the bud, the 
 blossom, and the ripe fruit grow, at the same time, on the same 
 tree. 
 
 Now, what is our position at the present day, in respect to that 
 part of the country? Why, it is that, right in the centre of that 
 sea, where all these facilities of our commerce exist, you have more 
 agriculture than on any other portion of the globe. A distance 
 of merely forty-six miles intervenes, till you cross to the Pacific, 
 and then you sweep the western shores of this continent for a 
 distance of seven thousand miles. (Cheers.) Now, with these 
 communications open with New York by a distance of even 
 seven days, at the present time and it may be brought nearer 
 by the improvements which will be made may we not antici 
 pate that New York will be the next port in which the great 
 mart of our commerce will be located? (Applause.) 
 
 Here you cut the continent in two. You join the two seas by 
 what is but a distance of forty-six miles, and you thus save a dis 
 tance of fifteen thousand miles four or five months difficult navi 
 gation which you now accomplish in as many hours. (Cheers.) 
 
68 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 Why should not such an improYement as this stir the hearts of the 
 American people, and make them look forward to a day of 
 progress such as the world has not yet seen, nor yet consideder ? 
 (Applause.) It is one of those improvements which never will 
 be appreciated till it breaks like the rays of the morning sun, 
 without a twilight. It is from such events as these that we 
 have reason to say that this is the age of progress and of 
 improvement. Gentlemen, what has been the cause of this 
 improvement ? It is by the acquisition of California. It is to 
 that gilded daughter of the Union which we have now brought 
 into the family of States, that we owe that improvement, for 
 without the great anxiety of our citizens to go there and partici 
 pate in her vast gold mines, and that vast enterprise which is 
 going on there, this improvement would have remained dormant, 
 and in that state to be talked about, as it was for a period of 
 three hundred years. It has been written upon, considered, 
 examined, or supposed to have been examined, by almost every 
 nation in Europe ; and yet it was all nothing but talk. (Laugh 
 ter.) And there sits a gentleman who is well acquainted 
 better than I am with the Isthmus, who is one of the 
 original proprietors of that road, and I appeal to him if all that 
 has been ever written yet on the subject was worth the paper on 
 which it was written. It was American enterprise, stimulated 
 by the acquisition of California. It was to this connection of 
 the lines of steamers carrying passengers between here and 
 California that the commencement of this improvement is due. 
 You well know to whom I allude. I mean John L. Stephens, 
 President of the Panama Railroad. (Cheers.) Now, we have 
 at the table another gentleman, who has just undertaken the 
 contract to complete the balance of that road. (Cries of 
 " Name," " Name.") I mean Minor C. Story, of Poughkeepsie. 
 Gentlemen, we are not far distant from an acquisition of 
 those advantages which we desire by the completion of this 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 69 
 
 road. What are the advantages to commerce which the 
 completion of this road will be the means of conferring on this 
 country nay on the human family ? for when we come to 
 place money in the balance with the happiness of man, it is a 
 very small matter. When the Atlantic coast shall be improved 
 from Cape Horn to Yancouver s Island when that vast region 
 of country is brought into agriculture, and when the spirit 
 of American freemen shall run, as it will do, from pole to pole 
 then we may well congratulate ourselves on the advantages it 
 will produce on the comfort and improvement of the human 
 family. Now, when you look from this point, and see this coun 
 try connected with the shores of the Pacific, with the Sandwich 
 Islands, with the Society Islands, with Australia, who can say 
 what immense effect it will have on the commerce of this country 
 leaving out China and Japan ? (Cheers and laughter.) Much 
 has been written to show that England, by the way of Cape 
 Horn, is nearer to China than we are ; but, let me ask, why 
 does not France hold more communion with England than the 
 United States does ? It is because the United States have less 
 population, and offer more inducements for foreigners to come 
 here and settle ; land is much cheaper, our institutions are 
 much better, and our country confers on every one the blessings 
 of good government, without oppression. Will England take to 
 her shores the vast population of China, or is there an emigration 
 from China going to England ? No ; it has already begun 
 with us on the shores of the Pacific. The Chinese would no 
 more go to England than the English would think of emigrating 
 to France. The trade of China must be with the United 
 States across the Pacific and it is because of these advan 
 tages that I look forward to the day when we will see the com 
 mercial emporium of the world fixed in this city, or at least on 
 this continent. Gentlemen, I beg you to excuse me for making 
 this long speech. (Cries of "No, no : go on.") Such a subject, 
 
70 SKETCH OF EVENTS Iff 
 
 perhaps, is not fit to be discussed at a banquet like this. I have 
 no words to express my acknowledgments for your kindness, 
 and all I can say is, that my course if you approve of the past 
 will be the same from this time forward. (Great cheers and 
 applause.) 
 
 The next regular toast was : 
 
 The Governor of the State of New York. Air Governor s March. 
 
 The following toast was then read, and received with great 
 
 tdat. 
 
 The Producer, the Mechanic and the Merchant identified by mutual 
 relations and mutual interests reciprocal promoters of the prosperity of 
 each other, and all eminently contributing, by their united energies, to 
 the permanency of our glorious Union. Air Yankee Doodle. 
 
 To this toast T. E. TOMLINSON responded. He eulogized the 
 noble unity of toil the producer, mechanic and merchant as 
 one in spirit and patriotism, striking the barriers of the age 
 with a single aim and to a single end the progress of civiliza 
 tion, of freedom and of man. They were beautiful, each ; but 
 trauscendently beautiful and inspiring when they were aH cen 
 tered in one man. Such a man he saw in the guest of the even 
 ing, George Law. George Law was a type of this glorious 
 country. The merchant neither in glorious France nor in the 
 mother country (England) could rise to distinction where he 
 was born in the lap of luxury. The producer and the mechanic 
 produced the merchant. But there were other mechanics 
 besides the sons of toil. There were also the mechanics of the 
 constitution and of the freedom of the United States, who gave 
 scope and opportunity io the mechanic and the artisan* to work 
 out his destiny in this broad land. If any one in the world 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 71 
 
 deserved the title of nobility it was the producer, for he created 
 everything. It was he who built the yacht called America, 
 which rode triumphant over British waters. (Tremendous 
 cheering.) It was he out of the powerful and rich combina 
 tion of his mind who cleared the Oregon. (Immense cheer 
 ing.) The mechanic stood preeminent in their affections and 
 regard. It was a mechanic a noble child of this great repub 
 lie who struggled against all odds, and struggling up to the 
 altitude of a man, was pouring the Atlantic into the Pacific in 
 the glorious tide of American commerce. 
 
 Mr. Tomlinson s speech was the eloquence of enthusiasm, the 
 inspiration of the moment, and swept like the apostrophe of the 
 rapt poet over vibrating chords in every heart. His tributes to 
 industry, enterprise, intellect, and to the possessor of them all 
 Mr. Law were received with great applause. 
 
 Mr. Tomlinson s speech was followed by the fifth regular 
 toast :. 
 
 The City of New York The sails of her commerce whiten every sea ; 
 her warehouses are stored with the products of every clime ; may her 
 merchants continue lo be honorable and enterprising her mechanics men 
 of worth, science and skill, and her motto ever " Excelsior. 1 Air Home, 
 Sweet Home. 
 
 Ex-Recorder TALL-MADGE responded. He admired nothing 
 more, than the resolutions lately passed in Tammany Hall, that 
 instead of making Presidents, they should attend to their proper 
 business ; and their proper business was to encourage the enter 
 prise of such men as George Law. When they saw him knock 
 ing at the door of Congress, he asked, could they feel indifferent 
 as to the result ? Would not a thrill of gratification go through 
 their hearts at the success of the mechanic, the farmer s son 
 educated in that little hovel (pointing to the model on the 
 table) ? Where, he asked, was the individual in the city of 
 
72 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 New York, who could congregate such a collection of gentle- 
 men men who were the leading merchants in a commerce that 
 extended from the Arimzou to the Nile, and from the Mississippi 
 to the Thames ? The mind and genius of George Law were 
 now felt upon the Panama, Railroad, which united the Atlantic 
 with the Pacific. Mr. Talhnadge then proceeded to give a 
 eulogy upon the literary character of John L. Stephens, and 
 concluded by proposing the following toast : 
 
 The health and success of John L. Stephens, President of the Panama 
 Railroad. 
 
 In reply to this toast Mr. Stephens rose. He had, he said, 
 been called upon in such a way that he could not refuse to 
 respond. In reference to the Panama Railroad, if they nad 
 listened to Mr Law, any tiling he could add would out weaken 
 the effect of that he had so lucidly said He Mr Stephens) 
 had not the honor of being the projector of that railroad It 
 was suggested to him by a merchant in South street He knew 
 not whether he ought to/mention the name ( Cries of "Give 
 it.") The name, then, was Mr W H Aspinwall ; and he 
 would not have obtruded it upon them, but that he might be 
 under the imputation of arrogating to himself merits which 
 belonged to another He might tell them how they left New 
 York with a single engineer, and in thirty days planted the 
 flags of the survey upon the Isthmus ; he .might tell them how 
 they passed into those dreary deserts to cut their way from sea 
 to sea, and climbed to the highest tree-tops to spy out the path 
 they were to run ; he might tell of innumerable difficulties not 
 only there but here. The greatest difficulty they had to 
 encounter was the sin of unbelief. But when all despaired, 
 their friend George Law put his shoulder to the wheel and 
 carried the work through ; and he was happy to announce that 
 this day the terms of the contract were settled, and its fulfill- 
 
THE LIFE OP GEOIIGE LAW. 73 
 
 ment was guaranteed by George Law. There were competing 
 enterprises to span the Isthmus, but there was room and reward 
 for all. He wished them all success. Mr. Stephens concluded 
 by proposing, 
 
 Success to all enterprises which are to connect the Atlantic uad Pacific 
 oceans. 
 
 Drank with applause. 
 
 The next regular toast was then given as follows : 
 
 The builders of the New York steamships and steam-engines To the 
 model, strength and beauty of the one, the perfection and finish of the 
 other, are we indebted for the proud position wo occupy in the maritima 
 rcorld. Air" Hearts of Oak." 
 
 Drank with enthusiasm. 
 
 Mr. WRIGHT HAWKES responded. He had been recently 
 abroad, where he was in a position to appreciate this toast. 
 He could not describe the joy he felt in foreign climes, when ho 
 beheld the stripes and stars of his country waving proudly above 
 the models described in the toast. This was an age of progress 
 in steamships, as well as in everything else. The ancient 
 Greeks went in the ship Argo in pursuit of the golden fleece, 
 and did not find it. The modern Americans go for it to Cali 
 fornia, and bring it back. He thought there was some meaning 
 in the mythological fable of Ycnus floating in a shell. In those 
 sunny climes now floated the yacht America, which beat every 
 thing in England, beat everything in the Mediterranean, and, as 
 he was informed by a letter he had recently received, was about 
 to set her sails for the Baltic sea, where she would contend for 
 the cup of Nicholas of Russia, and win it, too. A second age 
 of poetry has dawned the poetry of the useful, which the 
 American artisan has made almost equal to the poetry of the 
 fine arts. 
 
 The next regular toast was : 
 
 . 
 
74 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 The High Bridge An enduring memorial of intellectual and mecham 
 cal power, which reflects alike the spirit of the age and the genius of man, 
 the annals of freedom and civilization will perpetuate the fame of the 
 builder. Air" Meeting of the Waters." 
 
 Alderman MURPHY responded to this toast, and said the 
 High Bridge was the monument of George Law. It was such 
 a one as the Queen of Sheba had never seen ; and if she did see 
 it, she would say the half had not been told her. It was a 
 monument which would remain when that of Napoleon would 
 crumble into dust. The days of blood and heroes were gone. 
 Liberty was progressing and would progress till it was the pos 
 session of every human being. 
 
 The CHAIRMAN proposed the eighth regular toast : 
 
 The Army and Navy. Air " The Star Spangled Banner." 
 
 Gen. SANDFORD was called on to respond. He said he had 
 hoped some member *of the army would have been called on to 
 respond for that gallant corps ; but he should feel overwhelmed 
 on being called on to respond for the navy also. He repre 
 sented a portion of the army which was composed of themselves 
 the people. The deeds of their gallant army were recorded 
 where they never would be forgotten ; and as to their navy, 
 where had they not carried the flag of the United States? 
 Their honors were written in colors which could never fade. 
 The mention of the navy reminded him of the connection 
 between the ingenuity of their mechanics and the bravery and 
 skill of their navy. The name of Henry Eckford was associated 
 with the most brilliant history of the country and his was a 
 name which did honor to the mechanics of the land. 
 
 The next toast was : 
 
 The Frees Free, like our glorious Union freemen will sustain both 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 75 
 
 - To this toast Mr. CHARLES A. DANA, one of the editors of 
 the Tribune, responded in a speech which might well be charac 
 terized as the eloquence of thought. The men of the press, he 
 said, were among the hardest and noblest sons of toil. Even 
 while we are enjoying this festive occasion, said Mr. Dana, the 
 toiler of the press is transcribing the record from our lips, with 
 pen and pencil, while in yonder building busy hands are trans 
 ferring it to type, and lightning presses are striking it off in 
 sheets that will lie upon our breakfast tables to-morrow morn 
 ing, and be flying far and wide, on wings of lightning and steam 
 to the world s end. The press was a mighty agent in the work 
 of progress, and faithful to its trust truth, freedom, humanity 
 above any other element of the world s progress. There 
 were deeds, too, connected with the men of the press, unknown 
 to the Avorld, but worthy to be emblazoned in gold. He would 
 not, being a worker of the press himself, call the silent good 
 deeds of his profession to light they had their reward ; but lee 
 would allude to a deed consonant with this occasion. A distin 
 guished Hungarian came to this country during the revolution 
 of 1848. He came on a mission in the hour of hope for his 
 fatherland. Suddenly, in the midst of hope, fell the crushing 
 news of the fall of Hungary. Walking our streets the day 
 after, overwhelmed with anguish, he met a friend (Mr. Dana) ; 
 they clasped hands for a moment in silence. At length the 
 Hungarian said, "I am borne down with a double grief ; my 
 country is fallen, and in a strange land I am indebted to an 
 American whom I can no longer hope to repay." " What is 
 the amount, and who is the man T asked Mr. Dana. The 
 Hungarian replied, " One thousand dollars George Law 1" 
 In behalf of a noble cause, asking and thinking of no security, 
 our honored guest gave quietly and unknown a thousand dollars 
 to the cause of struggling liberty. Such deeds were above 
 eulogy. Mr. Dana closed his eloquent speech by giving 
 
 
76 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 The health of Col. Hoe, the inventor of the Lightning Press. 
 
 Gen. MATHER was called for and made a short speech, which 
 he concluded by proposing 
 
 Senor Vetoriana Parades, Minister of the Republic of New Granada 
 May his mission to the United States be the means of strengthening the 
 happy relations now existing between his country and ours. 
 
 In response, the Chairman read the following : " Mr. Parades 
 returns his acknowledgments for the honor done him, and begs 
 leave to convey his regret that want of familiarity with the 
 language prevents his responding in the terms he could wish." 
 
 Some volunteer toasts were then proposed and responded to, 
 and the festivities closed at a late hour close upon the " noon 
 of night." 
 
HE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 77 
 
 From tli6 New York Express. 
 
 THE GRAPESHOT. 
 
 THE papers generally have noticed the arrival of this clipper 
 with Baker, the alleged murderer of Poole, on board, but we 
 do not see that they have fairly stated the origin of this voyage. 
 It is well known that this beautiful vessel is the property of 
 George Law, and although he does not regard his agency in 
 this matter other than a clear act of duty as a good citizen, 
 and not of any special credit, still as we are personally acquainted 
 with the facts, we can see no reason why they should not be 
 stated. When Justice Stuart ascertained there was good reason 
 to believe that Baker had fled from our shores on board a vessel 
 bound to the Canaries, he applied to the Mayor for advice and 
 assistance. A consultation was had, and it appeared that the 
 Mayor had no power to hire a vessel, or incur so large an expense, 
 to pursue the fugitive, without authority from the Common 
 Council. Application was then made to the President of the 
 United States for a Government vessel, and in this state of the 
 case the Justice called in the advice of Mr. Law. 
 
 From the best source of information it was evident that Baker 
 had escaped in a vessel now several days at sea and therefore 
 it was supposed it would be necessary to employ a steamer. 
 Upon inquiry no steamship was found in port that could be 
 obtained, and thereupon Mr. Law offered the Grapeshot to the 
 Mayor free from expense. But on an estimate made of the 
 actual cost ol refitting the clipper, &c., His Honor decided that 
 
78 SKETCH OE EVENTS IN 
 
 lie could not venture to send her at bis own risk. It then 
 appeared that the prospect of capturing the fugitive must depend 
 upon the ship to be sent by the Federal Government. Mr. Law 
 said that he was satisfied the government had no vessel that 
 could reach the Canaries in time, even if they had one that was 
 sea-worthy, and told Mayor Wood that he would cause the 
 clipper Grapeshot to be put in readiness, provisioned and manned, 
 ready to receive the police officers on board in the stream by 
 two o clock the next day. Mr. Law did this, and selected the 
 best captain and crew that could be obtained, made them well 
 acquainted with the sailing qualities of the vessel, and directed 
 them to put her through the water at the top of her speed. The 
 voyage has been made. The Grapeshot reached the Canaries 
 ten days before the Isabella Jewett, thus justifying the expecta 
 tion of her owner. 
 
 This voyage and capture have been made at the expense of 
 Mr. Law; and it is evident from the return of the government 
 ship, that the administration did not wish to reclaim the fugitive, 
 or had no vessel fit to perform a voyage, and that but for the 
 prompt determination of Mr. Law, this criminal would have 
 escaped. 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW 79 
 
 From the Jersey City Tdegrapfi. 
 
 "A LITTLE MORE GRAPE CAPT. BRAGG." 
 
 GEORGE LAW AND PURSER SMITH. 
 
 As the Press, in every section of our country, have noticed 
 the affair of the " Grapeshot " with some degree of admiration, 
 for the handsome manner in which the owner of the clipper 
 sacrificed his personal interest for the public good, we are 
 induced to call their attention to another act of the same kind, 
 which occurred a few years since. 
 
 It will be remembered by our readers, that the Spanish 
 authorities of the Island of Cuba under pretence that a certain 
 purser Smith, an officer on board of .one of the Mail Steamship 
 Company s vessels, had written letters for the American journals, 
 exposing the tyrannical acts of the Governor of the Island, and 
 the general character of the officers in command there gave 
 notice to our Government that, notwithstanding their treaties, 
 no vessel should enter the ports of Cuba, having that obnoxious 
 person on board. 
 
 It will be recollected, also, that George Law and others, had 
 purchased of Col. Sloo, a contract with the Government of the 
 United States, to carry the mails to California, with instcactions 
 to stop at Havana, and that a treaty had been made with 
 Spain, which authorized the mail steamers to receive and dis 
 charge the United States mails at that city. When information 
 
80 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 was received in j^ew York, that the mail steamer would not be 
 allowed to land her mails at the port of Havana, according to 
 treaty, if said purser Smith was on board, George Law, presi 
 dent of the Company, wrote to the Government at Washington, 
 for instructions in writing, how to act in the premises, declaring 
 that he was willing to obey any written instructions on the sub 
 ject, and leave the responsibility of the cict with the Administra 
 tion. 
 
 This request was not responded to, but Mr. Roberts, agent of 
 the line, was invited to visit Washington, to confer with the 
 officers of Government. When Mr. Roberts returned to New 
 York, he reported that the President of the United States had 
 given the Company no written instructions, but had verbally 
 requested him to dismiss purser Smith from the steamer, to 
 please the Spanish officials, and that he thought it was for the 
 interest of the Company to do so. 
 
 George Law declared that he would receive no orders under his 
 contract with the Government, unless they were given in 
 writing, by the President, or proper department that in the 
 absence of written instructions, purser Smith should not be dis 
 charged from the vessel, and that the steamer should go on her 
 voyage at the "appointed time. 
 
 This determination of George Law was made known to the 
 President, by due course of mail, but instead of written instruc 
 tions to the Mail Steamship Company, an order was sent to the 
 Post-Master in New York, by the Department, to withhold the 
 mails from the steamer, if George Law persisted in sending purser 
 Smith. 
 
 The pusillanimous Government refused to send the mails, or 
 written instructions not to take purser Smith, and the steamer 
 was fitted for sea. The Spanish Consul came, as usual, with his 
 packages which, by courtesy, the steamer carried for him, to 
 Cuba, free of charge. Mr. Law informed him that unless the 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 81 
 
 United States mails were placed on board the steamer, uo 
 Spanish documents, or other thing from the Consulate, would be 
 allowed to come on board, inasmuch as the courtesy extended to 
 the Spanish Consulate was connected with the contract for con 
 veying the United States mails to Cuba. 
 
 The Consul was very indignant, and declared that the ship 
 would be sunk, if she dared to enter a Spanish port under such 
 circumstances. He was told that the Spanish authorities should 
 have an opportunity of firing into the vessel, as the steamer 
 would go to Havana under treaty stipulations with Spain, and 
 that purser Smith would be on board, unless written orders to 
 the contrary were received from the President, before the 
 appointed day for sailing. Mr. Law informed his associates 
 that the treaties between the United States and Spain were 
 plain, that the rights of the Company were well denned therein, 
 and that they should be observed as far as his contracts were 
 concerned. That he was willing and desired to take the risk 
 and responsibility on himself, to maintain the rights of a citizen 
 under our treaties, even to the sacrifice of the steamer, although 
 it was evident the Government had abandoned them. 
 
 When this determination of Mr. Law was made known to the 
 President, he became very much alarmed, and expressed great 
 fear that the redoubtable Governor of Cuba would take offence 
 at the temerity of the act contemplated ; and it is- understood 
 that he wrote to the collector of the port of Xew York, to 
 request him to use his influence with the Company, to prevent 
 them from taking so fearful a step, and to notify Mr. Law that 
 no damages would be allowed to him by our Government if 
 the steamer was destroyed. r, 
 
 Information of the refusal of the Government to send the 
 mails by the steamer, was, at the same time, communicated to 
 the insurance offices, and they accordingly refused to insure the 
 steamer, or any merchandise placed on board of her. 
 
82 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 These obstacles, interposed so pertinaciously by the President, 
 did not deter Mr. Law from pursuing the course he had marked 
 out for himself. He was determined to send the ship and cargo, 
 and accordingly took upon himself the risk of both, by insuring 
 the ship and all her lading, and issuing his own policies of insu 
 rance, to protect the owners thereof. This course of action on 
 his part, placed him in direct hostility to the captious officials of 
 Cuba, and the imbecile Government of our country. Thus, he 
 could count upon no protection from either ; and still it was 
 perfectly plain that he was acting within the rights he had 
 acquired under the treaty with Spain. 
 
 It is sufficient, on this branch of our subject, to say that the 
 steamer went on her voyage at the appointed time, without the 
 mails,. or the dispatches of the Spanish Consul, and with purser 
 Smith on board. 
 
 Such acts as -these show, in high relief, the inefficiency of two 
 successive administrations, when placed in contrast with the 
 conduct of a bold and fearless citizen, who understands his 
 rights, and the interests of the country, and is willing to risk 
 his whole fortune to maintain them. 
 
 Purser Smith was a poor man, and dependent upon his posi 
 tion on board the steamer for means to support a large family. 
 He was an honest and faithful officer had been guilty of no 
 offence under our laws or treaties ; and Mr. Law would not 
 consent to allow the bullying threat of the Governor of Cuba, 
 or the pusillanimous course of our own administration, to send a 
 poor, industrious, and honest man out of his service, unless the 
 President, by written order, would take the responsibility of so 
 mean and cowardly an act upon himself. 
 
 The Executive was conscious the act could not be justified 
 before the country, or he would have given written instruction to 
 dismiss purser Smith. 
 
 Was Mr. Law right in this matter ? 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 83 
 
 "We appeal to every honest, true-hearted man to answer this 
 inquiry. If he was right, and to maintain the right was com 
 pelled to risk his whole fortune, what must we say of an 
 administration that will thus sneak away from the discharge of 
 its duties, and abandon the interests of the people and the 
 honor of the nation, because a petty Governor of the Island of 
 Cuba threatened to violate a treaty, by making an assault upon 
 a mail steamer ? 
 
 It is the duty of the President to take care that our treaties 
 with all foreign powers be faithfully enforced. It is to enable 
 him to do this that the army and navy are placed under his 
 orders. But it has been our misfortune, for many years past, to 
 be afflicted with Presidents who possess no energy, decision, 
 or efficiency. 
 
 Of what use is our navy in the Mediterranean, where the 
 whole trade of our ^country does not equal the charge for our 
 naval force in that sea ? Why not call home those ships, to 
 increase our home squadron, and station them in the Caribbean 
 Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and around the Island of Cuba ? 
 Send intelligent and active commanders, with instructions to 
 return blow for blow, and shot for shot, to any insolent Spaniard 
 that dare molest our merchant marine, and direct them to make 
 reprisals instantly for any robbery, insult, or other injury that 
 shall be perpetrated upon our citizens. 
 
 Is not this the way, and the only prudent way, to deal with 
 such a nation as Spain ? Is it not better that Spaniards should 
 seek redress from us for a few well-directed blows, than for our 
 weak and cringing administration to keep up the ridiculous farce 
 of negotiation to obtain redress for insults offered without provo 
 cation? Is it not more in accordance with the spirit of our 
 people, to return the blow with interest, and leave them to seek 
 redress from us in Washington ? A firm and bold course on the 
 part of our Executive, will preserve the peace; but a truckling 
 
84 SKETCH Off EVENTS IN 
 
 policy will inevitably lead to aggressions on the part of the inso 
 lent Spaniard, that will render a resort to war necessary for the 
 honor of the country. 
 
 The country now feels the want of great executive talent at the 
 head of our Government, in the person of some citizen who, like 
 General Jackson, will look to the interest of the Republic. It 
 is sick of mousingpoliticians who are constantly engaged in count 
 ing the chances of political success in the several state elections. 
 
 Did not the country applaud the act of Capt. Ingraham 
 in fearlessly withholding Kotza from the Austrian? And yet 
 Kotza was only technically a citizen of our country. But Purser 
 Smith was "to the manor lorn" with all the ties that bind a man 
 to his home, and all the claims of a good citizen for protection 
 from the Government of his country ; and yet this man s rights 
 were wantonly assailed to please a petty tyrant in Cuba and he 
 would have been proscribed by our Government, at the instance 
 of this Spanish official, had not a generous-hearted, brave man, 
 risked his fortune to protect him, and vindicate the rights of a 
 citizen. 
 
 Was not this act of George Law equal in patriotism and true 
 American spirit to that of Capt. Ingraham and is not Purser 
 Smith the American, as much entitled to our national, protection 
 as Kotza, the Austrian? 
 
 What adds greatly to the interest of this bold act is, that it 
 was done by a private citizen, with no wish or desire to win 
 popularity or secure praise. It was the offspring of a clear sense 
 of right, and a determination not to permit a man in his 
 employment to suffer wrong, or the character of our country 
 to be soiled by the weakness of our administration. 
 
 Such acts as these prove more satisfactorily to the minds of 
 active, intelligent, business men, the fitness of an individual for 
 great executive trusts, than all the vaunted qualities of statesman 
 ship, said to be possessed by the late and present administrations. 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 
 
 85 
 
 The truth is, George Law is a strong-minded, well-read man, 
 possessed of superior judgment,- great moral courage, and a 
 peculiar talent for executive action. He is popular, because 
 he reflects the bold energy and unconquerable independence 
 of our people, who, while they demand nothing but what is 
 right, will not tamely submit to what is wrong. 
 "A little more Grape, Captain Bragg 1" 
 
 
SKETCH OF EVENTS IK 
 
 LETTER OF GEORGE LAW, 
 
 OF NEW YORK, 
 
 TO THE 
 
 LEGISLATURE OF PENNSYLVANIA, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 PRESENT CRISIS. 
 
 NEW YOKK, Feb. 22, 1855. 
 
 GENTLEMEN : I have received the letter which you did me 
 the honor to address me on the 2d inst. From my early man 
 hood I have been principally engaged in the enterprises and 
 avocations of private life ; these enterprises, however, in the 
 opinion of many, have had a very important bearing upon the inte 
 rests and progress of this great country. During that period of 
 time I have paid no more attention to, and taken no further inte 
 rest in, the affairs of the Republic than what every good citizen 
 or lover of his country takes when quietly putting his vote into 
 the ballot-box. I was therefore startled in a considerable 
 degree from my quiet mode of life by the reception of a very 
 important letter dated at Harrisbnrgh, signed by the Speaker 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 87 
 
 > 
 
 of the House of Representatives of the State of Pennsylvania, 
 and several Senators and other members of the Legislature, pro 
 pounding inquiries of a leading political character in reference 
 to the present state of public affairs, and the future action of 
 the American people. The honor and the compliment combined 
 of having received a letter from such a high quarter, asking for 
 my humble opinion in the present crisis of our land, are quite 
 sufficient to satisfy my ambition if it terminated with the soli 
 tary act of making this reply. With these impressions on my 
 mind, I almost hesitate to venture upon the public path to whicli 
 your letter invites me with so much magnanimity, confidence and 
 good feeling. 
 
 We have arrived at a very important crisis in the history of 
 this Republic. Parties, principles and men statesmen and poli 
 ticians, all seemed to be in a rapid state of decomposition, transi 
 tion and reconstruction. Indeed, the same aspect of confusion 
 and discord in the public affairs and public parties which afflict 
 this country, seems to be a common disorder or epidemic over 
 the whole earth. Europe is laboring in the same condition. 
 What is it ? It is the close of one great cycle of revolution and 
 the beginning of another in the world s civilization. Even Asia 
 that mysterious country, with which steam is linking us, is filled 
 with confusion, war, disorder and revolutions. Happily, how 
 ever, for this country, we are possessed of too much religion, 
 intelligence, and common sense to cut each other s throats, in 
 order to settle differences in religious questions or politics. By 
 our firesides we form our opinion of what is necessary to be 
 done, settle upon common principles, organize into parties, and 
 go quietly to the ballot-box, and there determine, like practical 
 men and civilized beings, every knotty question of the day. 
 
 From the first gun of the Revolution down to the present 
 day, the people of the United States have passed through three 
 terms of political existence, all allied to each other in general 
 
88 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 character but differing in practical results. The great revolu 
 tionary period ended with the establishment of the Union, the 
 formation of the Constitution in 1181, and the dignified retire 
 ment of Washington from office with all the honor that the 
 American people could confer upon him their gratitude and 
 affection. The second period of our political history, beginning 
 with the establishment of the republican party, under the man 
 tles of Jefferson and Madison, also great and leading statesmen 
 of their age, ended with the close of Mr. Munroe s administration. 
 During that era, great questions of foreign and domestic policy 
 were settled. The third period began with the election of Gen. 
 Jackson, and closed with the settlement of many important 
 political issues during his administration. The contests of the 
 democratic and whig parties, now closing in the degeneracy and 
 confusion of all parties, creates the necessity for some new party 
 growing out of the state of the times, in order to renovate and 
 refresh the country and the age. The distinguished men of each 
 of these three periods have passed away, but the recollections 
 of their services to the country still exist. The most recent of 
 our great statesmen Calhoun, Clay, and Webster, with some 
 of their contemporaries have left us rich legacies in principles, 
 from which new departures may be taken by those who have 
 intelligence enough to drink at the proper fountain. 
 
 But although nearly all the issues of former party contests 
 have been settled or died away, yet every age has its new 
 issues and fresh difficulties for parties and statesmen to discuss, 
 encounter and arrange. During the last few years the original 
 virtue and purity of the two great political parties which have 
 contended for the mastery, have nearly departed ; both have 
 degenerated and disgraced the nation in many important parti 
 culars. This corrupt state of things had been predicted by some 
 of our most eminent statesmen. The period has now arrived 
 when, from the exigency of the times, and guided by the lights 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 89 
 
 of the Constitution, the people of this country are preparing for 
 a change and a re-organization of the present elements of repub 
 lican government. This wish and determination on the part of 
 the American people has disclosed itself in the recent elections 
 in different portions of the country in a manner not to be misun 
 derstood, in the North, South, East and West. These results are 
 the beginning of the developments of a manly national spirit, 
 crude and anomalous at first, but destined, under the guidance 
 of common sense, to raise the country from those mires of cor 
 ruption into which it has fallen, by the mismanagement of politi 
 cal leaders. 
 
 One of the most dangerous evils which has grown out of the 
 degeneracy of the old parties, is that of sectional agitation. 
 Sectional agitation is the great danger that menaces the Ameri 
 can republic. It is the weak point of the Union. The sacred 
 tie of marriage cannot subsist in private life without confidence 
 in the virtue of the parties united ; neither can this Union exist 
 under the dishonorable and malignant sectional agitations which 
 have been forced upon us in these latter days by small sections 
 of politicians who sink into insignificance before the great his 
 torical names of our country. Sectional agitation is not only 
 our weakest point at home, but it invites the interference of our 
 enemies abroad. 
 
 The negligence and inefficiency with which the public affairs 
 of this country, both foreign and domestic, have been conducted - 
 by those in power, whether Democratic or Whig, for the last 
 few years, have attracted the attention of all sensible men, and 
 created in the minds of the people the necessity of a radical 
 reform. Our system of indirect taxation, commonly called a 
 tariff on imports, has been established and framed for the pur 
 pose simply of supplying the annual wants of the government, 
 and for giving indirect protection to our manufactures. This 
 system of taxation has proved to be of such a nature in practice 
 
90 SKETCH OF EY.KNTS Itf 
 
 as to create dangerous surpluses of millions of gold aiid silver 
 in the Treasury, thereby deranging the currency, throwing 
 exchanges into confusion, and bringing bankruptcy and ruin 
 upon every branch of business. The politicians and statesmen 
 (if they may deserve the name) of the two old parties have been 
 too busily engaged in schemes of personal aggrandizement to 
 arrange this important financial question on such principles as 
 would simply answer the wants of the government and the inter 
 ests of the country. It is time, therefore, to turn a short corner 
 on these points of policy, and to contrive suitable legislation, 
 not for the purpose of spoils for themselves or dependents, but 
 for the benefit and advantage of the whole country. 
 
 This system requires immediate reconstruction upon the 
 highest principles of patriotism and common sense, in order to 
 secure the country from the frequent convulsions and periods of 
 bankruptcy which have occurred during the last three or four 
 administrations. Our treasury and financial system requires 
 examination and amendment in all its details, and in the special 
 working of its machinery. 
 
 Our land system has also been equally in error, and thrown 
 into a state of confusion by private and personal schemes to get 
 possession of the finest portion of that noble inheritance left us 
 by our ancestors. 
 
 Not only does the internal policy of the general government 
 require the magic hand of statesmen adequate to the age, but our 
 foreign policy (if it can be said that we have any) demands, in 
 an eminent degree, the attention of the highest intellect, in order 
 to recover it from the state of degradation into which it has 
 fallen. The truth is, the framework of our parties and our 
 government, bas felt the deleterious influence of the times, has 
 fallen into disorder and wants repair, renovation or revolution. 
 
 This country was originally settled by emigration from the 
 Old World The revolutions and consequent persecutions of 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 91 
 
 the sixteenth century drove the first settlers from their homes in 
 the Old World, to seek civil and religious freedom in the wilds 
 of the New. The Puritans who landed at Plymouth Rock 
 the Lutherans who settled on Manhattan Island the Catholics 
 who sought an asylum on the .shores of the Chesapeake Bay 
 the Cavaliers who landed at James River, Virginia, and the 
 Huguenots at Charleston, South Carolina were all pilgrims 
 forced by the same persecutions and revolutions from the Old 
 World, to seek a home in the New, for the exercise and enjoy 
 ment of political rights and freedom, regulated by morality and 
 religion. In leaving the Old World and their old homes, they 
 eft the prejudices and passions of that land, and brought with 
 them to this new clime only the ideas and principles to which 
 that great revolutionary age gave birth. From their first land 
 ing a new society and a new civilization took deep root in the 
 land, and generated the revolution of the last century, ending in 
 the establishment of the present Republic. We then became a 
 country and a polity of a new growth, which may be fitly called 
 American in every sense of the term. 
 
 In constructing the present Constitution, the framers of that 
 great instrument, remembering the origin of their ancestors, left a 
 memorial of their sympathy for all the oppressed in the Old 
 World, by authorizing Congress to pass naturalization laws of a 
 liberal and generous tendency. r But while inserting such a 
 generous provision in the Constitution as would admit, on brief 
 periods of probation, the oppressed of other countries to the pri 
 vileges of this land, it was expected and believed that all eon- 
 grants thereafter admitted would follow the example of the first 
 pilgrims by abandoning the prejudices and passions of the Old 
 World, and become merged in the great body of the new Ameri 
 can civilization. This great principle, with such an understand 
 ing, has been carried out for two centuries, and it is only of 
 
92 SKETCH OF EVEXTS IN 
 
 recent date, that corrupt men and mere demagogues have endea 
 vored to band together citizens of foreign birth, according to 
 their national or religious creeds, thus preventing them from fol 
 lowing the noble example of the first pilgrims, by mixing with 
 American citizens, and blending themselves with the manners 
 and customs of the new dispensation. All religions and all 
 sects of Christians are alike protected under the aegis of the 
 American Constitution. But when the highest clergy of any 
 sect attempts either to monopolize the political power of their 
 flocks or the pecuniary means of their congregations, it is time 
 for the people of this country to take warning by the terrible 
 examples such clerical usurpations have produced in other lauds 
 and in other times. 
 
 In this important point of reform, there have been strong 
 manifestations of late in different parts of the country Ten 
 years ago efforts began. to be made to correct the errors and 
 purify the corruptions of the two old parties, and to give a high 
 tone, American and national feeling to the action of a new and 
 energetic organization of the popular masses. The effort, origi 
 nating in New York and Pennsylvania and radiating to various 
 States within the circle of their influence and example, was, after 
 a brief struggle, overwhelmed by the corrupt politicians and the 
 concentrated exertions of the two opposing parties. But the 
 evils of that time, and the ^necessity of reform, have grown 
 with our growth, and strengthened with our strength, until 
 Americans can stand no longer in silence and see their 
 country disorganized and disgraced by the corrupt and demoral 
 izing spoils system, enforced by a degenerate race of men. 
 During the last year the American people have been waking 
 from a deep sleep. They are bursting on all hands, and in every 
 quarter, the manacles with which noble intellects and free minds 
 were bound, and no doubt seems to exist, from the progress with 
 
THE LIE OF GKORGJS LAW. 93 
 
 which the uew revolution has advanced, that it will end in as 
 glorious a triumph as that set in motion by the Declaration of 
 Independence itself. 
 
 This great movement has done my heart good, and it will 
 spread the same sentiment throughout the country, to see the 
 noble State of Pennsylvania taking one of the first great steps 
 towards a consummation of that revolution to which American 
 sentiment and American patriotism points so clearly. In the 
 old Revolution, your noble State, marching under the command 
 of the immortal Washington, rallied under the motto of " Yirtue, 
 Liberty and Independence," the same sentiment, I have no doubt, 
 will animate your present struggle, until victory is proclamed 
 from the sources of the Susquehanna to the shores of the Atlantic 
 and Pacific, 
 
 I am, Gentlemen, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 GrEORGE LAW 
 To the Honorable 
 
 HENRY K. STRONG, 
 
 Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
 Harrisburg, 
 
 Penn. 
 
 And the Honorables 
 
 William A. Crab, John Ferguson, ) g enators 
 John W. Kellinger, John Hendricks, f 
 
 Alex. McConnell, John J. Muse, Geo. ) Members 
 S. King, C. S. Eyster, B. G. Water- ( of the House of 
 house, Sa., J. Krepps, Sam. B. Page. ) Representatives. 
 And many others. 
 
94 SKETCH OF EVENTS IN 
 
 From the New York Evening Mirror, August Sd t 1855. 
 
 GEORGE LAW. 
 
 IT is a novelty in our day of universal triumph of soldiers, lawyers, and professional 
 politicians, in securing to themselves all public offices, honors and emoluments, to see a 
 respectable portion of the American masses, through legislative and other representa 
 tives, call out, with a view to the Presidency, a working man, a man of the people such 
 a man as George Law, whose claims to public regard are based solely on his practical 
 intelligence, enterprise, moral worth, and the long and eminent service he has unostenta 
 tiously rendered the country. That George Law has been thus called out, is a hopeful 
 sign that the American people have come, or are coming to the conclusion that the best 
 men to administer public affairs are those who best administer their own. It is an old 
 and true saying that " he who best governs himself, is fittest to govern others," and the 
 maxim is equally true applied to the conduct of all human concerns. 
 
 George Law is not fifty years old, yet there is no other man in this Union, who can 
 point to BO many great works, of public utility, as he has conceived and executed in 
 every case successfully. Some of his enterprises have been of national magnitude ; for 
 instance, his Ocean Steamers, connecting San Francisco and the gold region with New 
 York, and the Panama Railroad, linking the two great oceans, and securing to Ameri 
 cans the trade of the North Pacific, which otherwise (like that of the South Pacific) would 
 have fallen into the hands of British capital. At the complimentary dinner given, by our 
 leading merchants and citizens and responded to by distinguished men of all parts of 
 the Union to George Law, at the Astor House, in 1852, the late lamented John L. Stephens, 
 then President of the Panama Road said : 
 
 " He could tell them (the dinner assemblage), of the almost insuperable difficulties 
 encountered there (at the Isthmus), and here (in New York), but the greatest difficulty 
 they had to encounter, was the sin of unbelief. But, when all others despaired, their friend 
 George Law put his shoulder to the wheel, and the work was done and he was happy to 
 say, that this day (the day of the dinner), the contract for the completion of the Panama 
 Railroad was signed, and its fulfillment was guaranteed by George Law." 
 
 We think no one will question that George Law has no compeer in the number, scope, 
 practical character and public utility of the enterprises he has executed. Certainly, no 
 one will pretend that any other living American has, by force of his own unaided judg 
 ment and genius, accomplished the half that Mr. Law has done. The public works of at 
 least five great States speak for him, and the single monument of his bold judgment and 
 
THE LIFE OF GEORGE LAW. 95 
 
 consummate skill, the High Bridge, and a large portion of the Croton Aqueduct, which 
 pours perpetual blessing in all our homes, would, In olden times, have secured him a 
 public statue, and a niche in the national pantheon. Yet, while for twenty years George 
 Law has been working out some of our noblest public internal improvements, and shorten 
 ing the paths and widening the field of our ocean commerce giving direct employment 
 to tens of thousands, opening the way to employment for hundreds of thousands, and 
 adding to the wealth-making facilities and prosperity of the whole country, the people at 
 large have known but little of the real man of the extent and diversity of his know 
 ledge, the comprehensiveness of his intellect, his remarkable powers of combination, hia 
 clear judgment of men and things, his intuition serving him where lesson and example 
 were insufficient, and the earnest, patriotic spirit, and love of Justice and right, which 
 have indelibly marked hia whole career. 
 
 Many have seen in George Law but an avaricious money getter ; an ignorant specu 
 lator, shrewd only in jockeying and trading, and a vulgar seeker for notoriety. Such 
 judges know nothing truly of the man. We venture to say what will doubtless be dis 
 cussed by the public before long that Mr. Law s life, business and social, are without 
 stain. That he never has prosecuted an enterprise by any dishonorable means, and 
 never looked to the money profit of his labors as hia highest reward. We could point to 
 many schemes proposed to him for money-making, which he has rejected because they 
 lacked public utility. He never loaned a dollar at usurious interest, and never shaved 
 a note or a bond. He never turned his back on a friend, because the friendship was 
 expensive to him in money. He never refused to aid any deserving person or object, 
 where it lay in his power. Nor did he ever lie awake nights recounting his fortune. That 
 noble act of his, in defence of Purser Smith, and the honor and interests of our country 
 against Spanish insolence, was done by assuming the entire risk of an ocean steamer 
 and its freight insurance and the countenance_of our Government having been with 
 drawn from this United States mail steamer more than a million dollars ; an act, we 
 venture to say, no other twenty men in this Union combined would have done at the 
 same personal risk, from simple motives of patriotism and a determination to stand by 
 the right. Avaricious men don t do such things. So of the thousands he spent volun 
 tarily in the capture of Baker, with the Grapeshot, after the fugitive had snapped hia ftn- 
 gers with impunity at municipal and federal authorities with their old water-logged 
 naval craft. 
 
 George Law s judgment in the choice of enterprises, with his simple, perfect system of 
 doing business, and his remarkable executive power, have made all his labors profitable, 
 for himself and all concerned, as an inevitable result. As to his being ignorant, since 
 his schoolboy days up in Washington County (New York), where he was born, an honest, 
 humble farmer s son, we doubt if any man can be pointed out of his age, who has more 
 closely and practically studied, in and out of books, or treasured up more valuable know 
 ledge of men, of all times and in all their relations, and of governments, ancient and 
 modern, or of the practical arts and sciences, than George Law. This is saying a good 
 deal, but George Law has been from the beginning a reader, an observer and a thinker. 
 He may not know Latin and Greek Washington knew no language but the English, and 
 owed more to his intuition and experience than to books or schools. Such men as 
 George Law are born organizers and executants. It is given to them to surpass old 
 routine, by higher and better ideas of arrangement and application. They are gifted 
 
96 SKETCH OF EVENTS IK 
 
 with a genius not for formal, clerkly pursuits, but to organize and direct enterprises of 
 which mere schoolmen are only competent to work out the details and to lead and 
 govern men. Mr. Law s great enterprises are, in themselves, successfully carried out aa 
 they have been against powerful opposing combinations, indisputable evidence of his 
 extraordinary practical intelligence and executive ability and practical intelligence is 
 the kind to which the American people, and this age, owe their greatest triumphs. 
 
 Such a man as George Law, in the Presidential chair, would carry into the govern 
 ment, on a commensurate scale, the same principles that ensure success in private busi 
 ness the same spirit that prevails in honestly-conducted private affairs. It is almost 
 too much to hope, that our government will ever be placed on a common-sense basis 
 its public service being done as efficiently and economically as private enterprise is con 
 ducted ; all its servants being selected for their fitness for place, and all held as respon 
 sible as in private business ; and all the domestic and foreign relations of tho country 
 reduced to the directness and simplicity that govern in honest individual] transactions. 
 Yet, the people have been so misgoverned and plundered, that they are disposed to look 
 to practical rather than professional men, to fill their high places. 
 
 This feeling is the cause of the interest centered in George Law. Those who know him 
 best, regard him as possessing, in a larger degree than any other man before the country, 
 the great elements of comprehensive intellect, large and varied practical knowledge, 
 sound judgment, patriotic instincts, and executive ability that should distinguish a Presi 
 dent of the United States. They believe he would organize and develop the government 
 to as high a degree, for the prosperity of the country, as he has done for himself and the 
 public in an individual sphere. Whether or not, they will be gratified in having the man 
 of their choice elevated to the Presidency, is not for us to say. It would be a great step 
 upward and forward, to go from a General Pierce to a George Law ; possibly the legs of 
 the American party are not long and strong enough to tempt the breach, but if they 
 should, a rush of the people may be expected in support of " Live Oak" George. 
 
 It is greatly in Mr. Law s favor that he is not, and never has been, mixed up in 
 party politics. He has kept track of politics, and aloof from politicians. His character 
 and antecedents can hardly fail, when truly known, to be popular with the masses. The 
 fact that he has risen to fortune and eminence from the ranks, without any advantages 
 save those common to American youth, thus illustrating the noble influence of our repub 
 lican form of government and institutions, will go far to recommend him to the people at 
 large. The commercial, mechanic, farming and working classes, would have in him a 
 powerful representative. The politicians would have nothing to hope from him but being 
 kicked from the crib where they have been fattening on public plunder for years. Fac- 
 tionists and fanatics would fare no better for Mr. Law is a National man, and a Union 
 man, aa he is a flat-footed, square-toed American, to the core. The history of such a man 
 ought to be minutely and generally known, if but for example and stimulus to the young 
 men of America, and it doubtless Will be soon, as we understand that the enterprising 
 publisher, J. 0. Derby, is about to issue his prospectus of a forthcoming, complete biogra 
 phy of (Jeorge Law. 
 
J. C. r^KBYrf prBLICATIONS. 
 
 EXTE A ORDINARY PUBLICATION! 
 
 MY COURTSHIP AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 
 
 BY HENKY WIN OFF. 
 
 A. true account of the Author s Adventures in England, Switzerland, and 
 Italy, with Miss J. C. Gamble, of Portland Place, London. 1 eleg-ant 
 12rao. Price, hi cloth. SI 25. 
 
 The extraordinary sensation produced in literary circles by Mr. Wikoff s charming 
 romance of real life, is exhausting edition after edition of his wonderful book. From 
 lengthy reviews, among several hundred received, we extract the following brief notices 
 of the pre.v : 
 
 " We prefer commending the book as beyond question the most amusing of the season, 
 and we commend it without hesitation, because the moral is an excellent one." Albion. 
 
 " With unparalleled candor he has here unfolded the particulars of the intrigue, taking 
 the whole world into his confidence bearing his heart on his sleeve for daws to peck 
 sit and, in the dearth of public amusements, presenting s. piqnant nine days wonder 
 for the recreation of society." JV". Y. Tribune. 
 
 "The work is very amusing, and it is written iu such a vein that one cannot refrain 
 from frequent bursts of laughter, even when the Chevalier is in positions which might 
 claim one s sympathy." Boston Evening Gazette. 
 
 " A positive autobiography, by a man of acknowledged fashion, and an associate of 
 nobles and princes, telling truly how he courted and was coquetted by an heiress in high 
 life, is likely to be as popular a singularity in the way of literature as could well be thought 
 of." Home Journal. 
 
 "The ladies are sure to devour it. It is better and more exciting than any modern 
 romance, as it is a detail of facts, and every page proves conclusively that the plain, 
 unvarnished tale of truth is often stranger than fiction." Baltimore Dispatch. 
 
 " The book, therefore, has all the attractions of a tilt of k nigh t-errants with this addi 
 tion, that one of the combatants is a woman a species of heart-endowed Amazon." 
 X~eicar7c Daily Mercury. 
 
 "If you read the first chapter of the volume, you are in for finis, and can no more 
 stop without the consent of your will tlian the train of cars can stop without the consent 
 of the engine." Worcester Palladium. 
 
 " Seriously, there is not so original, piquant and singular a book hi American literature : 
 its author is a sort of cross between Fielding, Chesterfield, and Rochefoucault." Boston 
 Chronicle. 
 
 " With the exception of Ro seau s Confessions, we do not remember ever to have heard 
 <>f any such self-anatomization of love and the lover." N. Y. Express. 
 
 "The book has cost us a couple of nights sleep; and we have no doubt it has cost its 
 author and principal subject a good many more." N. Y. Evening Mirror. 
 
 " The work possesses all the charm and fascination of a continuous romance." N". Y. 
 Journal of Comnicrc-r. 
 12 
 
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