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traits of character which have since elicited the highest admiration of his countrymen and of the world. In 1808, he entered the army as first lieutenant, in the 7th regiment of infantry, and having soon distinguished himself in border skirmishes with the savages, and in the bloody battle of Tippecanoe, was promoted to the rank of captain. In the war of 1812, Captain Taylor was intrusted with the defence of Fort Harrison, on the Wabash. Its works were in a miserable condition, and it was garrisoned by only fifty men, thirty of whom were disabled by sickness. Yet, with this feeble aid, he immediately began to repair the fortifications. These were hardly completed when, on the night of the 4th of September, 1812, an alarm shot summoned him from a bed of fever to meet the attack of a large force of the Miami Indians. The sentinels are driven in, a blockhouse is fired by the enemy, and a thick discharge of bullets and arrows is poured in upon the fort. The howlings of the savages heard in the darkness of the night, the shrieks of women and chil

dren, the terror of the sick, and the apparently certain destruction of the garrison, would have forced almost any other leader to surrender in despair; but nothing could shake the calm bravery, or disturb the cool judgment of the youthful commander. Inspired by him with a portion of his own energy, the soldiers extinguish the flames, and for six hours return the fire of the Indians until daybreak enables the whites to aim with greater precision; soon after which the Indians disperse and retreat down the river. One of his superior officers, in a letter to the Governor of Kentucky, says, "The firm and almost unparalleled defence of Fort Harrison by Captain Zachary Taylor has raised him a fabric of character not to be affected by eulogy." It procured for him the rank of brevet major in the American army. In 1832, he was advanced to the rank of colonel; and, soon after the commencement of the Florida war, he was ordered to that territory. Here, in constant and arduous service, he continued to distinguish himself; and his whole career was such as to increase the confidence and admiration of his countrymen. While in Florida he fought with the Seminoles the ever memorable battle of Okee-Chobee —a battle remarkable for the bravery and skill displayed on both sides. Seven hundred Indian warriors occupied a dense hammock, with a small but nearly impassable stream in front, their flanks being secured by swamps that were altogether impassable. Colonel Taylor's force amounted to about five hundred men, composed partly of raw volunteers. With great exertion, our soldiers, sinking nearly to

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the middle in mire, cross the stream under a most galling fire, and a close and desperate conflict ensues. In one of our companies only four privates escape unharmed. During the fight, Colonel Taylor is constantly passing on horseback from one point to another, and within range of the Indian rifles, without the least seeming regard for his personal safety. The whites gained a complete victory-a victory which broke the power and spirit of the Seminoles, and gained for its hero the thanks of the President of the United States a victory whose importance was still further acknowledged by the promotion of Taylor to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet, for "distinguished services in the battle of Okee-Chobee in Florida." The glorious victories of General Taylor in the late war with Mexico, have already occupied the attention of our readers. In person, General Taylor was about the middle height, and was a little inclined to corpulency. His countenance strongly indicated the real benevolence of his heart. As a military chief, he must be allowed to stand in the very first rank. He was not indifferent to the good opinion of his countrymen, but he was not desirous of political preferment. At his inauguration, his appearance was so unassuming that many persons could not, without difficulty, believe that he was the general whose fame had filled the civilized world. What would have been his policy had he lived, cannot of course be known with certainty; there is every reason, however, to believe that it would have promoted the peace and prosperity of his country.

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FTER proper demonstrations of respect for the deceased President, the business of Congress was again resumed. On the 10th of July, 1850, the Hon. Millard Fillmore took the oath prescribed by the Constitution, and succeeded General Taylor as President of the United States. Mr. Fillmore was born on the 7th of January, 1800, at Summer Hill, in Cayuga County, New York. He enjoyed only the advantages of common schools until the age of fifteen, when he was apprenticed to the wool-carding business, in Livingston County. Here he remained four years, in the mean time devouring the contents of the village library. Judge Waterwood, a sound lawyer and a benevolent man, perceiving his talents, prevailed on him to quit his intended occupation, and commence the study of law in his office. In 1829, and the two succeeding years, he was elected to the State Legislature; and it was principally through his activity, zeal, and eloquence, that the laws for imprisonment for debt were partially repealed. In 1832, he was elected to Congress, as a member of the House of Representatives. In 1836, he greatly distinguished himself by his report on the New Jersey case.

The new cabinet of Mr. Fillmore consisted of Daniel Webster, of Massachusetts, Secretary of State; Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, Secretary of the Treasury; Charles M. Conrad, of Louisiana, Secretary of War; William A. Graham, of North Carolina, Secretary of the Navy; Alexander H. H. Stewart, of Virginia, Secretary of the

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Interior; Nathan K. Hall, of New York, Postmaster-General; and John J. Crittenden, of Kentucky, Attorney-General. A cabinet of great ability, and one which commanded the respect and confidence of the country.

HE discussion of the Compromise Bill, with all its violence and sectional jealousies, was now continued. The bill was brought out under favourable auspices, and supported by the powerful arguments and eloquence of Clay, Webster, Foote, Dickinson,

Cass, and many others. Moderate men and the friends of the Union everywhere had, therefore, great hopes of its success. But the message of General Taylor had merely recommended the admission of California, the other questions being left to the future, and territorial governments provided for New Mexico and Utah, as they might be in a condition to demand them. This message was insisted on by some members of the government, and by their friends of the press, as defining the course of the administration; and its high authority, combined with other causes, was sufficient to defeat the Compromise Bill. But essentially the same measures in separate bills were adopted before the close of the session. On the 26th of August, the Fugitive Slave Bill passed both houses. A bill was passed providing for the adjustment of the boundary of Texas, and the establishment of a territorial government over New Mexico. California was admitted with a constitution by which slavery is forever prohibited. Utah, whenever admitted into the Union, was to be received with or without slavery, as its own constitution may prescribe at the time of its admission. The peaceful settlement of the exciting questions which had threatened disunion, if not civil war, greatly relieved the public mind throughout the country. To complete the matter, a bill abolishing the domestic slave-trade in the District of Columbia, received the sanction of both houses of Congress. This session of Congress closed on the 30th of September.

In the summer of this year, the case of Dr. John White Webster, a professor in the medical college of Boston, and under sentence of death for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, a very wealthy physician of Boston, excited the deepest sensation throughout the country. The high standing of the parties, the horrid details of the murder, and the doubts which, notwithstanding the conclusive nature of the evidence, existed in the minds of many with regard to the guilt

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of the accused, rendered the subject one of absorbing interest, and, indeed, drew the attention of the whole civilized world. It was difficult to believe that a man in Professor Webster's position would commit such a deed, merely to escape the payment of a few hundred dollars. But all doubts were at length removed by the confession of the prisoner himself. The most earnest efforts were made to obtain a commutation of punishment; but they were unsuccessful, and the unhappy man was executed on the 30th of August.

A more pleasing source of excitement was found in the arrival of Jenny Lind, the celebrated Swedish songstress, and, probably, in vocal music, the greatest artist of ancient or modern times. The fascination of her manners, and the goodness of her heart, no less than her unrivalled talents, contributed to win for her a popularity never before or since enjoyed by any musical performer.

NOTHER hero soon followed the lamented Taylor in death. On the 19th of November, Col. Richard M. Johnson, former Vice-President of the United States, died at his residence, in Scott County, Kentucky, in the 65th year of his age. His gallant achievements at the battle of the Thames have enrolled his name among those of our greatest heroes. General Harrison, who commanded the American forces in this battle, found his most efficient aid in the bravery of Colonel Johnson, who, at the head of his regiment, dashed through the enemy's lines, throwing them into complete disorder; when, an attack being also made in the rear, the enemy were compelled to surrender. The famous Tecumseh fell by the hands of Colonel Johnson himself. While a member of Congress, he acquired a great reputation by his celebrated Sunday Mail Report against the suspension of the Sunday mails. The people of many parts of New England will remember with pleasure the visit of Col. Johnson in 1843.

The Fugitive Slave Law, whose passage has been already mentioned, met with severe opposition in the free States, and attempts to enforce it sometimes led to scenes of popular tumult and commotion. On its first passage, the law had created great excitement at the North, and was by many persons declared to be unconstitutional, as it seemed to contravene the right of habeas corpus, and deny to the fugitive any thing like a fair and impartial trial. The opinion of the Attorney-General, Mr. Crittenden, that the law did not con

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