“Mr. Stanly:  ’I charge the official reporters not to let his (Mr. Giddings’) felonious hand touch one word of what I say, for we know how he on a former occasion misrepresented my colleague from the Orange district, and his own colleague from the Chillicothe district, having altered his own speech after he got to his room with his coloured friends. (Laughter.) He talks about my associates:  but has anybody ever seen him in private decent company?  Free negroes may call to see him.  He does not let his right hand know what his left doeth.  He alludes to my absence; but I have not set myself up as a standard.  I don’t say I’m always in the house as I ought to be.  He says we were here drinking our grog during Christmas times.  Where was he?  In Philadelphia, drinking beer and eating oysters with free negroes. (Laughter.) Which was the best off?  Judge ye. (Laughter.) He thinks he was better off than we were. [Mr. Stanly paused, and, looking towards Mr. Preston King, who was standing near Sir.  Giddings, remarked, raising his voice to a higher pitch, “Help him out; he needs a little more poison.” (Voices, “Ha, ha!  Good!  Ha, ha!")] I quit this subject in disgust.  I find that I have been in a dissecting-room, cutting up a dead dog.  I will treat him as an insane man, who was never taught the decencies of life, proprieties of conduct—­whose associations show that he never mingled with gentlemen.  Let him rave on till doomsday.’

“The conversation then ceased.”

Any one who has seen much of American gentlemen, must know that such language as the above contains would be reprobated by them fully as strongly as by any gentleman in this country.  To doubt that would be to do them a gross injustice.  Does not, therefore, the recurrence of such scenes go far to prove, that the advance of ultra-democratic principles has the effect of lowering the tone of the Representative Chamber, and that men of liberal education and gentlemanly bearing do not constitute the majority in that House?  In the days of Washington, would any member have dared to use, or would any other member have for a moment tolerated, such language?  It is but justice to say, that the tone of the Senate Chamber is far more dignified; and many who have been members of that body have established a world-wide reputation both as orators and statesmen.

Let us now turn for a few minutes to that important subject, the Judiciary of the States, one peculiar feature of which is, its being a co-ordinate branch of the Legislature.  The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest tribunal in the country; it consists of a Chief Justice and eight associate Justices, the Attorney-General, a reporter, and a clerk.  All questions affecting foreign ambassadors, consuls, &c., are tried before this court; and it is a final court of appeal in cases involving constitutional questions, and various others, too long to enumerate here.  It has even the power of annulling the acts of the Federal Congress at Washington, if such acts are contrary to the Constitution.