s to go to war with
France. To the surprise of his best friends, Mr. Adams warmly
sustained Jackson in his belligerent correspondence with the
government of Louis Philippe. His position probably cost him a
seat in the United States Senate for which he was then a candidate.
Mr. Webster preferred John Davis, who had the preceding year beaten
Mr. Adams in the contest for governor of Massachusetts. These
circumstances were believed at the time to be the inciting cause
for the assault on Mr. Webster. The duty of replying devolved on
Mr. Evans. The debate attracted general attention, and the victory
of Mr. Evans was everywhere recognized. The _Globe_ for the Twenty-
fourth Congress contains a full report of both speeches. The
stirring events of forty years have not destroyed their interest
or their freshness. The superior strength, the higher order of
eloquence, the greater mastery of the art of debate, will be found
in the speech of Mr. Evans.

GEORGE EVANS AS A DEBATER.

As a parliamentary debater, using that term in its true signification
and with its proper limitations, George Evans is entitled to high
rank. He entered the House in 1829, at thirty-two years of age,
and served until 1841, when he was transferred to the Senate. He
retired from that body in 1847. Upon entering the Senate, he was
complimented with a distinction never before or since conferred on
a new member. He was placed at the head of the Committee on Finance,
taking rank above the long list of prominent Whigs, who then composed
the majority in the chamber. The tenacity with which the rights
of seniority are usually maintained by senators enhances the value
of the compliment to Mr. Evans. Mr. Clay, who had been serving as
chairman of the committee, declined in his favor with the remark
that "Mr. Evans knew more about the finances than any other public
man in the United States." The ability and skill displayed by Mr.
Evans in carrying the tariff bill of 1842 through the Senate, fully
justified the high encomiums bestowed by Mr. Clay. The opposition
which he led four years after to the tariff bill of 1846 gave Mr.
Evans still higher reputation, though the measure was unexpectedly
carried by the casting vote of the Vice-President.

When Mr. Evans's term of service drew near to its close, Mr. Webster
paid him the extraordinary commendation of saying in the Senate
that "his retirement would be