illumined his pathway
in life, lightening his burdens, exalting his nature, and which
sustained him without fear when he met the last enemy of the race as he
walked through "the valley of the shadow of death." It was the faith of
a little child--

An assured belief
That the procession of our fate, howe'er
Sad or disturbed, is ordered by a Being
Of infinite benevolence and power,
Whose everlasting purposes embrace
All accidents, converting them to good.

His funeral and burial, Mr. Speaker, will never be forgotten by those
who witnessed it. The autumn sun was fast sinking behind the bright
curtain of the west, bathing "the mellow autumn fields" of Old Virginia
with its purple hues. Untrumpeted by official authority, scores of
friends from city, town, village, farm, and cabin gathered at
Ravensworth to pay the last sad honor to their beloved friend. White and
colored, rich and poor, high and low, soldiers, citizens, and statesmen,
all were there.

His body was borne from the house to the ivy-clad family graveyard by
the sturdy yeomanry of the neighborhood. In the presence of that vast
throng, with uncovered heads, his comrades, who had followed him on many
a hard-fought battlefield, performed the last sad rites, and with their
own hands filled his grave and planted upon it the "immortelles" of
their affection and devotion. Faces that never blanched amid the storm
of battle paled; hearts that never quailed in the presence of an enemy
broke in the presence of the last enemy of us all, and the silent,
pitiless tear which fell from the eye was hidden by the lengthening
shadows of the evening, which were fast gathering round the scene.

Beloved friend, farewell and hail!
Removed from sight, yet not afar,
Still through this earthly twilight veil
Thou beamest down, a friendly star.

The prophet's blessing comes to thee,
The crown he holds to view is thine;
Forever more thy memory
In heaven and in our hearts shall shine.

ADDRESS OF MR. O'FERRALL, OF VIRGINIA.

Mr. SPEAKER: These occasions of tribute-offering in this Hall never fail
to impress me with extreme sadness, increase my awe and reverence of Him
who holds in the hollow of His hand every moment we live and every
breath we draw, and teach me the lesson of our mortality.

These scenes have become very familiar to me, and their frequency
reminds me with terrible force