nt, or sometimes a member, stood treat,
and gave us a comfortable, though not often a costly or showy supper.

Among that strange, whimsical brotherhood--consisting of Dr. Tobias
Watkins, editor of the "Portico"; General Winder (William H.), who had
been "captivated" by the British, along with General Chandler, at the
first invasion of Canada; William Gwin, editor of the "Federal Gazette";
Paul Allen, editor of the "Federal Republican," and of Lewis and
Clarke's "Tour," and author of "Noah"; Dr. Readel, "a fellow of infinite
jest"; Brackenridge, author of "Views in Louisiana," and "History of the
War"; Dennison, an Englishman, who wrote clever doggerel; and, at
different times, two or three more, not worth mentioning, even if I
remembered their names--we passed every Saturday evening, after the club
was established, until it was broken up by President Watkins's going to
Washington, Vice-President Pierpont to the Divinity School at Cambridge,
and Jehu O'Cataract abroad. All the members bore "clubicular" names, by
which they were always to be addressed or spoken to, under another
penalty; and most of them held "clubicular" offices and
professorships,--Dr. Readel being Professor of Crambography, and
somebody else--Gwin perhaps--Professor of Impromptology. The name given
to Mr. Pierpont was Hiero Heptaglott, under an idea that he was a
prodigious linguist,--another Sir William Jones, at least, if not
another Learned Blacksmith; and the President himself went so far as to
say so in the "Portico," where he pretended to give an account of the
Delphians. Nothing could well be further from the truth, however; for,
instead of being a great Hebrew scholar, and learned in the Chaldee,
Coptic, and other Eastern languages, he knew very little of Hebrew, and
absolutely nothing of the rest. With "a little Latin and less Greek," he
was a pretty fair Latin and Greek scholar in the judgment of those who
are satisfied with what we are doing in our colleges; and he was
sufficiently acquainted with French to enjoy Chateaubriand, St. Pierre,
Rousseau, and Lamartine, and to write the language with correctness,
though not idiomatically; but he was never able to make himself
understood in conversation, beyond a few phrases, uttered with a
deplorable accent,--not being able to carry the flavor in his
mouth,--and, though free and sprightly enough in talking English, having
no idea of what passes for freedom and sprightliness with the French. He
kn