his death I enjoyed his personal friendship. Nothing in the intercourse which occasionally I was permitted to enjoy with him so impressed my mind as the genial kindness, the courtesy, the forbearance, and the consideration which he always manifested for the opinions of those who in his presence could not fail to be conscious of their great inferiority. He was doubtless fully aware of his own great powers, but they never led him to any vain display of learning or any offensive assertion of superiority. 1 do not rise, sir, for the purpose of adding anything of fact to what has been already so well and so fully expressed, nor to attempt any analysis whatever of his character. All this has been far more aptly and ably done than I could do. will only add there has been no commendation expressed in which I do not most heartily concur. I His great learning was manifest in a thousand ways. In a case only two years ago in which I had the satisfaction to be associated with him, involving the relations of the clergy to the church and involving also the correlative rights of the clergy as citizens, and requiring an exhaustive examination and consideration of the canon law of the church from its earliest date, Mr. Meredith not only brought to its consideration his accustomed discrimination and profound learr. ing, but I know that he examined with untiring care the canons of the church in the original language, and verified every translation we had occasion to make by his own personal examination and reading in the original Latin. It has impressed me strongly as conspicuously characteristic that he was always equal to the occasion. It is one of the clearest indications of men of great genius that placed in whatever situation they may be, they are always equal to the demands which are made upon their learning and their ability. This striking feature of Mr. Meridith's character was always apparent, whether as member of the Legislature, as member of both the Constitutional Conventions of the State, as Secretary of the Treasury, as Attorney General of the Commonwealth, or in the distinguished course which marked his professional career. He never was found wanting in any position he ever occupied, and I believe no higher indication of true genius can be found. He was a man of rare observation of men, of manners and of things. He gathered information from all sources, and his judgment and reflection made them all his own. He was one of those rare men who found "Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything.” It was characteristic of his life. Nothing escaped his observation, and upon all occasions the information he possessed was ready to his hand. Mr. President, I forbear to speak further. I have said this much simply because in my ardent admiration of the man, in my deep respect for his memory, and in the friendship which I am proud to feel that I enjoyed while he lived, I could not allow the occasion to pass without this brief tribute of respect to his memory. The PRESIDENT. There is a blank to be filled with a number before the vote is taken on the resolutions. Will some gentleman move to fill the blank ? Mr. STANTON. I move to fill it with "nine" as the number of the committee. The motion was agreed to. The PRESIDENT, There is another blank as to the hour of meeting to-mo row. Mr. LILLY. I move to fill that blank with ten o'clock. The motion was agreed to. The PRESIDENT. The question now is on the resolutions which have been read. The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. Mr. FELL. I move that the question of filling the vacancy be referred to the delegatesjat large elected on the same ticket with Mr. Meredith. The motion was agreed to. The PRESIDENT. The Convention, under the resolutions adopted, stands adjourned until to-morrow morning at ten o'clock. ERRATA. On page 14, first column, twenty-ninth line from top, for "inconsiderable" read "unconscionable." On page 198, second column, fourth line from bottom, for "officers" read "auditors." On page 203, second column, second line from top, for "motion” read "section." On page 247, second column, fourth line from bottom, for "engage" read "enlarge." On page 250, first column, nineteenth line from bottom, for "rejected" read “agreed to." On page 260, second column, twenty-first and twenty-second lines from top, for "regulating" read "relegating." On page 382, first column, twenty-seventh line from top, for “of fiat” read “fiat of.” On same page and column, twenty-ninth line from top, for "expurged" read "expunged." On same page, second column, third line from bottom, for "county" read "country." On page 574, second column, eleventh line from top, for "vast" read "fast." On page 602, second column, sixteenth line, the name of Mr. ARMSTRONG should precede the words, "I will not encroach," &c. On page 606, first column, twenty-first line from bottom, for "question" read "custom," and the word "and" before the word “until” in the following line should be omitted. On page 664, first column, twenty-eighth line from top, for "surmounting" read "surrounding." On page 724, second column, eighth line from bottom, for "twenty-four" read "seventy-four." 50-V ol. VI. Mr. Evans...... 319 700 on damages to property by rail- Altoona, invitation of city councils of, 672 leave of absence granted to............ 322 incidental remarks by, 25, 26, 164, on banking rates of interest......... on special municipal laws............ 223 |