REPORT.

THE Joint Special Committee of the Common Council of the city of New York, appointed to make and complete arrangements for rendering a suitable tribute of respect to the memory of the HON. DANIEL WEBSTER, late Secretary of State in the government of the United States, respectfully present the following

REPORT

Of the events consequent upon the demise of that illustrious statesman, together with a detailed statement of their acts in connection with that solemn occasion.

Your Committee, forcibly impressed with a deep sensibility of the great and irreparable loss the nation, and, we may truly add, the whole world, have sustained, feel themselves inadequate to pronounce a fitting eulogium upon the character and services of the mighty man, for whom, in

the general sorrow and bereavement, the united hearts of millions swell and throb with sympathetic emotions. Yet we are sensible of the high responsibility devolving upon us, and, in justice to that principle which should at all times actuate men to purposes of high resolve, we have endeavored to render a sincere and heartfelt tribute of affection to the man who has stamped the world with the impress of his brilliant genius, and who has departed forever from the scenes of his labors, his toils and his usefulness.

66

The custom of honoring great public benefactors by solemn observances, is natural, just and wise; but the tributes and testimonials which we offer to departed worth, are for the living, and not for the dead. Eulogies, monuments and statues can add nothing to the peace and joy of that serene sphere, into which the great and good, who have finished their earthly career, have passed. But these expressions and memorials do good to those from whom they flow. They lift us above the region of low cares and selfish struggles. They link the present to the past, and the world of sense to the world of thought. They break the common course of life with feelings brought from a higher region." These are profound meditations, and they are particularly applicable to an occasion like this, when we should pause for an

interval from the cares and thoughts of business, to consecrate the hour that consigns the name and the actions of the great "Defender of the Union and the Constitution" to the records of human history. It is meet and proper that the events of a brilliant and glorious day, redolent of mighty achievements, after the dark clouds of the storm have suddenly overcast its ethereal brightness, should be strongly marked upon the pages of our country's history.

Your Committee, desirous of rendering a permanent and useful value to their report, are confident that a judicious selection of the eloquent eulogiums delivered from the pulpit; by the learned members of the bar; in colleges, legislative halls, societies and associations, upon this melancholy occasion, in various parts of the country, but more particularly of those pronounced in this city, will establish the best manifestation of the deep and abiding veneration in which DANIEL WEBSTER was held by his countrymen, and transmit to posterity a glowing and useful page, to encourage and stimulate to deeds of honor and greatness the youth of the present generation, as well as those of the future.

Daniel Webster

DIED

AT MARSHFIELD, PLYMOUTH COUNTY, MASS.,

October 24th, 1852,

IN THE SEVENTY-FIRST YEAR OF HIS AGE.

He passed the barriers of time into the dark valley of the shadow of death," as gliding into a natural and refreshing slumber-so that it was difficult to determine the precise moment of his death.

"He died, as the heart hopes to die, in his own home, amid those scenes of natural beauty endeared to him by the joys and sorrows of many eventful years, with the faces of family, kindred and friends around his bed, and religion pillowing his head. He died full of years and full of honor, with no duty unperformed, and no trust undischarged; he died by no lingering and painful decay, making him dead while yet living; he died with all his glorious faculties unimpaired, and this great orb, which had so long guided and cheered

us with its light, sunk below the horizon, undimed by a single cloud.”

Announcement of the Death in New York.

Notwithstanding each succeeding bulletin from Marshfield prepared the mind for the approaching national loss-that the mortal career of Mr. WEBSTER was fast drawing to a final close yet thousands of our citizens hoped against hope, and prayed that he would recover. About nine o'clock in the forenoon, the melancholy intelligence of his demise was announced in this city; the sad news was speedily circulated, and it appeared as if the "Angel of death had spread his wings upon the blast." Flags were unfurled at half-mast from the public buildings, hotels, and among the shipping. Funereal draperies were suspended from the windows and balconies of hotels and many private dwellings. As evening approached, nothing was heard, as topics of conversation, except the reciprocating sympathy for the immense bereavement we have sustained; preparations for general mourning, and the question, how the mighty loss to the Constitution by Mr. WEBSTER'S death could be restored. In many of the churches where the sad news had reached, ministers of the gospel made eloquent and touching allusions to his departure. The solemnity of the Sabbath was increased by the sorrow of the people, and New York mourned the death of the mighty man with an intense and deep grief.