partly to gratify his love of adventure, he set out for Austin with the Santa Fé Expedition; and when he returned wrote a most interesting history of it, giving a graphic account of his captivity and sufferings in Mexico.

He resumed his editorial functions and duties, and remained in the Cresent city until the commencement of the Mexican war, when he once more abandoned his literary labors, and attended General Taylor as a member of his staff, through the whole of his campaigns. At the close of the war he made the tour of Europe. He has obtained an enviable repu tation as the author of a splendid "History of the War between the United States and Mexico." He is a sociable, agreeable, accessible gentleman, whose extraordinary talents and manly bearing command the respect of a vast multitude of friends.

The Picayune is a brilliant sheet, abounding in good things, and, unlike many of its contemporaries, it is not indebted to the confectioner for them.

SAMUEL HOUSTON.

GEN. SAMUEL HOUSTON, United States senator from Texas, is an extraordinary man, whose common sense and courage have won for him the good opinion of his appreciating countrymen, everywhere. Although a self-taught and self-made man, he has few superiors in debate on the floor of the senate

chamber, and fewer equals on the field, in the perilous hour of battle. Indeed, he displays equal courage and coolness, whether acting in the capacity of statesman or soldier. We admire him as the hero of San Jacinto, when he captures Santa Anna, and we applaud him as the herald of freedom, when he throttles the "little giant" of Illinois, and virtually says to the demagogue, "Get thee behind me, Satan." He is one of nature's noblemen, whom the people delight to honor, and his fame will be fresh in the memory of the multitude when the name of Douglas will be forgotten; or, if remembered, be associated with Arnold and infamy. Gen. Houston is tall and straight as an Indian, of perfect proportions, with sharp gray eyes, and a nose like the beak of an eagle. He usually wears a profusion of hair upon his face. His commanding countenance and towering figure contrast finely with the pigmy proportions and plebeian features of the ambitious and heartless man who would enslave nations for the gratification of his wicked vanity. I am indebted to "The Men of the Time" for the following sketch of his history:

"Gen. Samuel Houston, United States senator from Texas, was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, March 2, 1793. He lost his father when quite young, and his mother removed with her family to the banks of the Tennessee, at that time the limit of civilization. Here the future senator received but a scanty education; he passed several years among the Cherokee Indians, and in fact, through all his life, he seems to have held opinion with Rousseau, and retained a predilection for the savage mode of life. After serving for a time as clerk to a

country trader, and keeping a school, he became disgusted with mercantile and scholastic pursuits, and, in 1813, he enlisted in the army, and served under General Jackson in the war with the Creek Indians. He distinguished himself highly on several occasions, and at the conclusion of the war he had risen to the rank of lieutenant; but he soon resigned his commission and commenced the study of law at Nashville. It was about this time that he began his political life. After holding several minor offices in Tennessee, he was, in 1823, elected to Congress, and continued a member of that body until, in 1827, he became Governor of the State of Tennessee. In 1829, before the expiration of his gubernatorial term, he resigned his office, and went to take up his abode among the Cherokees in Arkansas. During his residence among the Indians, he became acquainted with the frauds practised upon them by government agents, and undertook a mission to Washington for the purpose of exposing them. In the execution of this philanthropic project he seems to have met with little success; he became involved in several lawsuits, and returned in disgust to his savage friends. During a visit to Texas, he was requested to allow his name to be used in the canvass, for a convention which was to meet to form a constitution for Texas prior to its admission into the Mexican union. He consented, and was unanimously elected. The constitution drawn up by the convention was rejected by Santa Anna, at that time in power, and the disaffection of the Texans caused thereby, was still further heightened by a demand upon them to give up their arms. They determined

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upon resistance; a militia was organized, and Austin, the founder of the colony, was elected commander-in-chief, in which office he was shortly after succeeded by Houston. conducted the war with vigor and ability, and finally brought it to a successful termination by the battle of San Jacinto, which was fought in April, 1836. The Mexicans were totally routed, with the loss of several hundred men, while the Texans had but seven killed and thirty wounded. Santa Anna himself fell into the hands of the victors, and it was with great difficulty that they were prevented from taking summary vengeance upon him. In May, 1836, he signed a treaty acknowledging the independence of Texas, and in October of the same year, Houston was inaugurated the first president of the republic. At the end of his term of office, as the same person could not constitutionally be elected president twice in succession, he became a member of the congress. In 1841, however, he was again elevated to the presidential chair. During the whole time that he held that office, it was his favorite policy to effect the annexation of Texas to the United States, but he retired from office before he saw the consummation of his wishes. In 1844, Texas became one of the States of the Union, and General Houston was elected to the Senate, of which body he is still a member."

PIERRE SOULE.

PIERRE SOULÉ, formerly senator from Louisiana, now minister at the court of Spain, was born in France. After receiving a collegiate education, while yet in his teens, he took part in a conspiracy against the Bourbons, which fact being discovered, he fled to a small village where he assumed the humble occupation of a shepherd. At the termination of twelve months or more, he turned his steps to Paris, where he associated with Barthelemy and Mery for the purpose of publishing a liberal paper. His republican sentiments soon became distasteful to the authorities, and he was put on his trial for treason; but when his lawyer appealed to the court for clemency on the score of his youth, Soulé was displeased at this, and at once arose, denying the criminality of his conduct in strains of impassioned eloquence; but his speech did not save him, so he sought an asylum in the United States.

He landed at Baltimore, but took up his residence in New Orleans, in the fall of 1825. Having studied the English language and the law, he passed a very creditable examination, and rose rapidly in his profession. In 1847, he was elected. U. S. Senator from Louisiana, and was re-elected in 1849. He is a graceful and eloquent speaker; it is said, indeed, that the mantle of Calhoun has fallen upon his shoulders. The Blight French accent which marks his pronunciation, is as pleasant as a dash of olive oil on a dish of salad. He is a