It is told
that one day when he was walking through a street of Liverpool, a navvy
said of him: "That must be a king!" On another occasion Sydney Smith
exclaimed: "Good heavens, he is a small cathedral by himself!" He was
nearly six feet tall. He had a massive head, a broad, deep brow, and
great, coal-black eyes, which once seen could never be forgotten.
He, too, was faithful in his devotion to his country. To the day of his
death he showed his deep affection for the flag, the emblem of that Union
which had inspired his noblest efforts. During the last two weeks of his
life he was troubled much with sleeplessness. While through his open
window he gazed at the starlit sky, his eyes would sometimes fall upon a
small boat belonging to him, which floated near the shore not far away. By
his direction a ship lantern had been so placed that its light would fall
upon the stars and stripes flying there. At six in the evening the flag
was raised and was kept flying until six in the morning up to the day of
Webster's death.
He died in September, 1852, only a few weeks after his great compeer,
Henry Clay. His was a master spirit, and the sorrow of his passing was
well expressed by the stranger who said, when he looked at the face of the
dead: "Daniel Webster, the world without you will be lonesome.
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