Perley's reminiscences of sixty years in the national metropolis, v. 1-2 — Text and Context

A Journalist’s Vantage Point

Poore’s preface establishes his method: he writes from personal recollection, not from official records. He describes gathering “waifs” from conversation and gossip, a phrase that signals a deliberately informal, anecdotal approach. The excerpts show him weaving together floor speeches, procedural maneuvers, and physical details—such as the “heavy stone-ware spittoon” that Representative Covode grabbed during a 1856 House brawl. Poore’s voice is that of a seasoned observer who knows the chamber’s rhythms and the personalities of its members. He notes that after the fight, “gentlemen of opposite parties crossed over to each other to explain their pacific dispositions,” a remark that captures both the tension and the theatricality of congressional life.

The Kansas Debate and a Near-Brawl

The longest excerpt describes a dramatic all-night session in the House of Representatives over the Kansas question, likely in 1856. Poore recounts how a “severe but accidental blow” from Representative Grow struck Reuben Davis of Mississippi, and how Covode seized a spittoon with intent to “brain” someone. The scene is rendered with novelistic detail: the packed galleries “like boxes of Smyrna figs,” the conciliatory prayer by Rev. Dr. Sampson, and the careful choreography of tellers counting votes. Poore notes that order was restored by “mutual explanations and a hearty laugh,” and that the final vote—114 to 113—gave the North a narrow victory. The episode illustrates Poore’s talent for turning parliamentary procedure into vivid narrative.

The Vote That Decided the Kansas Question

Poore’s account of the vote itself is a masterclass in suspense. He names the tellers—Buffington of Massachusetts and Craige of North Carolina—and describes them shaking hands before counting. The roll call becomes a parade of recognizable figures: “Father Giddings, crowned with silvery locks,” led the Republicans, followed by Burlingame, Henry Winter Davis, John Sherman, and others. The Southern Democrats were headed by “the attenuated Stephens” (Alexander H. Stephens). Poore notes that the Speaker’s voice “hesitated” when announcing the result, and that the final tally was 113 to 114 against the Southern position. The passage ends with the terse statement: “The North was at last victorious.” This is not analysis but reportage, yet it conveys the high stakes of the moment.

Facsimile Signatures and Biographical Sketches

Each chapter in the original volumes concludes with a facsimile autograph and a brief biography of a notable figure. The excerpt includes one such sketch for Howell Cobb, born in Georgia in 1815, a former Speaker of the House and later a Confederate leader. These appended biographies serve as a kind of dramatis personae, anchoring the anecdotes to real careers. Poore’s method is cumulative: the reader encounters a name in the narrative, then finds a compact life story at the chapter’s end. This structure reinforces the memoir’s dual identity as both a personal recollection and a reference work. The facsimile signatures add a tactile, authenticating element, reminding the reader that these were living, signing individuals.

Readers approaching these volumes should expect a sprawling, episodic narrative rather than a linear history. Poore’s strength lies in his eye for the telling detail—the spittoon, the hesitant Speaker, the handshake between tellers. The work rewards those who dip in and out, following a name or an event across chapters. The facsimile signatures and biographical sketches offer a useful guide to the cast of characters, but the real pleasure is in Poore’s voice: dry, observant, and occasionally wry.

Reading Perley’s Reminiscences, I lingered on how quietly power works behind closed doors—the whispered deals, the unrecorded motives. That same hush drifts through Secret history of the English occupation of Egypt — Story, Setting & Ideas, another world where official accounts never tell quite everything. Both left me feeling like a guest who’s caught a glimpse of the back staircase, then politely looked away.