Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 15.pdf/345

 Rh

of his attempts to "set to rights the embar rassed and disjointed relations of the two countries," and soon thereafter returned to the United States. He arrived in Annapolis in the following June. Much the same events thereupon trans pired as on the occasion of his first return from England.' He took up again with strengthened powers his temporarily deserted profession, and as before soon received sub stantial tokens of the confidence and respect of the people both of his own State and of his country. His election to the Maryland Sen ate was followed in a short time by his ap pointment by President Madison as Attor ney-General of the United States. He en tered at once on the congenial duties of the latter office, and found many cases of a famil iar nature awaiting his attention. He exhib ited in the discharge of his business as Attor ney-General a "force of argument and elo quence, and an extent of learning which raised him at once in the public estimation to the head of the American Bar." The pregnant and vital questions of the politics of the day enlisted his active partici pation, and it was at this period that under the name of "Publius" he wrote the influen tial pamphlet in which he declared "the war with England — irreproachably just." He ably traced the course and nature of Britain's preposterous claims; clearly stated England's theory of perpetual allegiance, and its harm ful acts, and called on Maryland and the (whole country to support the administration in its just and honorable attitude. The passage of a bill in Congress by whicfi the Attorney-General was required to reside at the seat of government, made it necessary for Mr. Pinkney either to give up many of liis interests, or to resign the office he held as director of the national law affairs. The lat ter he decided to do, and in 1814, again re tired to private practice with the most sincere expressions of esteem and friend ship from President Madison, who attested

his regret at losing so efficient an officer. Soon after his resignation he was engaged on one of his most celebrated cases, that of the claims of a certain Mr. Pinto of Buenos Ayres for recovery of neutral property, seized on board the British ship Nereide, which was tried before the Supreme Court. In his de cision in the case Mr. Chief Justice Marshall, although he overruled Mr. Pinkney's argu ments, paid a flattering tribute to his mas terly and eloquent conduct of the case. During the war of 1812 Mr. Pinkney showed the sincerity of his former advocacy of the war by actually engaging in the de fence of his country, and at Bladensburg, while acting as major of a battalion of rifle men attached to the Third Brigade of the Maryland militia, was severely wounded. His military service was, however, merely inci dental. In 1815, he added to the duties of his lucrative practice the obligations of Congress man from Maryland, elected from Baltimore. Extraordinary diligence was the supreme characteristic of this rarely endowed man. He took considerable part in the debates of the House, especially on the subject of thc Commercial Convention of 1815 between the ' United States and Great Britain, but his chief interest was for his profession, and when, in March. 1816, he resigned his place as congressman, he felt as though he had been negligent of his trust, and had not lived up to his responsibilities. His acceptance at this time of a foreign mission was dictated by the necessity of respite from the "anxious days and sleepless nights" which his enthusiastic interest in his work entailed. Furthermore, he desired greatly to jee Italy. He wished to visit that classic land, the study of whose poetry and eloquence, as he expressed it, was the charm of his life, and from whose shores he hoped to return to his work with renewed enthusi asm and added power for public speaking. His first mission was to visit the Neapolitan