The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-10 00:00:00

nation's policy. I could not, however, fail often and
deeply to feel, in the progress of my intercourse with
many in that country, 'come not my cool into their
secret—to their counsel, my honour, besot thou united."
.At the same time I wished never to make any compro-
mise of my opinion. I made it a point to pay special
respect to the leading Abolitionists—those wno had la-
boured or suffered in the cause—when I came within
reach of them. At Boston I committed the more overt
act of attending the annual anti-slavery fair, which
then was almost considered something of a measure. I
was much struck, in the distinguished and agreeable
companies which I had the good fortune to frequent,
with a few honourable exceptions, at the tone
of disparagement, contempt, and anger with which
the abolitionists were mentioned; just as any patrician
company in this country would talk of a Socialist or Red
Republican. I am, of course, now speaking of the free
northern states; in the south an abolitionist could not be
known to exist. My impression is, that in the subse-
quent interval, the dislike, the anger may remain, and
may, probably, have been heightened, but that the feel-
ing of slight, of ignoring (to use a current phrase) their
very existence, must have been sensibly checked. It
may be easy to speak discreetly and plausibly about the
paramount duty of not contravening the law; but how
would you feel, my countrymen, if a fugitive was at
your feet and the man-hunter at the door? I admit that
the majesty of the law is on one side; but the long deep
misery of a whole human life is on the other. What you
ought, to feel is fervent gratitude to the Power which has
averted from your shores and hearths this fearful trial, and,
let me add, a heartfelt sympathy with those who are
sustaining it. With reference to the topic I
have lately touched upon, a Slaveholders' Con-
vention was being held at, the time of my
visit to the state of Maryland. They had been led
to adopt this step by their apprehensions both of the in-
crease of the free coloured population, and what they
termed their demoralising action on the slaves. The
language, as reported, did not seem to have been very
violent, but they very nearly subjected to lynch-law a
man whom they suspected to be a reporter for an abo-
litionist newspaper. I trust we are not going to copy
that system in this country. From Baltimore I trans-
ferred myself to Washington, the seat of Government
and capital of the American Union. I never saw so
strange a place; it affords the strongest contrast to the
regularity, compactness, neatness, and animation of the
American cities I had hitherto visited. It is spread over
a very large space, in this way justifying the expression of
some one who wished to pry it a compliment, bat did not
know very well what attribute to select, so he, termed it
a " city of magnificent distances ;" and there it ex-
tends, or rather sprawls; it looks as if it had mined
houses at random, or like half a dcz;n indifferent
villages scattered over a goose common. Here
and there, as if to heighten the contrast with the mean-
ness of the rest, there are some very handsome public
buildings; and the American Capitol, the meeting-place
of the I. ,gislature and the seat of empire, though not
exempt from architectural defects, toaers proudly on a
steep ascent, which commands the subject town and the
course of the broad Potomac, which makes the only re-
deeming feature of the natural landscape- In short,
while almost every other pace which I saw in America
gives the impression of lite and progress, Washington
not only appears stagnant but retrograde. No busy
commerce circulates in its streets, no brilliant shops
diversify its mean ranges of ill-built houses; but very
few equipages move along its wide, spleehy, dreary
avenues. I saw it, too, in the /mime of its season, during
the sitting of Congress. When it is not sitting the mem-
bers of the Legislature and officers of the Government cis-
pose themselves over the breadth of the Union, and
leeee the ca vital to the clerks of the public offices, and
(noes it not seem profanation to say it?) the slaves, who
are still permitted to inhabit what should rightfully be the
metropolis of freedom. It is at least gratifying
to know that, in the last session of Congress, the
sieve trade has been abolished in the district of
Columbia, the small portion of territory imme-
diately annexed to Washington. When they are
here, the members of Congress are mostly packed
tegether in large and very inferior boarding houses, a
great portion of them not bringing their wives and
families over the immense distances they have to tra-
verse. Hence it also happens that Washington will ap-
pear to the stranger not merely one of the least thriving,
but also the least hospitable of American cities. I be-
lieve it was the policy of the founders of the Republic
to place the scat of government where it would not be
liable to be distracted by the turmoil of commerce, or
overawed by the violence of mobs; we have heard very
lately of speculations to remove the seat of the
French Government from Paris. Another cause
which has probably contributed to check any
designs for the external improvement and development
of Washington must have been the doubt how
far, in a nation which is extending its boundaries
westward at so prodigious a rate, it will be desirable or
possible long to retain as a seat of government a spot •
which will have become so little central. What gave
most interest to my stay at Washington naturally was
the opportunity of attending the sittings of Congress.
The interior of the capitol Is imposing as well as the ex-
terior. In the centre hall there were five large pictures,
illustrating the prominent points of American history,
which must be more agreeable to American than to
British eyes. There is also a fine colossal statue of
Washington, who is universally and not unduly called
the father of his country. The chamber where the Se-
nate meets is handsome and convenient. The general
aspect of the Assembly, which (es is well known) shares
largely both in the legislative and executive powers of
the Constitution, is grave and decorous. The House of
Representatives, the more popular branch of the Go-
vernment, returned by universal suffrage, assemble in a
chamber of very imposing appearance, arranged rather
like a theatre, in shape like the arc of a bow, but it is
the worst room for hearing I ever was in; we hear
complaints occasionally of our Houses of Parliament,
old and new, but they are faultless in comparison. In
parts of the house it is impossible to hear any body,
in others it answers all the purposes of a whispering
gallery, and I have heard members carry on a continu-
ous dialogue while a debate was storming around them.
Both in the Senate and in the house every member has
a most commodious armchair, a desk for his papers, and
a spitting-box, to which he does not always confine
himself. I went very often, and it was impossible to
surpass the attention I received ; some member's seat
in the body of the house was aways given to me, and
I was at liberty to remain there during the whole of
the debate, or write my letters as I chose. The palpa-
ble di- tinction between-them and our House of Commons
I should s-ey to be this we are more noisy, and they
tire more disorderly. They do not cheer, they do not
c ;ugh, but constantly several are speaking at a time,
and they evince a contemptuous disregard for the deoi-
kolas of their Speaker. They have co recognised leaders
of the different parties, the members of Government
not being allowed to have seats in either house of Con-
gress, tied the different parties do not occupy distinct
quarters in the Chamber, so that you may often bear a
furious wrangle being carried on between two nearly
contiguous members. While I was at Washington, the
question of slavery, or at least of points connected
weh slavery, gave tee chief colour and animation to
the ditca.sions in the House of Representatives. Old
Mr. Athens, the ex-President of the United States, occu-
pied, without doubt, the most prominent pesition; he
presented a very striking rppearance, standing up erect
at the age of 75, having Utica filled the highest post at-
tainuble by an American citizen, with trembling Lands
and eager eyes, in defence of the right of petition—the
right to petition against the continuance of slavery in the
district of Columbia, with a majority of the House
usually deciding against him, and a portion of it lashed
into noise and storm. I thought it was very near being,
and to some extent it was, quite a sublime position, but
it rather detracted from the grandeur of the effect at
least that his own excitement was so great as to pitch
his voice almost into a screech, and to make tern more
disorderly than all the rest. He put one in mind of
fine old game cock, and occasionally showed great
energy and power of sarcasm. I had certainly an op-
portunity of forming my opinion, as I sat through a
speech of his that lasted three days; bat then it is fair
to mention that the actual sittings hardly last above,
three hours a day—about four dinner is ready, and
they go away for the day, differing much herein from
our practice ; and on this occasion they frequently
allowed Mr. Adams to sit down to rest All the time I
believe he was not himself for the discontinuance of
slavery, even in the district of Columbia, but he con-
tended that the Constitution had acceded the free right
of petition. His brave but somewhat troublous spirit
has passed from the scenes upon which he played so
conspicuous a part, but he has left behind him some
words of fire, the sparks of which are not yet extinct.
Nothing came of all this stir; I used to meet Mr. Adams
at dinner while it went on, very calm and undisturbed,.
After seeing and hearing what takes place in some of
these sittings, one is tempted to think that the Union
must break up next morning; but the flame appeared
generally to smoulder almost as quickly as it ignited.
The debates in the Senate, during the same period, were
dignified, business-like, and not very lively; soeii may be
judged which house bad most attraction for the passing
traveller. I heard Mr. Clay in the Senate once, but
every one told me that he was labouring under feeble.. .
ness and exhaustion, so that I could only perceive the
great man in the tones of his voice. I think this most
attractive quality was still more ;perceivable in private
intercourse, as I certainly never met any public man,
either in his country or in mine, always excepting Mr.
Canning, who exercised such evident fascination
over the minds and affections of his friends and fol-
lowers as Henry Clay. I thought his society most at-
tractive, easy, simple, and genial, with great natural
dignity. When the actual list is considered, my respect
for the discernment elicited by universal suffrage does
not stand at a very high point. Another great man,
Daniel Webster, I could not hear in either House of
Congress, because he then filled, as he does now, the
high office of Secretary of State; but it is quite enough
to beam on his jutting dark brow and cavernous eyes,
and massive forehead, to be assured that they are the
abode of as much if not more intellect than any head
perhaps you ever remarked. For many, if not for all
reasons, lam well content that he should be again at
the head of the American Cabinet, fur I feel sure that
while he is ever intensely American, he has an en-
liehtenee love of peace, and a cordial sympathy with
the fortunes and glories of the old, as well as the new
Auglo-Saxon stock. The late Mr. Calhoun, who pn.•
pressed most of those who were thrown his way with
a high
his
opinion of his ability, honesty, and I may
add, his impracticability, I had not the good fortune to
to the maintenance of
known that his attachment
him
td
hear in public or meet in private society. It. is well-
s-remota °mild not be maintained without
.3.
se far as to leadp declare that real
pude. t e ct
made a brief reference to the White
Wahre'lPi.:o,4l° hers
resider of the President of the
lore who then occupied it,
'.utTnntiitw6 dh
oStut a thisea,:
L rindo
rdtstih
iMp r'desig
nated as :41a simple unaf-
fected person." 3 The last day of my abode at Wash-
ington wan spenneeteemingly at_ Mount Vernon, tha real-
mlttte,ishewreela
pdleacneeed,
oanndanwoowodthede
bgarlavaeb,ovoef
tr:eansohbinlegwPonto.