Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-09-24

KossUTH AND HIS FRIENDS.

publishes an interesting letter from an A
. merican artist-Mr. Walter Gould-in ref
erence to the exiled Hungarian PATRIOTS
Wishing to pant the portraits Of Kossutl
and the other chiefs, Mr.. Gould obtained
! through the influence of the British Ambas
sador lour Minister being absent,) lette
of introduction sc. from one of the Turklsl
Ministers of State to Suleiman Bey, the
Governor or gaoler of the refugees IN tht
citv of Kutahia, Asia Minor. The city il
four days journey from Constantinople; ant
is situated in beautiful plain, called the
. "Valley of the Sultan" Mr.. Gould writes
from Kutahia, July 9th, 1851, and the fol-
lowing is an extract from his letter:
The next morning after my arrival, the
Bey sent me his own Interpreter, who SAID
he was ordered to conduct me wherever
pleased to 60, and to attend me whenever
should want him to do so. | called first
upon Gen. Pertzel, then upon Count Bath
any, Gen. Wysowski the Pole) and lastly
upon Kossuth himself ! was received very
kindly bv all of them /; by Kossuth, very
warmly. He expressed great pleasure at
seeing citizen of America, the only coun-
try which had shown any real sympathy
for Hungary, and to which the civilized ma
tions of the world looked for example and
support in their struggles for independence;
the country whose institutions were the ire
est and best adapted to free people of any
that had been founded within the history Of
man. was astonished to find him so ia
m;l;ar with our constitution, laws and gen.
eral habits. He has read great deal up
on America and has evidently thought still
more. He is versed in our politics, knows
all parties, their principles, their leaders,
and, in short, understands the genius OF the
people, perhaps better than any other Euro
pean living. He seldom mentions Ameri-
ca without expressing his gratitude for the
interest she has shown for himself, his fol-
lowers, and above all, for their glorious
cause. He last evening sketched me
rough draught of the situation of the Hun
parian, Russian and Austrian forces, and of
his plan of operations, at the time OF the
traitor Georgey's surrender. OF course,
am ignorant of military affairs, but his ex-
plantations were so clear, and his plans SO
we'll laid and matured, that as far as my
poor understanding allowed me to judge,
they seemed certain to ensure success, not
only in driving the Austrian and Russian
from Hungary, but IN giving freedom to
Poland, in securing the independence of It.
ally, in crushing the power of the House OF
Hapsburg, and in giving liberty to the Aus
trian people. All these brilliant hopes were
blasted hy the treachery of one man-the
man whose fortunes he had made, who re-
paid his kindness with treacheIy to his BEN
efactor and the country. l have been hls
(Kossuth's) guest for nearly three weeks,
have seen much of him during that time,
and have had great deal of conversation
with him.
have grown so,fond Of hearing him talk,
that the conversation of other men seems
almost insipid. He seems to have read and
thought a great deal on almost every SUBJ
iect, and yet betrays no pretentions to knowl-
edge. There is more simplicity, franknesS,
honesty, manly bearing and energy in Kos
suth, than in any other man | have met
I do not believe he harbors one ambitious
thought beyond the deliverance of his ma
tive land. "God knows my hear" said he
upon one occasion, "and let Him Judge the
purity of my intentions. Ifthere be anoth-
er man ready to act faithfully the part
which nv country has called upon me to
act, let him, in Gods name, take my place,
and that he may prosper in the good work
will be my daily prayer Let me but once see
my country like your own, tree as God IN
tended it should be, and will willingly
give up my poor life-aye, even sacrifice
| It, if necessary, to attain their independ-
ence."
His first political act was an attempt to
free the Hungarian press. For this he was
imprisoned three years, nearly half OF which
was passed without book, pen or paper to
relieve his solitude. His kind goalers then
told him he might have one book, but only
one. He asked for Shakespeare, and then
begged as great favor that they would IN
clude dictionary. They complied, and he
set to work on the first page of the great po,
ct, and did not leave it for second, until
he perfectly understood every word ana SO s.,
with the next, and so with the next until
he became fully acquainted with the Ian
guage. He speaks English with ease, but
with defective pronunciation-always ell
oouently. In stature, the Governor-presl-
dent, as his followers still call him, and as
he still signs himself, (and if all l hear be
true, he is more than ever so, for they say
his word even from here, in the interior OF
Asia Minor, is law at home)-in stature ne
is about the medium height. His head ls
large and massive, and his melancholy face
lit up by an expressive, full, quick eye. he
wears large beard and thick mustache'
neither of which, however, can hide the en-
ergy and irrnness expressed in his mouth
and chin. :,
have succeeded in getting an excellent
likeness of the Magyar chief, which pleases
him and his family so much,that they have
desired to make them copy of it. This
consider to be the highest compliment my
picture could receive. have also painted
Sulelman Bey, Gen. Wysowski, and one OF
Kossuth's suite, Berzenzy. Tomorrow |
shall commence the portraits of Count Bahl-
any, and Gen. Pertzel, both men of mark IN
the Hungarian cause. My pictures and
sketches have all given satisfaction: feel
myself already more than half paid, for my
trouble in the pleasure have had IN the
company of, and in the attention nave re-
ceiyed from all the Hungarians and poes
detained here. They have done everything
to render my stay agreeable, and wish me
to remain until the promised time OF their