New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-04


resisting the spell Of his eloquent attractions.--
When the actual list Is Considered, ny respect
far the discernment elected By universal slirlga
does not stand at a very high point Aaotnes
great man, Daniel Webster, could not near IN
e;tber Vonse of Congress, because he then lied,
.s ba does now. the high Office OF Secretary II
state but il is quite enough 20 look on his ut
ting dark brow and cayernOus eyes and massiye
forehead. 10 be assured that they are the tooda
~ az much. If not more intellect than oty cad
Won perhaps ever remarked
Isee many. if mott for al reasons ana wei on
tent that he should be again at the heea ol ina
American Cabinet tor feel sure that while Aels
ever intensely American, he has an enii5 .rneo
love of peace, and a cordial sympathy WIN INC
fortunes and glories of the Old as well as the new
Anelo.Saxon stock. The lsto Mr.. Cah0al. VINO
impressed most of those VINO were thro" IN nlA
way with a high opinion OF MS AFFINITY ms '2les
~, and may add, his mpcsctlcaoulIy, hsh nCa
the good fortune to hear in public, or meet IN prl-
vate society. 1t is well known that his attack
mept 10 the maintenance OF Slavery went so tsk
as 10 lie ad him to declare that real freedom c)ud
not be maintained without Il. Among those VINO
at that time contributed both to the creait anu
saetv of the society Of w sshington, cannot Tor
bear from adding the name OF Mr.. LegaFe then
the Attorney General Of the Union, now unhappt-
w. like too many of those whom have had occas
sion to mention, no longer living. he appeared
10 me the best scholar and the most generally ac-
cOmDlshed man met III All tuC NUN tHeJ
feel biased in his favor, for lind among my en'
tries, Mr.. Legare spoke to night of Pope as he
ought. ,
spent a fortnight at Charleston, the capital OF
her more energetic sister, South Carolina ms
town and State may be looked upon as the head'
quarters of the Slaveholdug interest; and re-
peatedly, when they have thought the pDhcy OF
the North too encroaching iether upon ques.ons
relating to what they term their peculiar msaVu.
tons which is their cuphonious description or
Slavery or when we should feel ulster synlpa'
thy with them upon questions relating To the pro-
lection of the Northern manufactures IN Oppose
tion 10 liberal commercial policy, they have not
only held the very highest tone In favor OF a dig
solution of the Union but have proceeded 90
overt acts of resistance. l am bound 10 say that
l spent my time there very pleasantly Ihcra
was much gaiety and unbounded hospitality 1
have made no disguise of whist my opinions 1pou
Slavery were, are, and ever must be Out IL
would be uncandid TO deny that the planter IN tno
Southern States has much more In his mauner
and mode of intercourse that resembles the I'm
elish country gentleman than any other c'ass OF
his countrymen; he is more easy companlOuaoles
fond of country life and OUT of door pursuits.
went with a remarkably agreeable party 70 spend
a day at the rice plantation OF one OF their chlet
proprietors; he had the credit OF being an eNcei'
lent manager and his negroes, young an1 oius
seemed well taken care OF and looked aileri ne
repelled the idea, not Of educating them-that Us
them have any religious instruction. Twas told oy
Others that there was considerable improvementn
this respect. Many whom | met entertained NO
doubtthat Slavery would subslst among the lorev-
err others were inclined to think thatlt would wear
out While | was willing not TO shut my eyes TO
any of the more favorable external symptoms or
mtigatons of Slavery, other indications could not
come across my path without producing deep 70.
pugnnnce. On the very first night of my arrival
| heard the deep sound OF a curiew bell ON lnquf'
~ | was told that after 1t had sounded oVery
night at about nine o'clock, no colored person,
slave or free-mark that!-might be seen in tha
streets. One morning. accordingly, saw great
crowd OF colOred persons In the street, and tounG
they were waiting to see large number OF theu
color, who had been taken up the night before on
their return from ball. escorted in their ball dress-
es from the gso to the court house Indeed, ii
was almost principally with relation 30 the Tree
blacks that the anomalous and indefenslble work.
ing of the system appeared there to develop tseli'
/ was told thatthe slaves themselves looked do"n
upon the free blacks, and called them rubbish.
must not omit to state that | saw one slave aue'
ton in the open street, arising from the insoven.
cy of the previous owner crowd stood found
the platform, which sat the auctloneer, aud be.
side him were placed IN succession the otsof
from one 10 five negroes. The families seemed 20
be all put up together but / imagine they must
often be separated. They comprised infants and
all ages. As far as / could Judge, they exhibited
great Indifference TO their changing destiny. l
heard the auctoneer tell one old man, whomI
could have hardly distinguished from a white per.
son. mat he had been bought by good MASTER
One could not help shudiering at the flrure lot
OF those who were not the subjects OF this con-
graduation. Ia point OF ueatuess, cleanliness add
order the Slayeholding States appeared ~ stand
in about the same relation TO the Free as and
does to England; everything appears SLOW ally,
illansnged, incomplete windows do not hat,
doors do not fasten there is a superabunda0re OF
hands to do everything, and little is thoroughly
done.
Passing from the physical to the moral a.aos-
pbere, amid all the Wanted equality oi tho
American ireemen, there seemed 10 be a more i'm.
pllcit difference to custom, more passive SUBJ
mission to what is assumed TO be the public opn-
ion Of the day or hour, than would be paralelsdin
many aristocratic or even despotc communities.
This quiet acquescence in the prevailing tone,
this complete abnegation Of individual sentiment,
is naturally most perceptbe in the domain OF poll.
tics; but thought that it also in no inoonsdes.
bic degree peryaded the social circle, biass I'd tho
decisions Of the judicial bench and even infected
the solemn teachings OF the pulpit To this source
may probably in some measure, be traced the re.
markabe similarity in the manners, department,
conversation, and tone OF feeling which has 20
generally struck travellers from abroad in Aineri-
can society. Who that has seen can ever forget
the slow and melancholy silence of the couples
who walk arm.inarm to the tables Of the sreat
hotels, or of the unsocial groups who gather round
the greasy meals Of the steamboats,, lap up tina
five minutes meal, come like shadows, so depart!
One of their able public men made an observation
to me, which struck me as pungent, and perhaps
true, that il was probably the country in which
there was less misery and less happiness than In
any other of the world.
lf we ascend from social to political lie, and
from manners to institutions. we should ind that
the endless cycles Of electioneering prepa -atons
and contests, although they may be carried on foe
the most part without the riotous turbulence or
overt bribery by which they are sometimes too
VIGOROUSLY disgraced among ourselves, still Ieave
no intermission for repose in the public mind;