Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1852-02-12
= kossUra AND Mr.. CLAY.

Sehet1t lisFrtSt IN The country, and the tePolt q
4 Aisherp giFen 70 The public have been somewhat
inaecurase. and. al TIE tesi imperfect
The company pressrs ca The occasion consisted
st Senator'S Cas- ppaes, 81 Tenpessee, Mr. Fen
dallsof this city. ard he Hon. Presley Ewing, 81
Kentucky. The lask-named gentleman has been
sndneeds AZ The instance al several persons, and
with he consent Of Mt Clay, 70 give more ex-
Fnced ahe careful report Of the Interview and -
peciaily of Air Clay IS Eemafks, which we publish
Below, and which may he regarded As authentic,
having, besides the authority Of Mr.. Ewing, fhe
sanction 81 Senator JOKES, b whom the fePor has
been examined ard approved
NJ. Hpssalh was introduced b. Mr.. Cas- at a
Don't three O'Clock
On being presented u SIR. Clay, who rose 70 e
eeiFe him, Sir said be, " l thaEk Yen for The
honor vi this interview
8. i bag ypn 10 believe said Mr. Clay, intef-
ripping him, that il Is who am honoFed. Will
yoa be pleasedio be seated r.
After tie mutual interchange OF ciFiities, " owe
you, sir said Mr.. Clay, an apology fer not hay
ing aceeted before 10 tne dssire yon were kind e
uough ID intimate more than once. to see me. But
really rnyhealth has been 50 feeble that did lot
dare to hazard the excitement OF SO Interesting an
interview! Besides, sir be added with some
pleasantly, /" your wonderful and fascinating eo-
quenee has mesmerized so largeAa portion Of our
people, wherever you have gone, ard even some Of
our members Of Congress, wayiag his hand to-
wardsthetw or three gentlemen who were present.
:. that feared 70 come under lis influence, lest you
might shake my faith 10 some principles-in regard
10 the foreign policy OF this government, which
have lon and constantly cherished And 10 regard
TO this matter. you win allow me, I;hope, 10 speak
with that sincerity ard candof which becomes The
interest the subject has for ron and Tor self and
which Is due TO BOTH as Tie votaFes OF freedom.
trust onIwill believe me too whom tell you that
entertain ever the iivse5f synpathies in every
Struggle Tot liberty In hgafy, anu in every coun-
J. Try Ard In this Ibelieye, express the universal
Il sentiment Of my coua.frmen But sir, for the sake
I Of my county, you must allow me to protest
| against the policy you propose 10 Der. waving
/ the grave andmomenIous questieno Of tue right o.
/ one nation 10 assnnne the executive power among
nations fit the enforcement of international law, or
of the right ofthe United States dictate TO Russia
\ the character of her relations with The nations
round her, lei come al once 10 the plaeiica con-
Il sderation of the matter.
You tell us yourself, with great truth and pro.
Il priety, that mere sympathy or the expression of
sympathy, cannot advance your purposes. You
N require material aid And indeed il is manifest
that The mere declarations OF the sympathy Of Con-
gress pr bf the President OF the public would be
4 of little avail unless we are prepared to enforce
those declarations by resort TO arms, and unless
other nations could see that preparation and deter
4 minalion Upon our part. Well, sir suppose that
war should be the Issue oi4the COURSE you propose
us could we then effect any thing for you, our-
I selves, of the cause Of liberty T0transpoFt men
/ and arms across the ocean in sufficient numbers
| and quantities to be effective against Russia ard
! Austria would be impossible. Il is a fact which
perhaps may not be generally Known, that the most
/ imperative reason with Great Britain for the close
of hef last war with us, was The immense cost Of
4 the Transportation and maintenance Of forces and
the munitions OF warion such distant theatre, and
\ vet she had not perhaps more than thirty thousand
Il men upon this coutinent at any time Upon land
l Russil Isl iuyHlnerabe TO US, as5We arr 10 her
4 Upon the ocean a warsbetween Russia and This
II country would result in hesmutual annoyance 10
commerce, but probably in little else. learn re-
Gently thai her marine is superior 10 that Of any
Il nation id Europe except perhaps Great Britain Her
Il ports are few her commerce limited while We, on
our part would offer as prey 10 her cruisers rich
\ and extensive commerce
Titus sir after edecting nothing in such war
1 after abandoning our ancient policy~St amity aRC
non-interFention in the affairs Of other nations and
thus lustiEying them in abandoning theterms OF for
| bearance and non-interterence, which they have
hthertos preserved towards us after the downfall
perhaps of the friends of liberal institutions in Eu
/ rope her despots Initiating and provoked by oul
fatal example, may turn upon us IN the hour Of ou
weakpess and exhaustion and with an almost e
qnall9 Irresistible force OF arms they may say Il
u.s. You have set the example you have quit you
own to stand7on foreign ground, you have aban
Goned the policy ION protessed in the day Of you
weakness TO interfere in the affairs Of the people
upon this continent in behalf Of those principles
your Prosperity, % your existence. Vein az,
iirn monareAical principles ar,
esse1iialto to, the peace, security, and happiness o
our Subjects, will oblerate the bed which has nouF
| ished such noGiouS weeds We will crush Won
as the prppagandiss Of doctrines so destructive o
the Heaee and good order Of ifbe world The in
domtable spirit of our people might, and would BE-
equaltb she emergency and we might remain I'M
yu25reaj 'eyen BY 50 Tremendous a c6nbination
but tbeEconsequenees to US would betcrfiHe enough
~ ll.sttr a. AZ,
feel deeply, though my opinion may be Ok lille i'm
| port,ihs The expression ct a dying man.
Sir The recent melancholy snhversion Of the re-
publican government Of France, and that cnlight
/ ened nation voluntarily placing its neck under thC
i yoke of Gespotism teach us 10 despair OF any pres
ent Success for liberal institutions in Europe; il
| gives us an pressive warning not to rely upor
others t0r the vindicaton of ourspfnciples but te
! look toH ourselves. and to- cherish with more care
than ever the security of our institutions aud the
| preservation of our policy and principles. BY The
! policy {owhich we have adhered since the DAYS OF
/ Washington, we have prcspered. beyond prece.
| dent 1--WE have doHe more for the cause OF Liberty
/ in the world than arms could effect; we have
/ showh 10 other nations the way ID greatness and
! happiness. And III We hut continue united as one
/ people, and perseveTe in the policy which our
! experience has clearly and triumphantly vindi-
cateds we may in another quarter Of century fur
nish example which the reason Of the world can
not resist. But If we should involve ourselves in
the tangled web of European politics, in a war in
which We could effect nothing; and ii in that strug-
gle Hungary should go down, and we should 20
down with her, where then would be the last hope
OF the friends OF freedom throughout the world a.
Far tetter is il for ourselves, for Hungary and for
the cause of liberty that adhering 10 our wise pa
ciic system and avoiding the distant wars Of Eu-
rope, we should keep our lamp burning brightly on
this western shore, as light % all palons than 10
hazard ids utter extinction amid the ruins of falling
or fallen republics in Europe"
Thrnnohauf Mr. CLAWS remarLs M K oss,,,L IL: