The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-07-03
HoNoRs TO MR.. CLAY.

loeistic addresses than has ever been Know"
on any similar occasion. From them we l'aNe
a few short extracts, feeling convinced "a'
they will be far more acceptable TO our read
era than ANYTHING we could supply OF our
own.
The frs, extract which we shall make is
from the speech of Mr.. Underwood, and we
select i, for the uncommon fidelity OF the pic
ture which il presents. 1t is the living likeness
of the man. 80 conec; that il cannot he mis-
taken, and in it may be detected the secret of
his greatness:
"No man was ever blessed by his Creator
with faculties of higher order of excellence
than those given to Mr.. Clay. In the quick
ness of his perceptions, and the rapidly with
which his conclusions were formed, he had few
EQUALS and no superior. He was eminentiy
endowed with a nice discriminating taste tor
order, symmetry and beauty. He detected IN
a moment everything out OF place or denc'eh1
in his room, upon his iarm, IN his own Oh ~ 'ne
dress of others. He was a skllful Judge OF tne
form and qualities of his domestic animais'
which he delighied 10 raise on MS 'afh' !
could give YOU instances of the quickness anu
minuteness of his keen faculty OF observation
which never overlooked anything. want OF
peatness and order was offensive to MN. ne
was particular and neat IN his handwriting alu
his apparel. A slovenly blot or negligence ol
any sort met his condemnation; WINE TIC "os
so organized that he attended to, ana arfahged
love for nentness. order and beauty, his intel
lectual faculties grasped all the SUBJECTS OF !u'
,isprndence and politics with faciiity
amounting almost to intuition. As lawyer,
he stood at the head OF his profession, AS d
statesman. his stand at the head OF the Repub-
.lican Wing party for nearly half century, es'
tabIshes his title to pre-emlnence among MS
illustrious associates. A.,
Mr.. Clay was deeply versed IN all the springs
of human action. He had read and studied
biography and history. Shortly after ! lett
college, / had occasion to call on him in
Frankfort, where he was attending court, and
well remember to have found him with Flu
tarch's Lives in his hands. No one better than
he knew how to avail himself OF human mo-
tiyes, and all the circumstances which sur
rounded sabject, or could present them with
more force and skill to accomplish the object
of an argument.
"Bold and determined as Mr.. Clay was in all
his actions, he was, nevertheless, c0ncillatlng.
He did not obstinately adhere to things ian
practicable. 1.-The could not accomplish the
best, he contented himself with the nearest ap-
proach to it. He has been the great compro
miser OF those political agitatons and opposing
opinions which have, in the belief of thousands,
at different times, endangered the perpetuity OF
our Federal Government and Union"
To those admirers of the ilustrious dead,
who feel how much more important than all
that earth can give, is the christians hope up
on the bed of death, the following narrative OF
MIR. Underw God must appear deeply interest
ing:
"Mr. Clay, from the nature of his disease,
declined very gradually. He bore bis pro,
tracted sufferings with great equaninlity and
patience. On one occasion he SAID to me that
when death was inevitable and must soon
come. and when the sufferer was ready TO die,
he did not perceive the wisdom of pray ing to
he "delivered from sudden DEATH" He thought
under such circumstances the sooner suffering
was relieved by death the better. He desired
the termination of his own suffsrings, while he
acknowledged the duty of patiently waiting
and abiding the pleasure of God. Mr.. Clay
frequently spoke to me of his hope Of eternal
life, founded on the merits of Jesus Christ as a
saviour; who, as he remarked, came into the
world to bring "lfe and Immortality to ight."
He was a member Of the Episcopalan Church.
In one of our conversations he told me that
as his hour of dissolution approached, he
found that his affections were concentrating
more and more upon his domestic circle-his
wife and children. In my daily visits he was
in the habit Of asking me to detail to him the
transactions of the Senate. This did, and he
manifested much interest in passing occur
rences. His inquiries were less frequent as
his end approached. For the week preceding
he al ho Ill tharo I,c
from the concerns of the world. hen he be.
came SO low that he could not converse with
out being fatigu he frequently requested
those around him to converse. He would then
quietly listen. He retained his mental facul.
ties in great perfection. His memory remained
perfect. He frequently mentioned events and
conversations OF recent occurrence, showing
that he had perfect recollection of what as
said and done. He said to me that he was
grateful to God for continuing to him the bles-
:. sing ofreason, which enabled him to contem-
plate and reflect on his situation. He mani
tested during his confinement the same charac.
teristics which marked his conduct through
the vigor of his life. He was exceedingly
averse TO giving his friends "trouble," as he
called il. Some time before he knew il, we
commenced waiting through the night in an
adjoining room. He said 10 me, after passing
painful day, "perhaps some one had better
remain all night in the parlor." From this
time he knew some friend was constantly at
hand ready to attend to him.
"With christians there is yet nobler and a
higher thought in regard TO Mr.. Clay. They
will think Of him in connexion with eternity.
They will contemplate his immortal spirit oc
cupying its true relative magnitude among the
moral stars of glory in the presence OF Cod
They will think of him as having fulfilled the
duties allotted 10 him on earth, having been
regenerated by Divine grace, and having
passed through the valley of the shadow of
death, and reached an everlasting and happy
home in that house not made with hands, eter-
nal in the heavens"
Gen Cass followed Mr.. Underwood. The
terms in which he speaks of Mr.. Clay are
scarcely less eulogistic than those EMPLOYED
By the FIRST named gentleman. We give a
short extract:
ale has passed beyond the reach of human
praise OF censure, but the judgment of his
contemporaries has preceded and pronounced
the Judgment of history. and his name and fame