Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-02-11

watching pn1ntOnlS In the gOoui-.
wains like tile winter storms,
ef.tss f.sss a2E. iIS% issp. "a Pss. st T. .Ia as
AS my soul weeps in the shade. =
Asmy heart shIinks back with fright, -
Lake the dying. wailing year, 1
sS Down rTSm 1iS% yondey S eI1s Clouds to me "a
Comes the voice OF Anna LeeA .,,
Amongst the most agreeable "reminiscences of
this year are the visits Of Henry Clay. We were
filling an engagement in New Orleans when he
first called upon me. 1t chanced that my history
was well known TO him. He took a deep interest
in my professional exertions, aud his encourage
Inent was not sparingly bestowed. One day he
gave me glowing description of Miss O'Neaps
Juliet, especially oil the nGipete and ieryor of her
balcony scene. But when he attempted to quote
the passages which had impressed him, could
not help laughing involuntarIly at his odd deyia-
tions from the text.
'.I dare say 1 am misquoting," he remarked,
apologetically. al never could remember ailne
OF poetry" H.-
had 10 admit that his version of Juliet differed
considerably from the one which popular IrejuT
dice had adopted-nor could fatter him by
saying that he improved upon Shakespeare. 81
He then told me that 1t was singulaf fact, and
once which had been subject of regret through.
his whole lille, that he could not by any effort
~
poem by rote, in few days the lines would be
wholly effsced from the mental tablet which
they had been lnboriously wr!tten-ae related to
me an anecdote in painful illustration 7of this
popularity. He was MAXIM Some public address
think 1t was Fourth OF July oraion-during
the course of which he purpoSed quoting the well
| known lines
Who To nimsklf hath said.
This Is my own, my native iatst2'' -
Declaiming warmly, he gave enthusiastic uterance
| TO this line
| -.,,f '.Livea there a man with soul SO dead,..
But the poetic page suddenly hecame blank-he
could not remember another WORD. He paused
then repealed the line with more patriotic a:dor
than before. He thought the second line would
..come him. by means of. the rspetition-but il
came not. lie put his hand TO his foreh cad, trying
| TO think trlint the man did "whose soul was so
dead"-but the evidence of that lndiyidual's
torpid essense would not deprive itself in metre.
For The third time he asked the question emphati-
cally, not to say despairingly- -.,a-.r
''Lives there with soul SO dead"- !
and must have passed midway in his query, had
not voice from the crowd continued, in o stage
.'who to himself hath said"
The oblivious statesman caught the words, and
thankfully finished his quotation. Undetermined,
future, 10 ornament his orations with few of those
slippery gems of the poet
Our next engagement look us TO Vicksburg, but
AT its close rejoined Henry Clay board of the
Alexander Scott. We passed five days in this
floating palace on our way 10 Louisville. Henry
Clay was cheereL wherever we stopped, and an
Swering cheers were sent back from the boat. In
these the ladies' now and then joined.
| was standing beside him when we arrived at
Memphis. He turned TO me, and said stHaye you
ever appeared here?' tat....
replied in the negative. ~
| He remarked, "rLis Western Memphis makes
more gigantic progress than any town 1 know. She
will be the queen city Of the West by and by
Never pass here again without appea,ing."
| ~ 1r-6t yvnu M
1t was six years before l Memphis once
| more; but kept my word. My appearance was
rendered brief one through sudden indisposition.
remember with regret the mprobability that
| shall ever stand before genial Memphis audience
again. ~ ~
Henry Clay passed large portion Of his time IN
the ladies' saloon. The bearing OF our lofty
minded statesman, though always dgniied, was
the lowest as well as the highest. He conyersed
freely upon all subjects, and with the huency for
which he was distinguished.
| r"Aged ears played truant with his tales. q
And younsef hea ings were quite rayished
We were enc day discussing Lafayet:e's visit to
| the country. Some iocuar estimate was made of
tie number OF ladies whom he had affectionately
saluted. Clay remarked, that "kssng WINS like
the Preside ncy; it was not to be sought, and not
10 be deeLined." The natural inference from this
| remark, was that he would not oppose the wishes
OF his party if they again offered his name as n
presidential candidate. The CONCLUSION did.not
prove erroneous. ~ Eg-s-1 Etfs EzgEE<St =
He recountedto me,a number of. anecdotes q
illustrative of the manner in which his friends
demonstrated their grief at the great W hig defeat.
of the most pathetic of these stories had still
such of the ludicrous, Lut he seemed to eelmost
dee lily III. manifestations of attachment Of which
he was tn object.
/! Many o!,-z,e passengers exerted themselves to
entertIin iS. ow. traveller whom every one SEEM
ed 10 tIeal as his particular and honored guest;
but none contrIhuel 50 largely TO his amusement
as Mr.. Davenport. dc sung comic, patriotic and
sentimental songs, and ,ecited humorous sketches
III which i've SIX different cha acters were per-
sonated One evening he entertd the saloon dis
guised as a down east Yankee i must say, by
way of parenthess, that his Yankee was n stage
representation OF Yankee ia1d--a broad bItt telling
caicature of the reality. hs wore a big red wig,
striped pantaloons that maintnined respectable
distance from his ancles. a short jscset, am, +,
fame colored crayat. Hecarried hi hands lts&:f,
thrust IN his pockets, though q. iiaf an eri.
dent inclination to approach bis knees. His .tf,
a-long" gait could only have originated in ], ew
England. 80 ss
He was not recognized when he entered the
cabin: The passengers supposed him TO be some
person who had just come on beard. He COM
me eilcsd talking, with asa in:onation. IN i loud
aud familiar manner. and asking oceans of ques-
tions. He gave Mr. Mowatt (who was in the Sc
cet) nudge, and accosted tbIm with, Stranger,
hear that's Harry Clay, guess I'll scrape. an
acquaiutance with him. if you IL 10 the polite
ihlng.'' js&8 fs R .-ssi3..si II.
MIR. Mowatt presented the Yankee gentlemanto
Mr.. Clay. Tbe lmpudent speeches ofSthe down
easter to the chest representative of Republican
royalty as the Yankee designated the statesman,
lconvulSed the passengers with laughter. - mn
Mr.. Clay juined in the contagious merrimeht.-
Dreadlng that these personalities might give offence,
took occasion 10 whisper 10 him the Yankees
history. and the name which he inherited fromhis
father. Mr.. Claytheartiiy lent himself to the joke.
ea On the day that We reached Louisville. the pas
n eo,,f NJ.