The true Democrat., 1854-08-09
Sir Charles Napier.

the stand.
 Sir Charles Napier.
 In the Charlestown (Va.,) Spirit of Jefferson we find letter from Copenhagen, written pro- bably by Mir. Bedinger, charge at that place. We take the following extracts from this letter which is curious in several particulars:-
 For week or two past, the British fleet was anchored within twenty miles of this place, and many persons from here availed themselves of the opportunity to see 1t. Admiral Sir Charles Napier has made us two or three visits, and on Saturday last had the honor of dining with him at Mir. Buchanan's, the English minister, (don't confound him with our Mr. Buchanan at London!D The commander of the British Bal tic fleet Is gentleman in the sxty-ninth year of his age, but to all appearance, as stout and hearty as need be. The Admiral has rather hard features and stern expression of face
 The place assigned me at the dinner table, (your place in this part of the world is assigned you, upon all occasions, and you must be care- tul not to take any place that is not assigned youD was on the left hand of the |" Lon'' him. self, so that l had good opportunity of con- versing with and listening to him during the two hours and a half which the dinner lasted. l found him intelligent affable and agreeable, and quite disposed to talk, particularly about our country and people. He spoke much, and asked me many questions about the United States; he was in the British fleet at the taking of Alexandria during the war of 1912, witnessed the capture of Washington city, and the famous battle of the "White House." etc. He gave me some amusing and interesting incidents of those days; and, among other things, he de- scribed certain marvellous achievements per formed by the Baltimore clippers, which he sad he had never yet seen equalled by any other vessels. "Why, sir,' he said, those fellows were the most daring rascalsI ever saw in my life; assure you they seemed to care no more for us thanif they had been wild ducks and could dive as we'll as fly.
 "They would sail near us and past us, and around us, as If taunting us to attempt the cap- ture Of them; which, indeed, we often did, but we might just as we'll have undertaken to cap- ture sea.gulls. However, we did catch one of them; she was little too daring, and by un- dertaklng a certain maneuvre (which Sir Charles described at length, but which am not sailor enough to gi we to you,) she got aground and we got her. She was splendid model, a splendid craft; l assure you she was perfect beauty" etc.
 After while, as 1 had anticipated, our con- versation turned upon the subject of slavery. The English like to talk upon that subject The admiral asked me if I did not believe it would soon be abolished in the Southern States of our Union. 1 replied that hoped and be- lieved not; and 1 thought its abolition much less probable now than it had ever been; that the shareholder had firmer grasp upon his slave now than he has ever held before and that 1 regarded that fact as a subject of con- graduation, not to the South alone, but to the whole world, masmuch as 1 regarded the insti- tuition of slavery, as it exists with us, as most conservative in its tendencies and most bene- hcial in its results, not only to the whites but to the negroes also.
 He seemed somewhat astonished, and said he had always supposed that everybody admitted it to be curse, and that the only obstacle to its abolition was the danger and difficulty of hberatlng so many negroes in our midst 1 told him was aware that such was the gene- rally received opinion, but that it was erroneous; that the frequent discussions of the subject had displayed it in its true light to the majority of sensible persons with us, and had demonstrated the fact, that so far from being curse, st soas peculiar blessing vouchsqfed by baaefcent Providence, as soeU to be doomed arabstants of u- happy Atr1ca as to daeir masters, the more trtu- r'ate aoites, etc. "Ah, but" he replied, 'it must be attended with many evils, with great suffer- ing and much brutality" and here he repeated many of the thrice-refuted islanders and false- hoods upon the subject, which every English man has pat at his fingers ends.
 replied, that knew of scarcely anything good in this world that was not liable to abuse and attended with a certain portion of evil- An6 oc IL wards the slaves, I said, "Ithink it very proba- bic, Sir Charles that ill the course of your long experience you have witnessed as much brutali- ty in the British navy, as you would have wit messed had you spent your life in the midst of the shareholders of Virginia" He said, "1 dare say, l dare say-God knows Pve seen enough; there was time when sailors had to be treated almost like brutes, but that time is past, and one can get along now by treating them diferently y-still all that is not like slave ry; slavery cannot be justified or defended."- s'But," said I, |" like the condition of the Bri- tsh sailor, the condition of the slave is becom- ing amelorated and improved, every day of the world, and if his yoke is at this day galling in the least it is only because his ruthless ene- mies the abolitionists, have forced his master to tighten it upon his neck" He returned to the attack and quoted "Uncle Tom's Cabin" But taat you kuoa0," said l. 'is huge collection ef talsehoods."
 "I will admit" ;" said he "that itmay contain exaggerations, but there must be some founda- tion in truth for the story it tells" Yes. ; said ], "such foundation as I could easily find for writing book condemning the institution of marriage as it exists in England at present For the last six or eight months pastthere seems to have existed among our people perfect