Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1854-03-03
lu:oTsSllag Eeminl G .mcrs OF H,nry
a,lnV.

ed, apologetically. al never could remember
line Of poetry
had TO admit That his version of Julie'
differed considerably from The one which pop.
ular prejudice had adopted d--nol could fat
Ter him by saying that he improved upon
Shakespeare.
He then told me that il was a singular fact,
and one " hich had been a subject Of regret
through his whole life. that he could not by
any effort retain verse in his memory. Even
II lie had dstudied poem by ro.e, IN few day s
the lines would be wholly efflced from the
mental.table, on which they had been labor
iously written. He relat ID to me IN anrcdo,e
in painful illustration of this peruliaritv. lie
was msking some public address, think i,
was Fourth of July oraton-duting the
course Of which he proposed quoting the well
known lines,
"Lives there man with soul 20 dead
Who never to himself hath sail.
This is my own, my native ldnd1' ~
Declaiming warmly, he gave enthusiastic
utterance TO the line
"Lives there a man with so nj 80 dead. /"
But the poetic page suddenly became blank
--he could uol remember another word. lie
pansed-,hen repeated the line with more pm.
trioic ardor than before. lie thought the
second line would "coma to him . ty mraus
OF the repettion--but il came not lie put
his hand to his forehead, tr, ling to think mhut
the man dill whuse soul was so dead -
but the evidence of that individuals torpid
essence would rot envelnp itself in metre.
For the lhrd time he asked the question en-.
phatcally. not 10 say dispairngly-
" Lives there man with ,ou d-ad"--
and must have paused midway in hs query.
had not voice from the crowd continued, IN
stage whisper
"Who never to himself hath said -
The obliyious statesman caught the words and
thankfully finished his quotation He dei,r.
mined, in future. tu ornament his oraiions Iith
few OF these slippery gems Of the poet.
Our next engagement took us to VIrkSburg
but at IT'S close We rejoIn,d Henry Clay o.
board Of the Alexander Scott. We Passed
five days in his floating palace on our way Ia
Louisville. Henry Clay was cheercd vhrr
ever we stopped, and answering cheers were
sent back from the boat. In these the ladi {
now and then Joined.
was standing beside him when VIC arrv.
ad at Memphis. He turned TO mr, and said
i" Have you ever appeared here?"
replied in the negative.
He remarked, this western Memphis makes
more gigantic progress il.an any other town
know. She will he the qaren city Of the
west by and by. Never pass here again " ith.
out appearing"
answered that would not 1t was sis
years before saw Memphis once more but |
kept my word My appearance vas render.
ed brief one through sudden indispo ,ion
remember with regrrith the improbsblIiry lha
lshaIi eyer stand before genial Memphis au.
dence again.
Henry Clay passed a large portion of hi
time in the ladies' saloon. The bearing o
our lofty minded statesman. thou sh always
dgnifei, was characterized by extremist cnur
!esy--courtersy 10 the luwrst As well us lh,
highest. He conversed freely upon all sub
jects. and with the lnency for which he WA,
distinguished.
"Aged ears played uuant with his ia'es,
And younger hearings were guile rsvshed
With his discourse. -
We were one day discussing Lafayette
visit 70 this country. Soms ckular e,tim III
was made of the number oi ladies nom h.
bad affeciionalely saluled. Clay remarked
that kissing was like the Presidency: it wi,
not to be sought. and not to be declined
The natural inference from this remark was
that he would not oppose the wishes Of hi
party If they again offered his name as a res
identid candidate. Ia. conclusion did no
prove erroneous.
He recOnnt-d to me a number Of anncdntc,
illustrative OF the manner in which his frirn,
demonstrated their grief at the grra, viii.
deiea,. Some Of the most pathetic Of ;hrs,
stories had still touch Of the udicreus; hu
he seemed to feel most decpy the manifesto
tions Of altachment of which he was the OBJ
ject .l
Many Of The passengers exerted themsrlve
to entertain fellow Traveller whom every ON
seemed 10 treat as his own particular aud hun
ore,l guest; bnl none contributed so larnrl,
tols anusemrntas Mr.. Davenport Ii, san.
comic. patriotic. Ru sentimental Sings, aut
rectrd .bumSrnls sketches. in which tive ~
six different eharacters were pers iated. On
evening he eni-rrd the sAlpoi tisg used as
"d0wn east = Yankee. must say, by va,
OF parentbrsis. th AZ this Y llkse wts n stgy
representation Of Yankee land Ia broad bu
telling caricature "i the reality He wore
wig, striped lmnt,lp'ns that maintained re
spscsable distance from The an I.s, "a shnl
jacket. and flame color-d cravat lie car
risd his hands deeply thrust in his pnck-t,
as though they hal an evident iuclinntian I
approach his knees His "j,g-long" 4" ga
eoaldoDly have originated in Ne~ England
lie WIS not recognized when he entire
the cabin The passengers supposed him 4
be some prfsn WIN had jast Come on baarC
He commenced talking. w.Iha nasal into ~
ton 10 load and IA niliar manncr, and nsL
ing = oceans VI qIsstians ;" lie gave NJ
Mswstt who was IN the secret a nudge. an
nnd accosIed him with. " Stranger. I hea
that's Harry Clay; Igness III scIape aeqnan
tanee with him. il you'll do the petite thing
hMfa Alvpsit presented the Yankee gentle
men % Mr. CLAY. The impndept specche
offhe dewneastrr' 90 the best rspraseat.
tiEe N repaiJies0 r,ysfty. as the Yank
dssisb4sed, the ss,i.sm,h, ronvulsed the n "