Washington telegraph., 1854-06-28
VOL XIV.
Interview Between u British Adj.
nsirai and an mtrican DipIo.

mat.
The following amusing, curious and sug.
gesiisc letter from Copenhagen, which is
published in the Charlestown tVa) Spirit
Of Jefferson, was probably written BY Hon.
NJ. Bodinger, our Charge at that capital
Ii gives the circumstances attending most
notable interview between the writer aud
Sir Charles Napier, the Admiral eommnnd.
ing the British fleet in the Baltic. 1t will be
undoubtedly read with wry great interest.
For week or two past the British ilec,
was anchored within twenty miles Of this
place, aud many persons from here asailed
themselves Of the opportunity to see it
Admiral Sir Charles Napier has made two
or three visits, and on Saturday last | had
the honor of dining with him at Mr. Bu
chanan's, the English Minister, (lon't con.
found him with our Buchanan at London.)
The commander of the British Baltic fleet,
is gentleman in the sixty y.ninth year of his
age but TO all appearance, as stout aud az
hearty as need be- lie is about tue size Of
our cxcellont friend. William Grove, Esq.,
aud is mol unlike him IN appearance. except
that, in the place of the benevolent eounien.
anes Of the latter eenlleman. the Admiral
has rather hard features and stern expires.
sion of face
The place assigned me at the dinner ia.
BE. Cyour place in this part Of the world is
assigned you. upon all occasions, and you
mus, be careful not to take any place that
is no, assigned YOU J was ou the left hand
of the Lion himself, 70 that had good
opportunity Of cnnsersing with. aud listening
to him during the tWo hours and halt
which the dinner lasted found him in.
tcllgent. aiFalle aud agreeable aud quite
disposed to talk particularly about our eoun.
try aud people. lie poke much and asked
me many questions abaui the l'uitcd States.
he was in the British feet at the taking Of
Alexandria during the war, Witnessed the
capture Of Washington CITY. aud the famous
battle Of the White llousc." &c. lie
gave inc some amusing aud interesting Incl.
dents Of those day, and, among other things,
he described certain marvellous achieve.
mcn,s performed by the Baltimore clippers.
which, he said, be had never vet seen equal.
cd by any other vessels why, sir" he
said, "lho.c fellows were the most daring
rascals ever saw in my life ! assure yon
they seemed to care no more for us than il
thcy had been wild ducks, aud could dive
As well as fly"
They would sail near Us and past u.
and around Us. as IL tauniing Il, To a,icmp,
the capture Of them; which. indeed, we If.
ten did, but wc nigh, as well have under.
taken to capture sca gulls However We
did catch one Of them She was a little
too daring. and, by undertaking a certain
mancuyre (Which Sir Charles described at
hngth but which am moi sailor enough to
give to you'll she 60, aground aud We got her.
She va. a splendid craft assure you she
was pcrfce, beauty" &c.
Ater awhile, as | had anticipated, our
conversation turned upon the subject Of
slavery, The English Ike to talk upon
that subject. The Admiral asked me Il
did not believe il would soou be abolished
in the Southern States Of the Union. |
replied that hoped aud believed not that
| thought its abolition much less probable
now than il ever had been; that stakeholder
had firmer grasp upon bis slayc now than
he has ever held before, and that regarded
that fact as a subject Of congraiulatiOn, not
to the South alone, but to the whole world.
inasmuch as | regarded the institution Of
slavery, as il exists with us, as most conser.
vatiyc in its tendencies and most beneficial
in its results, not only to the whites but to
the negroes also.
lie seemed somewhat astonishcd. and aid
he had always supposed that everybody sd.
mtted il TO be curse. and that the only
obstacle to its abolition was the danger and
difficulty of libcrating so many negroes in
our midst told him | was aware that
such was the generally received opinion.
but that 1t 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 50 far from being curse, it was
peculiar blessing youchsaIed by bencfcent
Providence. as well to the doomed nhabit.
ants of unhappy Africa, as to their masters
the more fortunate, &c. "Ah, but" he re.
piled, "it must be attended with many evils.
with great suffering and much brutality"
and here he repeated many Of the thrice re.
iu'ed ISLANDERS and talschoods upon the sub.
lsct which every Englishman has got at bis
fingers ends
replied that knew Of scarcely any.
thing good IN this world that was not liable
to abuse and attended with certain portion
OF evil And speaking of the brutality"
exercised towards the slaves. said 81 ,hinl
it very probable Sir Charles that in ,ho
course of your long experience, Won bnyo
witnessed as much brutality in the Bri,;sL
navy as you would have witnessed had yon
spent your life in the midst of the slavebold.
ers of Virginia lie said, 81 dars say.
dare say God knows I've seen enough
There was time when sailors had 10 be
treated almost like brutes, but that time il