Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-05-31
spesoh cf John Mitchell in Richmond

| delivered on the occasion. sparkles drought
with jems of Irish eloquenoe. We regret TINT
on account of its length we hive not space 10
publish ii entire The following with a few open
ing remarks. il the closing portion OF ms speech
/ Mr.. MITCHELL rose and said
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of Richmond
do assure You that il is with considerable am
| dence-thongh our countrymen are not usoahy
| believed to labor under that deiect-thht !, "a
| stranger to your Sta.o and almost yet stranger
| 10 your country, add,ess You this evening as
your guest. The difficulty i TO respond ~ SUI
| table terms TO the flattcrng almost bewildeflhg
compliment you have now paid me, without dam
apinp myself in your esteem by some escdPdh
into the regions of dubious, debateable, or Ia
boose topics. II is my usual luck, and ! believe
it will attend me to my dying hour.
Sincerely. Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen, 1
/ thank you with all my heart, for the honor anu
pleasure yon have conferred upon me to-day. :
! IL is long since | desired Ia visit this noble old
| Commonwealth Of irginia-and the invitation 50
/ Unexpectedly transmitted Ia me by the citizens
/ of this beautiful Capital of The old Dominion, not
only revived that wish IN all its sirengih'bnt Of
fered me 50 agreeable an opportunity OF crafty
ing il, that did not know how to deny myself
the excursion. Certainly it was with no view 10
public display. or any personal distinction tnf
my self that had ongod to tread the very hills
aud forests and Savannahs TINT eradled the child
hood and nourishcd aud inspired the glorious
youth of Thomas Jefferson and George Wash.
ington--and could have been well content ana
indeed il was my intention, To trnVcl either IN
quiet aud unknown, and amidst the scenes yet n
live with the memories Of Smith and Pocnhontas,
vet hnIlowed and honorcd even by the shades OF
those immortal two the men who sleep at Mount
Vernon and Monticello Americas greatest hero
and most illustrious statesmen,to forget for hi
tie while that same weary Nebraska bill, ana the
neutrality laws, aud the dcstinies OF Cuba, ana
even--lf il were possihle-tho destlnies OF thht
other island of the seas which IL yet nearer TO
my HEARTBEAT Island namely, where the nsolent
tramp of foreign master still makes the bones
of our persisted kindred stir unensily IN Their
graves. Yes, To forget even that-and here n
midst the waving woods the cliffs and the caves
that, az hear. cluster with beauty and terror the
sides of your grand Allcghanes, 10 walk aloho
and commune with the lustrlons Nlrginian dead.
But in the mem time, your living Nlrginians IN
tercept me with the proilered hand OF friendship
and COOL will. And proudly cordially take thot
ready hand, ready c her for friend or ioe-ns
was said and sung of our own Iipperury, before
the British famine brought her low.
We've hind to grasp them in friendship, n
mother TO make them quake; aud they are wei
come TO whiohsoeyer it pleases them best to take.
lcs, could almost feel myself ut home once
more upon this green land,iof whether what AN
going to utter be compliment or not, you may
be sure do not mean it rs an ailront, when say
that Nirginin, every moment, reminds me ol Ire
nnd-rcminds me of that green garden clasped
round by the Atlantic--li like cmerald.ns n beau
tiful writer has expressed tan emerald set on the
bosom of loving mothcr-rcminds me OF my
father land not only by its rich sed uro aud It's
noble mountains but still more by the warm heart
ed and hospablo cordially of its people who
! buv N
sounded in my eur like the venerable cerd mtf
! Gniite, the HUNDRED thousand welcomes that used
to be poured out upon stranger in Ireland, while
| Ireland WAS. hope to see that Ireland again
but never by the leave of the encmys govern
ment which holds it against lis own people. /
will not give up the hope to see that Ireland one
day an independent Republic, competentto nego-
| tate, if she he so minded, mn admission amongst
the United States.
Gentlemen.in the resolution inviting me to this
city, You have alluded to n subject on which
must therefore touch, but yet with the feeling
that IT becomes me to touch it lightly. That Res
oution refers with appreciation To the writings
which have published in weekly journal ON
one of your institutions which,in America indeed,
is peculiar 10 these Southern states,hut which has
been, aud still is, nm institution of many other
lands, aud the morale and rationale of il not
peculiarly American at all, but patent to the oh
servation and reasoning faculties of all mankind.
This being the case did not think ht on being
challenged to speak-to shrink from TINT ehul-
lengc, and do assure you that the violent storm
OF censure which that proceeding called forth IN
one part OF the country was as unexpected by me
rs was the generous recognition aud wa m appro-
val which found in another part.
| have already said, and though some commercial
editor may doubt my declaration, perhaps gen
erous Nrginian may find it in his heart to believe
me, that IN expressing the opinions which | had
long entertained, | had no thought whatever OF
conclating the aYors of the Southemors aud
in truth nj the time | cared little whom sholds
pleas or displease. Nevertheless sec no rea-
son why | should hesitate to declare that the ap-
proval of those who best know the facts and who
are most deeply interested in sound sentiments
prevailing upon the question, is a source of deep
qualification aud pride to me. And hope that
may congratulate you on IA Nlrtuous settlement
of this yexatious aud anti national controversy
between South and North Excitement and IA
natcsm are certainly subsiding. At worst
conjecture that the amount and intensity of that
Northern feeling would be very innccuratel,
measured by the historical outeries tf some tive
or three newspapers, and although the Rev. Mr.
Beecher exhorts his sect to fust aud pray against
the Nebraska Bill, people will soon come to sec
that the thing Is past praying for. Besides, let
me do Justice to those agitators-for at the NORTH
! would not yilliiy the South SO did not CONF
South to abuse the North which, indeed, would
be both insolent and ungrateful. | say, then
that firmly believe in tho sincerity of many OF
those, both clergy and luity, who Join in the ia
nahcal cutlery. SO ignorant are many of them rs
to the actual facts and requirements of your com
: munties that they have really persuaded them.
selves that in upturning society from its founda-
, tons in America they would be doing God SER
vices. Wonderful is the power of oratorv. BY
mere dint of imprisoned rhetoric some of these
| mo IN, L.. a.. A.