The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-19

Intervisw with sir Chazass NePssr-Hls
Views ON the United States and slavery.
From the Petersburg virginanl
letter from Copenh.gen vTttss prGs.Sy y NJ. bsdin
ger, our Charge ct that place We make the following
ticulars:-
For week two past the British feet was anchored
within twenty miles Of this place and many persons
from here awaited themselves Of the opportunity to
it. Admiral Sin Charles Napier has made US two or three
visits and on Saturday last had the honor OF dining
with him at Mr.. Buchanan's, the English Minister,
don't copfound him with Mr. Buchanan ut london)
The commander of the British Baltic feet Is gentleman
in the sixty min Of his but to all appearance
stout and hearty as need Is about the size Of
excellent friend VIM Grove, Esq and is not entirely
the benevolent countenance Of the latter gentleman the
Admiral has rather hard features and stern expression
of face.
The place assigned the dinner table your place
In this part Of the world is assigned you upon all occa
sons you must be careful not TO take place that
il not assigned you,) on the left hand OF the on
himself that had good opportunity of conversing
with and listening to him during the two hours and
half which the dinner lasted. found him in
telligsnt afabe, and agreeable, and quite disposed
to talk, particularly about our country and eople
about spt the United States he wa. IN the British
feet at the taking Of Alexandria during the wit
messed the capture Of Washington city, and the famous
amusing and interesting incidents of those days; and
among other things he described certain marvellous
he said he had never yet seen equaled 81 any other
vessels "why, sir" he said, "those fellows the
most daring rascals in my life; assure you
they seemed to than il they had been
wild ducks and could dive MS well as fly They would
u.s. to attempt the capture Of them which indeed We
often did, but might just we'll have Undertaken to
capture guls However did catch of them she
little too daring, and by undertaking certain
manGuvre (Which Sir Charles described at length, but
which am not sailor enough to give to you), she got
aground end we got her. She was splendid model,
sieudd craft you she was perfect beauty &C.
After while, as had anticipated conversation
talk upon that subject The Admiral asked me If did
not believe it would soon be abolished in the southern
not that thought its aboon much less probable now
than it had ever BEEN that the STAKEHOLDER had frmer
that regarded that fact subject of congratulaon
not TO the South alone, but to the whole world mas
much regarded the institution Of slavery exists
with most conservative in its tendencies and most
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
the danger and difficulty Of iberatng many negroes in
midst. told him that such the
generally received opinion but that 1t erroneous;
that the frequent discussions of the subject had display
ed in its true light to the Of sensible persons
with us and demonstrated the tact that far from
being curse it peculiar blessing, vouchsafed by
bcnefccnt Providence, well to the doomed inhabt
ants of unhappy Africa to their masters, the
fortunate whites, &c. "Ah but, he replied, cit must
much brutality, and here he repeated many 81 the
thrice refuted ISLANDERS and fasehoods upon the subject
which every EDglshman has pat at his fingers ends
replied that knew of scarcely thing good In this
world that not liable to abuse and attended with
certain portion Of evil. And speak of the brutality
probable Sir Charles that p the of your long
perience you have witnessed much brutality in the
your life in the midst OF the shareholders of Virginia
He said 81 dare say, dare say God knows have seen
enough there time when sailors had to be treated
almost like brates but that time Is past and one can
get along now BY treating them differently still oil that
,ot IKE slavery slavery cannot be Justified defend
sailor, the condition of the slave is becoming ameo-
rated and improved every day of the world and his
yoke at this day CALLING in the least it is only because
master TO tighten upen his neck" He returned to the
attack and quoted uncle Tens Cabin. ssBut that you
know" said ]. sis huge collection OF falsehoods."
81 will admit" ssid he, ''that 1t may on.ain exag
creations but there must be some foundat in truth
as could easily find for writing book condemninr the
institution of marriage exists England present
For the last six eight months past there have
existed among Your people perfect monomana for
beating manning and numbering their wives never
glance at your police reports that sckencd by
the recital of fresh instances of this peculiar spe
cies Of barbarsm Women with their knocked
from their faces, their eyes bunged up their teeth
smashed ont their broken or their skulls cut OPEN
daily appear before your magistrates, suing for the pro
ION of their miserable lives against the fury of their
bass husbands, whose barbarian you punish by three
ard six months hard labor-nothng more And but the
o. er Gay saw that certain English farmer Sin easy
eli crmstances accomplished the death OF his old mother
bea,ipgs with the stalk Of q rig whip Here certainly
was some foundation for book that might be written
against marriage IN England, and against the having Of
too for that matter stil, presume, general
Ting, II proper TO marry, even In England though
slavery il they could What 10 say Sir Charles is
t.s-that wife beating women manning, and mother
irg never take place among slaves, or in those
mites where slaves are heidi
Ire Admiral far from yielding and as he met
every argument ad, anced with the old exclamation,
toh slavery cannot be justified; it cannot be deen:ed
the civilized world condemns and revolts ito &c. &C.
lexcaimed somewhat warmly at length, :. But how
You say 40, Sir Charles, why the Il not be just
fled have justified it. and YOU have not attempted to
refute what have said; have defended it. and you
say that my defence good one Just onc
the civilized world does not condemn it, for the United
States SPAIN Brazil Russie end Turkey, Gas civilized
some Christian countries could came form a
siderable part Of the civilized world yet they do not
denim it, " be sustained ii is sustained and IL will
be sustained as eng this world continues what God
made IL, y &c, &c.
Sir Charles looked at a moment smiled at my en-
thusasm, and then said sob, slavery is a very bad
thing and ought to be put down Behold the result of
Admiral about as much as if had entertained him by
singing Old Dan Tucker Learn from this the folly Of
striving with men resolved 10 hold their opinions
You may convince them; but if you do it is against
their will. " and you know the effect Of that.
However, Sir Charles made me very ample compensa-
uon by speaking in iatering terms Of country and
our people. After making us many compliments, he
said, " begin to beve in the description which some
he said, he sits the top of the Aleghany dips his
bea in the Atlantic and his tail In the Pacific stretches
one wing over tanada and the other Mexico, and
grasps the continent IN his claws Well thinks l. that
isn't bad eagle either so got him TO repeat It. remen
Der IT, and am resolved 10 import it produce in the
next stump speech that shall have The blessed privilege
OF making on the soil Of the Old Dominion.
day two after this dinner we received very kind
invitation from Mr. Buchanan to accompany him to the
fleet, informing US that the admiral had steam
or expressly for himself and his friends and II could
get ready by eight O'Clock next morning, he would be
nippy, &c &c We were ready. and on repairing to
the wharf we found many others ready also All the
diplomatic corps except the Russians and many citi
zens The morning was bright and clear and calm and
beautiful and every seemed with the pros
pectof charming day. But alas for our luckl after
waiting few minutes Mr.. Buchanan made his appear
ance with very sad face, and told us despatch had
that moment arrived informing him that certain Russian
intelligence had reached tho admiral which had COM
Iellei him TO weigh anchor and sail once Probably
you never saw so many bright faces suddenly clouded
with
Come Of the ladies actually wept For my part.