The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-04-14
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE prsp .rcu.
LETTER FROM CHARLESTON
THE CONVENTION

ball In which the books for reo;.ta-;rs !. :
names of the committee were kent -.
as ascended the steps, two currents of AL
gates, one entering the building without a..
rations, and the other leaving, looking plac;d
and smiling contented, each delegate wear;no .
in his button-hole small piece Of red ribbon,
upon which the word delegate was print
ed, and holding in his hand a card emitting
him to admission to the grand ball, which is
to be given on Wednesday. found around
the severaltables, occupied by the clerks and
other officials, dense groups of delegates re-
| gistering their names and receiving their
badges and ribbons. The delegation from
Tennessee is perhaps the largest in attend
ance, while that from Texas is the smallest,
consisting of single delegate Next to Ten
nessee is that from Virginia, which, in intel
ligence and practical talents, is everything
that the citizens of the OLD DOMINION could
desire. was surprised that there were
more delegates from the State than good
sized committee room could contain.
The Convention met at eleven, in the The
atre, large and handsome building The
pit of the house is occupied by the South Ca
rolina delegations, whilst the delegates from
the other States occupy the boxes, their par
ticular divisions being marked by large and
handsomely printed cards.
| TENNESSEE, as the delegates poured in,
speedily filed to verhowing her allotted por.
tion, and then overran several of her weak
neighbors. Virginia, also invaded, with the
overfowings of her vast power, the adjacent
territories of Ohio and Indiana, and in de-
fault OF any representatives from those
States, acquired sort of squatter sovereign.
| ty-right to half-dozen baize covered bench
es; and as this acquisition of territory prov
| ed insufficient, many of the delegates de-
| scended into the pit, and fraternized with
South Carolina in loving and affectionate
manner. The delegations from the several
| States crowded every portion of the house al
| lotted to the Convention, to overfowing; and
| l do not recollect ever to have seen a more
| compact mass of human denizens than that
| in the pit and boxes.
The Mayor of Charleston, long bearded
and marvelously like a French deputy, called
the Convention to order; the distinguished
| naturalist and divine, DIR. Backman, in full
| canoaicals, invoked a blessing Immediate
| ly afterwards, the Mayor nominated the Pre-
| sident of the two last Conventions, the Hon
WIN. {. DAWSON, for the same place, but
| that gentleman, with more than Casarian
vigor, declined the proffered honor. 1t was,
however, soon afterwards rendered to him by
the appropriate committee for the nomination
of officers, when he accepted the office of
chairman in long and terribly heavy speech
which evinced neither talent or an apprecia-
tion of the objects for which the Convention
had been called. He foundered heavily
| among the debris of old Conventions, and
| dealt In water cruel platitudes of the boldest
and most inefficient character He discoursed
about the Pacific Railroad, the Amazon, edu-
cation, direct trade, and all the old and thread
bare issues, but touched upon none of those
vital and living issues that should be brought
prominently before the Convention. His dis
| course fell like wet blanket upon the Con
vention, and dampened the ardor of those
who desire the passage of stringent and di
| rect laws for the promotion of Southern com
merce.
Virginia and South Carolina dropped i'm.
plicitly under the timid advice of the chair
man and the loudest and longest round of
| applause was that which greeted the conclu-
sion of his harangue.
| The first Vice President, Lieut.. MAURY,
was greeted with round of applause when
| he took bis seat on the stage, which was con-
tinued for several minutes. He is evidently
| the hon of the Convention, and is the sob
served of all observers" Lieut.. HERNDoN,
the explorer of the Amazon, a small, sun
burnt young man, is also here, and receives
no inconsiderable attention. We have also
in the Convention number of talking celeb.
rites, such as Senator JONES, of Tennessee,
LESLIE COMBS, BARNwELL RHETT, Polk of
Tennessee, Lieut.. Gov. LEAKE, of Virginia,
JAMES Lyons, of Richmond, &C., &c. The
most popular man of the Virginia delegation
is EDMUND RUFFIN, whose reputation as an
| agriculturist i'll this State is as great as it is
in Virginia. When he entered the Conven-
ton, and took his seat by accident in the box
appropriated to Ohio, = round of applause,
mingled with a hearty laugh, went up from
the South Carolina delegation-the applause
a compliment-the laugh at the idea Of such
a red-hot Southern man "locating himself in
Ohio
The dress circle was graced TO- day by the
presence of several accomplished and beau
tiful Richmond and Virginia ladies, among
the rest the two Mrs. s., Miss M,
of Lynchburg, and the Misses NJ, of Va
| Among the well known and influential, prac-
| tical men of Virginia, who are members of
the delegation, are Col. MORGAN, Jos. R. Az
DERsos, HUGH w. Fry, Gen. 0. G.. CLAY,
THOMAS WALLACE, and GEO. w. BOILING, of
Petersburg. The Virginia editors are well
represented: there are two from Lynchburg,
one from Richmond, three from Norfolk, and
one from Petersburg
Thereportorial corps occupy the seats of the
orchestra, and is very large one
BENNETT and GREELEY both have report
ers, and / noticed one ugly reporter in green
goggles, who for ought l know, may have
been Greeley in disguise.
The Convention adjourned at three O. clock,
the appropriate committees having been pre-
viously appointed. Messrs. LYONS, CLAY and
MYERS were appointed by the Virginia dele
cation, members of the Committee on reso-
| lutions.
| Tomorrow the speaking and work of the
Convention win begin in good earnest
Yours, Plus TX.
CRUEL MuRDER.-On Friday night last, between
! 10 and IL O'Clock, two workmen, engaged the
Catawissa and Williamsport Railroad, near Milton,
Northumberland county, Pa, cruelty murdered .
young female resident OF Milton, about q mile
and half from that place. 1t Is alleged the parties
enticed the woman from her home, and, alter