The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-11-06

The whistle of the steam engine and the ringing
OF bells, Announcing the arriva, and departure Of
cars and boats Its basin crowded with canal coats
which come loaded with productions of the soil
and the mibe. vessels loaded at its wharyes for
distant cities Of the Union; the useful barge
conducted TO i,s Prous, by towboats propelled by
steam, with tobacco and n ,ur, and other impor-
tant articles TO be transported to far dstant conn
tries by the noble ships. which there await the ar
rival OF their cargoes it's imp )rting houses Yearly
increasing, and competing with the large North
ern cities, 10 supplies for the interior institutions
OF public utility continually arising, among the
nobest OF which Is this, the Mechanics Institute
over which 1t is, gentlemen your high privilege to
presde-inaugurated bnt few years ago. IL has
already Won pcetiou entl'lIng it to the greatest
consideration Under it's influence, the mechanic
arts are developing results of which cider city
might we'll be proud. Schools auG Colleges u nder
admirable preceptors, abouDding in every direc-
ton The periodicals and political press, the sens
tive Iuss of public feeling and opinoD, numerous
ly and aby conducted these, with many other
denote the prosperity of Richmond and bespeak
for 1t a future full OF expansion and wealth. Han
over town. on the contrary, gives pain say,
has shared the fate OF numerous other towns and
7!lsges consequent upon the culture OF the cereals
in place Of tobacco. Its former existence once
80 full of promise, has passed away,-no hum Of
industry is heard along it's deserted streets, and
ruin has riotod among its ouce comfortable dwell
ing, until nought remains but their rubbish to
mark the spot where the formidable rival of
Richmond for metropolitan honor ouce stood
Need not QWeli on Tue Shifting incidents which
were here enacted soou after Virginia had begun
in earnest to buckle on her armour for that con-
lict with the parent country which eventuated in
Independence. The old Episcopal church where
IN the General Assembly held its coaueils, the
edcts which thence issued against mistule and
arbitrary sway, the high resolves against tyranny
and oppression, the PRONUNCIATION OF virginia in-
dependence in advance of the celebrated declara-
ton by the States, through the adoption of the
first written Constitution of civil governmsn. ever
malgated, and at an after day, when "tbe ba,-
tie had been fought and woD,' the assembling
here of that great convention which had to deter>
niue the fu ure of America in the adoption or re-
lection Of that Constitution, under which it has
been so far our happiness to live These things
are matters Of history and are imperishabe. ln
the text BOOKS OF the schools, they written,
and every boy is familiar with them. Great iuci-
dents give immortality TO places. Time passes by
on rapid wing, generation succeeds generation,
aud cities and empires crumbie into dust, AID yet
the places where great deeds have been enacted
live in the memorie, and after the lapse of cen.
tGries the pilgrim from distant lands visits them
cOnsscrated spots, and their dust is regarded as
sacred from proclamation. And what spectacles
could bave been more august than those to which
have alluded? The first led the way TO the dis
franchisement of a continent. The last gave the
assent OF Virginia, after a severe contest (there
were giants in those days. between its advocates
and opponents, to government and bond of
u nj IN for the States, which undsturbed in the
harmony OF its motions by sinister itfinepcts
might, like the planetary s, stem, revolve forever
ia its proper orbit, giving light and heat, and
prosperity aud happiness to countles, millions.
Nor ueed / dwell 90 incidents Of a still later
day, occurring during The s. cond Presidency of the
United States, when party spirit ran mountains
h gh aud mingled with its waters the bitterness OF
personal enmty. The French renovation had
broken out aud like a tremendous earthquake had
shaken the foundation OF political systems which
had wthsto0d the storms OF ceutu. es the stirring
strains Of the Iarselase TesouHd-d throuy hout
France, and were re echoed IRON America. A deep
sympathy was felt for the country that had aided
America in her struggle for independence The
gallant conduct of La fayette, OF Rochaubeau of
De Grssse and NilomiEei, and other gallant French
men who had assisted our fathers in the day q
their severe trials, was written on the hearts OF
the people in letters Of fse. France was Row
battling against all Europe combiued and il was
but natural that she should have possessed the
sympathies of this country. Virginia gave those
sJmpathies with unrestTaiued enthusiasm, aud nu
place furnishes stronger evidences Of fratsrnZaton
of cling than did the ciSy Of Richmond The Pre-
.ideut. who supposed to be iumcal to Franco
wa, assaiej by the press, aEs ia all public as
sembes, well as in priva-e circles. with q bitr
terUess of invective rarely ever surpassed Ia
ut of wekkness Congress gave way to the
adoption OF the sediton law ard the press, SO far
from beirg constrained, seemed rather to ircrease
in its bitterness Tie government resolved UPON
prosecutions against the most violent. judge
Cooper put on trial for libel in Philade phia
and Mr. Ligon elsewhere. Nor did Richmond -
unscathed. Calender. who edited the Prospect
before u.s." iu style Of abuse never surpassed al
with whom, personally, 10 one really sympathised
was thrown into Jail. TIE law OF libel, it was
said, was made to be more potent than the letter
of the Constitution, which guarao teed he freedom
If speech aud of the press, and the fires of popu
lar indignation blaZed brightly and fiercely. ]
cannot here forego relating an anecdote wh:ch
received from the lips CT Governor hahlon Dicken.
SOP, Cf Nev Jersey, as illustrative of the sio-
ience of the times. stephen Thompson Mason,
then Senator from the State of Virginia,
paired to Philadelphia, attended by the enIhu-
siastic Dickens01, then young man, to attend Il
ti4 of Judge Cooper. They took their seats Oh
the tight and eff hand of Cooper at the bar, and
when the jury retursed their verdict cf 2i hours
imprisonment. and fine OF $1,000. they each ris
ing in the court, shook hands most cordially with
the prisoner. The next morning, Fenuo, who
published the administration paper came cut with
all article Of the following tenor: 1.-The Republ-
can party is always committing some act of ex-
cess, but what occurred in on yesterday sur
passed sGything that has yet occurred, upon the
conviction OF Cooper: stephen Th0mpst Mason,
senator from Virginia, shock hands with the cul
prit in the very face of Justice" Judge Chase
somewhat remai kablN for the rotundty of his
person, and a tiorid complexion, presided at the
trial. The following morning Dickenson prepared
and published in Duenes paper, the aurora" the
following repy to MIR. Fennos article Mr. Fen-
no is eyermore committing great mstakes-but of
all tie errors into which he has yet fallen, that n
| his paper of yesterday is the greatest. He states
that Stephen Thompson Mason, a senator fl ON
Virginia shook hands with the culpit in the very
face of justice, mistaking the bacon face of old
Chase for the face Of Justice"
The unsuccessful rebellion in Ireland which bad
consigned Emnet and many of his comratriots to
The scaffod had caused TO fly 10 the United States
IN order to escape the dungeon and the halter
many of those who had borne u part in the .rou-
bles of the times, and many ultimately onnd heir
way to this city. These, with an uncalcu latiug
bodness. Joined in the cutlery against the Admin
isiration. They were ferTd In their advocacy Of
the French cause. The tri-cpcr was blended il to
cockads and wsrn openly in the streets and dis
played IN public professions. The adv coates of
the Administration, mounted their part the
black ccckade, aud thus was eDgendered hitter
feeling of hostility between men which went nigh
TO destroy all eocsal Intercourse But the refugees
from Ireland became Oh iects of Governmental
vengeance. The alien law had been passed under
the apprehension of French Invasion An army
OF 5000 men was created with a view to reeel IL,
aud an order was given to remove eli foreigners
from contiPnity TO the seahoard, lest they should
play the part of spies. and hold improper inter-
course with the expected ereTy-an enemy that
never came aud who already had ite hands fall,
with the combinations that existed against IL
among the crowned heads Of Europe. Meri~ciher
Jones edited the aDti-sdn Illustration paper, called
the "ExamiGer,' aud while he did not fall under
the pIamunire of the seditou law, he CO operated
boldly and maDfully with the opponents Of the
Alien and Sedi'ion laws, and maintained the tri-
co'or against the black coekade. The General As
scnbly socn after met, and signalzed It's session
by the passage Of the celebrated resoI which
since that day have been adopted as the standard
of political faith by controlling party in the State
pass over these incidents hurriedit. Atthe time
of their occurrence ] was mere child, and they
come to me borne on the stream of tradition. Ih
giving memories of Richmond, could net pass
them over in silence.
hasten TO speak of Richmond as l first knew
il, and of some of its prominent men as l found
them, when, at the age of Is, joined my venerate
father, who was at the time Governor of Virginia.
The population Of the city did not exceed 5 600 in
1908. The surface on which the city stood Was
uuiamed aud'broken. Almost inaccessible heights
and deep rasiues everywhere prevailed. The Capt.
tol Square ruda sadigesta que Haoies, and
tut rndsy, II ut all, enclosed. The ascent to the
building was painfully laborious. The two now
beautifuI valleys were then unsghtIy gullies,
which threatened, unless soon arrested, to extend
themselves across thestreet north, to require
a bridge to span it. If tree had sprung up Ia the
t.s,t scaatx sehsisience from