Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-02-16
Especial Correspondence of the Intelllgencer.l
STEAMER BALTIMORE, PoToMAo RIVER,

wrote you laSt nlSnIi giving you the unhle
of the late opposition convention. After its adj
journment last night at IL o'clock, there was
general gathering up of valises and carpet bags
at the hotels, by those who could get train
homewards at that hour-and general order
for an early call by those who could not leave
until morning. Your correspondent was among
the latter, and accordingly, gentleman of color
waited upon us betimes this morning, ere yet
the cock crew, and hurried us down to a hasty
breakfast, and then off in an omnibus to the
Northern bound cars over the Richmond, Fred
ericksburg Potomac road. The cars were
crowded, and it was a favor of considerable
magnitude to get the half of seat This was
owing both to the unusual gathering of stran-
gers i'll the city at the convention, and to the
fact that the accumulation of two lots of
through passengers from the South had to be
provided for. On Thursday there was gener-
al smash up on the South Carolina Railroad,
and the passengers by the train that day had, in
consequence, been delayed over 10 hours. [
learned, in conversation with passenger from
Columbus, Ga, who was on board, that the es-
cape of all seemed more than Miraculous
Every car in the train except the hindmost one,
was wrecked. One or two of the cars were
torn into sbreds, and yet but two persons were
dangerously wounded The cause of the run off
Ms vi vi LlIS SIOSo IllCf ahN StS
sinking of rail so the leave to end ofthe next
one adjoining it raised up. Any one who ever
travelled over a South Carolina swamp road
where stations are wide apart, and the watch
very force insufficient, readily see how plen-
| ty of such accidents might happen.
You may guess that train was full of
homeward bound Oppositionites-and "oppoSi-
ton to imposition" (as Bolts proclaimed the
canvass was to be) was pretty much the staple
of conversation all along the run to Aqua
Creek. Bolts stock was high with the agri-
cultural old chaps board Bolts was the
lion of all political lions, and the man for " go. :"
1t was generally agreed that Bolts was an as
prant (and of right ought to be,) for high hon.
ors in 60. For why should he be going to
New York to make n speech, if it was not to
open the ball." | thought, myself, that the
surmises of these landed old conservatives might,
as like as not, contain deal OF truth. They
are all little dubious of Bolts, much as they
admire and extol his intellectual power. They
look OH him somewhat like the MisSourianS re-
garded Benton after the session of 1S50-'51.-
They are somewhat afraid that he is not all in
all on the niger question, although they do not
know exactly why or how it is that he is not
safe upon the question. My own idea of Mr..
Bolts position is that he IN ust as safe and pa
troic on that question as there any call for n
man TO be. have no idea that lie favors the
extension of slavery, or that if he was in a po-
Siton to do so, he would lend his influence
10 Iuc acquisition Vi SIuSC SuNe
of getting it as such. | think he believes that
free States are more OF consideration to the fu-
turc of this country, than slave ones. Some
people cannot see how it is that man may be-
lieve all this, and may advocate it, and yet be a
firm defender Of the rights of the States.
Some considerable speculation was going on
among them, also, as to wha: "manner OF man"
Waitman T. Wiley, of Monongalia, was. The
name was familiar to many of them, but they
did not seem to be exactly posted up. | felt
strongly inclined to "put in" and tell them that
! | rcckoned they need not be uneasy about Mr..
| Wiley. That he was man who would do the
| fair thing by every subject that might come be-
fore him; and that while his speech in the last
constitutional convention in favor ofwhite basis,
was indicative of his fidelity and his attachment
to the interests of the West, yet he was none
the less good and loyal advocate for the just
rights of each and all sections of the State.
AS You will see by the heading, have taken,
aquatically, to writing. The way of it was this:
! When we left the cars and came on board the
steamer, | found that the air was altogether too
raw and chilling to stand out on deck and adj
mire the beautiful scenery of this noble river
So, as most of the other passengers betook them
selves to lounging and snooZing, thought l
would draw up to tho table and send you at
least an apology for letter. And here must
tell you, that an interim of ten minutes has just
elapsed since the last sentence-for hearing the
bell of the steamer tolling above us, | knew that
| WS"eTc Tue SaCTeu pTcClHClS "ueIc IlS
the remains Of the Father Of his Country Sew
eral of us that heard and knew the sound, went
out on deck, and there, but little ways from
our eyes, on the side of the beautiful declvty
which were running closely by, amidst a
clustcrof bleak andleafess trees, was the tomb of
Washington. We all gazed upon the scene be-
fore us-surveyed the grounds curiously, and
watched until it became mere speck, the cot
tage which once had sheltered from the winters
storm and summers sun, the person of him
"whom Nature fashioned for all other time.
Her trial mould-a mechanism sublime"
could not describe to you how Mt. Vernon
homestead seemed to us as it faded away over
the rufi1ed waves of the far widening Potomac.
1t made me think, more than anything else, of
"The deserted Woodland lawn,
Close TO the dim, unsounded sea-"
pictured in ''the Heirs of the De Veres. And I
could not help recalling, too Poe's melancholy
sketches of the fallen blouse of Usher"
But must close my letter, as Alexandria,
away up the river, has been signaled by the
boats whistle, and must go out and see what
the country round about looks like. G.
Democratic Meeting.
At a large and respectable meeting of the De-