Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-10-26

In returning t. Washington after sum
mer absence, | notice. as standing out pro
mincntly among the c'angcs. different
sentiment among the people of the District
respecting Slavery, E-pubAclulsm. and
Republican Administration. The prospect
Of new and to q certain extent AN anti
slavery Administration, ,has had a very mark
ed effect upon the inha itants of Washington
-Buchanan oihc holdeF- not excepted No
longer ago than last winter. "a large Ir0por--
ti0n of the Department cilIks were furious
disunionists in the c0ntinS ency Of a ReIu-
b.ican triumph but as tie expected success
of the Anti-SLayery party grows near, these
identical gentlemen grow moro and more re-
signed to such an eveot, and begin TO discuss
the probabilities Of a genera. turu-outHt the
Departments "is Mr.. Lincoln o very bitter
party man % ''Nul he dismiss faithful
clerks from office for no other reason than
the fact that they received their appoint
ments from Democratic Secretaries ?''-these
are the everyday questions Of Democratic
clerks at the present time here They are
straws, and indicate the current Of the wind.
But notice more important change, in
more disiutcrested persons. Prominent
Southern gentlemen begin T. utter more
RELY their homes. opinions Of thc Pr0-Slaye-
ry Democracy. The speeches Of Henry
Winter Davis at Baltimorc and John Minor
Bolts at Richmond, are striking Illustrations
OF the truth Of this statement. Mr.. Bolts,
in the mids. Of the excitement Of Prasden
tial contest. boldly declares that the South Is
wrong in claiming that slaves are property
under the Constitution and common law,
like horses, houses, and land. There is no
property in the slave, except under the local
state law. says Mr. Bolts, and the Republic
ans are right in saying 50 in their platform
of principles. lie goes further, and express
es the wish that if John Bell cannot be elect
ed President, Abraham Lincoln may-as be-
tween Lincoln and DJuClas,or Breckenridge,
So with Henry Winter Davis Of Baltimore
What these men gag, tens Of thousands on
slave soil tkiHt, and hundreds OF thousands
will r0tc, within four years of L.nco!n's
election. Here We have, in advance OF Re
publican triumph, iorctaste of the good to
be accomplished in the slave States by such a
result. How Will the election Of Lincoln
affect slavery ?" In this way-it VIII take
the paddock from Southern lips, and the men
on slave soil who would speak, but at present
dare not, will utter their honest sentiments
respecting the institution Of slavery, And |
this will 10 "the beginning Of the end.
The startling incident Of the week Just
closed is the visit of the Prince Of Wales at
the President. | do not speak of 1t as |
piece OF news. or to follow in the wake Of /
the adulatory seribblers who chronicle every /
word the Prince utters and the precise mum
Der of times he sneeZes. 1t Is the moral /
character of the extraordinary event which | /
would notice-an event which will take its |
place on the page Of the history, solitary and /
alone, for there is none other like it. When /
Kings visit Presidents, when royal princes
visit the graves Of rebel democrats, may not |
the Millennium be dawniug?
There is nothing like this visit Of Prince
Albert Edward to the grave Of Washington
in the history of any other prince or poten-
tate Men have risen from lOwliness to
splendor-irom corporal to the emperor
from prentice boy to the president-but
when before has the heir to the proudes.
throne in the world made 4 pilgrimage to
the tomb Of rebel general? The man
whose humble tomb the Prince reyrenuy
visited was the chief instrument, in the
hands of Providence, in wrestling It's most
brilliant gem from the very crown he is to
wear.
The day chosen for the visit to Mount
Vernon was one Of October finest Scarce
a cloud dlmmed the sky's azlre. 4 few
fellow leaves in the forests which line the
broad Potomac, were the only indication of
"the melancholy days" The prince and lis
suite, accompanied by the President and a
few Of his friends, went on board the Gov
ernment steamer, Harriet Lane, at ten O.
clock of the morning Of Friday last, and
steamed down to Mount Vernon. Torj more
than two hours the royal party remained up
on the Vernon estate, the most Of the time
eagerly searching the Washington mansion
for every relic Of the great and good man
who once occupied it. No American tray-
eler in foreign lands ever displayed more
enthusiastic curiosity or reyerential awe. at
the grave of royalty or intellectual greatness,
than was manifested by this English party
of dukes and earls, and the future King of
England, at the grave Of Washington.
The place where the patriot wrote, the
room in which he slept, the couch on which
he slept, the couch on which he died. were
sought out and pondered over, and as the
party approached the tomb each one almost
involuntarily uncovered his head One cut
a cone to carry back to England as a relic OF
the place; another plucked flower as q
memento of the day and scene and the Prince
planted tree by the side Of tho grave, tax
ing with him 4 companion acorn to plant IN
Windsor Forest.
Meantime the day was in.he very mld':
Of its splendor-l Nirginian October day
1t seemed as if Nature smiled at tho happy.
peaceful occurrence, and purposely added
every charm Of her own, that the day might
never, never be forgotten. The overhanglng
forests. the calmly flowing river, and the
beautiful sky, made up picture the like OF
which painter never put upon the canvas.
Few were the words uttered by the visitors,
for thought overpowered speech, and alter
more than two hours spent at Mount vernon
they again took to the boats ,and were rowed
back to the steamer.
The novels of to-day all carry moral
with them: this trip to Mount Vernon has