Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-10-18
Correspondence of the Free Press.
FROM MONTPELIER.
MONTPELIER, Oct. 10, 1861.

: crowd IN the outskirts l suppose, and a se
slble condensation about the peddlers' cart
which, as usual, have been the prominel
ies. nre OF the landscape about the Pavilion
The da has been perfection, in respect
weather. The hills have supported an arc
Of she pure>> and l0veliest blue; the al
mosphere has h. en- delicious and midi
Intoxicating draugh.-' which has done ever
ore good like heaItbfa. medicine and KEEP
gentle smile on every cotn. tenance excep
those of disappointed candidate and tn
sunshine has shed liquid amber ovcr tn
glowing hillsides. and covered every body
and every thing with glory.
The Legislature has assembled with a very
proper and general determination to waste
as little time as possible, and to make it q
short and effective session. They really
think, some Of them, hat it will be shorter
than usual but that can hardly be. 1t !:
much more likely to exceed than to fall short
of, its customary span Of six weeks,
The gratifying una2imity on the subject
of Speaker and Clerk of the House enabled
the members to dispense with the customary
! Caucus and to organize at once. For the
| first place but one open nomination was
made, though the ballot showed concen-
tration Of few votes on Mr.. Gardner Of
Bennington. For Clerk, Judge Thomas of
Fairlee presented a democratic candidate to
be voted for on "no party grounds, and
DR.. Cummings, the capable and pc
pular Clerk of several years past, very
cheerfully spared him thirty out of the two
hundred and thirty-GYe votes which would
otherwise have all been thrown tor himself.
The Senate did not organize with equal
promptitude You are aware that Mr.. Hoyt
OF the Burlington Sentluei was a candidate
for the Secretaryship, and with such hackers
Is he had, he was justified in entertaining
very strong expectations Of success. The
Senator from Chttenden and the two from
Addison who | understand 10 have been
warmly enlisted in his behalf, gave him a
start which nothing but the gentleman's
own efforts could probably have overturned.
The last number of his paper was the petard
which demolished his chances. His friends,
however, did all they could for HIM. Mr..
Edmunds presented his name, youched for
him as loyal to the Constitution and the
Union, and urged his appointment as pro-
motive OF the public harmony and interests
But a majority Of the Senate failed to find
in the selection of particular pro-slavery
democratic editor, the sole condition OF sue
cess in the war for the Union. After three
ballots Mr.. Hoyt's name was dropped, and
after several additional ballots Mr.. Ii. Clark
of Poultney. much doubtless to his own sur
prise, as | suppose he had not dreamed Of
beng presented as a candidate, was elected.
lie is democrat, but one, who. if holding
the same opinions with Mr.. Hoyt as to the
sacrcdness of Slavery and Republican respon-
sibility for the rebellion, has been more care
ful about announcing them.
On the Assistant Secretaryship there was
another dead lock, which only resolved it
self on the seventh ballot. 1t was under
stood that the success Of Nj. Hoyt, for the
first place would also have secured the elec-
ton of the excellent and popular Assistant
Secretary of former years, Mr.. Henry Miner.
The fracture of that slate, however, threw
him out. suppose he might have been
Secretary of the Senate, had he g gone in
for it but it seems he could not be Assist
ant, under the circumstances. Mr.. Tyler,
the Assistant elected, is also q graduate Of
the University of Vermont, of the class of
1859, and young man of excellent charac-
ter and fair ability.
These contests have divided with the In
auguration of the Ethan Allen Statue the
interest of the day. The latter ceremony
was successful and interesting affair.
At twelve o'clock, the statue, hitherto
covered by canvas screen, was unveiled be-
fore a multitude which thrOnged the pOrtico
and approaches to the Capitol. y few
minutes after, the Governor, the Senate, the
Sculptor, the Orator, the Band, a Choir of
gentlemen, and few others, occupied the
elevated platform which had been erected
before and facing the main entrance. In
alluding to the following exercises, am
disregarding the paipable hint to avoid all
public mention of them, afforded by the
OMISSION to offer any accommodations to the
Press but ,giH say, for the information of
your readers, and Of course with the under
standing that it shall go no further, that the
Band made some excellent music; that Rev,
Mr.. Webster offered prayer; that the Choir,
led by Mr.. II. ID. HOPKINS, whose fine tenor
voice was prominent, sang with excellent et-
feet the quartettes Our Country, and
" All honor to the Soldier" that Mr.. Wood
bridge, the orator of the day, made speech
which is represented by all who helrd it Il
did not) as exceedingly appropriate and in
teresting, and at times eloquent, and having
withal the merit of due brevity-say thirty
minutes that Gov Fairbanks then intro
duced the Sculptor. Mr.. Mead, who modest
ly bowed his Acknowledgements without at
tempting a speech, to the audiene c; and that
the multitude then dispersed.
OF the dinner, which followed at the Pa
vilion, may attempt a report in another
letter, and also, after have had an oppor-
tunity for little study of lt,may endeavor to
give description of the statue.
l have not been out to Camp Gregory
Smith as yet, but have seen a sample of the
9th Regiment in Capt. Davenport's (Rox-
bury) Company which paraded in the streets
this afternoon, The men were without arms,
none of which have as yet been distributed ;
but were thoroughly and completely uni
| forroan from, beaJ to foot and presented n