The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-03-10

mentally to accompany us, promising
him he need be under no apprehension
that we are about 20 try TO influence his
sympathies or guide his judgment, VIC
assume only the humber task Of record
ing honestly that which we have heard
and seen; anG which he, as an English
man, knowing how the greatness Of our
country is nurtured by the free express
sion of all honest opinion, and how de-
pendant the true statesman must be upon
the accurate knowledge of all such opin-
ion, will, we are sure, be glad to have
faithfully related. Fs.la ...r
Having tickets for reserved seats we do
not present ourselves till about ten min
utes before the time specified on them---7
O'Clock; but as we ascend the steps of
the portico, we are warned by the streams
OF people that we are, perhaps, taking
the matter too letsorely. Aud so we find
it when we get our first glimpse of the
hall, and hurricdly ask for the seats that
were TO have been reserved. "Where
can we gor' we ask despairingly, moved
out Of our previous equanimity. The
dOor-keeper points TO the far distant gall
lery, high up, and says be thinks there
may yet be chance there. But even il
he be right, which looks doubtful, il is
certain that seOres--nSy, hundreds--of
other persons will be discovering the va.
cancies long before we can possibly get
there. We rush down stairs, speak to an
official, use the open SESAME of "the
press, and are hopefully dismissed in
quite another direction. But now, pro-
Of 1, Al
ridors and passages becomes difficult, at
times impossible, through the surging
crowds, who toss helplessly about, seek
ing rest for the soles of their feet, and
finding none. There arc backward ed
dies to break through, as well as forward
ones TO force place among Pres
emily we are stopped by barrier
across a flight of stairs descending
into the lobby, where we pant and
strive. mo one can pass the place
is more than full" We glide round the
side of the stairs, climb up and up, get
over the banister, and find we have, UNI
noticed, turned the enemy's stronghold.
Still in vain, however. Everywhere we
find dense masses of people and we are
about to make the Englishman's last
confession and acknowledge ourselves
beaten, when, happily, we come across
one of the speakers of the night 1oun-
dering in the same difficult strait, but who
obviously must get in. That fact gives
us new hope. We appeal TO him. Ho
CALAMITY takes us in tow, shouts Re
porterl" when advance is otherwise inn
possible, and so we &c at last into sort
of little black hole of Calcutta, where we
grow at once hopeless of further progress
and certain Of being stitled if we STAY
where We are. Here, however, TO our inn
mense relief, door opens; some half
dozen Of us are shot suddenly forwards
and luckily do not fall; another instant,
and we are running up the stairs of the
little box or covered way that admits
us TO the platform, and there
find breathing space and full oppor-
tunity TO drink in, in one wondering.
awe stricken glance, the sublime spec
tacle Of a vast sea of upturned faces,
looking up toward another sea scarcely
less large that, in defiance Of ali the laws
OF gravity, has assembled and overlooked
every nook and corner of the appraised
expanse Of the orchestra, leaving only
the organ in the center towering calmly
above the excited aud slipping tide Of
life. .,,
But scarcely had this SETTLING mass of
humanity begun TO grow quiet and salts
| fled in the pleasant and soothing seuse
| Of successful conquest aud possession,
and TO address itself TO the business OF
| the night, before We hear distant but
mighty shouts below, rumbling like thun-
der among the valleys 10 an observer seat
ed high on the hills; and presently il is
| whispered about that the mere overflow
of this hall has filed another hall below.
and that these shouts are from that sec
ond exulting army on taking possession.
! But even that haIl, we soon hear, is equal
ly incapable Of dealing with the inflow
ing streams Of people; so, presently, the
adjoining street Exeter streeO il ringing
with the tumultuous cheers OF third
meeting, held IN the open air. Under
these circumstances, aud with the FREE
| quently occurring incident that when
we, who were above, were trying 10 be
| quiet and listen, those distant reytrber,
atoms would come up TO the cor with
most dramatic aud exciting effect from
below, il is no wonder that the proper
business Of the evening went on under .
kind Of high pressure system, mentally
and morally, and made il difficult for the
calmest heads TO preserve their equilib-
rum.
Yet is IL especially worthy Of note,
| whatever the use made OF the fact,) that
none Of the ordinary attractions helped
to bring together this wonderful gather
ing. tits quite true what has been said,
that no eminent statesmen or politicians
were here that few or none Of tho old
and famous Anti-Slavcry families were
represented; that none Of the speakers
were men Of genius that commerce sent
none Of iis merchant princes; the aris-
tocracy and gentry none Of their con-
spicuous members. But for that very
reason We are driven 20 confess how
great must have been the "ground-swel'
of public opinion before IL could thus
burst upon our astonished eyes with all
the suddenness and fury Of the mael-
stsom and the watcrspout unless indeed,
We accept tle solution since offered -
that Federal money was the handspring
The speakers Of the evening were the
I Hon. and Rev Baptist NOelj Mr, Hughes,
the well known author Of "Iom Brown"
The Rev. Mr., Newman Hall Mr Taylor.
the member for Leicester; and Mr. Lud-
low, a well known contributor 10 Mac
mil.an's Magazine. Among the faces Of
supporters on tho platform one could al
so distinguish Mr. Bealcs, Mr. Lucas
Mr.. Victor SchUlcher tho French exile;
I Mr. M0rse the American GoUauI. Gfnfr-