Communicated.

LETTERS FROM JULIA GRIFFITHS.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18th, 1854.

DEAR FRIEND:—Yesterday was a grand day
for the oppressed. I heard one of the
greatest speeches ever made in the Senate
of the U.S. Gov. SEWARD is said, by
many, to have eclipsed himself on this oc
casion. For two hours and a half I listened
with almost breathless attention to his mas
terly exposition of the pending question
of NEBRASKA. The galleries of the Senate
Chamber were crowded at an early hour. I
was there two hours before the speech com
menced. I was resolved upon securing a
good seat, having heard GOV. SEWARD'S
voice (like that of LORD JOHN RUSSELL) is
weak and low. As usual, on similar occa
sions, the fates smiled upon me, and I ob
tained one of the best places for hearing in
the Ladies' Gallery; but I really cannot at
tempt to transcribe this grand speech. The
New York Tribune of to-day will, in all pro
bability, have a correct report of it. I hope
it will be copied into every liberal paper, and
circulated universally throughout the length
and breadth of the land. It contains a world
of valuable information—historical, geo
graphical, and political—and should be read
with attention by every thinking man and
woman in the country. I think Senator
SEWARD'S address to "Senators from the
slaveholding States" stirred my spirit more
intensely than any other part of a speech
in which there was not one dull or uninter
esting passage.

He told the slaveholders that they were
politicians as well as statesmen, and remind
ed them that political movements have their
times of action and re-action. He said that
the pendulum moved up the side of Freedom
in 1840, and swung back again in 1844 on
the side of Slavery—re crossed the dial in
1848, and again returned in 1852. He asked
these Southern lordlings to judge for them
selves whether it is yet ascending, and wheth
er they imagine for one moment that it will
attain the height of the abrogation of the
Missouri Compromise?

He further told them that he claimed to
know something of the state of feeling at

the North; that he saw, in the changes of
the times, only the vibrations of the needle,
trembling on its pivot; that, in due time, it
will settle; and when it shall have settled,
it will point, as it must point, FOREVER, to the
same constant, polar star that sheds down
freedom broadly wherever it pours forth its
mild, but invigorating light. He told the
Southerners, that "agitation" on the ques
tion of slavery can never be quelled. Such
a hope, on their part, if they indulge it, is
utterly vain; it is a struggle between Con
servatism and Progress, Truth and Error,
Right and Wrong. "You might sooner,"
said he, "by act of Congress, compel the
sea to suppress it upheavings, and the world
to extinguish its internal fires, than to con
strain the mind of man to cease its throb
bings." I cannot describe to you the elec
trical effect of these closing words. I tho't
that the renegade Northerners were very rest
less throughtout. The traitor, DOUGLAS,
moved uneasily from side to side of the Sen
ate Chamber—now affecting not to listen—now clutching the hand of this Senator or
that at giving it a kind of desperate shake—now talking eagerly in the midst of a little
knot of slaveholders—now smiling contempt
uously—now scowling defiantly—now glanc
ing hastily at the speaker—now walking
rapidly to and fro—now seating himself for
five consecutive minutes, in his seat, and try
ing (in vain) to appear calm—now off again,
on another hurried march to the other side
of the Chamber—so this embodiment of rest
lessness (Senator Douglas) spent that mem
orable morning. His feelings must be in
describable. He has perilled all, and LOST
ALL; and if the countenance be the index of
the mind, he is agitated and torn asunder by
conflicting passions. I never watch his per
turbed and strongly marked face without
thinking of Byron's lines:—

"There was a laughing devil in his sneer

Which raised emotions both of hope and fear;

And when that frown of hatred darkly fell

Hope withering fled, and mercy sighed farewell!"

But, to turn to a pleasanter subject. Three
hours after the close of Gov. Seward's
speech, I had the great pleasure of shaking
hands with him in Mr. Smith's parlor, and
of again hearing him converse. He is a
charming conversationist, (as you know full
well;) and on each occasion of my meeting
him, I have lost all traces of the politician
in the philanthropist. Let those shake their
heads incredulously who please, I speak ad
visedly when I say, Gov. Seward is a true
friend to the oppressed negro, and will stand
by him in weal and woe..

I ought to have told you that, at the close
of Mr. Seward's speech I went to the House
of Representatives, and heard part of a
thorough-going slavery speech from Mr.
KERR of North Carolina; after which, a
few corrections to the same were made by
Hon. J. R. GIDDINGS; and then, on the ques
tion of adjournment, a regular fabal was
got up, which I thought disgraceful to all
concerned in it. For many minutes nothing
could be heard but, "Question—question—
order—order!" every one who uttered the
words seeming resolved to do all that in him
lay to make the confusion greater. But I
must not forget that it is to this noisy, tur
bulent House of Representatives that we
must look for the defeat of the Nebraska
bill. The Northern men who go for it in the
House will scarcely dare to meet their con
stituents! That is a comfort any way! Pe
titions against the bill are pouring in on all
sides. Why is there no anti-Nebraska meet-

ing got up in Rochester? The "Spirit of
Freedom," that has so long lain dormant, is
arousing itself from its protracted slumbers,
and must soon, like Sampson in his might
burst all the green withes (however dexter
ously twisted they may be) with which small
giants have attempted to bind him.

On Friday evening, I, in company with a
large party of friends, attended the Presi
dent's Reception. There were about 800 peo
ple there. The rooms were thronged with
promenaders. The President is a man of
easy, gentlemanly manners; but he looks
far more fit to be ruled than to rule. He
shook us all by the hand very courteously,
and evidently has that rare gift posessed
also by Queen Victoria, viz: remembering
persons to whom he has been once introduc
ed. An hour's promenading in this gay,
showy throng wearied me; and I was glad
to withdraw from the hum and din of the
WHITE HOUSE, to the sweet, happy home of
dear Mr. Smith. So ended another full and
busy day in Washington.

To-day, as neither Senate nor House were
in session, I accompanied some friends to
the Post Office department. The Post Of
fice is a fine building, entirely built of stone;
and although very extensive at the present
time, it is not sufficently capacious to meet
the necessities of that department. Nothing
can exceed the blandness and courteousness
of the Government officers here and else
where. The clerks and secretaries took an
infinity of pains to show us everything worth
seeing. I saw, among other curiosities, the
Post Office book kept by FRANKLIN, when he
was Post Master General, and employed one
clerk to assist him. We were also initiated
into the mysteries of "the Dead Letter Of
fice," and beheld some of its dread secrets.
"The dead letters," are opened quarterly.—There was something rather painful to see
two remorseless pair of hands tearing letters
open as fast as possible, and recklessly toss
ing them on the ground, when there are no
enclosures; and then it was curious to see
the little keepsakes enclosed in some of
them, and intended for hands they never will
reach. We brought away some reminis
cences of our visit there. About fifty thou
sand dollars are annually received in this de
partment; but the clerks told me that they
usually find the owner (or sender) of the
money. We next visited the Patent Office,
which is a peculiarly interesting department.
All the new inventions of every kind are
here, and also a large assortment of anti
quities. Among these is the Sarcophagus,
which served as a Repository for the remains
of the Emperor Alexander Severus. It was
found in Beyrout, Syria, by Commodore El
liot in 1839, and brought to this
country.—It is built of solid stone, and is very massive
in structure. All the Anglo-Saxon race seem
to have a peculiar propensity for making in
vasions into anything remarkable which is
exhibited in public. So many little pieces of
stone have been chipped off this ancient tomb
of the Roman Emperor, that it was at length
deemed expedient (with a view to preclude
future incursions of mischievous people) to
surround the Sarcophagus wtih an iron rail
ing. At the Patent Office, I saw the original
"DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE." It is
written on parchment; every word of it is
legible, excepting the signatures. Most of
these are partially obliterated. I paused
to read a few of the opening sentences of
that grand and glorious declaration; and
wished that each Senator and member of

Congress were compelled to give it daily an
attentive persual before he enters on his re
sponsible office of legislating for a great and
(so-called) free nation.

Here we saw, also, the venerable printing
press with which BENJAMIN FRANKLIN work
ed at his trade, as a journeyman, in London in
1725-6. This press is the property of John
B. Murray, Esq., of New York, and has been
deposited by him in the National Institu
tion. Here, also, we saw a number of re
miniscences of GEORGE WASHINGTON. In
the museum department there is a fine col
lection of corals; but we were obliged to
hurry through. Before quitting the Patent
Office, I must not forget to mention the
composition fruit whcih is not on exhibition
there. So exquisitely true to nature are the
apples, plums, pears, &c., that when I first
entered the room, I thought I was going to a
winter horticultural show, and that the fruit
had been miraculously preserved, sound and
entire. It is all manufactured by one pair
of hands. The inventor is a resident of
Fishkill on the Hudson, and has been six
years engaged in his elaborated work. Ev
ery piece of fruit is classified and labelled
by the same pair of hands.

A delightful walk up Pennsylvania Avenue,
and through the gardens of the Capitol,
brought us home. The weather is nearly
perfect for sight-seeing and roaming abroad;
and thoroughly am I enjoying it. My letter
is long; and yet I have not said half I have
to say. Truly yours,

JULIA GRIFFITHS.