men among us, men of whom we would gladly rid ourselves, and so has every community, but do not condemn a whole community because of some unworthy members. I know we have good men among us-men as far above anything mean or dishonorable as any set of men in the world, and who are as far from entertaining many of the opinions and beliefs attributed to them as the persons are who make the charges; but our rule is, and it would be a good one for others to pursue, to condemn no creed until we know what it is." Thus having spoken, he closed with an appropriate prayer.

At the conclusion of the prayer, a stranger in the congregation arose, and expressing himself with vehemence and apparently with great emotion, remarked, that he did not gainsay anything the preacher had said in regard to the Scriptures, nor what he had said in regard to this being a dark age; nay, when he reflected how many hundreds of the ignorant of our race had been made the dupes of such a scamp and villain as Jo. Smith, he was strongly inclined to believe with the preacher that this indeed and in truth must be a dark age, and that if any man upon top of the earth deserved the halter more than any other, that man was Jo. Smith. The gentleman having seated himself, the Mormon again arose, and replied as follows: "The gentleman just seated acted the part he had seen and heard others play before in regard to the Mormons. Because he had formed a poor estimate of Jo. Smith, of course all the Mormons must necessarily be a trifling, ignorant, and deluded set. Now, if the gentleman had looked at the matter properly, or even considered what he was saying himself, it would have saved him a deal of that passion which he has so clearly manifested on this occasion. He says he does not gainsay or deny the doctrines I have preached, or rather what I have said in regard to the Scriptures, nor does he deny this being a dark age of the world; then there is no issue between us about which we ought to contend; for the gentleman will remember that, in all my remarks, I never mentioned Jo. Smith's name once, except to say that I was not his advocate. Jo. Smith was not in my thoughts, nor do I arise now to eulogize or defend him, nor condemn him, or the

gentleman, or any one else; my object was merely, by the particular request of these people, to say something about the peculiarities or doctrines of the Mormons, and to give some of the reasons upon which their belief is founded; and although the gentleman has not disagreed with me in anything I have said, yet he attempts to answer me by a tirade of abuse against Jo. Smith. Sir, I have nothing to say on this occasion for or against Jo. Smith, but for the Mormon doctrine I am an advocate, and will defend it with my best abilities on all proper occasions."

Thus ended the sermon of Lorin Farr, and his controversy with the stranger. The writer has never sought or availed himself of any other means of acquiring a knowledge of the doctrines or tenets of the Mormons, and gives the foregoing account rather as a matter of curiosity, and with the belief, also, that it embraces truly the sentiments of the Mormon people.

CHAPTER X.

Henry Clay, Sketch of his Life—John Breckinridge, Sketch of—Mrs. Breckinridge-George Nicholas, Sketch of Chilton Allan-Samuel HansonJoseph H. Daviess-Richard C. Anderson, Jr.-Wm. T. Barry-Solomon P. Sharp-George M. Bibb-Humphrey Marshall-Jesse Bledsoe-Harry Innis-George Robertson-John Speed Smith-John B. Thurston – David Trimble-John White-Henry Grider-James Harlan-Judge William McClung-Alexander D. Orr-John Coburn-John T. Johnson-Robert P. Henry-Thomas Chilton-James B. Clay-Thomas Corwin-Martin D. Hardin-James S. Jackson-Wm. P. Duval-Joshua H. Jewett-Francis Johnson-Sherrod Williams-Elijah Hise-James Guthrie - John Boyle-Daniel Breck-F. M. Bristow-Presley Ewing-Henry C. Burnett-Thomas J. Helm-Joshua F. Bell-John Calhoon-Beverly L. Clark-Albert G. Haws-James Love-Richard H. Menifee-Stephen Ormsby-Wm. Wright Southgate-General Leslie Combs-William J. Graves-Archibald Dixon-Thomas P. Moore-Richard French-Benjamin Tobin-General Samuel Hopkins-Captain William Hubbell-General Jefferson Davis-President Abraham Lincoln-William MitchellColonel Acquilla Whitaker-James S. Whitaker-Richard T. Whitaker -Christopher Graham, M. D.

HENRY CLAY.

The life, letters, and speeches of Henry Clay have been published in several volumes, and are in the hands of many. Scarcely any man ever attained higher distinction than he, not only as a civilian, but as a statesman, orator, diplomatist, and patriot. His fame was wide-spread and unbounded; not a civilized nation on earth, perhaps, to whom his fame was unknown. An honester man, or one more devoted to the best interest of his country, perhaps never lived. Born with no other heritage than poverty, he attained that distinction to which he arrived by the force of his own talents alone; his native genius, assisted by the ardor of his exertions, effected it; and the malice of his enemies could never tear it from him, nor even blot the page of that history which records it.

Mr. Clay had only received a common school education when he entered the office of the clerk of the court of Chancery at Richmond as a copyist. He commenced the study of the law at nineteen years of age, and shortly afterward removed to Lexington, Kentucky.

Mr. Clay was born in Hanover County, Virginia, on the 12th of April, 1777. He was admitted to the bar at Lexington in 1799, and very soon obtained an extensive practice. He began his political career by taking an active part in the election of delegates to frame a new Constitution for Kentucky in 1799. He was elected a Representative of Fayette County to the Legislature of Kentucky for the first time in 1803, and in 1806 was appointed the successor of General John Adair, who had resigned, to the Senate of the United States for the remainder of the term. In 1807 he was again elected to the Legislature of Kentucky, and was chosen Speaker. It was in 1808 that the duel occurred between him and Humphrey Marshall. In 1809 he was again elected to the United States Senate for the unexpired term of Mr. Thurston, resigned. In 1811 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives in Congress, and was chosen Speaker of that body, and was five times re-elected in that body to the same office. He was an advocate of the war with Great Britain; and the national spirit was greatly aroused and awakened to resist her aggressions by his eloquence. In 1814 he was appointed one of the Commissioners to negotiate a treaty of peace at Ghent. After his return from this mission he was again elected to Congress, and in 1818 delivered his famous speech on the subject of recognizing the independence of the South American Republics. It was this year also that he advocated with such power the national system of internal improvements. A monument of stone, inscribed with his name, was erected on the National Road to commemorate his services in behalf of that improvement.

In 1819-20 he exerted himself for the establishment of protection of American industry. He also rendered essential services in the adjustment of the Missouri Compromise question. These questions being settled, he retired from Congress to at

tend to his private affairs. In 1823 he was again elected to Congress, and re-elected Speaker. It was during this session he exerted himself in support of the independence of Greece. He was Secretary of State under the Presidency of John Quincy Adams. The attack made by John Randolph on Mr. Clay during this administration led to the duel between these distinguished men, which terminated, however, without bloodshed.

In 1831 Mr. Clay was again elected to the United States Senate, where he commenced his labors in favor of the tariff. Soon after his re appearance in the Senate he was unanimously nominated for President of the United States, but was defeated by the re-election of General Jackson. In 1836 he was again elected to the United States Senate, where he remained until 1842, when he resigned, and took his final leave of that body as he supposed.

In 1839 he was before the Convention again for the nomination for the Presidency, when General Harrison was selected as the candidate, who was elected over Van Buren by an overwhelming majority. In 1844 he again received the nomination for President, but was defeated by the election of James K. Polk.

After this he remained in retirement until 1849, when he was again elected to the Senate of the United States, where he devoted all his energies to the measures known as the Compromise Acts. His efforts during this session greatly impaired his strength and health, and he went to New Orleans and Havana, but received no permanent improvement in this respect, and returned to Congress. Being unable to participate in the active duties of the Senate, he resigned his seat, to take effect upon the 6th of September, 1852.

Mr. Clay was greatly interested in the success of the Colonization Society, and was for a long time one of its most efficient officers, and also its President. He died at Washington City, June 29th, 1852, at a little over seventy-five years of age, honored and respected not only by his own country, but by the civilized nations of the earth.