The Athens Post

A SPEECH FROM "BEV." TUCKER.

Beverly Tucker. Esq., of Va., now U. S. Consul at Liverpool, was present at a recent celebration in Liverpool, and being called upon, made a speech which is thus sketched in one of the journals of that city

"He was sent from Virginia, unknown to commerce and unacquainted with its mysteries, to represent his country in the greatest commercial port of the world, knowing less about it, perhaps, than any man in his country. [Loud laughter.] If they should consider that any recommendation for a Consul to be sent to such a port as Liverpool.— [Hear! hear! loud laughter and cheers.]— He was awarded almost the highest honor that the President of his country could give him, [hear, hear,] and still knowing not what it was—understanding not his mission —ignorant of every thing connected with it [renewed laughter]—he arrived in the Baltic—that American steamer the skipper of which had been stopped—he arrived in the Mersey one bright October day, and they were scarce in this city. [renewed laughter,] when there opened before his vision—he the commercial representative of his country [laughter]—now fitted to the greatest commercial mart in the world—docks, shipping that absolutely seemed to him when he first entered the Mersey, to be amphibious, [roars of laughter] it went so far up into the town. Thought he to himself 'Have these people over here, from whom I am descended, got so far ahead of us on the other side that they make ships sail on dry land?' [Roars of laughter.] And when the old Captain Joe Comstock fired off those two guns, he began to reflect and found himself in the great commercial emporium of England, with a very strong desire to resign and go home, [renewed laughter and cries of 'no. no,'] for he had no more idea that he was fit for this station than he was fitted to be that which he did not expect to be shortly, first minister to Pope Pius, of Rome; [laughter.] but—a good wife consoled him and told him she thought he would get over it. [Laughter.] He had since examined the statistics of the port, and he believed that—for every rock and brick of all the formidable masonry in Liverpool, the United States had contributed three fifths of the whole amount of the costs. [Oh oh, and laughter.] He was, therefore, proud to speak to the toast of 'The Town and Trade of Liverpool.'"