Newspaper Page Text
*
| A Steamboat Race. The manner
in wltjch the steamboat races, which fre
quently end in the dreadful destruction
of human life, are conducted on the
Western water.:, in a late Peoria
Register, and was written b\ Mr. Sniniu !
11. Davis, who was in one of the boats.
The Banter. On Wednesday mor
ning, the 14th April, the Captain of the
Franklin stepped on board of the Phil
lips, both boats being at Louisville, and
after the usual salutations, put his hand
somewhat significantly to his neck.
"What’s the matter with vonr tuck?"
asked the Captain of the Phillips. “I
strained it,” replied the other, looking,
back for you the last tun we nc :<* up.'
“Well,” said Captain McClain, “if 1 can
get enough freight for ballast, you shall
strain it looking the other way to-day."
Thus the challenge was given and accept
ed. The thing took wind, and bets of
•*?100 to wore made that the Frank
lin would beat the Phillips one hour. The
latter got no freight, and had to run un
der tins disadvantage.
The Start. The Franklin leli port at
11 o : clock, with her usual complement ofj
freight and passengers, and proceeded off:
iri gallant style. The Phillips left at thir
ty-jive minutes .past 11, jn.st as her chal
lenger was passing Six Mile Island. Sh
had no freight, hut she had a good supply j
of pine knots, in addition to her stock ofj
wood, which was, for tin- most part, dry
beech, and excellent. The Franklin he-i
ing a daily passenger boat between < 'in-1
ciimati and Louisville, of course con- j
tracts for am! obtains the 1.e.-t wood on
the river. The Phillips had about thirty 1
cabin, and the same number of deck,
passengers: among the latter was a bu
gler, who from (lie hurricane da k, sen!
forth several stirring airs, as the ho*-.t shov
ed oft’ and got under way. The eIK-ct;
permed enchant in r. Merchants, clerk-,!
draymen, all dropped their pur aits, and,
became gazers upon the seem*.
OvEiuiAi t. at Madison. Though the
Franklin was observed six mih s alter'd
on our leaving, yet, from the heml in the
river, and the increasing smokim -s of
the atmosphere, site was soon lost sight of,,
and not seen again till we arrived near
Madison, fifty miles front Louisville. Here
she had stopped ton minutes, prohablv to.
deliver the mail, and was half a mile a-,
head as we passed the town.—Thus we
had gained at least twenty minutes upon
her in ibis ili-t.xuee. Till this time, verv
few of the pa- engers knew of the race.
The sight of the Franklin, the swiftest ■
boat oil the Western waters; the fact that
site was six miles ahead oil our ,ieavin-
Louisville, and that we were now within
hail, produced a belief in minds of all
that we could beat her, and made us dis
posed to try.
Pvss at Warsaw. The boats kept
about the same distance from each other
for the next thirty miles, to Yv’arsaw,,
where the Franklin was compelled to toin-ii
to deliver the mail.—The Phillips slc-i a
head, and obtained five or six Jen r:!is, I
when the Franklin was olFagain, under a
high head of steam. She gained upon!
the Phillips “mightily." Then the cont a
gion spread through ever." soul on board,
“(jo ahead, captain—keep her in the w akc
—huzza for the Phillips!” was in evert|
mouth. Nothing could exceed the spirit
of the .firemen and deck hands. The!
hatches were thrown open: pine knots
cheered the deck', au«! two or three axe
kept going in plitting and breaking them:
the deck passengers were huddled in ti;<-
bow, to give tin: boat more dip : tin-ch on 1
wagons were hauled from out* side to the
other, as she careened : volumes of lurid
llmnc issued from the tops of tin “''chim
neys, while dense clouds of black .-moke
tilled the atmosphere over us. It was.
plain that no less excitement prevailed on
hoard the Franklin. Thus far she had I
been queen of the wan r-. Would she
see her.-elf eclipsed without making a
mighty etlbvt ! The wav that both boats!
went “was a caution."
Rising Si n. The relative distance
between the. two boats vv abut little alter
ed for twelve or fifteen miles from War
saw. The Franklin would sometimes’
h ave our wake by putting iter h ad to
the right or left, and attempting to get in
a line with us. After repeated failures,
she at lust succeeded a levy miles Belov.
Rising Sun. This is twenty miles from
Warsaw.— From its high batiks a line
view is had of the rivi c below . The cit
izens saw the boats approaching, ayd li
ned the banks as we passed them, in
passing, the two boats were “neck and j
neck,” and we wt re saluted with loud
and continued cheers. .No lespose was
sent back from either boat : not a sound
was heard save the sonorous breathings t.f
the scape pipes and the whirl of the water
wheels. . The right to respond h longed
only to the victor, and that distinct.on
was yet to be won.
Ai.vr.M or Tin: Lam ns. A few miles
above Rising Sun, the boats', which till |
now had been abreast, and from ten i *
i fifty feet apart, struck ea bother with a
sllgi.t conclusion. Ihe | hies of vvil. on
there wa re twelve or bib •, on board flic*
Phillips, became alnrict ••!, and boson d:t
their husbands to interfere. Whi! th:
consternation prevailed m th. ladn . ' ca
bin and state robins, a different >.•• n<- vv:,-
witnessed without . the two boat.- - m \
to be lashed together, th officers ei' each
shaking hands across tin railings, and tin
men •i.• ml crews looking defiance. As
the"pa-a■ ng*r|« stepped out on the guard
on c ilhef--:,]e, they were promptly order
ed back, that the boats might he k< pt in
trim, the Phillips < specially, being so
light that the weight of four or five men
would careen her over like a canoe. The
highest excitement prevailed. 'Pile Frank
lin no longer regarded the delivery of the
mail, and had Mr. Kendall’s penalty been
ten-fold greater, it would not have weigh
ed a feather. The river in front olthe
boats, from the light of the furnaces,
seemed a sheet of fire, while the sky con
tinued overclouded with the dense vol
umes of smoke, which poured forth from
the chimneys. Sometimes tin* Franklin
would shoot ahead.— Our very breaths
were held in suspense. Then would the
Phillips recover h»*r ground, and pass her
adversary an equal distance. The cheers
which had been sent forth a minute be
fore, were now returned with heartv good
will, and a determination to triumph,
mixed with many horrid imprecations,,
was belched forth Bv the crews of both,
vi el.--. In passing Petersburg, the boats ;
struck with a more violent •oncussioii!
Ilian before; the alarm of the ladies in
rrea-ed, the captain of the Phillips ■ wa
ke-ought to de.-ist, and assured that the'
ladies in question constitutional nervous
ness, could not surviv e the excitement, j
Captain McClain yielded to their impor
tunities, and in passing th<* point above
the town just named, Imre away and leli'
the channel to the Franklin, while a hear
ty cheer, followed bv a gun, resounded
Irom the latter. On hoard the Franklin
it is said they were even more alarmed.
Camphor, ammonia, and all tin: restora
tive- on hoard, lieu around in prolusion,
until the cabin resembled a chemical la
boratory .
Arrivai. vt Cincinnati. The Phil
lip- fell in ilu* rear of the Franklin, as a-'
hove related, twenty-five miles below Ciu
cimi.it j. Sin* inainl ui' il I, r distance, to ,
' port, and c mu* in three lengths a-teni, 1
|at tin minutes pa t one, having perform-,
ed the run m tliirtm n hours and thirty
live minutes—one hundred and fifty miles.
j
S’rii.vi: Mor\i vix.—This extraordina
ry elevation may he considered as not oil-!
I> one of the most remarkable mountains
in North America, but as one of the grea- i
test natural curiosities in theknown world ■
Imagine a perpendicular wall of solid 1
marble, live or six hundred yards in length,
and for.r hundred yards high, rising in
grandeur and sublimity from the plain he-j
low. The .Macon Messenger gives a full,
description of the mountain, made bv a
remit traveler, who states tin* circuni
, Icrenci to Ik* rix mil 's, and tin* 'height
twenty-tv.o hundred and fifty feet, it
round- oil at lb top, like the dome of,
some magnificent edifice, ami may have 1
been tin* bdiy leuieio whence the savage
1 mill up ins sacrifices to his strange gods,
j The stone mountain is situated in Di -
( knl!) comity, Georgia, and. i-. perhaps, then
most stupendous of the :ii ay m.iai al n
, iiositi**s v. itli vv !:ich our cmotry abounds. I
| Kvenlug Ga a. :!e. j
lb ni iT.vi.irv. —A connnit.ee < t' . iglu
geiioonmn had appointed to meet at
twelve o’c! •»*■•.. Ik v ell of them were
pmictmil, lmt the eighth camo bustling in
vvi'li :ip:,!.i_ies tor being a quain r o! an
hour behind the n a*. “Tin* time,"
said he, “passed away without inv being
aw are of it. 1 bad no idea it was so late,’
etc. A Quaker prose.it said. “Friend, L
am not sure that vre should admit ihv ;i
--pdlog v. !! were mater of regret that |
thou Mum!,!- t have wasted thine ovv n quar
ter o! an hour: but tliere :.;•«* seven be
s:di s th;,self, whose title* tliim ha-t also
consumed, amounting in the whole to
two lion:s, and one eighth of it only was
thine gu'ii p/upeetu.
’Fur. vv vv to mak:: Mom i i\ ryr.nv
v. vn's i*oi i,r. a— At this tm.c, vls u the
general complaint i- tint “money i,-
scarcc." it will be an act of kindness to
inform tin* monevlcs:- how thev can rein
force their pockets. Iv> ill acquaint them 1
with the true secret of money catching:
tin* certain way in till empty purses,
a.wl how to kei p them alvv av- Full. Tw o
simple rule-. well observed, will do the
business. First let litutesiv am! indu-trv
be tbv constant comp arm ; and, .sec
ondly spend one penu; less than tin clear
gams. Tiien shall thy poi ket >,am Bc. ; m
to thrive ; and never will again erv vv: ii i
; empty liellv-;:elu*: neither will creditors
in-ult thee, nor want oppress, nor hunger'
bite, nor nakedness freeze thee. The
whole hemisphere vvil!shim* brighter, and
I pleasure spring up m every corner of tin
I heart.
Now, then fore, embrace these rule
ami be happy. R.im-h, the bl ■aU vv mo
ot sorrow from thy mind, and live inde
pendent. Fi.mi hull tiiou be a man,
am: not hide ;ace at tin .ae.proacli of
tin* rich. m*r .mffi r the pai i of fee!mg
little when the sm sos fortune vv dh at
thy right 1... ml ; li.-r mdi neuileuge, wheth
er vvit.i lilt:.* or i.me!.: i- a good fortune-,
ami placetn tlir nini.'ii ground with t!a.•
proudest ' I the Iden t-leece. < >,i (hen,
be w t-e, and 1. t in.lll try u.d, vv ith thee m
tm* luoriimg. ainl attend ii.. . uni.l :it ..:
readiest till* i\.u a;: !iii:ir of rest. Let
honesty h" a- ti:e bn ai!i of iliv - - .!, and
in", r li.rg. tto ha*, e ,t p< u:iv. vviau all
thy expenses are t-nunii rated and paid :
tiien shall thou in icy tin* n out id' iiappi
ni". and imltppn.ience shall he tiiv slm Id
•mil bul kier, thy hetnlet ami crown . then
shall thy soul .walk upright, nor stoop to
tiie sib.t a writ, h „ . -e be hath riches,
nor pom.et an abu.-e b. ear.se tin* hand
wtecu oiler- n vv» is a rum set with dri
ll, -id-.—! Ftankliu
BRUNSWICK ADVOCATE.
Internal Improvement ; Increased Facili
ties of Intercourse and Traveling in
t/ic+l/nitcfl States.
• The following highly interesting article is
taken irom the Amer. Almanac t*»r IWI7, than
which wo know of no work more admirable
in its way. Ilad any of us been told forty
* years since, that the results here given could
I iiave come within the compass of possibility,
in so short a space of time, vre should have
] regarded the statement as an attempt to play
i upon our credulity.
The great and rapid improvement which
■ lias taken place in tiie condition and circum-
I stances of the people of the United States,
since the American revolution, is strikingly
' illustrated by the increased facilities of trav
e-ling and intercourse between the different
parts of the country, by* means of turnpike
mails, canals, rail road cars, all of which w ere,
at that time, wholly unknown hero, with the
exception of stage couches, which had been
established on two or three short routes. But
1 it is - nice the close of tie• last war with (treat
Britain, that the spirit of enterprise, with re
spect, to internal improvement, tias been chii f
! ly manifested ; it is at the present time, es
pecially active, and promises, should nothf.g (
' inpjx'n to chock its progress, to accomplish,
much more in the ten succeeding years, than
has l)o'*n effected in twice tiie number of any
years that were prist.
The present facilities of intercourse arc al
together beyond what not only the first set-'
tiers ofthe country, but also the inhabitants;
no more than fitly years ago, could have con- j
reived lobe possible. The following state-1
ment of (,'ov. Everett, at the late centennial I
celebration id the* Settlement of Springfield, I
.Massachusetts, is scarcely an exaggeration. 1
“Such was t lie difficulty of crossing the path
b*ss w ilderni s■; v. inch lay between them [the.
first settlers of’ Massachusetts,] and the coast, J
that a man m.: v now go from Boston to New j
Orleans by wav of Pittsburg, a distance of
more than 2.500 miles, in about as many *
days as it v>uk the first sett! l rs to reach the
hanks of Connecticut river.”
in the year et I7f>l, a convention of dele--j
'.’’ales from the English American colonies, I
m'*t at Albany tor the purpose of forming n:
/dan of union ; and it was proposed, that, if;
the plan were carried into eifect, Ijiil ldo’phia j
should be the place of meeting. The rca-1
sons in favor of the city were stated by Dr.
Franklin, a member of the convention, who i
was evidently disposed to give the most favor- i
able representation of the facilities of in-.
terconrso which the ease admitted as fhl-1
lnv* s :
“Philadelphia wa-= named as being nearer
the centre of the colonies, where the com-1
mis miters would be well anil cheaply accom- j
modated. Tim high roads through the whole
extent, are, for the most part, very good, in
w hich forty or fitly miles a day may very well
be, and frequently are, traveled, Great part'
of the way may likewise be gone by water.
In snmiiif r time, the passage is frequently
perform.-;! m a week from Charleston to Phil
adelphia and New York; and from Rhode
Island tor New York through the Sound, in
two nr three days, and from New York to Phil
adelphia, by water and hind, in two tint s, by
stage,boats and wheel carriages that set out
every i ;i!or day. The journe y from Charles
ton to i’hikideiplua may likewise he facilita
ted by bouts running up Chesapeake Hay,
'iiree hundred miles. But if the whole jour
ney If j.-n'orme 1 on horseback, the m A dis
!•' n* ’:*•■ ohms, v iz. : the I .i o Irom New II unp
shue and Inmi .Soiitii Cirolina may probaldv
render them ■•.•!• e : at Fhila.h ’j>!iia, in Id or “and
days : the iiiai. rity may ho tlmje in much loss
I im-•.”
Bid such a If.ge has nan taken pl:v*c.
tint eno in ;y trovi I with rm from (’uncord,
tie* 01 N-nv llami -hiie to Pliilade!-
p’nia, or ii"*’*i !> •.<i'>ii to iV (’t-.f Wasliing
ton, ;d! th“ way in ilail RoiplC -cud Steam
Boats, :i i!i l.inco ( ,f j., j,.,<
tiuin i' - I lours, and t !:•.* pa - bet ween New
N ork ami Pi ninth Ip.’.ia, is .-ferin-al ill from
seven to eight la airs.
Stage e, aches were very little known in
thi< c. e’>t y til! a p adoil ; ..h... ;uent to the
c’ose el tie* He. a nd! ,i :•|-; ;-y vvir: and for some
time alter th v were introduced, they did not.
"imu go iiior’than t.f. it •l;)i,i !■>in a day.
In England, in ID ; . !!'•* -t ig - ; e. : e!i was four
day- m going f- -a London to Y.-’!;. a ilistance
of about *.Vt> aides, which Ins. ibr some years
n.-st, been trav. hd in about hours. The
tirs; stag ' eonclt drawn by tour homes in Ala
".chu.-e) t s, 111 winch we h.iv -: rv knowledge,
was es*. ahi tilled in I*7 I. r:i: m• ■ g between
Best. :i. Salem and New hu. v pe.'. All iutel
l'ge;i; gen! I<’i,ciii. v.!;o trav.-.id in the first
-' gi> co.u ii f 0..i Hos;on to YiY.v, step, makes
tiie follow :n . -tat. if : --1 ,< *•:o: i I’e mo, of
Siirow's!m v. t ibli-hed tin* < ii'. *of stages
be:-.. • Boston an I\v nrce; !7 -'} : a tier
wards e\! lid 'd to Hartford.l s' h e p;, n!-
iy to New \ ••:'%. l-'tore li. it t.: e, the pub
lic m.i.i *.*.:•- cm re.',. ••* her- 'hack iiv .Messrs.
I iyde and A i-ims. altermt. ;v. • • ••, thingbe
iu::'com e., nt ;> | nr ot -addle bags, and one
mad a week i ;.!y coming from the South. Af
: r Nov. York wav evacuated 'ey the English
•it 17Ah tin* mad v.as exteii led to that citv.
Bui ie ;*r:it *ip.:l interce (Vo;n t!:,■ Nortii
w by v iter. In 17Mr. |!:dl ird set up
the first hack in Heston. It was a chaise, and
' station.-.! bv the old Still*' hoi; v. A coach
was -ip,ci aft->r add h
The f,:..? Turnpike Forpora.foa in .Massa
chusetts w:.s granted in I?!*.'•; tln> oldest
Unu-aN in tie* Fnite I S-ates of any considera
ble magnitude, arc tho S-n:? \* Canal and the
Ajiddh'sex ('anal, the t ' i**r of wideh was
completed in l.'S'A and t‘ic latter in leg:!. Tito
olile-tcanai w ide:i has !•.- • a : :; vc!i used for
eonvv*. ing passengers-, is C.m *. which
W-- « : ..mdeted in l-J.\ To. > . Rail
lioafi m th- l Si."os. th Qa.gev Rail
Road i:i M:: - ; acliits : . only ihree miles in
length, was linishi'd in '-.7.- T ...
w ideh v. ;i< tits? used in the Fnite.l St-ites for
eem f\ ing pas-erig. ;s in * . - l?are and
t.'-C ; li O L ■ id. gt-t ye! lilt 'ill'll, .vine:! Was
e'K’d pi'-engers t'l • u I’.dii a -e to Eli
coit’s ’M IB ' lies. • ; I'., ». The first
Steaml*. at tiim va- use j j ; , : . ~t’the
r cos ' ’j>■ ing : as .ne wdiich
c-aaneae.-.l sa:!::ig e:: til:* ilnd-vn. between
New \ ork an! A.hauy. in l -vr.
Tiie ?irs? Post tiiiiee in America w - - estab
h'h •:! a» New York in 171*1'. die : ■ ■ Ter of
*m c>s in tho Fnite.l S s. , - only
70. a:d. , ■ ext.mt of Post ItoatL. 1v>7.1 miles.
In I'd.h. tin* number of Post Offices was 1(1.-
777 ; tie j>ost rentes cevcivd about 11*2,771
In daily, or loss frequent trips, Pm units
were earriv ,! ell th- -•■ 'eg. - about
ied mil *s. viz:— iti,e7-l.('.';ti ■ lies in four horse
imiles on horseback, and in sulkies; !'Ofi.l'.at)
miles in Steamboats ; and 280,7)04 miles in
j Rail Road Cars.
The rivers and waters of the United States
present a vast field ibr Steamboat navigation,
which is more in use here than in any other
parts of the world. This mode of navigation
lias produced surprising changes with respects
to facilities of intercourse, especially in the ex
tensive region, which is watered by the Missis
;ppi and its tributaries. In the western coun
try the present century lias witnessed extra
* ordinary changes and wonderful improvement
in the arts of civilized life : and a system of
internal improvement is now in progress there,
which considering the recent settlement of
the country, may he justly regarded as magnifi
cent. —The following account of “things
seen by a young son of the West,” originally .
published in the “Cincinnati Register,” is ex- 1
tracted from tho “People’s Magazine,” for Julv
B’th, 18AJ:
“I have seen the time when the only boat
that Boated on the surface of the ()hio, was a
canoe, propelled by poles used by two persons,
one in the bow and the other in the stern.
‘•I have seen the day, when the introduction
of tho keel boat, with a shingle roof, was hail
ed a mighty improvement in the business of
the West.
“I remember the day when the Canadian
barge (ns the St Louis boats were called at
the head of the Ohio,) was an important event
in the transaction ; ol' the year.
“1 remember the day when a passage off sir
months from Natchez to Pittsburg was called
a speedy trip for the best craft on the riv er,
and when the boatmen, a race now exhibited
an air of as much triumph, as did the sailors of
Columbus on their return from the New
World.
“T remember the time when the canoe of a
while man dared not be launched on the bo
som of the Alleghany.
“I remember the time when a trader to New
Orleans was viewed as tho most enterprising
amongst even the most hardy sons of the West,
on his return from his six months trip, lie was
Jhiiiled as u traveler v. ho had seen the world.
“I remember the "day when the borders of
the Ohio were a wilderness, and New Or
leans was ‘lnto urue dieisu,’ literally cut off
from the new world.
“J have lived to see the day when the de
sert is flourishing as th< rose ;—when the race
of boatmen has become extinct, and their
memories only preserved in the traditional
tales of our borderers.
“1 have lived to sec two splendid cities, one
devoted to manufactures, the other to com
merce,spring up, where, in my boyhood, noth-
I ing appeared like civilization but the hut of
the soldier or the settler.
“I have lived to see a revplution produced
by a mechanical philosophy, equal to that ef
fected by tho art of printing. It has changed
j the character of western commerce, and al
most proved that the poetical wish of annihi
lating time-and space, was not altogether hy
, jierbolical. By it Pittsburg and New Orleans
iiave become near neighbors.
“I have lived to see the day when a visit
to New Orleans from Cincinnati, requires no
mure preparation than a visit to a neighbor
ing country town. 1 remember when it requir
ed as much previous arrangement as a voyage
to <kdeuft:i. " '
‘•I have lived to see vessels of 800 tons ar
riving in 12 or title**n days from Now Orleans
* •*< (Jiiii-iiiii.iti; and I calculate tu see them .ar
rive in ten days.
“1 have lived to see vessels composing an
I amount' of tonnage of upwards of 4.(100 tons ;
■arrive in one week at tho harbor of Cincinnati.
“All those things T have seen and yet I feel
; mys< It to he entitled to be numbered amongst
th ■ yotin r sons of tiie West.”
I iio s'.-.unbont M-*d, 'tor has been recently
stated to have pertonni-d the passage, in July.
1 -MO, from New Orleans to Louisville in 7
* days an * 15 hours ; at tiie same rate it would
iiave readied Cincinnati in about 8 da vs, so
1 that tin* expectation of this “young son of the
I West” is already more than realized.
Ft. Loris, (Mo.) July I. 1887.
1 Rea- Sir:—Gen. Guine- left this city on
the 2/th ult. lor the purpose ot* concerting
| measures with Gov. R-g rs for the removal of
tiie Put*a '.'. atomies, who have encamped on a
strip of land within this Stale, and have be
■ come exceedingly troublesome to the settlers
i —several rencontres having already taken
place. Ile is exceedingly desirous of abstain
j ing from harsh n ensures in consequence of
the present inflamed state of the Indian tribes
; wen! of us, lest a general Indian war may af
flict us.
i\. obuek. with about twenty live of his
principal chiefs, and warriors of tiie Sacs and
Foxes, wit ii tlunr squaws, let! lien* yesterday
.’*r tlu’ir lonics, and. as | have been informed,
mew hilt di'--:. Wiled v> itli the result of th; ir
1 miss.- nln re. Thev were to liave rei ei.ej
j their ammiti.'s in specie; hut it being im
p-*a*" -cable for the Government to furnish the
; hard money, merchandize was o'tempted to lie
forced inmi them ; hence their visit to this ci
ty—a more elegant body of men ! iiave never
seen.
The bead chief of the Osages, and a depu
tation of the nation, .are now in the city on a
."till more grievous errand. The agent who
was appointed to attend upon, w atch over their
1 interests, and pay them their annuities, has
| neglected them for the past two years. This
old and venerable man was partially covered
(.with a blanket which seemed to have stood the
brunt of many a campaign, not to say that I
would not have disgraced my horse with so
; mean a garb. The female who waited upon
| him as interpreter, a very pr Ov woman bv
: the bye. was as poorly clad a- lik.isTf and ree -
ted the tunny wrongs which they had e -dured
in the most touching manner. She stated that
the agent leli them many months since, and is
living w itli another tribe, having omitted to
pay their annuities tor tin* no.-t two years, and
the whole tribe is in a destitute stat-.
(’apt. Ethan A. Hitchcock, tic Indian dis
bursing aget *t this city, and one of the most
a. com j -! ishoil ,-.dicers in the army, has already
become exceedingly popular with both the In
dians a:..; tn-fi-av.
I nit* So-: > Bank Bills are abominable
sciree, and command u high premium depend
i; j much upon the amount required. Yes
terday I bought v. itii hard dollars two hundred
dollars of 1 . S. Bank bills, for which I paid
two per et. premium, and glad to get them at
tint. ' |
I'm: Inns- Thick. The quantity of iron
mail.' in this cn entry during tho year ISBij,
ins been i e minted the enormous quantity j
ot' a million es tons; the average price of pig;
iron, for the your, being about .27 per ton, and !
2m! of . iron about All per ton. The j
I make of this year, doubtless, far exceeded
| that of ordinary years, in consequence of the
j extraordinary impetus given to the iron trade,
lowing to railway speculations, and other
i causes ; but if we consider the average quan
tity to be only eight hundred thousand tons
per annum, which will probably not be far
from the truth, the vast amount of wealth thus
created by the iron trade alone, must be well
calculated to excite surprise and admiration.
Os this largo production, wo may consider
about one hundred and fitly thousand tons to
be annually exported to foreign countries,
chiefly in a wrought or manufactured state ; a
large proportion, within the last year or two,
! being in the form of rails, castings, &<!. for
I the construction of railways. One of our
principal exports of iron, during the last year,
j was to the United States, to be employed in
I the great projected lines of railway in that
j country ; and a considerable quantity of rails
! and castings were imported into Russia from
I England, to be employed in forming the first
i line of railway which has been executed in
I that country. [English Paper.
Lieut. Poweee’s Exploring on the
Coast op Florida. This gentleman sent
! with boats in the Saddalia sloop of War, in
October last, to examine the “Everglades”
(Mangrove islands) forming the innumerable
islands, inlets, swamps, lagoons, &c. on the*
south coast of Florida lias furnished a highly
interesting report on this subject from which
J we make the following extracts :
j We ran along tho coast for the most part in
| the night, looking into .Marittee bay and Long
1 river, on the 17th. 'l’liis is the real .Shark ri
j vor, there beiyg nothing but small creeks be
! tween it and Cape Sable ; and Long Iliver
j does not deserve the name, being only an
outlet for the waters of the Everglades, though
as many months as there arc islands, these be
ing innumerable. We pulled with tho oars
j full twenty miles on Long river, and caine
I out to sea a few miles from our starting point.
The entire coast seems to be formed of a
j mass of mangrove islands, packed in upon
j each other, and separated from the water by
| the everglades by a lagoon fresh or salt by
j turns, as the tide or waters of the glades pre
i vai!. To Snake river it would he dillicult to
j find an acre of dry land on which to encamp.
From the month ofthe Snake river to Pavil
ion key, several of the islands present a san-
I dv beach, with here and there a patch of dry
j haul; and such indeed is the character of the
coast as far as Cape Roman. The Indians
who frequent this country are fishermen, and
I seem to have left their usual haunts.
Early in the morning anchored in the Cux
imbo river, where was once a settlement of
Marcos Indians.
We spent a week in the examination of the
islands and numerous lagoons to the distance
of eighteen nr more miles from our encamp
ment. Mr Charles Johnson engaged to show
|us the dwelling of the Indians ; but after c
I most, laborious-excursion through lagoons, and.
j swamps, where wo sometimes cut a passage
j for the boats through the mangroves, we re
j turned to the camp, unable to discover traces
■ of Indians ortii 'ir villages.
We anchored our boats that night in the
J great inland basin of South Florida, known as
1 the Everglades. We had now a nigh view of
j the coast that encircles the glades. Forests
■ of pmes and cypress enclosed us on all sides
[ like a black wall: while on the other, the grass
! which covers the* whole surface of this shallow
lake, olfered no obstruction to the eve as it
wandered over the dreary waste. Here, on
the mainland, or on the islands in the glades,
! if there were Indians, so commanding was our
position, that their fires would certainly liave
been seen by us. With tiie dawn we pushed
into t.!io grassy sea before us, and endeavored
1 to approach an Island seen in the distance*—
Several other islands were above the horizon
. as we progressed ; but the boats although the
smallest ot our little fleet, could not near oith
!er of them. Tiie matted saw grass, which
j wounds like a razor, and the deep sluices,
j which intersect the glades, prevented access
to them on foot I found it impracticable to
navigate the glades, at tiiis.st.age of water, in
keel boats, though no labor had been spared :
Emil we reluctantly' commenced on our return
to the camp.
The arrow root abounds, and is indeed al
most peculiar to this section of Florida. It is
tie - broad, the chief sustenance of the Semi
nole Indians, and without which they might
! bes! arve-l.
V- e foim-l the roast of the continent alow,
and, at high tide, an inundated shore, defended
trout tiie sea by a breastwork of tangled man
groves, nearly inaccessible. If it be inlnbi
-1 table, it is barely possible to credit it. Ten
miles from the eastern point of (’ape Sable, we
j find the first sand beach. A strip of shelly
* hind separates the sea from the Everglades :
an i from the appearance of the soil in this dry
: season, it must iio inundated half the year.
Scott’s Empi.oi ment of Time. Previ
■ onsly it had been his custom, whenever pro
j fessional business or social engagements oc
cupied the miiulle part of Ins days, to seize
! some hours for study alter lie was supposed to
have retire,l to bed. His physician suggested
: that this was very likely to aggravate his ner
volts head-aches, the only malady he was sub
jected to in the prime of his manhood; and
contemplating with steady eye a course not on
ly of unremitting but of increasing imlustrv,
he resolved to reverse his plan, and carried his
purpose into execution with unflinching ener
gy. In short, he had now adopted the habit
ot which, With very slender variation, he ever
. aft r prt* -rved when he was in tin- country.
!L - rose by live o’clock, lit his own lire when
the season required one. and shaved and
dressed with great deliberation—for lie was a
very Martinet as to nil but the coxcombries of
the toilet, not abhorring i-flcininato dandyism
its,-it so cordially as the slightest approach to
s! ,v■•'niiness. or even those ‘bed-grown at: 1
Mippery tricks, as he called them, in which
literary men are apt to indulge. Arrayed in
his shooting jacket, or whatever dress he
me ant to use till dinnertime, lie was seated
by six - o'clock, all his papers arranged before
him in tho most accurate order, and'his books
■! roiorenve niur--hal"d around him on tim
floor, while at least one favorite dog lay watch-!
ing his eye, just beyond the line of cireumval
lation. Tints, bv the time the family assem
bled II >r breakfast between nine and ten. lie
had done enough (in.his own language) “to
break the m.k of the day’s work.” After
breakfast a couple of hours more weft* given
to his solitary task, and by noon lie was as he
used to say, ‘his own man.’ [Lockhart’s Life
of Sir Walter Scott.
Latest from Europe. By the Express
mail yesterday, we received slips from New
York dated ifttli inst., containing later foreign
intelligence, by the packet ship .llhany, attiiat
port
We extract from the Daily Depress and Cour
ier £,• Eiujuirer.
The Cotton market drmtinued to improve.
The packet ship Poland which sailed from
Havre on the std June, got ashore by the fault
ofthe Pilot,and had to put back, discharge her
cargo,and repair damages. The Louis Phillippe
arrived out on the <itli June, from New York.
The news from England is several days la
ter. The three American Bankers in London,
viz.: Welde, Wilson and Wiggins, had all fail
ed.—The latter has assets of £2B LOGO over
their indebtedness.
Paris, June 7. With the London Journals
of Monday we have received, in our usual cor
respondence, the commencement of the sittings
in .both Houses of Parliament- It will lie seen
that Lord Broughman called the attention of
the Lords to the state of public business
before them, owing principally to the dilatori
ness of the House of Commons.
In the Lower House the principal business
was amotion by Mr. Attwood, on the existing
commercial distresses of the cougpitrv, which lie
was left speaking upon at post hour.
[Savannah Republican.
Tobacco, its History and Use. I)r.
Sigmonil gives the following account of the
introduction of this herb into Europe. lie
says that it was first introduced about the year
155!*, by Jean Nicot, the Ambassador of tic*
King of France at tho Court of Lisbon. The
Ambassador thought this plant, from the won
ders related of it by travelers who had been
in America, a suitable present to a Queen,
and offered some to tiie acceptance of Caro
line do Medicis, from which circumstance it
obtained the name by tho old botanist of Ihr
ha ftcfcinac, whilst from the Ambassador it was
called Xicotiana, and tobacco, from tho island
of Tobago. Theret, who first writes respect
ing the plant in France in the vear 1775,
claims to have first introduced it into that
country; but the practice of smoking tobacco
seems to liave been a common custom in Chi
na, long before the discovery of the continent
of America. Tobacco is said to have been
introduced into England in 1505, and Lobilius
writes that it was cultivated here in 1570. In
Bakers Chronicle, it is to have been brought
into England in 1580 by Ralph Lane. Cam
den says, “ that soon after the introduction of
tobacco by Ralph Lane and his companion, it
began to grow into great request, some using
if for want'mness, and others lor health sake ;”
—Common report has likewise ascribed the
introduction of tobacco to Sir Walter Raleigh,
and there is now at Islington a public house
called the Pieda Bull, in which the distin
guished knight lived, and which is said to have
been the scene of a whimsical mistake. Sir
Walter was enjoying in his room a quiet pipe,
when his servant entering, saw volumes of
smoke surrounding his mister; ignorant of
the cause, and supposing the place to.be on fire
he rushed from tin* room, and returned to del
uge the lover of smoking with buckets of wa
ter. It is even said that King James sacrific
ed Fir Walter Raleigh for lus love of this
herb, which the King detested, and believed it
would deprave the morals of the p- ople, as
may be seen in his treaties railed the Coun
ter blast to Tobacco. Raleigh appears to
have indulged in the habit of smoking to the
very last.
There are thirty different species of tobac
co, all of which possess nearly the same quali
ties; two ot thorn mcolmnn lobucciim, and rus
liea, are chiefly cultivated for use ; the tobac
cum is an annual plant, flowering in July and
August, it rises with an erect stem four to
nine feet in height, the leaves are alternate,
and before they reach maturity, of a deep
green color, and smooth, but they afterwards
become rough and yellowish. This country
is chiefly supplied from Virginia, but the plant
grows well in Europe. Smoking is employed
medically, anil is servicable when used with
moderation in raw damp weather, in fenny
countries, or at sea : it also relieves asthma,
and is ot use in disordered respiration. Smok
ing does not tend to shorten life, according to
a return made by Sir John Sinclair of Green
wich an-i Kilinainliaim Hospitals, many of the
pensioners were eighty, ninety anil one hun
dred years of age, and though all were addict
ed to smoking, it, didn.it appear to have any
injurious cftect upon their health.
YV'e believe, with au honest conscience that
j a greater farrago of twaddling fooleries could
not be scraped together from the four quarters
j of the earth, than what is offered ns in the
j newspapers, to show how marvelously respect
aide Americans are in the eyes of foreigners.
| y> T ° ra!l hardly take up a paper, without liav-
I ing some stupendous fudge of this sort thrust
in our face, i’he silly nmcompoopish things
; that, are gravely put forth every dav, in illus
tration of this important point, almost makes
ns ashamed of our species. We have seen a
j good portion of a solid column, headed ‘•Amer
ican in Europe,’ or something equally ad cap
; tandum vulgus, all proving the American peo
ple to be tiio most wonderful on earth, because
a certain merchant in Bishopsgato street was
born in the U. States. We Jiave seen the
news go the round of all the journals, that an
■ American <it Paris rode in a tine coach, with
i fellows in red breeches to wait upon him, and
i that ids equipage was thought to beat, the Duke
i of Dodd lockup's a circumstance which seemed
tube thought highly reputable to the nation
|by the noodles who published, as well as the
| noodles wlio read, the astounding tale. We
; lemeinbcr that when the Iving of Belgium’s
rail road was opened, or his baby was chris
tened, we forgot exactly which—the Ameri
can flag was hoisted among others, which our
sapient editor did not tail to trumpet through
out the land, from Maine to .Michigan, as a su
perlative.compline ait to our respective selves,
—overlooking in tfie raptures of their glorifi
cation, the small circumstances that the stars
and stripes were one of a company of lßiis
other Hags, and that in this respectable com
pany were the colors of Ifayti and Asiiantee,
Tunis Tripoli, O why hoe, the Republic of An
dorra, tiie Imam of 'Muscat, the King of Ban
tam and the Cubo of Japan; and that moreo
ver the American Flag was ranked next to
that of the Dutchv of Oldenburgh, which is
so prodigious a territory, that wlien the Duke
shakes his wig, ho powders his whole empire.
In short, tin' inefl’ibii' silliness of the stuff
t i.c - every day written upon this subject, is
notorious, that if newspapers prove any
thing, the.-o would be no ditlh ultv in proving
the Aimvican ;> >; <’ f.» bo h cai idiots, with
not an idea in '. a. head ', except th't of then
own transc ndeu: e. u ..
[ L/oi. i.uUrHT