Newspaper Page Text
following lyric is again going the
rounds of the newspapers. It was written by
George Canning, we think, when a young
man, and must have been published in Eng
land some fifty years since. We have great
pleasure to see it again brought forward ; for
it is now as then, a most appropriate sntifo up
on those who sanctify by motives of philanth
ropy, their injudicious and ridiculous endeav
ors to aid those who stand in no need of as
sistance. [EJ. Advocate.
THE FRIEND OF HI'MAMTY AND THE KNIFE
GRINDER.
Friend of Humanity.
Needy KnilVgrinder! whither arl thou going?
Rough is the road ; thy wheel is out of order ;
Bleak blows the blast ; your hat lias got a hole
iu't,
Sj have your breeches.
Weary K nifegrinder, little know the proud ones
Who in their coaches roll along the turnpike
Road, what hard work tis to cry all day ‘Knives
and
Sciasr la to grind O.’
Tell me, Knifcgrinder, how came you to grind
knives?
Did sonic rich man tyranieally use you?
Was it the 'squire? or parson of the parish?
Or the attorney?
Was it the 'squire for killing of It s game? or
Covetous parson for his tithes distraining?
Or roguish lawyer made you loose your little
All in a law-suit?
Have you not read the ‘Rights of Man' by Tom
Paine?
Drops of compassion tremble m my eyelids,
Ready to fall as soon as you have told your
Pitiful story.
Kn fr^rindrr.
Stbry! God bless yout I have none to tell, sir.
Only last nigh! a drinking at the Chequers.
This poor old hat and breeches, ay you see,
were
Torn in a scuffle.
Constables rime up for to take me into
Custody : they took me before the justice ;
Justice Oldinixon put me in the parish
Stocks for a vagrant.
1 should be glad to drink your honor's health in
A pot. of beer, if you will give me sixpence ;
But for uiv part 1 never love to meddle
With politics, sir.
Friend of Humanity.
/g've time sixpence! I will see thee damn'd
first,
Wretch, whom no sense of wrongs ran rouse
to vengeance ;
Sardid, unfeeling, reprobate, degraded,
Spiritless outcast.
[From the Missouri Saturday News.]
UP AND DOWN.
“I shall go up, op. up,
And you shall godoien, down, down-a.”
[Old ft mg.
Mu. Editor: — l take up my pen to put
down my ideas on the propriety of abol
ishing one of the words which head this
article from the language—both being so
often used to express the same meaning.
From the time 1 first took up my resili
ence in this country, (for 1 nm a foreign
er,) down to the present time, I have nev
er seen the necessity of employing both
words, one of them being all Millicient for
the purpose of conversation and correct
expression. If I should compile a dic
tionary, I should give the following defi
nitions to the two words:
"Ur— down.
Down— up.”
The following brief dialogue between
a certain editor and myself, will convince
you of my correctness.
Myself. I have called to pav w> my
subscription, as your terms require pay
ment in advance.
Most happy to receive it—we like sub
scribers who pay cash down. There—
there, sir, is a receipt up to the end of
the year.
(Here I laid down the money, which he
put up, and drawing a chair alongside of
mine, he took down the poker, stirred up
the fire, and tiie dialogue proceeded.)
Editor. How is your family, Mr.
I’pdown? I was informed your lady was
laid up with a bad cold.
Myself. Yes, sir, she was taken down
very suddenly. At first I took up the
idea it was nothing serious; but,when I
sent up to know if she would come down
to breakfast, she said she was too ill to sit
up a moment. When this intelligence
came down I jumped up and sent for a
physician, lie went down to his office,
put up some medicine in a phial, and said
she must drink it all up at a dose; so with
a wry lace or two, she took it down. 1
was up with her nearly all night—the
next day she was so much better she got
up and came down to dinner.
Editoj. V* ell, Inm right down glad to
hear she is up again l hope we shaft have
the pleasure of seeing her down at our
house.
Myself. What news have you from
Florida and the Canadas?
Editor I believe we may consider it
all up with the Indians down in Florida:
and in Canada the Insurgents, ! think,
evdi soon give up, and lay tf own their
arms.
My self. Any Congressional news?
Editor. The four Mississippi mem
bers have been sent homo—the people
will now take up the matter, and the two
sitting members, it is thought, must go
down. Prentiss has shown himself a
whole team ot a fellow—his knock down
arguments completely knocked up his op
ponents; be laid it down to them in first
rate style, and completely used them up.
Myself. Well, 1 must he up and do
ing. Don’t forget to send my paper reg
■ularly.
Editor. Depend[upon it, Sir—l have
got your name down. Your paper shall
pot op i n , strong wrapper and rent
'up to you with the utmost regularity.
Good morning.
Not wishing to take up too much of
your valuable paper, I lay down my pen
lor the present, scarcely believing you
! will think my up and down notions worth
sending down to the compositor to be set
up. Yours. Mr. Editor , up, down, and all
over. Peter ITdovv.n.
LOCK HAiTtsTuFE~OF~SJIt WAL
TER. scjrrr.
[Excerpts from the sixth volume.]
Camfufli.. "I wonder often how
Tom Campbell, with so much real genius,
Inis not maintained a greater figure in the
public eye than he bus done of late. The
Magazine seems to have paralyzed him.
The author, not only of the Pleasures of
Hope, but of of t tohintinden, Jjochiel,
\r., should have been at the very top ol
the tree. Somehow lie wants audacity.,
fears the public, and what is worse, Jiars
the shadow if /tis own reputation. He is
a great corrector too, which succeeds us
iil in composition as in education. Many
a clever buy is flogged into a dunce, and
many an original composition corrected
into mediocrity. Toni ought to have
done a great deal more. ilis youthful
promise was great. John Leyden intro
duced me to him. They afterwards
quarreled. When 1 repeated llohenlin
dai to Leyden, he said: “Dash it, mail,
tell the fellow I hate him, but. dasii him,
lie lias written the finest verses that have
been published these filly years.” I did
mine errand as faithfully as one oi Ho
mer’s messengers, and hud lor answer:
‘Tell Leyden tint 1 detest him; but 1
know the value of his critical approba-,
tion.’ ”
ilvuoN. “Another o{ Byron’s pecu
liarities was the loveoi mystiiying,. which, |
indeed, may be referred to that ol mis
chief. There was no knowing how much
or how little to believe of his narratives.'
Instances: William 11. Hikes expostulating
with him upon a dedication which lie had
written in extravagant terms of praise to)
Cam Hobliotise, IJyron told him that Cam j
had bored him about this dedication till
he had said: “Well, it shall he so, provid-j
ed von write it yourself;” and affirmed)
that Ilobhonsc did write the high colored
dedication accordingly. I mentioned
this to Murray, having the report from ■
Will Rose, to whom Rankes had men
tioned it. Murray, in reply, assured me.
that the dedication was written by Lord
Rvron himself, and showed it me in liis =
own hand. 1 wrote to Rose to mention j
the thing to Rankes, as it might have I
made mischief, had the story gut into the j
circle.”
lion.}. “December !2. Hogg came
to break last tins morning, and brought j
for his companion that Galashiels bard, |
as to a meeting oi'Am 7 'tridale pot Is. \
The honest grimier opines with ;t delight-j
fill nulcttr, that Muir's verses tire far
owrc sweet —answered by Thomson that |
Moore's ear or notes, I forget wliicli, |
were linelv strung. “They are far mvre }
finely strung,” it plied he of tin* forest,)
“for mine are ju.-t light.” It reminded:
me of queeu Bess, when questioning Mel
ville sharply whether .'Jury was taller than
her, ami extracting an answer in the af
firmative. she replied, ‘Then your queen
is too till!, for 1 am just I he proper height.'
Sot rtirv’s sorrow ior Scott, and
Scott's account of ms own feelings.
“Heard good news from Lockhart. M ife
well, and John Hugh better. lie men
tions poor Southey testifying much inter
est for me. even to tears. Ii is odd—am
Iso h ird-bn art Ia man! I could not
have wept for him, though in distress /
would have gone any length to serve him.
I sometimes think 1 do not deserve good
people’s opinion, I< »r certainly my feelings
are rather guided by reflection than im
pulse. But every body has his own mode
of expressing interest, and mine is stoical
even in bitterest grief. 1 hope lam not
the worse for wanting the tenderness that
! see others possess,-and which is so ami
able. I think it does not cool my wish
to he of use when 1 can. Lint the truth
is, that I am better at enduring or acting
than at consoling. From childhood’s
earliest hour, my henrt rebelled against
the influence of external circumstances
in myself and others —non est /anti.'’
Rouen s’ pm: as ant Breakfast, and
Crokf.ii’s ruio/KN Dinner. “.November
It). Breakfasted with Rogers: with my
daughters and Lockhart, it. was exceed
ingly entertaining, in his dry, quiet, sar
castic manner. At eleven to the duke ol
Wellington, who gave me a bundle of re
marks on Bonaparte’s Russian campaign,
written in lus carriage .during -his late,
inission to St. Petersburg!). It is l’urions
’lv scrawled, and the Russian names hard
to distinguish, hut it shall do me yeo
man’s service. Thence l passed to the
colonial office, where I concluded my ex
tracts. Lockhart and 1 dined with Cro
kcr at the admiralty au grand convert.
No less than live cabinet ministcys were
present —Canning, liuskissun, Melville,
Peel, and Wellington—with sub-secreta
ries by the bushel. The cheer was excel
lent, hut the presence of too many men
of distinguished rank and power always
freezes the conversation. Each lamp,
shines brightest when placed by itself;
when too close, they neutralize each oth
er.”
The Duke of York. “Saw the
Duke of York. The change on ir. n. u.
is most wonderful. From a big, burly,
stout man, with a thick and sQmetimes in
articulate mode of speaking, he has sunk
into a thin-faced, slender-looking old
man, who seems diminished in his very
size. I could hardly believe I saw the
BRUNSWICK ADVOCATE.
■ same person, though I was received with
his usual kindness. He speaks much
: more distinctly than formerly; bis com
plexion is clearer; in short, ii. r. h.
seems, on the whole, more healthy after
this crisis then when in the stall-fed state
—for such it seemed to be—in which I
remember him.”
Mathews. “Dined with James Bil
laiityne, and met ii. CadeJl, and my old
friend Mat news, the comedian, with his
son, now grown up a clcier lad, who
makes songs in the style of James Smith
lorColmaii, and sings them with spirit.
There have been odd associations attend
ing my two last meetings with Mathews.
'i v he last time I saw him before yesterday
evening he dined with me in company
! with poor Sir Alexander Boswell, who
was killed within a week. The time be
fore was in ISLI, when John Scott, of
Gala, and I were returning from France,
and passed through London, we brought
M athews down as fur as Leamiin'ton.
l*oor Byron lunched, or rather made an
early dinner with us at Long’s, and a
most brilliant day we had of it. I never
saw Byron so lull of fun, frolic, wit, and
whim: he was as playful as a kitten. Well
I never saw him again. So this man of
mirth, with lit* merry meetings, has
brought me no luck. I like better that
lie should throw in his talent of mimicry
and humor into the present current tone
of the company than that he should be re
quired to give this, that and t’other bit se
lected from his public recitations. They
are good, certainly—excellent; but then
you must laugh, and that is always severe
to me. When i do laugh m sincerity,
tiie joke must be or seem unpremeditated.
I could not help thinking, in tlie midst of
the glee, what gloom hud lately been over
the minds of three of the company.
\\ hat a strange scene if the surge of con
versation could suddenly ebb like the
tide, and show us the state of people’s
real minds!
“No eyes the rock discover
Which lurk beneath the deep.”
Life could not be endured, were it seen
in reality.”
The last Snare Story. “I reckon
this ere country of yours is pretty con
siderable productive, stranger, isn’t it!” I
said a downeaster, who had just arrived
in one of the new Mississippi settlements,
to a person whom he met, one of the reg
ular meat-axe breed.
“There’s not such another country be
tween this and tho State of Buncombe, in
North Carolina,” replied the Mississippi
settler.
“liaise a good deal of cotton, eh?”
“I.its of it.”
“All-krred quantities of game in tills
section, Is pose.”
“Considerable of a sprinkling, ’special
ly snakes.”
“What sort of snakes?”
“Rattle snakes and copper heads.”
“Oh! get out! du tell, 1 want to know
it they’re so almighty thick!”
“Rather. D.ui and I went out this
morning snake-huuting—killed only ;i
cord and quarter—lnit then it was had
snake morning, and you must make some
allowances.”
“Old i'll make any ’lowancos and
tracks out of the settlement at the same
time. But say, jusF'tweeu ourselves, if it
lud raly been a good morning, lio-.v many
cords du you 'magin you’d a killed.’
“Five is about an average.”
“Five! You don’t say so!’’
1 os I do though.”
“Which is my shortest wav out of this
: 'ere settlement'. I'vc strong ideas ofelop
ing forthwith.”
"Kept right straight ahead.”
“Well, I wish you a good day, Give
I my best 'spects to your dad, and tell him
I hone lie'll have better snake-weather
next time he goes. I’m o-p-h.”
[N. (). Picayune.
Lottery Ticket Anecdote. In t he
early part of the reign of King George
11., the footman of a lady of quality, un
der the absurd infatuation of a dream,
disposed of the savings of the la>t twenty
years of his life in two tickets, which prov
ing blanks, alter a few melancholy days he
put an end to bis life. In a box was found a
plan of the manner in which he would
spend his five-thousand-pound prize,
which his mistress preserved as a curiosi
ty." “As soon as 1 have received the
money ill marry Grace Farrers; but as
she has been cross and coy, I’ll use her
as a servant. Every morning she shall
get .» mug of strong beer with a toast,
g- and sugar sss A,<then ! will sleep
till ten, after which I will have a large
sack posset. My dinner shall be on the
table at one, and never without a good
pudding; I'll have a stock of wine and
brandy laid in; about live in the afternoon
I'll have tarts and jellies, and a gallon
bowl of punch, at ten, a hot supper of
two dishes; if I’m i;r good humor, and
Grace behaves herseif, sire si)ail sit u©\vn
with met To bed about twelve.”
[Lounger’s Common-place Book.
A Genti.kman Sweep. A crowd gather
ed a short time since about the house of a
chimney sweeper, who lives in Camden town,
and has a small garden before the door. Cu
riosity had attracted them, for tire dingy ten
ant appeared with his every day complexion
and a white smock frock thrown over his ha
biliments, and hS was busily engaged in clip
ping the grass with a pair of shears. When
he raised his head to sneeze, tho crowd laugh
ed hearty at the singular figure before them.
“Why you warment,” said the sweep to the
i vulgar people, “what are you looking arter?
It a’nt no novelty for to see a gentlemen culti
vate his own is it?*’
Poinsett and Kendall. The Dem
ocratic Review for March gives us pen
and pencil sketches of Joel R. Poinsett
and Amos Kendall. It is the chief ob
ject of this publication to make the per
sons and histories of the present Loco
Foco leaders familiar to their admiring
fellow citizens; and for this only, to all J
appearances, is it sustained.
Mr. Poinsett, in the sketch before us. j
appears in nn attitude under the Ameri
can flag, in the act of haranguing a mob i
trout the balcony of iiis mansion, while
minister ;it Mexico. The memoir an-!
r.exed is sufficiently entertaining, and op- i
pears to he composed of materials furnish
ed by Mr. Poinsett himself. From this
jV.e learn that the Secretary of War is.
now about .19 years of age—that be lias
been a student of medicine, law and the
art military, and at all periods of bis life
a great traveller. In 1824 lie was the ad
vocate of General Jackson’s election to
the Presidency, but did not scruple to ac
cept office under his successful competi
tion, thereby indicating a degree of liber- -
' ality in bis political associations, which j
seems to have distiuguislted him through-)
out his career. Nothing but this extreme I
liberality could have induced him to en
ter a cabinet in which lie lias Amos Ken-I
Hull for an associate—or to connect him-;
self with an administration having Van !
Btiren for its nominal bead, and such men
: as Biair and Benton for its efficient ad vis- j
) ers.
Mr. Kendall is exhibited in a sitting)
posture, reading the Richmond Enquirer!
Tiiis act of courtesy should disarm the
hostility of the Enquirer, and put a stop
to the impeachment of Mr. Kendall’s ve
racity, which have sometimes appeared in !
its columns. The story of Mr. Kendall j
is another specimen of glorification, from
materials, we presume oi' his own collec
tion. Dunstable, Massachusetts, claims!
the distinguished honor of having given !
birth to a Postmaster General; and it is a
circumstance dwelt upon with no little)
complacency by his biographer, that he
belongs to a family eminently distinguish
ed for its—longevity. His ancestry on !
both sides have reached a most formida
ble old age. Like thousands of the hoys j
of New England, young Kendall support
ed himself through his collegiate course j
by teaching school; and for this very 1 an-)
dahle perseverance he is lavishly eulo-i
gised by his biographer. From an anec
dote of his college course, it is obvious
that the demagogue and sycophant of fif
ty was regarded by his companions as a
“sneak” at fifteen. “The child is father
of" the man.” .
It is a common custom at till our col
leges, on appointment and exhibition days j
; for the boys to engage in some slight fes-;
■ tivities, which are winked at very proper- j
! ly when they cannot be prevented by the'
! authorities. Now against this abomina-)
i hie custom, Amos and a “few other reso- .
) lute young men” set their faces; and a!
1 “tremendous excitement” was the conse
quence. Even at that early day, Amos,
I had learned tlie road to preferment; and
) at college sought the favor of the Faculty
) by the same arts which have since secured 1
I him the favor of the Crown.
The biographer of Mr. Kendall de
tails the incidents of his connection* with
the family of Mr. Clay, and rebuts the ■
charge of ingratitude, on the ground that
!it was to the lady of tint distinguished
j statesman and not to himself, that iie was;
• indebted for relief in his poverty, and con
siderate attention in his sickness. With
■out discussing the virtue of Mr. Ken
dall’s present plea in bar, we would sug
) gest to him the propriety of further plcnd
| ing the statute of limitations—for the one
; certainly would be about as credible as
) the-other. The gist of this' accusation
j against Mr. Kendall, however, is not
| touched by his biographer. It is not that
: Mr. Kendall, was a personal ingrate in
! tiiis relation, that he lias been assailed,
j but because he was branded as a political
! apostate. It is not that he was forgetful
Jof past favors, but that he prostituted a
! venal pen in the basest calumny, and the
most virulent abuse of Mr. Clay, be
cause that gentleman did not sufficiently
estimate his merits or bid high enough
for his mercenary support. This is the
point in the business, which requires elu
! eidation ; and one which the apologist of
Mr. Kendall has scrupulously avoided.
Mr. Webster Liable to re Impeach
ed. —After listening to the forensic dis
play made in the Senate on Thursday, by
.’Mossw Wefeef?* »»«1. Calhoun, what wa,s
our surprise on coming out of the capital,
to hear a member of the House remark
that lie contemplated moving an impearfl
aunt of the distinguished Senator from
Massachusetts !
‘For what,’we exclaimed with involun
tary and painful surprise.
‘For a violation of the Constitutirm of
the United States !’ was the shocking* re
j ply-
J ‘ln what particular ?’
‘ln respect to the Bth article, which
provides that ‘cruet and unusual punish
ments shed! not be inflicted.' Mr. Web-
I ster has committed a palpable infringe
! ment of that article, in his reply to day
: to Mr. Calhoun.’
) We could not gainsay the trilth of the
i charge against the distinguished Senator.
The reception which this Hannibal gave
to the invader of Africa, the Scipio of Af
ricanus South Carolinaensis, as he called
Mr. Calhoun, was certainly ‘cruelly and
unusually’ warm.
THE ADVOCATE.
BRUNSWICK, (Ga.). APRIL 19, 1838.
State flights Ticket for Congress.
ELECTION FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER.
THOMAS BUTLER KING, of Glynn.
WILLIAM C. DAWSON, of Greene.
JULIUS C. ALFORD, of Troupe.
WALTER T. COLQUITT, of Muscogee.
RICHARD W. IIABERSHAM. of Habersham
EDWARD J. BLACK, of Scriven.
MARK A. COOPER, of Hall.
EUGENICS A. NESBIT, of Bibb.
LOT WARREN, of Sumpter.
AGENTS FOR THE ADVOCATE.
tiii.b County. Alexander Richards. Esq.
Telfair “ Rev. Charles J. Shelton.
.Mclntosh “ Janies Blue, Esq.
THE COMMERCIAL CONVENTION.
We last week published the proceedings of
the Commercial Convention at Augusta. The
report of that convention, presented by Hon.
Robert \. Ilayne of Charleston, has since
come to band. Its length and its very gener
al publication in other prints, forbids our inser- j
tion of it. The strong and uncontrovertible!
argument of the report consists in the partial-!
lur statement of the following facts:
The Southern States are the great)
producers of the staples, with which i
most of our foreign importations are purchas-1
ed. These same states are likewise great con
sumers of foreign importations. They have,!
therefore, every inducement to direct foreign
trade, for they supply the products that for-,
ign nations want, and they consume the mer
chandize that foreign nations produce pnd
manufacture. Nevertheless, they have, thus
far, but little foreign commerce. This busi
ness, which seems so naturally to belong to
them, has been conducted in Europe, or by the !
distant Northern and Eastern States. While j
the South sends forward about eight tenths oft
the whole export of the Union,she brings back
to her ow n ports only about one tenth of the [
whole iaijiort. This ought not so to be. We ;
maybe sure this state of things will not con- ;
tinue much longer, and the facts which prove ‘
the necessity of the South to engage in Corn-'
meree cannot be too strongly stated or too!
widely circulated.
Until we cultivate our commercial ad
vantages, we can in no sense be said to
he independent. No nation is indepen
dent that does not, to the extent of its a
bility, develop its resources for Agriculture,
Commerce and Manufactures, and for the most
obvious reasons. For, whether a collision a
rises with the source of its supplies or a third
party, in either case these supplies will be cut
off and the most galling dependence will be
proclaimed in tha domestic distress and ruin
that must ensue. What is true of a nation is
true of a state. No State of our Union is in
dependent, that does not, to the extent of lie-l
ability, live within herself and cultivate her
commercial resources. No State is indepen
dent that entrusts to foreign control, its domes
tic interests. In the deep sense of this truth
the recommendations of the Convention will
be thoroughly considered and faithfully acted
upon. The youth of the country will be train
ed in the knowledge and habit of business.—
And for the most extended commerce we have
ample assurance, not from the recommenda
tion of the Convention alone, hut from a con
sideration of the interests of tho people, and
the natural advantages of the position of tlm
'Southern ports.
Let us consider a moment what these ad
vantages are, and the reasons that they have
not heretofore been practically appreciated and
developed. The advantages are briefly these.
I lie Southern ports are three htmured nines
nearer than any others to the West, w liich is
now rapidly becoming the heart and centre ot
our country. While the Northern ports tire,
for nearly one fourth oi' the year, obstructed
more or less, by frost,and the Northern coast is
always dangerous and difficult to approach in
tl le season of winter, the South suffers no such
obstruction. Moreover the West, always con
nected to the South by proximity, feeling and
interest, is soon to be united to her by the
iron bonds of Internal Improvements.—
There c m be no mistake in the public voice
on this question. The rapid payment in these
troublous times of the second instalment of
the Charleston and Cincinnati Railroad, and
tho unanimous voice of the press in Georgia,
proclaim that no delay will be allowed in com
pleting at least two lines of Railroads from the
West to the South. When these shall bo com
pleted, what amount of commerce may xve not
expect? While the Canals of the North are
yet frozen, w hile her harbors are yet locked in
the rigid bonds of winter, the Western trader
will imvc enjoyed the balmy climate of a South
ern port, and w ill have rapidly and seasonably
returned with his purchases.
If these tilings are so. and of their truth
every intelligent and reflecting man must be
convinced, the questionarises, why we have
not already availed ourselves of these advan
tages and opportunities ? The answer is, that
until now, the time has not come to use them.
Till now, the South has been engaged and ab
sorbed in rapid and profitable production. With
this, her attention was engrossed, and did not
admit of the division of labor necessary for the
proper cultivation of both Agriculture and Com
merce. But now, production has become ex
cessive. Against a Cotton crop of 700,000
bales in 1827, we have one ofI,SCOJH)O in 1837
an increase of more than one hundred and four
teen per cent in ten years—and this too, when
tiie production of this staple in other countries
has been vastly increasing.
In view of these facts, can we hesitate to
respond to the call of this Convention ? The
) crisis has come, and the time is ripe for new
enterprise. The success which has thus far
j attended the South, will not fail her in this.
j The bark of Commerce invites us on our
! shore*. Shall we hesitate to enter for the
prosperous voyage ? No, “The sails are
spread, the oars are ready and away to the
dark blue sea.”
=
j MR. BIDDLE’S LAST LETTER.
I Under the date of the sth April, Mr. Biddle
: has written a letter to the public, via (as the
stage advertisements have it) Hon. J. Q. Ad
ams. The letter is interesting and masterly,
and w e regret that our narrow limits do not
permit us to reprint it. His apology for xvrit
) i* l " that he is at the head of tho institution
that effected the last resumption of specie pay
ments. lie goes on to show the difference be
tween that resumption, and the present Public
Credit, says lie, was then under the patronage
and protection of the Government, and the
Banks were sustained in their endeavors to as
sist the community. Their notes were taken
in payment of public dues, and the Government,
being then much in debt, could not hoard the
currency of the country, and withdraw it from
circulation. Now, according to Mr. Biddle’s
statement, iii the opposition between the Ad
ministration and the business interest of the
country, the Banks cannot resume without fur
ther preparation, in justice to the prosperity of
the community. He thinks as yet sufficient
time has not been allowed to contract and con
clude old business transactions. The debts in
curred in our days of expansion and prosperi
ty he considers good, but thinks we should have
more time to meet them, as xve are obliged to
do it, not xvith the fatherly assistance and
countenance of the Government, but in spite
of its earnest endeavors to harrass and embar
rass us and contract our resources, by hoarding
our immense revenue in specie, and thus
in effect, xvithdraxving not only a large amount
of specie from circulation, but the larger a
mount of paper currency, of which it should
form the legitimate bases.
We do not concur with Mr. Biddle in the
above views. The commercial distress caused
by resumption has already in a great degree
passed. In the expectation of resumption, the
Banks have already contracted their issues, re
fusing the best paper, and causing the most
extreme embarrassment, and now-, are xve to
have gone through all this for nothing, and to
have the date again deferred. We trust the
resumption will take place on the 10th May, as
proposed, believing that, at the resumption,
loans cannot be more contracted than they afe
at present, that confidence xvill soon be restor
ed and circulation expand, and that, in the face
of the public indignation it xvould excite, the
Government dure not hoard the silver of the
nation.
FROM WASHINGTON.
During the week preceding our latest dale,
April 9th, —Congress has been, as usual, much
occupied with business of a private and local
character. Os the subjects of general interest
that have come up before it, xve note the fol
low ing. The appropriations for the army and
for our foreign missions and diplomatic ex
penses have passed and received the signature
of the President. The time of the Senate lias
been much occupied in the discussion of the
anti-duelling bill, w hich has finally passed the
Senate 31 to 1, Mr Sevier of Arkansas, alone
voting in the negative. Mr. Clay announced
bis cordial support of this bill. It provides that
all engaged in a duel, whether as principal,
second or surgeon, shall be punished with im
prisonment in the Penitentiary for not more
tiian ten, nor less than five years. The bearer
of a challenge also incurs the same penalty.
Mr. Grundy, of Tennessee, reported an
amendment to the Land Bill, against any fixed
valuation of the public brands. This matter
will lie over for the present, and will probably
excite long discussion and argument. In the
House, Mr. Patton has resigned on receiving
an appointment to the Executive Council of
Virginia. It has been proposed, and will prob
ably be carried, that the amount of all Pensions
unclaimed for eight months, shall be remitted
by tiie Pension Agents to the Treasury. The
adoption of tiiis measure xvill secure the public
against one of the many Corruption Funds of
tlie.Government. As yet xve see no report on
tiie Ruggles bribery case, though it xvas prom
ised a week since. Amos Kendall fights thi>
Supreme Court to the last ditch, all his out
works being driven iu. His reply to the Man
dannis of tiie Court, xvas an endorsement on
(lie writ, that lie had caused the proper credit
to Stockton and Stokes, without any alloxvance
of interest. The Court xvill probably decide
this return insufficient, and xve may hope4o
announce his unconditional surrender in our
next
Mr. Secretary Poinsett has been dangerous
ly ill with the cholic, prevalent at Washington,
and the unfounded report of his death created
great sensation at Washington. .We are hap
py to learn, that the accomplished and popular
Secretary, is considered in a fair way to recov
er. The discussion upon Mr. Wise’s proposi
tion to convert the exploring expedition into a
coast squadron has commenced, but the proba
bility is small that its destination xvill be
changed,