Newspaper Page Text
[Correspondence of the Charleston Courier.]
Washington, Feb. 3.
We have a rumor from New York,
that the Committee of Investigation, have
discovered that the sum of four hundred
[thousand?] dollars, embraced in the
amount'of Swartwout’s defalcation, went
in fact, to Mr. Price, the District Attor
ney. The nature of the connexion be
tween these two worthies was previously
well understood. The Committee appear
to have carved out too much work for
themselves. The main object, now in
view, is to ascertain the manner in which
the money was abstracted, and whether
there has been any neglect of duty on
the part of the Government or its officers
through which neglect these abstractions
were facilitated.
, It seems probable that Swartwout’s
property will, ill the end, pay a consider
able portion of the amount of this defal
cation. He estimated the value of the
amount of his Cumberland coal lands at
half a million. lie offered them to Brit
ish capitalists, who recently sent an agent
to examine and report upon them. The
same agent was employed to examine in
to tire condition and prospect of the Ches
apeake and Ohio Canal Company, a por
tion of whose stock has been oliered in
England by the Company, The agent
lias just completed his examination, which
lie made in company with Mr. Louis Mc-
Lane, the President of the Company, and
oiher gentlemen, and he is, it is said,
amazed at the extent and facilities of the
Cumberland coal field, and at the quality
of the coal, which he pronounces superi
or to the best Liverpool coal, for nil pur
poses. Ilis report will he most favorable
upon this subject, as well as upon the pros
pect of the canal. Any amount of cap-1
itnl, he says, may he got in England, up
on the credit of this canal, to ho devoted
to its completion. The fact seems to he
that foreign capitalists have at this late
day discovered the difference between
war stocks and peace stocks, —between
loans which are wasted in desolating strife,
or corrupt profligacy, and those which,
employed in permanent improvements,
create their own see unity.
U. S. Mint. —We are indebted to the
attention of the Hon. J. A. Pearce, for a
copy of the official Report of the Mint,
showing the operations of that institution
during the year 1838. From this docu
ment we derive the following facts:
The coinage at the Mint, in 183 3, a
moni)ted to 83,979,217, comprising $| ,-
022,515 in gold, £2,293,990 in silver, and
**03,70*2 in copper, and composed of i5,-
330,518 pieces of coin.
The deposites of gold within the year
amounted to $1,024,500, of which $171,-
700 were derived from the mines of the
United States.
The deposites ofsilver amounted to $2,-
301,200, and were derived principally
from Mexico and South America.
In order to meet the demand for small
coins, there were struck during the year,
11,449,700 pieces, ail under the value of
the half dollar, including cents.
The branch mint at New Orleans re
ceived its first deposites of bullion on the
Bth of March, and commenced operations
immediately afterwards. The demand
lor silver change led the officers to con
fine the coinage to dimes, of which 337,-
434 were struck before the end of July,
when the work was interrupted. Two ol
the officers, and nearly all the workmen
of this mint were from the north, and it
was deemed unsafe for them to remain in
New Orleans during ihc/irst sickly season.
The value of the bullion received at this
mint was $40,G00 in gold, and 8237,000
in silver. The coinage amounted to $40,-
243, all in dimes.
The branch mint at Charlotte com
menced its operations in December, ! i'i),
and has received deposites of gold to the
value of $ 1.30,G00. The amount of coin
age has been SS4,IGo, composed of
880 half-eagles, and", 894 quarter eagles.
The branch mint at Dahlonrgn com
menced its operations in February, and
lias received deposites cfegoldto the value
of $141,800. The amount of its coinage
lias been $1C2,910, composed of 5
half-eagles.— [Baltimore American.
Murder will out. —.Many of our rea
ders will remember, that some mouths
since, the mutilated body of a man was
discovered, concealed in the trunk of a
hollow tree, in Jones county; and that
from the marks of violence upon his per
son, it was clearly demonstrated he had
met his fate Vlw> hand of Jw*4al
assassin. The body of the murdered
man was recognized, from his apparel and
other circustances, as that of a pedlar
of jewelry, by the name of Isaacs, who
had but a short time previous, left .Macon,
in tile pursuit of his vocation. All en
deavors to discover the perpetrators of the
diabolical act had proved rmavailrng, and
the dark deed was passing from remem
brance, until, as we learn, a communica
tion was received by the Governor, during
the past week, from the Mayor of Charles
ton, enclosing the confession of a man
named Henry Jones, who acknowledges
himself to have witnessed the murder and
to have received a portion of the goods
of which the pedlar was despoiled, lie
implicates as a principal in the murder,
a ventriloquist by the name of Cowles, and
a man whose name he thinks was Dick
erson, who had employed him to carry
them about tWe country to the places where
tiiey were to give exhibitions. Jones a
waus the requisition of the Governor, in
ihe Charleston prison. The other two
lnve not been arrested.—[Federal Union.'
Outrage. —There was a scandalous
affray at Baltimore on the evening of the
22(1 inst., growing out of the firemen dif
ficulties which have disgraced that city
for a few years past. Two men, named
Stewart and Willis, became involved in a
quarrel with some of the members of the
tire department, from whom they lied, tak
ing refuge in the bookstore of a Mr. Cook.
Stewart passed through the store, into the
sitting room of Mr. Cook’s family, the
door of which he closed, thus excluding
Willis, who was seized in the store by the
mob, who beat him with clubs and hacked
him with knives, inflicting near a dozen
j wounds upon his head alone, some of them
said to he large enough to lay the hand
in. The floor mid walls of the store were
covered w ith the blood of the unfortunate
man, who has since died. The family of
Mr. Cook were of course greatly terrified,
the mob thrusting pistols through the
windows, in which they broke many panes
of glass for the purpose, and Stewart in
their midst, holding u huge bowic knife.
This knife was subsequently taken from
him, and on it were found the following
mottoes: —“Where 1 lead, follow me” —
“If 1 fall, revenge me.” Two of the
murderers have been arrested, and we trm t
that a salutary example will he made of
them, and of as manv more of them as
can he identified. The magistracy of
Baltimore owe it to themselves, to the
reputation of tiieir city, and to the honor
of thq American name, that they take en
ergetic measures to prevent the recurrence
of similar gross violations of orde r. Ifj
they do not, there will he fastened an in
delible blot upon the escutcheon of their
noble city.
Fi:om 11 wan a.— The brig Poland,
Capt. Gardner, arrived at this port yester
day* morning, having sailed from Havana
o:i the 3,d1l ult.
There had been no change in the mar
ket since the 28th ult. which wc publish
ed yesterday.
The Prince <le Joinville gave a grand
hall on hoard a French frigate in Havana
on tlie 29th ult., said to he the most splen
did thing of the kind ever got up. The
French ship of war Creole was Humiliated
throughout, with lights upon all her stays
and spars. Salutes were fired in honor
of the city and the Intcndant, and the
supper prepared was a most sumptuous
feast, and every thing on a most magnili
cient scale.— [Savannah Georgian.
Western Bwk ouGu.orgi \. —Rumors j
affecting the standing of this institution
have been so current in this quarter for
sometime past, that our Banks and Mrr-j
chants refuse to take its notes at par.—
What reason exists for this distrust is not
mentioned, and we would thank our friend
of the Western Georgian to inform us.—
If the institution is really unsound, the
public should at once he informed of it,
hut if, on the contrary, it is able to pay
its debts ler that he satisfactorily shown,
and confidence will be restored.— [Athens
Banner, 2d inst.
Oftlie same rumors the Athens Whig,
of same date has the following:
Bank or Rome. —We regret to learn
that a want of confidence in the stability
of the Bank of Rome prevails in our vi
cinity. Believing from the statements,
which have been made to ns, that it is
without any just foundation, we would
earnestly caution oar townsmen not to
make tiny sacrifice from the reports they
may hear, unless they are fully convinced
of their authenticity.
[From the Host in Gazette.]
Amalgamation. List week several
females from the town of Lynn, petitioned
the Legislature for the repeal of all laws
of the State which restrict people of color
from any oftlie privileges of white people.
It obviously had reference, atnotng other
tilings to the law which restrains black
people from intermarrying with whites.—
Jt was followed by a remonstrance, signed
by colored females against the repeal.—
The following extracts of a letter from
Lynn has reference to this subject, and as
faithful chroniclers of the times, we copy it.
. L\ NX, January 23, 1839.
It is rumored here, and 1 believe cor
rectly, that one of the petitioners for the
repeal of all laws creating distinctions in
regard to color, has received a letter from
a colored man, making overtures for a
matrimonial alliance with her. The white
spinster who received the letter, was much
offended at the offer, and has taken it in
high dudgeon. As the love letter is said
to hn^eHvaetvreceived. through Urn, \?o>t
Office, the fair lady is reported to have ap
plied to the Post Master to refund the
postage, and thus the matter became pub
lic. Such are the rumors in this quiet
town, and 1 have reason to believe thov
are well founded. Yours w ith respect,—M.
[i'l 'jia tiif itfiston ifettliaefe}
Disgusting.— For the first time in
our life, —and we hope it ninv be the last,
we yesterday saw two females, both fash
ionably clad—one of them was u'hite, ap
parently the daughter of a substantial Es
sex farmer, and the other, “ black as the
Jack of clubs," walking arm in arm
through Milk, Federal, High, Summer,
and W ashingion street, towards the Marl
boro’ Chapel. What are we coming to?
The rarest men in the world—rich
printers.
The bravest men in the world—those
who are not afraid of a dun.
The purest men in the world—those
who-do not scandalize their neighbors.
[Bo.ten Post
BRUNSWICK ADVOCATE.
LORD DURHAM’S PLAN FOR CANADA,
j A letter from Quebec is published in
the London courier ol the 24th, professing
| to give an outline of what Lord Durham
i intends to propose in Parliament, respet
ing the Canadas. Its principal features
are—
To abolish the name of Canada, and
divide the two provinces into four, with
the names of Quebec, Mortreal, Kingston,
j and/J'oranto; these, with the names ol Quc
! hoc, provinces of New Brunswick, &‘.c. to
hear the general name of British North
i America.
This British North America to have a !
Society and Office for itself in Lonuon,
and he governed by a Viceroy.
Each province to have its own Legisla-'
turc, and the whole country to he divided j
into municipalities the people thereof elect-'
ing their own officers.
The Clergy reserves the Jesuits’ estates,;
and all funds for education, to lie thrown j
into one general fund, and distributed a-,
mong the school districts.
Each province to send one or more |
members to the British Parliament.
[lntelligencer Gtli inst.
SAM JONES.
Extract of a letter, dated
St. Augustine, Feb. 9th, 1839. j
An officer just arrived from Picolata re- ;
ports that Capt. Lloyd Beall, with a party
oftlie 2d dragoons, has just taken and
sent in, from near Lake Opopka, a party
of eighteen Indians—eight of them war
riors. Two of the warriors arc near re
lations of Wild Cat mid another is a cons- j
in of Sam Jones, which last reports that j
Sam Jones says that he will hang any In- i
diati who talks of coming in, or any white
man who comes to him.—[Georgian.
7 hr ifu.iortif the s\'ari/. —We are glad
to find in the Courier of this morning the
following letter from the Commander of
the U. S. brig Consort, and trust that
either a Court of Inquiry will be immedi
ately granted, or the circumstances which
render it unnecosarv be made public—
for the nation is sensitively alive to what
ever concerns the honor oftlie Navy, and
will look eagerly for the satisfactory ex
planation which Lieut. Gardner so confi
dently, and, we doubt not, so justly, anti
cipates.— [N. V. Amer.
I S. Ban; Consort,
New York, 20 January, 1839.
To the Editor of the Cour. &. Enq.
Sir —You are authorised by the under
signed to state to the public, (and p:\rtic
! ulariy to those who have given to the
| world such high-wrought statements in
1 regard to the circumstance of the French
! hrig-of-wnr Alcihiadcs having fired across
| the li. S. brig Consort,) that lie lias rc
; quested the honorable Secretary of the
j Navy to grant him a Court of inquiry,
j should the letters w hich lie has placed on
| the tiles ol the Navy Department prove
unsatisfactory; and if, upon such inquiry,
i it can possibly he proved that lie suffered
the slightest indignity to be offered to his
flag, lie hopes to meet the punishment
due to a dastardly coward.
Wm. 11. G u;: Ni'.n,
Lt. Commanding IJ. S. brig Consort.
American Silk. —The signs are most
auspicious that wearc about to make a
very important addition to the number
and value of the products of American in
dustrv, by adding silk to the list ofotir
staple-. Asa measure tending to em
body and diffuse widely and most effi
ciently all information to he gathered on
the growth and manufacture of silk, from
the heat sources at home and abroad, the
late convention at Baltimore unanimously
recommended the establishment of a Jour
nal to lie devoted to these objects: and hap
pily, ns we think, for tlie success and use
fulness of the measure, they have solicited
Mr. fkiimer, founder of the old American
Farmer, and of the Turf Register, to be
come the editor of this national work. A
portion of the Bilk Journal, which is to
consist of thirty-two pages, monthly, will
beset apart for the kindred subjectsot aa
ricuhnre, horticulture, and rural economy.
The price is s•’ per annum. I\ir. Skinfter,
expressing his conviction that the culture
of silk is dcstinied to be, and that speedily,
an object of profitable employment for
much of tile now unproductive laboring
capacity, and to add very largely to the
wealth of (lie nation, has accepted the in
vitation of the Society to conduct the Jour
nal, with all bis ability ami attention,
“consistently with a strict discharge of
ins official duties’’ as postmaster. The
first number will appear in the course of
tiie present month.
Another striking sign of the success of
the silk culture is the offer of a wealthy
house of Glasgow, in Scotland, to estab
lish in Virginia a manufactory which shall
demand annually SIOO,OOO worth of raw
siik.-- [National Intelligencer.
Cot.. Garrison’s Banter Taken re.
The editor of the N. Y. Whig Ins taken
up Col. Garrison’s offer to run Ids horse
Wagner against anv horse mare or what
ever may be produced for s‘Jo,(l{K). 'Pj ie
Whig man suvs he will enter a Sub- Trea
surer and rtfh all risks. This will be an
interesting race take it all round, as the
Giraffe is said to be entered. Only think
of Wagner, the Giraffe and u Sub-Treasur
er running a four mile heat.— L\. Q Pic
Precision in Firing. —lt is said that
while five soldiers of one of the British
regiments in Canada were attempting to
desert to the American side from Amherst
bnrg, a piece of artillery was levelled at
them, and thr # ee of the number shot dead.
The other two returned and sur.cnJerct!
; EARTHQUAKE AT MARTINIQUE.
We copy the following distressing in
telligence from the New Orleans Bee of
the 4th.
“The Pauline which arrived yesterday
from St. Pierre, (Island of Martinique,)
which she left on the 12th ult., brings us
j the unpleasant intelligence, that on the
11th, a dreadful earthquake took place in
! that colony. The town of St. Pierre has
i suffered greatly, but the destruction has
been far greater at Fort Royal, in which
town the number of victims to this dread
ful calamity is not less than FOUR HUN
DRED. —At the departure of the Pauline,
however the entire extent of devastation
produced by the earthquake, was by no
means accurately ascertained.
“Hundreds of plantations on the Is
land had been utterly destroyed, and in
telligence of new disasters was continual
ly pouring into the town.
“The following is an extract of a pri
vate letter from St. Pierre, under date of
the 12th:
“ ‘The Pauline beii - ready to sail, I
transmit you in great haste, a few details
of the catastrophe we have just experienc
ed. Yesterday, the 11th inst. at G o’clock
A. M., a severe shock of an earthquake
was felt in this town, w hich lasted about
five minutes, with the same intensity.
Many of our houses have been overturn
ed or shattered to pieces: among others
two in the street in w hich we reside; two
individuals have been buried beneath the
ruins of the latter. At Fort Royal the
calamity is far more frightful; from the
; news received this morning, we learn
i that the number of victims already wilii
-1 drawn from the ruins, amounts to more
than THREE HUNDRED. Nearly all
| the houses in tint town are destroyed.
; in short, it is said that this unfortunate
| city is nearly entirely overw helmed and
: destroyed.’
“To augment if possible this sad ca-!
lamity, the yellow fever commits terrible,
ravages — Among its other victims is Mr.
Lucottc, aid-de-camp to the Governor.”
By an arrival at Charleston from Taint
Petre, the editors of that city have re
ceived a paper of that port oftlie Isth
ult. which contains an extract of a letter
pulished in the Journal Commercial, of
Pointc a Petre, Guadaloupe, Kith Jan.
;1839.
‘ST. PIERRE, (Mart.) Jan. 12.'
You have undobtedly heard of the
dreadful cniamitiy which has befallen
our unfortunate country, already to he
pitied in every respect. The disasters of
yesterday are incalculable. There is not
a single house in St. Pierre tliaf must not
he rebuilt or entirely repaired. We have
lost but two persons, who were “crashed
under the ruins, and about 20 were wound
ed. But Fort Royal is completely laid
even wilh the ground, as we have heard j
of is the history of Herculaneum, Pom
peii, and Messina.—Not one fourth of
the city has yet been searched, and they
have already found 522 dead bodies. The
hospital at Fort Royal is likewise destroy
ed, and all the sick therein perished.”
According to other letters, and reports
lof different persons arrived at Point a
Petre from Martinique on the 13th and
11 tli inst. it would appear that all the
wooden houses had escaped the disaster.
Nothing yet can be said of the state
of the fortifications at Fort Royal, and of
the other establishments oftlie government,
of which no mention is made in the letter
-of our correspondent; hut from the reports
collected from the adjacent country, we
would infer that the sugar factories had
suffered considerably. Already the know n
•losses are estimated at more than ten mil
lions of francs. On the 12th a vessel
arrived at Bt. Pierre from St. Lucy, by
w hich we heard tiiat that Island had felt
lightly the shock of the earthquake.
According to the last census in 1 S3t>,
the population of Paris, exclusive of
strangers and troops, was 909,120 : and
ot the whole department of the Seine, I
1,1110,891. The total number of births
in the cnpitol for the same year was
2 *,912; deaths, 24,1*57; marriages, 8,308:
still-horn children. 1,787. Os the births,'
14,0-15 were males, and 14,297 females; \
4,722 took place in the hospitals, &c.;i
9,033 were illegitimate—viz. 1,8(i() males,
and 4,774 females, of which 2,007 were
recognised by their parents. Os the'
deaths, 12,914 were males, and 12,043
were females; 14,045 persons died at
their own houses, 8,335 in civil hospit
als, 724 in military hospitals, 04 in pris
ons, and 2**9 were deposited in the Moguc;
'•••' .3d I nee! , snd'N* fermirM*.
Nr.w Bread Injurious.—Complaints
are frequent against new bread, but the
true cause is not often explained. The
miscliievious consequences do not arise
from its chemical composition, but its me
chanical agency. It is very compressible:
it is therefore, rarely well masticated; it-is
swallowed quickly and in large quantity,
and then as instantly expands from absor
tiou of the fluid contents oftlie stomach,
w hich organ, thus suddenly and extensive-*
ly distended, not only suffers pain on its
own part, but compresses the neighboring
blood vessels, so as materially to interfere
with the general circulation; hence the
train of suffering consequent on such in
dulgence.—[Boston Trav.
Usefulness. —A thousand little rills,
springing up in the retiring walks of life,
go to swell the tide of national glory and
prosperity; and whoever in the solitude of
his chamber, and by even a single effort
of his mind has added to the intellectual
preeminence of his country has not lived
iti vai.l, not to Lim-clf alx«.tc
Horrible Trapegy. —From the Mo-,
bile Register of Saturday evening, we take
the following account of a most horrid and
outrageous attack on several of our esteem
ed fellow citizens, which resulted in the
immediate death of Mr. John Gatewood,
one of the number.
Vance, Johnson, Gatewood, Ball, and
Stogdale were sent as Deputy Marshals
from this place to Tuscaloosa, to retake a
levy, which had been wrested from the
marshal, on an execution against the
Simontons of Tuscaloosa. In pursuance
of tlie mandate they possessed them
selves of the store of goods belonging to the
Simontons. About dark of the same
day they were attacked by an armed party
of twenty, consisting of the'Simontons
and their friends and received a voliev
from the whole party.
Gatewood feil and died on the spot. John
son received a slight wound in the arm.
Ball had one hand shot off and one arm
broken. Stogdale was shot in the face.—
The fire was returned, with what execution
was not fully known, but we lcaru that
one of the Simontons was in a dangerous
state and supposed to be dying. A jury
of inquest was held on Gatewood, who
brought in a verdict of death by violence
from the Simonton party.
“ f Flie Governor and judge of the Su
preme Court have taken the matter prompt
ly in hand. We forbear expressing any
opinion of the matter as it is undergoing
judicial investigation, and we have no
right or desire to forestall public opinion.
\\ e learn these particulars from a letter
to the Marshal here, received by express
to day.”
Another. —Mr. Daly, oftlie firm ofClarc
iN Daly, proprietors of a public house in
Tuscaloosa, was shot through tiie head, a
few days since, with a pistol, by Thomas
! Jcmison, and died in about two hours.—
| Jcmison has fled.
M r. Clare, the partner of Daly, was shot,:
and severely wounded, the day before the j
death ol Day, by a man named Mason. \
Another, and in oar oirn rite/ !—On!
Friday night last, a man, name unknown, j
was stabbed in Albion Coffee House, in j
Water street, and lived but a few hours.— j
The murderer is not known. During the
same night, we learn, another man was
stabbed on Government street, hut it is j
said he will recover.
W hat a dreadful state of things is this! |
And is their no remedy?
The “ British Queen” —the great steam
ship which is to eclipse all the others,
;n l whose arrival in the Spring is already;
looked for with interest by the New
Yorkers—is thus noticed in a letter from I
an American gentleman in Glasgow, un-!
der date of 12th December, published in j
the New York Times:
“I paid a visit the other day to the:
British Queen—not the fair girl who
sways the British sceptre, but the noble
and magnificent steam ship that bears her
title, and is well worthy of the Sovereign i
rank which it confers.
Much as I bail heard of the magnitude
and beauty of the vessel, the reality far I
exceeds my anticipations, and as 1 sur
veyed her vast proportions, and the exqui- j
site symmetry of her build, I felt as if
looking upon anew wonder of the world.
Her internal accommodations are per
fect, and the care and taste displayed in
the arrangement of their minutest details,!
arc no less conspicuous than the skill and j
science exhibited isr the construction ol j
her machinery and the mould of her levi
athau hull. Her funcarel saloon and ca
bins are equal to packet accommodations, j
but her superb niter saloon and cabins 1
am incapable of adequately describing.!
You can only realize their magnificence I
by an actual survey. The style of her
decorations is of the Elizabethan age.
The stewart’s department excited my j
admiration from the very convenient man-j
nor in which it is arranged. There are 1
two capacious cook-houses, one for the i
forward and one for the after cabins, and
there will he a head steward for each. !
Bathing rooms are being built on each j
guard, abaft the wheel house.
Water is brought by pipes into the 1
state rooms, in each of which there is a!
handsome sofa. The baggage rooms arc
large and commodious.
Her engines are the most ponderous j
affairs you can conceive; when 1 sac
them they were being set up. Roberts is j
a prince of a follow, and will do the thing ;
elegantly. I no longer wonder at the
delay in her completion, now that I have
seen her immense machinery. H j
Auugctne'f, the British Queen is deci
dedly the finest vessel and the most com-!
plete in her arrangements I have ever j
beheld, and you will he in ecstasies when I
you see her. From deck to keel, from I
stem to stern she is same reproche. 11
had nearly forgotten to mention, that she
has extensive wine vaults, a specie vault, I
and immense water tank.—Her whole j
internal structure is also well lighted and j
ventilated. I intend to go out in her the
first voyage. More anon.”
Welleuisms. —“Y'ou’rc a sharp one,” j
as the pig said to the butcher’s knife, l
when it stuck him.
“Frequent settleieirnts make loeig friends,” [
as the squatter said to the alligator, when i
he found him burrowed under his log cabin, j
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” j
as the cook said, when she used her night
cap for a pudding bag.
“You are always welcome to my tabic,” |
as the farmer said to the turkey, when lie
cut off his head.
"Heeds arc cnorniou;,” as the loafer'
in!, when he looked at his breaches.
foreign.
The packet ships Philadelphia and Scotland
arrived at New York on the 2d inst, bringing
London and Liverpool dates to the 24th Dec.
The sales of Cotton in Liverpool for the week
ending on the 21st Dec. was 40,000 bales, at
an advance of 1-4 and. TheTNew York Courier
says:-
The steam ship Liverpool arrived at
Liverpool on the[2lst Dec.fin * fourteen
and a half days, and carried on the Presi
dent’s messwfge. We do not find any in
formation as to the probable return of this
vessel to New York in the papers before us.
The language of the President’s mes
sage on the subject of the assaults on
Canada, meets, with slight exception, the
approbation of the British!peers. Sir Fran
cis Head, the late Governor of Upper Can
ada, had addressed a letter to Lord Mel
bourne, asking his assent to the publica
tion of the despatches which contained
his opinion on the policy that aught to be
pursued towards the British provinces,
and particularly of one despatch in which
he had said, “I do not agree with the Com
missioners of Inquiry, and that as regard
ed their policy, I had not an idea in com
mon with them.” Lord Melbourne de
clined to sanction the publication.
London, Dec. 20.
We invite the attention of Our readers
to the price of corn, as published this
morning. The average price of wheat
for the week has exceeded, by more than
five shillings per quarter, the /amine price
at which our landed aristocracy are con
tent to allow us to supply our wants from
i abroad. The system of delusion to which
so many of our cotemporaries must critn
; inally lend themselves, when they endeav
ored to impress the public with a belief
that the rise of corn was owing to the
manmuvers of the corn factors and corn
' dealers, now fairs to the ground. The
: horrible truth stares us in the face, how
; ever we may try to disguise it from our
; selves, that the population of this country
will be without its customary supply of
food during the next six months. The
ports are open for the free admission of
foreign corn, and will remain so probably
for several months, but the supply froinla
broad continues to be scanty, and will
certainly he far short of die demand.
The present state of things is the natur
al consequence of our iniquitous and inhu
man system of corn laws. That it should
not sooner have occurred may be viewed
as a merciful dispensation Yjf Providence:
but should no steps he taken to relieve the
country from a system of legislation which
enables the aristocracy of the country to
thrive upon the starvation of the masses,
a frequent recurrence of famine, with all
its attendant horrors, must be looked for
in England.
The suffering and distress of the poor
er classes during the approaching winter
will be frightful, unless the hand of ac
tive benevolence be interposed. Bread
has already risen to an extravagant price,
but will defy any man to calculate the
price to w hich it may yet rise. The pres
ent is the time for Charity to exerfjher
self to alleviate the evils which heartless
avarice has caused; hut it is also the time
for the whole population of this country
to join hand and heart in one great ef
fort to overthrow the hideous system to
which the welfare of the country has been
so cruelly sacrilicd.
The Legislature of Alabama, now in
session, has passed a law establishing a
Penitentiary, to be located within fifty
miles of the centre of the State.
In the same body an interesting inci
dent occured in the House, while consid
ering upon a name for anew County.—
Van Buren and Pushniatahaw having been
proposed, Judge Lipscomb (says the State
Intelligencer,) told the following anecdote
illustrative of the magnanimity of Pushma
tabaw, and his generous self-sacrificing
devotion to the whites: “An attack being
threatened upon St. Stephens, then in a
very weak condition, by the hostile Indi
ans, Pushr atahaw was solicited by the
whites to aid in defence. The Prop! tol
the tribe, however, having assured the
warriors that the Great Spirit had decreed
the fall of St. Stephens, the gallant old
warrior could only prevail upon his three
nephews (called sons in the Indian dialect)
to accompany him. With them he pre
sented himself before the garrison, stated
why his warriors were not with him, and
then told them that he and his sons had
come, not so mueli to fight for tlirn, as to
dir irith them! When this anecdote was
told, the’mime of (he President was with
drawn, and “Pushmatahaw” was carried
by acclamation.
l’si Ready for Either. James Knowles
of Point Judith, in the last war, lived in
an exposed situation, near the ocean, and
never went to bed without having his gun
well charged by bis side. One night there
was a violent thunder gust which shoo
the house to its foundation
“Husband, husband,” screamed- h.s
wife; “act up, the British have landed, or
the day of judgment has come, and I
don’t know which. By gos i, sau
Knowles, springing up and seeking his
musket, “I’m ready for cither.
Romance. —The Picayune chronicles
the death of a western paper from “the
romantic attempt to subsist on the prom
ises of man.”
He is not the first publisher who has
found the promises of his readers wretch
ed fare. They are any thing but a fair
exchange for labor, paper, ink, and all the
it ceterai of a printing office.