Newspaper Page Text
[From the Charleston Mercury.]
STATE INTERNAL IMPROVE
MENT.
M e copy below some judicious sugges
tions of the l’rqvideuce Journal, ulucli
.ire well timed in this day of enterprizes.
It seconds wed our wish that there should
be no local jealousies, among the projec
tors of Roads and Canals in the South
and South West, and reflects justly upon
the narrow and selfish spirit which is ex
hibited by some of our Northern presses,
whenever the South does any thing t„'
wards asserting her Commercial Inde
pendence. At the plentiful board which
providence has spread for the mein hers of
our great confederacy, there is enough for
all, and there is no need that any one should
pursue an exclusive and churlish policy in
the enjoyment of the feast. It is a mis
take to suppose that the legitimate jiroce.-s
of hi .'ping i/our self cannot goon, without
playiugat the game of " lleggar your n-igh
nor." We are sure tint any of the Edi
tors who accuse the South of sectional
political designs, and of resisting the nat
ural course of things—would he not only
amused hut a little angered if in a North
River Steam Boat some self constituted
master of ceremonies, doing the honors of
the table by taking care of number our, af- \
ter appropriating a superfluity oftlie choice
bits should grumble at the said Editor for
meekly stretching forth his ham) towards!
liie best dish; or if the ert In si re should stare
at him as ifhu were an impudent fellow, op-
posing the natural course of things, and
violating good manner*; vet such is the
coni style in which any self preserving
measure oftlie South is treated.
A word too is necessary here as the ad
vocates of different routes. We believe
that the completion of any one of tin* pro
posed routes for opening to us the great
valley oftlie West, and consolidating the
trade of the ( otton region, will benefit
every state through or near which it pa-<-
es. We arc therefore disposed favorably
to consider each, and to present it- claims
to attention to tile public, in the light cho
sen by its most sanguine advocate. Be
cause we desire t lit! complet ion of t he M a
con line to the trull, we are not inimical
to the linittswick Rail Road, to the same
point, the advantages of which are so
glowingly pictured in the letter of Mr
White which the reader will find in our
columns to day; nor because we are m fa
vor of the great chain in contimi item of
the Hamburg Rail Road to the Tcmies-
Koe, a chain which “in the natural course
ol things ’ seem to be completing itself m
spite of adverse or referred scheme-, are
we therefore opposed to the connexion
with the same river through the .Macon
Rail Road, which is also already near
completion. Every one of these routes
can be sustained by the amount of travel
find-trade which u can command—and
every one of them will betieSt South Caro
lina, Tennessee, and Georgia, and greatly
swell the export of Charleston, as well as
contribute to make Iter tint principal ettv
for supplying the west with foreign mer
chandize; mid wc shall lie satisfied with
her share of good, though she may not ex
actly absorb and swallow up our big ami
rich sister state on the other side of the
Savannah river, which the Augusta Senti
nel seems to think is the present stretch
of her appetite. In these matters we are
like the keeper of a picture gallery—and
let the artist lay on his colours ever so
thick and gaudily—we will hang his piece
in the best light we can. No harm will
he done by discussion. There is gold un
der the surface, to be dug for—lei even
one be encouraged to dig and to delve—
whatever plan of excavation he may adopt,
our care is to say “Go ahead,” to all.
Skc-iio.nal Fttuxii. —Avery useless,
hut perhaps not unnatural jealousy exists
between the different large cities on the
Atlantic coast, in regard to matters offrade |
and commerce. 'Each is constantly watch
ing the other, lest there should be some
secret design of securing the trade of the.
West, or getting awav trade of the East,
or rivalry of trade with England or France.
Hence, if .New York projects a Rail Road, j
Philadelphia and Baltimore loudly accuse
her of the murderous design of inonopoii/.- i
ing the whole business of the lakes; if I> il- j
tiinore projects a Canal, she is accused of
designs upon the South, and if Philadel-;
pliia or Boston talk of European steam !
navigation, their efforts are looked upon ;
as f.ital to the prosperity ot New York.—
While the good people of the South ar<
holding conventions and appointing com
mittees and making speeches to prove that j
Charleston was designed In nature for the.
commercial metropolis, and tii it it is tin
height of wisdom for the people of the
South to take their capital out of their e >l
-and rice plantations, where il is yields
iug them fifty per cent, per annum, and put
it into ships and hanks, and import goods
to sell on twelve months credit.
An enlarged and just.policy would teach
all these cities tha.l not one of them will
ever, by increasing her trade, extending
iier Railroads and Canals into the interi
or, and forming steam communication
with Europe, injure the prosperity ol any
other. It does not follow, as seems to be
imagined by certain persons that because
the trade of Boston is increased, that ol
.New York or Baltimore or Philadelphia
must be diminished, all these improve
ments not only increase the trade of the
oilics which undertake them, but they ac
tually create trade, increase the number
and variety, of the innumerable articles of
human consumption, and add to the abili
ty of the consumers to purchase them.—
Every Railroad and Canal which the en
terprise of one city pushes into the intcri
lor to grasp at the trade of the West, in
j creases not only the prosperity of that
city but of all ihc other cities contiguous.
People will buy where they can buy cheap
jest, not where a Railroad terminates or a
Canal commences. As for the commerce
I of the interior there is enough for all, and
the means taken by the enterprise of any
j one place to secure a portion of it, will ev
:or he the means of creating a greater n
moiint than that which flows immediately
to its own bosom. The jealousies upon
this subject are useless and silly, and we
' think can hardly be entei tabled by those
enlightened members of the mercantile
community who can perceive the causes
as well as estimate the effects of trade.
[ Providence Journal.
FXTRACT FROM .M It. WiId.JAM'S Jti;.
I’oifT
On the utility of constructing a Rail
Road from Columbus, to the iiead of steam
boat navigation, on the Ocmulgee River:
Tin: Special Committee appointed by
the City Council, of Columbus, (jeo. for
the purpose of investigating, and report
ing upon tho utility of a Rail Road com
munication, from the city of Columbus,
to the head oftlie steam boat navigation
oil tlie Ocmulgee River, have devoted
some attention to the subject, and present
the following view to the consideration
ol the City Council, and citizens of Co
in minis.
The produce of the Southern States,
and especially; ol the section of country,
in which we are situated, is of such a char
acter, that we can consume, or manufac
ture for exportation, hut a very limited
quantity. \\ e seek a market for it, in
its raw state, in the No. them States of
this I uion, .and in Europe; and m either
ease, it must necessarily he conveyed up
on the Atlantic, from our Southern ports
to its final destination. The most oftlie
towns and cities in (Icorgia, which deal
to any extent in the produce oftlie coun
try, lnve the immense advantage of lie
iag situ ilcd upon some stream, di-em
lioiigcing directly into the Atlantic (Ire.ui,
whilst Columbus, not uli-tanding her riv
er, and oilier great natural advantages,
cannot compete w ith them, bee m-e tii.il
river disembogues into tlu-(iulf of .Mexi
co, and is at best navigable only lor one
half of the \ear. If, therefore, we expect
to progress m improvements and com
merce, or even to maintain the position
we now; occupy, it is tin obvious fact, th at
some artificial communication with the
Atlantic ports, must he constructed. It
is not only a matter of interest to do so,
on account oftlie convenient Irui-porti
tiun ol the produce of the country, but
also, to enable our merchants to obtain
promptly and without difficulty, tlieir re
turn cargoes, to supply the demand of
tlieir customers. The ('liatlahoochee
River, upon winch we now rely for these
purposes, is navigable for steam boats for
live or six months in the year: say, fVniu
the first ol J.imiarv till the first ol June
( Otton purchased in Columbus, in the
early part of the season, is consequently
decreased in value by the accumulation
ol M ••.rehouse exju'ii.-es, and interest up
on the money paid for it, and is then sub
ject to extraordinary high freight, if ship
ped before the first of March; in lid, it is
not uncommon for cotton purchased in
tins market in L ptembor, October and
November, to he in the warehouse til!
March or April, helorc it can he shipped
down the Rivn r. Tiir* purchaser, there
fore, not only pays additional storage,
niton -t ami comini-siotis for advances,
hut must also risk the hazardous fluctua
tions ol a spring and summer market.
\\ e are cut off from sharing the profits of
a rise in the price of the article, which
may originate from a demand for it, among
the manufacturers in the I . States, in
t lie early part of the season, ami are u-ual
ly the last who reach the market.
In addition to the tardy and uncertain
transportation of the productions of Wcst
ern Georgia, by our river communication <•
with the Cull', we might with propriety
go into an estimate of the actual loss to
the grower of our great staple, in conse
quence ol having it scattered, in small par
cels, at the various ports of the Atlantic,
and Cuff of .Mexico. It is a fact worthy
i)f notice, that the Cottons produced up
on tlie waters oftlie Flint and Chattahoo
chee Rivers, are superior m length and
fineness of staple, to those' grown in the
eastern part ol the State; yet, in conse
quence of our not being ,:/>/< to emu < ntrat.
('it in t:( inn/ our j,.:;nt, they have never
ranked higher in lore gn classification,
than the upland ol C.u iliua. The 10->
to the planter troui tins cause alone, may
be estimated at one cent per pound;
amounting, m itself, upon the cotton
brought tu Columbus, to a sum sufficient
to construct the work contemplated ui
seven years. \\ e conceive, therefore that
printer in Western (icorgia "-"A
Eastern Alabama, is directly interested 10
the construction of anv work that will
bring about so important a result as the
< mu'i ntrillion at <llll/ point on the Atlantic
of the trade of this portion of the country.
On the other hand our merchants must
purchase their goods fertile whole years
supply, early in the spring, to insure tlieir
arrival at Coin minis during the year. It
is a fact, of which some of our merchants
hate a feeling recollection, that goods
purchased in New York last May and
June, have not yet, at Christmas, been re
ceived, and yet their notes given for them
have fallen due, and been paid. From
these causes, the following effects, neces
sarily result: first, it requires more actu
ssal capital to do the same business in Co
BRUNSWICK ADVOCATE.
lumbus, than in any other town or city
in (ieorgin; secondly. Cotton cannot be
‘worth aggiinch, as in other cities, if equal
profits he’ realized; thirdly, our market is
a fluctuating and unsteady one, in relation
to many of the articles of ihe first ncces-
people; and last, though not
least, tlie profits realized in trade and
commerce generally, will not compare
with those made at other places, and are
not commensurate with the capital and
labor employed. The important enquiry
therefore, which should interest every per
son at all identified with ( uluinhits, or
desirous of retrieving its waning prosper
ity, is this: are there no means by which
the difficulties now existing, may he ob
viated, and our city and its commercial
facilities, placed upon a footing equal to
those of the most favored interior marts?
The committee flatter themselves, that
there are two projects; the completion of
eithiir of which will accomplish the o!>-
|cct desired. The one hv constructing a
Rail Road from Columbus to the head
of steam boat navigation, on Flint River,
at or near Pindartowii, and thence on
what is known as Spalding's route to the
Rig Rend ot tin: Ocmulgee up to which
point it is understood to he navigable for
seam boats at all times. From Columbus
to Pindartowii, the distance would lint
exceed St) miies, thence to Jacksonville,
on the Ocmulgee, about sixty miles. A
charter has already been obtained for a
Road on this latter route, winch would,
most probably he constructed, without
the aid of capital from this section, pro
vided, we construct a Itoail to I*indiT
town. In the in lit liowi n r that the Howl
troui i'itnt Jtirir to Ihr (h'.nnl'Srr should
hr abandmied, an advantageous connec
tion might lie made with the Brunswick
Road, by continuing the Road from I’iti
d '.town, tiil it intersects it in Thomas or
Lowndes county.
In I ict, the construction of tlie Road
alluded to. viz: from Columbus to Oemul
gee, which may he made to connect with
tlie Montgomery ami West Point Road
hv a branch ol Columbus, thence on the
Road round the Falls of Coosa River,
and thence on the Road, which will con
nect the Coosa from the Wells Creek,
with the Tennessee River at Gunter's
landing, will present the most ready com
munication, from the \\ est to the At
lantic.
(>u motion, the report was received,
ordered to he published, and future ac
tion po-tponed tu a subsequent meeting of
('mined.
'i’ll 1 . Sr. Jo i imi v\i> lot,\ R mi. Rove
—Tins is completed, with the exception
of laving down the iron—a part of which
has arrived, and bills of lading received
lor the balance. The spikes are daily
expected from New York—and there can
hi: no doubt, hut that the road will he rea
lly for transportation hv tlie Ith of July,
on which day it is contemplated to run
the cars to loin, when we shall have a
dinner, a speech, tint! a half dozen or so—
hip ! hip! Hurra’s !
It is true, that from various causes—
hard times—want of confidence and cap
ital. St. Joseph lias been under the weath
er, hut tlie completion of the new rail
road, the extensive business arrangements
entered into for the next season tlie ac
quisition of fresh capital and substantial
friends, will give anew and a bright as
pect to our affairs. Many merchants will
keep a heavy supply of Western produce
at li!a, and cotton buyers will make that
tlieir principal point of operations.
It is contemplated by tlie company, to
require that the ships loading at this port,
shall pay the expense of transportation on
cot'ton from lola to St. Joseph. This
charge will not exert'd that of lighterage
and wharfage at Apalachicol I—and1 —and can
be well afforded by ship masters here as
the ordinary port charges and expenses,
are less than in any other commercial
town on the (iulf—[St. Joseph Times.
'l'hc Chevalier Francis do Gerstern, the
individual spoken of in some of the North
ern papers as an Agent of the Russian
(iou lament, travelling in this country,
lor the purpose of examining our Rail
Roads ami other schemes of Internal Im
provement, visited our city some three
days since and remains until to-day' for
the purpose of examining our Rail Road.
< >ll Thursday lie passed up the Road to
Forsyth, and returned yesterday morning,
lie expresses himself much pleased with
the gramliu ssaml magnitude of the Ami r
lean schemes lor facilitating commerce in
the wav of internal improvement. It is
however, a mistake, according to his own
statement, that he is sent out under the di
rection anil patronage of the Russian
Emperor, but 011 the contrary, travels a.
ins own expense and will, t.. r tlie purpose'
nt g lining all the information to be had
vrnHio eo//-irHeion a>f Rail Roads, in or
der to tlieir more successlul introduction
into Russia and other parts of Europe.—
fins is the individual who first iutroduc-;
ed a L ail Road into (ioriuanv, and since
that tune into Russia. But for want of
proper patronage from the Government,
and perhaps, in part from the want of ex
perience, and just appreciation of tlieir
uses, they have progressed, up to this time,
extremely tardy. Whereas, since the in
troduction ol Rail Roads into tins country,
since the year l 'A', six years previous to
winch time they were introduced into
Germany, there has been upwards of 3,000
miles of Rail Road built and now in suc
cessful operation, 2,000 of which lias been
travelled over by the Chevalier since his
visit to this country. [Southern Tost.
Soil for tuf. Culitre of Cotton.— \
At a meeting of the Asiatic Society, Mr.
; Solly read a report on the chemical ex
• animation of a scries of soils for some of
the principal cotton plantations of Geor-
Igin, w hich had been procured by Viscount
Palmerston, at the request of the cornmit
; tee of commerce and agriculture of the
society. The examination of these soils
was undertaken with a view to ascertain
1 some of the circumstances found to be
most favorable to the cultivation of cotton
in Georgia, and thus indicating the best
manner of improving the cultivation of
cotton in India. Mr. Solly stated, that
in order to render a comparison of this
kind of any practical value, it was abso
lutely necessary to take into account a
variety of circumstances connected with 1
the nature of the climates of the countries
so compared,—such as the limits of tem
perature, tlie rapidity of evaporation, the
tor 111 of the surface of the country, the
radiating power of the soil, the retentive |
power for water, and many other points.
These were all of the utmost importance j
and would completely modify the action of
the soil so that u soil which in one situation !
would be excellent for tlie cultivation of
cotton would in another climate be totally i
unfit. The result of the chemical examina
tion ol these specimens showed them all to j
he ofa light, sandy, and rather poor descrip-!
lion, consisting principally of a fine sand,
held together by a small quantity of alumina '
or clay, and coloured with oxides of iron
and manganese. The quantiv of organ
ic uniter w hich they contained was small.
* hie oftlie most important facts observed
w as,the extremely small portion of carbon
ate, or indeed, any form of line which they
contained, showing that the presence of
this substance is not so essential to a good
cotton soil, as has been thought by some :
writers on the cultivation of cotton. The j
great difference also between the black j
cotton soil of America, and that of India
was pointed out; the former being com
posed ofa fine, white, siheious sand con
taining lint very little alumina, and col-,
oured wholly by organic matter; whilst
the latter consisted apparently of the de
bris of volcanic rocks. Mr. Solly con
cluded by remarking, that the goodness
of the soils from Georgia depended pro
bably far more on the mechanical struc
ture, than on the chemical composition;
and that tlie presence of lime or any oth
er suhstance, was of far less importance,
than that it should hi: of a light, porus,
and not too rich a character.—| London
Athencuni.
Perhaps a stronger evidence of the de
plorable state ol tilings, in regard to pe
cuniary matters, of some of the States
South and \V rst of us, could not be pre
sented, than one that passed before us the
other day. A gang of some sixty or
seventy negroes, passed through this place
a few day ago, from Mississippi, seeking
as we understood, a market. Such is
the pecuniary embarrassments of that State
as well as others, that in order to lessen
the sacrifice on the sales of negroes, vv hich
sales have to he made, they are brought
hack to the old and impoverished States,
lor sale, from the very region of exhaust
ible fertility. This is a strange and un
natural state of affairs, and speaks trum
pct-tougucd of the lamentable pecuniary
situation of the State: from which they
come. Wo are informed, that a great
number of plantations, oftlie greatest fer
tility, are lying uncultivated and uncared
for, the laborers having been sent off, to
Orleans and other places, to find a mar- 1
ket, to pay tlie debts of tlie owners. This
is a gloomy representation, and we fear
no less true than sad.—[Millcdgevillc Re
corder.
V fm s Jititeu and Mars. —Our read
ers, (says the N. A . Literary Gazette,) may
not all be aware thattlie.se planets are visi
ble every evening, and they are seen with
great brilliancy. Venus, immediately af
ter sunset, appears in the path of the sun,!
at a considerable elevation above the wes
tern horizon. Jupiter now approaches (
with a light inferior only to that of Venus, I
at a considerable elevation, at the same
hour above the eastern horizon, in the
quarter of the heavens opposite to Venus. 1
Mars may be seen in the direction of a
line from Jupiter and a line to the south
ward of this line, this planet now presents
to the earth an apparent size of more than
twenty times larger than when in the oppo
site part of its orbit, and may readily be
distinguished from all other stars by its
ruddy color.
On the 13th of July, Jupiter and Mars
will he in conjunction, at about 10 o’clock
in the evening, at a small elevation about
the western horizon; Jupiter being about
three diameter of the moon to the north
ward of Mars. The present is an exceed
ingly favorable opportunity for observing
these pfvmAs, for soon the apparent
magnitude of Mars will be liiimmsiied.—
These planets may easily be found by any
one, however unacquainted with the hea
vens. Suppose a lino from tlie sun to in
tersect the heavens, dividing it into equal
portions; then, these planets will be the
first stars observed after sunset in the di
rection of that line.
A Sharp Retort. —“Make way. gentle
men,” once cried a Massachusetts rep
resentative to the populace, who were
crowding him out of his place in the pro
cession on election day, “make way, we
arc the representatives of the people.”
“Make way yourself,” replied a sturdy
member of the throng, “we are the peo
ple themselves.”
Facts for the People. —When the
present ruling party came into power, they
; found the expenses of the Government less
than thirteen Million per annum! They
shouted loudly, “Retrenchment and re
form,” and they promised to restore the
Government to its primitive purity. Let
the appropriations, below, and the utipar
alelled defalcations, prove how these pro
mises have been redeemed. Nearly Thir
ty-seven Millions required for the present
year, and anew National Debt of Eight
Millions standing against the Treasury!
W hat do the yeomanry of the country
think of this species of retrenchment!
APPROPRIATIONS BV CONGRESS.
Civil and diplomatic $9,010,001 57
Army, fortifications and
Military Academy 16,557,253 65
Navy ' 5,1:30,731 64
Revolutionary and other
pensioners 2,499,020 15
Current expenses of the In
dian Department 1,755,007 28
Preventing and suppressing
Indian hostilities 1,850,774 00
To promote the progress of
the useful arts 9,259 22
Private claims 45,065 27
$30,862,242 78
.4 pain ful Aight Scene on hoard a
Steam Float. —A portion of the passengers
on hoard the steam boat Alabama, Cap
lain Sutton, were not a little alarmed on
Saturday last. The boat left Baltimore
for Norfolk at four o’clock on Saturday af
ternoon, and by two o’clock the nc.x!
morning had accomplished the greater
part of her voyage. At that solemn anil
quiet hour, however, and when she was
out in Chesapeake Bay, several miles from
land, a report reached tlie gentleman’s
cabin tint the boat was on fin!
The effect of such intelligence at such
an hour, and under the circumstances des
cribed, was painful and unnerving in no
ordinary degree. Jn an instant every in
dividual whose ears were open to the ap
paling alarm, started from his pillow, and
hurrying on such clothing as could he dis
covered iu the darkness anil confusion,
proceeded on deck. The number em
braced hut a small portion ol the pas -
sengers, and it was perhaps fortunate
that so few were awake. The firemen
were observed bitsilv engaged in dragging
the wood from beneath one of the boilers,
anil dashing water upon it; while one or
two of the passengers, more active than
tlie rest, had already seized the water buck
ets, in readiness for such occasions, and
made their way towards the furnace be
tween decks. For the space of a few min
utes the scene was full of danger, horror
and despair. Sonic threw doubts upon
the story —others confirmed it—while all
were dreadfully agitated. The shore, on
either side, was shrouded in darkness anil
distance, and the waves as they leaped and
gambolled along, looked to the frighted
eye anil mind like so many huge and liv
ing monsters ready to swallow up the un
fortunate traveller who might be consign
ed to tlieir tender mercies. Various ex
pressions passed from blood-deserted and
trembling lips, while a few stout hearts
grew brave amid the danger, and endeavor
ed, by kindly and conciliatory language,
to cheer the timid and desponding. It
was, indeed a moment of peril, and suited
to test the courage, the virtue anil philoso
phy of frail human nature.
A party of four, engaged in the forward
cabin playing cards, were among tlie most
terrified. No wonder! The visage of
Death, always terrible, must have been es
pecially to such a .group. They rushed
| wildly on deck, and in a condition of al
i most breathless agitation. Their feelings
may be better imagined than described,
when we remember that two hou.s of the
Sabbath had already gone by!
Fortunately, the danger had been some
what exaggerated. The boat was not on
j fire—but one of the boilers was in a very
: precarious condition, and it had been
deemed essefttial to extinguish the fire
1 under it, in order to prevent an explosion,
j The waste stop cock had been opened,
with the object of letting off tlie surplus
| steam, and had not hern effectually closed
again. Some time after, tlie Engineer,
seeing the boiler become unusually heat
ed, tried the upper cock and then the
lower, and discovered with much alarm,
that the water had fallen below both, while
the boiler had attained a dangerous heat!
11 id he introduced cold water at this crisis,
an explosion must have been inevitable.
But be saw the difficulty, and immediately
ordered tlie hands to put out the wood and
extinguish the lire beneath the boiler.—
This they did, under some excitement, but
without serious difficulty. The passen
gers, seeing them throw water upon tlie
blazing wood, naturally enough thought
the boat on fire and so gave tin: alarm.
In the confusion and darkness, some
latte elapsed before the real difficulty was
made known generally, and not indeed
until more than one had turned a thought
inward and upward, and had looked out
upon the broad and billowy bay with well
founded alarm.
Captain Sutton was perfectly cool and
self-possessed throughout the crisis, and it
was discovered with pleasure, even after
the danger had passed away, that the boat
was liberally provided with life-preservers.
[Philadelphia Inquirer.
Profitable Business. There are
three enormously profitable Post Offices in
Massachusetts, one of them yields $5 89,
one? 4 75, and one $2 18 per annum.
RAIL ROAD TO THE ATLANTIC.
Every day’s intelligence gives addition
al assurances of the probable early comple
tion of this great enterprise.' Wc say
.great, because with it are most intimately
j linked the destinies of Columbus. A friend
in Lee writes 113 that the citizens of that
1 county alone have jncreased their stock to
the amount of $450,000. That the a
gents in that region are rapidly proceed
ing with their labors, by receiving addi
tional subscriptions, on which five per
cent, is paid, and the remaining instai
ments are secured by mortgages upon re
al estate. Should every section of country
equally interested, exhibit the same ardor
, 111 tl,e undertaking, the same zeal in their
own behalf, and the same disposition to
act. as well as talk, which has been praise
worthily shown by our fellow citizens of
Lee, the early completion of this under
taking, would soon be placed beyond the
possibility of a failure— nay, it would be
1 accomplished without the intervention of
foreign aid. Wc pretend not to speak of
the feasibility ofsotneof the plans of some
interested persons, who are about to com
mence a work from Albany to tlnsfiig Bend
of the Ocmulgee river. VYe wouldYiy to
them, proceed, and accomplish your object
• if you can; but they must be actively at
; work, and that at an early day, or their
more southern friends will win the race,
and carry the trade of the immensely pro
ductive regions of South-western Georgia
directed to a port upon her own coast.
Our correspondent above alluded to has
furnished us with an accurate map of the
country from this city to Palmyra, upon
the Kinchafeona. a few miles from its
junction with the Flint. He is intimately
acquainted with every foot of the country,
and his sketch is of course very accurate,
lie makes the distance about seventy-five
1 miles to the crossing of the Flint, and ro
1 ports the country as exceedingly favorable
| for the location of a road—as the route
j will be the whole way upon the high and
| level table lands between the headings of
: the streems flowing east and west to the
Chatahoochee and Flint rivers. Cannot
Fie citizens of the country through which
this work will pass, and who are to be es
pecially bent-fitted by its completion, con
tribute greatly to its advancement? We
believe tint they can, anil will, if they re
flect upon its immense advantages. De
Witt Ciinton showed by actual calcula
tion that the advance in the value of lands
upon either side of the Erie Canal, upon
its completion, was more than sufficient
jto defray the expense of construction.—
j His doctrine was, “that these works cost
nothing;” that the people were repaid four
I fold their original investment. We
! hope our friends will reflect upon the sub
ject, and act worthy of themselves, and
the cause wo advocate.—[Columbus Enq.
One of James Madison's last acts, short
ly before he died, (says the Democratic
Review,) was to pert the following patri
otic aspiration. Let it he listened tons a
voice from tlie tomb and he treasured up
as ail invaluable legacy:
“ Advice to my Country. —As this ad
vice, if it ever see the light, will not do it
till l am no more, it may be considered
as issuing from the tomb, where truth
j alone can bn respected, and the happiness
!of man consulted. It will be entitled,
therefore, to whatever weight can be de
; rived from good intentions, and from the
I experience of one who has served his
country in various stations through a pe
riod of forty years, who espoused in his
youth, and adhered through his life to
the cause of its liberty, and who has borne
a part in most of the good transactions
: which will constitute epochs of its destiny,
j “The advice nearest to my heart and
deepest iu my convictions is, that the
Union of the States be cherished and per
petuated. Let tlie avowed enemy to it
Ihe regarded as a l’andora with her box
opened, and the disguised one as the ser
: pent creeping with daily wiles into Par
adise.”
I
Longevity of our Forefathers. —No less
than thirteen of the fifty six signers of the
Declaration of American Independence
reached the age of eighty years and up
; wards, viz:
: Charles Carroll, of Maryland, 95
WNlliam Ellery, of Rhode Island, 93
John Adams, of Massachusetts, 91
Samuel Adams, do. 81
Robert Treat Paine, do. 93
Benjamin Franklin, do. 84
Williams JVilliams, of Connecticut, 91
William Floyd, of Long Island, 87
Thomas McKean,, of Pennsylvania, 83
Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, 83
‘George Wythe, do. 89
Mathew Thornton, of Ireland, 89
Francis Lewis, of South Wales, 90
Being an average of eighty-six and two
months each, and the aggregate excess of
the “time honored thirteen” over four-
I score is just eighty years. No delibera
tive assembly of equal magnitude- was
ever more remarkable for the virtue, tem
perance and longevity of its members,
than the one which declared tlie Ameri
can colonics free and independent.
Postage of letters was first established
1 the reign of Richard 3d, the plan hav
ing been formed in the reign of his broth
er Edward, in order to procure early in
telligence of events that passed in the
course oftlie war with the Scotts. The
revenue of the Post Office in the reign
of Queen Anne, was only <£oo,ooo. In
1813, it was .£1,414,224. On one day,
in 1740, the mail between Edinburgh
and London, only one letter was carried.
In 1790, they averaged 1200 a day.