Newspaper Page Text
From the London Jssteraru Gazette, g
From ibe Personal Narrative of Baron Hum*
boldt.
Savngps on the, Ornnolco.
“ Among *he cauv-s of the depopulation
of the Han tales, I hare not reckoned the
small pox; that melady which, in other
parts of America, make* such cruel ravages,
that the natives, seized with dismay, burn
their huts, kill their children, and renounce
every kind of society* This scourge, is al
most" unknown on tier hanks of the Oronoko.
What depopulates the Christian settlement
is, repug ianc« <>f the Indians for the regu
lations ofthe mission', the insalubriiy of a
climate at once hot and damp, bad nourish
ment, want of care in the diseases of chil
dren, and the guilty practice of mothers of
preventing pregnancy by the use of delete
rious herbs. Among the barbarous people of
Guyana, as well as Those of the half civilized
islands of tlie South Sea, young wives will
not becom" mothers. If they have children,
their offspring are exposed not only to the
dangers of savage life, hut also to the dan.
p*ers arising from the strongest popular pre
judices. When twins are born, false no
tions ol propriety and family honour require,
that one of them should be destroyed. • I'o
bring twins into the world is to be exposed
to public scorn; it is to resemble rats,opos
sums, and the vilest animals, which bring
forth a great number of young at a time.'
Nay more : * two children born at the same
time cannot belong to the same lather. I his
is an axiom of physiolgy <>f the Salivas; and
in every zone, and in different states of so
cie y, when the vulgar seize upon an axiom,
they adher • to it with more stedfa.tness
than the b iter informed men, by whom it
was fi st hazarded. I'o avoid a disturb ince
of conjugal tranquility, the old lemale re
lations <.f the mother, or the mure japoir.e
nei (midwives,) take care, that one ol the
twins shall disappear. II the new born in
fant though not a twin, have any physical
deformity, the father instantly puts it to
death. They will have only robust well
made children, fur deformity indicate some
influence of the ev4 spirit loloqniamo nr the
bird I ikiliki,'he enemy of the human race.
Sometimes children of a feeble constitution
undergo the -fkiine f’ntc. When the ta her is
asked whai lias become of one of Ins sons,
he will pretend, that he ha» lost him by a
natural death. He will disavow an action,
that appears to him blameahl*, but not crim
inal. ‘ file poor mure f” lie will tell you,
• could not follow us ; we must have waited
for him every moulcnt; he has not been
seen again, he did nut come to sleep where
we passed the night. Such is the candour
and simplicity of manner, such die boasted
happiness »»f man in the state of nature lie
kills his son, to escape the ridicule ol hav
ing twins, or to avoid journeying more s.ow
ly ; in tact, to avoid a little inconvenience.
•• The Indians of Atures,*’ (says Mr. H.)
are mihl, moderate, and accustomed, fiom
the effect* of their idleness to the greatest
privations. Formerly, excited to labour by
the Jesuit*, they did not want t• »r food. The
farthers cultivated maize, French beans, (Jri
sodsj and Ollier Eur pran vegetables; they
even planted sweet oranges and tamarinds
round the villages;and mey possessed twen
ty or thirty thousand head of cowe* and
horses, in the savannahs ol Atures and Cari
cluna. They had at their service a great
number of slave* and servants f peonet.J to
take care of their herds. Nothing is culti
vated but a little cassava, and a lew plan
tains. Ihe fertility of the soil however is
such, that at Atures I counted on a single
branch of inu-a 10H Iruu*. 4 or 5 ol winch
would ulniofct -office for the daiy nourish
inent of man. file culture of maize is en
tirely uegiected, and the horses and cows
have disappeared. Near the rudal, a part < f
die village still bears the name ol Passo del
ganado (turd of the cattle) while the des
cendants of those very Indians, whom die
Jesuit* had assctnnled in * m.ssinn, speak ol
horned cattle as of animals of a race that is
lost. In going up'he Oronoko, toward San
Carlos del Rio Negro, we saw the last cow
*t Oanchana. The fathers of the Observ.
•nee who govern these vast countries, did
not immediately succeed the Jesuits. Dur
ing an interregnum of eighteen years the
missions were visited only from time to time,
and by Capuchin monks. Vhc agents of the
Secular g-v rimuoil, under the title ol Com
missioners oj'tlie King, managed the hull or
the tar ns ut the Ji suits with culpable neg
ligence. t hey kil ed the cattle in order to
sell die hides.' Many heifers were devoured
by tigers and a greater number perished in
consequence of wound* made by the bu sol
the ruudales, which are much less, but lar
bolder than tin-hats of the Manus. At the
tune of the exoedilion ofthe bouudarie*, the
hone* ol Kncarainada, Caricliana, and Mu
les, were conveyed as lar as San Jose of Ms
ravitanos, where, on the bunks ot die Itio
N.gro, the Portuguese could only procure
them after a long passage, and of a very in
ferior quality, by the river Amaz in and
Grand Far* Since the year 1795, die cut
tle if the Jesuits have entirely disappeared.
There - now remains in testimony ol tile - an
cient cultivation ot these countries ami the
industrious activity missionaries
only a i iv trunks ot the orange and tamarind
in die savsnnalia, surrounded hv wild trees.
“ I'lie tigers, or jngua s, which are loss
dangerous Tor the catue than the bats, come
into me village at Autres. and devour the
pigs ol the poor Indians, file missionary
related to us a sinking instance of the laim
lianty ol these animals, upon the who.e so
ferocious. Some mouths before our avr.val
»j iguar, winch was dmugui to he young,
though of large >i*e, ha I wounded a child m
playing wild Him; l use contidently tins ex
pression, which nsv seem strange, liaung
on .lie spot Veritiv-1 facts wliicnare not witn
ou interest in the dietary ot tue .launvrs of
•mmals. two Indian children, a boy anil a
gin, about H and y years ol age, wer Si ated
on i.n- grass near tlie village ol Atures, mine
tmd.ne of a sava man, wiiKh w« Hate ntc.i
trave sed. At two o’clock in vile ai .et non,
* jaguar issued |rom the forest, and approach
ed the children, bounding aroniiu diem;
Ml diet idles ue h.d nuuself in he Ivgn grass,
sometime* he 'p.U'.n' forward, h.i .cs >ent,
his ties i nung d>a i, n t u e manner ot .sir
c*t*. file mile hoy, -gmir* tot' Id* danger,
seemed mbe se is.u.e ol it only wuen tbe ja- 1
guar a dll one et In* paw* gave him some
blows on itic 1- fin-no blows, at tirsi
Sngot, became £kr ana rud*r ; the c.aws
ui dn jaguar wounded tha child, and the
• As the Milas m the plains of the Ms
•oun, according to the accounts of the A
unman traveller*, C.ark and Gcvris.
j In raißiuiack mure signilie* a «hdd i
,rj a son.
j*
blood flowed with violence. Tbe little girt
tilers took a branch of tree, itmck the an
mul, and it H-d from her. The Indiana ra
* up at the cries of the childrz , and saw ti.
juguar, which retired bounding, mtliouttlie
least show of resistance.
“ The little boy was brought to us, who
1 appeared lively and iutoßigeut. The cla
> ofthe jaguar had taken away the skin froe
i- the lower part of the f jrehead, and ther
f was a second scar at the top of the head.”
, “Among the moif ies,” the author con
. tinues, “ which we sov at the mission ofthe
. Atures, we found one new species, ofthe
tribe of tan and snjous, which tlie Creoles
vulgarly call machis. It is tlie ouuvapavi
will! grey hair and a bluish face. It nas llie
i orbit* of die eyes and foreheads as white as
snow, which at first distinguishes it from
the rimia capueiau, die simia upella, the simia
r trepida, and the other weeping moi.key*
hitherto so confused'y described.—This lit
tle animal is ns gentle as it is ugly. Every
day in the court-yard of the missionary it
seized a pig, upon which it remained from
morning tiil right, traversing the savannahs.
We have also seen it upon the back of a
large cat, winch had been brought up with
it in lather Zear’s house.
“ It was among the cataracts that we be
gan to hear of the hairy man of the woods,
called salva je, that carries off women, con
structs hut*, and sometimes eats human
flesh. The Tamanacks call it add, and the
Maypures varitri, or great devil. The na
tives and the missionaries have no doubt of
the existence of this anthropomorphous
monkney, which they singularly dread. Fa
ther Gili gravely relates the history of a la
dy in the town of San Carlos w.io much
praised th<- gentle character and attentions
of the man of the woods. She lived seve
xalyears with one in great domestic harmo
ny, and only requested some hunters to take
her hack * because slie was tired, sue and
her children, (a little lu.ry alro,) ol living
far from ibe church and the sacraments,
rise same author, notwithstanding bis cre
dulity, confesses, that lie bad not been able
to find an Indian who asserted positively
that he hail seen the salvajt with his own
eye*. This fable, winch the inisyionaruis, the
European planters, and the negroes of Afri
ca, have no doubt embeliisheu with many
features taken trout the description ui the
manners of tlie ourang ontang, the gibbon,
tlie jacku or chimpanzee, and tht pougo,
pursued as during five years irom the north- 1
rrn to the southern hemisphere; and we ,
were every where b amed, in the most ctil
livated class of society, for being tlie only
persons to doubt tlie existence ot the great j
anthropomorphous monkey of America.
We shall first observe, that there are cer- ;
tain regions in winch this belief is particu
larly ptevaleiil among the people ; such are I
the banks of tbe Upper Oronoko, the valey j
of Cpar near the lake ot Maiacaybo, the 1
mountains of Santa Martha and of Merida,
the provinces ot Quito*, uud the banks of |
the Ainazen near l oinependa. In all these
places, so distant one trom tue oilier, it is j
• repeated, that tlie saivaje t* wtsny recog- I
tnzed by the traces ot In, teet, die toes of
winch ure turned backward. Bat if there
exist a monkey of a large size in the New-
Continent, how lias it happened that during
three centuries no man worthy of belief lias ’
been able to procure die slimol one ? Se
veral hypotheses pr.-seui tlu-mse)ve» to tbe ’
mind in order to explain die source n| mj
ancient an error or b-.-het. Has die lainous
capuchin monkey of Esmerelda, the canine
teeth oi winch are more than six lines and
a halt long, the pliysi guomy much more
like man’s than tha. of ihe ourang mining,
and which, when irritated, rubs Ins braid
with Us hand, given rise to the f.bie ot dio
saivaje ? It i« not so large indeed as the
coaita f lampatdtcut.J hut when seen at the
(op oi a tree, and tne iiesd only visible, it
might easily he taken for a Hunan being.
It may be also (and tins opinion appears to
me the mo*t probable) that tbe man of the
woods was one ot those large bears, the
footsteps ol which resemble those of a man,
and winch is believed in every country to
att* k wtimes. — The animal killed in" my
time at the foot us the mountains oj Merida,
anil sent by the name of saivaje to Colonel
Ungaro, the governor of the province Va
rinus, was in fact a bear, witn b.ack and
suioodi tur.”
These extraordinary accounts are suc
ceeded by a detailed history ofthe Mosclict
toes of this region; perhaps the most re
markable of us ammai phenomena.
“ Persons who have not navigated the
great rivers ol equinoctial America, for in
stance, the Oronux i and the Itio Magdalena,
can scarcely conceive, how without inter
ruption, at every instant ol life, you may be
tormented by insects flying in the air, and
how die multitude ol these little animals
may render vast regions wholly uninhabita
ble. However accustomed you may be to
enquire pain without complaint, however
lively an interest you may take in the ob
jects of your researches, it is impossible not
to be uonsia .tly disturbed b) the moscliet
toes, zuncudoes, jejent and taupranerocs , that
cover the lace and hands, pierce die cl itlies
with their long sucker in the form of a nee
dle, a.id, getting inio the mouth anil nostrils,
set you coughing and sneezing, whenever
you attempt to speak in tne open air. In 1
the missions ot the Oronoko, m the villages
placed on the banks ofthe river, surrounded
by immense forests, the plaga de las mescas,
the plague ofthe Hits, affords an inexhausti
ble subject ot Conversation, When two
persons meet in the morning, the tiro ques
tions they address lo each other are, • ifoiv
did yon fmd llie zancudoes during the night ?
flow are we to-day for the moschettoes ?’
These questions remind us ut a Chinese
form ol politeness, which indicates ihe an
cient slate of the country where it took
birth. Salutations were made heretofore in
the celestial empire, in the following Words,
vou-tou l.ou, • Have you been incommoded
in the night by the serpents?’ We shall
soon see, tiiai on the banks of the Tuamini,
in die river 'lagdaienu, and still more
at Choco, the country of gold and platma,
the Chinese compliment on the serpents
m.ght be added to that of the moschettoes.
“At Mandavaca we found an oid .Mission
ary, who told us with an air of sadness, that
lie hail spent his tve:ity rears of moschettoes
in America. He desired us to look w til at
Ins legs, mat we might be able to till one
day, “ poor alia (beyond sea) what the poor
| monks suffer in the furesis in Cassiqtiiar*-.’
Every sting leaving a small darkish brown
point, bis legs were so speckled, that it was
difficult to recognize Hie whiteness of bis
skin through the spots ot coagulated blood.
It the insects ot the a*.;iunum genus abound
in the CasSiquiare, wiiich has niute voters,
the cuhces, or saruoinUes, are so much the
more rare; you scarcely find any there,
while on the rivers ot Hack teasers, in the
A ahapo and the Itio Negro, there are ge
nera.iy some ts.-ii-.and no K.sscketttet"
t UOM THE XEW-YORK ADVERTISER.
Hints of a Traveller in Russia.
To travel in Russia it is indispensably ne
essary to possess a knowledge of the lan
guage, for hospitable as the Russian is, it is
-<nly towards such as can address him in his
native tongue j all others he regards as be
•gßof a distinct and inferior species. At
Petersburg!) and Moscow the necessity for
conversing in Russian is not so great, since
one may always shift tolerably well there
with either French or German.
I would next advise whoever intends to
travel in Russia, to provide himself with a
vehicle of bis own. A hired carnage may
always be procured of a po-tma.ttr ; but it
subjects those who adopt it, to the imputa
tion <.f a cimtempt.hle poverty. Were any
one to make a pedestrian tour, he would in
fallibly be regarded as a beggar : even the
commonest peasant is generally the posses
sor of two or more horses; and so averse
are the inhabitants • f some of the provinces
to the exercise of walking, that they will
not proceed the shortest dis'ance, except in
a carriage. Indeed s little idea have they
ot walking for mere au-u-ement, that a pro
menade appears to them an egregrious ab
surdity.
With respect to ihe hoises, they proceed
with extreme rapidity, ah hough they are
but ineagre, miserable-looking animals; and
instead of there being an occasion to urge
op the postillions to greater expedition; it is
absolutely necessary to entreat them to a
bate somewhat of their speed. Indeed it is
no uncommon thing for tliem to travel lit)
or 175 versts in twelve hours. Such is the
celerily and frequency with which they per
form jimmies ol 50b or 600 miles and up
wards, that they atiacli no more importance i
to them than we should to a tr.fling excur
sion for a single da) . It is no unusual thing
to hear a Russian mention, in the course of
conversation, that he is just returned from
visiting the catacombs ol the Holy (Jdy —
from Spain, Switzerland, Archangel or As
trakan, as if from some place in the imme
diate environs. I remember that at Moscow
there lodged at the same inn as myself an
opulent merchant, wli i was in the habit ol
coming, with ilia family, every year from
Tobolsk, to spend the carnival there ; and
ahliough the distance is not less than 2356
verts, he accomplished it in only eight days.
Having procured a carriage of one’s own,
the next dung to be observed is, to lane no
more .nggage tna i is absolutely necessary.
The drivers, who consider celerity more
than any thing elsr, are exceedingly impa
tient ol whatever may tend to impede it:
and it will be louud in every respect more
prudent, and, I may adfl, more economical,
to have all ones baggage conveyed either b/
Water or land carnage.
A residence of a few months in the me
| tropuhs, where die siranger gem rally mixes
1 with ms own countrymen, or with me high
i tr classes of the natives, is as little adapted
: to enanle him to judge of the people and
i their peculiar charac!eristics, as travelling
post through tile country, and conversing i
with none but postillions ami innkeepers. [
Ihe best means ol becoming acquainted
with the most prominent raits of national j
I character, is to intermix lor some time with
the lowtr and middling classes.
In his temperament the Russian is vivaci
ous and sanguine. From this cause arises
his a.most mdistructibie gaiety, and that tru
ly enviable accommodation oi temper, which
enables hull to eiicu enjoyment from even
the most infii. g cn ounn mice. Singing is,
with die Ku-siaii, an almost universal speci
fic, with which he sweetens ail his toils a id
difficulties, loa foreign ear their melo
dies appear melancholy and plaintive; but
tbi a native they possess soniellifiig tender
ly engaging. .Never, no not even m 1-aly
during tne vintage, nave 1 heard more s.ug
nig in the open air than 1 have m Russia.
Even in the dept of winter, when the as.
pect ot inanimate nature is so peculiarly
dreary, the lively notes ot the sledge-driver,
and the jmgl.ng ot Ins horses’ oelis, are gay
and animated. While the shivering for-
I eigner, buried in some six or seven lur man
tle., hastily icaps into the carnage, as if
fearful tor a moment’s exposure to the air,
! and there fences lumselt round w.th cush
ions and curtains ; die active driver, attired
in his slioit pelisse, and wi.h his neck bared
to the inclemency of the weather, leaps on
his scat with an agility equal to that of a
French opera oa.ictr; and immediately
commences both his journey, and his oiear,
animated song. The keen winds cut his
face, icicles uaog upon his hair, his nigged
beard is congca ed to a mass of ice, liases
of snow tilt both his bosom and his mouth—-
no matter, he still continues to smg until lie
arrives at the next inn ; there he hastens in
to the warm stove ; removes the icicles from
his visage ; crosses himself before tl.e
smoaked saint placed in one corner of the
apartment ; swallows his glass of brandy ;
and is again on his seat, and un his journey.
Another prominent trail in the character
ot the Russians is their wonderiul dexterity,
especially in all mechanical labours, lly the
simplest means they will elevate the great
est weights. Their wooden houses, which
are executed with such neatness, as to ap
pear cut out of a solid piece, are all form
ed with no other tool than the hatchet
which serves as a saw, a plane, and level.
The fingers, or the teeth, perform the office
of pinchers for the smith ; and the glazier
has no other instrument for cutting his glass;
even the most dangerous operations ale per
formed with equal s.mplicity. A raw re
cruit is in a tew weeks converted into an ex
pert soldier, into a shoemaker, a tailor, or
even a musician, just as his ct louel may re
quire ; and there can be no stronger proof
of the mechanical capacity of the
or of w hat they may be rendered by disci
pline, than their extraordinary performances
| an wind-instruments; tor each musician
! confines himself to or.e note, which he plays
as long as he lives ; and yet the most diffi
cult passages are exeouted with a precision
and taste truly astonishing. No other na
tion can boast of, nor could execute, such
singular concerts, which, Irom the jiumber
ot performers they require, are never heard,
except at the entertainments of the nobility,
tins dex'erity is conspicuous in almost all
that a Russian does ; even the meanest of
them has a freedom, lightness and ease ia his
walk—has an unconstrainedness, and even
grace, in his motions ; a similar intrepidity
and confidence are displayed in the ease
with which tie climbs over the most dread
ful precipice without becoming giddy. This
dexterity is not merely corporal or manual;
it displays itself in their mental exertions.
It is well known that the Russian acquires
every Foiqign language with particular fa
cility -, an advantage tor which he is in some
degree indebted to the difficulties of his
wn ; this rentiers his organs so pliant, and
jr:akj them in so well, that, he caa imitate
any sounds with facility. 1 w»s also assur
i‘d by ail the German Professors hi Russia,
with whom 1 became acquainted, that the
Russian possesses a decided and remarkable
evacitv for the mathematics.
A kind trait in their national character is
kindness. Among no other people does
this truly amiable virtue appear to be culti
vated to a great extent. Whether in an un
known part of the city, or in the deserts of
Siberia, one is equally sure of being direct
i d aright ; and even of being accompanied
until he is certain of lus way. Travelling
is perfectly safe, except indeed among the
Nomadic tribes of the Caucasus, &c.
No where does more unlimited religious
toleration prevail dian in Russia.
Another remarkable trait among the Rus
-iaiis, is their extreme and disinterested 1.0,
puality. A stranger, or a young man of mo
derate circumstances, in any of the large;
Cities, is sure of obtaining access >o tables
which he may consider as his own ; and can
avail himself of the general invitation given,
without the least reserve or constraint. The
common people indulge very freely in the
use of spirits, yet even in their moments ot
extreme inebriety, they are rarely quarrel
some, and when unable any longer to assist
themselves, are treated with every attention
by their companions.
[Fr > n die New York Daily Advertiser.]
JOURNAL OF AN AMERICAN,
f Continue jf J
The great roan which we travelled from
Home to Florence, through Term, is about
twenty-five feet wide ; and, being kept in
excellent repair, is flat, hard and smoo ; b, so
that the worst paits ot the route are passed
with much ease even by the great waggons j
! of the army ; while the irregular ridges of
mountains, often entirely uncu.tivated, unin
habited, and covered with loose rocks, show
the formidable difficulties w hich once ren
dered them almost inaccessible. This was
all much against the Neapolitan interest;
and I frequently looked upon their case as a
doubtful one, when I considered the strength
and resources of ilieir enemies, and the fa-
them in every country
throujjl winch they passed.
S mu after our arrival at Florence a report
was spread tlia. the Austrians had been at
tacked at Hieii, and had suffered a great
loss. 'This however was contradicted, and
a proclamation of the king of Naples, who
had lardy arrived, pretended tnat the ad
. vant ige was on his side.
About tne fifteenth of Match the students
of ill) University of Alexandria declared for
the Constitution of Spain, and their exam
ple produced a revolution throughout Pied
mon. and Genoa. All the nortn ot Italy had
been for so ne time preparing for a general
revolution. By the Carbonari every thing
had been prepared. They maintained a se
cret correspondence, by which it was deter- .
mined that Lombardy should take the lead : !
but this, tor some cause or otner, was not
carried into effect* At Genoa, tiie procla
mations of tiie Frince Regent and tile Con
stitution of Spain were hawked about the
J streets—and at Alexandria the attention
| with which the police examined our pass
; ports—their scrutinizing looks alus and the
anxious maimer in which the news was en
quired after, were proofs of the uncertain y
with which they all regarded th -ir late.
The day of our arrival at Alexandria the
students . f the University had left there for
Turin, and the next day we overtook them.
They w ere young men, indeed almost boys,
i and in tlieir behaviour expressed little sense
i ot the important revolution they had just
effect' d. There were l think between two
, and three hundred, all dressed in their or
dinary manner, and armed with inu,ket
'Their Hag, winch they misted at a window
of the inn where they dined, uore ‘‘ Italia
Liberalia omorte.” Italy freed or death. Ai
T.ni.i ihere was much agitation. Volun
teers in citizens’ dresses were seen p aced as
sentinels in various parts, and every b >dy ap
peared concerned and anxious. Just befor.
I lef Turin for Clumberiy, the Prince f
Savoy, Regent at that time, fled secretly
l orn the p.lace, and no one knew whither.
He was young, and probably was frigh eued
at the step lie had taken. Atiliesu ne time,
however, a report was spread dial the King
ot France had been assassinated, and that
the h'reueh Carbonari would soon establish a
new government. The news of a revolu
tion in Lombardy was hourly expected.
Such was the sta e of Italy at this time,
that it seemed as if some permanent change
throughout the whole country must certain
ly be effected. The English had not only
declared they wuuid not assist the Austrians,
but, it was said, had ordered the Commo
dore of the squadron at Naples to receive
on board the Prince Regent whenever he
should desire their protect on. Reports
were circulated that the Neapolitans were
determined to fight it to the last, and that
they had already shown in several most
bloody battles that tlieir martial character
had never been properly estimated. The
Austrians, we were told, had made an attack
in considerable force on Gaeta, after the
troops had ah been withdraw n to defend souic
i other point, and had been repulsed with
! great loss by the women, who had garrison
j ed the town, *ntl fought like tigers.
But noiv it fs finished, and ail this noise
! and bustle has produced nothing but ten-fold
disgrace to Naples, and bas disgusted the
world.
The following case is not generally known,
we-presume to hat e occurred.
MARINE COURT.
Charles Soian, J
vs. C
Charles IB aide. J
David Grr.ham, esq Counsel tor the Plaintiff.
Aaron H. Palmer and J. Anthon, esq. for
Defendant.
This was an action of trespas occasioned
by the descent of the defendant in his bal
loon into the plaintiff’s garden, and the con
sequent destruction of the plants and flowers.
It appeared in evidence that on the de
scent of the defendant in his balloon, a
! crowd rushed in. The damages were ap.
. praised by two sworn appraisers, at ninety
dollars.
The defendant’s counsel admitted the do
scent of the defendant on the plaintiff’s pre
mises, but contended that he was only ha. !
ble for the damage which he himself had
committed.
The plaintiff’s counsel contended that he,
as a joint trespasser, was liable for the whole '
damage done.
The court so charged the jury, they, as.
ter being absent about fifteen minutes, re
turned into court with a verdict for the plain.'
tiff for S9O damages, and six cents costs. f
The trial lasted the whole day, and was j
previously set down for that day, it being l
expected that the trial would convuni 1
great length of tune. f.V. V. Ue.’n ,fe !
"Florida.
From the Florida Gazette, .iugust 4th.
‘ PiCUIATA, 18th July, 1821.
“Mr DEAR SIR,
“ You ask my opinion of the River St.
John’s and of the Floridas—To answer your
enquiries fully would too far exceed the
limits of a letter; in a short time 1 shall,
perhaps, be able to satisfy your curiosity by
publishing my observations on this fine
climate.
“ I will only observe, that the St. John’s ia
a long :s id broad Bay, which ieceives the
impre jior ,of the tide at more than 150
miles from its mouth. This bay affords the
finest navigation that I am acquainted with
—You wi! find in all parts of it, after pass
ing the bar, up to the entrance of Lake
George, 20 tcet water—this I.a Ice, to its
south-east extremity is upwards of 10 feet
in depth. You see almost every where,
charming perspectives, magnolias, laurels of
every .species, and w ater oaks, in the shade
f which the citron and orange grow natural
ly, forming an evergreen curtain the whole
ength of this fine, river.
“ Lake George is a little sea, of nearly 60
miles circumference, at the extremity of
which is luund a bank of shells, on which
you have only about five feet water; but at
two or three miles above this the branches
of the St. John’s re-unite and a broad and
deep channel conducts you to a Lake which
bears different names—that of Jackson it
most appropriate, it being greater than George'*.
“ Having only been an observer of this
country lor three months, 1 should not like ,
to give an irrevocable opinion. It is neces
sary, sir, to examine for a long time, and
with care, a Country so extensive as the
\ Kiorfdas, to be enabled to know it well.
Nevertheless, 1 am well convinced, that if
the culture that is suitable for the soil and
climate, is applied to it, East-Florida will
one day become one of the must productive
states of the American confederacy.
“ It is certain, that Coffee prospers south
of the 27th degree—five Planters on Cape
Florida make perfect crops of it.
“The Orange and the Citron grew spon
taneously—finer than in the climates of
South America. The Olive, although exo
tic, grows superbly, and finer than in France,
file Indigo springs up under the pines, f
Ihe Mulberry, for the silk worm, is found
every where along the banks of the St.
John’s. The culture of the “ Garance,” op
Kubia T'metorum, might equal the Adnan
op e Red so much sought after. The quali
ty of the Cotton equals that of the (Topical
Colonies. Nor must the Quinquina or Per
uvian Bark be forgotten, w inch there grows
spontaneously,—Much of the land is proper
lor the culture of the Sugar-Cane, Sic. Sic.
“ In applying to this country the culture
which suits it, it will yield, lam certain,
i VRr y rich productions. In a short time, I
j will endeavor, sir, to satisfy your laudable
i curiosity. In the mean time, accept the as
surance of my regard. J. A. P.”
Salem, N. Y. August 2.
Mitchell’s Cave.
In the town of Caiiajouarie, Montgomery
county, near tne summit of a precipitous,
rocky mountain, called “ The JVW’’, on the
soutti bank of the Mohawk river, there has
lately been discovered, and partially explored
a remarkable cave, ol which a particular
account was pub islied in the Johnstown Re
publican of the 11th ult. Ur. Bartow and
iior 15 other gentlemen visited this cave
on tlie 4tli ut J .Jy. They deceiided by
u rope about 18 feet high and arched. At
the extremity of tilts room they fbund a
narrow passage, too small for a corpulent
man like the l>r. The rest of the party
through ibis passage, which is about 20 feet
long, entered a second room more spacious
than the first. I'hey thence descended at
various angles with the horizon, through
narrow passes, from room to room, till they
reached in regular succession the tenth a
part ment, be si d‘ s several Ja.eral rooms,
leading out of these several apartments.
P hev supposed the whole depth of their
descent was mote than 500 feet; and much
ottue cavern probably remains unexplor
ed. Innumerable su ilactites are suspend
ed irom the ceilings if the. too ns, and front
toe projecting rocks in the walls. The
mouth us the cave is about 40 chums south
of the line of the Erie canal.
_ ... r • ■ ■■■ -g
NOTICE.
rHE 123rd District Company
Ueorgia Militia, nre ordered to
appear at Vlnjnr D‘Antignae’g oti
Saturday the Ist. of Sept, (at 10
o clock, A. M.) to attend a Company
Parade, armed and equipped as the
Ihv directs. Also, at the same tuns
and place, an Election will be holdea
far a first and second Lieutenant.
B'i order of
Jeremiah Luther,
Capt. Commanding said District.
August 17. 14
Dissolution.
THE Ctipurinetship hitherto ex-i
isting in this place, under !h©
firm of McKenzie Bennoch & Com
pany, is this day dissolved by mu uat
; consent. McKenzie and Bennc ch,
i altund to all uusettled businest
; of that concern.
Thomas McDouall,
McKenzie & Bennoch,
-Jflg-Ifsfo, July 23. 1821. 7
£/* The 14th, 15th, I6t!i, 17ih,
ISth, and 19th Sections of ttie G ei... (J; *
! distance of the City will bs enforced,
August 7 n