Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Columbian J!ht£eum, .2,Vi> SAVANNAH GAZETTE. PUBLISHED OS TUESDAY, THURSDAY, AND SATURDAY mornings, by KJITVEL # BART LET On the Bay. Miscellaneous Department. FROM THE K. Y. COMMERCIAL AUV. THE AMVIIILOGIST. To the Author* of the Amphilogist. Gentlemen The following narration has nothing to recommend it to your notice, but its melancholy, its simplicity, and its truth. Yet no story of suffering can be without its use ; whether the source of mis fortune is to be detected in an error of the understanding, or a wilful dereliction from right. 1 Was travelling in a neighboring state, with scarcely any definite object of pursuit at a season when deep prostration of spir its, and utter despondency had succeeded to repeated disappointments. Lost in my own gloomy contemplations, with the tone of which the sombre scenery around me, blending with approaching darkness, well harmonized, I unconsciously suffered my horse to take what direction he pleased. The severity of my own lot, which seemed at that moment, far beyond the common riortion of human sufferance, as surrounding ights appear brighter when we are our selves in darkness, led me into trite and profitless speculations on the moral govern ment ot the world. To induce the neces sity of a future state ol rewards and pun ishments, from the inequality of our desti nies on earth, l reasoned with myself, is im possible. Passive submission to irremedi able calamity, can give us no title to a rev ersion of happiness ; and if it be true that evil doers reap the fruits of retribution here on earth, to punish them eternally hereaf ter for the same offences, is a piece of su pererogation. From this exqisite logic I came finally to adopt ttie persuasion, that all individual lives average equal shares of happiness and misery ; and viewing human life in the darkened mirror of my own melancholy, I concluded that bliss, • like a sunblink on a stormy sea,’ visited once during the pilgrimmage, by every wan derer of the family of man : while the re mainder of his ‘ few years,* in the words of inspiration, wr<* ‘ full of troublg.’ When I woke from my reverie, I found myself in a grass grown road, with which 1 was totally unacquainted. The masses of shadow falling thick around me, perplex ed me yet more, in this sylvan labyrinth. In this uncertainty, I spurred my” horse to prosecute the un frequented pathway ; perhaps secretly pleased that 1 had now an intermediate ob ject to recall me from the monotony of chagrin. The road soon emerging from the forest; wound round the side of a hill, overgrown with the dark evergreens so pre valent, in American scenery ; and giving at the dusky hour such a deep and solemn hue to all surrounding objects. The long shadows of the trees as they moved slowly in the wind, or were faintly tinged with the last glimmering tints of twilight, assu med to the doubtful eye, various, uncouth and fantastic shapes. I feit an involunta ry dread, as I lost the last traces of the path—nor were my fears removed by the appearance of a rude dwelling, which now presented itself to my view. * Who are you and what do you want ?’ —asked a voice, the tones of which were indescribably discordant.—l dismounted. and approaching the speaker, dimly discov ered a small decrepid figure of a man, sea ted near the door of the hut. I requested him to direct me to the road I had lost. * It is to dark to retrace your wanderings now/ he cried in a surly tone ; • but you may share all the comforts this hovel can afford you/ I would have declined his equivocal politeness, but an authorative gesture silenced me.—He called to a fe male within, who ushered me to the interi or of the house, which was far superior to the promise its external appearance had held forth. After a comfortable meal, I was conducted to a neat apaitinent, and left to my repose. Rut it was in vain that I courted sleep. The tones of rry host’s voice, so harsh, quick and unnutural, yet vibrated grating ingly on my ears, and aftecfually precluded slumber, although no sounds interrupted the calmness and silence around the dwel ling, save the faint warbling of a solitary bird, the monotonous chirping of the insects answering from limb to limo, and the music of a loquacious marsh at a dis tance. I had fallen into a disturbed dose, which disordered fumy continually interrupted with some wild and incoherent d'cam, when the notes of a half touched harp fell on my ear, in a wild and unearthly pre lude. The tones seemed to come from some wandering spirit of the air, hymning the flight of a departing soul, so soft, so beautiful, so spiritual they founded. I soon distinguished their words, suug by • female voice, whose inflexions seemed yet sweeter, where apparently broken by sorrow. Spirit of bliss! who sleep’st secure, Where yon thin clouds its snowy fleete, •is bleeching in the moon beams pure, Sailing thro’ heaven’s blue seas of peace. Lull’d by the notes from angel lyres, That float in transport soft along, Or strain in distance that expires, Borne from the spheres sublimer song ! If e’er thy weeds ambrosial, bright O’er earth’s unholy vapours flow, If e’er thy silver sandals light On this black orb of sin and woe: Spirit of bliss, where doest thou rove ? Where laughs the beam of childhood’s eye 3 Where the wrapt dream of youthful love Sees the warm blush, the tender high ? Where the youtu’’ mother clasps her child, Whose infant traits his sire’s disclose ? Where flits the good man’s breath, as mild As evening’s air that shuts the rose ? Spirit of bliss ! such storms have past, This wither’d heart to blight and sear, Since I have looked upon thee last, Thy form is scarce remember’d here. And I can only wait the time, When casting off life’s grevious load, Yon opening heav’n my steps shall climb, And trace the realms, thy feet have trod. Those hoarse tones of my host broke off the song ; a muttering growl of discontent was followed by such a heart drawn groan, that l shivered as it struck upon my ear. that hallow voice continued, at intervals, its groans and complaints until mor ning. When I arose from my couch, I found the inmates of the cottage already stir ring. The master was without ; and in the room where the simple breakfast was prepared, an elderly woman, the same who had attended me in the evening, was seated with a younger female. The wrink led brow and furrowd visage of the former proclaimed both age anil sorrow; while the latter presented a monumental wreck of what had once been passing beautiful. On her large and languishing eye, hung the heaviness of a subdued and hopeless heart. I observed a harp in a chamber, and ven tured to ask if it were she, who had sung in the night so sweet Ty. She appeared confused, and said she had supposed I was asleep, or she would not have disturbed me. Assuring her of my gratification, I enquired for the host. A shade of redoub led gloon soon came over her brow, at the mention of him ; a tear started to her eye ; and she pointed to the door. I found him in his own situation ; and uuir an u|> port unity of g al ing up it I countenance, stamped with a mingled ex pression of misery and ferocity. The lineaments of beauty and dignity might be discovered, through the darker working of his features, and his crippled, emacia- ted form ; like the relicts of a classic tem ple, not quite buried amid ancient rubbish, and modern hovals. His brow was knit, and his lips were moving. He started from his reverie, as I saluted him, and express ing my gratitude for his reception, enquir ed the amount of my debt. * You mistake me,’ said he, ‘ ( keep no inn ; you are wel come to what I can bestow.’ I attempted an apology for my mistake, but he cut me short. ‘ Apoligies,’ said he, * are unneces sary. lam used to mankind, and their mistakes,’and his voice was lost in a wild scream. * Why do you look at ine thus ?’ he fiercely interrogated. ‘AmI so hateful to the stranger, and to my guest ? Away, or the basilisk may sting you.’ But ob serving that I looked on him, rather in pity than disgust, he seemed to repent of Ins vehemence. Is there,’ he continued, a feeling heart on earth ? you shudder—nay, by heaven, you weep ! ‘Then listen to my story. Follow me to my place of retire ment.’ He rose, and as I obeyed him, I remark ed that his legs had been broken in several places, and that he almost dragged his limbs after him. I followed him toa small enclosure, containing two simple tombs. We seated ourselves on the turf, and he began— ‘ My name is Fitz Herbert. I was born in England, heir to a large fortue.— My heart was once light; I possessed tal ents and ambition ; and a beauty of per son which attracted universal notice.— Smile not mentally at this remembrance of what I was. It comes from the sepulcre of health, and pride, and vanity—from w hat I mu. I gained the affections of a lovely girl, and married her. I was happy then. The vestibule of life was strewed with ro ses, and its arches looked bright and gar landed in the long perspective. But a vil lain, who had been my rival with Henriet ta, wormed himself into my confidence; involved me in gambling speculations, and ruined me. With my sunshine, the friends who had basked in its favor deserted me. My wife alone clung yet closer to my ruin, like the daughters of Niobe to their broth er’s corsc'9, when the unerring shafts were Hying. I detected the turpitude of my be trayer ; called him toa bloody reckoning, and he fell beneath my hand. ‘ 1 fled for safety to the continent, with my wife and child. Thro’France, we wan dered to Prussia, where, reduced to hope less want, without the menus of longer supporting existence, we at last sat down in the stupid apathy of despair. I plun dered the first passenger I met—was de tected—broken on the wheel—branded and banished from the country. •Thus lost to honor, health and fortune, disgraced and denounced, ’by others dread ed and myself a dread,* the pittance of a. charitable band enabled us to reach the sea coast. A remnant of my property, by an accident, was restored to me. We sailed for America and found out this miserable residence- „My mother followed my for tunes, and sought out my retreat. Affec tion and sympathy have soothed my covert in the wilderm but the barbs of the ar chers are yet fjitfkling in my heart. My two children, for Henrietta bore me anoth er since our arrival, lie beneath those stones. I can weep when I think of them, and lam calm. But there are hours when the smothered fires of the volcano burst forth. The scars of the stigmatizing iron will glow with tenfold heat; the torture of the felon wheel returns with complicated agony ; the spectres of peitidy and ingrati tude rouse all the boijing fury of my soul. S.unetiines conscience ascends her judg- ment seat; and the avenger of blond stalks before me in all his terrors. Sometimes — but O! how rarely ! in the blue eye ot my saintly fellow sufferer; I see a beconing cherub, that points to an hereafter of re pose ; or catch from the music of her harp, notes which b?athe upon my soul, like dew on the a gale of Eden on the re gions oftornvv 0 i •But go. iifet'my sorrows detain thee no longer. Go, and in the vortex of dissipa tion,the pageantry of pleasure, the bustle of business, think on the crippled, broken hearted, and crazed Fitz Herbert—and re member that such things are.’ * * A strange exemplification, thought I, as I rode on, of the equal distribution of hap piness and misery. Yet is not this man altogether wretched; for the faithful ivy attached its pertinacious fibres yet more closely to this blasted oak. But while 1 have health and strength and intellect, let me think on this wretch in the hour of de pression, and learn gratitude from the com parison. OiMICRON. From thf. st. louis exq.ttirer. Banks of the Missouri—Sectional view — From the month if Kanzas to the Mis sissippi. Distance 500 milesthe river meandering between the parallels of 38 and 39 degrees north. These parallels may be assumed as em bracing the most favorable part of the Am erican climate for all the most valuable productions of animal and vegetable nature —rendered still more favorable, on the banks of the Missouri, by the extreme sa lubrity of the country, and the unrivalled swer ness and purity of the atmosphere. ThU part of the Missouri, so happy in the course of the river and the excellence of the i further blest with a fortu ity of soil of which the finest lands of Ken tucky and Tennessee furnish neithera sub ject of comjftfison nor even an idea of con ception. Mankind have been accustomed to turn their eyes upon the banks ot the Nile for the example of a country capable of sus taining, on a given extent the heaviest population of which the earth is capable. it is believed that the banks of the Mis souri, within the distance above mentioned, will carry oft’ from the Nile the glory of this noble preeminence. For the rich lands j of the Missouri will vie in fertility with those of the Nile ; they extend much fur ther from the shores of the river ; and they are bordered by natural meadows instead of sand, in which myriads of cattle will roam at pleasure, feeding on the bounties of nature, r.nd multiplying the means of subsistence to their owner without care or labor to hnwself. Finally, the climate of the Missoni 1 ’ is mild and temperate, proli fic of life and of health ; while that of the Nile lies under the track of a blazing sun, and is filled with the seeds of pestilence and death.—Who that compares one with the other can say that the time will not come wheo the Missouri, from its mouth to the Rauzas, shall not exhibit a heavier population than the banks of the Nile from the cataracts to the Delta ; and shall not display on its two borders more splendid rows of cities, towns and villages ? Banks of th*. Mississippi—Sectional view — FrorA-tf.Fails of St. Anthony to the mouth of the Ohio . Distance 1,000 miles; course of the riv er from north to south, from north latitude 44 degrees to 27 meandering between par allels 12 and 19 degrees west longitude from Washington city. Pyramids of rocks appear in many pla ces resemoiing old ruinous towers ; at oth ers, amazing precipices ; one side of which is covered with grass and gioves of trees ascending gradually to its summit. From thence the most beautiful views and exten sive prospects which imagination can form, open to tne eye. Verdant plains, fruitful meadows,numerous islands, lie before you; and all these abounding with a profusion of flowers and berries interspersed with a va riety ol trees which yield amazing quanti ties of fruit without care or cultivation, such as the pecan, the maple which produ ces sugar, the walnut, hickory, beech, crab apple, mulberry, cherry, anil gum ; with an exuberant undergrowth of su mach, paw paws,and white walnuts loaded with grape vines, ami clusters of plum trees ben ding under their blooming burdens ; above all, the noble river flowing underyour feet, sad attracting your wonder and admira tion as liirss the eye can reach.—Cahvkk. Who has ever stood upon the cliffs which i overlook tlm plain of the American bottom without realizing,in all its extent, the force and beauty of this .charming picture r “The country on the borders of the river is rich in many places beyond description. The bottoms which arc several miles wide and of great extent, have the same fertility tas the delta of the Nile, being like it, pure ly, alluvial & incapable of being exhausted : ahe uplands presenting in many places vast areas of level plains of light,loose and black toil of several feet in depth. Towards the alls of St. Anthony are found vast forests of white pine, firs,and red cedar, which may j lie easily transported by means of the river i to the future cities and “capitals which are I toadorn its banks. The face of the coun- try is divided from each other by proves of oak,ash, hickory, walnut, elm, and cotton wood (which is the Lombardy poplar ol the Mississippi; many of these groves are wholly free from any other undergrowth but grass, so that the traveller may often pass as well under a forest of large trees as over the open prairie. These prairies are entirely free from trees and bushes, but are covered with an annual growth of grass, flowering plants, ami strawberries; and, if cultivated, would produce astonish ing crops of wheat tobacco,flax,lndian corn and hemp. But to judge of all its capaci ties for producing what would minister to the wealth and comfort of man, we should turn our eyes to corresponding latitudes in Europe and Asia, the seats of commerce, agriculture and the arts ; and yet enjoying in a less degree the advantages of rich soil, noble rivers, anil salubrity of climate.” The Mississippi, as I have already said, runs from north to south, and w aters the most temperate and fertile part of North America. Thus Favorably situated, when once its banks are covered with inhabitants, they need not long be at a loss for the means to establish an extensive and profit able commerce. They will find the coun tries towards the south almost spontaneous ly producing silk, cotton, indigo, sugar and tobacco: and die more northern parts,wine, oil beef, tallow, skins, buffalo wool and furs —with lead, copper, iron,coal, lumber,corn, rice anil fruits, besides tine earth and barks for dyeing. These articles, with which it abounds even to profusion, may be trans ported to the ocean by means of the river without greater difficulty than that which attends the conveyance of merchandize down the Rhine, the Danube, the Wolga, the Nile and the Euphrates. And should the Spaniards at the mouth of the river un dertake to obstruct the passage, multitudes of adventurers, allured by the prospect of such abundant riches, will ffock to it, and establish themselves though at the expense of rivers of blood. (Carver.) Vision in 1764— Fact, in less than half a century. Reflections and experiments on central forces, and on the constitution of the Globe we in habit. Copy of a letter to doctor Mitchell. LF, ROY, GENESEE COUNTY, N. r. JITY 22, 1819. Sir—Although a stranger, I shall make no apology for addressing you, on so inter esting a subject to all scientific men. Ac cident brought me to reflect upon the form ation of the earth. Taking it for granted, that this earth has been of a consistence that would take shape by motion, and from what has been discovered, there are strong [arguments in its favor, what would be its internal structure ? 1 have observed in a common barrel churn, that a quick regular motion, would throw the cream upon the sides of the churn, without any agitation, leaving none at the ends, and I had ob served, that a regular motion given to a grindstone that was hung perfectly true, would retain water upon the top of the stone, without throwing it off'; I considered that the laws of nature and of motion must he uniform. It occurred to me that motion must produce the same effects on this earth that we see it has on smaller bodies. These considerations induced me to make a ma chine to demonstrate this as far as I possi bly could. I accordingly prepared an ar tificial globe, from a pine log, about nine feet in circumference, as near the know n shape ot this earth as possible: open at the poles, the concavity of the inside, answer able to the convexity of the outside, the aperture at the poles answerable to about 36 degrees of the earth. I then fixed it on pivots, with machinery to give it a very quick motion. I then turned water in the inside of the ball, and put it in motion, and the event was as I had anticipated; the water spread itself smooth upon it, in a smooth even surface, without any attempts to fly off. I then perforated the ball in a number of places ; it created as many most beautiful springs of water upon the outside of the ball, which satisfactorily accounts to me for the origin of springs, and of the course of rivers, and it wili press the water through the pores of the wood sufficiently to moisen the whole outside surface. I contemplate fashioning the outside of the little globe like unto this earth, cut out the oceans, continents, rivers, val lies, &c. and if I can contrive any method to counteract the effect that our atmosphere will naturally have upon it, I have no doubt, from what I have already observed, of the effects of motion, that the rivers and val lies may be tilled with water from the in side, the ocean filled, the regular ocean cur rents formed, the water flowing from the outside to the inside through the poles, and the whole phenomena explained in a satis factory manner, so that the whole process may be seen in miniature with the eve ; the polar attraction of the needle explained and the variation of it accounted for. 1 find by placing the north end of the globe in a dark place, and having a bright light placed in the position that the sun bears to tins earth in a south latitude the rays of light a>e thrown in at the south pole, and reflected at right angles, ami paM out nt the north pole in a manner perfectly calculated to explain the aurora borealis” anil show it in a most beautiful manner •’ and shows that the inside or hollow of the earth, may be as well or better lighted and ‘vanned by the sun than the outside. From these experiments, 1 am fully convinced ot Symines’ theory, and that tlie earth Would be incomplete without the hollow. I am, with much respect, veur most obe dient servant, THOMAS TUFTS. lion. Sami. L-Mitchell ANNAPOLIS, (MB.) ACC. 5. An occurrence has recently taken place in this city, w hich is calculated to awaked the deepest anxiety ami strongest indigna tion in the bosom ot every man who loves liberty and is aitacheu to the constitution of his country. It is painful to us to be obliged to notice a transaction which is likely to become the subject of judicial in vestigation ; but we find it impossible t<* repress the indignation, which every man must have felt, on witnessing the scene which was exhibited hereon Friday last At the approaching session of our court it will be decided whethera private citizen wla> considers himself agrieved by the m niiuct of a collector, is to be deprived of the right of demanding redress for the injury sus tained,in the same peaceful and legal man. ner that he would against any other indi vidual. And, above all, whether the cob lector of the port is invested w ith power to call nut the troops of the United States lor the purpose of resisting the constituted authorities of the state. These aie seiions and solemn questions, which will no doubt be deliberately weighed, and impartially and justly decided, by those to whom the important duty of adn.inisterining the laws is committed. All that we say is, that if proceedings of this kind are suffered to pass with impunity, we may prepare to bid a long farewell to the liberties of our country. VY r e have obtained Irom a friend the follow, ing statement of the case, which we sub mit to our readers without further com ment. A citizen of Md. considering himself titled to goods which he thought had been illegally and unwarrantably wrested li.mi him by the collector of this port, sued out a write replevin from the court of Anne-Ar undle county, for the purpose of trying the title to them. The writ was placed in the hands of the high sheriff; who delivered it to one of his deputies to be executed.— When the deputy proceeded to to discharge his duty, part ot the goods were lying on a wharf in the neighborhood of the. collector’s warehouse. The officer of justice took possession of them, when they were imme diately seized and taken from him byastm of the collector, and some other men with him. The sheViff'on beinginformod of this outrage, applied in person to the collector for a delivery of the goods. His request was rejecter!. He then intimated to the collector, that he should be under the necessity of per forming bv forcible means the duty which was imposed upon by law and his” oath of office. To this intimation the collector replied, that he should resort to force in order to prevent the execution of the writ. About an hour afterwards the sheriff’ pro ceeded towards the warehouse in which the goods were contained, and on Ids ap proach discovered a detachment of United States troops drawn up in military array, with an officer at their head, across the street which led to the spot where they were stationed, one of the soldiers present ed a loaded musket to his breast so near that he was almost touched by (he bayonet, and told him that if he proceeded another step his life would be the forfeit. The sheriff” perceiving that it would be impracticable for him to proceed without hazarding the lives of many of his fellow citizens in a contest with American troops, desisted from the attempt, and lodged a complaint w ith the chief justice of the state. Warrants were immediately issued for the apprehension of some of the offend ers, who we understand have been arrested, and compelled to enter into a recognizance for thedaringoutrage they have committed on the law of the land,and the liberty of the free people of this country. This is a sim ple recital of the facts that occurred, tom* mentis unnecessary, and would perhaps at the present time be improper Maryland Gazette SOMETHING A'EJF. Extract of a letter from New-York, under dote of the 27th iust. “ A considerable quantity of Wheat ha* recently been importod at the eastward from the Mediterranean, ft is, to be sure, not ot the first quality.but will probably makefine flour. There are upwards of jttCO bushels in one parcel, a part of which has been sent here, and sold at 50 cents ! Th Wheat should be brought from Europe t'J this country is certainly surprising. an( ’ speaks a language that cannot well b e misunderstood.” i A FAIR OF DWARFS. Mr. Pape and his wife now in London, are Prussians, and of remarkable sm*l’ stature. He ia about 36 years of age not more than eighteen inchps in |f * His wife overtops him about 6 inches. J dwell in a smalt portable house, adapted their |ize.