Newspaper Page Text
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FRIDAY MOIiJYIJYG, MAY 30, 1823.
(Hi’ l } i consequence of noth ting able to get a
larger press constructed, and on i/te spot, in sea
son to meet ovr summer arrangement, we have
been compelled to commence the MERCUR Y and
ARGUS, on a smaller sheet than ire had contem
plated to publish it, and on which it will hereaf
ter be issued. But tins, me presume, will be of
little moment to our Subscribers ; because not be,-
ing crowded with Advertisements during the sum
mer, our sheet will stilt contain more rcarting
matter than most of the other papers of the vicini
ty ; and me shn.Whurc our new Press in season to
odd anotticr column. to each page of our paper at
the commencement of the fall business.
4
UIF The Savannah Mercury, will be Publish
ed Three Times a Week, during the Summer
Months. Days of publication, Monday, Wednes
day and Friday.
and / Ihe Ahgis, will be published every Friday
Morning.
fLT Office on Bull Street, near the Exchange ;
Middle Tenement of Morrisons Buildings ; Count
ing Room on Second Floor, opposite Judge J\'i
col's Office.
Money was never so scarce as it is now /"
\\ e have heard this story, repeated in every vari
ation of tone and emphasis, ever since we can
remember any thing; and conclude therefore,
thaWAe Times have been gradually growing worse
from the days of the golden age , (if indeed there
ever was such a time) down through every grada
tion, from bad to worse—the silver age, the cop
per age, the leaden, the paper to the what
’ hah we call the present ?—the crediting, trust
ing, promising, but never paying—age ! “ 1 nev
er Knew money so scarce,” says the merchant;
I can effect no sales; I can’t meet my drafts. “I
never money so scarce, says the shopkeeper ; the
country people won’t buy ; I can’t meet my bank
discounts.” “ Money is scarcer now than it ever
was,” says the farmer ; “I can't sell my cotton
for more than nine cr ten cents—l shan’t be able
to pay for the horses and hogs I bought last year.”
Ali agree that the'times are harder, and money
scarcer now than it ever w r as ; but in regard to
tiie causes which have brought about this state
oi things, there is more diversity of opinion,
ihe politician says it’s all owing to the infernal
Tariff; rants about the unholy coalition , the un
) lghteous bargain and sale, and the dangerous en
croachments of the General Government on state
lights. The merchant talks about the balance of
trade—prohibiting duties — and the flatness of the
cotton market. While a retailer of Grindstones
and Beeswax, says it is all owing to the stoppage
of the West India trade. The doctor thinks the
public system has suffered from depletion., and ex
cessive evacuations, looks to the mercury and
chews his own pills. The printerjsays the scarci
ty oi money is owing to his subscribers not paying
in advance. And a neighbor of ours, who is fast
drifting on a lee shore, complains of the illiberali
t.y and partiality of the banks, in discounting
paper. Another thinks that if the banks w 7 ere
more free in their issues, the times would be much
mended. But a director of one of the local in
stitutions, lays all the evil at the door of the Unit
ed State’s Bank; “ a monstrous machine,” says
he ; “ a fit engine in the hands of a despotic gov
ernment ; its enormous power overawes the local
Bank, and, like a nightmare, paralyses its ener- I
gies. Were it not for this monster, the local
institutions could make .money plenty in every 1
man’s pocket—they could issue to any extent. |
But this unconstitutional corporation, this body
without a soul, is enabled to force back the bills
as soon as issued, wickedly demanding specie for
the same. Thus constituting an insurmountable
check on the local Banks, against over issues.”
In the up country, they have still other notions,
in regard to the hardness of the times. The good
woman, raising her spectacles, and charging her
pipe, declares it’s all owing to the Yankee Ped
lars, tvho are rampaging through the country
with their notions which they sell at half-price.
While neighbor Truepenny is rather jubns it’s th®
Tennesseans who are ruining the country with
their mighty droves of hogs and horses, and for
which they carry off all the people's money. In
deed, every one accounts for the hardness of the
times and the scarcity of money, in a way pecu
liar to himself. Can it be thought presumptuous
in us, then, if w r e offer our own views on the sub
ject ? To make a long matter short, then, we ha
zard the opinion, that all this great evil has'arisen
from that little w’ord, credit. •A few years ago,
when cotton w’as at 30 cents, when the banks dis
counted lreely, and a prime field hand sold for a
thousand dollars, the people became intoxicated
With the visions of sudden wealth. The planter
w 7 ho owned a thousand acres of land, bought ano- \
ther upon a credit. The man who owned ten !
negroes, bought ten more on a credit. The good <
folks who w 7 ere glad to visit a neighbor, or the \
meeting-house in an oxcart, bought a carriage !
end pair on a credit. The who be
fore dressed herself, her good man and children
in homespun of her own manufacture, now T bought
broadcloths, and silks, and muslins, and calicoes
and leghorns, on a credit. Those were fine times,
says the farmer; his imagination warming at the
recollection ; we could obtain credit, to any ex
tent ! Glorious times ! echoes the shopkeeper,
rubbing his hands, w e charged two hundred per
cent profit ! Prosperous times, say the banks, w 7 e
had ten millions of bills in circulation ! But pay
day at length came. The Banks were called on
for specie, they curtailed their business, called up
on the merchant for reductions and discounts, the
merchant pressed the shopkeeper, and the shop
keeper his customer. Then came the fall in the
price of cotton, the depreciation in value of all
kinds of property. The man who brought ten ne
groes on a credit , was obliged to sell twenty to
pay the debt. And the carriage was sold by the
Sheriff for the purchase money, and the oxcart
also, to make up the deficiency. These were fine
times, says the Sheriff, I returned five hundred
write at one term ! Glorious timics ! echoes the
Deputy, I had an hundred Ca. Sa. ; in my pocket
at once ! But the ruin which followed thes efine
limes, that glorious era, has not opened the eyes
of the people, nor taught them moderation. They
still buy on a credit, w’hercver they can fmd a
shopkeeper, or negro trader, whiling to trust.
And it is this hankering after credit, this disposi
tion to run in debt, that has caused the present
outcry about money. There is as much money
’ 1 not
Every one who passes through the older and
once most populous parts of the State, must be
struck with the appearance of ruin and decay,
which everywhere presents itself to the eye. Old
worn out fields, — houses deserted—buildings tum
bling down piecemeal—plantations neglected and
unimproved—all crowed upon the view at every
step, and force upon the mind of the beholder the
most melancholy reflections. The wealth and
population of the older counties is evidently de
clining, and the visible marks of premature old
age, seem indelibly fixed upon the the face of the
whole country.
This state of thing3 ought to arrest the atten
tion, and call forth the energies of every patriot
in Georgia. For unloss some revolution be effec
ted in the course of business ; some means found
to attach the population more permanently to the
soil, and thus induce the owner to improve, rather
than impoverish, his lands—it needs no prophet
to foretel that Georgia must soon become depopu
lated, her present fair fields and rich plantations,
I a barren desart, and the star of her glory must set
forever. At present, very few people in this State
take any thought about preserving or permanent
ly improving their lands. To make a present
crop, to make the earth yield to its utmost capa
bility, the present year, is their oiily care. The
result of this policy is, that in a few years their
lands become exhausted, lose their fertility, and
then plantation is abandoned. The present race
of cultivators may be compared to an army of ca
terpillars ; their course is ever onw r ard—before
them is the green wilderness—behind them, deso
lation and sterility.
The cheapness of fresh lands, the facility with
which they can be acquired—is, perhaps, at the
bottom of the evil here pointed out. And in this
view of the case, the Land Lottery system has
had a most injurious effect. Although it has had
its attendant advantages, and those not inconsid
erable—yet it may be feared that it has, by en
couraging a reckless waste and destruction of tim
ber, a neglect of all lasting improvement, sapped
the permanent interests of the country. If it lias
encouraged a more rapid growth in population, a
more sudden influx of wealth, —has it not also
sewn the seeds of premature old age, and unnatu
ral decay. If, in consequence of this system, the
grow th of the State has been rapid, has it been
that healthful grow th, which gives promise of a
hardy and vigorous manhood, a green and bloom
ing old age ?
It is easier to trace some of the causes which
have produced this state of things, than to point
out or apply a remedy. The first may be done by
individuals; but the latter requires the concen
trated energy of the community. Much, liowev
er, may be accomplished by public spirited men,
with clear heads and strong minds, by directing
public opinion ;by agricultural societies,in awartl
ing premiums ; but more, by enlightened and pa
triotic planters themselves, in setting an example
of improvement and reform. And the period has
now arrived when every feeling of patriotism, eve
ry sentiment of State pride, calls for the strenuous
exertion ot every citizen, to uphold the interests
of the State, and effect those changes of system?
which alone can secure hi*r lasthig m
f or we repeat it, if a change of system, in regard
to the management of our lands is no* speedily es
fected ; if our planters will not commence im
proving instead of impoverishing their lands the
i time is at hand when our remaining fefreets shall
I ba\ e been levelled, when our remaining fresh
, shall receive the same fate with the old, that
the fate of Georgia will be sealed—the star of her
! glory will set forever.
There is an article going the rounds of the pa
pers, copied from the Baltimore pur
porting to be a letter frdm the date General Na- ’
thaniel Greene, and which is published as a speci
men of his literary attainments. We doubt the
authenticity of this letter, having in our posses
sion an original letter of General Green’s consist
ing of three pages, large foolscap, and which ex
hibits no inaccuracies of the kind ; it is written in
an easy flowing style, a neat hand, and the or
thography, syntax, and punctuation, scrupulous-.
ly accurate. There is one, and only one, error
in orthography, in the whole letter, and that evi
dently appears to have been a slip of the pen.—
Whatever may be the iiterary acquirements of
other distinguished individuals, we see no neces
sity for underrating the character of our revolu
tionary heroes.
Extract of a letter from a member of Congress, to
the Editor, dated
“ Public opinion has entirely changed here up
on the subject of our Indian difficulties; all be
lieve that Georgia will, in a short tun*, be re
leased from the perplexity of Indians within her
boundaries. The Government of the United
J States are disposed to do us justice,and have yield
ed to many of my suggestions, which, if perse
vered in, will result in success.”
The Committee of the Senate of the U. States,
to whom was referred a memorial For a Navy
Yard at the City of Savannah, made a favorable 1
report on the 19th inst. In the House, the me
morial, from the citizens of Savannah, for the es
tablishment of a Naval Depot at that place, w 7 as
referred to the Naval Committee.
The Thermometer stood at 90 in the shade and
92 in the open air, on Monday last.
Dr. Moses Sheetall was elected Justice of
the Inferior Court, on Monday last, in place of
Anthony Porter, resigned.
We find nothing in the papers to change our
opinion as to the views and policy of Russia, for
we cannot believe that the altered tone of Aus
tria and Prussia would alter the policy of the
Czar—indeed it is amusing to find the London
Journals talking of the u altered tones” df these
powers, when hitherto they have represented
them as maintaining a dogged silence.
The papers are full of amusing stories about the
President of Greece, Courft Capo dlslriq,, who.
were we to believe them, has a weft appointed ar
my in each important portion of Greece, filled
with patriotism because well paid, and in strict
subordination to their officers, partly from this
Cajole, and partly from the talents and activity of
the President ; while the Turks have ali at once
become mutinous and converted into banditti, be
cause their fleet was half at Nuvarino—
we have neither time, room, nor patience to copy*
these accounts.
y. Mer. Tel. inst.
From the .V. Y Jour, of Com. ree. pey.the Macon.
LATEST FROM ENGLAND.
By the packet ship Chelsea, Capt. Barnes, ar
rived yesterday in 24 days from Cowes, we have
received London papers to the 18th ult.
The bill for the repeal of the corporation and
test acts, which had been made the order for the
17th April, was read a second time on that day
and discussed at great length. There is no doubt,
if we may judge from the general tenor of the de
bate, that fthe bill will pats, though not perhaps
withont ssme modification'of the substitute adop
ted in the House of Commons. Lord Holland sup
ported the biff in a long and powerful speech,
The Archibisliop of York, the bishops of Lincoln.
Durham and Chester, spoke in commendation of
M * || I ||ll It'll 111 mill*
t * gpml in wlkUke mil wftj MoUp IflKliW,
though they were not prepared to go ,the lengths
proposed by the other house. The earl of Lldon
was opposed to the bill-—he even rebuked the rev
euend Clergy for turning their h „cks upon tho
Church and tho Constitution, and anticipated the
time when they would have reason to repent the
evil day when they surrendered th,e bulwarks of
the Government,. The duke of Wotfingtou tvould
not oppose the till, on the contrary, lie considered
it as due to the state of public feeling that it should
.finally pass. It was manifest however, that he
felt little cordiality towards the bill as far as * its
own mtritg are concerned. Lord Winchelsea gave
notice that he should move anew substitute , which
would admit Christian dissenters only to a parti-,
cipatifcn of civil rights. Several others expressed
tlieir sentiments relative to the bill, when it was
read a second without a division.
political affairs of the continent wear a
more pacific aspect. The Times of the 17th holds
the following language— ‘ We have said that Eng
land has no cause of jealousy against France, and
Europe nothirf| to fear from Russia—and had Aus
tria and PruisiSt been firm in recommending sub
mission to the -Porte-—had not those two powers
on the contrary, insinuated suspicions respecting
the sincerity with which the triple alliance was
formed, we have no doubt but that a pacification
would have taken place long ago.
We now, however, learn from some of the best
of our foreign correspondents, and we believe the
report, that Austria and Prussia have of late very
much altered'their tones. The separate war about
to be declared by Russia against the Forte, and,
on the other hand, the fixed determination of
Franee and England to obtain the object of the
treaty of London, have convinced them that con
cession on the part of the Turks was the only way
to preserve, or rather to restore, tranquility in the
East of Europe. We are iinluccd to think that
the efforts of Prussian £u*/i Austrian govern
ments are now seriously directed towards bringing
the Turks to a sense oi their real situation.’
Ibrahim Pacha it was said had received orders
to abandon his fortress in Greece, and convey his
forces back to Egypt.
LoNDONvApril 17.—The indication of an ap
proaching adligrence on the part of Austria and
Prussia to tfte Greek Treaty, have gained some
credit in the city. It is supposed that these two
powors are now so satisfied as to the absence of
ambitious motives in the military preparations of
Russia, and so disgusted with the obstinate disre
gard which the Sultan had shown to their remon
strances and advice, that they conceive the only
mode left them to induce the Porte to a speedy
compliance with the demands of the allies wheth
er aggregate or collective, is bv a cordial co-ope-
Ation with them. if. >
Consols halve experienced a further improve
ment to-day of i per cent, and left oft* at 84] to
5-8. The foreign market is for the most part bet
ter ; Russia, Danish, Portuguese and Brazilian
stock have each risen about £ per cent; Mexican
and Colombian stock have advanced rather more;
and Spauish ore full 1 per cent higher.
The steamboat has brought letter# and papers’
from Hamburgh of the 11th inst. In Hie money
market of Hamburgh there had been muehjjfreeu
lation for the fall oi Government securities,which
as nothing decidedly alarnupg in politics had oc
curred, grodu<?ed au effect contrary to that intend
ed. Among Jhe reports circulated , me that
the Russian *''■ - ’ be
when once put in motion, it was determined by-1
the Ilapiburgh speculators that they were to ad
vance at a wy rapid pace.” The Russftm force
on the Prnth is estimated at 300,000 men, with
100-pieees of artillery
American Stocks, April 18.—U. S. Bank, £24 1
7s. (id.— Bonds, 96 a 97.
City, tico o'clock. —The money market has
evinced very little animation this morning, and
Consols for oney and accounts are 84 1 a 3-6. |
Quarter before three. —Consols for account are
still 841 a 3-T j
The Emperor Nicholas has fix-ill his coronation
for the Ist oFMay, at Warsaw. }
Count CaffcdTstra will return from Napoli tp E- 1
gina. No Gjwek ship can now sail from any portj
without a permission in writing from the Presi- j
dent, by wmich a salutary check is put upon piracy.
Letters from Alexandria, of the 21st of Febru
ary, say that, in consequence of the decrease of
piraev in tho Levant, trade was beginning to re
vive, and seyeral convoys were ready to sail to
different ports in the Mediterranean, especially to
Leghorn and Marseilles.— Mur. Cor. April Sd
NEW -YokK r May 17.—8 y the packet ship Hen
ry, Capt. Bajrk er > arrived below last night, in the :
short passage of 26 days from Havre, we have Pa
ris papers to the 17th, and Havre papers to tlie
18th ult. both inclusive. We extract the follow
ing iriteresting intelligence, j
(Correspondence.) Havre, April 16.
Cottan.-r~Tiie arrivals of jsie last week are 2734
bales, of which 1150 are from New-Orleans, 169 ,
from New-York, 360 from Hayti, 55 Guadaloupe. {
The sales have been 4331 bales of all sorts;
holders of this article continue pretty firm; sales
notwithstanding free; the demand is principally \
for American qualities. We think the market!
may yet Wuprove, if too great importations do not
cool down the purchasers. Hayti and Caraccas •
have been bought for exportation, mentioned be
low 7 . 7 ’
1672 bales Louisiana, ordinary to very good,
brought from 82 f. 50 to 110; 914 bales Mobile,
Alabama and Tennessee, ordinary to middling, 80 j
fr. to 90; 677 bales Georgia, (short staple) ordi- j
nary to middling, 76 fr. 25 to 7-7, 50; 14 bales
Georgia, (long staple) ordinary, 190 fr.; 160 bales !
PwimniVir* ‘Tf? ; " ar T to middling, 103, 75 to 108,!
75; 84 bales Bahia, middling, 106 fr. 25-, 640
balds Haytfi middling and fr. 25 ; 129
ceroons Camania, part resold, 72 fr. to 77 >SO ;
41 ceroons Caraccas, middling, at 77 francs.
The arrivals this year ‘amount to 60,568 bales ; •
present^ stock not exactly known.
Park, April 17.—We’learn from ■'Berlin, under i
date of the 9th inst., that the Duke of Cumberland
had just departed for London, with his son Prince
George.
The following intelligence, dated Constantino- .
pic, March 11, is given by several of the German ’
papers: “It k said to be positive that Count Capo
d'lstria has given orders tor ail the Turks of both
sexes, wJk> were prisoners in the hands of the
Greeks, to be set at liberty, and *everal of them
have arrived at Smyrna. Although'the'Count pos*
sesses considerable foresight and energy, his situa
tion is nevertheless extremely difficult: the prin
cipal dangers which threaten him come from the
interior o?Greece. It is said to be in contempla
tion to appoiut Coloctrini President of the Pelo
ponnesous. If Count Capo d’lstria should not
shortly receive considerable pecuniary succour, it
will be very difficult for the personal consideration
that Heheiijoyfc to protect him against the dangers
and difficulties that will be raided against him by
the partisans of anarchy.”
The following k> an extract of a private letter
of the 28th February from Egina;—“ Count Capo
d’lstria has rendered all the public functionaries of
Greece responsible lor their acts, and the non-ex
ecution of laws. He has also decided thaj;
public fimeiionaries shall receive no emolument
but absolutely necessaly for their wants;
recompenses will he granted Vo in more
prosperous times, The Camp of Tfezena, rein
forced by those of Napoli di Romania and Corinth,
is about to commence its movements, not to make
but to intercept the pftovrsions of the
Turks. Skadar movements w-ii take place by
sea. Admiral Miaulia has already destroyed a
i great number of misth s, and has sent twenty-two
JTo Poros. Count Capo d'lstria hopes tnat, in a
| short time, the only way of carrying on piracy will
| be by swimming.” ’ _ /
j Extract of a private letter from Lisbon “a hs
| departure of the English troops has deprived the
| Constitutionalists of their only remaining hope.
1 he occupation of the forts that command the 1 a
gus, however, gives great uneasiness to the ofo
flneon, the Infant Regent, and the Absolutists. It
probably the intention of England to continue
this occupation till the decision of Don Pedro, after
he learns the treason of his brother, shall be
known. As, however, much time must elapse be
fore intelligence fvcm Brazil can ‘reach Portugal,
the Constitutionalists are under serious apprelien
l i'| [i m |i ! ihiii
sions £or their personal safety. It 13 !VH (Ml y it
Lisbon, but at Oporto and many other piaees, that
a violent persecution is directed against the friends
of the Charter. Woe to those who take refuge in
Spain; for we arc assured that the Government of
Ferdinand, which exercised so much hospitality
towards tho soldiers of Chaves, will not hesitate
to deliver up such persons as arc demanded by
Portugal. Mr. Lamb, who expected that the de
spatches from his Government would have been
of quite a different nature to what they were, is
excessively mortified by the turn tiiat affairs have
taken. Some persons still hope that the Infant
will display a degree of moderation in his conduct;
that having become master of Ins will by the de
parture of the English, he will accomplish his end
by measures less violent than those at first in con
templation. It is now said that instead of going
to Villaviciosa, to place hirnselt at the head of the
Absolutists, and getting himself proclaimed King
by the populace, he will endeavour to legitiinutise
his usurpation by invoking the order of succession
established by the Cortes of Latnego, without tak
ing heed to the opinions of the best critics, who re
gard as apochryphal all the acts attributed to those
Cortes.”
The ship Chelsea, Barnes, arrived yesterday,
from London, bringing dates to tiie 18th ult.
Angosa, March^2B. — By a vessel from the lo
nian Islands, we have received accounts from
Zante, of the 20th of this month, which give the
important intelligence that all the Greek ships of
war and merchantmen at Zante had, with the
permission of the Government, hoisted their na
tional stag, on the 18th, a proof that the new go
vernment of Greece is considered as likely-o be
consolidated, and that England recognizes its in
dependence. The respect of the Greeks for the
Count Capo d’lstra is said to be boundless ; his
commands are blindly obeyed, and in all the pro
vinces private and public affairs are gradually as
suming an appearance of order, regularity and
obedience, of which there was before no notion
ONE DAY LATER FROM LIVERPOOL
By the arrival yesterday afternoon, of the Tusca
rora, Capt. Serril, from Liverpool, whence she
sailed on the evening of the 16th April, we have
Liverpool papers of that date and London to the
17th—we are indebted to Mr. Sanderson of the
Coffee House, for a Liverpool Mercury, our own
papers not being received from the post office.
There is nothing further from the East of Europe.
The Berks Chronicle has the following para
graph :
Symptoms of War. —We are enabled to state
on good authority, that a very material augmen
tation of our commissioned naval force will imme
diately take place, and directions to that effect
are now preparing in the government offices.
This addition to the service afloat will be com
posed chiefly of frigates of the first class, and of
the heaviest metal. Considerable bustle is pre
valent in the war and ordinance offices.
After the above was put into tvpe, our own files
were received ; they contain little that has not
been already given.
The sales of Cot ton for the week ending 17th
amount to I7,(f00 bales, at rather better prices
than the preceding week ; the import 22,000.
Philadelphia Gazette, 19 th inst.
DEPORTED SLAVES—The Board of Com
missioners under the Ghent Treaty, and subse-
Conventions concerning Reported Slaves,
is still in session in this city. It is expected, we
learn, that they will adjudicate, during this term,
all the cases which have been submitted to their
determination. They will meet again at some
subsequent period .and finallj- act on all the claims.
There are, we miderstand, a number of claims on
, the definitive list, which have not been docketed,
’ and which, at the next term, will be wholly ex
cluded, unless attended to. We learn
that a great many deported slaves have been lost
’ to the owners by the failure to have them placed
, on the definitive list.
I The average value allowed for each slave de
ported, is as follows:
1 From Louisiana, Jssßo
Georgia, S. Carolina and Alabama, 390
Virginia, Maryland & all other states, 280
These sums being awarded for each slave al
lowed, the owners have received, or are entitled
now to receive, 75 per cent w ill be paid upon
winding up the business, or apportioned if the fund
should prove inadequate to pny the whole.
National Intelligencer.
The subjoined letter, received by last evening’s
mail, contains interesting information to the par
ties concerned. Presuming it is intended for
publication, we give it to our readers.
“ Military and General Land and )
Tax Agency, >
“ Washington City, 14 th May, 1828. )
“ Sir, —It affords me infinite pleasure to inform J
you, that the Bill which had previously passed the j
Senate, extending an act of long deferred justice I
1 to the Officers and Soldiers of the Revolution, was j
yesterday passed by the House of Representatives,
1 and now only awaits the signature of the Presi
: dent, to become alaw 7 . It provides, that all sur
; viving Officers, who served in the first War of
: Independence, shall receive full pay for life, ac
cording to rank, not exceeding, in any case, the
full pay of a captain. That each surviving non
commissioned officer, musician or private, (except
those who are now on the pension list of the Uni- j
ted States,) who enlisted in the Continental Ar
my, “ for and during the war, and continued in
service until its termination,” shall, in like man
| ner, be entitled to his full monthly pay. The pay,
in each instance, is to commence on the 3d of
; March, 1826. Officers who now’ receive pensions,
: less in amount than their rank would give them j
under the Jaw, are to have such pension deducted
from the pay due from the 3d of March, 1826, to
the present date, and hereafter the pension is to
| cease. Both in respect to the officers and soldiers,
• this law operates in favour of those who have not
; been hitherto placed on the pension list, on ac
’ count of property.
I As soon as the regulations are established for
carrying this law into execution, I will supply
I such of the parties as may signify a wish to that
effort,postage paid, with the necessary documents
• and instructions, to enable them to share its be
nefits. I am, sir, very resnectf'uHv, &c.
JOSEPH WATSON.
The Editor of the City Gazette ,
Charleston, South Carolina. j
The National Journal of the 15th inst. says .
1 Lest an erroneous impression may go abroad as to
the real extent to which tho bill for the reliaf of the
| survivors cf the revolutionary army goes, it may
be proper to state that it does not embrace all the
| vetermus of that interesting period. Its operation j
‘ is cammed to those officers who were entitled to J
’ the half pay under the resolutions of Congress of.
i 1780, and to those privates whq were entitled to |
j a bounty of eighty dollars. We know many mem
bers, who voted against the present bill, who would
have supported any bill which embraced the w’hole
of the officers; and it is due to them, as well as
- necessary for the correct information of the pub
t lie, that it should be understood to what extent tliq
bill actually goes.
A writer in the Harrisburg, (Penn.) Argus, calls
upon the people of that state to raise their voice
against the proposed remission of duties upon iron
for Rail Roads, imported by incorporated com
panies. Should the law pass, he intimates tire
propriety of throwing the iron overboa rd on its ar
rival's was done with the tea before the revolution.
1 From the Augusta CanstiiutienaUit.
“And Moses harkened to the voice of
his father-in-law, and chose able nien out of rit
Israel, and they judged the people at all seasot
the hard causes they brought, unto Moses bus
every small matter they judged themselves.”.
Exot>. xviji.
Many good meaning people are opposed to a
change in our ‘udk-iary, because they cannot
! foresee what the change may be, and there are
(.also persons who acknowledge the evils of the
system, but do not like to intermeddle with them,
for fear of making bad worse. For the purpose
she wing that we are in favour of a reform at on-e
reasoi!lf*bfe and necessary, we seize this occasion
briefly tP sketch an oirftiue, which all will readily
ComprehCVd, and if, upon due consiiieration. it
aiiiiiliiiiiiii
that now in use, it cafinot be thought presuming,
when we say r that the one should be adopted and
the other abandoned.
First, then, we’ wouM divest the Inferior Court ?
of their law jurisdiction. 1 hey should no longer
be permitted to decide rights and principles,
of which they are wi otty Ig-norant, but their busi
ness a:id duty should ?>•- confined exclusively to
county matters.
In *the second plxce, thf* Judicial Circuits in
the State, should be remo\v.ded. and so eonstrucl
od, as to make the business and labor ©fthe Judges
as nearly equal as possible. every circuit a
Judge should be appointed, who shov/M reside
within the circuit. The Courts in the several cir
cuits should be proceeding at the same time, and..
the circuits should commence and cone lade as
nearly as practicable, at the same penedis. N>
circuit Judge should be permitted t>i the--
same circuit twice in succession, but the Jedges.
should alternate. They should be elected *a!
present, by the Legislature, and should hold then
offices for five years In these circuit courts thete
should be but one trial, and that before a Special
Jury, to be stricken or selected in the usual M-ay,
by the parties. If either party be dissatisfied with
the verdict of the Jury, or tlie decision of the
Judge upon any point of law, it should be his
right to appeal to the Court of Appeals.—The ap
peal should be entered with the cler k upon pay
ment ot costs and without security; ai.’d tll'e clerk
should, within a certain time, transmit h* the
cierk of the Court of Appeals, the papers of the
cause, that is to say, the statements and brie: nos
the attorneys and presiding Judge.
Thirdly; the Court of Appeals should sit at
; Milledgevilfe, immediately after the conclusion of
the Spring and Fall circuits, and should continue
in session until all the questions submitted for its
decision, be finally disposed of. The court should
consist of three Judges, to be elected by the Le
gislature for a term of eight years. The Judges
should be attended by a clerk and reporter, the
latter to receive a salary from the State. It
should be the duty of the clerk to keen a regular
docket of Appeals, and tiie Judges should call and
decide the cases in their order, fiepringr,coy
either or both sides, and without the aid of a Jury.
The decision of the Judges should be delivered
seriatim. The proceedings of the Court of Ap
peals should be published annually by the reporter,
for the information of the people.—Whenever an
Appeal is decided, it should be certified by the
Clerk of the Court of Appeals to the Clerk of the
Circuit Court, and tho decision should be held to
be final between the parties.
Let us, in the fourth place, consider the effect
of the present and proposed systems as respects
delay and expense. According to the present
plan, A. commences an action ot trover to the Su
perior Court for Richmond county in May—the
cause stands for trial in November, but the de
fendant continues on affidavit; in May next the
plaint iff continues, and the cause is tried in No
vember following, exactly a year and a half after
its commencement. The verdict is against B. the
defendant, who, being dissatisfied appeals, and the
appeal stands for trial in the following May, when
the defendant continues—in the November after*
the plaintiff’ continuing ; in May the defendant
again, and in November the plaintiff, and then in
May it is tried upon ti*e appeal— ~ £hus, according
to the course of business and practice in our
Courts, four years may elapse before * trial thu
appeal; but fids is not all—the plaintiff being dis
satisfied with the verdict against him, moves the
court tor anew trial, and his grounds are ordered
to be filed; in the November following, they are
argued, and anew trial is ordered; in the next
May the new trial is in order for trial, and is con
tinued by the defendant, in November continued
by plaintiff, in May by defendant again—in No
vember by plaintiff, and in the May after a final
decision is had, although, even then, either of the
parties is at liberty to move another new 7 trial; —>
in this way A’s action of Trover is not finally
disposed of until seven years after its commence
ment. Now all this time, both A. and B. must
pay a heavy sum to witnesses —and in officers and
Court costs, and Attorneys fees. How would the
plan proposed operate allowing to.it, as we have
done to tko other, the utmost lassitude of delay of
W’hich it is susceptibie ?
A. commences his Trover case in May,—it is
ready for trial in November—it is continued by
plaintiff’ in May after, then by defendant in No
vember, by plaintiff again in May, and by dfend
ant in November, wdien a verdict is rendered for
defendant. A. appeals to the Court sitting in Ja
nuary at Milledgeville, and the cause is deter
mined in favor ot the defendant, or anew trial is
granted ; if the lat ter, the case is ready for trial in
May, and the plaintiff continues—in November
defendant continues, and in the following May
the final verdict is rendered. Thus the time con
sumed is four instead of seven years—and the
, foes and expenses are lessened in proportion. Ma
ny persons are impressed with a belief that suitors
must attend with their witnesses before the Ap
peal Court—not so—the Court only tries the Law
of the case, and the expenses of that trial will on
ly extend to the Lawyer’s fee to the clerk. The
expenses of a second trial before a Jury w’ill be
avoided; and the parties litigant in our Courts
will come at justice by a shorter, less laborious,
and cheaper journey than they are now obliged to
undertake. Besides, they will have nothing to
’ fear from prejudice or bias, whore the Judges al
ternate —the Juries are special and stricken—and
the final decision made by these Judges, distin
guished for legal acquirements, and w 7 ho are, per
haps, unknown to them.
Fifthly—The powers es a Court of Ordinary
should be vested in Judges of Probates, one to be
j appointed for each county, with an appeal from
his decision directly to the Court of Appeals.
This subject is a most interesting and important
one—we invite the investigation of it, and cheer
fully throw open our columns to all who would
discuss it.
Through the politeness of Captain Porter, of the.
ship Macon, five days from New r -York, we have re*
ceived the papers of that city up to the 17th inst.
By the ship Chelsea, arrived at New-York
don papers had been received at that ] ’ d ce yp to.,
the IBlh April. The Journal of C., m>nerce ’ re!(
marks, that the Bill for the repeal of the Corpora*
tion and Test Acts had been the socoiid time,,
and would probably pass ; that the political ajfiu’t
of the continent wore a pacific Qn the
contrary, the editors of the Mor -hants Telegraph
state, that they ffimi not bar v in the papers. t
change their opinion as to the ws.and .policy oi
Russia. .
The editors of tho JournM of Commerce had also,
received by the ship Henry, Paris papers to the
]7th, aud those of Havre to the 18th ult. Under
| the head of Havre, April 17, it is remarked, Ths
. a! ales of Cotton havo been 4331 bales of all sorts;
j holders continue pretty firm, sales notwithstanding
! free. Tiie demand is principally for-
lit’os ;~\ve third; the market may ye* imp/ove, *4
I too great importations do nat cool the
chasers,”
Appointments by the President of the U, Stdti’
Albert Gallatin, of Pennsylvania, and V\ T
liam Pitt Preble, of Maine, to be severa'iy
f agents in the Negociution, and upon the ump
1 i elating to the North Eastern Boundary of tu*
i United States.
John Savage, of New-York, to b Treasure*
of tho United States, in the place cf Tdo ny i
Tusker,
