Newspaper Page Text
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from the N. O. Picayune, «f August 21.
LATER FROM VERA CRUZ.
Return of Gen. Paredes to Mexico —His
Successful Escape into the Interior.
The steamship Alabama, Cant. Windle, ar
rived this morning from Vera Cruz, having
sailed thence on the 14th inst.
Quite the most important news by this arri
val is the return of Gen. Paredes to Mexico.—
At last accounts he was in Paris. He reached
Vera Cruz on the 14th inst. in the English roy
al mail steamer Teviot, under an assumed
name. The steamer was telegraphed about 6
o’clock in the morning from the castle. From
the steamer herself, a private signal was thrown
out, known only to English merchants, that a
distinguished personage was on board. Prepa
ration was made for his immediate reception by
his friends, but all was still as midnight. The
steamer anchored and Don Martiano, passenger
from Havana, leaped into the first boat lying
alongside, landed on the mole, and went to his
friend, Pepe Zamora, borrowed forty ounces,
three horses, hat. coat and servant, and was past
the gates in less than thirty minutes with a fast
horse and a clear track.
The mail from the steamer in the meantime
came on shore. Among the letters were some
to the Collector, and others from Gen. Camp
bell, our Counsel at Havana, disclosing the fact
that Gen. Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga, ex-
President of Mexico, had taken passage on the
steamer, and directing them to look out for
him. The information came an hour too late;
the bird had flown. We gather these facts
from one of our correspondents, and below
we give a letter from another, without having
time to ponder upon his speculations as to the
influence of the return of Paredes upon the
war.
We are deeply pained to learn of the death
of Col. Wilson, of the 12th Infantry. He was
represented to us by the last arrival’as conva
lescent, but he died the evening of the 12th inst.
He was to have commanded the train which
left V era Cruz on the 7th inst. He was buried
on the 13th inst., the following order having
been issued for the occasion:
Orders No. 34.
Headquarters, Vera Cruz, Aug. 12, 1847.
1 It is announced to this command the melancholy
intelligence of the death of Col. Louis 1). Wilson, of
the 12th Regiment U. S. Infantry, who died on this
date.
The escort for his funeral will be commanded by
lieutenant-colonel commanding, and consist of the Ist
U. S. Infantry, stationed in the city. The funeral will
take place at 5 o’clock, P. M., on to-morrow, to which
ail the U. S. Navy, citizens and strangers, are re
spectfully invited to attend.
By order of Lieut. Col. Miles.
AV. L. CRITTENDEN. Act. Adj.
The company of Capt Haile, of the 14th In
fantry, reached Vera Cruz on the 12th inst.,
was immediately armed and left the same eve
ning for the scene of action. There had been
no further arrival from the train, which was
deemed a good omen. No further courier has
arrived at Vera Cruz from Puebla. One came
through on the 12th inst., by the way of Orizaba
to a com nercial house. He left Puebla on the
7th. He reported that the army commenced
its march that day agreeably to announce
ment.
Correspondence of the Picayune.
Vera Cruz, August 14, 1847.
It is with luortification ami regret that I have to in
form you that Gen. Paredes passed through our city
this morning, about 7 o’clock, in disguise, and tiefbre
it was ascertained that such was the fact he was far
out of our reach on his way to the city of Mexico.
He arrived this morning on the royal mail steamer
Teviot, under an assumed name, and entirely un
known to the captain of the vessel. As soon as the
vessel came to anchor he immediately came to the
Mole in a pilot boat, and proceeded through the heart
of the city to the residence of a Mexican merchant, to
whom he made himself known, and obtained from
him a round-jacket, a sombrero and horses for him
self and servant, and ‘‘vamosed lhe ranch” without
ceremony. One hundred dollars reward was offered
for his arrest as toon asmf>rmation reached Col. Wil
son that hr was or had been in the city, and every ef
fort was made to arrest him, but the “bird had Hown”
and given us a sjiecimen of assurance and cunning that
would do credit to the father of Yankee tricks.
The Mexican merchant wiio assisted in the escape
is Pepe Zamora, and during the search for Paredes his
house was surrounded. The officer entered and was
assured by Sr. Zamora that Paredes was not in the
house. “Has he been here ?” was the question asked,
“Yes,” replied Zamora, very coolly. “What did hr
want,’’ asked the American. “He introducedhimself
to mr as Gen. Paredes, and asked me Io befriend him,
and 1 told him that 1 would. He then asked me to
let him have a jacket, hat, and horses, which 1 fur
nished him immediately, and he has been gone from
here two hours. You are welcome to search, but I
can assure you that you wi*l not find him here, ami
what I tell you is «o. There are his coat and hat,
which you can take along if you like.”
I forgot to mention that a letter was sent by the
American Consul at Havana informing the authorities
here, that Gen. Paredes was on board, but it came to
hand too late to do any good.
There is hardly an American here but what ti lt
that h<* could crawl through a gimlet hole when the
astounding news that Paredes, the sworn enemy to
Santa Anna, to Americans and to peace, and the only
man who at the present situation of affairs can partial
ly restore the confidence of the Mexican people, ami
inspire th- tn once more with a hope to conquer their
enemies, .1 passed, unknown and unmolested, into
and out < he gates of our city. He will no doubt
make eve. y eilort to reach Mexico beloie < <en Sr.at
does. The consequence will no doubt be the over
throw of Santa Anna, and most likely he will take m
hand the reins of Government, crush all attempts at
negotiation, and head the army in peraon against Gen.
Scott, should he think it expedient; but if not, full
back to some place beyond the city ami (Hrepnre him
self for another and |a*rhaps Im*tier occasion. At all
events he is just the man that the Mexicans have bet n
wanting ever since the battle ofCerm Gordo, and
now that he is with them once more, there is no tel
ling what mighty events may be the result of his re
turn from exilt*.
Zaballn, a Mexican, whom, it will be remembered,
stabbed three Americans about two weeks ago, has
been tried and condemned to twenty years’ solitary
confinement. This grand scoundrel has committed
no less than tour murders, besides dangerously w ound
ing others, and when the city surrendered he was
turned over to the new authorities as a notorious
scoundrel, and Mr. Holtzinger was particularly charg
ed to see that by no means this man should be set at
liberty or allowed to escape, but still Mr. H. let him
loose, with a pack of other cut-throats, to try their
hands u|ton the Americans, and many of them have
gone ami joined the guerrillas.
Last evening the remains ofCol Louis l>. Wilson
were escorted to the grave by the Ist Infantry, and a
large concourse of American and Mexican citizens.
The coffin was placed in a vault in the cemetery
where it ran be conveniently obtained by his friends.
The IL S. sloop of war Saratoga is anchored off the
city where she will remain for some time.
P. S. Aug. 15. Not even a rumor Irnin above. I
enclose a slip from the Sun of Anahuac office published
yesterday.
The Milledgeville Railroad.
The gentlemen of the Engineer Corps em
ployed to survey the contemplated Branch
Road from Gordon to .Milledgeville have com
pleted their labors. The entire distance is re
ported to be seventeen miles and a quarter,
which it is believed however, can be reduced to
about sixteen miles by a judicious location of
the line. The country was found to be very
broken, ami some of the grades will have to
be heavy, particularly some surmounting the
high ridge between Camp ami Commissioner's
creeks. These grades, however, will not be
higher than many of those on the most impor
tant and successful of the northern roads. Nor
will this difficulty tn the construction of the hue
be a very important one. particularly as the
recent improvements in Locomotives enable
them to ascend a grade of fifty feet in the mile
with as much ease as old Engines could ascend
one of thirty feet. Besides, as the proposed
road will not be expected to do a heavy freight
ing business, low grades are less essential than
they would be under different circumstances.
It is estimated that the cost of the work will
be something like $130,000. The City Coun
cil of Milledgeville have agreed to issue Bonds
for $;JO.OOO of the amount. These Bonds
are to be made payable in ten years, and it is
contemplated to levy an annual tax upon the
property of the citizens equal to the interest
and one-tenth of the principal. It is supposed
that the contractor for the grading and super
structure as well as the iron can be induced to
take one-fourth of their contracts in stock, and
that there w di tie no difficulty in procuring pri
vate subscriptions for the balance. We have
recently conversed with a prominent c.tizeu of
Milledgeville upon the subject and are inclined
to believe that the good people of die place are
fully aware of the great necessity of an espe
cial effort to accomplish this undertaking. The
impression seems to be universal in all sections
of the State except in Baldwin, that this move
ment. and this alone, can prevent the removal
of the Capitol to some more accessible point,
and that to at no verv distant dav.— Macon Jour,
and Mes
From the Columbus Enquirer.
Give n« Light.
It instated by the friends of Col. Towns tha:
in his electioneering speech, lately delivered in
Doolv. he went at length into a defence of .Mr
Polk and his administration. There are some
act* of the President which we hardly belie i e
any man. who regards his own popularity,
would have the hardihood even to extenuate.
We have been curious to know whether the
Col. touched upon these points, and by what
kind of logic he brought himself to the conclu
sion that the people should sanction them.
Did he defend the conduct of the Executive
in plunging die country into the present war
with Mexico, without consulting ihe war-mak
ing power ’
bid he defend the inefficient management of
that war in not supplying the means and
men to the Commanding Generals to follow
up and take advantage of their v ictories ’
Did he defend the President’s wwis/rr/y poli
cy m sending Saau home from his ex-
ile. to rally up the enemy, and lead them m
thousands to the American volun
teers ’
Did he defend the Executive and his friends
in taking from General Taylor the greater por
tion of his force, and leaving him with a hand
ful of u rimed volunteers to meet the whole
Mexican army under the leader of their choiw ’
Did he defend the vile attempts first to cen
sure Gen Taylor, and then to place over his
head the celebrated would-be-Lieutenant-Gen
eral Benton *
Did he justify the poor miserable spirit w hick
has promoted the President to bestow hi* appoint
rneuts of military officers, on his brawuug par-
tizans, without regard to merit or reference to
qualifications ?
Did he justify the President in denouncing
the Whigs as moral traitors, when thousands of
them were marching under the burning
sun of Mexico, ready as they finally did. to
pour out their blood in defence of that flag
which his poor ambition had sent to a foreign
land?
If his defence of Mr. Polk and his doings in
general had no reference to the subjects hin
ted at in these questions, we should like to
know to what portion of his official conduct it
was directed. Few, very few men, have
strength enough to shoulder the conduct of
James K. Polk in any of these matters, and beat
his way to the first office of the State, against
the indignant public sentiment oi the people.
We would advise the Colonel to let the Pres
ident and his advisers take care of themselves
and rely on his own performances in public
life to ensure his success.
He has been a time or two elected to Con
gress. There should be some trace of his pro
digious statesmanship—something else besides
resigning seats and dodging votes to mark the
track of his splendid career. Measures of
great public utility, perhaps, he brought to the
consideration of the national Legislature; laws,
peradventure he introduced there, from whose
practical operation immense blessings flowed
to the people. Why does he not rely on those ?
Is he not strong enough to stand, and is he
forced, in the desperation of his fortunes, to
lean his weakness on the popularity of Mr.
Polk’s poor policy, and still more wretched
performances ? The people, we believe, are
satisfied with Polk. They are looking now for
a man to fill the Executive office of the State,
as unlike the Chief Magistrate of the Union as
possible, and they will be apt to find him in
thesoldierof the Florida war, and the substan
tial, sensible, and gentlemanly farmer of Geor
gia.
From the Columbus Enquirer.
Colonel Towns--General Clinch.
In the few remarks we made a short time
since, as to the causes which induced Colonel
Towns to resign his seat in Congress in 1836,
we had no desire and very little expectation of
attracting the notice of the Democratic Auto
crat of the Federal Union. That paper, always
ready, but not exactly always able to defend
its associates, comes to the help of the demo
cratic candidate with full as much of zeal as
knowledge touching the particular matter of
the original accusation. The charge was that
Colonel Towns, whilst honored with a seat in
Congress and representing the people of Geor
gia in that body, relinquished his post and de
serted his constituents, to enter into a land
•peculation in Mississippi. Will the ‘ Federal
Union’ deny this on its own authority, or will
it have the goodness to obtain from the party
accused his authority to make the denial ? it
may be that we know more about this matter
than appeared upon the face of our first arti
cle.
< >ur cotemporary, in order to break the force
of the charge and save the Colonel from the
awkward position in which bis mysterious
movement then placed him, informs us that a
public dinner was given in Talbotton, at which
the gubernatorial aspirant gave as a reason for
his resignation, that the Hon. Hugh L. White
had received the electoral vote of Georgia.
What was this dinner given for ! Does the ed
itor of the ‘ Federal Union’ remember? Was
it as a compliment to the Colonel for his able
and faithful services in Congress ? By no
means. We remember the small affair, as if it
was yesterday. A few of his personal friends,
feeling how deep and bitter was the feeling
which pervaded the whole State, got up the
picayune show in order, if possible, to break
liie force of that universal censure that was
bearing him down. But to the reason of the
resignation. Was it because White had re
ceived the electoral vote of Georgia ? What
had this event to do w ith his seat in Congress !
Col. Towns had been elected by the democrat
ic party, aud at the very moment he resigned,
the State was ruled by a democratic Governor
and a democratic Legislature, with an over
whelming majority. Did he think by retaining
his seat he was likely to misrepresent the prin
ciples of the majority —and did he quit his sta
tion on a matter so purely conscientious ? No
party in Georgia ever did nor ever will believe
such an arrant attempt to hoodwink and bam
boozle them. The rest of the delegation, with
one exception, were of the same school of pol
itic? with Colonel Towns. Why did not others
also resign ? Why were they not taken with
the same squeamishness about resigning, that
so suddenly seized upon their more conscien
tious colleague ? Were they less honorable—
less disposed to bow to the will of the majori
ty ? Was he the only one of that delegation
whose scruples forbade him to hold a seat in
Congress, after Hugh L. While had received
the vote of Georgia ? Away with such stuff!
No man that has sense enough to find the way
to his pig-pen. can be fooled by any such flimsy
excuse. But again. When tin* Colonel was
elected the last time Io Congress, where we e
his scruples ? The whigs bad just then elected
their Governo', and had a large majority in the
Legislature; hut still he slips in from a whig
district and teels no compunction about holding
» «WO to; that excuse, as given by the
• Federal Union,’ will not do. The Colonel, or
his organ, must try again.
Byway of set-off to the yet unexplained
conduct of the democratic candidate, oitr ex
cuse-maker turns upon us, and with considera
ble bravado wishes to know why Gen. Clinch
resigned his station in the army. The friends
of the old Hero are not afraid to meet this
question, ami to answer it. He did resign, and
<nd so under circumstances that would have
compelled any honorable officer to quit the ser
vice. Gen. Clinch had tried in vain to impress
on the minds of the then President and the Se
cretary at War, the importance of preparing
against an outbreak of the Seininoles. lie ap
pealed to the powers at Washington to furnish
him with a force adequate to the coming emer
gency, and whilst the authorities were coolly
making up their despatches denying the danger
.iinlw ithhokliiig the means of curbing the sava
ges. the war-whoop was raised along the whole
extended frontier, the shrieks of women and
children mingled in every breeze, the weak
perished in their weakness, the strong fell in
their strength, Clinch was ordered to subdue
lhe savages, and “comflter a peace.” But
where were lhe men or the means to do it ?
With a handful of half-famished soldiers he
scoured the country, exposed to the whole force
of the enemy, and finally, having chased lhe
wily Indian to ins gloomy hiding place, charged
them in the swamps of the Withlacouchee, and
won a victory as important to the people of
Georgia as any that has graced the annals of
lhe country tor many a long year. What was
bis treatment ? Was he honored by the narrow -
souled partisans at Washington? was he from
that time forth treated with decent politeness '
No. Then, as now, his services were under
rated, and Ins superiors, feeling the rebuke of
his belter judgment, determined to supersede
him. Chuch felt the injustice of their conduct;
he knew he had done his duty, ami the country
knew it. and he fell that all’ the action of the
Government was a direct assault on his reputa
tion —and so feeling, he resigned his post and
tin ng his commission in the face of as poor and
pusillanimous an Administration as ever waged
a war. or disgraced a country. Old Clinch was
not the man to bow to the’ edicts of power.
He fell that he was a freeman, wronged by
those tn power, and finding that he was pre
vented from doing further service by lhe mali’e
of those who then held in their hands lhe des
tinies of the country, he quit the army ami re
tired to bis farm. Is the • Federal Union’ satis
fied ? \\ hat would our cotemporary have done
under similar circumstances • Don’t tell us
that you would have remained in lhe service,
and have submitted to all the injustice which
insolence tn office could fling on a patriot and
a soldier. You would not have done so. if you
have within you a particle of that chivalry
which is the boast of your native State. No.
no. We cannot, will not believe it.
But we are done for the present with this
matter. The conduct of Gen. Clinch, in every
thing connected with the Florida war. exhibits
him a* a man of judgment, in forseeing the
danger, and energy in inerting it. all unfurnish
ed as hr w as. when it came. The soldiers and
officers of that bloody campaign bear but one
testimony of his gallantry, tmnianitv . generosi
ty and kindness. No officer there or rise
where, in view of his unmerited treatment,
blamed him for resigning w hen he could no
lunger serve without dishonor. Everv one re
gretted to part with him. and. from Gen. Scott
down, bore ample testimony to his high quali
ties as a soldier, a gentleman, and an officer
This is the man that lhe w ar-making democracy
of lhe land w ould crush—this is the man that
must be trampled under foot by the creepin"
things that worm their siuuous way to power.
But lhe deed is not yet more than half done.
The voice of lhe unbought people has vet to
be heard before his doom is finally proclaimed.
That voice never yet sacrificed such a man as
General Clinch without cause, and without
crime. It is irue. lhe friends of his present
opponent have blown up their candidate to
most enormous mental dimensions since his
nomination. But this is all wind. Old With
iacoochee's proportions are solid and substan
tial. and he will stand lhe wear of a candidacy
and come out. like pure gold, the brighter for
lhe rubbing.
TheLklivd Family Cklkbkatiox.—The
meeting of this family at Sherburne. Mass . on
the 18th. was one of great interest, with an at
tendance remarkably numerous. The proces- 1
sion that was formed to inarch to the ground
where a monumeut was erected to the memo- '
ry ot Henrv Leia nd. their common ancestor,
numbered LVk» j*eople; and 100 u sat dow n to .
dinner under a large tent. After the company ,
was seated, a shower commenced, and gave :
lhe dinner and the party acomplete drenching. ■■
Addresses were made by the Hon. Millard Fill
more. Hon. Ziba A. Leland, and by the Him
l*hmeas W. Leland, of Fall River. Mass The
address at lhe monument by the Rev. Geo.
1 Adams, of Maine, is spoken ofas one of great
ability. and will be given to the public in a form
to Lm? preserved This meeting was not for
the purpose oflooking arter fortunes left in
1 ugland. but to pav a tribute of respect to an
out Puntan. who is the ancestor of a family of
which each member mav well be pleased to
compose a part—Newark Asreroser
Augusta, ®a.:
MONDAY MORNING, AUG. 30, 1847.
Col. Towns on tlie Stump*
“It is amusing to observe the writhing of the \A hig
press, produced by the activity and independent bold
ness of Col. Towns, in the political campaign in which
we are engaged. * ♦ And what is most distress
ing, of all things, is, that Col. Towns, pats his friends
on the shoulder when he meets them, and gives them
a cordial shake of the hand! This, in Whig par
lance, is demagoguism—is letting himself down from
that high and dignified bearing, which a gubernatorial
candidate ought to maintain. * * Does General
Clinch or his political friends condemn this course . -
Ifthey do, then they are strangers to the feelings of
republican simplicity —have no community of sympa
thy with the laboring classes, who are the “bone and
sinew” of lhe country, and therefore may not expect
their suffrage and support.” — Federal Union.
Col. Towns’s efforts at “Stumping” appear
to be confined mostly to the upper partof Geor
gia. It would really seem as if Democratic
candidateshave a very exalted opinion of the
people in that part of the State.
Mr. McAllister said in 1834, that these up
country people were as dangerous as North
ern abolitionists, and sought their votes in
1845, by travelling among them in a broken
topped barouche, dressed in a style i.ot exactly
as critical and tasteful as was his w ont before
he became a Democratic standard bearer!
It seems that Mr. Towns is to carry every
thing before him, by patting them on their
shoulders, and giving them the most cordial
shakes of the hand. If General Clinch don t
pat them on the shoulders too, it will prove
that he has “no community of sympathy with
the laboring classes, ‘who are the bone and
siuew’ of the country, and therefore may not
expect their suffrages and support.”
Patting on the shoulder, then, is to be the
great test of affection and “sympathy ” lor the
people, on the part of the candidates ! Hethat
can “pat” the most will win the chair of Slate !
As Mr. Towns has the advantage of General
Clinch, from long practice in the art, and hav
ing more “gift of the gab,” we suppose, in the
Federal Union’s opinion, Gen. Clinch will be
laid out as “dead as a mackerel.”
Patting on the shoulder'. This will do for the
'‘mountain boys.” One pat will make them feel
all over Townish, and two will throw them so
completely into the sublime, that they w ill rush
like wild fire upon their opponents under itspo
tent spell, to demolish them, if not with drawn
swords, at least with votes. Whatcurious re
sults are expected from Col Towns’s pats on
the shoulders of his friends ! Added to these,
his speeches are expected to make them pull
harmoniously in the traces, in trot, gallop, or
full speed' Indeed, they are to make them
run mad for lhe polls! The swelling torrent
putin motion by the “mountain boys” is to roll
and spread over the middle and low-lands, till all
Democracy is thrown into a state of political
sublimation.
In order to effect these sublime results, by
which Whiggery is to be “catawallumped to
etarnal jingo,” it would be well for lhe wire
workers to keep out of sight, and never men
tion the Central Bank, Democratic financiering
in 1839, loss of State credit, &c., lest the very
limbs of Democracy might become benumbed by
the financial torpedo of Gov. Crawford.—
Meetings are getting up, where Col. Towns
is to fulfil lhe patriotic task imposed upon him
of calumniating the Whigs, and glorifying the
Democrats, by windy, grandiloquent and fuga
cious harangues. For fear that even lhe pats
on the shoulders will not prevent many from
thinking of the above Bank, financial and State
matters, and being influenced by a sidewind of
interest, and thus lower too much the Demo
cratic steam, upon which the plot of the drama
mainlv depends for its successful issue, we
w’oiild most humbly suggest lhe appointment of
sttam committees, whose duty it shall be to
guard against so deplorable a catastrophe.—
Those committees would be most happily aided
in the performance of their difficult duties, by
lhe use of craporometers, which are instruments
to ascertain the loss of fluid in any given time.
With the indication ofthese useful instruments,
suitable agents could be so appositely applied,
internally and externally, as to keep both soul
and body in the proper state of inflation anil
r.rpansion, up to the very moment of demolish
ing Whiggery at lhe ballot-box. (io then. Dem
ocrats, to meet your ••Stumper,” give him a fair
opportunity to play off his peculiar arts of elec
tioneering, and if the Whigs are triumphant,
notwithstanding the combined power of Col.
Ton ss's stumping and patting, it will certainly
not be derogatory to the good sense, the pride
and self-respect of our Democratic friends.
Protection in Great Britain. —Those
who quote the example of Great Britain to jus
r tifv the removal of all protection, should rend
the following extract from a speech made to
his constituents by Mr. Smythe, one of the
most efficient co-operators with Sir Robert
Peel in his recent free-trade measures:
*• I cannot, however, quit this subject of free
trade w ithout expressing my opinion on the
abstract principle. Iby no means hold that
k the principle of free trade is absolutely true,
1 nor that it is ofuniversal application. If t were
an American, the citizen oj"a young country, I
* should be a protectionist. Il l w ere a Frenchman
—the native of an old country with its indus
try undeveloped— I should equally be a pro
tectionist.”
For the Seat of War. —Major Gen. Pat
. terson left Philadelphia, for the seat of war. on
Wednesday. 251 h inst., in the afternoon boat
for Baltimore, accompanied by his aids. Lieut.
Colonel Abercrombie and Lieut. Williams.
'l'he Pennsylvanian says: •• He will assume
! command of his division in .Mexico, w hich, it
will be recollected, he was deprived of on the
’ disbanding of the seven regiments of volun
teers by Gen. Scott, alter the battle of Cerro
Gordo.”
Millions in the Treasury.—lt is estimated
that the amount of specie in the New York and
! • Boston Sub-Treasuries is not less than $5,500,-
I . 000.
Lord Elgin, Governor of Canada, is expect
;l . .
ed to be present at the Agricultural Fair, to be
held at Saratoga, in September next.
A Bale of New Cotton was received in
Columbus on the 26th inst., and sold at auction
for 13 cents. It was from the plantation of
J as. A. Chapman, of Russell county. Ala.
General Pillow denies having written the
famous let'er to the New Orleans Committee,
for w hich he has been so much ridiculed, on
the occasion of the return of the Mississippi
volunteers.
Hon. John P. Kennedy has been re-no initia
led for Congress by his constituents of Mary
land.
lowa. —The three vacancies in the lowa Leg
islature. according to a correspondent of the
Journal of Commerce, have been filled by the
election of one Whig and two Democrats—as
before So it is still doubtful which party will
have the United Slates Senators.
At the commencement of Yale College, last
week. the degree of A B. was conferred on
one hundred and twenty-four young gentlemen
—the largest class ever graduated at this or
any other College in the I nion.
“Remember to stamp by it."—The Co
lumbus Democrat says : Henry Clay must
have credit for one patriotic sentiment, let what
will be thought of his general views. He ad
vised his Philadelphia friends to remember—
that "this glorious and beautiful land is our
common country—in ptace or in war— in weal
or in woe— under bad administration or good
government. Remember to stand by it” This
was the eloquent and appropriate language of
the •• Sage of Ashland" to his friends, on the
: occasion ofhis late visit through the city of
" Brotherly Love." to Cape May. All honor
to him for so noble a sentiment.
Curious Freak of Nature.—The St. Jo
i seph \ alley Register says:—•• A child was born
i last week, about eight miles north of this place,
which had two well formed heads, both set on
’ one body. The faces of each of these two
i heads were perfectly natural, and even quite
I handsome. The spinal bones of die neck
united a little below the shoulders. The two
wmd-pipes united m one. in the breast, where
' they came together. In al other respects, ex
] cep l the bead, the child was naturallv formed.
: It died in die act of being born; and caused
also ihe death of the mother.’’
A Whig Patriarch —ln the good Whig conn
ty of Jefferson, in this state, w hich rolled out
:i w hig majority »f 123*. lives an old whig pa
triach. Mr John Van Hoozer. who is out hun
dred and fourteen years old On the dav of our
recent State elections the venerable old patriot
and gendeman went one and a half mile to die
polls and voted the w hig ticket. He was a
whig soldier in the Revolutionary war. and he
is a whig yet May he live a thousand years
as an example for all whig? on election davs.
ami may all blessings rest upon him—Mtm
phss t Eagle
From the Savannah Republican.
Milledgeville, Aug. 22d, 1847.
Gentlemen:— The result of the Tennessee
elections, so unexpected by the Democracy, if
their Editors have been sincere, (pardon the
doubt.) is but the “ foreshadowing of coining
events” in our own State. Accounts from al
most every section of Georgia, and recently
from that strong hold of our opponents, the
Cherokee Country, are of a flattering charac
ter, and indicate that the gallant “Old VVithla
coochee” will lead his opponent in handsome
style, on the first .Monday in October next. In
the mean time, efforts of every character will be
made to sustain the sinking-cause of our oppo
nents, and to rally to the polls an “ effective
force;” but if the Whigs will only be true to
themselves, and to those great conservative
principles for which they contend, no fear need
pe entertained that as signal a rebuke will
be given to the partizans of Mr. Polk in Geor
gia, as they have so recently received in Ken
tucky, North Carolina and Tennessee. These
States have indeed set to Georgia a glorious
example, which, to imitate, should be the ardent
desire and determination of. not only every
Whig voter within her bounds, but of every
voter, whether he be Whig or Democrat, or a
neutral in politics, who feels convinced that the
Federal Government has been most unwisely
administered, and who knows that a Whig ad
ministration of our State affairs is absolutely es
sential to the great interests of our tax payers;
for these at last will have to defray all the bur
thens of extravagance in the one, and realize
all the benefits of the other. A faithful per
formance then of duty at, and previous to the
election, must result in success. With all the
statements and clamour of the opposition, from
the Union at Washington City, down to the
Union at Milledgeville, it has proved so else
where; and with all the clamour and opposi
tion, it will prove so in our own State. A
few weeks, however, and prediction will be
history. When the latter is written, let it be
“as with a pen of iron, and the point of a dia
mond.” that Georgia, like Tennessee, and North
Carolina, and Kentucky, is “sound to the core,”
and determined to preserve the integrity of her
Stale Government by the continuance of a
Whig Executive Administration and Whig legis
lation.
Be assured, Messrs. Editors, that a change in
the administration of our State affairs, by the
substitution of Democratic for Whig policy,
cannot but prove a change for the worse. It
is needless to say that Mr. Towns, if elected,
will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor,
the present Governor. This is only paying
tribute to a Whig administration demanded by
the public voice, and is addressed to the ear only
of the people, to be forgotten and neglected in
the future. Like Mr. Polk, whatever may
be his profession, Mr. Tow ns w ill be but clay in
the hands of his party, to be moulded to their
will. It is the party that will dictate, the man
that will execute. Take for instance, his ap
pearance “on the stump. ” “ With regret he
did it, but his party required it!” Now, if it
can be shown by reference to the Journals of
the Legislature, that the general policy of the
Democratic party for conducting the State’s fi
nancial affairs, was the same with that of the
Whig party —or that a Democratic Governor
ever administered the financial affairs of the
State with the same regard to the people's
interest as the present Whig Executive hasdone
—then a hope might be entertained that Demo
cratic Legislation, and a Democratic Executive,
might imitate the example set them by a Whig
Executive. But this cannot be exhibited.—
The past history of the Government leaves no
room for hope in the contemplated change by
the Democracy. And how important this con
sideration is to the people, let a few facts de
monstrate !
For the political year 1840, $50,000 were ap
propriated to Governor McDenald as a contin
gent fund. Os this, he spent $25,394 07.
For the year 1841, $20,000 were appropria
ted to Governor McDonald as a contingent
fund. Os this he, spent $19,120 50.
Yor the year 1842, $20,000 were appropria
ted to Governor McDonald as a contingent
fund. Os this he spent 19.998 68.
For the year 1843, SIO,OOO were appropria
ted to Governor McDonald as a contingent
fund. Os this, he spent the whole $ 10,000, and
overdrew from the Treasury, without authority
oflaw’, $628 23. And in addition to this. sls.
000 were appropriated by the Legislature of
1843 to pay contingent arrearages due by his
administration, every dollar of which was
drawn from the Treasury.
In these four years then of a Democratic Ex
ecutive Administration, 1840, ’4l, ’42. ami ’43;
years of great distress among the people on
account of the great pressure for money, we
find a Democratic Executive expending from
the contingent fund—a fund placed as a sacred
trust with him—s9o,l4l 48.
Now. mark the contrast!
For 1844. $20,000 were appropriated as a
contingent fund to Governor Crawford. Os
this, he spent $9,799 09.
For L'4s, $20,000 were appropriated as a
contingent fund to Governor (’rawlord. Os
this, he sp« nt $14,731 65.
For 1846, SIO,OOO were appropriated as a
contingent fund to Governor Crawford. Os
this, he spent $8,903 34.
In these three years. 1844, 1845 and 1846, the
aggregate amount expended l»y iln> present I.m
ecutive amounts only to $33.344 08. Showing
a difference between Whig expenditure of the
contingent fund and Democratic, of $.»7,79i 40;
and admitting, as I have not examined to ascer
tain the fact, that the whole of the SIO,OOO ap
propriated as a contingen fund for 1847, has
been or will be expended, the comparison for
the four years of each Governor’s Administra
tion will show that $16,797 40 more have been
expended in lour years of a Democratic Ad
ministration. than have been in that of a \V hig
one ; more than enough to pay all the salaries
of Governor. State House officers, Judges
and Solicitors in the State for the current
year.
But this is not nil, gentlemen. W ith other
appropriations that may hereafter be alluded to,
the same marked contrast can be presented.—
And such being the exhibit of the records at the
capitol. what hope can be entertained that a
rhange from Whig to Democratic Administra
tion of our State affairs can prove beneficial to
the tar-payers of (ieorgia I
The merits and demerits of the .Mexican war,
and Federal politics may engross the attention
of Democratic Editors, and efforts may be per
sisted in to divert the attention of the voters of
Georgia from the true issues before them: but
while the Whigs can point with pride to their
gallant brethren, who, as privates and officers
are fighting in .Mexico —while they can show
too. a gallant youth bearing the name of Dun
can L. Clinch, now in the American army in
Mexico —and wbile they present a candidate for
Governor, who never dodged a vote in Con
gress, nor the face of his country’s enemy, they
will go on to contend for the true interest of the
people of Georgia, warning them of the many
“false lights" hung out to deceive them.
V’INDEX.
Steamboat Accident.—An accident oc
curred to the steamboat Illinois above this place
on Friday last by which she lost nearly all her
freight. She ran aground, and her stern floated
round and st illed upon a log. Great fears
were entertained that she. would break, as she
commenced giving way about the middle ; some
two or three hundred head of horses, sheep and
cattle were thrown overhead, besides a great
quantity of freight for Memphis. The Illinois,
we understand was very heavily laden with
freight for this place.— Memphis Commercial
Journal.
Another.—On Friday last, the Talma and
Cote Joyeuse run into each other about mid
night. sinking the latter. Several of the pas
sengers and crew, in a card, state—“ That on
Friday morning, the 20th inst.. at half-past one
o’clock (it being then dark) at the foot of Big
Cyprus bend they discovered very near them
what proved to be the “Cote Joye ;se”—that
the watchman on the Talma rang the signal
hell, immediately after the Pilot rang the engine
bell and stopped her. when he discovered the
Cote Joy euse was about to strike the Talma
on the starboard side, he rang her backing bell
and commenced backing: the Cote Joyetise
without sounding her hell or stopping her en
gine still kept on pointing towards the shore,
and ran across the bow of the Talma, thereby
crushing in her own sides, causing her to sink
tn tour or five minutes afterwards within fifteen
or twenty yards of the shore.
The Talma, in the meantime, continued to
back after the collision, by which she drew the
bow of the Cote Joyeuse from the shore to the
position m which site settled. After backing
loose the Talma stopped and then came up
carefully close to the Cote Joveuse to save the
crew and passengers and keep her against the
bank whilst she was settling, and laid by her till
7 o’clock next morning. The captain and ■
crew, in the meantime, rendered even assist
ance in their power to the passengers and crew
of the Cote Joyeuse in saving propertv and
furniture off'the boat, and leaving her yawl
with them for that purpose.— Memphis Eagle,
24M tnsr.
Diversion of Troop*.—We have a letter
from the Brazos dated the 19th mst.. mention
ing the rtimur as current there that Gen. Hop
ping might shortly be expected there, with a
considerable body of troops, to embark for
' era Cruz, it is quite sure that such troops
as Gen. Taylor can spare, now that the advance
upon San Luis Potosi is definitively abandoned,
will very shortly embark fotn the Rio Grande
for Vera Cruz. It is altogether probable that
several general officers will be detached from
Gen. Taylor’s column to repair to the line
from Vera Cruz. But a little time will elapse,
we trust, before communications will be entire
ly re-e*tabhsheJ between \ era Cruz and the
capital—/hr. 24th inst.
Distressing >hipwreck.—Th7~ new ship
Mameluke, bound from New York to Liver
pool. was -struck by a squall on the loth instant,
five hundred mi.es from Sandv Hook, bv which
her hatches. Ac., were carried away and the
ship water-logged- Thirty-four steerage pas
sengers and sex en of the crew were lost. One
steerage passenger, sixteen of the crew, and
four cabin passengers were taken from the
wreck and carried to New York — Nat. Int.
Yjkixow Fever i> Mobile.—Four eases
xvere reported on the 24th m*t.. one of which
was from New Orleans*
From the N. O. Picayune.. 24th inst.
Later from the Rio Grande.
Since our last there have been several arri- ,
vals from the Brazos, by which we have the (
Matamoras Flag of the 11 th, 14th and 18th
inst.
Much the most important intelligence by
this arrival is contained in the following, from
the Flag of the 18th:
Another Massacre. — Intelligence was receiv- 1
ed on Saturday last, confirmed since by letters
from Cerralvo to the 9th inst., that a scouting
party of twenty-seven Texans, commanded by
Capt. Baylor, ordered out by Col. Abbott,com
mandant at Cerralvo, to scour the country be
tween that post and Monterey, had fallen in
with a large body of Mexicans and all been
killed but three.
Our letters inform us that Capt. Baylor left
Cerralvo on the 6th inst., and following out
his instructions, visited several ranchos in the
neighborhood of where the recent attacks had
been made upon the trains. At two of these
ianchos goods |nd property captured from the
trains were found secreted in the houses, and
the guilt of a participation in these robberies
being clearly’ proven against the Mexican resi
dents, the property was retaken, the dwellings
of the guilty burned and several known despe
rate characters k lied. With three prisoners
which he had captured, Capt. Baylor was re
turning to the main road, when he found him
self surrounded by a large force of Mexicans,
stated at three hundred, undoubtedly the same
force which had attacked the trains previously.
He was completely hemmed in and the Mexi
cans charged upon his small band, killing many
of them the first discharge of fire arms. Three
of the party effected their escape by crawling
into the chaparral, and got into Cerralvo dread
fully lacerated with thorns. When they last
saw Capt. Baylor he was wounded and un
horsed, but still fighting, and only three of his
men were in their saddles. They think it im
possible that any more could have escaped, and
do not believe that the Mexicans made any pri
soners. Two days had elapsed since they got
back to Cerralvo, and nothing had been heard
of any of the rest of the party. In the dwel
ling of one of the Mexicans made prisoner by
Capt. Baylor, (so the men who escaped report,’)
were found two letters from the chief alcalde of
Cerralvo to Cagiales, informing him in whose
possession he jfeplaced certain goods captur
ed from the tjflUlFwhich he (Canales) had em
powered him to dispose of in Cerralvo, and
also giving him to understand that if he stood
in need of arms, horses or men, he had but to
make his wishes known and they would be at
tended to. These letters were in Capt. B.’s
possession when attacked, and have been re
covered by the Mexicans. In consequence of
the report made to Col. Abbott, he has had the
alcalde and several other influential Mexicans
arrested.
After confirming the above, an officer in the
Massachusetts regiment writes from Cerralvo
to a friend in this city, under date of the Bth of
August:
“The two last trains up were attacked, and
thirty or forty pack mules cut off from each.—
A train left here yesterday for Monterey, and
ve have positive information that some 400
Mexicans are lying on the road to cut them off.
Things at this post are in rather a state of ex
citement; hardly a day passes without some per
son being murdered on the road, ami we lie
here, knowing tliat the enemy is in large force
in our immediate vicinity, without the means
of acting except on the defensive. We have no
mounted force at the post, nor the means of
mounting a single man of our own, should an
extreme case of necessity require it. It is much
to be desired that the Government will soon see
clearly the great folly of placing troops along
this line, with their hands tied, to be made a
laughing-stock of by an enemy so contemptible
as the Mexicans. I do not know when we shall
move on. but if a! all, I think somewhere about
the Ist of September.
The Flag has become satisfied that all inten
tions of an advance towards San Luis by the
column of Gen. Taylor has been abandoned.
The Flag condemns this course, considering it
an essential step on our part to occupy San
Luis Potosi, and open communications from
thatcityto Mexico
(Jen. Marshall and Major Churchill passed
up the Rio Grande on the 17th inst., on their
• way to join Gen. Taylor.
The steamer Major Brown, which it will be
’ recollected ascended the Rio Grande on an ex
ploring expedition, about a year ago, and got
as high up as Laredo, where she has since been
detained, has at length effected a descent and
reached Matamoros on the 11th inst., as we
learn from the Flag. The Brown is a superior
light water boat, and has sustained no injury
j j
on her long trip.
The Flag of the 14th inst gives the following
details of brutal outrages committed by men in
the uniform of American cavalry soldiers.
About 2 o’clock in the night of the 12th inst.
a party oftwelve Americans, mounted, armed,
and equiped as our volunteer cavalry, rode into
the rancho ofSolicena, about eight leagues dis
tant from this city, the inhabitants of which are
in daily intercourse with us, and under the
r pretence of searching for arms, entered the
dwellings ami perpetrated outrages of every
imaginable kind. The men were abused ami
(breed to flee froin tli«>ir • • •**’ •
were insulted, their jewelry and trinkets taken
from them, and every dwelling robbed of what
money could be found. One Mexican who
lias made a report to the board of alcaldes of
this ciiy, states his loss at over slso—money
that he had received from the sale of wood to
steamboats.
Several other ranchos were visited by ihi
party during the same night, but the inhabi
tants were forewarned of their approach, and
tied to the woods with every thing valuable
they possessed—few of them have yet ventured
to return. From the rancho of Guadaloupe,
t only three leagues from here, the inhabitants
have likewise fled and deem it unsafe to return
until some protection is afforded them.
A few days previous to these occurrences a
’ similar body of men. conducted by two Mexi
cans, visited the rancho of La Jariia, and perpe
trated like and even worse crimes. Fears of
1 still more serious consequences to themselves,
should they report the offenders to the comman
dant here, induced the Mexicans to bear their
wrongs in silence —hence the reason so many
days have elapsed without any mention being
made of it.
Col. Davenport has been informed of these
outrages, ai dis using proper measures to fer
ret out the offenders. When ascertained.it is
to be hoped a punishment due to their crimes
will be inflicted upon them. Thecoward scoun
drels, who could so disgaace the name of A
merican soldier, as to insult, abuse, ill treat and
rob unarmed men and helpless women, will
prove poltroons in battle, and bring disgrace
upon the company to which they are attached.
The sooner the “ Rogue's March” announces
their dismissal from the service, the better it will
be for their companions in arms and the coun
try. whose cause they dishonor.
Some of the jewelry stolen from the ranchos,
we are informed has been disposed of in this
city. This may lead to a conviction of the of
fenders.
The following extracts are made from the
Flag of the 11 th.
From Monterey.— Trains Attacked. — Mr.
Coolridge of the Massachusetts regiment, and
several other gentlemen, direct from Monterey,
who left there on the Ist inst..and arrived here ■
on Monday last, furnish us with the following |
particulars ofthe operations of guerrillas on the !
Monterey road:
On the 30th July, an express mail wagon for
Monterey with an escort of seven men. under
Lieut. Reynolds, was attacked ten miles from
Marin, by about sixty Mexicans. The mail dri
ver succeeded in passing the ambuscade and
putting ris horses to their speed reached in I
safetythe encampment of a train which was '
coming’down from Monterey. The escort was
scattered by the assault, and two ofthe number
are missing, supposed to have been killed.
The next day after this attack, a merchant’s
train composed of sixty mules and several wa
gons. under a small escort of citizens, was at
tacked at Punta Aguda. by a large force of
Mexicans.and the entire train captured. Tin
assault was so sudden and overpowering, that j
jno resistance could be offered The lir>t inti- ■
' mation of an attack was given by a discharge I
j of fire-arms from the thickets on each side of;
the road, and an immediate charge of cavalry ;
on the train. The number of the attacking
party could not be correctly ascertained, but it I
was supposed to be from 100 to 150. Imine- ■
di.ite flight was the only chance of escape, and
ail who could sought safety in the thickets, and ,
afterwards to reach the rancho of Papaguilas, •
where fortunately a train from Monterey, es- ■
corted by thirty dragoons, had just arrived and ■
encamped for Lite night. Those who had es- ,
■ caped from the attack on the train, gained the
• side ofthe mountain during the night, from
whence they discerned the American encamp
ment at Papaguilas. and all but one of the es
cort got into the encampment before morning.
The Mexican muleteers and all the merchan
dise, amounting in value to some twelve or fif
teen thousand dollars, fell into the hands of the
Mexicans. Only one American was known
to be killed, though several were missing. The j
downward train broke up their encampment •
at Papagalla.- in the morning and came on io
Cerralvo witliout molestation. In passing the
spot where the attack had been made the eve- !
ning previous, no vestige ofthe property had j
been left. The body ofthe w agoner was found ;
a short distance from the road and buried. —
Canales commands the robbers who have prov- i
ed so successful in their foravs of late.
At Cerralvo a large government train was
met. proceeding to Monterey, and the dragoons
who bad just come down with the tram from (
that place were added to its escort and would ,
return. <
Departure of a Train train of 125 emp- .
ty w igons departed yesterday for Camargo, es
corted by Capt. Butler’s company of the 3d J
dragoons. This tram will receive freight at .
Camargo and proceed to Monterey, and it is '
understood, will make up sufficient transporta- t
tion for Gen. Taylor’s intended march. The ’
quartermaster’s department here has displayed .
much energy m getting up this train, and is cer
ia niy deserving great credit for the speed with
vL:ch n has been prepared and good training
of teams, which from being tmbroke mules fi ut a
a week or ten days ago. have been put into t
harness and made to work admirably. Capt.
Butler’s company of dragoons made a magnifi
cent display, and their carriage and horseman
thip speaks well for Capt. Butler’s drill and dis
cipline.
Latest from Puebla—March of Gen. Scott.
The AT. O. Delta contains the following intel
ligence from the army, brought by the Ala
bama :
Puebla, August 8, 1847.
Eds. Delta— The long-unanswered question of
“ when will we march,” can now be answered to a
certainty. The lofty peaks of the road-side moun
tains, skirted with Mexican soldiers, which in many
instances lift up their towering heads on our path to
i he capital—the glittering bayonets —the howling of
the cannon, as they send their terrible missiles of
death whirling through the air—the wading of the
ditches against well-lined walls of bristling arms—
can all now be seen in the perspective on the road to
the goal of our ambition ; but it requires no very great
stretch of imagination to carry the vision into the
halls of the Montezumas. For the last two days all
eyes were bright and faces glad with joy at the pros
ject now before us. The following orders of march
lave been issued, and all are in a state of preparation
to comply with them : and while 1 am writing, 1 hear
the drums and fifes, and see the waving eagles of the
Cerro Gordo Division, as they are passing out of town
on their line of march —the old chief (Gen. Twiggs)
looks like a host within himself; his long grey beard
and hearty buff face appear beaming with pride and
anxiety for his gallant command, which is no less
formidable than it looks—added to the best and hard
iest set of men I ever saw, are the following, among
other able and gallant officers who have already dis
tinguished themselves: Gen. P. F. Smith, Cols. Har
ney, Riley, tec. What can be expected from such a
command ! Victory and success in all their under
takings.
To-morrow Gen. Scott leaves with his escort, and
Gen. Quitman’s division follows him the same day ;
the next day, Gen. Worth, and then Gen. Pillow,
which concludes our marching array.
As I leave this morning, 1 have not time towrite
you much of a letter, but will say that you will hear
from me at the Rio Frio and any other place at
which we should become engaged on the road.
1 just learn from a gentleman who came up with
Gen. Pierce, that some person from your office was
captured by the enemy from Jalapa I could not
learn his name, but am told by a person that he suc
ceeded in communicating a letter to a friend, in which
he stated that he was in no personal danger.
Yours, MUSTANG.
[The concluding part of our correspondent’s letter
must refer to the capture of our special courier,
whose loss we have had occasion sorely to lament, as
the voluminous documents which he carriee with him
fell thereby into the hands of the enemy.]
Tile Skirmisli at San Juande los Llanos
The following account of the brisk little af
fair between the gallant rifles and the guerrillas,
at San Juan de los Llanos, is the only full de
scription which we have yet seen of that ac
tion :
In my last letter, I stated to you that Gen. Smith
had gone down the road to ascertain the whereabouts
of Gen. Pierce, and to succor him if necessary—and
I also stated that if the guerrillas should fall in his
road, they would be handled roughly. Since then,
the command has returned, and you will see by the
following short account of his operations, that I was
not mistaken—and although they did not have any
general engagement, I think they taught the guerril
las a lesson which will be remembered some time,
and for a small affair, I think it was one of the most
brilliant of the season :
On Monday night, July 26, it was reported on ap
parently good authority, that a force of several thou
sand men, with a convoy of 600 mules, loaded with
ammunition, was at Piedras Negras, destined to
operate against Gen. Pierce, who was reported to be
coming by the way of Orizaba. The next morning,
Gen. Smith, with his brigade, and a squadron of horse,
under Capt. Ruff, of the mounted riflemen, a battery
of4 pieces, under Lieut. Hunt, and the New York
volunteers, under Col. Burnet, marched to meet and
sustain Gen. Pierce, carrying with them a supply of
provisions for the latter —finding on the route that it
was very probable Gen. Pierce was on the Jalapa
road—the command marched to Ojode Agua. Hav
ing intelligence, by intercepted letters, that a large
band of guerrilleros were at San Juan de los Llanos,
15 miles otf, on the night of the 29th scouts were sent
in that direction, who reported that they heard the
regular bugle calls sounded by troops in the town.
Capt. Ruff was immediately despatched with his
squadron, composed of one company of 2d dragoons
under Lt. Hawes, and his own company of mounted
riflemen, in all 86 men to attack the town. He found
about 50 cavalry drawn up in front of the town, who
retired into it on his approach. Capt. Ruff then di
vided his command into three parts and entered the
town cautiously, finding the stone houses in the centre
of the place, and the principal churches, filled with
armed men. L'. Hawes was first fired upon, and dis
mounting and forming his men on foot and being join
ed by Lieut. Walker, mounted rifles, they returned
the fire, and the other party advancing at the same
time, they drove the enemy with great slaughter, from
house to house, to the plaza in the centre the fire of
the riflemen was astonishingly destructive. Here,
two of the principal houses, one of them loop-holed,
were defended with obstinacy, but carried—and a
party was organized to assault the church—from the
towers of which a smart fire was kept up—but asthe
storming party started, a white flag was hung out from
the church and the contest cea ed. Those of the
enemy who were not killed, or badly wounded, es
caped through the thick and intricate hedges, as the
force of Capt. Ruff was not sufficient to surround the
town, which contains 6000 inhabitants. Forty-three
of the enemy were counted, dead, and many were
seen wounded. Only one of ours was hurt, a private
of the mounted riflemen, badly wounded in tin- neck
near the ear. The two houses, from which the fire
was most obstinate, were burnt. A large quantity of
.1.«loHtroye«l, us
ter the men had taken of the former w hat they need
ed. During the hottest of the contest, the utmost
kindness was displayed by our men towards the wo
men ami children —exposing themselves to the ene
my’s fire, to place these helpless and frightened crea
tures in security. Sometime after Capt. Ruff’? de
parture from Ojo de Agua, the mounted rifle regi
ment and a piece of artillery were sent in the same
direction tn support him, if necessary, but he met
them half w’ay on his return. Capt. Ross met the
highest approbation f<>r his spirit and skill in that af
fair. ami be speaks in great praise of his officers,
Lieuts. Walkeraml Hawes, ami gives most special
commendation to Sergt. Murphill, orderly sergeant
of the company of mounted riflemen. The next day
the squadron was sent to Perote, to communicate
with Gen. Pierce —the New York regiment being
advanced to Vireges, to cover the road, and a com
mand under < ’ol. < ’hilds directed towards Haumantla,
about 15 miles N. W., to take any party that might
be there—but the lesson given them at Los Lanos
had been sufficient, and in Haumantla the reception
of our trooyrs more resembled those we read of as
given in the United Slates to our returned volunteers.
In the meantime, a train of wagons had come down
to lord with forage at a hacienda near Nopaluca, and
Capt Ruff having returned from Perote, bringing one
of Gen. Pierce’s staff, the whole command reassem
bled on the 3«l of August at El Pinal, and on to-day
returned to Puebla with its convoy, preceding Gen.
Pierce by a day’s march, and having seen or heard
nothing of the large force said to be marching round
bv the northward.
Later from Texas.
From the New Orleans Picayune 2Ath inst.
By the steamer Yatch, Capt. Crane, we have
papers from Galveston to the 21st inst.
The papers of the country generally repre
sent the in-coming cotton crop as large and line.
Some complaint is made of the worm in certain
quarters, hut little importance is attached to it.
The latest number of the Civilian copies
from the Victoria Advocate the following, at the
same time indicating doubts of the authenticity
of the ii.telligence contained in it:
We learn, from a friend recently from San
Antonio, in whose statements the utmost re
liance may be placed, that on the 24th of July
Col. Hays returned from the pursuit of a body
of Lipan Indians who had been committing de
predations upon the frontier. A fight took
place on the Leon, one of the head waters of
; the Nueces river, in which six ofthe Li pans
j were killed. A Mexican girl, about fourteen
years old. and a boy about ten who hail been
prisoners among the Indians, were brought in
The girl was first taken at about a year
since. She was afterwards released and sent
home by the people of San Antonio. She has
been a second time taken, and is now a second
i time released by them. Col. Hays also took a
I number of horses and mules which are said to
have been stolen from the Americans. Our in
formant gathered the above information from
the members of the company. He did not
talk wiih Col. Hays. He left San \ntonio or\
the evening ofthe 24th, ria Corpus Christi.
Twenty-five miles above San Patricio he pas
sed a large body of Indians, which he supposed
| to be Camanches. encamped on the Nueces
He thinks they numbered about one hundred
and fifty, and had three hundred head of horses
in their possession. They came from the Rio
Grande region, and crossing the Nueces at their
encampment, were travelling north.
Onr informant also states that on the day
before he left San Antonio, an express arrived
there, bearing despatches to Colonel Hays from
Major Neighbors. Indian agent. The express
sta’ed that the Camanchea had become hostile
and had ordered all persons who were survey
ing lands to leave that part of the country.
The express also states that five surreyors, un
der Mr. Robert Hays, a brother of Col. Hays,
who were missing, had been certainly kil
led. h was also rumored at the agency that
Mr. Hudson, of Bastrop, with twenty five men.
who were out surveying on the San Saba, had
been killed or taken prisoners.
From Yccat an.— By the arrival of the schoon
er Primera Campechana, the editors of La
Pat ria have late dates from Yucatan. The ad
vices are of unusual importance.
I: appears that a conspiracy had been entered
into among the Indians of various villages for
an insurrection. One of them, who was en
trusted with the secret, traitorously divulged it
to the Governor of Valladolid. I h rough his
management the principals implicated in the
affair were arrested and executed, the cacique
Antonio Ay being the first. As soon as this be
came known the Indians rose in some of the
villages and massacred all the whites and those
of the mixed race, save the women, and not ex
cepting those w omen who were enciente. The
detadsof their excesses are horrible. The white
race at once united in self-defence. The Go
ernment has appealed to the people to forget
their party animosities and join for common
protection. Seventeen Indian villages are in
volved in the insurrection. Government has
forbidden the sale of arms and taken other
measures for the public security. We do not
enter into he details of this affair, as the v pos
sess little interest save to the people of Yucatan
themselves.— Pic. 24th mst.
The River rose twelve feet on Fridas* night
and Saturday morning. There mu*t have
been heavy rains in the up-country.
'Augusta, (®a.:
TUESDAY MOK NING, AUG. 31, 1847.
Tariff—Mr. Jefferson and Gen. Jackson—
Democracy.
The Constitutionalist, overwhelmed by the
testimony to prove that Mr. Jeffersom and
General Jackson encouraged, recommended
and supported protective tariffs, says :
“That the opinions of very many of the wisest and
best Democrats of our country —that in fact the unan
imous feeling and wish ofthe American people during
the infancy of our manufacturing enterprizes were in
favor of their protection, is not to be disputed. The
protection of domestic manufactures, as an incident
growing out of the heavy revenue duties which the
war debt of 1812—15 made it necessary to im|»ose,
found favor with nearly all Southern politicians in
1816. It found favor with the strictest construction
ists and with the immediate representatives of the sta
ple growing States. It was a boon granted by gener
osity in power, to a w’eak interest supplicating a favor.
When that interest grew strong and by log- rolling com
binations aspired to dominion, when it set up a claim
as of right, and invoked the constitution as justifying
their actions, the republican spirit ofthe country rose
against the arrogant pretension. The organization of
public opinion and political parties on the constitutional
question took place some years after. It was in 1822
that the protective policy assumed a party organiza
tion, with Mr. Clay as its leader, with the declared
object of establishing his so called “American Sys
tem.” They assumed the title of National Republi
cans. Neither Mr. Jefferson nor Gen. Jackson be
longed to that party, or ever favored its monstrous de
signs.”
Then “ very many of the wisest and best
Democrats,” and among them Mr. Jefferson
and General Jackson, were in favor of protect
ing the manufacturing establishments of the
country in their If “protection” is
unconstitutional, where did these wise and good
Democrats get the power to protect manufactur
ing enterprises, because they were young?—
Read the second sentence in the above extract.
There it is avowed that “ nearly all Southern
politicians” went for protecting domestic manu
factures, in 1816, as an incident to heavy du
ties. Now mark, the Whigs go now for pro
tecting them as an incident to duties, to raise
just revenue enough to meet the icants of the Go
vernment. Again, in that sentence, the tear
debt made it necessary to impose “heavy revenue
duties.” We understand this to mean high du
ties, and that high duties became necessary to
raise the larger amount of money. The Con
stitutionalist is not consistent. It has frequent
ly declared in the past few months, that/ow du
ties produce the greatest revenue ! I’his is the
Democratic doctrine now. Our neighbor
must get out of this difficulty the best way he
can. As a political canvass is a species of war
fare, we suppose it will be fair for him to prac
tice some kind of stratagem to get rid of it.
“It was iiboon granted by generosity in power,
to a weak interest supplicating a favor.” What
was a boon? The heavy duties? Why, we
thought it was avowed above, that they were
imposed to get money to pay off the war debt. If
high duties were imposed for that purpose, and
manufacturers were thus incidentally benefitted,
it was certainly a very disinterested boon granted
by power to a weak interest! But suppose it
was really a very generous boon, what right
lias power to become so generous as to violate
the constitution in order to grant a boon to a
weak interest?
We are told above, that “when that interest
grew strong,” and set up a claim to protection
“as of right, and invoked the constitution as
justifying their actions, the republican spirit of
the country rose against the arrogant preten
sion.” That is, the republican spirit had a per
fect right to violate the constitution by
act offavor, but when the recipients of the fa
vor brought up the constitution to sustain them,
the “republican spirit,” provoked by the arro
gance, reminded them that the constitution had
all along been violated intheirfavor, but, as they
had become insolent, it should he sported with
no longer!
In the last three or four sentences, it is urged
that there was no division upon the constitu
tional question of protection till 1822. Well,
grant it for the sake of argument, and what
does it prove? That the framers ofthe consti
tution never doubted the constitutionality; that
no body doubted it till thirty-five years after the
constitution had been adopted and in full ope
ration. According to the Constitutionalist,
then, the division of sentiment took place in
1822. What sai<l General Jackson in 1830?
We quote from his Message of December 7,
1830:
“The object of the tariff is objected to by some as
unconstitutional, and it is considered by almost all,
as defective in many of its |>arts. Tin* power to im
l»ose duties, on imports, originally belonged to the. se
veral States. The right to adjust those duties, with a
view to the encouragement of the domestic branches
of industry, is so completely incidental to that power
that ii is difficult to suppose the existence of one with
out the other. 'Fhc States have delegated their
whole authority ore.r imports to the. General Go
rernment without limitation or restriction, saving
tl e very inconsiderable reservation relating to their
inspection laws This authority having thus entirely
passed from the States, the right to exercise it for
the purpose of protection does not exist in them;
ami consequently if it be not possessed by the Gener
al Government it must be extinct. Our political sys
tem would thus present the anomaly of a people s/rip
ped of the right to foster their own industry, and
to counteract the most selfish and destructive policy
which might be adopted by foreign nations. This
surely cannot be the case. This indispensable pow
er, thus surrendered bp the States must be within,
the scope of the authority on the subject, expressly
delegated to Congress. In this conclusion I am
•‘onjtrmed, as well by the opinions of President Wash
ington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, who have
each repeatedly recommended, the exermse of this
right under the Constitution, as by the uniform
practice of Congress, the continued acquiescence of
she States and the general understanding of the peo
ple.”
Where was General Jackson found then,
after the “organization of public opinion on
the constitutional question in” J 822? We
find him in 1830 not only declaring in a solemn
message to Congress, that protection was con
stitutional, but appealing, among others, to
Jefferson to justify and sustain him.
It is immaterial whether Mr. Jefferson or
General Jackson ever belonged to the National
Republican or Whig party ; they both declared
the constitutionality and expediency of a pro
tective tariff’. That is the point for which we
are contending. As the Constitutionalist speaks
of General Jackson as being so bitterly opposed
to protective tariffs, we will give one other ex
tract from the writings of the General- It is
taken from a letter written in 1828, in answer
to an official letter from the Executive of Indi
ana, and in reference to certain resolutions of
die Senate of that Slate. It is as follows:
“ I pray you, sir, to state to the Senate of Indiana,
that my opinions at present are precisely what they
were in 1823-4, when they were communicated by
letter to Dr. Coleman, of North Carolina, and when 1
voted for the present tariff, and appropriations
Jor internal improvements. As the letter was writ
ten at a time when the divisions of sentiment on this
subject were as strongly marked as they now an* in
relation both to the expediency and constitutionality
ofthe system it is enclosed herein, and I beg the favor
of your • xcellency 0, consider it a part of this com
munication. The occasion out of which it arose was
embraced with the hope of preventing any doubt,
misconstruction, or necessity tor further inquiry,
respecting my opinions on the subjects to which you
refer— particularly in those States which you desig
nated as cherishing a policy at variance with your
General Jackson was born in 1767, and con
sequently was sixty-one years old when this was
written. As he had been both a judge and Go
vernor and was not a very young man, it is
presumable that he had looked into the consti
tution occasionally, and was about as well qual
ified to judge of its meaning as he could rea
sonably be expected to be. But we are told
that Gen. Jackson was opposed to the Tariff
of 1828—so was Mr. Clay. The latter advo
cated its modification, and with the Whig party
is now opposed to a high protective Tariff.
We have heretofore shown that in 1816 Mr.
Jefferson was in favor of protection. This
xvas shown also by extracts from his messages
to Congress. Mr. Jefferson was born in
1743. and consequently was sixty-five years
old in when, in his message to Congress
he declared that manufactures ought to be en
couraged by the Government, and would
become “permanent,” to use his own lan
guage. by “ protective duties and prohibi
tions.” He wa* even in favor of making du
ties so high as to prohibit the introduction of
some foreign articles which came in competi
tion with our own.
The Constitutionalist produces some views
of Mr. Jefferson as late as 1*25 and 1826. to
show’ that he was opposed to high Tariffs.
Weil, admit that he was. and even went so far
as to say that they xvere unconstitutional : ad
mit that General Jackson did the same thing,
neither of them did however.) and what then ?
Why. Mr. Jefferson will be found at tighty
feur years of age opposed to Mr. Jefferson
at sizty-jict. and General Jackson sometime
before his death opposed to General Jacksow i
at sixty-one.
“The opinions he (Mr. Jefferson) expressed in the
messages which are quoted in favor of prohibitory mea
sures against British commerce were retaliatory of
British restrictions upon us.”
We ask again, what right had Mr. Jeffer
son to make duties protective and prohibitory, if
forbid to do so by the constitution. Is it the
Democratic doctrine, is it the doctrine of the
Constitutionalist t that duties may be high or
low, just as duties upon our exportations may
be made high or low by foreign nations?
Speaking of Mr. Jefferson’s doctrines the
Constitutionalist says:
“ These, espoused by the Democratic party, prac
tically adherred to by the venerated Jackson,
and enforced by his vetoes of the Maysville road bill
and United States Bank bill, will long serve to beat
back the tide of federal encroachment, and preserve
to us the constitution as it came to us from the hands
of its makers.”
We suppose our neighbor meant by General
Jackson’s practically adhering to them, that he
did in practice what he did not teach in theory '
But both in theory and practice General Jack
son has sustained the views of the Whigs. He
tells us himself that a protective Tariff was
constitutional and expedient , that he voted for
cuch a Tariff, {and for Internal Improvements.
He declared in a message to Congress that a Na
tional Bank was Constitutional, and in many re
spects useful to the people. He recommended
the distribution of the proceeds of the sales of
the public lands, and was opposed to the Sub-
Treasury scheme of keeping and disbursing
the public funds. He and his successor Mr.
Van Buren, spent annually for Internal Im
provements nearly three times as much money
as John Quincy Adams. This was beating
back the tide of federal encroachment with a ven
geance.
We say again, as we have said before, Gen.
Jackson could be an angel of light while doing
that, which, in.a Whig, would make the latter a
devil incarnate. Can the absurd charges against
the Whigs, and the false pretensions which
Democratic editors, leaders and writers make,
be of any longer avail ? The people see the
masks torn from them now. Let the Whigs
be active to circulate the truth, and give light
to those who have been kept in darkness by
their leaders, and the last trembling rays of
Democratic rule and power will vanish before
the rising sun of their triumphant principles.
The Grand Junction Railway.
To the following communication of “Wilkes”
we propose to append a few remarks in the
form of Notes, as numbered in the text:
To the Editors of the Chronicle 4’ Sentinel:
Gentlemen :—You have offered nothing in your
article of the 20th inst. to support your opinion, that
the people of “Wilkes are laboring under a strange
misapprehension” in reference to the feelings and ac
tion of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Rail
road towards their proposed Branch Road. \Note 1.)
The action of the Board of Directors upon the projiosi
tions submitted by both Committees from Wilkes, were
duly submitted to the people by their agents. So was
also the fact, that the President of the Company ex
pressed a willingness to modify the resolution of the
Board, totally rejecting Mr. Toombs’s third proposi
tion in relation to running the cars of the Branch
Road upon the Georgia Road, and in a form much
better calculated to prevent “misapprehension” than
the way that fact is stated in your editorial. The
modification was proposed by the President in a let
ter to one of the Committee, dated the 21st ol June,
nearly two weeks after the action of the Board, and
after negotiations had been opened and were in pro
gress with the Central Railroad Company, which let
ter was submitted to a meeting ot the citizens con
vened shortly after its reception. Your statement of
the fact might lead to the conclusion that it was done
at or about the same time of the action ot the Board
of Directors.
You did Mr. Toombs no more than justice in stating
that the report which you say was in circulation in
Augusta, that he “was refused admission to or a hear
ing by the Directors during their sitting,” never reach
ed his ears “without receiving a flat contradiction.”
That report having reached Mr. T. through a letter
from Augusta, he availed himself of a public meeting
of the citizens of Wilkes, held a few days thereafter,
to set that matter right. But you did him less than
justice in not stating the further facts equally well
known to you, that the invitation to meet the Board
was given after the morning Session was over, and
after definite action had been had upon his proposi
tions, and was accompanied by a copy of the resolu
tions adopted by the Board of Directors upon his pro
positions. With these additional facts, Mr. T.’s re
port of the transaction to the public meeting in
Washington corresponded with your own. (Note 2.)
These are small matters, and are only worth alludingto,
be oca us they have been the subject of misapprehension,
and perhaps misrepresentation. All these facts to
which you have referred, both the records and the
matters outside* of the records, were well known to
the people of Wilkes county, and made known to
them in an official form through their Committees,
before you commenced your labor of enlightening
them. Your facts and theirs are the same; the differ
ence between you seems to be the different conclu
sions you draw from the same facts. The “blame”
in the matter is, that your comments were of such a
character as to leave a doubt in the public mind, whe
ther the difference was one of fact or opinion. It
was the object of “Wilkes” to remove that doubt, and
he felt but little concern in pursuing the subject far
ther, but your remarks in reply to him call for some
examination of your positions from him.
'i’he mode by which you seek to establish your
position, that the terms proposed to the projectors of
the Washington Branch Road by the Georgia Rail
road Directors were not “illiberal,” is unique, illogical
and unsatisfactory. You say, “The matter then re
solves itself into the single and simple question, were
the “terms illiberal?” That is the question very
pointedly stated, and you set out with fair promises to
argue it, but in all the rest of your article you give not
a single line tonne of these propositions, and not above
ten lines to the other; and 1 have never seen more or
grosser errors in any ten lines that were printed. The
balance of your labors are given to an effort to prove
that one of the propositions made by Mr. Toornbs to
the Board of Directors was unfair and illiberal. If
you had have succeeded in this effort as thoroughly as
you have failed, your question would have been still
unsettled and unproved. It‘does not surprise me that
you shrunk from the labor, and sought uu easier task
even after your “thundering index.” I readily admit
it is far easier to make a plausible argument against
Mr. T.’s first proposition, than to support any one of
those offered by the Georgia Railroad. The Board
of Directors of the Georgia Road recorded no opinion
upon the chief propositions submitted to them on the
26th of May by the Wilkes’ Committee, but passed
a resolution offering to speculate upon the Branch
Road by furnishing it with freight cars, “charging
therefor one-eighth of the freight earned on said
road.” This ended the first effort to come to “terms”
with the Georgia Road. (Note 3.)
At the second meeting the propositions made on be
half of the Washington Branch were all rejected, and
the Georgia Road proposedin lieu thereof to “allow
the Washington Road to connect with the Georgia
Railroad at Cumming or at such contiguous point
as may hereafter be agreed upon, and will agree to
transport the freight of this Road at the same charge
made on other local business at Camak.
This proposition, you have with a charming simplici
ty, construed into a scheme to enable us to receive
“pay for the transportation of nil freight above Camak
to Washington, thereby increasing the length of (our)
Branch one-third, and increasing in like ratio the
gross amount of (our) receipts.”
These are a portion of the ten lines to which I re
ferred, and they vindicate their description without
comment. The resolution does not propose to give
the Washington Company one cent of the freight
earned on the Georgia Road; it proposes simply to
receive our freight at Cumming, and transport it from
Cumming to Augusta “at the same charge made on
other local business at Camak.” The Washington
Company could only charge for transportation on their
own Road, if the Georgia Road received their freight
ami carried it to Augusta for nothing. The proposi
tion is nothing more than is now done every day for
every planter who carries his cotton to Cumming,
the rates of freight on cotton being precisely the same
from Cumming to Augusta, or from Camak to Au
gusta. According to your idea of the consequences
of this state of things, the planter who takes his cot
ton to Cumming ought to.receive “pay for all freight,”
(or at least on his own cotton,) above Camak to Cum
ming.
I have never heard of a case in which he got the
money. From my recollection of the tariff of rates
of the Georgia Road, (I have not access to the tables
themselves,) the freight on cotton, (and perhaps on all
other commodities,) coming down the State Road is
charged at the same rate as from Crawfordville; then
by the same process of running, it ought to enable the
State Road to receive “pay for all freight above
Crawfordville to Dalton, thereby increasing the length
of the” (State Road one hundred miles and upwards,)
“and increase in like ratio the gross amount of their
receipts.” The Governor ought to look into this mat
ter; if you are right, the Georgia Railroad must owe
the State large sums of money, or our agents have
not been faithful in calculating our dues. And fur
ther, to show the permanency of this new mode of
lengthening Railroads, Jet us take this view' of it.
The “charge made on other local business from Ca
inak” at this time may, and probably will in a few
years, be very much above the ordinary rates from
Cumming to Augusta, in which event the effect of
such a contract as the one proposed by the Georgia
Railroad would be, to make the freight brought on
the Branch Road to Cumming pay more than that
brought in any other way, what then would become ,
of that increased length of our roads, or those gross
receipts ? Fie. fie. Messrs. K’iters, you compel us in
compliment to sanity, to doubt your sincerity. (Note 4.)
1 think vou have not been more fortunate in your
effort to show that Mr. T-s/mbs’s first proposition was
unfair and illiberal. This proposition thus charac
terized by you was simply that the Georgia Railroad
should transport the freight and passengers brought to
it by the Branch Road at the lowest rate per mile,
that it transported any other passengers and freight
over any part of the Road. You admit it “seemed
exceedingly plausible and fair” even to your sagacious
intellect at first, but “a change came o’er the spirit of
your dream,” and you offer what you call reasons
wh : ch in vour present opinion, are “sufficient to con
vince the most prejudiced mind of the unfairness and
illiberalitv of Mr. Toombs’s proposition.” This is a
sweeping panegyric upon the conclusiveness of your
own reasoning, and not a very gentle censure of the
conduct of Mr. Toombs. I shall endeavor to show*
ihat both the panegyric and censure are misplaced.
Your objection to Mr. T.’s proposition rest solely
upon the assumption that its adoption would have com
pelled the Georgia Road to work under remunerating
prices. This position is attempted to be sustained by
furnishing a table of rates of freight upon sundry
specified articles from Atlanta to Augusta, and with
cunning skill working out the proportion of freight
which the Georgia Railroad would be entitled to re
ceive upon the basis of Mr. T.’s proposition, and then
asserting, without offering either fact or argument to
support the assertion, that this rate “ would not pay
for turning the goods in or out of the cars, and mak
ing the necessary entries.” In the first place your
proposition is incorrect, the true proposition being one
third and not three-tenths under Mr. T.’s proposition,
(Note 5.) and your mistake consists in blending the pro
position of the Georgia Road with Mr. Toombs’s; but if
it were correct, it would only shew the true rate and not
the reasonableness or unreasonableness of that rate.
Your argument is defective in not showing what is
the lowest rate of freight at which the Georgia Road
can afford to transport freight and passengers from
Cumming to Augusta. A slight examination of your
table of rates, rather strengthens my opinion that the
ascertainment of this important Tact would be fatal to
your conclusions. You say that under Mr. Toombs’s
prop., ition the Georgia Road would get “but eighteen
cents per hundred pounds for boxes of dry goods, &c.,
to Cumming.” The custom of the Georgia Railroad
during last winter was to transport cotton from Cum
ming to Augusta for seventy-five cents per bale,
(their printed rate was twenty-five cents per hundred.)
Much of the cotton carried there weighed over four
hundred pounds per bale, which rate gave the Geor
gia Road about eighteen cents per hundred for trans
porting the cotton from Cumming to Augusta, or ac
cording to your statement, not enough “to pay for
turning the goods in or out of the cars, and making
the necessary entries in their books.” With this
single fact before our eyes, you must pardon us for
not attaching the slightest importance to the conclusion
to which you have jumped in relation to the effects of
the proposition of Mr. Toombs upon the Georgia
Railroad. Besides, we know that many roads in the
Union do carry many articles in the list you furnish at
rates greatly below those assumed by you as fixed by
the adoption of the proposition of Mr. Toombs. The
great Western Road in Massachusetts, (from the
newspaper accounts,) carry flour from Albany to Bos
ton, for twenty-five cents per barrel. The distance is
two hundred miles. Mr. T.’s proposition would, at
present rates, have allowed the Georgia Road about
seventeen cents per barrel for fifty-seven miles. I
suppose this process of “turning (goods) in or out of
the cars, and making the necessary entries on the
books” can be done about as cheap in Georgia as
Massachusetts. Besides Mr. T.’s propositions, taken
together, did not necessarily involve the putting of all,
or even any of these onerous duties upon the Georgia
Railroad. You conclude this branch of your argu
ment by simply asserting a disputed proposition which
has an important bearing upon the question at issue.
You say “all experience, and the common sense of
every man, teach that freights can be transported at a
lower rate, pro rata, per mile for a long distance than
a short one.” 1 am very certain that “common
sense” unaided by facte will never teach any such
thing; and what “all experience” does teach upon the
subject, is just what I wish to know. If the fact be
so, give us the reason why “freights can be transport
ed at a lower rate, pro rata, per mile, for a long dis
tance than a short one.” The rates are fixed upon no
such principle by the Charter, nor does the usual
practice of Railroad Companies, unless when compe
tition disturbs their scale, conform thereto; yet, if it
be true, I suppose it could be readily shown, and
when shown, would only prove that Mr. Toombs
asked better terms to enable the people of Wilkes to
build a Branch Road, than were given to ordinary
’ freight at Atlanta. But it could not prove that his
propositions were either unfair or illiberal. There
would have been no security for the capital invested
in the Branch Road without this proposition of Mr.
Toombs, or one similar in character, at fixed rates,
such a one as was offered by the Georgia Road might
operate with the greatest injustice. Railroads are in
their infancy ; improvements in the modes of conduct
ing them are constantly being made, and are gradual
ly, but constantly tending to cheapen freights. A
fixed rate would deprive the branch, through all time,
of the benefits of their improvements, and might with
in a few years subject it to pay twice as much on its
freight as might be collected out of cisual products
delivered by other inodes of conveyance at the same
depot. Under Mr. T.’s proposition, the Georgia Road
had the right to alter their rates within their charter,
at any time ; it was fair to presume that they would
1 not fix their prices below a remunerating point, they
were only asked to surrender the power to crush at
pleasure, the Branch Road, and to bear a fair propor-
1 tion of the cost of competing with the Savannah
River above Augusta, and other modes of transporta
tion, for a business from which the Georgia Road
would necessarily receive three times as much freight
1 as the Branch Road. WILKES.
1 P. S. —“Wilkes” did not intend to ascribe to you
1 the quotations he made from “Warren,” nor does he
- suppose such intention can be legitimately inferred
from his communication. W.
Note I.—We offered the action of the Con
vention of Stockholders and the Board of
Directors of the Georgia Railroad, to show
from the terms proposed thvt they were “not
averse" to a connection, and that the terms were
not “ illiberal." We had understood that the
people of Wilkes were under the impression
that the Georgia Railroad was “ averse" to a
connection, and that their proposed terms were
“illiberal,” nnd the communication of“ Wilkes”
shows that he, at least, entertained the latter
opinion. Whether the evidence was sufficient
to sustain our position, the citizens of Wilkes
must determine. That these facts were all re
ported to the citizens of Wilkes by their Com
mittees, we are not disposed to question, but
if we may infer from the character of the com
munication of “Wilkes”, we should suspect
that the arguments used in speeches upon those
occasions were notonly unfair but disingenuous,
and consequently not calculated to lead to a
fair and impartial investigation.
Notc.2.—“ Wilkes” is correct in saying that
“Mr. Toombs was invited to go before the
Board, (in our presence,) after the morning
session was over, and after definite action had
been had upon his proposition.” What mat
ters that? The fact that he was invited, was
evidence conclusive that the Board desired to
confer with him freely and fully, and was prima
facia evidence that they were disposed to modi
fy their propositions, if upon a full and free
conference with him they could do so consis
tently with their views of the interest of the
Company.
Afo/e 3.—We regret that in the estimation of
“ Wilkes” we were so unfortunate in our ef
forts to establish our position. We endeavored
to show that the terms proposed were not
“ illiberal, ” to do which we adduced, (as before
remarked,) the action of the Board of Direc
tors, which propose ! terms of freight the same
as are now paid wi...•>ut murmur, so far as
we know, by an entire community. Certainly
it was not illiberal to propose such terms as
satisfied the community so nearly allied by
neighborhood with the people of Wilkes, nor
was it very “ illiberal, ” and least of all things,
did it look like “speculating upon the Branch
Road" to oiler to give or take certain terms,
and give the Branch Road choice, which it
would do. In this, therefore, we not only
thought we showed the absence of all illiberali
ty in the proposition of the Georgia Road ; but
in the same connection, we flattered ourselves
we succeeded in establishing the “ illiberality' t
of Mr. Toombs’s proposition by an analysis of
it, and an exhibit of its results had it been ac
ceded to.
Note 4.—The resolution proposes to let the
Branch Road transport their freight over the
Georgia Road, above Camak, free of charge.
The Washington Road would have, therefore, a
consequent right, by virtue of this contract, to
charge freight to and from Camak, no matter
whether they had connected at Cumming or
above that point.
Not* s.—The distance from Augusta to At
lanta is 171 miles; from Augusta to Camak 47
miles; therefore our assumption, that the dis
tance to Camak was three-tenths of the whole
road, upon which our calculations for freight
were based, is much nearer correct than “one
third" as suggested by “ Wilkes.” Three
tenths of 171 miles are 51 miles and a fraction.
“One-third is 57 miles. “ Wilkes” says, we
should have shown what was the lowest rate
the Georgia Road could afford to transport
freight from Augusta to Camak, and not what
the rates proposed by Mr. Toombs were. We
are not surprised that even “Wilkes” shrinks
from an investigation of Mr. Toombs’s proposi
tion, as the expose conclusively established its
claims to “liberality." The effort of “Wilkes”
to show its liberality by a comparison of the
freight on a box of goods, worth on an average
four to six times the value of a bale of cotton,
is a fair specimen of the fairness with which
“Wilkes” has attempted to sustain his posi
tions generally. His examination of our table
of rates was certainly “slight," and for the
reason that any other examination would not
have suited his purpose. The illustration of
the Boston and Albany Road fully sustains our
position. At .Albany there is a competition for
this immense trade, whether flour shall go to
Boston or New York, hence the rate of twenty
five cents per barrel for a distance of over two
hundred miles transportation. “Wilkes” was
very careful to omit stating, however, that if
the flour only went a part of the way to Bos
ton, a higher rate was charged, and the same of
flour received on the route for transportation
to Boston. We shall not trespass either upon
the indulgence of our readers or our own
space and time, by an argument to elucidate
that freight can be transported at a lower rate
pro rata per mile for long distances than short,
and we must, therefore, leave “ Wilkes” to
solve it by the teachings of “ common sense,"
aided or unaided by facts.
For the Chronicle 8c Sentinel.
When Gen. Clinch was nominated for the
office of Governor, a clique at Milledgeville de
clared he should be defeated, it mattered not
what the cost nor what the means. They have
opened the campaign with deliberate slander,
unmitigated falsehood, and wilful calumny, as