Newspaper Page Text
BY W.M. S. JONES.
CHKOiMUM. >IvVj'IAKL.
TERMS, &Q.
THE WEEK LV
u P.hll-fceJ eirry Wrdnr.HriY
AT TWO DOLLARS Pi: ft Al-SniJA
If paid strictly In advance.
IF SOT TAW W1 THIS SIX MONTHS,
Two Dollar* and Fifty Corn Per Tear.
TO CLUBS or UlMviDl.Ml.s~ f<li"K «“ Ton
DoOai*. SIX copica ■,!)•■ i per "all ».<• -ect furcns
year, thuefamiit rz t:.• ; i r & . ' *■
»XX COPIES POE TEN DOLLARS,
or a free copy to ail wi, ° ,ua 7 V r ’' rOB YITB f ' :b ’
ttribera, and forward n» ihw tr, >: -
the chronicle & • .- tinxi.
DAILY AMO Tl.l-V* lI.KLY,
Are tho pnbiialKXl at tU» »&*■<■., m: * “i-ti.til to «üb
soribere at tba fallowing ratee, nan.'-iy .
Daily P*i**k. if sect by mail,.. f7 per annum.
Tni-Wism-i i’Ai ar. b
Term* of Advertlaln*.
Thi Wultr. —Beventy-five eenta pier square
10 tinea or Iee«; for tne first
or each subsequent in* r;
18371 THE 1857!
SOUTHERN <1 LTIVATOK,
A MONTHLY JOLKNAL,
UCVOTKD UCU'Slfttf TO IUK I •• I'UOVKMf JT Os
■ s ' l -
lUaatrated with l! Bng.-avtoga
ONE DOLLAR A VI AH IN ADVANCE.
DANIEL LIE If. Di. IM'O. ItEDMOSD. EDITOR*.
The ifteenth Volume will commence in
January, 1857.
ThkCultivator « ww .flirty tv.opagefi,
form tog a volume of3el [■>/ m'■ ." r ; 11 !
•
j
all ll-
VALUABLE ORIGIN \ l. OONI KIl-t TIOF.M
from many of tbe mo»i >i * i , ' * ■* •>
Fanners, and HorticiiltariAlfi m over}' a*:« t.‘»n o! me rtout.i
and Houthwest.
TERMSs
Oki. Copt, I year tl J i-'oCOPiLB, l year v+u
811 Copies i “ o | 100 “ 1 -
THE Cash firsTCM will to* rigidly acuered to, and in
no Instance will the paper be ► * ’ • *H' uinney ac
companies the order. The Bills oi <*ll *;• ■> :• pay-iw
Banka recolved at par Ail tmr.ivy nr,, ' d by mau,
wtage paid, wili be at the n- i “•* i'ah.: -her*.
A«l vertto«*T»irt»fN
Inserted at Ons. DolJ.a it j nr -r >•" of ' \ lino*
each inaortiou ; one *<jua: -x»« * U! 1* ■ DOLLAR.
Address W.H, K. AutfOHtu, **/V,
Cp Persons who will a-1 a 1 :nt *° ' \ n *Sub
aanbera, will be furnished with tin* , ■ ■ ftt ’ rat,,iJ^
' 'FOil SAI-L.
~FCR SALE,
THE unde. ng-.- •' 1 *fatc.
i offer*at privHt' naj", ail ,r r : 1..'- i ’»'• 1. *.
the town of Warren ton \« . • *' • 1 '’-“h
of a Dwelling House, and h■■ * l • >o r
Land. Also, hi* Carriage Mioj. and Lot. J < -.U M.i. hin/*.
Lumber, and all hla stock, together wHU ail bin fixiiahcd
au'l undmahed work.
From tiftoen to twenty thousand vvortb .1
work can eaflUy be dl» of, at good prlcou, at tbl
•stand,’in twelve mouthH
Persons wishing to purchiui are rc- q octfully luvilotl
call and eramine for them -\%.
Poaaoeaion will be given at any time, to ft .the
chaser. GLOUGE L BOW 1J Est.
Warren ton, Oa. June 5, l /*'•"»' •. J«7 wtf
TOR SALL.
INOWofferfor ealnmycnu • Li .rU ~ ,r IV'
. 28 or 30 IB I
county, Ala , lying on the Chattnho »• •> i, • ontaiu
lug 24UU acres . 1200 u» a ( * u:o ! n u: h
good repair. A good Water Gin a ‘ Ferry . »• •
Cbattahoorhee rlv**r. The alu vowl l < t<.r - /•? an.
Uaie untß sold aadpo& 'fdslou uivf ii. T *tiu t, m » pur
chaser*. [Jan2l ts ) MAT I*l LV- AVI.’- ■ T T
TO MEN Or TASTE At: ) GAF T/ ,
rp ms subscriber, wishing to r< ir* vo to Southw Viu
X Ooorgla, proposes to well bis jila <• u!arCa\« Spring.
u Vann’s Vhi -v Floyd
acres, n
- moetly of soil and surface not tn v m;x , » " Jat vi -
•leared and under good till? • r i-, the . <-rally
well timbered. It bu-- -‘-v v.-t! 1 •• ot 1 > • L.e.«-
atone water, two c . : • watc i
power without dam i.iy ' •li clecte »
varieties, especially ■ . and « • . .til
us Brlok Dwelling, ►u.-v Iby lines* n y, m.u
within a mile of the
advantages All who have exannn > ii * >~<
eur In the opinion that this phu sentb
of boanty, fertility, convent -* mi-1 •• •* ■ v
extent sebloin. tferei eqn
cubs audaeeforyoitrselvc .au.lt .:. i. u . • .. t-.<-.-ulr-i<
and resources of the place can hardly fail to-utlsfy you
that It Is a N<*. I >o .•
f the market. For terms, apply •o i . . remi
W. D COWDREY.
Cave Spring, July 10. IKV* ■ IT w-ts
POWELTON MILLS FOR S LL.
AS the undersigned Ib l- i t• • ■ • r s i?! wes
tern Georgia, be now ..Ret I . MILLS ami LAND
for sale. The Mills are etuat< ’ -ill o, •* h- River,
one ami a half miles from Powclton, on the ronfl to Cam
■ntng aud Washington—the h: i p.e dug daily—h is four
nets of runners, two wheat and two . mi. L • t lonr
Mil has Just been completed anew. The com cu torn
will emceed that of any two mills on the river, and tho
wheat custom wdl equal any <in T *■! •i • "» situ
atedas to remain In It ami see the Saw and Uret Mills in
operation.
The Land lies in Hancock county, along the O-ci .-hr.
river and Powel’a ere. k. The Land « i. . 7. I n. r.
tuore or less, and will equal any U*.ud in the county in
producing corn, whoat, cotton or other grains Those
wishing to buy, will call Aud sec for (■< u .dv* *. Th<
place Is health v and hs an excellent Well of w.'.ter In
the yard .In fact, no plantation Letter fumi* ;• d with
good Springs of water COLL MI3L K L BHIVEHS.
myflfi
Q-ooclm Foi'WaU'ded Free of C . t «,o 1
AUGUSTA AND SAVANNAH RAILROAD.
ATTENTION i» called to thin 1L ad n a 1-u aus of
communication with the Seaboard and thence with
Northern Porta. There arc now four FIRST CLASS
STEAMSHIPS aud SULuu . >f Fa > Sj : . . VesaeU.
runuiuk withrsguJarUyand dispatch, botwi ' New York
and Savannah ; also a Steamship Lino IV«> a Philadel
phia, an« l SailiuK Vessels from l liat port, Ualtia.ore and
Boston, mak'ng tbs communication Lmw.-eu the North
ern cities and Savannah an reliable for CERTAINTY
AND SPEED, as that to any other Southern IVvt.
This Road cau expect only the be. •'•a • of Augusta,the
Towns and Counties along the line of the C . < r.;ia Rail
road, and those Oountios lying to the N*n ;h of that Hoad.
Other Roads have a larger field of operation;; that, cannot
be neglected merely to secure ao limited r trade as
that to which wo must alone g o *1! o-.:r time ; and
no competitor will bo allowed, by t‘ * r attoutlou, to
deprive ns of It, for it l« our full d< < nuluation c«>udt ct
tt with that fidelity, dtapatoh and < > ep . v hi-b is sure
ultimately to gain a*d r a it
As regard* Rates, they e!».%1I be r > low h 3 by s;y other
Road andlnordor to rivl .ee all cl .> t * a Minimum
rate, contracts for Drayage have air.vii/ t- n entered
Into at Savannah, ami no one <
lug and Forwarding ha • i icr i v-rent than that ol
teeing that ALL CIIARQI 1 are at t ran**.
Hr By Railroad a ■»* ft u* •,uartcr < t one per
cent can ho made lu the humane l ••■..ween Northern
Ports and Augu da.
All Good* FORWARDED FLLF ■ COMMIS
SIONS They should be marked “In c«-o»u thoC.H.K
Agent," Savannah.
Published by order of tin Hoard
FRANCIS T. WILLIS, Fu Ideut
July 1,1854. jr->6
SSO REV/ABD.
R ANA WAY from the sub... ibir on Sa:u;.»ay, t»>e
. Y7thnlt, a Negro Man by ti.enameof TDM Said
Soy calls hlinaelf Tom Join?-, C b f a w a
bright mulatto, stout »nJ heavy ba " *i thing near lro
pounds When spoken toroplie-quukly. baa a , .-u- ou
one leg can»essrort a cut b> an ad* I oureal y works
at the carpenter 1 * trade, lie is no doubt trying to : ake
hie way either to Wilmington, N C.,»u )m»m ng, V. .
as be has lived In each ot those plac» I o above re
ward will be given t> r the appr*.cu- - nr. id-'.very «»t
said Negro at Any e t the Jails ot the » 'uinry
JDHN C WILLIS,
Now Market, M nr. e county. Ga.
January Ist, 1557. iatni w ts
$26 REWARD.
I WILL pay the above sir • Lr-ito- ,!.:•• . n r.. !
lodgment In Jail of my boy I! RHY <>uld bo
be taken at a Nfetaac* from A :,: •'!'
taking him chooae to bring him h< •• 1 v .1! pay n r.l
- the SVS. all tbo nects-arv , Aye. - i i "g
hl» delivery Harry (Martlu'Da r. * ib k Ayr, and
plaeterer, about3oyears->f a ..bi o ! ■: i tpN *
and weight probably Pv 1. -t t '
oountry worxl-g on his own a... ' without any au
thority Hd doubtless has a false t t L c ins a
wife at Mr. Greiners naai *' ■ s.-‘ r• a’ at
Got. Schley's Fact ry. 1 h.v. ;of 1-- in
Burke. Jefferson and Wash'::, , <“t over
n Carolina AU persons are hi
employingeaid boy, or a*iy oi nr. • . w!:h
out permission from me or my A* u\
mygg-wtf JOHN H KITTEN. Angi. '. v Ga.
S3O REWARD.
RANAWAY, fn.tn the .•nb*or 1 r ~n I\:t
nain county, near Morrill, in Am.-ust tuv Negrc
Man FRANK *He Uabout v • ye.v - d. flv ft .•? ten ;n
ehes high, of medium sue. hiu* a *hg . ped.r ::t in bis
speech, and ha* lost the sight of on.* « y.- lit- wi ■ rais.-d
In Virginia, and has been in Oe.-rg a t t‘- yes:s
The above reward will be paid for l i< d » y :
or to anv tail so that 1 cau gett .u
bM»-wtf JOHN A HARRIS
The Southern Recorder w i pahli -k . k u :.d f. r
ward account to this office for p.i> .. .. t %
S2O REWARD.
IWILL pey
and delivery to me, or the lodg. iul in auv -ato jat.
In Georgia or South Carolina » . '.at 1 cau get i... .t‘ a
Negro Mannaxueil WILLIAM He as* h :
Maker; is crippled tn hl> r• v; ::i leg . -..hi.,. •t 4or e
inches lugh . stammers in udkiug *. ofo.irk . .x. 'n;
eau read and write, aul may have a ; .-•> w t
writing His father lives in Orangeburg. .. : . *h.v
at Shell Bluff 1 purchased him fro > »A 1! Lorn
back. JOHN FM 1 i N
aule wtf Rav <v Mil
4,877.000 FEET OF LUMBER.
THIS le to certify that the Athens >• tupany
built for nsa CIRCULAR SAW MILL, ; winch
we have sawed four million eight hundred ai d seventy
•evan thousand feet of Lum‘vr, ’ ar.l i la 18
months, or about ten thousand feet per day. W e rea’.'y
•awed from eleven to twelve thousand fee* pt r day, t r
we suppose the Mill has been standi iu the above
time, two mouths, for want of h<■ and oeck nal re
pairs, Ac Your improvement* work tine, an-1 we ad- J
vise their use on a .your Mills
Your*, respectfully, WaPX 'T A Rr akp
77 Mile Post, C. R R . Feb y : i-
We think It unnecessary to s \ r-rt • We wk.
build the same CIRCULAR s V\V Mil i v •
tx» one piece.> with H id H»> . --.r * Far
Gearing, to order . together wth st r. !AulNV..\ .
BOILERS. Finished SHAFT!.'. V V and V
MACHINERY. PI MPB. Ac Ir u 1 T cam
INGS, ofeverv de»crip*H>n : c • l V, A, fix
IBHING and REPAIRING ; y v W,
warrant all our work t»ur F ;r . * a: s MILL
PATTERNS, with FENCING, BALCONY FANCY
RAILING, Ac., are the a *ct.v u.s ''- yea
For sale low, one s;x H>r . ENGINE . .. Twelve
Home second hand ENGINE
Address REi BEN NICKERSON A.
Athens Steam Company, Athens, Ga
oet3l-w6zn
GREENSBORO' HOTEL.
THE INDKUSH.NED ha* ; . . . House
A formerly kept as a Hotel by Mr < ..itv rd in ke cen
tre of Griensboro’. direct iv op; * H
and conveu.ent to the Radlrt s 1 D. jh** Usvirw fit:, dit
up with new Furniture, he will spare m edor- -
terlng to the eemfbvte 1 1
the patronage of his friends and t
The House will be open for the rocct 1 . son the
first day of January
11*® 9 * wl( B. H. wn.SON.
AUGUSTA WORKS, AUGUSTA. OA f ~
ri’HE rXDEßSir.NEli.htvmj , . . , T .
1 MulT» MAUHIKE BHORS. r.jrNl.iiv ,-AR
SHOP, With all the machinery attache dto 1 ~. . tere
tofore belonging to the Company known a*;>ae • Aivcusta
Maohine Works,'are prepared to cxe< • r -ers
for CARTINGS, MILL GEARING. GIN GEARING
MINING MACHINERY'. STEAM ENGINES and
BOILERS. SAW MILLS, compete . SHAFTING and
PULLEYS, RAILROAD CARS and IRONS STEAM
BOAT MACHINERY', andevuy d r-;.r of w vrk
■anally made bt first-eias* Mac hine Shop- of I-on. Br -
or Wood. Orders for work, i
most be accompanied with cash o. 4 , -t of .r- per cent
on the supposed value of the w.rk odßertni. r.n . ... re
mainderpaid on delivery of the w r’. A Idr« - . let
tors on business to L. HOPKik > a i'O
PROPRIETORS:
Hwir H OrMstisfl, | Geo. W. Si mmer?,
w m D’AimosAC, I Rooert Y. Harris,
ep3o-dAw6m Lamhrth Hopdks
PRACTICE OF SURGERY
DR. JUKI AH HAhdiSS is prepared to tccou
modate with and Nursing, such patients a*
m%y be directed to him for Surgical operations or treat
mtov Masters may be assured that their Servants will
five every neooewry attention my7-w ly
Weekly chronicle & sentinel.
|(Ckoniflf & Sentinel.
I u
Arrival of !h«*
Americana.
Tbe mail* by the A rabia are received. The China
news and commercial intelligence, below, ia all that
is <<f importance, in addition to the nummary by
Grlat Britai.v. —Queen Victoria’s accouche
ment woe expected to take place in March.
Redpath, the ex-Secretary r of the Northern Eng
L-, R. U Company, who swindled hi* employer*
o : of nearly a million of dollar*, wae convicted
bv the jury after an absence of five minutes. Hi*
alleged accomplice Kent, was acquitted. Red
pa? . waa immediately eentenced to transportation
7 he return* show that one hundred and fifty ve*
were driven'aahore, and eighty totally wrecked
with many other* damaged, during the late fright-’
fulgale on the coaet* of the United Kingdom, in
volving a large loos of life.
A terrific hurricane devastated the Phillipine le
la:.d*, on the 27th October. All the suburb* of Ma
nila and the neighboring village* were reduced to
heaps of ruin*. The number of house* destroyed at
! hat. place alone was above three thousand five Lun
dr< ; Official returns ehow that more than ten
t iMusand houses were destroyed within a circuit of
ah ut eight league* around Manilla. Six foreign
vcr-seli were also driven ashore.
China. —We Lave received, say* the London
Tim*« of January 17, the China Mail Extra, dated
Hong Kong. November 24, being nine days’ later
inte- --ence than that received by the last mail. We
extract the following :
* The most etii ring of events have been an insane
attack by the Imperialists on boat* from the United
State* ship* of war, and the well merited punish
ment which followed the firing on them.
“ The Burier Fort*, being entirely demolished,
the American* intended to retire from the quarrel.it
h said, and aw ait tbe issue of Admiral Seymour’*
demonstration before again operating. The French
.have al o withdrawn their men-of war’s men from
tii factories, and, report ha* it, have taken posses
'■•Ou of the Liptat Fort* on one of the branches of
the river. These they intend holding pending the
argument of noine matter* which they, too, have to
present to the government of China, the recent
cruel toiture and murder of the missionary Chap
delaine having ye: to be explained, the authority
qualified to receive the explanation—M. de Mon
tq uy— now on his way here from Cochin China.
Disappointed in the hope of bringing the Canton
Government to a proper sense of duty by the harsh
measures reported in our last summary, Admiral
Seymour now relies, apparently, and with reason,
oii coercion by the people. With this, or some such
view, his Excellency is intrenching the foreign quar
ter, ha* has hud captured junks tilled with the re
mains of demolished forts, and is sinking them into
those part* of the river where danger from fire rafts
ha* t<* be apprehended—booming olf those tracks
which it may be found nucessnry to open on an
early occasion. Every native boat that approaches
the factories is fired on, though few, since the Niger
ha* been guardship, have had the temerity to come
wit Lin reach of her unsparing sharpshooters.
“A covered way from the British factory to the
south-west corner ot the city wail is in contempla
ti n too, it i* *o reported, bo rendering the next at
tu'k on the city a work of comparative ease and
safety. In place of the withdrawn French and
American guards, some companies of Her Majesty’s
52th Regiment have been sent hence, though but
lew are required, 100 English bayonets properly dis
pof ed, being sufficient to keep at bay as many Chi
nese as ciu be brought against them on the land
aide; aud it would be quite possible for Admiral
Seymour, even with the force at present under his
control, to trac possession of and to hold securely
all tho quarter of the new city extending west from
the Governor General’s official residence, and north
Up to the wall of the old city, distant but a few
yards from the extremity of the building spoken of.
Details of tiik Capture of the Barrier
Forts by the Americans. —“ The future plau of
operatu os having been agreed upon by the three
commend rs, early on Friday morning the Cum-fa
towed t : c Levant into a position much nearer the
f««it-3, the Barrier stakes alone preventing further
pi .gre b. The boats of both ships were then man
ned with a storming party, and the capture of the
i ort at the entrance of Fidler’s Reach resolved on.
Atß a. m., the little Cum-fa (under the able direc
tion of Volunteer Capt. W. M.Robinet) with the
launchers and cutters in tow, started for the fort
under (over of the Levant’s guns, and in the face
of a galling tire from the ttiree forts. The shot
whistl' d and roared over and around her, but she
escaped without injury and returned to the ships
u '.scathed, after having been exposed to a sharp tire
for upwards-of an hour, amid the hearty cheers and
congratulations of all hands. But not so with the
It sat a. A large 8 inch shot struck the San Jacinto’s
!- . in cldhge of First Lieutenant Lewis of that
sh'*p, on the starboard bow, killing one man instant
ly, mortally wounding two others, who died shortly
iit-rwards, and wounding two or three Slightly.—
The shot was a hollow one, and after striking the
bread bag in the stem of the boat, quietly reposed
there and remains a captive to the boat’s company.
Toe landing was effected without further trouble,
and, although the men hud to cross a deep ditch to
tin r knees, and some to their wostebands, the stars
and stripes were upon the fort iu ten minutes.—
l’lie landing party reached the fort with but one man
injuied by a rocket from the retreating Chinese.
“The party entered the fort at about-9 o’clock, and
the work of destruction commenced. The buildings
were all set lire and to destroyed, powder and shot
thrown into the river, and everything that could be
burnt was desroyed. ssu< h guns as could be burst
were sent Into fragments; those that could not were
spiked, trunnions blown off, and so defaced as to
bn made useless. This fort mounted lliguns, none
as high as 10 catties.—
Two of them were beautiful brass guns, which the
lauding party turned upon the opposite forts with
much effect, to which ti e Chinese replied with vigor,
but wit'u ut loss to the American side. The work
of demolition occupied till past noon, when it be
came necessary to take measures for further pro
ceedings, aud the capture of the Inland, or Round
Port, was then determined upon. Through the sole
udv ice of a gentleman volunteer present, well skill
ed in Chinese warfare and local information, a plan
was decided upon, and at about 3 P. M. the troop*
sailed out of the western gate, aud 2 under cover of
the raised bund or road along the river’s side maroh
t il up to a point opposite to the southern door of the
Roiiud Fort and in the line of the Square Fort,
while tin- boats were being tracked up along the
shore. While here, waiting for the boats to come
up, some Chinese soldiers made a sally from behind
the bill at the I.*ob Creek Pagoda, and discharged
volleys of arrows and rockets, but with no effect.—
They were speedily driven back by the marines
and the Portsmouth’s how itzer, and made good
their retreat to Honam island. By this time the
bouts had arrived at the embarcation, seeing which
the Chinese troops in the Round Fort, knowing that
it was all up with them, speedily took to their heels,
and the forces landed w ithout opposition at 4 P. M.
“ Thus three of the four forts were captured with
the Ups of five killed and five wounded, on boat and
ashore duty, and two wounded on board the ships.
The Levant suffered but little, two shots in her hull,
one through into her berth deck, main stay shot
away, and one 3*J pouuder materially injured by a
round shot striking the muzzle of the gun and split
ting it to the muzzle ring. One man lost the calf of
his leg by a cannon ball. This hist fort contained
.18 guns, some of which were of enormous calibre,
and the approach from Whampoa was defended by
n veritable leviathan gun, made of brass or copper,
j 8 iuelu sin the bore and ‘J4 feet in length, its con
struction showing marks of being of recent casting
(within a few years,) and upon an improved model.
It would well repay one to visit it, and it is to be
hoped th -.t the victors will use every effort to bear
away such a magnificent pr ze. Every thing ap
perl Mining to this fort was destroyed as far as prac
ticable but the work was not accomplished; there
tvinaintd one mote tortiticationto be captured and
the Chinese c ould be *een rein orciug it with pow
der aud shot during the day. and showing every de
termination to maintain a vigorous resistance.
“T lie command era immediately determined upon
their plau of operations, and by 12 o'clock at night
the Fuller's Reai h Fort was vacated, the total force
quietly bivouacking iu the Island Fort. About mid
night the moon arose, and although Chinese soldiers
might be seen hurrying to aud from the Square Fort,
not six hundred yards opposite, at four A. M. cm Sat
urday morning all hands were called, after a few
hours* repose on the cold granite floors of the fort
and the separate divisions were ordered quietly into
th - r respective boats. All preparations were made
for the attack by the dawn of day ; three howitzers,
with theii crews and ammunition, were stationed in
t’ e pc»rts on tho northern side commanding the Square
Fort, an at 5h 45m. the boats pushed ofl.
As they opened out from the fort the order was
given t«* tire, and, under cover the three howitzers,
which kept up a withering fire of sharpnel upon the
opposite fort into its centre, through the port holes,
aud upon the retreating troops, the boats touched
t;.c shore after having beeu exposed to the raking
fire of ehdit guns, loaded with round shot and grape,
and 15 minutes from the embarcation, the flowery
ting was upon the ramparts of their last stronghold.
Although ft was a perfect shower of grape, over,
about aud around them, the boats escaped without
injury or a man wounded.
The Bland Fort kept up a fire upon the retreating
Cek inis until they were out of reach; and, al
th *uc \\ they rallied once or twice, and honored the
v'u b . w ith a shower of rockets, the advance how
l'.zei's drove them back several miles undercover of
the villages iu the eastern suburbs of Canton.
The r« ft of the day was occupied iu the destruc
tion of the two last captur d forts, audit is to be
hoped that ere the ships withdrew they will raze
•lu mto the ground. They were defended by guns
•>t enormous calibre—say fromß to 11 iuch. and the
labor of destroying them iu earnest cannot be well
conceived. They were—
Guns.
Barrier Fort 38
Fuller's Reach Fort 48
Island Fort 38
Square Fort 41
Grand total 165
which are either totally destroyed, or rendered un
fit for service. The fortifications were injured by
the ship's fire, and the loss of 165 guns and the de
?truction of his most important defences, mud
teach His Majesty’s Hon. Member of the Privy
Council, Mr. Ycli Ming Chin, a lesson in foreign di
plomacy he will not soon forget.
“ Ail the officers as well as men vied with each
other in acts of daring, and too much praise cannot
be b >lowed upon the gallant Commauders Foote,
Hi 1! mid Smith, for thuir courageous determinated!.
ou Lieuts Lewis, Watmaugn, Gurthrop, Daven
port. English, Carter and Simpson tor the gallant
manner in which they led their separate divisions
into action-, on Masters Adams, Shepard, and Lt.
Belknap, for tueir very able performances on that
Tiv..-M*>al instrument called a howitzer, which sound
- i the death knell to many a foe ; on Capt. Simms
audios gallant corps of Marines who. were ever
ready t o mete out to the foe his deserts, aud to pre
serve the Lou : ot that flag untarnished ; and lastly,
• n ihe remaining defenders of the ships, who did
their part and were eager for the fray.
Correspondence of the S. Y. Daily Times.
The Bombardinsst of Canion-Th* American
Operations.
Canton. Ort.3rt. 1856.—The United States sloop
oi war Portsmouth, Commander Andrew U. Foote,
had been ordered to Whampoa a few days previous
to the commencement of these difficulties, in con
sequeuce of a rumor that the rebels were descend
irg upon Canto. . and in order to protect American
interests during their expected invasion, at 3 o'-
clock on the morning of Weonesday the 22d, Cap
?am Foote received a note from our Consul. Mr.
Perry, stating that the English were preparing to
attack the city. Accordingly, he fitted out an ex
pedltion immediately, and proceeded in command
of the force, some seventy-five strong, including
seamen and marines, to Carton, in order that
Americans might be protected in their person and
propeity.
The American Forces under Captain Foote, were
stationed with their boat howitzer, a twelve-poun
der, ai the head of the New China street, aud a file
of marines at the American Consulate. The French
( onsulato being in the immediate neighborhood of
New China street, as is also the American seat of
.egaiion. receives an incidental protection from our
forces, which is acknowledged in a very grateful
and polite note from the French Charge d' Ajatres
T ° Uommander Foote. The United States sloop-of
war Levant having come quite unexpectedly from
. BTigbai iev« the Portsmouth. Capt." Smith
immediately acceded to Capt. Foete'e request to
reinforce him here, an j arrived on Tuesday mor
t- luS i ' a of ulw'd seventy men The
accordingly abandoned the defence of New
China street ace it. vicinity entirely to our for, ea
On Tueauey, Out, «feh. Mr P.rry, the United
States Consul, received from Governor Yek a po
lite notification that up to this time he had refrained
from making any systematic resistance to the Eng
h>h, on account of his long friendship with them, but
that matter* had now come to such a pass that he
must measure strength with them, and he should ac
cordingly begin. Fl« r feared, however, that be
should be no longer able to protect tbe property of
the American*, and hoped tnatif any damage should
accidentally be done to it, he wonia hold the Eng
lish, who by their obstinacy, had occasioned these
troubles, responsible.
I regret to add that one or two American officials
were very unduly conspicuous in accompanying the
English attacking party into Canton, and I must
make special mention of our Consul from Hong
Kong, General Keenan, who was not only present
himself, but took with him one of the seamen from
the Levant, and bore with him also an American
flag, displaying it publicly within the walls, and with
the personal courage and bravery for which he is
di*tingui4hed, advancing further toward the heart
of the city than any other foreigner, narrowiy esca
ping with his life from a murderous fire which the
Chinese opened upon him. Several other Ameri
can citizens also accompanied the expedition and
joined, very improperly in the pillage of the Gover
nor’s palace. The display of our flag was so pub
lic, apparently committed us so fully against the
Chinese, that Captain Foote, very promptly and
judiciously issued the following paper, copies of
which were sent to the British and American Con
suls, and to Admiral Seymour, tu> well as to General
Keenan himself:
“The undeisigned ha* been informed that the
American flag was this day borne upon the walls
of Canton, through the breach effect u by the Brit
ish naval force*. Thi* unauthorized act is wholly
disavowed by the undersigned, in order that it may
not be .regarded as compromising in the least degree
the neutrality of the LYiited States.
The United State* naval forces are here for the
special protection of American interests; and the
display of the American flag in any other connec
tion is hereby forbidden. Andrlvv H. Footjs,
Commander United States Navy, senior officer pre
sent, commanding United States Naval Forces,
Canton.
Cantos, (China) Oct. 29, 1856.
The American residents here very generally re
gret the compromise which our neutrality has suf
fered by this very injudicious act on the part o c Gen.
Keenan, and wholly approve of Capt. Foote’s disa
vowal. Their feelings for the most part are those
of sympathy with the English, and satisfaction at
their success; but they feel that it is for us to act
entirely on the defensive. The house of Russell Sc
Co., are *aid, however, to have entered a formal
protest against all the proceedings of the Admiral
and declare that they snail hold the British Govern
ment responsible for any damage they may sustain
in consequence of the attack upon the city.
I regret to learn that during the fire of yesterday
afternoon, the house of the Rev. J. B. French, one
of our American missionaries wa* totally destroyed
with its contents, Mr. French had removed almost
nothing, liaviug been assured that his house was
out of danger. His books, manuscript* and much
property belonging to the mission were, therefore,
al 1 lost, as well a* bis hospital stores, which have been
the means of relief to many thousands of patients.
A movement is to be set on foot for hi* relief.
Canto#., Thursday, November 13.—Another cor
respondence lias been carried on between our con
sul, Mr. Perry, aud the Governor. It seems that a
week or ten days ago, the steamer Cum Fa, an
American steamer, and under the American flag at
the time, was fired into, in the most unprovoked
and outrageous manner, by a Chinese fort, while
going through the Macao passage, on ore of her
regular trips to Canton. Three shots were fired by
the fort, compelling the steamer to return down the
river and approach the city through another chan
nel. It was in reference to this insult that Mr. Per
ry addressed the Governor.
He replied very politely that he would certainly
investigate the matter, but added that it was not a
government fortj but one built by the city for pro
tection against pirates. He took occasion also to
request that the Americans would not aid the Eng
lish in the present hostilities—and* promised in reply
to Mr. Perry’s positive demand that he would ex
tend his protection to American property. He was
assured by Mr. Perry, in reply, that the Americans
would remain neutral in the contest so long a* Ame
ricans and their rights aud property were unmo
lested.
On the 11th instant, forty or fifty men from the
French .frigate Yirginie, arrived and relieved the
American guard, which had previously been sta
tioned at the American vice consulate.
The Governor General, in repeated letters to the
United States consul, lias expressed his earnest
wish that the American residents should send their
property away from the city and then leave them
selves ; and he also particularly desires that our
naval forces should be withdrawn.
The people, ho says, are wrought up to a high de
gree of indignation by the outrages of the English,
and will not be able to discriminate between them
and the Americans, between friends and foes, both
alike, therefore, may suffer from their fury. Similar
letters have, I understand, been sent to the other
foreign consuls. This certainly looks ns if the
Governor expeoted a lo*gsiege and some hot work.
Whether it is mere taTß'wi not, time will show. It
is not impossible that our merchants, seeing all
chance for the prosecution of their business, at Can
ton, at an end, may decide to withdraw ; but until
they do so, of course our forces will remain for their
protection.
In regard to the firing upon the steamer Cum Fa,
however, a much less satisfactory letter was re
ceived from the Governor, on the 10th iuat. He
says, very cooly, that the people in the Ileang-
Shang fort, which fired upon the steamer, are very
ignorant, and don’t understand the difference be
tween the American and English fhigs ; that Ame
rican vessels have rarely passed by the fort; aud
that altogether, the best way to avoid difficulties
will be for our merchant ships and men-of-war to
keep away from there in future. This very un
called-for piece of advice, on the part of the Gov
ernor, unaccompanied as it is by the expression of
any regret or apology foe the outrage,can hardly be
regarded as else than an aggravation of the first in
sult.
The United States steamer San Jacinto, Commo
dore Armstrong’s flag ship, has arrived at Wham
poa. A detachment of her seamen and marines
are expected to-morrow. She brought Dr. Parker,
our Commissioner, aud his suite, from Sbaughae.—
The whole American naval force in the East Indies
and China are now concentrated at Canton. If the
state es affairs will permit, however, the Portsmouth
is expected to leave before a great while for Shan
ghai*, touching at Amoy, Fuh-Chow and Niugpo.
The exciting events now in progress at Canton,
of course occupy public attention almost to the ex
clusion of all other news. It may be well, how
ever, to mention that the Authorities at Fuh-Chow
have satisfactorily brought to justice the murderer
of Mr. Cunningham, at that place, and that he will
shortly be executed.
The Times adds:
Private advices received in this city yesterday
from China add little to the details given by our cor
respondent. We, however, learn that an Ameri
can steamer, with a pleasure party on board, had
been fired upon by the forts of Canton.
Illinois —What Railroads will do. —TL«»
message of the Governor of Illinois represents the
State a« in a most prosperous condition, all brought
about by her extensive net of railroads. The State
debt in the last four years has been reduced from
$17,398,985t0 $12,834,141, besides paying $0,514,358
interest. The Governor is of opinion that, if the
present revenue law is continued, the entire debt
of the State is being rapidly extinguished, the rev
enue is increasing:
There cannot be a doubt now entertained that
this unusual prosperity is the result, in a very great
measure, of that liberal spirit exhibited by the State
towards the internal improvement *o necessary to
her full development. Actuated by wise and pru
dent economy, the State promptly transferred to the
Central Railroad Company a grant of land of over
two millions and a half of acres, contracting for pay
ment into the State treasury of seven per cent, of
the gross proceeds of the road for all time to come.
The wisdom of the act is seen in her already popu
lated prairies and flourishing cities where, four years
ago, there was little but a wilderness.
The State treasury is already beginning to feel its
benefits by the increase of taxable property, and by
the payment into the treasury by the Company.
In addition to its value as a local improvement,
itsievenue is a subject of such magnitude as to
command the constant supervision of the people s
representatives aud ageuts. They have paid to the
company a large consideration. The road is yet in
its infancy, anti no ouenow living can approach any
correct estimate business. It affords
a steady, saf»*, and which must an
nually increase number of years.
The lines of the compKynearly traverse the length
and breadth of the StSte. Through the agency of
the contract she has the right of access to its books
and information generally respecting its manage
ment and control. By being interested in its pro
ceeds, she has the continued right to require the
company to pursue the legitimate business for which
it was created, aud the means of detecting its devi
ations. I hazard nothing in saying that by the time
the whole lines are completed the seven per cent,
will pay the entire expense of|4*e State government.
It is among the brightest r trophiee remaining from
her struggles with adversity, that as she is about to
emerge from debt, she can relieve her people from
the last dollar of taxation, (with a revnue troni this
source sufficient to pay her annual expenses, and
have the revenues of her canal for appropriation to
such benevolent purposes as she may deem most
beneficial t»her people.
Under date of Dec. 25,1856, I am furnished by
Mr. Calhoun, assistant Treasurer of the company,
with a communication, from which w# take the fol
lowing statements:
Grant of land to the Company 2,595,000 acres.
Amount now sold 843,184 “
Unsold 1,751,816 14
Number of miles completed 704
Receipts for the Road for 1856 $*J,403,950 25
Estimated for 1857 3,200,000 00
Rolling stock of the Company—9llst
class passenger and freight engines,
1620 freight cars, and 62 passenger
cars—Coast of Road estimated at.. .25,500,000 (XI
When the whole lines shall have been completed,
and by the terms of the charter the State is enti
tied to 7 per cent, we may safely expect it to pay
into the State Treasury at least $200,000 the first
year, the second year $250,000, and in five years af
ter its completion it may be confidently relied on for
$150,000 annually. The amount received so far
from the Central Railroad is only 5 per cent, upon
the gross proceeds of the earnings of the main trunk
for eignteen months.
The limits of this communication will not permit
me to refer to the other important railroads of the
State, even by name. Four years ago there were
less than 400 miles constructed. The amount now
in operation will van' little from 3,000 miles, pene
trating and filling the country
with activfKflßf business. Most of the contem
plated rtwjmßbjL rapid progress of construction.
SoMETHisOroR thi Ladiks.—The ladies e#m
read this paragraph from the N. O. Picayune if they
like. If they do not, they can pass on to soms
thing else :
A medical journal of anthority remarks that were
the kind of gloves and shoes worn by those who
would not think themselves fashionably dressed, if
either was as easy as the natural covering of their
skin, imposed by the sentence of a judge, for infring
ing a statute law, how awfully cruel it would be
considered. Yet those who thus confine the blood
vessels, and embarrass the circulation, cannot ac
count for their headaches, paralytic shocks, palpita
tions. and other disturbances of the vital apparatus,
as have unirormly avoided all excess Were
each finger bandaged tightly down to the bone two
hours a day. what would be the probable effect up
on the general health.
A Punctliions Englishman, riding on a stage box,
in M&ine. was surprised to hear the driver familiarly
address him thus:—‘‘Captain, I guess we’ll have
rain fore long. Our EugUsh friend pulled up his
shut collar, and looked away. Shortly after the
driver made another observation, whereupon the
fentleman said. “My man, I'll thank you not to ad
reas yourself to me, and uncoD**cioußlY pulled at
his dickey again ; but the good-natured loquacity of
the dnv r was not to be so easily repressed, for
when again it had been rebuked with another pull
at the dickey, it broke out in this overwhelming
manner: “Look here, captain, if you pull your col
lar much more you'll jirk up your* shirt tail.'’ The
Englishman confesses that it was impossible for him
to maintain his habitual reserve from the instant, so
passing from one extreme to the other, he indulged
m repeated outbursts of merriment, in which the
driver heartily joined, and they parted at the jour
ney • end upon the be*t of terms
AUGUSTA, GA., WEDNESDAY MOJNING, FEBRUARY 11. 1857
From the X. Y. Herald.
Incidents of the Siege of(<ranada.
Prom a conversation with Col. Alexander Jones
we Lave gathered the following particulars and in
cidents of the fighting at Granada. The narrative
is not given in the exact words of the Gol., but it
contains the material facts. Col. Jones holds the
office of Pavmaster General in Walker * army. He
was with rfenningsen during the whole struggle and
fighting at Granada, and while reconnoitering the
position of the enemy, on the first day of the attack
oy the Costa Ricans, he received a ball in his thigh
from a minie rifle which broke his thigh bone, and
consequently incapacitated him from taking any
active part in the defence of the various positions
occupied by Gen. Henningsen’s commund.
The incidents connected with the fighting in Cen
tral America have a peculiar interest, showing as
they do the individual characterises of men, and
their idiosyncracies while suffering from wounds and
the various stages of disease. During the fighting
in the trenches and field there were men on our side
who frequently displayed the most dare devil and
reckless eourage. While the minie balls we*e fly
ing around us like hail they would stand out in an
exposed position and coolly pop off an enemy, being
at the same time a target for the shot of hundreds
of Central Americans
In the place where the sick and wounded, the
dead and dying were gathered together there were
scenes very oomico tragical—incidents most diverse
and opposed. A great many men went also mad
from the effects of opium—they lost the entire use
of their legs below the knees. They would sit there
among the corpses of the dead, and amid the moans
of the dying, acting so fantistically and droll, that it
was impossible sometimes to keep from laughing.
They were tormented by a burning, parching
quenchless thirst, like that of the Sahara under the
meridian sun. Sometimes in crawling about to get
water they would meet or obstruct one another ;
then they would attack each other and fight furi
ously, tight like madmen, which they were. At the
same time near them, or perhaps almost under them,
would lay a poor wounded man, howling from the
intensity of his pain, or prayiDg for death, while big
agony with torturing hand grappled his quivering
form. The maddened men would thus fight till sep
arated, exhausted, or one overcome the other.—
Sometimes they would chant the fragment of a rab
ble song as a funeral dirge for the dying.
There was one poor fellow beside me who had
his leg terribly shattered by a ball. I forget his
name, but we call him Anderson. A delirious man
near him kept crawling about for water, and in do
ing so, came in contact with the wounded man's
mangled limb, which of course made the latter suf
fer the most intense pain. Anderson bore it pa
tiently as long as he could, and then swore that the
next one who got on his leg should suffer for it.
Again the delirious opium eater, parched with
thrist, crawling along seeking for water, got upon
the wounded leg. Anderson raised himself up and
pitched into his tormenter, who, with the instinct of
madness, defended himself and returned the as
sault. The tight grew furious; they pelted each
other right heartily; the one assailed as fiercely as
the bloodhound does the stag when held at bay, the
other defended as savagely as the tiger when blind
with rage and mad with wounds, he rushes wild at
everything in his course. At length sense or weak
ness overcame strength and madness-, Anderson
triumphed, though, like many who battle for the
right, more injured from its defence than he would
have been by its loss; but he obtained peace at
least from one madman for the rest of that night.
I slept on a lounge or raised bed which was scarce
ly a foot above the floor, yet one night two crazy
fel ows got in contact with each other under it,
when a fight ensued there in that confined position ;
they battled it out. I had the legs of my bed cut ofT so
they could not get under any more. A burning
thirst and an instinct of self-defence seemed to be
the great characteristics of the men when madden
ed from the effects of opium. They take the opium
wheu they are attacked by cholera, to save them
from the pain and effects of that disease ; but the
drug generates a burning thirst, and if they drink
water they are sure to die. If they do not drink
water opium is a very good medicine for cholera.
There was a native Nicaraguau with us who, hav
ing been attacked with the cholera, took opium for
its cure. As usual, a consuming thirst followed;
they would not let him have any water. There was
a well near, and every day he would go out there sit
dowu and look languidly at the water. The well was
about 14 feet deep, with four feet of water in it. The
top of the well was surrounded by a wall two feet
high. Every day he would go and sit for hours
looking down into the water, until the w T ater be
came so enticing and his thirst so overpowering,
that he plunged in head first to get a drink. Help
was immediately called, and they barely succeed id
in saving him from drowning. Ilis fall did not hurt
hint inucn. He got one good drink and died.
The death of Owen Duffy, editor of the Nicara
guense, took place under very peculiar circum
stances. lie was left with Gen. Henningsen’s com
mand at Granada, and did good service in the field
as well as iu the chair. During the siege he was
seized with cholera—there was no medicine to be
found in the place, till at length they obtained some
opium. Six pills were made of opium, containing a
grain each ; and given him, with the direction that
he should take one pill every hour, to destroy the
effects of the cholera. Fearful of the disease from
which he was suffering, he took the six pills at one
dose. The immediate effects of it were to put him
into a deep narcotic sleep. He lay there as if iu a
trance all night and nearly all the next day, the
poisonous weed having benumbed every faculty of
his mind and body. In the latter part of the next
day they attempted to wake him up ; they took him
out to the well, and poured cold water over his
head and all over his body; they rubbed him, shook
him, and hallooed at him, till they succeeded in
waking him up sufficiently for him to understand
what they were doing and what was going on im
mediately around him. We kept him in this state
a short time. 1 talked to him and tried to interest
him. He was sleepy all the time, would fall
into a half doze and nod his head, then rouse him
self.
Thus he continued his efforts for a little while to
keep awake and then fell into a deep benumbing
sleep. During the succeeding night Le lay partly
asleep and partly awake. He had set down against
the wall and had fallen into a very uncomfortable
position, the opium had so exhausted his physical
powers that he had not sufficient strength to raise
himself. All uigLt long he sat there in that position,
slowly, slowly, sorrowfully, patiently breathing out
“Won’t some gentleman put me in a more com
fortable position ?”—“Won’t some gentleman put
me in a more comfortable position?’’ It was thrill
ing to hear him as he lay there all night long pite
ously repeating these words, and not be able to help
him, anil know that no one there could. Mr. Duffy
must, have had come opium about him, for next
day he was up and appeared cuite smart. The vis
medicatrix natxra alone could not have wrought
such a change. That day he entered the trenches,
and fought furiously. He was captain of the volun
teer forces. He died standing iu the trenches, his
rifle in his hand.
But few good men are attacked by the cholera
The most ot the men who have suffered and died in
Nicaragua were the scum of low groggeiies—men
who were used up and broken down before they
went there. If healthy young men, of good nabits,
go there and live correctly, there is no danger of
their dying. But no man can eat fruit, ripe _or
green, and then drink liquor on it, without killing
himself immediately. If you put a pine-apple into
a vessel of brandy, the apple will swell up to four
times its size, and turn black as a coal, for fermen
tation instantly takes place when the liquor and ap
pi® come in contact. It is just so when the pine
apple and brandy are put into the stomach. I knew
a young man who came from California —stout,
healthy and hardy, he lived there without the least
symptoms of disease, the climate agreed with him;
but one day he said to me—
“l guess I will eat a pine apple, I see they have
fine ones here.”
He went out and bought a fine large one, pealed
and eat it, feeling thirsty he went out and drank
some brandy; six hours after he was dead. lie
was attacked with the cholera, when that disease
was not about at all. It was not the Asiatic chol
era, it was more like a terrible and severe diarhtea.
There is so much acid in the fruit there, where it
grows rank beneath a tropical sun, that it is dan
gerous to eat a large quantity of it, but jt is mag
nificent fruit when fully ripe. The natives never
begin to eat it till this month, they say it is not
healthy before.
There is no place in the world healthier, or that
has a finer climate than parte of Nicaragua, but of
course where vegetation grows so rank, and the wa
ter overflows the land there is constant decomposi
tion fatal alike to man and beast. The swamps,
low lands and river banks, are generally visited at
the peril of one’s life.
Col. Jones brought us half a bushel of lemons as
a specimen of the fruit of Nicaragua. They were
certainly the most beautiful and largest samples of
that fruit that we have seen in New York for many
a year.
Outrageous Conduct of Brazilian Officials
Toward an American Whaler. —We are indeb
ted to Captain Samuel S. Sparrow, of the bark
Cambridge, now below this port from Pernambuco,
for the following account of the treatment of a New
Bedford whale ship. The captain reports that on
the 18th of Decemoer, Capt. Barton Kicketson ar
rived at Pernambuco in a Brazilian vessel with the
officers and crew of ship Canada, whaler, of New Bed
ford, and reported thaton the27th November, in the
evening, his ship struck on a reef nine miles from
shore and about forty or sixty miles north of Cape
St. Roque. Immediately got out kedges and pro
ceeded to haul the vessel out through the channel
by which she came in; got her afloat, having start
ed the water and lightened her somewhat, and lost
only the false keel. No one from the vessel was al
lowed by the captain to go ashore, nor were any
signals made for assistance, none being required.
On the fourth day a Brazilian officer with soldiers,
came on board, and ordered the captain to stop
heaving on the windlass, (tie crew were still en
gaged kedging the vessel out.) On his refusing to
do so, they fixed bayonets and drove the men from
the windlass. The Captain then told the officer he
should abandon the vessel to him, unless he was al
lowed to proceed in his duty, and essayed once
more to man the windlass, but was again prevented
by the soldiers. He then called all hands aft,
and in their presence abandoned the vessel to the
officer, and told him he should hold his government
responsible. The Brazilians having got possession,
slacked away the hawser and let the ship run again
on to the rocks, (up to this time the ship had made
no water to speak of,) where she pounded all night,
ana in the morning had five feet of water in her
hold. Captain Kicketson thinking i hat the officer
having had an opportunity to sleep on the matter.
D fight repent of his rashness of the day before, again
called all hands, and in their presence offered to
take the vessel again, (although much damaged,
with five feet of water in her hold,) provided the
soldiers would leave; but the officer peremptorily
refused, ana Captain R., then made his final aban
donment, reserving the private property of himself
and crew. He went on shore, and thence to Per
nambuco, laid his case before the United States
Consul there, protesting, &c. The Canada had on
board, besines her outfit. 75 barrels sperm oil. taken
on the line.— Botton Journal, Jan. 29.
. Awful Thoughts. —“ This had from the very be
ginning of their acquaintance induced in her that
awe which is the most delicious feeling a wife can
have towards her husband.** “Awe!" said I, on
hearing the above remark—“awe of a man whose
whiskers you have trimmed, whose hair you have
cut, whose cravats you have ‘put into tue wash
whose boots and shoes you have kicked into the
cioeet, whose dressing gown you have worn while
combing your hair ; who has been down into the
kitchen with you at eleven o’clock at night to hunt
for a chicken bone ; who has hooked your dresses,
unlaced your boots, fastened your "bracelets and
tied on you bonnet; who has stood before your
looking glass, with thumb and finger on his probos
cis. scraping his chin; whom you have buttered,
and sugared, and toasted, and tea-ed ; whom you
have asleep with his mouth wide open! Ridi
culous! ’ — Fanny Fern.
The Mcrderof Dr. Burdill.— The investiga
tion into the late shocking and mysterious muraer
of Dr. Harvey Burdeil, at his own room, No. 31
Bond street, was resumed yesterday by Coroner
Connery, assisted by District Attorney Hall.—
Tcere was a large attendance of the friends of the
deceased, and the inquest was conducted at the
bouse. There was no testimony elicited that would
tend to show positively who committed the murder
The suspicions against Mrs. Burdeil and Exckel,
were strengthened by the discovery of certain sto
len papers belonging to Dr. Burdeil. being found in
the secretary of the latter, in his bedroom, on the
premises. The papers consisted of a lease of the
house, an agreement between the Doctor and Mrs.
Cunningham that she should witharaw two suite
which she had against him, on some other matter of
less importance. Evidence in regard to them will
be five® to day .—AT. T . Cow. £ Enq. Feb I.
Simonfon’s Explanation
To the Editors of the American :
Washington, Jan. 24,1857.— Am0ng . penal
ties which every man must brave who seel: ‘rom
motives ever so pure, to contribute somethin . to
wards the reform of a public abuse—is that oi
ing understood and consequently misrepresente .
not only bv the designing enemies thus aroused in
to activity, but by those who honestly fall into error
in consequence of the inccinpletenesd of the facts
before them. I did not hope to escape this danger
when I struck a blow, somewhat afifrandom, and in
the dark.it may be—at the corrupting influences
which I believed in common with yourselves and
every other well posted citizen, were poisoning the
fountains of National legislation. Nor can I expect
to follow up, meet and rectify'--much of the error of
this character by which I know I must suffer. I
have just read, however, yourably drawn article on
my ease, published in the American of yesterday;
and I feel that I may confidently appeal to you not
only as friends, but as men, to allow me to correct
some misapprehensions of fact, resuiting from the
limited information now before the public, upon
which you have based some reflective suggestions
which 1 would have had no occasion to controvert
were you possessed of the exact slate of the case.
Admitting for argument sake, that your article is
entirely just provided I am “keeping confidence
with a criminal’’ ora felon,l think I can ehow that
1 am obnoxious’to no such charge. I suffer serious
injustice from the partial aud incomplete statement
ot the Committee of Investigation with respect to
my testimony. I declared to them Unequivocally
and without hesitation, that I had no personal
knowledge of corruption , and that I bad never pro
fessed to have any. To place myself beyond suspi
cion, I invited the Committed to question rue, in ev
ery variety of form, toasdertain whether 1 had any
improper connection with any measure pending be
lorc Congress. I leave that testimony to speak
my vindication when it shall suit the Inquisition to
make it public. I was also most positive in my
statement under oath that I had never attempted to
procure any member of Congress any interest in
any pending measure. True, I admit under the se
cret inquisitorial rack of five lawyers, that members
of Congress had approached me * with the desire to
know whether they could not, through me, obtaiu
pecuniary interests in such measures. But it must
be remembered that this admission was made, not
for the public eye. At that hour I was responding
under a full knowledge of my legal rights as they
then existed: and I knew' that the Commiitee-room
statements of circumstances which had excited my
own suspicions in'part, aud w'hich had quickened
my individual opinion that many other trivial cir
cumstances afforded evidence of the existence and
influence of corruption—not being legal testimony,
could never properly be given to the public.
My right to thus suppose was amply vindicated in
the course of the investigation by the committee it
self; and thus, I protested against being called up
on to give my opinions in testimony. I urged its
injustice—the danger that it might cast suspicion
upon individuals without sufficient cause, and the
impropriety of forcing me to disclose the convic
tions of my own judgment when I had not, and
could not have, the means of planting the same
convictions in the breasts of others. In answer to
all this, the committee assured me that what was
not legal testimony refecting upon others , would not
be made public , but be stricken out. Now I ask any
clear-headed man if this state of facts does not re
lieve me of the charge of having published a state
ment making it necessary that I should go further,
and violate a confidence not criminal in itself. It is
the committee who’made the publication, and, as I
maintain, under circumstances which, when the
hour of passion is past, will not bo reviewed by
themselves with honorable satisfaction. I declined
to publish the fact that certain members had atone
time been tempted by their own wants to obtain
money as a result of legislation which they might
favor; but the committee, disregarding all their
existing rules of evidence, blazoned it to the world.
Let the public judgment decide whether their acts
differ in degree ot infamy from that of the legal
counsellor, who abuses the confidential communica
tions of his client, to denounce him to the world. I
rfepeat it—it is the com mittee who have violated their
promise to conceal something which they admitted
to be their duty to conceal, and have thu3 brought
discredit upon the House, if any there be in the
statement they obtained from me.
Again : had I not been answering under the rules
of evidence at that time universally recognized by
the Judiciary of every constitutional government, I
should have been far more careful in my statements
with regard to the 'propositions referred to. But,
looking upon those articles as of no earthly value
except to aid the Committee in framing new ques
tions for my consideration , I may not have been as
precise in the phraseology of my answers as I should
have been had the act then stood upon the statute
book, which was passed by the Senate yesterday—
an act striking down my common law rights and
immunities as a witness, if not my constitutional
guarantees as a citizen.
Hut there ia another error to be noted just here,
which is radical. Remember iny distinct disavowal
of all knowledge of corruption, or of eveu having
professed to have other basis for my strictures than
moral conviction, which, no man has a right to ques
tion. And even admitting that I could nnswer, and
give the names, and corroborate the statement, it
would afford no proof of guilt. An “ attempt at
bribery” is tangible; but an “ attempt at corrup
tion” is an absurdity; Jt is an impossibility. If I
could testify an attempt to bribe a member of Con
gress, that would be worth something; but the idea
of convicting a member of corruption by showing
that at soma time or other he was ready to be cor
rupted, is preposterous. It is an immutable princi
ple of law that a man must be held guiltless of a
crime until it is consummated. The law presumes
even in the case of the incendiary who is discovered
approaching a pile of combustibles which he has
placed in contact with a domicile, that ere he has
lit the conflagration the blazing torcli will fall from
his repentant hand ; and unless he actually applies
the flame he cannot be held to answer for the arson.
An intent to commit an act cannot, by itself, be
made a crime; the positive act and the intent must
go together, to constitute a crime. So, the man
who was tempted to open himself to bribery a year
ago, must to-day be held innocent unless it can be
shown that he took the bribe; —and of that I have
no knowledge, direct, indirect, or to be inferred.—
And yet I am called upon to convict a man of the
perpetration of crime, because some time ago he
was tempted to think of that which might give the
impression that he intended its perpetration. God
have mercy on us all, if the temptation to sin con
victs us of guilt! I have no felon in my confldence!
I have only the confidence of a fellow mortal who
once seemed to be a subject of temptation,—but
who never fell, so far as 1 am aware.
I am but human, and possibly I err in these con
clusions. If so, I orr honestly, and perhaps with
eccentricity. lam open to reason and to conviction.
If upon maturer deliberation I come to the- conclu
sion that I can answer the questions of f he Commit
tee under the solemnity of an oath—and now that the
answer may be a legal one under the extraordinary
aetjuat passed—l will do so cheerfully. But unless
it accords with convictions which conserve my self
respect, much as I esteem the Press, appreciate its
power, and regard its denunciations, I must brave
them all. I have no martyr's ambition, yet I prefer
any fate to self-conviction of dishonor.
Respectfully, James W. Simonton.
House blows up by Gas. —Great excitement was
occasioned yesterday morning, in the vicinity of the
Grand Tunc Works, by a loud explosion. The ut
most anxiety for some time prevailed, as to the ex
tent and nature of the catastrophe, which every
one in that neighborhood felt assured had taken
place. It appears that Mr. David Gorman, a garde
ner, occupied a house oh Front street, immediate
ly opposite the works. Owing to the severity of the
weather, the gas pipe, which was laid immediately
under the dram leading from the house, had burst,
and the escape gas filled his cellar, which had been
made air tight for the purpose of securing vegeta
bles and other provisions. At 8 o’clock in the morn
ing, Mr. Gorman, with a light in his hand, opened
the trap-door into the cellar. Immediately the es
caped gas ignited, and a fearful explosion took
place. Mr. Gorman was violently thrown back and
his face burned very severely. The house was
blown to atoms, and the terrible effects of the ex
plosion may be judged of from the fact, that Mr.
Gorman’s daughter, a girl of some 18 years, who
was sitting in an upper room, was thrown to a con
siderable height, and then falling into the cellar,
sustained severe injury.
The family, consisting of ten persons, have all
suffered more or less severely. Mr. Gorman’s
mother, a lady of some seventy winters, received a
very severe cut on the head, and all the other mem
bers of the family have been seriously burned.
Their escape from instant death is quite miraculous.
The very bed posts, the chairs, in fact all the furni
ture in the house, was split asunder. Dr. Cotter
was at once sent for, and paid unremitting atten
tion to the sufferers. Messrs. Goodeiham &. Worta
whose establishment is near the scene of the catas
trophe, exerted themselves on behalf of the unfor
tunate family; and the directors of the gas compa
ny humanely contributed to their relief. Every re
quisite comfort that the doctor suggested was at
once procured. The injuries sustained by Gorman
were so serious, that his immediate removal to the
hospital was deemed advisable. The other mem
bers of the family have escaped with comparatively
slight wounds, and it is hoped, will soon be in a fan
way of recovery.— Toronto Globe of the 20 th ult.
Fatal Shooting Affair at Philadelphia.—
We take from the Petersburg (Va.) Express , the
following account of a most unfortunate affair that
recently took place in Philadelphia, between two
medical students from this State. It appears to
have been copied from a Philadelphia paper:
Fatal and Singular Shooting Affair at Phila
delpkia— On Saturday evening the Coroner held an
inquest on the body of a young man, a medical stu
dent, named William B" Simmons, who died on
Thursday last from the effects of a pistol shot in the
arm, inflicted by a fellow student, named T. B.
Bryan. It seems the deceased*and the person who
inflicted the wound, were personal friends. Both
resided in Monroe county, near Macon, Georgia,
and were students in the Jefferson Medical College.
It seems that on Saturday, the 3rd inst., Bryan, who
had been indulging to excess in liquor, shot Sim
mons in the arm with a small pistol while in their
room at their boarding house. The shooting took
place at three o’clock in the afternoon, and the same
night Bryan took the train for the South, on his re
turn home. The wound, though only a flesh wound,
brought about erysipelas ; which resul.ed in death
on Thursday. Yet the waiter was not allowed to
transpire until Friday last. The circumstances
were ihua detailed by a witness:
While the deceased was sittng in our room with
mvself, Mr. T. B. Biyan came in and went to his
trunk and got out his pistols. Bryan then took his
seat in front of both of us, with the pistols in his
hand. We asked him to put up his pistols. He
said he would not—be would do as he pleased with
them. He was knocking one pistol against the
other, and this burst the cap, and the pistol went off,
lodging <i ball in the leflarm of the deceased. Mr!
Simmons exclaimed he Was shot. Mr. Bryan went
up to him and said he was sorry for it—he did it ac
cidentally. Mr. Simmons said he knew that—but
he ought to have put his pistols up when asked. I
took Mr. Simmons to bed and sent for a doctor.
Singular Case of Marriage. —A correspondent
of the Abingdon Virginian, writing from Marion,
Smythe. county, Va., relates a singular case of mar
riage. He says:
“We Lave within half a mile of this place, an
individual who has remained in one position (flat of
his back) for It* years, or more. His joints are as stiff
as though be had never had any; he can move his
head slightly, can move his hands a little, is unable
to eat a single mouthful, unless put into his mouth
by another person; Is fat, very hearty and cheerful;
and within the last two years had married a good
looking and h arty girl, and is raising a family of
children. The clergyman who married this man,
said he had some scruples about it until he had a long
conversation with both the parties. He saw they
were bent on being married. The young lady stood
by the bed of the groom (she could no t ake his
hand for he could not reach it out) and they were
made one
A Mr sterious Affair. —On Thursday evening
a member of the Legislature representing the city
of New York invited a couple of female friends to
take a sleigh ride. They accordingly accepted the
invitation, and he accordingly called for them at
their residence. bat betore starting up the Troy road
he stopped at his hotel for an overcoat. While up
stairs, a man jumped into the sleigh with the ladies
ana said that Mr. R. was detained for a short time,
and desired him to drive the horses round the block.
The unsophisticated iadies did not realize that any
thing was wrong until they found the driver Lead
ing up Broadway, when one of them jumped out.—
The other, however, remained, and nothing had
been heard of the sleigh, driver, or lady last even
ing. The member of Assembly is in a state of great
tribulation, and the affair has created much excite
ment. — Albany Knickerbocker, Jan. 34.
Later from Nonth Florida.
The U. S. transport steamship Sawanee, from
Tampa via Pensacola, arrived at New Orleans on
the 27th Jan., bringing dates from the South of Flor
ida to the 17th ult. The following of news are
trom the lampa Peninsular:
Capt. E. T, Kendrick’s company of mounted voi
der* trae mustered into the United States eetvice
b/ Major x. Page, on Wednesday, tbe 14th
inst.
Com ny 1, 4th Artillery, aie to be removed
from h o Brooke to Alafia.
Several npanies ure on scouting duty in the
Big Cypress
Ihe voluute t ompanies are all under orders to
commence scorn duty immediately.
Harney l» this place yesterday morning,
with Capt. Sparkma company as an escort, to
visit the Istapogooouu Ue is sanguine that In
dians are in that section. tn. H. goes out for the
threefold purpose of end- ug to catch ‘ Billy ”
of inspecting the troops at th erent stations, and
of stationing others at points he may deem ad
vantageous. lie will probably r Fort Capron
aud Fort Dallas before he returns.
Indian signs were discovered in , . dance, on
Horse Creek, last week.
The N. O. Picayune has also the followia letter
trom a correspondent at Tampa :
Tampa, Fa., Jan. 23, 1857.—Tampa is a city ho is
ting fifteen hundred inhabitants, aud is situated up
on the left bank of the Hillsborough river, near its
junction with Tampa Bay. We have one church, a
courthou'e, (the only respactabie looking building
in the town ;) two saw mills, ten retail stores, two
oyster saloons, two billiard saloons, one licensed
grocery, and a large gang offioafers who between
drinks discuss Walker aud Ind.an war progress
in this State. When old “bald face’’ is scarce or
high, they take to the lee-side of a piie of lumber
and smoke nigger- head and wonder how much
Congress will give them for their war. They esti
mate Billy Bowlegs at a higher rate than Jeemea
Buchanan, and of more importance to Florida than
either Mallory or Yulee. Oub pair of moccasius
constitute their entire stock in trade (with a fall
back upon the position of Government teamster.)
For a reasonable compensation they will contract
to manufacture Indian signs in any locality, and
force the United States to muster into service any
given number of volunteers and aid the circulation
of Samuel’s eagles. They regulate the currency
and the balance of trade.
A smart gentlemanly little fellow (who hails from
the Hooeier Stale) edits and publishes the only
newspaper in the place, and lealiy contrives on
Hayti potatoes ana garden truck to issue a very
creditaole and reap ctabie paper. The crackers say
he is some in a bar fight, or a break down, and
comes to time at every call.
The war is progressing, aud has been, as you are
aware, since 1835, Gen. Harney in command. He
has established a line of posts lrom this place to Ju
piter, on the Atlantio—called into service ten com
panies of mounted volunteers—hoisted the white
n-ig to negotiate—Billy respectfully declines—white
flag down and the troops in. It’s nip and tuck.—
Jest now Billy is on top, and last cackled some
w here near Smyrna, on his old stamping ground.
Doubled on the first quarter—good tactics, that!
Do you believe the war will end this w inter 7 Two
or three millions of pap per annum is all that sus
tains East Florida ; take it away and the country
would be in undisturbed possession of the alliga
tors in less than six months. Invalid.
Late and Important from Tampico.
The New Orleans Picayune, of January 30th,
contains the following interesting intelligence,
copied from a letter of a merchant of Tampico,
dated 16th January :
The state of affairs in this district is daily becom
ing more alarming, as to the security of life and
property. Under date of the sth inst., our Cousul,
Franklin Chase, Esq., received a letter from Eulo
gio Gautico Valdomar, the present Governor, in
which that functionary alluded to the acts of the
former Governor, whom he stated to be on the road
trom the city of Vittoi ia, with an armed force, for
the occupation of this garrison, and that he had
offered the deluded troops who followed him six
hour’s pillage if they achieve a triumph over Tam
pico.
A portion of Garza’s troops are now within seven
or eight miles from this garrison, and we are with
out the protection of a vessel of war. I understand
that the revenue cutter of your port has been asked
for by our Consul, and I trust that your worthy
Collector will have it in his power to furnish us
with that aid.
On the 6th inst., a battle was fought by the troops
of this garrison against an armed force encamped in
the Pueblo Viego (old town.) which continued
about seventeen hours, in which many lives were
lost, and almost every house pillaged!
The war now waged between the revolutionary
parties seems to be a war of dissolution, and the
property of foreigners appears to be the first object
to stimulate them to action.
On the Ist inst., Col. Hen an, acting under orders
of the revolutionary chiefs of San Louis Potosi, en
tered the house of Geo. P. Chabot, Esq., 11. B. M.
Consular, Agent, and by force of arms, he seized
and carried away two hundred and forty thousand
dollars, belonging to the merchants of this city,
which had been deposited there for safe keeping.
Such are our present prospects, and if we are not
speedily aided with the protect ion of an armed torce
from the United States, we may look forward to a
still more gloomy one.
The Tampico Boletin, of the 14th, gives the loss of
the Government troops in the engagement ot the
9th, already alluded to above, as eight killed and
thirty-one wounded. Col. Pedro Uirojosa comman
ded the Government forces. The insurgents, which
were commanded by Capt. Morena, lisa to abandon
the field, leaving, besides their killed and wounded
sixty prisoners, two small field pieces, two hundred
muskets and other property in the hands of the Go
vernment troops. This is the Government account
of the action, and seems to be a little exaggerated.
Startling Fraud and Disclosure.
The Evansville Journal publishes the following
startling intelligence:
We learn with regret that a moat embarrassing
disclosure was made at the meeting of the Hender
son and Nashville Railroad Company on the 15th
inst., that threatens to embarrass and interrupt the
progress of the road. At a meeting it was divulg
ed, for the first time, that nearly $600,000 of the
bonds of the company had been misapplied by the
company’s agent in London. The bonds were is
sued three years ago, and carried by the then Presi
dent of the company to London for negotiation.—
Not succeeding to his wishes at that time, they were
left in the hands of an agent, the brother of the Chief
Engineer of the road, to be negotiated, under the
direction, and on such terms as should first be ap
proved by the company, for iron of the road. It ap
pears this agent, in gross violation of his trust, used
a part of the bonds in the purchase of a steamship,
or some other vessel, for the avowed purpose of
freighting the iron that should be bought for the
company. This vessel he chartered to go to the Cri
mea, and she was lostou the voyage, and as it would
appear, without insurance. YVhen called to an ac
count, healledged the vessel was the company's,
and the loss theirs. What amount of the bonds
were used in this transaction is not. known; or what
has become of the balance of them, has not been
discovered, as no satisfactory accouut can be ob
tained from him of their disposition. The corres
pondence with him has been very unsatisfactory.
Theste facts had not been made public before,
from a hope that by negotiations the bonds might be
recovered ; and from a conviction that a disclosure
would rather defeat than aid in their recovery. The
Directors have, too, been beguiled by repeated
pledges and promises of a satisfactory adjustment,
both from the agent through his brother, the chief
engineer of the road. These promises so often vio
lated, it is now believed, have been made to de
lude the company, and to procrastinate settlement.
A committee of Stockholders have been appointed
to visit Lot don, and to take proper measures to re
cover the bonds and prosecute the agent. The work
on the road will be suspended until the return of the
committee and a full knowledge of the situation of
the bonds is obtained. Many of the leading stock
holders counselled an entire repudiation of the
bonds—others deemed it advisable to wait and
learn their present condition before taking any defi
nite steps.
From the N. Y. Evening Post of Thursday.
The Filibuster Movements.
The wharf at the Morgan Iron Works, foot of
Ninth street, was crowded this morning with about
five hundred spectators, standing out in the snow
storm to see ofi'the steamer Tennessee, with all the
“emigrants” for Walker's army in Nicaragua, whose
sailing was postponed yesterday on account of the
interference ot goveflfrnent, officers. The warlike
munitions placed on board yesterday were undis
turbed, ana the presence of no United States officer
graced the scene.
At 11 o'clock, the hour appointed forsailing, steam
was up, and soon after the wheels were in motion,
but the steamer had not left her wars at half-past
twelve o'clock, being delayed to wait for letters.—
Meanwhile the passengers on board, and their friends
on the wharf, amused themselves as best they could.
Facetious announcements were now and then made,
to the effect that “Forty tons of gunpowder have
just arrived on a wheelbarrow,” “Eight hundred and
fifty more recruits are marching down Ninth street,”
&o.
One or two drunken fights were improvised on
the wharf, occasioning unusual alertness on the part
of two policemen on the lookout for pickpockets,
and cheers were volunteered occasionally when an
“emigrant” walking up the gang-plank, would suf
fer a bit of the yellow facing of his uniform to peep
from uuder his shawl: God humor prevailed all
around, and as our reporter met a man with a bun
dle of letters as he was leaving the wharf, it is to be
presumed that by this time (two o’clock P. M.) the
Tennessee is plowing her way in the direction of the
Narrows.
The number of actual recruits is said to be aCout
200, well armed and equipped.
It was expected that an examination of some of
tbe parties arrested yesterday, for violation ofthe
neutrality laws, would take place to day, but the
District Attorney, McKeon,was not ready to go on
his witnesses not being onband. Mr. McKeon takes
the ground that Mr. Lawrence, of the St. Charles
Hotel, is not entitled to an examination, inasmuch
as he has given bail to appear before the District
Court, and thereby waived such right. Mr. Thom
as Francis Meagher and Mr. Campbell appear as
their counsel.
Col. Faben knd Henry Bolton are to be brought
before Commissioner Morton on Saturday, at twelve
o’clock. They are defended by Mr. Blakeman. No
day has yet been fixed for the examination of the
other parties. *
The witnesses in these cases who were required
to give SSOO bail, procured satisfactory securities
late yesterday afternoon, and were accordingly dis
charged by Commissioner Stillwell, on condition of
appearingon Tuesday, the 2d of February.
Ct'BAft Affairs.—An American sailor, named
Cbauncey, having been convicted, with an asso
ciate, of participation in the slave trade, and sent
to the Isle of Pines, conspired there with his fel ow
prisoners, and the soldiers 0 f to kill the
officers and authorities, sei s e the steamer Cuba, and
with bar flee to the United St ates. The time fixed
tor the execution of the plot was the moment when
the steamer Cuba should arrive at her wharf. It
was just upon the brink of achievement, when a
sergeant of the guard, who was concerned in the
conspiracy, informed the co mmandante of the im
pending danger, whereupon measures were taken
which frusirated it, nd fed to the arrest of the prin
cipal plotters, who, to the number of sixteen, had,
at last dates, arrived at Havana, on board the
Spanish war steamer, El Congreso. The scene of
this conspiracy was Gerona, a small town in the
Isle of Pines.
Important Decision in Relation to Usury.—
An important principle has been decided by Judge
Roosevelt, in the Supreme Court of New York. A
draft drawn at Chicago on New York, was dis
counted at Chicago at 10 per cent, interest, that be
ing tbe legal rate in Illinois. The acceptor con
tended that, as his contract was made in New Y'ork,
the iaw of that State restricting the rate of interest
to 7 per cent,governed, and rendered the acceptance
void, for usury. The court held otherwl-.e, and
that the law of New York only applied to the
rate of interest, which the acceptor should pay by
way of damages, after default. Two of the associ
ate judges of the district concurred in the decision.
Heap in a Bag. —About nine o’clock, on Thurs
day night, Thomas Hana, a young man about 17
years ot age, residing at No. 50 Downing street,
New York, was passing the corner of Eighteenth
street and Irving Place, when two men, who were
concealed in the cellar of a new building, rushed
upon him, drew a bag over his head, and hauled him
into the cellar. In an instant his pockets were torn
out and rifled of their contents, and he was left
stonnsd, lying upon his back The rassats led.
CHINESE .SUGAR CANE.
Report of Dr. Robert Batten , Practical Chemist ,
and Graduate of the Philadelphia College of
Pharmacy.
D. Redmond, Esq., Editor of the Southern Cul
ttyator, Augusta, Gel— Dear Sir: 1 cheerfully com
ply with your request for information on the subject
ot my observations and experiments upon tbe Chi
nese Sugar Cane as a syrup-producing plant.
My attention was first called to the subject by the
seed which you were kind enough to send me in the
Spring ot 1855. I planted them aud raised—say 15
to 20 canes that year—from which I extracted a
small quantity ofjuice for aualysis. This juice, as
you are already aware, yielded, dining the winter,
sugar and syrup, samples of which I sent to you for
inspection. Impressed as I was with the probable
importance of this plant to the agriculturists of the
South. I did not deem it prudent to speak hastily of
its merits—waiting, rather, until a repetition of
these experiments upon a larger scale should fully
establish the opinions I had entertained of it.
The present year, I have cultivated a few more
canes for my experiments, and upon the farm of
Richard Peters, Esq., Gordon couutv, Ga., I have
witnessed the growth of the cane by the acre, and the
production of the syrup by barrels. I have in the
meantime, read attentively the opinions of Gov.
Hammond, of South Carolina, and others in differ
ent sections of the Union, who have grown the plant
and experimented with it, as also the valuable paper
of M. Vilmorin, of France, who has given the sub
ject much study and investigation. So that calmly
viewing all the facts which I have been able to col
lect, I no longer enterta u a doubt that this plaut is
worthy of the attention and study of the far
mers and planters of the South.
It the opinions 1 shall express, should seem to
some too w’ild and extravagant, I trust they will re
ceive them as the honest aud candid sentimen’s of
one who has carefully examined the subject, aud be
led to investigate and experiment for themselves.—
Should I thus be enabled to arouse the attention of
Southern farmers to tho importance of tins plant,
my object will have been accomplished, and my
labor well exp ?uded.
The Chinese Sugar Cane seems to adapt itself to
all the vicissitudes of our varied climate and soil,
with a facility unsurpassed by corn or wheat. In
Cherokee Georgia, it flourishes in a high degree of
perfection upon soils high and low, rich aud com
laratively poor, producing heavy crops of stalk,
leaf and seed. The *• experiments of Mr. Peters
(which are already published iu many of our agricul
tural papers) present an example ot most successful
culture. I have found it to grow with me, in all re
spects, as vigorously as corn, with precisely similar
treatment. In Alleghany county, Maryland, a cor
respondent writes for tho May number of the
‘American Fanner” : —“I think it well adapted
even to our mountainous country, and promises to
be more valuable than any other article we can
grow for proveuder. I believe it will produce six
or eight tons of dried provender to the acre.” The
present writer has met many intelligent and enter
prising fanners of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vir
ginia, New Jersey aud New York, in attendance at
the late National Fair at Philadelphia. Many of
them had witnessed its growth in their respective
States with entire success. One gentleman of New
Jersey had grown a half acre of the cane this sea
eon. It has been successfully grown in Illinois
also, and one gallon of the juice is said to have
yielded, by boiliug, a quart of syrup of good quali
ty. There is every reason to conclude that the
cane may be successfully grown in all part* of our
oouutry.
Culture. —While the seed remains in the hands
of the few, and commands a price too high to per
mit a waste, it should be planted for one season with
good distance, that the seed crop as well as the cane
may attain their highest state of development. I
would recommend that the rows should be three or
even four feet apart, aud a distance of, say two feet,
given in the row, dropping one or two seed in a
place. Let the ground be well cultivated, as for
corn, and the shoots or suckers which spring up from
the root, be all permitted to grow. A small portion
of the crop should be reserved for seed, and permit
ted to stand untill fully matured aud dry. It would
be well to limit the canes in the seed patch to one.
By all means permit no Broom-corn , Dourah-corn ,
or other plants of the same family, to grow near
your Cane. It readily intermixes with these varie
ties, and effectually rums your seed for the produc
tion of syrup. For the same reason, great care
should be observed in procuring reliable seed, as
well as in keeping them so.
After the first season, when a lull supply of seed
shall have been secured, a better-paying syrup-crop
may be grown, by closer planting. The space be
tween the rows may well be narrowed down to three
feet, and the seed put in, say two or three every
six inches. When well up, the stoutest and heal
thiest plants should alone he allowed to stand. The
cane, when very young, presents so much the ap
learance of grass, that an advantage may perhaps
)e gained,-by dropping some other seed with the
cane that the latter may be more readily distin
guished. This, of course, should bo drawn out with
the superfluent cane plants. When of sufficient
size, the plants should be suckered down to one
cane lor each root. In other respects, the success
ful grower of corn will not be at a loss iu the culti
vation of this plant. I have found a suitable time
for planting to be immediately after the corn crop,
although excellent results have been obtained by
planting as late as the 15th of May, in Cherokee
Georgia. It will doubtless be desirable to make
several successive plantings that they may mature
gradually, and so give more time for harvesting the
crop. The laud, in my opinion, should be prepared
iu all respects as for corn.
Harvesting. —When the stalk shall have attain
ed its full size, and the seed have passed from the
dough stage to a harder texture, the cane may be
considered sufficiently mature. Or if the crop be
large, and a deficiency of hands be apprehended,
the cone may be cut earlier, and the cuttings con
tinued from time to time as needed for the press.
The fodder should bo pulled as for corn ; another
set of hands cutting off £ to 2 feet of the top with
the seed, while others cut the cane at the ground
aud throw it into piles, from whence it is hauled to
the press.
Prior to the harvesting, a set of proper rollers
and kettles should be provided and well set up,
ready for service. The mill made use of by Mr.
P*ters, and which was gotten up under his direc
tion for the purpose, is, in my opinion, of very un
exceptionable quality for a small apparatus, and
works admirably. It is of a suitable size for a small
crop, and no farmer Rhould undertake to supply its
place by wooden rollers for a crop of even two
acres. The loss of juice will more than counterbal
ance the difference in expense. It is worked by
two mules. Three kettles of from 60 to 100 gallons
capacity, will be required to keep pace fully with
the mill. It is desirable that these should be broad
aud shallow, that they may present a large evapo
rating surface, and substantially set in brick for se
curity and convenience. They should not be dis
tant from the press, aud if upon ground lower than
the latter, an advantage is gained in naming the
expressed juice directly into them, and thus saving
the labor of transfer.
Pressing. —The canes, located conveniently at
hand, are one by one doubled in the middle and
foiced between the rollers, which are kept in as
close proximity as the sfrength of the mill and the
power of the mules will warrant. An active hand
will feed the mill easily, if the canes be placed with
in hie reach. A boy is required to drive, and if the
mill be well constructed to throw off the bagass from
behind, nothing more is required except uu occa
sional removal of the latter by a pitchfork to keep
it out of the w ay of the mules.
Bjiling Down.— One of the first things done in
commencing operations should be to start the fire
uuder tbe kettles, that they may be well warmed by
the time the juice is ready for them. The fires
should be so arranged that they may be under good
control, to be forced or withdrawn as occasion may
require. When the juice is placed in the boiler, the
fire should be gradually increased to a simmering
heat, (not to active boiling) and maintained at this
temperature until a thick green scum rises to the
surface and forms into puffs, seeming ready to
crack. This scum when fully formed should be re
moved clean from the surface. The heat may now
be raised to boiling and kept in an active state of
ebulition until the bulk is reduced one-half. The
fire may now be removed from one kettle and Its
contents be transferred to the other, when the heat
must be gradually moderated as the syrup becomes
more concentrated, to avoid the danger of scorch
ing, which injures the color and flavor. Should more
dirty green scum rise to the surface after the first
skimmiifg, it should be likewise removed.
In regard to the precise degree of concentration
to which the syrup should be brought, it is exceed
ingly difficult to lay down any precise and simple
rule which shall meet every case. The plan for de
termining it, in use on the sugar plantations, and
which was adopted by Gov. Hammond and Mr.
Peters, is based upon the judgment of the eye in re
spect to the consistence of the syrup when poured
from the ladle and cooled as it drops from its edge.
This test is evidently very defective, since the tem
perature of the atmosphere regulates the consist
ence which the syrup must assume on cooling down
—so that a syrup boiled on a cold day will necessa
rily be thin and watery as the weather moderates,
and a syrup finished at night will differ materially
from that of the noon day. Although a good ap
proximation it is not exact enough for the tyro—to
secure a desirable uniformity in tbe consistence and
value ofthe product, or to obviate the danger of
fermentation and los3. To remedy this uncertainty
and secure a uniform result at all times, I have con
structed a simple iustrument which determines rea
dily and with certainty the precise moment when
the syrup should be removed from the fire and
transferred to the barrels. For the convenience of
those who may desire this aid, I shall prepare a num
ber of them during the season, which may be fur
nished by mail. With such a guide to the unititia
ted, there are certainly few more simple operations
upon the farm than the manufacture of syrup from
this cane.
It is a prevalent opinion that lime should always
be added to thejuice as soon as it is pressed out,
and the idea has been advanced that it could not be
clarified without lime. This is undoubtedly a mis
take ; the juice alone, under my hands, clarifies it
self more readily without lime than with it. The
latter answers no useful purpose,so far as the syrup
is concerned, save to neutralize the free acid (phos
phoric) which exists naturally in the cane. Lime
darkens the color, and, to my taste, detracts from
the peculiar grateful flavor of the syrup. Many
would, perhaps, object to the slight'acidity. To
such 1 would say, use the lime, but use it sparingly.
To prepare it for use, take a half-peck of lime, slake
it in a bucket of water, gradually added, stir up
well and strain the milk through a cloth ; let it settle
for half a day, pour off the water and dry the pow
der. Ofthe latter you may use from a half tea
spoonful to two teaspoonsful for every five gallons
juice after the scum has been removed.
The Bcum is used in tbe West Indies for the
manufacture of Rum, the details of which are en
tirely too elaborate to be introduced here. It may
be also advantageously disposed of as food lor
hogs. The quantity of saccharine mattei left in the
bagass. renders it a nutritious food for stock. This
refuse, by leaching water through it, yields a sac
charine solution which may be fermented into beer
or v.uegar, and may be distilled into whiskey or al
cohol- It may be also advantageously used to
cover tbe cut canes in hot weather, when it may
be desired to have a large quantity kept at the mill
for days and weeks before being all used. The con
stant evaporation of the juice in the bagass keeps
the cane beneath at a tern perature so low as to pre
vent fermentation, as well a t thedrying ofthe cane.
It will also serve to shield it from tbe frost. A sug
gestion has been made to convert the ligneous fibre
into paper. It certainly is a better material for this
purpose than much that is now employed. It is,
however, an object of minor importance with the
■Southern planter as_yet.
As a manure, the bagass is evidently a most valu
able article, for its large amount of phosphoric acid,
added to tbe decomposing vegetable and the other
mineral matters which it contains, while the remain
ing portions of saccharine juice readily induce a f> r
mentation which ends in putrifaetion, and leaves
the mass in a fit state for tbe nourishment of plaßts.
The large quantities of mineral mattei, and partieu
larly the phosphoric acid, which the cane in its
growth must remove from the soil, necessarily im
ply that it will be an exhausting crop, since these
materials certainly cannot be furnished by the at
mosphere. This evil may in greatpart be removed
by carefully returning to the soil again the refuse
in the form of manure. If other fertilizers be need
ed to repair the waste, Mexican phospbatic guanos,
which are now offered at low prices, would doubt
less be advantageous.
! In the experiments made by me during tbe win
-1 ter of 1855, aud also at the farm of Mr Peters, in
Gordon county, in September last, I was forcibly
struck with the better quality of thejuice grown in
our section of country, as compared with that ex
perimented up: n by Mons. Viimorin, whose paper
will be found translated in the back numbers for
the present year of the “Working Fanner.” He
gives the density of his “sap” at 1,050 to 1,075,
while that examined by myself was uniformly
VOL. LXX.—NEW SERIES VOL. XXL NO. 6.
found to be 1,085 with but little variation, amt in
every case some small corrections for temperature
which would increase the specific gravity slightly!
The average density given by various observers in
the \\ est Indies ofjuice from the several varieties
of Sugar Cane grown in these colonics, is about 9°
Beautne, corresponding to a specific gravity of 1,004
—less considerably than mine. From this fact,
however, it is not to be inferred that the juice of our
cane abounds more largely in saccharine matter
than that of the West Indies, for such is probably
not the faot—for the former is kuowu to contain a
larger proportion of salts and vegetable matters
than the latter. It argues only the remarkable
adaptation of the Chinese Cane to our climate and
soil.
M. V ilmorin obtained from this ‘’sap” of the den
sities named, from 1,050 to 1,075 on the
Uth Oct. 1851 10:04 per cent, saccharine matter.
28th Nov. “ 13:08 “ “ “
“ “ (2dtrial).. 14:06 “ «
14th “ 1854 16:00 “ “ “
Os the latter 11:75 were uncrystalizable, and but
4:25 ot the eryatalizable variety.
M. Avequin obtained from the juice of this caue,
grown I presume in Louisiana.
Saccharine matter 153
Salts and organic matter 10
W atei 83s
Cane juice employed 1000
I have not been able to comparfe these experi
ment* with similar results obtained here. I pro-
P°\f R .° during the coming season.
M. \ ilmorin estimates the per oentage by weight
ofjuice obtained by him at 50 to 60 parts iu the 100
oi caue employed, and remarks that even 7(‘ per
cent, can be easily obtained by proper machinery.
Mr. 1 eters obtained from his mill an average of 50
per cent, aud juice could be readily wrung from the
bagass by hand. Thirty canes were sorted out and
weighed by myself, aud after grinding gave the fol
lowing results:
Thirty canes weighed 52 pounds, 14 ounce?
Juice collected “ 26 “ 1 “
Bagass “ 26 “ 7 “
Juice lost iu mill, say 6 “
Ihe juice actually extracted weighed precisely
one-half that of the caue used. Two pounds of the
bag ass was weighed and carefully dried, aud gave
12 ounces, showing a loss of one pound and four
ounces of water, which represents 21 7-10 mees of
juice—s » that tho quantity of juice ien ing be
hind in the bagaes may be put down at II pounds,
15 ounces. The result now stands—
Juice collected 26 pounds, 1 ounce, or 49:30 per cent.
“ lost in mill 6 “ ?() “
“ “ bagass 17 pounds 15 “ 34:05 “
Woody fibre.. 8 “ 8 “ 15:05 “
Cane used... .52 pounds, 1 bounces, 100 percent.
In other words we have 84| per cent, of juice and
15£ per cent of woody fibre. From t hese figures it
would seem that 70 per cent, of juice ought to bo
easily obtainable by proper machinery, and it be
comes more apparent when we take into considera
tion the soft compressible texture of this cane, as
compared to that ot the West Indies.
Mr. Peters states the yield of his best $ acre in
syrup at 58$ gallons—that of the poorest |at 431
gallons. Taking the average, we have as the yield
of the entire acre, 407 gallons, assuming the yield ot
juice to correspond with the average results obtain
ed by experiment, say 50 per cent, of the entire
weight, with proper machinery, expressing 70 per
cent., we have a yield of 570 gallons per acre.
I examined carefully the specimens of syrup
boiled under the eye of Mr. Peters, and aiso by my
self. Several of these specimens were of a superior
quality, all of them surpassing my expectations in
view of the crude manner in which they were
made. There is present in all of them, to a greater
or less degree,(owing to differences in manipulation)
a peculiar tiavor, reminding one of the maple sugar,
which is very grateful to the palate, and gives it a
decided preference oyer the article which we get
under the name of New Orleans Syrup. This, so far
as I kuow, has been the uniform judgment of all
who have tasted it. These syrups give a precipi
tate of foreign matters, with the basic acetate of
lead (a delicate test) little, if at all, greater in
amount than the New Orleans syrup. The precise
nature of these precipitates remains to be ascer
tained and compared. The syrups vary considera
bly in density—those from the Chinese Cane rang
ing from 1:298 to 1:335, while that of the New Or
leaus sample was 1:321. This variation in the deu
sity is an evil which should be corrected, to produce
a good marketable syrup which shall keepwell.—
Samples of the Chinese Cane syrup have been val
ued by the intelligent dealers in the article, iu our
section, at from t»5 to 75 cts the gallon by the barrel.
Iu calculating the yield of this crop, wo must take
into consideration 1200 pounds of excellent fodder
and 25 bushels of a corn, worth as food for stock, say
two-thirds the Value of ordinary corn ; and, also,
we must estimate the very valuable crop of rat toons,
(shoots) which grow out immediately after the
cutting from the old roots, and mature with
us a very heavy crop of most valuable stock
food and seed; so that we can fairly offset
against the syrup crop in the way of expen
ses, nothing more than the labor of its manufacture,
for the forage and corn will well repay the expenses
of the culture
A full consideration of the facts which have been
passed over somewhat in detail, must make it ev
ident to the mind of every intelligent fanner, that
this plant presents at the present time a promise of
reward for its culture, unequalled by any which has
been introduced upou our soil since the introduc
tion of the cotton plant. If it shall but place the
means in the hands of every farmer and planter to
make upon his own premises, at a nominal price, all
the syrup which his family and negroes can profit
ably consume, it will have done much, yes, very
much, for the South. And yet with the large de
mand for this article for foreign account, which the
destruction of the grape vines of Europe has occa
sioned, together with the facility with which it may
profitably be converted into rum and alcohol, at
prices which must defy competition with whisky
irom corn or rye, may we not anticipate much lar
ger results? The reduction in price consequent up
ou the general cultivation of the cane throughout
the South, must materially,increase the consumption
in substituting it in great part for the expensive ba
con, for which we are now dependent upon the-
North west. While its greater cheapness will doubt
less commend it to the lower classes of Europe, as a
partial substitute at least for sugar. With this aug
mented consumption of the syrup and the immense
outlet for it iu the form of ruin and alcohol, we have
nothing to fear from overproduction for years to
come. The enlightened and enterprising portion of
Southern agriculturists who read the Cultivator,
will, I trust, reap a rich harvest, ere the market
shall have become glutted.
We have here, too, a remedy for the difficulties
long felt and acknowledged at the South, growing
out of the culture of Cotton as our sole greut staph-.
The general introduction of the Cane must, for years
to come, limit the production of cotton and greatly
enhance its price, adding a considerable increase
to the value of our exports, and counterbal
ance, in a measure at least, the shipment
of bullion from our shores, to restore the bal
ance ot trade. This change in our productions,
and the increased remuneration for labor conse
queut upon it, pre EUpposes also an enhanced value
of tbe soil which grows it, and increased price f r
negroes, the laborers who produce it, and an uu
mentation of our population. It is to do hoped
moreover that the practical working out ol this
problem may eo engage the attention of our peopi.
as to withdraw them for a time from the arena us
angry strife ami contentious disputation,and tend to
cement more closely the ties which binds us to tu is
our proseprous and "happy Union.
Robert Battet.
Rome, Georgia, October, 1856.
The Blowing up ol it rxcupoliten Wor Vessel*
An English paper, received by tbe 1n ' • con
tains the following additional and into ng par
ticulars of the blowing up of a steam war frigate in
the harbor of Naples :
“The universal panic produced by the awful oc
currence was almost incredible; consternation reign
ed everywhere, and in no places more than in the
Theatre of San Carlo and the Royal Palace. Iu the
former the confusion was indescribable, and was
vainly attempted to be quelled by his Majesty’s
brother, Prince Luigi. With the exception of the
King and Queen, most of the members of the Royal
family were present. Doors slammed, the curtains
were violently agitated, aud the lights were extin
guished by the shock. The guards on duty wished
to prohibit ail egress, but the rush from the corri
dors to the portals of exit was overpowering.
“ Arrived in the open air, a scene in many re
spects similar presented itself, as the lights in a large
portion of the city were put out, and the confusion
was heighted by horses naving in some in lances
run away withjhe carriages, and in others having
been driven off from their masters by the panic
stricken coachmen, whilst in some directions the
cry of * Fly, fly,’ was raised, and on this many of the
alarmed inhabitants rushed into the streets in their
night dresses. Within the palace such was the
force of the shock that no fewer than 3,678 panes of
glass were destroyed. The Queen, whose accouche
ment is shortly looked for, fainted. At the moment
of the explosion, the King exclaimed to an officer
who was in the act of approaching him, ‘ This is the
second draft of exenange ’e vuest un seeondo di
comhio .’
“To return more immediately to the ill-fated ship,
its victims and survivors, aud the noble and effectu
al assistance rendered by tbe (British corvette Ma
lacca. The vessel wen: down almost immediately,
and property to the amount of about a quarter of a
million of ducats has been sacrificed by her destruc
tion. Her machinery was of great value—her four
boilers, each of fifteen tons, being of copper, which
had been fitted by an English engineer. She had
also on board 1000 new Minie rifles. It is not at
present easy to ascertain wilh precisioa the actual
loss of life, as only two of the sufferers have been
found, one of whom was Capt. Masseo, who was
dreadiullymutidated, having lost his head from the
jaw upwards, and both his arms ; his remains were
interred on Monday last. He leaves a wife and two
children. Her commander, Lieut. Col. Faussce,
who had been at the theatre, fed down in something
very much resembling an apoplectic fit. The sur
vivors of ail ranks are under arrest, including the
chief engineer, an Englishman of the name of Back.
Great as has been the sacrifice of human life, it
would have been much larger but for the prompt
assistance rendered by Capt. Farquhar, the officers
and crew of the Malacca, who picked up twenty
five of «>e survivors.”
Judge J.mesß Doolittle, the republican, who
was elected io the United States Senate from Wis
consin on Friday last, is a native of New York,
where he was at olc time a zealous democratic poli
tician. In 1848, however, he supported Van Biiren
for the Presidency, and in 1850 emigrated to Wis
consin, and was soon after called to the Bench of
that State. He is a large man, of powerful voice and
an orator of much popularity.
Health in Macon. —We learn that exaggerated
reports have gone abroad in regard to the preva
lence of scarlet fever in this City. A few cases of
this dreaded disease have occurred, but we know of
no death from it, and there are, we learn, no new
cases. There was one mild case of scarlet fever
at the College, but the patient has now been up
some ten days, and there are no new cases. We
make this statement to quiet the apprehensions of
parents and guardians. Our city is remarkably
healthy. —Journal 4* Alctsenf'er.
Death of a Veteran.—William Buttrill, a na
tive of Brunswick county, Virginia, died in Butts
county, Georgia, a few days since, at the advanced
age of 94 years. He.was a soldier of the revolution,
and fought as a volunteer at the battle at Guilford
C. H., North Carolina.
A|Wandering Jew in New York.—A sensation
was created in William street, New York, on Tues
day morning, by the appearance of a man on tue
pave with a long floating beard, and dressed in Icnne
pantaloons, with a turban on his head, lie carried
m his hand a little manuscript Hebrew book, out of
which he read to the crowd that gathered around
him He represented himself as the veritable Wan
dering Jew: Nobody knows who he is or where lie
came from. A learned Jewish Rabbi was sent for
to converse with him, which they did in the Hebrew
language; and the stranger was found to be perfect
in his knowledge of that most difficult tongue. The
Ilabbi tested him in Arabic, in Phenician aud in the
Sanscrit, but soon found that the aged stranger tar
surpassed h in in intimacy with them all. The Rabbi
invited him to his house; but, said the strung* r,
“ nay, I cannot stop. The Crucified one of Cavalry
has pronounced the edic', aud I may not rest, I must
move on.” He woe last seen on Thursday, but to
where he Lae departed no one can tell.
Bia Lum? or Lake Superior Silver.— Air.
Whiting, clerk of the propeller Gen. Taylor, who
left Onronagon on the sth lost., says that a mass of
pure solid silver, weighing sixty-five pounds, had
just been taken from the Minnesota mine. At its
ourrent market value, $7 per ounce, the mass would
be worth sl,o4o.— Chicago Prett.
Another Account of tuf Americans at Can
ton.—A letter from Canton, China, to the London
Times, dated November 16, speaking of the sluiflp
taken by the Americans in the tight, gives a
more particular acoount than that heretofore pub
bailed :
P ll Saturday, the Loth inst., the first cutter of the
Luited States slop Portsmouth, containing Captain
p oote and others, tvaa proo reding from Whampoa
to C autwn, when she was fired upon by the Barrier
Forts. It was halt past 4in the afternoon when this
occurred. 1 lie American flag was in a position that
does away with ail chance of a plea of mistaking it,
while no less than two round shot were fired into the
boat by the Chinese “braves. ’
At the first discharge of grape, the boa! was turn
od for the ships, where she arrived at 6 o’clock, and
after an hour. Commodore Armstrong decided upon
taking possession of the two forts, and then advis
ing the Governor of Canton what had occurred.
The insult having been avenged, the property might
have been returned to its rightful owner, or retain
ed, according as the reply from Governor Yah
might indicate a wish for war or peace with the
Americans.
At daylight on Sunday the San Jacinto’s cutter
commenced sounding tin' river from Whampoa to
the Barrier which was accomplished after the toss of
a man from a shot while throwing the lead. At 4 P.
>l., “4 hours after the P* usmouth’s boat had been
tired into, that chip un-1 the L* vant were nearly in
posi*icii to open fire. With only water enough to
float the Pm smoii! h, she was tewed up to her berth
by the Willi musette, in llie most gallant style on
Capt. Curry’s part, who was for many minutes in
the midst of a hot fin from the forts, which had
opened long before the abip was near enough tOßuit
l'apt. Foote. Alter the steamer had beou ordered
to ‘cast oft' and take euro of herself,’ Captain Foote
dropped with the flood for five minutes till within
41° yards’ distance of the nearest, fort (the large one
at the right end of the barrier,) haviug then been
under heavy fire for sometime, -.starboard’—‘Let
go anchor’—‘Ha ul in spring’—* Fire !’ came in quick
succession, and to cut my story short the ship fired
8 ijich shells in tlio following two hours and fif
teen minutes.
All were w 11 phased at thc-r nearest neighboraud
at tee Round Fort on lie left Bmnc 1.400 yards dis
tant. At dark liri g ceased, the forts keeping it up
till fifteen minutes before the ship stopped, and giv
ing a samp!, of what is m store at the French Folly
at this time. The two forts aio said to be filled
with English gur.s and fuukmen crews, and certain
ly we have never seen anything m the way of Chi
nese gunnery before equal to them.
During tins time the Levant was aground, out of
fire and could not take pari in the action. The
Portsmouth was hulled three times, one marine mor
tally wounded, and her rigging badly cut.
After tlio tiro it was not deemed prudent to send
away boats from the ship, as the latter required
their whole crews to take care ul them iu the posi
tion they held, and having uo steam to move down
with. Oil Monday morning the Cum-fa embarked
the balance of then from Canton, for tUo purpose of
manning boats and taking possession.
Wreck of the Northern Belle.— We have
already published the full particulars of the wreck
of ttie American ship Northern Belle on the ooaat
of England, near Broadstairs, mid of the manner in
which the whole crew of the ship was rescued by a
life-boat belonging to Kiugsgale. Although ship
wrecks are common enough on that, coast, aud the
hardy boatmen have often rescued the crews of
stranded ships, yet there were iu this case circum
stances of peculiar intercut, which appear to have
awakened an unusual degree of sympathy among
the people of England Au entire boat’s crew had
been drowned in an attempt to render assistance to
the wrecked ship, when another boat put off from
shore, and, in the teeth of the howling tempest, suc
ceeded in rescuing the mariners who were clinging
to the rigging of the only mast that was left stand
iug. Contributions bail been taken up iu different
parts of the Kingdom to reward thegallaut boatmen
and our own countrymen in England had, with
characteristic sympathy, contributed handsomly
on the occasion.
But something should bo done towards rewarding
the brave men who incurred such risks to suve the
lives of our countrymen, on this side of the Atlantic.
The British Government hus al ways been prompt
to recognize in a substantial manner any service
rendered to an English ship at r>ea by one of our
own vessels, and if this is not one of the cases that
calls for reciprocal notice from our Government, it
is surely one that our commercial community may,
with great propriety, reward by a voluntary contrib
ution. If some of our shipping merchants were to
open a subscription in the Exchange, for the pur
pose of sending over a testimonial to the brave
boatmen of Broadstairs, there can be no doubt that
a sufficiently large sum might be immediately col
lected for the purpose. At this particular time,
when so much generous feelings has been exhibited
in the affair of the Resolute, such a movement
be particular appropriate. If only one-half the sum
were sent which would have been expended in the
reception of the officers of the Retribution —the ship
which was to bring buck Captain UartHteiu and his
crew—it would be abundantly 1 uge, aud be quite as
profitably appropriated as for t he purpose for which
it was originaily intended. The Chamber of Com
merce acted very promptly and appropriately in tho
case of the anticipated arrival of the Retribution ;
why can it not take the necessary steps in tho pres
ent case 7 —New York Times.
Casualty. —Private Langley of Company A.,
4th Artillery, was accidentally shot at Camp Sinead,
Manatee, Florida, on tho evening of the Bih instant,
under the following circumstances. He was par
taking of his camp fare about dusk. A loaded gun
was in the adjoining tent ; by Horne means it fell,
and in so doing, weut off; tho ball passed through
the sides of the two tents, penetrated Lungiey uu
der the right aim pit, passed out of the chest near
the breast bone, grazing his chin. Ho fell back
wards, exclaiming, “My God, I’m shot.” He was
conveyed to the Hospital tent and only said “I’m
dying,” and in half an hour was a corpse.— Tampa
Peninsula.
Seizure or Diamonds.—On Tuesday a seizure
of diamonds was made at the New York Custom
House, amounting to SIO,OOO. The discovery was
made tat the Public Stores, No. 12 Broad street,
by opening the package containing the gems at a
different end from that usually opened. The dia
monds belonged to the fir n of Keule & Brothers,
No. 26 Maiden Lane. It is supposed that this pack
age contained only a portion of the smuggled dia
monds, and an eg -i.t of the Government has been
dispatched to Philadelphia for the purpose of seeing
the balance.
South-Western Railroad Extension.— At a
public Railroad meeting 3n(Ju bbert, on th« 20th ult.,
the requisite amount of Stock was taken to secure
tho extension of the Southwestern Railroad from
Sumter City via Dawson in Terrell, and Cuthbert
in Randolph, to Eufaula, Alabama. A committee
was at the same t ime appointe dto collect aud pay
over an instalment of 33 per cento tho amount of
subscriptions to the President, ami Directors at Ma
con, by the 23th ult.— Southern Recorder.
• Self Destruction'.-- Mr. David, wife of Rev.
Jacob David, residing about fifteen miles from this
place, in Harris county, Ga , committed suicide by
throwing herself into a well nil:* ty feet deep, on
Sa: urday night. She hud been 1 'boring under occa
sional spells of mental derangement for several
years, and had often been heard to express a deter
mination to kill herself. Uu Sutuiday night she is
said to have went to bed with her husband as usual,
apparently all right. About two o’clock, Mr. David
awoke, missed her, i -ul i rwaiiing a«efficient time
for her return, he got up, oused the family, aud in
stituted search. H r cape was found by the well,
and mud on tho plank o vei t.lie Wfll, and on exami
nation her tody found at the bottom.— Columbus
Sun.
Distressing Suicide. —A letter from Jefferson,
N. o.,dated the llth ultimo, states that Miss Selina
Howell, aged thirteen, daughter of Amos Howell,
of that place, committed suicide by hanging herself
in a barn. She went cut in he usual good humor,
and being asked where she was going, said, “you
will find out some time.” Sometime elapsing be
fore her return, herparent* went out to hunt lor her,
aud found Miss 11. hung by iho neck t** a beam in
the barn, quite dead. No cause is given for this fa
tal act, committed by one so young.
Vessel in Distress — : lnt.ellige. ce w/is brought
to the c ty yesterday afternoon, that a large ship was
lying off Lynn haven, union down, and giving every
indication of being in distress. Guns were fired on
board during the day, and it is feared those on
board are in a suffering condition, or that the ship
rnav be in a sinking state. She is painted black and
appeared to be deeply loaded. It was deemed al
most impossible to get out. to her on account of the
ice.— Norfolk Argus >jf Saturday.
Vessel Ashore. —Tho ship John Miller, from
Dublin, in ballust and consigned to Messrs. Soullard
& Crowder, of this city, is ashore and a total wreck,
near Ossabaw. The Captain reports that be was
standing off the coast for several days, being pre
vented from crossing the bar by tbe thick fogs, un
til Friday night last, when his vessel went ashore.—
Sav. Republican.
Rain Storm in New York.— One of the most vi
olent rain storms that has occurred this winter, vis
ted New York early Saturday morning, and con
tinued pouring down in a perfect deluge most of the
day, flooding cellars in the lower part of the city, and
rendering the crossings almost impassible to pedes
trians from the accumulation of slush and water.
A Rat Story. —Uev. Walton Colton, in his diary
of a voyage to California in a mnn-of war, entitled
“ Deck and Port’’ relates the following ratetory:
“ I have always felt some regard for a rat since
my cruise in the Constellation. We were fitting for
sea at Norfolk, and taking in water and provisions.
A plank was resting on a sill of one of the ports,
which communicated will) the wharf. On a bright
moonlight evening, we ditoovered two rats on the
plank coming into the ship. The loremost was
leading the other by a straw, one end of which each
held in his mouth. We managed to cap! ure them
both, and found to our surprise, the one led by the
other was blind. His faithful friend was trying to
get him on board, where he would have comforta
ble quarters during the three years’ cruise. We
felt no disposi'ion to kill either, und landed them
both on the wharf. How many there are in the
world, to whom the fidelity of that rat readeth a
lesson'”
Imports or Dry Goods. —The imports of dry
goods at New York since January Ist, show a de
crease of 295 as contoured with the correspon
ding period of 1856, but an iusrease of $4,746,033
compared with the same period of 1835, and of
$154,006 compared with the same period of 1854.
The total thrown upon the market during the mouth
shows an increase eveu upon the total for the same
period of last year, the withdrawals from ware
houses for consumption have exceeded the entries
for warehousing.— Jour, of Com.
Preters Slavery.— Some years since a gentle
man of Washington county, Va., Mr. James Reed,
died, leaving a provision in his will for the manu
mission and removal of his slaves at the death of bis
sister. His sister dying some three or four years
since, the slaves wore set free and removed to Penn
sylvania. A few monthsngo a gentleman received
a letter trom one of these servants, requesting per
mission fr> return to that county and become his
slave. lie prefers slavery in Virginia to freedom
i i Pennsylvania, and has had a fair experience in
both. — Richmond Dispatch.
Loss or a Savannah Vessel.—The Rover's
Bride, from Savannah to Liverpool, was abandoned
at sea on_24tb December, ifr latitude in 37 N. longi
tude 46 30 W., in asinking state; crew taken off
by she Shakepea-'e, arrived at Liverpool, from New
Orleans. The Rover’s Bride was cleared at this
port tharlst December, by j Soullard and Crowder,
and had for cargo 333,000 feet of lumber.—Savan
nah, Republican.
CousTEßrr.iT Money. —Two men by the name
ofMurtin, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, were arres
ted in this town on Sunday, the Ist instant, for pas
sing counterfeit money. Tnere was found in their
possession a counterfr it Fifty Dollar BiU on the
Bank of Ihe Slate of Georgia, and one Ten oil the
Bank of Georgetown, S. C. They were lodged iu
jail to await their trial which will probably take
place during the present session of the Court. They
are both young men and ussertthat they can neith
er read nor write, aud that th-y did not know tho
money was counterfeit — Rome Courier.
Congress.— The following gentlemen have been
nominated for Congress, in place o P. S. Brooks,
deceased: Gen. Jus. H. Hammond, H >n. j. P. Kin
nard, Cob A. O. Summer, Gen. Samuel McGowan. —
South. Carolinian.
Heavy Failure. —The Raleigh, N. C., Standard
learns that Messrs. Rankin & McLean, of Greens
boro', iu that State, have failed for about $125,000.