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About News & planters' gazette. (Washington, Wilkes County [sic], Ga.) 1840-1844 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1841)
THE FLIGHT OF LOCUSTS In the vicinity of Odessa, a city in Ilus. sia, the visitation of a flight of locusts is more dreaded than the incursion of any ar my of warriors ; it is considered a most dreadful calamity. The flight of these in sects at times literally darkens the sun.— In ome years every thing is eaten up ; not a hlade is left for man or beast; not a sin gle green leaf remains cither on herb or tree. Instances are known of people dying of actual hunger, not far from the city above mentioned, during the famine occasioned by their devastations. Locusts are there fore the greatest scourge that the country is exposed to, and no soonerdo they appear than the poor peasant prognistieales misery in a future year, for it appears that it is not always by actual invasion in flights that the greatest harm is done, but also by the larvae bred from insects deposited in the ground, during a previous visit. Thu so vare cold of winter has no effect on them; the only thing that destroys the egg is a smart frost in August. When the locusts coma in their dense array from the south, nothing but noise has any effect in preven ting them from settling in any spot. It is well known also that bees may be preven ted ;n like manner by sound from flying in any particular direction. An English la dy gave the author a very amusing account of the musical entertainments held in her house and gardens a few years before, at the time swarms of locusts were in progress. 1 for lord and husband was, as of right, lea der of the harmonious band ; and for tins purpose armed himself with a huge bell, which lie swung with amazing effect.— Next to him came the gardener with his watering pan ; after this zealous function ary came the footman with the fireshovels; Then the housemaids with their pots and kettles ; and finally thechildren of the fam ily, equipped with tea-boards and toasting iorks, which assuredly played noscondary part in the noisy concert. Ever as the hour i>f danger returned, the performers were at their posts, walking up and down, to their own great amusement and delectation, but greatly to the dismay of the locusts, as well as of the families in the adjoining houses,who thought that the English neigh bors had all gone mad. So effectual how ever, were these performances, that while not a leaf was left in any other part of the land, this well-watched garden continued as verdant as ever.— Brcniner's Excursion in Russia. ANCIENT MODE OF SETTLING DISPUTES. Our fathers had a short and plain mode of doing things unencumbered with the ma ny forms and tedious processes that now hang round them. The following verdict of a jury, which sat in determination upon a case in ’96, shows that they had a quick mode of settling matters of litigation, and gave no encouragement to “ the law’s de lay.” It is a curiosity in its way, and shows how careful the jury were to render justice to all parties, carrying out their stern notions of right even to the lawyers, whom they very properly made no provi sion for, thinking very properly that the lat ter had taken care to provide for themselves, as they seldom fail to do. Here is the de cision. It is easily perceived that it was made before temperance societies came in to fashion. “We tiie Subscribers Appointed Jointly to Audit And Settle a Certain Controversy by And between Mr. Samuel Pirtoras And Mr. Joseph Boggs, And having Maturely Considered the business Confided to our Judgment, do Unanimously A ward, Order And decree, that Mr. Pirtoras lie at the ex pense of An Oyster Supper And Trimmings for Mr. Boggs, And that Each of the Gen tlemen Above Named Treat the Jury with One Glass of Brandy and Water. Signed on behalf Os the Jury. JOHN TICE, Foreman. 23 Feb. ’90.” SHOCKING SUFFERING OF A HORSE. An English provincial paper gives the following account of the agony of a noble horse, which lias been bitten by a mad dog. A month intervened between the bite and tiie death of the horse : lie was driven knee-deep into the river; but though showing no marked repugnance to water, lie refused to drink. Without ta king off the harness, lie was again placed in the stable. In about three hours after wards, the young man, thinking the animal w ould now tie somewhat cooler, re-entered the stable, but found him wilder than ever I striking out furiously, and making every I imaginable effort to bite. After great risk j and exertion however, lie succeeded in ta king of the harness, with the exception of tiie collar. Throughout the day, every succeeding hour added to the intensity of the animal’s fury, and by evening his con tartions of rage and agony were absolutely terrific. By that time the door was strong ly barricaded, in the fear that he should make his escape. Two or three individuals, anious to see the animal in the heat of his paroxysm, made way into the loft above him. The scene was appalling in the extreme. Be low them was the infuriated brute, which was dimly seen through a dense cloud of steam, fed by the fires that raged through and distended his nostrils. Every’ vein & muscle was frightfully swollen. He had broken bis binding, torn his collar to tatters nnd was kicking and stamping furiously through the stable. Now be would neigh now heave groans of the deepest agony, then shaking as with an ague fit, would gather himself up, and suddenly with a scream spring aloft, making the “'cry house shake with his fall. Then he would groan again, or, gnashing his teeth, roll his eyes wildly and savagely around. He ever and anon tore with his teeth the flesh from his breast, would shake for a moment the quiv ering carrion, and then clash it from him, asifhe found relief in the intensity of his sufferings. The walls of the stable were now literally covered with froth and blood; and in this state the animal continued till exhausted nature gave wav. The poor brute died about two o’clock on the follow ing morning. On examination, the carter’s arm was found dreadfully lacerated, and other parts of his body severity injured.— However we are happy to state, that his wounds, as yet, give no symptoms of dan ger, hut bear every appearance of healing much sooner than could havo been expec ted. GERMAN MANNERS. The English race, root and branch, are with their natural shyness, their conven tional reserves, and their radical uncour teousness, cold and rebelling. The polite ness of the French is conventional. Itseems in part the result of their sense of personal grace, and in part of a selfish calculation of making the most of what cost nothing ; and partly, no doubt, it is the spontaneous effect ofa vivacious nature. There is a deep seated humanity in the courtesy of the Germans. They always seem to be feel ing a gentle pressure from the cord that in terlace them with their species, They do not wait, as Schiller says, till you “freely invite” “ to friendly stretch your hand,” but the band is instinctively stretched out and the kind deed ready to follow it. This suavity is not limited to any rank or con dition. It extends all the way down from the prince to the poorest peasant. Some of our parly driving out in a hackney coach yesterday met some German ladies in a coach with four horses, postillions, footmen in livery, & other marks of rank & wealth. What would Americans have done in a sim ilar position ? Probably looked away and seemed unconscious. And English ladies would have done the same, or, as 1 have seen them in Hyde Park, have leaned back in their carriages, and stared with an air of indifference and insolence through their eyeglasses, as if their inferiors in condition could bear to bo stared at. The German ladies bowed most courteously to the hum ble strangers in the hackney coach.”— Miss Sedgcwick. ANECDOTE. Daring the rivalry between Utica anil Rochester, N. Y., a gentleman merchant from the laterplace was travelling through Oneida county. Being of a humorous turn on passing a Dutch dwelling where a stone oven was heating, which was situated out of doors, at one side of the house, he felt disposed to hoax its inhabitants. lie called out, “ Hallo, the house ! hallo, the house !” Out came the Dutchman, the Dutchman’s wife, the Dutchman’s three sons, and the Dutchman’s eleven daughters. lie ob served to them, “ Your oven’s on fire.” They all flew swiftly around the corner of the house, and the merchant rode on en joying the joke. A short time since the same gentleman was travelling to the east in a gig ; the roads were uncommonly I muddy. He was about passing the same farm house, but lie had forgotten the place when a young lad came running towards him, with great anxiety depicted in his countenance : “ Sir,” said he your wheel is loose,” The man immediately stopped, got out | into the mud and looked at the wheel, when j the boy exclaimed, “ The other wheel, sir.” Around he waded through the mud, fil j led his pumps with water and mire, exam | ined the lineh pin there, and says to the j b °y. “ I do not see anything out of the way.” “ Why I thought it ’twas loose,” said the j lad, ‘-I saw it turn round,” (at the same j time describing a circle with his finger.) j “ You provoking little rascal, what do j you mean ?” exclaimed the gentleman. “ Aye,” says the lad, “the oven’s on fire! the oven’s on fire !” The merchant was so highly pleased with the lad s wit, that lie threw him a dol lar and continued his journey. | A Singular Story of the salvation of the life of a young lady, who was on the verge of the grave, through the instrumentality of a dream, is told by the St Louis Tenant, and with such asseverations of its truth, that despite the odor of improbability which surrounds it, we cannot believe it to be intended for humbug. The scene of the occurrence was one of the western cities of Mississippi, where ayoung physician, after exhausting his skill and perseverance for the recovery of the health of a young lady in imminent peril, called in the aid of a professional brother of mature age and grea ter experience. No benefit however, re sulted to the fair patient from their united labors ; and after every effort had been re sorted to which the combined wisdom of the two physicians could suggest, the case was given up as hopeless. It was formally an | nounced to the afflicted family that the suf- I ferings of the patient would end in death be- I fore morning ; and it being late, the night stormy, the two physicians were prevailed upon to take lodgings in the house until morning. Weary and disheartened, they soon feel asleep but in a few minutes, our young practitioner awoke from a strange dream. He had no sooner closed his eyes in slumber than lie dreamed that he had giv en the patient a dose of a certain medicine, the name of which, we have forgotten, which had immediately arrested the vomit ing, and the patient had fallen into a sweet sleep, attended with very favorable symp toms ofconvalescence. lie roused his com panion anil told him his dream. The otiier however treated it with lightness, aud turn ing over, immediately commenced snoring Again the other slept also, and again the same dream —identical in every particular visited him. The time lie awoke his com panion and seriously demanded that the medicine thus strangely pointed out should be tried. His request met with nothing but a sneer, and a suggestion that he had better get up and try it himself. Again both slept and again the same dream came upon the young man and he awoke with a feeling almost of awe creeping over him. Rising quietly, and dressing without dis turbing his companion, iie entered the sick chamber, and beheld the poor girl, her eye balls starting from her head, her face of a purple hue, still vomiting violently. I; was evident she could not live an hour. Sei zing a brief pause in the frequent convul sions, he administered the exact dose of the medicine prescribed in his three wonderful dreams, und sat down to watch the result. In less than two minutes, a change was preceptible in the patient. The vomiting returned no more ; and in a few moments the exhausted patient sank into a gentle and healthful sleep. She is now, although still feeble, entirely recovered from her dreadful malady, and will we hope live ma ny years to boa blessing and a comfort to her friends. This almost incredible narrative the Pen nant avers to be a fact, and suscrptible of the most satisfactory substantiation.—Sou thern Patriot. A Rigid Sense of Duty. —At one of our seaport towns there stood (and, we believe doth stand there still) a fort,oil the outside of which is a spacious field, overlooking a delightful prospect of land and water. At the time we are speaking ofa Major Brown was the commandant ; and his family be ing fond of a milk diet, the veteran had se veral cows that pastured in the land afor said; a sentry was placed near the entrance, part of whose duty it was to prevent stran gers and stray cattle from trespassing there in Upon one occasion an Irish marine, a stranger to the place, was placed on duty at this post, and, having received the regu lar orders not to allow any to go upon the grass but the Major’s cows, determined to adhere to them strictly. He had not been long at his post when three elegant young ladies presented themselves at the entrance for the purpose of taking their usual even ing walk, and were quickly accosted by the marine with “You can’t go in there !” “O but we may,” uttered the ladies with one voice—“we have tho privilege to do so.” “Privilege,” repeated the sentry, “fait an’ I don’t care wat you have, but you musn’t go there, I tell ye ; it’s Major Brown’s pos itive orders to the contlirary.” “Oh—ay —yes —we know that,” said the eldest of the ladies, with dignity, “but we arc Major Brown’s daughters.” “All, well you don’t go in there any bow,” exclaimed Pat, bring ing bis firelock to the port “you may be Ma jor Brown’s daughters but you are not Ma jor Brown’s cows.”— CruikshanEs Omni bus. “ My dear friends-the debt that sits liea j viest on the conscience of a moral man, pro- J vided he has one—is the debt due the Prin i ter. It presses harder upon one’s bosom | that the nightmare—galls the soul ; frets ; and chafes every ennobling sentiment ; squeezes all the juice of fraternal svmpa j thy from the heart and leaves it drier than ; the surface of roasted potatoc. A man who 1 wrongs the Printer out of a single cent can never expect to enjoy comfort in this world and may well have doubts of finding happi ness in any other, lie will he sure to go down to the grave ere Time shall have be becked his brow with the silvery blossoms of age ; and the green leaves of hope will j fall before the first bud of enjoy ment has ex | panded.”— lJow Jr. From the Madisonian. Quincy, Illinois, July 24, 1841. Kidnappers Kidnapped. —Quite a sensa tion was produced in oui’ little city, a few days since, by certain transactions on the Missouri side of the Mississippi. As the story goes, three individuals, not inaptly termed “ unfledged enthusiasts,” residents at the “ Mission Institute,” otherwise call ed “ Theopolis,” near our city, undertook to entice several slaves from their owners, under a pledge of assistance to reach Can ada. They crossed the river about three miles below our city, and went to the house and fields of the nearest planter. Fortu nately, as they supposed, there was no per sons at home except the slaves. They im mediately began to make overtures to them, and without much persuasion, they acced ed to the propositions of the young men. A place of meeting on the Mississippi was a greed upon, and the time of departure ap pointed. In the meantime, one of the blacks communicated the plot to his master, who took immediate measures to raise the no cessary “posse” from his neighborhood. Tiie slaves went to the river, as they had agreed, and while the philanthropic young sters were making the arrangements to re ceive their sable friends, the owner and his friends laid violent hands upon them. The colored gentlemen then assisted their mas ters in “ toting” the Theopolites to the Pal myra jail, where they are now enjoying the sweets of solitude. Our citizens gen erally have little sympathy for them, though their friends have been studiously engaged in devising “ ways and means” for their enlargement. The most “ musical part of the drama is a letter written by them, commencing as follows: “ Alanson, James, and George, prisoners of Jesus Christ, to the ever dear, and much beloved brethren and sisters at Theopolis, greeting!” After many pious remarks, exhortations, &c., with occasion al digressions upon being “ fastened by one leg to a chain,” “ iron grates,” &c., they wind up and “heartily thank J. Ken dall for his crackers.” They have a very strong impression their case is somewhat similar to that of Peter, Paul and Silas, in olden time. But, as the lawyers would say, it is not “ a case in point.” They have a fair prospect before them of a ten or fifteen years’ residence at the seat of government, in the employment of the State. “ Lawyers .”—Saint Evona, a lawyer of Great Britain, went to Rome, to entreat the Pope to grant the lawyers a Patron. The Pope replied, he knew of'no saint not dis posed of to some other profession. His Holiness proposed, however, to Saint Evo na that he should go round the Church of San Giovanni di Laterano blindfold, and af ter saying a certain number of Ave Marias the first saint he should lay hold of should be his patron. This the good old lawyer undertook, and at the end of his ava Marias stopped at the alter of Saint Micheal, where lie laid hold, not ofthe saint, but unfortu nately, of the devil under his feet, crying ‘ This is our saint—let this bo our patron.’ A Cockroach Story. —The New Orleans Crescent City says :—“This city has been moved about three feet within a night or two by cockroaches. Wo saw one chap with a crowbar under his wings yesterday waiting to knock u man down who had kicked him out of his bedroom. Anew survey, it is said, will have to be taken of the city, arid an extra session of the Legisla ture will be t ailed to furnish the surveyor with artillery necessary for defence against these “removers of land marks.” Some how or another our city is always in a hub bub.” NEWS'ANIT GAZETTE.” PRIM IPLES awl MEN. _VY ASIHNGTC>N, GA. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1841. FOR GOVERNOR, WILLIAM C. DAWSON. Whig Nomination for Wilkes County, to the Georgia Legislature. FOR SENATE. GEORGE W. CARTER. FOR REPRESENTATIVES, SEABORN CALLAWAY, BENJAMIN WALLACE. DENNIS PASCHAL. ijij“ Messrs. Nesbit and Merriwether, have returned from Washington. 03” If any ofour readers have in their possession any files of the News, published previous to the last Volume, or any files of the “ Monitor” which is the name this pa per bore some 25 years ago, they will con fer a great favor upon us by loaning them to us. The few files we had have been unfortunately destroyed. Our Village Seems to have taken anew start since the disastrous fire of last February. Already a largo portion of the burnt district is cov ered with buildings, and the sound of ham mers and saws is ringing in our cars con stantly. Several large brick buildings arc to be erected in place of the old wooden rat nurseries that formerly occupied the most prominent positions in our town, and an en ergetic spirit of enterprise has been excited. The business part of the Town, within the last three years has been almost entirely consumed by fire, yet it is rising from the ashes improved and beautified. Indeed, fire seems to do Washington no permanent injury, hut like an old smoker’s pipe it seems all the better for being burnt out now and then. We hope that the recommendation of the Grand Jury, to have shade trees planted a round (lie Court-llousc, will be attended to, and that the Town Council will have the sides of the streets planted in the same manner, as has often been suggested. It is astonishing how little attention is paid by the people to this most elegant and easiest method of ornamenting their premises. It adds greatly to the comfort and appearance of a place. The expense is very small, and we hope while the spirit of improve ment is at its height, no petty considerations will deter our citizens from rendering the town worthy of its inhabitants and of the wealth and business concentrated here. The business of this town, which for a year or two past has been rather languid, we anticipate will be greatly increased in the coming fall and winter. Most of our merchants are already gone North with the intention of laying in heavy stocks, and goods will he had here on as favorable terms as any where in the Southern coun try. By the way, we will just hint to the public that those who have for sale the cheapest and best goods may always be known by advertising in our columns. In fine, and to sum up this rambling dis sertation, we arc. going to have the prettiest and most busy village in Georgia ; we have already as healthy and pleasant a climate as any, as good society, as moral a commu nity, the best advantages of education, al most every body wealthy, (excepting the Editor,) the cleverest fellows (including the Editor,) and as for the ladies Oh, pshaw ! here comes the devil for copy, and our brag is stopped right in the most inter esting part! We must finish it some other time. Here you imp of darkness, take it and tote your “fiscal corporation” off.-Vanish ! Tkc Veto Message Docs not seem to meet the approbation of either party. Messrs. Benton and Cal houn, said in the Senate, that they approba ted the Veto, hut disapproved the Message. The latter said “ if the President will fol low in my wake, I will give him a cheer ful and welcome support : if he differ? from mo, I shall oppose him as I have all Presi dents who did not agree with me.” John Tyler following Mr. Calhoun!! Chasing a streak of lightning through a crab apple orchard ! The Cotton Crop. Until within the last few days the pros peel has been fair for an unusually large crop ; but we learn that the insect common ly called in these parts the Veto Worm (a new name for an old plague,) lias made its appearance lately, and is already making the most serious inroads. We think, how ever, there is good reason for expecting that a moderate average crop will yet be made in this and the surrounding counties, as the cotton is uncommonly well boiled, and be ing earlier than last year (having already commenced opening very extensively,) is more beyond the reach of injury. Ac counts from the Southern and Western parts of Georgia announce that the Veto worm is there making most disastrous rav ages, far more so than with us. New Cot ton has been received and sold in Columbus for 12 cents in Central money. Are the planters this year going to receive depreci ated trash or good money for their crops ? 03” Tho gin.house of Mr. R. W. Joyner, about four miles from this town, was burnt by lightning on Monday night last, together with a quantity of cotton, the gin, &c. Agricultural Societies. Some of tho planters of Elbert county, we learn, have lately formed a Society for the promotion of improvement in Agricul ture. We welcome this movement as a sign that an increasing interest is pervading community on this subject, and hope that the society lately formed in Elbert will not long be the only one in this section of the State. The time has come when it has be come absolutely necessary that some means should be adopted for improving the present system of Agriculture which the best in formed on the subject among us, acknowl edge to be very defective. Some measures must be taken to improve the wasted and worn-out lands, become at present useless by the exhausting system formerly practis ed and unfortunately too much in vogue at present. The facilities for emigration are fast di minishing ; the time has gone by w-hen the farmer could leave his old fields and in a few days travel westwardly, settle himself upon new, fresh and cheap lands. “The new country” is becoming further and fur ther off every year, and it is fortunate for the older portions of the country that it is so, for they have too long been drained of their wealth and population to enrich and people other States. As emigration must there fore in a great measure cease, the farmers must adopt the only true policy, preserve their lands from wasting and improve those already worn. Agricultural Societies will greatly pro mote an improved system of culture. Uni ted action can do much where the same number of persons acting individually, dis connectedly, will do very little towards this or any other desirable object. Every far mer has some favorite plan of his own in some of the departments of his business; the formation of these Societies brings all these scraps of knowledge into common stock and conduces to the benefit of all and to the adoption of a regular and universal system. But argument, we believe, is use less to convince any sensible man of the benefit of Agricultural Associations, we need only point to the improved condition of those States where they have been estab lished. We wish some movement would be made in Wilkes, towards the institution of such a Society ? Are there not enough public spirited individuals among us to undertake its formation ? We wish some of our far mers would give us their ideas on the sub ject ; we would more gladly publish com munications on this subject than on any other. Congressional. The Senate has been for some time past, engaged in considering the Land distribu tion bill. It was passed on the 20th, by a voteof2B to 22. It has been passed by the house, but having been amended in the Sen ate, must go back to the House for concur rence in the amendments. The bill making appropriations for the Post Office department, passed the House. The fiscal corporation bill, passed the 23d. This is the new bill to tickle the President with, a sort of something between a bank and broker shop, just such a ricketty affair as the President wants, but which we do not believe he will sanction, particularly if Mr. Clay advocates it. OMr. Bolts, of Virginia, has published an address to the public in relation to a certain letter of his written to a private in dividual, at the Coffee-House in Richmond, and which was surreptitiously obtained and published in the Madisonian and the Loco foco prints, for the purpose of making it ap pear that the Whig party were determined to proscribe and persecute Mr. Tyler for his recent course. As this address exposes the vacillations of Mr. Tyler on the Bank question and the character of the clique which now surround him, we would gladly publish it, but it is lengthy and was not re ceived in time for to-day’s paper. Mr. Botts assumes the whole responsibility of the obnoxious letter and entirely exonertScs every other Whig from any participation in it. ■*” 03” The Brancli ofthe Farmer’s Bank of Virginia, was robbed oil the night of the 21st or 22d ult, of $92,135, a reward ofss,- is offered for the detection of the robbers, and recovery of the money. I)rcii(ll\il Caiamaly. The New-York Sun (Extra,) of the 23d uk. gives the following account of an af flicting accident which happened at Syra cuse. N. York : “Wc learn from Mr. Sloan, formerly a resident of this city, the following particu lars of one of the most afflicting occurren ces it lias ever been our lot to record. At about 10 o’clock on Friday night, a fire broke out in a carpenter’s shop on tho west side of t he Oswego Canal, at a dis tance of perhaps 100 yards from its junc tion with the Erie Canal. From the combustible nature of the ma terials, the fire extended rapidly, and at tracted as well a large concourse of citi zens and .strangers, as the members of the fire department, who were promptly on tho spot and proceeded with their usual alacri ty and daring to extinguish it. A barrel of gunpowder which, unknown to any, unless it were the proprietor, had been recently stored upon the premises, ignited and ex ploded with terrible effect. Not loss than thirty persons were in stantly killed, and from forty to fifty woun ded, many of them so badly as to leave no hope for their recovery. The extent of the calamity is by no means yet known, as some persons were known to have been thrown into the Canal, and numbers were missing. When the cars left Syracuse on Saturday morning, at eight o’clock, the cit izens were engaged in letting the water out of the Oswego Canal, in order to recover the bodies of those who had been thrown into it. A railroad car was despatched to Au burn for medical aid, as it was impossible for tiie physicians at Syracuse or in the neighborhood to attend to all the sufferers. LAND GRANTS. An act was passed at the last session of our legislature, extending the time for ta king grants to lands drawn in the counties of originally Early, Irwin, Appling, Hall, Habersham, and Rabun, to the first of Sep tember ofthis year. All the lands remain ing ungranted after the first of September 1841, are to revert to the state; but any per son a citizen of this state, by paying SIOOO, is to be entitled to a grant from the Surveyor General. After the Ist October next, the price of a grant is S4OO ; after the Ist No vember, $300; after the Ist December, S2OO ; after the Ist January, 1842. SIOO ; after the Ist Febuary, SSO; after the Ist March, $25; and after the Ist of April, 18- 42, ss.— Constitutionalist. From the Chronicle and Sentinel. A LOCOFOCO STATEMENT. The following statement taken from the Constitutionalist, is going the rounds ofthe Locofoco papers : From the New Jersey Emporium. The effect of one of thf ‘ Whig-” Re lief Measures just fasseed the House. Mr. Editor: What is the effect of taxing Tea, Cojfee, Molasses, and Salt, as proposed by the the Revenue Bill now before Con gress, the most essential articles of consump tion in every family ? It appears to me to be, of all the taxes levied the most onerous and burdensome. For example, a moderate family uses per year but 10 lbsofY. Hyson Tea, at $1,25 lb. $1250 10 gallons Molasses, 40 cts. gallon 400 50 lbs. Coffee, 15 cts per lb. 7 50 5 bushels Salt, 00 cts. per bushel, 300 $27 00 Add 20 per cent tax to this, is 5 40 Thus you see by this calculation, that upon these articles every family in the land is taxed five dollars and forty cents peryear and much more, for this estimate as an av erage, is low.” Without making any remarks upon the calculation, further than that the prices of some ofthe articles are stated at or near a hundred percent over the first cost, and that this moderate family must consist of perfect swi/lers of tea and coffee. I propose to ex amine how far the Whigs are obnoxious to censure upon the subject. Molasses, sugar, and salt, now pay a du ty of more than 20 percent, and ifthe Rev enue Bill which has recently passed the House of Representatives, applied to those articles, (which it does not,) theduty would ofcourse be reduced. Therefore the Whigs are not censurable in this matter. But the Whigs have taxed tea and coffee. True ; and what is the tax of this moderate family ? Exactly $4,00 according to the price stated above, out only in fact $1,44. For, according to a recent report of the'? Secretary of the Treasury, the average cost of tea is 27.11 cents, and of coffee 9 cents. The expenditure ofthe family in question will then be, for 10 lbs of Tea, $2 71 50 lbs of Coffee, 4 50 7 21 Duty of 20 per cent, 1 44 In all, $8 65 To this ought to be added the mer chant’s profit. But sufficient is.-shown to satisfy the reader that the first cal culation, and the charge grounded upon
