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About News & planters' gazette. (Washington, Wilkes County [sic], Ga.) 1840-1844 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1843)
From the Tallahas/’ Sldf> OLD FORT sy LOUIS, I A Nil A V IXDIA.V CONCEKNIXG IT. At iiliinHt mvci-v stej/in this part ofFlor da, tin: 11 in* tumid ?r/es of the ohl Span ish m i,; ,it .(•< wliitVsnin-.* hundred aud fif- V, or t i hundred/jurs ago, were scat t'Ti'i! iifti ;i grautporliou of this Territory. . Hart* me he sum extensive fortifications, with portions ol'/toir walls stir] standing— there, embank/mts, entrenchments, told, gateways—a/easily to be distinguished, though over/mwii with the loftiest pines or oaks, and wfienever the soil is disturbed are tlirown ugtlie signs of strife and warfare; gun harms, broken swords, mingled with the bon/s of horse and man. Anon we come upon t/ie ruin of sonic suburban residence of bricly'or tabby, stjll surrounded with the vigorous, though old aud venerable live oaks, with their long streamers of moss, j all planted with great regularity, so as to form avenues, or ornamental shades to the dwellings of the people ofa bygone centu ry. Deeply worn roads may also he tra ced running through the country in all di rections. About two miles west of the city of Tal lahassee, lie the ruins of what tradition says was once the Spanish fort of Si. Louis.— Our attention has been recently directed to these ruins, from the circumstance,'that a very intelligent gentleman, formerly of Georgia, now of Alabama, has at this time many laborers engaged in excavating the site of this old fort, on a search after hidden treusures. Whether or no, he may suc ceed in bringing to light any considerable deposite of the precious metals, is not for us to say. But he has already thrown up from beneath the soil, where they had long been entombed, many articles which will possess great interest with the antiquarian. There has long existed a popular belief, that beneath the ruins of many of these old Forts, lie concealed much of the wealth of the past age—large hordes of precious me- j tals. This belief lias been gathered from j the traiwtions current among the Indians, as | well as from the few historical facts which | remain, of the condition of the Spanish in- : habitants who for more than a hundred j years, nourished in this section of the coun try. That they were wealthy, is evident from what remains of their dwellings, their fortifications, their orange groves, their ex tensive plantations—the signs ofwhich may yet be traced. The Gulf coast of Florida, was long the favorite resort, and her bays and inlets, but little known to the rest of the world, long continued to be the safe re-’ treat—ofthat bloody, desperate & reckless race of buccaneers, who, during the 17th century, so much infested the southern seas. It was from this coast that they drew their main supplies ; and when driven from the ocean, it was here in these unknown regions that they sought safety. And ac cording to tradition, it was to the Spanish Forts and settlements along the coast, that they carried much of the blood-stained wealth, which they had gathered bv pira cy, from the four corners of the earth. Under the feeble government of Spain, there was no authority, perhaps, no disposi tion—within this distant cojony—to bring the freebooters to justice. Indeed Florida, for a long period, seems to have been as much forgotten by her parent government as she was unknown to all the world be sides. And if the connexion of the settle ments with tlie buccaneers, is such as some traditions have represented it to be—it may be presumed, they themselves did not care to make their condition more extensively known. At what precise period this Spanish race ceased to occupy the country, is not exact ly known. From the growth of the oaks and the pines above their former dwellings, it may lie supposed that it was much over a hundred years ago. That they were dri ven firth by war, by viol; nee, and with a bloody hand, is evident from tlie- marks whiefcthey left behind them. The tradi tions current among the Indians, all tel! the same story. Tradition says, that the regions now known as Georgia, upper South Carolina, and Alabama, poured their Indian hordes into FI ■ fidn. Tin.- Spaniards who were not on the first irruption butchered, retreated to their forts, and long maintained an obstinate and bloody contest with their savage neigh bors. The overwhelming- numbers, how ever of the savages, at length proved an overmatch for the discipline, and the most resolute and unyielding courage of the Spaniards. They were driven from one strong hold after another, or buried ■them selves beneath their ruins. And at length, Old Fort St. Louis be came the last point where the Spaniards could maintain a foothold, from St. Augus tine to Pensacola. Hither had those who escaped from the slaughter and the destruc tion of other ports, been driven—bringing with them their treasures of gold and silver, their plate and whatever else they ntav have had opportunity, or tneansof removing. But here were they followed by their re lentless pursuers, hemmed in and beset on all sides. With unflinching courage, the Spaniards long continued a desperate, though unequal contest. The imagination of the old Indian legend bearer, still warms at the repetition of the many bold and reckless deed of valor which these desperate men endeavored for their rescue during the long siege which follow, cd, but the tortures of famine were added to the hopelessness of their condition. And the enfeebled fortress listened to the terms of a truce, which was proposed by the Chief Warrior of the Indians, who seerrjs to have been struck with admiration of the indom itable courage and the heroic valor of his enemies. He proposed to them that they should leave the country, with all their ef fects behind them, save only their arms,’ which, as they had used them like braves, he would nut bate them part with. Before leaving iite Fort, liowevor, they had warned the Italians that tljey had left behind them their Great Medicine,” and that it would he certain death for any Indi an to tutor the Fort until the shadow oflhe ff, or b fore the lapse of six hours from their departure. Saying this the Spaniards took up their inarch for the Oeklocknev Bay, where they hud in formation, or supposed, were some vessels, oti whioii they might be transported to St. Augustine or Pensacola. Hardly, howev er, had the Spaniards disappeared from tho Fort, when the Indians, urged on by their cupidity or their curiosity, and having per haps, lntlo respect for the Great Medicine of the Spaniards, lushed into the evacuated Fort by thousands. The enclosure was fil led, crowded, with the wondering and ad miring ravages, their warriors,their women and their children; w hen, horrible to relate, the subterranean magazines exploded, and thousands of the poor wretches w*ere bur ied beneath the ruins of Old Fort St. Louis! Their bones may be seen to this day, min gled with the fragments of broken arms, horse furniture, guns, swords, and the ma terials of the overthrown walls ! But the Indians took a bloody revenge, on what they believed to boa most treach erous outrage, on the part of the Great Me dicine oft lie Spaniards. The friends and relatives of those who perished in the Fort, pursued the retreating band, fell upon them and slaughtered them to a man. This is an Indian tradition, but the facts related, are pretty generally credited. — And it is supposed that the motive which induced the Spaniards to leave behind them a train to fire the magazine, was io conceal by the misplaced earth and fallen walls, the entrance to those subteranean apart ments, where they had concealed their trea sures, and which they intended on some fu ture day to reclaim. But it is said the Indians ever since, and to this day, have a most awful dread of the Great Medicine of Old St. Louis, who gave to them such a terrible and signal display l of his vengeance on this memorable occa sion. We have been assured by old set tlers, who came to the country when the Indians inhabited it in great numbers, that no one was ever known nor could be indu- by any consideration, to approach with in a mile of the old ruin. Such was his su perstitious dread of the mysterious pciwer of the Great Medicine. From the N. O. Picayune. MEXICAN TRICKERY. Than the chevaliers iVlndustrie of Mexico there are perhaps none more expert in the wide world, none more original in their tricks to raise the wind. In the course of a recent interesting lecture at Baltimore, delivered by Brantz Mayer, Esq., late our Secretary of Legation at Mexico, he rela ted the following anecdote. A more in genious chain of trickery was never devised and successfully carried out. We give it in Mr. M’s own words: A worthy judge of one of the Mexican courts, one morning entering the edifice to take his scat on the bench, was about to re fer to his gold watch, when he discovered that it was not in his pocket. ‘Ah! as u sual,’ he remarked aloud to a friend, ‘I have left my watch under my pillow,’ and pro ceeded forthwith to the discharge of the du ties of the day; these concluded, he return ed home to dinner, which being also-des patched he thought of his watch, and direct ed his wife to send for it. ‘Send for it,’ said she, with no little surprise, ‘why have you not got it my dear?’ No, my dear, indeed, I have not,’ ‘Well, that is exceedingly strange, I sent it to you three hours ago.’ ‘Sent it to me, and by whom?’—‘Why a buut an hour after you were gone this mor ning, a genteel dressed man came to the house, aocompanied by a boy bearing a splendid turkey, which he said you had bought of an Indian on your wav to court, and had requested him to see delivered at the house, with a request that I should have it picked and put away to cool, as you in tended to invite your brother judges home with you to,dinner to-morrow; he then ad ; : ded that you had left your watch under I your pillow, and had desired him to obtain , j it from me, for the purpose of carrying it to you.’ Os course the vexation and annoy , ancc of the worthy judge will be easily un jilerstood; it was, however, soothed by an hour’s reflection upon the rascal’s ingenui ty, and his cogitations had also led him to improve the fellowis hint, and invite his brothers of the bench on the following day. Accordingly, the next morning, he ordered the turkey to be cooked for dinner, and on the adjournment ofthe court, having related to his associate the costly trick of the preceding day, returned home in company with them to enjoy the turkey which itad ! been so dearly, bought. But what was his surprise to find dinner prepared, and no turkey to grace the board. | —‘Where is the turkey my dear?’ he ; quietly inquired of his worthy lady. ‘The j turkey,’ she exclaimed; ‘what, haven’t you seen it at court?’ ‘At court, my dear, — whv, what should the turkey be doing at court?’ ‘ls it possible,’she exclaimed, ‘that I have again been duped by a villain!’ ‘How, now?’ said the judge. ‘VVhy after you were gone a couple of hours this morning, a pale-faced young man, with a shabby genteel dress, came to the door, and stated that he was a clerk of the court, con gratulated me on the recovery of your gold watch, and added that the thief who had so vilainously duped your honor had been ar rested, and was now in court undergoing an examination; that the chain of evidence was complete against him, with the excep tion of the actual presence of the turkey, which lie had been despatched to bring into court—and I gave it to hint. ’ Well, my dear, you are certainly as great a goose as that was a turkey,’ politely observed the judge, almost mad with chagrin and disap ment. The admirable character of the trick, however, still sufficed to calm the ir ritated feelings of the judicial dignita ry, and he enjoyed his dinner, interrupted occasionally only by a hearty laugh, al though the turkey had been picked to grace another’s hoard. Second Advent Jackets. —A firm in Bos ton, Messrs. Holmes & Bugbee, advertise a general assortment of Second Advent Jackets, suitable for sinners on the 23d of April, warranted fireproof ! From the Albany, (Ga.) Courier A PIG CAUGHT. i Mr. Pigg and Overby, whose arrest, f ol - j passing counterfeit Central Bank Bills, u this city, was announced in our paper fi last week, were, after a full investigation oil all the circumstances connected with their cases, committed to jail, at Starkvillo, in Lee county, on the Oth inst. At the request of one ofthe parties, we have concluded to withhold the'publication of the evidence, as it was submitted to tho Magistrates’ Court, which had been prepared for this number. If appeared, however, from the testimony of both Pigg and Overby; that their acquain tance commenced at Tallahassee about 4 weeks since. Overby states, that his place of residence is in East Tennessee, Jeffer son county—that he went to Tallahassee with a drove of horses, which lie sold, and lost the proceeds “ lucking against the Faro Bank ” —that in Tallahassee lie became ac quainted with a man by the name of Ar nold, a one-eyed man, who is a gambler— that the said Arnold is the partner of his friend Pigg, and has in his possession “oceans’’ of the counterfeit Central Bank bills—that the object of Pigg in coming to Albany was to change off the counterfeit Central money for good funds, in order to enable Arnold to travel West, where he in tended to put the counterfeit Central Bank bills in circulation—that Pigg had also told him, the money was struck or- obtained a bout Irwinton, Ala., and that he could get any amount of Treasury notes struck that he wished—that on his way from Tallahas see to Albany in company with Pigg, he saw him pass offone of the bills, in Quincy, Fla., for a Bowie Knife and a five dollar bill in Alabama money—that Pigg had since told him, that he had sold the knife forspeeie funds—he denies knowing that the money was counterfeit until the day of his arrest, when Pigg, in order to get him to leave the place told him, that the money which he had given him lo pass off for spe-. cie funds was counterfeit. He accounts for his connection with Pigg in the follow ing manner—that after he had lost his mon ey in Tallahassee, Pigg told him, “he was a good fellow,” and that “if he would go with him, he would bear his expenses home.” How far this statement may be re lied upon, it is not for us to say. Pigg and his friends accuse Overby of having been persuaded by promises of being discharged into this statement, which they say is false. Mr. Pigg is a genteel, good looking man, evidently accustomed lo different company from that which he was found amongst while in this city. He drove stock from Kentuckv'to this country, in 1839, and since that time has been living in Irwinton Ala., and Columbus, Geo., in the former of which places, he sustained a good and un impeachable character—he states that he was unfortunate with his stock, and in or der to retrieve his fortune, commenced gam bling. He soon lost his little all and un willing to meet his creditors in Kentucky determined not return. He states that lie saw Arnold pay* Overby Central Bank bills for stock while in Tallahassee, which statement is coroboratcd by Overby’s as sertions before he was arrested—that he came by the money honestly and can prove where lie obtained it. Mr. Pigg had pas sed only one bill of this money in our city, when he was arrested, Overby his partner, however, had put in circulation over four hundred dollars, a great part of which had been exchanged for specie funds. We would advise the good people of Tal lahassee lo look into this matter, as it is the opinion here that these bills are manufac tured somewhere in that region. There is unquestionably a company of these whole sale swindlers who design do ing an extensive business if they are not de tected. The evidence of Overby would en title Mr. Arnold to a few months gratuitous boarding in a Public House with his coad jutors, if he should deem it proper to visit this section. This scoundrel ought to be detected and brought to justice if possible; we have no doubt the people of Baker would be glad to have a man of such distinguish ed abilities .to represent them a few years in Milledgeville—he might there finish his trade, so that his work would hereafter bear inspection. There may be others equally skilled with this man Arnold, it behoves the Tallahassians to be on the look out. Since writing the above, we have recei ved the Floridian, from which we learn that Mr. Arnold, (spoken of by Overby) is in safe keeping: “A few days since a person by the name of Greenup Arnold, was arrested in this ci ty charged with passing counterfeit money, a considerable amount in S2O bills of the Central Bank, were/ound concealed about his person. He was fully committed to stand his trial at the next term of the Supe rior Court. Counterfeit S2O bills on iheCentral Bank, of Georgia, Dated 7th June, 1840, payable to G. C. Ryan. A. M. Nesbit, Cashier, T. Fort, President, are in circulation:: Pa per dark, and may be easily detected.” Equestrianism in Mexico. —Kendall re lates that while he and his comrades on their inarch in Mexico, as prisoners of war, they one morning met a female, dri ving a little, half starved jackass. Upon the back of this donkey, he adds, “with his head turned towards the animal’s tail, a large and extremely fat hog was riding— the first ofthe swinish race 1 had ever seen mounted. Ilis four large legs were con fined, two on either side of the animal which’ was bearing him along ; and the bog was ever and anon changing the position of his head from one side to the other, in order to take the greatest possible comfort under the circumstances. I cannot say that this e questrian performance was altogether as graceful as some I have seen, nor that he had that dauntless bearing which gives to feats of horsemanship their greatest charm; but he certainly manifested a resignation and stoical indifference which could hardly have been expected, and we laughed out right at the scrubby-looking animal, with his singular rider as he trotted past us. I have often heard of a ‘hog in armor,’ but never.expected to see a hog on horseback,” From the Augusta Constitutionalist. MOST DISGRACEFUL. When will the people of the United States have the virtue and rnorul courage, to subdue the feelings which lead to the disgraceful scenes, similar to tho one rela t'd below? Shall we wait, to work a re foin, until such such passions become in corprated in our customs ami maimers? Havt not several outrages of this kind oc eurret already, in utter disregard of all i laws, aid without being visited with any le gal pendties? From tie correspondent of the Nortli A j merican: IlAnttism HG, April 8, 1843. To-day, ML Sliarswood reported from the committee, irticles of impeachment a gainst Wm. Oterfield, one of the Canal j commissioners, for attempting to bribe a member of the bgislature. While this re port was tinder consideration, an event oc curred, without its paralell in the history of Pennsylvania, to less than an attempt on the floor of the clamber ofthe House, and in sight of the assembled lawmakers of Pennsylvania, to rommit a homicide, to take life by violence and deadly weapons—by Mr. McGowan, a member of your county delegation, from Moyamensing, Philadel phia. I proceed to give you an impartial history ofthe transaction. This morning, .the State Capitol Gazette was issued, with the following article un der its editorial head: ‘You shall both have office in the Custom House, if you vote for the Tyler candidate for State Printer,’ as J. Porter Brawley said to McGowan and Bacon. Agreed,‘was the response—and they did vote for him sure enough. In our next we shall hold up to the public gaze every man who lias been bribed.” To understand the above rightly, it will be necessary to state, that on the first day’s trial, in the Convention to elect a State Printer, Mr. McGowan and Mr. Benton both voted for Mr. Bratton, the caucas can didate for State Printer. When the con vention met on Friday for another trial, they both unexpectedly to every one voted for Dimock, the Governor’s candidate. Charges that they were “bought up” wore then and have since been whispered about Immediately after copies ofthe paper containing the above article were distribu ted in the House, Mr. Mcgowancainc up to Mr. Bratton the publisher of the Gazette, wl;o was standing to the left of tITe Speaker’s chair, back, near to the entrance of the room of the Sergeant-at-arms, and asked him, if he was the author of that article? Mr. Bratton said he was. Mr. McGowan, it is said, swore at him—calling him ‘d—d rascal,’ or some such term, and spit in his face,.at the same time throwing the paper at him. Before he had an opportunity to do any thing more, Mr. Bratton caught him by the vest collar, h# upon losing his hold, McGowan raised a chair, something of a scuffle ensued, and struck Bratton on the temple, inflicting a rather bad wound. Mr. B. then seized hold of the chairwith both hands, and was pressing Mr. G. back, when the latter, relinquishing the chair, drew from an inner pocket, on the left breast of his frock coat, a dirk knife, raising it sud denly and turning it quickly in his hand, for a blow. Mr. Bratton at once dropped the chair and fled behind the Speaker’s rostrum, and around to the right of the Clerk’s desk, where Mr. Gowan caught up to him, and there, in the presence of the as sembled representatives of the people of Pennsylvania, drove the uplifted knife into fiis back, but the blow alighting fortunately on the left shoulder blade, the wound in flicted, though an ugly gash was not seri ous. No second blow was struck, we be lieve; tor the members rushed in and ar rested the further progress of the homicide. The knife was taken from McGowan and proved to have been lent into a curve, by meeting with the resistance of the shoulder bone. The force and good will with which the blow was given may be estimated from this fact—though, it is possible, that the impetus of the motion of running gave un usual force to the blow: While this scene was going on, anil after it had closed, —the greatest and most in tense excitement prevailed—the whole house was in motion—the members rushed from their seats into the area before the Speaker’s chair—business for the time be ing was almost suspended. After the knife was taken from McGowan he proceeded to his seat; and Mr. Bratton was taken into the room ofthe Sargeant-at-Arms, and the extent of bis injuries examined. As soon as order could be restored some what, Mr. Deford offered a resolution toap point a committee of three to examine and report on the circumstances ofthe assault, which was agreed to without debate, with an amendment, increasing the committee to five, and giving it power to send for persons and papers. The Speaker appointed “the following members as the committee— Messrs. Deford, Elwell, Morris, Hahn, and Skinner. An hour after this, a constable came to the door of the House, with a magistrate’s warrant for McGowan’s arrest, on the charge of assault and battery with intent to kill.” There was no power to execute the warranton Mr. McGowan while he was in the House; but at the suggestion of some of His friends, he came out and surrender ed himself, when he was taken before Jus tice Snyder, & bound over in SIOOO, for his appearance on the charge laid in the war rant. The above is a plain statement of facts as they occurred, without bias or pre judice of any kind. Electro Magnetic Telegraph. —Professor Morse, who has obtained a grant from Con gress for his experiment on the Electro- MagnetioTelegraph, advertises for 210,000 pounds of lead pipe to enclose his wires, which are to be laid, in the first instance, along the rail-road from Washington to Baltimore ; for which purpose an agree, ment has been made betwe.en the Professor apd the Railroad Company. From the Savannah Republican. FREE TRADE AND THE PRODUC TION OF COTTON. The Republican many months since, had a series of urticles on the rivalry to the cot ton growing interest, which is springing up in the East Indies. Free trade and foreign dependence naturally linked itself in with tin: discussion of the subject. We attempt ed to explain that whether the production of cotton was materially increased in the East Indies or not, was of little consequence, since the favorito theory of free trade was sure lo secure an abundant growth in the South West and Texas, to supply the world and more than enough. We were regarded as alarmists at the time and were not believed, except perhaps to a partial ex tent. The truths which we announced, were unwelcome, and no ono likes to be lieve such. Cotton has attained such pri ces now however, that it matters little whether the East Indies succeed in increas ing the stock of cotton in the Liverpool market or not. We have said but little of late, but have not failed to notice that ma ny of the interior papers are sounding the note of alarm. The event has so far justified our pre dictions, and it is time for the streams in the up country to begin moving machinery, whether for manufacturing cottons, or for ging iron. It is time to work our abundant mines, for we have them of all kinds; even of copper. It is time to subdivide labor, and produce those thousand things for ordinary use, which we now pay the North for, even to shoes, hats, bonnets, axes, tools and im plements of every kind. It is time to stop paying millions of dollars for Western hogs, horses and mules. It is time to raise our own sugar, and every tiling else that is possible within our own limits. Properly understood, the low price of cotton might eventuate in making the citizens of Geor gia a more prosperous and happy people, by directing their attention to active indus trial operations, instead of prating about, and expounding free trade theories. Great social changes ore now in pro gross in this State, and already the new times bear the impress of anew course giv eu to industry. This economy in paying loss for things produced without the State lias bet*n largely put in practice. We be gin to see its fruits, and free trade theories have strangely declined in popularity since cotton has become almost a drug. SEDUCTION A CRIME. % Iti view of tlie consequences which the last few years have revealed, as attendant upon licentiousness, our legislators are at last awaking to the necessity of calling tilings by their rigid names; of defining crime as crime, and punishing it as such. We perceive that a committee of the New- York legislators have reported a bill for the punishment of seduction and crimes. It subjects all persons guilty of adultery to punishment by imprisonment in the county jail or state prison for a term not exceeding three years, or by fine not exceeding SSOO. Lewdness, when neither party is married, is punished somewhat more mildly. Se duction, where a female under eighteen years of age is enticed away from her pa rents or guardians for a vile purpose, is punished with not less than three nor more than five years, and all who abet it are subjected to the same penalty. Keeping a house of iil-fame is punished by like im prisonment, or by fine, or both. The letting of a house for such a use is punished by imprisonment not exceeding two years, by a fine of SSOO, or both, and by forfeiture of the rent of the premises for five years ensu ing, to the overseers of the poor. Boston Mail. MILK AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD. This is one of the best articles of diet de rived from the animal kingdom, and has many remarkable properties worthy of no tice belonging to it. In the course of this work it will be shown, that the higher or der of animals require a mixture of differ ent alimentary substances for their nutri tion; for when they are limited to one kind of food,their condition is either deteriorated, or disorganization of structure ensues. Milk is the only aliment which offers an exception to this rule—that is to say, which is capable of supporting life alone. Dr. Prout has well remarked, that all other alimentary matters exist for them selves, or for the use of the animal or veg etable of which they form a constituent Milk, however, is prepared by na ture expressly as food, being of no other use to animals whatever. It would naturally be expected that since milk possesses the nutrient property in so eminent a degree, its composition must be peculiar, and contain a greater diversity of alimentary matter than other kinds of food. Such, indeed, is the fact; for every sort of animal nftilk is composed of albumen, oil, and sugar, sus pended in large quantities of water. The proportions in which these three substan ces are united iu different kinds of milk vary exceedingly, but they have always been found to exist in the milk of all anim als.—Dr. Truman on Food. Unusual Lights in the Heavens. —Last evening, between 7 and 8 o’clock, the at tention of those abroad was directed to se veral remarkable and very beautiful streaks of light, which appeared in the south eastern and north-western parts of the sky. The former were longer and more brilliant ;than the others. The stream of light seem ed to radiate from a nucleus below the hor izon, extending nearly to the vertical point in the firmament. Those to the southward which were more particularly noticed, gradually descended in that direction, and soon after 8 o’clock the last of them had mingled with the hazy obscurity on the horizon, and disappeared. Innumerable fine and delicate lines of light extending like fibres from the main luminous bodies, were beautifully relieved against the clear blue of the heavens beyond, and the pre cision of the outline did not seem to be les sened by the brillianoy with which the moon was shining at the time.—iV. Y. E. Post of the Btli inst. • The same beautiful phenomena were ob served here on both Friday and Saturday i evefiings.— Philadelphia Sentinel. I Remarkub/e Phenomenon —A letter from ; an olHcer in the U. S. Army, dated at Fort | Leavenworth, Missouri, March 20th, slates thuton the 14ih of February, at 3 A. M. “the moon, which had been obscured by a cloud for some hours burst forth of a blood-red color, with a black cross of equal proportions over the face, extending beyond the rim ; while on the two sides small pie ces of rainbow were visible. After contin uing in this way lor about an hour, the co lor of the moon changed to its ordinary hue, and the cross became a silvery white ; with the edges extending beyond the rim, and touching the rainbows. It continued so for half an hour, and heavy clouds then inter vening, obscured the moon, which set un seen. This phenomenon was seen by the hospital attendants, who were up at that hour, someofthem very intelligent men, hv the guards and sentinels on post, and bv several citizens of Weston, a little town five miles off The next morning the sun rose accompanied bv two sun dogs, as they are commonly called, nearly equal in brillian cy to the sun, and resembling two other, suns. This latter sce.ne was witnessed by numbers. In addition for about two weeks past, every night at seven to eight o’clock, a bright streak of light has appeared in the heavens, coming from the west, and bearing about E. S. E., and resembling very much what it is believed to be the tail of a comet. I have thought it my duty to state these things, even at the expense of being discred ited, in the hope ofeliciting a comparison of observations elsewhere. Although the phenomenon of the appa rent cross on the moon can no doubt be ex plained from natural causes, yet it will be seized upon by some persons as confirma tory ofthe prophecy of father Miller ; and be viewed by others with superstitious dread. NEW HORSE SHOE. A simple but most ingenious invention has been laid before us, in the shape of an improvement in the Horse Shoe. It is that of making that part of the shoe, which is now solid, concave, by which the foot is enabled to lake a grip, which with the or dinary shoe is impossible. The principle is, in fact, that of the fluted skate; and whilst the shoe is, of course lighter than when manufactured on tlie usual principle, it is equivalent in slippery weather, or on wood pavement tQ one that is roughed. The concavity runs entirety round tho shoe, having a strong rim in form, equal in thickness to tho litsof of the horses loot, and anotherat the back, of half that that thick ness. The mode of formation, while it in volves the use of a .smaWer quantity of iron, and consequently less weight, gives a far greater purchase, and is much more in accordance with the nature form, and texture of the horse’s foot. Bv preventing the necessity of turning up the shoe behind; it places the foot in a more natural position, and thus assists in bringing into.operation the frog, instead of placing it out of action, and straining all the other parts ofthe foot. PROPHETS. 11l the 1212 it was prophesied by an in genious seer that the Medi|aranean sea would be dried up, and that believers could go to Jerusalem on foot. Italy it is said became crowded with German pilgrims, but the sea obstinately refused to depart. In 1524 great terror pervaded all Eu rope, from the prediction of John Stoleorous, a mathematician and astrologer of Suabia, that a great deluge was approaching. Many of reputation as wise men coincided with him, and books on books were sent fortli warning the people to prepare, ami suggested means of escape from inunda tion. In France the terror was so great that many were near madness, and some built up arches to save themselves. Presi dent Auriol, of Thoulouse, built up four pillars, with a boat at the top; which how ever was not needed, as no deluge came. The prophet, however, nothing daunted though the stars were against him, contin ued to prophecy, and predicted the end of the world in 1589, which we may conclude, did not take place. A Lutheran divine, by the name of Mi chael Stifelius, in an arithmetical sermon, predicted the end of the world in 1532, He was preaching on the very day appoint ed, and his hearers in great terror confiding in fiis predictions, when a fierce storm a rose, witli terrific thunder and lightning, which, with their fears created inexpressi ble trouble. But soon the storm ceased, the winds were bushed, and thesky became serene. The people, made furious by the deceit practised on them, dragged the prophet from his desk, and beat him so se verely as nearly to have realized his proph ecy, as far as himself was concerned. Lord Napier, the inventor of logarithms, was among those who prophecied of the end ofthe world at a certain time; but he like many other enthusiasts, outlived his pre diction. In the 1791 two men appeared in Cologne who said that they came from Damascus. -The Jesuits of that town went to them, and talked to them in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic, they answered in all lan guages. They said they were come, bv order of Heaven to turn men to repentance. They gave out that they were seven hun dred years old! Among the rest of their prophecies, they predicted that Constanti nople wonld be destroyed in 1766; the true God acknowledged by all nations, 1767; a valiant man give his testimony to it 1768; England to be overflowed, 1769; an earth quake all over the world, 1770; the fall of the sun, moon the earth burnt, 1772; the universal judg ment, 1773. _ i All these fanatics had their favorites iqx a season; and so long as superstition; ite rance, and the love of novelty reignsju/tiie breasts of men, false prophets will arise;and
