The Columbus times. (Columbus, Ga.) 1841-185?, February 18, 1841, Image 2

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IWii the Charleston Courier, lb b. 11. We copy the account of the Horrible Mas sacre bv savages, of Passed Midshipman Un derwood and Midshipman Henry, a nephew of Capt. U i.kes, the commander of (be Ex plorihg Expedition on the Island of Malolo, one of the Fegee Islands from the Norlolk Beacon of Monday: “We have been favored with an extract from a letter from an officer attached to tin Exploring Expedition, to his family in <hi> B irotigh, dated U. S. brig Pin poise,O u. 2 ldi, J-640, vvnich slates that the Porpoise, the sclir. Flying Fish, and three of the large boats were surveying a group of Islands attached to the Fegee, but as there were numerous shoals the brig was sent outside, ibe schr. and lwiats keeping near the Islands, so that they might anchor at night. T 1 e boats got separ ated a day or two from the schooner, which made it necessary lor them to goon shore lor provisions. “They were about to land on the Island of Malolo, but were advised by the natives to go around to the other side of the Island, as they had nothing, hut that the chief had a number of presents for them, such as hogs, yarns, &.C.; and they not suspecting danger, pulled around the Island but as there was a long flat the boats could not get within half a mile of the beach, and some of the officers and men left the bials and waded ashore. “Lieut. Underwood, from ihe circumstance that he understood more of the language than any other officer, was amongst these who went ashore, and midshipman Henry begged permission to accompany hrin which was granted, with the provision that lie armed himself. “They had not been on shore but a short time before they discovered that the Fegeeans had nothing to dispose of, but that they were in truth hostile to them. “Lt. Underwood immediately ordered the men to the boats, hot it was too late, as war had commenced, and as Lt. Underwood, and Mid. He nry were the only two armed, they stopped to defend the men, and by so doing lost their lives. “As soon as those in the boat saw what was going on, they came to the assistance of their eomrades; hot it was too late, for their noble brother officers were gasping their last. “Mid. Henry was bled immediately bathe was found to he dead. One sailor was se riously injured, and the rest escaped unhurt. “Midshipman Henry fought most despar ateiy, and hilled more -ban one of the snva ges brit was soon overpowered bv numbers. “The clubs with which the natives fight are said to be large enough to kill with a sin gle blow. “The bodies were secured, hut not without killing several of the natives, and were pu> on board the schoonrw, otherwise they would have been eaten by the cannibals. “On the following day the officers vvitFi 60 men, landed on the Island, marched to their town, which was strongly fortified, and killed 57 natives. “They were firmed info three divisions, the first was commanded by Capt. Ringgold and Lieut. North, Lieuts. Johnson and Sin ■clair commanded the second, and Midship men Maury and Eld commanded the third. “Capt. Wilkes, Lieuts. Ailen and Emmons were in the boats to see that no canoea es caped. “The Americans lost no lives, and only 3 • or 4 were wounded. “As soonas tlie Chief was killed, the savages broke and fled. Lieut. G. T. Sinclair, a na tive of this Borough, is said to have killed him. “Mr. Underwood, with whom we had a personal acquaintance, was a most promising officer, and had been married only a few weeks before he left the United Slates, and Mr. Hen ry was a young gentleman of talents and great premise. “Wo t><vo oio> toon favored with an ex tract from a letter from an offioor <t,o it S. ship Peacock to a gentleman in this town corroborating the above statement. The Peacock is expected to return home in the summer of 1842. Officers and crew all well.” The extract of a letter which follows, we find in the Herald: U. S. Su ip Peacock, Oahee, Sandwich Islands, Oct. 19, 1840. We arrived here on the 30th u!t. alter a tedious passage of 52 days from the Fegee Islands. Since leaving Sydney (N. S. Wales) in March last, we have spent full three months ~in surveying at the Fegee Islands, and it is gratifying to know, dial we have been the first to make an examination of that interest ing though dangerous position of the South Seas. In our intercourse with the Fegees we have had to do with the most savage and barbarous beings in all creation, —and al though at all times we have been goaded a gainst their treachery, and endeavored to ex ercise the utmost caution, vet we have to la ment and deplore the loss of two of our bm tlier officers, who tell victims to their ferocity. Our worthy friend Lieut. Underwood is no more! While on a surveying tour, lie and Midshipman Wilkes Henry attempted to land in a boat on the Island of Malolo, and while in the act of defending their boat,s crew front an attack of the savages, were both massa cred. This sad event has created a deep and melancholy gloom among us; and long, very long must we think, with feelings of sorrow, of our departed friends. We have had an interesting voyage thus far, although many circumstances have oo curred to mar our happiness. No doubt you have heard the particulars of our success in the Antarctic Ocean, and the discovery of a Southern Continent. I trust we shall be able to give entire srtisfaction to the country; for surely we have worked hard and braved ma ny dangers. Our good old Peacock bad Iter tail feathers clipped very closely while in the ice, and has stood the severe rubbings against the coral reefs and shoals in the Torrid Zone very well. It is rumored we are to go to the North West Coast. Our men re-ship here, as their times expire on the Slst, Oct. We expect to he home by the summer of 1542. We are al! in fine health. All the squadron is here. Oahee is a delightful place to refresh at — and we find it particularly so, as vve suffered considerably on out way her; ail our provi sions gave out, with the exception of ‘creep ing’ bread, dust and salt beef. It ] rising rapidly. Tt ere are several mercantile hou ses here doing well. In a few years this must . be the grand market of the Pacific. From the'Washington Correspondence of the Rich mond Enquirer. SCENES AT THE METROPOLIS. Extract of a letter f ont Washington, Feb. 1. “There are some strange tilings takiiu. place here at present. Mr. Wise has made ; speech thiil will do him more credit, as a pub lie man, than any lie ever tleliverftl. fie i against Clay’s distribution of the proceeds t | the lands; and upon that point he spoke wit more force and eloquence than I ever heart from him. —He spoke as a true Virginian: and I do think his speech will decide llm . question in your Slate. The tone, the feeliti; and the object of the speech were all patriot ic in a high degree. lie was against any ta riff upon wines and siiks, atui most espeeiali if it were intended to supply the deficiency it revenue, occasioned by tliedis nbuiionof ifi proceeds of the sales of the Pol,l t Land’ He was against all the principles of the lot* Tobacco Convention —denounced it as a Ta riff move, got up by Southern nieft lode ceive tlip Snjlii, and tv) act in concert will Ihe great Tariff party. “He was against a called session—lie wa. for the Treasury Note liiii —at* I said on the subject of on United States Bank, he had be ieved it the only true regulator; but upon hat point he would go home and consult his constituents. If he was only right upon that, ,r rather if he had not hastily committed nimst ls upon it heretofore, his course would ne clear. .All his principles, as developed in his speech, are Southern aid Slate Bights. He has spoken against every ihiig that the Whig patty at present hold dear. “!i has created great offeree in their party, arid Mr. Wise is to be limited down. They ,ne fierce upon him. I never saw them more oilier. He also intimated that he was fur the principles of Mr. Calhoun’s land hill, and ■veil went further if necessary. * * The whole currrnt of his speech was to warn the South that lheis was great danger from the pa coming into power, and fie seemed to f<s iiis duty to put them on th> ir guard. He intimated that it was desired that Gen. Harrison should fall into ihe hands of s clique for their advancement,” Sec., See. The Outrage at Lickpivt. — A correspon dent of ihe Albany Argus gives ihe I'olknv mg account of the bailing of M'JLeod, and ol liie subsequent occurrences. M’Leud was yesterday [Jan. 27th] a hnk ted to bait by one of our judges, before whom ins last examination was held, and by whom he was committed Some excitement among our citizens was the consequence. A meet ing was held at the Court House yesterday morning, which was adjourned over until this evening. Two ol our citizens bad be come M’Leod’s sureties, after having been in demnifi and to the amount ol Lite bail, 85,000. Avery large majority of those who compos ed the meeting to-day disapproved of the pro ceeding of admitting him. to hail, and a dis position was manifested to strongly censure those who had suffered their names to be used for tfin t purpose. One of the bondsmen came before tfie meeting upon invitation conveyed to him by a committee of the meeting, and made a frank a rid satisfactory statement of the motives which had actuated him, at the same time expressing his willingness to withdraw from the position he had assumed, after the demon stiatiou he had witnessed of popular feeling upon the subject. While the meeting was in session, a pro cess was put into the hands of the sheriff a gamst M’Leod, requiring bail to the amount of S7OOO. It is the commencement of a suit brought by Mr. Wells, the owner of the Caroline, for private damages. So that the amount of bail now required to give him lib erty would be COO The District Attorney lias subpoenaed wit nesses to appear before the Grand Jnrv at the session to be held the second week of next month If an indictment is procured, he will probably be tried at the Circuit, in March next. It is not denied that considerable public ex citement exists with us, heightened by the po sition assumed by the British Minister in re lation to the destruction of the Caroline; yet not so much as to preclude a fair trial of M’- Leod if he should be indicted. The attempt to bail him so near the period of his trial has created a strong impression in the public mind that the object is to allow him to escape; and that the British authority have a hand in the matter, was made apparent by the fact that a colonial bond or post note, bearing of ficial signatures, was first offered to the a rnount of the required bail. From tho Madisonian, Feb 6. PROGRESS OF GEN. HARRISON. We copy from the correspondence of the Baltimore Patriot the interesting account of Gen. Harrison’s journey towards this city, his stay at Pittsburg, meetings and salutations of the People, speeches, &c. ‘p~ —j-. oftiic de monstrations of regard and rejoicing evinced by the people on the shores of the Ohio, would occupy too much room, and I fear would be thought rather an exaggeration. From Wheel ing to this place we would see, in every direc tion, groups of individuals holding in their hands flags, &c., and the hoznnnas of freemen were heard echoing up the valleys of the Ohio. We passed Steubenville in the night, much indeed to the regret of the Gen eral, as he was exceedingly desirous to visit that flourishing village. But although it was one o’clock in the morning, hundreds of citi zens were on the levee to receive him, and the town was handsomely lighted up. About 9 o’clock in the morning, we reached Beaver, and again the General was received with eve ry mark of attention and respect. We passed a beautiful village, lying immediately on the banks of the Ohio, called Economy. The ie sidents of this village are of a peculiar cast of religionists. They met us on the bank of the river, all clad in a dress of the most unique character, with a band of music, and manifest ed, by their appearance, the greatest regard for the hero, who had stood by them in the hour of trial. About four miles below Pit's burg, we discovered a beautiful flag floating in the breeze, upon an elevated rock, the staff being one hundred feet in height. Near the spot was erected a Log Cabin, surounded by about one hundred gentlemen and ladies. As we approached in the noble steamer guns were discharged, and this beautiful and ro mantic spot was vocal with songs of triumph, and liberty. We at length reached the glass works. At this point, we locked the Fulton to our boat, and ascended the river to Pittsburg. Here we found hundreds of banners floating upon the dome of every building. The banks of both sides of the river nere li erally covered with enthusiastic freemen. On reaching the landing we found at least forty thousand indivi duals, ready to receive the Old Hero, two military companies stood in front of this im mense multitude. The old General stood on the hurricane deck, uncovered, with his grey hairs streaming to the breeze. He tried once or twice to add re- s the crowd before him, which gave forth the most deafening shouts I ever listened to—thousands of the fair daugh ters of the place stood in the windows, hailing the recept ion of the People’s Candidates. In short, he descended the deck of the boat, ac companied by his distinguished aids, Hon. John Chambers and Col. C. S. Todd.—The commit fee of arrangement then waited on him, and fendered to him the hospitalities of the -city. The Mayor of the city then conducted the General to a Barouche, and thus accompanied he passed through the town. At the request j of tlie multitude, the general made them an eloquent speech. lie reached the Pittsburg Hotel late in the evening, where several gen lemen of distinction called on him and a large number we;e introduced to him. An incident; occurred, which I will relate—as it was of the : nost deeply interesting character. An old soldier, pressing his way with difficulty through he crowd, came limping along with one leg, iav mg lest the other at the Battle of Tippe ■.anoe. “Sir,” said he, “1 am glad to see you j —■! was with you at the Battle of Tippecanoe, i lost this leg under your command—l am tore the General's bosom began to swell with [ ee P. emotions. II s lip quivered—lie was teep-y affected. lie replie 1 with some inqui- \ i mter Ins health.. The old soldier again ex iaitiled “General, I am glad that the people ia\e Ciected you President—l voted for you md “ filer too,” and I am in hopes thatwhen ■•m take charge of the office of Presi dent, you ■ ill look after the pension fund—the old sol iiors can’t got their pensions.” To this, he re- P 1 “dod ■i do not think that there is any noney in the Treasury for any body, but if here bo any, the old soldiers shall have their i >art of it.” This prompt and applicable renly ■row for.h considerable applause. As soon s the General had taken by the hand thou- [ vi!sis of his fellow-citizens, he retired to bed, • To-day another interesting scene took place. J According to previous arrangements, lie ad-1 dressed thousands of his fellow-citizens in; front of the Pittsburg Hotel. Every window 1 in the vicinity of the hotel was thronged with ■ | beau y and elegance to hear the words of ex perience and wisdom from this venerable | President The whole scene was a sublime ; one- It was a meeting of the working classes ; of the comunity, who had come forth, to show 1 their veneration for the eminent personage, who had been elevated by their suffrages, to ; the most distinguished office in the world. I [suppose ten thousand persons were present, jli is remarks were feeling and eloquent.. llis i commentaries on the principles of republican -1 ism were able and lucid, and his observations | on the duty of citizens, in watching the move : ments of those clothed with large preroga | fives of power, were sound in their general I application, and perfectly philosophical. Ma ! ny indeed expressed their surprise at the re ! markable distinctness of his enunciation, and j the full compass of his voice. lam sure that every man present understood every word 5 uttered by him—whilst he was eloquently i discoursing, a loco-foco propounded a series | of questions to him, to which he calmly repli !ed, that he concluded, he might reply to the j remark he intended to make-—that it was I contrary to all parliamentary rule, to allow j two speakers at the same time. This prompt I reply produced a great sensation—and the [shouts rung again with great applause. The I meeting was afterwards addressed by Walter Forward, and Mr. Black, in able speeches— the multitude continued to remain in the street for hours after the General concluded. * * P. S. The President elect, wears on the day of the inauguration, a Hat which is the joint handy-work of the mechanics of the Banner and the Buckeye States. Pittsbubg, Pa., Jan. 30- In my last communication 1 informed you that Gen. Harrison had made an engagement to meet the ladies of this city, at Concert Hall. Sometime before the hour, an immense con course of individuals were assembling in the neighborhood of the building. The room of the Hall was soon thronged with all the beau ty and fashion of the town. From my own ob servations, and from what I could collect from others, I suppose not less than three thousand whig young ladies were present, exhibiting the most beautiful and sublime spectacle l ev er beheld. When the hour of three arrived, the old Hero alighted from the carriage, and accompanied by his distinguished aids, and the Hon. Harmar Denny, ha entered the Hall amidst the acclamations of the admiring crowd —the band playing “see the conquering Hero comes.” The General rose, evidently much affected by this homage, thus paid by sucli a fascinating audience, addressed the ladies, in a few brief and eloquent remarks. During the delivery of this speech, the General took the liberty to interweave a beautiful episode in his observations, of the most deeply interes ting character. He feelingly alluded to an in cident that occurred in 1794. lie observed that he ought to have had a Pittsburg wife; that in 1794, he exchanged locks of hair with a lady of this town. The lady with whom the General had the good fortune to meet in 1794, happened to be present, and she (Mrs. A ) forthwith advanced to the General and ten dered him her congratulations. The meeting exhibited much exultation. After he conclu ded, the General then shook by the hand the whig daughters of Pennsylvania, amt all retir ed to their homes highly delighted with the “People’s President,” and highly gratified that they had an opportunity of grasping by ihe hand, the General, who had protected their country in times of danger and of difficulty. To-day ha attends the Episcopal Church, Dr. Upthorp’s ; and this evening, the First Pres byterian Church in Alleghany Town. He will leave here for Brownsville to-mor row about 10 or 11 o’clock. The committee am, f-V)v f prni] n boat, for the pur pose of conveying him and the gentlemen ac companying him to that place. The Hon. Harmar Denny, so distinguished ior his elegant urbanity of manners, and emi nent talents, has been marked in his attentions to the General and his suite, at.d accompanies the General to church this morning. Several eloquent speeches were made yes terday, not mentioned by me, bv Mr. Black, of this place, Mr. Loomis, of Ohio, and Mr. Robert Wiekliffe, Jr. of Kentucky, the Private Secretary of the President. Mrs. Harrison and Mr. Copeland, the neph ew of the President, are at the Exchange. From tlie Charleston Courier, Feb. llAi. SUSPENSION OF SPECIE PAYMENTS. The papers by yesterday’s mail give us but little additional intelligence of the effects of the suspension. The Richmond IV 7 iig of Monday, remarking on the existing state ol af fair?, thus speaks of the banks of that city : “We ore pleased to say our banks will pay no respect to the course of the Bank of the Uni ted States. They will go ahead in resumption, and meet the engagements of their charters. The following may be regarded as official: “Upon the receipt, Saturday evening, of the intelligence that the Bank of the United States had suspended specie payments, the officers of the Banks of this city held a meeting, and decided to continue specie payments, regard less of the course of the Bank of the United States. The public may be satisfied that our banks will carry out the resolution to pay spe cie.” The New York correspondent of the Na tional Intelligencer closes his letter as follows : “Exchange on England has advanced to 108 3-4 a 109. At this rate, specie will be likely to go out, as the amount of bills in mar ket, except those of the United States Bank is small. United States Bank stock sold at the Brokers Board to-day at 36 1-2, and at the se cond Board at 32 cash. Exchange on Phila delphia and Balthnore9o a 97. United States Bank notes 10 als per cent discount. There is nothing else talked of in the city but the suspension. Very little business has been done, nor will there be till the worst is known. There has been no run upon our banks, though various reports to that effect have been circu lated.” In reference to the forfeiture of the charters of the Pennsylvania institutions, the National Gazette contains the article which follows: “The following are the enactments provi ding for the resumption of specie payments by the banks of this State, passed by the leg islature last spring. “•That the several incorporated banks of this Commonwealth are hereby required on, from and after the 15th of January, 1841, to pay on demand all their notes, bills, deposits, and other liabilities, in gold and silver coin, ex cept such as may have hern made and created under a special agreement, under penalty,’ Ccc. bcc. Resolved , That if any bank within the Commonwealth shall at any time after the said 15th of January, 1841, refuse to pay on demand, its notes, bills, deposits, or other lia bilities, in gold or silver coin, except such as may have been made ami created under a spe cial agreement, its charter shall, for any such refusal, be declared forfeited as herein provi de I.’ “The act then goes on to sav that any one who has been refused go and and stiver by a batik, shall make an oatii or affirmation be fore the Court of Common Pleas of the county, or before the President Judge thereof, of the fact; it shall be the duty of the Court to ap point the tenth jiu’idical day thereafter for the hearing of the case—notice thereof to be giv en, at least eight days, to the president or cashier of the bank, and also to the Deputy Attorney General, whose duty it will be to prosecute on the part of the Commonwealth ; and if the allegation charged shall be substan tiated by the testimony, to the satisfaction of the Court, the said Court shall immediately cause the same to be filed in such Court, and then the charter of such bank shall be declar ed forfeited ; a provision is then made for the appointment of trustees to wind up the affairs of the bank. Under this act, the Lulled States Bank of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Bank, North America Bank, Commercial Bank, and many others, are exempted from the penalties of the above act, by live clause which, has been placed til italics. PHILADELPHIA, F.b. 9ih. The United States Bank, we learn, will re ceive in payments Jbr debts to herseil, no notes but ttmse of her own issue; and at large sums are due to that institution, it lol iows liuii her notes must soon be in demand, at par with the other Batik notes(7. S Gazette. The New York Commercial Advertiser o. last Monday says, “There is a great deal ol bustle and some excitement in Wall street to day. i'ue decline of stocks has been great —that of the United States Bank disastrous. We have beard of the failure of bu-l one bro ker as yet, birl there will be more at 2 o’clock. The Ne<v York Express of the same day says, “The fall in Slocks lias been terrific to day, and a panic seems to have prevailed, and ali that could sell knocked off their Stocks at any price. The operations are all among the Brokers—the Bills will suffer most tre mendously, and if they can stand losses ol this description they must be firm indeed. Uni ted States Bank has tumbled down to 26 1-8 a rate never before anticipated.”—Charles ton Courier, Feb. 13 th. PHILADELPHIA BANKS. The Philadelphia United States Gazette of yesterday, referring to the suspension of the Banks, says : The law of last February, relative to future suspensions, has operated most injuriously. The Banks were not ready for that resump tion, and all should have open'y and freely stated their inability to meet the requirements of the law. They did not; but anxious to comply,, and place themselves on a par with the institutions of other States at the East, they gathered around them, at sacrifices, the means of compliance. The Bank which had supplied the currency, of courses, made the principal preparations, and on the 15th ot January, the work of resumption was only commenced. Then, for the first time,, some of the small Banks discovered that the Eastern funds winch they held, were only placed in their vaults in paper, to be drawn from thence in specie ; and the calm, which had been consi dered so favorable to their views, was but the lulling of a breeze before a change for a tem pest. ; and in less than twenty days, only three out of thirteen Banks of Philadelphia had paid out nine millions of dollars in specie, llow much the other Banks had disbursed in that time, we have no means of knowing. No banking institutions could have stood this assault. It is not in the nature of their busi ness. The whole amount of specie in all the Banks of the State of New York, including city as well as country Banks, is only ten millions four hundred and twenty-nine thou sand one hundred and twelve dollars. And they have a circulation of upwards of fifteen millions, and a depcsite in the aggregate of seventeen millions. Now, if an attack should be made upon the New York institutions, equally vigorous and wrongly disposed, with that upon the Philadelphia Banks, what would these boasted Banks be in twenty days ? From ilie Philadelphia Inquirer of yesterday. THE RECENT SUSPENSION. The excitement produced by the suspen sion of specie payments by the united States Bank, and the other Banks of Philadelphia, as already named, subsided in a great measure on Saturday, although the public pulse was any thing but calm and composed. The Banks aene v ril!y paid specie for their five dol lar notes, and although in one or two instances specie was also paid for notes of a larger de nomination, we believe that no Philadelphia institution redeemed all its notes and liabilities in coin—that is to say, notes, deposited ba lances, and its drafts. We fear, therefore, that truth compels us to state, that the suspension is general throughout the city and county of Philadel phia, and an apprehension must also he in dulged that the Banks in the interior, and to the South, will speedily be compelled to follow the example. On Saturday, however, the Banks oi l-larrisburg, as we learn from the Telegraph ol that place, continued to pay specie, much uncertainty and confusion still exist, as to the money and stock rates; al though it will be seen on reference to the appropriate head, that considerable business was transacted by our board of brokers on Saturday. The last transaction we heard of, in exchange on New York, was to a consi derable amount, and done at 4 per cent. Another transaction took place for ten thousand dollars, in which United Slates Bank notes were paid at a discount of 11 per cent. This, too, wo understand, was for New York, so that deducting 4 per cent, exchange, the discount on the notes would be about G per cent. The public are sadly puzzled for a currency, and in some instances 2 per cent, premium has been paid for small notes. The Banks held a meeting by delegates—two from each Bank—on Saturday evening. Various plans were suggested, and among others, certificates of deposit, and small post notes. Nothing definite was determined upon. Something, however, must be done, and that speedily. The Legislature will, we trust, act promptly and judiciously at tin's crisis—while the spirit manifested by our citizens thus far,: is calculated to make the. most favorable im- i press ton as to their general forbearance, and I the disposition to yieid with as good a grace as possible, to the monetary evils under which j we are laboring. I rom I lie Phi aieljiha North American of yesterday The Late Suspension. —A meeting of the delegates from the various Banks in this city, was held on Saturday evening last, at which we understand it was agreed to receive the notes and checks of eacli other; and settle accounts in the same mannor as during- the suspension in 1837; allowing o per ‘cent, interest, and settling balances when they amount to -$20,000. The United States Bank was not represented at this meeting. New Jersey Banks. — The Philadelphia Sen tinel states that several of the New Jer.-ey Banks suspended specie payments on Friday and Saturday. From the Baltimore Ameri an. Fob. 9. BANK SUSPENSIONS The result of the meeting of the officers oi the Banks of Baltimore., held yesterday morn i ing at eight o’clock, was th t adoption of a ! resolution, by an unanimous vote, to suspend specie payments. This course was unavoi dable, in view of the general suspension which had previously taken place among the Banks of Philadelphia. On Saturday perhaps upwards of <§loo,ooo in specie were drawn from the Banks ot Baltimore by note holders and on dralts ; and yesterday morning a num ber of brokers and agents from the eastward stood ready to draw coin, had not the deter mination to suspend interposed to prevent them. The Virginia Banks will, without dout, also suspend. Common ‘cyjhk vs Semmes.—We learn from the Charlottesville Va. Advocate that the tria. of young Semmes before the Examining Court, on the charge of murdering Professor Davis, was brought to a close late on Wednesday evening, after a two days investigation, and it was decided that the prisoner should be sent on for further trial, to be had before the Cir cuit Superior Court in May next. — Bali. Pat. of Tuesday. THE TIMES. COLUMBUS, FK.il. 18, 184li Our T own subscribe rs who do not receive ibeir papers regularly, and at the paces des ignated by them, wil! please communicate the lact to tiiis Office. The Timcs will, in a lew weeks, be presen ted to the Public, in an in.provtd form. CITY .AFFAIRS. I here is one of the ordinances of this city, as old as (he city itself, and very imperative m its character, which is, probably, more fre quently violated than anv oilier. We allude to the one which prohibits, under adequate penalties, the firing if guns or pistols within the corporate limits of the city. In the pro priety, and, ,indeed, necessity, of such at> Ordinance, ail concur, and why is it not en. lorced ? Neither the City Council, nor i'.s Officers, can ascertain violations of this Oidi nance, unless complaint he made against of fending individuals; and it is the duty of every good citizen wi o properly regards the wel fare of the town in which he resides, and de sires the maintenance Os good order, and the observance of wholesome regulations, to re port every infringement of City law which may come to his knowledge. We have been induced to make these re marks in consequence of repeated complaints , by citizens residing near the commons, oil the outer range of lots, of constant firing in the immediate vicinity of their residences. We have beiore us a note received yesterday irom a gentleman, stating the discharge of a gun within a few steps of his residence, caus ing alarm to his family, and, indeed, endan gering life. if persons desire to hunt, or to shoot for amusement, lei them go beyond the City com mons, and not be a constant source of annoy ance and alarm to families residing on the bor dess of the City. Cannot the Marshal occn sion'y turn his attention in that direction, and bring some of the individuals, who are in the practice of hunting and shooting so fre quently within the corporate limits of the City, beiore the Council, to be dealt with as the law dheels. It is a foolish and pernicious prac tice, and ought to be suppressed. General Harrison, the President elect, ar rived in Washington city, on the 9th day of this month. In this paper will bo found some account ;of the pageantry at Pittsburg, on the occasion of the presence of Gen. Harrison in that city, on his way to Washington. It is taken from the correspondence of the Madisonian, and may interest some of our readers, though highly seasoned with fulsome adulation. Suspension of specie payments by the Daubs of Philadelphia and Baltimore. —We halve transferred to our columns a succinct account, extracted from various Journals, of the cir cumstances which led to, and have attended the suspension t;f-specie payments by the Banks in the ciiies of Philadelphia and Balli- If (lie accounts received from Washington city, through various sou ices, a it* to be cred ited, the friends of Gen. Harrison fonn any tiling but an harmonious hand. How there should be so early a dissolution of the ele ments of the whig parh—several weeks be fore the commencement of the new Adminis tration —a rupture, too, emanating from the most exclusive aril orthodox of the new paitv, is mailer of great surprise. Wise, Alford, .Mallory of the Norfolk District, Virginia not embracing Hives, Garland, and some mit ers, more recent converts —have openly ex pressed di-satisfaction with the apprehended aspect of afiiirs, as at present indicated by I Messrs Clay and Webster. Neither of the gentlemen fi.st named, can, by any possihi'ity, be suspected of J 1 ie slightest attachment to a solitary fagment or individual of the demo cratic party —and, of all others, they have | been the most unsparingin their censures, & de nunciatory of t lie men and measures of the administration of Mr. Van Buren. What i 8 the difficulty? Something is wrong, or this early demonstrator) of dissatisfaction and dislike would not have been made.—- j They deprecate an extra session—are hos- I tile to a farther imposition of duties, beyond the indispensable wants of the Government [and strenuously object to the distribution |of tlxe proceeds of the sales of the public | lands among the States. Now, if the two I latter measures are not seriously contem : plated by the leaders of the whig party, j and the first is not designed as the meins of j effecting them speedily, why ilie commotion ‘ ; in the ranks of that party —among the most j unscrupulous and heretofore unyielding of its J devotees ? We have not yet forgotten tiro j unmerciful castigation inflicted by Mr. Alford, | in this city, last spring, upon the expiring | Administration and its friends; and we were j then satisfied that the Orator really and sin -1 cerely believed that they were, if not trio same, | the very next thing to the ‘Devil and his imps.’ ! There was a richness of invective, and a ! ill ness of denunciation in his remarks upon that occasion, which could only have proceeded from one thoroughly impressed with the cor rectness of the sentiments l.e was uttering— and we were equally gratified, with the poli tical friends of the honorable gentleman, that a suitable opportunity had been presented to him to relieve his mind of presentiments, evi dently engendered in a gloomy and disordered fancy, and that must have ultimately resulted, if the political illusion had not been banished, u temporary derangement of intellect. This gentleman, as we have remarked ir. liis article, deprecates an extra session—he ias “suspicions’"—his “ fears are aroused” — hat the object of this Conven tion of Congress is any thing but fair air.d legi imate. By the by, will the Editor of the Macor. Messenger read the speech of Mr. Alford, and compare it with i is (the editor’s) ccm msnts of last week. Mr. Alford thinks the passage of the distribution bill :s designed to force the Government to a high tariff-—and sc anxious are the Whig party to effect this measure, that they are not willing to wait un ii the tegular cession of Congress. lie char res tins design upon Mr. Bell of Tennessee, Mr. Evans of Maine, and Mr. Barnard of N. York, all prominent and influential Whigs? Have they denied the charge? Is it likely Mr Alford would have assailed his own political friends, if there were uo foundation for hri fears —no reasonable apprehension of danger? Let any candid man answer. the Monroe rail road and bank ing COMPANY. A writer, over the signature of Vindex, in the Georgia Jeffersonian of the 14th instant, concludes Ids communication tbus-wise :—“ I congratulate the country upon the brightening prospect that ts dawning upon the cotton growers of this region, in the speedy comple tion of Gen. Griffin’s road, which will open to us another and better market, and will also relieve us from the shifts and quirks of the money shavers of Columbus.” The object of the communication of Vin dex is to show that an unnecessary and unjus tifiable hostility has been exhibited both in Augusta and this city, towards the Monroe Rail Road and Banking Company—and that this hostility originated not in the belief of the unsoundness of the institution itself, but in motives of petty spite and personal pique. Vindex cannot be unapprised that serious doubts have been generally entertained, for some time, in every part of the State, that the Monroe Rail Road Bank, in consequence oi the unproductiveness of its improvements,aiai the extent of its circulation, might, by possi bility, be unable to resume specie* payments— or, if accomplishing thus much, unless every thing in the money market went smoothly, it could not maintain tliem. These doubts, we are certain, have not been confined to Colum bus ; and although we have not particularly examined the facts, we think it will appear by recurring to them, that the bills of this institu tion have borne no higher vplue in other towns in the State, than in Columbus ; unless, per haps, in Macon, where settlements could be had daily with the Bank, by the holders of the money. Vindex will not deny, certainly, that the course of the Bank since resumption has been any thing but correct—very far from a full and unconditional return to specie payments, agreeably to the terms and inten tions of the law. Our obj ‘Ct, however, was to notice the concluding the communication ol V index, quoted in the outset of tins article.— We think trie Cotton growers have no leason to be dissatisfied with Colutnhus, at least dtt ring the present season. The staple has maintained throughout, in this market, its lull value, and the funds received in exchange for it, have been at par in every part of the Suite, dial there may he mosey shavers in Colum bus, is highly probable. If ihece were none, it would be unlike any other town of which we have any knowledge,or have ever heard. But that they have exercised any unfavora ble influence upon trie planting interest, either in the sale of Colton, or the pm chase of com modities, at least to the injurious extent slated by Vindex, we are totally unappriseit The following is an extract from*the speech of Sir. Clary of Alabama, in the U. Stales Senate, Jan. 15th, on the Land Bill. llun>s ville, in Alabama, is not the only place in the Country, containing 3000 inhabitants,'or there abouts, which can count as applicants for the Office of Post Master, twelve individuals and upwards : “ Why, sir, before I left my residence, I heard the names of some twelve individuals mentioned, as aspirants to the office of post master of town containing a population of only some 3,000 souls—yet, I never heard the first imputation against the capacity, integrity, or fidelity of the incumbent. And so it is, sir, throughout the country, there is scarcely an office of the most humble grade, held bv “a Democrat, for which there are not many ap plicants to be found in the ranks of this office bating, anti-spoils party. 1 have seen it sla ted that bat a few days ago, the Legislature of a’neighboring State, in which the Whigs have recently obtained the ascendeucv, turn ed out indiscriminately every Democrat, even down to the men who swept the floors of the Capitol. Such, sir, are the evidences of Whig sincerity, and such will be the monuments o) Whig magnanimity !” From the N. O. Adver iser. i THE LIST SYSTEM OF SELLING COTTON. We have taken pains to inqu re into the ex act mode of selling cotton in N. Orleans, and ! the result of our inquiries ive now pmceed to j lay before out readers. | The planter sends his crop to a factor, in I whom he reposes perfect confidence. The factor receives it at the Levee, ami disposes of | it in such a manner as to he convenient to the j compressing establishments. W hen that is done, the hales are all sampled by him. The | next step is Jbr the factor to classify thesam j pie, according to trieir respective qualities, amt ; looking to the interest ct Ins principal, to set the highest obtainable market price upon each quality. AVer this, he averages these prices, allowing lour hundred pounds to each bale, and with trie average rate for li e article in I.is possession, he goes into the market in search of a buyer. In nine cases out of ten, now a-dnys, the buying broker a hides by the sam ple of the factor, who generally guaranties them to be correct and lair specimens of the article proposed to be sold. So soon as a sale is efiected, if more or less than the aver age price put upon the article be obtained, or the buyer agrees to the factor's demand, the cotton is weighed, and according to the we'ght of each bale.fand the price obtained, the rates are individualized for each quality. It fre quently happens that a balance is left over this operation, and it is charged against our I actors that i Lev pockt t it without so much as a blush upon their face. True, it isensvglor’ i dishonest man so to do, and if lie does not cheat in one wa v, he can arid will in another, hut we deny that any balance need be left in individualizing trie prices of the various qua!-’ iticsof the article sold. It can all be ab sorbed in trie hands of the honest iactor. 1 ins, then, is the famous list system of sel-! ling cotton, which has excited so’mucti the in-j Agnation of tiie Mississippi press. Lke any I other system, it depends upon the honestv of its administrators. In itself it does not con tain the elements of injustice railed against bv he Mississippi people. The factor pronct the planter’s rights, while the buying broker his principal, arid rarely do we i ou tbid one man officiating as buying and selling broker, both, (nr the factor is every day tak ing the place of the selling broker. As to the objection, that several planters’ :yo|)s are merged together, and that this all onis a chance to the factor to lean to the s<h ‘I the great planter, 1o the sacrifice of the : ess, it scarcely deserves an answer. An bon H st man will be guilty of no such injustice and the presumption always is, that lie planter ‘elects such a factor. If lie does not it is Ids own fault. An eminent broker has furnished us with a table ol the expenses incident on a hale o( cotton, (rom the time it reaches the Levee, until it is sold, and lor which the usual charge s fifty cents per hale: press, ccc., 50 cents: sampling, 2 1-8 cents; brokerage 10 cents; ihor; Sec., 6 1-4 cents, allowance; 6 l-4cts. ft” we are wrong in any part of our state nent, concerning this matter, we shall lie dad to be corrected hv those who feci an in ter; st in vindicating N. Orleans from the as pensions of Strang* rs. F rom the Washington Correspondence of ihc Charles ton Courier, Feh. 9. General Harrison arrived in this city lodav, in the cars Iron) Baltimore, attended bv*a committee from Baltimore, his family, &.c. The day was the most dismal and dreary that could have occurred, ram and sleet falling thick and last for several hours, before and al ter tiie General’s arrival. Nevertheless, he was received by a con s course of citizens and the Tippecanoe clttb. I’oere was no military parade, hut there were two bands of music in the procession. Ahe citizens escorted trie General to the City Hall, where the Mayor of the city ad dressed him in an appropriate manner. The General, in reply, said, hri*fly, that had he not been warmly welcomed here, lie should have been disappointed, for be knew the people of this District well, and for a loiut time was on the most friendly terms with them. He should, as lar as was in his pow er, protect and promote their interests and welfare. As to politics, the General very properly held his peace. It is no longer necessary or politic for him to talk on such subjects. He wilt remain here only two or three days, after which lie will go to Virginia. There was no business of interest in Con gresstoday. In Senate, the bankrupt bill was again discussed, but no question was taken upon if. There seemed to b • no disposition to posh the bill, nor to bring up any other subjects. The House went into committee c*n the bill making appropriations for navy pensions.— The question being on Mr. W. Thompsons amendment, appropriating SIOO,OOO for the purpose of fulfilling some stipulations made by Gen. Armistead with the Indians in Flori da, wherebv the war will probablv be stopp ed. But this mailer was not referred to in the debate. Mr. Cooper, of Georgia, who yes terday commenced a reply to Mr. Giddings,, of Ohio, continued his speech. IMr. Cooper went on to prove that citizens of Georgia had not been sr*ilt.v of nemo stealing, but that citizens of Maine and Ohio had. Many at tempts were made to arrest the debate, but without success. Mr. R ayner, Mr. Wise, nnd other southern whigs attempted to arrest it, because it would! open torrents of abuse upon the South, and do no good. Mr. Adams insisted that it should go on, and claimed a rijjrit to reply. Ii became a regular, old fashioned, abolition* Congress row. Mr. Black, of Georgia* wi dened the field of debate still farther, in his speech. Soy there is no getting rid of abolition de* hnl“s in the House. To-morrow no legislative business can le done. The two houses are to meet at 12 n > - c.lock, to count and declare trie votes-fu;’ President and “V ice President of the United States. From the Rich. Enq.-Keb. 2>l TIIE-CONTROVERSY Wit II NEW YORK. Extracts from a letter of a distinguished Mem t r of the Legislature of Maryland , to a Member of the lLouse of Delegates of Vir ginia. “The subject, of the controversy between New York and Virginia lms been referred in the House of Delegates to the Committee of Grievances and'Courts of Justice. * * * * * l It is a matter of the most vital importance. It is tho-great ques tion of the day with the slaveholding States. The article of the Richmond Whig upon ti ck subject meets no response here. 1 could not have believed there could have beeh so much 1 lameness upon such a question in all Virginia. The policy thevs vindicated,-prostrates every’ barrier which guards our’ rights. To the” spirit whic h governs Northern fanaticism upon slavery* to yield on®’ inch of ground whore we” have the right to stanch- is to give up the field. Tiie issue is made. At must be met. It must be decided. It must be settled. u Obsta’ principiis ” was the motto of our ancestors, when they drew iherr sword, and with stouts hearts and strong hands they defied all Hrit ian’s power, rather than submit to ah unjust exaction of a paltry tax. Under that motto’ they fought and conquered ; and by the bles-- sing of God, 1 hope there are few of their des scendants who will not plant them, elves upon their plain, constitutional rights, wi, h the bright and glorious banner of their lather float ing over them, and if it he .necessary, pledge their fortunes, lives and sacred honor in the maiutainance of the position. * * * * * In reference to ilie great question to which I have referred, I think I can pi edge you that the spirit of “he Maryland line” yet aniiria'es the State; and that when occasion requires, Old Maryland, as in Revolutionary days, will be found shoulder to shoulder with Old Vir ginia and her sister slave Slates in defe. ee c f ilieir common rights.” From tiie Na-w York Herald, extra. I-Vb. 7. j THREE DAYS LATER FROM EUROPE, The packet ship Emerald, Capt. Ilowe, ar- I rived this morning from Havre, bringing dates | to January 9tb, her day of sailing. Our news man boarded her in advance of jail other papers, and Irought the papers up j over land. YVe thank Gapt. Howe for send j mg us by him several loose papers of January, i 9 i ?- r l he s’ate of Parts was tra qml ; the cm j eule which was expected when trio North i America left Liverpool, had not broken out. The important news from China, which ! was brought by the North America, and which reached London by a telegraphic dispatch 1 overland, via Marseilles and Paris, was d< üb | ted by many mercantile men in Paris. The “ Courier Francais” says that if the Chinese have agreed to pay the English 65,000,000 [ franc s, 35,C00,000 of this sum must go to pay : the opium merchants ; leaving only 30,000,- ! COO francs to defray the expenses of the war; whereas the war will cost England double | that sum. The same paper adds, that Admiral Elliot | could not have had any authority to make a treaty with the Chinese, unless he thereby obtained some permanent advantage to the British government, which was not spoken of in the late news. The “ Courier Francais” further says, that they are assured upon the highest authority’ that the British government will positively insist (as an ultimatum to their reconciliation | with China) that they shall he allowed to nave [ a resident minister constantly at Pekin. In Paris, M. Theirs had not made any fur ther progress. M. Guizot was strengthening himself and endeavoring to preserve pacific all round. The Count de l’ontois and Cochelet had not been recalled from Constantinople arid Alexandria when the Emerald left. Great dissatisfaction st.il existed in the public mind in Paris, relative to the state of the Egyptian question, but no futher demon stration'had taken place in the Cham! ers. Tl e weather was still very cold in Paris. The fortifications around the city were pro gressing slowly. Havre Colton Market , Jan. 9.— The market remains nearly the same. The arrivals of the week have been large, but the holders not being anxious to press the sales, the prices have been well maintained to the close. GO* The Boston Allas says, “the public generally may not be aware that a number of Banks are closing their concerns ; and af ter a certain period, their bills will cease to be redeemed. We refer to the Fulton, Com mercial, American. Hancock, KtJby,and Ori ental Banks at Boston ; Norfolk a* Roxbu rv ; Middlesex at Cambridge; Windsor at Wind.-or; Montpelier at Montpelier• East Bridgewater at East Bridgewater. We there fore recomend to ihe p. blic to sot waul for payment what hiils they may have of tj-osp banks, before the time expires.”