Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

arent emen from abroad, all entire strangers To me, nad just arrived m ilie city. Among these was a gentleman who became seated directly opposite to me at tne table, and soon attracted my observation by his peculiar and remarkable appearance, ami especially by his singularly resdess and subtly quivering eye, which to me threw ofi'an expression extremely sinister, for l had ever noted that an eye of this character indicated moral obliquity of the heart, and this kind of eye he p-ssessed in a more eminent degree than any 1 had ever seen. So strong, indeed, were my impres sions in the case, that I felt no hesitation in making up for myself a decided opinion of the j true character of the man before me, as before j mentioned, then unknown to me, even bj, ; name. After retiring 10 the private room of he friend at whose invitation i had dined there, lie , asked me, with an air of curiosity, if 1 noticed ! the gentleman who sat opposite to me at the table we had just left, and if so, what was my opinion of him. | I replied, that I had not only noticed the man, but formed a decided opinion of him, that his true character might be expressed in three , W ords— coolness, cunning and perfidy. “ vVed, sir,” said my friend, in surprise, “you cannot know the man of whom you are speaking: it is Mr. Burr, the greatest lawyer 1 in New York.” “I will not alter my opinion for all that,” l. remarked. “I hive never known such an eye as his in an honest man’s head, and what ever may be liis present eminence and fair reputation, I will venture the prediction, that he will yet be known as a villain.” In after times, continued Mr. J. to me, I had frequent reasons to recall my first impressions of the true character of Aaron Burr. Moatpe.ier, Vt. Sept. JB4I. L). 13. T. From Ilie Savannah Georgian. FACTS IN THE EARLV HtSiORY OF 13iilTlSH COMMERCE MOWN TO THE A. D. 1300. Voltaire, speaking of the influence of com merce, has well observed, that since the time of the ancient Romans, “ No nation Ins en riched itself by victories. Italy, in the 1-lJi century, owed her wealth entirely to com merce. Holland would have subsisted but a very short ti me, had they looked no farther than the seizure of the Spanish plate fleets, and had neglected to nave laid the foundation of her power in India. England is ever im poverished by war, even when she is most successful against the naval power of France; and she owes all her grandeur lo commerce.” Sir Win. Temple, writing upon the subject a hundred years before, remarks, that “ trade is grown the design of all the nations in Europe that are possessed of any maritime provinces; as being the only unexliaus'ed ‘mins, and out of whose treasures, all greatness at sea naturally arises .” The casual observer, even, of the j progress of British commerce, will see how ; truly the sentiments of both of these writers have been fulfilled. As early as 900 years before Christ, the Phoenicians traded to Eng land for tin, which they obtained from Corn-1 wall, there being, according to Boeharf, a j learned writer, “some of that metal to be i found in those eastern countries.” Strabo,! Pliny, and others, relate the story of a Car thaginian pilot, who was rewarded by the Senate of Carthage for sinking his ship, rather than be forced by the Romans to discover their traffic for tin found in the British isles. B. C. 54, Julius Caesar made his first invasion of Britain. His description of the inhabitants of England as they existed nineteen hundred | years ago is both interesting and curious.— ! “ Those of them,” says he, “ who lived on the ! were for that reason (intercourse: with the people of Gau!) clothed, and more ! civilized than such as iniiabited the inland j counties, who were entirely wild and naked ; I and though they had horses and chariots armed with scythes, yet their towns were no thing more than a parcel of huts on an emin ence, fortified with trees cut down and laid across each other.” Their money consisted of iron and tin plates and rings, and they had neither arts nor manufactures of any kind. After an intermission of over ninety years, the Romans, under the Emperor Claudius, again invaded and conquered Britain. Lon don was probably founded about this time, by the Roman name of Augusta, though its na tive name was Llyn-din, the town on the; lake. Tacitu-, who lived some time in Lon don about half a century later, describes it as “ famous for its many merchants, and the greatness of its merchandise.” London is over three hundred years older than Paris. While subject to the Romans, there appears ; to have been something of a reciprocal com-: merce between Britain and the Rktnan Pro- j vinces on the continent, of corn, and tin, and ■ lead a .and horses, to the latter, which they re turned by teaching the Britons the manufac ture of cloth and several ot the other usetul j arts. In the year 604, the venerable Bede J calls London “ a mart ‘own of many nations, j which repaired thither by sea and land.” It could not be expected that an age which was: so meager In geographical knowledge, as to j bring the charge and the condemnation of; heresy, on the Bis op of Saltzburg, because ‘ lie taught that the earth was round, and that j there were antipodes, would be very favorable i to commercial progress, and we therefore : have to trace down the catalogue of kings to j the tune of Alfred the Grent, without finding i scarcely a fact pertaining to the advancement j of commerce. Alfred, in the middle of the Din century, promoted commerce with, and | discoveries of, distant countries. But he was j a ligiit shining in a dark age—an ago in which i a student of Mathematics or Philosophy was deemed a magician. The glow of Alfred’s! genius, therefore, but made the surrounding darkness more lurid and appalling. Cardinal Bellarruine asserts it to have been ; the most illiterate period of modern Europe. In A. D. 83J, the city of London was laid waste by Danish pirates, and twelve years after they again made themselves masters of the city. Emboldened by succor, tliey re peated their depredations until Alfred set his people to building ships, and in A. D. STu, he boldly met the Danes on their own ele ment, defeated 120 of their vessels and se cured his coasts. These were mere rowing shallops, some manned by sixty oars. Havi.'g freed himself from these incursions, he buiU ships and let them, a;id money also, to mer chants who traded with them to the Mediter ranean. and brought home goods of great va - ue. King Atbelstan, his successor, enacted a law, A. 1). 92~>, *■ That every merchant who made three voyages to that sea (Mediterrane an) on his own account, should be raised to honor, and enjoy the privileges of a gentle man.” This monarch also was the first Eng lish sovereign to establish mints for the coin age of money, which he did at London, Can terburv* Rochester, &c. Front the death of Alfred to the time of E Igar, we find no m antion of a navy. Os this latter monarch, who reigned about A. D. 959, Dr. Howell says that -he understood and practiced the true interests of his country,: •which was to be master o! the sea,” and tnat “ he equipped such a licet as for number ol vessels m\y seem incredible.” The com- ( merce of the kingdom was, however, trifling.! Indeed, De Witt, the grand pensionary ol Holland, remarks that “ till no*v, there were scarcely any merchants in all Eurobs, except] a few in the republics of Italy, who traded with the Indian caravans of the Levant.” — The first commercial imposts were made in England in 979, by King Ethbred, by which he ordained that a small vessel arriving at j Blynygesgale (Billingsgate), then the only quay of L >ndnn, should pay a halfpenny toll; a grsaterone bearing sails, a penny ; a large keel-boat, fourpeuce. The wares of foreign traders were also subjected to a toll. Taa English relaxing in their mastery of the sen, the vigilant Danes again surprised them, committing extensive ravages, and were bought ojt instead of being driven out ot lit > king;! . The payment of such a large sum,invited new ’ attacks', and England became conquered by Ilia Danes, under Cante, their King, in 1017. At the restoration of the Saxon line in the nerson of Edward the Confessor, in 1035, London, according to Clifford “was a noble I c j t y } frequented by merchants from all parts of the world.”. It was however, like the other parts of England, greatly distressed by the ravages of the Danes, and of the Normans under William the Conqueror. Henry 1. in j 1135 was the first who attempted the improve ment oi rivers for the purpose of navigation. In 1139, William of Majinsbury, describes Bristol as a “famous town; its haven being a commodious receptacle for all ships coming thither from Ireland, Norway and other for eign countries.” It was not until 1154,when Henry 11. wss married to Eleanor, daugnter of the Duke of Aquitaine, that the English commenced a trade with Uie Southern Atlan tic provinces of France, when a wine traffic with Bordeaux was begun. In 1157, the first Bank in Eyrope was established at \ eaice, in Italy; its original fund was two millions of ducats. During the year 1194, King Richard, re turning from his captivity in Germany, pro claimed the famous marine laws of Oleron, so named from an island near the coast ot France, then in possession of England.— Though many of these laws are now obsolete, others are very good and equitable rules fur ; ship owners, merchants, masters and mariners, i in all maritime affairs, and have therefore due i credit and authority in all courts where adrni • raity concerns are cognizable j By a law of the first year of the reign of ; King John, it was ordained, that a ton of Poic | ton wine should he sold lor no more than one i pound; Anjou wine at XI 4s, and no French | wines above £l 55., except oine very good, j for which XI 6s. yd. per ton might be de- I manded. ! In the beginning of the thirteenth century, ! the German merchants of the steel-yard en grossed the commerce of England, enjoying great privileges and immunities, but a spirit of commerce was beginning to be excited, which was eminently fostered in IKK) by calling the citizens and burgesses of the kingdom to a participation in legislative affairs. By the Magna Charta of Runnyinede, which the Bar on’s clergy and free Burghs extorted from King John in 1315, the following privileges were couceded to merchants: “ Ist. That ail merchants shall have safe conduct to go out or come into England and stay there. 2nd. To'pass either by land or water. 3d. To buy and sell by the ancient and aliowed customs, without any evil toiis (extravagant taxes) ex cept in time of war, or when they shall hap pen to be of any nation at war with us.”— There is a tradition, says Cambden in his “ Remains,” that the Barons, during theirwars with King John, stamped leather money, though he confesses that he never saw any. The monarch, however, was the first who coined sterling money, which derived its name from the Easterlings, portions of the eastern Germanic Iribes called in by King John, to reduce the coin of the kingdom to standard weight and purity, though some antiquarians suppose that the name originated trom the three stars, crnimonly found on the oldest Scotch and English coins. The first treaty of commerce and friendship between Eng laud and any foreign power north or east of Germany, was made in 12 IT, with the king of Norway. The provisions of the treaty opened both countries free, for the mer chants of either. Liverpool in 1229 became a c irporation and free burgh, by charter. In 1227, the foreign merchants hv contributing XIOO towards the making of an aqueduct from Tyburn to London, were permitted to land their goods for sale, having previously been compelled to sell them from their ships in the Thames. The first commercial socie ty of English merchants originated in the year > 1249. They traded principally to the Neth- ; eriands, < xciianging the wool, iead and tin ot j England, for the fine woollen cloths and rich j stuffs of Brabant. This society gave rise, or j was merged in the company styled “ ilie; merchants of the staple of England.” “ The j Merchant of the Staple,” says an old author, j “were the first and ancientest society in Eng land.” “ That society was put under sundry regulations for the benefit of the puolic, and was the means of bringing in considerable wealth, as well before as after, the making of woollen cloth here, and were privileged by many succeeding kings.” The grower ot wool at first sold it at his own door or the next tow:. Thence arose men who bought it of the pro ! ducer for the consumer, or foreign cloth ma j her; and because they established themselves I for the sale of vvoois in some city convenient ! for commerce, they were called “ Staplers.” The balance of tffs trade was greatly in lavor of England. The foreign merchants, viz: those of Ham | burg, Munster, Cologne, Triers and Hunuon | dale, were associated into a sue icy with ccr | porate privileges from the king, by the style of the “Guild of the Germans,” and resided ! together in a place called the “ Steel-yard, ’ in Thames street; steel-vard being both a corruption and contraction of the German sta pie-hoff, a place, for keeping merchandise.— The true principles of Commerce gained ground but slowly in England ; not only was the burden of trade with foreign, merchants, but even the Cambium or Mint of London, was in their charge, as befrg best qualified to direct it. Prince and people were both ig norant of the advantages to b’ derived from these extended mercantile relations, or from causing them to minister to the public wealth and interest. The mere supplying of their necessities, appears to have been their ulti mate aim; for in the reign of E heard I. Par liament, in 1239, passed a law, giving “leave for all kinds of merchandise to be exported from Ireland, except to tiie kings enemies.” And by two statutes in the reign of Edward the 111. in 1360, ail kint sos mereband se j : without any exceptions, Were allowed to be j exported from and into Ireland, as well by al-1 iens as denizens • thus allowing a latitude of | trade, far from consonant with our present commercial knowledge. Rynier, in his “Fce dera,” under da e 1295, gives the following j arc mat of the first letter of Marque and Re j prisais : “ A merchant of Bayonne, in Gasco ny, had gone with a ship to the coast of Afr:- ! ta. where he laded a quantity of almonds, rai ; sins, and figs; and on his voyage back for England, he and his ship and cargo were sei j zed’ by some armed force from Lisbon, as he I ] ;l y at anchor on the Portuguese coast, and i carried into Lisbon, where the capfors paid ■ he king of Portugal a tenth share, the siiip ! and cargo being valued at X 709 sterling, (or nearly 1500, present rate) although peace then subsisted between England and Portugal. ! Our King (Edward I) hereupon grants this ’ merchant letters of marque (liccnha mcrcandi ) i against the subjects of Portugal wherever he can seize their effects, and especially agair.st those of Lisbon, for five years, or until he sha.'l reimburse himself all his losses, and no longer: and to account to the kmg for any surplus lie might take over and above his real'damage and expenses.” The year 1299 was memorable as giving birth to a powerful and influential company, woiek existed with credit and splendor for over five hundred years, “The Company of Mer chant Adventurers of England.” They were the first w o began the Woollen Manufacture in England, and they stapled themselves both at Antwerp and London, exercising*, controll ing power over the commerce of both coun tries. The commercial town ol Hull, in \ orkshire, was founded this year by Edward Ist. Chan cing to hunt upon the spot he was so impressed with its peculiar advantages in point of strength and naval comm >diousness, that he immediately ordered it to bn fortified, and in three years, so greatly had it become popula ted. he incorporated it as the King's Town ot).> t Hull. It so m became a place of con siderab’e commerce, chiefly with the Baltic ports, and the North Sea fishery. The Genoese at this time, were the most commercial nation in Europe, and had the as cendency in the maritime affairs of the Medi terranean. Some of her merchants, together with others from Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Ven ice, and Lombardy, were the prinepial sus ainers of the English markets aid fairs; and though the people viewed them with jeal j ousy, and the corporate towns, with London \ at their head, petitioned in 1289, that “the ! merchant strangers” with whom successive j Paharnents, had already dealt rigorously, and j several times expelled the kingdom, might be ; again sent out of the realm. “ Edward gave i ifor answer, “the King is of opinion that met chant strangers are useful and beneficial to j he great, men of the kingdom, and is therefore j against expelling them.” Miserable policy 1 this, to consult tne good of the nobles, against the people; and encourage the subjects of foreign Princes to the detriment of his own. Such is a brief outline of the state of English i commerce, before'Flavio de Gioga of Naples, I invented the mariner’s compass. This con j stitutes an era in the history of maritime ad | ventures. It opened the gates of the Pillars |of Hercules, and ushered the mariner into ! the broad Atlantic. No longer bound to capes and hedlands; no longer creeping timidly along i the shores; released from his fears, inspired j with courage, daring with confidence, he cast ■himself boldly upon the bosom of unknown i seas, and guided by the teachings of this ever j faithful manitor, pursued his way upon the i ocean, until anew world rewarded the enter ! prise of a Columbus. TH E TIM ES . ****sss§ tP* The union of the status and the sovereigntyof the stales COLUMBUS, NOVEMBER 13, 1641. ILT Owing to the absence of iho Editor, we are without our. usual quantity of editorial matter. MILLEDGEVILLE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE COLUMBUS TIMES. MIbLEDGEVILLE, NoV. 15, 1841. The Legislature has not yet proceeded to the consideration of the most important mat ters of State concern, the currency and inter nal improvements. An election forjudges in i the several circuits where die official term of j the incumbents had expired, having taken j place, and the election for State House officers ! being fixed, it is said, for to-morrow, the vital 1 questions affecting the interests of the State* and the prosperity of the people, must, in a very few days, be presented for the action o* the Legislature. As it respects the election of Judges, C. S. Henry was reelected in the Eastern Circuit, John Schley in the Middle, Garnett Andrews in the Northern, and Carlton B. Cole in the Southern. Edward D. Tracy, of Bibb, suc ceeds Judge King in tha Flint Circuit; Jun ius Ilillyer, of Clark, succeeds Judge Harris in the Western; and Francis H. Cone, o* Greene, succeeds Judge Hill in the Ocraul gee. The questions of the currency and internal improvements are, as I have just observed, yet to be acted on, and what direction will be given to them, whether the public policy in respect to either or both of them will bo ma terially changed, are matters about which no definite opinion can be formed. It is, indeed, problematical whether the Legislature has yet determined what it will do with these del icale and embarrassing topics. ‘The bill limiting the pay of members to four dollars a day has passed both branches. An amendment was proposed giving the mem bers four dollars a day for the first thirty days, and two dollars for every day the Legislature continued in session beyond that period. The Senator from Muscogee proposed, in lieu, that the members receive threo dollars a day for the period the session continued. This, how ever, was rejected, as well as the proposition preceding it, and the pay of the members fixed i at four dollars a day for the whole session. ! This a reduction of one dollar per diem. | The Hon. William C. Dawson having rr ; signed, making three vacancies to be filled in j the Congressional delegation, the Whig party’, | through a meeting here, has placed in nora ! nation the lion. George R. Gilmer, the Hon. | Charles Dougherty, and Augustus R. Wright, ; Esqr., of Cass county. The two former are known to the people of Georgia, of both po litical parties, as politicians of eminence in the State; and the latter was specially rec ommended for nomination, by his locality , and some peculiar and distinguishing traits he is l-eputed to have, as a popular declaimer. To maintain what particular opinions, and to sub serve what particular interest this ticket has i been selected by the Whigs, seems to be dif ficult of solution. Mr. Gilmer is known to be decidedly opposed to a Bank, and Mr Dougherty is understood to be not less so; and as to Mr. Wright, his powers for stump oratory secured to him a nomination, without looking farther to ascertain his opinions on leading measures of State policy. It is ru mored here, that a portion of the Whig party, including Messrs. Gilmer and Dougherty, was anxious to assume the ancient doctrines of the State Rights party, and sink or swim with them. Mr. Berrien, Mr. Dawson, and others, it is hinted, objected to such a course, and pre ferred to give no more definite expression of Whig views than now exists. The sugges tions ot the latter prevailed, yet two, if not three anti-bank men were nominated for Con gress. This double dealing and concealment of rea’ designs, must sooner or later destroy any party; and the defeat of the three gen tlemen nominated for Congress by the Whigs, I is as confidently predicted by many of that ; (iarty, as by the most sanguine of the Demo i crats. The latter have a meeting in a few ! days, to de ignate their candidates for Con i gross, and as yet it is not known who will be j nominated. Mr. Bradford, the Senator from Crawford county, died yesterday, after a short illness, and was buried this afternoon. IRELAND. The Belfast Vindicator states that a His torv of Ireland, hy Daniel O’Connell, “ is in the hands of the bookbinder, and may be looked for s mie time in November,” (this month.} * ‘ ‘ EXECUTIVE DISSENT TO BILLS OF J LAST SESSION. j The following document was read in the House last week. Executive Department, j> MiHedgeviile, Ist November, 1341. ) At tiie last session of the General Assembly the several bills hereinafter named, were pre sented for my revision at a period too late to be examined before the adjournment ot that body, j Upon examining them, 1 telt bound to vvitti i hold the Executive assent, and now proceed to i assign the reasons. 1 The act to regulate elections in the county jof Sumter, and to repeal all laws authoriz ing or creating election precincts in said I county, and to establish a precinct in the I county of Twiggs, at Ilitrgsville, required that j all elections for county officers, members ot the | Legislature, members of Congress, Electors 1 for President and Vice President of the United j States, anil Governor of the State ot Georgia, i shall be had and held at the Court House in like said countij of Sumter, and no where else. Believing it to be manifestly the intention of the Legislature, from the caption of the act, to regulate the elections in the county oi Sum ter aione, and nothing appearing in the body of the bill confining its operations to that county, I deemed it just to withhold my assent. The act to add certain fractions named to : Paulding county; The act to prescribe the duties of Attornies jin entering up judgments, and the duliesof Clerks and Sheriffs in relation to executions; and The act to incorporate the Baptist Church lin Pulaski countv, known bv the name of j : Mount 1 loreb Church, and to appoint Trustees i lor the same-each contained matter different i from what is expressed in its title. The first of said acts added a square lot, as well as | fractions to the county of Paulding. The j second, in addition to the matters specific in the title, provided that endorsers paying an [execution, should have control of the same against prior endorsers and the maker of the note on which judgement was rendered. The third act incorporates other Churches than that specified in the caption. The act to incorporate the village of Jack sonborough in the county of Scriven, and to appoint commissioners for the same, confers on | the corporation jurisdiction of criminal cases, I which is prohibited by the Constitution, and | for that cause could not receive niy assent, j The act to repeal an act to guard and pro tect the citizens against tho unwarrantable ; and too prevalent use of deadly weapons, I passed the 25; h December, was objected to I by me solely on the ground of the inexpedien ey of repealing a law, so well calculated, if executed, to protect the lives of the people. The practice of resorting to the use of deadly weapons, as instruments of offence or defence, on slight and trivial occasions, lias become so prevalent, tnat instead of repealing laws tend ing to suppress it, if those passed are ineffica cions, t hey should be so amended as to erad icate an evil so fraught with dangers to human life. To make it highly penal to draw a deadly weapon ori any occasion, either for offence or defence, and particularly the former, would perhaps, accomplish more for the safety of society than any other regulation heretofore attempted. I lie act to alter an amend an act entitled an act to carry into effect the sixth section of the fourth article of the Constitution touching the distribution ot intestates’ estates, &c., ap proved 12th December, 1304, was objected to merely on the ground of ihe impropriety of interfering with the existing law, proposed to be altered by the first section of the act under consideration. The law, as it stands, was so framed for wise purposes ; and casting about for the reasons which may be supposed to have led to the enactment, the protection of the child against the cupidity of the step-father, to be most probable anu prominent. This ar gument is very unfavorable to human nature; but the history of the world is full of instan ces where the temptations of avarice have overcome the horror of crime and the fear of punishment. Hepless infancy ought not to be exposed to the assaults of tins temptation. The apparent hardship against which the act was iiiteno.ed to provide, is the necessary es- j feet of a wise and humane policy. The act to protect the slave property of the I people of Georgia, by Compelling vessels | owned or commanded by citizens of, or coming ! irom the ports of Maine, and the officers, sea- j men and passengers 1 hereof, to perform quar- j antine, and to provide for a search thereof, on I tl eir departure, has received from me a care- | [ ful consideration, and for causes which I shall | proceed to state, I have felt bound to withhold | from it the Executive assent. It is necessary to a proper understanding i of the reasons which influenced me, to analyze j the act and ascertain its character, purpose , and intent. The history of the causes which ; ied to its passage, are necessary to establish j its character, in tiie year 1837, Daniel Phil- i brook and Edward Keileran, citizens of the ; Suite of Maine, were charged by the affidavits j of James Sagure, with the secret and feloni-! ous abduction from the city of Savannah, of j a 11 euro slave named Atticus, the property of tho said James and Henry Sagers. The said Phi I brook and Keileran having returned to the Suite of Maine, they wore demanded as fugi tives from the justice of this State, from the Governor of Maine, by the Executive of Geor gia. He refused to deliver them up. In the mean time, the owners recovered possession i of their slave Atticus. To the next General j Assembly the Governor communicated the j facts, who, by resolution, denounced the con duct of the Governor of Maine, as not only dan- ; gerous to the rights of the people of Georgia,j but clearly and directly in violation of the plain ; letter of the Constitution of the United States, and requested the Executive of Georgia, as j soon as a bill of indictment should be found j true in the Superior Court oi Chatham county, against tiie said Phdbrook and Keileran, for j tiie said offence, to m.ixo upon ihe Governor ol j Maine a second demand for said fugitives, \ predicated upon the said bill of indicjment,und j accompanied by such evidence as is contem plated by the act of Congress, in such cases j made and provided ; and in tiie event the Go ; vernor of Maine should refuse to comply with such second demand, the Executive of Geor gia was requested to transmit a copy oi the resolution then passed, to the Executive cfj leach State in the Union, to be presented to : their several Legislatures, and also, a copy to the President of the United States, and to our ‘ Senators and Representatives in Congress, j to be aid before that body. It was further made the duty or the Governor of Georgia, if the Legis.ature ol Maine, at its first session after the said resolutions bad been iorwarded to the executive of that State, should neglect or refuse to redress the griev ance, in tire resolutions set forth, to announce the same by proclamation, and call upon the peop ! e of the several counties, on a uay in said proclamation to be named, to elect, underline regulations and restrictions, a number ol del gates equal to the number ot Senators and Representatives to which they were entitled in the General Assembly, to meet m Conven tion at the seat of Government, to taxp into j consideration the state of the Commonwealth ! of Georgia, and to devise the course ol her ; future policy, ar.d provide ail the necessary j safeguards lor the protection or the rights or: the people. As directed by the resolutions, ; the Executive of Georgia, upon the finding of j the bill of indictment in the county ot Ciiatnam . against tire said Philbrook and Kelleran, re- j newed his demand of them as fugitives from j justice, upon the Governor of Maine, who per sisted in his refusal to deliver them up. No proclamation,however, was issued, announcing the fact, and requiring the election oi delegates to take into consideration the state of the Commonwealth. The matter rested thus, until the session of 1839, when, inded, no measures were adopted in relation to this particular case; a preamble and resolutions were passed, de claring tire legislorth ■ “pmioit, Lha’ it \v is ?h • duty of Congress to provide for the execution of that provision of the Constitution of tho U. Stales which relates to tiie delivery of fugi tives from justice,suggesting the insufficiency of the act of Congress passed for that purpose, requiring the duly to be performed by the Executive officers of the several States, who neither are nor can be made responsible to the Government of the Union, and instructing ; our Senators in Congress, and requesling our Representatives to have the act of Congress on this subject in the manner prescribed in ihe resolutions, which was, that the obligations ottlie Government should be executed by ied ral officers, amenable to its authority. The resolutions were presented to Congress by our Senators, but uo action was taken thereon. Our Representatives refused to pre sent them, for reasons assigned by the ,which have long since been made public. This, then, was the state of things at the time of the enactment of the law under consideration. The act purports to be an act to protect the slave property of the State of Georgia, by compelling vessels owned or commanded by citizens of, or coming from the ports of Maine, and the officers, seamen and passengers there of, to perform quarantine, &c., and it is inten ded as a retaliation upon the State of Maine, for refusing to surrender the fugitives. Its purpose is to affect the commerce of the State of Maine, and the effect of the law, if carried into execution, would be clearly to interdict all commercial intercourse with the State.— It cannot be assimilated to quarantine laws, intended to preserve the health of the inhabi tants of a seaport city, which have no refer ence to, arid are not enacted to operate upon the commerce of a country. By whatever name it maybe called, the act under conside ration establishes a non-intercourse with the State of Maine, comes in conflict with the i commercial regulations of the United States, and therefore infringes the provision of the Federal Constitution which confers on Con gress power to regulate Commerce among the several States. As long as we acknowledge the auhontv of the Constitution, we must bow to its supremacy. No matter of mere con venience, no spirit of resentment, should impel us to a transgression of its provisions. nder it, from disjointed States, we have grown to a united and powerful nation. One violation lof it, will make another more easy, until its j infraction, by repetition, will become familiar and habitual, and we may destroy this only sure anchor of national safety, internal har mony, and individual happiness. It is possible that a perseverance of a part of the States in a refusal to surrender fugi tives from the justice of tho Southern States, when charged with a particular class of offen ces, and the failure of the General Govern ment to provide some other mode of executing tho provision of the Constitution of the United States relative to the delivery of fugitives from justice, may coerce us to the adoption of meas ures for our safety, not warranted by the con stitution; but, when this is done, it cannot be by ’he Legislature sworn to support that in strument; but it must he the work of the peo ple themselves, in the manner suggested by the resolutions of 1887, or some other similar mode. When the proper time arrives, the whole States interested, wiil make common cause, and unite in providing against the com ing danger. Accompanying the acts herewith laid before you, wiil be found a resolution of the last Gen e-ial Assembly authorizing the Governor to draw his warrant in favor of Thomas Hoxey, for the sura of four hundred and thirty two doL | lars, on the contingent fund, the amount being I princioal, interest and cost of a suit, James V. Smith, vs. Thomas Hoxey, in the county of Franklin, Territory of Florida. This res olution was presented tome for my approval at too late a period to be examined before the adjournment of the Legislature. It will be seen that no statement is made why the State is liable to, and should pay this judgement— and no facts having been submitted to me in regard to the matter, I felt bound to withhold |my approval. Upon the face of the resolution, | lor aught that appears, it is a donation which cannot he made, except by the concurrence of two thirds of the General Assembly. Charles j. McDonald. Texas. —The New Oilmans Advertiser con tains important intelligence from Texas. Jn conjunction wish Yucatan, the vessels oi war, Austin, Wharton, Archer and the steam ship Zavala ate fitting out at. Galveston lor un expedition against Mexico. A loan ol $24,- 000 in specie from Yucateens had been re ceived at Galveston for this purpose. The government of Yucatan has sidle red consid erably from the conduct of Mexico, and the pcopie of that republic with a very deter mined spirit, seem resolved to hold a resolute conies! with her. We see it stated that strong efforts are making by her to establish a navy, and as a commencement a fine vessel us twenty-two guns, has been purchased at a cost of $22,500. It will be recollected that a lew mouths ago an ambassador from her arrived at Texas offering to bear the expen-, ses of’an expedition, if the latter would lend the use ol her navy. From these demonstra tions it appears that the proposition lias been accepted. The Saute Fe expedition bad arrived at the point of its destination, after a sevete jonrnev and encountering hordes of hostile Indians whom they had to fight through. The people and authorities of Same I ( e treated the expedition with great respect, and exten ded towards them all the hospitalities their rude manners were capable of. Mexico. —Accounts have been received at New Orleans from Vera Cruz to the 3!si Oct. Santa Anna had succeeded in placing himself once more at the head of Mexican affairs. A convention was called to reform the affairs of the country —an I nine-tenths of the members were opposed to Bustameide, and resolved to depose him, and elevate iianta Ai na in ids stead. A letter dated City of Mexico, Oct. 14th, says:— 1l - Government has just been organ ized. On Sunday last, Santa Anna took the oaths as provisional President ol the republic He immediately named his ministers, as bil lows : Gen. Tornell, Minister ot War. Gomez Pedraza, Minister of Foreign Be la t ions. Gip. Castilion, Minister of Industry. Francis Garcia, Minister of Finance. Commerce and business here have revived slice tfse change.” Busiamente, it is said, was to proceed to Havana, thence to Europe. Havana. —-Bv the arrival of the st- amer ! NaiclifZ, at New Orleans Havana papers j tv) t!ie 16ili uit. have been received. ‘i’ee ravages committed bv the yellow le ver this year at Havana have been uncom j uuutly malignant. We perceive bv a c nri parative statement in the A olocioso y Lucero iif the IG’h, that during the month ol June, 1941, 421 persons died in three hospitals, while : during (tie same month ol the year preceding | hut 7G were carried off. The total number |of interments lor June, IS4I, was and | for J me, 1340, 4C2 It is perceived that ; tiie <l:(rerence of mortality in the two years is ! not considerable, and yet the journals ahiun [that the lever has been more mahonant this season than ever. The small increase ()f| ! deaths is attributed bv tbe iV otocioso io tne I superior skill of tbe Faculty. This compari son be it remembered, is limited to one month onlv in each vear. We learn “that great discontent prevails among the creoles of Havana, in conse quence ol an apprehended treaty, hy winch the Hnoiisli Government inav obtain certain privileges in the Island of Cuba. Nothing of the kind is noticed in the papers, as the press is rigidly purge.l of evety thing hke political discussion. Death of the Hon. Dixon H. Lewis.— : The Macon Telegraph of the 16th instant gives the following rumor : “ Another great man has fallen. We learn with the smeerest regret that the lion. D. H. Lewis, of Alabama, died recently, near Mo bile, of congestive fever. In the demise of this eminent statesman and patriot, the repub lic has sustained a loss not easily reparable* and the democracy of our noble sister, one of their oblest chiefs, and brightest ornaments. We tender to our brethren of Alabama the expression of our deepest sympathies, in their bereavement.” From ill Aibanv Argus. NEW YORK ELECTION. Both Branches of the New York Legislature j Demixratic, and from 13,000 to 15,000 on the popular vote. We are enabled to-day to present to our ! readers the result of the election in this State, j and to congratulate the Democracy of the j State and the Union upon it. The Democrats carry both branches of tho Legislature, the House nearly three to one, and a majority of from 13,001) to 15,000 on the popular vote. The Senate. The returns show the elec tion of eight Democrats and two Federalists to the Senate ; which ensures a Democratic majority of two in that body. Ihe Senate will stand 17 Republican, 15 Whig. The House. Returns from all but four counties, show the election of 93 Democrats and 28 Federalists. Two of the remaining seven members will probably be Democratic. The victory in New York has baffled the hopes of the Whigs. They counted upon her to make up their previous losses. Their presses have neen recently blazing forth an article signed “Onward,” wno expatiated up on tiie defeats of the Whigs in 1840, “before the great Whig Harrison Revolution,” when “the Van Buren party?carried almost every State (Kentucky,. New York and Vermont excepted) from Mama to Louisiana.” “ New York (says ‘Onward’) was surrounded by the enemy, and the Van Buren flood swelled so high as to leave scarcely an Ararat for the Ark of Republican liberty to rest upon. The ! eye of the patriot, as he gazed around him on every side, as far as the horizon’s verge was greeted with a cheerless black sea of locoio eoisin. Van Buren seemed undisputed master of the Union, and his baleful reign perpetual. And so thought his followers. iJut it was a deceitful triumph ; as deceitful as those which now fill with a false j y ihe hearts of his par tisans. Their victories now, like their victo ries then, are but the sure precursors of their final overthrow.” But r ce lictis! Even New York is now as much against them, if not more so, than the rest. She has followed in their wake, surpassing them all in the volume of her wave and the irresistibility of her im pulse ; and there is no Ararat for the Whig Ark to rest upon. The means, which have disgusted and aroused the people, and the re action is terrible upon the humbuggers and tiie pipelayers. Onwards lias become back wards, and the change, change, which Mr. Webster invoked, is converted into a fearful change upon the discomfitted and chapfallen Whigs. Yet it is nothing but retributive jus tice. They well deserve the fate, which they have incurred. For “they who live by the sword must die by the sword.” [Richmond Efquirer. THE FIRST EFFECT OF THE DEMO CRATIC VICTORY IN NEW YORK. The New York Herald’s money article an nounces an improvement in the State credit, resulting from tho lale election. “The results if the election, giving such an overflowing deleat to tho “ dent contract ing party,” has already had a good effect upon the value of the stocks of this State. L&pi- I lalisls begin to feel confident that the supply iof stocks upon the market will cease, uml ! consequently that tho present amount will gradually he absorbed, and the prices rise un lit they are at. least equal to those of Massa chusetts, the 5 per cent, stocks of which Stale yesterday brought 95 1-2 in the open market, when those of'this State will not bring 82. The policy of the ne w party in power will be undoubtedly to ascertain and discharge, as far as practicable, all debts due by the State, | and entirely suspend further expenses, at least [ for the present.” What has become of it?— The upr<-ar j that was made over ihe pretended delalca i lions in the New York Custom House, can j hardly be forgotten by our readers. The Iquestion is now, vvlrat has become of the re ! port of the commissioners appointed to inves j ligale the matter? 1 lie New York Herald i sa vs: “ VVe are very much disposed lo think thal this investigation is only an ingenius piece of eharlalanrie. W hen, at Ihe close ol their labors, ihe commissioners relumed lo Wash ington city, accompanied with several vol i nines of evidence, no report was made to the department, nor could they agree on making ; a report. Each commissioner differed so j much with his associate that he had to make ; his own report. Two reports were thus j made, differing in views and conclusions, and j “Old Ruins,” though he differed with both, | made no report. He loved his ease too much lor that.” The expense of this investigation cost the i country some eight or ten thousand dollars ; and the general impression is that it was staried for no other purpose than to feed die hungry mouths of some halt dozen partisans,; wluMvere unfit to he entrusted with any re sponsible office under the government. In the Senate of Alabama, on the 9th, Mr. King of Pickens,-introduced a bill to repeal the general ticket system in the election for Representatives to Congress, when Mr. Jones of Sumter, moved to lay the bill on the table, ; when the yeas and nays were required, 8, 22, Mr. Jones himself voting in the negative.’ The bill was then ordered to a second reading, j Mr. Rice introduced, on the same day, in | the House of Representatives, a bill to reier the question of a convention or no convention, to the people in August next, lor the purpose j of amending the constitution, so as to author- I ise the removal of the seat of Government. .Mr. Smith of Tuscaloosa, Mr reasons urged j in the preamble, moved to lay the bill on the j table, but at the suggestion cf Mr. Walker,; withdrew it, and the biff was ordered to a sec ond reading.— Tuscaloosa Monitor. i Jared Sparks, the distinguished biographer of Washington, is about delivering a course ol Lectures in New York, under the auspices of the New York Historical Society, on the American Revolution. Professor Sparks is preparing a work on documentary history of the American Revolution, and has for that 1 purpose recently visited Europe, and met with I much success in collecting papers lor this great work. Nothing can more surely mark | (lie merit or Mr. Sparks as a historian, than • the fact, that Guizot, one of the most eminent Fr.-nch writers and philosophers, Von Hau nter, equally celebrated in Germany, and a distinguished scholar in Italy, have all publish ed most valuable editions and translations of Shark’s Lile and Writings of Washington, whieh is becoming a standard work, both ir. America and Europe. Massachusetts School Statistics. —The amount raised by town taxes the last year, throughout the State, for school purposes was $491,015 23, which added to the amount of income of the -nrplu3 revenue appropria ted to the same ob/. ~t. * $9 529 48, makes art annual appropriation o: half a million of dollars. The number of children re turned, between tbe ages of four and sixteen, is 183,192. The average sum appropriated t i tr.e in- ruction of each ch'ld, is $2,70. From ihe Savannah Georgian, Nov. 12. FROM E. FLORIDA. By the steamer Forester, Capt. Clark, we yesterday received the St. Augustine Herald of Friday last. The physicians of St. Augustine contradict the report that has appeared in some papers of the prevalence of a malignant epidemic in that city. In their publication they say—“ That a few j cases of violent congestive fever made their ‘appearance in a certain limited portion of our city, produced by obvious local causes, ii not i denied. But when we assert on our ownpo \ sitive knowledge, that but eight deaths , from fever of every desciption, originating in the | city, have occurred in the last twelve months, ; it is plain that no epidemic fever could have prevailed. Our population, by the late cen j sus, amounts to 2,800, and we doubt whether ; there is a town of half our population in the | whole South in which mortality from fever has : been so small during the same period. “ The first death took place in August.— Two more occurred in September, and five iin the month of October— eight in all. Os j these eight, four, at least, took place from neg i lectou the ( art of the patients to avail them selves of timely medical advice, and one was 1 a person of notoriously intemperate habits. At present there is not a case of fever within jour corporate limi-s.” St. Augustine, Nov. 5. There has been a heavy storm on the south ern coast of the Peninsula, and seems to have been felt as far north as Tampa. At Key West the water came up into the streets, the inhabitants going about in canoes. The storm a: Punta-Rosa was tremendous. It commenced on the nineteenth of last month and prevailed from ten o’clock at night until three. Tiie whole country was inundated.— Four companies of soldiers were stationed there, and with other persons numbered about two hundred and fifty. They retreated to the highest spot, the hospital, which came at last te be knocked up by the waves. Trunks, money, and papers, all have been lost. Captains McLaughlin and Burk have re cently passed through the Everglades. They entered apart at Key Biscay.ne and Indian Key, and came out to the north of Cape Ro man. in their course they visited Chekika’s Island, discovered a lake with several islands in it, destroyed a field of corn of about forty’ acres, and saw five or six Indians. THE CENSUS. The FJitor of me Cincinnati Chronicle has been examining the six returns ol ihe Census, j laSien at intervals of ten years each, since tlie ; adoption ol ihe Constitution. The invesiiga j lion snows some curious facts: 1. The population of Hie United States | increases exactly 34 per cent. each ten years, j and doubles e v ery twenty lour years. The i law is so unilbim and peimaneni, that When j applied lo tiie population id 1790,and brought ‘down to the present time, it produces nearly i tiie very result as shown by the census of i 1840. And thus we may ten with great ac curacy what will be the census ol’ 1559. It ! will he nearly twenty three millions. 2. But although tins is the aggregate result, ■ ; it is by no means true of each particular pan’ |ol the country,for M. England increases at the ! raie of lo pe. cent, eao.i ten years, while the north western States increases 100 per cent, in that period. 3. The slave population increased at 30 per cent., but sine.- ai less than 25 per cent; The free population have, however, increased at the rate of 3(i per eeni. At tins rale, therefore, the difference between the free and slave population is constantly incieasing. 4. Another fact is that the colored popula tion increase just in proportion to the distance s iutk; and that slavery is certainly and rap j idly decreasing in the States bordering on the i tree Stales. j This state of things continued, would, in I half a century, ex'inguish slavery in these I Slates alul concentrate the whole black pop ulation ol itie United States on Ihe Gull of Mexico, and ihe adjiceut Stales on the Southern Atlantic. The Ravages of the Yellow Fever.— in a c.haritv sermon preached in N. Orleans, by the Rev. Mr. (’lupp, he said—■“ i'hat ho had resided twenty years, wanting only a lew months, in New Orleans, and during that time had witnessed eleven epidemic yellow fever j years, and two cholera—each epidemic catry ’ ing to a sudden grave never less than three thousand human beings, and often live thou sand. Within that space of twenty years one hundred thousand human beings had found a grave in New Orleans, and of that immense host, twenty-five thousand were young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty years, each one the representative of some dis tant family, with whose late that family was connected, rising when he rose, and with h.s fall sinking hopelessly arid forever” A SCENE IN AN EDITOR’S OFFICE. Enter Mr- B- Good morning, Mr. Editor. I see you are as busy as usual. Ed. Somewhat engaged just now. Ji. Have you leisme to look over an article 1 have brought! Ed. Certainly, that is part of our business. If you will allow me to read it, I will decide at once. Editor, (reading.) The article, I perceive, is rather personal. However just and true the comments, they are likely to give offense. Facts, toe, are stated in a strain somewhat exaggerated, and calcula od to make tfie im pression that the writer was prejudiced at the time he wrote. B. Do you mean to say that you refuse the ■ article ! Surely, tho independence of the pre-s is not reduced to so low a level. Here is a crying evil, of which the public complain most universally; and yet, when a case is strongly stated, and in a manner calculated to excite attention, 1 find it almost impossible to get. matter into the public prints. Ed. You are quite mistaken Mr. B. Edi torial independence and editorial responsibili ty are greatly mistaken by some persons. There are beings in the world, with the high est pretensions to honor and fearlessness, who denounce it as a species of cowardice in an editor to shrink from a degree of responsibility, which, whetij tested, they themselves refuse to assume ! Tire article alluded to, although offensively written, notices a subject of con siderable importance, arid is, I freely admit, from a source of the highest respectability. We will publish it—but with a single provi so. In the editorial columns we must be per mitted to remark that the name of the author has been left with us. A change instantly came over the dream of our correspondent, lie at once saw the object in a different light. He did not wish to mix himself up with any controversy, or to assume any responsibility. He Lad been requ -sted to write the article by a friend, and probably the statement was overcolored, and the fact somewhat exaggerated. lie meant nothing offensive, but would not for the world come into collision with either of the parties alluded to in the communication, especially as they were high public functionaries. Ed. My dear sir, you need not utter another syllable upon the subject. This sort of thing is by no ni“ans rare with persons situated as we are. We know you and respect you, and believe you would not tread upon a fly in a wanton spirit. But still, as you move along in life for the future, remember that some ed” itors have consciences, and that they cannot always he employed in the manner related in the fable, in which the monkey employed the cat. — Philad. Inq. A verdict in the suit of the United Stales against the United States’ Bank, to recover $251,243, was given in favor of the plaintiffs on the Ist instant, at Philadelphia.