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Siege and Capture of Jerusalem.
FROM WASHINGTON IBVINg’s “MAHOMET AND
HIS SUCCESSORS.”
The Moslem invaders reposed for a month
at Damascus, from the toil of conquest, du
ring which time Abu Obeidah sent to the
Caliph to know whether he should undertake
the siege of Ca'sarea or Jerusalem. Ali was
with Omar at the time, and advised the in
stant siege of the latter : for such, he said,
had been the intention of the prophet. The
enterprise against Jerusalem was as a holy
war to the Moslems, for they reverenced it as
an ancient seat of prophecy and revelation,
connected with the histories of Moses, Jesus
and Mahomet, and sanctified by containing
the tombs of several of the ancient prophets.
The Caliph adopted the advice of Ali, and
ordered Abu Obeidah to lead his army into :
Palestine, and lay siege to Jerusalem.
On receiving these orders, Abu Obeidah
sent forward Yezed Abu Sofian, with five
thousand men, to commence the siege, and
for five successive days detached after him
considerable reinforcements. The people of
Jerusalem saw the approach of these porten
tous invaders, who were spreading such con- 1
sternation throughout the East, but they
made no sally to oppose them, nor sent out
any one to parley, but planted engines on
their walls, and prepared for vigorous de
fence. Yezed approached the city, and sum
moned it by sound of trumpet, propounding
the customary terms, profession of the faith
or tribute; both were rejected with disdain.
The Moslems would have made instant as
sault, but Y ezed had no such instructions;
he encamped, therefore, and waited until or
ders arrived from Abu Obeidah to attack the
city, when lie made the necessary prepara
tions.
At cock-crow in the morning, the Moslem
host was marshalled, the leaders repeated the
matin prayer each at the head of his battal
ion, and all, as if by one consent, with a loud
voice, gave the verse from the Koran : “En
ter ye, oh, people! into the holy land which
Allah hath destined for you.”
For ten days they made repeated hut una
vailing attacks; on the eleventh day Abu
Obeidah brought the whole army to their aid.
He immediately sent a written summons, re
quiring the inhabitants to believe in the unity
of God, the divine mission of Mahomet, the
resurrection and final judgment; or else to
acknowledge allegiance and pay tribute to
the Caliph ; “otherwise,” concluded the let
ter, “I w ill bring men against you who love
death better than you love wine or swine’s
(lush ; nor w ill I leave you, God willing, until
I have destroyed your fighting men, and made
slaves of your children.”
The summons was addressed to the magis
trates and ’principal inhabitants of /Elia, for
so Jerusalem was named after the Emperor
/Elius Adrian, when he rebuilt that city.
Sophronius, the Christian patriarch or bish
op of Jerusalem, replied that this was the ho- i
ly city, and the holy land, and that whoever
entered either for a hostile purpose, was an
offender in the eyes of God. He felt some
confidence in setting the invaders at defiance,
for the walls and towers of the city had been
diligently strengthened, and the garrison had
been reinforced by fugitives from Yermouk,
and from various parts of Syria. The city, j
too, w r as strong in its situation, being sur- ;
rounded by deep ravines and a broken coun
try ; and above all there was a pious incen
tive to courage and perseverance in defend
ing the sepulchre of Chi ist.
Four wintry months elapsed ; every day
there were sharp skirmishings ; the besiegers
were assailed by sallying parties, annoyed
by the engines on the walls, and harassed
by the inclement weather , still they carried
on the siege with undiminished spirit. At
length the Patriarch Sophronius held a par
ley from the walls with Abu Obeidah. “Do j
you not know,” said he, “that this city is ho
ly; and that whoever offers violence to it
draws upon his head the vengeance of
heaven?”
“We know it,” replied Abu Obeidah, “to
he the house of the prophets, where their bod
ies lie interred; we know it to be the place
w hence our prophet Mahomet made his noc
turnal ascent to heaven; and we know that
we are more worthy of possessing it than you
are, nor will we raise the siege until Allah
9 has delivered it into our hands, as he has
done many other places.”
Seeing there was no further hope, the pa
triarch consented to give up the city, on con
dition that the Caliph would come in person
to take possession and sign the articles of
surrender.
When this unusual stipulation was made
known to the Caliph, he held a council with
his friend. Otham despised the people of
Jerusalem, and was for refusing their terms,
but Ali represented the sanctity and impor
tance of the place in the eyes of the Chris
tians, which might prompt them to reinforce
it, and to make a desperate defence if treated
with indignity. Besides, he added, the pres
ence of the Caliph would cheer and inspirit
the army in their long absence, and after the
hardships of a wintry campaign.
The words of Ali had their weight w ith the
Caliph: though certain Arabi an writers pre
tend that he was chiefly moved by a tradition
handed down in Jerusalem from days of yore,
which said, that a man of his name, religion,
and personal appearance, should conquer the
holy city. Whatever may have been his in
ducements, the Caliph resolved to receive in
person the surrender of Jerusalem. He ac
cordingly appointed Ali to officiate in his
place during his absence from Medina—then,
having prayed at the mosque, and paid a pi
ous visit to the tomb of the prophet, he set out
on his journey.
The progress of this formidable potentate,
who already held the destinies of empires in
his grasp, and had the plunder of the Orient
at his command, is characteristic of the prim
itive days of Mahometanism, and reveals, in
some measure, the secret of its success. He
travelled on a red or sorrel camel, across
which was slung an alforja, or wallot, with a
huge sack or pocket at each end, something
like the modern saddle-bags. One pocket
contained dates and dried fruits, and the ofli
er a provision called cawik, which was noth
ing more than barley, rice, or wheat, parched
or sodden. Before him. hung a leathern bot
tle, or sack, for water, and behind him a
wooden platter. His eamnamons, without
distinction of rank, out of the
same dish, using thenMupm according to
Oriental usage. He nfcrlit on a mat
spread out under a common
Bedouin tent of hair-cloth, and never resumed
his march until he had offered up the morn
ing prayer.
As he journeyed through Arabia in this
simple way, he listened to the complaints of
the people, redressed their grievances, and ad
ministered justice with sound judgment and a
rigid hand. Information was brought to him
of au Arab who was married to two sisters
a practice not unusual among idolaters, but
the man was now a Mahometan. Omar ci
ted the culprit and his two wives into his
presence, and taxed him roundly w ith his of-
fence ; but he declared his ignorance that it !
; was contrary to the law of the prophet.
“Thou best!” said Omar, “thou shalt part ;
with one of them instantly, or lose thy head. ’
“Evil was the day that I embraced such a |
religion,” muttered the culprit. “Os what ;
advantage has it been to me ?”
| “Come nearer to me,” said Ornar : and on
his approaching, the Caliph bestowed two
wholesome blows on his head with liis walk
ing-staff.
“Enemv of God and of thyself,’ cried he,
“let these” blows reform thy manners, and j
teach thee to speak “ ith more reverence of a !
religion ordained by Allah, and acknowledg- j
cd bv the best of his creatures.”
He then ordered the offender to choose be- ;
tween his wives, and finding him at a loss i
which to prefer, the matter was determined
by lot, and he was dismissed by the Caliph i
with this parting admonition : “Whoever pro- j
fesses Islam, and afterwards renounces it, is |
punishable with death ; therefore take heed j
to your faith. And as to your wife’s sister, ;
whom you have put away, if ever I hear that ;
you have meddled with her you shall be i
, stoned.”
At another place he beheld a number of i
men exposed to the burning heat of the sun ‘
by their Moslem conquerors, as a punishment
i for failing to pay their tribute. Finding, on j
I inquiry, that they were entirely destitute of j
means, he ordered them to he released; and j
turning reproachfully to their oppressors, !
“Compel no men,” said he, “to more than !
they can bear; for I heard the apostle of j
(tod say, he who afflicts his fellow-man in ‘
this world, will be punished with the fire of ’
Jehcnnam.”
While within a day’s journey of Jerusa- !
lem, Aim Obeidah came to meet him, and j
conduct him to the camp. The Caliph pro- j
ceeded with due deliberation, never forgetting |
his duties as a priest, and teacher of Islam. |
In the morning he said the usual prayers, and j
preached a sermon, in which he spoke of the j
security of tlio.se whom God should lead in
the right way; but added, that there was no
Help for such as God should lead into error.
A gray-headed Christian priest, who sat lie
fore him, could not resist the opportunity to
criticise the language of the Caliph preacher.
“God leads no man into error,” said he,
aloud.
Omar deigned no direct reply, but, turning
to those around, “Strike off that old man’s i
head,” said he, “if he repeats his words.”
The old man was discreet, and held his I
peace. There was no arguing against the |
sword of Islam.
On his way to the camp Omar beheld a ‘
number of Arabs, who had thrown by the j
simple garb of their country, and arrayed
themselves in the silken spoils of Syria. He j
saw the danger of this luxury and effeminacy, j
and ordered that they should be dragged with ‘
their faces in the dirt, and their silken gowns
torn from their backs.
When he came in sight of Jerusalem he
lifted up his voice and exclaimed, “Allah
Achbar! God is mighty! God grant us an
easy conquest!” Then commanding his tent
to be pitched, he dismounted from his camel
and sat down within it on the ground. The !
Christians thronged to see the sovereign of
this new and irresistible people, who were :
overrunning and subduing the earth. The j
Moslems, fearful of an attempt at assassina- ;
tion, would have kept them at a distance, but
Omar rebuked their fears. “Nothing will ;
befall us but what God hath decreed. Let I
the faithful trust in Him.”
The arrival of the Caliph was followed by \
immediate capitulation. When the deputies j
from Jerusalem were admitted to a parley,’
they were astonished to find this dreaded po-!
tentate a bald-headed man, simply clad, and !
seated on the ground in a tent of hair-cloth, j
The articles of surrender were drawn up !
in writing by Omar, and served afterwards !
as a model for the Moslem leaders in other j
conquests. The Christians were to build no |
new churches in the surrendered territory. !
The church-doors were to be set open to j
travellers, and free ingress permitted to Ma- ■
hometans by day and night. The bells ’
should only toll, and not ring, and no cross- i
os should he erected on the churches, nor !
shown publicly in the streets. The Chris- j
tians should not teach the Koran to their j
children ; nor speak openly of their religion ; ‘
nor attempt to make prosetytes; nor hinder j
their kinsfolk from embracing Islam. They ;
should not assume the Moslem dress, either j
caps, slippers, or turbans, nor part their hair j
like Moslems, but should always be distin- j
guished by girdles. They should not use the ‘
Arabian language in inscriptions on their sig- j
nets, nor salute after the Moslem manner, ‘
nor be called by Moslem surnames. They j
should rise on the entrance of a Moslem, and i
remain standing until he should be seated.
They should entertain every Moslem travel
ler three days gratis. They should sell no
wine, bear no arms, and use no saddle in ri
ding ; neither should they have any domes
tic who had been in Moslem service.
Such were the degrading conditions imposed
upon the proud city of Jerusalem, once the
glory and terror of the East, by the leader
of a host of wandering Arabs. They were
the conditions generally imposed by the
Moslems in their career of conquest. Utter
scorn and abhorrence of their religious ad
versaries formed ono of the main pillars of
. their faith.
The Christians having agreed to surrender
on these terms, the Caliph gave them, under
his own hand, an assurance of protection in
their lives and fortunes, the use of their
churches, and the exercise of their children.
Omar entered the once splendid city of
Solomon on foot, in his simple Arab garb,
with his walking-staff in his hand, and ac
companied by the venerable Sophronius, with
whom he talked familiarly, inquiring about
the antiquities and public edifices. The
worthy patriarch treated the conqueror with
all outward deference, but, if we may trust
the words of a Christian historian, he loath
ed the dirty Arab in his heart, and was par
ticularly disgusted w ith his garb of coarse
woolen, patched with sheep-skin. His dis
gust was almost irrepressible when thov en
tered the Church of the Resurrection, and
Sophronius beheld the Caliph in his filthy at
tire, seated in the mid/t of the sacred edifice.
“Thi , of a truth,” exclaimed he, “is the
abomination of desolation predicted by Dan
iel the prophet, standing in the holy place.”
It is added that, to pacify the cleanly scru
ples of the patriarch, Omar consented to put
on clean raiment which he offered him, until
his own garments were washed.
An instance of the strict good faith of
Omar is related as occurring on this visit to
the Christian temples. While lie was stand
ing with the patriarch in the Church of the
Resurrection, one of the stated hours for
Moslem worship arrived, and he demanded
where he might pray. “Where you now
are,” replied the patriarch. Omar, however,
refused, and went forth. The patriarch con
ducted him to the Church of Constantine,
and spread a mat for Iqm to pray there; but
again he refused. On going forth, he knelt,
and prayed on the flight of steps leading
down from the east gate of the church. This
done, he turned to the patriarch, and gave
I him a generous reason for his conduct. I
! “Had I prayed in either of the churches,”
said he, “the Moslems would have taken
possession of it, and consecrated it as a I
mosque.”
So scrupulous was he in observing his ca
pitulations respecting the churches, that he
gave the patriarch a writing, forbidding the
Moslems to pray upon the steps where he
had prayed, except one person at a time.
The zeal of the faithful, however, outstripped
their respect for his commands, and one-half
; of the steps and porch was afterwards inclu
ded in a mosque built over the spot which he
had accidentally sanctified.
The Caliph next sought the place where
| the temple of Solomon had stood, where he
i founded a mosque; which, in after times, be
ing enlarged and enriched by succeeding
| Caliphs, became of the noblest edifices of Is
lam worship, and second only to the magnifi
• cent mosque of Cordova. *
j The surrender of Jerusalem took place in
the seventeenth year of the Hegira, and the
| six hundred and thirty-seventh year of the
Christian Era.
Thß Farmer’s Life.
Wm. Gilmore Simms, in his “Father Ab
bott, or the Home Tourist,” thus beautifully
represents the life of the farmer:
| “The principles of agriculture were sim
l pie exceedingly. That they might be made
! so, God himself was the great first planter.
He wrote its laws visibly in the brightest and
| loveliest and mast intelligible characters, ev-
I ery where, upon the broad bosom of the lib
! eral earth ; in greenest leaves, in delicate
! fruits, in beguiling and balmy flowers. But
| he does not content himself with this alone.
; Ho bestows the heritage along with the ex
| ample. He prepares the garden and the
j home, before he creates the being who is to
j possess them. He fills them with all those !
| objects of sense and sentiment which are to
I supply his moral and physical necessities.
Birds sing in the boughs above him, odors
blossom in the air, and flowers cover the
earth m ith a glory to which that of Solomon
in all his magnificence was vain and value
less. To his hand we owe these fair groves,
these tall ranks of majestic trees, these
deep forests, these broad plains covered with
verdure, these mighty arteries of flood and
river, which wind among them, beautifying
them with the loveliest inequalities, and irri
gating them with seasonable fertilization.
Thus did the Almighty Planter dedicate the
great plantation to the uses of that various
and wondrous family which was to follow.
His home prepared—supplied with all resour
| ces, adorned with every variety of fruit and
flower, and checkered with abundance—man
| is conducted within its pleasant limits, and
| ordained its cultivator under the very eye
1 and sanction of Heaven. The angels of
Heaven descended upon its hills ; God him-
I self appears within its valleys at noonday—
its groves are instinct with life and purity,
and the blessed stars rise at night above the
celestial mountains, to keep watch over its
consecrated interests. Its gorgeous forests,
its broad savannas, its levels of flood and
: prairie, are surrendered into the hands of the
wondrously favored, the new created heir of j
Heaven! The bird and the beast are made i
| his tributaries, and taught to obey him. The i
fowl summons him at morning to his labors, j
and the evening chant of the night-bird ;
warns him to repose. The ox submits his
I neck to the yoke ; the horse moves at his
| bidding in the plough; and the toils of all
| rendered sacred and successful by the gentle j
i shower and the genial sunshine which de- j
: scend from Heaven, to ripen the grain in its
| season, and to make the earth pleasant with
! its fruits.”
The Bible.
i Its moral and intellectual benefits.
! Wo are not afraid to ascribe to the prev-
I alonce of true religion, that unmeasured su- :
i periority in all the dignities and decencies of
: life, which distinguish a Christian nation, as
; compared with a heathen. We ascribe it to
! nothing but acquaintance with the revealed
will of God, that those kingdoms of the earth
| which bow at the name of Jesus, have vastly
outstripped in civilization every other, wheth
er ancient or modern, which may be desig
nated Pagan or idolatrous. If you search
for the full development of the principles of
civil liberty, for the security of property, for
an even-handed justice, for the rebuke of
gross vices, for the cultivation of social vir
| tues, for the diffusion of a generous care of
| the suffering, you may turn to lands where
j the cross has been erected—as though Chris-
I tianity were identified with what is fine in
i policy, lofty in morals, and permanent in i
i greatness. Y'ea, as though the Bible were j
a mighty volume, containing whatever is re
quisite for correcting the disorders of states,
and cementing the happiness of families, you
find the causing of it to be received and read
by a people is tantamount to the producing
of a thorough revolution —a revolution induc
ing equally the palace and the cottage—so
that every rank in society is mysteriously
j elevated and furnished with new elements of
| dignity and comfort: who, then, will refuse to
s confess, that, even if regard were had to
| nothing beyond the present scene, there is
no gift comparable to that of the Bible ?
We stand indebted to the Bible for many
intellectual as well as moral advantages.
Indeed, the two go together. Where there
is great moral, there will commonly be great
mental degradation ; and the intellect has no
fair play while the man is under the domin
ion of vice. It is certainly observable, that
; in becoming a religious man, an individual
| seems to gain a wider comprehension and a
| sounder judgment; as though in turning to
j God, he had sprung to a higher grade in in
telligence. It marks a weak, or at least an
; uninformed mind to look with contempt on
j the’Bible, as beneath the notice of a man of
S high power and pursuit. He who is not spir
j itually, will be intellectually benefited by the
i study of scripture; the understanding will be
! strengthened by contact with lofty truth, and
! the taste refined by acquaintance with ex
| quisite beauty. And what is true of an in
dividual, is true in its degree, of a nation; the
diffusion of Christian knowledge being al
ways attended by the diffusion of correct
1 views in other departments of truth; so that
in proportion as a people are Christianized,
we find them more enquiring and intelligent*
[Rev. Henry Melville.
A New Plan for Plank Roads.— Mr.
Grunise, of this State, has applied for a pa
tent upon improvements in the construction
of Plank roads, which he has invented. Mr.
|G. gives an arch form to this road; places
his sleepers across instead of lengthwise;
his planks were sawed in strips and laid edge
i wise and lengthwise, and are spiked togeth
er. This mode of construction involves addi
tional expense; but the inventor claims that,
j by enabling the water to pass off freely from
! the surface, and placing the sleepers so as
| not to dam the water underneath the plank,
! the road will last twice as long as those built
after the usual plan, and may be kept in re
pair for less than one quarter of the amount
expended upon others.—JV. Y. Farmer.
Curious Disclosures.
“The Parkman Murder —More of the
Texas Letter. —A gentleman from Boston,
who has lately been on a visit to the western
part of Texas, called at our office yesterday
to examine the letter of ‘Oronoka’ published
sometime ago, in the Delta, in which the wri
ter declares that he was the murderer of Dr.
Parkman. This gentleman informs us that
he made diligent inquiries, during his visit to
Texas, to discover some clue to the author
ship of this letter, and the result of his re
searches contributes greatly to heighten the
mystery which hangs over this affair. The
letter signed ‘Oronoka,’ is dated Washington,
Texas, 28th of Dec., 1849. Our informant
has ascertained, beyond all doubt, that an
unknown and suspicious looking individual
arrived in Washington about that time, who
came from Boston, via Galveston and Hous
ton. He remained at Washington but a few
days. During that time he conversed with
several persons, to whom he stated that he
had been a blacksmith by trade, that he had
lost his wife, and having saved a few hundred
dollars, wished to invest it in Texas lands,
i After remaining here a few days he departed
for Austin, where he entered his name in the
register of the Orleans House as ‘John
Weeks, Boston.’ The appearance of the
stranger was calculated to excite suspicion.
He was reserved and nervous. He did not
remain long in Austin. Our informant,
while in Austin, having read the letter of‘Oro
noka,’ in the Della, made inquiries into all the
movements of this individual. He also cut
out of the registry the entry of his name,
which was compared, yesterday, with the
handwriting of the letter of‘Oronoka,’ and al
though the entry in the registry is written hur
riedly and nervously, yet it contains points of
resemblance to that of ‘Oronoka,’ which are
very palpable and striking. We give these
i facts as they are detailed to us, by our infor
mant, w'ho is a respectable citizen of Boston.
They are certainly deserving of consideration
and investigation.— N. O. Delta, 3 d.”
We have some curious revelations to make,
touching the subject treated of in the above
paragraph, that are derived from an authentic
source, and which appear to throw light on
this whole matter.
On the 9th of November, 1849, one Benja
min F. Cannon, a resident of Wendell, Frank
lin County, Mass., disappeared, just after re
ceiving, at one of the banks in Greenfield, five
hundred dollars, borrowed on his own note
and those of substantial sureties. Three or
four weeks after this, he was seen, and talked
with, by a neighbor, in New York city; but
on further inquiry in that city lie could not be
found again.
In January, application in insolvency was
made by his creditors, alleging that he had
absconded, in pursuance of which, on the Ist
of February, he was declared insolvent.
Soon after that time, his daughter, Mrs. Allen,
residing in one of the towns of Worcester
County, received letters purporting to be
from passengers and officers on board a
steamer plying somewhere in Texas, stating
that a man, calling himself John Weeks, died
of cholera on board the boat on the 2d of
| February, 1850. This was the steamer Gal-
I veston, and the occurrence took place on her
! passage from Galveston, Texas, to New Or
■ leans. Before dying, he stilted that lie be
j longed in Greenwich, Hampshire County,
Mass. ‘Flic accounts represented that he died
after a few 7 hours’ illness, and that the body
was thrown overboard the same day, after the
: performance of funeral services. Also, that
he spoke of Mrs. Allen as his daughter, and
! directed that his money and trunk should be
sent to her, giving them her address, and that
his effects had been entrusted to Mr. and Mrs.
Vance, of Vermont, who were on board the
boat, and then on their way home to Vermont.
Some two or three weeks since, Mr. and
Mrs. Vance actually arrived, bringing with
them one hundred and thirty-six dollars in
money, said to have been taken from the dead
man’s belt, and a trunk in which w ere a pock
et-book and shirt, which Mr. Cannon’s family
recognized as belonging to Mr. Cannon.
In the meantime, the proceedings in insol
vency had gone on, and an assignee had been
appointed. On Tuesday last, at Greenfield,
Mrs. Cannon applied for administration on
the estate of her husband, alleging his death,
and her application was opposed by the credi
tors who had proved their claims in insolven
cy, and whose interests might be affected by
the establishment of the fact of death. Mr.
and M rs. Vance were present and testified to
the facts we have above stated, in part.
They also testified that the person whom they
had known as John Weeks, bore a striking
; personal resemblance to a Daguerreotype
: likeness which had been taken of Mr. Can
non before Ids departure, and which was in
possession of his family.
It also appeared that the name of John
Weeks was one which had been in Mr. Can
non’s family, and a favorite one with him.
But, though the appearance of Mr. and Mrs.
Vance was such as to command confidence,
and though their evidence could leave little
doubt that John Weeks and Benjamin F.
Cannon were one and the same person, neith
er of them was able to swear that they had
seen John Weeks die, or had seen him after
death. As the evidence of death failed at this
point, the Judge of Probate, Hon. George
Grenncll, directed the case to be continued,
stating that the administration could not be
granted without further proof of the fact of
death.
The letters and certificates of the passen
gers show that, according to John YVeeks’
own statement, he had bought land in Texas,
and had been in Washington, (in that State)
and in other places referred to in the article
which wc have copied above.
It will be seen that the questions which
arise in this matter are somewhat curious:
first, whether John Weeks and Benjamin F.
Cannon are identical; second, whether B. F.
Cannon is dead; third, whether, if dead, his
property remains to be distributed in the Pro
bate Court, or vests in the Assignee, by virtue
ol the proceedings instituted in insolvency be
fore his death.
The possible connection of John Weeks
with the authorship of the letter in relation to
the murder of Dr. Parkman f3 another feature
of this affair which adds to its interest. The
details we have given would seem to leave lit
tle doubt that John YVeeks was none other ;
than B. F. Cannon. Mr. Cannon left this part
of the country, or rather New York, about the !
time of Dr. Parkman’s death. If the writing
of the “Oronoka” letter is attributable to John j
YY eeks, a presumptive clue is furnished by j
which the statements of the letter can be estab- i
lislied or refuted. Our readers are in posses- :
sion of all the tacts we can give, and will draw
their own conclusions.
Should any persons to whom these facts be
come known have any information tending to
throw further light on the subject of John
YY'eeks’ death and his identity with B. F. Can
non, they can communicate either with us, or
the counsel in the case pending before the
Franklin County Judge of Probate. These
arc Geo. T. Davis, Esq. for the supposed wid-
OW, and David Aiken, Esq. for the creditors
in insolvency. Both are of Greenfield.
There is one other circumstance going to
show that John Weeks and B. F. Cannon
were one and the same, which we have not al
luded to above,because we have not clear par
ticulars concerning it. It is in substance,
however, that Weeks while in Texas, said he
had a brother, a minister named Frederick E.,
which was true of Mr. Cannon. ’I his cir
cumstance came out in consequence ol some
one in Texas writing to Franklin County for j
information about such a brother as Weeks
described.
The facts about Mr. Cannon’s disappear
ance and of the death on board the Galveston
of John Weeks of Greenwich, Hampshire
County, Mass., have been previously an
nounced in the Republican. We do not know j
whether an inquiry has been made in Green- j
wich to learn whether a person named John i
Weeks belonged there or not. A negative j
answer to this would strengthen the supposi- j
tion that the name was assumed by Mr. Can- j
non, while an affirmative one would throw a
new mystery over the whole affair.
Aside from its connection with the anony
mous letter about the Parkman murder, this
statement of facts is curious and interesting
enough ; but that circumstance lends it a
more deep and general interest, and will un
doubtedly be the means of bringing out new
developements by inviting the attention of
parties more seriously interested in the whole
truth than even those in Franklin County.
[Springfield Republican.
The Mormons of Deseret or Salt
Lake.—The brother and successor of Jo
seph Smith has published the following letter:
“I am in possession of proofs to show that
bands of Salt Lake Mormons, clothed and
armed as Indians and in perfect disguise, with
their bodies and faces painted like Indians,
have taken positions on the high road from
Oregon and California, in order to plunder
the companies of emigrants. Many murders
and robberies have already been committed
by these devils in human shape, which are all
published to the world as if committed by In
dians.
“The Mormon church on Salt Lake is un
der the government of a secret lodge. In
this lodge Arighom Young has been crowned
as king and sits there upon a throne erected
for him. (Signed.) William Smith.
Cholera.—We learn that this dreadful
disease is prevailing to some extent on the
plantations of Deer Creek. It has been lin
gering for months in the country 7 between
here and New Orleans—mostly on the rivers
and bayous back from the Mississippi—and
at some points on the Ouachita and Red riv
ers has assumed an unusually malignant type.
We do not think there is any reason to dread
a second visitation here; but it is not out of
place to remind our town authorities of the
wisdom of guarding against it by proper san
atory regulations, as the warm weather ap
proaches. There are filthy alleys and sinks
about town sufficient to engender disease,
and we know it would be gratifying to many
tax-payers to see the health committees
abroad again. —Vicksburg Sentinel, Mar. 14.
The latest Intelligence of the Sea-
Serpent.—The supposed Sea-Serpent, seen
by Capt. Blankenship of the Wm. Seabrook,
and his passengers, turns out to be four
Whales, one large one and three small ones.
An expedition of flat boats was fitted out at
Beaufort with cannon, harpoons and cables,
and the party succeeded in striking one with
a cannon ball and harpooning two others ;
but the harpoons tore out, and the whale
wounded by the cannon shot also escaped.
A correspondent writing from Beaufort to
the Charleston Courier, signing himself “Mat
ter of Fad,” says: “After this I must be
hold a sea-serpent with my own eyes, and
must hear him hiss before I will believe in his
existence.”
Further.—Passengers by the Metamora
state that the Serpent has been really caught,
for true. He is a species of the whale family
with several protuberances on his back. The
head of a whale and a snake’s body. His
captors have drawn him on the beach, and
covered him over for security.
Smoking Chimney.—Col. William Mason
of London, in a letter to the builder, says:
I have built many chimneys, in all possible
situations, and have found one simple rule
always succeeded, the secret being to con
struct the throat of the chimney, or that part
of it just above the fire place, so small that a
man or boy can hardly pass through it. Sec
ondly : Immediately above this, the chim
ney should be enlarged to double its width,
to the extent of about two feet in height, and
then diminish again to its usual proportions.
No chimney that I ever constructed thus,
smoked.
The Fat Jury.—Much amusement and
quite a commotion was excited at the Court
House, on Friday last, by a rather curious
coincidence. A jury was summoned to take
an inquisition of lunacy, and never were men
of greater weight impanneled to act in the
weightier matter of the law. A portly gen
tleman, aldermanic in his proportions, arriv
ed first and took his seat; and soon another
and yet another came, until the ponderous
complement was complete. As the goodly
company increased in number, smiles and
winks began to be interchanged; broad
grins next followed, and finally, inextinguish
able laughter shook the room, in which a
considerable number of spectators, attracted
by the odd fellowship, merrily participated.
The respective weights of fifteen of the ju
rors were ascertained, and the aggregate was
3354 lbs., an average of 223 9-15, the min
imum being 200 and the maximum 280 lbs.
Whether this assemblage was the result of
malice prepense on the part of the clerk or
other officer, who drew the jury, or was
merely a fortuitous concurrence of portly
gentlemen, is a problem yet to be solved.
[ Charleston Courier.
Fruits of Courtship. Ned Grimes
wore a sad face, lie was often asked what
was the matter; but no satisfactory answer
was forthcoming. At length a particular
friend obtained the particulars of him, “You
know,” says Ned, “I have been courting
Sally W. a long while; and so we had a
great notion of getting married, when that
darned old Col. ” “Go on, Ned, don’t
be a boy; what about Col. ?” “Why,
you see, Sally said I had better ask him; j
and so I did, as perlite as I knowed how.” |
“Well, what reply did he make ?” “Why, I
he kinder hinted round as if I wern’t wanted
there!” “Well, Ned, let’s know what they
were; what the Colonel said to disturb your
mind so.” “Why, he said ” “Said what:”
j “Why, he said if he catched me there agin,
! he’d cowhide me till I hadn’t an inch of rine !
i left on my back: darn his old pictur.”
What a glorious world this would be, if
j all its inhabitants could say with Shakspeare’s
shepherd: “Sir, I am a true laborer; I earn
that I get; get that I wear; owe no man
hate; envy no man’s happiness; glad of oth
er men’s good; content with my farm.”
Shady Side of Twenty-Five.—l am not
one of those persons who make a butt of old
maids; on the contrary, I know more estima
ble women belonging to their class than I
do out of it. Nevertheless, k cannot help
scolding a little at 3 r oung ladies on the shady
side of twenty-five, who have not been able
to find husbands, and all from their own fault.
And how so ? Why, just this way. They I
spend days, weeks, months— yea, years in i
total intellectual idleness. They never think
there is anything for them to do except wash
and mend their clothes, clean house, and
look out of the parlor window. They have
tried again to get a beau—and when they
have got some likely young gentleman, they
have lost him just as they have become ac
quainted with one another, and for no other
: reason than that said young gentleman has
| found out that his lady has no ideas in her
l head except other people’s ideas, and of these
| the poorest assortment. She has no opinions
about things, and likes or dislikes according
! to the freak of the moment. Now she is all
! fun—now as cross and crabbed as the wife
|of Beelzebub. He cannot understand her
j humors. She is afraid to express her igno
! ranee and endeavors to conceal it from his
’ searching glance. She cannot do it, try ever
jso hard. In his walks, in his visits to exhibi
i tions, in her deportment at home, he sees that
i she is suffering from a mental torpor, and
| what is worse, that she is making no effort
:to throw it off. She never thinks that a man
j wants a companion in a wife—not a block —
j not a doll. He reads, studies, observes; she
| doesn’t take the hint. She never thinks of ei
! ther reading, study or observation. She
, knows there was an American Revolution
j some time ago— when, she dobs not know,
I nor whether it happened in this country or
jin some other. She is aware there is such
j a city as London and such a place as Cali
j fornia, but whether they are in Asia, Africa
! or the East Indies she does not know and
never thinks of inquiring. She has heard of
the name of Bonaparte—possibly of that of
Washington—but does not know whether the
former was a Frenchman, Italian or Turk,
nor whether the latter was President of these
United States or not. She reads only the
love stories in the papers, perhaps the gossip
and scandal—but ask her if she saw the in
teresting scientific discovery—the narrative
of high daring and noble enterprise—the me
moir of a Howard, a Fry, a Dix—Oh, no!
she did not sec these. So you see, Mr. Edi
tor, the young lady won’t do for the young
gentleman. Now she does not think of im
proving her opportunities, so as to be ready
| lor another suit—not she. Thinking has
never formed a part of her intellectual action,
and no doubt, Mr. Editor, there is intellectu
al action without thought. The next beau
soon finds her out. Off he goes. She sits
down and mopes, and never thinks it is all
her own fault. How can she, indeed ? The
j poor creature never thought at all—she went
I by her feelings.
Now, young ladies, take my advice. Tm
i prove your leisure moments. Read the his
! tory of your own country at least. Study
arithmetic enough to be able to help the lit
tle “responsibilities” that will come, in their
lessons. Learn something of the duty which
is incumbent on all prospective mothers—to
teach and bring up their little ones in the way
they should go—not the way you went.
Don’t delegate to others the duty of teaching
the first lessons, the first prayers, the first
ideas, which the little ones should get from
you. Remember, too, that you are a member
of society, and that if you are not of some
use in it —if you cannot by your example help
in any, the smallest degree, to improve that
! society—you are no better than a rotten
limb on a huge tree. You had better not be,
than be.
The Banter.
It was a cold winter night in the west,
many years ago, and a small party were sit
ting around the bright blazing fire in a little
country tavern, the only one the town boast
ed of, when the landlord was suddenly arous
ed by a knocking at the door, and a loud
“hallo! here.” As soon as the door was un
barred, a stout young man entered, buttoned
up in a brown overcoat, with a fur cap, boot
ed and spurred, with a riding whip in his
hand.
“Lodgings for the night,” said he to the
landlord, “and have my horse well fed.”
Then approaching the fire, he spread himself
and tapping his boot with his whip, gave a
suspicious look upon the little knot of men
around, who had made way for him.
“Devilish cold night,” said he, unbuttoning
his coat; “why don’t you have more wood
on here?”
“That was a great shot of Billy Robinson’s
yesterday,” said an old man in the corner,
peering over his spectacles at the stranger;
“he shot an Indian at two hundred and thirty
yards.”
“That was pretty fair,” said the stranger;
“but I’ll bet ten dollars that I can out shoot,
out ride, out wrestle, out run, or whip any
i body about your diggins.”
No one replied to his banter, and at last
the old man, who stood about six feet hinh,
said:
“We don’t fight much about here, stranger,
except with Indians; but as you appear keen
for a bet, I’ll bet you ten dollars that I can
beat you spitting at a mark at the distance of
six feet.”
“Done,” said the stranger, “I’ll take tire
bet.”
And the money was forthwith put up, the
distance measured off, and a cross made on
the floor, with a piece of chalk for a target.
“Well, go on,” said the old man; “your
first spit.”
The stranger took his position, and calcu
lating the distance with his eye to the mark,
spit within an inch of the chalk* cross.
“Well, beat that,” said he, with a look of
triumph.
“That’s just what I’m going to do,” said
the old man; and taking his place, fixed his
eyes firmly on his nose, knelt upon his knees,
and stretching out his hand as far as he could,
he leaned over and spit plump on the cross,
i “I rather think I drove the centre that time,”
said the old man, resuming his feet, while the
; party round, who had been watching the sport,
I now roared with laughter.
The old man quietly pocketed (he stakes
! while the stranger, with a graveyard counte
nance, simply remarked, “Is that the way you
do things here ?” and retired to his lodgings.
[*Y. O. Picayune.
The National Washington Monument.
The Council of the Chickasaw tribe ofln
j dians has appropriated 8200 towards the
1 erection of the National Washington Monu
ment. During the discussion of the subject,
the declaration was made that the people of
the nation had never spilt the blood of white
men in war; and that they entertained the
same veneration for Washington as their white
brethren.
“I admire your wife,” said one man to an
other. “Very likely,” was the answer, “but
I have only three buttons to my pantaloons.”
Before you praise a woman, examine her
husband’s buttons.
The French West Indies.
The following curious exhibit of the work
ing of emancipation in one of the most valu
able of the French colonies, we copy from the
New York Journal of Commerce. Os course,
sensible people knew these results as surely
; before they happened as since. They were
; inevitable, and we do not belieae that even
the French • statesmen who brought them
: about, are disappointed at the fruits ol their
j labors. Emancipation was a bit of domestic
theatricals, for the amusement ol Paris, so
important at that moment to the safety of the
Provisional Government. The industrial re
sult so far is, that the colonies have fur
nished France during the past year, one half
the amount of produce they furnished in 1847.
This v the beginning. — Mercury.
Guadaloupe—Negroes elected to the
French National Assembly.—As wo an
ticipated, the election in this Island for mem
bers of the French National Assembly, re
| suited in the return of Perinon and Schoclcher,.
by an immense majority; and these negro*
Representatives have gone to Paris, to in
crease the groupe of Socialists who occupy
the summit of the mountain. Perinon was ;
Governor of Martinique, under the Provision
al Government established on the ruins of
the French throne, and he is accused of
having, while administering that office,-
sought to arm the whole black population,
with a view to the extermination of the
whites. Schoclcher is well known for his
Socialist ideas, and for the opinion strenu
ously maintained in his writings, and which
he aims to realize in practice, that the inter
tropical regions are designed by nature for
the exclusive habitation of the African race.
Strongly objecting to be represented by men
of such extreme views, the whites of Guada
loupe, in a spirit of compromise, proposed as
candidates, Alexander Dumas, the eminent
author, equally estimable for his talents and
the moderation of his sentiments, who, by
his origin, gives ample guaranties to the col
ored class, and a respectable Priest of Pointe
a Petre, who, by a conciliatory spirit and a
uniform manifestation of evangelical virtues,
: lias won the esteem of all classes. But uni
-1 versal suffrage in Guadaloupe rejected this
combination.
The municipal election also resulted de
plorably. The very lees and dregs of the
colonial society were exalted and elevated to
the head of the various communes. The
town of Pointe a Petre, first in population and
commerce, has for its chief magistrate a
man called Jean Joseph, surnamed tele a
clou, (English, Nail-head,) a black carman,
once a slave; and its municipal council is
composed wholly of colored men of about the
same condition and calibre. Basseterre, the
seat of government, has for its Mayor, a black
fellow named Macaque, (English, Monkey)
who has been once at the galleys lor his ex
ploits; and the counsellors associated with
him in the government, are described as
“ birds of the same feather. ” The other
twenty-eight communes of Guadaloupe have
met with no better experience of universal
suffrage. It is true, that to some of the mu
nicipal councils, a sufficient number of whites
were elected to instruct their associates in the
art of government; but these, almost to a
man, have since resigned. Such is the inca
pacity of the parties chosen, that it is believed
the Colonial Government will be under the
necessity of suspending the effect of the elec
tions, and of committing the administration
of municipal affaire to provisional commit
tees, pending the result of representations to
the National Assembly, and of the application
to that body for such a modification of the
electoral law, in view of the composition of
colonial society, and of the bad passions
which have been engendered by the too sud
den elevation of an ignorant and degraded
race, who are permitted to exercise political
domination over their former masters; as
will exclude unworthy person s'from office, qt
least during the brief period requisite to im
part to the newly affranchised the first ele
ments of political knowledge.
We have depicted the state of affairs in this
unhappy island, more minutely than its
own intrinsic importance may seem to re
quire ; because, during the excitement which
prevails among ourselves in reference to the
slavery question, it presents an instructive
field of contemplation to those who occupy
j themselves with that grave matter, and fore
| shadows, perhaps, in some degree, that future
I which emancipation may provide for our fel
low-citizens of the South; and hence, it may
! legitimate the unyielding attitude of resis
| tance, which possibly the instinct of self-pre
-1 servation has caused the South to assume.
Guadaloupe is gradually deserted by the
j whites. So rapid is the emigration, chiefly
i to the United States, that it is believed, that
| before any distribution is made of the paltry
sum voted by the National Assembly to in
demnify the former proprietors for the loss of
their slaves, there will be none left to receive
it, except those who are forced to remain for
| want of means to get away—forced thus to
I endure the yoke of ignorance and stupidity,
I perhaps to consent to conditions still more
: revolting. Many whites have already, through
| bi-colored marriages, commenced the degra-
I dation ol their race. History teaches that the
| subduers have ever given to the vanquished
| their manners and their usages. So, while
the blacks were in servitude, under the influ
ence of tiie whites they were gradually mak
| ing such advances in civilization as their con
| dition and capacities admitted of; but now,
| that by institutions and numerical preponder
ance, they have become rulers in the French
; Colonies, the white race who remain in their
i midst, will ol necessity undergo, in process
:of time, a moral and physical absorption,
which will cause it to lose alike the fair type
and the beauty of intelligence which God
has assigned to t he Caucasian family.
; “No you don’t, Judge ‘.’’--Scene in Court of
| Justice — Boy, witness in case of Mr. Brown
Judge, (with dignity) Young man, da
j you know this Brown ?
Boy. (looking roguishly at his Honor and
shaking his head.) No yer don’t, Judge.
Judge, (indignantly) What do you mean*
by that, sir? Answer my question. Do you
know this Brown?
I Boy. (with a peculiar wink) No yer don’t,
| Judge.
Judge, (in rage) Answer me, you young
j villain, or I’ll commit you for conpumpt of
j Court. Do you know this Brown ?
j Boy. (placing his thumb to the tip of his
nose and wriggling mysteriously his elonga
ted finger) Yer can’t come it, Judge ; I
know what yer want—yer want me to ask
what Brown ? and then yer goin’ to say
Brown Stout ! No yer don’t, J udge!
Experimental philosophy is defined ta
he asking a young lady to inarry*Vou ; natu
| ral philosophy is looking indifferently, and
saying you wore only in fun, when she re
fuses you.
Sidney Smith, in Bpeaking of the prosy na
ture of certain sermons, said, “They are writ
ten as if sin was to be taken out of man like
Eve out of Adam, by putting him to sleep.”