Newspaper Page Text
SOUTHERN SENTINEL.
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA:
THURSDAY MORNING, AUG. 22, 1850.
SET Several Articles intended for publication tills
week ore unavoidably postponed.
U* We give place this week almost entirely to the
favors of our correspondents, and the proceedings of
public meetings.
O’ lion. Pierre Soule, of the Senate, and lion.
Podert Toombs, of the House, have our thanks for
Public Documents.
Hunt's Merchants’ Magazine. —The Angnst
number of this excellent commercial monthly is on
our table. The contents are as follows :
I. The Opium Trade, as carried on between India
and China, including a sketch of its history, extent,
effects, &c., by Nathan Allen, M. D., of Mass
11. The Precious Metals, Coins and Bank NuU.—
Part 1.
111. Codec, and the Coffee Trade.
IV. Commerce of Hamburg in IS-19 ami previous
years.
V. llow should Rail Roads be managed.
Journal of Mercantile Law.
Commercial Chronicle & Review.
Commercial Statistics.
Journal of Banking, Currency and Finance.
Nautical Intelligence.
Rail Road, Canal and Steamlioat Statistics.
Journal of Mining and Manufactures.
Mercantile Miscellanies.
The Book Trade.
“Arthur’s Home Gazette’’ is the nnmo of a
nrw literary paper which has just made its appear -
nn *. The Gazette is edited by T. S. Arthur,
who will concentrate upon it all, or nearly all, his
literary labors, and whose name will at once give it a
prominent standing in the literary world. The num
l*r before us is a beautifully printed large sheet,
and well filled with original and well selected articles.
It is published in Philadelphia, by T. S. Arthur &
Cos., at $2 per annum, for one copy, or $5 for three
copies.
Where are the Health Officers?— There is a
large pool of stagnant water, just north of the new !
Temperance Hall, which certainly requires attention.
If those in the neighborhood escape the fever, they
must be malaria proof. A word to the wise is suffi
cient.
Scientific.— We take pleasure in calling pub
lic attention to Dr. Hat’s announcement fora lecture
on Natural Science this evening at Concert Hall.—
We have heard Dr. 11. lecture, and cheerfully en
dorse his claims to public patronage. Ilis lecture
particularly on the Magnetic Telegraph is the most
lucid and satisfactory we have ever heard. The
young people of the city especially should attend.
HP The slave of Hon. Mr. Toombs, who was bad
ly wounded in the left hand, on hjs late attempt to
escape, returned to his master on Friday evening.—
The white man who was arrested with the eloping
party, is General Chaplin, editor of the Chaplin
Portfolio , an abolition paper, published at Albany.
N. York.
Another Triumph in Harris. —We have reoeiv- j
ed from the Secretary, at too late an hour for publiea- ,
ti.in this week, the proceedings of a meeting held by j
n {Kirtion of the citizens of Harris at the Court House, j
in the 19th District, on the 17th inst. Wo have on- |
ly time to say, that the Nashville platform was ndop- \
ted by a two-thirds vote against the active opposition :
of a few influential Clay Compromise men. Proceed- !
lngs next week. j
IT* The Senate refused to spread the protest of;
the Southern Senators upon their journal, by a rote |
es 23 to 19.
IT The Bill giving a Territorial Government to
New Mexico, passed the Senate on the 15tli inst.,
by n vote of 27 to 10. The Senate has now passed i
the Texas Boundary Bill, the Utah Bill, the New
Mexico Bill, and the California Bill, four of the mea
sures of the Clay Compromise.
Protest against the California Bill.
In the Senate on the 13tli inst. Mr. Hunter of Vn.
presented a protest against the passage of the Bill
for the admission of California, signed by himself and
Mr. Mason of Va., Mes.=rs. Butler and Barnwell
of S. C.; Mr. Tornbt of Tenn.; Mr. Soule of La.; Mr.
pAfis of Miss. -, Mr. Atchison of Mo.; and Messrs.
Morton and Yulee of Fla. We cannot publish the
protest this week, and regret that we cannot, for it
1b an able document, and breathes the proper spirit.
Consistency. —With one breath, we who contend
for the line of 36-30, are denounced as ultras and
disunionists, and with the next we are told, that we
ore willing to concede too much to Congress, in allow- i
ing-is to legislate on the subject of slavery, as it would
do in enacting the Missouri Compromise. Well, we i
are, indeed, terribly prcdicamcnted. It is bad enough ‘
to be called a traitor or a submissionist, but to be de
nounced as a submissionist traitor, is pest endurance.
The South rs. Pnrty.
We dislike any recurrence to old party distinctions ‘
In discussing the questions growing out of our rela
tions with the North, bnt when these distinctions arc
made the foundation of an appeal against what we
believe to bo the true policy of the South, we must
necessarily advert to them. We have heard of men
who have not scrupled to denounce the 36-30 move
ment ns a democratic measure. Those who make
the declaration may be innocent of the falsehood, but ;
their ignorance is scarcely to he excused in the face ]
of the fact that at least half the prominent whig* in
the land are engaged in it, and, so far as*ve hare
been able to determine, more than a majority of the
mass of that party are with them. A democratic
measure, indeed! The man who says so sincerely
ought to be put in a mad-house, and he who says so
falsely, through design, ought to be confined in a peni
tentiary. There are some men whose souls are so en
slaved by party that they can not understand how
others may be moved by sentiments of disinterested
patriotism! We can lay our bands on Whigs in this
city, who glory in tlie name, who never opposed their
own selfish aspirations to the will of their party, and
yet have had the independence to array themselves
on the side of the South in this controversy, regard
less of all former party assoeiatleas. Who dares to
impute aught but honest purposes to these men ?
We have heard it said again, that the Democratic
party is responsible for the circumstances-wkhh have
involved the country in all these difficulties, and. that,
therefore, that party should be willing to adopt any
sort of an adjustment of them. Now we utterly re
pudiate this sort of reasoning. If the Democratic
party did wrong to annex Texas, we still do not see
that it is bound to repair that wrong by disgracing
the country ; and if the annexation of Texas was the
true policy of this government, then we are not re
sponsible for the evils which Northern fanatics mav
extract from it. If the Democratic party did its duty
in 1844, we can not understand how it is to be cen
sured for the unnecessary disturbances growing out
of it in 1850.
At best, however, these party discriminations are
unbecoming the times. Whigs and Democrats are
alike bound to maintain the honor of the country, and
they art equally bound to resist injustice.
From California. — The letter from Rev. Jesse
Boring, in another place, will be read with interest.
We need not say Dr. Boring is the Superintendent
of the Methodist Mission in that country, and his
letter is of course reliable.
Northern Fanatics and Southern Ultras.
Extremes sometimes meet, and blend most bcauti- j
fully in action, without the least harmony in senti
ment. Never has this been more forcibly illustrated
than in the present session of Congress. Thus we
have had the slave-holding President, with abolition 1
cabinet officers. We have seen the “Southern
Hangman,’’ as he was called in derision, affiliating
with the gradual emancipationist of Kentucky, and
the avowed abolitionist of Ohio, and we lrave seen,
too, the true men of the South, voting with the con
science men of the North. Y r et strange to say, none
of these affiliations seem to have been marked as at
all significant, but the latter. Because Mr. Butler.
or Mr. Davis, of Mississippi, have voted with Mr.
llalb or Mr. Chase, it has been taken as an evidence
of their treachery, hut a Southern President could
counsel daily with free soilers witliout becoming con
taminated, or Mr. Foote could adulate Mr. Webster
and fawn around Mr. Clay, and never be less a South
ern man. True, ultra Southern and ultra Noi them
men have voted together, but for very different rea
sons. Southern men, for instance, opposed the Clay
compromise because they felt that it surrendered the
interests of their section, while Northern abolitionists
preferred a plan which not less certainly, and much
more insultingly, robbed the South of her rights.
Sensible men at the North were anxious to pass that
bill, because they knew that the North gained every
thing by it, while eonserraticc men at the South de
'red it, for fear that they would lx- forced to take
sot nothing worse. A Southern President recommen
ded the formation of State Governments, and the im
mediate admission into the Union of our newly ac
quired territory, because he thereby escaped the re
sponsibility of the Wilmot Proviso, and Northern
men supported the recommendation because they
felt that it was all they wanted. All these are instan
ces of concert of action, and in each ease, we suppose,
with different motives. What folly, then, to attempt
to asperse the motives of true hearted patriots from
the South, because they happen to vote with aboli
tionists ujmmi a question in Congress.
From Washington.
Read the following letter from the correspondent
of the N. y. Herald. It but proves that others than
Southern ultras have their eyes open to the conse
quences of submission:
Washington, Aug. 13, ISSO.
The Tiro Houses—The President's Message — Mr.
Toombs and the State of Georgia—the Southern
Protest Against California —The New Mexican I
Kill — Mr. Kenton's Amendment , tj-c.
Mr. Toombs, to-day, came down upon Mr. Fill
more’s messsage pell-mell, headlong and headstrong,
lie is a powerful man, rapid and keen as lightning,
and energetic and impetuous as a cor}* of Murat’s
dragoons let loose upon the Austrians. Hut we ap
prehend that he and the State of Georgia are play
ing a desperate game. The California bill is to be
pushed through. If it passes, the Governor of Geor
gia must call a convention of the people, to determine
what is to be done ; and os the only alternatives will
be to submit or resist, it places the State of Georgia
in the uncomfortable attitude of lending off in the
work of revolution, or of backing out, to the amuse
ment of the abolitionists. The object, it is plain to
see, with Mr. Toombs nnd Mr. Stephens, is to save
the State of Georgia from making a July of herself;
because it begins to bo apparent that, if driven to the
issue, she will back out.
If, therefore, an adjournment can be effected without
the- admission of California, Georgia will be- in a good
position to reconsider her steps, as will the whole
j South ; and time will be given to them to fall back
I upon a safer platform than revolution because of the
! admission of California; and the only practical doubt
I of the passage of California and the territorial bills,
and the Texas hill through the House, is in the
chances of deday by the Clingmanising process of
parliamentary tactics. And this appears to be the
last stand of the South.
In this business, they are aided by the free-soilers,
who are opposed to Texas indemnity, and wish the
proviso to be nailed fast to the territories. The South
are opposed to the cession of Texas territory to New
! Mexico, for the purpose of building up another free
State, and between these extremes, there is doubt of
the Texas bill ; and the fact that it is an admin
istration measure, does not strengthen it among the
democrats. Still, we believe the bill has a majority,
if it can be brought to a direct vote upon its merits, as
it passed the Senate.
The speech of Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, who,
at home, has been a flaming abolitionist, was the di
rect reverse of the fiery attack of Mr. Toombs upon
the President. Mr. Stevens delighted in torturing
the Southern chivalry, and rejoiced in the prospect of
pinning them to the wall. As in the old times of bar
barian warfare, he appeared to feel a particular gusto
I in the prospect of the prostration of his Southern en
emies, for the mere delight which the torture of the
prisoners would bestow.
In the Senate we had an episode of more solemn
import—the protest of Messrs. Mason, Tlunter, Barn
well, Butler, Turney, Atchison, Jefferson Davis,
! Soule, Morton, and Yulee, against the California bill,
and in the debate upon spreading it upon the journal.
; The proti-st is but a recapitulation of the objections of
’ the South in the discussion of the bill—it eontem
j plates, with becoming gravity, the issue of dissolution ;
j but. from its tone and temper, it does not seem to re
; gard it as an immediate consequence of the admis
sion of California, but as a future result, traceable to
this bill.
It would seem that these distinguished protestants
consider it at least a foregone conclusion that agita
tion must go on. and that from one provocation to
another the South will be finally driven to disunion,
and that when dissolution does oeetir, they wish this
protest to stand upon record as a prophecy dating
from the passage of the California bill.
Now, what arc the chances? In a few years Del
aware will boa free State. She acts with the North
1 now. Then there will be California, Minnesota, and
Oregon, and New Mexico—twenty free States against
fourteen slave States. The free States will have a
i majority of twelve in the Senate, and an overwhelm*
; ing majority in the House. “With such majorities in
j the North, it is not likely the abolitionists will stop
short of the abolition of slavery in this district, in the
’ dockyards, &c., and other measures calculated to ex
| asperate the South.
At this session, therefore, the South arc fighting
their last battle for the balance of power in the Sen
! ate. Defeated now, they are completely at the dis
’ eretion of the North hereafter. But if they are de
| seated now and submit, it will be upon the right of
i revolution when more direct assaults are levelled at
! their peculiar institutions.
j The Presidency has kept the South divided this
session. There are many aspirants in the South for
| the chances of the campaign of ’s2—Mr. Cobb, Mr.
j King, Mr. Houston, Mr. Foote, among them. They
; are, therefore, conservative to the last degree, and
: hav© exerted great influence in restraining the South
from extremities. We accord to them, also, a love
of the Union, stronger than a desire for a Southern
! confederacy; bat still the Presidency has exercised a
j great power in the arrangement of these slavery dis
i putes. There is great cohesiveness in the patronage
of the general government, and the prospect of fat of
fices is better than the hazards of civil war.
But let the agitation go- on, and let the cotton in
terest feel the operations of the abolitionists, and then
there will be work to do to keep the Union together.
If tlie South submit now, it will probably only be a
postponement of the inevitable day. We can only
trust to time and to Providence, and mahe.th© beet of
j the present.
[communicated.]
To the Parents ol the City of Columbus.
It is one of yourselves who presumes thus to ad
dress you. To say nothing of eternity and its vast
interests, your most prized and valuable treasure for
time, is in danger, in imminent danger, and I would j
have you snatch it away from its fearful position. !
In the rearing and moral culture of your children, ;
you owe your highest duty to society, and this may i
not be well performed at fearful hazard to them, j
to yourselves and to your country.
Children are imitative beings aud prone to imitate j
the example and conduct of those whom they most j
love and respect. Teaching them, then, by example i
and precept, is of the first importance. That parent is
to a great extent pow erless to succeed, who forbids to j
the child a vicious or criminal act in which he is
known to the child himself to indulge. Children j
revere as well as imitate. How valueless, I had al
most said unreasonable, the command enforced by an
oath, “You shall not swear.” And so every other j
vice in which parents often indulge i n’t he sight and ;
hearing of children. The child has the right to be- ;
lieve that what the father does and s3ys is right. j
In whom else shall he confide ? By whose example j
else shall he profit ?
But your children not only need and hate a right
to proper parental precept and example, but must
hare with it firm and salutary parental restraint.
Parental government gave origin and form to the
government of society. It was not only first in point
of time, but is yet first in importance. The one
omitted—inefficiently administered, the other cannot
be effectually enforced. Obedience to parental au
tlwirity, begets the habit of obedience, and the transit
fr nii this into society, and obedience to its laws, is
both natural and easy. The child that will not sub
mit to the first, or upon whom it is not properly en
forced, could hardly, if he would, yield to the last.
How’ fearfully has this truth been demonstrated by
one recently under the gallows. He was not taught
parental obedienco, and as a consequence, rebelled
against the laws of society. And his dying testimony
was, that the first omission begot the last rebellion.
And yet parents, by examples so fearful, you are not
warned! Your children, (some of them,) roam the
streets of this city, guilty of every vice and excess,
which so early brought George Evans to a felon’s grave,
lie early learned to swear—to drink—the use nnd
bearing of deadly weapons—and thus led to murder.
Be not startled—your children swear; they drink;
they carry arms ; they seek the blood of their associ
aUs: unless you reach out an arm to save—unless you
restrain them, they may, unless restrained, some of
them icill commit even murder, and yet add another
and another to the list, headed by Butler nnd Juvans.
This is no fancy picture, but plain, unvarnished
truth; and if you don’t know it, and are unable to
make its application, it is your own fault. It is your
duty—tile duty of every ono of you to know the
habits and character of your own children, and you
can know it by the exercise of due diligence and
vigilance.
There are some amongst you, who would govern
their children, and keep them out of the way of evil,
nnd injury to character and person. Upon sueli rests
a feeling of necessity, of continued and fearful appre
hension. They are subject to be led astray by the
evil example of the ungoverned and unrestrained,
nnd to the danger incident to their going at large.
If out of your sight, you fear not only the influence of
bad example, but that some missile or bullet sped at
another, or in some wantonness, may reach them.
I speak, fathers, as one of you. It is our impera
tive duty to correct those things; and if we have
heretofore been remiss, let us, for the future, double
our diligence. If we do not, cannot impress proper
restraint, then the criminal eode, and the officers
j charged with its enforcement, must do their work,
i and will’ do it. In this extremity, when our children
[ arc arraigned at the bar of the Court, it will be re
| membered that mercy to them is cruelty and danger
j to others.
If this article shall find favor with yon, Mr. Editor,
I may follow’ it with other reflections. At a more
convenient season, I shall have a word to say to
school teachers, for they fall inconceivably short of
their duty, and many of them, without amendment,
are mifit to be trusted with cither the inoral, physical
or intellectual culture of our children. A PARENT.
[NEW YORK CORRESPONDENCE.]
New Y*ork, August 13, 1850.
j .4 Trip to Washington—lnsurance against Acci
dent—Night Travel—Washington City—Excite
ment—An Abolition Martyr—Fire at the Sing
Sing Prison—Accident on the Hudson River
Rail Road—The Rappers — Teachers’ Conven
tion—Bathing at the Five Points , <j-c., <j-e.
Will you allow me, Mr. Editor, to make a flying
trip to ‘Washington, which I enjoyed last week, the
subject of a few remarks ? There is a general dearth
of news in this part of the world, and I believe I can
not more acceptably fill my sheet than by describing
the principal features of my journey, and the capitol
itself—and all this particularly as you have no Wash
ington correspondent.
The first thing I did after getting on the boat for
the Jersey side, to take the Philadelphia train, was to
ensure my life for the trip. This is a novelty in
America, though it has been practised for sometime
on the English Railroads with success. The Frank
lin Company of Boston was the first to follow the ex
ample on this side of the Atlantic. The traveller pays
| sixpence for his policy, which insures him S4OO, if
j any of his bones are broken by accident during the
trip, or if he is so much injured as to be confined two
weeks; the same amount being paid to his heirs in
case he loses liis life by the catastrophe. Quite a
number of policies were sold among my fellow travel
lers.
‘We left Jersey city, the starting place of the
Southern train, directly opposite New’ York, on the
Jersey shore, at a few minutes after 5 p. in., with a
j long train more than comfortably full. The arrange
| incuts on this route were never more favorable for ex
peditious travelling. We arrived at Philadelphia at
about a quarter of 10, and started in the Baltimore
ears at 10 1-2. Five o’clock brought us into “the
Monumental City,” where, after an excellent break
fast with that best of landlords. Smith, of the Ameri
, ean Exchange, we started for Washington at 6, ar
| riving at the latter city in about two hours, making
| the whole time from New York fifteen hours.
Night travel on a railroad is of course unpleasant;
i the managers of this route, however, have done their
i best to reuder it as comfortable as possible. The
seats arc provided with rests for the head, and those
w ho arc accustomed to this method of locomotion can
sleep almost as sound as in a bed.
Washington we found looking very fine; the
grounds about the Capitol and the President’s Man
| sion are unrivalled in luxuriance aud beauty. The
j view from the former is unsurpassed, embracing the
! attractive valley of the Potomac for several miles.
; We of course visited the Senate Chamber and Hall of
i Representatives, and heard sundry bunkum speeches,
j which gave us no very elevated ideas of the eloquence
!of M. C’s. Pearce’s bill passed the Senate while we
were there, after a protracted session, and it seemed
to be hailed by all parties as a good omen of a speedy
settlement of all existing difficulties. A great deal of
excitement prevailed in the city m consequence of
the abduction of several slaves of Messrs. Stephens
and Toombs, by rabid abolitionists, of which you
have no doubt heard before. It was rumored that the
office of the National Era , the free-seil paper, was
to be torn down by the excited friends of these gentle
men ; I walked up there in the evening to watch the
proceedings, but no violence was attempted although
quite a crowd was gathered in the vicinity. Several
of the slaves were severely wounded ; they are now
all captured. Chaplin, whose eloquence persuaded
them to runaway, was to have been the candidate of
the liberty party for lieutenant governor of this State,
at onr next gubernatorial election. He is now in
prison, awaiting a requisition from the Governor of
Maryland, the capture haring been made in that
State. By the laws of that State he has incurred a
penalty of twenty-six years imprisonment, and the
authorities will not remit a day of it. He is con
stantly engaged in his cell in thanking God that he
is allowed to be a martyr in so holy a cause. O tem
pora ! O mores!
Now for local news ; and first I must inform you j
that a large portion of our States’ prison at Sing j
Sing, thirty miles up the Hudson, has been destroyed
by fire. wing consumed was two hundred and
sixty feet long by fifty-five feet wide, and two stories
high, mid the loss to the State is about $12,000. —
The fire originated in the garret, and is supposed to
have been the work of an incendiary. None of the
convicts attempted to escape. The agent of the pris
on assures the contractors who have been burned •
out that he will have their shops rebuilt in forty !
days ; it is important that he should, as the State loses
i about S9O in consequence of the men’* having to re
| main idle.
A serious accident took place on Friday evening, on
; the Hudson River Rai road, at Yonker’s, about eighteen
| niilci from N. Y r . The draw-bridge at that place had
! been opened to admit a vessel, and the engineer did
| not discover the signal for open draw-bridge until it
! was too late to stop the train. The locomotive, tender
! and sprinkler were all precipitated into the river and
broken to atoms ; but owing to the presence of mind
j of the conductors and brakemen the baggage and
passenger cars were saved on the very brink. The
: engineer says that the signal was not hoi.ted until it
| was too late to stop tlie train; while the man in
! charge of the bridge asserts that he hoisted the lan
! tern before he opened the draw. By thus charging
each other no doubt both parties will escape, and no
body be to blame. That is usually the way in these
accidents.
Tire Coroner's Jury has examined into the falling
of the two buildings in this city, which I noticed in
my last letter, and returned, as I anticipated, in their
verdict, that no blame could be attached to any per
j son. Thus three or four persons have been killed
• and no one is guilty of the murder.
Mrs. Fox and her three daughters, who were so
successful here in the “rapping” business, have re
turned to Rochester with purses considerably fuller
than when they left there. Before going they tar
ried several days with Horace Greeley, who reiterates
in the Tribune his conviction that there is no im
posture in the business, though he does not pretend to
advance any theory which may account for the mira
cle.
The Teachers’ Convention of the State has been
in session several days in this city. Nothing was done
except speech-making, which, since our venerable
Congress has Bet the example, seems to be the most
popular amusement of all public bodies. Prof. Tayler
Lewis, of Union College, delivered the speech of the
occasion, which did not, however, in its conservative
sentiments suit the more violent of the new school
party.
The board of aldermen have resolved to lease to the
“People’s Washing and Bathing Association” tlie tri
angular lot of ground at the Five Points. This is anoth
er step in the reformation of that sink of iniquity. The
Mussulman makes cleanliness one of the first of vir
tues, and it would bo well if Christians would pay
more attention to it. We rejoice at this act of our
city authorities. The price of bathing will be put
very low, and the most destitute will have a chance
to “wash and be clean.”
“Weather continues pleasant; not oppressively
warm. No-cholera. P. Q.
[rANKEE CORRESPONDENCE.]
Boston, August 11, 1850.
Dull Business in Boston — Burr's Panorama—Port
land Railway Convention — Webster, the Mur
derer—Apothecary Indicted for Poisoning, J-c.
We are a very dull metropolis j ust now ; all those
who can,have gone away into the rural or sea-side parts
of tlie earth, where they will do no more business
than the lilies of the field, for a month or two. The
business of Boston is very dull, too; every bodv
complaining that there has not been such an unprofit
able fall this many a year; The National Theatre,
the Boston’ Museum, Burr’s Mirror of the Great
Lakes, See., are, however, doing something to keep
up the spirits of this pensive public. Burr’s pano
rama is doing a great business in a complicated and
ingenious way, worthy of the shrewdest genius of
Yankeedom. Parties of fifties and hundreds come
into Boston, repeatedly, from a great number of New
England localities—some over one hundred miles off,
to see the Mirror of the Lakes! This has given
the exhibition a wonderful prestige , worth a thou
sand advertisements. But there is a secret in this
trade, too, not generally suspected by the million.
By arrangement between Burr and the railway com
panies, tlie curious, in remote places, are brought into
Boston at a cheap rate, ostensibly by attraction of the
Panorama. The terms of the journey are made ve
ry tempting, and, in this way, largo parties are made
up for this city; and they see the rest of the lions as
well ns the panorama. This is an excellent plan,
both on tlie part of exhibitors and railway people.
The people of a wide circle are gratified, and the cash
thereof is briskly circulated by such a novel contri
vance.
The railroad contemplated by the Portland Con
vention has been actually commenced by the citizens
jof Maine. People have been asking where the money
J is to come from for the completion of this grand land
| route between Bangor in that State, and Cape Can
so, in Nova Scotia. But in such a project as this,
one in which both Americans and English colonists
are so warmly united, there is no doubt that the en
terpvize of both nations will furnish the means of con
; struetion. The representations of the Colonists in
; sueli an affair would not leave the mother country at
j liberty, consistently with her best policy, to refuse
i the loan of money, and thus leave to American and
! Colonial capital the honor and the profit of such an
j achievement. A want of sympathy and a refusal to
’ assist, on the part of the English government, would
! only have the effect of throwing the people of tlie
! provinces over on these States, as it were, and thus
| loosening tlie ties which bind the colonists to the dis
| tant monarchy. It is believed, therefore, that the
i pounds, shillings and pence of our insular incighbor
i will greatly aid our own dollars in this matter. But
even if the money were not raised in England, there
are sufficient wealth and enterprise in the Provinces
and States of this continent to do the business. And,
indeed, after all, it is more our business than En
gland's. In a few years her hold upon the Northern
portions of this country must be loosened, and the
lands divided by the Lakes, “like kindred drops, be
mingled into one,” under the fegis of the Federation.
There are now and then evidences exhibited to show
that this consummation is on its way, and that ihe
people of all our continent are begining to look on
each other with fraternal eyes. A few days ago, two
hundred citizens of Buffalo went to Toronto, as guests
of the city and the legislature. Five thousand citi
zens, national societies, &c., turned out to receive
them. People accustomed to act in this way and
regard each other in this light, will soon desire to
draw their social bonds closer, and will do so in the
end. A government between two and three thou
sand miles off ean have little power to countervail
such an inevitable fusion as this.
There seems to be a feeling afloat here that the
formation of a continental terminus in Nova Scotia
would draw away from Boston and New York many
of the advantages that belong to them as the points
of arrival and starting of the mail steamers. This
I selfishness, however, so short-sighted in its eonclu
| sions. will not have any serious retarding effect on the
| project. The merchants of Boston ami New York
; would, in fact, be the greatest gainers by such a rapid
system of commerce and personal intercourse.
As tho day for the execution of J. W. Webster
draws nigh, he continues calm and composed, and
passes much of his time in reading religious books.
His family live entirely secluded at Cambridge, in ig
| noranee, it is said, of the day of execution, and etill
strongly attached to their unfortunate parent. They
have not read his confession nor his second petition.
They recoil, apparently, from the shock of such doc
uments. The convict had purchased a small piece
of the cemetery at Mount Auburn, to be the burial
place of himself and his family. There is a monu
ment. on the place, bearing the following inscription :
Angel of death ! did no presaging signs
Announce thy coming and thy way prepare ?
No warning voice, no harbinger was thine—
Danger and fear seemed past—but thou wast there !
Prophetic sounds across the earthquake’s path,
Foretell the hour of nature’s awful throes ;
And the volcano, ere it hursts in wrath.
Sends forth some herald front its dread repose.
Hut thou, dark Spirit! swift and unioreseen,
Camest like the lightning flash when Heaven was all
serone
To him, however, the dark Spirit will come in no
unforeseen way; its heralds have been the truest that :
could warn a man ; and he already knows the nuni- ;
her of his days.- It is possible he may deternriire it ;
himself, by a dose of poison, and thus spare himself
the last ignominy.
The Grand Jury of this city have found a bill of
: indictment against Mr. Terence Wakefield, an apoth
| eeary, who, in reading a Doctor's prescription, made
i a deadly mistake and put up corrosive sublimate for
| calomel! The poor man who took that prescription
| died, of course. Wakefield is to be tried for man
i slaughter, and the terms of the charge have been wor
! ded so ns to ensure him a severe punishment. This
is as it should be. It is horrible to think that an ig
norant or careless apothecary should have the lives
of others in his hands. It is hoped Wakefield's pun
ishment will operate ns a warning to others in his
line.
For some time past, the prevalence of the sea-bree
zes from the east has kept Boston tolerably cool; —
several showers, also, tended to that result, and the
city has been consequently very healthy. Gen. Tay
lor’s obsequies will take place here, on the 15th hist.
The most extensive preparations have been made, and
the catafalque which shall represent his hearse is ex
pected to be something remarkably magnificent.
The Rochester Ladies who did such a knocking
business in New York sometime ago, have left that
city, and gone home again, I believe; at least they
have neither come to Boston, nor gone to anv other
notable place. They might have naturally suspected
that the business was somewhat overdone, and felt
content, as well they might, with the harvest they
reaped fri the Empire City. “Whenever these ladies
marry they must be very clever husbands whom they
cannot manage to circumvent; let the gentlemen look
to it. YANKEE DOODLE.
[correspondence op TIIK southern sentinel.]
San Francisco, California, Ist July, 1850.
Mr. Editor — Dear Sir : When preparing to leave
your city last January, I promised many friends a
faithful description of this singular and interesting
country; but pressed as 1 have been since mv arrival
ill California, with the numerous and difficult duties
of my mission, (and must be for months to come,) it
is impossible to redeem the promise by writing each
one separately. In view of these facts, and your kind
ness already manifested by sending me the “Sentinel, rt
1 propose through that medium, the following com
munication, bywhieh all who may feel an interest in
California may in part at least be gratified ; and when
time is afforded me my friends shall hear from me
and the country as promised.
Allow me to say in the beginning that no man
need read my communication, or that of any oncsclse,
with an expectation of entire satisfaction on all points
touching this country. This, perhaps, would be im
possible in relation to any country, and of course is
not to be obtained in regard to a country unlike any
other under the sun, and which admits of no analogy
or comparison. Such is California. Men may write
and talk, and liken it to South, North, East, West,
any or all ; or to France, or even Italy, as some have
done in strong terms, but while there may be some
points of resemblance, they are so few and small, and
those of absolute difference so numerous and vast, as
to forbid all comparison. In soil, climate, water, min
erals, (diversity and quantity.) timber, population and
business transactions, the country is sui generis. —
But so far as it can be done, a faithful statement of
facts shall be given, and a reliable description of the
country. Yet something will be put down as extrav
gant and resulting from impulse. So-let it be. I be
gin then—
-Ist. As to soil, agriculture, Ac. Tt may beset
down once for all, that as a whole California is unfit
for cultivation. A vast proportion of the entire coun
try from the Pacific coast to the Eastern boundery,
is an unbroken scene of lofty, cragged and barren
mountains. There are, however, a few beautiful, fer
tile valleys of small dimensions every where inter
spersed. These are generally found by some river,
creek or branch wending their way to the ocean, and
vary in extent from ten to forty miles, by from two
or three to twenty or thirty. These lands arc rich
prairie plains, generally without timber, and yield an
| astonishing crop of wheat, barley, Irish potatoes and
other vegetables. From the mountains,, which always
enclose these valleys, numerous and pure streams of
water gush out, and would seem to a stranger more
than sufficient to water every foot of the plains below,
but they soon sink and leave the whole country as
dry as Broad street in Columbus. Yet notwith
standing this seemingly dry and parched condition,
and the fact that not one drop of rain falls from April
to autumn, these lands yield the largest crops of
wheat and barley I have ever known, and vegetables
in profusion. From fifty to seventy-five bushels of
wheat, and seventy-five to one hundred bushels of
barley to the bushel sown, is pretty much an uniform
crop. llow to account for the almost unparalleled
productiveness of these lands I am not so well satis
! fied ; I think, however, it is owing partly to the fact,
| that they are generally low, lying between lofty
j mountains, and though no stream of water appear
; on the surface, there are nevertheless constant drains
| ings from the mountains passing but a few feet below ;
| besides the sea-fogs are frequent and heavy, which I
; have no question is a Providential substitute for rain,
j Irrigation is carried on in a very limited way. and
’ will doubtless be extended as time and circumstances
j will admit, but for the important departments of ng
! rieulture it is by no means indispensable. Allow me
then to say that California can never become a farm
ing country in the production of any great staple ar
ticle for exportation, but for provisions, rather upon
the plan of extensive gardens, it will become celebra
ted. It will occur to every thinking man by a proper
knowledge of the country that it is as it should be in
this respect. With its mineral and commercial re
sources, if it were adapted to the production of cotton,
sugar, hemp or any thing else, for exportation, the
producer could not afford to cultivate these, when he
could realize so much more by digging, trading, or
even working as a mechanic. The only farming
which will compete with other departments 6f busi
ness here is the production of provisions, which, owing
to the scarcity of land to cultivate, and the over
whelming multitudes brought and retained by min
! erals and commerce, who produce nothing and con-
I sume mud?, icill always pay well; and for purposes
‘of this character, the country is wisely arranged. It
: is as it should be. As to the title to these lands there
: is very serious question everyway as yet.
2d. Climate. Here again I find myself greatly at
! a loss. As I before said, the climate of this country
has been variously represented; and it is not re
markable that views in positive conflict with each
other should be entertained and expressed bv men of
equal intelligence and integrity. The fact is, Califor
nia has almost every variety of climate in the world
and twenty or thirty railesin any direction will give a
sensible difference of temperature. At this place (San i
Francisco) the whole of summer is absolutely so cold as
to require heavy winter clothing constantly, and three
or four blankets at night for comfort. The winds are
strong, almost amounting to a storm, and so cold that
you button coat and overcoat over the breast and then
suffer. Think of crowding around a hot stove, with
heavy winter clothing on you, the very last days of
June. Yet these tfcingr are done here. G-o twenty- |
five miles north to Ben ice*, and the temperature is
moderated, and go thirty miles yet higher up towards
Sacramento city and you find midsummer weather,
and yet a few miles higher and the mercury will
stand at 120. Return to San Francisco, and go down
■ the coast, or a little S. E. to San Jose, and starting
from this city (Sa'u Francisco) you wrap up head and
ears, (shivering at that;) twenty miles and yoti lay
off your cloak, twenty more your overcoat, and ten
brings you to the village (city of San Jose) where
you have around you a beautiful country, and gener
ally exceeding pleasant climate—never too hot nor
too cold. Yet even there the winds are often quite
strong, and the nights so cool as to make fire always
desirable. We had frost there two weeks siuce. And
! now if I were to write a page more in attempting to
I describe and explain this subject, it would really give
’ no additional information. The above is a fair sample
of the whole.
3d. Minerals. These are of various kinds, and
different degrees of value. The chief are gold and
quicksilver. Os these there is an abundance, and
the strong probability is that the half has not yet been
developed. I do not mean to say that tlio most
flagrant exaggerations hare not been perpetrated, and
that many of the darning reports of quartz, Ac. are
not false, absolutely false. But, after all, the coun
try has no parallel for gold and quicksilver ; And Such
is the very nature of the country as to render it cer-
I tain that mines must still be discovered for years to
como. The vast ranges of mountains, and their al
most inaccessibility, which contain the metals, are such
as to preclude the possibility of searching them out
| in so short a time ; as proof of this, men hunt places
| to dig as you would for lands to enter or birds to
shoot, and new “diggins’’ are constantly established,
i Gold in vast quantities finds its way into the vai'ious
i markets of the country, and is seen in the quartz, lump,
! scale and dust, in every banking and mercantile house,
passing as the currency of the country. But it needs
to be written in this connexion that the miners are
not generally the successful adventurers of Califor
nia. It is not in a majority of eases the best business.
The labor and expense are great, and somewhat un
certain at best as to amount, and, as I verily believe, does
not, in the end, pay so well ns other branches of in
dustry. 1 should not think of digging for gold were
I here to get it. This business will, 1 apprehend, soon
pass into the hands of capitalists, who will work the
mines by maehinery and servants of some class or
other.
4th. Business. Trade is conducted upon a stu
pendous scale, and in many instances results finely.—
It is, however, said not to he so good as formerly, and
l presume it is not. Yet there is no question but
that a bold, enterprizing merchant will do incompar
ably more here than he possibly can anywhere in the
States. Everything in the shape of trade is conduct
ed on a scale of large magnitude. Sales are rapid,
profits large and the easli system generally enforced.
Yet there arc many failures in business, and there
will doubtless be more. Mechanics of almost every
description obtain good wages, and if they pursue a
course of industry and economy must in a few years
make plenty. Laborers of every kind do well, and
receive rich compensation. But ail these fluctuate,
and therefore the precise value of labor, in any par
ticular branch of business, cannot be given. A com
mon laborer may get $lO per day, and a mechanic
sl6 note, and before this letter reaches the eve of the
reader, they will be reduced or increased one-third.
So of everything. Still it may be assumed as a settled
fact, that no country in the world affords half the fa
cilities of making money which this does.
sth. Population. I might say in a few words there
is every description of character here, and the ground
would be covered, but this does not satisfy. Here
we have gamblers by thousands, doctors and lawyers
in equal numbers, statesmen and ex-governors not a
few, preachers regularly employed as sueh, few and
far between. However, I must say seriously, that
there is every prospect of having, in a short time, a
far better state of society than our friends at home
suppose. There are many excellent men, planters,
miners, merchants and professional characters, who
honor their country ; and ladies arc coming by every
vessel. There are now many estimable ladies and in
teresting families in the country, and multitudes more
on their way. Yet it should not be forgotten that
the door to vice and ruin is wider here than any
where else in the world.
Allow me now, Mr. Editor, to notice some inquiries
which arc often made by our friends, such as—llow
is the farming business ? Could a blacksmith do
well? Flow is the lumber business? What is the
price of brick, and could a brick mason do well ?
What can a carpenter do ? Would you advise me to
come? Ac., Ac. It is impossible to answer these
questions so as that the answering may be relied on
; long, for the reason that changes occur constantly by
which one would be deceived even were he to leave
home and come with Ills plans based upon them.—
But that any and all branches of business pay well and
will continue to do so, and that the persevering, pru
dent man will soon make a fortune, is certain. And
yeti have not a doubt but that as many will go home
without any thing, as will of those who have succeed
ed. As to the last question, I will only say, that I
advise none to come or stay at home. This is a ques
tion which men must settle among themselves. I
give it, however, as my judgment, that where a man
is in comfortable circumstances he had better stay
where he is. It. is no small matter to leave a family,
on the one hand, or tear them up, on the other, from
home and friends- and comforts, and encounter the
: sufferings of a California life. There are not a few
here who deeply deplore the step they have taken.—
But in different circumstances a man may make up
his mind to suffer a few years and come out and do
well. Were I back in Georgia, in circumstances of
dependence, and knew what I do of this country, 1
would certainly try it awhile ; but I should come ex
pecting to know but little of comfort until my return.
Here I must close. I have given a plain state
ment of facts as they are ; men must judge for them
selves of their own cases.
Allow me to say that our company is well. Our
prospects in relation to the mission are good. I had
forgotten to say that the climate generally is healthy;
of this I have no doubt.
Allow me to say to all whom it may concern, that
I am located in San Francisco, and Rev. Alexander
M. Wynn, in Stockton, and all papers and letters
must be directed accordingly.
JESSE BORING.
P. S.—After sealing my letter for the mail, I
found, to my great surprise, Mr. Schyler, the
worthy butcher from your city. He is in fine health
and doing a splendid business at his old trade. By
the jvay we have an abundance of as fine beef as is in
the world. J. B.
Increased Unity among Southern Members oi
* Googress.
At length we have to congratulate the South
on the attainment of greater unity among her
representatives than has yet been Known.
At a meeting held a few evenings since, the
following members were appointed a Committee
on Resolutions:
Mr. Toombs Chairman.
Messrs. Seddon, Thompson, Houston, Bowie,
Clingmari, Burt. Cabell, Hilliard, Morse, John
son, Morehead, Green, Howard, Thomas.
We understand that the deliberations of the
Committee resulted in almost entire unanimity,
and accordingly—
Mr. Toombs, Chairman of the Committee of
Fifteen, reported-the foliowing resolutions, which
were adopted:
1. Resolved, That no citizen shall be deprived
; of his life, liberty or property, except by the
| judgment of his peers, and the laws of the land,
arid that the common law, as it existed in the
American Colonies on the 4th of July, 1776, and
the Constitution and laws of the United States
applicable to our territories, shall be the funda
mental law of said territory.
2. Resolved, That in the event that the non
slaveholding States object thus to put the life,
liberty and property of American citizens under
America* farvr, we will insist upon a division
of the country on the line ot 36—30, with a dis- 1
tinct recognition and protection ol property in
That we will not for the
admission ot California, unless the Southern
boundary be restricted to the parallel of 36-30
north latitude.
4. Resolved, That we will not agree to any
boundary between Texas and New Mexico,
which proposes to cede to New Mexico any por
tion of territory south of the parallel of 36-30,
north latitude and west of the Rio Grande, prior
to the adjustment of die territorial question.
Resolved, That the representatives of the
slaveholding States will resist, by all usual legis
lative and constitutional means, the admission
of the State of California and the adjustment of
the Texas boundary, until a settlement of the
territorial questions.
Be it further Resolved, That the powers and
duties of the Committee of Fifteen be continued
until the further action of the meeting, and that
the Chairman of that Committee, by the eoL
currence of any three members thereof, may at
any time eall a meeting of the represen tative®
of the slaveholding States.— Southern Press.
Meeting in Meriwether.
Greenville, Meriwether, Aug. 6,1850.
The citizens of this county assembled to-d*V>
for the purpose of giving an expression of senti
ment on the subject of Northern aggression
upon Southern rights. .
It may truly be said that at no period in th®
history of this country, upon any subject what
ever, lias there been so universal and so deep a
felt interest. It has brought out from the shades
of retirement, and even from the sanctuaries of
religious seclusion, and arrayed in solid phalanx
under the banner erected for the protection ot
Southern interests, rights and honor, men who
have been wholly disconnected with party poli
tics for years gone by. The meeting was or
ganized by the appointment of Dr. 11. S. VVem
bish, as President, and Geo. A. Hall, as Secre
tary. The President, in brief and appropriate
remarks, explained the object of the meeting.
Mr. O. Warner stated that the Hon. W. T.
Colquitt and John Cochran, were present, and
moved the appointment of a committee to invite
their attendance. The motion prevailed, and
Messrs. Warner, Tinsley, Martin and McMatfty
were appointed. At this stage of the proceed
ings, Col. John 11. McMath submitted the foUow
ing preamble and resolutions:
The present crisis calls for a full and free ex-*
pression of public opinion. This is not a time
to indulge in sentiments of acquiescence and
submision to wrongs, thereby inviting
sion. The occasion demands a firm and decided*
stand in defence of our principles and just rights#
a large majority of Northern States, through
their legislatures, have advanced doctrines hos
tile to the institution of slavery. The members
of Congress from those States are using extra
ordinary efforts to fasten upon the legislation
of that “body the free soil policy; if the South
now submit to this policy, by the usurpa
tion of power upon the part of Congress, the
position of equality in the Union is forfeited—
the brand of inferiority is stamped upon their
citizens, and the time will speedily arrive when
the long cherished institutions of the Soutli will
be destroyed.
1. Therefore Resolved, That in the admi*Bion
of California as a State, with her present assum
ed boundaries, we see the free soil policy adopted,
and pri*ctically enforced by Congress, and we
therefore proclaim our decided opposition to
that measure.
2. Resolved, That we are also opposed to the
admission of New Mexico as a State, with her
constitution as recently formed, for the tame
reasons, that we oppose the admission of Cali
fornia.
3. Resolved, That we are opposed to the erec
tion of Territorial Government for Utah and
New Mexico, with laws that exclude the South
ern people from going there with their slaves.
4. Resolved, That lor the purpose of peace
! and harmony with the Northern States, we are
willing to have the line of 3G-30, applied to the
national territory, recently acquired from Mexico,
according to the true intent and spirit of the old*
Missouri Compromise; the Southern people
having the right to carry their slaves into all the
territory south of that line.
5. Resolved, That Texas is entitled tb> tho
boundaries claimed by her, and that in the event
the General Government attempts to dispossess
her by force, she will deserve the aid of every
Southern State, to enable her to keep possession
of her territory.
6. Resolved, That we approve the opinion*
expressed by Mr. Berrien in his late speech, de
livered in the United States Senate, denouncing;
the admission of California as a State, with her
present constitution, on the ground, that it would
be equivalent to the adoption of the Wilinot
Proviso by Congress.
I his preamble and these resolutions were sup--
ported by Col. McMath, in a speech of much
earnestness and force. After he concluded,
Judge Colquitt was called for, who responded
in a speech of two hours in length, reviewing.
Northern aggression upon Southern Rights, and
endeavoring to impress upon his auditors the
necessity of resisting the impending danger near
at hand, and only to be averted by united and
tiim resistance. J his speech had a marked
effect.
Col. Cochran, of Alabama, was next called t®
the stan<J > he spoke at considerable length, urg*
ed the necessity of united and firm resistance,
and portrayed strikingly the evils of procraeti
nation.
Mr. O. Warner was next called for; he set
forth the issue between the North and the South,
to be a determined resistance to slavery; in
other words, free-soitism on the one side, on’tho
other, film resistance or war. The conclusion
of his speech left a deep impression.
The Rev. Wm. D. Martin, who has not been
connected with either of the political parties for
years, was loudly called for; he made a touch
ing response, and evidently his sincerity reached
the feelings of many present. 3
| The vote was now taken upon the preamblo
and resolutions, and they were adopted without
a dissenting voice—hundreds answering yea
On motion of Wm. L. Fletcher, Esq., the fol
lowing resolution was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That we regard as highly expedient,
the Mass Convention, to be held in Macon, on
the 22d inst., and that we do appoint twenty-fivo
delegates to represent this county in that Con
vention, and that the delegation have power to
| fill all vacancies that may occur in their number-
The following gentlemen were appointed.?
| John H. McMath, Wm. L. Fletcher, €feo-.- Jt<
! Hall, Joel Phillips, James Russell, Walton Ector
j D. Warner, F. McClendon, J. T. Render, James
11. Gaston, Wm. D. Thompson, Samuel K-
Gates, Robert G. Stewart, Franklin Kendall,
John T. Hall, John Moreland, John Redding
Henry R. Harris, Francis Boykin, Peter Martin*
Wiley B. Ector, Wm. Harris and Abner Dur
ham, sr.
Resolved, That we recommend the propriety
of as many delegates from this county as may be
deemed expedient, as can attend said convention
and recognize all as delegates from said county
On motion of Col. McMath, it was
Resolved, That the different newspapers of the
State be requested to publish the above proceed
ings, and that a copy of the same be sent our
Representators and Senators in Congress.
On motion of Judge Durham, it was
Resolved unanimously, That this meeting ad
journ to meet again on Friday, the 9th of thi
for the purpose of organizing a Southern
Rights Association.
On motion, the meeting adjourned.
H. S. WEMBISH, President,
Geo. A. Hall, Secretary.
A Soft Head.—A gay young fellow, ofa'dW
istical turn, traveling in a stage coach to Londbn,
forced his sentiments upon the company by at
tempting to ridicule the Scriptures. Among:
other topics he made himseif merry with’ the
story of David and Golia'i, strongly” urging the
improbability of a youth like David being able to>
throw a stone with sufficient force to sink it in
the giant’s forehead. On this he appealed to the
company, and in particular to an elderly Quaker,
. who sat in one corner of the carriage, “fndteed,-
I friend,” replied he, “I do not think it impossible,
; if the Philistine’s head was as soft as thins to.”