Newspaper Page Text
tion to hunt up, from the recesses of his mem
ory, the word or words which absolutely ex
press his thought or feeling, is nowhere visi
ble. He would, no doubt, think it great fas
tidiousness and loss of time, to spend half a
day in getting a stanza quite right, which he
has worked up to a “passable” point in half
an hour. He has no sufficient feeling of the
fact, that a poem is like the mirror of a tele
scope in this—that it is the last rub u-hich
polishes it, and makes it capable of reflect
ing the heavens. Many are the poets who
have nearly scaled Parnassus, and who might
have won to themselves enduring names, but
that, discouraged by finding the mountain
side barren of laurels, they have refused the
labor of the few additional steps which would
have brought them to its verdant top.
But Mr. Longfellow’s words are not only
not the best words—they are not even in the
best places. This is an inexcusable fault in
a metre so extremely easy as that of “Evan
geline.” Inversions, merely for the sake of
getting the long and short syllables into due
order, are never allowable, except in highly
polished verse, w here this, and other apparent
carelessness, may be introduced with good
effect to take off the appearance of laborious
finish. Inversions are always allowable for
rhythmical effect, which is quite a different
thing from mere metrical legularity. No one
can w ish that Cleopatra, in her wilful pas
sion, should have exclaimed,
“Give me Maadragora to drink ! ’
instead of
“Give me to drink Mandrago>a!”
Or that the waves and winds that did omit
“Their mortal natures, letting go safely by
The divine Desdernona,'’
should have flowed, in Slmkspeare's verso
with more regularity ; but Mr. Longfellow’s
inversions are seldom if ever of this charac
ter; he rarely becomes sufficiently rhythmi
cal, and never sufficiently polished in his wri
tings, to justify inversions upon either of the
foregoing pleas.
Notwithstanding all these, and other com
plaints which we might justly make against
this poem, we gladly allow that it possesses
very considerable merit as a versified ro
mance. The numerous descriptions com
bine breadth with minuteness of detail very
happily, and the story, which is decidedly a
fine one, is told so as to work upon the feel
ings, and to elevate them. We say again
that in these remarks we have laid dispropor
tionate emphasis upon the blame deserved
by the poem, because we consider that the
praise which it has obtained has been out of
all proportion to its deserts.
Mr. Longfellow has written a very poor
drama, called “The Spanish Student.” We
cannot find in it any passage worth placing
before our readers; but there is one stage
direction which gives so amusing an exam
ple of American “notions” of European man
ners, that we must quote it. The heroine,
Preciosa, is a Spanish gipsy girl, a famous
danseu.se; the Archbishop of Toledo has
taken it into his head to put down the ballet j
in his diocese, and by way of ascertaining j
the full odiousness of the abuse to be extir
pated, the Archbishop summons Preciosa to
dance before him at his palace:
“She lays aside her mantilla. The music of the ea
chueha is played, and the dance begins. The Arch
bishop and the Cardinal look on with gravity and an
occasional frown ; then make signs to each other; and,
as the dance continues, become more and more pleased
and excited, and at length rise from their seats, throw
their caps in the air, and applaud vehement”
scene closes.” j
“The Golden LejiiIRIMOXIAL LIT’ K.
the worjbrtftt aside from our path for a space,
.a visit an object of some curiosity, which is
one of the “lions” of the “ Master-J*I®* 1 ®* ,
’Phis is a,, ancient vault, * nd
ber of the There are, howev
stock with whbffj. two ofvthree very beautiful
“which we would willingly quote
•Wad we space; but we must hasten to close
this notice of Mr. Longfellow with a few ex
tracts from and comments upon his minor
poems. These pieces, upon the whole, do
not deserve anything like the degree of pop
ularity which they have obtained; indeed,
the great reputation which two or three of
these poems enjoy, is a most melancholy sign
of the poverty of the intellectual, and still
more of the spiritual culture, of a very large
portion of the “reading public.” The fol
lowng verses, entitled “A Psalm of Life :
what the heart of the young mans id to the
Psalmist,” have come to be quoted in our
English House of Commons—a place not yet
penetrated, if we remember rightly, bv Ten
nyson, or even, except for ridicule, by Words
worth :
Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal!
Dust thou art, to dust retumest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destin’d end or way ;
But to act that each to-morrow
Find us further than to-day.
Art is long and time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still like muffled drums are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle.
In the bivouac of life,
Be not like dumb driven cattle ;
Bea hero in the strife!
Trust no future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead past bury its dead!
Act—act in the living present,
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of Time :
Ife Footprints that perhaps another,
\ Sailing o'er life's troubled main,
\ A forlorn and shipwrecked brother
\ Seeing, shall take heart again.
\ 1 us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
IBk labor and to wait.
.Jjyrtain Irenehman, i••
HMtfHpUtgo, is reported to have ex
thing or other, “superbe! magnifique! in
short, pretty well!” This exclamation ex
presses the sort of feeling one has upon read
ing verses like the above for the first time.
It is flattering to find that one’s most com
monplace opinions are thought worthy of be
ing expressed with such astounding empha
sis; and we experience, upon reading them,
much the same sort of self-complacency as
was felt by the bourgeois genlilhomme upon
discovering, for the first time, that he had
bee it talking prose all bis life. But when
the first glow of self-love has subsided,
w'e begin to be ashamed of ourselves, for hav
ing been duped by such a bundle of loud
tongued and “unimproved” commonplaces;
and if we are very good-humored and not
very critical, we shall hush up the business
with an “in short, pretty well.” But we—
the intelligent critics of the North British
Review —cannot reconcile our consciences to
any such amiable concealment of the real
truth, which, in regard to the above verses,
and many others like them in Mr. Longfel
low’s volume, is simply this, that they are, for
the most part, pretentious, unprofitable, anti-
Christian trash. What an unconscionable
puppy the “young man” must have, been—in
the moment at least when his “heart” set up
this “Psalm” in opposition to the words of the
Psalmist! How the “man after God’s own
i heart” would have quailed beneath this
i “sprightly Juvenal’s” reproof! How much
; wholesome doctrine he lost by living so many
centuries before this magnificent discovery ol
Mr. I Longfellow’s, that
“Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal!”
We could lie very funny at Mr. Longfel
low’s expense, bad w ? e space t enter into a
philosophical analysis of this “Psalm ol
Life.” But we have to quote another famous
effusion, called
EXCELSIOR.
The shades of night were tailing fast,
As through an Alpine village pass’d
A youth who bare, mid snow and ice,
A banner with this strange device—
Excelsior!
His brow was sad ; his eye beneath
Flash’d like a falchion from its sheath,
And like a silver clarion rung
The accents of that unknown tongue,
Excelsior!
In happy homes he saw the light
Os household fires gleam warm and bright;
Above, the spectral glaciers shone,
And from his lips esc. ped a groan,
Excelsior!
“Try not the pass, - ’ the old man said ;
Da:k lowers the tempest overhead,
The roaring torrent is deep and wide,
And loud that clarion voice replied,
Excelsior!
“O, stay,” the maiden said, “and rest
Thy weary head upon this breast!”
A tear stood in his bright blue eye,
But still he answer’d with a sigh,
Excelsior!
•
“Beware the pine-tree's wither’d branch,
Beware the awful avalanche!”
This was the peasant’s last good night—
A voice replied far up the height,
Excelsior!
At break of day, as heavenward
The pious monks of Saint Bernard
Utter’d the oft-repeated prayer,
A voice cried through the startled air,
Excelsior!
A traveller, by the faithful hound,
Half buried in the snow was found ; . :
.-OS l
Still grasping in his hands of hr. t
That banner with ilje •’ 11 r
i’les are like arrows—the*
-t ot off without a beau.
- -(in gray,
\ytr The Belfast ( Me.) Jrlay,
Story in it, of which /.serene and far,
has any virtue, )t ke a falling star,
Excelsior!
03” O
• * oTn the prevailing tone of Mr. Longfel
low’s works, we are justified in assuming,
that the example of the young man whose
progress is delineated in these spirited verses,
is intended for our guidance, or rather for
our reverent admiration, and not for our
warning. All that we can say is, that we
believe the intended moral to be the false
one. Give the story its true moral —the mad
ness of any ambition which is found to lie
incompatible with homely joys, female love,
and unpretentious Christian religion—and we
have an undeniably meritorious little poem,
notwithstanding the evident “greenness” of
the youth's enthusiasm, and his “clarion
voice,” and “bright blue eye,” which do not
add to his manliness.
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
Fanny Indignant. —Ladies have pro
bably seen the floating paragraph which
declares, that the “best thing a man can
possess is an amiable wife;” and another,
which recommends wives to always look
cheerful in the presence of their husbands,
because a “husband likes to be consid
ered the source of his wife’s happiness,”
and the sight of a smiling spouse “flatters”
him; and they may have seen a third, equal
ly ridiculous, which announces “that the tear
of a loving girl is like a dew-drop on a rose—
bat on the cheek of a wife, is a drop of poison
to her husband.” These paragraphs have
justly excited the indignation of Fanny Fern,
w ho, in a late number of the Olive Branch,
relieves her mind in the manner following:
“It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any
good!” Papas will be happy to hear that
twenty-five dollar pocket-handkerchiefs can
be dispensed with now, in the bridal trousseau.
Their “occupation’s gone.” Matrimonial
tears are “poison.” There’s no knowing
what you’ll do, girls, with that escape valve
shut off; but that’s no more to the point than
—whether you have anything to smile at or
; not: one thing is settled— you musn’t cry!!
Never mind baCk-aches, and side-aches, and
j head-aches, and dropsical complaints and
smoky chimneys, and old coats and young
babies! Smile! It flatters your husband.
He wants to be considered the source of your
happiness, whether he was baptized Nero or
Moses ! Y our mind never being supposed to
lie occupied with any other subject than him
self, of course a tear is a tacit reproach. Be
sides, you miserable little whimperer, what
have you to cry for? A-i-n-t y-o-u m-a-r
----r-i-e-d ! Isn’t that the summum bonum —the
i height of feminine ambition? You can’t get
beyond that! ! It’s the jumping of place!
Y’ou’ve arriv’! got to the end of your jour
i nev! Stage puts up there! You’ve nothing
i to do but retire on your laurels, and spend
the rest of your life endeavoring to be thank
ful that you are Mrs. John smith! Smile!
j you simpleton !
POLITICAL.
Religious Test—Letter from Gen. Pierce.
The following letter in relation to the reli
gious test in New Hampshire, was written to
John E. Warren, Esq., of Cooperstown, New
York :
Concord, (N. H.) July 16, 1852.
My Dear Sir : It is impossible that a
charge should embrace a more direct attack
upon truth than that with which the Whig pa
pers have teemed, in relation to my sentiments
upon the religions test contained in our
State Constitution, which was adopted in
1792, and never amended since. The charge j
is contradicted by every word and act of my
life having reference to the question, in any i
form, directly or collaterally. I advocated
the call of the convention for the amendment
of the constitution, which assembled in No
vember, 1840, and the most prominent ob
ject in my mind was to strike out the unjust
and odious provisions, commonly called the
religious and property qualification tests, from
oar fundamental law.
In haste, your obedient servant,
Frank. Pierce.
LET THE PEOPLE REMEMBER,
That not a single whig paper, south ol
Mason & Dixon’s line, was in favor of the
nomination of General Scott.
That in the Whig National Convention,
for fifty ballots, Gen. Scott never received a
southern vote; and his nomination was the
result of the treason of a few Tennessee and
Virginia whigs.
That in accepting the nomination, Gen.
: Scott carefully avoided saying, that he ap
proved, or would maintain, the whig plat*
1 form.
That the eighth resolution of the whig
j platform does not pledge the whig party
; against further agitation.
i That the whig party is not pledged to op
pose the passage of a law abolishing slavery
in the District of Columbia, the inter-State
slave trade, or slavery in the States.
That Gen. Scott said, in his Atkinson letter
in 1843. that if he had been in the Virginia
I convention in 1831, he would have been in
: favor of a bill for the general emancipation
| of slaves.
That Gen. Scott said, in his Atkinson letter,
that he conceived it a high moral duty resting
upon the slaveholding States to employ all
proper means, not incompatible with the
safety of both colors, to ameliorate slavery
even to extermination.
That Gen. Scott said, in his Atkinson letter,
that Congress had the right to interfere be
tween master and slave, iu the District of
Columbia, and could legislate over that
District at discretion.
That Gen. Scott, in his Atkinson letter,
spoke of slavery as an evil.
* * * * # #
That whig papers in the North arc-advoca
ting the election of Scott, on the ground that
he is a freesoiler, and unpledged on the slavery
question.
That the Scott papers in the North main
tain, that time and experience have already
shown the necessity of amending the fugitive
slave law, by giving the fugitive a trial Gy
jury, at the place where arrested, and that
such an amendment would be perfectly con
sistent with the whig platform, and meet the
approval of Gen. Scott.
’i'hat while Greeley and other abolition
friends of Scott, in the North, zealously ad
vocate his election, they scorn and spit upon
the whig platform.
That leading whigs in the North and West*
have publicly declared that they go for Scott,
for thqejery assigned by Gentry,
\V il 1 i'*i;i’ft'/tv-on. ..-’Southern whig?, for with-
JhfiAd sixteen dr Yum their support,
iterest, and (Jj ,s co p ; s j :i f aV or of a national
f-nvnp” , iii i , . ,
swank, and a general bankrupt law, and said
he would have voted for them had he been in
Congress in 1841.
That as late as 1816, Gen. Scott said he
hesitated between extending the residence ol
foreigners to 21 years, before they could vote,
and abolishing altogether the law for the natu
ralization of foreigners, and that he was in
clined to favor the latter proposition.
That Gen. Scott expressed his approval of
the principles of the Native American party,
and wished them success.
That Gen. Scott, in iiis communication to
the National Intelligencer, in 1844, drew up
and expressed h:s approval of a bill, depriving
all foreigners of the right of suffrage, who
might arrive in the country six months after
his proposed Gil! should become a law.
‘Flint Gen. Scott is in favor of requiring
foreigners to serve one year in tfie army or
navy, before they can be allowed to vote.
That Gen. Scott is in favor of annexing
the Canadas, and other Biitish North Ameri
can provinces, thus adding some ten or fifteen
free States to the Union, and enabling them
to amend the Constitution and abolish sla
very in the States.— Mobile Register.
Personal Habits of Presidential Can
didates. —’Fhe New York Mirror has a
sprightly article on the personal habits of
Presidential candidates, and so forth. We
quote:
The Presidents of the United States, with
one or two exceptions, have been remarka
bly .abstemious men, from Washington down.
General Harrison drank whiskey anil died.
General Taylor eat cucumbers and cherries,
and drank milk, and died. Mr. Fillmore,
| who is “temperate in all things,” sticks to
cold water, and “keeps cool” through all
weathers—some of his friends think a little
too cool.
Os the candidates now'before the people,
General Scott is an epicure; Gen Pierce a
convive; and John P. Hale, a “hale fellow,”
who likes a good glass of hot whiskey punch
before going to bed on a cold night. But
does any reasonable man suppose that either
of these candidates, if elected, would he guil
ty of any deflections from this straight line of
dignified sobriety ? Not at all. When a
man becomes President of the United States,
the vety dignity of the position, and the re
sponsibility attached to it, will keep him per
pendicular per force. There is nothing left
for him but the honorable discharge of his
duties. The highest earthly ambition is grat
ified ; the highest round upon the political
ladder is attained.
Statistics of Emancipation.
A recent Kingston paper, illustrating the
condition to which the British West Indies
are reduced, makes the following statement
of the past and present commerce of Ja
maica :
( For five years previous to the agitation of
the subject of abolition, and ending with Mr.
Canning’s resolution in 1823, the average
annual value of Exports wa5 —£3,192,637.
For the five years ending in 1833, the last
five of Slavery—£2,79l,47B.
For the first five years of freedom, ending
in 1843—£1,213,214.
For the first five years of Free Trade, end
i ing in 1851—£808,238.
Showing a depreciation of £2,384,389, in
twenty-eight years ; and yet the public ex
penditures of the colony-have rather increas
ed than otherwise, with the altered state of
things.
A slight change of figures would suit the
other colonies, the falling off ill all being
equally frightful.
sout!)evn Stnimd.l
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA:
THURSDAY MORNING OCT. 7,1852.
Errata — Pa3tus and Arria.
Our compositors made a shocking blunder in our
last week’s issue, and destroyed the b. auty of the
elegant classical allusion in the interesting story of
“Bell and Rose,” which we continue in to-day’s
paper. A literary friend has furnished us with the
following note, in which a full explanation of the al
lusion is given :
Capt. Lomax—
Dear Sir: Partus and Arria are the names of the
two doubtful personages in Mrs. Heatz’s story. He
was condemned to death, and she, in Roman style, ob
tained access to him, with a weapon concealed in her
dress. Having stabbed herself, she handed him the
weapon, repeating the poet’s words:
When Arria to her husband gave the sword,
Which from her chaste and bleeding breast she drew,
“Take this,” she cried—“My Ptetus, do not fear—
“ Sweet is the wound that has been given for you.”
Yours, very truly.
O” We call the attention of our readers to the
card of Monsieur Ivrzf.czkowski, who proposes to
irive instruction in the French Language. Monsieur
K. brings with him the highest testimonials of his
character and capacity, and we take great pleasure
in commending him to all persons who desire to ob
tain a knowledge of the French. It is hardly ne
cessary to insist, in this community, that a mas
tery of this language is essential to a polite edu
cation.
Amusements.
The Carncross Troupe have returned to our city,
and are giving nightly concerts at Temperance Ilall.
The lovers of drollery, fun, and music, will find en
tertainment there at very moderate priced.
Writing School.
We had the pleasure of visiting Mr. Millar’s
school, the other day, and were much surprised to
find that he has already succeeded in imparting to
many of Isis pupils, a correct knowledge of chirogra
piiv. Mr. Millar will accept our thanks for a pack
of visiting cards. He has very great facility with
the pen, and will take pleasure in preparing visiting
cards for our fashionable circles.
Lithographic.
We have received a correct and very beautiful
lithograph likeness of Mrs. Caroline Lee llrntz,
from a daguerreotype executed oy Mr. J. S. Wood
bridge, of this city. The admireis of the fair and
gifted authoress can procure “counterfeit presenti
ments” of the original, by calling at A. C. Fi.ew
ellen’s Book Store.
John Milton.
Our readers will pardon us for calling their atten
tion to this “old man eloquent,” who stood foremost
in his day in defense of liberty, and has enriched
our language with poems which far transcend in
g andear, beauty, pathos and rhythm, all the other
productions of human genius. His greatest work,
the crowning labor of a great life, was “Paradise
Lost.” We have already in our possession several
copies, but not less grateful are we to Mr. J. W.
Pease, of this city, for anew and very superior edi
tion of the work, lately published by A. S. Barnes
& Cos., and edited by Rev. Jas. It. Boyd.
The Georgia and Alabama Fair.
The Fair opened on yesterday morning under
very favorable circumstances. We were pleased to
notice, in the assembly, gentlemen and ladies from
Russell, Macon, Chambers and Barbour counties;
in Alabama, and from all the surrounding counties in
Georgia. The display in the Ladies’ Department is
not so full, in some respects, as last year, but the
exhib tion of qui ts, blankets, rugs, potatoes, turnips,
egg plants, chickens, ducks, turkeys, butter, preserves,
&e., showed that our farmers enjoy comfortable
homes and are blessed vuih industrious as well as ac
complished wives. The exhibition of stock is very
gratifying evidence that our s ction is not behind oth
er parts of the country in this department. There
are specimens of cattle and hogs on the grounds
which, for size and blood, are not excelled in any
country.
The walls of the'Court-House are adorned with
pictures of great beauty and excellence. The dis
play of flowers is truly magnificent for the season,
and the elegant taste displayed in their arrangement
reflects the highest credit upon those who preside
over this part of the Fair. The fruit exhibited can
not be beat.
Tlie Fair will close this evening. The premiums
will be awarded during the day. We earnestly
urge all our citizens to encourage by their presence,
this morning, this noble and patriotic enterprise.
They will be agreeably entertained by the exhibition,
and much more by the bright eyes and gentle smiles
which adorn the grounds.
We will defer, until a more convenient and fitting
occasion, a minute description of the various objects
which are worthy of particular attention.
Hawthorne’s Life of Franklin Pierce.
We have received from our Washington Corres
pondent, a copy of the above work, and, of course,
perused it with uncommon interest.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American Classic,
and has won the admiration of the British and Amer
ican public, by his chaste, artistic and powerful con
tributions to tlie republic of letters. The propriety
of such a man’s writing the life of a candidate for
the Presidency, to be used as an electioneering doc
ument in the canvass, is questionable. Franklin
Pierce and he were friends in boyhood, however,
and if he has committed an impropriety, a generous
public will not fail to find an ample excuse for it, in
the yearnings of his ardent and susceptible nature,
for the success of an old and well-tried friend. The
book, too, is so free from bluster ; from partisan ma
levolence : from vituperate n, and all the other mean
and contemptible passions which rankle in the bo
som, and blot the productions of the partisan; its
language is so chaste, its style so captivating, its ap
preciation of the character and services of its hero
so just, that a Whig can read it with interest, with
out fear of having his prejudices shocked. But we
will not consume further space in criticism upon the
literary merits of this delightful work, but proceed
to give a brief synopsis of its contents.
This work lias been issued with the approbation
of General Pierce, and is intended for gene ral cir
culation both North and South. We have there
fore looked into it with considerable interest, to find
whether there was any attempt to shuffle, on the
slavery question. We were gratified to find that no
1 such disposition is manifested. In his biography, as
in his Congressional career, Franklin Pierce is
: the uncompromising advocate of the Constitutional
rights of the South. On page 31, the following
i pointed paragraph occurs:
“It was while in the Lower House of Congress,'that
Franklin Pierce took that stand on the slavery question,
from which he has never swerved a hairs breadth.—
He fully recognized, by his vote3 and by his voice, the
rights pledged to the South by the Constitution. This,
at the period when he so declared himself, was compar
atively an easy tiling to do. But when it became more !
difficult; when the rir-t imperceptible movement ot ag- j
itation had grown to be almost a convulsion, his course ;
was still the same. Nor did he ever shun the obloquy i
that sometimes threatened to pursue the Northern man,
who dared to love that great and sacred reality—his
whole, united, native country —better than the mistiness
of a philanthropic theory. ’
Other paragraphs occur in various parts of the |
work equally strong and decided, but our space is !
too precious to be consumed in repetitions. There is j
one sentence on page 113, which so pointedly spurns
Abolition aid in the election, that we cannot forbear
to quote it. It is in these words :
“Those Northern men, therefore, who deem the great
cause of human welfare, all represented and involved in
this present hostility against Southern institutions, and
who conceive that the world stands still, except so far
as that goes forward— these, it may be allowed, can
scarcely give their sympathy or their confidence, to the
subject of this memoir.”
The memoir gives a very full and detailed account
of Atwood's coquetry with the Free Boilers, and of
General Pierce's steadfast moral strength and ener
gy in defence of the rights of the South. The facts
are these :
“In October, 1850, a Democratic Convention, held at
Concord, nominated Mr. Atwood, a- the party’s regular
candidate for Governor. * * * A letter was addres
sed to him by a committee, representing the party oppo
sed to the Compromise, and with whom, it may he sup
posed, were included those, who held the more thorough
going degrees of anti-slavery sentimem. The purpose
of the letter was to draw out an expression of Air. At
wood's opinion on the Abolition movement generally,
and with an especial reference to the Fugitive Slave law,
and whether, as Chief Magi-trateof the State, he would
favor any attempt for its repeal. In an answer of con
siderable length, the candidate expressed sentiments
that brought him unquestionably within the Free Soil
pale, and favored his correspondents, moreover, with a
pretty decided judgment as to the unconstitutional, un
jud, and oppressive character of the Fugitive Slave act.”
The biographer goes on to relate that, “during
space of two months, this very important document
was kept from the public eye.” Rumors of its exis
tence became noised abroad, and in answer to inqui
\ ties, Mr. Atwood acknowledged it; but averred
| that it was merely a rough draft, and that he had
kept it within his own control, with a view to more
careful consideration. A copy, however, of the let
ter was published, with high commendations, in the
anti-slavery pap. rs. He publicly retracted, in a sub
sequent letter, every objeetional feature of his for
mer one, and took decided ground in favor of the
Compromise, the Fugitive Slave Law includtd. The
very next day. however, he fell into the hands of
some of his Abolition friends, to whom he avowed a
constant adhesion to the principles of his first letter.
The day of election was now at a distance of only
a few weeks; the contest was warm and exciting.
With Mr. Atwood as candidate, success was con
sidered certain.
“General Pierce could not consent that hi 1 party
should gain a nominal triumph, at the expense of what
; he looked upon as its real integrity and life. With this
view of the matter, lie had no hesitation in his course.
*********
j He. took decided ground against Mr. Atwood. The
Convention met again and nominated another candidate
Mr. Atwood went into the field a- the candidate of the
j anti-slavery party, drew off a sufficient body of Dem-
I ocrats to defeat the election by the people, but was
i himself defeated in the Legislature.”
There is much more in the book well worthy of
the attention of the reader. We cannot, however,
extend this notice further. Its most interesting chap
ters ate the first and fourth. The first contains a
very ful! account of Governor Benjamin Pierce, the
father of Franklin —an old revolutionary soldier,
whose honest integrity, pure patriotism and homely
eloquence, make a strong appeal to our hearts. The
fourth contains General Pierce's journal of his
march from Vera Cruz to Puebla. Having travel
ed over part o. the ground ourselves, and being per
sonally acquainted with some of his gallant comrades
in arms, we confess that this part of tile memoir is
to ns exceedingly captivating. Col. Bonham, of
South Carolina, stud Lieut Forsyth. <>f Georgia, an*
frequently mentioned in his journal, and always with
praise. We hope to find ro< nin our paper for this
part of the memoir at an early day.
Prospects of Troup and Quitman.
In Alabama, four able and well conducted pa pi rs
are devoted to the advocacy of their claims to the
Presidency. Meetings have been held in Autauga,
Henry and Lowndes counties, at which the action of
the Convention nominating them was cordially re
8, ondcd to.
In Georgia, we have heard of no popular move
ment in this direction, out of this city.
In South Carolina, but little is said on the sub
ject. The Mercury has not, up to this date, con
tained one word of approval or disapproval in the ed
itorial columns, though its Washington correspon
dent lias taken ground unequivocally against the
policy of tite movemtnt. The South Carolinian
contains a short article on the “Presidency,” which
concludes as follows:
“Whether South Carolina will vote for Troup and
Quitman, or the regular nominees of the Democratic
party,a few weeks will tell. It is her duty to take any
st p that will defeat the election of General Scott, and
up to the pre-cut writing, the most likely way to do
that is by voting for Pierce and King. Troup and
Quitman are gallant names, and could tiie vote ot
South Carolina alone elevate them to the Presidency
and Vice Presidency, it would be given to them As it
is, there is but little prospect of the ticket being support
ed, and as we said just now, the great object <>l all
Southern men should be to defeat the elevation of Win
field Scott and hi* Whig Abolition colleagues to
power.”
The only response to the action of the Ala. Con
vention which we have noticed in South Carolina, is
in a communication to his paper, over the signature
of “Camden.” After reviewing the action of the
Abolition party, and its final success, the writer
urges:
“Now, what is the lesson? It is that the. South
should oiganize, and preserve at all and every hazard, a
distinct patty upon the basis of State Rights and ."outh
erri in titutions ; a full-fledged, Simon pure—an out and
out pro slavery party, eo nomine, de facto, et dc j are.
Is the time opportune ! It was never better. Governors
Troup and Quitman are in the field as Southern can
didate-. The initiative has been taken by a lew coun
ties in Alabama. Let the bright example be followed.
Let South Carolina, and all tiie South,rally around
their gallant sons. Many have been just weaned ofl
from tne national parties. Form a pro-slavery patty,
and complete the breach throughout the South- Gath
er up and secure what you have, and gain strength to
gather more. It is true your candidates will be beaten,
badly beaten.in the coming election—distanced, if you
please—yet the nucleus will be formed. They will
hardly he left in the rear, if South Carolina take them
up, farther than the anti-slavery candidates of 18-14.
But keep up the organization, and who can tell what 1856
and 1860 will reveal ? Nullification, sece-sion, co
operation, and pronunciamentos, ail have signally lailed
to secure for us respect —tather have brought us increas
ed disre-pect. Then t ick about, ye leaders of the South,
and in tiie name of patriotism and common sense, look
elsewhere for remedies. Let not all politica’ wisdom
and foresight he touud among the enemy. Organize,
and keep organized. Small may be the beginning, but
who can tell the end 1 Show yourselves united, discip
lined, no matter how weak at first. Are all the South
ern Rights Associations of last year dead ! Support
your own candidates, hopeless though it now appears :
but soon you may make your mark upon the national
parties ; and to affect them seriously i- to regain what is
lost, is to control the machinery at Washington, hi our
strength will be respected, your vote courted, and the
candidates for the Presidency will be sought out and
nominated, not as now for their anti-slavery affinities,
but for their availability at the South ; or, in other words,
for their favor with the Southern Rights party, then hold
ing the balance of power, and controlling, at will, the
political complexion of the General Government.”
The Cotton Crop.—Letters pour in upon us
from tiie country, full of dolorous complaints of the
cotton crop. In the important region watered by
the Yazoo, we h**:tr that many planters will not
make a half, or a thir lof a crop. YY e have aiso re
ceived from the parish of Madison, per Prank Lyon,
some specimens of the Dry Rot, which is prevailing
to an alarming extent in the Northern parishes of
this State, and throughout Mississippi. This rot de
stroys over half the green bolls ou the stalks, and
will greatly diminish the crops wherever it breaks
out. It is worse than the caterpillar.— N. Orleans
Delta ,
Manifesto of General Gonzalez.
The N. Y. Herald of last week, contains an able
and very interesting address from Gen Gonzalez, to
the people of the United States, in which he gives a
full and detailed history of the Cuban movement
from its inception. It is too lengthy for our col- j
limns. We must content ourselves with a eonden- I
sed abstract of its most int resting passages.
Since 1825, revolutionary clubs existed in Cuba,
under the name of Soles de Bolivar, and neither ar
rests, imprisonments, confiscations, banishments, or
executions, could repress them. Conspiracy suc
ceeded conspiracy, until the Spanish Cortez, in 1536,
denying the right of the Cuban Deput es to seats in
j their body, gave a mighty impetus to the ear of rev
| olution.
j Narcisco Lopez, a Major General in the Spanish
army, and a Senator in the Cortes, for the Province
of Seville, outraged by this injustice to his adopted
country, resigned his honors and placed himself at
the head of the Cuban revolutionists.
The French revolution of 1818, which resulted in
! emancipation of the blacks in the French Antilles,
produced great excitement turning the Cuban plan
ters, and the great mass of them joined the revolu
; t ion ary party, of which General Lopez naturally be*
| came the ‘leader.
; The patriots hoped to obtain the aid of 5000
Americans, then in Mexico, to the impending Cu
-1 ban revolution, and a Cuban delegation approached
| General W ortii, at Jalnpa, and offered’ hirn the
command of the expedition. Gen. Worth accepted
the proposition. These plans, however, were all
I defeated by the determination of the United States
not to disband her soldiers in Mexico.
About this time General Lopez's conspiracy was
1 discovered, and he, together with some other dis
tinguished Cubans, were compelled to seek safety in
flight to the United States.
Gen. Gonzalez was then sent to the United
i States as Commissioner to Generals Worth, Lopez
j a!) d some Cuban patriots residing here. The Cu-
I bans agreed to raise 300,000 dollars. Lopez was
to lead the advance, and be supported by Worth
j with the main army. A member of Gen. Worth's
military family •• isited Cuba, and relumed full-, satisfied
j with the entire practicability of the invasion. The
unexpected death of Worth was 11 great blow to the
patriots, and the planters, who had joined the move
inent mainly from dread of emancipation of slavery,
| seeing that matters were not immediately menacing,
drew back, and still further weakened the prospects
oi the revolutionary party.
Under these discouraging circumstances, the
means could not be raised for an expedition on a
large settle and as the revolutionary spirit had spread
among the masses, Lopez and his friends in the Uni
ted States, determined to prosecute tire enterprise
with 1201) men. A portion of the force was collect
ed at Round Island, and the remainder was to sail
from New Yirk. Eighty thousand dollars was
raised by Cubans, and appropriated in part in fe e
purchase of the steamship Faulty, and propeller Sea
i Gull, and in chartering the steamship New Orleans,
j I he steamer Sea Gull, laden with arms and ammu
j nitton, wits allowed to remain in the port of New
York, until the earlier part of September, though
the proclamation of Gen. Tayi.or was issued on the
7th August, 1849. and was only broken up because
of the too long delay in sailing. Not one Cuban
was, however, arrested, and not one Cuban or Amer
ican was tried for his connection with the vessel
and vesst i, arms and ammunition, were all returned
jto the patriots. The blockade of Round Island, and
| tlu* trial ol Quitman, et. ul ., on the following year,
i only proves that some show was required in the
i matter, on the part of the Government, and that of
all men politicians are the most apt to profit by the
risk of others, and turn upon them the “stop thief”
of lower derelietors, when success is no longer ex
pect* and. A junta was now established at Washing
ton, headed bv Seniors Gonzalez, Iznaga, Macias
and \ ili.averde. Spain could not allow this bob!
j step to puss unnoticed. The Spanish committee of
i the Council of War, condemned Gonzalez and his
associates to “suffer the punishment of death by the
garote.”
A {'.plications were made to the junta for enlist
ments from almost every State in the Union, to all
’ of which they replied that there was no immediate
occasion for their service s, but promising to avail
themselves of their co-operation as free American
emigrants, in case any political movement in Cuba
should justify their presence on the Island.
In consequence of intelligence received from Cu
ha, Lopez and Gonzalez left Washington for New
Orleans, in the spring of 1850, for the purpose of
raising an expedition from the West and Soutli-
W est. With the aid of lion. John Henderson,
L. J. Sigur, and others, they succeeded in forming
| the .Cardenas expedition. Forty thousand dollars
; were furnished by General Henderson, most’y from
! his private fortune. The New York merchants.
! “ ho lately presented a princely and g-< r to the black
; Emperor of Ilayti, could not b * persuaded to risk a
i dollar in behalf of Cuban freedom. The result of
| this unfortunate expedition is well known.
In April. 1851, the third expedition, that of the
Cleopatra, was gotten up in Georgia, by Gonzalez
and J. L. O'Sullivan, of New York. The means
for this expedition were chiefly derived from Cuba,
i the women of Havana and Puerto Principe, without
distinction of class or station, having generously
made the offer of their jewels to the cause of their
; country. Twelve thousand dollars of Cuban bonds
; were taken in Georgia, by gentlemen of the highest
j respectability, among whom was the Editor and
I proprietor of the leading Whig organ in the State.
| This expedition was thwarted bv the seizure of the
Cleopatra in New Y’ork, in April. ISS!.
The rising of the patriots in Puerto Principe and
Trinidad, preeip tated the Pampero expedition. The
means for this expedition were mostly, if not entire
ly, furnished by L. J. Sigur, Editor of the Daily
Delta , New Orleans, La.
With the Pampero expedition ends the last of the
j four efforts in three successive years, for the dis
| enthrallment of Cuba. If not eminently successful,
i they have produced one of the results anticipated by
those who have in its attainment sacrificed position,
home and friends, and incurred the obloquy of tin
j malignant and misinformed, to wit: ‘‘The planting
of the Cuban revolution upon its native soil, where
it is now rapidly advancing to a successful issue.
Having run through its preparatory stage, it is to
: Cubit tbat its future ones should be looked for.”
Southern Central Agricultural Society.
Delegates. —We understand that his Excellency
the Governor, of S. C., having been requested by the
‘Southern Central Agricultural Society of Geor
gia” to send delegates to a meeting to he held at
Macon, during the animal exhibition of the Society,
from the 19th to the 23d of October inst., for the
! purpose of organizing a “Southern Agricultural
Congress,” has, in conformity thereto, a; pointed
the following gentlemen as delegates:
For the State at Large.—lion. Robt. W. Barn
well, lion. Whitemarsh B. Seabrook.
For the Ist Congressional District. —Robt. *J. ;
Gage, U uion.
2d.—.James W. Harrison. Anderson.
3d.—Wm, S Lyles. Fairfield.
4th. —Thos. Smith. M. L>.. Darlington.
sth. —Drayton Nance, Newberry.
6th.—William Dußose, St. Stephens.
7th.—Hon. Jas. 11. Hammond, Barnwell.
[South Carolinian.
j
O’ At the recent term of the Circuit Court held
for the county of Chambers, Hon. .J. G. Shorter
presiding. Thomas. Barrot was sentenced to the ■
Penitentiary for four years for horse stealing; Mr.
Jenkins, for ten years for negro stealing; and
Jesse Nash, for two years, for receiving stolen
; wheat, contrary to the statute in such case made j
t and provided.— Chambers (Ala.) Tribune.
NEWS OF TIIE WEEK.
f From the Daily Morning News. ]
ARRIVAL OF THE ATLANTIC.
FOUR DAYS LATER FROM EUROPE.
New York, Oct, 3.
The American mail steamship Atlantic arrived at
New York on Saturday, from Liverpool, with date*
to the 22d ult.
Liverpool Cotton Market. —At the sailing of
the Atlantic Cotton remained unchanged from the
reports of our former advices.
The sales for three days—lßth. 20th and 2lst
amounted to 20,000 bales of which 17,500 were
American. Speculators took 4,000 and exporters
1.500 bales, leaving the amount taken by the trade
14.500 bales. The imports of Cotton for the three
days above specified were 1,500 bales.
The sales on Wednesday, the 22d ult., were
7,090 bales.
We note the following quotations from Wright
[ & Gandy's circular : Fair Orleans 6 l-4d., Mid*
| dling 5 5-8 a 5 3 4d.; Fair Mobile 6a 6 l-Bd. ■
Middlings 1-2 a 5 5-Bd. ; Fair Uplands Gd.; Mid
dling 5 1-2 a 5 5-Bd. : Ordinary 4 1-4 a 5 1-4
pence.
Money Market.— No change has occurred inee
the sailing of the Canda.
The accounts from India state that the British
had taken the Prince of Burtr.ah prisoner.
The Sterling, from Savannah, arrived at Cadiz on.
the 9th Sept.
New York Cotton Market.— New York, Oct 3,
j —The Cotton market was dull yesterday. Saturday.
! Prices were unchanged. 500 bales changed bauds.
Additional Per Canada.
Baltimore, Sept. 2S.—The Canada has brought
j 130 passengers.
Great Britain. —The Duke of Wellington is
| dsad. He died of apoplexy. The funeral was to
| have been a national affair.
The London Herald says that Peru has formally
annexed the Lobos Islands, and will resist all ng
\ gressiotis upon them.
The project of establishing a telegraphic line to
j America via Iceland lias been revived.
The British Parliament is to assemble on the 11th
! of November.
j The difficulty between England and Turkey ha*
| been adjusted.
The harvest in England will be most abundant.
I France. — Louis Napoleon lias commenced his
tour. In reply to an address in favor of the re
i establishment of the Empire, he intimated that he
i would assume the Imperial power when the people
desired it.
Spain.— Five papers in Madrid have been stopped,
and the editors of them imprisoned.
Denmark. —The Danish Government lias been
granted, by the British Government, the exclusive
right of way across Labrador.
Later from South America.— Baltimore, Sept.
27.—Advices have been received at Boston from
Buenos Ayres to the Bth of August, which state
that the Constitutional Congress had assembled, nnd
were about to organize, ns all the provinces had giv
en in their adhesion to a national organization ; and
that General Don Justo Jose Urquiza had recog
nized the independence of Paraguay, and had con
cluded a treaty of commerce for tlu* free navigation
of the rivers Paraguay, Parana and La Plata.
From California—Steamer Pioneer lost —
more Gold.— New York, Oct. 3.—The steamship
United States arrived here to-day. She left Aspin
wall on the 23d ult.
The steamship Pioneer, from Sin Juan for Sm
Francisco, was lost at Simon’s Bay on the 7th Sep
tember. All the passengers were taken up by the
steamer Sea Bird. Twenty had died after leaving
San Juan.
The steamer California left San Francisco on the
Ist ult with upwards of twe millions of gold dust
The San Francisco market was active. Flour was
advancing; Coffee had largely advanced.
State Prison on Fire. — New York. Oct. I. A
dispatch from Jackson, Michigan, states that the
State Prison at that place is in flames.
U“ It is estimated that over one hundred thou
sand travellers passed through Shreveport last year
on their way to Texas or California.
O* The crop of apples in the Red River counties
this year has been very abundant. Some of these
apples, it is said, w ill compare favor bly in size and
flavor, with the best varieties cultivated in the Mid
dle and Western States.
ITT Col. Wm. Preston is the Whig nominee for
Congress in the Louisville district, Kentucky, vice
Marshall, resigned.
O” Edward A. Cabell, Esq., has just been ap
pointed Chief Clerk of the General Land Office. Mr.
Cabell is a gentleman of ability, and has for some
time past been engaged as a Clerk in the Land Of
fice. lie is from the State of Virginia.
“Cuban Guards.” —A meeting was held in New
York on the evening of the 23d ult. to organize a
military company, to be called the first company of
the first regiment of “Cuban Guards.” Mr. Enoch
E. Camp was called to the Chair, Senor Tallon act
ed ns Vice Chairman, and Senor Armas as Secreta
ry. Several speeches were made in English and
Spanish, and Mr. Cainp promised, as a lawyer, to
steer tlie organization clear of any interference of
the President of the United States.
Death of the Duke of Wellington. —Tit*
Charleston Courier, speaking of the death of tbs
great warrior of Europe, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
Wellington, says :—“Apoplexy has done that which
the bullets of the enemy failed to effect, and the vic
tor of a hundred battles, on whom honors were
sho vered with an unsparing hand, is now content
with a tomb. ‘Death alone,’ as the great Roman
Satirist truly observed, ‘rnaketh appear how small
the little bodies of men really are.’
“The Duke of Wellington was the fourth son of
the second Karl of Mornington, and was born at
Dangan Castle, in the county of Meath, Ireland, on
the Ist of May. 1769 ; consequently, at the time of
his death he was in hist. S Ith year.
“He is succeeded in his vast estates and title by
his eldest son, the Marquis of Douro.”
The Weather and Crops.— Since last Sunday
(that day inclusive) the season has been bright and
fair, with continued good drying weather. I nor
to that day, there had only been ten or eleven g°°d
days for harvesting rice. This improved weather is
very opportune.
From all that we can ascertain about the Sea Is
land Cotton crop, we are pretty certain that the
product of this staple cannot quite come up to that
of last year. The caterpillars are in the fields eve
rywhere, front Liberty county to Florida. In Lib
erty, the most important Sea Island county, these
insects are worse probably than elsewhere. Tito
season has been very wet, and but for the late favor
able change in the weather, the prospect would in
deed be a bad one. — Sac. Republican.
Direct Importation. —The Swedish Barque
Jorgen Beck, Cupt. List, arrived here yesterday di
rect from Stockholm, Sweden, with 11.620 bars of
Swedes Iron for Messrs. N. B. & 11. V\ eed. Sat.
Republican.
Death of Bishop Chase.— Baltimore, Sept 28.
—Bishop Chase, of the Protestant Episcopal, Church
died to-day, Wednesday, at Philadelphia.
Yellow Fever at Norfolk, Ya.— Baltimore ,
Sept 27.—The Yellow Fever has made its ap
pearance at Norfolk, Ya.
Late from the Fishing Grounds. — Haiti wore,
Sept. 27.—Advices have been received from the
fishing grounds which sta e that the mackerel i sh
eries will yield only one half of what they did last jear
The British cruisers still continue to molest tie
American fishing boats.