Georgia Historic Newspapers

    2
THE COURIER.
BY J. G. M’WHORTER.
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-Z THE DUEL.
From ,l Memoir* of John Marston Hall, by the
author of “Richelieu” Sfc. just published.
I immediately obeyed, and chosing one
of the grooms who was my more especial
favorite in the family, I gave him the pa
pers with injunctions to use all sp 'ed and
diligence, f then returned io the library,
and”found that the Duke had just conclu
ded a billet,on which he wrote ihe address
«f the Ceoni de Mesnil, and after draw,
ing a small cord of fl »ss silk across the
ho sealed the ligature a both ends,
nnd put the note into my bauds:—“You
will Jake.that,” hesaid with a calm smile,
“to-your good friend ilie Count de Mes*
nil; but do not go till after breakfast, nor
let it'seem by your manner, that there is
any thing extraordinary in your mission;
for, to my taste, things of this kind had
better always be conducted as quietly as
possible. Deliver it into the count’s own
hand, when you have reached his dwell
ing, and bring me back his reply.”
Os course I very well understood that
I was charged with one of those cartels of
mortal defiance which were then so com
mon in every country in Europe. The
matter certainly was nothing new to me
for many a trifling dispute had I seen
brought to the arbitrament of the sword,
when I followed the camp of the cavali
ers; but it did seem strange to me that the
duke so far departed from the general
customs of the day as to send his defiance
by a page, instead of some man equal in
rank and station to the person for whom
it was intended. l 4 found afterwards, how
ever, tha't his irritable fear of ridicule,
which was the next prominent character
istic of his mind to its susceptibility of the
slightest suspicion'was the, cause of any
thing that appeared irregular in his meth
od of proceeding. However that might
be, of course I did not object to the task,
though it seemed doubtful how Monsieur
de Mesnil would receive much a cartel
from a page, and what might be his neat
mont-of the bearer. Personal risk seldom
entered info my calculation in these mai
lers, and I ordered my horse to be ready
after breakfast, and a groom to be prepar
ed to accompany me, as gaily as if 1 had
been going upon an errand of pleasure.
Before setting out, however, I had an op
portunity of seeing the behaviour of the
the duko towards his wife, and it, I con
fess, was the first thing that gave me any
pain in the business. It was so gentle, so
affectionate, so different from what it had
been.on former occasions, that, as the
thought flashed across his mind, that (he
first day of his tenderness might be the
last of his life, I would have given more
than all T had in the world to prevent the
proposed* encounter from taking place.
To do so was of course, impossible; and
accordingly after breakfast I mounted my
horse, and rode away so Mesnil Moray,
the dwelling of Monsieur de Villa: din’s
adversary.
Though I was a little gloomy when I
sat out, old habits soon got the better of
now feelings, and I readily brought my
self to look upon the affair altogether as
one of those matters which every man
must undeitake, at least a hundred times
in the course of 4iis life. ’“Monsieur de
Villardin-.-”- I thought, “will fight fifty
more, I hope before he has done with the
sword,” and with this consolatory refloc.
Finn, I cantered on as fast as I could.
Somewhat less then ah hour brought me
to thjp*gates of the chateau; and, on de.
niandnig.to see Monsieur de Mesnil, I was
instantly admitted to his presence, t
thought* he turned rather pale when he
saw me,but it might be merely imaginary;
and certainly throughout the whole, be
behaved like a mao of honour and cour
age. He took the billet, and, cutting the
silk, read it attentively,with a slight frown
knitting his brows.—He then asked me
in a calm tone, “Do you know the con
tents of this note, young man?”
The question puzzled me a little, for
though 1 strongly suspected the natuie of
what the billet contained,yet I knew none
of the particulars, and could not even be
sure of that which I imagined. I answer
ed, therefore, that “I did not;” and the
Count fejoiqed, throwing the note into
the fire, “Well, then, as Monsieur de Vil
lardinhas been kind enough to send me an
unceremonious request, I will send him
mi unceremonious reply.—Tell him 1 will
accept his invitation, with all its particu
lars, arid I am his obedient servant. You
may add,l .would have written, but that I
have a great 1 : deal to do between this and
night.”
Charged with this ambitious message,
I returned to the Press Vallee, and found ,
Monsieur d& Villardin playing with his!
little •girl, while Madame de Villaidinl
was in her own chamber, preparing to go
out with him for a.walk.
“Have you brought me any note!” he
asked me immediately, taking advantage
of his wife’s absence, to require the re
sult of my embassy in private. I replied
that I had only received a verbal answer;
upon which-ho formed a pretext to send
away the Tittle girl; -hnd made me give
him a detailed account of all that had oc
eorred< ' ‘ -
“Well, well,” he said, as I concluded,
it is all well. •. Be prepared to go with me
at six o’clock, and get a spade and pick
axe privately from (he garden.
I did not well know what to anticipate
from these directions, for i’- was then in
the early part of spring,and at six o clock
the evening was too far advanced to .iff r J
any thing like sufficient light for a lair
single combat. Nevertheless, I had of
course nothing to do but to obey; and
slipping out about half past five, I got the
tools from the garden; and after placing
them in a spot where they were n<»t like
ly to be observed, I returned to (he libra
ry,where I was very soon joined by Mon
sieur de Villardin. His hat- and aloak
were already there, and I wasjust aiding
him to pm them on, when the groom who
had been despatched to Rennes, returned
with a notary and the papers prepared
for signature.- By the calm way which
Monsieur de Villardin took this interrup
tion, called for lights, heard the papers
read, and went through all the necessary
formalities for investing me with the pro
perty which ho had bestowed upon me,
1 easily divined that he had no fixed ap
pointment for that hour, and began to
suspect the real object of his expedition
When all was concluded, and the notary
sent b ck under a safe escort, lie bade me
follow him. Wo thus issued forth in the
dusk; and having furnished outselves will
the spade and pick-axe proceeded a short
distance on ihe road towards Rennes.
“Now, my young friend,” he said, at
length, “I must trust to your guidance.
I have heard tint you never forget spot,
person, or thing, that you have once seen.
Do you think you can now lead me to
the tiee order whch Monsieur de Mes
nil’s horse was tied, when you passed
yesterday morning?”
“I think I can,” I replied, “and, cer
tainly, if not to the precise tree, I can
lead you to the one next to it; for there
were but two or three together,and I know
the clump well.”
When we reached the neighborhood
of the spot the various objects around at
once recalled to my remembrance which
was the tree we sought; and having ap
proached it, Monsieur de Villardin mea
sured out a space of gorund beueath its
branches about six feet by three, and
causing me to remove the turf in one
piece, we both set vigorously to work,
and, with pick-axe and spade, soon hol
lowed out a sufficient trench to contain
tho body of a man. “If! fall,” be said,
wheu we had concluded our work, “let it
be remembered, that 1 wish this to
be my giave. If I survive; 1 will direct
you what to do.”
Before leaving the spot, he caused me
to carry about a dozen shovelfuls of earth
away, and cast them into the river,
which flowed at the distance of three or
four hundred yards. We then placed the
tools io the grave and returned to the
chateau, Monsieur de Villardin directing
me previously to be up by five the next
morning, to saddle his horse with my
own hands, and, leaving it prepared in
the stable, to go on to the spot where we
had been working, and wait there for his
coming.
The coblness with which he set about all
his proceedings, and my knowledge of his
skill as a swordsman, made me feel very
confident that the issue of the combat
would be in his favor, although his adver
sary was his junior by near twenty years.
I had seen so much of such affairs, too,
that I could generally form a very good
guess in regard to the result; and, from
all I had observed of Monsieur de Vil
lardin’s conduct during the day, I wens
to bed with very little fear for his safety.
Thu next morning I was up at the time
presetibed, saddled 'ho horse as well as
I could io utter darkness, and then walk
ed away to the tree, which I reached just
as the first faint gray of the morning be
gan to mingle with the blackness of
night.
When I had waited there about a quar
ter of an hour, I heard the sound of a
horse’s feet, and a moment after perceiv
ad Monsieur de Villardin, who sprang to
the ground, and giving me his rein to
hold, only remarked that it was darker
than he had expected; although by this
time, the dawn had made considerable
progress. In about five minutes after,
which he spent in selecting a pieco of
firm dry turf, unencumbered by liees, and
fitted, ns far as possible, for tho sort, of
morning’s amusement in which he was jo
ing to ijxercise himself,the sound of anoth.
er horse’s feet was heard,& we were soon
joined by the Count de Mesnil. He was
quite alone; and, dismounting at a little
distance, he bowed coldly to Monsieur
de Villardin, saying, "As you requested,
sir, I have come alone; you, I see, have
brought your page.”
“I did so, sir,” replied the Duke, “ip
the first place, that he might hold our
horses; in the next that he might aid the
survivor in filling up yon trench,” and he
pointed to the grave. “He is a boy of
honor and of birth,” he added “and you
may trust him fully; but, if you desire it,
I will order him to withdraw.”
“Not on tny account,” replied Mon
de Mesnil; “I am just ns well pleased that
hl*sbould be present: though, I must say,
that 1 think the Duke de Villardin might
have found some fitter person thana page
to carry his cartel to the Count de Mes
nil.”
“I have chosen the method of proceed
ing I have followed, Mons, de Mesnil,
not only because I think these things be
tween brave meu had better always be
done as quietly as possible, but also, be
cause I judged it unnecessary that many
wi’nesses should hear me tell you, as 1
now do,that J look upon you as a villian,
a hypocrite, and a traitor, devoid of every
good feeling but the brute quality of cour
age.
“Enough, enough, sir,” cried the
Count de Mesnil: “the fewer of such
words as well as the fewer witnesses the
belter. Where do you take your ground?”
He then gave me his hoise’s rein, and
Monsieur de Villardin led him to the
spot which he had chosen, made him ex r
amine it accurately to see that there was
no inequality or artifice, and then, draw
ing Iris sword, caused his adversary to
measure it with the blade of his own,
which proved to be nearly an inch long
er. On perceiving this difference, the
Count declared that he was perfectly wil
ling tor wait, if Monsieur de Villardin
thought fir to send io the castle for a more
equal weapon; but the duke replied, (hat
he was quite contented with the sword
that he had; and throwing away his cloak,
hat and coat,’ took his ground, and put
himself in a posure of defence.
The Count de Mesnil prepared for the
combat more slowly. He certainly
evinced no fear; but there were two or
three slight trails that I remarked in his
conduct, which induced me to believe
that, eithei from tho consciousness of hav
ing wronged his friend, or from feeling
himself inferior hi skill and dexterity, be
advanced not to the encounter with the
same confidence as that which appeared
in the whole demeanour of Monsieur de
Villardin. When the duke had first re
fetred t<» the grave which we we had dug
the night before, and pointed it out with
his hand,the eye of the young count strain
ed eagerly upon it lor a moment, and
it was evident Hmt the anticipations the
sight naturally called up were felt bitterly.
He was pale, too, and though he spoke
firmly and calmly, 1 peiceived that there
was a difficulty in unfastening his cloak,
and all the other little preparations,
which spoke a mind intensely occupied
with other thoughts. 1 observed, also,
and it seemed somewhat strange, th .t he
in no degree referred to the cause p.f his
present hostile opposition to a man jvno
had been so lately his friend’ and indeed
it seemed that the few short lines which
Monsieur de Villardin had written had
been quite sufficient to explain all, and to
make liim feel that amity’ was changed
ever into unquenchable hate between
them.
At length all was prepared, and the
swords of the two combatants crossed
Afl< r a few | araries on < i her pan which,
served no purpose but to let each know
the skill and peculiar mode of fencing of
his adversary, the assault assumed a more
serious charactei; but still it appeared
that both wished to maintain the defen
sive, and I plainly saw that, more than
once, the duke could have wounded or
disarmed his opponent, had ho thought fit.
In a short lime, however, the Count de
iMesnil, who was of a hasty and passion
ate disposition, and not so old a soldier as
Monsieur de Villardin, became healed in
the encounter, and pressed his atago.
nist hard, still keeping a wary hand and
eye, but evidently becoming more and
more vehement al each pass. At length,
in a furious lunge, by not keeping his
right foot quite straight, and probably
more accustomed to the salle d armes
than the green sward, heslippedand came
upon his knee, perfectly al the mercy of
his adversary. —Monsieur de Villardin
immediately dropped the point oi his
Sword, and bade him rise.
“I do not take advantage of au acci
dent, sir,” he said.
The Count rose with downcast eyes and
a burning cheek, and replied, after a mo
ment’s pause, “I cannot, of course, after
this het of genero*ity think-
“If, sir,” said Monsieur de Villardin,
cutting him short, ‘you are contented to
.go forth into the world aga n as one who
bears the name of villian,and hypocrite,and
scoundrel——and 1 shall then add, coward
-—mount your h«»rse and begoue: if not,
resume your place.”
The Count’s eyes flashed, and the
combat was instantly renewed, but this
time with a diffmtmt result. —At the end
of four or five passes, with a movement
so rapid that I could scarcely see how it
was effected, though it may be believed
I was an eager spectator, Monsieur de
Villardin parried a lunge of his adversary
in such a manner as to leave the whole
of the Count’s person open. He then
lunged in return, and the next moment
the Count de Mesnil was lying prostrate
on the lurf. At a sign from the duke, I
threw the bridles of the horses over a low
bough, and ran to the spot. The fallen
man by that lime had raised himself up
on one arm, and with the oilier hand
seemed grasping at lite blades of grass;
but he spoke not, and his head, droppi g
forward, concealed his countenance.
“Shall 1 bring water!” I said; but, ere
lime was givon for ananswer, the strength
which had enabled him to raise himfsif
so far passed away, and with a single
groan he fell back upon »ho ground and
expired.
We stood and gazed upon his still pale
countenance for several minutes; but it
whs very evident from the first look, that
his career was nt an end; and, after a
pause, the duke bent over him, and open
ed his vest. —Scarcely a drop of bluod
had flowed from the wound whicn caused
his death, although, the direction it
had taken, it seemed to me that it must
have pierced his heart.
“It is over!” said Monsieur de Villar
din—“it is ovei! Yet, put your hand
upon his heart, my boy, see if it beats.”
As I opened his shirt to do so, there
dropped out a locket, which was suspen
ded from his neck by a blue riban :, and
which contained a single lock of dark
hair. As soon as he saw it, the duke
caught it up, and unfastening the riband,
gazed upon the hair with an eager look.
It was certainly the colour, to a very shade
ofthat of Madame Villardin; and I instant
ly saw that the demon had taken posses
sion of her husband once more. After
gazing at the locket for several minutes,
he put it by, and then asked me steruly,
if the man was deed.
I replied that he certainly was, as far
as I could discover.
“Then now to our next task,” said
the duke “bring meyon mantle and coat.”
I immediately obeyed, and bringing
forward the clothes of the unhappy count,
I aided in wrapping the body therein;and
then taking the feet, while the duke rais
ed the head, we bore the corpse to the
grave that we had dug, and laid it there,
without prayer or benediction. We next
placed the hat and sword of the deceased
in the eat th along with him; and then, as
fast as possible, filled up the pit with
mould. Notwitbstaading the quantity of
earth I had removed the night before,
there was still more than enough to fill
dp the grave to the level »»f the other
ground, and I had four or five shovels full
more to carry down and cast into the ri
ver. When that was done, however,and
the last spadeful had been disposed of, we
laid the lurf down again over the spot;
and so carefully had it been removed,
that, though the ground was a lit
tle raised, it required some examination
to discover where the apciturc had been
made.
“A few showers of rain,” said the
duke, as he g;iZ'«d upon the grave, “will
remove every trace.”
I replied nothing, but I thought that
the rain of many years would never re
move the traces of that morning’s work
from his heart or from my memory. In
regard to the ground, however, I enter
tained no apprehension of i's ever being
discovered The young Count himself,
in tying his horse to that tree when he
came on bis furtive and evil visit to the
dwelling of his friend, had of course sel
ected one of the most retired spots that
he could find; and it was only the at ci
dental circumstance of my cutting across
from the pm ticular point of ihe high road
where I had left Monsieur de Villardin
on the way to Rennes, that had caused
me to discover the charger mi th.it situa
tion. In that spot, too, the turf was
short, and the grass any thing but luxuti
atr; so that the shepherds were not likely
to lead their flocks, thilhei, at least till
(he year was more advanced, by which
time all traces of the grave would be ef
faced. The only thing now to dispose
of was the horse; and after examining the
ground carefolly, in order to ascertain
that nothing of any kind had been drop
ped or forgotten, the duke directed me to
lead the animal some distance in the way
to the count’s own dwelling, and then
turn him loose.
I did as he bade me, leaving Monsieur
de Villardin to return to the castle alone;
and taking the horse by the bridle, 1
brought it to the vicinity of the road
which lead to Mesnil Moray, at a spot
about a half a mite from the bridge
which crosses the Valaine. There I
gave it the rein; and, though it had fol
lowed as quietly as possible up to that
moment, no sooner did ii find itself tree,
than it darted away as if ii had become
suddenly mad. * It sprang at once over a
fence, and crossed the high road, taking
the direction of i's lord’s dwelling, with
out anv regard to path. I climbed up a
neighboring bank to watch its cooise for
an instant; and to my surprise, saw it
plunge into the river, and, again, swim
the stream, spiing up the bank, and gal.
fop away across the fields.
There was something awful in the
sigh'; and 1 could not help thinking, as
the noble horse bounded away, that there
was a living witness of the bloody scene
in which 1 had just taken part, that could
he find voice, would soon call the friends
of his fallen lord to avenge his death.
To the Editors of the N Y. Times.
Peale’s Museum, July 3, 1834.
Gentlemen —I observe at the close
of a paragraph in your paper of this mor
ning, “that some afternoon paper informs
os that 'lie snake has not swallowed the
blanket.” The statement in the Mercan
tile of yesterday is strictly correct in eve
ry point, and may be relied on.
The Anaconda does not appear to be
in the least degtee incommoded by his
exttaoidinary supper.
I remain, gentlemen, yours very res
pectfully *
RUBENS PEALE.
Wo aie happy to hear that we were
misinformed. A well authenticated snake
stary is not to be met with every day.—
Wo are equally glad to hear that the di
gestive machinery of his Anacondaship is
working so well,nod that his wool gather’
ing experiment has a prospect of success
equal to the anticipations of hi< warmest
admirers. He has rendered hinjself
doubly attractive by his last feat, He is
in the abstract, one of the most interest
ing of things, and worthy the
of every lover of living won
ders, and now, when to his former attrac
tions, he adds the reputation of having
swallowed bis bed cfotl.e-, the e are but
few who will not honor him with a visit.
Talking of snake stories, reminds us of a
well authenticated account of a glutton
ous feat of one of this tribe which we sub
join.
A number of years ago, a gentleman
who had chaige of a public museum in
Baltimore, exhibited among his other liv
ing curiosities, a couple of beautiful gar
ter snakes. Thete is something about a
garter snake pecoliary attractive, perheps
from the associa'iuos connected with its
name. They are the most voracious of
all the small sizod snake family, and
pounce upon their prey like starved
hawks. They have a truly French ap.
pelite for frogs, and it was upon these
slimv amphibials that the garter snakes
in question chiefly made their suppers.—
The keeper of th<j museum was one eve
ning giving them thdir daily rations,
when he observed that the big snake was
s > voracious as to devour all the little
snake’s supper. He accordingly separate
ted the two animals by a thin partition,
and threw a frog to the younger and
weaker of the two. T. he little snake
seized the animal and commenced swal
lowing it, and had succeeded in bagging
its head, fore paws, and the greatei part
of its body, when the partition was ta
ken away, and the big snake made a dash
at the hind legs of the frog which yet
protruded from the mouth of his younger
brother. He obtained a hearty grip of
these projecting members, and slowly
swallowed his way towards the head of
his supper companion, who clung sturdily
to his savorv mouthful. The heads of
the two animals met, and the issue of the
struggle for a moment seemed doubtful,
when tho big snake’s mouth expanded
and slowly -closed on the head of the
small one, and again lie went rejoicing
on his swallowing course. Slowly but
surely he went ahead, the longitudinal
dimensions of the young serpent, con
stantly becoming less as they were suck
ed into his maw, until he had swallowed
him from nose to tail. After displaying
this unnatural preference for his own
flesh and bluod, the garter snake coiled
himself up for bis nap, and took a com.
forlable snooze. The next morning the
keeper called to view “the two single
gentlemen rolled into one,” when to his
astonishment he found that the yonnger
snake had left his close quarters and was
gambolling about by the side of his big
play mate. The only reasonable way of
of accounting for the manner in which he
had managed to leave his prison house is
that he coiled himself regularly round
and left his lodgings by the same door
through which he entered them. He
could not have backed out for his scales
would noi have permitted him, nor was
an egress in any other manner at all pos
sible. Tho fate of the poor frog was a
matter of grave speculation; but ihe pro
liability is that the little snake held fast
to him and secured not only a snug night’s
lodging but a hearty supper.
The above account is strictly authen
tic. We received it from a gentleman
who was an eye witness to the transac.
tion. Immediately after its occurrence
he prepared a statement for one of the
journals <>f the day, but he was dissuaded
from publishing it on 'he ground that it
was too marvellous to be believed. A*
ihe late feat of the Anaconda has opened
the eyes of the public to what snakes can
do, we publish it as a well substantiated
snake story.
From the Richmond Enquirer.
The Bills regulating Gold and Silver
Coins.
Vitins est argrntum auro, virtutibus umum.—
Horace. .
Ii is refreshing to see, amidst the party
rancour of the times, that the two houses
of Congress have agreed on one subject
of great importance to the community
—that they were willing, in one instance,
• o give up their contentions about men,
and agree upon a measure of beneficial
tendency to the country. Under existing
circumstances, it can scarce be disputed
that the laws passed by the late Congress,
to regulate the value of Gold and Silver
Coins, will have a salutary effect on the
inland trade and exchanges of the whole
United Siates. The only matter of sur
prise, is, when no State is allowed by the
Federal Constitution “to make any thing
but gold and silver coin a tender in pay
ment of debts,” and when Congress only
have the power “to coin money, regulate
the value thereof, and of foieign coin,”
that the subject has remained so long with
out proper adjustment. With rich gold
mines in our country and a mint establish
ed at an enormous expense, who has seen
in circulation a piece of gold coin within
the last half dozen years? An Eagle has
n feed been a rara avis; and if seen at all,
it was only in its flight from the mint to
some packet ship bound to Europe.
Even the greater proportion of silver coin
in circulation beats he stamp of a foreign
government; and since the separation «»f
the Spanish Colonies of South America
from tho mother country, “Spanish milled
dollars and parts <>f dollars;” which cum.
posed ttie entire legal foreign coin of
this country, have diminished so much in
amount as to render it necessary to resort
in practice to o her foreign coins that
were not a legal tender. In this condi
tion, the United S ates, a free and pow.
orfol nation, with a mint and abundant
mines of gold, was subject to the obp ro .
brium of not possessing legal met u j|ic cur
rency enough for the oidin ar y business
of the country, and the people compelled,
by the force of circumstances, to remedy
the defect of irr perfect legislation, by re.
ceivitnr ar,i paying co ns not authorised by
lar?. And yet we are told,that laws,so tard
.iV and reluctantly passed, to reluc'anlly
passed, to raise the rate of g’dd coins, not
to make foreign coins a loo’-i! tender, de
serve not the importance that is attached
tQ them. Lowndes, Gallatin, Dallas,
Crawford, lugham, Quincy, and Sanford,
“ have each pointed out the error in the
gold standard, and recommended its cor
rection,” and the report of Mr. Quincy
to Congress in 1811, clearly established
the propriety of making foteign coin a le
gal tender, at least uulil the mint of the
United States shall emit a sufficiency of
our own coin “for the ordinary necessi
ties of domestic exchange.” Itis not the
purpose of the writer to attempt to ex
plain the reasons why such recomtnen.
datiorts have been utterly neglected for
the last eighteen or twenty years; but it
is a matterot real gratification that the
exertions of Mr. Senator Benton and Mr.
Campbell P. White of the House of Re
presentatives, on this important measure,
have at length been crowned with suc
cess, and the meed of praise will assured
|y be hereafter awarded to them—when
the party strife of the day shall have pass- ,
ed by. That the relative standard of
gold and silver might have been more ex- |
actly adjusted, according to the views of
Mr. Webster, Mr. Gurharn, and Mr.
Cambreleng, is highly probable ; but the
difference is not so great as to cause any
very material exportation of the latter
metal merely on that account, and if we
are to give a preference to cither as a cir
culating medium, that preference should
certainly lean towards gold.
In the first place, it is one of our na
tive producs;
2d. It has more uniformity of value
than any other known substanc**;
3d. It is more portable;
4th. It|has more power over exchange;
sth. It will supply the place, in a great
measure, of small Bank-notes.
The inconvenience of silver coin to
any great extent, as a circulating medium,
is palpable. Rather than pay one p«r
cent, for a Bank check for ten thousand
dollars on a distant place, a man may
take one thousand eagles, which will only
weigh about thirty-six pounds avoirdu
poize, in his travelling trunk or even in
his saddle bags; but he would rather pay
the premium on a bit of paper for thaf
sum, than incumber himself with the
weight of six hundred pounds in silver.
That large negotiations will continue te
be transacted in Bank checks and domes
tic bills of exchange, theie esc be nw
questior; but then the rate of exchange
must depend on the case with which gold l
can be transported. In truth, the pely
tiue, genuine, and constitutional basis lot
regulating the currency of the country,
is to be found in an abundant circulation
of gold coins of proper standard fineness.
Banks, managed with prudence, will be
cautious not to overtrade, when they ere'
ever liable to be called on for £<»ld by
every man who is about to travel into an
other State, either for business or plea-’
sure, and when every independent yeo
man will, of choice, keep in his house a "
small stock of gold instead of B ink notes.
The whole interior of the United States'
will thus be stored with small sums ia
specie, «»hich, in (he aggrega’e, will com
pose a large amount, on which the public
may rely with confidence as a sound cur«
rency in cases of war or other emeigen
cie.*. - < -
The writer is not so visionary as to im
agine, that in this enlightened and com
mercial ago the whole circulating medium '
of tho country is to consist of gold and'
silver. He well knows the preferenc*
commercial men have for paper, as af
fording gi eater facility and expedition in
their operations; but a ereat advantage
will be gained by transfer!ing more me
tallic currem y into the business of the
country, to serve as a chock on the ex
cessive issues of paper Io which the
Banking system has a continued tenden.
cy 1n a nuxed circulation wo probably
attain to the highest degree of perfection
in our currency of which it is susceptible;
for, ue unite the cheaper and more expe
ditious quality t .f paper with the more
expensive, but more substantial quality of
the piecious metals. X.
WEDNESDAY, JUITFIG.
THE UNION TICKET FOR
CONGRESS.
JOHN CO! f EE, of Telfair county.
SEA lON GR AN 1 LAN f), nt Balrlwin.
CHARLES E HAYNES, of Hancock.
GEORGE W. OWENS, ofChniham.
WILLIAM SCHLEY, of Richmond.
JOHN W A. SAN EORD, of Baldwin.
JAMES C. TERRELL of Fraoklin.
• GEORGE W. B. TOWNS, of T.11.0t,
JAMES M. WAYNE, of Chatham.
The Oration, which we publish to-«l<y. baa
been on file some time, ami wm iut>mlr<l for
the last N itioiia! Jubilee. Il formed ihe subject
of a few hours amusement for probably th. •Idtft
man but one, in this community. lm|nr«se<i .
with a strong conviction of the dangerous ten
dency of the doctrines of the day, this old Pa
triot has stepped forward to rai&r hii voice, al
most from the grave, in warning to his romitry— '
men. More than half n century ago, he saw
the firrt clouds gather, that shadowed thia
country’s destiny—lived through 'he>torm,which
purified the- political atmosphere—lias I
joyed the calm of her penceful re>
his own vine »nd fig trea. an ’ is
'ike an old sentinel, to indicate Ihe first hostile
movement in the demy’s camp. None can.
refuse to ||»l«... t 0 the voice of Old Age—it is the
tningl -d wisdo»n of the past, the present and
’•<« fotuie.
Ihe friends of the Ladies Fair, on Beach.
Island are reminded that it will be held To..
Morrow, nt the house of Mr. Gardsar, near th*
Sand Bar Ferry, commencing at 2 o'clock. Th**
proceeds, we understand, will be given to the
Furman Theological Seminary.
The arrival of the Elizabeth at Charleston,
brought no political news of interest. The Com-,
meicial, see under its propet beacf.
Accidrnl.— On Monday evening last,-a horse
ran off with a little Jersey wagon, and in Green,
streets opposite the Baptist Church, struck Mas
ter Laurence La Roche in the temple with
the end of one of the shafts, by which his skull
was fractured. He died next morning. He was
a very interesting and exemplary youth.
It becomes our painful duty, gays the Colum
bus Sentinel,to announce the death of Charles
L. Pace, Esq. Attorney at Law of Talbotton,
and also, the death of C eoroe C. Shivers, Esq..
Attorney at Law of this City. Mr. Pace died,
as we understand, on Thursday last—Mr. Shi
vers on Friday.
The President or the United States has,,
we understand, says the Intelligencer of the
lOth inst. left this city on a visit to “the Hermi<
tage,” his residence in Tennessee, whence bo
does not propose to return before October.
The Directors of the South Carolina Rail
Road Company have declared a dividend of (ws*
dollars on each share, payable on I9ih inst.
Stock of cotton in New Oi leans on 3<llost.
24,953 bales, including all on ship board, sot
cleared.
The present stock es cotton in Angusta and.
Hamburg does not exceed 6000 bales.
We learn from the New Orleans Argus, that.
Mr. White, the Representative in Congess freaa,
Louisiana, has, in consequence of his being *.
candidate for the Office of Governor, at the
election which takes place about this time, re
signed his seat in Congress.
In the Procession at Richmond in honor of
the memory of Lafayette* Chief Justice Mar
shall walked as one of the pall-bearers.
It is supposed that the Hon. John Sargbant,
will be chosen U. S; Senator for Pennsylvania
in place of Mr. Wilkins.
Mb