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TH E COU RIER,
By J . «. M’Who r t c r.
f TERMS.
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THE TWO GRAVES;
A SKETCH OF THE PRESENT CENTURY.
Near the close of the autumnal day, in
the year 1822, a pleasure boat was seen
gliding over the bosom of one of the lakes,
in the westward parts of New York. As
it approached the shore, the inspiring
sound ofthe huntsman’s horn was heard,
and ere its prolonged echoes had entirely
died away among the surrouding hills, a
panting deer leaped from a thicket and
dashed into the lake, to elude the close
pursuit of a pack of hounds. The pleas
ure boat immediately joined in the chase;
and on overtaking the exhausted stag, a
struggle ensued, which threw two of the
females overboard. Several of the gen
tlemen immediately plunged into the wa
ter, and without difficulty effected their
rescue. On the return ofthe party to the
■village of , this little incident gave
rise to much merriment, and elicited some
sparkles of wit, —having just enough of
the romantic to make it an amusing topic
of conversation.
The most conspicuous member of the
party was a beautiful bride, in honor of
whose recent marriage the aquatic excur
sion had been projected. A short time pre
vious to her union, Anna C—had returned
from the excellent female academy at
Troy, to a joyous welcome beneath the pa
ternal roof. Uniting, in a high degree,
those moral and personal attributes which
constitue the essential charin of woman’s 1
loveliness, she was not less esteemed for i
the beauty of her person than the extent
of her intellectual attainments. Her young I
affections had already been taken captive; '
and, just as she was entering with buoyant
hopes and quickened impulses, upon that
delightful period of life which intervenes I
between the time of leaving school and the !
assumption ofthe cares incident to a fam-1
ily, she was led, a gay, timid and bloom
ing bride from the hymenial altar.
William Bancroft, once her juvenile
playmate, now her youthful husband, was i
a junior, but promising member ofthe bar,
in his native village.
The incident connected with the pleas
ure-boat, however amusing at the time of
its occurrence, was, in its consequences to |
the bride, of an eventful character. Her
immersion in the lake resulted in a cold, i
which being neglected in incipient stages
was attendedby a troublesome cough, uni- '
ted with other symptoms ofplumonary dis- 1
ease. Medical advice was obtained; and |
the usual remedies having proved un
availing, the mild climate ofthe West In
dies was prescribed Preparations for the I
journey were speedily made, and in a few i
weeks the lovely invalid and her devoted
husband embarked.
For two days, borne onward by favor
ing gales, she hounded merrily over the
waters. On the morning ofthethird, while
becalmed in a dense fog, the report ofa gun
disturbed the silence of the ocean, amid
whirling volumesofsmoke and vapour, an
armed schooner was descried, with the
flaming pennant of piracy floating in care
less folds at her mizen peak. Prepara
tion was promptly made for battle: and
the unceremonious salute returned with
ardor and effect. The second fire of the t
pirate raked the deck of the Triton, and |
suddenly deprived her of her gallant com
mander. After a few more rounds the pi- i
rate ship closed on the Triton’s bow, and I
swinging astern, brought the combatants
in the fearful array of yard-arm and yard-1
arm. The attempt ofthe buccaniers to ■
board, was met with a spirit of determined
resistance; the mate and Bancroft, leading i
on the hardy crew, fought with despera- ,
tion, until overpowered by numbers, they
were compelled to yield, and suffer them
selves to be manacled and driven below, '
while their dead and wounded compan-1
ions were carelessl y tumbled in the ocean. |
“A rope—quickly—bring forth the
mate! ’ was the first and stern command 1
of the pirate chief, as he deliberately rais- ■
ed his fur cap and wiped the blood from i
a finely expanded forehead, that had been
severely gushed du ring the contest. When
his order was obeyed, for a brief space he
gazed on his victim with an imovable coun
tenance, and then pointed with his cutlass
to the yard. The next moment the con
vulsed and quivering limbs of the mate
were swinging high in the air—one deep
agonizing groan was heard, and his body
hung lifeless before the jeerinn- crew '
The pirate again pointed to°the hatch
ways,and B incroft was brought upon deck
the same stern command was repeated V
rope was passed around his neck, and the
heartless executioners were about to con
sumate the horrid act, the frantic Anna,
pale, emaciated, with dishevelled hair and
streaming eyes, rushed upon the deck,
clasped the knees of the lawless chief, be
sought in the impassioned accents of a
phrenzied spirit, the lite of her husband.
Until then it was unknown to the marau
ders that a fvamale was onboard, and the
appearance of the distracted wife, in such
a scene of blood and carnage, startled for
a moment even the leader of the band
Her appeal was not in vain. Bancroft
was speedily released, and with his ex
hausted partner, removed on hoard the pi
rancal schooner. The Triton being has
til; plundeied ol h?r more valuable afti-
cles was scuttled and sunk, with many of
her unfortunate crew confined under the
battened hatches. Asshe went down one
wild scream was heard to issue, like the
shriek of suffocation, from that last living
tenement of the dead, and the circling wa
ters closed over her forever.
To”retain Bancroft and his wife on board
the buccanier was incompatible with pru
dence; to throw them into the sea, after
impliedly promising them protection, was
a degree of faithlessness that even the lea
der ofthe band felt unwillingtomanifest.
To land them on one of the. little desolate
islands presented almost the only alterna
tive. This was done on the succeeding
day, the pirate sending with them a liber
al supply ot provisions, togehter with the
greater part of their baggage. They were
landed on one of the Bahama Keyes, un
inhabited, wild, and sandy, but affording
some of the fruits and flowers ofthe tropi
cal regions. The first act of Bancroft was
that of constructing a hut for their accom
modation, which in a temporary manner,
he soon accomplished by means of a few
ropes and a portion of and old sail that
was luckily attached to their trunks
When removed into her humble habita
tion Anna looked around, and, with a
placid smile beaming in her countenannce,
remarked, “with you, dearest William! I
can be happy even here.” Touched by
such evidence of devoted affection the hus
band folded her in his arms, unable to ex
press his mingled gratitude and affection.
The afflicting incidents of the last few
days had evidently quickened the ravages
of disease upon the wasted form of the suf
fering invalid who was, nevertheless, far
from being sensible of her critical situa
tion. Her husband watched unceasing by
over her rude couch, soothing her with
the tenderest assiduities, and witnessing-,
in speechless agony of soul, the returning
hectic flush, and sunken eye, the certain
and appalling harbingers of approaching
dissolution. The afternoon ofthe eightth
day presented them with a succession of
scenes ol deep interest, sublimity, and
horror. The emaciated, patient having
risen from her pallet with unwonted
strength, aided by her husband, walked
towards the sea shore, to enjoy the re
freshing breese. Here they remained
contemplating the ocean, whose gently
heaving billows were reflecting the beams
of a fiery tropical sun, until a dark cloud
that had, for more than an hour, been vis
ible in the western horizon, began to
spread with a lowering aspect, far up the
heavens: a brisk wind was agitating the
waters, and the seabirds careeing to and
fro, in frantic gambols, chanting as it
were in joyous frolic the sailor’s funeral
dirge, gave a fearful omen to the ap
proaching storm. Suddenly their atten
tion was arrested by some objects far off
upon the ocean, and they were soon de
lighted to behold two vessels with
crowded sails, standing towards the is
land. While dwelling with the liveliest
emotions of joy, upon the prospect of an
immediate escape from their desolate sit
uation, the startling reports of three guns,
in rapid succession, told the anxious spec
tators that the vessels were enemies, and
that their hopes of a rescue were much di
minished A severe cannonading, every
sound of which stuck like an ice bolt on
the heart of the trembling Anna, now fol
lowed, and marked a desperate running
fight. The pursuing vessel gained upon
tlie other, which seemed to have no alter
native butthat of being captured, or suf
fering a shipwreck upon the breakers
When the schooner, for such proved to
be the chase, her pursuer being an armed
brig, approched within a league of the is
land, her mainsail was suddenly dropped,
and the long-boat launched, and rowed
rapidly towards the shore. As the boat
parted from her side, a column of smoke
began to ascend from the deserted schoon
er, which, with telegraphic precision, in
dicated that she was on fire. The brig
no sooner perceived this than she tacked,
and stood off to the windward, to avoid
the conflagration that was evidently a
bout to spoil her of her anticipated prey.
The rapidly increasing smoke that rose in
tremendous majesty, from the burning
schooner, ascended, for the space of a few
minutes, in one unabated volume of black
ness, when it was suddenly illuminated
by the bursting of a vivid flame from the
deck, mounting in swift convolutions to the
mainmast head, which resembled the
apex of a huge column of fire, surmount
ed by clouds of smoke, wove into fantas
tic wreaths, with braids of flame. In an
instant the schooner seemed to burst into
atoms, and to fly like the ignited particles
of a skyrocket crackling high in the air.
1 he report of the awful explosion, that,
to the rapt imagination of the excited
couple appeared to convulse the island
and the sea, gradually died away; the
burning fragments of the vessel' were
quenched as they fell into the water, and >
the expanding volumnes ofsmoke rolled!
oil majestically to the leeward, and were
imperceptibly blended with the shadows
of night.
The sun was now sinking beneath the
horizon: his lingering rays still tinging
the circle ofthe occean darted in a thou
sand hues through the waves, as they
broke in foaming white caps, dancing in
thebjeeze. The heavens, as if mocking
the impotent strife of man, continued to
gather blackness, and the wind raged
with increased violence, dashing the tu
multuous waters in reckless fury ofi the
shore. At a short distance on the lee of
the struggling boat a ledge of rock project
ed into the occean; and the last glimpse
ol tlie little bark, that Bancroft could
catch through the brief twi-light, descried
V i i ifting towards the reefs which flung
iar into the air.
u n morning came Bancroft looked
on on t i< occean, but no trace of either
the long boat ot the ship could be seen,
he wandered down to the waters’s edge,
where he was pained to discover the frail
bark drifted high on the beach ; and pur
suing his search, he founda lifeless body
still floating and rocking in the last feeble
surges ofthe ocean. He immediately reeng.
nized the pirate chief, all doubt sos whose
identity were removed by binding on his
forehead the wound inflicted in the battle
with the Triton, and in his pocket the
gold watch, of which the rover, had dives
ted him soon after his capture. He removed
the body beyound the reach of the waves
and there hastily buried it in the sand, that,
his enfeebled wife might not be shocked in
beholding the corpse of him who had so
cruelly added to her cup of bitterness.
Returning to the couch of his wife,
Bancroft found her unusually weak in
body, and depressed in spirits; and, upon
learning that neither the boat nor pursu
ing vessel could be seen, and that the
promised means o£ escape from the island
had vanished, her voice began to falter,
she sunk calmly back upon her pillow,
and before mid-day her gentle spirit ceas
ed to animate its mortal tenement. The
floating husband threw himself by her
side, where he laid until the morrow’s
sun beamed brightly through his hut, as
if chiding the gloom of its only living
tenant. At lenghl, with a heavy heart, i
the funeral preparations were made; and
towards sun-set Bancroft sorrowfully en
gaged in the performance ofthe last mel
ancholly offices, which bereaved love is
permitted to render to the object of its
adoration. He dug the grave beneath a
palm tree close by the door of their hut,
and affectionately strewed it with a profu
sion of wild flowers, and evergreen. And
now, for the last time, the disconsolate
husband gazed on that face,
“So coldly sweet, so deadly fair—
for even the withering touch of disease had
not power to destroy its lineaments of
beauty:
“Her’s was the loveliness in death,
fl hat parts aot with the parting breath;
Rat beauty with that fearful bloom,
That hue which haunts it to the tomb,
Expression’s last receding ray,
A gilded halo hovering round decay.”
1 he corpse was carefully wrapped in a
winding sheet, formed of canvass that had
sheltered her wasting form from the tro
pical rams, and then placed in its lonely
grave. The compan ionlesss husband re
turned to the silent apartment sad and ex
hausted. For the first two days he lin
gered around the grave of his buried love,
indifferent to the calls of hunger, and reck
less ol every thing, save that of dying up
on the sod that covered her earthly re
mains - On the third, he once more dis
oovercc a sail approaching the island, and
having made a signal, a boat was sent on
shore Ihe ship proved to be an American
merchantman, passing from Rio de Janei
ro to the United States, in which Bancroft
returned to New-Orleans. On reaching
that city, his system yielded to disease,
and for several weeks he was confined to
his bed.
Partially restored to health, he embark
ed, in the early part of February, 1823,
for Louisville, 011 board one of the larger
class oftsteam-boats. Between Natchez,
and the mouth of the Ohio, about ten
o’clock, on a dark night, in the midst ofa
violent snow storm, and while running un
der a heavy prosb ol stream, she struck, in
the iinpet tiousiiess of her course, one of
those formidable planters, which, at that
day, were so destructive to the commerce
of the western waters, it passed directly
through the bottom of the boat, entered
the forecastle, and was broken off, partial
ly checking her headway. At the time of
the accident most of the deck passeengers
were asleep, those of the cabin be-'
ing engaged in various kinds of amuse-!
ment. The shock was sudden and tre- !
mendous. The sleeping were aroused
in dismay, and all were filled with unut-1
terable horror. The boat was instantly ■
turned to the shore, from which she
was distant but a few rods. The ex
tent ofthe injury was promptly ascertain
ed. When she neared the beach, one !
end of a cable that lay coiled on her bow
was fastened to a tree, no one, in the hur-'
ry ofa moment, fraught with such imrni- 1
nent danger, thinking to inquire whether'
the other end was made fast. 'l’he boat
.swung round in the rapid current,
and soon the treacherous cable ran out, —
the lost end fell splashing in the water/
and the aggitated passengers saw the al-'
most certain prospect changed, in the!
lapse of an instant, to immediate and reme
diless destruction. A scene of tumulutious
confusion ensued. The long-boat was'
filled with passengers and rowed to the '
land, but unfortunalelately losing an oar, i
it was not returned in time to afford any !
further assistance to this perishing mass
of human beings. Some plunged into the !
cold stream to save themselves by swim-1
ming; some clung to the willows; while
others threw themselves upon the fire-1
wood and such articles of furniture as
was most likely to bear them up. The ra- J
ging of the storm, the deeep gloom of
the night,-—the prayers and shrieks, and
expiring groans of such as were sinking
beneath the turbid waters, —the confusion
and despair of those clinging to the trees,
still standing on the wreck, presented a
scencc sickening, terrific, indescribable!
In a few minutes the Tennessee filled
with water and sunk, and, in one mourn
ful hour, not less than sixty of her two
hundred passengers were hurried from
time to eternity.
A few day safter this melancholy occur
ence the body of Bancroft was found not far
below the fatal spot. It was known by
discovering, suspended on his bosom, the
miniature likeness, ofa beautiful female,
with her name engraved on the gold with
which it was encased.
The grave of Willliam Bancroft, indi
cated only by a rough stone, on which are
rudely traced the initials of his name,
stands beneath a towering sycamore, on
the south bank of the Mississippi, near
the Walnut Hills.
To Prevent Drowing.— At this season
ofthe year, when so many accidents oc
cur from persons bathing, we think the
following remarks may prevent the loss
of life. Men are drowned by raising
their arms above water, their unbuoyed
weight of which depresses the head. Ani
mals have neither notion nor ability to act
in a similar manner, and therefore swim
When a man falls into deep
water he will rise to the surface, and con
tinue there if he does not elevate his hands.
If he moves his hands under water in any
manner he pleases, his head will rise so
high as to allow him liberty to breathe;
and if he moves his legs as'in the act of
walking up stairs, his shoulders will rise
above the water, so that he may use less
exertion with his hands, or apply them to
other purposes. Persons not having learn
ed to swim in their youth will find the
above plain directions highly advantage
ous.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF VISITORS TO
THE MILITARY ACADEMY.
WEST POINT N. Y. ?
June 17, 1834 $
7b the Secretary of War:
Sir. —ln compliance with your request,
the undersigned have attended, as a Board
of Visitors, during the general examina
tion, at the United States Military Acade
my! just concluded, and have “directed
their inquiries to a full and free investi
gation in regard to the course of instruc
tion, both literary and scientific, and to
the internal police, discipline and fiscal
concerns of the institution.” That these
several objects ofinquiry might be atten
ded to as thoroughly and successfully as
possible, the Board, at its organization, re
ferred them to seperate committees, who
have presented full reports with regard to
them, accompanied by some suggestions
for the improvement'of the institution.
Copies of these reports are forwarded to
you, and the Board take the liberty of re
ferring you to them for details, while they
confine their join report to a general and
brief view of the present condition of the
Academy.
’ Ihe fidelity of the Professors, and the
assiduity and proficiency of their pupils,
were tested by an examination, on the se
veral subjects, extending over eleven days,
and continued for each day eight hours. ’
The sciences not strictly professional,
included in these examinations, were ma
thematics, taught here from the elements
of arithmetic to the profound theorems of
the integral calculus—natural philosophy,
including mechanics and astronomy—che
mistry, in connexion with mineralogy and
geology—and, lastly, rhetoric and nioral
and political science.
The subjects of professional study are
civil and military engineering, and infan
tryand artillery tactics, with the last of
ot which are connected with ballistics and
pyrotec hny.
A part of the first two years is devoted
to the study ot the French language, with
which a competent acquaintance is requir
ed of the cadets.
Lastly, great attention is very properly
paid, in this Academy, Jo the art of draw
ing, of which the practical applications are
so frequent and important in the military
profession.
The subjects combined, certainly con
stitute an excellent preparatory education
for officers of the army, and the examina
tions proved that they* were faithfully and
skilfully taught. Marked inequaities were
indeed observed in the proficiency of the
Cadets, and defects remain to be correct
ed in the organization of some ofthe de
partments, but still the exhibition was, on
the whole, highly satisfactory and grati
fying.
Frequent opportunities were, presented to
the Board of witnessing the pratical skill
ofthe corps in infantry and artillery exer
cises; and their fine and soldier-like ap
pearance in the ranks, and the accuracy
with which they executed their various
evolutions, proved that this essential part
ofthe duties ofa Millitary Academy was
sedulously attended toby both officers and
cadets.
The discpline of the institution wag
carefully examined, in its various bearings,
and the Board have reason to think that
it is in an excellent state. The laws seem
to be executed with a stern regard to the
good of the service, vet with kind and pa
ternal feelings, and the officers and pro
lessors are believed to be generally both
beloved and respected.
The internal police of the institution
was found to be carefully attended to. The
rooms, in the barracks, occupied by the
cadets, exhibit a gratifying appearance of
neatness and order, while, at the same
time, they give rise to regret, on account
of the inadequate accommodation which
they offer. The mess table is well sup
plied with plain but good and wholt ‘some i
food. In the event ot sickness, which the !
Board are happy to find has been lately '
of rare occurrence, suitable and comforta- '
ble accommodations are provided at the '
hospital, with the best medical attendance.
Ihe Board directed an inquiry be to
instituted, with as much minuteness as
circumstances would admit, into the sis-I
cal concerns of the institution. The re- 1
suit, which will be found fully detailed in 1
one of the reports sent herewith, is, that
the accounts are kept in a correct and
satisfactory manner—that the expendi- i
tores are made in accordance with the ap
propriations—and that a proper attention
is paid to economy in the expenses of eve
ry kind. To prevent extravagance in the
cadets, there is a regulation which pro
hibits to them the possession or use of mo
ney, or expenditure of it, except with the
consent of the Superintendent, who stands,
with regard to them, in the place of a par
ent, and who, it is believed, exercises his
authority with enlightened discretion.
The whole investigations ofthe Beard,
lead them to the conclusion that the Mili
tary Academy is a most valuable and es
sential part of the army establishment of
the United States; that at a cost so low as
not to exceed that of a second rate man-of
war, it prepares, and can spread over the
whole country, officers instructed and ca
pable of giving instruction in the military
art; and thus, without the danger arising
to liberty from large standing armies in
time of peace, enables the Government to
fulfil the duty which the constitution so
solemnly enjoins, of “providing for the
common defence,” and lastly, that if our
young citizens were commissioned in the
army as lieutenants, in the first instance
as they must be if this institution be abol
ished, they could not obtain, in four years,
even the same military knowledge as the
Cadets, while their probation and educa
tion would be far more expensive to the
country.
(Signed) G. VAN SCHOOHOVEN.
President.
ALVIN BRONSEN,
JAMES HOOKER
CHAS. B. PENROSE,
H. G. COMINGS,
JNO. T. ANDERSON,
R M. PATERSON,
ACHILLE MURAT,
WM P. DUVAL,
WRIGHT C. STANLEY,
P. LIN DS LEY,
J- L. SMITH, Captain Corps
of Engineers.
JAMES LATIMER, jr.
r , T. B. DALLAS, Secretary.
I'he undersigned freely subscribe the
within report, without expressing an o
pinion with regard to the last paragraph
(Signed) WM. SMYTH.
J. W. SCOTT.
r , From the Washington Inleligencer.
I he effects upon the Financial Admin
istration ol the Government ofthe Execu
tive usurpation in removing the Public
Depositee, are only just beginning to be
felt. They will be felt more sensibly
every day, until, under their operations,
“Experiment” be preserved in the of the
wheels of the Government will certainly
come to a stand-still.
As long as the Treasury had money
remaining in the Bank of the United
States, which could be transferred as wan
ted, and lent to the favored Banks upon
occasion, it was all smooth sailing for
Executive, and fair weather with the
its Pet Banks. These halcyon days, how
ever, could only last a certain term ; after
which both the President's advisers and
and his Pets must, if they reasoned at all,
have expected a rough sea and rougher
weather. They whu predicted it, wheth
er the Administration expected it or not,
already see unerring signs ofthe coming
trouble.
Upon the case of the Arkansas Judge,
whose agent was offered a draft upon
Natchez in payment of his salary, we
have already had occasion to remark. A
similar case occurred here one day last
week, in which the draft ofa United States
Judge, in one of the Southern States,
for his salary, was protested, because the
Department would only pay it by a check
on a Rank in Mabile. Cases of this de
scription are of every day occurrence, and
will ot course multiply, in proportion as
the necessity of the Treasury to use the
funds in its distant deposite banks increas
es. Never before now, the reader will
please to understand, (except during the
severe pressure ofthe late, war,) was the
Treasury unable or unwilling to pay, up
on demand at Washington, any just claims
upon it. For the first time, it fobs off its
Judges and other creditors with checks on
distant banks, which they may get cashed
how and when they can. What cun any
man do here, in Washington where he
comes or sends to get his money, with a
check on a bank in Natchez, or in Mobile ?
Will any one cash it for him? Can he
sell it ? Why, he can hardly give it away
For any practical present utility to
him, he might as well be possessed of a
ragged leaf torn out of last year's Alma
nac. Not, as the reader will perceive,
that the Banks are not in good credit at
home, but that their paper is not current,
and cannot be realized at less expense
and loss of time than by taking or send
ing their drafts to their own doors for
payment.
Heretofore, a single line from the Sec
retary ofthe Treasury to the Bank ofthe
United States effected the transfer of mil
lions ol dollars wherever wanted by the
Government. In his vindictive personal
war against the Bank, the President has
wantonly thrown away the advantages of
this facility, the want of which is yet
scarcely began to be felt. The individu
al cases we have mentioned are but faint
ly illustrative of the general embarrass
ment which the Treasury will have to en
counter. Suppose fifty or a hundred
thousand dollars to be wanted to pay off a
national ship, either at home or abroad :
What will the Purser do with a draft
upon a Bank at Natchez, or at Mobile, for
his money ! Is the ship’s crew to remain
unpaid until he can travel eleven or twelve
hundred miles over land, and get fifty or
a hundred boxes of dollars for his draft?
and when he gets his ton or two of silver,
how is he to transport it to Norfolk, New
York, or Portsmouth? And who■ is to
pay the cost of his operation ?
LAZY WEATHER.
“Lazy weather” is a term which we of
ten hear made use of at this beautiful sea
son of the year. Whether it is ment to stig
matize the weather as a longing idler, and
thereby take the imputation from the
shoulders of those who usethe phrase, tra- I
dition saith not; but it is a well known ;
fact that human nature is not fond of car- '
rying a solitary sin any farther than she is ■
obliged to.—“lt’s confounded lazy weath- ’
er, says the fat man, as he rolls from pil
low to post, with hat in hand, sweltering
like a stage-horse, and finally drops his
unweildy bulk in some friendly shade,
where betwixt waking and snoozing he
whiles away the hours ofa summer after
noon, “What a sultry, lazy day this!”
says the student, as he yawns over a Lat
in lesson or an Algebraic problem, “a ride
to the sea-shore is more agreeable than
deep study in such lazy weather!” and a
way he drives, whistling to himself
“What’s this dull town to me!” “Pon the
honor of a gentleman,” says the dandy, as
he adjusts the drooping points of his false I
collar, “it is positively the most vulgar
enervating atmospherel ever inhaled: were
it not for cologne I think I should faint—
I do pon honor: and he sails oft’ to a
soda fountain. “It’s useless to stay at home
in such lazy weather,” say the ladies, “a
promenade in the sun is not so tedious as
being mewed up in a cage,” and away they
float like so many balloons that the scarci
ty of air prevents from rising. In short,
all idleness is attributed to the lazy weath
er—and as the malady is contagious, the
mechanic and the merchant take the dis
ease, and join with the rest of mankind in
blowing up the weather, and making it
the scape-goat of their indolence; and the
printei, he too is half inclined to become
a believer in the general saying, and bind
his portion to the back ofthe “lazy wea
ther.' — Galaxy. J
TO THE HON. CORNELIUS W. LAWRENCE,
Mayor of the City of New York.
Slß: —The undersigned, members of
the Executive Committee of the Ameri
can Anti-Slavery Society, duly appreciat
ing the efforts of the City Authorities,
and their fellow-citizens, in protecting
their property from the depredations of
an infuriated mob, feel themselves called
upon to present, through you, to the
Common Council, a statement of facts,
showing that they have neither done nor
designed any thing inconsistent with their
duty as patriots, as Christians, as friends
ofthe Union, and of the peace and pros
j perity of this city
'l'he Constitution of our country guar
antees to us, in common with all our fel
low-citizens, the freedom of Speech and
ofthe Press; and the Constitution of this,
our own State, provides that “every citi
zen may freely speak, write and publish
his sentiments, on all subjects, being
responsible” [to the legal tribunals alone]
“for the abuse of that right; and no law
' shall be passed, to restrain or abridge the
! liberty of speech or of the press.” We
have kept within these sacred enclosures;
iwe shall not go beyond them; and we
{ respectfully claim of our fellow-citizens,
as Americans and men, that while we do
not violate the rights of others, our own
rights may be respected.
To show the objects of our Society, we
annex an extract from its Constitution:
I'he objects of this Society are the en
, tire abolition of slavery in the United
! States. While it admits that each State,
. in which slavery exists, has, by the Con
' stitution of the United States, the exclu
■ sive right to legislate in regard to its abo
lition in said State, it shall aim to con
vince all our fellow-citizens, by argu
ments addressed to their understandings
and conscience, that slave holding is a
heinous crime in the sight of God, and
that the duty, safety, and best interests of
all concerned, require its immediate a-
I bandonment, without expatriation. The
I Society will also endeavor, in a' constitu
tional way, to influence Congress to put
an end to the domestic slave trade, and
tc abolish slavery in all those portions of
our common country which come under
; its control, especially in the District of
Columbia, —and likewise to prevent the
extension of it to any State that rrtay be
hereafter admitted to‘the Union.”
i 1 his Society shall aim to elevate the
character tyid condition of the people of
i color, by encouraging their intellectual,
i moral and religious improvement, and by
, removing public prejudice, that thus they
• according to their intellectual and moral
j worth, share an equality with the whiter,
: of civil and religious privileges; but tips
Society will never, in any way, counte
nance the oppressed in vindicating their
rights by resorting to physical force.”
I hese are our sentiments, undisguised
ly and honestly expressed. We disclaim,
and have always disclaimed, any desire
to promote or encourage intermarriages
between white and colored persons; we
have addressed no appeals to the slaves;
we. have done nothing to excite resis
tance to the laws; we have done no act,
nor have we desired Congress to do any
act inconsistent with the Constitution, the
laws ofthe Union or ofthe States. It has
been our object to address the hearts and
consciences of our fellow-citizens, and to
defend our principles and measures by
facts and arguments; to encourage the
people of color to great circumspection
of conduct, and forbearance: to abstain
from mingling the objects of our Society
with those of either of the political parties;
to tieat the colored people with civility
and respect, according to their moral
character and condition ; and we seek to
bring about the abolition of slavery
(which nearly the whole country profess
es to desire) by promulgating the duty
and safety of im mediate emancipation.
Conscientiously believing the Coloni
zation Society to be an obstruction to the
abolition of slavery in the United States,
and liable to other serious objections, as
we have set forth at large in our publica
tions, we have deemed it our duty to op
pose its claims, but we feel no hostility to
the memory of its founders, nor to the
persons of its present supporters:
We deem it proper here to state that
the only meeting of the Anti-Slavery Socie
ty heldor contemplated this month, was on
the 4th of July; that the meeting of colored
people at Chatham street Chapel on Mon
day evening, the week after was of their
own appointment, to celebrate their usual
anniversary - that the meeting at Clinton
Hal] was only of a Debating Society, not
in connexion with ours; that no meeting
of any Anti-Slavery Society was to have
been held at the Chapel on Wednesday
evening, it being only a meeting of tho
church worshipping there; that we be
heve some of the daily newspapers (by
publishing that there would be meeting
when there were to be none, and misrep
resenting our principles and actions) ex
cited the populace, and are the authors
of all the disorders; and we affirm that
the stories m circulation about individ
uals adopting colored children, ministers
uniting white and colored people in mar
riage, abolitionists encouraging intermar
wages, exciting the peoplerffol"
same airs, &c, are wholly unfounded. "