Newspaper Page Text
EDITED AND PUBLISHED WtF.tlT, BY
W HI . B . II A It I£ I SO X .
CITY PHI .V TE H .
[for the southern museum.]
EPIGRAM.
“Knowledge is power,” an ituthor said,
“Its reign is calm and strong—
And monarch* never claim such wealth
As doth to this belong.”
Dot Locke and Bacon should have lived
In Telegraphic times,
Wfcerr people chat a thousand miles,
And- make machines for rhymes ;
For modern men have found the truth,
Unknown for many a year,
That money, ’stead of knowledge, doth
The ruler’s signet wear !
POPE.
From the Alabama Planter.
Manufactures at the South.
A somewhat animated discussion has
been going on for some lime between sev
eral of the Columbia (S. C ) newspapers,
as to the expediency and practicability of
the South entering upon a system of manu
facturing. Whatever may be the merits
of this controversy, one thing is certain,
that public opinion iu the South has un
dergone, within the past few years, a very
considerable change on the subject of di.
vetsifying pursuits. We see the fruits of
it throughout the entire South, and no
where, perhaps, more strikingly than in
Scuih Carolina. All the pioneer cotton
mills, so far as our knowledge extends,
have yielded handsome dividends to the
proprietors. The success, indeed, has
been so satisfactory and the necessity of a
change so apparent that we now see every
where cotton factories springing up among
uj. In view of the superior advantages
possessed by the producing States over all
other sections, there can he no doubt that
with proper management, manufacturing
as a settled system with us, will bring sa
tisfactory results. With the raw material
at our very doors, we not only can com
pete with, but will soon be able to under
sell our Northern neighbors in the mar
kets of the world. In proof of this, one
fact may he mentioned. Five or six years
ago, this market was wholly supplied with
cotton osnaburgs by the Lowell mills.—
Now, scarcely a piece comes from that
quarter. The Tuscaloosa, Scottsville and
Prattville mills have furnished for some
time nearly the entire wants of the Bection
trading with this city, and latterly they
have shipped large quantities of these
goods to New Orleans. There, also, we
have no doubt, the Alabama fabric will
soon take the lead of the Northern article.
Toe Tuscaloosa mill is preparing to man
ufacture brown sheetings and other light
goods, and when the supplies from that
and other mills are of sufficient extent, we
may look for similar results—and so in
time, in regard to other fab. ics.
But we are forgetting the main object
we had in view. A correspondent of the
Colnmbia Telegraph has arrayed a great
many facts and figures to shew that the
true policy of the South is to enter to some
extent into manufacturing. This writer
begins by saying :
“If we trace the cause of the depression
of the price of the Southern staple, we will
find, that it is principally owing to an over
production ; this over production origin
ates from too much labor being thrown
into one particular channel. Diversify
labor, by manufacturing a portion of that
surplus staple at home, and the benefit
will be two fold—first, by rendering that
portion of the labor thrown offfrom the old
channel more productive, and next by be
ing enabled to realize a better price for
the remaining part which we have for ex
portation.
Experience has long proven that a crop
of cotton of 1.5000.00 U bales, will bring,
under ordinary circumstances, quite as
much money to the planter, as a crop of
2,500,000 bales. '1 he reason of it is very
apparent. If we raise but 1,800,000 bales,
after taking out a half million bales, which
is required at present tor domestic con
sumption, we have but 1,300,000 bales for
exportation. This amount is barely enough
to supply the wants of the foreign manu
facturer —the consequeuce is, that accord
ing to the laws of supply and demand, he
has to pay more for it than if the quanti'y
were larger. But the crop of late years
has averaged very near 2,500,000 bales,
and we are compelled to throw 2,000,000
bales on the market of the world, which
being more than the demand calls for, has
the effect of causing the price of it almost
entirely to be regulated by foreign manu
facturers and speculators.
But the culture of cotton has been push
ed of late years to such an extent, that
without a failure, 2,500 000 bales is likely
to be an average crop for the future, and
the question arises, how is the price to be
raised, and the welfare of the South to be
permanently effected ? The answer is at
hand. Let the South manufacture a por
tion of her cotton herself, and the object
■ n view will be accomplished.
To explain this matter better, let us as
sume,that the South would adopt this poll
C y, and each of the cotton growing States,
ten in number, would manufacture but
K O,OOO bales yearly ; this would give us a
hvnumption of 500,000 bales in the South
add to this, the amount consumed by
the Northern Stales, say 500,000 bales
more, and it will give us a home consump
tion of 1,000,000 bales.
Now let us see the result of it. In the
place of exporting now vviib a full crop,
about 2,000,000 hales, we would then ex
port hut 1,500,000 bales. The effect of
thus diminishing our exports a half mill
ion bales yearly would he, that we would
no longer he compelled to cast ourselves
at the mercy of foreigners to beg a pur
chaser ; we could, in fact, regulate the
price of it ourselves, and in the place of G
to 7 cents, being now the extent we can
obtain, 9to 10 cents would then be the
average price.
It must be admitted, that there is per
haps no portion of the face of the earth
which abounds so much with all the ele
ments of greatness, and no people possess
more means at their command to become
wealthy and independent, than the people
of the South : yet how little have they ta
ken advantage of it/
It must be likewise admitted, that the
cotton planter, under present circumstan
ces, has to work harder and receives less
remuneration for the amount ts capital
which lie has invested, than any other class
of men, and while the very staple which
he produces enriches almost eveiy one, he
himself is the least benefitted by it.
The reason of this is very obvious.—
Every hale of cotton he sells more than
triples in value from the time it leaves
him till he buys it hack again, if it he even
eolton shirting. If lie receives $25 per
bale, the manufacturer, with not half as
great an outlay of capital as it takes to raise
a bale of cotton, receives at least SSO to
manufacture it into goods ; he creates
therefore more than twice as much wealth,
with not half as much capital, as the cot.
ton planter.
To fortify this position it is only neces
sary to refer to # statistics whose authority
is indispuiahle. McCulloch, in his Ency
clopedia of Commerce, published in Lon
don in 1847, estimates the amount of A
merican cotton consumed by British Man
ufacturers at about 500,000,000 pounds.
The present average value of cotton in
England, is about 9 cents per pound, and
the aggregate cost, of this cotton to the
British manufacturers, is therefore about
$45,000,000. At this rate, the highest a
mouut the American cotton planters can
receive, would he, (after taking the ex
pense off’,) say 7 cents per pound, the sum
of $35,000,000.
According to the estimate of tho same
author, the value of British Cotton Manu
factures in 1847, was about .£‘42,000,000,
or nearly $186,000,000. It is estimated
that the amount of the capital invested in
the business is about the same as the value
of the product per annum. As the Amer
ican cotton constitutes about four-fifths of
the entire cotton consumed by the manu
facturers in England, the capital required
to manufacture the same will be about
$150,000,000, and tho product about the
same. It will thus be seen, that through
the combination of British capital and skill,
$150,000,000 is produced out of the cot
ton for which the American planter re
ceives hut $35,000,000 ! and that after ta
king off the raw material, the amount of
wealth thus created by the British cotton
mills, is the nett sum of $115,000,000.
Now let us estimate the amount of cap
ital the American cotton planter will have
to invest to produce the same cotton.
Allowing about 200 pounds to be the
product of an acre, it would require about
2,500,000 acres to produce it, which we
will estimate at an average cost of sls per
acre, making about $37,500,000. To pro
duce this, it will lake at the rate of 2,000
pounds per hand, about 250,000 slaves, at
SSOO each, making the value of the slaves
about $125,000,000. Thus the land and
slaves together, with other necessary items
such as farming utensils, mules, horses,
cotton gins, buildings, &c. would exceed
the sum of $170,000,000. In making a
comparison m the matter, the case stands
thus : The planter invests $170,000,000
to produce about $35,000,000 worth of
cotton ; the British manufacturers employ
a capital of $150,000,000, and produce a
bout $115,000,000 worth of goods, after
haviug paid for the raw material.
So much for the productiveness of Bri
tish capital in manufacturing American
cotton, and American capital in producing
it.
Again. The British manufacturers em
ploy about 540,000 operatives. To work
up the American cotton, it will take about
four-fifths of that number, say 432,000
hands, divide the above $115,000,000 a
mong them and they will have $266 as the
value of product per hand ; divide the net
receipss of $35,000,000 among 250,000
hands, you will have $l4O per hand for
producing it, less by $122 per annum sot
each hand in the production of the article,
than is realized by manufacturing it.
If we come nearer home, we will find
the case precisely to be the same. In five
of the New England States, New Hamp
shire, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island
and Connecticut, the capital employed in
the business is estimated to be about $50,-
000,000, and the product about $45,000,-
000 per annum. Deduct 33s per cent,for
the cost of tbe raw material, labor except
ed, say $15,000,000, and you have as the
nett product of industry $30,000,000, be
ing the actual creation of wealth in these
five States by the manufacturing of cot
ton.
The total cotton crop of the United
States for 1848 is estimated at about 100,-
000,000 pounds. If it averages 6 cents
per pound, it will bring $60,000,000. To
produce this, it requires, according to the
basis assumed, a capital of $340,000,000.
In order that the Southern planter
should create wealth as fast as the North
ern manufacturer in proportion to the a
mount of capital employed, the crop ts
1848 should have brought $200,000,000
in the place of $60,000,000.
I have said at the outset, that the South
ern Stales possess the capacity to manu
facture at least 500,000 hales of the raw
material. This would be consumed in the
manufacture of coarse fabrics with tvhich
the South could defy competition. I will
now examine what effect this policy would
have. I have already shown that a per
manent advance in the price of cotton would
be bound to follow, say from 2 to 3 cents, j
to be very limited, let us say hut 2 cents
per pound, it would give to the South on
2,000,000 bales, allowing 400 pounds to
he the average weight per hale, at least an
increase of $1G,000,000 yearly.
The 500,000 hales which we would
manufacture ourselves would he worth, at I
$25 per bale, about $12,500,000. As the J
raw material usually costs about one-third !
of the manufactured goods, the product of!
it would he about $37,000,000, leaving
twenty-five million dollars for the labor!
and profit to the manufacturer, and if we
add to this the sixteen millions, the South J
would become forty one million of dollars
richer every year.”
The Pacific Railroad.
At a meeting of the New York Cham
ber of Commerce, held on the 7th inst.,
Mr. J. P. D. Ogden, in behalf of the com
mittee, read the following Report on ihe
construction of the Pacific Railroad, as
projected by Mr. Whitney :
The. Committee appointed “ To enquire in
to the expediency of any action, on the
part of the Chamber, in relation to the
proposed Railroad of Mr. Whitney to
the Pacific," respectfully submit the fol
lowing Report:
Tho acquisition of California, the dis
covery of its mines of Gold, the probabil
ity that it must soon become one of the
States of the Union, with the prospects
thus opening for an extended commerce,
and new branches of trade with the East
ern world, are considerations which give
to the subject before us, a great and in
creasing importance.
It has become necessary, in the opin
ion of your Commit'ee, to identify the in
terests and the feelings of our people who
now occupy the shores of the Pacific as
well as the Atlantic ; and, accordingly,
the opening and completion of a great
public highway, to connect the two
Oceans, becomes essential as a medium
of international communication : it is de
manded not only in aid of the purposes
and pussuits of trade and commerce, but
is required in order to unite by the bonds
of mutual and common interest, the peo
ple of all the States of the Union.
The undertaking, however, is one of no
ordinary magnitude, being no less llian
the construction of a great National Road
for a distance of more than two thousand
miles, the greatest portion traversing a
country uninhabited and almost unknown.
But when we reflect upon the probable
consequences to our Republic, of this
distant acquisition —the diversified charac
ter and extent of the interest at stake ; the
increasing demand that must arise, as the
necessity becomes more apparent, for the
facilities and advantages to be afforded ;
the swelling tide of emigration that would
press onward in that direction ; and the
incalculable benefit, in a national point of
view, both for peace and war, that must at
tend tbe progress and success of so useful
and yet so magnificent a project, your
Committee are irresistibly led to the con
clusion that a pressing necessity mav be
said already (o exist foi such a measure,
and that, accordingly, the time has arri
ved for Congress to act on the subject; be
lieving, that with the energies and perse
verance of our people, a work of this kind,
planned with due precautions, and con
ducted under proper regulations, might
be accomplished wiiliin a reasonable time,
and therefore should he undertaken with
out delay.
Several plans have been submitted for
the accomplishment of this object. That
of Mr. AV hitney is for a Railroad from
Lake Michigan to St. Francisco,Oregon—
the cost to he defrayed by the sale of the
public lands along the route. The promi
nent features of bis plan are as follows :
The public lands for 30 miles wide on
each side of the contemplated road—esti
mated, for the whole extent, at about 80
millions of acres, are to be set aside and
appropriated to him for this object—Mr.
Whitney payixg therefor, at the rate of
ten cents per acre, after the road shall be
completed.
In cases where the lands thus contigu
ous to the road are already taken up, other
public lands are to be selected in their
stead. Mr. Whitney proposes to begin
by making ten miles of road, estimated to
cost $200,000. He is then to sell the
lands for thirty miles wide, along one half
the distance, or five miles, comprising
192,000 acres, to reimburse himself for
the cost of the road ; and in this way he
is to continue his progress, first construct
ing ten miles of road, and then selling the
lands along half the distance, so long as
the proceeds of these 192,000 acres will
pay for the ten miles of the road. The re
maining 192,000 acres on each section of
ten miles of road, comprising the lands
along the other half of the road thus com
pleted, are to remain in the hands of a
Commissioner, and constitute a reserved
fund, from the proceeds of which to con
struct the road when it shall be found, as
the work advances through lands less val
uable, that the 192,000 acres sold by Mr.
Whitney, together with the proceeds of
the land along the other five miles, shall
not be sufficient to pay for ten miles of
road. Congress are to regulate and esta
blish the rate of tolls, but the road, when
completed, is to belong to Mr. Whitney
and his associates. Incase the sale of the
lands, thus set apart, shall reimburse the
outlay for the cost of the road, and the
sum to be paid to Government for the
lands, then the tolls are only to be suffi
cient to cover repairs and operations of
the mad ; S4OOO per annum to be paid to
Mr. Whitney, or his assigns, for superin
tendence.
Another pUn proposes to establish a
post road or mail route, by means of a
; contract with Government, for the con
veyance of the mail and passengers fr.im
some point in the Valley of the Mississip
pi to some point in California on the Paci
fic. The se vice to commence in twelve
months after the President of the United
Slates shall have designated the points of
commencement and termination of the
route. A strip of 100 feet on each side
of the centre of said road to be vested in
the contractors, who are to receive a com
pensation for performing their duty, and
tobeenti led to the pre-emption right to
iiot exceeding one section of land for each
and every ten miles of said road, paying
therefor at the rate of ten cents per acre.
To be allowed to receive tolls at a fixed
rate from all persons using or travelling
over said road, and after a certain length
of time the land of 100 feet wide, toge
ther with t lie toad itself constructed there
on, to revert to the United States.
A third, originating at Boston, suggests
a railroad from St. Louis to St. Francisco,
to be constructed by a company, with res
ponsible men as managers, having a capi
tal of 100 millions, under a charter from
Congress ; to be aided by a loan of 98
millions of U. S. stock, the remaining two
millions, or 2,100 to be paid by the stock
holders ; Government to take a mortgage
on the road, if desired, in order to secure
the loan of 98 millions, as well as the due
performance of the contract: to appoint
one-third of the directors, take one-third
interest in the stock, and cede tp the com
pany a strip of land 10 miles wide on the
north side ol the road, and also sufficient
land for the bed of the road, stations, &c.
Objections are urged against the plan
of Mr. \\ hitney, that it is too great an un
dertaking for an individual, whether we
consider the difficulties to be overcome, or
the result to bo accomplished, and that
such a road should belong to the people,
or to the Government for their use, except
such share as may or should be held by
States, or Companies, or Associations, for
tho purpose of practical management;
doubts are euterlained, arising from past
experience of some of the States, how far
the sale of the public lands can be relied
on to supply the means of construction,
and it is feared by some that, after a short
progress, this resource may fail. If, how
ever, for a certain distance from the com
mencement of the road, the 192,000 acres
on each 10 mile section, should sell for
more than the cost of construction, it is
thought provision should be made, after
allowing a reasonable cempensation for
time and trouble, to pay over the surplus
to the Commissioner, to be applied, if
wanted, during the progress of the work,
or if not required for that purpose, then to
await the decision of Congress ; in order
that on the one hand the road should not
stop or be delayed for want of this fund,
and on the other, if unexpected success
should a'tend the sale of the lands, that
the people might share the benefit. A
further objection urged, is the unavoida
ble delay that it is thought must attend the
making of such a road from the sale of
public lands, most of them, as yet, be
yond the verge of civilization, and the va
lue of which must be derived from the set
tlements to accompany and follow the
progress of the work. Fifteen or twenty
years is the general estimate of time for
its construction. It is sometimes thought
that a quarter of a century might be re
quired for its completion.
As regards the post road or mail route,
your Committee are of opinion that roads
of that kind, although they have proved so
useful and beneficial in their day, may
now be considered, at least for the pres
ent purpose, as behind the age ; for they
would not be likely to meet the wishes and
expectations of our people. If nothing
else was in contemplation, or could be ac
complished, such a road would, of course,
deserve consideration, and while, as a pi
oneer, it may find many advocates, yet
even in that light, it would soon prove in
efficient for the object in view, and might,
and no doubt would, delay the commence
ment of the only permanent aud efficient
highway across the continent.
The objections to the Boston plan, apart
from the opposition that may probably be
nelisied against an act of incorporation
by Congress, of the kind proposed, exist
in the emission of so large an amount of
United States Stock, as well in the crea
tion of the debt itself, as the distributing
effect it might produce in the general mo
ney market. Besides, this is considered
in many respects too important a work to
be accomplished by a corporation. Your
Committee are also apprehensive that the
expense of a work of this kind, construct
ed with the proceeds of the stock, for an
incorporated company, would be too great
for the objects in view. The tolls, in such
case, must be remunerative, and, there
fore, high enough to pay interest and divi
dends, besides repairs and the current ex
penses of the road. It is accordingly
feared that the rate of freight would be
too high for the permanent interests of
commerce to sustain This road, intend
ed to be a short and direct route between
Oceans and Continents, must, in order to
answer its great ends, become a cheap
mode of conveyance for the products of a
great portion of the world.
Having thus stated the principal plans
that have been proposed, together with
the prominent objections respectively ur
ged or entertained against them, your
committee respectfully submit, in their
opinion, the sales of the public lands ap
pear to present the only means likely to
prove sufficiently unobjectionable, or that
can be deemed both attainable and availa
ble for constructing a Railroad to the Pa
cific— for with respect to the delay that is
apprehended from a reliance upon the
resource, it seems evident that money a
lone could not be relied on to compass
the means to construct a Railroad of such
extent through unsettled lands—popula
tion must he induced to accompany its
course, when by the aid and facilities it
would afford, the settlement of the lands
would necessarily follow their sale, and
as a demand for labor was created, both
labor and subsistence would be furnished
at the same time, and the future progress
of the national road would be accelerated
according to the favor it might receive or
deserve at the hands of the people and
their representatives. And while it is
considered that the practical views, detail
ed information, and untiring zeal manifes
ted by Mr. Whitney, give to his suggestions
deserved weight and consideration, he is
entitled to the credit of having presented
to Congress—“the first matured plan for
a Railroad to connect the Atlantic with
the Pacific across the Continent.” The
committee are also of opinion that the plan
of Mr. Whitney, for commencing the road
from Lake Michigan is the correct one—
as well! on account of the quantity of un
occupied land of good quality in that quar
ter, lying for a long distance along its pro
jected course, and which would he ren
dered promptly available for the object,
as for the valuable timber abounding in
that region, so essential for the purpose
of the road ; and still more perhaps for the
great saving in the expense of transpor
ting, to that starting point, the supplies i.f
all kinds required for its construction.
The precise course of the onward route
could be decided on, after the proper sur
veys had been made, and a lateral branch,
whenever it should be found necessary,
could be established with any point on
the Mississippi, In addition to these im
portant considerations, it is deemed of vi
tal consequence—for all interests, that
this international communication should
be directly connected with the commerce
of the vast inland seas of our Continent.
Besides these advantages, and perhaps
above all, the commencement of the road
at that point, would furnish means for the
shortest route across the Continent, be
tween Asia and Europe, and thus encour
age the reasonable expectation that we
should thereby secure to our country both
the travel and the traffic between the two
great quarters of the globe.
Your committee therefore, are in favor,
generally, of the plan of Mr. Whitney, as
contained in the bill submitted to the Sen
ate —with two exceptions.— They think
that the proceeds of the lands along the
five miles of road which are allowed to be
sold by Mr. Whitney, for his own use and
benefit, should be accounted for; and the
excess beyond the cost of construction for
the ten miles, after allowing a liberal com
pensation for time and trouble, should be
paid over to United States Commissioners,
to constitute a fund to be applied to the
purpose of the road whenever required.
They also think that the work itself should
not belong to an individual or to any asso
ciation of persons, hut should become the
heritage of the people.
With these modifications, your Commit
tee are willing to recommend for adoption
the plan of Mr. Whitney. Hoping, nay
believing, that the sales of the public lands
along the route, will furnish, to a great
extent, the requisite means, in money, la
bor, and materials, as emigration shall
profit by its advantages, and settlements
follow its train ; they think that if addition
al resources are required, at any subse
quent stage of its progress, as tbe benefits
of the road should be developed, and the
necessity for anearley comp'etion become
more apparent, the expediency ofinterpo
sing the National credit, to a limited ex
tent, could be more properly entertained,
and might be more successfully advocated ;
and while they are of opinion that the en
terprise, and the exertions—the practi
cal knowledge and the public spirit of in
dividuals or of associations, under the su
pervision and control of a Board of United
States Commissioners, will be found es
sential alike to expedition and success,and
should accordingly be encouraged and
availed of, as well as liberally remunera
ted. Your Committee, at the same lime,
are fully convinced from every considera
tion of duty and policy, that, when com
pleted, this great public highway should
belong to the Nation for the benefit of the
Union.
JAS. D. OGDEN,
CHAS AUG. DAVIS, |
CHARLES KING,
L. BIERWIRTH,
OLIVER STATE, JR., )
New York, 20th July, 1849.
Mr. P. M. Wetmore was opposed to
the recommendation of the Report which
contemplated the withholding form Mr.
Whitney the benefits that w’ould result
from the completion of the road and
vesting the property in the United States.
He did not suppose any man could
be found who could devote his life and
means to forward an enterprise of
which the future would ruin him, and the
success—if successful—must accrue to
the benefit of others. Besides, it was in
expedient in his view that the Government
should have any property or interest in
the matter.
Mr. Ogden vindicated the Report as
just at once to Mr. Whitney and to the
public. After arter debate, Mr. hfLee
proposed the following resolutions as a
substitute for the resolutions of ihe Com
mittee, which were adopted :
Whereas, ’lhe construction of a Railraod
to connect the Atlantic with the Pacific
in a direct line across the Continent, hai
become of vital importance, and whereas
the plan of Mr. A. Whitney, of New York
for the construction of such a communica
tion, in i ? s leading features, as well as the
favor it has met with from a large ponion
of the people, disembarrasses the underta
king from sectional and constituttiocal ob
jections which so often have impeded
internal improvements. Therefore,
Resolved, —That whe highly approve
the great features of Asa Whitney’s plan
for the construction of a Railroad from
Lake Michigan to the Pacific, and that
we earnestly recommend its immediate
adoption to Congress.
Resolved, That a copy of these resolu
tions he transmitted to our U. S. Senators
and members of Congress from this Dis
trict.
Mr. Lee then moved that so much of
the Report of the Committee as conflicts
with the above report, be stricken out.
On this question the vote was a tie, and of
course the motion failed.
This lesdution was then introduced
and passsed :
Resolved, That the Report of the Select
Commi'tee be accepted by the Chamber ;
but that in lieu of the conclusion arrived
at by the Committee, the above resolu
tions be adopted as the sense of the Cham
ber.
The Chamber then adjourned.
Commercial Decision in Alabama
The Supreme Court of Alabama has de
cided that sight drafts and bills are entitled
to days of grace just as any other draft or
negotiable paper. If not paid on presen
tation, they must then be formally presen
ted for acceptance at once, and if refused,
are to be protested, and notice given to
the parties to be charged. This decision
is supported by authorities, but it is, as
stated in tlie Mobile Herald, contrary to
long established custom in that State. Itis
therefore important that it should be gen
erally known.
1 he Indians. —The despatch of Maj.
Morris, commandant at Tampa, to the
Adjutant General of the U. 3., giving an
account of the outrage at Pease Creek,
mentions the return of the men despatch
ed to bury the persons killed, hut has not
a syllable of the painted Indians afterwards
seen, or of the hundred who raised the
war-whoop.
The Ocala Argus of the 2d states that
Indian signal fires extend over the coun
try from the Oclavvaha to the St. Johns,
and thence appear to connect with signals
on the Atlantic. A postcript says : “We
have this moment authentic news from
Benton co., and stop the press to announce
it. The Ind ians have burnt one dwelling
—the family escaped.—They are row \t\
small parties spreading over the country.
No time for more to save the mail. Send
us troops.
i" nin i ■ huh nmn ii ■■■ini iiimiiiw
M A CON, G A .'
SATURDAY MORNING, AUGUST 18,1849.
Fire. —The dwelling house of Mrs. F. Sims,
was sot fire to on Thursday evening last, about
9o clock, which fortunately was discovered be
fore much damage was done. A negro boy
about 12 years old named David, belonging to
JVf-- 1 _ E1...t .-!■ . -
anu a main lenuw named L.EROY, *
blacksmith, belonging to Mr Chas. Buchanan,
of Walton county, were arrested by the Marshals
about 1 o’clock, and taken to the guard house.
As they will bo examined before a Court of Ma.
gistrates this afternoon at 3 o’clock, we forbear
expressing any thing in relation to the report*
in circulation with regard to the commission of
the crime.
Asthma —The attention of the afflicted is
directed to tho certificate of M r. C. L. Holmes, in
relation to the successful treatment of this dis
tressing disease by Dr. M. S. Thomson, who
has for sale at bis establishment in this city, a
large assortment of remedial agents suited to the
Botanic practice, and is prepared to furnish great
facilities to those who may wish to acquire a
knowledge of his skill in the Botanic system.
Macon and Madison Railroad. —As far as
we have been able to learn only some five or six
thousand dollars worth of the stock in this enter,
prise has been taken in Bibb county, whilst an
extract of a letter in the Augusta Republic
states that $40,000 have been subscribed in Ea
tonton, at which place an adjournod meeting
of the friends of the Road will bo held on the
21st inst.
The Lady's Book. —We have recommended
this splendid Magazine to our readers time and
again, and that too, not because it is customary
for editors to notice monthly and other periodi
cals. We believe the Book to be totally une
qualled and unrivalled by any similar work in
this country. There are doubtless, other mag
azines of great merit, but in our opinion Mr.
Godey has surpassed them all, both in the mat
ter and manner of the Lady's Book. Those of
our lady readers who do not receive it, and de
sire to have 70 pages of valuable reading—nei
ther of a sickly, mock-melancholy tone, nor dis
gustingly humorous; but an agreeable, chaste,
and pleasant miscellany—arc advised to sub
scribe. Besides seven or eight beautiful engra
vings, each number contains a steel-plate repre
sentation of tho Paris Fashions Americanized-
Tho September No. is received.
Holden’s Dollar Magazine. —Tho August
number is received. The present number has
the usual variety. “The Autobiography of a
Monomaniac” is alone worth a dollar—the prt**
of the work