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as snreaairsi tfMTKP ill) ri'BLISHED WttILT, II W.H. B . HARRISON. C / T ¥ PRINTER. MACON, G A . SATURDAY MORNING, OCT 13, 184*.*. REMOVAL. The “SOUTHERN MUSEUM” Of fice has been removed to the two story Wooden Building, at the Corner of Fifth and Walnut Streets, where we are prepar ed to execute all orders in the Printing line with neatness and dispatch. I cr See Council proceedings in another column. Rev. W. R. Branham’s Address.— There was a large and respectable audi ence at the Temperance meeting on Mon day evening last. Notwithstanding the difficulties which had to be encountered in making the subject interesting to the hearers, there was the evidence of close attention to the remarks of the speaker, to prove that lie succeeded in presenting the subject in new and pleasing features.— The influence of intemperance upon the physical nature was explained, and the power of example, whether of good or evil, cited to prove the necessity of those friendly to the Temperance cause, acting in concert with the Order of the “Sons of Temperance.” The superiority of this latter organization over the former Tem perance and Washingtonian Societies was also shown. The interest of the commu nity is awakened upon the subject. We advise our readers to attend these meet ings, and hear what the “Sons” have to say in defence of the principles under which they are acting. The next Address will be delivered by Wm. P. Harrison, on Monday evening, 22d instant. The Election. —ln another column will be found a complete list of the Mem bers of the next General Assembly of the State of Georgia, by which it will be seen that the Democrats have 25 in the Senate and the Whigs 22. In the House of Rep resentatives the Democrats have 66 and the Whigs 63, and in Ware there is a tie The Democratic majority on joint ballot will be 6. If, however, Ware should re turn a Democrat it will be 7 ; on the con trary, if a AV hig is elected, the Democratic majority will be 5. Towns’ majority will be about 3,000. We shall publish the re sult in our next. California. —Recent advices from San Francisco state that the Hon. T. B. King is recovering from his late illness, and that Col. Fremont has been appointed Sur veyor of the Mexican boundary. It is said that Mr. King and Dr. Goring will go to the U. S. Senate, and that a Consti tution will be framed and a Legislature elected very speedily. Tehuantepec Railroad. We learn from the “ Crescent,” that a large anil enthusiastic meeting of the citi zens took place at the Commercial Ex change in New Orleans on the sth inst. to take part in the great movement pro jected in- that city, for opening a communi cation with the Pacific Ocean by means of a Railroad across the Isthmus of Tehuan tepec. The greatest good feeling and unanimity marked the proceedings ; each one seemed to feel the importance of the subject to the future prosperity of New Orleans, and it was emphatically, as one of the speakers observed, a meeting for the transaction of business. The meeting was called to order by appointing Gov. Johnson President, and the Mayor of the city, and sixteen other gentlemen Vice Presidents, and four Secretaries. The meeting was eloquently addressed bv Messrs. M. M, Cohen, J. P, Benjamin and J. C. Larue. We have long sincethought that the Tehuantepec route was a practi cable one, provided a convenient port could be obtained on the Pacific, which it seems can be had—but we prefer introdu. eing the remarks of Mr. Benjamin, to any we could make on this grand enterprise, we therefore copy from the New Orleans Crescent the following synopsis of his speech at the meeting. Mr. B. said it was only necessary to look at the map and measure the distances, in order to see that the way across Tehuante pec was far preferable to any other for connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific. Such a road as was contemplated would shorten the distance from New Orleans to San Francisco by some 1700 or 1800 miles, and from New York to the same port by at least 1400 miles, This state ment was in itself sufficient to render the construction of the road highly desirable ; and if no insurmountable obstacle present. ed itself, the road should be built, and the connection of the two oceans, which may be styled the culminating conception of the century, be completed. Mr. B. stated that the first survey of the Isthmus, at least the first of any accuracy was made in 1825 by two commissioners, appointed, one by the State of Vera Cruz and the other by the Federal Government of Mexico. Certain instruments were, however, wanting to the commission, and accordingly the survey was not sufficiently accurate for any calculations to be based thereon. Mr. B. stated the best sources of information on this subject were the ob- servations of Mr. Trastour, an Engineer of science and experience, who passed two years on the Isthmus and was active in his observations all the time, and from the sur vey of Gaetano Moro, made under the di rections of Don Jose de Garay, the gran tee of the Mexican Government for the right of way across Tehuantepec. Moro’s survey was made by a full and skilful corps of engineers, and ten months were em ployed in the important undertaking. As to Mr. Trastour’s facts, they agreed in all essential points with those of Garay’s com mission. In the first place, Moro found the distance from ocean to ocean to he 135 miles, and the country between might, for the purposes of description, he divided in to two sections, one extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the highest point be tween the two seas, the table land of Ta rifa, and the other stretching from Tarifa to the Pacific ocean. It behooved us to inquire first what sort of a harbor there was on the Gulf side of the isthmus ; and we might learn from a geographer as old as Balhi, that the harbor at the mouth ol the Coatzacoalcos was inferior to none on the whole Gulf of Mexico, not even to that of the Mississippi. As to the depth of the channel at the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos hydrographers had differed—some assert ing that there were only 12 or 14 feet wa ter on the bar, while others said they had found as much as 20 feet. Mr. Moro’s at tention was carefully directed to this point and he found that both the soundings were probably correct; for he noticed that there were two principal channels, one of which was from 12 to 16 feet deep, according to the state of the tides, while the other had as much as 20 feet clear. The entrance, then, to the Coatzacoalcos was favorable and admitted the passage of ships drawing 20 feet water at all seasons of the year. After entering the Coatzacoalcos the river has an average depth of 20 feet, with an ordinary width of 180 yards, for 35 miles from its mouth. From the latter point to its junction with the Jaltepec, 60 miles from its mouth, the river is navigable for vessels drawing 18 feet. From the Gulf to the junction of the Coatzacoalcos and Jaltepec, there is an ascent of 70 feet, and there remains only GGO feet of elevation to be overcome before we reach the table land o{ Tarifa, whence we begin to de scend towards the Pacific. The great point to consider on the western slope was whether a good harbor could be obtained on tiiat Side. This, Mr. Benjamin said, was a point he studied with considerable labor and solicitude, and said he was per fectly convinced of the feasibility of ma king a good harbor on the Pacific, if one was not already in existence. In approach ing the Pacific from Tarifa, the traveller finds two lakes, an upper and a lower lake into which flow numerous small mountain streams. These streams carry down with them detritus and boulders from the Cor dilleras, and thus where the waters of the lakes come in contact with the waters of the ocean a bar is formed. The entrance from the Pacific into the lower lake is call ed Bocca Barra. In order to furnish a perfect shelter for vessels, it will only be necessary to deepen a little the entrance of the Bocca Barra ; and this is a simple work, as there are no alluvial washings brought down by the streams which flow into the lakes. We see then, said Mr. B. that tio serious impediment exists to the construction of this road ; and that not more than forty miles of railway will be necessary to con nect the two seas. If we calculate the cost of the railroad at $30,000 per mile, this would amount to $2,000,000 ; and the cost of other improvements, deepening chan nels, removing bars, &c. might amount to $1,000,000 more. How trifling, said Mr. B. is the sum of $3,000,000, when we com. pare it with the immense results, social, moral, commercial and political that are to flow from the consummation of this magnificent enterprise. The next consid eration, said Mr. B. is the acquisition of the right to build the road. For this it would be necessary to appoint a commit tee for conference with the grantees of the Mexican Government. Mr. Garay, with others, had obtained a concession of the right, of way across Tehuantepec, and it would be necessary for an American com pany to enter into an agreement with the Mexican grantees. The original grantees said Mr. B. are desirous of opening a canal between the two seas, and they think lit tle of the railway. Consequently they will be glad to dispose, at a reasonable rate, of the privilege of building a railroad, inasmuch as such a road would assist them materially in the construction of theircanal. Mr. B. concluded by stating that the road would be profitable when built, and add greatly to the commercial prosperity of New Orleans, as well as other cities of the South. Mr. J. C. L IRFE next addressed the meeting. His effort is spoken of in the “Crescent” as an extremely eloquent one Mr. L. said the gathering was irrespective of party, language or religion; they had met freely to mingle together, to consult, to advise. The question was, How shall we obtain the best intercourse with the Pacific Ocean ? Various schemes had been proposed, Chicago, St. Louis, Mem phis were named as points to begin at. All these had their friends. But years would elapse before even a commencement could be made. Surveys would be re quired, taking up a long period—many millions would he necessary to proceed with a Railroad to the Pacific. Then these routes had the rigorous climate of the North to contend with. The railroad projected by Mr. Whitney would run through a portion of the country where at least six months of the year the way would be obstructed by the depth of the snow rendering progress impractica ble. The St. L ouis route, starting at a point four degrees north of the Southwest Pass, also led to a region of ice and snow that would prevent its being of great utili ty. The Memphis route seemed the most feasible of the three ; it proceeded through the North Pass to San Diego, and could he made practicable and useful during the greater part of the year; hut it would take years to complete and an army to guard it. But we did not say that we would not favor other routes ; we wished them all success. But we wanted imme diately a safe and rapid communication with the Pacific. Wo wanted the means of drawing within our borders the com merce of Asia and South America, The Railroad across Tehuantepec would do this and make New Orleans the great cen tral commercial mart of the world. Mr. L. then proceeded to show the geo graphical advantages of the Isthmus—that nature had designed it as the place; the long range of mountains that stretch from Baffin’s Bay to Terre del Fuego there found their lowest elevation, and the Con tinent within a few miles its most narrow width. The distance would be shortened 18,000 miles between any part of the Uni ted States on the Atlantic and the ports of the Pacific by the way of Cape Horn, while it had of the route through the Isth mus of Panama, the advantage of 1863 miles. This was something of a gain in the hurrying and bustling age we live in. Mr. Larue spoke of the position of New Orleans, placed at the outlet of the Valley of the Mississippi, which in the course of twenty years more, would contain perhaps 40,000,000 of inhabitants, and the vast bo dy of its commerce flowing through differ ent channels must go to that city—God and nature had willed it, and the puny ef forts of man could not reverse the law ! Bring the Atlantic and Pacific together by Railroad, said Mr. L., and what is the result? Place our population here and miners in California in close contact, and see what power it would add to the Gov ernment of the United States. It would bring wealth to our coffers, and the follow- ■ ers of ihe plough and those that wield the shuttle at tho loom would soon compe'e with the gold diggers with the West. I lie Island of Cuba must soon form a portion of this country, [loud applause ;] the pear is almost ripe—it will drop into our lap in time ; and this once in posses sion, and the Gulf of Mexico becomes a great inland sea, and New Orleans will be the Alexandria of the New World. With our Railroad to form part of this great sys tem, how would this country be advanced! Europe is about to become all Cossack America would be all Republic ! Let us strengthen ourselves by every means in our power—grasp every shield of defence, every weapon of attack ! One year will see the commencement of the Tehuantepec Road, and three years see the completion. We oppose no one in his views of another route. We do not war against our Northern brethren— we wish them every success; but, at the same time, here is a work in which we think that we can achieve something immedi ately. “IVo pont up Utien contracts our powers, Out the whole boundless continent is ours." The following Resolutions were adopt ed previous to the adjournment of the meeting: Resolved, That a communication across the Continent of America, cither by Ship Canal or Railroad, between the Atlantic and Pacific O ceans, is an object of the highest political and commercial importance to the Government and People of the United States, necessary to bind together the different parts of our Territory, and enable all our citizens to participate in and be protected by the Federal Government, and in the highest degree calculated to developc our re sources, extend our commerce, increase the wealth and power of the country, and add to the prosperity and happinessofthe people. Resolved, That we are in favor of the construc tion ofa Railroad to the Pacific entirely within the Territories ofthe United States, if, upon ex amination and survey, such Road shall be ascer tained to be practicable ; and that we will hearti ly aid, so far as our efforts may avail in the sup port and prosecution of such an undertaking, whatever may be the route which shall be final ly determined upon. Resolved, That wliilo we arc anxious to wit ness the completion of so great a national work, we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that many years must elapse before so desirable an end can be attained, and that in the mean time some other mode of rapid communication with our Territories on the Paeific is essential to the safe, ty and well being ofthe country, end would im mediately add to its commercial greatness. Resolved, That, in our opinion, a Railroad a cross the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the cheap est, speediest and best means of obtaining, at once, objects of such importance, and" that the people of New Orleans and Louisiana ought to and will aid in its construction without delay. Resolved, 1 hat the Delegates from this State to the Memphis Convention be requested to bring this subject before that body, and endeavor to obtain its concurrence with us in behalf of the Tehuantepec Railroad, as a present measure ben eficial to all, and as a most powerful aid, by de monstrating the great advantages of rapid com munication, in furthering the great work in favor of which the Convention is convoked. Resolved, That a Permanent Committee of Twenty gentlemen bo appointed to prepare an Address to the President, asking for the nego tiation ofa Treaty, if practicable, with the Gov. ernment of Mexico, permitting of the free trans portation of tho mails, troops and military stores of the Government, and of the goods and mer chandise of the citizens of the United States, a cross the Isthmus of 4'ehuuntepcc ; a memorial to Congress for the passage ofa law directing the Postmaster General and Secretary at War to make yearly contracts for the transportation o< the mails, troops and military stores from the At lantic to the Pacific ports of the United States, giving preference always to the shortest route, where the price is the same ; and an address to the Congress and People ofthe United States on the advantages of immediately constructing a Railroad at Tehuantepec, and generally to fur ther the object which this meeting basin view. A Resolution requesting subscriptions on the part of the City was passed, after which the meeting adjourned. From the Pendleton Messenger. Meeting of tlie Committee of Vigilance ami Safely. A meeting of the Committee of Vigi lance and Safety, for this District, took place in the Farmer’s Hall, on Saturday, the 30th ult., at the call of the Executive Committee, in relation to their course in taking possession of a number of docu ments or letters in the Post Office here, signed Junius, of an incendiary and aboli tion character, addressed to members of the Committee ; besides the Committee a large number of the citizens ofthe District were in attendance. After the proceed ings of the last meeting were read, F. Burt, Esq., from the Plxecutive Committee, sub mitted the following report, and placed the documents in question at the disposal of the meeting. REPORT. It is our duty, Mr. Chairman to report to this body, the actings and doings of the Lxecutive Committee since our last meet ing. \Y liether we have carried out the resolutions of the Committee of Vigilance and Safety, it is for you to determine. Whether we have transcended the powers with which we were clothed, it is for you to judge after we have laid the facts before you. Wc have been governed by the de sire only to protect the community, and promote the peace of our district in what we have done and rely confidently upon your approval and support. It is perhaps known to you, Mr. Chairman, that two weeks ago a large number of documents, sealed up as letters, and chargod with post age, were directed to the members of the Committee of Vigilance and Safety for this district; as soon as their character was known, they were taken from the Postmaster, who refused to give them up. Here, sir, are three malicious and insult ing documents ; of their evident tendency, and the object with which they have been thrown among us, we will speak after one of them has been read, (one of them was here read.) If, sir, one of our own citizens, in good faith, were to attempt to make these is sues, we should say that he had a perfect right to do so, no matter how much we might pity the delusion which made him abandon well regulated constitutional lib erty, well secured by the rules of law and order, for that chimerical idea of govern ment which places all written compacts and constitutions at the will of an absolute majority. That majority which in a gov ernment of one hundred voters, would take the tights and propeity secured by the constitution and laws to the minority of 49, and place them in the hands of the majority of fifty-one, or in other words, would place the whole power overthe one hundred in the hands of two men. This has not been the political faith of South Carolina, and we trust it never will be ; here it takes the concurring majority of two thirds to effect any change in our con stitution, and that majority, acting under rules laid down by the constitution and laws, not as bare majority ofa mob acting upon the principles of Dorrism, but by legislative enactment, or through the action of a Convention called in pursuance of law. These papers are said by some not to be incendiary , it is true, they are careful ly and artfully drawn. It would not do for them to strike openly at the institution they intend to destroy; these are their outer works ; when they are firmly estab lished, we may look out for an attack up on the citadel of our rights. But, Mr. Chairman, our political curiosity is exci ted to know what motive could actuate a citizen of Massachusetts, in thus volun teering to create a political revolution in South Carolina ? Does any one believe that their iove of Carolina is so great, or their love of liberty so strong, as to induce these close-fisted Yankees to spend their time and money to regenerate and politi cally disenthral the poor and ignorant Carolinian ? No, sir, this tale will never do, there is a deeper and a darker spirit at the bottom of this movement, and if we should nurse it into being, it would be hut to sting us to death. It is that spirit of plunder by which they have ever been ac tuated, which now urges them on to dis turb our peace, and raise civil strife among our people. But the author of this docu- ment says that lie is a South Carolinian ; if he is so, then has he been guilty of higher offences, which have driven him from his native land, for any Carolinian might with safety agitate these questions without tiie fear of being molested by any Vigilant Committee in our State. No, sir, his ig norance of our institutions proves that lieTs not a renegade or traitor, hut some inter meddling abolitionist, whose end is to sow discord among our people that lie may the more readily destroy the institutions of the South. But hear this benevolent reform er, this pure philanthropist, and then say if through the gauze which he throws over his language, his designs cannot be discov ered. “I see the soil that gave me birth so worn out, that .1 cannot ex’en exclaim with Byron, ‘Thy very weeds are beautiful,’ for it is now 100 poor to raise even a crop of thistles. I see my countrymen’s sons and daughters growing up in ignorance for the want of a common school system, by which the poor child may stand on the same pla’form with the wealthy. 1 see the people oppressed with burdensome militia trainings and patrols to guard the interests of the privileged few.” Is this not abolition, pure and unadulte rated ? What does he mean by the pecu liar interests of the privileged few, unless it is the institution of slavery, and is there any one so blind as not to see it ? What, sir, do they propose? Why, they threat en us with an almost entire repeal of the Constitution of South Carolina. The mi litia system is to be done away with, and the patrol law of course would fall. They propose to break down those harriers which have been thrown around our pecu liar institutions by the Constitution and laws ol tire State, and which have hereto fore foiled all their efforts to plant the seeds of abolition amongst us. We are told that our people are igno rant, that our press is muzzled, andUiat m all the elements of prosperity and great ness we are far behind the State of Massa chusetts, and that to regenerate our peo ple. and give them employment, manufac tories must be built up by legislative aid, our free school system, for the education of the poor, must be abolished, and that hotli rich and poor must be educated at the public expense. Can any one con ceive of language more impudent, false, and insulting than this ? If it were all true, would not the indignation of our peo ple he roused by the tannting manner in which it is addressed to them ? But it is not true ; the history of our country dis proves it, we have given as many (if not more) great and patriotic statesmen to the service of the Union as Massachusetts or any other State ; the statistics of our coun try prove that the mass of our people are much more prosperous and free than theirs, notwithstanding the plunder they have re ceived from the South by their unjust ta t iffs uhon her labor. \\ hy. then, this ma licious intermeddling with our affairs, if it is not to render our people dissatisfied with our institutions hy their unjust and unfair statements, and by elevating the ne gro, and degrading the white man, thus pave the way for an indiscriminate plun der of our property ? It has been deemed necessary to notice these points in the documents, taken by the Committee from the Post Office, with a view of showing their offensive charac ter. Those documents were addressed exclusively to the members of the Com mittee of V igilance, and as such we con sidered it to be our duty to take them from the office. We conceived that we were but carrying out tho resolutions adopted by this Committee in doing what we did on that occasion. AVe entered the Post Office Department, not for wantonness or mischief, but to protect ourselves from in sult and aggression. AVe exercised that great primary and inherent right of self defence, which authorizes a people to de fend themselves against internal dangers, and which by the laws of nature bolongto all communities. AVe trust we were actu ated by the same spirit that induced nur forefathers to throw the Tea into Boston harbor ; our object was to protect our rights from the impertinent interference of others. It there are any who deem our course hasty and violent, (but we trust there are none,) we invoke them to suspend their judgment, until that dark cloud which I forming from the northeast to the norffi west with fearful rapidity, and is threaten ing to devastate our homes and firesides shall have passed away, and then, if escape unscathed and unhurt, and 0 6 warning and action shall appear to been unnecessary, we will receive with submission their condemnation. But abov all, we invoke our fellow-citizens to brace themselves and prepare for coming events for as sure as the shadow accompanies th substance, there is trouble coming upon us, and ell of us should be “animis opii u . queparati," with heart and hand prepare to meet it. 1 After the reading of the report, H on R- F. Simpson offered the following re S n' lution : ° Resolved. That the report of the Exec utive Committee be accepted, and that their conduct in taking the letters, signed Junius, from the Post Office, be sustained and approved. Pending this resolution it was unani mously resolved, on motion of Dr. C. L Gaillard, That the citizens present at this meeting, not members of the Committee" be invited to vote on all questions brought before it. 6 The members of the Executive Com mittee, being excused from voting, the resolution offered hy Hon. R. F. Simpson was then carried without a dissenting voice. ° On motion of Dr. C. L. Gaillard, it was unanimously resolved, that a Committee of three he appointed to enquire what dis position has been made of the letters di rected to J. M. Barret, in the Post Office at Anderson C. H. Under this resolution, Dr. C. L. Gail lard, B. F. Sloan, and J. C. Eaton were appointed a Committee. Hon. li. F. Simpson offered the follow ing : Resolved, That the Executive Commit tee be required to open a correspondence with all the \ igilance Committees within this State, and submit to them first, the propriety of raising a fund in each district by general subscription, for the puipose of offering a reward for the delivery and conviction of the author or authors of any incendiary or abolition paper, sent through the Fost Office, or otherwise circulated within this State. It was suggested by R. A. Maxwell, Esq., a member of the Executive Com mittee, as an amendment to Hon. R. F. Simpson’s resolution, that as the Execu tive of our State was authorized to offer a reward for the apprehension and convic tion of criminals, that the Legislature should he memorialized to place in the hands of the Governor a fund to be em ployed by him in the detection of secret emissaries ofthe abolitionists, and the au thors of incendiary publications, and that this subject he also presented by our Cor responding Committee to the Vigilance Committees in the State. lhe suggestion was accepted, as an a mendment, hy the Hon. R. F. Simpson to Ids resolution, and unanimously adopt- On motion of I?. A. Maxwell, Esq., it was Resolved, f hat these proceedings be published in the Pendleton Messenger, and a copy he forwarded to his Excellen cy Gov. Seabrook. On motion of J. G. Bowden, Esq., the meeting then adjourned to the public square, and proceeded to burn the papers placed at their disposal, which being done, the crow dispersed in a quiet and orderly manner. F. N. GARVIN, Ch’n. D. S. 7 aylor, Secretary. Loafing;. Speaking of landlords reminds me of an amusing incident which transpired a few days since. A shabby-genteel individual, \\ ith a semi-philosophic look, sauntered in to an office in Nassau-st., with the owner of which he was acquainted. On entering he was greeted with— “Ah, Sam ? How arc you ? Glad to see you.” Bad, said Sam, shaking his head rue fully. “Every body does badly in the pre sent state of society. Now-a-days the rich grow richer, and the poor poorer.— i he employer preys upon the producer, and times will not get better until society is re-organized.” “Well, but Sam, don’t you think it would be better for you to go to work.— \ou now live on the working classes as much as any body else, and you do nothing for the wot id.” “I, 1,” said Sam ; ‘‘l do more for the world than if I worked. If I worked I vvould sustain the present false state of so ciety ; but I do not work ; I do not sustain it.” "What in the name of common sense do you do then 1” “I uphold the natural right of man to steal. Man has a natural right to take ami eat when hungry ; but he has no right to support a false state of society. Ido more than most men to break down society as it is. I never work ; I never pay rent; I havn’t done so for nineteen months ; I have cheated the landlord all the time.” AV ith this frank avowal Sam left the place without observing that one of the clerks had abstracted a fine silk handker chief fi •om his pocket. Ten minutes af terwards he rushed in again, and begged to know if any of them had taken the mis;- itig article. “I paid a dollar for it, and would not lose it on any account,” said he, “Doing a landlord is one thing, but taking a fellow's handkerchief out of his pocket is not right no how.” Sam finally got his handkerchief, hut he has since been careful where he broached the doctrine of man’s natural right to steal.— N. Y.Surt.