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VOL. XV.
THE GORGH .PFERSOIi&I.
IS PUBLISHED EVERT THCUSCAT MORNING
BY WILLIAM CLINE,
At Two Collars and Fifty {'Cents per an
nnQi or Two Collars paidiin advance.
A .>VKHT|Sh.M KNTS are Inserted #t ONE
DOI.T.AR |>or so tin re, (or I lie first insertion, arid
FIFTY CEJV TS per square, for cadi insertion
t hereafter.
A reiso-s .• rWsicoon will he made to those
who n;tvr*f : >’ • tiv tlie year.
Alt ,-rv.lisemeots e,t otherwise ordered, will
beeort r. ,el till I’nrhtrl.
1” * .’.'7/. F.S OF LANDS hy Administrator.*,
Mw-i'ors nr Oimdinns are required l>> law to he
held oti tlie first Tuesday in the. month, between
lh.* hours o ( ten in this forenoon anti three io tin
f:ernoon, nl the Ooiiit-Monse, in the county in
wtiidi the land is situated. Notice of these sale,
itvi( he iven in ■> nnhlic gazette FORTY DJI IS
pre*>ion ‘o tlie dav of
SiI.ES OF NEGROES must he mar’cal p.if
In: ntu'tmn on the first Tuesday of the month, l>
tween tlie usual hours of sale, at the place of piih
It sdi's in the county where the letters Testa
tien'.iry, of Administration or Guardianship mti
have been first .>ivin” FORTY /v7l
notice ll.etcnfin one of the puhlte ii7.ettes ol ll
S'a’i , an i at the court house w lune such paleaoi
to kr held.
Notice for sh Pile of Persona! Property must
b e;,-,.'! in likmanner FORTY DAYS previous
; >t ne dav of sate.
Notiee t. Debtors and Credi*nrs of an estate
must he published FORTY DAYS.
v 0 tieo that application will he made to the Court i
Ordniarv for leave to pell i.ajcd must be pub- j
lisiied lor Tiro MONTHS,
No’iec for leave to re it. negroes must be ■
puli ‘sh ‘d Tiro MONTHS before any order ah- j
srdule shall ho iiiaOe thereon hv the ('ourt.
CITATIONS for Lett-rs of Administration,
must t>e pnohsh-'d tiiirtt pats; for Dismission
fro-n \diniuistration, monthly six months; for
Dismission from Guardianship, forty day-.
RnlesTorthe foreclosure of Mort "ns 1 ’ must b*
puMished mokthi.t for four months, estnh
psli:n lost nanerp. lor the full space ol three
months; for eornpcllino titles from Kxeentorois
Aduiinistrators.wheie a !>om! tmsbeen “ivenhy
he a -I'd ttie fu'l p-aee of THREE Month®.
C rrespon Jence of the Charleston Courier.
ißterostint; Account of F!otldn.
Wfi.aka. (Fta ) Dec. 12, 1853.
The frequent inquiries made relative to j
Florida, especially by South Carolinians, |
induces me to address you a letter contain
ing some general information upon the
subject, and if you think it will prove in- j
foresting or valuable to any who are di-!
recti tig their attention to our State, you |
are authorized to copy it into your paper, j
It is an enigma to many who observe;
the geographical position of Florida, that j
with an area of 38,000,000 acres, she had j
in 1850 but 349,000 acres of improved J
land, and a population of only 68,000; 1
about 4T,000 of that number whites.
A review of her history will explain it.
For the last century Florida has not en- j
joyed repose uuder any government, of j
twenty years’ duration. In 17G3, the
Spaniards gave, up the Floridas to En
gland. In 1783—4, the English return
ed them to Spain, by which government
they were held until 1821, a treaty having j
been made for their cession to the United J
States in 1819.
While these political changes were tn- j
king place, internal difficulties occasionally ;
occnred with Indians, and invasions were j
made up in the provinces several times.—
In 1812 and Ihl3, East Florida was iura
ded by a body of quondam patriots, who
■were protected by rhe United States’ flag,
under pretence that it was a republican
movement on the part of tlie inhabitants;
but it was an arranged plan to obtain
-possession of the peninsula— our govern
.ment apprehending its oecupa ion by the
English during tlie war then pending.
This invasion was most disastrous to
Fast Florida. Every plantation in the
district was devastated, either by the U.
8. Troops and patriots, who were togeth
er, or by a lawless banditti, who remained
in the province after the troops left
‘he province did not recover from this,
before the cession to the United States,
and upon the change of flags iu lb’2l, !
almost every Castilian departed lor Cuba
The chief reason why a wealthy and
enterprising population did not at once
follow c .r flag into Florida, was that titles
to land were uncertain. Grants and do
nations having been made by England and
Spain to their respective subjects, upon
many of which conditions had been impo
sed, and no evidence could be readily ob
tained to show whether or not they had
been complied wifcn. in 1828, our gov
ernment appelated a Board of Commis
sioners, to attend to the investigation of
claims for grants and donations, and
•those were confirmed which were perfect
ed. ALer this Board ceased to act, other
•claims of the the same character were
acted cm by the U S. Court The most
important grants were the Arredondo
grant of 20 iniies square, and that to the
Duke of Aiiagon, of about 17,000,000
acres. The former was confirmed, and
the latter rejected. Titles to laud in
Florida can now be easily ascertained.
The war with the hteniinoles from 1835
to 1842, was a serious drawback upon
the prosperity of the territory generally,
but more especially upon the Eastern Dis
trict, it being the scat of war- Many sugar
and cotton plantations were destroyed
upon tlie Atlantic as well asiu the interior,
which were in beautiful operation. When
the war ceased in 1b42, a verbal under
standing was had with the Indians, that
they might remain undisturb and if they
remained peaceable in certain boundaries
assigned them
1 heir conduct has been such as to give
confidence of their intention to be quiet,
and the public mind generally is at rest
lespecliug any hostile action by them. It
is true that some are found who appre
bend the State is unsafe while any rem
nant even remains in it.; but I atn im
pressed fully with the belief that it is from
mistaken views of policy, or from sefish
motives, that any will advise hostilities
against them at any time when the pop
ulation and prosperity of the Mate is so
rapidly increasing and advancing. Indeed,
was it not referred to, it would not be
known that there are any Indians in the
Mate, as tuey never mingle with the
whites, and with the exception of a few
‘‘outsiders,” who straggle about to hunt,
tiiey remain continually within their boun
dary line.
Another objection to capitalists invest
ing money in Florida, previous to her be
coming a Slate, was teat bonds had been
issued by the Governor, (uuder authority
of law,) io the amount of several millions
of dollars, tor certain, banks in the terri
tory. The blanks failed, and it was sup
posed that the inhabitants would be taxed
to redeem this pledge of their territory
The question, however, was definitely
set led hy a provision in the Constitution
of the State, when she was admitted into
the Confederacy in 1845, which states dis
tinctly that the people of the State shall
not bo taxed to pay them.
Thus hare all scriouß difficulties been
adjusted and confidence in the resources
of Florida is shown by the tide of emigra
tion which is now flowing within her limits
The principal planting counties in East
Florida are Columbus, Marion, Sumter,
Hernando and Levy. The three first
named are the most populous and thriving.
Marion county, within the three past
years, has added several thousand to her
population from South Carolina alone, and
tlie result of the planting interest gener
ally has fully met the expectations of those
engaged in it.
The settlers in tlie vicinity of Ocala and
Micanopy, being chiefly from the South
State, that district is given the soubriquet
of “New Carolina,” and the number of
wealthy and respectable p'anters there
form a nucleus highly desirable for annex
j ation
1 In this vicinity, the Ends are fertile
i and in large bodies; but equally good
i lands may be found further south and west
j at much lower prices than sales ara made
iat there.
i I think a moderate estimate of the wild
land in East Florida fit (or general culti
vation is 2,500,000 acres—one half of this
first quality. At present the improved
land in the State docs not exceed 600,000
acres
The products of the Sta'e are sugar,
long and short staple, tobacco, turpentine
and yellow pine, live oak, red cedar and
cypress timber.
The shipment of yellow pine lumber
from St- John’s river the ensuing year
will reach 50,000,000 feet, the value of
which will be at the mills about $600,000.
I he ensuiug crop of East Florida, which
’ will pass out at the St. John’s, will amount
!to about $*150,000. More than half of
| this will come from Marion, Sumter a: and
! the lower part of Alachua counties. The
succeeding crop will be much increased,
jas lands are being opened to a large cx
; tent, and every steamer from Charleston
j is filled with emigrants at.d hands for the
planting district*.
Within an area of twenty miles square
around M canopy t'm r* are prairie and
swamp lands which could he reclaimed
at an expense of from SSO,OOO. sufficient
to raise 100,000 hogsheads of sugar, and
notwithstanding the cultivation of long
cotton is so favorable, I believe that the
principal crop of East Florida, befute ma
ny years', will be sugar.
Os the towns in East Florida, Jackson
ville is the most tbriring. Population
about 2 500 The business of the place
is chiefly from the influence of sis een
steam saw mill*, in its vicinity, their shij>-
tnents amounting to about 40,000,000
feet.
S'. Augustine, scout 5,000 population,
floes but a small business It is the most
healthful city in the United Stales, both
summer and winter.
Middleburg, on Black Creek, is a small
village, but ships lrge quantity of cot
ton Irom AUchua and Columbia coun
ties.
Pnlaika is the county site of Putnam
county, is the terminus of the steamers
from Charleston and Savannah, and the
depot for the produce and merchaadise
received and forwarded for the inletior
counties, and upper S'. Johns. It is pros
pering. The population was about 150
a year since, it is now about 500.
Welaka, about 25 miles above PMat
ka, is a place just springing up. which
bids fair to become a depot for the pro
duce from the Ociawaha River, as it is
situated immediately opposite the mouth
of that stream, upon a high and pleasant
bluff. Big L ike Gft’O'ge, and Auzia Is
land. lies 12 miles above Welaka, and
about 80 miles furher is Lak< Monroe,
upon whidi are situated Enterprise and
Millervilie.
Ocala, the county site of Marion
county, is in the Interior, 55 tt iles
Irom Palatka, and 80 tnrfe- from the cele
brated Orange Springs. Tnis is a busi
ness place of about 800 population.
Tlie-e is a seminary under good direction,
with about 100 male and female pupils.
Micanopy i-t a village of 140 population,
surrounded by a very respectable com
munity, and most fetile lands.
Upon the Ociawaha, Sdver Spring is
the head point of navigation, and ships
the produce from the country around 6-
cala Fort Brooke, on the Ociawaha, is
of some importance, as it will be the ship
ping point of most of the produce raised
in the vicinity of Orange Lake, Micanopy,
and the Alachua prairie
Newnansville, the late county site of
Alachua county, is further interior, about
70 miles from Palatka, and some 45 from
Middleburg. It is a town of g >u.e stand
ing and trade, and ships her produce and
receives merchandize at Middleburg.
Gainesville is the new county site of
Alachua county, situated about 15 miles
northwestei ly from Micanopy, and is in
the midst of the richest section of plant
ing lands.
Lands in Eust IGorida, hut more par
ticularly in Marion county, have ad
vanced from 100 to 500 per cent. Some
tracts of land held at $3 per acre, thiee
years since, have been lately sold at from
sls lo S2O per acre. Tuere is much
good land to be had now, at from $3 lo
$5 per acre, but it must be hunted out.
Land seekers should not trust to steam
boats and stage< wheo they want land,
but bring with them their saddle horses
and camping blankets.
Business capital is small in East Flor
ida, compared with the amount of trade;
but as tlie country is prosperous, it suffi
ces tor ordinary purposes, there being no
extensive operations in produce. Tuere is
not a.iy bank in Florida, nor will there
probably be any, os the banks of South
Carolina and Georgia are in good stand
ing, and can supply all the money facil
ilies required by legitimate business trans
actions, and an agricultural country is
belter without banks.
The population of Florida increased
trorv 1840 so 1350 fifty six per can', Jt
GRIFFIN, (GA.) THURSDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 10, 1854.
will increase more than one hundred per
cent, m the present ttrm of ten yeaiS:
To refer to the climate of Florida would
be superfluous, as it is so will known •<>
be salubrious and heat.hy. The census
of ISSO reports her as the most healthy
State on the Atlantic and the fourth in
the confederacy, including the new Wes
tern Slates, which are not on an equality,
as their population is chiefly of a lb trier
character.
In mv endear or to be brb f in this
communication, and yet wishing to be
general, 1 feel I have not done justice to
Florida, nor, indeed, to myself; but it is
so lengthy I must conclude it, and shall
do so with a few comments.
There is no State in’ the Confederacy
w hich presents greater permanent induce
ments to the emigrant or capitalist than
does Florida at this time. Ev t ry one
who is industrious, prudent and attentive to
their business is prospering, no matter in
what channel his energies are directed.
Florida is yet but a wilderness —every
day develops some new source of interest
or profit. With a soil and climate adapt
ed to the productions of most northern,
as well as most tropical plants and fruits,
the advantage over Cuba is a great one,
because social relatioi a are better, and
the facility of communication with every
place is easier.
The connection with the North, affotd
ed by the elegant and safe steamers
from Charleston and S-ivanuah, is of
great consideration, and the comforts of
the voyage alone induce persons to visit
Florida; and to see the noble St. John’s
“J he Uiver of Lakes,” flowing in its
majestic tide from a source over 300
miles from its outlet, will well repay the
voyager foi the time expended.
To Charleston, East Florida is jusdy
becoming a district of much commercial
inpotlance. The character of her | ro
duee is adapted to ’.he Charleston market,
and the sympathy be’wven the two places !
is strong, from the citcun.s.auce of so j
m.ny of Florida’s best citizens being
emigrants from South Carolina.
The internal imorovements of Florida
have not yet commenced, but she will
not long slumber. The proposed rail
road from Cedar Keys, on the Gulf of
Mexico to the Atlantic ocean, will soon be
carried on, and must prove of the high
est advantage, not only to the peninsula
of Flotida, but to the commercial inter
ests of the couotrv at large. Other plans
are maturing for the developement of the
planting interests as well as commercial.
With much respect, &c.,
J. D. BUY ANT.
An Incident of Hunter Life
Some years ago, while residing in Lou
isiana, I was told a squatter’s story,
which I have reason to believe to be true
in every particular. I had it from the
squatter himself, and that is ray reason for
endorsing its truth, as I knew the narra
tor, rude creature though he was. to be a
man of undoubted veracity. As an inci
dent of hunter life, the story may possess
some interest for the general reader; but
to the naturalist it w ill be equally inter
esting, as illustrating a curious trait in the
character of a conger, as well as all other
preying animals, when under the influence
of fear—the fear of some common danger.
These lose at times all their ferocity, and
will not molest even those animals upon
which they are accustomed to prey. I
have observed this forebearance oftentimes
myself, but the story of the squatter will
fully illustrate it. 1 shall give it in the
language that fell from his own lips, as
nearly as I can remember it:
“Wal, stranger, we hev floods hyur in
Loozyanny, sich as, I guess, you’ve” never
seed the like o’ in England. England
ain’t big enough to hev such floods. One
o’’em ud kiver yur whole country, I hev
heern said. J won’t say that ar’s true, as
1 ain’t acquainted with yur jography. I
know, howsoindever, they’re mighty big
freshets hyur, as I hev sailed a skift mor’u
a hundred mile acrost one o’ ’em, vvhar
tlmr wan’t nothin’ to be seen but cypress
tops peepin’ out o’ the water. The floods,
as ye kuow, comes every year, but them
ar big ones only onest in a while. Wal,
about tcu yeers ago, I located in the lied
River bottom, about fifty mile or thar a
bout below Nacketosli, wliar I built me a
shanty. I had left my wife an’ two young
critters in Mississippi state, intendin’ tc
go back for ’em in the spring; so, ye see,
1 war all alone by myself, exceptin’ my
ole mar, a Collins’ axe, an’ of coorse my
rifle.
“1 lied finished the shanty all but chink
in’ an’ the buildin’ o’ a chimbly, when
what shud come on but one o’ ’em tarna
tion floods. It war at night when it begun
to make its appear; ue. I war asleep on
the floor o’ the shanty, an’ the first warn
in’ 1 hed of it war the feel of the water
soakin’ through my ole blanket. I hed
been a dreamin’ an’ tliort it war rainin’
and then agin I tliort I war bein’ drownd
ed in the Mississippi; but I wan’t many
seconds awake, till 1 guessed what it war
iu reality; so 1 jumped to my feet like a
started buck, and groped my way to the
door. A sight that war when 1 got thar!
I hed clurred a piece o’ ground around tlie
shanty-a kupple o’acres or better. I
hed left the stumps a good three feet high •
thar wan’t a stump to be seen. Aly clearin’’
stumps an’ all, war under water; an’ 1
could see it shinin’ among the trees all
around the shanty. Os coorse, my first
tliorts war about my rifle; an’ I turned
back into the shanty, an’ laid tny claws
upon that quick enough. I next went in
search o’ my ole mar. She wan’t hard to
find; for if ever a critter made a noise, she
did. bho war tied to a tree dost by the
shanty, an’the way she war a squallin’
was a caution to cats. I found her up to
the belly in water, pitchin’ an’ flounderin’
all round the tree. She hed nothin’ on
but the rope that she war hitched by.—
< Both saddle and bridle lied been washed
away; so l made the rope into a sort of
halter, and mounted her bare backed
Jest then I begun to think whar I war a
goin’. ihe hui country appeared to be
; under water; and the nearest neighbor I
hed lived acrost the parairy ten miles off.
I knew that his shanty sot on high ground,
‘but how war 1 to get thar. It war night;
I mout loose my way, an’ ride chuck into
the river. When 1 thort of this, I con-
cluded it mout;Jbe, better to* stay by my
own shanty till fhornin’. I could hitch the
mar inside to keejl.hcr from bein’ floated
away; and for meself, I could climb on the
roof. Howsomdever, while I warthinkin’
cm this, [ noticed that the Water war a
deepening, and it jest klm into my head
that it ud soon be deep enough to drownd
my ole mar. For meself, I wan’t, fright
ened. I mout climb a tree, and stay
thar till the flood fell; bnt I -fluid a lost
the mar. and that critter war too valleybie
to think of sich a saerifize, sb 1 matje’uj)
my miiul to chance crossing tlie pa fairy.
*Tliar wan’t no time to be wasted—never a
uiinnit; so f gin the mar a kick or two in
the ribs and started.
“I found the path put to the edge o’ the
parairy easy enough. I hed blazed it
when I fust come to the place; an’, as the
night war not a very dark one, I could
see the blazes as I passed atween the
trees. My mar knew tlie track as well as
meself, an’ swaltered through at a sharp
rate, for she knew too thar wan’t no tune
to be wasted. In five rainnib; we kiin out
oa the edge o’ the parairy, an’ jest as I
expected, the lml thing war kivered with
water, an’ lookin’ like a big pond. I
could see it shinin’ clur acrost to the ot!mr
side o’ openin’ As luck ud hev it, I could |
jest git a glimp o’ the trees an the ljur side!
o’ the parairy. T har war a big clump o’j
cypress, that I could see plain enough; I f
knew this war dost to my neighbor’s j
shanty; so I gin my crittcrdke switch, an’j
struck right for it. As I left the timmer,
the mar war up to her hip’s. Os course, I <
expected a good grist o’ heavy wadin’; but!
I hed no idee that the water war agwine j
to git much higher; thar’s whar I “made j
my mistake. I kecin’t got morn a kupple j
o’ miles out, when I diskivered that the
thin a; war a-risin’ rapidly, for I seed the j
mar war a gettin’ deeper an deeper.
‘Twan’t no use turnin’ back Yjdw. I but
loose the mar to a dead sartinty, if I diu’ut
make the high “round, So I spoke to
the critter to do her best, an’ keep on.—
The poor beest did’nt need any whippiu’
—she knew as well’s I did meself thar war j
danger, an’ she war a doin’ her darndest, I
an’no mistake. Still the water riz, an’l
kep a risin’, until it come clur up to her!
shoulders. 1 begun to git skeart in aim-;
est We wan’t more’u half acrost, an’ 11
seed if it riz much more we’d hev to!
swim for it. I wan’t far astray hout :
that The rninnit arter it seemed to i
deepen suddintly, as if thar wan a hollow
in the parairy: I heard the mar give a
loud gouf, an’ then go down, till I war up
to the waist. She riz agin the next uiin
nit, but I could tell from the smooth, rulin’
that she war off o’ ttie bottom. She war 1
swimmin’, an’ no mistake.
‘ At fust I thort o’ headin’ her ha'ck to
the shanty, an’ I drew her round with that j
intent; but turn her which way I would, I;
found sue could no longer touch bottom. 1
I guess, stronger, I war in a qnandairy |
about then. 1 ’gun to think that both my I
own at/ my mar’s time war come in airnest, j
for I had lo idee that the critter could i
iv-er swim to the other with 1
me on her back, an’ particularly as at that \
time these hyur ribs had a sight more!
griskin upon ’em than they hev now. 1 •
wan’t much under two hundred at the !
time, and that ar no light weight, I reck
in. Wal, I war about reckinin’ up. 11
hed got to thinkin’ o’ Mary an’ the chil-!
der, an’ the ole shanty in the Massissippi,
an’ a heap o’ things that I hed left *un-j
settled, an’ that now come into my mitul |
to trouble me. The mar war still plungin’!
ahead; but 1 seed she war sinkin’ deeper’
an’ deeper, an’ fast loosin’ her strength, ’
an’ 1 knew she could’nt hold out much
longer I thort at this time that if I got!
off o’ her back, an’ tuk- hold of her tail,
she mout manage a leotle better. So I;
slipped backwards uver her hips, and?
grupped-her longhair. It did do some!
good, lor she swum higher; but we got 1
mighty slow through the water, an’ 1 lied
but leotle behopes we should reach land. !
“1 war towed in this way about a quar
ter o’ a mile, when I spied somethin’ fioat
in’ on the water a leetle ahead It hod
growed considerable darker; but thar war
still light enough to’ shew me that the
thing war a log. An idee now entered
my brain-pan, that l mout save meself by
takin’ to the log The map- ’nd then have
a better clianct for herself; an* maybe,
when eased o’ draggin’ my carcass, that
war a-keepiu’ her back, she mout make
lootin’ some whar. So I waited till she
got a little eloster; an’ then lettin’ go o’
her tail, 1 clasped the log, an’ crawled on
to it. The mar swum on, aperintiy ’itont
missiu’ me. 1 seed her disappear thro’
the darkness; but 1 did’ut as much as way
good-bye to her, for 1 war afeared that
my voice mout bring her back agin; an’
she mout strike the log with her hoofs, an’
whammel it about, bo I lay quiet, an’
let her hev her own way.
“1 wau’t long on the log till 1 seed it
war a driftin’, for thar war a current in
the water that set tol’uble sharp acrosst
the parairy. I had crawled up at one
ccnd, an’got stridelegs; but as the log
dipped considerable, I war still over the
hams in the water. 1 thort Lmont be
more corafutftble towards the middle, an’
war about to pull the thing more under
me, when all at once I seed thar war
somethin’ clumped up on t’other eend o’
the log. ’Twan’t very clur at the time,
for it had been a growin’ cloudier ever
since I left the shanty, but ’twar clur
enough to show me that the thing war a
i varmint: what sort, 1 could not tell, it
mout be a bar, an’ it mout not; but 1 lied
my suspects it war eyther a bar or a pain
ter. 1 wasn’t left long in doubt about the
thing’s gender. The log kep makin’ cir
cles as it drifted, an’ when the varmint
kiin round iuto a different light, 1 caught
a glimps o’ its ejes. 1 knowd them eyes
to be no bar’s eyes: they war painter’s
eyes, an’ no mistake. 1 reckin, stronger,
1 felt very queer jest about then. 1 didn’t
try to go any uearcr the middle o’ the
log; but instead o’ that, 1 wriggled back
until 1 war right plum on the eend o’ it
au’ could git no further. Thar 1 sot for a
good long spell ’ithout movin’ hand or foot,.
1 darn’t make a motion, as 1 war afeard
it mout tempt the varmint to attack mo
1 had no weepun but my knife; 1 lied let
go o’ my rifle when I slid from the mar’s
back, an* it hed gone to the bottom long
since. 1 wan’t in any condition to stand
a tussel with the painte* nohow; so l war
detarmined to let him alone as long’s he
’ud me.
“Wal, we drifted on for a good hour, I
guess ’ithout eyther o’ us stirrin’. We
sot face to face; an’ now an’ then tlie cur
rent ’ud set the log in a sort o’ tip an’
down motion, an’ then the painter tut’ I
kep bowin’ to each other like a pair o’
[ bobsawyers. I could sec nil the while
{ that the varmint’s eyes war fixed upon
mine, nn’ ! never tuk mine from hisn; 1
knewd ’tw tv the only way to keep him
! stili.■
“1 war jest prospectin’ what hid be tlie
I endin’ o’ the business, when I seed we war
gettin’ closier to the timmer; twnn’t more
than two miles off, lot *twar all under
water -’ccpUti’ the tops o’ the trees. I
war thinkin’ that when the log shed float
in among the branches, i mout slip off. an’
git my claws upon a tree, ’ithout savin’
anythin’ to my travailin’ companion. Jest
at that minnit somethin’ appeared dead
ahead of the log. It war like a island;
but what could hev brought a island thar?
Then I recollects that 1 bed seen a piece
o’ hiah ground about that part o’ the pa
rairy—a a >rt o’ mound that hed been
tnadu by injuns, I ’spose. This, then, that
I looked like a island, war the top o’ that
j mound, sure enough. The log war a
! driftin’ itt sich a way that 1 seed it must
l pass within twenty yards o’ the mound I
I determined then, as soon as we shed git
; alongside, to put out for it, an’ leave the
j painter to continue his voyage ’ithout me
“When T fast sighted the island I seed
somethin’ that I hed tuk for bushes. But
thar warr.’t no bushes on the mound —that
I knowd. Ilowsomedevor, when we got
a ietie closer, 1 diskivered that the bushes
war bechts. They war deer; for I spied a
pair o’ buck’s horns, atween me an’ the
sky. But thar war a horse I war right
’bout that, for a horse it war, sure enough,
or rayther I shed say, a mar, an’ that mar
no other than my ole critter! A.ter
partin’ company, she li?.cl .turned with the
current; an’ as good luck ‘ud hev it, lied
swum in abe line for the island, an’ thar
she stood lookin’ as slick as if she hed
been greased. The log- hed by this time
got nigh enough, as I kulkclated; an’ with
as little rumpus as possible, I slipped over
the eer.d an’ let go mv hold o’ it. I wau’t
right spread in the v a ter, afore I lieerd
a plump, an’ lookin’ round a bit, I seed
the painter hed left the log, and tuk the
water too! At fast, I thort lie war arter
me; air I drawd iny knife with one hand,
while I swam with the other But the
painter didn't mean fight that time. lie
made but poor swimmin’ himself, an’ ap
peared glad enough to get upon dry groun’
’ithout molestin’ me; so we swum on side
by side, an’ not a word passed atween us.
1 didn’t make a race o’ it; so I let him
pass me, rayther than that he should fall i
behind, an’ get among my legs. Ofcour.se, |
lie landed fust; an’ I could hear by the
stompin’ o’ hoots, that his suddiut appear
ance hed kicked up a jolly stampede a
ntong the critters upon the island. I
could see both deer an’ mar dancin’ all
over the gronu’ as if Old Nick himself hed
got among ’em. None o’ ’em, liowsom
dever, thort o’ takin’ to the water. I hey
hed all lied enough o’ that, 1 guess. I
kep a leetle round, so as not to laud near
the painter; an’ then, touchin’ bottom, I
climbed quietly up on the mound. I hed
hardly (lrawd my drippin’ carcass out o’
the water, when 1 hern a loud squeal,
which I knew to be the whigher o’ my ole
mar; an’jest at that minnit the critter kirn
; runnin’ up, an’ t übbed her nose agin my
j shoulder. I tuk the halter in my hand,
an’ sidling round a leetle, I jumped upon
her back, for I still war in fear o’ the
painter; an’ the mar's back appeared to
me the safest place about, an’ that v,airt
very safe, I reckiu.
I now looked all around to see what
new company I hod got into. The day
war jest breakup, an’ 1 could distinguish
a ieeile better every minnit The top o’
the mound which war above water wan-’t
over half an acre in size, an’ it war as clear
o’ timmer as any other part o’ the parairy,
so that I could see every iuch o’ it, an*
everythin’ on it as big as a tumble-bug
I reelin’, stranger, that you’ll hardly be
lieve me when 1 toll you the concatenation
o’ varmints that war then an’ thar can
cased together. I could hardly believe
my own eyes when I seed such a gatherin’,
an’ I thort 1 hod gut aboard o’ Noah’s
Ark. Thar war—listen, stranger fust
my ole mar an’ mescif, an I wished both
o’ us anywliar else, L reckiu -then thar
war the painter, yur ole acquaintance
then thar war four door, a buck an’ .hree
docs. Then aim a catamount; an’ arter
him a coon an’ a possum, an’ a kupplc o’
gray wolves an’ a.swamp rabbit, an’ darn
die tiling! a stiukin’skunk, Perhaps the
last w wPt the most dangerous varmint on
the groan’, but it sartiniy war the most
disagreeable o’ the hull lot, for it smelt on
ly as a cussed polecat can smell.
‘T’ve said, stronger, that I war mightily
tuk by surprise when 1 fust seed this curi
ous Ganjamfrey o’ critters; but 1 kin toil
you l war still more dut.ifoended when I
seed thar behavoyar to one another, kn. w
itP thar uuLrent tutors as I did. Thar
war the painter lyin’ (dose up to the deer
-•■its nathvd prey; an’ thar war the wolves
too; air thar war the catamount, standiu’
within three feet o’ the possum an’ the
swamp rabbit; an’ thar war the bar an’
the cuuniu’ oid coon; and thar they all
war, no more riihidin’ one another than if
they lied spent all thar days together in
the same pen. ’Twar the oddest sight I
ever seed; an’ it remembered me o’ a bit
o’ Scriptur my ole mother hod often read
from a book called the liible, or some s;ch
name—about a lion* that war so tame he
used to squat down beside a lam’ ’iihout
layin’ a claw upon the innocent critter
*VaI, strenger, as Pse sayiu’, the hull par
ty bell ivod iu tiiis way Tney all appear
ed down in the mouth, an’ badly skeurt
about the water; but for all that, 1 lied
my fears that the painter or the bar—l
wan’t afeard o’ any o’ the others mout
git over thar fright afore the flood fell;
an’ tliariore I kep as quiet as any o’ them
durm’ the hull time t war in thar compa
ny , an’ stayin’ all the time close by the
mar. But ueyther bar nor painter showd
any savage sign the hui o’ the next day,
nor the night that tbllored it.
■‘Strenger, it ‘ud tire you war I to tell
you all tiia movements that tuk place u
nioug these eritturs durln’ that long day,
an’night. IS’e’er a one o’’em laid tooth
or claw on the other. I war hungry
enough myself, an’ ’ud a like to her taken
a steak from the buttocks o’ one o’ the
deer, but 1 darn’t do it. 1 war afeard
to break the peace, which mout a led to a
general shin iy. When day broke, nest
mornin’ arter, I seed that the flood war a
failin’; an’ as soon a* it war shallow
enough I led my mar quietly into the wa
ter, an’ climbin’ upon her back, tnk a si
lent leeve o’ my companions. The water
still tnk rny m- r up to the flanks, so that
I knowd none o’the rarmints could follow
without swimmin’, an’ ne’re one seemed
inclined to try a swim. 1 struck direct
for my neighbor's shanty, which 1 could
see about three miles off, an’ in an hour or
so 1 war at his door. Thar I didn’t stay
long, but borrowin’ an ex ra gun which he
happened to her, an’ takiu 1 him along with
his own rifle, 1 waded my mar back to
the island.
“We found the game not exactly as I
bed left it The fall o’ the flood hed gi
ven the painter, the cat, an’ the wolves
courage. The swamp rabbit an’ the pos
sum war clean gone—all but bits o’ tiiar
wool—an’ one o’ the does war bettcr'n
half devoured My neighbor tukoue side
an’ 1 the other, an’ ridin’ close up, we
surrounded the island I plugged the
painter at the fust shot, an’ he did the
same for the bar. We next layed out the
wolves, an’ arter that cooi.ey, an’ then we
tuk our time about the deer—these last
an’ the bar bein’ the only valley'ble things
on the island ‘1 he skunk wm kilt last, as
we did’ut want the thing to stink us off
the place, while we war a skinnin’ the
deer. Arter killin’the skunk, we in mut
ed an’ left, o’ course, loaded with our bar
meat an’ venison. 1 got my rifle arter
ail. When the flood went down, 1 found
it near the middle o’ the parairy, half bu
ried in the suldge.
“1 saw 1 had built my shanty in the
•wrong plr.ee; but 1 soon looked out a bet
ter location, an’ put up another. I hod
ail ready in the spring, when 1 went back
to Massissipjfl, and brought out Mary an’
the two young’ uns.”
Thus ended the sq latter’s story.
From Ihe Fuyeltevillc [Ark.] Independent.
fllaiskey Jluiiitinsr in South Atao
rica.
[The following is from an 01. l acquaint
ance who lias not given any item of bis
whereabouts for nearly four years. It
was not intended for publication, but the
writer is a utilitarian, and would not
object to any step that would afford infor
mation.]
Rio PaxdeMair, )
Columbia, 8, A. April 23, 1853.)
My Dear Friend: I am now in the
midst y of a heavy speculation in these
tropical wilds. My camp is on a small
tributary of the Oronoco river, about
three hundred miles from the sea coast. —
I have been here about three yeurs, and
suppose that my old mother thinks 1 am
dead, for l have not written to her since 1
was at Panama in ’49, and then I was on
my way to California, and wrote her to
tiiat effect. When 1 was at Panama I
got acquainted with a Frenchman, a gen
tleman from Paris, who led me to embark
in my present enterprise by repeated con
versations.
The w either is hot here almost all the
year round. We have a very long rainy
season, but it is hot iu the hardest rains.
My hut is covered with flags and plantain
leaves about three feet thick. It is tho
roughly wa'cr proof, and in the rainy
season I be up like a bear, but in place
of sucking my paw I suck a smattering of
the Spanish language from Cubi’s Spanish
Grammer, and Neuman and Barti’s dic
tionary There are a great many vile
tribes of Indians in the country that talk
a kind of bastard Spanish, which is the
cause of my studying Spanish in the win
ter.
Well, the great speculation I am in.—
What do you think it is? Guess! lam
engaged in monkey limiting. This may
seem strange, when you recollect how
sobersided 1 used to be. lam sobersided
yet. 1 never forget m\ dignity. And I
hunt monkeys with all the gravity of mor
al and gentlemanly character. Not being
surrounded with suitable companions, or
a population of any kind that is worthy
of close observation, I have turned my
attention to other things. There being
no worthy human nature to study, I study
monkey nature, ancl you would be aston
ished, my dear old friend, to see how near
ly our races approximates iu numberless
instances to. that annual. •
But before proceeding further, I ought
perhaps .to give you the reason why 1 am
engaged in my present occupation. Men
do not hunt monkeys for nothing. Least
of all, do 1. The l'Touch gentleman whom
1 have just mentioned led me into a secret
that determined mein the matter. He as
sured me that nine tenths of the splendid
kid gloves worn by the gay deceivers and
killing belles of the e;,lightened world were
made us pure monkey hide. I need not
consume space by informing you of the
means 1 took to dekrmine the truth of
li;s assertion. But I was satisfied, and 1
am daily destroying tno link that (On*
nects us with the great animal kingdom.
1 get from twenty to forty cents for
every monkey I deliver to Carrerory Her
mano, at the cry of Cumana, on the coast.
I make only one trip a year with my
peltries, and that is just before the rainy
season sets iu. I have three pack rau es
that carry in all three thousand skins.—
Each skin averages about a quarter of a
pound. 1 limit myself to twelve monkies
a day. 1 could kill ten times that mauy
were 1 disposed, but I cannot take care
of the hides ofmore. You have no idea of
the immense number of these animals that
abound in the woods. I really believe 1
liave seen a thousand up one tree. They
not only cover the limbs, but hang tail
twined with fail, from the lopmost branch
es to the ground. Early of a mornii g,
nature seems one coutiuued scream and
chattering, and you car. conceive that
nought else was iu existance.
Vv ere I with you, how dtdiglitfu ly we
could wmleawayihe hours with mon
key tales. 1 have had some thrilling ad
ventures. Monkeys sometimes fight like
men. About a week ago, however, 1
?aw a novel battle. Two vigorous young
chaps seized ech other’s tails with their
teeth, and chawed away till they weie
both left tailless. O ce my camp was
destroyed whilst I win out on an expedi
tion. The little rascals tore the cover off
tny hut and ate up cv rv morsel of pro
visions 1 had it) store. I trot back just as
I saw one fellow take a bite off a chunk
of fiie. They all ran offns 1 approached,
and carried every rag l possessed, leav
ing me without a change rtf clothing. I
vras forced to make a trip to Cumuua for
supplies.
Toe methods I use to get hold of mon
keys are many. 1 sometimes shoot them
with a ‘‘small De inger,” as Tom used to
say. But this is only when they are shy.
T have several gins and traps that would
do credit to the ingenuity of a vankee.
In times of great p!en‘y 1 club theta.
But I need not specify the vaiious con
trivances for capturing t ietn.
My heart almost fails me sometimes.
You cannot conceive how strongly the
thought comes uppermost in mv mind
that these creatures are human. My hand
re rubles, and I am . I most u nuved when
I strike one that most m ukedly rtsem
oles an old friend. Yesterday 1 slew one
(hat for ail me .verb! looked like old Jmr.-
tny that usod to live over tho river. 1
have btcn reminded of gay scene* and
happy limes in watching them. I could
tell you of many aeis of natural and inimi
table politeness I have seen them per
form; and a kind of mist comes over my
eyes when I see a certain beautiful she
monkey that recalls one 1 fondly loved iu
Kentucky. lMy hand has never been
raised against that monkey. She ought
to be dressed.
How long I shall continue in this busi
ness I cannot say. I hope to make
enough at it before I t^uit to tender me
independent. Then l shall return, and,
l.ko Othello, woo and win my Desdemoua
>y telling her father monkey tales, whilst
s. e sits listening, w ith a hear’ all inno
cent, and drinking in the renowned ad
ventures of her future lord.
1 know my dear old friend, a grin will
grab the mouth of every one at the men
tion of a monkey’. But I never see aay
thing ludicrous about the n. They are
certainly useful in their place. They are
sought moat eagerly by the kid g'ove ma
kers of the French capital, Doubtless
th re is no y ung 1. and i all the Union
that m kes pretensions to fashion that
does not boast the glories of a monkey.
She may be unconscious of it. But so
suieasshe exhibits upon her taper fin
gers a suporfine article of kid glove, so
surely is she adorned with th 9 beautiful
that is extracted fiom the monkey.—
And when a too happy swain receives
a glove from the hand of his lady-love,
in token of h s favor in her eyes, a*
he pits ee the memento to his heart,
he can be more highly exalted in his hap
piness, by the thought that he is folding
a monkey there.
I must close, having too long perhaps,
dwelt on a tiresome subject; but, my dear
friend, 1 have nothing else to write about.
Dunk let any of my people know where
I am, or the business Ia n engaged in. i
may write you again before 1 leave here.
Till then farewell. As of old, y >urs in all
affsctiou.’ OLIVER SCO IT.
From the JVVio Orleans True Delta.
Burning of the Steamboat Geor
gia-great Bo sos Life ad i*vo
perty.
One of terribly heart rending dis
asters which but too ofteu occur, and
which bring desolation and deep sorrow
on many a social and domestic circle, took
place between the hours of 11 and 12 o’-
clock on Saturday night last, at the Lake
terminus of the Carrollton and Poatehar
train Railroad. We refer to the loss by
fire of the steamboat Georgia, of which
brief mention was made iu our issue of
Sunday morning
The Georgia, Captain Roberts, it ap
pears, arrived at the railroad wharf at a
bout 11 o’clock. She had 180 passengers
on board, and was heavily loaded with
cotton. The bow line had been made fast
to the wharf, and two of the de?k hands
were engaged in drawing in the stern of
the steamer, when the fire was discovered
bursting out with amazing rapidity above
the boilers.
Strange to say, the men who were haul
ing in the steamer’s stern dropped the rope
they had hold of and the body of the ves
sel swung off again from the wharf. The
flames now spread with uncontrolable fury,
and a minute had scarcely elapsed before
a general conflagration prevailed in every
portion of the?ill fated vessel. The screech
es of affrighted men, wohieu and children;
the fierce crackling of the fire-fiend; the
loud bray of mules and the bellowing of
oxen, maddened by the heat and smoke
which surrounded them, mingled iu strange
and terrible di-cordauce. Imagination
may for:a for itself some faint picture of
Vu3 scene, but description fails!
The passengers were chiefly fro u Ala
bama, being p anters, with their families
and negroes, on their way to Texas —-
Some, frantic with terror,
.2s- eager to anticip i'.e their graves.”
while some, with superhuman might, fl inj
their children from the hurricane deck to
the wharf, and leaping after them, were
mutilated and saved, or perchance, were
drowned. Most of the children who were
thus flung on t-he wharf were more or 1c33
injured by bruises or dislocations. One
woman, who fell or jumped from the cabin
floor to the main deck, was caught on tha
points of the horns of ah infuriated ox and
was torn most and eadfully. But the ox
threw her into the water and she wan
saved. Os the negroes on board of the
boat twenty, at lea-t, were lost—some
plautors losing all they had and some but
a few. Scarcely a single family was saved
entire. A father, who had rescued his
wife and six children, wont back for a
seventh and was lo>t. A young raau re
turned to the boat to look for a female
friend, but the flames “yawned around
h.ra like a hell,” and he was numbered
with the “uureturnuig brave.” A father
saved three of his children, but his wife
an 1 six others left their ashes iu the fune
ral pyre of the Georgia.
A young husband lost his wife, and he
sat apart on the wharf as if indiff rent to
whatever else might befall.him. A child’
Three months old was taken to the hotel l ,
No- 7.