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Inclined’ < Urrel.
Wo board that prince of story-tellers,
Tom Calloway, got oif the following, !
amidst bursts of laughter, tlic other j
night. Squaring himself and stretching ;
out his legs, he began: i
“There was om:c a little, slim-built fel
low, rich as a .Tew, and independent as
tho devil, riding along a highway, in the
State of Georgia, when lie overtook a man
driving a drovo of hogs by the help of a
big, raw-boned, six-feet-two specimen of
humanity. Stopping the .last named in
dividual he accosted him:
“ ‘I say, are these your hogs?’
“ ‘lso, sir, I’m to work by the month.”
“ ‘What pay might you be getting,
friend ?’
“ ‘Ten dollars a month, and whisky
thrown in,’ was tho reply.
“ ‘Well, look here, I’m a weak, little,
inoffensive man, and people are apt to
impose upon me, d’you see! Now, I’ll
give you twenty-five dollars a month to
ride along with me and protect me,’ was I
Mr. Gardner’s reply. ‘But,’ he added,
as a thought struck hitn, ‘how might you
be on the fight?’
“ ‘Never been licked in my life,’ re
joined the six-footer.
“ ‘Just the man I want. It’s a bar
gain ?’ queried Gardner.
“Six-footer ruminated. Twenty-five
dollars—double wages—nothing to do but
ride around and smash a fellow’s mug oc- ■
casionally, when lie’s sassy. Six accepted. ;
They rode along till just at night they 1
reached a village. Dismounting at the j
door, they went in. Gardner immediate- j
ly singled out the biggest man in the
room, and picked a fuss with him. After j
considerable promiscuous jawing, Gard- j
ncr turned to his fighting friend and in- :
timated that the licking of that man had i
become a sad necessity. Six-foot peeled,
went in, and came out first best.
The next night, at another hotel, the j
same scene was re-enacted ; Gardner get- j
ting into a row with the biggest man in ‘
place, and six-footer doing the fighting.
At last on the third day, they came to i
a ferry, kept by a huge double-listed man, j
who had never been licked in his life.— j
Whilst crossing the river, Gardner, as ‘
usual, began to find fault, and “blow.” !
The ferryman naturally got mad, threw j
things around kind o’ loose, and told them j
liis opinion of their kind.
Gardner then turned to his friend i
“from tho shoulder,” and gently broke
the intelligence to him, “that ho was
sorry, but that it was absolutely neces
sary to thrash that ferryman.”
Six-footer nodded his head, but said j
nothing.
It was plainly to be seen, that he did
not relish the job, by the way lie shrug
ged his shoulders, but there was no help
for it.
(So when they reached the shore, both
stripped, and at it they went. Up and
down the bank, over the sand into tho
water they fought, scratched, gouged,
bit and rolled, till at the end of an hour
the ferryman caved. Six-footer was tri
umphant, but it had been tough work.
Going up to his employer, he scratched
his head for a moment, and then broke
forth.
“Look here, Mr. Gardner, your salary
Sets mighty well, but—l’m—^of—the—
opinion—that you are inclined to be quar
relsome. Here I’ve only been with you
three days, and I’ve licked the three big
gest men in tbo country ! I think this
firm had better dissolve, for you see, Mr.
Gardner, I’m afraid you're inclined to be
quarrelsome, and I reckon I’ll draw !”
Tahama Gazette.
An Oltl l’cnUenlinry Bird.
Tho Nashville l’atriot, of the 23d in
stant, says:
James It. Tarlton, alias James Shel
ton, was received at the Penitentiary
day before yesterday, ito which institu
tion he has just been sentenced for the
sixth time. Ho comes from Campbell
county for live years, having been found
guilty of receiving stolen goods.
lie began his first term in the Peni
tentiary, May 18, 1832, from Greene
county, for three years; liis second term,
July 7, 1887, from Itoane county, for six
years; his third, December 8, 1843, from
Humphreys county, for ten years; his
fourth,September 11,1854, from Grainger
county, for three years; liis fifth, April
21, 1858, from Putnam county, for one
year; and his sixth, July 21, 1859.
When liis fifth term expired, on the
80th of March last, he had served in the
Penitentiary, twenty-three years out of
the twenty-seven since his first incarcer
ation in 1882. When .lie entered the
prison tho first time he was 81 years of
age. lie was sent up for larceney every
time except the last, when liis crime was ;
the next thing to it. When his present
term expires lie will have represented
six different counties in the State prison
—Greene, Itoane, Humphreys, Grainger,
Putnam and Campbell.
Tarlton is certainly a hard case. On
entering the prison last Thursday, he re
marked to Col. Johnson, the Agent of
the Penitentiary: “Well, Colonel, 1 have
eomo back to die with you, this time.”
His eldest sou is in prison with him,
having been scut up last fall for twenty
-0110 years.
—♦ “*•
Another Prize Fight in Kentucky.
The vicinity of our city has again been
disgraced by one of those brutal affairs
known as prize lights. For two hundred
dollars, two men named McCarty and
Kearney met yesterday, twelve miles
above town, and horribly battered each
other. Three steamers, crowded with
passengers; left the wharf at an early
hour—the Charm, Pink Varble and Em
pire. They were accompanied by music,
Hags and refreshments. Arrived at the
“ground of arms,” the “mill” took place.
Sixty-six rounds, hotly contested, took
place, when Kearney was declared the
victor. Ou the twentieth round McCarty
broke his hand, but- continued to fight
with desperation until his second, Aaron
Jones, threw up the sponge as a signal of
defeat. McCarty was loth to “give it up
so,” although one of his peepers was out
and the other completely bunged up.
There was considerable dissatisfaction
expressed at the result, and the Pointers
who backed Mr. McCarty were much dis
heartened. A large amount of money
changed hands. On one of the returning
boats there was a general fight, which was
concluded on the wharf. A young; man
nourished a knife very briskly, and cut
three men through their clothing, lie
was stopped in his slashing proceeding
by the presentation of a pistol. When
the boats reached the wharf there were
at least three thousand persons present
to witness the arrival of the victor and
vagabonds.— Louisville Democrat, July 20.
Flaxen Ringlets.
Poets have often sung iu raptures of
blue-eyed, laughing, flax-haired girls,
but Geo. Bpeight, of Loudon, a thorough
ly practical man understands things bet
ter than those dreaming rbymsters who
make sonnets to their sweet-hearts. He
has just taken out a patent for making
plaits and curls for head-dresses and
other head ornaments, and employs llus
sian or American hemp dyed to the ex
act shade desired, and glos-ed up with
aromatic grease, and curled to adorn the
head of some happy fair one either with
flowing auburn or raven locks, as may be
desired. When it is taken into conside
ration that long brown hair for making
ladies’ artificial curls costs from §lO to
§l2 per pound, Mr. Speight may be con
sidered a sort of benefactor to all those
individuals who are deficient in natural
cranial ornamentation, although we think
his invention will rather spite the girls in
Normandy, who cultivate their hair ex
pressly for our wig-makers. Scientific
American.
The Kentucky Election.
Louisville, Aug. 2.—Thirty one coun
ties heard from show a Democratic gain
as compared with the Gubernatorial elec
tion in 1857 of 7,088.
The Democrats have carried the State
by a large majority, probably 10,000.
The Legislature is Democratic on joint
ballot—contest between Simms and Har
; lau very close in the Ashland District—
s Simms probably elected.
John Y. Drown, democrat, elected to
Congress from the Fifth district.
Jn this county the Democrats gain
three iteprcscutativcs to the Legislature.
The Presidential Race.
Correspondence of the Charleston Courier.
New York, July 27, 1850.
1 have seen several statements in the
! (Southern papers, that if several caudi
j didates arc run in 1800 fur the ITe iden
j cy, it will throw the election into the
House of Representatives, and then the
Black Republicans will be sure of elect- !
ing their man! It is just the reverse. If
there was no other way to prevent the
I election of a Black Republican candidate,
running several candidates before the
people would do it most offectualiy. Wc
will suppose one branch of the Democ
racy nominate at Charleston Henry A.
Wise for President. The other branch
nominate Stephen A. Douglas. The Na
tional Conservative Tarty nominate W.
C. Preston, Hives or Crittenden, or some
Old Line Whig, The Black Republicans
nominate—as they will do without any
, supposing—W. 11. Seward. Here are
four candidates in the field. No one eould
I be elected in the Electoral College of 3b6
votes, unless he got 154 votes No can- ;
didate (unless it was the National Conser
vative man, who might make a sweep, |
like Harrison did in 1810 and Taylor in 1
1818) would probably be elected by the !
people.
The Con-Elution then provides that the
election shall go to the House of Repre
sentatives, and that from the three can
i didates having received the most votes in
j the Electoral College of 306 votes shall
i be selected and elected the President.
My opinion i3 that Seward, or the
\ Black Republican candidate, would not
be in town at that time. Ilis ticket would
I be No. J, destination Salt River, for what
! State, let me ask you, is sure for an Abo
i lilisnist when two Democratic candidates
j are in the field, and a conservative man,
| carrying with him Whigs, conservative
| Republicans, Americans and dissatisfied
j Democrats? Name the State if you can ?
; The Black Republican (be he Seward or
Chase) could not carry New York, I’enn
i sylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts,
Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana or Tennessee,
j and unless he carried one of those great
! est States he would not reach the House.
But we will grant that Seward does reach
tlie House, and stands No. 3, and that the
conservative candidate is No. 4, how
then ?
The House of Representatives, if Kan
sas is admitted, will be composed of
members from 34 States.
Each State has a vote, 34, and 18 votes
are required. The election would finally
come down to a choice between one of
the Democratic candidates and the Black
Republican. Let us see how they would
run.
For the Democratic. 1 For Flack Republican.
Virginia 1 Connecticut 1
South Carolina 1 Vermont 1
Louisiana- 1 Rhode Island ;A
Arkansas 1 Wisconsin 1
Delaware 1 New Jersey J
Florida 1 New York 1
Alabama 1 Ohio 1
Georgia 1 Pennsylvania 1
Texas 1 lowa 1
Tennessseo 1 New Hampshire 1
Mississippi 1 Indiana 1
California 1 Maine 1
North Carolina 1 Massachusetts 1
Illinois 1 Michigan 1
Minnesota 1 ]
Oregon 1 1-1 i
Kentucky I Count in Kansas 1 ,
Missouri lj j
j Black Republican 15 i
There are 18 Democrats 19 I
Add Maryland lj |
191
That vote could not be altered to favor j
the Black Republican candidate, for if, as j
is most probable, the National Conserva- j
tive candidate should be one of the three, j
lie would be elected by the House of Rep- j
resentatives, if Tennessee, Kentucky, j
and Maryland were to elect “ Opposition j
members,” for, in that case, all the States :
I have counted as Black Republican, !
would go over in a solid body, and vote j
for the National Conservative in prefer- j
cnco to a Democrat. This would give j
Rives, or whoever the candidate might be,
15 votes, which, added to Maryland or j
Kentucky, would be a tie; and with Ten- j
nessec, one more would elect the Presi
dent to be inaugurated in 1861.
The Tribune sees danger and defeat in
the future; and in an editorial leader of |
the 25th, it begs, beseeches and implores
the Old Whigs, the Americans arid Oppo- ;
sition, not to leave the Republicans. It j
offers to consider the claims of any Whig !
or American before the convention, to
nominate, and all sorts of things. It will j
boos no use. The National Convention j
will make a nomination, and will carry j
many of the Free States that the Tribune j
now deems sure for Seward.
ZOUAVE.
. The Tea Plant.
Tho Washington correspondent of the
Charleston Courier, in a letter of the 29th
ult., says:
The public have of late been very much
interested in the progress of the tea
; plants now growing with promising evi
deuces ab.otit them. Ail tho plants which
i have been set out in the reservation al
lotted for the purpose, thrive remarkably
i well, even in the open air, and the assur
ance is given that they will be able to
: withstand the winter of this latitude, as
portions of the finest tea growing country
of China from which many of these plants
have beeu taken, suffer under as severe
winters as the average of this latitude.
The Commissioner will not dispose of
any plants until after the meeting of Con
gress, when they will have become more
j hardy and able to withstand any change
in temperature. According to the knowl
edge in possession of the Agricultural
I Bureau, portions of tho State-of Florida
are eminently fit for the production of
this plant, also portions of South Carolina
and Georgia. According to Mr. Fortune,
the appointed agent in China for the se
lection of tea plants—a gentleman whose
experience extends back during a resi
dence of fifteen years in China—almost
all portions of the middle and Southern j
States present all the requisites for its j
culture. It is greatly to be hoped that a !
good result will ensue from the laudable
j efforts of the Interior Department to af
| ford anew source of profit and wealth to
the gre:.t productions of our country.
■
New Postal Arrangement.
Col. Helm, the efficient Consul-General
at Havana, and the Captain-General of
Cuba, have made a postal arrangement,
which gives security for the safe conduct j
i and package of the mails of the United
; States by our steamers or sail vessels.
The principles are determined, but the
details not yet digested. After the Ist of
November all mails for the United States
are to be made up at the oftice of the
Consulate-General of the United States,
and by a responsible officer of the United
States placed on board the steamers or
sail vessels.
This arrangement was communicated to
the readers of the Courier by a special
dispatch ou Saturday.— Charleston Cour.
Arrival of tike Overland 3lail.
Sr. Louis, August 1 —The Overland
mail, with San Francisco dates to tbe
23d‘ofJuIy, has arrived.
She reports the seizure of a large quan
tity of coffee which had been shipped by
the Captain of the runaway bark Mes
‘ senger Bird, from Tahiti.
Extensive gold diggings have been dis
covered on Walker’s river. Considerable
excitement prevails in Nevado and Eldo
rado counties, in consequence.
Open hostilities have been commenced
between the Creeks and Cherokee Indi
ans, in consequence of some of the lat
ter being murdered by the former.
Arrival of tike Northern Fight.
New Y’ork, August I.—The steamship
Northern Light has arrived, with Aspiu
wall dated to the 28d July.
The revolution in Peru had been sup
pressed, and an amnesty granted.
California Wines.
In the San Francisco Herald, it is stat
ed that the present stock of California
vines now under cultivation, will yield
§50,000,000 of wines and brandies, in
twenty years from the present day. The
vine product of the Golden State increas
es at the rate of fifty per cent, annually,
and the quality of these is equal to the
best imported. In all the wine-growing
countries, where the people use wine at
their tables, and where a bottle of it
can be obtained for three or four cents,
> drunkenness and bar-rooms are unknown, j
From (lie Istlimus of Panama.
The steamer Moses Taylor, with $2,-
1 15,000 in Specie, and California advices |
to July Oth, lias arrived at New York, ;
The news from California lias been antic’
ipa ted by way of New Orleans. At l’an
, ama, and on the Isthmus generally, much
excitement Lad been occasioned by the
accidental opening of some of the Indian ;
graves in the Ciriqui district, and the dis
covery therein of large quantities of gold
en images, idols, &c. As there are sup
posed to be thousands of these graves
equally wealthy, hundreds of persons had
gone thither, and already many thou
sands of dollars worth have been taken
out and sent to Panama.
The Panama Star and Herald has the
following in relation to the matter:
We have been favored with the perusal
of two letters lately received in this city
■ from David, from most highly respectable
j and reliable parties, giving some particu
lars of the gold discoveries in ilie Indian
j graves. One of them, which we trans-
I late, says: “The principal event here is
j the discovery of great riches in the sepul
j chres of the original inhabitants of Chi
-1 riqui. At present over a thousand per
! sons arc working in the district of Boque
ren at the places called Marnudo andßu
galita in opening the “Iluacas” (Indian
! graves) there, and it is calculated that at
j least nine arrobas (225 lbs.) of fine gold
have been extracted.
“There is a tradition that in former
times a (Spanish ship obliged to put into
one of our ports from stress of weather
for repairs, brought off a-box of earth
from the shore for the galley fire place,
and that on arrival at home on removing
the box a thin cake of gold was discover
ed at the bottom of it; the circumstance
gave rise to a large immigration to the
district, and the city of La Estrella was
founded, where the richest mines between
Cano and San Martin were for many years
worked, but the depredations of tlie fili
busters and the hostility of the Indians
compelled the inhabitants to abandon the
spot, and they retired to Costa Rica where
they founded the city of Cartago. Not
withstanding many attempts made to dis
cover the site of the city and its gold
mines, it is still unknown; but it is
thought that these discoveries will induce
fresh explorations, which may at least
lead to the discoveries of the rich aurife
rous deposits known to exist in the prov
ince. The number of huacas throughout
the country is very great and may yield
immense treasure.”
The other letter to which we allude,
says:
•‘ I saw SIO,OOO worth in the hands of
one man alone, and there are others who
have still more. There are millions of
these graves all over the country in this
j province, and also throughout Central
j America, enough to employ thousands of
j men for many years. It is only three
weeks since the diggings commenced and
I the amount of wrought gold discovered is
I enormous.”
The letter goes on to say that agricul
; ture is quite deserted, and that provi
sions, liquors, clothing and tools would 1
find a good market.
These accounts come from most relia
; ble and ‘disinterested sources and are
j worthy of every credit. Chiriqui is a
I beautiful and healthy country, sparsely
populated by a quiet and simple people,
j As the graves are scattered over a vast i
extent and far from any settlements per- j
j sons who think of trying this novel mode
I of mining should go well prepared and
; not trust to the present resources of the
j country.
We saw yesterday (July 13th) at the
j office of Messrs. Carbrero, Hourquet &
j Cos., some twenty pounds of gold images,
idols, &c., recently taken from an Indian
“ huaco,” (burying place,) near David,
in this State, and brought here f6r sale, by
Mr. Manuel Fernanda. It is currently j
reported that the company who are en
gaged in the speculation have taken out
some*sßo,ooo worth from this same
“huaco.”
Among the lot we saw some curiously j
wrought alligators, similar to those found j
in the Indian burying places of Peru and j
[Mexico. At what date these relics of an- I
tiquity were deposited here no one
j knows, some of them look old enough to j
| have been made by Tubal Cain. The alii- j
gator seems to have been in great venera- j
tiou by the aborigines of these countries I
as well as of ancient Egypt.
No doubt large quantities of manufac- I
tured gold lie buried all through North j
and South America in these Indiaa liua- j
cos. In all of the wars between differ- j
ent tribes, no enemy was ever guilty of j
disturbing the resting places of the dead, j
Heavy Decline in drain.
The following, from the Chicago, 111.,
Press, in relation to speculation in wheat,
was written previous to the arrival of the
news of the armistice between France
and Austria:
At no period in the history of tbe grain
trade of our city has the wheat market
undergone such sudden fluctuations as
have occurred during the past eight or
ten weeks ; and in no previous year has
there been as much money lost on the
same amount of wheat. On the 12th of
April last standard spring wheat sold at
90 cents in store. Shortly after this date
the European war broke out, and bread
stuffs all over the world advanced, so that
on the Ist of Ma} r the above grade sold at
$1 to $l.O5 —daily advancing till the
lGtli, when it reached $1.30. Since that
| date its course has been steadily and
! alarmingly downward. On the first of
June $1.15; on the Ist of July 92 cents,
and yesterday in closed dull at 56 cenls
—a decline of 74 cents in sixty-two days,
We give its downward course in the fol
lowing :
May 16 $1 80 to s—;$ —; May 23 $1.12 to
$1.20; May 30 $1.19 to $1.17 ; June 6 i
$1.09 to sl.ll ; June 13 §1.03 to $1.05;
June 20, 94 to 96c. ; June 27, 92 to 98c. ;
July 2, 89 to 91c.; July 9, 75 to 85c.; j
July 10, 56 to G2c.
At Milwaukee the decline has been j
equally great. On the 10th of May last j
No. 1 spring sold at about $1.43, while
on Saturday last it sold at 70 cents. This !
altogether outstrips the decline of 1857,
which has hitherto been quoted as “the
sudden decline.” Iu that year standard ;
spring wheat rose on the 3d of July to $1
; 30 f. 0. b., and fell to 50c. in store on the
24th of November following—a heavier
but a mora gradual fall.
Later from Itlatanzas*
A gentlemau who came by tho brig
Hayward from Matanzas, has furnished
us with the following information, he
having sailed from that port ou the 24th
of July. The market for sugar and mo- j
lasses was generally dull, but‘holders
were firm; 8} reals for No. 12 Dutch
standard clayed sugars; Muscovados, j
01 to 71 reals; Molasses, clayed, 3 j
j reals ; Muscovado, clayed, 41 to 5 reals; ;
over 11,000 boxes sugar had been ship
ped from the ports es Havana, Matanzas
and Cardenas withiu the last three weeks.
The health of Havana was bad, and
much yellow’ fever prevailed, but Matan
zas and Cardenas were quite free from j
fever. The Hayward saild in company
with the barque Mountain Eagle, Y'atel, :
for New York, and British barque Eagle
for the Clyde. Left in port the brig Chat- ;
ham, Simpson, to sail for Boston July 27.
Charleston Courier.
A Fife-preserving Crinolixie.
Glory to Crinoline ! After having been
the cause of a hundred deaths by fire, it
has at last actually saved a life ! It hap
pened this way : Day before yesterday a
lady in Carroll street, clad partly in am
ple double expansion, self-regulating, pa
tent extension skirts, was standing—as
careful housewives will—on the second
story, wiping the glass on the outside.
A child passing below, she attempted,
for the fun of the thing, to drop the cloth
from her hand on the littl eone : but some
how managed to drop herself at the same
moment. Down she went a distance of
eighteen feet, to the pavement, but not
with any ungraceful keeling over or hea
vy blow in striking. She sailed down
parachute fashion, presenting the grace
ful form of an old fashioned decanter.—
When she alighted, she struck with only
sufficient force to cause some smarting
on the foot—bless her sole! Would not
a big crinoline be a cheap dress for aero- j
i nauts ?— Buffalo Advertiser.
me Hard Work of Crime.
The Rev. Dr. Cummings’ very truly
j says :
There may be something dashing and
j exciting in the trade of the pirate or
bandit, for those gentlemen are well fed
and live easy ; can play the guitar and
have pleasing quarters—at least in the
pages of novels. Rut the poor town
rowdy in America really works Larder
and is worse paid than any apprentice or
hired laborer. Take as an instance of
the work he has to do, a bold crime, and
what one would suppose to be a crime
that paid well—burglary. Associates are
required to enter and rifle a dwelling;
nights, or at least Lours of sleeplessness,
; hunger and dreadful uncertainty are
passed; exposure to cold and dampness;
and long and hard work has to be en
dured to saw, or pick open doors and
windows, and when at last the dwelling
is entered and dangers overcome of
| watchmen out side and a bullet or two
inside, what is secured? Some clothing,
a little cutlery, a few old spoons, and
occasionally a little jewelry. These
things are disposed of for one-tenth of
their value to receivers of stolen goods,
and each of the associates received six or
eight dollars, which are promptly spent
for liquor, or gambled away at the card
table in some miserable grog shop. It is
a common thing to find in houses bur
| glariously entered that the first place the
poor thievs have rifled has been the re
frigerator and the closet, unable to wait j
for something to eat and drink, although :
j every moment of delay might have cost ;
them their lives. They are also fre
quently detected by being found with
’ clothing on their person which is recog
nized as having been stolen from some
dwelling. Who works harder or is more
poorly paid than one who takes part in
doings like this ? And yet this is a fair
average instance of crime in large eities.
Once in a while we hear of a bank-safe
being blown open, or an express office or
jeweler’s shop successfully entered and
robbed. But these events are of rare oc
currence. and I speak of the ordinary run
of luck in the profession. The small
rabble of thieves, “knuck,” and “litters,”
“sneak thieves,-” and “shovers” of coun
terfeit money, as they are elegantly styled
among themselves and by the police, are
ragged, ill-fed and unsavory. A recent !
official work shows that the average du- {
ration of life among the girls who have J
given themselves up to a life of shame is j
only four years, and from personal obser- j
vation among victims of this class for ten j
years, as chaplain, for Bellvue, the lar- j
gest public hospital of New York, I should j
judge that the closing year of the four is i
generally embittered by disease, painful j
consumptive symptoms and low fever, ag- j
gravated by the free use of poisonous i
gin. Ihave also noticed among (lie grown- i
up boys and half-men, who live as stable I
rowdies, dock loafers, and small hangers- j
on, of shoulder-hitters and pot-house po!- j
j iticinns, that very many are willing to j
I give up their chances of life and home for j
j Central America and yellow fever, and !
follow any filibustering chief who will j
j pay their expenses out. Young lads of J
j this description do not make enough at j
j mischief to keep body and soul together, j
j They live three-quarters of the year by j
j sponging on their poor mothers and sis
! tors, who take in washing or sew ; and a j
boy who has energy enough and respecta
bility enough to keep steadily at work I
j selling papers, lozengers, or peanuts, is i
: a prince to them in character, success
j and general happiness.
Tike VoEiig Widow on a Sleigh Rifle.
It is summer now, but it avas winter,
clear and cold, and the snow was finely
packed, when Dr. Meadows was one of a
sleighing party, which he describes, so
far as he and the young Widow Lambkin
were concerned, in the words following:
The lively Widow Lambkin sat in the
sleigh, under the same buffalo robe with
j me.
“Oh, oh! don’t!” she exclaimed, as
we came to the first bridge, at the same
time catching me by the arm, and turning
her veiled face toward me, while her lit
tle eyes twinkled through the moonlight.
“Don’t what?” I asked. “I am not
doing anything.”
“Well, but I thought you were going
i to take toll,” replied Mrs. Lambltiu.
“ Toll,” I rejoined ; “ what’s that?”
“Well I declare!” cried the Widow,
her clear laugh ringing out above the
I music of the bells, “you pretend you
! don’t know what toll is !”
“Indeed, I don’t then,” I said laugh
j ing : “ pray explain, if you please.”
“l T ou never heard, then,” said the
Widow, most provokingly, “you never
heard that when we are on a sleigh-ride
the gentlemen always, that is, sometimes,
wlieu they cross a bridge claim a kiss,
and call it toll. But I never pay it.”
I said that I never heard of it before;
but when we came to 4^ e next bridge I
; claimed the toll, and the widow’s strug
| glcs to hold the veil over her face were
j not enough to tear it. At last the veil
’ was removed, her round, rosy face W'as
j turned towards mine, and in the clear
i light of a frosty moon the toll was tak
en, for the first time in his life, by
Dr. Meadows. Soon he came to a long
bridge, with several arches; the widow
said it was no use to resist a man who
would have his own way, so she paid the
; toll without a murmur.
“But you won’t take toll for every
J arch, will you, Doctor ?” the widow said
| so archly, that I did not fail to exact all
; my dues, and that was the beginning.—
But never mind the rest. The Lambkin
I had tho Meadows all to herself the next
! spring. _
Didn't Know to Whom Ike was Talk
ing.
The new General Superintendent has j
commenced well. At all hours of the j
night he may be found walking through :
, the streets, in order to see how policemen
attend to their duties, and also to keep 1
| liis eye upon the officers of tho force. A
j night or two since he found a policeman
| sitting ou a hydrant smoking a cigar,
j The General watched him for a few mo
j meats and then bade him good evening.
The salutation was gruffly returned.—
“l r ou are taking it ooolly,” said the Gen
eral. “That’s none of your busi
| ness,” returned the patrolman. “Proba
! bly not,” was the reply, “but do not the
rules and regulations of the department
require you to keep moving ? Possibly I
am mistaken, but I think so.” “Now,
look here,” said the officer, “you had
better move on, *or I’ll arrest you and
: lock you up. Do you hear?” “I beg
pardon for interfering, but excuse me.
Please take my card.” The General
moved on, and since that the policeman is
j said to be considering the propriety of
resigning. The above is said to be lite
rally true.—A". 3'. Express.
Price of Slaves.
In response to the many enquiries made
j from persons at a distance, as to the
prices that slaves are commanding in this
market, we publish the annexed state
ment, furnished by reliable authority :
No, 1 men, 20 to 26 years old, from
$1,459 to $1,500.
| Best grown girls, 17 to 20 years old,
from $1,275 to $1,325.
Girls, from 15 to 17 years old, $1,150
to $1,250.
Girls, from 12 to 15 years old, SI,OOO
to $l,lOO.
Best plough boys, 17 to 20 years old,
$1,350 to $1,425.
Boys, from 15 to 17 years old, $1,250
to $1,875.
Boys, from 12 to 15 years old, §I,OOO
to $1,200.
Likely families, and also boys and
girls, command high prices, as there are
several gentlemen in market who are pur
chasing for their own plantations in the
South.- Richmond Dispatch.
pm
Death of a Noted Trainer.
W e see it stated in tbe last Spirit of the
Times that Col. Gibbon’s far-famed tiaiu
er, Samuel Laird, is no more, he died
at his residence, at Colt’s Neck, Mon
mouth county, N. J., aged 73 years. He
has long been honorably connected with
the turf, and the improvement in the
speed of American horses has probably
owed as much to him as any other man.
He trained Fashion, (which his son, Joe
Laird always rode in her great matches,)
Mingo, Monmouth and Eclipse, and oth
er well known race horses.
We published, some time ago, a brief
account of a decision, in the High Court
of Appeals, of the State of
on the subject of the l ight of free persons
of color of other States, to take, under
the laws of Mississippi, a bequest of
property in that State. The judgment
of the court was against the right. It
struck us, unlearned readers, as a very
remarkable decision, and we perceive it
was so considered by one of the judges
of the Court itself. The court is com
posed of three judges, two of whom con
curred in the opinion. The third, Judge
Haudy, gave a dissenting opinion, which
has since been published at length in the
Jackson Mississippian.
Judge Handy examines the laws and
judicial decisions of the State of Missis
sippi, and arrives at the conclusion that
they are adverse to the judgment just
rendered. He concedes that it is the
policy of the State to prohibit emancipa
tion in the State, and to obstruct eman
cipation ont of it, by Mississippians,
which may take effect in the State.
He holds that free negroes, though
they may not be citizens of other States,
have, as subjects or resident inhabitants,
rights such as the States choose to con
fer, and that this internal policy of theirs
is entitled to be respected by the State j
of Mississippi just as her internal policy
is entitled to their respect, and that it is
against the comity of States and the rules
of law, for Mississippi to refuse the aid
of her courts to carry out the internal
policy of other States when her own soil,
jurisdiction and policy are not affected. I
Though Mississippi does not permit enian- 1
cipated slaves of her own to take the be
quests within the State, Judge Handy
holds that she cannot rightfully refuse to
permit that class, resident in other \
States, to receive the benefit of devises j
of property in Mississippi which they j
could under the law of their domicil.
The opinion is too long, elaborate, and
technical for us to give an abstract of
the legal argument, but the above is a
summary of the conclusions, which, if
they are not law, are very good reasons
— JY. 0. Picayune.
♦-
Burying tile Dead.
A letter from Solferino, after the battle
describes the burial of the dead as fol
lows :
“At one point, by the side of the road,
ten cr fifteen peasauts were burying the
dead. They gathered them from the field
upon hand-barrows, from which they
were rolled into the hollow places on the
i roadside, from which gravel had been
taken to repair the track—and after five
| or six, or as many as the space would
hold, had been tumbled in, a foot or two
jof dirt was shoveled over them. No at
tempt was made to remove any of their
; clothing, or to lay them side by side, or
in any particular position. They were
ftrmbled in just as it happened, and were
! covered up just as they chanced to fall,
j In many cases they were laid lengthwise,
; in single file, and then covered over—a
I second row being next put in, then a
; third, a fourth, &e. In this way over
two hundred had been buried in a single
place. It will take a long time to dispose
of all the dead, and the carcasses of the
j horses also; and if this excessive hot
weather continues the health of the vicin
| ity cannot fail to suffer,”
Toniato Catsup.
Having recently had several calls for
the following recipe, which has before
appeared in our columns, we re-publish
it for the benefit of our readers :
Eds. Sun: As, the season has arrived
for tomatoes, probably some of your read- ;
ers would like to learn how to preserve
them, as a most delicious condiment. The
following method I have found to surpass
anything, French, Chinese or Hutch, that
I have ever tried as a condiment:
To a half bushel of skinned tomatoes
add 1 quart of good vinegar, 1 pound of
salt, ]- pound of black pepper, 2 oz. of
African cayenne, j pound of Allspice, 1
oz. of cloves, 3 boxes of mustard, 20
cloves of garlic, G good onions, 2 pounds
brown sugar, and one hand full of peach
leaves.
Boil this mass for three hours, con
stantly stirring it to keep it from burn
ing. When cool strain it through a fine
sieve or a coarse cloth, and bottle it for j
future use. It will improve by age, and
create and give zest to appetite, almost
under the “ribs of death.” Q. A. P.
Dark. Hours.
There are dark hours which mark the
history of the brightest years. For not
a whole month in many millions of the
past, perhaps, has the sun shone bril
liantly all the time. And there have been
cold and stormy days in every year. And
yet the mists and sha lows of the darkest
hour disappeared and tied heedlessly.
The most cruel ice fetters have been bro
ken and dissolved, and the most furious
storm loses its power to harm. what
a parable is this in human ‘life—of our
outside world, where the heart works in
its shadowing of the dark hour, and many
a cold blast chills the heart to its core.
But what matters it? Man is born a.
hero, and it is only in the darkness and |
storms that heroism gains its greatest
; and best development, aud the storm
bears it more rapidly on to its destiry.
Despair not, then. Neither give up; j
while one good power is yours, use it.— j
Disappointment will be realized. Morti
fying may attend this and that one—but
only be honest and struggle on, and it i
will be well.
The Coosa River Survey.
AVe learn from a friend that Captain
Rhodes, of Rome, with a party of gentle
men have m;rde a survey of that section
j of the Coosa river between the Ten
| Islands and the railroad bridge, in this
! county, with the most satisfactory results.
In the present stage of the river they
1 report a depth of ten feet of water, three
■ fourths of the way, while the remaining
fourth will average three feet in depth—
they report a depth of thirteen inches on
i the worst shoal. This shoal is composed
j principally of boulders, which may be re
moved at a comparatively trilling cost.
It is proposed to put a steamer on this
section of the river in the course of the
ensuing twelve months, which will ply
between Ten Islands and the Bridge in
the winter season, and will, perhaps, run
as low as the Talladega Springs du
ring the summer. AVe wish the enter
prise every success and hope to see it in
operation at an early day. Talladega
Watchtower.
Iu the speech of Kossuth, delivered in
Glasgow, there occurs a passage which
deserves enshrinement by itself, for its
impressive truth and beauty :
* “I have lived too long and too practi
cal a life,” said he, “to do vain things
Sympathy—what is that? A sigh, that
flutters from the lips of a tender girl, and
dies in the whispers of the breeze. Peo
ple in their individual capacity may know
of sympathy, but when a people’s aggre
gate sentimenls become collected in the
crucible of policy, sympathy vanishes
in the air, like the diamond when burnt,
and nothing there remains but an empty
crucible surrounded with the ashes of
gross egotism, The time has not yet
come when nations will act from sym
pathy. That may be done when the
world shall know of one Christian nation
on earth. Until now. I know of Chris- j
tian men and women, but I know of no
Christian nation, because I know of none
which, in its national policy, ever has
acted upon the Christion command, ‘Do
unto others as thou wouldst have others
do unto thee.”’
A Golden Wedding.
The leading topic of gossip just now in
the fashonable circles of New York, is
the grand wedding which is to take place
between Senor. Estedan St. Cruz Ovieda,
of Cuba, and Miss Fanny Bartlett, daugh
ter of Capt. Bartlett, late of the U. S
Navy. The Senor is reported to be worth
$4,()00,000. lie is about 00 years old,
and she is in her teens. lie has ordered
for the bride SOOO,OOO worth of jewelry,
and a sister pf the bridegroom has sent
Miss Bartlett a little present worth
SIOO,OOO. Girls—don’t be envious !
AVho of you would sell yourselves into
the arms of an old superanuated Span
iard, merely to be loaded down with
i baubles.
Account of tire Circumstances ulilcli
preceded tire Armistice.
A Paris letter in the Independence of
Brussels gives the following account of
the circumstances which preceded the
Armistice:
The Emperor of Austria having caused
a demand to be made iu the trench camp
if it were not possible to obtain the re
mains of Prince Windischgrnetz, who was
killed at Solferino, the Emperor Napoleon I
caused them to be sought for—and they
were recognised, partly by his uniform,
and partly by some letters from his new
ly married wife, which he had about him.
The corpse was placed in an artillery
wagon, and conveyed, accompanied by
an officer of the staff and an escort,
to the Austrian headquarters. The of
ficer expressed to the Emperor the con
dolence of the Emperor of the French;
and his Austrian Majesty (who was just
recovering from a somewhat severe indis
position) begged, not without emotion,
the officer to convey his thanks to the
Emperor Napoleon, and to express his
sorrow at the death of so many brave
men in the French army. This led to
some remarks on the cruel necessities of
war, and from what was said, the Empe
ror Francis Joseph was able to perceive
that those necessities were regretted as
much by his opponent as by himself.
The Emperor Fransis Joseph afterwards
sent the son of General Urban with a
flag of truce to the French camp, as is
known, and the Emperor Napoleon by an
i autograph letter proposed a suspension
i of arms. It is added that the latter has
carried liis courtesy to the extent ot neu
tralising, for the signing of the prelimi
i naries of a truce, the town of Villafranca,
although the usages of war would have
! justified him in requiring those formaii
j ties to take place at his own liead-quar
: ters.”
Mr. Dallas’ Speech.
Our Minister in England, George M.
| Dallas, made a speech at the 4th of July
! dinner given by the American Association
in London. We extract from it the fol
lowing paragraph :
There was a regenerative stimulus for
homogenious populations in the very
word “ Independence.” It was at pre
| sent infusing fresh life, and rekindling
energies which had lain torpid for centu
| ries, in one of Europe’s fairest and most
j interesting regions. The sound harmon
! ized with onward and upward aspirations,
and was therefore almost magical in its
; effects. Where identity of race, of lan
guage, of literature, of sentiment, of
thought, of manners, of faith, of tradi
tions, of customs, was the product of
ages, their union and independence
j ought to be, and must be, irrepressible
; hopes. Such was the case in ’7O, and
such was Italy’s now. (Cheers.) He
! avoided allusion to the merits of the pre
sent war, or ofits origin, or of its actors,
referring to it only as resembling their
colonial contest in its fundamental and
j soul renovating wish for national inde
! pendence. (Hear, hear.) Many and
mournful differences in the two situa
tions might doubtless be shown; but
among thosa differences let them not
rank the seemingly inconsistent and
| dangerous aid accepted from an ar
bitrary monarch. America could nev
er disclaim the gratitude she owed to
that same France, under the rule of
a Bourbon, whose succors iu blood
and treasure, were now, under the rule
of a Bonaparte, being similarly lavished
! on the plains of Lombardy. (Great cheer
ing.) Independence, then, has lost none
ofits attractions since July, 1770. Why
| should it not franklj’ recognize still in
j cipidnt natioualities, however weak or
however strong ?
Ulooily Duel.
Count Bethleu, the Hungarian, at pres
ent in the staff of Prince Napoleon, is the
one who fought the duel wi/h Prince Es
terhazy. The quarrel was a political
one, and great importance was attached
by the Austrian party to the death of
Bethlen, whoso patriotism, combined
with his immense wealth, had rendered
him obnoxious to them. In the first fire
the Count was shot through the body.
When the Esterhazy faction saw him fall
they instantly dispatched an express to
Vienna to announce his death. To their
great surprise and consternation, how
ever, they saw him rise|to his. knees and
fire at his antagonist. The ball struck
Prince Esterhazy between the eyes and
killed him instantly.
Newspaper Decision.
The Supreme Court of Indiana has
made a decision, which has an important
bearing upon the interests of the news
paper press. A controversy existed re
lative to a charge for advertising between
the Commissioners of Hamilton county
and the Patriot newspaper. It was held
by the Judge that “the published terms
of newspapers constitute a contract. If
work is given to newspaper publishers,
without a special contract contravening
the published terms, the publisher can
charge and receive according to the terms
so published. It is not necessary to prove
what the work cost or was worth; the
publishers have a right to fix the value
of their columns, and if so fixed, no other
question need be asked, but the price
thus charged can be recovered.”
Later from Mexico.
New Orleans, August I.—The steam
ships Indiana and Arizona have arrived
from Brazos Santiago, with dates to the
29th, and Indianola to the 80th July.
| They bring §17,500 in specie.
Degollado was at Tampico on the 22d,
actually preparing anew campaign.
Garcia, at Matamoras, had issued a
proclamation, calling the Liberals to arms.
Juarez’ decree, confiscating the church
property, was enthusiastically receivsd.
A conducts, with six hundred thousand
j dollars, was en-route for Brownsville.
Two hundred and thirty deaths from
yellow fever had occurred at Ileynosa.
The report that Santa Anna was at the
\ Capital was discredited.
Unfortunate Accident.
We regret to learn that Dr. It. A. Flem
ing, of this place, jumped from a window
in the second story of his residence,
while asleep, on Saturdry night last, sus
taining serious, but it is hoped not dan
gerous injury. The concussion was so
great as to affect the spine, and produce
partial paralysis. We are happy to hear,
however, that the injury is not as great
as was at first apprehended, and that
there is some probability of a speedy re
covery. This will be a fortunate escape,
considering the height from which the
leap w T as made, which was so great that
instant death might, under ordinary cir
cumstances, have been a very probable
result. Eujaula Spirtl.
Election Day in Montgomery.
The Mail, of Tuesday, thus describes
the scenes on election in Montgom
ery. Really, Montgomery is becoming a
belligerent city:
Avery large vote, as compared with ‘
previous elections, was polled in this city
yesterday. Notwithstanding the unusual
number of votes, there was less noise
than we have heretofore witnessed upon
similar occasions. There were several
knocks-down, however, besides one man
stabbed and two shot. These latter
cases are serious, and we hear that
Robinson, one of the men shot, died
last night. He was shot, it is alleged, by
C. L. Watts.
Tle Crops ill Western Texas.
The Indianola Courier of the 23d says :
We have accounts of the most reliable
character from almost every portion of
Western Texas, and are assured that
there has never*be;n such a prospect for
crops in this country before —especially
the cotton crops. The crop of cotton
planted this year is much larger than
that of any previous year, and it is but
fair to estimate that, if no disaster be
falls it before now and gathering time,
the yield will be more than doubled.
Treasury Rett ipls.
Washington, July 29.— The balance in
the Treasury on the 15th was nearly five
millions. Receipts last week $2,250,000,
Drafts paid $1,010,500. Drafts issued
$2,114,000.
Cotton Manufacture atnl Culture.
The development both of the produc
tion and the manufacture of cotton lias
been without a parallel in the history of
any human indtt-try. Two hundred year:;
have scarcely elapsed since cotton manu
facture is first n i tit iuned in history, and
then it was ,-o small a: to p.irsess no im
portance. Indeed but met} ymishave
passed since goells wi re fir.-t manufac
tured from cotton alone, and then it was
the work of the hand the yarn being
spun and the cloth woven in the dwellings
of cottagers.
Arkwright’s genius gave cotton manu
facture the importance it now possesses,
making it the sinew of British power,
and a benefaction to the human race.
From the year 1860 we may date the real
importance of this species of human in
dustry—an industry which has expanded
witli a rapidity, and to an extent, that
ren lers the contrast ot years within the
computation of a human life, Jruly aston
ishing. In 177-5 the importation of cotton
into England, for the consumption of its
factories, was only 4,764,589 pounds; in
1857 it had risen to 1,023,886,528 pounds,
an increase in eighty-two years of 1,019,-
121,939 pounds.
In view of the rapid progress of cotton
manufactures, we are at a loss what limit
to place to the growth of this species of
industry. Cotton cloth, in some of its
varieties, has come to be the common
clothing of the world. The cheaper it is
produced the more extensive its consump
tion. The extension of human inter
course, and the enlargement of the fields
*of commerce, open new avenues for its
dissemination. But the limit must at last
be reached.
The rapidity of the increase in the pro
duction of the raw material has quite
equalled the extension of its manufacture.
Previous to 1790 we exported no cotton.
It was not a staple product of any State :
nor was any expectation placed upon it
as a future source of wealth.
But as the invention of Arkwright en
dowed the cotton weaver witli new pow
ers, and built up manufacturing industry
to its present incalculable value, so that
of Whitney gave new energy to our agri
curists, and made the cotton growing
States the arbiters of the world of com
merce. In sixty years the export of this
great staple has rison from nothing to 3,-
700,000 bales. With unnumbered acres
of cotton lands, needing only the hand of
toil to make them fruitful, where do the
powers of production end ?
Though the capacity of the United
States to furnish a supply of raw cotton
for the world is undisputed, the manufac
turers are testing the capacity of every
island and interpropical region to find
new field for its culture.
Will they succeed in procuring a sup
ply so as comparatively to be independent
of the United States ? If industry and
indefatigable effort, regardless of expense
and undiscouraged by failure, can suc
ceed, they will ultimately triumph. But,
confident in the necessity of social insti
tutions similar to. our own to secure the
profitable culture of cotton on a large
scale, the planting interest of the cotton
States regard their efforts with supreme
indifference. We believe, in our day at
least, unless we adopt a policy suicidal to
the culture of this great staple, we have
nothing to fear.
We are by no means certain, under
other circumstances titan now exist, that
the production may not be so stimulant in
the United States as to glut the market,
and diminish the present profits of this
great industry. Under the stimulus of
present prices, the cultivation of cotton is
now extended to the full capacity of plant
ers to buy additional labor. The coining
crop rnay show a large increase upon that
of the past. At what point of production
the supply shall so largely exceed the de
mand .as to produce a decided reaction, it
is impossible to decide.
For the last quarter, a decided falling
off in the sales of cotton manufactures
has been experienced in England. This
may continue. The power to manufac
ture lias certainly not been decreased,
but the means of several nations of Eu
rope to buy have been suddenly curtailed.
Poverty follows in the train of war. And
its waste is now felt in all the nations
who have been compelled by a State ne
cessity to mobilize their armies.
Not less serious upon the power to be
profitable consumers of cotton goods has
been the insurrection in India. We shall
not be surprised, therefore, to witness a
decline in the amount of sales of cotton
fabrics the present year, to be followed,
perhaps, by an expansion in the future.
The possibility of overproduction of the
raw material, especially when the fact of
considerable increase in the exports of
cotton is witnessed from Egypt, from
Sontli America, from the West Indian Is
lands, the Pacific Islands and Southern
Africa, is not to be denied, and it became
the policy of the cotton planters to guard
against this result as energetically as the
Manchester Association labors to increase
the sources from which it may be ob
tained.
Millions of men depend for their pros
perity—nay, their comfort—upon pre
serving the present relations as nearly
as possible between the supply and de
mand of this great staple. Asa failure
of production to keep the mills in motion
would revolutionize the commercial
world of Europe, so a surplus, sufficient
to reduce the price to the mere cost of
production, would annihilate millions
upon millions of value in this country,
by throwing down the price of every spe
cies of its property.
Industry which has exhibited such re
markable expansion, and is easily capable
of almost unlimited growth, as that of
cotton culture must have a limit some
where. It is not the policy of the South
to labor to find this limit, in order to ac
complish any fancied or probable political
advantage.— Ji. O. Picayune.
Where to Plant Peacß Trees.
Those intending to plant peach or
j chards would do well to consider the fol
! lowing before determining upon location :
After several years experience and
close observation, the writer has found
that those peach orchards planted upon
an elevation having a height greater than
the surrounding lands, produce a crop of
fruit each year ; whilst those planted in
ravines, or depressions, or on level land,
usually fail, at least two years out of
three.
The cause of this difference in fruiting,
I think, is this : Upon elevated locations
the winds are more constantly in action
than in depressions and on level lands,
and in consequence, evaporation is car- j
ried on more rapidly, drying up the hu
midity or moisture on the buds that may
have collected there. Therefore, the frost
does not penetrate the vital partof the bud
or bloom. On the other hand, if water
remains upon the buds, it congeals by
only an ordinary frost—thus killing the
fruit.
Some writers, I see, are recommend
ing the planting of peach orchards on
land closely and densely surrounded by
heavy forest trees; my observation
would dictate the reverse. The day pre
vious to the severe frost of the 221 of
April, 1859, there was quite a quantity ot
rain fell in the morning ; about twelve
o’clock the wind commenced blowing
quite severely, and continued until even
ing; upon lands where it had free access
among the boughs, the orchards bid lair
to yield an ordinary crop: but in other
localities, where the wind was obstructed
iu its motion by adjacent forests or hills,
and the water left upon the buds, the
crop is almost an entire failure.
Artesian Well.
The artesian well, at Charleeton, S. C.,
is tubed to the depth of 1320 feet, and
supplies 100,000 gallons every twenty
four hours. Its temperature, when it
reaches the surface, is about 83 degrees
Farenheit, its taste slightly alkaline, and
it is thought to have medicinal qualities.
Glass deposited in it for a few hours re
ceives an iridescent coating similar to
that at the artesian well of Grenelle, near
Paris. A trough near the well on one of
the great thoroughfares of the city, is
supplied with this water for the use of
horses, which manifest a singular avidity
for it, many of them refusing to drink at
their stables in the morning in the expec
tation of receiving their supply at the
trough on their way to their stands.
How to Avoid tle Danger olT.ight
nln§.
The following seasonable advice is
hum tlu’ Scientific American :
The earth and atmosphere are saturat
ed with electricity, which ordinarily re
mains iu a state of equilibrium. When
this condition L diflurbed we have tii
phenomena of thunder storm —which is
simply an effort ot nature to restore the
electric equilibrium betwesu the atmos
phere and the earth. The atmosphere in
such cases is converted into a huge Ley
den jar : the lightning is simply disrup
tive discharges through the intervening
air; and thunder is the sound caused by
tiie violent and sudden compression of
the air, producing waves; hence the iong
continued roll like the discharge of artil
lery. Lightning is the most subtle and
irresistible power of nature. A single
flash can shiver the tall mast of the war
ship, that might bid defiance to a can
nonade, or renil the lofty oak of the for
est to splinters in an instant; and a sin
gle bolt has toppled the tall church spire
to the dust in tlio twinkling of an eye.—
What is the puny power of man before
such a mighty agent? It is physically
frail as a teacher or a trembling ieat.
Armed in the panoply of science, howev
er, man, like a weak but skilltul general
manivvers his forces against the otherwise
destructive power and convert danger
into comparative safety.
The discovery was made when Frank
lin proved the identity of lightning and
electricity with his little kite. Electri
city possesses the peculiar property of
flowing along or through what are call
ed “conductors,” such as copper, gold,
iron, &C.; and taking advantage of this,
the American philosopher suggested the
erection of tall rods of iron or copper on
houses or ships, to (oj> the Leydeti jars
of the atmosphere, and convey their
charges quietly to the earth. The sug
gestion carried out has saved thousands
of lives and millions worth of property,
hence all houses should be provided with
conductors ; but as is the case now, per
haps the great majority of buildings will
always be unsupplied with such agencies.
In all such cases, it should never be for
gotten, the lightning always seeks to
I pass the earth by prominent conductors ;
hence we have an explanation of the cause
why trees, masts of ships, steeples of
churches, towers and chimneys are often
struck, and why the persons referred to
above should not have been standing so
near the fire on the occasion of a thunder
storm, which cost them their lives. In
such storms, persons in houses should sit
or lie in some place as far distant as pos
sible from the chimney, and the most ex
i posed part of the wall—the middle of the
room, if it is large, is the safest locality.
Sailors on the sea should keep far as pos
i sible from the mast, and farmers in the
fields should never take shelter under
trees. Horizontal strokes of lightning
sometimes take place, and several per
sons'tiave been struck while sitting at nu
open window during thunder storms. Ev
| ery window of a room in which persons
sitting, in such cases, should be closed ;
a flash of the fluid, which would pass
through an open window into an apart
ment, will be conducted down through
the floor and wall to the earth if the win
dow is shut. We have thus given dircc-
I tions to be followed by all persons dur
! ing the prevalence of lightning, and we
; have set forth the science of the ques
tion, so that all may not only see the
j reasonableness of our remarks, but the
| seasonablencss also.
.+
[CorresiiiinJence ot the Liverpool I‘ost.]
Tiie News of Penec in Piedmont.
As you may easily imagine, the news
of what people call the preliminaries of
the peace, has been received with great
astonishment, both by the Piedmontese
| arm and by the people of Lombardy. No
body would have thought that Napoleon
could give up the idea of thoroughly hu
-1 miliating a power which has always
| shown the greatest contempt for his par
venu origin and for his dynasty. Besides
this, the Italians, who are such adepts in
the art of self-torturing, are already bu
sily engaged in foretelling all sorts of
ills, and their restless imaginations tell
that both the interests of their chosen
I King and of Italy will be sacrificed by
the European .Courts in a Congress. If
we are to believe our coffee-house poli
ticians, the Venetian provinces will bo
handed over to anAustrian archduke, who
will shortly prove to be notbiug better
than a second edition of Leopold of Tus
cany. Others say the priesthood will
govern, a9 it did before, the Romagna;
others, that Florence and Modena will be
compelled to take back their unworthy
l princes, with the shameful taunts of min
ions and spies. I do not know how.far
those rumors may be relied upon, but
what. 13 dertain is, that a compromise of
such a nature would not answer the ob
| ject of the war that Piedmont and Franco
have so nobly and so triumphantly initi
ated.
European diplomatists may think what
they like, bnt in my opinion, it is impos
sible to set Italy at rest if the Venitians
are not called to partake of the liberties
which have been already granted to their
| brethren in Lombardy. To have an Aus
trian Prince in Venice, although sur
rounded by a national army, and advised
by a national government, would be the
same as having Viennese influences in
full work, it would be the renewal of the
present contest before two or three years
can elapse,
‘Washington National Monument.
Washington, July 31—The construc
i tion of the Washington National Monu
■ nient, after a suspension of several years,
is about to be resumed. Systems to raise
j funds for t. e prosecution of the work
! have been put in operation, and it is pro
posed to request the postmasters through
i out the country to give aid to the enter
prise by placing boxes within their re
spective offices, for the receptions of
contributions, and forwarding the re
turns to Washington. A few cents a
month from the thirty thousand postof
fices would suffice in a few years, to raise
the shaft to its intended height. The
postmasters of many of the principal
cities, including those of New York,
Washington, Boston, Brooklyn, Balti
j timore and Charleston, have already ex
pressed their readiness to lend it a cor
dial co operation.
The Postmaster General lias written a
letter to Lieutenant Ives, the engineer in
charge of the Monument. He says “it
is the privilege of postmasters and others
associated with the postal service, in
common with all other citizens, to give
) to this enterprise such supjiort as their
judgments and feelings may prompt.
It is as citizens, and not as officers, that
their influence will be invoked, and I
doubt not that, in this laudable endeavor
worthily to illustrate arid perpetuate the
fame of the Father of his Country, they
will yield to none in the promptness and
earnestness of their co-operation.”
♦
Boss of a West India Mall Steamer.
The new propeller Plantagenet, at As
pinwall from Liverpool, the 9th inst., re
ports the loss of the Royal West India
Mail Company’s new and magnificent
steamship Paramatta. This event took
place on or about the Ist inst., when the
Paramatta was twelve days out from
England, on the coral island of Anegada,
lUe most northerly of the British Antilles,
about sixty miles from St. Thomas.
The Paramatta was the first of anew
class of iron steamers now being built by
the Company, and was on her first trip
out. She was one of the largest and fin
est steamers that has ever sailed from
England, being 3,500 tons register, Bi>o
horse power and about 400 feet in length;
aud as the Company are their own un
derwriters, it will prove to them a severe
loss, probably not less than a million of
dollars. They have been exceedingly un
fortunate, having lost, on an average,
about one vessel each year for the past
nine years.
The mails and passengers of the Par
amatta were fortunately saved, but it is
feared the cargo, as also the ship, is a
total loss. At last accounts she lay with
her bow in twenty feet water, and her
stem in thirty feet. The island ot Ane
gada is a coral formation, and at its
southeast extremity is a low reef extend
ing ten miles outwards, upon which ma
ny vessels have been wrecked betore.
y. O. Picayune.