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this prison, where I have been ever since,
m y jase being continued from day to day
nud month to month without trial. I wish
to repeat that I am not, by any means,
the bloodthirsty individual I have been
represented.
Lieut. Brain was a tall, straight, and
cornmandiug-looking personage, when in
health, but his sufferings in prison have
been so intense that he cannot walk
without the aid of a crutch, and is, per
haps, permanently di.sabled. His right
toot is much swollen from inflammatory
rheumatism, a disease he attributes to the
unavoidable dampness of the prison, and
he is, indeed, a wreck of the man who
entered it nearly three years ago. He
is only 29 years of age, but says, with a
truthfulness that is apparent in his looks,
that since his imprisonment he has grown
old faster than with the flight of years.
He is a man of mild and affable manners
and agreeable conversation, and seems,
in his bearing, to have kept himself un
tainted from the prison atmosphere about
him. A widowed mother and two young
daughters depend upon him for support,
and he expresses himself as anxious to
be with them.
Efforts are being made to secure ills
pardon at the hands of President John
son, but if he is not pardoned, the Con
stitution guarantees him a speedy trial,
and it is made the duty of the Courts
and the Government to see that it is not
only accorded to him, but insisted upon.
Had either of these things been done, that
wretched spectacle of a man, not con
victed of any crime, compelled to be the
companion of convicted felons, would not
now offend the nobler instincts of the
American people. With a shattered
constitution, and a frame that is no
longer the subject of the will, he drags
himself about the prison, and even finds
it necessary to appeal to the judgment of
his visitors that the reports of some
newspapers that he has lost his reason is
untrue. That was a sad and painful
record which the hand of the story-writer
traced in the life of Philip Nolan; but
here is a man without a country and
without a trial, whose few years of suf
fering reverse the natural order, and make
the truth of history look for a parallel in
the tales of fiction.
Bound Dancing.
“Tcmpora mutantur , et nos inuiamiir in
illis .”
With this maxim, as being at once the
most truthful and most appropriate, I
begin. That the times have changed, the
chaotic confusion of our political world
bears terrible witness, and that ice have
changed with them, the present state of
society attests. Chiefly is this alteration
in the manners of Virginians seen at balls,
which now no longer deserve a better
name than that they so often bear of
“Hops.”
Someone of us who, being farther re
moved from Yankee rule (is consequently
uninitiated in the “new regime" of society),
enters a ball-room, drawn thither by the
magnetic attraction of bright eyes, lovely
faces and graceful tones. He hears the
voluptuous music as it floats on the per
fumed air ; he is for a moment bewildered
by the brilliant glare of lights, and the
myriads of fairy-like creatures gliding
past. He looks around for some familiar
face, but a vision meets his eye?, which,
fora moment, appals him, and sends the
hot blood to his cheek. Approaching him
he sees a sylph, clad in robes of floating
white, the bare neck and arms more per
fectly moulded, more purely fair,
than sculptured Venus. The un
dulating, pliant figure moves in
unison with the music. But horrible f
The slender waist is encircled by a mascu
line arm; the rich, brown curls are
resting on the shoulders of her partner!
fche raises her flushed face as she passes,
and he sees the creature he has wor
shipped as a “woman, yet a spirit, too,”
brought in an instant from her high pedes
tal in his heart a broken idol, a woman
bereft of her greatest charm.
“ And what is left the poet hero ?
I'or Greeks a blush, for Greece a tear.
Maidens, do you not remember the time
when, if a lover, whose honor was as un
sullied as his heart was pure and true, if
he, in chivalrous devotion, might touch
the rosy tips of your soft, white fingers,
se felt himself most honored above man
kind. And now, oh grievous truth 1
“Our loveliest and our fairestones’’
whirled around in the arms* of men
whose hearts are as stained as their mous
taches,, which, thanks to Mr. Blair, are of
a «anditti-like blackness, and whose ac
quaintance dated back to "one ' short
minute ago,
but in this degeneracy, woman is not
worthy of all blame. Every result can be
graced to its cause or causes, and in this
they are the blind following of
ankee fashions and the degeneracy of
( ur men. At the North, as here, the ex
tremists ot fashion are the moneyed
aristocracy, 91 rather those whose only
claim to position in society is their purse.
Imitators of European fashion and fast
-ess, they introduced round dancing. That
there is a deficiency of charms when fast
ness is resorted to, is so true that it may
"•aim the credence of an oxiom. How
Grange, then, that knowing this, and that
‘'•nowing round dancing is opposed to true
1 "fioement, ladies, both North and South,
‘•ouldhave taken the infection, and now
Ve behold those in whose veins course the
blood of Presidents and gentlemen follow
mg fashion set by women whose pedigree
extends as far back as the discovery of a
Petroleum well or shoddy. They who
would not yield otic inch in any question of
superiority, yet tacitly confess their inferi
ority by adopting this disgrace to gentility.
Dancing in the old way, such as quad
iiiles, reels, etc., was one of the greatest
privileges a woman possessed. Xt relieved
the^tedium of sitting quietly for half a
night, and was only exercise enough to
bring a roseate tint to her check. It gave
the young people an opportunity of form
ing new acquaintances, and by a constant
change* of partners, prevented a young
lady being disagreeably monopolized.
Ladies of Virginia, have those days lied
for aye ?
. f here is a class of men whose interest it
is to keep up a corrupt state of society,
else they would be treated with the con
tempt they merit —would-be fashionables,
who neither deserve nor shall obtain farther
notice. But gentlemen who still retain a
love for purity in woman, who would blush
t* see their sisters threading the mazes of
the German dance, will yet spend houi'3
enjoying the same “pleasure ” with
other men’s sisters, as dear to their
brothers as his are to him. To such
I say, carry your 'principles farther , and
stop round dancing yourselves. Notwith
standing the talk of “woman’s rights,” the
majority of women are not of the class styled
strong minded,” and these look to man
for guidance—look to him as possessing a
“mind which will elevate her own” (how
often without grounds for such a theory !)
and will Virginians, who so long “have
borne without abuse the grand old name of
gentlemen who, so long sheathed in the
armor of honor, have won themselves a
niche in the Temple of Fame, will they, at
this late day; in place of elevating the
minds and characters of our ladies, set
them an example which will forever cast
clouds over their honor ?
To Richmond, the capital of our State,
Virginia looks for an example, and espe
cially is it necessary for the Richmond
ladies to discard round dancing. To all,
both ladies and gentlemen, we say. cast it
to the winds. Still., still let the names of
our ladies be synonimous with purity and
loveliness; else how will they appear by the
side of the chaste dames of former years ?
—those whose characters have stood the
prismatic touch of Time, and the test
served but to show what glorious colors and
shadings formed the perfect whole.
If for no other reason than the honor of
our beloved State, “stop it.” Behold
Virginia ! she whose victorious foot has
so long rested on the tyrant’s bosom, is
herslf enchained —led captiveby her form
er prostrate foe. The blood streams
from her many wounds ! The laurel wreath
torn from her brow lies at her feet, bedew
ed with blood; she raises aloft her beaute'
ous hands, and her mountain ranges re
echo the clanking of her manacles—and
yet she sees in all her woe a spectacle more
terrible than chains or blood. Her unnatu
ral children, who should be pouring balm
in th se wounds, who should Lind
np that broken heart, mock at
her. grief by throwing away their one re
maining treasure—their spotless purity !
She weeps! Ah, well she may ! Bend
down thy stricken head, oh, conquered
Queen, and wash thy children’s crimes
away in mingled tears and blood !
She faintly calls her children. Shall
that call be in vain ? Let our great patriot
Lee, whose name stands side by side with
Washington let him but speak a few
well chosen words against, these “hops”
and “German clubs,” and they will vanish
to the clime whence first they came. Let
the press, Hercules-like, come forth with
invincible strength and crush this hydra.
Let him who, most of all Virginians, so
well deserves the name of “Wise,”
“The courtier’s, soldier’s, statesman’s eve,
tongue, sword!”
Let his clear voice, whose eloquent music
is only equalled by the richness of his
thought, re-echo once again through all
Virginia’s hearts. He hath ceased to be
our Governor politically, but still, in the
moral world, may the Niagara like flow of
his genius sweep away these excrescents of
vice. Many more there are, too numerous
to mention, who may assist their weeping
State. To all we say, “ Rescue, for Vir
ginia/” She needs you—she calls you
refuse not your assistance. It must, it will
be stopped—this amusement, so pernicious
to the morals of our people; and God grant
that ere another New Year dawn, it may
be wrapped in Enthanasia.
Sir Galahad.
—Richmond ] Yh ig.
Corpses is the Ground.—“ How long
will a man lie in the earth ere he rot ?”
asks Hamlet. A New York correspondent
of the New Orleans Picayune devotes all
of one of his letters to an answer to
this question, starting out with the asser
tion that “it is a mistake to suppose the
worms eat us up after we are dead.’’ In
no one instance,” he says, “as Ilearn from
an old gray-haired sexton, has a body,
buried, as at present, in a suitable coffin,
been known to have been eaten by
worms. The old sexton remembered of
taking up one person who had been bu
ried fifteen years, and the body was per
fect in every part, though the coffin itself
had fallen to pieces. lie accounted for
this from the fact that the body had been
buried near a marshy stream, the sur
roundings of which were salt, and this had
preserved the body, even after the coffin
had disappeared. What is the use of the
embalming process after this? when a
bushel oi salt will keep a body perfect for
fifteen years ? And why any more repeat
the words from Job, “After my *kin
worms destroy this body,” etc.
MIBIS ©F ffH lolfi o
>’cw fork Sketches.
THE GUNTHERS AND THE A6TORS.
New York Correspondence of the Troy Times.
Gunther, the great furrier, is dead, and
hath not left his peer. Ho was full of years,
money, children and honors, and had reach
ed more than ordinary degree of success.
For many years the sign of “C. G. Gunther
&(Jo,” might have been seen in Maiden
Lane, with a marble tablet set in the brick
work of the front, exhibiting a bear in high
relief, and here the firm made enormous
profits. Latterly they moved up town and
are still flouris .ing at the head of the trade.
The fur business has, from time immemo
rial, been controlled by the Germans. This
may be accounted for by the fact that one
of their nation (we refer to John Jacob
Astor). made a great fortune at it, and this
fact being rapidly whispered among them,
led others to try their hand. Astor, how
ever, had no competitors. His operations
were too vast to suffer from any petty in
tenerence and, before he had been in busi
ness fifteen years, he. had fur buyers in all
parts of North America, and was planning
for a colony to be planted on the shores of
the Pacific, i here was one branch in which
room was left to operate with great
success, ’ibis was the manufacturing of
furs, and the making up of boas, victo
ries, capes, muffs, and all the etcetera of
ornamental and useful articles in this line.
Astor paid no attention to this minor busi
ness. He bought and sold by the bale,
and though he sorted his choice furs with
bis own bands, yet he did not retail them.
When thus employed he wore a long
gown, and a friend of ours mentions find
ing him in his fur loft thus attired, an •
cogitating over the proper selections for
foreign markets. He had in his hands
what then was a very rare thing, and is
now a greater rarity, a silver fox skin,
which he was contemplating with great ad
miration. Sir,” said he, as ..e stroked
the soft and beautiful fur, “I shall get for
this skin about forty dollars in St. Peters
burg.” It probably did not cost him forty
shillings, and this we believe to be a fair
sample of his profits. In fact Astor be
came a rich man before he was considered
anything more than a well to do
plodder in the world. This was shown by
his interview, with the President of
the Bauk.of New York at a time when be
asked a discount of unusual amount. “Mr.
Astor, how much do you consider yourself
Worth?” “A million of dollars,” was
the reply. The banker opened his eyes
with astonishment. The German plodder
was the only millionaire in New York.
Among those who followed Astor into the
fur business was a young man named Gun
ther, oi whom we have thus far written.
He undertook, as we have stated, the
manufacturing fur busines, and found it
very profitable, and in the making of muffs
and other goods he gave employment to a
large number ot needle-women, some of
whom accumulated a neat sum in his ser
vice. Gunther was a zealous Democrat,
and during the last Henry Clay canvass he
was extremely excited. A band of young
men was organized at that time under the
titie of “coon-hunters,” and paraded
the streets with fire-arms in a suit of raili
tar> array. On one occasion they marched
to the number of one hundred, each man
with musket on his shoulder and a stuffed
raccoon banging on his back. It was un
derstood that these skins were loaned for
the occasion out of Gunther’s.
The Feeding Roots of Trees.
It is not without some pride that the
Editor of the Gardener a Monthly finds so
many of his observations and opinions,
which, on their first promulgation regard
el es wild theories, finally come to be re
ceived as scientific truths. Tie owes his
success in these matters to being in no
haste to publish his views, In many cases
he has spent several years in endeavoring
to be sure of his facts , before uttering a
word. These facts he prefers to gather
with his own senses from the great book of
Nature, rather than to reading about them
in the best libraries ever formed. There is
no other way in which one can properly
advocate a point, if he would not be at the
mercy of every critic that chooses to object
to him. The only inconvenience is, that
pressing our views with the positiveness
of one who knows he is right, and believes
in the value of what he teaches, we lay
ourselves open to charges of vanity, per
versity, or notoriety seeking. The follow
ing from Coleman s Rural World is an
“illustration
“The Gardener s Monthly seems to wish
to make itself notorious, by advocating the
growing of fruit in grass, or having the
roots very near the surface, and not to cul
tivate as we would a field of corn. We
consider such advice and teachings as
damage to fruit growing. It leads many,
whom we think otherwise would cultivate
and grow fruit, to meet with failure of
time, and faith in fruitgrowing in many
sections of our county. This new system
of non-cultivation and pruning may an
swer very well for some limited localities,
hut for us/of the West, will not answer.
To be successful—when our trees come
into bearing—they need long roots, that
go down into the damp clay, to keep life
and vigor in them through our long sum
mers of intense heu and dryness. A tree
to acquire vigor, health and long life,
should be thoroughly cultivated. How
often do we see old and infirm orchards
brough to renewed life—recuperated from
almost barrenness, to thrifty, produotive
orchards, by plowing up the grass, manur
ing and cultivating the same. ”
Now we thank all who point out any
errors we may start, as cordially as we
value the commendations of admirers. Os
course it is pleasant to have these obiec
tionsmauem a friendly spirit; but J yet
better have an error flayed out of the pub
lic boey, even though a sugar pill would
do as well,,,than have a festering sore re
main.
Now in the extract we have above given
there is nothing much that we can say here
withou.. repetition; of course our readers
know that we don’t care for the grass in an
orcuard. If this writer chooses to put
enough compost on his fruit orchard an
nually to prevent a blade of grass from
growing, we should say he did very well,
muon better than by letting the grass
grow. The grass we have spoken about,
is but a means to an end. If that end can
oe better accomplished by other means, so
be it.
Now it is strange that this cry about the
damage our views about fruit growing
would do if adopted generally, "should
come from the West along with another
cry that fruit growing is now a failure.
i resident Lrown, of the Illinois Horticul
tural Society, says, in a recent speech, that
fruit-growers’ Societies,originally institut
ed to tell us “what varieties to plant,”
now have a greater duty, to tell us “how
to grow fruit trees.” lie speaks of failures
everywhere.. So in the East, the advocates
of deep rootmg are everywhere adinittioL r
their failure ; but we shall not enter into
this matter here, our present object being
to show where those who think as the
writer of the extract above thinks, are
radically wrong.
Nearly twenty-five years ago we found
that the root fibres oi trees were only cat
uucu like the leaves, they died every
year. In 1353 we published it as a fact ;
we have iought it through until we believe
it is now accepted as a scientific truth.
I hej have the same relation to the main
roots as the leaves have to the branches,
except that, while the leaves are the pre
parers of tne food—the cooks—the fibres
are the providers the husbandman for the
cooks. J ust as the branches are of use
only as supporters of the leaves, which,
like the ancient rib of Adam, are formed
by morphological laws out of tree bodies ;
so the main roots are only of benefit in so
far as they afford the material out of
which fibres are formed, to hold the tree in
position, and possibly, in a very small de
gree, to draw.in moisture.
Remembering this, now take up very
carefully a young tree, and we find that
the fibres are nearly all on the surface , and
tnat they decrease in number and import
ance with every inch oi depth. In the
largest trees scarcely a fibre will be found
one loot from the? top, large roots —tap
roots—you may and will find, but no root
that is of the slightest benefit to the
trition oj the tree. llow then a tree can
be benefited by the destruction of this
large army of agricultural laborers, toiling
at the surface to maintain the growing na
tion thri ing in its many industrial occupa
tions above them, we do not understand.
>v hen we look back and see that it has
already taken twenty years to have these
simple truths. generally recognized as cor
rect, w« hardly expect to live to see the
credit awarded to us of being the founder
of an entirely new system of fruit culture ;
but we do feel that after we are dead and
gone, the new generation will wonder why
the old one was so stupid as to cling to a
system, which they continually acknowl
edged a failure ; which took its rise from,
and had no better authority than the
fables oi TEsop; and which they were
shown was clearly opposed to principles,
the truth of which they could not dispute.
Hardener's Monthly.
§(nMli(jcncc.
Cathedral. —On Sunday morninglast,
an eloquent sermon on the Gospel of
the day was preached in the Cathedral
at the late Mass, by the liight Rev.
Bishop of Charleston, l)r. Lynch.
He subsequently made an appeal in
behalf of his Diocese rendered so unfortu
nate and desolate by the recent terrible
devastations of war. The Bishop re
ferred to the purpose of his mission, by
stating that he was present by the per
mission of Right Rev. Bishop Wood,
which was a renewal of the kindness
which had for so many years bound them
together, lie then referred to the sad
condition of his desolate Diocese, which
could not be truthfully rcaiizea unless it
was actually witnessed. The sad recital
of their sufferings had been narrated in
other cities, and elicited the assistance
and aid of kind-hearted brethren, who
came to the rescue with assistance, and
soiiu! of these who had subsequently
visited the scene, had stated, that heart
rending as was the narrative appertain
ing to the distress, it was by no means
equal to the scene of suffering and con
fusion visible.
The speaker then gave a graphic and
elaborate history of the Diocese of Char
leston from the time of its creation in
1820, by his Holiness, Pope Pius VII,
who, after many sufferings and privatious
as experienced also by his predecessors,
was restored to his Pontifical throne,
and casting his eyes to the New World,
and seeing the growth of the Church,
mapped out the new Diocese then consist
ing of the three States of North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Georgia. Under
the guidance of the Holy Ghost, Right
Rev, John England was appointed first
Bishop, who labored with unwonted
energy, zeal, and holy and incessant
attention. He found the place a wilder
ness in an eeclesiasticae point of view
there being' but two churches and two
Friests, whose labors were at times
relieved by two others, permitted to assist
by the Most Rev. Archbishop of Balti
more, I fie new Prelate however was
not discouraged, but worked as an athlete
ot God, doing that which God had appoint-
him to do. The speaker then gave
interesting reminiscences of his bovhood, I
referring, amongst other of his youthful
recollections, to seeing Bishop England
with tattered vestments and broken shoes
going amongst his flock, and arduously' 1
laboring in behalf ofhis mission. |
He was obliged to pay a visit to I
Europe in behalf of the Church interests*
and in returning therefrom the typhus I
fo\er biOfCe out amongst the laro’o num
ber of emigrants on board, and the
Bishop whilst ministering to their wants
was stricken down with the inaladv, and
when he returned to Charleston, his flock
scarcely knew him, so emaciated and
reduced was he by the severe sickness
be underwent. He died In 1842, like a
“child of God,’’ and was succeeded by
Rt. Rev, Ignatius A. Reynolds, D.D.,and
finally by the present esteemed Prelate,
Right Rev, P. N. Lynch, who was con- I
secrated March 14, 1858.
The losses sustained by the bombard
ment of Charleston, and the devastation
of the war generally, were referred to
by the Bishop minutely and with feeling,
and he concluded by urging the con
gregation to assist him in this his hour
of need. A prompt response was made !
to the appeal, and quite a large amount
was realized. i
Philadelphia Standard, Feb. 13
American College in Rome. —The
Rev. Father Doane finished his mission
amongst us last week. The Rev. E.
Stehle, Pastor of St. Josephs Church,
expects to be able to found a burse in
the College through his own generosity,
and that of other Catholics of the city.
Should his efforts be crowned with suc
cess, of which he is very confident, the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati will be entitled
to a free place in the College “in per
petuum,” and the Burse will bo called
the German Burs. This with other
subscriptions of SI,OOO each from Messrs
Herman Ahlering, Patrick Poland,
John Henry, R. R. Springer, Henry
Grotenkemper and James Walsh, and
SSOO each frem Messrs. M. Hart, and
J. 11. Rogers, and other smaller subscrip
tions of S2OO from the Most Rev. Arch
bishop, SIOO each from the Rev. Dr.
Richter, Messrs. Benziger Brothers, Dr.
Bruehl, Joseph Ilemann, and others,
with SSO from the Rev. C. H. Borgess;
thus they amount up to nearly $13,000!
Any further suberiptions in money, or
Pupal Bonds, can be handed to the
Rev. C. H. Borgess of the Cathedral,
who has kindly consented to act as the
agent of the College in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Telegraph.
Murder in Tipperary. — Limerick
Junction, Thursday. —lntelligence has
been received here that a man named
Tracy, living about two miles from this,
plase was found with his throat cut jester
day .[evening, on the road from Tipperary
He had in his possession, when leaving
the town of Tipperary, a large sum of
money and a watch; both were missing
when the body was discovered. Two
arrests have been made. An inquest
will be held on the body to-day.
Tel fast Examiner Jan. 1.
Lord Oranmore on Amnesty. To
the Editor of the Daily Express. — Sir:
Allow me a l'evv words os to the proposal
to release the Fenian convicts.
I hold that a clear distinction should
be made between resident Irishmen and
filibustering adventurers.
The former have a right to a voice in
the government of the country; they
have a right to be Nationalists; though,
for the preservation of order, they must
be punished il they attempted unsuccess
fully to carry out their views. But
foreigners, whether Americans or Irish
men settled in .America, are merely
freebooters and land pirates. They are
enemies of all order, and should be treat
ed accordingly.—Your obedient servant,
< >raumore.
January 22, 1869.
Liberal Bequests.— We arc pleased
to be able to announce the following
bequests to the institutions named, by
the will of Louisa Chauvenet, recently
admitted to probate, in the Register of
Wills office :
St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum $2,300,
House of Good Shepherd $1,200; St.
A meents Home for Destitute Children
$5 JO ; > t. John’s Orphan Asylum, $1,300
and St. Ann’s Widows’ Asylum S2OO
e trust this benefactor of the several
worthy institutions she has aided will
receive the reward of her benevolence
and well applied charity.
Phil. Cath. Standard.
3