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158 seven hundred occupy the Maryland Colony at Cape Palmas. To these may be added a bout five hundred natives, civilized and ad mitted to the privileges of the polls, and the rights of citizenship in general. The natives residing on land owned by the Colony, and directly amenable to its laws, are estimated from 10,000 to 15,000. The population of the allied tribes in the interior, who are bound by treaty to abstain from the slave trade nd other barbarous practices, is not accurately known, but may be estimated at 150,000. A WISE ANSWER. In West Africa, the church Missionary So ciety of England have a school for poor ne gro children. It is related of a little girl who belonged to that school, that one of her fel low pupils had beaten her. She was asked, “ Did you beat her again ?” She answered, u No, I left it to God.” The annals of phil osophy and human wisdom might be searched in vain for any thing equal to that answer. GENIUS. He is not the greatest man, who, with a gi ant intellect, can startle the multitude as with sudden thunder. The impression left on the mind is not agreeable and lasting. He who would stir up the soul, must have a calm, sympathizing heart. It is this which vibrates through the human heart, leaps in the warm pulses, and urges us to deeds of mercy. The man whose sympathies are with common hu manity—whose heart is moved by pure be nevolence—breathes thoughts that will never die. Like the silent dews, they descend on the bosom to cheer, to bless and to save. The breath of true life is thus felt in the heart.— Such a writer blends genius with humanity, and is destined to sway the multitude and urge them on to deeds of mercy and unend ing glory. P)Uosopl)j) for tl)c People. COKING DIAMONDS. Intelligent readers are aware of the fact, as a curiosity of science, that the royal diamond and plebeian coal are one and the same sub stance, identical in composition, only differ ing in their condition, the one being in a rude state of nature, coarse and barbarous, the oth er refined and sublimated into the highest ranks of crystalline excellence; and that the diamond is capable of being burned away like charcoal, as is occasionally demonstrated by lecturers on chemistry, in their experiments. Not satisfied with our knowing so much on this subject, greatly, of course, as the know ledge operates to the dispraise of the monarch of gems, a French savant, M. Jacquelain, has discovered another humiliating fact, viz : that it may be coked—turned like a piece of base, sea-coal, without combustion, from a bright diamond, into a good bit of coke, such as they turn out in such quantities, every day, at the gas-works. The diamond can only be coked by the in tense heat of electricity. M. Jacquelain’s process was as follows, —as we find it des cribed by the London Athenaeum, in a report of a lecture by Faraday u on the conversion of diamond into coke.” Having attached a piece of hard gas retort carbon to the positive wire of Bunsen’s bat tery of 100 elements, he placed on it a small piece of diamond. He then armed the nega tive wire with a cone of the same carbon, and, by dexterous manipulation, enveloped the di amond with electric flame. After a short in terval, the diamond underwent a sort of ebul lition, became disentegrated, softened, and was actual coke. —Scientific American. LIGHTNING. So long as lightning is occasioned merely by the action of two clouds, one upon anoth er, not the slightest danger is to be appre hended. Thunder being only a report, is per fectly harmless at all times. But when the electricity comes within the attraction of the earth, either by a cloud crossing over a lofty mountain or sinking near the earth's surface, it passes down from the cloud to the earth, sometimes in a straight line of lire, sometimes rolling along like a large ball, clearing out of its way everything that offers resistance to it; thus it will often tear up trees, set houses on fire, and even destroy animal life, should it impede its progress. This ball is a liquid in state of fusion, and not (as has been sup posed by some persons unacquainted with the science) a metallic substance called a thunderbolt. are metallic substances sometimes precipitated from the air; these are termed aerolites, and have nothing to do with the electricity of storms. As soon as the clouds disperse, which is usually after a §®olflS g[R m ft, IITF BiB& IE ¥ ® ASSTFIf s* vivid flash of lightning and a very loud clap of thunder, the rain descends, the electrical power is destroyed, and the storm ceases. Although storms arise from what may be call ed the accidents of nature, they are of great importance as an effort of nature, by which the atmosphere is cleared of all those impu rities it imbibes from noxious vapors, and oth er sources; and hence, despite their danger ous tendencies and the terrors to which they give rise, they are productive of much advan tage.—Sharp's London Magazine , HOW TO ENLARGE VEGETABLES. A vast increase of food may be obtained by managing judiciously, and systematically car rying out for a time the principle of increase. Take, for instance, a pea. Plant it in a very rich ground. Allow it to bear the first year, say half a dozen pods only: remove all oth ers. Save the largest single pea of these— sow it the next year, and retain of the pro duce three pods only: sow the largest one the following year, and retain one pod.— Again select the largest, and the next year the sort will have trebled its size and weight. Ever afterwards sow the largest seed. By these means you will get peas (or anything else) of a bulk of which we at present have no conception. ®l)e tUovking fttan. BENEFITS OF MACHINERY TO THE POOR. The New York American in an article on this subject, states that fifty years ago wages were no better, in fact less then, than at the present day, and the comforts and luxuries of life far more difficult to obtain. Articles need ed by the poor man, cost in those days of comparative freedom from machinery, from twice to three times v/hat they do now, and often more ; and you will find that the great est reductions are in those articles to which machinery has been most successfully ap plied There is no article of luxury or com fort to which machinery has been extensively and successfully applied, of which the poor man cannot now’ get more for a day’s labot than he could before such application of ma chinery. Salt is now less than one third, iron less than one half; shirtings and calicoes and cloth generally from one half to one fourth. Pins, needles, shoes, hats, everything in sim ilar proportions. Forty years ago such articles of use and ornament as clocks were scarcely known, and could be afforded by the rich only. Farmers’ wagons were chiefly sleds, their houses cab ins, their chairs stools and benches, bureaus pins drove in the wall or poles hung across, and their windows often an old sheet or blank et. Nails and glass cost money in those days, and labor commanded little ! Since machinery has been applied,—better roads, turnpikes, rail-roads, all of which are a species of machinery, have been construct ed. Steam has been made to propel the boat and the great ship, and to give power to the mill, to the jenny and the loom. Production in many articles has been more than trebled, and every thing the laborer needs has fallen, while his wages have raised or remain sta tionary. The clock which the farmer had not and could not afford, now adorns the man tle of his poorer tenant, and summons him to his meals. There have been less improvements in ag ricultural implements than in machinery for manufacturing purposes—but this is the age of improvement. Let machinery be applied to husbandry also. Let bread and meat be as cheap as clothing, and if the distribution j is not as equal as it might be, let us rejoice that if the rich man has more, so also the ! poor man has much more. The cottager has now by the aid of ma chinery here, what great kings have not in Africa, and wha t the kings of England had not before the introduction of machinery.— The great Alfred sat upon a three legged stool, while many an English or American tenant reclines on a gilded sofa. If the poor of Eng land and America are not so well off as they should be, machinery is not at fault. It is machinery that has saved them from much i greater misery, and the reforms which they ; need are chiefly governmental and social.— i RAIL-ROAD SPEED IN ENGLAND. Upon the Rail-ivays in England locomo tives attain a great spec 1, owing, perhaps, to the substantial manner in which the roads are built. Trains on the Great Western Railway have gone 194 miles in three hours and 38 minutes, at the same time drawing (JO tons weight. Deducting 32 minutes for stoppages, iit gives a rate of speed equal to about (5-1 miles per hour. The usual time however, for performing this distance is four and a half hours, including stoppages, with a train of 40 freight cars, which is drawn with perfect ease. Formerly, it took two hours to perform the journey between Edinburg and Glasgow, a distance of 46 miles. The road is now gone over by the mail trains in an hour and a quar ter. The usual rate of travel upon the English railways, of “ swift trains,” is 50 miles per hour, including stoppages.— Appleton's Rail- Road Companion. CURE FOR THE TOOTHACHE. Take a piece of sheet zinc, about the size of a sixpence, and a piece of silver say a quarter of a dollar, place them together, and hold the defective tooth between or contigu ous to them—in a few minutes the pain will be gone as if by magic. The zinc and silver acting as a galvanic battery, will produce on the nerves of the tooth sufficient electricity to establish a current, and consequently relieve the pain. 2ln (£*traorliinan} JJocm. For the Southern Literary Gazette. A GEORGIA MUSTER. The following remarkable Poem was re cently placed in our hands, subject to our will and pleasure, and we cannot resist the temptation to lay it before our readers, premi sing that we have preserved the metre and the orthography of the original.— Ed. South ern Lit. Gazette. It was in the year of eighteen hundred forty four, Having orthoritj r , the Govinor once more, Called for a General Review, With the exception of a very few. Invalids, over and under age, not ehuse Others had no right to refuse. In August, on the 23rd and fourth, When the men were, all, called forth. This was done by the Colonel’s command: By such officers as he chused to demand. How this was done I need not say. For you, all very well, know the way. And where this muster was seen, Was in the celebrated County Greene. The General was absent, by a eaus unknown : At least to me it has not been shown. It is true, he sent Players of fife and drum, With another Negro, very fond of rum ; Then the Colonel marched the men out of town, And they were soon on the muster Ground. In preparing the Officers to call, He took too much of Alcoholl; But they were soon at hand To receive the words of his Command. The Malitia, off in Piattoons, were soon laid, And their Captains and guides were soon made, These by the Colonel’s orders were sennt: And to their places they quickly went. To the Ridgement, himself, he did address, To try to cheer their minds afresh By saying short would be their stay, If his commands they only would obey ; But if careless and negligent none Should leave till the going down of the sun. He whealed the m on the rights and lefts of guides, Which made some very awkward strides, And when, into open columns, they Marched in a very bad way, For after the guides the men were marched too soon Forming many circles and half moon. Several bobbles there were made By the men marching retrograde. Reader, let mo tell you now, Back in town they went, no matter how ; In a gallop ofl‘ the Colonel rode Nearly as tight as a toad; The marching men he did dismiss. Being in a hurry his glass to kisa. Now, before I shall close These lines, without any prose, I"1I tell you how the men did dress, Without giving them any caress: From their plantations many a Peasant, Os rural occupation, then was presant, Armed with his own gun, Others borrowed, some had none ; And some sticks did take, Some uinberrelas, through mistake ; Some took oil tho muster to shun. Others Whiskey, Brandy, Gin, or Ruin ; Some would get drunk and tight. 1 exclaimed, ah ! w hat an awful s : ght ! l .es. mo tell you, in conclusion, There was a very great confusion ; I cannot tell you near all About the great nrtster Hall; So you must take but half, W h'.t.h will make you all laugh. EDITOR’S DEPARTMENT. ATHENS, SATURDAY, SEPT. 23, 1848. Singing in our Churches. We shall offer no apology, whatever, for noticin'- tliissubjcct in the columns of the “ Gazette,” deem ing it of such importance as to deserve and demand attention. Accustomed, as we have ever been to regard singing as one of the most delightful and profitable of all the services of the Sanctuary, when it is judiciously performed, we cannot forbear lend ing the influence of our Journal, and of our pen, to urge upon our readers a more earnest regard for this portion of divine worship. It has been remarked, and observation abundant ly attests the truth of the statement, that the most devotional congregations generally pay the most at tention to Church Psalmody. By this, we are far from designing to intimate that those congregations for whom all the singing is done by a band of hired vocalists and instrumentalists—who have no heart felt interest in their performance—arc devotional congregations. Far from it: we utterly repudiate such singing—and if it were not a contradiction of terms, should call it, perhaps, Operatic or Theatri cal Psalmody! We are decided advocates for sing ing by the-congregation—by which, of course, we mean all those in the congregation who have good voices and a tolerable knowledge of the principles of music. Singing is eminently a devotional act —it is tho poetry of worship, if such a terra be allowable. Tho heart and the voice encourage each other in son". Hence, all who can sing should unite in this portion of the public services of God’s house. No duty is more frequently enjoined in the Bible than that of praise. We are commanded to “serve tho Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with singing:” and the sweet singer of Israel exclaims, “ Let the people praise thee, O God; let all thk TEOrLE praise thee!” The duty of singing praises, then, is a clear and positive one; but how are we to sing praises I Here, too, the Bible is our instruc tor: “ Sing ye praises with understanding.” Now, we shall endeavor to show that to “sing praises with the spirit, and with the under standin* also,” requires a knowledge of music—not a perfect acquaintance with its theory and science, but a knowledge of its general rules —an idea of time, a correct ear and a correct taste. These, added to a good voice, will enable their possessor to “sing with the understanding.” Let us now enquire if such are the qualifications of many who make great pretensions to efficiency in Church Psalmody, and who aspire to lead the congregation in this branch of devotion. We have known men set up for chor isters whose entire stock of musical knowledge con sisted of half a dozen antiquated tunes —assorted, from long to short metre —and whose musical taste was as much more deficient than their knowledge, as a cipher is less than a unit —who never heard of time, and who never conceived of melody ! Their singing is of the nasal genus, all their sounds being forced out of their leading organs, as if there was not a larger channel of exit just below them Then, too, they have a curious habit of introduc ing—for euphony’s sake, we presume—certain favo rite letters into words, besides the usual compliment, such as d’s and n’s. We do not know that we can execute a specimen of their singing, but as near a type will express it, let us attempt, in their 3tyle. popular stanza: “Am Ida sol-n-dier dos the Cross — D.i follower dos the Lamb-d? Dan Khali di fear to ow-d-n hid cause — Dor bludh to spea-d-k hid name.” But it is not only the nasal execution that w ob ject to in such loaders of the public devotion. J here are other serious errors. It, requires, we apprehend, good taste to select tunes suitable to the hymns an nounced. Tho choristers whom we describe-" 1111 '* but too truly—have no idea at all of this, but would probably raise a quick, lively and spirited air— : they knew such —to a solemn, penitential hymn, and a slow, mournful melody, such as Dundee or Wind ham. to an exulting song of gratitude and giving. Thcyrush through every stanza , moreover, with the same pitch of the voice, and in tones e. thunder that stun our ears, mar the exquisite pal* 1 “’ and tenderness of such lines as the following: “ Soft be the gently breaching noted That sing the Saviour’s dying love; Soft ad the evening Zephyr floats— And soft as tuneful lyres above: Soft as the morning dews descend,