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younger negro. The Major had breveted
him second in command, and dubbed him Cap
tain. This had truly a martial effect on him,
and it appeared in his firm, steady tread, and
a disposition to be belligerent towards all in
truders.
In one place stood a squad of what might
be termed the “ b’/tof/s.” Each one held in
his hand a rough-looking hickory stick, which
reminded you of Hercules’ club in miniature.
Their breeches-egs and socks seemed to have
been quarrelling that morning, from the an
tipathy they exhibited towards each other, and
which could not even be overcome by the
main force of old bridle reins substituted for
straps. The same cause of difference existed
between their vests, and the waist-bands of
their trowsers; or, perhaps, what I took to
be an exposure of their shirts, in consequence
of this difference, was only white bands of
cotton cloth girded round about their stom
achs and which formed part of the mode a
la b'hoy. Their coats showed that they ap
peared in borrowed feathers, literally and fig
uratively; for in reality, the said garments
looked as if they had been stowed away in
feather-beds instead of chests or trunks; and
moreover, their indisposition to clasp their
wearers in close embrace, betrayed fact,
that in all human probability, their daddies
had stood for the tailor to take their measures
—the boys not being used to such things,
and therefore liable not to stand correctly.
Their hats, were probably those which their
fathers wore when they were married, up
wards of twenty years before ; for they were
real bell-crowned fellows, reminding you more
than anything else of an inverted sugar loaf
blackened, and stuck in a rim of patent leath
er. They had little white hairs fixed about
upon their countenanceshere and there, which
made them resemble an old pigeon with the
feathers picked off, before the down is singed.
Every now and then when Capt. David pass
ed these, one of them would make an attempt
at a witty saying, at which they all roared,
but which had no other effect on David than
lo cause his upper lip to assume an angle of
forty-five degrees, and his nasal organ to be
have accordingly.
In another place you might see a large
collection of boys, of ten years and under,
sitting down upon stones and roots of trees;
now lolling about, now huddled togetherlike
a bevy of partridges in a sunshiny December
morning. Every now and then one of them
would stray too near the pit. and Capt. Da
vid would jump at him, and make him scam
per off to his companions with so much ter
lor in his countenance, as to prevent for some
time, a repetition of the offence.
Here you n.ight see a crowd of girls “just
out, - ’ and dressed in a manner corresponding
with that of the young men, only, of course,
they had not yet commenced like their moth
ers, to wear the—trowsers.
Every now and then you might see a
squadron of boys such as I have described
above, come dashing up on their three-year
old cockle-burred colts, performing divers and
sundry evolutions, which would even put to
shame a Georgia Major. Now, they would
come on side-foremost, as if nature designed
their ponies to travel in that way, and then
they would turn tails for heads and make a
retrograding progression towards the place of
assemblage.
“Never mind their ways,” said uncle Simon;
“every man has his own way of being great,
and I am not sure hut that the way of these
hoys is preferable to that of the speakers, who
will pretend to enlighten us presently.”
By this time the crowd had nearly all ar
rived, and, to use old David’s words, “ a few
on ‘em" 1 were around the pit. “Where the
carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered
together.”
The sight was truly tempting. Upon the
sticks laid across the pit, were placed whole
pigs, with their tails as nicely curled as
ff the task had been performed by the hair-
Ik HIT B!B A ¥ SAS Bin? 8*
dresser to some city belle. Their noses were
turned up just as they used to be in life, when
their owners scented an ear of corn from afar.
A constant incense of odors seasoned with
pepper and vinegar, went up from the whole
oblation, and every where greeted the olfac
tories. Ever and anon, drops of rich gravy
fell down into the fire, crackling, and sending
up curling wreaths of smoke, accompanied
with a fragrance which made all lament that
it should be lost!
About eleven o'clock there was a commo
tion among the people, and it was announced
that the speaking would soon commence.—
\\ e all proceeded to the stand about one hun
dred yards off; but, as the crowd deployed
to the right and left, many were the wistful
looks cast back towards Sodom, the place of
their future hopes. I saw both the speakers,
one Whig and one Democrat, mount the ros
trum. One came with his “ premeditated
lines,” his pamphlets and news-papers in a
bundance—the other, had none of the docu
ments visible; though it afterwards turned
out, that he had some “ few extracts cut from
some Northern papers, which he would read
to the audience.”
Well, the man Dobbs, who had no visible
documents, got up to speak first, and made
a tremendous complaint against the other for
bringing so many pamphlets and n< ws-papers
there. For himself, he was going to speak
I extemporaneously, The intelligence of the
andience which he had the honor to address,
needed no such thing as documents! Hethen
went on to show that the only issue between
the two parties, was the question of slavery;
and that his candidates were in favor of it,
and the candidates of the other party oppo
sed to it. To prove this, he read extracts
from Barn-burner and Free Soil papers; show
ing, that they opposed his candidates, while
they favored the pretensions of the others.—
His remarks were interspersed throughout
with anecdote, witticism etc. Os course, the
excitement was tremendous—and the welkin
rang with plaudits and shouts of laughter—
simply, because his party had gone to the
place determined to cheer, and laugh—and,
rather than not laugh at all, they were de
termined to laugh at noth ng.
Dobbs wound up by addressing himself
directly to the crowd I have described as
standing around the pit, telling them how
much abashed lie was to speak in the pres
ence of so much intelligence and enlighten
ment !
Hobbs, now got up to reply, and followed
pretty much in the footsteps of his antago
nist. He seemed carried away with a flood
of indignation, to think that Dobbs should
have complained of his carrying so many doc
uments upon the stand, when he himself had
been compelled to draw from his pockets the
documents he had covertly stowed away
there. For himself, he despised hypocrisy,
and therefore had come out openly and bold
ly from the first with his pamphlets and news
papers ! Here followed the most tremendous
and uproarious applause. Hobbs then went
on to tell his anecdotes, and to excite laugh
ter in his party. He also, made quotations
from other Free Boil papers, to counter
balance those which had been adduced by
Dobbs.
I noticed in these speeches, that each of
the orators made constant appeals to the low
est and vilest prejudices of their auditors;
who hallooed, laughed, screamed, yelled,
howled and stamped unceasingly. Very of
ten, however, when they should have applau
ded they were silent, and when they should
have been silent, they made most noise. It
was very unlucky for the speakers that the
bree/e blew from the roasting meat towards
the stand —for I was several times very much
j amused to see some of the finest bursts of el
oquence —some of the most pathetic appeals
—lost upon the audience who happened at
that time to have their nostrils inflated with
odors from the barbecue, borne upon the
wing of the Zephyr; and who stood with
their noses turned up in that direction, just
as I have seen cousin Aristides’ old Lewder
throw up his head to wind a fox trail.
After Dobbs and Hobbs had spoken an
hour and a half apiece, at two o’clock it was
announced that dinner was ready. The con
gregation did not wait to be invited twice to
the table, but forthwith made a rush fortheir
anticipated meal.
The pigs had been taken up and carved
into proper sized pieces, then put in wooden
trays, and ranged along upon the table at in
tervals of some three or four feet. Between
these trays, were huge piles of light bread,
j and a kind of sour corn loaf which goes by
I the name of risen bread. All joined in,
| and reserving discussion of the merits of the
! speeches of their respective orators until af
ter dinner, were very busily employed in a
practical discussion of the merits of the eat
ables—a point upon which they all seemed
agreed. I happened to pass by Capt. David,
when a peal of laughter burst upon my ear,
and soon after, the exclamation—“ Lord, how
some white folks can eat!”
irorngn GTomsponime.
For the Southern Literury Gazette.
| LETTERS FROM SCOTLAND.—NO. 3.
Rovverdennen Inn, )
Loch Lomond, Aug. 15, 1848. ]
My Dear R., —You and your readers are
indebted for this letter at so early a period of
my progress in the Highlands, to a somewhat
sudden and violent storm, which has driven
our party into the little, but comfortable stone
cottage, bearing the above appellation. lam
occupying an attic room, whose door looks
out upon Loch Lomond ; but, instead of the
smooth, bright waters, glancing in the sun
beams, which greeted me when I rose this
morning, all that is now perceptible is a mass
of scarce distinguishable cloud and water,
rendered more gloomy still by the shadows
of the surrounding mountains. Behind me,
Ben Lomond lifts his giant form, though, if I
had not seen it to-day, I should have no proof
of its vicinity, so completely is it wrapped
from base to summit in the heavy drapery of
mist that ever attends a storm in the High
lands. We were forewarned of the fickle
ness of the skies in this glorious region, and
so we came prepared to experience sudden
draw-hacks to our enjoyment of its wonder
ful scenery, in the shape of cold, driving
rains and melancholy winds Two of these
storms have we already encountered; from
one we were sheltered in the Inn of the Tro
sachs, which has an unpronounceable name,
written thus — Ardcheannochrocann.
I am far too much interested in the locali
ties about me, to detain you long with allu
sions to my journey liither. Our party con
tinues as it was when we left London, and
the presence of the ladies will be my sufficient
apology for pursuing well-beaten tracks, and
so availing ourselves of the best accommoda
tions the region affords to tourists. Our jour
ney up the Valley of the Forth, in a well ap
pointed Scotch Coach, was a pleasant one.
We lingered awhile at the fine old town of
Sterling, which we reached in a little over
two hours from Edinburgh, notwithstanding
the distance is full thirty miles. This speed
is partly due to the mettle of the horses em
ployed on the stage routes, but more than
that, to the unsurpassed excellence of the
roads —an excellence of which your South
ern readers can form no estimate by any com
i parison with their public ways. I was once
| a stage-coach passenger from Augusta to Col
umbus, in your State, and upon the whole
route there was not a mile of road that would
hot have been put under repairs in this re
gion! Sterling deserves a letter to itself,
but it must be shewn up in a paragraph. It
has one of the grandest positions l ever saw:
in many respects surpassing that of Edin
burgh. Like the latter, it is situated on a hill
which springs from a beautiful valley, and
; terminates to the Northward in a precipice
\ over 300 feet high, on which stands the cele
| brated Castle of Sterling, one of the most re
nowned fortresses in the history of Scotland.
As at Edinburgh, we found a garrison in the
Castle, which is kept in good repair.
A ride of sixteen miles up the Valley—
| narrowing as we progressed, and, at last,
! completely hemmed in by lofty hills—brought
us to Callendar, on the bank of the Teith, a
very pretty village on the threshold of the
Highland region. As I gazed upon the migh
ty Hills which every where, except to the
South, rise like sentinels around it, I was car
ried back, by the simple force of association,
to my school-boy days, and almost uncon
sciously repeated the lines then so familiar :
“My name is Norval. On the Grampian hills
My father feeds his flock—a frugal swain !”
I could scarcely realize that those were the
| “Grampian hills” that rose around me, and
of which the principal peak is Ben Lodi.
We were soon convinced of our actual en
trance into the Highlands, for, as we got
down from the stage-roof at the principal
Inn—a capital one, too, by the way—we
heard the singular, but to me. most musical
! accents of the Gaelic, and saw the genuine
j Highland costume, not worn as a novelty, but
as a matter of course.
The prevailing dialect, however, of those
; with whom we came in contact, was English,
which is spoken by nearly all the inhabi
. tants. At one of the shops in Callendar, 1
provided myself with a drinking-cup. called,
; in the Gaelic, a quaich —an article in great
; demand among tourists in Scotland, and gen-
I erally bought in Edinburgh, where the pur
, chaser can have choice from scores of patterns
and materials. This cup has two handles,
and, in general shape, resembles a silver
cake-basket. It is made of horn, of silver,
# 7
and, more frequently, of wood, silver bound.
The one l bought cost me three and sixpence,
and the shop-keeper assured me it was made
of the oak-beams of Mid Lothian memory,
and I was quite willing to believe that it pos
sessed so delightful an association. I dipped
it, for the first time, in a beautiful spring that
issues from a huge boulder on the borders of
Callendar, and the next day drank from it the
pure waters of Katrine, every drop of which
seemed to me to glitter with the brightness of
his genius, who has consecrated it to endu
ring song. Near the aforesaid spring, at Cal
lendar, I encountered a fine looking lad of,
perhaps, seventeen years, who, in reply to
my question, if he had ever been to Loch Lo
mond, replied, “ Na, I’se never ganged totith
er loch, but they say its verra braw.” I ask
ed him if he had ever been to school ?- To
which he replied, “Oh, ay, sir, I’se joost
ganging til it noo,” pointing, at the same
time, to a small building in the midst of a
clump of trees, at no great distance.
But I must not indulge in further reminis
cences of Callendar, which place we left in
an open car, rather rude, but sociable in the
arrangement of its seats. Our road was still
excellent in itself, and passed through a
charming region. We traversed the borders
of two small Lakes; and, at the end of the
second, which is called Loch Achray, we found
the famous pass of the Trosachs—a name
signifying “the bristled region,” from the
wildness of its ridges.
At this point is the Inn with the unpro
nounceable name, at which, however, we
found delightful accommodations and most
excellent fare. I could easily have mistaken
this Inn for a gentleman's strong-hold—its
massive stone walls and its sentinel towe r
giving it quite a martial air. It is the ante
chamber of the Highlands, where the visitor
arranges the plan of his tour, and from which
he proceeds to explore Loch Katrine. Fol
lowing the pass of the Trosachs, which is a
deep gorge in the mountains, narrow and pa’-
lisaied with lofty and precipitous cliffs, and
187