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244 the boarders at Rathbun’s give a grand ball there in a few days. I shall peep in, and perhaps let you hear of ilie result. Among our distinguished visiters at this time, is the Baron Rothschild, head of the far-famed bank ing house. His errand here is supposed by some to be the furtherance of measures for the extension of the business of the firm, in the United States, Mexico, South America, China, etc. Others, again, think him bent only upon the usual pleasures of travel. During his visit to this city, he makes his home at Delmonico’s. A resolution has been introduced into the Board of Assistant Aldermen, in favor of ap pointing a committee to confer with a similar committee from the Common Council of Brooklyn, on the subject of a union of the two cities under one charter and one govern ment. Such an annexation would be a cap ital remedy for the misunderstandings which, at present, continually arise between the two towns. Why should not the States and the cities play this popular game, as well as the nation ? The question touching the whereabouts of the stray young woman, mentioned in one of my late letters, has gained a place among the standing problems of the day. Will salt petre explode 1 ? Can there be a church with out a Bishop ? Who is the man in the claret colored coat ? Has Gung'i arrived? Where is Marietta Smith ? Yesterday, most of the omnibus lines here appropriated their receipts to the aid of the Messrs. Murphy, the sufferers by the late extensive fire. Unluckily for the beneficia ries, the weather was so delightful that riding was a bore. The other day, there died here a Mrs. Ra chel Gredney, at the venerable age of one hundred and seven years. She was born in Mamaroneck, in 1741 : her father was an Indian of the Tappan tribe, and her mother was a Mohican. She used to talk of the time when her family pitched their wigwam on the spot now occupied by the Battery. Mr. Cooper seems to have quite overlooked this old lady, when years ago he recorded the history of the “ Last of the Mohicans.” The Astor Library, it is said, will he found ed, and the building erected, next year. It is almost time that New York realized some thing from the fortune of its late millionaire, the citizen “John Jacob.” An amusing dilemma happened recently in one of our city courts. An amiable lady, supposing her husband, so long unheard-of. to have died in the Mexican campaign, took the liberty to fill the vacancy occasioned by his loss. Unluckily, the defunct lately came to life and claimed his confiscated treasures. He expressed his willingness to forget and forgive, under the circumstances —while the u very latest” husband reluctantly consented to retire, but considered it extremely mal apro pos in his predecessor, thus to “turn up.” The wife left Umm to arrange the matter as they pleased among themselves. She seem ed not unwilling to compromise, by taking either party, or both, as should be agreed on. Since my last letter, I have found out why the new Art Union, to which I then alluded, is to be called the “International.” Instead of being the affair for which I took it, it is the long-talked-of institution of the house of Goupil, Vibert & Cos., and being on a plan altogether different from our present Estab lishment, its success is not only very proba ble, but extremely desirable. I have time now only for this brief amende , but will chat with you at length on the subject in another sheet. You ask me to gratify your lady readers with some gossip on matters of fashion and dress. I had purposed doing so, and when your request arrived, hastened with alacrity to collect the requisite material —technically, “ stuff*.” To this end, I visited the Magazin des Modes of our princess of French milliners, and hinted my wish to be initiated into all © AS SIT If IE ♦ and every sort of toilette mystery. Madane displayed the greatest empressement , in hr endeavors to instruct me. After a variety <f j thread and needle discourses, she triumphal!* ly called my attention to a beautiful bridsl attire: u Let me show you, Monsieur,” sal she, “before it is packed, this exquisite roe de notes , for the lovely Miss C . It s but a simple dress of white muslin, almot | plain, and of a very fine texture. Above tie hem is traced “en serpentant” a garland ii delicate embroidery; on the right, five em broidered bouquets of the most exquisite work “ montant en diminuant,” to the “ ceinture.’ Observe the embroidery in the centre of th corsage, and “ des palmettes” on the sleeves, completing the richness of the dress. See what a happy selection in the arrangement! Do you not, Monsieur, admire the “corsage montant ala Raphael,” finished by a richly embroidered “entre deux,” and surmounted by a malines, with very short sleeves, also ornamented by “malines"—a beii of white “moire,” fastened by a silver buckle “mat cisele” encircling her waist. Not a bow of ribbon —not the vi&tvle j and yet, Monsieur, what delightful fr(-vhsess,i what faultless finish ; and how wonde*‘ this “robe de dessurs de gros de rv glace blanc” displays the beauty of wi: .) broidery, and adds to the effect! All if plete in this charming toilette —for long veil—modest ornament, suggested, My. , sieur, by the promptings of a mother's heaShe to conceal from all the involuntary aghatiom of. her daughter!” To this, my dear Sir, add any quarJ|d’ of “Redingottes en taffetas quadrilles .. bJancs, sur bleu de France.” “ jupes,” ‘igros- j ses ruches,” “ guimpe montante,’Q “ sleevgs bauilronnees,” and Heaven knowsjtOiat, and tell me frankly, if mortal mar, though never so gallant, could be exited to brave it and survive ? JJev ana there I managed to ejac ulate, “ Charmante !” “Qu’elle est gentelle!” “ Qu’elle est gracieuse !” and at length made my escape, with a request to Madame that she would reduce it all to writing and for ward to my address! When the budget ar rives, tell the ladies they shall have it, but I will not pledge myself to a translation. I owe duties to my country, and must not ven ture upon anything rash. The reminiscence alone of this dangerous adventure has fatigued me, and must excuse me from any further gossip to-night. Ala mort, FLIT. £cttcrs from ct JJljmicutn. Roswell, Cobb Cos., Ga. ) Nov. 22, 1848. j My dear Col. —The political revolutions that destroy and obliterate old paths, and be get new things, are not more surprising than j those which occur in the world of philosophy and literature. For over a thousand years the authority of Aristotle was a test of truth, but when at last the light began to dawn— when a spirit of enquiry sprang up —the dog mas of Aristotle faded before the more bril liant sun of the Cortesian system. The tri umph of this system is one of the most re markable revolutions in the history of phi losophy, and was accomplished solely by the superiority of genius. In medicinal science, there have been revolutions. Hippocrates blended his doctrines with the Platonic phi losophy—Galen, with his peculiar mind, ar ranged and put in order the facts and princi ples established by his greater predecessor, and without destroying any of the aphorisms of the “Prince of Physicians,” he developed a system which acquired an almost undis puted preeminence. From what has been called the “empiric rationalism” of Hippo crates, there was formed, first, the ancient dogmatic system—then the methodic school and pneumatic school, and finally the eclec tic, (81, A. D.) which took from all the oth- ers. It required such a mind as Galen's to reduce tire theories, the facts and principles, which the teachers in these different schools had “wrapped up in a thick mantle of mere dialectics, into some tangible form; and he so well succeeded, that down to the sixteenth century his authority, like that of Aristotle in philosophy, was a test of truth. But it is useless to trace out the various systems which have each had their strut upon the stage. — Medicine —not only the science of diseases, but the art of alleviating them—is founded on the study of man’s physical and moral na ture. Like other sciences, it has gained more from the single discoveries of close observers, than from centuries of theory. The great discovery of Harvy, of the circulation of the blood—the discovery of Jenner, of vaccina ■ tion—or even the illustration of “ adhesive inflammation,” did more to establish medicine as a science, than all the fine hypotheses of the teachers of the Alexandrian schools. While these different systems were yet flourishing, men of small intellect—“ in self assumption greater than in the note of judg ment”—endeavored to pull down and build They could not build a substantial fab ! ! .‘ “they concerned themselves not with •-B v ‘ ir , • • , . . | . I ~|i sii| erstitions and a total mis •iu.r-e ! his uttiv .ire. The history of Para “ L fcJog Sg lat.; and in more modern jt tv- r ‘-TB of the so-called ■k - m < • the ct. k: ; Ipa thirty- Hahnemann’s es -1 .*• .• -o’a total revolution, have Jit c&'Hnl *y. -it's those of his great proto rjH-j! v * 1 :t .is Bornbastus Paracelsus, or tbS;' 1 ’ , ! “on. Priessnitz and Chaponier. jKT* >iO dj** . 1 A.nu V > •. Simply because he reasoned from accidental occurrences. There are cer t..on In * - Governing the animal economy, the same in all ages and in all places, and these exercise a controling influence over every fact relating to the science of diseases.— Without a just appreciation of these laws, it is vain for a man to speculate on the art of curing or relieving the ills to which flesh is heir. If Hippocrates, in becoming the found er of scientific medicine, was obliged to sep erate the results of actual experience from vain speculation, then he who would build up a true and original system, must pursue a like course. This Hahnemann has not done, but has lost himself in the labyrinth of his favorite theory— -simil. sim. cur.; and Home opathy is in fact “ The sweet delusion of a raptured mind.” Do you ask for proof of my position ? I point to the results of Homeopathic treatment —not the few successful cases scattered here and there—success which every nostrum of the day can boast—but to the results of the treatment as tested in the large hospitals of Europe. Having barely hinted at the progress of medical science, and told you why Homeopa thy cannot be admitted as a system of legiti mate medicine, I will occupy the few remain ing lines of my sheet in replying to your query, “What had philosophy to do with the foundation of medicine ?” Medicine, at first, being the offspring of necessity, knew only the philosophy of necessity ; but I presume you mean to enquire, How was Hippocrates influenced by the philosophy of his time ? He appears to have retained as much of the philosophical of Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Democritus, as he conceived necessary to a true and just mode of reasoning. Thus he says: “We ought to join Philosophy with Physic, and Physic with Philosophy, for a Physician that is a Philosopher is like a god.” And it was just by the mode of rea soning adopted by Hippocrates, that medicine at last reached that point, attained soonest by | other sciences, which admitted of rigorous deductions. To show you that certain rules may be deduced, I need only turn to the pages of Pinel and Bichat. Os the latter, it has been asserted, “he did more to perfect our knowledge, than all the hypotheses that have ever appeared.” He who would pursue the study of medicine on fixed principles, mint first have an accurate knowledge of human anatomy. A mere observer of nature woi 1 i never make a Physician, any more than the simple contemplation of the heavens an As tronomer. Your’s, faithfully, bayard. To Col. N. J. B. (Eclectic of tbit. RHYME AND REASON. BY THOMAS HOOD. To the Editor of the Comic Annual. Sir : In one of your Annuals you have given insertion to “A Plan for Writing Blank Verse in Rhyme:” but as I have seen no reg ular long poem constructed on its principles. I suppose the scheme did not take with the literary world. Under these circumstances, I feel encouraged to bring forward a novelty of my own, and I can only regret that such poets as Chaucer and Cottle, Spenser and Ha ley, Milton and Pratt, Pope and Pye, Byron and Batterbee, should have died before it was invented. The great difficulty in verse is avowedly the rhyme. Dean Swift says somewhere in his letters, “that a rhyme is as hard to find with him as a guinea,”—and we all know that guineas are proverbially scarce among poets. The merest versifier that ever at tempted a Valentine, must have met with this Orson, some untameable savage syllable that refused to chime in with society. For in stance, what poetical Foxhunter —a contribu tor to the Sporting Magazine—has not drawii all the covers of Bernard, Ceynard, Deynard, Feynard, Geynard, Heynard, Keynard, Ley nard, Meynard, Neynard, Peynard, Quey nard, to find a rhyme for Reynard? The spirit of the times is decidedly against Tithe: and I know of no tithe more oppressive than that poetical one, in heroic measure, which requires that every tenth syllable shall pay a sound in kind. How often the Poet goes up a line, only to be stopped at the end by an impracticable rhyme, like a bull in a blind alley! I have an ingenious medical friend, who might have been an eminent poet by this time, bat the first line he wrote ended in ipe cacuanha, and with all his physical and men tal power, he has never yet been able to find a rhyme for it. The plan I propose aims to obviate this hardship. My system is, to take the bull by the horns; in short, to try at first what words will chime, before yon go farther and fare worse. To say nothing of other advantages, it will at least have one good effect, —and that is, to correct the erroneous notion of the would-be-poets and poetesses of the present day, that the great end of poetry is rhyme. I beg leave to present a specimen of verse, which proves quite the reverse, and am, Sir. Your most ohedient servant, John Dry’den Grubb. THE DOUBLE KNOCK. Rat-tat it went upon the lion’s eliin, “ That hat, I know it!” cried the joyful girl; “ Summer's it is, I know him by his knock, Comers like him are welcome as the day ! Lizzy ! go down and open the street-door, Busy I am to any one but turn. Know him jmu must —he has been often here ; Show him up stairs, and tell him I’m alone!’ Quickly the maid went tripping down the stair; Thickly the heart of Rose Matilda beat; “ Sure he has brought me tickets for the play— Drury—or Covent Garden —darling man ! Kemble will play—or Kean who makes the soul Tremble ; in Richard or the frenzied Moor — Barren, the stay and prop of many a farce Barren beside—or Liston, Laughter’s Child- Kelly the natural, to witness whom Jelly is nothing to the public’s jam— Cooper the sensible —and Walter Knowles Super, in William Tell—uoyv rightly told. Better—perchance, from Andrew's, brings a box. Letter of boxes for the Italian stage — Brocard! Donzelli! Tuglioni! Paul! _ f No card —thank heaven—engages me to-night. Feathers, of course, no turban, and no toque— Weather’s against it. but I’ll go in curls. Dearly I dote on white —my satin dress __ Merely one night—it won’t be much the worse Cupid—the New Ballet 1 long to see — Stupid ! why don’t she go and ope the door • Glisten’d her eye as the impatient girl Listen’d, low bending o’er the topmost stair. Vainly, alas ! she listens and she bends, Plainly she hears this question and reply: “ Axes your pardon, Sir. but what d’ye wan* • “ Taxes,” says he, “and shall not call again • Ladies’ Fashions for Ireland. —Two spinsters, in correspondence with the rebels: have been committed to Clonmel Gaol, the) wore percussion caps in their hair —no douD , with the spinster purpose, of the more readily going off!