Newspaper Page Text
From the National Intelligence?.
SCOTT’S VIEWS,
Sumo allusion having been made tcy the
annexed paper, both i-ir the publio prints
and in public speeches, and some misap
prehension* of its character having thereby
got abroad, we have obtained a copy of it
for publication, is order that our readers
may see what it is. They will find in it a
fresh -evidence of the vsteran General’s de
votion to his country as a citizen and of
his forecast as a soldier.
Views suggested by the imintnt danger ( October
2!>, 18t>0) of a disruption of the Cnion by the
secession of one or more of the Southern States.
. l v o save time the right of secession may
Tx conceded, and instantly balanced by the
co-relative right, on the part of the Federal
Government, against an interior State or
States, to re-establish by force, if necessa
iv, its former continuity of territory. [Pa
li-y.’s Moral and Political Philosophy, last
chapter.]
But break this glorious Union by what
ever line or lines that political madness may
contrive, and there would be no hope of
reuniting the fragments except by the lac
eration and despotism of ihe sword. To
eileet such result the intestine wars of our
Mexican neighbors would, in comparison
\>ith ours, sink into mere child’s play.
A smaller evil would be to allow the
fragments of the great Republic to form
1 hem selves into new Confederacies, proba
bly four.
All the lines of demarcation between the
new Unions cannot be accurately drawn in
advance, but many of them approximately
jtniv. Thus, looking to natural boundaries
an t commercial affinities, some of the fol
lowing frontiers, after many waverings and
conflicts, might perhaps become acknowl
edged and lixed:
1. The Potomac river and the Chesa
peake Bay to the Atlantic. 2. From Ma
ryland, along the crest of the Alleghany
(perhaps the Blue Ridge) range of moun
tains, to some point in the coast of Flori
da. 3. The line from say the head of the
Potomac to the west or nor Hi west, which
it will be most difficult to settle. 4. The
crest of the Rocky Mountains.
The Southeast Confederacy would, in all
ftp man probability, in less than five years
after the rupture, find itself bounded by
the first and second lines indicated above,
the Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico, with
its capital at say Columbia, South Caroli
na. The country between the second, third
and fourth of those lines would, beyond a
doubt, in about the same time, constitute
another Confederacy, with its capital at
p'robab’y Alton or Quincy, Illinois. The
boundaries of the Pacific Union are the
most definite of all, and the remaining:
States would constitute the Northeast Con
federacy, with its capital at Albany.
It, at the first thought, will be consider
ed strange that seven Siaveholding States
and parts of Virginia and Florida should
be placed (above) in anew Confederacy
with Ohio, ludiana, Illinois, &c But when
t he overwhelming weight of tl\e great. X orth
v/est is taken in connexion with the laws
vi trade, contiguity of territory, and the
comparative iudilierence to freesoil doc
trines on the part of Western Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, it is
evident that but little if any coercion, be
yond moral force, would be needed to em
brace them ; and 1 have omitted the temp
tation of the unwasted public lands which
would fall entire to this Confederacy—an
appanage (well husbanded) sufficient for
many generations. As to Missouri, Ar
kansas, and Mississippi, they would not
s’aud out a month. Louisiana would co
alesce without much solicitation, and Ala
bama, with West Florida, would be con
quered the first winter from the absolute
need of Pensacola fora naval depot.
If I might presume toaddress the South,
and particularly dear Virginia—being ‘na
tive here and to the manner born’—l would
affectionately ask, will not your slaves be
less secure arid their labor less profitable
under the new order of things than under
the.old ? Could you employ profitably
two hundred slaves in all Nebraska, or five
hundred in all New Mexico ? The right,
ihwn,rto take them thither would be a bar
ren right. And is it not wise to
. “Rather bear the ills we have
1 hah fly to others that we know not of?’’
The Declaration of Independence pro
claims aud consecrates the same maxim :
“Piiidence, indeed, will dictate that Gov
ernments long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes.”—
And Pa ley, too, lays down as a fundamen
tal maxim ot statesmanship, ‘ never to pur
sue national honor as distinct from nation
al interest but adds : “This ruleacknow
iedgt> that it is often necessary to assert
the honor of a nation for the sake of its in
terest.”
The excitement that threatens secession
is caused by the near prospect of a Re
publican's election to the Presidency.—
From a sense of propriety, as a soldier, I
have taken no part iu the pending canvass,
and, as always heretofore, mean to stay
away from- the polls: My sympathies,
however, are with the Bell and Everett
ticket. With Mr. Lincoln I hare had no
communication whatever, director indirect
and” have no recollection of ever having
seen his. person ■ but cannot believe any
unconstitutional violence, or breach of
la\v,.-is to be apprehended from his admin
istration of the Federal Government,
From a knowledge of our Southern pop
ulation it is my solemn conviction that
there is some danger of an early act of
rashness preliminary to secession, viz., the
seizure of some or all of the following
posts: Fort Jackson and St. Philip in the
Mississippi, below New Orleans, both with
out gariso ns ; Fort Morgan, below Mobile,
without a garrison ; Forts Pickens and
Mollae, Pensacola harbor, with an insuffi
cient garrison ’for one ‘ Fort Pulaski, be
low Savannah, without a- garrison ‘ r Forts
Moultrie and Sumpter. Charleston harbor,
the former with-- an insufficient garrison’
And ‘the latter without any ; and Fort
Memo,’, Hampton roads, without a suffi
cient garrison. Iu my opinion, all these
should be immediately so garrisoned
to make any attempt to'take any one!
(if them, by Surprise ot edtip de main , ri
dkmlous.
With tfetf Army faithful so its allegiance
and the fiavy probably equally soy and
with af federal Executive, for the next
twelve tenths, of firmness and modera
tion, which the dountry has a right to ex
pect — moderation being an element of
power not less than firmness— there is good
reason to hope that the danger of secession
may be made to pass away without one
conflict of arms, one execution, or one ar
! rest for treason.
In the mean time it is snggested that
exports should remain as free as at pres
ent ; all duties, however, on imports, col
lected, (outside of the cities, 0 ) as such re
ceipts would be needed for the national
debt, invalid pensions, &c., and only ar
ticles contraband of war be refused ad
mittance. But even this refusal would be
unnecessary, as the foregoing views eschew
the idea of invading a seceeded State.
Winfield Scott.
October 29, 1860.
°ln forts or on board ships-of-war.
The great aim and object of this plan was
to gain time—say eight or ten months—to
await expected measures of consideration
on the part of the North, and the subsi
dence of angry feelings in the opposite
quarter.
Lieut. General Scott’s respects to the
Secretary of War to say—
That a copy of his “Views, &c.,” was
dispatched to the President yesterday, in
great haste ; but the copy intended for the
Secretary, better transciibed, (herewith,)
was not in time for the mail. General S.
would be happy if the latter could be sub
stituted for the former.
It will be seen that the “Views” only
apply to a case of secession that makes a
gap in the present Union. The falling off
(say) of Texas, or of all the Atlantic
States, from the Potomac south, was not
\Vithin the scope of General S.’s provisional
remedies.
It is his opinion that instructions should
be given, at office, to the commanders of
the Barancas, Forts Moultrie and Monroe,
to be on their guard against surprises and
coups de main. As to regular approaches
nothing can be said or done, at this time,
without volunteers.
There is one (regular) company at Bos
ton, one here, (at the narrows) one at
Pittsburgh, one at Augusta, Ga,, and one
at Baton Rouge—in all five companies,
only, within reach, to garrison or reinforce
the torts mentioned in the “Views.”
General Scott is all solicitude for the
safety of the Union. He is, however, not
without hope that all dangers arid difficul
ties will pass away Without leaving a scar
or painful recollection behind.
The Secretary’s most obedient servant,
w. s.
October 30, 1860.
Aliiiii s jet Fort Sis int er.
A member of Congress troth New York
received the following important letter from
an officer in Fort Sumter, dated the 18th
inst. After referring to some incidental
matters, he says :
My desire is to give you a tew reliable
data concerning our situation. From the
little news we see, it is apparent that the
majority of the published statements con
cerning Sumter are very inaccurate and un
reliable. We have received no reinforce
ments', artd ; know ot none that are coming.
To introduce reinforcements to this garri
son is an extremely difficult problem, and*
the attempt by no means insures the exe
cution. A glance at the coast survey map
will convince you of this. Sumter is by no
means impregnable and any measures bas
ed upon this proposition will have poor
foundation. With the large garrison and
abundant supplies, this fort would detain
a large army before it a long time ; but as
you know, the aforementioned conditions
are not satisfied. A large force is still at
work on the batteries around uk. The
batteries on Morris’ Island are supposed
to be completed. Steamers and pilot boats
are on the watch at night, and to us seem
quite vigilant. These vessels come quite
near the fort, and justly give us much
trouble and anxiety. We have an efficient
commanding officer and a reliable set of
men. Situated as we are, one treacherous
man inside would effect us more than a
thousand without. There was no attempt
on the part oi any soldiers or laborers to
desert, and I can safely say that there will
be none. Our greatest fear and anxiety
are concerning the possibility of reuniting
the settered fragments of our country. Os
this State we have no hope and no des
ire.
The Whig Press, of Middletown. Orange
county, N. Y., publishes an interesting
letter written by an officer in Major An->
derson’s command to a relative in that
county. It is dated at Fort Sumter on
February 7-th and says that the soldiers are
standing at their guns, port fires lighted,
daily expecting an attack. From the bat
teries at Cummings Point six mortars bear
directly upon Fort Sumter, and these are
behind fortifications which will stand se
vere fire before they can be made untena
ble. It probably will he Major Anderson’s
policy, in case of an attack, first to hatter
dov/u Fort Moultrie and all the houses on
Sullivan’s Island, and then to take the oth
er batteries seriatim. The officer seems to
have no fear of the floating batteries which
are said to be in course of construction.—
They will be under Sumter’s guns for the
distance of a mile at least, before they can
be made available, and if they get under
the walls, “infernal machines” will be hur
led into them. The writer also details cer
tain other defensive preparations, and says
that they have abandoned all hope of re-|
ceiving aid from the Government, but gives
his word that a manly and vigorous delence
will be made:
F. M. Bond tired a pistol’ in* Memphis,
Tennessee, the other day, and would have
killed a hackman had not the hall struck
a half dollar in the latter’s pocket.— Ex.
If we had been in that hackman’s place,
the ball would have gone clean through us.
—Nashville Patriot.
111? if? Hot.
Gr. A. Miller, Editor.
I THOMAS TON. GEORGIA.
Saturday Morning, March 2nd, 1861. j
INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF PRES
IDENT DAVIS.
This Address will be found on our first
page. It will doubtless be read with in
! terest and instruction. President Davis is
not only a Warrior, but a Statesman, and
! if separation will promote the light ahd
prosperity, and in the end, will prove
practicable and desirable to the Cotton
States, we believe all the energies, talent
1 and patriotism of the President will be ex
erted to effect such results. We endorse
the following from the New York Journal
of Commerce: “The selection of Jefferson
Davis for President, of the “Confederate
States of America,” is a step which will
go far towards the accomplishment of the
object in view—the establisment of an in
dependent government. General Davis is a
statesman of great power, combining in an
unusual degree, the various qualifications
for his new position. He is efficient in ac
tion, cool in judgment, firm in purpose and
conscientious in his opinions. He is not
by any means the Jire cater which many
Northern presses have represented him ;
and we are not sure that he has any supe
rior for the first office in the gift of any
people on this continent.”
THE COLUMBIjS~CORNER STONE.
Some of our cotemporaries are becoming
as “ wrathful as the magnanimous mouse”
against the reverend Editor of the Corner
Stone, because he occasionally curries with
a sharp comb the heads of the Southern
, Congress. One dubs him the “Cerberus
of the press” and another confers upon him
the title of “Independent Fault Finder and
Universal Excoriator.” If our memory of
the Classics is not at fault, we believe that
Cerberus was a triple-headed dog and as
the porter at Hell Gate, was never known
to nap except on one occasion when he was
induced to take a bribe in the shape of a
sop. Cerberus was a good watch-dog aijd
his “growls” never disturbed “honest
ghosts.” He knew how and when and to
whom his “growls” would strike terror. —
Here the analogy between Cerberus and
the Eflitor of the Corner Stone stops. The
Corner Stone Editor never “growls” with
a triple tongue. He is ever watchful at
his post. Brave as Julius Caesar and as
incorruptible as Aristides, he is not to be
lightened by power or bribed by its sops.
One such “Independent Fault Finder and
Universal Excoriator” of corruption, ty
ranny and usurpation is, to a people who
appreciate a free Press, of more worth than
a million of Cerberus’ wlro are ever bark
ing on a false popular trail arid can never
be quiet except when crouching and gor
mandizing on sop fresh from the footstools
of public plunder and official patroriage. —
When such Editors as Gen. Bethune be
come more common, then we shall have less
mock patriotism and more sincerity—h. i wer
blasts on the trumpet and m'ore profitable
, marches than up the hill and then down
the hill again, Then—
“ Here, shall the Press, the people’s right’s maintain,
Unawed by power, and unbribed by gain.”
THE PEACE CONFERENCE.
The Baltimore Clipper of the 23d ult.
says: The Peace Commissioners at Wash
ington are now in a fait way to agree upon
a plan of adjustment of all our national
difficulties. Th* Committee appointed
for that purpose have adopted a series of
resolutions which will unquestionably be
adopted by the Conference, aiHl there is
reason to believe that they will also be
passed by both Houses of Congress by
heavy majorities. Theresolutions adopted
are understood to be a modification of
those presented by James Guthrie, Ex-
Secretary of the Treasury, under Presi
dent Pierce, and for years the acknowl
edged leader of the Kentucky Democracy.
They are based upon Border State caucus
resolutions presented by Mr. Harris, of
Maryland, and do not very materially differ
from them. It has for several weeks been
apparent that these resolutions alone could
be made the basi&pf a satisfactory adjust
ment. They are less objecnoQHble to
Northern men than the Crittenden resolu
tions, and more acceptable to Southern
men than the Adams resolutions incorpo
rated in Corwin’s report from the House
Committee of Thirty-three, and are the
most satisfactory to*both sections of all the
different plans of adjustment yet presented.
The vote for “reference” or “no refer
ence,” in Virginia, results in a majority of
52,857 for the former.
It makes a great difference whether glas
ses are used over or under the nose.
Sotitltf 4 C'arolin and her Confederate
Sisters.
Soflfh-Carolina is like the amiable and
reasonable jurj’tnan who disagreed with his
eleven fellow jurors and then pronounced
them the most obstinate fellows in the
world. She first kicks up a muss on the
tariff and slavery with the General Gov
ernment and now she is about to repeat the
dose with the Southern Congress. The
Constitution of the United States leaves
the prohibition of the African slave trade
discretionary with Congress—the Southern
Congress by Constitutional interdict, places
forever a ban upon the trade. The Charles
ton Mercury swears terribly.—Hon. Leon
j idas W. Spratt the author of the report
and resolutions read before the Commercial
Convention at Montgomery, Ala., three
years ago, is out with a long communica
tion against the policy of the Southern
Congress. The gist ot the South Carolina
argument is that she has a large territory
| and few slaves and unless the Southern
Congress permits a fresh importation, that
| she must be impoverished for want of la
borers—her enemies have the audacity to
| reply that her territory is small and that
j her slaves now, outnumber her whites. —
! South-Carolina waxes bellicose—charges
: the Congress with leaving heralone to fight
’ the battles of the South and threatens to
hang out singly the Palmetto Flag over the
ruins of Fort Sumter as a warning to all
i # °
| Southern and Northern traitors and cow
ards ; Montgomery to the contrary not
withstanding.
We once heard or read of a small male
i animal of the cow genus that attempted to
! butt a locomotive in full flight from the
I track. The plucky little fellow of course
came off second best in the ferocious en
counter. A Scotchman w r ho witnessed the
scene slyly remarked “that he admired the
courage of the little bull, but he thought
dom bad of his judgment/’ We always
thought well of South-Carolina spirit, but
| when she attempts to run a tilt against the
world on the African slave trade she must
j expect that her judgment will be pronoun
| ced “dom bad ,” and she be crushed or ta
ken up on the cow catcher for failing to
clear the track when the whistle blows.
From the Columbia (S. C.) Guardian. Feb. 20.
MELANCHOLY DEATH.
We were deeply grieved yesterday, to
hear of the death of Paul IJ. Harris, who
i appeared, when we sa\v him, the bean ideal
of manly health, vigor, and honor. He
i was for two or three years a student of the
South Carolina College, and \Vas highly
esteemed hv his instructors and associates
here. He had the happy art of cufreiliat
-1 ing attachment and regard wherever lie
j appeared, and bade fair to be a man of
| mark and usefulness. Peace to his ashes,
! and honor to his memory. We publish
below some particulars taken from the
special correspondence of the Petersburg
I Express :
Chapel Hill, N. C., Feb. 13, 1861.
Dear Express : It becomes inv melan
choly duty to announce tlie sudden death
!of Paul Barringer Harris, of Lancaster
ville, South Carolina, which took place
| this afternoon about 2 o’clock. The cir
cumstances attending his decease were pe
| culiarlv distressing. He was a member of
j the senior class of the University of North
Carolina, but upon the secession of South
Carolina he determined to leave the Uni
versity and offer his services to his State.
He was soon after appointed an aid of
Governor Pickens, which place he resigned
upon being elected Second Lieutenant in
! the Bancaster Volunteers.
He returned to this place on Saturday
last for the purpose of settling the ac
counts'he had contracted, and was to have
left to-night for South Carolina.
This morning he called on Mr. Stone,
(in which house he formerly roomed,) and
inquired 5 for Mr. S. He vVas told that Mr.
S. was not in, and went to his room. Mr.
Stone came in about eleven o'clock, and
being told that Mr. Harris had inquired
tor him. he went to Mr. Harris’ room and
found him asleep. He Pft him, but called
again at twelve o’clock and endeavored to
awake him, but failed. He again left him,
and callvd again at one o’clock, and find- 1
( ing him still asleep, he became alarmed
and sent for physicians. The doctois
found him dying, and a vial of laudanum
being found in the room, a stomach pump
was applied, but too late to be of any ser
vice.
It seems Mr. Harris was in the habit of
taking laudanum, morphine, &c., at times,
and upon this occasion made a fatal mis
take, as to quantity.
Paul B. Harris was born December 9,
1839, and was therefore, in his 22d year.
He was a graudson of Gen. Patti Barringer,
(after whom he was named,) of Cabarras
county, N. G\, and was a nephew of Hon.
Daniel M. Barringer, a member of the
Peace Congress from this State, and of
Victor C. Barringer, Senator from Cabar
ras, in the State Legislature, the latter of
whom has been sent for to take charge of
the body.
Mr. Harris was quite popular while in
college, and his death is much lamented.
The above intelligence will be received
with sadness by many friends and relations
in this State and in Alabama. Mr. Har
ris was a near blood relation to the Editor
of this paper. His excellent mother died
when he was quite young and his father,
Dr. Charles Harris, of Cabarras (who was
a graduate of Princeton, and a distinguish- j
ed Scholar and Physician,) preceded his
talented sou to the Spirit Land several J
years ago —so that the young orphan could
say literally in the heart-broken language j
of Richard Savage : 1
No mother’s care
(Shielded my infant innocence With prayer,
No father's guardian hand iny f?et sustained,
Call and forth my virtues, or sins restrain'd.
In the peaceful bed or on ihe gory bat
tle field, Death never comes too soon to
the brave and good. As in this instance,
we have no doubt tlie King ot Terrors or
Angel of Mercy (as He is variously pic
tured) had fewer pangs for His victim than
for his sorrowing living friends.—Ed. Pi
lot.
AN ELOQUENT APPEAL.
Hon. John A. Gilmer, of North Caroli-
I Da, concluded his recent speech in the
; House of Representatives with the follow
j ing eloquent appeal.
Mr. Speaker, I have presented these con
siderations, hoping thereby to get ns in
proper frame of mind and disposition to
! work for the peace of this country, be
-1 cause I desire to do my duty, and my whole
duty, while lam in the Union ; and if I
am forced to go out of it, I may be also en
abled to do my duty then. I tell gentle
men that if, in spite of all the efforts of
! wise and good men, the State from which
i I come decides to dissolve her connection
| with this Government, my destinies are,
and will be, with her. 1 know that when
j that event occurs peace cannot long con-
I tinue. A war, a terrible war, will ensue.
Whenever the people of the North and
South have once appealed to the God of
batths. for which I look with most fearful
apprehension, a civil war will follow that
will end only in the destruction of all the
great interests of all sections of the coun
, try. Whenever that event conies, I know
my duty ; and whether 1 have the nerve to
jbe there myself or not, I know that such
| will be my duty, and that it will also be
j my duty to devote to the service my means,
myself, and my children. Whenever that
j struggle comes, you will find, North and
Soutli, that the men who have sought most
to preserve the Union, who have—been the
last to give it up, will lie the first men to
be found in the rank and file on both sides
of the bloody contest, their means most
liberally and freely he devoted to helping
and maintaining the great, terrific, and
bloody struggle, and they will enter it on
either side for victory or death ; and if they
fail in their efforts for the first, they will
be found with their back to the field, and
; their feet to the l a*.
1 want gentlemen North and Sou'll to
mark my words. \\ hen these things come:
: when this—bloody strile ensues, as it cer
tainly will, unless this spiiit of disunion
can be checked ; when, matk you, this
country shall be laid waste ; when ail our
; channels and communications of trade shall
be broken up ; when the shipping in our
I ports shall be destroyed ; wh o our insti
tutions of learning and religion shall wither
away, or be torn down ; when your cities
; shall be given up for plunder and for
slaughter : when your sons and my sons,
vour neighbors and my neighbors, shall be
carried from this bloody field ot'sfriiv ;and
our mothers, our sisters, ourwiver, and our
daughters, shall assemble around us, and,
With weeping eyes and aching hearts, say :
“Could not you have done some! hing, could
not you'have said something that would
have averted this dreadful calamity ?” I
want to feel in my conscience and in my
soul that I have done mvduty. [Suppress
ed applause.] 1 want you, fellow men of
the North, to be able to say that, upon a
i mere abstraction, that upon a question of
! no practical importance you have not held
out and refused to yield for the sake of giv
ing peace to the country. 1 ask you again
if you cannot give up this mere abstrac
tion ? For, with all due respect, I can
never envy the feelings of the man. North
or South, who, when that day of butcher}’
and destruction shall come, will feel in his
heart that he stood out on a mere point of
etiquette ; that if he had yielded a matter
of no practical importance to hirn or his
constituents, all trouble could have been
avoided I ask gentlemen North and South
lif they will not unite in setting these ab-
I straet questions and give peace to the coil n
| try ?
Tiie Southern Fleet. --There is more
activity in the Brooklyn navy yard tit the
present time than has been manifested for
many years. The Harriet Lane, recently
drafted from the revenue service, is being
rapidly converted into a man-of-war, and
will ship to-morrow, a battery of two me
dium 32 pounders. Her deck in the wake
of those gnns has been sheathed with heavy
oak planks. Her crew is larger at the pres
ent time than it has ever been. She will
be ready for sea on Monday. The Mohawk
is nearly ready, and it is rumored that
these two vessels will sail in the early part
of next week for South. Many suppose
their destination to he Norfolk, where they
will await further orders. The Crusader
Captain Mallit, carries eight 24-pounders
and will be ready in a few da\s. The stea
mers Corwin, Vixen, Bibb, and brig Perry
can be sent to sea in tvventvfour hours no
tice. Workmen are now engaged putting
in the water tanks on the Perry.
The cutters Varina and Crawford are
ready for sea, and are good vessels. The
latter was sent by Gen. Jackson to Char
leston at the time of the nullification trou
bles in 1832. The work on all the vessels,
both large and small, is progressing rapid
ly, and if occasion should require, there
could be sent from this station a force of
about two hundred guns and two thousand
five hundred men. The light draft vessels
alone have about fifty guns, and when
manned would carry over six hundred
men.— N. Y. Com. Advr., 22d inst.
Illness of Major Anderson.— The
Charleston coirespondent of the Richmond
‘Dispatch'confirms the report that Major
Anderson was lying ill at Fort Sumter, on
the 17th inst. His disease is pneumonia,
and Dr. Robertson, of Charleston, was at
tending him.
—-
The man who follows the sea thiuks he
shall get up with it one of these days.
He that 6ipsof many arts drinks of none. ■
PRESIDENT DAVIS IN CHARLES
TON.
The ar/cient public functionary in Wash
ington seeing to have been thrown into a
terrible flutter by the news that President
Davis arrived ?n Charleston last Saturday
A despatch from Washington to the
Charleston Mercury, says :
A despatch announcing the arrival
President Davis in Charleston filled Presi
dent Buchanan with alarm, and hehasten
ed to Mr. Tyler’s hotel to inquire what it
meant. Mr. Tyler assured Mr. Buchanan
that the mission of President Davis was
one of peace and not of war—that no at
tack would be made on Fort Sumter until
the character of Lincoln’s inaugural was
known. If its tone should be pacific, no
; attack, he said, would be made. If war
like, the attack would begin immediately
Joseph Schuessler, of LaFayette
Ain., a lad of nine years of age, was acci
dentally killed by another boy on Thursday
last. We learn that tlie boys had a pis
tol, of which they did not understand tho
management, and that one of them point
ed it at. young Schuessler, ix.laimin”
: “Give me leave ?” S., holding up a lea?
in his hand, replies “Yes.” The pistol
pointed at him, was discharged in hand
ling it, and the ball entered his body, caus
ing his death in a few hours. Another mel
ancholy warning of the folly and danger of
children bundling fire-arms until they aru
well acquainted with the mole of manag
ing them.— C. Enquirtr.
COURT HOUSE BUFNT.
On Sunday morning between four and
five o’clock, the Court House in this citv
was discovered to he on fire, the flames
having originated in the office of the Clerk
of the Superior Court, a circumstance
which shows it to have been the work of
an incendiary, as there was no fire used in
the office the day previously. The records
and papers of the Ordinary’s and Sheriff’s
offices wore saved, but th se of the Supe
rior Court were all destroy! and. The court
was to have commenced yesteiday, and
will no doubt be held in another building,
as Judge Harris is determined tint no ob
stacle shall supersede the a lminislratiun of
the laws.— Mill. Rteordv.
Business in Savannah.— The Savan
nah Republican, in spe. k ng of the btts
j mess of that city, says:
In the general grocery line, our joble s
say they never enjoyed such a large trade
as they have this winb r. Merchants and
planters are Hocking here for sm plies;
and, strange to say, there seems to tx* a
larger cash tn.de than vr lx 1 re. Thu
usual credit L 30 days and the longest GO
days. We first thought that the intermj -
lion in trade at Charhstoii hndennsul this
; accession to our business, hut, on inquiry,
found that such was not the fact. Thu
country is bare of goods, and ciedit tit
New \ ojk is hard to obtain. Hence,
many who have heretofore gone through
Savannah to New Yo k to make llu ir j ?n
----’ chase-', have stop}-* and ;! t hi ■me, HVJjoje
that ties of business may now he fovntetl
j that will last during more peaceful times.
• •
The Episcopal Church ani> Skcks
| sign. — In Louisiana, the Protestant Epis
copal Church si cedi s with the State. A
pastoral letter from Bishop Polk, of that
diocese, contains this nassage :
“Our separation from our brethren <!
‘the Pro’estant Episcopal church in the
United States’ has been (fleeted, because
iwe must follow our nationality. Not lx-’
! cause there has been any diffi n neeof opin-
I ion as to Christian doctrine or catholic
j usage. Upon these points we are still one.
! With us it is a separation, not a division —
certainly not alienation. And there is n<>
reason why, if we should find the union of
our diocesses- under our national church
1 impracticable, we should cease to feel for
each other the respect and regard with
which purity of manners,, high principle
and a manly devotion to trnth never fail
to inspire generous minds.. Our relations
to each other h rcafter will l>e the relations
| we both now hold to the men of our Moth’
er Church of England.”
The Cltur cston Raft
We have been favored witn a rotigl*
sketch of the raft which is nearly comple
ted at Charleston, and with which it is
proposed to attack Fort. Sumter. Thu at
tacking apparatus is floated on a solid
structure of Palmetto logs, which are trans
versely laid and securely fastened together/
In front a barrier is built which slopes fn m
the edge of the raft to a height sufficient
to protect the gunners, who will man the
heavy guns on the raft. This harrier is
made with rail road iron so interlocked as
to be impenetrable to any missiles which
may be fired against it.
The whole affair is pushed forward hv
; steam fugs stationed in the rear, and “and
probably he one of the most formidable en
gines of destruction yet devised. Bur in
formant is of the opinion that the attack
ing party will be perfectly secure from tho
guns of Fort Sumter, while their hea\v
Columbinds must have a decided effect a
gamst the walls of the doomed fortress.—■
Macon Telegraph.
Thomas Hood and his Wife. —I neur
was anything, dearest, till I knew you—
and I have beeu better, happier, an ft
more prosperous man ever since. Lay m
that truth in lavender, dearest, and remint
me of it when I fail. lam writing form >
and warmly ; but not without good cause.
First your own affectionate letter, lately
eeived—next to the remembrance ot °
dear children, pledges—what darling P 1 ! 6 ’
—of our old familiar love, then a dul’cic y
impulse to pour out the overflowings o •
own heart into yours : and last, not e ‘
the knowledge that your dear eyes
read what my hands are now w rltl °°
Perhaps there is an after-thought *
whatever may befall me, the wife o „
bosom will have this acknowledgeme
her tenderness—worth —and excellence
all that is wise or uianly, from myp eu -
The man wh > confies hituself
drink best for him, ‘'ill he wedsupi 1