Newspaper Page Text
Mr. WELLER moved the previous
question, but withdrew it to allow
Mr. McCOXNELL to say a few words,
who was very laconic and pointed in his
remarks. He warned the Northern mem
bers to be cautious about what they were
doing.
Mr. HENLEY rose to n point of order.
The CHAIR explained.
Mr. McDOWELL inquired of the
Chair if the law would, as it stands, sell
the negro, if he proved his freedom ?
The CHAIR said he had not examin
ed the law.
The previous question was again re
newed.
Mr. CAMPBELL :osc to a point of
order.
The CII AIR explained.
Correspondence of the Courier.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.
The President’s House was thronged
to-dav, for some hours, with visiters of
all descriptions, foreign ministers, mem
bers of Congress, strangers and citizens.
The mansion was so crowded at an ear
ly hour, that it was difficult to obtain an
entrance into it, and still more difficult
to accompiisli an exit. It was a crowd,
however, of well-dressed, well-looking,
and well-behaved jiersons. The most
fastidious could take no other exceptiou
to it than this—that it was a crowd of the
universal public, without any distinction
•of degree. The Democratic mem 1 ers
"were there, almost in mass, but many of
the Whigs held back. The President
received all with his habitual courtesy.
Messrs. Madison end ex-President Adams
iilso received numerous visiters.
The holidays are now ov6r, and there
must be n summons to business to-mor
row. The politicians, however, will
exert themselves to make the eighth of
January another national holiday. For
the sake of political effect, the Van Buren
•Senators and Members have got up a
public dinner for that day, with Thomas
11. Benton as President.
Both parties are now striving to make
as much as they can of every incident
and proceeding, for effect on the Presi
dential election. The Van Buren men
are evidently apprehensive of the effect
•of the abolition movements in Congress
-on their cause. They are endeavoring
to turn them to account, but with ill sue
•cess, inasmuch as their vast majority in
■the House is responsible for all that may
ibe done there.
Much interest is felt in the pending
nominations. The President now cares
little for the fate of his Democratic. Ile
is deeply chagrined at the course of the
Van Ilnren majority, and particularly .at
their election of Blair and Rives as prin
ters. The nominations of Messrs. Up
sliurand Nelson have been favorably re
ported upon in secret ses ion. and will
pass without opposition. The other
Cabinet nominations are still in doubt,
particularly that of Mr. Porter.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.
The Senate, this morning, went into
executive session for a short time, and
confirmed this nominations of Messrs.
Upshur and Nelson, the former ns Secre
tary of State, and the latter as Attorney
General.
It is now sufficiently well understood
that Mr. Spencer, will be nominated as
Justice of the Supreme Court, in the
place of Justice Thompson, deceased --
The qualifications of Mr. Spencer and
the relation of Mr. Tyler towards him.
are such as to render it impossible for
Mr. Tyler to refuse him the nomination
under present circumstances, he might
lie inclined to do so. But, the Senate, it
is also understood, will not act upon the
nomination of Mr. Spencer as Judge, un
til he has resigned his place as Secretary
of the Treasury. The President will
them some trouble in this matter,
for he will nominate a person as Secre
tary of the Treasury, at the same time
that he sends in Speucer’s nomination as
Judge. The nomination for the Treas
ury will, in this case, be first acted on.
Mr. Woodbury, to-day submitted a
plan for reducing expenditures, by di
minishing the discretionary power of the
Departments, in the settlement of ac
counts, of long st: nding ; and by requir
ing a more careful examination of all the
estimates.
Several memorials, in favor of the re
duction of the rates of postage were pre
sented. Mr. Merrick stated that Iris bil
on this subject would soon be forthcom
ing.
In the House, Mr. Adams, from the
Committee on the rules atie orders of the
House, made a report, by instruction of
the committee, promising a revision of
the rules, in several particulars. The
report recommends that the 21st rule be
abolished. Mr. Wise was at first, chair
man of this committee, but he afterwards
declined serving, and Mr. Adams took
his place, as the second named.
The bill to restore Gen. Jackson’s fine
was debated again at great length, in
committee of the whole.
It is discussed chiefly with a view to
political effect—the speeches in support
•of the bill being made to “Buncombe.”
It is stated in several of the Virginia
papers that tbe lion. Win. ('. Rives of
the United States Senate, is engaged in
writing a life of James Madison. An
impartial biography of that great and
good man by a gentleman of Mr. Rives’s
acquirements would be a desideratum.
The N. Y. Sun attributes the custom
of placing ladies at the extreme end ol
the pews at church, to the precaution ob
served by the early settlers of placing
themselves at the o|>eniiigs of the j-ews
in order to guard the females against
sudden attacks of savages. Unfortunate
ly for this .acute antiquary, the same cus
tom has existed in England almost from
time immemorial.
POLITICAL
From tiio A rgiw.
Tin* C mmerciai uiiutv of public Faith*
We have read nothing in a long while
that has given us more pleasure than the
late message of Governor McDowell to
tiie Virginia legislature. It is beautifully
written, and the sentiments tire admir
able. He may he too ardent an enthusiast
on the subject of’internal improvement;
but on the great topic of a rigid adher
ence to Public Faith, it is rare that we
meet with remarks so happily expressed.
I fe presents the practical advantages of a
prompt payment of state debts, in a light
so striking that no one can fail to see that
no America)) ssate can gain by the re
pudiation of its just and honest debts, but
that even the burden of taxation is amply
repaid in the general prosperity and
sound activity which is given to the
whole community. Public Credit may
tvell be called the life blood of commerce
—depression stagnates it—but confidence
grounded upon art exhibited disposition
to pay pronfptly, sots this blood in motion
and gives it that tone and vitality so ne
cessary to the perfect health of the whole
system.
Gov. McDowell, after alluding to the
pleasure every son of Virginia must feel
at the increasing credit of their own gov
ernment, even in tlie estimation of the
timid capitalist, adds with point:
“ But this is not the only advantage re
sulting from the appreciation of these
bonds that has come in a welcome mo
ment to be felt and enjoyed by our citi
zens. Os the outstanding debt of the
state amounting to seven millions three
hundred aud fifty thousand dollars, near
three millions of it are held by foreigners
and by citizens of the other states, and
the residue is divided between our own
citizens, and our internal improvement,
literary and sinking funds, together with
the Commonwealth proper \ the citizens
holding two millions niue“hundred and
seventy-seven thousand dollars of it, and
the state and her funds one million three
hundred and eighty-six thousand dollars.
The whole amount, therefore, of this debt
which is held within the stale, is four
millions three hundred and sixty-three
thousand dollars, aud as the difference
between the value of it before the law in
question was passed and what it is now
—that is, between 78 to 100 is the dif
ference in favor of the holders, it follows
that the State, through her funds and
her citizens, has been a gainer by the
operation of this law to the amount of
something more than nine hut,dred and
fifty nine thousand dollars ; a greater
sum than the ordinary annual revenue
of the State, and tenfold greater than
the increased lax -the imposition of
which lias been so decided and beneficial
an effect iu producing it. It thus appears j
that whilst a hundred and eight or ten !
thousand dollars have been drawn from
the people for the ncce.-sary and honest
purposes of [laying the debts of the State
that the very act of doing this has been
the means, substantially and in effect, of
distributing back again amongst them an
active and available property of near ten
times that amount ; or if the stock held
by others than individuals be excepted
from the calculation, then more than six
times that amount.”
But the convertibility of state stocks
—that is, the power of realizing money
readily for the obligations of a state is
the great desideratum which shows not
only the intrinsic soundness, but the de
gree of confidence in the Public faith—
and tliis is eminently dependent upon
the conduct of the borrower, When
stocks are going down, very few willing
to l uy or even take them for debts, at the
market price of to-day, from a reasonable
apprehension that they may be worth
less to-morrow ; but on the contrary,
when stocks are rising, or are perfectly
steady in value—buyers, or those who
are willing lo take them in payment of
debts are readily found, and thus high
public credit acts both as capital and as
circulation to the extent of the stocks is
sued ; for the debtor transfers them to
the creditor, and he accepts them as readi
ly as he would bank notes, redeemable
in gold and silver.
In the following, Gov. McDowell un
folds the commercial advantages of a
sound public credit. It is clear, that
when the wheel of public credit is fairly
in motion, it also moves the inner wheels
of private credtt.
“ \\ hilst the rise of twenty-two or
ihree dollar- iu the hundred in the value
of state stock is an obvious benefit, a
mountmg to the aggregate stated, let it
not be supposed that it is the mere addi
tion of a fifth to the rateable value of pri
vate property in the benefit of which the
public at large does not participate.—
such an idea would be wholly erroneous.
As long as this stock remained at the dis
count to which a causeless apprehension
had reduced it, it was necessarily locked
up in the hands of its holders , and not
withstanding its vast capacity for service,
was almost valueless for any. It could
not be used iu the liquidation of debts,
nor iu the transaction of other business
except at a ruinous sacrifice, and there
fore, ns a whole, it was scarcely used at
all. The moment, however, this dis
credit was thrown off, and it rose to par
under the double pledgee!' the law and
the honor of the state to redeem it, that
moment it acquired in many respects the
qualities of money, could be used for all
purposes, except those of circulation, as
money itself be used, and was
equivalent to the addition of the full
amount held by individuals, or three
millions of dollars to the available capi
ta! of thestate. To what extent, in point
of fact, it has been employed as such, it
would be difficult to say, so indefinite
are the modes in which it might have
been made to discharge the functions ol
capital without involving the formality
of a transfer at the auditor’s office. But
that it has been liberally used in this
w-.y. is far more consistent with the [ ro
babilities of the case than the contrary,
as it is hardly possible that so immense
a sum, so capable of advantageous appli
cation, could have been held back horn
the field of employment, and kept in
profitless in-action when the most im
portunate motives of necessity, intereit
and kindness were hourly persuading
and impelling to its use. Looking at
these several results upon public and pri
vate credit, as fairly derived from the re
venue law of last winter, it is manifest
that its failure to produce the aggregate
amount that was hoped for, is nothing iu
comparison with the substantial and sea
sonable benefits which it lias otherwise
rendered lo the State.”
Relying upon the steady and irresisti
ble influence of principles so manifestly
advantageous, we believe that the West
ern States will yet pay every dollar of
their debts, because they will find it their
interest to pay. The odium and dis
credit of the State jn such cases, so soon
attaches to private individuals in all their
transactions, that, in the aggregate, they
thus suffer pecuniarily far more than if
they had paid their whole state debt.—
This retribution also seems natural, for it
gives force to that sound axiom, that
“ honesty is the best policy,” and that
whenever man in his rnthlessness or
recklessness violates those just laws
which God lias established for bis moral
government in bis worldly relations, the
very advantages which he thinks he has
reaped, are oftimes turned in his own
hands, as instruments of punishment.
We would also call to inind that “ the
honest payment of our debts arid the sa
cred preservation of the public faith,”
was laid down in the inaugural of Presi
dent Jefferson, as one of those duties ne
cessary to the sum of good government;
and we allude to this the more readily, as
there are few statesmen who have lived
in ancient or modern times, who not
only felt so great a horror of debt and
taxation upon the peWpie. but who fear
lessly evinced it in the administration of
his government.
GENERA L IXT ELLIGENCE.
The Washington Spectator of the 21st
ult. seems to have been on a South Wes
tern expedition, as we received it only
yesterday.
We find in it the following editorial
remarks, to which vve recommend the
attention of our own people, as well as
all Bank managers throughout the Uni
ted States. In fact we believe the “Bank
of the State of South Carolina” to he the
best, or at least to he near (if not quite)
at the head of those, which are the best
managed Banking institutions in the U.
States.
South Caro'in.i and her Dank.
We have just risen from the perusal
of a most able and elaborate report of the
Hon. F. H. Elmore, President of the
Bank of the State of South Carolina. In
answer to certain proposals of Governor
Hammond, as to this Bank and the pub
lic debt of South Carolina. This State
has been fortunate in selecting the Presi
dent of its Bank; hut never more fortu
nate, than in calling this distinguished
citizen to its head at the time she did.—
'l'he people of this State are certainly
a peculiar people. We understand that
this Bank, belonging to the State, has
never had a single embezzlement, by a
single officer, since its institution in 1812.
We understand further, that not a sin
gle Bank lias ever broken in that State,
excepting one, (which never got fairly
into operation,) through the knavery of
its President, a foreigner. Independent
of the private business of this Bank, it
appears that “since its incorporation,
there has been collected and paid into
the Bank, to the credit of the State Trea
sury, about 512,747,207 11 and there
has been paid out on that account, about
$11,778,057 02; making an aggregate
of $24,525,7(34 1 3 of receipts and pay
ments, withoutcosting the State anything,
or the loss of a cent.” It appears, too,
that on its capital during the thirty
years of its existence, it has realized an
average profit of seven per cent.; and its
losses, from had debts, have not exceed
ed the notes of the Bank lost in circula
tion. It is really comforting, amidst the
general depravity which has pervaded the
hanking institutions of the country, to
see such integrity, and such succeess,
too, abiding in anyone of our States.—
Honor to the tough Palmetto ! and hon
or to the whole country where it grows !
When the Batiks lately suspended specie
payments from New York to the Gulf
of Mexico, the batiks of this State alone
refused to suspend. They stood up,
strong in their integrity and strength ;
and although assailed by the suspended
banks of all the neighboring States a
gainst whom they had no protection, by
returning on them their paper for redemp
tion, they rode through the storm tri
umphantly, without the failure of a sin
gle bank, or the defalcation of a single
bank officer. And, to understand the
full difficulty of their situation, it ought
also to be remembered, that during this
period of general distress and convulsion,
Smith Carolina had peculiar losses to en
counter which no other Stare had to
meet. Her citizens lost $2,000,000 by
the failure of the United States Bank;
and $3,000,000 more by the burning of
Charleston. Yet, amidst the general
distress, in which she must, from these
■causrs, have largely participated—peace
has been amongst her people, ams integ
rity in all her councils. The law lias
had its accustomed sway, without any
new devices for relief, which usually
end in accumulated ruin. During this
period, too, a branch of the Charleston
and Cincinnati Rail Road has been com
pleted to Columbia. Honor, we repeat,
to the Palmetto, mid the country where
it grows!
A child was lately born in Toronto,
with three eyes, having two half an inch
! apart, on the side of the face.
Havana—Pa.t and Present.
Ad vices from Havana represent that
! City and the adjacent country to Ire in a
most flourishing condition, owing to the
energy of the Government. General O’-
Donnell’s recent enactments entitle him
■ to the thanks of every foreigner visiting
the Island of Cuba. He has done away
1 with some oppressive and vexatious sour
ces of taxation which were as impolitic
as they were burdensome upon every
' one whom business or pleasure led to the
island. The formalities of a passport,
upon those who desired to leave the coun
try, were attended with no less an ex
pense than fifteen dollars. This expense
has, vve learn, been diminished to four
dollars, more than two thirds. Consid
ering how large a revenue the island de
rives from the influx of strangers, it ap
pears the strangest thing in the world
that so many obstacles to their comfort
and convenience should have been im
posed.
It is gratifying however to reflect, up
on the whole, how much the policy and
general arrangements of the island of
Cuba have altered for the better. Little
more than twelve years ago, assassina
tions aud robbery were nightly, and ev
en daily, practised iu the streets with al
most certain impunity. A most scanda
lous system of piracy was regularly or
ganized by a lawless banditti of Havana
and Regia, and was even countenanced
and protected by the subaltern authori
ties of the island.
The pirates were so numerous and da
ring, aud their leaders had acquired so
much wealth by plunder, that the timid
were awed, and the corrupt were bribed,
to pass unnoticed their frequent and fla
grant violations of the laws. From Re
gia (a suburb of Havana) vessels procee
ded on piratical cruises, and returned o
penly. The plundered goods were sto
red and sold with scarcely a decent at
tempt to conceal the manner in which
they vveie acquired.
Articles plundered on the high seas
were publicly exposed for sale in the Ci
ty, and when identified as such, persons
have been brought to swear that they
were their property, an 1 brought by them
from other parts of the island. These
men cared not to elude detection, for
they were sure to escape punishment, or
even the restitution of their plunder.—
Added to this, die most cruel outrages
and indignities were inflicted upon our
citizens by the vile rabble of Havana.
Repeated instances were wont former
ly to occur, when vessels were plunder
ed at the quay, and the masters and
crews cruelly maltreated while defending
their own property. American citizens
were insulted by officers and soldiers,
and if they dared to reply, were seized,
dragged to the guard house, put in the
stocks, and exposed during a whole
night to the scoffs and ribaldry of a li
centious soldiery. This was however,
previous to the establishment of a con
sulship in the city.
Every one is acquainted with the ter
rible assassinations which occurred night
ly- H was absolutely dangerous to cross
the streets. Individuals returning from
any place of amusement were compelled
to band themselves into parties for the
purpose of mutual protection. When
the governor who preceded the energetic
Tacon was remonstrated with generally
by the merchants, and urged to use his
efforts to establish a police for the sup
pression of this state of things, all the
satisfaction he condescended to afford
them was contained in the following ad
vice—“if you dread assassination by
night, go to bed as I do by seven o’clock,
and then you will have nothing to fear.”
Happily such a desperate state of
things no longer exists. General Tu
con effected a reform for which every in
habitant of Havana ought to feel grate
ful. He completely suppressed the [li
ra tes—broke up their infamous dens,
and brought all who were engaged in
their nefarious calling, whether high or
low, rich or poor to condign punishment
—he rendered the streets of Havana as
securely passable at any hour of the
night, as those of any of the best ordered
cities of Europe or the United States.—
He was indeed a terror to evil-doers—an
effectual check upon the misdeeds of the
rabble of Havana, than whom a more
lawless, bloodthirsty set did not exist in
the universe. He appeared to know
them intuitively. What is still more to
his praise, he was (unlike most of his
predecessors) inaccessible to every spe
cies of bribery or corruption, and not all
the wealth or influence of the rich crimi
nal could save him from the Garotte-
Ile communicated his energy and integ
rity in a great measure to his successors.
Havana has been secure, with regard to
life and property, ever since the period
of his administration—but to Tacon is
due the primary merit of effectinged re
form in the general policy of the Island,
and rendering it the delightful place of
resort to strangers that it has ever been
since his time.— Sav. Georgian.
From tiie Charleston Mercury.
Some irace of the Counterfeiter.
“Extract of a letter received in this city, dated
“WELDON, Jan. 1, 1844.
“I have succeeded in tracing Brown
to Goldsboro’, where he said lie was go
ing to Raleigh. The conductor teHs me
he staid one night at Warsaw, where he
got drunk and was not sober when he
left the car at Goldsboro’—making qui e
a display of his large quantity of money.
I take the stage to-night at l o’clock for
Gaston and then the Rail Road for Ral
eigh, where I will get a horse and bug
gy and an officer, and endeavor to en
counter him at Waynesboro’ or Smith
field. I write by this mail to Washing
ton City and Baltimore (in case he should
pass me whilst in Raleigh) to keep a
look out for him. If 1 cannot find him
in the above places, I shall return to
Weldon and proceed to Baltimore. 1
am in hopes that when 1 write again 1
will have the man, if not the money.”
From the Xi iv Orleans Tropic, Doc. 23.
Late ftom Havana—Reponed Innuriectiou—
-500 Xrgroes Slain.
By the steam ship Alabama, which
arrived from Havana yesterday, we are
placed in possession of the following in
telligence :
[Correspondence of the Tropic ]
HAVANA, Dec. 23, 1843.
Dear Tropic—The approaching holi
days lias stopped in a great measure
what little was going on in a business
way.
Our city presents its usual quiet ap
pearance at tli is season. Every convey
ance for the country is in requisition, and
thousands are leaving to enjoy fresh air
and homely games and dances on the
beautiful coffee estates.
Yesterday Te Detun was chanted at
the Cathedral and in all the churches in
the city, in gratitude for the happy ad
vent of our young Queen to the throne.
Solutes were fired, and all the shipping
in port hoisted their flags during the sa
lute. An eight pound shot came on
shore from one of the quarter guns of
the Spanish frigate; hut fortunately did
no damage. It is said that iliere are to
be three special holidays sometime at the
last of next month, during which the
troops are to be exercised in a sham fight
and storming a castle; the ships and
steamers in a naval engagement. Bails
to be given and returned ; the city to be
illuminated and masquerades licensed,
and a tournament to be held. If true,
our carnival will be a most lively aud
attractive one. Yours.
In addition to the foregoing letter from
our regular correspondent, we have 1 een
furnished with the following extract
from a letter written by a merchant in
Havana, whose statements, we are as
sured, are entitled to great credit. Our
correspondent has means of obtaining in
formation equalled but by few persons in
Havana. Still it is possible that the au
thor of the annexed has received the la
tesj and most direct information. Our
readers must judge for themselves.
“Things here are getting worse and
worse every day, aud it strikes me a
change must come very soon. The ne
groes in the country give a great deal of
trouble. They rose a day or two ago,
upon the estate of the Aldama’s and the
Alplionso’s. It appears there was an ex
tensive conspiracy, in which the best
slaves were engaged.—Nearly five hun
dred negroes, inarms, were killed, and
a large number of prisoners were taken.
Tiie Americans residing in Mntanzns
have asked for an American man-of-war
to Ke in that port, in ease they are com
pelled to flee die island.”
Volcanoes.
A generally admitted characteristic of
volcanic phenomena is the absence of
flame. The appearance of it has been
supposed to be illusive, produced by the
rapidity with which the red hot stones
and ashes projected from the chasm as
cend into the air, drawing after them a
train of light; just as a burning coal
when revolving swiftly around a center,
describes a circle of fire. To determine
the accuracy of this belief, Mr. Leopold
Pilla made some careful observations, un
der particularly favorable circumstances,
the result of which he communicated to
the French Academy. Profiting Ly a
moderate eruption of Vesuvius, he sta
tioned himself upon one of the summits
which border the crater, and at the peril
of Iris life, bent over the base of one of
the funnels that may be called escape
chimnies of the furnace. He had thus
in view, at a depth of between two and
three hundred leet, the mouth of the
burning cavern, and was able to follow
all the phases of die eruption, with near
ly as much minuteness of inspection as a
chemist could exercise while supervising
the progress of nil experiment in disown
laboratory.
The spectacle presented by the phe
nomena incident to the explosion of in
expressible magnificence. A loud noise
| and violent shock preceded it; but al
most in the same instant, the cavern re
l sounded seemingly with die discharge of
f cannon, and vomited forth a column of
black smoke, followed with the rapidity
of light, by an enormous torrent of burn
ing gaseous substances, and by the pro
jection of innumerable stories, present
ing the form of a sheaf, —those in the
center falling back into the gull* and the
| others around the margin. The flame,
far from rising into the atmosphere above
the mountain, or even from attaining the
level of the summit, became extinguish
ed within fifteen feet of its base, losing
itself in a whirlwind of smoke, so that it
would have utterly escaped the observa
tion of all save those whose view pene
-1 trated to the bottom of is tunnel of es
| cape. Hence results the erroneous opin
j ion which excludes gaseous combustion
1 from volcanic phenomena. Smoke, of a
red violet color, enveloped the column,
whose centre remained dark, because
contact With air is essential to the com
bustion of gas. Isolated flames, disper
sed in a very picturesque manner over
the bottom of the abyss, leaped sportive
ly around and blazed m lambent flashes
over the walls of the tunnel. Magna
componere parvis, M. Pilla likens its
appearance to that presented by the burn
ing of alcohol. The central pyramid of
fire is ornamented at its base by the
small isolated flames which seem to play
around it.
At night, M. Pilla also saw jets of
flame darted as if through pipes from the
fissures of another volcano, which had
burst out from below, at the bottom of
the principal crater.
M. Pilla having established the exist
ence of flame in the eruption of volca
noes, attributes it, from the presence of
a great quantity of steam and of muriatic
or of chlorous acid, and sometimes, also
of sulphurated hydrogen, very distin
guishable from its odor, to the combus
tion of hydrogen, lie is of opinion that
the supplies of marine salt combined
with the lava, and of steam intermino-led
with the smoke of volcatfoes, are deriv
ed from the sea. The water of the sea
infiltrating through the intervening stra
ta, comes in contact with subterranean
masses, whence result chemical reac
tions producing all the phenomena of
volcanoes The disengagement of <r as
observed often at the surface of the sen
lias no other origin than the volcanic fur
nace, whence it escapes through the
channels by which the water found its
way into this cavity. The short dist
ance which commonly separates volca
noes from the sea coast, is, in the cstima
tion of the author, an additional support
to his theory. It is true that many of
the great volcanoes of the world are not
lar fiom the sea or from lakes. But it is
equally true that to any many more wa
ter has no apparent access. There is
said to be in Central America a volcanic
district, having an era of nearly three
thousand geographical miles, between
three and four hundred leagues distant
from the sea. 'i’he central range of the
Andes has, likewise, several volcanic
vents.
There is no necessity, however of in
ferring any thing in favor of this theory
lrom the contiguity of volcanoes to t(ig
sea. In respect to those so situated, it
is probable enough that their phenome
na are evolved through the agency of
subterranean communications with the
ocean: while in respect to others, it is
just as reasonable to suppose, that the
hidden waters confined iu the interior of
our globe, supply accordant instrumen
tality. The theory is old and to a great
extent accredited. M. I'ilfi, has Over
thrown an obstacle to its admission, in
establishing the fact of the existence of
flame, and (lie probability that this re
sults from the combustion of hydrogen
extracted by the decomposition of aque
ous vapor. The absence of hydrogen
has been urged as fatal to this theory:
but M. Pilla’s observations justjfy ihd
belief that it is evolved, even though its
presence may not be absolutely determ
inable.
Woman shot !,j |,or Husband.
The Kingston (Canada) Herald, of the
12lh uit. states that a tragedy was epncK
cd on the Saturday afternoon previous,
about eight miles front that place, \
man, woo called himself Morgan Hamil
ton Giffeii, shot his wife, (formerly the
widow Adzof) and afterwards shot'him
self. The bail entered luv breast and
lodged in her back, near the spine. She
was alive when last heard from, and
there is hop-es she may recover. He
marriid file o and lady about twelve mouths
ago, but they lived unhappily together,
and on Saturday he told her to pack his
tilings,as he was going to leave her. She
did so, when he called her into tire room
vhare he stood with two pistols in his
hands. On seeing them she hesitated,-
hut he went up to her, presented the
pistol and tired. She ran out of the
home shouting murder, and soon fell otr
her face, when she was picked up bv
two men, who carried her into a house
near by, a:.d on their going to search
for Giffcn, ihey found him lying under
the table iu Iris own house, dead, tlu;
l-all having gone through his heart.—He
was an American, and it is supposed
that the name he went by was an assum
ed name, and that he had been an in
mate of some penitentiary in the States,
for one of his hands was branded, and
part ol one of his ears was cut off.
A New Staple tor tbe South.
An ingenious citizen, of the State of
New Jersey, has recently taken out a
patent, Horn the office iu Washington,
for a discovery which he has made,
which enables hint to manufacture pa
per ot various qualities, and of a very
firm ail 1 strong texture, from the Cam,
which grows iu such abundance in the
swamp lands in the .Southern States.—
The mode is to remove the outer coat by
a very simple proceess, when the re
mainder ol the cane is easily converted
into a pup, of which the pnjier is made.
Is 31nn a >!i«e-al T
Arguments have lately been qffered
before the French Academy, to prove
that men are partly composed of copper.
A waggish cotemporary knew before
that some men had brass, in their faces.
iron in their sinews, and had in their
brains; and now it seems they have no
small share of copper. We wonder if
the North American Indians have not
more than a common share—they are
copper colored. This is an imp»ortant
discovery; for some i: things" in human
shape, that we supposed were worth J® 1
nothing at all, can now be melted up for
“small coin.”
Mount Etna is in a state of erapiw n >
and repeated shocks of earthquakes have
been felt, causing much consternation
among the inhabitants of Messina.
WIICE BRIDGE ACROSS THE OlU°\
Memorials are in circulation at St. Lo llls
and other places in the west, asking Con
gress to provide for the construction ol*
wire suspension bridge across the Ohio
at the junction of the National Hail road
with said river. The estimated expend
is $130,000. According to the plan
signaled "there is to he a space of filjj
feet between the bridge and the topsc
the highest steamboat pipes, at an no
nary st ge of water, rendering H * r f
from any objectionon the grounds uf° l
structions to navigation.
Three brothers purchased 300 acres rj
prairie land in Wisconsin, 18 mont‘l
since. It cost them 10s. an acre, n’T]
leucing $1 an acre, and the breaking
14s. nti acre. Every item of expense
ter harvest, shows an aggregate of
The three hundred acres produced ti,W i
bushels of wheat, which sold i