Newspaper Page Text
slavery is fix<-d by the Constitution. it
ha* no power whatever over the MibjcC,
ami cannot tourti it, whether the slave
be found upon the soil o'a State, or that
of the District of • "olnmhia. From what
States was the “ten mile square,” which
now constitutes the “seat of govern
ment” derived ? Virginia and Maryland
It is a self-evident proposition, as well as
an established principle of law, tint a
grantee can acquire no more power than
a grantee could convey. The States of
Virginia and Maryland themse'ves, it
cannot In* disputed, rould not have libe
rated, without the consent of th ir own
ers, the slaves of this District, when the
territory was part of their respective
States. And how then can Congress,
deriving her power from them, claim or
exercise more power than the States
which reded this territory, ever possess
ed? But those States, unwilling to rely
upon the general principle just alluded
to, and apprehending the very danger
which now threatens the rights of the in
habitants of this District, prudently in-;
serted it, their acts of cession, the follow
ing limit to the exercise of power by ('on
gress over the District:
“ Provided, That nothing herein con
tained shall be construed to vest in the
United States any right of property in
the soil, or to atfect the lights of individ
uals therein, otherwise than the same
shall or rnav he transferred by such indi
viduals to the United States.”
(Concluded in our next.)
POLITICAL.
lien. Caw* and tlte Presidency.
There has Iteen a series of contradic
tions and mistifications in the newspa
pers about Hen. Cass, and the pn itimi 1
he occupies Inward the Baltimore Con- 1
Veutioti. We suspect he himself unin- j
tentionally helped to entangle the matter.
At a meeting in New York some time
since in favor of the District system,
General Duff Green among other things
said :
“I hold in my hand a letter from Gen
eral Cass, by which I feel warranted in
saying that, if lie is nominated by the
July Convention, you will have a can
didate for the Presidency.”
The Globe of last Monday, in a very
coarse review of divers matters of quar
rel lietween itself and Gen. Green, brings
in this, and says :
“General Cass has seen this statement,
and has authoriz and the editor of the De
triot l-*r«je Press to contradict it.”
General Cass, we sus|sct, has not
done so ; if lie lia , he has com him and an
imprudence. At the best, authorizing
an editor to correct inferences drawn
fro it a letter which he has no! s*t n, is
like ly to get both parties into a scrape.
We have not seen the statement in the
Free Press, and it is likely that it ton
has stiff rred distort < u in the process
of circulation ; but we under-tand that it
was originally asserted that Gen. Ci»s>
had written no letter; afterwards tin
letter was ad nitied, but the inference of
Gen. Green from it, was pronounced un
warranted. The latter lias published in
the New York Herald the fol ow ing
Card, which seems to us fully to show
that his inference from the letter of Geti.
Cass was a fair and legitimate one. We
are sure that the latter gentleman is quite
above the meanness of equivocation, and
that therefore any denial he lias authori
zed to be made, was applicable, not to
what Gen. Green did say, but to some
unfair report of his remarks.
A CARD.
To the Editor of the Herald —
In your paj>er of this morning you
say :
“General Cass and General Green.—
At the Van shall meeting of the new
Democratic party, so. organization of the
Fourth of July Convention, General
Green stated that he lied a ’em r fro u
General Cass, in which lie avowed him
self ready' to abide the resu t of the
Fourth of July Convention. Cas-, it
seents, h.is no recollection of having ever
written such a letter, and comes out with
a distinct denial of having ev it hinted
any thing inconsistent with his unalter
able determination to support the Ba ti
more Convention. It is not at all unu
sual to see Generals di agree.”
A few words wi I put this matter right.
In the first place, 1 did not say that t
“held a letter fro n General ( ass. in
which he avow, and himself ready to abide
the result of the Fourth of July Con
vention.” I exressed the opinion that if
nominated by die Fourth of Jn y Con
vention, he would not refuse the nomin
ation, and my reasons for expressing that
opinion were, shat 1 had written to him
in referrence to the address of the com
mittee representing the meeting in the
Park, assuming that he was not p'edged
to abide by the no uinatiott of the Con
vention at Baltimore ; became that Con
vention had not lieen ap;«>inted and will
not lie organized in accordance with th
understanding of the party at the time
his le tors were written —that his pledge
was to sustain the nominee of a conven
tion fairly constituted and projierly or
ganiz and, which the committee demon
strated the Baltimore Convenrion wi I
n>t be. And again, that Ins letters were
intended to dec are his acquiescence in a
no oblation so made, as to secure concert,
union and harmony in the party, which
imratna i >n of the Ba timore »'onwntioii
will not do. Mr. Calhoun and his friends
Invmg withdrawn therefrom, I urged
til t the Fourth of July Convention
would present the only means of har
mony, concert .and smess, as that Con
vention would be constituted on the
principle of District representation, and
voting per capita. To this letter, Gen.
Giss replied, and the following is an ex
tract from his letter :
“The party lead rs hnvi determined
on Mr. Van Bn ret i, aid they will run
him at all hazards. I do not believe
Hatch in .getting upi. th rd fa iy. Expe
jrnicc hus sitowu thiu u iUr / J, a;! y t-tiu-
I.ot exist ill our country; still I am off at
a di tance, and know but little of what is
going on, whiis* you are in the midst ol
the movement and possessed of ex|>e
rience and capacity which cannot well
lie deceived. I shall wait the progress
of events with interest. An interest,
howmer, which his little in it that is j>er
soua!, lait which looks to th<* welfare of
the party, connected, as I believe, with
the welfare of the country ”
That Gen. Cass may have su'd, that
lie lio'ds hi n*elf hound to sustain the
no.iiin eof a general convention of the
party', l be'ievc. That he did not feel
iiiinsell pledged to sustain the nominee of
the Haiti non 1 Convention, and that he
won;d wait the progress of events to as
certain whether supporting the nominee
ot that or of the 4th of July Convention,
would best promote the welfare of the
party, was the inference that I drew from
his letter. I still think that is the proper
inference ; t and presume that bis letter, i
ot the character you re; re cut it tube,
was written under a uiisa| paes* tisiott oi
what 1 had said.
Respect, ally,
DFFF GREEN.
New York, 2d March, 4844.
Fro n the N. Y. vpnin* Post.
Tatatio” Fxtrao-dinari.
Anew .school of calculators has
sprung tip within a few days- One of
their principles of computation is, that
the more heavily we are taxed the great
er is our commerce.
Several years since, knew a worthy
country gentleman, who second, bv
some tare felicity, to have anticipat'd t..
a certain extent this leading principle el
the new schoo'. It was bis ambition to
bethought rich, and he always insisted
that his name should make a good figure
in the tax list. When lie was taxed less
than It is neighbors, he regarded it as an
ungenerous reflection upon his poverty,
and was greatly offended. When he
was put down for a higher tax than they,
he was in excellent spirits—it was a
proof that he was rich.
W ithin the two last months, the
months of January and February, the
duties col'ectod on goods I ro’t int • ihi
|w"m t have omniinti and to four millions of
dollars. This circumstance, say the new
school, is a proof of an him ense com
merce, of enormous importations. To
he ir these people talk, to read their in w>-
|iaper-, one would imagine that the fleets
of the whole \ynr and were unlading tin ir
cargoes on ottr shores.
We, when we come to look at the
matter for ourselves, however, find that
there is no such prodigious influx of lor
eign goods as is sitpj ©as!. We are not
doing a very great I mine.-*, we ate only
paying a very h a y tax. 'rise duties
now levied at the custom do not so much
show an active comtneice. as an op
pressive rate of duties. A small cargo
of goods now makes a great figure m
the custom house returns. A little prop
erty may be heavily' taxed, as the payers
of our city taxes v» rv well know.
The whole amount of goods entered
at the custom house in this city, during
the months nf January and February, i>
Mipptv-' and to have been nf the value of
thirteen or fourteen millions of dollars,
ttn this a noun?, four mi Minus have been
paid in the shape of duties, or about
thirty per eent on the whole—the free
articles iueludid. Four millions u:i
thirteen and a half! a proportion, the ex
orbitance and extravag nee of \t I licit,
inii.-t astoni h any man who considers it
—a burdott on our commerce so enor
mous that we are only stispris. and that
commerce is not utterly erroffi: and l y it.
Had the same amount of good L n
entered under the more nod rate tariff
of funner years, in 1841 for exa up e,
w hen liu; duties on all imj ortul goods,
both dutiiii le and free avt-ragid a 1 out
thirteen and a half per eoi.!. the a emit
of duties paid by the importer- would
have bet it les. than a mi imi art! tin; <
quarter*. In that year it would have re
quired importations to the at: mint oi ili r
ty-one mihions to raise the tax of lour
millions, which has jn.4 been colt cud
by the government on louleeii.
The cargoes w hich have lately I cen
entered have been imported in anticipa
tion of the spring trade. Already a great
falling off in the importations has coiii
nieitc tl, and which will coiitiinie
through the month of March. After
wards until the month of August, the
importations will he comparative y tri
fling, but in the month of August, the
cargoes sent forward in anticipation of
the fall trade, w ill begin toariiv . Such
i* the usual course of our foreign com
merce. We have the early anti the lat
ter rain; w-e have large impo.lotions at
this port in the lot or part of summer,
and in the intervals the people ol the
custom house are comparatively idle.
In the year 1811, the who e amount
of goods brought Irom foreign countries
into tlit* ports of New York, mainly h to
this | ort, exceeded seventy-five mihions
of dollars. W eu we recoiled that the
antotit of goods imported tor the s; ring
trade, is always great, r than that ol the
good- imported for the fall trad.-, and
consider that in the two mouths which
bring us the largest importation-, we
have only introduced goods to the v..lue
of fourteen millions, we shall see reason
to believe that the iniport.itions this year
will fall greatly short of those of 1841.
A gent email experieiic and in ihe affairs of
tlte custom house, informs ns that in the
interval between the importations ior the
spring trade and tlioe for the autumn
trade, that is fro.n March to August, the
biisiues of the custom house falls >fi'thnse
quarters.
We cannot agree, therefore, w ith those
who boast that we are enjoying an extra
ordm uy activity of commerce. All we
[lerceive is,, that we are most outrageous
ly taxed, i- »nr millions of dcrl'ars have
i«en ex!o r tLroia u- on liitle more than
three tuuis the sa:ue uu&'uul vi u-b.d
goods, his only the exorbifaroe of this
taxation which is extraordinary, and to
that we freely ad nit there i- no parallel
in the history of our nation.
Th • Tariff Qae-'ion.
One of tile most odious features of th •
present unjust r I ariffis itsgiossiv partial
character, it shows clearly upon its very
lace the designs of its selfish projectors,
it is I.tit : eeessnry to glance Ml it super
ficially to discover the fact that every
principle of just legislation has lieen
sacrificed to foster the manufacturing in
terests of the country. The producer is
shamefiilly taxed lor the benefit of the
manufacturer: w hile the raw material
raised by tiie farmer and used by the
manufacturer, is al.owi-d to enter our
jjorts almost entirely free from duty.—
The fb lowing table will show this fact
to the conviction of any candid mind:
Duties, discriminating for manufac
tures and against agriculture, *) c.
.iita it»G tiltii-r tavv |~r .uatiUhii'lUiiHl Uult'>
m.ar.i.l U>«v. | ri 'l*, liyli
> ales 5 |>, r cw,l • • <an*t -5 1“ '
in-»«v«I. 3\»r c» lit ( hi**?.! « il. ‘JS prr tvnt,
tn*i «•!*# j 5•» r . , Woollens. Of* I * frj j r rt
• -v ik. I Cork*. mail* ji. rt
r |»ei. Id. p li* | r*jji**r 15 t• 17 ds. |»n I »
-vui.N u<• |>r fwruJ 15 j»i*t’(iuilU. |»n jurttl, 25 j*. it.
Silk, raw, 5,* »vi*u jut l!».| 3llW*. 50 &c.
Ffe»tl<*, I rent jht |!». [Bruslos, 30 |mt «*i nt.
! \ r.itss, itiauu!'d. 30 p n
3,« s, rro Ir, IV.e , } u k ,|>. ~.r |u .
limp, 30 m 3-2 p, r rent. : j l '*>r
| ' Colton 50ii80 r
.•Hon, 3cl*, or 3 i >‘?s |, <H Cotton Clotiia, Sonl2 *|i e.
lax, raw, lc. or 7a'J pr ci | t'Ux manual 25 .*>o |.r ct
■ , ~ , „ , r Lo.nl tai. r, 4<- n I
cail, rrU'lr, 112 a2r l|<. ) . . !
; ) “ wlnlc & rial, let*.
I in, rru.lc.in p o*. 1 pct . in, in |,l,ties. 2 1 2 |»r. «•
Wo<ul, roti.'li, 20 |> r ct. j \Voo>l, nut ut ’il, 30 ji. ct
Under what cloak of de'usion wi I our
ofq onentsendt iivor to conceal ibis cloven
foot of oppression from the people ? Al
low that the Tariff is just in other re
‘"pets, that it is nccessn y to raise revenue
for the country, that the protection which
it affords ibe mnmifm tiirer is incidental
and not the soul and substum e of the
measure, still we w nulii ask, would not
ibis feature alone show the unjust dis
crimination which it makes, and Ik;suffi
cient !<> condemn it forever in the eyes
of the intelligent patriot? Not simply is
the farrier con pelltd to jay an oppres
sive tax u| on the articles which are
manuliiclurt and ahrend—not merely is In
compelli and voh ns" to fiister home
maim fact it res I tit his raw material must
be put in competition with tin- raw ma
terial raised a Inroad. Truly tinder this
Tariff the inamifaeturer’s share of the
s| oils is like tlte share of the lion in the
fable, ai.d monopolizes all.
From I Sir N. Y Cninmercial Atlveiliser.
I’o'it c »' Itistorv.
The Northern mail brings us the fol
'owing letter of inquiry, to which we
shall reply w ith all the frankness and sin
cerity demand, and by the occasion :
Avon, Livingston county, N. Y.
Feb. 24, 1841.
Wm. L. St nt, Esq.—
ir : For the piirj ose of sett'ing a sub
ject of debate an ong some friends, who
agretd to refer the matter to \ou, »Mow
me to enquire, trhal irere the ogi ions
and conduct of Ear tin lan huren in
the early stagas if the irar of 1812,
touching the policy nf the war. On
what grounds did he support He Witt
Clinton for the presidency . in opposi
fio ito Mr. Madison ! And what were
Mr. C.inton's views in relation to the
war and its continuance ?
We believe Mr. I 'linton to have been
| tin peace party candidate, and that Mr.
Van Biireti supported hint on that
| ground.
Wifi you have the kindness to set us
right either by answering it in the (’oai
ruercia! Advertiser, or by letter ?
If by letter, w e w i i not regard it tts
intend and for | nblic; iron. Yonranswers
to the above will much olvige many
whig friends.
1 a very respectfully,
ISAAC WEILS.
_
ANSWER.
We pro cr giving a public ntixw'or to
the for going cnmmuuic ition, made wo
doubt not, in good faith, for seve al rea
sons. Principal among these is the strong
desire we have that jus ice should l e
done to all men, and we ihink that Mr.
Van Biirou lias not been fairly dolt by
in the matters referred to. It is true, that
Mr. Van Buren was one of the early
supporters of Mr. Clinton, for the office
of.Presid lit, in the year 1812, in opposi
tion to Mi Madison; that lie took part
in die repub ieau legislative caucus at
which .Mr. *'. was first nominated. That
caucus was held, and that nomination
was made, on live 28 Iv of May, nearly a
month before the declaration of war.—
The elections in this State were then
he'd in A| n l', and the political year com
menced on the (ir l A.outlay of July.—
Mi. Van Bn roll laid Ik** ii chosen to the
Senate in Aprt , but was not, of cow re, a
membier t,f ti e legis'alure that made the
tit) uination. His senatorial tenu emu*
nienct and on the fir.-t i\.outlay of July ;
and he first took his seat at the extra
session he'd in November, to choose the
presidential eh dor*.
/ nrthermore , it is also true that Mr.
Clinton became the candidate of “ t e
peace party."' Aelit is not true that
he was originally nominated as such,
or that Mr. Van Ih ren, aft<r taking
his seat in the legislature, supported
him as such, lit (Mr. C.) was, in fact
driven into that posit io. by the fore of
c re instances ; and i is no more than
justice to Mi. Van Luren to say , that
after Mr.Clinton became identified with
the peace party as their camtiaate, his
support of ini became tan gaitl\ In
dia and, we It; ve reason :o lieneve that he
thiT.ceforwaid ili.ew hi influence, as far
, i l*v tutild to, the [ ruvi.
otts committal of tl e legislative caucus,
whi»h he la id to tie binding upon the
party, in behalf of Mr. Madison. The
truth is Mr. t linton was never nominat
ed or supported as an opponent to the
war, but diioctly the reverse. lie was
thus unmmattd and supp<>rttd expressly
upon the ground that the crisis demanded
a more vigorous arm at the helm of state
than Mr. Madison’s.
The war had not been actually de
c'art and, it is true, but every intelligent
man saw that it was inevitable, and very
near ; and it was f ared , as the result
proved , that under Mr. Madison's ad
niinisr.dion it would be feebly conduct
ed. Believing thus that the times de
manded an executive of greater energy
and force of character, the attention of
many patriotic men of bath political
parties teas direct and elsewhere linn to
Virginia for a candidal’ ; and from
the high intellectual qualities <f Mr.
t linton, and the ackniiwleeged energy
of his character, it was con eiced that
tie would prosecute the impending con
test with greater vigor, and bring it to
a more speedy and honorable close than
could be done by Mr. Malison.
This was the ground iqion which he
was nnmina ed. and upon which he was
supported hy Mr. Van Buren, and such
of the o'd republican party as adhered to
him through the contest. As to the
opinions and conduct of Mr. Van Bu
reu in the early stages of the war, we
have reason to know that they were not
exurt/y in harmony with the majority
of the < e pie of this ‘State, even of his
men party, at the time ; for it must here
be borne in iud that a very decided
majo i y of the representatives in Con
gress from the State of Sew York—
with l tbadiah G < i man in the Senate at
their hea voted against the declara
tion of war : not, liow evt r, that they
he'd the contest to be unjust, but they
he.ieved the country w holly unprepared
for war at the time, and consrqucntly
that the declaration was inexpedient.—
Such, probably, were the original views
of Mr. Van Buren—such, certainly, were
the views of Mr. ('linton.
But, the war having ben declared,
it is due to Mr. Van Buren to say , th j
no public man in the State supported
it more thoroughly, heartily, and zeal
ously throughout, than he did. Silt h,
we k ow, is trot the received opinion in
t any parts of the country, especially in
the distant Slates; and we frequt utly
see attempts making in the presses op
po ed to him. to rentier him unpopular
by charging linn with opforihon to the
war itself, as w'ell as to Wr. Madison.—
But the charge is untrue.
Many of our i>o!itk;il friends will
scowl upon it®, we know, for our frank
ness on this occasion. But we care not
forthat. Justice to all men is on r maxim,
and we wish not to heat even Mr. Van
Buren by falsehood. We have, indeed,
truth enough at our command to do that
with.
Letter of .ton. Geo .llcDn.lie.
We fnd the following interesting cor
respondence in the Richmond Enquirer:
Rich mono, Feb. 21, 1814.
Dear Sir:—Not having lieen able to
claim much ol the honor of your personal
acquaintance, you may consider this let
ter as an intrusion. But I hope you
know me well enough to believe that I
won and not mtnecessirily break in upon
your time, or court your confidence.—
The country is in a strange condition. ~
Our Constitution is in serious danger.—
It liecomes every ninn who ’oves our free
institutions to rally around Iter. I claim
to be one of them.* You are another.-
May I not ask you frankly, then, for in
formation, which l deem important to the
pub ic welfare? If you say you cannot,
or will not give it, I shall Ik; content. If
you give if. 1 will thank you for your
candor and your courtesy. Once, I
know, sir, it w as my misfortune to differ
with \onou "omeroiistiftitiornolquestions.
We may still differ, though I liojie, as in
tilt; case of other distinguished sons of S.
C. the lines which separated our opinions
may have approximate and fierh.ips met.
The Whigs of the city are now pio
ling your former view s in favor of a Na
tio ia! Bank. May l presume to ask you,
whet Iter you st II retain the same views
in regard to the constitutionality, as well
as in regard to tin; expediency ol such an
institution? Ofenur-e you cannot sus
(>ect me of a-king you from any imperti
nent curio ity. Offer gentlemen have
chang 'd their views on this very prob
lem. Mr. ( 'lay has lieen oonverttd from
an opponent ton chnmpit n. Mr. Crnw
foid clamgi and from bud to good, (as I
humbly conceive.) Has Mr. McDuffie
varied in his view's ? and will lie be free
eirongh to answer an honest inquirer af
ter the Irulli ? Let me frankly rej eat to
yon, sir, that if you dec.ine answering
the question, it is no more than an hon
orable man lias n right to do. If you
have changed your opinion*, may I ask
tile favor of you to stale them in such a
iorm as may tie ns-et lor the public eye !
If you prefer flan I should not so use
fhewi, l will clieerfuily submit to Mich re
strictintis as you may think fit to impost;
tij oil me.
I am aim »st tempted to touch another
subject, of deeper importance than the
one to w hich 1 dedicate this hasty letter.
It relates to the success <vf the Republican
parly m the present perilous struggle,.—
But even Mr. has declined to ad
dress you upon it, and it does not beco.* e
me to “ rush” where lie “fears to I read.”
I subscribe myself, with much respect,
yours, TH<»S. RITCHIE.
To Guokuk McDuffie, Esq. Senator
from South Carolina, Washington.
Washington, Feb. 2'i, 1844.
Dear Sir: 1 can h ive no fie itation in
answering your inquiries As to the
coui>aiuiioua.tty uu ILuLuf thu ILu.eJ
States—as tl:at is a question not depend
ing upon ciictinistances— I have not
changed my opinion, unless very strong
doubts of the power of * digress to ex
empt the stockho ders from ii dividual
responsibility, constitute a change.—
Stu b exemption, however, is not at all
essential to n corporation for banking, or
any other purposes. But 1 slt -uld be to
tally blind to the lessons of experience,
i l , after the tremendous explosion of the
late Bank of the United States, 1 could
lielieve it expedient to establish another.
I supported that bank as a national, and
not as a party measure. 1 then so regar
ded it. But we are admonished f.y eve
rything around us, that any bank which
may now b establi lx and is destined to lie
a mere party engine, and one of the great
controlling powers cf the State. And I
will add, that iin'ess the nature of man
lie entirely changed it will be as corrupt
ing and demoralizing as it w ill be power
ful. Such an institution, in the hands
of a lin'd and unscrupulous political lea
der, sustained by a we.l organized politi
cal party, by the great manufacturing in
terest, secured in its allegiance by the
bounties of a protective tariff, and even
sovereign States, seduced by the misera
b'e delusion ofgiving them the proceeds
of the sales of the public lands, and assu
ming their debts—would he literally
“ more terrible than an army with ban
ners.” Ido not believe the public liberty
would long survive such a combination.
With regard to the other question to
which vou allude —the union of the great
Republican party—theie is but one mot
to uud.T which they can successfully ral
ly—and that is, “free trade and uncom
promising war against the protective sys
tem and its affi bated measures.” If the
tariff should be satisfaclorby reduced, ns
I lit w hope it will, I think the South and
Soiitlnvcst will move in solid column
and w ith an unfaltering step.
I am, very respectfully, your ob’t serv’t.
george McDuffie.
Tiiomas Ritchie, Esq. Richmond,
Virginia.
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.
\ sn.’po*".! t.7*una'iO't ol the exptosi n ol
the "Peace tinker'’ on boa <1 of the
PH NC. 'tOX.
Messrs. Editors —As tlie public mind
has been much shocked at the late melan
choly accident on board the Princeton;
and as curiosity has been «twnk tied, as
to the cause of the accident. I offer, for
the consideration of the public, the fol
owi gexplauntioi) which appears to me,
. t< give a rational solution of the ques
tion. It lias been stated that this gun
was made of “ malleable” or “ wrought”
Iron; that by an ingenious and labori
ous process of welding a number of bars
of such iron, wrore combined, so ns to
form th*- body of the gun.
Now, sirs, my so ittion is, that the suc
cessive shocks given to this iron by the
repeated firings, wcnkx tnd the direct co
hesion between the particles of the me
tal ; and as every shock produced a cer
tain amount ot tension upon that |roriion
of the gun which enclosed the charge,
the gun became weaker, by every dis
charge, tuitfl its strength proved insuffi
cient to re-ist the strain,produced by tlte
lust discharge, w hen it pat'ctl. In con
firmation of this opinion, and hy wav of
explaining the dangerous nature of guns
made of such iron, I will Must rate it I y
the result nf a number of practical exper
iments, made by a di.-tiugnisln tl engineer
in Eng'aud, (Thomas Halfourd,) prior
in the construction of the SnpenMon
Bridge over the river Mersey. He in ti
tnted an extensive series of experiments
on wrought iron bars mnl wire; all of
which, went to pifUe the extension, and
consequent weakening of the iron, by
the successive strains nj on it by weight,
until its strength became less than was
sufficient to sustain the weight, w b n it
parted.
I will instance one. “A bolt of Welsh
iron, 12 feet 6 inches long, 2 incites in
diameter, required a strain of 82 tons 15
ewt, to tear it asunder; when subject to
a strain of 82 tons, it stretched 3 inches,
and was reduced to 1 15-16 inches in
diameter. \\ lien the strain was increa
sed to 71 tons 15 cwt. it had stretched 6
inches and was reduced 1-8 of an inch,
graibin'ly, in the diameter; with 82 tons
it had stretched It inches, with 82 tons
15 ewt. the bolt broke, after it had stretch
ed during the whole process 18 1-2 inch
es, and measured at ihe place of rupture,
but 15 8 inches in diameter.”—(See
‘ Barhow on strength of materia!,’' page
273.)
Now,sirs, the only material difference
between the two ca es is, that in one
case the strain was produced by weights,
in the oilier, hy the expansive force of
inflamed pow der; the iron, in one case,
being a single bar, in the other, a combi
nation of bars.
The opinion seems to give confirma
tion, front ihe statements made, as to the
specific giavily of the fragments of the
gun after the explosion. It appears from
ex|>eriiuent on so ue of them, that they
Were found to '>e lighter than the stand
aid weight, and the maker has been abu
sed for using bad meta'. May not the
extension, consequent upon the succes
sive strains, explain the discrepancy ?—-
May it noi account for the gun’s not ex
p odmg when new, and first tested with
a larger charge! And yet, yielding to
a more leehle strain, in a later period ?
C’a.-t iron possesses little or no ductility
or malleability, and in consequence, will
generally hurst, m the first testing of
them, or not at all ! They tire there'ore
miicli safer weapons in action ; and I am
dispo ed to think, they can not lie super
ceded by the wrought iron, without a
material improvement is made ill the
mode of construction.
Respectfi illy von rs,
A. HERBERT, C. E.
and .Superintend nt; t.iiitary Acudenr .
Uaiiuubin, March. H,
We conclude to day an excelled
speech by Mr. Campbell, of South Car
olina in defence of the rule excluding
Abolition petitions. The Southern
memlters during the recent dehate n n
that subject, have taken stronger ground
than ever before, and sustained it with
signal ability. They carried the point
too, which shows that their ability and
firmness were felt. It is also a consider
ation full of cheerful hope and encour
agement, that on this occasion the South
ern men, with but two exceptions, M r
Clingman, of North Carolina, and Mr
White, of Kentucky, acted in perfect
harmony. Heretofore we have sunk
under the weakness of division hence
forth may we cherish the strength of
union.
Mr. Fs|iy's The- rv «t Raja
The Pennsylvanian finds the follow
ing from an old newspaper. It i 8 very
strong testimony in favor of the Kspyati
theory:—
■ tie of the Jesuit Missionaries who
resided in Parngna from 1742 to 17(7,
says—The tall dry grass, reeds and bul
rushes, <ke afford combustnble matter or
many weeks. The smoke often fills the
air with such imjenetrble darkness, that
the sun is hid, and night brought back to
midday. 1 myself have seen clouds and
lightning suddenly proceed from this
smoke, as it were flying oft'like a whirl
wind, so that the Indians are not to lie
blamed for setting fire to the plain in or
der to procure rain, they having learned
that the thicker smoke turns into clouds
which pour forth water.
A333i1R3 gA&f ItDlai'M DgaATT.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20. 18-14.
.Ur. Clay > approach to, nad arrival at the
City of .Macon, Dibit County, G i.
About 3 o’clock, P. M., on Saturday,
the 16th inst., the procession accompany
ing our distinguished visitant was discov
ered slowly proceeding down the road
leading from Forsyth to Macon.
The college consisted of a party from
this city, increased by one from Forsyth,
and individuals from the intervening
country. From the distnal character of
the weather, the report of minute guns,
and staid countenances of the perform
ers, the procession presented an exceed
ingly solemn spectacle. The cavalcade
was composed of eighty-six horsemen
and seventeen carriages. Had the wea
ther lieen favorable, it would, doubtless,
have lieen much larger.
Considering Mr. Clay as n stranger
and a gentleman visiting our city, he was
received by the democrats with the cour
tesy, the respect for themselves and dis
tinguished guest demanded.
0:t Monday, the great orator addressed
the people from the South-east portico of
the court-house—the audience number
ed, probably, eighteen hundred; and was
made up, we lielieve, about equally of
both parties—and considering the zeal
ous drumming tip which has been em
ployed for the last six weeks, the meeting
must he viewed a signal failure.
The address was delivered admirably.
Some of the topics were chosen unfortu
nately, and others were in decidedly bad
taste. Tlte rest of the a dress was easily
recognised by those familiar with Mr-
Clay's speeches as tee sane song; and to
the same tune the orator has favoured the
public with for many years past. The
audience seemed ‘not in the vein,’ they
were obstinately as cool as cucumbers—
all efforts to raise the steam were tt tin vat'
ling—a desperate attempt was made by a
few of the faithful to get up a hurrah, hut
it was a melancholy sound, and quickly
dwindled into a ‘dying, dying fall.’ h*
truth, the whole affair ‘curne lamely elf
and was, we will not say, a small potatoe
entente, but it certainly was quite a cold
water concern. The unexcituble indif
ference of a great majority of the Whigs
seemed to show there was truth in the
paradoxical expression, ‘some men ap
pear bigger at a distance than on closer
inspection.’ We quit the dull scene at
the courthouse with pleasure, to attend
the Clay ball room. There the ladies,
Heaven smile upon them, were num er *
ously congregated—the dear creatures,
whether whigs or democrats, will at all
events patronize a ball.
On this occasion there was an extraor
dinary display ofbright eyes, dimples and
busts, a glance at which might thaw the
frost of an aged anchorite.
But, 10, the lion enters and is led round
the apartment, looking as pleased as a li
on can look. scene of the farce
concluded, the great actor retired to his
repose.
Whether when reaching his chamber
he soliloqmzedon the dignity of human
nature as Buonapmte and Voltaire u
to do at the dose of their levees, we un
dertake not to determine.
Ol' Mr. Clay’s onslaught on the pream
ble tfcc. of the late democratic conven
tion in this city nnd on some other topic*
of his discourse, we shall in ottr next*
lake due notice.