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“Upon (he bosom of (ho stream,
Down where (he waters glide beneath
O'erhanginsj bows, in mazy dream,
The wood-duck iu a vepory wreath—”
I say I did not see “the wood-duck in
a v.apory wreath,” but I did see him
without a “vapory wreath for the
sky was clear, the sun bright, and not
a mist or a vapor obscured the vision.
How his blight eye gleamed in the
sunbeams! How grapdly he sat up
on the water, first exposing his white,
then liis red, then his green and pur
ple tinge, and now his dapper breast,
to the eye of him who was medita
ting his death. Over all waved his
gallant plume, and the head dress of
Murat himself never showed to bet
ter advantage. Bang! went my right
hand barrel, and the gallant drake
lay on liis side, upon the water, as
graceful in death as lie was iu life.
His companion, in less costly attire,
flew up stream about a hundred yards,
and lit upon the root of a tree which
stood upon the edge of the water.
Creeping up behind a tree, which hid
my approach, the contents of my left
hand barrel secured me this second
prize. Whethei the duck was wound
ed by my first shot, so as to cause her
to light So soon, or whether it was in*
disposition tt> leave her dead partner,
I cannot sav. But surely.—
“Know then this truth, enough for you to
know—”
but surely 1 bagged my brace of as
uice wood-duck as you ever saw, and
did it secundum artem.
By this time our hour bad expired,
and we wended our way homewards.
On the way 1 killed a couple of plo-
veis very nicely indeed.
Dr. Stiles’s Address.
We had the good fortune to hear Dr.
Stiles’s address in Eaton ton, on tuesdav
last. He spoke for three hours, and was
interesting from beginning to end. liis
subject was the religious and political as
pects of the Struggle for independence.
In the religious department of what he
had to say, of course he was expected to
e xcel: for that has been his lile-time study:
out we were not prepared to Ste him so
much at home in the political department.
We have not hoard or read from any one,
ho clear an exposition of the causes which
„ i'.d'e’ our separation front the yankee
m CHssan, as Ml from (he lips of
THE countryman.
tiic distinguished divine to whom it was j
our pleasure to listen. Dr. Stiles evident- J
ly understands his subject in all its hear
ings—moral, religious, political, and so-,
cial. It strikes us that he takes a more
enlarged view of the crisis that is upon
us than any one who has yet given expres
sion to his view's.
As a speaker and thinker, Dr. Stiles is
remarkable indeed for the amount of mat
ter packed into his rounded periods. His
everj sentence is a text. He uses no
w'ords in vain. We think him thosupe
rior of Dr. Chalmers, of whom he some
what reminds us.
Dr. Stiles is one of the greatest think
ers of the age. He shou’d be an author
as well as a speaker. The eliminations
of hi> genius should not be lost to the
world. Especially should he embody in a
book the ideas which ho is now' sowing
broad-east over Georgia.
We consider his'exposition of the cau
ses which create, and should create an
impassable gulf between us and the yan-
kees, as timely and important in the ex
treme. He accomplishes great good in
addressing his tellow-ctoizens. Many of
our people, weary, wasted, and worn with
this struggle, their property destroyed,
their homes made desolate, their children
slain, are naturally inclined to think that
perhaps this war might have been avoided,
and are ready to ask themselves, might
not the South have acted hastily, and un
advisedly, in her secession ? The distin
guished divine does nor leave a single
plank of doubt for any one to stand on, at
this point. He shows conclusively that a
new nation was necessary, and that God
has ordained that nation. Any one trou
bled with doubt, who hears Dr. Stiles,
w'ill not be troubled with doubt any
more.
From Louisiana.—The St. Louis
Republican, of tbe 21st, says the Red
River expedition has met with a se
vere disaster. The third and fourth
divisions of the 13th army corps were
badly cut up.
The loss in the 13th corps is two
thousand, with 22 pieces of artillery.
The Chicago Times of the 20th has
a letter from its correspondent, dated
Grand Eeore, April 11, which says
the Chicago Mercantile battery lost
all their gnus.
The rout was complete, even out
doing Bull Run. The order was, ev
ery man for himself, and the devil
take the hindmost. The whole army
is falling back to Ecore. The whole
expedition is a total failure.—At- Ap
peal.
Bermuda Grass.
Tbe value of the, Bermuda grass
that overspreads so many of the fields
of Middle Georgia is almost incalcula
ble; and yet we must say that we con
sider it one of the twm greatest pests
with which a farmei ever contended—
the other being Guinea grass. We
ought to know something of both
these'grasses, for we were born and
still reside, or. the plantation where
grew' the first sprig of each that ever
afflicted the soil of old Putnam. Ber
muda grass affords the best pasture of
any grass with which we are acquain
ted, in this latitude. Its nature is
very peculiar. After remaining for
many years undisturbed, in a partic
ular spot, it will sometimes die out,
without any apparent cause. More
frequently, though, it will he choked
out by “goose grass,” trefoil, or some
thing of the sort. Even when it does
not become entirely extinct, under
these circumstances, it grows small
and stunted, affording very poor gra
zing.
But for either of the above men
tioned results to happen the grass must
be entirely undisturbed. It spreads,
when left so, very slowly indeed. If
a patch one foot square.be planted in
the middle of a fertile field, on a lev
el, where' tbe rain cannot wash it off,
where no stock can tread over it and
carry it about on their hoofs, or other,
wise, and it be not plowed, or touch
ed in any way, but simply left
to grow without interference for or
against it, we do not believe that
it would spread more than ten feet
in ten years. Plowing through it,
however, or digging around it, will
make it floursh like a green bay tree;
aud in order to make out of it the
very best pasture of which it is capa
ble, it is necessary to stir it occasion
ally' tor if this is not done, clover
or something of the sort will, after a
good many years, interfere very ma
terially with it. True, we see splen
did pastures of it where it is never
plowed, but these would be still better,
if stirred at proper intervals.
There need be no fear of destroying
this grsss and so spoiling;.-the pasture,
by any ordinary amount of plowing