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cKneemaMni
■'0¥ & REID.
A Family Journal for the Dissemination of General Intelligence, Miscellany, Agricultural, Commercial, Political and Religious Information.
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■HUSHED 1826.}
MACON, GA., FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1868.
{YOL. BII.—NO. 32.
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’CRISP’S MISSION.
bT EDWARD SPENCER.
.nicly and facetious morceau from
' h me Journal, published at Unltimore,
meiiinK encouragement and success.]
Heroism wears many garments.
A a time (and not Yen- long
; „ at on the petticoats of Miss
•j Melissa Crisp, and went upon
/crusade. All crusades, liow-
: ot rci ult successfully, and this
chronicle hopes to do good by rc-
ihe lamentable catastrophe in
t of Miss Crisp terminated,
fpuuinta Melissa was a raeasur-
■irmintr. and a tolerably young
The aurifulgence of her hair was
ut spoiled by a tendency it lmd—
' Hendencv—to assumo m certain
,l,e ineffective hue of brick dust;
e fresh rosiness of her complexton
: of freckles. Her eyes were truo
-•their battery was masked behind
./■moles; and, in her ingenuous
f h e had sadly compromised the
of her teeth by an intense de-
y m] )le sugar. Still, Miss Crisp
;ill-looking; she had a good spry
j neat ankle, a brisk, healthful
j,j ,he dressed with taste. Mrs.
indeed, had convinced her un-
ila?, but crinoline had captivated
both aid and comfort. So he convinced Sam Johnsing met her at the door smil-
Miss Araminta Melissa that she would ing, and gave her a good account of *his
need a good cook—and Creasy had super- stewardship. However, on entering the
intended the kitchen ob de fust family on house, Miss Araminta did not see Creasy
Edisto Island; also, that she would re- nor the children, and there was a strange
quire a man servant to work in her gar- woman in the kitchen—a brazen-faced
den, and look after the various out-door mulatto girl,
concerns. Moreover, he was deeply anxi- “Where’s Creasy ?
ous to serve her, and to he as close as “She’m done gone off, ma’am,” de
possible to one who, at the very first murely.
glance, he had known was to he hence- “Gone off!”
forth “guide, philosopher, and friend.” “Yes’m; runned away wid anuder fel-
Sucli touching devotion should not fail ler!”
of its reward, and her humble friend “And who is that woman? ’
found such a warm spot in the susceptible “She’m my niece, ma’am” very de.
heart of Miss Araminta Melissa, that her murely—“wery nice gal; t’ought foil’d
first letters home were in indignant refu- like to have a cook, so I fotch her.’
tation of the base slaveholder’s doctrine, Poor Miss Crisp! She said nothing,
that the negro was incapable of real grati- but her heart was heavy within her.
tu,le. “Already ,-he had c nmuntcivd the 1 hat night alter >am Johnsing aim hi.-
•nviu Boston, the capital of the ,
: : Massachusetts, Miss Crisp was !
, -blue,” but the tint was only :
,j]y intense. She had Certainly i
aeutable qualities of aesthetic tea; j
; professed under Emerson; had
srWendell Phillips; kissed Fred j
and committee’d for Anna
• daughter. She had published
asgaiine articles; had even lee- j
i trtain obscure and quietlyceums; !
) aught many young ideas how to
still, she had not espoused so !
as as quite to forfeit her standing j
and respectable lady ; nor :
itmcoapromuingly radical, except j
tkaglc question of the negro. '
v, a Ad, she was white-lieated, j
A lie war broke out, she was like j
.liters; ready to consent to the j
of everything whatsoever, for !
if of procuring the abolition of;
Intensely sincere and violently j
sn the pictured woes of the negro j
lit indignant soul to the bottom ; j
ii a chivalry ns praiseworthy as it
nlous, she resolved to go South i
;f first opportunity, to do what she j
remedy the evils that had grown
centuries of oppression.”
!1 now the new crusade begin- j
Behold now Miss Araminta Me-1
sp, fiery as Hildebrand, ignorant
ut Peter, having given * up her
aid packed her modest wardrobe
ptbag, and newly wiped her spec-
mbarking abrnod an United States
rt, armed with a free ticket, a note
nator Sumner to General Saxton,
t Emerson’s Essays, a dozen spcll-
ts, a hundred tracts, and a liote-
■d journal big enough to keep half
owns of the Treasury Depart-
’ being properly seu-sick, and duly j
in love with the ship’s surgeon— |
A didn’t reciprocate—Miss Crisp
-d to arrive at St. Helena Sound,
lad herself in smooth water once j
From this point she went to
rt, took up a furnished cottage with-
tv miles of that sweet town, (kind-
wed upon her by General Saxton,
I of the manor,) and commenced
Aon by opening a freedmnn’s
upon enlightened principles,
j® ca| ne to her in numbers, and
diem came Sam Johnsing and his
taw.
in Sam Johnsing and his wife
.did the unfortunate Miss Aramiu-
ij. ; a Crisp meet her fate.
Johnsing, in fact, was Miss Crisp’s
: pupil. "He met her on the street
•dort, took her measure at a glance,
•>hed himself to her by instinct.
Y a black negro of forty years, j
eid round as a bullet and hard :
e driver. The short hair was
■i all over his poll like the surface
nugated iron roller; his ears were
^ big uad round ones, rising very
10 the top of his skull. His eyes
'“til, muddy eyes, cunning and
' -'e; his mouth seemed made ex-
avoid taking two bites at nny-
•‘•ai a hot johnny-cake to a slice
••melon, and his nose was so fiat
^dnothave taken hold of it * x_
la a pair of pincers. Sam was a.
fellow, muscular and odon
tic wore a soldier’s cast-off uni-
r^ped enough to keep out of Hig-
! regiment, and had a stupid,
hwa” loot from behind his broad
that gave one no chance to sus-
* full he was of native wit and
cunning.
w as a youngish specimen of
' ^ ebony, Vat flabby, ragged, in-
pbut blessed with an exceedingly
■ nature, and a perfect faith in
P’S® Johnsing, and his resource-
most touching instances of gratitude", so
profound as to be poetic,’’ etc.
Poetic! Ah, Miss Araminta Melissa,
that was the mischief of it! Poetry is
the child of the imagination, and Sam
Johnsing had the most exuberant and
productive imagination in all that coast.
Miss Crisp taught Sam numeration,
the multiplication table, and his a b ahs.
Sam, in return, taught “Minty,” to open
her eyes wider than she had ever deemed
them capable of being strethed. He re
vealed to her such “ghastly horrors” of
slavery, that her soul sickened,” and she
felt as if she would like to go up into that
yet uncaptured city of Charleston, and
tear down its buildings, with teeth and toe
nails.
“You see dat, ma’am,” said Sam, point
ing to an urgly scar on his wrist, which a
raccoon had given him in one of his night
hunts, years ago, trying to capture Mr.
Coon in advance af the hounds—“dat’s
wliar dey chained me oncst tell de chain
cut inter de hone.”
“What for, Sam, poor fellow ?”
“ ’Case my ’ligion wouldn’ lemme cuss
de mule-team oncst when dey war balky,
a3 de marster tolled me, ma’am.”
“Treat you thus cruelly for not doing
violence to your conscience—the barba
rians !”
“Oh, ma’am, I didn’ do no wilence to
nothint; I only wouldn’ cuss at de mules,
ma’am.” ,
* * * Miss Crisp’s school occupied
the most’of her time; but meanwhile, her
freedman’s fund was considerable, and
Sam Johnsing was sedulops in assisting
her to distribute it. At that time plague,
pestileuce, aud famine seemed to have
been suddenly increased a hundred per
cent, in all that coast; and, as nobody
was so completely au fait in cases of dis
tress as Sam was, ho continually brought
to Miss Araminta’s notice new • instances
demanding both compassionate sympathy
and material aid.
Life-long invalids, the lame,, the halt,
the blind; old dotards whose joints were
stiffened by long service in the rice-field;
lying-in women, widows and orphans; all
claimed the missionary’s notice (through
Sam Johnsing), fcacli told his or her cir
cumstantial and credible story (through
Sam Johnsing again), and each one re
ceived the relief asked for (once more
through Sam Johnsing.) Miss Crisp
made a faithful chronicle of each case,
and reported it home to the society, not
without apportionment of glowing credit
to her indefatigable co-workcr, factotum
Sam. .
However, as Miss Araminta s disburse
ments were considerable, her demands in
cessant, and her hints of indebtedness
alarming, the society 6ent do\vn an agent
to look after matters a little, and inspect
the field of operations.
Ho came—a clear-headed man for a
negro-philist—and made his inspection.
Thq accounts were all correct, hut—where
were the cases? Oh, Sam knew all about
them. They had been under liis exclu
sive supervision, since the school took up
nearly all of Miss Crisp’s time. But Sam
tvos non cst.—Sick in de#garret,
Creasy, but said nothing of the bottle of
Plantation Bitters that Sam had taken up
into the loft with him to comfort him in
liis illness—a bottle of which Miss Ara
minta Melissa supposed to be still in her
dining-room closet, and which the next
Consequently, Mr.
niece had gone to sleep, Miss Araminta
Melissa Crisp was reading all by herself,
when she heard a low tapping at the door.
She opened, and Creasy entered—with a
bruised face and a flood of tears.
She told our unhappy crusader all—all
—how Sam Johnsing had kicked her out
and taken up with this other woman—
how he had lied to, and cheated, and
humbugged, and made game of “Miss
Minty,” first, last, and all the time.
“See here, Miss Minty,” said Creasy,
going to the cupboard, and, taking down
one after anotherof the bottles that had held
the Plantation Bitters, she poured out the
limpid fluid they now contained. “He
drinked ’em all up—-lie did indeed 1”
And thereupon Miss Araminta Melissa
Crisp mingled her own tears with tears
of the deserted wifb.
Next morning, bright and early, came
the explflsion. Miss Crisp, stern a$
Rhadamanthus, confronted Sam with
Creasy. Sam thrust his tongue into his
cheek. He know the jig was up.
“Much married to dis one as to Creasy,”
said he.
‘How could you treat me so, Sam ?” en
treated bliss Crisp.
Sam scratched his head. Probably if he
pitied Miss Crisp at all it was because she
was so deficient in knowledge of human
nature. At any rate, he chuckled at the
idea of his having gone to school to her.
Sam was a humorist in his way.
He and his baggage were peremptorily
dismissed; and he marched off towards
Beaufort, muttering something Miss Ara
minta could not understand.
As for that young lady, she incontinen
tly took herself off to bed, and had a
“good cry.”
Three days latter Sam came again, ac-
compaincd by his niece. He marched
boldly up upon the verandah, entered the
parlor, and seated himself in a rocking-
chair.
“Take a seat an’ set down, Claresy,
said he to his niece. Et’s a warm day,
Miss Minty.”
“What does this mean, sir ? Did I not
forbid you ever to enter this house ?”
“Guess a feller kin do as he pleases wid
his own, ma’am, ef he is a nigger,”,, said
Sam Johnsing.
“His own ?”
“Yes’m. Dis is my house. I bought
him. I paid for him. I’se got the deed
for him—here ’tis, ef you wants to sec it;
and I wants my property, I do. I give
you tell nex’ day arter to-morrow to
wacate; hut I can’t let you stay any
longer’n dat, miss, onless you pays me de
rent.” _ .
Miss Crisp sank into the nearest chair
overcwhelmed. The niece, Clarissa, saun
tered out on a tour of inspection of her
“property.”
“Unless it is,” said Sam Johnsing, com
ing nearer to Miss Crisp,” unless it is you
wants to marry me, ma’am. I kin easy
enough git rid o’ her”—indicating tne
niece witn a jerk of his thumb—“au’ den
we would own de property share an’ share
alike, an’ I reck’n I’d make you a right
decent husband—”
“Wretch !” cried Miss Crisp going
majestically past him, and from the room.
If a look had been a weapon, he would
never have survived the one she flung at
Sam Johnsing chuckled quietly to him
self.
dining-room closet, and which the next - Tiiat day, hour, minute, the crusade of
day would be back there—filled with nice Aran * inta Melissa Crisp was ended,
water from the well. — • — v -1 noiootmnlift
nci nun* ■•— Her misson had come to its catastrophe.
Sam was in better health on the mor- g Jjc vaca t e d the cottage at once, walked to
row, however, aud quite willing toaccom- jjeaforu, borrowed money enough to take
pany Mr. Agent to the localities where hej . homCj and sailed in the very next
he had acted the ministering angel. They stcamer f or Boston, in the nation ofMassn-
went. At night the agent came back, chuscstts .
^’ThSm” A FIGHT WITH A HIPPOTAMUS.
the truard-house, arrested on a charge of “ . ... ...
UlOgUwu *■-. iv Tf™ m J6Z2* Tributaries of
an.nq.n.l to betray Mr.— , f
1 • 1 .• intn ♦Vl rt 1*0rw
that her favorite should be so nspersea. "i thrown hd a btxnk of peb-
5Crttt ,, Brta^“ r «.o't3E blend T d.. Our old Xcptune did not
- quietly inves- condescend to bestow the slightest atten-
k notes, formed tiou when^I ^inted out ^ ;
tigated for himself, took notes lormcu mm awak ” ^ he immedi-
quite a different estimate of Sam John mej u-j nnd we fol-
sing’s character from that entertained by atcly quit ec , j A „ 0 f
the”fair missionary, went home, au«- owcdlnm ti^edy beyond the^rmgo^ot
shut off the supplies, upon the ground bushes upon the » . About
° S “ tl " d ”° r,! S3f S mi “mow this spot, no Vo clam-
Sam Joimdng got oot of die guard-house bered oTCTtbe int^rcmng roc^ r apitfl
'ter a week’s confinement—convincing a gorge which formed a ] P »
Creasy had two babies of nearly
a ge. hut of different colors.
Awitage was unknown, hut they
an d parcel of Sam Jobnsin
Silently, ofMissAramihta Me-
A 1 * hold, also. For no sooner was
^rtably ensconced in her cottage,
^ Johnsing squatted upon her
household gods. He had
karned that Miss Crisp was
*2-iit for a Freedman’s Aid
was a freedman, and needed
after a week s confinement—convincing
General Saxton that he had sinned entire
ly through ignorance—and, after a trip
to Beaufort, returned to his comfortable
quarters, and to the confidence of Miss
Araminta Melissa Crisp. But a change
seemed to conic over the spirit of his
dream He balked at b, a, ha, k, e, r, ker,
sumbled at 5 times 7, and let the weeds
' crow in the garden. Could lie have heard
—what was conunom talk at Beaufort
that the society had “shut down upon
liis guide, philosopher, and friend .
Some rumors of this talk had reachec
Miss Crisp; moreover, there was to he a
sale of property at Beaufort for taxes,
including the cottage, so she went up to
examine into these matters, leaving things
in charge of Sam Johnsing and Creasy,
with many charges.
After a visit of some days, arranging
with a friend to buy the cottage for her
when it was put up for sale, Miss Ara
minta Melissa Crisp came hack to her
proteges
observed in a small poot just below the
rapid, au immense head of a hippopotamus
close to a perpendicular rock that formed
a wall to the river, abhut six feet above
the surface. I pointed out the hippo to
an old AhouDo, who had not seen it.
At once the gravity of the old Arab dis
appeared, and the energy of the hunter
was exhibited as lie motioned us to remain,
while lie ran nimbly behind tne thick
screen of bushes for about a hundred and
fifty yards below the spot where tne hippo
was unconsciously basking, with his ugly
head above the surface. Plunging into
the rapid torrent, the veteran hunter was
carried some distance down the stream,
hut breasting the powerful current, he
landed upon the rock upon the opposite
side, and retiring some distance from the
river, he quickly advanced toward the
spot beneath which the hippopotamus was
Ivin". I had a fine view of the scene, as
I was lying concealed exactly opposite
the hippo* which had now disappeared
beneath the water. Abou Do stealthily ap
proached the edge of rocks beneath w hich
he had expected to see the * head of the
animal; his long sinewy arm was raised,
with the harpoon ready to strike, as he
carefully advanced. At length he reached
the edge of the perpendicular rock. The
hippo had vanished, but far from exhibi
ting surprise, the old Arab remained
standing on the ledge, unchanged in atti
tude. No figure of bronze could have
been more rigid than that of the old river
king as he stood erect upon the rock, with
the left foot advanced, aud the harpoon
poised in his ready right hand above his
head, while in the left he held the loose
coils of rope attached to the ambajeh
buoy. For about three minutes he si ood
like a statute, gazing intently into clear
and deep water beneath nis feet. I
watched eagerly , for the appearanco" of |
the hippo; the surface of the water was
still barren, when suddenly the right arm
of the statue descended like lightening,
and the harpoon shot perpendicularly into
the pool with the speed of an arrow.
What river-fiend answeredto thesummons?
In an instant an enormous pair of open
jaws appeared, followed by the ungainly
head and form of the furious hippopota
mus, that springing half out of the water,
lashed the river into foam, and disdaining
the concealment of the deep pool, charged
straight up the violent rapids. With ex
traordinary power he breasted the de
scending stream; gaining a footing in the
rapids, about five feet deep, he plowed his
way against the broken waves, sending
them in showers of spray upon all sides,
and upon gaining broader shallows he
tore along through the water with the
buoyant float hopping behind him along
the surface, until he landed from the river,
started at full gallop along the dry shingly
bed, and at length disappeared in the
thorny nabbuk jungle.
I could have never imagined that so
unwieldy an animal could have exhibited
such speed; no man would have had a
chance of escape, and it was fortunate for
Old Neptune that he was secure upon the
high ledge of rock, for if he had been in
the path of the infuriated beast there
would have been an end of Abou Do.
The old man plunged into the deep pool
just quitted by the hippo, and landed upon
our side; while in the enthusiasm of the
moment I waved my cap above my head,
and gave him a British cheer as he
reached the shore. His usually stern fea
tures relaxed into a grim smile of delight;
this was one of those moments when the
gratified pride of the hunter rewards
him for any risks. I congratulated him
upon his dexterity; but much remained
to be done. I proposed to cross the river
and to follow upon the tracks of thp hip
popotamus, as I imagined that the buoy
and rope would catchrin the thick jungle
and that we should find him entanggled
in the bush; hut the old hunter gently
laid his hand upon my arm and pointed
up the bed of the river, explaining that
the hippo would certainly return to the
water after a short interval.
In a few minutes later, at a distance of
nearly half a mile, we observed the hippo
emerge from the jungle and ascend at full
trot to the bed of the river, making direct
for the first rocky pool in which we had
noticed the herd of hippopotami. Ac
companied by the old Howard (hippo
hunter), we walked quickly toward the
spot .He exclaimed to me" that I must
shoot the harpooned hippo, for we should
uot be able to secure him in the usual
method by ropes, as nearly all our men
were absent from camp, disposing of the
dead elephant.
Upon reaching the pool, which was
about a hundred and thirty yards in
diameter, we were immediately greeted
by the hippo, which snorted and roared as
wc approached, hut quickly dived, and
the buoyant float ran along the surface,
directing his course in the same manner
as the cork of a trimmer with a pike upon
the hook. Several times ho appeared,
hut as he invariable faced us I could not
obtain a favorable shot; I therefore sent
the old hunter round the pool, and he,
swimming the river, advanced to the op
posite side and attracted the attenton of
the hippo; causing him to immediately
turp towards him. This afforded me a
good chance, and I fired a steady shot be
hind the ear, at about seventy yards, with
a single-barreled rifle. As usual with
hippopotami, whether dead or alive, he
disappeared beneath the water at the shot.
The crack of the hall and the absence of
any splash from the bullet told me he
was hit; the ambatch float remained per
fectly stationary upon the surface. I
watched it for some minutes; it never
moved. Several heads of hippopotami
appeared and vanished in different direc
tions, but the float was still; it marked
the spot where the grand old bull lay
dead beneath.
I, shot another hippo, that I thought
must likewise he dead; and, taking the
time by my watch, I retired to the shade
of a tree with Hassan, while Hadjii All
aud the old hunter returned to camp for
assistance in men and knives.
In a little more than a hour and a half,
two objects like the backs of turtles ap
peared above the surface; these were the
flanks of the two hippos. A short time
afterwards the men arrived and regardless
of crocodiles they swam toward the bodies.
One was towed directly to the shore by
the rope attached to the harpoon, the
other was secured by a long line and
dragged to the bank of clean pebbles.
I measured the bull that was harpoon
ed ; it was fourteen feet two inches from
tbo upper lip to the extremity of the tail;
the head was three feet one incli from the
front of the ear to the edge of the lip in a
straight line. The harpoon was sticking
in the nape of the neck, having penetra
ted about two and a half inches beneath
the hide; this is about an inch and three-
quarters thick upon the back of the neck
of a bull hippopotamus. It was a mag
nificent specimen, with the .largest.tusks
I have ever seen; the skull is now in my
hall in England.
Although the hippopotamus is general
ly harmless, the solitary old bulls, are
sometimes extremely vicious, especially
■when in the water. I have frequently
konwn them charge a boat, and have my- But on their production, strong doubts of
self narrowly escaped being upset in a their genuineness sprung up in the minds
canoe by the attack of one ot these crea- : of the law officers of the Crown, who, of
tures, without the slightest provocation, course, watched with, a jealous eye the
The females are extremely shy and harm- j progress of a suit that was to place a sub
loss, and they are most affectionate ject on a level with the sovereign in grant-
mothers; the only instances I have known ; ing of patents and creating dimities in a
of the female attacking a man have been j portion of her dominions. Secret and
those in which her calf have been stolen, searching inquiries were set on foot in
To the Arabs they are extremely valuable, I Paris; and enough light was thrown on
yielding, in addition to a large quantity i the transactions to induce the Lord Ad-
of excellent flesh, about two hundred | vocate of the day to indict Mr. Alexander,
pounds of flit, and a hide that will produce the claimant of the case, before the High
about two hundred coorbatches, or camel "Court of Justiciary, for the crime of for-
whips. I have never shot these useful gery. The documents that were brought
"features to waste; every morsel of the forward to establish the claim were now
'.esh has been stored, either by the natives used to demonstrate his crime; and many
'or for our own use; and whenever we have witnesses were brought from France to
had a good supply of antelope meat X -testify, not only to the spuriousness of the
Jaave avoided firing a shot at the hippo, documents, but also to the manner in
Elephat flesh is exceedingly strong and which the forgeries had been manipulated,
disagreeable, partaking highly of the pe- One piece of evidence was remarkable
cular smell of the animal. Wo had a for the subtlety, precision, and. fulness
good supply of meat from the two hippo- with which forgery was shown in a case
potomi, which delighted our people. The where at first sight there seemed to be no
old Abou Do, claimed the bull that he possibility of fraud. It was an. old map
had harpooned, as his own personal pro- of the Canadas, drawn at .a^time when
perty, and he took the greatest pains in
dividing the hide longitudinally, in strips
of the width of three fingers, which he
cut with great dexterity.
Although the hippopotamus is amphi
bious, he requires a large and constant
supply of air; the lungs are of enormous
size, and he invariably inflates them be
fore diving. From five to eight minutes
is the time that he usually remains under
water; he then comes to the surface and
expends the air within his lungs by
blowing; he again refills the lungs almost
instantaneously, and if frightened he sinks
immediately. In places where they have
become extremely shy from being hunted
or fired at, they seldom expose the head
above the the surface, but merely protrude
the nose and breathe through the nostrils;
it is then impossible to shoot them. Their
food consists of aquatic plants, and grasses
of many descriptions. Not only do they
visit the margin of the river, but they
wander at night to great distances from
the water, if attracted by good pasturage,
and although clumsy and ungainly in ap
pearance, they clamber up steep hanks and
precipitous ravines with astonishing power
and ease. In places where they are per
fectly undisturbed, they not only enjoy
themselves in the sunshine by basking
half asleep upon the surface of the water,
but they lie upon the shore beneath the
shadr trees upon the river’s banks; I
have'seen them when disturbed by our
sudden arrival during the march, take a
leap from a bank about twenty feet per
pendicular depth into the water below,
with a splash that created waves in tho
quiet pool as though a paddle steamer
had passed by. The Arabs attached fto
value to the tusks; these are far more
valuable than elephant ivory, and are used
by dentists in Europe for.the manufacture
of false teeth, for which they are admira
bly adapted, as they do not change color.
Not wishing to destroy the remaining
hippopotami that were still within the
pool, I left my men and old Abou Do
busily engaged in arranging the meat,
and walked quietly homeward.
A LEGAL ROMANCE.
The House of Lords sitting as a Court
of Appeal, have finally disposed of a case
which has troubled the Courts of Law in
Scotland with more or less of interruption
for the last thirty years, and which, in
some of its phases, presents circumstances
as romantic as any of those that are to be
found in the French causes eelebres. The
Scottish earldom of Stirling, which was
created, we believe, in the roign of
Charles L, and which was endowed by
that monarch with possessions in North
America equal in extent to a European
kingdom, together with the privilege of
granting parents and creating dignities,
such as are usually considered to he
sacred to royalty alone, is now finally ex
tinguished. The title, indeed, lias been
dormant for many years—or, rather, it
has been in that semivital state in which
a person lays claim to it without having
the power to make his title good; while,
at the same time, he is allowed to assert it
because no one has an interest in disputing
his claim. More than one of the old his
toric titles of Scotland have thus fallen
into abeyance and have been picked up
and worn, with more or less genuine be
lief in their own right, by individuals of
the humblest rank. Our readers will no
doubt be familiar with the story told by
moved the Crown to interfere and remove
the investigation of the case from the
civil to the criminal courts—from an in
vestigation of the pedigree of the claimants
to an accusation that the principal docu
ments on which he rested his claim was
arrant forgeries.
The documents on which the claimant
rested his title were of a singular charac
ter, and they had as singular a history.
They had been- procured in France
through the medium of a fortune-teller,
who was of great notoriety in Paris in
her day, and whom the wile of tho clai
mant had gone to consult about the chances
/vf 4-V.ra cnnn/lCC ftf llf»r llllsluiTlcVS ClalilH.
Canada was in possession of France, and
which, it was averred, had been in the
possession of Louis XIV. This was evi
dent, for on the back of it were written
some remarks by the king’s own hand in
reference to Canada, and the adjoining
English province of Nova Scotia. The
map, indeed, seemed to have passed
through the hands of all the Paris cele
brities of that period, for not only had the
king scribled on the back of it, hut Bos-
suet, Mazarin, and indeed, the whole
Court circle had followed the royal ex
example. And, what was still more re
markable, the notes of every one of them
bore reference in one form or other to the
extensive rights in North America, grant
ed by the character of the English mon
arch to the earldom of Stirling. The map
purported to be executed in a given year
by an engraver who styled himself map-
maker to the king. So far all was clear.
It was curious that all these royal or
courtly personages should have so full a
knowledge of the rights of the Stirling
family, and should take so much interest
in their fortunes; but plausible reasons
were given why they should do so; and
it was impossible to prove the negative.
But of this comparatively solid and com
pact evidence, the ingenuity of the Crown
lawyers culled the means of its complete
destruction, and the tearing to tatters of
of the whole cleverly constructed evidence
in the case. A witness was brought from
the office of the French archives in Paris,
who proved that at the date of the map,
as given in the margin, the engraver did
not enjoy the title of map-maker to the
king, and that he did not attain that hon
or till several years afterwards, in the fol
lowing reign. To explain the discrepancy
that was thus apparent between the title
and the date, the witness stated that it
was commdn in France, as we believe it
is in this country also, to engrave on the
plate from which the map is printed
every new honor to which the engraver
attains, hammering hut, if need he, any
previous honor he may have held, but uot
altering more than his necessary, and es
pecially leaving the date of the year when
the plate was engraved untouched. Thus
it was plain to demonstration that the
particular copy of the map on which the
prisoner relied could not possibly have
been printed until the engraver had at
tained the office which it certified ; and it
was clearly proven that at that date all
the illustrious persons who had written
their comments on its back had been long
dead. The evidence was conclusive—
the forgery palpable.
But it was not so clear who was the for
ger. There was great sympathy felt for
the aged prisoner, as he stood there in the
felon’s dock, charged with a crime of
which those who knew him most intimate
ly believed him to be most incapable. This
was shown in a touching manner by the
appearance by liis side in the dock ot that
distinguished military officer, Sir Charles
D’Albiac, the then commander of the
Forces in Ireland, who came over express
ly to testify to his belief in the character
of his friend. The trial lasted for several
days; and day by day, as duly as the
prisoner was placed at their bar, the
grand old soldier, in the true spirt of chi
valry, took his place at his side. His ap
pearance could not but have its effect
upon the jury; and besides, while the
evidence was full and precise as to the
forgery, and while it went far to impli
cate some other members of the prisoner’s
family in suspicious dealings with the for-
?h<fclaimed to^be tho^ilmSdescendant tone-teller, there was nothing to militate
of the Earls of Craufurd, and whose as- against the idea that the prisoner luniself
certion was admitted, while it was ridi- was tlie dupe of cleverer and less scrupu-
culed by the masons, who delighted to lous wits than his own. The verdict was
call him; “John, Earl of Craufurd and given m that spirit. The jury found that
Lindsay, bring me another hod of lime.” the documents relied on were palpable
The claimants of the Earldom of Stirling forgerio -; but they acquitted the prisoner
had not fallen so low in the social scale ; of all gujltv knowledge of them as for-
on the contrary, had wealth and wealthy genes. YV hen the prisoner heard t ns
friends and it was their determination to verdict, which, while it cleared his mor.
bring their right, not to the title only, hut character, shattered all the high hopes of
toThe more than semi-royal rights confer- honor and dignity he had entertained,
red on that title by the Soverign, to the nature gave wray, and he fell fainting into
decision of the coils of law, that first the arms of Ins friend. The prisoner was
mant had gone to consult a bout tne cnanccs — ...... ( i
~ ,, b _ i,„_ Vi.iaVtnnd’fl claim own merits was altogether untename, anu
of the success of her husbands claim ,, wit h cost. YVe
therefore set free, but the documents on
which the trial had turned were impound
ed, and in the following year an action of
redaction was brought upon the ser
vice of heirship, which he. had obtained
in the previous year. This was in 1839,
and from that time the matter had slept
till a few months ago, when the son of
Mr. Alexander proposed to carry on the
appeal in the House of Lords, against the
decree of reduction in the Court of Ses
sion, which had been given notice of
thirty years before, hut never prosecuted
till now. His claim was admitted, and
the case was heard; but the case on its
of the success ot ner n us Danas emuu. —T- i
Long and mysterious comnnmings took the appeal was dismissal wrth cost We
place between^ them ; the issue of which j ^ ^re assume ^nowatje^t
was that the Parisian sybil not only pre- nave neara i semi-roval
dieted speedy and brilliant sueecss but Earldom of Stirling,.and ho semtrojal
rendered Jre substantial and tvorldl,r prmieges aero» ^
aid by furnishing documents which, li ; , , ,
genuine, placed the royahty of his title KAYTON'S OIL OF LIFE—Cures Rheumatism
beyond doubt. These documents were and Neura i s ia-
produced in the Court of Session, and the - ~"•
natural conseqence was, that on the face prof. H. H.» KAYTON, Savannah, Ga., Pro
of them he was served heir to the title, prietor of Kayton’s popular remedies.
OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD.
Some years ago, there was a hoarding
chool in a town in Iv., for hoys for the
Society of Friends. There were also
school for other boys in the same town,
whom, for distinction’s sake, I will call
“Town” boys, and the others, “Friend”
toys-
It was the practice of some of the
Town boys, when they saw any of the
Friend boys, to shout after them, “Qua
ker! Quaker!” and other opprobrious
names. This, no doubt, was mortifying
to the Friend boys, but they passed on and
reviled not again.
Things remained in this state for a long
time,- until one day, the Friend boys were
taken out for a country walk, and being
about to ascend a high hill, they observed
some of tlie Town boys at play, near
where they had to pass, and they said one
to another, “Now we shall catch it;” and
sure enough they did, and that pretty
smartly; for soon as the Town boys espied
them, they shouted out most vociferously,
“Quaker! Quaker! Quack! Quack!” so
long as they could he heard.
YVhen the Friend boys arrived at the
top of the hill, seeing their enemies at
such a disadvantage below them, they
deemed it a fitting time to retaliate, and
sent down a few missiles, by way of alarm,
into the enemy’s camp. This unexpected
salute started the Town boys, and they
indignantly exclaimed, “YY r hy these Qua
ker boys are pelting us with stones 1” and
in their haste they vowed revenge; but
immediately a volley of the same sort of
ammunition came pouring down upon
them, when, to their great surprise, as well
as gratification, they found that they had
been attacked, not with stones, hut with
apples, which the Friend boys had
brought from home in their pic-nic bask
ets, but for another purpose. Now, as all
boys love apples, they soon gathered up
their peaceable missiles, and began to eat
them.
One of the boys, of more reflection than
the rest, observed how remarkable it was,
that the very boys who had for a long
time received nothing but ill-usage, with
out a word of compliment in return, had
now given them a quantity of t.pples;
this was to them most marvellous treat
ment. They now began to see the evil of
their conduct, and, bov-like, to accuse
each other of begining the attack. None,
however, were willing to be regarded as
the ringleaders, but all of them agreed
that a very different treatment in future,
was due to such kind hoys, and they one
and all determined to practice it. On ar
riving at the school in the evening, this
remarkable incident became the subject
of general conversation among the hoys.
After some deliberation, they concluded
to send two or three of their number, as
an embassy of peace to tlie Friends’ school,
to acknowledge the wrong practice they
had hitherto followed, and asking forgive
ness for what they had done. YYe need
not add how kindly they were received,
and how cordially tie Friend boys agreed
to cancel all past grievances. The Town
boys now returned to their comrades,, to
report the result of their mission, which
was received with acclamations by the
whole party.
The Deacon’s Rule.
Thirty-five years ago, or more, a young
man, then pastor of a rural church in this
State of New York, was driving through the
parish village in his buggy, having at ho
side the senior deacon—a very portly, heavy,
good old gentleman, known par excellence as
”the Squire.” He was a very prudent man,
rather timid and careful of his life and limbs,
all of which were ot signal benefit to “tho
church and the society.” Having ascended
a slight elevation in the road the deacon ob
served, about a hundred yards ahead, stretch
ed on his broadside, right across the narrow
wagon track, basking in a mud puddle, a
huge, fat, lazy bog, weighing probably more
than three hundred pounds.
“Look there, elder,” said the deacon, ner
vously, “see that old hog across the road.—
Turn out.”
“I see, sir,” said the elder. “I can’t turn
out.”
“But you must, or we shall be turned over.
“Can’t do it, sir I have the right to the
road. The hog must give way.”
Pony trotted on. They drew nigh the hog.
“I tell you,” said the deacon, now nervous
ly excited, “turn out, or we are gone.”
“Never fear, sir, the hog must clear out.”
By this time they were nearly.to a stand
still, tlie elder presuming that if he could
arouse tho attention of the sleepy beast he
would at once rise and clear the track. But
no, his liogship just raised his head, gave a
slight glance at the little buggy, and with a
short grunt laid it down in*the mud. Tho
end was, the elder had to make a short turn
out and take a circle round, while the hog
remained “master of the situation."’ The
elder having regained tho track and the
’Squire liis composure, (the driver rather
crestfallen), “Elder,” said the deacon, “when
I am on the road (and he drove much) I never
stop to contend with a hog. I think it is
better to turn out.”
The deacon ended, and the elder sat for
some minutes, silently revolving in his mind
tho deacon’s rule abont hogs and its obvious
moral. And the rule, “never to stand in the
road to contend with a hog,” has been one of
the most useful rules of his life.
22P“De Tocqueville says of the newspaper:
“A newspaper can drop the same thought
into a thousand minds at the same moment.
A newspaper is an adviser that does not. re
quire to be sought, but comes to you with
out distracting your private affairs. News
papers therefore, become more necessary in
proportion as men become more equal indi
viduals, and more to be feared. To suppose
that they only serve to protect freedom is to
diminish their importance; they maintain
civilization.”
JgpMaj. Gen. Meade unexpectedly arrived
in this city yesterday. YYe arc glad to have
him here. We think he owes it to himself
and the people to visit the important places
in his district. He must see for himself and
hear for himself—the most faithful and
capable subordinates cannot render personal
observation unnecessary. Subordinates can
not share his responsibility, nor can they act
or see or bear under his sense of responsi-
bilitv. We hope lie will remain long enough
to satisfy himself that there is not a better
or more law-abiding people on the continent
than those in this portion of the State known
a3 c “rebels.”—Selma Messenger, 16fA.
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