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Suing and ■ > must keeping among them
until they g >t into tl.e water, tin flanks
being unable !o surround, or the centre
to overtake them. Gen. Jackson not
a little vexed at finding the game dri
ven out of, instead of being drawn into
his net, called Russell to him, and in ra
ther an angry tone inquired whether he
did not remember his orders, to engage ;
with the Indians, and then tall back,so
ns to draw them into the line? “Yes,
Gen., (replied the old man,) I believe !
you did; hut plague take their yellow
skins, 1 never ran from one of them yet;
J could not do it General.” It is use
less to t- Il the reader, (hat Gen. Jack
son was sati-tied a ilh such an excuse
trom this old veteran.
After the Indians were subdued, the
Gen. discharged his militia and volun
teer forces* and the old patriot Russell
and his associates returned to Russell’s
Valley, aud although they had tire i
down and left behind every horse but
live, out of sixty carried from home,
yet not a murmur was heard; audio
prove beyond question, the depth ot
their love of country, before summer
was out, a body ofCreek Indian.', ma
king their way to the west, defeated a
party of whites below Tuscaloosa; up
on the hearing of which, within twelve
boms’ time Russell had a company
mounted and in pursuit: the Indians,
however, made their escape.
Such have been the virtue^ and ser
vices of the Russells and their* neigh
Lors, and such is the feelings and
worth of hundreds of patriots i*' all the
new States, who do not happen to be
rich enough to own land. Reader, can
vou w'onder that members trom those
States, knowing these people, should
be anxious t) save them harmless trom
the avarice of those who may happen
to have a little more money, and who
covet their places, made valuable only
by their own labor? Ah! but yon are
ready to say, “there is no danger, ’ “no
man would bid against an upright set
tier, for his li I tie impiuveinent made in
the wilderness.” Don't mistake so
far, the nature ofavarbe; although
the inhabitants of Russell’s Valley had
made the first corn, and made the sac
rifices which I have enumerated, they
had scarcely time to reciuil themselves
Iron their last march, ere they were
sum notied by the President’s Procla
mation, “to attend the sale of their
lands at” “Huntsville.” Yes, these
patriots were brought into competition
with holders of Y-z >o stock, and the
very men who J had seen rushing into
battle, undismayed by the war whoop
of the savage, or the crack of his dead
ly rifle, were now seen to tremble and
Bweat at every pore, when about com
jng in contact with Yhtzoo scrip, or the
reams ofuncut bank notes which bad
been m<de and issued to buy public
lands with. Nearly ail the settlers
were driven from their homes, by the
very people their valor had protected;
iind even the veteran Russell, who
“had r ever in his life run from a yellow
skin,” was humbled and made to quail
before a sordid wretch with a white
one;.a man who had never wet his feet
in his country’s service. The old
man’s land, (improvement rather,) was
bid up on him to near thirty dollars
per acre, and being unable to pay the
money, he was compelled to forfeit his
bid, and the next day he was publicly
attempted to be disgraced by tiie Uni
ted States officers, who ordered a proc
lamation to be made of his defalcation,
nnd he was notallowed to bid again at
the sale. He was not disgraced, how
ever: Alabama, looking upon him as
one of her patriot fathers, has perpet
uated hi ’ memory, by calling one of her
counties “Russell,” in grateful recol-j
lect'on of his services.
Here me let me ask the American
people, whether they live in town or
country , whether in stately dwelling or
bumble cabin, Was it humane, jud and
right, to drive these patriots from their
improvement*, with Yazoo script and
bank note-? The Bank biokp, and
the Government never got pay for the
land ; and would it net have been tar
better io have given them their homes
rd Congress price? I ask, also, those
members of Congress, who speak so
< ontemptu <uriy of squatters, denounc
ing them as plundered, whether they
would not have hated the man '‘•ho bid
old Maj, Russell's land upon him?
Why-, let me ask, are those who are
now settled on public lands denounced ?
Hundreds, nay, thousands of them in
the diff rent States, are as good as the
Ku ssclls ami their neighbors. IJoyou
never expect to want their services
again, that you must not only refuse to
bell them their improvements, at Con
gress price, but you most also insult
them by opprobious words? If you
are too niggardly to give those who
tight your bathes theii small tracts, at
Congress price,wti.it makes your hearts
to open and generous, that you can
give to Stales and rich companies, thou
taods, nay, hundreds of thousands ol
Udes of youi best lands, without get-
ting any piice whalevci ? A State
wants (o build a Capitol, dig a canal,
make a Rail Road, and you give by
millions. A company wants to make a
canal,a city to pay its debts, and you
give by thousands and hundreds of
thousands; but let a poor frontier man
want his improvement, and < tiers to
pay your fixed price, he cannot get it.
Why? You know you cannot get
much more, yet you not only refuse him
but you abuse him in such language,
that a stranger to him would behove,
instead of being one of the men who
had fought, and would again fight your
battles, that the frontier men had done
nothing but plundered or stolen your
property. In fact, yoUr language to
wards the savage, who has way laid our
paths, and slain our men, burned our
dwellings, and massacred our families,
is kind, compared with that used to
wards our poor squatter, whom I have
shown to be the country’s best friend,
“in the day and hour <»f danger.”
A A BACKWOODSMAN.
I
NATIONAL DEFENCE.
The Journal of Commerce has the
following judicious remarks on the new
bill repork d by the Military Commit
tee, and which has passed the Senat» :
-‘The effect of tl.e new bill would
therefore be to increase the army to
between 14.000 and 15,000 men; a
force very small indeed, when it i.'con
sidered that we have an inland frontier
of 3.000 or 4,000 miles, and a sea coast
of 2,000 or 3.000 more. For ourselves
we should like to see a still larger in
crease of the regular force. Twenty
thousand men is, in our opinion, as
small an army as can possibly answer
our necessities; and, taking a series of
years togeher,we have not a doubt that
such a force would be less expensive to
ihe country, than the penny wise sys
tem hitherto in operation. Had our
army,at the breaking out of the Flori
da war, comprised 50 030 men, or even
10.000, that war would never have
taken place, TLas many millions of
dollars would have been saved to the
country, many valuable lives spared
and a brave tribe of Indians preserved
trom almost total i xiiucfhm.
Heoiust bear in mind, that the
many thousand Creek,Chickasa,Chero
kee, Seminole, and other Indians, who
have been or will be removed to the
far West, will cherish there a lurking
spirilof hostilities against the people
who have n.Jared them, which ever
and anon may break out into open war
fare. A general war waged by the
Indians who will soon be concentrated
on our Western frontier, would be al
most as formidable as a w ar with Great
Britain; and it is an occurrence not
unlikely to happen. Fu’thcrmore,
should we at any time get into a war
with Great Britain, we may pretty
safely calculate that we shall have to
light these Indians into the bargain.
Even a brush with Mexico would ex.
pose us to an Indian war. There is
not, at Ibis moment, a single portion of
our vast frontici, whether inland or
maritime, that does not require atten
tion. On the South we have the
SeminoleS to contend with; on the
Southwest is Mexico, with which we
have unsettled relations; on the West,
there is Guides of Wild Indians; on the
Noi th, there is the Canada insurrection
and its consequences; on the North
east, the disputed boundary; and in
proportion as any or all of things
expose us to a war with Great Britain
in (he same propotion >will our whole
sea coast be liable to invasion.
We arc free to say that at present
we have little fear of a war with Great
Britain, because we are eei tain that
both Governments arc honestly desirous
of avoiding such a cal <mily, and be
cause also we confide in the good sense
of our people to put down the spirit of
semi-hostility which has sprung up on
the frontier, in connection with the at
tempted revolution in Canada. Never
theless, the suddenness -vith which we
have been brought to contemplate such
an event as more than possible, must
convince us of the utter folly and mad
<ice= of leaving ourselves without pro
tection against such contingencies. We
ought at .east to have spare foreign
-hips of war in the principal ports of
the Union; which is more than wc
bad whin a French Government ship
arrived here soon after (he adjustment
of our ‘We difficulty with (bat country;
we ought also to be able td spare a' few
men for exposed points, sue!: 3® the
frontier of Maine has been for the last
two years, and as other portions of our
northern frontier now arc; and finally
we ought to have a force able to co
operate with the navy many enterprise
which might result from a war with
Mexico, or any other powerr
The Navy itself requires looking as-.
ter. We have not, wf late, kept pact
in this department of service, with the
vast improvements which have take -
place in the navies of England, France
and Russia. Far from it. While they
have been building steam-ships of
groat power and speed, and adopting
every other impovement which inven
tion could suggest or money procure,
we have been resting on our oars,satisfi
ed with past achieve merits,&.preparing
for a tremendous drubbii g, whenever
it dfia.ll fall to our lot Io get into a war
with any one of the gieat naval pow
ers. Wc speak this 'in sonow,and
not in anger. The Navy is our pride
and glory. It has accomplished won
ders, — and can do it again, if only we
are not caught napping. Ilisftecanse
we love the Navy, that we are deter*
mined not to cLse our eyes, nor lei
our fellow citizens close theiis, upon
the inefficiency and stupidity which
are exposing it to disaster. Oui misera
ble steamboat,unworthy ot our gallant
Navy, or of any oihc’r. is all that we
have .to boast of, when pointe d to the
numerous, < fficient, & powerful steam-j
vessels' which have sprung up like
magic in connection with the navies
of Europe. Le» us understand, that
the most annoying pait of naval war- ;
fare is hereafter to be conducted by
steam. Stcrtm vessels will sweep off
merchantmen, as a matter of course,
wherever they are to be found, they
will visit shoal waters, harbors, creeks
&,c. putting villig* s under contribution
or perhaps burning tin m; and in naval
engagements of a higher order, when
sail vessels are motionless for w nt of
wind,steamboats wil' be here and- there 1
and every where. LortrNivy Depart
ment dreaming? are. Congress dream
ing? or do they intend, whenever a
war shall come upon us, to see the
country, for want of preparation,sub
j cted to another series of reverses like
(flat which ma-kec' the comm•Uccment
of the war o-i 18 i 2? j
In connection with the subject, we
invite the attention of our readers to a
report of the Secretary of War, sub
mitted to the S mate on th* 10 ) ir st.;
in compliance with a resolution of that .
body of 14 i) October last, requesting
him to propose “a plan for the defence
of the north and eastern of
'the United States.” Gen. Scott, in a
paper appended to the report, but
' which we cannot fi d room for at pres
ent, expresses hisopimo i [this is under
date of Nov. 19, 1536, before the ex
plosion In Canada] that ‘five regiments
of artillery and three of infantry is the
minintum force required'for ihe protec
tion of the northern ai d eastern fron
tiers of the United States against sud
i den, hut at all times very possible, in
suitsand aggressions on the part oftm
expected enemies, and to preserve the
permanent posts from the gradual
waste of time." Five regiments ot
artillery an one more than the pres
ent United States Army co sistsof.
UPPER CANADA,—MATTERS IN
GENERAL.
The correspondence between Colo
nel, the Hou. A.N. Mac Nab, and
Major General Scott, ol the United
States Army, together with the Deposi
(ion of Seth Conklin, a native of the
United States, in relation to ihe man
ner in which the American authoii-,
ties have ol served the neutrality of j
their government upon the Niagara
frontier, is published and contains some
matters of interest.
The following is the letter of Gener
el Scott:
“To the Commanding Officer of the
armed British vessels in the Niagara.
Head Quarters, United States
Army, Eastern Division.
J wo miles below Black Rock
January 15’h, 1838.
Sir —With bis Excellency the Gov
ernor of New York, who has troops at
hand, we are here to enforce the neu
trality of the United States, and to pro
tect our own soil and waters from vio
lation.
The proper civil officers are also
present to arrest, if practicable, the
leaders of the expedition on loot against
Upper Canada.
Under these cir< umstanCesft gitesme
pain to see the armed vessels mention
ed above anchored in our waters', with (
the probable intention to fire upon that |
expedition moving within the same wa
tors. Unless that we shall interfere,
we shall be obliged to consider a dis
charge of shot or shells from or into
ouf waters, from the armed schooners
of her Majesty, as an act seriously com
promiltiiig the neutrality of the two
nations. I hope therefore that no such
unpleasant incident may occur. —1 re
main, Sir, respectfully, Your most obe
dient, . .
WINFIELD SCO PT.” .
To which lieutenant Drew replied,
that the object he had in view was to
prevent the rebels who had lately been
in arms against her Britanic M ajesty i
upon Navy Island from effecting a
‘andingin any part of the province of
Upper Canada; and for this purpose
tie had made such a disposition of the
force under his command as would j
most effectually pei form that service: i
He had always understood, that so
ong as Great Britain and the United [
I
Slates were at peace and atf.ity, the
right of the full navigation of the river
Niagara belonged Io each power.
Subsequently m relation (o this-cor
respondence, Colonel McNab Wiote an
ai gry and almost abusive letter to
General Scott, protesting against his
interference, blaming the American
authorities, and saying in his opinion,
they had a right tos’op the Barcelona,
any whereon the liver, and that“hau
it not been for an unfortunate misap
plication of the order giten by Captain
Drew to the officers in command of the
s<hooners, that light would assuredly
have been ex rcised.”
In confusion he alludes to the “out ;
rage” of firing upon lieutenant Elm
sley’sboat from Grand Island.
To this General Scott refused t'
make a written reply. His verbal
answer, as reported by the bearer D
Bethune, was as follows;
“Alter General Scott had perused
the despatch, he desired me to inform
Colonel Mat Nab at a convenient time
he would answer bis despatch in wilt
ing—that at present be could only do
so verbally. General Scott then re
marked, that it was deswousof draw
ing him into a correspondence, foi
which he had no leasure at present,
ashistime was wholly occupied in en
dravonng to preserve the netitrality ot
the United Slates duiing the existing
disturbances on our Irontiei ; that Col.
M i* N-ib might have leasure lor main
taining such correspoudence, but be
(G ii. Scot 1) iad not; —and that he had
been so employed in maintaining (he
neutrality of the United States, two
c-fliers of the British Army then in the
house Hotel) could testify.
1 b<*g leave to remark, that General
Scott appeared very much agitated on
perusing your despatch, and while he
made the above verba! communica
tion.”
From the A'at. Intelligencer.
Extract fiom a letter dated Detroit, \3th
in s t:
“The trouble has been, and is along the
frontier—when I say is, I mean that,
notwithstanding the prospect of a ter
mination which the evacuation of Na
vy Lland and the appearance of 150
United States troops at our wharf, via
the Lakes, on the 24th ult would lead
us to expect —the embers are re-kirr
dhng. ■ i
“Van Rensselaer is, or has been, in
this city within a day or two, and his
men it is said, are at Gibraltar, oppo
site Maiden. Dr. Duncombe is here
at present; he says tnat in his flight be
had to remain six weeks in a cellar. A
strong force has been draughted with
in a l\ w days, but, on a more minute
Gen. Brady disbanded
the whole to-day. When they went to
risk an explanation, he told them he
could not trust them with the arms!
Alter throwing out several threats,they
gave three groans and departed."
There were two men drowned in cross
ing the river last night.
“I amjust informed that three wa
gon loads of volunteers have arrived at
a tavern in this city called Head Quar
ters ; and, also, (hat 12 b xes of arms,
stolenJrom the rail road ojjice (intended
for the militia) night btiore last,and
200 stands stolen last night from on
board the Robert Fulton steamboat, nave
been this morning discovered at the
volunteer head quarters; they were
escorted away by a sirougguard. The
river is firmly closed.”
From the Col. (Ohio) Slcde.Smaii, Feb 25.
REPORTED SUCCESS OF THE
PA TRIO 7 S -MALDEJV TA EE.\ ! !
There is a failure in the Huron Mail;
but a gentleman of the highest respect
ability, who came in the Stage from
the lake, says, it was reported and gen
erally believed when he left, that the
Patriots bad taken malden—killed
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE ROY
ALISTS, with a loss ol only seventeen Pat
riots !
As all reports, though from various
points, agree as to time, and the time
as to former arrangements, we are
strongly inclined to believe the decis
ive stroke has been struck. The mails
of to morrow evening must put all
doubts to rest.”
The last Albany Daily Advertiser
adds the following:
“Important Rumor.—We learn that
the patriots have finally made a move
ment. A large supply of arms and
ammunition left Syracuse on Saturday
Evening for the lake shnre, whence a
descent was to be made on Kingston
yesterday. The result will be proba
bly known in this city on Sunday eve
ning next.
“Meanwhile operations seem by no
means suspended at the West. The
Lewrsto,Vn Telegraph ♦ xtra of the 20 h
says: ‘Yesterday the government de
spatches from Sandwich reached the
commanding officers on the Canada
frontier at Niagara, and last night and
to day the whole effective forces of the Roy
alists started in sleighs far the London
District
bUR R HL ROADS.
Wc copy from the Savannah Gcor*
giana statement; showing Ihe piogref?
and Condition of the Central Rail Road
which is highly gratifying.
We understand that a Locomotive
•nd cars are running for some 20 mil *,
from Savannah; that on 56 miles tins:
grading is completed and ready loi li.e,
raii«; that the road is un<[er contract
to a point 69 miles from Savannah: aud
that 13 1-2 miles further will be let uu
(lie ssh ot .April. So that the road uh.B
tair to be completed in two or three ■
years.
The fdonroe Rail Road is also rapid*
ly progressing. We have just been
along the line, and tan state from our
own knowledge, the Condition of the
work. The amount of labor expended •
is prodigious. A person who haci nev
er seen any thing of the sort, could
hardly be made to believe what deep .
xeavations and high embankments
nave been made.
The grading of the road is now near
ly completed, and a considerable por*
lion of the timber has been delivered.-
Mort over the iron is on the way, and it
is expected Will be delivered in Macon
luring the present season. So that
long before Christmas, we expect to
see.cars running the whole distance be
tween Macon and Forsyth.
This road is to form the connecting
link between the Central Rail Road at
one end, and the Atlantic and Tennea
-ce Rail Road at the other; and will
ae of vast impoitance to the prosperity
of all Central Georgia.— Macon Tel.
The venerable Col. Samuel Green,
who, for the last fifty years, was the’
editor, printer and publisher of the
New ijondon G;:z tte, has retired from
ihe field, and disposed of his
rneht to Mr John Day Hyde. The--’
New York Commercial, in noticing his
withdrawal states the following fact:
“Colonel Green,succeeded his lath
er in the Conduct of the Gazette, and
was descended from one of the earliest
printers in Boston,of thebaine. 'lhe
family iias been remarkable for its
longevity,and for its continuance in
the same employ. It is nearly a cen
tury, we beliete, since the sons of ihe
elder Green who was a printer in Bos
ton, marched off.
One of them went to Connecticut,
and another to and establish
ed a paper at Annapolis, where it wa«
continued between seventy and eighty
years, by father and son. Jonas G:6en
was the last of the font at Annapolis.
IVe recollect his paper well; but whe
ther he be yet living,or whether any of
the family remain there at this dafy,
we have not lear »ed. We regret that
Col. Green of New London has relin
quished the paper—still more, that no
son of bis succeeds. We had hoped
that though old, the Gazette would
continue Green forever.”
We are glad to have it in otjr power
to say that the- Gazette, at Annapolis
is still Green. We have now before
us the third number of the ninety third
volume “printed and published by
Jonas Green, in the brick building on
the public Circle.” May it long main
tain its vividity.— Ball, Chronicle,
LaUncb.—-The new steamboat con
structed at the ship yard ©f Messrs.
Watts, Corwin & Dorsett, for the Sa
vannah and Augusta Steamboat Com-
P an y, glided into her destined element
yesterday morning at the hour designa
ted. She was christened “The Ham
burg,” after the flourishing little town
of that name, founded by the enterpri
sing Shultz, of our elder sister South
Carolina,’ She now floats with the
stars and stripes at her bow, and will
soon be a gallant, though young com
petitor, in towing the rich products of
the two states to iiieir destined markets
to return with the fruits of foreign or
northern industry. She is the first ves
sel, we presume, which has sprung into
life from the new shipyard east of the
city. May her successful career in
duce the enterprise of our numerous
companies to be still further developed
and her future existence be as bright
as the atmosphere of yesterday in
which floated the gay flags welcoming
her first appearance in the mingled
waters of the Savannah.-^Savannah
Georgian.
Distressing accounts from
A trader who arrived in town yesterday
direct from Canada,informs tis that 800
of her majesty’s troops, which had been,
ordered from Halifax to en
countered very severe fare on their
route. They were seven days without
a house for shelter, travelling on snow
shoes. Forty-one of the number died
from exposure, and many others were
much frozen.— Portsmouth Jour.
Jonathan's description of a steamboat.—
It’s got a’saw mill on one side, and a
grist mill on t’other, and a blacksmith
shop iii the middle; and down cellar
there’s a tarnation great pot boilin.
