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on the part of France, the National A<-
•em&fyv'afl the Ministries, the State Cotrn
eiT, tbe National Library, the Academy of
Science?, ams that of Moral arel Political
Sciences, the Affmw.ietntrio*! of the Cus
toms, the V.w moot Natnial History, the
Scicrtide Mining Aca-Jenay, the Societies
io* the ETnfomaeonrent of Agriculture n!
I/oKi: rltor: Goofogieal Society the Con
jatory of Arts, raid t&e cities ot Pari*.
Keiien and Nantes. On the part of the I T .
Slate the tonttihertors were Congress, the
isseculiv’ Departments at AWLington,
tic Patent Oilke. the Military Academy at
Kt Point, all the Atlantic States except
Connecticut, with Ohio, Mississippi, Lou
isiana and Texas : the cities of Boston. N.
Ycuft, Albany, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Washington-, Richmond, Charleston and
Portia®!: the liirrersi, ies of Cambridge
and Virginia, the College of Georgetown,
thr- Historical and Natural History Socie
ties of Ro on, Worcester, New York, and
Uattiajore, and the Observatories of Wash
ington ami Cincinnati. — Literary World.
‘STIiS iiti© liA
r-,: .
■ .
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PLAGUE IN’ CONSTANTINOPLE.
One peculiariiy of the disease i the dis
inclination which is always shown by those
who are plague-stricken to confess that
they are ill. They invariably conceal it
as long as possible; and even when burn
ing with fever and in agony of pain, they
will pretend that they are well, and try to
walk about. But this attempt at decep-
I'on continues for a very short period, for
they soon become cither delirious or insen
sible, and generally are unable to move.
There is a look about the eye, and an ex
pression of anxiety ami horror in the face
of one who has got the plague, which is
not to be mistaken or forgotten, by those
who have once seen them. One day at
Galatia I nearly ran aga:n3t a man who
was sitting on the ground, on a hand-bier,
upon which some Turks were about to
carry him away; and the look of the un
fortunate man’s face haunted me for days.
TANARUS: 1 expression of hopeless despair and ag
v-.s indeed bat too applicable to his
i ■ v e going to carry him to the
ytng-te hivrpitrri, from whence I never
- ‘ - -
have beer, far more mercitul to have shot
him at once.
There are many curious superstit-ons
and circumstances connected with the
plague. One is, that when the destroying
angel enters into a house, the dogs of the
Quarter assemble in the night and howl
before the door ; and the Greeks firmly be
lieve that the dogs can see the evil spirit of
the plague, although it is invisible to hu
man eyes. Some people, however, are
said to have seen the plague, its appear
ance being that of an old woman, tail.
th : n, and ghastly, and dressed sometimes
in black, sometimes in white; she stalks
along the streets —glides through the doors
r.f the habitations of the condemmed—and
■walks once round the room of her victim,
who is from that moment death-smitten. It
is also asserted that, when three small
spots make their appearance upon the knee
the patient is doomed—he has got the
plague, and his fate is sealed. They arc
called the pilotti—the pilots and harbin
•-.vs of death. Some, however, have re
red after these spots have shown
li-elves.
had at this time a lodging in a house
era, which I occupied when anything
o 'it me to Constantinople, from Thera-
On one occasion I was sitting with
rentleman whose filial piety did him
. .h honor, for he had attended his father
nigh the hoirors of this illness, and he
died of the plague in his arms, when
heard the dogs barking in an unusual
On locking out of the window
e they were all in a row, seated against
opposite wall, howling mournfully, and
‘.ring up at the house in the ree-- '■ >-h'.
’ ; .log looked very hard at me. I thought;
r ; not like it at all, am! began to inves
ite whether 1 had not some pain or oth-
Lout me ; anil this uncomfortable feeling
■ s not diminished when my friend's Arab
vat came into the room and said that
f ■ other person who lodged in the house
? very unwell ; it was said that he had
a fall from his horse that morning.—
’ ‘ dogs, though we escaped ourselves,
•e right ; the plague had got into one of
v e Louses, dose to ns, in the same street;
t Low many died of it I did not learn.
It was about this time that two Jews—
iioitioners, poor men, whom consequcnt
y nobody cared about—were walking to
gether in a narrow street at Galatia, when
’bey loth dropped down, stricken with the
■dagae; there they lay upon the ground;
one would touch them: am], as the
‘ *A us extremely narrow, no one coaid
aat way; it was in effect blocked up
“■e unhappy men. They did not die
.ly. “ The devil was sure to have
f; ’ the charitable people said, “so he
no harry.” There they lay a long
.ay days; and people called to
n. n , i put their beads round toe comer
tto loot: nr them. Some, more
. .. that the rest, got a long
by push*
ti aiiAt’ j. va them
: . • ‘■
>■ - cw wtarp - ate a liitie
’ s, and devoir some water, ami lay
stilly The other was violent: the pain of
his livid sweflings drove him wild, ami lie
shouted, and raved, find twisted about up
on the ground. The people looted at him
from the corner, and shuddered, ae firry
quickly drew back their heads. He died :
ami the othcT Jew lay there, as quiet as he
was before, close to the quiet corpse of Iris
poor frie.nJ. For form? turn- they did not
know whether be was dead or not; hit at
last they found he drank no more w ater,
and ate no more Bread) so they knew tnat
Ire had died also. Tire re fay the two bod
ies In the way, till someone paid a hamel
—a Turkish porter—who, being a staunch
fatalist, eating neither for plague, nor Jew,
nor Gentile, dead or alive, carried off the
bodies on his back) and then the street
was passable again.
The Turks have a touching custom
when trre plague rages very greatly, and a
thousand corpses are carried out daily from
Starnboul through the Adrianople gate, to
the great groves of cypress which rise over
the banal-grounds beyond the walls. At
times of terror and grief, such as these, the
Sheik U 1 Islam causes ail the little chil
dren to be assembled on a beautiful green
hill, called the Oc Maiden—the Place of
Arrows—and there they bow down upon
the ground, and raise their innocent voices
in supplication to the Father of Merc)', and
implore his compassion on the afflicted city.
Visit to the Monasteries an Ike Levant.
1849.
RUSSIAN BATII.
Tire under part of the hath room is low,
without any sloping elevation. The floor
is thickly covered with clean, fresh straw,
and at the side is an immense brick stove.
Above the whole space of the chamber is a
compartment, which is scarcely high e
nongh for a man to sit upright in it.—
When the stove is thoroughly heated and
is filled with the flowing flames of the
coals, large stones are thrust into it, and
are drawn out with iron hooks after they
have become red hot, when water is pour
ed over them. The hot. scalding vapors
are immediately evolved, and the. bath is
reaily. In the anteroom, the bathers have
stripped off their clothes, which are watch
ed by a keeper, who is responsible for each
person's property, and they enter stark na
ked. As the heat from the steam is great
est at the highest elevation, the man who
is unaccustomed to these baths feels as if
his head were surrounded with burning
lire. He grows giddy, is unable to stand
upright, and docs right if he throws him
self on the soft straw of the floor, in order
to pant for breath. Every drop of water
burns the body as if it were melted sealing
wax ; a strong perspiration bedews the
whole frame, and the man thus boiled be
gins to feel somewhat more at ease. The
I Ka.KmMi.. *—*• 1 **wfcw*
cooled, and again pours water on the glow
ing stones. Once more the hot steam rolls
around the bathers arid scalds their bndi- s:
but the true Russian feels himself comfor
table. He is soon, however, dissatisfied
with the heat in the lower space, and clam
bers up the lalder into the upper region,
the nara. Here the heat is indescribable :
it is a real hell, where flames are breathed.
The Russian stretches himself at lengih,
for he too begins to feel the effects of the
heat. A hathman, who has followed him,
kneels near him, and gently strikes all
parts of his body with birch twigs, from
which the leaves have not been stripped.
The Russian submits to this manipulation,
and does not stir, while the skilful bath
man turns him from side to side, like a log
of wood. Suddenly, however, if he is a
sturdy offshoot of his race, he springs
quickly down the ladder, and opens a lit
tle door into the back yard, where he thor
oughly cools himself by rolling in the
snow. If it is not winter, and there is no
snow, he causes some buckets of cold wa
ter to be poured over his heal, and again
ascends to his infernal heaven. When he
has been sufficiently boiled, steamed, and
flogged, he leaves the bathroom, puls on
his clean linen, which consists only of a
bine shirt and the darki, and contentedly
quits the bath house. A man who has
been thus cleansed may be immediately
known in the streets; for his face is of the
coior of a boiled lobster, and his skin glis
tens as if it were lacquered.— Mailer's
Russia ml and Seine i olker.
WOMEN OF SUMATRA.
The rites of marriage among the Suma
trans consist simply in joining the hinds
of the parties, and pronouncing them man
and wife, without much ceremony, except
ing the entertainment which is given upon
the occasion, llut little apparent court
• iip precede, their marriages. Their man
ners do not admit of it, the young people of
each sex being caiefully kept asunder, and
the gills being seldom trusted from under
the wings of their mothers. With us
courtship includes the idea of humble en
treaty on the man's side, and favor ami con
descension on the part of the woman, who
bestows person and property for love. The
Sumatran, on the contrary, when he fixes
his choice, and pays all that he is worth,
for the the object of it, may naturally con
sider the obligation on his side; but still
they are not without gallantry; they pre
serve a degree of delicacy and respect to
wards the sex which might justify tbeir re
torting on many of the polished nations of
antiquity, the epithet of barbarians. The
opportunities which the young people have
of seeing and conversing with each other,
are at the public festivals. On these occa
sions the persons who are unmarried meet
together, and dance and sing in company.
It may be supposed that the young ladies
| cannot be long without their particular ad
j miters, ‘file men, when determined in their
ci gards, generally employ an old woman
j a: their agent, by whom they make known
1 their sentiments, and send presents to the
I female of theft choice. The parents then
QQ§iaiE)@ o ©asatiiu
interfere, and the preliminaries being set
tled, a fe;v-t takes place, At these feMi
-.ais, n goat, a buffalo, or several, accord
ing to the rank of the parties, are killed, to
entertain, not only the relation* arut invi
ted gu- but alt the inhabit.-nta of the
neighboring country, who chose to repair to
ihem. The greater the concourse, the more
is the credit of the host, who is generally
on these occcasions the father of lire girl.
The customs of the Sumatrans permit
their having as many wives as they can
compass the purchase of, or afford to main
tain ; hut it is extremely rare, that an in
stance occurs of their having more than
one, and that only among a few of tbe
chiefs. This continence they, in some
measure, owe to their poverty. The dic
tates of fragility arc more powerful with
them han tthe irregular calls of appetite,
and make them decline an indulgence from
which their law does not restrain them. —
Marsden’s Hist.
©HJ& ILBIfITIEISS.
For Richards’ Weekly Gazette.
LETTERS TO ABRAHAM GOOSE
QUILL, ESQ.
Quid vermn at quo doccus euro et rego, et ora
nis in hoe sum.—Hon. Li. 1, lip. I, 11.
Whut right, what true, what we justly call,
Let this bo all my euro, for this is all.— Pope.
Since l have been writing for the Ga
zette, I find that I have very much grown
in the affections and confidence of those
around me. My acquaintances take it for
granted that, because I write, I know a
good deal about matters and things in gen
eral. They, therefore, very often consult
me upon their affairs, beseeching me to
give them advice in regard to what is of
importance to them, (n order not to unde
ceive them, as to my knowledge, and to
keep up the appearance of being a man
of consequence, I always counsel them,
generally to their satisfaction, if not to my
own. lam oftentimes written to, as well
as conversed with, concerning petty griev
ances, which need correction. The fol
lowing letter, from a fair correspondent,
contains a complaint, the bare sight of
which, 1 hope, will reform the offenders,
and all like criminals :
Mr. Goosequill: As you are a gentleman
ffl tHfMMMMPf * uk, mi yw tu rnci % tuui
self against a couple of young gentlemen
about town, who are a source of much an
noyance to me, and to other young ladies.
I have the misfortune of being comely in
person, ami of being possessed of conside
rable wealth. I am, therefore, much pet
ted, much admired, and much gazed at.—
As I am not entirely free from vanity, the
common failing of womankind, you may
well imagine that these things are not dis
agreeable to me, at proper times, and in
proper places. But there are occasion?
when a woman does not like to be admired,
or even to be observed. But these two
young gentlemen, whom I have mentioned,
do not seem to understand this. For in
stance, when I go shopping with a female
friend, an l we would be let alone, these
“bloods' 1 follow us from shop to shop, and
without speaking to us, entertain our ears,
in pretended whispers, with compliments
and comparisons, thinking thereby to gain
great favor in our eyes. Besides this, they
go to church every Sabbath, and, instead
of going in, to their devotions, they stand
at the door to see us go in, and, when they
believe themselves unobserved, exchange
glances and smiles. In church, instead ol
looking at the preacher, they arc ogling tis
all the while. Then, again, when we
leave the church, they are standing at the
door, still gazing at us. Do, kind Mr.
G., tell these fops that I consider them
fools, and that I have several times, in
company, come near telling them so. If
they, therefore, would save me from dis
grace, and themselves from mortification,
they had better change their course.
Clementina.
The following letters will speak for
themselves:
Mr. Goosequill: I am a diffident young
mar, ami it seems that for this reason [ am
to be forever punished. Philosophers say
that modesty is a merit —if so, I am the
mo.->t meritorious creature living, and it
seems that I am to La rewarded by forever
having my “face hurt me.” lam a shop
keeper, and for that reason, I see much
company. My store is the constant rescrl
of the ladies, for two reasons ; the first is—
-1 say it, notwithstanding my modesty—l
am an exceedingly handsome fellow ; and
.lie second is—still modest, you see —that
I have the best stock of goods in the town,
and sell them on the best terms. The la
dies compliment myself and my goods, to
my face ; and some of the more advanced
guard, in the ranks of female diffidence, go
so far as to claim me for their beau, and
then (latter ray pretty red cheeks, burning
with blushes. Do tell the ladies not to tor
ment me so. Ai.bixvs.
Mr. Goosequill: When I was a young
man, we used to very much regard some
thing which existed, in that day, under the
name of propriety. I see bit! little of it
now, however. Can you tell me what has
become of it 1 lam led to this enquiry by
several occurrences which came under my
observation the other day. I must here
premise that I have a daughter, whom I
consider faultless—(almost.) There wasa
party in town r.ot long ago, and Rosa had
an invitation to attend it. The evening
1 was damp, and the wind was blowing quite
cold. The whole oi our family had been
i for some time, niutff and in cloaks, shawls
i and flannels. Rosa was engaged nil the
afternoon drcr,t;?j ji, • the parly, and about
1 eight o’clock, 1’..M.,t-hc came down from
her room, ready to ..-lart. Her arms, neck,
i shoulders, and a good portion of leer breast,
: were bare. She had on a thin muslin
f dee's, thin stockings, aud thin siloes. 1
| was surprised, and expostulated with her,
: recommending warmer clothing. “Oh!
papa,’’ gaily replied she, “my heart is so
j warm this evening—that will keep off the
cold.” I learned also, that it she dressed
differently, she would be—out of the Jash
ion. Being an indulgent father, I said no
1 more, but my heart experienced many a
bitter fear, lest my darling child should
take a cold which might lead her, through
consumption, into the grave, f chanced
that night to pass the room where the par
ty of young folks were assembled. Such
buzzing, snch tittering, and such frivolous
conversation, I think I never before heard.
In addition to this, l saw that the ladies’
and gentlemen’s faces approached nearer
each other than we used to think was
proper. Besides this, I saw several young
gentlemen, who came as near reclining
their heads on their dulcincas’ bosoms as
they could come, to miss. One young lady
actually had her elbow upon a gentleman's
knee, as she sat in a half-reclining posi
tion. But to return to Rosa. After the
party was over, she returned home, and
since that time has been troubled with a
cold, and threatened with the quinsy. Is
there not need of a reform 1
Prudentius.
y.
From Noal’s Guzette.
“LOST CHILD!”
“Lost child V 9 two youthful voices cried,
Then sounded fourth the bell,
To happy homes on every side,
The mournful nows to ti 11.
I saw two boys, in humble drers,
With fnlthing footsteps come;
Their fac.'S told of deep distress
In those they left at home.
Moist nnxioudy they looke 1 around,
And scanned each babe they met,
And then *• lost child !” again would sound,
In tones 1 can't so: get.
The children slowly passed from sight,
And I the picture drew
Os ail their wretchedness that night,
Till very sad I grew.
But soon I heard a sound of fun,
And on our stc ps there sat
The criers and the missing one,
Without a shoe or liat.
IJis plump, round face was rosy red,
Ilis mouth was on the grin,
And him, the while, hi - brothers eyed
With looks of great delight,
As there wero not, the country wide,
beautiful a sight.
IE lE iL H©il © U o
- : y- v. - ?
\ ‘i ‘■ •’ \ • \ ’ “ ?
. -5 ■
SUNDAY READINGS—-JULY 15TH.
THE BENEFIT OF SANCTIFIED AF
FLICTION.
“ Before I was afflicted, I went astray ; but now
have 1 kept thy word.” —Paalm cxix. 67.
This is the testimony of David, and it is
the experience of many a Christian ; such
a similarity is there in the sentiments,
views, experience, and feelings of the chil
dren of God. David here
Admits a painful truth. “ Before I was
afflicted, 1 went astray.” The character
of sin is a going astray, and sinners are
wanderers : the subjects of grace are some
times wanderers too. David confesses it,
—“ I have gone astray like a lost sheep.”
Whence does this liability to err, even in
the best of men, arise t
From the vigilence of the enemij. He is
ever on the alert, whether we sleep or not.
He is said to go about, as a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour. While men
slept, the enemv came and sowed tares.
So while Christians are off their guard, the
enemy comes upon them, and tempts them
to go astray.
From the weakness of human nature.
Thus Christians sometimes go astray from
God and things divine, leave their fust love,
lose their zeal and ardor in the ways of re
ligion, and follow for a time their own nat
ural inclinations. But David here
Acknowledges a pleasing fact. It is the
benefit of sanctified affliction. It was the
means of his restoration toGod : “but now
have I kept thy word;” you will sec its
adaptation to this end, if you consider its
tendency
To lead us to serious reflection. This is
the first step to our return. If we do not
consider, it is not likely we shall mend our
ways.
To discover to us our error. It points us
to onr imperfections and short-commings ;
and is like th> candle of the Lord in the ;
heart, to show us our vileness and treach
ery ; or like the refiner’s fire, to separate
between the gold of grace and the dross of
corruption.
To correct us for our sin. Affliction is
the scourge which our heavenly Father ri
ses to chasten and correct his children ; bv I
this he separates the sin that he hates, from
the soul tluit he loves.
7l> induce repentance. This was the
case with the prodigal. Before he was af
flicted, he went astray; hut affliction ’
brought him to himself, to reflection, to ron- i
trition, and at last to the paternal roof.
The expression, keeping God's word, is
used to signify the duties and exercises of
Christian life. Let us learn to recognize
the Divine hand in our trials. “Provi
dence,'’ rays Charnock, “ is God’s lantern
in many affairs; if we do not follow it
closely, we may be left in the dark and
lose our ay.”
THE DOMESTIC ALTAI?.
It is pleasing to find in private houses
an altar raised toGod. Nothing rivets fam
ity attachments so wholly, so securely, as
meeting every morning to pray for each
other, when every petty difference most at
once be laid aside, and every misunderstand
ing forgotten before the sun goes down.
What can be more pleasing, also, than for
the absent to know precisely at what hour
they are remembered with the supplications
and blessings of an affectionate family cir
cle, while those who remain together can
enjoy no greater solace than in following
them with prayers, and uniting, on their
account, in every expression, or every anx
iety, or pleasure, or sorrow which each
shares in common with the others. There
is, indeed no pleasure more to be prized
than that of raising a family altar, where
those shall daily assemble on earth, who
hope, hereafter, to reassemble in heaven,
and not a wanderer lost!
SCRAPS.
FROM THE GERMAN OF JEAN PAUL.
The sun is the source of all color ; are
not flowers then like man, for all his nur
ture comes from the earth, but all his beau
ty from Heaven.
The soul of man when contemplating
God is like a cloud at close of day, receiv
ing glorious tints of beauty, as it floats in
the smile of the sun.
The dew-drop in the lily’s cup resem
bles the sense of God in the heart of man;
the scorching fires of ambition, at mid-life,
drive it away, but in the evening of his ca
reer it returnsinlove, and accompanies him
thro’ the darkness of the vale of Death.
Truth is a star in heaven ; years may
j elapse ere its lovely beams pierce the dark
ness of error, lmt vre see them at length.
The coral insect builds its wave-piercing
i mountains, on whose tops vegetation may
grosv. So may man build a tower of good
works, the flowers on whose summit shall
bloom in Heaven, and there speak his
praise.
Light is the beauty of Heaven, and light
the beauty of life; the terror of death is
darkness. —Lit American.
From an editorial article in the Houston
Mercantile Advertiser, of June 9th, writ
ten in reply to a communication which
appeared originally in the Nottingham
(Eng.) Mercury, we make the following
extracts, which will give our readers
some reliable and useful information con
cerning the “ lone star” State. The Ed
itor is replying to certain objections urg
ed against Texas. lie says :
“We have not space for so full a no
tice as we know would gratify our friends
in England, and can only glance at the
principal objections to Texas.
“ Fever we have, in common with all
other countries. Yellow Fever has pre
vailed twice in Houston and Galveston—
never passes beyond the coast—is un
known beyond the limits of cities. Jun
gle fever, unknown. Bilious fever, less
severe than at the North—a fever produc
ing no alarm. “Black vomits,” unknown.
“Agues, pernicious and malignant,” we
have no knowledge of. Chill fevers, of a
mild type, are found, easily yielding to a
few doses of quinine—not worse than the
agues of Lincolnshire. Cholera visitfi us
as it does other places—never worse.—
Dysentery is not common ; the water used
being generally pure, or rain-water from
cisterns. Texas is less afflicted with bow
el complaints than any State in the Union.
“Wounds from poisoned arrows,” we have
no record of. “Abrasions,” unless on
drunkards, not troublesome.
“ Fevers are generally mild in their type,
and easily cured, especially since the use
of mercury was abandoned and quinine
substituted.
“ Mr. Stiff, (the writer in the English
paper,) has arranged a stifl catalogue of
animals, which we will dispose of thus:
“ Bears,” good for food; never attack man;
seldom 3cen, except when hunted. Wolves,
formidable to swine—rapidly disappearing.
“Lions!” found in Asia or Africa, never in
America, unless caged. Even the British
lion finds it difficult to maintain a foot-hold
in America. Leopards, unknown. Pan
thers, rare. And venomous spiders! call
ed musqultoes and tarantulas! as harmless
as the house-fly. Even these are not found
far from the coast.
“ From June Ist to November Ist, the
thermometer seldom varies 10 degrees, av
eraging 85 deg. Extreme. 75 deg. low, to
highest point, 102 deg.
“The thermometer rises nearly as high
at New York or Quebec. The cool breezes
of summer greatly modify the temperature.
The climate of Italy and the middle of
France is its true representative. By ref
erence to a map of North America, the ex
tent and position of Texas will show to
any one, that front the extreme South t
the extreme North, almost every temperate
climate must be found.
“ The soil of Texas is known by its pro
ductiveness, yielding cotton in abundance,
and sugar-cane sufficient to produce two
Lthds. sugar per acre. Indian corn yields
some 30 to 40 bushels, and ts a certain
crop. Wheat produces 30 bushels per
acre, weighing 62 pounds per bushel.—
The wheat-growing counties extend from j
the San Antonio to Red River, lying bacln
from the coast 140 to 300 miles.
** The navigation to Galveston is safer
than to any other port on tii Gulf. Rates j
of insurance from New York, 1
! cent. The rivers of Texas are navigable i
far into the interior, for some six months ;
|in the year. Efforts now making on the
Colorado, Brazos, and Trinity, promise to
render these streams permanently naviga
ble for steamboats a greater part of the
year. The distance boats have ascended
these rivers, is from ISO to 400 miles into
I the interior. Lands in Texas are cheap.
1 Emigrants should never contract for lands
until they have examined them. The best
lands in small parcels, command fifty cents
to one dollar per acre. The possession of
one hundred acres, often enables the set
tler to graze as many thousands.
“Mr. Stiff betrays ignorance of the
American character, when he infers that
the commission of crime compels emigra
tion to Texas. The American emigrates
for novelty and thirst for change, which
seems in him a principal element of his
nature.
“Our country is yet too young for crime.
The mails of Texas, though unguarded,
are never robbed : and the remark of Judge
Buckley, to the grand jury of Harris coun
ty, is as true as it is honorable to Texas,
‘that during his judgeship, no case had
come before him, of murder committed for
money.’”
EDITOR’S DEPARTMENT.
W.M. C. RICHARDS, EDITOR.
ip*: st
atfjrns, CtrorQia:
jo
Saturday Morning..tJuly IJ, 1849.
LEAVES FROM OUR DIARY.
The Etowah Iron Works—The AHatoona
Furnace — Hospitality — Trout — Dalton —
Duff Green—Prospects of Dalton —Fourth
of July —A Bible and a Banner Present
ation —An Excursion—Variegated Fash
ions— The Bail Boad Tunnel —Entrance
and Exit —Further Exploration — Statis
tics — The State Boad —Tiro long Bail
ways.
July 2d. We hare now visited all de
r-Ar!turn:s of the extensive works of Cooper
& Wiley, in the great Iron Region of Geor
gia, and collected materiel for an extended
notice of their operations in the Gazette. —
This afternoon has been devoted to on ex
amination of the ore f>anks contiguous to the
j
j Furnace of Messrs. Stovall & Lother, on Al
’ latoona Creek. We have obtained many
rich specimens of the different ores, and
much enlarged conceptions of the extent and
value of the iron mines of the region. An
account of the Allatoona operations will
form an appropriate pendant to tiiat of the
Etowah Works, already proposed to ourself
as an early duty. Three days have passed
rapidly with us in this picturesque region,
during which, we have experienced the gen
erous hospitality of friends, and the ready
courtesies of the various officers connected
with the “Works.” The cottage of our
friend S. is the abode of peace and happi
ness, and we could have lingered about its
romantic locale with grateful content, for
weeks instead of days—delighted with the
freshness of the atmosphere, the wild beau
ty of the surrounding scenery, and last—
though not least—the pleasant social inter
course afforded to us. We can bear testi
mony to the excellence of the trout in the
Etowah, and only regretted that we were
not provided with all the appliances for
angling in its deep and shaded pools. The
stream abounds in fine cat-fish, which are
taken in seines. There is little, if any, gen
uine fishing sport practiced in this region. ;
July 3d. The cool air of a mountain re- j
gion is refreshing us as we write, and in the \
soft light of the moon, the still unfinished >
mammoth Hotel of Dalton looms up in vast j
proportions. Let us say, cn passant, how- f
ever, that its completion lias been under -i
taken by Col. Duff Green, the contractor,
we believe, upon the Iliwassce Kail Road.—
lie has purchased the interest of the New
York Company in the town of Dalton, and j
it is hoped that his enterprise may infuse
new life into the fortunes of the place.
We left the Iron Works at 2, P. M., and
after a pleasant ride of 3 miles along the
banks of the Etowah, in the carriage of our
friend S,, reached the Etowah Depot, con
structed, exclusively, for the use of the Iron i
Works, by Messrs. Cooper & Wiley. There j
we took the up-train at 4 o'clock. In the {
cars we found many acquaintances, nnd
among them, Chief Engineer Mitchell, and I
Gen. Mills, the able Superintendent of
Transportation on the State Road. We had
arranged with these gentlemen to accompa
ny them to the Tunnel on the Fourth of J u
i ly. At Kingston, a number of our passen
gers left the Road, to proceed on tlio Mem
phis Branch, to Rome—an inland “ city,”
that we purpose hereafter to embrace in our
wanderings.
Dalton is not improving much at present,
and there appears to be a variance of opin
ion as to the amount of benefit the town
will reap from the anticipated junction of
the Iliwassce Rail Road with tho State -
Road. The country around Dalton being
only sparsely populated, much increase of
trade to the place cannot reasonably he ;
looked for, and the opening of the Biwassee
Road will do little, we apprehend, towards
building up the town. It is decidedly the
handsomest locale for a large inland town,
that we hare eveT seen in Georgia.
July 4th. While tens of thousands hare
passed this day amidst the glitter of milita
ry pageantry, and tho “ circumstance” of j
civic celebrations, we hive been very differ- ’
ently employed. Not even a single gun an-
us
but rather .f* the lack if a cannon! nor
have we seen the smallest fragment of bunt
ling fluttering to the breeze, or heard the
faintest etpfotlflft <if ! ?n
the fovoßoon, we attended one off those cele
brations which are becoming universal in
our land—-the festivals of Temperance.
The ladies of Dalton, inspired by that be
nevolence ami approbation of virtue which
ever characterize their sex, presented to
the Dalten Division of the Sons of Tempe
rance botfi n Bible and a Banner. The cer
emonies w ere conducted in the open air, in
the bosom of a grove, and were in charming
unison with the freshness and parity of the
scene. The Bible was presented first, by a
yonng lady, who made a brief bat appro
priate address, to which one of the “ Sons”
responded in eloquent terms. The Banner
was then presented by another fair daugh
ter, and received, in like manner with the
“holy oracles.” Both these gifts were of
elegant adorning, and we could not help
thinking of their beautiful significance and
of their adaptation to the occasion. The
Bible, as the “ lamp unto the feet,” and tho’
Banner as the symbol to the eyes, of the’
j Sons of Temperance—tho one to he impli
citly obeyed, the other to be triumphantly
borne aloft, until the last wail of the victims
of Intemperance has ceased to vibrate on
the ear of humanity !
After the interesting ceremonies of tho
presentation were over, the “ Declaration
of Independence” was read, and addresses
I were delivered by a member of the Division
and by a Ilcv. Mr. Allen, a visiting member
of tho Order, from St. Louis, who claimed
to have been with old “Rough and Ready,”
as liis chaplain, in all of his engagements in
Mexico.
The influence of the present great Tem
perance Revival, which is sweeping the land
from Maine to Mexico, has been manifested
in Dalton, to such an extent, that the mouths
of the gainsayers arc stopped. Success to
the glorious cause 1
At 2 P. M. wc “embarked,” with a mot
ley crowd of both sexes and all ages, “on
board” a train of cars fitted up for an ex
cursion to the “Tunnel.” A lover of the
picturesque might have found much to ad
mire in the interminable variety of costume
and color exhibited by the throng of pas
sengers. Fashions the most nondescript im
aginable, everywhere presented themselves;
the men, scarcely less than the women,
wearing all conceivable and inconceivable
colors—and the whole mass animated to en
thusiasm by the occasion!
In half an hour, we reached the extremi
ty of the rails, except that portion of them
strewed with the accumulating iron for the
tunnel track—and the cars poured forth
their hundreds of sight-seers, who com
menced an immediate approach to the lion
of the day. The distance to the tunnel was
yet half a mile, and the sun uncomfortably
hot 1 The approach to tho mouth of the
tunnel, on the Dalton side, is through a
deep cut, several hundred feet long. 4Ve
entered the excavation upon the platform
erected for the workmen, some six or seven
feet above the bed of the tunnel, nnd upon
which band-cars are employed to convey
the rock and earth. We found the atmos
phere somewhat close and oppressive, and
I dump withal, from the continual percolation
1 of water through tho roof and sides of the
; tunnel. It was with some difficulty, and
I much caution, that we penetrated the gloomy
j dungeon which opened dimly before us, half
iHummed at intervals by the gleaming of
i candles from the bed of the excavation below
us. Our fair companions were not less res
olute than ourselves, however, “ to see the
end of it,” and presently we had the benefit
of lights to precede us on our narrow and
precarious track. At the distance of 020
feet, wc reached the extremity of the work,
and dug, with a pickaxe, from the wall be
fore us, a few fragments of white lime rock,
as mementoes of our visit.
In the very midst of tlie tunnel, we were
introduced by the Chief Engineer to John
D. Gray, Esq., the enterprising gentleman i
who is performing this gigantic labor; and 1
we were happy to have a place and an oc
casion so fit to congratulate him upon the
admirable prosecution of his work, and the
prospect of its speedy accomplishment.
Our exit from the Tunnel was accomplish
ed with far greater case and rapidity than
j our entrance. Wc spread our handkerchiefs
• upon one of tho hand-cars, and having scat- I
I ed the ladies upon it, wc sprang on our- I
, selves, and were propelled by some of the I
workmen at a running rate, through the I
i dismal cavern. The only inconvenience our I
I locomotion occasioned, was the necessity of I
i bobbing our heads every few yards, to avoid 1
the stays which stretched across the arch of I
the tunnel roof.
Having seen all that was attractive on the I
■ South side of tho Hill, wo crossed it a-foot, I
and entered the tunnel on tho opposite ap- I
prooch. In this excavation, the work baa 1
progressed more slowly, ns it has been I
through strata of almost, solid rock. The I
repeated blastings have rendered the ait I
exceedingly mephitic, and it has been found I
J necessary to ventilate the tunnel by an ar- 1
I tificial draft along its summit. The work J
j on this side has extended upwards of 400 I
i feet—making the whole extent of tunnelling I
completed on the fourth of July, about 1050 I
feet. The distance yet to he excavated, is I
somewhat more than 400 feet, and of course I
the absolute length of the Tunnel will bo I
nearly 10(10 feet. The hill through which I
this great work is being prosecuted, rises to I
the height of ITS fbet above the bed of tho I
excavation, nijd is much steeper on the North I
than on the fjoutli side. The work goesft>r- I
ward with great diligence and spirit, and it I
is the confident opinion of the Chief E#P” I
neer and the Contractor, that, they will ,c ® I
daylight through it by the first of October ■
ensuing. If this expectation is realized, *• I
may reasonably anticipate that the loconw- I
tive may pass through by the beginning of I
anew year. K
Os the manner in which the work is * sC ‘ I
cuted, we cannot speak too highly. Nor do I
wc speak at random, for wc have inspe c,c '* I
similar operations in different parts, of the I
world. The masonry is of the most solid I
and enduring kind ; and although wc i a . v ■
have seen move highly finished arching. * e M
have never seen any more practically avail’ K
able. Great credit is certainly due to Mr- I-
Gray for his labors, which, if us successful’ I
ly completed as they have been prosecute! 1