Newspaper Page Text
SATURDAY, MARCH 27;
Coyrt House Burnt.
The Coart House of foie county, with all the
county records, weie destroyed by fire on Friday,
the 19th insl. The spring term of the Superior
Court for the county, which was to hare com
menced on Monday last, in consequence of this
serious accident, has been adjourned to the first
Monday in April.
Hon. Edward Everett.
The Milledgeville federal Union, of the 23d
ln3 , sajs ; “We understand that this distin
guished gentleman will, in a few days, visit his
friend and former classmate, Dr. Bexj. A. White,
in this city. Would it not be well for our city
authorities to tender him some public mark of re
spect f
Wood Gas.
We copy the following remarks in relation to
the kind of gas now employed in lighting the
counting room and printing department of the
Chronicle <6 Sentinel office, from that paper of
Thursday morning. We have seen freqnent refer
ences to'this gas, in our exchange papers, and a
number of published certificates highly favorable j
to its use, as well as in regard to its brilliancy and j
economy,’as to the facility and ease with which it I
can be manufactured and the reliability of its '
light.
It is true that all reforms are not improvements; j
but reforms, in nearly all cases, are intended to es- i
feet improvements, and wo trust that the introduc- 1
tion of the new gas will result in advantages to j
the public, by affording gas light in communities
where the manufacture in the old way cannot be i
carried on successfully, from the sparsity of the i
population, and result favorably togas consumers, j
who complain of the high prices demanded by
large companies in our cities.
The light from this gas, as we have seen it, is l
clear and brilliant, and the public will more fully j
appreciate it as its employment becomes more (
general: t
Wood and Water Gas.— For the last two weeks, €
we have been astonishing the good people of our t
city and all visitors, bv lighting our counting-room t
and printing building with gas manufactured on t
the lot from pine wood (“lightwood ) and water, u
4)7 the portable gas apparatus, patented last year, a
by Messrs. Choate & Tyler. The process is very g
simple and easv—the retort is heated with wood t
fuel oak or pine, to a red heat, when a charge of p
lightwood is inserted, and the process of generat- c
iiig gas commences; and when the gas is extracted, c
the charge, which ha 3 been converted into char- c
coal is withdrawn, and another inserted ; and p
thus'the process continues until the requisite qnan- t
titv of gas is made. The gas produces a beautiful, c
soift and luminous light, certainly equal, and we a
think, superior to rosin gas.
This process of generating gas commends itselt
for its simplicity and cheapness; for wherever
there is lightwood and water, you have all the ne- '
oessary materials for its production. j
We learn that it is the purpose of the owners of
the patent, to make an effort in this city to organ- c
ise a company to manufacture it on a more exten- t
give scale, which will afford those who desire cheap- \
er gas au opportunity to supply themselves, pro-
Tided the works go into operation.
The Recent Fire in Charleston. <
The Courier of Thursday says: “The following ,
is a more specific statement of the Cotton destroyed
by the tire of Saturday night week, on Adgbr’s
wharf, together with the names of the parties on
whose account it was stored:
Adams & Frost. 303 bales Upland.
Coffin & Pringle 134 bales Upland.
Coffin & Prkigle 1 bag Sea Island.
F. E. Frazer % 71 bales Upland.
Reeder & UeSaussure.... 6 bales Upland.
“ Total, five hundred and fifteen bales Upland,
and one bag Sea Island.”
Sale oi Llamas.
The lot of Llamas which were introduced into
this country last year from a Chilian port, were re
cently advertised for sale at auction at a farm in
the neighborhood of New York. The sale was at
tended by but few persons, and although the ani
mals appeared in good condition, the bidding was
not such as to induce the owner to permit the sale
♦o proceed.
When the herd left Chili it consisted of seventy
two head, but while remaining at Panama, await"
ing the departure o& a vessel to convey them to
this country, about twenty of the Llamas died.
The remaining portion were safely transported to
Now York, either for purposes of private specula
tion, or to endeavor to introduce into this country a
breed of animals for the valuable fleece obtained
from them.
It is believed that all these Llamas will be sent
to Sidney, in Australia, unless some of our enter
prising agricultural population will purchase and
domesticate them on their farms.
Editorial Experience.
The following paragraph To Correspondents”
which appeared m the Southern Christian Adoocaie t
has a wider application than to the correspondents
•of the Advocate. The Charleston Courier , in re-pub
lishing it, says: “ Our brother of the Advocate has 1
his daily troubles and annoyances even with a 1
weekly paper—a weekly journal, as we suppose
we may say, notwithstanding the etymological ,
absurdity of the phrase. In his last issue he gives .
a hint which we are willing to extend to any cor- (
respondents that are in need of such admonitions :
“ To Correspondents, —We have some articles on
hand that contain very just and proper views, 1
that we would willingly publish but that the labor
of editing them is too great. When a writer ex-
Sects us to spell and punctuate his article, it must
ave tjreat merit, and we be short of ‘copy*—which
is not the case now—if it sees the light. The
brother who writes: ‘I am not m the habit of
wrighting for the Advocate , thearfonre I feel some
what embarist to wright, but never theless ofer a
few thought to our breatheren’—will please excuse
us, for not ‘ tiling up ’ his article. It will cost too
much labor.”
At the late session of the Superior Court of
Putnam county, Judge Hardeman presiding, Rai
xet alias Buckhalter -was convicted ot horse
stealing, and senteuced to five years imprisonment
in the penitentiary ; and Pool, a young man not
twenty years of age, was found guilty of negro
stealing, and sentenced to seven years imprison
ment in the penitentiary.
The people of Dawson county are felicita
xiug themselves that the railroad trains will reach
their village during the month of July.
£gTAt the late term of Crawford Superior Court,
James Revel was tried for murder, and convicted.
He was sentenced by Judge Lamar to be hung.
53T* A court-martial will be held at Newport
Barracks, Kentucky, on the 20th of April, for the
trial of Gen. Twiggs. Charges of insubordination
have been preferred against him by the War De
partment, based, we suppose, upon his comments
upon the order of the Department, withdrawing
troops from the Texas frontier for the expedition
to Utah.
The Southern Cultivator , for April, has been
received. It contains its usual quantity of inter
esting matter for agricultural and general readers.
Price per annum one dollar. The Cultivator is
published in this city by Dr. W. S. Jones, and
edited by Daxibl Lee, M. D., Professor of Agri
culture in Franklin College, and by Mr. D. Red
mond, of Fruitland Nursery.
Uniyersiht of Virginia. —We regret to learn,
says the Richmond Dispatch , that in consequence
of the prevalence of disease at the University, it
has been deemed advisable by the Faculty to sus
pend the lectures until May next. As the same
disease has appeared extensively in the Piedmont
country, it is concluded that it is epidemical, and
tils scoped that in a few weeks in will disappear.
Speaking Out.
We take the following extract from an article in
- the Savannah Republican , of the 25th inst. Whilst
we, in our issue of that date, were regreting the
- silence it had maintained m relerence to the south
, ern American opponents of the Kansas bill, our
contemporary, it appears, was speaking out upon
■ this subject, and earnestly protesting agaiust the
course of these Representatives of its party in
Congress:
“ As important as it is to the peace of the conntry,
it is impossible to say, with any degree of certain
ty, what will be the resfilt of the movement now
before Congress for the admission of Kansas into
the Union. We have never trusted in parties to
pass the bill and put au end to .the disgraceful agi
tation, but we have all along cherished the hope
that the Administration was strong enough, com
bined with a united South, to oarry the measure
successfully through. Notwithstanding 'he symp
toms that present themselves, we trust that such
may yet be the case, though we confess that opposi
tion to the bill has come from quarters which we
least suspected of unfriendly intentions. The few
American members from the South who have al
lowed themselves to be governed in their estimate
of the peace of the country, and the best means for
B reserving it, by a long cherished hostility to the
'emocratic party—a feeling that is well founded
in itself, but illegitimate when it blinds men to the
force of truth—we think have been guilty of a
grave and dangerous error. Nothing could be
more painful to us than the spectacle which we
have recently witnessed, of the great Kentucky
Senator reconciling himself, under a false system
of reasoning, to a position friendly to a class of
men who have for years kept the country in trouble
by their wicked and fanatical conspiracies against
its laws and the integrity of the Union itself. It
is a strange and painful spectacle, and we desire to
say that, let him who may occupy such a position,
he can receive no sympathy, no apology, at our
hands.
“ There are some features in the Kansas Consti
tution that we have as little fancy for as Mr. Crit
tenden possibly can have, and we are quite as far
as himself from approving the injustice and fraud
of either party in the Kansas elections; yet these
points have their own peculiar arbiters ; thev be
ong not to us, nor should they be allowed to “deter
Congress from getting rid of a question that has
already done so much harm, ana must continue to
irritate and embroil the two great divisions of the
country so long as it shall remain a bone of con
tention in Congress, and with the party press in
every section of the country. We love the Union
better than we do Kansas, and more than we hate
the Democratic party, and we desire to rid it of
the foul, festering sore that has so long preyed
upon its peace and quiet. We believe the speedy
admission of Kansas is the only remedy for the
grievance, and as a patriotic press we are willing
to stand shoulder to shoulder with any man or
party whose efforts are honestly directed to such a
consummation. Nor shall we be deterred in that
course by the opposition of party friends, or the
character of the company in which we may tem
porarily find ourself. A press that will not adhere
to truth and the caase of the country under all
circumstances, is undeserving of the confidence
ami support of honest men of all parties.”
Auother Fusion in Philadelphia.
The regular correspondent of the New York
Tribune , writing from Philadelphia, on the 23d
March, and refering to the nominations for the
office of Mayor and other city officers, says that
the Know Nothing party and Black Republicans
have fused and will support the same ticket. The
writer says the union of the two parties is “very
cordial, and is not likely to be disturbed by auy
dangerous bolting.” “ The action of the Ameri
cans in Congress who came up so manfully to sus
tain the Republican opposition to Lecompton, has ,
had the happiesteffort on public sentiment here, and
gone far toward cementing a union which now
shows evrery indication of being a lasting one. I
learn from various portions of New Jersey that a
similar feeling of fraternity is growing up there
also. Clawson and Robbins, both members of the
House Trom that State, are both Americans, and
, throughout the whole Kansas contest they have
uniformly given to the Republican cause a firm
support. It is evident that old asperities are dy
-3 ing oat, and a new feeling of cordial co-operation
h taking its place.” _
I 53T” Dr. Irving, of Charleston, is writing the r
life of Col. ILvmi*ton. . j
Mr. Jonathan Bryan, an old and highly J
esteemed citizen of Charleston, died in that city, t
on Thursday last, aged about eighty three years. 1
23F Messrs. John Cothran and F. E. Fraser J
have been elected Directors of the Farmers’ and r
Exchange Bank of Charleston, to supply former i
vacancies in the Board. c
The Senatorial branch of the Pennsylvania a
legislature, on the 23d inst., by a vote of eighteen 1
to eleven, passed resolutions in favor of the admis- (
sion of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution.
Only one Democrat voted in opposition to the reso
lutions. If Mr. Crittenden, of Kentucky, and i
several of the Know Nothing members of Congress *
from the South had been allowed votes in the |
Pennsylvania Senate, 44 the friends of free Kansas” <
would have triumphed. t
Southern Bank at Bainbridge.—The Albany
Patriot flays: “ A private letter says Dr. McEl- (
vekn is out of the Southern Bank, and its best (
friends have forsaken it. Its bills will not pass at
all. fm sold.”
Mayor Tradewell, of Columbia, S. C., has i
designated and appointed Thursday, 25th inst., as
a special day of thanksgiving and prayer in that
city.
It is reported that the peach buds in northern
Ohio are injured beyond remedy.
The Governor of New Hampshire bras appointed
Thursday, the Bth of April, as a day of fasting and
prayer in that State.
Rejected. —The Executive Council of Massachu
setts has rejected the nomination by Gov. Banks of
Marcus Morton, jr., for Judge of the Superior
Court of Boston, by a vote of five to four. There
does not seem to be entire harmony in the Gover
nor’s family. _
Prisoners in the Penitentiary. —The Peniten
tiary of Virginia, on the 12th instant, contained
more prisoners than ever before inhabited its
gloomy precincts. The cells are closely filled,
(from two to four probably in each,) and still they
come!—what a commentary on the times !
The number of white persons .240
*• u free negroes 97
“ ** slaves to be sold and transp'd. 4
(communicated.)
Screven House, Savannah.
A genteel, comfortable, cozy little hotel is the
Screven House. Having recently spent some
days under its sheltering roof, and luxuriated
upon its well cooked fare, I feel prompted to speak
its praises for the benefit of the public.
The Screven House is pleasautly located, front
ing the Pulaski Monument and square, diagonally
from the Pulaski House, and very convenient to
the banks, wharves, custom house and post office.
It is a new establishment, and everything is fitted
up in the most genteel style—handsome furniture,
neat parlors, nice beds, and all the modern im
provements. The servants are politeand attentrke,
the table is spread with all the delicacies of the
season and the choicest supplies of the market,
and to crown all, it has as the presiding genius of
the establishment a trump of a landlord in Mr. J.
B. Foley. Mr. Foley is assisted by his brother,
and together they make a strong team.
The growing population and trade of Savannah
are geting ahead of its hotel facilities, and the
: Screven House comes in opportunely to supply a
public want. Agricola.
St. Louis, March 24. —J. H. Lane publishes a
' card, replying to Denver’s proclamation, denounc
‘ I ing the latter as a tit appointee of an oligarchial
1 administration which disgraces the nation.
Removal of Judge Lonng.
Governor Banks, of Massachusetts, upon an ad
dress of both Houses of the legislature of that
State, which was passed bj a strictly party vote—
Democrats voting against, and Republicans for it
—has removed Edward G. Lorixo from the office
of Judge of Probate of the county of Suffolk, in
which the city of Bostou is included.
Judge Losing was appointed in 1839, by the Cir
cuit Court for the district of Massachusetts, a Com
missioner of the United States under the laws of
Congress authorising the Circuit Courts to appoint
such officers, to take bail, affidavits, and perform
other business connected with judicial proceed
ings. The fugitive slave law of 1854 devolved
upon these officers of the Circuit Courts, certain
duties in relation to the arrest, examination and
rendition of fugitive slaves, and as one of them,
Judge Lorixo, in 1854, was called upon to act in
the case of Anthony Burns. The excitement
produced by the amst of this fugitive—the inci
dents of his trial—the stubbornness with which his
extradition was resisted—the imposing demon
stration cf force which the Government was com
pelled to make, in crder to carry out the order
which delivered him to his owner—the firmness
and impartiality with which the United States Com
missioner performed his doty, despite the efforts
whies were made to intimidate him, and the indig
nation which his decision excited against him,
in Massachusetts—these things arc yet fresh in the
recollection ot our readers, and they will at once
connect the recent decapitation of Judge Lorixg
with his conduct in the Anthony Burns case. The
ultra Freesoil and Abolition party of Massachusetts
never have forgiven him for daring to do his duty
in that case, and never hare ceased to pursue him
with a bitter and unrelenting hate.
In 1854, they succeeded in defeating the confir
mation of his appointment as a professor in the
Law School of Harvard University. In 1855, they
secured an address from both branches of tbe leg
islature, to the Governor, requesting his removal
from the office of Probate Judge of Suffolk coun
ty, to which he had been appointed in 1847. When
Gov. Gardner refused to comply with this re
quest, they procured the insertion of a provision
in the celebrated Personal-Liberty Bill, adopted
in 1555, that no Judge should hold the office
of United States Commissioner, and when Judge
Lorixg refused to obey this law and resign his
office of Judge or of Commissioner, they secured
another address for his removal, w’hich was disre
garded. and finally'another upon which Governor
Banks has removed him. No misconduct or mal
administration in office was urged against him—
no reason for his removal was stated in the ad
dress of the legislature requesting it. His only of
fence was that as a United States Commissioner, he
had done his duty, in the execution of the fugitive
slave law. For this he had incurred the displeasure
of the higher law faction, which holds the balance
of political power iu Massachusetts—that faction
demanded his removal—the legislature yielded—
Governor Banks yielded, and thus this gross out
rage upon the independence of the judiciary has
been consummated.
Gov. Banks was a formidable aspirant for the
Black Republican nomination in 1860 for the Pres
idency; but he is not now. The blow which de
capitated Judge Lorixg will recoil with terrible
effect upon him, and he will find (hat the removal
of that officer was a blunder from which he will
never recover. He seems to have had some doubt
of the policy of the measure, and in his message
to the legislature, as will be seen from the follow
ing extract from that document, he attempts to re
lieve hitnself of some of the odium attaching to it,
by basing his action upon the constitutionality of
the law prohibiting Judges from holding the of
fice of United States Commissioner, afld expressly
declaring that he has not been influenced in it by
any act or opinion of Judga Lorixo :
“The principle of incompatibility of offices is fuffy
recognised in the Constitution ana in the legislative
acts of the Commonwealth, and having been em
bodied in the act of 1855, to which I have referred,
the people of the sfiite have thought it proper that
it should be observed. The Judge of Probate for
the county of Suffolk, entertaining a different view
of his rights and duties to the g> vet nment and peo
ple, has neglected to comply with the provisions of
the statute. Different legislatures have, by ad
dress to the Executive branch of the government,
requested his removal from an office which he thus
held in con trim*-it ion of law, and without signal
effort for its modification or repeal; as often as the
legislature has requested his removal, he bus re
asserted his purpose and position, conscientiously,
I have no doubt, and firmly, in language which* I
cannot interpret otherwise tli in manifesting a fix
ed resolution to disregar 1, and in effect to nullify,
a statute provision of the Commonwealth.
“For this reason -no official opinion of his enter
ing into my consideration of the question, and no
official act constituting an element in the judgment
I have formed —upon address of both houses of the
legislature constitutionally presented, and with
consent of the council, I have removed Edward
Greely Loring from the office of Judge of Probate
for the county of Suffolk.”
The Governor has deceived himself if he supposes
that behind this declaration of the reason influen
c:ng him to remove Judge Luring, he can screen
himself, or conceal the real character of the act.
It was au unwise and unworthy act of political pro
scription—the more unworthy because reluctantly
accomplished under the dictation of a faction. This
is the view taken of it by many of the leading
organs of the party with which Gov. Banks is con
nected.
The New York Tutus, commenting upon it aavs:
“ This act of Gov. Hanks is the grossest attack
upon the independence of the judiciary ever wit
nessed in the Uni led States. It will long maintain,
as we trust, its bad emiueoce.”
The Courier & Enquirer says :
“The removal of Judge Lonng is much to be
deplored, both for its effect upon Massachusetts,
and upon tne country generally, for the movement
for the removal has from the beginning been ani
mated by a vindictive, venomous spirit”
The Evening Post does not disapprove, but
shows that it does not approve, by complaining
that the act was forced upon the Governor:
“The policy of the removal may he matter of
doubt. It is certain that the question has been
forced upon the present administration by the ene
mies of the Republican party. The party was
willing (we have the authority of the Boston Daily
Advertiser for the assertion) to let the question lie
aside.”
The Final Vote m the Senate.
We find in some of our exchanges some addi
tional particulars of the proceedings in the Senate
on the passage of the Kansas bill, which we insert
below.
After considerable debate the Senate withdrew
the Minnesota bill altogether.
In the Kansas bill three amendments were mov
ed—first, to strike out the preamble, and inserting
that tne people of Kansas did form a Consiitu ion,
etc.—which was carried. Second’}*, that the Con
stitution should not be construed to abridge or
infringe any right of people, asserted in the Kan
sas Constitution, at all times to alter, reform, or
abolish their form of government^tc. —agreed to,
years thirty-one, nays twenty-three. Thirdly, a
technical verbal alteration—carried.
Mr. Pugh withdrew his amendment of March
2d to Mr. Green’s amendment, and offered a sub
stitute, extending Federal laws into the State of
Kansas, providing for the formation of Federal
districts, and the appointment of Federal officers ;
this was agreed to by thirty-seven against nine
teen.
Mr. Crittenden moved a substitute providing for
the submission o: the Lecompton Constitution to
the people of Kansas. Several personal explana
tions, and vo;e ensued. Lost by twenty-four yeas
against thirty-four nays. The bill, as amended, to
admit Kansas with the Lecompton Constitution
theu passed, yeas thirty-three, nays twenty-five.
Nays—Mes-rs. H U, Broderick, Cbandl r, Clark,
Collatner. Crittenden, Dixon, Doolittle, Douglas,
Durkee, Fessenden, Foote, Foster, Hill, Hamlin,
Kmg. Pugh, Seward. Simmons, Stewart,
Sumner, Trumbull, Wade, Wilson. Aosent.es,
Hates and Davis—Reid paired off with Cameron ;
the announcement of the result was received with
applause and hisses. Adjourned.
The Savannah Republican and the Le
comptou Constitution.
We have watched with much interest the course
l f this leading organ of the American party ot Geor
gia upon the Kansas question, and have admired the
boldness which it has exhibited, in declaring, as
it has repeatedly, that President Buchanan upon
this question was right, and entitled to the support
of all true southern men. When the Lecomptoo
Constitution was first adopted it pronounced in
favor of its acceptance by Congress. When that
Constitution was transmitted to Congress, with a
special message by the President of the United
States, urging the admission of Kansas into the
Union under it, the Republican deprecated the
action of the House in adopting the resolution of
Mr. Harris, of Illinois, refering them to a special
committee of fifteen. Alluding, in its issue of the
9th of February, to the proceedings of the two
Houses, when the special message of the President
was presented, it said:
“ The Senate boldly marched up to its patriotic
dutv and referred the President’s Kansas message
to the Committed on Territories, wffiere, we pre
sume, it will receive prompt attention and an
early report.
“Would that we could say as much for the House.
They have incurred a fearful responsibility by their
course on this question. There is not a good man
in the land who does not see the fearful necessity
of an immediate settlement of the Kansas trouble,
and yet our rulers seem determined to keep it
open until some dreadful consummation shall have
come upon us. Is there no way of geliug rid of the
political harpies that are preying upou the peace
and quiet of the country?”
In a recent issue, it employed the following de
cided language in reiterating its opinion in favor
of the admission of Kansas, and against those who
were attempting to delay or to defeat it:
“ We have maintained all along that the act of
admission would give peace both to Kansas aud
the country, and that the whole controversy was
a stench in the nostrils of everybody but the poli
ticians, who kept up the excitementfor their own
benefit and for the want of other capital to trade
upon.”
We might multiply extracts from the columns r
of our coutemporary, but these will suffice to show t
that it has occupied no equivocal position upon this c
subject, but has decidedly approved the admission - Q
of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution, and c
boldly denounced the opposition to that measure t
as factious and unprincipled. We applaud the j
course it has pursued, but we must regret that en- J
ter taming the view which it does of “the fearful r
necessity of an immediate settlement of the Kan- r
sas trouble,” and enlightened as it has been by re- v
cent events, of the strange elements which are com- f
bined in opposition to the Democratic party to de- 1
feat its settlement, It has not been a little more t
pointed in its denunciation of the opponents of the a
bill, for the admission of Kansas. Who are they a
who have “incurred a fearful responsibility” by |
their course upon this Kansas question ? Who t
are they who “seem determined to keep it open a
until some dreadful consummation shall have 1
come upon us V' Who are the “political harpies [
that are preying upon thp peace and quiet of the 5
country” and upon this question “ keeping up <
the excitement for their own benefit and for the (
want of other capital to trade upon?” Who are \
these factious and unprincipled opponents of the
Kansas bill, who are denounced in these general 1
terms by our contemporary of the Republican t 1
Among them are included one-half of the ReDre- (
seniatives of the American party in Congress from «
the southern States. In the Senate, Mr. Crittex- <
dks, the foremost man of the party, has thrown !
the weight of his great influence and abilities in 1
the scale, against the Lecompton Constitution—
the Democratic party, and the South. In the «
House, six southern Americans, in the language 1
of the New York Tribune, “ stand for free ;
Kansas,” and with Black Republicans, and i
renegade northern Democrats, oppose its ad- :
mission under the Lecompton Constitution. By
their defection the South has lost the moral pres- ;
tige of an undivided front upon this question—its
enemies have been encouraged—its northern sup
porters have been disheartened, and the passage
of the Kansas bill has bfeen seriously endangered. '
If it is ultimately lost in the House of Represents- ,
tives, the responsibility will rest upon these repre
sentatives of the American party of the South.-
The Republican is aware of all these facts, and yet '
it contents itself with a general denunciation of the
opposition arrayed against the Kansas bill, with
out a single reference to the Southern American el- i
cmeut in that opposition.
Some of our American contemporaries of this !
State have exhibited a disposition to avail them
selves of any pretext which may be presented, to 1
countenance opposition to the bill for the admis
sion of Kansas into the Union. The Republican ,
as we have shown, is not in this category, and we
did expect that its voice at least, would be raised in
denunciation of the southern American opponents
of that bill who have entered into a coalition with
Black Republicans and renegade northern Demo
erts, to defeat the Administration in the struggle
which it is making to sustain the rights of their
section and give peace to the country, by the settle
ment of the Kansas question.
A Card from Mr. Everett.
Mr. Everett, whilst in Richmond on Monday
last, en route for Lexington and Lynchburg, Va.,
where he had been iuvited to deliver his “ Wash
ington Oration,” received letters announcing the
serious illness of his wife, and started upon his
return to Boston on Tuesday. We learn these facts
from the Richmond Enquirer , in which we also
rind the following card from Mr. Everett, an
nouncing that he is compelled to postpone the ful
filment of the engagements which he has made
throughout the South:
The undersigned, in consequence of unfavora
ble news from his family, requiring his return
home, finds himself compelled to postpone, for
the present, the fulfilment of numerous engage
ments to repeat his address on the “character of
Washington,” in the progress of his southern
tour. Tnese engagements he will not fail to keep,
as soon as it shall ue in his power to do so. lie
respectfully requests the various public bodies, in
stitutions, and committees, at whose invitation
they were formed, to receive the above statement
in lieu of a separate communication, which he is
unable at this time to address them individually.
Edward Everett.
Richmond, 21st March, 1658.
Tub Right Talk.— A straight out writer gives
the following advice to those young men who “de
pend on father” for their support, and take no in
terest whatever in business, but are regular drones
in the hive, subsisting on that which is earned by
others:
tjotne, off with your coals, clinch the saw, the
plow handles, the axe, the pickaxe, spade—any
thing that win enable y«»u to stir your blood! Fly
around and tear your jacket, rather than be passive
■ recipients of the old man’s bounty ! Sooner than
play the dandy at dad’s expense, hire yourself out
’ to some potato patch—let yourself to stop hog
holes or watch the bars; and when you think your
i self entitled to a resting spell, do it on your own
. hook. Get up in the morning —help the old gen
s tleman—turn round at least twice before breakfast
l —give him now and then a geuerous lift in busi
; ness—learn how to take the lead, and not depend
! forever on being led; and you have no idea how
the discipline will benefit you. Do this, and our
r word for it, you will seem to breathe a new atmos
, phere, possess» a new frame, tread a new earth,
. wake to a new destiny—and you may then begin to
5 aspire to manhood. Take off, then, that ring from
> your little finger, break your cane, shave your up
i per lip, wipe your nose, hold up your head, and by
all means never again eat the bread of idleness,
t nor depend on father.
. Motions have been made before the Coart of
> Common Pleas, in t*uwrence, Mass., to expel from
! the Essex bar two of its members—one for mal
i practice and one for perjury. The District Attor
ney conducts the case for the bar.
The Gas Question.
The papers in several of the cities of the country
have, for some months past, been enlightening their
readers upon the gross impositions practised on
the community of gas consumers by the manufac
turers of gas, and the deceptive
The coDfiict of words has been warm ; certificates
have been abundant; and rival manufacturers of
metres, as well as rival gas companies, have been
prominent in the contest.
As dispassionate a communication, on the sub
jects involved, as has met our eye, is the following
from John U. Cresson, the engineer of the Phila
delphia Gas Works, which we find in a recent
number of the Philadelphia Ledger :
Office Philadelphia Gas Works, f
March 18th, 1858. (
Mr. Editor '. Will you allow me space for some
remarks upon a subject of interest to housekeepers
and others, which is just now exciting much pub
lic attention ? I allude to the complaints against
gas meters that pervade the public prints, very
much in the manner of an epidemic.
The prevailing condemnation of these useful in
struments had its recent origin in the revelations
of a meter maker in New York, who seems to have
a desire to atone for his previous dishonest prac
tices by a public confession of them.
Whether frauds he owns to are real or imagina
ry is unknown to me, as the Philadelphia Gas
Works have never had any dealings with him ;
they having, with extreme caution, refused to buy
meters from any manufacturers whose works could
not by shown to be accurate and reliable. As it
was naturally to be expected that doubts and sus
picions would occasionally arise with respect to
the correctness of the measurement of gas by the
meters, precautions were taken at an early period
in the history of these works to ascertain and es
tablish by char evidence the proper accuracy of
every meter before putting it in use. This wss
accomplished by instituting a system of minute ex
amination and actual trial of each meter by compe
tent workmen, carefully instructed to the exact
and consciencious discharge of their duties, who
should record in books prepared for the purpose
the results of all these trials.
These records are preserved at the gas works,
and show the character of each meter that has
been proved during *the past fourteen years,
amounting to more than fifteen thousand. The
rule of proof is to reject every meter that varies in
the slightest degree from the prescribed limits of
correct measurement, and the records will show
that the average deviation of the whole uumber
accepted for use is within a very minute fraction
of absolute accuracy. Any one who has a compe
tent knowledge of the ga6*metre, must know that,
if properly made, and kept in its proper condition,
it cannot by any possibility record more gas than
has actually passed through it, as it derives all its
movemeut from the How of the gas, and ceases to
record the moment the gas ceases to pass, so that
errors of record in this direction can arise only
from dishonest construction oi Uie meter, or its
improper management.
The former of these causes of error is believed
to be effectually avoided by the system of proof
adopted at these works; and as a precaution
against the latter cause of error, all the meters in 1
use are examined and tested at frequent intervals «
by the inspectors, who are carefully trained to ,
their duties, and instructed to keep them as nearly
as possible in the proper condition for correct !
measurement of the gas. Now, is it claiming too
much for these officers, who, from the highest to
the lowest, have not the slightest motive from per- 1
soual interest to inflict a wrong upon their fellow
citizens, to ask that their statements, carefully re- 1
corded in writing, should be received with reason- 1
able confidence, at least until they are proved to !
be erroneous ?
Butj the inquiry naturally arises, how can it
happen, if the meters are so correct, that com
plaints arc so frequently made of the irregularity
of the amount of gas bills. This inquiry has en
gaged the attention of the officers of the gas
works for many years, who, with an earnest desire
of ascertaining the truth, have patiently investi
gated the subject. The results of these investi
gations allow that the complaints arise from va
rious different causes.
The number of gas bills issued from the offices
of the Philadelphia Gas Works is over eight thou
sand per month, or about one hundred thousand a
year. With respect to the greater part of these,
say about ninety-eight per cent., there is no com
plaint, nor, as is believed, is there “any just cause
for complaiut.
Os the complaints made, some are found to be
without any reasonable cause, having their origin
in the peculiar disposition of the individual.
Many of them, however, arise from real causes,
which are of various kinds. Some cases are iso
lated, others are common to particular localities,
or particular seasons of the year. For example,
the bills rendered in February, March and April,
are usually the heaviest of the year, and give rise
to the most frequent dissatisfaction to persons
-who, on the approach of spring, forget the length
of midwinter evenings. 4g u >n. a dull busi
ness season, many stores and factories cease to
light up at night, aud the diminished draught on
the local mains causes an increase of local pres
sure, whereby the gas bills of the immediate
neighborhood"arc unexpectedly augmented. Both
of these causes are now most actively operative,
and their remedy is out of reach of the gas works,
which cannot control either the seasons or the
owners of tall stores and factories. An effectual
remedy for the latter ca*e is, however, within the
control of the gas consumer, who can keep down
his bills by diminishing the pressure in his own
fittings. Many persons do this by partially turn
ing off the stop-cock at the meter, and others ac
complish it more effectually and permanently by
having the stop in the street turned partly off,
which is done by a workman from the gas office,
whenever requested by the consumer.
The latter mode is preferable, as it is not subject
to change by the meter inspector, whose opera
tions require him to turn the stop at the meter,
who cannot always restore it to the desired posi
tion, though his instructions are to do so us nearly
as practicable.
The effect of lighting up a lofty building is to
check greatly the flow of gas into adjacent houses
of less elevation, in the same manner as a hydrant
let run in the yurd of a house will stop the supply
of water to the bath room, in an upper story. The
tendency of gas being to flow out of the highest
opening", as that of water is to issue at the lowest.
The isolated cases are of two kinds, one in which
there is a sudden increase in a particular bill, and
the other showing a gradual ana continued increase
during many months, or even years.
The former sometimes arises from an additional
number of burners, whose existence is forgotten ;
sometimes from an unknown use of light by a
member of the family, sometimes from an undis
covered leakage of the fitting, and occasionally
from an error in taking the state of the meter at
that or the previous quarter. The latter cases are
easily disposed of by a correction of the bill as
soon as the error is discovered, but they are of rare
occurrence—their average being less than one in a
thousand.
The cases of gradual and continued increase of
the bills generally Hse from the gradual enlarge
ment of ihe burners, either designedly, or by the
chemical and mcchauical action of the burning
fas. The increased consumption of gas thus pro
uced is not usually accompanied by a correspond
ing increase of light, and the small additional
light obtained is generally unheeded, probably on
the same physical principle that makes persons
unconscious of the increased craving for and use
of most artificial indulgences.
The proper remedy for these cases is the remov
al of the old burners, and substitution of new
ones, of tl*p proper size. In doing this, it will be
most prudent to obtain them from some establish
ed gas fitter, and not from itinerants, who haunt
the houses cf citizens, to delude them by spacious
promises of great saving from buying their burn
ers and their advice. In dealing with these peo
ple the citizen is almost sure of being deceived,
without chance of remedy.
The general regularity of the record of the me
ters in this citv, in cases where the circumstances
undef which they are used are unchanged, becomes
very evident on examining the office registry of
the bills for successive years. Two series of these
records for different localities, not affected by the
vicinity of large stores or factories, show the fol
lowing results: Twenty bills, taken indiscrimi
nately, of houses in the Thirteenth Ward, amount
ed, in March, 1857, to $242 15, and in March, 185 S,
to $229 .58, the difference sl2 62, being five per
cent, less this year than last. Twenty bills taken
in like manner, in the Eighth and Ninth Wards,
i amounted, in March, 1857, to S3OB 75, and in
March, 1858, to S3BB 07: the difference being six
ty-eight cents, or less than one-fifth of one per
cent. John C. Ckesson, Engineer P. G. W.
New York, March 23.— The Tt'ibune has advices
from Utah to January 3d. The November mail,
f or that portion of it not plundered by the Mormons,
, reached Camp .Scott after a passage of eighty-eight
days. It was strongly saspected there were trai
tors m the camp.
The troops were amusing themselves with the
atrical entertainments.
The Purchase of Mount Vernon.
Tire following bill amending the act incorpo
rating the Mopnt Vernon Ladies’ Association of
the Union, has unanimously passed both Houses
of the General Assembly of Virgiaia:
Be it enacted, dbc., That the act entitled an act to
incorporate the Mouut Vernon Ladies’ Association
of the Union, and to authorise the purchase of a
part of Mount Vernon, passed March 17th, 1856,
be amended and re-enacted, so as to read as fol
lows :
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the
Uniou, as heretofore organised, shall be, and they
are hereby, constituted a body politic and corpo
rate, uuder the name and style of “ The Mount
Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union,” and by
this name shall be subject to all the rights, powers,
privileges, and immunities prescribed by existing
laws, in so far as the same are applicable to like
corporations, and not inconsistent with this act.
2. It shall be lawful for said Mount Vernon La
dies’ Association of the Union to purchase, hold
and improve two hundred acres of Mount Vernon,
including the late mansion, as well as the tomb of
George Washington, together with the garden,
grounds and wharf and landing now constructed
on the Potomac river; and to this end they may
receive from the owner and proprietor of the said
land a deed in fee simple, and shall have and exer
cise full power over the use and management of
the same, as they may by bye-laws, and rules de
clare; provided, however, that the said Mount
Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union shall not
have power to alien the said land, or any part
thereof; or to create a charge thereon, or to lease
the same, without the consent of the General As
sembly of Virginia, first had and obtained.
3. The capital stock of the said Mount Vernon
Ladies’ Association of the Union shall not, inclod
ing the two hundred acres of land aforesaid, ex
ceed the sum of five hundred thousand dollars.
The said Association in contracting with the pro
prietor of Mount Vernon for the purchase of the
same, may covenant with him, so as to reserve to
him the right to inter the remains of such persons
whose remains are in the vault at Mount Vernon,
as are not now interred, und to place the said vault
in such a secure and permanent condition as he
shall see fit, and to enclose the same so as not to
include more than a half acre of land; and the
said vault, the remains in and around it, and the
enclosure, shall never be removed nor disturbed ;
nor shall any other person hereafter ever be inter
red or entombed within the said vault or enclo
sure.
4. The said property herein authorised to be pur
chased by the said Mount Vernon Ladies’ Associa
tion of the Union, shall be forever held by it, sa
cred to the Father of his Country; and, if from
any cause the said Association shall cease to exist,
the property owned by the said Association shall
revert to the Commonwealth of Virginia, sacred
to the purposes for which it was originally pur
chased.
5. This act shall be in force from its passage.
Signs of Business in the Manufacturing Dis
tricts.— R&luction of Wages and Hands Paid off
Daily. —Pawtucket, formerly one Qf the most
flourishing manufacturing towns in New Eng
land, which has been at a complete stand still
ever since the commencement of the panic, is now
moving again. The Chronicle, of the 20th instant,
says:
“ We are reall to be .able to announce that
there is a glcain ot sunshine for our manufacturers
and other busines men. We understand that
twenty thousand pieces of print cloths, sixty by
Bi.\t*-t'our, were sold to one party in Providence,
on Wednesday last, at five cents —the first sale of
any importance by any of our manufacturers for
about six months.”
That paper continues:
** The Company are rim
ing about tw« thirds of their machinery full time,
and give employment to a large number of bands
who have had little or nothing to do since last
September. Greene <fc Daniels, thread manufac
turers, are runing both of their mills on full time.
Dexter Brothers have their entire machinery in
full operation, and have had for some time past.
Wood & Adams, at Central Falls, have as many
orders for threads and warps as ihey can attend
to. All the cloth mills at Central and Valley Falls,
with one exception, are again in operation. S. Fi
field A Co., will start their furnace on stove work,
on the first day of April next, and employ steadilv
thirty hands. We understand that this firm will
start with a slight reduction in wages from those
formerly paid, and as an offset thereto, will pay
each hand daily, at the close of work, for the next
two months. This plan, coupled with the great
reduction in price of the necessar'es of life, will be
as favorable to the employees as the terms on
which they formerly worked. As spring opens,
business men, generally, wear a more smiling as
pect and look more hopeful.”
Georgia Military Institute.— The Marietta Ad
locate of the 18th inst. says:
We understand that Gov. Brown, during his
visit to Murietta the present week closed the pur
chase of the Georgia Military Institute, in com
pliance with an act passed by the last legislature
for that purpose. The transfer to the State has
not been made sooner owing to a disputed title to
one of the lots of land included in the property.
This having been settled at the present Court,
there was no longer an obstacle to the change of
ownership, and the Institute will be henceforth
under State management. It is uow in a flourish
ing condition, numbering between one hundred
and twenly-five, and one hundred and fifty cadets,
and under State management has every prospect
for increased success and extended usefulness.
The Oil Trade. —The New Bedford Mercury , in
an article on the prices of oil, remarks:
“Os the cargoes to be received at this port the
present season, we are within bounds in stating that
fully one-half of them will at present prices be at
tended with loss to the importers, while the ag
gregate, on an average, will scarcely renumer
ate the actual expense of importation."
The Race Between the Baltic and Diana.
The announcement which we made yesterday in
reference to the anticipated race between the two
rival steamers, Baltic and Diana, from New Or
leans to Louisville, created considerable excite
ment among our citizens, and large crowds were
attracted to the bluff and levee when it was an
nounced that the Baltic was in sight. She breast
ed the rising tide of the Mississippi opposite onr
city at twenty minutes to three o’clock, and, with
out landing, was soon lost in the distance beyond
Baddy’s Hen and Chickens. She was preceded
here by the Antelope, which had taken her passen
geis for this city at the foot of President’s island.
The Baltic left New Orleans at five o’clock on Sat
urday evening, and was consequently two days
twenty-one hours and forty minutes thence to this
port. The Diana reached the same point opposite
this city at precisely four o’clock and twenty
minutes, which placed her one hour aud forty
minutes behind the Baltic.
The two steamers were together on Monday
night for a distance of fifty miles, and kept so
closely together much of the time that the com
manders were enabled to exchange salutations.
Early yesterday morning, however, the Diana was
compelled to take wood, and the£Jaltic left her far
in the rear. When the Baltic passed this city her
fuel was nearly exhausted, while the Diana ap
peared to be pretty well supplied. The latter boat,
however, stopped at the mouth of Wolf river and
took a coal boat in tow. The advantage which the
Diana possessed in a good supply of fuel, may en
able her to overcome tne start which the Baltic had
gained when the two boats passed this port, al
though we still adhere to the position to give odds
against the Diana.
The time made by the Baltic to this port is with
in a fraction of that made by the Eclipse and Shot
well, in their memorable race, but not so good as
that made by the White during her trial trip to
St. Louis. —Memphis Avalanche , March 24.
Epidemic at the University of Virginia. —An
epidemic disease, partaking of the character of ty
phoid, is prevailing among the students at the
University of Virginia at Charlottesville. A large
number had been attacked, several had died, and
the atudents were fast returning home in alarm.
The Board of Visitors were, at the last advices, de
liberating upon the propriety of suspending the
collegiate exercises. The disease is supposed to
have originated from the confined and illy ventila
ted dormitories in which the students sleep, and
which have been unusually crowded, in conse
quence of the large number in attendance this win
ter. The subject has already been brought before
the Virginia legislature, and" an appropriation of
twenty-five thousand dollars is proposed to pro
vide for the enlargement and improvement of the
dormitories.— Washington Star, March 22.
New Orleans, March 23.— Advices from Texas
state that several citizens of Webb county have
been seized and imprisuned by the Mexicans, and
tbeir release demanded by Capt. Brackett. The citi
zens of Webb county held a meeting for the pur
pose of denouncing this and other Mexican out
rages.