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About Weekly constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 185?-1877 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1867)
~ . 11 '« i m ■ i - tUcchln Constitutionalist. BY STOCKTON & CO. OUR TERMS. following fin'f 1 the rates of Subscription ami A<!- v> .flung in the CojsshtCtionalist : WwKKLY -3 Month* 4 70 C Morttli* 1 00 i From the Gloucester Tvk-graph.*' , TJnfulfillftd. by iiikam wen. i. Our little table is spread for * wo: "With quaint old china, gold .and.blue. Weird things are wrought on the homely wall?, Ah the conjuring fire-light climbs and falls. hi the corner my ready sea-chest stands, .Filled to the brim by the busiest hands. Wife mirror* her face in the silver tongs: • 2 think of the morrow’s rude sea-songs. “I have pictures,love,” she says, “that gleam, From a troubled easel—last night’s dream. A ship ashore on a eniM reef, And a woman wringing Iter, hands in grief. Bbe kneels in prayer: a whirling Wheel Grows-out of the dead ship’s plank and keel. Bbe stands in tliq.spinuer’s toiling place, Till the rose in lnr cheek hath lost its grace. Tier lessening forpi is changed to wool, Yet the hungering spindle ne’er is full. A weed-grown raft kuops company With a-vueant boat on a eafllcss sea.” How apt is woman’* thought to build, * Where a varying dYeam may darken or gild ! V- Life dies ; my last sea voyage is done; Or wind, or calm, to me ’tis one. « Tea things are set for a golden few ; Again our china, quaint and blue. The conjuring homo light climbs and crawls O’er dainty laces and India shawls. Wife minors her face in the silver tongs ; 1 think of yesterday’s glad sea-songs. “Tell, love, I pray, of the ship on the reef, And the woman wringing her hands ill grief. Os the spinner-whose white arms changed to wool, 4.nd the hungering spindle that ne’er grew full.” • Them are tears imprisoned within her eyes, Which are loosened soon, as her voice replies— '* Womm will dream and man will build, And each will have prophecies unfulfilled.” One by One. They rap gathering homeward from every land, One by one, Ah tlieir Weary feet touch the shining strand, One by one, Their brows are Dound with a golden crown ; Their travel-stained garments are all laid down, And clothed in white raiment they rest on the mead, Where the lamb loveth his children-to lead, One by one. Before they rest they pass through strife, < Jna by one. I Th roufeh the waters of death they enter life, One by one. To some are the floods of the river still Ah they ford their way to the Heaven’y hill; To others the Waves run tiercely wild, Tot all reach the home of the undettled, One by one. We, too, slftdl come to that river side, ’ One by one, 'We are nearer its waters each eventide, One by one, We can hear the noise and the dash of the stream, Now and again, through our life's deep dream ; Sometimes the floods all its hanks o’er flow, Sometimes in ripples the small waves go, One by one. •Testis, Redeemer, we look to Thee, One by one; Wo lift up our voices tremblingly, One by out*. 'J he waves of the rivers are dark and cold, Wt know not the spot where our feet may hold : Thou who did’st trass through in dark midnight, Stregthon us, send us Thy start' aud thy light, One by one. Plant Thou Thy feet beside us as we tread, One by one; <hi Thee let'tis lean each drooping head, One by one. Let but Thy strong arms around us be twined, We shall east all our cares and fears to the wind; Saviour, Redeemer, he Thou In full view', Smilingly, gladsomely shall we pass through, One by one'. Annie’s Dead. Annie’s dead, Annie’s dead f In that sentence all is said, Lily form and rosy head, * Still a*> and cold, yet half divine: Through the light no longer shine Whence her gentle soul looked through It* clear essence, calmly true; Ah! the solemn inward view Those.inverted eyeballs cast. Ere her spirit heavenward passed 1 Annie’s dead 1 Annie’s dead, Annie’s dead ! . Bister angels, overhead, Have your greeting hands outspread, Let a welcome cry he given, As she treads the skirts of heaven; For a soul from earth more free, , Wore of your own parity, Never joined your company. Match her, ye of heavenly mold, Even thus, thus monal cold! Annie’s dead. Annie’s dead, Anr ie’s dead 1 Why should t his bo oversaid ? Why should I abase my bead i 1 who loved her from afar As the dreamer may the star.; I w!i‘ bowed ray humble eve, £ca*elv bold enough to sign, Ween she chanced to pass me by; Trembling lest a wool might stir The high calm that reigaed in her, ’ Annie’s dead 1 •Annie’s dead, Annie’s dead f But a gleam of light’bath sped Through death’s shadows close and dread. For wherever such as tlwkt Wandrest, must be sunshine now, leveller of some aery islo, Floating up to God the white; If I read aright that smile ; Hear aright my heart that saith. *. Shall I fall in love with death A’ Annie’s dead! fFrom the Norfolk Journal. Sonnet. BY SAMVEL SELDEX. Martyrs there nr?, who ne’er have brave it the stake, Like Crammer hailed with smiles the kindling lire. Like Ridley suna sweet hymns from blazing pyre, Or their blood dyed mountain, valaand lake. Offspring of no ® ne a S e or favored dime, Still throbs the dauntless spirit as of yore, That nerved Apostles to their deeds sublime, Or woke to song and prayer bleak hill and moor. There are no Calvin ys how. or dungeon’s drear, Yet in our own sweet homes are martyrs seen, TVho hold the truth and lead still lives of prayer; Palm crowned they walk unqnailing and serene, The world’s rude scoffs and taunts in silence boar, The shafts of ridicule though barbed and keen! It would seem cruel for Maggie Mitchell to appear in her "Littlo during the cold weather. It takes more money to run the Freedmeu’s Bureau than it did the Whole Government under Jefferson. THE DEAD ALIVE. # ' - ' * ’•>£s'’ *• • A ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE. ’ | The subjoined narrative, from Chambers' Journal , is stated to be translated from » foreign : newspaper. It is necessary to-.remind the. 1 reader that the island of Mauritius, appertain ing at this day to the English, was originally colonized,by the French, and that the popula tion yet consists in a great measure of persons of that patijon, to whom, by a formal treaty f between the powers concerned, their ancient i jsnvs rind usages were preserved without any material alterations. •Some time ago, the Sieur Olodomir Frenois, a rich merchant of the island, was found dead and frightfully disfigured in his own habitation. His body was'discovered lying-on the floor, with his head and face mutilated by means of a | pistol,.and all doubt as to the cause of the catastrophe was dispelled by the discovery of the fatal weapon by the side of the corpse, and also of a paper in the handwriting of the de ceased. This paper contained the following words : , lam ruined! A villain has robbed me of. ' twenty-live thousand livres sterling; dishonor must be my portion, and I cannot await or sur ; vive it. I leave to my wife the task of distri buting among my creditors the means which remain to us ; and I prat' that God, my friends, and my enemies, may pardon my self-destruc tion ! Yet in another minute, I shall by in eternity! Clodomir Frenois. Great was the consternation caused by this tragic event, which was the more unexpected, ras the loss alluded to in the note had never I been made public. The deceased had been held 1 in greyt esteem over the colony as a man of I strict honor and probity, and was universally lamynted. His attached widow, after endeavor ing faithfully to fulfil his last wishes, found her grief too overpowering to permit her to mingle longer with the world, and took the rc : solution of consecrating her remaining days to ! the services of religion. Two months after the i sad end of her husband she entered a convent, \ ; leaving to a nephew of her late merchant, a ; physician,- the charge of completing the dis tribution of the: effects of Frenois among his.l creditors. A minute examination of the papers of the defunct led to the discovery of the period at which the unfortunate merchant had been • robbed; and this period was to correspond j with the date of the disappearance of a man ! named John Moon, long in the employment of Frenois. Os this man, on whom suspicionnat- | Urally fell, nothing could be learned on inquiry ; but shortly after the division of the merchant’s i property, Moon reappeared iu the eolony. When taken up and examined respecting the cause of his flight, he stated that he had been I'sent by his master to France to recover certain sums due to the merchant there, in which mis j sion he had been unsuccessful ; and he further averred that if Ciodomir Frenois, in his e.xist i ing correspondence, had thrown any injurious I suspicions upon him (Moon) the whole was bn! a pretext to account for deficiencies of which the merchant hims'elf was the sole cause and author. This declaration, made by a man who seemed to fear no inquiry, and whose worldly circumstances remained to appearance the same as they had ever been, had the effect of silencing, if they did not satisfy, the exaramators ; and the affair soon fell, in a great measure, out of the public recollection. Things remained for a short time in this condi tion,when, one morning, Mr. Wm. Burnett, prin cipal creditor of the late Ciodomir Frenois, heard a knocking at his gate at a very early hour. He called up one of his servants, who went down and opened the door, and immediately returned with the intelligence that a stranger, who seem ed desirous of keeping his person concealed, wished to speak with Mr, Burnett in private. | Mr. Burnett rose, threw on bis dressing gown, i and descended to the parlor. He saw there a , stranger, a tall person, seated in an easy and ‘ familiar attitude upon a sofa, with a copy of the I Morning Post iu his hand. The back of the visitor was turned to Mr. Burnett as he enter led Rather surprised to see a stranger conduct himself so like an old friend of the house, Mr. i Burnett said aloud, “Sir, may 1 beg to know | your business with me ?” The stranger turned round and advanced to j .salute his host warmly and courteously. Mr. j Burnett suited back and uttered a loud excla mation of surprise and alarm. Well he might, for before him stood his old friend and debtor, Ciodomir, whom he himself had followed to the ; grave! What passed at that interview between Mr. Burnett and liis strange visitor remained for the time a secret. Mr. Burnett was observed to is sue several ti pale and agitated, from his dwelling, and to visit the magistrate charged with the criminal processes of the colony. In the course of that day, while John Moon was regaling himself with tea under the palm trees of his garden, in company with a Cireas sian female whom be had bought some time previously, he was arrested and taken to prison by the officers of justice. On the following day he was brought before the criminal court, accused of robbing the late Ciodomir Frenois, the crime being conjoined with breach of trust and violence. Moou smiled at the charge with all the confidence of a man who had nothing to fear. The judge having demanded of hi n if he confessed the crime, the accused replied that the charge was altogether absurd, that clear testimony was necessary to fix such a crime upon him ; and that, far from there being any such evidence producible, neither the widow of the deceased noratVy one person in his service, had ever heard the pretended robbery even once mentioned by Frenois during liis life. “Do you then affirm vonr innocence?” re peated the judge, gravely, after hearing all that the other had to say. “ I will avouch my innocence,” replied Moon, “ even before the body of my late master, if that be necessary.” [Such a thing often took {dace under the old colonial law.] " “John Moon,” said the judge, in a voice broken by some peculiar emotion, “ it is before your late master that you will have now to as sert your innocence; and may God make the truth appear!’’ , . A signal irorh the judge accompanied these j . words, and immediately a door opened and Clodomir Frenois, the stipposert suicide, enter ed the court. Tie advanced to the bar with a I slow and deliberate step, having liis eyes calmly hut sternly fixed on the prisoner, his servant. A great sensation was caused in the court bv liis appearance. Titering shrieks of alarm and horror, the females present fled from the spot. The accused fell on his knees in abject terror, and shtulderingly confessed his guilt. For a time no voice was heard bnt his. However, ns it became apparent that a living man stood be fore the conrt, the advocate for the prisoner gained courage to speak. lie demanded that the identity of the merchant be established, and the mystery of' his existence be explained. : He said that the court should not be biased by what might prove to be a mere accidental like ness between a man Bring aud one deceased ; and that such an avowal as that of the prisoner extracted in a moment of extraordinary terror, was not to be held of much weight. “ Before ■being admitted here as accuser of witness,” continued the advocate, addressing the resusci tated merchant, “ prove who and what you are, and disclose by what chance the tomb whieh so lately received jour body, mangled by bullets, has given up its tenant, and restored you to the world In life and health.” This firm appeal of the advocate, who eon tinned steadfast to his duty under circum stances that would have closed the lips 6f most men, called forfh the following narrative from Clodomir Fcnois: "My story may be soon AUGUSTA, (tA,, Wednesday, moening, febkuaey 20, iso?. tokl, and will suftico to establish my identity. When I discovered. the robbery committed by the accused, he had them lied from the island, aud I speedily saw that all attempts to retake him would prove fruitless. 1 saw ruin und disgrace before me, and came to the resolution of terminating my life "before the evil, day came. On the night on which this determiqa fipn Was formed', I was seated alone in my private chamber. 1 had written a letter which waa found on my table, and had loaded my pistol. This done, I prayed for forgiveness from my Maker for the act of despair I was about so commit. The end of the pistol was at my bead, and my finger on the lock, when a knock at the outer door of the house startled me. 1 concealed the weapon and went to Hie door. A man entered Whom I recognized to be the sexton of the parish in which I lived.— ITe bore a sack on his shoulders, and in it the body of a man newly buried, which was des tined for my neplmw, the physician, then living with me. The scarcity of bodies lor dissection, as the court is aware, compels those who are anxious to acquire skill in the mbtlical proles sion to procure them by any possible secret means. The sexton was at first alarmed at seeing me. ‘Did my nephew request you to bring this body ?’ said I. ‘No,’ replied the man ; ‘but I know his anxiety to obtain one for dissection, and took it upon me to come and otter him this body. For mercy’s salt con tinued the sexton, ‘do not betray me, sir, or 1 shall lose my situation, and my family’s bread.’ “ While the man was speaking, a strange idea entered my mind, and brought to my despair ing bosom hopes of continued life and recover ed honor. I stood for a few moments absorbed in thought, and then recollecting myself, 1 gave two pieces ot gold so the resurrectionist,, the sum which he had expected. Telling him to .keep his own away, and that ail would he well, 1 I sent him away -and carried the body to my cabinet. The whole of the household had pre viously been sent out of the way on purpose, ! and I had time to carry into execution the plan which had struck me. The body was luckily of the same, stature as myself, and like me in complexion. I Knew ihe man ; he had been a j poor offender abandoned by his family. 4 Poor relic of mortality’!’ said I, with tears in my • eyes, 1 nothing winch man can do .can -now in jure thee; yet pardon me if I rudely disfigure thy lifeless substance. It is to prevent the ruin of not one but twenty families. And should success attend my attempt, I swear that -thy children shall be my children; and when my own hour comes, we shall rest together in the j tomb to which thou shall be borne before me.” At this portion of the merchant’s narrative; ! the most lively interest was excited in the court, I and testified even by tears from many of the r audience. Frenois thus' proceeded : “ I then stripped oft my clothes and dressed ‘the body ; hi them. This accomplished, I took up the pistol, and with a hand more reluctant than when I had applied it to my own person, I fired it close to the head of the deceased, and at once caused such a disfigurement as rendered it im possible for the keenest eye to detect the sub- \ stitution which had been made. Choosing Use plainest habit I could get, I then dressed mysell anew, shaved off theVhiV kers which I was accustomed to wear, and took other means to alter and disguise my’ appear ; ance, in ease of being subjected by any acei- ! dent to the risk of being betrayed. Next morn ing saw me on board a French vessel on my | way to a distant land—the native country of; my ancestors. The expectations which led me j to the execution of this scheme were not dis- ! appointed. 1 -knew that John Moon, the man who robbed me, and who uow stands at the bar j of tins court, had formed connections in this i isl.rnd, which would in all probability bring him back to it as soon as the intelligence of my i death gave him the promise of security. In this ! * have not been disappointed. I have been ! equally fortunate in other respects. While my ; | unworthy servant remained here in imaginary i ; safety, I have been successful in discovering the | quarter in which, not daring at first 'to- betray j | here the appearance of wealth, lie had lodged i i the whole of the stolen money. I have brought ! i it with me, and also sufficient proofs, supposing • i his confessions of this day to be set aside alto"- ! j gether, to convict linn of the crime with which j I he Stands charged. “By the same means,” continued Ciodomir j i * I'euois, with a degree of honorable pride in i which all who heard him, sympathized, “ will I I ! he enabled to restore my family to their place j j. in society, and to redeem the credit, of a uarae j lon which ro blot was left by those who bore i ;it before me, and which, please God, I shall | transmit unstained to my children, and my ! ! children’s children.” John Moon, whose guilt was thus suddenly and spangly laid bare to. the world, did not retract the confession whiph lie had made in the extremity of his terror ; and, without sepa rating, the court sentenced him to confinement for life in the prison of the colony. The news of Ciodomir Frenois’ reappearance spread rapidly, and' the high esteem in which his character was held led to an universal re- i I juicing on the occasion. He was accompanied • from the court to his home by a dense multi j tude,who welcomed him with prolonged shouts. 1 Tt would be vain to attempt any description of i the feelings of the wife, who thus saw restored | to her the beloved being for whose sake she j had quitted the world. She was released from her ecclesiastical vows, and rejoined her lilts- i bandp no more to part till the grave really i , claimed the other of them as its due. A Horrible Tale.—A newspaper published at Colima, Mexico, tells the following frightful story, aud calls upon the public to punish the criminals’: When General Pueblita entered the town of Ayo, in September last, he exacted a forced loan from the people, and a portion of it fell upon the curate of the place. The curate acted as though he would’pay, but he did not make his appearance at the point designated for pay ment, aud General Pueblita ordered him to be arrested. A party of men went to his dwelling and knocked at the door; there Was no answer and they broke in. They found no one in the house, and were about to leave it, when they heard a frightful voice, proceeding from the ground, saying, "I’m hungry.’ The officer in command went Lack to Gen. Pueblita and to’u him about the voice. The General appointed a commission to examine the house. This commission went to the cu rate’s dwelling, and after a careful examination they found a movable stone in the floor, and under this was a stairway leading down to a vault, which was entirely dark, and had-no connection with the air save by the stairoese and a small hole that served as a ventilator. In this vault they discovered a few articles of fnr uitnre aud a woman who had - been shift up there tor eighteen years. She Was talrcu to General Paeblita’s quarters. When brought into the light, where die saw a number ol persons, she tainted. After she had returned to her .senses, a thousand ques tions were asked her, to whicJTshe replied that t s be a d been buried in that vault for eighteen 'years, without going ont for a moment, that she had been married and had children by her husband, but she know nothing of their late ; that wade imprisoned in the vault she had had ehi.dren by the curate, bnt she knew nothing o . hatl ! J< ' oome ° r these,children; and wow I ?? eh ,>ccame obstinate and silent. t>,, V!.Jr} 3 y aß t passing, a sergeant of the f )rcscnt » discovered that thts w oman was Ins mother,*and sfte recognized him as her son and embraced him. The son i then ran for the father, who came and recog - mzed Ims wife. The husband* fifteen years ago, was imprisoned three years under charge of murdering his wife, this woman. The followers of Stevens are ed Thadicals. A Model Country Souse—How a Frisch Magician Lives. 1 • A writer in the Journal des Debats gives an . . « • i . . " ' j entertaining account -of a recent visit to the country house pi Robert Iloudin, the famous ; “ prestidigitateur.’.’ Iloudin seems to have i shoiyii excellent taste in the selection of a site. His residence is on the left bank of the Loire, opposite the town of Blois. Novel applications of electricity 'aqd various ingenious devices have .been introduced by M. Iloudin. We : translate some interesting passages : AN AUTOMATIC DOOR. 1 An iion gate-way for Carriages gives access to j a long, winding avenue bordered with trees which make an arbor of it; a little door at the left is devoted to the use of pedestrians. This do’or-is ornamented with a little gilded knocker, above which is inscribed the nanie of the pro ! prietor, and below that of the property, which jis the old priory of the cathedral at Blois. You I see also the word “ knock.” The knocker, j when lifted, establishes an electric communica j tion, which, by means of a wire like that of the i telegraph, sounds a great clock-bell in the house j several hundred yards distant. The servant, j thus notified of an arrival, is not obliged to ; trudge this distance; he only twitches a-cord I which opens the door. This same string, still, i by menus of electricity, turns the plate on the , door, and substitutes the word “ enter” for the. j word “ knock.” The visitor pushes the door ! half open; if opened further it sounds a small bell which rings louder the further the door is pushed back, so that the inmates not only know : that the visitor has entered, but also can tell j pretty accurately whether he is alonetor accom ! panicckby others ; for a single caller does' not ; commonly trouble, himself to push the door , wide open. • M. Robert Iloudin and his wife have plenty . of time to prepare for the reception ot their visitors while they are coming up the "long, | shaded avenue'Of which we have spoken. Be sides, the master of the house, by means of a, glass mounted in his study, can see those who enter, distinguish them, count them, recon noiireAhem.. 1 should add, to end the descrip tion of this first domestic mechanism, that when i the little door shuts, the word “ knock ” again ; appears on the plate, and, as the servant accom- ! pliskes nothing by pulling the string except j when someone has knocked, the family are I always Sure that the door has not bcenieft open | by any carelessness ; moreover,, a little placard placed in the vestibule of the house, and con trolled by the same electric agent, bears the words “gates open,” or “gales.shut,” as they : are in the one or the other condition, a conlri- | wince which remedies any negligence on the ! part of the servants. -HOW CARRIAGES ARE RECEIVED. If it is a carriage which presents itself at the . gate, the coachman opens the little door in the manner just described, enters, opens the great ! gate which communicates with the* house by j several electric wires which set the great bell j ringing, and the rest past off in the same way ! as in the case of callers on foot. If the coach man has not closed the gate behind him, the little tablet in the vestibule indicates it, and they know in the house that the gate has been left open. rOSTAL ARRANGEMENTS. Near the outside,door is placed,- Juris the cus tom at present, a box for the papers and let- j ters ; the external opening of the box is closed by a little cover, which can be lifted at pleas- j ure ; when lifted, it establishes in the electric apparatus the contact necessary to produce the j current. The postman has orders to first de posit trie papers, and then the letters, one by! one. As each one is dropped into the box, the : lifting of the cover puts the current in play, i and sounds a particular bell. “ Good,” says M. Robert Houdin, “ there are my papers and my letters,” and you know that iirthe- country j this moment i3 looked for with some impa- 1 tience. “ Jean, go and bring me the papers, i and three letters which are in the box.” No chance for roguery or negligence here, for the bell has tinkled three times, since the ring pro duced by the package of papers. TRICKS. But does it not happen tint ihe passers-by amuse themselves by lifting this little gilded j knocker which they see glittering below the I name of Robert Houdin, so universally known i by his reputation as quasi sorcerer? And do they not make the inmates pull the cord use lessly ? That has indeed happened sometimes, but rarely, so well accustomed have the people of the neighborhood no become to this little mystery, and so little disposed are they to an? noy an amiable neighbor, who shows them nothing but kindness and courtesy. Only oh Sunday the soldiers, in their strolls among the suburbs of Blois, attracted by this knocker, ind by this magic name, amuse themselves by knocking at the door, aud bringing out the word “enter.” They take themselves off at once without entering, and the people of the house know what that means. It is a little in convenience of this ingenious mechanism, which in other respects renders so many ser vices. Let us now penetrate into the domain oi M. Robert Houdin. AN AIRY ROAD. The avenve which lead3 to his house is out between two little hills crowned with trees. — When you are walking in this little park you cannot pass from one hill to the otlif r without descending into this avenue and climbing up the other side. Tiiis would be a fatiguing ex ercise. To remedy this two wire cables have been stretched from hill 'to hill. To these' ca bles are suspended two chariots, rolling on pal lies—one to go, the other to return. You sit down in the first; the weight of your body moves it, and you cross the -cooped-ont avenue by this airy road. When the chariot has landed you on the earth it returns to its place by a very simple mechanism, put in motion by counterpoises. After having visited this part of the park, you can return to the first l>y the same process, and these little voyages, which recall the Russian mountains, are very amu sing. ELECTRIC CLOCK. We came to the housg of the gardener. M. Roberjt Ilonrdiu wishes that his people should be at work bright and early; to "secure this be lias put up in Antoine’s bed-room an alarm clock, which sounds at a fixed hour by means of an electric curretn proceeding from the bouse clock. He lias taken care to place this alarm, not near the bed of his gardener, but at the other side of the room; now the electric hubbub does not stop until yen unhook the conducting wire; so Antoine is obliged to get up iu order to deliver hinaseifXroin tine deafen ing noise, and, once up, he will not he likely to go hack to bed. The buttle is won. Beyond the lodge of the gardener is the hot . house, iu which are kept duriug the wiuter the orange and other trees which are sensitive to cold ; but. If it is necessary to keep these.from the frost, it is quite us hurtful to expose them ,to an excessive heat; it is therefore necessary to have the means of verifying the temperature of the greeu-Uou6e, aud above all, of assuring I one’s self during the night that the graudener I hits not been negligent. Nothing easier to M. j Robert Boudin. A metal tv thermometer, com* | posed ot two different plates, which dilate mi i equally when heated to a certain degree ol heat ; or com, pushes a little valve which puts it in i communication with an eleetrie apparatus, the j current, once established, sounds a bell which i notifies the master of the house, i You will conjecture that the subject of clocks \ baa not been neglected by a man who com j menced life as a clock-maker, uud who has ac complished wonders iu UiU kind ol mechnn- ;' !n ; R°b*rl Iloudin has given to his native toun Blow—au electric clock, not kern in I motion by electricity transmitted andn* m i P ™ atl ™ eiork of the common kind, in,t per forming its functions under the direct influence 1 of a put, winch is only renewed once a year • al the clocks and watches in the townareVei lated by this clock. 0 Ir ffls house M. Robert Iloudin lias a clock* •: 01 stroat- precision, a veritable chronometer ot common make; it goes by means of a web-in which it is necessary to wind up every week or every month; to obviate this necessity M i Robert Iloudin lias u ilized a wasted force , which no one before had thought of employ’ ling; it is the kitchen door which, constantly opened and shut, winds up by this constant go ! ing and coming the weight of the clock. By j means ot an electric communication, the pen | dulum gives motion to the hands of several dies placed in different corners of the mansion ; so that in getting up of a morning, and putting his nose, as they say, out of the window, M. Robt. Iloudin sees on the right, on the gable end of his green-house, the hour of the day; on the left, an the gable end of another building, a dial-band which tells him the state of the baro meter; while directly in front is a vane which shows the direction of the wind. And now, do not these ingenious and discreet mechanical I servants, so obedient, of such even temper, whose wages arc almost • nothing, who are : neither blustering or awkward, who do not ! break anything,Who, in a word,Mo not. make jokes or bulls, and who nre consequently the i ideal of a model servant, need a great deal of ; care ?, Two hours a year to renew the electric piles. It is but Simple truth to say that all this is arranged in a perfection in which you per ceive the inventive mind and ’hand o?Si very skillful artist. THI7 SALOON. The saloon of M. Robert Iloudin is orna mented with some articles.of a special nature, which deserve mention. They are, firstly, some of those charming automatic figures which we have seen -performing in his theater-jugglers, rope-dancers, singing birds, &<?.: and secondly, the singularly curious and original autograph’ which was pompously sent to him by the’Arab chiefs, with their signatures, in token of their admiration, aud of their gratitude for-the feats which he performed before them in 1850. The Eight Hour Question in Massachusetts. The committee of the Massachusetts Legisla ture, appointed to inquire into the expediency of legalizing eight hours as a day’s labor, have reported-theresult of their investigations : _ The majority report states that the Commis sioners found it next to impossible to ascer tain how many children under lourteen are employed in factory and otho-r works in Massa chusetts, an/1 they are satisfied that there is a general disregard of the law forbidding the employment of children under ten years of age in factories; that indeed there are in the State thousands Os these “ victims of cupidity and avarice and they suggest, as the-best means for securing the -enforcement of the law, the appointment by the Governor of a special State Inspector of Labor, whose duty it shall be to secure the enforcement of this and other pro visions of law for the pr at action of laborers. The committee ascertained that in twenty-live of the largest manufactories one-fifth of the laborers* are under eighteen, and they believe that throughout the State the proportion is larger, probably as large as one-fourth. The committee think that the law requiring minors who work in factories to attend school, six months in the year is largely evaded, and sug gest, that measures should bo taken for its en forcement. . FEMALE EMPLOYMENT AN]> WAGES. Eleven hours is the average, day’s work in the factories of the State. Five establishments fall a quarter of an hour below this average, and four go up as high as twelve hours per da}'. Mechanics generally work butte» hours. Thus tiie womeu and children work an hour longer each, day than the men. They should work an hour or two less, and the committee find proof that the vitality of these laborers is reduced and life shortened by such excessive hours. In the English factories nine and a halt hours is the average day’s work, and'few establishments exceed it. The average advance in factory wages since 1860 has been about 50 per cent., while th£ cost.of living has more than doubled. These facts have an ugly look alongside of the extraordinary dividends made by the manufac turing companies in the last five years. The Commissioners also suggest the need of reform in the time allowed for dinner, which in some establishments is only forty-five minutes, in some less. .One hour is allowed in English fac tories, and it is the least time consistent with digestion and good health. The distinct recom mendations of the commission, in which they all agreed, are: - J First, That the act of the last session, chap tei gi*>, oe so amended as to insure the execu tion-of those provisions which forbid the em ployment of children between the ages of ten and fourteen, and provide for their attendance at school. , Second That the employment of oil persons under the age of eighteen years in factories, for more than ton hours each or sixty hours per week, be prohibited, and that one hour each day be allowed for dinner. Third—-That a special inspector of labor be appointed, t o.see that all laws relating to the interests of the laboring classes are faithfully executed. Fourth—That a bureau of statistics be estab lished for the purpose of collecting and making available all facts relating to the industrial and j social Interests of the Commonwealth. In regard to the demand for the eight hour j law, the majority sum np their argument.thus : In regard to all Government interference in i the hours of labor, our conclusion is, that since no one is compelled by law to work, there is no good reason why any one should be forbidden to work—that Government has no rightful con- j trol over the labor ot free men, who must dis pose of their services at all times, in such quan tities, and at "such rates as they can get, in the ; great competition of industrial pursuits, that Government can no more in justieeor propriety ordain that eight hours shall constitute a day’s work, than that eighty cents shall be a dollar— that all attempts to interlere w ith the laws of value must be ineffectual for any good object— that the laborer can never be oppressed by be ing left at perfect liberty to work as he pleases —that he is never injured by competition, nu lessAhe laws or customs of the country deprive him ot liis just rights. The laborer in our own country, to some exteftt, aud in foreign coun tries to a greater extent, is wronged by social institutions. Especially is the American la borer robbed, at the pfesent time, by a false currency, which takes from him nearly or quite one-fourth Os what he earns from day to day. Sneli evils most be endured until tire lutein-! gence ot the community is sufficient to dis cover and put an end to them. _ Let- labor be measured by an exact and invariable standard of firae, and a sound standard of errrrency, and the laborer has no oecaf ion to tear that j a ju&t compensation will not be scouted to ' lmU * TlfE •MINORITY REPORT, '-rio-ned bv Edward K. Rogers, takes ground in , favor of the enactment of an eight hour law.— He maintains at length theae principles: - First. The doctriue-of Channing, that "manual labor is the divine traiuing to energize character.” Second. That of Ellesmere, “the more hours men work in any staple branch of manufactures the less they receive in the form of wagesand Third. The view that labor is capital. He ar- I g U( »s that the hours of farm labor imperatively call for retrenchment, as they drive the young men from their homes and destroy the eqnilib- VOL. 25. NO. 8 rium of society, and concludes by saying, “1 recommend, as the result of my investigations, and in view of the expressed wish of the inter est ol labor in the factories, and, so far as as certained, oh the farms, the enactment of ten hours as a legal standard for a day’s labor—in the absence ol contacts—for factory and farm work ; and a similar enactment of eight hours as a legal standard—ln the absence of contracts —for mechanical labor.” Tnn: Children’s Appeal to the Legisla ture op Maryland.—The following appeal lias been addressed to the Legislature of Mary land, and a bill has been reported to graut the : relief so pathetically asked for : T° you, gentlemen of the House and Senate, who have been, to some extent, commsssioned 1 in honor by onr fathers, to the charge of their interests, the interests of their children, and 1 h . osc h, ~: her interests of the State, we, childreu laborers m the cotton factories of Maryland, make our appeal for relief, and pray an earnest, | u , manly and kind consideration of our I claims to your protection. in n,o tl™a ly l -n k ° f your )‘°norable bodies that, lift* , „ int ° which the necessities of life have driven us to obtain subsistence, we may be so protected in our labor as that we will be permitted to set apart some small portion of each day for mental culture, so that, when grown to the stat ure of man and woman, we I may have at least a fair chance in the race of ! IlfC. As matters now stand, time and again we have been compelled to work from the time in vv.iich wu leave our beds, until it is time ao-ain -to retire to rest. No single hour In the day is j hlioi tied ttb ioi 1 Gcrcfttioo, none ior jininscnicnt —not one is granted us, even to learn to read or write,. If vyc fail to comply with the man - dates of our employers, wo are discharged—aud 1 want for the necessaries of life compels us to a j comple submission. The Holy Sabbath is all ; that is granted us, am] when we reach that day ! rcs o we ard so jaded by the incessant toil of ! the week tltat,'whilst.we love God and would i be found as worshippers, in His Holy Temple, wc are in no condition to do so. In addition to ■ this, if you, honorable.geutlcmeu, up to whom i wc mole, wjll come to the factories where we j work, and will look at us ns'we are : the lus treless eye, the lean and shrunken faces and limbs, the spiritless -demeanor of many of our little band, will furnish an argument for the grant-of our prayer -over so much more elo quent than all the fine phrases in which we might embody owr petition. • Our.masters', Our necessities are strong, we are weak, we arc children, and you arc, by law, our guardians. We have, through friends, pre sented you a bill for our protection, and we ask you to see toil that we get the benefits which it provides. What higher interest can there be to the State than the protection of those who are soon to be made active citizens ? What more cruel can there be in legislation, if, by a refusal to grant proper relief and protec | (ion to this portion of the youth, many of them fall away from life, like beautiful blooms of ; -spring, deadened by untimely frost V Our lit | tie band cannot march into your council chain - 1 bers and plead, with you, but we send you one I voice of entreaty and invocation in this, our : little appeal, and feel earnestly assured that, as | our Savior was merciful !o the little ones, you i will at least remember that we are feeble, hu ! man, and have a natural right to protection, i We, therefore, appcftl to every true man in both branches, to become the personal cham pion of our little band of boys and girls; to ; urge and procure an early passage of our bill to protect -the operatives in the cotton facto ries of Maryland, and then, when the news shall reach us that you have been moved bv our i appeal and have granted us relief, wc children | will rise up and call each of you blessed. Wo feel that you will hear our appeal, and, when it is heard, we too shall bo merry-hearted and i bright-faced—even like your little ones at home. Many Children. ! National Cemeteries. —A Washington cor ; respondent of the Rochester Democrat fur nishes the following information, from official !sources: * j There arc in the command of Gen. Thomas the following national cemeteries : At Natchez, one of six acres, containing 3,500 , dead. * Vicksburg, one of twenty-five acres, contain i ing about 15,000. Memphis, twenty-five aeros, about 13,000 ' graves, The dead from Columbus, Ky., to Ile • lenn, Ark., along the Mississippi, arc gathered j here. From Helena to Grand Gulf they are in i tor red at Vicksburg. • Corinth has one of twenty acres, containing j aliont 6,000 graves. Pittsburg Landing, twelve acres and 4,000 ; craves. This contains the dead from up and down the Tennessee river. Fort Donelson, i t wenty acres and 0,500 graves, containing the dead of that field and all aloDg the Cumberland below Nashville. Nashville, sixty-two acres, 18,000 graves. Tnis contains the bodies from many hospitals and a wide region of country. Stone River, sixteen acres and 5,000 graves. Chattanooga, seventy-five acres and nearly 13,000 graves. Knoxville, four acres and 3,000 graves. Marietta, Ga., twenty-five acres and 10,000 gravels. Andersonville, about 15,000 graves. Milieu, 1,000 graves ; small enclosure. Savan nah, 3,000 graves. ~ Cumberland Gap, Ky., 350 graves ; Loudon, 300 ; Mill Springs, over 500; Ferryville, 1,300 ; Camp Nelson, 1,500 ; Leba non, 750. In city cemeteries there are collected at Cov ington, Ky., 600 dead ; Lexington, 1,000 ; Rich mond, 500; Danville, 40Q. At Columbia, Ten nessee, there are 1,300 graves. At Montgomery, Ala,, 'about 500 graves ; in Mobile, 4,000. News Items. Patrick O’Rourke, formerly treasurer of the Roberts’ Fenirutfc, in New York, has Instituted legal proceedings against the directors of the Stephens branch for the reco ery of cash cheeks made payable to his order, which, it is alleged, were sent by parties who thought O’Ronrke was treasurer of the O’Mahonv launch, a position he resigned at the time of Roberts’ defection. A man named Carleton wao arrested in New York on Friday on the charge, of embezzling : money and other property to the amount of nearly a million of dollars from the Treasury Department in Memphis, Tcnn. Some desperadoes in Memphis boarded the steamer Clinton, while at her dock, and admin istered chloroform to several of the passengers and robbed them of their valuables. Mrs. E. Oakes Smith, the authoress, has been in Washington some time seeking a pardon for her son, convicted several years since in Boston of participating in the slave trade. 'Rev. Mr. Veftch, presiding elder of the Win chester district of the E. M. Church, is lying dangerously ill at his residence at Winchester, Virginia. The Legislature of Delaware has elected Wm.* J. Clarke Stale Treasurer, aud Robert C. Lara din State Auditor. Two hundred dozen cedar buckets, manufac tured at Murfreesboro’, Tenn., were on Satur day shipped to St. Lonis. A Baltimore paper speaks of Mr. Raymond as “ that political flibbertigibbet.” “ The Constitutional Eagle" is the 'name of a paper out in Arkansas. It must be a healthy old bird.
