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About Weekly constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 185?-1877 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1867)
BY STOCKTON & CO, OUR TERMS. The following are the rate* of Subscription: Daily, one year $lO 00 WK bklt, one year $3 00 [From November Number of Land Wo Love. The Devil's Delight. To breakfast one morning the Devil cime down, By (lemons and vassals attended ; A h adache had darkened ids row with a frown, From ids org , last night, or the weight of his crown, But his presence infernal was splendid. In a roho of red flame was Diavolo drest, Without smutch of a cinder to soil it; Blue blaz s envoi tie I ids tiir .at and his chest, While the tail, tied wi h ribbons as blue as the vest, Completed his Majesty’s toilet. No masquerade devil of earth could l>egin, W ili Ids counterfeit horns and his mock tail,* To look tike ids mo lei, Original Bin, As ol 1 .va and liglitn ng and bitters and gin, lie sat and compounded a cocktail But to give, in all conscience, the devil his due, He eerned sorrowful rather than iiate; And ins Majesty moped all the dejeuner through, W ith a twitch, now and then, of the ribbons of blue. And the look of a penitent pirate. Then a amilc, such ,n follows some capital joke Ola I Mekong, a Hood or a Jerrold, Sweet, playful and tender, all suddenly broke O’er liie f c of Bathnnas as, turning, he spoke, '* flo, I liring the lile of the Herald /” The paper was brought, and Old Nick ran h s eye (In default of debates in the Senate,) Over crimes—there were plenty —of terrible dye, Over letter and telegram, slander and lie, And the blatherskite leaders of Bennett. There were frauds in high places, official dceeif, There were sins (we’il not name them) of ladies; There were Mex can murders, and murders in Crete, By the thousand—all manm rof villainies sweet To the Herald's subscribers in Hades. But the numberless horrors of every degree Did not wholly dispel his dejection ; “ The Herald's a bore—l m aweary,” say lie ; Then upiising, he added, What’s tr is f Tennessee I Bj jingo I here’s Brownlow’s election I “ Ho, varlet I fill up till the beaker runs o’er I” Cried the Deli, growing joyous ad trii-ky; A white hot feruginous goblet ne bore, And the iiquoi was vitriol “straight,’ wnich he swore Was less hurtful than tangle-foot whisky. “ Fill up I let usdrink,” said the Father of Lies, “To the mortal whose claims are most weighty! ’ And alight diabolic shone out of his eyes That made the thermometer instantly rise To fully five thousand and eighty. I have knights of the garter anj knights of the lance, Who shall surely hereafter for sin burn ; I have writers of history, ethics, romance, In England, America, Germany, France, And a gay little poet in Swinburne. “ Reformers, who go "n for infinite smash ; The widows’ and orphans’ oppressor; I>. D.’s by the dozen, whose titles are trash, To bo written with two little d’s and a dash : And many a Father Confessor. And besides, all the hypocrites,” chuckled theDiel, “ Who have served me with Ave and Credo, I have t\ rani s that murder, commanders that steal, Dahomey, Mauravielß Butler, O’Neill, Tliad Stevens, Joe Holt, Escobedo. But the man of all others the most to my mind, The dearest terrestrial creature, Is the blaspheming priest and the tyrant combined, In the garb of a Methodist preacher. “ And so long as of D irktiess I’m absolute Prince, From hit praise there shall be not deduction, "Whoso acts a most exquisite malice evince, And whose government furnishes excellent hints Opportunely for Hull's Ukconstuuotion.” Then the Fiend, with a laughter no language may tell, Drained nis oup, and, abasing his crown low, Ciied, “ Hin, hip, hurrah 1” and a boisterous yell Went round till the nethermost confines of Hell Disheartened. BT MISS CIRRIS a(AALPI!iO - Wore it not better*! into Egypt 1” Num. 14, 3. ,6tru The desev£°a'*i U^Starching, And * *'* K^ot; No vint'isel tv Our looegro i[ j^pireet; Yet in our visiont- tempt,"*ijJuits and flowers Luxuriant hang, »Lp on GAn bowers. Our lips art*8 u £feed and thirsting, We sign for cooling streams — Amid tUe gushing waters Flow mockingly in dreams; Our heated brows how gladly would we lave, With crystal drops, from the Egyptian wave. Still onward through the desert, Whil fears tie-et our way, “ Giants ” of towering stature Bring terror and dismay. Wer> it not better, even now, to turn Back to the peaceful lands tor which we yearn ? Repining o’er the “ matin a ” With wicked, vain regi et. Wo, in our stra g de.usion, Tiie “ angel food " orgei ; t'elestial ir.a If .ID at our feet in vain, We t-igb for ig>pt s- g.irii ” once again. Now dark r trow the winding— We wdd ot true our Guide, But m our coward shrinking, Bac . in the shadows hide. Here in th< w ldemess must t>e ouv grave, While oVt ns Egypt’s palms shall never wave ! till fooiish, earthly blindness I saving, “ It once was well,’’ :- oi eUi. g Egypt's “ furnace,” Burdens that crushing Y 11 ; S .utt tv: out eyes to Kscho’s clustering vine, While over '• leeks and onions ” we repine. Father, forgive our so ly t 1L lp us to flx Our eyes Upon that “ land ot promise” Eternal in the ski-s And while Its jo>« our hearts with rapture thrill, Ld each repining murmuring thought be still. Somebody’ll Come To-Night. I must bind my hair with the myrtle bough, An gem it with buds of white, And drive this blush tront uiy burning brow, For Somehody’il come to night; And while his eye shall discern a grace In the braid and loidt and flower, He must not tiud in ihv leii-ta e face, The spell of his wondrous power. I must don the robe which be fondly calls A c ud ol enchanting light And sit where the yellow moon ighl falis, Fo- soruebody’il come to-night; And while t ie robe an t the place shall seem But the veriest Leak of chance, ’ i is sweet to know that his e»e will beam With a tenderer, happier grace. "f was thus 1 sung when the years were few ha lay on my girlish head, And alt the flowers that in ancy grew Were tied with a golden thread. Ana somebody came, and the whispers there— i cannot repeat them quite ; But 1 knew uiy soul went up iu prayer, And somebody’s here to-night. I blush no more at the whispered vow, N r sigh iu the soft moonlight; My r> b has .»tint of amber now, And 1 sit by the anthracite; Atid tbe looks that view with glossy wren, Have passed to the silver gray : But tin love that decked them with flowers then Is the holier love to day. [From the London Times (city article,) October 23. The Financial Situation. THE ROYAL BANK OF LIVERPOOL—ITS MAN AGEMENT AND FAILURE. The failure of the Royal Bank has created much less agitation on the Liverpool Exchange to-day than might have been ap prehended, and there seems reason to hope that the liabilities, instead of reaching £4,000,000, as at first reported, may not much exceed £1,500,000, of which more than £1,000,000 is to depositors and about £300,000 or £400,000 on acceptances. A meeting is to be held to-morrow, and the exact amount will then probably be stated. The history of this bank is remarkable. It was established iu May, 1830, with shares of £I,OOO each, and a paid up capital of £600,000, which was at that time larger than the capital of any analogous establish ment in Liverpool. In the following year the great panic occurred from the suspen sion of the three American houses of Wildes, Wilson and Wiggin ; and although this was a period of extreme trial, the shares a few years afterwards attainded a premium equal to about seventy per cent, on the amount paid up. The railway panic of 184? fol lowed, and on the 18th of October in that year the Royal Bank stopped, among a number of banks and firms that were fail ing on every side. The difficulty on that occasion was reported to have been caused by advances of reckless amounts to a few individuals, an uncovered total of nearly half a million having, it was stated, been granted to a single firm. At that date the number of shareholders was about two hun dred and sixty, and extraordinary efforts were at once made for a resuscitation. These were successful, and within six weeks a meeting was held, at which it was an nounced tiiat the bank would reopen on the following day, the Ist of December. To in sj>ire perfect confidence for the future an entire reorganization had been adopted, and it will now be an important question whether the peculiar conditions then framed with the view of completely prevent ing a recurrence of mismanagement, have from that time to the present been faithfully fulfilled. The new deed of set tlement stipulated that the £I,OOO shares should be converted into smaller ones in order to enlarge the constituency, and that new capital should be raised, by preference shares of £IOO each, fully paid up, bearing seven per cent, interest, with right to half profits beyond. Meanwhile only live per cent, was to be paid to original shareholders until a reserve fund should have been creat ed to the amount of £IOO,OOO, and it was further provided that the paid-up capital only, and not the deposits or other funds, should he employed in advances on open account; also that no advance should be made beyond £20,000 without security, and that the highest advance on any security whatever should be £50,000. The shares of the bank were not to be accepted as se curity, the directors were to have no voice on advances to parties connected with them either by relationship or business, and the paid directors and managers were pot to have any advances whatever. The two paid directors were to receive £I,OOO per annum each, and were to constitute along with the manager a permanent committee, two being a quorum, to determine upon ad vances or the opening of accounts, and no advances were to be made against the veto of any one of them. The contemplated reserve fund of £IOO,OOO has for some time been attaiued. The nominal quotations of the shares shortly before the present stop page were 9% a 10 for the ordinary, with £lO paid, and lOOVg a 101 for the prefer ence. Last year they stood at a much higher point. The existing paid up-capital is £650,000, and the number of shareholders is about 150, of which about one-fifth are widows or unmarried ladies; but as the general list contains names of wealthy merchants and others and the liability is unlimited, there can be no doubt that all the creditors will be paid in full. It has been reported that the assets are of a favorable character, but in any case the fact of the suspension having become unavoidable in the face of the manifold restrictions in the deed of arrangement, furnishes another illustration of the folly of expecting that security can be imparted to any business by a multitude of written rules. The German Army. COUNT BISMARCK ON TIIE MILITARY SITUA TION. In the North German Parliament on the 18th a debate took place upon the bill re specting liability to military service. Paragraph one was amended so as to provide that every citizen of the confedera tion is liable to serve without the option of finding a substitute, excepting in the case of members of reigning families as well as of the houses of mediation princes and of those who formerly' possessed the preroga tives of the States of the empire, or who are freed by special treaties or special rights, from liability to the military ser vice. Paragraphs two, three, four and five were then adopted iu accordance with the committee's report. On the discussion of paragraph six, Count Bismarck declared that, in introdu cing this bill, the Federal Governments had no intention of enlarging the powers of the federal commander-in-chief, but rather of limiting the discretion of the execution as much as was compatible with the welfare and interests of the Northern Confedera tfou. The House would be extending that limit by substituting for the right or plac ing the army upon a war footing that of increasing the military forces as much as necessary, and would thereby increase the danger of war. as such a right would give rise to justifiable questions from foreign Powers when the reserves of any single regiment might be called out; for calling out the reserves uuder those circumstances would be equivalent to a notification of pre paration for war. The public interests, therefore, demanded that the proposed modifiration of the paragraph should not be agreed to. Count Bismarck reminded the House of the period when war appeared imminent this year, and recalled the efforts the Government had then made tor the preservation of peace, declaring, at the same time, that on future occasions it would pursue a similar course. Paragraph six was, nevertheless, adopt ed by a large majority, with the modifica tion conferring the right upon the com mander-in-chief to increase the army as far as necessary. AUGUsTA, GA., WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 20, 1867, [From the N. O. Times. Asa Hartz on Oysters. An oyster is something good to eat, register and vote. He grows in out-of-fhtvway places, where the tide ebbs and flows as often as it wants to in twenty-four hours, and he seems to like it. lie lias a curious and at the same time play : ful habit, at certain times, Os opening bis sbeli | and attracting to his presence the hungry rac | coon. On such occasions the cuss of a raccoon ! surreptitiously inserts his paw into the open ! shell, to haul the oyster out ; whereupon the j latter clamps down on him like the devil, and I holds him there till the tide rises and drowns him. I don’t know what he does it for, but I have the authority of several editions of natural his tory—with colored plates—for saying that sncli is the fact, and also that no raccoon has ever been known to survive this hydropathic treat ment. Tbe oyster must be of an extremely social disposition. They sleep numerously in one bed, and uobody ever heard of one kicking another out. They are a quiet set, and, though they often open their mouths, have nothing to say. A great many self-important politicians of the present day are suffering with the same complaint. Their religious principles are strikingly evi dent in the fact that they all belong to the Hard shell persuasion, and although strictly addicted to cold water, as a general thing, the principles of that creed are often seen when a dozen of them are found clustered around the neck oi an old empty bottle which some mean white man lias emptied and thrown overboard. In his normal state the oj-ster is quiet and anything but fussy, but when brought into towns and cities he often gets into a broil or a ste.w, and although McCool himself would be unable to close bis “ eye,” the poor thing suf fers muchly from this getting into hot water. His temperance proclivities will make him take even salt water when he can’t get fresh, and his diet, outside of that raccoon foible men tioned above, is exceeding light. People eat oysters. Some are preferred in the live state and some in the cooked. They are dog-on’d good both ways. The most approved and highly satisfactory way of eatinglin oyster is to do it after the shell has been opened. I have known people to fail signally who tried it the other way. There are two ways of making an oj’ster open unto you. One is to knock him like the mis chief with a brick until he can’t help it, and the other is to tickle him with a thing like a bowie knife. Tbe first named plan will always suc ceed, but the oyster dosen’t like it, and the result is not satisfactory to the man who does it. 1 tried the other process once, and succeeded in taking off one half my left thumb with the bowie-kniferous instrument used for tickling. I have not tried it since. Not many people know how to do it expertly. iou then put peppcr-sauce on him, if lemons are ten cents apiece. They are both good if you like it. * J I don’t know how many oysters I can eat in a given time ; but am willing, after due notifi cation, to try it for the benefit of any unpreju diced individual who has a barrel or two on hand and an expert to use the opening instru ment. In conclusion, the oyster is like a clam, only a little more that way. He can hold on tighter, is more hefty in his general build, and there is more diversity in liis style of architecture. I think I shall go out and get some. Asa Hartz. P. B.—l should have stated that some people eat oysters in August but they are principally illiterate persons who spell that month O-r-gust.” a. 11. [From the New York Herald. Den of Thieves in a Church. A Singular Discovery—The Loft of a Church a Hiding Place for Robbers— sls,ooo Haul of Stolen Property. Iu the village of Little Neck is a neat little edifice, an Episcopal Church, and in the garret ol it nestled a gang of burglars and thieves, about live iu number, and who, it is conceded, have been the ones that committed the many deprivations iu their community of late. In this garret the proceeds of many a night’s labor has been concealed. Here the gaug actually lived, did their cooking and the like, without the slightest interruption from anybody. In this attic were found articles of almost e /ery denomination—solid silver ware, plated tea sets, coffee urns, tea pots, silver pitchers, carpets, guns, pistols, swords, pots, hardware, and even groceries. It will be re membered that a short time since the public schools were broken into throughout the whole county, and books, inkstands, etc., were carried off ; these same things have here been found ; the churches were robbed of their carpets and cushions, and these, too, have here been fouud, together with the carpets and cushions stolen from thaxhurch in which they chose to make their headquarters. They have lived here a long time, and have many a Sunday sat looking down upon the congregation as the Rev. Mr. Beare was explaining the Bible and while he was composing his sermons during the week. It is still more remarkable how they succeeded in entering the church so often during wet and stormy nights without leaving some tracks which would indicate their situation. A young man named Alfred Town send arrested upon suspicion of being accessory to the robberies, and the detectives are now upon the track of others who art leading parlies in the affair. The eburen was presented, a short time ago, with anew organ, tbe one which they then used being out of or der, and it was abandoned, and the new instru ment erected. When but a few weeks in church the back was taken out, and the pipe and bel tows carried up" stairs, where the)' were used for the purpose of melting the stolen sil\er.— This act was charged against New York thieves, as was all the others. In this same place were found stoves and everything necessary for t heir use. The amount of goods discovered will amount up to $15,000, and from present indi cations there are chances ot ferreting out simi lar dens of depredators. The prisoners were committed to jail, to be brought forward when the remainder cf the band were -arrested. — Knight is willing to turn State’s evidence, un der the thought that it will free him from punishment lor either crime; and Townsend is said not to have been connected with them for months past, but is willing to testify against the parties in hopes ot getting free himself. - Here the case rests for the present. It has created more excitement on Long Island than any P r ® v occurrence, including the recent murders. The people came to Flushing from every town ia the county to get a view ot the articles and the ingenious men who have been so expei tat their business. In the loft were found various letters which had been com menced, but not suiting the composer, wen thrown around carelessly. One or two of them are evidently in the handwriting of a fe male. The Radical writer of the following note to Gov. Washburn, of Maine, has the usual Radi cal modesty, but more than the usual Radical candor: . T , ] ’ August 9th 1562 Mr Gov Washburn s.r feel as thoe I had aught to be duing some thing for my c ontry, and have you a curnels place for me I shuid like to hav it if you will write me and give me instructions what you Want me to do. Yours trolly [From the Washington Siar, November 2. The Diplomatic Corps, THE MINISTERS PLENIPOTENTIARY AND LNA OYS EXTRAORDINARY AT PRESENT IN WASHINGTON. The representatives of foreign Powers who are Ministers resident at this capital have, for the most part, returned from their summer trips of pleasure and travel, and have settled down with a critical observ ance of men and politics in Washington. At no previous period have they exhibited so keen an interest in American affairs, for the coming excitement of a vast Presiden tial campaign and the important issues to be presented to the November session of Congress have attracted the attention of all foreign powers. Mr. Francis Clare Ford, the First Secre tary, is in charge of the British Legation since the death of Sir Frederick Bruce. No successor of Sir Frederick has been ap pointed, and Mr. Ford, who was formerly the First Secretary of the English Legation at Copenhagen, is likely to remain iu charge ior the present. M. Jules Berthemv, the new French Minister, has remained here during the summer, and lias been assidu ously engaged with the important business j ol his Legation. M. Berthemy is one of the most accomplished Diplomats of Europe, and gives the domestic affairs of "this coun try his closest attention, for the benefit of the home Government. Senor Don Gabriel i ■ I essara, who has been the representa tive ol Spain for eight years, is not at pre sent in the city. Senor Tassara, before he came here, was in the State Department at Madrid. Baron Gebolt, the Prussian Min ister, is now iu Washington, where he lias represented his Government for twenty consecutive years. Prior to his coming here to a lull mission, he was Consul Gen eral to Mexico. Baron Gebolt was a warm supporter ol thffe cause of the Union during the war, and is a close, personal friend of the Secretary ol State. The Russian Minister, Baron Stoeckel, returned a vear since from a visit to St. Petersburgh, and has been here ever since, lie was appointed to Washington shortly after the Crimean war. Mme. Stoeckel, has just returned from Europe. Baron Stoeckel contemplates returning to Russia after the final settlement of the recent Russian ter ritory purchased by the United States. The new Austrian Charge de Affairs, Baron von Folkenstein, has just arrived here to succeed Count Wydenbruck, the late Austrian Minister. Baron von Fol kenstein is not a full Minister, but recipro cates. with diplomatic exactness the course of this Government in sending a Charge de Affairs (Mr. Hay) to Vienna to succeed Mr. Motley, who was a full Minister. The Diplomatic Corps has recently been reinforced by two new missions, newly created for this country. Blaque Bey, a fine, scholarly-looking ‘Frenchman, has lately arrived as the Turkish Minister. He takes a deep interest in American affairs, speaks English fluently, and lias made him self the target for many a good-natured joke by a remark made to the President in his presentation speech, that he saw no dif ference between the institutions of Turkey and the United States. He was Consul to Naples, prior to his being sent to fill the first full mission to this country from Tur key. Alexander Ris liangabe, formerly Minis ter of Foreign Aflairs in Greece, is the first Greek Minister to Washington. He arrived here last Summer, and is laboring zealously to render his country popular with us. The Italian Minister, Mons. Cerruti, is the successor of M. Bertinatti (so well known iu Washington), and was formerly Assistant Secretary of State at Florence, and afterward Minister to Constantinople. He is at present in Washington. The Ministers from the Netherlands and Belgium are necessarily smaller stars iuthe Diplomatic firmament. M. Maurice Del Fosse, of the latter Kingdom, has been here about eighteen months,* and M. Mozel, of the former, has been a Mnfister Resident about five months. They are now in the city. The Diplomatic Corps do not recognize the Mexican Legation, for the reason That none of the European Powers represented here recognize the Juarez Government in Mexico. Signor Ingo Mariseal, the first Secretary, is now acting Mexican Minister n tiie absence of Senor Romero, wild lias ust sailed for Mexico. The new Portuguese Minister here is in town, and the successor of Col. Roumain, the Haytien Minister, divides his time be tween New Y ork and Washington. Senor Luis Molins, the Nicaraguan Min ister, has been recalled, and left Washing ton in October for Central America. Baron de Wetterstedt, the Swedish Min ister, is located permanently at Ellicott’s Mills, Md., and does not make his residence here. The Venezuelean and Brazilian Ministers have been absent for some time. Their first Secretaries are in charge. Br gram Young on Marriage.— On Sun ,i..j iuj.( is said to have treated his audience io a very quaint kind of speech. He wants all the young women married off in stanter, and wants ail ttie young men in Zion to marry them; and he openly threatened that if the young men failed to do the job, that he and the bishops and the elders would take the matter in baud, and marry them all themselves. M drying for love was played out; the old fashioned way of getting married wag explod ed. It wouldn’t do here, because it a young man allowed himself to love a young girl, and then married her, the dickens usually was to pay when he wanted to take a second wife.— She had his heart, and it was impossible to di vide the affections with two or more wives. But he insisted that the young men, as a duty —a religious duty -should go for the young | wome i and marry them all off. They were ia | structed, aNo, to marry tin m by couples and pairs and triplets, to quadruple, quintuple, and sextuple, if they could support th< m. The only consideration for a prudent young man was to inquire how many wives he*could sup port. The young women also were ordered to marry whenever a young man, a saint, went lor them, and to become mothers in Israel. [Safe Lake Vidette. What is the difference between the bark of a tree and the bark of a dog ? An*wer. One is formed on the bough, and the other on the bow-wow. T-e-s, and we are pleased when both leave off. Precocious girl that who took as the theme of her graduating essay at a fashionable semi nary, “ The Education of Our Boys.” Cotton- The Rapid edine in Prices, and the Influ ences bij Which it teas Brought About — A StiU L neer Level to be Anticipated. [From the Round Table, November 20. The cotton question is becoming highly interesting, and it is for that reason that we venture so s»on to recur to it. it is but little more than a month ago that we told our readers some interesting facts about the staple and indulged in some specula tions with regard to its future, but at that time we certainly did not expect that events would so speedily prove the correctness of our impressions. Since then middling up land cotton has declined in Liverpool from 9%d„ on September 19, to on Octo ber 10. In three weeks the fall was equiva lent to nearly fifteen per cent, abroad, while iu New York during the same time tiie decline was from 25 cents per pound to 18 %, equivalent to twenty-five per cent. The following tables, showing the rapid ity of the tumble both here and in Liver pool, may be interesting. The quotations in Liverpool for middling upland cottons on the days mentioned below were as fol lows : September 19 9%d. October 2 B%d. “ 25 “ 26 B%d. “ 7 B<j|d. “ 28 B%d. “ 8 B%d. “ 10 B>£d. and in New York as follows: September 19.. .25 e. October 2 22 c. “ 24.. ,23%c. “ 3 21J^c. “ 26... 23 c. “ 7 20 c. “ 28... 22 c. “ 8 18j^c. “ 10 183^c. This shrinkage in the value of cotton in New York, between the dates mentioned, was greater than an average of one per cent, per day, which, we believe, is alto gether unexampled in the history of the trade. A decline so rapid as this has directed general attention to its causes, and all classes of business men are asking of each other the reason why ; which, however, we venture to say, are not far to seek. At the outbreak of the war cotton was selling in New York, in gold, at prices which were above those now current, notwithstanding the enormous crop of the previous year. The general trade of the world was good, and it was thought in Europe as well as in this country that hostilities between the North and the South would so greatly di minish the World’s supply of the article, that cotton must soon reach extravagant figures. The South thought cotton wts king, and was never weary of boasting about it. No country had for a century successfully competed with this in its growth, quality and • not quantity consid ered, and consequently when we became in volved in civil war, many foreign countries assiduously devoted attention to its culti vation. While these crops were yet in the ground American cotton rose enormously—that is, in currency value, although it ought to be observed that it never reached a price above about sixty-five cents per pound iu gold. Tiie demoralization in this country conse quent upon the war, the losses as well as gains inflicted upon Europe resulting from it, the political influence which it has had upon the Governments of the old world, all helped to impress upon Manchester the in creased apprehension that their supply could no longer be confidently expected from us in any safe degree. The result was, as we have said, greatly increased produc tion elsewhere, observable mainly in the en larged exports from India, which speedily put an end to the cotton famine in England and stimulated her forty millions of spin dles to greater activity than ever. Manu factured goods soou clogged the paths of commerce, and the tremendous power of machinery in England and the continent has kept them choked ever since. Europe, for two years past, has had too much cot ton, far more than she could use, and now we have the collapse, which means simply this : that until old garments are worn out, no new clothes are needed. In addition to the causes which we have named, in order to account for the recent decline, there are others as potent, and not the least among them is the conservative feeling which is daily spreading abroad in this country with regard to expenditure.— People on all sides are beginning to be care ful about money. In truth, they have less to spend, while business lags and profits dwindle, while events at Washington are uncertain and the price of gold is doubtful. The cost of living is extravagantly high, and the prudent are disposed to retrench.— If we look abroad and add to this the po litical condition of Europe, the scanty har vest in England, the very uncommon dis trust in all commercial and banking circles, there so great that money is a drug on the security of gold bars at one and one half per cent, per annum, and without such col lateral cannot be had at all ; with the Bourse in Paris in a ferment; the Credit Mobiliere with its millions hastening to ward a crash ; the Bank of France gorged with idle coin, California wheat selling in ! Liverpool at seventeen shillings per cental ; riots in Manchester; prisoners tried in its courts with shackles on them while under arrest on mere suspicion; heavy failures in Liverpool—among the rest "the Royal Bank, with an indebtedness of over four million pounds sterling; no confidence j or courage anywhere; how can it be ex-! pected that cotton should be dearer? The ; whole world is against it; and ruinously j low as it is for the people who produce it, j there seems a lower depth to edme. In this 1 country, had not the war impoverished a ; very large class of its consumers, cotton * would not probably be to-day at its present t price}, but war is always destructive to in-; dustrv, and although a few thrive by it, the ! many must inevitably suffer. While we write J there are thousands of planters in this coun try who are selling the product of their year’s j hard labor for fur less money than that they put in the ground, helpless and almost despairing, unable to refund the loans made them to till %he soil, and amidst the con stant cheerlessness of the political aspect of their lives living upon the barest hope of the future. For instance, it is a fact that in Georgia to-day planters sell their cotton, that is, the average crop of their farms, at about ten cents per pound in currency. The Government, with a. rigor wfiicb is quite unworthy any generous adversary, taxes them two and one-half cents per pound, a tax which is simply ruinous. The interest upon the money which the planters borrowed last spring to put the seed in the earth is a great one, as mast necessarily be the case in all countries which have been VOL. 26. NO. 44 ! devastated by war and consequently impov erished ; and, in short, eighteen cents per \ pound iu New York pays the Georgia I planter, after all charges are reimbursed, | not over twelve cents per pound in currency, or about eight cents in gold, for his crop, which must bo middling in quality to com mand even that price. These figures are low, and as Manchester and the Continent will use the American staple instead of Surats at a low cost, and India cotton must follow our owu down in the markets of the world, we believe that the day is not far distant when India will temporarily with draw from tne English uArket to a great extent and prices of our own.staple possibly improve. At present, however, our own spinners are not profiting by it, low as it is. They cannot sell the goods which they make, except at a less price to-day than a week ago. They buy sparingly and cau tiously, work as*few hand as possible, and, like the most of us, live in hope. Finally, a reason which might not occur to all of our readers in thinking about the re cent revolution in cotton is this the South, particularly Texas, where the best cotton in this country is grown—other than Sea Island, which is produced from a special seed—has just suffered under a pestilence which spread to New Orleans, thence to Mobile, and finally to Memphis. These four points are the most important of all domestic ports in the trade. While people were dying by hundreds daily in these places there could hardly be much trade. We anticipate some activity in the cotton business from the recent abatement of the disease, but we are persuaded that the favor able weather of late for picking and saving the crop will enable planters to send such heavy supplies into the ports in November and December that no considerable increase of price in New York or Manchester can speedily be hoped for and no large advance cither here or there until prices reach a lower level still, in this couuiry, as they will probably do, and the export to Eng land from other countries be consequently diminished, or until the general trade of the world revives and consumption of manufactured goods becomes much greater than at present. [From Harper’s Magazine for November. Anecdote of Poe “ Foe at West Point,” is a short sketch by Thomas W. Gibson. Edgar A. Poe was a room-mate of the latter at West Point in 1830, and recounts an amusing incident of their wild life there at that time. The occupants of “No 28 South Barracks” were in the habit of taking turns in going out of the barracks for the stated supplies of brandy, which these young warriors considered neces sary to their prowess. It had been the writer’s turn, and he was returning with a bottle of brandy and a gander lor their private supper. Poe was on the lookout, and met me some distance from the barracks, and my appearance at once inspired him with the idea of a grand hoax. Our plans were perfected in an instant. The gander was tied, neck and feet and heels together, and the bloody leathers bristling in every direction gave it a nondescript appearance that would have defied recognition as a gander by the most astute naturalist on the continent. Poe took charge of the bottie, and preceded me to the room. “ Old P.” was puzzling his brains over the binomial theorem, and a visitor from the North Barracks was in the room awaiting the result of my expedition. Poe hsd taken his seat, and pretended to be absorbed in the mysteries of “ Lecons Francais es.” Laying the gander down at the outside of the door, I walked, or rather staggered, into the room, pretending to be very drunk; and exhibiting in clothes and face a spectacle not often seen off the stage. “My God I what has happened?” exclaimed Poe, with a well-acted horror. “Old K——, old K!” I repeated several times, and with gestures, intended to be particu larly savage. “ Well, what of him?” asked Poe. “He won’t stop me on the road any more !” and I produced a large knife that we had stain ed with the few dops of blood that remained in the old gander. “ I have killed him.” “Nonsense!” said Poe. “ you are only try ing one of your tricks on us.” “ I didn’t suppose you would believe me.” I replied ; “so 1 cut off his head and brought it into the barracks. Here it is.” And reaching out of the door I caught the gander by the legs, and giving it one fearful swing around my head, dashed it at the only candle in the room, and left them all in darkness with what two of them believed to be the head of one ofthe professors. The visitor leaped through the window and alighted in the slop-tub, and made fast time for his oy/n room in the North Barracks—spread ing, as he went, the report that I had killed old K- , and that his head was then in No. 28. The story gained ready credence, and for a time the excitement in the barracks ran high. When we lit the candle again, “Old P ” was sitting in one corner a blank picture of horror, and it was some time before we could restore him to reason. The gander w r as skinned—flicking the feathers off was out of the question—and after taps we cut him up in small pieces and cooked him in a tin wash-basin, over an anthracite fire, without seasoning of any kind. It was, perhaps, the hardest supper on record, but we w-ent through with it without flinching. We had set out to eat Old K in effigy, and we did it; w-hether he ever learned ol the honors we paid him that night, I never learned. Upon the whole, the impression left by Poe in his short career at West Point was highly favorable to him. If he made no fast friends, he left no enemies behind him. A New Dodge.— The latest form of dem agoguery and dodging is to talk with a gentle man, express your opinions frankly and freely, and then when he goes off and repeats your very words, say that he was “ not authorized to make any such statement”! Unthinking people take this for a flat contradiction, and u is so intended to be understood, but the language means no such thing. That a man is “not authorized” to make a certain statement, is no evidence that the statement is untrue. A may tell B a thous and things without authorizing him to repeat them ; but yet, when he does repeat them, even without authority to do so, it is hardly just to brand him as a liar. This is a favorite dodge ol Grant’s, and we hope somebody will read Washburne’s speech to him and ask him to state categorically—yes or no—whether he has said any such things— whether Mr. I\ashburne has told the truth on him or a falsehood. —hfafon Telegraph. Anew opera, entitled “ Ada Mareseotti,” by the Maestro Prospero Sell!, but written so far j back as a quarter of a century, has been well received at Viterbo. The Milan journal which announces its success, says, of it, that it is full of passionate melodies, and that there is to be found in it that purely Italian style which has disappeared from the works of the modern masters. George Francis Train knows a family of sis ters who cured their brothers from swearing by saying damn every time their brothers did. At the table Busie wonld say to Georgie, pass me that damn butter, j laughter] and Minnie would ask Elsey for that damn buckwheat cake. [Laughter.]
