A Friend of the family. (Savannah, Ga.) 1849-1???, September 20, 1849, Image 2

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BE 1 ff g g sfe E A HJ[ - A BEAR STOR V r by j. a. k. e* Traveling, although attended with many risk? and inconveniences, is not altogether void of cer tain pleasing incidents and adventures which lend excitement to a journey, and afford an agreeable novelty and variety to the traveller, who, other wise, would be overpowered with ennui , and com pelled to fall back upon such resources as he could command, which, at best, could not be otherwise than barren and meagre where so many requisitions are constantly made upon it during a long, tedious and monotonous journey. Having occasion some time since to visit a re mote frontier town, one of those western cities par excellence the founders ol which are some of the 4 oldest inhabitants,’ it was my fortune to take up my quarters in a hotel, the presiding genius of which was a very staid, demure and respect able middle aged spinster, who was netted for her kindness and urbanity, and was reputed one of the most polite and attentive landladies in the whole country. It was somewhat late in the evening when I arrived, and, being weary and travelworn, 1 soon sought inv couch to court the sweet and balmy slumbers which old Morpheus sometimes vouchsafes to bestow upon those whose tired limbs and weary frames fully entitle them to the welcome boon ol the 4 sleepy god.’ I had been in bed about twenty minutes, as near as 1 can estimate it, and had fallen into a sort of hall awake, dreamy doze, when 1 was suddenly star tled from my pillow by hearing a tremendous outcry, accompanied by a succession ol long, sharp, piercing shrieks, which rang in my ears like the shrill cry of a thousand iackals. I itn mediately hurried on a portion of my clothing, and rushed precipitately down stairs, expecting each moment to behold a sight that would freeze the marrow in my hones. At the foot ol the stairs a bedroom door stood open, and from thence the horrid noise seemed to proceed. 1 in stantly entered with some other of the inmates ol the house, who, like myself, were eager and anx ious to ascertain the cause of such unusual and unwonted uproar. The first spectacle that greet ed mv astonished vision, on entering the room, was our respectable and matronly landlady, standing in the centre of the apartment, and pointing with a wild and distracted air toward the bed. “There, don’t you see it!” she said, breath lessly'; “it is some uglv beast, either a catamount or a black bear. For heaven’s sake ! il you pos sess any fire-arms, gentlemen, obtain them im mediately, for our lives are placed in imminent jeopardy bv the presence of this terrible crea ture, who has nearly been the deatli of me al ready. There, there !” she exclaimed, in the shrill accents of mortal fear, “ it’s moving; don’t you see its sharp ugly claws sticking out ? We’ll surely be devoured if something ain’t done.” At this terrible annunciation, there was a si multaneous rush for the door, and in less than a trice the room was evacuated and lett under the sole dominion* of the beast. By this time nearly all the hoarders in the house,had been aroused, and were assembled in utter bewilderment around the doorway of the room which was supposed to contain the fierce object which had inspired so much terror and dismay. The spectacle was in deed a* singular mixture of the sublime and ridi culous, and well calculated from its extreme lu dicrousness to excite the utmost degree of tnerri mejit, if any one had felt in the proper mood to enjoy it. As it was, aIL appeared to he laboring under the dominion ot fear, to the utter exclusion of any feeling of mirth or levity, which might naturally under the circumstances have suggested itself. Some of the ladies, in their haste and con fusion, had wrapped themselves only in quilts and blankets, ala JSLxicana , while many of the gentlemen present, equally precipitate in their hurry, were attired merely in their drawers and stockings, presenting such a scene as would have been worthy t he pencil of a Hogarth or a Rubens. “ What’s the matter, exclaimed a very fleshy old gentleman, with a protuberant stomach and red Harm el drawers and nightcap, is there any one hurt?” 44 No,” answered a thin, cadaverous gent, with his unmentionables ’hind side foremost; “ hut there will be a tragedy soon if something ain’t done.” “ Oh, dear me !” whimpered a very interesting young lady, who looked “the noble Roman of them all,” in her blanket toga ; “ what’s to be come of us? can’t someone call the military?” “ What’s the muss here?” said a young man in a gruff voice, whose peculiarly striking physi ognomy, and smooth glossy hair plastered upon his cheeks, unmistakably pointed him out as 44 one of the b’hoys 44 why is a feller waked up out of a good snooze in this ere kind of way ? It’s bad enough to run wid der machine to the fire, but when a feller goes into de country, he ’spects to have a little comfort, and not git into a row at this time o’ night; howsomdever, if der is a muss, I’m in lemmons.” 44 Hold on!” exclaimed the fleshy gentleman, in red flannel, “ I’ll just take a squint and see what sort of a critter it is, and if yo’ll follow me in slowly, I guess we can cage him, or may be take the varmint alive.” “ Gas, gammon 1” exclaimed the disciple ot Moae ; “ here, gib me der club, and if I don’t lam him. you may call me a foofoo, that’s all.” “ No, no. let the old gentleman go on,” was the j general response, and Mosc was accordingly ob liged to fall hack and yield the precedence to the man in red flannel. This redoubtable individu<> having secured a long pole, prepared himself oi the onslaught by assuming an air ot great valor, while virtually he was trembling in his shoes, and inwardly cursing himself for having ventured to assume the risk and responsibility of an attack. Cautiously opening the door.be slowly and grad ually entered the room —his right flank being cov ered by the maiden landlady whose apartment had been so ruthlessly invaded, and his lelt flank and rear being protected by sundry and divers ladies and gentlemen whose style of drapery was eminently classic, and disposed in folds so unique and graceful, that a painter might have envied them. Having crossed the Rubicon, the man in red flannel secured a position in the centre of the apartment, and having marshalled his forces on either side, signified his readiness for the contest. Seizing his pole with a nervous and resolute grasp, he commenced the battle by pushing the coverlid one side, when all at once a tremendous grunt was heard, not unlike the growl of a hear, and suddenly a huge pile of fur lifted itself up, and seemed to move from the bed. This was too much for the prowess of the old gentleman in flannel; he quickly dropped his pole and beat a precipitate and shameful retreat, accompanied hv his panic-stricken followers. 44 it’s a big black bear,” said the discomfited in red “ it’s no use a foughten him without powder and ball. We’d better leave these dig gins, as the beast seems disposed to make fight.” “ O, Lord ! what is a going to become of us,” cried the unfortunate landlady in a lugubrious voice ; 44 we sh/ill all he devoured alive, without even the benefit of clergy.” 44 Madame, you had better retire,” said the fleshy gentleman, with an air of politeness which ill became his short dumpling figure; “if the critter is determined to lodge here to-night, we had better not molest him at present, hut leave him to his reflections, and in the morning we can easily despatch him, if it is found necessary.” “ Look ’ee here,” mister., said Mosc, coming up at this juncture, “ I say der beast shant he in tier house ; he is an outsider anyhow, and if I can’t lam him within an inch of his life, I’ll knock under, dat’s all. Gib me der club.” Thus apostrophized, the old man readily sur rendered his stick, and Mose grasping it firmly in his hands, walked resolutely and fearlessly up to the bed, seized the covering in his muscular hand, and dragging it off by a jerk, revealed to the aston ished view of all present, not a beast, but a bona fide man, with a bushy heard, enveloped snugly in an ample buffalo hide, and equally astonished at the extraordinary scene, with the now crest fallen gazers who surrounded, and lately thirst ed, for his life. The fleshy gentleman in the red flannels quick ly vamosed, and sundry faint giglings of laughter were heard as the red flannel drawers suddenly disappeared at the head ot the stairs. There was also heard the rustling of muslin and divers ex clamations, of “O, dear, how supremely ridicu lous,” as several young ladies with wonderful speed and agility vanished from sight. An ex planation was soon obtained. The gentleman who was so singularly mistaken for a bear, and so rudely and ungraciously disturbed in his slum bers, had missed the number of his room, and bv this error, had very innocently and unsus pectingly occupied the landlady’s apartment, and #hus proved the unintentional cause of so much confusion, uproar and dismay. NAPOLEON AND Washington does not, like Bonaparte, belong to that race who outstrip the standard of human measurement. Nothing amazing is attached to his person ; he is not placed on a vast theatre of action, is not engaged in terrible combat with the most skilful Generals and the most powerful Mon archs of his time —docs not haste full speed from Memphis to Vienna, from Cadiz to Moscow ; he stands his ground with a handful of citizens ; in a country adorned with no peculiar celebrity, within the narrow circle oftheir domestic hearths.. He fights no battles which revive the triumphs of Arbela and Pharsalia ; he overturns no thrones to build up others with their ruins. An air of si lence envelopes Washington’s actions ; he acts siowlv, as if feeling that the liberty of the future is in his hands, and fearful of compromising it.— This hero of anew race manages and directs, no! his own destinies, but those of his country—he does not allow himself to toy with what is not br own ; but from this profound humility what bril liancy now bursts forth! Traverse the woods where Washington’s sword flashed to the light; what will you find! Graves? No! a world; Washington has left the United States as a trophy on his battle field. Bonaparte has no trait in common with this grave, calm American ; he com bats noisily on an old theatre of action, in an old country; he thinks only of building up his own fame, takes charge only cf his own destiny. He seems to know that his mission will be short, that the torrent which falls from such a height will quickly be exhausted ; he hastens to enjoy and abuse his power, like a quickly fleeting youth. — Like Homer’s gods, he longs to reach the extrem ity of the world in four steps. He appears on every shore ; hastily inscribes his names on the records of every nation, and throws crowns to his family and his soldiers ; he is in haste in every thing, in his monuments, his laws, and his victo ries. Leaning over the world with one hand he overturns Kings with the other crushes the grant Revolution ; but, in overcoming anarchy, he stifles liberty, and finally loses his own on his last field of battle. Each is rewarded according to his deeds; Washington raises a nation to indepen dence ; a Magistrate, in the repose of domestic life, he falls asleep beneath his own roof, amid the regrets of his fellow-countrymen, and the vener ation of nations. Bonaparte robs a nation of its independence; a fallen Emperor, he is cast forth into exile, where the terror of nations still looks upon him as insufficiently imprisoned, even under the guard of ocean. He expires ; the news, published at the gate of the palace before which the conquerer caused so many deaths to be pro claimed neither arrests nor astonishes the passer by ; what had the citizens to regret? Washing ton’s Republic still exists ; Bonaparte’s Empire has fallen to the ground. Washington and Bo naparte were both nursed in the lap of Democ racy —both born of liberty ; the one wus faithful to her, the other betrayed her. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. The daughter of a much admired dowager Duchess recentlv completed her education at a very superior establishment, not a mile from Port land Place, where she became intimately acquain ted with the daughter of Sir G , an eminent brewer, and Magistrate at a borough town not 100 miles from the metropolis, though his occupation in trade was unknown to her ladyship; and who therefore allowed her daughter to accept a very pressing invitation from her cidcvant school-fellow. After about a week’s absence mamma received a letter from her lively sprig of title, giving a nar rative of her proceedings, and especially of a dance given by Sir G the night before, ad ding, “and what do you think mamma, 1 danced with a woolen draper.” The Duchess exclaim ing: “ Good heavens, ruined, and myself eter nally disgraced,” went, off into hysterics, and, when recovering, ordered four horses immediately to , to rescue her daughter from impending ruin. When arrived, the astonished Sir G rushed to the door, and conducted the scornful Duchess to a sofa, where, half choked with indig nation and excitement, she exclaimed, “I must in sist on my daughter’s immediately leaving ; I nev er thought your assumed friendship would come to this,” pointing to the last words of her daugh ter’s letter. Upon which Sir G began ex plaining, that in the country, especially in a bor ough town, we should be without society if we confined our visiting to titled acquaintance ; and that besides, the gentleman alluded to was highly respected, very oppulent, and likely even to be the borough member. Duchess—“Oh, Sir G , but a woolen draper —a woolen draper!” Sir G , resuming, assured her ladyship that he was not a petty retail dealer, but a manufac turer —a wholesale dealer, and contractor with government. “ Oh, Sir G ,” exclaimed the Duchess, “if you will pledge your honor that he does not cut, I will be a friend again.” “ Sir G pledged his faith—hands were shaken— and the Duchess herself actually danced the next night with this self-same wholesale woolen draper. English paper. Conversation as an Art . —Conversation is, in truth, an exercise very dangerous to the under standing when practiced in any large measure as an art or an amusement. To be ready to speak before he has time to think, to sav something apt and specious—something which he really does think, to say what is consistent with what he has said before, touch topics lightly and let diem go— these are the arts of the conversationalist; of which, perhaps, the last is the worst, because it panders to all the others. Nothing is searched out by conversation of this kind, nothing is heartily believed, whether by those who sav it or by those who hear it. It may be easy, graceful, clever and sparkling, and bits of knowledge may be plenti fully tossed to and fro in it ; but it will be vain and unprofitable ; it may cultivate a certain mi nacious, sandy surface of the mind, but all that lies below will be unmoved and unsunned. To say that it is vain and unprofitable is, indeed, to say too little ; for the habit of thinking with a view ro conversational effects will inevitably corrupt the understanding, which will never again be sound or sincere. Industry . —The following fact shows the indus trious, laborious character of the Irish peasant, and what exertion even females among them can undergo, on the frugal, scanty sustenance the wages of this country enable them to procure. — A respectable builder of this city, now engaged in superintending the repairs of a country house a few miles from town, requiring a supply of water for the works, agreed with a young woman ro draw a sufficiency each day from a neighbor ing well, at the small renumeration of Bd., but which, small as it may appear, is more than woman usually receive for such labor. His atten tion being arrested by her dilligence and zeal, and by the quantity of water delivered, he had the curiosity to number the cans, calculate the weight of water, and the distance traveled to and from the well, the result of which was : number of cans, 100; miles walked, 16J Irish ; weight of water carried on head, 17 cwt. 3 qrs. 12 lbs.— Ballimasloe Star . Being up to Him. —The Vienna papers say tli the Emperer of Russia sent, about a month three sacks of wheat as a present to Kossuth* with the message that if the Hungarian w 0 count the grains he would know the number of soldiers at the disposal of the Czar. Kossuii answered that he had three game cocks and thr ‘ ravens which would eat up every grain of he could send. The cocks were Georgey, B ( rr ’ binski and Bern, and the ravens the hot month* of July, August and September. We had a boy m our office—not so green as i le was taken to be—who lacked a quarter to gain admittance to the circus whose canvass was spread on Railroad Square. After scratching his cap,* until it looked red,he returned with a long pl which the door-keeper supposing necessary ori account of the crowd within, cried out to those thronging the entrance, “Open the way here— give the gents room,” showing much solicitude until they were safe in. Having passed the rubi con . their mammoth ticket was carefully thrust be neath the seats, and the boys were soon absorbed in exhibitions of “ground and lofty tumbling. Nausha Oasis. Reader did you ever enjoy the extatic bliss of courting ? You didn’t! Then you had better get a little Gal-an-try. A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY. SAVANNAH, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1849. AGENTS. Mr. J. M. Boar OMAN is our Agent for Macon. Mr. S. S. Box for Rome. Mr. Rout. E. Seyle for the State of South Carolina. James OConner, Travelling Agent. o o Dr. M. Woodruff, Columbus, Ga. TO THE PUBLIC. We offer the following, premiums to individuals, clubs, dj. visions and lodges, the distribution of which to take place on the Ist October, and all persons competing will please state the fact when they send in their list of subscribers, we make no exceptions in favor of town or county. To the individual, club, division or lodge, who returns us the greatest number of subscribers on or before Ist October, Harper’s Pictorial Bible, Turkey, gilt edges, worth ’s2s. To the second largest list—The American Agriculturist, from vol 1 to vol 6 inclusive, bound in cloth, worth $7,50. To the third, Branded Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature, and Art, worth $5,00. To the fourth, American Farmer’s Encyclopaedia, worth $3,50. To the fifth, Downing’s Fruit and Fruit Trees of America worth $1,87. The sixth, American Poulterer’s Companion, worth $1,25. To the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth, Allen’s History and Description of Domestic Animals. OC?* Any Postmaster sending us the names of three sub scribers, and enclosing $5, shall receive a copy of the paper free for one year. The Central Georgian of the 18th inst says: “ The Ex press Train of the Central Road, which left Savannah at eight o'clock on Saturday night, with the passengers who came out on the Tennessee, arrived at Tennille at 2 o'clock, making the distance, 135 miles, in six hours. This is hard to beat for night running; and in one of those new passenger cars on that Road, the traveller is relieved of much of the weariness incident to night travelling. They are decidedly the easiest and most delightful cars that there is in the State.” We notice also in the Macon Telegraph of the same dates card of the passengers, to the officers of the Cen tral Macon & Western Rail Road Companies for their ener getic and effectual efforts to place them through in time for the stages to the Montgomery and West Point Rail Road. MR. CHAPMAN’S ADDRESS. The Rome Southerner wants to know if we coincide in opinion with Mr. C. in his lecture before the Mechanics Soci ety of Macon. As the subject has been drawn into the p°* litical arena we shall forbear giving our views for the present. (£/** R affords us pleasure to state that Mr. Guilmettc will sojourn with us a month or two this fall for the purpose of giving instruction in vocal and instrumental music. His nudi ties as a teacher have been fully tested in Charleston, where, we uuderstand he has met with complete success. A class is forming and any person desirous of joining it, will please lea\e their name with ns. Mose is green—just caught in fact, a real live cracker Dig’ ger. He is amazingly puzzled to know how I can comb head every morning—he says his old massa only combed h:i once a week—on Sunday—and then he cussed and swore lit* blazes because it tore the hair nearly out of his head. rsT The flags of the shipping in port were displayed half-mast yesterday, as a testimony of respect to an old m? f ’ chant of our city, Mr. Andrew Low, of the firm of Andr’ Low & Cos.. Mr. Low was a native of Scotland, and cam* 3 America in 1801 ; for a long time he was the senior partner 5 ‘ the only importing house in Georgia, he died at Liverpool ® the 31st ultimo, at the ripe age of 73, leaving a spotless rep“‘ tation for mercantile integrity. The steamship Tennessee left at 11 o’clock yesterday having on board 27 cabin passengefs, 579 Bales Cotton, sundry packages merchandise. For A Friend of the Family. An observer at London discharged a great gun at the J slant that an eclipse of one of Jupiters satellites happf n now, another at Dublin hears the report of the gun 32 ma u and 45 seconds after the time that the eclipse happened him. It is required to find the bearing distance and dW er of longitude between these two cities, the latitude of don being in 51 31 and Dublin in latitude 53 20.