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This was said with an air of so
much pomposity and assumption
hat I could not restrain my laugh
ter, but actually shouted with mirth.
Instantly the whole scene faded
from mv sitrht, and I awoke. There
was poor Rasselas lying under my
feet, and all the books on the shelves
looking down on me as quietly as
possible. I rubbed my eyes and
looking at my watch it was 4 o’clock.
I had lost my dinner, and as l went
slowly down stairs, I thought with
pity how hungry must the poor
books be who live on such flimsy
diet as pud's and public opinion.
31'isrr!!nmj.
A SAILOR’S YARN.
The true sailor, whether ashore or
afloat, in all his varieties, is an in
teresting study; and whenever op
portunities offer, I never fail to lis
tener f / castle dialogues, which are
often spiced with nautical humor.
As I was going forward towards
one of the crew, who, from every
indication of garb and manner, from
his tarpaulin hat to the hitching of
of his waist band, I knew to be a
regular ‘ salt’ I happened to notice
a tall, sandy-haired passenger, with
a doleful countenance, making his
wav, (tack and half-tack, as Jack
woidd express it,) as if intent to ac
cost the sailor I had observed. If I
were to surmise the place of the
nativity of this individual, I should
locate it east of Lake Champlain,
and something south of the latitude
of 45 deg., as he appeared a verdant
specimen of the races of the green
hills, and probably by a trip down
the lake and river, Gotham had
been, until now, the ultima thule of
his voyages bv water. As be ap
proached, I stopped sufficiently
near to be in hearing of the expec
ted confab.
4 Good morning Capting,’ said
the passenger.
4 Thankee kindly, Judge ; ’ was
the reply. 4 You are a Judge I take
it;’ he continued.
4 Well, no, I ain’t; Gran’theris ;
and dad may be one of these days;
but the Lord only knows whether
I shall ever get back to be anything
again. But now,’ he continued,
4 What kind of a place is tbisChag
gurs we are going to? Comforta
ble to live in, I take it? if we
shouldn’t get a chance to go over
right away ? *
4 O yes ! ’ said Jack, 4 comforta
ble enough, while you do live ; but
a short life and a merry one, is the
word there.’ -jggjJ
4 Du tell!’ replied the Vermon
ter, 4 is it so sickly ? What may
the distemper be ? ’
4 Why yellow fever always,’said
the tiw. 4 But just now, the 4 nigger
fever’ is bad; which if it takes
hold smartly, carries a fellow off'in
the smoking of two cigars; and if
he weathers it all, he turns as black
as the inside of the devil’s coal-scut
tle Look at that chap,’he contin
ued, pointing to a Lascar sailor, of
delicate features and double ebony
skin, who stood nigh, 4 the last trip
he was as fair as a lady’s waiting
maid. See what twenty-four hours
did for him.*
4 0, Moses ? what a horrid dis
ease ? ’ said the passenger. A man
mought better die, than be turned to
a nigger. Is there nothing a fellow
can take to keep it off? *
4 Well,* replied Jack, with a wink
at me ; 4 the doctor of the Consti
tution, when I was aboard of her,
used to sa} r , that a good drench of
sea water was the best medicine he
knew of. But messmate,* contin
ued Jack, 4 if you do get out of
Chagres alive, you will have a hard
chance of it on the river. The Oras
can’t get halt way to Cruces ; and
the rest of the way you will have to
go in canoes; and the alligators
make nothing of taking out a pas
senger or two, by way ot toll; and
whitest skinned chaps generally
fare hardest. And sometimes they
capsize the canoe, and make mut
ton of the whole together.*
4 Couldn’t a fellow go through
the woods by land ? * asked the
green one.
4 You might, if you knew the
way ; ’ answered Jack, 4 unless you
met with the luck of Dick Fid, the
bo'sen of Old Ironsides, when he
was down the coast. He started
tojoin the Ohio on the other side,and
was not heard of for two months,
and then he came up coastwise from
Maracaybo,forty miles down South.’
4 How came he to lose his way ? ’
inquired the passenger, who, with
all his terror, was yet inquisitive.
4 Well,’ replied Jack, 4 Dick
sometimes used to spin devilish
tough yarns, and may-be the story
aint true, but the way he logged it
was this. Getting pretty well tired,
after splicing the main brace, he
laid himself down on a thundering
big log to sleep, and didn’t remem
ber anything that happened until
he wakened up about sunrise, and
found himself going at the rate of
fifteen knots, on the top of a big
snake which he had taken for a tree;
and lashed fast by a small chap
about as big as your arm, to keep
him from falling overboard. And
he said he had just time to get out
his jack-knife, and cut himself loose
when souse they all went together
into the lake. So he swam off to a
craft at anchor, and worked his pas
sage home.’
4 0, merciful . man !’ cried the
Vermonter, 4 why, how big do the
critturs grow ?’
‘Why, down about Demerary,’
said Jack, 4 they do say, that they
get to be as large as a sugar hogs
head but I never saw one much big
ger than a water butt.’— Notes on
California .
COOL.
44 Avery plain- matter-of-fact far
mer in our vicinity,” writes a coun
try correspondent, 44 a few days
since, had the misfortune to loose
his barn with its contents by fire.—
Happening a few days after, to be
in the office of a gentleman noted
for his charity and generosity, and
who, by-the-by, had formerly sold
to the yeoman his farm, the subject
of his loss was mentioned. With
characteristic liberalitv, he counted
and handed to the man a package
of money, saying, ‘I am very sorry
for your loss; let me make you a
present of fifty dollars.* The far
mer received it silently, counted it
carefully twics, then looking at the
donor in a very business like way
simply replied, 4 I believe it is right,
Doctor!’ Rather frosty gratitude,
this, but not quite so icy as was that
of a man who elbowed his way
through a crowd on the Fourth of
July at Buffalo, some } T ears ago,
and said to one of our merchants
then on a visit to his native plaee :
‘Can’t you give a poor fellow some
thing, Mr. B ? I have got to be
a poor cripple since you used to live
here, and I can’t work. Come give
us a little suth’n, can’t ye ?’ Mr. B
put bis hand in his pocket, and
handed a half dollar piece, which
he pocketed without uttering thanks.
In about an hour he came up to Mr.
B , who was taking a glass of
wine with a friend at an inn, and
said: ‘Look o’here, vour brother
down to Black Rock, he gin me a
dollar! Can’t you, a New York
merchant, ’ford to give as much as
he? I should say you Could easy V
Not liking the idea himself of being
out done in generosity by bis resi
dent brother, he handed the impu
dent fellow two quarter dollar pieces
when he went off, precisely as be
fore, without so much as ‘Thankee.’
In the evening Mr. B* was sur
prised by a call at the door of his
room, after he had retired for the
night. ‘Look o’ here,* exclaimed a
now familiar voice from without,
look o’ here, ’Squire, one *o them
quarters you gin me last, was a pis
tareen !”*— Knickerbocker.
Caution to Housewives. An old
lady in Holland, whose sole occu
pation was housewifery, scrubbed
her sitting room flooi until she fell
through into the cellar, and disloca
ted her shoulder.
Anecdote of Haydn. —Haydn com
posed for his own amusement, a
serenade for three instruments,
which he performed on a fine sum
mer evening, with two of his friends,
in different parts of Vienna. On
one occasion, he thought proper to
perform it under the window of
Benardone Curtz. who was then
director of the theatre of Carinthia.
Curtz was so struck with the beauty
and originality of the composition,
that he came into the street to as
certain who was the author of it.
“lam,” replied Haydn. The di
rector expressed his surprise, that
one so young should be the author
of so fine a composition ; and finally
invited him into his house. Curtz
was so well convinced of his musical
talent, that when he left the house
he gave him the poem of an opera,
entitled 44 The Devil on Two Sticks .”
The music was finished in a few
da3 r s, and had the happiest success.
One amusing incident occurred du
ring its composition, which is wor
thy of note, Curtz was an author,
and .possessed an excellent taste,
and, moreover, was difficult to
please. It was necessar} r , in the
production of the opera, to repre
sent a tempest at sea. Haydn had
not even seen the sea, and to de
scribe a storm seemed to him im
possible. The composer was seated
at the piano forte, and Curts was
pacing up and down the room.
44 Imagine,” said he, “a mountain
rising, then a valley sinking; an
other mountain succeeding, then
another valley: the mountains and
valleys succeed each other with
great rapidity: at every moment
Alps and abysses succeed each
other.”
This fine description was of no
avail. In vain did Curtz add the
thunder and lightning.
44 Come, describe for me all these
terrors,” he repeated incessantly,
44 but particularly represent distinct
ly these mountains and valleys.”
Haydn drew his fingers over the
keys, ran through the semitones,
tried abundance of sevenths, passed
from the lowest notes of the bass,
to the highest notes of the treble.
Curtz was still dissatisfied. At last
the young man, out of patience, ex
tended his hands to the two ends
of the instrument, and bringing
them angrily together, exclaimed,
44 The Devil take the Tempest l”
44 That’s it, that’s it,” cried Curtz,
springing upon his neck, and almost
stifling him. In a moment of anger
he had accomplished what he had
been for hours vainly trying to per
form. Haydn remarked, when he
crossed the Straits of Dover, many
years afterwards, he laughed during
the whole passage, while thinking
of the storm in The Devil on Two
Sticks.—Boston Cabinet .
Where Shall I Dine. —One eve
ning Sheridan not knowing where
to go for a dinner, sat down by
Michael Angelo Taylor, in the
House of Commons, and said—
-44 There is a law question likely
to arise presently, ou which, from
your legal knowledge, you will be
wanted to reply to Pitt, so I hope
you will not think of leaving the
house.”
Michael sat down with no little
pleasure, while Sheridan slipped
out, and ordered up dinner, saying
to the servants, 44 Your master is not
coming home this evening.” He
made an excellent dinner, came
back to the House, and seeing Mi
chael look expectant, went to re
lease him, saying—
-441 am sorry to have kept you ;
for, after all, 1 believe this matter
will not come off to-night.”
Michael instantly walked home,
and heard, to his no little conster
nation, when he rang for dinner, —
44 Mr. Sheridan had it, sir, about
two hours ago.”— Life of Wilber
force.
A Curiosity. — The man who never
cheated the printer arrived in town
yesterday. He says he has not
had an unhappy day in thirty-five
years.
Gratitude of a Chinese Merchant . —
An English merchant by the name
of C , resided in Canton and
Macao, where a sudden reverse of
fortune reduced him from a state of
affluence to the greatest necessity.
A Chinese merchant, named Chin
qua, to whom he had formerly ren
dered service, gratefully offered
him an immediate loan of ten thou
sand dollars, which he accepted,
and gave his bond for the amount.
This the Chinese threw into the
fire, saying, “ When you, my friend,
first came to China, I was a poor
man—you took me by the hand;
and assisting my honest endeavors,
made me rich. Our destiny is not,v
reversed—l see you poor, while 1
am blessed with affluence.
The bystanders had snatched the
bond from the flames. The gentle
man, sensibly affected by such gen
erosity, pressed his friend to take
the security, which he did, and then
effectually destroyed it. The dis
ciple of Confucius, beholding the
increased distress it occasioned, said
he would accept of his watch, or
any little valuable, as a memorial
of their friendship. The gentleman
immediately presented his watch ;
and Chinqua, in return gave him
an old iron seal, saying, “ Take this
seal—it is one 1 have long used,
and possesses no intrinsic value;,
but as }'ou are going to India, to
look alter your outstanding con
cerns, should fortune further perse
cute you, draw upon me for any
sum of money you may need, sign
it with your own hand, and seal it
with this signet, and I will pay the
money.”— Hunt's Merchant's Maga
zine.
Cyrus and the J 1 ifc of Tigrancs. —
Cyrus had taken the wife of Ti
granes, and asked him what he
would give to save her from servi
tude ? He replied, all that he had
in the world,and his own life into the
bargain. Cyrus, upon this, very
generously restored her, and par
doned what had passed. All were
full of his praises upon this occasion,
some commending the accomplish
ments of his mind, others those of
his person. Tigranes asked his
wife whether she did not greatly
admire him ?
‘•I never looked at him,” said
she.
“ Not look at him !” returned he;
“upon whom then did you look?”
“Upon him,” replied she, “ who
offered his own life to redeem me
from slavery.”
J
A prisoner being brought up in
Court,the following dialogue passed
between him and the magistrate :
“ How do you live?”
“Pretty well sir; generally a
jointand pudding at dinner.”
“ I mean sir, how do you £st your
bread ?”
“ I beg your worships pardon ;
sometimes at the baker’s, and some
times at the grocer’s.”
“You may be as witty as you
please, sir; but I mean simply to
ask you, how do you do ?”
“ Toleaable well, I thank your
worship; I hope your worship is
well.”
Astronomical Phenomena. —Soon
after the Copernican system of As
tronomy began to be generally un
derstood, an old Connecticut farmer
went to his parson with the follow
ing inquiry :
“Dr. Ido 3*o u believe in the
new story they tell about the earth
moving around the sun !”
“Yes, certainly.”
“Do you think it is according to
the Scriptures ? If it is true, how
could Joshua command the sun to
stand still ?”
“Umph !” quoth the Dr., scratch
ing his head, “Joshua commanded
the sun to stand still, did he ?”
“Yes.”
“Weil, it stood still , did it not ?** |
“Yes.”
“Very well. Did you ever hear
that he set it a-going again
None but the contemptible are
apprehensive of contempt.
Laving not always Washing. —Col.’
Kemyss, of the 40th regiment, was
remarkable for the studied pompos
ity of his diction. One day, obser
ving that a careless man in the
ranks had a particularly dirty face,
which appeared not to have been
washed for a twelvemonth, he was
exceedingly” indignant at so gross
a violation of military propriety.—
“Take him,” said he to the corporal,
who was an Irishman, “take the
man, and lave him in the waters of
the Guadiana.” After some time
the corporal returned. “What have
you done with the man 1 sent with
you ?” inquired the Colonel. Up
flew the corporal’s right hand across
the peak of his cap —“Sure, an’t
plaise y T ’r honor, and didn’t y’r honor
tell me to lave him. in the river ?
and there he is now, according to
y’r honor’s orders.” The bystand
ers, and even the Colonel himself,
could hardly repress a smile at the
facetious mistake of this honest cor
poral, who looked innocence itself,
and wondered what there could be
to laugh at.
“Seventy-five cents per gal!” ex
claimed Mrs. Partington, on looking
over the price current. “Why bless
me, what is the world coming to,
when the gals are only valued at
seventy-five cents!” The old lady
• pulled off her spectacles, threw
down the paper and went into a
brown study on the want of a proper
appreciation of the true value of the
feminine gender.
At a late grand concert, while
Strakosch was performing a ver3*
difficult piece, with variations, on
the piano, a cotton planter, who was
admiring the dextirity with which
the musician made use of his fin
gers more than the music, exclaimed
to a friend : ‘What a magnificent
cotton picker that fellow would
make!’
A man recently tried soft soap
to smooth the harshness of his wife’s
tongue. It took off a little of the
roughness, but made it run faster.
Wh3 r is a dog’s tail like the heart
of a tree? Because it is furtherest
from the bark.
Why is an unwelcome visitor like
a shade tree ? We are glad when
he leaves.
Wh3 r is a minister like a locomo
tive ! We have to lookout for him
while the bell rin^s.
O
Why is a prolix clergyman like
an aged parson. They both dilate
(die late.)
A Jolly Life. —Insects
lead a truly jovial life. Think what
it must be to lodge in a lily. Imagine
a palace of ivory or pearl, with a
pillar of silver and capitals of gold,
all exhaling such a perfume as never
arose*from human censer. Fancy
again, the fun of tucking 3 r ourselves
up for the night in the folds ofa rose,
rocked to sleep by the gentle sighs
of summer air,—nothing to do when
you awake but to wash yourselves
in a dew-drop, and fall to and eat
your bed-clothes.
Sometimes there are living beings
in nature as beautiful as in romance.
Realit3r surpasses imagination; and
we see breathing, brightening and
moving before our e3*es sights dear
er to our hearts than an3* we ever
beheld in the land of sleep.
A t ix.—A gentleman removed
to our State last spring, and left his
wife at New Orleans. He after
wards received a letter stating that
she had died of cholera. In De
cember last he again married a L.uy
in one of our interior villages. He
is a tavern keeper. On Monday
evening last a gentleman and his
wife stopped at his inn. In the
morning when they came down to
breakfast, the landlord discovered
that she bore the face and features
of his first love. Instead of the
cholera taking her off, it proved to
be a disease of an equally preva
lent Kind of late. They had an
interview. The landlord treated
her kindly as a guest and 400 k leave
of her the next morning.
FRIEND OF THE FAMILY
E. J. PURSE, CITY
PROCEEDINGS OF COUNqu
Savannah, April 25,
Council met.
Present his Honor R. Wayne, m
Aid. Screven, Posey, Saussy, o’Byr De
ming. Mallery, Turner, Cohen and Griffi*
The minutes of the last meeting * *
and adopted. b
The Information and Fine Docket*
read and confirmed.
Reports read.
The Committee on Dry Culture to
was leferred the petition, of citizens
and occupants of property in the south
ern part of the City, report that the
complained of should be immediately *
and recommend the adoption of the f a // •
Resolution.
Resolved , That the Dry Culture Com m j
tee be authorized to drain by contract th
low grounds 90uih-west of the
as Stiles’ Rice Fields.
J. P. SCREVEN,
JOHN F. POseJ;
J. R. SAUSSY.
Adopted,
The Finance Committee, to report
the petition of Robert R. Rhodes, asked for
and received further time.
In the matter of the Execution n ga i Dat
Hon. Levi S. DeLyon, for payment of north
£ Lot No. 12 Franklin Ward, on which ex
ceptions were taken as to the legality of said
execution and which was laid over nt l ai!
meeting, was taken up, and Messrs. Lloyd
and Owens, Counsel for the defendant, stated
the grounds on which the exceptions were
taken, when the following motion was made
and adopted.
On motion tho affidavit of illegality Wi ,
over-ruled, and the counsel for the defendant
was allowed until next meeting of Council to
file his exceptions.
An Ordinance to allow Moses Eastman,in
the erection of a Church on the east part of
Trust Lot W, to encroach upon the street, j
was read the first time, and on motion it was
read the second time aud passed under ths
title thereof.
The petition of Mrs. Mary Williams, ask
ing to be relieved from a double tax, was retd
and the prayer of the petitioner granted.
The petition of John Devnney, in relation
to a violation by him of the Fire Ordinance,
was read and referred to the Cornmitte* on
the Fire Department, with power to act.
The petition of L. Solomons, to allow them
to erect u temporary shed on LotNo.2Gyld
Tything, Heatbcote Ward, was read itii
rejected.
Resolutions read and adopted
Resolved , That the Committee on?a!)t!
Buildings be authorized to select and pur- H
chase a site for the new Powder Magaa I
and that the contractor be required to cos* ■
plete the same before the first of June.
Miscellaneous.
The proposal of Adam Short, to build two I
Cisterns was read and referred to the Cnm* I
mittee of Fire Department, with power to I
act.
The proposal of Adam Short, to build the I
new powder Magazine for $2,600, wasreid I
and adopted.
A letter was received from Joseph S. Fay I
Esq., Chief Fireman, informing this Board I
that that portion of the Fire Department op-1
erated by coloured Firemen, would pnr/l
to-iuorrow (Friday,) afternoon, and iuviti , ■
the Mayor and Aldermen to be present “ - ■
examine the Engines.
Report of the Inspector of Dry Culturr I
To Dr. J. P- Screven,
Chairman of Com. on Dry Cults-
Sir :—1 have just completed the inspect ■
of the lands subject to dry Culture, • I
month of April, and herewith respectfu I
submit my Report: . I
The lands of Benj. Snider, Etf” sre 1 I
fine order. The lands belonging totb? I
of Bilbo, have been considerably irop rove ■
by havingthe canal and ditches partly I
out, since my last inspection, excepting ■
small seotion situated in the upp er ? H ” I
the tract near Mr.Willet’s Brick V ard. I
was last year under lease to Mr. La* - I
a pasture. The lands of Mr. I
the same condition as in my last R^P 0 , -1
cept a little improvement on a small P’* c ■
bank, at the lower end of the ( ■
arates his tract from the est. of f ■
ditches are iu bad order, some oftk e ■
bad, and entirely” inadequate to lb o tc ‘ 1 I
draining of his lands. , ml
draining ol ins lands* j-
Some of the lands on the west 0! 3 (
belonging to the est. of Joseph s tl,e V . ; ,
been somewhat improved by having^ 6
es cleaned, but thero are other sect* ‘ ■
Vi f tb y
dering on aud immediately norm 0‘ “
Road that require cleaning also, **y
section lying between Stiles’
spot where Stone's Mill was burnt, > s
sance. It has been in bad order ‘ ’
years, caused by the leaking of 0
the trunk has been taken up and
meDded without putting down
and consequently it is flowed
from the rains, which has no wa} ’ yBJ
and unless drained it must ‘
and unwholesome. Some parts 0 “ . Jll
of Messrs. W. B. Giles & O* re
order, and they are engaged in c
ditches and raising thebanks of
but that part of their tract wh' c h 18 ?
lease to Mr. Wm. Price is in very
The trunk mentioned in my last i
bting blown out remains so still* .jL
sectiou is entirely at the mercy
the ditches also are very foul. The
longing to Mr. John E. Paris is in fio* e I