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About A Friend of the family. (Savannah, Ga.) 1849-1??? | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1850)
SttisrriJntitj. THE TRAITOR LOVER. During the seige, Derar, as lias been related, was appointed to pat rol round the city and the camp, with two thousand horse. Asa parly of these were one night going their rounds near the walls, they heard the distant neighing of a horse arid looking narrowly round, des cried a horseman coming stealthly from the gate Keisan. Halting in a shadowy place, they waited until became close to them, when, rush ing forth, they made him prison er. He wasayoutbful Syrian, rich ly and gallantly arrayed, and appa rently of distinction. Scarcel}’ had they seized him when they beheld another horseman issuing from the same gate, who in a soft voice called upon their captive, by the name of Jonas. They com manded the latter to invite his com panion to ad vanee. He seemed to reply, and called out something in Greek; upon hearing which, the other turned bridle and galloped back into the city. The Arabs, ig norant of Greek, and suspecting the words to be a warning, would have slaiu their prisoner on the spot ; but upon second thought, conducted him to Khaled. The youth avowed himself a no bleman of Damascus, and betrothed to a beautiful maiden named Eudo cea ; but her parents, from some ca pricious reason, had withdrawn their consent to his nuptials ; where upon the lovers had secretly agreed to fly from Damascus. A sum of gold had bribed the sentinels who kept watch that night at the gate. The damsel, disguised in male at tire and accompanied by two do mestics, was following her lover at a distance, as he sailled in advance. His reply in Greek, when she call ed upon him, was, ‘the bird is caught!’ a warning at the hearing of which she bad fled back to the citv. Khaled was not the man to be moved bv a love tale ; but he gave the prisoner his alternative. ‘Em brace the faith of Islam,’ said he, ‘and when Damascus falls into out power, you shall have your betroth ed ; refuse, and your head is forfeit.’ The youth paused not between a scimeter and a bride. He made immediate profession of faith be tween the hands of Khaled, and thencefoith fought zealously for the capture of the city, since its down fall was to crown his hopes. When Damacus yielded to its foes, he sought the dwelling of Eu docea, and learnt anew proof of her affection. Supposing, on his cap ture by the Arabs, that he had fall en a martyr to his faith, she had re nounced the world, and shut herself up in a convent. With throbbing heart he hastened to the convent, but when the lofty minded maiden beheld in him a ren egade, she turned from him with scorn, retired to her cell, and re fused to see hitn more. She was among the noble ladies who follow ed Thomas and Herhis into exile. Her lover frantic at the thoughts of losing her, reminded Khaled of his promise lo restore her to him, and and entreated that she might be de tained ; but Khaled pleaded the covenant of Aba Obeidah, accord ing to which all had free leave to depart. When Jonas afterwards discov ered lhai Khaled meditated a pur suitof the exiles, but was discour aged by the lapse of tme, he offered to conduct him by short and secret passes of the mountains, which would insure his overtaking them. His offer was accepted. On the fourth day after the departure of the exiles, Khaled set out in pur suit, with four thousand chosen horsemen ; who, by the advice of Jonas, were disguised as Christian Arabs. For some time they traced the along the plains, by the numerous foot-prints of mules and camels, and by articles thrown away toena de them to travel more expe ditiously. At length, the foot-prints turned towards the mountains of Le banon, and were lost in their arid and rocky defiles. The Moslems began to falter. ‘Courage !’ cried Jonas, ‘they will be entangled among the mountains. They can not now escape.’ ##*#*** In the midst of the carnage and confusion, Jonas hastened in search of his bethrothed. If she had treat ed him with disdain as a renegade, she new regarded him with horror, as the traitor who had brought this destruction upon his unhappy coun trymen. All his entreaties for her to forgive and be rcconciied to him were of no avail. She solemnly vowed to repair to Constantinople and end her days in a convent. Finding supplication fruitless, he seized her, and after a violent strug gle, thevvheron the ground, and made her prisoner. She made no further resistance, but submitting to captivity, seated herself quietly on the grass. The lover -flattered himself that she relented; but, watching her opportunity, she sud denly drew forth a poniard and plunged it in her breast, and fell dead at his feet. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. The nineteenth century is certain ly one of the most remarkable eras in the history of the world. Not only does it stand unrivalled for the number and brilliancy of its discov eries, but it has witnessed the most signal and beneficial changes in our emire social system. The spirit of improvement is abroad, overturning in its rapid flight all the barriers which have hitherto impeded its way, and enclosed the minds of men in a maze of darkness and error.— Like a slumbering giant, just aroused from bis lethargy, mankind have be gun to throw ofF the torpor which has so long paralyzed their faculties, and to struggle and cour ageously with the evils by which they have been encompassed.— Each year proclaims anew victory, and is but the precursor of greater and more enduring triumphs. Let any one be at the pains of contrast ing the present condition ofthe hum bler classes of society with what it used to be some fifty—nay, some twenty or thirry years ago, he will at once perceive the marked im provement that has taken place. It is certain that many evils still pre vail, and that there is still further room for reform ; hut that must nec essarily be a work of time. All radical changes are comparatively slow. There are antagonistic views, evil passions anl prej udices, to combat, and such a form idable phalanx of opponents can only be successfully overcome by patience, perseverance, and time. Men cannot be compelled to embrace new doctrines and opinions. It is impossible to force a line of conduct upon them to which they have not been accustomed, and whose course of life, so far, has been so complete ly at variance with it. They must not merely be told that by acting so and so, and using such and such means they will become better and happier than before ; but they must have the conviction brought more directly home to their minds, by ex periencing the truth ofthe doctrine propounded to them. ‘Come here mv lad,’ said an at torney to a boy, about nine years old. The boy came and asked the at torney ‘what case was to be tried next ?” The lawyer answered, a case be tween the people and the devil— which do you think will be most likely to gain the action ? The boy replied, ‘I guess it will be a pretty hard squeeze—the peo ple have the most mone}*, but the devil has the most lawyers.’ People who are always talking sentiment have usually no very deep feelings. The less water you have in your kettle the sooner it begins to make a noise and smoke. Vice and Virtue.— The vicious may prosper for a season, but virtue will triumphal last. The apparent success of the wicked should not dis courage those who endeavor to live upright and consistent lives. It they live to see the end of the unrighteous they will not feel a particle of envy at their sucess. A man may live long; be vile and unprincipled ; and prosper through all his days. But does this prove that is well with the vicious? Far from it. Mysterious are the workings of Providence. But the time will come when we shall see the wisdom of all the deal ings of God. It is the testimony of revelation :it is the opinion of the wise and good of all ages; that the wicked shall not go unpunished. There is nothing like virtue to pro duce happiness and perfect peace of mind. Hereditary Transmission of Insani ty. — The researches of M. Brierre de Boismont prove that the influ ence of hereditary transmission may be traced in about one half of the lunatics he has seen in France, and in a great number examined by him in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, and England. It may r al most be traced among the Catholics in England and the Quakers ; in most of the old Scotish familes, among the Jews, and among prin ces. There is scarcely an old aris tocratic family in France that does not number among its members an insane person, an idiot, or an epilep tic. It was long since observed by the historians of Rome that the Eternal City would have been des troyed in the third generation, had not the provinces, which were the veritable .tileries of the empire, poured into it a supply of pure blood. Keep Stirring. —A still pool soon becomes stagnant. A machine without motion become rusty. A man—great, glorious, majestic, in his creation—without action, still, lifeless, dead, becomes an icy weight—a common nuisance, whom every body feels disposed to kick out ot the way. We live in stirring times. It becomes every man to do something—to exert himself for the common weal—to be zealous, active and push a-head. What better are you than a man of snow, which the children laugh at an pelt till it is knocked over and lost, while you fold vourarms tie your feet, and sit still, day after day, gazing with a vacant stare above and around you? Arouse, or the worms will soon be gin to feast on your carcase. Irradiation of Tight. —It is a curi ous fact, that if the same letters of the same size precisely are painted on two boards, the one white on a black ground, and the other black on a white ground, that the white leiters will appear larger, arid he read at a greater distance than the black. This is owing to what is called the irradiation of light. It depends on this, that the impres sion made on the bottom of the eye bv bright objects extends a little wider than the actual portion of the organ struck by the light, and inva ding the space occupied by the dark er objects, makes the brighter ap pear larger than they really are. Mdllc. De Luunay. —Among the numerous acquirements of this lady was geometry, which enabled her to express the amount of attachment felt for her by a lover, with a degree of precision that is seldom attained in chronicling affairs of the heart. A certain M. de Key was in the habit of escorting her home from the house of a friend. They had to cross a square,and in the commen cement ofthe acquaintance, to pro long the moments of tender inter course, he always conducted her along its sides ; time passed on, and his passion became less warm, and he led her directly across it ; on which the lady concluded that liis love bad diminished in the same propotion which exists between the diagonal of a square and the sides of the game,” FRIEND OF THE FAMILY. E. J. PURSE, CITY PRINTER. PROCEEDINGS OF COUNCIL. SAVANNAH, May 23, 1830. Council met. Present his Honor R. Wayne, Mayor, Aldermen Posey, Mallery, Griffin, Saussy, Cumming, Walker, Screven and O’Byrne. The minutes of the last regular and special meetings, were read and confirmed. The Information and Fine Dock ets were read and confirmed. The City of Savannah vs. Coop er and Gilliland, violating Fire Or dinance by having more than sGlbs. of gunpowder in store. Appeal continued from the lust meeting of council. Witnesses summoned for Defence, Charles B. Ash, J. H. Bashler, Joseph W. Webster ; for Information, James Sullivan. After hearing the evidence upon the appeal, on motion, the fine was reduced from $-50 to S3O. Reports read and Adopted. —The Special Committee in charge of the subject of lighting the City with gas, Report, that by mutual consent the agreement between Mr. James Sul- O livan and the Committee for furnish ing 225 City lanters has been re scinded, and the Committee have ordered the same from Henry G. Nichols of New York, at $5 apiece. The committee further report that the Gas Works are now approach ing so rapidly towards completion, that it becomes necessary to look to a contract between the City and the Gas Company for the public lighting. They therefore recom mend that the Committee be instruc ! ted to report at the next meeting of ; Council, if practicable, the draft of a contract between the Corporation and the Gas Company. The Committee further recom ’ mend that they be instructed to ne i gotiate for the fitting of the public lamps. Respecifully submitted. ROBERT H. GRIFFIN, J. P. SCREVEN, JOHN F. POSEY. The Dry Culture Committee, re port that they have accepted the pro posal of Robert D. Paport, to do the necessary work upon the Canal of the Springfield plantation. J. E. SCREVEN, JOHN F. POSEY, J. R. S A USSY. Ordinances. — u An Ordinance to extend the fire limits of the City of Savannah,” was read the first time—on motion, read the second time, and then unanimously passed under the title thereof. “An Ordinance to authorize and direct the Honorable the Mayor of the City of Savannah, to purchase in behalf of the Mayor and Aider man of the City of Savannah and the Hamlets thereof, the Springfield plantation, and to authorize the issu ing of the Bonds of the City of Savannah in payment of such pur chase,” was read the first time. Petitions. —The petition of Mary Williams praying permission “to make her true return for the pres ent }mar, and pay her taxes there on,” was read, and on motion re ferred to the Committe on Finance Miscellaneous Matter. —A commu nication from Joseph S. Fay* Chair man of the Board of Health, and Chief Fireman, representing “the situation of the premises No. 22 Whitaker St., adjoining M. Prender gast’s Store, as a nuisance of the worst kind,” was read, and on mo tion referred to the Committee on the Fire Department with power to act. A Communication from J. L. Locke & Cos., for the Republican Office, relating to printing Ordinan ces, Notices, &c., was read, and on motion of Alderman Posey, secon ded by Alderman Cumming, the following Resolution was read and adopted, viz :—Resolved that the City Treasurer, City Marshall, and Clerk of Council, be allowed to publish their Official Notices, New Ordinances, and Extracts of Ordi nances in the Savannah Republican, and Morning News, and that the Sa vannah Georgian be allowed there fore the same price, provided the amount to be paid each paper, shall not exceed SSO, for the balance of the year. A Communication from N A Hardee, & Cos., Trustees, notifying Council that they had obtained a decree of the Superior Court to sell the Springfield place,and were pre pared to execute and deliver titles for the same, was read and received. A Communication from the Board of Health applying “to Council for 60 bbls Lime, and a supply of Copperas for the disposal of the Ward Committees,” was read, and on motion granted. The City Marshal submitted the following reports, to wit: The fol lowing lots were re-entered on the 14th inst., for ground rents, and the rents still remain unpaid : Brown Ward—Lot N0.56, 16 years. Columbia—Lots Nos.l, 6, 14,16,25, 2 years each. Crawford—Lots Nos. 22, 3S, 43, 44, 2 years each. Elbert—Lots Nos. 24, 40, 2 years each ; 39 4 years Franklin—Lots 4, 25, 31, 2 years each. New Franklin—Lots 4, 4 years, 1, 13, 14, 17, 2 years each. Green—6, 27, 35, 36, 2 years each. Jasper —Lots 1, 29, 31, 45, 46, 2 years each. Jackson —Lots 16,17, 2 years each ; 29, 4 years. Liberty—Lots 7,8, 2 years each. Monterey—Lots 3,4, 2 years each. Pulaski —Lots 17, 34, 2 years each ; 15 and 16, 4 years each. Warren—Lots 5, 19, 23, 2 years each. Washington—Lots 2,3, 2 years each. Savannah, 23d May, ISSO. D. H. STEWART, C. M. On motion the following resolu tion was read arid adopted, vrz . Resolved, That the City Surveyor advertise the above re-entered lots for sale, and that he proceed there with in the manner directed by or dinance. His Honor the Mayor stated, that James Frasier and S. Mercer were brought before him charged with ar son or setting fire to the Mill this morning, and after hearing the evi dence, he had instiuted a prosecution t Ik* re for against them. Resolution read and adopted. —By Alderman Posey, seconded by Al derman O’Byrne— Resolved That the action of the Mayor in causing prosecutions to be instituted against Frasier anti Mer cer charged with arson be, and it is hereby confirmed and that the May or be directed to proceed with such prosecutions. To Doct. J. R . Screven. Chairman of the Committee on Dry Cult tire. Sir:—l have just completed my inspection for the month of May, of all the lands under drv culture contract with the city, and herewith respectfully subnet my Report : The lands of Benj. Snider Esq., are in their usual good order.— 1 hose of Mr. Bilbo and Mr. Lamar are in the same condition as stated in my last report, excepting a small beginningon the part of the latter in cleaning his ditches. Those eight lots bordering on the canal, remain as in my last report. The lands belonging to the estate of Stiles are in the same condition as last mentioned ; nothing has been done to let the water off that section be tween Stiles’ and Stone’s canals, where the trunk was taken out. — That section of Messrs. W. B. Giles & Co.’s track, under lease to Mr. Wm. Price, reported as being in bad order in my last, is now a nuisance. He has stopped the break where the trunk was blown out without putting down another, and consequently the tract is now nearly covered with water from the rains and high tides running - over the banks, which cannot escape for the want of a trunk or some other outlet. Mr. J. E. Davis’ lands are in very good order. The lands on Hutchinsons’ Is land are generally in goodTo^J^ Col. Green’s very good. Bo me f r the trunks on Mr. King’s and a j on Maj. Stark’s tracts leak badly the flood, but their margin ditcl being in good order, the w makes its escape on the ebb tide-’ Maj. Stark has made a very ] ar and fine bank the whole his tract on back river. bnt°; doing instead of getting the from his ditches, he has madela r holes and basins in his margins and fields, these are now filled with st nant water, and sheuld have drai cut from them leading to the main ditches. Respectfully Yours WM. A. POLLARD, I.l)’ c> Savannah, May 21, ISSO. Am’t of Account passed $77 4^ Council Adjourned. EDWARD G. WILSON. Clerk of Council The Montreal Herald says, there is a French Canadian Boy a t Hyacinthe, who has coustructed a working model of a steam loeomo live, complete in all itspans, about eighteen inches in leirmf,, lv ;, Aoat anj assistance or instruction even in the use of tools. He is only about 14 years of age, and has had to make tor himself every irople ment necessary for his work, with the exception of one or two Gl es , Among these implements is a rude species of turning lathe, and the tools for making screws. His mo dels have been the engines which he has seen on the St Lawrence and Atlantic railway". A’ egro Eloquence. —A “dandy black ’ stepped into a provision shop in Boston, recently, to buy some potatoes ; before purchasing, he gave the following truly eloqu ent description of its nature;—“De tateris inevitably bad or inevitably good. Dere is no mediocrity in the combination of de later. De exte rior may, indeed, appear remarka bly exemplary and butesom, while de interior is totally negative; !xi(, sir, if you wends the articles ’pon your own recommendations, know ing you to he a man of probability in all yonr translations, why, sir, widout further circumlacutions, I take a bushel.” The death of the venerable poet, the Rev. W. Lisle Bowles, whose sonnets Coleridge looked up to with reverence in his boyhood, and fa mous for his controversy on Pope with Byron, took place at Salisbury on the 7th April. The poet was in his efobty-sevenih vear. The Secretary ofState, Mr Clay ton, has communicated to the Sen ate a Report upon the productivere souces and commerce of the inde pendent oriental nations. It is stat ed that this Report has been prepar ed by Aaron H. Palmer, Ksg., of New York. Paper Roofs. —The proprietors of one of the largest manufactories 10 Germany, situated at Neustadt, ba' e just invented an incombustible sub stance, which they term “stone pap” er,” and which is intended especial* ly for roofing houses. It is destined to take the place of tiles — over which it has this twofold advantage, that l! is not fragile, is very cheap. A al Commission has submitted the u * vention to numerous test, from ‘ v ‘ ilC it results that it is at the same t’ ‘ ,l impermeable and fireproof. commission has strongly recomm pn ’ ed it to the peasantry as a subst-t ----for thatch. — J Advantage of Time. —The ag e man, we are told, is three score and ten. From twenty-five to f ,,r! j if the health be good, no mater^ 3 teration is observed. For there 6 fifty, the change is greater. F . five to sixty, the alternation st3 ‘ les ; still we are not bowed In the ealiesl periods of our hk body strengthens and keeps U P mind : in the latter stages of it t reverse takes place, and the V {il kerps up the body ; a forinWa l)le K ty this, and keenly felt by both- I is Time’s progress.
