Newspaper Page Text
From the Boston Courier.
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES-,
EY GEOKGE BANCROFT.
We welcome tlie appearance of Mr. Ban- j
croft’s third volume, an 1 congratulate both
him and the public, that he had found time a->
midst the calls of official duty to complete !
another volume of a work, which takes rank ,
among those of the ablest and most accom
plished historians of modern times. The num
ber and variety of ihe topics discussed in this j
volume, are proofs of intense intellectual ia- j
bor and indefatigable industry.
This volume contains e x chapters: the first j
of which commences with a discussion of the j
absolute power of the British Parliament, and
the effect of the Revolution of loßi,on the j
colonies as well as on the parent country.
The epitomize J titles of the other five chap- ,
lore, are, “France and the valley of the M s- j
HSi~:ppi.” “Francecontends for the fisheries ,
aid the Great West!” ‘The Ab: r git.es c-ait
of the Mississippi:” “TiieColen.es of France
and England encroach more and more on the i
Red Men:” “English encioachments on the !
colonial monopoly of Spain prepare American
Independence. ’ The historical narrative is
brought down to 1718, when, to quote the lan
guage of the author, “After long years of
strife, of repose, and of s rife renewed; Eng- j
land and France solemnly agreed to be at
peace. The treaties of Aix la Chapelle had ‘
been negotiated by the ablest state men in
Europe, in the splendid forms of inonarchial
diplomacy. They believed themselves the ,
.arbiters of mankind, the pacificators of the
world—reconstructing the colonial system on j
a basis which should endure for ages—con-I
finniugthe peace of Europe by the nice ad
justment ol material forces. At the very time
of the Congress of Aix la Chapelle, the woods j
of Virginia sheltered the youthful George j
Washington, the son of a widow. Bom by
the side of the Potomac, beneath the roof of,
a Westmoreland farmer, almost from infancy j
his lot had been the lot of an orphan. No j
academy had welcomed him to its shades; no
college crowned him with its honors: to read,
to write, to cipher—these had been his de
grees in knowledge. And now, at sixteen years
of age, i:i quest ol an honest maintenance, en- j
countering intolerable toil; cheered onward by
being able to wr te to a sclioV-boy friend, ,
“Dear Ri hard, a doub'o n is my cons ant gain j
e e y day, and sometimes six pistoles;’ ‘hmse’f,
his own cook, ha\ ing no spit but a forked stick,!
no pi e but a large chip;” roaming over
spurs of ihe Alleghanies, and along tho banks
of the Shenandoah: alive to nature, and some- j
times “spending the best of the clay in admi
ring (he trees and rit haeas of the land;” among
skin-dad savages, with their scalps and rat-,
ties, r uncouth emigrants that “would never
speak English;” rarely sleeping in a bed;
ho'l, . a near skin a splendid couch; glad of
a res: mp place for the night, upon a little hay,
straw, or fodder, and often camping in the fo
rests, where the place nearest the fire was a
happy luxury—ihis stripling surveyor in the
woods, with no companion but his unlettered
associates, aud no implements of science but
his compass and chain, contrasted strangely
with the magnificence of the Congress of Aix
la Chapelle. And yet God had selected, not
Kaumtz nor Newcastle, not a monarch of the
house of Hapsburg nor of Ilanover, but the
Virginia stripling, to give an impulse to hu
man affairs, and, as far as events can depend
on an individual, had placed the rights and the
destinies of countless millions in the keeping
of the widow’s son.”
This beautiful extract, so expressly shadow
ing forth the character of Him, who has been
appropriately termed “the Father of his Coun
try,” is the closing paragraph of the volume
before us; and seems to indicate what may be
the subject of the opening chapter of the next
volume.
If there is any portion of this volume which
we read with more interest than another, it is
the chapter on “the Aborigines east of the
Mississippi:” which presents a living picture
of the numerous tribes which once inhabited
that vasi region, their languages, their man
ners, their political institutions, their religion,
their natural endowments, and their origin.
“The picture of the unequal contest [between
the Indians and the Europeans, lor the pos
session of the continent] inspires a compas
sion that is honorable to humanity. The weak
demand sympathy. If a melancholy interest
attaches to the fall of a hero, who is overpow
ered by superior force, shall we not drop tear
at the fate of nations, whose defeat foreboded
the exile, if it did not indeed shadow forth
tho decline and ultimate extinction of a
race!”
Mr. Bancroft’s style is rich in metaphorical
illustration, and his narrative is interspersed
with appropriate moral and philosophical re
mark. The chapter on English encroach
ments commences thus:
“The moral world is swayed by general
laws. They extend not over inanimate nature
only, but over man and nations, over the poli
cy of ruler- and the opinion of masses. Event
succeeds event according to their influence:
amidst the jars of passions and interests, a
midst wars .nd alliances, commerce and con
flicts, they form the guiding principle of civil
ization, which marshals incongruous incidents
into their just places, and arranges checkered
groups in clear and harmonious order. Yet
let not human arrogance assume to know in
tuitively, without observation, the tendency of
the ages. Research must be unwearied, and
must be conducted with indifference; as the
student of natural history, in examining even
the humblest flower, seeks instruments that
may unfold its wonderful structure, without
color and without distort ion. For the historic
inquirer to swerve front exact observation,
would be as absurd as for an astronomer to
break his telescopes, and compute the patn of
a planet by conjecture. Os success, too, ther**
is a sure criterion; for, as every false state
ment contains a contradiction, truth alone pos
sesses harmony. Truth also, and truth alone,
is permanent. The selfish passions of a \ ar
ty are as evanescent as the material interests
involved in the transient conflict; they may de
serve to be described; they never can inspire;
and the narrative which takes from them its
bat i!, wll hurry to oblivion rapidly as the
hearts in which they were kindled moulder to
ashes. But. facts faithfully ascertained, and
placed in proper contiguity, 1 ecome of them
selves the firm links of a brightly burnished
f.hain. conr.ee'mg events with their causes,
and marking the line along which the electric
power of truth i3 conveyed from generation to
generation.
“Events that are past are beyond change,
and where they merit tone known, car, in
their gene: ai aspec., be known ac< u ately.
The corns .tution of the human min i varies on
ly ,’n details; its eien.e ts are the sane al
ways; and the multitude, possessing but a
combination of the powers and passions ot
which each one is conscious, is subject to some
laws which control individuals. Humanity
also, c tar.tyenriehed and cultivated by the
truth.- uevelopes and the- inventions it amas
ses, 1..,:- life of its own, and yet possesses no
hat is not common to each of its
members. By comparison of document with
docype i ; by an analysis of facts, and the
reiere.tc >f each of them to the laws of the
nr * ? which it illustrates; by separating
the idr :h h insures combined action from
the f -ms it nar times; by compassing events
with : e re-p movetnent-of humanity, histo
ric t r v jsfabliah itself as a science; and
the *v -•- whichgovern human affairs, ex
tend o ‘t of light from century to
■co d* ■ - v* nwnew demonstration of
the ri>| ■ •• 1 w providence of G >d.”
Bs . the volume, we copy the fol
lowing ■ r V’- r
The a of aboriginal America
were :or .*•, who occupied the upper
valle . • ‘a:- river, ns far west as
Musi-h w hjVVia-id? of Carol in - *,
Georgia, and Alabama—did most picturesque
and mosts übnous region eastoi ihC Missis
sippi. The.r hemes were enriched by oiue
bins rising beyond hi! s, oi which he lolly
peaks would kmd.2 wi h the early light, and
the overshadowing r.dges envelope me . a.-
j leys like a mats oi ciouJs. Tuere die rocky
cliffs, rising in naked grandeur, ctoly ih-3 -
ning, and mock the iouffeat pc .is u. mo bon
der sorm; there the geuuer .-lopes .-re cover
ed with magnolias, and flowering forest cruet,
decorated with roving climbers, and r.ng w :i
tho perpetual note ui die whip-poor-w;.; .hero
the wholesome water gushes profusely irc.a
the earth in transpire .', spr ngs: sriovc-vvfi.n
casc-ades glitter on the hnl sides, and the r.v
ers, shallow, but pleasant to the eye, rush:
through the narrow vales, which tho abundant
strawberry crimsons, and coppices of rhodo
dendron, and flaming azalea adorn. At ihe
fall of tho leaf, the fruit of the hickory and
the ehesnut is thickly scattered on the ground j
The fertile-soil teems with luxuriant herbage,
on which the roebuck fattens; the vivifying
breeze i ; laden with fragrance; and day break,
is ever welcomed by the shrill cries of the
Eocial lfghthiwk and the liquid carols of the
mocking bird. Through tin lovely region
were scattered the li le villages of tue Cher
okees, ne rly fifty i \u.voer, each con isti .g
of but a few ca erected where tue -e;.d
in the mountain s reaui o f rou owe a de
fence and a strip of .dluvh: so.- f.r cu< ! ure.
Their towns were a.u ays by the ■> >; <•
creek cr river, and th* . t , -
land; above all, they i- <- .
owee, the Tugeleo, the a . .
ful branches of the Ton:..* •
, waters, inviting to the bat *, • T :.
ler, alluring wild fowl, were ev es. lot-.r
paradise. Their language, like tiiat : o-
Iroquois, abounds in vovreis, and is dust it ue
jof the hibials. Its organization lias a com.aou
[character, but etymology has not yet been a
b'e to discover conclusive analogies between
j the roots of words. The ‘beloved’ people of
j the Cherokees were an lion by themselves.
Who can say tor how many centuries, safe in
then undiscovered fastnesses, they had deck
ed the.r war chiefs with the feathers of the
eagle’s tail, and listened to the counsels of
I their ‘old beloved men!” Who can tell how
often the waves of barbarous migrations may
have broken harmlessly against their cliffs,
I where ra‘ure was the * strong ally of the de
; fenders of their land?”
We leave this delightful book for the pre
sent, v. :‘n the expression of a hope that the
a ifhor will remember that tune passes rapidly
; away, that uncertainty attends all human pur
-1 poses, and that to complete with all reasona
i ole speed the work he has so successfully be
gun, is a duty he owes to his country as well
a? to his own reputation.
THE DEVIL’S CLOCK.
By the Author of a “marriage on. the eve of battle
The town of Herringhausan, not a hundred
miles from Frankfort, is one of the most
picturesquely antique in Germany, arid con
tains about twelve thousand inhabitants. I
like to prepare my readers with a tolerable
idea of the locality wherein the events nar
rated transpire—for then I may hope to im
press them with at least a two-fold sympathy
in my dramatis person®. The street in which
Herr Bomgarten had his residence was among
the oldest in the town aforesaid, and his resi
dence, the oldest in it. lie was himself, also,
a high-dried piece of antiquity, usually en
veloped in a cloud of smoke from sunrise to
to sunset, e veept only when his fair daughter
sat beside han at their evening meal and talk
ed over the affairs of the day. On such oc
casions he would narrate incidents in his pro
gress through life, and dwell upon the diffi
culties attendant upon acquiring the indepen
dence which they then enjoyed. He had one
passion in excess—an intense love of music;
and had at one time been no m .an proficient
on the violin. At the festivals held periodi
ca’ly in all the principal German towns, his
judgment was appealed to, and, indeed, no
meeti ig of the kind was considered complete
if he by any chance, were absent. It may
therefore naturally be inferred that his daugh
ter had been early instructed in the elements
f the art; and at nineteen she was a pianiste
jof considerable attainments. These circurn
! s ices firmed the basis of a desire which
became stronger wi ll his years, and which
co dinned a resolve that she should wed one
of the most accomplished musicians cf the
age. They say that when all other passions
d.e, ambition survives, and acquires a force
proportioned to its solitariness of aim. Cer
am it is tha’, out of the many sui ors whom
the beauty and gentleness of the disposition
of Azalia attracted to th i domicil of Ilerr
Bonagar.ei', not one, (so scrupulous was lie on
the score of musical perfection) was permit
led by him to continue his visits. Anxiety for
the fulfilment of a hope being usually in pro
portion to its strength, her sire, as the young
lady approached twenty-one, began to expa
r.ence a dread that he might no: live to see I
her settled. This preyed upon his spirits |
deeply, and urged him to publish, as widely j
as possible, his intentions. To that end ha j
invited to h s house, o i a certain day, all of the |
class musical who chose to compete for his ‘
and rugliter, declaim g hat at mi lnigh f he w and
decide o:i the claims of the aspirants. Nov ,
it is necessary I should inform mv rea : ers
that in the grand apartment in Herr Bom. r- :
ten’s mansion there was a piece of furniture
suppos 1 to have been fabricated by a Hun
garian magician, and which exhibited so much
of apparent wilfulness that it had been de
nominated by common consent the Devil’s
Clock.
This time keeping edifice struck all ma -
nor ot lours in all m-urner of w vs; but what
ever might be its vag vies, was always true
to the so e.nn “ twelve ” of midnight: so that
Herr Bomgarten, not without reason fixed ae
on that hour to decide his long-cherished
scheme.
The day at length ar. ived and if may be
imagined that not a little preparaf.o ■ had been
mace. The piano forte (one of tv -inters lo
iCct improvements) was c. -cod under a mirror
of immense size, and ■ ■ y -,y y, . ,•-> fie
(fatal?) clock.
Azalia was dressed :• lu’ ‘ ■
looked lovelier than u- and
cumsiarce her fa her
finale. At about eight
the visitors were all as
ers who ventured to offe - • - - ■ ... ..
pet iters for so beauim] ■
were four in number. T. cv e r i
down to the instrument, and each appear and,
more than his predecessor, to ?sto-n -h tiio au
dience; and it was gonernly imagined the
the lasi performer would be end iled to be
come the fair giTs hug and. Bn: ere Herr
Bomgarten had qui e resolved in his own mind
tie exact merits of each candidate, another
stopd beside the instrument, and, ra her by
eigns tiiau words indicated that he, too, must
try I js skill.
The guests seemed extremely puzzled at
this singular apparition; for up to that mo
ment 1 !;e gentleman had not been observed in
the room a alii One or two persons, indeed,
docl xred that lie had actually stepped from the
clock case as the last player of the four con
cluded ins Fantasia! Be it 53 it more, he sat
down to the piano, and produced—but if is
; wholly impossible to describe the sensation.
1 He now withered up the heart with the in
• tensity ot n.s pathos; and again enchanted the
soul with multitudinous images of delight.
Then would ho pour over the imagination a
stqrm or harmonies that exalted it almost to
frenzy, end anon subdued it to.the placidity of
childhood. Hi was the man; ve", who was
lie? The question was a fearful one. lie
wag ha adso ne,—but his aspect was singu
larly wild end melancholy,. He executed
with marvelous ease, but his mind appeared
Cpdgi IT from Ids eye) to by wandering over
fic.us of thought remote from that it which ho
was engaged. He rose. Herr Bamjarten
sprang from Ida saat, and would have embrac- J
eJ him, bat was repelled by h;s peculiarity ol -
me.n. Few minutes had he to decide, for
midnight was at hand. As to the pretty Aza
lia, she wore no express.on save oiy that oi
e.v re me pa nor, and of some internal agitation;
hilt alien tire s ranger, as ihe clock struck
“.-.re.v V -.oached her uaud to aepar;, sue rose
a on e, aud wahoat tay app -rent reluctance.
File iiios. surprising part of uie wh.de ousi
lioss was :h.a, —that ne s.ranger, holding the
u nid oi .lie young iudy, proceeded at ouce to
me iJevil’s Clock, and giv.ng one melancholy
g. noe at the company touched a spring aud ;
reared within its case.
As ihe door closed on the fated couple a
murmur cf h.-rror ran through the assembled
gues i. The unhappy father was so affected
that he fainted away, an i as sensation return
ed, he declared that he repented him sorely
of having, as it were, interfered with the de
crees of Providence. “Ah!” he exclaimed,
“would that 1 had selected some honest youth
| among our neighbors for her husband!—Carl
von Muller, for instance —who loved her
dearly, and was beloved in return, and whom
i drove from the house.” Scarcely had he
made his avowal when ihe clock-case again
opened, and ue - ranger, -aeppaag ; rcu r,
ildhii , “I ghter,
to Carl v U: ;.or. wmtid on .>• - her your
■■‘.-- a •*! ■ i-l-i: i ‘maimed
tne - ■ <t■ 1 . i ‘ *• claimed
• • -. happy pair*”
: ‘■■ ■ mopened,
• v ; : : : ■. . . y bride en
.. . ilia House,
■ o : ■ ■- “ - -ml the stran
:: a “ ;;,r - mm y -■ -j merriment.
■ apoeer; I have
j ■■■ ur-amn o ; 1 am the bosom
r o-- ■■■■'■ ,3 Carl Vi.n .and ; iLat clock has a
: communication with the Church of St. Roque;
(the choristers, who always set it right at
twelve at nigh’, from some superstitious feel
ing, play a variety of tricks with it by day;)
aud I have bean the means of doing an act
jof friendship and of justice. As to the moral
I —out no; we will think of that some other
i time; for now, it behooves us solely to be joy.
jous—and a merrier, a happier evening, was
’ never spent in the good eld town of Herring
hausen.
lowa. —Although the young and flourishing
territory of lowa lias ately attracted so much
attention in the Atlantic states, yet there are
few east of the Alleghanies who have any
definite knowledge in regard to its geography
cr its aptitude for agriculture and manufac
tures. Ten years ago this most beautiful ter
ritory was unse tle 1 by while population, and
known only to ihe Indian trader; now it con
tains a population of forty-four thousand white
sett era in the Black Hawk purchase alone,
which is a narrow tract of about fifty miles
average width, lying on the west bank of the
Mississippi, and extending from the Des
Moines river on the south, to the neutral
ground nearly opposite Prairie au Chien, on
the north. This is the principal part of the
terr.tory inhabited by the whites, and in agri
cultural advantages, is superior to any other
part of lowa or of the valley of the Missis
sippi. It adds to a temperate climate, an un
equalled fertility of soil, an abundant water
power, and a most excellent distribution of
prairie and woodland to suit the wants of the
farmer. Within a year or two ago, the great
excellence of the soil and climate of the
•orthern part of this territory for raising all
the vegetable products of the temperate zone,
was not known to its inhabitants themselves.
It was supposed that the want of snow on the
prairies would unfit them to produce winter
wheat or rye, which requires protection from
the frosts; but repeated traia for the last
three seasons, have shewn clearly, that the
high undulating prairie lands ars'as well, ii
not better, adapted to ihe cultivation of the
winter grain, than tje best lands of New
York, Ohio or Michigan. This may arise
from the nature of the soil, which being a
deep sandy loam, is not liable to be thrown
up by die frost. Many of our farmers have
succeeded in raising from forty to fifty bush
els of first rate wheat from the acre. Indian
cornet the.flat kinds, is cultivated here with
great advantage, and yields about as large a
en ;> as best lands in the middle and eastern
states; but we do not consider tha: the northern
part oi the territory excels so much in the
corn crop as in the roots and small grain.
Here, indeed, nature seems to have combin
ed all tiie requisites for the production of the
esculent roots in the highest degree of per
fection. The Gaiena poiiatoe, which is cele
orated for its peculiar excellence on the Mis
sissippi and all its tributaries, is produced in
the northern part of lowa and that part of
Wisconsin lying adjacent, and y.elds from
lour to five hundred bushels to the acre, with
out any particular care in cultivation. On
ions are produced nowhere in the United
St lies equal to those of lowa and Wisconsin.
1 ney can be raised from the seed in a single
season, ;rom iiiteen to twenty inches in cir
uin erence, and the ground so covered with
’ hem, that it can s. r. my he seen. The ruta
b.iga, beet, ! turnip, and in iact every esculent
rs>. r m temper .e . mates, the cultivation
o s’, hi. li has uoen tried by our farmers, suc
ove is equally we.l i has been said with
ha h, “that where 11a;. ure does much there
mail will do htiie.” Although it might be
considered a hasty assertion, (in the embryo
state 0: our agriculture,) to say it was fully
exemp lied among us, ye. we must allow that
o. r aixners have not yet so assisted Dame
Nature ay tire “appliances and means of art,”
a- to make lae earth patiorth its grearest en
erg es. Where the laud is so fertile and so
easily obtained, the farmers are apt to spread
their labors over too great a suriace, to make
such elegant > ruts as are seen m the Atlantic
states, or cause the sod to y.eni as much as it
.s capable 01 doing under a different mode of
nr iv •run. We are giad to pervc.vo .hat so
lin ny oi our in.oil.gent farmers are .• jco.vmg
: die i.iiit.v.'t -r, h-..-!8. ee F rmOr a.i.i oilier
, ■ ; : which they
■ - ■ ■ l short
measure
upa
■'• •or .- r r-c. —/ .:a News.
OWN,
/ ashington,
-a . , aauiipanied bv
• - rived at VVil
•••* ; .j: of Lafayette,
4; j>u :.e general,at
■ . oy h muiifio is s- 1 American and
| i.• c officers, repaired n> Hi mpion, and
• ‘•co . board the Viiie de Paris, the French
| Admiral’s ship,; lying at anchor in the chops
’ ■•I toe Gapes, to pay (heir respects to liie
I Uoiin de Cra so, ami con u l with him as to
tli ir future operations.
i’iie \ ;;le cle Paris, a magnificent vessel,
o? 110 guns, an ) 1 ,3t)0 men, was a present
tyo n I lie city of Paris to the French Kina'.
Upon her arrival in the American waters, she
excited much admiration. Her riclfv var
nished sides shone l.ke burnished silver, while
on her quarter deck, among die frowning en
gines of war, bloomed a brilliant parterre of
rate and beautiful plants and flowers, ranged
in boxes, and the produce of the tropics.
Oa the American Chiefs reaching'the quar
ter deck, th * Admiral flew to embrace him,
imprinting the French salute upon each cheek!
and hogging him in his arms, exclaimed.
My dear little General! De Gras-e was of
lofty stature; but the term petit, or small,
when applied to the majestic and command
ing person of VV ashington produced an ef
fect upon 1 lie risible facubies of ail present
not :o he described. The frewr.limen. uov
erned by the rigid etiquette of the <tncien re
"imr, control ed their mirth as best thev
could; but aar own j ffy lino?:, heedless of
all rules, laughed, and that aloud, till his fat.
sul-.s shook ag tin.
Washington returned Horn this Conference;
by no means satisfied with its result. The
Admiral was extremely restless at anchor j
wiule his enemy’s fleet keep the sea; and his i
outers limiting lus slay in the American vva- j
te:s to a certain, and th.it not distant day,
he was desirous of pjttinir to sea to block up !
the enemy’s fleet m toe basin ol New York, j
rather than to run the risk of being Inmseil j
blockaded in tLe bav of the Chesapeake.
Washington now despa tclied La Fayette ;
on a Secret mission to the Count.
Toe marquis prevailed, and lie soon re
i turned to head quarters with the gratifying
intelligence that the admiral had consented
to remain at his anchors, (save iheactnal ap
pearance of a British fleet ofl’the Capes,) and
would send a part of his vessels higher tip
the bay. the better to complete the investiga
tion of Yorklmvn.
On the 3:h September, Admiral Giaves,
with 10 sail of the line, appeared off the capes,
[of Virginia. Count Da {Lasse immediately |
slipped his cables, and put to sea with 24 line \
o! battle ships. An engagement ensued,
without material results to either side. After
four days ol’ manoeuvring, the French fleet
returned to its former anchorage, the British I
bearing away fm New York.
Meantime the Chevalier de Barras had ar-j
| rived, with eight sail of the line, bringing a |
battering train and an ample supply of all the !
j munitions necessary for the seige. ‘These
; were speedily landed up liie James River,
: and many delays and disappointments oc
curred in their transportation to the lines be
fore Yorktmvn, a distance of six miles. Long
trains of the small oxen ot thee nmtry lugged
[at a single gun, arid it was not until the arri
: val of the better teams of the Grand Army,
| that much progress cou and be made.
The combined arttaes arriving at
I the Head of Elk, emb.it ked a portion of the
i troops in transports; another porti-m were
I embarked at Ba fimore, whi e the remainder
pursued the route by land to Virginia—the
| whole rendez'. ousingat Williamsburg.
On the 28th of September the Allies moved
in four coliiuyis, in order of battle; and, tiie
(imposts of the enemy being driven in, the
first parallel was commenced, and the wotk
continued with such dilgence that the butte
ries opined on tlie night of the 9 h of Octo
ber, ami a tremendous fire <>f shot and sluils
continued without interruption. A red hot
sho from the French, who were on the lef,
fired the Charon, a British frigate of ‘l4
guns, which was consumed, together with
three transports.
The defences of tlie town were hourly
sinking under the effects of ihe cannonade
horn the American and French batteries-,
when, on the night of the 14th, it was deter
mined to carry the two British redoubts on
Ihe south by the bavor el. For this service,
detachments were detailed from both tlie A
merican and French armies—the former un
der the command of Ll. Col. Hamilton, long
the favorite aid of the Commander-in-chief,
but now restored to bis rank and duty in the
line, and the latter under the Baron de Vio
menil.
At a given signal the detachvvenfs advan
cee to tlie assault. As the Americans were
mounting the rerhmbt, Lt. Colour I Laurens,
aid-de-camp to the Commander-in-chief, ap
peared suddenly on their flank, ai the head of
two companies. Upon Major Fish hailing
him with “Why, Laurens, what brought you
here?”’ the hero replied,. “I had nothing to do
at head quarters; and so came here to see
what you were about.” Bravest among the
brave, this Bayard of his age and country,
rushed with-the foremost into the works, ma
king with Ids own hand Major Campbell, the
British commandant, a prisoner o! war. Tlie
cry of the Americans as they mounted to (lie
assault was “Remember New London.” But
Iwre, as at Stony Point, notwithstanding the
provocation to retaliate was justified Kv the
inhuman massacres of Paoli and Fort Gris
wold, mercy, divine mercy, perched triumph
ant on our country’s colors.
Washington, dorin r the whole of t*bc
siege, continued to expose himself to every
danger. It was in vain his officers remon
strated. It was in vain that Col. Webb, hi-<
aid de camp, entreated bun to come down
from a parapet, whence lie was reconnoitr
ing the enemy’s works, die shot and shells
living thickly around, and an officer of the
New England line killed within a very few
yards. During one of hie visits to a main
battery, a soldier of Col, Lamb’s artillery had
his leg shattered hy the explosion of a shell.
As tliev vvert hearing him to the rear, he re
cognized the Chief, and cried out, God h'ess
your Excellency, Rave me if you can, for I
have been a good soldier, and served under
you (hiring the whole war. Sensibly affected
by tfie brave fellow’s appeal, the Genetal im
mediately ordered him to the particular care
of Dr.Craik. It was too late —<k ath leuni
nated his sufferings after an amputation was
Dertormed.
After a fruitless attempt to escape, in which
Hie elements, as at Long Island and German
town, were tin the side of America, and her
cause, on the morning ol the 17th Cornwal
lis r-eat a parley. Terms were arranged, and
on the 19 1 h, the British army laid down its
arms.
The imposing ceremony look place at 2
o’clock. The American troops were drawn
up on the right and the French on the left
of the high road leading to Hampton. A
vast crowd of persons limn the adjoining
country attended to witness the ceremony.
The captive army in perfect order match
ed in stern and solemn silence hi tween tin
lines. Ail eyes were turned towards ‘he head
of the advancing column. Cornwallis, the
renowned, the dreaded Cornwa !is. was the
.object that thousands longed to behold. He
did not appear, but eni Its sword by Gen.
O’Hara, with an apology ii r ins uon-appear
nice on account of indisposition. It was re
marked that the British soldiers looked only
towards the French army of the left, whose
appearance was assuredly more brilliant than
that of the Americans., though the latter were
respectable in both their clothing and appoint
menK while their admirable discipline and
the hardy and veteran appearance of both
officers and men showed they were no “car
pet knights,” but soldiers who had seen ser
vice ami were inured to war.
Lai layette, at the brad of his division, ob
served that the captives confined their admi
ration exclusive y to the French army, ne
■fleeting his darling L'glit Infantry, the very
apple of his eve and pride of his heart, de
termined to bring “eyes to the right.” He
ordered his music to strike up Yankee D io
die; then, said the good General, they did
look at.us. my dear sir, but were not very
well pleased.
When ordered to-ground arms, the Hessi
an wns content. He was tired of the war;
ids pipe an ! patience pretty well exhausted;
he longed to b:d adieu to toilsome marches,
b 11 lies, and the heat of the climate that con
sumed him. Not so with the British soldier,
many threw their arms to the ground in sul
len despair. One fine veteran fellow display
ed a soldierly feeling that excited the admi
ration of ail around. He hugged nis musket
to his bosom, gazed tenderly on it, pressed it
to his lips, then threw it from him, and march
ed away dissolved in tears.
EMPLOYMENT OF ROYALTY.
It will, no doubt,be interesting to your read
ers to read, as it was to me to hear, the out
line of her Majesty’s daily oecup'tion whilst
she is in London. They are mutatis muian j
rfis, the same when she is in Windsor or at
Brighton. The Queen is. as is genet a llv
known, an early I tser, seldom being in bed
later than half paH seven, except on the mor
nings after her state baits, or on few
occasions vviien she honors the pauses of the
nobility vvii-i her presence. Her bell is rung
about eight o’clock lor her dressers, and t.y
nine her majesty, tier royal consort, ami her
household, are at breakfast, i fie time occu
pied by tins meal is about half an hour, when
her Majesty, it the weaifier permits, enjoys
ihe air in tiie pleasure gardens attached to
Buckingham: this garden covers a space of
forty acres. Here the Queen frequently re
iij nits an hour, and is accompanied by some
of the household or bv the Prince. When
she is accompanied by ihe latter, et quette
prescribes that except by invitation, tiie la
dies and gentlemen in attendance should walk
at a respectful distance.
Upon her Majesty’s .etoro to the palace,
she is attended by her secretary, when she
affixes her signature to the various documents
which acquire their validity by it. These
Comprehend treasury and other “warrants, the
| commissions of military officers, state papers,
, &.c ; and they ate Ireqo. nt!y so numerous,
j that it has before now required more than two
I hours to get through this business. The
, Q, ‘een passes the lime between one and three,
| either in conversations, reading, painting or
music. I:t these two accomplishments her
i Majesty la eminently proficient; her drawings
are much admired, and her ‘love for music is
well known; she is excellent both as an in
jsirumenta! and vocal perfotmei. Theie are
! three piano so t. s in li e suit of three drawing
rooms usually inhabited, hut that wt ici: is
especiaiiy her M jesty’s, and which is only
touched by her fingers, is iiwgnitiren l ; ii is
rosewood, inlaid with go: I and vignette pic
tures, and cost 1.500 guineas. Luncheon is
served at three, after which the Queen re
effives t'ne Cabinet Ministers ami such other
persons vvliorn it is asual to honor with audi
enees. A’ live ihe royal cortege leaves the
palace, and proceeds through tie parks, See.
and generally returns about seven or a quar
ter after. ,
Dinner is generally served about seven or
a q niter before eight, except on opera nights
when it sa little Parker. The usual number
oi p rsons who dine at the rova-1 table is about
thirty. The Queen never fa is io be present
except upon nights of a ball, eitt.er at the
pa litre or elsewhere. On llios ■ occasions her
Majesty dines in her own suite of apartments.
The Queen, who occupies the centre seat of
ihe dinner table, remains from an hour and
five minutes to art hour and a quarter. Her
rising is the signal for the ladies to move al
ter her, and in a very short time subsequent
to this move the gentlemen follow. During
dinner lime the hand of one of the regiments
of Guards generally attends. Themusxians
are placed in a s’euati >n above the ceiling of
the apartment. They are separated- from
the royal parly by la'-ge panes of ground
glass, which mellow the sound, and prevent
the musicians seeing into tiie apartment.. Tea
and cuff e are served immediately after din
ner, in a small room leading from one of the
drawing rooms. The remainder of the eve
ning is passed with music and con ersattori,
in both of which the Queen and Prince Al
bert take a par'; and about half past eleven
her Majesty retires to her apartments; whit h
are in the immediate vicinity of the draw-rig
rooms, and with which there is a communica
tion by means of a door that is ordinarily con
cealed bv a cabinet. This cabinet is on rol
lers; and it is when her Majesty expresses a
desire to retire, immediately roiled sufficiently
far away to enable the door to he opened,
and is replaced again as soon as she has
quitted the apartment.
Another Melancholy Suicide. —The
Philadelphia Chronicle says. —We have just
heard o; one of the most melancholy smc.des
within our memory, committed on Friday
last, near Chester, in this Slate. The victim
was a young and beaut ful girl of about 18
or 19 years old; she had been for some afflict
ed widi a religious monomania, and about
two months siiiGe attempted for the first time
to destroy herself by taking laudanum; but
some members of the family perceiving the
phial, labelled, lying on the tab'e near her,
medical aid was immediately summoned, and
the liquid extracted. A short- time after she
made a second attempt by taking arsenic,
hut was again frustrated. Her parents then
set a watch upon Iter, and had every possible
means, such as knives, razors, &e., placed
beyond I er reach; but so determined was she
to -‘shuffle off the mortal coil,” that she by
some stratagem obtained an old razor, which
had been used in the stable for repairing har
ness. cutting ieather, See., and with it she
committed the rash act, while in the sitting
mom of the house, and when there w ere none
of the family present.
The first intimation her friends had of the
melancholy event, was by a girl employed to
work about the house, who, when about pre
paring dinner, went to the store mom, which
was immediately under the silling room, Ibr
the purpose of taking some meat from a bar
iei v\here it had been packed, when to her
great horror and astonishment, she beheld the
top of the barrel clodded with blood, and a
trickling stream falling from the ceiling. The
alii iglot-d girl immediately communic > led the
fact of the appearance to the family, when
they repaired to the room, and found the sui
cide lying on the floor, with the carpet up
turned, and weltering in her blood, and life
almost extinct. Site ex sled about a quarter
of an hour afterwards, when the vital spark
of one beloved hy all who knew her, fled.
Tliejmost singular | art of ilie whole transac
tion, is the fact that nothing, save the fit >-f
monomania, could have tempted her to com
mil the rash act. She was about to he mar
ried to a froung gentleman of that vicinity,
upon whom she doated, and when one of her
fi's were on, she word I rave anil call for
him.
Curious Definition of a kiss.— Extract
from a love letter vviit't-n in the year 1079,
translated from tiie German.
“What i* a kiss? A kiss is, as it were, a
sea! expressing our sincere attachment; the
pledge of our future muon; a dumb. Lot at
the same time audible language of a
living heart; a present, which at ti e same
time it is given is taken from u-; the impres
sion of an ardent attachment on an ivory co
ral press; the striking < f two flints against
each other; a crimson balsam for a love
wounded heart; a svvt-f t bite of the lip; a
lovely pinching of the mourn; a delicious dsh
which is eaten with scarlet spoons; a sweet
meat which does not satisfy hunger; a fruit
winch is planted and gathered at the same
: tim,-; ‘he quickest exchange of questions anti
answers of two lovers; the fourth degree of
love.
Errors cf the Press. —li is amusing lo
a man who has been the printer’s hack Ibr
years, to witness rtie sensitiveness ol young
writer.-, and beginners, at errors of the Press.
; 1 hev attach to them an importance winch no
man experienced would think for a moment
jof giving to them. An article for a newspa
! per is generally forgotten on the next day af
ter reading; and if it is not so forgotten,
the error in consequence can he readily cor
rected on the day following. But to write
l<r immortality in a newspaper —or even to
expect remembrance for a fortnight from any
such memorial, is. as John Neal Iras wittily
observed, to engrave vmir own name on a
pumpkin.
I? it s ?—Macnisb, in one of his essays,
says: ‘ I have remarked, and Gil Bias’s mo
ther d'd the same thing; that women genernl-
I-,- hear a great dislike to their son's wives.
This is the more remarkable, as they are ah
most always lond of their son -in-law.” Can
any person explain the why and wherefore of
these singular facts?
S&iNTiNEii iiEiiALD.
COLUMBUS, DEC. 10, 1810.
“ This Institution is one of the most deadly hostiity
existing against the principles and furm of our Consii
tu.ion. i ‘it nation is, at this time. so strong and united
in its senihne ts, that it cannot bi shaken at ihis mo
ment. But suppose i series of untoward events should
occur, sufficient to bring into doubt the competency oj a
Rrpubii an Government io met a casts of great dan
ger. or io unhinge the to Jidact of the people in the
public functionaries; an institution Like this penetrating
by its branches every part of the union, acting by com
mand and in phalanx, may in a critical moment, upset
the government I deem no government safe, which is
under the vassalage of any seif constituted authorities,
or any other authority than that of the nation, oi its reg
ular functionaries. LVhat an obstruction could n t this
Bank of the United Stalls, with all its branch banks,
be in time of wai / It might dictate to us the peace we
should accept, or withdraw its aid. Ought we then to
give further growth to an institution so powerful, so
hostile ?—T hom as Jeff t.Rsun.
FOR CONGRESS :
JOHN 11. WATSON.
We take pleasure in placing ; t the head of
‘our columns, the name of Col. JOHN 11.
WATSON, to fill the seat in Congress left
vacant y the resignation of Hon. Walter T.
Coi-qn tt. Col. Watson is in every way wor
thy of the suffrages of the people, llis nobie
bearing in the field, and his adherence to prin
ciple and justice as a civilian, are before his
: countrymen, whose duty and whose pleasure
I it will be to award the meed of merit.
We will publish in our next General An
drew Jackson's farewell address to the peo
! pie of the United Slates.
Southern Literary Messenger. —The edito
rial chair of this interesting and valuable pe
riodical is filled by Mr. T. W. White, a gen
tleman of high repute for literary attainments,
i Its-contributors are also ranked among our
1 most popular and pleasing authors. The
number for December is stored with articles
lof much merit, among which is “Our .Yury,'’
(With introductory editorial remarks,) to which
i especial attention is invited.
The Messenger is sent forth to scatter the
1 flowers of poesy, dispense the light of s.deuce
| and the purest gems of literature; and justly
| merits the celebrity it has obtained.
Tiie Vacant Scat. —lion. Thomas Glascock
I has declined becoming, a candidate to fill the
Congressional vacancy consequent on the re
signation of Walter T. Colquitt, and it is gen
erally understood that HINES HOLT, Esq.,
of our city, has been placed in nomination by
the Harrison party. Although we cannot
support this gentlemen, we are glad to per
ceive that he lias in some degree returned to
primitive State Rights principles, and boldly
avows himself in opposition to a United States
Bank. We quote his own expression with
regard to the Bank, from memory. Here it is:
“I see nothing in the Constitution to au
thorize the charter of a United States Bank, ;
and until I do see it, I can have nothing to do
with its expediency.”
What will the Enquirer say to this?
An amusing specimen of humanity occa
sionally crosses our path; and such truly is
the long man who perambulated the streets
for some (Dys in the latter part of last week.
He was attired in a long and once brown wrap
rascal, whose variegated hues plainly bespoke
the service it had seen. Not one of FalstafF's
ragged regiment could have shown such a
longitude of shreds and patches. Oh! such a
coat! The balance of his integuments were
equally hirsute; —one foot was bare—the oth
er covered with a brogan, to which was affix
ed a most enormous spur. He wanted a
“horn,” and appealed most piteously to the
gentle sympathies of the various keepers oi
confectionaries in Ward No. 4. But it was
“no go”—lie was evidently too hard a case
After many fruitless efforts, the lank and je
june “customer” at long’ h “met up with” our
old friend Me , and thus addressee
him:
“Mister, did you ever have the horrors ?”
“No, ray friend, but I can form some idea
of the feeling .”
“That’s sufficient; if you understand any
thing of healin’ and seliiii', anl the diabolical
and infernal twitching of a gentleman's nerves
after a st,” you will not refuse me one
horn.”
The appeal was too strong; Me
gave him a “snouger,” and he went on Ins
way rejoicing.
Cause and Eject. —Probably there are lo
two works which more distinr tly point oil
cause and consequence than these:— gin a.J
bitters.
Florida. —lt wilt bo seen from tiie copy of
the letter published below, received by the
(Secretary of War from the General com
manding the army in Florida, that tiie ret en:
efforts of the Government to terminate the
war with the Seminole Indians by negotiation,
through the intervention of some of the most
influential of the chiefs ol that tribe who had
been removed West, has failed in consequence
of ihe usual reachery of the Indians.
Head Quarters, Ap.my of Florida,
Fort King, Nov. 15,1840.
Sir: Early this morn ng, I was informed
by the Ark an.-aw delegation, that some of the
pr.se,ners in camp had disappeared during the
! night. On sending oat to the Indian encamp
| merit, it was discovered that all the Indians
had gone.
Thus has ended all our well grounded
hopes cf bringing the war to a close by pacific
measures; confident in the resources of the
country, the enemy will hold out to the last,
j and can never be ad need to come in again
j But the day before yesterday the ch efs net
only expressed a wiihngness but a desire to
- emigrate to the West Acting up in fu I,a th
to the promises 1 bad made to them, their con
duct is only to be attributed to the faithless
j disposition which has ever characterized
them.
ino partial delay caused by the armistice
j lias not tended to the injury of the operations
j in Florida, inasmuch as it-lias been conducive
ito the health of the three regiments which
| have suffered so severely—-they will now fcc
| enabled to take the field in larger force.
Immediately upon the withdrawal of the
Indians, orders were transmitted to command
ers of regiments to put their troops in motion,
and before this communication reaches you
they will be scouting in every direction.
Having left nothing ui attempted with the
means in my power, I shall now press the war
with increased energy, and hope soon to ap
prise the Department of the capture or de
struction of some oi the eneinv.
I have the honor to enclose “to you a copy
of the order issued on the renewal of hostili
ties.
I have the honor to be, sir, very respectful
ly> your obedient servant,
W. K. ARMISTEAD,
Brig. Gen. Com. Army of Florida.
Hon. J. R. Poinsett, Secretary of War,
Washington, D. C.
From the Suvai.nah Republican.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS IN
GEORGIA.
The first cost of the great Erie Canal and
its branches, was in round numbers $13,570,-
000. This Canal is owned by the Stale of
New York, and managed by Comm ssioners
appointed for ihai purpose. Its navigation is
close and by ice at Ic .st five months of the year,
and yet so extensive is the business transact
ed on it, that it is now being enlarged at an
additional expense, estimated by their Engi
neers at $ 13,000,000 —and the New York
correspondent of tiie National Intelligencer
writes, but a few days since, that the busi
ness cf the Canal is increasing so rapidly,
that the proposed enlargement estimated to
cost twelve millions more is demanded imme
diately at whatever cosl; and that if it were
now completed, tiie amount of tolls, baside
paying the interest on the debt still due and
the debt about to be incurred, would in a short
space ol time, extinguish the principal. We
re member to have read the annual report of
tiie Canal Commissions about a year since, in
which they state that some of “the bonds of
tiie State, bearing an interest of G per cent,
were sold in 1833, and were payable in Lon
don in 1845. The Commissioners having
abundant funds cn hand from the receipts of
the Canal, were anxious to anticipate the pay
ment of these bonds in 1838, but tho capital
ists who ha I ma !e the loan, refused to take
the money and give up the bonds until they
shtu’d fail due. This is a striking commen
tary on the system of making loans abroad
lor objects of this nature, particularly when
we can pronounce with perfect certainty that
signal suee vs will follow close upon an out
lay of this kind.
We regard the entire success of the State
Road as perfectly certain. That of the New
York Canal was problematical—highly so.
The Erie Canal costs, say §>34,000,01)0 —and
is closed five months of the year. The State
Rail Road, which is as important to tiie inter
ests oi Georgia as the Grand Canal is to New
1 ork, is to cost by the iate report of the
Commissioners the very moderate sum of
§>3,000,000. Vv hat gives the (State of Geor
gia an immense advantage, is that private
companies are constructing more than twice
as much of this great line of intercommuni
ca ion as she is. This condition of things
gives to the S ate an assurance of immedi
ate income irom her expenditure, which
she would not otherwise have. It gives to
the S ate the advantages of an internal com
munication during every season of the year
from the Atlantic to the Tennessee river,
with o fly an expenditure of $3,000,000 on
her par*, this sum being necessary to construct
a road covering one hundred and thirty-live
miles ol [lie whole distance, the chasm being
filled up by the Savannah and Macon, the
Macon and Forsyth, and Forsyth and Delvalb
Rail Roads. We do nut believe the immense
advantage to the State in this regard lias been
sufficiently thought of or commented on.
Certain it is that the State does not seem t<>
have rendered to these weeks any acknowl- •
edgement of ‘he vast assistance she is to de
rive from them, for their repeated applications
for aid have been disregarded.
Thanks however to the energy and pru
dence displayed in the management of the
affairs of these private companies, they can
do w.lhout aid from the Si ate, and they are
going straight'forward over hill and over val -
ley and river, an 1 will clasp together with”
bands of iron, all tho vast interests of this
State.- ’ihe effects of the New York Canal,
distanced ail calculation. New- mine s were
discovered and worked, new sources of indus
try were developed, villages and even cities
sprang up where but a short time ! efcre was
liG.iid the woodmand’s axe and the cry of
wild leasts. The realization of its benefits
has been more like fancy than like sound,
| undisputabie facts. It was as though the
! times o’ the enchanters had come again, when
! under the magic wand of route potent sorcer
er, the gloom of the client recest.es of the
woods, gives place to brightness and beauty,
and the rocks and caverns and streams are
changed to palaces an I gothic halls and mur
mur ng fountains. The effect in proportion
to our population and resources, will not be
the less surprising in our own State. Our
rail roads when half constructed, begin to
y:e'd prodigious profits. The small fraction
al parts are being lapidly filled up and in
May, 1843, the whole hue of rail read from
Savannah to Ross’ Landing which is fifteen
miles beyond the North Western boundary
oi Georgia, will bo in full operation. We
learn that the contracts just offered on the un
fit! sh and j or ion of the Savanhah and Macon
rail road, i. e. between the Oconee and Oc
mulgee have been sought with the u’rnost
avidity—hat an immense number of propo
sals have been handed in. This looks well.
We only regret that the Directors of this
rood have not resolved to complete the work
by the Ist of January, 1843, instead of the
1 t of May, 1843.
The well known maxim, “festina lento,” is
well enough applied to human affairs gener
ally—but speed, speed, rapidity of execution,
on the safe I asis a’ready established, and im
mediate fruition ought to be now the watch
words. We publish again p paragraph in tho
Rep; bliean of yesterday morning, which ex
hibits the ra‘e of progress of the line of read
beyond Macon. It is an announcement which
ought to be celebrated by the firing of cannon,
which in times of more prosperity than the
present, would wake up the slumbering ener
gies of every section of this State like tho
sound of a trumpet. This declaration is for
ourselves, for the interests of Savannah, and
oi that great geographical centre of our State,
Macon. It is not for any of our affectionate
sympathising cities—ot t of the State of Geor
gia. Heaven forbid that we should plant long
er and make any more rail roads for their
benefit.
To Manage a Rearing Horse. —ln prefer
ence to the dangerous experiment of pulling
a rearing horse backward, I recommend tho
adoption of the following methods: When
ever you par; eive the horse’s inclination to
rear, separate your re .ns, and prepare for him;
the instant that he is about to rise, slacken
one hand and bend or twist his head with the
other, keeping your hands low. The bending
compels him to move a hind leg, and of neces
sity brings ins fore feet down. Instantly
twist him completely around two or three
times, which will confuse him very much,
and c ompletely throw him off his guard. The
moment you have finished twisting him around,
place his head in the direction you wish him
to proceed, apply the spur sharply, and he will
not fait to go H-nvard. If the situation be
convenient, pass him into a gallop, and apply
the spur or whip two or three times severely.
The horse perhaps wdi not be quite satisfied
with the first defeat, but may be disposed to
try again for the mastery. Should this be
the ers?, you have only to twist, Ac. as be
i'ore, and you will find in th* second struggle
fie will be more easily subuued than on the
first occasion— -in fact, you will perceive him
.mail under the opera.ion. It rarely happens
iliat a rearing h u se, after having been treated
n the way pres riled, will resort to his tricks
a third time. But on going into other hands,
and having another rffler, he will be very
! kely to have recourse to rearing.— American
Fanner.
A Queer One.— Sir John Salter, who di
ed m ICOS. and was a generous benefactor to
die worsiiit ful company of Salters, ordered
in Ins ast will and testament, the beadlcsand
servants of (lie company to go to the Church
of St. Magnus, the firsi week of every Oc
tober, and kiock upon bis grave-stone, with
slaves and sticks, three times each person,
and say:—“lit.iv do you do, brother Saltet?
I hope you aie wt!!*.’