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I Cijr ©rfiaw ♦ !■ published by authority o the Southern Musical Convention. °* w *J r II.KI>fSO!. Editor. 4S ■ ( ,50 Per Jptum cash Hamilton, Feb. 28,18537 har ris county rail road MEETING. The citizens of'Harris county are res ypectfully requested to meet id the Court >Hottse, in Hatnilton, od the first Tuesday ‘in March next, for the purpose of taking in- Ho ewsideration the proposed Hail Hoad ■ifrbna Covington to Columbus, and to ap point Delegates to the Convention to be (held in Griffin on the 14th of March, and ifor aJI other purposes consistent with the tadvatjt'ement of said project. Every citi -stttQ the county is respectfully requested ‘tp intend. Let uo trivial affair cause you MANY CITWSENS. .Feb. 20, 1855. RAIL ROAD MEETING. We call the attention of the public to the {proceedings of a Rail Road meeting, which uwas held in Griffin ou the 20th inst., and rto be found in another column of to-day’s By the third Resolution of that meeting it will be seen that the citizens of Harris, Merriwether, Talbot and Muscogee coun- Mias, are requested to call meetings and ap point delegates to represent their respective .counties in the General Meeting to be held sin Griffin on the 14th of March, ensuirg. It will be seen by a notice at the head of Khis column, that a meeting of the citizens of Harris is called in the Court House, on tthe first Tuesday iu March next. It is to ?he hoped the people of our own and the •other counties named will awake to their interest, and do all in their power to carry this noble enterprize to completion. Situa te# as our county is, we can expect no other projectto- enhance the'value of property ori jpreve-so beneficial to our people as a Rail, road through the heart of it; of this fact, •every citizen must be aware. Now, whilst the ice is broken, is the time for our enter {prizing men to jump in. You see those who have taken the lead are determined to have the Road, or do, at least, all in their powor to build it-speedily; for heaven’s sake, do not'letit be said that the project failed for wantofsesargy in the citizens Harris- Set not down ou the stool of do-nothing and ask what can Ido ? it is true you will never do any thing while you set there, but hj ‘bestirring’ yourselves can accomplish a great deal. You can put down your sub. scriptions proportionate to your means, and solicit others to do likewise, who may live near the projected lute.; thus proving to the public that you are really in earnest, and are determined to lend all the aid in your 1 power—not by t cards alone, but by means— that will at au early day insure the comple. tion qf the road. WASHINGTON’S BIRTH DAY. The Anniversary of the birth day of Washington was celebrated with great magnificence iu Columbus on (he 22d inst. The .military companies we^Yir-pjrradeT the Columbus Guards, under command of P. J.. Simms, and the City Guards commanded by Capt. P. H. Col> A splendid Military Ball, was giv en by the Columbus Guards, in the evening, and is represented to Lave been a brilliant 1 affair. LOOK OUT FOITcOUNTERFEITS. We publish an articlo t<*d ay from the Journal Messenger, (Macon,) to which is added a note by the editor of the West Point Beacon , stating that a suspicious looking individual appeared in that vicinity • short time since, representing himself as a Kentucky horse drover , passing off Ids Bills to the unwary. By the Chambers Tribune we learn that the same man {or one of his gang) has extended his financial operations to Lafayette, Ala., where he managed ‘to get off several counterfeit bills—passing, among others, two notes on the Southern Bank of Alabama, to the Tax Collector. Our readers will remember, some two years ago those * Kentucky Horse Drovers’ passed through this section on the same bu siness. We cannot believe they ever had anything to do with driving horses to mar ket; they generally have two or three (torses along, the better to deceive, but have little idea of disposing of them unless for cash and at enormous prices; their bus* (ness is to drive counterfeit money into the eoulheru market, and not horses.. There is not a shadow of doubt but there is a body of them united together. If you should hear of one being arrested in anv part of the country, do not lie dormant on that account, he will be but a twig plucked from a wide spread branch. Be cautious from whom you receive Bank Notes, and keep an eye open for the Drovers, RAIN! SLEET!! SNOW!!! After a spell of very agreeable weather, we had o liite sprinkling of rain on Friday and Saturday last, which, on Sunday morn ing. 4 tapered off* with sleet and snow, melt ing as fast as it fell; since that time our climate has been endeavoring to compete with the “North. We do nos hike to find the -oterk of, the weatherj but must say we cannot approve of those sud den changes Irom warm to extremocold.— We were unable to woik on Monday and yesterday morning in consequence of the cold, but compelled to set and admire the beauty and eloquence a f our typographi cal spirit of evil who sat “setooched” and shivering in the Chimney corner, calling down anathemas the most horrible on the head of the ‘nigger* who brought us a load of green pine poles and black gum logs to burn. Poor Berry! our devil prays he may never, hereafter, want fire to light bis pipe. We fear the gardens have all been ruined. MUSICAL. A spirit is abroad in the land to contend against a custom and system of music which has been in use, unmolested, for one hundred years or more; as uew musicians spring up, new ideas spring up with them. It has been an universally admitted princi ple that, in the Diatonic scale of music, five whole tones and two semitones form an oc tave. By some of our principle men this position is denied, and in lint, they ioseit for iVeir own use, and that of their clajs.es. seven whole tones, denying that any such thing as a semitone exists; consequently, they contend that there can be no difference in the practical thirds, to wit; the minor and major, and therefore contend for one mode only. We are disposed'to conrlude that all such are wanting when tried >in the balances. Do away with the semitones, and you destroy the science of music, for nature lias formed them, and no a<rt can abolish them ; and if those who are destitute of the power of distinction sufficient to de tersjjJk where nature has located a semi- incapable of deciding how art has placed the scale lo precisely meet the de mends of nature, is not capable of instruct. ing in the science of music. In the major scale—bfing the grand octave commencing on the tonic— two tones are found, to the first third a major third, to wit; from € to E,or by one flat from F to A. makes three notes and two whole tone degrees. In the minor scale, take from A to C, in the nat ural scale wo find three letters and two de gree*. oue whole tpne and the other a hall tone degree. In the min<r mode the semitones occur from No's 2 and 3, 5 aud 6. ‘ln the major scale the semitones occur from 3to 4 aud from 7to 8. In this pro position, can all be the same mode? We think uot. In the very ingenious arrange ment of music, it has been completely set to nature, and we suppose the geueral difficul ty is. that those who are contending on the subject, have not consulted nature correctly. Take, if you please, two tuues, one in the major, and perform it in the order of a mi nor, then contrast the operation; take a mi nor tune and perform it in the major order and see if you cannot discover a difference; ‘flitch'-.course may, perhaps, lead you to conclude a difference ; and deriving wt ibis conclusion, may you to inves tigate, impartially, what the essential diffei ence is. If the principle is admitted that no semitones exist in the octave, then we have 14 semitones in the octave according to the chromatic scale. By the diatonic scale *ve have 12 semitones in an netavp, the five whole tones being divided artificial ly into semitoues, and the two natural semi tones make twelve. How it is that any person should have arrived at such conclusions, we are at a loss to understand or account for, for it stands irrelevant to every principle (oral or written) of music in the old or new world. No such thing was ever heard of until within the last twelve or eighteen months; and we would advise, before tuo great an exposure of a want of faculty, that there be more care on the part of those disposed to contend, aud that they betake themselves to n investi gation of the subject, and teach no more such error. We would like to hear from others ou the subject. Sv?. OUR BOOK TABLE. Arthur’s Home Magazine for March, is before us filled with excellent matter, to gether with the Fashions, and is trnly one of the most interesting works ol the day.— Terms. $2 in advance. Address T. S. Ar thur, 106 Walnut st. Philadelphia. Peterson’s Magazine for March is now on our table, and is just the book for the la dies. It contains the fashions and every thing that relates to the interest of the fe male sx. Terms $2 in advance. Address C. J. Peterson, 102 Chestnut st. Phia. Godet’s Ladys’ Book —lt is useless to say this work comes to us monthly; every body, who has ever taken the Ladys’ Book knows that it never fails aniving in due time. It all t|je fashions, and the greatest amount W(*£K#Uag matter of any similar work of the day, and is always beautifully illustrated. We are frequently importuned for the loan of our Magazines; we wish ii understood by all that we belong to no “ loan Association” “We take the for fetter half’s special benefit, timnntrmsic value ; intending to hav’^F 1 ®' 1 ! bound And not only this, hut jus;lql e to ourselves and the publishers forbid oul lending them. Terms $3 per annLmL/itGodey and Har pet’s Magazine both forvHULin ad vance. Addiess L. A. Goiet, street, Philadelphia. Saturday Evening Post. —This as ’the largest and best wrekljMiterary paper pub lished in Philadelphia ; it contains more original Novelettes, good Stories, Poetry. Anecdotes, Agricultural matter and Gener al News, than could be well expected from anything in the Newspaper line. The pa per comprises nine columns to the page, of proportionate length, aod well printed. It is true, it is *ot As-hH**. ft* seeu ? but suffice.it Jo say. that two of them would cover a common siaed bed. It contains but few advertisements, and is almost wholly devoted to literature, and the general news of the day. Ihe public need not fear of being duped in subscribing for the ‘‘Post,’’ as it is now in its 34th year, and has be tween 80 and 90.000 subscribers. Terms $2 in advance. Address Deacon tfe Pe terson. Number 456, South Third Ttreet, Philadelphia. General Intelligence. RAILROAD MEETING. Griffin Feb. 20. 1855. Agreeable to a caW of Maj. Henry Moore, permanent chnimra n.|gl*rusiting: was held at the City Hall, when fren. E■ P. Daniel was called to the andC. H. Johnson appointed Secretary The following resolutions were offered by Dr. .1. N. Simmon-, and. on motion, unani mously adopted; Kesolved, That a committee of twenty one, be •.•ppoioted to attend the Railroad Convention to be held in this place, the 2d Wednesday in March next. Resolved, That a committee consisting of five be appointed t<o solicit subscriptions to aid in defraying the expenses of a survey or a line fora Raiioad between th* cities of Griffiiu and Covington. Resolved, That this meeting request the citizens of Merit* ether. Harris, Talbot and Muscogee, to apffoin? delegafes from their icspective counties to represent th**m ill the Convention to assemble in this place in March tAntt;'*’— 1 - Resolved. That the proceedings of this meeting be pubk-hed in Griffin, Columbus and Hamilton paper*. The following delegates to attend the meeting to be held in this city on the 14th of March, were appointed hv the chair, viz: J. P. Manly, Thomas Rn-oks, Wm B Nun S C. Mitchell. Wm. Parker. Thomas D Johnson, A. A. Gaulding, J. B. Reid, Thos B Johnson, A. A. Porter. Wm. Arnold. J. Q, A. Alford, J. C. Be'-ks. Wm. .1 Jossey. Hendly Varner. Dr. Wm. 11. Prichard. Wm Freeman. V\ m. R. Phillips, H. P. Kirkpat rick, A. G. Peden, amlM, G. Dobbins. On motion, the Chairman and Secretary were added to the delegation. The following geutlemcn were appointed a committee to solicit subscriptions for sur veying the route for tbe contemplated Rail road from Covington in Griffin : Dr. J. N Sirnmyns H. PT\ij'kj(jri,rk. A. A, Porter. Wm. Crittenden and Gary Grire. On motion, the meeting adjourned. E.P. D\NIEL, Chm. C. H. Johnson, Sec’ry. CENTRAL AMER. EXPEDITION Ihe Vlnshiugtnn Union publishes in full, the correspoedeoce between the Secretary of State and Col. Kinney, in relation to the much talked of Central American Expedi tion. Col, Kinney, it appears, had been iu vited to a personal interview with Mr. Mar cy, and subsequently at his request, put up on paper the information, he then commu nicated in reference to the purposes of the proposed expedition, and the means by which they are to be carried out. He says: This company was organised a little more than a year since, when officers and mana gers were.-alsoted to. direct aud control its affurs. The articles of association declare its ol ject to lie the occupancy and improve ment of the lands within the limits of its grant; and my instructions are of the same purport, although necessarily more extend ed. These direct me to take immediate steps for the peaceable occupation and co lonization of the lands of the company by sui h industrious and enterprising men as may bo willing to remove thither; either singly or with their families, and to offer them, as an inducement for going, a certain quantity of lund, to he laid off and convey ed to them on consideration of actual occu pancy. They also instruct me to take out n cer tain number of mechanics and laborers of various kinds, as I may find can be advan tageously employed in mining, cutting ma hogany and other Agilnuble cabinet wood/ which may bear to the United States or to Europe. And my instrnctions are to do all peaceably, without invading the rights of either communities or States. As to my own purpose, I can only say that it will be to carry out ray instructions faithfully, to preserve peace, to cultivate a spirit of industry and a’ love of order in the community whi’ h-J hope to see grow up speedily in ibat now desert and uninhabited portion of the world. A mini her erf itriius j nious and enterprising citizens, aecerrrpau. ; ied by their families, h ive already sailed or are about to sail, from Corpus Christ, ai.d they will tie shortly followed by others from the North. SECRETARY MARCY’S REPLY. If. Jy enterprise of which you speak in yourXtter to me rff the 28ih ultjmo. is a merepeate emigration ; if you, and those who propose to go with you."prefer to leave the beited States and seek a permanent home in a foreign country, to renounce your citizenship here, and the rights and privi leges belonging to it, and to submit your-elf to the laws of another jurisdiction, it is neither the duty nor the desire of this gov ernment to interfere with your proceedings. l?J\sueh a course you cease to be a citizen of thd-'JJnited States, and can have alter such a cfxaoge oFaTlfe*M4*.pee nojcllim to pro tection as such citizens froV , mein. You seem, however, to -repel -the inference that you intend to submit to the existing sovereign authority of any country. Your design in this respect is indicated by the following passage in your letter : “It is my purpose to occupy some suita ble place, and to establish municipal regu lations for the colonists, so that it may be in my power to enforce order aird keep up i the forms of civilized society from the be ginning.” It is not to be assumed that the country to which you are going is not within the territorial limits of some government. That it is a part of the sovereignty of a government is implied in tne fact that you claim to have -a grant’ for the land you propose to occupy. Although you do not state the source or nature of your the particular country to which yon ptfki pose to go, it is evident from the tide of| your association, ‘The Central American ! Company/ that your destination is Central. America, and I know no portion of it over which some of the Central Americau Stales hnve not sovereign jurisdiction. •It i* very generally •understood that your colony proposes to take possession of a p*rt of she Mo-quito country, over the whole of which Nicarugus or Costa Rica claims jurisdiction. The ministers < f those governments have both declared that you have no grant from their own nation, and they protest against your proposed expedition as an in’ aston of their right* of property, and jurisdiction and sovereignty If your grant is derived, as it is presumed to be. from a person called the \ Mosquito King, it is proper that you should i>e apprized of the linht in which this gov- | ennment regard such a title. The political condition of what is called the Mosqiii'o Kingdom, has for -everal years past been a matter of discussion between the Uni'ed Stale* and Groat Britain, ’t his govern ment has uniformly held that the Mosquito Indians are a savage trjbe. and that, though they hav< rights as the occupants of ihe t country where ‘hey are. they have no parity tp transfer m> individuals an ahsolujßj and permanent title to the lanVs posse-sion, and that the right of eminent domain—which only can he the source of -uch title—i in certain of the Central Am erican Slates. If the emigrants should be formed into companies, commanded by officers, aid fur nished with arms, such organization would assume the character of a mi itarv organi zation. and, being hardly consistent with professions of peaceful objects, there would devolve upon tnis government the of inquiring whether it be not in violation of our neutrality act. LOOK OUT FOR COUNTERFEITS. Within a few days past, (-ays the Journ al & Messenger of last week'.) two SSO counterfeit bills of the Bank of the State of Georgia, have been received by bank offi £-*r* of this city. [Macon] against which we would can iron rtl pvtMte, exe- , cuted well enough to deceive air one not familiar with the bills of the Bank of this denomination, but. the following description of one of them, will enable any one readily t detect them, as no $5!) bills answering the description have ever been issued by the Bank of the State ol Georgia It is dated Oct Ifith, 1849, payable at the Branch Bank of the State of Georgia, at Augusta, and signed A.Poiter, Cashier. G. B. Gum ming. President. In the centre of the bill and near the top, is a female figure with a sheaf of wheat near her, a failroad train pusaing over a bridge on the left hand side, and a small figure of a man on hois back on the right hand side of the female figure, as the hill is held to be read. Immediately hi low ‘his principal viguette, at the bottom of the bill, and between the signature, is a small steamship. On the corner of the left hand end of the bill, and below, is the letter L„ and between it the word Fifty in capi tals, and on each side of the vignette at the top are the figures 50. Tho bill we have described was enclosed iu a letter fiom Al bany. Ga FVe understand that a geqtleman in the vicinity of this place had one of the above bills passed on him a day or two ago by a suspicious lookiug individual. Shortly af ter the man left he discovered that it was counterfeit, and immediately went in pui suit of the scoundrel, but he evaded him.— We learn that the scamp h id ‘plenty more jof the same sort.’ He is a horse trader, and ’ says he is from Kentucky. Persons would do well to be on thoir guard, or they may he ‘taken iu and done for’ in like manner. H'est-Poinl Beacon. Lieutenant General Scott. —A Washington letter writer says that upon the passage of the bill creating the office of Lie uteuant General, Col Preston drove to the War Department, where he announced the intelligence to Get). Scott The C< n eral dropped his head for a moment, and tears were seen trickling down Iris cheek.— ! Hi- teply was worthy of his fame, and was precisely as follows : •Let no man say. hereafter, that his critlb trv is ungrateful to one who has served btfr faithfully.’ F-red Douglass in the New York Oap ’ITOL. —A memorial was presented on the ’9thult., to the Lower House of the New York Legislature, requesting the use of their chamber, on Ac first vacant oight, for Fred* erick Dougbft to ma'ke a speech oh -The rights of Msttr Alter haff an hour Spent in a colloquial discus-ion, the request was unanimously granted. Next Friday even ing was appointed for the address, it is eminently right and proper that an Aboli tion Legislature should give the use of their Hall to a negro. If th< y intended to de grade themselves by the act, they haVe sig. naily failed, for it is rather a condescension in any negro of ordinary character and ca pacity to harangue such an assembly. Nevei theless. the animus of the proceeds wtuT as ope of the signs of the times, should receive not attention. Richmond IDispatch. A Prolific Hen.—We are inforiflej that Dr. Columbus Smith of Toneshorough, has a hen of the common stock that has laid ip the last three weeks, eightv-six eggs. She coTMMoeed by* laving two a clay, and laid successively three, four, five, six, and at last accounts had laid seven eggs per day, of the ordinary size. The gentlemaft who gives us the information, has offered to bet one hundred dollars upon its correctness. The hen is confined in a coop and lias beert watched while laying, and the eggs counted after she had l< ft the nest. If this he true* we will go Georgia against the world iu the hen line.— G r ijfm Union. Pj*A.NLt-French Alliance in America. 1 Senate. Saturday, Gen. Cns gave no on the next Monday he should take notice Af the words anri'.uted to Lord Ci A RENOowwy the public press, but which sub sequently modified or denied relative to the tranaatlalic policy to be pursued by Eng land with reference to affairs upon this con tinent. A Washington fetter says that th* Genera! will also take notice of the speech of the French Emperor, delivered on the 27th December last, in Which the idea is plainly held out that the present Anglo- French alliance r<dates not only to things and events in the East, hut also to matters belonging to the Western hemisphere.— General Cass will, no doubt, treat the mat ter as an ‘ accomplished statesman and di plomatist, and he may, perchance, give the c untry his views about the Eastern ques tion, th Allies, the Turks. ian. B!. ITfS! 1 V Jnk ■ a lie tbl_. v> i:iw® ‘■•it 5 vF ‘ ■ p r>i s upon sice that at the cod they will never disar me h"\ea full understanding with the hated republic in regard to the question of Cuba, the SaDd ■ ich Islands and Costa Rim. ‘•persons who have never been beyond the smoke of their own chimneys, may prate about the impossibility of England going to war wi h the, United States; that a community ofintere-t. language and religion would prevent it. Let ihi m e rne abroad, and mix w ith her people and they w ill’soon learn that there is not a bi ter hater of the <?'i'Ttvd'4Sjjat v es than rhe Etgljah...nation.— The Emperor of the Ffetich has eiTrr 4tW clina ion to fry the strength of his fleets up on us and fill his exhausted treasury by seizing upon our sl ipping, and levying con tributions upon our cities. What is to pre vent him? He has only to send over one of his laigm fleets of screw steamers.” * From the Tr\ IVeekly Enquirer . SUPREME COURT ON RAILROAD LIABILITIES. We find in the Macon Messenger of 21st inst. a notice of a recent decision of the Supreme Court, in which the constitution ality of the law making the vaiious rail r ads liable for injurie- t. stock. &c. is affirmed. The subjeet of injuries done in the manner above al uded to his long been the fruitful occasion of protracted and ex pensive litigation, in which we believe the people have, in the long run. come out se cond best. VVe are glad therefore, that the relative rights and tesponsihibties of tho parties are clearly ascertained and presen ted, and hope the discission will have the double effect to prevent accidents of the kind alluded to, by stimuLiing our Rail road Companies to increa-ed carefulness, and when such do occur, lead lo a satisfac tory adjustment. without unnecessary delay on cost. ‘ The Supreme Court is still in session in this city, it having disposed of only about one ihird of the cases upon its docket. Du ring the last week it has had before it two cases, one insii'iited hy the Central and the other bv the Macon Si Western Railroad, involving the question of the constitution ality the act of rhe last Legislature in regard to Railroads and their Liability for injuires to stock and other property “od on Monday morning the deeission of the Court was pronounced, sustaining the act and all of its provisions. A railroad company may now he sued in any militia district, in any county through which the Road runs, and in which it has au agent.—• i Such is the law, aud very popular it is.”