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JHisccllancous.
Visit to the Seraglio Palacet
To visit the mosques fend the Serag
lio Palahe a firman or permit must be
had from the Government, anil that is
to be paid for roundly. An officer or
two must attend with his sword and
stall', and they must, be led well. Then
at every mosque and sacred place you
visit there are servants to be fed, and
if a party get through the day’aexcur
sion for forty dollars they do very
well. Mr. Brown, the Dragoman of
the United States Legation, kindly
procured for us a firman and sent his
■own cevasse to lead us. The Govern
ment sent another, so that we were well
provided with an eseCh-t. Several la
dies joined ou»‘ party, and added large
ly to the pleasure of that delightful
and interesting day.
Where the Golden Horn sets up
from the Bosphorus the old city of
Byzantium stood, and Mohammed 11.
selected this unrivalled site for his
palace, and laid out the grounds, and
prepared a residence that had no equal
in the Eastern world. Armed senti
nels admitted us by the great pavilion,
which is called the Porte —a gate, and
from this the Ottoman Empire takes
its name. Fifty men are the usual
guard at this door. We were at once
in the midst of a vast court-yard, (the
whole palace grounds are three miles
in circuit,) and passing across it we
were conducted into the palace. A
flight of stairs brought us to the au
dience-chamber a wide, apartment,
carpeted and surrounded with a rich
divan. The throne-room was furnish
ed with chairs and sofas, showing a
conformity to Western customs.
Another and another chamber, and
we entered the Sultan’s bath—luxu
riously fitted up, but without some of
the contrivances for comfort which
poorer people enjoy. A brass bar across
a door which we were passing, told
ns, or at least the guides informed us,
that this was the entrance to the harem.
No profane foot may cross that thres
hold. No man but the husband is al
lowed to enter the Turk’s apartments
for his wives. But a long gallery
opening near, was now entered, hung
on one side with engravings, chiefly
of Napoleon’s battles; and on the
other side, a row of windows looked
out on the court. This is the hall in
which the hundred and fifty wives of
the Sultan are daily assembled for the
amusement of their common lord.—
Here each one of them may exert her
art to win his favor; and it is said
that he drops his handkerchief at the
feet of the one who has been the most
snneessfnl.
Through this hall we were led along
to the private armory of the Sultan,
and while admiring the pistols, swords,
dirks, yataghans, cymeters, sabres, etc.,
of elegant workmanship, adorned with
gold and precious stones, my attention
was called to an adjoining apartment,
the Sultan’s bedchamber. Two jani
zaries with bayoneted guns stood be
fore the open door, and permitted me
to look in, but not to enter. It was
reported among the company in the
other room, that gentlemen were not al
lowed to go in ; and the ladies pre
suming on their privilege, hastened to
.step in, but the crossed guns of the
guards brought, them to a sudden halt
on the threshold. We could see the
magnificent couch and its gold and
crimson damask canopy, and the sump
tuous furniture of the chamber, where
the most uneasy man in the Turkish
empire has often sought in vain for
sleep, that comes unwoed to him who
earns it with the sweat of his brow,
and does not wear a crown.
In the gardens of the palace, and
near the water’s edge, are many beau
tiful but small cottages, which from
time to time have been erected at the
desire of one or another of the Sul
tan’s favorite wives. Fitted up accor
ding to tire taste of each fair inmate,
we could see in the low windows that
-open on trie walks that they were very
-elegant, and very oriental. The Sul
tan has the range of them all, as cages
in which his pet birds are confined.
And then we gathered some flowers,
for in the last of December the roses
were in full bloom in open air, and
every thing was fresh and green us
May. Underneath the palace was the
kitchen, the fires going as if an army
were to be fed from the great ranges
and furnaces on which the dinner was
evfen now cooking. Some of the pas
try was served to us, and proved to be
excellent, though wc did eat it in the
kitchen.
Von Hammer says that there are
nine several kitchens, and that forty
thousand oxen ar# yearly killed here
and cooked; 200 sheep daily; 100
lambs or goats, and 850 fowls. But
the Sultan docs not reside in the Se
raglio; he is at one of his many pal
aces along the Bosphorus, and the cook
ing now in process was merely for the
retainers of the palace. His future
residence will be in the marble palace
on the Bosphorus.
A thousand horses stand in the royal
stables, which we passed on our way
out; and the harness and trappings,
covered with jewelry, are displayed in
a rbom over the stalls.
It required an hour to look through
the old armory, containing one of the
rarest and richest collections of hel
mets, greaves, breast-plates in the form
•of stars, guns of strange patterns in
use before locks were invented, and
implements of war now obsolete, but
terribly effective in their day arid very
x-urrous now. The stack of arms all
ready for use were fast diminishing by
the daily demand' for the wars; and
probably some of the poor fellows that
came on the steamer with me, were
by this time equipped from this armo
ry and marching to the field, In a
aallery was a collection of the famous
swords of successive Sultans, from the
splendid Dama- ous blade . of. Moham
med 11. Here, too, are .the keys of
all the cities of Turkey, mounted with
gold, and deposited in token of their
sealty to the Porte. For days one
might be amttsed and instructed among
these extraordinary gatherings of an
cient and mdetem times.— Prime's
Traikb in jEurope and the Minst,
f: tiich Men of New York.
T referred to the biography of the
Wealthv citizens of New York at the
time it was severally appearing. It has
been made into a readable, but not very
reliable book. In it throe hundred
and fourteen are put down at one hun
dred thousand. One hundred and fifty
nine enjoy the distinction of two hun
dred thousand. Seventy-nine have
risen to the height of a quarter of a
million. Seventy-five have reached
the grade of three hundred thousand.
Eighteen have the rare felicity of three
hundred and fifty thousand. Thirty
seven have won the commoner glories
of four hundred thousand Three in
dividuals only have paused at four
hundred and fifty thousand, while sev
enty have pressed forward to the gran
deurs of half a million. Twenty-four
have proceeded to six hundred thous
and ; five to seven hundred thousand;
and sixteen have attained the giddy
height of one million. Five have gone
on To a million and a half; six to two
millions; one to three millions; two
to four millions; one to five millions;
and one stands, solitary and alone, on
the pinnacle of six millions.
William B. Astor is our richest
man; he inherited his wealth. S.
Whitney, five millions, owesJsjs|-,for
tune to "speculations in the
rise in real estate. W. 11. Aspinwall,
four millions, came of a rich family,
and gained vast increase of wealth in
the shipping business. James Lenox,
three millions, which he inherited.
The late Peter Harmony, two millions,
came to this city as a cabin boy, and
grew rich by commerce. The Lor
rillards, two millions, came from
France poor, and made their huge for
tune in the snuff and tobacco business.
The late Anson G. Phelps, two mil
lions, learned the trade of a tinner, and
made a fortune in iron and copper.
Alexander T. Stewart, two millions,
now of the Dry Goods Palace, began
business in a little fancy store. Os
those who are put down at a million
and a half: George Law, began life as
a farm laborer; Cornelius Vanderbilt,
as a boatman; John Lafarge, as stew
ard to Joseph Bonaparte. Os the mil
lionaires, James Chesterman, began
life as a journeyman tailor; Peter
Cooper, as a glue maker.
Os the ten hundred and sixty per
sons mentioned in the b ok, at least
eight hundred began their career as
clerks or manuel laborers.
The pill and patent medicine dealers
show to great advantage in this vol
ume. Brandreth figures up at three
hundred and fifty thousand. Sarsa
parilla P. Townsend was an honest
carpenter once ; he is now worth three
hundred thousand dollars. Moffat,
he of the Phoenix Bitters, is put down
at a half million. Pease, who once
sold ginger beer, and afterwards took
to hoarhound candy, achieved the mod
erate fortune of a hundred and fifty
thousand.
StraDge to relate, there are some
names in this work of interest to lit
erary men. George Bancroft, Henry
James, Professor Anthon, Thomas
McElrath, and Dr. Francis, are each
stated to possess a hundred thousand
dollars. Edwin Forrest is rated at a
quarter of a million; so is Sidney E.
Morse, of the New York Observer.
William Niblo, it appears, has four
hundred thousand dollars; and Dr.
Mott, two hundred thousand. Bar
num is put down at eight hundred
thousand; Bennett at one hundred
and fifty thousand. But perhaps the
most remarkable statement of all is,
that Mrs. Okill, of this city, has made
a quarter of a million of dollars by
keeping school.— N. Y. Correspondence
of the Charleston Courier.
Religious Denominations in the
United States.
The number of religious sects in the
United States is twenty, without
counting the Buddhists in California,
or sundry minor Christian denomina
tions. The whole number of edifices
is 36,000, capable of accommodating
14,000,000 millions of people. The
total value of the church property
held by these twenty denominations is
nearly $90,000,000, in exact numbers
$86,416,639. The average value of
each church and its appurtenances is
$24,000. These facts, which are de
rived from official tables for the census,
explode another false notion, which is
that there is too much luxury and
wealth in the American churches.
The most numerous sect in the Uni
ted States is the Methodists, the second
the Baptists, and the third the Presby
terians. The first has church accom
modations for over 4,000,000 of wor
shippers; in other words, the Meth
odists have houses of worship for one
sixth of the entire population. The
Baptists have accommodations for more
than 8,000,000, and the Presbyterians
for more than 2,000,000. The fourth
sect, in the extent of its accommoda
tions, is the Congregational, the fifth
the Episcopalian, and the sixth the
Roman Catholic. The number of
churches belonging to the three lead
ing denominations does not always fol
low this proportion, however. The
Methodists, for example, while they
can accommodate but twice as many
worshippers as the Presbyterians, have
three times as many churches. The
Roman Catholies, though sixth on the
list-as regards accommodations, stands
seventh in the number of their church
es. Os the principal sects, that which
has the smallest edifices for worship is
the Methodist, and those which have
the largest are the Unitarians and
Dutch reformed. The smallest de
nomination is the Swedenborgian, and
the next the Mennonite, There are
no less than 52 Tanker churches, and
85,000 worshippers. The Friends, so
numerous in this city, have accommo
dations for about 300,000, or but little
more than one hundredth of the entire
population of the United States.
Th? richest denomination is the
Methodist, which is set down in the
census tables at $14,085,(150. The
next is the Presbyterian, which is ra
ted at The Episcopal,
which in number of churches stands
fifth, ranks third for its church proper
ty, being estimated at $11,261,970.
I 1 he fourth is the Baptist, $10,931,882.
The fifth the Roman Catholic, $8,973,-
888; and the sixth the Congregation
al, $7,978,962. Os these various sects,
the two which sympathise the most in
doctrine are the Congregatioiialists
and Presbyterians—both adhering to
the Westminster Catechism, and dif
fering only in their form of govern
ment,, the one being republican, the
other democratic. Together these two
sects have over six thousand churches,
can seat nearly three millions of wor
shippers, and hold church property to
the value of more than $22,000,000.
The sect whose average value of
property ranks highest, is the Unita
rian. Next comes the Dutch Reform
ed, and next the Jewish. The Sweden
borgians, Roman Catholics, and Epis
copalians follow in the order named.
Os the leading denominations, the
Methodists stand the highest on the
list, and the Baptists next, while the
Presbyterians and Congregatioiialists
hold a middle place.
[Philadelphia Leader.
Catching a Lion Alive.
Many years ago the people of Doo
masansa (a town on the Gambia,) were
much annoyed by a lion, that came
every night, and took away some of
their cattle. By continuing his depre
dations, the people were at length so
much enraged, that a party of them
resolved to go and hunt the monster.
They accordingly proceeded, in search
of the common enemy, whom they
found concealed in a thicket, and im
mediately firing at him, were lucky
enough to wound him in such a man
ner, that, in springing from the thicket
towards the people, he fell down
among the grass, and was unable to
rise. The animal, however, manifested
such an appearance of vigour, that no
body cared to approach him singly,
and a consultation was held concern
ing the most proper means of taking
him alive; a circumstance, it was said,
which, while it furnished undeniable
proof of their prowess, would turn out
to great advantage, it being resolved to
convey him to the coast, and sell him
to the Europeans. While some pro
posed one plan, and some another, an
old man offered a scheme; this was,
to strip the roof of a house of its
thatch, and to carry the bamboo frame,
(the pieces of which are well secured
together bv thongs,) and throw it over
the lion. If, in approaching him, he
should attempt to spring upon them,
they had nothing to do but to let down
this roof upon themselves, and fire at
the lion through the rafters.
The proposition was approved and
adopted. The thatch was taken from
the roof of a hut, and the lion hunters,
supporting the fabric, marched cour
ageously to the field of battle ; each
person carrying a gun in one hand,
and oeafing his share of the roof on
the opposite shoulder; in this manner
the3 r approached the enemy, but the
beast had by this time recovered his
strength, and such was the fierceness
of his countenance, that the hunters,
instead of proceeding any further,
thought it prudent to provide for their
own safety, by covering themselves
with the roof. Unfortunately the lion
was too nimble for them, for, making
a spring while the house was letting
down, both the beast and bis pursuers
were caught in the same cage, and the
lion devoured them at his leisure, to
the astonishment and mortification of
the people of Doomasansa. at which
place it is dangerous, even at this day,
to tell the story, for it is become the
subject of laughter and derision in the
neighboring counties, and nothing will
enrage an inhabitant of that town so
much as desiring him to catch a lion
alive.
Strychnia and its Antidote.
In the last number of the Medical
and Surgical Journal, published in
Richmond, Va., we notice an article in
it on the above powerful and sudden
poison, by Dr. Tcwkesburg of Maine.
He says: “The frequency with which
strychnia is used for poisoning pur
poses, has attracted the serious atten
tion not only of medical men but the
public generally. The deadly certain
ty with which it acts, the ease of ad
ministration and the difficulties which
surround every attempt to prove, with
positive certainty, its presence in the
stomach, all unite to give this drug a
dreadful notoriety. Dr. T. then pro
ceeds to mention instances of his be
ing called to see persons who had taken
willfully, and taken by mistake, doses
of strychnia, and that he had given
them about two teaspoonfuls of satu
rated solution of camphor, with man
ifest effect and prompt relief. He also
tried the experiment on dogs, and
found that whenever he could adminis
ter the camphor speedily enough lie
was successful in preventing the pois
on from causing death.
Mechanics.
The following beautiful extract is
from Buiwer’s celebrated play, entitled
the “Carpenter of Rouen.” It is a high
compliment to the mechanics:
“What have they not done ! Have
they not opened the secret chambers
of the mighty deep, and extracted its
treasures, and made the raging billows
their highways, on which they ride as
on a tamed steed ! Are not the ele
ments of fire and water chained to the
crank,."and at the mechanic’s bidding
compelled to turn it? Have notme
chanics opened the bowels of the
earth, and made its products contri
bute to our wants ? The forked light
ning is their playthings, and they ride
triumphant on the wings of the mighty
wind. To the wise they are flood
gates of knowledge, and kings and
queens are decorated by their handi
work. lie who made the universe
was a great mechanic.”
Good Things from the Knicker
bocker.
“ An old soaker who lives in Wes
ton, Missouri, took it into his head one
day that it was necessary for his fu
ture weltiire to be “born again,” and
forthwith repaired to the Rev. Mr.
p ( the respected pastor of the
Baptist denomination of the town
aforesaid, to obtain light. He was re
ceived with urbanity, and forthwith
the following dialogue ensued: ,'
Old S.—lt’s your doctrine, boas, that
a feller to be saved must suffer immer •
shun , isn’t it?
Mr. B.—Yes, Mr. S., it is a funda
mental doctrine of our church, that a
man to be regenerated, must repent of
his sins and be immersed.
Old S.—Well, boss, after repentin’
of his sins, and been slid under , if lie
flashes in the pan, then what ?
Mr. B.—Although backsliding is
much to be deplored, still, if he sin
cerely repents of his sins, and is again
immersed, the church will receive him
again.
Old S.—Well, s’pose he ag'in kicks
out of the traces, after the second time,
(for you know what critters there are
in this world, boss,) then what’s to pay?
Mr. B.—Notwithstanding all this, if
he will seriously repent, and solemnly
promise to amend his future life, the
church will again receive him into its
bosom after being immersed.
Old S. (after a few moments of deep
thought,) proposes the closing interrog
atory. —Well, boss, wouldn’t it be a
blasted good idea to keep sick fellers in
die soak all the tire?
My informant didn’t say whether
Old S. joined the church or not, but I
incline to the opinion that h e didn't.
A Romantic Story.
“ Petrarch relates of Charles the
Great of France, that this monarch was
so fondly attached to a fair lady, that,
after her death, he carried about her
embalmed body in a superb coffin,
and that he could not indeed forsake
it, because, under the tongue was a
gem “ enchassee ” in a very small ring.
“ A venerable and learned bishop,
who thought a living beauty was prefer
able to the remains of a departed one,
rebuked his sovereign for his irrelig
ious and strange passion, and revealed
to him the important secret that his
love arose from a charm that lay under
the woman’s tongue. Whereupon the
bishop went to the • woman’s corpse
and drew from her mouth the ring ;
which the emperor had scarcely look
ed upon, when he abhorred the former
object of his attachment, and felt such
an extraordinaiq’’ regard for the bish
op, that he could not dispense with
his presence for a single moment, until
the good prelate was so troubled with
royal favor, that he cast the ring into a
lake or marsh. The emperor happen
ed to be attracted to the sight of the
submerged ring; and, in consequence,
founded upon it a palace and church,
which gave birth to Aix-la-Chapclle. ”
“ The Germans have a legend which
they connect with what must have
been this ring. It runs thus: Cliarle
magene, although near his dissolution,
lingered in ceaseless agony, until the
archbishop who attended him caused
the lake to be dragged, and silently
placing the talisman on the person of
the dying monarch, his struggling soul
parted quietly away. This talisman is
said to be in the possession of Louis Na
poleon ;but it is described as a small nut,
in a gold filigree envclopement, found
round the neck of Charlemagne on
the opening of his tomb, and given by
the town of Aix-la-Chapelle to Bona
parte, and by him to his favorite Hor
tense, ci-devant Queen of Holland, at
whose death it descended to her son.—
In the German legend it is said to have
been framed by some of the magi in
the train of the ambassadors of
Aaroun-als Raschild to the mighty
Emperor of the West, at the instance
of his spouse Fastrada, with the virtue
that her husband should be always fas
cinated towards the person or thing on
which it was.”
Trifles and Consequences.
If, in the world of spirits, the conse'
quence of every trifling act an iudivid*
ual shall be plainly visible to hirm
how great will be the remorse of
those whose evil works and words are
numerous as the sands of shore.
Who is theie that cannot trace back
to the most trifling incident or accident
the cause of an entire change in his
whole life ? Some have been made
immensely rich by the turning of a
feather, their children educated, given
influence, and perhaps charged with
the destiny of a nation ; while another
has become poor in consequence of
some slight and almost imperceptible
incident. Poverty has brought on dis
ease or dissipation, and a vagabond’s
fife or a drunkard’s grave become his
portion. Some of our richest and
most influential merchants, sons of
farmers, can trace their coming to
New York to the meeting of a play
fellow in the street, or the running
away of a colt, or perhaps in an in
stance we have heard of, the breaking
of a bowl. Had these boys remained
at home, and been farmers, how differ
ent would have been the situation of
their familes. Their daughters, in
stead of flaunting in silks iu Broad
way, and enjoying a seat at the opera,
might have been engaged iu the wor
thy occupation of making butter and
cheese. Steamships that now form reg
ular lines to different quarters of the
globe, and effect the destiny of nations,
would not have keen built; wars
might have been made or avoided, as
subsequent circumstances have dicta
ted.
Thirty years ago, two boys in New
Hampshire quarrelled about a box of
blacking. To get rid of one of them,
he was sent to New York, and is now
one of our first shipping merchants, a
director in a bank and owner of a line
of steamers. A dispute about a tin
dipper with the steward of a. steam
boat, resulted in a lawsuit that it cost a
thousand dollars, and laid the founda
tion of a fortune of one of our milliona
ries, who now owns more tin dippers
and steamboats than any one man in
the world —-once a deck hand of a boat,
now the captain of the “ upper ten. ”
An incident made him, an accident
may unmake him.
Napoleon, became a soldier in conse
quence of one disobedient act to his
mother.—then General, Consul, Empe
ror and exile ! Washington became,
in early life, a favorite with men of in
fluence and power, because of his diso
bedience to his mother. An accident
made this known to one who never
lost sight of the obedient boy, which re
sulted in his becoming the head of the
American Army.
One single vote sent Oliver Cromwell
to the Long Parliament, Charles Stu
art to the scaffold, revolutionized Eng
land, and made Great Britain free.
Four votes, in the city of New York,
made Thomas Jefferson President of
the United States; one vote gave us
the Tariff of 1842 ; and one vote made
the Tariff of 1847. One vote gave us
Texas, made war with Mexico, slew
thousands of our people, and purchas
ed California, turned thither the tide
of emigration, and will change the des
tiny of the world.— N. Y Day Book.
Tight Times in the Provision
Market.
We thought, says the Atlanta Intel
ligence)r, we could tell a sufficiently do
lorous tale of suffering” when we
not long ago quoted corn meal at a
dollar and a quarter per bushel, and
other things in proportion, but our co
temporary of the Savannah Morning
News eclipses our account entirely, and
by giving us a peep into the provision
stalls at the seaboard, makes us think
we are living in “ flush times ” up
here in the interior We truly com
miserate the condition of our friends
below, but let them stay their stom
achs on cat fish for a while longer and
we will soon come to their rescue. The
News gives the following account of a
visit to the market:
With the exception of cat fish, gou
ber peas and turnip greens, there
was nothing to speak of in the market.
What little there was abundantly
made up in prices for the deficiency in
quantity and quality. Here and
there were to be seen a few pieces of
miserable beef at 15 cents per pound
—and no grumbling about the bones.
If you didn’t like it, you could let it
alone. Fowls were hard to obtain at
SI a pair. We saw two game
chickens tied by the legs with their
necks trimmed and their heads pecked
till they were entirely out of shape,
offered for a dollar. The owner had
“ fit ” ’em until they couldn’t come to
time, and now he offered them as
“ provisions ” at that price, but he
wouldn’t abate a dime.
Pork, ordinarily good, was selling at
12 1-2 cents per pound. Eggs at 25
cents. Shad, of which there were ve
ry few in market, went off readily at
50 to 75 cents a piece. Irish potatoes
at the rate of $6 per bbl. or about one
cent a piece—small ’taters at that! —
But cat fish were on hand by the cart
load—cat fish from the size of a tad
pole to something less than a porpoise
—sold at prices according to size—gen
erally cheap, and were taken off by
the colored population will avidity.—
We thought, what a blessiug are cat
fish to those who take to them. Cat
fish are still between us and starva
tion !
The Deaf made to Hear —An Impor
tant Invention.
We were shown this morning, says
the Philadelphia Bulletin, anew con
trivance to relieve the deaf, which ap
pears to us admirable adapted for the
purpose for which it is designed. It
consists of two small metallic'shell
like affairs, with small ivory tubes fit
ting into the cavity of the ear. The
instruments are held together by a
light spring which passes around the
back part of the head, and which, by
means of si ides can be graduated to
suit the size or shape of the head. The
instrument is made with metallic plates
of great vibrating power, and their
strength can be increased to such a de
gree that persons unable to obtain re
lief in any other way have been made
hear readily by their use. The
“ Acoustic Auricle, ” as the instrument
is styled, is graduated to suit different
degrees of deafness. One of the most
prominent advantages of this inven
tion is the fact that the} 7 can be worn
constantly and with perfect comfort;
they are so small as scarcely to attract
attention, and their weight is so trifling
as not to be noticed by the wearer.—
Ladies who aie afflicted with deafness
can effectually conceal the Auri
cles ” with their hair or cap.
This discovery in accoustics is of re
cent date. It is the invention of an
accomplished English Aurist, and it
has already attracted much attention
in England. We have seen a letter
from a highly respectable and intelli
gent lady in this city, who has for
many years been afflicted with deaf
ness. She speaks in the most unquali
fied terms of the advantages she has
enjoyed from the use of the “ Auri
cles. ” As we -are blessed with excel
lent hearing, we are unable to judge
practically of the new instruments, but
so far as* neatness and comfort to the
wearer are concerned, they are as
much superior to the old fashioned,
bungling ear trumpet, as a pair of
modern spectacles would be to a ship’s
telescope, or the habitual use of the
near or weak sighted. Mr. George C.
Bower, the well known Druggist, at
Sixth and Vine sts., is the sole agent
in this city for the sale of the “ Auri
cles. ” Those who are afflicted with
deafness can readily satisfiy themselves
of the efficacy of the instrument, by
paying Mr. Bower a visit, and they
can receive the address, of the lady re
ferred to who has worn them so satis
factorily for several month*.
Adversity ovefeofne, is the bright
est glory ; and willingly undergone,
the greatest virtue. Sufferings are
but the trials of valiant spirits.
Edgar A. Poe and the Raven.
We are pained to see, that an effort
has recently been made in England,
to deprive Poe of the credit of-th s ex
traordinary Poem. The charge is,
that lie borrowed from the Persian.—
Such a charge is inherently ridiculous.
The distinctive idea of the Poem, its
retrospective sadness, its melancholy
refrain, its muffled movement among
the dread mysteries of our higher na
ture, are such as could have occurred
to no Persian. Every thing about
the Poem bears witness to those deep
workings of the human mind, which
only a Christian age and a mature civi
lization create. But apart from this
fact, all who know the history of this
unfbitunatc and gifted man, can trace
his own mournful life in these touch
ing verses. As one of his relatives,
residing in this city remarked tons.
“It is just like him. ” Poe himself
has left on record (see Vol. 2, Page
159) the biography, s ) to call it, of
this great creation of his genius. Men
ought to be ashamed thus to trifle, with
the dead. Indeed it is worse than tri
fling, for of all robbery, deliver us
from that, which stretches out its hand
to pluck the chaplet from the brow of
departed genius. —Southern Times.
Gun for Firing Chain Shot.
One patent was granted last week to
Christopher Wolter, of Bridgeport,
Conn., embracing five claims, for guns
to fire chain shot, to which the atten
tion of Lord Raglan was directe I.
The invention relates to the employ
ment of two barrels, adjustable at dif
ferent angles to one another, for the
purpose of firing chain shot at various
distances, to extend the chain between
the two shot without the danger of
breaking it. The firing of chain shot
is not of recent date, neither is the use
of two gun barrels set at different an
gles, each to receive a ball, and to
have them connected together, but to
accomplish this perfectly has hitherto
been impracticable. For example, a
chain shot fired out of a double can
non—with the barrels at a certain an
gle, to distend the chain—snaps the
chain when the distance reached goes
beyond the certain angle for which
the barrels are set. This improved
cannon embraces devices to regulate
the angles of the barrels for any dis
tance, su that the chain will not be dis
tended beyoid the base line of the an
gle when it reaches the object. It is in
tended to sweep down jvhole ranks —a
perfect war mowing machine.
Appearance of Sebastopol.
Camp before Sebastopol , Feb. 21.
We went up to the French picket
house first {lt Maison cV Eau or Maison
Blanche of the plains,) and had a view
of the left or the town, looking down
toward the end of the ravine which
runs down to the Dockyard creek, the
buildings of the Admiralty, the nortli
side of the harbor, and the plateaux
toward the Belbek and behind Inker
man. As the day was clear, one
could see very well through a good
glass, in spite of the dazzling effect of
the snow and the bitter wind, which
chilled the hands so .as to render it im
possible to retain the glass very long
in one position. The little bridge of
boats from Admiralty buildings across
to the French side of the town was
covered with men, who were busily
engaged passing across supplies, and
rolling barrels and cases to the other
side of the creek, showing that there is
a centre of supply or some kind of de
pot in the government stores behind
the Redan and opposite to the fire of
our batteries.
Several large lighters, under sail
and full of men, were standing over
Irom side to side of- the harbor,
and dockyard galleys manned with
large crews of rowers all dressed in
white jackets, were engaged in tug
ging flats laden with stores to the south
western side of the town. A tug steam
er was also very active and spluttered
about in all directions, furrowing the
surface of the water, which was scarce
ly “ crisped ”by the breeze, so com
pletely is the harbor landlocked. The
men-01-war, with their large white en
signs barred by St. Andrew’s cross
flying from the peak, lay in a line at the
north side, between Forts Sievernaia
and Constantine, the top-gallant yards
and masts of two out of four being
down ; a two decker with bare top
masts lay on the south side, with her
broadside toward the Ville Civile,
and the white masts of three vessels
peered above the buildings of the town
further away on the right toward Ink
ermann.
The inner part of the town itself
seemed perfectly untouched, the white
houses shone brightly aud freshly in
the sun, and the bells of a gothic chap
el were ringing ont lustily in the fros
ty air. Its tall houses running up the
hills sides, its solid look of masonry,
give Sebastopol a resemblance to parts
of Bath, or at least put one in mind of
that city, as it is seen from the declivity
which overhangs the river. There
was, however, a remarkable change in
the look of the city since I saw it last—
there were no idlers and no women vis
ible in the streets, and indeed, there
was scarcely a person to be seen who
looked like a civilian. This may in
some measure lead us to believe the re
port that the governor has ordered all
the women across the North side, and
out of the place.
There were, tiowever, abundance of
soldiers, and to spare, in the streets.—
They could be seeu in all directions,
sauntering in pairs down desolate look
ing streets, now chaiting at the corners
or running across the open space
from one battery to another ; again
in large parties on fatigue duty, or re
lieving guards or drawn up in well
known grey masses in the barrack
squares. Among those who were
working on the open space, carrying
stores, 1 thought I could make out two
French soldiers. At all events the
men wore long blue coats and red trou
sers, and as we work our prisoners and
make them useful at Balaklava, where
I have seen them aiding in , making the
railway. I suppose the Muscovite
commanders adopt the same plan. ,- ¥
Outside the city, at the verge of thn
good houses the eye rests on Rre ,
walls of earth piled up some 1 0 0 m
feet: and 18 or 20 feet thick, indented
at regular intervals with embrazure"in
Winch you can just detect the blaol
dota which are the throats of cannon
These works are of tremendous
strength. lor the most part there is I
very deep and broad ditch in front of
them, and their fire is so far from bciiii/
direct that, whenever the ground at
lows of it, there are angles and fishes
which admit of flanking fires along the
front, and of cross fires on centre points
of each line of attack or approach. l u
front of most of the works, on both
the French and English sides of the
town, a suburb \>f broken down white
washed cottages, the" roofs gone. the.
doors off and the windows out,’ h as
been left standing in detached masses
at a certain distance from the batteries
but gaps have been made in them so
that they may not obscure the fireofthe
batteries.
The image of misery presented bv
the suburbs is very striking—in some
instances the havoc has been commit'
ted by our shot, and the houses all
round to the rear of the Flagstaff Bat
tery, opposite the French, have been
blown into rubbish and mounds of
beams and rnortar. The advanced
works which the Russians left on the
ad vance of our allies still remain, and
it is hard to say whether there are any
guns in them or not, but they are com
manded so complete by the works in
their rear that it would be impossible
to hold them, and at present they would
afford a good cover to the Russians,
while the latter could fire through the
embrasures of the old works with far
greater ease than the enemy could
get at them. The Russians managed
their withdrawal very well. Thev
threw up their new earthworks behind
were finished they withdrew theirmen
from the cover of the suburb ; when
the the outer line, blew down and
destroyed the cover of the and opened
fire from their second line of batteries.
r l heir supply of gabions seems inex
haustible—indeed, they have got all
the brushwood of the hills of the South
Crimea, at their disposal. In front of
the huge mounds thrown by tne Rus
sians, fore-shortened by the distance, so
as to appear part of them, are the
French trenches, moundsof earth lined
with gabions, which look like fine
matting. These lines run parallel to
those of the enemy. The nearest paral
lel is not “ armed ” with cannon, but
is lined with riflemen. Zigzags and
covered ways—that is trenches cut at
angles from one parallel the other—
lead down from trench to trench.—
The troops inside walk about securely,
if not comfortably. The covering par
ties, with their arms piled, sit round
the little fires, and smoke and enjoy
their coffee, while the working parties,
spade in hand, continue the never-en
ding labor of the siege, filling gabions
here,sloping and thickening the para
pets here, repairing embrasaures and
clearing out the fosses. Where we
should have a thin sergeant’s guard at
at this work, the French can afford a
strong company.
Fashionable Mournings.
Those who wish to express in their
dress the “ deepest affliction ” in a fash
ionable manner, will read with interest
the following description of what may
be termed fashionable mourning:
The bonnets are as becoming as
those made of gayer colors, and the
style and finish may compare favora
bly with the best. The Eugenie is
made of lavender crape, laid plain upon
the foundation, and this is covered with
dotted black lace. The crown is point
ed front and back, and on each side
there is a graceful fullness, which
leaves room for a profusion of trim
ming that narrows as it reaches the
front of the hat. Another hat of the
same style is composed of white silk,
covered with black lace, embroidered
with white floss, black and white
pearls, forming a most appropriate
outside trimming, and around the face
with clusters of white cape flowers.
The Pauline, a very beautiful hat, was
formed of black crape, and trimmed
on the outside with crape ribbons and
jet blackberries, glancing, as they
swayed to and fro with the slightest
motion. In the inside with a profusion
of lilac blossoms, “with purple silk
pyramidal,” contrasting beautifully
with the surrounding black lace.
The Virginie is intended for deeper
mourning than those already mention
ed, and admits of no relieving color.
The materials used are bombazine and
crape laid on in alternate folds. The
outside trimming is new and peculiar;
a cape divided into several points, coy*
ers the front, the points almost touch
ing the edge, and fastened down by a
light embroidery of bugles; in the in
side a plaited bandeau of crape, re
sembling the present style of wearing
the hair, passed over the forehead and
connecting the side trimmings. Deep
mourning hats are composed most ex
clusively of crape, and trimming with
crape ribbons. The crape is laid on
the foundation, fold over fold, and
small bows of crape proceed from
the centre of the hat, gradually in
creasing in size till they reach the
cape.
The “Lucretia,” a Spring Mantilla,
is formed of the moire antique, and
trimmed with broad folds of English
crape. The skirt is full and box plait
ed, and a cape cut square in front, de
scends in a deep point to the edge of
the trimming at the back. The “Ma
ria Theresa” is a scarf-shaped Mantilla,
bordered with two flounces and trim
med with several rows of narrow silk
braid. Quite a number of Mourning
Mantillas are made of anew material
called “barathea,” which is silk dives*
ted of its lustre, and is, therefore, em
inently suited for deep mourning.
Words written with a colorless so
lution of the nitre of silver become
quite black if exposed for a few min
utes to the light of the sun.