Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume], September 03, 1823, Image 3

About Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume] (Harper's Ferry, Va. [i.e. Harpers Ferry, W. Va.]) 1821-1824

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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 1828.
EXTRACTED FOR THE FREE PRESS.
PAINTING.
The art of describing events to the
sight, is certainly, of great antiquity.
Homer’saccount of the woyks of Helen,
Penelope, kc. point out a very early sera
for .coloured tapestry.
Virgil supposes painting to have gain
ed some perfection in the age of his. Dido,
since ./Eneas could discover his own por
trait in some of those pictures, which
adorned the temple of Juno, at Carthage.
Babylon had in her walls, according to.
Diodorus Siculus, many tiles or bricks
painted with the forms of Animals. And
the famed sovereign, Se.mir.ain.us, is said
to have had a collection of pictures, par
ticularly hunting pieces.
The Egyptians aver that they under
stood painting six thousand years before
the Greeks, an 1 bring proofs from their
hieroglyphics.
Pliny tells us that the fair daughter of
a celebrated potter of Sicyon contrived
a private meeting with her lover; that a
: thy, prolonged to a very late hour, over
f > we red at length the faculties of the
|- juth, and he fell fast asleep. The nymph,
%owever, whose imagination was more
jgleit, observing that, by the light of a
jump, her admirer’s profile was strongly
marked on the wall, eagerly snatched up
a piece of charcoal, and, inspired by love,
rraced the outlines of her sleeping lover.
1. When goddesses were to be drawn*
the ancient painters always chose for
their model either, their own mistresses
or some celebrated beauty. In this they
have been imitated by modern artists.
Le Brun’s Magdelen was taken frorp the
celebrated La Valliere.
Nero, vile as he was, cultivated the !
Jy amused himself in modelling with clay.
Regnier, King of Naples, was painting
a partridge when he was told that his
kingdom was lost, and he finished his
work before he. permitted himself to la
meat so great a calamity.
In spite of the principles of Islaniisni,
Mahomet the second, who knew no reli
gion but his own will,, sent to Venice tor
Gentil Bellini, a painter, some of whose
works he had seen and admired. When ar
rived at Constantinople,Mahomet reason
ed with him on some error in a decolla
tion of John the Baptist, which hd had
painted, and to convince him of hi’s mis
take, he sent for a Greek slave and struck
off his head with his royal scymetar. Bel
lini wisely acquiesced in the criticism,
s^ped away to the harbor, and set sail
f(?rthe Adriatic the same evening.
The effect of good painting has- been
great in every age. Portia, who had sup
ported the farewell of her husband, after
the death of Julius Caesar, with philosor
phic firmness, could not bear the view
.of the parting of elector and Androma
che, well expressed on canvass.
A great Duke of,Russia was converted
to the Christian faith by the sight of a pic
ture, representing the last day with all
its horrors.
Lestoc, surgeon to Elizabeth, daughter
of Peter the Great, by presenting two
pictures before her, the one representing
Elizabeth in a convent, the other Eliza
beth on the imperial throne, inspired that
princess with resolution to seize the
throne, her undoubted right.
A Norman Priest, having instituted a
suit against M. de Lasson for irreverence,
the wit presented to the court a carica
ture of the captious Priest, accoutred as
he used to be, with half a dozen caps, as
many waistcoats, and nine pair of breech
es, drawn on over each other ; the irre
sistible laughter of the court assured his
acquittal. This happened about the year
1640.
Painting was at no contemptible height
in South America, when it was subdued
by the Spaniards, since Montezuma shew
ed Cortez a complete representation in
colours, of the first landing of those fa
tal visitors, their arms, horses, and dogs,
“more fierce than they.”
Simon Memrai, who flourished at Sci
enna, in the 14th century, was the first
painter, who, by way of explanation, put
scrolls in the mouths of his figures ; near
ly allied to him was the German, who,
having painted a lion and a bear, wrote
underneath “dis ist de lion, und dis 1st
de bear.”
The first Number of a weekly paper
has made its appearance at Yorkville, in
the State of South Carolina, by the title
of The Pioneer, edited by Paddy Carey.
Whether the nominal editor be a real
person—the identical hero of the merry
song, we cannot say. One thing he naay
be sure of. He has taken up a trade, by
which he will starve if he stick to it.
Inti.
We regret to learn, that on board the
Canton, at. Cadiz, a rencontre between the
first and second mates, resulted in the
death of the latter, who was shot dead by
the former. The offender was brought.
t home in irons.—[ JY. Y. Gaz,
k
TESTIMONY OF RESPECT.
I he members of the Jefferson b^ir, have
resolved to wear crape for thirty days, in
testimony o{ their warm affection for their
deceased friend and brother, the late John
Baker, Esq. of Shepherdstown, of their
sincere grief at his death, and their high
respect for his worth and talents.
Minister to l<rance.—It is rumored,
says the New York Statesman, that Mr.
Yv irt, Attorney General of the United
States, and Mr. Brown, a Senator in
Congress from Louisuna, are both thought
of as a successor of Mr. Gallatin, to the
Court of St. Cloud.
SPANISH PATRIOTISM.,
Gen. Qulroga has written a letter to
Sir Robert Wilson, in which he declares
that he “never will give up as long -as
there is an armed Frenchman in Spain,
and that the whole of his troops would
sooner feed the rest of their lives on
roots and water, than eat of the banquet
of the French off golden plates.”
With such men as Quiroga we may
still hope for the success of Liberty in
Spain .--[Balt: C/iron .
The U. S. schr. Porpoise, Captain Ra
inage, and U. S. sloop Florida, arrived
oft the harbor of St. Augustine on the
<22d ult. They were to'proceed immedi
atelyin prosecution of the survey of the
Florida coast.
SEW-VOSK, AUG. 24.
Mr. Wyer, who arrived here in the
Canton from Cadiz, -with despatches far
government, landed at the wharf about
an hour after -Mr. Adams, Secretary of
State, had left town on Saturday afternoon
lor Boston. We understand'Mr. W. pro
ceeds immediately to Washington with
the despatches.
Mr. Wyer, we understand, has brought
with him the most valuable collection of
minerals and shells, ever imported into
this country.
A Rogue Caught.-—The Berks and
Schuylkill Journal states that Doctor
James Hamilton, alias John Randolph
Bedford, alias G. 'Gallop; who married a
lady in Wi• idst.oek,. Vermont, In July
1823, and another in Belleville, New Jer
sey, in June last, and afterwards, desert
ed both in a most shameful manner, was
apprehended and committed to Jail. in
Reading, on Friday morning- last. He
had sunk the doctor in the shoemaker,
and being- well dressed, received imme
diate employment as a journeyman but
he was soon found to be so indifferent a
workman, that his employers were con
vinced he could not be a shoemaker bv
profession. Suspicions were excited, and
his dress and person were found to cor
respond so exactly with the description
given in Mr. Tompkin’s advertisement,
that the magistrate, before whom he was
brought, did not hesitate a moment to
make out a mittimus.
-
THE CAVES OF,THE PIRATES.
A letter from an officer on board the
United States’ schooner Greyhound, af
ter giving an account of the defeat of
the Pirates at Cape Cruz, gives the fol
lowing description of the caves of these
freebooters :
“ A cave, in which was found various
articles of plunder, female dresses, and
some human bones, the history of which,
could it be known, would doubtless chill
one’s blood with horror. It enters at the
base of a perpendicular clift, directly un
der the position the pirates occupied,
running in a horizontal direction about
150 feet, from 6 to 7 feet high, and about
the same in breadth, so intensely dark
within that we were obliged to light se
veral Candles before we could discern ob
jects in the deep recesses and windings
of the rocks. A large tree of lignum vit;c
g row's at the entrance, casting a deep
shade around?, adding a still greater
gloom to the appearance of this roman
tic spot. Several other caves are neai
the same place, one ot which enters on
the top of the cliffs, which we descended
into by ropes to the perpendicular dis
tance of fifty or sixty feet, and finding
room belov/capable of containing nearly
100 persons: all have traces of having
been occupied. In some caves, articles
of clothing were found, supposed to have
been thrown in by the pirates in their re
treat. Innumerable quantities of land
crabs inhabit these caves, anti which
have the power of crawling- along the
sides and roof with the ease of a fly.—
They retreated before us, and collected
in the extremity of the caves in such
quantities as to fill up large fissures in
the rocks.”
WEEKLY ALMANAC.
SEPTEMBER,
1823.
4 Thursday
5 Friday
6 Saturday
7 Sunday
8 Monday
9 Tuesday
10 Wednesday
SUN
KISES.
SUN
SETS.
MOON S
PHASES.
r
New 4 5 19 a.
First 12 1 44 nv
Full 20 4 00 m.
. INDIAN HOSTILi’iiES.
ST. LOUIS, AUG. 2.
A succession of calamities, involving
the lives and property of the Indian tra
ders, follow each other in quick succes
sion. Scarcely had we penned an account
of the disasters brought by the last ex
press, before v/e are called upon to record
fresh instances of.savage barbarity, com
mitted in another quarter, upon our en
terprising citizens. Mr. John McKnighl,
an old and respectable citizen of St. Louis,
trading on one of the upper sources of
the Arkansas, has been murdered by the
Indians, and robbed of nearly all his mer
chandize. He had fixed himself near
the Spanish boundary, where he erected
a fort, protected by a few men, with the
intention of making an establishment in
mat quarter, .anci opening a trade with
the Indians. But, in consequence of the
unfortunate fate of Mr. McKnight, the
post has been abandoned, and the party
has returned to the settlements.
The Indians, by.whom this atrocity was
committed, are called the Camanchcs, a
numerous and warlike liation,' bordering
on the heads of the Arkansas, and spread
ing through a great portion of Texas. It
is supposed they could bring into- the
field at least 15,000 warriors, The Spa
niards have never been able to do a ay
thing with them, and have'almost relin
quished the country to their possession.
From St, Antonio, in Texas, to Santa Fe,
in New Mexico, the Cam an elves roana at
large, the undisputed masters of the soil.
All the early frontier establishments of
the Spaniards have long sincff; been cut
off by those Indians, and the forth,er iti
gress of the Europeans entirely checked
■by it he fears, which they inspired. But
the Americans they have heretofore view
ed iij the most friendly manner, between
whorn and themselves there has always
been kept up a kind and mutual inter
course. The CamancKes are said to be
under the direction of the Caddo Chief,
the same, it was mentioned a short time
since, that Iturbide wished to form an
alliance with, for the purpose of getting
his Camanchos into the Imperial service,
in return fur which, the Caddo was to
have bad ah “ empire5' on his own footing.
£Enquirer.
As the steam-boat Beaver was descend
ing Red River from Natchitoches, her
boiler bursted, and scalded one man so
badly that his life is despaired of, and
the captain and a negro servant severely,
FROM COLOMBIA,
Letters from Caraccas to the 2d Inst,
are received. Our Minister, Mr. Ander
son, was on the eve of departing from
that place for Bogota, the capital of Co
lombia.
The letters communicate the interest
I ing intelligence, that Air. Todd, our
| Charge <T Affairs at Bogota, has- prevail
! ed on the government to modify their
revenue laws, by .abolishing the extra five
per cent, duty hitherto paid on imports
from the United States more than was
paid on imports from Europe.
The same letters assert, that the Co
lombian Government has ratified the
Loan contracted in England by Mr. Zea.
Gen. Bermudez sailed from Lagnira in
the Colombian loop of war Bolivar, on
the 2d last, to take command of the ar
my at Rio de la Hache, which was.to act
against Morales,
Files of the Caraccas Colombia.n-o to the
30th July; Lave also been received. The
paper of July 30j mentions, that on 'the
Sunday preceding, appeared off Laguira,
the two French frigates “ Thetis and Con
stants, 55 of 44 guns and 300 men each :
the former commanded by the Baron de
Barteviile, and the latter by the Conde
St. Simon, After having communicated
with the shore, they proceeded te lee ward,
for the avowed object of capturing < the
Spanish squadron, commanded by Com
modore Laborde. The only European
news which they furnished was that the
French had established a Regency and
Ministry in Madrid,
“ As a further confirmation,” says the
Colombiano, “ of the hostile design of
these vessels towards the Spanish squad
ron, it is stated that their orders are to
capture all Spanish merchantmen which
they may fall in with, General Morales
lias now two enemies to contend with in
stead of one. Nothing is wanted at the
present moment, for the utter destruction
of the enemy in Colombia, but the cap
ture of his squadron. Such an event will
prove of more service to us than the pos
session of half a dozen frigates, since our
object is obtained by it, without the ex
pense of their purchase and maintenance.55
A WAY to get money is by immedi
ately procuring a ticket from
BALTIMORE LOTTERY OFFICE,
No. 32, Market st. near theCentre Market,
who has had the pleasure heretofore of
dispensing a number of valuable prizes,
and expects to have the -satisfaction of
serving his customers with many more.
Baltimore, Aug. 58.
i’liOM THii MATIOijr.l. INT15LLIOISNCER.
OPINION
OI“ the Court of Inquiry assembled to in
quire into the causes which led to the
loss of the United States’ brig Enter
prize, under the command of Lieut,
John Gallagher.
[Published by order of the Navy Depart
ment..J
i he. Court, upon a deliberate examina
tion of the testimony of the officers and
crew lately attached to the United States
brig Enterprize, find that the loss of
the said brig was entirely owing to a
current which, at the time, was setting
in a direction different from the usual
one and that laid down on the charts.
That there seems to be, in those seas,
a general western current, and also a wea
ther current, the latter depending for its
strength and direction upon the prevail
ing winds. That the latter existed at the
| time of the sailing of the vessel, and was,
therefore, unknown to Lieutenant Com
mandant John Gallagher, his officers and
crew.
1 hat Lieut. Coepdt. John Gallagher
used great caution in sailing the vessel
| under his command, and was particularly
I careful not to cross the latitude of any
! land in the night.
The Court is, therefore, of opinion,
that Lieutenant Commandant John Gal
lagher, his officers and crew, ought to be
honorably acquitted of all blame in the
loss of the said brig, and take leave to>
commend Lieut. Comdt. Gallagher and
his officers to the favorable notice of the
honorable the Secretary of the Navy, for
the cool and correct manner in which
they gave all orders, which, in the opin
ion of this Court, could tend to save the
vessel, and the crew for the alacrity and
fidelity with which they obeyed these or
ders, and for their successful endeavours
to save the armament and public stores
belonging to said brig after that her loss
was inevitable.
GEO. W. RODGERS, Prest.
JNO. B. NICHOLSON,
B. V. HOFFMAN.,
LJ. S. Ship Washington, ^
Navy Yard, New York, 20th Aug. 1823. 5
BEST FAMILY FLOUR.
ffLpHE undersigned has now on hand,
1 and will constantly keep for sale, at
his mil! on the Island near Harpers-Fer
ry, a supply of superfine flour, which he
can afford to sell much cheaper than any
can be. sold at the place. He will warrant
it to be equal to any ever offered for sale,
from any mill in the county, not even ex
cepting Newcomer’s and others so high
ly praised. The public will fifed tbeir in
terest promoted by giving him a call.
F. BECKHAM,
Sept. 3, 1823.
To the Public.
WHEREAS some persons who are
fond of propagating slander when
ever an occasion occurs which will grati
fy their malignity, have basely underta
ken, by foul insinuations and unfounded
assertions, to injure my character, I deem
it a duty to myself and to the public, t©
endeavour to arrest the calumny. The
circumstances which afforded food for
these slanderers, occurred at the late
Camp Meeting in Loudoun county, and
were as follow : As myself and another
person were on our way from the Camp
Ground, on the evening of Saturday the
16th ultimo, we discovered a horse stand
ing loose; and fearing that he might
stray away, and be lost to the owner, it
was agreed to take him back amongst the
other horses, to secure him, For this
purpose, (it being somewhat muddy,) X
mounted him, never for a moment sus
pecting that an act of friendly precau
tion would be misrepresented and tor
tured into one of criminality. The in
stant I mounted the horse, he, being
somewhat lively, started off at full gallop,
turning from the road. My hat fell off,
and I was in the act of picking it up,
when I was beset by four persons, who,
for aug-ht I know, were bent on deeds of
guilt themselves, if any judgment can be>
formed of their intentions from their rea
diness to suspect me. One of them, a
gaunt personage, busied himself more
than the rest, thinking probably to work,
himself back into the good graces of a
society from which he had been a deser
ter, or had been discarded. He seemed
particularly anxious to fix a stigma upon
my character, and he was the sole cause
of an unjust suspicion, from which, how
ever, the wisdom of a magistrate, seeing
that he had been led into an error by
slanderous babbling, promptly exonerated
me. The busy body above alluded to
should not be so ready to avail himself
of circumstantial evidence, as he knows
not how soon it may operate to his own
disadvantage. All I ask of him is, to
guard against the wanderings of his own
wicked heart, lest lie might be led into
a barque which could not find moorings
to his satisfaction.
MARTIN SMURR.
Sept. 3, 1823.
Just Keeeitfed,
A SUPPLY of superfine Writing1 Pa~
/% ner, at the office of the Free Press.
,\»ur 13. 1823.