Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume], December 31, 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, DEC. 31, 1828.
Time has again brought us to the close of the
vear. The season of felicitation and joy is shed
ding its kindly influence over the feelings of men;
the sordid and selfish passions of the human heart
are momentarily banished; and the errors and fol
lies of the past seem, by common consent, to be
covered with the pall of Oblivion. The cheering
gleam of Hope is illumining and warming the mind
with its genial inspirations, and each one is about
to commence the year with renewed zeal, and a
determination to employ his precious moments
more beneficially to himself and to his fellow crea
tures. Noire, however, have cause to cling more
fondly to the pleasing anticipations of futurity, than
the brethren of the type, who are subjected to a full
share of the vicissitudes of life. And as WE are
willing to enjoy the “era of good feelings,” in com
mon with our friends, we will, in spite of ills, as
well imaginary as real, put on the smile of joy long
enough to tender to our patrons the best wishes of
our heart, and pray that they may speedily and
largely enjoy all the blessings and comforts which
Fancy, in her choicest dreams, shall picture to their
view.
The facetious editor of the Nantucket Inquirer,
in an article on the subject of editorial dunning,
which he deems a most flagrant violation of cour
tesy towards delinquents, concludes thus :—
“ We shall therefore industriously con
ceal from the public eye our glances to
wards their pockets—and eudeavor not to
inform our readers that we last week re
ceived a note from our paper maker re
questing a liquidation of his demand
forthwith—that we have been forced to
borrow money, typically speaking, to pay
the type founder—that our wood pile has
been reduced to its fundamental stratum
*—and that, like George III. at Mr. Whit
bread’s beer buts, or Herschel at his tele
scope, we have just essayed to fathom the
vast vacuity of our last flour barrel !”
In October last, at Clarksburg, Va. Miss Mary
Patton recovered five thousand dollars damages of
a certain Eskridge Hall, for defamation of charac
ter. An article is now going the rounds, reversing
the matter, and making the fair lady, whose charac
ter had been vilified, appear as the slanderer.—
It is a pity that the law will not avenge her of the
injury which these careless copyists might do her
by the calumny thus extensively promulgated.
PRESIDENTIAL.
A meeting of the citizens of Jefferson County,
Ohio, was held on the 2d inst. at which DE WIT T
CLINTON was nominated as a suitable person to
fill the Presidential Chair.
The friends of General JACKSON have'lately
Reid anothci . ci..., ap
pointed delegates to a General Convention to be
held at Huntingdon, for the purpose of formingan
Electoral Ticket in behalf of their candidate.
The House of Representatives of Georgia have
Ced a resolution, declaring their preference for
CRAWFORD, but, at the same time, their wil
ness to support any candidate that may be fixed
upon by the republican party generally.
-—a- omooo •»—
The following observations are elicited
from the United States’ Gazette by the
recent intelligence from Spain :
“ Riego has been murdered—it matters
not, iu point of fact, whether the crime
was committed upon him with poison or
with hemp, in prison or in a public
square. He was murdered—neither law
nor equity could sanction the condem
nation of a man for treason against a so
vereign, whose commission he bore, apd
whose orders he executed. The King
ever acknowledged the constitution, and
swore to obey it—yet is Riego publicly
executed as a traitor for attempting to
defend it.”
The Editor adds, with much point,
that the world will not be astonished at
any act of a Sovereign who can, in the
history of his reign, point to two congra
tulations to foreigners for a conquest of
his native kingdom.—\_Nat. Int.
NEW YORK, DEG. 22.
Arrived here on Friday evening the
U. S. schooner Weasel, Lieut. Com.
Zantzinger commander, in 11 days irom
Havana, with despatches for government.
The Weasel brought out a quantity of
specie for sundry merchants. She gave
convoy to nine vessels.
Colombia.—The Colombian Congress
of 1824, is summoned to meet on the 2d
day of January next.
A decree of the Congress, dated 4th
August, declares that “the port of the
province of Rio Hacha shall be exempt
from the payment of all duties on provi
sions, that may be introduced from
abroad, and necessary for its consump
tion, for the period of ten years.”
On Thursday evening 18th, a sermon
was preached in New York, by the Rev.
Dr. Gumming, after which four hundred
and fifty dollars were collected to aid
the Greek Cause.
Messrs. Warren Sc Wood, with their
accustomed liberality, have offered a ben
efit for the Greek Fund, to the Commit
tee.—[jVat. Gazette.
It is said that the accomplished wife
of Thomas Moore, the celebrated poet, is
sister to Mrs. Duff, of the Theatre.
HARPER’S FERRY BRIDGE.
Mr. Gallaher,
Two years ago, I was honored by the
suffrages of the freemen of this county,
with membership in the House of Dele
gates : An honor I shall always appre
ciate and remember with pride and with
pleasure. Whilst in the discharge of the
various duties of that station, I was bound
to use my best exertions to promote the
prosperity of the state by every means
that I considered practicable. Believing
that a bridge at Harper’s Ferry would ma
terially contribute to that object, by fa
cilitating the commercial communication
between the City of Baltimore and the
rich and fertile valley in Virginia, and
thereby throw into that City produce
which otherwise would seek other mar
kets, I wrote to the proprietors of the
ferry, notifying them that, unless they
would build a bridge, I should endeavor
to obtain the passage of an act incorpo
rating a company for the purpose. Of
their capacity I had no doubt; that it
was their essential interest was equally
evident. Immediately on the receipt of
my letter, one of the proprietors repaired
to Annapolis, and applied to the Legisla
ture for authority to build a toll bridge,
which was granted without opposition.
That act was passed on or about the 4th
day of February, 1822, and provided that
they should commence the bridge within
six months, and complete it in two years
thereafter. Of the benefit of that act
they did not avail themselves, and an al
most universal belief prevailed that they
never would build a bridge, unless they
could not avoid it. One of the proprie
tors still asserted that it was his desire
that a bridge should be built, and that he
would be glad if it could be so managed
as to induce a co-operation on the part of
the othc” proprietor. With this view,
and with an intention of testing the sin
cerity of the proprietors, I wrote a letter,
during the last session of the Legislature,
to one of the delegates, requesting him to
obtain the passage of another act on the
subject, containing the following, among
other provisions : that the ferry proprie
tors should be granted a further time,until
the 1st of August, 1825, not to commence
the work, but actually to enter into a bona
fide contract with some person or persons
of known and acknowledged reputation
in bridge building; and in case the said
proprietors should fail to exhibit, to com
missioners to be named in the act, satis
factory evidence of their having made
such a contract, or. or before said 1st day
of August, 1823, that then said commis
sioners should proceed forthwith to open
books for the subscription of a capital
stock to build a bridge. This letter was
* t-t 'ft-'.'?! /vf coir! -
tor, and met his approbation, which he
testified by adding thereto his request al
so, that said delegate should use his en
deavors to have the act passed. Hearing
nothing from the said delegate on the
subject, petitions of a similar tenor with
the letter alluded to, were sent on, signed
by very many highly respectable citizens.
As soon as those petitions were put in
circulation, I apprised one of the ferry
proprietors of the fact, and he appeared
well satisfied, or at least said so. 1 hose
petitions were referred to a committee of
the House of Delegates, who soon after
reported a bill in accordance therewith,
which was passed by that Body. In the
Senate, one or two very unimportant
amendments were made to that bill. By
the time, however, that the amendments
of the Senate were taken into considera
tion in the House of Delegates, some one
or more of the members had received a
letter or letters from one or more of the
proprietors, or their advisers, requesting
said member or members to have the bill
negatived. This was done, and why or
wherefore I could never ascertain. A
simple act was substituted, giving the
proprietors one year more to commence
the work, and three years thereafter to
finish it.
Thus, then, the subject was puvio rest;
and little did I expect to hear any thing
more about the bridge, from the ferry
proprietors, until the expiration of that
act: I was, however, as much pleased as
1 vvas disappointed in my expectations,
on observing, in the public prints, last
summer, a notice by the proprietors, in
viting bridge contractors to make propo
sals, on the 15th of last October, for the
erection of a bridge. That notice tvas
extensively circulated, and many contrac
tors appeared and offered their proposals.
Some of those proposals were far bebw,
as I have understood, what the proprie
tors had previously expected. No ioq.
tract was made, but those gentlenen,
some of whom had travelled a consider
able distance, were put off, with a cold
promise, that the successful canddate
should be apprised, early, of his gooi for
tune. None of the proposals were,mw
ever, accepted, and no reason given the
public why they were not, notwithsand
ing an intimation was given in thepblic
prints, that such information wotd be
agreeable to the public. About fie or
six weeks ago, I received a letteifrom
one of the most eminent bridge arcftects
in the United States, containing a jropo
sal to build a bridge for the smallum of
eighteen thousand dollars, and a {quest
that it should be submitted to tit ferry
proprietors, it was Immediately handed
to one ol them. The letter also request
ed one of them to visit the writer, where
he could, within a few miles distance,
view two bridges' across the Susquehan
nah, one built by the writer, the other by
a celebrated bridge architect now no
more; and he could then more satisfac
torily determine which plan would meet
his approbation. That proprietor pro
mised me that he would go on to see the
writer, as soon as he could make the ne
cessary arrangements. On the 9th inst.
I saw him, when he informed me that he
intended setting off that very day to see
the contractor,and was in hopes we should
have a bridge at last. Those acquainted
with the fact of his having gone from
home, as they believed, wdth the express
intention of closing a contract, were high
ly pleased with the prospect of having a
bridge put up next summer. You can
judge, then, of their surprise and morti
fication, when they learned that, instead
of making a contract, he went on to the
Legislature, and actually obtained the
passage of an act giving them two years
to commence, and five years to finish the
bridge. Of the reasons given, why they
had not availed themselves of the provi
sion e of the former acts, or what assur
ances the Legislature had that the recent
one would not be treated as the former by
them, I am ignorant. By the first act
passed in their behalf, six months were
given to commence the work-—by the se
cond, twelve'—and by the third act, twen
ty-four rn'onths—thus doubling the time
every application.
in your paper oi the wthinst. it is sta
ted “ that it certainly is the intention of
“ the proprietors of the ferry to erect a
u bridge” but that they have been pre
vented “ solely by the peculiar situation
u of the heirs,” that one of them “ has
been in a delicate state of healthand
that “ there are two of them, still in their
“ minority.” These are the only reasons
that I have ever seen, publicly given, why
the work has not been commenced. I
would inquire, whether those reasons
operated in preventing them from a com
pliance with the provisions of the first law
enacted in their behalf? Minority cer
tainly could have been pleaded two years
ago, with more propriety and force than
at this time ; for, since that period, one
of the heirs has arrived at full age. And
if those reasons, alone, have prevented a
commencement, and if the proprietors
certainly intend to erect a bridge, why ob
tain so long a time for the purpose ? A
bridge may as well be built in eighteen
months as five years.
On this side of the river, we have been
looking to the commencement of the
5- ' ' v- ~~ ;?i'v oigTia-l to rsHHEieuGe a lu-rn
pike from the ferry to Fredericktown. Ev
ery person interested is impressed with
the opinion that that work will induce a
liberal subscription for making a turnpike
road. So long as a great and dangerous
barrier to the free, certain, safe, and
speedy travelling on the road exists at
that place, it is not thought advisable to
make any material efforts towards the
improvement of the road.
From the preceding statement of facts,
every unprejudiced person can draw his
own inferences, and form his own opi
tion as to the probability of the early
promotion of the public utility by the
erection of a bridge, as long as the ac
complishment of that desirable object de
pends on the will and pleasure of the pro
prietors of the ferry.
CASPAR W. WEVER.
Washington Co. Md. Dec. 31, 1823.
FOR THE FREE PRESS.
TO URBAN.
1st. A person standing on the North Pole would
be situated in ail the positions of your first query.
2d. A person who, during a leap year, would
perform a journey round the earth by pursuing a
westwardly course, would lose a day, and thereby
have only 365. By performing a like journey, tra
velling' eastwaraly, he would gain a day, and thus
make a common year consist of 366 days.
RUSTICUS.
In the communication signed “Nemo,” in our
last, two or three errors escaped correction. In the
2d column, 59th line from the bottom, read “ ca
pability” instead of “respectability.”
In same column, 29th line from the bottom, for
“funds” read “hands.”
MARRIED,
On Tuesday, 16th inst. in Harford co.
Md. by the Rev. Mr. Fenney, Dr. Andrew
H. Lemmon, of Harpers-Ferry, Va. to
Miss Martha Matilda, eldest daughter
of Josiah Hall, Esq. of Harford county.
Quito.—The latest information receiv
ed by the Colombian Government from
President Bolivar, is of the 22d of July
from Quito.
The southern departments enjoyed tran
quillity with the exception of the neigh
borhood of Pasta* which was still kept
in alarm by the rebels who escaped from
the action of Ibarra on the 18th of July.
President Bolivar had thought fit to
commission Brig. Gen. Sucre to proceed
to P&ru, to give effect to the aid granted
to that country, and in order to employ
it in the campaign with profit and advan
tage. Gen. Sucre had arrived at Lima,
where he was received with every rnark
of respect and attention.
Grand Fyroteehfrical Exhibition. (R
MR. MUNFOED respectfully informs the ladies
and gentlemen of Harpers-Ferry, and its vi
cinity, that he will, on New-Year’s Evening-, the wea
ther permitting, give a most splendid exhibition of
FIRE WORKS, on the island belonging to Mr.
Stubblefield. The scene will be more interesting,
perhaps, than any ever witnessed at this place; and
as the expense of preparation is considerable, Mr.
M. relies upon the generosity of a proverbially libe
ral public for his remuneration. The exhibition
will consist of perpendicular and horizontal wheels,
one of which will discharge 100 brilliant stars; also
a water fountain; and a dove, which will take Its
flight to the distance of a hundred yards, return,
and illuminate the Tree of Liberty ; tog-ether with
rockets, and a variety of new pieces never before
exhibited.
Dec. 31, 1823.
CASSINETS, PLAIDS, &c.
\ iOPI YARDS super Cassinets, very heavy, at
IUU 1 dollar per yard,
500 yards Indigo Blue Plaids, at from 13 to 16 cts.
Furniture and Apron Checks,
Bleached Sheetings and Shirtings. *
Sicilian Plaids,
PLAID BOMBAZINE,
Rose Bordered Shawls,
Figured Book Muslin,
Do. Cambric Jaconett,
9-4 and 12-4 Ross Blankets,
100 pounds Cotton Warps, from No. 6 to 12,
. Received yesterday. We are also daily expect.
int5 1 artan Plaids and other Dry Goods, and a fur
ther supply of SHOES and CROCKERY.
D. A. WEED & CO.
Dec. 31, 1823,
NOTICE.
A LL persons indebted to the subscriber, in any
i jL way whatever, are requested to call on him
and make settlement, as it will be found much to
the interest of both parties to do so at an early date.
F. BECKHAM.
Dec. 31,1823.
Proprietors of Harper’s Ferry.
Take Notice,
THAT a petition will be presented to
the Legislature of Maryland for a
law authorising the erection of a Toll
Bridge across the Potomac river at Har
per’s Ferry.
Dec. 31, 1823.
DANCING SCHOOL
WILL be opened on the day after
New-year’s-day, for the instruc
tion of those who may wish to attend.
A night school will be held as usual,
for young gentlemen who cannot conve
niently go during the day.
Dec. 31st, 1823.
FLOUR BOAT $ SKIFF.
\TT/S caught loose, drifting down
f f the Potomac, on the 26th inst. a
Flour Boat and Skiff. The owner can
have them again by proving property, and.
paying charges, within a month from this
kirn i?-. RICM
Dec. 31, 1823.
Tavern-Stand and Store-House,
FOR RENT.
THOSE well-known establishments at
Mud-Fort are now offered for rent.
The Store-House, whilst in the occupan
cy of Mr. Weed, attracted a considerable
custom, and having since been improved,
by the addition of a chimney, &c. will be
found much more convenient than here
tofore. It comprises a store-room, count
ing-room, and ware-house, and has at
tached to it a five acre lot, which will be
let either with it or separately. The Ta
vern-Stand is now occupied by Mr. Fitz
hugh, and may, by proper management,
be made very valuable to a tenant. The
terms will be moderate, if early applica
tion be made, and possession given on the
first of April next.
SUSAN DOWNEY.
Harpers-Ferry, Dec. 31, 1823.
Fine Prospects for Adventurers.
AS previously announced, the 15th drawing of
the GRAND STATE LOTTERY took place
on the 24th—the only prizes drawn were—
No. 8083, a prize of §1000
16506 do of 100'
16179, 20211, 21974, prizes of 50
And 195 do. of 12
On the next drawing will,, agreeably to the
scheme, be deposited in the wheel, the splendid
capital prize of $20,000.
Which drawing takes place on Thursday, the
22d of next month, affording further opportunities
of obtaining chances.
The great capital of one hundred thousand dol
lars, goes in the wheel, after only three more draw
ings.
Tickets are now going off rapidly, at the pre
sent low rate of §15, shares in proportion, warrant
ed undrawn at Fortune’s Home,
No, 32, Market street, below Frederick street
Tickets should be examined in order to the re
newal of small prizes.
Orders receive the greatest attention. Address
W. C. CON1NE,
Dec. 31, 1823. Baltimore
THE NEW YORK
CITY HALL RECORDER.
CONTAINING interesting reports of
trials from the years 1816 to 1821,in
clusive, in three volumes, for sale at this
office. This work will prove very useful
to gentlemen of the Bar, inasmuch as it
presents decisions involving very impor
tant points of law.
Dec. IT, 1823.
(Xj=- THE News Boy will commune with his pa
trons, to-morrow, in a few limping rhymes.