Southern sentinel. [volume], September 12, 1849, Image 1

About Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858

Image provided by: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

                
SOUTHE
Säs
SENTINEL.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL.
PLAQUEMINE, PARISH OF IBERVILLE, SEPTEMBER 12, 1819.
VOLUME II.—NO. (j,
published every wednesday,
By William I». Bradlm rn.
i )ßce, second house above the Bank, to the right,
from the river.
terms oe the sentinel.
Subscription :—Five Dollars por annum, invariably in ad
vance. No subscription taken for a lufifi period than one
year.
a dvertising :—One Dollar per square, (10 lines or less) will
be charged for the first, and Fifty Cents for every inser
Hon thereafter. All advertisements not specified as to
nuinberof insertions, will be published until forbid, and
charged accordingly. In both languages, charged double
1K7Announcements for office $10, to be paid invariably in
advaucc.
PLAQUE MINE:
*WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,'49.
Symptom*« of Revolution.
Cuba .—We learn from the Bee that "the
British steamer which left Havana on the 29th
ult., brings advices from the Island of Cuba,
which would seem to indicate the near approach
of intestine commotions. The papers, as usu
al, do not furnish the remotest hint of what is
going on, but private lettere show that some
thing serious is brewing. Troops have been
organized in Havana and despatched to Puerto
Principe, and the latest reports are that that
town, together with St. Jago de Cuba and Tri
nidad, had pronounced for independence, and
that the Government troops have affiliated with
the people. Four thousand militia have been
ordered into service by the Captain General,
and extensive preparations are making to put
down revolt. What gives some coloring to the
information is the fact stated by a correspon
dent of the Delta, that the English Consul has
written to Jamaica for all the Eriglish squadron
that can be disposed of, for the protection of
British property and subjects. When British
functionaries take the alarm, matters must be
gin to look squally.
According to the same correspondent, various
measures had been proposed of a very strin
gent character. Some had counselled the im
prisonment of all influential Creoles ; others,
that the Spaniards should assassinate the na
tives ; and others again, that a forced contribu
tion should be levied on all citizens; but these
projects were negatived, and the Government
has contented itself with using the regular
means at its disposal to meet the exigency.
There is no doubt much exaggeration in the
report ; but there is probably likewise a con
siderable foundation of truth. It is quite cer
tain that a movement for the political indepen
dence of Cuba has long been in contemplation
among the Creoles of the Island. It may have
broken out prematurely—warmed perhaps into
a precocious existence by recent events—but it
is sure to come at last, and just as certain of
ultimately succeeding."
The Secret Expedition .—There are at
Round Island, says the Picayune of the 3d,
about 400 men, attached to what is called the
"Secret Expedition." They are blockaded by
several of our men of war, presentiug the sin
gular spectacle of the United States Govern
ment blockading its own citizens. The men
are said to be unarmed, and in want of food ;
they anticipated assistance by a steamer from
New Orleans. But one of the officers of the
blockading squadron was heard to say that any
vessel attempting to get to the Island would be
fired into and sunk ! The Picayune further says:
It was rumored at Pascagoula on Saturday,
that to-day some of the officers of the "Round
Islanders" intended to make application to the
legal authorities at thât place for a civil process
against the officers who have cut off their sup
plies, and to endeavor to have them arrested on
a peace warrant. It was the opinion of a dis
tinguished legal gentleman then at Pascagoula,
that the process would issue and an order for
the arrest of the parties complained against be
made. It would be a little singular if Unci«
Sam's men were to be arrested and held to
bail on the complaint of these "outside barba
rians," or rather "vagrants," as they have been
superciliously and insultingly designated.
We have understood upon good authority
that Col. White, who left here on Saturday,
took over to Perry S. Warfield, Esq., at Biloxi,
the necessary affidavits, &c., and that the legal
gentleman alluded to is to conduct the proceed
ings. We have also understood, that in ac
cordance with the tertns of Commander Ran
dolph 's proclamation, a boat load of provisions
have been already seized.
tehuantepec .—A wagon road across the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec is about to be prosecu
ted forthwith, and is expected to serve a valua
ble end. It will effect a saving of distance be
tween the Atlantic seaboard and California, as
compared with the Chagras route,of about 1700
miles.
HTNathaniel Denby, late Navy Agent, has
confessed judgment in the United States Dis
trict Court at Philadelphia for the sum of $ 157,
443 67, being the amount claimed by Govern
ment with interest Mr. Denby still remains
in custody, the District Attorney, pursuant to
ins tructions, having taken out a casa, against
him. He did not appear in court, being too de
bilitated to leave his bed. His health was
stated to have become greatly impaired since
csvii. Taylor at Westmoreland.
The following is the reply of Gen. Taylor to
the welcome tendered him by the citizens of
Westmoreland county, Pa.:—
My kinii friends and respected fellow-citizens,
I am unused to public speaking,-—my training
has been in a different department of life, and
I am sure therefore the necessary indulgence^
will be made by this great assemblage. But if
1 possessed the most gifted power of eloquence
I could not express in words the deep and
abiding gratitude which I feel for the American
people. They have crowned me with praise
beyond my deserving: and unworthy as I am,
they have elected me to the first office in the
world in point of uioral and political dignity.—
In the battles where I bore command, I was
sustained by the American soldier and volunteer,
admirable in all the qualities which ensure suc
cess. Where they have confidence in the com
mander, they have but two thoughts—"Our
country, and victory in her cause. \\ itli such
soldiers I fought, and with such soldiers wluit
could I do but conquer—let them have the
meed of praise.
I was not deserving of the great office I now
fill. I was not a voluntary candidate. But forc
ed and constrained by impulses which I could not
resist. But since the désir» of the people has
placed me there, my anxious thought, my
untiring exertions will be to promote the peace,
liberty, prosperity, and happiness of the nation.
You all know that I was not disciplined to poli
tics. Forty years of my life were spent in tlie
service of my country. Toil, privations, anxie
ty and care were the elements of my educa
tion. During that time, I served my beloved
country with all my energies in obedience to
her laws.
That part of my life to which I look back with
the greatest pleasure is when I was protecting
the innocent inhabitants of the frontier, the
women and children, from the tomahawk and
scalping-knife of the savage.
I hope my motives will not be misunderstood,
for making this journey. I wished to see the
great manufacturing establishments of the middle
and northern States, to witness their flourishing
and prosperous husbandry; to ascertain their
wants and wishes, and to see my kind friends
and their beautiful county.
I will give all my sympathy to the friends of
liberty everywhere, now struggling for liberty;
but my great care will be to preserve the peace
to the' country, and to aviod entangling alli
ances with any, pursuing the example of Wash
ington. And now my friends, I again return you
my grateful thanks for the enthusiastic recep
tion I have received. I love to meet my fellow
citizens face to face, and to shake their honest
hands, especially the gray-headed patriarchs,
who were the patriots of other days—and the
ladies, God bless them, they have everywhere
cheered my way with their smiles. God bless
you all.
The Intelligencer concludes its account of
the enthusiastic welcome by saying—
The President was dressed in a plain suit of
black cloth; but in nothing differing either in
dress or manner from the great body of his
fellow-citizens, who, with profound feelings of
regard, thronged around him as he passed
through this county. The common remark
among the farmers was—"Why! he is just like
one of ourselves—this is the right kind of a
President—there is no ostentation about him,
he mingles with, and converses freely with all;
he makes every one feel perfectly at home in his
company."
Gen. Taylor Visiting a Seminary.— The
young ladies of Edgeworth Seminary, Sewick
ly, Pa., requested Gen. Taylor to drive within
the grounds as he passed, that they might see
one of whom their fathers and brothers had
talked so much, and as delicacy forbade their
turning to the road side to gaze at him. He
complied with the request, and, being introduc
ed, said:
Young Ladies —It is with pleasure that I
present myself before you at this time. To
me it is always pleasing to meet with the young
and beautiful. And it is my earnest hope, that
in your present favorable position you may be
well prepared for future happiness and future
usefulness. Accept my sincere thanks for the
honor conferred upon me in your request, and
especially on account of the flatterieg and cour
teous terms in which your invitation was couch
ed.
The President was then cheered by the pupils
of Sewickly Academy, who were present, when,
turning to them, he said:
Young Gentlemen —I am pleased to see you.
You are now in the morning of life. Make a
proper use of the privileges you enjoy. Lay a
solid foundation for becoming useful to your
country and the world. My best wishes tor
your prosperity remain you.
Unwashed French Ladies .—An American
lady, writing from Paris, says that she has lately
discovered the secret of the many beautiful and
brilliant complexions seen in that city. It
seems that water is conceived by the French
ladies as the great spoiler of the skin, so that
unless some untoward circumstance really soils
their faces they are not touched with water
from one week's end to another; the owners
content themselves with gentle rubbing with a
dry coarse towel, and exclude water almost
entirely from the toilet table.
(CTlt is the true and expressive remark of a
German philosopher, "I would not be a woman,
for then I could not love her."
T he M osquito C oast .—The Washington
Republic expresses the opinion that England
will not throw any obstacle in the way to pre.
vent an American company from opening a com
munication between the two great oceans at the
San'Juan, even though she may assert her claims
to the territory in Question.
Adventure with a l*irate.
From the Log-Boole of a Ojjicer.
BYE. W. DAVIS, JR.
"About two years since it became my for
tune to eommad a sloop of war in the service
of Great Britain. By what steps I arrived ;it
this station it is unnecessary to detail, but it is
sufficient for the purposes of my chronicle to
know that one tine morning 1 found myself duly
installed as commander of her Britannic ma
jesty's sloop-ot'-war Semiramis, twenty guns,
and one hundred and ten men. and sailing with
a brisk breeze from the harbor of Portsmouth,
bound for Montego bay, Jamaica, with special
directions to cruise in search of a piratical
schooner which had been committing depreda
tions in that vicinity. As you perceive, 1 was
short of hands, but at Montego Bay I was to
receive a draft of some seventy or eighty men,
who were accustomed to the hot latitude of the
Gulf and the Carribean sea.
A quick and prosperous voyage brought us
safelv to our destined port, where we remained
a week or ten days, filling our berths and re
atocking the vessel with fresh provisions and
water.
This interval I spent on shore, and as I had
friends there I soon became intimately acquain
ted with some of the first families of the place;
among others were two young ladies from Bos
ton, who were spending a few weeks with a
relative, and with one of these, Emily , I
was so much struck, that her beauty touched
my heart at first acquaintance, but when I
afterwards discovered that her virtues, power of
mind and gentleness, were equal to her loveli
ness, my admiration changed to a tenderer
sentiment. I did not then know that my feel
ings were reciprocated by the fair girl, with
whom I passed much of my time. At last all
was in readiness for my departure, and I was
compelled to bid her adieu, not without receiv
ing earnest and pressing invitations to call on
her parents, who were in wealthy circumstan
ces, if I should chance into Boston harbor in the
course of my duty.
The next morning we left Montego Bay, and
cruised hither and thither among the neighbor
ing islands, but without success. At the end
of a month we returned to port, having seen
nothing of the pirate, but on reporting progress
to the naval officer of the station, I was aston
ished to hear that the corsair, which, by the way,
was called the Agadip, had plundered and burnt
a vessel on the coast a few days previous, so
that I received orders to sail qgain the next day
in pursuit ofthe schooner. Calling at the house
of Emily D , I was told that she and her
sister had sailed for Boston a week before on
the Danish barque Frederiea.
About dusk that evening, as I was preparing
to ride out with a friend, a messenger from the
station officer placed in my hands a note which
ran thus:
"Capt G , Sir—I have just received in
formation that there is a suspicious-looking
craft lying at anchor in a cove two miles distant.
Though 1 have no evidence that she is any
thing out ofthe way, yet it may be possible that
this is the pirate. At all events it would do no
harm to send a few men to reconnoitre, so that
if it should be the Agadin, we may take mea
sures for her capture. Yours, etc."
1 at once determined to reconnoitre the ves
sel myself, and handing the messenger a note
to my lieutenant, ordering the latter to have
the Semiramis ready for sailing at a moment s
notice, I gave the horse the rein, and seated in
a light vehicle with my friend drove rapidly
away toward the cove, which I knew lay just
beneath the shelter of a high promontory. A
short time sufficed to bring us to the summit of
the wave-washed eminence, and looking down
ward from our high position our attention was
arrested by a dark object floating on the surface
of the little bay far below us. The evening
was sufficiently light to enable us at once to
decide on the character of the object, which my
experienced eve told me was a vessel of some
seventy or eighty tons, and from the fact that
no lights were visible on boajd though rough
voices were heard from the beach beneath, 1
began to suspect all was not right. Desiring
my companion to await with the vehicle, and in
case of any alarm to drive directly back to the
harbor anil acquaint my second officer with the
fact, I made my way down the steep side of the
promontory, which was covered with tropic
shrubbery to the water's edge, determined to
reconnoitre the suspicions vessel.
A few minutes enabled me to obtain a posi
tion near the foot of the eminence, and stopping
to listen, I found the voices I had heard were
those of men engaged in carousal and drunken
ness in a fishing hut, swearing and brawling over
their liquor. While thus listening^ several men
sprang suddenly from a clump ot bushes and
attempted to seize me; I drew a pistol, but just
as I nulled the trigger, the weapon was dashed
from'my hand, and ere the explosion had fairly
rung out, I was thrown violently on the ground
and pinioned. One of my captors expressed a
desire to immolate me on the spot, but the
others restrained him; from various phrases in
their conversation, I discovered that I was real
ly in the power of the pirates of the Agadin.—
They placed me in a boat, rowed to the schoo
ner, on the deck of which I soon stood, while
one of the pirates narrated to a ferocious look
ing scoundrel whom they addressed as Captain,
the story and circumstances of my arrest.—
With an ominous scowl he ordered them to
carry me into his cabin till he had time to settle
my affairs as he said; as they hastened to obey
him, i heard him give command to bring on board
all the crew and set sail at once, as he knew not
what mischief was brewing.
I was thrown upon the cabin floor and left
alone to my meditations, which were rather
unpleasant. But a moment after a state-room
door opened, and a female voice, speaking in
tones of surprise, met my ear. The voice was
familiar, and on looking up, to my astonish
ment I saw Emily D ! She sprang to my
side, and, at my request, took my pocket knife
from my waistcoat pocket and cut the fasten
ings on my wrists. My hands once free, it was
but the work of an instant to sever the cords
that were upon my ancles, and springing to my
feet I bolted the door of the cabin so that none
might enter. Emily seized my arm and implor
td me to save her and sister from a fate worse
than death. In a few words she told me that
the vessel in which they had taken passage had .
been overhauled by the pirates, plundered and
burnt, she and her sister having been alone re
served from the horrid massacre of all on bou'id. ;
»She clung to me with the nervousness of de
spair, begging me to rescue her from the fate
that seemed impending over her. 1 felt then,
as her tear-bathed face was brought close to
mine, that 1 loved her, and felt that she loved
me in return. It was a joyful knowledge, and
nerved my heart for the work I had on hand.—
At this moment, though I felt my power was
nothing against that ofthe desperate crew, I
vowed to her that I would save her or perish
with her. The look of confidence that beamed
from her eye more than repaid ine for all the
dangers I subsequently underwent.
I looked from the window of the cabin, and ,
finding k close to the water, endeavored to in- '
duce her trust herself in the liquideiement with
me. 1 could have swam with her to the shore,
but the generous girl utterly refused to leave
her sister, who was unwell in. a neighboring
state room, and 1 determined to remain with
her and defend her to the last. Looking nar
rowly in the cabin and state-room, I soon had
the satisfaction of finding three or four brace of
pistols, several loaded muskets, and a large
amount of ammunition. My resolutions were
soon made, and after piling all ofthe furniture
in the cabin against the door, I charged the !
fire-arms and awaited the course of events. It
was a desperate resolve, but it whs a desperate
case; and the winning manner of the lovely, yet
terrified Emily, for whom I now felt a most
intense anxiety, impelled me to brave even
danger.
A few minutes after, the sounds on deck told ,
me the sails were being hoisted; after that the
motion of the vessel indicated that she was un- J
der weigh. Ten minutes elapsed and footsteps ;
were heard descending the stair to the cabin.- -
Then some one turned the handle and essayed !
to open the door. At last the man, whom I
supposed to be the commander, cursed and
swore in a storm of rage, and called out to those
on deck to know who had locked his door and
taken away the key. At this sevejal persons
spoke, and" after much conversation with their
angry captain, lights were brought down, and
looking through the key-hole I perceived half a
dozen of the pirates with hammers prepared to
break open the door. 1 knew the moment for
action had come, aYid grasping firmly a brace of
pistols, awaited in silence the denouement.—
Crash, crash, crash, the hammers struck the
lock from without; it was broken, and the door
opened on a crack, but the furniture I had piled
against it prevented ingress. I had extinguish
ed the lights in the cabin, and placing one of
the pistols in the aperture I fired, and one of
the villains fell,—another pistol was discharged
with like effect, and not till yet another had
laid a third ofthe astonished wretches groaning
at the foot of the gangway, did the rest hastily
betake themselves to the deck. But even there
they were not secure, for I could see one stand
ingat the top of the stair, relieved against the
starlit sky. I knew there was little hope for
me, except in the death of the pirates, and
thrusting a musket through the crack of the
door, 1 deliberately shot the person whom I
saw.
The Rubicon was crossed, the deed was
done, and I prepared to meet the consequences.
I felt that it was now life or death with me, and
on my fate hung that of one who was dearer to
me than my own life.
Reloading the weapons of destruction, J stood
readv at the door, but for some reason the pi
rates did not seem inclined to renew the attack.
I was unable to conjecture the cause of their
silence, till Emily sprang to my side, whispered
in terror, "The window! the window!" I stepped
lightly to the stern windows through one of
which a man was softly clambering, and by
the indistinct reflection of the water, I saw
that in his teeth he held a glittering knife. The
danger was imminent. I dashed my foot forci
bly in his face and he fell heavily into the water.
His cry for help was stilled by the suffocating
brine "of the wave, and he sunk with all his
crimes upon his head into a watery grave.
At this moment a volley of musket balls
was fired from the deck, at the cabin door heavy
footsteps thundered down the gangway, and
the axes ef the pirates soon reseunded on the
echoing wood. It would have been an easy
matter to have shivered the door to pieces, but
ere they could do so I was again at the portal,
and fired seven or eight pistols at random i
through the aperture as fast as I could do so.
This had its effect for the wretches retreated j
again to the deck and consulted together. But
my horror and alarm may be conceived, when •
I heard the captain order his crew to unloose a
six pounder from its tacklings, wheel it to the |
gangway, and fire a few rounds of grape at the ;
cabin door. I knew if this were done that my
barricade would be shattered to pieces, and the :
doom of myself and Emily sealed. I listened ,
attentively, heard them throw off the fasten
ings of one of the schooner's guns, roll it to the
gangway, and prepare to fire it. In their eagerness
they forgot prudence, for to enable themselves ;
to see better they placed a lantern near the ;
gun. I saw the gun pointed toward the cabin :
door, a priate stood ready to apply the deadly
match; watclfing the motions of the villain, I
raised a musket, and ere he could effect his pur
pose a bullet laid him dead baside the gun.—
Another picked up the match; again I aimed,
but my weapon flashed in the pan without ex
ploding. I sprang aside from the doorway, but
instead of the volley of grape which I expect
ed would crash through my barricade, the sound
of a distant gun echoed over the waters, and I
heard a ball strike on the deck of the schooner.
In an instant all was confusion above, the cap
tain cried out that they were discovered, and or
dered them to extinguish every light, that they
might escape in the darkness. I knew from
their conversation that the gun I had just heard
was ficed trom some pursuing vessel and con
jectured it to be the Semiramis, my own sloop
of-war. I determined to defeat the intentions
of the pirate captain. Springing to the state
room where lay Emily's sister, I took down the
lantern which hung from the ceiling, and fasten
ing the corner of a sheet to the top I let it
down toward the water through the stern win
" s Beotijamis might
dow, that those on board the
know where to direct their lire. The effect was i
beyond my hopes, for the next instant I heard '
the report of the whole broadside ofthe sloop- 1
of-war, the balls from which took fearful effect !
on the schooners deck, and as 1 knew from the (
sound of one of her masts crashing over the j
side.
The dc.-perate pirates now exchanged several i
shots with the Semiramis, hut the third from i
the sloop-of-war was decisive, fora heavy rat-;
tlingsound succeeded,and J knew the schooner
now lay dismasted and umaiuigeable on the j
waves. Ko more firing was heard, hut the I
sound of voices and the dashing of spray told |
that my own ship was close at hand. 1 remov- i
ed the furniture from the door of the cabin suf- j
ficienily to permit my egress, and with a pistol
in each hand rushed up stairs just in time to '
head a gallant party of hoarders who sprang i
from the Semiramis to the schooner's deck as the I
former grazed past. 1 shouted to-them, and!
recognizing my voice they followed me in a j
desperate charge upon the dark group of vil- |
I: ins who liait leathered on the forward deck. !
The pirate captain received a bullet in the head j
from one of my pistols and fell: boldly my men j
strove hand in hand with the wretches, and in a i
few minutes every corsair on board had been |
either killed or taken, and the shouts of my no- j
ble crew and the signal lanterns we displayed
gave token to those on board the Semiramis
that the schooner was our own.
Not long after, I had the satifaction of tr.ms
fering Emilv and her sister to the ship, and the
iirst person i met on my own deck was the per
son who had accompanied me to the cove. He
had heard the pistol shot which I fired when
the pirates first seized me, lie had put the horse
to the trot and reached Montego Bay in from fif
teen to twentv minutes, threw himself into a
boat, boarded the Semiramis, told the lieu
tenant what had happened, and pointed out the
course to be pursued, which resulted so happily
in the capture of the pirate. In an hour or two
we entered port with our prize, and the joyful
news of the affair spead like wildfire. On my
way to report to the commander of the station,
1 had the pleasure of accompanying Emily and
her sister in a coach to the house of their friend,
and promised the grateful girl to call soon.
Every evening that week saw me at the
house where Emily resided, and when a fort
night after I set sail for England I bore on my
finger a plain gold ring, the pledge of my fair
one's troth; for 1 had told of my love and been
accepted, and it was arranged that I should
obtain my discharge from the British service
and hasten to Boston, to claim for my bride the
lovely heiress, my own Emily D ."
About a year after the above was written,
there appeared in the papers of Boston tlie fol
lowing notice:
"Married on the 21st Sestember, by the Rev.
Mr. , Charles G , Esq., late captain in
the Britisli navy, to the lovely 'Emily D ,
daughter of the Hon. Raphael D ."
The pleasures and festivities of the happy
event so occupy ray mind, and the society of my
Emily so engrosses my time, that for the pre
sent I must close my log-book, and reserve the
remainder of its contents for another occasion."
George Washington.— The following beau
tiful anecdote is related by Duer in his "New
York as it Was and Is:"
The reserve and taciturnity of Washington
were proverbial; but as the one was the result
of diffidence, and not of austerity or pride, so
the other proceeded from his habitual prudence
rather than coldness, or want of the sensibility
that inspires eloquence. In proof of this, it is
related ofliim that when the famous meeting of
officers was held at Ncwburg, to consult upon
measures to be taken in consequence of the
disbandment ofthe army by congress, without
securing the reward due to its services, Wash
ington, who was known to disapprove of the
proceedings, though he sympathized with the
feelings which gave rise to it, resolved, never
theless, to be present.
Unwilling to trust to his powers of extem
pore speaking, he reduced what he meant to
say to writing, and commenced reading it with
out his spectacles, which, at that period he used
only occasionally. He found, however, that he
could not proceed without them. He stopped
and took them out, and as he prepared to place
them, he exclaimed, "I have grown blind, as well
as gray, in the service of my country." This
sudden bust of natural eloquence produced, as
may be supposed, more effect than anything inj
his premeditated address.
Accident and Singular Result.— At St.
Louis on the 28th ult., a young man by the
name of Chas. Green, lately a resident of Lou
isville, wfts engaged in raising the ceiling of a
new store, to place a column under it, when the
timber suddenly gave way, and fell on an axe
that he held in his hand. The axe in its turn
was knocked with great force against his head,
and he fell senseless. He recovered, however,
and was able to walk ; but what is singular is,
that it has greatly impaired his memory. He
barely recollects that he ever lived in Louisville,
.and still believes himself on the steamer com
intr from that nlace to St. Louis. He has for
gotten nearly every past event, although he
walks around and converses intelligently with
those about him.
John Knox's House.—A Dean of Guild
Court, held on the 26th of July, lias according
to The Scotsman, ordered the destruction of
John Knox's (the famous Reformer's) house»
"as l>eing insecure, ruinous, and dangerous to
the inhabitants and other persons therein." This
house, more than three hundred years old—it is
nearly as many since Knox died—is one of the
celebrities of that city, an antiquarian relit and
memorial, which, it might be supposed, the
Court would have deemed it more natural to
order repaired than destroyed.
0°Married people should study each other's
weak points, as skaters look out for weak parts
in the ice, in order to keep out of them.
Tlie Chinese.
The following extract is from the forthcom
ing work of O. Titian) - , Esq., and is part of a
longer extract that has appeared in the Boston
Advertiser:
A great point in Chinese happiness i.s the
number of children the fortunate man may
boast of. The principle they go on is, in the
words of Shakspcare, "The world must be
peopled."
A man with half a dozen sons is wealthy,
but with the same number of daughters, his
poverty is a general subject of pity. In speak
ing of his offspring one will sometimes say,
that he has three children, and if you ask if any
are daughters, he will answer yes, four, meaning
seven in all, though he does not consider the
girls worth mentioning.
Should his wife prove childless, he eagerly
seizes the opportunity of putting her aside and
marrying again.
manners of the Chinese, taose of the
middling and upper classes, are very pleasing to
a stranger. The low laborers are brutish
enough, but among the better bred a gentility
of manner is strikingly apparent
When you meet a Chinese gentleman, he
folds his hands and shaks them at you, saying.
Chin chin, words of the Canton-Chinese-Anglo
jargon signifying welcome, or thank you, or
fare well according to the occasion.
If your visit is one of ceremony, he is careful
to keep his hat on while yon uncover, and scats
you, of course, on his left hand.
He is so courtier-like, that he will not touch
the chair a moment before you, and if he per
ceives that he is doing so he instantly rises a
little. Then, perhaps, he treats you to sweet
meats and tea. The tea is always delicious.
It is not contaminated by cream and sugar, he
would not condescend to such barbarian cus
tom. There are no saucers for the cups to
stand upon, but you will see that they are on the
top of the cup, to keep in the aroma of the clear
amber-colored beverage.
Andso in China you will sec a hundred re
verses to European customs.
I have spoken of the practice of keeping
precocious youths in subjection, the Celestials
fully appreciating the wisdom of Solomon, if
no other portion of Holy Writ.
A man dresses like a woman, and uses a fan
even more; he carries his watch on the right
side, and instead of leaving his knife and chop
sticks on the table, he puts them into a little
case and bears them about with him; he unco
vers his head in summer time; he begins to read
a book at its natural end, he never cuts the
leaves of it; he writes perpendicularly; he
eats fruit first, and soup last, at feasts of cere
mony.
He whitens the soles of his shoes instead of
blacking them; he puts on boots, and discards
shoes when he wishes to be extremely elegant
in company; and old men play like little boys,
and little boys look as dignified as judges.
On one occasion I saw an instance of Chi
nese contrariety that certainly put to flight any
of the recreations of old men in my own coun
try; for as some of us were warming ourselves
in a cool Noverber afternoon with a primitive
and healthful sport of leap frog, much to the
delight of herds of Chinese, to our inexpres
sable surprise, we saw three grave citizens,
whose united ages were certainly over a centu
ry and a half, become so carried away by the
spirit of the game, that they must join in it
themselves. They were men of respectability;
they were dressed in fine silk, and their beards
and moustaches were combed precisely; and in
a moment two of them stood at the prescribed
distance from each other, and placed their
hands upon their knees, while the third (a gen
tleman near threescore years) indulged in the
flying run, and would have cleared his com
panion's head in gallant style, only his long
gown took such firm hold of the other's back
that both came to the ground, like horse and
rider in a steeple chase.
Not at all disheartened, they continued the
game for half an hour or so, and though falling
at full length five times out of six, expressed
themselves as highly pleased with such novel
and invigorating exercise.
In the meantime several urchins looked on
without either daring to laugh or join in the
pastime.
Grand Fall of Water.— The Rome (Ga.)
Bulletin describes a remarkable phenomena
which occurred at Cedar Point, in the vicinity
of Chattanooga, on the 2d ult. The clouds about
6 a. m. became greatly agitated, forming a great
mass of distinct whirls, like water spoufs, ac
companied by loud roarings. They became en
veloped in darkness, and a large number of them
must have burst upon the mountain. There are
the marks of the effects of seventeen within the
space of one mile and a half on the slope of
the mountain. Large gullies were scooped out>
vast rocks removed from their bases and throwu
about in confusion, and in one place a largo oak
tree was uprooted and carried three hundred
tards down the mountain. The waters rose
prodigiously, flooding the valleys, and carrying
away fences, cattle, grain, etc.
Give Him Up.— "Are you an Odd Fellow?"
"N o, sir, I 've been married for a week!" "I
mean, do you belong to the Order of Odd Fel
lows?" "No, no, I belong to the order of mar
ried men." "Mercy, how dumb! Are you a
Mason?" "No, I 'm a carpenter by trade."—
"Worse and worse ; are you a Son of Temper
ance?". "Bother you, no; lama son of Mr.
John Gosling." The querist went away.
[CFReauzzini, a celebrated musician, com
plains of the newspapers of his day in the fol
lowing quaint manner : "I likes not your Eng
lish newspapers. Dere is moch 'We know,
(measuring the first joint of his fore finger, and
then stretching out his arm to its full extent,)
while dere is bo much 'we tink: "