JVfo. 43.
HALIFAX, X. C. FRIDAY, JAWUAXY 14, 1825.
.THE "FREE PRESS,"
By George Harvard,
Ts published every Fridav, at
THREE DOLLARS per year,
consisting of 52 numbers, and in the
situ- proportion for a shorter pe
riod. Subscribers at liberty to dis
continue at any time, on paying ar
rearages. Advertisements inserted at fifty
cents per square, or less, for the
first insertion, and twenty-five cents
each continuance.
Letters addressed to the Editor
must be post fraid.
Communications.
For the Free Frees.
NO. IV.
It is not Halifax or North
Carolina alone that would be
benefitted by locking into the
river at Weldon; the interest of
the Virginia individuals of that
Company and of the southern
and western parts of that state,
and indeed of the whole state,
would be so too, in an equal or
greater degree by making Hal
ifax the entrepot, or port of
transferring the cargoes from
the boats descending the river
to the boats ascending from the
Atlantic, or depositing their car
goes in suitable and safe ware
houses until time and conveni
ence should dictate the trans
port of such deposits in either
direction as the interest or will
of those interested should dic
tate. Nor is there one advan
tags to be gained by the Virgin
ia members or interest in ma
king Weldon the place of transit
or deposit that will not be en
joyed by them in a much greater
degree by transiering it to ilah
ifax; for if the doubt be as to!
the safety of the navigation from j
Weldon to Hamax tor boats
s'ich as descend the river to
Weldon, a moments reflection
will convince them, that any
boats that can descend the up
per, wide, long, and unshelter
ed reaches of the river aboye
Weldon, where they must ply
in many instances unsheltered
from high adverse winds, and
occasional storms, must be per
fectly safe in plying from Wel
don "to Halifax, a distance not
more than six or seven miles,
where the sinuosities of the ri
ver and the corresponding cur
vature and extreme height of
the banks, interpose their shel
ter so completely, as to anord
perfect safety to the navigation
pf that part of the river with any
kink of craft or boat of sufficient
tenacity to bold together and
keep out water; and the same
advantages of purchasing, hold
ing and owning lots lor ware
houses, building, and other im
provements, will be anorded on
as reasonable terms at Halifax
as at Weldon, and the interest
resulting from the investment
in making such improvements,
Must be greater and more imme
diate than it possibly can be by
locating the place of transit and
deposit at Weldon, and making
'orrespondent improvements
there, with a view to the mak
ing it permanent; besides the
physical certainty that Weldon
must, at no distant period, share
the fate and exhibit the appear
ance of desertion and desolation
now exibited by Rocklanding,
i-s neighbor & predecessor in ill
judged speculation, to the dis
appointment and ruin of many
?r 'c'iit and enterprising men.
It is true that doubts mirht.
and no doubt are entertained of
ing
timber
running
against
them and injuring them; those
particularly from the upper
county, as being more fragile
than those ascending from the
Atlantic, and less fitted to with
stand with safety such uncom
monly violent torrents as those
are which at such times precip
itate their impetuous volumes
down the bed of the Roanoke;
but these doubts must cease, and
confidence be restored to the
most timid, by viewing the
complete and secure shelter af
forded by the projecting cliiTs,
and indented banks at Halifax,
and the great facilitj- with which
an harbour, perfectly secure at
all times and seasons can be
made there with a trifling com
parative expense of money, and
the calling in common sense and
common industry to aid in pro
fiting by the advantages which
the ravines at that point atford,
tomake docks by trifling excava
tions, as many of them are near
ly equal in depth to the bed of
the river; in addition to vhich,it
is well known that a gentleman
as eminent fur kindness of dis
position and many amiable traits
of character, as he is singular
tor the aliectatioii of rough,
blunt, and apparently cynical
manners with which he disguis
es them, with a public spirit
that does him honor, and a zeal
and anxiety for the prosperity
of Halifax, that should endear
him to its citizens, procured a
law to be passed to authorize the
building a pemanent bridge at
Halifax, the doing of which will
most assuredly make Halifax the
thorughfare between the eastern
section of Virginia and of the
eastern states, and Raleigh, Fay-
etteville, and , the southern sec
tions of the states'of South Car
olina and ueorgia, &c. as it
would shorter the distance now
travelled and put the road on
much more level and firm
ground. This bridge, if built
as it should be, of durable ma
terials, namely of stone work,
especially if the'abutments were
so built, the southern abutment
can be so constructed, and no
doubt will, as to afford a perfect
ly safe harbour to every descrip
tion ol cratt on the down steam
side in all freshes, and other ex
traordinary cases; and there can
be little doubt but the contem
plated bridge will be completed
in due time, because the peo
ple of Halifax, both in town and
country, cannot always be so
blind to their immediate inter
est, as not to promote it with
all their weight and influence as
well as assistance; as it is cer
tain that the tolls at a bridge
properly built at that place
would pay a large interest of the
capital stock invested in the
building, which will ba trifling
compared with the great advan
tages to be derived from it to
the country generally, and with
the extraordinary per cent, it
must and will pay in tolls on the
capital stock so invested.
Koanoke.
Interesting to Jurors... .At
the last Mayor's Court" in Phil
adelphia, on the trial of a per?
son for felony, ..some difference
of opinion appearing to exista-j
the safety of boats lying at Hal
ifax, in times of high freshes,
from drifting ice and float
mong the Jury, it was agreed
by the counsel for the Common
wealth, and the counsel for the
prisoner, that a constable should
be sworn to keep the Jury to
gether until they agreed; that
they should then seal up their
verdict and go home; the ver
dict to be received, from the
Jury, at the meeting of the court
in the morning. These condi
tions were acceded to by the
Court. Soon after the Jury had
retired they agreed upon, sign
ed, and sealed up, their verdict,
and separated.... When the court
met in the morning the verdict
was read and was found to be a
verdict of guilty, signed by all
the Jurors. One of the Jury
men said that he did not agree
to that, verdict; that he was of
opinion that the Defendant was
innocent. He was asked if he
had entertained thut opinion
when he had signed the ver
dict. He said he had, but that
he had signed the verdict of
guilty for the purpose of being
permitted to go home. The
Jury not being able to agree in
the case, were directed to be
discharged. This being' done,
the Juror, who had just avowed
that he had signed a verdict a
gainst his judgment for the
purpose of ensuring the separa
tion of the Jurj, was ordered
to enter into recognizances,
himself in two hundred dollars
and one sufficient security in
the like sum, to answer at the
next court, for the misdemea
nor of which he had confessed
himself guilty.
MOITTn OF THE COLUMBIA.
The editor of the New York
Advocate (Mr. Noah) says
that a man on his journey from
New York to the mouth cf Co
lumbia river, will meet with the
following accommodations on
his route:
"He may, very pleasantly,
breakfast with the Russians....
dine with the English.. ..sup
with the French. ...eat macaroni
and Parmisan cheese, with the
Italians sour crout, with the
Dutch and smoke a comforta
ble pipe with the Austriar.s; -if
he starts from Mackinaw, on
his trip, visit the Quapaws, the
Sioux, the Chippewas, the
Catawbas, the Foxes, and all of
those independent tribes of sav
ages which are spread over that
vast territory; he will have as
little comfort and accommoda
tion as he has tranquility and
peace of mind. Instead of a
neat cottage, overgrown with
honeysuckle, and a short pet
ticoated damsel, with black
eves cream and fruit, and
wine for breakfast, and all those
comfortables we meet with in a
walk through Switzerland, the
traveller, in his journev to Ore
iron, will occasionally hear a
bullet whistling by his ear,
will have the privilege of dodsr-
inga blow from a lomahayk,or
be placed rather too close to a
roasting fire for convenience.
Bear meat, buffalo -horns and
oppossums, may be ranked as
delicacies, if he can catch them;
and should the traveller, aftpr
a pilgrimage of many mouths,
come in sight of the U, States.'
territorial government of Ore
gon, he will, like, those who
journey to . Mecca, be ready to
lay his bones in the promised j
land." ' I
PoliccCourt. A man, calling
himself George Sleeth, of de
cent appearance and seemingly
of about thirty years of age, on
Friday last voluntarily presen
ted himself before the Police
Court, and entreated, to be
imprisoned and tried for the
murder of his wife. He said
that in 1815, she was taken
sick, at Pittsburg, and, as the
usual phrase is, brought to bed;
that he applied to a physician,
who, as he sumooses. srave him
by mistake, other pills than he
intended, which he, himseli,
gave to her, and she died; that
no one ever accused him of
killing her, but the 'private
monitor, conscience" that he
had never before complained
of himself'' or told the circum
stances to any one; that he wTas
troubled with dreams, and was
induced, by those he had last
night, to become his own accu
ser. Having been told, that
he "had better go home, and go
to work," he replied, "no I
can't work, I never shall do any
more work." On being ques
tioned particularly with respect
to his last night's dreams, he
said, he went to bed at 12 o'
clock, after having drunk two
glasses of brandy; that hp sleep
alone, but, that there were other
persons in the room, that he
dreamt about cats, ghosts, hob
goblins, witches and wizards,
that the cats were of a black
and grey color, but, he could'nt
tell, whether, they were iihe
or she'1; that he saw men in
different dresses. He said, he
lived at No. 158 Front street
and kept store for Mathew Dol
lards. He was dismissed by
the magistrates, with the conso
ling assurance, that if any com
plaint should be made against
him, he should be sent for, in
form of law. We have been
informed, that he had made
one or two similar applications
before. He appears to be very
much dejected, and indeed, it
may with truth, be said of him,
that "melancholy" has "mar
ked him for her own."
New- Fork E. Post.
JV. Carolina Legislature
The Legislature of North-Carolina,
after a session of 52 days, (the
longest pver held in this state,)
rose on Wednesday, the 5th inst.
having passed 33 acts of a public
nature, 112 private ones, and 35 re
solutions. The following is a list
of all the public acts, (as furnished
by the Raleigh Star,) with such of
the private acts and resolutions as
are considered interesting to our
readers.
CAPTIONS OF IAWS
Enacted by the Legislature of
JSortti'Uarolina at its ses
sion of 1824-5..
PUBLIC ACTS.
1. An act to extend the nVht
of reviving aptions where the
plantiff or defendant mav die
pending the suit. No suit, to
wnicn an executor or adminis
trator is a nartv. shall abate bv
the death of such executor or ad
ministrator: but mav be revived
bv or against the administrator
de bonis non of the deceased
party.
o Authorising thp mal-in
of a turnpike road from the SaJ
uda Gap, in Buncombe, by the
way of Smith's, Murrayville,
asdviucauu wic Tarm pipings,
f to the Tennessee line. State
; to subscribe for Iqo shares, at
50 each.
3. Amending the act of 1819
to provide for the payment
of witnesses in certain cases.
Vvhere the Court or Solici
tor dismisses a prosecution on
behalf of the state, the Court
may order the witnesses to be
paid. -
4. Allowing amendments on
writs of error and appeals, and
authorising the Supreme Court
to make amendments. v '
5. Amending the act of 1818,
laying duties on sales at auction.
Contemplates a duty on private
sales," by auctioneers, regulated
by a previous sale or sales "at
auction.
6. Amending the act of 1814,
concerning divorce and alimo
ny. Repeals so much of said
act as requires 12 months to e-
lapse alter hiing the netition.
and so much as imposes a tax of
iu pounds on the person enst;
and provides that if the party
petitioning make oath that he
or she is not worth 200 dollars,
bond for the payment of costs
shall not be required.)
7. For restraining theatrical
representations in the vicinity
of the University. Makes it
indictable for persons to exhi
bit theatrical representations
within five miles of Chapel
Hill. , 1
. 8. Concerning the lands hJ Id
underleases from the Tuscarcra,
tribe of Indians. Lands held
under such leases to be consider
ed real estate.
9 Directing the completion
of a public road, commenced by
Aaron Albertson, from Park
ville,in Perquimons county, to
Pasquotank river bridge. Ap
points commissioners to receive
subscriptions and contract for
the completion of said road:
and should the sum raised by
subscription be insufficient for
the purpose, authorises the Pub
lie Treasurer to supply the de
ficiency, if not exceeding 2,500
dollars, out of the fund appro
priated for Internal Improve
ment. 10f To carry into effect the
contract made by Benj. Robin
son and William Robards, com
missioners on behalf of the state,
with certain Cherokee Indians.
11. Granting further time to
file appeals in the Supreme
Court. (Allows the appellant
any time within the first seven
days of the term to file his ap
peal.) 12. Amending the act of
1819, to create a fund for inter
nal improvement, and to estab
lish a board for the government
thereof, (Reduces the number
of the Board from six to three;
limits thq salary of the Civil
Engineer to 3,500 dollars; and
reduces the pay of the Secreta
ry of the Board from 6 to 3
dollars per day for every day
the Board shall be in session.)
J3. Appqinting commis
sioners to superintend the lay in
off and improving that part
the great state road between the
town of Jeffersonton and tbn
Tennessee line, in Ashe county.
(Provides that the commission
ers shall publish proposals for
said work, which shall be given
to the lowest bidder: and au
thorises them to draw 300 dol
lars from the tund set apart for
internal improvement, for tho
purpose of carrying the prorig-