TJHUE MOJRTH - CAJtt'OMNlIAN"
WTH JQLIIIAN,
Wm. H. Bayne, Eaitor and Proprietor.
FAYETTEVILLE, 3T. C.
NOVEMBER 24, 1349.
V. I. PALMER is our Agent for obtain,
ing subscribers and a dvertiscniciit iu Jfcw
York, Boston, and Pu.iadelphia.
the rorsoN
(J(- He uot swift to condemn.
CASE WILMINGTON COMMERCIAL.
The Wilmington Commercial of Tuesday last
rcmlafns an extended notice of the recent death
of Mr A. C. Simpson of this town; giving upon
the authority of some informant, a number of
particulars in regard to s;iid death, (many of
thorn erroneous,) and thereupon making a very
uncalled for, imprudent, and unjustifiable attack,
not only upon the Coroner, the Jur-, the pressj
&.c, but as we conceive, upon the character of
persons vVhorn he has not pointed oul, thus leav
ing the whole community with very equivocal
credit.
In order to be fully Understood, we give a sy
riopsi:? of the Commercial's article to-wit :
Tint Mr Simpson died very suddenly; that the
VwA Carolinian very " quietly " announced
I lie fact, as if nothing was wrong; that "the
circ'umiitance attending his death were of the
most atrocious criminality, and that men of re
spectable standing in society, betrayed their of
lici d ti usts by suppressing documents and re
tarding legal process long enough to give the
murderess time to escape"; th.it Simpson and
his wife lived together in a disagreeable manner;
that lie informed her of his intention to lile a
bill of divorce; that she bought arsenic, and
" m inuted to give it to him" ; that arsenic was
found in his stomach ; that " the Coroner is
charged with gross neglect of duty in permitting
her to escape"; that " the verdict of the Coro
ner's Jury was not promulgated for two days af
ter t lie decision ; and that it was held two days
longer by one of that body";- that the conduct
of those persons who have thus become acces
sories after the murder, is atrocious and without
excuse; that they " pi ice respectability, adul
tery and murder in t he same category"; that he
"knows the sentiments of a few of a 'respectable'
clique in Fayette ville, who estimate human life
according to the position of the murderer, or the
caste ot the murdered ; that it is time the Press
ofXoith Carolina should do its duty in exposing
villainy," &c. &.e.
This article of the Comruerci.il, with its eriors
and its broad and dctji censures upon all concern
ed, will be copied into the newspapers far and
wide over hecountry; and therefore, .as theeditor
of one oithe Fayetteville papers, as well as "one .of
the Jury of Inquest, we feel bound to make true
statements to correct the erroneous impressions
which that article will make on the public mind.
flnt editor seems to have overlooked that uni
versal c mse of 'complaint, "the .law's delay."
The f..ct is, that the conduct of the Coroner, the
Jurv, Void ttex. mining physicians, is perfectly
(lei"enji,ble ; and we are re dy to defend it
Wore any tribunal : and shrill do so before
that of public opinion. We "live under the res
trictions of 1 it, and the law must take its course,
be that course swift or slow. jLLQj
The death of Mr Simpson occurred on Thifrs
diy night, near 9 o'clock, with two physicians
present. Humors becme rib' that he was poi
nnrd. and suspicion attached to bis wife. Her
fmiiiy relatives hearing them, demanded an in
vestigation. On Friday afternoon at .") o'clock, A.
M. Campbell was appointed Coroner, and a Jury
of Inquest was iuipsnnellrd on Saturday morning
at . o'clock, consisting of S. T. IL.wley, E. Ful
ler, W. Draughon, Henry Lilly, Jonathan Jes
fiiH.Joiin Sli.w, D. (I. Alcliae, E. L. Pemberton,
Duncan McLaurin, Josiah E. Bryan, Peter P.
Jlnion, and VY'm. 11. IViyne. The Jury proceed
ed at once to the performance of their duty, and
no external m irks of violence being found, the
physicians of the place were c .lied upon to make
examination. Doctors Robinson, Gilli in,
Mdiett and McR..e, performed the examina
tion. They stated that it was impossible for
them to appoint a definite time to report to the
.1 u t v the resu't of their examination, as the con
tents of the stomach were to be removed and
subjected to analyzation, which is a slow process,
requiring time and labor. Phis occuried on
Saturday, and it was not until Tuesday follow
ing at -2 o'clock, n, m., that the physicians re
ported, that after severe and unremitting labor,
night ami day, during that time, they were con
vinced that the deceased had been killed by ar
senic which they found in his stomach.
Thisrep-rt having been m de, the law made
it the ifarfy of the Jury to ascertain by whose
hand the deceased had come to his death ; (it
'Iocs not authorize theJiuyto an est accused
persons upon sitsjn'rian,) and in accordance with
that duty, the Coroner was directed to summon
certain witnesses before the Jury, which was to
meet again in three hours. On meeting again,
it was found that two of the witnesses had gone
home (I t miles from Fayetteville) and of course
rnil. i not be had that night. All the witnesses
I'iesent were examined, thoroughly, until near
riuini 'ht. Some of the Jury were in f.voro'f ,
rendering the verdict without further examina
tion; but several objected, among them ourself;
for when we have a public duty to perform, we
tain the sentiments of its body. It wasthen
about 11 o'clock in the night: nine had made up
their minds, and three had not, to-wit: S. T.
Hawley, John Shaw, and Wn. H. Bayne. S. T.
Hawley stated his convictions : from the 'evi
dence before him, suspicion could rest upon no
one but the wife; the chain of circumstances
which tended to fix the guilt upon her, although
of a strong character, were not sufficient to jus
tify him in saying, under the solemnity of an
oath, that she was the guilty person. We give
only the substance of his remarks, as we remem
ber them. In these convictions the other two
Jurymen coincided; and the Jury then agreed
upon the following verdict, as their unanimous
findintr:
" THAT the said Alexander C. Simpson came
to his death by poison received into his stomach.
The Jury have patiently investigated the whole
matter, and from the testimony submitted to
them, they are inclined to tl.ink 'th: r ninn wn-j
administered by Mrs Ann K. Simpson, the wife
ot the deceased. They state, however, that the I
matter is involved in doubt. nr.,t th.v imotAil- i
ly refer the whole case to the Superior Court
now in session."
This verdict was signed by each one of the
Jurymen, and the Coroner, as in duty bound,
placed it immediately, along with all the testi
mony, in the hand of the Clerk of the Superior
Court, who was one of the Jurors. Early on the
next morning (Thursday morning) the Coroner
went to see the Solicitor to get instructions as
to his duty under the verdict ; but it being
Thanksgiv ing day , and Court not in session, the
Solicitor was not found until dinner time; and
Jie then told the Coroner that in his opinion he
was not required to arrest the accused, but at
any rate, it was not necessary to tlo so then, us a
Rench warrant had been issued for her arrest.
It was then discovered that she had lied, and sub
sequent -information indicates that she left here
about 10 o'clock on Wednesday night. So that
if the Coroner had gone in pursuit of her imme
diately the verdict was rendered, (and certainly
he had no authority to do so before,) he could
hardly have succeeded in tracing her at that
midnight hour.
The only way in which she could have been
arrested befoie that time, would have been by
the issue of a warrant by a Magistrate, on com
plaint being made to him, the person complain
ing making ojath of his belief that the was guilty.
This being a bold step, no person saw proper to
take it.
Whether the verdict of the Jury was a proper
one or not, the public are not competent to
judge; because they have not the testimony be
fore them, (nor would it be according to custom
for us to give it in a public newspaper.) That
matter rests between the Jury and their God.
But, lest some of the statements of the Com
mercial should lead the public to believe that
those statements are founded upon the evidence
! given before the Jury, we make an explicit refu
tation of them, seriatim :
There was no evidence before the Jury that
the deceased and his wife lived unhappily to
gether: whatever may be street rumor, or what
ever may be proved hereafter, it was not testi
fied to. There was no evidence that he informed
her, or informed any body else, that he intended
to apply for a divorce. There was no evidence
that he received medicine from a physician, or
any body else, until 17 hours -after he went to
bed with violent symptoms. There was rio evi
dence that she change J the medicine then pre
scribed ; or that she gave him arsenic in any
manner. The conclusion that she did give it, is
only brought about by a chain of circumstances.
A few more corrections, and we dismiss the
subject: The editor of the North Carolinian
made no statement in hi last issue, of this affair,
toruivate reasons, satisfactory to himself. If
anv persons censured him for that course, it is
only wh t he anticipated, and he will bear it
with becoming meekness. The course of the
Wilmington Commercial has relieved him from
further silence.
The Commercial is mistaken in saying that no
effort was made to arrest Mrs Simpson until the
Grand Jury found a bill against her. The Grand
Jury did not find a bill until Friday ; but Judge
Dick being in possession of the testimony and
the Coroner's verdict early on Thursday morn
ing, he issued a Bench warrant before 12 o'clock
that d ty.
The Commercial is alio misinformed when it
states that the verdict of the Jury was not pro
mulgated for two days after it was given, and
that one of the Jury held it two days longer.
The fact is, as above stated, a Bench warrant was
issued in five daylight hours after the verdict
, il... . ... , ......... Wit. i ...i
was iven; arm more man i nut, ncuuiscu jiw
GEORGIA. We have the Message of Got,
Towns of Georgia, showing the present condi
tion of that State her improvements of the past,
and her prospects of the future. As one of our
neighboring States.it is interesting to know how
she is progressing; and to compare her opera
tions with those of our own State ; to see if we
can improve by her experience either by adopt
ing her plans or avoiding her errors.
The public debt on the 1st of Jan'y, 1S4S, was
very near two millions of dollars, most of which
was incurred in subscriptions to railroads and
other State improvements. Of the amount of
her debt now, 75,000 of it was borrowed of, and
is due to foreign capitalists. The public dtbt
now, is very near as much as it was 1st of Jan'y,
lS-ls. The Governor complains that under their
present system of levving and collectine taxes,
no reliable estimate of receipts and expenditures
can be made. He thinks the revenue law at
fault, but does not recommend any reduction of
ters, nd believing that the late elections in the
State rather indicate that a portion of the peo
ple have decided in favor of establishing them,
he will leave the matter to the Legislature ant?
nis sBCce.or. (Alabama has
T 7
.,- ''''Vn'srnanagement. A burnt child dreads
the fire.)
Rcc.m,rnivJ9 the establishment r Asvlums for
ilie insane, and for de.if,
Speak in
(0- We learn from the Wilmington Commer-:
cial that the work on the Cape Fear between
Fayetteville and Haywood, has been again put
under contract, (Messrs Solomon McCulloch and
been a heavy loser ; Taliafierro Hunter being the contractors,) and
will be commenced on the 10th of December.
Sficcess to it. say we.
Kroin the Raleigh Regiiter.
The appointment of Nixon
dace of Hartwell, l' "d
, dumb, and blind.
OI tlie .Mjb.UlH Ijllirersi'v. be TP- ;-. Purser i'ti tl.e V:,iv
Mne establishment of a professorship 1 deceased, has been announced. The North Ca
ot agriculture, connected with a farm for exoeri- ! r.,i;.. wi,;.-,. l ..!,- ti... .,..K- f ..r tte
n due that we know, hoi.i office. o presume
of Judges an.! n.i-, r- 'l,,1-ljlne otatiuw' the al.ove appoi ntmr lit , as
$200 Reward.
Mv His Excellency, CIIAIIL,1? MANLY,
Governor of the State of North Carolina.
i A P R0 f ! L A ftlATTil N .
K s'l'u'p??' lt T,!,1 t''en made appear to me. that ANN
White, of N. C, jnry fl. JL V . Ktd .liarged ly the finding of the Grand
ments.
In consequence of the great reduction of t,-e
and Cleiks of the Comitv C.ont-
(UKo.e oy act of the last I.e-isl ..Hi . e ;.
.on .r. d. lw.ry of ,he Z A k 'vV VP?
Sheriff of thei.M onn.y of : "
ny clerks hai
;reat ma-
resignei, and competent tier-sous i
cannot be induced to fill the offices for the re- 1
oucea inconse. Ueeommends
county courts.
tie dwells with considerable stress upon the
temiency of public opinion at the north
Mr White wriji one of his light hand men in the
j North Cuiolina liegiineut.
:"- Business was genera; ly suspended in I'av-
reoiganization of ettev ilie, on Thanksgiving l.iv the !thiiit.
taxes, or anv increase. The entire nublie debt ' L'1 I uiic opinion at the north, as show u
of the State, according to present arrangements. I ? 8Ctl" and discussion upon the subject of
mu I gated " the verdict to numbers before ureak
fast'next morning after it was given, or in 7
hours after it was given, during which 7 we
were asleep. How such an unwarrantable state
ment could have found its way into the Com
mercial will probably be brought to light before
long. " ....
igy.- We now ask of the Commercial to do jus
tice to the parties concerned, and those impli
cated in his remarks, as well as to the communi
ty of Favetteville, by republishing this article,
lie calls for the " facts," and we have now given
them faithfully, after comparing notes with the
foreman (Mr Hawley) and others.
We give credit to tho Wilmington Chronicle and Wil
mington IntelliRenoer. and Wilmington Journal, fr the
tone of their remarks in regard to the above matter.
ARRF.STF.D. We learned yesterday that a
letter was received on that day, fry a gentleman,
from his brother, stating that Mrs Simpson was
arrested and confined in the Wilmington jail.
OCr-Tlx Wilmington papers received this morning are
silent as to the above report.
SPECIAL TF.KM. Our Cumberland litigants
will be glad to learn that Judge Dick, at the
request of the Grand Jury, has appointed a spe-
try to perform it conscientiously, and with jus- j c-,ai Term -of the Superior Court of Cumberland
tice to all concerned. (We expressly stated, j county, to be held on the 2d Monday of February
however, that if the balance of the Jury were f next. .
of opinion that the verdict should be then ren- The great amount ot busmess on the docket
dered, it should not be delayed on our account, and the number of mistrials, new trtals grante,.,
But another of the Jury, U G McRae, stated that and new cases, won a prooaoiy occupy ,
. - , ' tual session ot court.
he would not sign the verdict until that evidence
was obtained, as he considered it important).
Those objecting, having stated their convictions,
v- We learned last Saturday, that a family
roeentlv moved to this place from the north.
the Jury agreed to wait and examine the other jlJuj a case of small pox (or something near akin
witnesses; (among whom was the accused herself, ; tcj ;t) among them ; but it w as not discovered for
the Solicitor for the District on being consulted, j pome weeks'. No danger of its further progress
having stated that it was competent to examine s apprehended by our physicians. -
her.) Those witnesses were next day summon- " :
ed, and the officer did not return u-ith them tin-S We omitted last Saturday to apologize
til 8 o'clock in the night (Wednesday night.) So to our readers for the inferior quality of our print-
that up to that tiine the accused had not fled. ! ing paper. The whole of our present supp s
but was in Fayetteville. (She was not exatnin. i ofthe same sort. New York may be a great
ed, however, the Jury, at the suggestion of legal place, but they have some shocking small people
advice, having reconsidered their determination j there. You have to watch them like mice;
to examine her.) The balance of the testimony . "Vatch dem poys Rezin, tay vill shteal like
was taken, and the Jury then proceeded to ascer- j mhshe," said an eld Dutch grocer to his porter.
must be paid within '2" vears
It is believed that the State's liability for the
Central Bank will amount to s--200,000.
He recommends the Legislature to adopt a sys
tem of taxation at their present session, stating
that but little change has been ellected in this
respect, since ISO I. The palpable inequality of
the present law, he says, needs no illustration.
He is clearly of opinion that in framing a tax law,
every thing should be taxed according toils valu-
or upon the ad valorem principle, in tariff
parlance.
The certainty of an early completion of the
Western and Atlantic Railroad (from Augusta to
the north-western hounds of the State, thence
to Tennessee river) is now anxiously looked for
ward to. It has reached the mountains, and a
tunnel under one of the mountains completed,
(the only tunnel in the southern country. He
thinks that the labor of State convicts might be
employed to advantage in assisting to manufac
ture freight cars, repairing engines, and other
kinds of work needed. He recommends, that the
Legislature giv e all reasonable aid to the comple
tion of t he road.
The report of the keeper of" the Georgia Peni
tentiary, shows that the establishment has paid
its expenses and realized &'21,000 profit, during
the last year. This is the first year, i nee the
adoption of the system, we believe, that the
Legislature has not been called upon to make an
appropriation for that establishment.
The difficulty between Georgia and Florida, in
regard to the boundary line, has not been settled.
Gov Towns says that the resolutions of the Flori
di Legislature (in regard to his conciliatory pro
posal for adjustment) were uncourteous, and
have closed the door to any further proposal on
the part of Georgia.
With regard to the Militia, he recommends
that all persons liable to do militia duty be di
vided into three classes, and each class train
ed and disciplined for six years, and subject at a
moment's warning to be called into actual ser
vice when necessary; and then to be exempt
from all duty until the other two classes go
through the same tour. The instructing officers
to be paid. :
He recommends the repeal of the act prescrib
ing the votes in Jill elections to be cast by ballot;
thinks the viva voce system best. Come j Mr
Snooks. Who do you vote for for Governor, Mr
Uobtail or Mr Ra-tag ? Voter Mr Uohtail. All
right, sir; who's the next voter, &.C&.C.
He recommends the establishment of a Su
preme Court to revise the judgments of the Su
perior Courts. (We have heard the opinion ex
pressed among some of our lawyers that the Su
preme Court of North C uolina ought to be abol
ished ; and in place of it, let all the Circuit
Judges meet at certain times and discharge the
duties now performed by the Supreme Court.)
The necessity of a new digest of the laws of
the State is urged.
With regard to the Wilmot proviso, he re
quests the Legislature to confer upon the Gov
ernor the power to call a State Convention,
should Congress pass any such law as the Wilmot
proviso, to take into consideration the duty of
the State r.nd the South in such an event.
ALABAMA. We have been favored by Gov.
Chapman, of Alabama, with a pamphlwt copy of
his Message to the Legisliture of that State, dt
cd Montgomery, Nov. 1 ;, 1SJ9. It is a very long
Message.
The expenses of the State government for the
next two years, are estimated at jTi",000. P.ut
o makes suggestions for curtailing them 7
000. The general revenue law of the State is
liable to objections, and what law for the col
lection of taxes would not be objected to by some
people ? Such people would be no better satis
fied if the State paid them a tax, but he thinks
they are of a minor character.
The keeping of the State prisoners, or the ex
pense of the Penitentiary, has been 30,000 clear
expense for the last year. He recommends that
this expense, instead of being paid by the State,
as at present, be defrayed by the counties from
which the criminals originate.
The Penitentiary in Alabama is let out to the
highest bidder, who pays the State a stipulated
amount, and has the benefit of all the labor per
formed by the convicts.
More than one-half of the lands of the State
are yet iu the hands of the General Government
public lands not sold and not subject to taxa-
tion a great iirawoaciv on me revenue oi ine
State.
In regard to the public debt of the State, (the
amount of which is not stated, but which is ad
mitted to be very heavy,) a very large portion of
it be says was borrowed, without any specified
time forpament, so long as the interest is re
gularly paid; and in view of the embarrassed
state of the finances, lie recommends that no pro
vision be made tow aids paying more than the
interest.
With regard to .internal improvement look
ing abroad to what other State are doing, and
the advantages to be derived from works of util
ity, he is of opinion that the Legislature ought
to encourage the spirit of internal improvement
by subscriptions to such works as are proposed
and deemed practicable and useful
he says, has received from the General Govern- i
rrtent a considerable sum, being the per centage
from the sale of public lands, which is held in
trust by the State for objects of internal im
provement; and no better time thau now can be
found to carry out that trust. "
He is opposed to establishing Banks in the
State"; but knowing that a number of applica
tions will be made to the Legislature for char-
slavery. He deel res f h:,t tl, .,..,,! (' .l,r, .
nia, at present, have no right to form a State ;
Government, not having the permission of Con
gress, much less to prohibit slavery. He recom- ';
mends to the Legislature such action as the vio- ,
1 at ion of southern rights may demand; and he j
believes the people of Alabama are prepared to j
resist such violation. They ought to show "that
there is a price too dear to be paid even for the I
Union ;'' and he recommends the Legislature to!
provide for the Calling a Convention of the pen- i
i - .... ... 1 i
pie oi ine Mate, immediately upon the passage
of the Wilmot proviso, by Congress, or any simi
lar measure.
C f' The rem lias .f Gen. Worth and Col. Dun
can arrived in New York, from Mexico, Iv
sic '!)'. ! t ho ."! h i nst, an..; we: e i -,.'. : 1 e.l wit ii
lmiiK i v h.iii.-rs in Greenwood ct v.:t la v.
A
pu.ilic meeting in Wilmington h.-is up-
pointed -20 delegates to the railroad convention
at Greensboro on the '2sth hist., and .ijquopii.it
ed -200 to defray their expenses.
Cil'.X. SAIWDKRS, lite Minister to Spain,
arrived iu Raleigh on the J.'iih int, in line health.
has made her ocU" . nn X U,al lne sa,a ADU SimP
liVSr, .-V? K. Simeon may h
'nnl nr f-Jim r.. ,1,. ...nmhor.
to tha
. j . . . . . . . - tJi u,i m
.i-i... .. . vuuiiui uivii. i.i .1 .a j mi wiiuin this Statu
iiv.tf- iveii under my hand, and the Great Sent
&fj0SjXX, of tnt" st;lte of North t'arolina, at th
vtW1iC K xe. ntive Department ii U10 City of
jf jMjJ Italeili. t hi s-iTI sC iiiy of November, A. l.
1 Hv the l lovernor.
I.v.i.v ('. Mani.v. priiate SeCrefary.
j !! S lUI TlOV.
mi K. -; vi; -o-i i? n wovnn ef sto!! staturn. has rerr
- M-t.-i: loiir. luik e.niih-xiou. large black eyes, email
1-. .- a-1 l.f.e 1:1111th. witii h.r upper lip ftraightly pro-
j. iiM U In 11 lam se.-n . ;i rliessej in deep mouroiDf.
1 .' hi' i :iloiii 10 yx-ars of die.'"
I .Nov. gl, 1S49. 661-4t
i t'j- V.ii)i'sl-iro Ar!' nr.f Fayetteville North Caroli
nian l.iur iiiM 1 tious.
CHARLES MA!f LY.
"PRACTICAL ASTRONOMER.""
There are said to be exceptions to all rules;
and sometimes the exceptions are more omnip
otent than the rule itself. It is an astronomical
rule, that light i transmitted from the body Kcrs w as alongside, endeavoring to reach
which emits it in a straight line. What is the ; t,,c lcVl'e t!c explosion look 'dace.
0 I C .1 . .1 .
exception to this rule ? Light passing from the J '" i'e passcn-ci s mi Uulli Uo;it
sun or any luminary through the atmosphere,
Ty Tel. 'graph f r Intrleten Mrrrnry.
TERRIP.LE STEAMl'.OAT ACCIDENT AT
NEW ORLEANS TWO HFNDRF.U
LIVES LOST!!! A LARGE
NF.MP.ER WOFNDED, &c.
A little after live o'clock, the steamer
Louisiana, having on hoard a large cargo
ami a number of passengers, while about
starting to go up the river, burst her boiler.
The steamer Storm, which had iust come
11 10c uvcr, wim a nuniuer ol passen
1 i VKiii:i.
j fii'this town, .in the I ."it h inft.by the Rev. D.
1 .V. irnui'ns. Mr Wm. R. Sikes to Miss Louisa A.
Lumsden.
In Chatham county, mi the Sth iiist, Mr Geo.
Dismukt's to Misi Ann Sophra RiW-e.
In Wilmington, Capt. VV. C. Howard and Miss
Nancv .Mcllhenv.
In Kolieson eoHnty. on tiie 2Itf rnotarltf. tr PiloraK B.
NiclioUon. niereli.-tnt vf Kayetlwville. to MH Sopbia Aid
Jones, dau-f liter of Mr 'I linn. Jontt.
In Willi. int'tmi. on the 16tli iust.. Mr1 Henry r. Rimii'U
to .Miss l.ueretiu f.lliii.
passes in a straight line; but a ray oflight pass
ing through the atmosphere and striking a body
of water, and penetrating to the bottom, shows
that it departs from the rule immediately
it strikes the surface of the water. At the sur
face of the water it takes a new direction; and
that direction is always an inclination down
wards. IJut a stick thrust obliquely into a pool
of clear water, the part under water will have
the appe. trance of being bent upwards. This is
called in astronomical parlance, the refraction of
light, or the breaking or bending of the rays of
light. Every one has probably tried the experi
ment of putting any small article, say a cent or a
marble into the bottom of a bowl, and then plac
ing the bowl off at such a distance as to hide it
from the eye by the interposition of the rira of
the bowl, and in that position having the bowl
filled up with water, by which means the article
or object at the bottom becomes visible. This is
what astronomers call the "refraction oflight;"
and they assert that light bends or takes a new
direction every time it enters a new medium.
That is, air is one medium through which light
passes; water is another; glass is another, and
all transparent substances: thus a ray oflight
passing through .the atmosphere and thence
through ;v pane of glass Ihiougli a b.xly of clear
water to the bottom of a tub or bowl, bends or
makes an angle am it enters each substance, lt
1
is said that by this peculiarity of refraction, we
all see the sun some time before he is actually
above the horizon when he is rising and after
he is actually below the horizon when he is sett
ing upon the same principle of -the object in
the bottom of the bowl but we confess we do
not see the consistency of this assertion with
the fact that there is but one medium (air)
through which we see the sun rise and set. It
is stated, however, as a fact, by Dr. Dick, that
in -"i3, a company of Dutcli sailors, shipwreck
ed on the coast of Nova Zembla, where the nights
and days are months long, actually siw the sun
rising sia-teen days before the usual time for him
to rise, according to astronomical calculation.
That is a tale not easily believed ; but either in
stances, equal ly if not more extraordinary, are
given. For instance, iu a work published iu
1708, callwd " Ph ilosophical transactions in Lon
don for 1707," an article furnished by W. La
tham, Fellow of the Royal Society, states that
he, the said Latham, by this power of refract ion,
-aw from his house at Hastings on the coast of
England, the opposite coast of France! It was
on the -jnth of July, 1707, he says. He w as sitt
ing in his dining room, and saw a number of
people running down to the seashore, and on
going out to inquire the reason, they pointed
him to the coast of France, plainly visible to the
naked eye, although it was -10 or -ri) miles
distant, and usually cannot be seen by the best
glasses. The sailors and fishermen could hardly
believe their ow n sense of sight. The day, he
savs, was exceedingly hot, and not a breath of
air stirring. A straight line, he says, drawn
from Hastings across to the coast then visible,
would have been intercepted by the rotundity of
of the earth, thereby intercepting sight even
could it have penetrated so far.
Another instance of more modern occurrence,
is recorded, as witnessed by Capt. Colby on 21st
June, 11 0. He was on the coast of Caithness,
Scotland, at a place called Corry babbie Hill, and
saw with a telescope, a brig sailing in the Pent
land Frith, at least a distance of 00 to 100 miles
overland !
Capt. Scoresby relates, that sailing in the po
lar seas his ship became separated from his fath
er's, and continued so for some days, when one
evening he saw her in an inverted position, dis
tinctly represented in the sky, and by sailing in
the direction of the spectre ship, found his fa
ther's vessel, at a distance of about 30 miles.
" Such, says Dr. Dick, are some of the striking
effects produced by the refraction of light. It
enables us to see objects in a direction w lit? re
tlicv are not; it laises, apparently, the bottoms
of lakes and rivers ; it magnifies objects; it pro
duces the aurora, and the twilight," ice. Sec.
I ... i . . i . . . .
were nuirieu into eternity witiiout a mo
ment's notice. It is impossible to tell how
many lives were lost. The number is es
timated as high as onv hundred.
Many bodies have been recovered some
dead and some living and others so much
mangled, that it is impossible to tell to
which sex they belonged. 1 here are inure
than twenty thousand persons on the levee,
some looking for friends with whom thev
had just parted. The utmost confusion
and consternation prevail. The shrieks of
the wounded are heart rending in the ex
treme, lt is impossible to give the names
of those missing. The Storm had her
pipes blown away, and otherwise damaged
The Louisiana is almost a complete wreck.
New Orleans. Nov. Hi,
It ib supposed that altogether 100 lives
are lust, and a very great number wound
ed. Already fifty dead bodies have been
recovered, and the levee is strewn with
the dead and dying. Hundreds ol citi
zens are assembled around the melancholy
scene, endeavoring to recover and recor
nise the bodies of the victims. Anns,
legs and heads are scattered in every direc
tion, making a most sickening spectacle.
It is impossible to assertain the names or
the number of those lost-
New Orleans, Nov. IT.
Captain Krnrion of the steamer Loui
siana, has been arrested and held to bail
in the sum of S8,()00. The explosion of
the boiler is attributed to carelessness, and
a searching investigation of the matter is
to be had. Many more dead bodies have
been found, and it is thought that the
nuinber'of killed will not be less than two
hundred, besides many wounded. The
(lags id the shipping iu harbor are ail (lying
at half mast, in consequence of this calamity-
The sales of cotton yesterday
amounted to G.000 bales at 10 for mid
dling. Sales of the week Hi.OOi) The
decrease up to this time is .rr,000 bales.
The America's news was received last
night.
Alo.t of tho.se killed or wuii(l!l were foreign emigrants.
iii:i.
In Wilmington, on 2lHt .. after tin Hitter of 13 Uityn. Mj.
'. J . 1 ri.l I. for in vi ly of l'ayettevillo 1'euee to liis asheo.
Near I Uirtipt'on viNe, Surry county, on the SON
ult., .lane Hill, inl'.iiit daughter of James S. anil
Jane CiMntVaged :; months and 1 days.
In Richmond eovuitv, on the 7th Sept., alter
a lingering illness, ji.hn Ro w d. ni, Fsq , aged 73
ve.ns.
r nM m v u i i a r
12 RECORD
Steamboats pass under the new suspension
bridge over the Ohio river, at Wheeling, by low
ering their chimneys, or smoke pipes. This is
done either by taking down the pipe, or by hav-
!,in.r(s about midwav the nine, bv which lat-
Alabama, : tep vvly they r. re lowered without stopping the
boat. - '.' -' -' " "J . - -'.
new Tost Ofiice called Howellsville, in Rob
eson county, N. C, has been established, and
Edward B. Patterson appointed. Postmaster.
Observer.
NEW PAPER. Wrhare received the first number of
the Reliou adr general Intelligencer," publi.-hed f.t
Wilmington, N. C, by Rev. James Me Daniel, formerly of
this place. It is "neat and haDd?ome papei;. " beartfly
yiats. the eiUor and publishers success . - 'V
NOTICE TO TIIK PURLIC AND INSTRUC
TIONS TO POSTMASTERS.
The California and Oregon .M.til, via Ilavan
n a , Ch agres , a n d Pa n a in a ,
Will be dispatched from New York mi the
13th of December next; from Charleston,
South Carolina, and Savannah, (Georgia,
on the 16; from Nw Orleans on or about
the 15th; and from Havanna, at which
point the steam-packet from New York
and that from New Oi lcans v ill connect,
the mail will depart on the ll)lh of Decem
ber, direct for L'hagres, reaching; Panama
overland in due time for the Pacific steam
par.ket to leave that port for San Fiancisco
on the 1st dav of January next.
In January next semi-monthl y service
will be put in opeiation between New oi k
and Chaores. Ami steam-packets will
leave the di lie rent ports, during the ensu
ing year, agreeably to the follow ing sched
ule: New York on the 1.1th and '28th of each
month; Charleston and Savannah on the
lGlh and 31st (or first) of each month;
New Orleans on the 15th ami 50th; Havan
na on the 19th and 4th; and Panama on
the 1st.
They will leave San Francisco on the
1st of each month; Chagres on the 1 3th and
1 st of each month, with privilege, if San
'. 1 KTTK l,t,E,
Arrived, Nov. 1 1, steamer HENRIETTA, with
boat Nelson in tow; also, on the 17th, steamer
EVERCRKEN, with sjoods for Rav & Pearce, C
15 Edw tnls, J W Wright,- J Kvl'e, S T Ifawhry &.
Son, W Mclntvre, E Hr W -ill kings, If lira n.ron St,
Son, Cook &. Tavlor, J D Williams, J &. T Wad
dill, t; Domini;, J Ftley, M N Leiry, C T Haigh
&. Son, II E Myrover &! Co, 15 R.ise'jk. Son, Tay
lor .fc Underwood, A A McKethan, Hall & Hall,
II &. E J Lilly,, and J II Hall, of this place; ami
for .1 i; Lnrd. Craven & McCain. Cane Creek Co,
M Rrown, F. Myers.- S T Weatherly. J T Ip &c
Co, (Jov Manly. .1 H Hawley,. Rrown & James,
Randolph Mantif Co, and 11 A London & Co, of
the i n terior.
Nov. ll.- Steamer COW OR A HAM, with
Telear.iph in tow, with goods for ht Rranson St.
Son, J II Hawley, TS Lntterloh, E Relo, F Fries,
J Ac F Ciriott, and T S Mart in & Co.
Nov. if. Steamer ROWAN, with md for
C A Mebane, R Rose &. Son. C A RroVn,D Mc
Donald, Ce.l.u- Falls Co, T S Eutterloh, Hall,
S.ieket &. Co, F Fentriss, G Makepeace, )) 15
Mclver, Miss M McKinnon, W Prior, J H Half,
C T Haigh &. S.n. J L'tlev.
Nov. Steamer ROWAN, with iroods f.ir Blount'
4 r.-.-k t v .1- II Sl .1 Marline. I V s i:nl..i 4
K.tliun. K KilUer. Howau Kaetory. T !iai;lt Sc Son. J
Boutier. nei.Ver l rk Man . J Wurti . Shaw It Lit
tle. 18 ti Worth. Hall. Saekett St Co. J 't'owlw. J H
1 liompsoii. A W Steel. J Si. T Waddill. Ar II &. T S Jor
dan. II St K .1 Lilly. Richmond Man. t o. Mm S J' 11 iff, I,
J ISutn.-r. W S Heard. H L Myrover St Vn. J C Blocker,
K lieekerdite. W'yatt .Vance. Toinlmson. Lmea U Co In
land Ford Man. t o. Cedar Fall Mn. Co. Wall Ic Mc
Donald. C A .MeMillan. ft M?mlliftUk Murcbiwni,
Itet.l St o. .1 l'tlev. I St W McUuHm-J C Thomption,
Mall k Hall. W li Wel.b. .1 I) William, T S LuttorloU,
Lewd Karlow. Ja. Met Jil vary.
I'fUt r fth' II -I I.. It l.VG T.V
Arrt ed on the loth, nehs ii V Davis. I 'rania. A J De
Hofiiet. Aiitierva. Alarie. and Harrison I'riCe. fro;n New
York, and m 21st. Hell John Potts Brown front 1'hiladrl
diia. petir ! intliian from Baltimore, and K 14 Souder fm
-Newport. HI.
HVNVVV'AY frnm'the Htihseribem. near Washington .
'jeorRia. their hoy. It K I ' UK N , it dark ntofat t o. abou t &
feet 8 inches high, well huiiV. ratififf slim. uImhI j.'i Tc r
old and generally wear in;; lare whii--ke. Sid) oy wa
joireliase.l from J. A. Kiuiisnnr. hfj . of Lineolnto n. i
month or two sinee. after hstvinir rami way from him. and
hein captured wear Uarlx.ur.tville. Kentueky. He ix wll
ral.-tilate.i to deceive, as he can read and write, and ii
iiif intelligent.
He was seen, a hoot Lineninl'otV Inst week, mid in proba
bly now in tlw; tieilihorhoodi. or moving eastward ; his
objec-t he.iel..f.re has been tt yet to a free State.
The above Heward iil be paid on his being lodged in
tb; Jiitotl I.inetlntti'"oitiity. i ort Ii 'arolina. hy
K. S. IIAKUKTT.
A cent for It. W. Tale St :.
I.ineotnton. N'. C. N'ov. 1C. 1SIU SC. 1 -Ht
1 RICKS CUII RENT.
Crrecl d 'weekly for the .Yorlh Carolinian.
FA7ETTEVZLLS.
rM-Mi:v rituiii ix.
IBa.'on. h' 5'
Bi'amlv.. peaeh. .'al 1
tin Mitple
ll.f.w;l x . I b
t'otton. lbs
Corn, blli-llcl.
Klotir. bbl
Klaxc.-ed bushel
Kta thers. lb
Koddwr. loo II. s
Hi. Is. jjreen. lb
do dry
Lard. lb
Oats, bushel
Oil. I. indeed, jral
I'eas. bttsh i I
Hye. bushel
Tallow. ll
Tt ha -eo. maiiufd.
Wheat., bushel
Whiskey, gal
Wool. 11.
(T.MS. 'f:l:l IIAr.lBC.
to ti J.ale rope, pd
"i to SO JJafririiiir. bvy. yd
o
27 to
' to To
ro to 55
f-o to 05
10 to 11
& lo la
T" to s."
AT,
12 to I",
Wood oak. per eord. 3
F-ATiHI.K.S.
TSeef. on tlie hMf 3 to 4
Hotter, pound 1'2 t" l."
hiekens. aeh, 10 to 12
I'trs. dozen- lo
Pork, pomid'. A to A
Potatoes, sweet l.nsh. .';o
do Irish' JO(l
do north'' ti- lbl
T'lii-k.'vs. eaeh
Tuniilit. bll.-!l
I PffT
10 to 11
11 to W
IS to I ft
1 toll
1W to 12
J6 to 17
S-y to 45
ft
5 to 0
8 to 4
175 to i!0O
6 fo 7
to 30
5 to 5i
f7 to 140
do tanner, bbl 1.M
Powdef: kejj 400 to &.")
Hire, pd Ri to 4
II ra nd. al M to 40O
ton. Holland. l'0 to 175
Kutn. Jamaica, gal C00
do st L rotx 7 to 150
do ?4 K 35 to 40
Hag. Pd 2to2'
Su)tr. N O. pd 7 to i
uo i orio jttteo, . to w
do St Croix. 0 to 10
.lo l.niiip, to 10
,. I.oaf, 11 to 12
Salt, sack li0tol75
!,. ! urn. bush 37 to SO -
r,n to il) j do tigf.t
IS to 10 Y'j.fTee. Jii... pd
lo to lo'4 t hi-ese. p4
4a to r0 Candles, pd
47.1 to ." 1 do sperm
loo to 1 S5 Copperas, p.l
.'O Iron. Swtidos p
i d extra sines
:? to r.'i do KncUaU
f. to 10 Lime bbl.
7 to S Lead. bar
Molasses, jral
Nails. KiC pd
Oil. lamp !
I Tea. pi
Twine, l.ajrging pd
50 to 1 60
20
. " - V1I r r . .
i rocrrcTiui: kim-hcii bwjii are. ..iKiap wu iu
i ...,. x-nrn. tionnd 15 I do Madeira. lOO tn ISO
Francisco inail is received in tiiue, ti leave J 44-i,r.oii ehtr d - I do Port lpotosoo
.1 i r .1 t i. I 7-8 UO n oiaw. rjju mil 1
UIJ lilt Olll HISIt-;HI HI Hie ll I o.naburv-s. yard Sto9
do 10x12
2V to 275
White lead kg 150 to 225
Leave Havannah Itir New York on the ,
19th and 6vh of each montli, with j CHEll AW, Nov. 21. Cottonli to 10 bacon
ot leaving on the 4th nisleatl oi ine "t.., j 7 ro i Hour o io u;-irou to oj-sait l j
the Chagrvs mail has ai -rived; .mu aiso
New Orleans mi the- same dale.
eniii-e i.st:i!re f.r a MH"'e letter not i
exccctlins haif an -unce in wei-ht w ill be
12) rents to Havanna, 2 cents to Lhagrcs.
S(cent to Panama, to be prepaid in all
cases, and 40 cents to Monterey, San Fran
riro. Atsoria, nranv other ptiint in Cali
fornia or Oregon; to be prepaid, or left
unpaid, at the option of the sender.
Newspapers and pamphlets, sea-postage
three cents each, and inland postage to be
adle2.
J. COI.I.AMKU,
" Pout muster (Jeneral.
Tost Office Department, Nov. 15, 1849.
NEW .YORKivojr. 20 Cotton dull, uplands
10 to lOi. Flour deciined sugar, advancing.
to Si;
WILMINGTON 'MARKET, Nov. 21st. Titr
rENTiNB. Hot little has arrived since our last
report t-iv f,"00 UhU. which has sold at $I,S0
for SoftT arid $.1 per bbl. 2-;0 lbs. for Hard. Vir
gin unless very good for the season, i put in at
Soft price.
Spirits. S;ileof300 to 100 bbls. 21 J cts. per
gal .The stock is liffht and demand limited- .
Limp. A lew hundred cask have been dis-
nosed of at. 7.'i rt-. ner cask. .
H ay. Sales of 2 or 300 bales Eastern and New
York at fi'2 a 05 cts. per 100 lbs.
Tar. Sole of a few hundred bbls at $1 ,30 a
."5 1 .'M per bbl. cash.
Uofi.N. Common Rosin is without demand ;
some p-areels offering at 70 cts ' Prices of other
descriptions nomtnal. . , . ... .
Fi)orix Boards. Sales of a few rafts at
'1,0 per M. cash.
Salt A cargo of Turk's Island arrived thia
week. Small sales of Liverpool. Sack $1,05.
Wilmington Chronicle. - ; - , .