North Carolina Newspapers

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. - ; - , .