1 .
- ' . A A : ' . '.
CVIA'IX II.-WTI.KY,
rUJjlAM 1). COOKF, j
Tirr'oN wa,diki.i
A FAMILY. NEWS? A PEE, j EJJTR A L T1T POLITICS:
EDITORS.
JR.,
TERMS :jTWO COLLARS
PER ANNUM.
TOT, IH -m 6.
Pi A LEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, ATDRDAY, JAN. 14, 1854.
NO. 110
HOLE
SELECT .POETRY
THE HAPIESX TIME.
BY M. A. BROWSE. j
ViiE ; :.re we happiest?-.'' When the light of morn
'Wakes the 'oung roses from their crimvon rest ;
When cheerful sounds upon the ud are borne, -
Till ii& ( resumes his work with Wither zest;
Wjjtle fM bright w aters leap from rock to gl
Xissl ! thofe roses i mey win nrae awaj,
. 1 " t 1 1 :
And thunder tempests will deform the sky;
nJ sninjner heats bid the spring buds decay, ' -
Ani the clear sparkling fountain may be dry ;
'And nothing beautiful adorn the scene, '
To tell what it hath beerf.
When are we happiest? In the crowded hall,
When fortune smiles and flatterers bend the. knee !
How M'on, how very soon such pleasures pall !
How fast must falsehood's rainbow coloring floe!
Its poison flowerets bear the sting of care ;
We are not happy there.
Arc weJhc happiest when the evening hearth
Is circled, with its crown of living flowers, .
lVlicn gocth round the laugh of artless mirth,"
And, when affection from her bright urn showers
Htr richest balm, on the dilating heart ?
Bliss, is it there thou art ?
".Oh iio, not thir'e. It would bef happiness
Almost like, heaven's, if it might always be ;
Those brows without one shading of .distress,,
And 'wanting nothiog but eternity ;
But they are things of earth and passnway
They must, they must decay ! ,
Those voices must grow tremulous with years,; '
Those smiling brows must wear a tinge of gloom;
Those sparkling eyes.be quenched in bitter tears ;
And" at the last cloid'diirkly in the tomb;
If happiness depends on them alone, :
How quickly it is gone.
When are we happiest then ? O, when resigned
To vvhotsoe'er our cup of life may brim ; . '
When we can know ourselves but weak and blind
Creatures of earth, and trust alone in Him,
Who giveth in his mercy jpy or pain : ,
' 0, we are happy then.
MISCELLANEOUS.
. A SWEDISH WEDDING.
A .young' lady contributes to Chambers' Edin
burgh Journal a very interesting account of one. It
is as follows : ' This ceremony, I had been told,
would take place at six o'clock, and at six I had
come ; , but an hour or two in Swedish time does
not make quite so much difference as a minute or
two does in English. I spent an extra hour or two
in ;as stupid and comfortless a manner as possible.
The few-persons, who were in the room seemed. to
be awe struck ; the bridegroom behaved very pro
perly and showed less impatience than the priest,
whoso looks, would have threatened a premature
matrimonial reprimand" "if he' had been the chosen
spouse of "ill e dilatory bride ; the restless eyes and
nervous movements of the snuff-box were indicative
of impatience. At length a crowd ojguests came
trooping in ; the women all in large tvhite shawls,
Ttud nearly alliu black silk dresses. Then, soon after
there was a low murmur, and the priest started up,
took a large pinch of snuff, used a colored handker
chief, and returning it -to his pocket, drew out a
very largo clean' white one, and rolled one corner
round his forefinger, allowing the rest to hano- down
to his "feet. The officiating clergy of Sweden ah
vaysr-carry a white handkerchief thus ; but as it is
not, lfSiippose,-a prescribed part of the Lutheran
clerical habit, its purpose is quite puzzling to me.
A slight movement on the part of the bridegroom
tiiinnl mv nvoa to thf door ' it. onened ! a.lfiro'f'
party entered ; the leader was a young, Might,
rather delicate-looking -girl, dro'sed in black, with
a Wig sash' of white' ribbon round her waist, and a
J crown of: the liatural narrow-leaved myrtle on her
head. Next to her came three young, girls in
white and colored dresses ; and then the relatives
of t't'te bride. The young man came forward, took
Uuf hand of the girl in bkick with the myrtle crown,
n"tri!o!f.y led her up to the ottoman. The priest
xva already behind it, with open book' and pendant
handkerchief : . a few minutes, and" -sill was over.
Ihe ino-t solemn i!enoe prevailed. The matrons
:il'w'aroi to me .universally to look upon their
J 'Ji;l!g s-wttT witlim passion, and, the un iffiar.ced
.to behold her with something like envy : the
"nor at least began to weep, but Swedisli tears
readily. .-.As soon as the ceremony was over,
tl'---.bride had to h.-stqw about one. hundred and
' kises. wh'pfl vn tllrt imniKu"' nivi,nf- "And
their-;
just wiien, as children say, she might seem
to
nave given all her kisses away, she suddenly
turned round, and5 with; a look of 'recollection, mur
""lr,'I: ' Aek! my Al'fivd '.' and threw herself into'
the bridegroom's arms. The embrace was momen
f a,'.V ; . ahd as I had just been presented to her, she
hj'ked at me, saying, by way, I suppose, of apolo
? : I have not seen him for three months never
ince we were betrothed.' ; .:
The company adjourned to the dlimer room,
hfcl'e a iVpnoi-il ft-lii-in- i if solomnitv fitmfl
1'fevail. At last the usual' libation of bad white
. "'iinan wine appeared to drink the health of thev,
-'"'". t-'ouple, and at the same time entered the
cbigynian, w hose office was not yet over : he car--a
glass of wie in one hand, and the insigna
office, the white handkerchief, hanging -from his
n-'' r- . He made a speech extolling the state of
uiatiiinony in general, and its peculiar blessedness
in this peculiar instance ending with advice and re
ligious exhortation, which drew iforth a renewal of
tears from the married ladiesj When this was
i )
ended, I began to think a Swedish weddihjr was
about as dull a thing as an English one, and, a lit
tle discontented I strolled back! again to the salon.
A lady was at the piano, and Tasked her if there
would be any dancing; saying I had undertood it
was to.be such a wedding as I ; wanted tp see a.
real ohl fashionedSwedishauo. ! Ah T he replied,
4 there is no one disposed for dancing ; they think
too seriously for that. Yes, it is a serious thing to
be married, and the priest's tklk was. so good !
'No they will not dance to-night.' All the time
her fingers were moving the keys. The bride over
and her husband appeared at the open folding door;
his arm was round her waist her hand rested on
his shoulder. Under the circumstances, such au
attitude did not strike me as remarkable ; but they
flew from their post in a waltz; and in a moment
almost every one but myself was whirling rouni
the room. To understand the real laboi of dan
cing one should danc as the Swedes do. The
English, beside them would seem to dance in their
sleep. As for the polka and gallopade, the men
almost lifted their partners from1 die ground; and
,should have thought it impossible that such slight,
weak looking creatures should sustain movements
so violent, especially in airless rooms, and through
out, a long winter, when dancing is almost all the
amusement and life of all clases. One poor young
"man was a singular evidence of the excitement of
the dancing mania. lie came from the borders of
Dalecarlia; his long light hair was worn as he
men there wear it, hanging straight down the sides
of his. face, not two features of which seemed to
have the least connection with each other;, his legs
were a little akin, one being some inches shorter
than the other. The bridegroom good-naturedly-tried
to get' him to dance, but for sometime in
effectually. Finally he yielded ; and when once
in motion there seemed no probability that he
would stop of himself :the long hair flew wildly up
and down, the heterogeneous features breathed the
strongest excitement, the short leg pounced on the
floor ; one would have thought he had got Terpsi
chore herself for Ler partner. As soon as an en
ormous supper was hastily dispatched, the salon
was again cleared ; a grave judge sat down to the
piano, ana strucK up tne wuaest, mosi ranaom
sounding music ; all the unmarried ones hastened
to the furthest of the three rooms, which, in Swed
en, are almost en suite. Before I knew what was
to be done, I found myself drawn along in a line
singing and moving to this' wild music, through
the open doors ; while another band formed at the
further extremity, passed us singing also, and' ca
pering in the same fashion. The bride and bride
groom were still in the band of the blessed single,
and to keep them so there was to be a struggle.
For my part, I would have let them go, if I had
not wished to see the dancing fight.
The poor little bride was now placed in the mid
dle of the room, just under the chandelier ; it was
well she-was', so little; a handk.-rchief was tied over
her eyes, and fhe women danced in a circle round
her, while she in turns caught one and another in
her arms, ancl swung her round and round in des
perate energy ; then the crowns loosened, shaking
and tottering on her head was to fall off on that
of the girl who was to be next married. This move
ment was supposed to be accidental, the bride being
blindfolded ; but I happened to ask her sister be
forehand if she hoped to get the crown, to which
the girl rather sulkily answered, ' No, it must go
to the other bridemaid, who is betrothed.' And so
on the head of the betrothed the myrtle crown
came down ; and the choice it made was applaud;
ed by the men, who stood in an outer circle look
ing on, and chipped their hands when the Fastino
j v ' ' a
an
uproiio-i accident. v lien her crown was on. 1
iprop
thought the play was over, but now came the
struggle. The matrons made a dancing attack on
the ranks of the single sisters, who enclosed the
bride. The former were to take the latter to re
tain her, if possible. For my part, knowing we
formed a forlorn hope, and believing that the ob-'
ject of our defence was a traitor in the camp, I
should perhaps, had I thought about it, have done
jut what I did ; but I did not think, for in the
confusion I mistook one party 'for the other, and
getting my arms round the passive bride, fairly
drew her into the circle of the matrons ; and 1 dare
say the captured one thanked me for putting an
end to the -con test. Then the same thing was act
ed with the bridegroom, who had. stood calmly
looking on at his young wife's troubles, only his
treatment was rougher and sooner over. The mar
ried men having got him, the single brethren seiz
ed him in their arms, and gave him a farewell fling
towards the ceiling, which the interposition of the
chandelier prevented his reaching". The horror of
our poor hostess on this occasion, formed the most
laughable part of the scene ; unable either to make
herself heard or seen by the actors in it, and equal
ly unable, I suppose, to resist the influence of the
wild rattling music, she' capered round the group,
who were tossing the recreant, to the imminent
peril of the chandelier, her arms and hands stretch
ed out towards it, as if- she fain would shelter U
within them ; her mouth wide open, and her eyes
as full of terror as if she saw the royal ghost rat
tling the glass pendants, that shook and jingled at
every heave of the bridegroom';
At last having fairly turned the soles of- his feet
to the ceiling, they turned him downward again,
and set him on them, looking just as equable and
poras.oiL ever, it was now tnree o clock in the
morning ; the covered sledge was waiting the great,'
man oi tne party there is a great man at all par-
ties was to leave me at home. I endeavored to
express my thanks, but was met with expressions
of great' thankfulness for the honor I had confer
red ; and so I came away. I do not thinkTthat 1
anything could give me a more favdrable Idea t 1
duct whieh J saw on this '.occaaio'n. , 'r-
TV
From the Fiench Correspondent of the N. Y. Obs.
PEOPLE OF CAUCASUS.
AND THEIR STRUGGLES AGAIXST THE RUSSIANS
France, November, 1852.
For man' years the European newspapers have
spoken from time to time, of the war waged by the
Russians against the people of Caucasus, without
exciting much attention. What interest or sympa
thy could this interminable quarrel between the
soldiers of Muscovy and these savage tribes, in a
remote part of the globe in-pire ? lJut since the
Czar Nicholas threatens to oppress civilized Europe
by- advancing towards Constantinople, this question
has assumed another aspect, and it is proper to de
vote a special letter to it, with the aid of books
published recently in Germany upon this subject-
Caucasus is a long chain of mountains situated
between the Black Sea And the Caspian Sea, upon
the boundary between Europe and Asia. These
mountains are only accessible through narrow pass
es or defiles, which were known to antiquity by the
name of gates, such as the Sarmatic, the Caspian,
the Iberian gates, dbc. Every variety of climate is
found in Caucasus. The highest peaks are cover
ed with pefpetual ice and snow, and this fact is the
origin of the word Caucasus, which means, in the
ancient idiom of.the East, white mountains. Below
the region of the glaciers grow a few -stunted plants
and mosses, which yield no nourishment to man
About half way up the sjdes of the mountains,
Caucasus is shaded by the pine, the birch,, and the
juniper. At the foot of the mountains, onthe
Southern side, are magnificent vallies, adorned with
all the richness of Asiatic vegetation : the jasmine
the lilac, the rose, the almond tree, the fig, the ol
ive, and; the date, flourish there, and produce abun-
dunt fruits.
been able to penetrate the profound retreats o
Caucassus, attached to these mountains every kind
of mythological tradition. All know the fable o
Prometheus, who was supposed to be chained to a
rock of Caucasus, and whiose heart was devoured
by an immortal vulture. Poets also placed a peo
pie of Amazons in this country, perhaps because
an army of Barbarians, led by a woman, had in
vaded the surrounding provinces. At the present
date even, many Caucasian tribes are still very
little known ; for travelers dare not venture among
fierce men, who look upon strangers as their ene
mies, and pour out human blood like water.
It appears that certain Caucasian races are tra
ced back to the earliest periods of the world, and
bear the mark of the most remote antiquity in thei
religion, language, customs, and in their physiog
nomy itself. Other inhabitants have established
themselves by successive emigrations. Some tribes
are the remains of the vast armies of Attila, of
Gengis-Khan, and Tamerlane, who, finding a mild
climate and abundant means of subsistence, stopped
on their way instead of pursuing their conquests
Two Caucasian tribes, especially, deserve mention
namely, the Tcherhesses and the Tcketchens.
The Tcherkesses form a population 1 of about
600,000 souls ; some travelers raise their number
to a million individuals. ' The have justly the rep
utation of being one of the most beautiful races on
the globe. They possess, generally, a slender and
well-proportioned figure, great vigor, and extraor
dinary suppleness and agility. Their features are
regular and expressive, their carriage noble and
proud. -They unite to rare intrepidity some chiv
alrous qualities w hich temper their natural ferocity.
They are never separated from their arms, which
are the gun, the pistol, placed in the belt, a long
poignard, and 'the sabre, wh'ch they wield with in
ce'ivable dexterity. Their costume, very picturesque,
is composed of a narrow pantaloon, a short tunic,
and a round laced bonnet, surrounded with black
or white fur. Indefatigable horsemen, they ride
their little horses, which sometimes run 25 or 30
leagues in" one night. The women of the Tcher
kesses, often designated under the name of Circas
sians, are less distinguished for their beauty than
Ihe men ; still, travellers agree in saying that there
is much nobility and grace in their movements.
If the Tcherkesses were united under a single
chief, they could. offer an insurmountable resistance
to all the attacks of the Russians ; but they format
kind of federal republic, or rather a feudal govern
ment, and cherish hereditary hatred against each
other. Each petty tribe has its prince or chief, its
noble families, its freemen, its farmers or peasants,
and slaves. Thev convene, in certain emergencies,
general assemblies, where each man has the right
to speak, and the chiefs themselves hold their au
thority onlyTy their superiority, and wisdom, and
bravery. The religion of the Tcherkesses is a
strange mixture of Christianity, Mahometanism, and
paganism. The Christian faith was brought to
them in the fourth and fifth centuries of our era,
by missionaries from the Byzantine empire. After
wards came pretended Musselmen apostles, with
fire 'and sword. But these barbarians never adopt
ed entirely either the one or the other of these re
ligions. Their present belief and practices are
founded upon the ancient idolatry. A few of them
3 of Zoroaster, worshipping fire a ad th
; rnmeri, of St. Petfrsburg has done all
do to gain the friendship of the Teller
Iia?t dstributed gold among the nobles,
-r the q high grades in the army. It
6Un.
J ,2
that
rkes
and i njarketsito the peasants, and given
v -sjftHdaJ -These means of seduction
TTTJ5ses nsreconsented to
cease their hostili
ties. - They dome into the camps and cities of the
Muscovites, put they have not, like the Cossacks,
consented to renounce their independence ; they
look defiance upon the progress of Russia, and in
an emergency could subject her to terrible re-
erses. 1
The Tchetchens are not so well known as the
Tcherkesses. -Some hrdy discoverers have pene
trated among-them, but not without difficulty and
danger. More than one has paid for his temerity
with his life. Others have been made prisoners,
and onlv recovered their liberty by high ransoms.
The Tchetchens , are suspicious and cruel, jealous of
their rights, and always ready to take up arms.
They are mostly attached to Mahometanism, and
animated by an ardent fanaticism. They regajjd
the struggle against the Muscovites as a holy war.
At no price will they make peace with the adver
saries of their nation, and of their faith. ,Tt is al
ready a loug time since the quarrel began between
he Tchetchens and the Czars of Russia. In the
middle of the sixteenth century, a grand duke? -ou
Moscow invaded the eastern part of Caucasus? and
established military posts on the borders of the
Caspian Sea. The Czar Peter the Great came and
attacked these intrepid mountaineers, with an
army which had conquered the king of Svveden,
Charles XII. : but he soon felt the conviction that
he could not conquer the Tchetchens, and after
some slight skirmishes, he prudently hastened to
retrace-his steps. During the whole of the eigh
teenth century, the cabinet of St. ' Petersburg forc
ed itself, by skilful negotiations and byr force oi
arms to subject Georgia, Mingrelia Daghestan, &c.
to its laws, in orderojapen the way to Persia, and
perhaps to the East Indies a rich prey, which the
Russians would like much to take from the Eng
lish. Some petty sovereigns, reigning over the
oroTCaucas us,
have concluded: arrangements with Muscovy, and
are beoorae the vassals of the Czars. But neither
the Tchetchens nor the Tcherkesses have accepted
the yoke. Protected by the natural fortresses ot
their mountains, finding a refuge, in critical mo
ments, behind the high rocks, with inaccessible
caverns, and valuing their liberty at a higher price
than their life, they have fought without relaxation,
sometimes with success, and always with admirable
courage.
The Tchetchens, as I have mentioned, are sus
tained by their religious enthusiasm. They have
among them periodically, a kind of mystic or pro
phet, half priest, half soldier, who pretends to hold
direct communications with God. The first of
these so-called prophets is' named Mansour ; he
appeared in Caucasus about the year 1789, roused
the mountaineers by his preaching, and marched
at their head upon the battle field, and being made
prisoner in 1791, perished in a Muscovite dun
geon. The second prophet or messenger of God
was Khasy Mollah, reputed a profound theologian
among the Mussulmans. He announced, that by
a more sublime interpretation of the Koran, he
should succeed in reconciling the bid rival sects of
Omar and AIL He declared himself to be the in
strument of heaven ; he gave his own words as the
expression of the divine will, and ordered believers
to be always ready to sacrifice their life for his
cause. Among the number of these believers was
a legion of warlike priests, who formed the van
guard in the hour of battle. This Kh"a-y-MoIlah
attacked the Muscovites with implacable fury, and
gained bloody triumphs. In the month of Octo
ber 1832, he died heroically in the breach. Cov
ered with wounds, drenched in blood, ready to
breathe the last sigh, he kneeled upon the field of
battle; and singjrt verses of the Koran, invoking
the name of God, he still animated with his voice
the intrepid Tchetchens. The combat was fright
ful; all the priests, who surrounded Khasy-Mollah
was killed, all except a young man, Shamyl, who
struck by two balls and a blow of the bayonet, es
caped and became the most formidable enemy of
Russia. ' rh
Shamyl was born in 1791 in aTchetchen village.
He distinguished himself from infancy by his seri
ous, proud, and: resolute disposition. Although
his body was feeble, he accustomed himself, by
persevering exercises, to endure the severest priva
tions. He" received a lit rary and theological edu
cation. The Koran and books of the Arabian doctors
were continually in his hands. He imbided from
them an ardent enthusiasm. What were indeed
the sentiments of Shamyl, when : he- proclaimed
himself to be sent of God, the prophet from on
high ? Is he a skilful impostor ? Or is he the
dupe of his own zeal and fanaticism ? Generally,
those who know him intimately do not doubt his
sincerity. The attitude of Shamyl, hi3 physiogno
my, bis speech, is habitualy calm and majestic'.
" He has," to use the expression of a poet of Cau
casus, "lightning in his eyes, and flowers upon his
lips." This new prophet is very temperate. He
eats little, drinks only water, and sleeps but a few
hours. traveller affirms that he has three"
wives; another that he has but one; it is a delicate
point, which wertannot make clear Shamyl is of
ark dis
middle height; his hair is white; his eyes, shaded
by thick black eyebrows, a-re full of tire; his beard
is already whitened, but his whole person yet re
veals a youthful energy. 2Poor, moneyless, with
no funds to pay his soldiers, he has, still acquired
over them an irresistible ascendancy. The lchet
chens say proverbially : "Mahomet was the first
Fgpuet of Allah, and Schamyl is the second,
horsemen, Tea3yosT5ie thelr blood l&rnfu
Shamyl has succeeded in levying some taxes upon
the Caucasian tribes ; he receives a tenth part of
their harvests and flocks. He distributes decora
tions among his souldiers : these are silver medals
bearing religious and poetical inscriptions. The
punishments inflicted upon the traitor, the coward,
the robber,-or murderer are contained in a code
which is the work of the prophet. The people
believe that Shamyl converses with God. These
fancied visions take place once a year. The pro
phet prepares himself for them by long retirement,
pravers and fastings. During this time his house
is guarded carefully, and no one can enter it.
At last Schamyl re-appears, bearing the com
mands of Allah, and every brow bends low before
him.
I shall not accompany the chief of the Cauca-
sions in the history of the wars which he has wa
ged against the Russians for twenty years. Often
beaten, but never discouraged ; finding resources
'mid the most desperate circumstances, and new
armies, "when those which he had called under his
banner, were massacred ; active, indefatigable, at
once legislator and military general ; reigning by
the power of faith over the princes of the tribes,
founder of a kind pfy theocratic monarchy, and
Organizing a nation in the midst of the horrors of
war, Shacmyl certainly deserves the name of a great
man. Possibly he may fall into the hands of the
Muscovites, and mayr perish miserably ; but his
glory will live long among the people of Cau
casus. Against this eminent and formidable adversary
the Czar Nicholas has sent the prince, Michael
Woronzoff. He is a man already advanced in age,
remarkable for resoluteness and upright behavior,
He is governor-general of New Russia, and head
of tbe troops employed for the conquest of Cauca?
sust HIs powerlsexf ehsive7"Henas te power
of life and death over his native subjec ts. H
can appoint and depose all officers under the sixth
grade. He distributes rewards and decorations to
the officers on his own responsibility. His autho
rity is almost dictatorial. Prince Woronzoff has
energetically repressed the pillage which disgraced
the army, the adminstration and the courts of law.
He has degraded hundreds of officers, and appoint
ed new civil officers. As a general he is calm and
patient, not ambitious of the honor of brilliant
and daring expeditions his plan is to confine the
enemy within a narrow and narrower limit of mi
litary fortresses and military colonies.
It would be difficult to fix exactly the present
position of the belligerent parties. The papers
announce that Schamyl has recently gained new
successes. This is possible ; the war of Caucasus
may even become a serious embarrassment to Rus
sia, if the Sultan of Constantinople sends to the
mountaineers of Caucasus. some well trained regi
ments. But the definite result of the struggle is
not doubtful. The immense Empire of Russia
possesses inexhaustible resources in men and mo
ney. Shamyl and his heroic companions must
sooner or later yield.
X.
GKANTJEMANGE THE FRENCH PRODIGY.
The names of several children of extraordinary,
mathematical powers have lately been introduced
to the. world. Thomas Safford " the wonderful
Vermont bov," has attained a world-wide celebr
ity ; and we perceive- that the West has recently
claimed a youthful genius scarcely less remarkable.
Fiance has already boasted of two mathematical
prodigies, but we venture to affirm that the case of
L young Gran demange is without a parallel. Phy
sically as we l as intellectually he is a wonder. The
likeness we present was drawii from-a daguerreo
type. ' '.
. This pror child is without avms or legs, and can
be supported in an erect position only by a sort of
box, as seen in the picture, in which he is compel
led constantly to live. But this fragment of a hu
man body, which in Sparta would have perished
on the day of its birth, has received, in compensa
tion for an infirmity so complete, a faculty of ab
straction and calculation, of which it will be diffi
cult to meet with a more extraordinary example.
All the vital forces, deprived of the opportunity of
expansion, seem to have sought refuge in the brain,
and in the midst of misfortune there has resulted a
most extraordinary development of mathematical
powers.
He thus simply relates the earlier events of his
life, and the circumstances which awakened and
strengthened this astonishing faculty :
" I was born on the 10th of June, 1835, at Epi
rll, without arms or legs, as you see. At my birth
pwas concealed, by order of the physicians, for
fifteen days from the sight of mother, and it was
not until she had been prepared for the misfortune
which had befallen her, in me, that I was at length
placed in her care. When she began to nurse me
I weighed less than a pound and a half. It will
readily be believed that my childhood was early
surrounded with omens sufficiently g- corny." Born
thus mutilated, what kind of a future could I ex
pect in-) this world ! I belonged to a family of la-
bonng people, industrious and honest, but poor .
My father, a carpenter by trade, had grgat difficul
ty, even with what my mother, who was a weaver,
could earn, to supply all the wants of four child
'n. By means of constant care and watchfulness,
my mother succeeded in bringing me up to an age
when I conceived, in tile constant inaction in which
lived, some vague intuition of the'altovether re-
" M. Pelicot, surgeon of the town, and M. Maxo,
surgeon-major of the regiment of cavalry in garri
son at Epinal, who had assisted at my birth, and
received my poor little body, weighing in all . then
a pound and a half with the clothes, were not wil
ling to forget fie way to the humble roof that
sheltered me. They came from time to time to see
me, and being witnesses of the first and sufficient
ly rare inclinations that I showed Cor mental calcu
lations, they addressed to mc some questions, very
simple at first, and then those a'little nunc diffi
cult, and finally v- ntur-od upon some of the !iiore
abstruse questions Mfapthmetie. In this way, and
without, any instruction, I became' able to solves al
most instantly, the little enigmas of calculation
which they put to me. Indeed, I soon become ' ,
sufficiently skillful to attempt likewise, and with
equal success, some little problems in the province
of geometry, of which, as to the practical part, my
father had the rudimontssufiicieutly well to instruct
me. !
" By the advice of the physicians, and of some
sava?is who had visitedj me, my father resolved to
introduce me to certain educational establish
ments most esteemed iii our country of Vosges, and
the neighboring departments. The marked suc
cess that I obtained having emboldened me, I de
cided, after having lost my father, to visit Paris,
the metropolis tand centre of science. 1 had the
honor to appear -there; on the 19th of March last,
beforf a commission chosen to examine my intel
lectual faculties by the Academy of Sciences, and
am encouraged by the suffrages of the elite, which
I have been so happy as ?to obtain, I have the
honor to inform the public, that every day, from
noon till five o'clock, a the Casino des Arts, Bou
levard Montmartre, I give seances of mental me-
thematics, ..whara - there im few problems that T
cannot solve almost instantly, "nd without the help
of any symbol." j
It is deeply to be regretted that this afflicted
and gifted child is xsompelled thus to use his ta
lents as the means. of (obtaining a bare livelihood,
giving to his intellectual achievements-no higher
destiny than that which is assigned the smart
tricks of legerdemain, Or the somersets of the
mountebank. Honored be the men who have made
so noble a provision fqr young Saflord ! We are
favored with an account of one of these seances by
one who was present On the 25th day of March,
1852. The visitor says :
" The mathematician; fulfilled even beyond gene
ral expectation the promises of his programme. A
series of problems the taost obscure and complex
were put to him during three long hours, and he
solved them all with H rapidity which might be
called electric. He was asked to multiply a quan
tity consisting of two hundred figures, by one con
sisting of ten or twelve. After a brief pause he
made known the product, which was found to be
correct and which would' have required on paper
perhaps half an hour of calculation. One person,
among others, asked him to give the remainder of
the division of nine, of ian immense number in sex-
tillions, quintillions, quadrillions, trillions, billions,
millions, fec. The whole sum was scarcely stated,
when already the young calculator had answered,
like a flash,our ; a reply the correctness and in
stantaneousness of which astonished the audience,
and the interrogator himself. Many problems
which neither Vandeux nor Vito Mangiamele the
two young mathematical prodigies which preceded
Grandemange, could master, have been solved by
him with almost equal facility. Intelligence so
prompt and extraordinary in a human. being so do
formed and pitiable, is: a spectacle truly worthy of
admiration and interest."
We have attached to the portrait a fac similie
of his signature. The writer, from whom we de
rive the above, says :" The, characters were rapid
ly traced in our presence with an ordinary pen,
held between the cheek and the stump, which supr
plies the place of the right arm." In this manner
he will execute even flourishes of the pen which
possess some considerable degree of grace arid
beauty: Such is our little calculator of Vosges, of
whom we would communicate more, but our means
of information are limited. National Magazine.
War. It would hive proved a striking part of
a vision presented to .dam the day after the death
of Abel, to have brought before, his eyes half a
million of men crowdfed together in the space of a
square mile. AVhen the first father had exhausted
his wonder on the miiltitude of his offspring, he
would then naturally inquire of his angelic in
structor for what purpose so vast a multitude had
assembled what is the cemmon end I Alas ! to
i - '
murder each othfer ! all Cains, and yet 1310 Abels.;
Coleridge. ' . i -
Taking the last census as the basis of calcula- ,
tion, there is at this time about six hundred mil
lion dollars' worth of live stock in the United1
States. Their value pxceeds that of all inannfac-: z
turing establishments! in ; the country, and also, ex
ceeds the capital employed in commerce, botlj in- a
land and foreign. 1 . ..',.":-.- jnT- i
A