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CONTRIBUTIONS.
HETEOPOLITAN COREESPONDENCE.
" LETTER XXXI.
New York, Jan. 21st, 1854v
Missing letter The Wreck M &m Francis-1
co Testimonials to the deliterers Captain Creigh
tonThe monitions qf the Catastropke-The signs
T of the Times A Magnificent Bookstore Birth
day of Franklin My Phmnix Friend1" The
Harpers again in, the fieldBedim, the Pipe's
Xuncio, and the people The Lessees of the Lafarge
. Hotel .Project for their relief Nugent dismiss
ed Simms'- Poetical Works Atalantis, ' Korman
Maurice Line to a Sleeping Child.
Mr Dear Post: From the number which is af
fixed to my last letter, (Jan. 9,) in your columns,
I conclude that the letter of which I made men
tion at that date has never reached you, and may
properly be regarded as missing. Now, if it had
been a steamship like the ill-fated San Francisco,
i or a noble and adventurous exj lorer like the la
mented Sir John Franklin what a theme it would
be for my pen! But, alas,-it is only a letter, and
let meconsole myself by adding a dull'letter.
This is the most philosophical view of the case,
certainly.
Since I wrote you last, the public mind has been
intensely agitaed by the disastrous-wreck of the
steamship San -Francisco.jr -The detail of tlis Bad
affair have been too generally made known to jus
tify me ,in repeating them. At present, the popu
lar interest h absorl ed injthe getting up of testimo
. tiials to the generous men who aided and rescued
the unfortunate sutferers in their dreadful p-iil.
The names of these deliverers are upon everybody's
V) lips, ind in the enthusiasm of the hour they are in-
' tested with almost superhuman virtues. Far be it
i
from ;me to derogate aught from their renown, even
in the suggestion that had they failed to do what
they did, they wouM'-have merited the popular ex
ecration as truly as they now deserve honor. The
gallant man who commanded th packet ship,
' Three Dells," and who k pt Lis white-winged
craft, hovel ing for nearly a week, like an angel of
mercy, around the wreck 'of the San Francisco
prompt to succor and to deliver its perishing vic
tims was doubtless conscious of a prouder delight
and a more exquisite degree' of pleasure, 'in his
work of mercy, than he will ever be in the recep
tion of the most valuable and appropriate testimo
ny nial of approval which his sympathizing fellow
men can dev:se and bestow ! Not that he will un
dervalue the gift r be unn.ov. d by the popular
admiration it will express, but in his own bosom
there exists a sentiment of benevolence, from which
"will spring a higher and holier satisfuti n. lie is,
doubtless 'already more than repaid for his sacrifice,
his toil, his care, and his goodness. The name of
, ' Capt. Creigbton is already written on the fame . oil
, of Time. The catastrophe has monitions as well
as memories. It naturally excites surprise, that a
ship, built as the San Fiancisc was, for a special
service, at an immense cost and iu the clearest lirrht
of knowledge and experience, should be over
whelmed by the first storm which she encountered,
a storm by no means so terrible or protracted as
many which less imposing vessels had successfully
withstood, and which itself failed tcr xrver-rtde Otft-t
er hips in. the same sas. I cannot tell the pre
cise cause of thesad and fearful disaster, but I have
no doubt that it is either in her construction or in her
steam equipment, and possbly in both com'ined.
The safety of those " who go down to the Sea in
r: sVips and who do business in the great waters" is
properly 'an object of universal solicitude, and the
causes of terrible "disast -rs like this, demand inves
tigation, that they may be obviated.
I may add to this part of my letter the remark,
that the marine' disasters of the past few months
have been numerous, almost without a parallel.
The almost universal stirring up of the elements,
' both natural and social, is too palpable to be over-
looked by the im st superficial observer. War and
wreck, flood and fire, s em to be dom'nant n v iri
, ous parts of the globe! I am not a Seer to pre
dict any important moral result from these "signs
'of the times," but nevertheless, it seems probable
that Providence is directing all these commotions
to some great end.
Amoncr the most- notable incidents of tbeme
tropolis since the date of my last letter, is the re
moval of the Messrs. Appleton the well . known
publishers and booksellers to their new quarters
upon Broadway. They purchased recently, and
have fitted up with great ' elegance, the building
formerly known as the "Society Library," at the
coiner of Leonard street. They occupy the entire
ground floor and the basement extending; beneath
it, being a front of 60, and a depth of 100 feet.-
The new store, therefore if the ,term be not un
. fitting to such a.magt ifieent saloon is of realiy
imposing dimensions, the effect of which is height
ened by the general arrangement of the shelves
and tables. It resembles a graud library, and the
visitor's first impression is that he must have enter
ed a grand public hall of literature, rather than a
private bookstore. , The ceilings are most beauti
fully painted in fresco, and are supported by rows
of Corinthian pill us, in imitation of Siena marble.
All the cases and wood work are of oak.
- This elegant establishment is one of the great
,i, features pi Broadway, and as well worth a visit as
! any of the lions of our grand promenade. There
may .be found' an assortment of books in all de
; partmentV of literature, art and science,; American,
English and continental, unequalled by any in the
western world. The enterprise of the Messrs. Ap
pleton is a just matter of comment and praise in
the best circles of the city. ,
The birth-day of Franklin was commemorated
in this city, as usual, by a typographical festival,
at vhich a good dinuer was eaten, costly wines1
freely imbibed, and very so-so speeches received
with the usual applause. Mr. James Harper pre-
1 sided at the festal board, and was subsequently re
ferred 'to, by one of the "feast-speakers, as ,wmy
. phoenix' friend." The allusion was a happy one--for
never certainly has the fible of that "much
abused bird," had a better illustration than in the
rising of the Harpers from the wide-spread ruins
of their grand establishment. " In one brief month
they have accomplished an incredible amount of
work, and are again in the market with the Jan
7 nary number of their unparalleled magazine, and
with an already long, list of their popular text
books for schools and colleges. Sueh energy is
noble, and I rejoice to record and applaud it for
I the sake of all who are struggling with disaster.
Some excitement prevailed in the city on Sat
urday, in consequence of a rumor that Bedini, the
Pope's nuncio, would embark for the old-world in
the steamship Baltic. I am told that nearly 3000
people was assembled at the Baltic's wharf, and
that there was every indication of an outbreak.
Happily there was no provocation, for the object of
the popular ill will did not make his appearance,
and it was given out that he had left the city for
Boston the previous night. The cruelty and
treachery of this foreign emissary very justly ex
pose him to the execration of the American peo
ple ; but I should greatly deplore any act of vio
lence, or any riotous manifestation towards him.-
Every day adds strength to my conviction that the
majesty of law and order should be preserved in
violate in every case. -
In my last letter I stated that I did not discover
any remarkable degree of popular sympathy with
" the proprietor of the Lafarge Hotel, in its recent
destruction by fire. I did not refer tp the unfor
tunate lessees of the new hotel Messrs. Wright,
Lanier & Co., who it appears are really the great
est sufferers by the fire. With them the public
does sincerely sympathize, and I am glad to say
that the sympathy of t. e craft and of those con
cerned in the building and furnishing of the house,
has taken a tangible shape. Measures are on foot
to put these worthy gentlemen once more upon
their feet and to give them a new and first class
hotel. The father and son are southerners, and
well-known to the travelling world in Georgia. The
examination of Nugent the private watchman of
Metropolitan Hall, upon the suspicion that he set
fire, to the premises discovered no sufficient evi
dence against him to warrant his detention. He
was therefore set at liberty, and i 'the ioystery re
mains. The poetical works of Mr. Simms have just
been published, in two handsome volumes, by
Redfield of this city. The friends and admirers o'
the poet and novelist, who are rapidly increasing
in number I believe, will give this work a cordial
welcome. Mr. Simms does not yet occupy his
true position, as a poet, in the popular estimation.
He is indeed, very far in advance of he popular
taste, and like many notable bards must wait for
his true meed of fame.' These two! volumes aff.rd
abundant evidence of his claim to the title of a
poet. He is not merely a versifier indulging in
prettily rhymed sonnets or in conceits daintily turn
ed. He has in him the elements of the true bard.
His poems are phi osophies seldom complex or
metaphysical but pregnant ever with meaning,
aud moral. He seems to recognize the dignity of
the poet's mission, which is to make truth vital to
the understanding, and through the medium of
tuneful numbers demonstrate the connection of the
Ideal with the Actual. '
-' In the poena of " Atalantis," Mr. Simms has em
ployed the machinery of fairy and demon mytholo
gy with a singular degree of delica -y and a corres
ponding grace of effect. No poem has been writ
ten upon this side of the Atlantic that at all ap
proaches this in the imaginative element which U
unquestionably the highest attribute of poetrv. I
think that if this was the only exposition which the
poet had vouchsafed to us of .his genius, his repu
tation with posterity would still be as well assured
as that of any one of his contemporary bards. In
" Norman Maurice " the most prominent Qf his
dramatic works the poet ha acliieved a remarka
ble success. It is one of the most vigorous, consist
ent and consumaiate dramas of modern times
The numerous small poems, and especially the
lyrics, which aije embraced in these volumes, attest
the versatility of the-author's muse at home in any
sphere and disporting herself at ease alike in iam
bic or dactylic measures. It is impossible to over
look the earnestness of Mr. Simms' poetry, and it
is equally impossible not to be impressed with
the chastness and delicacy of his numbers. The
sensuous is never a repulsive element of his
verse. Much of it is pervaded, moreover, by a spirit
of deep and irresistible ten lerness, not surpassed
in the strains of Tennyson or Wordsworth. I wish
I had space for a few passages in illustration of this
opinion, since it has been asserted by some of Mr.
Simms's reviewers that his poetry isj devoid of ten
derness. I must venture upon a single brief quo
tation, which I well recollect was once quoted in
ignorance of its source, by a hostile ritic, as a mo
del ofjcxquisite pathos and
beauty !
" My little girl sleeps on my
arm all night,
And seldom stirs save when with playful wile,
I bid her turn, and lift her lip to mine,
Which even as she sleeps she does ; and sometimes then
Half muttering in her slumbers, she declares
Her love lor me is boundless. Then I take
The precious promise closer to my arms,
And, by my action, for in such a time;
- My lips can find no utterance for my heirt,
Give her assurance sweet, that she is there
Most trea-ured of my jewels. Thus, tenderly,
Hour after hour, with no desire to sleep,
1 watch above that la'ge amount of hope,
With eyes made doubly vigilant by their tears,
Until the stars wave, and the yellow moon,
Walks forth into the night."
I will not dismiss these volumes without express
ing my sincere convictio ) that they contain more','
true and enduring poetry than any yet embraced
in our national anthology.
I know I have trespassed too long .upon the pa
tience of your readeis and will not aggravate my
fault by any longer delaying to subscribe myself
their and yours. f
'COSMOS.
For the Southern Weekly Post.
, IMPRESSIONS OF INDIANA.
(Respectfully dedicated to Mrs. Mary A. Braclette of
E&Fayette, Indiana.)
The light had almost faded from the sky, and
few indeed were the stars to be seen as the steam
horse; er iron horse, (fall it what you will, rushed
into the suburbs of the city of Indianapolis, one
cold night last May. It was really, cold. A resi
dence for the winter in the delightful climate of
eastern Carolina had given the writer a kind of
blood but litttle fitted for the night air of a latitude
two huudred and fifty miles more northern, and an
altitude full five hundred if not a thousand feet
higher from the ocean. I
The city of Indianopolis is one of! those towns
of a mixed order, which pring up ;so suddenly
that "all the world and the rest of mankind" are
. fully astonished at its rapid progress.
It is a place with ten thousand busy, striving,
scheming souls, and its progre&s is like the State
of which it is the capital,, onward To a person
reared in th Smith, the w Hoosier State .:
many rugged points, but it has life and viuuity
in it. " . . '.-J . : '
The fiftM. r filled with stumps and. the roads
show how lately the tall forest trees stood I. in r their
natal sublimity. Every new scene
in Indiana only
evinced to the writer how fully the inaustry m
man was seeking to make earth teem' with its
fruits. The land will soon be filled, too, to over-
flowinor '
Well, so be it. Search the world o'ef; and no
where, neither on the Atlantic or Pacific, can we
find towns of a more rapid and substantial growth
than La Fayette, Terre Haute, Madison, La Porte,
Evansville, and other places, present. 1
The great Empire State, with its citiesevery for
ty miles, considering time and position, js not the
superior of Indiana. . '? '"''
The. sons and daughters too, of the Slate, u will
pass in any crowd" with credit. , - ff
The writer most assuredly will not soon forget
the kind friends he met at the capital last May.
And though seas and continents intervene for many,
a long year ere he again greets his sister Mary ; yet
will he often recaU her as be met her at "the
Hoosier Capital" last May.' There, too,' was one
absent that he did not greet, who will be recalled
" now and then." C.-H. B.
Chapel Hill, N. C, Nov. 14, 1853. . -
For the Southern Wekly Post.
MEMORIES OF TEN TEARS.
BY C. II . BRACKETTE.
(Dedicated to my young friend, Benjamin J. Pas-
chall.)
There 'are many thoughts which come crowding
into our minds as we progress in yeaia, and tho'
our dreams in youth and opening manhood be
most of the futur -, jet as we onward go, it is im
possible for us not to recall, even tho' we do so sad
ly, the events of the past, and especially is this the
case as we close one year after another. The pre
sent may be gay, the future most brilliant to our
imagination, still we cannot but often think of those
who have gone to " that bourne from whence no
traveller returns."
Many a year of grave care, if not deep thought
has the writer seen and tho' not in the judgment
of all the world old, yet the calm, cold face of
manhood should be his. .
The ten years which have passed like the rapid
turning of a wheel have brought their cares, their
sad disappointments, hollow joys and many sor
rows. The year 1853 was one, in the west, of deep and
wides pread financial disasters, while 1844 was but
little if any better. It was the year of political ex
citement. , 1845 was one of sober effort by the masses,
everywhere, to make progress.
1846- 7 and '8, were years when the citizen
solJierswere called to the field of battle, and were
ye. rs of war' news. 1849 and '50, were so filled
with disease and death that all trembled. 1851 and
1852, were, years ot peace and plenty, while toe
last year 1853, may challenge comparison with any
year for many deaths.; Thus the years roll on so
swiftly. ' - - . s
Some have risen In life, while many have fallen.
Still onward we must go, let us then all live so
that- . .
" In secret sympathies of mind,
In founts of feeling which retain
Their pure fresh flow, we yet may find
' Our early dreams not wholly vain !"
December 20, 18o3.
II
VIVIPAROUS FISH.
Among the many recent and rich developments
of California, not one perhaps has been more un
expected to the scientific world, than that of the ex
traordinary Fishes discovered by Passed Midshipman
Alonzo C. Jackson, in San Salita Bay. A notice
of them will be found in the November number of
the American Journal of Science, written by Pro'
fessor Louis Agassiz.
Fishes as a class have been long and well known
to be oviparous. From the little Minnow of the
mountain streams to the countless myriads of ihe
mighty deep, with few and rare exceptions, they fol
low one universal rule. It is true that in ancient
times, and indeed for long ages succeeding, the
Whale and the Dolphin, with the other species of
the order Cetacea, were considered, even by emi
nent naturalists, as fishes, though known to be
viviparous. In more modern days, however, this
opinion came to be yreatly disput- d among scien
tific men : some, as the great Linnaeus, placing
them among the Mammalia,' since they were ascer
tained to possess the heart, lungs and other intern
al organs of quadrupeds ; others, following Ray
and Willoughby, still classing them with fishes,
on account of the element in which they lived and
their power of progressive motion there.'; The
theory of Linuseus has however, long since prevail
ed ; the Whale, in spite of popular opinion, is no
longer a fish, but a Mammal while the other few
exceptions to the general rule (species of the Shark,
Ray, and also the Zoarcus,) have been pronounced
by naturalistst to be ovo:viviporous. The discovery,
then, of a viviparous fish is an event in science.
Whether this new and peculiar type, lately found
by Mr. Jackson in the waters of California, be
ovo-viviperous or viviparous, it remains for future
investigation to decide.
We give the account of his discovery in his
own words. He says, in his letter to Professor
Agassiz;
" On the 7th of June, I rose early in the morn-
ing for the purpose of taking a mess of fish for
'breakfast, pulled to the usual place, baited with
' crabs, and commenced fishing, the wind blowing
' too strong for profitable angling ; nevertheless on
1 the first or second casts, I fastened the two fishes,
4 male and female, that I write about, and such
'were their liveliness aud strength, that they en
4 dangered my slight trout rpd. I however uc
' ceeded in bagging both, though in half an hour's
' subsequent work I got not even a nibble from
4 either this or any other species of fish. I deter
4 mined to change the bait, to put upon my hook
4 a portion of the fish already aught, and cut for
4 that purpose into, the largest of the two, when
4 what was my surprise to see coming from the
4 opening thus made, a small live fish. This I at
'first supposed to be prey which this fish had
swallowed, but on further opening the fish, I was
'vastly astonished to find next to the back of the
' fish, and slightly attached to it, a long, very light
' violet bag, so clear and so transparent, that I
' could already distinguish through it the shape,
' color and formation of a multitude of small fish
4 (all fac similes of each other) with which it was
4 well filled. I took it on board (we were occupy
ing a small vessel which we had purchased for
4 surveying purposes,) and when I opened the bag,
4 1 took therefrom, eighteen more of the young
fishes, precisely like, in size, shade, and color, the
first I had accidentally extracted. The mother
was verg large round her centre, and of a very
dark brown color, approaching about the back,
and on the fins a black color, and a remarkably
vigorous fish. The young which I took from her
were in shape, save as to rotundity, perfect mini-
4 atures of the mother, formed like her, and of the
same general proportions, except that th'e old one
was much broader and wider between the top of
4 the dorsal and ventral fins, in proportion to her
4 length than the young were. As to the color,
4 tliey were in all respects like the mother, though
the shades were many degrees lighter. They had,
too, the same peculiar mouth, the same position
and shape of the fins, and the same eyes and gills,
'and there can not remain in ihe mind of any one
4 who sees the fish in the san$e state that I did, a
single idoubt that these young were the offspring
'of the fish from whose body I took them, and
' that this species of fish gives birth to her young
alive and perfectly formed, and adapted to seek
4 its own livelihood in the water. The number of
'young in the bag was nineteen, and every one as
4 brisk and lively and as much at home in a bucket
' of salt water, as if thhj had been for months accus
' tomed to UP "
Mr. Jackson was one of the offieers under Com
modore "Sloat, occupied at that time in locating a
Navy yard on the coast of California. On his re
turn in 'the month of September following, to his
home in Schenectady, N. Y., he wrote to Professor
Agassiz,': informing him of his discovery, He had
not been able to preserve the fishes which he had
taken; on account of the impossibility of procuring
the aiooho' necssary for that purpose. He, how
ever, made every arrangement for securing speci
mens .when the proper season should arrive, and
in the meanwhile sent to Professor Agassiz a
minute description of the fish, accompanied by an
outlirie.drawing of the female, from a sketch made
at the time in California. Mr. Jackson died very
suddenly in the following March ; but the agent of
Prof .'ssbr Agassiz, at his request, and guided by
Mr. Jackson's instructions, ha-3 since been enabled
to secure several specimens, and to send them to
the Professor for examination.
The great order of fishes to which this remarka
ble' type would seem properly to belong, contains
numerous and well known families, as curious and
interesting to the naturalist as valuable to man.
The common Perch which frequents the streams of
every land ; the Old Wife of the British seas ; the
Rock- fish or Stripped Bass, so much esteerried
with us as an article of food ; the Mullet, still more
highly prized by: the ancients for the. beautiful
changes of color which it exhibited while dying ;
the Arabas of India, which, from its " labyrinthi
form cells, is enabled to remain for a long time out
of water, to crawl upon the ground, and eveh'it is
said, . to cjimb trees ; the Loxotes jaculator of the
Ganges, and the Chsetodon rostratus, adroit archers,
who project, water from their mouths upon their
prey to the height of several feet, and never miss
their aim ; the- Spartfs sargus, whose teeth re
semble so. closely those of man ; 'the Flying fishes
of the tropical, seas, and the Drum fishes, music
ians of our own coasts; the Mackerel, of such in
estimable value in our New-England fisheries, and
the Tunny, ho -less a source of wealth to the Med
iterranean shores ; the Sword fish ; the. Surgeon,
with his mimic lancets ; the beautiful Umbrina,
and the Pilot fish, who with such unerring instinct
conducts the Shark to. his prey, are all members of
the same great order to which these new fishes in
all probability belong.
Professor . Agassiz't account of their appearance
and structure, in his minute and scientific invstig
ation, will be interesting to naturalists ;-j
"The general .appearance," he says, 't. of the
'fishes upon which this family is founded, is that
' of our larger species of Pomotis Perch,) Or rath
'er that" of. the broader types of Sparoids, (Sea
' Bream.) Their body is compressed, oval,- covered
' with scales qf medium size. ,The scales, are
'cycloid, in which respect they differ widely from
4 those fishes they resemble most in external ap
'pearance. Head small, with scales only on the
' cheeks and opercular pieces Teeth in both jaws',,
'short, conical, arranged in one row, and slightly
'recurved. The pharyngeal teeth much shorter
'and. blunter than those of the jaws, and arranged
4 like p ivement. One long dorsal fin, the anterior
'portion of which is supported by spinous rays,
4 and the posterior by numerous articulated branch
ing rays, which are sheathed at the base by two
4 or three rows of scales, separated from those of
' the body by a rather broad and deep scalelcss fur
' row. This last peculiarity has not yet been ob
4 served in any fish, as far as I kt ow.
44 The ventrals are subthoracic as in the Spar
oids, and provided with a strong spinous and five
'soft rays.
"Four branchial arches, supporting four com
'plete branchiae with two rows of lamellae ill each.
'The openings behind the last arch is very small
4 and entirely above the base of the pectoral fins.
'Pseudobranchia very large, and composed of six
' teen or seventeen lamellae. The alimentary canal
'is remarkably uniform in width for its whole
'length. There are no ccecal appendages at all in
4 any part of the intestine. The ovary is extended
'into a sack like a large bag, subdivided internally
'into a number of. distinct pouches, in each of
4 which a young, is wrapped up as in a sheet, and.
'all are packed in. the most economical manner as
' far as saving space is concerned ; some having
4 their head turned forwards, and others backwards.
'The size of the young, compared with that of the
mother, is very remarkable,? being about one-
third of the length of the full grown fish. 44 Judg-
ing from their size, I suspected for some time
that the young coul'. move in and out of this'
sack like young oppossums, but on carefully ex
4 amining the position of the young in the pouch
4 es,I. remained satisfied that this could not be the
case, and that the young, Mr. Jackson found so
lively after putting them in a bucket of salt wat
er, had then for the first time come into free con
tact with the element in which they were soon to
alive."
Prof. Agassiz adds, that w a country which fur
nishes such novelties in our days, bids fair to en
rich science with many other unexpected facts."
But another idea naturally suggests itself. Can it
be possible that these singular fishes have for per
haps an indefinite period of time inhabited these
waters, and yet escaped until now the watchful
eye of either the fisherman or the investigator !
Or is there indeed that progress in the succession
of beings on the earth's surface, that increasing re
semblance of fishes to animals and of animals to
man, which the great naturalists of our day would
fain lead us to believe ! We dare scarcely -ask
ourselves tho nnestinn. for we feel that we are al
ready treading upon dangerous ground.
The young officer who discovered these wonders
in the history of fishes, olighted in the spring time
of his brilliant promise, has already passed beyond
the fading honors of this world. By him, the voice
of censure, the tribute of respect, and the tender
offering of affection, are alike unheard. Professor
Agassiz, however, as he states, has been unwilling
to forego the pleasure of connecting his name with
his interesting discovery. Among the specimens
transmitted to .him fram California there were two
distinct species. He has gweno. theamjly , th
title of Embiotica, with reference to its peculiar
mode of reproduction ; and to the species most
closely resembling the one discovered by Mr. Jack
son the name of Embiotica Jacksonii.
THE
mifcrn &alccnlii
RALEIGH, JAN. 28, 1854
EDITED- BY
CALVIN H. WILEY, . . WILLIAM D. COOKE,
LYTT ELTON WADDELL, Jr. ,
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Mb. H. P. Douthit is our authorized agent for the State
of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. .
THE MOB SPIRIT.
TfiE disgraceful Outbreaks of popular violence which
have recently taken place at Erie Cincinnati, Wheel
ing and other places, call loudly for rebuke from the
press throughout the Union. We care not what may
he the exciting causes of these demonstrations ; they
a re -utterly inconsistent with the spirit of our institu
tions, and at.wtir with tbe - best interests of - our com
mon country. So far as the Erie riots are concerned,
we regard them as expressive of so much contempt
for tlfe authority of the courts and the majesty of the
law, that the people of the United States ought to
feel that their collective sovereignty has bee a insult
ed and defied: The goverflments of Pennsylvania
and the Union, owe it to the great body of the people
which they represent, to quel! such disturbances and
maintain the peaCe at every hazard, and without re
gard to the nature of the controversy which produced
them. Our laws and publTe functionaries, being the
creatures of the popular will, should be armed with
ample means to secure respect to the power they re
present, and the public authorities should feel a confi
dence and courage in performing their duty porpor
tionate to the resource's of the pebple themselves. It
is a great error, though a very common one, to sup
pose that a prompt and rigorous vindication of the
Jaw- is inconsistent with republican and democra
tic principles. This is precisely the reverse of the
truth. The very fact that the government represents
a sovereignty which is unquestionable, and which is
in perfect harmony with the interests of the people
affords a warrant for decided measures and vigorous
action which can be obtained under no other form of
government. The depositaries; of despotic power,
may well fear to execute their tyrannical laws, when
they know that neither public opinions, nor the public
interest have called for their enactment ; but the
agents of the people themselves, can have no such ex
cuse for neglecting to. execute laws which are the
expression of the popular mind.
So much for what we consider the right American
pirit,-irr regard to such examples of local disturbance
as; liave recently made the name of Erie to stink in
the. nostrils, of an order-loving people. But what
shalhye say of those disgusting scenes which have
been lately witnessed in the street! of soma of our
cities, on the occasion of the visit, or intended visit,
of the papal nuncio! After what we have already
said of this personage, and his two-fold mission to
this country, we will not be suspected of the slightest
sympathy with him, or approbation of his designs.
Indeed, we. suppose the past history of this paper
would suffice to vindicate us from such a suspicion.
We heartily wish that the Hentiments of the American
people might be so embodied, and so emphatically
expressed against the papal mission, that his Holiness,
would never again dare to send one of his mitred
emissaries to our national capital. But these senti
ments must be uttered in a decent and dignified man
ner, becoming the national character. We have no
taste or respect for those vulgar demonstrations of
popular spite, which have lately been made at Cincin
nati, New Orleans, and elsewhere, no matter how in
nocent they may be in the eyes of the law." It is
too obvious that they have been concocted, in the
commencement, by men and cliques whose principles
are as inconsistent with ours as those of Bedini him
self. A large portion of the foreign population in
this country is deeply infected viih the spirit of
French Jacobinism, and ihe doctrines of Tom Paine and
Robespiere lie at the foundation of those inflamma
tory societies which they have organized in the great
cities. These men have no respect for religion, either
Catholic or Protestant, and look upon the restraints of
law, in a republican country, very much as they do
upon the despotic rule of their former masters. We
can .see no reason, therefore, to sympathize with their
displays of vulgar prejudice, or countenance the or
gies with which they seek to propagate their opinions.
On the contrary, we feel a profound aversion to all
these combinations of foreigners in our country, for
whatsoever purpose, and will continne to denounce
them as anti-American and dangerous to the peace
and liberty of the nation.
We are glad to see with what unanimity the res
pectable portion of i the American press has already
condemned these violent proceedings. Qf course they
do not approve of coercive measures to prevent them,
- j -T cuimnvftri
nut mey express the almost universal fe )
ir, this country of infidel and so.i.nlk, "TS
the one hand, as well as of Catholi, i
and superstition on the other, ye are co
gard both as imported evils, from which C"'"
to defend ourselves with all the moral Ti
command. The respectable Protestant Republ5
of the United States cannot, and will not ' 'Caaisi11
with either of these foreign parties, but . eoalce
every exhibition of anti-American feelinand
pies, must draw together more and rj,re cfr5nci"
and strpncthnthnsf frntpmnl Kr, .
- . """us "i'on the stre I
of which our safety so clearly depends. j
What we most need in the UnitoH . i
more violence of feeling among the various f 'l l
or more irritablity on particular occasions, but
more union of views in regard to iim r"fr
ry to preserve our institutions, and more comm
r r b v owuu and COlls,-
to overwhelm a foreign demagogue with
i, unrnea
anolause. or to burn in efrW. tho ntr,:,. P5
hit, i
Pope. Every patriot volunteer who un,,i,i
arms to defend his country, is worthy of fnorf
plause than the former, and every native Ame
who has become a Jesuit, deserves more inten
pular dislike than the latter. What do yoi. thiiik
your fellow-citizens who are toiling niht and da
the service of the republic? How do you fel
wards those traitors who, having been nursld in il
arms oi proiestani pieLi. ancrejjuDiican
nave uow auauuuuicu . jiueir ,.tu ana ine republtn 1
ranap. and nrp laboring in bhalf nf n ctt.LL . I
,. o - v,-m oi mj,
diaeval tyranny and its abuses ? These are the que
tions which more thoroughly test our patriotism u
the presence of any notorious toreigner or the oecur
rence of any local disturbance. i
IV v! . 1.1 1 1 !l i 1
" c uive never wiuugot it pruuem or numanetj
organize a native American political party in this
n.v.:t. ... ...i j j j. . I
njr, n uiuii wuuiu iiecesu iiy icuu 10 uiscourngg
mortify the unfortunate foreigner. It would niakt
Hi m fVl thai ll A ttt- c r? r m r A tr n nAnimnnl I P J
v, tv iiv- ?'o uuuiucu iiMiuuuai niicnontr I
on account of his birth, and excite his prei'I
more than ever against Our national principles and hj.
hits. It is at the same time 'our safest and mojt m.
nerous policy to obliterate all unnecessary legale
Unctions between native and foreigner, and tljusy
make the latter feel the privilege and the pride of J
American citizen. But there is an American iiri
1 . . .r r
.iiin.il yciai.iioi. mo inucn cultivate. W e may , anc I
?nii8t tnsist, 1 hat' our confidence will be extended t
foreigners, only in proportion to the extent to
they adopt bur principles and acquire our n.-xtiorliil ht
vjvj o LuiiLiuue 10 preserve tntir dis
tinctive peculiarities with a bigoted attachment, anc
treat he native population with scorn and demoi
on account of their faith or their devotion to aw anc
order, so lorig must we maintain an embodied Ameri
canism, and refuse to countenance those antiqjjatecl
errors or crude- theories which they have imported to I
our shores.
f'LO! THE P00E" DRUNKARD!
We cannot but regard it as an erroneous opiniot
of our day that drunkenness is rather a misfortun;
than a crime, and that the drunkard is generally the
victim of others who are far more wicked than! hiai.
self. It is at least the glaring fault of much of oui pop
ular literature, in which it has become very cgmmor
to invoke the particular indignation of the commiiMT
upon the accessories to the crime, whilst the primp
is represented as an object of-compassion and sytipi
thy, entitled to all the protection which an aciivi4i
lanthropy can throw around him. We would notte
understood as complaining that too severe a judgjneti
has been pronounced upon those who spend theirlives
in pandering to the low appetites of the vicious and the
abandoned. Language cannot well exaggeratiik
weight of their responsibility, or too bitterly extra
the abhorrence of a humane and virtuous heart foi ik
despicable means they too often employ. Butien
is no Reason to cast the mantle of charity, 'or ofsk
mental sympathy, over the .principal offender, torithi
purpose of throwing into deeper shade the-chancte
of his accomplices. There is no justice, sound piilo
sophy, or prudential .wisdom, in trying to divertjtbt
severity of public censure from the man who tmkess
beast; of himself, and plunges his loving wile ad4c'p
less children into wretchedness and despair, in onder
to iasten it upon thpse who furnish him with the: la-
cthties af crime. We are heartily tired of all tbiside
ceptiye and baseless sentimentalism. Tbe man who
for the gratification of a low appetite, destroys all jihe
comfort and hopes of a dependent famM and wilting
ly sees the little ones whom God has tnfrusted to
care, become, through his beasily indulgences, the
victims of want and woe, is, paint him as you villj,
moral monster, whose turpitude deserves the abhor
rence and detestation of mankind. Ararice inva&s
and desolates the homes of o'.her men, but drunks
rcm,:with yet more diabolical malignity, violates the
most sacred domestic ties, and destroys the happiness
of those who ought to be most dear to the criminal
himself. j
For the purpose of illustrating our meaning, e
will cite one characteristic passage from a very popu
lar book, recently . published, which seems to abouad
with' such Talse' -sentirnents. The author, after e
scribing the awful deaf h of a drunkard, who hM
plungedbis family into ruin, uses this lanjppger
" Judge him not harshly ; he was the tictim, notfjie
criminal. He is dead now, tread lightly upon Jis
grave." We ask the reader to ponder this langna
and say if it does not contain in a small coropas j
much bad morality as can easily be compressed into
so little space. And such we say is the moral d
trin which is becoming widely prevalent, and i"
culated wherever it In propa gated to undermine tW
sense of responsibility which is the a!t of the wojd
and preserves it from moral ruin. j
There ap a great many insidious notions spreadii?
themselves like a secret conlagion through society
which, being- associated with benevolent enterpri4
are apt to deceive good men and elude detection,
are j poisoning and polluting the popular mind
most deplorable effect. . The one to which we H
now referred, is one of the most injurious of "f
we can conceive. It robs one of the worst of bun?
vices, of its most revolting features, and repre?
the criminal as an object offender and even rooianti
inteiest, whilst it diiects the severest dennnfiati
against those who'aid and abet him. The forgera'f
the-robber, after one offence, is never forgiven
society; but the drunkard, more pitied than despM
is received with open arms, forgiven, petted, apd
oredpnd even if he dies like a be'ast, is buried B'j
saint, and a funeral eulogium is pronounced over W
trrava rV . u . . ..locspS Cs
e. -.v.. me wui-iu is ioo severe to some
offenders, and altogether too lenient and compliceC,
towards others.
Drawing. Not drawing water, nor drawing prlZff
nor drawing dividends but drawing lessons;
this beautiful accomplishment eomuch neglected no
by the young ladies? Many of them would be,m"
better employed with the pencil and brush, thr"
are, trying to draw music from unwilling strings-
Foxwn. Somewhere in this vicinity.the broken M
ments of a shattered star, and the shreds of a tatteT..
standard. The remains are so few and indistinct u
it may be found difficult to identify them.
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