1 ' ,
'HI-
Si-
-ii
WILLIAM D. COOKE,
EDITOR & PROPRIETOR.
A FAMILY NEWSPAPER NEUTRAL IN POLITICS.
fERMS,
TWO DOLLARS PER AHUM
1!
Befeotctr to all tije In letests of EJje Soutfj, literature, true atom, rteulture, 3tes,tf)e ittarfeeta, &c.
J
VOL. Ill NO. 50.
Pi A LEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1854.
WHOLE M 154
X
MISCELLANEOUS
From the '.-C. .University Magazine.
MY SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS.
In the course of the last month we have
read two Autobiographies, which afford in some
respects i parallel, but in most, a contrast the
strongest possible. In one, a woman tells the
world what .has been her manner of life and
why, and a man gives us his story in the other.
. Thev are b th eminently earnest characters
Vto borrow a cant word of the day both know
what work is both have Achieved the end for
which they labored and neither, we think
appear to have any apprehensions in awaiting
the verdict of the public. But here the parallel
ceases. The lives of Anna Cora Mdwatt and
' Hucrh Miller, were not more widely sundered j
and discordant in sphere and object, than are
the details ami conclusions of their autobiogra
phies. Mrs. Mowatt was born a butterfly, and
lived the happiest, and most amiahUy and most
beautiful, and most fortunate of butterflies, till
the weather changed. Then unlike most but
; terflies, she met the storm bravely and cheer
fully, left her garden of rbses, and went ho
nestly to work. We do not quarrel witjrf her
field of labor. It was the one best adapted to
her tastes and abilities, and inwhich by nature
and education she was eculiarly fittedto excel.
When a butterfly takes to work at all, we should
not be. too rigid in allotting it for hjbr. ' What
: she did, she did wjll and with, all iher might,
houestly, an 1, we had almost said wanfully
woman fully however, is a much better word.
And now, as she retires gracefully and honbra
bly from her chosen scene of action, let no one
who values and applauds at any time well-directed,
upright and persevering talent and in
dustry, refuse her the appropriate wreaths and
garlands.
Far different the estimate of this other life, far
deeper the le-sons taught, far higher its aims,
and .more enduriug its rewards. Hugh Miller
is one of the men of the age. As a 'man of
science and tf Staters, he has mude his mark,
well defined and lasting, and needs no panegy
ric of ours ev en were we capable of estimating
all that he has done.i But as a self-taught, self
. made man, who owes his present position to
: no patronage of wealth or fa-hiou, but solely to
. bis own unassisted effort,- .we find it good to
- '. Contemplate and admire him.
" " An autobiography is very pleasant reading,
when we have reason to believe it honest. It is
' enlarging the circle of one's acquaintance, one's
-' sympathies and interests, without the formalities
bf introduction and the slow lapse of months
and years. We shake hands with Mr. Milier
over 'many a sentiment, enter into his specula-
tiotis, share in his disappointments, and rejoice
over his successes with all the zeal of growing
friendship, and at the close of his book look
once more at the steady manly face in front.
"s as at that of a tried and trusted -personal friend.
: Descended from a race of brave adventurous
sailors, ot a family poor but eminently respect-
- able, Mr. Miller tells us that he spent a daring.
. rami 'ling and somewhat untraet.nble childhood
and youth, in the tjown of Cromarty, on the wild
seashore of Northern Scotland. The acknowledg
ed leader of the town boys in all ad ventures and
6crapes; excelling in personal strength land
activity of body and mind, he yet lived alone,
a life of his own, not profitable to look at, but
yielding fruit at last. His long rambles .on
the seashore, and among the glens and mosses
of the country . gave full scope and exercise to
an inquiring mind, and to the powers of close ob
servalion and induction, which we consider
more a gift than a habit of mind. If they
are indeed a habit that may be acquired, they
are: the best substitute for genius the world wilt
ever know, but if they are given, and one man
"'mav have, and another may not, then they are
'"genius itself. He was a Geologist born. Where
his schoolmates saw only rough caves and pre-
cipices, shining bits of rock, and queer shells,
he like the man in the fairy tale whose sight
was cleared to behold gems and precious things
where others saw nothing, was stirred to adnii- j
ration and wonder, and inquiry, and stud;-, and j
fresh discoveries, and finally to a larger life and j
hope than his comrades could ever know. ' He j
was a re ider too of old- ballads of Scotch
worthies, of old books of travel and romance,
for tho' a shrewd and sober and steady Scotch
Presbyterian in every vein apd thought, yet was
lie a poet withal, loving all jthings beautiful and
noble from the bird singing in the breezy, tree-j
top, 10 the hero lives of Wallace and the Bruce.
. On arriving at an age to choose his business
for lite, with his preferences for out-door employment,-and
inevitable geologic tendencies, he
decided upon the life of a stone mason, much
in opposition to the wishes of his family, "who
like most Scotch people, set a high value on edu
cation and distinction in some liberal profes
sion. But as a boy, our friend h;.d not availed
himself of advantages for "schooling," and as
a young man he was still unwilling to submit
to such discipline of mind. His Schools and
. Schoolmasters were to be under the blue sky,
in quarries and " old Red Sandstone" formati
ons. But at the close of his biography he, re
cords his emphatic testimony against bis Own
neglect, for which he paid the penalty of spt-hd-in
ten of the best years of his life in hard ma
nual labor : arriving by slow and laborious pro
cesses at conclusions and benefits to which a sys
tematic education would have smoothed and
' accelerated his progress. -Meanwhile
we are selfish enough to be glad
of his experience amoDg stone-masons. AVe
like to read about the people of a country.
Xot the gentry and nobility with their conven
tionalites and conservatories nor the scientific
men with their associations and theories nor
the literary men with their refinements and
gossip, butewe like to know what the men and
women who live on oat meal and potatoes the
year round, think about, and how. Wherein the
mechanic differs from tha day laborer, and how
far this differ nee is to be charged to difference
of employment, since the operations of their
minds are more affected and controlled by the
occupation of their hands, than of those whose
hands are employed by their minds. In one
of his published works, one of the most delight
ful too " First Impressions of England,'' we
went heartily with him in his " Second Class"
tour through the country. We are tired of
letters of introduction, and invitations to dinner
from Miss Mitford and Carlvle, and Earl Grey,
and Mr. Peabody, and the stereotyped round of
courtesies and hospitalities. When wego to En
gland, unless indeed it be inan official capacity,
Envoy Extraordinary from our beloved country,
or some little matter of that sort, we shall go
as did Mr. Miller, in second class cars, to second
class, or perchance third class hotels dealing
largely as became that eminent geologist with
the primitive formations of Society, the lower
strata, so to speak. He has a hearty sentence
in that book which is worth much fine spun
philanthropy, and is a key to much of our enj y-
ment in association with our fellow men "It is
pleasant to throw oneself unknown and unre
commended on the humanity of our fellows,
arid to receive kindness simply as a man."
The life of a stone mason involved much
hardship and privation among a class of men in
no way calculated to forward Mr. Miller's plans
and aspirations for self-improvement. When the
hard day's work was done,.. he hurried off to the
rocks and woods to get new lessons in geology
and natural science, but so slow were the pro
cesses of an untaught, unaided mind that he of
ten details in a few sentences, facts and conclu
sions, which were the result of years of toil and
struggle to him. The lives of men of mark are
uot records of sudden intuitions of genius at one
bound as it were establishing their superiority
and triumph but of long aud patient labor,
persevering efforts towardsa definite object, of
ten among unpropitious surroundings, and fre
quent discouragements. Step by step he won
his way. Having his winters free, he employ
ed every means to add to his store of facts aud
general information. A visit to Edinburgh,
where he fbuud employment for two years in
stone cutting opened fresh sou'ees of interest,
and gave him more confidence, a quality which
he seems to have lacked, though possessing a
full share of the national traits of self-respect
and self-reliance. His first essays at writing at
tracted attention. Sometimes suggestive facts
of his own observation in natural science, some
times poetry, and sometimes dipping into - the
church questions in which every Scotchman feels
a personal interest, whatever he wrote bore the
stamp of originality and clear sense. Friends
were made, and influence established among the
good and honorable, but it is pleasant to see his
sturdy independence of all 41 patronage." He
was never ashamed of his occupation, nor afflic
ted with fears of criticism. An honest stone ma
son he was content to be, believing doubtless
with Cadyle that thereis a perennial nobleness
and sacredness in work.
The large majority of men have their own way
to make in the world. 'To the large majority
then such a record as this should be interesting
and valuable. The atmosphere of thebook,if we
may so speak, is in a remarkable degree health
ful and invigorating. There is no cant, no
weakness, no bigotty, no infidelity.- A Chris
tian man, working with his two hands for his
daily bread, yet sending a keen and powerful
mind far abroad among his Maker's works, ex
ploring fresh fields and making new discoveries.
aJmiring, adoring and then recording for the
oeuefit 0f his fellow men,is surely an object wor-
j lhy our a3mjratin and emulation.
AYith many scientific details and speculations,
there is much poetical feeling and expression in
tliis volume, and indeed in all his books that
we have read ; and withal a vein of dry humor
"cropping out " at intervals with wonderfully
pleasant effect. He tells of a large eagle shot
bv one of his uncles, which he divested of its
skin to pres-erve as a trophy. Some young fel
lows of the town seeing the eagle after the ope
ration looking remarkably clean and well condi
tioned, sent it to a half witted old woman as
"a great goose the gift of a geirleman." It was
thankfully accepted, and the cfld lady's cottage
proved odoriferous for several days at dinner
time. Beirg asked how she liked tho great
goose the kind gentleman sent her, she replied,
" Unco sweet, but O, teuch, teuch."
We were led by this anecdote into specula
tion as to whether the race of eagles was quite
as extinct in the neigh borhorhood of ChapelHill,
as has been heretofore supposed. We are sure
that " great geese " are not.
Since every good man's life should disclose
more or less of Love in its manifestations, we
were unce glad to see the motto tor one of the
later chapters contain some hint of a " maiden's
ear." "We confess to much skipping of lime
stones aud cephalopodus moll uses, upon that
discovery; for with all our admiration of .fos
sils, ichthyolites, ammonites and the Hke, "we
have also a great desire for more information,
upon the mention of a pretty girl. We cannot
help it, but truth is truth and must be told we
like to re id about a genuine courtship, and thd
greater the man, the more curious are we to
learn how he acquitted himself in the ' nice art
of love-making." We remember that Chan
cellor Eldon's life had an added charm for us as
well as for Eldon himself when his "Bessie"
made her appearance. We fell in love with her
at first sight, when she wore a white frock
and long curls like a child, and when she tied
a wet towel round her forehead to keep herself
awake to share her young husband's toils and
studies far into the night our admiration
knew no bounds. So when we spied the motto
of the twenty-third chapter of Mr. Miller's au
tobiography, as we said before, we made haste
to get to it.
A very pretty story and very nicely told.
Mr. Miller is hewing stone in somebody's gar
den, some ladies stop to chat with him, wheu
another " very pretty young lady" " a ligth
and o newbat petite figure" "cle.tr complex-'
ion," and all that, runs artlessly down the walk,
bur iedly speaks to one of the ladies, and is off
again, without having seemed to notice the ma
son who stood by. The mason saw her, howev
er, without dreaming of what be learned some
time after, that the hurried run down the gar
den was a premeditated artifice, to get a look
at the poet fnason whose name wasbeginning to
be widely known. He, poor man, seems to
have been hood winked at the fiist glance,
and therefore cannot be supposed to have seen
many steps of his after way. We, however,
have our own opinion as to the sequences.
How came it, we ask, that this young lady
happened (?) soon after that first interview to
be walking along oris of his favorite walks, "a
tree-skirted glade" " sauntering leisurely along,
now and then dipping into a rather bulky volume
which she carried that had not the least look of
a novel," and which proved to be an elaborate
essay on causation i i'ray, will any body , tell
us ? We don't say we know how it " hapy
peued," but we do say that though Mr.
Miller may have known a great deal about
' trap" it is very evident to our mind that he
was not quite up to it. And we will lay a
wager to any amount that that young woman
knew a blessed deal more about effect than she
did about cause.
It only remains to be added that they were
married. After that treatise on causation we
saw how it would be. Soon after his marriage
he was offered a place of trust in a Bankin his
native, town which he filled for a short time
removing thence to Edinburgh to take charge of
a paper which under his hands has become
one of the leading journals of the kingdom.-
Besides his duties as Editor he has, . iven to the
world a series of volumes which are no less
admirable as contributions to literature than as
scientific manuals. Geology of the Bass Rock,
The Old Red Sand-tone, Footprints of the Cre
ator, and First Impressions of England, are all
emphatically valuable and charming books.
We especially like his delineations of national
traits, and his estimation of national character.
" First Impressions of Eng and" has more about
the formations of church and State, Dissent and
Radicalism, than about organic remains and Sali
ferous systems, and we find its pages more at
tractive than his more strictly scientific produc
tions. As a book of travels it is eminently
fresh and original, and for free and fair consi
deration of various social and religious systems,
and national and individual peculiarities and
prejudices we know not its equal.
As to Mr. Miller's geology, we would like to
say something if the greater part of it were
not as yet terra incognita to us. The theories
of modern geologists make a near approach
to the soniethihg "new under the sun" so
many years ago pronounced unattainable.. The
science, however, as yet is but feeling its way
to the formation of a complete and coherent
system. The prejudices against it that have
been entertained by good men and even the
learned from the apprehension that its theories
were in opposition to the revelations of Scrip-
ture, are fast subsiding as apparent contradic
tions become less prominent and fresh grounds
r
for reconciliation are every day more apparent.
Cowper's well known lines are yet quoted,
though with less and less confidence
!i Some drill and bore
The solid earth, and from the strata there
Extract a register by which we learn
That He wht made, and revealed its date
To Moses, was mistaken in its age."
Geologists deny that its date was revealed to
Moses, or that a date was assigned to any thing
but the age of our race. Meanwhile the wit
nesses are being examined on both sides, and
we doubt not they will be found to agree at
last, and Geology will take her stand with her
sister Sciences as the han maid of that Re
ligion without which our world would be in
finitely more dreary and uninhabitable than
when brute monsters alone ranged its surface
fir rolled in its strnncit seas. Thfi Dwdonrif. srs.
I ' o o es j-
terns and theories of Lyell and Miiler, as far as
we have read or comprehend them, are as beau
tiful as they are new, and even more grand
than beautiful. The links that connect the
lower orders of animal lifd with the higher
are stretched to infinite extent; and for a vi
sion of earth descending from her Maker's hand
in full robed and perfect beauty "in the space
of fix days," we are taught that earthquake
and fire and rolling oceans were at work for their
appointed series of ages, preparing it by slow
gradation and gradual progress for the final con
summation of beauty, when it was pronounced
very good, a:d fit for the abode of an intelli
gence created io its Maker's own image.
Yet Mother Earth is sadly changed to our
filial eyes by these curious consideration. W
lose the soothing idea of her kind natural bo
som, where all her weary children long to be
at rest. Consumed by internal fires raging fierce
and untameable washed by the hungry sea that
prowls restlessly day and night around tossed
and trembling with strange throes and convul
sions ever changing and bearing within the
wild elements of her own destruction this can
not be our rest. C.
THE MEBANE FAMILY.
"Colonel Alexander Mebane, the patriarch of
the family, came from the north of Ireland and
settled in Pennsylvania, where he remained sev
eral years, when he removed with his family to
North Carolina and settled in the Hawfields, in
Orange county. He was a of man good sense,
upright, industrious and prudent in the manage
ment of his business affairs and soon acquired
considerable wealth. He was commissioned Col.
and Justice of the Peace under the Regal gov
ernment. He had twelve children, six sons and
six daughters, all of whom, except one, married
and settled and raised families in Orange county.
After the Declaration of Independence it was
soon ascertained that they were in the neighbor
hood of many Tories; but the old gentleman and
all his sons except the youngest who was not
grown, at once Decame Whigs and active defen
ders of the liberties of the country and support
ers of the army. The British and Tories com
mitted great depreda'ions on the old gentle
man's property burnt his barns and fences,plun
dered his dwelling and took away every thinr
they could carry, even emptying the feathers
from the beds and carrying away the ticks and
furniture. The old gentleman was too old to be
come an active soldier himself; but his sons were
active and zealous in the cause of Independence.
William, the oldest, was a Captain in the mi i
tia. Alexander was constantly and actively- en
g ged in the service of his country, and in addi
tion to other duties, he discharged that of Com
missary in collecting and distributing supplies of
necessary provisions to the troops. The neigh
borhood was so much harrassed by the Tories
that he was compelled to send some of his old
est children and servants to a place in an ad
joining county .out of their range. When Corn
wallis took Hillsboro', he narrowly escaped on
foot, leaving a valuable mare, saddle and bridle,
holsters and pistols. Whilst the British army
were in Hillsboro', a company of them who went
into the country around to collect supplies visit
ed his mdl and dwelling", when there was no per
son on the premises except his wife and some of
the youngest children, and carried away meal
from the mill, and bacon and poultry from and
about the house. A few days after this, Lee's
company of Light Horse with a company of Ca
tawba Indians passed by the mill, apd in a d tv
or two after this, eight or ten of Genl. Picken's
men called at the gate, when Mrs. Mary Mebane,
wife of Alexander, went out accompanied by
some of the youngest children who were at home
with her-and one of the men presented a pistol
to her breast and threatened to shoot her unless
she would tell them where her husband was.
She replied that he was where he ought to be,
in General Green's camp ; and after some more
talk, they asked her for something to eat. She
brought it out to them, and they eat it sitting
on their horses and departed.
Col. Robert Mebane was a man of undoubted
courage and activity in the cause of his country
and was a Colonel in the C -ntinental line of the
army. He was in many battles and skirmishes
wiih the British and Tories. At the battle on
Cane Creek he displayed great prowess and val
or and fought hero-like. General Butler having
ordered a retreat, Colonel Mebane rushed before
the retreating army and, by violent efforts, got
a part of them stopped, and gained a victory.
Towards fhe close of the battle, ammunition be
coming scarce, he passed along the line carrying
powder in his hat and distributing it among the
soldiers, encouraging and animating them to
persevere in the bloody strife. He was after-!
wards with his regiment on the waters of the
Cape Fear, contending with the Tories ; but be
ing notified that his services were needed in the
northern part of the State, he set out accompa-;
nied only by his servant. On the way, became
upon a noted Tory and horse thief, by the name
of Henry Hightower who was armed with a
British musket. Knowing him, and perhaps
too fearless and regardless of the consequences,
he pursued him and wflen within striking dis
tance with his arm uplifted, Hightower wheeled
and shot him. Perhaps one of the first expedi
tions in which he was engaged was in compa
ny with General Rutheiford, in 1778, with one
thousand and nine hundred men, against the
"overhill Cherokees," routing them, burning
their towns and" destroying their crops, in which
he displayed his fearlessness and -unflinching
courage. In person he was large, strong, active,
and of commanding appearance.
Colonel John Mebane, late of Chatham coun
ty, entered as Captain in the service of his coun
try in the time of the revolution. When Hills
boro' was taken by the British and Tories, the
Tories commanded bv the notorious David Fan
ning, he was captured and with Thomas Burke,
Governor of the State, and William Kinchen
and others,' was marched under the Tory Col.
McDougal, who although there was an attempt
made by the Whigs to rescue them at Lindley's
mill, succeeded in taking them to Wilmington,
N. Cn when they were pot oo board a prison
ship and from there taken to Charleston, S. C,
where they were still confined on board the ship
for a long time, suffering extremely by the pri
vations, heat, filth and vermin and the diseases
common on board prison-ships. As John Me
bane and William Kinchen, after their release,
were on their way home, Kinchen was taken
sick and died.
A skirmish took place in the Hawfields, ner
old Colonel Mebane's house, .between a small
party of Whigs and Tories, in which the Tories
were defeated and fled. The Whigs pursued
them. Joseph Hodge, a v:.jant Whig, who was
very resolute aud eager in the pursuit, overtook
a noted Tory, by the name of John Hasting,
who was an active Tory and had piloted the
British and Tories through the neighborhood
(he living near Col. Mebane's,) to places where
their property was conceahd.
Hasting wa armed with a British musket
and bayonet. He was overtaken, surrendered
to Hodge, and pitched his musket from him
which stuck in the ground by the bayonet.
Ilodge wheeled to pursue the other Tories who
were still before, leaving Hasting to the care of
John Steel, who was just behind. Hasting took
his gun and shot Ilodge, as he rode from him,
in the hip with the iron ramrod, and attempted
to escape. Steel fired his rifle at him and .the
ball struck a tree near Hasting's head. Steel
then charged upon him with his sword, cutting
his nose through into the face, and splitting his
head in a variety of p'aces, and would have
killed him if it had not been for the entreaties
of Hodge, who was lying near with the iron
ramrod st eking in him, and begged him to
spare his life. He being then literally cut to
pieces, he got a hat, fitted the pieces of skin on
his head and put on the hat jo hold them to
gether. He was then put into the' custody of
Moses Crawford to take him to jail in Hillsbo
boro'; but as they were passing the lane of Jas.
Mebane, Senr., Hasting snatched a stake out -of
the fence, knocked Crawford down and escaped.
The ramrod was drawn, with much effort, from
Hodge, and he had to secrete himself from the
Tories until he got well. During this time he
was occasionally visited by Doct. John Umstead,
a worthy man and eminent physician, who prac
tised medicine successfully for many year, af
ter the war, in the Hawfields, and whose mem
ory is yet cherished by many who had parta
ken of his kindness and skill. David Mebane,
the youngest of the brothers, did not arrive at
the age at which men were taken into the ser
vice until near the close of the war, yet he serv
ed two terms in the militia.
After the close of the war, the sons of old Col.
Mebane were highly respected for their services
in obtaining the liberty and independence of
the country, and were frequently called upon to
serve their country in various departments.
William Mebane was chosen by the freeholders
of Orange county, in 1782, to serve them in the
Senate of the General Assembly, with WTilliam
McCauley and Mark Patterson in the Commons.
He was twice married. His first wife was a
Miss Abercrombie, with whom he lived many
years, and in his old age he married a Miss
Rainey, a daughter of the Rev. Benj rmin Rai
nej . He died leaving no child, having had none
I by either marriage.
Alexander Mebane was a member of the Pro
vincial Congress or Convention that met at Hal
ifax, on the 16th day of December, A. D., 1776,
to form a Constitution of the State, and of the
Convention at Hillsboro', to fix the Seat of Go
vernment and adopt the Constitution of the U
nited States. He was a member of the House
of Commons of the General Assembly, in 1783
'84, '87, '88, '89, '90, '91, and '92.
About this time he was elected a Brigadier
general by the General Assembly of North Car
olina. In 1793, he was elected a member of
Congress and served two sessions in Philadel
phia. He was elected again to the next Con
gress, but died before the commencement, on
the 5th day of July, 1795. He was-dislinguish-ed
for his sound practical sense, his unblemish
ed integrity and unflinching firmness. General
Alexander Mebane was born in Pennsylvania,
26th of November, 1744. He was married to
Mary Armstrong, of Orange County, in Febru
ary, 1767, by whom he had twelve children,
four sons and eight daughters. One of the
daughters died before she was grown. All the
other children married and had families. Of
his sons there are yet alive, James Mebane, Es
quire, now near Yanceyville, Caswell county,
who has been much in public life, served very
often in both Houses of the legislature, was one
of the first students at Chapel Hill, and one of
the founders of the literary societies there. The
Dialective Society, to perpetuate his name and
his services, have procured a life-like penrait of
him, that may be seen in. their hall. He mar
ried in early life Elizabeth Kinchen, the only
chid of William Kinchen, whose name has been
mentioned in this sketch, by whom he had six
children, five sons and one daughter. William,
who lives at Mason Hall, in Orange county, and
Doct John Alexander Mebane, at Greensboro',
Guilfori county. Of his daughters, two only
survive, Frances, the wife of the Rev. William
D. Paisley, who is the son of Colonel John Pais
ley, a brave and valiant eoldier of the Revolu
tion, and Elizabeth, the wife of William H.
Goodloe, of Madison county, Mississippi. Ge
neral Alexander Mebane was, in his person,
what is "generally termed a likely man, about
six feet high, of ruddy complexion, black hair,
and of robust appearance.' He was a member
of the Presbyterian church, and died on the 5th
day of July, 1795, with a comfortable assurance
of a glorious and blessed irnmortal:ty. Some of
his last words were I know Him in whom I
have believed.
Capt. James Mebane was also actively em
ployed during the Revolutionary war. He mar
ried Margaret Allen, of the Hawfields, by whom
he had a large family of children. He died
some years before his wife.
1 Col. John.Msbane, late of Chatham county,
was elected for that county, and serv d in the
House of Commons of the General Assembly, in
1790, '91, '92, '93. '95, '98, '99, 1800-1-3-8
-9-11. About the close of tire war he
married Mr.. Sarah Kinchen, widow of William
Kinchen, who died on his way boms, from the.
prison-ship, at Charleston, S. C, by whom ho
had one son, John Briggs Mebane, who repre
rented the county in the House of Commons in
1813, and one daughter who married Thomas
Hill, of Rockingham county.
David Mebane, the youngest son of the pa
triarch of the family, represented the county of
Orange, in the House of Commons, in the years
1808, '09 and 10. He married Miss Ann Al
len, of the Hawfields. He had a large family of
children, of whom George A. Mebane of Mason
Hall, merchant and Post Master, is one. After
the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Eliz
abeth Young, of Caswell, by whom he had one
daughter. He died several years before his last
wife.
A considerable portion of this numerous fam
ily are now living in Orange, Caswell and Guil
ford counties ; but a large portion have migra
ted to the west and are living in various States
of lennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana,
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas."
The above sketch was furnished by James
Mebane, Esq., of Caswell county, who is so well
known over the State for his integrity, his strong
good sense, his public spirit and the consistency
of his Christian deportment. It was furnished
at my special request ; and for this act of cour
tesy and kindness I consider myself under strong
obligations.
It was my design from the first, provided the
memorarvla could be obtained, to give a sketch
of Col. Robert Mebane, whose military and pa
triotic services, during the war, I had always
heard mentioned in terms of high commenda
tion ; and for this purpose I applied to his neph
ew, Doct. John A. Mebane, of Greensboro', who
told me that he had several brothers who were
equally patriotic and active during that eventful
period of our country's history.. I then told hira
that I would be glad to get an account of the
others also ; and he referred me to his brother
James who was much older and much better
acquainted with the history of the family. At
my request he promptly consented to procure
the facts from his brother; and the sketch which
he has furnished is certainly a very well written
one for a man who is seventy-five years of age.
It contains many facts of interest, as matters of
history, and having been written, as it evidently
was, with great candor and modesty, it will be
read with pleasure by every one who admires
the spirit and character of the men who achieved
our independent.
According to the information which I have
had from other sources, I would say that the
writer, in this plain and honest statement of
facts, instead of exaggerating, has fallen below
the truth ; and that in all honesty and fairness,
much more might have been said. Some ten
or twelve years ago I called to see Nathaniel
Slade, then a man of advanced age, but a res
pectable citizen of Caswell county. He had
been in the Guilford battle, and on more than
one expedition with Col. Robert Mebane. The
energy and firmness which Mebane displayed in
the battle on Cane Creek have been already no
ticed. Disregarding the order of General But
ler for a retreat, he rallied as many of the men
as he could, renewed the conflict and gained a
victory, or rather made it a " drawn battle."
At the first opportunity, he went to Butler, told
him that he had disobeyed his order to retreat,
and then offered hira his sword ; but Butler
bad, of course, too much sense to receive it.
In this he showed the courage and magnanimi
ty of a hero ; and all the testimony I have had ,
in regard to this whole affair, is peifectly accor
dant. Immediately after the battle on Cane creek,
General Butler collected as many men as possi
ble, on the spur of the occasion, and pursued the
Tories. Sladg and Mebane were both on this
expedition, as they both belonged to Butler's
District. Whether it was owing to the difficul
ties which could not be overcome, or to be want
of sufficient firmness on the part of the com
manding officer, the writer has no means of as
certaining; but they did not overtake the Tories
and could not rescue the Governor. At a place
called the Brown Marsh, they met a party of
British and Tories, and a skirmish ensued.
Slade told me that Butler, under an impression
that the enemy had " field pieces," ordered a
retreat after the first fire and set the example
himself; but Mebane did just as be bad done on
Cane creek, disobeyed orders, rallied as many of
the men as he could, and continued the fight
until they were overpowered by numbers, or by
British discipline, and were obliged to retreat.
Slade said that he was not far from Mebane, and
heard him giving his orders in a bold, strong
voice : " Now give it to them boys fire ! Load
again, boys,' and give them another round
fire !" True courage is one of those things which
cannot be counterfeited ; and a man of real en
ergy and firmness will make his mark wherever
he goes. In this affair at jBrown Marsh, as at
the battle on Cane creek, Mebane showed an
utter disregard of his own safety ; and the old
man Slade, when speaking ' of i seemed to be
come qmte enthtttuastie.' It was on Ua return
from this expedition that he was killed or mor
tally wounded by the Tory, as above related, and
his death was much regretted by tjhe Whig
party. j
In the last will and testament of Colonel John
Mebane, of Chatham county, which I is dated
May 31st, 1834, I find the following bequest
which relates to a military relic of bis brother,
Colonel Robert Mebane, and touchingly indi
cates the martial spirit of the two bijothert.
" Item. I give and bequeath to my nephew, Dr.
John A. Mebane, of Greensboro, my silver til
ted sword, it being the first sword taken from
the British in North Carolina during jtbe revo
lutionary war, by my brother Col. Robert Me
bane." The sword mentioned in the above extract,
was taken by Colonel Mebane, from a British
officer, somewhere about Wilmington, or in that
region, but precisely when, and under what cir
cumstances is not now recollected. It has been
carefully preserved by Doctor Mebane, to whom
it was bequeathed ; and will probably be handed
down as a kind of " heir-loom" in the family,
for generations to come. Caruther'h Revolu'
tionary Incidents of the Old North State.
Naturalization La'ws. It is somewhat sin
gular that there should be so extensive! a misap.
prehension in regard to the naturalization Jaws
of this country, as seems to prevail. While the
general ideas concerning them are very vague
and indefinite, there are also very many persons
who have entirely mistaken views on the sub
ject, and few, except those whose business leads
them to investigate the subject, are really famil
iar with their provisions. At the present time
there is a very general interest in the matter, and
we have thought a slight and btief account
of them as at presentxisting might not he
amiss.
Under the present laws-for the naturalization
of aliens ' every applicant must have resided in
the United States for the term of five years pre
vious to making his application and in . the State
were he applies at least one year. The applica
tion may be made to any State Court, which is
a Court of record and has common law jurisdic
tion, or to any Circuit or District Court of the
United States. The fact of residence must be
proved to the satisfaction of the Court by oath of
two citizens of the United States, who must also
swear that the applicant is a person of good
.moral character, " attached to the principles of
the Constitution of the United States, and well
disposed to the good order and happiniess of the
same." The applicant must also swear to the
fact of residence and his desire to become a good
citizen, and must take a solem oath to; bear true
faith and allegiance to the United States, and to
renounce all allegiance and fidelity to every for
eign prince, potentate, state, sovereignity what
ever, and especially to such potentate (by name)
as he has previously been a subject of.' It must
,lso (except in one case, hereafter mentioned,)
le proved to the Court that the applicant has,
two years at least before applying for naturali
zation, declared on oath his intention to become
a citizen, arid to renounce all allegiance to his
former sovereignty before some Couit such as is
described above. In practice, this declaration -
is signed and swprn to before the clerk of one
of these courts', and by him filed as matter of
record, while the declarant takes a copy certifi
ed by the clerlt and the seal of the Court.' There
is one case where this previous declaration of
intention is. not required, and that is, where the
applicant can satisfy the Court that be arrived
in the country three years or more before be
came of ag , that he has resided here the full
five years, is of the requisite moral character, and
nas intended, bona fide, to become a citizen for
three years before making his application. In
this case no previous declaration is necessary.
All applicants must also renounce any title, or
order of nobility, if they, should have any such.
It is also provided by law, that children of
persons only naturalised, if minors at the time
of such naturalization, shall become citisens,
and the widow and minor children of an alien,
who has declared his intention of becoming a
citizen, and died before his admission, shall be
deemed to be citizens. Salem Observer.
Statistics or Muscclar Powkb. Man has
the power of imitating every motion but that of
flight. To effect this he has, in maturity and
health, 60 bones in his head, 60 in bis thighs
and legs, 62 in his arms and hands, and 67 in
his trunk. He has also 434 muscles. His
heart makes 64 pulsations in a minute; there
fore 3,740 in an hour, and 92,160 in a day.
There are also three complete circulations of bis
blood in the short space of an hour, jln respect
to the comparative speed of animated beings
and of impelled bodies, it may be remarked that
sizo and construction seem to have little influ-,
ence, nor has comparitive strength, though one
body giving any quantity of motion to another
is said to lose so much of its own. The sloth!
is by no means a smail animl, and Jyet it cant
travel only fifty paces in a day; a worm crawls
only five inches in fifty seconds ; but ladybird
can fly twenty million times its own length in less
than an hour. An elk can ran IT mile an4 ft
half in seven minutes; an antelope a 'mile 'id a,
minute ; the wild mule of Tartary has speed
even greater than that ; an eagle can flj( eigh
teen leagues an boUr ; and a Canary falcon can
even reach 2 50 leagues in the short space of six-
teen hours. A violent wind travels siity m3es '
in an hour ; sound, 1,1? English feel in a te-
conL-ueh&. '
-jU'2
ii !
dii
:'HH
13
1H
M
'firs'
tit
1
f
1
i
-
5 mmw?w