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VOL. 1. GREENSBOROUGII, WEDIESDAY MORNING, MAY 25, 1836. NO. 1. V Of fktbsrriplion. The Ueicon will be mii" cd tetany direction one year fur two jkh-ikk m advance; thhek boli. vhs if not paid within throe months from the date of the first number receiv ed ; one DOIX.VU twdmy iflvt ct.MS in advance for six months. t - Any peiron procuring r-nil Awarding the names of" rive individuals, accompanied by the crt-.li. shall receive the sixth copy gratis Or, clubs' of Bix individual transmitting tks doi, Lark. nhnll receive six con en. OT- Orders for the paper from b divtance must be cccompamed by the cuth or approved reier ence ht r . (kT PapcT3 disce-nt'nued only at the option of Ut publishers, uii le arrearage r! aue. Fosta.uk on letters mu-t invariably lie p i id. tyjlttvpftpyig. Advertisements not exceed ing one txpnre, will be neatly inserted threp tunes for onv: dollar, and twenty -five cent for each succeeding publication. Greater length; in the fame proportion. CT A liberal discount to such who advertise by the year. fCr Below will bo found a description of the "Great Kentucky Cavern,"' which will be ful lowed, from time to time, with descriptions of Fuch other works of nature or of art, which are deemed of interest, the most interesting of which will generally bo accomp iniell by an Engraving. SUBTERAIVEOUS WOXDERS. THE GHF..YT KKTV"'vY CAVKItX. . CHve trip ye powers, the woKdcrouasccncs to ehov, Onceal'd in dirknes?, 'in t!.e depths below. A very interesting account of this stu pcndou.s cavern, which is unparalleled in the history of subterraneous wonders, i s gi ven by Dr. Nahiim Ward, who published - - jf in the Monthly Magazine of October 19-- 10. It is bituatcd in Warren county, and y in' a territory not mountainous, but broken, iV" diffl-nni? nr this rennet irom an tun ether caverns hitherto i known. The Doctor, pro- n?3, and refreshments, descended a pit for ty feet in depth, and one hundred and twenty in circurnfe renc-j ; having a spring of line water at tho bottom, find conducting Tzr io tri ' entrance of the cavern. The open ing, which is to the. north, is from forty to fifty- f JHgK-alioiit-thriLy in -width. - It narrows shortly after, but again expand to a width of thirtv or forty feet, and a height of t went v. continuini these dimensions for about a rn tie, to :mtmt a manufactory of saltpetre has nscentlv been established. Thence to the second of these hoppers, two miles from the ontnne it i? forty feet in width, nnd sixty in height. Throughout nearly the whole cf the dis tinct' handsome w;l!s htvibeen mado by the manufacturers, of the loose lime stones. The road is. hard, and as smooth as a flag pavement. In every passage which the Doctor traversed, the sides of the cavern were perpendicular, and the arches, which have bid defiance even to earthquakes, arc regular. In 1S02, when the heavy shocks of "earthquakes came on which were so se verely felt in this part of Kentucky, the workmen stationed at the second hopper.-:, heard about five minutes before each shoek, a heavv rumbling no:s i.-,-we from the cave, like a strong wind. When that ceased, the rucks cracked, and the whole appeared to be going in a moment to final destruction. However, no one was injured, although large portions of rock fell rn different parts of the cavern. ""7 In advancing into the cavcrn,thc avenue iefU&'Trom the-second hoppers, west, one mile ; and thence, south-west, to the chi f area or city, which is six miles from the entrance. This avenue, throughout its whole extent from :the above status to the cross-roads, or chief area, is from sixty to One hundred feet in height, of "a similar width, and nearly on a level, the floor or bottom being covered with loose lime stone, and saltpetre earth. " When," observes the Doctor, " I reached this immense area, (called the chief' city) which contains up wards of right acres, without a single pillar to support the arch, which is entire over the whole, I was struck dumb with aston ishment. Nothing can be more sublime and grand than this place, of which but a faint idea can be conveyed, covered with one solid arch at least one hundred feet high, and to all appearance entire." Having entered the area, the Doctor per ceived five large avenues leading from it, from sixty to one hundred feet in width, and about forty in height. The stone walls are arched, and were from forty to eighty feet perpendicular in height before the commencement of the arch. In exploring these avenues, the precau tion was taken '-Jo cut arrowt, pointing to the mouth of the cave, on the stones be neath the feet, to prevent any difficulty ii the return. The first which was traversed, took a southerly direction for more than two miles ; when a second was taken, which led first east, and then north, for more than two milys further." These.,, windings at length brought ' the party, by another aven ue, to the chief city again, after having traversed, different avenues for more than rive miles- . Having reposed for a few mo ments on slabs of limestone near the cen tre of this gloomy area, and refreshed them selves and trimmed their lamps, they de parted a second time, through an avenue almost north, parallel with the one leading from the chief city to the mouth of the ca vern; and, having proceeded upwards of two miles, came to the second city, Phis l.-i covered "with a Pingle arch; nearly two hundred f et high in the centre, and is ve ry similar to the chief city, except in the number of its avanucs which are twq onlv. They crossed it over a very considerable rue in the" centre, and descended through an avenue which bore to the cast, to the distance of nearly a mile, when they came to a third area, or city, about one hundred feet sqar'e, and fifty in height, which had a pure and delightful stream of water issuing from the side of a wall about thirty feet high, and which fell on a broken surface of stone, and was afterwards lost to view. Having passed a few yards beyond this beautiful sheet of water, sj as to reach the end of the avenue, the party returned about one'huiulred yard?, and passing. over a con iilrrablc mass of stone, entered another, but smaller avenue to the right, which car ried t'h :u south, through a third, of an un commonly black hue, somewhat more than a mile ; when thev ascended a very steep hill about sixty yards, which conducted them to within the walls of the fourth city. It . is not inferior to the . second, having an arch which covers at least six acres. In th's last avenue, the extremity cf which cannot -bo less than four miles, from the chief citv, and ten from the mouth of the avem, aro rwards of salt-p tre earth on the one side, and bro ken limc-stcmc htnped up on the other, cv- idently the work of humrtn hands. From the course, of his needle, the Doc 'or expect' d that this nvenurr wotdd have led circutlously to the chief city ; but was much disappointed .when he reachc d the extrcmifv, at a L w hundred yards distant from the fourth city. In retracing his steps, not having paid a due attention to rtijrljrthr cttrrnrs nf fhfrditFTe'ritftvnoesj- he was greatly bewildered, and once com p!. tidy lo.-t hi m.-elf for fifteen or twenty luiniu' This--, faint and wearied, he did not reach t:ie chief aeri till ten Lt "night; b;:t win still determined to explore the ca vi rn so k;ri;r as his lijrht should last. Ha ving tut' red the fifth and last avenue from the chief area, and proceeded south-east :ib')i:t tiine hundred yard?, he came to the fifth area, the arch of which covers up wards of four acres cf level ground, strew ed with lime-stones, and having fire-bed of an uncommon size, surrounded with brands of can.?, interspersed. Another av cnuc on the opposite side, led to one of --till greater capacity, the walls or sides of which were mire perfect than any that had been noticed, running almost due south for nearly a mile and a half, and 'being very level and straight, with an elegant arch. While the Doctor was employed, at the ex tremity of this avenue, in sketching a plan of this cave, one of his guides, who had strayed to a distance, called on 'him -to fbl low. Ijoaviug tho -other, guide, be was. led to a vertical passage which opened into a chamber at least 1800 feet -in circumfer ence, and the centre of the arch of which was 150 feet in height. It was past midnight when he entered this chamber of eternal darkness ; and when he reflected on ihc tlifferent avenues through which he had passed since he had penetrated the, cave in the morning, and now found himself buried several miles in the dark recesses of this awful cavern the grave, perhads, of thousands of human be ings he felt a shivering horror. The av enue, or passage, which led from it was as large a?j any he had entered ; and it is un certain how far he might have travelled had his lights not failed him. All those who have any knowledge of this cave, he ob serves, conjecture that Cireen River, a stream navigable several hundred miles, passes over three of its branches. After about the lapse of an hour, he de scended by v.hat is called the " passage of the. chimney," and joined the other guide. Thence returning to the chief area or city, where the lamps were trimmed for the last time, he entered the spacious avenue which led to the second hoppers. Here he met with various curiosities, such as fpars, pe trifactions, Arc. ; and these he brought a way, together with a mummy which was found at the second hoppers. He reached the mouth vf the cave-about-three, in the morning, nearly exhausted with nineteen hours of constant fatigue. He nearly fain ted on leaving it,, afltj on inhaling the va pid air of the atmosphere, after having so long breathed the pate air occasioned by the nitre of the cave." His pulse beat stron ger when withinside, but not so quick as when on the surface. Here the Doctor observes that he has hardly described half the cave, not having named the avenues between its mouth and the second hoppers. This part of his nar rative is of equal interest with what has been already given. He states that there is a passage" hi the main avenue, upwards of nine hundred feet front the entrance, like that of a trap door. By sliding aside u large 'flit stone, you cah descend sixteen or eighteen feet in a very narrow defile, where the passage comes on a level,-and winds about in such a manner, as to pas? under the main passage without having any communication with it, at length opening into the niaincave by two large passages just beyond the Si-coiid hoppers. This is called the " glaubcr-alt room," from salts of that kind being found there. Next come the sick room, the bat room, and the flint room,, together with, a winding avenue, which, branching off at the second hoppers, runs west and south-west for more than two miles. It is called the " haunted cham ber," from the echo within : its arch is ve ry beautifully incrusted with lime-stone spar ; and in many places the columns of spar arc truly elegant, extending from the ceiling to the floor. Iear the centre of this arch is a dome, apparently fifty feet hk'h, hung in rich draDerv. festooned in the most fanciful manner, for six or eight feet from the hangings and. in colours the most L brilliant. By the refaction of one orjtwo lights, the colours of tpzt and the lac. tites havo a very romantic appearance. Of this spar a larire cellar, called " Wilkins' armoa cnair, nas ueen zormeti in uie een trc of the avenue, and encircled with many smaller ones. The columns of spar, flute J and studded with knobs of spar and stalac tite? ; thedraperrof tWrious colours superb ly festooned, and hung in the Inost grace ful manner ; these arc shown with the ureaast-brilliancy by. the. K flection of. the; limps. ... In the vicinity of rthc " hiunted cham ber," the sound ' olT a cataract was heard a ml" at the extremity of uic "avenue was a reservoir of water, very clear and grateful to the taste, apparently having neither in let nor outlet. Here the air, as in man;, oilier parts of tho cave, was pure and de lightful. Not far from the reservoir, an a venue presented , itself, within which were several columns of the most brilliant spar, sixty or seventy fet in height, and almost perpendicular, standing in basins of water; which, as well as the columns, the Doctor observes, surpass, in splendor aneLbeauty, cvury similar work of art he had ever seen. Returning by a beautiful pool of water, the Doctor came to the se:cond hopjKrs, where he had found the mummy before al luded to. It had been removed from an other cave, for preservation, and was pre sented to him by his friend Mr. Wilkins, together with tho apparel, jewels, music, &e. with which it was accompanied. It has since been placed in the Washington museum, the proprietor of which thinks it probable that this mummy is as .ancient as the immense' mound's, of the western coun try, which have sto much astonished the world. . . - - ' Wc cut the following justly merited and well expressed compliment to the fair sex from the Star ; and notwithstanding it has already been extensively copied -as indeed it deserves to be we take pleasure in pre senting it to our readers. Major Noah, as an editor is not supassed in this country. Since his fir.it appearance some twenty vears since, as an editor of the long since departed Advocate, which, in comparison with the papers of the present day, was a mere seven by nine affair, we have been familiar with his course, and though at times offended at his politics, wc have ne ver failed at being amused by the genuine humour and sparkling wit that always char acterizes his racy and pungent paragraphs, nor in being benefitted by his practical, good sense, or improved by the spirit of true benevolence and philanthropy, and the really christian principle, which .seems to exercise its influence upon his heart, and which dictated the following just and beau tiful remarks1: " A young lady, of wealthy connections, and beloved by a numerous circle of friends, died a few days ago, from illness, it is thought, occasioned -by a tco close application as a class teacher to a Sunday School. Soldiers who die oh the eL! of battle, ueianorcd with monuments and public demonstrations of respect, but how few among females, who perish in the noble cause of humanity, are consecratetl in history or rcmcmbcrrd, cxeeptimr1n- tle affections of bereaved friends. "1 some times the lightness and extravagance of women ore censured ; if their weakness and follies are magnified, we owe jt to jus tice to record their virtue?, their humanity, their noble efforts in the cause of cliarity and religion. They are at present the pil lars of the Church, the patrons and protec tors of most of our charitable institutions Nothing subdues their energy in a good cause ; they brave the " pcltings of the pi tiless storms," tho dang-r-s of disease, nay, even the terrors of death, rather than fail when beckoned on to the fulfilment of good deeds. Mahomet contended that women had no souls. Had he allowed them the privilege to which they wore entitled by nature, and their just influence in society, he would have discovered that their soul are .of more pure and ethcrial character than those of the lords of the creation.' It is one of the beautiful traits in the char acter of Frenchmen, that his ncan t and dearest and surest counsel, in all his affairs, is his wife ; on all occasions she is consul ted. It should be so with us." And what is death 1 Death ha." been styled the king of terror?. But to whom ? To none, surely, except the wicked and superstitious. To the 'disciples of enlight ened piety, the " followers after righteous ness and truth," death is really tho highest happiness. ' Man dives in death in bright er worlds to rise ; the grave's the subterra nean road to bliss." - Ifuf whit is death? Death is an Exemp tion from the toil, the pe rplexities, the va rious ills, that " flesh is heir to." It is lue enlargement of " the soul, from tho: narrow iimitrofm restraints of an - existence-- - circumscribing its enjoyments, its observation and" intelli gence, to the; bounded confines of a single locality -n nuti point -death is the af franchisement of the soul from this straight ened state of inadequate enjoyment, to the glorious freedom of the Sons of God ; the freedom of ranging where it wills through out the boundless field ofcreation : of visi-tinjj,-pursuant to its own desire, cverv por tion of that illimited expanse ; and of en.-1 joy ing tlio ineffable delight of unconfined observation and knowledge. """White' connected to the body, with no other avenues of intelligence than the cor poreal senses, the soul, in tho exercise of its powers, is much restricted. The body, composed of material matter, and hence subject to the attracting influence of gravi tation, naturally preponderates, in common with every other affianced substance, to its maternal earth ; and by no possible effort, 1 can be disengaged from this connection, j The soul, there fore, inscperably .conjoined to its material tenement, participates in this restriction, and, except some iudistiuet perceptions of the adjacent heave ns, in its views of exterior nature, is confined entire ly to terrestrial objects. And ( ven of these objects, of this world's garniture, and eceu pants, there are, doubtless, many things e'xistins, whereof, from the destitution of organs to appre he nd them, wo-ore utterly ignorant. " Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen." . Pnt up within- its opaque abode, .with only five, small, imperfect openings, thro' which to look upon surrounding - nature, and many ofthese objects, inehtbitably, from their minuteness, or immaterial na ture, being uncognizable by our bodily or gans, tho souC m this almost entombed state looking abroad only Jthrough a medi um so contracted and imperfect as the cor poreal senses, and upon objects subtile be yond sensorial perception, must necessarily remain totally unapprised of numerous exis tences, even in immediate proximity to our own persons. But what is death ? Death is the break ing down of this intervening partition be tween the soul, and undiscovered existen ces ; imparting to that spark, immortal, the unrestrained exercise of it3 perceptive pow ers: it is the disengagement of intellectu al light from mate rial darkness : it is that benign agency whereby the soul, as the butterfly from the chrysalis, is set at large, to roam, observe, rejoice, in the plenitude of its new-born being. This, when the good man- yields his breath, for the good man never dies, is, under the Adorable Su preme, the work of Death. The Album is a very pretty book; it catches many fine scraps of writing. Tlie loving swain will gometimes select this mode jto discover his affection : but you my go further, and detect the character of all men who write for it : for writing is but talking w ith the pen artel ink, and talking is the ex-tftftUa-6f-oit)8 idoag. l-'wil! 't&eifcUr give juu an index to the character of those who write for' an album.' If the author be of a phlegmatic, thinktrTfir turn of mind, admiring the operations of tho laws of nature more than those of art, his piece will partake of utility if of a rc fined sensibility and good education, his sentiments will combine rhetorical elegance, a delicate compliment, and a hint for intel lectual improvement; if wanting refinement and a delicate sensibility, btj would wish to appear to possess both, his . fik&3riliJbc .. bombast, and express so grossly hi 7ore of learning and beauty , U how his eharacr ter and want of each ; if ST lady's man his piece will inaccurate in grammar, show a display in great and pretty Tvords, without ideas, and all confusion j if a plain honest manf without affe ctation or any eccentrici ties, or strong points of character, his piece will be characterizui. with good -senseie short and coniprehensi ve. The Album i$ a valuable part of a lady's paraphernalia ; it serves to relieve an hour's ennui, and cx poses the character of those- who writ in it, which to them is an important kind of information. And it afford the best and most delicate opportunity to become ac quainted with any faroritt they majr wish, without being charged with too much duri osity or fondness. It is considered a com pliment by the gentlemen to be askd 'tow-rite in an album. It argues a favorable opinion, and a desire to become more ac quainted. I would advise all young and unmarried ladies 1o possess an clbum. Mankind believe ot disbelieve according to their habits ; that, which appears impos--sible to one, creates wonder that any doubt can btrTOterhcdjr nrasi exuavagani nignts oi imagination, would find credit sooner than a very com mon operation of nature, when related to some millions of inhabitants of various parts of this globe ; who judging fiom their own habits, and confined in their own means of information and cxpcricnco, conceive it to be utterly impossible, while as many, or more-, are as much astonished at its betrig" doirbtcd. The circumstance alluded to is frost, which to millions of inhabitants of the torrid zone, in Asia, Afrknd Amex. . ica, is so completely unknown, that it would require much ingenuity to invent a tale which thy would have more difficulty in believing, than that of water, or large riv. erj, becoming so solid as to admit ot men and beasts to travel upon the surface of the earth,, without sinking or even wetting their fee t. By way of illustrating this fact, permit me courteous reader, to tell you a sailor's story. - A sailor, who had been many years ab sent from his .mother, who lived , in an in. land country, returned to his native village, afte r a variety of voyages to diffe re nt parts of the globe, and was heartily welcomed by the old woman, who had long considered him ne lost, , Soon after his arrival, the old lady became Inquisitive, and desirous to learn what strange things her son John had seen upon the mighty deep. Amongst a va riety of things that Jack recollected, h mentioned his having frequently seen Fly ing Fish. " Stop Johny," says his mother, 44 don t try to 'impose such monstrous impo sibilities on me, child ; foe in good truth, I could aa soon hclieve you liad ..seen Jyirig Cows ; for cow;a, you ktbw John, can live., out of the water. Therefore tell me hon estly what you have seen in reality, but no more falsehoods Johny." Jack felt himself affronted jand, turning his quid about, when pressed for more cu rious information, he said, prefacing it with an oath, mayhap, mother, you won""! believe me, when I tell you that7 casting our an chor into the Red Sea, it was with difficul ty we hove it up again : which was occa sioned, do you t see, mother, by a largo wheel hanging on one of the flukes of the anchor. It appeared a strange old Grecicn to look at, so we hoisted it in, and our cap tain do ye mind me,; being a scholar, over hauled him, and discovered it was one of Pharaoh's chariot wheels, when he was cap sized in the Red Sea. This suited the meridian of the old lady's understanding, " Ay, ay, Johny," cried she, I can .believe this, for wc read of it in the Bible, but ne ver talk to me of Flying Fish." Harriott. Pleasure is a rose, near which there ever grows the thorn of cMl. It is wisdom's work so carefully to cull the rose, as to a void the thorri, and let its rich perfume ex hale to heaven, in grateful adoration of Him who gave the rose to blow. Silence sometimes bespeaks wi&dom In 4 i - V- - J "-r-r 4 i I . tr'l L- - - P : y
The Greensboro Patriot (Greensboro, N.C.)
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May 25, 1836, edition 1
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