x
RALKIGH. C.
TUBSDAY,....
.. . .OCTOBER 9, 1S7T.
CONGRESS.
- To-morrow week the Forty-fifth Con
cress meets in special session "because of
the necessity that exists to provide ways
and means for the support of the army and
i a i -.:. a
Eavy. 1 DO DQCeauiT uiU luuccu, cuavcu
for three months, all the provision made
by Congress the only department of the
Government that, under the Constitution,
had the power to make such provision
- having expired on the 80th of June; but
. Mr. Hates has seen proper, for . three
months and more, to provide ways and
means for the support of the army and
navy unknown to the Constitution, and so
Congress will not meet in -special session
- until Monday next, .' i"
,In an emergency of the sort that now
exists, and the existence of which was cer
tain from the adjournment , of the last
" Congress, it was manifestly the duty of
the President and in accordance with prece
dent, to have called an extra session at
once. But .plain as was his duty and
manifest as was his violation of it, we hear J
not a word of condemnation from those
gushing admirers, who hang upon his ut-
terances with all of a lover's ardor, 'and.
who see patriotism in all his acts and hon
esty in all his words. This is a singular spec
tacle now presented to the country, in which
men in the last six months of. a year can
find no fault with their fellow man in whom
. for the first six months of that year they
could find no good. We do not believe
that such a spectacle carries pleasure with
it to the "North Carolina heart. We do not
. believe that plain honest people in our
State can think it is right thus to praise
Mr. Hatks to-day without its having been
wrong to abuse him yesterday. We do
not believe that those same honest people
can think such sudden changes consistent
with both integrity and sound judgment,
in the men who make them. We do not
believe the plain honest people of North
Carolina can be persuaded that Mr. Hayes
is entitled to all the tncense and all the adu
lation that is daily offered up before him by
a certain class of people without shaking
.their confidence . either in the honesty
or in the Judgment of the Democratic
party and. without destroying their belief
in the necessity for the continued existence
; of that party to restore and maintain our
, rights and the liberties of our country. The
people of North Carolina are not thus
fickle and changeable .in their habits, ei
ther of thought or action; but fixed and
steady in both as they have been from the
beginning, they must naturally lose their
confidence in- men who thus prove
themselves as unstable as the wind.
It is unquestionably true that in refus
ing to maintain carpet-bag governments in
South Carolina and Louisiana against the
expressed will of the people of those States,
Mr. Hayes did an act that was both consti
tutional, wise and just The very statement
of the proposition shows that to be true. The
peopled South Carolina as did the people
of Louisiana' had a right under the Federal
Constitution, and one too that existed be-
- fore the Federal Constitution, to live under
. a government and under officers of their
own choosing. And because Mr. Hayes
did only what he was obliged in this mat
ter to do by his oath to support the Con
stitution, as he himself confesses, are the
people of North Carolina to fall down and
', worship him as no- President before has
ever been worshipped? Has Mr. Hatks
ever said one word in condemnation of
the- many usurpations of Geast's ad
ministration ? Has he even said one word
in condemnation of all the thousand crimes
committed in the South and against the
bouth by Gkaxts minions both military
anacivuf Who Knows that had he not
found himself stripped of Gnxyr's power
by a Democratic House of Representatives
he would not have continued Gbast's
programme? Mr. Hatks wished to be
President and he saw that the Democratic
members of the House of Representatives
had the power to prevent his inauguration
ana over and. over again it has been
nil n w An ,J 1 1 r . .
uioixcu uiu ne ami ma menus made a
specific baigain agreeing on the one side to
permit the inauguration and on the other
to obey the Constitution in leaving South
Carolina and Louisiana to govern them
seves. ...
.ho longer ago than the 14th of last
month, the New Orleans Picayune boasted
in the plainest terms that Louisiana had
nothing to fear from Mr. Hates, saying
;'If the wont comes to the worst, we have
President ' Hayes' promises reduced to
writing and securely stowed . away, which
may be produced when occasion shall de
mand." With all these facts staring them
in the face, we think the people of North
Carolina will deem a much longer probation
' necessary before they can consent to receive
Mr. Hatks in full; fellowship with those
whom they have been accustomed to es
teem as worthy of their admiration and
regard.
We take it then that knowing the senti
ments of their constituents, that not one
single Democratic member of Congress
wiU go to Washington next week, as a
Hatks gusher and incense burner not a
single one. We take it that measures of
legislation that promise to enure to the
benefit of the country they will sup
pers, no matter if. Mr. Hates favors them,
ana no matter if he opposes them; in a
word we take it that in deciding what
votes they will give, they wiU not stop to
consider trom what source any measure
may come but only whether it is constitu
tional, just and wise, and vote according v.
What win be done at the special session,
fa Wytr wt twin hi rr,i
"j urau tciiaui. i ne regular ses
sion wffl meet in less than two months, and
-a very large proportion of the special term
must be consumed in the selection and ar
rangement of the committees of the House
' . ...
so, mat py me tune the committees are all
appointed, and the House ready to get to
wore, tne beginning of the regular session I
wiU be at hand. We are Inclined to doubt,
mereiore, u the special session does more
man organize the new House, appoint its
committees, and make temporary provision I
for the maintenance of the army and navy,
and leave all legislation pertainine- to th I
vexed questions of the day to the regular I
session, which begins on the first Monday j
in December.'
. -.-1 hebe win ne lively times in 8outh
Carolina this month. The legislative com
mittee have Incontestable evidence of Pat-
tessom and Chambermin's robberies, and
that nearly every Radical member of the
present State Senate is guiltyof bribery.
xorgery and corruption. Warrants are out
for the arrest of ,all of them, and their
cases win come up in the present term of
me general sessions. : Quite
Quite a number of
W rascaU are anxi
10us.1t is said to ipeaclL
s .
LET THE SCHOOL FVSD BS COLLECTED.
Under the Canbt Constitution, the mon
eys coming in from fines, penal ties and for
feitures were all required to. be paid into
the State Treasury and securely invested
as a permanent fund, the interest on which
was to be divided among the several
counties in proportion to the nuin
of school children Uving therein. It
mattered not how much a county might
have contributed to the principal of this
fend, : it -could - only- receive- its pro
portional part of the interest. For exam-"
pie, from" "fines, penalties aad forfeitures'
the county of Edgecombe- in five years,
paid into the State Treasury the Bum of
$2,496.17, .while ,the jcounSyi ofi Craven
during the same period paid in from the
same sources, the sum of only one dollar ;
yet when the interest on that , amount
came to be paid put for the support of
schools,-: the ; county -of Craven, having
about the same number "of schoolchildren
living in it that ' Edgecombe' had, received
about the same amount that Edgecombe
did. :- In other words Edgecombe paid in'
very near twenty-five hundred times as
much money as Craven did, but for all
that she took out of the fund no more
than Craven did The county of Bruns
wick paid into the school fund three times
as much as did the county of New Hano
ver, and yet New Hanover drew put near
four times mote for its share of the inter
est than Brunswick did. ; - .'
The Democratic party thought a system
that permitted such f gross inequalities as
these, was manifestly wrpng and ought to
be broken up, , When therefore the Con
vention met in 1S75 the provisions of the
9th Article of the Constitution in regard
to the disposition' of the money coming in
from fines, penalties and forfeitures was
changed so as to read as follows: -'"
Sec. S.x All moneys, stocks, bonds and
other property " belonging to a county
school fund ; also, ' the net proceeds from
the sale of estrays ; also, ,' the clear pro
ceeds of all penalties and forfeitures, and
of all fines collected in the several coun
ties for any breach of the penal or military
laws of the State ; and all moneys which
shall be paid by persons as an equivalent
for exemption from military ' duty, shall
belong to and remain in the several coun
ties, and shall be faithfully appropriated
for establishing and maintaining free pub
lic schools in the ' several counties of the
State : Provided, That the amount col
lected in each county shall be annually
reported to the Superintendent , of Public
Instruction.
. The reasons for this change are plain.
It was seen that the present necessities of
the State for money for school purposes
were greater than they would probably
ever be again, and therefore it was wiser
to devote the whole of the fund arising
from fines and forfeitures to educational
purposes as fast as it came in than to go to
work creating a permanent fund that could
be practically available only to future gen
erations. It was thought and wisely too,
that situated as we were, it was about
as much as we could do to take care of
ourselves and leave posterity to look
after itself. It was found from sad exper
rience that under the old system the mon
eys received from fines and forfeitures were
not paid into the State Treasury at all, but
were irrevocably lost to the school fund both
for the present and the future. This evil it
was thought could be remedied by provi
ding that all such moneys should remain
in the several counties, and the whole
amount, not the interest merely, but both
principal and interest should be expended
in the support and maintenance of the pub
lic schools in that county. It was thought
that if this was done the county commis
sioners and school trustees would be more
vigilant in seeing to it that clerks and mag
istrates made prompt and honest returns.
It was estimated that the money thus
saved to the State and devoted to educa-.
tional purposes would be the means of
furnishing instruction every year to thou
sands and thousands more children of the
State than were taught under ihe old sys
tern, thus benefitting both blacks and
whites, and all good citizens irrespective
of race, color or previous condition who
wished their children to have the privi
leges of an education, and who had the
prosperity of the State at heart, were
urged to consult both their interests
and the good of the State by voting
for the amendments containing the new
provision above , set forth. As is Well
known to every one the people responded
to the appeals thus made to them and rat
ified the amendments by an ovewhelming
majority; by such a majority indeed as
was before unknown in the State. With
us, we frankly confess as we stated at the
time, in the columns of another paper, one
of the very strongest reasons that moved
ns to desire, a Convention, was that the
Constitution might ' be so changed as to
permit the Legislature and the people of
North Carolina to go forward untrammel
led in the cause of education. -' Under the
Canby Constitution the work was a hope
less one. ' '
. But changes in the Constitution for the
better will, do no good practically unless
the better provisions aje regarded, and it
would seem, if the complaints that are be
ginning to come in are well founded, that
the new provision of the Constitution in
regard to fines and forfeitures is not obey
ed. ' It is said in some instances, not many
we hope, that the moneys received from
fines and forfeitures have not been paid
over to the county authorities, and in this
connection we take occasion to commend
the recent action of the Board of Commis
sioners for WaSe county in directing pros
ecution to be instituted against all persons
failing to account properly for ail funds of
this" character, and to express the hope
that the example will be promptly followed
in every county in the State. Let school
committees and school trustees, and every
Dody who feels an interest in promoting
tne emoiency of our school system feel
that it is his duty to see to it that the fund
thus arising shall be appropriated to the
purpose prescribed by the Constitution. :
We look upon this as an important mat.
ter, and beg that our temporaries of the
press will call special attention thereto
Wa have entered upon a new era in the
matter of education in. North Carolina,'
and let us see to it that it shall prove a
better one well as a new one. But to
make it a better on we must have more
money as well as better intentions, and
this the prompt and full return of all
moneys arising from fines and penalties and
forfeitures into the hands of the proper
county authorities will give us. If the
press of the State shall do Us duty fully in
tt premises, as we doubt not it will do
It, our experience will prove that the
benefits actually derived from the ratifica-
- tion of the amendments to the Constitu
tion, in this regard at least, are to. the full
as great as it was predicted they would be.
A hew Radical paper called the Na.
tional Union made its appearance at the
National Capital on Wednesday 'nJ
last It will m,nt r. n ' . 0
. 41 ui i
- 1
: THE LOUISIANA TRIAL. '"
' i
The superior criminal court, before
which the case of the . members of the
Louisiana Returning Board will be pur
sued, has opened, ; and the case, will be
set down for trial at as early a day as pos
sible. The . State will be assisted by the
Hon. Jeremiah Black, while Wells and
his colleague have caiiea mr. duklla
b auger, of Ohio, anJ Mr. Wilson, of
iqwa now pracUcing Attorneys in Wash
ington City, to their assistance. What old
Jere Black don't know about trying a.
case is scarcely worth knowing, and what'
he doesn't know, about j the Louisiana Re
turning Board and its irascality is just
nothing at 1 all," We wcjuld father see him
in charge of the prosecution than any man
In America, His ability and h;s integrity,
and his will to prosecute to the bitter end
are all ; undoubted, and - the public may
therefore be satisfied t$at all that can be
done to convict' the scoundrels according
to law will be done. ' I : '
. There, has been and there still is a great
deal of talk about an agreement alleged to
have been entered Into" by Governor
Niciiolls or his friends io screen the mem
bers of the Returning Board from their mer
ited punishment. We rust that no such
agreement has been entered into; and 'we
shall : believe . that hone has been until
forced to do otherwise !by. the most un
doubted testimony. . '"; , ' ,
't It may have beep thai jit was agreed tha
political , ollences were Go be pardoned, on
either side, but that the 'crimes of forgery
and perjury wi th ' whicp. Wells and Ah
desoij stand charged before, the court
now in session pan be Classed as political
offences is something that passes our com
prehension.' ' Certainly any party that ad
mits that such practices are the means to
which it has had resort .to accomplish sue-,
cess, damns itself to everlasting infamy in.
the estimation of good men every where-;
And yet what is it to claim that Axpeb
son and Wells have been guilty of politi
cal offences only, but to 'admit that forgery
and perjury was the means resorted to by
the Radical party to put Mr. Htes in the
position he"now occupies? '
And stiU to-day both; these men are the
trusted agents of the FeVkijal government.
In spite of their known villainy, Sir. Hates
puts them in positions cf . honor and emol
ument, where none but men of the highest
integrity and moat spotless character ought
to be and there be keeps them. It would
seem to be the very aim, and object of Mr.
Hates to throw his weight and influence
between these guilty criminals and their
just doom. If this be not so, why does he
thus publicly take occasion to declare his
belief in their innocence of crime in the
most direct manner in which it is possible
for him to do so ? .
One of two things is pertain. When Mr.
Hatbs appoints men charged as Wells
and Axdeesos have . been charged, with
the gravest crimes, lie cither docs not
believe those men guilty, or he intends to
screen them from punishment at alL baz-
TW 5 n ' m a.
aras. -vs Air. uatesos not a tool, it is
not to be supposed hef thinks Wells and
Axdeksox two injured innocents, and we
are forced to the conclusion,, therefore,
that he is bent on saving them from pun
ishment for crimes jcommitted in his
interest, and the fruits of which he
is to-day enjoying. le may do this sim
ply from that kind of Jionor which is said
to exist even among thieves, or he may do
it because he fears their disclosures ; we
know not which it is njr do we care much.
We do know, howeveV, that the appoint
ment, oue after another of the Radical mem
bers of the Returning Boards of Florida and
Louisiana to offices of- honor and trust and
lucrative emolument Is a shame and a dis-
-'race to the country
and to the age in
which we live.
We trust we
shall
not be censured as
Bourbons fcr j objecting that such a dis
grace is upon us, but If we are, we can not
help it. Every time j that we . remember
that such scoundrels as those now in office
in New Orleans are the trusted and honored-agents
of our . government, we can
not help feeling the 'greatest indignation
at the man who is! responsible for the
damning disgrace. S r
Instead of indicting the rioters at Pitts
burg the grand jury has indicted Gen.
Peaeson the officer by whose command
the rioters were fired! upon by the mili
tary for murder. Commenting upon this
fact the New 1 ork Nation asks what the
Northern people wduld' hve thought if
instead of indicting: the men who took
- 4
part.in the Chisholni, tragedy, the grand
jury of Kemper county had indicted the
I !A ax 1 .im ' '
Duenu vi me county for Killing a man m
his attempt to prevent the . tragedy! The
question is a very pertinent one and shows
the difference between the Southern view
of things and the general Northern one.
Lbe Natwn evidently thinks that the
Pittsburgh . grand jrj as Judge Pearson
would say '-got the wrong sow by the
ear. . " ; " : ' : - "
The mail service ip North Carolina does
not often afford opportunity for congratu
lation either on our bwn account or that of
our neighbors. But the people of Fay
ettevUle, we rejoice? to see, 'are at last to
nave daily mail .service from this city.
After Monday nexfe they will be able to
read The Obsebveb on the morning of its
publication and to find therein later news
than will reach theni from any other quar-
ter- : ..! J'-":! V'-- :..
With our old fnftnds of the Pee Dee
country, too,, we are to be brought into
close connection.) So soon as a mail agent
is piacca on ine ( route or the Kaleigh &
Augusta Air-Line, subscribers to The Ob-
8BBTKB on the line ? the Carolina Central
... J. "um """ngion io unariotte,
will receive their papers on the day of issue.
,"aaEEEEEj
.The removal bf Mehemst Au from his
position or tommander-in-Chief of the
Turkish army on the Danube and the ap
pointment of Sclem ah Pasha to the com
mand is attributed to Turkish jealousy of
the foreign elemenf in civil and military
positions. Between! the two Generals also
there has long beei rivalry. The recent
victories of Sulkisun and retreat of Me
hemst have given .opportunity for the
change, though thef Turkish Government
has not been slow to change its Generals.
"The organization of Texas State troops
for service on the Rio Grande looks like
business.- . We hope it does, (. II the Gov-
ernment of the United States cannot nm.
tect the people of? Texas they should
m 1
they should
protect themselves. ExperieHce has shown
that; Diaz either cannot or will not stop
the raids of Mexican? marauders. He needs
assistance from the American side, and we
hope the Texans will teach him how to
administer justice.
The Grand Duke Nicholas is suffering
n"'
r-r -uova
witn nim. . i - 1
HAMPTON IS COMING.
Governor Hampton will deliver the ad
dress to the North Carolina Agricultural
Society at the approaching State Fair on
Thursday, October 18ttu ;'taf -
, . ' No! , more welcome, guest than Waob
H-istPTOS could eome to North Carolina,
Men of all colors and of every shade pf
poliiical opinion will unite bj'giv'mg a most
cordial greeting to the citizen who, in ad
dition to being a peerless soldier, wears
among -his laurels the crowning honor -of
being the redeemer of his State from a
government that for corruption and op
pression is without a parallel in history.
But it is not alone as a" famous solder aiid
distinguished citizen that he will be wel
comed to our State for as their faithful old
commander also he"wiU be greeted by men
from, every portion of the State with
whom he shared evorjdanger and every
hardship.. " '' " ' ;
- It is therefore with the greatest pleasure
that we announce that he will be with us
at oar approaching Fair knowing" as we
know to how many hearts in North Caro
lina it will carry joy.'' : ' '
. Senator Moktos's father and grand
father arc said to have died from paralysis,
and he lias a sister whom the same disease
has rendered perfectly helpless. ; :
The Pope has been contemporary with
all the Presidents, having been seven years
old when Washington died. . . .,
New York bankers have issued $45,
000,000 in letters of credit to" American
tourists this summer. . .
NEW TOltK CORB(SiPOiVDEIrE,
Correaponilence ot TBI Qbskrveb.1 . -'
y ' ' ,' New YoRK,'Oct. 2.,J877.
' I had a call to-day from the Hoh. A. H.
Stephens, of Georgia, who is here for a
week before the meeting of Congress.- He
is remarkably well for him, though his
man Aleck had to carry him in his amis up
and down stairs. Upon a level he walks with
the aid of crutches. " Otherwise he is less
changed since 1 first saw him than i might
have been expected,, He reminded me of
our first acquaintance, on the visit of Mr,
Clay to Wilmington in . April 1844. On
that occasion h delivered a speech at the
stand erected in the Walker lot a speech
of great power and humor, which delighted
the great crowd in attendance, as is no
doubt remembered by many, still Uving,
few of whom, I suppose, expected the di
minutive and sallow , young man : before
them to reach the. eminence to which, he
has attained, or: to live through thirty
three years of a stirring period, a dreadful
sufferer as he has been from rheumatism.
The recollection of that first meet
ing carries me back to the events
which followed it, brings" before
me the towering and imperious form of
Mr. Clay, full of undoubting confidence
in his election to the . Presidency ; the
faces of the State Committee of escort,
with the Hon. Richard Hines at its head,
viz : Jas. C. Johnston, Hon. Ebenzer
Pettigrew, Hon. Burgess S. Gait her, N.
L.' Williams, Dr. J. II. Montgomery,
Giles W. Pearson, T. P. Devereux, Dr. F.
J. Hill, Bryan Grimes; of whom only Col.
Gaither.Mr. Williams and I are living. And
of all the conspicuous act ore in the course of
that ovatiou, how few are yet alive ! 1
recall but two, Mr. Stephens and Hon B.
F. Moore, who delivered the address of
welcome at Weldon. Mr. Clay's Wil
mington friend, Gen. Jas. Owen, his hos
pitable entertainer in Halifax, lion. An
drew Joynef," Governor Morehead, whose
guest he was in Raleigh, Mr. Badger, who
welcomed him at Raleigh, and with whom
he and a large party dined, all gone ; Mr.
Clay himself 1 dying without re&ching
the ffreat height' of bis ambition, though
greater as a Commoner than others as
King. s ... ..,,
Mr. 'Stephens said to-day thai he had
advised against the issuing of the celebra
ted Raleigh letter in regard to Texas,
which was one of the two causes of Mr.
Clay's defeat. The other was the associa
tion of iir. Freltnchuysen, as the candi
date for Vice-President. If the Texas let
ter had never appeared, or if Mr. Fillmore
had been ou the ticket, the election would
have been sure. Who can tell what
disasters our country might have been
saved from in that event !
. It was a proud boast of that period, that
though no Whiff doubted of Mr. Clav's
election, he bad not a solitary application
for office whilst in the State. That could
hardly be the case now. .
1 had the pleasure also of secin? vestcr-
day and to-day several ; North Carol in
friends on their way to the triennial Con
vention of the Episcopal church at Boston
of the clergy, Rev. Dre. Huske and Bux
ton, and Rev. Mr. Hughes ; and Dr. A, J.
DeRosset, and daughter, Mrs. Daves.
Hon. W. H. Battle and Gen. Martin were
also here on the same business, but I did
not see them. -w.'i i . :
The interesting letter of ;your Halifax
correspondent mentions . the fact that in
1776, when Halifax was one of the con
siderable towns in the State if any at that
period could be called considerable one qf
the five newspapers of the State was pub
lished there. At present I think there is
none, its neighbor, Weldon, having super
seded it in that and most other respects.
But about sixty years ago there ; was a
paper . of some notoriety printed : there.
It was called Ihe Halifax Compiler. I for
get who was its editor, but he lived in
a stormy time. The little town was en
tiled, under the State Constitution adopted
there in 1776. to a Borough member of the
Legislature, .rarty spirit was terribly high,
the celebrated (or notorious) Robert Pot
ter leading one party and the Hon. Jesse
A. Bynum the other. I think there were
less than fifty voters in the town so that a
few votes either , way turned the scale.
Public Jmeetings, coUisions, and even
pistollings, were common. The Com
viler of course ; did its part in the
excitement. Printing- offices in the
country were seldom locked j and on a
Sunday some one entered the Compiler
office and transposed the large types form
ing the head of the paper--so as to make it
read, "Helfiar Compilax." The paper
was printed off and circulated without nv
discovery of the change. It was consider
ed a very good thing in view of the char
acter of the paper and the hot politics of
me town ; put ine iditor was in a tower
ing passion, . and offered -five dollars re
ward for the discovery of "the miwroant
X never heard that be avowed himself;
there would probably have been occasion
for the services of the coroner if be had.
- jr.
DtPLIS COUNTY LETTER.
TheOreat Kain Storm Heavy r.oc
r lumen ana iimcnantfi
Kejiassviixs, N. C, Oct. 2, 1877. '
Correspondence of The Observbb. . 'r
Messes. Epitors: If. the news should
not reach you before this you may men
tion, as a matter materially affecting the
farming prospect of Dunlin conntv tH.
fact that the largest freshet ever known to
the oldest citizens of this county omnnwri
in the North East River a few days since
(Saturday night and Sunday.) Some of
the best farms in this section are com
pletely overflown and materially in
The merchants on the river have sustained
extensive losses by the washing away of
turpentine, tar, staves, &c, and stock will
be injured or lost more or less. A ;i
lustration oi tne dimensions of
thfl fnehj
we mention that the stores of R H.
rown-a?Td,.Wlace & Middleton, in the
ZZZZ. J? f?
could be carried
We hear of some famihes that had to be
vuui au Jiiiiik. 1 vja.
111 868 ln boat8- Tin
'A- j 1 .iT . . 1. owy 10 private I
individual -but to the oountv as mmr I
nndges are washed awav entire!-. Pmm
several portions of the. county there nan hn
nopassing at alL . ... . .
M torn Onslow county we hear thai th
state of affairs is similar. , . ., -
I will mention tha fact. too. tkioiti,;.
the last week two negroes have been killed
at Magnolia, by the ?W. W. R. R. .The
coroner has
been mvesti gating them tn.
Very truly,, X. Y.
LETTER FROM CHOWAN, i
. - . . - - . -; v"-
EDmrroN bkactt ofYts sits the ikon steam
ship CHOWAN QUAKER GUNS AN OLD MARKET
. HOUSE STATELY TREES 'ANCIENT LANDMARKS
Or COLONIAL TIMES THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE
ST. - PAUL'S THE KING'S ARMS GOVERNOR
: DRCHMOND N INDIAN MASSACRE GOVERNOR
. EDEN t-A NEUTRAL GROUND TRUCE OF THE
BLUE AND THE GRAY INDIAN GRAVES UNA
': NDf ITY'LODGE VALUABLE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS
; THE ALLEN HOMESTEAD THE THURMANS
- VE8TRT BOOK SP 8T. PAUL'S PARISH AN EARLY
: DECLARATION OP INDEPENDENCE THE COURT
BOUSE WASHINGTON'S MASONIC CHAIR A
ALL-ROOM OF THE LAST CENTURY THE FISH
ING AND TRUCK INDUSTRIES.
Correspondence of The Obsebveb. ;
- Edbntos, N.-C Oct. 8, 1877. ;:;
Messes. Edixobs: Making in slightly
from the great, wide sound, clearly defined
frou.it is a; - fair inland bay on whose
curved shore stands Edenton, queen city
of the richty historic region known si the
Albemarle country. . It is the oldest of aU
the existing towns of North Carolina. Its
citizens look forth upon a . watery expanse
as broad to the eye as the ocean, for its op
posite boundaries are out of sight, while
to apnroachin? vessels and steam-craft tne
thick green of its embowering trees seems
as the emerald setting of a well-jeweled
ring, such as Once Venitian princes wedded
the Adriatic with. . , - 9 . ,
Taking passage at Franklin,' a young
Virginia village, fast growing around ; the.
nucleus Of a station of the Seaboard and
Roanoke Railroad, to a thriving and busy
town, the fine Iron Steamship . Chowan,
Captain 'Ains worth, bore me-in a few hours
to the wharf of this ancient burgh. Here
almost the first things my eye fell upon
were several venerably memorials of the
antiquity of the place in thei shape of
some ante-revolutionary iron cannon in
use as posts for fastening the hausers of
the steamboat .They were made in 1734;
or, at least,' that date is imprinted on the
trunnions. In Wandering about this
town I afterwards saw others of these old
guns, set upright at the corners of . the
streets. ' I was told that they lay for many,
years behind John'.M. Jones' ice-iouse,
uncovered from the weather, except where
they had buried themselves by their own
weight in, the ground. , Occasionally one
Was made to do service in honor- of the
'glorious Fourth.! They are 32 pounders,
and are very long,, with thick muzzles.
During the late war they were mounted
on gun-carriages taken from the wreck of
a Spanish vessel , which foundered near
Hatteras. -About eight of them remain.
As I walked from, the landing up the
main street, , I paused at the . small
brick market house now fearfully dilapi
dated and mouldy-looking, where, "
'. ,:. "in the good old colony times, . . ,
"When we lived under the King,"
the citizens were wont to come , to cos-
sip over the news and to fill their hamp
ers. It stands in the middle of the wide
highway. Much as the rusty weather
worn houses on either side of this street
need repairs and paint, and unattractive as
they are in themselves for the Jack of
careful keeping, they are. .invested with a
certain aristocratic dignity by the stately
overshadowing presence, of a triple row of
elms, i These are of immense size. The
Central row' threads the JUum via, per
haps to mark the limits of latent proprie
tary right, subject to use for passage, in the
opposite holders of .the soil. . The street is
thus split into two majestic avenues, shut
in above by Gothic arches by interlacing
boughs, grand and dim, even in the noon
day, as Cathedral aisles. -v . 1
. At the -.left going up, -and occupying
with its ample grounds enclosed by a high
fence an entire block, is the "Governor's
palace ;" on the right and nearly opposite
are the old Colonial court-house and that
antique hostelry once known as the
"King's Arms." Near the upper end of
this same street stands St, Paul's, still used
by the Episcopalians, with its wide vesti
bule and i high-backed pews. Here the
stately prelate, John Stark Ravenscroft,
was consecrated Bishop of Virginia and
North Carolina. Within its walls Bishop
Ives, intrepid and conscientious, who gave
up his high sacerdotal place to become a
layman of the Church of Rome, has ad
ministered confirmation and ordained
priests. This is the oldest extant church
edifice in North Carolina.
;. The people of this vicinity, as indeed of
the whole North-eastern section of the
State, are of Virginia stock that is, all
the descendants of the old families
are. The ; original ' Albemarle settle
ments were composed of immigrants
from Virginia. WiUiam Drummond,
a ccoicnman, wnose name is com
memorated in the beautiful hfke of the
Dismal fcwamp immortalized by Moore,
was appointed by Gov. Berkeley, of Vir
ginia, as governor of these old settlers.
He gave-them a simple and liberal govern
ment, and gathered the first legislative
assembly at Edenton in 1668, twenty
years before James II was supplanted
by William and , Mary. The, colony
had a rough time of it with the Tus
carora and Coree Indians. A hundred
and thirty of them were massacred in a
single night in 1711. The next - year the
unruly aborigines met their Nemesis and
the remnant of the Tuscaroras were driven
northward and received as a sixth nation
into the confederation of the Five Nations.
Some stragglers, it is alleged, found their
way into the swamps in what is now
known as Robeson county, and to the
Sandwich Islands ; and from them came
King Kalakaua and Henry Berry Lowery
and his gang. .' , , , ' .
At the session of the provincial lcgisla
ture here in August, 1720, Gov. Charles
Eden was present, and the .village, up to
that time called Queen Anne's Creek,
from a stream which flows through it,- Was
in his honor, christened Edenton. This
amiable personage seems to have projected
the influence of his pacific qualities into
the population and , . fortunes . of .. the
town; for I cannot learn that it was ever
afterwards the scene of any battle or other
sanguinary incident of warfare. The re
volutionary war left its soil unstained by
blood. During the war of 1861-5, it was
recognized as neutral ground, not so much
by any special convention as by tacit con
sent of both sides, and the understanding
was never, in a solitary instance, violated.
It was a place of recreation, especially for
United States naval officers and' marines;
but - the Confederates, who came there
often, were treated with equal kindness
and hospitality. In the very hottest epoch
of the war . "the blue and the gray" met
there not unfrequently, in social inter
course. I myself once saw Northern and
Southern officers, with lady partners, ami
cably playing whist together, I think in
1864, in a. cozy Edenton parlor. How
different a fate from the bitter experience
of Plymouth just across the sound
taken and retaken . continually by either
party, sometimes reeking with the gore of
slain and wounded, ever and again scourg
ed by lire a bone of contention always
t . . i , i , i . ,
iui me uuieasuea aogs oi .war.
. Ana yet-tKienton
lfr ft OTmiro!1 Tf
iron tho K,nr-plr.r , " . I
centuries 'ctclSw tr
aians. ineir graves cover the whrile nit
js
of the town. Human bones, wonderful! v
well preserved, are even now exhumed in
digging wells and ditches. But then,
Young or Pollock, I forget which now
tells us, i .. . -
"All the world's a grave." , '
The "Governor's Palace" is a unique
two storied structure, located at the inter
section of Queen and Broad streets, and
occupying the - southwest corner. It is
built of timber brought from abroad, hav
ing been framed in England. Was not
this something like bringing coals to New
castle? It was erected By Francis Corbin
in 1757-8. On its top is a queer octagonal
observatory or tower, which seems a meet
abode for owls. Age gives dignity to this
old, dreary, grim-looking wooden pile; as
" uw 'F'W ? UJtnnstcally
worthy. It is approached by huge steps
of imported hewn sandstone. The wains
coting and other interior wood-Work is
chiefly of black walnut, , entirely free from
knots. The mantelpieces are oaken, high
and massive and elaborately carved with
the British- coat-df-arms. The windows
are small and glazed with about 6x8 panes.
In the large hail George IV., when Prince
oi . vv aies, attended at a ball, and lmi
Miss Singleton throiifrh thfmBr,rt,Z I
v v aim. auLmii iff mi m noii ami ia m
ow n6 stately minuet. Some of her de- i
sceDuanto reside m Perquimans and Frank-1
lin countip .Tm fnn ,
odentof the United States, was formally I
welcomed to Edenton in this same hall by
now owned and occunied bv four maidpn 1
a. ouu a. iw iraua) 18
daughters of Captain Nathaniel Bond.
J a .
long since deceased. , These ladies
have a great . many; interesting ' ar-
ujoxuuKn-ai vunosities. Aneir waua -are
Edenton, including Mrs. Ptnelope Parker,
the lady president of the famous "Tea
ParryNgiven at Mrs. King's in February j
1774s, - Tne record or, this "Tea Party,"
found by some naval officers .when station
ed in the.! Mediterranean, is now in the1'
pofeession-of Mrs. Dr,iT. D. Warren. It
is on glass and has been much broken and
otherwise defaced ; but its prominent fea
tures, including the resolutions adopted by
tne patriotic iauiea,,guu appear.
" Amongst the valuable old papers owned
by the Misles Bond,' swne of which are of
an official character and of very early date
are seyeral jinpublished autograph letter
oi Ueorare Washington, of his mother Han
nah, and or his -file . Martha, written in
itqi-iw. ana oi. . i ney also have one
from Benjamin Franklin, dated at Passy.
France, June 10th 1783,- and addressed to
Hon, Thomas Barker, then a prominent
lawyer of Edenton.''" A special correspond
ent of the New ; Xork ; Herald came here
last year and tried to get .'copies of these
precious photographs, for publication but
without success. ' ' '
: Next'dcor to the law office of State Sen
ator Octavius Coke, who by the way is a
younger brother of Gov. Richard Coke,
United States Senator elect from Texas,
stands a .middle-sized frame house with
one of those giant Dutch roofs which seem
to have suggested the modern Mansard.
Here was born, in 1807, no less a character
than Gov. William-Allen, pf Ohio, some-
- u . - J J J - . f -
vulgar "Uiepiiiaiien, an.d popularly sup -
posed to b& of immense age. The house
is on . King , street, two- doors' from the
southwest Conner of Main or Broad, and is
now. occupied by James C. Warren, but
owned by the estate of the late Edward
Wood. . It is still known as the .Nat. Al
len place.. The Aliens, were a reputable
and highly cultivated family, but rather
fond of fighting. Nathaniel Allen was a
man of hifb standing, a wealthy merchant,
and one of 'the proprietors . of the. noted
"Lake estate" Of 75,000 acres, in Wash
ington county.' He.: died when his son
WiUiam was hardly more than an infant,
leaving a daughter named Mary, several
years William's .senior, who afterwards
married. Rev.' PJeasaht Thurman, 'then
stationed at Edenton as a Methodist preach
en - .When Mr.-Tburman left Edenton be
took William Allen, then about four years
old, with him to Virginia and thence to
ohi. -; : -
Since Pleasant and Mary Tburman were
the parents of the distinguished democratic
Ut S,. Senate ftpm Ohio, Hon. A, G. Thur
man,. Gov. Allen's nephew, it. may not be
without Interest to the reader to .transcribe
the following -entry from the records of the
M. E. church at Edenton, kindly shown
me byvMrN J, R. B. Hathaway. At page
4 l. found this: 4 -Married on Tuesday,
.the 21st May, 1811, by the Rev. James
Boyd, the - Rev. - Pleasant Thurman to
Mary G. Allen, daughter of CoL Nathaniel
Allen, deceased, of the town of Edenton."
Another entry at page 8 indicates that the
newly wedded pair removed.- from Eden
ton between the 15th and 21st of October,
in the same year. And thus North Caro
lina gave. ' to Ohio her , two foremost
Democratic statesmen, for one is a native
and the other of Nbrth' Carolina parentage. 1
St. Paul's church was twenty years
in building, 'having been commenced in
1736 und finished in 1756. , Its completion
was provided for by a poll tax for two
years of two' shillings on each taxable
person in the province. : It is a substantial
brick structure and venerable with ivy
whiqh .entirely covers one syje of it. Its
predecessor, which occupied the same site,
was of .Wood and very small. The deed of
the church lot is recorded in Old English or
Germaivtext. , Dr. John Blair was the first
minister of the congregation. His service
began in -1704. - In the church yard,
amongst many handsome modern monu
ments,' are h'e humble tombstones, of
dark 'slate 'Or -red sandstone, of some
of the early settlers. " Owing to the per
ishable quality pf the stone under the sure
.though slow" attrition of the weather, most
of the oldest inscriptions have become un
decipherable.. Of those that I hurriedly
examined I could make out none older
than 1763. The most ancient cemetery in
this", vicinity is .about four miles south
eastward of the village, immediately on
the sound. - It ijS called Montpelier. One
of the patriot brothers Lillington is buried
there. On, the farm of the late Joshua
Skinner is the grave 'of Gov. Henderson
Walker ' and his wife. Their- memorial'
tablet is of slate, seven inches thick. The
remains Of Gov. Samuel Johnston, an emi
nent Jurist, whose opinion was quoted by
Judge Black during -the "progress of the
recent Belknap impeachment trial, are en
tombed near the residence Of the late
James C. Johnston, . . . .
Through the courtesy of Mr. Wm. B.
jShepard, , present secretary of the vestry of
'St Paul's, I was permitted to examine
the ojd records of the yestry. 'l'hey com
mence December 15th,' 1701 almost two
centuries ago and extend without inter
ruption to Sept. 28th, 1779. A break then
occurs, of which there is no known record
extant, to October 2d, 1811, with which
date begins the vestry-book of St Paul's
church as a purely ecclesiastical and "non
political organization the separation or
church and State being one of the imme
diate: results of the Revolution. No
record, so far as is known, was kept
during the latter part of the Revolutionary
war. . ' ' - r.'' -;-
These ancient minutes, are pf that ecru
color which was so appropriately popular
with; the ladies during the "centennial
year.'' They begin with a record of
the appointment . of .. Hon-, Henderson
Waiker. and eleven others as a vestry
for the 'Chowjm Precinct," in obedi
ence to" an act of Assembly made No
vember'lO, 1701. TheBe vestrymen first
met at the house of Mr. Thomas Gillam on
the 15th of the following month. The re
cord proceeds It being debated where a
church should be built, Edward Southwick
undertakes to give one acre of land nnon
his old plantation and to give a conveyance
for the same to the church wardens for the
use and service of the precinct to build a
church itpon, andfor no othei use, and to
acknowledge the same i in court", .Pro
vision was made the same day for the erec
tion of a wooden church " 25 feet long,
with posts in the ground.' : ' .- :
The following is a literal copy, from the
vestry book,' of the famous Edenton de
claration of independence. . ,As the vestry
was all in all in those days, and spoke for
the whole people, the- Episcopalians can
claim no exclusive credit, for its patriotic
utterances. ' '.
, " ..-V-' DKCLABATIOS. ' s
" St. PauT V Be it remembered that the
Rarish, 1776. f ' Freeholders of - Sf Paul's
Parish met the Sheriff at the Court House
in, Edenton on Monday the 8tbT of April
then and there pursuant to an Act of As
sembly did elect the following Bersons to
serve as v est ry men. for one year agreeable
to resolve Of the Pmvtneial t Vuiimo t.a1A I
at Halifax the. 2d" bf 7n? cnd
agreeable -thereto,' viz: Thomas Bonner.
..iHi, ,1 . Vim i. . i
Wm. lioydV Thos. Benbary. Jacob Hun
ter, - John Beasley. Wm. Bennet, Wm.
Roberts, , Richard Hoskins, David Rice,
Aaron HilL Palatiah Walton, Wm. Hinton.
We the subscribers, professing our Alegi
ence(!) tothe King and acknowledgin g the
wuouiuiiuusi executive power or uovern
mentjdo sotemnly profess, testify and de
clare mat we uo aDsoiuteiy believe that
neither the Parliment Gjfe) of Great Britain
nor any member or., constituent Branch
thereof, have a right to impose Taxes upon
these Colonies to regulate the internal Poli
cy thereof, and that all: attempts by Fraud
or rorce to estaousn and exercise such
Claims and Powers are Violation)) of h
reace and ; Security of the People and
ought to be, resisted to the utmost and
that the .People of this Province Singly
" f " giy
iteaoiutions of the . Continental and . the
Provincial Congresses because in. both
pi: .v. ?r I
mey are. freely represented, by. persons
chosen by themselves and we do solemn
ly and sincerely " promise and - engage
under the sanctions of Vinoe Honor and
the Sacred Love 01 Liberty and our coun
try to maintain and suDDort all and
the acta, resolutions and regulations of the
"d Contmental and Provincial ConirmweH I
wvaMwua nuu iciuiiu.iiiiiit 1 1 1 ties i .
tne ntto08t of our power and ability. 1
i-Tf . - nave nereto set 1
our hands this 19th of Jnnp-177 '
Kichaed Hosktss,, Wm. Botd.
David Rice, . Thos. Bekbubt -
m iaju. rt al.wh, . o van AEASLKY.
Wit Hnrro . Wni..v K-i I
"Thos. Bosseb, 'William RobeW
i . - MMm MMAiai -( I
"nr - -1
ine present ijourt-ftouaein Eripntnn wa I m
- I - ..: .
of North Carolina, approved by the Gen
eral Assembly which convened here the
year before, providing for the purchase of
one acre of land fori the purpose and levy
ing a poll tax ofjfive shillings. It is a
solidpiece of masonry and looks likely to
endure' indefinitely!. The tower which
surmounts it afford a far-reaching view.
The court-room proper is on the ground
floor. Over the judge's bench still ap
pears the royal coat of arms, albeit some
what indistinct from hard knocks and the
wear and tear of something like a hundred
and fifty years. " Among the court records
are registered indentures -signed by Lord
Granville. The original deeds, some 'of
which were deposited there forcpnyenient
access and have survived all the imitations
of time, are scolloped instead of indented.
I do not-knew,-however, that lhiswould
affect their validity!; at least .at thi3 late
.r
i ja anjuppet Hoop or the, court-house is
the ample room in which Unanimity Lodge
of Masons has held Its communications or
wimis a Tffw mum up vi an uunureu years.
By the records pf the Lodge, which were.
politely shown me I by W. D. Pruden,
Esq.. it, appears, under date of July 6th,
1778, that a resolution was that day
adopted that, in accordance with- leave
granted by the Justices of the" Peace, fhe
Lodge be ' moved from the ' King's Arms
inn rnow Berkeley's hotel-rto the' court
j house, which, is; immediately east; of,, it on
1 AUUg UB-LV.. , A. UV. W. UV iw.UU.. J
1 moved " states the record, "when Bra. Kua
sel (a newly-made Msson) presented the
lodge with an elegant Master s chair for
which he received their sincere thants,
This chair has been the subject of a good
deal of discussion, through the newspapers
and otherwise, for man y years. It has
been thrice demanded by Virginia lodges.
It was called for bv Norfolk Lodire No. 1.
Jan. '2, 1815,' a previous demand having
been made for it id 1811; Ther-ehair
popularly but erroneously supposed to hare
come,, from. Alexandria. . ihe .tradition,
quite wejl authenticated, is that k was
brought from Williamsburg, V- when
m 1777, tlie . year . before its presentation,
Washington ab said to -have presided, in
ffTent lodge" held in a marquee. On the
back of the! chair is the odd name "Ben
jaan Bucktrout' Capt. : Coke, who came
from Williamsburg, says that Bucktrout is
an immemorial patronymic of cabinet ma
kers in that old town, J ust alter the bold
ing of the "tent lodge" mentioned, many
valuable Masonic relics ' became lost or
scattered. , ; ! I .- i
Ibis chair is of mahogany.. .It is sur
mounted by a sealed book, under which is
the motto m gilt letters, "virtuu et silen-
tio." Mr. John M. Jones tells me be caused
this. motto, which, had become somewhat
defaced, to be renewed in 1817. The back
of the chair is composed of three upright
standards, of columnar form, representing
the three orders of S architecture. Above
the central columnis a bust with the head
covered with a turban and designed to rep
resent the Worshipful Master, of the lodge.
A gilded device of the sun crowns the right
hand i column, and a crescent moon the
left Immediately, tinder the capital of
the second column was a 24 inch gauge,
now detached, and below this the lloly
Bible, opened at Kings I, chap, vii, with
the square and compass across the pages.
On either side of the , bottom of the central
column are crossed quillsT the Secretary's
emblem and crossed keys the Treasu
rer's. Just oyer them is the - level and
plumb; above this two gavels, and, still
higher and directly under the open Bible,
two plumbs. The whole presents a wealth
of symbolism to the brethren of the mystic
tie. The seat is roomy 2 feet deep by 2
wide and has a buckskin covered cushion,
The front feet of th chair represent drag-
According to the! minutes, the Lodge
was organized Nov. 8th, l7o, six master
masons being present, by virtue of a war
rant from J. Montfort, P. G. Master. On
that date officers were elected and the name
Unanimity" -adopted- - Two years ago its
centennial was duly celebrated. The Bible
of the lodge was printed, at London in
1738, and is still in bse: Other old relics
are : a quaint - porcelain pitcher decora
ted with masonic emblems and odes, and
an hour-glass . whose sands require pre
cisely 60 miButes. to run put, as they did
scores pf years ago. ' ": 5
Adjoining the lodge , room is a high
pitched halL 60 by 40 feet in size. . Here
the Legislature of North Carolina was
wont to meet when Edenton was honored
by its sessions. Thej walls ' are of waia
scoting V This hall has witnessed many a
scene of colonial festivity in ball and ban
quet, and is yet a place where often
"Youth and beaut meet, ' ' ' 1
To chase the glowing boora Mrith flying feet."
: Every North Carolinian who can, and
for that matter everybody else, ought to
visit Edenton, see all these antiquarian
treasures, and drink in from the lips of the
old citizens all theses riches of tradition.
The trip from Franklin, is, in itself, de
lightful. There are immense fisheries in
the vicinity where single hauls of 150,000
herring and 6,000 shad have been made.
The seines are operated by steam . engines.
The truck ' farming , industry . has de
veloped rapidly within the last few years
in this neighborhood,! and great 'quantities
of early vegetables are annually sent bence
to the numerous Northern markets. There
is much to see of new as well as old. , . .,
. .,;., .. ; J., - PsIjUpstlos,',' ;
f ; ' CorreapondencBol'THE Observer. i ;
- ' ! ? Norfolk:, Oct 1877. . ,
Messrs. EorroBS: I notice your able
editorial and also, the communication of
your correspondent id Baltimore in regard
to the Dismal Swamp Canal in your issue
of the 27th September , , ,-. . . .? ': : s
You and your correspondent' have been
led into so many mistakes in regard to it,
that I desire to correc; them. ' l '
The Dismal Swamp Canal is perhaps
one of the oldest works of its kind in the
Lmted States. Its charter dates in 1786.
it was enlarged and tebuilt in 1818, and
since that to 1840, all 'the surplus earnings
were spent on ' its enlargement and im
provement In 1841 a change of manage
ment was maue, aoa tne. company whose
stock was owned principally by the Uni
ted States Government and Stateof : Virr
ginia, divided the surplus earnings instead
oi expending u on U9 canal as before that
period. The company has been incorpo
rated 92 years and baa made only thirteen
dividends, amounting! in all to about
$30O?OOO; of which two-fifths, or about
$izu,uuu was due to the government and
nearly a like sum to the State of Virginia.
The State received her dividends, but
owing to the representations made to Con
gress, the United States Government re
mitted to the company jiearly all her por
tion of the profits. j T '"
wiicoj
x our correspondent has endeavored to
J profitable enterprise,
and therefore entitled to aid from the mn.
uuu mereiore e
umgmciuuicuL - e ;wui consiaer this.
He says the "United States received in div
idends on f 300,000 of Stock f 136,000, but
does not say anything jjjbout that amount
being returned to th
pended on the work. fThirteen dividends
m ninety-two years d i$300,000, will ave
rage j,J50U annually E ;i he United States,
owning two-fifths, would be 1.304 a vear.
It must be admitted not a good investment
on 3uu,uw I Therefore, Messrs. Editors,
it cannot he said the fcanal has been a H-
lumaat wucccg. . . ina( it nas oeen or great
service to the State, none will deny, and if
the amount set aside; for dividends since
1841. had been expended in keeping up the
canal, it would not now be in such a de
plorable condition, It was owing to this
fact that the States of I North Carolina and
Virdnia chartered another 0,; .:
Albemarle And f hMannofrsi r..i n
nyr which is the only canal in this coun-
jmww vauoi jaiiiiK7a
"J "uwuicu steam power tued exclusivity-
This , canal has duly one Lock forty
feet wide, the largest on the. Atlantic
coast, an abundant supply ; of water and
aorxmung to the report of the Hon. W.
McAlpme, Civil Enfrinper anri Vn-t t
the U- S. Supreme Court is rarwhi f
'ransportmg pity millions of tons annually:
k -
nundred tones its present
lZTTl '''IL - '. v ,
It may not be generally known that tn
navigation of Dismal
Swaihb Canal haa
not been interrupted
for several veara.
aoats continue . to pass thronsrh it i
without the expenditure of. mmv it .
"yj?" business now offering.
has been
w .HiMmmc un im in lniipni novo
T KAH mnma m. : . .
estimated that fSOO.000 would
tho a j - rrn
a sixty foot channel he does not state
The Albemarle and : Chesapeake Canal is
eighty feet wide, and in many places one
hundred feet wide.
It is well known; that the Dismal Swamp .
Canal Company has' expended over $200 -000
in improving leas than three miles f (
'its navigation, - and well informed engi
neers estimate the cost of its enlargement
at $1,500,000- . Whether it would be
judicious to spend, this latter sum,' wifl le
for Congress tff determine. If any im
provement is tb be made, it certainly
should be for a larger class vessel than can :
pais through the Albemarle and Chesa
peake" Canal, j which Professor McAlpine
says in his Report may be from 1,000 to
1,500 tons burthen. ' -: -
The United States Governmpnt liaa
ttansed surveys to be made since the war
lor the improvement of the Dismal Swamp
Canal, and the amount estimated was so
great compared with; the small amount
($100,000) required to light up and deepen
the channel across Currituck Sound, on
the line of the Albemarle and Chesapeake
Canal, that no action has been taken in the
matter. The great importance of an
inland coast line considered in a militar
point of view, cannot be overestimated,
and Congress should provide a channel of
navigation free from the dangers of Hat
teras for ther light draft Iron-clads and
Torpedo boats.: ""There are two routes by
which they can avoid our dangerous coast. -The
Dismal Swamp Canal and the Alte
marle and Chesapeake Canal. As the
State.of North Carolina owns one-third of
the stock in the latter and none in tie
former, it would seem it would be for the -interest
of the State of North Carolina "that
her Representatives in : Congress slioukl
look to the improvement of Currituck,
sound and that canal, particularly when by
the xpenditure of $100,000 the same re
sults could be obtained si by the expendi
ture ot fifteen times that amount by im
prpring theD. S. Canal. f p. M.
r.LErtTEiz, FKoa ci.eyeiai.
; r . CwTcspondence it The Obsekvbr.
- '.Kiso's MorKTAis, Oct. 2, 1877.
i Messrs. Editors : Your columns have
contained at sundry times interesting com
munications from almost every other sec
tion . of our State but this. These com
munications constitute an admirable fea
ture, of your - excellent journal, bringing
to the attention of persons abroad the vast
and varied resources of a State which is
but poorly known at home and little un
derstood abroad" The truth is that hith
erto there has been no journalistic medium
of communication between-the different
portions of our State. Our people are not
behind others in general information or
intelligence, as is unjustly supposed, .but.
various causes have combined to , keep the
citizens of one section ignorant of the ad
vantages and attractions of another. Our
local newspapers have not come up to the
full measure of their duty, in this impor
tant regard, and then we are without any
great State railroad system ; no great trunk
line from the rich mountain region of the
West to the spacious and beautiful harbors
of the East. But a better day is dawning
we trust.' You, at least, are . deserving of ':
the thanks of all lovers of North Carolina,
for your persistent labors in her" behalf,
and your noble efforts to build up her in
terests at home and to defend her honor
abroad. ; . ,
King's Mountain is situated in Cleveland
county, near the Gaston county line, on
the Charlotte and Atlanta Air Line Iia.il '
Road. - This is certainly one of the finest
agricultural and mineral sections of the
Slate- Within 14- miles of our village is
the King's Mountain gold mine, which has
been in operation for years until recently,'
and from which mi.lionsof the coveted ore
has been taken. Crowder8 Mountain,
which is but a continuation of the King's
Mountain range, both of which are a singu
lar and beautiful span of the Blue Rklre.
is almost a bed of iron, said by Prof. Kerr,
to be found in more abundance and in as
fine quality as anywhere in our State. The
ore creeps out in various places and here
and there masses can be picked up lying
about on the sides of the mountain. These
mines are not worked now at alL simnlv
for want of enterprise and capital.
jn ear urowders Mountain is a remarkable
spring which is Known locally as the all
healing spring. ;t I do not know that the
water has ever been analyzed, and f et any
number of certificates could be obtained of
its wonderful curative properties. All cu
taneous and scrofulous or syphilitic di
seases yield to it like a charm. Cases of
chronic and acute sore eyes sore legs of
years standing and alj other maladies
growing out of impurities of the blood.
and diseases peculiar to females, and
others more than I can mention have been
relieved after regular course of medicine
trom the physicians have failed. The wa
ters are fine and persons send for it from a
distance in quantities and it does not seem
to lose its efficacy. Near it are jnounds
and old camp debris which show that the
Indians, years ago knew its proper
ties and came to seek its virtues. Were
this spring in New York instead of North
Carolina, it would be eagerly sought after
as an investment and made to contribute
its wonderful relief to suffering thousands.
Even consumptive ' patients, in th liist
stages of the disease, have been cured by
using the waters of this spring. Mrs.
Chism, a-highly respected lady living near
here, is a remarkable instance of the latter.
All her friends had given her nn tn die
and after using the water for less than two.
months she has been entirely restored.
: - This is but introductory to other letters
which I, propose to send you. from our
section. . We have cotton factories and
paper mills and flour mills and school
and agricultural societies which are emi
nently worthy of notice.
: : - ; ; Respectfully,' J. S.
BEAUFORT COUNTY LETl'Elt. "
Tll?.?tr!lllBr,dfe Mill-Uania ant
'" wpi . Aivar Uauiaire to
Crops, Etc, Etc. - "
'J Correspondence pf The Observer.
' r Washtsgtox, Oct. 1, 1877. '
Messes Editors : This section of the
State is visited with the heaviest rain fall :
known within memory, of the- oldest in
habitants. For several days the clouds
had been gathering with ominous indica
tions, and on Thursday evening the rain set
in and continued falling .in torrents stead
ily without intermission or abatement until
Saturday morning, accompanied by a heavy
northeast gale. All the creeks and smaller
streams are swollen to a height unpreceden
ted, the "water sweeping away all the
bridges in every direction, thereby putting
a stop to traveling. All the mill dams
throughout the county are broke and several
mill houses carried away the destruction
to this kind of property being great and
serious. The bridges over the streams be
ing earned away, we have had no mails
since the 27th ult., and it may be several
days yet before the mail carriers can travel.
The most serious and disastrous effect of
the storm is the damage to and consequent
loss of the cotton crop, it being blown flat
on the ground and much of it covered
with water and mud. "
Our isolated communitv ia mnairoi, '
excited over the comtletion of thn i?,;i
road from James ville to this place very
many never having seen a railrnarl tk;
with the new line of 8tPflnwrj ni,i
the route from New York nH n.,i
more by the Clvde li
facility for transportation of freight and
prouuee and causing considerable reduc
tion in the cost of freight is awakenin
hope8 Of prosperity and imnrmrnnw.3
Another enterprise has recently been in
augurated which,: if the people 0f the
county will accent and ntiHro m-o ion,.
add to the material prosperity of the east
Tnricottntie a real estate agency by B.
F. Havens & Co. This company will ad
vertise all over the Northern States farms
placed In their hands free of charge, only
demanding a fair commission when sale is
made. It is to be hnwri rvw)r uri
has more land than they can profitably
cultivate will place iiwith this company,
and thus encourage tMSfeffort to settle up
the country with a class of good practical
farmers. A B
Wilson Items. Oiir onnntv na twn
visited by a heavy storm and freshM Thn
damage to the crops, while considerable,
we are glad to learn, is not serfous. The
Black Creek section seemed to suffer most.
several bridges being damaged, and Sir.
-trry .newsonrs- rmu-tlam washed away.
A negro man who murdered . his wife's
daughter in Greene county, was pursued
by the officer in this county and arrested
in Black Creek on Tuesday night and
taken to jail in Snow Hill Advance,