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I I A Strange Story. fFrcm an article called "The Phenomena of Mining" in Chamber's Journal.] The saddest disappearance of which I remember ttftvr to have react was that of Captain ltouth of the Indian Army, "who came home on leave from Calcutta, to be married to a Miss Ling in llertl'ord-shire. Captain Routh arrived at South-! suupion, and was identified as having been a pass- , enger by the coach from that place ta London. But after having safely accomplished so many hundred miles, he never attained that place, such a little way off, where his bride awaited him. He neither came nor wrote. She read his name in the list of passengers by the Europa, and looked for him hour by hour, in vain. What excuses must not her love have made for him! How she | must have clung to one frail chance after another, until her last hope left her! How infinitely more i teriible must such vague wretchedness have been to bear, than if she had known him to have been struck down by the fatal sun-ray of Bengal, or drowned in Indian seas. Where was he ? What I - - could have become of him ? This youug lady had a cousin of the name of j Penrhyn, about her own age, who had been j brought up in the same family, and, although much attached to licr, had not been hitherto con- ! sidered to entertain towards her warmer feelings j tnau tuose oi K:nsnip. lint as month atter momu, ; and year after year, went by without tidings of the missing bridegroom, he began to court her as a lover. She. for her part, refused to listen to his addresses, but h<r mother favored them; and plunged in melancholy, the girl did not take the pains to repulse him which probably she would 4 otherwise have done. She accepted, or at least she did not reject, a ring of his, wliich she even wore on her finger; but whenever he spoke to her, or tendered her in any service, she turned from him, with something like loathing. 'Whether this was remarked upon so much before the following circumstances occurred, it would be interesting to learn; but all who knew them now testify, that whereas in earlier days she had taken pleasure in lie- c msin's society, it seemed to become absolutely hateful to her, subsequently to ber calamity. About three years after Captain Routh's disappearance, a brother-officer and friend of his, one Major Brooks, having business in England, was invited into Hertfordshire by Mrs. Ling, at the urgent request of her daughter. So far, however, from being overcome by the association of the major's presence with her lost lover, Miss Ling seemed to take pleasure in nothing so much as in hearing him talk of his missing friend. Mr. Penrvlm nimpfira to Tinvo fliis iti some rlnd^cnn: * "'* ",,,v ? ? o~?' perhaps lie grew apprehensive that a present rival might be even more fatal to his hopes than the memory of an absent one; but. at all events, the two gentlemen quarrelled. Mr. Penrylin?who lived in the neighborhood?protested that he would not enter the house during the major's stay, and remained at his own residence. During this estrangement, the conversation between Brooks and Miss Ling had Captain Routh for its topic more than ever. In speaking of all clew to what had become of him, the major observed: "There is one thing that puzzles me almost as much as the loss of my poor friend himself. You say that his luggage was found ait the inn where the coach stopped in London ?" "It was," said the lady. "Iam thankful to sav that I have numberless tokens of his dear self." " TWrA is one tbinrr fhnnoh. which I wonder that he parted with," pursued the major, " and did not always earn* about with him, as he promised to do. I was with him in the bazaar at Calcutta when he bought for you that twisted ring."? "That ring," cried the poor girl, "that ring?" and with a frightful shriek she instantly swooned away. Her mother came running in to know what was the matter; Brooks made some evasive explananation, but, while she was applypg restoratives, inquired, as careless as he could, who had given to her daughter that beautiful ring ? " Oh, Willey Penrhyn," said she, that is the only present, poor lcllow, he could ever get Kachel to accept." Upon this Major Brooks went straight to Penrhyn * house, but was denied admittance; whereupon he wrote to him the following letter; "Sir:?I have just seen a ring upon the hand of ' * * 1 11 1 ?... I'lnAn.l XTn?Vinrf ! tne Deiroxneu wu? u* muiuucu mcuu, .hcaucaa . Routh; he bought it for tliftt purpose himself, but y >u have presented it. I know that he always wore it on his little finger, and never parted with i: bv any chance. I demand, therefore, to know | by what means you became posessed of it. I shall require to see you in person at five o'clock, this | afternoon, and shall take no denial. Jas. Brooks. The major arrived at ilr. Penrhyn's house at the time specified, but found him a dead man. He had taken poison upon the receipt of the above letter; and so, as is supposed, departed the only , human being that could have unravelled the mystery of til? missing captain Bouth. Still, it is *> barely possible that ho may not have been his murderer after all; if he {were, it was surely the height of impudence to have given away a thing so easily identified, and that to the very person of all others from whom he should have concealed it. Names of Naval Vessels.?The New York Journal of Commerce has the following sensible remarks on tl^.<? >.met (,f names for the voice's of our Navy. * ' Some of 'he Indian names selected by the christening bureau of the Navy Department for the new war' vessels, are very harmonoius and pretty; some are very rough and unpronounceable; all are unquestionably original, not to say aboriginal. No natiou on earth has a larger and richer mine of antique nomenclature to draw upon in the naming of vessels. But there is too much of a good thing?even of Indian?sometimes. Our naval force h;t> now reached such a number that all the better class of Indian names seems to have been called into play, and only cacophonous ones arc left. The Umpqua, Junxes, Squando, and Wambanogue? specimens taken at random from the last batc h determined upon?are harsh, hard to pronounce, and hard to rememl>er. No human being, but a native Indian, with an extensive knowledge of the dialects of all the extinct tribes, could recollect the names of the vessels christened within the post two years. We aro glad to see, therefore, if olfty for the promotion of that variety which is the sqrVe of life, that, the Navy Department lias introduced the plan of numbering vessels. Thirteen new iron-clacLs have been ordered, tvlii/Ui will h*? unmhered from 1 to 13. Simple and advantageous as this mode ef distinguishing vessels is, it has never, we believe, been used before. When the Navy Department and the Eublic become accnstomed to the usage, and see ow easy it is to remember, and record, and keep track of the numbers of vessels instead of their names, we predict that this plan will supersede all others.'' A Touching Letter.?A captain of the 13th Regulars sends us the following expressive letter from Mnjor-General Sherman. It is a sad episode ia a soldier's life: Gev#o House, Memphis. Tenn.. ) "Uct. 4?Midnight. ) Copt. 0. C. Smith, com\lg Bat. 13th Regulars. My dear Friend?I cannot sleep to-night till I record an expression of the deep feelings of my heart to you, and to the officers and soldiers of the battalion, for their kind behavior to my poor child. I realize that yon all feel for my family the attachment of kindred, and I assure you all of full reciprocity. Consistent with a sense of duty to my profession and office, I could not leave my post,' and sent for mv family to come t > me in that fatal climate, and in that si -xiy period ot the year, and behold the result! The cliild who bore my name, and in whose future I reposed with more confidence than I did in my own plans of life, now floats a mere eorp.se, seeking a grave in a distant land, with a weeping mother, brother snd sister clustered about him. But for myself I can ask no sympathy. Od, on, I must go till I meet a soldier's fate, or see my country rise superior to all factions, till its flag is adored and respected by onrselvs and all the powers of earth. But my poor Willie was, or thought he was, a Sergeant of the 13th. I have seen his eye brighten and his heart beat as lie beheld the Battalion under arms, and asked me if thev were not real soldiers. Child as he was, he had the enthusiasm, the pure love of truth, honor, and love of country which should animate all soldiers. God only knows why he should die thus young. He is dead, but will not be forgotx? *:il Kau- ln'rii 1*11 liffl frtllmvprl It'll 1111 lUUfIC 11UU auvn ... faim to the snme mysterious end. Please convey to the battalion my hereafter thanks, and assure each and all that in after years they call on me or mine, and mention that they were of the 13th Regulars, when poor Willy was Sergeant, they will have a key to the affections of my fumily that will open all it has, that we will share with them our last blanket, our hist crust. Your friend, W. T. Sherman. Major-General. An Interesting Doccmext.?The following advice to his country, the original manuscript of which is now in posession of a gentleman of Washington, was found among the papers of Torra Afimsox. many veal's after his decease: "Advice to my Country.?A3 this advice, if it ever sees the light, will not do it till I am no more, it may be considered as issuing from the tomb, where truth alone can be respected, and the happiness of man alone consulted, ^t will be entitled therefore to whatever weight can be derived from good intentions, and from the experience of one who served his country in various s atious through a period of forty years; who espoused in h s youth, and adhered through lif , j to the cause of liberty, and who has borne u part I in most of the great transactions which will con1 stitut*? an epoch of its destiny| 44 The advice nearest my heart and deepest in I my conviction is that the Union of the States be ] cherished and perpetuated. Let the open enemy to it be regarded as a Pandora with the l>ox open, ! nnd the ilisgnised one as the serpent creeping I vitii its deadly wiles into raradise. Gex. Thomas's Fidelity,- The National Intel igencer, several weeks ago, said of bin; "He was in the regular army for twelve years without beiDg absent a day from his post. Just before the breaking out of the war he obtained twelve months' leave of absence, but before the expiration of three months of the time Fort Sumter was fixed upon, when he returned to duty, where he lias been ever since, without being absent a single day." The Philadelphia Press says: "An officer of the regular service, who has long enjoyed the acquaintance of Gen Thomas, states that he was eighteen years in the army withent being absent from his post The following anecdote, as serving to show his rare fidelity to the claims of duty, is eminently characteristic of the man. Whil? our army was lying at Murfreesboro, Gen. Thomas was asked when he intended to visit Nashville, thirty miles distant. 4 Why,' he replied, " I have been trying for some time to find an excuse to go up there, but cannot do it. I ran not sick* have duties here, and really don't know what excuse I could otter for going awry.'" ADVERTISEMENTS. pHOTOGRAPHS:8AM. A. COOLEY is now prepared to take PHOTOGRAPHS, CARTE Df VISITES, MELAINOTYPES, Ac. Ac., at liis establishment's Beanfort, S. C., near the Arsenal, and- A on Folly Island. S. C., near Headquarters. Price; same as in New York lor name class of work. Nov. 7-4w . IRA C. PEATHE R,? Military and Naval Photographic Gallery, 19 1-2 Sutler's Row, Port Royal, S. C. Aug. 12, tr. If ETALL1C COFFINS, for sale by i\JL C. W. Dennis k Co., No. 4, Sutler's Kow Dr. W. M. WALSH, Office No. 13, Sutler's Row. A full supply of Drugs, Chemicals and Patent Medicines. August 29, 1863.-tf JUST RECEIVED AT THE NEW STORE, UNION Square, next to the Post Office a large lot ofAtoiuii ij, Books, Ac., in part as follows : A miv Regulations. 18(13. , Vielle's Hand Book. Webb's Pay Digest. j Monroe Cornp. Drill. Ordronaux Hints, Schalk's Campaigns, " Manual. " Art of War. Gillmore's Limes, Ac. ' Taubert's Field Artillery. Quartermaster's Manual. HalLck's Art and Science. Benct's Court Martial. Est van's War Pictures. Casey's Tactics. 3 vols. Szabads Modern War. Barra du Parcq. Coppe's Battalliot. Drill. Cullum's Military Bridges. Instructions Field Artillery.. Barrett's Naval Gunnery. Company Clerk. Tottens Naval Text Book. Shoulder Straps, a Novel. Roberts Hand Bouk. ! Scotts Military Dictionary. Levy's Rules Ac. Ruling Pens. Pocket Albums. Bivouac of the Battle field. Neck Ties, Life on a Georgia P antatiom Handkercbies, hemmed, Webster Dictionary. Currency Holders. Social condition of Jho EnMathematical instruments, glish people. Ink^ black, red, carmine, Ac. Pens, steel and gold in great variety, Blank books, in great variety. Wafers, sealing wax, law seals, 4c-, Mucilage, court plaster, lemon acid, ic., I Penkuives, pocket books, purses, Portfolios, bill books, etc. I Pencils, crayons, etc., of various colors : Lava, boxwood niatchsafes, tobacco boxes, bags, k?\. Novels, song-books, hand books of various kinds .t t i most oft he late publications of the day. Maps of Cha rleston lilrbor aud vicinity, and ofSavi .? nali river ALSO, a tine lot of Military books of late issues?loo j best selection ever brought hero. Pipes, briarwood, china, gutta percha, Meerschaum. Together with a now stock of stationery, Ac. Photographs printed expressly for us by Anthony ot Maj. Generals Gillmore, Strong, Hunter, and Mi clicll. JOSEPH H. SEARS. UNITED .STATES ARMY AND NAVY NIGHT COMPASSes. Patented May 6th, 1862. The advantages of the?o Compasses over all others in use are, that they can be roj.i distinctly at night, without the aid of an artificial light. For reconnoitering the position of the enemy, nig'it ?... ?On., o Hirht darn not ba used withoac movement?, , , . , 1 running the greatest danger, they are invaluable. I UsedVy Major Generals McClcHan, Hooker, Burnside, Hunter, Pope; Major Meyers, Chief of Signal Department and others. Every Officer and Soldier should have one. Pbicb : $6, $4, (3, $2 50, $2, and $1 25. For sale by JOSEPH H. SEARS,