Edgefield advertiser. (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, June 18, 1840, Image 2
.A lecture delivered before io. Edgefield
Philosopical and Agricultural Society
of Edgefield, 6n the subject of "Ve-eta
ble Phy-siology," by.J.As. .Ti,:ntty, Esq.
on the lst. Juue,lI0, and published by
request of the Society.
Thle. present isan age of practical philoso
phy; am-age in-which our race are wore engag
-ed in deducing froin actual experiments, useful
improvements in the arts, than in establishing
splendid theories on merely plausible hypothe
.ses. In this respcc t, our own country has ad'
vanced more rapidly perhaps than any other;
not on account of supeior powers ofphlosoph1i
cal research, but because our- institutions of
government afford to its citizens the most un
limited scope for practical industry, and..pwom
ise the most generous rewards to success in
#every department of mechanical, commercial,
and agricultural enterprize.
It is a common error I fear, that the-sentence
of the Almighty upon our race, -In the sweat
df thy face thou shalt eat bread" is calculated to
impress upon the pursuit of agrictdture the
stamp of inferiority, when compared with oth
eremployments. But in alludingto this error,
we are reminded that the tilling of the earth is
..a pursuit of divine appointment; is the most an
--cient ofall pursuits; and as I firmly believe, a
purauit most happily illustrating the wiseom and
-goodness of that Being from whom coIeth
every blessig.
'The cultivation of the soil is the primary
source from which all clasaes of civilized ien
'derive their snb*istence; and the products of
the earth, whether they be spontaneous, or the
reward of man's industry and-sl--il, either di.
rectly or indirectly, furnish suibsistauce 4o the'
whole animal kingdom: for whethei the animal
be omnivorous, carnivorous, or graininivorous,
the earth, the great. mother of all vege:ahle
matter, has yielded tihe first frnits, and in the
language of an inspired Iman, all flesh is grass.
It may therefore be emphatically said of the
vegetable kingdom that, as it is the inexhausti
ble store house frmzn which all animated nature
draw their supplies, so is it the most important
field for philosophical enquiry in reference to
the means of supplyhip.the wants, and coui
tributing to the wealth and lhwery. of man.
As.a member of a comutmaiity.whoare be
-ginning to appreciate the value of agricultural
knowledge, I feel pronud that the people of our
State are becoming daily more interested in the
-establishment of Societies, and the ditrnsing of
correct infurmation through the medinm of
papers and periodicals. The day is not far lis.
tant, when S. Carolina IuIIt,:im a great mens
ure, abandon .the prodigal culture of her great
staple, cotton, and turn her atttention to the
more frugal but less lucrative business of farm
Jug. As a preliminary step to this change of
pursuit, and diversion of capital into compar
atively new channels, it is of the last impot.
tance that those who live by the cultivation of
-the soil, should feel prouti oftihe employment
-for its own sake, and that they should ttnch to
the science of agriculture eiual consequence,
and regard it as a busiues.s of equal dignity and
honor with what are usually styled the learned
professions of law and medicine. This object,
the consumnation of which isso devoutly to be
wished; can only be accomplished by introdu
ACing thescience of Agriculture into our schools
and colleges by elementary books, illustrated
and enforced by lectures from scientific men;
and thuselevating itto its proper rank, by plac
ing it in company with the sciences of chemis.
.ty and geology, its twin sisters.
- The purpose of the Thiloropical Sccety of.
Edgeficld -in its original formation, was not,I
apprehend confined to thme intvestigation of those
branchesof science embraced in the definiion
gfmental philosophay or metaphysics; but it wvas
-intended to comprehendi~ the cultivation of an~ ac
quaintance,with those arts and sciencesin which
as individuals atnd commntities, we are every
day concerned. With the viewn thcrefore of
aecognizimg the principle of egnqitymi, and of
acknowledgiwr the high claims which the
sudy of the laws, anid dhe itnvestmaation of the
phenomena of the vegetable kingdom, have up
on those engaged in the acqtmsition of useful
knowledge; our society has resolved so to chantge
kts name, as expressly to emubrace in its objects,
the science of Agriculture, and has assigned for
this evenings lecture, the subject of 'vegetable
physio'ogy."
.In discussing a subject so vast and coinpro
lIensive in .its relatiuus, and so imuportatnt and
umakifarions in its results, nothing more can be
attemplted in a single lecture, than a brief nto
tice ofsome of the ma.st promient facts, and a
concise illustratio:i of some of the most obviouts
principlesof the science.,
Physiologists have assigned -to the vege~tahle
kingdom the second rank in the scale of ob
jects composing the material universe. T1he
line of separation between an animal of the
lowvst, and a plant of the highest order, is so
entall,,.as scarcely to ba appreciable. Both the
ataimal and .vegetable have a prl~inciple of vitali
ty .sustained agd supported by organic ma
chinery, so comlplex, and by chemical chamnges,
andcomnbinations.so intricate and incotmprehen
rible, as to elude the intensest researches of the
profoundest philosophy; and the most that can
be accomphishedbiy theatnatowist and physiolo
gist is, to separato and analyze the several
parts compositng the animal and vegetable struc
ture,andthuts to develops the secret spr-ings and
wheels of this wonderful machinery, without
being able to comprehend or explain the prin.
ciple wicih gives it motion.
In discussing the suigect before ass this eve
ning, the origin of the platt or to speak more
technic-ally, the pirocess of germunation, is the
Girst thing to wvhich I beg leave to direct your
attention. Whatever differeneof opinion may
have existed-in the itnfancy of thme sciece~ of
vecgetable physiology, it is nowv ttniversally ad
mitted that all plantsi sprinig from see-is, though
they may be piropagated by other nmeans such as
granling anid budding. For the purpose of ex
aminming the organic structure of seeds, and il
lustrating the process by wht ich they are chan.
-ed from the etmbryo into the livinig platnt, w~e
will take thme commiton grardeni beatn- Upon in
specting the bean. it wnill be found to consist of
twvo lobes, which are called cotyledons. near the
e-ye of the beau, is a smuall round bodvy which
is the germ of tihe future root of the planm, tnd
lob.-s or cutyledons, is inotler emuall body which
is the germ of the future stem or trunk of the
plaut, and is called the plumula. All seeds
have-the radicile and plumula, whether they
be mono cotyledonous, as indian corntwheatand
other small grains and the whole family ofgrass
es; or whether they be di-cotyledonous, as the
bean and the whole family of legimentous veg
etab!es; and the process of gernuination is coin
mon to the whole vegetable kingdomt. A seed
is said to germinate, when it . undergoes . that
change by which the radicle is converted into
a root and grows downward into the earth, and
the plumitila is- cotverted into the stemin, end
shoots upward, carrying along with it, in the
case of the bean, the two cotyledons, which
.are employed in giving nomeiniint to the in
fint plant, until, fiom the extension of i:s roots,
and the-expmionofits. leaves, it is capable of
receiving food from the soil and the atmosphere.
Itis.a Iact well estiblished, that the changes we
have been de.scribitng never take place itnles.
moisture be present; that they never take place
unless the temperature be above zero, and that
some seeds will germinate in lower tempera
tnres than others; and that they never take place
unless atnospheric air or oxygen gas he )present.
Boyle, Boerlave and 31 uschenbroek proved by
repeated experiments, that seeds will not vege
tate in the vacutm of an air pump; and Scheele
and Achard ascertained by sitnilar experiments
that germination will not take place in nitrogen
gas, hyda ogen gas, or carbonic acid gas,.nnless.
they are in.u state of combination with oxygen.
Light is also said to have a sensible inflnence
on the germinatton of seeds, tho' to what precise
extent, seems not to be well ascertained: it is
certain, however, that it retards the process, ei
ther by some inherent property which it pos
sesses, or by indirect agency, in prodecing a
certain modification of heat and.moisture un
favorable to vetretation.
Thus it appoars .that heat, moistnre and oxy.
gen gvas, are indi.1petsable to tte process of
germiunaion; asit -will hereaftcr H seen that
they are important agents in the further ira
gress of vegetation:
Afterthe processuf germination is compltel,
the plant, tinder favorable circumstances, con
tinues to grow; its roots are increased itt nnm
ber and size; its branclie. miltiply and expand,
;and it is obvions to the senses. thWt.the whole
plantf-l'ot .its rapid increase in brlk, is con
stantly acquiring new accessions of mater: and
as this new matter cannot be prodiced by the
plati itself, it fillows tlat plantcts like anitinals,
require food tnot only for their immediate nour
ishment, but also for the Ipurpose of replacing
those particles of matter which, having become
tnfitted .for nutriment, are thrown: out -by the
excretory veisels.
It was for a lotig time a que.einnamong phys
iologists, whether water did not constitute the
only food necessacry to the sustenance & growth
of 1lants. This idea, whidh sublcrent experi
ments have proved to be erroneons, wasdoubt
less suggested by the fact, that the elements or
compontent parts of water. namely, oxygen and
hydrogen, are uniformnly fouid itn the substance
of plants; but the experiments of Bergman anti
Margmra, have forever exploded a theory. which
it would scem, ne.ver could have been seriously
advocated, except :in the infancy of tle sci
ence. These philosophers proved-that water
is a necessary agent in elaborating the food
of plants, and is the-vehicle in which it is colt
ducted to the roots to 'be absorbed; and those
experiments which misled Van IHelmont, Bon
net, Boyle, Dulamel, Tillet aid others. ieto
the stpposition that water is the sole and prop
er food of pants, were made without a due re
gat d to the fact that. tunless it has ben purified
Iy distillation, it always holds inc soluttion sotte
of .the eleinents whichi ente't into the stabstanice
ot vegetabiles. Withouctt watner, the seed
ennalth~er germiinate tior the platnt vegetate,
bltt it eo ttuore tiollows that it constitute~s evcen
the principal foocd of vcgetaleIs, thatn 1hat
xygeln gas which is essenttiai! to anmal life, is
the principad lt6:l of ntoia!s.
e. hiave u!rcadly 4eene that air is ntecessary
to the perocess of iegetatiocn; and it has heeni
scertaine'd bcy the expcerimnents of Chem'ttical
Pi'ilcsophers, thtat a large portiont of the car
bonaceouts matter found to exist 'n planits, is
mtbibede from thte attmospchere. Thtree .of the
onstitutentt elemeants ocf atmosphteric air, tname
y, carbonic acid gas. ecxygen,. and m noisture, ate
aid to furmnish food to the plant.
Another source frictm wjhich vegetahics de
rive their enourishmicent, is ite soil in-whimch they
row, cocnsistitig ocf salts, earths, a nd atnimal antd
egetablle stubstaitces in a state of decomuposi
ion. It hais been well ascertained by chte mticial
aalysis. thtat thte same elements that'enter into
he substanice of thte plantt, are also fonntd to be
he princi pal compthoncents of animtal subhstances:
thse aire oexygen, hydrongent, carbconic acid and
tirogett, the latter elemtet beinig discovered
nity in a few vegetables,whilst it is always fonitd
o exist itn thte aiimal ecoomy.
Ilaving seet thtat lalnts ,require food, and
hat they derive it frott thte atmtosphere, and
fromi the soil int whtich they grow; it tematins to
etquire how the fotcd is received; in what focrmt
it is received; and what chemical changes it
undergoes, before it is itn a proper state to he
assimitiated toc thte sutbstnce of the plant. -
In the futrter examintation of our subject, it
will, I thintk, be impossible to witthhold otur as
sent to the truth of the proposition, that thteme is
a most striking analogy between tmny of the or
ganic fiunctiotns of animals atnd those of vegeta
blec,. Thus the roots of the plant petforim thte
ftnctionts of the month, and the leatves perform
the functiotns of thte httus, itt the ancimal econco
umiy; whilst the trtiik or stemi, aitd the liber or in
ner bark, composed of celtilar tissutes or fibronts
tttbesccnstitute the vaescular apcparatus by wheicht
the.circutlationi of the flutids is carried otn, and
throuigh which. the sap of the planit ascends
anid decends, imnparting new life and rigor.
Perhtape tn suibject cotnnected wiith the science
of vegetable physioleogy has beeintmore thoroutgh
y inivestigated, thant the process by which the
planttt receives and assiiiates its foid ; and al
thonghi many cur~iotus aned ititeresting filets have
beene ascertainted by expe-rimenits, yet mutcht is
left in doubht atnd obscurity. It is true beyontd
question,. however, that the food which the
plamut imobihces from the secil, is conducted Iby
water, and is received at the extretmeties of the
roots by a cellular tisstue zesemblinag the sponge,
Irhicli! by an etninenit inirdrn nhtsioaist, i
called the spuogiole of the rout. :The substance
intended for die future nourishment of the
plant is held in solution by water, and in thtit
state, enters the spongiole by a sort of affinity
.-which, inl chemical philosophy, is called capilla
ry attraction; but from the well knowi fact
that the action of this principle is confined with
in very narrow limits, the ascent of the sap from
the extremetics of the roots; through tie trunk,
to the extremeties of the braniches, and into the
leaves,cannot be accunnted for, but upon some
other principle less hbvions, and more difficult to
becomprelicuded. Aware ofthisdifficulty,physi
ologists a.ttempted to account for the-phenome
non. by ascribing it to the pressitte of the at
msphere upon the spongioles; thud forcing- die
sap through the veseels of the plant, upon the
same principle that a colutn of water-is made
to ascend in a tube by the pressure of the at
mosphere upon the external surface of the
water. Thiis notion prevailed ntil it was ex
ploded by Dr. Uales, who ascertined by an in
gettions experiment: thatthe sap of the plant as
cends with a veloeitv suflicient to overeonie the
pressnre of a colnmn oF water 4tfeet'in per
pendicular heiaht; which is niearly-onethird
greater than the force exerted 'hy!the atntos
phere. tht beiig smificient to overcome the
pressure of a column of water of oly Sn f.'et
in perpemlictlar height. The opinion now
genterallv reeived is, that the criculation of1he
-sap is ef'eeted- by tile alternate contraction an'd
-4ilatatinn of the .Pap vessels; but how this con
traction and dilatation take place. so long na
vertables are denied the fiunctions afsensibility
and irritability -nmstI nireheiM, ever remain
a pro1mntd m mystery. 'Tlhatilhe sandoesascnl,
however. and with the force nscrilied - to it by
Dr ii ales.,m hbeetn provedl by ocnllartdemnnstra
-fion limn'ded ot experiment; and it is pretty
well ascertained that it ascen'ds, in theinftmey
of the platm, throtidi tihe pith, an'd in its more
dvanticed-istate, through tite albtrnmn or white
wood, or in enmnon lilrisclogy, the sap of
the tree. itn contradistinction to thie heart. Tie
sap. it i's awcent, undergoes little or no chnaige,
mntil it reaches the leaves of the plant. [Jere,
by means of the porosity of the leaves, it is ex
losed to tie actioni of the atmosphere, and is
said to have a new property imparted to it by
tl.e oxygen of the attumphere; and tius, afler
'ttndergoing certain chenical dhanges at'd com
binatiots in the lkaves, ptecisely authe'venots
blood of animals, ly leintg brought in contact
with tihe air inl the higs becomes oxygenated
aid purified, the sap is fitted for giving nour
ishmetit to, and being assimilated with;- the
protper.sttbstance oftL plaht. But the analogy
between these animal and vegatible functions
does not stop here; foir as the venous blood of
the aitimal, thIus purified by.being -brought iti
contact with air in -the is, is, by -mcains-of
a different set of vessels, conducteil'back to the
ltcart,-thence :to be difinsed through the sys
tem; so the retirning sap-or peculiar juice of
the plant, as it is now cal?*LV, descends iot in
the same vessels through which it ascended, but
rettris through the liber or inner bark, deposit
inlg inl its descent, a portion of its nutritive pro
Perties wherever it is most needed fot the pre
sent growth of the plant, anl.also laving itp in
store certain portions. to be mod during the
Winter and followiig spring, -before -vegetation
.comnniences. Bit the leaves have yet other in
portatit functions to perform. lThey not only
elaborate the crude sap absorbed by the roots,
aid prepare it for bd% nsituilated'and inmeor
poiated into the siistnce ofihe platit, htut-they
decompose a portion of the cafbiili acid gas
of the atin-phcre, and retain the carbon a
fond, whi~si the oxygen is disetgaged and
throwni off, to be employed in puitin~tg the at
mosphecre which hats been derior-ated by the
respiramtioni "r aio:nls, anid the comibustiont and
decomposition of' vegetable and animalt~ sub
statnces. 'lThe proce'ss of absrhiing carbon andu
emtittinig oxygent is kniownm to take place only ini
the day', or wheti light is pi esent--a facet Iiomt
which pihtysitlogistsen'toje-ctured that this futne
tion .ef .the .leaves is suispentdcd duintg the
ntight; binutupotn inivestigatinig the subject by
re pealed ex p~ erits, Inigeihnsz atid others
ascertainted that the process which goes on dur
inig the day, is reversed at -night, oxygen being~
absut bed, and -caibonic acittgas being evolved
by the -plairt.
It is obvious frmi the analogy which it bears
to a simtilar ftietioni in aimtals, that this pro
cess may be called the respiration of vegetab!es.
Carboniaceomis tmatter. whether it lie deriv'ed
fromt the soil ihroughl thme miediunm of the salt
vessels, or fromt the attmosphtere, is ithe apipro
priate food of vegiatbles; atid phiyselmgists at
tetmpt to accotunt for the phuenomiena o\vege-ta
ble respiratini, by supposing that cattin is
getnerally untfit for the j,nrposes of ftifion,
until it has beeti combined with oxygen itt such
proportioni as toi fotrm car bottic acid gas ina thme
pin tit; am:~ that this itrticate process of elabora
tioni atnd pturificamtionm is conmpheted by the car
bonic acid gas be'ing decotmposed by thme leaves,
duintg the day, throwing off the oxygen. ail
retaitninig the carbon precisely in that state of
disitegration; which fits it for beinig readily as- -
sitmilated and incorporated ito the ve;:etabile.
T1he last funtc:ioni of vegetables which time
will alhar mue ta notice abpiresetnt, is that of
thirowitig off their excrcteentitionts or suiperfiti
otns matter, by excretory vessels, and the pro
cess is called excretioni. W~e see in this as in
all the woniderfulh phienutmetinof vegetationi, that
the varuous and intricate processes in t'he vege
table ecotnomy, arc but so manty litnks constitut
itig the great chaitn of -causes and cotnseqiuetnces,
intdispensatble to the accomiplishtmentt of' the ut
timnate design of thme Creator of te Utiivers.
It is the opinioni of sume phtysiologists that the
higher orders of lantts possess miany or all of
of die funtctionis of antimnals, except those of per
ceptioti anid voinntary locomotioti. However
plasibhle tiig ht he the theory which from anal
ogy. shiotkl eveni inv~est the planit with the how
er of perceptioni, ,ve have nto tmenits of detect
itug etuch a funcemtin: and so ftmr as experitets
have been made, they lead to thme opjposite con
chtsion. It hais bectn acertained by M. Macaire,
that v'egetabiles hiave nto power of discriminaating
~hetweett food that is nutritionsand whmolestome.
amid that which is poisonous or deletcriois.
Pints11, like thc lords of time creation, also fre
gntently receive mtore fimod thtan is eithet tieces
sary to thteir imiediate wtants, or is healthful to
thei.r ,.mmiituiot:. Th'ttunctioni of excretioti
I is intended to iemedy these evils; and whether
the food be in itself unwholesome, or taken in
stich quantitiesas to gorge the plant, it is car
ried back to the roots,and by them disgorged in
to the adjacent soil.
In the very cursory and necessarily imperfeci
view I have taken of some of the processes
which nature employsin the vegetation of plants;
the reception and elaboration of proper food rot
theit nourishment; the assimilation of so much
or-wtnourislament as may be needrul to thcir
growth and filldeveloipeient; and the excretion
of so much of it as may be either noxious or su.
perfinous; r have pnrposly omitted the classifi.
cation of plants as a branch of science belongig
more particularly to the'depatment of botany.
I have also omitted to n6tice the varions liquid
and solid substances composing the plant,whose
cheiniical combiuations and properties can only
be discovered in die laberatory, as more appro
priately .elonlgivg to the departmeits ofChem
istry and pharmacology. I ain constrained fot
want of time, to pass by withont particularly
noticing those nutritive substatices found in the
prod ncts of vegetibles which afioid to mankind
so large and so, palatable a poriionof theirdaily
subsistatice.
In concltsion d'the subiect, I am conscious
that I may fairly be charged with having tres
passed upon the time and patience ofthis very
respectabloand int.telligent audience4utless some
or the tirinciples attempted to beilhtstrated may
be usefully applied in the prosecution of some
of the various purnits cotnected with the cul
tivation oftho carth. A fe w facts will be briefly
rerapittilated.
If. as ve have secn, a seed w ill tever-vege
tate without air or oxygen gas, and tht it veg
etates bit ittperfectly wliei exposed tothe light,
tl~e planter's first lesson is one, the solution of
which depends upon a knowledge of these facts.
The seed must be buried to avoid :e 4ight. and
yet must tint be turied so deep as whe irncccs
sible to ihe atio:phere.
.gaii, ifthe sap intended for the future nonr
ishment of'tf plant, is abscorbed- only At the ex
tremities ofthe roots, and the ctting f of the
extremities of the rmots or spongioles destroys
their function of absorption, how ereful should
the planter be that his ploughs anl barrows do
tnot wound or destroy these-ssential organsof
vegetahis vitality; and thus hy.an unskilful and
harburons imsbandry, mar the most cheering
pi ospect of n-plentiil harvesr.
A k nowledge-of the stbstaices wliich'furnish
iourishment to the plant, and an acqutaititance
with-the-component parts (if the-soil to be cul
tivated. -are highly importintto the planter,and
the gardner, as they fori the basis upon which
the wvhole -system of manuring is fuided -
Your soil has ito much clay; apply sand and veg
et:h le-imatter: it has too mu1tich vegetable mat.
ter; -apply :clay and animal snbstances. The
purely vegetable soil is one.less understnod-per
haps thin any'other; and its'perianent utility
depends entirely upon the application of some
of these cortectives. The disease .called the
rustso fatal to ourgreat staple, the cotton plait;
is ahvays seen to prevail in vegetable soil.; a
want of carhonaceous and calcareous inatter,
is the-catise of the discass; the remedy is found
-in the-tapplication of elay-and ainimal substunees.
We have seen that vegetal:e-s-ha-ve the funtc
'.ioai of thron itg off. by an excre!ory proces.
whatever they ita% have imbibed either nox
ions in quality, or stupe flutis in qtnantity.
The .oxions substances disgorged by the plant.
at no suhsegnenit period itflra nourishnaiwnt to
the same platt, nor to any .plant of the same
fatnily; but will be found to afi'ord the richesi
otutrimient to somte vegetables of a dif'erent spe.
eies. The se' futcts arc futiliar to everv.platnter
w-ho makes a corn: crop stucceed to a cotton cropi;
and the cotton-crop to that of small grain,. &c.;
and furnish the broad foundation of that excel
lent thieoly, the t otation of cropas: a theory, the
application of whiic~h, conducted by '''iful hits
hanidry, htas-enaled Great Brtitaiti, .ain many
of the sl)Cperanuated colntries-of Euro'pe, ' pr
serve thec freshiness anid vigor of gi ofr a
thattsautd year's continued cenkivati~n aiid to
feed their tmillions otf poputlationi frq'n the pro
duce of a number of acres whtose g egraphical
extent in our own prodigal counttry-, wenld lie
deemed scarcely adequate to the sutpport-of as
many thtousa t~ds.
S-r. AL'ous-riN, Junte 5.
A cordon of posts are to be established
across the peninsula fronm Fort King wiest
to the~ W it blaicoochee,andl east to Smtiyrna.
Theu.se potsts ntre -to be garrisoned by regtt
lars.- Ye-ws.
An order has'hecen issued by His F xcel
lettcy, Gov. Ib-id, to raise 500 mounted
men, antd 50 hioot men, for the defence of
the frontier. Capt. Mit-cer lhas bteetn mus
te-red i-nto service, as well Cnymzin Peulli
ser, of this city, wvith a mtounoted fore.-Ib.
Capt. M~ickler, niit-b 25 men, is order-ed
to the head of North River, anud tauke snch
poisition as will ansni er the purposes of de
lence.
Capt. Pelliser, with 20 men, hans been
ordered to garrison Six Mile Ptost-lbid.
Indints liave been nrotud the posts on
the Picolata ro~ad duritng the last week
Ibid.
A scow, ttnder Capt. JBonnieville., 2d
Dragooms, and Cipt. Holmes, 7th Infan
try, recend'y left F'ort King, for an exam
itnation of the Big Swamp, guided by an
Iadian woma-n. The distance marched
wvas 20 miles. Capt. Holmes catme ttpotn
large fields undercutbivniinn and over an
huntdredl Indians preparing for their greent
corn dlance. They iimmewditely fletdleav
ing an itifanit asleep. A large atmount o1
their plunder w as obistined, consisting, a
nng other thtings ofsoldiers' dresses atnd
nring recoguiraed as belonging to the late
Lieut. Sattdersoni. Capt. Boinneville un
fortutnately did not coni tip in time, by
mnistatking the trail, and they effected their
retrest. This pinceis only aeven miles, in
direct lin-, fromt Fort King, and has been
ftor the first time, visited by whiite- men
ainee the wvar.-Isid.
The lroni Works.-WVo are gratilied to
learn thaut, amid the extenisivo de-vasitiutins
of the late flood, our Iron establishiments,
in Untion, York, and Spartnburg, -have
escaped wvithiout injury-especially, thi
Neshil Manufacturing ComnpuneJ, has not
suffered to tho amount of one dollar
SnntIL C'nrnlintian.
Torrcpamidcnce of the CIarlcstin vuriir.
WASINtGTON, JUNE 2.
An import ant movement has becen made
in the Senate, on the subtj.et of the bank.
rupt hiw. Indications are very strong
t hat the southern administration Senaton,
will generally oppose the 181h section of
Mr. Walls bill, by which the banlksare in
cluded. Mr. Calhoun expressed a wish
to speak on the subject of this amendiment.
which he said was vital to the bill, and the
hour being late, the Senate adjourned.
He will speak to-day. It is certain that
several other southern administration Sen
ators have determined upon that course.
They are unwillingto give New York, the
great finaucial and commercial advan
sages which will result to her from the
prostration of the southern hanks. The
New Yorkers; -without party distinciions,
are in favor ofincluding the banks, believ
ing that they can stand-the shock.
14 the Huisse. A Waddy Thompson
moved that the hill reported from the com
nit;ee on niihtary afl'airs, for 'raising an
additional.fcrce 6f sitteen hundred men
for the protection-of lorida be .taken up,
and he submitted sundry-conmtunications
from the Secretary of War, showing that
the Indians were in greater orce, and more
ichievous than ever. Mr. Atherton
urged the necessiy of disposing of the sub
treasury bill, ;before any otdror business
wastnken up. Air. Coles ihiormtied the
[louse that there would be opposition to
to Ihe hiil referred to, by Mr..Thompson,
and that it would not pass without Itasch
debate. The motion was los:, as it requf
ed two thirds.
As the-rules were,,it would retquire a
vote of'two-thirds, on '31 ond ays, F ri'ays
and Sat urdays, to take Ip the Sub-Treasu
ry. The eoinmittee of ways and means
and the majority or the flonse, favorable
to the passage of the Sub-Treasury bill,
were determined to push it through, -if
pos;ihcitc,-hefore nny it her business was at.
teuded to. The Whigs, otn the other-hand
were equally resolute in preventing It.
In thu evening se.sion, nt 4 o'clock. the
states were Clleil for resolutions, and ar.
Smith of 3Me., who ftrst got ate ilaor, offer
-ed M r. Athertori's resoiution to chauge'the
ihe rule. It so happens that, this being
resolution day. the tnotion-roid :be made
without the assent oltwo-thirds. 'If it was
not adopted it would go over for aTortnight.
Mr. Sttith necoipaniell his moltion by a
deinanl for the prcvious <piesrion. Tre
mendots excitemet.fol to wed. The Whigs
denouaced iho proceedure as unfair, un
parliamentry, 1!estructive of the rights of
the minority, &c. Before the siting was
over, so bilh was the excitement that all
or-ler na!l decortim 'wre host. aid the au
thority of the Speaker was uttery disre.
garled. The lie passed back and forth,
between nembers, on several occasions,
and every-thing like decency of behavi-our
was outraged. "lThe House was very neal
breakitng up in conftwion, and would have
been, if lows had been struck, which, at
one time, seecied ineviiato.
The resolution passed -yeas 1l9, nays
84.
'une 3.
iJr. -Cdihonn -rpoke about an hour, yes
terday, on the subject of the Bankrupt hill.
He did not profess-to go fidly into the sub
ject, whichi he said, embraced a great va
ricty oftopies, and he intimated that he
might Iave nathiler opiont tinitytto treat tl:e
!iuestion more at 'largc. But ie very dii
tinctly defined his position itt regard to the
matter. lie opposed the hill, as reported
fron the cotmittee, as unconstitutiotial,
because it was nothing but att insolvent
law. lie pointed out the dilrerence be
tweetn ;rn inolvett and a hankrupjit 'law
the foriner being itiended to relieve deb
tras, anid the latter to regulate ira~do. die
would not vote for a mere insotvetdt lew,
such us thce voluntary lill p'ropoised.
.[But opposed as lie was to the bifl, he
was still more htostile to th stu~abstitute of
Mr. W~alh, that embcraced what wvas called~
the volu nta ry systemu and "as liable, on
that aicectunt, to the samte objection which
h~e urg'edl agatinst the bill. It also, emibra
cell wh-Iat wastentomitnatedt the compulsory
systemt, which in thi opiniont, wvas the on
ly constitutional feuture-ini the scheme.
itt this comultsory priocess, which for
med a henkrutpt law,-in -the meaning of
the constitutio-n, wras too oppressice and
tyrannicial1'or adoption in 'his country.
It had once beeni tried by the lawy oil1800,
which was limited to live years, but-aban
duned after anu experimetrnt of two ycars.
Unider this provision, any~ trader, owing a
debt of 5010 dolhetrs would bce tiable to htave
his business arrested. his property put
in commission,anud sacrificed. le wvoutd
be crushced. at once, whereas, if allowed
time, he wvould lie able to wvork tlbrough,
successfully andi honorably. The fltcctua
tions of thie currency to n hieh we are ex
posed, fromn our banking system, rendered
such a tawv peculiarly tunsurtable to thcis
country. liy a sudent comaraction of the
cuirrency, a personit with amnple mieatns is
uable to tmeet his debts. He might, alf
ter a ilte, paty all, acid have a large
scarplus, but this law ruins and destrovs
him at otnce. There -wotuld be much more
propriety in granting~ a stay lawy for his
relief. thun in t hus interposing to hasten
atnd comiplete his rn-in, He dtid not believe
that .a si-ngle Seotue~r would vote hhr his
compitulsory law, stamling by itself; but
tmatny, from anxiety to relieve debtors, or
a dispmosition to ptinnish tthe baniks, would
vocte for it, in contnection with the volunta
ry and corporation provisions.
As to thse kest fcature of the substitute
applying the compulsory prorcess to banks
Mr Calhotin argtted that it wotti he more
ruinous to the cotuntry than a devastating
tornado, or ai decree of Providence sud
denly smiting the earth with sterility.
Tihe blow would nott 'fall on thea corpora
lions alone, it w'otuh reach beyond them,
the whole mass of thte comtmunity. A
hank not meeting a dlebt to the am nount of
$500, wotnhd he put in commission, wit h
alt its profits, credlits, &c. The amount
of motnev due to all rte banks was 450
millions.' The' specie in the cottntry a
mcotunted to 80 mnitlionis. How was the
immne debt to the bankls to be paid!
notin hiank p~tper, for this In w discredits
andt (hestrovs thiat. nn rd non itt specie, for it
is niot in the counitry. Every hodly would
hie rutited by it, except the bankrtipt Comn
missioners, who would fat ten on thte sys
t-alt thme indttstry of the cotmntry, espe
cially ohf the South and Werst, wvould be
wholly paratlized by it.
Pe.rha the banks, in Newv York and
oilier Eastern States, 'ridf'l he sMle to
stand 'the shoa:k. The ilace where the
revenue wus collected would have preut
atdvantages. In this view thcetieiais
or the law would lie, unequa' 'in 'reereit
parts of the country. .it would not lie a
iniuorm law. lie did not sp'eak tof mo
tives, but the elleet of the haw upon the
commerce and banking of the South,
would be most disasiious. As a means
o cof'ncentratitng the maiied power of the
country, it would be more effective than
a National Bank. . It would also unite the
banking system -with the Government,
and give the lattcr complete cowtrole over
the former.
In fine, Mr. Calhotn said. lie would veto
to strike out the clause embracing the0
banks. and afterwards against the whole
scheme.
The question was iaken and thelatiks
were stricken out by a decisive vote yea.
28, nays. 16, Mr-. Clay of Keneucky
moved to rollow up this,- by striking out
the 18th section, as including the compdl.
sory systemn. That question will next be
discussed. Mr. Calhoun lias blown up
two parts of the bill, the coipulsory 'and
corporation provissions, But his arge
metit agains.t the voluntary s~stem is ubt
conclusive. However, 1oubt whether,
a mojority of the Senate will go for th
volitntary hill alone,
In the House, Mr. Leet, of Pa. spoke
in support of the Sub-Treasury Bill, ant
1r.'Brockwuy, of Connecticut against it.
CAuoDN, June G.
ThIe Rivers.-When our paper went to
.press on Friday of last week, the Wate.
ree was very high, and still rising, though
at that time, we had not heard of arty of the
eimhanknments mliatIng given way. Du.
ring the allernoon and night of Friday.
however, the %%atersoniinued it) rise until
til lie' low arounds were onpletely sub
tnerged. and the embankments of all the
plartions on the river, as far as we have
heard, either broken or overflowed. The
river wa, at its highest point on Saturday
morning and wanted but 10 inches of he
ing as high as the fresbet of August 1831,
whi was t4he liighest we have ever heard
of on the Wteree. 'The Camnden Bridge
which was carried away in 1831, and af
ter heing built "was again sWept off, but at
what thne we do not remember, was re
constructed about two years since under
the superititendance of Capt. Vanderford
of Cheraw, fortutate v'ithstood the sweep
ing torrent. The damage which has
been sustained, not only by the destruction
of the growing crop, but by washing up of
the pantations and the loss of stock is im
aeuse.-Journal.
-.ionGRG.-It was feared by many that
the recent great Flood, which destroyed a
large amount of property in Hamburg,
would so completely prostrate her, that a
recovery was al least questionable, These
apprehiensions are groundless. . We have
ieen chastened, but it was for our good.
Unless it be the fint of Him who ruleth all
things, that we shall be more severely
scourged, we shall rise up shortly "like
strong men refreshed with new winie."
Some of our mnerehanis will probably - re
tire from business, for the present; but
heavier steeks of gnodswill be for sale, and,
a larger amount of business ill be done
here the-comning season. than in -iny -previ
ous year. We have heard that ,prepara
lions are miaking for the opening of sever
al new houses next Fall. Our good
friends, the planters, may rest assured that
they will still find a good market at Ham
burg. and they are invited to "come and
see, and judge for tlemselves."-Hanburg
ExtracT of a letter received in Charleston
-by thelPot .3laster. -dated,
&.GRAllAMVIrLLE, June 8.
"Thte Siage tried tilis ilay to get to Sa
vannau~hj hut mande a failure. The driver
says lihe Schriven Causeway is all afloat,
and thme biridge gone, consequently was
compelled to returni to Purysburg. The
driver carried the mail from P'urysburg to
Savannah in a btoat. so there will lbe nto
ca'euThtionm wthen theStage trill get along."
The Geortgetown Amuerican, of the 5th
inst. says:-We have had our -full sherre of
r'aitn, but wve appreentd no irjery 'to the
crops ini tbis District. Some damage to
the rice field hanks hy the pressure of wa
ter from above lies beau sustained, but of
tno greait consequence atiy whore."
FauIT.-WVe take 1deasure in atdknowl
edginig ih~e receipt of a presetit of Flumt and
Petach A pricots. ft-nm Mr. R. E. Russell.
Trhey were very b~eautiful, and well lavor
td; and wye hope our friends will follow'bis
good exatlmle, both in cultivating fins
fruit, and furnishina us with subjects .for
Sev-eral of our planters whbo have b ed
cotton destroyed by the freshietflaC-now
rephanting. In many places cotton which' -
wvae covered for 36 or 48 hours is coming
out, anti beginning to look W-ell.-lbid.
i our account of the freshetrourjlast
p~aper-m the rives is mnictioned s eghavtng
risen "37 feet" at Colu mbia-2y phould
have been the tfnie reading.-Ibid.
Ctux.Esroy,June 13.
PresheL-Capt. Mine~r or the schr. Em
nma Julia, arr-i, d yesttrday from SanteO,
states that thme fresbet bad extnded o a
ihe Rice Plantations on Santee, as low
down as Mrs. Rutledge's. The embank
ments were' all covered ont the 5th itnst.,and
remtainedl in that situationi until the 11th,
wvhetn it had falletn 4 inches, the negroes hatd
all heen removed to the main; heo heard of
tno loss of life.
NE~w COT TO--We copy the folowinig
from the Natceze Free Traduer of thme 3d
inst. which showvs the earliness of the sea
sotn, andI that we are likely to have newv
cotton in abunidance before the old is ship
ped tdT.-anid it shmows that the enerpies of
thie planters have not been deferred by low
prices:
'-Mr. TIhomas G ihbert. a planter in Lou
isiana, solme 20 miles below tbis city, has
sent tus several cottton hulls, about tw-o
thirds the ordiniary size aii maturity, as a
samphle of his crop) thtis year, A s his ha
hors appenr to be crownted with sticcess ini
the cuhivation tof our staple, we wish him
be-iter' prices thn there is nmow a prospect
of tnhtnining thr the article when brought to