Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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V 0 "&We -will cling to the Pillars of tihe Temple of our L~bertlen, and if it must fall, we wvill Prs mdttm un. W. F. DURISOE, Proprietor. EDGEFIELD, S. V., AUGUST 25, 1852. - -- -3. LAST WORDS OF COL CEITTENDON. "AN AMERICAN ENEELS TO NONE BUT GOD! Au tyrants forge thy chains at will Nay! gall this flesh of mine, Yet, thought is free, unfettered still, And will not yield to thine! Take, take the life that Heaven gave, And let my heart's blood stain thy sod But know ye not Kentucky's brave Will kneel to none but God: You've quenched fair Freedomn's sunny light, Her music tones have stilled ; And with a deep and darkened blight, The trusting heart has filled! Then do you think that I will kneel Where such as ye have trod ? Nay ! point your cold and threat'ning steel 'll kneel to none but God. As sunmer breezes lig'htlv rest Upon a quiet river, And gently on its bleeping bre-ast The moonbeams softly quiver Sweet thoughts of home light up my brow When goaded iii.h the rod ; Yet these eannaot unman me now I'll kneel to none but Cod. And t:ough a sad and mournful tone I coldly sweeping by; And dreams of bl:sa forever flow Have dimmed with tears mine eye Yvt mine's a heart unyielding still Heap on my breast the clod; My soaring spirit scorns thy will I'll knell to none but God. THE OLD 3AN TO HIS WIFE. WE are growing very old, Kate 'I feel it every day, The hair upon our temples now Is growing thin and grey. We are not as we were Kate, A nd yet our hearts are yoaun. As when we roved the sunny hills. Andl flowery dales among. We are growing very old, Kate, But it is not age of heart, Though speedily the hour comes (an, When thou and I must part; When thou and I must part, Kate, As we have ne'er before, Besides our cottage hearth to meet, With wordsof love n4more. mi yin heavenly throng, "fill we sing the song together, Kate, The angels sing above; Where ne'er the fear of parting takes The blessed ness from love. EDITORTAL CORRESPONDENCE, GLENN SPlNGS, Act; 10th, I52. )A Ibt!ADERs:-Ueing absent from our edito rial post for a short time (on an up-country excursion, we have thought that it would be dutiful in us, and, perhaps, agreeable to you, if we should pen a few observations, in passing, upon matters and things in general, and transnit them to you through the col umns of the .drertiser. Without further preface we will proceed to do rery briefly what we have thus briefly indicated. The first dlay of our journey barely took us ott of the " territory" of Edgefield ; and wec could but remark, as we passed over lill arter hill anal vale after vale-" Well, this is a great old district of ours, in point of size at any rate." A nd the re flection arose to our mental vision that perhaps this very circumstance of ".size"~ may have had much to do with imaparting to Edgefield whatever degree of prominence and influence she has enjoyed arnong her surrounding sisters. "aIs it so, or is it not so ?" is, we presume, the question among the folks at home about this time, if wve mamy judge by the de mnonstrations made by our Sitluda friends a few days previous to our departure. We incline to the affirmative side of the question-but will reserve our opinion for a while. This however has nothing to do with our journey-afraid we shall make a very irregular way-side scribbler. To return however-we were highly delighted with the charming appearance of the corn crop on the Saluda side of Edgefield. It is certainly the best our farmers have had to boast of for imany years. We saw searcely a field which wvas not tolerably fair-very many of them were fine, and Rnot a few (our friend RicnAsosos's low-grounds for instance) were really super-fine. We learn, from very general enquiry, that this entire portion of our District is becoming blessed wvith a glorious abundance. Thanks be to the great Civer of all good ! Unless some unexpected disaster should occur, the hiungry months of both men and beasts will be plentifully filled for the next twelve-mouth. It has been thought by nmny that the cotton erohl of this year will be an unusually short one, andl we have hitherto leaned to that opinion-perhaps do so still. But we certainly have seen some very beau tiful fields of cotton since leaving home, as well as sonmc very ordinary ones. One thing however at tracted our attention purticularly-and it wvas, that the proportion oaf cotton planted, onl the road we travelled, seemed to our view to be unusually limit ed, whereis thme corn-fields were nmany and exten . sive-which circumstance goes still further to estab lish the fact of an abundant grain crop. What we have said above of the Saluda crops, will apply with equal truth to tho entire country over which we have passed in reaching this place. So much for agriculture. A word now about the road7. The biggest half of the one we travelled, in gettinig up to CuIArrr.LL.s Bridge, was rather miserable-certainly the anti pode of a turn-pike. " Why, tell mei, why," do not the " Commissioners of the roads,"~ for good old Edgefleld, see to it that our public high-ways arc put in better orderi Why do they permit one single day, of the twelve allotted by la'w, to remain unused as long as our roads are so wretchedly rough and uncomfortable ? We earnestly wish for the day, when " progress" shall be the word, with respect to this matter, as well as with improvements of a somewhat higher but not more useful charac ter. And here we must say, that the Districts above Edgefild far surpass her in the quality of their roads. There its a degree of public spirit in things of this kind throughout these upper districts which deserves the highest commendation. Would that our people at home could be aroused to a sense of the great utility and comfort of good roads ! Turn we now to polities for a single moment. Candidates for the Legislature are very busy in the districts of Laurens, Union, Spartanburg and Newberry. But no political issue has been made none is at all anticipated. The spirit of domestic compromise, which was called into being by the wisdom and patriotism of our late Convention, reigns triumphant among the patriotic citizens on this side of our State. We have not yet heard, indeed, of a single exception to this peaceful condition of affairs in any part of South Carolina. Is it not cause of sincere congratulation, to witness the noble manner in which Carolinians everywhere are throwing to the dogs the bones of contention which so recently were inflaming their passions, and are returning to that sacred brotherhood which has ever bound them together ? In this district as we learn there has been some little " jowering" among the people about the Homestead Exemption Bill of the last session. Mut even this has subsided almost entire !v and] will have but little effect upon the elections. [n Union (which district was almost unaninious for Secession) there will be at least one co-operationist, of the three members to the Legislature.-We lavc been pleased to learn that our itmmediate fellow citizen. Col. I'cxass. has many friends in this see tion who are prepared to support him warmly for the Senatorship. And this is the sum and sub stance of what we have picked up in the matter of politics. Perhaps this is as good a place as any to give the slightest possible sketch of our two days and a half trip to this place. We left homne about 12 o'clock on Wednesday the 4th instant. The heavens por tended a continuation of the rain which had been falling all the morning. Nevertheless we started, nothing daunted by the gloomy prospect. We passed over the rough and slippery hills of old Edgefield with considerable annoyance, but fortu nately without accident. A very little before dark, we reached the house at which we supposed we should lodge for the night. But, upon enquiry, we discovered that a few "colored individuals," with out the keys, vere the only persons about, the white family being absent from home. So we trot ted on a half mile further (by which time the dusk of evening was fairly upon us) and, having driven up to the gate of another mansion, enquired again what would be the chance fur a night's entertain nient-had about the same luck as before-" all the corn anl foder and oats &c., were down at the plantation, and the wagon was gone to mill and would not be back in time to haul any ,up." This r 1e_,,w eoye- agsiin -euas, ini night, through CuAP PELLS dark ;nd somewhat rickety old bridge heard the ears of the Greenville and Columbia Ril-Road roaring on by, immediately in our van tugged tp the long hill on this side of the river as well as we coull, and eventually found ourselves (pitch-dark) at the door of Mr. Ctarr.LL:s public house, considerably wearied by our first day's ride. Here we were comfortably entertained by our blunt old host, and enjoyed eight hours of refreatitg sleep. The next morning we were off by 7 o'clock and reached the village of Laurens about 2 P. M. The road, this( day, contrasted strongly with that of the day previous. It was a delightful drive. We were struck with some surprise at seeing the great num ber of coimfortable franic buildings which have been built on this road. Many of them, are really ex cellent mansions, and all of them neat and tasteful. And yet lumber here is very scarce, andi the pro curitng it must cost builders a good deal of trouble and expense. We observed however one steam saw mtill which hats beetn recently established sonie fifteen miles below Laurens and which will doubtless much increase the facilities for building hereabouts. L~aurens village cannot be said to be very capti vating in its appearance. Its public square is miser ably rottgh, atnd the Coturt Ilouse looks quite rusty. Yet thtere arc manifest indications of progress and imnprovenment in and around the little towi, and wve have no doubt it will some day take its place among the handsomest villages of the up-counitry. We observed one very large and well-finished brick building, and another still larger, nearly completed, besides sundry others of smaller pattern. There are also somec beautiful private residences in the suburbs; one of thtem, owtned by Mr. EtenuLrszat GV.n (who married in our district) is on rather a mag nificent scale.-I had ahtnost neglected to mention that a very large steam establishmnent has been set up in this village by some enterprising individuals -where sawing lumber, dressing plank &c., are carried ont largely. During the evening of our stay in Lrmrent, we werc called upon by the gentlemanly proprietor of the Laurensville Iherald, Mr. RoBar M. STOKES. who, besides entertaining us for somec timte in his agreeable mannter, gave us access to a fresh budget of papers with whieh to beguile an hour or twvo. It was gratifying :o learn fronm Mr. S-roKEs that the IHerald is still meceting with a liberal support, which we thin~k is but its just desert. Leaving Laurens, we catne very easily to Glenn Springs by 3 o'clock on Friday. And being quar tered here for a few days, we have concluded to snatch a fewv moments occasionally to commutnicate with our friends in a hurried and very imperfect utmnner. All deficiencies in this epistle will be ex eused by each "gentle reader," whe.n wve assure him that we are writing at the desk of the Ilotel Bar, while in the entry, not ten feet from us, a general clattering of male chit-chat almost deafens one, and the notice-bell is continually announcing some ttew arrival, andl shouts of laughter peal front the piaza, and the banging of the piano breaks rude ly upon our tymupanumn, even from the somewhat distant " Ladies' P'arlor." There arc now some hundred and fifty persons of various kintds at this place-amotng them u larger proportion of invalids thtan we have ever known to be here before. The young and hearty portion of the company seem disposed to enjoy themselves to thte fullest extent. We found, upon our artivah, that the parlor was enlivened by the presence of a number of young ladies from Union, besides a few othters from different sections. The Union girls are certainly very cheerful and entertoining-and we* cannot avoid here paying them the just compliment of saying that they are well calculated, from thteir kind and artless manner, from their neatness and becoming looks, and from their lady-like demeanor ia every way, to emulate if not to surpass their The number of young gentlemen here at this time is larger, in proportion, than usual-and we must do them the justice to say that we have never seen a more genteel.sett at Glen:'s. Every night we have been here (except Sunday) the ball-room has been graced by the fair forms and bright eyes of the aforesaid belles, attended sedu lously by their gallant beaux-and the days have been enlivened by as good music as could be knock ed out of friend ZIMMEa.WAN's rather antiquated Piano, to say nothing of such as could be gotten up with the help of a Guitar, Fluto and the human voice divine. Withal, the tine passes pleasantly enough in the main. The Glenn waters continue to prove as efficacious as ever in a medicinal point of view; and we sup pose there is now scarcely a doubt of their being as eminently deserving oof commendation as any mine ral waters in the country. The Hotel is kept well in some respects. The fare i6 quite as good as a hungry man could wish for, although by no means sumptuous. But tI;e rooms are unast of them too small for any degree of comfort, and the beds and bedding are certainly very cominon. We wonder that Mr. ZtatSIIMAN will snttyer this inferiority in his sleeping apartnents. But for this, his Iotel would be more attractive than mntxt others of our acquaintance. As for the stables, they are extremely well kept. Horses receive every necessary attention-and corn, fodder and oats are piled up in their troughs and racks without the slightest stinting. There is a water-cure estsblishment also at this place, and several visitors are at present under the hydropathic treatment. Some of the cases have already terminated successfully. Dr. and Mrs. RiLy are the superintendants of this department. They propose going to Aiken in September or Oe tober to set up a hydropatiuie shop there, and we doubt not they will do well enough. They seem to be very clever persons, and the lady is quite a per former upon the Piano. We are told she sings the ".Maniae" with all the phrenzy of a RUSSeLL. We are aware, kind readers, that we have writ ten you a very lull letter-it would have been bet ter perhaps, had our material been more copious or our hurry less pressing. But what's the use of excuses ? We may drop you a line again, which shall either be better or worse. Till then, adieu! THREE MODELS. TIE MODEL WIDOwER. Begins to think of No. 2 before tho weed on his hat losses its first gloss. May be seen assisting young girls to find a seat in church, or ordering carts off dry crossings, for pretty feet that are waiting to pass over. Is con iged1io v-e o0's1-d must be looked after," or if he hasn't any, be would like to be looked after-himself! Draws a deep sigh every time a dress rustics past with a femiale woman in it. Is very particular abouf the polish of his boots, and the lit of his glove. He thinks he looks very inter esting in black. Don't walk out in public with his children ; when he does, takes the youngest! revives his old tastes for moon light and poetry; pities siiigle men with all his heart; vonders how they contrive to exist ! Reproves little John for saying "Pa" so loud, (when he mecets him in. the street.) Sets his face against the practice of women's going home " alone and un. protected," from evening meeting. Tells the widows his heart aches for 'em. Won. (eTs which of all the damsels be sees, he shall make up his mind to marry. Is sorry he shall be obliged to disappoint 'em all IIt one! has long since pMerred orange blos. soms to the cypress wtreaith. Starts up somte fine day and refurniishtes his bonse from gar ret to cellar; hiangs his first wife's portrait in the attic (shrouded in an old bilaniket,) and marries a playmate for his eldest daughter ! THtE MiODEL wIDow. Would'nt wear her veil up onm any account, thinks her complexion looks fairer th-in ever, in conitrast wIth her sabiles. Sends back her new dress because the fold of crape on the skirt " isn't dleep nmoturniung enough." Steadfastly refuses to look in the direction of a " dress coat" for - one week ! Wonders if that handsome Tompkins who pase .her window every day, is insane enough to think she will ever marry again! Is fond of drawing off her glove, and resting her little wthite hand on her black bonnet, thinkinug it mnay be suggestive of an early app'ication for the same. Concludes to g ye tip the loneliness of housekeeping, and try boarding at a hotel. Accepts Tomp kins' invitation to " attend the children's concert," (just to please little Tommy.) Tommy is delighted, and thinks Tompkins "a very kinid gentleman," to give him so much candy and so many hon.hons. Ihis r ammna begins to admit certain little allevia tions of her sorrow, in t'te shape of pro tracted conversations, walks, rides, calls, &c. (She cries a litle, wvhen TIommy asks her if shte " hasn't forgotten to plant the flowers" in a certain cemetery.) Tompkins comes in, and thinks her lovelier than ever, smilling through her tears. Tommy is sent out inito the garden, to make " prtt dirt pies!" (to the utter demolition of a ncw frock and trowsers,) and returns very nex pectedly, to find his mamma's cheeks very rosy, and to -be tossed up into the air by Tompkins, who declares himseli "his new papa !" THTC MODEL DOCTOR. Owvns a gold headed cane, and drives a vicious horse through tho most frequented parts of the city, sure to MAKtE a pal knt in the person of some unlucky child or deaf old lady on the tractk, who " wouldn't get out of the way !" Always mnagnifes the danger of the patient on his first visit, that his skill in leechuing may pass8 for omnipo tence. When questioned incon venicntly, by relatives, looks wvise and oracular, and fixes his eyes on the coiling (while lie assiduously thumnbs his victim's pulse,) till he has con cocted an answver sufliciently non-commiltal. Is willing to experiment in any kind of "pathy" there is going; never allowing any other M. D. to get the start of him. If his patient has an extraorditiary faculty for con valescing, and there is danger of his getting well too fast, he gives him a slight retro g rade motion! has a decided objection to no,,w.i, gol laies who considar themselves privileged to ed questions. Has a little piivate understaiding with the apothecary, whose pocketslefill by ordering double the amount of medici ecessary on every visit. When he fmds h made an egregious mistake, objectsfi.,L consultation "lest it might alarm the p t!" If he orders mo lasses and water# 1uches his prescription in High Dutch. TIls his confidential man John " to call him oat of church as often as crery other Sunday, On an errand of Iife and death! Never send. his bill in to interest. ing widows or prettygirls.-Olive Branch. -A EM ESISTANCE. There is little d;atger after all, to bo ap. prehended from rufian force if a man's nerve and coolness1desert him not at the pinch. In house ' tacks the odds are in finitely against the-dssailants. The attempt is generally made iR the dead of night; a robber party are never sufficiently orgaiiized to combine their efrts judiciously, and two men within, if pi fly armed and plentiful ly supplied with a isnition, are, in my opin. a fair match for a-dozen outside the doors. Calm and iteady courage- does wonders ceitainly, and eveNwshen surprised and un prepared, a coolinan will rarely be left without some meankof defence. The Scotch proverb is a true ", "a gleg (ready) hand never wanted weopn." There was nevep a better illustration of that truth, than thiheroic reistance offered by an aged gent man in the south of Ireland, to a ba of ruffians under the most discouragini trcumstances. Several years Qo, when the south of Freland was as it s dver been within the memory of the old inhabitant, in a distur. bed state, a man vanced in years lived in a retired country so. He was a bache lor, and whether' sting to his supposed popularity, or im ning that the general I alarm among gentry groundless, lie continued in hisI ly mansion long after his neighbors liad* pitted theirs Tor a safer residence in to j. Ile had been indis posed fur severa. 's and on the night lie was attacked, ken supper in his bed room, which iw the ground floor, and inside a parlor,' which communicated. The servants W to bed, the house was shut up for the t, and the supper tray, with its appu ees by a providential over.,iiht were tten in the old man's ch'amber. A Some hotfr 'e-had retired to rest, he was alarr 'ering a window !ifted in th%.Ant* Mut; his --.... door was ijii, lun d6on shone brilliantly through the open' casement rendering ob. jects in the parlor distinct and perceptible to any person in the inner room. Presently a man leaped through the window, and three others followel. him in quick succes sion. The old gentliman sprang from his bed, but unfortunatily there were no arms in the aparment; recollecting however, the, forgotten supper tray, he provided himself with a case-knife, and resolutely took his stand behind the door. He had one advai t;ge over the murdergrs, they were in full miioonilight, and he shrouded in impenetrable darkness. A momentary hesitation took place among the party, who seemed undecided as to which of then should enter the dark room; for acquainted with the localities of the house, they knew well where the devoted victim slept. At last one of the villianr can tiously approached, stood for a momient in the door-way, hesitated, adlvanced a step)-not a whisper was heard, a breathless silence reigned around, and the apartment beforo him was dark as the grave itself. " Go on blast ye ! What the devil are you afeard of?" said the rough voice of ani as sociate behind; lhe took a seconid ste p, and the old main's knife was buried in his heart!i No second thrust was requisite, for with a deep groan the robber sank upoin the floor. Tihie obscurity of the chamber, the sudden destruction caused by that deadly thrust, prevented the ruffians in the outer room from knowing the fate of their companion. A second presented himiself, crossed -the threshold, stumbled against his aead associ eiate, anid received the old mani's knife in his bosom. The wound though mortal was not so fatal as the other, and the ruffian had strength to ejaculate that lie was a dead man. Inistantly several shot were fired, but the old genteman's position sheltered him fromi the bullets- A third assassin advanced, levelled a long fowling piece through the door wvay, aiid actually rested the barrel against the old man's body. Its direction howecver was a slanting one, and wvith ad mirabhe self possession, remained steady till the murdierer drewv the trigger, and the ball passed mim without injury ; but the flash from the gun unfortunately disclosed his place of ambush. Then commenced a des perate struggle-the robber, a powerful and athletic ruttian closed and seized his victimi around the body-there was no equality with rgard to strength, and although tho old man sinck often and furiously wiith his knife, the blows were ineffectual and he was thrown heavily upon the floor with the murderer abovo him. Even at that moment his pre senice of mind saved this heroic gentleman. ie found that the blade of the knife had turn ed, and contrived to straighten it upon the floor. The ruffian's hand was already upon his throat-the pressure became suffocating -a few moments more and the contest must have ended; but an accidental movemnt of his body, exposed the murderer's side-the old man struck with his remaining strength a deadly blow-the robber's grasp relaxed and with a yell of mortal agony, he fell dead across his exhausted antagonist! Horror-struck by the death shriek of their comrades, the banditti wvanted courage to enter that gloomy chamber which had al ready proved fatal to so many. They poured an irregular volley in and leaping through the open windowv, ran off leaving their lifeless companions behind. Lights and assistance came presently tho chamber was a pool of gore, and the old man nearly in a state of insensibility, was covered with the blood, and encompassed by the brathless bndies of his -intended mur derers. lie recovered however, to enjoy for years the well won reputation, and receive from the Irish viceroy the honor of knight hood, Which never was conferred betore upon a braver man. INTRESTING CORESPONDENCE. The following denial, by Gen. Pierce, of the Boston slanders against him, appeared on Saturday, in the Washington Republic. We have no hope whatever, that it will he satisfactory to the editors who have so dili. gently circulated charges sustained by such unreliable testimony, and bearing on their very face such umnistakeable marks of bitter prejudice and personal rancor. Should these editors even make a pretence of doing justice, by publishing the denial, they will not do so fairly-but, like the Republic, they will, no doubt, accompany its puldica tion with unfair and illiberal commentaries. The Republic has thought this necessary, as an atonement in advance, for its seeming liberality in publishing the letter at all; but let them comment and carp as they may, plain honest people will consider the letter a frank and positive denial of the slander. The following is the correspondence: To the Editor of the Rcpublic: D.mu Sin: On the appearance in your paper of a charge intended, if not calculat ed, seriously to impair and perchance to destrey the confidence of General Pierce's Southern supporters in his soundness on the slavery question, I address him a letter, which, together with his reply, I now ask you, as an act of justice, to publish. I make this request, presuming your ob. ject, like mine, to have heen the discovery of the truth. Very respectfully, EDwIN DCLEoN. Washington, August 12, 1852. WASIrGToN, July 17, 1852. DeAn Sin-Enclosed you will find anl article, in which, as one of the editors of the Sonthern Press, of this city, I took is. sue with my colleague iii advocacy of your claims to Southern Support for the Presi dency. That action was predicated upon my belief of your entire soundness upon the slavery question. Within the last week a speech, purporting to have been delivered by you in January last, has been republished from two Democratic papers in your own State, (which are said now to support you.) On the truth or falsity of this, much de pends. Neither those with whom I act, nor myself, can consent that any doubt should 1 rest on a matter of such importance; but, I placing full reliance on the fearless frank ness of your character, on their behalf and I my own, I respectfully ask of you whether i that report, which. your Southern suppor. I ters believe to be without foundation as op. posed to your previous course, is correct ? The peculiar position which I occupy must plead my apology for troubling you with this letter. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Enwi DaLiox. General F. PIERCE, Concord, N. H. CoNcoRD, N. If., July 23, 1852. MY Dia Sil: Surrounded by pressing t engagements, I seize the earliest opportunity to reply to your letter of the 17th instant. I much regret that any thing connected with myself should have been the cause of disagreement between you and gentlemen f vith whom you have been associated in the ditorial department of the Southern Press.. I do not remember to have seen what purports to b~e a report ofa speech dlelivered by me at New Boston, ini this State, in January lamst, until my attention was called to it as republished in the Republic. The pretended report is, and I presume was de signed to be, an entire imisrepresentation. It is not merely untruthful, but is so grossly and absurdly false as to render, in this vi inity, any denial of its authenticity entirely nn mecessary. The two papers quoted-the Independent Democratic, pubilished in this place, and the Democrat, pubilished in Man hester-are thoroughly abolition journals; and have been and are zealously opposed to the Democratic party. For a long timei prior to the meeting at New Boston, and I ever since, they have been unsparing in their attacks upon me personally, and in their bitter denunciation of wvhat they have been pleased to ternm my pro-slavery sentiments. But it wvould be somethiing newv for either of those to deny the consistency of my opinions upon the subjoct of the constitu-r tional rights of the South in relatioin tot slavery. My opinions and the avowal ofi them have been everywhere the same. Ever indful of the difliculties and dangers which so long brooded over the assemblage of wise men and pure patriots to whose spirit of concession and earnest efforts we are indebted for the Constitution under which we have enjoyed such signal prosperity, advancement, and happiness, I have recard ed the subject as too vital and delicate tor be used as an element of sectional, appeal in party con ticts. My action and mny Ian-. ugo'in New Hampshiro, touching thisr mater, have been at all times and under all circumstances in entire accordance with my I actiomn and language at WVashington. Aly votes in the Senate and House of Representative! were not republished in the Era for the first time. They .lyvo been again and again paraded to arouse the pas sions and prejudices of our people against me individually, and against the party with which it has been my pride and pleasure to act. There has been no attempt to evade the force of the record. It has been at all times freely admitted, and my position sus tained upon grounds satisfactory to my own mind. I am net surprised to knew that the attempt to prove me an abolitionist provokes much merriment among meon of all parties hero ; and this weak and untruthful sketch of what purports to be my speech, is really too ridiculous to be considered in any so rious light. I am in the daily receipt of letters, pro. pounding the greatest variety of curious qestins, upon all conceivable subjects. ed, of course. No individual could com. miand either the time or strength the here. loan task would reqiure. I may add, that such a correspondence would by no means comport with my views of duty. The Democratic party sent its delegates to Bal. timore not alone to nominate candidates but to reaffirm principles and to present the leading issues upon which the canvass should be conducted. If I could deem myself capable of im. proving the platform there adopted, it i uitoe certain that I should decline, either at the call of individuals or associations, to incur the charge of arrogance to which any ittempt to alter, amend, or enlarge it, would inevitably subject me. Your letter is of an entirely different sharacter. It seeks truth in relation to an illeged fact; it speaks of history, to which oo searching an appeal cannot be made. I ippreciate the estimate you seem to have ol ny character for directness; and beg you to tecept my thanks for your efforts to vindi. 'ate my claim to that trait, at least, before the public. I am, with high esteem, your most obe. Jient servant, FANK. PIERCE. EDwIN D LroN, Esq., Washington, D. C. THE WOUNDS E-OPENED. We received some time ago, from Gen. Foote and others, most cheering assurances hat their great Compromise had effectually !losed and cicatriced the bleeding wounds which the slavery agitation had produced in he body politic of this iation. We were told :he Compromise had restored peace and uietnde to the nation-bad annihilated dis. inion in one section, and abolition in the )ther section of the Republic-that there was to be no more agitation-the Fugitive ;lave law was a finality, and peace and con. :ord reigned through the land. To perpetuate this happy event, and give mmortality to its source, and to those who were instrumental in effecting it, it was pro. nosed in this city, to erect a Compromise ,Ionument of. iroi, to hand down to future ges the record of the wonderful discovery )f extinguishing fanaticism by paper resolu. :ions and repealable laws. But, alas! we :ould not bring our minds to this satisfacto. -y conclusion and we were thus deprived of ;he satisfaction of mingling in the rejoicings >ver such happy and glorious effects from so dimple a cause. Nor have recent occurrences removed this Joubt and anxiety from our minds. Not to 'nany other proofrof-dti-etfld otthis-sgt ation, which we were told, was so effectual. y stilled, quite a notable proof has recently ,een afforded that abolition not only lives, 'nt appears to have grown stronger under he influence of the Compromise. We al ude to the move in the United States Sen. Ite, by Sumner, of Massachusetts, to repeal he Fugitive Slave law. A test vote was aken on this question, and ten Senators >eing full hialf of the Senators from the V4orth-voted with Sumner, and, in effect, in avor of the " Finality." There were two >thers-Hale and Chase--absent, who would dIso have voted on the same side. These votes were given in face of the mphatic declaration of Southern Senators, hat a repeal of the Fugitive Slave law would nevitaily lead to a dissolution of the Union. Ve have seen no stronger evidence of the >ower and strength of aboliton, for the last wenty years, than is contained in this act.-N. 0. Delta. HI-rn1 PRIcas INOREaoN.--The Iasla ngton Republic says a letter recently re eived from a gentleman residing at Oregon lity represents that the gold mines in the outhern portion of the territory of Oregon keep the prices of everything up to those of :alifornuia. The millers wvere, at the date f the letter, offering $2 per bushel for theat ; and for flour the price was $10 per >arrel; for oats $1.25 per bushel; for hams 17 1-2 cents per pound. Labor of all jinds was high and scarce, and the deputy urveyors were paying from $70 to $100 >er month for each man they employed. .oods, the letter says, are higher in Oregon han in California, as most of the merchants ni the first mentioned territory get their sup. >lies in the latter ; andl the cost of living in he :Atlantic States, it is thought, is only bhout one-third of what it is in Oregon and Daliforniia. A MONSTza SnIAxK was caught, as we earn from the Savannah Republican, on friday last off Tybee. It is said to have neasured fifteen feet from the end of its tail o the tip of the nose, and when opened that t was found to contain ten king crabs, a sea ,ull, and a man's boot, with any quantity of >ones, resembling those of the human body. t took six mon, ber-ides the informant of the tepublican, to haul and lash it to the gunnel f the pilotboat, from which it was caught. L'he jaws contained eight rows of teeth. TnF. Chaplain in the Indiana Legislature ecently opened, it is said, the session with a ~eneral prayer, wvhich he closed with the ollowing invocation: " And the Lord have nercy on our legislators. Spare their lives mntil they may return to their homes, and lien put it into the hearts of the people to teep them there, and return men of temper. ate habits and sentiments, who will do some cood." ________ GOING IT SrRoNo.--ln March last, three nen in the city of Springfield, Illinois, igreed to drink themselves to death. The tegister, of that lace, says the first died in April, the second in May. The survivor, n the happening of the last event, showed signs of breaking the contract, and kept sober two or three days afterwards; hul ionor revived, and he died in the month ol lune. This is litorally true. IT is said that H on. Wmn. H. Meredith Becretary of the Treasury under President Taylor, has in his possession the origina rnanuscript of a very strong message which Sen. T. had prepared to send to Congress previous to his death, for the purpose of stop ping the clamor of Slaveholding Disunion ists. The message wvas opposed to all corn FOOD FOX RUEtuMmN. The discontinuance of the " Southers Press" has drawn out a variety of comments from the newspapers of the North. A large proportion of these indicate malicious triumph, and none that we have seen have taken any pains to couceal their joy at the event. The New York Day Book has the follow ing remarks. 'We fear there is too much truth in what it says with regard to those papers of the North which have endeavoree to stand by the rights of the' South and the Constitution. We could hope that his pro phecy in relation to the future of the South. is devoid of the truth of a prophets, ken It is our duty to place such warnings, come they from friend or foe, before the people of the South. It is theirs. to take.heed and be governed accordingly: " But aside from this, there is a feebleness in the Southern cause, which indicates its demise and overthrow as distinctly as the appearance of the Southern Press did its suspension. The energy, activity, and full ness of spirit of Northern anti-slavery will eventually overrun the South, and lay in the dust the last slavery standard bearer. "The numerical strength is with the North, the energy is in the North, and the spirit of dictation an encroachment is here. A few men and a few newspapers will stand up a while for the right, for justice, fairness, for peace, and for Union -but they must all succumb at last. Webster and Fillmore have been struck down, not so much by the force of the North as by the feebleness of the South. The few papers that now advo cate Southern Rights-or rather that now raise their voices against Northern wrong will find it for their interest to keep silent on the slavery isrue. " The Southerners are not a reading peo. ple, while the Northerners are, and the newspaper proprietors soon find this out. We had always rather go to a man who takes six papers for his subscription to a new one, than to a man who does not take any: The chances are three to one in favor of the man who reads half a dozen. With all our Southern sentiments, the cirulation of the Day Book has always been as large in Connecticut as in any Southern State, and larger in New England than all the South. New Englanders buy it daily by the two cents' worth, and the Sientheroers take it by the year-therein is the difference One don't consider two cents any patrobage whatever. the other h Ltwo- Jnar- ..bi as given in support of a cause. "The newspaper that relies upon South ern patronage will follow the Southern Press to the grave, while the- one that pan. ders to the morbid abolition sentiment of the North will most likely ride triumphant. ly to importance and power." RFF'TING A SL ANDER.-In Congress, on Tuesday last, according to the New York Herald, Mr. Aiken rose to a question of privilege, and proceeded to notice a paragraph, in a published speech of Mr. Durkee, relative to a slave in Charleston, who it was said, five or six years ago, killed his master for tresspassing on the chastity of his wife, and that, on being taken to the scaffold, the Sheriff felt so much sympathy for him that he could not hang him, nor could the reward of 81000 procure any one in the crowd to perform that office; there fore the negro was taken from the gallows. This was the substance of the objectionable paragraph. Mr. AikeI said he had lived in Charleston all his life, and that such a case occurred he pronounced absolutely false. He then related a proceeding wvhich took place twventy-six years ago, when a slave was convicted of Arson; but being of a weak constitution, and considerably prostrated in view of death, there was naturally much sympathy expressed for him; and the per son whose duty it was to execute the pri soner, also being feeble, offered a reward of one hundred dollars to any one in the crowd who would perform the office, but no one accepted it. The slave wvas then remanded, and the result wvas, his punishment was commuted to transportation, by the Govern or. Whoever gave the information referred, to Mr. Aiken said, had told a deliberate falsehood. A RE.MARKAnLE ESCAPE.-Gilbert Ja. cobs, of Springfield, Ohio, was struck by lightning a few days ago. The fluid singed the hair of his head considerably, burnt a wvhisker completely off his cheek, blistered his neck and back, and tore open the lower part of his boot, upon one of his- feet, leav ing him apparently dead. There were three men with him at the same time who were more or less shocked; they immediately went to work at their comrade, and wvith the aid of cold water, and rubbing b r about half an hour, revived him. STARVATION IN TnlE WEsT INDIEs.--Ac counts from the Windward Islands con tinue to be received of the state of starva tion into which the people of those Islands are involved from the long continued drought. Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Aniguilla and Curacoa, are represented as particulaily destitute and distressed. In Anguilla, the drought, which had prevailed for seven months, had reduced the poorer classes of the inhabitants to a state of ab solute destitution and misery. The poor Iare absolutely dying for want. A Wrr being told that an old acquain tance was married, exclaimed, " I am glad to hear it." But reflecting a moment, he added in a tone of compassion and for. giveness: " And yet I don't know why I should be, he never done me any harm." Fox LAUIEs ExcIusIvELY.-Ladies, as you are fond of having flowvers in your rooms, you will perhaps be glad to know that about as much taitrat of soda as can be easily taken up between the forefitpr and thumb, put into the glass everf I the water is changed, will preserve cut in all their beauty for near ~ -Nitrat of Potash-uthat --in powes has nesIIa. not quite so pfiiksious.