Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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y - . . * .i * ' .. * v " ^' -<?. .>' *v * A * ----- . , | | , ____^^ " ?i^MMW?? ^ , a<mht.lwmiwcttaw |proprietors. An Independent Journal: For the Promotion of the Political, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the South. | lewis m.omst,pnwidwr.-: VOL. 2. YORKVILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1856. JSTO. 41. (%okf IJactri). From the Home Journal. SUMMER DYIXG. Beauty is waning, a voice of complaining Comes from the hillside and dell; Dirge-notes are ringing, and crickets are singing To summer a song of farewell! Day brightly closes, but where are the roses J unc wreathed with her tresses of gold ? Soft winds arc sighing, where darkly are lying Their rain-beaten leaves on the mould. Saduess comes o'er me, for barren before me Lie fields that I loved when a boy : No more in the shadows of oaks on the meadows Stout mowers their nooning enjoy. The stubble how lonely! weeds shooting up only Where grain clothed the generous soil, And reapers were swiugiug their cradles, aud singing Blithe strains to enliven the toil. Cattle are wading where willows are shading The low, shallow bed of the stream : Thistle-down floating, is sad!}' denoting That summer will pass like a dream. The harvest moon, sailing through mist, is unveil? ing Her disk like a blood-painted shield, While schoolboy and maiden, their baskets fruit- i laden, Hie home from the blackberry field. Dark swells of ocean, with long measured motion. Moan as they break on the shore; Airy tongues wailing for Beauty's cheek paling Chime in with the desolate roar. Stars bayc grown dimmer, less dazzling the glim- 1 mcr Of fire-fly lamps on the lawn; Flower-eups unfolding, are honey-drops holding, : But light from the landscape is goue. Throned on the thistle, the bobolink's whistle ; Made cheerful the meadows of June ; Mead larks saluting the morn with their fluting, Replied to his rapturous tune. Hoarse crows are calling, and first leaves are fal- i Hug, But still a mild loveliuess reigns ; A sweet haunting sadness, though vanished a glad- ' ne?s And glory from nature, remains. _ . - ftoliittal. ; From the Augusta Constitutionalist. ? THE SELF-SUSTAINING RESOUR- j CES OF THE SOUTH. "\\T a n*An i il nftf n d rl Ana t?no vlr fn finnv t 1 c nuuiu uvb auu viiu iu iuc uv,ijr j elements that are now rapidly inflaming sec-1 tion against section, nor would we wantonly weaken a single tie still existing to bind the j North and South together in a common union, j We would gladly allay the excitement, and aid in restoring kind fraternal sentiments. We I would gladly strengthen those ties of politi- 1 cal sympathy and historical association which in the past, have given moral power to the Union?which made it an object of reverence at home, and of admiration abroad.? j But the Abolitionists have so steadily pur-1 sued their design of humiliating and crush- j ing the South, using the Union as the instru-; raent for her destruction, and have every year continued to grow bolder and stronger, that it would be gross stupidity in Southern men to shut their eyes to the consequences, ! and refuse to discuss the remedy. Looking, then, to ultimate disunion as not! in itself desirable, but as a less evil than the i fate anti-slavery propagandism has in store | for us if we submit to its aggressions, our j correspondent "Sentinel," has our cordial co-operation in his efforts to arouse the people of Georgia to a correct view of the troubles ahead, and to inspire them with a just confidence iu the power of the South to sus, tain her rights under the worst contingencies. We therefore take great pleasure in presentin?? to our readers a second article from his i - C ? " 1 pen, in which he portrays, graphically, truly, j aud in the spirit of eulightened statesman- j ship, tho consequences of disuuiou to the j North and the South. We repeat, however, our confidence in the sufficiency of conservatism and good sense j at the North to foil Abolitionism and save i the Union. How long conservatism can con- i tinue to hold its ground against Abolitionism ?how long at least it can continue stroug enough to keep a few Northern States true to their constitutional obligations, is a question for time to solve, But at the approaching election, we believe Abolitionism will 1 sustain a sigual defeat, and the Uniou under ! the administration of the wise, the prudent, j and safe statesman, James Buchanan, will! have four years more of existence, and the . South four years more of security in it. But her people should be impressed with the fact, that, whenever the Union ceases to be one of equality, of safety, and of honor to the South, she cau establish for herself a J Government embracing within it all the elc- j ments of security and domestic quiet, and of j continued prosperity, power anu greatness, i Dissolution of the Union?Its Per- j manent Effects on North and South. ! Having already shown that, in the event J of Fremont's eleetiou, disunion is a nccessi- ! ty, whatever it may cost, we proceed now to j consider what that cost will be, and where j it will fall. We will, however make a preliminary re-! mark on the seutiiucut with which the I n- j ion is now regarded in the two sections.? j From this sentiment towards the I'nion, it is evident that much of the feeling of attachment is gene in both sections. It is a memory of the past, not a living love of the present. The Abolitionists regard the Union as a league with hell. The South (whose attachment to it has ever been more ardent and disinterested) see it converted into an instrument of injustice. The consequence is, that veneration and affection for the Union as it is, are goue in both. Neither loves it for its present self. With warning attachment to the Union, the calculation of its value (against which we have been so often and so eloquently warned) has beguu to grow common, and has indeed assumed a strangely new phase. It was once too sacred for statistics. Like wedded love, it had no expression of its value in dollars and cents. But now (to the North at least) the calculation of its value is the strongest, if not the only tie, to the T; n-1 ion. Cupidity, not love, maintains the bonds ! of wedlock. The marriage tie is conseera- j i ted only by the (Jotny. The first practical advantage of Union we i shall mention is? Strength, and consequent freedom from ! aggression. The United States have enjoyed this ele- J ment of natioual prosperity. They have at- j tained the rank of a first class power?able j to protect themselves against other nations. 11 Concede that the North would still retain j this rank, (unless further subdivisions should ensue, of which more hereafter). What of the relations of the South, in i peace and war to other States. In war, it is no idle boast to say, she < could maiutaiu her nationality and indepen- i Amine* nnrnintf tlio trnrlil V.vnn amnll rr*cn. UVIiW U^UiUCV V.UV II vt 1U? JJ I VU U U UJ Uii *vvv lute people (as tlie Swiss) can maintain their independence and the respect due their national rights in the very midst of the larger powers of Europe, (Jreat Britau failed to I conquer us when we numbered three mil-1 < lions. Who shall couquer us when we nuin- j I her twelve millions ? So far from being a i drawback, slavery would be the very sinews : of war. With our industry almost undis- I turbed, oue-third of our voters could become I soldiers, and the noblest, most chivalric sol- I diers in the world,?the best horsemen, the I best marksmen, the most spirited and in- i domitable of men, accustomed to rule not to i submission. Burke wisely prououueed the i masters of slaves unconquerable. There was i true philosophy in the remark. The habit i of authority has unfitted them for submis- i sion. We would make no war of aggression up- i on the North, nor upon Europe; for defen- 1 sivc war alone need our resources be considered, and how ample, superabundant are 1 they for all purposes of defence. With what ' case could we concentrate upon any point of attack ? The attempt to garrison our country would be like the attempt to blockade 1 the coast of the Pacific. The cost to an enemy abroad of maintaining a soldier here be- 1 ing quadruple that of maintaining one at j: home, how long could the unequal war of |' wealth continue ? War. the Xi rth would I find it vastl}* unprofitable to wage. "We are i 1 as capable of aggression upon her as she !5 upon us. Peace to her is more essential 1 than to us. ! But war would not be our policy?nor of-; ten our necessity. The most amicable rcla- j1 tions with us would be cultivated by the | I great powers of Europe. Our alliance would < be move valuable than that of the North.? < Englaud aud the .South would be mutual ,1 costomers. Englaud and the North competitors. Upon slavery all other powers (save ! the North, and she would not long be an ex- : ceptiou) would be as quite towards us as ! now towards Brazil. 1 Chiefly au agricultural people, our chances of collision with foreign powers would ! be less out of than in the Union. The only war with Europe .since the war of Independence grew out of Northern interests. Such being our external relations, we come I now to consider a second point of compari- J sou, which we will denominate our ! INTERNAL RELATIONS. In these, we would include 1st?stability. The improbability of further subdivision.? The most serious apprehension reflecting men forsee in disunion is in a vague questioning, "When will it end?" The answer to this, so far as the South is concerned, we conceive to be entirely satisfactory. A second point allied to the former, is identity or harmony of interest. So that j the same policy will suit all sections. A third and still allied point, is adaptation to economical administration. Same-1 uess of policy conduces greatly to this? 4th. Adaption to the form of government adopted. 5th. Power of self-protection against in-1 surrection or revolt. These topics are so closely allied that we shall not endeavor to keep the discussion of them distinct. The boundaries of the present Union were determined by chance rather than design. Xo natural or geographical bouuds?no permanent hormony of interests were consulted. The three millions of Colonists needed alii- j atice for mutual safety, until emigration and | natural increase should supply population. , The natural and obvious geopraphical di-1 visions of the present territory of the United ; State would seem to be into three parts. 1. The Great West, beyond the Rocky j Mountains. 2. The Mississippi Valley, with the South j Atlautic States. 3. The Valley of the St. Lawrence and j the Xorth Atlantic States. In the second of these divisions would co- i exist all the elcmeuts of separate and per- j mauent nationality?a proper natural and geographical connection, mutual and har- j monious interest, the moral cohession of j harmony of sentiment. Southern State would j be bound to Southern State without the j trace of the weld. The weld line between i Xorth and South has ever been traceable ! and the weak point. What a bond of union is the Mississippi | river! <)ne great basin of God's own build-! 1 r? t* TT? 1 f 1 ? A /lit <- n v\ A n /MI i ? i- M nil itc i tt<?, ??ini a i-iiiaji UUIUIUUU UUIUU lUi *ui its? i vast productions. If Wisconsin and Iowa, j Indiana and Illinois (Ohio we would not ' have) should choose to go with the South, who could hinder them? If not, how illy could they afford war ! In all necessary particulars, the adaptation of the South to a prosperous separate existence is so perfect, that the simple and natural statement of them sounds Utopian. Clod has blessed her with a magnificent territory, ample to sustain the population of Europe. An ample sea coast, with safe harbors, furnishes facilities for foreign commerce. Large and numerous rivers, usually navigable the year round, furnish cheap natural means of internal transportation. A prolific soil produces not only abundant supplies for home consumption, but articles of universal demand for exportation. Cotton, J tobacco, hemp, sugar, live stock?the staples j of each section so wanted by all?that, barter i without money might, almost suffice for their , exchange?thus constituting a harmony of1 interests almost unexampled. Abundant i mines of iron, lead, copper, coal, abundant j timber?in a word, a lavish abundance of j natural resources scarcely half known, scarcely begun to be developed. To pass to other points, however: Any section will be impoverished which bears its proportion of the burdens of government, but fails to receive its proportion of the beaefits. If taxes arc raised uniformly from all sec- ' tions, and expended in one only, the latter will be enriched at the expense of the former. Much more will it gain and the farmer < I/vt-A if * l\, i fovAc Ktt nnn cAnfSnn IU^Uj 11 iiiv ui.\tO ui v |;uiu vj VIIV/ ovvwwu alone, and expended alone in the other.? The name of this process between States? i ''tribute.'' i That rule in the order of nature, "unto j i the place from whence the rivers came, thith- [ 1 cr they return again," has not obtained in | the expenditures of the revenue of the Fed- j cral Government. The South has patiently I ?een them go in at one eud and come out at | the other. She has failed to calculate aright j the exhausting efforts of this policy upon j < herself. She has paid into the treasury more i < thau three-fourths of its receipts. She has j i received from the treasury loss than one-1 tenth of its expenditures. The fund was not J! common oat of which the expenditures were j i made?the fund was hers. The disburse- i incuts out of that fund of hers were not com-; mon?the disbursements were to the North. \ Its resources generally?its industry, com- i merce, manufactures?have been built up, i developed, encouraged, and ours ueglected. ? By the dissolution of the T'niou, this great ] copartnership of inequality would be broken up?this unceasing outlet (with no corrcs- i ponding income) cut off. If government were extravagantly administered, the ex- I travagance would, at least, end at. home. i ? f* > i* 1 . ?. as to saiet) lroiii uoraesuc revolt, separa-11 tiori would disarm the sole power which ; threatens it. The North, the North alone, j1 aims at disturbing our domestic peace. In . toe Union she lays claim to powers never i conceded, and has succeeded again and i again in encroaching upon our rights. Out ( of the Union they would be better denned and more particularly respected. Southern mcu should awake to the truth of the case. Tt is only through weapons . furnished by the Union that slavery is attacked. The Union, so far from being our means of defence, is the firm and sole weapon of offence in the hands of the enemies of slavery. Disunion remits us to our reserved rights 1 arid disarms aggression. The Constitution, 1 rightly interpreted, was intended for our pro- i tcction. Its paper barriers are no longer a sufficient defence. < The capacity for self-government exists in a higher degree in no other people than in those of the South. Indeed, its proper condi- 1 tions scarcely meet in any other people. The North is fast proving the impossibility of selfgovernment without the conservative influence of slavery. There the ignorant and degraded (which at the South are as u class outside of the elective franchise) who have no interest in good government, have as great a voice in moulding it as the wise and virtuous. We arc not near enough yet to the millennium for that experiment to succeed. This brief and general view of the permanent consequences of disunion, establishes the conclusion that although great and radical, to the .South at least, they arc by no means disastrous. The event of disunion is certainly not so undesirable as upon mere calculation to weigh down much of inconvenience even in the scale of Union, much less auytning of dishonor and degradation. The South, as a separate Republic, wculd j still be a first class power, a great people, i respected abroad, maintaining, with foreign j, powers, relations both peaceful, and because resting on mutual interest, stable; disinclined to aggression, powerful for self-defence. At home, resting upon the stable foundation of common interest and common seriti- j mcnt; within a territory adapted by God for j our country, (almost of necessity one.)! free from the domestic agitation which has convulsed the Vniou, and of which the Uaion has been the sole instrument; with the ' wisest stalomen of the T'nion to shape her , policy; with the conservative influence of' slavery to save her from mob law (^now gain- i ing ascendancy at the North); with a great! and fertile territory, and boundless rcscur- | ccs ; possessed of every clement of national j greatness, she would at once be free to adapt j her policy, without let or hindrance, to her j own circumstances, interest and advantage, j In another article (possibly in two) we j shall discuss the immediate consequences of I dissolution. SKXTINKL. j From the Liverpool I'ost, September Oth. j DECLINE IN THE NEGRO MAR- ! KET. Philanthropy is a fashion. Sometimes it is the invaded Turk, sometimes the Russian serf; now the Pole, now the Hungarian? to-day the weaver, to-morrow the needle-woman ; once the miner, and again the driver. The vegetarians include all brute creation in their comprehensive tenderness, while Hindoos abhor the bull and Hebrews the pig, > nnrl in their bote, bless those ouadruneds - \" - l~ I I left to live and living, feed happily. The j British have a gamut of charities which they | ring through in difForr t years. The dear interesting objects are generally i foreigners, for the home-bred miserable? nre ! only taken up now and then when the foreign | darlings are scarce or forgotten. The Ilot-: tentot, the Coolie, the Hindoo, the Italian, j the Hungarian, the Pole, all come in due j course for their share of British speeches and British subscriptions. But on the whole the most telling object of our deep regrets and our heavy donations is the American black?who holds this place distinctly whenever we get into a particular bad humor with our "brethren across the Atlantic."? Whenever we get spiteful with Jonathan we bring forward his pigger?the skeleton at the American feast?and hoot. We know the Yankee's sore place, and hit hard sometimes. Mrs. EeecherStowewrote (or somebody did for her) a story, called 'Uncle Tom/ all about nigger life and planter's cruelty? and it was published in England at a moment when we were in a tremendous rage with j Jonathan about something or another. The story was a good story?the best of the sort ever done, if not entirely new thought altogether?and we bought up some million copies, mado Mrs. Htowo a great personage, and' "riled" the South as the South was seldom "riled" before. Mrs. Stowc cainc to see us, and our Whig Pitch esses took ber up, and "society was astonished how so dull a woman could have written so clever a book; but the public generally sustained its enthusiasm, put her portrait in every window, and infested the priut shops and music shops with Uncle Tom illustrations. Mrs. Stowe wrote a book about Europe when she went home; and it wa9 awfully foolish?but her reputation sold it, and the lady never found out the reason.? Believing still that our pristine partiality for her lcmaius, she resolves to make another appeal to the reading world; but, fatal error, she goes over the old ground?the J nigger plantation. It turns out that we are weary of Mrs. j Stowe as Mrs. Stowe, and that the nigger is not at present "up" in the market. Her new account of slave life in the States has fallen dead on the market?to the dismay of the publishers who speculated in a popularity, that was fictitious, and does not endure the test. Wc are in a good humor, with Jonathan now, and are not prepared to apnlaud the literary art which makes monev I J by setting a great confederation by the ears on a topic dependent on events, and not on logic, for its political treatment Let Mrs. Stowe wtite novels, by all means, and let them take their chance with the Whig Duchesses; do not let her seek to win British favors by denouncing her own countrymen.? That this is the case, we are forced to infer from the prior publication of her new book in London, and from her own re-nppcaruDcc in England at that moment. IPkdlancflus. From tlx* Charleston Courier. THE CHARLESTON DUEL. The undersigned deem it their duty to lay i before the community, though the press of the city, with a view to a just understanding I of the late hostile difficulty between Mr. Edward Magrath and Mr. William R. Taber, Jr., the following correspondence and statement : The annexed communication wa9 handed to Mr. Taberon Saturday forenoou, the 27th instant, Mr. James Conner, who bore it, not having met him the day previous : HO Broad Street, Sept. 20, 1850. To John Heart, E*q.} axil Ji". /?. Tuber, Jr., J'sij., Editor* Charleston Mercury: Gkntlemex: You have, after repeated threatening, and with deliberation, publish ed and circulated insulting and libellous attacks upon my brother, Judge Mngrath. To j effect this, you have put aside the habitual propriety of a Charleston newspaper; and disregarding the taste and sentiment of the community, have emulated the corruption and licentiousness of a venal press elsewhere. You have done this without provocation, or the excuse of excitement, and in the face of relations with Judge Magrath, proving upon both of you personal estimates of him in private exactly the reverse of those you have endorsed and published. Herein is the proof of your delinquency, either in j your private intercourse or in your public ] conduct. You have, it is true, attempted to j interpose the protection and veil of au anon-, vinous correspondent; this could not serve j you in any event. In your seeming anxiety i to secure it, you have, by an apologetic para-' graph, in your own names as editors, endorsed the libel. I am thus relieved of all question as to whom I should address myself. You knew, in attacking one exercising judi cial functions, that, as to /</?>, you would be j exempt from the personal accountability T j claim at your hands. You will not doubt : my right to do so. How far your supposed J security iuay have sharpened the malice and I stimulated the audacity of the attack, I will not now surmise, because the irftcnt of this communication is to afford you the opportunity of proving whether you did or did not calculate upon such immunity, and to demand the satisfaction recognized in such cases. I invito you severally to a meeting, and refer you for the necessary arrangements, to my friend, James Conner, esq., who will hand you this. I am your obedient servant, E. MAG RATH. Charleston, Sept. 27th, 1856. Sir : I have received by the hands of Mr. Conner your note of the 26th inst. I repel your assertion, that I have made "repeated threatenings" to publish and circulate "in- | suiting and libellous attacks upon" your "brother, Judge Mngrath," and deny that the Mercury has "endorsed" the publications made. It has, on the contrary, simultane ously with the publication ot these articles, proffered its columns for reply. Before I take notice of the simply person- j al aspects of your note to myself, I have a j word to say, touching its bearing to me, as ! the conductor of a public press, its relation to Judge Magrath, and the party who has given tho cAuse of offence for which you seek revenge. You are an intruder, and you intrude to commit an outrage upon the liberty of the press. Either through malice, or from calculation, you turn aside from the avowed responsible author of the disquisition upon the merits of your brother, as a candi-1 date, to the conductors of a public journal, who would give a ohance to truth; and to the discussion of the qualifications and character of candidates for the highest public trusts, j You assume to represent the honor and manhood of your brother, an avowed candidate for the highest office in our gift, and by your interference, to reduce his honor and manhood to a vicarious existence. I do not admit that, when a candidate by his own consent, he can avoid the proper, necessary responsibilities of his position as a candidate. If a Judge, he is no less a candidate. He cannot legitimately put his character in commission, and maintain his honor by proxy. If he can resigu his seat to go into Congress, he can resign it (if necessary) to vindicate his honor. He has no right to be a candidate, if he is to cease to be a man. The shelter of his- Judgeship, is without the countenance of nrincinli*-. Tfc is a refinrp. -- I 1 -- ? O J without manhood and without character.? | But truth shall not be muzzled, though he be a Judge, and the "liberty of the press" shall be maintained, even against the vicarious champions of his manhood, and the intrusive representatives of his honor. Thus much for your warrant to insult rac, arid to represent your brother. But you have insulted me, and you shall not do so with impunity. Prostesting, therefore, against your right to call upon me, either as a man or editor, your right to assume your brother's proper I responsibility, your attempt to stifle by the | pistol the freedom of discussion, I nevcrthe-! less waive all this, and consent to meet you. My friend, Mr. Burnet, will make the necessary arrangements. Your obedient servant, * W. R. TABER, Jr. E. Magratit, Esq. In pursuance of the above correspondence, and by the arrangement of the respective friends named in it, the parties met near the oity, on Monday, the 29th inst., at 41 o'clock p. m. On the field, Mr. James Conner acted for Mr. Magrath, and Col. John Cunningham for Mr. Taber. After an exchange of shots between the principals, without effect, and their acting friends being unable to agree upon terms of adjustment, forthwith a second exchange of shots took place, without effect. An earnest conference between .1 . 1. it _ _ 3 1 _ _1 A 3 cue seconus men ensued, looking 10 an adjustment. They being unable to agree, Dr. I Bollinger asked leave to intervene as a disinterested gentleman. Hi3 suggestions were at once respectfully received. After much discussion and negotiation, in which disagreement still prevailed, Col. Cunningham offered in writing the following sertlcment: "The following are the terms of adjustment between Mr. E. Magrath and W. R. Taber, jr., after an exchange of two shots : "Mr. Tabor disclaims} as an editor of the Mercury, that in publishing the articles signed "A Xullifier," he intended any attack upon the private character of Judge A. C. Magrath." "Mr. Edward Magrath disclaims that in his note of challenge to Mr. Taber, he designed to use offensive and derogatory language to him." Mr. Conner assented to their adoption, if the following would be admitted in addition: "That Mr. Taber regrets the publication in the Mercury of whatever in those articles is personal." Also, "Mr. Magrath regrets anything in the cartel that is offensive." Col. Cunningham declined the additional requisition upon Mr. Taber, whereupon a third exchange of shots ensued. Mr. Taber fell, mortally wounded in the upper part of the head. A. W. BURNET, JAMES CONNER. JOHN CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Heart's reply to Mr. Magrath was as follows: Charleston, Sept. 27,1856. Sir: I acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 20th instant, by the hands of Mr. Conner. Accompanying this, you will receive a note from Mr. Taber, to which I refer you as my answer. Your obedient servant, JOHN HEART. Mr. Heart, accompanied by his friends, at the time agreed upon, appeared upon the ground, and, after the fall of Mr. Taber, Mr. S. Champlin, the acting second of Mr. Heart, notified Mr. Conner of his presence, and his readiness to answer the demand of E. Magrath, Esq., for satisfaction) whereupon Mr. Conner replied that they had do further demand to make, Mr. Conuer then, in company with his principal, retired from the field. JAMES CONNER, On the part of E. Magrath. SAMUEL CHAMPLIN. On the part of Mr. Heart. TO THE PUPLIC. On Saturday, the 27th of September, Mr. Edmund Rhett, Jr., while residing on Sullivan's Island, was informed that a challenge had been sent by Edward Magrath, Esq , to Messrs. Heart & Taber, of the Charleston Mercury, based upon the publication in that paper of certain eonitnunica s . ? \T ? /* #1 1 1 1 _1 ! Hons signed "A Auuiner, " ana aaarcssea i to Hon. A. G. Magrath: Mr. Rhett immediately addressed the following note to the Hon. A. G. Magrath : Charleston, Sept. 27,1856. Sir: It has just come to my knowledge, that your brorhcr, E. Magrath, Esq., has sent a challenge to the editors of the Mercury, on account of the publication in that paper of the articles signed "A Nullifier." With a view of preventing a collision between our mutual friends, I hereby avow myself the author of those articles. I trust, sir, that you will sec the propriety of relieving others from the probable and painful consequences of vindicating your honor, by vindicating it yourself. My friend, Dr. Furman, will make the necessary arrangements. Your obedient servant. EDMUND RHETT, Jr. To the Hon. A. G. Magrath, Charleston. This note was entrusted to me for delivery. When I reached Charleston, I found i | that Mr. A. G. Magrath was in Aiken. I [ took the morning train on Sunday, the 28th, and reached Aiken at half-past 1 o'clock.? ! About half-past 2 o'clock I saw Mr. Magrath, and delivered the note in person.? Mr. Magrath informed me that he would reply in Charleston. I told him that I felt it my duty to suggest what would probably occur to himself?that, for the object of the note, time was very important. He replied : "I understand you sir." I then informed him that I would be at the hotel until 11 o'clock on that night. At that hour I left Aiken, and reached Charleston on Monday morning, the 29th. No communication was received by me, or, as far as my knowledge I U.. " X MAMIIAO ln#/.WAof A/] fnAm uy ally Ui iuc yaitiuo iiiiuicobtu^ nuui that time until the afternoon of Tuesday, the 30th, when the following letter was received : Charleston, Sept. 30, 1856. Sir: Your note of the 27th instant, was hauded to me, on Sunday, in Aiken, by Dr. Furman, to whom I stated, I would return an answer in Charleston. Your communication gave me the first intimation that any difficulty had grown out of the publication of certain articles of which you have avowed yourself the author. I took the most effectual means, circumstanced as I was, to put a stop to the proceedings of which you notified me. I had hoped that these means would have proved successful; that they were not, was entirely bcyoud my control. I eamc to the i city the day after the rpccipt of your note in Aiken; I then for the first time learned that definite arrangements had been made for a l duel between Mr. Taber and my brother, the time for their meeting having been fixed at an hour prior to the arrival of the cars. Ynur declaration of being the author of the articles which have appeared in the Mercury, addressed to myself, is of no inj terest, or consequence to me Should I! deem it requisite to take any step, for meeting the unprovoked charges and aspersions, I shall follow the dictates of my own sense of duty and propriety, aided therein hy the counsel of friends, and not regarding the . i! ./? ? . m ~ . i it* suggestions 01 my assauaut. 10 tnc pnonc as well as myself it is due that this correspondence should be known. Your obedient servant, A. G. MAGRATII. Mr. Edmund Rhett, Jr. The above statement I have felt it my duty to make. I. K. FURMAN. FUNERAL OF W. R. TABER, JR. The remains of our late associate and friend Mr. Taber, were yesterday consigned to their last resting place in the cemetery of St. Philip's Church. Not many years since we saw covered in the same narrow vault, the dust of a dear and near kinsman of his? widely known and honored for the same qualities, that make us bow our head iu sorrow for the loss, not merely to ourselves, but to the State, of a man devoted to her service, and having the ability to ennoble her public life. But we must not trust ourselves with these recollections. There they repose, side by side?Albert Rhett and William R. Ta her. The funeral services were performed with touching solemnity by the Rev. Julius W. Stuart who had been the playmate in childhood the companion and devoted friend in youth and manhood, of his deceased kinsman. The Church was crowded with an assemblage, drawn together by a common feeling of respect and affectiou for the young man, who has thus been suddenly taken from the midst of an energetic life, with the highest hopes clustering around him. Mr. Taber was calculated by his nature to concentrate strong affections upon him, as he was by his talents to raise high expectations of future usefulness. No man ever was more sincere in his personal character, more frank in his temper, more beyond all deviation from the conscientious convictions of right, more fearless in following up his convictions; and no man, since the days when our patriot leaders took their residence in the swamps and fens rather than submit to a hated tyranny, ever had a more true and earnest patriotism. He loved South Carolina as his first love. Her safety, her honor, her future, were always in his thoughts ; and iu his death, the State has suffered the loss of one of the truest aud most faithful of those who have made her soil classic for manliness and self-devotion. "What is felt privately in this bereavement, we cannot venture to speak of; but the generous and kindly sympathy of the public, expressed in so marked a manner, will be remembered in calmer times as a source of consolation. To die is the lot of all; to die honored and regretted, is the lot ouly of those who have high and noble qualities. When the longest life has secured thic honor and this regret, it has achieved the nighest hopes of human ambition.? Charleston, Mercury. THE POWER OP WORDS. '^)eath and Life are in the power of the Tongue." [Proverbs. Plain, forcible and fearfully impressive ' is this brief affirmation of the sacred writer ?Death and Life, what more deeply significant, more seriously suggestive, more star- 1 finrrlT, v.vil ? nnil T.ifn ! fpninrht 1 j .v--.. indeed with solemn meaning, each in itself 1 a necleas of rushing thought. Strange power of words ! Now, by thy mystic spell, thrilling the heart with holy joy, and anon changing its melody to a wail of agonizing sorrow; now enshrouding a blissful present and a futuro rich in proniiso in darkness and gloom. The star of Hope that first did gleam so brightly faded and gone?the sweet flowers withered aDd dead ?the note of the song-bird hushed?the play of the murmuring fountain stilled?the freshness, the joy of life so crushed in its opening beauty; surely, surely, there is death in the power of the tongue. But whence that low, sweet murmur, that gentle tone whispering to the throbbing, aching heart in accents as of heaven ? That voice, you hear it in the still hour of night, it speaks to you abovo the wild war of cou? X tending elements, when the sky is of pitohj blackness, and the foaming surge .threatens to overwhelm you. Oh, it is the voice of kind affection speaking to you words of hope, like the dove winging its flight across the wide-winged messengers of peace to the weary hearted. Years may have passed away since you listened to the music of that voice, perchance a mother's, now hushed in the stillness of the silent grave, yet it is with you, and it speaks to you of holy things, of much that is pure, and true, and beautiful in life, and of that "better land," the heritage of the good, the home of the blessed. Is there not life too iu the power of the tongue ? Gentle words, words bright from the heart's alembic, glowing with kindness, with unselfish, Christian love, earnest words, breathing of an exalted life, bearing the impress of a nobly generous nature, of a self-sacrificing spirit?Oh, to what shall we liken.them ?? Like 'drops of clew, which the wings of seraphs scattf '?pearls and gems gleaming ever with a eady light?stars in the night of life which may guide us home to Heaven. From the London Times. MORTALITY IN THE U. STATE8. The-Americans were, perhaps, the mo^t express, if not the most efficient, in the ac-? knowledgraent of the need and the duty of sanitary rule. We all know what the national complacency and expectation are in the United States; and we may conceive the effect of a sudden awakeniog to tho idtl that the rapid decline of the general health threatened to annihilate the future of their country. The first great stir iook place $bout twenty-three years ago. The extraordinary mortality from consumption, the difficulty of rearing children, the early decline of their women, and the rarity of old age among them, first fixed their attention^ and then appalled the imaginations of those who studied the facts. 'Doctor/ said an.eminent clergyman to the family physician oneway, look at that girl's tongue/ pointing to his little daughter. <Ah, yes/ observed the doctor, 4ir is like the most of the tongues I sec. And he declared that white tongues were to clean as 19 to 1. Being further questioned, he showed that in that country unfavorable influences were concentrate^ ja a remarkable manner, and met by no quate sense and prudence. Itwas true, and everybody began to see it about the same time, that tho country was raw, and subject to the defects of climate caused by recent settlement and clearance; that from the same newness, there were not the provisions of an old country for out-door exercise and amusement; that the paucity of native people caused over-work and over-excitement, and frequent intermarriage of blood relations, while immigration brought in the vices and maladies of a low class of foreigners; that imitation of supposed European manners was as pernicious to the health of tho rich as the beer boozing of the Germans and the whiskey drinking of the Irish were to that of the working class; and that above all, the absence of the quietude of an organic state of society?the perpetual fluctuations of a protracted critical social condition?were To an alarming degree unfavorable to the general health of body and mind. It was discovered that in Europe it is nowhere a common thing for parents of large families to be ? left childless in middle age, uor for physicians to say that all parents must expect to lose so many children out of so many. It was discovered that each generation was frailer than the last; and citizens began to ask one another what would be the state of things in two centuries hence. The results of the alarm presently showed themselves.?The temperance movement was one; and>no one can wonder at any amount of liquor lair legislation who has witnessed the amount of drinking which has become habitual amidst the excitements of American life. To us it appears that enacting liquor laws which must be either anomalous in a republic or impracticable, or both, is beginning at the wrong end; and that it would answer best to work against the causes of the vicious thirst; but still, nobody who has secu the particular social condition can wonder at the effort.?A general convention to consider the publio health was another result; and it occasioned plentiful denunciation of the unwholesome diet and hours, the hurry, the overwork and worldly anxiety of the citizens of the fervent and busy new republic. Absurd dre? among the fashionables, exposure in winter sleighing, and over heating in unvcntilated houses, and, in regard to young men, the excess of tobacco chewing, then (as we feau still) the prevalent practice?all these bad methods, and many more, were reprehended, and with some effect. Since that time there has been no knowledge or device in medical practice, no quackery or wild imaginatiou, which has not been eagerly grasped at iu the United States, as an escape from the threatened doom. Some of these which imply practices of temperance, cleanliness, bodily exercise, mental repose, and a repudiation of drugging have wrought so well as really to improve the prospects of the community; and a new hope is now opened by a really effective movement for the improvement of dress, in a sanitary view. For this curious subject we have at present no space. We can only point out that the duty which in the United States is so sorely needed and so clearly perceived is needed among all civilized peoples, and ought to be undertaken by the cencral conscience. Great advances have beca made in England and Franco of late in sanifcu-y precaution and supervision. The work would go on with something like due activity and consistency if the medical profession of all countries would unite, their knowledge and experience in opposition th those chronic and departmental maladies and evil conditions which arc perpetually more fatal, physically and morally, than the pest of the Dobrudcha or the slaughter in the Crimea. Gifts enter everywhere without a wimble.