Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, January 14, 1858, Image 1
jno. i. mii.lek & co., proprietors, j An Independent Journal: For the Promotion of the Political, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the South. j lewis m. gbist, pubuiter.
VOTj. 4. YOBKVILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1858. ISTO. 2.
Original |3oftri).
For the Yorkville Enquirer.
I MISS THEE.
TO IM MO GENE IN ABSENCE.
BY MRS. M. W. STRATTOK.
I miss thee, dearest! from my path
One ray of precious light is gone ;
Tho' other flowers my garden hath
I'm missing yet the vanished one.
I miss thee when the cloudless sun
In gorgeous beauty wraps the day?
When nature sheds a brightness round
That chases gloomy thought away.
I miss thee too when night has thrown
His sable mantle o'er the scene?
When other dear ones clustered round
Thou art remembered Immogene.
I miss thee when the gleeful tone
Of childish prattle meets mine ear,
For me a note of music's gone
Thy mirthful voice I cannot hear.
I miss thee, yet Hope's fairy hand
The veil of time will often raise,
And show thee by my side again
To cheer the evening of my days.
I miss thee, but thy joyous heart
Which ne'er has felt one sorrow keen
I must not sadden?fare thee well!
Oh, may God bless my Immogene !
Written, Sept. 5th, 1851.
JkbolitttfliiKrij Storg.
THE OUTPOST.
Towards the latter part of the year 1851,
the French, aided by vast bodies of the Hurons
and Iroquois Indians, had begun to
make themselves very disagreeable neighbors
to the British and American colonies in
Northern Virginia, and North west portions
of New York State?the French by their encroachment
on the frontier, and the Indians
by their numerous forays and savage barbarity
to all who were unfortunate enough to
fall into their hands.
To put a stop to these progressive proceedings,
numerous bodies, both of the regulars
and colonial militia, were despatched to the
several points assailed; among the rest a Col.
Henry Innis, with a company of thirty men,
was ordered to occupy a small outpost, or log
fort, which at that period, stood within a few
miles from the North fork of the Alleghany
river
Having arrived safely at their quarters, the
little company set about righting up the old
post to make it as comfortable as circumstances
would permit; and this being done and
order once more restored..sentries were placed
at all the advanced points of the station,
while the strictest vigilance was both enjoined
and exercised by day and night.
Among the Virginia riflemen who had
volunteeied into the company, was a tall,
manly looking youug fellow who from fatal
and unerring skill as a marksman had received
the somewhat inspiring NOMDE PLUME of
Death. But with whatever justice his name
had been applied to him for his skill, his disnorti!nlo
him to no sunh ter
rj."uu I
ror spreading epithet. On the contrary, he
was the very life of the company.
His rich fund of mother wit, large social
propensities and constant good nature rendered
him a general favorite with the men;
while the never failing stock of game which
his skill enabled him to supply the mess
table of the officers with, not only recommended
him to their good graces, but caused
many a little short coming of his to be winked
at and passed over in silence, which otherwise,
perhaps, he might not have got over
so easy.
The company had not been stationed at
the fort more than a week, ere Death, in one
of his excursions for game, discovered a
small farm house, some three miles from the
fort, where lived a certain Miss Hester Stanhope.
whose equal in beauty and amiable
qualities he had never seen before. And to
render himself still more certain of the fact,
he called on the following day, under cover
of the pretense of. having left his powder
flask.
Death was invited to come again by farmer
Stanhope, who happened to be from the
same parish as the father of our hero; and
we need scarcely say that the invitation was
both eagerly and joyfully accepted, and as
often as circumstances would permit, complied
with.
The second week after this occurrence took
place, was marked by two events, which,
though both affectiug the welfare of widely
different degrees of importance. The first
was, Death had either lost all his skill as a
marksman, or that game had removed to a
safer or more distant neighborhood, for the
officers' larder had been found sadly wanting
in the items of wood-cocks, black-cocks, ptarmigan,
&c., for the week past?and the second
and most important of the two events,
was, that in regular succession, four sentinels
had disappeared from the oxtreme left line,
without leaving the slightest trace to educate
the mystery of their disappearance.
This circumstance struck such a dread into
the breast of the company, that no one
could be found willing to volunteer to take
the post?well knowing it would be only like
signing their own death warrant *o do so;
and Col. Innis, not wishing to wilfully sacrifice
the lives of his men by compelling them
to go, enjoined double caution on the remainder
of the sentinels, and left the post
unoccupied for a night or two.
Two or three reconnoiteriug parties had
beeu dispatched off around the neighborhood
in the hope of finding some clue to the mystery,
or of obtaining some intelligence of the
enemy, but each of them returned as wise as
they started, with no reward for their trouble
except weary bones.
It was on the third night of the desertion
of the post that our hero, Death, was re
turning to the fort, after paying a visit to I
Stanhope's farm. The uaoon was up, but her J
light was nearly all obscured by the dense
masses of clouds which at every few minutes
were driven by a pretty stiff breeze over her
face, while the huge trees, now all, in full
leaf, cracked and groaned, and bent their
tall forms to and fro, as the heavy gusts
rushed whistling in among their branches.
Our hero had approached within a hundred
yards of the termination of the forest
that skirted the small open space in which
the fort stood, when he suddenly paused and
crouching down upon bis hands and knees
crept cautiously forward a few paces. Hav- \
ing remained in this position for several minutes,
he stealthily again returned in the man- i
ner he had advanced ; and plunged into the
forest at a point considerably lower than i
where he had intended to leave it before.
Col. Innis sat reading alone in his private
apartment, when an orderly entered and informed
him that one of the men wished to i
speak to him.
'Send him in,' said the colonel; and at
the next moment our friend Death had entered,
and made his bow to the commanding
officer.
'Well, what scrape have you been getting
into now?' said the colonel when he saw who :
his visitor was.
'None, Colonel,' replied Death, but I have <
come to ask a favor.'
'Let us hear it,' said the Colonel, 'and we 1
will then see what we can do.' i
'Well, Colonel, it is simply this, if you '
will put the 'rifles' under my orders for to- <
night, and let me occupy the deserted post, i
I will not only clear up the mystery of the
disappearance of the sentries, but make the ]
post tenable for the future.' ]
'But how ?' said the Colonel in intense ,
surprise. I
'I guess, Colonel,' answered Death, 'you ,
had better let me have the men, and order \
us off, and I'll tell you the whole affair af- j
terwards. I promise that not one shall re- j
ceive a single scratch, that is if they follow ]
my directions implicitly.' j
'You are a strange man,' said the Colonel, j
'but I think I will let you have your way (
this time. When do you intend to start ?' j
'In about an hour's time,' answered the j
elate Death.
'Very well, I will give necessary orders,
so that you can start when you think proper. 4
And what is more, if you perform all that <
you have promised and don't cause me to
repent having honored you, you shall have
n u .11 > i? ??
poor v^autpuou ? puiuc.
Hector Campbell was a brave but very
head-strong; young Scotchman, who had occupied
the post of Lieutenant at the fort.? <
In a sudden freak of daring he volunteered 1
to staud sentry at the fatal spot where three 5
sentries had already mysteriously disappeared '
and he paid for his rashness with his life. 1
'Now my lads,' said Death, 'as in about
an hour after his conversation with Col. In- ^
nis, he approached the deserted posts at the head
of a dozen riflemeu who had been tem- '
porarily placed undor his command. 'I will 1
tell you what we are going to do. The long
and short of the affair is simply this : it's a j
gang of them cussed thievin' Iroquois that
have circumvented and carried off our four 1
men?shooting them with their rifles.'
'To-night as I was returning to the fort, I !
suddenly thought I heard the sound of sev- <
eral voices, and creeping on my hands and <
knees towards the spot, got near enough to .
hear and see that about a dozen Iroquois !
were then and there arranging their plans to <
surprise the fort to-night?intending to steal j
in upon it by the point which their cussed '
deviltry had rendered so easy of access. I
only stopped long enough to learn this, when i
I hurried off to the Colonel asked him to
place you at my disposal; and here we are. i
I did not say a word to him about what I had :
learned, being determined that if possible
the 'rifles' should have the honor of exter- :
minating the varlets. And now I ask you
are you willing and ready to follow my orders.
Every man cheerfully answered in the affirmative;
and wtth quickened pulse, and
sanguine hopes, the little company again
moved forward.
The post consisted of a long narrow space,
bounded on each side by a rocky shelving
bank, while its extreme end was closed in
by dark and impenetrable looking forests.
The bank on each side of the pass was
thicklv covered with brush and undergrowth
* and
among these Death now carefully concealed
his men; taking care to arrange them
so that their tire would cross each other, and
bidding them not to fire until he had given
the sigual, and after they had fired uot to
stop to reload, but clubbing their rifles, to |
jump down and finish the struggle in that j
manner.
With steady alacrity each man took up the j
j post assigned him; and in another moment'
j the spot presented the same lone, still and !
j solemn appearance it had worn previous to ,
| their arrival.
The little company had begun to grow j
! very impatient, and Death himself feared j
J they had either abandoned the attempt, or |
j else changed their plan of attack, wheu sud- j
denly his quick eye detected the form of one :
of his crafty foes issue in a crouching posi- j
i tion from the deep shadow which the lofty
! trees threw far up the pass.
'Three, six, nine, twelve, thirteen,' couutj
ed Death, as one after another they emerged
in single file from the wood, and with quick
! cat-like stealthiness of movement, advauced
i up the pass, their rifles in trail and their
j faces and bodies rendered still more hideous
! and ferocious looking by the grotesque mark i
ings of their war paint. On they come,
! swiftly and silently, aud all unconscious of
the fate that was in store tor tnem.
The foremost of the band, whose commanding
statue, wolf teeth collar, and eagle
J tuft, at once proclaimed him as the chief,
had advanced until he was directly opposite
| the bush in which Death was hid, when the
latter, with startling distinction suddenly1
imitated the cry of a night-owl, and discharged
his rifle.
Eight of the Indians fell by the volley i
now poured in upon them, but strange to say J
one of the five that did not fall was die chief j
that Death aimed at. This unusual event s
was owing to the following cause; the branch i
of the bush on which he had studied his i
aim in firing had suddenly yielded at the
moment he had discharged his piece, render- 1
ing harmless his otherwise unerring aim. t
Uttering an imprecation at his ill luck ]
Death sprang down the bank with the rest i
of his companions, and with one bound (
reached the side of the Iroquois chief.? i
Thev erraDDled and both fell heavily to the (
ground, clasped in a fearful embrace, and ]
darted glances of savage hatred at each oth- (
er beueath their knitted and scowliDg brows. 1
'Keep off!' shouted Death, as he saw one <
or two of his companions in the act of stooping
down to assist him, 'Keep off!' and if he
masters me let him go.'
Over and over they rolled, writhing and
straining, but seemingly neither obtaining
any advantage over the other. At last the
head of the Iroquois suddenly came in contact
with the point of a rock that protruded
from the bank, stunning him so that he released
his vice grip of Death's throat; and
the latter, thus released, springing to his feet
finished his career by bringing the heavy
breech of his rifle with sledge hammer force
down on his head.
The remaining four Indians had been like- \
wise dispatched; and the victorious riflemen
(none of whom had received any wound
worth mentioning,) now set up such a shout
of triumph for their victory that the echoes
of the wood rung it for minutes after.
As Col. Innis promised, Death was promoted
to the vacant post of Lieutenc.nt; and
oow dear reader, we beg to inform you that
our hero and the uncompromising veteran
Greneral Morgan, of revolutionary notoriety,
were one and the same individual. About a c
^ AWfl'o r
LU1 lUJgilt ttliei IU1& CVCUHUI Ul^lllrvniuuwj/V/ vj u
Farm became the scene of as much mirth, o
*ood eating and dancing, as could be possi- a
aly disposed of during twenty-four hours, a
ind although we think it will be almost su- c
perfluous to do so, will add, that the cause I
)f all this merry makiugwas the marriage of a
;he beauteous Hester Stanhope to Lieutenant
Henry Morgan. j
glistcllaneousHniHng?
r " " 1 ? c
From the New York Daily Timet;. (
THE HEAD OF 1857. d
The Necrology of 1857 is a crowded list c
4 J
)f distinguished names. Statesmen, jurists,
warriors, literary rnep, famous explorers, ?
scholars and safaris are amoung the dead of 1
;he year. Science loses the active seal and '
ndomitable energy of Kane, the industry of 1
Hugh Miller, the patient study of Andrew v
Lire and the research of Scores by and s
Beechey. Literature mourns the death of a
arilliant writers. Eminent statesmen are no 0
more. The military chronicle is shortened 1
The British nobility of the old stock has a
ihinned out. Art has lost Crawford and *
Rauch. More or less, every class or prom- k
inent men has suffered.
In a little more than one year, the class of j.
Explorers has been diminished by the death q
af four famous men. At the end of November,
1856, Hear Admiral Beechey, H.
N., died in London. In the middle of c
February, 1857. Dr. Kane died at Ila- ,
rana, at the early age of 35. In the latter ^
part of March, Dr. Wm. Scoresby died at
Torquay, England. On the 15th of May, j
Lieutenant Isaac G. Strain, U. S. A., died
it Aspinwall.
Admiral Beechey was a veteran of Arctic ^
exploratiou. He explored regions in which ^
few ventured, and where, until the time of ^
Kane, none had done so much as he. The
admiral died full of years and honors; Kane ^
followed him, young in years but richer in
fame. Dr. Scoresby, in his day, was an "
authority in the same field of research ; and ^
lastly, made the measurement of the waves ^
of the Atlantic, calculating their force and ^
speed, and hight, and depth, and giving the
world a record which nobody but he had the
patience to compile. The Doctor's descrip- .
of the way he permitted himself to be blown 1
up on the steamer's paddle-boxes, aad how j
he was blown down again,?how the gale J
carried him aft, and how he afterwards }
crawled forward, in the teeth of the storm, 1
?how he timed the waves and watched \
them, must still be freshly remembered.? *'
The name of Lieut. Strain will always be c
connected with that fearful Darien Expedition,
in which iucredible hardship was 1
cudurcd, and with settled knotty questions. '
Beechey, Kane, Scoresby and St::ain are j
gone. 1
The name of Hugh Miller leads off the (
list of the dead sacuns. The great geologist
was 51 years old when he committed J
suicided in Ediuburg a year ago this last ^
December. On the 2d of January Dr. Au- "
drew Ure died in London at the ripe age of '
-o r?.. JI.*..,.a ?.,,j )
<'?. 1/1. \j I V a i/iiuvnuiw umi
Sciences is a sufficient record of the value 1
of his labors as a chemist. In February, ?
Mr. Win. C. lledfield, of this city, died, '
having contributed largely to the stock of ^
our iulbrination of storm theories, metcorolo- J
gical phenomena, and paleontological plans. ^
In the middle of March, at West Point. 1
Professor James W. Bailey died?an able
mathematician, a reliable chemist, and at 1
the time of his death President elect of the 1
American Association for the Advancement '
of Science. In Edgland, on the 12th of '
August, ltev. Wm. D. Conybeare, long a (
standard authority in the study of geology, j
departed this life at the age of 70.
The rauks of the Scholars and Authors '
have been sadly thinned. On the 12th of
January Dr. Eli Smith, one of the oldest
of the American Missionaries attheBeirout <
station, died at the age of 50, leaving in- 1
complete his great translation of the Bible, i
On the 8th of June Douglass Jerrold died 1
at Kilburn Priory, at the age of 54. In !
July, at Paris, Pierre Jean Beranger died I
it the age of J5. In August, at Annecy,
Eugene Sue expired, aged 56. Later in
August, at Hampton, England, John Wil- I
ion Croker, at the age of 76, was numbered i
vith his fathers. On the 27th of the same 1
nontb Dr. Rufus W. Griswold died in New 1
lrork at the age of 42. In August, also, <
Rev. Thomas Dick died at Dundee; and on ?
:he 16th of November Geo. R. Gliddon ex- j
sired at Panama, in the 50th year of his s
igc. To these names should be added that <
)f the Baron Von Hammai, Oriental scholar, t
vhose death occurred at Vienna at the close
)f the previous year. The Baron was 82. 1
Rev. John Harris, a religio-scientific writer, t
lied in December of luat year at St. John's 1
IVood, England ; and soon after at Boston,
lied Sidney WilUrd, a veteran Professor of i
Sarvard College, at the age 75. Nor must c
Jharlotte Elizabeth's husband be forgotten; ]
Mr. L. H. J. Tonna died last Spring in 1
England, and soon after him died William | f
EValton, a voluminous writer on Spanish
history, at the age of 74.
The dead Sculptors are Crawford and
[lauch. Thomas Crawford died in London,
Dct. 10. Christian Ranch at Dresden,
Dec. 5.
The dead Statesmen are Marcy, Hamilon,
Birney and others. William L. Marcy
lied at Ballston, in this State, on the 4th
if July. Mr. Marcy was 71 years old.?
Two Southern Ex-Ministers to England
lave died ; Andrew Stevenson, in Virginia,
n January, and Louis McLane, at Baltinore,
in October. Ex-Secretary Dobbin in
7ayetteville, North Carolina, on the 4th of
August; Wm. E. Venable, United States
Jnister at Guatemala, in August; James
jr. Birney, in New Jersey, in the latter part
if November; Jas. Hamilton, in Galveston
lay, killed by the disaster to the steamship
Dpelousas, in November. Senator Butler,
if South Carolina, died in May. Several
nembers of Congress have died. Among
thers, Sena ;or Rusk, of Texas. This was
case of suicide. Rusk and Hugh Miller
re the sole instances of suicide among the
atalogue we have given. Preston S.
Irooks, M. C., from South Carolina, died
t Washington, on the 27th of January.
The Military chronicle is very full.?
England has lost heavily in the Indian war; 1
lot to dwell upon the fact that considerable
lumbers of her troops have fallen in battle,
r that fifteen hundred persons have been
ruelly massacred by the mutineers, her loss
,f r?onornl nflfineranInno hns h#?f>n remarkable.
"
)n the 27th of June, Gen George Anson
lied at Kurnaul, aged 59. His successor in ^
ommand, Sir Henry Barnard, died eight
lays afterwards (July 15) before Delhi,
ged 58. Sir Henry Lawrence was killed
n battle, at Lucknow, on the 4th of July, at
he age of 51. Two aays after, Sir Hugh
dassey Wheeler was kjlled at Cawnpore,
phile heading the charge of a handful of
oldiers against the crew of Sepoys who ^
fterwards committed the terrible massacre
f the English in that place. Sir Hugh c
pas 68 years old. Then followed the siege 1
ud capture of Delhi, and the deaths of '
lenerals Meill and Nicholson and Lieut. 1
lalkeld ; the latter the brave young officer 1
pho gave enterance to the troops, by blow- 1
ng open the Cashmere gate at the cost of *
lis own life. At home, England lost many 1
Id officers of the Royal Navy. In the Isle I
if Jersey, in May, died Sir Thomas le Mar- c
hant Gosselin, Admiral of the Red, the 1
Idest officer of the Navy, at the age of 92. 4
)n the 13th of May, at East Sheen, Lord c
Villiam Fitzroy, Admiral of the Blue, died 1
t the age of 74 ; at Plymouth, in January,
lear-Admiral Rogers, aged 73 ; at South- *
mpton, in June, Sir Thomas Brown, Ad- 1
iral of the Blue, aged 79. Prince '
iVoronzoff, a veteran Russian General of 1
he time of the Napoleon campaign, died at 1
)dessa in the latter part of 1856, at the
geof 74. In France, in October, General 1
lavaignac, of Revolutionary fame, died v
uddenly at the age of 55. At Constanti- '
lople, in the same month, General Guion
lied. The American Navy list is shortened t
ly the death of Commodore Newton, at s
iVashington, July 27. 1
Of the Clergy, the prominent names are
3ishop Blomfield, who died at London Aug. (
i; the Bishop of Aberdeen, died in Scot- :
i ??ii is . n_.ii.? t
anci April jl<j j ruiuur iuuluct?, huu u?.u
n Ireland at the end of 1856 ; and, nearer '
loine, Rev. John F. Schroeder, who died 1
n Brooklyn, in February. M. Sibour, 1
Vrchbishop of Paris, was assassinated in 1
Tanuary by the Priest "Verger, who was
sxecuted for the crime.
The Nohility of Great Britain comprises
lecrological notices for the year of the fifth 1
Duke of Rutland, the Earl of Ellsmcre, the 1
tlarl of Amherst, the fourth Earl of "Mornngton,
the sixth Duke of Marlborough, and '
)thers.
Other notable deaths were those of Dr. 1
Marshall Hall and Dr. Paris, eminent Eng- 1
ish physicians, who died, the former in '
\ugust, and the latter iu January, in Eugand
j Chief Justice Oakley, of this city, 1
vho died on the 12th of May ; John Bar- ?
my, a sou ot Commodore Barney, who died '
it Baltimore, in January, at the age of'70;
John M. Gregor, formerly Governor of the j
Bank of England, who died at Boulogne, iu j
April ; Win. Ranney, artist, who died at j
-* * " 1 ?,i i?,
tlODOkCn, in I>Oveiuuei j auu maiij, tub J
poor, half-crazy individual, John Sayers ,
3rr, who claimed the privilege of blowing .
ihe trumpet of the " Angel Gabriel," who ,
raised many rows here and elsewhere, and |
inally died miserably at Demarara, at the ,
2nd of 1856. To this list might be added ,
;he names of Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Buckcy,
and other leading merchants of New ,
Fork, who have died during the year, but ,
)ur catalogue is sufficiently extended. j
King's Mountain.?At the last meeting i
Df the Tennessee Historical Society, a sword <
was presented by Captain Wm. Edmiston, .
jf Harpeth Yalley, Davidson county, Tenn., j
which was worn by Lieutenant Col. Dupolster,
a British officer, at the celebrated battle
of King's Mountain. j
PACTS WORTH PRESERVATION. :
The Saxons first introduced archery in
:he time of Voltigeur. It was dropped im- ,
mediately after the conquest, but revived j
ay the Crusaders, they having felt the ef-!
pects of it from the Saracens, who probably j
lerived it from the Parthians. Bows anu j
irrows as weapons of war were in use with '
itonc cannon balls so late as 1040. It is j
singular that all the statutes for the ensouragement
of archery were framed after
;he invention of gunpowder and firearms.?
i.rcw trees were encouraged in church-yards,
por the making of bows, in 1642. Hence
;heir generality in church-yards in Engand.
Coats of arms came into vogue in the
eign "of Richard I. of England, and be;ame
hereditary in families about the year
L192. They took their rise from the
tnights painting their banners with different
icuresto distinguish them in the Crusades.
The first standing army of modern times
vas established by Charles VII. of France
n 1445. Previous to that time the king
lad depended upon his nobles for contingents
in time of war. A standing army
vas first established in England in 1638 by
lharles., but it was declared illegal, aswell
is the organization of the royal guards, in
L679. The first permanent military band
nstituted in England was the yeomen of
he guards, established iu 1486.
Guns were invented by Swartz, a Gernan,
about 1378, and were brought into use
>y the Venetians, in 1482. Cannon were
nvented at an anterior date. They were
irst used at the battle of Cressy in 1346.?
!n England they were first used at the siege
>f Berwick, in 1405. It was not until
^544, however, that they were cifst in Engand.
They were used on board the ships
>y the Venetians in 1539, and were in use
imong the Turks about the same time. An
irtillcry company was instituted in England
or weekly military exercises in 1610.
Insurance of ships was first practiced in
he reign of Caesar in 45. It was a gener,1
custom in Europe in 1494. Insurance
iffices were first established in London in
667.
Astronomy was first studied by the Moors,
nd was by them introduced into Europe, in s
.201. The rapid progress of modern as- 2
ronoiny dates from the time of CoperDicus. t
3ooks of astronomy and geometry weredes- t
royed, as infected with magic, in England, t
inder the reign of Edward VI., in 1552. t
Banks were first established by the Lorn- t
>ard Jews in Italy. The name is derived ?
rom banco, bench, benches being erected s
n the market places for the exchange of t
noncy, etc. The first public bank was at
Venice, in 1550. The bank of England J
vas first established in 1093. In 1096 its t
lotes were at 20 per cent, discount. *
The invention of bells is attributed to s
?aulinus, Bishop of Noal, in Campania, c
bout the year 400. They were first intro- i
luced into churches as a defense against )
huuder and lightning. They were first (
lung up in England at C'royland at Abbey, t
jincolnshire, in 945. In the eleventh cen- c
ury and later, it was the custom to baptize t
hem in the churches before they were used, a
Che curfew bell was established in 1008.? J
!t was rung at eight in the evening, when \
>eoplc were obliged to put out their fire and a
:andle. The custom was abolished in 1100. c
3elliuen were appointed in London in 1550,
o ring the bells at night and cry, " Take
:are of your fire and candle, be charitable \
0 the poor, and pray for the dead." f
How many are aware of the origin of the ?
vord " boo," used to frighten children ? It s
s a corruption of Bob, the name of a fierce c
lothic general, the son of Odin, the men- s
ion of whose name spread a panic among a
lis enemies. s
Book-keeping was first introduced into
England from Itally by Peele, in 1569. It i
vas derived from a system of algebra pub- e
ished by Burgo, at Venice. t
Notaries public were first nointed by
he fathers of the Christian Church to make i
1 collection of the arts or memoirs of
nartvrs in the first century. <
The administration of the oath in civil
;ases is of high antiquity. See Exodus ]
cxii. 10. Swearing on the gospels was first
lsed in 528. The oath was first adminis- 1
ered in judicial proceedings in England, by
,he Saxons, in 600. The words "So help '
ne God, and all Saints," concluded an oath t
ill 1550.
Signals to be used at sea were first con- f
.rived by James II., when he was Duke of
iTork, in 1665. They were afterwards im- 1
proved by the French commander Tourville,
ind by Admiral Balchen. I
Raw silk is said to have first been made
3y a people of China, called Seres, 150 B.
J. It was first brought from India in 274,
ind a pound of it at that time was worth a s
jound of gold. The manufacture of raw
ilk was introduced into Europe from India
jy some monks in 550. Silk dresses were 5
vere first worn in 1455. The eggs of the *
)ilk worm were first brought into Europe in 1
)27. t
Squeezing the Hand.?It is but lately t
;hat we understood the strange constructions (
;hat arc sometimes put upon a squeeze of I (
;he hand. With some it is entirely equiva-1 (
ent to a declaration of love; this is very I ]
surprising indeed. We must take hold of' (
i lady's hand like hot potatoes ; afraid of I j
jiving a squeeze lest we should burn her ' (
ingers. Very fine, truly ! Now it was our j
incicnt custom to squeeze every hand that 1 x
we had extended to us, especially a fair one. j,
[t is no wonder that we have never been j (
sued for a breach of promise. We would j,
aot give a rusty nail for one of your cold (j
formal shakes of the hand. Every person ]
who intrudes one or two jfingers for your ,
touch (as if we were afraid of catching a s
distemper) should go to school awhile to a ,
jolly old farmer. He shakes with a vengeance;
and shakes your body too, unless;
you should happen to be as thick as himself, i
Well, there is nothing like it; it shows a ]
good heart at any rate, and we would rather I
i man would crush the very bones of our !
ingers, and shake our shoulder out of joint'
:han that he should poke our paw, as if he
ivere about to come in contact with a bear or
i hyena. The ladies may rest assured of
his; that a man who will not squeeze their
land when he gets hold of it, does not deerve
to have a hand in his possession; and
hat he has a heart 749 times smaller than a
;rain of mustard seed.
PRAISE YOUR WIFE.
Praise your wife, man; for pity's sake
;ive her a little encouragement; it wont
aurt her. She has made your home comfortable,
your hearth bright and shining,
pour food agreeable,?for pity's sake tell her
pou thank her, if nothing more. She don't
ixpect it; it will make her eyes open wider
;han they have done for these ten years; but
;t will do her good, and you too. 1
There are many women thirsting to-day for
;he word of praise, the language of encourigement.
Through summer's heat and win- 1
;er's toil they have drudged uncomplaining- ^
ty ; and so accustomed have their fathers, 1
arothers, and husbands become to their mo- J
aotonous labors that they look for and upon (
;hem as they do the daily rising of the sun
._J -V- J -i : J TT 1- 1
iuu us uuiiy guiui^ uuwu. xiuuiciy, cvcr^- lay
life may be made beautiful by an appre- 1
;iation of its very homeliness. You know 1
,hat if the floor is clean, manual labor has <
)een performed to make it so. You know 1
hat if you can take from your drawer a clean 1
ihirt whenever you want it, somebody's fin- 1
jers have ached in the toil of making it so '
'resh and agreeable, so smooth and lustrous. i
Everything that pleases the eye and the sense 1
las been produced by constant work, much {
bought, great care, and untiring efforts, 1
)odily and mentally.
It is not that m??y men do not appreciate
hese things, and feel a glow of gratitude for 1
he numberless attentions bestowed upon *
hem in sickness and in health, but they are *
io selfish in that feeling. They don't come e
>ut with a hearty, "How pleasant you make }
hings look, wife," or, "I am obliged to you 1
or taking so much pains." They thank the ^
ailor for giving them "fits," they thank the !
nan iu the full omnibus who gives them a J
eat, they thauk the young lady who moves
ilong in the concert room ; in short, they |
hank everybody and everything out of doors, *
>ecause it is custom, and come home, tip J
heir chairs back and their heels up, pull out
he newspaper, grumble if their wife asks I
hem to take the baby; scold if the fire has
;one down ; or, if everything is just right,
hut their mouths with a smack of satisfac- ^
ion but never say to ber, "I thank you."
I tell you what, men ; young and old, if j
rou did but show an ordinary civility toward
hose common articles of housekeeping, your *
vives; if you gave the one hundred and
ixtieth part of the compliments you almost
;hoked them with before they were manned; r
f you would stop the badinage about whom
rou arc going to have when number one is
lead, (such things wives may laugh at, but !
hey sink deep sometimes;) if you would
:ease to speak of their faults, however ban- ^
eringly, before others, fewer women would
eek for other sources of happiness than
rour cold, so-so-ish affection. Praise your
rife, then, for all the good qualities she has,
ind you may rest assured that her deficieniies
are fully counterbalanced by your own. j
National Adjurations.?A French ,
vriter, in a curious paper on the different {
orras of national oaths and popular objur- t
;ations. says that most nations swear by a j
tingle name?the fashion remaining un- j
:hanged from the earliest times to the pre- v
tent, or as he quaintly expresses it, " lentils (
ire cooked in our day, exactly as when Esau f
old his birth for a ten sou's plate of soup." ,
The supreme object of national adoration, .
s usually invoked, coupled generally with (
lome prominent attribute or peculiarity, j
bus:? (
The Chaldean swore "by the god Nebo,
ivhose right thigh is of gold 1"
The Egptain, "by the god Osiris, who has j
;ars on his heels !" (
The Hebrew, "by Jehovah, whose feet <
est on the stars 1" i
The Sanscrit, "by Astarte, who made man <
'rom her fair hair!" I
The Greek, the Etruscan, and the Latin, s
(by Zeus, whose eyebrows make the world i
iremble!" i
The Celt, "by Teutates, who planted the <
irst forest!" I
The Teuton and Sclave, " by Odin, and i
lis fifteen crows!" i
The Peruvian, "by the Sun, the soul of i
,he universe!"
The Australian, "by the thigh of the
Bear that fell from heaven!" . i
The Indian, " by the Great Serpent, spirit
of spirits!"
The Credit System.?From various i
sources we see evidences of a determination ]
.0 extirpate this 'thorn in the commercial j
lesh." We hail each effort in this direc- ]
ion as an omen of future prosperity and 1
jood. The Pee Dee (Cheraw) Ilerald, con- <
ains a notice of agreement, signed by twelve i
)f the merchants of that place, not to sell ?
in time, after the first of January, 1858, any .
>f the following articles : Sugar, Coffee,
Rice, Molasses, Salt, Bacon, Flour, Pork,
Uorn, Meal, Butter or Lard. The Herald <
emarks that to the thinking portion of the <
jommunity it will appear very evident that 1
f the Merchant, who buys on credit, canlot
stand the credit system, how can the poor
mfortunate Editor, who is compelled to pay
;ash for everything, stand it. Therefore,
3ear beloved friends, give us our Christmas
;ift, in the shape of your subscription. We
lave done our all, in trying to give you the
markets, the latest news, &c., therefore we
jincerely hope, that you will try and settle
lp your indebtedness.?Sumter Watchman.
Geh. Denver, recently appointed act- 1
ing Governor of Kansas, is a native of the Round
Hill neighborhood, in Fredrick 1
County, Va. 1
Speaker Orr.?It is useless to disguise
;hc fact that the election of this geDtleman
o the Speakership of the House of Representatives
was not acceptable to the Southern
State Rights portion of the Democracy. He
s not of the number of those who regard
he South first and the Union next; on the
jontrary, his thirst for Federal office renders
nm prone to conciliate the Northern aggres ionists,
as is obvious from his appointments
>n the Committees. For instance he places
he notorious Burlingame?the reviler of
;he gallant Brooks?upon the Committee of
LUieigu nimuo. iuc AVIUULUULIU ajuhuij
ustly remarks that this affront were bad
;nough from any Southern Speaker; but
)ffered by a South Carolinian, it cuts with
-ankling effect. This single appointment is
;nough to condemn Mr. Speaker with every
:rue-hearted Southerner. It can not be paliated.?Georgia
State Press.
t&" May you live until the French Acadeliy
completes its dictionary of the language!
[t has now in press a quarto volume of 400
jages, on which it has been at work since
1833, (just twenty-four years,) and which
:ontnins the fortieth part of the letter A !
rhe whole dictionary will be completed in
ibout nine thousand two hundred years?
;hat is, in the year of grace 11,057. The
volume in press is designed as a specimen
)f the work, the Academy being desirous of
eceiving the observations of the learned
nen of Europe upon it before proceeding
my farther in the work. It gives the
iislori/ of every word in the language, showng
when and how it was introduced, and
vhat and in which manner its meaning
gradually changed. M. Patin has written
he preface to the volume.
Be Frank and Determined.?Never
iffect to be other than what you are. Learn
o say, "I do not know," and "I cannot af-r \
'ord it," wi'h most sonorous distinctness and
smphasis. Men will then believe you when
rou say, "I do know," and "I can afford i
t." Never be ashamed to pass for just \
vhat you truly are, and who you are, and
rou are on solid ground. A man is already S
if consequence in the world, when it is
mown that we can implicitly rely on him?
hat when he says a thing he will do it.?
;uch a reputation will give a man more real
mjoyment, and is of far greater value to
rim, than all the results which display and
retentions can compass.
Siam Etiquette.?When the Siamese
imbassadors were presented recently to
}ueen Victoria, they threw themselves on
heir hands and knees, and went the whole
ength of the room on all fours, and the
>rincipal ambassador laid his chin on the
itep of the throne, and read his address in
hat position, and after the formalities they
ill backed out in the same awkward style.?
rhe royal gravity was sorely tried by the
idiculous spectacle. When the distinguished
foreigners were invited to a lunch
n one of the state apartments, they all
nulled out their pipes and filled the hall
vith a cloud of smoke, to the gr<iat horror
)f the court and the disgust of the Queen,
vho abominates the weed.
Pepper.?Pepper is an almost universal
sondiment. Black pepper irritates and inlames
the coatings of the stomach ; red
seDner does not, it excites, but does not ir
ritate; consequently it should be used instead
of black pepper. It was known to
be Romans, and has been in use in the
East Indies from time immemorial, as itcor ects
that flatulence which attends the large
lse of vegetable food. Persons in health
io not need any pepper in their food. But
;o those of weak and languid stomachs, it is
nanifold more healthful to use cayenne pepper
at meals than any form of wine, brandy
>r beer that can be named, because itstimuates
without the reaction of sleepiness or
iebility.?Hall's Journal of Health.
First Discoverirs.?There is a penalty
for doing more or better than your neighbors,
jralileo gained only imprisonment by his
iiscoveries. The inventors of printing did
Dot fare much better. The first who dis:overed
the power of steam was confined in
:he Bicetre, at Paris. Dr. Darwin was coniidered
almost insane, because, in his inflated
rerse, he predicted the uses to which it
vould be applied. These were all discovjries
of men who, rising above their fellows,
ailed at the shadows of great things their
minds conceived or saw. Statues and bronzes
aow celebrate the merit that was denied them
it the time.
Marriage on the Cars.?Quite a
romantic affair occurred on the cars between
Atlanta and Marietta, last Monday morning.
A couple, on matrimony intent, got on the
:rain at Boltonville, Cobb county, intending
? stop at Marietta, and get the knot tied,
jut finding a clerical and legal gentleman
rrom Atlanta on board, the ceremony was
performed while the train was making thirty
niles an hour, and the hanDV couple went
)n their way rejoicing. This was decidedly
i fast match, and the only marriage by
iteam that has lately come to our notice.?
A.urjusta Dispatch.
Bank Dividends.?The Charleston
Courier, of Tuesday, says : " The Bank of
Charleston, People's Bank, Planters' and
Mechanics' Bank, Union Bank, South Caroina
Bank, and State Bank, have declared
lividends amounting in the aggregate to
linety-eight thousand eight hundred and
;hirty-one dollars. The whole amount of
;he dividend of the People's Bank?which
is included in the above amount, is twenty ;housand
four hundred dollars?is forty
;housand dollars, or at the rate of eight per
;ent. per annum-"
I?* The first bonnet worn in England was '
brought from Italy in the roign of Queen
Elisabeth, and its form was a compromise
between the present hat and the French
hood.