Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Straps and .facts. The rumor that Secretary Seward haj bought Saturn's ring, Jupiter's moons and half a dozen asteroids is contradicted. The Region in the West which has beer suffering from drought so long, has now been visited with an abundant rain, and it is reported thai the wheat has taken a fresh start in consequence. A reporter in the Louisiana Convention wai threatened with a thrashing by one of the honors ble members because he didn't make good Englist of the honorable gentleman's speech. ;?? A Mississippi physician has invented a wri ring ink which gives an appearance of being washec with gold dust It is said to have a soothing ef feet upon creditors when sent in answer to ' 'a dun.' A Russian Physician claims to have proved by the injection of salt into the blood vessels of an iinals, that the popular notion, that scurvey i: caused by an undile proportion of salt in the blood is correct A new fashion has sprung up in Missouri A newspaper of that State gives notices of marri ages in advance. They are in the usual form, witl the words "will be married" introducing the an nouncement The following will give a little idea ofthi business of the Patent Office: In 1864, 6,000 pa tents were applied for; in 1865, 9,000; in 1866 15,000; in 1867,22,000. This shows a cons tan increase of the business of the office The Salsbury Banner says that two Yan kees have recently canvassed Union County, ven ding a preparation, or whitewash, to the negroes ^knn o PC ? fnp tlinm flftpp nsinir for sh W UIUAJU uigj aoouivu ,|J _ months, would make their skins white. A dispatch from Charleston, dated the 30tk instant, says there is much encouragement felt ir that city owing to accounts from Washington, representing a probability of Congressional aid tc the planting interest. ?? A few days since an old gentleman in Mis souri, where the drought has been severe, and wh( has been hauling water for the last three months on being asked by an acquaintance if he thought il would "rain, remarked, I hope not, for if it does it will spoil the roads so I cannot haul water." The Nashville Banner asserts that, at ar early day, President Johnson will issue an address announcing that he is not a candidate for re-election. The Banner also states that he will take up his residence at Nashville, at the close of his present term of office. It appears that the charter of the Antietam National Cemetery was so worded that the cemetery is intended for the Confederate dead just as much as for the dead of the Union army; express ??tViaf fVio f!fmfi>derate dead |/1VV10XUU uiuuv KUI.V VMW ? shall be separated from the others, but that the remains of all should be gathered with equal care. A late London paper says that the public authorities in the Island of Cuba arc at present engaged in obtaining a register of slaves, as a preliminary to the fixing of the indemnity to be paid to their owners when emancipation shall be declared. All slaves not registered within a given time will be regarded as and declared to be free. The Fenians, in Ireland are again on the rampage. On Saturday last, 29th ultimo, men with blackened fooes stormed Madetto Castle, neat Cork, took the arms and ammunition and escaped; and an unsuccessful attempt was made by Fenians to barn the Dublin general postoffice with Greek fire. Charles Dickens, a high authority, leans to the position that first impressions are usually correct, and also says: "I nave known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don't trust that conventional " idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it" A man has been taking the census of murderers in Europe. He finds that the proportion of muiderers in England to the whole population, is one in 675,000; in Holland, one in 163,000; in the North German Bund, one in 100,000; in Austria, one in 77,000; in Spain, one in 4,000; and in the Papal States, one in 750. _ In Mississippi, Governor Humphreys has issued a proclamation stating that he has received such information respecting projected, outbreaks among the negroes, that he finds it necessary to warn "all combinations for such a purpose that their intentions are known and they cannot succeed, and that if the black race believes the lands will be distributed among them they are greatly deoeived." The time to which the collection of the di rect tax in the Southern States 'was delayed, expires on January 1, but Secretary McCulloch, in answer to appeals from the South to protect them from taxation, has, it is said, responded that he does not intend to collect it unless forced to do so by Congress, and that he will appoint 110 collectors for that purpose. By "direct tax," is meant a tax on land. As an indication of the decliue in the price of labor, we give the following item of information: The superintendents and presidents of our various railroaas, who last year paid for laborers $16 per . month, with rations, have determined not to pay over $8 to 10 per month, with rations, for the next year. These laborers, it will be. remembered, are charged for all lost time, even fractions of a day. Macon Telegraph. The Charleston Courier says that a petition for the relief of planters has been sent forward from this State to the President of the United States, and that it has received the sanction ot General Ulysses S. Grant, acting Secretary of War. The petition has been signed by a large number of factors and planters, and sets forth the fact that the factors are unable to make the requisite advances to planters, which will enable them to plant the crop of the coming year. The next annual Convocation of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of South Carolina, will be held at Greenville C. H., on Tuesday, 11th February, 1868, at 12 m. The Grand Officers and delegates from subordinate Chapters will be allowed the privilege of going and returning, over the Greenville and Columbia and South Carolina Railroads, for one fare; and also that the proprietor of the Mansion House in Greenville has agreed to entertain the members of the Grand Chapter at $2.00 per day. ?? Over two thousand negroes attended the Radical Judicial Convention in Nashville on the 21st ultimo, and the meeting was one of the stormiest ever held in that State. While a Mr. Corry, a Northern man and a candidate for one of the nominations, was addressing the Convention, he was knocked down by an opposing candidate named Brien, who is the present Circuit Judge at Nash ville. There is some trouble brewing again on the Rio Grande frontier. It appears that two American citizens were recently forced into the Mexican army at Matamoras, under the late decree ol Juarez proclaiming that every citizen owed the Republic any sort of service he might sec fit tfi designate. General McKenzie, commanding at Brownsville, had brought the subject to the notice of Colonel Palacios, commanding the Mexican forces at Matamoras, and has received the reply that the latter would take it iuto consideration. We notice, in a Western paper, the fact thai there is a merchant in the town in which the pa per is printed, who, whenever a man buys a gooi Dill of goods front him, makes the purchaser a pre sent of the same paper in which he advertises, foi one year; and thus he manages to keep the custo mer constantly reminded of his business?and h< will never forget such a present. Should that mai give his customers six or eight dollars in greenback! or in goods, it might soon be forgotten; but when h< is regularly placed in receipt of hisfriend's bounty can any one doubt its being a good way to adver tise? This is worthy of imitation by busines men. The Kentucky Senate has adopted, by i vote of twenty-five to six, a resolution providing for the appointment of a select committee offivi from the Senate and five from the House, with in structions to report as early as practicable, the as sessed value of slaves taken from the citizens o Kentucky by Federal Executive proclamation, acts of Congress, and by the amendment to th< Constitution of the United States, known as th< 13th article; and also the value of such slaves ta ken from each county in the Commonwealth; anc that said committee report what steps are necessa rv and proper to enable the citizens of the State tc obtain compensation from the Federal Government for such slaves so taken. The Charleston News, of Tuesday last, says "It is understood that General Canby will issue shortly an order modifying General Sickles' famous Order No. 10, and definitely setting aside the bailwrit process by which, under the laws of South Carolina, a creditor has had the power to arrest and hold to bail his debtor within the State, by making affidavit that said debtor is about to leave the State. This bail-writ system has been the cause of great annoyance of late and its abolition , will certainly be of benefit, so far as it removes another obstruction from tne wheels of trade. It ' was in reality, for all strangers and persons unable 1 to procure sureties, a system of imprisonment for debt, for an indefinite time, upon the unsupported i affidavit of the person to whom the debt was due. No such law has been in force at the North, and t no such law is required here. :?fcr ItatMle (Jhujitiw. YORKVIHiE. S. C.: | THURSDAY MORNING, JAN, 2, 1868. ) Cash.?It must be distinctly understood that > our terms for subscription, advertising and job1 " work, are cash, in advance. 3 X.?The paper will be d iscontinued on the expi, ration of tne time for which payment has been made. A Subscriber finding a cross-mark on the wrapper or margin of his paper, will under stand that the time paid for has expired. 1 THE NEW YEAlt. The pleasant relationship of publisher and patj ron, which we have so long occupied towards our . many friends, is about to be continued for another nnrl wfl cannot nermit this occasion to Dass without a friendly chat, with those who arc connected with us in such relationship. We have passed through a year eventful in many repects to us all. -To you, the expectations of prosperity and comfort, promised in the beginning, have not been realized. We, too, have shared our portion of the disappointment. But we have no complaints to prefer. We have tried in good faith, to fulfill our promises in furnishing our readers with a good family newspaper, acceptable as a friend at every fireside. If we have failed, no want of effort on our part has caused the failure. We are about to enter upon another yearyexperiment in journalism, and if we have made friends in the past, we shall need them in the future.? Our efforts for 18C8, shall not be less zealous than heretofore, and whatever we can afford, to lend new attractions, and additional worth to the Enquirer, shall be bestowed upon it We entrust our sheet to its friends, aud if worth preserving a place in the lists of journalism, we feel confident they will help to maintain it there. At all events, we are to be friends for another year, and we send you our friendly greetings, trusting that you will desire us to continue them the year round. We would like, of all things, 1. That all of our patrons of the past year, rei new their subscriptions. 2. That all persons who did not subscribe last year, do so the present?right speedily, and pay in advance. * i 3. That neither ourselves nor subscribers, may ever again want "greenbacks" and can't get 'eui. i If our friends will help us to accomplish the first i and second of our desires, we do faithfully, sincere' ly, and solemnly promise, to do all in our power to aid them in accomplishing the latter. We arc off on another year. "All aboard! that's going on this train." MECKLENBURG FEMALE COLLEGE. The readers' attention is invited to the advertisement of the Mecklenburg Female College, to be found in our columns to-day. The institution is under the charge of Rev. A. G-. Stacey, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who brings to his aid in its management, ripe-experience and great energy. Among the faculty, we notice the name of Mrs. Emily R. Moore, formerly of this place, as Instructress in Drawing, Painting, etc. Mrs. Moore's ability, in the Department to which she has been assigned, is of the highest order, and we < can say, that if the other teachers arc as proficient in their several departments as she is in hers, that faculty is above the average. < Circulars giving full particulars in reference to the School, can ha seen at the Enol'ioer office. 11AKU ilJlJC.3. The present winter bids fair to be a season of suffering to the poor, and of privation to those in moderate circumstances. The whole country is beginning to feci the effects of fanatical misrule and i reckless extravagance. The cry of "bard times" comas up, not from the South alone, but also from the North and West. The statement comes to us from several sources, that, in the city of New York alone, there are fifty thousand men out of employment, and two hundred thousand human beings who have not the means of supporting themselves during the winter. In prosperous times, this is the season of activity and energy, when merchants, clerks and mechanics find it difS*- . cult to get a leisure moment. But such is the depression in business, such the paralyzed condition of the country, that thousands of enterprising and industrious men arc suffering for want of employment. Nor are strong men the only sufferers.? There are seventy thousand females in New York . city, many of them lucre children, who support themselves by their own hands, as needlewomen, factory girls, &c., and who will be among the first to feel the pressure. It is estimated that at least ten thousand of this class had lost their situations before the first of December. The same depression of business exists at the West. The crops have been gathered; but still money is scarce and trade dull. A correspondent of the Herald, writing from Iowa, says that flour is worth $14 per barrel, in that wheat producing i State. Ohio, Illinois and Indiana suffered from a severe drought in the latter part of the summer, and though those States report a sufficient crop for the support of their population, they will have no surplus to be spent in luxuries. As for the South, it is, and has been since the : war, in a bankrupt condition. For three years the productions of the soil have been inadequate to the sunnort of the Deoule. and the nroDertv less ; than the indebtedness. Our people arc, if there [ be any change at all in their condition, better off than they were a year ago; for the crops were better, and they probably have a sufficiency of food i for their support until the next crop. But their prosperity is not improved, as but few debts have i been paid, and few additions have been made to the value of their property. The great decline in the price of cotton has thwarted the efforts of . many a farmer who has struggled manfully to set ! himself upon his feet once more. The deceitful i staple has brought loss to nearly every person en' gaged in its culture; for the expense of raising cotton has so increased since the slaves became t frccdnjen, that it is a losing business to sell it at j ten cents. When the late crop was planted, cotton was worth nearly twenty cents, and most plnnr tors made their contracts and calculations of ex penscs, upon the supposition that they would i receive that price for their crop. These calcula1 tions were founded upon hope rather thau cxperil ence, aud they have helped to bring hard times upon us. ! But other causes have been working together 5 to produce this affliction upon the land, prominent among which has been the mis-government of the 1 country. The protracted exclusion of the South; em States from the Union is enough, of itself, to - cripple their energies. This exclusion, in a manner, leaves the wounds of war still open, by pracf tically unsettling the issues supposed to be settled j by the surrender of the Southern armies. Strange 2 as it may seem, secession was never accomplished < until its advocates had given up the struggle.? [ After four years of war, during which the Southern States were never acknowledged to be out of , the Union, they made peace and all at once found t themselves out. This uncertain status, with its concomitant ei vils?conflicting laws and authorities, by which a i kind of triple government has been forced, con1 sisting of civil, military and frcedmen's bureau judiciaries, has fettered our enterprise and crushed out our resources. With conventions meeting every two or three years to overhaul our State constitutions, it is no wonder that our people lose all confidence in the stability of our laws, and that capital is frightened away from us. Until we are regularly restored to our position as independent States and freed from the interference of Congress in our domestic affairs, permanent prosperity cannot be ours. One Convention, that of 1865, has failed to accomplish this end; another will soon meet, which will probably succeed in effecting a partial restoration. But there is reason to believe that a third convention will be called, on the meeting of a Democratic Congress in March, 1869, which will have the entire work to do ofer. Then, perhaps, "hard times" may be banished from our midst, the country be allowed to devote itself to the honorable avocations of honest labor, and political quarrels be* put under its heel. K TOO MUCH COTTON. j Cotton seems to be the great jack o'lantern, which is destined to delude the world. It promises so much to the cultivator, that it tempts him to I neglect other crops, and trust to "the staple" to make up all deficiencies. But wherever this course is followed, people are sure to learn practically that I flinw nanrirtf livo nn fx-vffnn nlfinfi. The South re ceived an impressive lesson on this subject last year, which found her deficient in grain, and owning a short cotton crop with a steadily falling market. Another country is now learning the same lesson. India is suffering from a severe famine, which was caused by the delusion mentioned above. The prospect of realizing an immense profit on ootton was so tempting, that the energies of the country were devoted to its production, to the neglect of the rice crop, which is the main food crop of the country. lire consequence is that India is bad off for something to eat; and the moral is that a country ought to plant for food first, and for money next No people are secure from famine, who reverse this order in their agriculture. COTTON GROWING. The profit and loss accounts of cotton planters for the year just past, has doubtless convinced many of those who planted On a large scale, that its production with free labor, at the low price commanded in the markets, must result in failure. England's India possessions have succesfully taken the cotton culture out of our hands, and settled the question as to the supply of the raw material. That question has heretofore been the origin of the high price of the article, and to a great extent of the fluctuations in the market. Against the cheap production of India Cotton, wo have to contend with unsteady labor badly controlled, a high tax on the raw material, expensive transportation, and a high rate for breadstuff's and other food, necessary to supply the labor. Many of tho9e who are preparing to plant another crop, are doing so under the apparent delusion of better prices and a repeal of the tax. With the probability of an abundant supply from the East, we can perceive but little hope that better prices will soon be commanded. As to the repeal of the tax, Congress manifests but little disposition to act in the matter, and a recent well informed correspondent says "there is no prospect at all that the repeal will be made to apply to the crop of the present season. A strenuous effort will be made against the entire repeal of the tax even for the next year." Are then our prospects for success another year, better than they were at the beginning of the last ? We think not; but on the contrary they are far worse. Recent estimates from experienced\planters concur in the general fact that with free labor, on good soil, cotton must nctt the producer about thirteen cents per pound, to barely cover expenses, without making estimates for use of lands. These arc unpleasant facte, but as facte they ought to teach us one of two things; either to abandon the culture of cotton altogether, or to manufacture the raw material on our own water courses, and send the fabrics to the world, unencumbered by the cost of transportation to Eurdpe and back again. Our material resources, as a section, are loo much crippled to even contemplate, at this Lima, the adoption of any such scheme as the latter, and we must, therefore, look gravely to the other recourse?the abandonment of its growth altogether. Our section is rich in natural resources,calculated to make human life happy. "We can produce corn, oats, wheat, rye, pinders, potatoes, and nu tnerous otlier crops that will strew plenty at our hearthstones, and still leave us something to exchange with other people. We will never be able to live independent of the hand of Northern charity, so long as we continue to indulge in that silly dream of the past, that "Cotton is King." Cotton is not, nor never was King, but intelligent well directed labor will make such a people as ours prosperous and happy. OUR EXCHANGES. Burke's Weekly for Boys and Girls.? On the fourth page of this issue of the Enquirer, will be found the prospectus of the above mentioned juvenile paper. It is furnished to subscribers, in either weekly or monthly parts, and, to our mind, is one of the best juvenile papers aver published in this country. It is profusely illustrated, and a parent connot bestow on a child a more pleasing present than a year's subscription to this periodical. The regular subscript ion price is $2 per annum. We have effected arrangements, however, with the publisher, whereby we are enabled to furnish the paper at $1.50, or will send the Enquirer and Bailees WccJdy, one year for $4.50, in currency, in advance. The " Weeldy 1 is published at Macon, Georgia. The Charleston Courier.?The proprietors of this sterling old paper announce that hereafter the Daily will be furnished at $8 per annum, and the Tri-weekly at $4. We have been a reader of the Courier, as boy and man, for more than twenty-five years, and we know of no paper, published within that time, that has been so uniformly interesting and reliable. Subscriptions will be received at the Enquirer office and forwarded. TnE Charleston News.?Although the junior of the Charleston Daily press, the Neics has entered the arena, determined to "door die," and announces that the Daily will be furnished at $6 per annum, and the Tri-weekly at $3. The News is nearly the size of the Enquirer, and is conducted with great energy, an unusual amount of enterprise, and is, withal, sufficiently conservative. We will also receive subscriptions for the News, and will remark here, that as the mails arc now carried, as late news is received here by the Charleston papers, as through any other chanel. Tiie Charleston Mercury, is published at $8 for the Daily and $4 for the Iri-weekly. It is still conducted with its old-time energy and spirit, yet with more Conservatism than when we were - - ~ ?-"pa oollorl " Anv aP Aim vao/Iawp Ill IIJU UI11UU ov Vttiiuu* u.a.uj VI vui a ouuvi o who desire the Mercury can have their subscriptions forwarded by calling at the Enquirer office. The Land We Love.?This popular monthly for January has reached our tabler farther in advance of time than usual. It wears a comfortable, well-fed look, and we trust means no deception by such appearances. This Magazine is the accepted chronicle in the South, of the late war, and as such merits the popular favor that has been awarded. Better than all, it gives, we learn, a real success to its publishers, as well as satisfaction to its patrons. Tiie Southern Boys and Girls' Monthly.? This capital serial for boys and girls, for the month of January, is on our table. The contents are varied and interesting, and the letter press firstrate. It is published monthly in Richmond, at $1.50 per annum. Address Post Office Box 429, Richmond, Va. Godey's Lady's Book.?This is the oldest publication of the kind in America, and, so far as we know, in the world. The number for January, 18G8, has been received, and it puzzles us to understand how Godey manages to make each succeeding number of the hook, better than its predecessor. The number for January is superb. It is published at Philadelphia, by L. A. Godey, and the price is $3. Godey and the Enquirer will be furnished one year for six dollars, in currency. I mere-mention. A couple of enterprising printers, about ten days ago, resumed the publication of the Charlotte Daily News. Alter experimenting for one week, the publication was again suspended for the want of patronage.-* At a recent sheriffs's sale in Alabama, lanchjfas sold at from five to ten cents an acre, and railway stock at ten cents on the dollar More than 300 kinds of hoop skirts are manufactured in New York. *The bank of New Orleans has discontinued business on account of the depression irffcrtdc. Green peas have made their appearance in Florida. "To successfully overthrow and annihilate the hostile Indiaus by the United States Army, General Auger estimates would cost $10,000,000 a week for two year& M^Sam. Houston, widow of Gen. Sam. Houston,?en of yellow fever at Galveston, Texas, on the 9th ultimo. In England, this year, the supply of American 'cotton has been five per cent, beyond that of Tast year, while the quantity from India has experienced a reduction of twenty-nine per cent Out of over three hundred children in the Charleston Orphan House, but two have died during the past year. On Christmas dajjr of the whole number in the institution, not one was sick. The Courier remarks that this "looks, to our mifh as a marked inter" **-ii-Z^- T) I JHAMAA AitTA* fViia nrrhtif putuuuu UI Lrnuiv ^ (W^iuv/^F 1U lavui VI VUW 51WW charily."'T'ffln CnSpu, WDhio, the scholars atr tend tchool .only 4spall a day?the boys in the morning, and the gi^i^tHe afternoon. The Memphis Avalanche. sayft^ere are twenty tfiousand stamhj^begroea in ftiat city. *The Wilmington Journalsays that the pea-nut crop in that section is estimated to be about 100,000 bushels the present year. Ten deaths to one birth is the ratio among the negroes on the Florida Islapds. '"Five hundred and ten miles of the Union Pacific Railroad have been completed, be* shh*s five hundred and twenty-three miles of its brnnbhes.**** Fumily affection at Chicago is evidenced in the conduct of a young man who nearly broke his mother's nq$?, beat his father, aud bit off his brother's nose. "The Impeachment farce will cost the country half a million of dollars. Convicts are allowed to play faro and monte in the California State prison. Returns from General Canby's head-quarters show that in the States of North Carolina and South Carolina, from January 1,1867, to October 1, 1867, there were A ? ? 1??1-?J - <-l? ! ?AtitifAnn kw vnilUn. iwu nuuurcu uiiu cigiujr biima ui uiucuo uj uniiu?ry tribunals, in iarge proportion accused by virtue of the Reconstruction Acts. A young wife in Northern New York threw a bonnet and shawl into the river, left a suicidal note for her husband, and eloped with another man. Great distress for want of food is reported in Louisiana, and it is stated that seven thousand whites and negroes are at the point of starvation. -?? EDITORIAL INKLINGS. Congress and the Conventions. Fortunately for the country, Congress adjourned on the 20th of December for the Christmas holidays, and will not resume its lunatic doings until Monday next, the 6th instant. The Conventions of the several States also adjourned about the same time, and we are consequently spared their inflictions for a brief season. General Ord and the Negroes. General Ord, the commander of the fourth Militarty District, embracing Mississippi and Arkansas, has sent Gen. Gillam, Assistant Commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau, to Washington, to represent the starving condition of the freedmen in portions of that district lie also declares, in another order, that the freedmen shall work in the coming year, or be arrested as vagrants, if work can possibly be had. The Alabama Constitution. The Constitution adopted by the Alabama Convention, which is about being submitted to the people of that State for ratification, is meeting with violent opposition from all parties and colors. Meetings ore being held in e vary-part. oLthe at which the defeat of the Constitution is urged and the late Convention denouuced in unmeasured terms. Ex-Senator Benjamin Fatzpatrick, is out in a letter clearly and succinctly stating the evils to follow its ratification, advocates its defeat, ancf fhe adoption of one more in accordance with the genius ofmrr institutions. Wfa>-Foots the Bill? ?? The Qjtorgia Reconstruction Convention has struck upoaAJjock, which bids fair to put an end to its patriotic" labors. The little matter of drawing their pay has proved too much for the genius of the members. Under the Reconstruction bill, *n o 11 frrnri fn lautT TtrtATl fllA U1C \XJU V CIIUVH XO UUUUV11AOU w 1W?/) UJ/VM ?*?v people of Georgia, such a tax as will pay its expenses. But this proceeding involves a delay of six months, and the constitution tinkers were too hungry to wait so long. They therefore appointed a "disburser," whom they instructed to draw upon the State Treasury for $40,Q00, with which to pay for the members' services. But the disburser, though armed with an order from Gen. Pope, came back from Milledgcville without the cash.? The Treasurer refused to pay over any funds, except upon a warrant of the Governor and sanction of the Comptroller General, which are required by the laws of the State. The disappointment of the Convention was cruel; but there was no help for it. On the 23rd ultimo, they adjourned until the 8th instant; but some of the Georgia journals think the adjournment is final, so far as most of the members are concerned; for they arc too short of funds to live at hotels on hope alone. Poor fellows I we fear they are serving an ungrateful country. Constitutionality of the Reconstruction Acts. Rumors are in circulation that the Constitutionality of the Reconstruction Acts of Congress, will be tested at an early day. Some time ago, General Ord caused the arrest of Col. McArdle, the editor of a Vicksburg paper, with a view to a military trial, on account of some strictures in which the editor had indulged in reference to Ord's administration of affairs. Before, however, he could be tried by military commission, a writ of habeas corpus was sued out, and on an examination before Judge Hill, of the United States District Court of Mississippi, he held that the law was constitutional and remanded the prisoner to custody, fixing his bail at $1,000. The case is now to be scut to the Supreme Court, at Washington, on a writ of error, with all the proofs and papers bearing upon tho matter. It is rumored that the case will be taken up out of its order and a decision rendered immediately. A Washington correspondent, in commenting upou the claims of the several aspirants for the Presidency, furnishes the subjoined paragraph which rather goes to confirm the rumors under consideration: # "A strange rumor fills the air concerning the opinions of Chief-Justice Chase. -It is distinctly and even somewhat authoritatively affirmed, that he will take the first opportunity to pronounce the Reconstruction Acts unconstitutional." Democratic Advice to the South. The Washington correspondent of the Baltimore Gazette says that the prevailing opinion of the Democratic members of Congress is in favor of non-action, on the part of the Southern white people, under the Reconstruction laws. He says: "They urge that the Southern whites shall simply protest against the whole proceceding and withhold any assent to anything which is done, as they predict the time is not far distant when Congress will pronounce all those elections null and void, and will restore to the States their old Constitution.--. Such is the firm impression of the leading Democratic statesmen here, and they are anxiously looking for the address to be issued by a committee appointed by the late Conservative Convention of Virginia. They express the hope that this address may be a simple appeal to the white people of the North to save them from negro supremacy; unmixed with any constitutional or other issues; and they declare their belief that the whole North will rise en masse and rally to the rescue." An Encouraging Picture. The Camden Journal furnishes the subjoined paragraph which is the best antidote for "hard times" that we have seen in many a day. Our people most rccognizekthe fact and act upon it, that farming by proxy nas "played out," and that in order to succeed, must help themselves beforo F calling on Hercules. If the white people in the T South would go to work and stop growling about the worthlessness and unreliability offreedmen, our country would, in a few years, regain a fair share E of the prosperity which it heretofore enjoyed, a ' More producers and fewer consumers should be. the watchword. See what has been done in Kershaw: "A friend of ours, with whom we spent a couple of nights a few weeks ago, with the aid of his two . sons, one scarcelv large enough to plough, made this vear, three bales of cotton, upwards. of four hundred bushels of corn, one hundred bushels of peas, two hundred bushels of sweet potatoes, be- T sides Irish potatoes, pinders, &c., and had thirteen c i hogs ready for the knife, which would nett him y i 2,000 to 2,300 pounds of pork, with flour enough^ p to serve him until harvesting his next crop of t : wheat, of which he has planted largely. His crop was all harvested and housed, his Tots and stables well filled with litter, and the boys were taking T holiday after their year's work. B i His wife and one daughter, attend to all the T household and domestic affairs, and clothe (hand, somely) the family, consisting of eight, from wool e raised on the plantation. Our friend lives in the "Sand Hills, ' and plants sandy land, but since "freedom," has adopted the system of planting lAAinnn rttTlAW Mfif (inn IIIO nuncat pui biuuo) icaviu^ iuc uiuci w iwau uuu ^ i recuperate. Is suoh a family dependent upon cuf- a COLUMBIA CONTWTJTORML g : p] MY JA?. WOOD DAVIDSON. K COLUMBIA, 80UTH OABOLIHA, 30TH DECEMBER, 1867. 1807. 7" * hi The king is dead?Long live the king! 1867 * has been a poor show for us; and we shake hands ?. with him and bid him good-bye, without a blubber. . We are glad the "show" is over. w 1808. y( To all?a Happy New Year I The Cannon. A few weeks ago the garrison here commenced firing a gun at sunrise and then at sunset. The ft firing continued only a few days when it ceased. It hi has, since Christmas, been renewed; and now we C have these bi-diurnal guns regularly, which serve in to keep the clocks regulated. tt Southern Book. st We see that E. J. Hale & Son, 16 Murray Street, New York, are about to publish The Utd Ul Capitol and its Inmates, by a lady who enjoyed the ** hospitalities of the government for a season. Many of our Confederate prisoners figure in the book; and Mrs. Surrat is also introduced as a fellow-pris- ^ oner, and new light is thrown upon that trial in ^ which she afterwards figured. The book is sold at $1.50 a copy; and may be had by mail, post-paid, , by application to the publishers. ?j( Recent English Books. Qi Among noteworthy books, recently published in England, are Recollections of Lord Byron, by the n) Marquise de Boissy (Countess Guiccioli); Memoirs ^ of Sir William Hamilton, with selections from his jj] correspondence, by Professor Yeitch, of Edinburgh; p] and Chips from a German Workshop, under which a, odd title, appear the miscellaneous writings of Prof. Max Mullcrs, full of learning and research. The first of these will interest the poetical reader^ ^ the second will be eargerly read by the metanjtfsi- fa cally inclined; and the third will be apprechfted by af the classical student. ' to Christmas. We are not able to record the fact that this once- d< a-year occasion was a very decided success. si The heaviest affair on hand, Christmas day, was k the Tournament. This was in the usual style; ri- y< ding full-tilt and trying to poke a sharp stick through some rings. There were twenty-three knights. They did 60-so. There was some fair is riding; but there was a good deal that was not fair. Had the thing been designed as a burlesque, it h would have been quite as perfect a success as it it was. The crowd was huge; and the spectators, ap- 11 parently, enjoyed the wort riding and the greatest fci failures with the greatest glee. b The negroes were there. w Numerous soldiers were there. TVlP VMtllOT W.lfl OWlA 01 Towards the last, everybody looked bored. We U were. A After the Tournament, and its riding, and its b winnings, and its crownings, and its borings, there tl were some entertainments given upon the same <x grounds?near the University?by the troops of the ai garrison. r< First, there were foot-races, against time, in it which some eight or ten took part. Of course, w somebody won; but we don't know who. Second, there were wheelbavruw races. Four ol soldiers, blindfolded, ran?or wheeled?with wheel- it barrows across the plaiu, aiming at the flag-staff ei with pennon, about eighty yards distant It was h intensely funny. Four started and cut all kinds of it capers, running into each other, and running away fifty yards off from the proper place, and never B getting near it at all; and all that sort of thing, bi Nobody seemed to win. Everybody laughed, ir And it was all very funny. ai During the day, too, some chicken difficulties U were settled at Minort's cock-pit We suppose . the victorious roosters invariably wliippcd; but we p were not there to see. e: All the groggerics were closed. The day was I quiet n The negroes were silent, sullen-looking, gather- h ing in groups about the corners; not gay, lively, bantering, and shuffling about with characteristic hilarity, as used to be seen. "Poor Tom's a-cnld? poor Tom's a-cold." W At night the town was quiet All the stores and a< lighted houses were closed very early. Before o< nine o'clock all was dark and undistinguishable. A tl negro-ball at Frazee's and a negro-fair at Janney's c< Hall (befow stairs) kept up a little vitality later in- ai to the night We did not attend either of these, tl The Day after Christmas. cl This day was somewhat like the day before. There was a frecdmen's gander-pulling; in which . the gander is said to have got the worst of it ^ There was some drunkenness abouttown. Whis- " key got into some blue clothes; and into black st skins. Tborc was some street-corner sparring be- P1 I Wnc-noats and black-skins: but no blood came of it. w As we came home from a friend's after an evening spent out, we walked around some prostrate ^ persons who seemed to have been overcome in a ^ John Barleycornian contest. ?' in Distress in Mississippi.?The Cincinnati Gazette lias the following account of the deplorable pi condition of affairs in Mississippi: c( "The state of things Is appalling. Distress, b: want, and raiser}' are even now stalking abroad. y< What it may come to in the dead of winter and tl spring, God only knows. Every kind of bu- 'ness ol here is prostrated. Planters are baukrupts by ai . failure of the crops, and involve the merchants who st . advanced for them on the strength of the growing hi crop. The distress will be equal here, I am afraid, T to the Irish famine of 1847 and 1S48.. I assure tl you, you never saw such distressed and ruined peo- ot pie as the people of Mississippi, and I presume the ^ citizens of the other cotton States arc in the same tl condition, and I see no remedy except within the w fold of the Union." se Si How to Detect Counterfeits.?The Charleston Courier gives a rule by which counterfeit ^ , "greenbacks" may be detected. The rule is repre- ju sented as infallible! Here it is: "Divide the last two figures of the number of the bill by four, and if one remain, the letter on ^ the genuine will be A; if two remain, it will beB; if three, C; should there be no remainder, the 01 letter will be D. For example, a note is registered 2,461, divide 61 by 4 and you have 1 remaining, di According to this rule the letter on this note will S be A. In case the rule fails, be certain that the oi bill is counterfeit" a LdCAL ITEMS. HEW ADVEBTIflEMEHTS. . C. Harris, O. Y. D.?Citation?J. G,. Latham, Applicant?Elizabeth Latham, deceased. , 8. Jetferys and W. B. Metts, Assignees?In Bankruptcy?In the matter of Daniel Williams, Bankrupt T. A. Steele, Executor?Final Notioo. nquirer Office?Almanacs for 1868. . G. Stacy, Charlotto, N. C.?Mecklenburg Female'College. bmesley <fe McCante?Currency. " * ?? ?Our Goods. 44 44 ?We Buy. 44 44 ?No Mistake. 44 44 ? Specie. 44 44 ?Something to Eat. 44 44 ?Groceries. 44 44 ?Corn, Oats and Peas. 44 ,44 ?Bring the Money, . S. Jefferys and W. B. Metts?Assignees^Sale of D. Williams'property. . A. Neil?School Notice, [re. A. Coward?Music Lessons. ? G. McCaw?Cotton Tax. . W. Clawson, Depnty Messenger?In Bankruptcy?In the matter of R. S. Moore and Jamas-Mason. . W. Clawson, Deputy Messenger?In Bankruptcy?In the matter of R. S. Moore. ? Lathan, Principal?Langham Academy. . s. jenerys ana James aiason?Assignee's oaie of the real estate of 4Jten Robertson. Inquirer Office-^"Ariel" and "Speculum." HEW YEAB REMEMBRAHOE. On New Years' morning, we found in our sanctm, a pleasant token of good will in the shape oi specimen of brandied peaches, from the grooeiy jtabliahment of Wm. E. Rose. We never refuse lything of this sort, especially when it comes in >ld weather. Mr. Rose, we are informed, has lenty more of the same sort left. SLEET AHD SHOW. Winter did not give uS a formal announcment oi is approach until Sunday night, when his presence as verified by unmistakeable proof A heavy fall f snow and sleet began on Sunday night, and connued without intermission until Wednesday mornig. The ground is now covered several inchet ith an icy composition that renders pedestrianisu ;ry uncomfortable and sleigh riding delightful. TIE OOTTOH TAX In to-day's paper will be found an advertisement om Col. McCaw, with reference to the taxes thai lve been heretofore, or may hereafter be paid or otton, to which the attention of cotton-growers if ivited. The claim for restitution is founded upon te opinion that the law imposing the tax is unoonIfnfinnol nn/4 WAl/l PoNAnfl Trim AD, AVUUUUU1) UUUj VUV1W1V1V) V V*U< A vawvww * mw w? ir into the proposed arrangement assume no risk; id if they gain nothing, they loose nothing. Its stter than a lottery?try it You may win! ICGBATIOH OF FREBPlfKTT. We learn that, in some sections of this District, le freedinan show less disposition to change about om place to place, than they did last year. A luch greater number remain with their late emloyers, and where they do move, it is oftener in aference to their employers' wishes than to their am choice. They are beginning to realize the uth of the old proverb, "a rolling stone gathers i moss." This is a decided change for the bet:r, for all classes, as it gives promise of something lee stability to the farming operations of our peole. We trust the improvement will be universal id permanent. / OUB SCHOOLSBut few communities in the upper Districts are .vored with better educational facilities, than are Forded within the precincts of our pleasant little iwn. The Kino's Mountain Military SchOol, unmr the superintendence of <Jol. A. Coward, as irviving Principal, is now entering upon the thirsenth year of an existence, once prosperous be>nd the usual measure of success allotted to such istitu tions. Like other institutions of learning, its fluence and prosperity have been seriously diminhed by the late years of dearth that have visited j; but the.enterprising proprietor still hangs out is banner, and each session, has marshalled undei , a fair proportion of students. The advertise tent in our columns, presents interesting facts tc a a* /?__ t_V -1 _ .1 U it.!. lose wno are seeiung ior a mgn scnoui ior iLieu Dys, and we speak fairly when we say there is none e can more highly commend to parents. The Yohkville Female College will resumi pcrations the present year, with the same oompe mt corps of instructors employed during the last . material reduction in prices of tuition and boart as been made, and arrangements are complete foi le accommodation of as many as may come. Thi mrse of instruction in this institution is thorough id the best recommendation we can give it, is h ;fer to the excellent wives and pretty sweetheart has furnished to the country. "We do speal hat wo do know" when we say this. Mrs. C. A. Neil advertises that the exercise; f her school will be resumed on the third Monday i this month. She has had considerable experi ice as a teacher of youth, and the patronage sh< as heretofore received, is an index of the esteen i which she is held by her patrons. Rev. T. J. Wit.kins, assisted by Rev. tllma> i. Gaines, proposes to commence a school at the rick Academy on the second Monday in thii lonth. The principal is agentleman of education, id the assistant is not without experience as i iacher. Lang ham Academy.?Rev. Mr. Lathan, th< rincipal of this institution, announces that the tercises will be resumed on the 13th instant. Mr. iATHAN's success as a teacher has been very larked, and we can, without hesitation, commend im as a teacher. FATAL AFFBAY. OnJEuesday evening, the 24th ultimo, our town as saddened by an affair of the most painful chariter we have ever been compelled to chronicle as icuring in our midst. The ladies connected with le Presbyterian Church of this place, had arrang1 to have a Christmas tree and other festivities^ i "Moore's Hall" on Main street, in behalf of le Sabbath School of their Church. Towards the ose of the entertainment, and abont 9 o'clock in le evening, some missiles were thrown through le windows of the hall, from a party of persons i the street in front of the building, and some lite boys, it is supposed, responded by throwing icks of wood into the crowd in the street The ersons in the hall becoming excited by the demonration outside, three or four gentlemen, among hom was .Dudley jones, jr., a young man 01 igh character, went out upon the street to asceriin the cause and character of the disturbance. Hiile in the street, Jones used some violent lanjage towards those who had thrown the missiles ito the Hall. The company in the Hall soon afterwards disused, and as Jones returned by the Hall, after inducting a lady home, he was called to account ir Thomas A. Smith and William Snider?two >ung men well esteemed in the community?for le language he had used respecting the authors the disturbance. Some sharp words ensued, id. Jones, it seems was attacked by them and ruck several times, when drawing a pocket knife 3 began to cut promiscuously at his assailants. homas A. Smith reoeived a severe blow from ic knife, cutting his throat from one side to the her, and producing death almost- immediately. Tilllam snider-received a severe wound from le same knife, in the side and abdomen, from hich, however, it is hoped he will recover, as he ems to be doing well under the treatment of hi? urgeons, Drs. Braiton & Jackson. Shortly after the painful occurence, Jones placed imself in the custody of the Sheriff, to await a idicial inquiry into the affair. At a Coroner's jury convened the following day, ridence was elicited in accordance with the above atement, and the following inquisition agreed up1: "That the said Thomas A. Smith came to hi/ jath, on main-street, in Yorkville, York District, , C., between the hours of nine and ten o'clock 1 the night of the 24th of December, instant, b\ mortal wound inflicted upon the throat of the a foresaid Thomas A. Smith, by & fnife io the hands of one Dudley Jones, Jr., which, said knife was wilfully used by the said Dudley Jdnes, Jr., in defending his person from the assault and battery by the aforesaid Thomas, A.43mith and one William Snider. And so the Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the aforesaid Dudley Jones, Jr., in manner and form aforesaid, the saia Thomas A. Smith then and there did Irifi, against the peace and dignity of the same State aforesaid." An application for bail, for Jones, wns made by his counsel, Messrs. Williams A Son, and Hart, on Monday last, before Judge Beatw, of the District Court, and the defendant released upon a bond, with sureties in the sum of two thousand dollars, for his appesnuioe at the SpringTermaf the Court ojf Sessions.' 7. J 1 For Che TockrUI* Enquirer. . THE CHBI8THA8 TREE AT BO CK HILL. Mr. Editor: "And is this, Weed, Christmas?" would be the exclamation of those long past, could they but arise to witness these sonlleas days of welcome to the times of merry making by the old and the young; and even the Hind; and the halt, would now doubt the integrity of the calendar, ^Ihat 1 Christmas is indeed with us again I Who lives and docs not remember the shouts and hurrahs of youth; the hunt, the d&nce, the race, and every diversion that gave a joyous welcome to'merry old times I Well do we remember in our very youth, ' when, in the ohaae, the fox knew not wheiuto lay his head; and Mm. Hare's local habitation was, i to her, a doubtful retreat, if not a place of dani serous concealment It was a time when chantii cleers seemed to crow their whittle* dry, and 'twas such & Christmas that all the dogs barked it! Then the jig and the break-down had their liveliest fascinations, when partaking largest in all the fan Us- ? ' tic antics of Bflly-Caper-Corn. Such were the - sports for the round of the week, night and day, ' of innocent youth, mingled with the shouts, rips ' and hunrahs of the grown, who, in their way, too, ' were wild with delight in their racings, in their ' shooting-matches, and in their fight- 4 ' ing&nd drinking?or rather their drinking first, &e. But the mutations of timedraifga veil over these scenes, and we tun to witness other modes that keep up the elysium joys of halcyon day& And it is for this contribution to record our pleasure at the novel turn that the current of fashion seems destine^, to give, in this elevating refinement of homage, to a time-hallowed occasion, that was in times past, the advent of toV-row and yah-hoo in all their huQ-a-baloo sublimity of dissolute man- i ners, that gave to the birth day of Christ the livery of the very devil himself I But this is treading upon the threshhold of temperance. However, we would not, under the caprice of a progressive age, renounce our predilection for an egg-nog. We would the rather, invoke ; pathetic strains to say that in all the changes of time, our taste is not ameliorated in the homage . due to this fraternizing bowL In the nature of i things, it is wanting in licentiousness, and can but receive our special consideration, and alwayB proi cure our famous adulations. Who so frivolous as 1 . ' a i to condemn an egg-nog, is not-competent ior j - Christmas. And to compliment the potency of r eggs and sugar solus, is more hyperbole?it inspires I . us with no ostentatious eulogium?but when sub- J I limed with the dew of Ceres, it liquifies into a JM Christmas potation, and we would avoid espres- in sing hbre its predominating excellence. Indeed, it \ is needles? to elaborate, and jre submit this degant debauchery^ with our testimony, to an honorable tribunal that grumbling cavillers may cease. And now let us turn to the Christmas Tree, and follow the throng to the Presbyterian Church, whose walls, to the dense mass of people, yielded the full measure of their limits. This Advent night was chosen as a time for a festival and presents to the children of the Sabbath School at Bock Hill.' A liberal puree was the oontributiompf the citizens generally, to procure tropical fruits and confectioneries, while the handy work of fur hands supplied other little souvenirs of friendship and love. The cheerful evergreen cedar stood, as when exnmed, in font; and from its frail spray* were suspended the gifts that made many a little heart glad; while here and there, were miniature can- dies which looked like quills of snow peering from the foliage of this evergreen chandaher, and giving with their flame o'er the scene, a candle- * light view of Eden in the days of its enchantment?! The distribution of gifts was proceeded by songs from them, and a suitable colloquy by Rev. Mr. 1 Cooper, with pleasing anecdotes, illustrating the r moral import of the Decalogue. 3 It was our dereliction not to contribute anything,. however trivial, to the gratification of these votaries of merry-making; and asamepds, deem.itmeet to pay some doty as an admirer of the successful efforts of others, under whose auspices this exhibition achieved unquestionable merit. For who ' could not see in this/truly "gift enterprise," a token of esteem, a pledge of endearment, or a gift for affection's sake? And in the hearts of the youth, we see its responsive emotion to thosencts of consideration. It is in goodness then that they are made happy. When their moments are made bright, then they are happy. When their hearts are made 'to respond to goodness and troth, then they.are happy. Such exhibitions are a source for expressing kindly emotions, and elevating morals. To youth, they give impetus to enthusiasm; to the aged, it is a field for reflection and discovery; while to children it fascinates their free and unaffected thoughts in vivifying their imaginations, in which their thoughts /Struggle to unfetter their descriptive powers-Tend in all, all these kind endearments I of little rifts, inspires a "warmth of whate'er is noblej^rfegant or generous;" and "whate'er adorns graces and sweetens life." And it wras in the teachings of Christ, who had \ 1 tie welfare of children treasured in his thoughts, that, they be "suffered to come unto him, and for1 bid them not" ? v ' 41 "Now praise Hlra all the Earth, And sing Hosannahs land and free; And greet the advent of his birth, j .. Around the joyous Chzlatmu Tree." JjT J. B. J REMOVAL OF DISTRICT COMMANDERS. | The President, on Saturday last, caused the fol- j lowing order to be issued from the Adjutant Gene- I ral's Office, at Washington: r 9 "By direction of the President of the United 9 i States, the following orders are made: *1 1st Brevet Major-Generil E. 0. C. Ord will turn over the command of the Fourth Militaiy Dis- m trict to Brevet Major-General A. C. Gillem, and 9 proceed to San Francisco, Californiaj to take com- {I maud of the Department of California. 9 2d. On being relieved by Major-General Ord, II Major-General Irvin McDowell will proceed to 11 Vicksburg, Miss-, and relieve General Gillem, in II command of the Fourth Military District -1 3. Hrevet Major-General John Pope is hereby .11 relieved of the oommand of the ThirdmilitaryDis trict, and will report without delay to the Head- VI quarters of the Army for further orders, turning f I over his command to the next senior officer; untH I the arrival of his successor. I 4th. Major-General George G. Meade is assign- / * ed to the command of the Third Military District, and will assume it without delay. The Department of the East will be oommanded by the senior officer now on duty, until a commander is named by the . 4 * President 5th. The officers assigned in the foregoing orders I to the command of military districts, will exercise therein all powers conferred by ads of Con- . gress upon District Commanders, and. also, any J and all powers pertaining to military department j commanders. j i 6th. Brevet Mtyor-General Swavne, Colonel of ' t the 45th United States In&ntry, is hereby relieved ! from duty in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, and will proceed to Nash1 ville, Tennessee, and assume oommand of his regi(ment" , JJ?*1 The Committee of twenty-five appointed by , the Grant meeting at Cooper Institute, on the 4th ultimo, held a meeting on Thursday evening, Alex. ' T. Stewart in the chair. A circular letter was a- ? dopted to be sent to business men throughout the , i country, urging them to organise meetings similar ^ , to the one at Cooper Institute, exclusive of parties , for the purpose of Urging General Grant as* cm- ? m > didate of tne people of all grades of politics for V the next PMndeocy. fl 1