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lewis m. grist, proprietor, j ;|it Jnbepenbent Jfatnil!) Uttespaptr: Jfor t|e Irffmation of % folifical, Social, ^griraltural aab Commercial Interests of t|e Son% Jterms--$3.00 a year, in advance. ~volt35~ yoekyille, s. c., thursday, february so, 1879. no. 8. ' ?in????? ???m??????? ?i???? ? JfcleritA fackg. " THE REPLY OP THE NEW YEAR. What have I hidden for thee In my bosom, Thou fearless listener at my closed door? ' With what sweet songs am I prepared to greet thee? What are the fragrant flowers 1 bold In store ? Is it the song of birds, the breath of lilacs, The blushing bloom of June's Bweet-laden rose, The rainbow?hues of beauty and of promise, The cup that with life's gladness overflows? Nay, thou beloved one? Songs of angels' voices Are the sweet notes that wait npon thine ear; Immortal are the flowers mv hands have gathered To deck thy pathway to the brave New Year. I Mine Is the joy to clasp thy band, and lead thee Into green pastures; guide thy willing feet, That oft have strayed that way, to the full fountains, To, crystal rivers, waters clear and sweet. To see thee in the garments pure and spotless e In which His loved ones are by Jesus dressed; Behold thee take possession of"the mansion Provided for the long-expected guest. Farewell, thou missed and mourned ! In those fair regions Where now thou an at home, there ere no "years;" There are no pains, no fears or crushing sorrow, No frost, ao storm-clouds, no cold winds, no tears. There is no doubtful path, no fate uncertain ; For thee no anxious fear, one hean may swell; But tear-dimmed eye* pierce Death's transparent curtain And see thee safe with Christ, all well, all well! Jin ?rigitwl J'tflrjr. Written for the Yorkviile Enquirer. MISS CAREY'S BOX. BY AN OLD CONTRIBUTOR. CHAPTER XV. As if in answer to the wish, another unexpected actor in the exciting drama directly after appeared upon the scene. It was Frank Coventry himself. Eager questions and b;"sty explanations followed. He had just r turned to England, and was now on the way to visit Sir Roxwell Seabury, intending, as a last resource, to consult with him, and find out if he could give him any information which might facilitate him in his undertaking, which was now so startlingly brought to a close. His heart almost stood still as he looked on Mildred's beautiful, pallid face, believing that her life was extinct; but soon his fears were removed, for under the assiduous efforts now bestowed upon the work of restoration, she began gradually to revive, and before long the color stole back to her cheeks and lips, and she looked around once more with a conscious gaze, though she was sorely bewildered by the number of strange faces that she encountered. The one face that it would have thrilled her heart to see, was the only one that did not meet her eyes, for Frank, with a sudden revulsion of feeling that made it impossible for him to maintain his composure, had turned away, and was busying himself with some trifling arrangement of the harness, and never came near her at all. "Lena," be whispered, pulling his sister aside, "don't you say a word to anybody, good or bad, about me. I'm going straight oft to the old people?the Crofton's, you know? to be the first to tell them the news. You'll see me again in a few day." "But, Frank!" responded Lena aghast, "you are surely not going without one word ?- first?to her J" "I can't talk to her here," said Frank. "I would rather wait." "But you must find out all about these people she is with, and where she has been, and all about her! Cousider, Frank, how 5* ?ill ??m fr?p wnn to rush off in this way without knowing a single thing?they will think you crazy," urged Lena. "I am crazy, I believe," said Frank, with rather an uncertain sort of laugh. His hands were trembling, and a deep flush was on his face. He seemed if he scarcely knew what be was doing. "Come on with the rest of us," said Lena, with authority in h*r tone, "and consult with these other gentlemen and make all the proper arrangements. You need not say anything to her yet. I'm going to stay with her now. But please make somebody take that horridlooking man out of the carriage first. He looks ready to murder us all." Frank, with a vigorous effort, brought his head back to its proper level. He had been dazed, for a minute or two, by the curious climax to which affairs had been brought; but his practical good sense soon came to his aid. In the consultation which ensued amoDg the gentlemen of the party, he was the roost business-like of them all, taking down Cla rissa's deposition with lawyer-like precision, but never once raising his eyes until, having finished it, he turned to Mildred and gravely asked, "Miss Rathbone, have I your word in confirmation of this statement?" "Yes," said Mildred, rather vaguely. Her heart had leaped up on first seeing him ; but now a blank seemed to fall suddenly upon everything. Was this his only recognition ot her?the only token he meant to give her that he was not utterly indifferent to her fate?" ; , But Frank, at that moment, would not have trusted himself to say more, or to touch her haud, for the world. It was decided that Joshua, properly guarded, should be taken on to Canterbury, and handed over to the proper authorities to await an official examination. The rest would follow to their several destinations, and Frank, being so near the Seabury place, would carry out his original design of visiting Sir Roxwell, and would tell him all that had occurred. Mildred and Clarissa., at the suggestion of the latter, were also to go there and remain under Sir Jbtoxweli's protection until Mildreds strength was sufficiently recruited to admit of her joining her guardiau's family. Frauk went on ahead, having constituted himself one of Joshua's body-guard. He wanted an opportunity to oolleot himself more fully before again meeting Mildred, and to decide upon what mode of conduct it would be best for him to follow. Had he met her alone, or had his been the good fortune to discover and rescue her from danger, there is little doubt that his true feeling would have betrayed itself on the instant; but having once put a constraint upou himself, and forced his strongest impulses into abeyance, he could reason mentally upon the laws of propriety, and argue about the expediency of still farther carrying out his self-denial, and putting his patience to the test. Having got rid of his obnoxious charge with all possible dispatch, he proceeded, without delay, to Sir Roxwell, to whom, after briefly introducing himself, he at ouce gave a full account of the circumstances already recounted. His listener, as may be imagined, V?a? greatly astonished at what he heard. Ws3.*' first, piclined to be incredulous, but gradually accepted the convictiqq that his toowell trqsted confidant and nqedicaj adviser, w$s not only a fraud, but a criminal, and had for years, successfully made him his dupe. What surprised Frank beyond measure, was the discovery that Sir Roxwell had never seen a word of the various accounts with which the newspapers had been teeming, of Mildred's abduction, and the steps instituted for her recovery! The cause of this was j easily explained. "I abhor newspapers,"; said the baronet; "it's a peculiarity of mine that I never read them. Add to this the facts of ray long illness, my seclusion from all society, aud the interest which Carey had in keeping me in ignorance, and it won't seem so singular to you that these circumstances have never come to my knowledge. I have been more dead than alive lor ine pasi two years; but heaven be thanked, I've lived long enough to see villainy frustrated and justice done. Of course you know? Here he suddenly checked himself, coughed, and changed the subject. He had been about to speak of his intentions respecting Mildred, but thought it best, for the present, to say nothing about them. In the mean while, journeying by easy stages, the heroine of so many adventures, attended by Clarrissa, (who had regained possession of of her cherished box, and found it intact,) Lena Coventry, and Col. and Mrs. Mansfield, was approaching the scene where her future destiny was to be decided, and that within a very short space of time. The party arrived a few hours after Frank, and, though strangers to the master of the i 1 ? ewnx - O. rxvat-n?c^, . * ?*? ??4 L. kl r\ tml OAmo I bouse, met wun a iuusl uue^iwuic nviw^v. Sir Roxwell looked with a peculiar interest upon Mildred; and treated her with such fatherly care that she soon felt perfectly at home. Frank had settled in his own mind thftt he would leave at the same time as the Mansfields, who, with his sister, were to proceed on the following morning to Canterbury. Hattie Mansfield and Lena were old friends, and the health of the latter having been a little delicate lately, her parents had been prevailed upon to allow her to join the Mansfield family in a visit to the south of England, where they had relatives living, and expected to remain several weeks. Lena considered it a particularly happy circumstance that the journey should have taken place just at this time; for though her grand wish to be instrumental, in some way, in finding Mildred and restoring her to her friends, was frustrated, still it was some consolation to have been on the spot when she tons found. She had already established herself in the friendship and | confidence of her Heroine, and had told her I a great deal?not betraying Frank's secret, I fkof olio nrntilrl lisirp nnnsidored dishonor IVi biiub OKV Ifvutv* MMT V able; but saying enough in favor of this darling brother, and of his recent enterprise, to give Mildred food for cousiderable thought. It was just at twilight, when Frank, having strolled out alone with a cigar, returned from his ramble and entered the library, which was not yet lit. Mildred was sitting there, having just been engaged in a conference with Sir Roxwell, who had but a moment since left her to attend to some household affair. * She rose from her seat as Frank entered, hesitated a moment, as if in some embarrassment, then frankly advanced towards him. "Mr. Coventry," she said very simply and quietly, "I learned from your sister, during our drive here, what a debt I owe you for your exertions in my behalf. Please let me thank you now, though it is hard for me to say what I really feel." "Good heavens!" cried Frank, "Lena surely did not make you suppose that I considered myself entitled to any thanks for?" "She made me suppose nothing," interrupted Mildred, "except that you had generously devoted yourself to a very difficult enterprise, in which every one else had already failed, out of the kindest and most disinterested motives. For I had certainly no claim?" Her voice trembled a little in spite of herself, and she stopped, unwilling to betray her increasing agitation. She had thought it only right to make the acknowledgment, and had carefully chosen her form of words beforehand ; but, somehow, it was less easy to say them calmly and properly than she had ho^ed it would be. "Claim!" echoed Frank. "You little know"? He stopped abruptly, debating within himself whether or not he should take advantage of this opportunity. It seemed al! most unfair, but the temptation was greater ' than mortal man could resist. "It would have been the happiness of ray life," he went on hurriedly, "to have found you. I would have given everything I possess to have done this much to win a place in your ! regard." "Be assured that I am deeply grateful for ! what you have done," she replied in a low tone. "Grateful! Oh ! Mildred?there can be i no question of gratitude from you to me. Don't you know that I would lay down my ! j life for you?that I have struggled through j the misery and uncertainty of the last eighteen ' i months, only with one cheering hope to brighten my path?the hope of winning your love?" "Provided she was ever found, 1 suppose you mean," interrupted Sir Roxwell's voice, | as the old gentleman came in. "Excuse me for intruding at such an interesting moment, but I didn't know that you, young man, were in here, and unintentionally overheard your I last words. So there's a love-affair between you two, is there ?" Frank, vexed beyond measure at the inter| ruption, scarcely knew how to reply. At last i he said, in a haughty tone? "I cannot answer for Miss Rathbone's feel! ings on the subject, sir, but of my own I can only say that they have been in existence ever since I first bad the happiness of knowing her." "They have, eh ? Well, constancy merits! a reward," said the baronet, kindly. "You ! are angry with me, I see, for breaking in upon your tete-a-tete, but I am going to do you a good turn. Come, Mildred, won't you be kind to him ? I really think he deserves it, from all I've heard ; but, perhaps, yon are uot prepared to answer yet." "No, sir," said Mildred, blushing crimson and greatly embarrassed, though her heart was beating high with a new happiness which almost made amends for her discomfort. She wished, certainly, that Sir Roxwell would not interfere ; but it seemed that he was de. termined to take the matter into his own hands. "Now, look here, young people," he said, i t&king hold of Mildred's arm, "J fpel a greati er interest in this matter than, perhaps, you j are aware of, and I am going to avail myself I of' an old man's privilege of saying a few words of advice to you both. I don't doubt that you, Mr. Coventry, are quite sincere in your protestations, for I think your actions have proved it. Now, if Mildred returns your affection?which, if she doesn't deny it, I am going to suppose to be the case?just for a matter of form, you know?supposing this, I say, to be the case, I would, nevertheless, counsel you both to be patient and not enter rashly into the matrimonial contract without looking somewhat ahead. Are you, Mr. Coventry, in a condition to support a wife?" "Really, sir," said Frank, more and more provoked, "I cannot comprehend?" "Cahriot comprehend what right I have to pry into your affairs, eh ? Well, I'm Mildred's distant relation, you know; that gives me a sort of right to look after her interests." "I shall apply to Miss Rathborn's rightful guardian, sir, for any ratification I may desire of her expressed wishes on this or any other subject," said Frank holtly. "I must beg to decline?" "So ! you have an irritable temper, I see. Well, perhaps I am not justifiable in interfering. Of course you must settle your own affairs, and I don't pretend to control this young lady's action. Only remember, she hasn't a penny in her own right?not a penny ; and if you haven't got enough for both, it will be a bad look-out." So saying, he hobbled out of the room. "What a detestable old creature," murmured Frank. Then drawing nearer to Mildred, who seemed on the point of following Sir Roxwell's example and making her escape, he took her hand, emboldened, as it would seem, by the little episode which had just occurred. "You heard what he said," he whispered, "about supposing it to be the case thai you? that I have not been hoping in vain. May I suppose so, Mildred ? You are not afraid of comparative poverty with me, dearest ?" "I am not afraid of anything?with you," was the scarcely audible reply. Surely, Sir Roxwell's intrusion waj a circumstance not to be regretted after all, since it had; so simplified this important matter! I am inclined to think that both the lovers forgave him. At any rate, they were too happy to allow any disagreeable thoughts to T mirvVit fill ma nv rvfl rrpa with a anmjy luciix* -i iuiguv a-jx* ujwuj F*~bw ? record of the conversation which followed ; but as lovers' talk is seldom interesting (o anybody but themselves, it will be sufficient to say that all the conclusions arrived at were of the most harmonious sort. Another great dencrument was to take place on that same evening, though one might not unreasonably suppose that enough exciting events had happened for one day, at least. While Frank and Mildred had been engaged in their confidential t$te-a~i$te in the library, another of a different sort had been going on in Sir Roxwell's private room between himself and Clarissa, scarcely less important in its way than the first. A proud and happy woman was Joshua's sister when shs drew from the recesses of her work-box the papers so long and carefully guarded, and displayed them to the baronet's surprised gaze. "My good soul, how did you ever manage to obtain and keep in possession of these ?" he asked. "They are of infinite importance, as establishing, beyond question, my young relative's right to the property I am about to make over to her, and satisfying any scruple which could exist in any one's mind on the subject. Not that I deemed them as proofs; but in taking a step of this sort, it n ? i It 18 well 10 leave no caauce lur cu\y la; pn;?. a single flaw. Here you see, in Mrs. Rathhome's reply to her mother's letter, conclusive evidence of the old lady's intensions? poor soul! poor soul! it was well she did not know how they were to be frustrated?and in these certi6cates of Mildred's identity, the requisite forms required by law, in transferring the property. You have acted well and nobly, Miss Clarrissa Carey, and I congratulate you upon the share to which you may lay claim to in the establishment of Mildred's welfare and prosperity," When everybody was gathered in the drawing-room after tea, Sir Roxwell arose from his easy chair, and approaching Mil-1 dred, was observed to wbisper very earnestly tQ her for a minute or two, while she made answer in the same tone. Then leading her by the hand to the centre of the room, he said, with an old-fashioned bow to the assembled guests: "Ladies and gentlemen : Taking it for granted that you are all warm friends of this young lady, who, after more perils than commonly fall to the lot of one in her rank in life, has at length been restored to liberty and her rightful privileges, I feel infinite pleasure in making to you the announcement, that I intend forthwith placing her in full and entire possession of this estate, now held in my name, which I consider lawfully hers. Allow me, therefore, to present her to you in her proper character?that of mistress of Atherton Park, with all the belongings appertaining thereto." There was a universal stir at this unlooked for announcement. Col. Mansfield and his son clapped their hands and cried "bravo!" Frank was infinitely surprised. But nothing could add to the satisfaction he already felt, except, indeed, the thought that all his difficulties in the way of opposition at home were now quite swept away. He was to marry an heiress, after all. But Mildred, the heiress, was no dearer to him than Mildred, (to use the cunning old baronet's expression,) "without a penny in her own right." How thankf..l ha fait that ka bad venn hnr nrnmian ha. I fore he had known or dreamed of her coming good fortune! Mildred, who of course, had been prepared, by what she had learned from Clarissa, for something of this sort, but who, nevertheless, had by no means, looked for such an entire relinquishment on Sir Roxwell's part, was quite overcome, and could find no words. She turned to the baronet, and taking his wrinkled hand pressed it to her lips, with a gesture so natural, so graceful, and so expressive of the gratitude she felt, that it entirely superceded the necessity for speech. * * * # * And now having brought the subject of this history?or at least one of its subjects, the one entitled to a heroine's place?out of her trials and tribulations, and seen her restored to prosperity, with her prospects in life safely and happily established, there remains little more to be told. I could, indeed, spe$k flf the meeting between Mildred and her guardian's family, and their joy in the reuniop ; of her presentation to the Coveqtrys, and their unbounded approbation of Frank's choice?especially on his father's part; of the hundred and one pleasant things said and done by everybody to demonstrate the universal contentment and conviction that everything had turned out exactly as it should. But not all this will I recount; nor yet the circumstances attendant upon the marriage of Mildred and Frank, which took place with great eclat at Mr. Crofton's house ; prefering to leave them to the imagination of the reader, who can supply the details in such a man- t ner as his or her fancy may dictate. Of Joshua I will briefly say that he was dealt with by the law, yet not so severely as he deserved; this last fact being in {tart the | result of the generous intercession of the one he had chiefly injured, who, in her own happiness, could not bear to think of even her worst enemy as hardly used. His worst punishment, during the term he served out ib prison, was probably the chagrin he felt at the frustration of his plans, and the impotent envy at the good fortunes of his adversaries, which naturallv took the place of better re flections in so base and sordid a mind, where repentance had no part. Upon the expiration of his term he withdrew to parts unknown, and no one has taken the trouble to hunt him up since. I have said that Mildred was most entitled to the heroine's place in this history. But we must not withhold the just meed of praise from an humbler heroine, who, according to her lights, certainly acted a staunch and courageous pari* Though in mortal fear of detection, she held 010 persistently to the possession which she believed would ultimately secure another's rights, and she hasher reward?the reward of an honored position in the house hold she has helped to establish, where she is treated with universal deference and esteem. It is a great change from her former servile life, and in her new and enlarged sphere, her mind also has brightened and enlarged in a manner wonderful to behold. There is a report current in the county that she is to marry Sir Roxwell, (who lives, by earnest request, at Atherton,) one of these days. But it waB probably started by way of a joke, as there is no earthly likelihood of such a consummation ever taking place. On her work table stands continually a little rosewood work-box, much the worse for wear. But its silk lining and its false bottom still rem in, and as she takes great pleasure in showing every one this last ingenious contrivance, and explaining the use to which it was put, there is not a soul in the county, far or near, who hss not, by this time, learned the history of "Miss Carey's Box." [the end.] {PHtUnwitf ftedtog. ? I BEHIND THE COTTON BAGS. what was done at new orleans sixtyfour years ago. An old man who was a powder-boy in the battle of New Orleans, January 8,1815?sixty-four years ago?lives over on the east side of the city, so obscurely that even the city directory overlooked bis residence. He is now eighty years of ?ge. The active duties of this life are all over for him, and he lives in the memories of the eventtui past, f or years he has served as a shipbuilder in the navy-yard, where he is surrounded by peaceful implements of war. Yesterday, a World reporter found him in his lodging diligently polishing an old brass buckle which had clasped a belt about his youthful waist. His comrades of that day are all gone and there is no one to dispute with him the accuracy of his recollections. He had two advantages over his interviewer?one, that he had all the information, and the other that he had a good listener. He needed but to be started, and his narrative reeled off without check or assistance. "The battle was on the 8th," he said, "but for almost a month, it was in view. The ships of the enemy anchored off in the bay about the 10th of December, and cautious soundings were made for a landing place. The Spanish fishermen on the coast had given information that Jackson?you never knew Jackson ; you're too young to have enjoyed that privilege, though the children are yet unborn who are to perpetuate and revere his memory. But, I was saying, the fishermen had given information that he had only about 5,000 available men, and not over 1,600 of them near the city. That made inkilont nror tho nrngtwt.ivA PJtflfl bUC gUCUXJ jllUUUUH u?v* VMW pvv^vv..,* of the invasion. But they had time to correct this idea. Well, finally they effected a landing some miles below the city, at a little bayou or canal called Bienvenue. Our gunboats upon the lakes were well-manned, and bothered the British considerably, but the flats and low wateis made the navigation of Lake Borgne and the bays about very uncertain, and some of these boats were captured and the rest withdrawn. In the city, where General Jackson reigned, all was activity. The population was mixed and wide awake and needed just Buch a positive commander at that time. The women and children were engaged in making clothes and running bullets for the volunteers expected from up the river. The holidays were approaching, but hardly promised to be merry. Two days before Christmas the Tennesseeans arrived and camped in the city, and on that day I remember a son of Gen. Villerer came excitedly into the city with the news that Gen. Keane, with 2,000 men, was in possession of his family's plantation. This was bringing them to pretty close quarters. But Jackson was on the move at once. Leaving Caroll's and Claiborne's brigades to guard the rear approaches of the city, and sending a small force under Gen. Coffee to the enemy's camp, he ordered the j war schooner Carolina to a position opposite i the Villere plantation where the enemy, at supper, was much disturbed by a shower of shot. The British were completely at a disadvantage, and theiir loss was severe. A few of the impetuous volunteers were captured. Then, by daybreak, Jackson had fallen back a short distance to a place extremly well chosen for iotrenchment, and in two days New Orleans was securely fortified." "Weren't the British rather idle in allowing time for this embankment?" "Well, they hadn't much opinion of our engineering skill, and thought it hardly necessary, I suppose, to bother about it, while they were waiting for the remainder of their fr, lon/1 Rut. it. was ft mistake, as thav IM W|M7 W - >? .? ? ? j learned later. I think it was on the 28th that the enemy advanced in two columns and were repulsed with great loss. Then they were content to wait for reinforcements expected with Gen. Lambert. Then, while the weather was cold and drizzly, they set about erecting batteries?three in all?and one of them directly before our position, not more than three hundred yards distant. In this work they spent New Year's eve, and in the morning their cannon gave us the compliments of the season. We returned the greeting ppisily and with such effect that they were eo.on forced back into a new position, rapcb the worse for their New Year's calls." "Meantime your sloops-of-war must have been occupied, "For a while. But soon the Carolina, fas tened into position by the current, made her best return in answer to the enemy's Are, but at last was wrapped in flames. The Louisiana managed to get out of reach." "How large was the British force at this time ?" "By January 7 it numbered 12,000 men. By the escape of some of the prisoners we were informed of affairs and plans. We couldn't see the enemy through the fog, which was heavy enough to make men round-shouldered, but we knew that the signal of assault was to be the sending up of sky-rockets, and so we set ourselves to watching for the pyrotechnics. You can hardly imagine with what interest we peered up into the fog, nor with what palpitation we sew the signal on the morning of the 8th !" "Sixty-four years ago f" "Yes; so it is, but I don't realize it," he said; "it does not seem so long until I try to move and my old knees bend stiffly; then I feel the years. But I remember so clearly that morning?our artillerists at the embraf x* _ J?1 1 i. iL. sures or roe emuauKUjeui, iue icuueescaus and Kentuckian sharpshooters behind them, and relays of men behind them to load that there might be no break in the firing. Squadrons of cavalry were on either flank and in the rear. When the rockets went up, our forces sent a cheer after them that must have ; surprised the British. On came the forces of the enemy, carrying scaling ladders and seeming confident of the successful assault As they neared the ditch, the signal for firing was given. Its execution was instantaneous, and the line of flame flashed along the parapet of cotton-bags and the firing of blue smoke hid from our eyes, for a moment, the effect Loaded rifles were at once handed up and another volley followed the first, and a third was discharged so quickly as to give the effect of a continuous blaze. A man who has not witnessed such a scene can never imagine it The rapid pop and clatter of musketry, the smell of powder, the blinding smoke, the shout and the groans! Then the enemy's line! Nearly every alternate man had fallen, and the rest, brave as they had shown themselves in the charge, fell back. A pause, and the broken line of the enemy again rallied. Again they charged upon our redoubt; again they were received with flame and lead, and the trench was literally filled with British dead. Their loss frightful, dead and wounded numbering over 2,000; ours not 100 all told. We looked, for another charge, but they had given up and the survivors had retreated. All that night they kept up camp fires and threw up batteries to protect their flight. Some Generals might have followed them up to have paralyzed them more. Gen. Jackson was content. He was satisfied with a clean list of killed n/Minrlar) firt anftoH tVlO hfltflo nf "WftW auu nvuuuwi K>V vuuwu VMV ?- ?.. Orleans.?New York World. AN INTERESTING STATEMENT. Hon. D. Wyatt Aiken has written a letter to the editor of the Anderson Intelligencer, in which he gives a history of the claim now before Congress for reimbursement of money advanced to the general government in 1812. His statement of the matter is as follows : After the revolution of 1776, the general government was barely able to pay current expenses, and hesitated about engaging in war witb Great Britain because of the lack of money. At once the then independent and wealthy States came forward and patriotically loaned all the money the government wanted. Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, city of Baltimore, Delaware, Virginia and South Carolina, advanced all the needed money. A few years after the war of 1812, Maryland applied to Congress for the payment of the money advanced. About 1820 Congress authorized the payment of the principal, but said nothing about interest In 1829 she again applied for the interest, and a bill passed both houses of Congress ordering the interest of the debt, together with the simple interest that had accrued upon that interest to be paid. - President Jackson vetoed this bill, because it was contrary to the usual method of settling claims against the United States, to wit: The United States usually paid her debts then in installments, and always applied the payment to the principal, and after that was liquidated, then computed interest due herself for money paid on the principal, deducted this j amount from the interest that had accumulated upon the principal, and paid the balance, not allowing the interest due the creditor to draw any interest at all. Really this was a novel method of paying debts, but it was Jacksonian, I suppose, and if adopted now in the settlement of State debts would?well, you know the balance. \Tn.nlnnrl rvnno 1 ofliAnjoitDf until aVkA fl. j matJAOUU j/VtOIObW4| uunvwif uuv*A u??v m nally got her money. About 1856 an effort was made to settle these accounts with the various States, and and the Comptroller General of South Carolina reported to the Governor of South Carolina, that the novel method of computing interest and paying debts by the treasury of the United States, would deprive South Carolina of 850,000 due as accumulated interest. In 1858 the State of South Carolina again applied to the general government for a settlement of this claim, and in her petition protested against the loss of interest The petition was presented in the Senate and referred to the committee on claims, of which committee Mr. Iverson, of Georgia, was chairman. That committee, in investigating this matter, decided it was not a private claim of South Carolina, but that to meet the question fully, a general law must be passed covering all the pertinent cases. Mr. Iverson presented such a bill, which passed the Senate by a very ; large majority, strange to say, the most active opponent being Mr. Hunter, of Virginia, whose State was then advocating her claim of more than 81,000,000. He contended that these loans had been closed out as donations, Ac., and should not be opened up again as new claims upon the general government When this bill went to the House, it was lost by a very close vote. Some of the advocates of the payment of these honest debts actually voted against the bill because of the then scant treasury of the general government. In 1870, Maine and Massachusetts made application to Congress for a return of their loan, and it was accorded them, the Treasurer being ordered to pay over 8700,000 to these two States, which he did. In 1876 the Legislature of Virginia passed a joint resolution instructing her two agents onnninforl in fr* I UC1C) ^TTUl/IU OtlV liHVI Uj|/jA/*UbVU 4M AWVV W prosecute this claim against the government,) to intercede with her Senators and Representatives to attempt to recover this loan. For this reason Mr. Hunton, in November, 1876, introduced "a bill to provide for the recomputation of the accounts between the United States and the several States, growing out of moneys expended by said States in the war of 1812." And this bill was referred as above reported. I think you will agree with me that the history of this whole matter is interesting reading, and worthy the thought of our people. Whether we will get credit for the amount due us I am unable to state, but that it is an amount wofth contepding for, you will not doubt, whgn I tell you that South Carolina loaned the government in 1812 such an amount, that if it were all paid to-day, would be, perhaps, $300,000. The amount due Virginia is over $1,000,000; Delaware, $20,000; New York, $50,000; Pennsylvania, $225,000, and the city of Baltimore, $25,000. Your obedient servant, P. Wyatt Aiken. Boys and Pistols.?"I never could understand," tbe Deacon said, "why a boy should carry a pistol. A pistol is a very peculiar fire-arm ; it is made for a very peculiar purpose. It is quite natural for some boys to want rifles or shot-guns, with which they may kill game ; but a pistol is intended to kill human beings, and this is about all it is good for. There! are very'few boys in this country who could shoot a* bird or'a rabbit with a pistol, and any one who should go out hunting with a pistol, would be laughed at. This being the case, why should a boy want a pistol ?" What human beings would he like to kill ? "It is useless to say that he may need his pistol for a purpose of defense. Not one boy in a thousand is ever placed in snch a position that he need defend himself with a pistol. But it often has happened that boys who carried loaded pistols thought that it would be a manly thing, under certain circumstances, to use them, and yet, when the time came and they killed somebody, they only brought down misery on themselves and their families. And this, too, in many a case where, if no one present had had a pistol, the affair would have passed off harmlessly, and been soon forgotton. "But the way in which boys generally take human life with pistols, is some accidental way. They do not kill highwaymen and robbers, but they kill their schoolmates, or their brothers, or their sisters, or in many cases, themselves. There is no school where boys are taught to properly handle and carry a loaded pistol; so they usually have to learn these things by long practice. And, while they are learning, it is very likely that some one will be shot. I saw in a newspaper, not long ago, accounts of three fatal accidents, all of which happened on the same day, from careless use of fire-arms. And one of these dreadful mishaps was occasioned by a lad who carried a loaded pistol in his overcoat pocket, and who carelessly threw down the coat. "And then, again, a boy ought to be ashamed to carry a pistol, especially a loaded one. The possession of such a thing is a proof that he expects to go among vicious people. If he goes into good society, and has honest, manly fellows for his companions, he will not need a pistol. A loaded pistol in a boy's pocket is not only useless and dangerous, but also it almost always stamps him as a bad boy, or one who wishes to associate with bad boys and vicious men." Stonewall Jackson's Death Wound.? Gen. Jubal A. Early contributes to the Southern Historical Society papers, an elaborate article on the wounding of Stonewall Jackson, which will be read with painful interest by every ex-Confederate. It includes a long and plainly*written narrative by Capt. R. E. Wilhrmrn of Mississinni. who was the onlv officer actually with Gen. Jackson at the time he was wounded. In the words of Gen. Early : "His account of the whole affair shows how very erroneous are the generally-received accounts; and it now appears that instead of riding to the front to reconnoiter the enemy and then imprudently galloping back toward his own lines, Gen. Jackson was slowly riding to the front, while making every effort to hurry forward the troops, when he was fired on by a portion of his own men on the right (south) of the road, and obliquely from the rear, and that then the horses of his party that were not shot down, wheeled to the left, and he galloped into the woods on the left to escape the fire, when he was fired upon by another body of troops on the north side of the road." It was by this last fire that Gen. Jackson was wounded. One ball struck him in the left arm two inches below the shoulder joint, shattering the bone and severing the chief artery ; a second passed through the same arm between the elbow and the wrist, making its exit through the palm of the hand, and a third ball entered the palm of his right hand, about the middle, and passing through broke two of the bones. All the circumstances surrounding the wounding, as well as those immediately preceding and succeeding, are told with graphic distinctness and picturesque detail, and Gen. Early's article, although apparently intended only as a reply to some erroneous statement of Gen. Revere, in his book entitled "Keel and Saddle," is really a most valuable contribution to the history of the war. How Parson Mix got a Bride.?'The Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, in a recent letter from Greenfield, relates the following interesting incident of its early history: The Rev. Stephen Mix, of Wethersfield, Ct, made a journey to Northampton in 1696 in search of a wife. He arrived at the Rev. Solomon Stoddard's, informed him of the object of his visit, and that the pressure of home duties required the utmost dispatch. Mr. Stoddard took him and introduced him to Mary,. Est.hfir Christiana. Sarah. Rebekah. and Han nah, and retired. Mr. Mix, addressing Mary, the eldest daughter, said he had lately been settled in Wethersfield,and was desirous of1 obtaining a wife, and concluded by offering her his heart and hand. She blushingly replied that so important a proposition required time for consideration. He rejoined that he was pleased that she asked for suitable time for reflection, and in order to afford her the need opportunity to think of his proposal, he would step into the next room and smoke a pipe with her father, and she could report to him. Having smoked his pipe and sent a message to Mis3 Mary that he was ready for her answer, she came in and asked for further time for consideration. He replied that she could reflect still further on the subject, and send her answer by letter to Wethersfield. In a few weeks he received her reply, which was probably the most loconic epistle ever penned. Here is the model letter, which was soon followed by a wedding: Northampton, 1696. Rev. Stephen Mix?Yes. Mary Stoddard. The matrimonial Mix-ture took place on the 1st of December, 1696, and proved to be a compound of most congenial elements.? Hartford Times. Change of Color.?Sudden shocks oc-! curring to human beings have frequently changed the color of the hair from black to white in a single night. A physician of Berlin, a strong, healthy, and less than middle-aged man, sent his wife and one daughter to spend the summer at a watering-place. The day that he expected a letter informing him of their arrival, there came one saying that his daughter had been taken ill very suddenly, and was already dead. The shock was terrible, and instantly his hair became entirely gray. He had to visit some patients that afternoon, and they scarcely recognized him. The other case was of a man thirty-five years old, living in the Netherlands. He was one day passing the canal in Rotterdam, where he saw a child struggling in the water. He plunged in and brought it to land, but it was already dead by the time he had rescued the body. Bending over it to try to restore life, he discovered that the dead child was his only son. The blow was so sudden and unexpected, and coming upon him when he himself was so much exhausted, turned his hair entirely gray, and left him scarcely recognizable. ? - ? 67* A Methodist minister in Essex county, Mass., was promised a salary of $400. By digging clams and making shoes, he earned $200 last year, and his flock withheld that amount from his stipend. . t Meerschaum.?Of those who indulge in the delights of a meerschaum pipe, few, perhaps, know what meerschaum is, or where it comes from. The word "meerschaum," literally translated, means "sea foam," and the substance which this word represents received its name from its resemblance to the froth of the sea. Meerschaum is a mineral substance which, in chemical parlance, is called a hydrous silicate of magnesia, that is to say, a mixture consisting of magnesia, silicon and water. This mineral is found in Moravia, in Spain, and in Asia Minor. The best comes from the latter country, from the mines near Eskischehr, on the Fursack river. These mines, it may be remarked, are worked chiefiv by Armenian Christians, and have a worldwide reputation in commerce. Large quantities of tiiis Asian meerschaum are yearly imported into Europe, to be manufactured into pipes. The pipe manufacture is principally carried on in the city of Vienna, in Austria, and in Jrtuhla, in the Duchy of Saxe-CoburgGotha. So vast is the quantity of pipes manufactured at these places, that their commercial value may safely be estimated at $2,000,000 a year. Large quantities of them, however, are carved from artificial, and not from genuine material. The artificial material is composed of the waste from the carvings of rronninn owfinln trv urlii/Vti linoAA/l Ail flriH VUV 0VUUiUU RtVlVlV) VV nuavu aiaavwM VM alum are added. These ingredients are boiled together, and when the mixture has acquired the proper consistence and cohesiveness, it is * cast into molds and carefully dried. The blocks thus formed are then carved into pipes, just as the pure meerschaum pipes are carved. The demand for meerschaum pipes is so great, and the manufacture from artificial material so profitable, that scarcely half the number offered for sale are made from the genuine meerschaum.?Albany Argut. Cube for Dyspepsia.?Milk and limewater are now frequently prescribed by physicians in cases of dyspepsia and weakness of the stomach, and in some cases are said to prove beneficial. Many persons who think good bread and milk a great luxury, frequently hesitate to eat it, for the reason that milk will not digest readily; sourness of the stomach will often follow. But experience proves that lime-water and milk are not only food and medicine at an early period in life, but also, at a later, when, ae in the case of infants, the functions of digestion and assimilation have been seriously impaired. A stomach taxed by gluttony, irritated by improper food, inflamed by alcohol, enfeebled by disease, or otherwise unfitted for its duties?as is shown by the various symptoms attendant upon indigestion, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, dysentery and fever?will resume its work, and do it energetically, on an exclusive diet of bread and milk and lime-water. A goblet of cow's milk may have four tables poonfuls of lime-water added to it with good effect The way to make lime-water is simply to procure a few lumps of unslaked lime, put the lime in a stone jar, add water until the lime is slaked and of about the consistency of thin cream; the lime settles leaving the pure and clear lime-water at the top. Great care should be taken not to get the limewater too strong. Keep to the direction as to the consistency, and when the water rises pour it off without obtaining any of the lime. The lime-water is also very good to apply to burns and scalds. In slaking the lime, particular care should be taken that none of the particles fly into the eyes.?Auburn New. Housekeeping a Business.?When housekeeping is carried on as a business, it becomes a reality. Half the homes are wanting in attraction because the work that makes them beautiful is considered a drudgery. When a business man proves himself successful, the supposition is that he has known more or less drudgery in attaining a prosperous position. A little humiliation, rightly used, and we are elevated. Having in charge a home, let it be a business to make it a success. Whether rich or poor, the call is the same. Make the best of opportunities. Begin by mastering each department; if you stoop, stoop to conquer. Take as much delight in your calling as your husband or brothers take in theirs. By first learning to do everything well; afterwards by constant repetition, you may learn to do it easily. Bise with the glad sunlight, let its rays linger in your face, and keep away all clouds by industry. Make up your mind thoroughly that you will gain as much real pleasure out of your housekeeping, as any man can draw from his business. Learn to do and bear many things for the final result?a model home. 8how a deep interest and then you will grow to love your work. Housekeeping can be sunk to the lowest plane, or raised to heights unknown. Into your hands is given this great creative power. As you aim, so you will mount, and if it is your good pleasure to aspire to lofty degrees of attainment, no one can doubt that if your heart is in your work, you will succeed.?Housekeeper. The First Wedding.?We like the short courtships, and in this Adam acted like a sensible man?fell asleep a bachelor, and awoke to find himself'a married man. He appears to have popped the question almost immediately after meeting Miss Eve, and she, without flirtation or shyness, gave him a kiss and herself. Of that first kiss in the world we have had our own thoughts, however, and sometimes in a poetical mood wished we were the man that aid it. But the deed is done, the chance was Adam's, and he improved it We like the notion of getting married in a garden. Adam's was private. No envious aunts and grunting grandmothers. The birds of the heavens were the minstrels, and the glad t rw . 1* t , _ ,1 A iL! SKy tiung its lignt on tne scene, vjne tiuug about the first wedding brings aneer things to us in spite of its Scriptural truth. Adam and his wife were rather young to marry; some two or three days old, according to the sagest elder; without experience, without a house, withont a pot or kettle; nothing but love and Eden. Keep Your Secrets.?The whole world is full of people craving for confidence? people to whom a secret is like gold in a child's pocket?burning to be issued. Those who are high in rank and blessed with every advantage, are often tormented for want of "a true friendmeaning thereby some one to whom they can confide secrets. And on ' 1 1 Ml _ ll J tnose wno wm simpiy laae mem anu seep them, they are willing to bestow friendship. To those who would be such confidants it is enough that they follow the advice already given of never being directly or indirectly the means of disseminating gossip of any kind. Bear continually in mind the fact that in the art of conversation the secret of success lies not so much in knowing what to say, as in what to avoid saying.?Norristoum Herald* ? + ? + ? J6T A remarkable cure is reported from Austin, Texas, of a man who had long been an object of pity because of his weak lungs, from which he spat up blood freely. The City Marshal put hiiu in the chain-gang, having relieved him of a package of brick dust, and the sufferer has entirely recovered. 16?* Roast monkey is what the emigrants from South Carolina to Liberia have for their dinner on Sunday; "but," says one of them in a letter, "it's mighty dry eating and needs lard, but that you can't get tor love or money.?' -