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%. "COLUMBIA^ * Thursday Morning, Jan. 11,-1858. Oar \atiofiul Currency. We all remember "Old Bullion" and his "mint drops." The Rich? mond Dispatch, in referring to the National bank system, says that had he lived to see the present day, he Vould have roared so loudly ihat the gold mines of California would have trembled with the sound thereof. That ingenious old man redeemed his promises of "gold flowing up the Mississippi," and "gold shining through the interstices^ of every farmer's pu rap. " and a golden deluge in general, with a batch of s h in plas? ters inumerable as to quantity, .worthless as to quality, and irre? deemable in any currency which re? presented as much as five cents in the dollar. He assisted largely in breaking down an excellent currency because he wanted a better; ana one reason that he gave for it was, that the notes in which it partly consisted were mere "rags and lampblack." Biddle had unfortunately said that he could, at any time, crush any of the State banks, if they went amiss, and " Old Bullion" harped everlast? ingly, uppn that text. The bank, he said, proved to? much. If it had so much power as was implied in this statement ?of . Biddle'?, . it was too powerful for a republican Govern? ment. He and Old Hickory broke down the bank, and removed the deposits for " safe-keeping " . into a number of State banks, in which they were kept so safely that the Go? vernment never heard of them any more. They were determined that an institution wielding such po wei i should be put down at all hazards, 1 and put down it was. 1 We have now more than one thou ? sand six hundred National banks, ? and they fnrnish a circulation oj M $237,000,000. Not a State bank Wt in the South, at least-can rear it? ff head; and we believe there are non? k operating in the North. The Na K tional banks control the whole monej A supply of the whole United States BR There is no other circulating mediun than their notes. Their power is in finitely greater than the power o Biddle's bank ever was. What, w< Ml repeat, would "Old Bullion" sayi HL if he were alive, and in the ful ^^^^^?^ ptain nMwt 11 r health and rcasoninj faculties ? What would all tho.?* declaimers say who used to denoune Old Hickory for removing the de posits, and charge him with attempt ing to unite the power of the pura and the power of the sword in th same hand ? After which union o purse and sword, it was averred tba there could be no longer any sud thing as freedom. Such late events seem to have de cided pretty satisfactorily again a what were formerly known as Stat rights, we presume there will alway be, in future, some great Nations institution-a Government bank, pei haps-to afford a currency for th people. It will be far more powerf? than either of the old United State banks was, and will resemble, in a respects, the bank of England. ] will, no doubt, answer the purpose c affording a sound currency niue better than any bank has yet done that is, if it be conducted honesty since its issue will be for the who! ^ United States, and not for au Bfe^ limited portion of it. But it will t ft an instrument of tremendous powe: mk and very dangerous in lue hands of 9 B corrupt and ambitious secretary. ^BBj^^^^^J^traarster-General Dennison lu ^ appointed T. H. Alberts Route agei - between Charlotte and Columbia, fr C., vice H. C. Hepburn resigned. Goon ADVICE TO THE COLORE PEOPLE.-General Palmer recent] addressed 4,000 colored persons i louisville. He said that, in tl nature of things, fbr years to com? the colored people of the counti must be laborers, but their inter?s and the interests of white labor wi be identical. He expra-^ecl his grat fication at the genera1 kindness < the people of Kentueky for their*la1 / slaves, which he said was true, no Withstanding some cases of brutalil and outrage, the work of abandone -persons in different parts of the St?fc He urged upon his hearers industi and thrift in the cultivation of tl Jand, and good feeling towards al as a true solution of aJJ questioi between the races. The speech of the General wi enthusiastically received, and th utmost- good order and kind feelin prevailed during the delivery. Ca.pta.ln Semine*. We leam from our exchanges that Judge Hughes, bne of the counsel for Captain Sommes, has made applica? tion to the Secretary of the Navy to have the day fixed for the trial of the accused. The Secretary of the Nav declined making an order of tue character requested, on the ground that it is at the present time imprac? ticable to make the detail of officers to constitute the Court, there not being a sufficient number of the I proper grade now employed. The counsel engaged for Semines are Messrs. Hughes, Denver and Peck, of Washington, and Pendleton Col? ston, Esq., of Boston. Seiumes has not yet been removed tn the Old Capitol, but is confined in the navy yard, in a room adjoining the chapel. The room is in thc second story of the building, and is very comfortably furnished with bed, sofa and table, and it is also carpeted. The marines at the yard are charged with his custody. A sentry is consto utly on duty at the door of the room, while outside the building, .under the win? dows of the room, another sentry is stationed. No one is allowed to speak or hold intercourse with him, except one gentleman, who holds a pass from the Navy Department, understood to be his counsel. He spends most of his tinie in reading, having brought with him some of his favorite books. His meals are brought from a restau? rant near by and paid for by the Government. Under tl? circum? stances, Ivo is quite cheerful, but seems t ? be anxious that tho trial shrill'take place speedily. JOHN BELL. -According to the Lou? isville Journal, John Bell's position during the late war has been misun? derstood and misrepresented, and lie is about to write a letter to the Presi? dent of the United States, which will attract great attention. One Northern Matn'a Experience in thc South. It is gratifyiug for us oeeasionally now to find one man from the North who reports his experience among us as favorable since the termination of the war. Mr. Carl Shurz, doubtless, would recommend Mr. True as a fit candida .'or a trial by a Militar^ Commit JU, but there are many Southerners who would consider Iii tn j a truthful arni honest man. The Rochester (N. Y.) De/nocrat has the | following: We were gratified last Saturday at receiving a call from our correspon? dent at Madison, Ga., Mr. B. F. True, who left that place December 2. He went from Lima, N. Y., in advance of a company that had been organized in that place for emigration to Geor? gia. Mr. True has secured by lease, with the privilege of purchasing, some twenty-two hundred acres of land near Madison, upon which the I company are to commence operations ; in the spring. They will take out improved agricultural implements, with skilled farm laborers, to show the freedrr m how to plow deep and till th?-fin thoroughly, and to take charge 01 gangs. Cotton planting begins in April, and the latest pick? ing takes place in December, when ! ginning and baling for market begin. Mr. True brings a very favorable j report as to the temper of the people where he had been sojourning. There seems to be considerable genuine loyalty, with a general desire for j peace, and the consequent return of j prosperity. They regard emigration j from the North with great favor, and give practical men, who come with ! the intention of remaining, a warm ! welcome. The negroes have no con fidence in the Southern whites, and work for them with the greatest re- ? luctance, but gladly engage witli Yankees. They are not worth much j until they have looked about, after | j recovering their freedom. They like : to loaf about for a while, and seo a ' '? little of the world, when, as a general ; ? thing, they return and are contented ! I to work. Many remain in the towns, ? hanging idly about, and become a j prey to starvation and disease, which is sweeping them off by hundreds. Tho freedmen in Georgia are, how- i ever, better off than in most other ; States. Mr. True expects to return to ; Georgia this week, prepared to com- ; menee operations for the opening of ; work on the company's plantation in I tne spring, SEABCBUKG THEM OUT.-An agent pf the Freedman's Bureau has been I engaged for the past few days in | taking the census of the negroes in i this city, their employment, mode of living, fte., for thc purpose, we un? derstand, of finding out all who are not legitimately employed, and send? ing them ..o some sections which are in need of labor. This is, decidedly, a good movement, and if carried ont ! to the letter, will, doubtless, relieve ps of a great deal of mischief, which is committed' by these vagrants who have no honest way qi making a liv? ing.-Ma-xn Journal. f From Ahroad. Via Havana we have news of another revolution in San Domingo. Gen. Paez is now President of the RepubHc. Ex-President Gabrai has accepted a military position under the Government of which General Pedro Guillermo, who seems to have managed the whole affair, is the practical head. The revolution was peaceful. News from the City of Mexico to the 19th, and from Vera Cruz the 23d, had been received by the steamer Vera Cruz at New York. By a decree dated the 10th, the Emperor Maxi? milian conceded to Don Manuel B. Cunba Bois, the exclusive privilege for ten years of introducing Asiatic coolie laborers into the imperial ter? ritories. The*Empress was on her return to the capital, lawing reached Vera Cruz. Advices from Japan to November 11th, state that the Commission had gone to Osaka, to ascertain if the Tycoon intended to withdraw from Yeddo, and reside near- Keato, the dwelling-place of the Mikado. If so, they would then be able to discuss the question of indemnity, and the proposition of opening a new port, and try to settle the difficulties created by Nagato, and demand a reduction of all duties to an ad valorem rate of five percent, on imports and exports. It was also hoped that they might come to a clear understanding of the legitimate power of the invisible sovereigu of Japan, the Mikado. Thc Fenian Brotherhood. The Senate, as it is called, of this organization is now in session at New York. At their first meeting, on the 2d instant, there was a very large and enthusiastic audience. There was no lack of enthusiasm for the cause or the purpose for which either branch of the organization was convened. The principal attraction in the assem? blage was the presence of a large number of ladies, who seemed to take the greatest interest in the proceed? ing?. Speeches endorsing O'Mahony were delivered by a number of his enthusiastic Fenian admirers, and much anxiety was evinced for the re? sult of the Convention. General T. W. Sweeny, the Fenian Secretary of War, publishes a mani? festo to his countrymen, upbraiding them for their dissensions, and en? treating them to forget their quarrel and return to duty in the great tusk of freeing their fatherland. He re? commends a convention of delegates from the different circles of each State, to decide on whom they will repose confidence, O'Mahony or him? self, and then allow the successful man to carry out his plans. A French Fenian organization has sprung up along the New York bor? der among th? French Canadian resi? dents of this State? and, like the Irish Fenians, they have got to quarrelling among themselves. One faction is anxious to plunge headlong into war, declare against England, establish a Canadian Republic, with its capital and departments at Elmira, New York, and to invade Canada. The other faction is opposed to any such rash action, and the Head Centre, or Chairman of the Convention, has ad? dressed hs a letter, which we publish this morning, and which explains the plan, purposes and difficulties of the French Fenians. How A VIRGINIA CHURCH WAS HELPED RY THE UNGODLY.-The edi? tor of the Nashville Gazelle, after publishing an amusing anecdote of a clegyman's taking up a collection fro ai a gambling party, says: It reminds us of a scene we wit? nessed some years ago in the little town of Ashland, Virginia, the birth? place of that sterling statesman and patriot, the late Henry Clay. " A party of turfmen were seated in thc club? house after the close of the day's races, when a lady at the door sent for a well-known Major, and requested him to raise a subscription for the purpose of repairing the little church edifice. The Major promised to do so and report to-the good lady on the morrow. About 9 at night, a huge bowl of punch was brewed while a party of gentlemen were seated around the table enjoying a game of bluff. The punch being ready, the game was suspended for a moment, the beverage disappeared to the health of the universe, when he Major called for subscriptions. A jolly young bachelor proposed to give tho proceeds of the next?game, which was assented to, and heyfed off with ?i hundred, a distinguish/d general saw him and went a hundred better and thus the game proceeded until a right smart pile of hundr/ls were handVd to the Major for tie benefit of the church. / ALABAMA UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT.-Judge Busteed has adopted the following rules for the aumiission of attorneys and counsellors in the United States District Court for Ala? bama: RULE L Application for leave to practice as au attorney and counsellor of the Courts of the United States shall be by petition in writing under oath of affirmation. Such petition shall state whether the applicant bas been previously admitted to the bar of the Courts of the United States, and whether at any time since such admission he abjured allegiance to the United States of America, or as? sumed allegiance to any Govern? ment, power or authority within the United States of America in hostility to them, and whether he voluntarily took any part in the late rebellion against the authority and Government tuereof, and if lie did, whether bo has taken the oath prescribed in a certain proclamation of the President of the United Suites, dated the 29th of May, 1865, known ns the amnesty oath, or whether he has been spe? cially pardoned under any of the pro? visions of the said proclamation, and if he has taken such oath, when he took it, and if he has been specially pardoned, such pardon and the certi ficates of the Secretary of State, and the acceptance of such pardon, must bc exhibited to the Court or the Clerk thereof, at the time of filing the section herein above mentioned ; aud if the applicant has received a pardon, and notified the Secretary of State of his acceptance of it, accord? ing to the conditions in this behalf, in the said pardon expressed, but has not received from the Department of State the certificate of receipt, he shall make and rile with thc Clerk an affidavit when and how be notified the Secretary of State of his accept? ance of the pardon. i RULE 2. Au applicant for leave to practice, who is of good moral cha? racter, and who possesses the requisite qualifications of lear ri i tug and ability, and who has talion such amnesty oath, or who has been specially par? doned as mentioned in Rule 1, upon signing the roll of attorneys and taking and subscribing nod filing with the Clerk the following oath or affirmation: "I do hereby solemnly swear that I will support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Union of the States there-under, against all enemies, for? eign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same ; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And I do further swear that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties and calling of an attorney and counsellor to the best of my ability-so help me God." shall be admitted to practice as an attorney and counsellor. RULE 3. The oaths required by Rules 1 and 2 shall be takeu before either a Judge of the United States, or the Clerk of the Circuit Court, or a United States Commissioner. EDITORIAL PRESENTS.-The editor of the Charlottesville Chronicle has been receiving some presents, rare things in these "degenerate days." We copy his acknowledgments : Messrs. Butler & Co.* have sent 113 some excellent advice and a beautiful pen-knife; we shall use both. At the same time we would caution our mer? cantile friends in sending us presents to bear iu miud that a very little advice goes a great way with us, and, if it is the same to them, other things would bc preferred as a general rule. In the present ease we needed it. Mr. Nathan Gazan will accept our thanks for a fashionable hat, much ueeded. We hope our friends, thus prepared, will recognize us. We sup? pose everybody now will get their hats from Gazan. We wish to say to our friends in tho country that, if any of them sent us a turkey this Christmas, owing no doubt to the bad roads, we never got it. Mr. F. M. Wills will accept our thanks for a bottle of Holland gin, and a bottle of old Cognac. The public must not think that we drink all of the spirits that is sent us. We set it in our windows and let the light play through it. "We enjoy it just as much this way, and ure just as grate? ful, as if we shocked our friend Mr. -, by making it into toddy. POLITENESS UNDER DIFFICULTIES. A gentleman not a thousand miles from New York, had the exhuberant fortune of five successive wives. He had buried them, one after another as death made its demand upou thom, and three or four of them happened to be in different places, at quite a distance from each other. Two or three of them were in different towns. To reconcile his sense* of order and numerical duty, he started on a tour of collection to bury them all in one place.* He mounted the wagon himself and drove around till he had got them all together in one load, and then, as fate would have it, was obliged to drive by the house where the lady cf his present address? es, to whom he Lad offered himself, was sitting at the open window. Seeing her sitting there, he bowed to her, as any gentleman would, as he drove by with bis precious load of five collins with their contents. It was too much for the lady ; she declar? ed she never would have him, aud has to this day kept her word. A bill is before the Georgia L?gis? lature to prevent the immigratioy of persons of African descent. / A Flexible Currency. The following interesting article we clip from the New York Journal of Commerce : Tho Secretary of the Treasury de? clares that the seeming prosperity to which it leads is all fictitious and un? real, and he urges contraction as the only remedy. All this is sound, and but repents the argument so often employed by us in opposition to this expansion before it became the settled policy of the department. But why not carry the argument to its logical conclusion V If tho currency should be contracted, because inflation leads to ruin ; and if that contraction should be without any fixed limit, because only a flexible currency can adapt itself to the requirements of trade, why not argue for the repeal of the fixed limit in the issues of Na? tional Banks ? This limit is now three hundred millions, and it is proposed to make it four millions. Is this a flexible currency? But it may be said that this amount is an outside limit, and that'the currency will still bo flexible within it. But is this true ? Must not every National Bank, or? ganized under thc law, deposit a cer? tain proportion of its capital for part of this currency ; and is it not thus compelled, by every motive of self interest, to issue the whole amount ? Under the flexible system, (for the State law established such a system,) our city banks voluntarily reduced thc volume (if their circulation from about ten to a little above two million dollars. If thc national act permit? ted such a discretion, fewr of them would now take out a dollar of the new issues. But there is another rea? son for this charge of a want of flexi? bility in this arrangement. Under the old .system, provision was made, in the natural order of cause and effect, for the contraction of the cur? rency when trade did not require it. 1 Under thc new system, this is re? versed, and provision is made for its expansion when trade does not re? quire it. It is a legal teuiler from the Government, and may be crowded out to tho full extent of the provision, without the least sympathy for tho requirements of trade. We make these suggestions because wc desire to perfect the action of this system, since it must be tried. Tc carry out the principles laid down bj the Secretary, Congress must : First Repeal the clause making the Na? tional Bank notes a legal tender, ano simply authorize their receipt for duos to the Treasury. Second : Changt the limit of deposit, and allow ead bank to take out as little of the nev currency a? it chooses. Third : Au thorize the Secretary of the Trea sury to arrange with all the banks tc redeem their issues upon notice o their accumulation in the Treasury These improvements would go von far to commend the new system to th* popular approval, and to gjve uni formityof value to the currency thu; provided. SSCRET OP MAGIC.-Robt. Houdoi concludes has memories with a chap ter of Arab miracles, which are ex plained. The Aissaona eat pounde< glass. Hondo ii pounded some fo himself and ate it, and he avers tha his appetite for his dinner was im proved by the same. They walk oi red hot iron with bare feet, and pas their tongues over white hot plates o iron. Professor Sementrici disco vered that by rubbing into the skin solution of alum evaporated to spongy state, it was rendered insensi ble to red hot iron. He rubbed him self with soap, and found that eve the hair did not burn. He rubbe the alum into his tongue, and lappe the glowing metalic surface withou pain. Houdon himself then trie passing his hands, slightly dampened through a stream of melted iron, an found, as others have done, that i left no sear on him. Aa English cor jurer used to thrust a sword throng his body, shove a knife up either no.' tril t? the haudle, and thus spitted' sing a seng. Houdon bought th secret of the invulnerable, and no divulges it. The performer was ver thin. With a waist-belt he strappe his tender paunch tight down upo the vertebral column, substituted card-board stomach for the con pressed part, covered all with flesl colored tights; between the true an false abdomen he fastened a scabbart covered the apertures on the sid? with rosettes, placed a sponge fille with red liquid in the scabbard, an there thrust his sword, which can ont covered with bogus blood, < cfmrse. The pug-nosed mounteban enjoyed * a physical conformatic which permitted the delicate ar frightful performance. The Philadelphia Press, of the 41 instant, publishes the followin "The steamer Planter was employe by the rebels in transporting *roop arms and military stores of all kind for the defence of Charleston harbo during the attack on that city. Whi so employed, she was most gallant brought past tho rebel batteries ai delivered to Admiral Dupont, th< commanding the South Alan tic Bloc ading Squadron, by Robert Small, slave. Subsequently she was trau ferred to the quartermaster's depai ment, and repaired at an expense $40,UU0. The former owner has a plied to the Freedman's Bureau f the restoration of his property, < the ground that he has taken the oa of allegiance; and alleges that, as '. was a non-combatant, he is en titi to the vessel. Tho Bureau has tak no action on the subject." ? Local Iteras. I 3| ._R _ Advertisements, to in.vuro insertion, should be handed in by 4 o'clock p. tn. "THE COOE."-The Act? panged by the Legislature relative to tlie freedmen, for sale at this office. Price 20 cents; hy mail 25 cents. C\sn.-Our terms for subscription, ad? vertising and joh work arc cash. We hop? all parties will bear this in mind. Tun BURNING OF CoLUMniA.-An inter? esting account of the "Sack d Destruc? tion of the City of Columbia, S. C.," has ust been issued, in pamphlet foyn, from the Phoenix steam power press. Orders can be filled to any extent. No MAULS. -Wc were without mails from . tho North yesterday. The only papers re? ceived were the Charleston Xetcs and tho Laurcnsville ?Icm!'!, from both of which wc have made extracts. The absence of the mails will account for the deficiency of news matter in to-day's paper. NEW AuTr.uTiSE^ENTs.-Attention is call ted to tho following advertisements, which arc published this morning for tho first time: A. B. Phillips -Auction. City Council-Proceeding?. Fisher A Lowrance -Blankets. Durbec A Walter-Furniture, Ac. Nomination for Mayoralty. Tim Cowley-Goat Lost.' Kenneth .t Gibson -Flour. A. Ii. Solomon--Boats for Charleston. Jno. W. Steele-Genfs Furnishing Goods. Proceeding* ol* Council. COUNCIL CHAMBER, COLUMBIA, January I), 1806. Present-His Honor thc Mayor, Alder? man Bates, Campbell, Blakcly, Fisher, Guignard, Geiger, Hope, Harris, Glaze, Stork and Waring. Thc minutes of the last meeting wero read and confirmed. ? The petition of L. T. Levin for auc? tioneer's licenso was referred to the Clerk. Tiie petition of the Independent Fire-En? gine Company, praying assistance in re? building their en^in- house, was, on mo? tion, laid over until next meeting. The. report of the City Clerk for the months of September, October, November and December, I860, was received, and re? ferred to the Committee on Ways and Means. The Committee on Accounts reported favorably on the account of E. A G. D. Hope against the Alms House; which was ordered to be paid. The Committee on Licenses reported favorablv on the applications for license of tho following named parties-licenses ordered to be granted to said parties to retail spirituous liquors: For quantities not less than one quart Sloan A Stokes, A. C. Davis, John C. Smith, T. W. Clarkson, P. Cantwell, J. T. Zealy, George Symmons, Jacob Lyons. J. S. Mc? Intosh, E" Pollard, J. H. Jennings. Parker A Fripp, E. Stenhouse, Haunahan A War? ley, John Stork, H. Nurse, Feininger & Brown. Tavern license-E. Shiver, Dennis Mc Guinnis, Loomis A Bennett. Thc Committed on Streets presented tho following report: The Committee on Streets, to,whom was leferred the petition of J. M. ltoach, ask? ing the City Council to sell the one-quarter acre lot on Assembly and Laurel sweets, respectfully report, that they have consi? dered the matter and recommend that it is inexpedient to sell any city propertv at this time. Signed, O. Z. BATES, C. WABING. Tho report was adopted. <. The account of Hussung A Motz, for re? pairs to streets carts, was presented, and referred to thc Committee on Accounts. Drs. J. J. Goodwyn and Wm. Scarbo? rough, having received a majority of tho votes of Council, were declared duly elected pity Physicians. Ibo Ordinance entitled "Au Ordinanco to raise supplies for the year 18oG,:' read the first time at last meeting ol' Connell, received ks second reading, was duly rati? fied, and becamo a law. The following resolution was moved and adopted: Kesolced, That the Ordinance to ra-iso eupplies for the year lsC6 bo published in the Phoenix, and that 50U copies bo printed for general distribution On motion, tho Council adjourned. F. H. ELMOltE, City Clerk. DEATH OF REV. W. A. MCSWATN. The announcement of the death of this distinguished divine, though his precarious situation was iiiown to many, cannot but carry a pang of sorrow to the hearts of his many admiring friends and to the Metho? dist- Episcopal Church at large, of which he was an eminent and loved pastor. Our readers will remember that, some weeks since. Mr. McSwain, unfortunately, hail his leg broken, by jumping from his buggy, in appre? hension of danger from an unruly horse. He suffered intensely with the broken limbs, but his physicians think the broken bones would have healed, had not a diarrhoea fell upon him, which running into a typhoid dysentery, with the inflammation at? tending the fracture, proved more than his sj stem could bear, audwln^te| terminated fatally on .M<>ndjd"| ing last, about 1 o'clock. flg Mr. McSwain had ^''''''WSP^fflgWn and efficient preacher for o-flj G ve years, having served a SB rant in almost every eoruqj State. He was, for a timwJKW|HBBBB ing Elder of the Cokesbury?J [ind was, at the time of his dcjfl itinerant preacher on this eire^M [Lauren*ailie Ilcrult!, TH The foreign crops having '"ecu^^HBB usually good during the past seasonTBJ wheat is now selling in France I( "JB less than one dollar per bushel, -""fl it commands only about one duii.M und nine cents in Great Britain. Tlfl som crop of our Western StatjHn having also been unusually prolifiJHE it cannot be profitably ti-an.sportedj?| the present state of the EuropelHH markets to the Atlantic sea board^B ind the practice lias again commencH ed of burning it for fuel. ? r si * JEW 4 JK