It is a fact worthy of notice, that nl- i
though the aggregate amount received i
from postage during the past year has J
been greater bv the sum stated, tlie re- [/
ceipts at the large offices, for 1842, have
been less than in 18-11. The aggregate
O I
increase has been at the medium and
smaller offices.
This is accounted for by'.he fact that the I
means of intercommunication between the j
great commercial points have been such 1
as to invite constant and increasing infraclions
and violationsof the laws of Congress
regelating the General Post Office.
I took occasion to invite your attention !
to this subject in rny report of hast year, |
under the hope that some legislation, in
aid of the present laws, would take place,
^ I
to enable the Department more clleciuuily
to protect itself.
It is made the exclusive duty of the f
General Government to establish post of. 1
fices and post roads. The State Govern- I
ments have no right to intcifero with the 1
O ... I
subject ; neither has any individual, or :
company of individuals such right.
Upon most of the rail roads in the Uni-!
ted States, over which the mail is trans,
ported at an immense expense, there are
to bo found individuals engaged in the
w O
transportation of mail matter, in violation
of the laws of the land?laws which prohibit
the offence, hut do not punish it by i
adequate sanctions.
A modification of the laws regelating
the franking privilege is essential to the j
continued prosperity of the Department. ;
The original grant of this privilege was
designed the "better to citable the public
officer to discharge his official duties without
burden upon his private means. It is
now generally esteemed more as a private
and individual right, than unofficial privi- j
lege. If persons entitled to this privilege
were content to enjoy it themselves, with- !
out lending their franks to others, the ;
burthen and loss to the Department would i
not be so f*reat, and there would he less !i
cause of just complaint by the public.
Although the act of 1923 expressly declares
that " if any person shall frank any
letter or letters, other than those written <
by himself, or by bis order, on the business
of his office, be shall, on conviction <
thereof, pay a fine of fen dollars, <
and it shall be the especial duty of post- ' i
masters to prosecute for said offence," the
penalty declared by this law has not been <
sufficient to prevent the t"o frequent vio- <
lation of its provisions. <
If Congress shall deem it inexpedient <
lo limit, or further restrain, this ri<:ht, an .
rnposition of the same penalty upon him j <
iwlio uses the frank of another, as is im- j I
posed upon the person who abuses his pri- j;
vilege, would tend greatly to lessen the ! I
evil. <
The whole number of free letters sent j
through the post office annually, so far as i
the returns of postmasters exhibit, is about ;
three millions. j
Assuming fifteen cents as the average j i
1 ? ^ I?if ? k r.?r?/l ivltll rnwl
rate UJ t'ui'u IUIIVI it \ utii-vu ITMM K t
age, four hundred and fifty thousand dol. ' i
lars would he the amount received. Thus ;
* TTill be oveti 4l??l -ono uilltti >/f ' '
till the matter which passes through the j
mail, passes free of postage. The loss to } i
the Department does not stop here. Two ;
cents arc paid to postmasters on each of ' <
these letters, constituting an annual |
charge upon the revenue of $60,000. An <
evil of this magnitude, I trust, will not fail I
O .
1o arrest the attention of Congress, who |;
alone can apply the proper corrective. It |
is wrong to burthen the business and 1
friendly correspondence of the community !
with this heavy charge.
The public voice has called for a rcduc- j '
tion of the rates of postage upon tetters ;
and while I have felt its force, and j
am constrained to acknowledge its justice, i
I have heietofore been deterred from making
any specific recommcndatiou upon
the subject, lest, by a sudden reduction,
the only source of income might fail to
meet the demands of the service. With
a propor regulation of the franking privilege,
and a farther protection against the i
violations of the laws of the Department,
I have no doubt a considerable reduction
in postage might be safely made, and the
benefits and advantages of the Department
extended to many portions of tire
country which arc now, in a great mens- j
lire, destitute of proper mail aceommoditions.
More especially could this be done, j
if Congress by some permanent arrange- ;
mcnt with the railroad companies, would '
relieve the Departnr ent from the immense,
and constantly increasing amount annu- :
ally paid those companies for transporting
the public mail.
I ventured to recommend, in my foriner
report to you, that Congress should
then legislate upon this subject. Nothing
Iras occurred since to cause mc to
doubt the correctness of the opinions then '
lw? onl^/iniiAnf I
t2.\prC33t;u. W1I IIIU buuuai t| 9uui7ii|uvi>i j
dcveloperaents have strengthened the j
views then obtruded upon your eonsidcra- !
tion.
Without the right in the Department
to control the arrival and departure of the j
mails, regularity and despatch cannot be i
oxoected. This is a right which the rail- I
road companies, in their periodical contracts,
will not yield willingly ; and when
they do yield it, make it a ground to increase
their demands upon the Department
for transporting the mail. For the
service of railroad transportation there :
never can he competition. Why then
subject the Department to the useless ccr
oniony of advertising periodically for bids
to carry mail on railroads, requiring it to
fake the lowest Lid, whon there will he '
lmt one hid on the same route? Each j
Jetting has heretofore been, and will here- !
jiftcrbc, but an invitation to the con.pa- j
nies to increase the prices previously paid, j
It is in vain to disguise the fact that :
the United States are compelled to cm- J
ploy these roads as carriers of the mail. ;
Justice and policy alike require of the gov. i
ernmcnt to send the mail by the moot ex- I
peditiot^s means of conveyance, und it i
maaamnga awMMfcg gwww agCTanggc
cannot employ any of its own creation
equal to the railroads. As a government
it cannot, by legislation, control those
companies which have their corporate existence
by state enactments. The United
States must therefore purchase the
right, and the question presented is whether
it is hest to purchase this right every
four years, or for the period of tlie charter
of the road.
It is more a question of ability at this
time, on the part of the government, than
policy, in my humble opinion.
Toe plan which I proposed was that
Congress should authorize the Depart- !
mont to purchase this right; enter into
the stipulations of a contract with the
companies, and report those contracts, as i
made from time to time, to Congress, to '
he binding only when ratified hv Con- j
gress. Nothing dangerous can arise
? ? O
from thus treating with the companies.
No enlargement of Executive power is
asked. Un tne contrary, u is propositi u*
subject Executive power directly to the
conttolling influence of Congress. As the I
law now stands, the Department has the
power to contract with these companies :
for four years, with a nominal limitation '
as to the amount to he paid them per mile.
Surely no danger can arise to public l:berty
or legislative authority by authorizing
the Department to make a provisional
permanent contract, subject to the
approval of both Houses of Congress.
The great question involved is, whether I
Congress should make these contracts,
and pay the consideration out of the resources
of the Government, or whether
the department shall levy tho amount by
continuing the present rates of postage
upon letters, and in all time to come devote
so large a portion thereof to the payment
for railroad transportation, as to !
deny even the hope to the more distant
and less favored portions of our country j
of any increased mail facilities. The
cost of railroad transportation for tho last
year, stands at 8132,569. Tho whole
length of mail road in the United States
is 149,732 miles, costing $3,097,796.?
Of this length of mail road, only 3091 j
miles is railroad transportation, at a cost
of 8432,503. Only one forty-eighth part
of the whole number of miles costing one I
seventh part of the gross sum.
I repeat the inquiry made on a former
occasion. Is if just that the whole burden '
of the public correspondence, now nearly
equal to half a million of dollars annually, |
should be sustained bv a tax upon thebu- :
iincssand friendly correspondence of the
community? If the Government exacts
from the citizen no more than the cost
ind expense of transporting his letters, he
iias 110 right to complain, but when an ad
ditiona! sum is wanted to defray the expenses
of transporting the correspondence
>f the Government and its officers, that
?um, like the tax for every other public
service, should be drawn from the comI
:non resources of the country.
It is proposed that, in lieu of an annual '
Jram from the Treasury to pay the post,
igc upon the public correspondence, the i
tri.itvstOiuiwdu.v accw.w ami jJUv'nirme
Derpetual right to transport the mails over !
railroads. Can this right be now secured
jpon fair and reasonable terms??is a
]iiestion worthy to be tested by fair experiment.
I an? of opinion it can be se:ured
upon most, if not all of the impor.
tant roads upon reasonable terms, and with
implc guaranties.
It is no part of the business of this Department
to speak of the effects which
such contracts with the rail road companies
would produce upon public credit, 1
both at home arid abroad. The effects, i
whatever they may he for good, are hut )
incidental to the great object to he at- *
' ? * ? .'.ff ko t?\i i! otiri'ioii r?f
IrUIH'U III IUIUtv;iil.b IU IWt I1IUII 04-...VV v?
the United States.
Entertaining these opinions upon this
subject, I pray you to allow me most respectfully
to press them upon your con- ,
sideration.
Public opinion seemed so strong in fa- 1
vor of a reduction of postage upon letter*,
that it could be regarded in no other light
r? P j
than a demand upon those having the
power over tins subject. I have felt its
influence, but have been unwilling to act j
unadvisedly in any recommendation i
might make upon the subject. It will be
remembered that England recently redueed
her rates of postage. The effect
upon the revenue, and the amount of mail
matter, I was anxious to know. For this,
and other objoctsconnected with the opera*
tions ol this Department, I availed myself j
of the services of General Green, in November
last, who was about to visit Eng. i
land and France upon private business, j
and instructed him to make certain inves- ;
tigations and inquiries. The result of his
investigations rnav he seen bv a reference
C5 mr a*
to his report to me, a copy of which accompanies
this.
The dissimilarity in the government of
Iho two countries, as well as the difference
in the extent of territory, induce me to !
doubt whether the same system of mail
service and rates of postage could he
safely ndonted in the United Siates.
One fact, however, is clearly developed
by the report of General Green, that, since
the reduction of postage in England, the
number of letters maiied has greatly increased.
I forbear to trouble you with
any particular suggestions upon the subject,
because it has been a duty devolved
upon me by a resolution of the Senate,
to make that body a specihc report upon
an alteration of the rates of postage, which
f propose to do at as curly a day practicable.
It will he scon, by reference to a part of
f hn rfin/srl \1 r flir. f f l)A ll
I'lV IL|'V( l I I VJ I IA t? , UIMI I * J V_? 1 IVIIVII
Government is anxious to make a treaty
with the United States for an interchange
of mail service by the agency of packet
and steamships of the two countries.
You will sernember, this subject was
brought to your attention by the Ministoi
of Franco during liio last .session of Congross.
It was submitted by you to ConO
0 9
gross as one worthy of their consideration, j
and requiring specific legislation, if, in
| the opinion of that body, such an arrange-'
ment would prove advantageous to the |
' United States. The committee on foreign ,
| relations rnado a report favorable to the '
measure, and the House of Represgnta- t
lives adopted the following resolution :
"That the President of the U. States;
be requested to cause to be prepared and J
reported to this (louse, by the Secretaries
of State and of the Navy, at the cornmenceinent
of the next session of Con- j
' gross, a plan for the establishment, in coi:
1 cert with the Government of France, of i
I a line of weekly stoamers between the
I ports of Havre arid New York, together :
I with estimates of the expense which may 1
be required 10 carry tfte said plan into ef- ,
I feet."
That portion of Mr. Green's report, |
and the accompanying documents, arc j
submitted under the belief that it may be !
serviceable to place before Congress the
outlines of (he plan contemplated by the
French Government.
In the month of August last, I caused
to be established and put into operation a
City Da-patch Post for the City of New '
York, confined to the delivery, through
the post office of that city, of the corres- :
pondence within its limits. I am grati-.
tied to know that its operations have;
proved highly satisfactory to the community,
giving to tlie citizens u prompt and j
cheap medium of communication, the income
of which will not only maintain
the expenses of the establishment, but, in
the course of time, promises a considera- |
hie addition to the rerenuc of the Department.
- ? . n i
The report of the I'ustmasior 01 ?>ew
York upon this subject is submitted, in .
order that its details tnay be more gene
rally known; and when understood, Ij
have little doubt that the other large cities
of the Union will call for a similar esta- ,
blishment. Its usefulness has been fully
tested in New York, by the saving of a
heavy daily expense of money and lime |
to the business community in their ci. v
correspondence.
The amount of expenditure for 'he cur. j
rent fiscal year for the service of this l)e. i
partrnent, may be stated by way ot esti !
mate, in round numbers, at $4,300,000.
This estimate does not include the pro
bable expense of the new routes established
by Cong.ess at the last session, none of
which have yet been put in operation.?
The probable costs of these routes per I
year will be 8130,001), making the whole |
estimated expense of $1,520,000.
Any estimate of the income from post- i
age during the present year, must of;
course be altogether conjectural, founded
upon the amounts received for the year
ending in June, 1812.
O '
The amount received, the quarter end
ing 301h September last, i less thnn the ;
amount of the corresponding quarter of
IS11 ; and I therefore conclude the in- i
come of the Department for the current
year will fall considerably short of that
for the vcar endirur ;?Utb Ju?? I*?**. ?
nowever, my inlen.inn to put these routes
in operation by the time specified in the i
act. And as thc.e is no discretion vested '
in the Department by the act, if I find
its means will not be otherwise equal to
the additional expense, it will become my
- ' < - ??-: <i.?
unpleasant uuiy to rurum uiu cspcnau ,
upon routes already in existence equal to ;
the costs of the new ones peremptorily or*
dcred by Congress.
There are other matters more of detail,
requiring, in my judgment, the legislation
of Congress, which 1 forbear to obtrude
upon your attention, but will seek the opportunity
to submit to the commit toes to j
whom the afiairs of this Department may i
be referred.
1 have ill ft honor to be, with great respect,
vcur Excellency's obedient servant,
C. A. WICK LUTE. |
g- - ??? = ==? |
iHESCE L LA M EOU8.
Popi lation of Ancient Rome.?I)r. Loudon,
of Paris, in his late work on population, asserts
that ancient Rome in her greatest splendor, contained
8,000,000 souls. M. dc la Maille, and the
modem French academicians generally, will
scarcely admit that there were ever more than from !
400,000 to 500,000 inhabitants within the walls of
the Eternal G.ty. Other antiquaries are equally contradictory.
Gibbon and Hume supposed the numbers
to h ivc been 1,000,000. Mr. Jacob, in his
history of the precious metals, has calculated thcin
at 1,200,000; so did Brotier, the celebrated commentator
on Tacitus. The late Professor Nibby,
in his R>ma Antiqua, conjectured that citizens,
strangers, and slaves, with their children, must
have reached 2,000,000. Chateaubriand reckons
t
3,000,000. Justus Lipsius and Mengotti computed
them at 4,000,000. Isaac Vossius allowed the !
possibility of 8,000,000: perhaps, said he, 14,000,- |
000. There arc still more extravagant calcula
inn? nn tl*ic r*Kcr?iir/? firunt r\{ r*r.^limnlnorv. Rr?lp.
linchius and several other writers have actually
declared their belief that in the time of the early
Emperors, there were conglomerated on the seven
hills, and on the banks of the Tiber around the sc- !
veil hills, upwards of 27,009,009 of human being*.
Amidst this discrepancy of opinions, it is probable
that the notion of 8,000,000 of souls in ancient
Rome, as maintained by Dr. Loudon, is that
which is most correct; being founded on sixteen .
different statistical facts, drawn from the ancient
authors, each leading to the same conclusion.
In the year 1377, when Gregory XI. was pon
tiff, the city of Rome contained no more than 17,000
people 1 At present the entire numbers do
not exceed 150,030. How mutable are human ;
events! Albion, the Botany Bay of Rome, is j
now the mistress of the world. The Palatine hill
is partly occupied by an English College, and a ,
large portion of it owned by an Englishman, Mr.
C. Mills.?Foreign Fa per.
nor wind ok the desert.
Tiic most distressing and destructive of all the
varieties of wind is perhaps the hot wind of the
Desert. In central Africa, in Lybia, in Syria, i
and in Arabia, where the soil is covered with a j
thick stratum of loose sand, and where the sun's ;
rays arc very powerful, the wind is often absolute- j
ly iusupjK)!table. At such time it is called i
% ' *' * ?y '
Simoom, or the " poison wind," by the Arabs;
and khamsin by the Syrians, from a word expressivc
of the period during which it prevails, viz., at
the equinoxes. Volney has given a very minute
account of this siuioom. lie compares the heat
and suffocating effect to that which would be felt
when standing before the open mouth of an oven.
When the wind is about commencing, the atmosphere
takes an unquiet aspect; the sky becomes
overcast, the sun loses his brilliancy ; the air is not
cloudy, properly speaking, but is loaded with small
gritty particles, which penetrate every thing. At
first the wind is not very hot ; but as its duration
? !./? rises. Respiration be
CUIillWUtdf iuv, (
comes short and ditiicult, the skin becomes dry,
and the body seems consuming by a scorching
heat. All objects arc alike heated ; iron*, stone,
even water, fails to yield any cooling effect. The
inhabitants of towns and villages shul themselves
up in the houses, while those in the open desert take
refuge in their tents, or in pits dug in the ground.
"If this wind last more than three days," says Volncy,
" it becomes insupportable." Miserable is the
fate of those travellers who are surprised by such a
wind at a distance from any asylum. They feel
the full effects, which frequently end in death.?
Then the hot blast is passing rapidly, the heat is
so increased as to take away life almost instantaneously.
This death is a true suffocation ; the
lungs, respiring in a kind of vacuum, enter into
convultion ; the circulation becomes disturbed in
the vessels, the blood flics from the heart to the
head or the chest; and hence ensues hoemorhagc
at the nose and mouth after death. This wind attacks
especially men of a full habit of body, and
also those whose muscles arc weakened by fatigue.
The only mode of checking those violent effects is
to rover the mouth and nose with a handkerchief;
the camels bury their mouths and noses in thesand,
and there keep them till the violence of the blast
is abated. Another quality of this wind is ils extreme
dryness. If water is thrown on the floor of
an appartment, it is evaporated immediately; and
by the extreme dryness of the air, plants become
shrivelled up and reduced to fragment. This thirst
of the air for moisture, so to speak, increases the
cflcct of the wind on the animal frame, by cvaporating
too rapidly the perspiration exuding at the
pores.?Saturday Magazine.
CiUATITUDE OF A CAT.
The c*; certainly cannot boast much of its
reputation /".> gratitude; but a correspondent
says, - I n.'.ye met with so.no instances winch
prove thar liiore a diversity of character
and feelings in cats as well as incn. 1 was
on a visit to a friend last summer, who had a
favourite cat and dog, they lived together on
the best possible terms, eating frctn the same
plate arid sleeping on the same rug. Puss
had a young family while 1 was at the park,
and Pincher paid a daily visit to the kittens
whose nursery was at the top of the house.
One morning there was a tremendous 6torm
of thunder and lightning; Pincher was in the
drawing room, and the cat was attending her
family in the garret. Pincher seemed to be
considerably annoyed by the vivid flushes o!
lightning v\ hich continually startled him ; and
just as he had crept closer to my feet, some
or.c entered the drawing room followed bypuss,
who walked in with a disturbed air and
mewing with all her might. She came up to
Pincher,?rubbed her face against his check
?'.ouched him gently with her paw, and then
walked to the door?stopped?looked back?
mewed?ali of which said as plainly as words
could have done. Come with me, Pincher
but. Pinr.her was too much frightened hiwusell
to give any consolation to her, and took no notice
of the invitation. The cat thin returned
and renewed her amplication with increased
energy , but the dog was immoveable, though
it was evident that lie understood her meaning.
for he turned away bis head with a half,
conscious look and crept still closer to me;
and puss, finding all her entreaties unavailing,
then left the room. Soon after this her mewing
became so piteous, that I could no lo ger
resist going to see what was the nutter. I
met the cat at the top of the stairs, close lo
the open door of tny sleeping apartment. She
ran to me, rubbed herself again-1 me, and
then went into the room and crept under the
wardrobe. J then heard two voices, and discovered
that she had brought down one of her
kittens and lodged it there for safely ; but ncr
fears and cares being divided between the
kittens above and this little one below, I suppose
she wanted t\ncher to watch by this one
while she went for the others, for having confided
them to my protection she hastened up
sta.rs. 1 followed her with my young charge,
placed it beside her, and moved their little
bed further from the window through which
the lightning had flashed so vividly as lo alarm
poor puss for the safety of her family. I remained
there rill the storm had subsided, and
all was again calm. On the follow ing morning,
much to my surprise, 1 found puss wait,
ing for rne at the door of my apartment ; she
accompanied me down to b.eakiast, sat by
me, and caressed me in every possible way.
She had always been in the habit of go tig
down to breakfast with the lady of the house,
but on this morning she had resisted all her
coaxing to leave my door, and would not move
a step till 1 made tny appearance. She went
lo the breakfast.room with me, and remained,
as I have mentioned, until breakfast was over,
and then went up stairs to her family. She
had never done this before, and never did it
again; she had shown her gratitude for my
care ol her little one6, and her duty was done."
Penny Mag.
Tiib North-west Coast.?Some tip
pretiens on exists mat a seiueu uesign is
entertained by (jireut Britain of disputing
our claim to the territory beyond the
Rocky Mountains and the whole Pacific
coast in that quarter. A letter to the Miter
of tlie Globe, from an officer of the
U. S. shij) Dale, belonging to the Pacific
Squadron, dated 44 Bay oj Panama, Sept.
*23, 184'2," contains the following paragraph
We sailed from Callao 7th instant, in
company with the frigate United States,
(Co:u riouore Jones's tiag ship,) and ^loopw;..?u.
-wanc ; but we separated i.:m
them, aiio bore up for this po:i o.i the seven!
. ua> out. Jusi previously loou cepartun
:vo i?. ships-of.wnr, (the raz:
c D.1 -hn, sluop-id war Champion.)
sailed thence on secret scrcice ! Ofcourse,
this mysterious movement of Admiral
Thomas elicited a thousand conjectures as
to ins destination ; the most probable of
. l-i ?t . i ? i /*
which seemed 10 lie, mat he was hound lor
the northwest coast of Mexico; wticre.it
is surmised, a British station is to he located,
in accordance with a secret convention
between the Mexican and English
Governments! Audit is among the on
dits in the squadron, that the frigate Cyano,
and the Dale arc to rendezvous as
soon as practicable at Monterey, to keep
an eye upon John Bull's movements in ?
i that quarter. tt
iT; The transfer of California by Mexico ci
to Great Britain was a matter of talk some ' to
two years .ago. That territory lies be- ri
, t ween our South Western frontier and 1,,
! the Pacific, and its possession by Great bi
Britain would bring much inconvenience t;
hereafter. As for the Oregon country,
it is probable that a direct issue will soon ci
bo made on the question of right there. A ! t<
bill was introduced at the last session by t<
Mr. Linn, one of the Missouri Senators,
to extend a Territorial government over j c
the Oregon count y. Such a measure | fi
will no doubt be adopted soon. It will j t;
I then be for England to object if she thinks i<
: proper.?Baltimore American, 11 th irist. tl
o
KXTRAOUDIXARV SEAMAXSHIP.
y
We copy from a London paper the fob
lowinrr narrative of a remaikahle voyage;
C? _
from Tumpico to England, in which the
! vessel w s navigated by the master alone,
j On Tuesday, the ltilh of October, the
brigantine Enfield, of London, Shaddock, 11
I master, from Tumpico for Liverpool, la
den with fustic, arrived at Mdford, having ll
' 1 O ,
j left the former port on the 7th of August.
The disastrous voyage commenced by the I'
i vessel striking on tlie bar in coming out, 01
where she hung for some time, and which rc
caused her to ho leaky. The next day 31
'John Powell and John Ellis, two of the a:
seamen, who wore natives of Port Ma- Cl
doc, were taken ill of yellow fever, and 11
both died on the 19th. T ie weather be- ; l<
ing hot and sultry, tour bodies were in a , P
few hours afterwards committed to the!;1
deep, the captain having previously read i:
over thcrn the hurial service. -Ic
After being at sea f<?ur days, the whole ,l
of the crew were below ill of fever, with 0
the exception of the master. Shaddock 11
hoped to be able to make one of the ports
I in the island of Cuba. He therefore, at 0
' /
one, A. M., on the 23J, bore away for the
Havana, and at six, A. M-, on the follow.
ing dav, made the land to the eastward of 0
* - - . : A
1 Havana, but could not got ill, in consu* |
; icnce of the lightness of tile wind. All *
iti.s ciiix ts 10 make the land having proved
-."J:ul, ihecaptain, notwuh>u.n!w"ig
the whole of the crew were ill, determined
; co navigate the vessel across the Athmiic i
.... \\
: by iiiinsell, which he has succeeded in
, doing:, having: derived only occasional as- a
* 11
: sistnnce from the carpenter, who partially
| recovered, but whose services were, how. a
lever, not of much value, he. never having
been to sea previous to this voyage.
| On thc2lst of September, he spoke the *
i American ship Kentucky, from Liver'
pool to Boston, and asked the captain the
I latitude and longitude, and told him that *
I part of his crew were dead and the remainder
very ill, and begged he would spare
him a man. ^
The captain of the American vessel *
' gave him the latitude and longitude, hut
1 made him no answer respecting any assist- tc
j ancc, and proceeded on his voyage. On
the 5th of October the mute, Mr. E. Ban- OJ
nister, a native of London, died. Five w
days afterwards Cape Clear light was lu
seen ; and wn the lSih of October, the Qj
vessel was safely anchored in Milford Haven.
The remainder of the crew, eon
sisiing of an ordinary seaman and a boy, K
continue very ill. C.?pt. Shaddock is worn ti
quite thin from his unparalleled exertions, si
and deserves to he handsomely rewarded
for bringing the vessel home under such
tl
trying circumstances. He is a native of ^
Pembroke Dock.
JSomn extiaordinnry feats of seamanship , *
wore performed by liirn during liio voyage. !
i'or instance, on the 1st r.f' September, in v
lat. 31 N., the weather being squally, ho j j
1 took in the flying jib, royal, topgallant c
; sail, gaff top-sail, and took a reef in. tile J
S forctojwail, a cross sea running at the ?
lime, and the ship laboring very much.? a
On another occasion, a heavy squall threw b
the ship on her beam ends, and he had to c<
cut the sails to save (he vessel from up- tt
setting: ami again, tc bond others in
O ' r?
their stead when the weather moderated.
Ho managed to hoist ihem up with the ^
windlass, holding on with one hand, and '
heaving with the other.?Cambrian.
FOK?it?V7 c
I.ater from China. ?
By the arrival of the ship Helena from Canton, w
j w
the Editors of the N. 1*. Commercial Advertiser ?
have received files of the Canton Register to the n
I 3Jth August. The following are the principal ^
| items of intelligence by this arrival. '1
'l'hc Register gives a translation of a Chinese A
1 rumor, stating that on the lUtli of July a fleet of 11
English ships and steamers appeared otf the mouth ^
! of the I'eilio and took jKJsstssion of the forts, See. ^
That the Emperor, had not gone to Jchol, where 81
he usually passes the summer; and that the
English were doinanding an audience. This rumor
is said to have reached Cauton on the 21st v
of July, but I. / farther mention is made of it in the v'
later papers. Tlie Register expresses doubts of its 8>
J truth. The U. S. ships Constellation and Boston j 11
I were still in the Chinese waters on the 5th August. tc
From the Canton Register. Cl
August U. 44 Died at Hongkong, after about a vweek's
illness, of fever induced by anxiety of mind fi
and over-exertion of body, the Rev. Theodore Jo- tl
set, procurador of the mission of the Propa- Cl
. ganda, and charged with the administration of
the Catholic mission at Hongkong.
I "It is said that a public officer of rank in Pekin, ^
J professing the Christian religion has written to Q(
some of the Roman Catholic missionaries in Macao,
saying, that the capital of China has been ri
surrounded by Tartar troops for the last two 3*ears;
but that !.<>vv the treasury is exhausted, tucir pay
is long in arrcar; that they are deserting in him !
Jreds, returning home to cultivate liitir fields:! C
and that if the English troops were to march at o!
o:ice on Peking, it would fall to the steps of con|
ijuerors, without a shot being fired." ai
August 'J. 44 The latest date from Woonsung
is July 4, and from Cliusan the same. At that vi
time there were about ten vessels of war, includ.
ing steamers, off Woonsung, and a vast number of fit
j tran6j>ortst and the land forces mustered between
13 and 14,000 men. It appears no farther move- D
ins. Jit hud been made, or enterprise thought of, I "
since t!ic *'Jth June, a period of 11 day's inaction. J
"On the 5tii or Gth of July, it in said the force? ^
ere to move on Kinshan?[ the golden hill]?and
icnce upon Nanking, to which large and ancient
ty a clear passage had been found up the Yanzekeang.
?Ju the 27th of June a large fleet of
chly laden junks, which had attempted to pan
y the British fleet, for Nanking, was captured,
tit not until s -veral allots had been tired to bring
iC'tll to.
" Tim troops left the city of Clianghae as tiicy
ntcr.- i it. without taking possession of any properfiwhich
was left?some rich jewellery, it is said?
? K.. nllinilnro.l k.. r?L' LI
- r.v..?>cu uy ^ainese rooDcrs.
44 On the same day an officer of the rank of
aptain, and (Corporal White, brought a letter
rom Ke and Elcpoo, tlie high coinmisr.oners, conlining
overtures for peace, but we hive already
;arncd from H. M.'e plenipotentiary's circular,
liat 4 as the overtures were not grounded on tlve
ni ybasis on which they could be listened to, tbey
rcre met by an intimation to that effect.' "
ARRIVAL OF THE BRITANNIA.
15 DAY* LATER KUOM FNOLA.Nl>.
We have barely time to mention the arrival of
hi* steamship at N. York, bringing later and most
nportant news from 'he East. The British forces
aving reached the city of Nanking, made disposi.
on* for an attack, on the 13th July, which was
clayed on the Chinese sending a flag of truce,
raying for a cessation of hostilities till the arrival
f commissioners who were said to be then on their
>ad to treat for peace. The attack was postponed,
ad on the 15th three high commissioners arrived,
ad a treaty of peace was concluded and forward,
d to Bekin. The prinoipol conditions are:?Chi.
a to pay $JI,0U0,U00 in the course of three years:
ic ports of Canton, Amoy, Foo.chow.foo, Ning.
o, and .Shanghai, to be thrown open to British
lerdiants: the island of Hong Kong to be oeded
i perpetuity to her Br. Majesty: all British sub.
cts confined in China to be unconditionally liber,
ted: corrcsnondencc to be conducted on ii>rm?
f perfect equality bet ween officers of both govern.
tents: and the withdrawal of the British force*
om Nanking and the grind canal on the Etnper. ^
r's as.serit to the treaty, and the payment of the
ret instalment, 6,000,000 dollars.
Capture ok C'abi l and GnrzNEc.?The fortrtM
f Ghuznee was evacuated on the 5th Sept., the
kAfghans having previously been repulsed by Gee,
lott, on the 23d Aug. 327 sepoys of the 27th
lengal Native Infantry wore released from the
a very to which the Aftghaus had reduced them.
>v. the loth Gen. Pollock encamped on the race,
round of Cabul, and on the 16th the British colors
ere planted in the Bala Ilissar. A good many
f the British prisoners had coinc into the camp,and
te remainder were expected to be rccovcrod in
few day".
Ijvjcnroor. Ootto* Market.?The news from
'hina had improved the demand, and prices had
rlvanccd $d. to ] I. per !U The arrival of new*
om the U. States respecting tho abundance of
ic crops, had, however, caused the demand
uncwhat to abate.
CHERAW tiAZETTE.
Jiieraw, Tuesday, December 27, 1?42.
During the absence of the Editor payments dus
liim may be made to Mr. W ksterve.lt.
J .
The Legislature of this State adjourned on ths
Jth, after a session of twenty-two days, during
hicli time twenty-seven Acts, with sundry Riso.
itions, have been passed, none of them, liowcvcr,
[ much general interest.
The IIon. John C. Calhoun.?The Honsc of
Representatives of this State have pnsw d nsoluons,
unanimously nominating this distinguished
tatcsman for the Presidency.
Passed Midshipman John Smith Patterson, of
ic U. S. Navy, was assassinated in the streets of
Iahon on tie right of 2^th Octolier. The aeassin
had not been discovered at the latest dates;
" ~ . <i. i fI 1 /
BeWARF. OF Coi xterfeits.?WC WCfB sllOWIi.
csUiiiay, a counterfeit one dollar note on the
Iranchoi the Bank of the S1 atryit Columbia. The
ngrivirig is miserably executed,and could scarcely
eceivc uny ptraon acquainted with the genuine
otis. Tiic signatures of D. J. M'Cord, Prrs't,
nd R. II. Goodwyn, Cashier, arc not written,
ut engraved. It is said a great number of these
ountcrfcits are in circulation in the upper part of
ic State.?Columbia Chron.
Fi.tr in Georgetown.?On Saturday la?t, at
bout 11 o'clock in the morning, the kitchen of
Irs. Il.igcr Bcckman was discovered to be on fire,
'he wind, at the time, was high at N. W. In
few minutes the kitchen was in a flame, and
ommunicated to Mrs. B'? dwelling, and thcatorra
f \V. S. Croft, (all under the same roof,) which
rith the aid of the wind and tlic addition of 30
ords o" light wood, and 35,000 staves and shingles
lade an irrcsistablc Arc which swept the entire
mgc to tisc extreme corner of Broad street.?
,'wclvc stores and habitations were destroyed, with
lie adjacent out-houses. The principal sufferers
i the way of merchandize are Mr. Waterman,
Irs. Ilouren, Mrs. Bcckman, Mrs. Cogdell, and
Irs. Moody?and to land holders the loss is con.
[dcrablc to all the proprietors.
The citizens nude great exertions to save all
icy could of what was in tho course of the deouring
element, and by spirited exertions, prerated
the tiring of the buildings on the opposite
de of the street, which were grcaliy jeopardized,
rid if one had ignited, the heart of the whole
>\vn would inevitably have been consumed. One
rigine was put in tbc service and did efficient
i L?. 1 4 1 ll.?? mtrrta n/J a atnrrle
Orx, Dill WC uuucrsiuiiu uiwb ?. ? n
re hook in Jit nets for use ! ! !?With the aid of
ircc or four fire-hooks, poles and lines, the fire
ould have been confined to the kitchen in which
originated.?Winyuh Observer.
The 1V. O. Tropic of the Gth inst. aaya:?An
inglish yacht, mounting 7 Paixhan guns, name
at known, came up the river under sail last night,
ud anchored off Slaughter House Point. It is
moored that she will join the Texian navy.
COWFSSIOXAI. DISTRICTS.
The following is the division of the State into
ongrcssional Districts, as passed by both Houses
f the Legislature, at the recent session:
First District.?Spartanburg, Union, lork,
ad Chester.
Second District.?Pickens, Anderson, Grccnille,
and I.aureus.
Third District.?Lancaster, Kcrenaw, Faireld,
Richland, and Suinpter.
Fourth District.?Chesterfield, Marlborough,
arlington, Marion, Horry, (icorgctown, and
'ifliaitishiirg.
T:rth l}i<trirf.?Abbeville, Kdgcfield, Newbu.
*
(