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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV.,
+April, 1862, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV., April, 1862
+       Devoted To Literature And National Policy
+
+Author: Various
+
+Release Date: February 15, 2005 [EBook #15065]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONTINENTAL MONTHLY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Cornell University, Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci
+and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note: All footnotes moved to end of document.]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+CONTINENTAL MONTHLY:
+
+DEVOTED TO
+
+LITERATURE AND NATIONAL POLICY.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+VOL. I.--APRIL, 1862.--No. IV.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE WAR BETWEEN FREEDOM AND SLAVERY IN MISSOURI.
+
+
+It is admitted that no man can write the history of his own times with
+such fullness and impartiality as shall entitle his record to the
+unquestioning credence and acceptance of posterity. Men are necessarily
+actors in the scenes amid which they live. If not personally taking an
+active part in the conduct of public affairs, they have friends who are,
+and in whose success or failure their own welfare is in some way bound
+up. The bias which interest always gives will necessarily attach to
+their judgment of current events, and the leading actors by whom these
+events are controlled. Cotemporaneous history, for this reason, will
+always be found partisan history--not entitled to, and, if intelligently
+and honestly written, not exacting, the implicit faith of those who
+shall come after; but simply establishing that certain classes of
+people, of whom the writer was one, acted under the conviction that they
+owed certain duties to themselves and their country. It will be for the
+future compiler of the world's history, who shall see the end of present
+struggles, to determine the justice of the causes of controversy, and
+the wisdom and honesty of the parties that acted adversely. To such
+after judgment, with a full knowledge of present reproach as a partisan,
+the writer of this article commends the brief sketch he will present of
+the beginning and military treatment of the great Rebellion in the State
+of Missouri. He will not attempt to make an episode of any part of this
+history, because of the supposed vigor or brilliancy of the martial
+deeds occurring in the time. Least of all would he take the 'Hundred
+Days,' which another pen has chosen for special distinction, as
+representing the period of heroism in that war-trampled State. Any
+'hundred days' of the rebellion in Missouri have had their corresponding
+_nights_; and no one can be bold enough yet to say that the day of
+permanent triumph has dawned. Humiliation has alternated with success so
+far; and the most stunning defeats of the war in the West marked the
+beginning and the close of the hundred days named for honor. This fact
+should teach modesty and caution. For while justice to men requires us
+to admit that the greatest abilities do not always command success,
+devotion to principle forbids that a noble cause should be obscured to
+become the mere background of a scene in which an actor and popular idol
+is the chief figure. It is with a consciousness of such partialities as
+are common to men, but with an honest purpose, so far as the writer is
+able, to subordinate men to principles, that this review of the origin
+and chief incidents of the rebellion in Missouri is begun.
+
+The close connection of the State of Missouri with the slavery agitation
+that has now ripened into a rebellion against the government of the
+United States, is a singular historical fact. The admission of the State
+into the Union was the occasion of vitalizing the question of slavery
+extension and fixing it as a permanent element in the politics of the
+country. It has continued to be the theatre on which the most important
+conflicts growing out of slavery extension have been decided. It will be
+the first, in the hope and belief of millions, to throw off the fetters
+of an obsolete institution, so long cramping its social and political
+advancement, and to set an example to its sister slave-holding States of
+the superior strength, beauty, and glory of Freedom.
+
+The pro-slavery doctrines of John C. Calhoun, after having pervaded the
+democracy of all the other slave-holding States, and obtained complete
+possession of the national executive, legislative and judicial
+departments, finally, in 1844, appeared also in the State of Missouri.
+But it was in so minute and subtle a form as not to seem a sensible
+heresy. Thomas H. Benton, the illustrious senator of the Jackson era,
+was then, as he had been for twenty-four years, the political autocrat
+of Missouri. He had long been convinced of the latent treason of the
+Calhoun school of politicians. He was able to combat the schemes of the
+Southern oligarchy composing and controlling the Cabinet of President
+Polk; unsuccessfully, it is true, yet with but slight diminution of his
+popularity at home. Nevertheless, the seeds of disunion had been borne
+to his State; they had taken root; and, like all evil in life, they
+proved self-perpetuating and ineradicable. In 1849 the Mexican war,
+begun in the interest of the disunionists, had been closed. A vast
+accession of territory had accrued to the Union. It was the plan and
+purpose of the disunion party to appropriate and occupy this territory;
+to organize it in their interests; and, finally, to admit it into the
+Union as States, to add to their political power, and prepare for that
+struggle between the principle of freedom and the principle of slavery
+in the government, which Mr. Calhoun had taught was inevitable. But the
+hostility of Benton in the Senate was dreaded by the Southern leaders
+thus early conspiring against the integrity of the Union. The Missouri
+senator seemed, of all cotemporaneous statesmen, to be the only one that
+fully comprehended the incipient treason. His earnest opposition assumed
+at times the phases of _monomania_. He sought to crush it in the egg. He
+lifted his warning voice on all occasions. He inveighed bitterly against
+the 'Nullifiers,' as he invariably characterized the Calhoun
+politicians, declaring that their purpose was to destroy the Union. It
+became necessary, therefore, before attempting to dispose of the
+territories acquired from Mexico, to silence Benton, or remove him from
+the Senate. Accordingly, when the legislature of Missouri met in 1849, a
+series of resolutions was introduced, declaring that all territory
+derived by the United States, in the treaty with Mexico, should be open
+to settlement by the citizens of all the States in common; that the
+question of allowing or prohibiting slavery in any territory could only
+be decided by the people resident in the territory, and then only when
+they came to organize themselves into a State government; and, lastly,
+that if the general government should attempt to establish a rule other
+than this for the settlement of the territories, the State of Missouri
+would stand pledged to her sister Southern States to co-operate in
+whatever measures of resistance or redress _they_ might deem necessary.
+The resolutions distinctly abdicated all right of judgment on the part
+of Missouri, and committed the State to a blind support of Southern
+'Nullification' in a possible contingency. They were in flagrant
+opposition to the life-long principles and daily vehement utterances of
+Benton--as they were intended to be. Nevertheless, they were adopted;
+and the senators of Missouri were instructed to conform their public
+action to them. These resolutions were introduced by one Claiborne F.
+Jackson, a member of the House of Representatives from the County of
+Howard, one of the most democratic and largest slave-holding counties in
+the State. The resolutions took the name of their mover, and are known
+in the political history of Missouri as the 'Jackson resolutions.' And
+Claiborne F. Jackson, who thus took the initiative in foisting treason
+upon the statute-books of Missouri, is, to-day, by curious coincidence,
+the official head of that State nominally in open revolt. But Jackson,
+it was early ascertained, was not entitled to the doubtful honor of the
+paternity of these resolutions. They had been matured in a private
+chamber of the Capitol at Jefferson City, by two or three conspirators,
+who received, it was asserted by Benton, and finally came to be
+believed, the first draft of the resolutions from Washington, where the
+disunion cabal, armed with federal power, had its headquarters.
+
+Thus the bolt was launched at the Missouri senator, who, from his
+prestige of Jacksonism, his robust patriotism, his indomitable will, and
+his great abilities, was regarded as the most formidable if not the only
+enemy standing in the way of meditated treason. It was not doubted that
+the blow would be fatal. Benton was in one sense the father of the
+doctrine of legislative instructions. In his persistent and famous
+efforts to 'expunge' the resolutions of censure on Gen. Jackson that had
+been placed in the Senate journal, Benton had found it necessary to
+revolutionize the sentiments or change the composition of the Senate.
+Whigs were representing democratic States, and Democrats refused to vote
+for a resolution expunging any part of the record of the Senate's
+proceedings. To meet and overcome this resistance, Benton introduced the
+dogma that a senator was bound to obey the instructions of the
+legislature of his State. He succeeded, by his great influence in his
+party, and by the aid of the democratic administration, in having the
+dogma adopted, and it became an accepted rule in the democratic party.
+Resolutions were now invoked and obtained from State legislatures
+instructing their senators to vote for the 'Expunging Resolutions,' or
+resign. Some obeyed; some resigned. Benton carried his point; but it was
+at the sacrifice of the spirit of that part of the Constitution which
+gave to United States senators a term of six years, for the purpose of
+protecting the Senate from frequent fluctuations of popular feeling, and
+securing steadiness in legislation. Benton was the apostle of this
+unwise and destructive innovation upon the constitutional tenure of
+senators. He was doomed to be a conspicuous victim of his own error.
+When the 'Jackson resolutions' were passed by the legislature of
+Missouri, instructing Benton to endorse measures that led to
+nullification and disunion, he saw the dilemma in which he was placed,
+and did the best he could to extricate himself. He presented the
+resolutions from his seat in the Senate; denounced their treasonable
+character, and declared his purpose to appeal from the legislature to
+the people of Missouri.
+
+On the adjournment of Congress, Benton returned to Missouri and
+commenced a canvass in vindication of his own cause, and in opposition
+to the democratic majority of the legislature that passed the Jackson
+resolutions, which has had few if any parallels in the history of the
+government for heat and bitterness. The senator did not return to argue
+and convert, but to fulminate and destroy. He appointed times and places
+for public speaking in the most populous counties of the State, and
+where the opposition to him had grown boldest. He allowed no 'division
+of time' to opponents wishing to controvert the positions assumed in his
+speeches. On the contrary, he treated every interruption, whether for
+inquiry or retort, on the part of any one opposed to him, as an insult,
+and proceeded to pour upon the head of the offender a torrent of
+denunciation and abuse, unmeasured and appalling. The extraordinary
+course adopted by Benton in urging his 'appeal,' excited astonishment
+and indignation among the democratic partisans that had, in many cases,
+thoughtlessly become arrayed against him.[A] They might have yielded to
+expostulation; they were stung to resentment by unsparing vilification.
+The rumor of Benton's manner preceded him through the State, after the
+first signal manifestations of his ruthless spirit; and he was warned
+not to appear at some of the appointments he had made, else his life
+would pay the forfeit of his personal assaults. These threats only made
+the Missouri lion more fierce and untamable. He filled all his
+appointments, bearing everywhere the same front, often surrounded by
+enraged enemies armed and thirsting for his blood, but ever denunciatory
+and defiant, and returned to St. Louis, still boiling with inexhaustible
+choler, to await the judgment of the State upon his appeal. He failed.
+The pro-slavery sentiment of the people had been too thoroughly evoked
+in the controversy, and too many valuable party leaders had been
+needlessly driven from his support by unsparing invective. An artful and
+apparently honest appeal to the right of legislative instructions,--an
+enlargement of popular rights which Benton himself had conferred upon
+them,--and--the unfailing weapon of Southern demagogues against their
+opponents--the charge that Benton had joined the 'Abolitionists,' and
+was seeking to betray 'the rights of the South,' worked the overthrow of
+the hitherto invincible senator. The Whigs of Missouri, though agreeing
+mainly with Benton in the principles involved in this contest, had
+received nothing at his hands, throughout his long career, but defeat
+and total exclusion from all offices and honors, State and National.
+This class of politicians were too glad of the prospective division of
+his party and the downfall of his power, to be willing to re-assert
+their principles through a support of Benton. The loyal Union sentiments
+of the State in this way failed to be united, and a majority was elected
+to the legislature opposed to Benton. He was defeated of a re-election
+to the Senate by Henry S. Geyer, a pro-slavery Whig, and supporter of
+the Jackson resolutions, after having filled a seat in that august body
+for a longer time consecutively than any other senator ever did. Thus
+was removed from the halls of Congress the most sagacious and formidable
+enemy that the disunion propagandists ever encountered. Their career in
+Congress and in the control of the federal government was thenceforth
+unchecked. The cords of loyalty in Missouri were snapped in Benton's
+fall, and that State swung off into the strongly-sweeping current of
+secessionism. The city of St. Louis remained firm a while, and returned
+Benton twice to the House; but his energies were exhausted now in
+defensive war; and the truculent and triumphant slave power dominating,
+the State at last succeeded, through the coercion of commercial
+interests, in defeating him even in the citadel of loyalty. He tried
+once more to breast the tide that had borne down his fortunes. He became
+a candidate for governor in 1856; but, though he disclaimed anti-slavery
+sentiments, and supported James Buchanan for President against Fremont,
+his son-in-law, he was defeated by Trusten Polk, who soon passed from
+the gubernatorial chair to Benton's seat in the United States Senate,
+from which he was, in course of time, to be expelled. Benton retired to
+private life, only to labor more assiduously in compiling historical
+evidences against the fast ripening treason of the times.
+
+The Missouri senator was no longer in the way of the Southern oligarchs.
+A shaft feathered by his own hands--the doctrine of instructions--had
+slain him.
+
+But yet another obstacle remained. The Missouri Compromise lifted a
+barrier to the expansion of the Calhoun idea of free government, having
+African slavery for its corner-stone. This obstacle was to be removed.
+Missouri furnished the prompter and agent of that wrong in David E.
+Atchison, for many years Benton's colleague in the Senate. Atchison was
+a man of only moderate talents, of dogged purpose, willful, wholly
+unscrupulous in the employment of the influences of his position, and
+devoid of all the attributes and qualifications of statesmanship. He was
+a fit representative of the pro-slavery fanaticism of his State; had
+lived near the Kansas line; had looked upon and coveted the fair lands
+of that free territory, and resolved that they should be the home and
+appanage of slavery. It is now a part of admitted history, that this
+dull but determined Missouri senator approached Judge Douglas, then
+chairman of the Committee on Territories, and, by some incomprehensible
+influence, induced that distinguished senator to commit the flagrant and
+terrible blunder of reporting the Kansas-Nebraska bill, with a clause
+repealing the Missouri Compromise, and thus throwing open Kansas to the
+occupation of slavery. That error was grievously atoned for in the
+subsequent hard fate of Judge Douglas, who was cast off and destroyed by
+the cruel men he had served. Among the humiliations that preceded the
+close of this political tragedy, none could have been more pungent to
+Judge Douglas than the fact that Atchison, in a drunken harangue from
+the tail of a cart in Western Missouri, surrounded by a mob of 'border
+ruffians' rallying for fresh wrongs upon the free settlers of Kansas,
+recited, in coarse glee and brutal triumph, the incidents of his
+interview with the senator of Illinois, when, with mixed cajolery and
+threats, he partly tempted, partly drove him to his ruin. The
+Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed. What part Atchison took, what part
+Missouri took, under the direction of the pro-slavery leaders that
+filled every department of the State government, the 'border-ruffian'
+forays, the pillage of the government arsenal at Liberty, the embargo of
+the Missouri river, and the robbing and mobbing of peaceful emigrants
+from the free States, the violence at the polls, and the fraudulent
+voting that corrupted all the franchises of that afflicted territory, do
+sufficiently attest. It is not needed to rehearse any of this painful
+and well-known history.
+
+The Territory of Kansas was saved to its prescriptive freedom. The
+slavery propagandists sullenly withdrew and gave up the contest. The
+last days of the dynasty that had meditated the conquest of the
+continent to slave-holding government were evidently at hand. The result
+of the struggle in Kansas had reversed the relation of the contesting
+powers. The oligarchs, who had always before been aggressive, and
+intended to subordinate the Union to slavery, or destroy it, found
+themselves suddenly thrown on the defensive; and, with the quick
+intelligence of a property interest, and the keen jealousy of class and
+caste which their slave-holding had implanted, they saw that they were
+engaged in an unequal struggle, that their sceptre was broken, and that,
+if they continued to rule, it would have to be over the homogeneous half
+of a dismembered Union. From this moment a severance of the Slave
+States from the Free was resolved on, and every agency that could
+operate on governments, State and National, was set to work. It was not
+by accident that Virginia had procured the nomination of the facile
+Buchanan for President in the Baltimore Convention of 1856; it was not
+by accident that Floyd was made Secretary of War, or that, many months
+before any outbreak of rebellion, this arch traitor had well-nigh
+stripped the Northern arsenals of arms, and placed them where they would
+be 'handy' for insurgents to seize. It was not by accident that John C.
+Breckenridge headed the factionists that willfully divided and defeated
+the National Democracy, that perchance could have elected Judge Douglas
+President; nor was it by accident that Beriah Magoffin, a vain, weak
+man, the creature, adjunct, and echo of Breckenridge, filled the office
+of governor of Kentucky, nominated thereto by Breckenridge's personal
+intercession. And lastly, to return to the special theatre of this
+sketch, it was not by accident that Claiborne F. Jackson, the original
+mover for Benton's destruction, was at this remarkable juncture found
+occupying the governor's chair, with Thomas C. Reynolds for his
+lieutenant governor, a native of South Carolina, an acknowledged
+missionary of the nullification faith to a State that required to be
+corrupted, and that he had, during his residence, zealously endeavored
+to corrupt.
+
+We have now reached the turning point in the history of Missouri. The
+State is about to be plunged into the whirlpool of civil war.
+Undisguised disunionists are in complete possession of the State
+government, and the population is supposed to be ripe for revolt. Only
+one spot in it, and that the city of St. Louis, is regarded as having
+the slightest sympathy with the political sentiments of the Free States
+of the Union. The State is surely counted for the 'South' in the
+division that impends, for where is the heart in St. Louis bold enough,
+or the hand strong enough, to resist the swelling tide of pro-slavery
+fanaticism that was about to engulf the State? Years ago, when it was
+but a ripple on the surface, it had overborne Benton, with all his fame
+of thirty years' growth. What leader of slighter mold and lesser fame
+could now resist the coming shock? In tracing the origin and growth of
+rebellion in Missouri, it is interesting to gather up all the threads
+that link the present with the past. It will preserve the unity of the
+plot, and give effect to the last acts of the drama.
+
+The first visible seam or cleft in the National Democratic party
+occurred during the administration of President Polk, in the years
+1844-48. Calhoun appeared as Polk's Secretary of State. Thomas Ritchie
+was transferred from Richmond, Va., to Washington, to edit the
+government organ, in place of Francis P. Blair, Sr. The Jackson _regime_
+of unconditional and uncompromising devotion to the 'Federal Union' was
+displaced, and the dubious doctrine of 'States' Rights' was formally
+inaugurated as the chart by which in future the national government was
+to be administered. But the Jackson element was not reconciled to this
+radical change in the structure and purpose of the National Democratic
+organization; and, although party lines were so tensely drawn that to go
+against 'the Administration' was political treason, and secured
+irrevocable banishment from power, the close of Polk's administration
+found many old Democrats of the Jackson era ready for the sacrifice. The
+firm resolve of these men was manifested when, after the nomination of
+Gen. Cass, in 1848, in the usual form, at Baltimore, by the Democratic
+National Convention, they assembled at Buffalo and presented a counter
+ticket, headed by the name of Martin Van Buren, who had been thrust
+aside four years previously by the Southern oligarchs to make way for
+James K. Polk. The entire artillery of the Democratic party opened on
+the Buffalo schismatics. They were stigmatized by such opprobrious
+nicknames and epithets as 'Barnburners, 'Free Soilers,'
+'Abolitionists,' and instantly and forever ex-communicated from the
+Democratic party. In Missouri alone, of all the Slave States, was any
+stand made in behalf of the Buffalo ticket. Benton's sympathies had been
+with Van Buren, his old friend of the Jackson times; and Francis P.
+Blair, Sr., of the _Globe_, had two sons, Montgomery Blair and Francis
+P. Blair, Jr., resident in St. Louis. These two, with about a hundred
+other young men of equal enthusiasm, organized themselves together,
+accepted the 'Buffalo platform' as their future rule of faith, issued an
+address to the people of Missouri, openly espousing and advocating free
+soil-principles; and, by subscription among themselves, published a
+campaign paper, styled the _Barnburner_, during the canvass. The result
+at the polls was signal only for its insignificance; and the authors of
+the movement hardly had credit for a respectable escapade. But the event
+has proved that neither ridicule nor raillery, nor, in later years,
+persecutions and the intolerable pressure of federal power, could turn
+back the revolution thus feebly begun. In that campaign issue of the
+_Barnburner_ were sown the seeds of what became, in later nomenclature,
+the Free Democracy, and, later still, the 'Republican' party of
+Missouri. The German population of St. Louis sympathized from the start
+with the free principles enunciated. Frank Blair, Jr., became from that
+year their political leader; right honestly did he earn the position;
+and right well, even his political foes have always admitted, did he
+maintain it.
+
+Frank Blair was a disciple of Benton; yet, as is often the case, the
+pupil soon learned to go far ahead of his teacher. In 1852, there was a
+union of the Free Democrats and National Democrats of Missouri, in
+support of Franklin Pierce. But the entire abandonment of Pierce's
+administration to the rule of the Southern oligarchs sundered the
+incongruous elements in Missouri forever. In 1856 Benton was found
+supporting James Buchanan for President; but Blair declined to follow
+his ancient leader in that direction. He organized the free-soil element
+in St. Louis to oppose the Buchanan electoral ticket. An electoral
+ticket in the State at large, for John C. Fremont, was neither possible
+nor advisable. In some districts no man would dare be a candidate on
+that side; in others, the full free-soil vote, from the utter
+hopelessness of success, would not be polled; and thus the cause would
+be made to appear weaker than it deserved. To meet the emergency, and
+yet bear witness to principle, the free-soil vote was cast for the
+Fillmore electoral ticket, 'under protest,' as it was called, the name
+of 'John C. Fremont' being printed in large letters at the head of every
+free-soil ballot cast. By this means the Buchanan electors were beaten
+fifteen hundred votes in St. Louis City and County, where, by a union as
+Benton proposed, they would have had three thousand majority. But the
+'free-soilers' failed to defeat Buchanan in the State.
+
+Nothing discouraged by this result, Blair resumed the work of organizing
+for the future. The Fillmore party gave no thanks to the free-soilers
+for their aid in the presidential election, nor did the latter ask any.
+They had simply taken the choice of evils; and now, renouncing all
+alliances, Blair became the champion and leader of a self-existing,
+self-reliant State party, that should accomplish emancipation in
+Missouri. He again established a newspaper to inculcate free principles
+in the State. By untiring effort, he revived and recruited his party. He
+gave it platforms, planned its campaigns, contested every election in
+St. Louis, whether for municipal officers, for State legislature, or for
+Congress; and always fought his battles on the most advanced ground
+assumed by the growing free-soil party of the Union. The powerful and
+rapidly-increasing German population of St. Louis responded nobly to his
+zeal and skillful leadership. Soon a victory was gained; and St. Louis
+declared for freedom, amid acclamations that reverberated throughout the
+States that extended from the Ohio to the lakes, and from the
+Mississippi to the Atlantic. But, having wrenched victory from a people
+so intolerant as the pro-slavery population of Missouri, it was not to
+be expected that he would retain it easily. He was set upon more
+fiercely than ever. The loss of the city of St. Louis was considered a
+disgrace to the State; and the most desperate personal malignity was
+added to the resentment of pro-slavery wrath in the future election
+contests in that city. The corrupting appliances of federal power were
+at last invoked, under Buchanan's administration; and Blair was for the
+moment overwhelmed by fraud, and thrown out of Congress. But, with a
+resolution from which even his friends would have dissuaded him, and
+with a persistency and confidence that were a marvel to friend and foe,
+he contested his seat before Congress, and won it. And this verdict was
+soon ratified by his brave and faithful constituency at the polls. Such
+was the Republican party, such their leader in St. Louis, when the black
+day of disunion came. And in their hands lay the destiny of the State.
+
+As soon as the presidential election was decided, and the choice of
+Abraham Lincoln was known, the disunionists in Missouri commenced their
+work. Thomas C. Reynolds, the lieutenant-governor, made a visit to
+Washington, and extended it to Virginia, counseling with the traitors,
+and agreeing upon the time and manner of joining Missouri in the revolt.
+The legislature of Missouri met in the latter part of December, about
+two weeks after the secession of South Carolina. A bill was at once
+introduced, calling a State convention, and passed. The message of
+Claiborne F. Jackson, the governor, had been strongly in favor of
+secession from the Union. The Missouri _Republican_, the leading
+newspaper of the State, whose advocacy had elected the traitor,
+declared, on the last day of the year, that unless guaranties in defence
+of slavery were immediately given by the North, Missouri should secede
+from the Union. And so the secession feeling gathered boldness and
+volume.
+
+Candidates for the State convention came to be nominated in St. Louis,
+and two parties were at once arrayed--the unconditional Union party, and
+the qualified Unionists, who wished new compromises. Frank Blair was one
+of the leaders of the former, and he was joined by all the true men of
+the old parties. But the secessionists--they might as well be so called,
+for all their actions tended to weaken and discredit the
+Union--nominated an able ticket. The latter party were soon conscious of
+defeat, and began to hint mysteriously at a power stronger than the
+ballot-box, that would be invoked in defence of 'Southern rights.' To
+many, indeed to most persons, this seemed an idle threat. Not so to
+Frank Blair. He had imbibed from Benton the invincible faith of the
+latter in the settled purpose of the 'nullifiers' to subvert and destroy
+the government. And in a private caucus of the leaders of the Union
+party, on an ever-memorable evening in the month of January, he startled
+the company by the proposition that the time had come when the friends
+of the government must arm in its defence. With a deference to his
+judgment and sagacity that had become habitual, the Unionists yielded
+their consent, and soon the enrolment of companies began; nightly drills
+with arms took place in nearly all the wards of the city; and by the
+time of election day some thousands of citizen soldiers, mostly Germans,
+could have been gathered, with arms in their hands, with the quickness
+of fire signals at night, at any point in the city. The secessionists
+had preceded this armed movement of the Union men by the organization of
+a body known as 'minute-men.' But the promptness and superior skill that
+characterized Frank Blair's movement subverted the secession scheme; and
+it was first repudiated, and then its existence denied. The day of
+election came, and passed peacefully. The unconditional Union ticket was
+elected by a sweeping majority of five thousand votes. The result
+throughout the State was not less decisive and surprising. Of the entire
+number of delegates composing the convention, not one was chosen who had
+dared to express secession sentiments before the people; and the
+aggregate majority of the Union candidates in the State amounted to
+about eighty thousand. The shock of this defeat for the moment paralyzed
+the conspirators; but their evil inspirations soon put them to work
+again. Their organs in Missouri assumed an unfriendly tone towards the
+convention, which was to meet in Jefferson City. The legislature that
+had called the convention remained in session in the same place, but
+made no fit preparations for the assembling of the convention, or for
+the accommodation and pay of the members. The debate in the legislature
+on the bill for appropriations for these purposes was insulting to the
+convention, the more ill-tempered and ill-bred secession members
+intimating that such a body of 'submissionists' were unworthy to
+represent Missouri, and undeserving of any pay. The manifest ill feeling
+between the two bodies--the legislature elected eighteen months
+previously, and without popular reference to the question of secession,
+and the convention chosen fresh from the people, to decide on the course
+of the State--soon indicated the infelicity of the two remaining in
+session at the same time and in the same place. Accordingly, within a
+few days after the organization of the convention, it adjourned its
+session to the city of St. Louis. It did not meet a cordial reception
+there. So insolent had the secession spirit already grown, that on the
+day of the assembling of the convention in that city, the members were
+insulted by taunts in the streets and by the ostentatious floating of
+the rebel flag from the Democratic head-quarters, hard by the building
+in which they assembled.
+
+Being left in the undisputed occupancy of the seat of government, the
+governor, lieutenant-governor, and legislature gave themselves up to the
+enactment of flagrant and undisguised measures of hostility to the
+federal government. Commissioners from States that had renounced the
+Constitution, and withdrawn, as they claimed, from the Union, arrived at
+Jefferson City as apostles of treason. They were received as
+distinguished and honorable ambassadors. A joint session of the
+legislature was called to hear their communications. The
+lieutenant-governor, Reynolds, being the presiding officer of the joint
+session, required that the members should rise when these traitors
+entered, and receive them standing and uncovered. The commissioners were
+allowed to harangue the representatives of Missouri, by the hour, in
+unmeasured abuse of the federal government, in open rejoicings over its
+supposed dissolution, and in urgent appeals to the people of Missouri to
+join the rebel States in their consummated treason. Noisy demonstrations
+of applause greeted these commissioners; and legislators, and the
+governor himself, in a public speech in front of the executive mansion,
+pledged them that Missouri would shortly be found ranged on the side of
+seceded States. The treason of the governor and legislature did not stop
+with these manifestations. They proceeded to acts of legislation,
+preparatory to the employment of force, after the manner of their
+'Southern bretheren.' First, it was necessary to get control of the city
+of St. Louis. The Republican party held the government of the city,
+mayor, council, and police force--a formidable Union organization. The
+legislature passed a bill repealing that part of the city charter that,
+gave to the mayor the appointment of the police, and constituting a
+board of police commissioners, to be appointed by the governor, who
+should exercise that power. He named men that suited his purposes. The
+Union police were discharged, and their places filled by secessionists.
+Next, the State militia was to be organized in the interests of
+rebellion, and a law was passed to accomplish that end. The State was
+set off into divisions; military camps were to be established in each;
+all able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and fifty were liable
+to be called into camp and drilled a given number of days in the year;
+and, when summoned to duty, instead of taking the usual oath to support
+the Constitution of the United States, they were required only to be
+sworn 'to obey the orders of the governor of the State of Missouri.'
+These camps were styled camps of instruction. One of them was
+established at St. Louis, within the corporate limits of the city, about
+two miles west of the court-house, on a commanding eminence.
+
+Thus the lines began to be drawn closely around the Unionists of St.
+Louis. The State convention had adjourned, and its members had gone
+home, having done but little to re-assure the loyalists. They had,
+indeed, passed an ordinance declaring that Missouri would adhere to the
+Union; but the majority of the members had betrayed such hesitancy and
+indecision, such a lack of stomach to grapple with the rude issues of
+the rebellion, that their action passed almost without moral effect.
+Their ordinance was treated with contempt by the secessionists, and
+nearly lost sight of by the people; so thoroughly were all classes
+lashed into excitement by the storm of revolution now blackening the
+whole Southern Hemisphere.
+
+The friends of the Union could look to but one quarter for aid, that was
+Washington, where a new administration had so recently been installed,
+amid difficulties that seemed to have paralyzed its power. The
+government had been defied by the rebellion at every point; its ships
+driven by hostile guns from Southern ports; its treasures seized; its
+arsenals occupied, and its abundant arms and munitions appropriated.
+Nowhere had the federal arm resented insult and robbery with a blow.
+This had not been the fault of the government that was inaugurated on
+the fourth of March. It was the fruit of the official treason of the
+preceding administration, that had completely disarmed the government,
+and filled the new executive councils with confusion, by the numberless
+knaves it had placed in all departments of the public service, whose
+daily desertions of duty rendered the prompt and honest execution of the
+laws impossible. But the fact was indisputable; and how could St. Louis
+hope for protection that had nowhere else been afforded? The national
+government had an arsenal within the city limits. It comprised a
+considerable area of ground, was surrounded by a high and heavy stone
+wall, and supplied with valuable arms. But so far from this
+establishment being a protection to the loyal population, it seemed more
+likely, judging by what had occurred in other States, that it would
+serve as a temptation to the secession mob that was evidently gathering
+head for mischief, and that the desire to take it would precipitate the
+outbreak. The Unionists felt their danger; the rebels saw their
+opportunity. Already the latter were boasting that they would in a short
+time occupy this post, and not a few of the prominent Union citizens of
+the town were warned by secession leaders that they would soon be set
+across the Mississippi river, exiles from their homes forever. As an
+instance of the audacity of the rebel element at this time, and for
+weeks later, the fact is mentioned that the United States soldiers, who
+paced before the gates of the arsenal as sentinels on duty, had their
+beats defined for them by the new secession police, and were forbidden
+to invade the sacred precincts of the city's highway. The arsenal was
+unquestionably devoted to capture, and it would have been a prize to the
+rebels second in value to the Gosport navy-yard. It contained at this
+time sixty-six thousand stand of small arms, several batteries of light
+artillery and heavy ordnance, and at least one million dollars' worth of
+ammunition. It was besides supplied with extensive and valuable
+machinery for repairing guns, rifling barrels, mounting artillery, and
+preparing shot and shell. The future, to the Union men of St. Louis,
+looked gloomy enough; persecution, and, if they resisted, death, seemed
+imminent; and no voice from abroad reached them, giving them good cheer.
+But deliverance was nigh at hand.
+
+About the middle of January, Capt. Nathaniel Lyon, of the Second
+Infantry, U.S.A., arrived in St. Louis with his company; and his rank
+gave him command of all the troops then at the arsenal and Jefferson
+Barracks, a post on the river, ten miles below, the department being
+under the command of Brigadier General Harney. Capt. Lyon had been
+garrisoning a fort in Kansas. He was known to some of the Union men of
+St. Louis; and his resolute spirit and devoted patriotism marked him as
+their leader in this crisis. Frank Blair at once put himself in
+communication with Capt. Lyon, and advised him fully and minutely as to
+the political situation. He exposed to him the existence of his
+volunteer military organization. At his request Capt. Lyon visited and
+reviewed the regiments; and it was arranged between them that if an
+outbreak should occur, or any attempt be made to seize the arsenal,
+Capt. Lyon should receive this volunteer force to his assistance, arm it
+from the arsenal, and take command for the emergency. It should be
+known, however, to the greater credit of the Union leaders of St. Louis,
+that they had already, from private funds, procured about one thousand
+stand of arms, with which their nightly drills, as heretofore stated,
+had been conducted. As soon as Capt. Lyon's connection with this
+organization was suspected, an attempt was made to have him removed, by
+ordering him to Kansas on the pretext of a court of inquiry; but this
+attempt was defeated. Thus matters stood for a time, the Union men
+beginning to be reassured, but still doubtful of the end. After a while,
+Fort Sumter was opened upon, and fell under its furious bombardment. The
+torch of war was lit. President Lincoln issued his proclamation for
+volunteers. Gov. Jackson telegraphed back an insolent and defiant
+refusal, in which he denounced the 'war waged by the federal government'
+as 'inhuman and diabolical.' Frank Blair instantly followed this
+traitorous governor's dispatch by another, addressed to the Secretary of
+War, asking him to accept and muster into service the volunteer
+regiments he had been forming. This offer was accepted, and the men
+presented themselves. But Brig. Gen. Harney, fearing that the arming of
+these troops would exasperate the secession populace, and bring about a
+collision with the State militia, refused to permit the men to be
+mustered into service and armed. This extraordinary decision was
+immediately telegraphed to the government, and Gen. Harney was relieved,
+leaving Capt. Lyon in full command. This was the 23d of April. In a week
+four full regiments were mustered in, and occupied the arsenal. A
+memorial was prepared and sent to Washington by Frank Blair, now colonel
+of the first of these regiments, asking for the enrolment of five other
+regiments of Home Guards. Permission was given, and in another week
+these regiments also were organized and armed. The conflict was now at
+hand. Simultaneously with this arming on the part of the government for
+the protection of the arsenal, the order went forth for the assembling
+of the State troops in their camps of instruction. On Monday, the 6th of
+May, the First Brigade of Missouri militia, under Gen. D.M. Frost, was
+ordered by Gov. Jackson into camp at St. Louis, avowedly for purposes of
+drill and exercise. At the same time encampments were formed, by order
+of the governor, in other parts of the State. The governor's adherents
+in St. Louis intimated that the time for taking the arsenal had arrived,
+and the indiscreet young men who made up the First Brigade openly
+declared that they only awaited an order from Gov. Jackson--an order
+which they evidently had been led to expect--to attack the arsenal and
+possess it, in spite of the feeble opposition they calculated to meet
+from 'the Dutch' Home Guards enlisted to defend it. A few days
+previously, an agent of the governor had purchased at St. Louis several
+hundred kegs of gun-powder, and succeeded, by an adroit stratagem, in
+shipping it to Jefferson City. The encampment at St. Louis, 'Camp
+Jackson,' so called from the governor, was laid off by streets, to which
+were assigned the names 'Rue de Beauregard,' and others similarly
+significant; and when among the visitors whom curiosity soon began to
+bring to the camp a 'Black Republican' was discovered by the
+soldiers,--and this epithet was applied to all unconditional
+Unionists,--he was treated with unmistakable coldness, if not positive
+insult. If additional proof of the hostile designs entertained against
+the federal authority by this camp were needed, it was furnished on
+Thursday, the 9th, by the reception within the camp of several pieces of
+cannon, and several hundred stand of small arms, taken from the federal
+arsenal at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was then in the possession of
+the rebels. These arms were brought to St. Louis by the steamboat _J.C.
+Swon_, the military authorities at Cairo having been deceived by the
+packages, which were represented to contain marble slabs. On the arrival
+of the _Swon_ at the St. Louis levee, the arms were taken from her, sent
+to Camp Jackson, and received there with demonstrations of triumph.
+
+When Capt. Lyon was entrusted with full command at St. Louis, President
+Lincoln had named, in his orders to him, a commission of six loyal and
+discreet citizens with whom he should consult in matters pertaining to
+the public safety, and with whose counsel he might declare martial law.
+These citizens were John How, Samuel T. Glover, O.D. Filley, Jean J.
+Witsig, James O. Broadhead, and Col. Frank P. Blair. The last
+mentioned--Colonel Blair--was Capt. Lyon's confidential and constant
+companion. They were comrades in arms, and a unit in counsel. Their
+views were in full accord as to the necessity of immediately reducing
+Camp Jackson. Defiance was daily passing between the marshalling hosts,
+not face to face, but through dubious partisans who passed from camp to
+camp, flitting like the bats of fable in the confines of conflict. Capt.
+Lyon's decision, urged thereto by Col. Blair, was made without calling a
+council of the rest of his advisers. They heard of it, however, and,
+though brave and loyal men all, they gathered around him in his quarters
+at the arsenal, Thursday evening, and besought him earnestly to change
+his purpose. The conference was protracted the livelong night, and did
+not close till six o'clock, Friday morning, the 10th. They found Capt.
+Lyon inexorable,--the fate of Camp Jackson was decreed. Col. Blair's
+regiment was at Jefferson Barracks, ten miles below the arsenal, at that
+hour. It was ordered up; and about noon on that memorable Friday, Capt.
+Lyon quietly left the arsenal gate at the head of six thousand troops,
+of whom four hundred and fifty were regulars, the remainder United
+States Reserve Corps or Home Guards, marched in two columns to Camp
+Jackson, and before the State troops could recover from the amazement
+into which the appearance of the advancing army threw them, surrounded
+the camp, planting his batteries upon the elevations around, at a
+distance of five hundred yards, and stationing his infantry in the roads
+leading from the grove wherein their tents were pitched. The State
+troops were taken completely by surprise; for, although there had been
+vague reports current in camp of an intended attack from the arsenal,
+the cry of the visitors at the grove, 'They're coming!' 'They're
+coming!' raised just as the first column appeared in sight, found them
+strolling leisurely under the trees, chatting with their friends from
+the city, or stretched upon the thick green grass, smoking and reading.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+BEAUFORT DISTRICT,--PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
+
+
+The sovereign State of South Carolina seems from the beginning to have
+been actuated by the desire not only to mold its institutions according
+to a system differing entirely from that of its sister States, but even
+to divide its territory in a peculiar manner, for which reason we find
+in it 'districts' taking the place of counties. The south-west of these
+bears the name of its principal town, 'Beaufort.' It is bounded on the
+west by the Savannah River, and on the south by the Atlantic. Its length
+from north to south is fifty-eight miles, its breadth thirty-three
+miles, and it contains about one and a quarter millions of acres of land
+and water. Considered geologically, Beaufort is one of the most
+remarkable sections of the United States. As recent events have brought
+it so prominently before us, we propose to consider its history,
+capacities, and prospects.
+
+From its proximity to the Spanish settlements in the peninsula of
+Florida, its beautiful harbors and sounds were early explored and taken
+possession of by the Spaniards. It is now certain they had established a
+post here called 'Fort St. Phillip,' at St. Elena,[B] as early as
+1566-7; this was probably situated on the south-western point of St.
+Helena Island, and some remains of its entrenchment can still be traced.
+From this fort Juan Pardo, its founder, proceeded on an expedition to
+the north-west, and explored a considerable part of the present States
+of South Carolina and Georgia.
+
+How long the Spaniards remained here is now uncertain, but they long
+claimed all this coast as far north as Cape Fear. The French planted a
+colony in South Carolina, and gave the name Port Royal to the harbor and
+what is now called Broad River; but they were driven off by the
+Spaniards, and history is silent as to any incidents of their rule for a
+century. In 1670 a few emigrants arrived in a ship commanded by Capt.
+Hilton, and landed at what is now known as 'Hilton's Head,' the
+south-western point of Port Royal harbor, which still perpetuates his
+name. The colony was under the management of Col. Sayle; but the
+Spaniards at St. Augustine still claimed the domains, and the settlers,
+fearing an attack, soon removed to the site of Old Charleston, on Ashley
+River. In 1682, Lord Cardoss led a small band from Scotland hither,
+which settled on Port Royal Island, near the present site of Beaufort.
+He claimed co-ordinate authority with the governor and council at
+Charleston. During the discussion of this point the Spaniards sent an
+armed force and dislodged the English, most of whom returned to their
+native country. A permanent settlement was finally made on Port Royal
+Island in 1700. The town of Beaufort was laid out in 1717, and an
+Episcopal church erected in 1720. The name was given from a town in
+Anjou, France, the birthplace of several of the Huguenot settlers.
+
+For many years the Spaniards threatened the coast as far north as
+Charleston, but the settlement increased, and extended over St. Helena
+and other islands. Slavery was here coeval with settlement, and the
+peculiar institution was so earnestly fostered, that in 1724 it was
+estimated that South Carolina contained 18,000 slaves to only 14,000
+whites. The slaves were mostly natives of Africa of recent importation,
+and were poorly adapted to clear up the forests and prepare the way for
+extensive plantations, but their cost was small, and every year they
+improved in capacity and value. In the succeeding half century were laid
+the fortunes of the prominent families who have controlled the district,
+and often greater interests, to our day. Grants of land could be had
+almost for the asking, especially by men of influence; and fertile
+islands were given, containing hundreds and sometimes thousands of
+acres, to a single family, who have here been monarchs of all they
+survey, including hundreds of slaves, till _the Hegira_ or _flight_ A.D.
+1861.
+
+When we take into account the salubrity of the climate and the fertility
+of the soil, we must allow that this district has many natural
+advantages which can not be excelled by any section of the same extent
+in this country. A considerable part of the district is composed of
+islands, which are supposed to be of a comparatively recent formation,
+many of them beautiful to the eye, and rich in agricultural facilities;
+they are in number upwards of fifty, not less than thirty of them being
+of large size. Upon the sea-coast are Reynolds, Prentice, Chaplins,
+Eddings, Hilton Head, Dawfuskie, Turtle, and the Hunting Islands. Behind
+these lie St. Helena, Pinckney, Paris, Port Royal, Ladies', Cane,
+Bermuda, Discane, Bells, Daltha, Coosa, Morgan, Chissolm, Williams
+Harbor, Kings, Cahoussue, Fording, Barnwell, Whale, Delos, Hall, Lemon,
+Barrataria, Lopes, Hoy, Savage, Long, Round, and Jones Islands. These
+are from one to ten miles in length, and usually a proportional half in
+width. St. Helena is over twenty miles in extent, and could well support
+an agricultural population of twenty thousand. Port Royal is next in
+size, but, being of a more sandy formation, is not so fertile. These
+islands are all of an alluvial formation,--the result of the action of
+the rivers and the sea. There is no rock of any kind, not even a pebble
+stone, to be found in the whole district.
+
+The soil of these islands is composed mostly of a fine sandy loam, very
+easily cultivated. In most of them are swamps and marshes, which serve
+to furnish muck and other vegetable deposits for fertilizing; but the
+idea of furnishing anything to aid the long over-worked soil seems to
+these proprietors like returning to the slave some of the earnings taken
+from him or his ancestors, and is seldom done till nature is at last
+exhausted, and then it is allowed only a few years' repose. Situated
+under the parallel of 32°, there is scarcely a product grown in our
+country, of any value, that can not be produced here. Previous to the
+Revolution the principal staple for market was indigo, and that raised
+in this district always commanded the highest price. It was from the
+proceeds of this plant that the planters were enabled for a long period
+to purchase slaves and European and northern American productions. Soon
+after the Revolution their attention was turned to cotton; but the
+difficulty of separating it from the seed seemed to make it impossible
+to furnish it in any profitable quantity, for so slow was the process
+then followed that, with the utmost diligence, a negro could not, by
+hand labor, clean over a few pounds per day. The genius of Whitney,
+however, opened a new era to the cotton planters, who were much more
+eager to avail themselves of his invention than to remunerate him. It
+was soon perceived that the cotton raised on these islands was far
+superior to that produced in the interior, which is still called Upland,
+only to distinguish it from the 'Sea Island.' It was also noticed that
+while the common variety produced a seed nearly green with a rough skin,
+the seed of the islands soon became black with a smooth skin; the effect
+entirely of location and climate, as it soon resumes its original color
+when transported back to the interior. The cultivation of this variety
+is limited to a tract of country of about one hundred and fifty miles in
+length, and not over twenty-five miles in breadth, mostly on lands
+adjacent to the salt water, the finest 'grades' being confined to the
+islands within this district. It is true that black-seed cotton is
+cultivated to some extent along the coast from Georgetown, S.C., to St.
+Augustine, but a great part of it is of an inferior quality and staple,
+and brings in the market less than one-half the price of the real 'Sea
+Island.' This plant seems to delight in the soft and elastic atmosphere
+from the Gulf Stream, and, after it is 'well up,' requires but a few
+showers through the long summer to perfect it. It is of feeble growth,
+particularly on the worn-out lands, and two hundred pounds is a good
+yield from an acre. An active hand can tend four acres, besides an acre
+of corn and 'ground provisions;' but with a moderate addition of
+fertilizers and rotation of crops no doubt these productions would be
+doubled. If the yield seems small, the price, however, makes it one of
+the most profitable products known. The usual quotations for choice Sea
+Islands in Charleston market has been for many years about four times as
+great as for the middling qualities of Uplands,--probably an average of
+from thirty-five to forty-five cents per pound; and for particular
+brands[C] sixty to seventy cents is often paid. The writer has seen a
+few bales, of a most beautiful color and length of staple, which sold
+for eighty cents, when middling Uplands brought but ten cents per pound.
+It is mostly shipped to France, where it is used for manufacturing the
+finest laces, and contributes largely to the texture of fancy silks,
+particularly the cheaper kinds for the American market. After passing
+above the flow of the salt water, but within the rise of the tide, there
+is a wide alluvial range along the rivers and creeks, which, by a system
+of embankments, can be flowed or drained at pleasure. This is cultivated
+with rice, and, if properly cared for, yields enormous crops, sometimes
+of sixty bushels to an acre. The land is composed of a mass of muck,
+often ten feet deep and inexhaustible, and never suffers from drought.
+This land is very valuable, one hundred dollars often being paid per
+acre for large plantations. Much rice land, however, remains uncleared
+for want of the enterprise and perseverance necessary to its
+improvement.
+
+Farther in the interior the land is principally of a sandy formation,
+most of it underlaid with clay. Very little effort is, however, made by
+planters to cultivate it, although it is very easily worked, and with a
+little manuring yields fair crops of corn and sweet potatoes. The cereal
+grains are seldom cultivated, but no doubt they would yield well. A
+large portion of the main-land is composed of swamps, of which only
+enough have been reclaimed to make it certain that here is a mine of
+wealth to those gifted with the energy to improve it. The soil is as
+fertile as the banks of the Nile, and nowhere could agricultural
+enterprise meet with such certainly profitable returns. Recurring again
+to the agricultural capacity of the islands, it is certain that good
+crops of sugar-cane can be grown on them. During the war of 1812, the
+planters turned their attention to it, and succeeded well, since which
+time many of them have continued to plant enough for their own use; but
+this plant soon exhausts such a soil, unless some fertilizer is used,
+and they therefore prefer cotton, which draws a large part of its
+sustenance from the atmosphere alone. The sweet and wild orange grows
+here, and some extensive groves are to be seen. Figs are produced in
+abundance from September till Christmas. Gardens furnish abundant
+vegetables, yielding green peas in March and Irish potatoes in May,
+while numerous tribes of beautiful flowers hold high carnival for more
+than half the year.
+
+This seems to be the true home of the rose, which is found blooming from
+March until Christmas. Many of the rare climbing varieties of this
+flower, which we see at the North only as small specimens in
+green-houses, grow here in wild profusion. The grape is represented by
+many species indigenous to this State alone, and could, no doubt, be
+cultivated and produced in greater variety and perfection than elsewhere
+on this continent, as the climate is more equable. A species of Indian
+corn, called 'white flint corn,' and which when cooked is very
+nutritious and white as snow, seems indigenous to these islands. It is
+much superior to the common varieties.
+
+Of the sylva we will only say, it is equal in value and variety to that
+of any section of our country. Here is the home of the palmetto[D] or
+cabbage tree, the only palm in our wide country. The live oak, once so
+abundant, has, however, been largely cut off, mostly to supply our
+navy-yards, and some of the ships built from it are now blockading the
+very harbors from which it was carried. The pitch pine is the common
+growth of the interior, and under a new system would form a valuable
+article of commerce as lumber, and as yielding the _now_ so much
+required turpentine. Of wild animals and birds, here are to be found a
+large variety. The Hunting Islands and others are well stocked with
+deer. During the winter wild, geese and ducks abound, and a variety of
+fish, with fine oysters, can be had at all seasons.
+
+We now come to consider the present inhabitants of this district. The
+whites are almost entirely the descendants of the earliest settlers of
+this State, who were English,[E] Scotch, and Protestant Irish, with a
+slight infusion of the Huguenot and Swiss elements. A century and a half
+has rendered them homogeneous. As there has never been any interest here
+other than agriculture, and as every man may be said to own the
+plantation he cultivates, there has been as little change of property or
+condition as possible, and therefore the same land and system of
+cultivation has passed from father to son through four or five
+generations. Had there been any emigration or change of population, some
+alterations, and most likely new enterprise and vigor, would have been
+infused, and more modern and national feeling have been instituted for
+their narrow and sectional prejudices. No doubt our national character
+has been much influenced by the division of land. Where this has been
+nearly equal, as in our New England towns, a republican form of
+government has been almost a necessity. But at the South an entirely
+different arrangement has prevailed. Land was at first distributed in
+large bodies fitted to accommodate a state of slavery; and the
+consequence was that a feudal system was inaugurated from the
+settlement, which has continued with increasing power. This has been one
+of the permanent causes of Southern pride and exclusiveness.
+
+The inhabitants of South Carolina and Virginia previous to the
+Revolution were very supercilious towards the North, and even to their
+less opulent neighbors of Georgia and North Carolina; a feeling which
+was often the cause of much antagonism among the officers and soldiers
+during the war. Charleston and Williamsburg gave the tone to good
+society, and it was haughty and aristocratic in the extreme. While
+Virginia has for the last half century been in a state of comparative
+decay, South Carolina has, by its culture of cotton and rice, just been
+able to hold its own; but the pride and exclusiveness of its people have
+increased much faster than its material interests. Although the
+Constitution of the United States guarantees to every State a republican
+form of government, no thinking person who has resided for a single week
+within the limits of South Carolina can have failed to see and feel
+that a tyranny equal to that of Austria exists there. The freedom of
+opinion and its expression were not permitted. Strangers were always
+under espionage, and public opinion, controlled by an oligarchy of
+slave-holders, overruled laws and private rights. Nowhere, even in South
+Carolina, was this feeling of _hauteur_ so strong as in that portion of
+the State which we are describing. On the large plantations the owners
+ruled with power unlimited over life and property, and could a faithful
+record be found it would prove one of vindictive oppression, productive
+oftentimes of misery and bloodshed. Most of the wealthier planters in
+the district have residences at Beaufort, to which they remove during
+the summer months to escape the malaria arising from the soil around
+their inland houses. This place may be considered the home of the
+aristocracy. Here reside the Barnwells,[F] Heywards, Rhetts[G](formerly
+called Smiths,) Stuarts, Means, Sams, Fullers,[H] Elliots,[I] Draytons
+and others, altogether numbering about fifty families, but bearing not
+more than twenty different names, who rule and control the country for
+forty miles around. This is the most complete and exclusive approach to
+'nobility' of blood and feeling on our continent. Nowhere else is family
+pride carried to such an extent. They look with supercilious disdain on
+every useful employment, save only the planting of cotton and rice.
+Nothing in any of our large cities can equal the display of equipages,
+with their profusion of servants in livery, exhibited on pleasant
+afternoons, when the mothers and daughters of these cotton lords take
+their accustomed airing. So powerfully has this feeling of exclusiveness
+prevailed that no son or daughter dares marry out of their circle. For a
+long series of years has this custom prevailed, and the consequence is
+that the families above named are nearly of a common blood; and it needs
+no physiologist to tell us the invariable effect arising from this
+transgression of natural laws, on the physical and mental faculties of
+both sexes. In such a state of society is it strange that the present
+generation should have grown up with ideas better suited to the castes
+of India than to those of republican America? As a consequence they
+consider their condition more elevated than that of their neighbors in
+the adjoining States, and of almost imperial consideration. But no
+language can express their bitter contempt for the people of the North,
+more particularly for those of New England birth.
+
+In perusing the history and progress of any portion of our country, the
+statistics of population become an interesting study. Let us glance over
+a brief table, showing what the increase has been in this district for
+the past forty years, and its miserable deficiency in physical means of
+strength and defense. In 1820 the district contained 32,000 souls, of
+which there were 4,679 whites and 27,339 slaves, and 141 free blacks. In
+1860 there were 6,714 whites and 32,500 slaves, and 800 free blacks,
+making a total of 40,014,--an increase of whites of 2,035, of slaves
+5,161, of free blacks 650:--total increase 7,855 in forty years. Here we
+have nearly the largest disproportion of whites to slaves in any part of
+the South. Of the 6,714 whites, about 1,000 are probably men over
+twenty-one years of age, and it is not to be presumed that an equal
+number are capable of bearing arms. Is it possible to find anywhere a
+community more helpless for its own protection or defense? It is one of
+the truths of science and philosophy that nature, when forced beyond its
+own powers and laws, will react, and again restore its own supremacy. So
+we here find a magnificent space of country, rich in all natural
+requisites, and unsurpassed in its capabilities of producing not only
+the necessaries of life, but its luxuries, having an exclusive right to
+some of the most valuable staples of the world, which has been for a
+century and a half the abode of an imperious few, who have, by
+tyrannical power, wrung from the bones and muscles of generations of
+poor Africans the means to sustain their luxury, power, and pride. They
+have also robbed from the mother earth the fertility of its soil to its
+utmost extent, leaving much of it completely exhausted. This state of
+things has reacted on them; it has made them proud, domineering,
+ambitious, and revengeful of fancied injuries. It has hurried them into
+rebellion against the best government the world ever saw,--and this has
+at last brought with it its own punishment and retribution. It has
+placed their soil, their mansions, their crops and poor slaves in the
+possession of the hated men of the North, and under the laws and control
+of the government they affected to despise. When the last gun had
+sounded from the ramparts at Port Royal, and the Stars and Stripes again
+resumed their supremacy on the soil of South Carolina, a new era dawned
+over these beautiful islands and waters, and the day that witnessed the
+retreat of the rebel forces should hereafter mark, like the flight of
+Mahomet, the inauguration of a new dispensation for this land and its
+people. Let us, therefore, in continuing our chronicles, cast the
+horoscope, and, without claiming any spirit of prophecy, show the duties
+of our nation in this contingency, and the beneficial results that must
+flow from it, if carried out with the energy, perseverance, and
+practical Christianity due to our country and the age in which we live.
+
+The accession to any government of new territory brings with it new
+duties, which it is always important should be performed with energy and
+decision, so that the greatest good, to the greatest number, may be the
+result. A good Providence has placed the domain under consideration in
+our possession. Its political condition is to us unique, and almost
+embarrassing. If the question is asked, 'Can we hold and dispose of a
+part, or whole, of a sovereign State as a conquered province?' the
+answer must be in the affirmative. Government is supreme, and must be
+exercised, particularly to protect the weak, and for the general good of
+the whole nation. Here is a region, as fair as the sun shines upon, now
+in a great measure deserted and lying waste. What is to be done with it?
+and what is our duty in this exigency? The first want is a government,
+for without a proper one no progress can be made. Let Congress then at
+once establish a territorial government over so much of the State as we
+now have in our possession, and over what we may in future obtain;--not
+a government to exhibit pomp, and show, but one practical and useful,
+with a court and its proper officers. Let every large unrepresented
+estate be placed in the hands of a temporary administrator, who should
+be a practical and honest man, and held to a strict account for all
+properties entrusted to his keeping, and who should act also as guardian
+to the slaves belonging to the estate. Then enforce the collection of a
+tax; and if the owner comes forward within sixty days, pays the tax,
+takes the oath of allegiance, and agrees to remain in the territory and
+assist in enforcing and executing the laws, during that and the
+succeeding year, let him resume his property, and be protected in all
+his rights. But in default of any loyal response from the proprietor,
+the property should be disposed of, in moderate quantities, to actual
+settlers, who should be bound to do duty for its defense, whenever
+called upon.
+
+But then comes the great difficulty, the disposition of the slaves,--the
+great question which has so long been discussed as a theory, and which
+now has to be met as a practical measure. Let us meet it as men and
+patriots, and, rising above the clamor of fanatics, or the proclamations
+of new-fangled and demagoguing brigadiers, look at the permanent result
+to our whole country, and the real good of the African race.
+
+Humanity, society, and property, all have claims and acknowledged
+rights; let them all be considered. It is well known that the slaves on
+these islands have always been kept in a state of greater ignorance of
+the world and all practical matters than those inhabiting the border
+States, or where there is a larger proportion of whites, with whom they
+often labor and associate. To emancipate them at once would be to do a
+great wrong to the white man, to the property, in whatever hands it
+might be, and a still greater injury to the slave. There can be but one
+way of disposing of this question which will satisfy the nation, and
+quiet the fears of the conservative, and preserve the hopes of the
+radical, which is, to pursue a _middle_ course--a policy which shall as
+nearly as possible equalize the question to all parties. Let the slave
+be retained on the plantation where he is found; and, as no race are so
+much attached to their own locality, so let them remain, place them
+under a proper system of APPRENTICESHIP, with a mild code of laws, where
+every right shall be protected, where suitable instruction, civil and
+religious, shall be given, and where the marriage rite shall be
+administered and respected. Under such laws and beneficent institutions,
+this territory would soon be settled by men from the West, the North,
+and from Europe, intelligent, enterprising, and industrious, who would
+retrieve its worn-out fields, and introduce new systems of culture, with
+all the modern labor-saving utensils. With kind treatment and new hopes,
+the simple sons of Africa would have inducements to labor and to await
+with patient hope the future and its rewards. Then would Beaufort
+District become what the Giver of all good designed it to be--the abode
+of an industrious, peaceful, and prosperous community. The production of
+its great staple, 'Sea-Island cotton,' would be immensely increased, and
+its quality improved, till it rivaled the silks of the Old World. The
+yield of rice would be doubled, and its gardens and orchards would
+supply the North with fruits now known only to the tropics.
+
+So soon as the new government was fairly inaugurated, and the condition
+of the land and its future cultivation settled, a movement would of
+necessity be made to found here a city which would be the great
+commercial metropolis of the South.
+
+Charleston was 'located' at the wrong place, simply with the object of
+being as distant as possible from the Spanish settlements, and has
+always suffered from an insufficient depth of water on its bars to
+accommodate the largest class of merchant ships. It has barely sixteen
+feet of water at high tide, and ships loaded as lightly as possible
+have often been obliged to wait for weeks to enter or leave the port. A
+decrease of one or two feet in its main channel would, in its palmiest
+days, have been fatal to its prosperity. The sinking of a dozen ships
+loaded with stone has no doubt placed a permanent barrier to the
+entrance of all but a small class of vessels. The ships themselves may
+soon be displaced or destroyed by the sea-worm, but the New England
+granite will prove a lasting monument to the folly and madness of the
+rebellion. The destruction of the best part of the city by fire seems
+also to show that Providence has designed it to be ranked only with the
+cities of the past.
+
+The productions of South Carolina have always been large and valuable,
+and since the completion of their system of railroad facilities they
+have greatly increased; therefore a commercial city is a necessity, and
+Port Royal must be its locality. Here is the noblest harbor south of the
+Chesapeake, with a draught of water of from twenty-five to thirty feet,
+enough for the largest-sized ships, and sufficient anchorage room for
+all the navies of the world. Our government should here have a naval
+depot to take the place of Norfolk, since there is no more suitable
+place on the whole coast. In this connection the name, Royal Port, is
+truly significant.
+
+The precise locality for the new city can not now be indicated, but we
+would suggest the point some two miles south-west of Beaufort, which
+would give it a position not unlike New York. It would have the straight
+Broad River for its Hudson, with a fine channel on the south and east
+communicating with numerous sounds and rivers. Its situation on an
+island of about the same length as Manhattan completes the parallel.
+
+The value of the produce conveyed over the sounds and rivers connecting
+with Port Royal, by sloops and steamers, must be counted by millions of
+dollars. We may estimate the crop of Sea-Island cotton at about fifteen
+thousand bales, or six millions of pounds, and of rice about fifty
+million pounds. Yankee enterprise would soon double the amount, and add
+to it an immense bulk of naval stores and lumber.
+
+But this is but a moiety of what the exports would be. A branch railroad
+only ten miles long would connect this port with all the railroads of
+South Carolina and Georgia, which, diverging from Charleston and
+Savannah, spread themselves over a large part of five States. This road
+would make tributary to this place a vast district of country.
+
+Savannah, which has for the last few years competed with Charleston for
+this trade, will soon feel the power of the government, and it must
+yield up a large part of its business to the more favorable location of
+the new city.
+
+A few short years, and what a change may come over these beautiful
+islands and the waters that hold them in its embrace! A fair city,
+active with its commerce and manufactures, wharves and streets lined
+with stores and dwellings, interspersed with churches and schools,
+inhabited by people from every section of our country, and from every
+part of Europe, all interested to improve their own condition, and all
+combining to add strength and wealth to the Union which they agree to
+respect, love, honor, and defend!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE ANTE-NORSE DISCOVERERS OF AMERICA.
+
+
+I. THE MYTHICAL ERA.
+
+Who were the first settlers in America?
+
+Within a few years our school-books pointed to Cristoval Colon, or
+Columbus, and his crew, as the first within the range of history who
+'passed far o'er the ocean blue' to this hemisphere. Now, however, even
+the school-books--generally the last to announce novel truths--say
+something of the Norsemen in America, though they frequently do it in a
+discrediting and discreditable way. However, the old Vikings have
+triumphed once more, even in their graves, and Professor Rafn can prove
+as conclusively that his fierce ancestry trod the soil of Boston as that
+the Mayflower Puritans followed in their footsteps. It is a dim old
+story, laid away in Icelandic manuscripts, and confirmed by but few
+relics on our soil; yet it is strong enough to give New England a link
+to the Middle Ages of Europe, with their wildest romance and strangest
+elements. It is pleasant to think that far back in the night there
+walked for a short season on these shores great men of that hearty
+Norse-Teuton race which in after times flowed through France into
+England, and from England through the long course of ages hitherward.
+Among the old Puritan names of New England there is more than one which
+may be found in the roll of Battle Abbey, and through the Norse-Norman
+spelling of which we trace the family origin of fierce sea-kings in
+their lowland isles or rocky lairs on the Baltic.
+
+But there are older links existing between America and Europe than this
+of the Norseman. Of these the first is indeed buried in mystery--leading
+us back into that sombre twilight of 'symbolism,' as the Germans
+somewhat obscurely call the study of the early ages whose records are
+lost, and which can only be traced by reflection in the resemblances
+between mythologies which argue a common origin, and the monuments
+remaining, which seem to establish it. Yes, America has this in common
+with every country of Asia, Europe, and Africa: she has relics which
+indicate that at one time she was inhabited by a race which had perhaps
+the same faith, the same stupendous nature-worship, with that of the Old
+World, and which was, to reason by analogy, _possibly_ identified by the
+same language and customs. What _was_ this race, this religion, this
+language? Who shall answer? Men like Faber, and Higgins, and Lajard,
+with scores of others, have unweariedly gathered together all the points
+of resemblance between the religions and mythologies of the Hindus and
+Egyptians and Chinese, the Druids and the Phenicians, the Etruscans and
+the Scandinavians, and old Sclavonic heathen, and found in and between
+and through them all a startling identity: everywhere the Serpent,
+everywhere the Queen of Heaven with her child, everywhere the cup of
+life and the bread and honey of the mysteries, with the salt of the
+orgie, everywhere a thousand fibres twining and trailing into each other
+in bewildering confusion, indicating a common origin, yet puzzling
+beyond all hope those who seek to find it. So vast is the wealth of
+material which opens on the scholar who seeks to investigate this common
+origin of mythologies, and with them the possible early identity of
+races and of languages, that he is almost certain to soon bury himself
+in a hypothesis and become lost in some blind alley of the great
+labyrinth.
+
+Certain points appear to have once existed in common to nations on every
+part of the earth previous to authentic history, and in these America
+had probably more or less her share, as appears from certain monuments
+and relics of her early races. They are as follows:--
+
+1. A worship of nature, based on the inscrutable mystery of generation
+with birth and death. As these two extremes caused each other, they were
+continually _identified_ in the religious myth or symbol employed to
+represent either.
+
+2. This great principle of action, developing itself into birth and
+death, was regarded as being symbolized in every natural object, and
+corresponding with these there were created myths, or 'stories,' setting
+forth the principal mystery of nature in a thousand poetic forms.
+
+3. The formula according to which all myths were shaped was that of
+transition, or _the passing through_. The germ, in the mother or in the
+plant, which after its sleep reappeared in life, was also recognized in
+Spring, or Adonis, coming to light and warmth after the long death of
+winter in the womb of the earth. The ark, which floats on the waters,
+bearing within it the regenerator, signified the same; so did the cup or
+horn into which the wine of life was poured and from which it was drunk;
+so too did nuts, or any object capable of representing latent existence.
+The passing into a cavern through a door between pillars or rocky
+passes, or even the wearing of rings, all intimated the same
+mystery--the going into and the coming forth into renewed life.
+
+4. But the great active principle which lay at the foundation of the
+mystery of birth and death, or of action, was set forth by the
+serpent--the type of good and evil, of life and destruction--the first
+intelligence. It is the constant recurrence of this symbol among the
+early monuments of America, as of the Old World, which proves most
+conclusively the existence at one time of a common religion, or
+'cultus.' It was probably meant to signify water from its wavy curves,
+and the snake-like course of rivers, as inundation seems to have been,
+according to early faith, the most prolific source of the destruction of
+nature, and yet the most active in its revival.
+
+There are in Brittany vast lines of massy Druidic stones, piled
+sometimes for leagues in regular order, in such a manner as to represent
+colossal serpents. Those who will consult the French _Dracontia_ will be
+astonished at the labor expended on these strange temples. Squier has
+shown that the earth-works of the West represent precisely the same
+symbol. Mexico and South America abound, like Europe and the East, in
+serpent emblems; they twine around the gods; they are gods themselves;
+they destroy as Typhon, and give life in the hands of Esculapius.
+
+In the United States, as in Europe and in the East, there are found in
+steep places, by difficult paths, always near the banks of streams,
+narrow, much-worn passages in rocks, through which one person[J] can
+barely squeeze, and which were evidently not intended for ordinary
+travel. The passing through these places was enjoined on religious
+votaries, as indicating respect for the great principle of regeneration.
+The peasants of Europe, here and there, at the present day, continue to
+pass through these rock or cave doors, 'for luck.' It was usual, after
+the transition, whether into a cave, where mysteries, feasts, and orgies
+were held, significant of 'the revival,' or merely through a narrow
+way,--to bathe in the invariably neighboring river; the serpent-river or
+water which drowns organic life, yet without which it dies.
+
+In England, at a comparatively recent period, and even yet occasionally
+in Scandinavia, the peasantry plighted their troth by passing their
+hands through the hole in the 'Odin-stones,' and clasping them. Beads
+and wedding rings and 'fairy-stones,' or those found with holes in them,
+were all linked to the same faith which rendered sacred every
+resemblance to the 'passing through.' The graves of both North and
+South America contain abundant evidence of the sacredness in which the
+same objects were held. I have a singularly-shaped soapstone ornament,
+taken from an Indian grave, whose perforation indicates the
+'fairy-stone.' The religious legends of Mexico and of Peru are too
+identical with many of the Old World to be passed over as coincidences;
+the gold images of Chiriqui, with their Baal bell-ringing figures, and
+serpent-girt, pot-bellied phallic idols, are too strikingly like those
+of _Old_ Ireland and of the East not to suggest some far-away common
+origin. I have good authority for saying that almost every symbol,
+whether of cup or dove, serpent or horn, flower or new moon, boat or
+egg, common to Old World mythology, may be found set forth or preserved
+with the emphasis of religious emblems in the graves or ruined temples
+of ancient North America.
+
+The mass of evidence which has been accumulated by scholars illustrative
+of a common origin of mythologies and a centralization of them around
+the serpent; or, as G.S. Faber will have it, the Ark; or, as some think,
+the heavenly bodies; or, as others claim, simply a worship of paternity
+and maternity,--is immense. Why they should claim separate precedence
+for symbols, all of which set forth the one great mystery how GOD
+'weaves and works in action's storm,' is only explicable on the ground
+that 'every scholar likes to have his own private little pet
+hypothesis.' Enough, however, may be found to show that this stupendous
+nature-worship _was_ held the world over,--_possibly_ in the days of a
+single language,--in America as in ancient Italy, or around the sacred
+mountain-crags of India; in Lebanon as in Ireland, in the garden-lands
+of Assyria, and in the isles of the South.
+
+Yet all this is as yet, for the truly scientific ethnologist, only
+half-fact, indefinite, belonging to the cloud-land of fable. The poet or
+the thinker, yearning for a new basis of art, may find in the immense
+mass of legends and symbols an identification between all the forms of
+nature in a vast harmony and mutual reflection of every beautiful
+object; but for the man of facts it is unformed, not arranged, useless.
+We know not the color of the race or races which piled the Western
+mounds; their languages are lost; they are vague mist-gods, living in a
+dimmer medium than that of mere tradition. So ends the first period of
+intercommunication between Asia--the probable birthplace of the old
+mythology--and America.
+
+
+II. THE CHINESE DISCOVERERS OF MEXICO IN THE FIFTH CENTURY.
+
+But there is a second link, ere we come to the Norsemen, which is strong
+enough to merit the favorable consideration of the scientific man, for
+it rests on evidence worthy serious investigation. I refer to the fact
+that the Chinese-Annals, or Year Books,--which, according to good
+authority, have been well kept, and which are certainly prosaic and
+blue-bookish enough in their mass of dry details of embassies and
+expenditures to be highly credible,--testify that in the fifth century
+the Chinese learned the situation of the great peninsula Aliaska, which
+they named Tahan, or Great China. Beyond this, at the end of the fifth
+century,--be it observed that the advances in discovery correspond in
+time in the records,--they discovered a land which Deguignes long after
+identified with the north-west coast of America. With each discovery,
+the people of these new lands were compelled, or were represented at
+court as having been compelled, to send ambassadors wife tribute to the
+Central Realm, or China.
+
+But there had been unofficial Chinese travelers in Western America, and
+even in Mexico itself, before this time. Those who have examined the
+history of that vast religious movement of Asia which, contemporary with
+Christianity, shook the hoary faiths of the East, while a higher and
+purer doctrine was overturning those of the West, are aware that it had
+many external points or forms in common with those of the later Roman
+church, which have long been a puzzle to the wise. To say nothing of
+mitres, tapers, violet robes, rosaries, bells, convents, auricular
+confession, and many other singular identities, the early Buddhist
+church distinguished itself by a truly catholic zeal for the making of
+converts, and, to effect this, sent its emissaries to Central Africa and
+Central Russia; from the Sclavonian frontier on the west to China,
+Japan, and the farthest Russian isles of the east. On they went; who
+shall say where they paused? We know that there are at this day in St.
+Petersburg certain books on black paper taken from a Buddhist temple
+found in a remote northern corner of Russia. It was much less of an
+undertaking, and much less singular, that Chinese priests should pass,
+by short voyages, from island to island, almost over the proposed
+Russian route for the Pacific telegraph to America. That they _did so_
+is explicitly stated in the Year Books, which contain details relative
+to _Fusang_, or Mexico, where it is said of the inhabitants that 'in
+earlier times these people lived not according to the laws of Buddha.
+But it happened in the second "year-naming" "Great Light" of Song (A.D.
+458), that five beggar monks, from the kingdom Kipin, went to this land,
+extended over it the religion of Buddha, and with it his holy writings
+and images. They instructed the people in the principles of monastic
+life, and so changed their manners.'
+
+But I am anticipating my subject. In another chapter I propose, on the
+authority of Professor Neumann, a learned Sinologist of Munich, to set
+forth the proofs that in the last year of the fifth century a Buddhist
+priest, bearing the cloister name of Hoei-schin, or Universal
+Compassion, returned from America, and gave for the first time an
+official account of the country which he had visited, which account was
+recorded, and now remains as a simple fact among the annual registers of
+the government.
+
+[TO BE CONTINUED.]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE SPUR OF MONMOUTH.
+
+
+  'Twas a little brass half-circlet,
+    Deep gnawed by rust and stain,
+  That the farmer's urchin brought me,
+    Plowed up on old Monmouth plain;
+  On that spot where the hot June sunshine
+    Once a fire more deadly knew,
+  And a bloodier color reddened
+    Where the red June roses blew;--
+
+  Where the moon of the early harvest
+    Looked down through the shimmering leaves,
+  And saw where the reaper of battle
+    Had gathered big human sheaves.
+  Old Monmouth, so touched with glory--
+    So tinted with burning shame--
+  As Washington's pride we remember,
+    Or Lee's long tarnished name.
+
+  'Twas a little brass half-circlet;
+    And knocking the rust away,
+  And clearing the ends and the middle
+    From their buried shroud of clay,
+  I saw, through the damp of ages
+    And the thick disfiguring grime,
+  The buckle-heads and the rowel
+    Of a spur of the olden time.
+
+  And I said--what gallant horseman,
+    Who revels and rides no more,
+  Perhaps twenty years back, or fifty,
+    On his heel that weapon wore?
+  Was he riding away to his bridal,
+    When the leather snapped in twain?
+  Was he thrown and dragged by the stirrup,
+    With the rough stones crushing his brain?
+
+  Then I thought of the Revolution,
+    Whose tide still onward rolls--
+  Of the free and the fearless riders
+    Of the 'times that tried men's souls.'
+  What if, in the day of battle
+    That raged and rioted here,
+  It had dropped from the foot of a soldier,
+    As he rode in his mad career?
+
+  What if it had ridden with Forman,
+    When he leaped through the open door,
+  With the British dragoon behind him,
+    In his race o'er the granary floor?
+  What if--but the brain grows dizzy
+    With the thoughts of the rusted spur;
+  What if it had fled with Clinton,
+    Or charged with Aaron Burr?
+
+  But bravely the farmer's urchin
+    Had been scraping the rust away;
+  And cleansed from the soil that swathed it,
+    The spur before me lay.
+  Here are holes in the outer circle--
+    No common heel it has known,
+  For each space, I see by the setting,
+    Once held some precious stone.
+
+  And here--not far from the buckle--
+    Do my eyes deceive their sight?--
+  Two letters are here engraven,
+    That initial a hero's might!
+  'G.W.'! Saints of heaven!
+    Can such things in our lives occur?
+  Do I grasp such a priceless treasure?
+    Was this _George Washington's spur_?
+
+  Did the brave old _Pater Patrioe_
+    Wear that spur like a belted knight--
+  Wear it through gain and disaster,
+    From Cambridge to Monmouth flight?
+  Did it press his steed in hot anger
+    On Long Island's day of pain?
+  Did it drive him, at terrible Princeton,
+    'Tween two storms of leaden rain?
+
+  And here--did the buckle loosen,
+    And no eye look down to see,
+  When he rode to blast with the lightning
+    The shrinking eyes of Lee?
+  Did it fall, unfelt and unheeded,
+    When that fight of despair was won,
+  And Clinton, worn and discouraged,
+    Crept away at the set of sun?
+
+  The lips have long been silent
+    That could send an answer back;
+  And the spur, all broken and rusted,
+    Has forgotten its rider's track!
+  I only know that the pulses
+    Leap hot, and the senses reel,
+  When I think that the Spur of Monmouth
+    May have clasped George Washington's heel!
+
+  And if it be so, O Heaven,
+    That the nation's destiny holds,
+  And that maps the good and the evil
+    In the future's bewildering folds,
+  Send forth some man of the people,
+    Unspotted in heart and hand,
+  On his foot to buckle the relic,
+    And charge for a periled land!
+
+  There is fire in our fathers' ashes;
+    There is life in the blood they shed;
+  And not a hair unheeded
+    Shall fall from the nation's head.
+  Old bones of the saints and the martyrs
+    Spring up at the church's call:--
+  God grant that the Spur of Monmouth
+    Prove the mightiest relic of all!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE FATAL MARRIAGE OF BILL THE SOUNDSER.
+
+
+Reader, possibly you do not know what a 'Soundser' is. Then I will tell
+you. In the coastwise part of the State of New Jersey in which I live,
+numerous sounds and creeks everywhere divide and intersect the low,
+sea-skirting lands, wherein certain people are wont to cruise and delve
+for the sake of securing their products, and hence come to be known in
+our homely style as Soundsers. The fruitage afforded by these sounds is
+both manifold and of price. Throughout all the pleasant weather, they
+yield, with but little intermission, that gastronomic gem, the terrapin;
+the succulent, hard-shell clam, and the 'soft' crab; the deep-lurking,
+snowy-fleshed hake, or king-fish; the huge, bell-voiced drum, and that
+sheen-banded pride of American salt-water fishes, the sheepshead. During
+the waning weeks of May, and also with the continuance of dog-days, this
+already profuse bounty receives a goodly accession in the shape of vast
+flocks of willets, curlews, gray-backs, and other marine birds, which,
+with every ebb tide, resort to their shoaler bars and flats, to take on
+those layers of fat which the similarly well-conditioned old gentleman
+of the city finds so inexpressibly delicious. When the summer is once,
+over, and while the cold weather prevails, they furnish another and
+quite new set of dainties. Then the span-long, ripe, 'salt' oyster is to
+be had for the raking of their more solidly-bottomed basins; and all
+along their more retired nooks and harbors, the gunner, by taking proper
+precautions, may bring to bag the somewhat 'sedgy' but still
+well-flavored black duck, the tender widgeon, the buttery little
+bufflehead, the incomparable canvas-back, and the loud-shrieking,
+sharp-eyed wild goose. All this various booty is industriously secured
+by the 'soundsers,' to find, ere long, a ready market in the larger
+inland towns and cities. But united to this shooting, fishing, and
+oyster-catching, they have another 'trade' whose scene is on the waters,
+though it connects itself with the sea, rather than the sounds, and
+_this_ is 'wrecking.' They are prompt for this service whenever the
+occasion requires; indeed, I sometimes think they prefer it, dangerous
+though it be, before all others. Inured as they are to every sort of
+exposure, they are of course a tough and rugged race; and what with
+their diversity of occupation, calling, as it does, for a constant
+interchange of the use of the gun, net, boat, fishing line, and some one
+or other arm or edge tool, they are usually, nay, almost invariably,
+handy and quick-witted.
+
+By far the most notable 'soundser' our neighborhood ever bred was my
+hero, BILL. Physically, at least, he was a true wonder. He stood full
+six feet two, weighed eleven score pounds, and at the same time carried
+no more flesh than sufficed to hide the exact outline of his bones.
+Another man so strong as he I have never seen. I have repeatedly known
+him to lift and walk off with anchors weighing five and six hundred
+weight; and those big, thick hands of his could twist any horseshoe as
+if it were a girl's wreath. Certainly he was not in the least graceful;
+that 'ponderosity' of his could in no way be repressed. But he was still
+of rude comeliness, his shape being squarely fitted and tolerably
+proportioned, while his broad, red-maned visage wore a constant glow of
+plain, though sincere, kindliness and good-humor.
+
+As his physical man was uncommon, so he had uncommon mental endowments.
+He was the only 'soundser' I ever knew who understood farming. He had
+inherited a farmstead of some twenty-five or thirty acres, and this he
+soon had blooming as the rose. When occasion required, he wrought on
+it, day and night. He divided it, with truest judgment, into proper
+fields, experimented successfully with various kinds of novel manures
+(most of which he obtained from the sea), grew stock, planted, in
+rotation, and, with only here and there a sympathizer, gave in his full
+adherence to the theory of root culture. And he was a mechanic. He could
+build house or barn to the last beam, and ship or boat to the last
+joint; nay, he once devised the model of a self-righting life-boat,
+which I have often heard shipmasters, and even real shipwrights, descant
+upon in the highest terms of praise. Moreover, I can affirm that he was
+a navigator. It is true that the _science_ of seamanship, as set forth
+in books, he had never mastered. But he knew right well what winds of a
+certain force and direction foretold, what waves of a certain height and
+aspect meant; and this knowledge, combined with a squint, now and then,
+at his pocket compass, sufficed to enable him to take a vessel with
+safety anywhere along our coast.
+
+But while my old pal showed high abilities in other arts, as a
+'soundser' and wrecker he was not to be matched. He brought to the first
+of these pursuits a clearness of observation which would have met the
+approbation of many an acknowledged man of science. He knew every sort
+of food which bird and fish fed upon, where it was to be found, and the
+circumstances favorable to its production. He knew why the game resorted
+to certain spots yesterday, and avoided them to-day; what
+circumstances--and they are very many--impelled it to joyousness or
+quietude; and what were most of its minor instincts. And all this was
+done _thoroughly_, withal. There was no haphazard or uncertainty in any
+of his conclusions. Taking thought of sundry conditions, he could tell
+at any time when such a thing was applicable; how many sheepsheads one
+could catch in the sounds; whether the _honk_ of the wild goose, flying
+overhead, announced that he was on his way to a fresh-water pool or a
+bar of gravel; whether the black ducks were cooling their thirsty
+gizzards in a woodland pond, sitting scattered about the marshes, or
+huddling together on the bosom of the sea. In a word, his mind had
+gathered unto itself every law, of the least importance, affecting the
+existence of such wild creatures about us as cost any pains to bring to
+hand; and thus he was literally master over them, and held their lives
+subject to his will. That this power was really surprising, will hardly
+be disputed; and since we, his associates, could in no way possess
+ourselves of the like, it passed among us for something almost
+miraculous.
+
+Still, brilliant 'soundser' as old Bill was, he was far greater as a
+wrecker; since I am now about to relate an occurrence in the line which
+proves him a veritable hero. As is perfectly well known, our American
+coast is often the scene of fearful storms, which deal out wide-spread
+destruction to mariners. With us, these gales are commonest in February,
+and hence this month is held in marked dread. Some years ago, in the
+season referred to, a storm burst upon our shores, whose like only a few
+of the older among us had ever known. After fitfully moaning from the
+northward and eastward for a day or two, the wind, one morning, finally
+settled due north-east,--thus sweeping directly upon the land,--and blew
+a hurricane. It was excessively cold, too, yet not so cold but that a
+fine, dry snow was falling, though from the fury of the wind this could
+settle nowhere, but was driven, whirling and surging, before the blast
+in dense clouds. In short, it was a time of truly unearthly wildness;
+and our hearts sank the deeper in us, since we knew what ere long must
+inevitably occur. At last, within an hour or two of nightfall, the sound
+of a ship's bell, rung hurriedly, pealed towards us along the uproar of
+the tempest, and by this we were made aware that a vessel had been
+wrecked on a certain shoal rising up in the ocean, about two miles from
+that part of the beach nearest our village. To go to the rescue of this
+vessel, at this time, was absolutely impossible. For, to say nothing of
+the wrath of the winds, the air was so thick with snow that, in the
+speedily advancing hours of darkness, in which we should not fail to be
+entrapped, we would be powerless to find our way at sea a foot. There
+was no help for it; the poor victims of the shipwreck must that very
+night know death in one or another most terrifying shape, 'if it was the
+will of the Lord.' With this mournful conviction, about twenty of us
+gathered at old Bill's house with the closing in of a darkness as of
+Tartarus, and kept its watches. The anger of the storm abated in no way
+whatever till morning, and then the sole change that took place was a
+somewhat thinner aspect of the driving snow. Yet, even when this was
+discerned, every man of us hastened to draw over his ordinary winter
+garb an oil-cloth suit which enveloped him from head to foot, and
+soberly announced himself ready to do his duty in the strait. That we
+should be exposed to the greatest dangers was absolutely certain; and
+whether a single survivor of the terrors of that awful night yet clung
+to the few frail timbers in the sea, for us to rescue, none but Heaven
+knew; still, the manhood of each demanded that what was possible to be
+done in the matter we should at least attempt.
+
+And so we started; the leader being old Bill, who to some end, that I
+could not then divine, bore a boat-sail bundled on his back. Our first
+business was to make way to our surf or life boat. This lay about three
+miles from the village, reckoning as the crow flies, and was sheltered
+under a rude house which stood on the shores of a bay opening by an
+inlet into the sea. Our common way of gaining this house was through a
+circuitous passage of the sounds; but these we soon discovered, in
+consonance with a previous prediction of old Bill's, were entirely
+frozen over save in certain parts of their channels; and hence, this
+route being unnavigable for such boats as were at hand, which, without
+exception, were light gunning and fishing skiffs, we were forced to
+avail ourselves of a barely practicable land track of which we knew, and
+which, as it led about among the marshes, was also circuitous. And the
+necessity of choosing this land path added to our difficulties, in that
+we were forced to provide ourselves with a small batteau and drag it
+behind us, to be able to cross many ditches and sloughs with which it
+was barred, and which, particularly along their edges, were never really
+frozen. After toiling and battling for a long period, and at the same
+time having to face the most painfully cutting wind that burst
+unobstructedly over the level area of the marshes, we at last reached
+the house wherein the life-boat lay, and when old Bill had scrutinized
+its oars, and stored it with a mingled collection of cordage, canvas and
+spars, we ran it into the water. But now another trouble arose. The bay,
+like the sounds of which indeed it formed a part, was covered with
+ice,--either in solid sheets, or that thick slush, peculiar to ocean
+estuaries, which is chiefly known as 'porridge ice,'--and, from its
+comparative shallowness, covered so densely, too, that if we had trusted
+to getting our boat out of it by sheer rowing, it would have taken us
+the entire day so to do. In this emergency nothing would serve but that
+we must advance bodily into the water, and, crushing and clearing away
+the ice with our feet, drag the boat, in a depth at least sufficient for
+her to float, to the entrance of the inlet, where the current ran so
+strongly that no ice could gather. After a severely trying amount of
+labor, this point was finally gained, and we stood fairly in front of
+the tall, thundering breakers; whereupon each man nimbly jumped to his
+place in the craft, that of steersman being the post of old Bill.
+
+As we gave way on our oars, we shot along the inlet without much
+difficulty; and presently old Bill announced that, he caught a faint
+sight of the wreck in the distance--to all appearance 'most all gone but
+the hull.' But we had little or no opportunity to indulge in speculation
+or remark on the discovery, for in a moment or two we began to oppose
+the wildness of the open main, and the hour of our real trial set in.
+For the first time we could now appreciate the full force of the gale.
+Good Heavens, how it blew! The waters seemed alive and in direst
+convulsion. Everywhere huge walls of breakers were constantly upheaved
+to be felled and shattered with a roar as of some terrific cannonade;
+while the air became the arena for a helter-skelter tossing of sheets of
+spray, clots of froth, and spirts of brine, which plentifully assailed
+our poor boat in their madness, and, besides partially filling her with
+slush, encased every man in a complete coating of ice. If our craft had
+not been modeled with the very highest degree of skill, and if our
+steersman had not been one of a thousand, we could have made no headway
+at all in this appalling tumult. As it was, our advance was of the
+weakest, and its success seemed very doubtful, let our efforts be what
+they might. Not but what we could sufficiently hold our own in the swirl
+of the vanquished waves; but when they swooped upon us in their full
+stature, they not only sent the boat back as if she had been a mere
+feather, but with a second's awkwardness on the part of old Bill they
+would have flung her clean over from stem to stern, and our places among
+the living would have been vacant. Having strained every nerve for
+nearly two hours, we were still but part way through the breakers, while
+some of the men began to complain of fatigue; with which old Bill seized
+a favorable opportunity to put the boat about, and we were swept ashore
+on the beach as in the twinkling of an eye. Here, we secured our boat by
+hauling her high and dry on the strand; freed her from the slush and
+water which had gained in her bottom; and then retired to the leeward of
+a range of sand hills near by, to recruit our energies.
+
+With full leisure to ponder over the difficulties confronting our
+expedition, some few of the crew now began to 'speak it foully,' and
+even to emit gruff proposals to return homewards. But to these waverers
+old Bill at once administered the sternest rebuke; and, as they at last
+held their peace, he averred with a gay smile (for he dearly loved the
+presence of danger, and could never be brought to look on it other than
+as a rough sort of irresponsible horse-play, over which he was sure in
+one way or another to gain the mastery), that he had now weighed all the
+conditions of the pass, and that the next time we attempted it we should
+assuredly prevail. This assertion, coming from such a source, encouraged
+one and all very greatly; and ere long we cheerfully launched our boat
+once more, and again began to tug at the quivering oars. In a very
+little while it became apparent enough that the tactics that Bill
+intended to adopt in our present venture were very different from those
+put in practice with the last. Instead of boldly facing the breakers as
+he had heretofore done, he now began his maneuvering by laying us
+directly in the trough of the sea,--planting the boat a little
+crosswise, however, so as to prevent an untoward swell from riding over
+her side and thus filling her,--and the instant he saw an advancing
+breaker beginning to fracture, as a prelude to its downfall and
+destruction, he boldly sped us, when the thing was at all practicable,
+straight in the teeth of the gap, and as it proceeded to widen, we shot
+through it, with the surf leaping and tossing on either hand high above
+our heads. This stroke could have been possible only to a steersman
+possessed of herculean strength, combined with the rarest daring and
+coolness; and, as the result of these qualities, it was exceedingly
+effective. It lessened the danger of our being capsized almost entirely.
+Indeed, the sole mishap that was threatened by so doing, was the
+liability to being swamped by the falling fragments of the breakers;
+but this peril old Bill declared we might safely trust he would also
+avert. It being the nature of humanity to experience a mood of high
+exaltation with the surmounting of any serious obstacle, we now worked
+our way with minds light and cheery, and with all thoughts of anything
+like fatigue completely forgotten. Though our course was on the whole a
+zigzag one, and though we certainly met with one or two serious rebuffs,
+we were constantly gaining headway, and in something over an hour forced
+the last line of the breakers, and stemmed what on ordinary occasions
+would have been simply the blue body of the Atlantic. But even here a
+huge commotion was reigning, though our progress was far less tedious
+than it had previously been; and with about another hour's labor we were
+alongside the wreck, and had climbed to her deck.
+
+The plight of the vessel was mournful enough. She had evidently been
+built for a three-masted schooner, but, as Bill had observed when he
+first obtained a view of her, everything about her was well-nigh gone
+save her hull. Her bulwarks had been thoroughly crushed, and so the sea
+had successively torn away her boats, shivered her galley and
+wheelhouse, and filled her cabin and hold. Her masts were also
+destroyed, the fore and mizzen masts being carried away from their
+steppings, and the main-mast broken completely in twain just above the
+cross-trees. But a sight still more desolate, as well as harrowing, yet
+awaited us, as, in overhauling the sail-encumbered shrouds of the
+partially standing mast, we discovered several ice-bound figures rigidly
+hanging therein, which, being cut away and lowered to our boat, proved
+to be the body of a negro perfectly stark and dead, and three most
+pitiable white sailors, whose life was so far extinguished that they
+could neither move hand nor foot, nor utter more than the feeblest
+moans.
+
+When we had covered the face of the dead and sheltered the well-nigh
+dead as best we could in the bottom of our boat, of course our chief
+thought was to return to the shore as swiftly as possible. But on this
+head there was no call to entertain the smallest solicitude; for after
+old Bill, from a motive that we could not yet name, had 'stepped' a mast
+through one of the foremost thwarts of the boat, and rigged a sail all
+ready to be spread, we cast off from the wreck, and presently, dropping
+into the full strength of the wind, were swept onward like an arrow,
+with scarce the least use of any other oar than that in the hands of our
+stalwart steersman. Speedily crossing the outer waters, we leaped and
+bounded over the breakers; and when old Bill, as we were rushing along
+the inlet, gave orders for the hoisting of the sail, we not only
+hastened to obey him, but immediately saw an all-important reason for
+the command. For we were now about entering the ice of the sounds; and
+as the boat flew in its midst, her stiff, tight sail drove her through
+the stubborn obstruction as easily and in much the same manner as the
+steam plow rips up the matted bosom of the prairies. In due season we
+reached the landing where we usually disembarked from the sounds, and
+where we found a wagon awaiting us, to which we bore our sad freightage,
+and led the way for old Bill's house. On arriving, we laid the corpse in
+an outbuilding and carried the sailors into a bedroom. But what was to
+be next done? To tell the truth, most of us knew no more than so many
+children. But here our leader again showed his knowledge. Strongly
+condemning the lighting of a fire in the apartment,--which some one was
+about to do,--he set us busily at work bringing him a good supply of
+tubs, and buckets of cold water, into which he dipped the naked persons
+of the sufferers; and as this treatment, combined with a patient, gentle
+chafing, which was also administered, at last restored the flow of their
+vital forces, he gave them a few spoonfuls of broth apiece, and, while
+they looked a gratefulness they could nowise express, lifted them like
+babes with his giant arms to warm beds, where they fell into what was
+at first a fitful, broken slumber, but finally a childlike, placid
+sleep. They were saved!
+
+If the reader is now curious to know why a man like old Bill was not a
+patrician and captain in the campaign of life, rather than the mere
+private and plebeian he was, I can answer that there were several things
+which impeded that consummation. His character, though of wonderful
+height and force in some respects, was, after all, without true
+discipline, and presented many glaring incongruities. Thus, whatever he
+had of what could really be named ambition was satisfied when he had
+surprised us 'soundsers;' and our praise--and we lavished it upon him in
+full measure, as we knew he liked it--was all the praise he seemed to
+desire. Then, he was altogether one of us in his notions of pleasure and
+recreation. Like the rest of us, he cordially appreciated the sparkling
+product of the New England distilleries, and far more than any of us--to
+such a pitch did his animal spirits rule--he relished our broad sea-side
+jokes and songs, and as well our rattling jigs and hornpipes. As for
+others attempting to elevate him to a more exalted station, the thing
+was simply impossible. When led of his own accord to seek other society
+than ours, he could by no means content himself with the companionship
+of staid practical persons, who on account of his latent worth would
+have readily countenanced, and with the least opportunity even served
+him, but he invariably paid his court to adventurers; such creatures,
+for instance, as seedy 'professors' of one kind or another, who, in the
+inevitable shawl and threadbare suit of black, were constantly
+dismounting at the village tavern, with proposals either to 'lecture' on
+something, or 'teach' somewhat, as the case might happen to be, and who,
+having no affinity whatever with the brawny, awkward Viking who fondly
+hung on their shabby-genteel skirts, amused themselves at his greenness,
+or pooh-pooh'd him altogether, as they saw fit. And when, as it not
+unfrequently happened, official and influential individuals at a
+distance were moved by the story of his renown to pay him their respects
+in person, and listen courteously and gravely to his opinions, his
+discrimination stood him in no better stead, for as soon as he possibly
+could he bent the conference towards a sailor's revel, and astonished
+his stately visitants by singing the spiciest songs, and sometimes even
+by a Terpsichorean display in full costume; for he was excessively proud
+of his accomplishments in this line, and implicitly believed that the
+shaking of his elephantine limbs, and the whirling of his broad,
+coatless flanks, formed a spectacle so tasteful and entertaining, that
+no one could fail to enjoy it to the utmost. Assuredly I have now said
+enough as to old Bill's incapacities for a grander role in life. In
+reality that part of a lofty manhood to which he at first sight seemed
+fitted, was not his; for, properly speaking, he was not an actual man,
+but a boy--a grand and glorious boy, if you will, but yet a very boy;
+and at length he met the fate of a boy, as we shall learn.
+
+Once more we were engaged upon a wreck. But this time it was in no
+hyperborean tempest that we were called forth, but when the very
+sweetest airs of June were blowing. The case demanding our aid was that
+of a wrecking schooner which had gaily left her moorings in New York
+harbor to pick up a summer's living along the coast, but had
+inadvertently cut up some of her capers rather too near our beach, and
+so with one fine ebb tide found herself stranded. As it was an instance
+of sickness in the regularly graduated and scientific college itself,
+our whole shore was intensely 'tickled' at the accident. And again, as
+this doctress, like many another ailing leech, was quite incapable of
+curing her own suffering, her toddy-blossom-faced bully of a New York
+captain was pleased to salute old Bill with cup high in air, and beg
+that he would take a sufficient force and heave the distressed craft
+into deep water. Thus a crew of us were called together and set to work
+at the vessel. As the weather was so warm and beautiful, and as bed and
+board were at this time to be had on the beach, we agreed among us that
+our convenience would be the better served by taking up our temporary
+quarters near the scene of our labors. Now, the place where we were
+offered the necessary accommodation consisted of an ancient plank-built
+tenement, which stood behind a sand-ridge that a far younger Atlantic
+than ours had piled up, and then, retreating, abandoned. In winter this
+rude domicile was bare and tenantless; but in the summer months it was
+usually occupied by some thriftless gammer or gaffer from the main-land,
+who, having stocked it with a few of the coarsest household goods, and
+whatever provisions came to hand, offered entertainment to such wreckers
+and 'soundsers' as happened to be in its vicinity. The present incumbent
+of the hostel was a woman, claiming to be a widow, of the name of Rose;
+bearing in most respects no resemblance whatever to any of her
+predecessors. Where she was born, or had hitherto resided, none of us
+knew: all that gossip could, gather was that she had unexpectedly
+descended from a passing vessel with her effects and entered directly
+the abandoned house. When questioned as to the scene of her earlier
+life, she vaguely gave answer that she had disported herself largely in
+'Philadelphy;' but as no 'Philadelphy' woman that ever walked through a
+doorway was or is able to compound a chowder or bake a clam pie worthy
+of the name, and as Madame Rose understood how to prepare both these
+luxuries to a charm, her statement must have been false; she was,
+undoubtedly, a 'coast-wise' lady, and one who knew who Jack was as well
+as he himself did. Her appearance was, on the whole, agreeable. She was
+tall, slender, of regular features, and, though indisputably on the
+shady side of forty, was still free from any signs that would proclaim
+her charms to be on the wane. I remember in particular that she had
+long, white and regular teeth, thereby strongly contrasting with our
+native women, who as a rule lose their teeth early. Her manners were
+very novel to us. She was invariably of a simpering, ducking turn, and
+interlarded her curt speech with curiously hard words. In dress she
+carried matters with an incomparably high hand. She wore hoops 'all day
+long,'--a freak then never even so much as thought of in our
+village,--adorned her fingers with many rings, and her throat with large
+florid brooches, and in the evening, after having brought her household
+duties to a close, sat here or there with her sewing, in silks (though
+perhaps not of the newest), or other highly-civilized stuffs.
+
+Most of our crew regarded their hostess with greatly mingled feelings;
+but old Bill entertained but one sentiment for her,--that of unqualified
+admiration. As we only 'wrought' at the stranded schooner on the high
+water,--some five hours out of the twenty-four,--he had plenty of
+opportunity to dangle after his dearie, and did so unremittingly. While
+the rest of us were either napping, dancing the lively 'straight four,'
+hunting herns' eggs among the sand-hills, and so on, according to our
+inclination, he, in far more romantic mood, seized all possible
+opportunities to quickly gather fire-wood for his charmer, fill her
+tea-kettle, open whatever clams and oysters she was about to cook, and,
+above all, to recount for her delight one of those inimitable yarns of
+his, at whose points he himself was sure to laugh till the rafters of
+the house shook and the plates in the dresser rattled again. But this
+was merely the first stage of his passion. Before long, as is not
+unusual in such cases, it took another and more bodeful turn. That
+inextinguishable laughter of his was heard no more, or at best gave
+place to a feeble tittering; his stories dropped from his lips with but
+flat pungency; and instead of performing his lady-love's 'chores' with a
+mirthful readiness, he went through them in a heartsick way, the while
+directing towards her furtive looks of supplication. The true state of
+matters was now obvious to all Old Bill was another fatally-stricken
+victim of that spooney archer-boy who next to death holds dominion over
+men; and with his case, thus momentous, we could but feel a renewed
+interest in his behalf, and busy our tongues about him. I, for my part,
+thought that as he was a widower, and needful of a wife to comfort him
+in his advancing age, and that as the present object of his affections,
+if not a highly 'forcible' woman, seemed at all events to be one of whom
+no great harm was to be feared, there could be no valid objection to his
+being joined to her; particularly if nothing was divulged proving her to
+be other than what she seemed. But this view I found to be on the whole
+unacceptable to my auditory. Almost to a man they condemned the
+propriety of the match. It could not actually be said that they disliked
+Mrs. Hose, but they were jealous of her, as, in her manner and style of
+array, she considerably dimmed the lustre of their own women; and they
+distrusted her as she was a stranger; it being a marked habit with most
+of our folks to distrust all strangers save those from whom they expect
+pecuniary awards. But meanwhile, notwithstanding this criticism, the
+little idyl in our midst was developing itself apace. On the afternoon
+of one beautiful Sunday, a day in which we of course ordinarily did no
+work, when the dinner-table had been well cleared away, what should we
+see but old Bill swinging forth with his sailor gait from the house, and
+arrayed as jauntily as his check shirt and pea-jacket (his only suit of
+apparel at hand) would permit, to be speedily followed by Mrs. Rose, who
+with one set of finger-tips held up the light folds of a sweetly blue
+lawn skirt, and with the other bore aslant before her a bewitching pink
+parasol. Undoubtedly there was a great indulgence in sly winks and
+suppressed titterings on the part of such of us as chanced to be
+witnesses of this at once festal and sentimental sally; but the twain
+heeded naught whatsoever of these manifestations, but struck off along
+the snow-white strand where the sea was droning its hymn so lazily that
+it would have inevitably put itself to sleep, if the fish-hawks had not
+so continually disturbed it by mischievously diving headlong into its
+bosom. At last they returned again; and we soon became aware that the
+stroll had not been without great results to both; since Mrs. Rose
+affected to be laboring under a high degree of emotion, and retired to
+the privacy of her apartment, while old Bill was by no means the
+dolorous swain of a few hours before, but, making his way among us, with
+his wide mouth stretching its best, proceeded formally to shake hands
+with one and all as though he had finally got back from a long and
+arduous voyage; and then, merrily calling for a certain brown jug which
+was among our stores, removed the corn-cob which served as a cork, and
+having wetted his great heart with a draught which I have no doubt
+measured a full pint, fell, entirely regardless of the day, to
+performing his most spirited hoe-down, while the most of us looked on
+with a mirth that knew no bounds.
+
+Yes, old Bill was now 'a happy man,' Mrs. Rose could but accept such a
+suitor as he, if but from the fact that; his ardor and his pain were of
+the freshest complexion, and of an amplitude fully proportioned to that
+of his extraordinary physical bulk. As we tendered him our
+congratulations upon his happy state, he received the courtesy with
+extreme complacency. But, to tell the truth, those who did thus
+congratulate him were but few. Most of the men remained of their old
+mind as to the proposed match; indeed, I ere long found that they looked
+upon it with less favor than ever. It appeared that they had been
+inflamed with a rumor that Mrs. Rose intended to beguile her adorer to a
+foreign shore, where a scion or two of her brilliant house found happy
+sustenance; and that nothing but evil could accrue from such an act, was
+of course as clear as noonday. Now, when I came to trace this rumor to
+its source, I became apprised that it owed its publicity to an old man
+of our number known by the nickname of 'Mister,' who was remarkable for
+a rare amount of credulity, self-conceit, and obstinacy, and at the same
+time for being the invariable butt of his company. This wiseacre averred
+that he had succeeded in wringing from Mrs. Rose the confession that
+directly she and old Bill were made man and wife, they were to depart
+for Hatteras Inlet, on the coast of North Carolina, where the lady gay
+possessed 'relations;' and this narrative, wofully muttered about among
+our crew, and accompanied with a due amount of sighs and head-shakings,
+had depressed them most fearfully, not withstanding the character of the
+narrator.
+
+The fact of the matter was, that most of the men were actually desirous
+that a betrothal, contracted directly in the face of public opinion, and
+without the smallest deference to anybody, as that of old Bill and Mrs.
+Rose had been, should come to some kind of grief or other, and they were
+fain to believe that it would do so. As for me, I was without true
+concern on the subject, as I had ever been. If it should indeed fall out
+that old Bill was to take a trip to Hatteras with his bride, I was
+convinced that he would enjoy himself famously among the great abundance
+of fish and game said to abound in that place, and that in the end he
+would return to us again, to rule over us in greater splendor than ever;
+as for his sweetheart or any of her like doing him any actual injury,
+the idea seemed so preposterous to me, that whenever an opportunity
+presented itself I did not fail to ridicule it to the utmost. Still, in
+order to do my whole duty in the matter, I hastened to impress old Bill
+with the importance of his becoming acquainted with the antecedents of
+his lady-love, and thus saving himself from the possibility of a
+misstep. But this counsel did no farther good than to bring a clouded
+brow to my dear old friend, and so I did not persist in it. Indeed, we
+communed together but little more in any way; for very shortly after he
+resigned his place as our 'boss,' and left post-haste for the main-land.
+Here, as was revealed to me in due season, he amazed the neighborhood by
+incontinently renting his farmstead to a son with whom he had been on
+indifferent terms for years; dispatching his daughter, who had
+heretofore acted as his housekeeper, off to a distant town to become an
+apprentice to a milliner's trade; and stowing his clothes and a shot-bag
+of hard money which he was known to possess into a sailor's chest, with
+which, together with his gun and a Methodist preacher, he again hurried
+off for the asylum of his beloved. Arrived once more in the witching
+presence, he waited till evening (yet how he was constrained so to do is
+more than I can tell), and then, as we made it a duty to be gathered
+about him once more, the wedding took place.
+
+The occasion was one of such interest, that the preacher could but make
+the most of it. After the nuptial benediction had been pronounced, he
+straightway launched forth into a homily of such graciousness and force,
+that but few of us missed being forcibly wrought upon, while Mrs. Rose
+was stirred apparently to the depths of her being. On the day succeeding
+the marriage, our light-hearted Benedict abandoned himself to another
+jollification. But the next morning, a schooner headed in towards the
+beach, and, slackening the peaks of her sails, sent ashore a yawl, whose
+crew saluted Mrs. Rose as an old and familiar friend, and with whose
+apparition, without the least regard as to what shift we wreckers were
+to make, a great packing was begun in the house. Bedsteads were taken
+down, beds were bundled up in sheets, crockery was thrust away in
+barrels, and all borne one after the other to the yawl, where the bride,
+with her potent parasol full spread, and pretending to shudder at the
+sight of the gently heaving breakers through which she was soon to pass,
+mincingly threw herself in the thick of the luggage, and old Bill
+mounted the stern, with his huge palm extended for a good-by shake.
+'Good-by, old chap,' said I, as I took his hand the last of all,
+'good-by! You're not half mean enough to stay away from us forever; so
+in the meantime do your best to show the Hatteras boys what a nice thing
+it is to be somebody in the world!' And thus the boat put off, and,
+reaching the schooner in a few moments, was hoisted to her decks. In a
+few moments more the vessel had reset her sails, and, with a free wind,
+bore straight to the southward out of sight.
+
+Now comes the singular part of my story. In a few weeks from the time of
+their sailing, we heard that old Bill and his wife had safely landed at
+Hatteras Inlet, and rented a small house on one of the beaches there,
+with the intention of opening a kind of tavern; but no sooner were they
+fairly settled in their new abode than old Bill was found one morning
+_dead in his bed_, with evident signs of having met with foul play;
+though what kind of death these indications pointed at was very
+uncertain.
+
+The closest and shrewdest investigation failed to attach a well-grounded
+suspicion to any one. Poor Bill was dead--and nothing more was ever
+known. Singular enough, the conduct of his widow was such as to entirely
+avert even from her enemies hints of complicity in the crime,--if crime
+there was,--though none doubted that there had been a murder, and that
+murder in a few attendant circumstances seemed to indicate female aid.
+Shortly after this catastrophe, Madame Rose made 'a vendue' of her
+deceased husband's gun and apparel, packed up her own worldly goods, and
+vanished, to be heard of no more.
+
+And so our shore lost its best 'soundser'--a man of mark in his way,
+great of frame and heart, and one long to be recalled in our humble
+annals of wrecking and of sport. He was one of those vigorous
+out-croppings of sturdy Northern physique recalling in minute detail the
+stories told of those giant children, the Vikings and Goths of the
+fighting ages, and which the blood, though as healthy as ever,--witness
+the glorious exploits of our soldiers even as I write,--produces less
+frequently in these days of culture. Such as I have described was the
+character of Bill the Soundser, and such was literally and truly his
+mysterious death.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+COLUMBIA TO BRITANNIA.
+
+VIA SHAKSPEARE.
+
+
+                  Thou cold-blooded slave,
+  Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side?
+  Been sworn my soldier? bidding me depend
+  Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength?
+  And dost thou now fall over to my foes,
+  And wear a lion's hide? Doff it for shame,
+  And hang a calf's skin on those recreant limbs.
+
+KING JOHN, III. 1.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+GENERAL LYON.
+
+
+To-day all the Northland shouts for joy, flashes its announcements of
+victory along myriad leagues of wire, hurls them from grim cannon mouths
+out over broad bays till the seas tremble with sympathy, huzzas in the
+streets, flames in bonfires, would even clash the clouds together and
+streak the heavens with lightning--and for what? The flag waves again in
+Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, and the cause is safe! _The
+cause_--have we all learned what that means, brother Americans?
+Something broader than mere Union, the pass-word of so many thousands to
+suffering and death, something more than the freedom of the press and
+the ballot-box. It means Progress; and until we acknowledge this, all
+freedom is a vast injustice, luring men on to Beulahs which Fate--the
+fate they worship--will never have them reach. It would be little enough
+to regain our foothold upon Southern territory, or repossess Southern
+forts, even if forts and territory have been wrested from us by treason
+and perjury, if with every mile of advance we did not gain a stronghold
+of principle. We are not straining every nerve, struggling under immense
+financial burdens, wrenching away tender household ties, sacrificing
+cheerfully and eagerly private interests, brilliant prospects, and high
+hopes, only to prove that twenty millions of men are physically stronger
+than twelve. God forbid! This is no latter-day Olympic game, whoso
+victors are to be rewarded with the applause of a party or a generation.
+All the dead heroes and martyrs of the past will crowd forward to offer
+their unheard thanks; all the years to come will embalm with blessings
+the memory of the patriots who open the door to wide advancement,
+prosperous growth, and high activity of a universal intelligence.
+
+And among these brave men, whom the world shall delight to honor, let
+our deepest grief and our justest pride be for LYON. We have given his
+honest life too little notice;--this man whose sincerity was equalled
+only by his zeal; who, in a rarely surpassed spirit of self-abnegation,
+was content to lie down and die in the first heat of the great conflict,
+and to leave behind for more favored comrades the triumphal arches and
+rose-strewn paths of victory. The world has known no truer martyr than
+he who fell at Wilson's Creek, August 10th, 1861.
+
+'The history of every man paints his character,' says Goethe; and scanty
+and imperfect as are the recorded details of General Lyon's life, enough
+is known to prove him to have been high-minded and brave as a soldier,
+with a perseverance and a penetration that analyzed at once the
+platforms of contending factions, and read in their elements the
+principles which are to govern the future of our nation.
+
+He came of the stout Knowlton stock of Connecticut, a family of whom
+more than one served England in the old French war, and afterward
+distinguished themselves against her in the Revolution. We hear of the
+gallant Captain Knowlton at Bunker Hill, throwing up, in default of
+cotton, the breastwork of hay, which proved such an efficient protection
+to the provincials during the battle. Once more he appears as colonel,
+at Harlem Plains, rushing with his Rangers ('Congress' Own') upon the
+enemy on the Plains, and, cut off shortly from retreat by
+reinforcements, fighting bravely between the foes before and their
+reserves behind, and, falling at last, borne away by sorrowing comrades,
+and buried at sunset within the embankments. 'A brave man,' wrote
+Washington, 'who would have been an honor to any country.' With the
+memory of such a hero engrafted upon his earliest childhood, we can not
+wonder at the bent of the boy Lyon's inclinations. 'Daring and
+resolute, and wonderfully attached to his mother,' it is easy to
+imagine what lessons of endurance and decision he learned from her,
+whose just inheritance was the stout-hearted patriotism that had
+flowered into valorous deeds in her kindred, and was destined to live
+again in her son. It was, an ordinary childhood, and a busy, uneventful
+youth, passed for the most part in the old red farm-house nestled
+between two rocky hills near Eastport, where he was born. In 1837 he
+entered the Military Academy at West Point, and was a graduate, with
+distinction, four years later. Of the years immediately following, we
+have little information; but we can fancy the young soldier laying, in
+his obscurity, the foundation for that practical military knowledge
+which so eminently distinguished his late brilliant career. During his
+years of service in the Everglades of Florida, and on our Western
+frontier, he had ample opportunity to gain a thorough insight into his
+profession.
+
+He first appears in the history of the country in the Mexican war, is
+present at the bombardment of Vera Cruz, dashes after the enemy at Cerro
+Gordo, capturing on the crest of the hill a battery which he turns upon
+the discomfited foe. At Contreras his command proves as impenetrable as
+a phalanx of Alexander; and when at last the victorious Americans fight
+their way into Mexico, the city of fabulous treasures and associations
+well-nigh classical, for the first time he receives a wound. He was
+breveted captain for his gallantry at Cherubusco, and at the end of the
+war received the rank of full captain, and was ordered with his regiment
+to California. No appointment could have been more felicitous. In the
+guerilla mode of warfare demanded by the peculiar nature of the country
+and its inhabitants, his habits of quick decision, and the experience of
+a war with an enemy equally unscrupulous though less undisciplined, were
+absolutely invaluable. Here was no scope for the conception and
+excitation of deep-laid schemes; the movements of the enemy were too
+rapid. Plans that would elsewhere have been matured only in the process
+of a long campaign, were here often originated and completed in a single
+night. Simple strategy was of more avail than the most intricate display
+of military science, and the impulse of a moment more to be relied upon
+than the prudent forethought of a month. He had to combat, in the
+newly-acquired territory, the cunning of tribes whose natural ferocity
+was sharpened into vindictiveness by the encroachments upon their soil
+of a new and strange people; and every association with the intruders,
+who were for the most part men of little reputation and less principle,
+had developed in the Indians only the fiercest and most decided
+animosity. To encounter their vigilance with watchfulness as alert, to
+confound their swift counsels with sudden alarm, to penetrate their
+ambuscades and anticipate their cunning with incessant activity, to be,
+in short, ubiquitous, was the duty of Captain Lyon.
+
+After years spent in the uncertain tactics of this half barbaric
+warfare, he was removed, in the height of political strife in Kansas, to
+its very centre. Here, while comparatively free from the wearisome
+requirements of active service such as had been demanded in California,
+and at a time when events the most portentous proved clearly to the
+great minds of the country the advance of a political crisis whose
+consequences must be most important, involving--should deep-laid
+conspiracy be successful--the bankruptcy of principle and that
+high-handed outrage, the triumph, of a minority,--Captain Lyon had full
+liberty and abundant opportunity to settle for himself the great
+questions mooted in the Missouri Compromises, the Lecompton
+Constitutions and the Dred Scott decisions of the day. To a mind
+unprejudiced, except as the honest impulses of every honest man's heart
+are always prejudiced in favor of the right, there was but a single
+decision. Disgusted with the heartless policy which democracy had for so
+many years pursued, and which now threatened to culminate either in its
+utter degradation at the North, or in the establishment in the South of
+an oligarchy which would annihilate all free action and suppress all
+free opinion, he severed his connection with that party,--a step to
+which he was also impelled by the injustice that was then seeking to
+force upon the people of Kansas an institution which they condemned as
+unproductive and expensive, to say nothing of their moral repugnance to
+the very A B C of its principles. It was at this time that Captain Lyon
+contributed to the _Manhattan Express_, a weekly journal of the
+neighborhood, a series of papers in which he took an earnest, manly and
+decided stand in favor of the principles which his thoughtful mind
+recognized as alone 'reliable,' and harmonious with the grand design and
+end of the great Republic of the West. To these articles we shall
+hereafter refer, at present hastening through the career, so striking
+and so sad, which a few brief months cut short, leaving only the memory
+of General Lyon as a legacy to the country his single aim and wise
+counsels would have saved.
+
+The guns of Fort Sumter had flashed along our coast an appeal whose
+force no words can ever compute. The days had been busy with the
+assembling of armies, the nights restless with their solemn marches, and
+forge and factory rang with the strokes of the hammer and the whirr of
+flying shafts, whose echoes seemed measured to the air of some new
+Marseillaise. From our homes rushed forth sons, husbands, brothers,
+fathers, followed by the prayers and blessings of dear women, who
+yielded them early but willingly to their country. And while regiments
+clustered along the Potomac, and Washington lay entrenched behind white
+lines of tents, we find our soldier, fresh from Kansas strifes, in
+command of the United States Arsenal at St. Louis; and to his prompt
+action and decided measures at this important juncture the early success
+of the Union cause in Missouri is to be attributed. For a time St. Louis
+was the theatre of action. The police commissioners, backed by Governor
+and Legislature, in the demanded the removal of the Union troops from
+the grounds of the arsenal, claiming it as the exclusive property of the
+State, and asserting that the authority usurped by the general
+government as but a partial sovereignty, and limited to the occupation,
+for purposes exclusively military, of the certain tracts of land now
+pending in this novel court of chancery. This highly enigmatical
+exposition of State rights, pompous and inflated though it was, failed
+to convince or convert Captain Lyon, who, being unable to detect, in his
+occupancy of the arsenal, any exaggeration of the rights vested by the
+Constitution in the general government, declined to abandon his post,
+and proceeded to call out the Home Guard, then awaiting the arrival of
+General Harney, and temporarily under his command. His little army of
+ten thousand men was then drawn up upon the heights commanding Camp
+Jackson, then occupied by the Missouri militia under Col. Frost, whoso
+command had been increased by the addition of numerous individuals of
+avowed secession principles. Uninfluenced by the reception of a note
+from this officer asserting his integrity and his purpose to defend the
+property of the United States, and disavowing all intention hostile to
+the force at the arsenal, Captain Lyon replied by a peremptory summons
+for an unconditional surrender. He found it incredible that a body
+assembled at the instigation of a traitorous governor, and acting under
+his instructions and according to the 'unparalleled legislation' of a
+traitorous legislature, receiving under the flag of the Confederate
+States munitions of war but lately the acknowledged property of the
+general government, could have any other than the as most unfriendly
+designs upon its enemies. The force of Camp Jackson (which
+notwithstanding its professed character, boasted its streets Beauregard
+and Davis) being numerically inferior, and perhaps not entirely prepared
+to do battle for a cause whose legitimacy must still have been a
+question with many of them, decided, after a council of war, to comply
+with the demands of Capt. Lyon, and became his prisoners. A few days
+afterward General Harney arrived, and Captain Lyon was elected Brigadier
+General by the 1st Brigade Missouri Volunteers.
+
+Convinced of the imminence of the crisis and the peril of delay, Gen.
+Lyon immediately commenced active operations against the secessionists
+at Potosi, and ordered the seizure of the steamer which had supplied the
+offensive army with material of war from the United States property at
+Baton Rouge. In the meantime, Gen. Harney, with a culpable blindness,
+had made an extraordinary arrangement with Gen. Price, by which he
+pledged himself to desist from military movements so long as the command
+of Gen. Price was able to preserve order in the State. Upon his removal
+by the authorities at Washington, nine days later, Gen. Lyon was left in
+command of the department. At this time the rebel general took occasion,
+in a proclamation to the people of Missouri, to feel assured that 'the
+successor of Gen. Harney would certainly consider himself and his
+government in honor bound to carry out this agreement (the Harney-Price)
+in good faith.' But his assurance was without foundation. The temper of
+the new commander had been tried in the Camp Jackson affair, and an
+interview between Price, Jackson and other prominent secessionists and
+Gen. Lyon, resulted, after a few hours' consultation, in the declaration
+of the Union general that the authority of his government would be
+upheld at any cost and its property protected at all hazards. Three days
+later, Jackson fled to Booneville, fearing an attack upon Jefferson
+City, which was immediately occupied by Gen. Lyon, who was received with
+acclamation by the citizens. Unwilling to grant by delay what he had
+refused to an underhand diplomacy,--opportunity to the enemy to possess
+the government property, or entrench themselves strongly in their new
+quarters,--the general, with characteristic promptness, ordered an
+advance upon Booneville. The rebel force was stationed above Rockport,
+but retreated, after a skirmish which did not assume the proportions of
+a battle; and the Union army, two thousand strong, entered the town,
+where the national colors and the welcomes of the inhabitants testified
+their joy at the change.
+
+The army of General Lyon, amounting at one time to ten thousand, had
+decreased by the first of August--the term of enlistment of many of the
+soldiers having expired--to six thousand; and it was with this number
+that, having swept the south-west, and believing the enemy intended to
+attack him at Springfield, he advanced to meet them at Dug Springs. The
+army of the enemy was larger and their position a strong one, but they
+were unable to hold it, and, after a sharp skirmish, fled in disorder,
+while Gen. Lyon continued his march toward Springfield. His situation
+had now become a critical one. The reinforcements for which he had
+telegraphed in vain, and in vain sent messengers to entreat from the
+chief of the department, Gen. Fremont, then in St. Louis, did not
+arrive. His army was subsisting on half rations, and wearied with
+exhausting marches over the uneven country in the extreme heat of
+midsummer. And now, for the first time, hope seemed to desert the
+general. Under his direction the cause had hitherto triumphed in
+Missouri. Now, with zeal unabated and courage unflinching, he must fall
+before the enemy he had so successfully opposed, or retreat where
+retreat was disaster, disgrace, and defeat. No wonder that, as from day
+to day he looked for the expected aid as men in drought for the clouds
+that are to bless them, he grew restless and perplexed and despairing;
+no wonder that the face that had never before worn the lines of
+indecision, should now lose its accustomed cheerfulness and glance of
+calm purpose, and challenge sympathy and pity for the heart that had
+never before asked more than admiration and respect. He felt that the
+hour had its demands, and that they must be met. Action, even in the
+face of disaster, was less a defeat than an inglorious retirement. The
+public, surely unaware of the fearful odds against him, clamored for an
+engagement; the State expected it of its hero; the government awaited
+it, and with a brave heart, but no hope, Gen. Lyon prepared for the
+attack. The result all the world knows. Was it a victory where the
+conquerors were obliged to retire from the field, and carry out their
+wounded under a flag of truce? Was it a defeat where the enemy had been
+thrice repulsed, once driven from the ground, had burned their baggage
+train, and made no pursuit of the retreating army?
+
+But most mournful are those last moments of the faithful soldier's life;
+most solemn those last tones of his voice as his orders rang out on that
+misty morning amid the smoke and shouts of the battle-field. He stands
+here bare-headed, the blood streaming from two wounds which he does not
+heed, the cloud of perplexity settling over his face like a pall, his
+troubled eyes fixed upon the enemy. He turns to head a regiment which
+has lost its colonel--"Forward! men; I will lead you!" A moment, and he
+lies there: no more striving for victory here; no more anxious hours of
+weary watching for the succor that never came; no more goadings from an
+exacting public, nor any more appeals to an unheeding chief. Even the
+triumphant hush of life could not smooth out those lines cut by unwonted
+care upon his face, or answer the mute questioning of that painful
+indecision there. So from the West they brought him, by solemn marches,
+to the East, and colors hung at half-mast, and bells were tolled as the
+flag-draped hero was borne slowly by. And to the music of tender dirges,
+he, whose whole life had been, inspired by the whistling of fifes and
+rolling of drums, was laid to rest. A handful of clods falling upon his
+breast, their hollow sound never thrilling the mother heart that lay
+again so near her son's, a volley fired over the grave, and all was
+over. Of all the brave men gone, no fate has seemed to us so sad.
+Winthrop, young and ardent, with the tide of great thoughts rashing in
+upon his princely heart, died in the flush of hope with the fresh
+enthusiasm of poetry and undimmed patriotism shining in his eyes, and we
+laid our soldier to sleep under the violets. Ellsworth fell forward with
+the captured flag of treason in his hand, and the whole nation cheering
+him on in his early sally upon the 'sacred' Virginia soil. Brave and
+honorable, with fine powers cultured by study and earnest thought, death
+took from him no portion of the fame life would have awarded him. Baker
+rode into the jaws of death in that fatal autumn blunder; but the
+ignominy of defeat rested upon other shoulders. His only to obey, even
+while 'all the world wondered.' But he did not fall before the honor of
+a country's admiration and the meed of her grateful thanks were his.
+Soldier, orator and statesman, he had gained in a brilliant career a
+glory earned by few, and could well afford to die, assured of a memory
+justified from all reproach. But to Lyon, whom there were so few to
+mourn, death in the midst of anticipated defeat was bitter indeed. No
+time to retrieve the losses and disasters the cruel remissness of others
+had entailed upon him; the fruit of the anxious toil of months wrested
+from him even as it began to ripen; all his glad hopes chilled by
+suspicion, but his faith, we may well believe, still strong in the
+ultimate success of the cause he loved. A whole life he had given to his
+country, and she had not thought it worth while to redeem it from
+disgrace with the few thousands that he asked. He had outlived the
+elasticity of youth, when wrongs are quickly remedied, and new impulses
+spring, like phoenixes, from the ashes of the old. Uncertain whether he
+were the victim of a conspiracy, the tool of a faction, or the martyr to
+some unknown theory, he died, and as the country had been to him wife
+and children, he left her his all.
+
+It was known to but few that the soldier, whose career had been rather
+useful than brilliant, had, when the scheming of politicians and their
+doubly-refined arguments threatened to deceive and ruin the country,
+put by his sword and taken up the pen. In a series of articles, short,
+concise, and to the point, he effectually canvassed the State. They are
+addressed to thinking men everywhere. Free from all trickery, strictly
+impartial, relying entirely upon the soundness of his premises for
+success,--for elegance of diction he had not, and he was too honest even
+to become a sophist,--these papers manifest at once the true patriot and
+the intelligent man. Thousands of adherents the Republican cause had in
+1860, but not one more indefatigable or more heartily in earnest than
+Lyon. Outside the limits of party interests, and uninfluenced personally
+by the predominance of either faction, he had worked out in his own way
+the problem of national life, and now spread its solution before his
+readers. 'Our cause,' said he, 'is to honor labor and elevate the
+laborer.' Here we have the kernel of the whole matter; the spirit, if
+not the letter, of the whole republican system of government. The secret
+that philosophers have elaborated from the unconquerable facts of
+physics, ethics, and psychology, that men of genius have evolved with
+infinite difficulty from the mass of crude aesthetic associations that
+cluster around every object of nature or of art, Lyon, working and
+thinking alone as a citizen, has discovered, with the sole aid of common
+sense and the habit of practical observation. Carey and Godwin have
+proved by statistics for unbelievers the reasonableness of the doctrine
+enunciated by Lyon. Now, thanks to the untiring efforts of a few
+stout-hearted patriots, it is no new one to the North; but in the late
+presidential contest it was a strange weapon glittering in strong hands.
+Our society, diluted and weakened by the Southern element, revolted at
+first from the creed that is to prove its salvation. Not alone in our
+border States had the dragon crept, searing our fair institutions with
+his hot breath, but even upon the sturdy old Puritan stock were
+engrafted many of the petty notions that pass for 'principles' in Dixie.
+True, we were educated, all of us, into a sort of decent regard for the
+good old element of labor,--we call it industry,--more antique, since
+antiquity is a virtue, than aristocracy, for it began in Paradise. But
+this was a feature of our Northern character that was to be hurried out
+of sight, ignominiously buried without candle or bell, when the giant of
+Southern chivalry stalked across our borders. The bravado and
+gentlemanly ruffianism of youthful F.F.V-ism at college, and the
+supercilious condescension of incipient Southern belledom in the
+seminary, impressed young North America with a respect that was indeed
+unacknowledged, but that grew with its growth and strengthened with its
+strength. But this mock romance of ancestry, this arrogant assumption by
+the South of all the social virtues and courtesies of which the nation,
+or indeed the universe, could boast, was like the flash of an expiring
+candle to Lyon. He had little to do with first families North or South;
+his mission was to the _people_. His practical mind gathered in, sheaf
+after sheaf, a whole harvest of political facts. He saw that the
+government of the United States, originally intended to be administered
+by the people, had been for years in the power of the minority. Against
+this perversion of the purpose of the founders of the republic, this
+outrage to the memory of men who labored for its defense and welfare, he
+entered his earnest protest. The shallow effort of the Democratic party
+to establish upon constitutional grounds the monstrous phantom of
+justice they called government, was met by his hearty indignation. He
+says, 'With the artfulness of a deity and the presumption of a fiend,
+our own Constitution is perversely claimed by the Democracy as the ægis
+for the establishment of a slave autocracy over our country.'
+
+No element more fatal to our growth or freedom could Lyon conceive than
+this slave autocracy. It sapped the very foundations of republicanism,
+and, stealthily advancing to the extreme limits of the law, enjoyed the
+confidence of the people, while it plotted their subjugation. All the
+varied machinery of the new social system, falsely styled government,
+had for its object the extinction of individual rights and the
+deification of capital. Church and state united in the unholy effort to
+Crush the masses, and intriguing politicians, by dint of dazzling
+rhetoric and plausible promises, lured the people on to secure their own
+downfall at the polls. The only remedy for this Lyon saw in the
+elevation of the masses. 'It is the greatest political revolution yet to
+be effected,' he says, 'to bring the laboring man to know that honest
+industry is the highest of merits, and should be awarded the highest
+honor; and, properly pursued, contributes to his intelligence and
+morality, and to the virtues needed for official station.' 'The
+calamity,' says an eminent writer from his far Platonean heights, 'is
+the masses;' but liberty is a new religion that is to sweep over the
+world and regenerate them. And to this end Lyon boldly advocated
+emancipation for the sake of the white man. If to-day, when patriotism
+is at a premium, men tremble before the acknowledged necessity of this
+measure, and are either too cowardly or too indolent to meet the demands
+of the times, it required no little boldness in 1860 to advance a theory
+so decided, even in a Kansas newspaper. But Lyon knew the inefficiency
+of half-way measures, and the moral degradation they inevitably entail
+upon the community so weak or so deluded as to adopt them. The hue and
+cry of abolitionism did not disturb him; he was not afraid of names.
+Conservatism that sat in state at Washington, and pulled the wires all
+over the country,--a tremendous power, none the less fearful in that it
+was only a galvanized one,--was a dead letter to him, its dignity
+departed with the age that had demanded it. Conservatism would have
+resented no impositions, established no new landmarks, asserted no
+independence; would carry its mails on horseback, creep over the ocean
+in schooners, fight by sea in piked brigantines, and by land with spear
+and battle-axe; it would have emancipated no slaves in Great Britain and
+France, and no serfs in Russia. But if freedom means anything, it means
+_Progress_,--liberty to advance, never to retrograde. 'Nothing in the
+world will ever go backward,' said the old lizard to Heine. All the
+authority of a new Areopagus could never sanction that; and yet this
+liberty the South claims, nay, has already acted upon, so that the world
+may see the result of the experiment, and against its continuance Lyon
+protests. In the long silent years of preparation for the fray he has
+nursed strange thoughts on the ultimate destiny of man. He has seen in
+dreams, prophetic of a mighty accomplishment, his country growing great,
+and vigorous, and powerful, extending to struggling humanity everywhere
+the protection of her friendship, building up noble institutions,
+encouraging science and the useful arts, and leading the van in the
+world's great millennial march; and this not through any miraculous
+interposition of Providence, but by means of an exalted intelligence and
+the power of thought stimulating to action, and that of the noblest
+kind.
+
+But you argue the unfitness of the masses for this destiny. Lyon
+answers,--not in any musically-rounded sentences, in phrases nicely
+balanced; the man is plain and outspoken,--'This is a truth of
+philosophy and political economy, that man rises to a condition
+corresponding to the rights, duties and responsibilities devolved upon
+him; and therefore the only true way to make a man is to invest him with
+the rights, duties and responsibilities of a man, and he generally rises
+in intellectual and moral greatness to a position corresponding to these
+circumstances.' It is a mistake to suppose the great body of the people
+ignorant of their position, or unconscious of their growing importance
+and dignity as representatives of a mighty empire. Vice and poverty have
+indeed well-nigh quenched humanity in thousands in our great cities,
+but these are but a drop in the ocean. Behind lies our vast West, with
+its teeming population, sturdy, active and energetic. All our mountain
+districts are alive with men who, thanks to the press, are beginning to
+feel their power. Every advantage of physical development their hardy
+life gives them, and the growing consciousness and comprehension of
+freedom, blooming under a munificent free-school dispensation, will do
+the rest. Our internal manufacturing and agricultural elements at the
+North, already powerful and irrepressible, will soon exercise a
+tremendous influence in our government. Shall it be the influence of
+ignorance played upon by the sophistry of demagogues and helping to
+rebuild the vicious doctrines that have stood firmly for so many years,
+or the healthful influence of intelligent industry tending to our
+greatness and prosperity? This our war is to decide. No peaceful
+solution of the great question could be made. This Lyon foresaw in the
+truckling of politicians North to win the unit of Southern political
+sympathy: the main end and aim of the South being the appointment of
+Southern men to the Presidency, 'as security on the one hand against
+unfavorable executive action toward slavery, and on the other against
+executive patronage adverse to its interests, the democratic party North
+succeeded, by trimming party sails and decking party leaders, in suiting
+their fastidious Southern leaders.' The question once at issue, even a
+peaceful separation was impossible, though an amendment of the
+Constitution should sanction it. War was inevitable. The great bugbear
+of slavery would still exist; fugitive slave laws be forever upon the
+political carpet; formidable jealousies spring up between two nations
+founded upon such diverse principles, yet united by very natural
+circumstance of language and climate; internal wrangling would destroy
+all unity, conspiracies give the death-blow to all prosperity and all
+hope of advancement. All this if there were no great party at the North
+to rise upon the vast ground of humanity, claiming for its millions the
+privilege of an unfettered life, for its children a fair start in the
+future. Only one remedy Lyon knew, and he stood there, the early apostle
+of Emancipation, and preached it. His doctrine was not accepted then, it
+is not accepted now; but the time must come, when millions shall have
+been expended, and blood shall have flowed like water only to delay it,
+when we will fly to it for salvation. Let those who still cry 'Peace,
+peace,' when there is no peace, learn what is to be its
+price--Emancipation. It will be a bitter draught; well, so was the
+independence of her colonies to England. And every day makes it more
+bitter; the gall in the cup rises to the brim; a few more months and it
+will overflow; the people will take the matter into their own hands and
+legislate slavery into the swamps of Florida.
+
+It is a lame and blind philanthropy that cries for a respite. 'A little
+more sleep, a little more slumber. After us the deluge.' And meanwhile
+the damnable lies gain ground, and a new generation is lost to its due
+development. Have we yet to learn that we are no longer individuals, but
+parts of a mighty nation, and responsible in some sort, every one, women
+and men, for its destiny? Poland has learned this lesson. Her eyes are
+upon us now. Shall she, still struggling, find that blood and treasure,
+and all the thousand dear blessings of peace, have been sacrificed in
+vain? If you cry 'War is an evil!' we grant it; but is it reserved for
+the nineteenth century to discover a creed for which there shall be no
+martyrs? What great gift has the world ever won that was not bought with
+blood? When has independence of action or thought been purchased
+otherwise than at the cost of persecution,--more revolution? Then let us
+not slander revolutions. They are the throes of nature undergoing her
+purification; if it is as by fire, oh! let us have courage and stand
+beside her in her hour of trial. St. George will not fight forever; the
+dragon of oppression is dying.
+
+  'Yes, although so slowly, he _is_ dying;
+  Many thousand years have fled in darkness,
+  Since the sword first cut his scaly armor,
+  And the red wound roused him into madness;
+  But the good knight is of race immortal,
+  Ever young, and passionate and fearless;
+  And the strength which oozes from the dragon,
+  Blooms reviving in the glorious warrior.'
+
+And, after all, the demon of war is not so black as we have painted him.
+We do not shudder to-day as we read of the siege of Troy or the downfall
+of Carthage, or the Romance of the Cid. The song of Deborah, 'of the
+avenging of Israel _when the people willingly offered themselves_,' is
+one glorious burst of praise to God and gratitude to the martyrs. There
+was war in heaven when ambition was cast out:--what quiet pastoral
+appeals to our noblest impulses as Paradise Lost does? Wisely and well
+speaks the English clergyman when he says:--
+
+'But the truth is that here, as elsewhere, poetry has reached the truth,
+while science and common sense have missed it. It has distinguished--as,
+in spite of all mercenary and feeble sophistry, men ever will
+distinguish--war from mere bloodshed. It has discerned the higher
+feelings which lie beneath its revolting features. Carnage is terrible.
+The conversion of producers into destroyers is a calamity. Death, and
+insults to women worse than death--and human features obliterated
+beneath the hoof of the war-horse--and reeking hospitals, and ruined
+commerce, and violated homes, and broken hearts--they are all awful. But
+there is something worse than death: cowardice is worse. And the _decay
+of enthusiasm and manliness is worse_. And it is worse than death, aye,
+worse than one hundred thousand deaths, when a people has gravitated
+down into the creed, that the "wealth of nations" consists, not in
+generous hearts, "fire in each breast, and freedom on each brow," in
+national virtues, and primitive simplicity, and heroic endurance, and
+preference of duty to life--not in _men_, but in silk and _cotton_, and
+something that they call "capital." Peace is blessed--peace arising out
+of charity. But peace springing out of the calculations of selfishness
+is not blessed. If the price to be paid for peace is this, that wealth
+accumulate and men decay, better far that every street, in every town of
+our once noble country, should run blood.'[K]
+
+As we write, every telegram proves the vaunted unity of the South a
+sham, a visionary political bugbear, no longer strong or hideous enough
+to frighten the most inveterate conservative dough-face. But a few
+victories do not end the war; still earnestness and effort and
+sacrifice, for the sick man of America will fight even when his 'brains
+are out.' Not until we have proved to Breckenridge, the traitor, that we
+are not 'fighting for principles that three-fourths of us abhor,' and
+that the Union is not only 'a means of preserving the principles of
+political liberty,' but that in it is irrevocably bound up every living
+principle of all liberty, social, religious and individual; that in its
+shelter only we have security against wrong at home and insult from
+abroad; not until Emancipation has instituted a new order of things in
+society as well as in politics, will the death of the out-spoken patriot
+and brave man, Lyon, be avenged, and the Struggle be at an end. 'Genius
+is patient,' but patience has had her perfect work, and the days of
+Rebellion are numbered. On with the crusade!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+MACCARONI AND CANVAS.
+
+
+II.
+
+The voice of Rome is baritone, always excepting that of the Roman
+locomotive,--the donkey,--which is deep bass, and comes tearing and
+braying along at times when it might well be spared. In the still night
+season, wandering among the moonlit ruins of the Coliseum, while you
+pause and gaze upon the rising tiers of crumbling stone above you,
+memory retraces all you have read of the old Roman days: the forms of
+the world-conquerors once more people the deserted ruin; the clash of
+ringing steel; hot, fiery sunlight; thin, trembling veil of dust pierced
+by the glaring eyes of dying gladiators; red-spouting blood; screams of
+the mangled martyrs torn by Numidian lions; moans of the dying; fierce
+shouts of exultation from the living; smiles from gold-banded girls in
+flowing robes, with floating hair, flower-crowned, and perfumed; the hum
+of thrice thirty thousand voices hushed to a whisper as the combat hangs
+on an uplifted sword; the--
+
+Aw-waw-WAUN-ik! WAW-NIK! WAUN-KI-w-a-w-n! comes like blatant fish-horn
+over the silent air, and your dream of the Coliseum ends ignominiously
+with this nineteenth-century song of a jackass.
+
+At night you will hear the shrill cry of the screech-owl sounding down
+the silent streets in the most thickly-populated parts of the city. Or
+you will perhaps be aroused from sleep, as Caper often was, by the
+long-drawn-out cadences of some countryman singing a _rondinella_ as he
+staggers along the street, fresh from a wine-house. Nothing can be more
+melancholy than the concluding part of each verse in these rondinellas,
+the voice being allowed to drop from one note to another, as a man
+falling from the roof of a very high house may catch at some projection,
+hold on for a time, grow weak, loose his hold, fall, catch again, hold
+on for a minute, and at last fall flat on the pavement, used up, and
+down as low as he can reach.
+
+But the street-cries of this city are countless; from the man who brings
+round the daily broccoli to the one who has a wild boar for sale, not
+one but is determined that you shall hear all about it. Far down a
+narrow street you listen to a long-drawn, melancholy howl--the voice as
+of one hired to cry in the most mournful tones for whole generations of
+old pagan Romans who died unconverted; poor devils who worshiped wine
+and women, and knew nothing better in this world. And who is their
+mourner? A great, brawny, tawny, steeple-crowned hat, blue-breeched,
+two-fisted fish-huckster; and he is trying to sell, by yelling as if his
+heart would break, a basket of fish not so long as your finger. If he
+cries so over anchovies, what would he do if he had a whale for sale?
+
+Another _primo basso profundo_ trolls off a wheelbarrow and a fearful
+cry at the same time; not in unison with his merchandise, for he has
+birds--quail, woodcock, and snipe--for sale, besides a string of dead
+nightingales, which he says he will 'sell cheap for a nice stew.' Think
+of stewed nightingales! One would as soon think of eating a boiled
+Cremona violin.
+
+But out of the way! Here comes, blocking up the narrow street, a
+_contadino_, a countryman from the Campagna. His square wooden cart is
+drawn by a donkey about the size of, and resembling, save ears, a singed
+Newfoundland dog; his voice, strong for a vegetarian,--for he sells
+onions and broccoli, celery and tomatoes, _finocchio_ and mushrooms,--is
+like tearing a firm rag: how long can it last, subjected to such use?
+
+It is in the game and meat market, near the Pantheon, that you can more
+fully become acquainted with the street cries of Rome; but the Piazza
+Navona excels even this. Passing along there one morning, Caper heard
+such an extraordinary piece of vocalization, sounding like a Sioux
+war-whoop with its back broken, that he stopped to see what it was all
+about. There stood a butcher who had exposed for sale seven small stuck
+pigs, all one litter; and if they had been his own children, and died
+heretics, he could not have howled over them in a more heart-rending
+manner.
+
+About sunrise, and even before it,--for the Romans are early
+risers,--you will hear in spring-time a sharp ringing voice under your
+window, '_Acqua chetosa! Acqua, chetosa!_' an abridgment of _acque
+accetosa_, or water from the fountain of Accetosa, considered a good
+aperient, and which is drank before breakfast. Also a voice crying out,
+'_Acqua-vi-ta!_' or spirits, drank by the workmen and others at an
+expense of a baioccho or two the table-spoonful, for that is all the
+small glasses hold. In the early morning, too, you hear the chattering
+jackdaws on the roofs; and then, more distinctly than later in the day,
+the clocks striking their odd way. The Roman clocks ring from one to six
+strokes four times during the twenty-four hours, and not from one to
+twelve strokes, as with us. Sunset is twenty-four o'clock, and is noted
+by six strokes; an hour after sunset is one o'clock, and is noted by one
+stroke; and so on until six hours after, when it begins striking one
+again. As the quarter hours are also rung by the clocks, if you happen
+to be near one you will have a fine chance to get in a muddle trying to
+separate quarters from hours, and Roman time from your own. Another
+noise comes from the game of _morra_. Caper was looking out of his
+window one morning, pipe in mouth, when he saw two men suddenly face
+each other, one of them bringing his arm down very quickly, when the
+other yelled as if kicked, '_Dué!_' (two), and the first shouted at the
+top of his lungs, '_Tre!_' (three). Then they both went at it, pumping
+their hands up and down and spreading their fingers with a quickness
+which was astonishing, while all the time they kept screaming, 'One!'
+'Four!' 'Three!' 'Two!' 'Five!' etc., etc. 'Ha!' said Caper, 'this is
+something like; 'tis an arithmetical, mathematical, etcetrical school in
+the open air. The dirtiest one is very quick; he will learn to count
+five in no time. But I don't see the necessity of saying "three" when
+the other brings down four fingers, or saying "five" when he shows two.
+But I suppose it is all right; he hasn't learned to give the right names
+yet.' He learned later that they were gambling.
+
+While these men were shouting, there came along an ugly old woman with a
+tambourine and a one-legged man with a guitar, and seeing prey in the
+shape of Caper at his window, they pounced on him, as it were, and
+poured forth the most ear-rending discord; the old lady singing, the old
+gentleman backing up against a wall and scratching at an accompaniment
+on a jangling old guitar. The old lady had a bandana handkerchief tied
+over her head, and whilst she watched Caper she cast glances up and down
+the street, to see if some rich stranger, or _milordo_, was not coming
+to throw her a piece of silver.
+
+'What are you howling about?' shouted Caper down to her.
+
+'A new Neapolitan canzonetta, signore; all about a young man who grieves
+for his sweetheart, because he thinks she is not true to him, and what
+he says to her in a serenade.' And here she screechingly sung,--
+
+  But do not rage, I beg, my dear;
+  I want you for my wife,
+  And morning, noon, and night likewise,
+  I'll love you like my life.
+
+  CHORUS.
+
+  I only want to get a word,
+  My charming girl, from thee.
+  You know, Ninella, I can't breathe,
+  Unless your heart's for me!
+
+'Well,' said Caper, 'if this is Italian music, I don't _see_ it.'
+
+The one-legged old gentleman clawed away at the strings of the guitar.
+
+'I say,'_llustrissimo_,' shouted Caper down to him, 'what kind of
+strings are those on your instrument?'
+
+'_Excellenza_, catgut,' he shouted, in answer.
+
+'_Benissimo!_ I prefer cats in the original packages. There's a _paolo_:
+travel!'
+
+Caper had the misfortune to make the acquaintance of a professor of the
+mandolin, a wire-strung instrument, resembling a long-necked squash cut
+in two, to be played on with a quill, and which, with a guitar and
+violin, makes a concert that thrills you to the bones and cuts the
+nerves away.
+
+But the crowning glory of all that is ear-rending and peace-destroying,
+is carried around by the _Pifferari_ about Christmas time. It is a
+hog-skin, filled with wind, having pipes at one end, and a jackass at
+the other, and is known in some lands as the bagpipe. The small shrines
+to the Virgin, particularly those in the streets where the wealthy
+English reside, are played upon assiduously by the _pifferari_, who are
+supposed by romantic travelers to come from the far-away Abbruzzi
+Mountains, and make a pilgrimage to the Eternal City to fulfil a vow to
+certain saints; whereas it is sundry cents they are really after. They
+are for the most part artists' models, who at this season of the year
+get themselves up _à la pifferari_, or piper, to prey on the romantic
+susceptibilities and pockets of the strangers in Rome, and, with a pair
+of long-haired goat-skin breeches, a sheepskin coat, brown rags, and
+sandals, or _cioccie_, with a shocking bad conical black or brown hat,
+in which are stuck peacock's or cock's feathers, they are ready equipped
+to attack the shrines and the strangers.
+
+Unfortunately for Caper there was a shrine to the Virgin in the
+second-story front of the house next to where he lived; that is,
+unfortunately for his musical ear, for the lamp that burned in front of
+the shrine every dark night was a shining and pious light to guide him
+home, and thus, ordinarily, a very fortunate arrangement. In the
+third-story front room of the house of the shrine dwelt a Scotch artist
+named MacGuilp, who was a grand amateur of these pipes, and who declared
+that no sound in the world was so sweet to his ear as the bagpipes: they
+recalled the heather, haggis, and the Lothians, and the mountain dew, ye
+ken, and all those sorts of things.
+
+One morning at breakfast in the Café Greco he discoursed at length about
+the pleasure the pifferari gave him; while Caper, taking an opposite
+view, said they had, during the last few days, driven him nearly crazy,
+and he wished the squealing hog-skins well out of town.
+
+MacGuilp told him he had a poor ear for music: that there was a charm
+about the bagpipes unequalled even by the unique voices of the Sistine
+Chapel; and there was nothing he would like better than to have all the
+pipers of Rome under his windows.
+
+Caper remembered this last rash speech of Master MacGuilp, and
+determined at an early hour to test its truth. It happened, the very
+next morning at breakfast, that MacGuilp, in a triumphant manner, told
+him that he had received a promise of a visit from the Duchess of ----,
+with several other titled English; and said he had not a doubt of
+selling several paintings to them. MacGuilp's style was of the
+blood-and-thunder school: red dawns, murdered kings, blood-stained
+heather, and Scotch plaids, the very kind that should be shown to the
+sweet strainings of hog-skin bagpipes.
+
+In conversation Caper found out the hour at which the duchess intended
+to make her visit. He made his preparations accordingly. Accompanied by
+Rocjean, he visited Gigi, who kept a costume and life school of models,
+found out where the pipers drank most wine, and going there and up the
+Via Fratina and down the Spanish Steps, managed to find them, and
+arranged it so that at the time the duchess was viewing MacGuilp's
+paintings, he should have the full benefit of a serenade from all the
+pifferari in Rome.
+
+The next morning Caper, pipe in mouth, at his window, saw the carriage
+of the duchess drive up, and from it the noble English dismount and
+ascend to the artist's studio. The carriage had hardly driven away when
+up came two of the pipers, and happening to cast their eyes up they saw
+Caper, who hailed them and told them not to begin playing until the
+others arrived. In a few moments six of the hog-skin squeezers stood
+ready to begin their infernal squawking.
+
+'Go ahead!' shouted Caper, throwing a handful of _baiocchi_ among them;
+and as soon as these were gathered up, the pipers gave one awful,
+heart-chilling blast, and the concert was fairly commenced. Squealing,
+shrieking, grunting, yelling, and humming, the sounds rose higher and
+higher. Open flew the windows in every direction.
+
+'_C'est foudroyante!_' said the pretty French _modiste_.
+
+'What the devil's broke loose?' shouted an American.
+
+'_Mein Gott im himmel! was ist das?_' roared the German baron.
+
+'_Casaccio! cosa faceste?_' shrieked the lovely Countess Grimanny.
+
+'_In nomine Domine!_' groaned a fat friar.
+
+'_Caramba! vayase al infierno!_' screamed Don Santiago Gomez.
+
+'_Bassama teremtete!_' swore the Hungarian gentleman.
+
+Louder squealed the bagpipes, their buzz filled the air, their shrieks
+went ringing up to MacGuilp like the cries of Dante's condemned. The
+duchess found the sound barbarous. MacGuilp opened his window, upon
+which the pipers strained their lungs for the Signore Inglese, grand
+amateur of the bagpipes. He begged them to go away. 'No, no, signore; we
+know you love our music; we won't go away.'
+
+The duchess could stand it no longer, her Servant called the carriage,
+the English got in and drove off.
+
+Still rung out the sounds of the six bagpipes. Caper threw them more
+_baiocchi_.
+
+Suddenly MacGuilp burst out of the door of his house, maul-stick in
+hand, rushing on the pifferari to put them to flight.
+
+'_Iddio giusto!_' shouted two of the pipers; 'it is, IT IS the
+_Cacciatore_! the hunter; the Great Hunter!'
+
+'He is a painter!' shouted another.
+
+'No, he isn't; he's a hunter. _Gran Cacciatore!_ Doesn't he spend all
+his time after quails and snipe and woodcock? Haven't I been out with
+him day after day at Ostia? Long live the great hunter!'
+
+MacGuilp was touched in a tender spot. The homage paid him as a great
+hunter more than did away with his anger at the bagpipe serenade. And
+the last Caper saw of him he was leading six pifferari into a wine shop,
+where they would not come out until seven of them were unable to tell
+the music of bagpipes from the music of the spheres.
+
+So ends the music, noises, and voices, of the seven-hilled city.
+
+
+SERMONS IN STONES.
+
+One bright Sunday morning in January, Rocjean called on Caper to ask him
+to improve the day by taking a walk.
+
+'I thought of going up to the English chapel outside the Popolo to see a
+pretty New Yorkeress,' said the latter; 'but the affair is not very
+pressing, and I believe a turn round the Villa Borghese would do me as
+much good as only looking at a pretty girl and half hearing a poor
+sermon.'
+
+'As for a sermon, we need not miss that,' answered Rocjean, 'for we will
+stop in at Chapin the sculptor's studio, and if we escape one, and he
+there, I am mistaken. They call his studio a shop, and they call his
+shop the Orphan's Asylum, because he manufactured an Orphan Girl some
+years ago, and, as it sold well, he has kept on making orphans ever
+since.
+
+'The murderer!'
+
+'Yes; but not half as atrocious as the reality. You must know that when
+he first came over here he had an order to make a small Virgin Mary for
+a Catholic church in Boston; but the order being countermanded after he
+had commenced modeling in clay, he was determined not to lose his time,
+and so, having somewhere read of, in a yellow-covered novel, or seen in
+some fashion-plate magazine, a doleful-looking female called The Orphan,
+he instantly determined, cruel executioner that he is, to also make an
+orphan. And he did. There is a dash of bogus sentiment in it that passes
+for coin current with many of our traveling Americans; and the thing has
+"sold." He told me not long since he had orders for twelve copies of
+different sized Orphans, and you will see them all through his asylum.
+Do you remember those lines in Richard the Third,--
+
+  '"Why do you look on us, and shake your head,
+  And call us orphans--wretched?"'
+
+They found Chapin in his shop, alias studio, busily looking over a
+number of plaster casts of legs and arms. He arose quickly as they
+entered and threw a cloth over the casts.
+
+'Hah! gudmornin', Mister Caper. Glad to see you in my studiyo. Hallo,
+Rocjan! you there? Why haven't you ben up to see my wife and daughters?
+She feels hurt, I tell you, 'cause you don't come near us. Do you know
+that Burkings of Bosting was round here to my studiyo yeserday: sold
+_him_ an Orphan. By the way, Mister Caper, air you any relation to Caper
+of the great East Ingy house of Caper?'
+
+'He is an uncle of mine, and is now in Florence; he will be in Rome next
+week.'
+
+A tender glow of interest beamed in Chapin's eyes: in imagination he saw
+another Orphan sold to the rich Caper, who might 'influence trade.' His
+tone of voice after this was subdued. As Caper happened to brush against
+some plaster coming in the studio, Chapin hastened to brush it from his
+coat, and he did it as if it were the down on the wing of a beautiful
+golden butterfly.
+
+'I was goin' to church this mornin' long with Missus Chapin; but I guess
+I'll stay away for once in me life. I want to show you The Orphan.'
+
+'I beg that you will not let me interfere with any engagement you may
+have,' said Caper; 'I can call as well at any other time.'
+
+'Oh, no; I won't lissen to that; I don't want to git to meeting before
+sermon, so come right stret in here now. There! there's The Orphan. You
+see I've made her accordin' to the profoundest rules of art. You may
+take a string or a yard measure and go all over her, you won't find her
+out of the way a fraction. The figure is six times the length of the
+foot; this was the way Phidias worked, and I agree with him. Them were
+splendid old fellows, them Greeks. There was art for you; high art!'
+
+'That in the Acropolis was of the highest order,' said Rocjean.
+
+'Yes,' answered Chapin, who did not know where it was; 'far above all
+other. There was some sentiment in them days; but it was all of the
+religious stripe; they didn't come down to domestic life and feelin';
+they hadn't made the strides we have towards layin' open art to the
+million--towards developing _hum_ feelings. They worked for a precious
+few; but we do it up for the many. Now there's the A-poller
+Belvidiary--beautiful thing; but the idea of brushin' his hair that way
+is ridicoolus. Did you ever see anybody with their hair fixed that way?
+Never! They had a way among the Greeks of fixing their drapery right
+well; but I've invented a plan--for which I've applied to Washington for
+a patent--that I think will beat anything Phidias ever did.'
+
+'You can't tell how charmed I am to hear you,' spoke Rocjean.
+
+'Well, it _is_ a great invention,' continued Chapin; 'and as I know
+neither of you ain't in the 'trade' (smiling), I don't care but what
+I'll show it to you, if you'll promise, honor bright, you won't tell
+anybody. You see I take a piece of muslin and hang it onto a statue the
+way I want the folds to fall; then I take a syringe filled with starch
+and glue and go all over it, so that when it dries it'll be as hard as a
+rock. Then I go all over it with a certain oily preparation and lastly
+I run liquid plaster-paris in it, and when it hardens, I have an exact
+mold of the drapery. There! But I hain't explained The Orphan. You see
+she's sittin' on a very light chair--_that_ shows the very little
+support she has in this world. The hand to the head shows meditation;
+and the Bible on her knee shows devotion; you see it's open to the book,
+chapter, and verse which refers to the young ravens.'
+
+'Excuse me,' said Caper, 'but may I ask why she has such a _very_
+low-necked dress on?'
+
+'Well, my model has got such a fine neck and shoulders,' replied Chapin,
+'that I re-eely couldn't help showing 'em off on the Orphan: besides,
+they're more in demand--the low neck and short sleeves--than the
+high-bodied style, which has no buyers. But there is a work I'm engaged
+on now that would just soot your uncle. Mr. Caper, come this way.'
+
+Caper saw what he supposed was a safe to keep meat cool in, and
+approached. Chapin threw back the doors of it like a showman about to
+disclose the What Is It? and Caper saw a dropsical-looking Cupid with a
+very short shirt on, and a pair of winged shoes on his feet. The figure
+was starting forward as if to catch his equilibrium, which he had that
+moment lost, and was only prevented from tumbling forward by a bag held
+behind him in his left hand, while his right arm and hand, at full
+length, pointed a sharp arrow in front of him.
+
+'Can you tell me what _that_ figger represents?' asked Chapin. As he
+received no reply, he continued: '_That_ is Enterprise; the two little
+ruts at his feet represent a railroad; the arrow, showin' he's sharp,
+points ahead; Go ahead! is his motto; the bag in his hand represents
+money, which the keen, sharp, shrewd business man knows is the reward of
+enterprise. The wreath round his head is laurel mixed up with lightnin',
+showin' he's up to the tellygraph; the pen behind his ear shows he can
+figger; and his short shirt shows economy, that admirable virtoo. The
+wings on his shoes air taken from Mercury, as I suppose you know; and--'
+
+'I say, now, Chapin, don't you think he's got a little too much legs,
+and rather extra stomach on him, to make fast time?' asked Rocjean.
+
+'Measure him, measure him!' said Chapin, indignantly; 'there's a string.
+Figure six times the length of his foot, everything else in proportion.
+No, _sir_; I have not studied the classic for nothin'; if there is any
+one thing I am strong on, it's anatomy. Only look at his hair. Why, sir,
+I spent three weeks once dissectin'; and for more'n six months I didn't
+do anything, during my idle time, but dror figgers. Art is a kind of
+thing that's born in a man. This saying the ancients were better
+sculpters than we air, is no such thing; what did they know about
+steam-engines or telegraphs? _Fiddle!_ They did some fustrate things,
+but they had no idee of fixin' hair as it should be fixed. No, sir; we
+moderns have great add-vantagiz, and we improve 'em. Rome is the Cra--'
+
+'I must bid you good-day,' interrupted Caper; 'your wife will miss you
+at the sermon: you will attribute it to me; and I would not
+intentionally be the cause of having her ill-will for anything.'
+
+'Well, she is a pretty hard innimy; and they do talk here in Rome if you
+don't toe the mark. But ree-ly, you mustn't go off mad (smiling). You
+must call up with Rocjan and see us; and I ree-ly hope that when your
+uncle comes you will bring him to my studiyo. I am sure my Enterprise
+will soot him.'
+
+So Chapin saw them out of his studio. Not until Caper found himself
+seated on a stone bench under the ilexes of the Villa Borghese, watching
+the sunbeams darting on the little lizards, and seeing far off the
+Albanian Mountains, snowcapped against the blue sky--not until then did
+he breathe freely.
+
+'Rocjean,' said he; 'that stone-cutter down there--that Chapin--'
+
+'_Chameau!_ roared Rocjean. 'He and his kind are doing for art what the
+Jews did for prize-fighting--they ruin it. They make art the
+laughing-stock of all refined and educated people. Art applied solely to
+sculpture and painting is dead; it will not rise again in these our
+times. But art, the fairy-fingered beautifier of all that surrounds our
+homes and daily walks, save paintings and statuary, never breathed so
+fully, clearly, nobly as now, and her pathway amid the lowly and homely
+things around us is shedding beauty wherever it goes. The rough-handed
+artisan who, slowly dreaming of the beautiful, at last turns out a stone
+that will beautify and adorn a room, instead of rendering it hideous,
+has done for this practical generation what he of an earlier theoretical
+age did for his cotemporaries when he carved the imperial Venus of
+Milos. Enough; _this_ is the sermon _not_ preached from stones.'
+
+
+A BALL AT THE COSTA PALACE
+
+One sunlight morning in February, while hard at work in his studio,
+Caper was agreeably surprised by the entrance of an elderly uncle of
+his, Mr. Bill Browne, of St. Louis, a gentleman of the rosy, stout,
+hearty school of old bachelors, who, having made a large fortune by
+keeping a Western country store, prudently retired from business, and
+finding it dull work doing nothing, wisely determined to enjoy himself
+with a tour over the Continent, 'or any other place he might conclude to
+visit.'
+
+'I say, Jim, did you expect to see me here?' was his first greeting.
+
+'Why, Uncle Bill! Well, you are the last man I ever thought would turn
+up. They didn't write me a word of your coming over,' answered Caper.
+
+'Mistake; they wrote you all about it; and if you'll drop round at the
+post-office, you'll find letters there telling you the particulars. Fact
+is, I am ahead of the mail. Coming over in the steamer, met a man named
+Orville; told me he knew you, that he was coming straight through to
+Rome, and offered to pilot me. So I gave up Paris and all that, and came
+smack through, eighteen days from New York. But I'm dry. Got a match?
+Here, try one of these cigars.'
+
+Caper took a cigar from his uncle's case, lit it, and then, calling the
+man who swept out the studios, sent him to the neighboring wine-shop for
+a bottle of wine.
+
+'By George, Jim, that's a pretty painting: that jackass is fairly alive,
+and so's the girl with a red boddice. I say, what's she got that towel
+on her head for? Is it put there to dry?'
+
+'No; that's an Italian peasant girl's head-covering. Most all of them do
+so.'
+
+'Do they? I'm glad of that. But here comes your man with the liquor.'
+
+And, after drinking two or three tumblers full, Uncle Bill decided that
+it was pretty good cider. The wine finished, together with a couple of
+rolls that came with it, the two sallied out for a walk around the
+Pincian Hill, the grand promenade of Rome. Towards sunset they thought
+of dinner, and Uncle Bill, anxious to see life, accepted Caper's
+invitation to dine at the old Gabioni: here they ordered the best
+dishes, and the former swore it was as good a dinner as he ever got at
+the Planter's House. Rocjean, who dined there, delighted the old
+gentleman immensely, and the two fraternized at once, and drank each
+other's health, old style, until Caper, fearing that neither could
+conveniently hold more, suggested an adjournment to the Greco for coffee
+and cigars.
+
+While they were in the café, Rocjean quietly proposed something to
+Caper, who at once assented; the latter then said to Uncle Bill,--
+
+'You have arrived in Rome just at the right time. You may have heard at
+home of the great Giacinti family; well, the Prince Nicolo di Giacinti
+gives a grand ball to-night at the Palazzo Costa. Rocjean and I have
+received invitations, embracing any illustrious strangers of our
+acquaintance who may happen to be in Rome; so you must go with us. You
+have no idea, until you come to know them intimately, what a
+good-natured, off-hand set the best of the Roman nobility are. Compelled
+by circumstances to keep up for effect an appearance of great reserve
+and dignity before the public, they indemnify themselves for it in
+private by having the highest kind of old times. They are passionately
+attached to their native habits and costumes, and though driven, on
+state occasions especially, to imitate French and English habits, yet
+they love nothing better than at times to enjoy themselves in their
+native way. The ball given by the prince to-night is what might be
+called a free-and-easy. It is his particular desire that no one should
+come in full dress; in fact, he rather likes to have his stranger guests
+come in their worst clothes, for this prevents the attention of the
+public being called to them as they enter the palace. After you have
+lived some time in Rome you will see how necessary it is to keep dark,
+so you will see no flaring light at the palace gate; it's all as quiet
+and common-place as possible. The dresses, you must remember, are
+assumed for the occasion because they are, or were, the national
+costume, which is fast disappearing, and if it were not for the noble
+wearers you will see to-night, you could not find them anywhere in Rome.
+You will perhaps think the nobility at the ball hardly realize your
+ideas of Italian beauty and refinement, compared with the fine specimens
+of men and women you may have seen among the Italian opera singers at
+home: well, these same singers are picked specimens, and are chosen for
+their height and muscular development from the whole nation, so that
+strangers may think all the rest at home are like them: it is a little
+piece of deception we can pardon.'
+
+After this long prelude, Rocjean proposed that they should try a game of
+billiards in the Café Nuovo. After they had played a game or two, and
+drank several _mezzo caldos_, or rum punches, they walked up the Corso
+to the Via San Claudio, No. 48, and entered the palace gate. It was very
+dark after they entered, so Rocjean, telling them to wait one moment,
+lit a _cerina_, or piece of waxed cord, an article indispensable to a
+Roman, and, crossing the broad courtyard, they entered a small door, and
+after climbing and twisting and turning, found a ticket-taker, and the
+next minute were in the ball-room.
+
+Uncle Bill was delighted with the excessively free-and-easy ball of
+Prince Giacinti, but was very anxious to know the names of the nobility,
+and Rocjean politely undertook to point out the celebrities, offering
+kindly to introduce him to any one he might think looked sympathetic;
+'what they call _simpatico_ in Italian,' explained Rocjean.
+
+'That pretty girl in _Ciociara_ costume is the Condessa or Countess
+Stella di Napoli.'
+
+'Introduce me,' said Uncle Bill.
+
+Rocjean went through the performance, concluding thus: 'The countess
+expresses a wish that you should order a _bottiglia_ (about two bottles)
+of red wine.'
+
+'Go ahead,' quoth Uncle Bill; 'for a nobility ball this comes as near a
+dance-house affair as I ever want to approach. By the way, who is that
+pickpocket-looking genius with eyes like a black snake?'
+
+'Who is _that_?' said Rocjean, theatrically. 'Chut! a word in your ear;
+that is An-to-nel-li!'
+
+'The devil! But I heard some one only a few minutes ago call him
+Angelucio.'
+
+'That was done satirically, for it means big angel, which you, who read
+the papers, know that Antonelli is _not_. But here comes the wine, and I
+see the countess looks dry. Pour out a half-dozen glasses for her. The
+Roman women, high and low, paddle in wine like ducks, and it never
+upsets them; for, like ducks, their feet are so large that neither you
+nor wine can throw them. I wish you could speak Italian, for here comes
+the Princess Giacinta _con Marchese_--'
+
+'I wish,' said Uncle Bill, 'you would talk English.'
+
+'Well,' continued Rocjean, 'with the Marchioness Nina Romana, if you
+like that better. Shall I introduce you?'
+
+'Certainly,' replied the old gentleman, 'and order two more what d'ye
+call 'ems. It's cheap--this knowing a princess for a quart of red
+teaberry tooth-wash, for that's what this "wine" amounts to. I am going
+to dance to-night, for the Princess Giacinta is a complete woman after
+my heart, and weighs her two hundred pound any day.'
+
+The nobility now began begging Rocjean and Caper to introduce them to
+his excellency _Il vecchio_, or the old man; and Uncle Bill, in his
+enthusiasm at finding himself surrounded with so many princes,
+Allegrini, Pelligrini, Sapgrini, and Dungreeny, compelled Caper to order
+up a barrel of wine, set it a-tap, and tell the nobility to 'go in.' It
+is needless to say that they _went_ in. Many of the costumes were very
+rich, especially those of the female nobility; and in the rush for a
+glass of wine the effect of the brilliant draperies flying here and
+there, struggling and pushing, was notable. The musicians, who were
+standing on what appeared to be barrels draped with white cloth, jumped
+down and tried their luck at the wine-cask, and, after satisfying their
+thirst, returned to their duties. There was a guitar, mandolin, violin,
+and flute, and the music was good for dancing. Uncle Bill was pounced on
+by the Princess Giacinta and whirled off into some kind of a dance, he
+did not know what; round flew the room and the nobility; round flew
+barrels of teaberry tooth-wash, beautiful princesses, big devils of
+Antonellis. Lights, flash, hum, buzz, buzz, zzz--ooo--zoom!
+
+Uncle Bill opened his eyes as the sunlight shed one golden bar into his
+sleeping-room at the Hotel d'Europe, and there by his bedside sat his
+nephew, Jim Caper, reading a letter, while on a table near at hand was a
+goblet full of ice, a bottle of hock, and another bottle corked, with
+string over it.
+
+'It's so-da wa-ter,' said Uncle Bill, musing aloud.
+
+'Hallo, uncle, you awake?' asked Caper, suddenly raising his eyes from
+his letter.
+
+'I am, my son. Give thy aged father thy blessing, and open that hock and
+soda water quicker! I say, Jim, now, what became of the nobility, the
+Colonnas and Aldobrandinis, after they finished that barrel? Strikes me
+some of them will have an owlly appearance this morning.'
+
+'You don't know them,' answered Caper.
+
+'I am beginning to believe I don't, too,' spoke Uncle Bill. 'I say, now,
+Jim, where did we go last night?'
+
+'Why, Uncle Bill, to tell you the plain truth, we went to a ball at the
+Costa Palace, and a model ball it was, too.'
+
+'I have you! Models who sit for you painters. Well, if they arn't
+nobility, they drink like kings, so it's all right. Give us the hock,
+and say no more about it.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+HOWE'S CAVE.
+
+
+Few persons, perhaps, are aware that Schoharie County, N.Y., contains a
+cave said to be nine or ten miles in extent, and, in many respects, one
+of the most remarkable in America. Its visitors are few,--owing,
+probably, to its recent discovery, together with its comparative
+inaccessibility;--yet these few are well rewarded for its exploration.
+
+In the month of August, 1861, I started, with three companions, to visit
+this interesting place.
+
+I will not weary the reader by describing the beauty of the Hudson and
+the grandeur of the Catskills; yet I would fain fix in my memory forever
+one sunrise, seen from the summit of a bluff on the eastern bank of the
+river, when the fog, gradually lifting itself from the stream, and
+slowly breaking into misty fragments, unveiled broad, smiling meadows,
+dark forests, village after village, while above all, far in the
+distance, rose the Catskills, clear in the sunlight.
+
+After two days crowded with enjoyment, we arrived in Schoharie, where we
+passed the night. Having given orders to be called at five, we took
+advantage of the leisure hour this arrangement gave us to view, the next
+morning.
+
+
+AN OLD FORT.
+
+In reality, the 'fort' is a dilapidated old church, used as a shelter
+during the Indian wars, and also in the days of the Revolution. On the
+smooth stones that form the eastern side are carved the names of the
+soldiers who defended it, with the date, and designation of the regiment
+to which they belonged. I deciphered also, among other curious details,
+the name of the person who 'gave the favor of the ground.' I would
+gladly have indulged my antiquarian tastes by copying these rude
+inscriptions; but the eager cries of my companions compelled me to hurry
+on.
+
+The western portion of the structure has also its story to tell. The
+traces of besieging cannon balls are still to be distinctly seen, and in
+one place I observed a smooth, round hole, made by the passage of a ball
+into the interior of the fort.
+
+As I stood on the walls of this ancient building, surveying the valley
+it overlooked, with its straggling village lying at our feet, and the
+fair Schoharie Creek, now gleaming in the sunlight of the meadows, or
+darkening in the shade of the trees that overhung it, the past and the
+present mingled strongly in my thoughts.
+
+The Stars and Stripes, that on this very spot had seen our fathers
+repelling a foreign foe, now waved over their sons, forced from their
+quiet homes, not to contend with the stranger and the alien, but to
+subdue those rebellious brothers whose sacrilegious hands had torn down
+that sacred flag, reared amidst the trials and perils of '76. Not less
+noble the present contest than the past, nor less heroic the soldier of
+to-day than the patriot of the Revolution. We continue to-day the fight
+they fought against injustice and oppression--a conflict that will end
+only when every nation and every race shall lift unshackled hands up to
+God in thanksgiving for the gift of freedom. A deeper love of my
+country, and a firmer trust in the God of truth and justice, sank into
+my heart as I turned away from those rude walls, sacred to the memory of
+departed valor.
+
+We hurried back to the breakfast that awaited us, and then drove to
+
+THE CAVE,
+
+which lies six miles from the village of Schoharie. The entrance is at
+the base of a heavily-wooded mountain that shuts in a secluded little
+valley. The only opening from this solitary vale is made by a small
+stream that winds out from among the hills. The entire seclusion of the
+place has prevented its earlier discovery; but the inevitable 'Hotel'
+now rears its wooden walls above the cave to encourage future
+adventurers to explore its recesses.
+
+In the absence of the proprietor of the hotel, who usually acts as
+cicerone, we took as guide a sun-burnt young man, with an economical
+portion of nose, closely cut hair, and a wiry little mouth, which we saw
+at a glance would open only at the rate of a quarter of a dollar a fact.
+He proved himself, however, shrewd, witty, and, withal, good-natured,
+and as fond of a joke as any one of us all. Bob, for so our new
+companion named himself, showed us at once into a dressing-room,
+advising us to put on, over our own garments, certain exceedingly coarse
+and ragged coats, hats and pants, which transformed us at once from
+rather fashionable young men into a set of forlorn-looking beggars. Each
+laughed at the appearance of the other, unconscious of his own
+transformation; but Bob, with more truth than politeness, informed us
+that we all 'looked like the Old Nick;' whence it appeared that in Bob's
+opinion the Enemy is usually sorely afflicted with a shabby wardrobe,
+and that, in the words of the sage,
+
+  'Poverty is the devil.'
+
+
+Being furnished with small oil lamps, we descended to the mouth of the
+cave. This opens at once into an entrance-hall, one hundred and fifty
+feet in length and thirty in width, and high enough for a tall man to
+enter upright.
+
+I inquired of Bob when the cave was discovered. 'In 1842,' he replied.
+'And by whom?' I continued. 'Why,' rejoined our guide, 'Mister Howe was
+a huntin' for caves, and he came across this one.' Rather a queer thing
+to be hunting for, I thought, though without comment; but in future I
+allowed Bob to carry on the conversation as best suited himself. He
+plunged at once into a dissertation on the state of the country, gravely
+stating that 'Washington was taken.' At the involuntary smile which this
+astounding piece of news called forth, Bob confessed 'he might be
+mistaken in this respect, as his paper came but once a week, and
+frequently only once in two weeks.' Finding him a stanch Union man, and
+inclined to serve his country to the best of his ability, we undertook
+'to post him up' on the present state of affairs, for which the poor
+fellow was truly grateful.
+
+Entrance Hall leads into Washington Hall, a magnificent apartment, three
+hundred feet long, and in the lowest part upwards of forty feet high.
+Our guide favored us at every turn with some new story or legend,
+repeated in a sing-song, nasal tone, ludicrously contrasting with the
+extravagance of the tales themselves. Yet he recited all alike with the
+most immovable gravity. It was a lively waltz of three notes.
+
+Old Tunnel and Giant's Chapel, two fine cave-rooms, were next explored.
+On entering the latter, Bob favored us with the rehearsal of an old
+story from the Arabian Nights, which--unfortunately, not one which will
+bear repetition--he wished us to believe actually happened in this very
+locality.
+
+I may here confess that, when we came to 'the dark hole in the ground,'
+I felt some slight reluctance to trust myself therein. Bob, observing
+this, immediately drew from his lively imagination such an astonishing
+increase of the perils of the way, looking complacently at me all the
+while, that my alarm, strange to say, took flight at once, and I pushed
+onward defiantly. The journey is, however, one that might justly inspire
+timidity. Above our heads, and on each side, frowned immense rocks,
+threatening at every instant to fall upon us; while the dash and babble
+of a stream whose course we followed, increasing in volume as we
+progressed, came to our ears like the 'sound of many waters.' We crossed
+this stream a hundred times, at least, in our journey. Sometimes it
+murmured and fretted in a chasm far below us; again, it spread itself
+out in our very path, or danced merrily at our side, until it seemed to
+plunge into some distant abyss with the roar of a cataract.
+
+We emerged from the windings of our tortuous path into Harlem Tunnel, a
+room six hundred feet in length. In its sides were frequent openings,
+leading into hitherto unexplored parts of the cave; but we did not
+venture to enter many of these. Never have I seen such rocks as we here
+encountered; at one time piled up on one another, ready to totter and
+fall at a touch; at another, jutting out in immense boulders, sixty feet
+above our heads, while, in the openings they left, we gazed upward into
+darkness that seemed immeasurable.
+
+From Harlem Tunnel we came into Cataract Hall, also of great length, and
+remarkable for containing a small opening extending to an unknown
+distance within the mountain, since it apparently cannot be explored.
+Applying the ear to this opening, the sound of an immense cataract
+becomes audible, pouring over the rocks far within the recesses of the
+mountain, where the Creator alone, who meted out those unseen, sunless
+waters, can behold its beauty and its terror.
+
+Crossing the Pool of Siloam, whose babbling waters sparkled into beauty
+as we held our lamps above them, we entered Franklin Hall. Here the
+roof, although high enough in some places, is uncomfortably low in
+others; whereupon Bob bade us give heed to the caution of Franklin,
+'Stoop as you go, and you will miss many hard thumps.'
+
+We arrived next at Flood Hall, where a party of explorers were once put
+in great peril by a sudden freshet in the stream. They barely saved
+themselves by rapid flight, the water becoming waist-deep before they
+gained the entrance. We had no reason to doubt the truth of this story,
+as there were evidences of the rise and fall of water all about us.
+
+Congress Hall now awaited us, but I will omit a description of it, as
+Musical Hall, which immediately succeeded, contains so much more that is
+interesting. On entering, our attention was first directed to an
+aperture wide enough for the admission of a man's head. Any sound made
+in this opening is taken up and repeated by echo after echo, till the
+very spirit of music seems awakened. Wave after wave of melodious sound
+charms the ear, even if the first awakening note has been most
+discordant. If the soul is filled with silent awe while listening to the
+unseen waterfall in Cataract Hall, it is here wooed into peace by a
+harmony more perfect than any produced by mortal invention. A
+temple-cavern vaster than Ellora with a giant 'lithophone' for organ!
+
+The second wonder of Musical Hall is a lake of great extent, and from
+ten to thirty feet in depth. The smooth surface of these crystal waters,
+never ruffled by any air of heaven, and undisturbed save by the dip of
+our oars as we were ferried across, the utter darkness that hid the
+opposite shore from our straining sight, the huge rocks above, whose
+clustering stalactites, lighted by our glimmering lamps, sparkled like a
+starry sky, the sound of the far-off waterfall, softened by distance
+into a sad and solemn music, all united to recall with a vivid power,
+never before felt, the passage of the 'pious Æneas' over the Styx, which
+I had so often read with delight in my boyhood. I half fancied our
+Yankee Bob fading into a vision of the classic Charon, and that the
+ghosts of unhappy spirits were peering at us from the darkness.
+
+At the end of the lake is Annexation Rock, a huge limestone formation in
+the shape of an egg. It stands on one end, is twenty-eight feet in
+diameter, and over forty in height.
+
+We were now introduced into Fat Man's Misery, where the small and
+attenuated have greatly the advantage. We emerged from this narrow and
+difficult passage into the Museum, half a mile long, and so called from
+the number and variety of its formations. We did not linger to examine
+its curiosities, but pushed on over the Alps, which we surmounted, aided
+partly by ladders. Very steep and rugged were these Alps, and quite
+worthy of the name they bear. We descended from them into the Bath-room,
+where a pool of water and sundry other arrangements suggest to a lively
+imagination its designation. It certainly has the recommendation of
+being the most retired bath-room ever known. That of the Neapolitan
+sibyl is public in comparison to it.
+
+We then entered Pirate's Retreat. Why so named, I can not guess, for I
+doubt if the boldest pirate who ever sailed the 'South Seas o'er' would
+dare venture alone so far underground as we now found ourselves.
+
+Leaving the Pirate's Retreat, we were obliged to cross the Rocky
+Mountains, similar in formation and arrangement to the Alps. The Rocky
+Mountains lead into Jehoshaphat's Valley, one mile in length. Like its
+namesake, this valley is a deep ravine, with steep, rugged sides, and a
+brawling brook running at the bottom.
+
+Miller's Hall next claims our attention. Here we take leave of the
+brook, which, with the cave, loses itself in a measureless ravine, where
+the rocks have fallen in such a manner as to obstruct any further
+explorations.
+
+From thence, turning to the right, we enter Winding Way, a most
+appropriate name for the place. The narrow passage turns and twists
+between masses of solid rook, high in some places, and low in others.
+The deathlike silence of the solitude that surrounded us impressed us
+with a vague feeling of fear, and we felt no disposition to tempt the
+Devil's Gangway, especially as, in consequence of a recent freshet, it
+was partly filled with water. Our guide informed us that beyond the
+Gangway were several rooms, among which Silent Chamber and Gothic Arch
+were the most noteworthy. The portion of the cave visited by tourists
+terminates in the 'Rotunda,' eight miles from the entrance; although
+explorations have been made some miles further. The Rotunda is
+cylindrical in shape, fifteen feet in diameter, and one hundred feet in
+height.
+
+We were now in a little room six miles from the mouth of the cave, and
+thought the present a good opportunity to try the effect of the absence
+of light and sound on the mind. Extinguishing our lights, therefore, we
+resigned ourselves to the influences of darkness and silence. To realize
+such a state fully, one must find one's self in the bowels of the earth,
+as we were, where the beating of our own hearts alone attested the
+existence of life. We were glad to relight our lamps and begin our
+return to upper air.
+
+I have already mentioned Annexation Rock; near it is another curious
+freak of nature, called the Tree of the World's History. It resembles
+the stump of a tree two feet in diameter, and cut off two feet above the
+ground, upon which a portion of the trunk, six feet in length, is
+exactly balanced. A singular type of the changes which time makes in the
+world above-ground.
+
+In the Museum, whose examination we had postponed till our return, we
+were lost in a world of wonders. It were vain to attempt to describe or
+even enumerate half of the various objects that met us at every turn.
+Churches, towers, complete with doors and windows, as if finished by the
+hand of an architect; an organ, its long and short pipes arranged in
+perfect order; Lot's Wife, a figure in stone, life size; in another
+place two women, in long, flowing garments, standing facing each other,
+as if engaged in earnest conversation, and a soldier in complete
+armor,--these were among the most striking of the larger objects. The
+vegetable world was also well represented. Here was a bunch of carrots,
+fresh as if just taken from the ground, sheaves of wheat, bunches of
+grain and grass hanging from the walls and roofs. Interspersed were
+birds of every species, doves in loving companionship, sparrows, and
+hawks. I noticed also in one place a pair of elephant's ears perfect as
+life. Indeed it was not difficult to believe that these stony semblances
+had once been endowed with life, and, ere blight or decay could change,
+had been transmuted into things of imperishable beauty.
+
+While waiting for our guide to unmoor the boat, which was to take us
+over the lake a second time, I ran up the bank to look at the
+stalactites that hung in the greatest profusion above the water. The
+light of my lamp shining through them produced an effect as surprising
+as it was beautiful. But no words can do justice to the scene. Imagine
+an immense room whose ceiling is studded with icicles forming every
+conceivable curve and angle, and you will have only a faint idea of the
+number and variety of these subterranean ornaments.
+
+A mile from the entrance we found some stray bats,--the first living
+creatures we had met. We endeavored to attract them by holding up our
+lamps, and succeeded so well that we were glad to leave them behind us
+as soon as possible.
+
+It is a singular fact, noted by other cave-explorers, and confirmed by
+our own experience, that while within a cave one's usual vigor and
+activity appears augmented. A slight reaction takes place on coming out
+into the upper world, and renders rest doubly refreshing and grateful.
+
+Let me, in closing, advise other visitors to Howe's Cave to choose _fair
+weather, and take time enough_ for their visit, as the windings of the
+cave and its curiosities are alike exhaustless.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+POTENTIAL MOODS
+
+
+      I sit and dream
+  Of the time that prophets have long foretold,
+  Of an age surpassing the age of gold,
+  Which the eyes of the selfish can never behold,
+      When truth and love shall be owned supreme.
+
+      I think and weep
+  O'er the thousands oppressed by sin and woe,
+  O'er the long procession of those who go,
+  Through ignorance, error, and passions low,
+      To the unsought bed of their dreamless sleep.
+
+      I wait and long
+  For the sway of justice, the rule of right;
+  For the glad diffusion of wisdom's light;
+  For the triumph of liberty over might;
+      For the day when the weak shall be free from the strong.
+
+      I work and sing
+  To welcome the dawn of the fairer day,
+  When crime and sin shall have passed away,
+  When men shall live as well as they pray,
+      And earth with the gladness of heaven shall ring.
+
+      I trust and hope
+  In the tide of God's love that unceasingly rolls,
+  In the dear words of promise that bear up our souls,
+  In the tender compassion that sweetly consoles,
+      When in death's darkened valley we tremblingly grope.
+
+      I toil and pray
+  For the beauty excelling all forms of art;
+  For the blessing that comes to the holy heart;
+  For the hope that foretells, and seems a part
+      Of the life and joy of the heavenly day.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE TRUE INTEREST OF NATIONS.
+
+
+For a litigious, quarrelsome, fighting animal, man is very fond of
+peace. He began to shed blood almost as soon as he began to go alone in
+company with his nearest relatives; and when Abel asked of Cain, 'Am I
+not a man and a brother?' the latter, instead of giving him the hug
+fraternal, did beat him to death. Cain's only object, it should seem,
+was a quiet life, and Abel had disturbed his repose by setting up a
+higher standard of excellence than the elder brother could afford to
+maintain. It was only to 'conquer a peace' that Cain thus acted. He
+desired 'indemnity for the past and security for the future,' and so he
+took up arms against his brother and ended him. He loved peace, but he
+did not fear war, because he was the stronger party of the two, his
+weapons being as ready for action as the British navy is ready for it
+to-day; and Abel was as defenceless as we were a twelvemonth ago. Cain
+is the type of all mankind, who know that peace is better than war, but
+who rush into war under the pressure of envy and pride. Ancient as
+violence is, it is not so old as peace; and it is for peace that all
+wars are made, at least by organized communities. All peoples have in
+their minds the idea of a golden age, not unlike to that time so vividly
+described by Hesiod, when men were absolutely good, and therefore happy;
+living in perfect accord on what the earth abundantly gave them,
+suffering neither illness nor old age, and dying as calmly as they had
+lived. Historical inquiry has so far shaken belief in the existence of
+any such time as that painted by the poet, that men have agreed to place
+it in the future. It has never been, but it is to be. It will come with
+that 'coming man,' who travels so slowly, and will be by him
+inaugurated, a boundless millennial time. In the mean time contention
+prevails; 'war's unequal game' is played with transcendent vigor, and at
+a cost that would frighten the whole human race into madness were it
+incurred for any other purpose. But, while fighting, men have kept their
+eyes steadily fixed upon peace, which is to be the reward of their valor
+and their pecuniary sacrifices. Every warlike time has been followed by
+a period in which strenuous exertions have been made to make peace
+perpetual. Never was there a more profound desire felt for peace than
+that which prevailed among the Romans of the Augustan age, after a
+series of civil and foreign wars yet unparalleled in the history of
+human struggles. One poet could denounce the first forger of the iron
+sword as being truly brutal and iron-hearted; and another could declare
+it to be the 'mission' of the Romans only to impose terms of peace upon
+barbarians, who should be compelled to accept quiet as a boon, or endure
+it as a burden. Strange sentiments were these to proceed from the land
+of the legions, but they expressed the current Roman opinion, which
+preferred even dishonor to war. So was it after the settlement of Europe
+in 1815. A generation that had grown up in the course of the greatest of
+modern contests produced the most determined and persistent advocates of
+the 'peace-at-any-price' policy; and for forty years peace was preserved
+between the principal Christian nations, through the exertions of
+statesmen, kings, philanthropists, and economists, who, if they could
+agree in nothing else, were almost unanimous in the opinion that war was
+an expensive folly, and that the first duty of a government was to
+prevent its subjects from becoming military-mad. Perhaps there never was
+a happier time in Christendom than it knew between the autumn of 1815
+and the spring of 1854, after Napoleon had gone down and before Nicholas
+had set himself up to dictate law to the world. It was the modern age of
+the Antonines, into which was crowded more true enjoyment than mankind
+had known for centuries; and they are beginning to learn its excellence
+from its loss,--war raging now in the New World, while Europe lives in
+hourly expectation of its occurrence. There were wars, and cruel wars,
+too, in those years, but they faintly affected Europe and the United
+States, and probably added something to men's happiness, for the same
+reason that a storm to which we are not exposed increases our sense of
+comfort. Their thunders were remote, and they furnished materials for
+the journals. So we saw a Providence in them, and thanked Heaven, some
+of us, that we no longer furnished examples of the folly of contention.
+
+The friends of peace were actuated by various motives. With statesmen
+and politicians peace was preferred because it was cheaper than war, and
+all countries were burdened with debt. England has sometimes been
+praised because she so uniformly threw her influence on the side of
+peace, after she had accomplished her purpose in the war against
+imperial France. Time and again, she might have waged popular wars, and
+in which she would have probably been successful; but she would help
+neither the Spaniards against France and the Holy Alliance, nor the
+Turks against the Russians, nor the Poles against the Czar, nor the
+Hungarians against the Austrians, nor the Italians against the Kaiser,
+nor the Greeks against the Turks. She settled all her disputes with the
+United States by negotiation, and showed no disposition to fight with
+France, except when she had all the rest of Europe on her side. But this
+praise has not been deserved. England did not quarrel with powerful
+countries, because she could not afford to enter upon costly warfare.
+She had gone to the extent of her means when her debt had reached to
+four thousand million dollars, and she could not increase that debt
+largely until she should also have increased her wealth. Time was
+required to add to her means, and to lessen her debt; and to such a
+state had her finances been reduced, that it is now twenty years since
+she began to derive a portion of her revenue from an income tax, which,
+imposed in the time of peace, was increased when war became inevitable.
+The bonds she had given to keep the peace were too great to admit of her
+breaking it. She did not fight, because she doubted her ability to fight
+successfully. She had no wish to behold another suspension of cash
+payments by her national bank; and a general war would be sure to bring
+suspension. But she was as ready as she had ever been to contend with
+the weak. The Chinese and the Afghans did not find her very forbearing,
+though with neither of those peoples had she any just cause for war.
+
+With the disunited States she has been as prompt to quarrel as she was
+slow to contend with the United States; and now she is one of the high
+contracting parties to the crusade against Mexico. We say nothing of the
+Sepoy war, for that was a contest for 'empire,' as Earl Russell would
+say. She could not, in the days of Clyde, give up what she had acquired
+in the days of Clive; and no one ought to blame her for what she did in
+India, though it can not be denied that the mutiny was the consequence
+of her own bad conduct in the East. With Russia, Austria, and Prussia to
+back her, in 1840, she went to the verge of a war with France; but, in
+so doing, the government did that which the English nation by no means
+warmly approved; and the fall of the whig ministry, in 1841, was in no
+small part due to Lord Palmerston's policy in the preceding year. The
+Russian war was brought about by the action of the English people, who
+were angry with the Czar because his empire had the first place in
+Europe. The government would have prevented that war from breaking out
+if it could, but popular pressure was too strong for it, and it had to
+give way. The event has proved that the English government was wiser
+than were the English people, France alone having gained anything from
+the departure from what had become the policy of Europe; and for France
+to gain is not altogether for the benefit of England.
+
+Of the motives of the philanthropists, we have little to say. They are
+always respectable, and it is a pity that the world should be too wicked
+to appreciate them. But those of the economists are open to remark, and
+the more so because there has been so much claimed for them. They
+reduced everything to a matter of interest. Peace, they reasoned, is for
+the welfare of all men; and, if an enlightened self-interest could be
+made to prevail the world over, war would be rendered an impossibility.
+Wars between civilized countries have mostly grown out of mistaken views
+of interest on the part of governments and peoples. Once enlighten both
+rulers and ruled, and make them understand that war can not pay, and
+selfishness will accomplish what religion, and morality, and
+benevolence, and common sense have failed to accomplish. Cutting throats
+may be a very agreeable pastime; but no man ever yet paid for anything
+more than it was worth, with his eyes wide open to the fact that he was
+not buying a bargain, but selling himself. Nations would be as wise as
+individuals, unless it be true that the sum of intelligence is not so
+great as the items that compose it; and when it should have been made
+indisputably clear that to make war was to make losses, while peace
+should be as indisputably profitable, there would be no further occasion
+to expend, annually, immense sums upon the support of great armaments,
+such as were not kept up, even in times of war, by the potentates of
+earlier days. The reason of mankind was to be appealed to, and they were
+to be made saints through the use of practical logic. Neighborhood,
+instead of being regarded as cause for enmity, was to be held as ground
+for good feeling and liberal intercourse. Under the old system it had
+been the custom to call France and England 'natural enemies,' words that
+attributed to the Creator the origin of discord. Under the new system,
+those great countries were to become the best of friends, as well as the
+closest of neighbors; and one generation of free commerce was to do away
+with the effects of five centuries of disputes and warfare. England was
+to forget the part which France took in the first American war, and
+France was to cease to recollect that there had been such days as Crécy
+and Agincourt, Vittoria and Waterloo; and also that England had
+overthrown her rule in North America, and driven her people from India.
+But it was not France and England only that were to enter within the
+charmed circle; all nations were to be admitted into it, and the whole
+world was to fraternize. It was to be Arcadia in a ring-fence, an
+Arcadia solidly based upon heavy profits, with consols, _rentes_, and
+other public securities--which in other times had a bad fashion of
+becoming very insecure--always at a good premium. Quarter-day was to be
+the day for which all other days were made, and it would never be
+darkened by the imposition of new taxes, by repudiation, or by any other
+of those things that so often have lessened the felicity of the
+fund-holder.
+
+That the new Temple of Peace might be enabled to rise in proper
+proportions, it became necessary to destroy some old edifices, and to
+remove what was considered to be very rubbishy rubbish. Protection,
+tariffs, and so forth, once worshiped as evidences of ancestral wisdom,
+were to be got rid of with all possible speed, and free trade was to be
+substituted, that is, trade as free as was compatible with the raising
+of enormous revenues, made necessary by the foolish wars of the past. In
+due time, perfect freedom of trade would be had; but a blessing of that
+magnitude could not be expected to come at once to the relief of a
+suffering world. England, which had taken the lead in supporting
+protection, and whose commercial system had been of the most illiberal
+and sordid character, became the leader in the grand reform, pushing the
+work vigorously forward, and, with her usual consideration for the
+feelings and rights of others, ordering the nations of Europe and
+America to follow her example. She had discovered that she had been all
+in the wrong since the day when Oliver St. John's wounded pride led him
+to the conclusion that it was the duty of every patriotic Englishman to
+do his best to destroy the commerce of Holland. She was very impatient
+of those peoples who were shy of imitating her, forgetting that her
+conduct through six generations had made a strong impression on the
+world's mind, and that her sudden conversion could not immediately avail
+against her long persistence in sinning against political economy, if
+indeed she had so sinned; and the question was one that admitted of some
+dispute, free trade being but an experiment. Gradually, however, men
+came round to the British view, in theory at least; and among the
+intelligent classes it was admitted that commerce without restriction
+was the true policy of nations, which must be gradually adopted as the
+basis of all future action, due regard to be paid to those potent
+disturbing forces, vested interests. France was slow to yield in
+practice, though she had produced some of the cleverest of economical
+writers; for she is as little given to change in matters of business as
+she is ready to rush into political revolutions. But even France at last
+gave signs of her intention to abandon her ancient practice in deference
+to modern theories; and Napoleon III. and Mr. Cobden laid their wise
+heads together to form plans for the completion of the 'cordial
+understanding,' on the basis of free trade. Less than forty years had
+sufficed to effect a gradual change of human opinion, and protection
+seemed about to be sent to that limbo in which witchcraft, alchemy, and
+judicial astrology have been so long undisturbedly reposing.
+
+Death, we are told, found his way into Arcadia; and disappointment was
+not long in coming to disturb the modern Arcadians, who had as much to
+do with cotton as their predecessors with wool. The dream of universal
+peace, a peace that was to endure because based on enlightened
+selfishness,--that is to say on buying in cheap markets and selling in
+dear ones,--was as rudely dispelled as had been all earlier dreams of
+the kind. Interest, it was found, could no more make men live lovingly
+together than principle could cause them to do so in by-gone times. If
+there were two nations that might have been insured not to fight each
+other, because interest was sufficient to prevent men from having resort
+to war, those nations were Russia and England. They were in no sense
+rivals, according to the definition of rivalry in the circles of
+commerce. Between them there was much buying and selling, to the great
+profit of both. England is an old nation, with the arts of industry
+developed among her people to an extent that is elsewhere unknown. The
+division of labor that prevails among her working people is so extensive
+and so minute, that in that respect she defies comparison. Other
+countries may have as skillful laborers as she possesses, but their
+industry is of a far less various character. Russia is a new country,
+and she requires what England has to dispose of; and England finds her
+account in purchasing the raw materials that are so abundantly produced
+in Russia. Commercially speaking, therefore, these two nations could not
+fall out, could not quarrel, could not fight, if they would. In all
+other respects, too, they could be counted upon to set a good example to
+all other communities. They had more than once been allies, each had
+done the other good services at critical tunes, and they had had the
+foremost places in that grand alliance which had twice dethroned
+Napoleon I. The exceptions to their general good understanding belong to
+those exceptions which are supposed to be useful in proving a given
+rule. When the tory rulers of England became alarmed because of the
+success of Catharine II. in her second Turkish war, and proposed doing
+what was done more than sixty years later,--to assist the Osmanlis,--the
+opposition to their policy became so powerful that even the strong
+ministry of William Pitt had to listen to its voice; which shows that
+the tendency of English opinion was then favorable to Russia. The
+hostility of Czar Paul to England, in his last days, is attributed to
+the failure of his mind; and the immediate resumption of good relations
+between the two countries after his death, establishes the fact that the
+English and the Russians were not sharers in the Czar's feelings. During
+the five years that followed Tilsit, Russia appeared to be the enemy of
+England, and war existed for some time between the two empires; but this
+was owing to the ascendency of the French, Alexander having to choose
+between England and France. The nominal enemies did each other as little
+injury as possible; and, in 1812, they became greater friends than ever.
+Most Englishmen were probably of Lord Holland's opinion, that England's
+interest dictated a Russian connection; and in the eighteenth century
+England was, in some sense, the nursing mother of the new empire, though
+once or twice she was inclined to do as other nurses have
+done,--administer some punishment to the rude and healthy child she was
+fostering, and not without reason. So harmonious had been the relations
+of these two magnificent states, that an eminent Russian author, Dr.
+Hamel, writing in 1846, could say: 'Nearly three hundred years have now
+elapsed since England greeted Muscovy at the mouth of the Dwina. So
+great have been the benefits to trade, the arts, and industry in
+general, arising from the friendly relations between England and Russia,
+which, in 1853, will have completed the third century of their
+continuance, that one might expect to see this period closed, in both
+countries, with a jubilee to commemorate so remarkable an example of
+uninterrupted amicable intercourse between nations.' The year 1853 came;
+but, instead of being a jubilee to the old friends of three centuries'
+standing, it brought the beginning of that contest which is known as the
+Russian war. That was a proper way, indeed, to notice the happy return
+of the three-hundredth anniversary of the establishment of
+'uninterrupted amicable intercourse' between the nations, whose soldiers
+were soon slaughtering each other with as much energy as if they had
+been 'natural enemies' from immemorial time. Interest had no power to
+turn aside the storm of war. The English people were angry with Russia
+because the iron-willed Czar had carried matters in Europe with a very
+high hand, and was, in fact, virtually master of the Old World, and
+suspected of being on uncommonly good terms with the masters of the New
+World. Nicholas had succeeded to the place of Napoleon in their ill
+graces. They liked the Cossackry of the one as little as they had liked
+the cannonarchy of the other. It was a case of pure jealousy. Russia was
+too powerful to suit the English idea of the fitness of things, and
+therefore it was necessary that she should be chastised and humbled.
+Fear of Russia there could have been none in the English mind. It has
+been thought that England contended for the safety of her Eastern
+dominions; but then the Czar offered her Egypt and Candia, possession of
+which would not only have much strengthened her Indian empire, but have
+been the means of making her more powerful at home. Nothing better could
+have been offered for her acceptance, if valuable territories would have
+satisfied her feelings; and much praise has been bestowed upon her
+because she did not close with the Czar's proposition 'to share and
+share alike' the lands of the House of Othman; but that praise is not
+quite deserved, the desire not to see Russia aggrandized being a
+stronger sentiment with her than was the desire to aggrandize herself.
+Had the question been left for British statesmen alone to settle,--had
+the British premier been as free to act for England as the Czar was for
+Russia,--poor, sick Turkey would have been cut and carved most
+expeditiously and artistically; she would have been partitioned as
+perfectly as Poland, and Abdul Medjid would have experienced the fate of
+Stanislaus Poniatowski. But English ministers hold power only on
+condition of doing the will of the English nation, and that nation had
+contracted an aversion to Russia that was uncontrollable, and before its
+hostility its ministers had to give way, slowly and reluctantly; and the
+half-measures they adopted, like the half-measures of our own government
+toward the secessionists, explain the disasters of the war. The English
+people were determined that there should be an end, for the time at
+least, to the Russian hegemony, and threw themselves into the arms of
+France with a vivacity that would have astonished any other French ruler
+but Napoleon III., who had lived among them, and who knew them well. The
+war was waged, and, when over, what had England gained? Nothing solid,
+it must be admitted. The territory of Russia remained unimpaired, and
+there is not the slightest evidence that her influence in the East was
+lessened by the partial destruction of Sebastopol. The Russian navy of
+the Euxine had ceased to exist; but as it consisted principally of
+vessels that were not adapted to the purposes of modern warfare, the
+loss of the Russians in that respect was not of a very serious
+character. Russia's European leadership was suspended; but her power and
+her resources, which, if properly employed, must soon reinstate her,
+were not damaged. England _had_ fought for an idea, and had fought in
+vain.
+
+France had as little interest in the Russian war as England, and the
+French people had no wish to fight the Czar. They would have preferred
+fighting the English, in connection with the Czar,--an arrangement that
+would have been more profitable to their country. But the emperor had a
+quarrel with his arrogant brother at St. Petersburgh, and he availed
+himself of the opportunity afforded by that brother's obstinacy to teach
+him a lesson from which he did not live to profit. Nicholas had cut the
+new emperor, and had caused him to be taboo'd by most of the sovereigns
+of Europe; and the Frenchman determined to cut his way to consideration.
+This he was enabled to do, with the aid of the English; and ever since
+the war's close he has held the place which became vacant on the death
+of Nicholas--that of Europe's arbiter. The French fought well, as they
+always do, but their heart was not in the war. The emperor had the war
+party pretty much to himself. Exactly the opposite state of things
+existed in France to that which existed in England. In the former
+country, the government was for war, and the people were for peace; in
+the latter, the government was for peace, and the people were for war.
+In each country power was in the hands of the war party, and so war was
+made, in spite of the wishes of the French people and of English
+statesmen. When Napoleon III. had accomplished _his_ purpose, he ordered
+the English to make peace, and peace was made. In this way he satisfied
+his subjects, showing them that he had no intention of making England
+more powerful than she had been, or Russia weaker. He had prevented
+Russia from extending her dominion, but he had also prevented England
+from lessening that dominion.
+
+The Italian war was waged in opposition to the sentiments of the French
+people, which was one of the leading causes of its sudden termination,
+with its object, only half accomplished, and much to the damage of the
+emperor's reputation for statesmanship and courage. Whether, in a
+comprehensive sense, that war was entered upon for purposes adverse to
+the interests of France, may well be doubted; but it is certain that it
+was an unpopular measure in that country. The French had no objection to
+the humiliation of Austria; but it would be a grave error to suppose
+that they have any wish to behold Italy united and powerful. The kingdom
+of Italy, should it become all that is desired for it by its friends in
+this country, would be to France a source of annoyance, and probably of
+danger. The emperor's power was shaken by his Italian policy, and hence
+it was that he played the confederature game so long, to the
+astonishment of foreigners, and got possession of Savoy and Nice, to
+the astonishment and anger of England; and hence it is that he is
+seeking Sardinia and other portions of Italy. Thus, the Italian war was
+begun against the interests of the French people, or what that people
+believe to be their interests, though this is the age in which there is
+to be peace, because that is not to be broken except when popular
+interests require that it shall no longer be preserved.
+
+But the most remarkable instance of the fallacy of the idea that regard
+for the true interests of nations must banish hostilities from the
+world, is afforded by the coarse of France and England toward this
+country since the beginning of the secession war. Both those countries
+have great interest not only in the preservation of peace _with_ the
+United States, but in the preservation of peace _in_ the United States;
+and yet they have done all that it lies in their power to do to
+encourage our rebels, and have been on the verge of war with us: and war
+with them, and with Spain, is exported by many Americans, who judge of
+the future by the present and the past. England had a vast trade with
+the American Union, buying at the South, and selling to the North, and
+hence any disturbances here were sure to operate adversely to her
+interests; but no sooner had it become apparent that our troubles were
+to be of a serious character, than her weight was thrown on to the side
+of the rebels, who never would have been able to do much but for the
+encouragement they have received from abroad. The trade of France was
+not so great with America as that of England; yet it was valuable, and
+the French have suffered much from its suspension, perhaps we should say
+its loss. The North has purchased but little from Europe for a year, and
+the South has sold less to Europe in that time. There has been a trade
+in food between the North and some European countries, in which grain
+has been exchanged for gold, though it would have been better for both
+parties could anything else than gold have been brought to America, true
+commerce consisting in the interchange of commodities. For all the
+sufferings that have been experienced by Englishmen and Frenchmen, they
+have none but themselves and their governments to censure. That peace
+has not been preserved is not our fault; and the war that has been blown
+into so fierce a flame has been fed from Europe; it has been fanned by
+breezes from France and England. When it was first seen that there was
+danger of civil war, the governments of those countries, if they had
+really had any regard for the true interests of their countries, would
+have discouraged the rebels in the most public and pointed manner
+imaginable, not because they cared for us, but for the simple reason
+that they were bound so to act as should best promote the welfare of
+their own peoples. War in America meant suffering to the artisans and
+laborers of Europe, who, thus far, have suffered more from the war than
+have any portion of the American people, except the residents of
+Southern cities. Napoleon III. and Lord Palmerston should have said to
+the agents of the Confederacy, and have taken care to publish their
+words, 'We can afford you neither aid in deeds nor encouragement in
+words. Our relations with both sections of the American nation are such,
+that our respective countries must suffer immensely from the course
+which you are about to pursue, not because you have been oppressed, or
+fear oppression, but because you have been beaten in an election, and
+power, for the time, has been taken from your hands. You ask us to act
+hostilely against the established government of the United States, that
+government having given us no cause of offense,--to become the patrons
+of a revolution that has no cause, but the consequences of which may be
+boundless. To revolutions we are averse; and one of our governments
+exists in virtue of opposition to the party of disorder in Europe. You
+ask us to do that which would lessen the means of livelihood to millions
+of our people; for, granting that you should succeed, still there would
+necessarily be so great a change produced by your action, and by our
+intervention in American affairs, that for years America would not be
+the good customer to France and England that she has been for a
+generation. With the merits of your cause we can have nothing to do, our
+true interests pointing to the maintenance of the strictest neutrality
+in the contest between you and the federal government; and the dictates
+of interest are fortified by the suggestions of principle. Your movement
+is essentially disorderly in its character, and it is undertaken
+avowedly in the interest of slavery; and not only are we the supporters
+of the existing order of things the world over, but we are hostile to
+slavery, having abolished it in all parts of our dominions. Our advice
+to you is, to submit to the federal government, and to seek for the
+redress of your grievances, if such you have, by means recognized in the
+constitution and laws of your country. From us you can receive no aid,
+and you should dismiss all expectation of it from your minds at once and
+forever. We are indifferent to the form of the American government, and
+its internal policy can not concern us; but the interests of our peoples
+require that we should live in peace with the people of America, whether
+they be of the South or of the North, slave-holders or abolitionists;
+and we shall not quarrel with any portion of them for the sake of
+facilitating the erection of a republic to be founded on the basis of
+the divine nature of slavery, the first time that so preposterous a
+pretension was ever put forward by the audacity or the impudence of
+men.' Had something like this been said to the agents of the rebels, and
+had the English press supported the same views, the rebellion would have
+been at an end ere this, and the commercial relations of America and
+Europe would have experienced no sensible interruption. English
+interests, in an especial sense, demanded that the rebels should be
+discouraged, and discouragement from London would have rendered
+rebellion hopeless, and have promoted peace in Savannah and New Orleans.
+
+But it was not in England's nature to pursue a course that would have
+been as much in harmony with her material interests as with that high
+moral character which she claims as being peculiarly her own. There
+appeared to have presented itself an opportunity to effect the
+destruction of the American Republic, and England could not resist the
+temptation to strike us hard: and, for almost a year, she has been to
+the Union a more deadly foe than we have found in the South. We do not
+allude to the _Trent_ question, for in that we were clearly in the
+wrong, and Mason and Slidell should have been released on the 16th of
+November, and not have been detained in captivity six weeks. Secretary
+Seward has placed the point so emphatically beyond all doubt, that we
+must all be of one mind thereon, whether in England or America. England
+might have been moderate in her action, in view of her repeated outrages
+on the rights of neutrals, but no intelligent American can condemn her
+position. It is to other things that we must look for evidence of her
+determination to effect our extinction as a nation. She has, while
+dripping with Hindoo blood, and while yet men's ears are filled with
+accounts of the blowing of sepoys from the muzzles of cannon by her
+military executioners, absolutely demanded of us an acknowledgment of
+the Southern Confederacy's independence, on the ground that it is
+inhuman to wage war for the maintenance of our national life. She has
+compared our mild and forbearing government with the savage proconsulate
+of Alva in the Netherlands! She has charged us with waging war against
+civilization, because we have employed stone fleets to close entrances
+to the harbor of Charleston, though her own history is full of instances
+of their employment for similar purposes! She has encouraged her traders
+and seamen to furnish the rebels with arms of all kinds, and stores of
+every description! She has excluded our ships-of-war from her ports,
+refusing to allow them to coal at places at which she had granted us the
+privilege, in time of peace, of establishing stations for fuel! She has
+given shelter and protection to the privateers of the rebels, vessels
+that had violated her own laws almost within sight of her own shores,
+and certainly within the narrow seas! She has acknowledged the
+belligerent character of the South, which is virtually an acknowledgment
+of its independence, for none but nations can lawfully wage war. She
+has, through her Minister for Foreign Affairs, declared that our war
+with the secessionists is of the same character as the war which the
+Spaniards carried on with their American colonists, and that there is no
+difference between it and the attempt of the Turks to subdue the Greeks!
+Monstrous perversions of history for even Earl Russell to be guilty of!
+Her leading periodicals and journals, with few exceptions, have
+denounced our country, our course, and our government in the bitterest
+language, and to the manifest encouragement of the rebels, who see in
+their language the rapid growth and prompt exhibition of a sentiment of
+hostility to this country, and which must, sooner or later, end in war;
+and war between England and America would be sure to lead to the success
+of the Confederates, even if we should come out of it victoriously.
+
+Thus we see that the attempt to establish peace on the basis of the true
+interests of nations has not only failed, but that it has failed
+signally and deplorably. The solid Doric Temple of Mammon has no more
+been able to stand against the storms of war than has the Crystal Palace
+of Sentiment. The fair fabric which was the type of materialism has
+fallen, and it would be most unwise to seek its reconstruction. That
+which was to have stood as long and as firmly as the Pyramids has fallen
+before the first moss could gather upon it. Nor is the reason of this
+fall far to seek, as it lies upon the surface, and ought to have been
+anticipated--would have been, only that men are so ready to believe in
+what they wish to believe. England, as a nation, has two interests to
+consult, and which do not always accord. She has her commercial interest
+and her imperial interest; and, when the two conflict, the last is sure
+to become first. Her position as a nation was threatened only by the
+United States and Russia. The dynastic disputes of France, which are far
+from being at an end, and the generally unsettled character of French
+politics, must long prevent that country from becoming the permanent
+rival of England. France is great to-day, and England acts wisely in
+preparing to meet her in war; but to-morrow France may become weak, and
+her voice be feeble and her weight light in Europe and the world. Three
+houses claim her throne, and the Republicans may start up into active
+life again, as we saw they did in 1848. Neither Austria nor Prussia can
+ever furnish England cause of alarm. With Russia the case is very
+different, as her government is solidly established; her resources are
+vast, and in the course of steady development, and her desire to
+establish her supremacy in the East is a fixed idea with both rulers and
+ruled. Unchecked, she would have thrown England into the background, and
+supposing that she had resolved not to allow that country a share of the
+spoil of Turkey. The hard character and harsh policy of Nicholas ended
+in furnishing to England an opportunity to throw Russia herself into the
+background for the time, and that opportunity she made use of, but not
+to the extent that she had determined upon, owing to her dependence upon
+France, which became the shield of Russia after having been the sword of
+England. The United States were a formidable rival of England; and, but
+for the breaking out of our troubles, we should have been far ahead of
+her by 1870, and perhaps have stripped her of all her American
+possessions. When those troubles began, she proceeded to take the same
+advantage of them that she had taken of the Czar's blunder. To sever the
+American nation in twain is her object, as some of her public men have
+frankly avowed; and she believes that the disintegrating process, once
+commenced, would not stop with the division of the country into the
+Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy. She expects, should the
+South succeed, to see half a dozen republics here established, and is
+not without hope that not even two States would remain together; and for
+this hope she has very good foundation. The American nation destroyed,
+England would become as great in the West as she is in the East, and
+would hold, with far greater means at her command, the same position
+that was hers in the last days of George II., when the French had been
+expelled from America and India. She would have no commercial rival, and
+there would no longer be an American navy susceptible of gigantic
+increase. She would be truly the sea's sovereign; and whoso rules the
+sea has power to dictate to the land. 'Whosoever commands the sea,' says
+Sir Walter Raleigh, 'commands the trade of the world; whosoever commands
+the trade of the world, commands the riches of the world, and
+consequently the world itself.' England never would have gone to war
+with the _United States_ to prevent their growth; but, now that they
+have instituted civil war, it is certain that she will do all that lies
+in her power to prevent the reconstruction of the Union. The war of
+words has been begun, and it is but preliminary to the war of swords.
+The savage music of the British press is the overture to the opera. The
+morality of England may be neither higher nor lower than that of all
+other countries,--may be no worse than our own,--but there is so much
+that is offensive in her modes of exhibiting her destitution of
+principle, that she is more hated than all other powerful countries that
+ever have existed. She not only sins as badly as other nations, but
+manages to make herself as odious for her manner of sinning as for the
+sins themselves. There is no crime that she is not capable of, if its
+perpetration be necessary to promote her own power. When Sir William
+Reid was governor of Malta, he said to Mr. Lushington, 'I would let them
+(_i.e._ the heathen) set up Juggernaut in St. George's Square (in
+Edinburgh), if it were conducive to England's holding Malta.' And as
+this time-blue Presbyterian was ready to allow the solemnization of the
+bloodiest rites of paganism in the most public place of the Christian
+city of Edinburgh, if that kind of tolerance would be conducive to
+England's retention of Malta,--of which she holds possession, by the
+way, in consequence of one of the grossest breaches of faith mentioned
+even in her history,--so do we find the Christian people, peers, and
+priests of England ready to become the allies of slave-holders and the
+supporters of slavery, if thereby the American Republic can be
+destroyed, as they believe that its existence may become the source of
+danger to the ascendency of their country.
+
+The last intelligence from England allows us to believe that that
+country has adopted a more liberal policy, and that her government will
+do nothing to aid the rebels. Some of the language of Ministers is
+friendly, and altogether the change is one of a character that can not
+be otherwise than agreeable to us. France, too, has declared her
+neutrality as strongly as England. These declarations were made before
+intelligence of our military and naval successes had reached Europe,
+which renders them all the more weighty. Peace between America and
+Europe may, therefore, be counted upon, unless some very great reverses
+should befall our arms.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+AMONG THE PINES.
+
+
+The 'Ole Cabin' to which Jim had alluded as the scene of Sam's
+punishment by the Overseer, was a one-story shanty in the vicinity of
+the stables. Though fast falling to decay, it had more the appearance of
+a decent habitation than the other huts on the plantation. Its thick
+plank door was ornamented with a mouldy brass knocker, and its four
+windows contained sashes, to which here and there clung a broken pane,
+the surviving relic of its better days. It was built of large unhewn
+logs, notched at the ends and laid one upon the other, with the bark
+still on. The thick, rough coat which yet adhered in patches to the
+timber had opened in the sun, and let the rain and the worm burrow in
+its sides, till some parts had crumbled entirely away. At one corner the
+process of decay had gone on till roof, superstructure, and foundation
+had rotted down and left an opening large enough to admit a coach and
+four horses. The huge chimneys which had graced the gable-ends of the
+building were fallen in, leaving only a mass of sticks and clay to tell
+of their existence, and two wide openings to show how great a figure
+they had once made in the world. A small space in front of the cabin
+would have been a lawn, had the grass been willing to grow upon it; and
+a few acres of cleared land in its rear might have passed for a garden,
+had it not been entirely overgrown with young pines and stubble. This
+primitive structure was once the 'mansion' of that broad plantation,
+and, before the production of turpentine came into fashion in that
+region, its rude owner drew his support from its few surrounding acres,
+more truly independent than the present aristocratic proprietor, who,
+raising only one article, and buying all his provisions, was forced to
+draw his support from the Yankee or the Englishman.
+
+Only one room, about forty feet square, occupied the interior of the
+cabin. It once contained several apartments, vestiges of which still
+remained, but the partitions had been torn away to fit it for its
+present uses. What those uses were, a moment's observation showed me.
+
+In the middle of the floor, which was mostly rotted away, a space about
+fifteen feet square was covered with thick pine planking, strongly
+nailed to the beams. In the centre of this planking an oaken block was
+firmly bolted, and to it was fastened a strong iron staple that held a
+log-chain, to which was attached a pair of shackles. Above this, was a
+queer frame-work of oak, somewhat resembling the contrivance for drying
+fruit I have seen in Yankee farm-houses. Attached to the rafters by
+stout pieces of timber, were two hickory poles, placed horizontally, and
+about four feet apart, the lower one rather more than eight feet from
+the floor. This was the whipping-rack, and hanging to it were several
+stout whips with short hickory handles, and long triple lashes. I took
+one down for closer inspection, and found burned into the wood, in large
+letters, the words 'Moral Suasion.' I questioned the appropriateness of
+the label, but the Colonel insisted with great gravity that the whip is
+the only 'moral suasion' a darky is capable of understanding.
+
+When punishment is inflicted on one of the Colonel's negroes, his feet
+are confined in the shackles, his arms tied above his head, and drawn by
+a stout cord up to one of the horizontal poles; then, his back bared to
+the waist, and standing on tip-toe, with every muscle stretched to its
+utmost tension, he takes 'de lashes.'
+
+A more severe but more unusual punishment is the 'thumb-screw.' In this
+a noose is passed around the negro's thumb and fore-finger, while the
+cord is thrown over the upper cross-pole, and the culprit is drawn up
+till his toes barely touch the ground. In this position the whole
+weight of the body rests on the thumb and fore-finger. The torture is
+excruciating, and strong, able-bodied men can endure it but a few
+moments. The Colonel naively told me that he had discontinued its
+practice, as several of his _women_ had nearly lost the use of their
+hands, and been incapacited for field labor, by its too frequent
+repetition. 'My ---- drivers,'[L] he added, 'have no discretion, and no
+humanity; if they have a pique against a nigger, they show him no
+mercy.'
+
+The old shanty I have described was now the place of the Overseer's
+confinement. Open as it was at top, bottom, and sides, it seemed an
+unsafe prison-house; but Jim had rendered its present occupant secure by
+placing 'de padlocks on him.'
+
+'Where did you catch him?' asked the Colonel of Jim, as, followed by
+every darky on the plantation, we took our way to the old building.
+
+'In de swamp, massa. We got Sandy and de dogs arter him--dey treed him,
+but he fit like de debil.'
+
+'Any one hurt?'
+
+'Yas, Cunnel; he knifed Yaller Jake, and ef I hadn't a gibin him a
+wiper, you'd a had anudder nigger short dis mornin'--shore.'
+
+'How was it? tell me,' said his master, while we paused, and the darkies
+gathered around.
+
+'Wal, yer see, massa, we got de ole debil's hat dat he drapped wen you
+had him down; den we went to Sandy's fur de dogs--dey scented him to
+onst, and off dey put for de swamp. 'Bout twenty on us follored 'em.
+He'd a right smart start on us, and run like a deer, but de hounds
+kotched up wid him 'bout whar he shot pore Sam. He fit 'em and cut up de
+Lady awful, but ole Caesar got a hole ob him, and sliced a breakfuss out
+ob his legs. Somehow, dough, he got away from de ole dog, and clum a
+tree. 'T was more'n an hour afore we kotched up; but dar he war, and de
+houns baying 'way as ef dey know'd wat an ole debil he am. I'd tuk one
+ob de guns--you warn't in de hous, massa, so I cudn't ax you.'
+
+'Never mind that; go on,' said the Colonel.
+
+'Wal, I up wid de gun, and tole him ef he didn't cum down I'd gib him
+suffin' dat 'ud sot hard on de stummuk. It tuk him a long w'ile, but--he
+_cum down_.' Here the darky showed a row of ivory that would have been a
+fair capital for a metropolitan dentist.
+
+'Wen he war down,' he resumed, 'Jake war gwine to tie him, but de ole
+'gator, quicker dan a flash, put a knife enter him.'
+
+'Is Jake much hurt?' interrupted the Colonel.
+
+'Not bad, massa; de knife went fru his arm, and enter his ribs, but de
+ma'am hab fix him up, and she say he'll be 'round bery sudden.'
+
+'Well, what then?' inquired the Colonel.
+
+'Wen de ole debil seed he hadn't finished Jake, he war gwine to gib him
+anoder dig, but jus den I drap de gun on his cocoa-nut, and he neber
+trubble us no more. 'Twar mons'rous hard work to git him out ob de
+swamp, 'cause he war jes like a dead man, and we had to tote him de hull
+way; but he'm dar now, massa (pointing to the old cabin), and de
+bracelets am on him.'
+
+'Where is Jake?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'Dunno, massa, but reckon he'm to hum.'
+
+'One of you boys go and bring him to the cabin,' said the Colonel.
+
+A negro-man went off on the errand, while we and the darkies resumed our
+way to the Overseer's quarters. Arrived there, I witnessed a scene that
+words can not picture.
+
+Stretched at full length on the floor, his clothes torn to shreds, his
+coarse carroty hair matted with blood, and his thin, ugly visage pale as
+death, lay the Overseer. Bending over him, wiping away the blood from
+his face, and swathing a ghastly wound on his forehead, was the negress
+Sue; while at his shackled feet, binding up his still bleeding legs,
+knelt the octoroon woman.
+
+'Is _she_ here?' I said, involuntarily, as I caught sight of the group.
+
+'It's her nature,' said the Colonel, with a pleasant smile; 'if Moye
+were the devil himself, she'd do him good if she could; another such
+woman never lived.'
+
+And yet this woman, with all the instincts that make her sex
+angel-ministers to man, lived in daily violation of the most sacred of
+all laws,--because she was a slave. Will Mr. Caleb Cushing or Charles
+O'Conner please tell us why the Almighty invented a system which forces
+his creatures to break the laws of His own making?
+
+'Don't waste your time on him, Alice,' said the Colonel, kindly; 'he
+isn't worth the rope that'll hang him.'
+
+'He was bleeding to death; he must have care or he'll die,' said the
+octoroon woman.
+
+'Then let him die, d---- him,' replied the Colonel, advancing to where
+the Overseer lay, and bending down to satisfy himself of his condition.
+
+Meanwhile more than two hundred dusky forms crowded around and filled
+every opening of the old building. Every conceivable emotion, except
+pity, was depicted on their dark faces. The same individuals whose
+cloudy visages a half-hour before I had seen distended with a wild mirth
+and careless jollity, that made me think them really the docile,
+good-natured animals they are said to be, now glared on the prostrate
+Overseer with the infuriated rage of aroused beasts when springing on
+their prey.
+
+'You can't come the possum here. Get up, you ---- hound,' said the
+Colonel, rising and striking the bleeding man with his foot.
+
+The fellow raised himself on one elbow and gazed around with a stupid,
+vacant look. His eye wandered unsteadily for a moment from the Colonel
+to the throng of cloudy faces in the doorway; then, his recent
+experience flashing upon him, he shrieked out, clinging wildly to the
+skirts of the octoroon woman, who was standing near, 'Keep off them
+cursed hounds,--keep them off, I say--they'll kill me!--they'll kill
+me!'
+
+One glance satisfied me that his mind was wandering. The blow on the
+head had shattered his reason, and made the strong man less than a
+child.
+
+'You shan't be killed yet,' said the Colonel. 'You've a small account to
+settle with me before you reckon with the devil.'
+
+At this moment the dark crowd in the doorway parted, and Jake entered,
+his arm bound up and in a sling.
+
+'Jake, come here,' said the Colonel; 'this man would have killed you.
+What shall we do with him?'
+
+''Tain't fur a darky to say dat, massa,' said the negro, evidently
+unaccustomed to the rude administration of justice which the Colonel was
+about to inaugurate; 'he did wuss dan dat to Sam, mass--he orter swing
+for shootin' him.'
+
+'That's _my_ affair; we'll settle your account first,' replied the
+Colonel.
+
+The darky looked undecidedly at his master, and then at the Overseer,
+who, overcome by weakness, had sunk again to the floor. The little
+humanity in him was evidently struggling with his hatred of Moye and his
+desire of revenge, when the old nurse yelled out from among the crowd,
+'Gib him fifty lashes, Massa Davy, and den you wash him down.[M] Be a
+man, Jake, and say dat.'
+
+Jake still hesitated, and when at last he was about to speak, the eye of
+the octoroon woman caught his, and chained the words to his tongue, as
+if by magnetic power.
+
+'Do you say that, boys;' said the Colonel, turning to the other negroes;
+'shall he have fifty lashes?'
+
+'Yas, massa, fifty lashes--gib de ole debil fifty lashes,' shouted about
+fifty voices.
+
+'He shall have them,' quietly said the master.
+
+The mad shout that followed, which was more like the yell of demons than
+the cry of men, seemed to arouse the Overseer to a sense of the real
+state of affairs. Springing to his feet, he gazed wildly around; then,
+sinking on his knees before the octoroon, and clutching the folds of her
+dress, he shrieked, 'Save me, good lady, save me! as you hope for mercy,
+save me!'
+
+Not a muscle of her face moved, but, turning to the excited crowd, she
+mildly said, 'Fifty lashes would kill him. _Jake_ does not say
+that--your master leaves it to him, and he will not whip a dying
+man--will you, Jake?'
+
+'No, ma'am--not--not ef you go agin it,' replied the negro, with very
+evident reluctance.
+
+'But he whipped Sam, ma'am, when he was nearer dead than _he_ am,' said
+Jim, whose station as house-servant allowed him a certain freedom of
+speech.
+
+'Because he was brutal to Sam, should you be brutal to him? Can you
+expect me to tend you when you are sick, if you beat a dying man? Does
+Pompey say you should do such things?' said the lady.
+
+'No, good ma'am,' said the old preacher, stepping out, with the freedom
+of an old servant, from the black mass, and taking his stand beside me
+in the open space left for the 'w'ite folks;' 'de ole man dusn't say
+dat, ma'am; he tell 'em de Lord want 'em to forgib dar en'mies--to lub
+dem dat pursyskute em;' then, turning to the Colonel, he added, as he
+passed his hand meekly over his thin crop of white wool and threw his
+long heel back, 'ef massa'll 'low me I'll talk to 'em.'
+
+'Fire away,' said the Colonel, with evident chagrin. 'This is a nigger
+trial; if you want to screen the d---- hound you can do it.'
+
+'I dusn't want to screed him, massa, but I'se bery ole and got soon to
+gwo, and I dusn't want de blessed Lord to ax me wen I gets dar why I
+'lowed dese pore ig'nant brack folks to mudder a man 'fore my bery face.
+I toted you, massa, fore you cud gwo, I'se worked for you till I can't
+work no more; and I dusn't want to tell de Lord dat _my_ massa let a
+brudder man be killed in cole blood.'
+
+'He is no brother of mine, you old fool; preach to the nigs, don't
+preach to me,' said the Colonel, stifling his displeasure, and striding
+off through the black crowd, without saying another word.
+
+Here and there in the dark mass a face showed signs of relenting; but
+much the larger number of that strange jury, had the question been put,
+would have voted--DEATH.
+
+The old preacher turned to them as the Colonel passed out, and said, 'My
+chil'ren, would you hab dis man whipped, so weak, so dyin' as he am, of
+he war brack?'
+
+'No, not ef he war a darky--fer den he wouldn't be such an ole debil,'
+replied Jim, and about a dozen of the other negroes.
+
+'De w'ite ain't no wuss dan de brack--dey'm all 'like--pore sinners all
+ob 'em. De Lord wudn't whip a w'ite man no sooner dan a brack one--He
+tinks de w'ite juss so good as de brack (good Southern doctrine, I
+thought). De porest w'ite trash wudn't strike a man wen he war down.'
+
+'We'se had 'nough of dis, ole man,' said a large, powerful negro (one of
+the drivers), stepping forward, and, regardless of the presence of Madam
+P---- and myself, pressing close to where the Overseer lay, now totally
+unconscious of what was passing around him. 'You needn't preach no more;
+de Cunnul hab say we'm to whip ole Moye, and we'se gwine to do it, by
+----.'
+
+I felt my fingers closing on the palm of my hand, and in a second more
+they would have cut the darky's profile, had not Madam P---- cried out,
+'Stand back, you impudent fellow: say another word, and I'll have you
+whipped on the spot.'
+
+'De Cunnul am my massa, ma'am--_he_ say ole Moye shall be whipped, and
+I'se gwine to do it--shore.'
+
+I have seen a storm at sea--I have seen the tempest tear up great
+trees--I have seen the lightning strike in a dark night--but I never saw
+anything half so grand, half so terrible, as the glance and tone of that
+woman as she cried out, 'Jim, take this man--give him fifty lashes this
+instant.'
+
+Quicker than thought, a dozen darkies were on him. His hands and feet
+were tied and he was under the whipping-rack in a second. Turning then
+to the other negroes, the brave woman said, 'Some of you carry Moye to
+the house, and you, Jim, see to this man--if fifty lashes don't make him
+sorry, give him fifty more.'
+
+This summary change of programme was silently acquiesced in by the
+assembled darkies, but many a cloudy face scowled sulkily on the
+octoroon, as, leaning on my arm, she followed Junius and the other
+negroes, who bore Moye to the mansion. It was plain that under those
+dark faces a fire was burning that a breath would have fanned into a
+flame.
+
+We entered the house by its rear door, and placed Moye in a small room
+on the ground floor. He was laid on a bed, and stimulants being given
+him, his senses and reason shortly returned. His eyes opened, and his
+real position seemed suddenly to flash upon him, for he turned to Madam
+P----, and in a weak voice, half-choked with emotion, faltered out, 'May
+God in heaven bless ye, ma'am; God _will_ bless ye for bein' so good to
+a wicked man like me. I doesn't desarve it, but ye woant leave me--ye
+woant leave me--they'll kill me ef ye do!'
+
+'Don't fear,' said the Madam; 'you shall have a fair trial. No harm
+shall come to you here.'
+
+'Thank ye, thank ye,' gasped the Overseer, raising himself on one arm,
+and clutching at the lady's hand, which he tried to lift to his lips.
+
+'Don't say any more now,' said Madam P----, quietly; 'you must rest and
+be quiet, or you won't get well.'
+
+'Shan't I get well? Oh, I can't die--I can't die _now_!'
+
+The lady made a soothing reply, and giving him an opiate, and arranging
+the bedding so that he might rest more easily, she left the room with
+me.
+
+As we stepped into the hall, I saw through the front door, which was
+open, the horses harnessed in readiness for 'meeting,' and the Colonel
+pacing to and fro on the piazza, smoking a cigar. He perceived us, and
+halted in front of the doorway.
+
+'So, you've brought that d---- blood-thirsty villain into my house!' he
+said to Madam P----, in a tone of strong displeasure.
+
+'How could I help it? The negroes are mad, and would kill him anywhere
+else,' replied the lady, with a certain self-confidence that showed she
+knew her power over the Colonel.
+
+'Why should _you_ interfere between them and him? Has he not insulted
+you often enough to make you let him alone? Can you so easily forgive
+his taunting you with'--He did not finish the sentence, but what I had
+learned on the previous evening from the old nurse gave me a clue to its
+meaning. A red flame flushed the face and neck of the octoroon
+woman--her eyes literally flashed fire, and her very breath seemed to
+come with pain; in a moment, however, this emotion passed away, and she
+quietly said, 'Let me settle that in my own way. He has served _you_
+well--_you_ have nothing against him that the law will not punish.'
+
+'By ----, you are the most unaccountable woman I ever knew,' exclaimed
+the Colonel, striding up and down the piazza, the angry feeling passing
+from his face, and giving way to a mingled expression of wonder and
+admiration. The conversation was here interrupted by Jim, who just then
+made his appearance, hat in hand.
+
+'Well, Jim, what is it?' asked his master.
+
+'We'se gib'n Sam twenty lashes, ma'am, but he beg so hard, and say he so
+sorry, dat I tole him I'd ax you 'fore we gabe him any more.'
+
+'Well, if he's sorry, that's enough; but tell him he'll get fifty
+another time,' said the lady.
+
+'What Sam is it?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'Big Sam, the driver,' said Jim.
+
+'Why was he whipped?'
+
+'He told me _you_ were his master, and insisted on whipping Moye,'
+replied the lady.
+
+'Did he dare to do that? Give him a hundred, Jim, not one less,' roared
+the Colonel.
+
+'Yas, massa,' said Jim.
+
+The lady looked significantly at the negro and shook her head, but said
+nothing, and he left.
+
+'Come, Alice, it is nearly time for meeting, and I want to stop and see
+Sandy on the way.'
+
+'I reckon I won't go,' said Madam P----.
+
+'You stay to take care of Moye, I suppose,' said the Colonel, with a
+slight sneer.
+
+'Yes,' replied the lady; 'he is badly hurt, and in danger of
+inflammation.'
+
+'Well, suit yourself. Sir. K----, come, _we'll_ go--you'll meet some of
+the _natives_.'
+
+The lady retired to the house, and the Colonel and I were soon ready.
+The driver brought the horses to the door, and as we were about to enter
+the carriage, I noticed Jim taking his accustomed seat on the box.
+
+'Who's looking after Sam?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'Nobody, Cunnul; de ma'am leff him gwo.'
+
+'How dare you disobey me? Didn't I tell you to give him a hundred?'
+
+'Yas, massa, but de ma'am tole me notter.'
+
+'Well, another time you mind what _I_ say--do you hear?' said his
+master.
+
+'Yas, massa,' said the negro, with a broad grin, 'I allers do dat.'
+
+'You _never_ do it, you d---- nigger; I ought to have flogged you long
+ago.'
+
+Jim said nothing, but gave a quiet laugh, showing no sort of fear, and
+we entered the carriage. I afterwards learned from him that he had never
+been whipped, and that all the negroes on the plantation obeyed the lady
+when, which was seldom, her orders came in conflict with their master's.
+They knew if they did not, the Colonel would whip them.
+
+As we rode slowly along the Colonel said to me, 'Well, you see that the
+best people have to flog their niggers sometimes.'
+
+'Yes, _I_ should have given that fellow a hundred lashes, at least. I
+think the effect on the others would have been bad if Madam P---- had
+not had him flogged.'
+
+'But she generally goes against it. I don't remember of her having it
+done in ten years before. And yet, though I've the worst gang of niggers
+in the district, they obey her like so many children.'
+
+'Why is that?'
+
+'Well, there's a kind of magnetism about her that makes everybody love
+her; and then she tends them in sickness, and is constantly doing little
+things for their comfort; _that_ attaches them to her. She is an
+extraordinary woman.'
+
+'Whose negroes are those, Colonel?' I asked, as, after a while, we
+passed a gang of about a dozen, at work near the roadside. Some were
+tending a tar-kiln, and some engaged in cutting into fire-wood the pines
+which a recent tornado had thrown to the ground.
+
+'They are mine, but they are working now for themselves. I let such as
+will, work on Sunday. I furnish the "raw material," and pay them for
+what they do, as I would a white man.'
+
+'Would'nt it be better to make them go to hear the old preacher;
+could'nt they learn something from him?'
+
+'Not much; Old Pomp never read anything but the Bible, and he don't
+understand that; besides, they can't be taught. You can't make "a
+whistle out of a pig's tail;" you can't make a nigger into a white man.'
+
+Just here the carriage stopped suddenly, and we looked out to see the
+cause. The road by which we had come was a mere opening through the
+pines; no fences separated it from the wooded land, and being seldom
+traveled, the track was scarcely visible. In many places it widened to a
+hundred feet, but in others tall trees had grown up on its opposite
+sides, and there was scarcely width enough for a single carriage to pass
+along. In one of these narrow passages, just before us, a queer-looking
+vehicle had upset, and scattered its contents in the road. We had no
+alternative but to wait till it got out of the way; and we all alighted
+to reconnoitre.
+
+The vehicle was a little larger than an ordinary hand-cart, and was
+mounted on wheels that had probably served their time on a Boston dray
+before commencing their travels in Secessiondom. Its box of pine
+boarding and its shafts of rough oak poles were evidently of Southern
+home manufacture. Attached to it by a rope harness, with a primitive
+bridle of decidedly original construction, was--not a horse, nor a mule,
+nor even an alligator, but a 'three-year-old heifer.'
+
+The wooden linch-pin of the cart had given way, and the weight of a
+half-dozen barrels of turpentine had thrown the box off its balance, and
+rolled the contents about in all directions.
+
+The appearance of the proprietor of this nondescript vehicle was in
+keeping with the establishment. His coat, which was much too short in
+the waist and much too long in the skirts, was of the common reddish
+gray linsey, and his nether garments, of the same material, stopped just
+below the knees. From there downwards, he wore only the covering that is
+said to have been the fashion in Paradise before Adam took to
+fig-leaves. His hat had a rim broader than a political platform, and his
+skin a color half way between that of tobacco-juice and a tallow candle.
+
+'Wal, Cunnul, how dy'ge?' said the stranger, as we stepped from the
+carriage.
+
+'Very well, Ned; how are you?'
+
+'Purty wal, Cunnul; had the nagur lately, right smart, but'm gittin'
+'roun.'
+
+'You're in a bad fix here, I see. Can't Jim help you?'
+
+'Wal, p'raps he moight. Jim, how dy'ge?'
+
+'Sort o' smart, ole feller. But come, stir yerseff; we want ter gwo
+'long,' replied Jim, with a manifest lack of courtesy that showed he
+regarded the white man as altogether too 'trashy' to be treated with
+much ceremony.
+
+With the aid of Jim, a new linch-pin was soon whittled out, the
+turpentine rolled on to the cart, and the vehicle put in a moving
+condition.
+
+'Where are you hauling your turpentine?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'To Sam Bell's, at the "Boro'."'
+
+'What will he pay you?'
+
+'Wal, I've four barr'ls of "dip," and tu of "hard." For the hull, I
+reckon he'll give three dollars a barr'l.'
+
+'By tale?'
+
+'No, for two hun'red and eighty pound.'
+
+'Well, _I'll_ give you two dollars and a half by weight.'
+
+'Can't take it, Cunnel; must get three dollar.'
+
+'What, will you go sixty miles with this team, and waste five or six
+days, for fifty cents on six barrels--three dollars?'
+
+'Can't 'ford the time, Cunnel, but must git three dollar a barr'l.'
+
+'That fellow is a specimen of our "natives,"' said the Colonel, as we
+resumed our seats in the carriage. 'You'll see more of them before we
+get back to the plantation.'
+
+'He puts a young cow to a decidedly original use,' I remarked.
+
+'Oh no, not original here; the ox and the cow with us are both used for
+labor.'
+
+'You don't mean to say that cows are generally worked here?'
+
+'Of course I do. Our breeds are good for nothing as milkers, and we put
+them to the next best use. I never have cow's milk on my plantation.'
+
+'You don't! why, I could have sworn it was in my coffee this morning.'
+
+'I wouldn't trust you to buy brandy for me, if your organs of taste are
+not keener than that. It was goat's milk.'
+
+'Then how do you get your butter?'
+
+'From the North. I've had mine from my New York factors for over two
+years.'
+
+We soon arrived at Sandy the negro-hunter's, and halted to allow the
+Colonel to inquire as to the health of his family of children and
+dogs,--the latter the less numerous, but, if I might judge by
+appearances, the more valued of the two.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+SOUTHERN AIDS TO THE NORTH.
+
+
+II.
+
+If war did little else, it would have its value from the fact that it
+acts so extensively as an institution for the dissemination of useful
+knowledge. Every murmur of political dissension sends thousands to
+consult the map, and repair their early neglect of geography. Perhaps if
+atlases and ethnographical works were more studied we should have less
+war. And it is by no means impossible that the mutual knowledge which
+has been or is to be acquired by the people of the South and the North
+during this present war will eventually aid materially in establishing a
+firm bond of union.
+
+That we have much to learn is shown in the firm faith with which so many
+have listened to the threats of 'a united South.' Until recently the
+fierce and furious assurances of the rebel press, that south of Mason
+and Dixon's line all were wedded heart and soul to their cause, were
+taken almost without a doubt. Who has forgotten the late doleful
+convictions of the dough-faces that the South would hold together to the
+last in spite of wind or weather, concluding invariably with the old
+refrain,--'Suppose we conquer them--what then?' Had the country at large
+known in detail, as it _should_ have known from a common-school
+education, what the South _really_ is,--or from experience of life what
+human nature really is,--it would never have believed that this boasted
+unanimity was based on aught save ignorance or falsehood. The Southern
+press itself, almost without an exception, betrays gross ignorance of
+its own country, and is very superficial in its statistics, inclining
+more than any other to warp facts and figures to suit preconceived
+views. We, like it, have tacitly adopted the belief that south of a
+certain line a certain climate invariably prevailed, and that under its
+influences, from the Border to the Gulf of Mexico, there has been
+developed a race essentially alike in all its characteristics. The
+planter and the slave-owner, or the city merchant, has been the type
+with which our writers have become familiar at the hotel and the
+watering-place, or in the 'store,' and we have accepted them as speaking
+for the South, quite forgetful that in America, as in other countries,
+the real man of the middle class travels but little, and when he does,
+is seldom to be found mingling in the 'higher circles.' Yet even this
+Southern man of the middle class and of 'Alleghania,' when at the North
+frequently affects a 'Southern' air, which is not more natural to him
+than it is to the youthful scions of Philadelphia and New York, who,
+when in Europe, so often talk pro-slavery and bowie knife, as though
+they lived in the very heart of planterdom. But the truth is that when
+we search the South out closely we find that in reality there is a very
+great difference between its districts and their inhabitants, and, in
+_fact_, as has been very truly said, 'not only is there no geographical
+boundary between the free and slave States, but no moral and
+intellectual boundary.'
+
+In the great temperate region which, parting from either side of the
+Alleghanies, extends from Virginia to Alabama, and is still continued in
+the pleasant level of Texas, slavery has rolled away from either
+mountain side like a flood, leaving it the home of a hardy population
+which regards with jealousy and dislike both the wealthy planter and the
+negro. James W. Taylor, in his valuable collection of facts, claims that
+through the whole extent of the Southern Alleghania slavery has
+relatively diminished since 1850, and that the forthcoming census tables
+will establish the assertion. 'The superintendent of the census,' he
+says, 'would furnish a document, valuable politically and for military
+use, if he would anticipate the publication of this portion of his
+voluminous budget.' If government, indeed, were to communicate to the
+public what information it now holds, and has long held, relative to the
+numbers and strength of the Union men of the South, an excitement of
+amazement would thrill through the North. It was on the basis of this
+knowledge that our great campaign was planned,--and it can not be denied
+that thousands of stanch Union men were greatly astonished at the
+revelations of sympathy which burst forth most unexpectedly in districts
+where the stars and stripes have been planted. But the Cabinet 'knew
+what it knew' on this subject. Much of its knowledge never can be
+revealed, but enough will come to-night to show that in our darkest hour
+we had an enormous mass of aid, little suspected by those weaker
+brethren who stood aghast at the Southern bugbear, and who, falling
+prostrate in nerveless terror at the windy spectre, quaked out repeated
+assurances that _they_ had no intention of 'abolitionizing the war,' and
+even earnestly begged and prayed that the emancipationists might all be
+sent to Fort Warren,--so fearful were the poor cowards lest the united
+South, in the final hour of victory, might include them in its catalogue
+of the doomed. What would they say if they knew the number and power of
+the ABOLITIONISTS OF THE SOUTH,--a body of no trifling significance,
+whose fierce grasp will yet be felt on the throat of rebellion and of
+slavery? It is grimly amusing to think of the aid which the South
+counted on receiving from these Northern dough-faces,--little thinking
+that within itself it contained a counter-revolutionary party, far more
+dangerous than the Northern friends were helpful.
+
+It should be borne in mind that where such an evil as slavery exists
+there will be numbers of grave, sensible men, who, however quiet they
+may keep, will have their own opinions as to the expediency of
+maintaining it. The bigots of the South may rave of the beauty of 'the
+institution,' and make many believe that they speak for the whole,--a
+little scum when whipped covers the whole pail,--but beneath all lies a
+steadily-increasing mass of practical men who would readily enough
+manifest their opposition should opportunity favor free speech. Such
+people, for instance, are not insensible to the enormously corrupting
+influence of negroes on their children. Let the reader recall Olmsted's
+experiences,--that, for example, where he speaks of three negro women
+who had charge of half a dozen white girls of good family, 'from three
+to fifteen years of age.'
+
+    Their language was loud and obscene, such as I never heard
+    before from any but the most depraved and beastly women of the
+    streets. Upon observing me they dropped their voices, but not
+    with any appearance of shame, and continued their altercation
+    until their mistresses entered. The white children, in the mean
+    time, had listened without any appearance of wonder or
+    annoyance. The moment the ladies opened the door, they became
+    silent.--_Cotton Kingdom_, vol. i. p. 222.
+
+The Southern _Cultivator_ for June, 1855, speaks of many young men and
+women who have 'made shipwreck of all their earthly hopes, and been led
+to the fatal step by the seeds of corruption which in the days of
+childhood and youth were sown in their hearts by the indelicate and
+lascivious manners and conversation of their fathers' negroes.' If we
+had no other fact or cause to cite, this almost unnamable one might
+convince the reader that there must be a groundwork somewhere in the
+South among good, moral, and decent people, for antipathy to
+slavery,--human nature teaches us as much. And such people exist, not
+only among the hardy inhabitants of the inland districts, who are not
+enervated by wealth and 'exclusiveness,' but in planterdom itself.
+
+There are few in the North who realize the number of persons in the
+South who silently disapprove of slavery on sound grounds, such as I
+have mentioned. Does it seem credible that nearly _ten millions_ of
+people should socially sympathize with some three hundred thousand
+slave-holders, who act with intolerable arrogance to all
+non-slave-holders? 'Even in those regions where slavery is profitable,'
+as a writer in the Boston _Transcript_ well expresses it, 'the poor
+whites feel the slaveocracy as the most grinding of aristocracies.'
+
+    In those regions where it is not profitable, the population
+    regard it with a latent abhorrence, compared with which the
+    rhetorical and open invectives of Garrison and Phillips are
+    feeble and tame. Anybody who has read Olmsted's truthful
+    narrative of his experience in the slave States can not doubt
+    this fact. The hatred to slavery too often finds its expression
+    in an almost inhuman hatred of 'niggers,' whether slave or free,
+    but it is none the less significant of the feelings and opinions
+    of the white population.
+
+As I write, every fresh thunder of war and crash of victory is followed
+by murmurs of amazement at the enthusiastic receptions which the Union
+forces meet in most unexpected strongholds of the enemy, in the very
+heart of slavedom. Yet it was _known_ months ago, and prophesied, with
+the illustration of undeniable facts, that this counter-revolutionary
+element existed. One single truth was forgotten,--that these Southern
+friends of the Union, even while avowing that slavery must be supported,
+had no love of it in their hearts. Emancipation has been sedulously set
+aside under pretence of conciliating them; but it was needless,--'old
+custom' had made them cautious, and mindful of 'expediency;' but the
+mass of them hate 'the institution.' It is for the traitorous Northern
+_dough-faces_, and the paltry handful of secessionists, 'on a thin slip
+of land on the Atlantic,' that slavery is, at present, cherished. The
+great area of the South is free from it,--and ever will be.
+
+It has frequently been insisted on that the mere _geographical_
+obstacles to disunion are such as to render the cause of slavery
+hopeless in the long run. Yet to this most powerful Southern aid to the
+North, men seem to have been strangely blind during the days of doubt
+which so long afflicted us. These obstacles are, briefly, the enormous
+growing power of the West, and its inevitable outlet, the Mississippi
+river. 'For it is the mighty and free _West_ which will always hang like
+a lowering thunder-cloud over them.'[N] On this subject I quote at
+length from an article, in the Danville (Ky.) _Review_, by the Rev. R.
+J. Breckenridge, D.D.:--
+
+
+    Whoever will look at a map of the United States, will observe
+    that Louisiana lies on both sides of the Mississippi river, and
+    that the States of Arkansas and Mississippi lie on the right and
+    left banks of this great stream--eight hundred miles of whose
+    lower course is thus controlled by these three States, unitedly
+    inhabited by hardly as many white people as inhabit the city of
+    New York. Observe, then, the country drained by this river and
+    its affluents, commencing with Missouri on its west bank and
+    Kentucky on its east bank. There are nine or ten powerful
+    States, large portions of three or four others, several large
+    Territories--in all, a country as large as all Europe, as fine
+    as any under the sun, already holding many more people than all
+    the revolted States, and powerful regions of the earth. Does any
+    one suppose that these powerful States--this great and energetic
+    population--will ever make a peace that will put the lower
+    course of this single and mighty national outlet to the sea in
+    the hands of a foreign government far weaker than themselves? If
+    there is any such person he knows little of the past history of
+    mankind, and will perhaps excuse us for reminding him that the
+    people of Kentucky, before they were constituted a State, gave
+    formal notice to the federal government, when Gen. Washington
+    was President, that if the United States did not require
+    Louisiana they would themselves conquer it. The mouths of the
+    Mississippi belong, by the gift of God, to the inhabitants of
+    its great valley. Nothing but irresistible force can disinherit
+    them.
+
+    Try another territorial aspect of the case. There is a bed of
+    mountains abutting on the left bank of the Ohio, which covers
+    all Western Virginia, and all Eastern Kentucky, to the width,
+    from east to west, in those two States, of three or four hundred
+    miles. These mountains, stretching south-westwardly, pass
+    entirely through Tennessee, cover the back parts of North
+    Carolina and Georgia, heavily invade the northern part of
+    Alabama, and make a figure even in the back parts of South
+    Carolina and the eastern parts of Mississippi, having a course
+    of perhaps seven or eight hundred miles, and running far south
+    of the northern limit of profitable cotton culture. It is a
+    region of 300,000 square miles, trenching upon eight or nine
+    slave States, though nearly destitute of slaves itself;
+    trenching upon at least five cotton States, though raising no
+    cotton itself. The western part of Maryland and two-thirds of
+    Pennsylvania are embraced in the north-eastern continuation of
+    this remarkable region. Can anything that passes under the name
+    of statesmanship be more preposterous than the notion of
+    permanent peace on this continent, founded on the abnegation of
+    a common and paramount government, and the idea of the
+    supercilious domination of the cotton interest and the
+    slave-trade over such a mountain empire, so located and so
+    peopled?
+
+    As a further proof of the utter impossibility of peace except
+    under a common government, and at once an illustration of the
+    import of what has just been stated, and the suggestion of a new
+    and insuperable difficulty, let it be remembered that this great
+    mountain region, throughout its general course, is more loyal to
+    the Union than any other portion of the slave States. It is the
+    mountain counties of Maryland that have held treason in check in
+    that State; it is forty mountain counties in Western Virginia
+    that have laid the foundation of a new and loyal commonwealth;
+    it is the mountain counties of Kentucky that first and most
+    eagerly took up arms for the Union; it is the mountain region of
+    Tennessee that alone, in that dishonored State, furnished
+    martyrs to the sacred cause of freedom; it is the mountain
+    people of Alabama that boldly stood out against the Confederate
+    government till their own leaders deserted and betrayed them.
+
+It is not a strong point, but it is worth noting, that even in South
+Carolina there is an Alleghanian area of 4,074 square miles, equal to
+the State of Connecticut, in which the diminished proportion of slaves,
+with other local causes, are sufficient to indicate the Union feeling
+which indeed struggles there in secret. These counties are:--
+
+                   FREE.        SLAVE.
+Spartanburgh,     18,311         8,039
+Greenville,       13,370         6,691
+Anderson,         13,867         7,514
+Pickens,          13,105         3,679
+
+Slavery is here large, as compared to the other counties of
+'Alleghania,' but the great proportion of free inhabitants, as
+contrasted with the districts near the Atlantic, makes it worth citing.
+In accordance with a request, I give from Jas. W. Taylor's collection,
+illustrating this subject, the table of population in East Tennessee:--
+
+    The following table, from the census of 1850, presents the slave
+    and cotton statistics of this district, in their relation to the
+    free population:
+
+    COUNTIES.          FREE.      SLAVE.        COTTON,
+                                             400 lb. bales.
+    Johnson,           3,485         206           0
+    Carter,            5,911         353           0
+    Washington,       12,671         930           0
+    Sullivan,         10,603       1,004         153
+    Hancock,           5,447         202           2
+    Hawkins,          11,567       1,690           0
+    Greene,           16,526       1,093           0
+    Cocke,             7,501         719           3
+    Sevier,            6,450         403           0
+    Jefferson,        11,458       1,628           0
+    Granger,          11,170       1,035           1
+    Knox,             16,385       2,193           0
+    Union, new county,
+    Claiborne,         8,610         660           0
+    Anderson,          6,391         503           0
+    Campbell,          5,651         318           1
+    Scott,             1,808          37           0
+    Morgan,            3,301         101           9
+    Cumberland, new county,
+    Roane,            10,525       1,544         121
+    Blount,           11,213       1,084           6
+    Munroe,           10,623       1,188           0
+    McMinn,           12,286       1,568       2,821
+    Polk,              5,884         400          29
+    Bradley,          11,478         744       1,600
+    Meigs,             4,480         395           2
+    Hamilton,          9,216         672           0
+    Rhea,              3,951         436           0
+    Bledsoe,           5,036         827           0
+    Sequatche, new county,
+    Van Buren,         2,481         175           2
+    Grundy,            2,522         236          24
+    Marion,            5,718         551      24,413
+    Franklin,         10,085       3,623         637
+    Lincoln,          17,802       5,621       2,576
+
+    The geographical order of the foregoing list of counties is from
+    the extreme north-east--Johnson--south-west to Lincoln, on the
+    Alabama line. I have included a tier of counties the west, which
+    embrace the summits and western slopes of the Cumberland Hills,
+    regarding their physical and political features as more
+    identified with East than Middle Tennessee. Such are Lincoln,
+    Franklin, Grundy, Van Buren, Cumberland, Morgan and Scott
+    counties.
+
+    I estimate the area of this district as about 17,175 square
+    miles, an extent of territory exceeding the aggregate of the
+    following States:
+
+  Massachusetts,   7,800 square miles.
+  Connecticut,     4,674 square miles.
+  Rhode Island,    l,306 square miles.
+                  ------
+                  13,180 square miles.
+
+Yet it is not many months since even this Tennessee region, it was
+generally feared, would be false to the Union, on account of its
+attachment to slavery.
+
+The reader who has studied the facts which I have cited, indicating the
+existence of a powerful Union party at the South (and the facts are few
+and weak compared to the vast mass which exist, and which are known to
+government), may judge for himself whether that party is Union _in spite
+of pro-slavery principles_, as so many would have us believe. Let him
+see where these Union men are found, where they have come forth with the
+greatest enthusiasm, and _then_ say that he believes they are friends to
+slavery. Let him bear in mind the hundreds of thousands of acres, the
+vast tracts, equal in extent to whole Northern States, in the South,
+which are unfitted for slave labor, and reflect whether the inhabitants
+of these cool, temperate regions are not as conscious of their
+inadaptability to slave labor as he is himself; and whether _they_ are
+so much attached to the institution which fosters the Satanic pride,
+panders to the passions, and corrupts the children of the planter of the
+low country.
+
+Since writing the above, the long-expected declaration of President
+LINCOLN has appeared in favor of adopting a plan which may lead to the
+gradual abolishment of slavery. He proposes that the United States shall
+coöperate with such slave States as may desire Emancipation, by giving
+such pecuniary aid as may compensate for any losses incurred. No
+interference with State rights or claims to rights in the question is
+intended.
+
+It is evident that this message is directed entirely to the
+strengthening and building up of the Union party of the South, and has
+been based quite as much on their demands and on a knowledge of their
+needs, as on any Northern pressure. And it will have a sure effect. It
+will bring to life, if realized, those seeds of counter-revolution which
+so abundantly exist in the South. The growth may be slow, but it will be
+certain. So long as the certainty exists that compensation _may_ be
+obtained, there will be a party who will long for it; and where there is
+a will there is a way. The executive has finally _officially_ recognized
+the truth of the theory of Emancipation, and thereby entitled itself to
+the honor of having taken the greatest forward step in the glorious path
+of Freedom ever made even in our history.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE MOLLY O'MOLLY PAPERS.
+
+
+NO. I.
+
+In addressing you for the first time, you will perhaps expect me to give
+some account of myself and my ancestry, as did the illustrious
+_Spectator_.
+
+My remote ancestors are Irish. From them I inherited enthusiasm, a
+gun-powder temper, a propensity to blunder, and a name--Molly O'Molly.
+The origin of this name I have in vain endeavored to trace in history,
+perhaps because it belonged to a very old family, one of the
+_prehistorics_. As such it might have been that of a demigod, or,
+according to the development theory, of a _demi-man_. Or it might have
+been that of an old Irish gentleman, _gentle_ in truth;--in the
+formative stage of society it is the monster that leaves traces of
+himself, as in an old geologic period the huge reptile left his tracks
+in the plastic earth, which afterward hardened into rock.
+
+Then, too, I have searched in vain for anything like it in ancient Irish
+poetry, thinking that my progenitor's name might have been therein
+embalmed. 'The stony science'--mind you--reveals to us the former
+existence of the huge reptile, the fragmentary, mighty mastodon, and,
+imperfect, the mail-clad fish. But, wonder of wonders, we find the whole
+_insect_ preserved in that fossil gum amber. And even so in verse,
+characters are preserved for all time, that could not make their mark in
+history, and that had none of the elements of an earthly immortality.
+Did I wish immortality I would choose a poet for my friend;--an _In
+Memoriam_ is worth all the records of the dry chronicler.
+
+But, it is not with the root of the family tree that you have to do, but
+with the twig Myself.
+
+As for my physique,--I am not like the scripture personage who beheld
+his face in a glass, and straightway forgot what manner of man he was. I
+have, on the contrary, a very distinct recollection of my face; suffice
+it to say, that, had I Rafaelle's pencil, I would not, like him, employ
+it on my own portrait.
+
+And my life--the circumstances which have influenced, or rather created
+its currents, have been trifling; not that it has had no powerful
+currents; it is said that the equilibrium of the whole ocean could be
+destroyed by a single mollusk or coralline,--but my life has been an
+uneventful one. I never met with an adventure, never even had a
+hair-breadth escape,--yes, I did, too, have one hair-breadth escape. I
+once just grazed matrimony. The truth is, I fell in love, and was
+sinking with Falstaff's 'alacrity,' when I was fished out; but somehow I
+slipt off the hook--fortunately, however, was left on shore. By the way,
+the best way to get out of love is to be drawn out by the matrimonial
+hook. One of Holmes' characters wished to change a vowel of the verb _to
+love_, and conjugate it--I have forgotten how far. Where two set out to
+conjugate together the verb to love in the first person plural, it is
+well if they do not, before the honey-moon is over, get to the
+present-perfect, indicative. Alas! I have thus far, in the first person
+singular, conjugated too many verbs, among them _to enjoy_. As for _to
+be_, I have come to the balancing in my mind of the question that so
+perplexed Hamlet--'To be, or not to be.' For, with all the natural
+cheerfulness of my disposition, I can not help sometimes looking on the
+dark side of life. But there is no use in setting down my gloomy
+reflections,--all have them. We are all surrounded by an atmosphere of
+misery, pressing on us fifteen pounds to the square inch, so evenly and
+constantly that we know not its fearful weight. To change the figure.
+Have you ever thought how much misery one life _can_ hold in solution?
+Each year, as it flows into it, adds to it a heaviness, a weight of woe,
+as the rivers add salts to the ocean. I do not refer to the most
+unhappy, but to all. Some one says,--
+
+  'If singing breath, if echoing chord
+    To every hidden pang were given,
+  What endless melodies were poured,
+    As sad as earth, as sweet as heaven.'
+
+If breath to every hidden prayer were given, could it be _singing_
+breath? Would it not be a wail monotonous as the dirge of the November
+wind over the dead summer, a wail for lost hopes, lost joys, lost loves?
+Or the monotony would be varied--as is the wind by fitful gusts--by
+shrieks of despair, cries of agony. No, no, there is no use in trying to
+modulate our woes,--'we're all wrong,--the _time_ in us is lost.'
+
+            'Henceforth I'll bear
+  Affliction, till it do cry out itself,
+    "Enough, enough," and die.'
+
+But why talk thus? why mourn over dead hopes, dead joys, dead loves?
+'Tis best to bury the dead out of our sight, and from them will spring
+many humbler hopes, quieter joys, more lowly affections, which 'smell
+sweet' though they 'blossom in the dust,' and they are the only
+resurrection these dead ones can ever have. I have been reading, in
+Maury's Geography of the Sea, how the sea's dead are preserved; how they
+stand like enchanted warders of the treasures of the deep, unchanged,
+except that the expression of life is exchanged for the ghastliness of
+death. So, down beneath the surface currents do some deep souls preserve
+their dead hopes, joys, loves. Oh, this is unwise; this is _not_ as God
+intended; for, unlike the sea's dead, there will be for these no
+resurrection.
+
+Thus far I wrote, when the current of my thoughts was changed by a
+lively tune struck up by a hand-organ across the street. I am not 'good'
+at distinguishing tunes, but this one I had so often heard in childhood,
+and had so wondered at its strange title, that I could but remember it.
+It was 'The Devil's Dream.' Were I a poet, I would write the words to
+it;--but then, too, I would need be a musician to compose a suitable new
+tune to the words! The rattling, reckless notes should be varied by
+those sad enough to make an unlost angel weep--an unlost angel, for, to
+the hot eyes of the lost, no tears can come. 'The _Devil's_
+Dream'--perhaps it is of Heaven. Doubtless, frescoed in heavenly colors
+on the walls of his memory, are scenes from which fancy has but to brush
+the smoke and grime of perdition to restore them to almost their
+original beauty. I could even pity the 'Father of lies,' the 'Essence of
+evil,' the 'Enemy of mankind,' when I think of the terrible awaking. But
+does _he_ ever sleep? Has there since the fall been a pause in _his_
+labors? Perhaps the reason this tune-time is so fast is because he is
+dreaming in a hurry,--must soon be up and doing. But it is my opinion
+that he has so wound up the world to wickedness, that he might sleep a
+hundred years, and it would have scarcely begun to run down on his
+awaking; when, from the familiar appearance of all things, he would
+swear 'it was but an after-dinner nap.' Indeed he might die, might
+to-day go out in utter nothingness like a falling star, and it would be
+away in the year two thousand before he would be missed,--we have
+learned to do our own devil-work so rarely. Meanwhile the well-wound
+world--as a music-box plays over the same tunes--would go on sinning
+over the same old sins. Satan is a great economist, but a paltry
+deviser,--he has not invented a new sin since the flood. My thoughts
+thus danced along to the music, when they were brought to a dead stop by
+its cessation; and it was time, you will think....
+
+But, permit me to remind you that my name is not _acquired_, but
+_inherited_.
+
+At your service,
+
+MOLLY O'MOLLY.
+
+
+NO. II.
+
+I detest that man who bides his time to repay a wrong or fancied wrong,
+who keeps alive in his hardened nature the vile thing hatred, and would
+for centuries, did he live thus long,--as the toad is kept alive in the
+solid rock. Hugh Miller says he is 'disposed to regard the poison bag of
+the serpent as a mark of degradation;' this venomous spite is certainly
+a mark of degradation, and it is only creeping, crawling souls that have
+it, but the creeping and crawling are a part of the curse.
+
+Yet I have a respect for honest indignation, righteous anger, such as
+the O'Mollys have ever been capable of. And all the O'Molly blood in my
+veins has been stirred by the contemptuous manner in which some men have
+spoken of woman. 'Weak woman,--inconstant woman;' they have made the
+wind a type of her fickleness. In this they are right; for it has been
+proved that the seasons in their return, day and night, are not more
+sure than the wind. Such fickleness as this is preferable to _man's_
+greatest constancy. Woman weak! she's gentle as the summer breeze, I
+grant;--but, like this same breeze, when she's roused--then beware! You
+have doubtless heard of that gale that forced back the Gulf Stream, and
+piled it up thirty feet at its source.
+
+Take care how you sour woman's nature,--remember that, once soured, all
+the honey in the universe will not sweeten it. There is such a thing as
+making vinegar of molasses, but I never heard of making molasses of
+vinegar. Do you wish to know the turning process?
+Grumbling--everlasting fault-finding--at breakfast, dinner, and supper,
+the same old tune. I don't see how the man who boards can endure it; he
+is obliged to swallow his food without complaint. The landlady at the
+head of the table is a very different-looking individual from the meek
+woman he afterwards calls wife,--not a word can he say, though he
+morning after morning, in his breakfast, recognizes, through its various
+disguises, yesterday's dinner. By the way, this is after Dame Nature's
+plan; she uses the greatest economy in feeding her immense family of
+boarders; never wastes a refuse scrap, or even a drop of water. If one
+of these boarders dies, it is true he is not, like 'the poor work-house
+boy,' served up as one dish, but he becomes an ingredient in many 'a
+dainty dish' fit to 'to set before a king.' But I am not, like 'Miss
+Ophelia' in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' going to explore the good dame's
+kitchen,--will rather eat what is set before me, asking no questions;
+which last, what _man_ ever did, if he could help it?
+
+For an insignificant man, originally but a cipher, who owes it to his
+wife that he is even the fraction that he is, to talk about 'woman
+knowing her place--he's head,' etc.! If he had given her the place that
+belonged to her, their value, not as individual figures, but as one
+number, would have been increased a thousand fold. I have made a
+calculation, and this is literally true, or rather, you will say,
+_figuratively_ true. Well, this kind of figures can not lie.
+
+'The rose,' the Burmese say, 'imparts fragrance to the leaf in which it
+is folded.' Many a man has had a sweetness imparted to his character by
+the woman he has sheltered in his bosom--though some characters 'not all
+the perfume of Arabia could sweeten;' and, strange as it seem, most
+women would rather be folded in a _tobacco_ leaf than 'waste their
+sweetness on desert air.' Though it is a long time since I have been a
+man _lover_, I am not a man _hater_. I can not hate anything that has
+been so hallowed by woman's love,--_its_ magnetism gives a sort of
+attractive power to him.
+
+Notwithstanding all that has been said about woman's weakness, it is
+acknowledged that she has a pretty strong will of her own. Well, we need
+a strong will,--it is the great _centrifugal force_ that God has given
+to all. Only it must be subordinate to the _centripetal force_ of the
+universe--the Divine will.
+
+It is said that the centripetal force of our solar system is the Pleiad
+Alcyon. I know not whether the other stars of that cluster feel this
+attraction; if they do, what a centrifugal force the lost Pleiad must
+have had, to break away from 'the sweet influences' which, through so
+immense a distance, draw the sun with all his train. This is not without
+a parallel--when 'the morning stars sang together' over the new-born
+earth, one 'star of the morning' was not there to join in the chorus.
+
+But Old Sol will probably never so strongly assert _his_ centrifugality
+as to set such an example of _secession_ to his planets and comets.
+
+Pardon this astronomical digression. I have just returned from hearing
+an itinerant lecturer, and it will take a week to get the smoke of his
+magic lantern out of my eyes. If there is any error in these
+observations, blame the itinerant, not me.
+
+I had been low-spirited all day, had tried reading, work,--all of no
+avail. Dyspeptic views of life would present themselves to my mind. Some
+natures, and mine is of them, like the pendulum, need a weight attached
+to them to keep them from going too fast. But a wholesome sorrow is very
+different from this moping melancholy, when the thoughts run in one
+direction, till they almost wear a channel for themselves--when the
+channel is worn, there is _insanity_.
+
+Neither are my gloomy religious views to-day those that will regenerate
+the world. Those lines of Dr. Watts,--'We should suspect some danger
+nigh When we possess delight,'--it is said, were written after a
+disappointment in love--it was 'sour grapes' that morning--with the
+grave divine.
+
+As a general rule, where we possess _continued_ delight, there is no
+'danger nigh.' Where an enjoyment comes between us and our God, it casts
+on us a shadow. When we have plucked a beautiful flower, if poisonous,
+it has such a sickening odor that we fling it from us. We do not 'pay
+too dear for our whistle,' unless it costs us a sin; then it soon
+becomes a loathed and useless toy. Otherwise, the dearer we pay, the
+sweeter its music.
+
+And even if there is 'danger nigh'--because we are pleased with the
+beautiful foam, need we steer straight for the breakers? Not every
+tempting morsel is the enemy's bait, though we should be careful how we
+nibble;--he is no blunderer (a proof positive that he is not Irish),
+never leaves his trap sprung--and we may get caught.
+
+This is a synopsis of the arguments, or rather assertions, with which I
+opposed those of the blues; but, finding they were getting the better of
+me, I started out for a walk. It was a chilly afternoon; the whole sky,
+except a clear place just above the western horizon, was covered with
+those heavy, diluted India-ink clouds; the setting sun throwing a dreary
+red light on the northern and eastern mountains, adding sullenness to
+the gloom, instead of dispelling it. But why describe this gloomy
+sunset, there are so many beautiful ones?--when, as the grand, old,
+dying Humboldt said, the 'glorious rays seem to beckon earth to heaven?'
+
+Well, I walked so fast that I left my blue tormentors far in the rear.
+On the way I met a friend, who invited me to go to the astronomical
+lecture. Here you have it, after many digressions. My thoughts never
+strike a plane surface, but always a spherical, and fly off in a
+tangent.
+
+Sydney Smith says, 'Remember the flood and be brief.' You know I belong
+to a very old family; and from an ancestor, who lived before the flood,
+has been transmitted through a long line of O'Mollys a disposition to
+spin out. Unfortunately an antediluvian length of time was not an
+_heir-loom_ to
+
+Your humble servant,
+
+MOLLY O'MOLLY.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SKETCHES OF EDINBURGH LITERATI.
+
+BY A FORMER MEMBER OF ITS PRESS.
+
+
+There was a time when the little hamlet of Cockpaine, ten miles from
+Edinburgh, in addition to the charms of its scenery, was also socially
+attractive from the high literary talent of several of its residents. It
+was situated on the banks of the Esk, whose rapid flow affords a
+valuable water-power. This had been improved under the enterprise of Mr.
+Craig, an extensive manufacturer, who became at last proprietor not only
+of the mills, but of the entire village. Mr. Craig was successful for
+several years; but the revulsions of trade during the Crimean war swept
+away his previous profits, and in 1854 he sank in utter bankruptcy.
+
+The extensive domain of the Earl of Dalhousie lay next to Cockpaine, and
+the village site seemed all that was necessary to its completeness. As
+soon as the latter was offered for sale, the earl made the long-desired
+purchase, and then began the immediate eviction of its population. I saw
+four hundred operatives, of all ages, driven off on one sad occasion--a
+scene which reminded me most painfully of Goldsmith's lines in the
+'Deserted Village:'--
+
+  'Good Heaven! what sorrows gloomed that parting day
+  That called them from their native walks away,
+  When the poor exiles, every pleasure past,
+  Hung round the bowers, and fondly looked their last,
+  And took a long farewell, and wished in vain
+  For seats like these beyond the western main;
+  And shuddering still to face the distant deep,
+  Returned and wept, and still returned to weep.'
+
+A subsequent visit to what was once the thriving village, with its
+embowered cottages reflected from the waters of the Esk, its groups of
+romping children, its Sabbath melodies and its secular din, now changed
+to a nobleman's preserves, recalled the following truthful sketch from
+the same poem:--
+
+  'Thus fares the land by luxury betrayed,
+  In Nature's simplest charms arrayed;
+  But verging to decline, its splendors rise,
+  Its vistas strike, its palaces surprise;
+  While, scourged by famine from the smiling land,
+  The mournful peasant leads his humble band;
+  And while he sinks, without one arm to save,
+  _The country blooms, a garden and a grave._'
+
+Among those whom Mr. Craig had numbered with the friends of his better
+days, the first rank might have been conceded to that most eccentric and
+interesting child of genius, Thomas DeQuincey.
+
+Mr. Craig had thrown open to his use a lovely cottage and grounds,
+commonly known as 'the Paddock,' which DeQuincey and his family occupied
+for several years as privileged guests. 'The Opium-eater,' as he was
+universally called by the villagers, was not more remarkable in
+character than in appearance. His attenuated form, though but five feet
+six in height, seemed singularly tall; and his sharply aquiline
+countenance was strongly indicative of reflection. This aspect was
+increased by a downward cast of the eyes, which were invariably fixed
+upon the ground; and in his solitary walks he seemed like one rapt in a
+dream. Such a character could not but be quite a marvel to the literary
+coterie of Cockpaine, which found in him an inexhaustible subject of
+discussion; while the more common class of the community viewed him with
+solemn wonderment--'aye, there he gaes aff to th' brae--he'll kill
+himsell wi' ower thinkin'--glowrin all the day lang--ah, there's na gude
+in that black stuff; it's worse nor whiskey and baccy forbye.' Such were
+some of the ordinary comments on the weird form which was seen emerging
+from 'the Paddock' and moving in solitude towards the hills. Taciturnity
+was a striking feature in DeQuincey's character, and was, no doubt,
+owing to intense mental action. The inner life, aroused to extreme
+activity by continued stimulus, excluded all perceptions beyond its own
+limits, and the world in which he dwelt was sufficiently large without
+the intrusion of external things. In his walks I would often follow in
+his track, with that fondness of imitation peculiar to childhood, but
+was never the object of his notice, and never heard him converse but
+once. Overcome by such recluse habits, DeQuincey showed no desire to
+court the patronage of the great, and had but little intercourse with
+the lordly family of the Dalhousies. Indeed, his only intimacy was with
+Mr. Craig, whose hospitality had won his heart. He was at this time
+still consuming enormous quantities of opium, having never abated its
+use, notwithstanding his allusions to reform in the 'Confessions.' His
+two daughters, like those of Milton, cheered the domestic scenes of 'the
+Paddock,' and the trio formed a circle whose interest pervaded the
+literary world.
+
+DeQuincey was at that time writing for Hogg's _Instructor_, a popular
+Edinburgh periodical, in which his articles were a leading attraction.
+The _Instructor_ was published weekly, and in addition to the pen of the
+'Opium-eater,' could boast the editorship of the brilliant George
+Gilfillan. The former of these devoted himself to a series of
+interesting miscellanies, in which he brought out many pen-and-ink
+portraits of striking power. At times, indeed, he was almost considered
+joint editor; but his use of opium was so little abated, that it
+forbade dependence upon his pen. The quantity of the drug consumed by
+him, according to report, was astonishing. In his daily walk along the
+Esk, his form was easily distinguished, even at a distance, by the prim
+black surtout, whose priestly aspect was somewhat in contrast with his
+'shocking-bad' hat. DeQuincey had by this time escaped from the poverty
+of his early days, of which he speaks so bitterly in his 'Confessions,'
+and was, if not a man of wealth, at least in easy circumstances. He was
+reputed to own a snug little estate, called 'Lasswade;' but he abandoned
+it to a tenant, and gave preference to Cockpaine, which charmed him by
+its romantic scenery. His pay for contributions to the _Instructor_
+could not have been less than a guinea per page; and Hogg, its publisher
+(who was no relation to the Ettrick shepherd), would have given him more
+had it been demanded. The _Instructor_ was subsequently merged into the
+_Titan_, and its place of publication changed to London.
+
+Removing from Cockpaine, my initiation into Edinburgh life was through
+an acquaintance with the noted publishing house of the Messrs. Black,
+who were then getting out their splendid edition of the _Encyclopedia
+Brittanica_.
+
+This vast enterprise, which cost £25,000, was highly profitable, through
+the energy and cleverness of Robert Black, who conducted it. Among other
+distinguished contributors, I frequently met in its office Mr.,
+subsequently Lord, Macaulay, who furnished the articles on 'Pitt,'
+'Canning,' and other distinguished statesmen. Although at that time a
+man of slender means, Mr. Macaulay refused compensation for these
+papers, on the score of strong personal friendship. However, he received
+an indirect reward, more valuable than mere gold, since Robert Black was
+his strong political supporter, and frequently presided at public
+meetings held to further Macaulay's interests. I have often seen Music
+Hall crowded by an enthusiastic mass while the bookseller filled the
+chair, and the great reviewer appeared as a public orator. Macaulay's
+person was very striking and impressive. He was tall, and of noble build
+and full development. Although one of the most diligent of readers and
+hard working of students of any age, his ruddy countenance did not
+indicate close application, and his appearance was anything but that of
+a book-worm. Indeed, at first glance, one would have taken him for a
+fine specimen of the wealthy English farmer; and to have observed his
+habits of good living at the social dining parties, would have added to
+the impression that in him the animal nature was far in advance of the
+intellectual. Macaulay, on all festive occasions, proved himself as
+elegant a conversationist as he was a writer; his tone was thoroughly
+English, and his pronunciation, like that of Washington Irving, was
+singularly correct. As a speaker, he at times rose to splendid flights
+of oratory, although his delivery from memory was less effective than
+the extemporaneous style. Macaulay never married, but was always happy
+in the social circle of his friends.
+
+The Blacks were likewise publishers of Scott's novels, the demand for
+which was so great that they were seldom 'off the press.' Three standard
+editions were issued,--one of forty-eight volumes, at a low rate,
+another of twenty-five volumes, at higher cost, and an additional
+library edition, of still greater price. Of these, one thousand 'sets'
+per year were the average of sale.
+
+Shortly after this, I was in connection with the Ballantynes, who
+published Blackwood's Magazine, one of the most profitable periodicals
+in the United Kingdom. This connection led to an acquaintance with John
+Wilson, better known as 'Christopher North,' of 'Old Ebony.' When the
+printers were in haste, I have frequently walked down to his residence
+in Gloucester Place, and sat by his side, waiting patiently, hour after
+hour, for copy. The professor always wrote in the night, and would
+frequently dash off one of his splendid articles between supper and
+daybreak. His study was a small room, containing a table littered with
+paper, the walls garnished with a few pictures, while heaps of books
+were scattered wherever chance might direct. At this table might have
+been seen the famous professor of moral philosophy, stripped to his
+shirt and pantaloons, the former open in front, and displaying a vast,
+hirsute chest, while a slovenly necktie kept the limp collar from utter
+loss of place. This was his favorite state for composition, and was in
+true keeping with the character and productions of his genius. When in
+public, the professor was still a sloven; but his heavy form and
+majestic head and countenance--though he was not a tall man--at once
+commanded respect. He never appeared anything but the philosopher, and
+I, who saw him in the dishabille of his study, never lost my awe for his
+greatness. He had a worthy family, and maintained an excellent
+establishment. Aytoun, who is now editor of Blackwood, married one of
+his daughters, and has proved, by his stirring ballads, that he was
+worthy of such an alliance. In writing, the professor eschewed gas
+light, and made use of the more classic lamp. A bottle of wine was his
+companion, and stood at his elbow until exhausted. This will perhaps
+explain much of the convivial character of the 'Notes.' The
+old-fashioned quill pen was his preference; and as the hours advanced,
+and mental excitement waxed in activity, the profuse spattering of ink
+rattled like rain. As a matter of course, his pay was of the highest
+rate, and his articles were read with avidity. One reason of this may be
+found in the boldness with which he drags into the imaginary colloquies
+of _Noctes Ambrosianæ_ the literati of both kingdoms. This liberty was
+sometimes felt keenly, and sharply resented. Poor James Hogg, the
+'Ettrick Shepherd,' who was just then getting a position in the literary
+world, sometimes found himself figuring unexpectedly in the scenes, as
+the victim of relentless wit. As a retaliation, Hogg attacked Wilson in
+a sheet which he was then publishing in the Cowgate, under the aid and
+patronage of a hatter.
+
+It was one of John Wilson's fancies to affect a love of boxing, and it
+was a favorite theme in the 'Ambrosial Discussions.' From this some have
+imagined that he was of a pugilistic turn, whereas he knew nothing of
+the 'science,' and only affected the knowledge in jest.
+
+Next to old 'Kit North,' the most truly beloved contributor to Blackwood
+was 'Delta,' whose poetry was for years expected, almost of course, in
+every number. As Wilson's identity was well-nigh lost in his imaginary
+character, so plain Dr. Moir was, in the literary world, merged in
+'Delta' of Blackwood. But to the inhabitants of Musselburg he sustained
+a character altogether different, and the gentle _Delta_ was only known
+as one worthy of the title of 'the good physician.' I lived at
+Musselburg two years, and had ample opportunities of personal
+acquaintance. Dr. Moir was a man of highly benevolent countenance, and
+of quiet and retiring manners. His practice was very extensive, and at
+almost all hours he could have been seen driving an old gray horse
+through the streets and suburbs of the town. The ancient character of
+Musselburg seemed to have been as congenial to his temperament as
+Nuremberg was to that of Hans Sachs. Indeed, in antiquity it can glory
+over 'Auld Reekie,' according to the quaint couplet,--
+
+  'Musselboro' was a boro' when Edinburgh was nane;
+  Musselboro'll be a boro' when Edinburgh is gane.'
+
+Moir was buried at Inveresk, where his remains are honored by a noble
+monument; the memory of his genius will be cherished by all readers of
+Blackwood. He died in 1854.
+
+While engaged on the Encyclopedia to which we have made reference, I
+made the acquaintance of McCulloch, the distinguished writer of
+finances, who furnished the article on 'Banking.'
+
+However distinguished may have been the position of this man in point of
+talent, he failed utterly to command respect; and I chiefly remember his
+coarse, overbearing tone of boastful superiority, and his abusive
+language to the compositors who set up his MSS. That they found the
+latter difficult of deciphering is not surprising, since the sheet
+looked less like human calligraphy than a row of bayonets. McCulloch had
+edited the '_Scotsman_' with decided ability, and having attracted the
+attention of Lord Brougham, had received an appointment in the
+stationer's office. But in his promotion he quickly forgot his humble
+origin, and displayed his native vulgarity by lording it over the
+craftsmen who gave form and life to his thoughts.
+
+Among the giants of Scotland at that time, Thomas Chalmers ranked chief,
+and the death of Sir Walter Scott had left him without a peer. I used to
+meet him as he took his early walks, and in his loving way of greeting
+youth he often bade me a cheerful good-morning. He was then living at
+Kinghorn, about eight miles from Edinburgh. Dr. Chalmers' robust stature
+was in keeping with the power of his intellect. He was of massive frame,
+and displayed a breadth of shoulder which seemed borrowed from the
+Farnese Hercules. Though so distinguished as a divine, there was nothing
+clerical in his appearance--nothing of that air of 'the cloth' which at
+once proclaims the preacher. His noble features were generally
+overspread with a benevolent smile, which seemed to shed an illumination
+as though from the ignition of the soul; while at other times he was
+possessed with a spirit of abstraction as if walking in a dream.
+
+As a theologian, Chalmers was great beyond any of his contemporaries;
+and yet, strictly speaking, his genius was mathematical, rather than
+theological. In this respect he resembled that famed American of whom he
+professed himself a disciple--Jonathan Edwards. Of the latter it is
+stated by no less a critic than the author of the _Eclipse of Faith_
+(Henry Rogers), that he was born a mathematician. Chalmers, however, was
+a master of all science, and it would have been difficult for even a
+specialist to have taken him at an advantage. As greatness is always set
+off by simplicity, the latter feature was one of the chief beauties in
+what we may call the Chalmerian Colossus. I have often seen him leaning
+upon the half open door of a smithy, conversing with the intelligent
+workmen, as they rested from the use of the sledge. Having referred to
+his love of children, I may add, in respect to myself, that when I, in
+my childhood, spoke to him in the street, I was generally favored with
+an apple. He was indeed an ardent lover of the young, and his genius
+seemed to gather freshness from his intercourse with childhood.
+
+Edinburgh will not soon forget his interest in the welfare of the poor,
+in which he has been so ably seconded by the present Dr. Guthrie. I well
+remember beholding the two Christian reformers, standing above the slums
+of the city, contemplating the fields which the latter had assumed.
+Suddenly Chalmers clapped his friend upon the back, and exclaimed, in
+rude pleasantry, 'Wow, Tummus Guthrie, but ye ha a bonnie parish.'
+Chalmers' pronunciation was singularly broad, and not easily understood
+by many. Stopping once, during a tour in England, at a place where there
+was a seminary, a gentleman inquired of him how many Scotch boys were in
+attendance. 'Saxtain or savantain,' was the reply. 'Enough,' says the
+gentleman, _sotto voce_, to corrupt a whole school.' As regards
+calligraphy, Chalmers wrote the most illegible hand in Scotland. He
+could not even read it himself, and was frequently obliged to call his
+wife and daughters to his aid. Many of his discourses, when intended for
+the press, were copied by them. His manuscript, when fresh from his
+hand, looked as though a fly had fallen into the ink-stand, and then
+crawled over the page. When his letters were received at his paternal
+home, the language of the father was, 'A letter from Tummus, eh; weel,
+when he comes hame, he maun read it himsel.' There was something
+Homeric in Chalmers' mind; and Hugh Miller always considered him the
+bard of the Free Church, as well as its great theologian and still
+greater benefactor; and this, too, notwithstanding the fact that he
+never wrote a line of verse in his life. The simplest truths, when
+announced by him, took a poetic shape, and moved along with all the
+majesty of his towering genius. Speaking of Hugh Miller brings him
+before us at the time that he was writing for the _Caledonia Mercury_.
+He was then editor of _The Witness_, but gave to the former paper such
+moments as he could abstract from his more serious duties. His
+department in the _Mercury_ was the reviewing new publications. Besides
+his engagement with these two journals, he was pursuing those studies
+which made him the prince of British geologists. Geology was his
+passion. Indeed, while writing leaders for the _Witness_, or turning
+over the leaves of hot-pressed volumes, his mind was wandering among
+such scenes as the 'Lake of Stromness,' and the 'Old Red Sandstone' of
+his native Cromarty. His geological sketches in the _Witness_ were a new
+feature in journalism, and formed the basis of that work which so
+admirably refuted the 'Vestiges of Creation.' I met Miller daily for
+several years. He was tall, and of a well-built and massive frame, and
+evidently capable of great endurance, both of mind and body. Considered
+as one of the distinguished instances of self-made men, Hugh Miller
+finds his only parallel in Horace Greeley, although the path to
+greatness was in the first instance even more laborious than in the
+latter. Let any one read Miller's experiences and adventures, as
+described in 'My Schools and my Schoolmasters,' and he will find a
+renewed suggestion of the thought which Johnson so pathetically breathes
+in his 'London:'--
+
+  'The mournful truth is everywhere confessed,
+  Slow rises worth by poverty depressed.'
+
+Miller's appearance, when in trim attire, was that of the Scottish
+'Dominie,' or parish schoolmaster; but, like the great American editor,
+he was exceedingly slovenly, both by nature and by long habits of
+carelessness. When in the street, he always wore the plaid, although
+that garment was quite out of use, and indicated at once something
+quaint or rustic in the wearer. At this time Miller was living in one of
+the suburbs of Edinburgh, called Porto Bello. When we exchanged
+greetings in the street, his countenance, usually overcast with the pale
+hue of thought, would light up with a bright and open smile, which
+continued as long as he was speaking, but soon yielded to returning
+abstraction. One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was the
+groups of youth whom Miller used to invite as companions of an afternoon
+walk. None were forbidden on the score of childhood, and many a 'wee
+bairn' trotted after the larger lads who accompanied 'the gude
+stane-cracker,' and 'the bonnie mon what gaes amang the rocks.' He might
+well be called the 'stane-cracker,' since I have seen him on Calton
+Hill, or Arthur's Seat, or among the crags, lecturing, in a calm, quiet
+tone, on the mysteries which his hammer had brought to light. These were
+the only recreations of one whose days and nights were, with the
+exception of a brief and often wakeful season of rest, given to
+laborious study. Had he indulged more freely in them, he might have
+escaped the terrible fate which overtook him. But he never could
+emancipate himself from the labor to which he was chained. His
+'Impressions of England,' which is one of the most delightful of his
+books, was the product of a subsequent tour for health. If such were his
+recreations, what must have been his labors? Miller's domestic life did
+much to cheer an over-worked system. He gives, in the 'Schools and
+Schoolmasters,' a pleasing allusion to the fascination of his courtship;
+and his subsequent life was graced by one whoso appearance, as I
+remember her, was singularly lovely and interesting. In his home circle,
+Miller was truly a happy man. I may remark, in passing, that this is a
+feature in Scottish genius. While Shelley, Byron, Bulwer, Dickens, and
+other English authors, have been wrecked by home difficulties, Scott,
+Chalmers, Miller, Wilson, and the whole line of Scottish authors, drank
+deep of domestic felicity. Perhaps this may be explained by the contrast
+between the warmth of Scottish character, and the saturnine and unsocial
+disposition of the English. Edinburgh could at that time boast of two
+distinguished men of the name of Miller; and the great geologist had
+almost his fellow in the professor of surgery. The two were very
+intimate, and the one found in the other not only a friend, but a
+faithful medical adviser. Professor Miller was then printing his leading
+work, and I had frequent occasion to visit him with reference to its
+publication. One morning, as I rang, the professor came to the door with
+a hurried and nervous step. As it opened, I noted that his tall form was
+peculiarly agitated, and his countenance was deadly pale. In a calm,
+subdued voice, he informed me that Hugh Miller had just committed
+suicide with a pistol. The terrible news overcame me with a shudder, and
+I almost sank to the floor. The fact was not yet generally known; and
+oh, when it should be made public, what a blow would be felt by the
+moral and scientific world! The professor knew that the affair might
+possibly be ascribed by some to accident, but he at once referred it to
+insanity. The over-worked brain of the geologist had been for some time
+threatened with a collapse. He had, in addition to the management of the
+_Witness_, been elaborating a work of deep and exhausting character, and
+the mental excitement which accompanied its completion was like
+devouring fire. I have frequently gone to his room at a late hour of the
+night, and found him sitting before the smouldering grate, so absorbed
+in thought that, as he balanced the probabilities of contending
+theories, he unwittingly accompanied the mental effort by balancing the
+poker on the bar. I have seen, on such an occasion, a greasy stream
+oozing from the pocket of his fustian coat, and supplied by the roll of
+butter which at morning market he had purchased for home use. On the
+table lay his MSS., so marred with interlinings and corrections, that,
+notwithstanding his neat and delicate hand, it was almost a complete
+blot. These habits could not but terminate in utter wreck, and I have
+ever coincided with the professor's opinion as to the cause of his
+death. This gentleman stated to me a fact not generally known, that a
+few days before the awful catastrophe, the unfortunate man called on him
+in great distress, and sought his advice. He complained of a pain in his
+head, and then added an expression of fears with regard to that which
+was to him of untold value. This was his mineral and geological
+collection in Shrub Place, which was, no doubt, the most valuable
+private one in the kingdom. He was haunted by apprehension of its
+robbery by a gang of thieves, and asked what measures of safety would be
+advisable. The professor endeavored to expel the absurd idea by playful
+remark, and supposed himself somewhat successful. The next thing he
+heard was the intelligence of his death. It is quite evident that the
+fatal revolver was purchased for the defense of his treasures. What a
+lesson is this of the danger of excessive application, of unreasonable
+toil, of late hours, and mental tension. A continued exhaustion of his
+energies had brought upon the geologist a state of mental horror from
+which death seemed the only relief. The reaction of the nervous system
+was, no doubt, similar to that arising from delirium tremens; and thus
+extremes met, and the _savant_ perished like the inebriate.
+
+The tragedy did not seem complete until another victim should be added.
+The professor took the revolver to Thompson's, on Leith Walk, in order
+to learn by examination how many shots had been fired by the unfortunate
+suicide. The gunsmith took the weapon, but handled it so carelessly,
+that it went off in his hands, and the ball caused his death.
+
+Speaking of excessive labor, we may observe that this is the general
+rule among men of science or letters. They are, as a class, crushed by
+engagements and duties, as well as by problems and questions of which
+the world can not even dream.
+
+The Edinburgh literati know but little of rest or recreation; from the
+editor's chair up to the pulpit, they are under a lash as relentless as
+that of the taskmaster of Egypt. For instance, we might refer to
+Buchanan, of the _Mercury_. He has sat at his desk until he has become
+an old man, with the smallest imaginable subtraction of time for food
+and sleep, writing night and day, and carrying, in his comprehensive
+brain, the whole details of an influential journal. This feature,
+however, is not confined to the Old World, and may easily be paralleled
+in the journalism of America. Both Raymond, of the _Times_, and Bennett,
+of the _Herald_, almost live in the editorial function; and the former
+of these, though now Speaker of the Assembly, will either pen his
+leaders in his desk, during the utterance of prosy speeches, or in hours
+stolen from sleep after adjournment. In addition to these, we might
+quote the caustic language of Mr. Greeley, in reference to some
+mechanics who had 'struck,' in order to reduce their day's labor (we
+think to nine hours). 'He was in favor of short days of work, and having
+labored eighteen hours per diem for nearly twenty years, he was now
+going to "strike" for fifteen during the rest of his life.' But I doubt
+the success of Mr. Greeley's 'strike,' and apprehend that his early
+application has continued with but little abatement.
+
+Before leaving Edinburgh for the New World, it was my good fortune to
+become acquainted with Jeffrey. He was at this time not so much
+distinguished as the reviewer, as he was by his new title of Lord
+Jeffrey, Judge of Court Session, with a salary of £3000 per annum. Lord
+Jeffrey was a small man, of light but elegant make, and peculiarly
+symmetrical. His head was quite small, but his countenance was of an
+imposing character; and his eye, brilliant but not fierce, often melted
+into a pensive tenderness. Such was Jeffrey's appearance on the bench in
+his latter days. I should have little judged from it that he was the
+relentless critic, whoso withering sarcasm was felt from the garrets of
+Grub Street to the highest walk of science or university life. My
+intimacy with Ballantyne, who published the _Edinburgh Review_, often
+brought the different MSS. before me, and I could contrast the exquisite
+neatness of Wardlaw with the slanting school-boy hand of Jeffrey. The
+tone and style of review literature have changed greatly since its
+inception, when each quarterly gloried in the character of a literary
+ogre, and dead men's bones lay round its doors, as erst about the castle
+of Giant Despair. Authors are not now thrown to the wild beasts for the
+entertainment of the multitude, as in former days; and had John Keats,
+or even poor Henry Kirke White, written and published fifty years later,
+they would never have perished by the critic's pen. Yet the same
+malignant assault which crushed their tender muse was the only thing
+which could amuse the latent powers of a far greater genius; and had not
+Byron been as cruelly attacked by the _Edinburgh_, he would never have
+given 'Childe Harold' to the world. The authorship of that most unjust
+and malignant _critique_, which, however brief, was sufficient to make
+the author of 'the Hours of Idleness,' foe the time, contemptible, was
+long a secret; but it is now admitted that it was by Jeffrey. Little did
+the murderous critic think that his challenge would bring out an
+adversary who would soon unhorse him, and then dash victoriously over
+the field under the especial patronage of fame.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE HUGUENOT FAMILIES IN AMERICA.
+
+
+III.
+
+THE HUGUENOTS OF ULSTER.
+
+
+It is said that the lands of the early Huguenot settlers in Ulster
+County were so arranged in small lots, and within sight of each other,
+as to prevent surprise from the Indians whilst their owners were
+cultivating them. Louis Bevier, one of the most honored patentees, was
+the ancestor of the highly-respectable family bearing his name in that
+region. When he was about to leave France, his father became so
+exasperated, that he refused to bestow upon him the commonest
+civilities. Nor would he condescend to return the kind salutations of
+another son in the public streets, affectionately offered by the pious
+emigrant, and for the last time.
+
+Another of the patentees, Deyo, visited France to claim his confiscated
+estates, but, failing of success, returned. Kingston, at this early
+period, was the only trading post or village for the French Protestants,
+and sixteen miles distant from their settlement, although in a straight
+line. Paltz was not more than eight miles west of the Hudson River; this
+route, M. Deyo undertook, alone, to explore--but never returned. It was
+thought that the adventurous Huguenot died suddenly, or was devoured by
+the wild beasts. A truss and buckle which he owned were found about
+thirty years afterwards, at the side of a large hollow tree. His life
+seems to have been one full of toils and dangers, having endured severe
+sufferings for conscience' sake, before he reached Holland from France.
+For days he concealed himself in hiding places from his persecutors, and
+without food, finally escaping alone in a fishing boat, during a
+terrific storm.
+
+The descendants of the Ulster Dubois are very influential and numerous
+in our day, but there is a tradition that this family at one time was in
+great danger of becoming extinct. For a long while it was the custom of
+parents to visit Kingston, for the purpose of having their children
+baptized. M. Dubois and wife were returning from such a pious visit, and
+while crossing the Roundout, on the ice, it gave way, plunging the
+horses, sleigh and party in the rapid stream. With great presence of
+mind, the mother threw her infant, an only son, upon a floating frozen
+cake, which, like the ark of Moses, floated him safely down the stream,
+until he was providentially rescued. For some time this child was the
+only male Dubois among the Paltz Huguenots, and had he perished on that
+perilous occasion, his family name would also have perished with him;
+still there were seven females of the same house, called the _seven
+zuisters_, all of whom married among the most respectable French
+Protestant families. To no stock do more families in Ulster County trace
+their origin than that of Dubois. Some antiquarians deny this tradition
+of the seven sisters, but contend that they were _Lefevres_.
+
+There were two Le Fevres among the Ulster patentees. Their progenitors
+it is said were among those early Protestants of France who
+distinguished themselves for intellectual powers, prominence in the
+Reformed Church, with enduring patience under the severest trials, and
+death itself. Le Fevre, a doctor of theology, adorned the French
+metropolis when Paris caught the first means of salvation in the
+fifteenth century. He preached the pure gospel within its walls; and
+this early teacher declared '_our religion has only one foundation, one
+object, one head, Jesus Christ, blessed forever. Let us then not take
+the name of Paul, of Apostles, or of Peter. The Cross of Christ alone
+opens heaven and shuts the gates of hell_.' In 1524, he published a
+translation of the New Testament, and the next year a version of the
+Psalms. Many received the Holy Scriptures from his hands, and read them
+in their families, producing the happiest results. Margaret, the
+beautiful and talented Princess of Valois, celebrated by all the wits
+and scholars of the time, embraced the true Christianity, uniting her
+fortune and influence with the Huguenots, and the Reformation thus had a
+witness in the king's court. She was sister to Francis the First, the
+reigning monarch. By the hands of this noble lady, the Bishop of Meuse
+sent to the king a translation of St. Paul's Epistles, richly
+illuminated, he adding, in his quaint and beautiful language, 'They will
+make a truly royal dish of fatness, that never corrupts, and having the
+power to restore from all manner of sickness. The more we taste them,
+the more we hunger after them, with desires that are ever fed and never
+cloyed.'
+
+Abraham Hasbroucq, which is the original orthography of the name among
+the patentees, was a native of Calais, and the first emigrant of that
+family to America, in 1675, with a party of Huguenot friends; they
+resided for a while in the Palatinate on the banks of the Rhine. To
+commemorate their kindness, when they reached our shores the new
+settlement was called '_De Paltz_,' now '_New Paltz_,' as the Palatinate
+was always styled by the Dutch. Here, also, the beautiful stream flowing
+through New Paltz was known by the name of _Walkill_, after the river
+Wael, a branch of the Rhine, running into Holland.
+
+The first twelve patentees, or the '_Duzine_,' managed the affairs of
+the infant settlement as long as they lived, and after their death it
+was a custom to elect a court officer from among the descendants of
+each, at the annual town meetings. For a long period they kept in one
+chest all the important papers of their property and land titles. The
+pastor or the oldest man had charge of the key, and reference was made
+to this depository for the settlement of all difficulties about
+boundaries. Hence they were free from legal suits as to their lands; and
+to this judicious, simple plan may be traced the well-known harmony of
+the numerous descendants in this region,--the fidelity of their
+landmarks, with the absence of litigation.
+
+We know of no region in our land where property has remained so long in
+the same families, as it has at New Paltz; since its first settlement,
+there has been a constant succession of intermarriages among the French
+descendants, and many continue to reside upon the venerable homesteads
+of their early and honored forefathers.
+
+Devoted as the Huguenots ever had been to the worship of the Almighty,
+one of their first objects at New Paltz was the erection of a church. It
+was built of logs, and afterwards gave place to a substantial edifice of
+brick, brought from Holland, the place answering the double purpose of
+church and fort. Their third house of worship was an excellent stone
+building, which served the Huguenots for eighty years, when it was
+demolished in 1839, and the present splendid edifice placed on the
+venerable spot and dedicated to the service of Almighty God. It is
+related that a clergyman of eccentric dress and manners, at an early
+period, would occasionally make a visit to New Paltz, and, for the
+purpose of meditation, would cross the Walkill in a canoe, to some large
+elms growing upon a bank opposite the church; on one occasion the stream
+was low, and while pushing across with a pole, it broke, and the
+Dominie, losing his balance, pitched overboard. He succeeded, however,
+in reaching the shore, and proceeded to the nearest house, for the
+purpose of drying his clothes. This partly accomplished, he entered the
+pulpit and informed his congregation that he had intended to have
+preached a sermon on baptism; but, eyeing his garments, he observed that
+_circumstances_ prevented, as he could now sympathize with Peter, and
+take the text, 'Lord, save, or I perish.'
+
+To serve God according to the dictates of their own conscience, had ever
+been a supreme duty with the French Protestants, and paramount to
+everything else. For this they had endured the severest persecutions in
+France, and had sacrificed houses, lands, kindred and their native
+homes; they had crossed a trackless ocean, and penetrated the howling
+wilderness, inhabited by savage tribes--and for what?--To serve their
+MAKER, and the RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE. They had been the salt of France,
+and brought over with them their pious principles, with their
+Bibles,--the most precious things. Some of these faded volumes are still
+to be found among the children of the American Huguenots, and we have
+often seen and examined one of the most venerable copies. It is
+Diodati's French Bible, with this title:--
+
+  LA SAINTE
+  BIBLE,
+  INTERPRETEE PAR JEAN DIODATI,
+  MDCXLIII.
+  IMPRIMEE A GENEVE.
+
+The sacred book is 219 years old, in excellent condition, and well
+covered with white dressed deerskin, its ties of the same material. It
+was brought to America by Louis Bevier, a French Protestant of Ulster,
+and has been preserved as a precious family relic through nine
+generations. It was carried from France to Holland, and thence to New
+Paltz. 'Blessed Book! the hands of holy martyrs have unfolded thy sacred
+pages, and their hearts been cheered by thy holy truths and promises!'
+There is also a family record written in the volume, faintly legible, of
+the immediate descendants of Louis Bevier and his wife, Maria Lablau,
+from the year 1674 to 1684.
+
+Above anything else did the Huguenots of France love their BIBLES.
+Various edicts, renewed in 1729, had commanded the seizure and
+destruction of _all_ books used by the Protestants, and for this
+purpose, any consul of a commune, or any priest, might enter the houses
+to make the necessary search. We may therefore compute by millions the
+volumes destroyed in obedience to these royal edicts. On the 17th of
+April, 1758, about 40,000 books were burned at one time in Bordeaux; and
+it is also well known that at Beaucaire, in 1735, there was an
+auto-da-fé almost equal to that of Bordeaux. It was a truly sad day, in
+France, when the old family BIBLE must be given up; the book doubly
+revered and most sacred, because it was the WORD of GOD, and sacred too
+from the recollections connected with it! Grandparents, parents, and
+children, all, from their earliest infancy, had daily seen, read and
+touched it. Like the household deities of the ancients, it had been
+always present at all the joys and sorrows of the family. A touching
+custom inscribed on the first or last pages, and at times even upon its
+margins, the principal events in all those beloved lives. Here were the
+Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and the Deaths. Now all these tender, pious
+records must perish at once in the flames.
+
+But mind, immortal mind, could not be destroyed; for free thought, and
+truth, and instruction, among the people, were companions of the
+Reformation, and books would circulate among all ranks throughout
+Protestant France. The works generally came from Holland through Paris,
+and from Geneva, by Lyons or Grenoble. Inside of baled goods, and in
+cases and barrels of provisions, secretly, thousands of volumes were
+sent from north to south, from east to west, to the oppressed Huguenots.
+The great work which Louis XIV. believed buried beneath the ruins of his
+bloody edicts still went on silently. At Lausanne was established a
+seminary, about the year 1725, where works for the French Protestant
+people were printed and circulated. The Bishop of Canterbury, with Lord
+Warke, and a few foreign sovereigns, actively assisted in the founding
+of this institution. Thus did that beautiful town become the source of
+useful and religious knowledge to thousands, although it was conveyed
+far and wide in a very quiet and secret way. One man was condemned to
+the galleys for having received barrels, marked '_Black and White
+Peas_,' which were found full of 'Ostervald's Catechisms.'
+
+How strange it seems to us, writing in our own Protestant land, that
+cruel authority should ever have intervened with matters of faith! What
+can be more plain or truthful than that there should be liberty of
+conscience; and that God alone has the power and the right to direct it,
+and that it is an abuse and a sacrilege to come between God and
+conscience? After the revocation of the edict of Nantes and the death of
+Louis XIV., his royal successor sometimes vaguely asked himself why he
+persecuted his Protestant subjects? when his marshal replied, that his
+majesty was only the executor of former edicts. He seemed to have
+consoled himself that he had found the system _already_ established, and
+he only carried out the errors of his predecessor. Forty years of
+remorseless persecutions against his best subjects, without asking
+himself why! Of all the weaknesses of his reign, this was the most
+odious and the most guilty; his hand was most literally weary of signing
+cruel edicts against the Protestants of his kingdom, without even
+reading them, and which obedience to his mandates had to transcribe in
+letters of fire and blood, on the remotest parts of his realm.
+
+Let us return to the Frenchmen of Ulster, who for some time after their
+emigration used their own language, until a consultation was held to
+determine whether this, or the English or Dutch, should be adopted in
+the families. As the latter was generally spoken in the neighboring
+places,--Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh,--and also at the schools
+and churches, it was decided to speak Dutch only to their children and
+servants. Having for a while, however, continued the use of their native
+tongue, some of the Huguenot descendants in the Paltz still write their
+names as their French ancestors wrote them more than two centuries ago.
+Dubois, Bevier, Deyeau, Le Fevre, Hasbroque, are well-known instances.
+
+_Petronella_ was once an admired name among the Huguenot ladies, and
+became almost extinct in Ulster at one time. The last was said to have
+been Petronella Hasbroque, a lady distinguished for remarkable traits of
+character. Judge Hasbroque, of Kingston, the father of the former
+President of Rutger's College, was very anxious that his son would give
+this name to one of his daughters. In case of compliance, a handsome
+marriage portion was also promised; but the parents declined the
+generous offer, whether from a dislike to the name, or a belief that the
+property would be theirs, at any rate, some day, is not known. A
+granddaughter, however, of a second generation, named her first-born
+Petronella, and thus gratifying the desire of her near kinsman, secured
+a marriage portion for the heir, and preserved the much-admired name
+from oblivion--certainly three important results.
+
+It was a well-known and distinguished trait of the New Paltz Huguenots,
+that but few intermarriages have taken place among their own families
+(_Walloon_); they differed in this respect from all other French
+Protestants who emigrated to America and mingled with the other
+population by matrimonial alliances. In Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and
+other neighborhoods, near by, there is an unusual number of Dutch
+names--the Van Deusens, Van Benschotens, Van Kleeds, Van Gosbeeks, Van
+De Bogerts, Van Bewer, and others, almost _ad infinitum_, whilst for
+miles around the populous and wealthy town of Old Paltz scarcely a
+family can be found with such patronymics. Notwithstanding, somewhat
+like the Israelites, these Frenchmen classed themselves, in a measure,
+as a distinct and separate people; still, the custom did not arise from
+any dislike to the Hollanders,--on the contrary, they were particularly
+attached to that people, who had been their best friends, both in
+Holland and America; and these associations were ever of a most friendly
+and generous character. After a while, the Huguenots of Ulster adopted
+not only the language, but the customs and habits of the Dutch. After
+the destruction of the Protestant churches at Rochelle, in 1685, the
+colonists of that city came in such numbers to the settlement of New
+York, that it was necessary sometimes to print public documents not only
+in Dutch and English, but French also.
+
+We do not wish to make our articles a Doomsday-book for the Huguenots,
+still it is pleasant for their descendants to know that they came from
+such honorable stock, and, with all of our boasted republicanism, we are
+not ashamed that we _are_ so born. Here are some of the names to be
+found in the old records of Ulster:--Abraham Hausbrough, Nicholas
+Antonio, 'Sherriffe' Moses Quartain, 'Leon,' Christian Dubois, Solomon
+Hasbrook, Andries Lafeever, Hugo Freer, Peter Low, Samuel Boyce, Roeleff
+Eltinge, 'Esq.,' Nicholas Roosa, Jacobus DeLametie, Nicholas Depew,
+'Esq.,' Philip Viely, Boudwyn Lacounti, 'Capt.' Zacharus Hoofman,'
+Lieut.' Benjamin Smedes, Jr., 'Capt.' Christian Dugo, James Agmodi,
+Johannis Low, Josia Eltin, Samuel Sampson, Lewis Pontenere, Abra.
+Bovier, Peter Dejo, Robert Cain, Robert Hanne, William Ward, Robert
+Banker, John Marie, Jonathan Owens, Daniel Coleman, Stephen D'Lancey,
+Eolias Nezereau, Abraham Jouneau, Thomas Bayeuk, Elia Neau, Paul
+Droilet, Augustus Jay, Jean Cazeale, Benjamin Faneil, Daniel Cromelin,
+John Auboyneau, Francis Vincent, Ackande Alliare, James Laboue
+(Minister). In 1713-14 we find, in an address of the ministers and
+elders of the Huguenot Church in New York, 'Louis Rou, Minister of the
+French Church, in New York, John Barberie, Elder, Louis Cané, _ancien_
+(the older), Jean Lafont, _ancien_, André Feyneau, _ancien_.' To another
+religious document there are Jean la Chan, Elias Pelletrau, Andrew
+Foucault, James Ballereau, Jaque Bobin, N. Cazalet, Sam'l Bourdet, David
+Le Telier, Francois Bosset.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'TEN TO ONE ON IT.'
+
+
+  When the Union was broken, truly then
+  One Southron was equal to Yankees ten.
+  When the Union war began to thrive,
+  One Southron was equal to Yankees five.
+  When Donaldson went, 'twas plain to see
+  One Southron scarce equalled Yankees three.
+  Now, Manassas is lost; yet, to Richmond view,
+  One Southron still equals Yankees two.
+  And lo! a coming day we see,--
+  And Oh! what a day of pride 't will be,--
+  When a Northern mechanic or merchant can
+  Rank square with a Dirt-eater, man for man.
+  Perhaps this point we may fairly turn,
+  And Richmond, to her amazement, learn,
+  When peace shall have come, and war be fled,
+  And its hate be the tale of time long sped,
+  That where there is work or thought for men,
+  One Yankee is equal to Dirt-eaters ten.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+LITERARY NOTICES.
+
+
+UNDER CURRENTS OF WALL STREET. A Romance of Business. By Richard B.
+Kimball, Author of 'St. Leger,' 'Romance of Student Life,' &c. New York:
+G.P. Putnam; Boston: A.K. Loring. 1861.
+
+In the United States about one person in a hundred is engaged in
+mercantile pursuits--in other words, in 'broking,' or transferring from
+the producer to the consumer. Of this number, a larger proportion than
+in any other country are brokers in the strict sense of the word,
+buying, selling, or exchanging money or its equivalents, and managing
+credit so that others may turn it into capital. A more active, eventful,
+precarious and extraordinary life, or one calling more for the exercise
+of sharpness and shrewdness, does not exist, than that of these men.
+They are among regular business men what the 'free lance' is among
+military men, or the privateer among those of the true marine. Any one
+who has been familiar with one of the 'craft,' has probably heard him
+say at one time or another--'what I have seen would make one of the most
+remarkable novels you ever read;' and he spoke the literal truth.
+
+Realizing this fact, Mr. KIMBALL, a lawyer of twenty years' standing in
+Wall St., and consequently perfectly familiar with all its
+characteristics, has devoted literary talents, which long ago acquired
+for him not merely an enviable American but a wide European celebrity,
+to describing this broker-life, with its lights and shadows. Choosing a
+single subject and a single class, he has elaborated it with a
+truthfulness which is positively _startling_. As we often know that a
+portrait is perfect from its manifest verisimilitude, so we feel from
+every chapter of this book that the author has, with strictest fidelity,
+adhered to real life with pre-Raphaelitic accuracy but without
+pre-Raphaelitic servility to any tradition or set mannerism. The pencil
+of a reporter, the lens of the photographer, are recalled by his
+sketches, and not less life-like, simple and excellent are the
+reflections of the business office as shown in its influence in the home
+circle. The reader will recall the extraordinary popularity which
+certain English romances, setting forth humble unpoetic life, have
+enjoyed of late years. We refer to the _Adam Bede_ and _Silas Marner_
+school of tales, in which every twig is drawn, every life-lineament set
+forth with a sort of DENNER minuteness--truthful, yet constrained,
+accurate but petty. In this novel, Mr. KIMBALL, while retaining all the
+accuracy of _Adam Bede_, has swept more broadly and forcibly out into
+life;--there are strong sorrows, great trials seen from the stand-point
+of a man of the world, and a free, bold color which startles us, while
+we, at the same time, recognize its reality.
+
+The 'hero' of the work is a merchant, who, like many others after
+incurring bankruptcy, takes to Wall Street--to selling notes as an
+under-broker for a living. In describing his trials, the author has,
+with consummate skill and extraordinary knowledge of both causes and
+effects, pointed out the peculiarities, institutions, and good or bad
+workings of the American mercantile system, in such a manner as to have
+attracted from the soundest authority warm praise of his work, as
+embodying practical knowledge of a kind seldom found in 'novels.' From
+'broking' to speculating--from that again to the old course--alternately
+buoyed up or cast down, through trials and troubles, the bankrupt, at
+last, in his darkest hour, lands on that 'luck' which in America comes
+sooner or later to every one. It is worth remarking that in all his
+characters, as in his scenes, the author is careful to maintain the
+balance of truth. He shows us that among the sharks and harpies of Wall
+Street there are phases of honor and generosity--that the arrogance or
+coldness of a bank-officer may have a rational foundation--that feelings
+as intense are awakened in common business pursuits as in the most
+dramatic and erratic lives. In this _just_ treatment of character,--this
+avoiding of the old saint and angel system of depicting men,--KIMBALL is
+truly pre-eminent, and under it even the casual SOL DOWNER strikes us
+with an individuality and a force not inferior to that of the hero
+himself.
+
+We can not take leave of this truly remarkable book without referring to
+the under-current of kindly, humane feelings with which it abounds.
+There is a delicate, tremulous sympathy for the sufferings and joys
+which he depicts, which reflects the highest credit on the author. There
+are, in this book, unaffected touches of pathos, founded on the most
+natural events in the world, which have never been surpassed by any
+novelist.
+
+We are glad that novelists are leaving romance and going to real life.
+One breaking into the harsh industry of the factory and market, another
+taking down the joys and sorrows of the humble weaver, another
+describing, as in this work, the strange hurrying life of the 'outside
+broker' to the sharpest-cut detail,--all giving us truth and observation
+in the place of vague imagination;--such are the best results of late
+literature; and prominent among these the future historian will place
+the Under-currents of Wall Street.
+
+
+MARGARET HOWTH. A Story of To-Day. Boston: Ticknor & Fields. 1862.
+
+We know of no other truly American novel into which so many elements
+have been forced by the strength of genius into harmony, as in _Margaret
+Howth_. One may believe, in reading it, that the author, wearied of the
+old cry that the literature of our country is only a continuation of
+that of Europe, had resolved to prove, by vigorous effort, that it _is_
+possible to set forth, not merely the incidents of our industrial life
+in many grades, in its purely idiomatic force, but to make the world
+realize that in it vibrate and struggle outward those aspirations, germs
+of culture and reforms which we seldom reflect on as forming a part of
+the inner-being of our very practical fellow-citizens. The work has two
+characteristics,--it breaks, with a strong intellect and fine
+descriptive power, into a new field, right into the rough of real life,
+bringing out fresher and more varied forms than had been done before,
+and in doing this makes us understand, with strange ability, how the
+thinkers among our people _think_. We all know how it flows _in_ to
+them, from lecture and book, from the _Tribune_ and school--but few,
+especially in the Atlantic cities, know what becomes of culture among
+men and women who 'work and weave in endless motion' in the
+counting-house, or factory, or through daily drudgery and the reverses
+from wealth to poverty. Others have treated a single **o [transcriber's
+note: illegible word] of life, dramatically and by events, as well as
+Miss HARDING, but no one American has dared such intricacies of thought
+and character in individuals--has raised them to such a height, and
+developed them with such a powerful will, without falling into
+conventionalism or improbability. Unlike most novels, its 'plot,' though
+excellent, is its least attraction--we can imagine that the superb pride
+which gleams out in so many rifts has induced the author to voluntarily
+avoid display of that ingeniously spinning romantic talent in which
+novelists excel precisely in proportion to their lack of all nobler
+gifts. It is a certain rule, as to literary snobs, that in proportion as
+the food which they give diminishes in excellence, does the plate on
+which it is served increase in value. But let none imagine that
+_Margaret Howth_ lacks _interest_--it is replete with burning, vivid,
+thrilling interest--it has the attraction which fascinates _all_
+readers, based in a depth of knowledge so extraordinary that it can be
+truly appreciated by but few. The immense popularity which it has
+acquired and the general praise awarded it by the press, proves that it
+has gone right to the hearts of the people--whence it came.
+
+Those who accuse _Margaret Howth_ of harshness and a lack of
+winsomeness, have neither understood the people whom it describes nor
+the degree of stern strength requisite to wrest from life and nature
+fresh truth. The pioneers of every great natural school (and every
+indication shows that one is now dawning) have quite other than
+lute-sounding tasks in hand, however they may hunger and thirst for
+beauty, love, and rose-gardens. Under the current of this book runs the
+keenest, painfulest craving to give freely to life these very
+elements--its intensest inner-spirit is of love and beauty; it throbs
+and burns with a sympathy for suffering humanity which is at once fierce
+and tearful. As regards the minor artistic defects of _Margaret Howth_,
+they are, if we regard it entirely, the shadows inseparable from its
+substance, felt by those who remain in them, but in no wise detracting
+from the beauty of the edifice when we regard it from the proper point
+of view.
+
+
+ETHICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, CHIEFLY RELATIVE TO SUBJECTS OF
+POPULAR INTEREST. By A.H. Dana. New York: Charles Scribner, 124 Grand
+Street; Boston: Crosby & Nichols. 1862.
+
+A delightful collection of essays of the most valuable character, in
+which the agreeable is throughout fully qualified with the useful. The
+titles of several of these chapters are of themselves attractive: Races
+of Men, Compensations of Life, Authorship, Influence of Great Men,
+Lawyers, Hereditary Character, Sensuality, Health, Narcotic Stimulants,
+Theology, and The Supernatural,--all of them treated with a clearness
+and comprehensiveness which can not fail to earn for the work extensive
+popularity.
+
+
+BAYARD TAYLOR'S WORKS, VOL. III. Caxton Edition. At Home and Abroad.
+Second Series. New York: G.P. Putnam.
+
+The third volume of this exquisitely, printed and fully-illustrated
+series of the works of BAYARD TAYLOR is, in all respects, fully equal to
+its predecessors, both as regards typographic and literary merit.
+
+
+THOMAS HOOD'S WORKS, VOL. III. 'Aldine Edition.' Edited by Epes Sargent.
+New York: G.P. Putnam.
+
+The materials of the present volume, as we are informed by the editor,
+have been chiefly drawn from the collections of humorous pieces
+published by THOMAS HOOD under the title of _Hood's Own_,
+_Whimsicalities_, and _Whims and Oddities_. In connection with the first
+volume of this series it completes the reprint of _all_ of HOOD'S poems.
+The present volume is, like its predecessors, most exquisitely printed
+and bound. It contains a grotesque title-page from the pencil of HOPPIN,
+with a fine steel engraving of the author.
+
+
+A SOUTH CAROLINA PROTEST AGAINST SLAVERY. New York: G.P. Putnam. 1861.
+
+A very interesting letter from HENRY LAURENS, second President of the
+Continental Congress, to his son, Col. JOHN LAURENS, dated Charleston,
+S.C., Aug. 14, 1776, now first published from the original letter. It
+contains a vehement plea for Emancipation, and speaks with bitter
+contempt of England for encouraging the slave-trade in America.
+
+
+THE REBELLION; ITS LATENT CAUSES AND TRUE SIGNIFICANCE. In Letters to a
+Friend abroad. By Henry T. Tuckerman. New York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+An excellent work, discussing the social peculiarities of the South with
+great ability.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+BOOKS RECEIVED
+
+
+PAMPHLETS ON THE WAR.
+
+Among the many publications on the War which have from time to time
+found their way to our table, are the following pamphlets:--
+
+RELATION OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS TO
+SLAVERY. By Charles K. Whipple. Boston: R.F. Wallcut. 1861.
+
+WITHIN FORT SUMTER. By one of the Company. New York: N. Tibbals & Co.
+1861.
+
+A LECTURE ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. By Noble Butler.
+Louisville, Ky.: John P. Maton. 1862.
+
+THE WAR. Correspondence between the Young Men's Christian Association of
+Richmond, Va., and the City of New York. New York: G.P. Putnam. 1861.
+
+SPEECH OF GEN. HIRAM WALBRIDGE, of New York, at Tammany Hall, Aug. 21,
+1856, on the Reorganization of our Navy. New York. 1862.
+
+THE REBELLION: OUR RELATIONS AND DUTIES. Speech of Hon. Edward
+McPherson, of Pennsylvania, delivered in the House of Representatives,
+Feb. 14, 1862. Washington. 1862.
+
+ARE THE SOUTHERN PRIVATEERS PIRATES? Letter to the Hon. Ira Harris,
+United States Senator. By Charles P. Daly, LL.D., First Judge of the
+Court of Common Pleas of the City of New York. New York: Jas. B. Kirker,
+599 Broadway. 1862.
+
+SPECIAL MESSAGE DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE
+OF IOWA. By Governor S.J. Kirkwood. Des Moines, Iowa: F.W. Palmer. 1862.
+
+PICTURES OF SOUTHERN LIFE--SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND MILITARY. Written for
+_The London Times_, by William Howard Russell, LL.D., Special
+Correspondent. New York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT MT. KISCO, Westchester Co., New York, July 4,
+1861. By John Jay, Esq. New York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+THE REJECTED STONE; or, INSURRECTION _vs_. RESURRECTION IN AMERICA. By a
+Native of Virginia. Boston: Walker, Wise & Co. 1861.
+
+THE INDISSOLUBLE NATURE OF THE AMERICAN UNION, considered in connection
+with the assumed Rights of Secession. A Letter to Hon. Peter Cooper, of
+New York. By Nahum Capen. Boston: A. Williams & Co. New York: Ross &
+Tousey. 1862.
+
+THE UNION. An Address, by the Hon. Daniel S. Dickinson, delivered before
+the Literary Societies of Amherst College, July 10, 1861. New York: Jas.
+G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+ALLEGHANIA. The Strength of the Union and the Weakness of Slavery in the
+High Lands of the South. By JAMES W. TAYLOR. Saint Paul: James
+Davenport. 1862.
+
+
+A pamphlet deserving close study and general circulation.
+
+AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HON. GEORGE S. BOUTWELL, in Tremont Temple,
+Boston, Dec. 16, 1861.
+
+This address has enjoyed great popularity, and will deservedly take
+place among the most characteristic and valuable pamphlets of the war.
+
+
+AMERICA, THE LAND OF EMANUEL; or, CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY A REFUGE FOR
+THE GATHERING TO SHILOH. By Lorenzo D. Grosvenor, of Shaker Community,
+South Groton, Mass. A. Williams & Co., 100 Washington St., Boston. 1861.
+
+
+SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. J.M. ASHLEY, OF OHIO, ON THE REBELLION, ITS
+CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES, at the College Hall, in the City of Toledo,
+Nov. 26, 1861, Towers & Co., Washington, D.C. 1861.
+
+
+An excellent pamphlet, which has been extensively and favorably noticed
+by the press, and been several times reprinted.
+
+
+THE AMERICAN CRISIS, its Cause, Significance and Solution. By Americus.
+Chicago, Ill.: John R. Walsh. 1861.
+
+A vigorous and able document.
+
+
+WAR AND EMANCIPATION. A Thanksgiving Sermon preached in the Plymouth
+Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 21, 1861. By Rev. Henry Ward
+Beecher. Philadelphia: W. Peterson & Brothers. 1861.
+
+Concise, spirited, and full of sound ideas.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+EDITOR'S TABLE.
+
+
+On the ninth of March President LINCOLN made the first announcement of
+an official endorsement of the great principle of gradual Emancipation,
+by transmitting to Congress a message recommending that the United
+States ought to coöperate with any State which may adopt a gradual
+emancipation of slavery, by giving to such State pecuniary aid, to be
+used at its discretion, to compensate for the inconvenience, public and
+private, which may be produced by any such change of system.
+
+    Any member of Congress, with the census tables and the treasury
+    notes before him, can readily see for himself how very soon the
+    current expenditures of this war would purchase, at a fair
+    valuation, all the slaves in any named State. Such a position on
+    the part of the General Government sets up no claim of a right
+    by federal authority to interfere with slavery within State
+    limits, referring, as it does, the absolute control of the
+    subject, in each case, to the State and its people immediately
+    interested.
+
+It is almost needless to point out to the reader that the views, both
+direct and implied, which are urged in this message, are in every
+respect identical with those to advance which the CONTINENTAL was
+founded, and for which it has strenuously labored from the beginning.
+There is nothing in them of the 'Abolitionism' which advocates
+'immediate and unconditional' freeing of the blacks; while, on the other
+hand, the only persons who can object to them are those who hold that
+slavery is a good thing in itself, never to be disturbed. It is, in
+short, all that the rational friends of progress can at present
+desire--an official recognition of the great truth that slavery ought to
+be abolished, but in such a manner as to cause the least possible
+trouble.
+
+It is amusing to observe the bewilderment of the pro-slavery Northern
+Democratic press, which has so earnestly claimed the Executive as
+'conservative,' and on which this message has fallen like a
+thunder-clap. They have, of course, at once cried out that, should it
+receive the sanction of Congress, it would still amount to nothing,
+because no legislature of a slave State will accept it; an argument as
+ridiculous as it is trivial. That the South would, for the present,
+treat the proposal with scorn, is likely enough. But the edge of the
+wedge has been introduced, and emancipation has been at least
+_officially_ recognized as desirable. While such a possible means of
+securing property exists, there will always be a strong party _forming_
+in the South, whether they attain to a majority or not, and this party
+will be the germ of disaster to the secessionists. There are men enough,
+even in South Carolina, who would gladly be paid for their slaves, and
+these men, while maintaining secession views in full bluster, would
+readily enough find some indirect means of realizing money on their
+chattels. It may work gradually--but it _will_ work. As disaster and
+poverty increase in the South, there will increase with them the number
+of those who will see no insult or injury in the proposition to buy from
+them property which is becoming, with every year, more and more
+uncertain in its tenure.
+
+Let it be remembered that this message was based on the most positive
+knowledge held by the Executive of the desires of the Union men in the
+South, and of their strength. The reader who will reflect for a moment
+can not fail to perceive that, unless it had such a foundation, the
+views advanced in it would have been reckless and inexplicable indeed.
+It was precisely on this basis, and in this manner, that the
+CONTINENTAL, in previous numbers, and before it the New York
+KNICKERBOCKER Magazine, urged the revival of the old WEBSTER theory of
+gradual remunerated emancipation, declaring that the strength of the
+Union party in the South was such as to warrant the experiment.[O] We
+have also insisted, in our every issue, that, while emancipation should
+be borne constantly in view and provided for as something which must
+eventually be realized for the sake of the advancing interests of WHITE
+labor and its expansion, everything should be effected as gradually _as
+possible_, so as to neither interfere with the plans of the war now
+waging, nor to stir up needless political strife. We simply asked for
+some firmly-based official recognition of the rottenness of the 'slavery
+plank in the Southern platform,' and trusted that the _utmost_ caution
+and deliberation would be observed in eventually forwarding
+emancipation. We were literally alone, as a publication, in these views,
+and were misrepresented both by the enemies who were behind us and the
+zealous friends who were before us. We have never cried for that
+'unconditional and immediate emancipation of slavery' with which the
+_Liberator_, with the kindest intentions, but most erroneously, credits
+us. We should be glad enough to see it, were it possible; but, knowing
+that the immediate-action theory has been delaying the cause for thirty
+years, we have invariably suggested the _firm_ but gradual method. That
+method has at last been formally advanced by the President, in a manner
+which can reasonably give offense to no one. The beginning has been
+made: it is for the country to decide whether it--the most important
+suggestion of the age--shall be realized.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The news of the capture of Fort Donelson had barely reached us, the roar
+of the guns celebrating our rapid successes had not died away, ere that
+fragment of the Northern ultra pro-slavery party which had done so much
+towards deluding the South into secession, impudently raised its head
+and began most inopportunely and impertinently to talk of amnesty and
+the rights of the South. There are things which, under certain
+limitations, may be right in themselves, but which, when urged at the
+wrong time, become wrongs and insults; and these premature cries to
+restore the enemy to his old social and political standing are of that
+nature. They are insufferable, and would be ridiculous, were it not that
+in the present critical aspect of our politics they may become
+dangerous. Since this war began, we have heard much of the want of true
+loyalty in the ultra abolitionists, who would make the object of the
+struggle simply emancipation, without regard to consequences; and we
+have not been sparing in our own condemnations of such a limited and
+narrow view,--holding, as we do, that emancipation, if adopted, should
+be for the sake of the _white man_ and the Union, and not of the negro.
+But 'Abolition' of the most one-sided and suicidal description is less
+insulting to those who are lavishing blood and treasure on the great
+cause of freedom, than is the conduct, at this time, of those men who
+are now, through their traitorous organs, urging the cry that the hour
+is at hand when we must place slavery firmly on a constitutional basis;
+this being, as they assert, the only means whereby the Union can ever be
+harmoniously restored.
+
+In view of the facts, it is preposterous to admit that this assumption
+is even plausible. He must be ignorant indeed of our political history
+during the past twenty years, or strangely blind to its results, who has
+not learned that a belief that the North is ever anxious to concede for
+the sake of its 'interests' has been the great stimulus to the arrogance
+of the South. While the principles of the abolitionists have been the
+shallow _pretence_, the craven cowardice of such men as BUCHANAN and
+CUSHING has been the _real_ incitement to the South to pour insult and
+wrong on the North. Concession has been our bane. It was paltering and
+concession that palsied the strong will and ready act which should have
+prevented this war; for had it not been for such men as the traitors who
+are now crying out for Southern rights, the rebellion would have been
+far more limited in its area, and long since crushed out. No cruelties
+on our part, no threats to carry all to the bitter end, would so
+encourage the South at present, as this offer to shake hands ere the
+fight be half over.
+
+When the time comes for amnesty and 'Southern Rights,' we trust that
+they will be considered in a spirit of justice and mercy. Till it comes
+let there be no word spoken of them. The South has, to its own detriment
+and to ours, firmly and faithfully _believed_ that Northern men are
+cowards, misers, men sneaking through life in all dishonor and baseness.
+When millions believe such intolerable falsehoods of other millions of
+their fellow-citizens, they must be taught the truth, no matter what the
+lesson costs. Even now the Southern press asserts that our victories
+were merely the results of overwhelming majorities, and that the Yankees
+are becoming frightened at their own successes. There is not one of
+these traitorous, dough-face meetings of which the details are not
+promptly sent--probably by the men who organize them--all over the South
+to inspire faith in a falling cause. When the rebels shall have learned
+that these traitors have positively _no_ influence here,--and the sooner
+they learn it the better,--when they realize that the people of the
+North are as determined as themselves, and their equals in all noble
+qualities, then, and not till then, will it be time to talk of those
+concessions which now strike every one as smacking of meanness and
+cowardice.
+
+The day has come for a new order of things. The South must learn--and
+show by its acts that it has been convinced--that the North is its equal
+in those virtues which it claims to monopolize. But this it will only
+learn from the young and vigorous minds of the new school,--from its
+_enemies_,--and not from the trembling old-fashioned traitors, who have
+been so long at its feet that they shiver and are bewildered, now that
+they are fairly isolated, by the tide of war, from their former ruler.
+Politicians of this stamp, who have grown old while prating of Southern
+rights, can not, do not, and never will _realize_ but that, some day or
+other, all will be restored in _statu quo ante bellum_. They expect
+Union victories, but somehow believe that their old king will enjoy his
+own again--that there will be a morning when the South will rule as
+before. It is this which inspires their craven timidity. They cry out
+against emancipation in every form,--blind to the onward and inevitable
+changes which are going on,--so that when the South comes in again they
+may point to their record and say, '_We_ were ever true to you. We,
+indeed, urged the war, for we were compelled by you to fight, but we
+were always true to your main principles.' They have wasted time and
+trouble sadly--it will all be of no avail. Be it by the war, be it by
+what means it may, the social system and political rule of the South are
+irrevocably doomed. It may, from time to time, have its convulsive
+recoveries, but it is doomed. The demands of free labor for a wider area
+will make themselves felt, and the black will give way to the white, as
+in the West the buffalo vanishes before the bee.
+
+We are willing that the question of emancipation should have the widest
+scope, and, if expediency shall so dictate, that it should be realized
+in the most gradual manner. We believe that, owing to the experiences of
+the past year, more than one slave State will, ere long, contain a
+majority of clear-headed, patriotic men, who will be willing to legalize
+the freedom of all blacks born within their limits, after a certain
+time; and if this time be placed ten years or even fifteen hence, it
+will make no material difference. By that time the pressure of free
+labor, and the increase of manufacturing, will have rendered some such
+step a necessity. Should the payment of all loyal slave-holders, in the
+border States, for their chattels, prove a better plan,--and it could
+hardly fail to promptly reduce the rebellious circle to a narrow and
+uninfluential body,--let it be tried. If any of the arguments thus far
+adduced in favor of assuming slavery to be an institution which is
+_never_ to be changed, and which _must_ be immutably fixed in the North
+American Union, can be proved to be true, we would say, then let
+emancipation be forever forgotten--for the stability of the Union must
+take precedence of everything. But we can not see it in this light. We
+can not see that peace and Union can exist while the slave-holder
+continues to increase in arrogance in the South, and while the
+abolitionists every day gather strength in the North. Every day of this
+war has seen the enemies of slavery increase in number and in power,
+until to expect them to lose power and influence is as preposterous as
+to hope to see the course of nature change. Should a peace be now
+patched up on the basis of _immutable_ slavery, we should, to judge from
+every appearance, simply prolong the war to an infinitely more
+disastrous end than it now threatens to assume. We should incur debts
+which would crush our prosperity; we should bequeath a heritage of woe
+to our children, which would prove their ruin. While the great cause of
+all this dissension lies legalized and untouched, there will continue to
+be a party which will never cease to strive to destroy it. The question
+simply is, whether we will be wounded now, or utterly slain by and by.
+
+Meanwhile let us, before all things, push on with the war! It is by our
+victories that slavery will be in the beginning most thoroughly
+attacked. If the South, as it professes, means to fight to the last
+ditch, and to the black flag, all discussion of emancipation is
+needless; for in the track of our armies the contraband assumes freedom
+without further formula. But we are by no means convinced that such will
+be the case. The _first_ ditches have, as yet, been by no means filled
+with martyrs to secession,--armistices are already subjects of
+rumor,--and it should not be forgotten that the Union men of the South
+are powerful enough to afford efficient aid in placing the question of
+ultimate emancipation on a basis suitable to all interests.
+
+All that the rational emancipationist requires is a _legal beginning_.
+We have no desire to see it advance more rapidly than the development of
+the country requires--in short, what is really needed is simply the
+assurance that by war or by peace _some_ basis shall be found for
+ultimately carrying out the views of the fathers of the American Union,
+and rendering this great nation harmonious and happy. Every day brings
+us nearer the great issue,--not of slavery and anti-slavery,--but
+whether slavery is to be assumed as an immutable element in America, or
+whether government will bring such influences to bear as will lead the
+way to peace and the rights of free labor. Every step is leading us to
+
+  THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT.
+
+  O Lord, look kindly on this work for thee!
+    Yes, smile upon the side that's for the right!
+    To them O grant the glorious arm of might,
+  And in the end give them the victory!
+  Free principles are rushing like the sea
+    Which opened for the fleeing Israelite,--
+    Free principles, to test their worth in fight,--
+  And woe to them that 'twixt the surges be!
+  And as, O Lord, thou then did'st show thy care,
+    And mad'st a grave to drink thy enemy,
+  So now, O Father, sink him in despair--
+    The only blight we own--cursed Slavery.
+  O then will end the conflict! Yes, God, then
+  We'll be indeed a nation of FREE MEN!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The N.O. _Delta_ is full of indignation at the Southern men who are
+alarmed for their property, and betrays, in its anger, the fact that
+these disaffected persons are not few in the Pelican State. But,
+plucking up courage, it declares that--
+
+    Our people will retire into the interior, and in their mountains
+    and swamps they will maintain a warfare which must ultimately
+    prove successful.
+
+Doubtful--very. In the first place, 'our people' can not very well
+swamp it like runaway negroes, and, secondly, they will encounter, in
+the mountains, the Union men of the South. Give us the cities and the
+level country for a short time, and we shall very soon find the
+Pelicandidates for comfortable quarters rolling back, by thousands, into
+Unionism.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+As we write, there is a panic in Richmond, caused by the discovery that
+there is a large body of Union men in the city itself, headed by JOHN
+MINOR BOTTS, who seems to have determined to 'head off' the secession
+party in its stronghold, 'or die'--he having, since the decease of JOHN
+TYLER, turned his 'heading off' abilities against JEFF DAVIS. The
+_Examiner_ mentions, in terror, the confession of the Union prisoners,
+that there are in Richmond 'thousands of arms concealed, and men
+enrolled, who would use them on the first approach of the Yankee army.'
+One of the arrested, a Mr. STEARNS, when led to the prison, surveyed it
+in a most contemptuous manner, remarking 'If you are going to imprison
+all the Union men in Richmond, you will have to provide a much larger
+jail than this.'
+
+It is the German residents of Richmond who are said to constitute the
+majority of these Union men. All honor to our German friends of the
+South! They have received, thus far, too little credit for their staunch
+adherence to the principles of freedom. Let them take courage; a day is
+coming when we shall all be free--free from _every_ form of slavery!
+_Noch ist die Freiheit nicht verloren_!--'Freedom is not lost as yet.'
+Some of them remember _that_ song of old.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A paragraph has recently gone the rounds, which impudently assures the
+friends of Emancipation that, unless they promptly desist from further
+interference or agitation, they will speedily build up a Southern party
+in the North, which will seriously interfere with the prosecution of the
+war!
+
+That is to say, that the majority of the people of the North fully
+acquiesce in the justice of the main principles held by the South--the
+only difference of opinion being whether these slavery and
+slavery-extension doctrines can be practically developed under our
+federal Union! Yet we, knowing, seeing, feeling, in this war, the
+enormously evil effects of the slave system on the free men among whom
+it exists, are expected to endure and legalize _the cause_ which stirred
+it up! Either the South is right or wrong--there is no escaping the
+dilemma. Either it was or was not justly goaded by 'abolition' into
+secession. If the South is _quite_ right in wishing to preserve slavery
+intact forever, surely those are in the wrong who would make war on it
+for wishing to secede from a government which tolerates attacks on
+legalized institutions! What a precious paradox have we here? Yet these
+virtual justifiers of the South in the great cause of the war, claim to
+be zealous and forward in punishing that secession which, according to
+their own views, is constitutional and right!
+
+If slavery be right, then the South is right. No impartial foreigner
+could fail to draw this conclusion under the circumstances of this war.
+But _is_ it right; we do not say as a thing of the past, and of a
+rapidly vanishing serf-system, but as an institution of the progressive
+present? Witness the words of G. BATELLE, a member of the Western
+Virginia Constitutional Convention,--as we write, in session at
+Wheeling,--and who has published an address to that body on the question
+of Emancipation, from which we extract the following:--
+
+    The injuries which slavery inflicts upon our own people are
+    manifold and obvious. It practically aims to enslave not merely
+    another race, but our own race. It inserts in its bill of rights
+    some very high-sounding phrases securing freedom of speech; and
+    then practically and in detail puts a lock on every man's mouth,
+    and a seal on every man's lips, who will not shout for and swear
+    by the divinity of the system. It amuses the popular fancy with
+    a few glittering generalities in the fundamental law about the
+    liberty of the press, and forthwith usurps authority, even in
+    times of peace, to send out its edict to every postmaster,
+    whether in the village or at the cross-roads, clothing him with
+    a despotic and absolute censorship over one of the dearest
+    rights of the citizen. It degrades labor by giving it the badge
+    of servility, and it impedes enterprise by withholding its
+    proper rewards. It alone has claimed exemption from the rule of
+    uniform taxation, and then demanded and received the largest
+    share of the proceeds of that taxation. Is it any wonder, in
+    such a state of facts, that there are this day, of those who
+    have been driven from Virginia mainly by this system, men
+    enough, with their descendents, and means and energy, scattered
+    through the West, of themselves to make no mean State?...
+
+    It has been as a fellow-observer, and I will add as a
+    fellow-sufferer, with the members of the Convention, that my
+    judgment of the system of slavery among us has been formed. We
+    have seen it seeking to inaugurate, in many instances all too
+    successfully, a reign of terror in times of profound peace, of
+    which Austria might be ashamed. We have seen it year by year
+    driving out from our genial climate, and fruitful soil, and
+    exhaustless natural resources, some of the men of the very best
+    energy, talent and skill among our population. We have seen
+    also, in times of peace, the liberty of speech taken away, the
+    freedom of the press abolished, and the willing minions of this
+    system, in hunting down their victims, spare from degradation
+    and insult neither the young, nor the gray-haired veteran of
+    seventy winters, whose every thought was as free from offense
+    against society as is that of the infant of days.
+
+When an evil attains this extent, he is a poor citizen, a poor cowardly
+dallier with opinions, whatever his fighting mark may be, who can make
+up his mind to calmly acquiesce in establishing its permanence, or to
+stiffly oppose every movement and every suggestion tending in the least
+towards its abrogation.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the present number of the CONTINENTAL will be found an article on
+General LYON, in which reference is made to the generally credited
+assertion, that the deceased hero was not reinforced as he desired
+during the campaign in Missouri. This is one of the questions which time
+alone will properly answer. In accordance with the principles involved
+in _audi alteram partem_, we give on this subject the following
+abridgment of a portion of General FREMONT'S defense, published in the
+New York _Tribune_ of March 6:--
+
+    Lyon's and Prentiss's troops were nearly all three months men,
+    whose term of enlistment was about expiring. Arms and money were
+    wanted, but men offered in abundance. The three months men had
+    not been paid. The Home Guards were willing to remain in the
+    service, but their families were destitute. Gen. Fremont wrote
+    to the President, stating his difficulties, and informing him
+    that he should peremptorily order the United States Treasurer
+    there to pay over to his paymaster-general the money in his
+    possession, sending a force at the same time to take the money.
+    He received no reply, and assumed that his purpose was approved.
+
+    Five days after he arrived at St. Louis he went to Cairo, taking
+    three thousand eight hundred men for its reinforcement. He says
+    that Springfield was a week's march, and before he could have
+    reached it, Cairo would have been taken by the rebels, and
+    perhaps St. Louis. He returned to St. Louis on the 4th of
+    August, having in the meantime ordered two regiments to the
+    relief of Gen. Lyon, and set himself to work at St. Louis to
+    provide further reinforcements for him; but he claims that
+    Lyon's defeat can not be charged to his administration, and
+    quotes from a letter from General Lyon, dated on the 9th of
+    August, expressing the belief that he would be compelled to
+    retire; also, from a letter written by Lyon's adjutant general,
+    in which he says 'General Fremont was not inattentive to the
+    situation of General Lyon's column.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A daily cotemporary, in an onslaught on Emancipation, contains the
+following:--
+
+    Delaware has recently had a proposition before the legislature
+    to abolish the scarcely more than nominal slavery still existing
+    in it; but the legislature adjourned without even listening to
+    it, though it contemplated full pecuniary compensation.
+
+Yes; and the legislature of Delaware, a few years ago, legalized
+lotteries,--one of the greatest social curses of the country,--and made
+itself a hissing and a by-word to all decent men by sanctioning the most
+widely-destructive method of gambling known. The Delaware legislature
+indeed!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We are indebted to a friend for the following paragraph:--
+
+It is deeply significant that since the late Federal victories, the
+Southern press, even in Richmond itself, speaks nervously and angrily of
+the Union men among them, and of their increasing boldness in openly
+manifesting their sentiments. A few months since, this belief in Union
+men in the South was abundantly ridiculed by those who believed that all
+the slave-holding States were unanimous in rebellion, and that therefore
+it would be preposterous to hope to reconcile them to emancipation. Now
+that the Union strength in that region is beginning to manifest itself,
+we are informed that we shall lose it if we do aught contrary to
+Southern rights. And this too, although the Southern Union men have
+never been spoken of by their rebel neighbors as aught save 'the
+abolitionists in our midst!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The following communication from a well-known financier and writer on
+currency can not fail to be read with interest by all:--
+
+THE SINEWS OF WAR.
+
+These are, men and money, but especially MONEY, for on the money depends
+the men. In a good cause, with an educated, intelligent people, every
+man able to discern for himself the right side of the question
+presented, there is no difficulty about men; the state has only to say
+how many are needed, and the want will be promptly supplied. The
+experience of the last six months gives us evidence sufficient on this
+point: an army of six hundred thousand men drawn together without an
+effort, every man a volunteer,--a spectacle never before exhibited to
+the world,--puts at rest all doubt upon it; and not only that, it
+settles beyond all cavil the superiority of self-government, based on
+the broadest principles of freedom and the broadest system of education,
+over any other form which has ever been adopted. Passing from this,
+however, as a fact which needs no argument or illustration, we come to
+the more difficult question of how to raise the other sinew--money.
+
+In calling for men the state relies upon the intelligence and patriotism
+of its citizens; upon their intelligence to understand the cause, on
+their patriotism to respond to its call. It offers them no inducements
+in the shape of pay, nothing more than to feed and clothe them, to aid
+them hereafter if wounded, to keep their families from starvation if
+they are killed. This is all; and this is enough. But these assumed
+obligations of the state must be sacredly and promptly kept. Our noble
+volunteers must be fed, and clothed, and cared for, and to this end the
+state must have the requisite means. And to obtain the needed supply
+without oppressive taxation on the one hand, or placing a load on
+posterity too heavy to be borne on the other hand, is a question of
+difficult solution; and yet we shall see that there is in the present
+administration the ability and the will to solve it.
+
+It is said that our expenditures in this great struggle will, by the
+first of June, amount to the enormous sum of $600,000,000. It is said by
+the arch traitor at the head of the rebels that under this load of debt
+we shall sink. It is said by the leading papers of England that we have
+no money, have exhausted our credit, must disband our armies, and make
+the best terms we can with rebellion. Doubtless, our credit in Europe is
+at a low ebb just now, and we are thrown upon our own resources, and on
+these we must swim or sink. There is nothing to reject in this. We have
+shown the world how a free state can raise troops and create a navy out
+of its own materials; and now we will show the world how a free state
+can maintain its army and navy out of its own resources; and if the
+result proves--as it will prove--that our free institutions are the
+safest, strongest, and best for the people in war as well as in peace,
+then the great struggle we are now going through with will be worth more
+to the true interests of humanity everywhere than all the battles which
+have been fought since the dawn of the present century. For a hundred
+years, openly or covertly, but without intermission, has war been going
+on between despotism and freedom, with varied success, but on the whole
+with a steady gain for freedom; and now here, on the same field where
+it originated, is the long strife to be finally settled. On these same
+fields the same freedom is to culminate in unquenchable splendor, or to
+set forever, leaving mankind to grope in darkness and ignorance under
+the misrule of despotic tyranny. We are in arms not only to suppress an
+odious uprising of despotism against freedom within our own borders, but
+to show by our example, to all the nations of the earth, what freedom is
+and what freedom means.
+
+In seeking aid of the money power, we go beyond the line where
+patriotism gives us all we need, promptly and liberally, into the cold
+region of selfishness, whose people are too much absorbed in adding to
+and counting up their gains to be able to spare much time or thought on
+country or freedom. No voluntary sacrifices to be expected here. What we
+want we must buy, and pay for; it is only to see that we do not pay too
+much for it. Selfish, timid, grasping, these people are a skittish set
+to deal with. Nobody understands better the game of 'the spider and the
+fly,' and they are as ready to play it with the state as with smaller
+opponents, if the state will but let them. From his first visit to this
+region, to the present time, our able Secretary of the Treasury was, and
+continues to be, '_master of the position_.'
+
+When the Secretary held his first sociable with the representatives of
+the money power, neither he nor they had a very keen perception of what
+they wanted of each other; the rebellion was not then developed in the
+gigantic proportions it has since assumed; and it was hoped and
+expected, with some show of reason, that two or three hundred millions
+would be enough to put it down. This amount the power could and would
+willingly furnish for a 'consideration,' the half presently, on
+condition that it should be allowed the refusal of the other half when
+it should be wanted; and so a bargain was quickly struck, to the mutual
+content of both parties. But, as the thunder grew louder and the storm
+fiercer, it became evident that our wants would soon be doubled, at
+least. The money power hung back; the 7-3/10 remained in the banks. The
+representatives said they were only agents, the agents stopped payment,
+and the whole circulation of gold fell to the ground at once, not only
+putting a sudden check upon all business operations, but leaving the
+Treasury without any sort of currency to pay out: a sad state of things
+enough. The money power drew in its head, pretending not to see
+anything, waiting for propositions, expecting to reap a rich harvest out
+of the state's necessities, by making its own terms. How could it be
+otherwise? must not the state have several hundred millions? must not
+the astute Secretary sell the state's promises to pay, _secured by a
+first mortgage on all Uncle Sam's vast possessions_, on their own terms?
+
+It was not a pleasant predicament for a nervous or a faint-hearted man
+to be placed in. But then Mr. Chase is neither nervous nor
+faint-hearted, and when Congress came together he not only told his
+wants frankly, but proposed a neat little plan for supplying them
+without selling notes at fifty per cent. discount. Taking into view the
+want of a sound currency for business purposes, and the want of some
+currency to pay out from the Treasury instead of the gold which had
+disappeared and left a vacuum, he proposed to borrow $150,000,000, by
+issuing Treasury Notes, payable on demand, without interest, and making
+them a _legal tender for the payment of all debts_, with a proviso that
+any parties who should at any time have more on hand than they wanted
+should be allowed to invest them in bonds bearing six per cent interest.
+It was a very simple proposition--almost sublime for its simplicity;
+there was no mystery about it; and yet it was the very turning point of
+the ways and means of crushing the rebellion, without being ourselves
+crushed under an unbearable burden of debt. The money power stood
+aghast, and hardly recovered breath in time to oppose its passage
+through Congress; but the common sense of the people hailed Mr. Chase as
+a deliverer, and Congress endorsed common sense. Seriously, this
+splendid invention of the Secretary has given a new face to our
+financial affairs by placing the money power where it always should
+be,--in subservience to the people,--instead of allowing it to become a
+grinding task-master. The importance of this measure can hardly be
+appreciated yet. A member of Congress, himself a merchant, and an able
+financier, says:
+
+'My theory in regard to it is, that as the currency is increased by the
+addition of these notes to its volume, prices generally will rise,
+including the price of U.S. bonds, until they reach par; at that point,
+these notes, being convertible into bonds, the rise in the price of
+bonds will stop, because further additions to the currency, whether of
+these notes, bank notes, or coin, will only stimulate the conversion of
+notes into bonds; and that conversion will check the increase of
+currency. The _excess_ of notes will then be gradually withdrawn from
+circulation for conversion,--leaving only such an amount in circulation
+as a healthy and natural condition of the currency will require.'
+
+A theory in which we fully concur. We see growing out of it a
+restoration of business: government creditors paid in a currency equal
+to gold; low prices for all government contracts; a consequent
+diminished expenditure for supplies, and an annual payment for interest
+on the debt we shall owe, which can be easily met without heavy
+taxation. However it may turn out in the conduct of the war,--and we
+have full faith in that also,--it is very certain that in the conduct of
+the finances we have found the man for the times. The whole country
+feels this, and breathes easier for it. The arch rebel, in a recent
+address to his satellites, admits that he altogether underestimated the
+patriotism and loyalty of the men of the North, but takes fresh courage
+from the certainty that we shall shortly back down under our load of
+debt. A little further on and he will find that he has just as much
+mistaken our power in that respect,--that as his own worthless promises,
+based upon nothing, fall to nothing, the notes of the Union will stand
+as firm and as fair in the money market as her banner will on the
+battle-field.
+
+Men and money are the sinews of war. In our first trial, patriotism has
+furnished the men, and the presiding genius of the Treasury has clearly
+pointed out the means for obtaining the money. _Laus Deo_!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Note.--For the benefit of those of our readers who do not understand
+currency facts and theories, we make the following explanation. The
+relation of currency, or circulation medium, to the industry and
+business of the state, is similar to that of steam in an engine: a
+certain amount is required to keep up a regular and natural movement; an
+excessive amount causes too rapid motion, and a deficiency the reverse.
+Currency is made up of several things. Bank deposits, circulating by
+checks, bank notes, and coin, are the most important and best
+understood. The aggregate amount of these three items before the
+suspension of specie payments was above $450,000,000; and this sum is
+required to give a healthy movement to business affairs. Take away any
+portion of it, and prices fall and labor languishes, because the motion
+from it is too small for the work required; add considerably to it, and
+prices rise, because the motive power, being superabundant, is too
+freely used. When specie payment was suspended this motive power was
+reduced; the circulating medium fell from four hundred and fifty to
+three hundred and fifty millions, perhaps less; and unless this loss is
+replaced it is quite clear that prices must fall and the employment of
+labor be curtailed. The issue of treasury notes will fill the gap,
+making the business motive power of the same strength and ability as
+before. Thus it will be seen that the emission of treasury notes plays
+an important part upon the industry and business of the state, which,
+under existing circumstances, can hardly be over-valued, as well as in
+the national finances.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Darwin-development theory has of late attracted no little attention.
+One of our contributors favors us with _his_ views in the following
+'wild-verse,' which is itself rather of the transition order:--
+
+MODERN ANSWERS TO ANCIENT RIDDLES.
+
+'Whar did ye come from? Who d'ye belong to!'--_Ethiops_.
+
+    Philosophers say, deny it who may,
+    That the man who stands upright so bravely to-day,
+    Once crawled as a reptile with nose to the sod,
+    His grandfather Monad a bit of a clod.
+
+  To be sure, man's descent is not made out quite plain,
+  But one or two _guesses_ might piece out the chain;
+  If the chain is quite long a few links won't be missed;
+  Or, if you must join it, _just give it a twist_.
+
+    A bold Boston doctor, by stride superhuman,
+    Makes only a step from a snake to a woman;
+    Or, inspect your best friends by Granville's good glass,
+    And the difference's as small 'twixt a man and an ass.
+
+  'From the company he keeps we may learn a man's nature;'
+  If he will play with monkey, dog, cat, or such creature,
+  The schoolmen will say, as a matter of course,
+  'Cum hoc ergo propter hoc.' Notice its force!
+
+    If with doubts you're still puzzled, and wonder who can
+    Answer all your objections, why Darwin's your man.
+    He can bridge o'er a chasm both broad and profound;
+    The last thing he needs for a theory is _ground_.
+
+  Bring your queries and facts, no matter how tough;
+  Development doctrine makes light of such stuff.
+  One example of these will perhaps be enough:--
+  'These crawlers,' for instance, 'should they be still here,'
+  'Not yet become bipeds?' The answer is clear:
+
+    In our strangely unequal organic advance,
+    He is the most forward who has the best chance.
+    By braving the weather and struggling with brother,
+    The one who survives it all gains upon t'other.
+
+  The old Bible 'myth,' now, of Jacob and Esau,
+  Is the struggle 'twixt species, the monkey and man law;
+  One hairy, one handsome, one favored, one cursed;
+  And sometimes the last one turns out to be first.
+
+    Still, through cycles enough let the laggard persist,
+    Let the weak be suppressed since he can not resist,
+    And, proceeding by logic which none may dispute,
+    Can't we safely infer there's an end to the brute?
+
+  You may, if you please, supersede Revelation,
+  By wholly new methods of ratiocination;
+  Though, since head and heart _need be_ in contradiction,
+  Why should reason hold faith under any restriction?
+  Shut your eyes, and guess down heaven's good pious fiction.[P]
+
+    Noah's ark was superfluous. Where were his brains,
+    For those beasts and those sons to provide with such pains,
+    When they might to a deluge cry Fiddle di dee,
+    And sprout fins and scales, if they took to the sea?
+
+  Well, perhaps in those days they had not yet known
+  That _by need of new functions new organs are grown_.
+  Those drowned chaps were sure a 'degenerate' crew,
+  Or else, on their plunge into element new,
+  Some 'law of selection' had rescued a few.
+  And, 'if wishes were fishes' I think one or two
+  Would have _wished_, and swam out of their scrape, do not you?
+  Can it be that those 'Fish Tales' of mermen are true?
+
+    No wonder that racing was always in fashion,--
+    All orders of beings were born with the passion--
+    But it seems that at length Genus Man will be winner.
+    You cry 'Lucky dog!' But what now about dinner?
+
+  No oysters, no turtle, fresh salmon, fried sole,
+  No canvas duck nor fowl casserole.
+  All these he has seen disappear from the stage,
+  A sacrifice vast growing age after age.
+
+    Their successive growth upward he's watched with dismay;
+    They have come to be men, having all had their day!
+    Though he took, while its lord, quite a taste of the creature,
+    By rule Epicurean 'dum vivim.,' etcetera.
+
+  In Paradise, Adam and Eve, to be sure,
+  Since they didn't have flesh, ate their onion sauce pure,
+  But, as our old friend John P. Robinson he
+  Said, 'they didn't know everything down in Judee.'
+
+    Now the better taught modern he very well knows
+    What to beef and to mutton society owes.
+    What are homes without hearths? What's a hearth without roasts?
+    Or a grand public dinner with _nothing_ but toasts?
+
+  Yet, what government measure, or scheme philanthropic,
+  Or learned convention in hall philosophic,
+  But is mainly sustained upon leasts and collations?
+  At least, it is so in all civilized nations.
+
+    Here's a fix! Yet indeed, soon or late, the whole race
+    Must the problem decide on, with good or ill grace.
+    We cannot go hungry; what are we to do?
+    Shall we pulse it, like Daniel, that knowing young Jew?
+    Letting Grahamite doctors our diet appoint,
+    Eat our very plain pudding without any joint?
+
+  Or, shall we the bloody alternative take,
+  And cannibal meals of our relatives make,
+  Put aside ancient scruples (for what's in a name?)
+  And shake hands with the dainty New Zealander dame,
+  Who thought that she really might relish a bit
+  Of broiled missionary brought fresh from the spit?
+
+    'Twere surely most cruel in Nature our nurse,
+    Man's march of improvement so quick to reverse.
+    Will she offer a choice which we may not refuse,
+    When we're sure to turn savage however we choose?
+
+  We may slowly creep up to a lofty position,
+  Then go back at one leap to the lower condition.
+  Even so, my good friend, in a circle he goes,
+  Who would follow such theories on to their close.
+  If you've started with Darwin, as sure as you're born,
+  You're in a dilemma; pray take either horn.
+
+  T.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Who has not belonged in his time to a debating society? What youth
+ambitious of becoming 'a perfect _Hercules_ behind the bar?'--as a well
+meaning but unfortunate Philadelphian once said in a funeral eulogy over
+a deceased legal friend--has not 'debated' in a club 'formed for
+purposes of mutual _and_ literary improvement of the mind?' All who have
+will read with pleasure the following letter from one who has most
+certainly been there:--
+
+    DEAR CONTINENTAL:
+
+    I am a man that rides around over the 'kedn'try.' In the little
+    village where I am now tarrying, the school-house bell is
+    ringing to call together the members of that ancient institution
+    peculiar to villages, the debating society. A friend informs me
+    that the time-honored questions--Should capital punishment be
+    abolished?--Did Columbus deserve more praise than
+    Washington?--Is art more pleasing to the eye than nature?--have
+    each had their turn in their regular rotation, and that the
+    question for to-night is--as you might suppose--Has the Indian
+    suffered greater wrongs at the hands of the White man than the
+    Negro? As I have a distinct recollection of having thoroughly
+    investigated and zealously declaimed on each of the above topics
+    in days lang syne, I shall excuse myself from attendance this
+    evening, on the ground that I am already extensively informed on
+    the subject in hand, and my mind is fully made up. But I hereby
+    acknowledge my indebtedness to the good fellow who told me the
+    object of the ringing of the bell--for he has unconsciously
+    started up some of the most amusing recollections of my life.
+    Sitting here alone in my room, I have just taken a hearty laugh
+    over a circumstance that had well-nigh given me the slip. The
+    question was the same Negro-Indian-White-man affair. One of the
+    orators, having, a long time previously, seen a picture in an
+    old 'jography' of some Indians making a hubbub on board certain
+    vessels, and reading under it, _Destruction of Tea in Boston
+    Harbor_, brought up the circumstance, and insisting with great
+    earnestness that the white man had received burning wrongs at
+    the hands of the Indian, and that the latter had _no reason at
+    all to complain_, dwelt with great emphasis on the ruthless
+    destruction of the white man's tea in Boston Harbor by the
+    latter, in proof of his 'point.'
+
+    I remember also a debating society in the little village of
+    R----, which numbered some really very worthy and intelligent
+    members, but of course included some that were otherwise, among
+    whom was a silly young fellow, who had mistaken his proper
+    calling--(he should have been a wood-chopper), and was suffering
+    under an attack _at_ medicine. The question for debate on one
+    occasion was--Is conscience an infallible guide? Being expected
+    to take part in the discussion, he was bent on thorough
+    preparation, and ransacked his preceptor's professional
+    library--(almost as poor a place as a lawyer's) for a work on
+    _conscience_. He found abundance of matter, however, for a
+    lengthy chapter on the subject, as he supposed, occurring in
+    several of the dusty octavos, and he thumbed the leaves with
+    most patient assiduity. He had misspelled the word however, and
+    was reading all the while on _consciousness_--a subject which
+    would very naturally occur in some departments of medicine. But
+    it was all one to him, he didn't see the difference, and the
+    ridiculous display he made to us of his 'cramming' on
+    consciousness can be better imagined than described.
+
+    Years after found me inside college walls--but colleges in the
+    West, be it remembered, sometimes include preparatory
+    departments, into which, by the courtesy of the teachers, many
+    young men are admitted who would hardly make a respectable
+    figure in the poorest country school, but who by dint of honest
+    toil finally do themselves great credit.
+
+    I 'happened in' on a number of such, one evening, whose
+    affinities had drawn them together with a view to forming a
+    debating society, to be made exclusively of their own kind. I
+    listened with much interest and pleasure to the preliminaries of
+    organization, and smiled, when they were about to 'choose a
+    question,' to see them bring out the same old coaches mentioned
+    in the beginning of this article; when one of their number
+    arose, evidently dissatisfied with the old beaten track, and
+    seemed bent on opening a new vein. He was a good, honest,
+    patient fellow, but his weakness in expressing himself was,
+    that, although his delivery was very slow, he didn't know how he
+    was going to end his sentences when he began them. 'Mr.
+    President,' said he, 'how would this do? Suppose a punkin seed
+    sprouts in one man's garden, and the vine grows through the
+    fence, and bears a punkin on another man's ground--now--(a long
+    pause)--the question is--whose punkin--_does it belong to?_' The
+    poor fellow subsided, as might be supposed, amid a roar of
+    voices and a crash of boots.
+
+There is a legal axiom which would settle the pumpkin-vine query--that
+of _cujus est solum ejus est usque ad coelum_--'ownership in the soil
+confers possession of everything even as high as heaven.' Our friends in
+Dixie seem determined to prove that they have also fee simple in their
+soil downwards as far as the other place, and by the last advices were
+digging their own graves to an extent which will soon bring them to the
+utmost limit of their property!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Does the reader remember Poor Pillicoddy, and the mariner who was ever
+expected to turn up again? Not less eccentric, as it seems to us, is the
+re-apparition chronicled in the following story by a friend:--
+
+    TURNING UP AGAIN!
+
+    'You were all through that Mexican war, and out with Walker in
+    Niggerawger.--Well, what do you think 'bout Niggerawger? Kind of
+    a cuss'd 'skeeter hole, ain't it?'
+
+    'Tain't so much 'skeeters as 'tis snaiks, scorpiums and the
+    like,' answered the gray-moustached corporal. 'It's hot in them
+    countries as a Dutch oven on a big bake; and going through them
+    parts, man's got to move purty d----d lively to git ahead of the
+    yaller fever; it's right onto his tracks the hull time.'
+
+    'Did you git that gash over your nose out there?'
+
+    'Yes, I got that in a small scrimmage under old GRAY EYES. 'Twas
+    next day _after a fight_ though, cum to think on it. We'd been
+    up there and took a small odobe hole called Santa Sumthin', and
+    had spasificated the poperlashun, when I went to git a gold
+    cross off an old woman, and she up frying-pan of _frijoles_ and
+    hit me, so!' Here the corporal aimed a blow with his pipe at the
+    face of the high private he was talking with;--the latter dodged
+    it.
+
+    'That was a big thing, that fight at Santa Sumthin'; the way we
+    went over them mud walls, and wiped out the Greasers, was a
+    cortion. I rac'lect when we was drawed up company front, afore
+    we made the charge, there was a feller next me in the ranks--I
+    didn't know him from an old shoe, 'cause he'd ben drafted that
+    morning into us from another company. Says he,--
+
+    'We're going into hair and cats' claws 'fore long, and as I'm
+    unbeknownst amongst you fellers, I'd like to make a bargain with
+    you.'
+
+    'Go it,' says I; 'I'm on hand for ennything.'
+
+    'Well,' says he, 'witchever one of us gits knocked over, the
+    tother feller 'll look out for him, and if he ain't a goner 'll
+    haul him out, so the doctor can work onto him.'
+
+    'Good,' says I, 'you may count me in there; mind you look after
+    ME!'
+
+    The fight began, and when we charged, the fust thing I knowed
+    the feller next me, wot made the bargain, he went head over
+    heels backwards; and to tell the honest trooth, I was just that
+    powerful egsited I never minded him a smite, but went right
+    ahead after plunder and the Greasers, over mud walls and along
+    alleys, till I got, bang in, where I found something worth
+    fighting about it. 'Bout dusk, when we was all purty full of
+    _agwadenty_, they sent us out to bury our fellers as was killed
+    in the scrimmage; and as we hadn't much time to spare, we didn't
+    dig a hole more'n a foot or two deep, and put all our fellers
+    in, in a hurry. Next morning airly, as I was just coming out of
+    a church where I'd ben surveyin' some candle-stix with a
+    jack-knife to see ef they were silver, [witch they were
+    not,--hang em!]--as I was coming out of the church I felt a
+    feller punch me in the back--so I turned round to hit him back,
+    when I see the feller, as had stood by me in the ranks the day
+    before, all covered over with dirt, and mad as a ringtail
+    hornet.
+
+    'Hello!' said I.
+
+    'Hello! yourself,' said he. 'I want ter know what yer went and
+    berried me for, afore I was killed for?'
+
+    I never was so put to for a answer afore in all my life, 'cause
+    I wanted to spasificate the feller, so I kind of hemmed, and
+    says I--'Hm! the fact was, this dirty little hole of a town was
+    _rayther_ crowded last night, and I--just to please you, yer
+    know--I lodged you out there; but I swear I was this minute
+    going out there to dig you up for breakfuss!'
+
+    'If that's so,' said he, 'we won't say no more 'bout it; but the
+    next time you do it, don't put a feller in so deep; for I had a
+    oncommon hard scratch turning up again!'
+
+    H.P.L.
+
+We are indebted to the same writer for the following Oriental
+market-picture--we might say scene in a proverb:
+
+    PROVERBIALLY WISE.
+
+    ACHMET sat in the bazaar, calmly smoking: he had said to himself
+    in the early morning,--'When I shall have made a hundred
+    piastres I will shut up shop for the day, and go home and take
+    it easy, _al'hamdu lillah_!' Now a hundred piastres in the land
+    of the faithful, where the sand is and the palms grow, is equal
+    to a dollar in the land of Jonathan: and the expression he
+    concluded his sentence with is equivalent to--Praise be to
+    Allah!
+
+    Along came a blind fakir begging; then ACHMET gave him five
+    paras, although his charity was unseen; neither did he want it
+    to be seen, for he said to himself,--
+
+    'Do good and throw it into the sea--if the fishes don't know it,
+    God will.'
+
+    And as he handed the poor blind fakir the small coin, he said to
+    him, in a soothing voice,--
+
+    '_Fa'keer_' (which in the Arabic means poor fellow), 'the nest
+    of a blind bird is made by Allah.'
+
+    Then along came SULIMAN BEY, who was high in office in the land
+    of Egypt, and was wealthy, and powerful, and very much hated and
+    feared. And ACHMET bowed down before him, and performed
+    obeisance in the manner of the Turks, touching his own hand to
+    his lips, his breast, his head:--and the SULIMAN BEY went
+    proudly on. Then ACHMET smiled, and YUSEF, who had a stall in
+    the bazaar opposite to him, winked to ACHMET, saying, in a low
+    voice,--
+
+      'Kiss ardently the hands which you can not cut off:'--
+
+    and they smiled grimly one unto the other.
+
+    'Did you hear the music in the Esbekieh garden yesterday?' asked
+    YUSEF of ACHMET. 'I think it was horrible.'
+
+    'It cost nothing to hear it,' quoth ACHMET: 'there was no charge
+    made.'
+
+    '_Aio_! true,' answered YUSEF; 'but there were too many drums; I
+    wouldn't have one if I were Pacha.'
+
+    'Welcome even pitch, if it is gratis.'
+
+    'Wanting to make the eyebrows right, pull out the eyes,' said
+    ACHMET, contentedly. 'And as for your disliking the music,--A
+    cucumber being given to a poor man, he did not accept it because
+    it was crooked!'--'Come, let us shut up shop and go to the
+    mosque. It is fated that we sell no goods to-day. _Wajadna
+    bira'hmat allah ra'hah_--By the grace of Allah we have found
+    repose!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Our correspondent gives us a pun in our last number over again. It is
+none the worse, however, for its new coat, as set forth in
+
+    GETTING AHEAD OF TIME.
+
+    'Well now, I declare, this is too bad. Here it is five minutes
+    past ten and BUDDEN ain't here. Did anybody ever know that man
+    to keep an engagement?'
+
+    'Yes,' replied the Doctor to the Squire, 'I knew him to keep
+    one.'
+
+    'Let it out,' said the Squire.
+
+    'An engagement to get married.'
+
+    'Hm!' replied the Squire, looking over his spectacles with the
+    air of one who had been deceived. At this moment JERRY BUDDEN, a
+    jolly-looking, fat, middle-aged man entered the office quietly
+    and coolly, having all the air of one who arrived half an hour
+    before the appointed time of meeting.
+
+    'Got ahead of time this morning, any way,' said Jerry.
+
+    'The devil you did!' spoke the Squire, testily; 'you are seven
+    minutes behind time this morning; you would be behindhand
+    to-morrow and next day, and so on as long as you live. Confound
+    it, Jerry, you make me mad with your laziness and coolness.
+    Ahead of time! why look at that watch!'--Here the Squire,
+    pulling out a plethoric-looking, smooth gold watch, about the
+    size of a bran biscuit, held it affectionately in the palm of
+    his right hand. 'Look at _that_ watch!'
+
+    'Nice watch,' said Jerry, 'very nice watch. The best of watches
+    will sometimes get out of order though. How long since you had
+    it cleaned?'
+
+    The Squire looked indignant, and broke out, 'I've carried that
+    watch more'n thirty year; I have it cleaned regularly, and it is
+    always right to a minute, always! It's _you_ that want
+    regulating.'
+
+    'Can't help it,' spoke Jerry; 'I got ahead of time this
+    morning.'
+
+    'Bet you a hat on it,' said the Squire.
+
+    'Done!' answered Jerry. And, putting his hand in his pocket, he
+    deliberately produced the torn page of an old almanac, and,
+    pointing to part of an engraving of the man with an hour-glass,
+    said to the Squire,--
+
+    'Hain't I got a Head of Time--this morning?'
+
+    Jerry now wears a new hat!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'What poor slaves are the American people!' says the Times' own RUSSELL.
+'They may abjure kings and princes, but they are ruled by hotel-keepers
+and waiters.' The following translation from the Persian shows, however,
+that a man may be a king or a prince and a hotel-keeper at the same
+time.
+
+A ROYAL HOTEL-KEEPER.
+
+FROM THE PERSIAN. BY HENRY P. LELAND.
+
+  IBRAM BEN ADHAM at his palace gate,
+  Sits, while in line his pages round him wait;
+  When a poor dervish, staff and sack in hand,
+  Straight would have entered IBRAM'S palace grand.
+  'Old man,' the pages asked, 'where goest thou now?'
+  'In that hotel,' he answered, with a bow.
+  The pages said,--'Ha! dare you call hotel
+  A palace, where the King of Balkh doth dwell?'
+  IBRAM the King next to the dervish spoke:
+  'My palace a hotel? Pray, where's the joke?'
+  'Who,' asked the dervish, 'owned this palace first?'
+  'My grandsire,' IBRAM said, while wrath he nursed.
+  'Who was the next proprietor?' please say.
+  'My father:' thus the king replied straightway.
+  'Who hired it then upon your father's death?'
+  'I did,' King IBRAM answered, out of breath.
+  'When you shall die, who shall within it dwell?'
+  'My son,' the King replied. 'Why ask'st thou? Tell!'
+  'IBRAM!' then spoke the dervish to him straight,
+  'I'll answer thee, nor longer make thee wait.
+  The place where travelers come, and go as well,
+  Is, really, not a palace, but--hotel!'
+
+Yea, friends; and, as another genial poet has discovered, life itself is
+but a hostelrie or tavern, where some get the highest rooms, while
+others, of greater social weight, gravitate downwards into the first
+story, sinking like gold to the bottom of the hotel pan,--that is O.W.
+HOLMES', his idea, reader, not ours. _Apropos_ of HOLMES and kings--his
+thousands of reader friends have ere this seen with pleasure that the
+Emperor of all the French was not unmindful of one of his
+brother-potentates,--in the world of song,--when he paid OLIVER WENDELL
+the courteous compliment which has of late gone the rounds, and which
+conferred as much honor on the giver as the taker thereof.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Spring poems have begun. _Vide licet_.
+
+  TO AN EARLY BIRD.
+
+  In homely phrase we oft are told
+    'Tis early birds that catch the worms;
+  But certainly that Spring bird there
+     Don't half believe the aforesaid terms.
+
+  He's sorry that he hither flew,
+     In hopes a forward March to find,
+  And towards warm climates, whence he came,
+     To backward march is sore inclined.
+
+  Lured by one ray of sunlight, he
+     Flew northward to our land of snow;
+  And now, with frozen toes, he stands
+     On frozen earth:--the worms--below!
+
+  Tu whit! whit! whit! he tries in vain
+     To whistle in a cheerful way;
+  He feels he's badly sold, and that--
+     He came _too early_ in the day.
+
+  I sprinkle seed and crumbs around;
+    He quickly flies and famished eats:--
+  He would have starved to death had he
+    Relied on proverb-making cheats.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Of the same up-Springings, in higher vein, we have the following:--
+
+  APRIL.
+
+  BY ED. SPRAGUE RAND.
+
+  Now with the whistling rush of stormy winds,
+    'Mid weeping skies and smiling, sunny hours,
+  Comes the young Spring, and scatters, from the pines,
+    O'er the brown--woodland soft, balsamic showers.
+
+  Wake, azure squirrel cups, on grassy hills!
+    Peep forth, blue violets, upon the heath!
+  The epigræa from the withered leaves
+    Sends out the greeting of her perfumed breath.
+
+  Nodding anemones within the wood
+    Shake off the winter's sleep, and haste to greet;
+  Where in the autumn the blue asters stood,
+    The saxifrage creeps out, with downy feet.
+
+  Nature is waking! From a wreath of snow,
+    Close by the garden walls, the snowdrop springs;
+  And the air rings with tender melodies,
+    Where thro' the dark firs flash the bluebird's wings.
+
+  A few days hence, and o'er the distant hills
+    A tender robe of verdure shall be spread,
+  And life in myriad forms be manifest,
+    Where all seemed desolate, and dark, and dead.
+
+  E'en now, upon the sunny woodland slopes,
+    The fair vanessa flits with downy wing;
+  And in the marshes, with the night's approach,
+    The merry hylas in full chorus sing.
+
+  _Patience_ and _faith_, all will be bright again.
+    Take from the present, for the future hours,
+  The tendered promise. In the storm and rain,
+    Remember suns shine brighter for the showers.
+
+  To us, my countrymen, the lesson comes;
+    Our night of winter dawns in brightest day;
+  The storm is passing, and the rising sun
+    Dispels our doubts, drives cloudy fears away.
+
+  The sun of freedom, veiled in clouds too long,
+    Sheds o'er our land its rays of quickening life;
+  And liberty, our starry banner, waves,
+    Proclaiming freedom mid the battle's strife.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+STRIKING TURPENTINE.
+
+Not a bad story that of the physician, who, vaccinating several medical
+students, 'performed the ceremony' for a North Carolinian from the
+pitch, tar and turpentine districts. The lancet entering the latter's
+arm a little too deep, owing to the Corn-cracker jerking his arm through
+nervousness, one of the medical students called out,--
+
+'Take care there, doctor, if you don't look out you'll strike
+turpentine.'
+
+The Corn-cracker--full of spirit--wanted to fight.
+
+We should have handed this anecdote over to X., who travels through the
+Pines, that he might pronounce on its authenticity. The following,
+however, we know to be true--on the word of a very _spirituelle_ dame,
+long resident in the Old North State. When the present war first sent
+its murmurs over the South, an old bushman earnestly denied that it
+'would ruin everything.' 'Kin it stop the turpentime from running?' he
+triumphantly cried. 'In course not. Then what difference _kin_ it make
+to _the country_?'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The following sketch, 'Hiving the Bees and what came of it,' from a
+valued friend and correspondent in New Haven, is a humorous and truthful
+picture of the old-fashioned rural 'discipline' once so general and now
+so rapidly becoming a thing of the past:--
+
+    HIVING BEES AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
+
+    When a boy at school in the town of G----I became acquainted
+    with old Deacon Hubbard and his wife--two as good Christian
+    people as could be found, simple in their manners and
+    kind-hearted. The deacon was 'well to do in the world,' having a
+    fine farm, a pleasant house, and, with his quiet way of living,
+    apparently everything to make him comfortable.
+
+    He took great delight in raising bees, and the product of his
+    hives was every year some hundreds of pounds of honey, for which
+    there was always a ready market, though he frequently gave away
+    large quantities among his neighbors.
+
+    One Sunday morning, when passing the place of Deacon Hubbard on
+    my way to meeting, I saw the deacon in his orchard near his
+    house, apparently in great trouble about something in one of
+    his apple trees. I crossed the road to the fence and called to
+    him, and asked him what was the matter. He was a very
+    conscientious man, and would not do anything on the Lord's day
+    that could be done on any other; but he cried, 'Oh, dear! my
+    bees are swarming, and I shall surely lose them. If I was a
+    young man I could climb the tree and save them, but I am too old
+    for that.' I jumped over the fence, and as I approached him he
+    pointed to a large dark mass of something suspended from the
+    limb of an apple tree, which to me was a singular-looking
+    object, never having before seen bees in swarming time. I had
+    great curiosity to see the operation of hiving, and suggested
+    that perhaps I could help him, though at the time afraid the
+    bees would sting me for my trouble. The gratification to be
+    derived I thought would repay the risk, and calling to mind some
+    lines I had  heard,--
+
+  'Softly, gently touch a nettle,
+    It will sting thee for thy pains;
+  Grasp it like a man of mettle,
+    Soft and harmless it remains,--'
+
+    I told him that I would assist him. He assured me that if I
+    could only get a rope around the limb above and fasten it to the
+    one on which the bees were, then saw off that limb and lower it
+    down, he could secure them without much trouble.
+
+    With saw and rope in hand I ascended the tree, and, after due
+    preparation, severed the limb and carefully lowered it within
+    the deacon's reach. I was surprised, and felt repaid for my
+    trouble, to see with what ease and unconcern Dea. Hubbard, with
+    his bare hands, scooped and brushed the swarm of bees into a
+    sheet he had prepared, and how readily he got them into a vacant
+    hive. Many thanks did the deacon proffer me for my timely
+    assistance, and moreover insisted on my staying with him to
+    dine. It seemed to me that I was never in a more comfortable
+    house, and I am sure I never received a more cordial greeting
+    than that bestowed upon me by his venerable spouse.
+
+    The place where I boarded with several other boys was with a
+    widow lady by the name of White, who was very kind to me, but
+    who had the misfortune to have had three husbands, and her
+    daughters did not all revere the memory of the same father, and
+    consequently there were oftentimes differences among them.
+
+    For several days after this transaction I had noticed on the
+    table at our daily meal a nice dish of honey, an unusual treat,
+    but to which we boys paid due respect.
+
+    My term at school expired, and I went home to my father's, a
+    distance of some thirty miles, and assisted him on the farm
+    during the fall months, employing much of my leisure time in
+    studying.
+
+    My father was a stern, straight-forward man--a member of the
+    Orthodox church, and one who professed to believe in all the
+    proprieties of life, and endeavored to impress the same on the
+    minds of his children.
+
+    One day, after dinner, he said to me, in his stern way of
+    speaking,--'Gilbert, what kind of scrape did you get into in
+    G----?'
+
+    For my life I could not tell what I had been doing, and had but
+    little chance to think, ere he tossed a letter across the table
+    and said, 'Read that, and tell me what it means!' The letter was
+    directed to me, but he had exercised his right to open and read
+    it for me. It was from G----, and signed by the four deacons of
+    the church there, asking explicit answers to the following
+    questions:--1st. Did you help Deacon Hubbard hive his bees? 2d.
+    If so, did you receive any remuneration from him for your
+    services? 3d. Will you state what it was? You are expected to
+    answer the questions fully.'
+
+    'What have you to say to that, young man?' said my father, with
+    more than usual sternness; and I began to think that I had got
+    into some kind of difficulty.
+
+    I told him that I would answer the letter, so went to my room
+    and wrote, saying that I _did_ help Deacon Hubbard hive his
+    bees, and that I _had_ been paid a thousand times by the many
+    acts of kindness of himself and wife, and should always feel
+    happy in doing anything for them that I could.
+
+    As my father read this letter I had written, I noticed a smile
+    on his countenance, which lasted but an instant, when he said,
+    'You may send it; but I want to know what this scrape is, and I
+    will.'
+
+    A few days after the reply was sent, another letter arrived from
+    the four deacons, stating that I had not been explicit enough in
+    my answer, and wanted me to say, 1st. Whether I had helped
+    Deacon Hubbard hive his bees on Sunday. 2d. Whether I had ever
+    received from him a large pan of honey in the comb? 3d. Whether
+    my father was a member of the church? 4th. Whether he would give
+    his consent for me to come to G---- on business of great
+    importance if they would pay my expenses, and how soon I could
+    come?
+
+    It was cold weather, several months after I left G----, when
+    this letter came to hand, and I did not fancy a ride of thirty
+    miles at that time; I however had permission to promise that I
+    would be there on the first Monday in May, which was the day of
+    'General Training,' and a great day at that period. In my answer
+    to the second letter I said that I thought I had answered their
+    first question sufficiently before; and in answer to the second
+    I would say, that I had never received any honey from Deacon
+    Hubbard; to the third, that my father was a member of the
+    church; and to the fourth, that I would come there on the day
+    named above.
+
+    The first Monday in May was a bright and lovely day, and at an
+    early hour I mounted a horse and started for G----, arriving
+    there before noon. On my way into the village I had to pass the
+    house of Deacon Hubbard, who, knowing that I was expected that
+    day, was looking for my approach, and as I drew near the house I
+    saw his venerable form in the road. It was my intention to pass
+    his house without being seen, but that was impossible. He
+    insisted on my going into the house. His good wife met me at the
+    door with a cordial greeting, but, with tearful eyes, said she
+    feared there was some dreadful trouble in store for me, for the
+    deacons of the church had been watching for me all the morning.
+    After explaining as well as I could the reason of my visit, with
+    the little information I had, Deacon Hubbard exclaimed--'Well, I
+    don't know but they'll make you walk the church aisle, for
+    there's some trouble somewhere.' We had but little time for
+    conversation before Mrs. H. saw the venerable deacons
+    approaching the house; and I shall never forget the solemn look
+    and steps with which they advanced, the senior deacon, Flagg,
+    leading the procession. As they were ushered into the front room
+    they seated themselves in a row according to their respective
+    ages, each wearing the solemn countenance of a Pilgrim father.
+    When I entered the room they all arose and took me by the hand,
+    thanking me for faithfully keeping my promise, and hoped the
+    Lord would reward me therefor. Deacon Flagg, after a few
+    preliminary remarks, said: 'Young man, there has been a grievous
+    sin committed among the Lord's anointed in our church, and we
+    have sent for you that we may be enabled to detect the erring
+    one! and we hope you will so far consider the importance of the
+    matter as to answer truly the questions that may be propounded
+    to you. My young friend, will you have the goodness to say, in
+    the hearing of our good brother, Deacon Hubbard, whether or not
+    you ever received from him a present of a large pan of honey for
+    helping him hive his bees?'
+
+    I answered that I never had. All eyes were turned on Deacon H.,
+    and an audible groan came from Deacon Harris as I made my reply.
+    Deacon Flagg addressed me as follows:--'My youthful friend, will
+    you be willing to accompany these gentlemen to the house of
+    sister White, and say the same before her?' I was willing,
+    provided my friend Deacon Hubbard would go along, which he
+    consented to do, and we started.
+
+    It was but a short way across the Common, and ours was a solemn,
+    silent procession, and I must have appeared like a very culprit.
+    On nearing the house, Deacon Flagg said he would first enter and
+    inform sister White of our business, and return when she was
+    ready to receive us. He returned in a short time, with a longer
+    face than before, and as he approached us, clasping his hands,
+    he said with an agonized tone, 'Dear brethren, Oh! it is all too
+    true! Satan entered her heart,--she coveted the honey,--and
+    fell.' A groan of holy horror came from all the good old men. It
+    was not necessary for us to enter the abode of wickedness, he
+    said, for she would confess all.
+
+    The whole proceeding had been a mystery to me, but I soon
+    learned that the next day after hiving the bees, Deacon Hubbard
+    had sent a large pan of honey to sister White's house, intended
+    for me, but she gave us boys a little for a few days and put the
+    rest away; or, as she afterwards said, she coveted it, and said
+    nothing to me about it; and I should probably have known nothing
+    of it had it not been for a disagreement between herself and
+    daughters about a division of the honey, which finally got to be
+    a church matter.
+
+    Deacon Hubbard insisted on my going to dine with him; so, with a
+    parting shake of the hand with the other four venerable men, we
+    started for his house. Such a feast as dame Hubbard had provided
+    on that occasion boys do not often see; substantial food enough
+    for half a score of men, aside from the pies and plum pudding
+    which made their appearance in due course; and in front of the
+    dish assigned to me was a dish of the purest honey. After dinner
+    Deacon Hubbard took me to see his bees, and explained many
+    things in relation to them curious and instructive, promising
+    more information on the subject if he could prevail upon me to
+    remain in G---- till the next morning. The fatigue of the long
+    ride that day, and my desire to see a little of the 'Training,'
+    decided me to remain over night.
+
+    In the morning my horse was fresh, having been well taken care
+    of by my friend; so, after a hearty breakfast, I bade adieu to
+    the good couple, with a pleasant recollection of their
+    hospitality and kindness. When ready to start, dame Hubbard,
+    with the best intentions, brought me a large pail of honey,
+    wishing I would carry it home to my parents, but as it was
+    impossible for me to carry it on horseback, I had to decline.
+
+    It was near noon the next day when I reached home, and my first
+    greeting from my father was, 'Well, Gilbert, now let me know
+    about the scrape you got into last summer in G----.'
+
+    I told him all I had learned about the matter, to which be
+    expressed his pleasure that it was no worse, and gave me much
+    good advice as to the future.
+
+    A few weeks after I readied home there was a large tub of honey
+    left at my father's house, with a letter for me, informing me
+    that sister White had been expelled from the church in G---- for
+    covetousness; that my friends the Hubbards were well; that the
+    four deacons spoke very highly in my praise, and hoped I would
+    _feel rewarded_ for the trouble I had taken. Years have passed
+    since the matters here mentioned took place, but up to this time
+    nothing has been said to me about 'paying my expenses.'
+
+    JAY G. BEE.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mrs. Malaprop founded a school which has been prolific in disciples.
+From one of these we learn that--
+
+    Old Mr. P. died a short time ago, much to the regret of his many
+    friends, for he was a good neighbor, and had always lived
+    honestly and uprightly among his fellow-men. At the time of his
+    funeral Mrs. L. was sorrowing for his loss, with others of her
+    sex, and paid the following tribute to his memory:
+
+    'Poor Mr. P., he was a good man, a kind man, and a Christian
+    man--he always lived _according to_ HOYLE, and died with the
+    hope of a blessed immortality.'
+
+'Played the wrong card there.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+ADAM'S FAMILY JARS.
+
+IN CRACKED NUMBERS.
+
+  One fact is fundamental,
+  One truth is rudimental;
+  Before man had the rental
+  Of this dwelling of a day,
+  He was in nothing mental,
+  But an image-man of clay.
+
+    In the ground
+  Was the image found;
+    Of the ground
+  Was it molded round;
+  And empty of breath,
+  And still as in death,
+  Inside not a ray,
+  Outside only clay,
+  Deaf and dumb and blind,
+  Deadest of the kind,
+    There it lay.
+
+  Unto what was it like? In its shape it was what?
+  The world says 'a man,'--but the world is mistaken.
+  To revive the old story, a long time forgot,
+  'Twasn't man that was made, but a pot that was baken.
+
+  And what if it was human-faced like the Sphinx?
+  There's no riddle to solve, whate'er the world thinks:
+  The fiat that made it, from its heels to its hair,
+  Wasn't simply 'Be man!' but 'Stand up and Be Ware!'
+
+  And straightway acknowledging its true kith and kin
+  With that host of things known to be hollow within,
+  It took up a stand with its handles akimbo,
+  Bowels and bosom in a cavernous limbo.
+
+  Curving out at the bottom, it swelled to a jig;
+  Curving in at the top, narrow-necked, to the mug;
+  Two sockets for sunshine in the frontispiece placed,
+  A crack just below--merely a matter of taste;
+  A flap on each side hiding holes of resounding,
+  For conveyance within of noises surrounding;
+  And a nozzle before,
+  All befitted to snore,
+  Was a part of the ware
+  For adornment and air.
+
+  Now for what was this slender and curious mold?
+  Had it no purpose? Had it nothing to hold?
+  A world full of meaning, my friend, if 'twere told.
+  You remember those jars in the Arabian Night,
+  As they stood 'neath the stars in Al' Baba's eyesight:
+  Little dreamed Ali Baba what ajar could excite--
+    For how much did betide
+    When a man was inside!
+  When from under each cover a man was to spring,
+  Where then was the empty, insignificant thing?
+    It was so with this jar,
+    'Twasn't hollow by far;
+  Breathless at first as an exhausted receiver,
+  When the air was let in, lo! man, the achiever!
+
+  But an accident happened, a cruel surprise;
+  How frail proved the man, and how very unwise!
+  As if plaster of Paris, and not Paradise,
+    No more of clay consecrate,
+    He broke up disconsolate,
+  Pot-luck for his fortune, though the world's potentate.
+
+  It brings to our memory that Indian camp,
+  Where men lay in ambush, every one with a lamp,
+  Each light darkly hid in a vessel of clay,
+  Till the sword should be drawn, and then on came the fray.
+  'Twas so in the fortunes of this queer earthen race,
+  (It happened before they were more than a brace).
+    The fact of a fall
+    Did break upon all!
+  The lamp of each life being uncovered by sin,
+  The pitcher was broken, and the devil pitched in!
+
+  So much for his story to the moment he erred,
+  From what dignified pot he became a pot-sherd.
+    Since that day the great world,
+    Like a wheel having twirled,
+  Hath replenished the earth from the primitive pair,
+  And turned into being every species of ware.
+
+  There are millions and millions on the planet to-day,
+  Of all sorts, and all sizes, all ranks we may say;
+  There's a rabble of pots, with the dregs and the scum,
+  And a peerage of pots, above finger and thumb.
+
+  Look round in this pottery, look down to the ground,
+  Where bottle and mug, jug and pottle abound;
+  From the plebeian throng see the graded array;
+  There is shelf above shelf of brittle display,
+  As rank above rank the poor mortals arise,
+  From menial purpose to princely disguise.
+
+  See vessels of honor, emblazoned with cash,
+  Of standing uncertain, preparing to dash.
+  See some to dishonor, in common clay-bake,
+  Figure high where the fire and the flint do partake.
+
+  There's the bottle of earth by glittering glass,
+  As by blood of the gentlest excelling its class,
+    Becoming instanter
+    A portly decanter!
+
+  There's the lowly bowl, or the basin broad,
+  By double refinement a punch-bowl lord!
+  There's the beggarly jug, ignoble and base,
+  By adornment of art the Portland vase!
+
+  But call them, title them, what you will,
+  They're bound to break, they are brittle still;
+  No saving pieces, or repairing,
+  No Spaulding's glue for human erring;
+  All alike they will go together,
+  And lie in Potter's field forever.
+
+  At length the whole secret of life is told:
+  'Tis because we're earth, and not of gold,
+  'Tis because we're ware that beware we must,
+  Lest we crack, and break, and crumble to dust.
+
+  What wonder that men so clash together,
+  And in the clash so break with each other!
+  Or that households are full of family jars,
+  And boys are such pickles in spite of papas!
+  That the cup of ill-luck is drained to the dregs,
+  When a man's in his cups and not on his legs!
+  That meaning should be in that word for a sot,
+  He's ruined forever--he's going to pot!
+
+  So goes the world and its generations,
+  So go its tribes, and its tribulations;
+  Crowding together on the stream of time,
+  It almost destroys the chime of my rhyme,
+  While they strike, and they grind, and rub and dash,
+  And are sure to go to eternal smash.
+  Lamentable sight to be seen here below!
+  Man after man sinking,--blow after blow,--
+  A bubble, a choke,--each blow is a knell,--
+  Broken forever! There's no more to tell.
+
+         *       *       *       *       *
+
+  There _is_ more to tell, of a promise foretold;
+  Though now 'tis a vessel of homeliest mold,
+  Yet 'tis that which will prove a crock of gold,
+  When the crack of doom shall the truth unfold.
+
+  'Tis hard to believe, for so seemeth life,
+  A cruse full of oil, with nothing more rife;
+  Yet what saith the prophet? It never shall fail:
+  Life is perennial, of immortal avail.
+
+  'Tis hard to believe, for to dust we return,
+  To lie like the ashes in a burial urn;
+  But look at the skies! see the heavenly bowers!
+  The urn is a vase--the ashes are flowers!
+
+  'Tis hard to believe; like a jar full of tears,
+  Life is filled with humanity's griefs and fears;
+  'Tis a tear-jar o'erflowing, close by the urn,
+  Even weeping for those in that gloomy sojourn.
+  And yet, when with time it has crumbled away,
+  The omnipotent Potter will in that day
+  Turn again to the pattern of Paradise,
+  Will fashion it anew and bid it arise,
+  A jar full adorned and with richest designs,
+  With tracery covered, and heavenly signs,
+  With jewels deep-set, and with fine gold inlaid,
+  Enamel of love,--yes, a nature new made.
+  And then from the deep bottom, as from a cup
+  Of blessing, there ever will come welling up
+  The living waters of a pellucid soul,
+  A gush of the spirit, from a heart made whole.
+
+  So, like the water-pots rough, by the door at the East,
+  Our purpose will change, and our power be increased,
+  When we stand in the gate of the Heavenly Feast:
+  The word will be spoken: we'll flow out with wine
+  The blood of the true Life, pressed from the true Vine,
+  Perpetual chalice, inexhaustible bowl,
+  Of pleasures immortal, overflowing the soul!
+
+Dust we are and to dust we must return--but, as the old epitaph said of
+Catherine Gray, who sold pottery,--
+
+  'In some tall pitcher or broad pan
+  She in life's shop may live again,'--
+
+so, in a higher sphere we may all become vases unbreakable, filled with
+the wine of life.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Were the enemy in their senses they would probably admit that the
+annexed proposal is far from being deficient in common-sense:--
+
+DEAR CONTINENTAL:
+
+I see that it is proposed by the Southern press that the rebels, as they
+retreat, shall burn all their tobacco.
+
+I have a proposition to make.
+
+Let General McCLELLAN send a flag of truce and inform them that if they
+need any assistance in that work, nothing will give me greater pleasure
+than to assist in the consummation.
+
+I have an enormous meerschaum and a corps of friends equally well piped.
+If the seceders have no time to ignite the weed, we are quite ready, and
+a great deal more willing, considering the late frightful rise in
+Lynchburg, to do it for them. I can answer for burning one pound a day
+myself. What do you think of it? It isn't traitorous in me, is it, to
+thus desire to aid and assist the enemy?
+
+Yours truly,
+
+RAUCHER.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A CURE FOR STEALING.
+
+  Far back among the days of yore
+  There's many a pleasing tale in store,
+  Rich with the humor of the time,
+  That sometimes jingle well in rhyme.
+  Of these, the following may possess
+  A claim on 'hours of idleness.'
+    When Governor Gurdon Saltonstall,
+  Like Abram Lincoln, straight and tall,
+  Presided o'er the Nutmeg State,
+  A loved and honored magistrate,
+  His quiet humor was portrayed
+  In Yankee tricks he sometimes played.
+  The Governor had a serious air,
+  'Twas solemn as a funeral prayer,
+  But when he spoke the mirth was stirred,--
+  A joke leaped out at every word.
+    One morn, a man, alarmed and pale,
+  Came to him with a frightful tale;
+  The substance was, that Jerry Style
+  Had _stolen wood_ from off his pile.
+  The Governor started in surprise,
+  And on the accuser fixed his eyes.
+  'He steal my wood! to his regret,
+  Before this blessed sun shall set,
+  I'll put a final end to _that_.'
+  Then, putting on his stately hat,
+  All nicely cocked and trimmed with lace,
+  He issued forth with lofty grace,
+  Bade the accuser; duty mind,'
+  And follow him 'five steps _behind_.'
+    Ere they a furlong's space complete,
+  They meet the culprit in the street;
+  The Governor took him by the hand--
+  That lowly man! that Governor grand!--
+  Kindly inquired of his condition,
+  His present prospects and position.
+  The man a tale of sorrow told--
+  That food was dear, the winter cold,
+  That work was scarce, and times were hard,
+  And very ill at home they fared,--
+  And, more than this, a bounteous Heaven
+  To them a little babe had given,
+  Whose brief existence could attest
+  This world's a wintry world at best.
+    A silver crown, whose shining face
+  King William's head and Mary's grace,
+  Dropped in his hand. The Governor spoke,--
+  His voice was cracked--it almost broke,--'If
+  work is scarce, and times are hard,
+  There's a _large wood-pile in my yard;
+  Of that you may most freely use,
+  So go and get it when you choose_.'
+  Then on he walked, serenely feeling
+  That there he'd put an end to stealing.
+  The accuser's sense of duty grew
+  The space 'twixt him and Governor too.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'The Anaconda is tightening its folds,' and at every fold the South
+cries aloud. The following bit of merry nonsense, which has the merit of
+being 'good to sing,' may possibly enliven more than one camp-fire, ere
+the last fold of the 'big sarpent' has given the final stifle to the
+un-fed-eralists.
+
+  THE 'ANACONDA.'
+
+  Won't it make them stop and ponder?
+  Yes! 't will make them stop and ponder!
+  What?--The fearful Anaconda!
+     (All.) Yes! The fearful Anaconda!
+  (Chorus.) Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful; big and fearful,
+            Big and fearful Anaconda!
+
+  Is not that the Rebel South?
+  Yes! that is the Rebel South.
+  Arn't they rather down in month?
+     (All.) Yes! they're rather down in mouth!
+  (Chorus.) Rebel South, down in mouth,
+            Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful, &c, &c.
+
+  Is not that the traitor DAVIS?
+  Yes! that is the traitor DAVIS!
+  Don't he wish he could enslave us?
+     (All.) Yes! he wanted to enslave us!
+  (Chorus.) Traitor DAVIS, can't enslave us.
+            Rebel South, down in mouth,
+            Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful, &c. &c.
+
+  Isn't that the gallows high there?
+  Yes! that is the gallows high there!
+  And JEFF DAVIS that I spy there?
+     (All.) 'Tis JEFF DAVIS that you spy there.
+  (Chorus.) Hanging high there, DAVIS spy there.
+            Traitor DAVIS, you enslave us!
+            Rebel South, down in mouth,
+            Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful, big and fearful,
+            BIG AND FEARFUL ANACONDA!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Our ever-welcome New Haven friend re-appears this month, with the
+following jest:--
+
+    The other day lawyer JONES, of Hartford, Conn., wrote a letter
+    to my friend PLOPP, whom he supposed to be in Hartford at the
+    time. The missive was forwarded to PLOPP, who is in Newport. It
+    requested him to 'step in and settle.' PLOPP replied:
+
+    My dear JONES:--
+
+    Yours of 10th is rec'd. I reply,--
+
+    1st. I can't step in, because I am not in Hartford.
+
+    2d. I can't settle, because I am not in the least riled.
+
+    3d. I notice you spell Hartford without a _t._ This is an error.
+    Allow me, as per example, to suggest the correct orthography, to
+    wit, Hartford.
+
+    I shall always he glad to hear from you.
+
+    Yours,
+
+    I. PLOPP.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The present aspect of the great question is well set forth by a
+correspondent, 'LEILA LEE,' in the following sketch:--
+
+    OUR OLD PUMP.
+
+    The writer was once placed in circumstances of peculiar
+    interest, where a word in season was greatly needed, and that
+    word was not spoken, because it would have been thought unseemly
+    that it should fall from the lips of a woman. Our supply of
+    water had failed. The well was deep, and, like Jacob's well,
+    many had been in the habit of coming thither to draw. My father
+    had called in advisers, men of experience, and they decided that
+    the lower part of the pump was rotten, and must be removed. It
+    had probably stood there more than fifty years, and had been so
+    useful in its day, that it was like an old and familiar friend.
+
+    The work was commenced, and all the family stood by the closed
+    window, the children's faces pressed close to the glass, as
+    with eager eyes we all watched the heavy machinery erected over
+    the old well. A mother came out of a neighboring house, and
+    stood with a babe in her arms to see the work. A large rope was
+    firmly placed around the pump, and made fast to the derrick.
+    Then came the tug of war, and with a long pull, a strong pull,
+    and a pull all together, the wooden pump rose up gradually from
+    its hiding-place of years.
+
+    'Oh, mother! mother!' I exclaimed; 'see, the derrick is not long
+    enough to raise the pump out of the well! Why don't they saw it
+    off, and take out the old pump in two or three pieces?'
+
+    Just then papa screamed to Mrs. Rice, 'Run out of the way,
+    quick, with your baby!'
+
+    There stood all the workmen in dismay. What was to be done? My
+    father had no idea that he had undertaken such a tremendous job,
+    and now he was in great perplexity. Who, indeed, could have
+    believed that the well was deep enough to hold a pump of such
+    immense size as this, that had become so old and rotten? Oh, for
+    ropes longer and stronger! Oh, for muscle and nerve! Oh, for men
+    of herculean strength to meet this terrible crisis! At that
+    moment, a timely suggestion, from any quarter, would have been
+    welcome. But, even then, it might have been too late; for the
+    pump fell with a tremendous crash, carrying with it all the
+    machinery. Papa fell upon the ground, but the derrick had safely
+    passed over him, prostrating the fences, and endangering the
+    lives of the workmen.
+
+    This scene, which was soon almost forgotten, is recalled by the
+    fearful crisis that is now upon us. While we rejoice in our
+    recent victories, and believe that this wicked rebellion will
+    soon be subdued, we must rejoice with trembling, so long as
+    SLAVERY, the acknowledged _casus belli_, still remains. The
+    unsightly monster, in all its rottenness and deformity, is drawn
+    up from the hiding-place of ages, and it can no more be restored
+    to its former _status_, than, at the will of the workmen, our
+    old pump could be thrust back, when, suspended in the air, it
+    threatened their destruction. God forbid that our rulers should
+    desire it! What, then, is to be done? No giant mind has yet been
+    found to grapple successfully with this great evil--no body of
+    men who can concentrate a moral power sufficient to remove this
+    worn-out system, without endangering some interest of vital
+    importance to our beloved country.
+
+    Zion must now lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes, for
+    the wisdom of the wise has become foolishness, that God alone
+    may be exalted. He will surely bring down every high thought,
+    and every vain imagination, and his own people must learn what
+    it is 'to receive the kingdom of God as little children.' How
+    shall liberty be proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of
+    the land, to all the inhabitants thereof, and, in obedience to
+    the will of God, this year become a year of jubilee to the poor
+    and oppressed of our nation? How shall the emancipation of
+    slavery conduce to the best interest of the master, no less than
+    to the happiness of the slave?
+
+    Probably some very simple solution will be given to this
+    question, in answer to the earnest cry of God's people. Should
+    it please him to hide this thought for the crisis from the wise
+    and prudent, and reveal it unto babes, God grant that it may be
+    in our hearts to respond, 'Even so, Father, for so it seemeth
+    good in thy sight.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The simple solution has already been begun by our Executive, in
+recognizing the _principle_--its extraordinary advance among all classes
+will soon fully develop it. In illustration of this we quote a letter
+which the editor of the New Haven _Journal and Courier_ vouches to come
+from an officer in the navy, known to him:--
+
+    From what we see and know of the operations of the rebels in
+    this part of the South (the Southern coast, where he has been
+    stationed), and from what we see perfidious Englishmen doing for
+    the rebels, we are fast becoming strong abolitionists. We feel
+    that _now_ Slavery must receive its death-blow, and be destroyed
+    forever from the country. You would be surprised to see the
+    change going on in the minds of officers in our service, who
+    have been great haters of abolitionists; and the Southerners in
+    our navy are the most bitter toward those who have made slavery
+    the great cause of war. They freely express the opinion that the
+    whole system must be abolished, and even our old captain, who is
+    a native of Tennessee, and who has hitherto insisted that the
+    abolitionists of the North brought on this war, said last night,
+    'If England continues to countenance the _institution_, I hope
+    our government will put arms in the hands of the slaves, and
+    that slavery will now be the destruction of the whole South, or
+    of the rebels in the South.' He further said, 'The slave-holder
+    has, by the tacit consent and aid of England, brought on the
+    most unjustifiable, iniquitous and barbarous war ever known in
+    the history of the world.'
+
+Too far and too fast--it is not Abolition, or the good of the black, but
+Emancipation, or the benefit of the _white_ man, which is really
+progressing so rapidly with the American people. But whatever causes of
+agitation are at work, whether on limited or general principles of
+philanthropy and political economy, one thing is at least certain--the
+day of the triumph of free labor is dawning, while the cause of progress
+
+    'Careers with thunder speed along!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It is almost a wonder that the late offer of the king of Siam to stock
+this land with elephants was not jumped at, when one remembers the
+American national fondness for the animal, and how copiously our popular
+orators and poets allude to a sight of the monster. Among the latest
+elephantine tales which we have encountered is the following, from our
+New Haven correspondent:--
+
+    Dr. H., of this pleasant city of Elms, has been noted for many
+    years for always driving the gentlest and most sober, but at the
+    same time the most fearfully 'homely' of horses. His steeds will
+    always stand wherever he pleases to leave them, but they have
+    rather a venerable and woful aspect, that renders them anything
+    but pleasant objects to the casual observer. A few years ago
+    there came a caravan to town, and several horses were badly
+    frightened by the elephants, so that quite a number of accidents
+    took place. A day or two after, old Dr. Knight met Dr. H., and
+    speaking of the accidents, Dr. Knight remarked that he had not
+    dared to take his horse out while the procession was passing
+    through the streets. 'Oh, ho!' said Dr. H., 'why, I took my mare
+    and drove right up alongside of them, and she wasn't the least
+    bit scared!'
+
+    'Hum--yes,' says Dr. K., '_but how did the elephant stand it_?'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+By particular request we find room for the following:--
+
+    Hon. ---- then read his Poem entitled the 'Boulder,' which must
+    be heard before we can form an idea of the genius of the poet.
+    First we are reminded of the style of the sweet songs of
+    Pherimorz as his enchanting strains fell upon the enraptured
+    soul of the fair Lady of the Lake. Then away, on painted wings
+    of gratified imagination, is the mind carried to the zephyr
+    wooings of the dying sunset, over the elevated brow of the dark
+    Maid of the Forest, as she reclines upon her couch of eagles'
+    feathers, and down from angles wings, hearing the last whisper
+    of the falling echo from the world of sound.
+
+    Whether the wild chaos of storm and whirlwind which madly raged
+    over the benighted earth before 'light was,' rushed to the dark
+    caverns where the fettered earthquake lay, when order was
+    demanded by the Father of Lights, we can not tell; but surely it
+    is a pleasing thought for the mind engulfed in the unfathomed
+    darkness of uncreated light, to be brought out and suffered to
+    rest on the peaceful bosom of the new creation. Whether 'the
+    world that then was' was overflown and perished by the causes
+    set forth, we can not tell. We regret that we can not now give a
+    more extended and particular notice of this poem; let us hope
+    that ere long we may enjoy the delight of reading its printed
+    form.
+
+That must indeed have been a poem which could inspire _such_ poetry in
+others.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Boston _Courier_ published, over the signature of 'MIDDLESEX,'
+during the months of February and March, a number of articles entitled,
+_Through the Gulf States_. So far as we have examined and compared the
+series, it appears to be a literal reprint, with a few trivial
+alterations of dates and statistics, of the _Letters from the Gulf
+States_, originally published in the _Knickerbocker New York Monthly
+Magazine_, in 1847.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE KNICKERBOCKER
+
+FOR 1862.
+
+
+In the beginning of the last year, when its present proprietors assumed
+control of the Knickerbocker, they announced their determination to
+spare no pains to place it in its true position as the leading
+_literary_ Monthly in America. When rebellion had raised a successful
+front, and its armies threatened the very existence of the Republic, it
+was impossible to permit a magazine, which in its circulation reached
+the best intellects in the land, to remain insensible or indifferent to
+the dangers which threatened the Union. The proprietors accordingly gave
+notice, that it would present in its pages, forcible expositions with
+regard to the great question of the times,--_how to preserve the_ UNITED
+STATUS OF AMERICA _in their integrity and unity_. How far this pledge
+has been redeemed the public must judge. It would, however, be mere
+affectation to ignore the seal of approbation which has been placed on
+these efforts. The proprietors gratefully acknowledge this, and it has
+led them to embark in a fresh undertaking, as already announced,--the
+publication of the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY, devoted to Literature and
+National Policy; in which magazine, those who have sympathized with the
+political opinions recently set forth in the KNICKERBOCKER, will find
+the same views more fully enforced and maintained by the ablest and most
+energetic minds in America.
+
+The KNICKERBOCKER, while it will continue firmly pledged to the cause of
+the Union, will henceforth be more earnestly devoted to literature, and
+will leave no effort untried to attain the highest excellence in those
+departments of letters which it has adopted as specialties.
+
+The January number commences its thirtieth year. With such antecedents
+as it possesses, it seems unnecessary to make any especial pledges as to
+its future, but it may not be amiss to say that it will be the aim of
+its conductors to make it more and more deserving of the liberal support
+it has hitherto received. The same eminent writers who have contributed
+to it during the past year will continue to enrich its pages, and in
+addition, contributions will appear from others of the highest
+reputation, as well as from many rising authors. While it will, as
+heretofore, cultivate the genial and humorous, it will also pay
+assiduous attention to the higher departments of art and letters, and
+give fresh and spirited articles on such biographical, historical,
+scientific, and general subjects as are of especial interest to the
+public.
+
+In the January issue will commence a series of papers by CHARLES GODFREY
+LELAND, entitled "SUNSHINE IN LETTERS," which will be found interesting
+to scholars as well as to the general reader, and in an early number
+will appear the first chapters of a NEW and INTERESTING NOVEL,
+descriptive of American life and character.
+
+According to the unanimous opinion of the American press, the
+KNICKERBOCKER has been greatly improved during the past year, _and it is
+certain that at no period of its long career did it ever attract more
+attention or approbation_. Confident of their enterprise and ability,
+the proprietors are determined that it shall be still more eminent in
+excellence, containing all that is best of the old, and being
+continually enlivened by what is most brilliant of the new.
+
+TERMS.--Three dollars a year, in advance. Two copies for Four Dollars
+and fifty cents. Three copies for Six dollars. Subscribers remitting
+Three Dollars will receive as a premium, (post-paid,) a copy of Richard
+B. Kimball's great work, "THE REVELATIONS OF WALL STREET," to be
+published by G.P. Putnam, early in February next, (price $1.)
+Subscribers remitting Four Dollars will receive the KNICKERBOCKER and
+the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY for one year. As but one edition of each number
+of the Knickerbocker is printed, those desirous of commencing with the
+volume should subscribe at once.
+
+The publisher, appreciating the importance of literature to the soldier
+on duty, will send a copy _gratis_, during the continuance of the war,
+to any regiment in active service, on application being made by its
+Colonel or Chaplain. Subscriptions will also be received from those
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+cases it must be mailed from the office of publication.
+
+J.R. GILMORE, 532 Broadway, New York.
+
+C.T. EVANS, General Agent, 532 Broadway, New York.
+
+All communications and contributions, intended for the Editorial
+department, should be addressed to CHARLES G. LELAND, Editor of the
+"Knickerbocker," care of C.T. EVANS, 532 Broadway, New York.
+
+Newspapers copying the above and giving the Magazine monthly notices,
+will be entitled to an exchange.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+PROSPECTUS
+
+OF
+
+The Continental Monthly.
+
+
+There are periods in the world's history marked by extraordinary and
+violent crises, sudden as the breaking forth of a volcano, or the
+bursting of a storm on the ocean. These crises sweep away in a moment
+the landmarks of generations. They call out fresh talent, and give to
+the old a new direction. It is then that new ideas are born, new
+theories developed. Such periods demand fresh exponents, and new men for
+expounders.
+
+This Continent has lately been convulsed by an upheaving so sudden and
+terrible that the relations of all men and all classes to each other are
+violently disturbed, and people look about for the elements with which
+to sway the storm and direct the whirlwind. Just at present, we do not
+know what all this is to bring forth; but we do know that great results
+MUST flow from such extraordinary commotions.
+
+At a juncture so solemn and so important, there is a special need that
+the intellectual force of the country should be active and efficient. It
+is a time for great minds to speak their thoughts boldly, and to take
+position as the advance guard. To this end, there is a special want
+unsupplied. It is that of an Independent Magazine, which shall be open
+to the first intellects of the land, and which shall treat the issues
+presented, and to be presented to the country, in a tone no way tempered
+by partisanship, or influenced by fear, favor, or the hope of reward;
+which shall seize and grapple with the momentous subjects that the
+present disturbed state of affairs heave to the surface, and which CAN
+NOT be laid aside or neglected.
+
+To meet this want, the undersigned have commenced, under the editorial
+charge of CHARLES GODFREY LELAND, the publication of a new Magazine,
+devoted to Literature and National Policy.
+
+In POLITICS, it will advocate, with all the force at its command,
+measures best adapted to preserve the oneness and integrity of these
+United States. It will never yield to the idea of any disruption of this
+Republic, peaceably or otherwise; and it will discuss with honesty and
+impartiality what must be done to save it. In this department, some of
+the most eminent statesmen of the time will contribute regularly to its
+pages.
+
+In LITERATURE, it will be sustained by the best writers and ablest
+thinkers of this country.
+
+Among its attractions will be presented, in an early number, a NEW
+SERIAL of American Life, by RICHARD B. KIMBALL, ESQ., the very popular
+author of "The Revelations of Wall Street," "St. Leger," &c. A series of
+papers by HON. HORACE GREELEY, embodying the distinguished author's
+observations on the growth and development of the Great West. A series
+of articles by the author of "Through the Cotton States," containing the
+result of an extended tour in the seaboard Slave States, just prior to
+the breaking out of the war, and presenting a startling and truthful
+picture of the real condition of that region. No pains will be spared to
+render the literary attractions of the CONTINENTAL both brilliant and
+substantial. The lyrical or descriptive talents of the most eminent
+_literati_ have been promised to its pages; and nothing will be admitted
+which will not be distinguished by marked energy, originality, and solid
+strength. Avoiding every influence or association partaking of clique or
+coterie, it will be open to all contributions of real merit, even from
+writers differing materially in their views; the only limitation
+required being that of devotion to the Union, and the only standard of
+acceptance that of intrinsic excellence.
+
+The EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT will embrace, in addition to vigorous and
+fearless comments on the events of the times, genial gossip with the
+reader on all current topics, and also devote abundant space to those
+racy specimens of American wit and humor, without which there can be no
+perfect exposition of our national character. Among those who will
+contribute regularly to this department may be mentioned the name of
+CHARLES F. BROWNE ("Artemus Ward"), from whom we have promised an
+entirely new and original series of SKETCHES OF WESTERN LIFE.
+
+The CONTINENTAL will be liberal and progressive, without yielding to
+chimeras and hopes beyond the grasp of the age; and it will endeavor to
+reflect the feelings and interests of the American people, and to
+illustrate both their serious and humorous peculiarities. In short, no
+pains will be spared to make it the REPRESENTATIVE MAGAZINE of the time.
+
+TERMS:--Three Dollars per year, in advance (postage paid by the
+Publishers;) Two Copies for Five Dollars; Three Copies for Six Dollars,
+(posture unpaid); Eleven copies for Twenty Dollars, (postage unpaid).
+Single numbers can be procured of any News-dealer in the United States.
+The KNICKERBOCKER MAGAZINE and the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY will be furnished
+for one year at FOUR DOLLARS.
+
+Appreciating the importance of literature to the soldier on duty, the
+publisher will send the CONTINENTAL, _gratis_, to any regiment in active
+service, on application being made by its Colonel or Chaplain; he will
+also receive subscriptions from those desiring to furnish it to soldiers
+in the ranks at half the regular price; but in such cases it must be
+mailed from the office of publication.
+
+J.R. GILMORE, 110 Tremont Street, Boston.
+
+CHARLES T. EVANS, at G.P. PUTNAM'S, 532 Broadway, New York, is
+authorized to receive Subscriptions in that City.
+
+N.B.--Newspapers publishing this Prospectus, and giving the
+CONTINENTAL monthly notices, will be entitled to an exchange.
+
+
+
+
+Number 5. 25 Cents.
+
+
+The Continental Monthly
+
+
+Devoted to Literature and National Policy.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+MAY, 1862.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+NEW-YORK AND BOSTON:
+
+J.R. GILMORE, 532 BROADWAY, NEW-YORK,
+
+AND 110 TREMONT STREET, BOSTON.
+
+NEW-YORK: HENRY DEXTER AND ROSS & TOUSEY.
+
+PHILADELPHIA: T.B. CALLENDER AND A. WINCH.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+NO. V.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+What Shall we do with it? Hon. John W. Edmonds
+
+A Philosophical Bankrupt
+
+The Molly O'Molly Papers
+
+All Together
+
+A True Story. Miss McFarlane
+
+Maccaroni and Canvas. Henry P. Leland
+
+Fairies
+
+John Bright. George M. Towle
+
+The Ante-Norse Discoverers of America. C.G. Leland
+
+State Rights
+
+Roanoke Island. Frederic Kidder
+
+A Story of Mexican Life
+
+Changed
+
+Hamlet a Fat Man. Carlton Edwards
+
+The Knights of the Golden Circle
+
+Columbia's Safety
+
+Ursa Major. H.B. Brownwell
+
+Fugitives at the West. S.C. Blackwell
+
+The Education to be
+
+Guerdon
+
+Literary Notices
+
+Editor's Table
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the next Number will be commenced a new Novel of American Life, by
+R.B. Kimball, Esq., entitled 'WAS HE SUCCESSFUL?' an account of the life
+and conduct of Hiram Meeker, one of the leading men in the mercantile
+community, and 'a bright and shining light' in the Church, recounting
+what he did, and how he made his money.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote A: An incident that occurred at Palmyra, in Marion County, of
+which the writer was a witness, may be given as a fair illustration of
+Benton's insulting and insufferable manner in this celebrated canvass.
+During the delivery of his speech, in the densely-crowded court-house, a
+prominent county politician, who was opposed to Benton, arose and put a
+question to him. 'Come here,' said Benton, in his abrupt and
+authoritative tone. The man with difficulty made his way through the
+mass, and advanced till he stood immediately in front of Benton. 'Who
+are you, sir?' inquired the swelling and indignant senator. The citizen
+gave his well-known name. 'Who?' demanded Benton. The name was
+distinctly repeated. And then, without replying to the question that had
+been proposed, but with an air of disdain and annihilating contempt that
+no man in America but Benton could assume, he proceeded with his speech,
+leaving his interrogator to retire from his humiliating embarrassment as
+best he could. At the close of the address, some of his friends
+expressed surprise to Benton that he had not known the man that
+interrupted him. 'Know him!' said he; 'I knew him well enough. I only
+meant to make him stand with his hat in his hand, and tell me his name,
+like a nigger.']
+
+[Footnote B: See Historical Mag., Vol. 4, p. 230.]
+
+[Footnote C: Among the cotton lately arrived from Port Royal was a
+number of bales marked with the form of a coffin. It was the growth of
+'Coffin's Island,' which is usually of the highest grade.]
+
+[Footnote D: The palmetto is a straight, tall tree, with a tuft of
+branches and palm leaves at its top. The new growth is the centre as it
+first expands somewhat resembles a cabbage. It is often used for boiling
+and pickling. The wood of the tree is spongy, and is used for building
+wharves, as it is impervious to the sea-worm. It is said that a cannon
+ball will not penetrate it. It is a paltry emblem for a State flag, as
+its characteristics accurately indicate pride and poverty. When used for
+wharves, it, however, becomes a veritable '_Mudsill_.']
+
+[Footnote E: Before 1700 a colony from Dorchester, Mass., made a
+settlement on Ashley River, and named it for their native town;
+afterwards, they sent an offshoot and planted the town of Midway, in
+Georgia. For more than a century they kept up their Congregational
+Church, with many of their New England institutions. Their descendants
+in both States have been famed for their enterprise, industry, and moral
+qualities down to the present day.]
+
+[Footnote F: The Barnwells can trace their pedigree back about one
+hundred and fifty years to a Col. Barnwell who commanded in an Indian
+war. Subsequently the name appears on the right side in the Revolution.
+This is a long period to trace ancestry in Carolina; for while nearly
+all New England families can trace back to the Puritans, more than two
+hundred years, the lordly Carolinians generally get among the 'mudsills'
+in three or four generations at the farthest.]
+
+[Footnote G: Some thirty years ago, R. Barnwell Smith made a figure in
+Congress by his ultra nullification speeches, and was then considered
+the greatest fire-eater of them all. He was not 'to the manor born,' but
+was the son of a Gen. Smith, who founded and resided in the small and
+poverty-stricken town of Smithville, N.C., at the mouth of the Cape Fear
+River. As his paternal fortune was small, and some family connection
+existed with the Barnwells, he emigrated to Beaufort, and there
+practiced as a lawyer. He was followed by two brothers, who had the same
+profession. He was the first who openly advocated secession in Congress.
+They have all been leading politicians and managers of the Charleston
+_Mercury_, which, by its mendacity and constant abuse of the North, and
+its everlasting laudations of Southern wealth and power, has done much
+to bring on the present war.
+
+Desirous to stand better with the aristocracy, some years ago the family
+sunk the plebeian patronymic of Smith and adopted that of Rhett, a name
+known in South Carolina a century previous.]
+
+[Footnote H: During Nullification times the Fullers were Union men.
+Doctor Thomas Fuller, who, a short time since, set fire to his buildings
+and cotton crop to prevent their falling into Yankee hands, is well
+known as a kind-hearted physician, and better things might have been
+expected of him.
+
+His brother is a celebrated Baptist clergyman in Baltimore. He was
+formerly a lawyer, and afterwards preached to an immense congregation,
+mainly of slaves, in his native place.]
+
+[Footnote I: Many years ago the Elliots were staunch Union men, and
+Stephen Elliot, a gentleman of talent, wrote many very able arguments
+against nullification and in favor of the Union. He always thought that
+Port Royal must some day be the great naval and commercial depot of the
+South. He may yet live to see his former anticipations realized, though
+not in the way he desired.]
+
+[Footnote J: An Inquiry laid by me it few years ago before the
+Historical Society of Pennsylvania elicited information as to several of
+these 'gates' in that State. I have not the work by me, but I believe
+that FALES DUNLAP, Esq., of New York, asserts on Rabbinical authority,
+in an appendix to _Sod or the Mysteries_, that the Hebrew word commonly
+translated as 'passover' should be rendered 'passing through.']
+
+[Footnote K: _Robertson's Lectures and Addresses._ Boston: Ticknor &
+Fields.]
+
+[Footnote L: The negro whippers and field overseers.]
+
+[Footnote M: Referring to the common practice of bathing the raw and
+bleeding backs of the punished slaves with a strong solution of salt and
+water.]
+
+[Footnote N: _Words to the West. Knickerbocker Magazine_, Oct., 1861.]
+
+[Footnote O: _Continental Magazine_, March, 1862. See article, _Southern
+Aids to the North_.]
+
+[Footnote P:
+
+  Don't speak of quacks; just take your dose;
+  Why should you try to mend it,
+  If Doctor H---- concocts the pill,
+  And _Parsons_ recommend it?
+
+See _Amer. Jour. of Sci._, Vol. xxx., 2d Scr., pages 10-12.]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV.,
+April, 1862, by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONTINENTAL MONTHLY ***
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+<title>The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Continental Monthly - April 1862 by </title>
+</head>
+
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV.,
+April, 1862, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV., April, 1862
+       Devoted To Literature And National Policy
+
+Author: Various
+
+Release Date: February 15, 2005 [EBook #15065]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONTINENTAL MONTHLY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Cornell University, Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci
+and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<div class="text">
+<div class="front">
+
+<div>
+<h2>The Continental Monthly</h2>
+
+<p>devoted to</p>
+
+<p>Literature And National Policy.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>VOL. I.&mdash;APRIL, 1862.&mdash;No. IV.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div class="div" id="toc"><a name="toc_1"></a><h2>Contents</h2><ul class="toc">
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_1">Contents</a></li>
+
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_2">The War Between Freedom And Slavery In Missouri.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_3">Beaufort District,&mdash;Past, Present, And Future.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_4">The Ante-Norse Discoverers Of America.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_5">I. The Mythical Era.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_6">II. The Chinese Discoverers Of Mexico In The Fifth Century.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_7">The Spur Of Monmouth.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_8">The Fatal Marriage Of Bill The Soundser.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_9">Columbia To Britannia.</a></li>
+
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_10">General Lyon.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_11">Maccaroni And Canvas.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_12">Sermons In Stones.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_13">A Ball At The Costa Palace</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_14">Howe's Cave.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_15">An Old Fort.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_16">The Cave</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_17">Potential Moods</a></li>
+
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_18">The True Interest Of Nations.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_19">Among The Pines.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_20">Southern Aids To The North.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_21">The Molly O'Molly Papers.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_22">No. I.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_23">No. II.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_24">Sketches Of Edinburgh Literati.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_25">The Huguenot Families In America.</a></li>
+
+<li style="margin: 0em 2em;"><a href="#toc_26">The Huguenots Of Ulster.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_27">'Ten To One On It.'</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_28">Literary Notices.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_29">Books Received</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_30">Editor's Table.</a></li>
+<li style="margin: 0em 0em;"><a href="#toc_31">Notes</a></li>
+</ul></div>
+</div>
+
+<div class="body">
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_2"></a>
+<h2>The War Between Freedom And Slavery In Missouri.</h2>
+
+
+<p>It is admitted that no man can write
+the history of his own times with such
+fullness and impartiality as shall entitle
+his record to the unquestioning credence
+and acceptance of posterity. Men are
+necessarily actors in the scenes amid
+which they live. If not personally taking
+an active part in the conduct of
+public affairs, they have friends who
+are, and in whose success or failure their
+own welfare is in some way bound up.
+The bias which interest always gives
+will necessarily attach to their judgment
+of current events, and the leading actors
+by whom these events are controlled.
+Cotemporaneous history, for this reason,
+will always be found partisan history&mdash;not
+entitled to, and, if intelligently and
+honestly written, not exacting, the implicit
+faith of those who shall come after;
+but simply establishing that certain
+classes of people, of whom the writer
+was one, acted under the conviction
+that they owed certain duties to themselves
+and their country. It will be for
+the future compiler of the world's history,
+who shall see the end of present
+struggles, to determine the justice of the
+causes of controversy, and the wisdom
+and honesty of the parties that acted
+adversely. To such after judgment,
+with a full knowledge of present reproach
+as a partisan, the writer of this
+article commends the brief sketch he
+will present of the beginning and military
+treatment of the great Rebellion in
+the State of Missouri. He will not attempt
+to make an episode of any part
+of this history, because of the supposed
+vigor or brilliancy of the martial deeds
+occurring in the time. Least of all
+would he take the 'Hundred Days,'
+which another pen has chosen for special
+distinction, as representing the period
+of heroism in that war-trampled
+State. Any 'hundred days' of the rebellion
+in Missouri have had their corresponding
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">nights</span>; and no one can be
+bold enough yet to say that the day of
+permanent triumph has dawned. Humiliation
+has alternated with success so
+far; and the most stunning defeats of
+the war in the West marked the beginning
+and the close of the hundred days
+named for honor. This fact should teach
+modesty and caution. For while justice
+to men requires us to admit that the
+greatest abilities do not always command
+success, devotion to principle forbids
+that a noble cause should be obscured
+to become the mere background
+of a scene in which an actor and popular
+idol is the chief figure. It is with a
+consciousness of such partialities as are
+
+common to men, but with an honest purpose,
+so far as the writer is able, to subordinate
+men to principles, that this review
+of the origin and chief incidents of
+the rebellion in Missouri is begun.</p>
+
+<p>The close connection of the State of
+Missouri with the slavery agitation that
+has now ripened into a rebellion against
+the government of the United States, is
+a singular historical fact. The admission
+of the State into the Union was
+the occasion of vitalizing the question of
+slavery extension and fixing it as a permanent
+element in the politics of the
+country. It has continued to be the
+theatre on which the most important
+conflicts growing out of slavery extension
+have been decided. It will be the
+first, in the hope and belief of millions,
+to throw off the fetters of an obsolete
+institution, so long cramping its social
+and political advancement, and to set
+an example to its sister slave-holding
+States of the superior strength, beauty,
+and glory of Freedom.</p>
+
+<p>The pro-slavery doctrines of John C.
+Calhoun, after having pervaded the democracy
+of all the other slave-holding
+States, and obtained complete possession
+of the national executive, legislative
+and judicial departments, finally, in
+1844, appeared also in the State of Missouri.
+But it was in so minute and subtle
+a form as not to seem a sensible heresy.
+Thomas H. Benton, the illustrious
+senator of the Jackson era, was then, as
+he had been for twenty-four years, the
+political autocrat of Missouri. He had
+long been convinced of the latent treason
+of the Calhoun school of politicians.
+He was able to combat the schemes
+of the Southern oligarchy composing
+and controlling the Cabinet of President
+Polk; unsuccessfully, it is true, yet with
+but slight diminution of his popularity
+at home. Nevertheless, the seeds of disunion
+had been borne to his State; they
+had taken root; and, like all evil in life,
+they proved self-perpetuating and ineradicable.
+In 1849 the Mexican war,
+begun in the interest of the disunionists,
+had been closed. A vast accession of
+territory had accrued to the Union. It
+was the plan and purpose of the disunion
+party to appropriate and occupy
+this territory; to organize it in their interests;
+and, finally, to admit it into the
+Union as States, to add to their political
+power, and prepare for that struggle between
+the principle of freedom and the
+principle of slavery in the government,
+which Mr. Calhoun had taught was inevitable.
+But the hostility of Benton in
+the Senate was dreaded by the Southern
+leaders thus early conspiring against the
+integrity of the Union. The Missouri
+senator seemed, of all cotemporaneous
+statesmen, to be the only one that fully
+comprehended the incipient treason.
+His earnest opposition assumed at times
+the phases of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">monomania</span>. He sought
+to crush it in the egg. He lifted his
+warning voice on all occasions. He inveighed
+bitterly against the 'Nullifiers,'
+as he invariably characterized the Calhoun
+politicians, declaring that their
+purpose was to destroy the Union. It
+became necessary, therefore, before attempting
+to dispose of the territories
+acquired from Mexico, to silence Benton,
+or remove him from the Senate.
+Accordingly, when the legislature of
+Missouri met in 1849, a series of resolutions
+was introduced, declaring that all
+territory derived by the United States,
+in the treaty with Mexico, should be
+open to settlement by the citizens of all
+the States in common; that the question
+of allowing or prohibiting slavery
+in any territory could only be decided
+by the people resident in the territory,
+and then only when they came to organize
+themselves into a State government;
+and, lastly, that if the general
+government should attempt to establish
+a rule other than this for the settlement
+of the territories, the State of Missouri
+would stand pledged to her sister Southern
+States to co-operate in whatever
+measures of resistance or redress <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">they</span>
+might deem necessary. The resolutions
+distinctly abdicated all right of judgment
+on the part of Missouri, and committed
+the State to a blind support of
+Southern 'Nullification' in a possible
+contingency. They were in flagrant
+
+opposition to the life-long principles and
+daily vehement utterances of Benton&mdash;as
+they were intended to be. Nevertheless,
+they were adopted; and the
+senators of Missouri were instructed to
+conform their public action to them.
+These resolutions were introduced by
+one Claiborne F. Jackson, a member
+of the House of Representatives from
+the County of Howard, one of the
+most democratic and largest slave-holding
+counties in the State. The resolutions
+took the name of their mover, and
+are known in the political history of Missouri
+as the 'Jackson resolutions.' And
+Claiborne F. Jackson, who thus took the
+initiative in foisting treason upon the
+statute-books of Missouri, is, to-day, by
+curious coincidence, the official head of
+that State nominally in open revolt.
+But Jackson, it was early ascertained,
+was not entitled to the doubtful honor
+of the paternity of these resolutions.
+They had been matured in a private
+chamber of the Capitol at Jefferson
+City, by two or three conspirators, who
+received, it was asserted by Benton, and
+finally came to be believed, the first
+draft of the resolutions from Washington,
+where the disunion cabal, armed
+with federal power, had its headquarters.</p>
+
+<p>Thus the bolt was launched at the
+Missouri senator, who, from his prestige
+of Jacksonism, his robust patriotism, his
+indomitable will, and his great abilities,
+was regarded as the most formidable
+if not the only enemy standing in
+the way of meditated treason. It was
+not doubted that the blow would be fatal.
+Benton was in one sense the father
+of the doctrine of legislative instructions.
+In his persistent and famous efforts to
+'expunge' the resolutions of censure on
+Gen. Jackson that had been placed in
+the Senate journal, Benton had found
+it necessary to revolutionize the sentiments
+or change the composition of the
+Senate. Whigs were representing democratic
+States, and Democrats refused to
+vote for a resolution expunging any part
+of the record of the Senate's proceedings.
+To meet and overcome this resistance,
+Benton introduced the dogma
+that a senator was bound to obey the
+instructions of the legislature of his
+State. He succeeded, by his great influence
+in his party, and by the aid of
+the democratic administration, in having
+the dogma adopted, and it became an
+accepted rule in the democratic party.
+Resolutions were now invoked and obtained
+from State legislatures instructing
+their senators to vote for the 'Expunging
+Resolutions,' or resign. Some
+obeyed; some resigned. Benton carried
+his point; but it was at the sacrifice of
+the spirit of that part of the Constitution
+which gave to United States senators
+a term of six years, for the purpose
+of protecting the Senate from frequent
+fluctuations of popular feeling,
+and securing steadiness in legislation.
+Benton was the apostle of this unwise
+and destructive innovation upon the
+constitutional tenure of senators. He
+was doomed to be a conspicuous victim
+of his own error. When the 'Jackson
+resolutions' were passed by the legislature
+of Missouri, instructing Benton to
+endorse measures that led to nullification
+and disunion, he saw the dilemma
+in which he was placed, and did the best
+he could to extricate himself. He presented
+the resolutions from his seat in
+the Senate; denounced their treasonable
+character, and declared his purpose to
+appeal from the legislature to the people
+of Missouri.</p>
+
+<p>On the adjournment of Congress,
+Benton returned to Missouri and commenced
+a canvass in vindication of his
+own cause, and in opposition to the democratic
+majority of the legislature that
+passed the Jackson resolutions, which
+has had few if any parallels in the history
+of the government for heat and bitterness.
+The senator did not return to
+argue and convert, but to fulminate and
+destroy. He appointed times and places
+for public speaking in the most populous
+counties of the State, and where the opposition
+to him had grown boldest. He
+allowed no 'division of time' to opponents
+wishing to controvert the positions
+assumed in his speeches. On the contrary,
+
+he treated every interruption,
+whether for inquiry or retort, on the
+part of any one opposed to him, as an
+insult, and proceeded to pour upon the
+head of the offender a torrent of denunciation
+and abuse, unmeasured and
+appalling. The extraordinary course
+adopted by Benton in urging his 'appeal,'
+
+excited astonishment and indignation
+among the democratic partisans
+that had, in many cases, thoughtlessly
+become arrayed against him.<a href="#note_1"><span class="footnoteref">1</span></a> They
+might have yielded to expostulation;
+they were stung to resentment by unsparing
+vilification. The rumor of Benton's
+manner preceded him through the
+State, after the first signal manifestations
+of his ruthless spirit; and he was
+warned not to appear at some of the appointments
+he had made, else his life
+would pay the forfeit of his personal assaults.
+These threats only made the
+Missouri lion more fierce and untamable.
+He filled all his appointments,
+bearing everywhere the same front, often
+surrounded by enraged enemies
+armed and thirsting for his blood, but
+ever denunciatory and defiant, and returned
+to St. Louis, still boiling with
+inexhaustible choler, to await the judgment
+of the State upon his appeal. He
+failed. The pro-slavery sentiment of the
+people had been too thoroughly evoked
+in the controversy, and too many valuable
+party leaders had been needlessly
+driven from his support by unsparing invective.
+An artful and apparently honest
+appeal to the right of legislative instructions,&mdash;an
+enlargement of popular
+rights which Benton himself had conferred
+upon them,&mdash;and&mdash;the unfailing
+weapon of Southern demagogues against
+their opponents&mdash;the charge that Benton
+had joined the 'Abolitionists,' and
+was seeking to betray 'the rights of the
+South,' worked the overthrow of the hitherto
+invincible senator. The Whigs of
+Missouri, though agreeing mainly with
+Benton in the principles involved in
+this contest, had received nothing at his
+hands, throughout his long career, but
+defeat and total exclusion from all offices
+and honors, State and National. This
+class of politicians were too glad of the
+prospective division of his party and the
+downfall of his power, to be willing to
+re-assert their principles through a support
+of Benton. The loyal Union sentiments
+of the State in this way failed to
+be united, and a majority was elected to
+the legislature opposed to Benton. He
+was defeated of a re-election to the Senate
+by Henry S. Geyer, a pro-slavery
+Whig, and supporter of the Jackson resolutions,
+after having filled a seat in that
+august body for a longer time consecutively
+than any other senator ever did.
+Thus was removed from the halls of
+Congress the most sagacious and formidable
+enemy that the disunion propagandists
+ever encountered. Their career in
+Congress and in the control of the federal
+government was thenceforth unchecked.
+The cords of loyalty in Missouri
+were snapped in Benton's fall, and
+that State swung off into the strongly-sweeping
+current of secessionism. The
+city of St. Louis remained firm a while,
+and returned Benton twice to the
+House; but his energies were exhausted
+now in defensive war; and the truculent
+and triumphant slave power dominating,
+the State at last succeeded, through the
+
+coercion of commercial interests, in defeating
+him even in the citadel of loyalty.
+He tried once more to breast the
+tide that had borne down his fortunes.
+He became a candidate for governor in
+1856; but, though he disclaimed anti-slavery
+sentiments, and supported James
+Buchanan for President against Fremont,
+his son-in-law, he was defeated by
+Trusten Polk, who soon passed from the
+gubernatorial chair to Benton's seat in
+the United States Senate, from which
+he was, in course of time, to be expelled.
+Benton retired to private life,
+only to labor more assiduously in compiling
+historical evidences against the
+fast ripening treason of the times.</p>
+
+<p>The Missouri senator was no longer in
+the way of the Southern oligarchs. A
+shaft feathered by his own hands&mdash;the
+doctrine of instructions&mdash;had slain him.</p>
+
+<p>But yet another obstacle remained.
+The Missouri Compromise lifted a barrier
+to the expansion of the Calhoun idea
+of free government, having African slavery
+for its corner-stone. This obstacle
+was to be removed. Missouri furnished
+the prompter and agent of that wrong in
+David E. Atchison, for many years Benton's
+colleague in the Senate. Atchison
+was a man of only moderate talents,
+of dogged purpose, willful, wholly unscrupulous
+in the employment of the influences
+of his position, and devoid of all
+the attributes and qualifications of statesmanship.
+He was a fit representative
+of the pro-slavery fanaticism of his
+State; had lived near the Kansas line;
+had looked upon and coveted the fair
+lands of that free territory, and resolved
+that they should be the home and appanage
+of slavery. It is now a part of
+admitted history, that this dull but determined
+Missouri senator approached
+Judge Douglas, then chairman of the
+Committee on Territories, and, by some
+incomprehensible influence, induced that
+distinguished senator to commit the flagrant
+and terrible blunder of reporting
+the Kansas-Nebraska bill, with a clause
+repealing the Missouri Compromise, and
+thus throwing open Kansas to the occupation
+of slavery. That error was grievously
+atoned for in the subsequent hard
+fate of Judge Douglas, who was cast off
+and destroyed by the cruel men he had
+served. Among the humiliations that
+preceded the close of this political tragedy,
+none could have been more pungent
+to Judge Douglas than the fact that
+Atchison, in a drunken harangue from
+the tail of a cart in Western Missouri,
+surrounded by a mob of 'border ruffians'
+rallying for fresh wrongs upon the free
+settlers of Kansas, recited, in coarse glee
+and brutal triumph, the incidents of his
+interview with the senator of Illinois,
+when, with mixed cajolery and threats,
+he partly tempted, partly drove him to
+his ruin. The Kansas-Nebraska bill was
+passed. What part Atchison took, what
+part Missouri took, under the direction
+of the pro-slavery leaders that filled
+every department of the State government,
+the 'border-ruffian' forays, the pillage
+of the government arsenal at Liberty,
+the embargo of the Missouri river,
+and the robbing and mobbing of peaceful
+emigrants from the free States, the
+violence at the polls, and the fraudulent
+voting that corrupted all the franchises
+of that afflicted territory, do sufficiently
+attest. It is not needed to rehearse any
+of this painful and well-known history.</p>
+
+<p>The Territory of Kansas was saved
+to its prescriptive freedom. The slavery
+propagandists sullenly withdrew and
+gave up the contest. The last days of
+the dynasty that had meditated the conquest
+of the continent to slave-holding
+government were evidently at hand.
+The result of the struggle in Kansas had
+reversed the relation of the contesting
+powers. The oligarchs, who had always
+before been aggressive, and intended to
+subordinate the Union to slavery, or
+destroy it, found themselves suddenly
+thrown on the defensive; and, with the
+quick intelligence of a property interest,
+and the keen jealousy of class and caste
+which their slave-holding had implanted,
+they saw that they were engaged in an
+unequal struggle, that their sceptre was
+broken, and that, if they continued to
+rule, it would have to be over the homogeneous
+half of a dismembered Union.
+
+From this moment a severance of the
+Slave States from the Free was resolved
+on, and every agency that could operate
+on governments, State and National, was
+set to work. It was not by accident that
+Virginia had procured the nomination
+of the facile Buchanan for President in
+the Baltimore Convention of 1856; it
+was not by accident that Floyd was
+made Secretary of War, or that, many
+months before any outbreak of rebellion,
+this arch traitor had well-nigh stripped
+the Northern arsenals of arms, and
+placed them where they would be 'handy'
+
+for insurgents to seize. It was not
+by accident that John C. Breckenridge
+headed the factionists that willfully divided
+and defeated the National Democracy,
+that perchance could have elected
+Judge Douglas President; nor was it by
+accident that Beriah Magoffin, a vain,
+weak man, the creature, adjunct, and
+echo of Breckenridge, filled the office of
+governor of Kentucky, nominated thereto
+by Breckenridge's personal intercession.
+And lastly, to return to the special
+theatre of this sketch, it was not by
+accident that Claiborne F. Jackson, the
+original mover for Benton's destruction,
+was at this remarkable juncture found
+occupying the governor's chair, with
+Thomas C. Reynolds for his lieutenant
+governor, a native of South Carolina,
+an acknowledged missionary of the nullification
+faith to a State that required to
+be corrupted, and that he had, during
+his residence, zealously endeavored to
+corrupt.</p>
+
+<p>We have now reached the turning
+point in the history of Missouri. The
+State is about to be plunged into the
+whirlpool of civil war. Undisguised disunionists
+are in complete possession of
+the State government, and the population
+is supposed to be ripe for revolt.
+Only one spot in it, and that the city
+of St. Louis, is regarded as having the
+slightest sympathy with the political sentiments
+of the Free States of the Union.
+The State is surely counted for the
+'South' in the division that impends,
+for where is the heart in St. Louis bold
+enough, or the hand strong enough, to
+resist the swelling tide of pro-slavery fanaticism
+that was about to engulf the
+State? Years ago, when it was but a
+ripple on the surface, it had overborne
+Benton, with all his fame of thirty years'
+growth. What leader of slighter mold
+and lesser fame could now resist the
+coming shock? In tracing the origin
+and growth of rebellion in Missouri, it is
+interesting to gather up all the threads
+that link the present with the past. It
+will preserve the unity of the plot, and
+give effect to the last acts of the drama.</p>
+
+<p>The first visible seam or cleft in the
+National Democratic party occurred
+during the administration of President
+Polk, in the years 1844-48. Calhoun
+appeared as Polk's Secretary of State.
+Thomas Ritchie was transferred from
+Richmond, Va., to Washington, to edit
+the government organ, in place of Francis
+P. Blair, Sr. The Jackson <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">regime</span>
+
+of unconditional and uncompromising
+devotion to the 'Federal Union' was
+displaced, and the dubious doctrine of
+'States' Rights' was formally inaugurated
+as the chart by which in future the
+national government was to be administered.
+But the Jackson element was
+not reconciled to this radical change in
+the structure and purpose of the National
+Democratic organization; and, although
+party lines were so tensely drawn
+that to go against 'the Administration'
+was political treason, and secured irrevocable
+banishment from power, the
+close of Polk's administration found
+many old Democrats of the Jackson era
+ready for the sacrifice. The firm resolve
+of these men was manifested when, after
+the nomination of Gen. Cass, in 1848, in
+the usual form, at Baltimore, by the
+Democratic National Convention, they
+assembled at Buffalo and presented a
+counter ticket, headed by the name of
+Martin Van Buren, who had been thrust
+aside four years previously by the Southern
+oligarchs to make way for James K.
+Polk. The entire artillery of the Democratic
+party opened on the Buffalo schismatics.
+They were stigmatized by such
+opprobrious nicknames and epithets as
+'Barnburners, 'Free Soilers,' 'Abolitionists,'
+
+and instantly and forever ex-communicated
+from the Democratic party.
+In Missouri alone, of all the Slave
+States, was any stand made in behalf of
+the Buffalo ticket. Benton's sympathies
+had been with Van Buren, his old friend
+of the Jackson times; and Francis P.
+Blair, Sr., of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Globe</span>, had two sons,
+Montgomery Blair and Francis P. Blair,
+Jr., resident in St. Louis. These two,
+with about a hundred other young men
+of equal enthusiasm, organized themselves
+together, accepted the 'Buffalo
+platform' as their future rule of faith,
+issued an address to the people of Missouri,
+openly espousing and advocating
+free soil-principles; and, by subscription
+among themselves, published a campaign
+paper, styled the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Barnburner</span>, during the
+canvass. The result at the polls was
+signal only for its insignificance; and the
+authors of the movement hardly had
+credit for a respectable escapade. But
+the event has proved that neither ridicule
+nor raillery, nor, in later years, persecutions
+and the intolerable pressure of
+federal power, could turn back the revolution
+thus feebly begun. In that
+campaign issue of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Barnburner</span> were
+sown the seeds of what became, in later
+nomenclature, the Free Democracy,
+and, later still, the 'Republican' party
+of Missouri. The German population
+of St. Louis sympathized from the start
+with the free principles enunciated.
+Frank Blair, Jr., became from that year
+their political leader; right honestly did
+he earn the position; and right well,
+even his political foes have always admitted,
+did he maintain it.</p>
+
+<p>Frank Blair was a disciple of Benton;
+yet, as is often the case, the pupil soon
+learned to go far ahead of his teacher.
+In 1852, there was a union of the Free
+Democrats and National Democrats of
+Missouri, in support of Franklin Pierce.
+But the entire abandonment of Pierce's
+administration to the rule of the Southern
+oligarchs sundered the incongruous
+elements in Missouri forever. In 1856
+Benton was found supporting James
+Buchanan for President; but Blair declined
+to follow his ancient leader in that
+direction. He organized the free-soil
+element in St. Louis to oppose the Buchanan
+electoral ticket. An electoral
+ticket in the State at large, for John C.
+Fremont, was neither possible nor advisable.
+In some districts no man would
+dare be a candidate on that side; in
+others, the full free-soil vote, from the
+utter hopelessness of success, would not
+be polled; and thus the cause would be
+made to appear weaker than it deserved.
+To meet the emergency, and yet bear
+witness to principle, the free-soil vote
+was cast for the Fillmore electoral ticket,
+'under protest,' as it was called, the
+name of 'John C. Fremont' being printed
+in large letters at the head of every
+free-soil ballot cast. By this means the
+Buchanan electors were beaten fifteen
+hundred votes in St. Louis City and
+County, where, by a union as Benton
+proposed, they would have had three
+thousand majority. But the 'free-soilers'
+failed to defeat Buchanan in the
+State.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing discouraged by this result,
+Blair resumed the work of organizing
+for the future. The Fillmore party
+gave no thanks to the free-soilers for
+their aid in the presidential election,
+nor did the latter ask any. They had
+simply taken the choice of evils; and
+now, renouncing all alliances, Blair became
+the champion and leader of a self-existing,
+self-reliant State party, that
+should accomplish emancipation in Missouri.
+He again established a newspaper
+to inculcate free principles in the
+State. By untiring effort, he revived
+and recruited his party. He gave it
+platforms, planned its campaigns, contested
+every election in St. Louis,
+whether for municipal officers, for State
+legislature, or for Congress; and always
+fought his battles on the most advanced
+ground assumed by the growing free-soil
+party of the Union. The powerful
+and rapidly-increasing German population
+of St. Louis responded nobly to his
+zeal and skillful leadership. Soon a victory
+was gained; and St. Louis declared
+for freedom, amid acclamations that reverberated
+throughout the States that
+
+extended from the Ohio to the lakes,
+and from the Mississippi to the Atlantic.
+But, having wrenched victory from a
+people so intolerant as the pro-slavery
+population of Missouri, it was not to be
+expected that he would retain it easily.
+He was set upon more fiercely than ever.
+The loss of the city of St. Louis was considered
+a disgrace to the State; and the
+most desperate personal malignity was
+added to the resentment of pro-slavery
+wrath in the future election contests in
+that city. The corrupting appliances
+of federal power were at last invoked,
+under Buchanan's administration; and
+Blair was for the moment overwhelmed
+by fraud, and thrown out of Congress.
+But, with a resolution from which even
+his friends would have dissuaded him,
+and with a persistency and confidence
+that were a marvel to friend and foe, he
+contested his seat before Congress, and
+won it. And this verdict was soon ratified
+by his brave and faithful constituency
+at the polls. Such was the Republican
+party, such their leader in St. Louis,
+when the black day of disunion came.
+And in their hands lay the destiny of the
+State.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the presidential election
+was decided, and the choice of Abraham
+Lincoln was known, the disunionists in
+Missouri commenced their work. Thomas
+C. Reynolds, the lieutenant-governor,
+made a visit to Washington, and extended
+it to Virginia, counseling with the
+traitors, and agreeing upon the time and
+manner of joining Missouri in the revolt.
+The legislature of Missouri met in the
+latter part of December, about two
+weeks after the secession of South Carolina.
+A bill was at once introduced,
+calling a State convention, and passed.
+The message of Claiborne F. Jackson,
+the governor, had been strongly in favor
+of secession from the Union. The Missouri
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Republican</span>, the leading newspaper
+of the State, whose advocacy had elected
+the traitor, declared, on the last day of
+the year, that unless guaranties in defence
+of slavery were immediately given
+by the North, Missouri should secede
+from the Union. And so the secession
+feeling gathered boldness and volume.</p>
+
+<p>Candidates for the State convention
+came to be nominated in St. Louis, and
+two parties were at once arrayed&mdash;the
+unconditional Union party, and the
+qualified Unionists, who wished new
+compromises. Frank Blair was one of
+the leaders of the former, and he was
+joined by all the true men of the old parties.
+But the secessionists&mdash;they might
+as well be so called, for all their actions
+tended to weaken and discredit the
+Union&mdash;nominated an able ticket.
+The latter party were soon conscious of
+defeat, and began to hint mysteriously
+at a power stronger than the ballot-box,
+that would be invoked in defence of
+'Southern rights.' To many, indeed to
+most persons, this seemed an idle threat.
+Not so to Frank Blair. He had imbibed
+from Benton the invincible faith
+of the latter in the settled purpose of the
+'nullifiers' to subvert and destroy the
+government. And in a private caucus
+of the leaders of the Union party, on an
+ever-memorable evening in the month
+of January, he startled the company by
+the proposition that the time had come
+when the friends of the government
+must arm in its defence. With a deference
+to his judgment and sagacity
+that had become habitual, the Unionists
+yielded their consent, and soon the enrolment
+of companies began; nightly
+drills with arms took place in nearly all
+the wards of the city; and by the time
+of election day some thousands of citizen
+soldiers, mostly Germans, could have
+been gathered, with arms in their hands,
+with the quickness of fire signals at
+night, at any point in the city. The
+secessionists had preceded this armed
+movement of the Union men by the organization
+of a body known as 'minute-men.' But the promptness and superior
+skill that characterized Frank
+Blair's movement subverted the secession
+scheme; and it was first repudiated,
+and then its existence denied. The day
+of election came, and passed peacefully.
+The unconditional Union ticket was
+
+elected by a sweeping majority of five
+thousand votes. The result throughout
+the State was not less decisive and surprising.
+Of the entire number of delegates
+composing the convention, not one
+was chosen who had dared to express secession
+sentiments before the people;
+and the aggregate majority of the Union
+candidates in the State amounted to
+about eighty thousand. The shock of
+this defeat for the moment paralyzed the
+conspirators; but their evil inspirations
+soon put them to work again. Their organs
+in Missouri assumed an unfriendly
+tone towards the convention, which was
+to meet in Jefferson City. The legislature
+that had called the convention remained
+in session in the same place, but
+made no fit preparations for the assembling
+of the convention, or for the accommodation
+and pay of the members.
+The debate in the legislature on the bill
+for appropriations for these purposes was
+insulting to the convention, the more ill-tempered
+and ill-bred secession members
+intimating that such a body of 'submissionists'
+
+were unworthy to represent
+Missouri, and undeserving of any pay.
+The manifest ill feeling between the two
+bodies&mdash;the legislature elected eighteen
+months previously, and without popular
+reference to the question of secession,
+and the convention chosen fresh from
+the people, to decide on the course of
+the State&mdash;soon indicated the infelicity
+of the two remaining in session at the
+same time and in the same place. Accordingly,
+within a few days after the
+organization of the convention, it adjourned
+its session to the city of St. Louis.
+It did not meet a cordial reception there.
+So insolent had the secession spirit already
+grown, that on the day of the assembling
+of the convention in that city,
+the members were insulted by taunts in
+the streets and by the ostentatious floating
+of the rebel flag from the Democratic
+head-quarters, hard by the building in
+which they assembled.</p>
+
+<p>Being left in the undisputed occupancy
+of the seat of government, the governor,
+lieutenant-governor, and legislature
+gave themselves up to the enactment of
+flagrant and undisguised measures of
+hostility to the federal government.
+Commissioners from States that had renounced
+the Constitution, and withdrawn,
+as they claimed, from the Union,
+arrived at Jefferson City as apostles of
+treason. They were received as distinguished
+and honorable ambassadors. A
+joint session of the legislature was called
+to hear their communications. The lieutenant-governor,
+Reynolds, being the
+presiding officer of the joint session, required
+that the members should rise when
+these traitors entered, and receive them
+standing and uncovered. The commissioners
+were allowed to harangue the representatives
+of Missouri, by the hour, in
+unmeasured abuse of the federal government,
+in open rejoicings over its supposed
+dissolution, and in urgent appeals
+to the people of Missouri to join the
+rebel States in their consummated treason.
+Noisy demonstrations of applause
+greeted these commissioners; and legislators,
+and the governor himself, in a
+public speech in front of the executive
+mansion, pledged them that Missouri
+would shortly be found ranged on the
+side of seceded States. The treason of
+the governor and legislature did not
+stop with these manifestations. They
+proceeded to acts of legislation, preparatory
+to the employment of force, after
+the manner of their 'Southern bretheren.'
+First, it was necessary to get control
+of the city of St. Louis. The Republican
+party held the government of
+the city, mayor, council, and police
+force&mdash;a formidable Union organization.
+The legislature passed a bill repealing
+that part of the city charter that,
+gave to the mayor the appointment of
+the police, and constituting a board of
+police commissioners, to be appointed
+by the governor, who should exercise
+that power. He named men that suited
+his purposes. The Union police were
+discharged, and their places filled by
+secessionists. Next, the State militia
+was to be organized in the interests of
+rebellion, and a law was passed to accomplish
+that end. The State was set
+off into divisions; military camps were
+
+to be established in each; all able-bodied
+men between the ages of eighteen
+and fifty were liable to be called into
+camp and drilled a given number of
+days in the year; and, when summoned
+to duty, instead of taking the usual
+oath to support the Constitution of the
+United States, they were required only
+to be sworn 'to obey the orders of the
+governor of the State of Missouri.'
+These camps were styled camps of instruction.
+One of them was established
+at St. Louis, within the corporate limits
+of the city, about two miles west of
+the court-house, on a commanding eminence.</p>
+
+<p>Thus the lines began to be drawn
+closely around the Unionists of St.
+Louis. The State convention had adjourned,
+and its members had gone
+home, having done but little to re-assure
+the loyalists. They had, indeed,
+passed an ordinance declaring that Missouri
+would adhere to the Union; but
+the majority of the members had betrayed
+such hesitancy and indecision,
+such a lack of stomach to grapple with
+the rude issues of the rebellion, that
+their action passed almost without moral
+effect. Their ordinance was treated
+with contempt by the secessionists, and
+nearly lost sight of by the people; so
+thoroughly were all classes lashed into
+excitement by the storm of revolution
+now blackening the whole Southern
+Hemisphere.</p>
+
+<p>The friends of the Union could look
+to but one quarter for aid, that was
+Washington, where a new administration
+had so recently been installed,
+amid difficulties that seemed to have
+paralyzed its power. The government
+had been defied by the rebellion at
+every point; its ships driven by hostile
+guns from Southern ports; its treasures
+seized; its arsenals occupied, and its
+abundant arms and munitions appropriated.
+Nowhere had the federal arm
+resented insult and robbery with a blow.
+This had not been the fault of the government
+that was inaugurated on the
+fourth of March. It was the fruit of the
+official treason of the preceding administration,
+that had completely disarmed
+the government, and filled the new executive
+councils with confusion, by the
+numberless knaves it had placed in all
+departments of the public service, whose
+daily desertions of duty rendered the
+prompt and honest execution of the
+laws impossible. But the fact was indisputable;
+and how could St. Louis
+hope for protection that had nowhere
+else been afforded? The national government
+had an arsenal within the city
+limits. It comprised a considerable area
+of ground, was surrounded by a high
+and heavy stone wall, and supplied with
+valuable arms. But so far from this establishment
+being a protection to the
+loyal population, it seemed more likely,
+judging by what had occurred in other
+States, that it would serve as a temptation
+to the secession mob that was evidently
+gathering head for mischief, and that
+the desire to take it would precipitate
+the outbreak. The Unionists felt their
+danger; the rebels saw their opportunity.
+Already the latter were boasting that
+they would in a short time occupy this
+post, and not a few of the prominent
+Union citizens of the town were warned
+by secession leaders that they would soon
+be set across the Mississippi river, exiles
+from their homes forever. As an instance
+of the audacity of the rebel element
+at this time, and for weeks later,
+the fact is mentioned that the United
+States soldiers, who paced before the
+gates of the arsenal as sentinels on duty,
+had their beats defined for them by the
+new secession police, and were forbidden
+to invade the sacred precincts of the
+city's highway. The arsenal was unquestionably
+devoted to capture, and it
+would have been a prize to the rebels
+second in value to the Gosport navy-yard.
+It contained at this time sixty-six
+thousand stand of small arms, several
+batteries of light artillery and heavy
+ordnance, and at least one million dollars'
+worth of ammunition. It was besides
+supplied with extensive and valuable
+machinery for repairing guns, rifling
+barrels, mounting artillery, and preparing
+shot and shell. The future, to the
+
+Union men of St. Louis, looked gloomy
+enough; persecution, and, if they resisted,
+death, seemed imminent; and no
+voice from abroad reached them, giving
+them good cheer. But deliverance was
+nigh at hand.</p>
+
+<p>About the middle of January, Capt.
+Nathaniel Lyon, of the Second Infantry,
+U.S.A., arrived in St. Louis with his
+company; and his rank gave him command
+of all the troops then at the arsenal
+and Jefferson Barracks, a post on
+the river, ten miles below, the department
+being under the command of Brigadier
+General Harney. Capt. Lyon
+had been garrisoning a fort in Kansas.
+He was known to some of the Union
+men of St. Louis; and his resolute spirit
+and devoted patriotism marked him as
+their leader in this crisis. Frank Blair
+at once put himself in communication
+with Capt. Lyon, and advised him fully
+and minutely as to the political situation.
+He exposed to him the existence
+of his volunteer military organization.
+At his request Capt. Lyon visited and
+reviewed the regiments; and it was arranged
+between them that if an outbreak
+should occur, or any attempt be
+made to seize the arsenal, Capt. Lyon
+should receive this volunteer force to his
+assistance, arm it from the arsenal, and
+take command for the emergency. It
+should be known, however, to the greater
+credit of the Union leaders of St.
+Louis, that they had already, from private
+funds, procured about one thousand
+stand of arms, with which their nightly
+drills, as heretofore stated, had been
+conducted. As soon as Capt. Lyon's
+connection with this organization was
+suspected, an attempt was made to have
+him removed, by ordering him to Kansas
+on the pretext of a court of inquiry; but
+this attempt was defeated. Thus matters
+stood for a time, the Union men beginning
+to be reassured, but still doubtful
+of the end. After a while, Fort Sumter
+was opened upon, and fell under its furious
+bombardment. The torch of war was
+lit. President Lincoln issued his proclamation
+for volunteers. Gov. Jackson
+telegraphed back an insolent and defiant
+refusal, in which he denounced the
+'war waged by the federal government'
+as 'inhuman and diabolical.' Frank
+Blair instantly followed this traitorous
+governor's dispatch by another, addressed
+to the Secretary of War, asking
+him to accept and muster into service
+the volunteer regiments he had
+been forming. This offer was accepted,
+and the men presented themselves. But
+Brig. Gen. Harney, fearing that the
+arming of these troops would exasperate
+the secession populace, and bring about
+a collision with the State militia, refused
+to permit the men to be mustered into
+service and armed. This extraordinary
+decision was immediately telegraphed to
+the government, and Gen. Harney was
+relieved, leaving Capt. Lyon in full command.
+This was the 23d of April. In
+a week four full regiments were mustered
+in, and occupied the arsenal. A
+memorial was prepared and sent to
+Washington by Frank Blair, now colonel
+of the first of these regiments, asking
+for the enrolment of five other regiments
+of Home Guards. Permission was
+given, and in another week these regiments
+also were organized and armed.
+The conflict was now at hand. Simultaneously
+with this arming on the part
+of the government for the protection of
+the arsenal, the order went forth for
+the assembling of the State troops in
+their camps of instruction. On Monday,
+the 6th of May, the First Brigade
+of Missouri militia, under Gen. D.M.
+Frost, was ordered by Gov. Jackson into
+camp at St. Louis, avowedly for purposes
+of drill and exercise. At the same
+time encampments were formed, by order
+of the governor, in other parts of
+the State. The governor's adherents in
+St. Louis intimated that the time for
+taking the arsenal had arrived, and the
+indiscreet young men who made up the
+First Brigade openly declared that they
+only awaited an order from Gov. Jackson&mdash;an
+order which they evidently had
+been led to expect&mdash;to attack the arsenal
+and possess it, in spite of the feeble
+opposition they calculated to meet from
+
+'the Dutch' Home Guards enlisted to
+
+defend it. A few days previously, an
+agent of the governor had purchased at
+St. Louis several hundred kegs of gun-powder,
+and succeeded, by an adroit
+stratagem, in shipping it to Jefferson
+City. The encampment at St. Louis,
+'Camp Jackson,' so called from the
+governor, was laid off by streets, to
+which were assigned the names 'Rue de
+Beauregard,' and others similarly significant;
+and when among the visitors whom
+curiosity soon began to bring to the camp
+a 'Black Republican' was discovered by
+the soldiers,&mdash;and this epithet was applied
+to all unconditional Unionists,&mdash;he
+was treated with unmistakable coldness,
+if not positive insult. If additional
+proof of the hostile designs entertained
+against the federal authority by
+this camp were needed, it was furnished
+on Thursday, the 9th, by the reception
+within the camp of several pieces of cannon,
+and several hundred stand of small
+arms, taken from the federal arsenal at
+Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was then
+in the possession of the rebels. These
+arms were brought to St. Louis by the
+steamboat <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">J.C. Swon</span>, the military authorities
+at Cairo having been deceived
+by the packages, which were represented
+to contain marble slabs. On the arrival
+of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Swon</span> at the St. Louis levee, the
+arms were taken from her, sent to Camp
+Jackson, and received there with demonstrations
+of triumph.</p>
+
+<p>When Capt. Lyon was entrusted with
+full command at St. Louis, President
+Lincoln had named, in his orders to him,
+a commission of six loyal and discreet
+citizens with whom he should consult in
+matters pertaining to the public safety,
+and with whose counsel he might declare
+martial law. These citizens were
+John How, Samuel T. Glover, O.D.
+Filley, Jean J. Witsig, James O. Broadhead,
+and Col. Frank P. Blair. The last
+mentioned&mdash;Colonel Blair&mdash;was Capt.
+Lyon's confidential and constant companion.
+They were comrades in arms,
+and a unit in counsel. Their views
+were in full accord as to the necessity
+of immediately reducing Camp Jackson.
+Defiance was daily passing between the
+marshalling hosts, not face to face, but
+through dubious partisans who passed
+from camp to camp, flitting like the
+bats of fable in the confines of conflict.
+Capt. Lyon's decision, urged thereto by
+Col. Blair, was made without calling a
+council of the rest of his advisers. They
+heard of it, however, and, though brave
+and loyal men all, they gathered around
+him in his quarters at the arsenal,
+Thursday evening, and besought him
+earnestly to change his purpose. The
+conference was protracted the livelong
+night, and did not close till six o'clock,
+Friday morning, the 10th. They found
+Capt. Lyon inexorable,&mdash;the fate of
+Camp Jackson was decreed. Col. Blair's
+regiment was at Jefferson Barracks, ten
+miles below the arsenal, at that hour.
+It was ordered up; and about noon on
+that memorable Friday, Capt. Lyon
+quietly left the arsenal gate at the head
+of six thousand troops, of whom four
+hundred and fifty were regulars, the remainder
+United States Reserve Corps
+or Home Guards, marched in two columns
+to Camp Jackson, and before the
+State troops could recover from the
+amazement into which the appearance
+of the advancing army threw them, surrounded
+the camp, planting his batteries
+upon the elevations around, at a distance
+of five hundred yards, and stationing
+his infantry in the roads leading
+from the grove wherein their tents were
+pitched. The State troops were taken
+completely by surprise; for, although
+there had been vague reports current in
+camp of an intended attack from the
+arsenal, the cry of the visitors at the
+grove, 'They're coming!' 'They're
+coming!' raised just as the first column
+appeared in sight, found them strolling
+leisurely under the trees, chatting with
+their friends from the city, or stretched
+upon the thick green grass, smoking and
+reading.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_3"></a>
+<h2>Beaufort District,&mdash;Past, Present, And Future.</h2>
+
+
+<p>The sovereign State of South Carolina
+seems from the beginning to have
+been actuated by the desire not only to
+mold its institutions according to a system
+differing entirely from that of its
+sister States, but even to divide its territory
+in a peculiar manner, for which
+reason we find in it 'districts' taking
+the place of counties. The south-west
+of these bears the name of its principal
+town, 'Beaufort.' It is bounded on the
+west by the Savannah River, and on the
+south by the Atlantic. Its length from
+north to south is fifty-eight miles, its
+breadth thirty-three miles, and it contains
+about one and a quarter millions
+of acres of land and water. Considered
+geologically, Beaufort is one of the
+most remarkable sections of the United
+States. As recent events have brought
+it so prominently before us, we propose
+to consider its history, capacities, and
+prospects.</p>
+
+<p>From its proximity to the Spanish settlements
+in the peninsula of Florida, its
+beautiful harbors and sounds were early
+explored and taken possession of by the
+Spaniards. It is now certain they had
+established a post here called 'Fort St.
+Phillip,' at St. Elena,<a href="#note_2"><span class="footnoteref">2</span></a> as early as
+1566-7; this was probably situated on
+the south-western point of St. Helena
+Island, and some remains of its entrenchment
+can still be traced. From this fort
+Juan Pardo, its founder, proceeded on
+an expedition to the north-west, and explored
+a considerable part of the present
+States of South Carolina and Georgia.</p>
+
+<p>How long the Spaniards remained
+here is now uncertain, but they long
+claimed all this coast as far north as
+Cape Fear. The French planted a colony
+in South Carolina, and gave the
+name Port Royal to the harbor and
+what is now called Broad River; but
+they were driven off by the Spaniards,
+and history is silent as to any incidents
+of their rule for a century. In 1670 a
+few emigrants arrived in a ship commanded
+by Capt. Hilton, and landed at
+what is now known as 'Hilton's Head,'
+the south-western point of Port Royal
+harbor, which still perpetuates his name.
+The colony was under the management
+of Col. Sayle; but the Spaniards at St.
+Augustine still claimed the domains, and
+the settlers, fearing an attack, soon removed
+to the site of Old Charleston, on
+Ashley River. In 1682, Lord Cardoss
+led a small band from Scotland hither,
+which settled on Port Royal Island,
+near the present site of Beaufort. He
+claimed co-ordinate authority with the
+governor and council at Charleston.
+During the discussion of this point the
+Spaniards sent an armed force and dislodged
+the English, most of whom returned
+to their native country. A permanent
+settlement was finally made on
+Port Royal Island in 1700. The town
+of Beaufort was laid out in 1717, and an
+Episcopal church erected in 1720. The
+name was given from a town in Anjou,
+France, the birthplace of several of the
+Huguenot settlers.</p>
+
+<p>For many years the Spaniards threatened
+the coast as far north as Charleston,
+but the settlement increased, and
+extended over St. Helena and other islands.
+Slavery was here coeval with
+settlement, and the peculiar institution
+was so earnestly fostered, that in 1724
+it was estimated that South Carolina
+contained 18,000 slaves to only 14,000
+whites. The slaves were mostly natives
+of Africa of recent importation, and
+were poorly adapted to clear up the
+forests and prepare the way for extensive
+plantations, but their cost was small,
+and every year they improved in capacity
+and value. In the succeeding half
+century were laid the fortunes of the
+prominent families who have controlled
+the district, and often greater interests,
+
+to our day. Grants of land could be
+had almost for the asking, especially by
+men of influence; and fertile islands
+were given, containing hundreds and
+sometimes thousands of acres, to a single
+family, who have here been monarchs
+of all they survey, including hundreds
+of slaves, till <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">the Hegira</span> or <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">flight</span>
+A.D. 1861.</p>
+
+<p>When we take into account the salubrity
+of the climate and the fertility of
+the soil, we must allow that this district
+has many natural advantages which can
+not be excelled by any section of the
+same extent in this country. A considerable
+part of the district is composed
+of islands, which are supposed to be of
+a comparatively recent formation, many
+of them beautiful to the eye, and rich in
+agricultural facilities; they are in number
+upwards of fifty, not less than thirty
+of them being of large size. Upon the
+sea-coast are Reynolds, Prentice, Chaplins,
+Eddings, Hilton Head, Dawfuskie,
+Turtle, and the Hunting Islands. Behind
+these lie St. Helena, Pinckney,
+Paris, Port Royal, Ladies', Cane, Bermuda,
+Discane, Bells, Daltha, Coosa,
+Morgan, Chissolm, Williams Harbor,
+Kings, Cahoussue, Fording, Barnwell,
+Whale, Delos, Hall, Lemon, Barrataria,
+Lopes, Hoy, Savage, Long, Round, and
+Jones Islands. These are from one to
+ten miles in length, and usually a proportional
+half in width. St. Helena is
+over twenty miles in extent, and could
+well support an agricultural population
+of twenty thousand. Port Royal is next
+in size, but, being of a more sandy formation,
+is not so fertile. These islands are
+all of an alluvial formation,&mdash;the result
+of the action of the rivers and the sea.
+There is no rock of any kind, not even
+a pebble stone, to be found in the whole
+district.</p>
+
+<p>The soil of these islands is composed
+mostly of a fine sandy loam, very easily
+cultivated. In most of them are swamps
+and marshes, which serve to furnish muck
+and other vegetable deposits for fertilizing;
+but the idea of furnishing anything
+to aid the long over-worked soil seems
+to these proprietors like returning to the
+slave some of the earnings taken from
+him or his ancestors, and is seldom done
+till nature is at last exhausted, and then
+it is allowed only a few years' repose.
+Situated under the parallel of 32°, there
+is scarcely a product grown in our country,
+of any value, that can not be produced
+here. Previous to the Revolution
+the principal staple for market was
+indigo, and that raised in this district always
+commanded the highest price. It
+was from the proceeds of this plant that
+the planters were enabled for a long
+period to purchase slaves and European
+and northern American productions.
+Soon after the Revolution their attention
+was turned to cotton; but the difficulty
+of separating it from the seed
+seemed to make it impossible to furnish
+it in any profitable quantity, for so slow
+was the process then followed that, with
+the utmost diligence, a negro could not,
+by hand labor, clean over a few pounds
+per day. The genius of Whitney, however,
+opened a new era to the cotton
+planters, who were much more eager to
+avail themselves of his invention than to
+remunerate him. It was soon perceived
+that the cotton raised on these islands
+was far superior to that produced in the
+interior, which is still called Upland,
+only to distinguish it from the 'Sea Island.'
+
+It was also noticed that while
+the common variety produced a seed
+nearly green with a rough skin, the seed
+of the islands soon became black with a
+smooth skin; the effect entirely of location
+and climate, as it soon resumes its
+original color when transported back to
+the interior. The cultivation of this variety
+is limited to a tract of country of
+about one hundred and fifty miles in
+length, and not over twenty-five miles
+in breadth, mostly on lands adjacent to
+the salt water, the finest 'grades' being
+confined to the islands within this district.
+It is true that black-seed cotton
+is cultivated to some extent along the
+coast from Georgetown, S.C., to St. Augustine,
+but a great part of it is of an inferior
+quality and staple, and brings in
+the market less than one-half the price
+of the real 'Sea Island.' This plant
+
+seems to delight in the soft and elastic
+atmosphere from the Gulf Stream, and,
+after it is 'well up,' requires but a few
+showers through the long summer to
+perfect it. It is of feeble growth, particularly
+on the worn-out lands, and two
+hundred pounds is a good yield from an
+acre. An active hand can tend four
+acres, besides an acre of corn and
+'ground provisions;' but with a moderate
+addition of fertilizers and rotation
+of crops no doubt these productions
+would be doubled. If the yield seems
+small, the price, however, makes it one
+of the most profitable products known.
+The usual quotations for choice Sea Islands
+in Charleston market has been for
+many years about four times as great as
+for the middling qualities of Uplands,&mdash;probably
+an average of from thirty-five
+to forty-five cents per pound; and for
+particular brands<a href="#note_3"><span class="footnoteref">3</span></a> sixty to seventy
+cents is often paid. The writer has
+seen a few bales, of a most beautiful
+color and length of staple, which sold
+for eighty cents, when middling Uplands
+brought but ten cents per pound. It is
+mostly shipped to France, where it is
+used for manufacturing the finest laces,
+and contributes largely to the texture
+of fancy silks, particularly the cheaper
+kinds for the American market. After
+passing above the flow of the salt water,
+but within the rise of the tide, there is a
+wide alluvial range along the rivers and
+creeks, which, by a system of embankments,
+can be flowed or drained at pleasure.
+This is cultivated with rice, and,
+if properly cared for, yields enormous
+crops, sometimes of sixty bushels to an
+acre. The land is composed of a mass
+of muck, often ten feet deep and inexhaustible,
+and never suffers from drought.
+This land is very valuable, one hundred
+dollars often being paid per acre for
+large plantations. Much rice land, however,
+remains uncleared for want of the
+enterprise and perseverance necessary
+to its improvement.</p>
+
+<p>Farther in the interior the land is
+principally of a sandy formation, most
+of it underlaid with clay. Very little
+effort is, however, made by planters to
+cultivate it, although it is very easily
+worked, and with a little manuring
+yields fair crops of corn and sweet potatoes.
+The cereal grains are seldom cultivated,
+but no doubt they would yield
+well. A large portion of the main-land
+is composed of swamps, of which only
+enough have been reclaimed to make it
+certain that here is a mine of wealth to
+those gifted with the energy to improve
+it. The soil is as fertile as the banks of
+the Nile, and nowhere could agricultural
+enterprise meet with such certainly profitable
+returns. Recurring again to the
+agricultural capacity of the islands, it is
+certain that good crops of sugar-cane
+can be grown on them. During the war
+of 1812, the planters turned their attention
+to it, and succeeded well, since
+which time many of them have continued
+to plant enough for their own
+use; but this plant soon exhausts such a
+soil, unless some fertilizer is used, and
+they therefore prefer cotton, which
+draws a large part of its sustenance
+from the atmosphere alone. The sweet
+and wild orange grows here, and some
+extensive groves are to be seen. Figs
+are produced in abundance from September
+till Christmas. Gardens furnish
+abundant vegetables, yielding green peas
+in March and Irish potatoes in May,
+while numerous tribes of beautiful flowers
+hold high carnival for more than
+half the year.</p>
+
+<p>This seems to be the true home of
+the rose, which is found blooming from
+March until Christmas. Many of the
+rare climbing varieties of this flower,
+which we see at the North only as small
+specimens in green-houses, grow here
+in wild profusion. The grape is represented
+by many species indigenous to
+this State alone, and could, no doubt, be
+cultivated and produced in greater variety
+and perfection than elsewhere on
+this continent, as the climate is more
+equable. A species of Indian corn,
+called 'white flint corn,' and which
+
+when cooked is very nutritious and
+white as snow, seems indigenous to
+these islands. It is much superior to
+the common varieties.</p>
+
+<p>Of the sylva we will only say, it is
+equal in value and variety to that of
+any section of our country. Here is the
+home of the palmetto<a href="#note_4"><span class="footnoteref">4</span></a> or cabbage tree,
+the only palm in our wide country. The
+live oak, once so abundant, has, however,
+been largely cut off, mostly to supply
+our navy-yards, and some of the ships
+built from it are now blockading the
+very harbors from which it was carried.
+The pitch pine is the common growth
+of the interior, and under a new system
+would form a valuable article of commerce
+as lumber, and as yielding the
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">now</span> so much required turpentine. Of
+wild animals and birds, here are to be
+found a large variety. The Hunting Islands
+and others are well stocked with
+deer. During the winter wild, geese
+and ducks abound, and a variety of fish,
+with fine oysters, can be had at all seasons.</p>
+
+<p>We now come to consider the present
+inhabitants of this district. The whites
+are almost entirely the descendants of
+the earliest settlers of this State, who
+were English,<a href="#note_5"><span class="footnoteref">5</span></a> Scotch, and Protestant
+Irish, with a slight infusion of the Huguenot
+and Swiss elements. A century
+and a half has rendered them homogeneous.
+As there has never been any
+interest here other than agriculture, and
+as every man may be said to own the
+plantation he cultivates, there has been
+as little change of property or condition
+as possible, and therefore the same land
+and system of cultivation has passed from
+father to son through four or five generations.
+Had there been any emigration
+or change of population, some alterations,
+and most likely new enterprise
+and vigor, would have been infused, and
+more modern and national feeling have
+been instituted for their narrow and sectional
+prejudices. No doubt our national
+character has been much influenced
+by the division of land. Where this has
+been nearly equal, as in our New England
+towns, a republican form of government
+has been almost a necessity. But
+at the South an entirely different arrangement
+has prevailed. Land was at
+first distributed in large bodies fitted to
+accommodate a state of slavery; and
+the consequence was that a feudal system
+was inaugurated from the settlement,
+which has continued with increasing
+power. This has been one of the
+permanent causes of Southern pride
+and exclusiveness.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of South Carolina
+and Virginia previous to the Revolution
+were very supercilious towards the North,
+and even to their less opulent neighbors
+of Georgia and North Carolina; a feeling
+which was often the cause of much antagonism
+among the officers and soldiers
+during the war. Charleston and Williamsburg
+gave the tone to good society,
+and it was haughty and aristocratic in
+the extreme. While Virginia has for
+the last half century been in a state of
+comparative decay, South Carolina has,
+by its culture of cotton and rice, just
+been able to hold its own; but the pride
+and exclusiveness of its people have increased
+much faster than its material
+interests. Although the Constitution of
+the United States guarantees to every
+State a republican form of government,
+no thinking person who has resided for
+a single week within the limits of
+South Carolina can have failed to see
+
+and feel that a tyranny equal to that of
+Austria exists there. The freedom of
+opinion and its expression were not permitted.
+Strangers were always under
+espionage, and public opinion, controlled
+by an oligarchy of slave-holders,
+overruled laws and private rights. Nowhere,
+even in South Carolina, was this
+feeling of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">hauteur</span> so strong as in that
+portion of the State which we are describing.
+On the large plantations the
+owners ruled with power unlimited over
+life and property, and could a faithful
+record be found it would prove one of
+vindictive oppression, productive oftentimes
+of misery and bloodshed. Most
+of the wealthier planters in the district
+have residences at Beaufort, to which
+they remove during the summer months
+to escape the malaria arising from the
+soil around their inland houses. This
+place may be considered the home of
+the aristocracy. Here reside the Barnwells,<a href="#note_6"><span class="footnoteref">6</span></a>
+Heywards, Rhetts<a href="#note_7"><span class="footnoteref">7</span></a>(formerly
+called Smiths,) Stuarts, Means, Sams,
+Fullers,<a href="#note_8"><span class="footnoteref">8</span></a> Elliots,<a href="#note_9"><span class="footnoteref">9</span></a> Draytons and others,
+altogether numbering about fifty families,
+but bearing not more than twenty
+different names, who rule and control
+the country for forty miles around. This
+is the most complete and exclusive approach
+to 'nobility' of blood and feeling
+on our continent. Nowhere else is
+family pride carried to such an extent.
+They look with supercilious disdain on
+every useful employment, save only the
+planting of cotton and rice. Nothing in
+any of our large cities can equal the display
+of equipages, with their profusion
+of servants in livery, exhibited on pleasant
+afternoons, when the mothers and
+daughters of these cotton lords take
+their accustomed airing. So powerfully
+has this feeling of exclusiveness prevailed
+that no son or daughter dares
+marry out of their circle. For a long
+series of years has this custom prevailed,
+and the consequence is that the families
+above named are nearly of a common
+blood; and it needs no physiologist to
+tell us the invariable effect arising from
+this transgression of natural laws, on the
+physical and mental faculties of both
+sexes. In such a state of society is it
+strange that the present generation
+should have grown up with ideas better
+suited to the castes of India than to
+those of republican America? As a consequence
+they consider their condition
+more elevated than that of their neighbors
+in the adjoining States, and of almost
+imperial consideration. But no
+
+language can express their bitter contempt
+for the people of the North, more
+particularly for those of New England
+birth.</p>
+
+<p>In perusing the history and progress
+of any portion of our country, the statistics
+of population become an interesting
+study. Let us glance over a brief table,
+showing what the increase has been in
+this district for the past forty years, and
+its miserable deficiency in physical means
+of strength and defense. In 1820 the
+district contained 32,000 souls, of which
+there were 4,679 whites and 27,339
+slaves, and 141 free blacks. In 1860
+there were 6,714 whites and 32,500
+slaves, and 800 free blacks, making a
+total of 40,014,&mdash;an increase of whites
+of 2,035, of slaves 5,161, of free blacks
+650:&mdash;total increase 7,855 in forty
+years. Here we have nearly the largest
+disproportion of whites to slaves
+in any part of the South. Of the
+6,714 whites, about 1,000 are probably
+men over twenty-one years of age,
+and it is not to be presumed that an
+equal number are capable of bearing
+arms. Is it possible to find anywhere
+a community more helpless for its own
+protection or defense? It is one of the
+truths of science and philosophy that
+nature, when forced beyond its own
+powers and laws, will react, and again
+restore its own supremacy. So we here
+find a magnificent space of country,
+rich in all natural requisites, and unsurpassed
+in its capabilities of producing
+not only the necessaries of life, but
+its luxuries, having an exclusive right
+to some of the most valuable staples
+of the world, which has been for a
+century and a half the abode of an imperious
+few, who have, by tyrannical
+power, wrung from the bones and muscles
+of generations of poor Africans the
+means to sustain their luxury, power,
+and pride. They have also robbed from
+the mother earth the fertility of its soil
+to its utmost extent, leaving much of it
+completely exhausted. This state of
+things has reacted on them; it has made
+them proud, domineering, ambitious, and
+revengeful of fancied injuries. It has
+hurried them into rebellion against the
+best government the world ever saw,&mdash;and
+this has at last brought with it its
+own punishment and retribution. It has
+placed their soil, their mansions, their
+crops and poor slaves in the possession
+of the hated men of the North, and under
+the laws and control of the government
+they affected to despise. When
+the last gun had sounded from the ramparts
+at Port Royal, and the Stars and
+Stripes again resumed their supremacy
+on the soil of South Carolina, a new era
+dawned over these beautiful islands and
+waters, and the day that witnessed the
+retreat of the rebel forces should hereafter
+mark, like the flight of Mahomet,
+the inauguration of a new dispensation
+for this land and its people. Let us,
+therefore, in continuing our chronicles,
+cast the horoscope, and, without claiming
+any spirit of prophecy, show the duties
+of our nation in this contingency,
+and the beneficial results that must flow
+from it, if carried out with the energy,
+perseverance, and practical Christianity
+due to our country and the age in which
+we live.</p>
+
+<p>The accession to any government of
+new territory brings with it new duties,
+which it is always important should be
+performed with energy and decision, so
+that the greatest good, to the greatest
+number, may be the result. A good
+Providence has placed the domain under
+consideration in our possession. Its
+political condition is to us unique, and
+almost embarrassing. If the question is
+asked, 'Can we hold and dispose of a
+part, or whole, of a sovereign State as a
+conquered province?' the answer must
+be in the affirmative. Government is
+supreme, and must be exercised, particularly
+to protect the weak, and for the
+general good of the whole nation. Here
+is a region, as fair as the sun shines upon,
+now in a great measure deserted and
+lying waste. What is to be done with
+it? and what is our duty in this exigency?
+The first want is a government,
+for without a proper one no progress can
+be made. Let Congress then at once establish
+a territorial government over so
+
+much of the State as we now have in
+our possession, and over what we may
+in future obtain;&mdash;not a government to
+exhibit pomp, and show, but one practical
+and useful, with a court and its
+proper officers. Let every large unrepresented
+estate be placed in the hands
+of a temporary administrator, who should
+be a practical and honest man, and
+held to a strict account for all properties
+entrusted to his keeping, and who should
+act also as guardian to the slaves belonging
+to the estate. Then enforce the collection
+of a tax; and if the owner comes
+forward within sixty days, pays the tax,
+takes the oath of allegiance, and agrees
+to remain in the territory and assist in
+enforcing and executing the laws, during
+that and the succeeding year, let
+him resume his property, and be protected
+in all his rights. But in default
+of any loyal response from the proprietor,
+the property should be disposed of,
+in moderate quantities, to actual settlers,
+who should be bound to do duty for its
+defense, whenever called upon.</p>
+
+<p>But then comes the great difficulty,
+the disposition of the slaves,&mdash;the great
+question which has so long been discussed
+as a theory, and which now has
+to be met as a practical measure. Let
+us meet it as men and patriots, and, rising
+above the clamor of fanatics, or the
+proclamations of new-fangled and demagoguing
+brigadiers, look at the permanent
+result to our whole country, and
+the real good of the African race.</p>
+
+<p>Humanity, society, and property, all
+have claims and acknowledged rights;
+let them all be considered. It is well
+known that the slaves on these islands
+have always been kept in a state of
+greater ignorance of the world and all
+practical matters than those inhabiting
+the border States, or where there is a
+larger proportion of whites, with whom
+they often labor and associate. To
+emancipate them at once would be to
+do a great wrong to the white man, to
+the property, in whatever hands it might
+be, and a still greater injury to the
+slave. There can be but one way of disposing
+of this question which will satisfy
+the nation, and quiet the fears of the
+conservative, and preserve the hopes of
+the radical, which is, to pursue a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">middle</span>
+course&mdash;a policy which shall as nearly
+as possible equalize the question to all
+parties. Let the slave be retained on
+the plantation where he is found; and,
+as no race are so much attached to their
+own locality, so let them remain, place
+them under a proper system of APPRENTICESHIP,
+with a mild code of
+laws, where every right shall be protected,
+where suitable instruction, civil
+and religious, shall be given, and where
+the marriage rite shall be administered
+and respected. Under such laws and
+beneficent institutions, this territory
+would soon be settled by men from the
+West, the North, and from Europe, intelligent,
+enterprising, and industrious,
+who would retrieve its worn-out fields,
+and introduce new systems of culture,
+with all the modern labor-saving utensils.
+With kind treatment and new
+hopes, the simple sons of Africa would
+have inducements to labor and to await
+with patient hope the future and its rewards.
+Then would Beaufort District
+become what the Giver of all good designed
+it to be&mdash;the abode of an industrious,
+peaceful, and prosperous community.
+The production of its great
+staple, 'Sea-Island cotton,' would be immensely
+increased, and its quality improved,
+till it rivaled the silks of the
+Old World. The yield of rice would be
+doubled, and its gardens and orchards
+would supply the North with fruits now
+known only to the tropics.</p>
+
+<p>So soon as the new government was
+fairly inaugurated, and the condition of
+the land and its future cultivation settled,
+a movement would of necessity be
+made to found here a city which would
+be the great commercial metropolis of
+the South.</p>
+
+<p>Charleston was 'located' at the wrong
+place, simply with the object of being as
+distant as possible from the Spanish settlements,
+and has always suffered from
+an insufficient depth of water on its bars
+to accommodate the largest class of merchant
+ships. It has barely sixteen feet
+
+of water at high tide, and ships loaded
+as lightly as possible have often been
+obliged to wait for weeks to enter or
+leave the port. A decrease of one or
+two feet in its main channel would, in
+its palmiest days, have been fatal to its
+prosperity. The sinking of a dozen
+ships loaded with stone has no doubt
+placed a permanent barrier to the entrance
+of all but a small class of vessels.
+The ships themselves may soon be displaced
+or destroyed by the sea-worm, but
+the New England granite will prove a
+lasting monument to the folly and madness
+of the rebellion. The destruction
+of the best part of the city by fire seems
+also to show that Providence has designed
+it to be ranked only with the
+cities of the past.</p>
+
+<p>The productions of South Carolina
+have always been large and valuable,
+and since the completion of their system
+of railroad facilities they have greatly
+increased; therefore a commercial city
+is a necessity, and Port Royal must be
+its locality. Here is the noblest harbor
+south of the Chesapeake, with a draught
+of water of from twenty-five to thirty
+feet, enough for the largest-sized ships,
+and sufficient anchorage room for all the
+navies of the world. Our government
+should here have a naval depot to take
+the place of Norfolk, since there is no
+more suitable place on the whole coast.
+In this connection the name, Royal Port,
+is truly significant.</p>
+
+<p>The precise locality for the new city
+can not now be indicated, but we would
+suggest the point some two miles south-west
+of Beaufort, which would give it
+a position not unlike New York. It
+would have the straight Broad River for
+its Hudson, with a fine channel on the
+south and east communicating with numerous
+sounds and rivers. Its situation
+on an island of about the same length as
+Manhattan completes the parallel.</p>
+
+<p>The value of the produce conveyed
+over the sounds and rivers connecting
+with Port Royal, by sloops and steamers,
+must be counted by millions of dollars.
+We may estimate the crop of Sea-Island
+cotton at about fifteen thousand
+bales, or six millions of pounds, and of
+rice about fifty million pounds. Yankee
+enterprise would soon double the amount,
+and add to it an immense bulk of naval
+stores and lumber.</p>
+
+<p>But this is but a moiety of what the
+exports would be. A branch railroad
+only ten miles long would connect this
+port with all the railroads of South Carolina
+and Georgia, which, diverging
+from Charleston and Savannah, spread
+themselves over a large part of five
+States. This road would make tributary
+to this place a vast district of country.</p>
+
+<p>Savannah, which has for the last few
+years competed with Charleston for this
+trade, will soon feel the power of the
+government, and it must yield up a
+large part of its business to the more
+favorable location of the new city.</p>
+
+<p>A few short years, and what a change
+may come over these beautiful islands
+and the waters that hold them in its embrace!
+A fair city, active with its commerce
+and manufactures, wharves and
+streets lined with stores and dwellings,
+interspersed with churches and schools,
+inhabited by people from every section
+of our country, and from every part of
+Europe, all interested to improve their
+own condition, and all combining to add
+strength and wealth to the Union which
+they agree to respect, love, honor, and
+defend!</p>
+
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_4"></a>
+<h2>The Ante-Norse Discoverers Of America.</h2>
+<p></p>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_5"></a>
+<h3>I. The Mythical Era.</h3>
+
+<p>Who were the first settlers in America?</p>
+
+<p>Within a few years our school-books
+pointed to Cristoval Colon, or Columbus,
+and his crew, as the first within the range
+of history who 'passed far o'er the ocean
+blue' to this hemisphere. Now, however,
+even the school-books&mdash;generally
+the last to announce novel truths&mdash;say
+something of the Norsemen in America,
+though they frequently do it in a discrediting
+and discreditable way. However,
+the old Vikings have triumphed
+once more, even in their graves, and Professor
+Rafn can prove as conclusively
+that his fierce ancestry trod the soil of
+Boston as that the Mayflower Puritans
+followed in their footsteps. It is a dim
+old story, laid away in Icelandic manuscripts,
+and confirmed by but few relics
+on our soil; yet it is strong enough to
+give New England a link to the Middle
+Ages of Europe, with their wildest romance
+and strangest elements. It is
+pleasant to think that far back in the
+night there walked for a short season on
+these shores great men of that hearty
+Norse-Teuton race which in after times
+flowed through France into England, and
+from England through the long course of
+ages hitherward. Among the old Puritan
+names of New England there is more
+than one which may be found in the roll
+of Battle Abbey, and through the Norse-Norman
+spelling of which we trace the
+family origin of fierce sea-kings in their
+lowland isles or rocky lairs on the Baltic.</p>
+
+<p>But there are older links existing between
+America and Europe than this of
+the Norseman. Of these the first is indeed
+buried in mystery&mdash;leading us
+back into that sombre twilight of 'symbolism,'
+as the Germans somewhat obscurely
+call the study of the early ages
+whose records are lost, and which can
+only be traced by reflection in the resemblances
+between mythologies which
+argue a common origin, and the monuments
+remaining, which seem to establish
+it. Yes, America has this in common
+with every country of Asia, Europe,
+and Africa: she has relics which indicate
+that at one time she was inhabited
+by a race which had perhaps the same
+faith, the same stupendous nature-worship,
+with that of the Old World, and
+which was, to reason by analogy, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">possibly</span>
+
+identified by the same language and
+customs. What <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">was</span> this race, this religion,
+this language? Who shall answer?
+Men like Faber, and Higgins,
+and Lajard, with scores of others, have
+unweariedly gathered together all the
+points of resemblance between the religions
+and mythologies of the Hindus
+and Egyptians and Chinese, the Druids
+and the Phenicians, the Etruscans and
+the Scandinavians, and old Sclavonic
+heathen, and found in and between and
+through them all a startling identity:
+everywhere the Serpent, everywhere
+the Queen of Heaven with her child,
+everywhere the cup of life and the bread
+and honey of the mysteries, with the salt
+of the orgie, everywhere a thousand
+fibres twining and trailing into each
+other in bewildering confusion, indicating
+a common origin, yet puzzling beyond
+all hope those who seek to find it.
+So vast is the wealth of material which
+opens on the scholar who seeks to investigate
+this common origin of mythologies,
+and with them the possible early identity
+of races and of languages, that he is
+almost certain to soon bury himself in a
+hypothesis and become lost in some blind
+alley of the great labyrinth.</p>
+
+<p>Certain points appear to have once
+existed in common to nations on every
+part of the earth previous to authentic
+history, and in these America had probably
+more or less her share, as appears
+from certain monuments and relics of
+her early races. They are as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+
+<p>1. A worship of nature, based on the
+inscrutable mystery of generation with
+birth and death. As these two extremes
+caused each other, they were continually
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">identified</span> in the religious myth or symbol
+employed to represent either.</p>
+
+<p>2. This great principle of action, developing
+itself into birth and death, was
+regarded as being symbolized in every
+natural object, and corresponding with
+these there were created myths, or 'stories,'
+
+setting forth the principal mystery
+of nature in a thousand poetic forms.</p>
+
+<p>3. The formula according to which all
+myths were shaped was that of transition,
+or <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">the passing through</span>. The germ,
+in the mother or in the plant, which
+after its sleep reappeared in life, was also
+recognized in Spring, or Adonis, coming
+to light and warmth after the long death
+of winter in the womb of the earth.
+The ark, which floats on the waters,
+bearing within it the regenerator, signified
+the same; so did the cup or horn into
+which the wine of life was poured and
+from which it was drunk; so too did nuts,
+or any object capable of representing latent
+existence. The passing into a cavern
+through a door between pillars or
+rocky passes, or even the wearing of
+rings, all intimated the same mystery&mdash;the
+going into and the coming forth into
+renewed life.</p>
+
+<p>4. But the great active principle which
+lay at the foundation of the mystery of
+birth and death, or of action, was set
+forth by the serpent&mdash;the type of good
+and evil, of life and destruction&mdash;the
+first intelligence. It is the constant recurrence
+of this symbol among the early
+monuments of America, as of the Old
+World, which proves most conclusively
+the existence at one time of a common
+religion, or 'cultus.' It was probably
+meant to signify water from its wavy
+curves, and the snake-like course of rivers,
+as inundation seems to have been,
+according to early faith, the most prolific
+source of the destruction of nature,
+and yet the most active in its revival.</p>
+
+<p>There are in Brittany vast lines of
+massy Druidic stones, piled sometimes for
+leagues in regular order, in such a manner
+as to represent colossal serpents.
+Those who will consult the French <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Dracontia</span>
+will be astonished at the labor
+expended on these strange temples.
+Squier has shown that the earth-works
+of the West represent precisely the
+same symbol. Mexico and South America
+abound, like Europe and the East,
+in serpent emblems; they twine around
+the gods; they are gods themselves;
+they destroy as Typhon, and give life
+in the hands of Esculapius.</p>
+
+<p>In the United States, as in Europe
+and in the East, there are found in steep
+places, by difficult paths, always near
+the banks of streams, narrow, much-worn
+passages in rocks, through which
+one person<a href="#note_10"><span class="footnoteref">10</span></a> can barely squeeze, and
+which were evidently not intended for
+ordinary travel. The passing through
+these places was enjoined on religious
+votaries, as indicating respect for the
+great principle of regeneration. The
+peasants of Europe, here and there,
+at the present day, continue to pass
+through these rock or cave doors, 'for
+luck.' It was usual, after the transition,
+whether into a cave, where mysteries,
+feasts, and orgies were held, significant
+of 'the revival,' or merely through a
+narrow way,&mdash;to bathe in the invariably
+neighboring river; the serpent-river or
+water which drowns organic life, yet
+without which it dies.</p>
+
+<p>In England, at a comparatively recent
+period, and even yet occasionally
+in Scandinavia, the peasantry plighted
+their troth by passing their hands
+through the hole in the 'Odin-stones,'
+and clasping them. Beads and wedding
+rings and 'fairy-stones,' or those
+found with holes in them, were all linked
+to the same faith which rendered sacred
+every resemblance to the 'passing
+through.' The graves of both North and
+
+South America contain abundant evidence
+of the sacredness in which the
+same objects were held. I have a singularly-shaped
+soapstone ornament, taken
+from an Indian grave, whose perforation
+indicates the 'fairy-stone.' The
+religious legends of Mexico and of Peru
+are too identical with many of the Old
+World to be passed over as coincidences;
+the gold images of Chiriqui,
+with their Baal bell-ringing figures, and
+serpent-girt, pot-bellied phallic idols, are
+too strikingly like those of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Old</span> Ireland
+and of the East not to suggest some far-away
+common origin. I have good authority
+for saying that almost every
+symbol, whether of cup or dove, serpent
+or horn, flower or new moon, boat or
+egg, common to Old World mythology,
+may be found set forth or preserved
+with the emphasis of religious emblems
+in the graves or ruined temples of ancient
+North America.</p>
+
+<p>The mass of evidence which has been
+accumulated by scholars illustrative of
+a common origin of mythologies and a
+centralization of them around the serpent;
+or, as G.S. Faber will have it,
+the Ark; or, as some think, the heavenly
+bodies; or, as others claim, simply
+a worship of paternity and maternity,&mdash;is
+immense. Why they should claim
+separate precedence for symbols, all of
+which set forth the one great mystery
+how GOD 'weaves and works in action's
+storm,' is only explicable on the ground
+that 'every scholar likes to have his own
+private little pet hypothesis.' Enough,
+however, may be found to show that this
+stupendous nature-worship <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">was</span> held the
+world over,&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">possibly</span> in the days of a
+single language,&mdash;in America as in ancient
+Italy, or around the sacred mountain-crags
+of India; in Lebanon as in
+Ireland, in the garden-lands of Assyria,
+and in the isles of the South.</p>
+
+<p>Yet all this is as yet, for the truly scientific
+ethnologist, only half-fact, indefinite,
+belonging to the cloud-land of
+fable. The poet or the thinker, yearning
+for a new basis of art, may find in
+the immense mass of legends and symbols
+an identification between all the
+forms of nature in a vast harmony and
+mutual reflection of every beautiful object;
+but for the man of facts it is
+unformed, not arranged, useless. We
+know not the color of the race or races
+which piled the Western mounds; their
+languages are lost; they are vague mist-gods,
+living in a dimmer medium than
+that of mere tradition. So ends the
+first period of intercommunication between
+Asia&mdash;the probable birthplace of
+the old mythology&mdash;and America.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_6"></a>
+<h3>II. The Chinese Discoverers Of Mexico In The Fifth Century.</h3>
+
+<p>But there is a second link, ere we
+come to the Norsemen, which is strong
+enough to merit the favorable consideration
+of the scientific man, for it rests on
+evidence worthy serious investigation.
+I refer to the fact that the Chinese-Annals,
+or Year Books,&mdash;which, according
+to good authority, have been well kept,
+and which are certainly prosaic and
+blue-bookish enough in their mass of dry
+details of embassies and expenditures to
+be highly credible,&mdash;testify that in the
+fifth century the Chinese learned the situation
+of the great peninsula Aliaska,
+which they named Tahan, or Great
+China. Beyond this, at the end of the
+fifth century,&mdash;be it observed that the
+advances in discovery correspond in
+time in the records,&mdash;they discovered a
+land which Deguignes long after identified
+with the north-west coast of America.
+With each discovery, the people
+of these new lands were compelled, or
+were represented at court as having
+been compelled, to send ambassadors
+wife tribute to the Central Realm, or
+China.</p>
+
+<p>But there had been unofficial Chinese
+travelers in Western America, and
+even in Mexico itself, before this time.
+Those who have examined the history
+of that vast religious movement of Asia
+which, contemporary with Christianity,
+shook the hoary faiths of the East, while
+a higher and purer doctrine was overturning
+those of the West, are aware
+that it had many external points or
+forms in common with those of the later
+
+Roman church, which have long been a
+puzzle to the wise. To say nothing
+of mitres, tapers, violet robes, rosaries,
+bells, convents, auricular confession, and
+many other singular identities, the early
+Buddhist church distinguished itself by
+a truly catholic zeal for the making of
+converts, and, to effect this, sent its emissaries
+to Central Africa and Central
+Russia; from the Sclavonian frontier on
+the west to China, Japan, and the farthest
+Russian isles of the east. On
+they went; who shall say where they
+paused? We know that there are at
+this day in St. Petersburg certain books
+on black paper taken from a Buddhist
+temple found in a remote northern corner
+of Russia. It was much less of an
+undertaking, and much less singular,
+that Chinese priests should pass, by short
+voyages, from island to island, almost
+over the proposed Russian route for the
+Pacific telegraph to America. That
+they <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">did so</span> is explicitly stated in the
+Year Books, which contain details relative
+to <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Fusang</span>, or Mexico, where it
+is said of the inhabitants that 'in earlier
+times these people lived not according
+to the laws of Buddha. But it
+happened in the second "year-naming"
+"Great Light" of Song (A.D. 458), that
+five beggar monks, from the kingdom
+Kipin, went to this land, extended over
+it the religion of Buddha, and with it his
+holy writings and images. They instructed
+the people in the principles of
+monastic life, and so changed their manners.'</p>
+
+<p>But I am anticipating my subject.
+In another chapter I propose, on the
+authority of Professor Neumann, a
+learned Sinologist of Munich, to set
+forth the proofs that in the last year of
+the fifth century a Buddhist priest, bearing
+the cloister name of Hoei-schin, or
+Universal Compassion, returned from
+America, and gave for the first time an
+official account of the country which he
+had visited, which account was recorded,
+and now remains as a simple fact among
+the annual registers of the government.</p>
+
+<p>[TO BE CONTINUED.]</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_7"></a>
+<h2>The Spur Of Monmouth.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Twas a little brass half-circlet,</p>
+<p class="l">Deep gnawed by rust and stain,</p>
+<p class="l">That the farmer's urchin brought me,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Plowed up on old Monmouth plain;</p>
+<p class="l">On that spot where the hot June sunshine</p>
+<p class="l">Once a fire more deadly knew,</p>
+<p class="l">And a bloodier color reddened</p>
+<p class="l">Where the red June roses blew;&mdash;</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Where the moon of the early harvest</p>
+<p class="l">Looked down through the shimmering leaves,</p>
+
+<p class="l">And saw where the reaper of battle</p>
+<p class="l">Had gathered big human sheaves.</p>
+<p class="l">Old Monmouth, so touched with glory&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">So tinted with burning shame&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">As Washington's pride we remember,</p>
+<p class="l">Or Lee's long tarnished name.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Twas a little brass half-circlet;</p>
+<p class="l">And knocking the rust away,</p>
+<p class="l">And clearing the ends and the middle</p>
+<p class="l">From their buried shroud of clay,</p>
+<p class="l">I saw, through the damp of ages</p>
+<p class="l">And the thick disfiguring grime,</p>
+<p class="l">The buckle-heads and the rowel</p>
+<p class="l">Of a spur of the olden time.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">And I said&mdash;what gallant horseman,</p>
+<p class="l">Who revels and rides no more,</p>
+<p class="l">Perhaps twenty years back, or fifty,</p>
+<p class="l">On his heel that weapon wore?</p>
+<p class="l">Was he riding away to his bridal,</p>
+<p class="l">When the leather snapped in twain?</p>
+<p class="l">Was he thrown and dragged by the stirrup,</p>
+
+<p class="l">With the rough stones crushing his brain?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Then I thought of the Revolution,</p>
+<p class="l">Whose tide still onward rolls&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">Of the free and the fearless riders</p>
+<p class="l">Of the 'times that tried men's souls.'</p>
+<p class="l">What if, in the day of battle</p>
+
+<p class="l">That raged and rioted here,</p>
+<p class="l">It had dropped from the foot of a soldier,</p>
+<p class="l">As he rode in his mad career?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">What if it had ridden with Forman,</p>
+<p class="l">When he leaped through the open door,</p>
+<p class="l">With the British dragoon behind him,</p>
+<p class="l">In his race o'er the granary floor?</p>
+
+<p class="l">What if&mdash;but the brain grows dizzy</p>
+<p class="l">With the thoughts of the rusted spur;</p>
+<p class="l">What if it had fled with Clinton,</p>
+<p class="l">Or charged with Aaron Burr?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">But bravely the farmer's urchin</p>
+<p class="l">Had been scraping the rust away;</p>
+
+<p class="l">And cleansed from the soil that swathed it,</p>
+<p class="l">The spur before me lay.</p>
+<p class="l">Here are holes in the outer circle&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">No common heel it has known,</p>
+<p class="l">For each space, I see by the setting,</p>
+<p class="l">Once held some precious stone.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">And here&mdash;not far from the buckle&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="l">Do my eyes deceive their sight?&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">Two letters are here engraven,</p>
+<p class="l">That initial a hero's might!</p>
+
+<p class="l">'G.W.'! Saints of heaven!</p>
+<p class="l">Can such things in our lives occur?</p>
+<p class="l">Do I grasp such a priceless treasure?</p>
+<p class="l">Was this <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">George Washington's spur</span>?</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Did the brave old <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Pater Patrioe</span></p>
+<p class="l">Wear that spur like a belted knight&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">Wear it through gain and disaster,</p>
+<p class="l">From Cambridge to Monmouth flight?</p>
+<p class="l">Did it press his steed in hot anger</p>
+<p class="l">On Long Island's day of pain?</p>
+
+<p class="l">Did it drive him, at terrible Princeton,</p>
+<p class="l">'Tween two storms of leaden rain?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">And here&mdash;did the buckle loosen,</p>
+<p class="l">And no eye look down to see,</p>
+<p class="l">When he rode to blast with the lightning</p>
+<p class="l">The shrinking eyes of Lee?</p>
+<p class="l">Did it fall, unfelt and unheeded,</p>
+
+<p class="l">When that fight of despair was won,</p>
+<p class="l">And Clinton, worn and discouraged,</p>
+<p class="l">Crept away at the set of sun?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">The lips have long been silent</p>
+<p class="l">That could send an answer back;</p>
+<p class="l">And the spur, all broken and rusted,</p>
+<p class="l">Has forgotten its rider's track!</p>
+
+<p class="l">I only know that the pulses</p>
+<p class="l">Leap hot, and the senses reel,</p>
+<p class="l">When I think that the Spur of Monmouth</p>
+<p class="l">May have clasped George Washington's heel!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">And if it be so, O Heaven,</p>
+<p class="l">That the nation's destiny holds,</p>
+
+<p class="l">And that maps the good and the evil</p>
+<p class="l">In the future's bewildering folds,</p>
+<p class="l">Send forth some man of the people,</p>
+<p class="l">Unspotted in heart and hand,</p>
+<p class="l">On his foot to buckle the relic,</p>
+<p class="l">And charge for a periled land!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">There is fire in our fathers' ashes;</p>
+
+<p class="l">There is life in the blood they shed;</p>
+<p class="l">And not a hair unheeded</p>
+<p class="l">Shall fall from the nation's head.</p>
+<p class="l">Old bones of the saints and the martyrs</p>
+<p class="l">Spring up at the church's call:&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">God grant that the Spur of Monmouth</p>
+<p class="l">Prove the mightiest relic of all!</p>
+</div>
+
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_8"></a>
+<h2>The Fatal Marriage Of Bill The Soundser.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Reader, possibly you do not know
+what a 'Soundser' is. Then I will tell
+you. In the coastwise part of the State
+of New Jersey in which I live, numerous
+sounds and creeks everywhere divide
+and intersect the low, sea-skirting
+lands, wherein certain people are wont
+to cruise and delve for the sake of securing
+their products, and hence come
+to be known in our homely style as
+Soundsers. The fruitage afforded by
+these sounds is both manifold and of
+price. Throughout all the pleasant
+weather, they yield, with but little intermission,
+that gastronomic gem, the
+terrapin; the succulent, hard-shell clam,
+and the 'soft' crab; the deep-lurking,
+snowy-fleshed hake, or king-fish; the
+huge, bell-voiced drum, and that sheen-banded
+pride of American salt-water
+fishes, the sheepshead. During the
+waning weeks of May, and also with
+the continuance of dog-days, this already
+profuse bounty receives a goodly
+accession in the shape of vast flocks of
+willets, curlews, gray-backs, and other
+marine birds, which, with every ebb
+tide, resort to their shoaler bars and
+flats, to take on those layers of fat
+which the similarly well-conditioned old
+gentleman of the city finds so inexpressibly
+delicious. When the summer is
+once, over, and while the cold weather
+prevails, they furnish another and quite
+new set of dainties. Then the span-long,
+ripe, 'salt' oyster is to be had
+for the raking of their more solidly-bottomed
+basins; and all along their more
+retired nooks and harbors, the gunner,
+by taking proper precautions, may bring
+to bag the somewhat 'sedgy' but still
+well-flavored black duck, the tender
+widgeon, the buttery little bufflehead,
+the incomparable canvas-back, and the
+loud-shrieking, sharp-eyed wild goose.
+All this various booty is industriously
+secured by the 'soundsers,' to find, ere
+long, a ready market in the larger inland
+towns and cities. But united to
+this shooting, fishing, and oyster-catching,
+they have another 'trade' whose
+scene is on the waters, though it connects
+itself with the sea, rather than
+the sounds, and <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">this</span> is 'wrecking.'
+
+They are prompt for this service whenever
+the occasion requires; indeed, I
+sometimes think they prefer it, dangerous
+though it be, before all others. Inured
+as they are to every sort of exposure,
+they are of course a tough and
+rugged race; and what with their diversity
+of occupation, calling, as it does,
+for a constant interchange of the use
+of the gun, net, boat, fishing line, and
+some one or other arm or edge tool,
+they are usually, nay, almost invariably,
+handy and quick-witted.</p>
+
+<p>By far the most notable 'soundser'
+our neighborhood ever bred was my
+hero, BILL. Physically, at least, he
+was a true wonder. He stood full six
+feet two, weighed eleven score pounds,
+and at the same time carried no more
+flesh than sufficed to hide the exact
+outline of his bones. Another man so
+strong as he I have never seen. I have
+repeatedly known him to lift and walk
+off with anchors weighing five and six
+hundred weight; and those big, thick
+hands of his could twist any horseshoe
+as if it were a girl's wreath. Certainly
+he was not in the least graceful; that
+'ponderosity' of his could in no way be
+repressed. But he was still of rude
+comeliness, his shape being squarely fitted
+and tolerably proportioned, while his
+broad, red-maned visage wore a constant
+glow of plain, though sincere,
+kindliness and good-humor.</p>
+
+<p>As his physical man was uncommon,
+so he had uncommon mental endowments.
+He was the only 'soundser' I
+ever knew who understood farming. He
+had inherited a farmstead of some twenty-five
+or thirty acres, and this he soon
+had blooming as the rose. When occasion
+
+required, he wrought on it, day and
+night. He divided it, with truest judgment,
+into proper fields, experimented
+successfully with various kinds of novel
+manures (most of which he obtained
+from the sea), grew stock, planted, in
+rotation, and, with only here and there
+a sympathizer, gave in his full adherence
+to the theory of root culture.
+And he was a mechanic. He could
+build house or barn to the last beam,
+and ship or boat to the last joint; nay,
+he once devised the model of a self-righting
+life-boat, which I have often
+heard shipmasters, and even real shipwrights,
+descant upon in the highest
+terms of praise. Moreover, I can affirm
+that he was a navigator. It is
+true that the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">science</span> of seamanship,
+as set forth in books, he had never
+mastered. But he knew right well
+what winds of a certain force and direction
+foretold, what waves of a certain
+height and aspect meant; and this
+knowledge, combined with a squint,
+now and then, at his pocket compass,
+sufficed to enable him to take a vessel
+with safety anywhere along our coast.</p>
+
+<p>But while my old pal showed high
+abilities in other arts, as a 'soundser'
+and wrecker he was not to be matched.
+He brought to the first of these pursuits
+a clearness of observation which
+would have met the approbation of
+many an acknowledged man of science.
+He knew every sort of food which bird
+and fish fed upon, where it was to be
+found, and the circumstances favorable
+to its production. He knew why the
+game resorted to certain spots yesterday,
+and avoided them to-day; what circumstances&mdash;and
+they are very many&mdash;impelled
+it to joyousness or quietude;
+and what were most of its minor instincts.
+And all this was done <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">thoroughly</span>,
+withal. There was no haphazard
+or uncertainty in any of his
+conclusions. Taking thought of sundry
+conditions, he could tell at any
+time when such a thing was applicable;
+how many sheepsheads one could
+catch in the sounds; whether the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">honk</span>
+of the wild goose, flying overhead, announced
+that he was on his way to a
+fresh-water pool or a bar of gravel;
+whether the black ducks were cooling
+their thirsty gizzards in a woodland
+pond, sitting scattered about the marshes,
+or huddling together on the bosom
+of the sea. In a word, his mind had
+gathered unto itself every law, of the
+least importance, affecting the existence
+of such wild creatures about us
+as cost any pains to bring to hand;
+and thus he was literally master over
+them, and held their lives subject to
+his will. That this power was really
+surprising, will hardly be disputed; and
+since we, his associates, could in no
+way possess ourselves of the like, it
+passed among us for something almost
+miraculous.</p>
+
+<p>Still, brilliant 'soundser' as old Bill
+was, he was far greater as a wrecker;
+since I am now about to relate an occurrence
+in the line which proves him
+a veritable hero. As is perfectly well
+known, our American coast is often
+the scene of fearful storms, which deal
+out wide-spread destruction to mariners.
+With us, these gales are commonest
+in February, and hence this
+month is held in marked dread. Some
+years ago, in the season referred to, a
+storm burst upon our shores, whose
+like only a few of the older among us
+had ever known. After fitfully moaning
+from the northward and eastward
+for a day or two, the wind, one morning,
+finally settled due north-east,&mdash;thus
+sweeping directly upon the land,&mdash;and
+blew a hurricane. It was excessively
+cold, too, yet not so cold but that a
+fine, dry snow was falling, though from
+the fury of the wind this could settle
+nowhere, but was driven, whirling and
+surging, before the blast in dense clouds.
+In short, it was a time of truly unearthly
+wildness; and our hearts sank the
+deeper in us, since we knew what ere
+long must inevitably occur. At last,
+within an hour or two of nightfall, the
+sound of a ship's bell, rung hurriedly,
+pealed towards us along the uproar of
+the tempest, and by this we were made
+aware that a vessel had been wrecked
+
+on a certain shoal rising up in the
+ocean, about two miles from that part
+of the beach nearest our village. To
+go to the rescue of this vessel, at this
+time, was absolutely impossible. For, to
+say nothing of the wrath of the winds,
+the air was so thick with snow that, in
+the speedily advancing hours of darkness,
+in which we should not fail to
+be entrapped, we would be powerless
+to find our way at sea a foot. There
+was no help for it; the poor victims
+of the shipwreck must that very night
+know death in one or another most
+terrifying shape, 'if it was the will
+of the Lord.' With this mournful
+conviction, about twenty of us gathered
+at old Bill's house with the closing
+in of a darkness as of Tartarus,
+and kept its watches. The anger of
+the storm abated in no way whatever
+till morning, and then the sole change
+that took place was a somewhat thinner
+aspect of the driving snow. Yet,
+even when this was discerned, every
+man of us hastened to draw over his
+ordinary winter garb an oil-cloth suit
+which enveloped him from head to foot,
+and soberly announced himself ready
+to do his duty in the strait. That we
+should be exposed to the greatest dangers
+was absolutely certain; and whether
+a single survivor of the terrors of
+that awful night yet clung to the few
+frail timbers in the sea, for us to rescue,
+none but Heaven knew; still, the
+manhood of each demanded that what
+was possible to be done in the matter
+we should at least attempt.</p>
+
+<p>And so we started; the leader being
+old Bill, who to some end, that I could
+not then divine, bore a boat-sail bundled
+on his back. Our first business
+was to make way to our surf or life boat.
+This lay about three miles from the village,
+reckoning as the crow flies, and
+was sheltered under a rude house which
+stood on the shores of a bay opening by
+an inlet into the sea. Our common
+way of gaining this house was through
+a circuitous passage of the sounds; but
+these we soon discovered, in consonance
+with a previous prediction of old Bill's,
+were entirely frozen over save in certain
+parts of their channels; and hence, this
+route being unnavigable for such boats
+as were at hand, which, without exception,
+were light gunning and fishing
+skiffs, we were forced to avail ourselves
+of a barely practicable land track of
+which we knew, and which, as it led
+about among the marshes, was also circuitous.
+And the necessity of choosing
+this land path added to our difficulties,
+in that we were forced to provide ourselves
+with a small batteau and drag it
+behind us, to be able to cross many
+ditches and sloughs with which it was
+barred, and which, particularly along
+their edges, were never really frozen.
+After toiling and battling for a long period,
+and at the same time having to
+face the most painfully cutting wind
+that burst unobstructedly over the level
+area of the marshes, we at last reached
+the house wherein the life-boat lay, and
+when old Bill had scrutinized its oars,
+and stored it with a mingled collection
+of cordage, canvas and spars, we ran
+it into the water. But now another
+trouble arose. The bay, like the sounds
+of which indeed it formed a part, was
+covered with ice,&mdash;either in solid sheets,
+or that thick slush, peculiar to ocean estuaries,
+which is chiefly known as 'porridge
+ice,'&mdash;and, from its comparative
+shallowness, covered so densely, too,
+that if we had trusted to getting our
+boat out of it by sheer rowing, it would
+have taken us the entire day so to do.
+In this emergency nothing would serve
+but that we must advance bodily into
+the water, and, crushing and clearing
+away the ice with our feet, drag the
+boat, in a depth at least sufficient for
+her to float, to the entrance of the inlet,
+where the current ran so strongly that
+no ice could gather. After a severely
+trying amount of labor, this point was
+finally gained, and we stood fairly in
+front of the tall, thundering breakers;
+whereupon each man nimbly jumped to
+his place in the craft, that of steersman
+being the post of old Bill.</p>
+
+<p>As we gave way on our oars, we shot
+along the inlet without much difficulty;
+
+and presently old Bill announced that,
+he caught a faint sight of the wreck in
+the distance&mdash;to all appearance 'most
+all gone but the hull.' But we had little
+or no opportunity to indulge in speculation
+or remark on the discovery, for
+in a moment or two we began to oppose
+the wildness of the open main, and the
+hour of our real trial set in. For the
+first time we could now appreciate the
+full force of the gale. Good Heavens,
+how it blew! The waters seemed alive
+and in direst convulsion. Everywhere
+huge walls of breakers were constantly
+upheaved to be felled and shattered
+with a roar as of some terrific cannonade;
+while the air became the arena for
+a helter-skelter tossing of sheets of spray,
+clots of froth, and spirts of brine, which
+plentifully assailed our poor boat in their
+madness, and, besides partially filling her
+with slush, encased every man in a complete
+coating of ice. If our craft had
+not been modeled with the very highest
+degree of skill, and if our steersman had
+not been one of a thousand, we could
+have made no headway at all in this
+appalling tumult. As it was, our advance
+was of the weakest, and its success
+seemed very doubtful, let our efforts
+be what they might. Not but
+what we could sufficiently hold our own
+in the swirl of the vanquished waves;
+but when they swooped upon us in their
+full stature, they not only sent the boat
+back as if she had been a mere feather,
+but with a second's awkwardness on the
+part of old Bill they would have flung
+her clean over from stem to stern, and
+our places among the living would have
+been vacant. Having strained every
+nerve for nearly two hours, we were
+still but part way through the breakers,
+while some of the men began to complain
+of fatigue; with which old Bill
+seized a favorable opportunity to put
+the boat about, and we were swept
+ashore on the beach as in the twinkling
+of an eye. Here, we secured our boat
+by hauling her high and dry on the
+strand; freed her from the slush and
+water which had gained in her bottom;
+and then retired to the leeward of a
+range of sand hills near by, to recruit
+our energies.</p>
+
+<p>With full leisure to ponder over the
+difficulties confronting our expedition,
+some few of the crew now began to
+
+'speak it foully,' and even to emit gruff
+proposals to return homewards. But to
+these waverers old Bill at once administered
+the sternest rebuke; and, as they
+at last held their peace, he averred with
+a gay smile (for he dearly loved the
+presence of danger, and could never be
+brought to look on it other than as a
+rough sort of irresponsible horse-play,
+over which he was sure in one way or
+another to gain the mastery), that he
+had now weighed all the conditions of
+the pass, and that the next time we attempted
+it we should assuredly prevail.
+This assertion, coming from such a source,
+encouraged one and all very greatly;
+and ere long we cheerfully launched
+our boat once more, and again began to
+tug at the quivering oars. In a very
+little while it became apparent enough
+that the tactics that Bill intended to
+adopt in our present venture were very
+different from those put in practice with
+the last. Instead of boldly facing the
+breakers as he had heretofore done, he
+now began his maneuvering by laying
+us directly in the trough of the sea,&mdash;planting
+the boat a little crosswise, however,
+so as to prevent an untoward swell
+from riding over her side and thus filling
+her,&mdash;and the instant he saw an advancing
+breaker beginning to fracture,
+as a prelude to its downfall and destruction,
+he boldly sped us, when the thing
+was at all practicable, straight in the
+teeth of the gap, and as it proceeded to
+widen, we shot through it, with the surf
+leaping and tossing on either hand high
+above our heads. This stroke could have
+been possible only to a steersman possessed
+of herculean strength, combined
+with the rarest daring and coolness;
+and, as the result of these qualities, it
+was exceedingly effective. It lessened
+the danger of our being capsized almost
+entirely. Indeed, the sole mishap
+that was threatened by so doing, was
+the liability to being swamped by the
+
+falling fragments of the breakers; but
+this peril old Bill declared we might
+safely trust he would also avert. It being
+the nature of humanity to experience
+a mood of high exaltation with the
+surmounting of any serious obstacle, we
+now worked our way with minds light
+and cheery, and with all thoughts of anything
+like fatigue completely forgotten.
+Though our course was on the whole a
+zigzag one, and though we certainly
+met with one or two serious rebuffs, we
+were constantly gaining headway, and
+in something over an hour forced the
+last line of the breakers, and stemmed
+what on ordinary occasions would have
+been simply the blue body of the Atlantic.
+But even here a huge commotion
+was reigning, though our progress was
+far less tedious than it had previously
+been; and with about another hour's labor
+we were alongside the wreck, and
+had climbed to her deck.</p>
+
+<p>The plight of the vessel was mournful
+enough. She had evidently been built
+for a three-masted schooner, but, as Bill
+had observed when he first obtained a
+view of her, everything about her was
+well-nigh gone save her hull. Her bulwarks
+had been thoroughly crushed, and
+so the sea had successively torn away
+her boats, shivered her galley and wheelhouse,
+and filled her cabin and hold.
+Her masts were also destroyed, the fore
+and mizzen masts being carried away
+from their steppings, and the main-mast
+broken completely in twain just above
+the cross-trees. But a sight still more
+desolate, as well as harrowing, yet awaited
+us, as, in overhauling the sail-encumbered
+shrouds of the partially standing
+mast, we discovered several ice-bound
+figures rigidly hanging therein, which,
+being cut away and lowered to our boat,
+proved to be the body of a negro perfectly
+stark and dead, and three most
+pitiable white sailors, whose life was so
+far extinguished that they could neither
+move hand nor foot, nor utter more than
+the feeblest moans.</p>
+
+<p>When we had covered the face of the
+dead and sheltered the well-nigh dead as
+best we could in the bottom of our boat,
+of course our chief thought was to return
+to the shore as swiftly as possible. But
+on this head there was no call to entertain
+the smallest solicitude; for after old
+Bill, from a motive that we could not
+yet name, had 'stepped' a mast through
+one of the foremost thwarts of the boat,
+and rigged a sail all ready to be spread,
+we cast off from the wreck, and presently,
+dropping into the full strength of the
+wind, were swept onward like an arrow,
+with scarce the least use of any other
+oar than that in the hands of our stalwart
+steersman. Speedily crossing the
+outer waters, we leaped and bounded
+over the breakers; and when old Bill, as
+we were rushing along the inlet, gave
+orders for the hoisting of the sail, we
+not only hastened to obey him, but immediately
+saw an all-important reason
+for the command. For we were now
+about entering the ice of the sounds;
+and as the boat flew in its midst, her
+stiff, tight sail drove her through the
+stubborn obstruction as easily and in
+much the same manner as the steam
+plow rips up the matted bosom of the
+prairies. In due season we reached the
+landing where we usually disembarked
+from the sounds, and where we found a
+wagon awaiting us, to which we bore
+our sad freightage, and led the way for
+old Bill's house. On arriving, we laid
+the corpse in an outbuilding and carried
+the sailors into a bedroom. But what
+was to be next done? To tell the
+truth, most of us knew no more than so
+many children. But here our leader
+again showed his knowledge. Strongly
+condemning the lighting of a fire in the
+apartment,&mdash;which some one was about
+to do,&mdash;he set us busily at work bringing
+him a good supply of tubs, and
+buckets of cold water, into which he
+dipped the naked persons of the sufferers;
+and as this treatment, combined
+with a patient, gentle chafing, which
+was also administered, at last restored
+the flow of their vital forces, he gave
+them a few spoonfuls of broth apiece,
+and, while they looked a gratefulness
+they could nowise express, lifted them
+like babes with his giant arms to warm
+
+beds, where they fell into what was at
+first a fitful, broken slumber, but finally
+a childlike, placid sleep. They were
+saved!</p>
+
+<p>If the reader is now curious to know
+why a man like old Bill was not a patrician
+and captain in the campaign of
+life, rather than the mere private and
+plebeian he was, I can answer that there
+were several things which impeded that
+consummation. His character, though
+of wonderful height and force in some
+respects, was, after all, without true discipline,
+and presented many glaring incongruities.
+Thus, whatever he had of
+what could really be named ambition
+was satisfied when he had surprised us
+'soundsers;' and our praise&mdash;and we
+lavished it upon him in full measure, as
+we knew he liked it&mdash;was all the praise
+he seemed to desire. Then, he was altogether
+one of us in his notions of pleasure
+and recreation. Like the rest of us,
+he cordially appreciated the sparkling
+product of the New England distilleries,
+and far more than any of us&mdash;to such
+a pitch did his animal spirits rule&mdash;he
+relished our broad sea-side jokes and
+songs, and as well our rattling jigs and
+hornpipes. As for others attempting to
+elevate him to a more exalted station,
+the thing was simply impossible. When
+led of his own accord to seek other society
+than ours, he could by no means
+content himself with the companionship
+of staid practical persons, who on account
+of his latent worth would have
+readily countenanced, and with the least
+opportunity even served him, but he invariably
+paid his court to adventurers;
+such creatures, for instance, as seedy
+'professors' of one kind or another, who,
+in the inevitable shawl and threadbare
+suit of black, were constantly dismounting
+at the village tavern, with proposals
+either to 'lecture' on something, or
+'teach' somewhat, as the case might
+happen to be, and who, having no affinity
+whatever with the brawny, awkward
+Viking who fondly hung on their shabby-genteel
+skirts, amused themselves at his
+greenness, or pooh-pooh'd him altogether,
+as they saw fit. And when, as it not unfrequently
+happened, official and influential
+individuals at a distance were
+moved by the story of his renown to pay
+him their respects in person, and listen
+courteously and gravely to his opinions,
+his discrimination stood him in no better
+stead, for as soon as he possibly could
+he bent the conference towards a sailor's
+revel, and astonished his stately visitants
+by singing the spiciest songs, and sometimes
+even by a Terpsichorean display
+in full costume; for he was excessively
+proud of his accomplishments in this
+line, and implicitly believed that the
+shaking of his elephantine limbs, and the
+whirling of his broad, coatless flanks,
+formed a spectacle so tasteful and entertaining,
+that no one could fail to enjoy
+it to the utmost. Assuredly I have
+now said enough as to old Bill's incapacities
+for a grander role in life. In
+reality that part of a lofty manhood to
+which he at first sight seemed fitted, was
+not his; for, properly speaking, he was
+not an actual man, but a boy&mdash;a grand
+and glorious boy, if you will, but yet a
+very boy; and at length he met the fate
+of a boy, as we shall learn.</p>
+
+<p>Once more we were engaged upon a
+wreck. But this time it was in no hyperborean
+tempest that we were called
+forth, but when the very sweetest airs
+of June were blowing. The case demanding
+our aid was that of a wrecking
+schooner which had gaily left her
+moorings in New York harbor to pick
+up a summer's living along the coast,
+but had inadvertently cut up some of
+her capers rather too near our beach,
+and so with one fine ebb tide found herself
+stranded. As it was an instance of
+sickness in the regularly graduated and
+scientific college itself, our whole shore
+was intensely 'tickled' at the accident.
+And again, as this doctress, like many
+another ailing leech, was quite incapable
+of curing her own suffering, her toddy-blossom-faced
+bully of a New York captain
+was pleased to salute old Bill with
+cup high in air, and beg that he would
+take a sufficient force and heave the
+distressed craft into deep water. Thus
+a crew of us were called together and
+
+set to work at the vessel. As the
+weather was so warm and beautiful, and
+as bed and board were at this time to
+be had on the beach, we agreed among
+us that our convenience would be the
+better served by taking up our temporary
+quarters near the scene of our labors.
+Now, the place where we were
+offered the necessary accommodation
+consisted of an ancient plank-built tenement,
+which stood behind a sand-ridge
+that a far younger Atlantic than ours
+had piled up, and then, retreating, abandoned.
+In winter this rude domicile was
+bare and tenantless; but in the summer
+months it was usually occupied by some
+thriftless gammer or gaffer from the
+main-land, who, having stocked it with
+a few of the coarsest household goods,
+and whatever provisions came to hand,
+offered entertainment to such wreckers
+and 'soundsers' as happened to be in
+its vicinity. The present incumbent of
+the hostel was a woman, claiming to be
+a widow, of the name of Rose; bearing
+in most respects no resemblance whatever
+to any of her predecessors. Where
+she was born, or had hitherto resided,
+none of us knew: all that gossip could,
+gather was that she had unexpectedly
+descended from a passing vessel with
+her effects and entered directly the
+abandoned house. When questioned as
+to the scene of her earlier life, she
+vaguely gave answer that she had disported
+herself largely in 'Philadelphy;'
+but as no 'Philadelphy' woman that
+ever walked through a doorway was or
+is able to compound a chowder or bake
+a clam pie worthy of the name, and as
+Madame Rose understood how to prepare
+both these luxuries to a charm, her
+statement must have been false; she was,
+undoubtedly, a 'coast-wise' lady, and
+one who knew who Jack was as well as
+he himself did. Her appearance was,
+on the whole, agreeable. She was tall,
+slender, of regular features, and, though
+indisputably on the shady side of forty,
+was still free from any signs that would
+proclaim her charms to be on the wane.
+I remember in particular that she had
+long, white and regular teeth, thereby
+strongly contrasting with our native women,
+who as a rule lose their teeth early.
+Her manners were very novel to us.
+She was invariably of a simpering, ducking
+turn, and interlarded her curt speech
+with curiously hard words. In dress she
+carried matters with an incomparably
+high hand. She wore hoops 'all day
+long,'&mdash;a freak then never even so
+much as thought of in our village,&mdash;adorned
+her fingers with many rings,
+and her throat with large florid brooches,
+and in the evening, after having brought
+her household duties to a close, sat here
+or there with her sewing, in silks (though
+perhaps not of the newest), or other
+highly-civilized stuffs.</p>
+
+<p>Most of our crew regarded their hostess
+with greatly mingled feelings; but
+old Bill entertained but one sentiment
+for her,&mdash;that of unqualified admiration.
+As we only 'wrought' at the
+stranded schooner on the high water,&mdash;some
+five hours out of the twenty-four,&mdash;he
+had plenty of opportunity to dangle
+after his dearie, and did so unremittingly.
+While the rest of us were either
+napping, dancing the lively 'straight
+four,' hunting herns' eggs among the
+sand-hills, and so on, according to our
+inclination, he, in far more romantic
+mood, seized all possible opportunities
+to quickly gather fire-wood for his
+charmer, fill her tea-kettle, open whatever
+clams and oysters she was about to
+cook, and, above all, to recount for her
+delight one of those inimitable yarns of
+his, at whose points he himself was sure
+to laugh till the rafters of the house
+shook and the plates in the dresser rattled
+again. But this was merely the
+first stage of his passion. Before long,
+as is not unusual in such cases, it took
+another and more bodeful turn. That
+inextinguishable laughter of his was
+heard no more, or at best gave place to
+a feeble tittering; his stories dropped
+from his lips with but flat pungency;
+and instead of performing his lady-love's
+'chores' with a mirthful readiness,
+he went through them in a heartsick
+way, the while directing towards
+her furtive looks of supplication. The
+
+true state of matters was now obvious
+to all Old Bill was another fatally-stricken
+victim of that spooney archer-boy
+who next to death holds dominion
+over men; and with his case, thus momentous,
+we could but feel a renewed
+interest in his behalf, and busy our
+tongues about him. I, for my part,
+thought that as he was a widower, and
+needful of a wife to comfort him in his
+advancing age, and that as the present
+object of his affections, if not a highly
+
+'forcible' woman, seemed at all events
+to be one of whom no great harm was to
+be feared, there could be no valid objection
+to his being joined to her; particularly
+if nothing was divulged proving
+her to be other than what she seemed.
+But this view I found to be on the whole
+unacceptable to my auditory. Almost
+to a man they condemned the propriety
+of the match. It could not actually be
+said that they disliked Mrs. Hose, but
+they were jealous of her, as, in her manner
+and style of array, she considerably
+dimmed the lustre of their own women;
+and they distrusted her as she was a
+stranger; it being a marked habit with
+most of our folks to distrust all strangers
+save those from whom they expect pecuniary
+awards. But meanwhile, notwithstanding
+this criticism, the little
+idyl in our midst was developing itself
+apace. On the afternoon of one beautiful
+Sunday, a day in which we of
+course ordinarily did no work, when
+the dinner-table had been well cleared
+away, what should we see but old Bill
+swinging forth with his sailor gait from
+the house, and arrayed as jauntily as his
+check shirt and pea-jacket (his only suit
+of apparel at hand) would permit, to be
+speedily followed by Mrs. Rose, who
+with one set of finger-tips held up the
+light folds of a sweetly blue lawn skirt,
+and with the other bore aslant before
+her a bewitching pink parasol. Undoubtedly
+there was a great indulgence
+in sly winks and suppressed titterings
+on the part of such of us as chanced to
+be witnesses of this at once festal and
+sentimental sally; but the twain heeded
+naught whatsoever of these manifestations,
+but struck off along the snow-white
+strand where the sea was droning its
+hymn so lazily that it would have inevitably
+put itself to sleep, if the fish-hawks
+had not so continually disturbed it by
+mischievously diving headlong into its
+bosom. At last they returned again;
+and we soon became aware that the
+stroll had not been without great results
+to both; since Mrs. Rose affected to be
+laboring under a high degree of emotion,
+and retired to the privacy of her apartment,
+while old Bill was by no means
+the dolorous swain of a few hours before,
+but, making his way among us, with his
+wide mouth stretching its best, proceeded
+formally to shake hands with one and
+all as though he had finally got back from
+a long and arduous voyage; and then,
+merrily calling for a certain brown jug
+which was among our stores, removed
+the corn-cob which served as a cork,
+and having wetted his great heart with
+a draught which I have no doubt measured
+a full pint, fell, entirely regardless
+of the day, to performing his most spirited
+hoe-down, while the most of us looked
+on with a mirth that knew no bounds.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, old Bill was now 'a happy man,'
+Mrs. Rose could but accept such a suitor
+as he, if but from the fact that; his ardor
+and his pain were of the freshest complexion,
+and of an amplitude fully proportioned
+to that of his extraordinary
+physical bulk. As we tendered him our
+congratulations upon his happy state, he
+received the courtesy with extreme complacency.
+But, to tell the truth, those
+who did thus congratulate him were but
+few. Most of the men remained of their
+old mind as to the proposed match; indeed,
+I ere long found that they looked
+upon it with less favor than ever. It
+appeared that they had been inflamed
+with a rumor that Mrs. Rose intended
+to beguile her adorer to a foreign shore,
+where a scion or two of her brilliant
+house found happy sustenance; and that
+nothing but evil could accrue from such
+an act, was of course as clear as noonday.
+Now, when I came to trace this
+rumor to its source, I became apprised
+that it owed its publicity to an old man
+
+of our number known by the nickname
+of 'Mister,' who was remarkable for a
+rare amount of credulity, self-conceit,
+and obstinacy, and at the same time for
+being the invariable butt of his company.
+This wiseacre averred that he
+had succeeded in wringing from Mrs.
+Rose the confession that directly she and
+old Bill were made man and wife, they
+were to depart for Hatteras Inlet, on the
+coast of North Carolina, where the lady
+gay possessed 'relations;' and this narrative,
+wofully muttered about among
+our crew, and accompanied with a due
+amount of sighs and head-shakings, had
+depressed them most fearfully, not withstanding
+the character of the narrator.</p>
+
+<p>The fact of the matter was, that most
+of the men were actually desirous that
+a betrothal, contracted directly in the
+face of public opinion, and without the
+smallest deference to anybody, as that of
+old Bill and Mrs. Rose had been, should
+come to some kind of grief or other, and
+they were fain to believe that it would
+do so. As for me, I was without true
+concern on the subject, as I had ever
+been. If it should indeed fall out that
+old Bill was to take a trip to Hatteras
+with his bride, I was convinced that he
+would enjoy himself famously among the
+great abundance of fish and game said
+to abound in that place, and that in the
+end he would return to us again, to rule
+over us in greater splendor than ever;
+as for his sweetheart or any of her like
+doing him any actual injury, the idea
+seemed so preposterous to me, that whenever
+an opportunity presented itself I
+did not fail to ridicule it to the utmost.
+Still, in order to do my whole duty in
+the matter, I hastened to impress old
+Bill with the importance of his becoming
+acquainted with the antecedents of
+his lady-love, and thus saving himself
+from the possibility of a misstep. But
+this counsel did no farther good than to
+bring a clouded brow to my dear old
+friend, and so I did not persist in it.
+Indeed, we communed together but little
+more in any way; for very shortly
+after he resigned his place as our 'boss,'
+and left post-haste for the main-land.
+Here, as was revealed to me in due season,
+he amazed the neighborhood by incontinently
+renting his farmstead to a
+son with whom he had been on indifferent
+terms for years; dispatching his
+daughter, who had heretofore acted as
+his housekeeper, off to a distant town
+to become an apprentice to a milliner's
+trade; and stowing his clothes and a
+shot-bag of hard money which he was
+known to possess into a sailor's chest,
+with which, together with his gun and a
+Methodist preacher, he again hurried off
+for the asylum of his beloved. Arrived
+once more in the witching presence, he
+waited till evening (yet how he was
+constrained so to do is more than I can
+tell), and then, as we made it a duty to
+be gathered about him once more, the
+wedding took place.</p>
+
+<p>The occasion was one of such interest,
+that the preacher could but make the
+most of it. After the nuptial benediction
+had been pronounced, he straightway
+launched forth into a homily of
+such graciousness and force, that but
+few of us missed being forcibly wrought
+upon, while Mrs. Rose was stirred apparently
+to the depths of her being.
+On the day succeeding the marriage,
+our light-hearted Benedict abandoned
+himself to another jollification. But the
+next morning, a schooner headed in
+towards the beach, and, slackening the
+peaks of her sails, sent ashore a yawl,
+whose crew saluted Mrs. Rose as an old
+and familiar friend, and with whose apparition,
+without the least regard as to
+what shift we wreckers were to make, a
+great packing was begun in the house.
+Bedsteads were taken down, beds were
+bundled up in sheets, crockery was thrust
+away in barrels, and all borne one after
+the other to the yawl, where the bride,
+with her potent parasol full spread, and
+pretending to shudder at the sight of the
+gently heaving breakers through which
+she was soon to pass, mincingly threw
+herself in the thick of the luggage, and
+old Bill mounted the stern, with his
+huge palm extended for a good-by
+shake. 'Good-by, old chap,' said I, as
+I took his hand the last of all, 'good-by!
+
+You're not half mean enough to
+stay away from us forever; so in the
+meantime do your best to show the Hatteras
+boys what a nice thing it is to be
+somebody in the world!' And thus the
+boat put off, and, reaching the schooner
+in a few moments, was hoisted to her
+decks. In a few moments more the
+vessel had reset her sails, and, with a
+free wind, bore straight to the southward
+out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>Now comes the singular part of my
+story. In a few weeks from the time of
+their sailing, we heard that old Bill and
+his wife had safely landed at Hatteras
+Inlet, and rented a small house on one
+of the beaches there, with the intention
+of opening a kind of tavern; but no
+sooner were they fairly settled in their
+new abode than old Bill was found one
+morning <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">dead in his bed</span>, with evident
+signs of having met with foul play;
+though what kind of death these indications
+pointed at was very uncertain.</p>
+
+<p>The closest and shrewdest investigation
+failed to attach a well-grounded
+suspicion to any one. Poor Bill was
+dead&mdash;and nothing more was ever
+known. Singular enough, the conduct
+of his widow was such as to entirely
+avert even from her enemies hints of
+complicity in the crime,&mdash;if crime there
+was,&mdash;though none doubted that there
+had been a murder, and that murder in
+a few attendant circumstances seemed
+to indicate female aid. Shortly after this
+catastrophe, Madame Rose made 'a vendue'
+of her deceased husband's gun and
+apparel, packed up her own worldly
+goods, and vanished, to be heard of no
+more.</p>
+
+<p>And so our shore lost its best 'soundser'&mdash;a
+man of mark in his way, great
+of frame and heart, and one long to be
+recalled in our humble annals of wrecking
+and of sport. He was one of those
+vigorous out-croppings of sturdy Northern
+physique recalling in minute detail
+the stories told of those giant children,
+the Vikings and Goths of the fighting
+ages, and which the blood, though as
+healthy as ever,&mdash;witness the glorious
+exploits of our soldiers even as I write,&mdash;produces
+less frequently in these days
+of culture. Such as I have described
+was the character of Bill the Soundser,
+and such was literally and truly his mysterious
+death.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_9"></a>
+<h2>Columbia To Britannia.</h2>
+
+<p>VIA SHAKSPEARE.</p>
+
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Thou cold-blooded slave,</p>
+<p class="l">Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side?</p>
+
+<p class="l">Been sworn my soldier? bidding me depend</p>
+<p class="l">Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength?</p>
+<p class="l">And dost thou now fall over to my foes,</p>
+<p class="l">And wear a lion's hide? Doff it for shame,</p>
+<p class="l">And hang a calf's skin on those recreant limbs.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">KING JOHN, III. 1.</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_10"></a>
+
+
+<h2>General Lyon.</h2>
+
+
+<p>To-day all the Northland shouts for
+joy, flashes its announcements of victory
+along myriad leagues of wire, hurls
+them from grim cannon mouths out over
+broad bays till the seas tremble with
+sympathy, huzzas in the streets, flames
+in bonfires, would even clash the clouds
+together and streak the heavens with
+lightning&mdash;and for what? The flag
+waves again in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama,
+Arkansas, and the cause is safe!
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">The cause</span>&mdash;have we all learned what
+that means, brother Americans? Something
+broader than mere Union, the
+pass-word of so many thousands to suffering
+and death, something more than
+the freedom of the press and the ballot-box.
+It means Progress; and until we
+acknowledge this, all freedom is a vast
+injustice, luring men on to Beulahs which
+Fate&mdash;the fate they worship&mdash;will never
+have them reach. It would be little
+enough to regain our foothold upon
+Southern territory, or repossess Southern
+forts, even if forts and territory have
+been wrested from us by treason and perjury,
+if with every mile of advance we
+did not gain a stronghold of principle.
+We are not straining every nerve, struggling
+under immense financial burdens,
+wrenching away tender household ties,
+sacrificing cheerfully and eagerly private
+interests, brilliant prospects, and
+high hopes, only to prove that twenty
+millions of men are physically stronger
+than twelve. God forbid! This is no
+latter-day Olympic game, whoso victors
+are to be rewarded with the applause
+of a party or a generation. All the
+dead heroes and martyrs of the past will
+crowd forward to offer their unheard
+thanks; all the years to come will embalm
+with blessings the memory of the
+patriots who open the door to wide advancement,
+prosperous growth, and high
+activity of a universal intelligence.</p>
+
+<p>And among these brave men, whom
+the world shall delight to honor, let our
+deepest grief and our justest pride be
+for LYON. We have given his honest
+life too little notice;&mdash;this man whose
+sincerity was equalled only by his zeal;
+who, in a rarely surpassed spirit of self-abnegation,
+was content to lie down and
+die in the first heat of the great conflict,
+and to leave behind for more favored
+comrades the triumphal arches and rose-strewn
+paths of victory. The world has
+known no truer martyr than he who fell
+at Wilson's Creek, August 10th, 1861.</p>
+
+<p>'The history of every man paints his
+character,' says Goethe; and scanty and
+imperfect as are the recorded details of
+General Lyon's life, enough is known to
+prove him to have been high-minded
+and brave as a soldier, with a perseverance
+and a penetration that analyzed at
+once the platforms of contending factions,
+and read in their elements the
+principles which are to govern the future
+of our nation.</p>
+
+<p>He came of the stout Knowlton stock
+of Connecticut, a family of whom more
+than one served England in the old
+French war, and afterward distinguished
+themselves against her in the Revolution.
+We hear of the gallant Captain Knowlton
+at Bunker Hill, throwing up, in default
+of cotton, the breastwork of hay,
+which proved such an efficient protection
+to the provincials during the battle.
+Once more he appears as colonel, at
+Harlem Plains, rushing with his Rangers
+('Congress' Own') upon the enemy on
+the Plains, and, cut off shortly from retreat
+by reinforcements, fighting bravely
+between the foes before and their reserves
+behind, and, falling at last, borne
+away by sorrowing comrades, and buried
+at sunset within the embankments. 'A
+brave man,' wrote Washington, 'who
+would have been an honor to any country.'
+
+With the memory of such a hero
+engrafted upon his earliest childhood,
+we can not wonder at the bent of the
+boy Lyon's inclinations. 'Daring and
+
+resolute, and wonderfully attached to
+his mother,' it is easy to imagine what
+lessons of endurance and decision he
+learned from her, whose just inheritance
+was the stout-hearted patriotism that
+had flowered into valorous deeds in her
+kindred, and was destined to live again
+in her son. It was, an ordinary childhood,
+and a busy, uneventful youth,
+passed for the most part in the old red
+farm-house nestled between two rocky
+hills near Eastport, where he was born.
+In 1837 he entered the Military Academy
+at West Point, and was a graduate,
+with distinction, four years later. Of
+the years immediately following, we have
+little information; but we can fancy the
+young soldier laying, in his obscurity,
+the foundation for that practical military
+knowledge which so eminently distinguished
+his late brilliant career. During
+his years of service in the Everglades
+of Florida, and on our Western frontier,
+he had ample opportunity to gain a thorough
+insight into his profession.</p>
+
+<p>He first appears in the history of the
+country in the Mexican war, is present
+at the bombardment of Vera Cruz,
+dashes after the enemy at Cerro Gordo,
+capturing on the crest of the hill a battery
+which he turns upon the discomfited
+foe. At Contreras his command
+proves as impenetrable as a phalanx of
+Alexander; and when at last the victorious
+Americans fight their way into Mexico,
+the city of fabulous treasures and associations
+well-nigh classical, for the first
+time he receives a wound. He was breveted
+captain for his gallantry at Cherubusco,
+and at the end of the war received
+the rank of full captain, and was ordered
+with his regiment to California. No appointment
+could have been more felicitous.
+In the guerilla mode of warfare
+demanded by the peculiar nature of the
+country and its inhabitants, his habits of
+quick decision, and the experience of a
+war with an enemy equally unscrupulous
+though less undisciplined, were absolutely
+invaluable. Here was no scope
+for the conception and excitation of
+deep-laid schemes; the movements of the
+enemy were too rapid. Plans that would
+elsewhere have been matured only in
+the process of a long campaign, were
+here often originated and completed in
+a single night. Simple strategy was
+of more avail than the most intricate
+display of military science, and the impulse
+of a moment more to be relied upon
+than the prudent forethought of a
+month. He had to combat, in the newly-acquired
+territory, the cunning of tribes
+whose natural ferocity was sharpened
+into vindictiveness by the encroachments
+upon their soil of a new and
+strange people; and every association
+with the intruders, who were for the
+most part men of little reputation and
+less principle, had developed in the Indians
+only the fiercest and most decided
+animosity. To encounter their vigilance
+with watchfulness as alert, to confound
+their swift counsels with sudden alarm,
+to penetrate their ambuscades and anticipate
+their cunning with incessant activity,
+to be, in short, ubiquitous, was
+the duty of Captain Lyon.</p>
+
+<p>After years spent in the uncertain
+tactics of this half barbaric warfare, he
+was removed, in the height of political
+strife in Kansas, to its very centre.
+Here, while comparatively free from the
+wearisome requirements of active service
+such as had been demanded in California,
+and at a time when events the
+most portentous proved clearly to the
+great minds of the country the advance
+of a political crisis whose consequences
+must be most important, involving&mdash;should
+deep-laid conspiracy be successful&mdash;the
+bankruptcy of principle and
+that high-handed outrage, the triumph,
+of a minority,&mdash;Captain Lyon had full
+liberty and abundant opportunity to settle
+for himself the great questions mooted
+in the Missouri Compromises, the Lecompton
+Constitutions and the Dred
+Scott decisions of the day. To a mind
+unprejudiced, except as the honest impulses
+of every honest man's heart are
+always prejudiced in favor of the right,
+there was but a single decision. Disgusted
+with the heartless policy which
+democracy had for so many years pursued,
+and which now threatened to culminate
+
+either in its utter degradation at
+the North, or in the establishment in the
+South of an oligarchy which would annihilate
+all free action and suppress all free
+opinion, he severed his connection with
+that party,&mdash;a step to which he was
+also impelled by the injustice that was
+then seeking to force upon the people
+of Kansas an institution which they condemned
+as unproductive and expensive,
+to say nothing of their moral repugnance
+to the very A B C of its principles.
+It was at this time that Captain
+Lyon contributed to the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Manhattan Express</span>,
+a weekly journal of the neighborhood,
+a series of papers in which he took
+an earnest, manly and decided stand in
+favor of the principles which his thoughtful
+mind recognized as alone 'reliable,'
+
+and harmonious with the grand design
+and end of the great Republic of the
+West. To these articles we shall hereafter
+refer, at present hastening through
+the career, so striking and so sad, which
+a few brief months cut short, leaving
+only the memory of General Lyon as a
+legacy to the country his single aim and
+wise counsels would have saved.</p>
+
+<p>The guns of Fort Sumter had flashed
+along our coast an appeal whose force
+no words can ever compute. The days
+had been busy with the assembling of
+armies, the nights restless with their solemn
+marches, and forge and factory
+rang with the strokes of the hammer
+and the whirr of flying shafts, whose
+echoes seemed measured to the air of
+some new Marseillaise. From our homes
+rushed forth sons, husbands, brothers,
+fathers, followed by the prayers and
+blessings of dear women, who yielded
+them early but willingly to their country.
+And while regiments clustered
+along the Potomac, and Washington lay
+entrenched behind white lines of tents,
+we find our soldier, fresh from Kansas
+strifes, in command of the United States
+Arsenal at St. Louis; and to his prompt
+action and decided measures at this important
+juncture the early success of the
+Union cause in Missouri is to be attributed.
+For a time St. Louis was the theatre
+of action. The police commissioners,
+backed by Governor and Legislature,
+in the demanded the removal of the Union
+troops from the grounds of the arsenal,
+claiming it as the exclusive property of
+the State, and asserting that the authority
+usurped by the general government
+as but a partial sovereignty, and limited
+to the occupation, for purposes exclusively
+military, of the certain tracts of
+land now pending in this novel court of
+chancery. This highly enigmatical exposition
+of State rights, pompous and inflated
+though it was, failed to convince
+or convert Captain Lyon, who, being
+unable to detect, in his occupancy of the
+arsenal, any exaggeration of the rights
+vested by the Constitution in the general
+government, declined to abandon his
+post, and proceeded to call out the Home
+Guard, then awaiting the arrival of General
+Harney, and temporarily under his
+command. His little army of ten thousand
+men was then drawn up upon the
+heights commanding Camp Jackson, then
+occupied by the Missouri militia under
+Col. Frost, whoso command had been
+increased by the addition of numerous
+individuals of avowed secession principles.
+Uninfluenced by the reception of
+a note from this officer asserting his integrity
+and his purpose to defend the
+property of the United States, and disavowing
+all intention hostile to the force
+at the arsenal, Captain Lyon replied
+by a peremptory summons for an unconditional
+surrender. He found it incredible
+that a body assembled at the instigation
+of a traitorous governor, and
+acting under his instructions and according
+to the 'unparalleled legislation' of a
+traitorous legislature, receiving under
+the flag of the Confederate States munitions
+of war but lately the acknowledged
+property of the general government,
+could have any other than the
+as most unfriendly designs upon its enemies.
+The force of Camp Jackson (which
+notwithstanding its professed character,
+boasted its streets Beauregard and Davis)
+being numerically inferior, and perhaps
+not entirely prepared to do battle
+for a cause whose legitimacy must still
+have been a question with many of
+
+them, decided, after a council of war,
+to comply with the demands of Capt.
+Lyon, and became his prisoners. A few
+days afterward General Harney arrived,
+and Captain Lyon was elected Brigadier
+General by the 1st Brigade Missouri
+Volunteers.</p>
+
+<p>Convinced of the imminence of the
+crisis and the peril of delay, Gen. Lyon
+immediately commenced active operations
+against the secessionists at Potosi,
+and ordered the seizure of the steamer
+which had supplied the offensive army
+with material of war from the United
+States property at Baton Rouge. In
+the meantime, Gen. Harney, with a
+culpable blindness, had made an extraordinary
+arrangement with Gen. Price,
+by which he pledged himself to desist
+from military movements so long as the
+command of Gen. Price was able to preserve
+order in the State. Upon his removal
+by the authorities at Washington,
+nine days later, Gen. Lyon was left in
+command of the department. At this
+time the rebel general took occasion, in
+a proclamation to the people of Missouri,
+to feel assured that 'the successor of Gen.
+Harney would certainly consider himself
+and his government in honor bound
+to carry out this agreement (the Harney-Price)
+in good faith.' But his assurance
+was without foundation. The
+temper of the new commander had been
+tried in the Camp Jackson affair, and an
+interview between Price, Jackson and
+other prominent secessionists and Gen.
+Lyon, resulted, after a few hours' consultation,
+in the declaration of the Union
+general that the authority of his government
+would be upheld at any cost and
+its property protected at all hazards.
+Three days later, Jackson fled to Booneville,
+fearing an attack upon Jefferson
+City, which was immediately occupied
+by Gen. Lyon, who was received with
+acclamation by the citizens. Unwilling
+to grant by delay what he had refused to
+an underhand diplomacy,&mdash;opportunity
+to the enemy to possess the government
+property, or entrench themselves strongly
+in their new quarters,&mdash;the general,
+with characteristic promptness, ordered
+an advance upon Booneville. The rebel
+force was stationed above Rockport, but
+retreated, after a skirmish which did not
+assume the proportions of a battle; and
+the Union army, two thousand strong,
+entered the town, where the national
+colors and the welcomes of the inhabitants
+testified their joy at the change.</p>
+
+<p>The army of General Lyon, amounting
+at one time to ten thousand, had
+decreased by the first of August&mdash;the
+term of enlistment of many of the soldiers
+having expired&mdash;to six thousand;
+and it was with this number that, having
+swept the south-west, and believing
+the enemy intended to attack him at
+Springfield, he advanced to meet them
+at Dug Springs. The army of the enemy
+was larger and their position a
+strong one, but they were unable to hold
+it, and, after a sharp skirmish, fled in disorder,
+while Gen. Lyon continued his
+march toward Springfield. His situation
+had now become a critical one.
+The reinforcements for which he had telegraphed
+in vain, and in vain sent messengers
+to entreat from the chief of the
+department, Gen. Fremont, then in St.
+Louis, did not arrive. His army was
+subsisting on half rations, and wearied
+with exhausting marches over the uneven
+country in the extreme heat of
+midsummer. And now, for the first time,
+hope seemed to desert the general. Under
+his direction the cause had hitherto
+triumphed in Missouri. Now, with zeal
+unabated and courage unflinching, he
+must fall before the enemy he had so
+successfully opposed, or retreat where retreat
+was disaster, disgrace, and defeat.
+No wonder that, as from day to day he
+looked for the expected aid as men in
+drought for the clouds that are to bless
+them, he grew restless and perplexed
+and despairing; no wonder that the face
+that had never before worn the lines of
+indecision, should now lose its accustomed
+cheerfulness and glance of calm purpose,
+and challenge sympathy and pity for the
+heart that had never before asked more
+than admiration and respect. He felt
+that the hour had its demands, and that
+they must be met. Action, even in the
+
+face of disaster, was less a defeat than
+an inglorious retirement. The public,
+surely unaware of the fearful odds against
+him, clamored for an engagement; the
+State expected it of its hero; the government
+awaited it, and with a brave
+heart, but no hope, Gen. Lyon prepared
+for the attack. The result all the world
+knows. Was it a victory where the conquerors
+were obliged to retire from the
+field, and carry out their wounded under
+a flag of truce? Was it a defeat
+where the enemy had been thrice repulsed,
+once driven from the ground,
+had burned their baggage train, and
+made no pursuit of the retreating army?</p>
+
+<p>But most mournful are those last moments
+of the faithful soldier's life; most
+solemn those last tones of his voice as
+his orders rang out on that misty morning
+amid the smoke and shouts of the
+battle-field. He stands here bare-headed,
+the blood streaming from two wounds
+which he does not heed, the cloud of
+perplexity settling over his face like a
+pall, his troubled eyes fixed upon the
+enemy. He turns to head a regiment
+which has lost its colonel&mdash;"Forward!
+men; I will lead you!" A moment, and
+he lies there: no more striving for victory
+here; no more anxious hours of weary
+watching for the succor that never
+came; no more goadings from an exacting
+public, nor any more appeals to an
+unheeding chief. Even the triumphant
+hush of life could not smooth out those
+lines cut by unwonted care upon his
+face, or answer the mute questioning of
+that painful indecision there. So from
+the West they brought him, by solemn
+marches, to the East, and colors hung at
+half-mast, and bells were tolled as the
+flag-draped hero was borne slowly by.
+And to the music of tender dirges, he,
+whose whole life had been, inspired by
+the whistling of fifes and rolling of drums,
+was laid to rest. A handful of clods falling
+upon his breast, their hollow sound
+never thrilling the mother heart that lay
+again so near her son's, a volley fired
+over the grave, and all was over. Of all
+the brave men gone, no fate has seemed
+to us so sad. Winthrop, young and ardent,
+with the tide of great thoughts rashing
+in upon his princely heart, died in
+the flush of hope with the fresh enthusiasm
+of poetry and undimmed patriotism
+shining in his eyes, and we laid our soldier
+to sleep under the violets. Ellsworth
+fell forward with the captured flag
+of treason in his hand, and the whole
+nation cheering him on in his early sally
+upon the 'sacred' Virginia soil. Brave
+and honorable, with fine powers cultured
+by study and earnest thought, death
+took from him no portion of the fame
+life would have awarded him. Baker
+rode into the jaws of death in that fatal
+autumn blunder; but the ignominy of defeat
+rested upon other shoulders. His
+only to obey, even while 'all the world
+wondered.' But he did not fall before
+the honor of a country's admiration and
+the meed of her grateful thanks were
+his. Soldier, orator and statesman, he
+had gained in a brilliant career a glory
+earned by few, and could well afford to
+die, assured of a memory justified from
+all reproach. But to Lyon, whom there
+were so few to mourn, death in the
+midst of anticipated defeat was bitter
+indeed. No time to retrieve the losses
+and disasters the cruel remissness of others
+had entailed upon him; the fruit of
+the anxious toil of months wrested from
+him even as it began to ripen; all his glad
+hopes chilled by suspicion, but his faith,
+we may well believe, still strong in the
+ultimate success of the cause he loved.
+A whole life he had given to his country,
+and she had not thought it worth
+while to redeem it from disgrace with the
+few thousands that he asked. He had outlived
+the elasticity of youth, when wrongs
+are quickly remedied, and new impulses
+spring, like phoenixes, from the ashes of
+the old. Uncertain whether he were
+the victim of a conspiracy, the tool of
+a faction, or the martyr to some unknown
+theory, he died, and as the country had
+been to him wife and children, he left
+her his all.</p>
+
+<p>It was known to but few that the
+soldier, whose career had been rather
+useful than brilliant, had, when the
+scheming of politicians and their doubly-refined
+
+arguments threatened to deceive
+and ruin the country, put by his sword
+and taken up the pen. In a series of articles,
+short, concise, and to the point, he
+effectually canvassed the State. They
+are addressed to thinking men everywhere.
+Free from all trickery, strictly
+impartial, relying entirely upon the
+soundness of his premises for success,&mdash;for
+elegance of diction he had not, and
+he was too honest even to become a sophist,&mdash;these
+papers manifest at once the
+true patriot and the intelligent man.
+Thousands of adherents the Republican
+cause had in 1860, but not one more indefatigable
+or more heartily in earnest
+than Lyon. Outside the limits of party
+interests, and uninfluenced personally by
+the predominance of either faction, he
+had worked out in his own way the problem
+of national life, and now spread its
+solution before his readers. 'Our cause,'
+said he, 'is to honor labor and elevate
+the laborer.' Here we have the kernel
+of the whole matter; the spirit, if not the
+letter, of the whole republican system of
+government. The secret that philosophers
+have elaborated from the unconquerable
+facts of physics, ethics, and
+psychology, that men of genius have
+evolved with infinite difficulty from the
+mass of crude aesthetic associations that
+cluster around every object of nature or
+of art, Lyon, working and thinking alone
+as a citizen, has discovered, with the
+sole aid of common sense and the habit
+of practical observation. Carey and
+Godwin have proved by statistics for
+unbelievers the reasonableness of the
+doctrine enunciated by Lyon. Now,
+thanks to the untiring efforts of a few
+stout-hearted patriots, it is no new one
+to the North; but in the late presidential
+contest it was a strange weapon glittering
+in strong hands. Our society, diluted
+and weakened by the Southern element,
+revolted at first from the creed
+that is to prove its salvation. Not alone
+in our border States had the dragon crept,
+searing our fair institutions with his hot
+breath, but even upon the sturdy old
+Puritan stock were engrafted many of the
+petty notions that pass for 'principles'
+in Dixie. True, we were educated, all
+of us, into a sort of decent regard for
+the good old element of labor,&mdash;we call
+it industry,&mdash;more antique, since antiquity
+is a virtue, than aristocracy, for it
+began in Paradise. But this was a feature
+of our Northern character that was
+to be hurried out of sight, ignominiously
+buried without candle or bell, when
+the giant of Southern chivalry stalked
+across our borders. The bravado and
+gentlemanly ruffianism of youthful F.F.V-ism
+at college, and the supercilious condescension
+of incipient Southern belledom
+in the seminary, impressed young
+North America with a respect that was
+indeed unacknowledged, but that grew
+with its growth and strengthened with
+its strength. But this mock romance of
+ancestry, this arrogant assumption by
+the South of all the social virtues and
+courtesies of which the nation, or indeed
+the universe, could boast, was like the
+flash of an expiring candle to Lyon. He
+had little to do with first families North
+or South; his mission was to the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">people</span>.
+His practical mind gathered in, sheaf
+after sheaf, a whole harvest of political
+facts. He saw that the government of
+the United States, originally intended
+to be administered by the people, had
+been for years in the power of the minority.
+Against this perversion of the
+purpose of the founders of the republic,
+this outrage to the memory of men who
+labored for its defense and welfare, he
+entered his earnest protest. The shallow
+effort of the Democratic party to
+establish upon constitutional grounds the
+monstrous phantom of justice they called
+government, was met by his hearty indignation.
+He says, 'With the artfulness
+of a deity and the presumption of a
+fiend, our own Constitution is perversely
+claimed by the Democracy as the ægis
+for the establishment of a slave autocracy
+over our country.'</p>
+
+<p>No element more fatal to our growth
+or freedom could Lyon conceive than
+this slave autocracy. It sapped the
+very foundations of republicanism, and,
+stealthily advancing to the extreme limits
+of the law, enjoyed the confidence of
+
+the people, while it plotted their subjugation.
+All the varied machinery of the
+new social system, falsely styled government,
+had for its object the extinction
+of individual rights and the deification
+of capital. Church and state united in
+the unholy effort to Crush the masses,
+and intriguing politicians, by dint of dazzling
+rhetoric and plausible promises,
+lured the people on to secure their own
+downfall at the polls. The only remedy
+for this Lyon saw in the elevation of
+the masses. 'It is the greatest political
+revolution yet to be effected,' he says,
+'to bring the laboring man to know that
+honest industry is the highest of merits,
+and should be awarded the highest
+honor; and, properly pursued, contributes
+to his intelligence and morality,
+and to the virtues needed for official
+station.' 'The calamity,' says an eminent
+writer from his far Platonean
+heights, 'is the masses;' but liberty is a
+new religion that is to sweep over the
+world and regenerate them. And to
+this end Lyon boldly advocated emancipation
+for the sake of the white man.
+If to-day, when patriotism is at a premium,
+men tremble before the acknowledged
+necessity of this measure, and are
+either too cowardly or too indolent to
+meet the demands of the times, it required
+no little boldness in 1860 to advance
+a theory so decided, even in a
+Kansas newspaper. But Lyon knew
+the inefficiency of half-way measures,
+and the moral degradation they inevitably
+entail upon the community so weak
+or so deluded as to adopt them. The
+hue and cry of abolitionism did not disturb
+him; he was not afraid of names.
+Conservatism that sat in state at Washington,
+and pulled the wires all over the
+country,&mdash;a tremendous power, none
+the less fearful in that it was only a galvanized
+one,&mdash;was a dead letter to
+him, its dignity departed with the age
+that had demanded it. Conservatism
+would have resented no impositions, established
+no new landmarks, asserted
+no independence; would carry its mails
+on horseback, creep over the ocean in
+schooners, fight by sea in piked brigantines,
+and by land with spear and battle-axe;
+it would have emancipated no
+slaves in Great Britain and France, and
+no serfs in Russia. But if freedom means
+anything, it means <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Progress</span>,&mdash;liberty
+to advance, never to retrograde. 'Nothing
+in the world will ever go backward,'
+
+said the old lizard to Heine. All the
+authority of a new Areopagus could
+never sanction that; and yet this liberty
+the South claims, nay, has already acted
+upon, so that the world may see the result
+of the experiment, and against its
+continuance Lyon protests. In the long
+silent years of preparation for the fray
+he has nursed strange thoughts on the
+ultimate destiny of man. He has seen
+in dreams, prophetic of a mighty accomplishment,
+his country growing great,
+and vigorous, and powerful, extending
+to struggling humanity everywhere the
+protection of her friendship, building up
+noble institutions, encouraging science
+and the useful arts, and leading the van
+in the world's great millennial march;
+and this not through any miraculous interposition
+of Providence, but by means
+of an exalted intelligence and the power
+of thought stimulating to action, and that
+of the noblest kind.</p>
+
+<p>But you argue the unfitness of the
+masses for this destiny. Lyon answers,&mdash;not
+in any musically-rounded sentences,
+in phrases nicely balanced; the
+man is plain and outspoken,&mdash;'This is a
+truth of philosophy and political economy,
+that man rises to a condition corresponding
+to the rights, duties and responsibilities
+devolved upon him; and
+therefore the only true way to make a
+man is to invest him with the rights, duties
+and responsibilities of a man, and
+he generally rises in intellectual and
+moral greatness to a position corresponding
+to these circumstances.' It is a mistake
+to suppose the great body of the
+people ignorant of their position, or unconscious
+of their growing importance
+and dignity as representatives of a
+mighty empire. Vice and poverty have
+indeed well-nigh quenched humanity in
+
+thousands in our great cities, but these
+are but a drop in the ocean. Behind
+lies our vast West, with its teeming
+population, sturdy, active and energetic.
+All our mountain districts are alive with
+men who, thanks to the press, are beginning
+to feel their power. Every advantage
+of physical development their hardy
+life gives them, and the growing consciousness
+and comprehension of freedom,
+blooming under a munificent free-school
+dispensation, will do the rest.
+Our internal manufacturing and agricultural
+elements at the North, already
+powerful and irrepressible, will soon exercise
+a tremendous influence in our
+government. Shall it be the influence
+of ignorance played upon by the sophistry
+of demagogues and helping to rebuild
+the vicious doctrines that have
+stood firmly for so many years, or the
+healthful influence of intelligent industry
+tending to our greatness and prosperity?
+This our war is to decide.
+No peaceful solution of the great question
+could be made. This Lyon foresaw
+in the truckling of politicians North to
+win the unit of Southern political sympathy:
+the main end and aim of the
+South being the appointment of Southern
+men to the Presidency, 'as security
+on the one hand against unfavorable
+executive action toward slavery, and on
+the other against executive patronage
+adverse to its interests, the democratic
+party North succeeded, by trimming
+party sails and decking party leaders,
+in suiting their fastidious Southern leaders.'
+The question once at issue, even
+a peaceful separation was impossible,
+though an amendment of the Constitution
+should sanction it. War was inevitable.
+The great bugbear of slavery
+would still exist; fugitive slave laws be
+forever upon the political carpet; formidable
+jealousies spring up between two
+nations founded upon such diverse principles,
+yet united by very natural circumstance
+of language and climate; internal
+wrangling would destroy all unity,
+conspiracies give the death-blow to all
+prosperity and all hope of advancement.
+All this if there were no great party at
+the North to rise upon the vast ground
+of humanity, claiming for its millions
+the privilege of an unfettered life, for
+its children a fair start in the future.
+Only one remedy Lyon knew, and he
+stood there, the early apostle of Emancipation,
+and preached it. His doctrine
+was not accepted then, it is not accepted
+now; but the time must come, when
+millions shall have been expended, and
+blood shall have flowed like water only
+to delay it, when we will fly to it for salvation.
+Let those who still cry 'Peace,
+peace,' when there is no peace, learn
+what is to be its price&mdash;Emancipation.
+It will be a bitter draught; well, so was
+the independence of her colonies to England.
+And every day makes it more bitter;
+the gall in the cup rises to the brim;
+a few more months and it will overflow;
+the people will take the matter into their
+own hands and legislate slavery into the
+swamps of Florida.</p>
+
+<p>It is a lame and blind philanthropy
+that cries for a respite. 'A little more
+sleep, a little more slumber. After us
+the deluge.' And meanwhile the damnable
+lies gain ground, and a new generation
+is lost to its due development.
+Have we yet to learn that we are no
+longer individuals, but parts of a mighty
+nation, and responsible in some sort,
+every one, women and men, for its destiny?
+Poland has learned this lesson.
+Her eyes are upon us now. Shall she,
+still struggling, find that blood and treasure,
+and all the thousand dear blessings
+of peace, have been sacrificed in vain?
+If you cry 'War is an evil!' we grant
+it; but is it reserved for the nineteenth
+century to discover a creed for which
+there shall be no martyrs? What great
+gift has the world ever won that was
+not bought with blood? When has independence
+of action or thought been
+purchased otherwise than at the cost of
+persecution,&mdash;more revolution? Then
+let us not slander revolutions. They are
+the throes of nature undergoing her purification;
+if it is as by fire, oh! let us
+have courage and stand beside her in
+
+her hour of trial. St. George will not
+fight forever; the dragon of oppression is
+dying.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Yes, although so slowly, he <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">is</span> dying;</p>
+
+<p class="l">Many thousand years have fled in darkness,</p>
+<p class="l">Since the sword first cut his scaly armor,</p>
+<p class="l">And the red wound roused him into madness;</p>
+<p class="l">But the good knight is of race immortal,</p>
+<p class="l">Ever young, and passionate and fearless;</p>
+<p class="l">And the strength which oozes from the dragon,</p>
+<p class="l">Blooms reviving in the glorious warrior.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>And, after all, the demon of war is not
+so black as we have painted him. We
+do not shudder to-day as we read of the
+siege of Troy or the downfall of Carthage,
+or the Romance of the Cid. The
+song of Deborah, 'of the avenging of
+Israel <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">when the people willingly offered
+themselves</span>,' is one glorious burst of praise
+to God and gratitude to the martyrs.
+There was war in heaven when ambition
+was cast out:&mdash;what quiet pastoral
+appeals to our noblest impulses as Paradise
+Lost does? Wisely and well speaks
+the English clergyman when he says:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'But the truth is that here, as elsewhere,
+poetry has reached the truth,
+while science and common sense have
+missed it. It has distinguished&mdash;as, in
+spite of all mercenary and feeble sophistry,
+men ever will distinguish&mdash;war
+from mere bloodshed. It has discerned
+the higher feelings which lie beneath its
+revolting features. Carnage is terrible.
+The conversion of producers into destroyers
+is a calamity. Death, and insults
+to women worse than death&mdash;and
+human features obliterated beneath the
+hoof of the war-horse&mdash;and reeking
+hospitals, and ruined commerce, and violated
+homes, and broken hearts&mdash;they
+are all awful. But there is something
+worse than death: cowardice is worse.
+And the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">decay of enthusiasm and manliness
+is worse</span>. And it is worse than
+death, aye, worse than one hundred
+thousand deaths, when a people has
+gravitated down into the creed, that the
+"wealth of nations" consists, not in generous
+hearts, "fire in each breast, and
+freedom on each brow," in national virtues,
+and primitive simplicity, and heroic
+endurance, and preference of duty to
+life&mdash;not in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">men</span>, but in silk and <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">cotton</span>,
+and something that they call "capital."
+Peace is blessed&mdash;peace arising out of
+charity. But peace springing out of the
+calculations of selfishness is not blessed.
+If the price to be paid for peace is this,
+that wealth accumulate and men decay,
+better far that every street, in every
+town of our once noble country, should
+run blood.'<a href="#note_11"><span class="footnoteref">11</span></a></p>
+
+<p>As we write, every telegram proves
+the vaunted unity of the South a sham,
+a visionary political bugbear, no longer
+strong or hideous enough to frighten
+the most inveterate conservative dough-face.
+But a few victories do not end
+the war; still earnestness and effort and
+sacrifice, for the sick man of America
+will fight even when his 'brains are out.'
+Not until we have proved to Breckenridge,
+the traitor, that we are not 'fighting
+for principles that three-fourths of
+us abhor,' and that the Union is not only
+'a means of preserving the principles
+of political liberty,' but that in it is irrevocably
+bound up every living principle
+of all liberty, social, religious and individual;
+that in its shelter only we have
+security against wrong at home and insult
+from abroad; not until Emancipation
+has instituted a new order of things
+in society as well as in politics, will the
+death of the out-spoken patriot and
+brave man, Lyon, be avenged, and the
+Struggle be at an end. 'Genius is patient,'
+but patience has had her perfect
+work, and the days of Rebellion are
+numbered. On with the crusade!</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_11"></a>
+<h2>Maccaroni And Canvas.</h2>
+
+
+<p>II.</p>
+
+<p>The voice of Rome is baritone, always
+excepting that of the Roman locomotive,&mdash;the
+donkey,&mdash;which is deep
+bass, and comes tearing and braying
+along at times when it might well be
+spared. In the still night season, wandering
+among the moonlit ruins of the
+Coliseum, while you pause and gaze upon
+the rising tiers of crumbling stone
+above you, memory retraces all you have
+read of the old Roman days: the forms
+of the world-conquerors once more people
+the deserted ruin; the clash of ringing
+steel; hot, fiery sunlight; thin, trembling
+veil of dust pierced by the glaring
+eyes of dying gladiators; red-spouting
+blood; screams of the mangled martyrs
+torn by Numidian lions; moans of the
+dying; fierce shouts of exultation from
+the living; smiles from gold-banded girls
+in flowing robes, with floating hair, flower-crowned,
+and perfumed; the hum of
+thrice thirty thousand voices hushed
+to a whisper as the combat hangs on an
+uplifted sword; the&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Aw-waw-WAUN-ik! WAW-NIK!
+WAUN-KI-w-a-w-n! comes like blatant
+fish-horn over the silent air, and your
+dream of the Coliseum ends ignominiously
+with this nineteenth-century song
+of a jackass.</p>
+
+<p>At night you will hear the shrill cry
+of the screech-owl sounding down the silent
+streets in the most thickly-populated
+parts of the city. Or you will perhaps
+be aroused from sleep, as Caper often
+was, by the long-drawn-out cadences of
+some countryman singing a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">rondinella</span>
+as he staggers along the street, fresh
+from a wine-house. Nothing can be
+more melancholy than the concluding
+part of each verse in these rondinellas,
+the voice being allowed to drop from
+one note to another, as a man falling
+from the roof of a very high house may
+catch at some projection, hold on for a
+time, grow weak, loose his hold, fall,
+catch again, hold on for a minute, and
+at last fall flat on the pavement, used
+up, and down as low as he can reach.</p>
+
+<p>But the street-cries of this city are
+countless; from the man who brings
+round the daily broccoli to the one who
+has a wild boar for sale, not one but is
+determined that you shall hear all about
+it. Far down a narrow street you listen
+to a long-drawn, melancholy howl&mdash;the
+voice as of one hired to cry in the most
+mournful tones for whole generations of
+old pagan Romans who died unconverted;
+poor devils who worshiped wine
+and women, and knew nothing better
+in this world. And who is their mourner?
+A great, brawny, tawny, steeple-crowned
+hat, blue-breeched, two-fisted
+fish-huckster; and he is trying to sell,
+by yelling as if his heart would break, a
+basket of fish not so long as your finger.
+If he cries so over anchovies, what would
+he do if he had a whale for sale?</p>
+
+<p>Another <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">primo basso profundo</span> trolls
+off a wheelbarrow and a fearful cry at
+the same time; not in unison with his
+merchandise, for he has birds&mdash;quail,
+woodcock, and snipe&mdash;for sale, besides
+a string of dead nightingales, which he
+says he will 'sell cheap for a nice stew.'
+
+Think of stewed nightingales! One
+would as soon think of eating a boiled
+Cremona violin.</p>
+
+<p>But out of the way! Here comes,
+blocking up the narrow street, a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">contadino</span>,
+a countryman from the Campagna.
+His square wooden cart is drawn by a
+donkey about the size of, and resembling,
+save ears, a singed Newfoundland
+dog; his voice, strong for a vegetarian,&mdash;for
+he sells onions and broccoli, celery
+and tomatoes, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">finocchio</span> and mushrooms,&mdash;is
+like tearing a firm rag: how long
+can it last, subjected to such use?</p>
+
+<p>It is in the game and meat market,
+near the Pantheon, that you can more
+fully become acquainted with the street
+
+cries of Rome; but the Piazza Navona
+excels even this. Passing along there
+one morning, Caper heard such an extraordinary
+piece of vocalization, sounding
+like a Sioux war-whoop with its back
+broken, that he stopped to see what it
+was all about. There stood a butcher
+who had exposed for sale seven small
+stuck pigs, all one litter; and if they
+had been his own children, and died
+heretics, he could not have howled over
+them in a more heart-rending manner.</p>
+
+<p>About sunrise, and even before it,&mdash;for
+the Romans are early risers,&mdash;you
+will hear in spring-time a sharp ringing
+voice under your window, '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Acqua chetosa!
+Acqua, chetosa!</span>' an abridgment
+of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">acque accetosa</span>, or water from the
+fountain of Accetosa, considered a good
+aperient, and which is drank before
+breakfast. Also a voice crying out,
+
+'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Acqua-vi-ta!</span>' or spirits, drank by the
+workmen and others at an expense of
+a baioccho or two the table-spoonful,
+for that is all the small glasses hold.
+In the early morning, too, you hear the
+chattering jackdaws on the roofs; and
+then, more distinctly than later in the
+day, the clocks striking their odd way.
+The Roman clocks ring from one to six
+strokes four times during the twenty-four
+hours, and not from one to twelve strokes,
+as with us. Sunset is twenty-four o'clock,
+and is noted by six strokes; an hour after
+sunset is one o'clock, and is noted by
+one stroke; and so on until six hours
+after, when it begins striking one again.
+As the quarter hours are also rung by
+the clocks, if you happen to be near one
+you will have a fine chance to get in a
+muddle trying to separate quarters from
+hours, and Roman time from your own.
+Another noise comes from the game
+of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">morra</span>. Caper was looking out of his
+window one morning, pipe in mouth,
+when he saw two men suddenly face
+each other, one of them bringing his
+arm down very quickly, when the other
+yelled as if kicked, '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Dué!</span>' (two), and
+the first shouted at the top of his lungs,
+'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Tre!</span>' (three). Then they both went
+at it, pumping their hands up and down
+and spreading their fingers with a quickness
+which was astonishing, while all
+the time they kept screaming, 'One!'
+'Four!' 'Three!' 'Two!' 'Five!' etc.,
+etc. 'Ha!' said Caper, 'this is something
+like; 'tis an arithmetical, mathematical,
+etcetrical school in the open air.
+The dirtiest one is very quick; he will
+learn to count five in no time. But I
+don't see the necessity of saying "three"
+when the other brings down four fingers,
+or saying "five" when he shows two.
+But I suppose it is all right; he hasn't
+learned to give the right names yet.'
+
+He learned later that they were gambling.</p>
+
+<p>While these men were shouting, there
+came along an ugly old woman with a
+tambourine and a one-legged man with
+a guitar, and seeing prey in the shape
+of Caper at his window, they pounced
+on him, as it were, and poured forth the
+most ear-rending discord; the old lady
+singing, the old gentleman backing up
+against a wall and scratching at an accompaniment
+on a jangling old guitar.
+The old lady had a bandana handkerchief
+tied over her head, and whilst she
+watched Caper she cast glances up and
+down the street, to see if some rich stranger,
+or <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">milordo</span>, was not coming to throw
+her a piece of silver.</p>
+
+<p>'What are you howling about?' shouted
+Caper down to her.</p>
+
+<p>'A new Neapolitan canzonetta, signore;
+all about a young man who grieves
+for his sweetheart, because he thinks
+she is not true to him, and what he says
+to her in a serenade.' And here she
+screechingly sung,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">But do not rage, I beg, my dear;</p>
+<p class="l">I want you for my wife,</p>
+<p class="l">And morning, noon, and night likewise,</p>
+<p class="l">I'll love you like my life.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>CHORUS.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+
+<p class="l">I only want to get a word,</p>
+<p class="l">My charming girl, from thee.</p>
+<p class="l">You know, Ninella, I can't breathe,</p>
+<p class="l">Unless your heart's for me!</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>'Well,' said Caper, 'if this is Italian
+music, I don't <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">see</span> it.'</p>
+
+<p>The one-legged old gentleman clawed
+away at the strings of the guitar.</p>
+
+<p>'I say,'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">llustrissimo</span>,' shouted Caper
+
+down to him, 'what kind of strings are
+those on your instrument?'</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Excellenza</span>, catgut,' he shouted, in
+answer.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Benissimo!</span> I prefer cats in the original
+packages. There's a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">paolo</span>: travel!'</p>
+
+<p>Caper had the misfortune to make the
+acquaintance of a professor of the mandolin,
+a wire-strung instrument, resembling
+a long-necked squash cut in two,
+to be played on with a quill, and which,
+with a guitar and violin, makes a concert
+that thrills you to the bones and
+cuts the nerves away.</p>
+
+<p>But the crowning glory of all that is
+ear-rending and peace-destroying, is
+carried around by the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Pifferari</span> about
+Christmas time. It is a hog-skin, filled
+with wind, having pipes at one end, and
+a jackass at the other, and is known in
+some lands as the bagpipe. The small
+shrines to the Virgin, particularly those
+in the streets where the wealthy English
+reside, are played upon assiduously by
+the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">pifferari</span>, who are supposed by romantic
+travelers to come from the far-away
+Abbruzzi Mountains, and make a
+pilgrimage to the Eternal City to fulfil a
+vow to certain saints; whereas it is sundry
+cents they are really after. They are for
+the most part artists' models, who at this
+season of the year get themselves up <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">à
+la pifferari</span>, or piper, to prey on the romantic
+susceptibilities and pockets of
+the strangers in Rome, and, with a pair
+of long-haired goat-skin breeches, a
+sheepskin coat, brown rags, and sandals,
+or <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">cioccie</span>, with a shocking bad conical
+black or brown hat, in which are
+stuck peacock's or cock's feathers, they
+are ready equipped to attack the shrines
+and the strangers.</p>
+
+<p>Unfortunately for Caper there was a
+shrine to the Virgin in the second-story
+front of the house next to where he
+lived; that is, unfortunately for his musical
+ear, for the lamp that burned in
+front of the shrine every dark night was
+a shining and pious light to guide him
+home, and thus, ordinarily, a very fortunate
+arrangement. In the third-story
+front room of the house of the shrine
+dwelt a Scotch artist named MacGuilp,
+who was a grand amateur of these
+pipes, and who declared that no sound in
+the world was so sweet to his ear as the
+bagpipes: they recalled the heather,
+haggis, and the Lothians, and the mountain
+dew, ye ken, and all those sorts of
+things.</p>
+
+<p>One morning at breakfast in the Café
+Greco he discoursed at length about the
+pleasure the pifferari gave him; while
+Caper, taking an opposite view, said
+they had, during the last few days,
+driven him nearly crazy, and he wished
+the squealing hog-skins well out of town.</p>
+
+<p>MacGuilp told him he had a poor ear
+for music: that there was a charm about
+the bagpipes unequalled even by the
+unique voices of the Sistine Chapel;
+and there was nothing he would like
+better than to have all the pipers of
+Rome under his windows.</p>
+
+<p>Caper remembered this last rash
+speech of Master MacGuilp, and determined
+at an early hour to test its truth.
+It happened, the very next morning at
+breakfast, that MacGuilp, in a triumphant
+manner, told him that he had received
+a promise of a visit from the Duchess
+of &mdash;&mdash;, with several other titled
+English; and said he had not a doubt of
+selling several paintings to them. MacGuilp's
+style was of the blood-and-thunder
+school: red dawns, murdered kings,
+blood-stained heather, and Scotch plaids,
+the very kind that should be shown to
+the sweet strainings of hog-skin bagpipes.</p>
+
+<p>In conversation Caper found out the
+hour at which the duchess intended to
+make her visit. He made his preparations
+accordingly. Accompanied by
+Rocjean, he visited Gigi, who kept a costume
+and life school of models, found out
+where the pipers drank most wine, and
+going there and up the Via Fratina and
+down the Spanish Steps, managed to
+find them, and arranged it so that at
+the time the duchess was viewing MacGuilp's
+paintings, he should have the
+full benefit of a serenade from all the
+pifferari in Rome.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Caper, pipe in
+mouth, at his window, saw the carriage
+
+of the duchess drive up, and from it the
+noble English dismount and ascend to
+the artist's studio. The carriage had
+hardly driven away when up came two
+of the pipers, and happening to cast
+their eyes up they saw Caper, who
+hailed them and told them not to begin
+playing until the others arrived. In a
+few moments six of the hog-skin squeezers
+stood ready to begin their infernal
+squawking.</p>
+
+<p>'Go ahead!' shouted Caper, throwing
+a handful of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">baiocchi</span> among them; and
+as soon as these were gathered up, the
+pipers gave one awful, heart-chilling
+blast, and the concert was fairly commenced.
+Squealing, shrieking, grunting,
+yelling, and humming, the sounds
+rose higher and higher. Open flew the
+windows in every direction.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">C'est foudroyante!</span>' said the pretty
+French <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">modiste</span>.</p>
+
+<p>'What the devil's broke loose?'
+shouted an American.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Mein Gott im himmel! was ist das?</span>'
+roared the German baron.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Casaccio! cosa faceste?</span>' shrieked
+the lovely Countess Grimanny.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">In nomine Domine!</span>' groaned a fat
+friar.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Caramba! vayase al infierno!</span>'
+screamed Don Santiago Gomez.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Bassama teremtete!</span>' swore the Hungarian
+gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>Louder squealed the bagpipes, their
+buzz filled the air, their shrieks went
+ringing up to MacGuilp like the cries of
+Dante's condemned. The duchess found
+the sound barbarous. MacGuilp opened
+his window, upon which the pipers
+strained their lungs for the Signore Inglese,
+grand amateur of the bagpipes.
+He begged them to go away. 'No, no,
+signore; we know you love our music;
+we won't go away.'</p>
+
+<p>The duchess could stand it no longer,
+her Servant called the carriage, the English
+got in and drove off.</p>
+
+<p>Still rung out the sounds of the six
+bagpipes. Caper threw them more <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">baiocchi</span>.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly MacGuilp burst out of the
+door of his house, maul-stick in hand,
+rushing on the pifferari to put them to
+flight.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Iddio giusto!</span>' shouted two of the pipers;
+'it is, IT IS the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Cacciatore</span>! the
+hunter; the Great Hunter!'</p>
+
+<p>'He is a painter!' shouted another.</p>
+
+<p>'No, he isn't; he's a hunter. <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Gran
+Cacciatore!</span> Doesn't he spend all his
+time after quails and snipe and woodcock?
+Haven't I been out with him
+day after day at Ostia? Long live the
+great hunter!'</p>
+
+<p>MacGuilp was touched in a tender
+spot. The homage paid him as a great
+hunter more than did away with his anger
+at the bagpipe serenade. And the
+last Caper saw of him he was leading six
+pifferari into a wine shop, where they
+would not come out until seven of them
+were unable to tell the music of bagpipes
+from the music of the spheres.</p>
+
+<p>So ends the music, noises, and voices,
+of the seven-hilled city.</p>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_12"></a>
+<h3>Sermons In Stones.</h3>
+
+<p>One bright Sunday morning in January,
+Rocjean called on Caper to ask him
+to improve the day by taking a walk.</p>
+
+<p>'I thought of going up to the English
+chapel outside the Popolo to see a pretty
+New Yorkeress,' said the latter; 'but
+the affair is not very pressing, and I believe
+a turn round the Villa Borghese
+would do me as much good as only looking
+at a pretty girl and half hearing a
+poor sermon.'</p>
+
+<p>'As for a sermon, we need not miss
+that,' answered Rocjean, 'for we will
+stop in at Chapin the sculptor's studio,
+and if we escape one, and he there, I
+am mistaken. They call his studio a
+shop, and they call his shop the Orphan's
+Asylum, because he manufactured
+an Orphan Girl some years ago,
+and, as it sold well, he has kept on making
+orphans ever since.</p>
+
+<p>'The murderer!'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; but not half as atrocious as the
+reality. You must know that when he
+first came over here he had an order to
+make a small Virgin Mary for a Catholic
+church in Boston; but the order being
+countermanded after he had commenced
+
+modeling in clay, he was determined
+not to lose his time, and so, having
+somewhere read of, in a yellow-covered
+novel, or seen in some fashion-plate
+magazine, a doleful-looking female called
+The Orphan, he instantly determined,
+cruel executioner that he is, to also
+make an orphan. And he did. There
+is a dash of bogus sentiment in it that
+passes for coin current with many of our
+traveling Americans; and the thing has
+"sold." He told me not long since he
+had orders for twelve copies of different
+sized Orphans, and you will see them all
+through his asylum. Do you remember
+those lines in Richard the Third,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'"Why do you look on us, and shake your head,</p>
+
+<p class="l">And call us orphans&mdash;wretched?"'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>They found Chapin in his shop, alias
+studio, busily looking over a number of
+plaster casts of legs and arms. He
+arose quickly as they entered and threw
+a cloth over the casts.</p>
+
+<p>'Hah! gudmornin', Mister Caper.
+Glad to see you in my studiyo. Hallo,
+Rocjan! you there? Why haven't you
+ben up to see my wife and daughters?
+She feels hurt, I tell you, 'cause you
+don't come near us. Do you know that
+Burkings of Bosting was round here to
+my studiyo yeserday: sold <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">him</span> an Orphan.
+By the way, Mister Caper, air
+you any relation to Caper of the great
+East Ingy house of Caper?'</p>
+
+<p>'He is an uncle of mine, and is now
+in Florence; he will be in Rome next
+week.'</p>
+
+<p>A tender glow of interest beamed in
+Chapin's eyes: in imagination he saw
+another Orphan sold to the rich Caper,
+who might 'influence trade.' His tone
+of voice after this was subdued. As
+Caper happened to brush against some
+plaster coming in the studio, Chapin
+hastened to brush it from his coat, and
+he did it as if it were the down on the
+wing of a beautiful golden butterfly.</p>
+
+<p>'I was goin' to church this mornin'
+long with Missus Chapin; but I guess
+I'll stay away for once in me life. I
+want to show you The Orphan.'</p>
+
+<p>'I beg that you will not let me interfere
+with any engagement you may
+have,' said Caper; 'I can call as well at
+any other time.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, no; I won't lissen to that; I don't
+want to git to meeting before sermon, so
+come right stret in here now. There!
+there's The Orphan. You see I've made
+her accordin' to the profoundest rules of
+art. You may take a string or a yard
+measure and go all over her, you won't
+find her out of the way a fraction. The
+figure is six times the length of the foot;
+this was the way Phidias worked, and I
+agree with him. Them were splendid
+old fellows, them Greeks. There was
+art for you; high art!'</p>
+
+<p>'That in the Acropolis was of the
+highest order,' said Rocjean.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes,' answered Chapin, who did not
+know where it was; 'far above all other.
+There was some sentiment in them
+days; but it was all of the religious
+stripe; they didn't come down to domestic
+life and feelin'; they hadn't
+made the strides we have towards layin'
+open art to the million&mdash;towards developing
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">hum</span> feelings. They worked for
+a precious few; but we do it up for the
+many. Now there's the A-poller Belvidiary&mdash;beautiful
+thing; but the idea of
+brushin' his hair that way is ridicoolus.
+Did you ever see anybody with their
+hair fixed that way? Never! They
+had a way among the Greeks of fixing
+their drapery right well; but I've invented
+a plan&mdash;for which I've applied
+to Washington for a patent&mdash;that I
+think will beat anything Phidias ever
+did.'</p>
+
+<p>'You can't tell how charmed I am to
+hear you,' spoke Rocjean.</p>
+
+<p>'Well, it <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a great invention,' continued
+Chapin; 'and as I know neither of
+you ain't in the 'trade' (smiling), I
+don't care but what I'll show it to you,
+if you'll promise, honor bright, you won't
+tell anybody. You see I take a piece
+of muslin and hang it onto a statue the
+way I want the folds to fall; then I take
+a syringe filled with starch and glue and
+go all over it, so that when it dries it'll
+be as hard as a rock. Then I go all
+over it with a certain oily preparation
+
+and lastly I run liquid plaster-paris in
+it, and when it hardens, I have an exact
+mold of the drapery. There! But I
+hain't explained The Orphan. You see
+she's sittin' on a very light chair&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span>
+
+shows the very little support she has in
+this world. The hand to the head shows
+meditation; and the Bible on her knee
+shows devotion; you see it's open to the
+book, chapter, and verse which refers to
+the young ravens.'</p>
+
+<p>'Excuse me,' said Caper, 'but may I
+ask why she has such a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">very</span> low-necked
+dress on?'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, my model has got such a fine
+neck and shoulders,' replied Chapin,
+'that I re-eely couldn't help showing 'em
+off on the Orphan: besides, they're
+more in demand&mdash;the low neck and
+short sleeves&mdash;than the high-bodied
+style, which has no buyers. But there
+is a work I'm engaged on now that
+would just soot your uncle. Mr. Caper,
+come this way.'</p>
+
+<p>Caper saw what he supposed was
+a safe to keep meat cool in, and approached.
+Chapin threw back the doors
+of it like a showman about to disclose
+the What Is It? and Caper saw a dropsical-looking
+Cupid with a very short
+shirt on, and a pair of winged shoes on
+his feet. The figure was starting forward
+as if to catch his equilibrium,
+which he had that moment lost, and was
+only prevented from tumbling forward
+by a bag held behind him in his left
+hand, while his right arm and hand, at
+full length, pointed a sharp arrow in
+front of him.</p>
+
+<p>'Can you tell me what <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span> figger
+represents?' asked Chapin. As he received
+no reply, he continued: '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">That</span> is
+Enterprise; the two little ruts at his
+feet represent a railroad; the arrow,
+showin' he's sharp, points ahead; Go
+ahead! is his motto; the bag in his hand
+represents money, which the keen, sharp,
+shrewd business man knows is the reward
+of enterprise. The wreath round his
+head is laurel mixed up with lightnin',
+showin' he's up to the tellygraph; the
+pen behind his ear shows he can figger;
+and his short shirt shows economy, that
+admirable virtoo. The wings on his
+shoes air taken from Mercury, as I suppose
+you know; and&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'I say, now, Chapin, don't you think
+he's got a little too much legs, and
+rather extra stomach on him, to make
+fast time?' asked Rocjean.</p>
+
+<p>'Measure him, measure him!' said
+Chapin, indignantly; 'there's a string.
+Figure six times the length of his foot,
+everything else in proportion. No, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">sir</span>;
+I have not studied the classic for nothin';
+if there is any one thing I am strong
+on, it's anatomy. Only look at his hair.
+Why, sir, I spent three weeks once dissectin';
+and for more'n six months I
+didn't do anything, during my idle time,
+but dror figgers. Art is a kind of thing
+that's born in a man. This saying the
+ancients were better sculpters than we
+air, is no such thing; what did they
+know about steam-engines or telegraphs?
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Fiddle!</span> They did some fustrate things,
+but they had no idee of fixin' hair as it
+should be fixed. No, sir; we moderns
+have great add-vantagiz, and we improve
+'em. Rome is the Cra&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'I must bid you good-day,' interrupted
+Caper; 'your wife will miss you at the
+sermon: you will attribute it to me; and
+I would not intentionally be the cause
+of having her ill-will for anything.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, she is a pretty hard innimy;
+and they do talk here in Rome if you
+don't toe the mark. But ree-ly, you
+mustn't go off mad (smiling). You must
+call up with Rocjan and see us; and I
+ree-ly hope that when your uncle comes
+you will bring him to my studiyo. I am
+sure my Enterprise will soot him.'</p>
+
+<p>So Chapin saw them out of his studio.
+Not until Caper found himself seated on
+a stone bench under the ilexes of the
+Villa Borghese, watching the sunbeams
+darting on the little lizards, and seeing
+far off the Albanian Mountains, snowcapped
+against the blue sky&mdash;not until
+then did he breathe freely.</p>
+
+<p>'Rocjean,' said he; 'that stone-cutter
+down there&mdash;that Chapin&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Chameau!</span> roared Rocjean. 'He
+and his kind are doing for art what the
+Jews did for prize-fighting&mdash;they ruin
+
+it. They make art the laughing-stock
+of all refined and educated people. Art
+applied solely to sculpture and painting
+is dead; it will not rise again in these
+our times. But art, the fairy-fingered
+beautifier of all that surrounds our
+homes and daily walks, save paintings
+and statuary, never breathed so fully,
+clearly, nobly as now, and her pathway
+amid the lowly and homely things
+around us is shedding beauty wherever
+it goes. The rough-handed artisan who,
+slowly dreaming of the beautiful, at last
+turns out a stone that will beautify and
+adorn a room, instead of rendering it
+hideous, has done for this practical generation
+what he of an earlier theoretical
+age did for his cotemporaries when he
+carved the imperial Venus of Milos.
+Enough; <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">this</span> is the sermon <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> preached
+from stones.'</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_13"></a>
+<h3>A Ball At The Costa Palace</h3>
+
+<p>One sunlight morning in February,
+while hard at work in his studio, Caper
+was agreeably surprised by the entrance
+of an elderly uncle of his, Mr. Bill
+Browne, of St. Louis, a gentleman of
+the rosy, stout, hearty school of old
+bachelors, who, having made a large
+fortune by keeping a Western country
+store, prudently retired from business,
+and finding it dull work doing nothing,
+wisely determined to enjoy himself with
+a tour over the Continent, 'or any other
+place he might conclude to visit.'</p>
+
+<p>'I say, Jim, did you expect to see me
+here?' was his first greeting.</p>
+
+<p>'Why, Uncle Bill! Well, you are the
+last man I ever thought would turn up.
+They didn't write me a word of your
+coming over,' answered Caper.</p>
+
+<p>'Mistake; they wrote you all about
+it; and if you'll drop round at the post-office,
+you'll find letters there telling you
+the particulars. Fact is, I am ahead of
+the mail. Coming over in the steamer,
+met a man named Orville; told me he
+knew you, that he was coming straight
+through to Rome, and offered to pilot
+me. So I gave up Paris and all that,
+and came smack through, eighteen days
+from New York. But I'm dry. Got
+a match? Here, try one of these cigars.'</p>
+
+<p>Caper took a cigar from his uncle's
+case, lit it, and then, calling the man who
+swept out the studios, sent him to the
+neighboring wine-shop for a bottle of
+wine.</p>
+
+<p>'By George, Jim, that's a pretty
+painting: that jackass is fairly alive,
+and so's the girl with a red boddice. I
+say, what's she got that towel on her
+head for? Is it put there to dry?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; that's an Italian peasant girl's
+head-covering. Most all of them do so.'</p>
+
+<p>'Do they? I'm glad of that. But
+here comes your man with the liquor.'</p>
+
+<p>And, after drinking two or three tumblers
+full, Uncle Bill decided that it was
+pretty good cider. The wine finished,
+together with a couple of rolls that came
+with it, the two sallied out for a walk
+around the Pincian Hill, the grand
+promenade of Rome. Towards sunset
+they thought of dinner, and Uncle Bill,
+anxious to see life, accepted Caper's invitation
+to dine at the old Gabioni: here
+they ordered the best dishes, and the
+former swore it was as good a dinner
+as he ever got at the Planter's House.
+Rocjean, who dined there, delighted the
+old gentleman immensely, and the two
+fraternized at once, and drank each
+other's health, old style, until Caper,
+fearing that neither could conveniently
+hold more, suggested an adjournment to
+the Greco for coffee and cigars.</p>
+
+<p>While they were in the café, Rocjean
+quietly proposed something to Caper,
+who at once assented; the latter then
+said to Uncle Bill,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'You have arrived in Rome just at
+the right time. You may have heard at
+home of the great Giacinti family; well,
+the Prince Nicolo di Giacinti gives a
+grand ball to-night at the Palazzo Costa.
+Rocjean and I have received invitations,
+embracing any illustrious strangers
+of our acquaintance who may happen to
+be in Rome; so you must go with us.
+You have no idea, until you come to
+know them intimately, what a good-natured,
+off-hand set the best of the Roman
+nobility are. Compelled by circumstances
+
+to keep up for effect an appearance
+of great reserve and dignity before the
+public, they indemnify themselves for it
+in private by having the highest kind
+of old times. They are passionately attached
+to their native habits and costumes,
+and though driven, on state occasions
+especially, to imitate French and
+English habits, yet they love nothing
+better than at times to enjoy themselves
+in their native way. The ball given
+by the prince to-night is what might be
+called a free-and-easy. It is his particular
+desire that no one should come in
+full dress; in fact, he rather likes to
+have his stranger guests come in their
+worst clothes, for this prevents the attention
+of the public being called to
+them as they enter the palace. After
+you have lived some time in Rome you
+will see how necessary it is to keep dark,
+so you will see no flaring light at the
+palace gate; it's all as quiet and common-place
+as possible. The dresses, you
+must remember, are assumed for the occasion
+because they are, or were, the national
+costume, which is fast disappearing,
+and if it were not for the noble
+wearers you will see to-night, you could
+not find them anywhere in Rome. You
+will perhaps think the nobility at the
+ball hardly realize your ideas of Italian
+beauty and refinement, compared with
+the fine specimens of men and women
+you may have seen among the Italian
+opera singers at home: well, these same
+singers are picked specimens, and are
+chosen for their height and muscular
+development from the whole nation, so
+that strangers may think all the rest at
+home are like them: it is a little piece
+of deception we can pardon.'</p>
+
+<p>After this long prelude, Rocjean proposed
+that they should try a game of
+billiards in the Café Nuovo. After they
+had played a game or two, and drank
+several <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">mezzo caldos</span>, or rum punches,
+they walked up the Corso to the Via
+San Claudio, No. 48, and entered the
+palace gate. It was very dark after
+they entered, so Rocjean, telling them to
+wait one moment, lit a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">cerina</span>, or piece
+of waxed cord, an article indispensable
+to a Roman, and, crossing the broad
+courtyard, they entered a small door, and
+after climbing and twisting and turning,
+found a ticket-taker, and the next minute
+were in the ball-room.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Bill was delighted with the
+excessively free-and-easy ball of Prince
+Giacinti, but was very anxious to know
+the names of the nobility, and Rocjean
+politely undertook to point out the
+celebrities, offering kindly to introduce
+him to any one he might think looked
+sympathetic; 'what they call <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">simpatico</span>
+in Italian,' explained Rocjean.</p>
+
+<p>'That pretty girl in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Ciociara</span> costume
+is the Condessa or Countess Stella di
+Napoli.'</p>
+
+<p>'Introduce me,' said Uncle Bill.</p>
+
+<p>Rocjean went through the performance,
+concluding thus: 'The countess
+expresses a wish that you should order
+a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">bottiglia</span> (about two bottles) of red
+wine.'</p>
+
+<p>'Go ahead,' quoth Uncle Bill; 'for a
+nobility ball this comes as near a
+dance-house affair as I ever want
+to approach. By the way, who is that
+pickpocket-looking genius with eyes
+like a black snake?'</p>
+
+<p>'Who is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span>?' said Rocjean,
+theatrically. 'Chut! a word in your ear; that
+is An-to-nel-li!'</p>
+
+<p>'The devil! But I heard some one
+only a few minutes ago call him
+Angelucio.'</p>
+
+<p>'That was done satirically, for it
+means big angel, which you, who read
+the papers, know that Antonelli is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">not</span>.
+But here comes the wine, and I see the
+countess looks dry. Pour out a
+half-dozen glasses for her. The
+Roman women, high and low, paddle in wine like
+ducks, and it never upsets them; for,
+like ducks, their feet are so large that
+neither you nor wine can throw them.
+I wish you could speak Italian, for here
+comes the Princess Giacinta <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">con Marchese</span>&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'I wish,' said Uncle Bill, 'you would
+talk English.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well,' continued Rocjean, 'with the
+Marchioness Nina Romana, if you like
+that better. Shall I introduce you?'</p>
+
+<p>'Certainly,' replied the old gentleman,
+
+'and order two more what d'ye
+call 'ems. It's cheap&mdash;this knowing a
+princess for a quart of red teaberry
+tooth-wash, for that's what this "wine"
+amounts to. I am going to dance to-night,
+for the Princess Giacinta is a
+complete woman after my heart, and
+weighs her two hundred pound any
+day.'</p>
+
+<p>The nobility now began begging Rocjean
+and Caper to introduce them to his
+excellency <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Il vecchio</span>, or the old man;
+and Uncle Bill, in his enthusiasm at finding
+himself surrounded with so many
+princes, Allegrini, Pelligrini, Sapgrini,
+and Dungreeny, compelled Caper to order
+up a barrel of wine, set it a-tap, and
+tell the nobility to 'go in.' It is needless
+to say that they <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">went</span> in. Many of the
+costumes were very rich, especially those
+of the female nobility; and in the rush
+for a glass of wine the effect of the brilliant
+draperies flying here and there,
+struggling and pushing, was notable.
+The musicians, who were standing on
+what appeared to be barrels draped with
+white cloth, jumped down and tried their
+luck at the wine-cask, and, after satisfying
+their thirst, returned to their duties.
+There was a guitar, mandolin, violin,
+and flute, and the music was good for
+dancing. Uncle Bill was pounced on
+by the Princess Giacinta and whirled off
+into some kind of a dance, he did not
+know what; round flew the room and
+the nobility; round flew barrels of teaberry
+tooth-wash, beautiful princesses,
+big devils of Antonellis. Lights, flash,
+hum, buzz, buzz, zzz&mdash;ooo&mdash;zoom!</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Bill opened his eyes as the sunlight
+shed one golden bar into his sleeping-room
+at the Hotel d'Europe, and
+there by his bedside sat his nephew, Jim
+Caper, reading a letter, while on a table
+near at hand was a goblet full of ice,
+a bottle of hock, and another bottle
+corked, with string over it.</p>
+
+<p>'It's so-da wa-ter,' said Uncle Bill,
+musing aloud.</p>
+
+<p>'Hallo, uncle, you awake?' asked
+Caper, suddenly raising his eyes from
+his letter.</p>
+
+<p>'I am, my son. Give thy aged father
+thy blessing, and open that hock and
+soda water quicker! I say, Jim, now,
+what became of the nobility, the Colonnas
+and Aldobrandinis, after they finished
+that barrel? Strikes me some of
+them will have an owlly appearance this
+morning.'</p>
+
+<p>'You don't know them,' answered Caper.</p>
+
+<p>'I am beginning to believe I don't,
+too,' spoke Uncle Bill. 'I say, now, Jim,
+where did we go last night?'</p>
+
+<p>'Why, Uncle Bill, to tell you the
+plain truth, we went to a ball at the
+Costa Palace, and a model ball it was,
+too.'</p>
+
+<p>'I have you! Models who sit for you
+painters. Well, if they arn't nobility,
+they drink like kings, so it's all right.
+Give us the hock, and say no more about
+it.'</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_14"></a>
+<h2>Howe's Cave.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Few persons, perhaps, are aware that
+Schoharie County, N.Y., contains a cave
+said to be nine or ten miles in extent,
+and, in many respects, one of the most
+remarkable in America. Its visitors are
+few,&mdash;owing, probably, to its recent discovery,
+together with its comparative
+inaccessibility;&mdash;yet these few are well
+rewarded for its exploration.</p>
+
+<p>In the month of August, 1861, I
+started, with three companions, to visit
+this interesting place.</p>
+
+<p>I will not weary the reader by describing
+the beauty of the Hudson and
+the grandeur of the Catskills; yet I
+would fain fix in my memory forever
+one sunrise, seen from the summit of a
+bluff on the eastern bank of the river,
+
+when the fog, gradually lifting itself
+from the stream, and slowly breaking
+into misty fragments, unveiled broad,
+smiling meadows, dark forests, village
+after village, while above all, far in the
+distance, rose the Catskills, clear in the
+sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>After two days crowded with enjoyment,
+we arrived in Schoharie, where
+we passed the night. Having given
+orders to be called at five, we took
+advantage of the leisure hour this arrangement
+gave us to view, the next
+morning.</p>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_15"></a>
+<h3>An Old Fort.</h3>
+
+<p>In reality, the 'fort' is a dilapidated
+old church, used as a shelter during the
+Indian wars, and also in the days of
+the Revolution. On the smooth stones
+that form the eastern side are carved
+the names of the soldiers who defended
+it, with the date, and designation of
+the regiment to which they belonged.
+I deciphered also, among other curious
+details, the name of the person who
+
+'gave the favor of the ground.' I would
+gladly have indulged my antiquarian
+tastes by copying these rude inscriptions;
+but the eager cries of my companions
+compelled me to hurry on.</p>
+
+<p>The western portion of the structure
+has also its story to tell. The traces
+of besieging cannon balls are still to be
+distinctly seen, and in one place I observed
+a smooth, round hole, made by
+the passage of a ball into the interior
+of the fort.</p>
+
+<p>As I stood on the walls of this ancient
+building, surveying the valley it overlooked,
+with its straggling village lying
+at our feet, and the fair Schoharie
+Creek, now gleaming in the sunlight of
+the meadows, or darkening in the shade
+of the trees that overhung it, the past
+and the present mingled strongly in my
+thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>The Stars and Stripes, that on this
+very spot had seen our fathers repelling
+a foreign foe, now waved over their
+sons, forced from their quiet homes, not
+to contend with the stranger and the
+alien, but to subdue those rebellious
+brothers whose sacrilegious hands had
+torn down that sacred flag, reared
+amidst the trials and perils of '76.
+Not less noble the present contest than
+the past, nor less heroic the soldier of
+to-day than the patriot of the Revolution.
+We continue to-day the fight
+they fought against injustice and oppression&mdash;a
+conflict that will end only
+when every nation and every race shall
+lift unshackled hands up to God in
+thanksgiving for the gift of freedom.
+A deeper love of my country, and a
+firmer trust in the God of truth and
+justice, sank into my heart as I turned
+away from those rude walls, sacred to
+the memory of departed valor.</p>
+
+<p>We hurried back to the breakfast
+that awaited us, and then drove to</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_16"></a>
+<h3>The Cave</h3>
+
+<p>which lies six miles from the village of
+Schoharie. The entrance is at the base
+of a heavily-wooded mountain that shuts
+in a secluded little valley. The only
+opening from this solitary vale is made
+by a small stream that winds out from
+among the hills. The entire seclusion
+of the place has prevented its earlier
+discovery; but the inevitable 'Hotel'
+now rears its wooden walls above the
+cave to encourage future adventurers
+to explore its recesses.</p>
+
+<p>In the absence of the proprietor of
+the hotel, who usually acts as cicerone,
+we took as guide a sun-burnt young
+man, with an economical portion of
+nose, closely cut hair, and a wiry little
+mouth, which we saw at a glance would
+open only at the rate of a quarter of
+a dollar a fact. He proved himself,
+however, shrewd, witty, and, withal,
+good-natured, and as fond of a joke as
+any one of us all. Bob, for so our new
+companion named himself, showed us at
+once into a dressing-room, advising us
+to put on, over our own garments, certain
+exceedingly coarse and ragged coats,
+hats and pants, which transformed us
+at once from rather fashionable young
+men into a set of forlorn-looking beggars.
+Each laughed at the appearance
+of the other, unconscious of his own
+
+transformation; but Bob, with more
+truth than politeness, informed us that
+we all 'looked like the Old Nick;'
+
+whence it appeared that in Bob's opinion
+the Enemy is usually sorely afflicted
+with a shabby wardrobe, and that, in
+the words of the sage,</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Poverty is the devil.'</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<p>Being furnished with small oil lamps,
+we descended to the mouth of the cave.
+This opens at once into an entrance-hall,
+one hundred and fifty feet in
+length and thirty in width, and high
+enough for a tall man to enter upright.</p>
+
+<p>I inquired of Bob when the cave
+was discovered. 'In 1842,' he replied.
+
+'And by whom?' I continued. 'Why,'
+rejoined our guide, 'Mister Howe was
+a huntin' for caves, and he came across
+this one.' Rather a queer thing to be
+hunting for, I thought, though without
+comment; but in future I allowed Bob
+to carry on the conversation as best
+suited himself. He plunged at once
+into a dissertation on the state of the
+country, gravely stating that 'Washington
+was taken.' At the involuntary
+smile which this astounding piece of
+news called forth, Bob confessed 'he
+might be mistaken in this respect, as
+his paper came but once a week, and
+frequently only once in two weeks.'
+Finding him a stanch Union man, and
+inclined to serve his country to the
+best of his ability, we undertook 'to
+post him up' on the present state of
+affairs, for which the poor fellow was
+truly grateful.</p>
+
+<p>Entrance Hall leads into Washington
+Hall, a magnificent apartment, three
+hundred feet long, and in the lowest
+part upwards of forty feet high. Our
+guide favored us at every turn with
+some new story or legend, repeated in
+a sing-song, nasal tone, ludicrously contrasting
+with the extravagance of the
+tales themselves. Yet he recited all
+alike with the most immovable gravity.
+It was a lively waltz of three notes.</p>
+
+<p>Old Tunnel and Giant's Chapel, two
+fine cave-rooms, were next explored.
+On entering the latter, Bob favored us
+with the rehearsal of an old story from
+the Arabian Nights, which&mdash;unfortunately,
+not one which will bear repetition&mdash;he
+wished us to believe actually
+happened in this very locality.</p>
+
+<p>I may here confess that, when we
+came to 'the dark hole in the ground,'
+I felt some slight reluctance to trust myself
+therein. Bob, observing this, immediately
+drew from his lively imagination
+such an astonishing increase of the perils
+of the way, looking complacently at
+me all the while, that my alarm, strange
+to say, took flight at once, and I pushed
+onward defiantly. The journey is, however,
+one that might justly inspire timidity.
+Above our heads, and on each side,
+frowned immense rocks, threatening at
+every instant to fall upon us; while
+the dash and babble of a stream whose
+course we followed, increasing in volume
+as we progressed, came to our ears
+like the 'sound of many waters.' We
+crossed this stream a hundred times, at
+least, in our journey. Sometimes it
+murmured and fretted in a chasm far
+below us; again, it spread itself out in
+our very path, or danced merrily at our
+side, until it seemed to plunge into some
+distant abyss with the roar of a cataract.</p>
+
+<p>We emerged from the windings of
+our tortuous path into Harlem Tunnel,
+a room six hundred feet in length. In
+its sides were frequent openings, leading
+into hitherto unexplored parts of
+the cave; but we did not venture to
+enter many of these. Never have I
+seen such rocks as we here encountered;
+at one time piled up on one
+another, ready to totter and fall at a
+touch; at another, jutting out in immense
+boulders, sixty feet above our
+heads, while, in the openings they left,
+we gazed upward into darkness that
+seemed immeasurable.</p>
+
+<p>From Harlem Tunnel we came into
+Cataract Hall, also of great length, and
+remarkable for containing a small opening
+extending to an unknown distance
+within the mountain, since it apparently
+cannot be explored. Applying the ear
+to this opening, the sound of an immense
+cataract becomes audible, pouring over
+
+the rocks far within the recesses of the
+mountain, where the Creator alone, who
+meted out those unseen, sunless waters,
+can behold its beauty and its terror.</p>
+
+<p>Crossing the Pool of Siloam, whose
+babbling waters sparkled into beauty
+as we held our lamps above them, we
+entered Franklin Hall. Here the roof,
+although high enough in some places,
+is uncomfortably low in others; whereupon
+Bob bade us give heed to the caution
+of Franklin, 'Stoop as you go, and
+you will miss many hard thumps.'</p>
+
+<p>We arrived next at Flood Hall, where
+a party of explorers were once put in
+great peril by a sudden freshet in the
+stream. They barely saved themselves
+by rapid flight, the water becoming
+waist-deep before they gained the entrance.
+We had no reason to doubt
+the truth of this story, as there were
+evidences of the rise and fall of water
+all about us.</p>
+
+<p>Congress Hall now awaited us, but I
+will omit a description of it, as Musical
+Hall, which immediately succeeded, contains
+so much more that is interesting.
+On entering, our attention was first directed
+to an aperture wide enough for
+the admission of a man's head. Any
+sound made in this opening is taken up
+and repeated by echo after echo, till the
+very spirit of music seems awakened.
+Wave after wave of melodious sound
+charms the ear, even if the first awakening
+note has been most discordant. If
+the soul is filled with silent awe while
+listening to the unseen waterfall in Cataract
+Hall, it is here wooed into peace
+by a harmony more perfect than any
+produced by mortal invention. A temple-cavern
+vaster than Ellora with a
+giant 'lithophone' for organ!</p>
+
+<p>The second wonder of Musical Hall is
+a lake of great extent, and from ten to
+thirty feet in depth. The smooth surface
+of these crystal waters, never ruffled
+by any air of heaven, and undisturbed
+save by the dip of our oars as we
+were ferried across, the utter darkness
+that hid the opposite shore from our
+straining sight, the huge rocks above,
+whose clustering stalactites, lighted by
+our glimmering lamps, sparkled like a
+starry sky, the sound of the far-off waterfall,
+softened by distance into a sad
+and solemn music, all united to recall
+with a vivid power, never before felt, the
+passage of the 'pious Æneas' over the
+Styx, which I had so often read with delight
+in my boyhood. I half fancied our
+Yankee Bob fading into a vision of the
+classic Charon, and that the ghosts of
+unhappy spirits were peering at us from
+the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>At the end of the lake is Annexation
+Rock, a huge limestone formation in
+the shape of an egg. It stands on one
+end, is twenty-eight feet in diameter,
+and over forty in height.</p>
+
+<p>We were now introduced into Fat
+Man's Misery, where the small and attenuated
+have greatly the advantage.
+We emerged from this narrow and difficult
+passage into the Museum, half a
+mile long, and so called from the number
+and variety of its formations. We
+did not linger to examine its curiosities,
+but pushed on over the Alps, which
+we surmounted, aided partly by ladders.
+Very steep and rugged were these Alps,
+and quite worthy of the name they bear.
+We descended from them into the Bath-room,
+where a pool of water and sundry
+other arrangements suggest to a lively
+imagination its designation. It certainly
+has the recommendation of being the
+most retired bath-room ever known.
+That of the Neapolitan sibyl is public
+in comparison to it.</p>
+
+<p>We then entered Pirate's Retreat.
+Why so named, I can not guess, for I
+doubt if the boldest pirate who ever
+sailed the 'South Seas o'er' would dare
+venture alone so far underground as we
+now found ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the Pirate's Retreat, we were
+obliged to cross the Rocky Mountains,
+similar in formation and arrangement to
+the Alps. The Rocky Mountains lead
+into Jehoshaphat's Valley, one mile in
+length. Like its namesake, this valley
+is a deep ravine, with steep, rugged
+sides, and a brawling brook running at
+the bottom.</p>
+
+<p>Miller's Hall next claims our attention.
+
+Here we take leave of the brook,
+which, with the cave, loses itself in a
+measureless ravine, where the rocks
+have fallen in such a manner as to obstruct
+any further explorations.</p>
+
+<p>From thence, turning to the right, we
+enter Winding Way, a most appropriate
+name for the place. The narrow
+passage turns and twists between masses
+of solid rook, high in some places, and
+low in others. The deathlike silence
+of the solitude that surrounded us impressed
+us with a vague feeling of fear,
+and we felt no disposition to tempt the
+Devil's Gangway, especially as, in consequence
+of a recent freshet, it was partly
+filled with water. Our guide informed
+us that beyond the Gangway were several
+rooms, among which Silent Chamber
+and Gothic Arch were the most
+noteworthy. The portion of the cave
+visited by tourists terminates in the 'Rotunda,'
+eight miles from the entrance;
+although explorations have been made
+some miles further. The Rotunda is
+cylindrical in shape, fifteen feet in diameter,
+and one hundred feet in height.</p>
+
+<p>We were now in a little room six
+miles from the mouth of the cave, and
+thought the present a good opportunity
+to try the effect of the absence of light
+and sound on the mind. Extinguishing
+our lights, therefore, we resigned ourselves
+to the influences of darkness and
+silence. To realize such a state fully,
+one must find one's self in the bowels of
+the earth, as we were, where the beating
+of our own hearts alone attested the
+existence of life. We were glad to relight
+our lamps and begin our return to
+upper air.</p>
+
+<p>I have already mentioned Annexation
+Rock; near it is another curious freak of
+nature, called the Tree of the World's
+History. It resembles the stump of a
+tree two feet in diameter, and cut off
+two feet above the ground, upon which
+a portion of the trunk, six feet in length,
+is exactly balanced. A singular type of
+the changes which time makes in the
+world above-ground.</p>
+
+<p>In the Museum, whose examination
+we had postponed till our return, we
+were lost in a world of wonders. It
+were vain to attempt to describe or even
+enumerate half of the various objects
+that met us at every turn. Churches,
+towers, complete with doors and windows,
+as if finished by the hand of an
+architect; an organ, its long and short
+pipes arranged in perfect order; Lot's
+Wife, a figure in stone, life size; in another
+place two women, in long, flowing
+garments, standing facing each other, as
+if engaged in earnest conversation, and a
+soldier in complete armor,&mdash;these were
+among the most striking of the larger
+objects. The vegetable world was also
+well represented. Here was a bunch of
+carrots, fresh as if just taken from the
+ground, sheaves of wheat, bunches of
+grain and grass hanging from the walls
+and roofs. Interspersed were birds of
+every species, doves in loving companionship,
+sparrows, and hawks. I noticed
+also in one place a pair of elephant's ears
+perfect as life. Indeed it was not difficult
+to believe that these stony semblances
+had once been endowed with life,
+and, ere blight or decay could change,
+had been transmuted into things of imperishable
+beauty.</p>
+
+<p>While waiting for our guide to unmoor
+the boat, which was to take us
+over the lake a second time, I ran up
+the bank to look at the stalactites that
+hung in the greatest profusion above the
+water. The light of my lamp shining
+through them produced an effect as surprising
+as it was beautiful. But no
+words can do justice to the scene. Imagine
+an immense room whose ceiling is
+studded with icicles forming every conceivable
+curve and angle, and you will
+have only a faint idea of the number and
+variety of these subterranean ornaments.</p>
+
+<p>A mile from the entrance we found
+some stray bats,&mdash;the first living creatures
+we had met. We endeavored to
+attract them by holding up our lamps,
+and succeeded so well that we were glad
+to leave them behind us as soon as possible.</p>
+
+<p>It is a singular fact, noted by other
+cave-explorers, and confirmed by our
+own experience, that while within a
+
+cave one's usual vigor and activity appears
+augmented. A slight reaction
+takes place on coming out into the upper
+world, and renders rest doubly refreshing
+and grateful.</p>
+
+<p>Let me, in closing, advise other visitors
+to Howe's Cave to choose <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">fair weather,
+and take time enough</span> for their visit, as
+the windings of the cave and its curiosities
+are alike exhaustless.</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_17"></a>
+<h2>Potential Moods</h2>
+
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I sit and dream</p>
+<p class="l">Of the time that prophets have long foretold,</p>
+<p class="l">Of an age surpassing the age of gold,</p>
+<p class="l">Which the eyes of the selfish can never behold,</p>
+
+<p class="l">When truth and love shall be owned supreme.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I think and weep</p>
+<p class="l">O'er the thousands oppressed by sin and woe,</p>
+<p class="l">O'er the long procession of those who go,</p>
+<p class="l">Through ignorance, error, and passions low,</p>
+<p class="l">To the unsought bed of their dreamless sleep.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I wait and long</p>
+<p class="l">For the sway of justice, the rule of right;</p>
+<p class="l">For the glad diffusion of wisdom's light;</p>
+<p class="l">For the triumph of liberty over might;</p>
+<p class="l">For the day when the weak shall be free from the strong.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I work and sing</p>
+<p class="l">To welcome the dawn of the fairer day,</p>
+
+<p class="l">When crime and sin shall have passed away,</p>
+<p class="l">When men shall live as well as they pray,</p>
+<p class="l">And earth with the gladness of heaven shall ring.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I trust and hope</p>
+<p class="l">In the tide of God's love that unceasingly rolls,</p>
+<p class="l">In the dear words of promise that bear up our souls,</p>
+<p class="l">In the tender compassion that sweetly consoles,</p>
+
+<p class="l">When in death's darkened valley we tremblingly grope.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I toil and pray</p>
+<p class="l">For the beauty excelling all forms of art;</p>
+<p class="l">For the blessing that comes to the holy heart;</p>
+<p class="l">For the hope that foretells, and seems a part</p>
+<p class="l">Of the life and joy of the heavenly day.</p>
+</div>
+
+</div>
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_18"></a>
+<h2>The True Interest Of Nations.</h2>
+
+
+<p>For a litigious, quarrelsome, fighting
+animal, man is very fond of peace. He
+began to shed blood almost as soon as he
+began to go alone in company with his
+nearest relatives; and when Abel asked
+of Cain, 'Am I not a man and a brother?'
+the latter, instead of giving him the
+hug fraternal, did beat him to death.
+Cain's only object, it should seem, was a
+quiet life, and Abel had disturbed his repose
+by setting up a higher standard of
+excellence than the elder brother could
+afford to maintain. It was only to 'conquer
+a peace' that Cain thus acted. He
+desired 'indemnity for the past and security
+for the future,' and so he took up
+arms against his brother and ended him.
+He loved peace, but he did not fear war,
+because he was the stronger party of the
+two, his weapons being as ready for action
+as the British navy is ready for it to-day;
+and Abel was as defenceless as we
+were a twelvemonth ago. Cain is the
+type of all mankind, who know that
+peace is better than war, but who rush
+into war under the pressure of envy and
+pride. Ancient as violence is, it is not
+so old as peace; and it is for peace that
+all wars are made, at least by organized
+communities. All peoples have in their
+minds the idea of a golden age, not unlike
+to that time so vividly described by
+Hesiod, when men were absolutely good,
+and therefore happy; living in perfect
+accord on what the earth abundantly
+gave them, suffering neither illness nor
+old age, and dying as calmly as they had
+lived. Historical inquiry has so far
+shaken belief in the existence of any
+such time as that painted by the poet,
+that men have agreed to place it in the
+future. It has never been, but it is to be.
+It will come with that 'coming man,'
+
+who travels so slowly, and will be by him
+inaugurated, a boundless millennial time.
+In the mean time contention prevails;
+'war's unequal game' is played with
+transcendent vigor, and at a cost that
+would frighten the whole human race
+into madness were it incurred for any
+other purpose. But, while fighting, men
+have kept their eyes steadily fixed upon
+peace, which is to be the reward of their
+valor and their pecuniary sacrifices. Every
+warlike time has been followed by a
+period in which strenuous exertions
+have been made to make peace perpetual.
+Never was there a more profound
+desire felt for peace than that which
+prevailed among the Romans of the
+Augustan age, after a series of civil and
+foreign wars yet unparalleled in the history
+of human struggles. One poet
+could denounce the first forger of the
+iron sword as being truly brutal and iron-hearted;
+and another could declare it to
+be the 'mission' of the Romans only to
+impose terms of peace upon barbarians,
+who should be compelled to accept quiet
+as a boon, or endure it as a burden.
+Strange sentiments were these to proceed
+from the land of the legions, but
+they expressed the current Roman opinion,
+which preferred even dishonor to
+war. So was it after the settlement of
+Europe in 1815. A generation that had
+grown up in the course of the greatest
+of modern contests produced the most
+determined and persistent advocates of
+the 'peace-at-any-price' policy; and for
+forty years peace was preserved between
+the principal Christian nations, through
+the exertions of statesmen, kings, philanthropists,
+and economists, who, if they
+could agree in nothing else, were almost
+unanimous in the opinion that war was
+an expensive folly, and that the first
+duty of a government was to prevent its
+subjects from becoming military-mad.
+Perhaps there never was a happier time
+in Christendom than it knew between
+the autumn of 1815 and the spring of
+1854, after Napoleon had gone down
+and before Nicholas had set himself up
+to dictate law to the world. It was the
+modern age of the Antonines, into which
+
+was crowded more true enjoyment than
+mankind had known for centuries; and
+they are beginning to learn its excellence
+from its loss,&mdash;war raging now in
+the New World, while Europe lives in
+hourly expectation of its occurrence.
+There were wars, and cruel wars, too,
+in those years, but they faintly affected
+Europe and the United States, and probably
+added something to men's happiness,
+for the same reason that a storm to
+which we are not exposed increases our
+sense of comfort. Their thunders were
+remote, and they furnished materials for
+the journals. So we saw a Providence
+in them, and thanked Heaven, some of
+us, that we no longer furnished examples
+of the folly of contention.</p>
+
+<p>The friends of peace were actuated by
+various motives. With statesmen and
+politicians peace was preferred because
+it was cheaper than war, and all countries
+were burdened with debt. England
+has sometimes been praised because
+she so uniformly threw her influence
+on the side of peace, after she had accomplished
+her purpose in the war
+against imperial France. Time and
+again, she might have waged popular
+wars, and in which she would have probably
+been successful; but she would help
+neither the Spaniards against France
+and the Holy Alliance, nor the Turks
+against the Russians, nor the Poles
+against the Czar, nor the Hungarians
+against the Austrians, nor the Italians
+against the Kaiser, nor the Greeks
+against the Turks. She settled all her
+disputes with the United States by negotiation,
+and showed no disposition to
+fight with France, except when she had
+all the rest of Europe on her side. But
+this praise has not been deserved. England
+did not quarrel with powerful countries,
+because she could not afford to enter
+upon costly warfare. She had gone
+to the extent of her means when her
+debt had reached to four thousand million
+dollars, and she could not increase
+that debt largely until she should also
+have increased her wealth. Time was
+required to add to her means, and to
+lessen her debt; and to such a state had
+her finances been reduced, that it is now
+twenty years since she began to derive
+a portion of her revenue from an income
+tax, which, imposed in the time of peace,
+was increased when war became inevitable.
+The bonds she had given to keep
+the peace were too great to admit of her
+breaking it. She did not fight, because
+she doubted her ability to fight successfully.
+She had no wish to behold another
+suspension of cash payments by her
+national bank; and a general war would
+be sure to bring suspension. But she
+was as ready as she had ever been to
+contend with the weak. The Chinese
+and the Afghans did not find her very
+forbearing, though with neither of those
+peoples had she any just cause for war.</p>
+
+<p>With the disunited States she has been
+as prompt to quarrel as she was slow to
+contend with the United States; and
+now she is one of the high contracting
+parties to the crusade against Mexico.
+We say nothing of the Sepoy war, for
+that was a contest for 'empire,' as Earl
+Russell would say. She could not, in the
+days of Clyde, give up what she had acquired
+in the days of Clive; and no one
+ought to blame her for what she did in
+India, though it can not be denied that
+the mutiny was the consequence of her
+own bad conduct in the East. With Russia,
+Austria, and Prussia to back her, in
+1840, she went to the verge of a war
+with France; but, in so doing, the government
+did that which the English nation
+by no means warmly approved;
+and the fall of the whig ministry, in
+1841, was in no small part due to Lord
+Palmerston's policy in the preceding
+year. The Russian war was brought
+about by the action of the English people,
+who were angry with the Czar because
+his empire had the first place in
+Europe. The government would have
+prevented that war from breaking out
+if it could, but popular pressure was too
+strong for it, and it had to give way.
+The event has proved that the English
+government was wiser than were the
+English people, France alone having
+gained anything from the departure
+from what had become the policy of
+
+Europe; and for France to gain is not
+altogether for the benefit of England.</p>
+
+<p>Of the motives of the philanthropists,
+we have little to say. They are always
+respectable, and it is a pity that the
+world should be too wicked to appreciate
+them. But those of the economists are
+open to remark, and the more so because
+there has been so much claimed
+for them. They reduced everything to
+a matter of interest. Peace, they reasoned,
+is for the welfare of all men;
+and, if an enlightened self-interest could
+be made to prevail the world over, war
+would be rendered an impossibility.
+Wars between civilized countries have
+mostly grown out of mistaken views of
+interest on the part of governments and
+peoples. Once enlighten both rulers
+and ruled, and make them understand
+that war can not pay, and selfishness will
+accomplish what religion, and morality,
+and benevolence, and common sense
+have failed to accomplish. Cutting
+throats may be a very agreeable pastime;
+but no man ever yet paid for anything
+more than it was worth, with his eyes
+wide open to the fact that he was not
+buying a bargain, but selling himself.
+Nations would be as wise as individuals,
+unless it be true that the sum of intelligence
+is not so great as the items that
+compose it; and when it should have
+been made indisputably clear that to
+make war was to make losses, while
+peace should be as indisputably profitable,
+there would be no further occasion
+to expend, annually, immense sums upon
+the support of great armaments, such as
+were not kept up, even in times of war,
+by the potentates of earlier days. The
+reason of mankind was to be appealed to,
+and they were to be made saints through
+the use of practical logic. Neighborhood,
+instead of being regarded as cause
+for enmity, was to be held as ground
+for good feeling and liberal intercourse.
+Under the old system it had been the
+custom to call France and England 'natural
+enemies,' words that attributed to
+the Creator the origin of discord. Under
+the new system, those great countries
+were to become the best of friends,
+as well as the closest of neighbors; and
+one generation of free commerce was to
+do away with the effects of five centuries
+of disputes and warfare. England was
+to forget the part which France took in
+the first American war, and France was
+to cease to recollect that there had been
+such days as Crécy and Agincourt, Vittoria
+and Waterloo; and also that England
+had overthrown her rule in North
+America, and driven her people from
+India. But it was not France and England
+only that were to enter within the
+charmed circle; all nations were to be
+admitted into it, and the whole world
+was to fraternize. It was to be Arcadia
+in a ring-fence, an Arcadia solidly based
+upon heavy profits, with consols, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">rentes</span>,
+and other public securities&mdash;which in
+other times had a bad fashion of becoming
+very insecure&mdash;always at a good
+premium. Quarter-day was to be the day
+for which all other days were made, and
+it would never be darkened by the imposition
+of new taxes, by repudiation, or
+by any other of those things that so often
+have lessened the felicity of the fund-holder.</p>
+
+<p>That the new Temple of Peace might
+be enabled to rise in proper proportions,
+it became necessary to destroy some old
+edifices, and to remove what was considered
+to be very rubbishy rubbish. Protection,
+tariffs, and so forth, once worshiped
+as evidences of ancestral wisdom,
+were to be got rid of with all possible
+speed, and free trade was to be substituted,
+that is, trade as free as was compatible
+with the raising of enormous revenues,
+made necessary by the foolish
+wars of the past. In due time, perfect
+freedom of trade would be had; but a
+blessing of that magnitude could not be
+expected to come at once to the relief
+of a suffering world. England, which
+had taken the lead in supporting protection,
+and whose commercial system had
+been of the most illiberal and sordid
+character, became the leader in the
+grand reform, pushing the work vigorously
+forward, and, with her usual consideration
+for the feelings and rights of
+others, ordering the nations of Europe
+
+and America to follow her example.
+She had discovered that she had been
+all in the wrong since the day when Oliver
+St. John's wounded pride led him to
+the conclusion that it was the duty of
+every patriotic Englishman to do his
+best to destroy the commerce of Holland.
+She was very impatient of those
+peoples who were shy of imitating her,
+forgetting that her conduct through six
+generations had made a strong impression
+on the world's mind, and that her
+sudden conversion could not immediately
+avail against her long persistence
+in sinning against political economy, if
+indeed she had so sinned; and the question
+was one that admitted of some dispute,
+free trade being but an experiment.
+Gradually, however, men came
+round to the British view, in theory at
+least; and among the intelligent classes
+it was admitted that commerce without
+restriction was the true policy of nations,
+which must be gradually adopted as the
+basis of all future action, due regard to
+be paid to those potent disturbing forces,
+vested interests. France was slow to
+yield in practice, though she had produced
+some of the cleverest of economical
+writers; for she is as little given to
+change in matters of business as she is
+ready to rush into political revolutions.
+But even France at last gave signs of
+her intention to abandon her ancient
+practice in deference to modern theories;
+and Napoleon III. and Mr. Cobden
+laid their wise heads together to form
+plans for the completion of the 'cordial
+understanding,' on the basis of free
+trade. Less than forty years had sufficed
+to effect a gradual change of human
+opinion, and protection seemed
+about to be sent to that limbo in which
+witchcraft, alchemy, and judicial astrology
+have been so long undisturbedly reposing.</p>
+
+<p>Death, we are told, found his way into
+Arcadia; and disappointment was not
+long in coming to disturb the modern
+Arcadians, who had as much to do with
+cotton as their predecessors with wool.
+The dream of universal peace, a peace
+that was to endure because based on enlightened
+selfishness,&mdash;that is to say
+on buying in cheap markets and selling
+in dear ones,&mdash;was as rudely dispelled
+as had been all earlier dreams of the
+kind. Interest, it was found, could no
+more make men live lovingly together
+than principle could cause them to do so
+in by-gone times. If there were two nations
+that might have been insured not
+to fight each other, because interest was
+sufficient to prevent men from having
+resort to war, those nations were Russia
+and England. They were in no sense
+rivals, according to the definition of
+rivalry in the circles of commerce. Between
+them there was much buying
+and selling, to the great profit of both.
+England is an old nation, with the arts
+of industry developed among her people
+to an extent that is elsewhere unknown.
+The division of labor that prevails among
+her working people is so extensive and
+so minute, that in that respect she defies
+comparison. Other countries may have
+as skillful laborers as she possesses, but
+their industry is of a far less various
+character. Russia is a new country,
+and she requires what England has to
+dispose of; and England finds her account
+in purchasing the raw materials
+that are so abundantly produced in
+Russia. Commercially speaking, therefore,
+these two nations could not fall
+out, could not quarrel, could not fight,
+if they would. In all other respects,
+too, they could be counted upon to set
+a good example to all other communities.
+They had more than once been
+allies, each had done the other good services
+at critical tunes, and they had had
+the foremost places in that grand alliance
+which had twice dethroned Napoleon
+I. The exceptions to their general
+good understanding belong to those exceptions
+which are supposed to be useful
+in proving a given rule. When the
+tory rulers of England became alarmed
+because of the success of Catharine II.
+in her second Turkish war, and proposed
+doing what was done more than sixty
+years later,&mdash;to assist the Osmanlis,&mdash;the
+opposition to their policy became so
+powerful that even the strong ministry
+
+of William Pitt had to listen to its voice;
+which shows that the tendency of English
+opinion was then favorable to Russia.
+The hostility of Czar Paul to England,
+in his last days, is attributed to the
+failure of his mind; and the immediate
+resumption of good relations between the
+two countries after his death, establishes
+the fact that the English and the Russians
+were not sharers in the Czar's feelings.
+During the five years that followed
+Tilsit, Russia appeared to be the
+enemy of England, and war existed for
+some time between the two empires; but
+this was owing to the ascendency of the
+French, Alexander having to choose between
+England and France. The nominal
+enemies did each other as little injury
+as possible; and, in 1812, they became
+greater friends than ever. Most
+Englishmen were probably of Lord Holland's
+opinion, that England's interest
+dictated a Russian connection; and in
+the eighteenth century England was, in
+some sense, the nursing mother of the
+new empire, though once or twice she
+was inclined to do as other nurses have
+done,&mdash;administer some punishment to
+the rude and healthy child she was fostering,
+and not without reason. So harmonious
+had been the relations of these two
+magnificent states, that an eminent Russian
+author, Dr. Hamel, writing in 1846,
+could say: 'Nearly three hundred years
+have now elapsed since England greeted
+Muscovy at the mouth of the Dwina. So
+great have been the benefits to trade,
+the arts, and industry in general, arising
+from the friendly relations between England
+and Russia, which, in 1853, will
+have completed the third century of
+their continuance, that one might expect
+to see this period closed, in both countries,
+with a jubilee to commemorate so
+remarkable an example of uninterrupted
+amicable intercourse between nations.'
+
+The year 1853 came; but, instead of being
+a jubilee to the old friends of three
+centuries' standing, it brought the beginning
+of that contest which is known as
+the Russian war. That was a proper
+way, indeed, to notice the happy return
+of the three-hundredth anniversary of
+the establishment of 'uninterrupted amicable
+intercourse' between the nations,
+whose soldiers were soon slaughtering
+each other with as much energy as if
+they had been 'natural enemies' from
+immemorial time. Interest had no power
+to turn aside the storm of war. The
+English people were angry with Russia
+because the iron-willed Czar had carried
+matters in Europe with a very high
+hand, and was, in fact, virtually master
+of the Old World, and suspected of being
+on uncommonly good terms with the
+masters of the New World. Nicholas
+had succeeded to the place of Napoleon
+in their ill graces. They liked the Cossackry
+of the one as little as they had
+liked the cannonarchy of the other. It
+was a case of pure jealousy. Russia was
+too powerful to suit the English idea of
+the fitness of things, and therefore it
+was necessary that she should be chastised
+and humbled. Fear of Russia
+there could have been none in the English
+mind. It has been thought that
+England contended for the safety of her
+Eastern dominions; but then the Czar
+offered her Egypt and Candia, possession
+of which would not only have much
+strengthened her Indian empire, but
+have been the means of making her
+more powerful at home. Nothing better
+could have been offered for her acceptance,
+if valuable territories would have
+satisfied her feelings; and much praise
+has been bestowed upon her because she
+did not close with the Czar's proposition
+'to share and share alike' the lands of
+the House of Othman; but that praise
+is not quite deserved, the desire not to
+see Russia aggrandized being a stronger
+sentiment with her than was the desire
+to aggrandize herself. Had the question
+been left for British statesmen alone
+to settle,&mdash;had the British premier been
+as free to act for England as the Czar
+was for Russia,&mdash;poor, sick Turkey
+would have been cut and carved most
+expeditiously and artistically; she would
+have been partitioned as perfectly as
+Poland, and Abdul Medjid would have
+experienced the fate of Stanislaus Poniatowski.
+But English ministers hold
+
+power only on condition of doing the
+will of the English nation, and that nation
+had contracted an aversion to Russia
+that was uncontrollable, and before
+its hostility its ministers had to give way,
+slowly and reluctantly; and the half-measures
+they adopted, like the half-measures
+of our own government toward
+the secessionists, explain the disasters
+of the war. The English people
+were determined that there should be an
+end, for the time at least, to the Russian
+hegemony, and threw themselves into
+the arms of France with a vivacity that
+would have astonished any other French
+ruler but Napoleon III., who had lived
+among them, and who knew them well.
+The war was waged, and, when over,
+what had England gained? Nothing
+solid, it must be admitted. The territory
+of Russia remained unimpaired, and
+there is not the slightest evidence that
+her influence in the East was lessened
+by the partial destruction of Sebastopol.
+The Russian navy of the Euxine had
+ceased to exist; but as it consisted principally
+of vessels that were not adapted
+to the purposes of modern warfare, the
+loss of the Russians in that respect was
+not of a very serious character. Russia's
+European leadership was suspended;
+but her power and her resources,
+which, if properly employed, must soon
+reinstate her, were not damaged. England
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">had</span> fought for an idea, and had
+fought in vain.</p>
+
+<p>France had as little interest in the
+Russian war as England, and the French
+people had no wish to fight the Czar.
+They would have preferred fighting the
+English, in connection with the Czar,&mdash;an
+arrangement that would have been
+more profitable to their country. But
+the emperor had a quarrel with his arrogant
+brother at St. Petersburgh, and
+he availed himself of the opportunity
+afforded by that brother's obstinacy to
+teach him a lesson from which he did
+not live to profit. Nicholas had cut the
+new emperor, and had caused him to be
+taboo'd by most of the sovereigns of Europe;
+and the Frenchman determined
+to cut his way to consideration. This
+he was enabled to do, with the aid of the
+English; and ever since the war's close
+he has held the place which became vacant
+on the death of Nicholas&mdash;that of
+Europe's arbiter. The French fought
+well, as they always do, but their heart
+was not in the war. The emperor had
+the war party pretty much to himself.
+Exactly the opposite state of things existed
+in France to that which existed in
+England. In the former country, the
+government was for war, and the people
+were for peace; in the latter, the government
+was for peace, and the people
+were for war. In each country power
+was in the hands of the war party, and
+so war was made, in spite of the wishes
+of the French people and of English
+statesmen. When Napoleon III. had accomplished
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">his</span> purpose, he ordered the
+English to make peace, and peace was
+made. In this way he satisfied his subjects,
+showing them that he had no intention
+of making England more powerful
+than she had been, or Russia weaker.
+He had prevented Russia from extending
+her dominion, but he had also
+prevented England from lessening that
+dominion.</p>
+
+<p>The Italian war was waged in opposition
+to the sentiments of the French people,
+which was one of the leading causes
+of its sudden termination, with its object,
+only half accomplished, and much to the
+damage of the emperor's reputation for
+statesmanship and courage. Whether,
+in a comprehensive sense, that war was
+entered upon for purposes adverse to the
+interests of France, may well be doubted;
+but it is certain that it was an unpopular
+measure in that country. The
+French had no objection to the humiliation
+of Austria; but it would be a grave
+error to suppose that they have any wish
+to behold Italy united and powerful. The
+kingdom of Italy, should it become all
+that is desired for it by its friends in this
+country, would be to France a source
+of annoyance, and probably of danger.
+The emperor's power was shaken by his
+Italian policy, and hence it was that he
+played the confederature game so long,
+to the astonishment of foreigners, and got
+
+possession of Savoy and Nice, to the astonishment
+and anger of England; and
+hence it is that he is seeking Sardinia
+and other portions of Italy. Thus, the
+Italian war was begun against the interests
+of the French people, or what that
+people believe to be their interests,
+though this is the age in which there is
+to be peace, because that is not to be
+broken except when popular interests
+require that it shall no longer be preserved.</p>
+
+<p>But the most remarkable instance of
+the fallacy of the idea that regard for the
+true interests of nations must banish hostilities
+from the world, is afforded by the
+coarse of France and England toward
+this country since the beginning of the
+secession war. Both those countries
+have great interest not only in the preservation
+of peace <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">with</span> the United
+States, but in the preservation of peace
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">in</span> the United States; and yet they have
+done all that it lies in their power to do
+to encourage our rebels, and have been
+on the verge of war with us: and war
+with them, and with Spain, is exported
+by many Americans, who judge of the
+future by the present and the past.
+England had a vast trade with the
+American Union, buying at the South,
+and selling to the North, and hence any
+disturbances here were sure to operate
+adversely to her interests; but no sooner
+had it become apparent that our troubles
+were to be of a serious character,
+than her weight was thrown on to the
+side of the rebels, who never would have
+been able to do much but for the encouragement
+they have received from
+abroad. The trade of France was not
+so great with America as that of England;
+yet it was valuable, and the
+French have suffered much from its suspension,
+perhaps we should say its loss.
+The North has purchased but little from
+Europe for a year, and the South has
+sold less to Europe in that time. There
+has been a trade in food between the
+North and some European countries, in
+which grain has been exchanged for
+gold, though it would have been better
+for both parties could anything else
+than gold have been brought to America,
+true commerce consisting in the interchange
+of commodities. For all the
+sufferings that have been experienced
+by Englishmen and Frenchmen, they
+have none but themselves and their governments
+to censure. That peace has
+not been preserved is not our fault; and
+the war that has been blown into so fierce
+a flame has been fed from Europe; it
+has been fanned by breezes from France
+and England. When it was first seen
+that there was danger of civil war, the
+governments of those countries, if they
+had really had any regard for the true
+interests of their countries, would have
+discouraged the rebels in the most public
+and pointed manner imaginable, not
+because they cared for us, but for the
+simple reason that they were bound so
+to act as should best promote the welfare
+of their own peoples. War in
+America meant suffering to the artisans
+and laborers of Europe, who, thus far,
+have suffered more from the war than
+have any portion of the American people,
+except the residents of Southern
+cities. Napoleon III. and Lord Palmerston
+should have said to the agents of the
+Confederacy, and have taken care to
+publish their words, 'We can afford you
+neither aid in deeds nor encouragement
+in words. Our relations with both sections
+of the American nation are such,
+that our respective countries must suffer
+immensely from the course which you
+are about to pursue, not because you
+have been oppressed, or fear oppression,
+but because you have been beaten in an
+election, and power, for the time, has
+been taken from your hands. You ask
+us to act hostilely against the established
+government of the United States, that
+government having given us no cause of
+offense,&mdash;to become the patrons of a
+revolution that has no cause, but the
+consequences of which may be boundless.
+To revolutions we are averse; and one
+of our governments exists in virtue of
+opposition to the party of disorder in
+Europe. You ask us to do that which
+would lessen the means of livelihood to
+millions of our people; for, granting
+
+that you should succeed, still there would
+necessarily be so great a change produced
+by your action, and by our intervention
+in American affairs, that for
+years America would not be the good
+customer to France and England that
+she has been for a generation. With the
+merits of your cause we can have nothing
+to do, our true interests pointing to
+the maintenance of the strictest neutrality
+in the contest between you and the
+federal government; and the dictates
+of interest are fortified by the suggestions
+of principle. Your movement is
+essentially disorderly in its character,
+and it is undertaken avowedly in the interest
+of slavery; and not only are we
+the supporters of the existing order of
+things the world over, but we are hostile
+to slavery, having abolished it in all
+parts of our dominions. Our advice to
+you is, to submit to the federal government,
+and to seek for the redress of your
+grievances, if such you have, by means
+recognized in the constitution and laws
+of your country. From us you can receive
+no aid, and you should dismiss all
+expectation of it from your minds at
+once and forever. We are indifferent
+to the form of the American government,
+and its internal policy can not concern
+us; but the interests of our peoples
+require that we should live in peace with
+the people of America, whether they be
+of the South or of the North, slave-holders
+or abolitionists; and we shall not
+quarrel with any portion of them for the
+sake of facilitating the erection of a republic
+to be founded on the basis of the
+divine nature of slavery, the first time
+that so preposterous a pretension was
+ever put forward by the audacity or the
+impudence of men.' Had something like
+this been said to the agents of the rebels,
+and had the English press supported the
+same views, the rebellion would have
+been at an end ere this, and the commercial
+relations of America and Europe
+would have experienced no sensible interruption.
+English interests, in an especial
+sense, demanded that the rebels
+should be discouraged, and discouragement
+from London would have rendered
+rebellion hopeless, and have promoted
+peace in Savannah and New Orleans.</p>
+
+<p>But it was not in England's nature to
+pursue a course that would have been as
+much in harmony with her material interests
+as with that high moral character
+which she claims as being peculiarly
+her own. There appeared to have presented
+itself an opportunity to effect the
+destruction of the American Republic,
+and England could not resist the temptation
+to strike us hard: and, for almost
+a year, she has been to the Union a
+more deadly foe than we have found in
+the South. We do not allude to the
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Trent</span> question, for in that we were
+clearly in the wrong, and Mason and
+Slidell should have been released on the
+16th of November, and not have been
+detained in captivity six weeks. Secretary
+Seward has placed the point so
+emphatically beyond all doubt, that we
+must all be of one mind thereon, whether
+in England or America. England
+might have been moderate in her action,
+in view of her repeated outrages on the
+rights of neutrals, but no intelligent
+American can condemn her position. It
+is to other things that we must look for
+evidence of her determination to effect
+our extinction as a nation. She has,
+while dripping with Hindoo blood, and
+while yet men's ears are filled with accounts
+of the blowing of sepoys from the
+muzzles of cannon by her military executioners,
+absolutely demanded of us an acknowledgment
+of the Southern Confederacy's
+independence, on the ground
+that it is inhuman to wage war for the
+maintenance of our national life. She
+has compared our mild and forbearing
+government with the savage proconsulate
+of Alva in the Netherlands! She
+has charged us with waging war against
+civilization, because we have employed
+stone fleets to close entrances to the harbor
+of Charleston, though her own history
+is full of instances of their employment
+for similar purposes! She has
+encouraged her traders and seamen to
+furnish the rebels with arms of all kinds,
+and stores of every description! She
+has excluded our ships-of-war from her
+
+ports, refusing to allow them to coal at
+places at which she had granted us the
+privilege, in time of peace, of establishing
+stations for fuel! She has given
+shelter and protection to the privateers
+of the rebels, vessels that had violated
+her own laws almost within sight of her
+own shores, and certainly within the narrow
+seas! She has acknowledged the
+belligerent character of the South, which
+is virtually an acknowledgment of its
+independence, for none but nations can
+lawfully wage war. She has, through
+her Minister for Foreign Affairs, declared
+that our war with the secessionists
+is of the same character as the war
+which the Spaniards carried on with
+their American colonists, and that there
+is no difference between it and the
+attempt of the Turks to subdue the
+Greeks! Monstrous perversions of history
+for even Earl Russell to be guilty of!
+Her leading periodicals and journals,
+with few exceptions, have denounced our
+country, our course, and our government
+in the bitterest language, and to the
+manifest encouragement of the rebels,
+who see in their language the rapid
+growth and prompt exhibition of a sentiment
+of hostility to this country, and
+which must, sooner or later, end in war;
+and war between England and America
+would be sure to lead to the success of
+the Confederates, even if we should
+come out of it victoriously.</p>
+
+<p>Thus we see that the attempt to establish
+peace on the basis of the true interests
+of nations has not only failed, but
+that it has failed signally and deplorably.
+The solid Doric Temple of Mammon
+has no more been able to stand
+against the storms of war than has the
+Crystal Palace of Sentiment. The fair
+fabric which was the type of materialism
+has fallen, and it would be most unwise
+to seek its reconstruction. That
+which was to have stood as long and
+as firmly as the Pyramids has fallen
+before the first moss could gather upon
+it. Nor is the reason of this fall far
+to seek, as it lies upon the surface, and
+ought to have been anticipated&mdash;would
+have been, only that men are so ready
+to believe in what they wish to believe.
+England, as a nation, has two interests
+to consult, and which do not always accord.
+She has her commercial interest
+and her imperial interest; and, when
+the two conflict, the last is sure to become
+first. Her position as a nation was
+threatened only by the United States
+and Russia. The dynastic disputes of
+France, which are far from being at an
+end, and the generally unsettled character
+of French politics, must long prevent
+that country from becoming the permanent
+rival of England. France is great
+to-day, and England acts wisely in preparing
+to meet her in war; but to-morrow
+France may become weak, and her
+voice be feeble and her weight light in
+Europe and the world. Three houses
+claim her throne, and the Republicans
+may start up into active life again, as
+we saw they did in 1848. Neither Austria
+nor Prussia can ever furnish England
+cause of alarm. With Russia the
+case is very different, as her government
+is solidly established; her resources are
+vast, and in the course of steady development,
+and her desire to establish her
+supremacy in the East is a fixed idea
+with both rulers and ruled. Unchecked,
+she would have thrown England into
+the background, and supposing that she
+had resolved not to allow that country
+a share of the spoil of Turkey. The
+hard character and harsh policy of
+Nicholas ended in furnishing to England
+an opportunity to throw Russia herself
+into the background for the time, and
+that opportunity she made use of, but
+not to the extent that she had determined
+upon, owing to her dependence
+upon France, which became the shield
+of Russia after having been the sword
+of England. The United States were a
+formidable rival of England; and, but
+for the breaking out of our troubles, we
+should have been far ahead of her by
+1870, and perhaps have stripped her of
+all her American possessions. When
+those troubles began, she proceeded to
+take the same advantage of them that
+she had taken of the Czar's blunder.
+To sever the American nation in twain is
+
+her object, as some of her public men
+have frankly avowed; and she believes
+that the disintegrating process, once commenced,
+would not stop with the division
+of the country into the Northern Union
+and the Southern Confederacy. She
+expects, should the South succeed, to see
+half a dozen republics here established,
+and is not without hope that not even
+two States would remain together; and
+for this hope she has very good foundation.
+The American nation destroyed,
+England would become as great in the
+West as she is in the East, and would
+hold, with far greater means at her command,
+the same position that was hers
+in the last days of George II., when the
+French had been expelled from America
+and India. She would have no commercial
+rival, and there would no longer
+be an American navy susceptible of gigantic
+increase. She would be truly the
+sea's sovereign; and whoso rules the
+sea has power to dictate to the land.
+'Whosoever commands the sea,' says
+Sir Walter Raleigh, 'commands the
+trade of the world; whosoever commands
+the trade of the world, commands
+the riches of the world, and consequently
+the world itself.' England never
+would have gone to war with the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">United
+States</span> to prevent their growth; but, now
+that they have instituted civil war, it is
+certain that she will do all that lies in
+her power to prevent the reconstruction
+of the Union. The war of words has
+been begun, and it is but preliminary to
+the war of swords. The savage music
+of the British press is the overture to the
+opera. The morality of England may
+be neither higher nor lower than that of
+all other countries,&mdash;may be no worse
+than our own,&mdash;but there is so much
+that is offensive in her modes of exhibiting
+her destitution of principle, that she
+is more hated than all other powerful
+countries that ever have existed. She
+not only sins as badly as other nations,
+but manages to make herself as odious
+for her manner of sinning as for the sins
+themselves. There is no crime that she
+is not capable of, if its perpetration be
+necessary to promote her own power.
+When Sir William Reid was governor
+of Malta, he said to Mr. Lushington, 'I
+would let them (<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">i.e.</span> the heathen) set up
+Juggernaut in St. George's Square (in
+Edinburgh), if it were conducive to England's
+holding Malta.' And as this
+time-blue Presbyterian was ready to allow
+the solemnization of the bloodiest
+rites of paganism in the most public
+place of the Christian city of Edinburgh,
+if that kind of tolerance would be conducive
+to England's retention of Malta,&mdash;of
+which she holds possession, by the
+way, in consequence of one of the grossest
+breaches of faith mentioned even in
+her history,&mdash;so do we find the Christian
+people, peers, and priests of England
+ready to become the allies of slave-holders
+and the supporters of slavery, if
+thereby the American Republic can be
+destroyed, as they believe that its existence
+may become the source of danger
+to the ascendency of their country.</p>
+
+<p>The last intelligence from England
+allows us to believe that that country has
+adopted a more liberal policy, and that
+her government will do nothing to aid
+the rebels. Some of the language of
+Ministers is friendly, and altogether the
+change is one of a character that can
+not be otherwise than agreeable to us.
+France, too, has declared her neutrality
+as strongly as England. These declarations
+were made before intelligence of
+our military and naval successes had
+reached Europe, which renders them all
+the more weighty. Peace between
+America and Europe may, therefore, be
+counted upon, unless some very great
+reverses should befall our arms.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_19"></a>
+<h2>Among The Pines.</h2>
+
+
+<p>The 'Ole Cabin' to which Jim had
+alluded as the scene of Sam's punishment
+by the Overseer, was a one-story
+shanty in the vicinity of the stables.
+Though fast falling to decay, it had more
+the appearance of a decent habitation
+than the other huts on the plantation.
+Its thick plank door was ornamented
+with a mouldy brass knocker, and its
+four windows contained sashes, to which
+here and there clung a broken pane, the
+surviving relic of its better days. It was
+built of large unhewn logs, notched at
+the ends and laid one upon the other,
+with the bark still on. The thick, rough
+coat which yet adhered in patches to the
+timber had opened in the sun, and let
+the rain and the worm burrow in its sides,
+till some parts had crumbled entirely
+away. At one corner the process of decay
+had gone on till roof, superstructure,
+and foundation had rotted down
+and left an opening large enough to admit
+a coach and four horses. The huge
+chimneys which had graced the gable-ends
+of the building were fallen in, leaving
+only a mass of sticks and clay to tell
+of their existence, and two wide openings
+to show how great a figure they had
+once made in the world. A small space
+in front of the cabin would have been a
+lawn, had the grass been willing to grow
+upon it; and a few acres of cleared land
+in its rear might have passed for a garden,
+had it not been entirely overgrown with
+young pines and stubble. This primitive
+structure was once the 'mansion' of that
+broad plantation, and, before the production
+of turpentine came into fashion
+in that region, its rude owner drew his
+support from its few surrounding acres,
+more truly independent than the present
+aristocratic proprietor, who, raising only
+one article, and buying all his provisions,
+was forced to draw his support from the
+Yankee or the Englishman.</p>
+
+<p>Only one room, about forty feet square,
+occupied the interior of the cabin. It
+once contained several apartments, vestiges
+of which still remained, but the
+partitions had been torn away to fit it
+for its present uses. What those uses
+were, a moment's observation showed
+me.</p>
+
+<p>In the middle of the floor, which was
+mostly rotted away, a space about fifteen
+feet square was covered with thick pine
+planking, strongly nailed to the beams.
+In the centre of this planking an oaken
+block was firmly bolted, and to it was
+fastened a strong iron staple that held a
+log-chain, to which was attached a pair
+of shackles. Above this, was a queer
+frame-work of oak, somewhat resembling
+the contrivance for drying fruit I have
+seen in Yankee farm-houses. Attached
+to the rafters by stout pieces of timber,
+were two hickory poles, placed horizontally,
+and about four feet apart, the
+lower one rather more than eight feet
+from the floor. This was the whipping-rack,
+and hanging to it were several
+stout whips with short hickory handles,
+and long triple lashes. I took one down
+for closer inspection, and found burned
+into the wood, in large letters, the words
+'Moral Suasion.' I questioned the appropriateness
+of the label, but the Colonel
+insisted with great gravity that the
+whip is the only 'moral suasion' a darky
+is capable of understanding.</p>
+
+<p>When punishment is inflicted on one
+of the Colonel's negroes, his feet are confined
+in the shackles, his arms tied above
+his head, and drawn by a stout cord up
+to one of the horizontal poles; then, his
+back bared to the waist, and standing
+on tip-toe, with every muscle stretched
+to its utmost tension, he takes 'de lashes.'</p>
+
+<p>A more severe but more unusual punishment
+is the 'thumb-screw.' In this
+a noose is passed around the negro's
+thumb and fore-finger, while the cord
+is thrown over the upper cross-pole, and
+the culprit is drawn up till his toes barely
+touch the ground. In this position
+
+the whole weight of the body rests on the
+thumb and fore-finger. The torture is
+excruciating, and strong, able-bodied
+men can endure it but a few moments.
+The Colonel naively told me that he had
+discontinued its practice, as several of his
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">women</span> had nearly lost the use of their
+hands, and been incapacited for field
+labor, by its too frequent repetition.
+'My &mdash;&mdash; drivers,'<a href="#note_12"><span class="footnoteref">12</span></a> he added, 'have no
+discretion, and no humanity; if they
+have a pique against a nigger, they show
+him no mercy.'</p>
+
+<p>The old shanty I have described was
+now the place of the Overseer's confinement.
+Open as it was at top, bottom, and
+sides, it seemed an unsafe prison-house;
+but Jim had rendered its present occupant
+secure by placing 'de padlocks on
+him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Where did you catch him?' asked
+the Colonel of Jim, as, followed by every
+darky on the plantation, we took our
+way to the old building.</p>
+
+<p>'In de swamp, massa. We got Sandy
+and de dogs arter him&mdash;dey treed
+him, but he fit like de debil.'</p>
+
+<p>'Any one hurt?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yas, Cunnel; he knifed Yaller Jake,
+and ef I hadn't a gibin him a wiper,
+you'd a had anudder nigger short dis
+mornin'&mdash;shore.'</p>
+
+<p>'How was it? tell me,' said his master,
+while we paused, and the darkies gathered
+around.</p>
+
+<p>'Wal, yer see, massa, we got de ole
+debil's hat dat he drapped wen you had
+him down; den we went to Sandy's fur
+de dogs&mdash;dey scented him to onst, and
+off dey put for de swamp. 'Bout twenty
+on us follored 'em. He'd a right smart
+start on us, and run like a deer, but de
+hounds kotched up wid him 'bout whar
+he shot pore Sam. He fit 'em and cut
+up de Lady awful, but ole Caesar got a
+hole ob him, and sliced a breakfuss out
+ob his legs. Somehow, dough, he got
+away from de ole dog, and clum a tree.
+
+'T was more'n an hour afore we kotched
+up; but dar he war, and de houns baying
+'way as ef dey know'd wat an ole
+debil he am. I'd tuk one ob de guns&mdash;you
+warn't in de hous, massa, so I cudn't
+ax you.'</p>
+
+<p>'Never mind that; go on,' said the
+Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Wal, I up wid de gun, and tole him
+ef he didn't cum down I'd gib him suffin'
+
+dat 'ud sot hard on de stummuk. It tuk
+him a long w'ile, but&mdash;he <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">cum down</span>.'
+Here the darky showed a row of ivory
+that would have been a fair capital for
+a metropolitan dentist.</p>
+
+<p>'Wen he war down,' he resumed, 'Jake
+war gwine to tie him, but de ole 'gator,
+quicker dan a flash, put a knife enter
+him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is Jake much hurt?' interrupted the
+Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Not bad, massa; de knife went fru
+his arm, and enter his ribs, but de ma'am
+hab fix him up, and she say he'll be
+'round bery sudden.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, what then?' inquired the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Wen de ole debil seed he hadn't finished
+Jake, he war gwine to gib him
+anoder dig, but jus den I drap de gun on
+his cocoa-nut, and he neber trubble us
+no more. 'Twar mons'rous hard work
+to git him out ob de swamp, 'cause he
+war jes like a dead man, and we had to
+tote him de hull way; but he'm dar now,
+massa (pointing to the old cabin), and
+de bracelets am on him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Where is Jake?' asked the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Dunno, massa, but reckon he'm to
+hum.'</p>
+
+<p>'One of you boys go and bring him to
+the cabin,' said the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>A negro-man went off on the errand,
+while we and the darkies resumed our
+way to the Overseer's quarters. Arrived
+there, I witnessed a scene that
+words can not picture.</p>
+
+<p>Stretched at full length on the floor,
+his clothes torn to shreds, his coarse carroty
+hair matted with blood, and his
+thin, ugly visage pale as death, lay the
+Overseer. Bending over him, wiping
+away the blood from his face, and swathing
+a ghastly wound on his forehead, was
+the negress Sue; while at his shackled
+feet, binding up his still bleeding legs,
+knelt the octoroon woman.</p>
+
+
+<p>'Is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">she</span> here?' I said, involuntarily, as
+I caught sight of the group.</p>
+
+<p>'It's her nature,' said the Colonel,
+with a pleasant smile; 'if Moye were the
+devil himself, she'd do him good if she
+could; another such woman never lived.'</p>
+
+<p>And yet this woman, with all the instincts
+that make her sex angel-ministers
+to man, lived in daily violation of the
+most sacred of all laws,&mdash;because she
+was a slave. Will Mr. Caleb Cushing
+or Charles O'Conner please tell us why
+the Almighty invented a system which
+forces his creatures to break the laws of
+His own making?</p>
+
+<p>'Don't waste your time on him, Alice,'
+said the Colonel, kindly; 'he isn't worth
+the rope that'll hang him.'</p>
+
+<p>'He was bleeding to death; he must
+have care or he'll die,' said the octoroon
+woman.</p>
+
+<p>'Then let him die, d&mdash;&mdash; him,' replied
+the Colonel, advancing to where the
+Overseer lay, and bending down to satisfy
+himself of his condition.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile more than two hundred
+dusky forms crowded around and filled
+every opening of the old building. Every
+conceivable emotion, except pity, was
+depicted on their dark faces. The same
+individuals whose cloudy visages a half-hour
+before I had seen distended with a
+wild mirth and careless jollity, that made
+me think them really the docile, good-natured
+animals they are said to be, now
+glared on the prostrate Overseer with
+the infuriated rage of aroused beasts
+when springing on their prey.</p>
+
+<p>'You can't come the possum here.
+Get up, you &mdash;&mdash; hound,' said the Colonel,
+rising and striking the bleeding
+man with his foot.</p>
+
+<p>The fellow raised himself on one elbow
+and gazed around with a stupid, vacant
+look. His eye wandered unsteadily for
+a moment from the Colonel to the throng
+of cloudy faces in the doorway; then, his
+recent experience flashing upon him, he
+shrieked out, clinging wildly to the skirts
+of the octoroon woman, who was standing
+near, 'Keep off them cursed hounds,&mdash;keep
+them off, I say&mdash;they'll kill
+me!&mdash;they'll kill me!'</p>
+
+<p>One glance satisfied me that his mind
+was wandering. The blow on the head
+had shattered his reason, and made the
+strong man less than a child.</p>
+
+<p>'You shan't be killed yet,' said the
+Colonel. 'You've a small account to settle
+with me before you reckon with the
+devil.'</p>
+
+<p>At this moment the dark crowd in the
+doorway parted, and Jake entered, his
+arm bound up and in a sling.</p>
+
+<p>'Jake, come here,' said the Colonel;
+'this man would have killed you. What
+shall we do with him?'</p>
+
+<p>''Tain't fur a darky to say dat, massa,'
+said the negro, evidently unaccustomed
+to the rude administration of justice
+which the Colonel was about to inaugurate;
+'he did wuss dan dat to Sam, mass&mdash;he
+orter swing for shootin' him.'</p>
+
+<p>'That's <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">my</span> affair; we'll settle your
+account first,' replied the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>The darky looked undecidedly at his
+master, and then at the Overseer, who,
+overcome by weakness, had sunk again
+to the floor. The little humanity in him
+was evidently struggling with his hatred
+of Moye and his desire of revenge, when
+the old nurse yelled out from among the
+crowd, 'Gib him fifty lashes, Massa Davy,
+and den you wash him down.<a href="#note_13"><span class="footnoteref">13</span></a> Be
+a man, Jake, and say dat.'</p>
+
+<p>Jake still hesitated, and when at last
+he was about to speak, the eye of the
+octoroon woman caught his, and chained
+the words to his tongue, as if by magnetic
+power.</p>
+
+<p>'Do you say that, boys;' said the Colonel,
+turning to the other negroes;
+'shall he have fifty lashes?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yas, massa, fifty lashes&mdash;gib de ole
+debil fifty lashes,' shouted about fifty
+voices.</p>
+
+<p>'He shall have them,' quietly said the
+master.</p>
+
+<p>The mad shout that followed, which
+was more like the yell of demons than
+the cry of men, seemed to arouse the
+Overseer to a sense of the real state of
+affairs. Springing to his feet, he gazed
+
+wildly around; then, sinking on his knees
+before the octoroon, and clutching the
+folds of her dress, he shrieked, 'Save me,
+good lady, save me! as you hope for
+mercy, save me!'</p>
+
+<p>Not a muscle of her face moved, but,
+turning to the excited crowd, she mildly
+said, 'Fifty lashes would kill him. <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Jake</span>
+does not say that&mdash;your master leaves
+it to him, and he will not whip a dying
+man&mdash;will you, Jake?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, ma'am&mdash;not&mdash;not ef you go
+agin it,' replied the negro, with very evident
+reluctance.</p>
+
+<p>'But he whipped Sam, ma'am, when
+he was nearer dead than <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">he</span> am,' said
+Jim, whose station as house-servant allowed
+him a certain freedom of speech.</p>
+
+<p>'Because he was brutal to Sam, should
+you be brutal to him? Can you expect
+me to tend you when you are sick, if you
+beat a dying man? Does Pompey say
+you should do such things?' said the lady.</p>
+
+<p>'No, good ma'am,' said the old preacher,
+stepping out, with the freedom of an
+old servant, from the black mass, and
+taking his stand beside me in the open
+space left for the 'w'ite folks;' 'de ole
+man dusn't say dat, ma'am; he tell 'em
+de Lord want 'em to forgib dar en'mies&mdash;to
+lub dem dat pursyskute em;' then,
+turning to the Colonel, he added, as he
+passed his hand meekly over his thin
+crop of white wool and threw his long
+heel back, 'ef massa'll 'low me I'll talk
+to 'em.'</p>
+
+<p>'Fire away,' said the Colonel, with
+evident chagrin. 'This is a nigger trial;
+if you want to screen the d&mdash;&mdash; hound
+you can do it.'</p>
+
+<p>'I dusn't want to screed him, massa,
+but I'se bery ole and got soon to gwo,
+and I dusn't want de blessed Lord to ax
+me wen I gets dar why I 'lowed dese
+pore ig'nant brack folks to mudder a
+man 'fore my bery face. I toted you,
+massa, fore you cud gwo, I'se worked for
+you till I can't work no more; and I
+dusn't want to tell de Lord dat <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">my</span> massa
+let a brudder man be killed in cole
+blood.'</p>
+
+<p>'He is no brother of mine, you old
+fool; preach to the nigs, don't preach to
+me,' said the Colonel, stifling his displeasure,
+and striding off through the black
+crowd, without saying another word.</p>
+
+<p>Here and there in the dark mass a
+face showed signs of relenting; but much
+the larger number of that strange jury,
+had the question been put, would have
+voted&mdash;DEATH.</p>
+
+<p>The old preacher turned to them as
+the Colonel passed out, and said, 'My
+chil'ren, would you hab dis man whipped,
+so weak, so dyin' as he am, of he war
+brack?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, not ef he war a darky&mdash;fer
+den he wouldn't be such an ole debil,' replied
+Jim, and about a dozen of the other
+negroes.</p>
+
+<p>'De w'ite ain't no wuss dan de brack&mdash;dey'm
+all 'like&mdash;pore sinners all ob 'em.
+De Lord wudn't whip a w'ite man no
+sooner dan a brack one&mdash;He tinks de
+w'ite juss so good as de brack (good
+Southern doctrine, I thought). De porest
+w'ite trash wudn't strike a man wen
+he war down.'</p>
+
+<p>'We'se had 'nough of dis, ole man,'
+said a large, powerful negro (one of the
+drivers), stepping forward, and, regardless
+of the presence of Madam P&mdash;&mdash; and
+myself, pressing close to where the Overseer
+lay, now totally unconscious of what
+was passing around him. 'You needn't
+preach no more; de Cunnul hab say
+we'm to whip ole Moye, and we'se gwine
+to do it, by &mdash;&mdash;.'</p>
+
+<p>I felt my fingers closing on the palm
+of my hand, and in a second more they
+would have cut the darky's profile, had
+not Madam P&mdash;&mdash; cried out, 'Stand back,
+you impudent fellow: say another word,
+and I'll have you whipped on the spot.'</p>
+
+<p>'De Cunnul am my massa, ma'am&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">he</span>
+say ole Moye shall be whipped, and I'se
+gwine to do it&mdash;shore.'</p>
+
+<p>I have seen a storm at sea&mdash;I have
+seen the tempest tear up great trees&mdash;I
+have seen the lightning strike in a dark
+night&mdash;but I never saw anything half
+so grand, half so terrible, as the glance
+and tone of that woman as she cried out,
+'Jim, take this man&mdash;give him fifty
+lashes this instant.'</p>
+
+<p>Quicker than thought, a dozen darkies
+
+were on him. His hands and feet were
+tied and he was under the whipping-rack
+in a second. Turning then to the other
+negroes, the brave woman said, 'Some of
+you carry Moye to the house, and you,
+Jim, see to this man&mdash;if fifty lashes don't
+make him sorry, give him fifty more.'</p>
+
+<p>This summary change of programme
+was silently acquiesced in by the assembled
+darkies, but many a cloudy face
+scowled sulkily on the octoroon, as, leaning
+on my arm, she followed Junius and
+the other negroes, who bore Moye to the
+mansion. It was plain that under those
+dark faces a fire was burning that a
+breath would have fanned into a flame.</p>
+
+<p>We entered the house by its rear door,
+and placed Moye in a small room on the
+ground floor. He was laid on a bed, and
+stimulants being given him, his senses
+and reason shortly returned. His eyes
+opened, and his real position seemed suddenly
+to flash upon him, for he turned to
+Madam P&mdash;&mdash;, and in a weak voice,
+half-choked with emotion, faltered out,
+'May God in heaven bless ye, ma'am;
+God <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">will</span> bless ye for bein' so good to a
+wicked man like me. I doesn't desarve it,
+but ye woant leave me&mdash;ye woant leave
+me&mdash;they'll kill me ef ye do!'</p>
+
+<p>'Don't fear,' said the Madam; 'you
+shall have a fair trial. No harm shall
+come to you here.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thank ye, thank ye,' gasped the
+Overseer, raising himself on one arm,
+and clutching at the lady's hand, which
+he tried to lift to his lips.</p>
+
+<p>'Don't say any more now,' said Madam
+P&mdash;&mdash;, quietly; 'you must rest and
+be quiet, or you won't get well.'</p>
+
+<p>'Shan't I get well? Oh, I can't die&mdash;I
+can't die <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">now</span>!'</p>
+
+<p>The lady made a soothing reply, and
+giving him an opiate, and arranging the
+bedding so that he might rest more easily,
+she left the room with me.</p>
+
+<p>As we stepped into the hall, I saw
+through the front door, which was open,
+the horses harnessed in readiness for
+'meeting,' and the Colonel pacing to and
+fro on the piazza, smoking a cigar. He
+perceived us, and halted in front of the
+doorway.</p>
+
+<p>'So, you've brought that d&mdash;&mdash; blood-thirsty
+villain into my house!' he said to
+Madam P&mdash;&mdash;, in a tone of strong displeasure.</p>
+
+<p>'How could I help it? The negroes are
+mad, and would kill him anywhere else,'
+replied the lady, with a certain self-confidence
+that showed she knew her power
+over the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Why should <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">you</span> interfere between
+them and him? Has he not insulted
+you often enough to make you let him
+alone? Can you so easily forgive his
+taunting you with'&mdash;He did not finish
+the sentence, but what I had learned
+on the previous evening from the old
+nurse gave me a clue to its meaning.
+A red flame flushed the face and neck
+of the octoroon woman&mdash;her eyes literally
+flashed fire, and her very breath
+seemed to come with pain; in a moment,
+however, this emotion passed away, and
+she quietly said, 'Let me settle that in
+my own way. He has served <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">you</span> well&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">you</span>
+
+have nothing against him that the
+law will not punish.'</p>
+
+<p>'By &mdash;&mdash;, you are the most unaccountable
+woman I ever knew,' exclaimed the
+Colonel, striding up and down the piazza,
+the angry feeling passing from his face,
+and giving way to a mingled expression
+of wonder and admiration. The conversation
+was here interrupted by Jim, who
+just then made his appearance, hat in
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>'Well, Jim, what is it?' asked his
+master.</p>
+
+<p>'We'se gib'n Sam twenty lashes,
+ma'am, but he beg so hard, and say he
+so sorry, dat I tole him I'd ax you 'fore
+we gabe him any more.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, if he's sorry, that's enough; but
+tell him he'll get fifty another time,' said
+the lady.</p>
+
+<p>'What Sam is it?' asked the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Big Sam, the driver,' said Jim.</p>
+
+<p>'Why was he whipped?'</p>
+
+<p>'He told me <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">you</span> were his master, and
+insisted on whipping Moye,' replied the
+lady.</p>
+
+<p>'Did he dare to do that? Give him a
+hundred, Jim, not one less,' roared the
+Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Yas, massa,' said Jim.</p>
+
+<p>The lady looked significantly at the
+negro and shook her head, but said
+nothing, and he left.</p>
+
+<p>'Come, Alice, it is nearly time for
+meeting, and I want to stop and see
+Sandy on the way.'</p>
+
+<p>'I reckon I won't go,' said Madam
+P&mdash;&mdash;.</p>
+
+<p>'You stay to take care of Moye, I suppose,'
+said the Colonel, with a slight
+sneer.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes,' replied the lady; 'he is badly
+hurt, and in danger of inflammation.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, suit yourself. Sir. K&mdash;&mdash;, come,
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">we'll</span> go&mdash;you'll meet some of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">natives</span>.'</p>
+
+<p>The lady retired to the house, and the
+Colonel and I were soon ready. The
+driver brought the horses to the door,
+and as we were about to enter the carriage,
+I noticed Jim taking his accustomed
+seat on the box.</p>
+
+<p>'Who's looking after Sam?' asked the
+Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'Nobody, Cunnul; de ma'am leff him
+gwo.'</p>
+
+<p>'How dare you disobey me? Didn't
+I tell you to give him a hundred?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yas, massa, but de ma'am tole me
+notter.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, another time you mind what <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">I</span>
+say&mdash;do you hear?' said his master.</p>
+
+<p>'Yas, massa,' said the negro, with a
+broad grin, 'I allers do dat.'</p>
+
+<p>'You <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">never</span> do it, you d&mdash;&mdash; nigger;
+I ought to have flogged you long ago.'</p>
+
+<p>Jim said nothing, but gave a quiet
+laugh, showing no sort of fear, and we
+entered the carriage. I afterwards learned
+from him that he had never been whipped,
+and that all the negroes on the plantation
+obeyed the lady when, which was
+seldom, her orders came in conflict with
+their master's. They knew if they did
+not, the Colonel would whip them.</p>
+
+<p>As we rode slowly along the Colonel
+said to me, 'Well, you see that the best
+people have to flog their niggers sometimes.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">I</span> should have given that fellow
+a hundred lashes, at least. I think the
+effect on the others would have been
+bad if Madam P&mdash;&mdash; had not had him
+flogged.'</p>
+
+<p>'But she generally goes against it. I
+don't remember of her having it done in
+ten years before. And yet, though I've
+the worst gang of niggers in the district,
+they obey her like so many children.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why is that?'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, there's a kind of magnetism
+about her that makes everybody love
+her; and then she tends them in sickness,
+and is constantly doing little things
+for their comfort; <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span> attaches them to
+her. She is an extraordinary woman.'</p>
+
+<p>'Whose negroes are those, Colonel?'
+I asked, as, after a while, we passed a
+gang of about a dozen, at work near the
+roadside. Some were tending a tar-kiln,
+and some engaged in cutting into fire-wood
+the pines which a recent tornado
+had thrown to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>'They are mine, but they are working
+now for themselves. I let such as
+will, work on Sunday. I furnish the "raw
+material," and pay them for what they
+do, as I would a white man.'</p>
+
+<p>'Would'nt it be better to make them
+go to hear the old preacher; could'nt
+they learn something from him?'</p>
+
+<p>'Not much; Old Pomp never read
+anything but the Bible, and he don't
+understand that; besides, they can't be
+taught. You can't make "a whistle out
+of a pig's tail;" you can't make a nigger
+into a white man.'</p>
+
+<p>Just here the carriage stopped suddenly,
+and we looked out to see the cause.
+The road by which we had come was a
+mere opening through the pines; no
+fences separated it from the wooded land,
+and being seldom traveled, the track
+was scarcely visible. In many places it
+widened to a hundred feet, but in others
+tall trees had grown up on its opposite
+sides, and there was scarcely width
+enough for a single carriage to pass
+along. In one of these narrow passages,
+just before us, a queer-looking vehicle
+had upset, and scattered its contents in
+the road. We had no alternative but to
+wait till it got out of the way; and we
+all alighted to reconnoitre.</p>
+
+<p>The vehicle was a little larger than an
+
+ordinary hand-cart, and was mounted on
+wheels that had probably served their
+time on a Boston dray before commencing
+their travels in Secessiondom. Its
+box of pine boarding and its shafts of
+rough oak poles were evidently of Southern
+home manufacture. Attached to it by
+a rope harness, with a primitive bridle of
+decidedly original construction, was&mdash;not
+a horse, nor a mule, nor even an alligator,
+but a 'three-year-old heifer.'</p>
+
+<p>The wooden linch-pin of the cart had
+given way, and the weight of a half-dozen
+barrels of turpentine had thrown the
+box off its balance, and rolled the contents
+about in all directions.</p>
+
+<p>The appearance of the proprietor of
+this nondescript vehicle was in keeping
+with the establishment. His coat, which
+was much too short in the waist and
+much too long in the skirts, was of the
+common reddish gray linsey, and his
+nether garments, of the same material,
+stopped just below the knees. From
+there downwards, he wore only the covering
+that is said to have been the fashion
+in Paradise before Adam took to
+fig-leaves. His hat had a rim broader
+than a political platform, and his skin a
+color half way between that of tobacco-juice
+and a tallow candle.</p>
+
+<p>'Wal, Cunnul, how dy'ge?' said the
+stranger, as we stepped from the carriage.</p>
+
+<p>'Very well, Ned; how are you?'</p>
+
+<p>'Purty wal, Cunnul; had the nagur
+lately, right smart, but'm gittin' 'roun.'</p>
+
+<p>'You're in a bad fix here, I see.
+Can't Jim help you?'</p>
+
+<p>'Wal, p'raps he moight. Jim, how
+dy'ge?'</p>
+
+<p>'Sort o' smart, ole feller. But come,
+stir yerseff; we want ter gwo 'long,' replied
+Jim, with a manifest lack of courtesy
+that showed he regarded the white man
+as altogether too 'trashy' to be treated
+with much ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>With the aid of Jim, a new linch-pin
+was soon whittled out, the turpentine
+rolled on to the cart, and the vehicle
+put in a moving condition.</p>
+
+<p>'Where are you hauling your turpentine?'
+
+asked the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>'To Sam Bell's, at the "Boro'."'</p>
+
+<p>'What will he pay you?'</p>
+
+<p>'Wal, I've four barr'ls of "dip," and
+tu of "hard." For the hull, I reckon
+he'll give three dollars a barr'l.'</p>
+
+<p>'By tale?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, for two hun'red and eighty pound.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">I'll</span> give you two dollars and a
+half by weight.'</p>
+
+<p>'Can't take it, Cunnel; must get three
+dollar.'</p>
+
+<p>'What, will you go sixty miles with
+this team, and waste five or six days, for
+fifty cents on six barrels&mdash;three dollars?'</p>
+
+<p>'Can't 'ford the time, Cunnel, but
+must git three dollar a barr'l.'</p>
+
+<p>'That fellow is a specimen of our "natives,"'
+said the Colonel, as we resumed
+our seats in the carriage. 'You'll see
+more of them before we get back to the
+plantation.'</p>
+
+<p>'He puts a young cow to a decidedly
+original use,' I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>'Oh no, not original here; the ox and
+the cow with us are both used for labor.'</p>
+
+<p>'You don't mean to say that cows are
+generally worked here?'</p>
+
+<p>'Of course I do. Our breeds are good
+for nothing as milkers, and we put them
+to the next best use. I never have cow's
+milk on my plantation.'</p>
+
+<p>'You don't! why, I could have sworn
+it was in my coffee this morning.'</p>
+
+<p>'I wouldn't trust you to buy brandy
+for me, if your organs of taste are not
+keener than that. It was goat's milk.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then how do you get your butter?'</p>
+
+<p>'From the North. I've had mine from
+my New York factors for over two years.'</p>
+
+<p>We soon arrived at Sandy the negro-hunter's,
+and halted to allow the Colonel
+to inquire as to the health of his family
+of children and dogs,&mdash;the latter the
+less numerous, but, if I might judge by
+appearances, the more valued of the two.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_20"></a>
+<h2>Southern Aids To The North.</h2>
+
+
+<p>II.</p>
+
+<p>If war did little else, it would have
+its value from the fact that it acts so
+extensively as an institution for the dissemination
+of useful knowledge. Every
+murmur of political dissension sends thousands
+to consult the map, and repair their
+early neglect of geography. Perhaps if
+atlases and ethnographical works were
+more studied we should have less war.
+And it is by no means impossible that
+the mutual knowledge which has been
+or is to be acquired by the people of the
+South and the North during this present
+war will eventually aid materially in
+establishing a firm bond of union.</p>
+
+<p>That we have much to learn is shown
+in the firm faith with which so many
+have listened to the threats of 'a united
+South.' Until recently the fierce and
+furious assurances of the rebel press,
+that south of Mason and Dixon's line all
+were wedded heart and soul to their
+cause, were taken almost without a
+doubt. Who has forgotten the late
+doleful convictions of the dough-faces
+that the South would hold together to
+the last in spite of wind or weather,
+concluding invariably with the old refrain,&mdash;'Suppose
+we conquer them&mdash;what
+then?' Had the country at large
+known in detail, as it <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">should</span> have
+known from a common-school education,
+what the South <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">really</span> is,&mdash;or from
+experience of life what human nature
+really is,&mdash;it would never have believed
+that this boasted unanimity was based
+on aught save ignorance or falsehood.
+The Southern press itself, almost without
+an exception, betrays gross ignorance of
+its own country, and is very superficial
+in its statistics, inclining more than any
+other to warp facts and figures to suit
+preconceived views. We, like it, have
+tacitly adopted the belief that south of
+a certain line a certain climate invariably
+prevailed, and that under its influences,
+from the Border to the Gulf of
+Mexico, there has been developed a race
+essentially alike in all its characteristics.
+The planter and the slave-owner, or the
+city merchant, has been the type with
+which our writers have become familiar
+at the hotel and the watering-place, or
+in the 'store,' and we have accepted
+them as speaking for the South, quite
+forgetful that in America, as in other
+countries, the real man of the middle
+class travels but little, and when he
+does, is seldom to be found mingling in
+the 'higher circles.' Yet even this
+Southern man of the middle class and
+of 'Alleghania,' when at the North
+frequently affects a 'Southern' air, which
+is not more natural to him than it is to
+the youthful scions of Philadelphia and
+New York, who, when in Europe, so
+often talk pro-slavery and bowie knife,
+as though they lived in the very heart
+of planterdom. But the truth is that
+when we search the South out closely
+we find that in reality there is a very
+great difference between its districts and
+their inhabitants, and, in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">fact</span>, as has
+been very truly said, 'not only is there
+no geographical boundary between the
+free and slave States, but no moral and
+intellectual boundary.'</p>
+
+<p>In the great temperate region which,
+parting from either side of the Alleghanies,
+extends from Virginia to Alabama,
+and is still continued in the pleasant
+level of Texas, slavery has rolled
+away from either mountain side like a
+flood, leaving it the home of a hardy
+population which regards with jealousy
+and dislike both the wealthy planter
+and the negro. James W. Taylor, in
+his valuable collection of facts, claims
+that through the whole extent of the
+Southern Alleghania slavery has relatively
+diminished since 1850, and that
+the forthcoming census tables will establish
+the assertion. 'The superintendent
+of the census,' he says, 'would furnish a
+
+document, valuable politically and for
+military use, if he would anticipate the
+publication of this portion of his voluminous
+budget.' If government, indeed,
+were to communicate to the public
+what information it now holds, and has
+long held, relative to the numbers and
+strength of the Union men of the South,
+an excitement of amazement would thrill
+through the North. It was on the basis
+of this knowledge that our great campaign
+was planned,&mdash;and it can not be
+denied that thousands of stanch Union
+men were greatly astonished at the revelations
+of sympathy which burst forth
+most unexpectedly in districts where
+the stars and stripes have been planted.
+But the Cabinet 'knew what it knew'
+on this subject. Much of its knowledge
+never can be revealed, but enough will
+come to-night to show that in our darkest
+hour we had an enormous mass of aid,
+little suspected by those weaker brethren
+who stood aghast at the Southern bugbear,
+and who, falling prostrate in nerveless
+terror at the windy spectre, quaked
+out repeated assurances that <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">they</span> had
+no intention of 'abolitionizing the war,'
+
+and even earnestly begged and prayed
+that the emancipationists might all be
+sent to Fort Warren,&mdash;so fearful were
+the poor cowards lest the united South,
+in the final hour of victory, might include
+them in its catalogue of the doomed.
+What would they say if they knew the
+number and power of the ABOLITIONISTS
+OF THE SOUTH,&mdash;a body of no
+trifling significance, whose fierce grasp
+will yet be felt on the throat of rebellion
+and of slavery? It is grimly amusing
+to think of the aid which the South
+counted on receiving from these Northern
+dough-faces,&mdash;little thinking that
+within itself it contained a counter-revolutionary
+party, far more dangerous
+than the Northern friends were helpful.</p>
+
+<p>It should be borne in mind that where
+such an evil as slavery exists there will
+be numbers of grave, sensible men, who,
+however quiet they may keep, will have
+their own opinions as to the expediency
+of maintaining it. The bigots of the
+South may rave of the beauty of 'the
+institution,' and make many believe that
+they speak for the whole,&mdash;a little scum
+when whipped covers the whole pail,&mdash;but
+beneath all lies a steadily-increasing
+mass of practical men who would readily
+enough manifest their opposition should
+opportunity favor free speech. Such
+people, for instance, are not insensible
+to the enormously corrupting influence
+of negroes on their children. Let the
+reader recall Olmsted's experiences,&mdash;that,
+for example, where he speaks of
+three negro women who had charge of
+half a dozen white girls of good family,
+'from three to fifteen years of age.'</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Their language was loud and obscene, such
+as I never heard before from any but the most
+depraved and beastly women of the streets.
+Upon observing me they dropped their voices,
+but not with any appearance of shame, and
+continued their altercation until their mistresses
+entered. The white children, in the mean
+time, had listened without any appearance of
+wonder or annoyance. The moment the ladies
+opened the door, they became silent.&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Cotton
+Kingdom</span>, vol. i. p. 222.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Southern <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Cultivator</span> for June,
+1855, speaks of many young men and
+women who have 'made shipwreck of all
+their earthly hopes, and been led to the
+fatal step by the seeds of corruption
+which in the days of childhood and
+youth were sown in their hearts by the
+indelicate and lascivious manners and
+conversation of their fathers' negroes.'
+If we had no other fact or cause to cite,
+this almost unnamable one might convince
+the reader that there must be a
+groundwork somewhere in the South
+among good, moral, and decent people,
+for antipathy to slavery,&mdash;human nature
+teaches us as much. And such
+people exist, not only among the hardy
+inhabitants of the inland districts, who
+are not enervated by wealth and 'exclusiveness,'
+
+but in planterdom itself.</p>
+
+<p>There are few in the North who realize
+the number of persons in the South
+who silently disapprove of slavery on
+sound grounds, such as I have mentioned.
+Does it seem credible that
+nearly <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">ten millions</span> of people should socially
+sympathize with some three hundred
+
+thousand slave-holders, who act
+with intolerable arrogance to all non-slave-holders?
+'Even in those regions
+where slavery is profitable,' as a writer
+in the Boston <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Transcript</span> well expresses
+it, 'the poor whites feel the slaveocracy
+as the most grinding of aristocracies.'</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+
+<p>In those regions where it is not profitable,
+the population regard it with a latent abhorrence,
+compared with which the rhetorical and
+open invectives of Garrison and Phillips are
+feeble and tame. Anybody who has read Olmsted's
+truthful narrative of his experience in
+the slave States can not doubt this fact. The
+hatred to slavery too often finds its expression
+in an almost inhuman hatred of 'niggers,'
+whether slave or free, but it is none the less
+significant of the feelings and opinions of the
+white population.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>As I write, every fresh thunder of war
+and crash of victory is followed by murmurs
+of amazement at the enthusiastic
+receptions which the Union forces meet
+in most unexpected strongholds of the
+enemy, in the very heart of slavedom.
+Yet it was <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">known</span> months ago, and prophesied,
+with the illustration of undeniable
+facts, that this counter-revolutionary
+element existed. One single truth was
+forgotten,&mdash;that these Southern friends
+of the Union, even while avowing that
+slavery must be supported, had no love
+of it in their hearts. Emancipation has
+been sedulously set aside under pretence
+of conciliating them; but it was needless,&mdash;'old
+custom' had made them cautious,
+and mindful of 'expediency;' but
+the mass of them hate 'the institution.'
+
+It is for the traitorous Northern <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">dough-faces</span>,
+and the paltry handful of secessionists,
+'on a thin slip of land on the
+Atlantic,' that slavery is, at present,
+cherished. The great area of the South
+is free from it,&mdash;and ever will be.</p>
+
+<p>It has frequently been insisted on that
+the mere <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">geographical</span> obstacles to disunion
+are such as to render the cause of
+slavery hopeless in the long run. Yet
+to this most powerful Southern aid to
+the North, men seem to have been
+strangely blind during the days of doubt
+which so long afflicted us. These obstacles
+are, briefly, the enormous growing
+power of the West, and its inevitable
+outlet, the Mississippi river. 'For
+it is the mighty and free <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">West</span> which
+will always hang like a lowering thunder-cloud
+over them.'<a href="#note_14"><span class="footnoteref">14</span></a> On this subject
+I quote at length from an article, in the
+Danville (Ky.) <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Review</span>, by the Rev. R.
+J. Breckenridge, D.D.:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Whoever will look at a map of the United
+States, will observe that Louisiana lies on both
+sides of the Mississippi river, and that the
+States of Arkansas and Mississippi lie on the
+right and left banks of this great stream&mdash;eight
+hundred miles of whose lower course is
+thus controlled by these three States, unitedly
+inhabited by hardly as many white people as
+inhabit the city of New York. Observe, then,
+the country drained by this river and its affluents,
+commencing with Missouri on its west
+bank and Kentucky on its east bank. There
+are nine or ten powerful States, large portions
+of three or four others, several large Territories&mdash;in
+all, a country as large as all Europe,
+as fine as any under the sun, already holding
+many more people than all the revolted States,
+and powerful regions of the earth. Does any
+one suppose that these powerful States&mdash;this
+great and energetic population&mdash;will ever
+make a peace that will put the lower course
+of this single and mighty national outlet to the
+sea in the hands of a foreign government far
+weaker than themselves? If there is any such
+person he knows little of the past history of
+mankind, and will perhaps excuse us for reminding
+him that the people of Kentucky, before
+they were constituted a State, gave formal
+notice to the federal government, when Gen.
+Washington was President, that if the United
+States did not require Louisiana they would
+themselves conquer it. The mouths of the
+Mississippi belong, by the gift of God, to the
+inhabitants of its great valley. Nothing but
+irresistible force can disinherit them.</p>
+
+<p>Try another territorial aspect of the case.
+There is a bed of mountains abutting on the
+left bank of the Ohio, which covers all Western
+Virginia, and all Eastern Kentucky, to the
+width, from east to west, in those two States,
+of three or four hundred miles. These mountains,
+stretching south-westwardly, pass entirely
+through Tennessee, cover the back parts of
+North Carolina and Georgia, heavily invade the
+northern part of Alabama, and make a figure
+even in the back parts of South Carolina and
+
+the eastern parts of Mississippi, having a
+course of perhaps seven or eight hundred
+miles, and running far south of the northern
+limit of profitable cotton culture. It is a region
+of 300,000 square miles, trenching upon
+eight or nine slave States, though nearly destitute
+of slaves itself; trenching upon at least
+five cotton States, though raising no cotton
+itself. The western part of Maryland and two-thirds
+of Pennsylvania are embraced in the
+north-eastern continuation of this remarkable
+region. Can anything that passes under the
+name of statesmanship be more preposterous
+than the notion of permanent peace on this
+continent, founded on the abnegation of a common
+and paramount government, and the idea
+of the supercilious domination of the cotton
+interest and the slave-trade over such a mountain
+empire, so located and so peopled?</p>
+
+<p>As a further proof of the utter impossibility
+of peace except under a common government,
+and at once an illustration of the import of
+what has just been stated, and the suggestion
+of a new and insuperable difficulty, let it be
+remembered that this great mountain region,
+throughout its general course, is more loyal to
+the Union than any other portion of the slave
+States. It is the mountain counties of Maryland
+that have held treason in check in that
+State; it is forty mountain counties in Western
+Virginia that have laid the foundation of a new
+and loyal commonwealth; it is the mountain
+counties of Kentucky that first and most eagerly
+took up arms for the Union; it is the mountain
+region of Tennessee that alone, in that dishonored
+State, furnished martyrs to the sacred
+cause of freedom; it is the mountain people of
+Alabama that boldly stood out against the Confederate
+government till their own leaders deserted
+and betrayed them.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>It is not a strong point, but it is worth
+noting, that even in South Carolina
+there is an Alleghanian area of 4,074
+square miles, equal to the State of Connecticut,
+in which the diminished proportion
+of slaves, with other local causes,
+are sufficient to indicate the Union feeling
+which indeed struggles there in secret.
+These counties are:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p></p><table><tbody>
+<tr>
+  <td></td><td>FREE.</td><td>SLAVE.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>Spartanburgh,</td><td>18,311</td><td>8,039</td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+  <td>Greenville,</td><td>13,370 </td><td>6,691</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>Anderson,</td><td>13,867 </td><td>7,514</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>Pickens,</td><td>13,105</td><td>3,679</td>
+
+</tr>
+</tbody></table><p></p>
+
+<p>Slavery is here large, as compared to
+the other counties of 'Alleghania,' but
+the great proportion of free inhabitants,
+as contrasted with the districts near the
+Atlantic, makes it worth citing. In accordance
+with a request, I give from
+Jas. W. Taylor's collection, illustrating
+this subject, the table of population in
+East Tennessee:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>The following table, from the census of 1850,
+presents the slave and cotton statistics of this
+district, in their relation to the free population:</p>
+</div>
+
+<p></p><table><tbody>
+<tr>
+
+<td>COUNTIES.</td>
+<td>FREE.</td>
+<td>SLAVE.</td>
+<td>COTTON, 400 lb. bales.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Johnson,</td>
+<td>3,485</td>
+<td>206</td>
+<td>0</td>
+
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Carter,</td>
+<td>5,911</td>
+<td>353</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Washington,</td>
+<td>12,671</td>
+<td>930</td>
+
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Sullivan,</td>
+<td>10,603</td>
+<td>1,004</td>
+<td>153</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Hancock,</td>
+<td>5,447</td>
+
+<td>202</td>
+<td>2</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Hawkins,</td>
+<td>11,567</td>
+<td>1,690</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Greene,</td>
+
+<td>16,526</td>
+<td>1,093</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Cocke,</td>
+<td>7,501</td>
+<td>719</td>
+<td>3</td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td>Sevier,</td>
+<td>6,450</td>
+<td>403</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Jefferson,</td>
+<td>11,458</td>
+<td>1,628</td>
+
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Granger,</td>
+<td>11,170</td>
+<td>1,035</td>
+<td>1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Knox,</td>
+<td>16,385</td>
+
+<td>2,193</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Union, new county,</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Claiborne,</td>
+<td>8,610</td>
+<td>660</td>
+<td>0</td>
+
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Anderson,</td>
+<td>6,391</td>
+<td>503</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Campbell,</td>
+<td>5,651</td>
+<td>318</td>
+
+<td>1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Scott,</td>
+<td>1,808</td>
+<td>37</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Morgan,</td>
+<td>3,301</td>
+
+<td>101</td>
+<td>9</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Cumberland, new county,</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Roane,</td>
+<td>10,525</td>
+<td>1,544</td>
+<td>121</td>
+
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Blount,</td>
+<td>11,213</td>
+<td>1,084</td>
+<td>6</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Munroe,</td>
+<td>10,623</td>
+<td>1,188</td>
+
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>McMinn,</td>
+<td>12,286</td>
+<td>1,568</td>
+<td>2,821</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Polk,</td>
+<td>5,884</td>
+
+<td>400</td>
+<td>29</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Bradley,</td>
+<td>11,478</td>
+<td>744</td>
+<td>1,600</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Meigs,</td>
+
+<td>4,480</td>
+<td>395</td>
+<td>2</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Hamilton,</td>
+<td>9,216</td>
+<td>672</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td>Rhea,</td>
+<td>3,951</td>
+<td>436</td>
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Bledsoe,</td>
+<td>5,036</td>
+<td>827</td>
+
+<td>0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Sequatche, new county,</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Van Buren,</td>
+<td>2,481</td>
+<td>175</td>
+<td>2</td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td>Grundy,</td>
+<td>2,522</td>
+<td>236</td>
+<td>24</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Marion,</td>
+<td>5,718</td>
+<td>551</td>
+
+<td>24,413</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Franklin,</td>
+<td>10,085</td>
+<td>3,623</td>
+<td>637</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>Lincoln,</td>
+<td>17,802</td>
+
+<td>5,621</td>
+<td>2,576</td>
+</tr>
+</tbody></table><p></p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>The geographical order of the foregoing list
+of counties is from the extreme north-east&mdash;Johnson&mdash;south-west
+to Lincoln, on the Alabama
+line. I have included a tier of counties
+the west, which embrace the summits and
+western slopes of the Cumberland Hills, regarding
+their physical and political features as
+more identified with East than Middle Tennessee.
+Such are Lincoln, Franklin, Grundy, Van
+Buren, Cumberland, Morgan and Scott counties.</p>
+
+<p>I estimate the area of this district as about
+
+17,175 square miles, an extent of territory exceeding
+the aggregate of the following States:</p>
+</div>
+
+<p></p><table><tbody>
+<tr>
+  <td>Massachusetts,</td><td>7,800 square miles.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>Connecticut,</td><td>4,674 square miles.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>Rhode Island,</td><td>l,306 square miles.</td>
+
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td></td><td>&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td></td><td>13,180 square miles.</td>
+</tr>
+</tbody></table><p></p>
+
+
+<p>Yet it is not many months since even
+this Tennessee region, it was generally
+feared, would be false to the Union, on
+account of its attachment to slavery.</p>
+
+<p>The reader who has studied the facts
+which I have cited, indicating the existence
+of a powerful Union party at the
+South (and the facts are few and weak
+compared to the vast mass which exist,
+and which are known to government),
+may judge for himself whether that
+party is Union <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">in spite of pro-slavery
+principles</span>, as so many would have us believe.
+Let him see where these Union
+men are found, where they have come
+forth with the greatest enthusiasm, and
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">then</span> say that he believes they are friends
+to slavery. Let him bear in mind the
+hundreds of thousands of acres, the vast
+tracts, equal in extent to whole Northern
+States, in the South, which are unfitted
+for slave labor, and reflect whether
+the inhabitants of these cool, temperate
+regions are not as conscious of their inadaptability
+to slave labor as he is himself;
+and whether <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">they</span> are so much attached
+to the institution which fosters
+the Satanic pride, panders to the passions,
+and corrupts the children of the
+planter of the low country.</p>
+
+<p>Since writing the above, the long-expected
+declaration of President LINCOLN
+has appeared in favor of adopting a plan
+which may lead to the gradual abolishment
+of slavery. He proposes that the
+United States shall coöperate with such
+slave States as may desire Emancipation,
+by giving such pecuniary aid as may
+compensate for any losses incurred. No
+interference with State rights or claims
+to rights in the question is intended.</p>
+
+<p>It is evident that this message is directed
+entirely to the strengthening and
+building up of the Union party of the
+South, and has been based quite as much
+on their demands and on a knowledge
+of their needs, as on any Northern pressure.
+And it will have a sure effect. It
+will bring to life, if realized, those seeds
+of counter-revolution which so abundantly
+exist in the South. The growth may
+be slow, but it will be certain. So long
+as the certainty exists that compensation
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">may</span> be obtained, there will be a party
+who will long for it; and where there
+is a will there is a way. The executive
+has finally <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">officially</span> recognized the truth
+of the theory of Emancipation, and
+thereby entitled itself to the honor of
+having taken the greatest forward step
+in the glorious path of Freedom ever
+made even in our history.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_21"></a>
+<h2>The Molly O'Molly Papers.</h2>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_22"></a>
+<h3>No. I.</h3>
+
+<p>In addressing you for the first time,
+you will perhaps expect me to give some
+account of myself and my ancestry, as
+did the illustrious <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Spectator</span>.</p>
+
+<p>My remote ancestors are Irish. From
+them I inherited enthusiasm, a gun-powder
+temper, a propensity to blunder, and
+a name&mdash;Molly O'Molly. The origin
+of this name I have in vain endeavored
+to trace in history, perhaps because it
+belonged to a very old family, one of
+the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">prehistorics</span>. As such it might have
+been that of a demigod, or, according to
+the development theory, of a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">demi-man</span>.
+Or it might have been that of an old
+Irish gentleman, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">gentle</span> in truth;&mdash;in
+the formative stage of society it is the
+monster that leaves traces of himself, as
+in an old geologic period the huge reptile
+left his tracks in the plastic earth,
+which afterward hardened into rock.</p>
+
+
+<p>Then, too, I have searched in vain for
+anything like it in ancient Irish poetry,
+thinking that my progenitor's name
+might have been therein embalmed.
+
+'The stony science'&mdash;mind you&mdash;reveals
+to us the former existence of the
+huge reptile, the fragmentary, mighty
+mastodon, and, imperfect, the mail-clad
+fish. But, wonder of wonders, we find
+the whole <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">insect</span> preserved in that fossil
+gum amber. And even so in verse,
+characters are preserved for all time,
+that could not make their mark in history,
+and that had none of the elements
+of an earthly immortality. Did I wish
+immortality I would choose a poet for
+my friend;&mdash;an <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">In Memoriam</span> is worth
+all the records of the dry chronicler.</p>
+
+<p>But, it is not with the root of the family
+tree that you have to do, but with the
+twig Myself.</p>
+
+<p>As for my physique,&mdash;I am not like
+the scripture personage who beheld his
+face in a glass, and straightway forgot
+what manner of man he was. I have,
+on the contrary, a very distinct recollection
+of my face; suffice it to say, that,
+had I Rafaelle's pencil, I would not, like
+him, employ it on my own portrait.</p>
+
+<p>And my life&mdash;the circumstances
+which have influenced, or rather created
+its currents, have been trifling; not
+that it has had no powerful currents;
+it is said that the equilibrium of the
+whole ocean could be destroyed by a
+single mollusk or coralline,&mdash;but my life
+has been an uneventful one. I never
+met with an adventure, never even had
+a hair-breadth escape,&mdash;yes, I did, too,
+have one hair-breadth escape. I once
+just grazed matrimony. The truth is, I
+fell in love, and was sinking with Falstaff's
+'alacrity,' when I was fished out;
+but somehow I slipt off the hook&mdash;fortunately,
+however, was left on shore.
+By the way, the best way to get out of
+love is to be drawn out by the matrimonial
+hook. One of Holmes' characters
+wished to change a vowel of the verb <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">to
+love</span>, and conjugate it&mdash;I have forgotten
+how far. Where two set out to
+conjugate together the verb to love in
+the first person plural, it is well if they
+do not, before the honey-moon is over,
+get to the present-perfect, indicative.
+Alas! I have thus far, in the first person
+singular, conjugated too many verbs,
+among them <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">to enjoy</span>. As for <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">to be</span>, I
+have come to the balancing in my mind
+of the question that so perplexed Hamlet&mdash;'To
+be, or not to be.' For, with
+all the natural cheerfulness of my disposition,
+I can not help sometimes looking
+on the dark side of life. But there is no
+use in setting down my gloomy reflections,&mdash;all
+have them. We are all surrounded
+by an atmosphere of misery,
+pressing on us fifteen pounds to the
+square inch, so evenly and constantly
+that we know not its fearful weight.
+To change the figure. Have you ever
+thought how much misery one life <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">can</span>
+
+hold in solution? Each year, as it flows
+into it, adds to it a heaviness, a weight
+of woe, as the rivers add salts to the
+ocean. I do not refer to the most unhappy,
+but to all. Some one says,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'If singing breath, if echoing chord</p>
+<p class="l">To every hidden pang were given,</p>
+<p class="l">What endless melodies were poured,</p>
+<p class="l">As sad as earth, as sweet as heaven.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>If breath to every hidden prayer were
+given, could it be <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">singing</span> breath? Would
+it not be a wail monotonous as the dirge
+of the November wind over the dead
+summer, a wail for lost hopes, lost joys,
+lost loves? Or the monotony would be
+varied&mdash;as is the wind by fitful gusts&mdash;by
+shrieks of despair, cries of agony.
+No, no, there is no use in trying to modulate
+our woes,&mdash;'we're all wrong,&mdash;the
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">time</span> in us is lost.'</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Henceforth I'll bear</p>
+<p class="l">Affliction, till it do cry out itself,</p>
+<p class="l">"Enough, enough," and die.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>But why talk thus? why mourn over
+dead hopes, dead joys, dead loves? 'Tis
+best to bury the dead out of our sight,
+and from them will spring many humbler
+hopes, quieter joys, more lowly affections,
+which 'smell sweet' though they
+
+'blossom in the dust,' and they are the
+only resurrection these dead ones can
+ever have. I have been reading, in
+Maury's Geography of the Sea, how the
+sea's dead are preserved; how they stand
+
+like enchanted warders of the treasures
+of the deep, unchanged, except that the
+expression of life is exchanged for the
+ghastliness of death. So, down beneath
+the surface currents do some deep souls
+preserve their dead hopes, joys, loves.
+Oh, this is unwise; this is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> as God
+intended; for, unlike the sea's dead,
+there will be for these no resurrection.</p>
+
+<p>Thus far I wrote, when the current
+of my thoughts was changed by a lively
+tune struck up by a hand-organ across
+the street. I am not 'good' at distinguishing
+tunes, but this one I had so often
+heard in childhood, and had so wondered
+at its strange title, that I could
+but remember it. It was 'The Devil's
+Dream.' Were I a poet, I would write
+the words to it;&mdash;but then, too, I would
+need be a musician to compose a suitable
+new tune to the words! The rattling,
+reckless notes should be varied by
+those sad enough to make an unlost angel
+weep&mdash;an unlost angel, for, to the hot
+eyes of the lost, no tears can come. 'The
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Devil's</span> Dream'&mdash;perhaps it is of Heaven.
+Doubtless, frescoed in heavenly colors
+on the walls of his memory, are scenes
+from which fancy has but to brush the
+smoke and grime of perdition to restore
+them to almost their original beauty. I
+could even pity the 'Father of lies,' the
+'Essence of evil,' the 'Enemy of mankind,'
+when I think of the terrible awaking.
+But does <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">he</span> ever sleep? Has
+there since the fall been a pause in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">his</span>
+
+labors? Perhaps the reason this tune-time
+is so fast is because he is dreaming
+in a hurry,&mdash;must soon be up and doing.
+But it is my opinion that he has so
+wound up the world to wickedness, that
+he might sleep a hundred years, and it
+would have scarcely begun to run down
+on his awaking; when, from the familiar
+appearance of all things, he would
+swear 'it was but an after-dinner nap.'
+Indeed he might die, might to-day go
+out in utter nothingness like a falling
+star, and it would be away in the year
+two thousand before he would be missed,&mdash;we
+have learned to do our own devil-work
+so rarely. Meanwhile the well-wound
+world&mdash;as a music-box plays
+over the same tunes&mdash;would go on sinning
+over the same old sins. Satan is a
+great economist, but a paltry deviser,&mdash;he
+has not invented a new sin since the
+flood. My thoughts thus danced along
+to the music, when they were brought
+to a dead stop by its cessation; and it
+was time, you will think....</p>
+
+<p>But, permit me to remind you that
+my name is not <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">acquired</span>, but <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">inherited</span>.</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">At your service,</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">MOLLY O'MOLLY.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_23"></a>
+<h3>No. II.</h3>
+
+<p>I detest that man who bides his time
+to repay a wrong or fancied wrong, who
+keeps alive in his hardened nature the
+vile thing hatred, and would for centuries,
+did he live thus long,&mdash;as the toad
+is kept alive in the solid rock. Hugh
+Miller says he is 'disposed to regard the
+poison bag of the serpent as a mark of
+degradation;' this venomous spite is
+certainly a mark of degradation, and it
+is only creeping, crawling souls that
+have it, but the creeping and crawling
+are a part of the curse.</p>
+
+<p>Yet I have a respect for honest
+indignation, righteous anger, such as the
+O'Mollys have ever been capable of.
+And all the O'Molly blood in my veins
+has been stirred by the contemptuous
+manner in which some men have spoken
+of woman. 'Weak woman,&mdash;inconstant
+woman;' they have made the wind a
+type of her fickleness. In this they are
+right; for it has been proved that the
+seasons in their return, day and night,
+are not more sure than the wind. Such
+fickleness as this is preferable to <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">man's</span>
+greatest constancy. Woman weak! she's
+gentle as the summer breeze, I grant;&mdash;but,
+like this same breeze, when she's
+roused&mdash;then beware! You have doubtless
+heard of that gale that forced back
+the Gulf Stream, and piled it up thirty
+feet at its source.</p>
+
+<p>Take care how you sour woman's
+nature,&mdash;remember that, once soured, all
+the honey in the universe will not
+sweeten it. There is such a thing as
+making vinegar of molasses, but I never
+heard of making molasses of vinegar.
+
+Do you wish to know the turning process?
+Grumbling&mdash;everlasting fault-finding&mdash;at
+breakfast, dinner, and supper,
+the same old tune. I don't see how
+the man who boards can endure it; he is
+obliged to swallow his food without complaint.
+The landlady at the head of
+the table is a very different-looking
+individual from the meek woman he
+afterwards calls wife,&mdash;not a word can he
+say, though he morning after morning,
+in his breakfast, recognizes, through its
+various disguises, yesterday's dinner. By
+the way, this is after Dame Nature's
+plan; she uses the greatest economy in
+feeding her immense family of boarders;
+never wastes a refuse scrap, or even a
+drop of water. If one of these boarders
+dies, it is true he is not, like 'the poor
+work-house boy,' served up as one dish,
+but he becomes an ingredient in many
+'a dainty dish' fit to 'to set before a
+king.' But I am not, like 'Miss
+Ophelia' in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' going to
+explore the good dame's kitchen,&mdash;will
+rather eat what is set before me, asking
+no questions; which last, what <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">man</span> ever
+did, if he could help it?</p>
+
+<p>For an insignificant man, originally
+but a cipher, who owes it to his wife
+that he is even the fraction that he is, to
+talk about 'woman knowing her place&mdash;he's
+head,' etc.! If he had given her the
+place that belonged to her, their value,
+not as individual figures, but as one
+number, would have been increased a
+thousand fold. I have made a calculation,
+and this is literally true, or rather,
+you will say, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">figuratively</span> true. Well,
+this kind of figures can not lie.</p>
+
+<p>'The rose,' the Burmese say, 'imparts
+fragrance to the leaf in which it is folded.'
+
+Many a man has had a sweetness
+imparted to his character by the woman
+he has sheltered in his bosom&mdash;though
+some characters 'not all the perfume
+of Arabia could sweeten;' and,
+strange as it seem, most women would
+rather be folded in a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">tobacco</span> leaf than
+'waste their sweetness on desert air.'
+Though it is a long time since I have
+been a man <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">lover</span>, I am not a man <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">hater</span>.
+I can not hate anything that has been
+so hallowed by woman's love,&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">its</span> magnetism
+gives a sort of attractive power
+to him.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding all that has been
+said about woman's weakness, it is acknowledged
+that she has a pretty strong
+will of her own. Well, we need a strong
+will,&mdash;it is the great <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">centrifugal force</span>
+that God has given to all. Only it must
+be subordinate to the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">centripetal force</span>
+of the universe&mdash;the Divine will.</p>
+
+<p>It is said that the centripetal force of
+our solar system is the Pleiad Alcyon. I
+know not whether the other stars of that
+cluster feel this attraction; if they do,
+what a centrifugal force the lost Pleiad
+must have had, to break away from
+'the sweet influences' which, through so
+immense a distance, draw the sun with
+all his train. This is not without a parallel&mdash;when
+
+'the morning stars sang
+together' over the new-born earth, one
+'star of the morning' was not there to
+join in the chorus.</p>
+
+<p>But Old Sol will probably never so
+strongly assert <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">his</span> centrifugality as to
+set such an example of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">secession</span> to his
+planets and comets.</p>
+
+<p>Pardon this astronomical digression.
+I have just returned from hearing an itinerant
+lecturer, and it will take a week
+to get the smoke of his magic lantern
+out of my eyes. If there is any error in
+these observations, blame the itinerant,
+not me.</p>
+
+<p>I had been low-spirited all day, had
+tried reading, work,&mdash;all of no avail.
+Dyspeptic views of life would present
+themselves to my mind. Some natures,
+and mine is of them, like the pendulum,
+need a weight attached to them to keep
+them from going too fast. But a wholesome
+sorrow is very different from this
+moping melancholy, when the thoughts
+run in one direction, till they almost
+wear a channel for themselves&mdash;when
+the channel is worn, there is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">insanity</span>.</p>
+
+<p>Neither are my gloomy religious views
+to-day those that will regenerate the
+world. Those lines of Dr. Watts,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'We should suspect some danger nigh</p>
+<p class="l">When we possess delight,'&mdash;</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>it is said, were written after a disappointment
+
+in love&mdash;it was 'sour grapes'
+that morning&mdash;with the grave divine.</p>
+
+<p>As a general rule, where we possess
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">continued</span> delight, there is no 'danger
+nigh.' Where an enjoyment comes between
+us and our God, it casts on us a
+shadow. When we have plucked a
+beautiful flower, if poisonous, it has
+such a sickening odor that we fling it
+from us. We do not 'pay too dear for
+our whistle,' unless it costs us a sin; then
+it soon becomes a loathed and useless
+toy. Otherwise, the dearer we pay, the
+sweeter its music.</p>
+
+<p>And even if there is 'danger nigh'&mdash;because
+we are pleased with the beautiful
+foam, need we steer straight for the
+breakers? Not every tempting morsel
+is the enemy's bait, though we should
+be careful how we nibble;&mdash;he is no
+blunderer (a proof positive that he is
+not Irish), never leaves his trap sprung&mdash;and
+we may get caught.</p>
+
+<p>This is a synopsis of the arguments,
+or rather assertions, with which I opposed
+those of the blues; but, finding
+they were getting the better of me, I
+started out for a walk. It was a chilly
+afternoon; the whole sky, except a clear
+place just above the western horizon,
+was covered with those heavy, diluted
+India-ink clouds; the setting sun throwing
+a dreary red light on the northern
+and eastern mountains, adding sullenness
+to the gloom, instead of dispelling
+it. But why describe this gloomy sunset,
+there are so many beautiful ones?&mdash;when,
+as the grand, old, dying Humboldt
+said, the 'glorious rays seem to
+beckon earth to heaven?'</p>
+
+<p>Well, I walked so fast that I left my
+blue tormentors far in the rear. On
+the way I met a friend, who invited me
+to go to the astronomical lecture. Here
+you have it, after many digressions. My
+thoughts never strike a plane surface,
+but always a spherical, and fly off in a
+tangent.</p>
+
+<p>Sydney Smith says, 'Remember the
+flood and be brief.' You know I belong
+to a very old family; and from an ancestor,
+who lived before the flood, has
+been transmitted through a long line of
+O'Mollys a disposition to spin out. Unfortunately
+an antediluvian length of
+time was not an <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">heir-loom</span> to</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">Your humble servant,</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">MOLLY O'MOLLY.</p>
+</div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_24"></a>
+
+<h2>Sketches Of Edinburgh Literati.</h2>
+
+<p>By A Former Member Of Its Press.</p>
+
+
+<p>There was a time when the little
+hamlet of Cockpaine, ten miles from
+Edinburgh, in addition to the charms of
+its scenery, was also socially attractive
+from the high literary talent of several
+of its residents. It was situated on the
+banks of the Esk, whose rapid flow affords
+a valuable water-power. This had
+been improved under the enterprise of
+Mr. Craig, an extensive manufacturer,
+who became at last proprietor not only
+of the mills, but of the entire village.
+Mr. Craig was successful for several
+years; but the revulsions of trade during
+the Crimean war swept away his
+previous profits, and in 1854 he sank
+in utter bankruptcy.</p>
+
+<p>The extensive domain of the Earl of
+Dalhousie lay next to Cockpaine, and
+the village site seemed all that was
+necessary to its completeness. As soon
+as the latter was offered for sale, the
+earl made the long-desired purchase,
+and then began the immediate eviction
+of its population. I saw four hundred
+operatives, of all ages, driven off on one
+
+sad occasion&mdash;a scene which reminded
+me most painfully of Goldsmith's lines in
+the 'Deserted Village:'&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Good Heaven! what sorrows gloomed that parting day</p>
+<p class="l">That called them from their native walks away,</p>
+<p class="l">When the poor exiles, every pleasure past,</p>
+<p class="l">Hung round the bowers, and fondly looked their last,</p>
+<p class="l">And took a long farewell, and wished in vain</p>
+
+<p class="l">For seats like these beyond the western main;</p>
+<p class="l">And shuddering still to face the distant deep,</p>
+<p class="l">Returned and wept, and still returned to weep.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>A subsequent visit to what was once
+the thriving village, with its embowered
+cottages reflected from the waters of the
+Esk, its groups of romping children, its
+Sabbath melodies and its secular din,
+now changed to a nobleman's preserves,
+recalled the following truthful sketch
+from the same poem:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Thus fares the land by luxury betrayed,</p>
+<p class="l">In Nature's simplest charms arrayed;</p>
+
+<p class="l">But verging to decline, its splendors rise,</p>
+<p class="l">Its vistas strike, its palaces surprise;</p>
+<p class="l">While, scourged by famine from the smiling land,</p>
+<p class="l">The mournful peasant leads his humble band;</p>
+<p class="l">And while he sinks, without one arm to save,</p>
+<p class="l"><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">The country blooms, a garden and a grave.</span>'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Among those whom Mr. Craig had
+numbered with the friends of his better
+days, the first rank might have been
+conceded to that most eccentric and interesting
+child of genius, Thomas DeQuincey.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Craig had thrown open to his use
+a lovely cottage and grounds, commonly
+known as 'the Paddock,' which DeQuincey
+and his family occupied for several
+years as privileged guests. 'The Opium-eater,'
+as he was universally called by
+the villagers, was not more remarkable
+in character than in appearance. His
+attenuated form, though but five feet six
+in height, seemed singularly tall; and
+his sharply aquiline countenance was
+strongly indicative of reflection. This
+aspect was increased by a downward
+cast of the eyes, which were invariably
+fixed upon the ground; and in his solitary
+walks he seemed like one rapt in
+a dream. Such a character could not
+but be quite a marvel to the literary
+coterie of Cockpaine, which found in
+him an inexhaustible subject of discussion;
+while the more common class of
+the community viewed him with solemn
+wonderment&mdash;'aye, there he gaes aff
+to th' brae&mdash;he'll kill himsell wi' ower
+thinkin'&mdash;glowrin all the day lang&mdash;ah,
+there's na gude in that black stuff;
+it's worse nor whiskey and baccy forbye.'
+
+Such were some of the ordinary
+comments on the weird form which was
+seen emerging from 'the Paddock' and
+moving in solitude towards the hills.
+Taciturnity was a striking feature in DeQuincey's
+character, and was, no doubt,
+owing to intense mental action. The
+inner life, aroused to extreme activity
+by continued stimulus, excluded all perceptions
+beyond its own limits, and the
+world in which he dwelt was sufficiently
+large without the intrusion of external
+things. In his walks I would often
+follow in his track, with that fondness
+of imitation peculiar to childhood, but
+was never the object of his notice, and
+never heard him converse but once.
+Overcome by such recluse habits, DeQuincey
+showed no desire to court the
+patronage of the great, and had but little
+intercourse with the lordly family of
+the Dalhousies. Indeed, his only intimacy
+was with Mr. Craig, whose hospitality
+had won his heart. He was at
+this time still consuming enormous quantities
+of opium, having never abated its
+use, notwithstanding his allusions to reform
+in the 'Confessions.' His two
+daughters, like those of Milton, cheered
+the domestic scenes of 'the Paddock,'
+and the trio formed a circle whose interest
+pervaded the literary world.</p>
+
+<p>DeQuincey was at that time writing
+for Hogg's <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Instructor</span>, a popular Edinburgh
+periodical, in which his articles
+were a leading attraction. The <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Instructor</span>
+
+was published weekly, and in
+addition to the pen of the 'Opium-eater,'
+could boast the editorship of the brilliant
+George Gilfillan. The former of
+these devoted himself to a series of
+interesting miscellanies, in which he
+brought out many pen-and-ink portraits
+of striking power. At times, indeed, he
+was almost considered joint editor; but
+his use of opium was so little abated,
+
+that it forbade dependence upon his
+pen. The quantity of the drug consumed
+by him, according to report, was
+astonishing. In his daily walk along
+the Esk, his form was easily distinguished,
+even at a distance, by the
+prim black surtout, whose priestly aspect
+was somewhat in contrast with his
+'shocking-bad' hat. DeQuincey had by
+this time escaped from the poverty of
+his early days, of which he speaks so
+bitterly in his 'Confessions,' and was, if
+not a man of wealth, at least in easy
+circumstances. He was reputed to own
+a snug little estate, called 'Lasswade;'
+but he abandoned it to a tenant, and
+gave preference to Cockpaine, which
+charmed him by its romantic scenery.
+His pay for contributions to the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Instructor</span>
+could not have been less than
+a guinea per page; and Hogg, its publisher
+(who was no relation to the Ettrick
+shepherd), would have given him
+more had it been demanded. The <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Instructor</span>
+
+was subsequently merged into
+the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Titan</span>, and its place of publication
+changed to London.</p>
+
+<p>Removing from Cockpaine, my initiation
+into Edinburgh life was through an
+acquaintance with the noted publishing
+house of the Messrs. Black, who were
+then getting out their splendid edition
+of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Encyclopedia Brittanica</span>.</p>
+
+<p>This vast enterprise, which cost
+£25,000, was highly profitable, through
+the energy and cleverness of Robert
+Black, who conducted it. Among other
+distinguished contributors, I frequently
+met in its office Mr., subsequently Lord,
+Macaulay, who furnished the articles
+on 'Pitt,' 'Canning,' and other distinguished
+statesmen. Although at that
+time a man of slender means, Mr. Macaulay
+refused compensation for these
+papers, on the score of strong personal
+friendship. However, he received an
+indirect reward, more valuable than
+mere gold, since Robert Black was his
+strong political supporter, and frequently
+presided at public meetings held to
+further Macaulay's interests. I have
+often seen Music Hall crowded by an
+enthusiastic mass while the bookseller
+filled the chair, and the great reviewer
+appeared as a public orator. Macaulay's
+person was very striking and impressive.
+He was tall, and of noble
+build and full development. Although
+one of the most diligent of readers and
+hard working of students of any age,
+his ruddy countenance did not indicate
+close application, and his appearance
+was anything but that of a book-worm.
+Indeed, at first glance, one would have
+taken him for a fine specimen of the
+wealthy English farmer; and to have
+observed his habits of good living at
+the social dining parties, would have
+added to the impression that in him
+the animal nature was far in advance
+of the intellectual. Macaulay, on all
+festive occasions, proved himself as elegant
+a conversationist as he was a writer;
+his tone was thoroughly English,
+and his pronunciation, like that of
+Washington Irving, was singularly correct.
+As a speaker, he at times rose to
+splendid flights of oratory, although his
+delivery from memory was less effective
+than the extemporaneous style. Macaulay
+never married, but was always
+happy in the social circle of his friends.</p>
+
+<p>The Blacks were likewise publishers
+of Scott's novels, the demand for which
+was so great that they were seldom 'off
+the press.' Three standard editions were
+issued,&mdash;one of forty-eight volumes, at
+a low rate, another of twenty-five volumes,
+at higher cost, and an additional
+library edition, of still greater price.
+Of these, one thousand 'sets' per year
+were the average of sale.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after this, I was in connection
+with the Ballantynes, who published
+Blackwood's Magazine, one of the most
+profitable periodicals in the United
+Kingdom. This connection led to an
+acquaintance with John Wilson, better
+known as 'Christopher North,' of 'Old
+Ebony.' When the printers were in
+haste, I have frequently walked down
+to his residence in Gloucester Place,
+and sat by his side, waiting patiently,
+hour after hour, for copy. The professor
+always wrote in the night, and would
+frequently dash off one of his splendid
+
+articles between supper and daybreak.
+His study was a small room, containing
+a table littered with paper, the walls
+garnished with a few pictures, while
+heaps of books were scattered wherever
+chance might direct. At this table
+might have been seen the famous
+professor of moral philosophy, stripped
+to his shirt and pantaloons, the former
+open in front, and displaying a vast, hirsute
+chest, while a slovenly necktie kept
+the limp collar from utter loss of place.
+This was his favorite state for composition,
+and was in true keeping with the
+character and productions of his genius.
+When in public, the professor was still a
+sloven; but his heavy form and majestic
+head and countenance&mdash;though he was
+not a tall man&mdash;at once commanded
+respect. He never appeared anything
+but the philosopher, and I, who saw him
+in the dishabille of his study, never lost
+my awe for his greatness. He had a
+worthy family, and maintained an excellent
+establishment. Aytoun, who is
+now editor of Blackwood, married one
+of his daughters, and has proved, by his
+stirring ballads, that he was worthy of
+such an alliance. In writing, the professor
+eschewed gas light, and made use
+of the more classic lamp. A bottle of
+wine was his companion, and stood at
+his elbow until exhausted. This will
+perhaps explain much of the convivial
+character of the 'Notes.' The old-fashioned
+quill pen was his preference; and
+as the hours advanced, and mental excitement
+waxed in activity, the profuse
+spattering of ink rattled like rain. As
+a matter of course, his pay was of the
+highest rate, and his articles were read
+with avidity. One reason of this may
+be found in the boldness with which he
+drags into the imaginary colloquies of
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Noctes Ambrosianæ</span> the literati of both
+kingdoms. This liberty was sometimes
+felt keenly, and sharply resented. Poor
+James Hogg, the 'Ettrick Shepherd,'
+who was just then getting a position in
+the literary world, sometimes found himself
+figuring unexpectedly in the scenes,
+as the victim of relentless wit. As a
+retaliation, Hogg attacked Wilson in a
+sheet which he was then publishing in
+the Cowgate, under the aid and patronage
+of a hatter.</p>
+
+<p>It was one of John Wilson's fancies
+to affect a love of boxing, and it was a
+favorite theme in the 'Ambrosial Discussions.'
+From this some have imagined
+that he was of a pugilistic turn,
+whereas he knew nothing of the 'science,'
+and only affected the knowledge
+in jest.</p>
+
+<p>Next to old 'Kit North,' the most
+truly beloved contributor to Blackwood
+was 'Delta,' whose poetry was for years
+expected, almost of course, in every
+number. As Wilson's identity was well-nigh
+lost in his imaginary character, so
+plain Dr. Moir was, in the literary
+world, merged in 'Delta' of Blackwood.
+But to the inhabitants of Musselburg he
+sustained a character altogether different,
+and the gentle <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Delta</span> was only
+known as one worthy of the title of
+'the good physician.' I lived at Musselburg
+two years, and had ample opportunities
+of personal acquaintance.
+Dr. Moir was a man of highly benevolent
+countenance, and of quiet and retiring
+manners. His practice was very
+extensive, and at almost all hours he
+could have been seen driving an old
+gray horse through the streets and suburbs
+of the town. The ancient character
+of Musselburg seemed to have been
+as congenial to his temperament as
+Nuremberg was to that of Hans Sachs.
+Indeed, in antiquity it can glory over
+
+'Auld Reekie,' according to the quaint
+couplet,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Musselboro' was a boro' when Edinburgh was nane;</p>
+<p class="l">Musselboro'll be a boro' when Edinburgh is gane.'</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Moir was buried at Inveresk, where
+his remains are honored by a noble
+monument; the memory of his genius
+will be cherished by all readers of Blackwood.
+He died in 1854.</p>
+
+<p>While engaged on the Encyclopedia
+to which we have made reference, I
+made the acquaintance of McCulloch,
+the distinguished writer of finances, who
+furnished the article on 'Banking.'</p>
+
+
+<p>However distinguished may have been
+the position of this man in point of talent,
+he failed utterly to command respect;
+and I chiefly remember his coarse,
+overbearing tone of boastful superiority,
+and his abusive language to the compositors
+who set up his MSS. That they
+found the latter difficult of deciphering
+is not surprising, since the sheet looked
+less like human calligraphy than a row
+of bayonets. McCulloch had edited the
+'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Scotsman</span>' with decided ability, and
+having attracted the attention of Lord
+Brougham, had received an appointment
+in the stationer's office. But in
+his promotion he quickly forgot his humble
+origin, and displayed his native vulgarity
+by lording it over the craftsmen
+who gave form and life to his thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>Among the giants of Scotland at that
+time, Thomas Chalmers ranked chief,
+and the death of Sir Walter Scott had
+left him without a peer. I used to meet
+him as he took his early walks, and in
+his loving way of greeting youth he often
+bade me a cheerful good-morning. He
+was then living at Kinghorn, about eight
+miles from Edinburgh. Dr. Chalmers'
+robust stature was in keeping with the
+power of his intellect. He was of massive
+frame, and displayed a breadth of
+shoulder which seemed borrowed from
+the Farnese Hercules. Though so distinguished
+as a divine, there was nothing
+clerical in his appearance&mdash;nothing of
+that air of 'the cloth' which at once
+proclaims the preacher. His noble features
+were generally overspread with a
+benevolent smile, which seemed to shed
+an illumination as though from the ignition
+of the soul; while at other times he
+was possessed with a spirit of abstraction
+as if walking in a dream.</p>
+
+<p>As a theologian, Chalmers was great
+beyond any of his contemporaries; and
+yet, strictly speaking, his genius was
+mathematical, rather than theological.
+In this respect he resembled that famed
+American of whom he professed himself
+a disciple&mdash;Jonathan Edwards. Of the
+latter it is stated by no less a critic than
+the author of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Eclipse of Faith</span> (Henry
+Rogers), that he was born a mathematician.
+Chalmers, however, was a
+master of all science, and it would have
+been difficult for even a specialist to
+have taken him at an advantage. As
+greatness is always set off by simplicity,
+the latter feature was one of the chief
+beauties in what we may call the Chalmerian
+Colossus. I have often seen him
+leaning upon the half open door of a
+smithy, conversing with the intelligent
+workmen, as they rested from the use
+of the sledge. Having referred to his
+love of children, I may add, in respect
+to myself, that when I, in my childhood,
+spoke to him in the street, I was generally
+favored with an apple. He was
+indeed an ardent lover of the young,
+and his genius seemed to gather freshness
+from his intercourse with childhood.</p>
+
+<p>Edinburgh will not soon forget his interest
+in the welfare of the poor, in
+which he has been so ably seconded by
+the present Dr. Guthrie. I well remember
+beholding the two Christian reformers,
+standing above the slums of the
+city, contemplating the fields which the
+latter had assumed. Suddenly Chalmers
+clapped his friend upon the back,
+and exclaimed, in rude pleasantry,
+
+'Wow, Tummus Guthrie, but ye ha a
+bonnie parish.' Chalmers' pronunciation
+was singularly broad, and not easily
+understood by many. Stopping once,
+during a tour in England, at a place
+where there was a seminary, a gentleman
+inquired of him how many Scotch
+boys were in attendance. 'Saxtain or
+savantain,' was the reply. 'Enough,'
+says the gentleman, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">sotto voce</span>, to corrupt
+a whole school.' As regards calligraphy,
+Chalmers wrote the most illegible
+hand in Scotland. He could not
+even read it himself, and was frequently
+obliged to call his wife and daughters to
+his aid. Many of his discourses, when
+intended for the press, were copied by
+them. His manuscript, when fresh from
+his hand, looked as though a fly had fallen
+into the ink-stand, and then crawled
+over the page. When his letters were
+received at his paternal home, the language
+of the father was, 'A letter from
+Tummus, eh; weel, when he comes
+
+hame, he maun read it himsel.' There
+was something Homeric in Chalmers'
+
+mind; and Hugh Miller always considered
+him the bard of the Free Church,
+as well as its great theologian and still
+greater benefactor; and this, too, notwithstanding
+the fact that he never
+wrote a line of verse in his life. The
+simplest truths, when announced by him,
+took a poetic shape, and moved along
+with all the majesty of his towering genius.
+Speaking of Hugh Miller brings
+him before us at the time that he was
+writing for the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Caledonia Mercury</span>. He
+was then editor of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">The Witness</span>, but gave
+to the former paper such moments as he
+could abstract from his more serious
+duties. His department in the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Mercury</span>
+was the reviewing new publications.
+Besides his engagement with
+these two journals, he was pursuing
+those studies which made him the prince
+of British geologists. Geology was his
+passion. Indeed, while writing leaders
+for the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Witness</span>, or turning over the
+leaves of hot-pressed volumes, his mind
+was wandering among such scenes as
+the 'Lake of Stromness,' and the 'Old
+Red Sandstone' of his native Cromarty.
+His geological sketches in the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Witness</span>
+
+were a new feature in journalism,
+and formed the basis of that work
+which so admirably refuted the 'Vestiges
+of Creation.' I met Miller daily
+for several years. He was tall, and of
+a well-built and massive frame, and evidently
+capable of great endurance, both
+of mind and body. Considered as one
+of the distinguished instances of self-made
+men, Hugh Miller finds his only
+parallel in Horace Greeley, although the
+path to greatness was in the first instance
+even more laborious than in the
+latter. Let any one read Miller's experiences
+and adventures, as described in
+'My Schools and my Schoolmasters,'
+and he will find a renewed suggestion
+of the thought which Johnson so pathetically
+breathes in his 'London:'&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'The mournful truth is everywhere confessed,</p>
+<p class="l">Slow rises worth by poverty depressed.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Miller's appearance, when in trim attire,
+was that of the Scottish 'Dominie,'
+or parish schoolmaster; but, like the
+great American editor, he was exceedingly
+slovenly, both by nature and by
+long habits of carelessness. When in
+the street, he always wore the plaid,
+although that garment was quite out of
+use, and indicated at once something
+quaint or rustic in the wearer. At this
+time Miller was living in one of the
+suburbs of Edinburgh, called Porto Bello.
+When we exchanged greetings in
+the street, his countenance, usually overcast
+with the pale hue of thought, would
+light up with a bright and open smile,
+which continued as long as he was
+speaking, but soon yielded to returning
+abstraction. One of the most beautiful
+sights I have ever seen was the groups
+of youth whom Miller used to invite
+as companions of an afternoon walk.
+None were forbidden on the score of
+childhood, and many a 'wee bairn' trotted
+after the larger lads who accompanied
+'the gude stane-cracker,' and 'the
+bonnie mon what gaes amang the rocks.'
+He might well be called the 'stane-cracker,'
+
+since I have seen him on Calton Hill,
+or Arthur's Seat, or among the crags,
+lecturing, in a calm, quiet tone, on the
+mysteries which his hammer had brought
+to light. These were the only recreations
+of one whose days and nights were,
+with the exception of a brief and often
+wakeful season of rest, given to laborious
+study. Had he indulged more freely
+in them, he might have escaped the
+terrible fate which overtook him. But
+he never could emancipate himself from
+the labor to which he was chained. His
+'Impressions of England,' which is one
+of the most delightful of his books, was
+the product of a subsequent tour for
+health. If such were his recreations,
+what must have been his labors? Miller's
+domestic life did much to cheer an
+over-worked system. He gives, in the
+'Schools and Schoolmasters,' a pleasing
+allusion to the fascination of his courtship;
+and his subsequent life was graced
+by one whoso appearance, as I remember
+her, was singularly lovely and interesting.
+In his home circle, Miller was
+truly a happy man. I may remark, in
+
+passing, that this is a feature in Scottish
+genius. While Shelley, Byron, Bulwer,
+Dickens, and other English authors,
+have been wrecked by home difficulties,
+Scott, Chalmers, Miller, Wilson, and the
+whole line of Scottish authors, drank
+deep of domestic felicity. Perhaps this
+may be explained by the contrast between
+the warmth of Scottish character,
+and the saturnine and unsocial disposition
+of the English. Edinburgh could at
+that time boast of two distinguished men
+of the name of Miller; and the great geologist
+had almost his fellow in the professor
+of surgery. The two were very
+intimate, and the one found in the other
+not only a friend, but a faithful medical
+adviser. Professor Miller was then printing
+his leading work, and I had frequent
+occasion to visit him with reference to
+its publication. One morning, as I rang,
+the professor came to the door with a
+hurried and nervous step. As it opened,
+I noted that his tall form was peculiarly
+agitated, and his countenance was deadly
+pale. In a calm, subdued voice, he
+informed me that Hugh Miller had just
+committed suicide with a pistol. The
+terrible news overcame me with a shudder,
+and I almost sank to the floor. The
+fact was not yet generally known; and
+oh, when it should be made public, what
+a blow would be felt by the moral and
+scientific world! The professor knew
+that the affair might possibly be ascribed
+by some to accident, but he at once referred
+it to insanity. The over-worked
+brain of the geologist had been for some
+time threatened with a collapse. He
+had, in addition to the management of
+the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Witness</span>, been elaborating a work of
+deep and exhausting character, and the
+mental excitement which accompanied
+its completion was like devouring fire.
+I have frequently gone to his room at a
+late hour of the night, and found him
+sitting before the smouldering grate, so
+absorbed in thought that, as he balanced
+the probabilities of contending theories,
+he unwittingly accompanied the mental
+effort by balancing the poker on the
+bar. I have seen, on such an occasion,
+a greasy stream oozing from the pocket
+of his fustian coat, and supplied by the
+roll of butter which at morning market
+he had purchased for home use. On the
+table lay his MSS., so marred with interlinings
+and corrections, that, notwithstanding
+his neat and delicate hand, it
+was almost a complete blot. These habits
+could not but terminate in utter
+wreck, and I have ever coincided with
+the professor's opinion as to the cause
+of his death. This gentleman stated to
+me a fact not generally known, that a
+few days before the awful catastrophe,
+the unfortunate man called on him in
+great distress, and sought his advice.
+He complained of a pain in his head,
+and then added an expression of fears
+with regard to that which was to him
+of untold value. This was his mineral
+and geological collection in Shrub Place,
+which was, no doubt, the most valuable
+private one in the kingdom. He was
+haunted by apprehension of its robbery
+by a gang of thieves, and asked what
+measures of safety would be advisable.
+The professor endeavored to expel the
+absurd idea by playful remark, and supposed
+himself somewhat successful. The
+next thing he heard was the intelligence
+of his death. It is quite evident that
+the fatal revolver was purchased for
+the defense of his treasures. What a
+lesson is this of the danger of excessive
+application, of unreasonable toil, of late
+hours, and mental tension. A continued
+exhaustion of his energies had brought
+upon the geologist a state of mental horror
+from which death seemed the only
+relief. The reaction of the nervous system
+was, no doubt, similar to that arising
+from delirium tremens; and thus extremes
+met, and the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">savant</span> perished like
+the inebriate.</p>
+
+<p>The tragedy did not seem complete until
+another victim should be added. The
+professor took the revolver to Thompson's,
+on Leith Walk, in order to learn
+by examination how many shots had
+been fired by the unfortunate suicide.
+The gunsmith took the weapon, but handled
+it so carelessly, that it went off in
+his hands, and the ball caused his death.</p>
+
+<p>Speaking of excessive labor, we may
+
+observe that this is the general rule among
+men of science or letters. They are, as
+a class, crushed by engagements and duties,
+as well as by problems and questions
+of which the world can not even dream.</p>
+
+<p>The Edinburgh literati know but little
+of rest or recreation; from the editor's
+chair up to the pulpit, they are under
+a lash as relentless as that of the
+taskmaster of Egypt. For instance, we
+might refer to Buchanan, of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Mercury</span>.
+He has sat at his desk until he has
+become an old man, with the smallest
+imaginable subtraction of time for food
+and sleep, writing night and day, and
+carrying, in his comprehensive brain, the
+whole details of an influential journal.
+This feature, however, is not confined to
+the Old World, and may easily be paralleled
+in the journalism of America. Both
+Raymond, of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Times</span>, and Bennett,
+of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Herald</span>, almost live in the editorial
+function; and the former of these,
+though now Speaker of the Assembly,
+will either pen his leaders in his desk,
+during the utterance of prosy speeches,
+or in hours stolen from sleep after adjournment.
+In addition to these, we
+might quote the caustic language of Mr.
+Greeley, in reference to some mechanics
+who had 'struck,' in order to reduce their
+day's labor (we think to nine hours).
+
+'He was in favor of short days of work,
+and having labored eighteen hours per
+diem for nearly twenty years, he was
+now going to "strike" for fifteen during
+the rest of his life.' But I doubt
+the success of Mr. Greeley's 'strike,' and
+apprehend that his early application has
+continued with but little abatement.</p>
+
+<p>Before leaving Edinburgh for the
+New World, it was my good fortune to
+become acquainted with Jeffrey. He was
+at this time not so much distinguished
+as the reviewer, as he was by his new title
+of Lord Jeffrey, Judge of Court Session,
+with a salary of £3000 per annum.
+Lord Jeffrey was a small man, of light
+but elegant make, and peculiarly symmetrical.
+His head was quite small,
+but his countenance was of an imposing
+character; and his eye, brilliant but
+not fierce, often melted into a pensive
+tenderness. Such was Jeffrey's appearance
+on the bench in his latter days. I
+should have little judged from it that he
+was the relentless critic, whoso withering
+sarcasm was felt from the garrets
+of Grub Street to the highest walk of
+science or university life. My intimacy
+with Ballantyne, who published the
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Edinburgh Review</span>, often brought the
+different MSS. before me, and I could
+contrast the exquisite neatness of Wardlaw
+with the slanting school-boy hand of
+Jeffrey. The tone and style of review
+literature have changed greatly since its
+inception, when each quarterly gloried
+in the character of a literary ogre, and
+dead men's bones lay round its doors, as
+erst about the castle of Giant Despair.
+Authors are not now thrown to the wild
+beasts for the entertainment of the multitude,
+as in former days; and had John
+Keats, or even poor Henry Kirke White,
+written and published fifty years later,
+they would never have perished by the
+critic's pen. Yet the same malignant
+assault which crushed their tender muse
+was the only thing which could amuse
+the latent powers of a far greater genius;
+and had not Byron been as cruelly
+attacked by the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Edinburgh</span>, he would
+never have given 'Childe Harold' to
+the world. The authorship of that most
+unjust and malignant <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">critique</span>, which,
+however brief, was sufficient to make
+the author of 'the Hours of Idleness,'
+
+foe the time, contemptible, was long a
+secret; but it is now admitted that it
+was by Jeffrey. Little did the murderous
+critic think that his challenge would
+bring out an adversary who would soon
+unhorse him, and then dash victoriously
+over the field under the especial patronage
+of fame.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_25"></a>
+<h2>The Huguenot Families In America.</h2>
+
+
+<p>III.</p>
+
+<div>
+
+<a name="toc_26"></a>
+<h3>The Huguenots Of Ulster.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It is said that the lands of the early
+Huguenot settlers in Ulster County were
+so arranged in small lots, and within sight
+of each other, as to prevent surprise from
+the Indians whilst their owners were cultivating
+them. Louis Bevier, one of the
+most honored patentees, was the ancestor
+of the highly-respectable family bearing
+his name in that region. When he was
+about to leave France, his father became
+so exasperated, that he refused to bestow
+upon him the commonest civilities. Nor
+would he condescend to return the kind
+salutations of another son in the public
+streets, affectionately offered by the pious
+emigrant, and for the last time.</p>
+
+<p>Another of the patentees, Deyo, visited
+France to claim his confiscated estates,
+but, failing of success, returned. Kingston,
+at this early period, was the only
+trading post or village for the French
+Protestants, and sixteen miles distant
+from their settlement, although in a
+straight line. Paltz was not more than
+eight miles west of the Hudson River;
+this route, M. Deyo undertook, alone, to
+explore&mdash;but never returned. It was
+thought that the adventurous Huguenot
+died suddenly, or was devoured by the
+wild beasts. A truss and buckle which
+he owned were found about thirty years
+afterwards, at the side of a large hollow
+tree. His life seems to have been one
+full of toils and dangers, having endured
+severe sufferings for conscience' sake, before
+he reached Holland from France.
+For days he concealed himself in hiding
+places from his persecutors, and without
+food, finally escaping alone in a fishing
+boat, during a terrific storm.</p>
+
+<p>The descendants of the Ulster Dubois
+are very influential and numerous in our
+day, but there is a tradition that this
+family at one time was in great danger
+of becoming extinct. For a long while
+it was the custom of parents to visit
+Kingston, for the purpose of having their
+children baptized. M. Dubois and wife
+were returning from such a pious visit,
+and while crossing the Roundout, on the
+ice, it gave way, plunging the horses,
+sleigh and party in the rapid stream.
+With great presence of mind, the mother
+threw her infant, an only son, upon a
+floating frozen cake, which, like the ark
+of Moses, floated him safely down the
+stream, until he was providentially rescued.
+For some time this child was the
+only male Dubois among the Paltz Huguenots,
+and had he perished on that
+perilous occasion, his family name would
+also have perished with him; still there
+were seven females of the same house,
+called the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">seven zuisters</span>, all of whom
+married among the most respectable
+French Protestant families. To no stock
+do more families in Ulster County trace
+their origin than that of Dubois. Some
+antiquarians deny this tradition of the
+seven sisters, but contend that they were
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Lefevres</span>.</p>
+
+<p>There were two Le Fevres among the
+Ulster patentees. Their progenitors it is
+said were among those early Protestants
+of France who distinguished themselves
+for intellectual powers, prominence in
+the Reformed Church, with enduring patience
+under the severest trials, and
+death itself. Le Fevre, a doctor of theology,
+adorned the French metropolis
+when Paris caught the first means of
+salvation in the fifteenth century. He
+preached the pure gospel within its walls;
+and this early teacher declared '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">our religion
+has only one foundation, one object,
+one head, Jesus Christ, blessed forever.
+Let us then not take the name of Paul, of
+Apostles, or of Peter. The Cross of
+Christ alone opens heaven and shuts the
+gates of hell</span>.' In 1524, he published a
+
+translation of the New Testament, and
+the next year a version of the Psalms.
+Many received the Holy Scriptures from
+his hands, and read them in their families,
+producing the happiest results.
+Margaret, the beautiful and talented
+Princess of Valois, celebrated by all the
+wits and scholars of the time, embraced
+the true Christianity, uniting her fortune
+and influence with the Huguenots, and
+the Reformation thus had a witness in
+the king's court. She was sister to
+Francis the First, the reigning monarch.
+By the hands of this noble lady,
+the Bishop of Meuse sent to the king a
+translation of St. Paul's Epistles, richly
+illuminated, he adding, in his quaint and
+beautiful language, 'They will make a
+truly royal dish of fatness, that never
+corrupts, and having the power to restore
+from all manner of sickness. The
+more we taste them, the more we hunger
+after them, with desires that are ever
+fed and never cloyed.'</p>
+
+<p>Abraham Hasbroucq, which is the
+original orthography of the name among
+the patentees, was a native of Calais,
+and the first emigrant of that family to
+America, in 1675, with a party of Huguenot
+friends; they resided for a while
+in the Palatinate on the banks of the
+Rhine. To commemorate their kindness,
+when they reached our shores the new
+settlement was called '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">De Paltz</span>,' now
+
+'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">New Paltz</span>,' as the Palatinate was always
+styled by the Dutch. Here, also,
+the beautiful stream flowing through New
+Paltz was known by the name of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Walkill</span>,
+after the river Wael, a branch of
+the Rhine, running into Holland.</p>
+
+<p>The first twelve patentees, or the
+'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Duzine</span>,' managed the affairs of the infant
+settlement as long as they lived,
+and after their death it was a custom
+to elect a court officer from among the
+descendants of each, at the annual town
+meetings. For a long period they kept
+in one chest all the important papers of
+their property and land titles. The
+pastor or the oldest man had charge
+of the key, and reference was made to
+this depository for the settlement of all
+difficulties about boundaries. Hence
+they were free from legal suits as to
+their lands; and to this judicious, simple
+plan may be traced the well-known harmony
+of the numerous descendants in
+this region,&mdash;the fidelity of their landmarks,
+with the absence of litigation.</p>
+
+<p>We know of no region in our land
+where property has remained so long in
+the same families, as it has at New Paltz;
+since its first settlement, there has been
+a constant succession of intermarriages
+among the French descendants, and
+many continue to reside upon the venerable
+homesteads of their early and honored
+forefathers.</p>
+
+<p>Devoted as the Huguenots ever had
+been to the worship of the Almighty,
+one of their first objects at New Paltz
+was the erection of a church. It was
+built of logs, and afterwards gave place
+to a substantial edifice of brick, brought
+from Holland, the place answering the
+double purpose of church and fort.
+Their third house of worship was an
+excellent stone building, which served
+the Huguenots for eighty years, when
+it was demolished in 1839, and the present
+splendid edifice placed on the venerable
+spot and dedicated to the service
+of Almighty God. It is related that a
+clergyman of eccentric dress and manners,
+at an early period, would occasionally
+make a visit to New Paltz, and, for
+the purpose of meditation, would cross
+the Walkill in a canoe, to some large
+elms growing upon a bank opposite the
+church; on one occasion the stream was
+low, and while pushing across with a
+pole, it broke, and the Dominie, losing
+his balance, pitched overboard. He succeeded,
+however, in reaching the shore,
+and proceeded to the nearest house, for
+the purpose of drying his clothes. This
+partly accomplished, he entered the pulpit
+and informed his congregation that
+he had intended to have preached a sermon
+on baptism; but, eyeing his garments,
+he observed that <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">circumstances</span>
+prevented, as he could now sympathize
+with Peter, and take the text, 'Lord,
+save, or I perish.'</p>
+
+<p>To serve God according to the dictates
+of their own conscience, had ever been a
+
+supreme duty with the French Protestants,
+and paramount to everything else.
+For this they had endured the severest
+persecutions in France, and had sacrificed
+houses, lands, kindred and their
+native homes; they had crossed a trackless
+ocean, and penetrated the howling
+wilderness, inhabited by savage tribes&mdash;and
+for what?&mdash;To serve their MAKER,
+and the RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE. They
+had been the salt of France, and brought
+over with them their pious principles,
+with their Bibles,&mdash;the most precious
+things. Some of these faded volumes
+are still to be found among the children
+of the American Huguenots, and we
+have often seen and examined one of the
+most venerable copies. It is Diodati's
+French Bible, with this title:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: center">LA SAINTE<br />
+
+BIBLE,<br />
+INTERPRETEE PAR JEAN DIODATI,<br />
+MDCXLIII.<br />
+IMPRIMEE A GENEVE.</p>
+
+<p>The sacred book is 219 years old, in
+excellent condition, and well covered
+with white dressed deerskin, its ties of
+the same material. It was brought to
+America by Louis Bevier, a French Protestant
+of Ulster, and has been preserved
+as a precious family relic through nine
+generations. It was carried from France
+to Holland, and thence to New Paltz.
+'Blessed Book! the hands of holy martyrs
+have unfolded thy sacred pages, and
+their hearts been cheered by thy holy
+truths and promises!' There is also a
+family record written in the volume,
+faintly legible, of the immediate descendants
+of Louis Bevier and his wife,
+Maria Lablau, from the year 1674 to
+1684.</p>
+
+<p>Above anything else did the Huguenots
+of France love their BIBLES. Various
+edicts, renewed in 1729, had commanded
+the seizure and destruction of
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">all</span> books used by the Protestants, and
+for this purpose, any consul of a commune,
+or any priest, might enter the
+houses to make the necessary search.
+We may therefore compute by millions
+the volumes destroyed in obedience to
+these royal edicts. On the 17th of
+April, 1758, about 40,000 books were
+burned at one time in Bordeaux; and
+it is also well known that at Beaucaire,
+in 1735, there was an auto-da-fé almost
+equal to that of Bordeaux. It was
+a truly sad day, in France, when the
+old family BIBLE must be given up; the
+book doubly revered and most sacred,
+because it was the WORD of GOD, and
+sacred too from the recollections connected
+with it! Grandparents, parents,
+and children, all, from their earliest infancy,
+had daily seen, read and touched
+it. Like the household deities of the ancients,
+it had been always present at all
+the joys and sorrows of the family. A
+touching custom inscribed on the first
+or last pages, and at times even upon
+its margins, the principal events in all
+those beloved lives. Here were the
+Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and the
+Deaths. Now all these tender, pious
+records must perish at once in the flames.</p>
+
+<p>But mind, immortal mind, could not
+be destroyed; for free thought, and truth,
+and instruction, among the people, were
+companions of the Reformation, and
+books would circulate among all ranks
+throughout Protestant France. The
+works generally came from Holland
+through Paris, and from Geneva, by
+Lyons or Grenoble. Inside of baled
+goods, and in cases and barrels of provisions,
+secretly, thousands of volumes
+were sent from north to south, from east
+to west, to the oppressed Huguenots.
+The great work which Louis XIV. believed
+buried beneath the ruins of his
+bloody edicts still went on silently. At
+Lausanne was established a seminary,
+about the year 1725, where works for
+the French Protestant people were printed
+and circulated. The Bishop of Canterbury,
+with Lord Warke, and a few
+foreign sovereigns, actively assisted in
+the founding of this institution. Thus
+did that beautiful town become the source
+of useful and religious knowledge to
+thousands, although it was conveyed far
+and wide in a very quiet and secret way.
+One man was condemned to the galleys
+
+for having received barrels, marked
+'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Black and White Peas</span>,' which were
+found full of 'Ostervald's Catechisms.'</p>
+
+<p>How strange it seems to us, writing in
+our own Protestant land, that cruel
+authority should ever have intervened
+with matters of faith! What can be
+more plain or truthful than that there
+should be liberty of conscience; and that
+God alone has the power and the right
+to direct it, and that it is an abuse and
+a sacrilege to come between God and
+conscience? After the revocation of
+the edict of Nantes and the death of
+Louis XIV., his royal successor sometimes
+vaguely asked himself why he
+persecuted his Protestant subjects? when
+his marshal replied, that his majesty was
+only the executor of former edicts. He
+seemed to have consoled himself that he
+had found the system <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">already</span> established,
+and he only carried out the errors of his
+predecessor. Forty years of remorseless
+persecutions against his best subjects,
+without asking himself why! Of all the
+weaknesses of his reign, this was the
+most odious and the most guilty; his
+hand was most literally weary of signing
+cruel edicts against the Protestants of
+his kingdom, without even reading them,
+and which obedience to his mandates
+had to transcribe in letters of fire and
+blood, on the remotest parts of his realm.</p>
+
+<p>Let us return to the Frenchmen of
+Ulster, who for some time after their
+emigration used their own language, until
+a consultation was held to determine
+whether this, or the English or Dutch,
+should be adopted in the families. As the
+latter was generally spoken in the neighboring
+places,&mdash;Kingston, Poughkeepsie
+and Newburgh,&mdash;and also at the schools
+and churches, it was decided to speak
+Dutch only to their children and servants.
+Having for a while, however,
+continued the use of their native tongue,
+some of the Huguenot descendants in
+the Paltz still write their names as their
+French ancestors wrote them more than
+two centuries ago. Dubois, Bevier,
+Deyeau, Le Fevre, Hasbroque, are well-known
+instances.</p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Petronella</span> was once an admired name
+among the Huguenot ladies, and became
+almost extinct in Ulster at one time.
+The last was said to have been Petronella
+Hasbroque, a lady distinguished for
+remarkable traits of character. Judge
+Hasbroque, of Kingston, the father of the
+former President of Rutger's College,
+was very anxious that his son would give
+this name to one of his daughters. In
+case of compliance, a handsome marriage
+portion was also promised; but the parents
+declined the generous offer, whether
+from a dislike to the name, or a belief
+that the property would be theirs, at
+any rate, some day, is not known. A
+granddaughter, however, of a second
+generation, named her first-born Petronella,
+and thus gratifying the desire of
+her near kinsman, secured a marriage
+portion for the heir, and preserved the
+much-admired name from oblivion&mdash;certainly
+three important results.</p>
+
+<p>It was a well-known and distinguished
+trait of the New Paltz Huguenots, that
+but few intermarriages have taken place
+among their own families (<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Walloon</span>);
+they differed in this respect from all
+other French Protestants who emigrated
+to America and mingled with the
+other population by matrimonial alliances.
+In Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and
+other neighborhoods, near by, there is
+an unusual number of Dutch names&mdash;the
+Van Deusens, Van Benschotens,
+Van Kleeds, Van Gosbeeks, Van De
+Bogerts, Van Bewer, and others, almost
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">ad infinitum</span>, whilst for miles around the
+populous and wealthy town of Old Paltz
+scarcely a family can be found with such
+patronymics. Notwithstanding, somewhat
+like the Israelites, these Frenchmen
+classed themselves, in a measure, as
+a distinct and separate people; still, the
+custom did not arise from any dislike to
+the Hollanders,&mdash;on the contrary, they
+were particularly attached to that people,
+who had been their best friends, both in
+Holland and America; and these associations
+were ever of a most friendly
+and generous character. After a while,
+the Huguenots of Ulster adopted not
+only the language, but the customs and
+habits of the Dutch. After the destruction
+
+of the Protestant churches at Rochelle,
+in 1685, the colonists of that city
+came in such numbers to the settlement
+of New York, that it was necessary
+sometimes to print public documents not
+only in Dutch and English, but French
+also.</p>
+
+<p>We do not wish to make our articles
+a Doomsday-book for the Huguenots, still
+it is pleasant for their descendants to
+know that they came from such honorable
+stock, and, with all of our boasted
+republicanism, we are not ashamed that
+we <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">are</span> so born. Here are some of the
+names to be found in the old records of
+Ulster:&mdash;Abraham Hausbrough, Nicholas
+Antonio, 'Sherriffe' Moses Quartain,
+'Leon,' Christian Dubois, Solomon Hasbrook,
+Andries Lafeever, Hugo Freer,
+Peter Low, Samuel Boyce, Roeleff Eltinge,
+'Esq.,' Nicholas Roosa, Jacobus
+DeLametie, Nicholas Depew, 'Esq.,'
+Philip Viely, Boudwyn Lacounti, 'Capt.'
+
+Zacharus Hoofman,' Lieut.' Benjamin
+Smedes, Jr., 'Capt.' Christian Dugo,
+James Agmodi, Johannis Low, Josia
+Eltin, Samuel Sampson, Lewis Pontenere,
+Abra. Bovier, Peter Dejo, Robert
+Cain, Robert Hanne, William Ward,
+Robert Banker, John Marie, Jonathan
+Owens, Daniel Coleman, Stephen D'Lancey,
+Eolias Nezereau, Abraham Jouneau,
+Thomas Bayeuk, Elia Neau, Paul Droilet,
+Augustus Jay, Jean Cazeale, Benjamin
+Faneil, Daniel Cromelin, John Auboyneau,
+Francis Vincent, Ackande Alliare,
+James Laboue (Minister). In 1713-14 we
+find, in an address of the ministers and
+elders of the Huguenot Church in New
+York, 'Louis Rou, Minister of the French
+Church, in New York, John Barberie,
+Elder, Louis Cané, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">ancien</span> (the older),
+Jean Lafont, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">ancien</span>, André Feyneau,
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">ancien</span>.' To another religious document
+there are Jean la Chan, Elias Pelletrau,
+Andrew Foucault, James Ballereau,
+Jaque Bobin, N. Cazalet, Sam'l Bourdet,
+David Le Telier, Francois Bosset.</p>
+
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_27"></a>
+<h2>'Ten To One On It.'</h2>
+
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">When the Union was broken, truly then</p>
+<p class="l">One Southron was equal to Yankees ten.</p>
+<p class="l">When the Union war began to thrive,</p>
+
+<p class="l">One Southron was equal to Yankees five.</p>
+<p class="l">When Donaldson went, 'twas plain to see</p>
+<p class="l">One Southron scarce equalled Yankees three.</p>
+<p class="l">Now, Manassas is lost; yet, to Richmond view,</p>
+<p class="l">One Southron still equals Yankees two.</p>
+<p class="l">And lo! a coming day we see,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">And Oh! what a day of pride 't will be,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">When a Northern mechanic or merchant can</p>
+
+<p class="l">Rank square with a Dirt-eater, man for man.</p>
+<p class="l">Perhaps this point we may fairly turn,</p>
+<p class="l">And Richmond, to her amazement, learn,</p>
+<p class="l">When peace shall have come, and war be fled,</p>
+<p class="l">And its hate be the tale of time long sped,</p>
+<p class="l">That where there is work or thought for men,</p>
+<p class="l">One Yankee is equal to Dirt-eaters ten.</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_28"></a>
+
+<h2>Literary Notices.</h2>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>UNDER CURRENTS OF WALL STREET. A
+Romance of Business. By Richard B.
+Kimball, Author of 'St. Leger,' 'Romance
+of Student Life,' &amp;c. New York: G.P.
+Putnam; Boston: A.K. Loring. 1861.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In the United States about one person
+in a hundred is engaged in mercantile
+pursuits&mdash;in other words, in 'broking,'
+or transferring from the producer to the
+consumer. Of this number, a larger
+proportion than in any other country
+are brokers in the strict sense of the
+word, buying, selling, or exchanging
+money or its equivalents, and managing
+credit so that others may turn it into
+capital. A more active, eventful, precarious
+and extraordinary life, or one
+calling more for the exercise of sharpness
+and shrewdness, does not exist, than
+that of these men. They are among
+regular business men what the 'free
+lance' is among military men, or the
+privateer among those of the true marine.
+Any one who has been familiar
+with one of the 'craft,' has probably
+heard him say at one time or another&mdash;'what
+I have seen would make one of
+the most remarkable novels you ever
+read;' and he spoke the literal truth.</p>
+
+<p>Realizing this fact, Mr. KIMBALL, a
+lawyer of twenty years' standing in Wall
+St., and consequently perfectly familiar
+with all its characteristics, has devoted
+literary talents, which long ago acquired
+for him not merely an enviable American
+but a wide European celebrity, to
+describing this broker-life, with its lights
+and shadows. Choosing a single subject
+and a single class, he has elaborated it
+with a truthfulness which is positively
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">startling</span>. As we often know that a portrait
+is perfect from its manifest verisimilitude,
+so we feel from every chapter
+of this book that the author has, with
+strictest fidelity, adhered to real life with
+pre-Raphaelitic accuracy but without
+pre-Raphaelitic servility to any tradition
+or set mannerism. The pencil of a reporter,
+the lens of the photographer, are
+recalled by his sketches, and not less
+life-like, simple and excellent are the reflections
+of the business office as shown
+in its influence in the home circle. The
+reader will recall the extraordinary popularity
+which certain English romances,
+setting forth humble unpoetic life, have
+enjoyed of late years. We refer to the
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Adam Bede</span> and <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Silas Marner</span> school
+of tales, in which every twig is drawn,
+every life-lineament set forth with a sort
+of DENNER minuteness&mdash;truthful, yet
+constrained, accurate but petty. In this
+novel, Mr. KIMBALL, while retaining all
+the accuracy of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Adam Bede</span>, has swept
+more broadly and forcibly out into life;&mdash;there
+are strong sorrows, great trials
+seen from the stand-point of a man of
+the world, and a free, bold color which
+startles us, while we, at the same time,
+recognize its reality.</p>
+
+<p>The 'hero' of the work is a merchant,
+who, like many others after incurring
+bankruptcy, takes to Wall Street&mdash;to
+selling notes as an under-broker for a
+living. In describing his trials, the author
+has, with consummate skill and extraordinary
+knowledge of both causes
+and effects, pointed out the peculiarities,
+institutions, and good or bad workings
+of the American mercantile system, in
+such a manner as to have attracted from
+the soundest authority warm praise of
+his work, as embodying practical knowledge
+of a kind seldom found in 'novels.'
+From 'broking' to speculating&mdash;from
+that again to the old course&mdash;alternately
+
+buoyed up or cast down, through
+trials and troubles, the bankrupt, at last,
+in his darkest hour, lands on that 'luck'
+which in America comes sooner or later
+to every one. It is worth remarking
+that in all his characters, as in his scenes,
+the author is careful to maintain the balance
+of truth. He shows us that among
+the sharks and harpies of Wall Street
+there are phases of honor and generosity&mdash;that
+the arrogance or coldness of a
+bank-officer may have a rational foundation&mdash;that
+feelings as intense are awakened
+in common business pursuits as in
+the most dramatic and erratic lives. In
+this <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">just</span> treatment of character,&mdash;this
+avoiding of the old saint and angel system
+of depicting men,&mdash;KIMBALL is
+truly pre-eminent, and under it even the
+casual SOL DOWNER strikes us with an
+individuality and a force not inferior to
+that of the hero himself.</p>
+
+<p>We can not take leave of this truly remarkable
+book without referring to the
+under-current of kindly, humane feelings
+with which it abounds. There is a delicate,
+tremulous sympathy for the sufferings
+and joys which he depicts, which
+reflects the highest credit on the author.
+There are, in this book, unaffected
+touches of pathos, founded on the most
+natural events in the world, which have
+never been surpassed by any novelist.</p>
+
+<p>We are glad that novelists are leaving
+romance and going to real life. One
+breaking into the harsh industry of the
+factory and market, another taking down
+the joys and sorrows of the humble weaver,
+another describing, as in this work,
+the strange hurrying life of the 'outside
+broker' to the sharpest-cut detail,&mdash;all
+giving us truth and observation in the
+place of vague imagination;&mdash;such are
+the best results of late literature; and
+prominent among these the future historian
+will place the Under-currents of
+Wall Street.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>MARGARET HOWTH. A Story of To-Day.
+Boston: Ticknor &amp; Fields. 1862.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>We know of no other truly American
+novel into which so many elements have
+been forced by the strength of genius
+into harmony, as in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Margaret Howth</span>.
+One may believe, in reading it, that the
+author, wearied of the old cry that the
+literature of our country is only a continuation
+of that of Europe, had resolved
+to prove, by vigorous effort, that it <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">is</span>
+possible to set forth, not merely the incidents
+of our industrial life in many
+grades, in its purely idiomatic force, but
+to make the world realize that in it vibrate
+and struggle outward those aspirations,
+germs of culture and reforms
+which we seldom reflect on as forming a
+part of the inner-being of our very practical
+fellow-citizens. The work has two
+characteristics,&mdash;it breaks, with a strong
+intellect and fine descriptive power, into
+a new field, right into the rough of real
+life, bringing out fresher and more varied
+forms than had been done before,
+and in doing this makes us understand,
+with strange ability, how the thinkers
+among our people <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">think</span>. We all know
+how it flows <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">in</span> to them, from lecture and
+book, from the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Tribune</span> and school&mdash;but
+few, especially in the Atlantic cities,
+know what becomes of culture among
+men and women who 'work and weave
+in endless motion' in the counting-house,
+or factory, or through daily drudgery and
+the reverses from wealth to poverty.
+Others have treated a single **o [transcriber's note: illegible word] of life,
+dramatically and by events, as well as
+Miss HARDING, but no one American
+has dared such intricacies of thought and
+character in individuals&mdash;has raised
+them to such a height, and developed
+them with such a powerful will, without
+falling into conventionalism or improbability.
+Unlike most novels, its 'plot,'
+
+though excellent, is its least attraction&mdash;we
+can imagine that the superb pride
+which gleams out in so many rifts has
+induced the author to voluntarily avoid
+display of that ingeniously spinning romantic
+talent in which novelists excel
+precisely in proportion to their lack of
+all nobler gifts. It is a certain rule, as
+to literary snobs, that in proportion as
+the food which they give diminishes in
+excellence, does the plate on which it is
+served increase in value. But let none
+imagine that <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Margaret Howth</span> lacks <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">interest</span>&mdash;it
+
+is replete with burning, vivid,
+thrilling interest&mdash;it has the attraction
+which fascinates <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">all</span> readers, based in a
+depth of knowledge so extraordinary
+that it can be truly appreciated by but
+few. The immense popularity which it
+has acquired and the general praise
+awarded it by the press, proves that it
+has gone right to the hearts of the people&mdash;whence
+it came.</p>
+
+<p>Those who accuse <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Margaret Howth</span> of
+harshness and a lack of winsomeness,
+have neither understood the people
+whom it describes nor the degree of stern
+strength requisite to wrest from life and
+nature fresh truth. The pioneers of
+every great natural school (and every
+indication shows that one is now dawning)
+have quite other than lute-sounding
+tasks in hand, however they may
+hunger and thirst for beauty, love, and
+rose-gardens. Under the current of this
+book runs the keenest, painfulest craving
+to give freely to life these very elements&mdash;its
+intensest inner-spirit is of
+love and beauty; it throbs and burns
+with a sympathy for suffering humanity
+which is at once fierce and tearful. As
+regards the minor artistic defects of
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Margaret Howth</span>, they are, if we regard
+it entirely, the shadows inseparable from
+its substance, felt by those who remain
+in them, but in no wise detracting from
+the beauty of the edifice when we regard
+it from the proper point of view.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>ETHICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES,
+CHIEFLY RELATIVE TO SUBJECTS OF POPULAR
+INTEREST. By A.H. Dana. New
+York: Charles Scribner, 124 Grand Street;
+Boston: Crosby &amp; Nichols. 1862.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>A delightful collection of essays of
+the most valuable character, in which the
+agreeable is throughout fully qualified
+with the useful. The titles of several of
+these chapters are of themselves attractive:
+Races of Men, Compensations of
+Life, Authorship, Influence of Great
+Men, Lawyers, Hereditary Character,
+Sensuality, Health, Narcotic Stimulants,
+Theology, and The Supernatural,&mdash;all
+of them treated with a clearness
+and comprehensiveness which can not
+fail to earn for the work extensive popularity.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>BAYARD TAYLOR'S WORKS, VOL. III. Caxton
+Edition. At Home and Abroad. Second
+Series. New York: G.P. Putnam.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The third volume of this exquisitely,
+printed and fully-illustrated series of
+the works of BAYARD TAYLOR is, in all
+respects, fully equal to its predecessors,
+both as regards typographic and literary
+merit.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>THOMAS HOOD'S WORKS, VOL. III. 'Aldine
+Edition.' Edited by Epes Sargent. New
+York: G.P. Putnam.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The materials of the present volume,
+as we are informed by the editor, have
+been chiefly drawn from the collections
+of humorous pieces published by THOMAS
+HOOD under the title of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Hood's Own</span>,
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Whimsicalities</span>, and <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Whims and Oddities</span>.
+In connection with the first volume
+of this series it completes the reprint
+of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">all</span> of HOOD'S poems. The
+present volume is, like its predecessors,
+most exquisitely printed and bound. It
+contains a grotesque title-page from the
+pencil of HOPPIN, with a fine steel engraving
+of the author.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>A SOUTH CAROLINA PROTEST AGAINST SLAVERY.
+New York: G.P. Putnam. 1861.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>A very interesting letter from HENRY
+LAURENS, second President of the Continental
+Congress, to his son, Col. JOHN
+LAURENS, dated Charleston, S.C., Aug.
+14, 1776, now first published from the
+original letter. It contains a vehement
+plea for Emancipation, and speaks with
+bitter contempt of England for encouraging
+the slave-trade in America.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>THE REBELLION; ITS LATENT CAUSES AND
+TRUE SIGNIFICANCE. In Letters to a Friend
+abroad. By Henry T. Tuckerman. New
+York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>An excellent work, discussing the social
+peculiarities of the South with great
+ability.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_29"></a>
+<h2>Books Received</h2>
+
+<h2 class="sub">Pamphlets On The War.</h2>
+
+<p>Among the many publications on the
+War which have from time to time
+found their way to our table, are the following
+pamphlets:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>RELATION OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF
+COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS TO
+SLAVERY. By Charles K. Whipple. Boston:
+R.F. Wallcut. 1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>WITHIN FORT SUMTER. By one of the Company.
+New York: N. Tibbals &amp; Co. 1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>A LECTURE ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
+UNITED STATES. By Noble Butler. Louisville,
+Ky.: John P. Maton. 1862.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>THE WAR. Correspondence between the
+Young Men's Christian Association of Richmond,
+Va., and the City of New York.
+New York: G.P. Putnam. 1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>SPEECH OF GEN. HIRAM WALBRIDGE, of
+New York, at Tammany Hall, Aug. 21, 1856,
+on the Reorganization of our Navy. New
+York. 1862.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>THE REBELLION: OUR RELATIONS AND DUTIES.
+Speech of Hon. Edward McPherson,
+of Pennsylvania, delivered in the House
+of Representatives, Feb. 14, 1862. Washington. 1862.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>ARE THE SOUTHERN PRIVATEERS PIRATES?
+Letter to the Hon. Ira Harris, United States
+Senator. By Charles P. Daly, LL.D.,
+First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
+of the City of New York. New York: Jas.
+B. Kirker, 599 Broadway. 1862.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>SPECIAL MESSAGE DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE
+OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF
+IOWA. By Governor S.J. Kirkwood. Des
+Moines, Iowa: F.W. Palmer. 1862.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>PICTURES OF SOUTHERN LIFE&mdash;SOCIAL, POLITICAL
+AND MILITARY. Written for <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">The
+London Times</span>, by William Howard Russell,
+LL.D., Special Correspondent. New York:
+Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT MT. KISCO,
+Westchester Co., New York, July 4, 1861.
+By John Jay, Esq. New York: Jas. G.
+Gregory. 1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>THE REJECTED STONE; or, INSURRECTION <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">vs</span>.
+RESURRECTION IN AMERICA. By a Native
+of Virginia. Boston: Walker, Wise &amp; Co.
+1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>THE INDISSOLUBLE NATURE OF THE AMERICAN
+UNION, considered in connection with
+the assumed Rights of Secession. A Letter
+to Hon. Peter Cooper, of New York. By
+Nahum Capen. Boston: A. Williams &amp;
+Co. New York: Ross &amp; Tousey. 1862.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>THE UNION. An Address, by the Hon. Daniel
+S. Dickinson, delivered before the Literary
+Societies of Amherst College, July
+10, 1861. New York: Jas. G. Gregory.
+1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>ALLEGHANIA. The Strength of the Union
+and the Weakness of Slavery in the High
+Lands of the South. By JAMES W. TAYLOR.
+Saint Paul: James Davenport. 1862.</p>
+
+<p>A pamphlet deserving close study and
+general circulation.</p>
+
+<p>AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HON. GEORGE
+S. BOUTWELL, in Tremont Temple, Boston,
+Dec. 16, 1861.</p>
+
+<p>This address has enjoyed great popularity,
+and will deservedly take place
+among the most characteristic and valuable
+pamphlets of the war.</p>
+
+
+<p>AMERICA, THE LAND OF EMANUEL; or, CONSTITUTIONAL
+LIBERTY A REFUGE FOR THE
+GATHERING TO SHILOH. By Lorenzo D.
+Grosvenor, of Shaker Community, South
+Groton, Mass. A. Williams &amp; Co., 100
+Washington St., Boston. 1861.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. J.M. ASHLEY,
+OF OHIO, ON THE REBELLION, ITS CAUSES
+AND CONSEQUENCES, at the College Hall, in
+the City of Toledo, Nov. 26, 1861, Towers
+&amp; Co., Washington, D.C. 1861.</p>
+
+
+<p>An excellent pamphlet, which has been
+extensively and favorably noticed by the
+press, and been several times reprinted.</p>
+
+
+<p>THE AMERICAN CRISIS, its Cause, Significance
+and Solution. By Americus. Chicago,
+Ill.: John R. Walsh. 1861.</p>
+
+<p>A vigorous and able document.</p>
+
+<p>WAR AND EMANCIPATION. A Thanksgiving
+Sermon preached in the Plymouth Church,
+Brooklyn, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 21,
+1861. By Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. Philadelphia:
+W. Peterson &amp; Brothers. 1861.</p>
+
+<p>Concise, spirited, and full of sound
+ideas.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+<a name="toc_30"></a>
+<h2>Editor's Table.</h2>
+
+
+<p>On the ninth of March President LINCOLN
+made the first announcement of an
+official endorsement of the great principle
+of gradual Emancipation, by transmitting
+to Congress a message recommending
+that the United States ought
+to coöperate with any State which may
+adopt a gradual emancipation of slavery,
+by giving to such State pecuniary aid, to
+be used at its discretion, to compensate
+for the inconvenience, public and private,
+which may be produced by any
+such change of system.</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Any member of Congress, with the census
+tables and the treasury notes before him, can
+readily see for himself how very soon the current
+expenditures of this war would purchase,
+at a fair valuation, all the slaves in any named
+State. Such a position on the part of the General
+Government sets up no claim of a right
+by federal authority to interfere with slavery
+within State limits, referring, as it does, the
+absolute control of the subject, in each case, to
+the State and its people immediately interested.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>It is almost needless to point out to
+the reader that the views, both direct
+and implied, which are urged in this
+message, are in every respect identical
+with those to advance which the CONTINENTAL
+was founded, and for which
+it has strenuously labored from the beginning.
+There is nothing in them of
+the 'Abolitionism' which advocates 'immediate
+and unconditional' freeing of
+the blacks; while, on the other hand, the
+only persons who can object to them are
+those who hold that slavery is a good
+thing in itself, never to be disturbed.
+It is, in short, all that the rational
+friends of progress can at present desire&mdash;an
+official recognition of the great
+truth that slavery ought to be abolished,
+but in such a manner as to cause the
+least possible trouble.</p>
+
+<p>It is amusing to observe the bewilderment
+of the pro-slavery Northern Democratic
+press, which has so earnestly
+claimed the Executive as 'conservative,'
+and on which this message has fallen
+like a thunder-clap. They have, of
+course, at once cried out that, should it
+receive the sanction of Congress, it
+would still amount to nothing, because
+no legislature of a slave State will accept
+it; an argument as ridiculous as it
+is trivial. That the South would, for the
+present, treat the proposal with scorn,
+is likely enough. But the edge of the
+wedge has been introduced, and emancipation
+has been at least <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">officially</span> recognized
+as desirable. While such a
+possible means of securing property exists,
+there will always be a strong party
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">forming</span> in the South, whether they attain
+to a majority or not, and this party
+will be the germ of disaster to the secessionists.
+There are men enough,
+even in South Carolina, who would gladly
+be paid for their slaves, and these
+men, while maintaining secession views
+in full bluster, would readily enough find
+some indirect means of realizing money
+on their chattels. It may work gradually&mdash;but
+it <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">will</span> work. As disaster and
+poverty increase in the South, there will
+increase with them the number of those
+who will see no insult or injury in the
+proposition to buy from them property
+which is becoming, with every year,
+more and more uncertain in its tenure.</p>
+
+<p>Let it be remembered that this message
+was based on the most positive
+knowledge held by the Executive of the
+desires of the Union men in the South,
+and of their strength. The reader who
+will reflect for a moment can not fail to
+perceive that, unless it had such a foundation,
+the views advanced in it would
+have been reckless and inexplicable indeed.
+It was precisely on this basis, and
+in this manner, that the CONTINENTAL,
+in previous numbers, and before it the
+
+New York KNICKERBOCKER Magazine,
+urged the revival of the old WEBSTER
+theory of gradual remunerated emancipation,
+declaring that the strength of
+the Union party in the South was such
+as to warrant the experiment.<a href="#note_15"><span class="footnoteref">15</span></a> We
+have also insisted, in our every issue,
+that, while emancipation should be borne
+constantly in view and provided for as
+something which must eventually be realized
+for the sake of the advancing interests
+of WHITE labor and its expansion,
+everything should be effected as gradually
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">as possible</span>, so as to neither interfere
+with the plans of the war now waging,
+nor to stir up needless political strife.
+We simply asked for some firmly-based
+official recognition of the rottenness of
+the 'slavery plank in the Southern platform,'
+and trusted that the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">utmost</span> caution
+and deliberation would be observed
+in eventually forwarding emancipation.
+We were literally alone, as a publication,
+in these views, and were misrepresented
+both by the enemies who were
+behind us and the zealous friends who
+were before us. We have never cried
+for that 'unconditional and immediate
+emancipation of slavery' with which the
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Liberator</span>, with the kindest intentions,
+but most erroneously, credits us. We
+should be glad enough to see it, were
+it possible; but, knowing that the immediate-action
+theory has been delaying
+the cause for thirty years, we have
+invariably suggested the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">firm</span> but gradual
+method. That method has at last
+been formally advanced by the President,
+in a manner which can reasonably
+give offense to no one. The beginning
+has been made: it is for the country
+to decide whether it&mdash;the most
+important suggestion of the age&mdash;shall
+be realized.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The news of the capture of Fort Donelson
+had barely reached us, the roar of
+the guns celebrating our rapid successes
+had not died away, ere that fragment
+of the Northern ultra pro-slavery party
+which had done so much towards deluding
+the South into secession, impudently
+raised its head and began most inopportunely
+and impertinently to talk of
+amnesty and the rights of the South.
+There are things which, under certain
+limitations, may be right in themselves,
+but which, when urged at the wrong
+time, become wrongs and insults; and
+these premature cries to restore the enemy
+to his old social and political standing
+are of that nature. They are insufferable,
+and would be ridiculous, were
+it not that in the present critical aspect
+of our politics they may become dangerous.
+Since this war began, we have
+heard much of the want of true loyalty
+in the ultra abolitionists, who would
+make the object of the struggle simply
+emancipation, without regard to consequences;
+and we have not been sparing
+in our own condemnations of such a limited
+and narrow view,&mdash;holding, as we
+do, that emancipation, if adopted, should
+be for the sake of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">white man</span> and the
+Union, and not of the negro. But 'Abolition'
+of the most one-sided and suicidal
+description is less insulting to those who
+are lavishing blood and treasure on the
+great cause of freedom, than is the conduct,
+at this time, of those men who are
+now, through their traitorous organs,
+urging the cry that the hour is at hand
+when we must place slavery firmly on a
+constitutional basis; this being, as they
+assert, the only means whereby the Union
+can ever be harmoniously restored.</p>
+
+<p>In view of the facts, it is preposterous
+to admit that this assumption is even
+plausible. He must be ignorant indeed
+of our political history during the past
+twenty years, or strangely blind to its
+results, who has not learned that a belief
+that the North is ever anxious to
+concede for the sake of its 'interests'
+has been the great stimulus to the arrogance
+of the South. While the principles
+of the abolitionists have been the
+shallow <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">pretence</span>, the craven cowardice
+of such men as BUCHANAN and CUSHING
+has been the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">real</span> incitement to the
+South to pour insult and wrong on the
+North. Concession has been our bane.
+It was paltering and concession that
+
+palsied the strong will and ready act
+which should have prevented this war;
+for had it not been for such men as the
+traitors who are now crying out for
+Southern rights, the rebellion would
+have been far more limited in its area,
+and long since crushed out. No cruelties
+on our part, no threats to carry all
+to the bitter end, would so encourage
+the South at present, as this offer to
+shake hands ere the fight be half over.</p>
+
+<p>When the time comes for amnesty
+and 'Southern Rights,' we trust that
+they will be considered in a spirit of
+justice and mercy. Till it comes let
+there be no word spoken of them. The
+South has, to its own detriment and
+to ours, firmly and faithfully <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">believed</span>
+that Northern men are cowards, misers,
+men sneaking through life in all
+dishonor and baseness. When millions
+believe such intolerable falsehoods of
+other millions of their fellow-citizens,
+they must be taught the truth, no matter
+what the lesson costs. Even now
+the Southern press asserts that our victories
+were merely the results of overwhelming
+majorities, and that the Yankees
+are becoming frightened at their
+own successes. There is not one of these
+traitorous, dough-face meetings of which
+the details are not promptly sent&mdash;probably
+by the men who organize them&mdash;all
+over the South to inspire faith in a
+falling cause. When the rebels shall
+have learned that these traitors have
+positively <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">no</span> influence here,&mdash;and the
+sooner they learn it the better,&mdash;when
+they realize that the people of the North
+are as determined as themselves, and
+their equals in all noble qualities, then,
+and not till then, will it be time to talk
+of those concessions which now strike
+every one as smacking of meanness and
+cowardice.</p>
+
+<p>The day has come for a new order of
+things. The South must learn&mdash;and
+show by its acts that it has been convinced&mdash;that
+the North is its equal in
+those virtues which it claims to monopolize.
+But this it will only learn from
+the young and vigorous minds of the
+new school,&mdash;from its <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">enemies</span>,&mdash;and
+not from the trembling old-fashioned
+traitors, who have been so long at its
+feet that they shiver and are bewildered,
+now that they are fairly isolated, by the
+tide of war, from their former ruler.
+Politicians of this stamp, who have grown
+old while prating of Southern rights,
+can not, do not, and never will <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">realize</span>
+but that, some day or other, all will be
+restored in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">statu quo ante bellum</span>. They
+expect Union victories, but somehow believe
+that their old king will enjoy his
+own again&mdash;that there will be a morning
+when the South will rule as before.
+It is this which inspires their craven
+timidity. They cry out against emancipation
+in every form,&mdash;blind to the onward
+and inevitable changes which are
+going on,&mdash;so that when the South
+comes in again they may point to their
+record and say, '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">We</span> were ever true to
+you. We, indeed, urged the war, for
+we were compelled by you to fight,
+but we were always true to your main
+principles.' They have wasted time and
+trouble sadly&mdash;it will all be of no avail.
+Be it by the war, be it by what means
+it may, the social system and political
+rule of the South are irrevocably doomed.
+It may, from time to time, have its convulsive
+recoveries, but it is doomed.
+The demands of free labor for a wider
+area will make themselves felt, and
+the black will give way to the white, as
+in the West the buffalo vanishes before
+the bee.</p>
+
+<p>We are willing that the question of
+emancipation should have the widest
+scope, and, if expediency shall so dictate,
+that it should be realized in the most
+gradual manner. We believe that, owing
+to the experiences of the past year,
+more than one slave State will, ere long,
+contain a majority of clear-headed, patriotic
+men, who will be willing to legalize
+the freedom of all blacks born within
+their limits, after a certain time; and
+if this time be placed ten years or even
+fifteen hence, it will make no material
+difference. By that time the pressure
+of free labor, and the increase of manufacturing,
+will have rendered some such
+step a necessity. Should the payment
+
+of all loyal slave-holders, in the border
+States, for their chattels, prove a better
+plan,&mdash;and it could hardly fail to
+promptly reduce the rebellious circle to
+a narrow and uninfluential body,&mdash;let it
+be tried. If any of the arguments thus
+far adduced in favor of assuming slavery
+to be an institution which is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">never</span>
+to be changed, and which <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">must</span> be immutably
+fixed in the North American
+Union, can be proved to be true, we
+would say, then let emancipation be forever
+forgotten&mdash;for the stability of the
+Union must take precedence of everything.
+But we can not see it in this
+light. We can not see that peace and
+Union can exist while the slave-holder
+continues to increase in arrogance in
+the South, and while the abolitionists
+every day gather strength in the North.
+Every day of this war has seen the enemies
+of slavery increase in number and
+in power, until to expect them to lose
+power and influence is as preposterous
+as to hope to see the course of nature
+change. Should a peace be now patched
+up on the basis of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">immutable</span> slavery,
+we should, to judge from every appearance,
+simply prolong the war to an infinitely
+more disastrous end than it now
+threatens to assume. We should incur
+debts which would crush our prosperity;
+we should bequeath a heritage of woe to
+our children, which would prove their
+ruin. While the great cause of all this
+dissension lies legalized and untouched,
+there will continue to be a party which
+will never cease to strive to destroy it.
+The question simply is, whether we will
+be wounded now, or utterly slain by and
+by.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile let us, before all things,
+push on with the war! It is by our victories
+that slavery will be in the beginning
+most thoroughly attacked. If the
+South, as it professes, means to fight to
+the last ditch, and to the black flag, all
+discussion of emancipation is needless;
+for in the track of our armies the contraband
+assumes freedom without further
+formula. But we are by no means
+convinced that such will be the case.
+The <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">first</span> ditches have, as yet, been by no
+means filled with martyrs to secession,&mdash;armistices
+are already subjects of rumor,&mdash;and
+it should not be forgotten
+that the Union men of the South are
+powerful enough to afford efficient aid
+in placing the question of ultimate emancipation
+on a basis suitable to all interests.</p>
+
+<p>All that the rational emancipationist
+requires is a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">legal beginning</span>. We have
+no desire to see it advance more rapidly
+than the development of the country requires&mdash;in
+short, what is really needed
+is simply the assurance that by war or
+by peace <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">some</span> basis shall be found for
+ultimately carrying out the views of the
+fathers of the American Union, and rendering
+this great nation harmonious and
+happy. Every day brings us nearer the
+great issue,&mdash;not of slavery and anti-slavery,&mdash;but
+whether slavery is to be
+assumed as an immutable element in
+America, or whether government will
+bring such influences to bear as will lead
+the way to peace and the rights of free
+labor. Every step is leading us to</p>
+
+<p>THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">O Lord, look kindly on this work for thee!</p>
+
+<p class="l">Yes, smile upon the side that's for the right!</p>
+<p class="l">To them O grant the glorious arm of might,</p>
+<p class="l">And in the end give them the victory!</p>
+<p class="l">Free principles are rushing like the sea</p>
+<p class="l">Which opened for the fleeing Israelite,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">Free principles, to test their worth in fight,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">And woe to them that 'twixt the surges be!</p>
+<p class="l">And as, O Lord, thou then did'st show thy care,</p>
+
+<p class="l">And mad'st a grave to drink thy enemy,</p>
+<p class="l">So now, O Father, sink him in despair&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">The only blight we own&mdash;cursed Slavery.</p>
+<p class="l">O then will end the conflict! Yes, God, then</p>
+<p class="l">We'll be indeed a nation of FREE MEN!</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The N.O. <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Delta</span> is full of indignation
+at the Southern men who are alarmed
+for their property, and betrays, in its
+anger, the fact that these disaffected
+persons are not few in the Pelican State.
+But, plucking up courage, it declares
+that&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Our people will retire into the interior, and
+in their mountains and swamps they will maintain
+a warfare which must ultimately prove
+successful.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Doubtful&mdash;very. In the first place,
+
+'our people' can not very well swamp
+it like runaway negroes, and, secondly,
+they will encounter, in the mountains,
+the Union men of the South. Give us
+the cities and the level country for a
+short time, and we shall very soon find
+the Pelicandidates for comfortable quarters
+rolling back, by thousands, into
+Unionism.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>As we write, there is a panic in Richmond,
+caused by the discovery that there
+is a large body of Union men in the city
+itself, headed by JOHN MINOR BOTTS,
+who seems to have determined to 'head
+off' the secession party in its stronghold,
+'or die'&mdash;he having, since the decease
+of JOHN TYLER, turned his
+'heading off' abilities against JEFF DAVIS.
+The <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Examiner</span> mentions, in terror,
+the confession of the Union prisoners,
+that there are in Richmond 'thousands
+of arms concealed, and men enrolled,
+who would use them on the first approach
+of the Yankee army.' One of
+the arrested, a Mr. STEARNS, when led
+to the prison, surveyed it in a most contemptuous
+manner, remarking 'If you
+are going to imprison all the Union men
+in Richmond, you will have to provide
+a much larger jail than this.'</p>
+
+<p>It is the German residents of Richmond
+who are said to constitute the majority
+of these Union men. All honor
+to our German friends of the South!
+They have received, thus far, too little
+credit for their staunch adherence to the
+principles of freedom. Let them take
+courage; a day is coming when we
+shall all be free&mdash;free from <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">every</span> form
+of slavery! <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Noch ist die Freiheit nicht
+verloren</span>!&mdash;'Freedom is not lost as yet.'
+Some of them remember <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span> song of
+old.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>A paragraph has recently gone
+the rounds, which impudently assures
+the friends of Emancipation that, unless
+they promptly desist from further interference
+or agitation, they will speedily
+build up a Southern party in the North,
+which will seriously interfere with the
+prosecution of the war!</p>
+
+<p>That is to say, that the majority of the
+people of the North fully acquiesce in
+the justice of the main principles held
+by the South&mdash;the only difference of
+opinion being whether these slavery and
+slavery-extension doctrines can be practically
+developed under our federal
+Union! Yet we, knowing, seeing,
+feeling, in this war, the enormously evil
+effects of the slave system on the free
+men among whom it exists, are expected
+to endure and legalize <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">the cause</span> which
+stirred it up! Either the South is right
+or wrong&mdash;there is no escaping the dilemma.
+Either it was or was not justly
+goaded by 'abolition' into secession.
+If the South is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">quite</span> right in wishing to
+preserve slavery intact forever, surely
+those are in the wrong who would make
+war on it for wishing to secede from a
+government which tolerates attacks on
+legalized institutions! What a precious
+paradox have we here? Yet these virtual
+justifiers of the South in the great
+cause of the war, claim to be zealous and
+forward in punishing that secession
+which, according to their own views, is
+constitutional and right!</p>
+
+<p>If slavery be right, then the South is
+right. No impartial foreigner could fail
+to draw this conclusion under the circumstances
+of this war. But <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">is</span> it right;
+we do not say as a thing of the past, and
+of a rapidly vanishing serf-system, but as
+an institution of the progressive present?
+Witness the words of G. BATELLE, a
+member of the Western Virginia Constitutional
+Convention,&mdash;as we write, in
+session at Wheeling,&mdash;and who has published
+an address to that body on the
+question of Emancipation, from which
+we extract the following:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>The injuries which slavery inflicts upon
+our own people are manifold and obvious.
+It practically aims to enslave not merely
+another race, but our own race. It inserts
+in its bill of rights some very high-sounding
+phrases securing freedom of speech; and
+then practically and in detail puts a lock on
+every man's mouth, and a seal on every
+man's lips, who will not shout for and swear
+by the divinity of the system. It amuses
+the popular fancy with a few glittering generalities
+
+in the fundamental law about the
+liberty of the press, and forthwith usurps
+authority, even in times of peace, to send
+out its edict to every postmaster, whether in
+the village or at the cross-roads, clothing
+him with a despotic and absolute censorship
+over one of the dearest rights of the citizen.
+It degrades labor by giving it the badge of
+servility, and it impedes enterprise by withholding
+its proper rewards. It alone has
+claimed exemption from the rule of uniform
+taxation, and then demanded and received
+the largest share of the proceeds of that
+taxation. Is it any wonder, in such a state
+of facts, that there are this day, of those
+who have been driven from Virginia mainly
+by this system, men enough, with their descendents,
+and means and energy, scattered
+through the West, of themselves to make no
+mean State?...</p>
+
+<p>It has been as a fellow-observer, and I
+will add as a fellow-sufferer, with the members
+of the Convention, that my judgment
+of the system of slavery among us has been
+formed. We have seen it seeking to inaugurate,
+in many instances all too successfully,
+a reign of terror in times of profound peace,
+of which Austria might be ashamed. We
+have seen it year by year driving out from
+our genial climate, and fruitful soil, and exhaustless
+natural resources, some of the men
+of the very best energy, talent and skill
+among our population. We have seen also,
+in times of peace, the liberty of speech taken
+away, the freedom of the press abolished,
+and the willing minions of this system, in
+hunting down their victims, spare from degradation
+and insult neither the young, nor
+the gray-haired veteran of seventy winters,
+whose every thought was as free from offense
+against society as is that of the infant
+of days.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>When an evil attains this extent, he
+is a poor citizen, a poor cowardly dallier
+with opinions, whatever his fighting mark
+may be, who can make up his mind to
+calmly acquiesce in establishing its permanence,
+or to stiffly oppose every movement
+and every suggestion tending in
+the least towards its abrogation.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>In the present number of the CONTINENTAL
+will be found an article on General
+LYON, in which reference is made to
+the generally credited assertion, that the
+deceased hero was not reinforced as he
+desired during the campaign in Missouri.
+This is one of the questions which time
+alone will properly answer. In accordance
+with the principles involved in <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">audi
+alteram partem</span>, we give on this subject
+the following abridgment of a portion
+of General FREMONT'S defense,
+published in the New York <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Tribune</span> of
+March 6:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+
+<p>Lyon's and Prentiss's troops were nearly
+all three months men, whose term of enlistment
+was about expiring. Arms and money
+were wanted, but men offered in abundance.
+The three months men had not been paid.
+The Home Guards were willing to remain
+in the service, but their families were destitute.
+Gen. Fremont wrote to the President,
+stating his difficulties, and informing him
+that he should peremptorily order the United
+States Treasurer there to pay over to his
+paymaster-general the money in his possession,
+sending a force at the same time to
+take the money. He received no reply, and
+assumed that his purpose was approved.</p>
+
+<p>Five days after he arrived at St. Louis
+he went to Cairo, taking three thousand
+eight hundred men for its reinforcement.
+He says that Springfield was a week's march,
+and before he could have reached it, Cairo
+would have been taken by the rebels, and
+perhaps St. Louis. He returned to St.
+Louis on the 4th of August, having in the
+meantime ordered two regiments to the relief
+of Gen. Lyon, and set himself to work
+at St. Louis to provide further reinforcements
+for him; but he claims that Lyon's
+defeat can not be charged to his administration,
+and quotes from a letter from General
+Lyon, dated on the 9th of August, expressing
+the belief that he would be compelled to
+retire; also, from a letter written by Lyon's
+adjutant general, in which he says 'General
+Fremont was not inattentive to the situation
+of General Lyon's column.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>A daily cotemporary, in an onslaught
+on Emancipation, contains the following:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Delaware has recently had a proposition
+before the legislature to abolish the scarcely
+more than nominal slavery still existing in
+it; but the legislature adjourned without
+even listening to it, though it contemplated
+full pecuniary compensation.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<p>Yes; and the legislature of Delaware,
+a few years ago, legalized lotteries,&mdash;one
+of the greatest social curses of
+the country,&mdash;and made itself a hissing
+and a by-word to all decent men by
+sanctioning the most widely-destructive
+method of gambling known. The Delaware
+legislature indeed!</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>We are indebted to a friend for the
+following paragraph:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>It is deeply significant that since the late
+Federal victories, the Southern press, even
+in Richmond itself, speaks nervously and
+angrily of the Union men among them, and
+of their increasing boldness in openly manifesting
+their sentiments. A few months
+since, this belief in Union men in the South
+was abundantly ridiculed by those who believed
+that all the slave-holding States were
+unanimous in rebellion, and that therefore it
+would be preposterous to hope to reconcile
+them to emancipation. Now that the Union
+strength in that region is beginning to manifest
+itself, we are informed that we shall lose
+it if we do aught contrary to Southern
+rights. And this too, although the Southern
+Union men have never been spoken of
+by their rebel neighbors as aught save 'the
+abolitionists in our midst!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The following communication from a
+well-known financier and writer on currency
+can not fail to be read with interest
+by all:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>THE SINEWS OF WAR.</p>
+
+<p>These are, men and money, but especially
+MONEY, for on the money depends the
+men. In a good cause, with an educated,
+intelligent people, every man able to discern
+for himself the right side of the question presented,
+there is no difficulty about men; the
+state has only to say how many are needed,
+and the want will be promptly supplied.
+The experience of the last six months gives
+us evidence sufficient on this point: an army
+of six hundred thousand men drawn together
+without an effort, every man a volunteer,&mdash;a
+spectacle never before exhibited to
+the world,&mdash;puts at rest all doubt upon it;
+and not only that, it settles beyond all cavil
+the superiority of self-government, based on
+the broadest principles of freedom and the
+broadest system of education, over any other
+form which has ever been adopted. Passing
+from this, however, as a fact which needs no
+argument or illustration, we come to the more
+difficult question of how to raise the other
+sinew&mdash;money.</p>
+
+<p>In calling for men the state relies upon
+the intelligence and patriotism of its citizens;
+upon their intelligence to understand
+the cause, on their patriotism to respond to
+its call. It offers them no inducements in the
+shape of pay, nothing more than to feed and
+clothe them, to aid them hereafter if wounded,
+to keep their families from starvation if
+they are killed. This is all; and this is
+enough. But these assumed obligations of
+the state must be sacredly and promptly
+kept. Our noble volunteers must be fed,
+and clothed, and cared for, and to this end
+the state must have the requisite means.
+And to obtain the needed supply without
+oppressive taxation on the one hand, or
+placing a load on posterity too heavy to be
+borne on the other hand, is a question of
+difficult solution; and yet we shall see that
+there is in the present administration the
+ability and the will to solve it.</p>
+
+<p>It is said that our expenditures in this
+great struggle will, by the first of June,
+amount to the enormous sum of $600,000,000.
+It is said by the arch traitor at the
+head of the rebels that under this load of
+debt we shall sink. It is said by the leading
+papers of England that we have no
+money, have exhausted our credit, must disband
+our armies, and make the best terms we
+can with rebellion. Doubtless, our credit
+in Europe is at a low ebb just now, and we
+are thrown upon our own resources, and on
+these we must swim or sink. There is nothing
+to reject in this. We have shown the
+world how a free state can raise troops and
+create a navy out of its own materials; and
+now we will show the world how a free state
+can maintain its army and navy out of its
+own resources; and if the result proves&mdash;as
+it will prove&mdash;that our free institutions are
+the safest, strongest, and best for the people
+in war as well as in peace, then the great
+struggle we are now going through with will
+be worth more to the true interests of humanity
+everywhere than all the battles which have
+been fought since the dawn of the present
+century. For a hundred years, openly or
+covertly, but without intermission, has war
+been going on between despotism and freedom,
+with varied success, but on the whole
+with a steady gain for freedom; and now
+
+here, on the same field where it originated,
+is the long strife to be finally settled. On
+these same fields the same freedom is to culminate
+in unquenchable splendor, or to set
+forever, leaving mankind to grope in darkness
+and ignorance under the misrule of
+despotic tyranny. We are in arms not only
+to suppress an odious uprising of despotism
+against freedom within our own borders, but
+to show by our example, to all the nations
+of the earth, what freedom is and what freedom
+means.</p>
+
+<p>In seeking aid of the money power, we go
+beyond the line where patriotism gives us all
+we need, promptly and liberally, into the
+cold region of selfishness, whose people are
+too much absorbed in adding to and counting
+up their gains to be able to spare much
+time or thought on country or freedom. No
+voluntary sacrifices to be expected here.
+What we want we must buy, and pay for; it
+is only to see that we do not pay too much
+for it. Selfish, timid, grasping, these people
+are a skittish set to deal with. Nobody
+understands better the game of 'the spider
+and the fly,' and they are as ready to play it
+with the state as with smaller opponents, if
+the state will but let them. From his first
+visit to this region, to the present time, our
+able Secretary of the Treasury was, and continues
+to be, '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">master of the position</span>.'</p>
+
+<p>When the Secretary held his first sociable
+with the representatives of the money power,
+neither he nor they had a very keen perception
+of what they wanted of each other;
+the rebellion was not then developed in the
+gigantic proportions it has since assumed;
+and it was hoped and expected, with some
+show of reason, that two or three hundred
+millions would be enough to put it down.
+This amount the power could and would willingly
+furnish for a 'consideration,' the half
+presently, on condition that it should be allowed
+the refusal of the other half when it
+should be wanted; and so a bargain was quickly
+struck, to the mutual content of both parties.
+But, as the thunder grew louder and
+the storm fiercer, it became evident that our
+wants would soon be doubled, at least. The
+money power hung back; the 7-3/10 remained
+in the banks. The representatives said they
+were only agents, the agents stopped payment,
+and the whole circulation of gold fell to
+the ground at once, not only putting a sudden
+check upon all business operations, but leaving
+the Treasury without any sort of currency
+to pay out: a sad state of things enough.
+The money power drew in its head, pretending
+not to see anything, waiting for propositions,
+expecting to reap a rich harvest out
+of the state's necessities, by making its own
+terms. How could it be otherwise? must
+not the state have several hundred millions?
+must not the astute Secretary sell the state's
+promises to pay, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">secured by a first mortgage
+on all Uncle Sam's vast possessions</span>, on their
+own terms?</p>
+
+<p>It was not a pleasant predicament for a
+nervous or a faint-hearted man to be placed
+in. But then Mr. Chase is neither nervous
+nor faint-hearted, and when Congress came
+together he not only told his wants frankly,
+but proposed a neat little plan for supplying
+them without selling notes at fifty per cent.
+discount. Taking into view the want of a
+sound currency for business purposes, and the
+want of some currency to pay out from the
+Treasury instead of the gold which had disappeared
+and left a vacuum, he proposed to
+borrow $150,000,000, by issuing Treasury
+Notes, payable on demand, without interest,
+and making them a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">legal tender for the payment
+of all debts</span>, with a proviso that any parties
+who should at any time have more on
+hand than they wanted should be allowed to
+invest them in bonds bearing six per cent interest.
+It was a very simple proposition&mdash;almost
+sublime for its simplicity; there was
+no mystery about it; and yet it was the very
+turning point of the ways and means of
+crushing the rebellion, without being ourselves
+crushed under an unbearable burden
+of debt. The money power stood aghast,
+and hardly recovered breath in time to oppose
+its passage through Congress; but the common
+sense of the people hailed Mr. Chase as
+a deliverer, and Congress endorsed common
+sense. Seriously, this splendid invention of
+the Secretary has given a new face to our
+financial affairs by placing the money power
+where it always should be,&mdash;in subservience
+to the people,&mdash;instead of allowing it to become
+a grinding task-master. The importance
+of this measure can hardly be appreciated
+yet. A member of Congress, himself a
+merchant, and an able financier, says:</p>
+
+<p>'My theory in regard to it is, that as the
+currency is increased by the addition of these
+notes to its volume, prices generally will
+rise, including the price of U.S. bonds, until
+they reach par; at that point, these notes,
+being convertible into bonds, the rise in the
+price of bonds will stop, because further additions
+to the currency, whether of these
+
+notes, bank notes, or coin, will only stimulate
+the conversion of notes into bonds; and
+that conversion will check the increase of
+currency. The <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">excess</span> of notes will then be
+gradually withdrawn from circulation for
+conversion,&mdash;leaving only such an amount
+in circulation as a healthy and natural condition
+of the currency will require.'</p>
+
+<p>A theory in which we fully concur. We
+see growing out of it a restoration of business:
+government creditors paid in a currency
+equal to gold; low prices for all government
+contracts; a consequent diminished
+expenditure for supplies, and an annual payment
+for interest on the debt we shall owe,
+which can be easily met without heavy taxation.
+However it may turn out in the conduct
+of the war,&mdash;and we have full faith in
+that also,&mdash;it is very certain that in the conduct
+of the finances we have found the man
+for the times. The whole country feels this,
+and breathes easier for it. The arch rebel,
+in a recent address to his satellites, admits
+that he altogether underestimated the patriotism
+and loyalty of the men of the North,
+but takes fresh courage from the certainty
+that we shall shortly back down under our
+load of debt. A little further on and he
+will find that he has just as much mistaken
+our power in that respect,&mdash;that as his own
+worthless promises, based upon nothing, fall
+to nothing, the notes of the Union will stand
+as firm and as fair in the money market as
+her banner will on the battle-field.</p>
+
+<p>Men and money are the sinews of war.
+In our first trial, patriotism has furnished the
+men, and the presiding genius of the Treasury
+has clearly pointed out the means for
+obtaining the money. <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Laus Deo</span>!</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Note.&mdash;For the benefit of those of our readers
+who do not understand currency facts and
+theories, we make the following explanation.
+The relation of currency, or circulation medium,
+to the industry and business of the state, is
+similar to that of steam in an engine: a certain
+amount is required to keep up a regular and
+natural movement; an excessive amount causes
+too rapid motion, and a deficiency the reverse.
+Currency is made up of several things. Bank
+deposits, circulating by checks, bank notes,
+and coin, are the most important and best understood.
+The aggregate amount of these
+three items before the suspension of specie payments
+was above $450,000,000; and this sum is
+required to give a healthy movement to business
+affairs. Take away any portion of it, and
+prices fall and labor languishes, because the
+motion from it is too small for the work required;
+add considerably to it, and prices rise,
+because the motive power, being superabundant,
+is too freely used. When specie payment was
+suspended this motive power was reduced; the
+circulating medium fell from four hundred and
+fifty to three hundred and fifty millions, perhaps
+less; and unless this loss is replaced it
+is quite clear that prices must fall and the employment
+of labor be curtailed. The issue of
+treasury notes will fill the gap, making the
+business motive power of the same strength
+and ability as before. Thus it will be seen that
+the emission of treasury notes plays an important
+part upon the industry and business of the
+state, which, under existing circumstances, can
+hardly be over-valued, as well as in the national
+finances.</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The Darwin-development theory has
+of late attracted no little attention.
+One of our contributors favors us with
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">his</span> views in the following 'wild-verse,'
+which is itself rather of the transition
+order:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>MODERN ANSWERS TO ANCIENT RIDDLES.</p>
+
+<p>'Whar did ye come from? Who d'ye belong
+to!'&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Ethiops</span>.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Philosophers say, deny it who may,</p>
+<p class="l">That the man who stands upright so bravely to-day,</p>
+<p class="l">Once crawled as a reptile with nose to the sod,</p>
+
+<p class="l">His grandfather Monad a bit of a clod.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">To be sure, man's descent is not made out quite plain,</p>
+<p class="l">But one or two <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">guesses</span> might piece out the chain;</p>
+<p class="l">If the chain is quite long a few links won't be missed;</p>
+<p class="l">Or, if you must join it, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">just give it a twist</span>.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">A bold Boston doctor, by stride superhuman,</p>
+<p class="l">Makes only a step from a snake to a woman;</p>
+<p class="l">Or, inspect your best friends by Granville's good glass,</p>
+<p class="l">And the difference's as small 'twixt a man and an ass.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'From the company he keeps we may learn a man's nature;'</p>
+
+<p class="l">If he will play with monkey, dog, cat, or such creature,</p>
+<p class="l">The schoolmen will say, as a matter of course,</p>
+<p class="l">'Cum hoc ergo propter hoc.' Notice its force!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">If with doubts you're still puzzled, and wonder who can</p>
+<p class="l">Answer all your objections, why Darwin's your man.</p>
+<p class="l">He can bridge o'er a chasm both broad and profound;</p>
+
+<p class="l">The last thing he needs for a theory is <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">ground</span>.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Bring your queries and facts, no matter how tough;</p>
+<p class="l">Development doctrine makes light of such stuff.</p>
+<p class="l">One example of these will perhaps be enough:&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">'These crawlers,' for instance, 'should they be still here,'</p>
+
+<p class="l">'Not yet become bipeds?' The answer is clear:</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">In our strangely unequal organic advance,</p>
+<p class="l">He is the most forward who has the best chance.</p>
+<p class="l">By braving the weather and struggling with brother,</p>
+<p class="l">The one who survives it all gains upon t'other.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">The old Bible 'myth,' now, of Jacob and Esau,</p>
+<p class="l">Is the struggle 'twixt species, the monkey and man law;</p>
+<p class="l">One hairy, one handsome, one favored, one cursed;</p>
+<p class="l">And sometimes the last one turns out to be first.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Still, through cycles enough let the laggard persist,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Let the weak be suppressed since he can not resist,</p>
+<p class="l">And, proceeding by logic which none may dispute,</p>
+<p class="l">Can't we safely infer there's an end to the brute?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">You may, if you please, supersede Revelation,</p>
+<p class="l">By wholly new methods of ratiocination;</p>
+<p class="l">Though, since head and heart <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">need be</span> in contradiction,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Why should reason hold faith under any restriction?</p>
+<p class="l">Shut your eyes, and guess down heaven's good pious fiction.</p>
+</div>
+<a href="#note_16"><span class="footnoteref">16</span></a>
+
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Noah's ark was superfluous. Where were his brains,</p>
+<p class="l">For those beasts and those sons to provide with such pains,</p>
+<p class="l">When they might to a deluge cry Fiddle di dee,</p>
+
+<p class="l">And sprout fins and scales, if they took to the sea?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Well, perhaps in those days they had not yet known</p>
+<p class="l">That <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">by need of new functions new organs are grown</span>.</p>
+<p class="l">Those drowned chaps were sure a 'degenerate' crew,</p>
+<p class="l">Or else, on their plunge into element new,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Some 'law of selection' had rescued a few.</p>
+<p class="l">And, 'if wishes were fishes' I think one or two</p>
+<p class="l">Would have <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">wished</span>, and swam out of their scrape, do not you?</p>
+<p class="l">Can it be that those 'Fish Tales' of mermen are true?</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">No wonder that racing was always in fashion,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">All orders of beings were born with the passion&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">But it seems that at length Genus Man will be winner.</p>
+<p class="l">You cry 'Lucky dog!' But what now about dinner?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">No oysters, no turtle, fresh salmon, fried sole,</p>
+
+<p class="l">No canvas duck nor fowl casserole.</p>
+<p class="l">All these he has seen disappear from the stage,</p>
+<p class="l">A sacrifice vast growing age after age.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Their successive growth upward he's watched with dismay;</p>
+<p class="l">They have come to be men, having all had their day!</p>
+<p class="l">Though he took, while its lord, quite a taste of the creature,</p>
+<p class="l">By rule Epicurean 'dum vivim.,' etcetera.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">In Paradise, Adam and Eve, to be sure,</p>
+<p class="l">Since they didn't have flesh, ate their onion sauce pure,</p>
+<p class="l">But, as our old friend John P. Robinson he</p>
+<p class="l">Said, 'they didn't know everything down in Judee.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Now the better taught modern he very well knows</p>
+
+<p class="l">What to beef and to mutton society owes.</p>
+<p class="l">What are homes without hearths? What's a hearth without roasts?</p>
+<p class="l">Or a grand public dinner with <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> but toasts?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Yet, what government measure, or scheme philanthropic,</p>
+<p class="l">Or learned convention in hall philosophic,</p>
+
+<p class="l">But is mainly sustained upon leasts and collations?</p>
+<p class="l">At least, it is so in all civilized nations.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Here's a fix! Yet indeed, soon or late, the whole race</p>
+<p class="l">Must the problem decide on, with good or ill grace.</p>
+<p class="l">We cannot go hungry; what are we to do?</p>
+<p class="l">Shall we pulse it, like Daniel, that knowing young Jew?</p>
+<p class="l">Letting Grahamite doctors our diet appoint,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Eat our very plain pudding without any joint?</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Or, shall we the bloody alternative take,</p>
+<p class="l">And cannibal meals of our relatives make,</p>
+<p class="l">Put aside ancient scruples (for what's in a name?)</p>
+<p class="l">And shake hands with the dainty New Zealander dame,</p>
+<p class="l">Who thought that she really might relish a bit</p>
+
+<p class="l">Of broiled missionary brought fresh from the spit?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Twere surely most cruel in Nature our nurse,</p>
+<p class="l">Man's march of improvement so quick to reverse.</p>
+<p class="l">Will she offer a choice which we may not refuse,</p>
+<p class="l">When we're sure to turn savage however we choose?</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">We may slowly creep up to a lofty position,</p>
+<p class="l">Then go back at one leap to the lower condition.</p>
+<p class="l">Even so, my good friend, in a circle he goes,</p>
+<p class="l">Who would follow such theories on to their close.</p>
+<p class="l">If you've started with Darwin, as sure as you're born,</p>
+<p class="l">You're in a dilemma; pray take either horn.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">T.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Who has not belonged in his time to a
+debating society? What youth ambitious
+of becoming 'a perfect <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Hercules</span>
+behind the bar?'&mdash;as a well meaning
+but unfortunate Philadelphian once said
+in a funeral eulogy over a deceased legal
+friend&mdash;has not 'debated' in a club
+'formed for purposes of mutual <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">and</span> literary
+improvement of the mind?' All
+who have will read with pleasure the following
+letter from one who has most
+certainly been there:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>DEAR CONTINENTAL:</p>
+
+<p>I am a man that rides around over the
+'kedn'try.' In the little village where I am
+now tarrying, the school-house bell is ringing
+to call together the members of that ancient
+institution peculiar to villages, the debating
+society. A friend informs me that the time-honored
+questions&mdash;Should capital punishment
+be abolished?&mdash;Did Columbus deserve
+more praise than Washington?&mdash;Is art
+more pleasing to the eye than nature?&mdash;have
+each had their turn in their regular rotation,
+and that the question for to-night is&mdash;as you
+might suppose&mdash;Has the Indian suffered
+greater wrongs at the hands of the White
+man than the Negro? As I have a distinct
+recollection of having thoroughly investigated
+and zealously declaimed on each of the
+above topics in days lang syne, I shall excuse
+myself from attendance this evening, on
+the ground that I am already extensively informed
+on the subject in hand, and my mind
+is fully made up. But I hereby acknowledge
+my indebtedness to the good fellow who told
+me the object of the ringing of the bell&mdash;for
+he has unconsciously started up some of
+the most amusing recollections of my life.
+Sitting here alone in my room, I have just
+taken a hearty laugh over a circumstance
+that had well-nigh given me the slip. The
+question was the same Negro-Indian-White-man
+affair. One of the orators, having,
+a long time previously, seen a picture in
+an old 'jography' of some Indians making
+a hubbub on board certain vessels, and
+reading under it, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Destruction of Tea in Boston
+Harbor</span>, brought up the circumstance,
+and insisting with great earnestness that the
+white man had received burning wrongs at
+the hands of the Indian, and that the latter
+had <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">no reason at all to complain</span>, dwelt with
+great emphasis on the ruthless destruction
+of the white man's tea in Boston Harbor by
+the latter, in proof of his 'point.'</p>
+
+<p>I remember also a debating society in the
+little village of R&mdash;&mdash;, which numbered
+some really very worthy and intelligent
+members, but of course included some that
+were otherwise, among whom was a silly
+young fellow, who had mistaken his proper
+calling&mdash;(he should have been a wood-chopper),
+and was suffering under an attack
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">at</span> medicine. The question for debate on
+one occasion was&mdash;Is conscience an infallible
+guide? Being expected to take part in
+the discussion, he was bent on thorough
+preparation, and ransacked his preceptor's
+professional library&mdash;(almost as poor a
+place as a lawyer's) for a work on <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">conscience</span>.
+He found abundance of matter, however, for
+a lengthy chapter on the subject, as he supposed,
+occurring in several of the dusty octavos,
+and he thumbed the leaves with most
+patient assiduity. He had misspelled the
+word however, and was reading all the while
+on <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">consciousness</span>&mdash;a subject which would
+very naturally occur in some departments of
+medicine. But it was all one to him, he
+didn't see the difference, and the ridiculous
+display he made to us of his 'cramming' on
+consciousness can be better imagined than
+described.</p>
+
+<p>Years after found me inside college walls&mdash;but
+colleges in the West, be it remembered,
+
+sometimes include preparatory departments,
+into which, by the courtesy of
+the teachers, many young men are admitted
+who would hardly make a respectable figure
+in the poorest country school, but who by
+dint of honest toil finally do themselves
+great credit.</p>
+
+<p>I 'happened in' on a number of such,
+one evening, whose affinities had drawn them
+together with a view to forming a debating
+society, to be made exclusively of their own
+kind. I listened with much interest and
+pleasure to the preliminaries of organization,
+and smiled, when they were about to 'choose
+a question,' to see them bring out the same
+old coaches mentioned in the beginning of
+this article; when one of their number
+arose, evidently dissatisfied with the old
+beaten track, and seemed bent on opening a
+new vein. He was a good, honest, patient
+fellow, but his weakness in expressing himself
+was, that, although his delivery was
+very slow, he didn't know how he was going
+to end his sentences when he began them.
+'Mr. President,' said he, 'how would this
+do? Suppose a punkin seed sprouts in one
+man's garden, and the vine grows through
+the fence, and bears a punkin on another
+man's ground&mdash;now&mdash;(a long pause)&mdash;the
+question is&mdash;whose punkin&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">does it
+belong to?</span>' The poor fellow subsided, as
+might be supposed, amid a roar of voices
+and a crash of boots.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>There is a legal axiom which would
+settle the pumpkin-vine query&mdash;that of
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">cujus est solum ejus est usque ad coelum</span>&mdash;'ownership
+in the soil confers possession
+of everything even as high as heaven.'
+Our friends in Dixie seem determined
+to prove that they have also fee
+simple in their soil downwards as far as
+the other place, and by the last advices
+were digging their own graves to an extent
+which will soon bring them to the
+utmost limit of their property!</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Does the reader remember Poor Pillicoddy,
+and the mariner who was ever
+expected to turn up again? Not less
+eccentric, as it seems to us, is the re-apparition
+chronicled in the following story
+by a friend:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>TURNING UP AGAIN!</p>
+
+<p>'You were all through that Mexican war,
+and out with Walker in Niggerawger.&mdash;Well,
+what do you think 'bout Niggerawger?
+Kind of a cuss'd 'skeeter hole, ain't it?'</p>
+
+<p>'Tain't so much 'skeeters as 'tis snaiks,
+scorpiums and the like,' answered the gray-moustached
+corporal. 'It's hot in them
+countries as a Dutch oven on a big bake;
+and going through them parts, man's got to
+move purty d&mdash;&mdash;d lively to git ahead of
+the yaller fever; it's right onto his tracks the
+hull time.'</p>
+
+<p>'Did you git that gash over your nose out
+there?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I got that in a small scrimmage under
+old GRAY EYES. 'Twas next day <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">after
+a fight</span> though, cum to think on it. We'd
+been up there and took a small odobe hole
+called Santa Sumthin', and had spasificated
+the poperlashun, when I went to git a gold
+cross off an old woman, and she up frying-pan
+of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">frijoles</span> and hit me, so!' Here the
+corporal aimed a blow with his pipe at the
+face of the high private he was talking with;&mdash;the
+latter dodged it.</p>
+
+<p>'That was a big thing, that fight at Santa
+Sumthin'; the way we went over them mud
+walls, and wiped out the Greasers, was a
+cortion. I rac'lect when we was drawed up
+company front, afore we made the charge,
+there was a feller next me in the ranks&mdash;I
+didn't know him from an old shoe, 'cause
+he'd ben drafted that morning into us from
+another company. Says he,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'We're going into hair and cats' claws 'fore
+long, and as I'm unbeknownst amongst you
+fellers, I'd like to make a bargain with you.'</p>
+
+<p>'Go it,' says I; 'I'm on hand for ennything.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well,' says he, 'witchever one of us gits
+knocked over, the tother feller 'll look out
+for him, and if he ain't a goner 'll haul him
+out, so the doctor can work onto him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good,' says I, 'you may count me in
+there; mind you look after ME!'</p>
+
+<p>The fight began, and when we charged,
+the fust thing I knowed the feller next me,
+wot made the bargain, he went head over
+heels backwards; and to tell the honest
+trooth, I was just that powerful egsited I
+never minded him a smite, but went right
+ahead after plunder and the Greasers, over
+mud walls and along alleys, till I got, bang
+in, where I found something worth fighting
+about it. 'Bout dusk, when we was all purty
+full of <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">agwadenty</span>, they sent us out to bury
+our fellers as was killed in the scrimmage;
+and as we hadn't much time to spare, we
+didn't dig a hole more'n a foot or two deep,
+
+and put all our fellers in, in a hurry. Next
+morning airly, as I was just coming out of a
+church where I'd ben surveyin' some candle-stix
+with a jack-knife to see ef they were silver,
+[witch they were not,&mdash;hang em!]&mdash;as
+I was coming out of the church I felt a feller
+punch me in the back&mdash;so I turned round
+to hit him back, when I see the feller, as
+had stood by me in the ranks the day before,
+all covered over with dirt, and mad as a ringtail
+hornet.</p>
+
+<p>'Hello!' said I.</p>
+
+<p>'Hello! yourself,' said he. 'I want ter
+know what yer went and berried me for,
+afore I was killed for?'</p>
+
+<p>I never was so put to for a answer afore
+in all my life, 'cause I wanted to spasificate
+the feller, so I kind of hemmed, and says I&mdash;'Hm!
+the fact was, this dirty little hole of a
+town was <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">rayther</span> crowded last night, and I&mdash;just
+to please you, yer know&mdash;I lodged
+you out there; but I swear I was this minute
+going out there to dig you up for breakfuss!'</p>
+
+<p>'If that's so,' said he, 'we won't say no
+more 'bout it; but the next time you do it,
+don't put a feller in so deep; for I had a
+oncommon hard scratch turning up again!'</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">H.P.L.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>We are indebted to the same writer
+for the following Oriental market-picture&mdash;we
+might say scene in a proverb:</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>PROVERBIALLY WISE.</p>
+
+<p>ACHMET sat in the bazaar, calmly smoking:
+he had said to himself in the early
+morning,&mdash;'When I shall have made a hundred
+piastres I will shut up shop for the day,
+and go home and take it easy, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">al'hamdu lillah</span>!'
+Now a hundred piastres in the land
+of the faithful, where the sand is and the
+palms grow, is equal to a dollar in the land
+of Jonathan: and the expression he concluded
+his sentence with is equivalent to&mdash;Praise
+be to Allah!</p>
+
+<p>Along came a blind fakir begging; then
+ACHMET gave him five paras, although his
+charity was unseen; neither did he want it to
+be seen, for he said to himself,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'Do good and throw it into the sea&mdash;if
+the fishes don't know it, God will.'</p>
+
+<p>And as he handed the poor blind fakir
+the small coin, he said to him, in a soothing
+voice,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Fa'keer</span>' (which in the Arabic means
+poor fellow), 'the nest of a blind bird is
+made by Allah.'</p>
+
+<p>Then along came SULIMAN BEY, who
+was high in office in the land of Egypt, and
+was wealthy, and powerful, and very much
+hated and feared. And ACHMET bowed down
+before him, and performed obeisance in the
+manner of the Turks, touching his own hand
+to his lips, his breast, his head:&mdash;and the
+SULIMAN BEY went proudly on. Then
+ACHMET smiled, and YUSEF, who had a
+stall in the bazaar opposite to him, winked
+to ACHMET, saying, in a low voice,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: center">'Kiss ardently the hands which you can not cut
+off:'&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>and they smiled grimly one unto the other.</p>
+
+<p>'Did you hear the music in the Esbekieh
+garden yesterday?' asked YUSEF of ACHMET.
+'I think it was horrible.'</p>
+
+<p>'It cost nothing to hear it,' quoth ACHMET:
+'there was no charge made.'</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Aio</span>! true,' answered YUSEF; 'but there
+were too many drums; I wouldn't have one
+if I were Pacha.'</p>
+
+<p>'Welcome even pitch, if it is gratis.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wanting to make the eyebrows right,
+pull out the eyes,' said ACHMET, contentedly.
+'And as for your disliking the music,&mdash;A
+cucumber being given to a poor man, he
+did not accept it because it was crooked!'&mdash;'Come,
+let us shut up shop and go to the
+mosque. It is fated that we sell no goods to-day.
+
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Wajadna bira'hmat allah ra'hah</span>&mdash;By
+the grace of Allah we have found repose!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Our correspondent gives us a pun in
+our last number over again. It is none
+the worse, however, for its new coat, as
+set forth in</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>GETTING AHEAD OF TIME.</p>
+
+<p>'Well now, I declare, this is too bad.
+Here it is five minutes past ten and BUDDEN
+ain't here. Did anybody ever know that
+man to keep an engagement?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes,' replied the Doctor to the Squire, 'I
+knew him to keep one.'</p>
+
+<p>'Let it out,' said the Squire.</p>
+
+<p>'An engagement to get married.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hm!' replied the Squire, looking over
+his spectacles with the air of one who had
+been deceived. At this moment JERRY
+BUDDEN, a jolly-looking, fat, middle-aged
+man entered the office quietly and coolly,
+having all the air of one who arrived half
+an hour before the appointed time of meeting.</p>
+
+<p>'Got ahead of time this morning, any
+way,' said Jerry.</p>
+
+
+<p>'The devil you did!' spoke the Squire,
+testily; 'you are seven minutes behind time
+this morning; you would be behindhand to-morrow
+and next day, and so on as long as
+you live. Confound it, Jerry, you make me
+mad with your laziness and coolness. Ahead
+of time! why look at that watch!'&mdash;Here
+the Squire, pulling out a plethoric-looking,
+smooth gold watch, about the size of a bran
+biscuit, held it affectionately in the palm of
+his right hand. 'Look at <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span> watch!'</p>
+
+<p>'Nice watch,' said Jerry, 'very nice
+watch. The best of watches will sometimes
+get out of order though. How long since
+you had it cleaned?'</p>
+
+<p>The Squire looked indignant, and broke
+out, 'I've carried that watch more'n thirty
+year; I have it cleaned regularly, and it is
+always right to a minute, always! It's <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">you</span>
+that want regulating.'</p>
+
+<p>'Can't help it,' spoke Jerry; 'I got ahead
+of time this morning.'</p>
+
+<p>'Bet you a hat on it,' said the Squire.</p>
+
+<p>'Done!' answered Jerry. And, putting
+his hand in his pocket, he deliberately produced
+the torn page of an old almanac, and,
+pointing to part of an engraving of the man
+with an hour-glass, said to the Squire,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'Hain't I got a Head of Time&mdash;this
+morning?'</p>
+
+<p>Jerry now wears a new hat!</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>'What poor slaves are the American
+people!' says the Times' own RUSSELL.
+'They may abjure kings and
+princes, but they are ruled by hotel-keepers
+and waiters.' The following
+translation from the Persian shows, however,
+that a man may be a king or a
+prince and a hotel-keeper at the same
+time.</p>
+
+<p>A ROYAL HOTEL-KEEPER.</p>
+
+<p>FROM THE PERSIAN. BY HENRY P. LELAND.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">IBRAM BEN ADHAM at his palace gate,</p>
+<p class="l">Sits, while in line his pages round him wait;</p>
+<p class="l">When a poor dervish, staff and sack in hand,</p>
+<p class="l">Straight would have entered IBRAM'S palace grand.</p>
+
+<p class="l">'Old man,' the pages asked, 'where goest thou now?'</p>
+<p class="l">'In that hotel,' he answered, with a bow.</p>
+<p class="l">The pages said,&mdash;'Ha! dare you call hotel</p>
+<p class="l">A palace, where the King of Balkh doth dwell?'</p>
+<p class="l">IBRAM the King next to the dervish spoke:</p>
+<p class="l">'My palace a hotel? Pray, where's the joke?'</p>
+
+<p class="l">'Who,' asked the dervish, 'owned this palace first?'</p>
+<p class="l">'My grandsire,' IBRAM said, while wrath he nursed.</p>
+<p class="l">'Who was the next proprietor?' please say.</p>
+<p class="l">'My father:' thus the king replied straightway.</p>
+
+<p class="l">'Who hired it then upon your father's death?'</p>
+<p class="l">'I did,' King IBRAM answered, out of breath.</p>
+<p class="l">'When you shall die, who shall within it dwell?'</p>
+<p class="l">'My son,' the King replied. 'Why ask'st thou? Tell!'</p>
+<p class="l">'IBRAM!' then spoke the dervish to him straight,</p>
+
+<p class="l">'I'll answer thee, nor longer make thee wait.</p>
+<p class="l">The place where travelers come, and go as well,</p>
+<p class="l">Is, really, not a palace, but&mdash;hotel!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Yea, friends; and, as another genial
+poet has discovered, life itself is but a
+hostelrie or tavern, where some get the
+highest rooms, while others, of greater
+social weight, gravitate downwards
+into the first story, sinking like gold to
+the bottom of the hotel pan,&mdash;that is
+O.W. HOLMES', his idea, reader, not
+ours. <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Apropos</span> of HOLMES and kings&mdash;his
+thousands of reader friends have
+ere this seen with pleasure that the Emperor
+of all the French was not unmindful
+of one of his brother-potentates,&mdash;in
+the world of song,&mdash;when he paid
+OLIVER WENDELL the courteous compliment
+which has of late gone the rounds,
+and which conferred as much honor on
+the giver as the taker thereof.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The Spring poems have begun. <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Vide
+licet</span>.</p>
+
+<p>TO AN EARLY BIRD.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">In homely phrase we oft are told</p>
+<p class="l">'Tis early birds that catch the worms;</p>
+<p class="l">But certainly that Spring bird there</p>
+
+<p class="l"> Don't half believe the aforesaid terms.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">He's sorry that he hither flew,</p>
+<p class="l"> In hopes a forward March to find,</p>
+<p class="l">And towards warm climates, whence he came,</p>
+<p class="l"> To backward march is sore inclined.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Lured by one ray of sunlight, he</p>
+<p class="l"> Flew northward to our land of snow;</p>
+<p class="l">And now, with frozen toes, he stands</p>
+<p class="l"> On frozen earth:&mdash;the worms&mdash;below!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Tu whit! whit! whit! he tries in vain</p>
+<p class="l"> To whistle in a cheerful way;</p>
+<p class="l">He feels he's badly sold, and that&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l"> He came <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">too early</span> in the day.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">I sprinkle seed and crumbs around;</p>
+<p class="l">He quickly flies and famished eats:&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">He would have starved to death had he</p>
+<p class="l">Relied on proverb-making cheats.</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Of the same up-Springings, in higher
+vein, we have the following:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>APRIL.</p>
+
+<p>BY ED. SPRAGUE RAND.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Now with the whistling rush of stormy winds,</p>
+<p class="l">'Mid weeping skies and smiling, sunny hours,</p>
+<p class="l">Comes the young Spring, and scatters, from the pines,</p>
+<p class="l">O'er the brown&mdash;woodland soft, balsamic showers.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Wake, azure squirrel cups, on grassy hills!</p>
+<p class="l">Peep forth, blue violets, upon the heath!</p>
+<p class="l">The epigræa from the withered leaves</p>
+<p class="l">Sends out the greeting of her perfumed breath.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Nodding anemones within the wood</p>
+<p class="l">Shake off the winter's sleep, and haste to greet;</p>
+
+<p class="l">Where in the autumn the blue asters stood,</p>
+<p class="l">The saxifrage creeps out, with downy feet.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Nature is waking! From a wreath of snow,</p>
+<p class="l">Close by the garden walls, the snowdrop springs;</p>
+<p class="l">And the air rings with tender melodies,</p>
+<p class="l">Where thro' the dark firs flash the bluebird's wings.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">A few days hence, and o'er the distant hills</p>
+<p class="l">A tender robe of verdure shall be spread,</p>
+<p class="l">And life in myriad forms be manifest,</p>
+<p class="l">Where all seemed desolate, and dark, and dead.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">E'en now, upon the sunny woodland slopes,</p>
+
+<p class="l">The fair vanessa flits with downy wing;</p>
+<p class="l">And in the marshes, with the night's approach,</p>
+<p class="l">The merry hylas in full chorus sing.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l"><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Patience</span> and <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">faith</span>, all will be bright again.</p>
+<p class="l">Take from the present, for the future hours,</p>
+
+<p class="l">The tendered promise. In the storm and rain,</p>
+<p class="l">Remember suns shine brighter for the showers.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">To us, my countrymen, the lesson comes;</p>
+<p class="l">Our night of winter dawns in brightest day;</p>
+<p class="l">The storm is passing, and the rising sun</p>
+<p class="l">Dispels our doubts, drives cloudy fears away.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">The sun of freedom, veiled in clouds too long,</p>
+<p class="l">Sheds o'er our land its rays of quickening life;</p>
+<p class="l">And liberty, our starry banner, waves,</p>
+<p class="l">Proclaiming freedom mid the battle's strife.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<br />
+
+<p>STRIKING TURPENTINE.</p>
+
+<p>Not a bad story that of the physician, who,
+vaccinating several medical students, 'performed
+the ceremony' for a North Carolinian
+from the pitch, tar and turpentine districts.
+The lancet entering the latter's arm a little
+too deep, owing to the Corn-cracker jerking
+his arm through nervousness, one of the medical
+students called out,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>'Take care there, doctor, if you don't look
+out you'll strike turpentine.'</p>
+
+<p>The Corn-cracker&mdash;full of spirit&mdash;wanted
+to fight.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>We should have handed this anecdote
+over to X., who travels through the Pines,
+that he might pronounce on its authenticity.
+The following, however, we know
+to be true&mdash;on the word of a very <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">spirituelle</span>
+dame, long resident in the Old
+North State. When the present war
+first sent its murmurs over the South,
+an old bushman earnestly denied that it
+'would ruin everything.' 'Kin it stop
+the turpentime from running?' he triumphantly
+cried. 'In course not. Then
+what difference <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">kin</span> it make to <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">the country</span>?'</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The following sketch, 'Hiving the
+Bees and what came of it,' from a valued
+friend and correspondent in New
+Haven, is a humorous and truthful picture
+of the old-fashioned rural 'discipline'
+once so general and now so rapidly
+becoming a thing of the past:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>HIVING BEES AND WHAT CAME OF IT.</p>
+
+<p>When a boy at school in the town of G&mdash;&mdash;
+
+I became acquainted with old Deacon Hubbard
+and his wife&mdash;two as good Christian
+people as could be found, simple in their
+manners and kind-hearted. The deacon
+was 'well to do in the world,' having a fine
+farm, a pleasant house, and, with his quiet
+way of living, apparently everything to
+make him comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>He took great delight in raising bees, and
+the product of his hives was every year
+some hundreds of pounds of honey, for which
+there was always a ready market, though he
+frequently gave away large quantities among
+his neighbors.</p>
+
+<p>One Sunday morning, when passing the
+place of Deacon Hubbard on my way to
+meeting, I saw the deacon in his orchard
+near his house, apparently in great trouble
+
+about something in one of his apple trees.
+I crossed the road to the fence and called to
+him, and asked him what was the matter.
+He was a very conscientious man, and would
+not do anything on the Lord's day that could
+be done on any other; but he cried, 'Oh,
+dear! my bees are swarming, and I shall
+surely lose them. If I was a young man I
+could climb the tree and save them, but I
+am too old for that.' I jumped over the
+fence, and as I approached him he pointed
+to a large dark mass of something suspended
+from the limb of an apple tree, which to me
+was a singular-looking object, never having
+before seen bees in swarming time. I had
+great curiosity to see the operation of hiving,
+and suggested that perhaps I could help him,
+though at the time afraid the bees would
+sting me for my trouble. The gratification
+to be derived I thought would repay the
+risk, and calling to mind some lines I had
+heard,&mdash;</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Softly, gently touch a nettle,</p>
+<p class="l">It will sting thee for thy pains;</p>
+<p class="l">Grasp it like a man of mettle,</p>
+<p class="l">Soft and harmless it remains,&mdash;'</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>I told him that I would assist him. He
+assured me that if I could only get a rope
+around the limb above and fasten it to the
+one on which the bees were, then saw off
+that limb and lower it down, he could secure
+them without much trouble.</p>
+
+<p>With saw and rope in hand I ascended
+the tree, and, after due preparation, severed
+the limb and carefully lowered it within the
+deacon's reach. I was surprised, and felt repaid
+for my trouble, to see with what ease
+and unconcern Dea. Hubbard, with his bare
+hands, scooped and brushed the swarm of
+bees into a sheet he had prepared, and how
+readily he got them into a vacant hive.
+Many thanks did the deacon proffer me for
+my timely assistance, and moreover insisted
+on my staying with him to dine. It seemed
+to me that I was never in a more comfortable
+house, and I am sure I never received a
+more cordial greeting than that bestowed
+upon me by his venerable spouse.</p>
+
+<p>The place where I boarded with several
+other boys was with a widow lady by the
+name of White, who was very kind to me,
+but who had the misfortune to have had three
+husbands, and her daughters did not all revere
+the memory of the same father, and
+consequently there were oftentimes differences
+among them.</p>
+
+<p>For several days after this transaction I
+had noticed on the table at our daily meal
+a nice dish of honey, an unusual treat, but
+to which we boys paid due respect.</p>
+
+<p>My term at school expired, and I went
+home to my father's, a distance of some thirty
+miles, and assisted him on the farm during
+the fall months, employing much of my
+leisure time in studying.</p>
+
+<p>My father was a stern, straight-forward
+man&mdash;a member of the Orthodox church,
+and one who professed to believe in all the
+proprieties of life, and endeavored to impress
+the same on the minds of his children.</p>
+
+<p>One day, after dinner, he said to me, in
+his stern way of speaking,&mdash;'Gilbert, what
+kind of scrape did you get into in G&mdash;&mdash;?'</p>
+
+<p>For my life I could not tell what I had
+been doing, and had but little chance to
+think, ere he tossed a letter across the table
+and said, 'Read that, and tell me what it
+means!' The letter was directed to me,
+but he had exercised his right to open and
+read it for me. It was from G&mdash;&mdash;, and
+signed by the four deacons of the church
+there, asking explicit answers to the following
+questions:&mdash;1st. Did you help Deacon
+Hubbard hive his bees? 2d. If so, did you
+receive any remuneration from him for your
+services? 3d. Will you state what it was?
+You are expected to answer the questions
+fully.'</p>
+
+<p>'What have you to say to that, young
+man?' said my father, with more than usual
+sternness; and I began to think that I had
+got into some kind of difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>I told him that I would answer the letter,
+so went to my room and wrote, saying that
+I <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">did</span> help Deacon Hubbard hive his bees,
+and that I <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">had</span> been paid a thousand times
+by the many acts of kindness of himself and
+wife, and should always feel happy in doing
+anything for them that I could.</p>
+
+<p>As my father read this letter I had written,
+I noticed a smile on his countenance,
+which lasted but an instant, when he said,
+'You may send it; but I want to know what
+this scrape is, and I will.'</p>
+
+<p>A few days after the reply was sent,
+another letter arrived from the four deacons,
+stating that I had not been explicit enough
+in my answer, and wanted me to say, 1st.
+Whether I had helped Deacon Hubbard hive
+his bees on Sunday. 2d. Whether I had
+ever received from him a large pan of honey
+in the comb? 3d. Whether my father was
+a member of the church? 4th. Whether he
+would give his consent for me to come to
+
+G&mdash;&mdash; on business of great importance if
+they would pay my expenses, and how soon
+I could come?</p>
+
+<p>It was cold weather, several months after
+I left G&mdash;&mdash;, when this letter came to hand,
+and I did not fancy a ride of thirty miles at
+that time; I however had permission to
+promise that I would be there on the first
+Monday in May, which was the day of
+'General Training,' and a great day at that
+period. In my answer to the second letter
+I said that I thought I had answered their
+first question sufficiently before; and in answer
+to the second I would say, that I had
+never received any honey from Deacon Hubbard;
+to the third, that my father was a
+member of the church; and to the fourth,
+that I would come there on the day named
+above.</p>
+
+<p>The first Monday in May was a bright
+and lovely day, and at an early hour I
+mounted a horse and started for G&mdash;&mdash;, arriving
+there before noon. On my way into
+the village I had to pass the house of Deacon
+Hubbard, who, knowing that I was expected
+that day, was looking for my approach,
+and as I drew near the house I saw
+his venerable form in the road. It was my
+intention to pass his house without being
+seen, but that was impossible. He insisted
+on my going into the house. His good wife
+met me at the door with a cordial greeting,
+but, with tearful eyes, said she feared there
+was some dreadful trouble in store for me,
+for the deacons of the church had been watching
+for me all the morning. After explaining
+as well as I could the reason of my visit,
+with the little information I had, Deacon
+Hubbard exclaimed&mdash;'Well, I don't know
+but they'll make you walk the church aisle,
+for there's some trouble somewhere.' We
+had but little time for conversation before
+Mrs. H. saw the venerable deacons approaching
+the house; and I shall never forget
+the solemn look and steps with which
+they advanced, the senior deacon, Flagg,
+leading the procession. As they were ushered
+into the front room they seated themselves
+in a row according to their respective
+ages, each wearing the solemn countenance
+of a Pilgrim father. When I entered the
+room they all arose and took me by the
+hand, thanking me for faithfully keeping
+my promise, and hoped the Lord would reward
+me therefor. Deacon Flagg, after a
+few preliminary remarks, said: 'Young man,
+there has been a grievous sin committed
+among the Lord's anointed in our church,
+and we have sent for you that we may be
+enabled to detect the erring one! and we
+hope you will so far consider the importance
+of the matter as to answer truly the questions
+that may be propounded to you. My
+young friend, will you have the goodness to
+say, in the hearing of our good brother, Deacon
+Hubbard, whether or not you ever received
+from him a present of a large pan of
+honey for helping him hive his bees?'</p>
+
+<p>I answered that I never had. All eyes
+were turned on Deacon H., and an audible
+groan came from Deacon Harris as I made
+my reply. Deacon Flagg addressed me as
+follows:&mdash;'My youthful friend, will you be
+willing to accompany these gentlemen to
+the house of sister White, and say the same
+before her?' I was willing, provided my
+friend Deacon Hubbard would go along,
+which he consented to do, and we started.</p>
+
+<p>It was but a short way across the Common,
+and ours was a solemn, silent procession,
+and I must have appeared like a very
+culprit. On nearing the house, Deacon Flagg
+said he would first enter and inform sister
+White of our business, and return when she
+was ready to receive us. He returned in a
+short time, with a longer face than before,
+and as he approached us, clasping his hands,
+he said with an agonized tone, 'Dear brethren,
+Oh! it is all too true! Satan entered
+her heart,&mdash;she coveted the honey,&mdash;and
+fell.' A groan of holy horror came from all
+the good old men. It was not necessary for
+us to enter the abode of wickedness, he said,
+for she would confess all.</p>
+
+<p>The whole proceeding had been a mystery
+to me, but I soon learned that the next
+day after hiving the bees, Deacon Hubbard
+had sent a large pan of honey to sister
+White's house, intended for me, but she
+gave us boys a little for a few days and put
+the rest away; or, as she afterwards said,
+she coveted it, and said nothing to me about
+it; and I should probably have known nothing
+of it had it not been for a disagreement
+between herself and daughters about a division
+of the honey, which finally got to be
+a church matter.</p>
+
+<p>Deacon Hubbard insisted on my going
+to dine with him; so, with a parting shake of
+the hand with the other four venerable men,
+we started for his house. Such a feast as
+dame Hubbard had provided on that occasion
+boys do not often see; substantial food
+enough for half a score of men, aside from
+
+the pies and plum pudding which made
+their appearance in due course; and in front
+of the dish assigned to me was a dish of the
+purest honey. After dinner Deacon Hubbard
+took me to see his bees, and explained
+many things in relation to them curious and
+instructive, promising more information on
+the subject if he could prevail upon me to
+remain in G&mdash;&mdash; till the next morning. The
+fatigue of the long ride that day, and my desire
+to see a little of the 'Training,' decided
+me to remain over night.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning my horse was fresh, having
+been well taken care of by my friend; so,
+after a hearty breakfast, I bade adieu to the
+good couple, with a pleasant recollection of
+their hospitality and kindness. When ready
+to start, dame Hubbard, with the best intentions,
+brought me a large pail of honey,
+wishing I would carry it home to my parents,
+but as it was impossible for me to carry
+it on horseback, I had to decline.</p>
+
+<p>It was near noon the next day when I
+reached home, and my first greeting from
+my father was, 'Well, Gilbert, now let me
+know about the scrape you got into last
+summer in G&mdash;&mdash;.'</p>
+
+<p>I told him all I had learned about the matter,
+to which be expressed his pleasure that
+it was no worse, and gave me much good
+advice as to the future.</p>
+
+<p>A few weeks after I readied home there
+was a large tub of honey left at my father's
+house, with a letter for me, informing me
+that sister White had been expelled from
+the church in G&mdash;&mdash; for covetousness; that
+my friends the Hubbards were well; that
+the four deacons spoke very highly in my
+praise, and hoped I would <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">feel rewarded</span> for
+the trouble I had taken. Years have passed
+since the matters here mentioned took place,
+but up to this time nothing has been said to
+me about 'paying my expenses.'</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">JAY G. BEE.</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Mrs. Malaprop founded a school
+which has been prolific in disciples.
+From one of these we learn that&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Old Mr. P. died a short time ago, much
+to the regret of his many friends, for he was
+a good neighbor, and had always lived honestly
+and uprightly among his fellow-men.
+At the time of his funeral Mrs. L. was sorrowing
+for his loss, with others of her sex,
+and paid the following tribute to his memory:</p>
+
+<p>'Poor Mr. P., he was a good man, a
+kind man, and a Christian man&mdash;he always
+lived <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">according to</span> HOYLE, and died with the
+hope of a blessed immortality.'</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>'Played the wrong card there.'</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>ADAM'S FAMILY JARS.</p>
+
+<p>IN CRACKED NUMBERS.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">One fact is fundamental,</p>
+
+<p class="l">One truth is rudimental;</p>
+<p class="l">Before man had the rental</p>
+<p class="l">Of this dwelling of a day,</p>
+<p class="l">He was in nothing mental,</p>
+<p class="l">But an image-man of clay.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">In the ground</p>
+<p class="l">Was the image found;</p>
+
+<p class="l">Of the ground</p>
+<p class="l">Was it molded round;</p>
+<p class="l">And empty of breath,</p>
+<p class="l">And still as in death,</p>
+<p class="l">Inside not a ray,</p>
+<p class="l">Outside only clay,</p>
+<p class="l">Deaf and dumb and blind,</p>
+<p class="l">Deadest of the kind,</p>
+<p class="l">There it lay.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Unto what was it like? In its shape it was what?</p>
+<p class="l">The world says 'a man,'&mdash;but the world is mistaken.</p>
+<p class="l">To revive the old story, a long time forgot,</p>
+<p class="l">'Twasn't man that was made, but a pot that was baken.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+
+<p class="l">And what if it was human-faced like the Sphinx?</p>
+<p class="l">There's no riddle to solve, whate'er the world thinks:</p>
+<p class="l">The fiat that made it, from its heels to its hair,</p>
+<p class="l">Wasn't simply 'Be man!' but 'Stand up and Be Ware!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">And straightway acknowledging its true kith and kin</p>
+<p class="l">With that host of things known to be hollow within,</p>
+<p class="l">It took up a stand with its handles akimbo,</p>
+<p class="l">Bowels and bosom in a cavernous limbo.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Curving out at the bottom, it swelled to a jig;</p>
+<p class="l">Curving in at the top, narrow-necked, to the mug;</p>
+<p class="l">Two sockets for sunshine in the frontispiece placed,</p>
+
+<p class="l">A crack just below&mdash;merely a matter of taste;</p>
+<p class="l">A flap on each side hiding holes of resounding,</p>
+<p class="l">For conveyance within of noises surrounding;</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">And a nozzle before,</p>
+<p class="l">All befitted to snore,</p>
+<p class="l">Was a part of the ware</p>
+
+<p class="l">For adornment and air.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Now for what was this slender and curious mold?</p>
+<p class="l">Had it no purpose? Had it nothing to hold?</p>
+<p class="l">A world full of meaning, my friend, if 'twere told.</p>
+<p class="l">You remember those jars in the Arabian Night,</p>
+<p class="l">As they stood 'neath the stars in Al' Baba's eyesight:</p>
+
+<p class="l">Little dreamed Ali Baba what ajar could excite&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">For how much did betide</p>
+<p class="l">When a man was inside!</p>
+<p class="l">When from under each cover a man was to spring,</p>
+<p class="l">Where then was the empty, insignificant thing?</p>
+<p class="l">It was so with this jar,</p>
+<p class="l">'Twasn't hollow by far;</p>
+<p class="l">Breathless at first as an exhausted receiver,</p>
+
+<p class="l">When the air was let in, lo! man, the achiever!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">But an accident happened, a cruel surprise;</p>
+<p class="l">How frail proved the man, and how very unwise!</p>
+<p class="l">As if plaster of Paris, and not Paradise,</p>
+<p class="l">No more of clay consecrate,</p>
+<p class="l">He broke up disconsolate,</p>
+<p class="l">Pot-luck for his fortune, though the world's potentate.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">It brings to our memory that Indian camp,</p>
+<p class="l">Where men lay in ambush, every one with a lamp,</p>
+<p class="l">Each light darkly hid in a vessel of clay,</p>
+<p class="l">Till the sword should be drawn, and then on came the fray.</p>
+<p class="l">'Twas so in the fortunes of this queer earthen race,</p>
+<p class="l">(It happened before they were more than a brace).</p>
+<p class="l">The fact of a fall</p>
+
+<p class="l">Did break upon all!</p>
+<p class="l">The lamp of each life being uncovered by sin,</p>
+<p class="l">The pitcher was broken, and the devil pitched in!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">So much for his story to the moment he erred,</p>
+<p class="l">From what dignified pot he became a pot-sherd.</p>
+<p class="l">Since that day the great world,</p>
+<p class="l">Like a wheel having twirled,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Hath replenished the earth from the primitive pair,</p>
+<p class="l">And turned into being every species of ware.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">There are millions and millions on the planet to-day,</p>
+<p class="l">Of all sorts, and all sizes, all ranks we may say;</p>
+<p class="l">There's a rabble of pots, with the dregs and the scum,</p>
+<p class="l">And a peerage of pots, above finger and thumb.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Look round in this pottery, look down to the ground,</p>
+<p class="l">Where bottle and mug, jug and pottle abound;</p>
+<p class="l">From the plebeian throng see the graded array;</p>
+<p class="l">There is shelf above shelf of brittle display,</p>
+<p class="l">As rank above rank the poor mortals arise,</p>
+<p class="l">From menial purpose to princely disguise.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+
+<p class="l">See vessels of honor, emblazoned with cash,</p>
+<p class="l">Of standing uncertain, preparing to dash.</p>
+<p class="l">See some to dishonor, in common clay-bake,</p>
+<p class="l">Figure high where the fire and the flint do partake.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">There's the bottle of earth by glittering glass,</p>
+<p class="l">As by blood of the gentlest excelling its class,</p>
+<p class="l">Becoming instanter</p>
+
+<p class="l">A portly decanter!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">There's the lowly bowl, or the basin broad,</p>
+<p class="l">By double refinement a punch-bowl lord!</p>
+<p class="l">There's the beggarly jug, ignoble and base,</p>
+<p class="l">By adornment of art the Portland vase!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">But call them, title them, what you will,</p>
+<p class="l">They're bound to break, they are brittle still;</p>
+<p class="l">No saving pieces, or repairing,</p>
+<p class="l">No Spaulding's glue for human erring;</p>
+<p class="l">All alike they will go together,</p>
+<p class="l">And lie in Potter's field forever.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">At length the whole secret of life is told:</p>
+<p class="l">'Tis because we're earth, and not of gold,</p>
+<p class="l">'Tis because we're ware that beware we must,</p>
+<p class="l">Lest we crack, and break, and crumble to dust.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">What wonder that men so clash together,</p>
+
+<p class="l">And in the clash so break with each other!</p>
+<p class="l">Or that households are full of family jars,</p>
+<p class="l">And boys are such pickles in spite of papas!</p>
+<p class="l">That the cup of ill-luck is drained to the dregs,</p>
+<p class="l">When a man's in his cups and not on his legs!</p>
+<p class="l">That meaning should be in that word for a sot,</p>
+<p class="l">He's ruined forever&mdash;he's going to pot!</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">So goes the world and its generations,</p>
+<p class="l">So go its tribes, and its tribulations;</p>
+<p class="l">Crowding together on the stream of time,</p>
+<p class="l">It almost destroys the chime of my rhyme,</p>
+<p class="l">While they strike, and they grind, and rub and dash,</p>
+<p class="l">And are sure to go to eternal smash.</p>
+
+<p class="l">Lamentable sight to be seen here below!</p>
+
+<p class="l">Man after man sinking,&mdash;blow after blow,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">A bubble, a choke,&mdash;each blow is a knell,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">Broken forever! There's no more to tell.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">There <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">is</span> more to tell, of a promise foretold;</p>
+
+<p class="l">Though now 'tis a vessel of homeliest mold,</p>
+<p class="l">Yet 'tis that which will prove a crock of gold,</p>
+<p class="l">When the crack of doom shall the truth unfold.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Tis hard to believe, for so seemeth life,</p>
+<p class="l">A cruse full of oil, with nothing more rife;</p>
+<p class="l">Yet what saith the prophet? It never shall fail:</p>
+
+<p class="l">Life is perennial, of immortal avail.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Tis hard to believe, for to dust we return,</p>
+<p class="l">To lie like the ashes in a burial urn;</p>
+<p class="l">But look at the skies! see the heavenly bowers!</p>
+<p class="l">The urn is a vase&mdash;the ashes are flowers!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+
+<p class="l">'Tis hard to believe; like a jar full of tears,</p>
+<p class="l">Life is filled with humanity's griefs and fears;</p>
+<p class="l">'Tis a tear-jar o'erflowing, close by the urn,</p>
+<p class="l">Even weeping for those in that gloomy sojourn.</p>
+<p class="l">And yet, when with time it has crumbled away,</p>
+<p class="l">The omnipotent Potter will in that day</p>
+<p class="l">Turn again to the pattern of Paradise,</p>
+<p class="l">Will fashion it anew and bid it arise,</p>
+
+<p class="l">A jar full adorned and with richest designs,</p>
+<p class="l">With tracery covered, and heavenly signs,</p>
+<p class="l">With jewels deep-set, and with fine gold inlaid,</p>
+<p class="l">Enamel of love,&mdash;yes, a nature new made.</p>
+<p class="l">And then from the deep bottom, as from a cup</p>
+<p class="l">Of blessing, there ever will come welling up</p>
+<p class="l">The living waters of a pellucid soul,</p>
+<p class="l">A gush of the spirit, from a heart made whole.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">So, like the water-pots rough, by the door at the East,</p>
+<p class="l">Our purpose will change, and our power be increased,</p>
+<p class="l">When we stand in the gate of the Heavenly Feast:</p>
+<p class="l">The word will be spoken: we'll flow out with wine</p>
+<p class="l">The blood of the true Life, pressed from the true Vine,</p>
+<p class="l">Perpetual chalice, inexhaustible bowl,</p>
+<p class="l">Of pleasures immortal, overflowing the soul!</p>
+
+</div>
+
+
+<p>Dust we are and to dust we must return&mdash;but,
+as the old epitaph said of
+Catherine Gray, who sold pottery,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'In some tall pitcher or broad pan</p>
+<p class="l">She in life's shop may live again,'&mdash;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>so, in a higher sphere we may all become
+vases unbreakable, filled with the
+wine of life.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Were the enemy in their senses they
+would probably admit that the annexed
+proposal is far from being deficient in
+common-sense:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>DEAR CONTINENTAL:</p>
+
+<p>I see that it is proposed by the Southern
+press that the rebels, as they retreat, shall
+burn all their tobacco.</p>
+
+<p>I have a proposition to make.</p>
+
+<p>Let General McCLELLAN send a flag of
+truce and inform them that if they need any
+assistance in that work, nothing will give
+me greater pleasure than to assist in the consummation.</p>
+
+<p>I have an enormous meerschaum and a
+corps of friends equally well piped. If the
+seceders have no time to ignite the weed, we
+are quite ready, and a great deal more willing,
+considering the late frightful rise in
+Lynchburg, to do it for them. I can answer
+for burning one pound a day myself. What
+do you think of it? It isn't traitorous in me,
+is it, to thus desire to aid and assist the enemy?</p>
+
+<p>Yours truly,</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">RAUCHER.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<p>A CURE FOR STEALING.</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+
+<p class="l">Far back among the days of yore</p>
+<p class="l">There's many a pleasing tale in store,</p>
+<p class="l">Rich with the humor of the time,</p>
+<p class="l">That sometimes jingle well in rhyme.</p>
+<p class="l">Of these, the following may possess</p>
+<p class="l">A claim on 'hours of idleness.'</p>
+<p class="l">When Governor Gurdon Saltonstall,</p>
+<p class="l">Like Abram Lincoln, straight and tall,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Presided o'er the Nutmeg State,</p>
+<p class="l">A loved and honored magistrate,</p>
+<p class="l">His quiet humor was portrayed</p>
+<p class="l">In Yankee tricks he sometimes played.</p>
+<p class="l">The Governor had a serious air,</p>
+<p class="l">'Twas solemn as a funeral prayer,</p>
+<p class="l">But when he spoke the mirth was stirred,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">A joke leaped out at every word.</p>
+
+<p class="l">One morn, a man, alarmed and pale,</p>
+<p class="l">Came to him with a frightful tale;</p>
+<p class="l">The substance was, that Jerry Style</p>
+<p class="l">Had <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">stolen wood</span> from off his pile.</p>
+<p class="l">The Governor started in surprise,</p>
+<p class="l">And on the accuser fixed his eyes.</p>
+<p class="l">'He steal my wood! to his regret,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Before this blessed sun shall set,</p>
+<p class="l">I'll put a final end to <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">that</span>.'</p>
+<p class="l">Then, putting on his stately hat,</p>
+<p class="l">All nicely cocked and trimmed with lace,</p>
+<p class="l">He issued forth with lofty grace,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Bade the accuser; duty mind,'</p>
+<p class="l">And follow him 'five steps <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">behind</span>.'</p>
+
+<p class="l">Ere they a furlong's space complete,</p>
+<p class="l">They meet the culprit in the street;</p>
+<p class="l">The Governor took him by the hand&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">That lowly man! that Governor grand!&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">Kindly inquired of his condition,</p>
+<p class="l">His present prospects and position.</p>
+<p class="l">The man a tale of sorrow told&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">That food was dear, the winter cold,</p>
+
+<p class="l">That work was scarce, and times were hard,</p>
+<p class="l">And very ill at home they fared,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">And, more than this, a bounteous Heaven</p>
+<p class="l">To them a little babe had given,</p>
+<p class="l">Whose brief existence could attest</p>
+<p class="l">This world's a wintry world at best.</p>
+<p class="l">A silver crown, whose shining face</p>
+<p class="l">King William's head and Mary's grace,</p>
+
+<p class="l">Dropped in his hand. The Governor spoke,&mdash;</p>
+<p class="l">His voice was cracked&mdash;it almost broke,&mdash;'If</p>
+<p class="l">work is scarce, and times are hard,</p>
+<p class="l">There's a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">large wood-pile in my yard;</span></p>
+<p class="l"><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Of that you may most freely use,</span></p>
+<p class="l"><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">So go and get it when you choose</span>.'</p>
+
+<p class="l">Then on he walked, serenely feeling</p>
+<p class="l">That there he'd put an end to stealing.</p>
+<p class="l">The accuser's sense of duty grew</p>
+<p class="l">The space 'twixt him and Governor too.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<br />
+
+<p>'The Anaconda is tightening its
+folds,' and at every fold the South cries
+aloud. The following bit of merry nonsense,
+which has the merit of being
+
+'good to sing,' may possibly enliven more
+than one camp-fire, ere the last fold of
+the 'big sarpent' has given the final
+stifle to the un-fed-eralists.</p>
+
+
+<p>THE 'ANACONDA.'</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Won't it make them stop and ponder?</p>
+
+<p class="l">Yes! 't will make them stop and ponder!</p>
+<p class="l">What?&mdash;The fearful Anaconda!</p>
+<p class="l"> (All.) Yes! The fearful Anaconda!</p>
+<p class="l">(Chorus.) Stop and ponder!&mdash;Anaconda!</p>
+<p class="l">Big and fearful; big and fearful,</p>
+<p class="l">Big and fearful Anaconda!</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Is not that the Rebel South?</p>
+<p class="l">Yes! that is the Rebel South.</p>
+<p class="l">Arn't they rather down in month?</p>
+<p class="l"> (All.) Yes! they're rather down in mouth!</p>
+<p class="l">(Chorus.) Rebel South, down in mouth,</p>
+<p class="l">Stop and ponder!&mdash;Anaconda!</p>
+
+<p class="l">Big and fearful, &amp;c, &amp;c.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Is not that the traitor DAVIS?</p>
+<p class="l">Yes! that is the traitor DAVIS!</p>
+<p class="l">Don't he wish he could enslave us?</p>
+<p class="l"> (All.) Yes! he wanted to enslave us!</p>
+
+<p class="l">(Chorus.) Traitor DAVIS, can't enslave us.</p>
+<p class="l">Rebel South, down in mouth,</p>
+<p class="l">Stop and ponder!&mdash;Anaconda!</p>
+<p class="l">Big and fearful, &amp;c. &amp;c.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Isn't that the gallows high there?</p>
+
+<p class="l">Yes! that is the gallows high there!</p>
+<p class="l">And JEFF DAVIS that I spy there?</p>
+<p class="l"> (All.) 'Tis JEFF DAVIS that you spy there.</p>
+<p class="l">(Chorus.) Hanging high there, DAVIS spy there.</p>
+<p class="l">Traitor DAVIS, you enslave us!</p>
+<p class="l">Rebel South, down in mouth,</p>
+<p class="l">Stop and ponder!&mdash;Anaconda!</p>
+
+<p class="l">Big and fearful, big and fearful,</p>
+<p class="l">BIG AND FEARFUL ANACONDA!</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>Our ever-welcome New Haven friend
+re-appears this month, with the following
+jest:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>The other day lawyer JONES, of Hartford,
+Conn., wrote a letter to my friend
+PLOPP, whom he supposed to be in Hartford
+at the time. The missive was forwarded to
+PLOPP, who is in Newport. It requested
+him to 'step in and settle.' PLOPP replied:</p>
+
+<p>My dear JONES:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Yours of 10th is rec'd. I reply,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>1st. I can't step in, because I am not in
+Hartford.</p>
+
+<p>2d. I can't settle, because I am not in
+the least riled.</p>
+
+<p>3d. I notice you spell Hartford without
+a <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">t.</span> This is an error. Allow me, as per
+example, to suggest the correct orthography,
+to wit, Hartford.</p>
+
+<p>I shall always he glad to hear from you.</p>
+
+<p>Yours,</p>
+
+<p style="text-align: right">I. PLOPP.</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The present aspect of the great question
+is well set forth by a correspondent,
+'LEILA LEE,' in the following
+sketch:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>OUR OLD PUMP.</p>
+
+<p>The writer was once placed in circumstances
+of peculiar interest, where a word in
+season was greatly needed, and that word
+was not spoken, because it would have been
+thought unseemly that it should fall from
+the lips of a woman. Our supply of water
+had failed. The well was deep, and, like
+Jacob's well, many had been in the habit of
+coming thither to draw. My father had called
+in advisers, men of experience, and they
+decided that the lower part of the pump was
+rotten, and must be removed. It had probably
+stood there more than fifty years, and
+had been so useful in its day, that it was
+like an old and familiar friend.</p>
+
+<p>The work was commenced, and all the
+family stood by the closed window, the children's
+
+faces pressed close to the glass, as with
+eager eyes we all watched the heavy machinery
+erected over the old well. A mother
+came out of a neighboring house, and stood
+with a babe in her arms to see the work. A
+large rope was firmly placed around the pump,
+and made fast to the derrick. Then came
+the tug of war, and with a long pull, a
+strong pull, and a pull all together, the wooden
+pump rose up gradually from its hiding-place
+of years.</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, mother! mother!' I exclaimed; 'see,
+the derrick is not long enough to raise the
+pump out of the well! Why don't they
+saw it off, and take out the old pump in two
+or three pieces?'</p>
+
+<p>Just then papa screamed to Mrs. Rice,
+'Run out of the way, quick, with your baby!'</p>
+
+<p>There stood all the workmen in dismay.
+What was to be done? My father had no
+idea that he had undertaken such a tremendous
+job, and now he was in great perplexity.
+Who, indeed, could have believed that
+the well was deep enough to hold a pump
+of such immense size as this, that had become
+so old and rotten? Oh, for ropes
+longer and stronger! Oh, for muscle and
+nerve! Oh, for men of herculean strength
+to meet this terrible crisis! At that moment,
+a timely suggestion, from any quarter, would
+have been welcome. But, even then, it
+might have been too late; for the pump
+fell with a tremendous crash, carrying with
+it all the machinery. Papa fell upon the
+ground, but the derrick had safely passed
+over him, prostrating the fences, and endangering
+the lives of the workmen.</p>
+
+<p>This scene, which was soon almost forgotten,
+is recalled by the fearful crisis that
+is now upon us. While we rejoice in our
+recent victories, and believe that this wicked
+rebellion will soon be subdued, we must rejoice
+with trembling, so long as SLAVERY,
+the acknowledged <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">casus belli</span>, still remains.
+The unsightly monster, in all its rottenness
+and deformity, is drawn up from the hiding-place
+of ages, and it can no more be restored
+to its former <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">status</span>, than, at the will of the
+workmen, our old pump could be thrust back,
+when, suspended in the air, it threatened their
+destruction. God forbid that our rulers
+should desire it! What, then, is to be done?
+No giant mind has yet been found to grapple
+successfully with this great evil&mdash;no
+body of men who can concentrate a moral
+power sufficient to remove this worn-out system,
+without endangering some interest of
+vital importance to our beloved country.</p>
+
+<p>Zion must now lengthen her cords and
+strengthen her stakes, for the wisdom of the
+wise has become foolishness, that God alone
+may be exalted. He will surely bring down
+every high thought, and every vain imagination,
+and his own people must learn what
+it is 'to receive the kingdom of God as little
+children.' How shall liberty be proclaimed
+throughout the length and breadth of the
+land, to all the inhabitants thereof, and, in
+obedience to the will of God, this year become
+a year of jubilee to the poor and oppressed
+of our nation? How shall the
+emancipation of slavery conduce to the best
+interest of the master, no less than to the
+happiness of the slave?</p>
+
+<p>Probably some very simple solution will
+be given to this question, in answer to the
+earnest cry of God's people. Should it
+please him to hide this thought for the crisis
+from the wise and prudent, and reveal
+it unto babes, God grant that it may be in
+our hearts to respond, 'Even so, Father, for
+so it seemeth good in thy sight.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The simple solution has already been
+begun by our Executive, in recognizing
+the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">principle</span>&mdash;its extraordinary advance
+among all classes will soon fully develop
+it. In illustration of this we quote
+a letter which the editor of the New Haven
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Journal and Courier</span> vouches to
+come from an officer in the navy, known
+to him:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>From what we see and know of the operations
+of the rebels in this part of the South
+(the Southern coast, where he has been stationed),
+and from what we see perfidious
+Englishmen doing for the rebels, we are fast
+becoming strong abolitionists. We feel that
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">now</span> Slavery must receive its death-blow, and
+be destroyed forever from the country. You
+would be surprised to see the change going
+on in the minds of officers in our service, who
+have been great haters of abolitionists; and
+the Southerners in our navy are the most
+bitter toward those who have made slavery
+the great cause of war. They freely express
+the opinion that the whole system must be
+abolished, and even our old captain, who is
+a native of Tennessee, and who has hitherto
+insisted that the abolitionists of the North
+brought on this war, said last night, 'If England
+continues to countenance the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">institution</span>,
+
+I hope our government will put arms in the
+hands of the slaves, and that slavery will now
+be the destruction of the whole South, or of
+the rebels in the South.' He further said,
+'The slave-holder has, by the tacit consent
+and aid of England, brought on the most
+unjustifiable, iniquitous and barbarous war
+ever known in the history of the world.'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Too far and too fast&mdash;it is not Abolition,
+or the good of the black, but Emancipation,
+or the benefit of the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">white</span> man,
+which is really progressing so rapidly
+with the American people. But whatever
+causes of agitation are at work,
+whether on limited or general principles
+of philanthropy and political economy,
+one thing is at least certain&mdash;the day
+of the triumph of free labor is dawning,
+while the cause of progress</p>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">'Careers with thunder speed along!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>It is almost a wonder that the late offer
+of the king of Siam to stock this
+land with elephants was not jumped at,
+when one remembers the American national
+fondness for the animal, and how
+copiously our popular orators and poets
+allude to a sight of the monster. Among
+the latest elephantine tales which we
+have encountered is the following, from
+our New Haven correspondent:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Dr. H., of this pleasant city of Elms, has
+been noted for many years for always driving
+the gentlest and most sober, but at the
+same time the most fearfully 'homely' of
+horses. His steeds will always stand wherever
+he pleases to leave them, but they have
+rather a venerable and woful aspect, that
+renders them anything but pleasant objects
+to the casual observer. A few years ago
+there came a caravan to town, and several
+horses were badly frightened by the elephants,
+so that quite a number of accidents
+took place. A day or two after, old Dr.
+Knight met Dr. H., and speaking of the accidents,
+Dr. Knight remarked that he had
+not dared to take his horse out while the
+procession was passing through the streets.
+'Oh, ho!' said Dr. H., 'why, I took my
+mare and drove right up alongside of them,
+and she wasn't the least bit scared!'</p>
+
+<p>'Hum&mdash;yes,' says Dr. K., '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">but how did
+the elephant stand it</span>?'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>By particular request we find room for
+the following:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="display">
+<p>Hon. &mdash;&mdash; then read his Poem entitled
+the 'Boulder,' which must be heard before
+we can form an idea of the genius of
+the poet. First we are reminded of the
+style of the sweet songs of Pherimorz as his
+enchanting strains fell upon the enraptured
+soul of the fair Lady of the Lake. Then
+away, on painted wings of gratified imagination,
+is the mind carried to the zephyr wooings
+of the dying sunset, over the elevated
+brow of the dark Maid of the Forest, as she
+reclines upon her couch of eagles' feathers,
+and down from angles wings, hearing the
+last whisper of the falling echo from the
+world of sound.</p>
+
+<p>Whether the wild chaos of storm and
+whirlwind which madly raged over the benighted
+earth before 'light was,' rushed to
+the dark caverns where the fettered earthquake
+lay, when order was demanded by
+the Father of Lights, we can not tell; but
+surely it is a pleasing thought for the mind
+engulfed in the unfathomed darkness of uncreated
+light, to be brought out and suffered
+to rest on the peaceful bosom of the new
+creation. Whether 'the world that then
+was' was overflown and perished by the
+causes set forth, we can not tell. We regret
+that we can not now give a more extended
+and particular notice of this poem; let us
+hope that ere long we may enjoy the delight
+of reading its printed form.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>That must indeed have been a poem
+which could inspire <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">such</span> poetry in others.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>The Boston <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Courier</span> published, over
+the signature of 'MIDDLESEX,' during
+the months of February and March, a
+number of articles entitled, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Through the
+Gulf States</span>. So far as we have examined
+and compared the series, it appears
+to be a literal reprint, with a few trivial
+alterations of dates and statistics, of
+the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Letters from the Gulf States</span>, originally
+published in the <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Knickerbocker
+New York Monthly Magazine</span>, in 1847.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+
+<p>THE KNICKERBOCKER</p>
+
+<p>FOR 1862.</p>
+
+
+<p>In the beginning of the last year, when its present proprietors assumed
+control of the Knickerbocker, they announced their determination to
+spare no pains to place it in its true position as the leading
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">literary</span> Monthly in America. When rebellion had raised a successful
+front, and its armies threatened the very existence of the Republic, it
+was impossible to permit a magazine, which in its circulation reached
+the best intellects in the land, to remain insensible or indifferent to
+the dangers which threatened the Union. The proprietors accordingly gave
+notice, that it would present in its pages, forcible expositions with
+regard to the great question of the times,&mdash;<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">how to preserve the</span> UNITED
+STATUS OF AMERICA <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">in their integrity and unity</span>. How far this pledge
+has been redeemed the public must judge. It would, however, be mere
+affectation to ignore the seal of approbation which has been placed on
+these efforts. The proprietors gratefully acknowledge this, and it has
+led them to embark in a fresh undertaking, as already announced,&mdash;the
+publication of the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY, devoted to Literature and
+National Policy; in which magazine, those who have sympathized with the
+political opinions recently set forth in the KNICKERBOCKER, will find
+the same views more fully enforced and maintained by the ablest and most
+energetic minds in America.</p>
+
+<p>The KNICKERBOCKER, while it will continue firmly pledged to the cause of
+the Union, will henceforth be more earnestly devoted to literature, and
+will leave no effort untried to attain the highest excellence in those
+departments of letters which it has adopted as specialties.</p>
+
+<p>The January number commences its thirtieth year. With such antecedents
+as it possesses, it seems unnecessary to make any especial pledges as to
+its future, but it may not be amiss to say that it will be the aim of
+its conductors to make it more and more deserving of the liberal support
+it has hitherto received. The same eminent writers who have contributed
+to it during the past year will continue to enrich its pages, and in
+addition, contributions will appear from others of the highest
+reputation, as well as from many rising authors. While it will, as
+heretofore, cultivate the genial and humorous, it will also pay
+assiduous attention to the higher departments of art and letters, and
+give fresh and spirited articles on such biographical, historical,
+scientific, and general subjects as are of especial interest to the
+public.</p>
+
+<p>In the January issue will commence a series of papers by CHARLES GODFREY
+LELAND, entitled "SUNSHINE IN LETTERS," which will be found interesting
+to scholars as well as to the general reader, and in an early number
+will appear the first chapters of a NEW and INTERESTING NOVEL,
+descriptive of American life and character.</p>
+
+<p>According to the unanimous opinion of the American press, the
+KNICKERBOCKER has been greatly improved during the past year, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">and it is
+certain that at no period of its long career did it ever attract more
+attention or approbation</span>. Confident of their enterprise and ability,
+the proprietors are determined that it shall be still more eminent in
+excellence, containing all that is best of the old, and being
+continually enlivened by what is most brilliant of the new.</p>
+
+<p>TERMS.&mdash;Three dollars a year, in advance. Two copies for Four Dollars
+and fifty cents. Three copies for Six dollars. Subscribers remitting
+Three Dollars will receive as a premium, (post-paid,) a copy of Richard
+B. Kimball's great work, "THE REVELATIONS OF WALL STREET," to be
+published by G.P. Putnam, early in February next, (price $1.)
+Subscribers remitting Four Dollars will receive the KNICKERBOCKER and
+the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY for one year. As but one edition of each number
+of the Knickerbocker is printed, those desirous of commencing with the
+volume should subscribe at once.</p>
+
+<p>The publisher, appreciating the importance of literature to the soldier
+on duty, will send a copy <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">gratis</span>, during the continuance of the war,
+to any regiment in active service, on application being made by its
+Colonel or Chaplain. Subscriptions will also be received from those
+desiring it sent to soldiers in the ranks at <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">half price</span>, but in such
+cases it must be mailed from the office of publication.</p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">J.R. GILMORE, 532 Broadway, New York.</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">C.T. EVANS, General Agent, 532 Broadway, New York.</span></p>
+
+<p>All communications and contributions, intended for the Editorial
+department, should be addressed to CHARLES G. LELAND, Editor of the
+"Knickerbocker," care of C.T. EVANS, 532 Broadway, New York.</p>
+
+<p>Newspapers copying the above and giving the Magazine monthly notices,
+will be entitled to an exchange.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="page">
+
+<div>
+
+<p>PROSPECTUS</p>
+
+<p>OF</p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">The Continental Monthly.</span></p>
+
+
+<p>There are periods in the world's history marked by extraordinary and
+violent crises, sudden as the breaking forth of a volcano, or the
+bursting of a storm on the ocean. These crises sweep away in a moment
+the landmarks of generations. They call out fresh talent, and give to
+the old a new direction. It is then that new ideas are born, new
+theories developed. Such periods demand fresh exponents, and new men for
+expounders.</p>
+
+<p>This Continent has lately been convulsed by an upheaving so sudden and
+terrible that the relations of all men and all classes to each other are
+violently disturbed, and people look about for the elements with which
+to sway the storm and direct the whirlwind. Just at present, we do not
+know what all this is to bring forth; but we do know that great results
+MUST flow from such extraordinary commotions.</p>
+
+<p>At a juncture so solemn and so important, there is a special need that
+the intellectual force of the country should be active and efficient. It
+is a time for great minds to speak their thoughts boldly, and to take
+position as the advance guard. To this end, there is a special want
+unsupplied. It is that of an Independent Magazine, which shall be open
+to the first intellects of the land, and which shall treat the issues
+presented, and to be presented to the country, in a tone no way tempered
+by partisanship, or influenced by fear, favor, or the hope of reward;
+which shall seize and grapple with the momentous subjects that the
+present disturbed state of affairs heave to the surface, and which CAN
+NOT be laid aside or neglected.</p>
+
+<p>To meet this want, the undersigned have commenced, under the editorial
+charge of CHARLES GODFREY LELAND, the publication of a new Magazine,
+devoted to Literature and National Policy.</p>
+
+<p>In POLITICS, it will advocate, with all the force at its command,
+measures best adapted to preserve the oneness and integrity of these
+United States. It will never yield to the idea of any disruption of this
+Republic, peaceably or otherwise; and it will discuss with honesty and
+impartiality what must be done to save it. In this department, some of
+the most eminent statesmen of the time will contribute regularly to its
+pages.</p>
+
+<p>In LITERATURE, it will be sustained by the best writers and ablest
+thinkers of this country.</p>
+
+<p>Among its attractions will be presented, in an early number, a NEW
+SERIAL of American Life, by RICHARD B. KIMBALL, ESQ., the very popular
+author of "The Revelations of Wall Street," "St. Leger," &amp;c. A series of
+papers by HON. HORACE GREELEY, embodying the distinguished author's
+observations on the growth and development of the Great West. A series
+of articles by the author of "Through the Cotton States," containing the
+result of an extended tour in the seaboard Slave States, just prior to
+the breaking out of the war, and presenting a startling and truthful
+picture of the real condition of that region. No pains will be spared to
+render the literary attractions of the CONTINENTAL both brilliant and
+substantial. The lyrical or descriptive talents of the most eminent
+<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">literati</span> have been promised to its pages; and nothing will be admitted
+which will not be distinguished by marked energy, originality, and solid
+strength. Avoiding every influence or association partaking of clique or
+coterie, it will be open to all contributions of real merit, even from
+writers differing materially in their views; the only limitation
+required being that of devotion to the Union, and the only standard of
+acceptance that of intrinsic excellence.</p>
+
+<p>The EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT will embrace, in addition to vigorous and
+fearless comments on the events of the times, genial gossip with the
+reader on all current topics, and also devote abundant space to those
+racy specimens of American wit and humor, without which there can be no
+perfect exposition of our national character. Among those who will
+contribute regularly to this department may be mentioned the name of
+CHARLES F. BROWNE ("Artemus Ward"), from whom we have promised an
+entirely new and original series of SKETCHES OF WESTERN LIFE.</p>
+
+<p>The CONTINENTAL will be liberal and progressive, without yielding to
+chimeras and hopes beyond the grasp of the age; and it will endeavor to
+reflect the feelings and interests of the American people, and to
+illustrate both their serious and humorous peculiarities. In short, no
+pains will be spared to make it the REPRESENTATIVE MAGAZINE of the time.</p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">TERMS:</span>&mdash;Three Dollars per year, in advance (postage paid by the
+Publishers;) Two Copies for Five Dollars; Three Copies for Six Dollars,
+(posture unpaid); Eleven copies for Twenty Dollars, (postage unpaid).
+Single numbers can be procured of any News-dealer in the United States.
+The KNICKERBOCKER MAGAZINE and the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY will be furnished
+for one year at FOUR DOLLARS.</p>
+
+<p>Appreciating the importance of literature to the soldier on duty, the
+publisher will send the CONTINENTAL, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">gratis</span>, to any regiment in active
+service, on application being made by its Colonel or Chaplain; he will
+also receive subscriptions from those desiring to furnish it to soldiers
+in the ranks at half the regular price; but in such cases it must be
+mailed from the office of publication.</p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">J.R. GILMORE, 110 Tremont Street, Boston.</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">CHARLES T. EVANS, at G.P. PUTNAM'S, 532 Broadway, New York,
+is authorized to receive Subscriptions in that City.</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="hi" style="font-weight: bold;">N.B.</span>&mdash;Newspapers publishing this Prospectus, and giving the
+CONTINENTAL monthly notices, will
+be entitled to an exchange.</p>
+</div>
+
+</div>
+  <hr class="doublepage">
+
+<div class="back">
+    <div class="div" id="footnotes"><a name="toc_31"></a><h2>Notes</h2><dl class="footnote">
+<dt><a name="note_1">1.</a></dt><dd><p>An incident that occurred at Palmyra, in
+Marion County, of which the writer was a witness,
+may be given as a fair illustration of Benton's
+insulting and insufferable manner in this
+celebrated canvass. During the delivery of his
+speech, in the densely-crowded court-house,
+a prominent county politician, who was opposed
+to Benton, arose and put a question to
+him. 'Come here,' said Benton, in his abrupt
+and authoritative tone. The man with difficulty
+made his way through the mass, and advanced
+till he stood immediately in front of
+Benton. 'Who are you, sir?' inquired the
+swelling and indignant senator. The citizen
+gave his well-known name. 'Who?' demanded
+Benton. The name was distinctly repeated.
+And then, without replying to the question
+that had been proposed, but with an air of disdain
+and annihilating contempt that no man in
+America but Benton could assume, he proceeded
+with his speech, leaving his interrogator to
+retire from his humiliating embarrassment as
+best he could. At the close of the address,
+some of his friends expressed surprise to Benton
+that he had not known the man that interrupted
+him. 'Know him!' said he; 'I knew
+him well enough. I only meant to make him
+stand with his hat in his hand, and tell me his
+name, like a nigger.'</p></dd><dt><a name="note_2">2.</a></dt><dd><p>See Historical Mag., Vol. 4, p. 230.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_3">3.</a></dt><dd><p>Among the cotton lately arrived from Port
+Royal was a number of bales marked with the
+form of a coffin. It was the growth of 'Coffin's
+Island,' which is usually of the highest
+grade.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_4">4.</a></dt><dd><p>The palmetto is a straight, tall tree, with a
+tuft of branches and palm leaves at its top.
+The new growth is the centre as it first expands
+somewhat resembles a cabbage. It is
+often used for boiling and pickling. The wood
+of the tree is spongy, and is used for building
+wharves, as it is impervious to the sea-worm.
+It is said that a cannon ball will not penetrate
+it. It is a paltry emblem for a State flag, as its
+characteristics accurately indicate pride and
+poverty. When used for wharves, it, however,
+becomes a veritable '<span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Mudsill</span>.'</p></dd><dt><a name="note_5">5.</a></dt><dd><p>Before 1700 a colony from Dorchester, Mass.,
+made a settlement on Ashley River, and named
+it for their native town; afterwards, they sent
+an offshoot and planted the town of Midway, in
+Georgia. For more than a century they kept
+up their Congregational Church, with many of
+their New England institutions. Their descendants
+in both States have been famed for their
+enterprise, industry, and moral qualities down
+to the present day.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_6">6.</a></dt><dd><p>The Barnwells can trace their pedigree back
+about one hundred and fifty years to a Col.
+Barnwell who commanded in an Indian war.
+Subsequently the name appears on the right
+side in the Revolution. This is a long period
+to trace ancestry in Carolina; for while nearly
+all New England families can trace back to
+the Puritans, more than two hundred years,
+the lordly Carolinians generally get among the
+
+'mudsills' in three or four generations at the
+farthest.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_7">7.</a></dt><dd><p>Some thirty years ago, R. Barnwell Smith
+made a figure in Congress by his ultra nullification
+speeches, and was then considered the
+greatest fire-eater of them all. He was not 'to
+the manor born,' but was the son of a Gen.
+Smith, who founded and resided in the small
+and poverty-stricken town of Smithville, N.C.,
+at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. As his
+paternal fortune was small, and some family
+connection existed with the Barnwells, he emigrated
+to Beaufort, and there practiced as a
+lawyer. He was followed by two brothers,
+who had the same profession. He was the
+first who openly advocated secession in Congress.
+They have all been leading politicians
+and managers of the Charleston <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Mercury</span>,
+which, by its mendacity and constant abuse of
+the North, and its everlasting laudations of
+Southern wealth and power, has done much to
+bring on the present war.</p>
+
+<p>Desirous to stand better with the aristocracy,
+some years ago the family sunk the plebeian
+patronymic of Smith and adopted that of Rhett,
+a name known in South Carolina a century previous.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_8">8.</a></dt><dd><p>During Nullification times the Fullers were
+Union men. Doctor Thomas Fuller, who, a
+short time since, set fire to his buildings and
+cotton crop to prevent their falling into Yankee
+hands, is well known as a kind-hearted physician,
+and better things might have been expected
+of him.</p>
+
+<p>His brother is a celebrated Baptist clergyman
+in Baltimore. He was formerly a lawyer,
+and afterwards preached to an immense congregation,
+mainly of slaves, in his native place.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_9">9.</a></dt><dd><p>Many years ago the Elliots were staunch
+Union men, and Stephen Elliot, a gentleman of
+talent, wrote many very able arguments against
+nullification and in favor of the Union. He always
+thought that Port Royal must some day
+be the great naval and commercial depot of the
+South. He may yet live to see his former anticipations
+realized, though not in the way he
+desired.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_10">10.</a></dt><dd><p>An Inquiry laid by me it few years ago before
+the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
+elicited information as to several of these
+'gates' in that State. I have not the work by
+me, but I believe that FALES DUNLAP, Esq., of
+New York, asserts on Rabbinical authority, in
+an appendix to <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Sod or the Mysteries</span>, that the
+Hebrew word commonly translated as 'passover'
+should be rendered 'passing through.'</p></dd><dt><a name="note_11">11.</a></dt><dd><p><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Robertson's Lectures and Addresses.</span> Boston:
+Ticknor &amp; Fields.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_12">12.</a></dt><dd><p>The negro whippers and field overseers.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_13">13.</a></dt><dd><p>Referring to the common practice of bathing
+the raw and bleeding backs of the punished
+slaves with a strong solution of salt and water.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_14">14.</a></dt><dd><p><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Words to the West. Knickerbocker Magazine</span>,
+Oct., 1861.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_15">15.</a></dt><dd><p><span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Continental Magazine</span>, March, 1862. See
+article, <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Southern Aids to the North</span>.</p></dd><dt><a name="note_16">16.</a></dt><dd>
+
+<div class="lg">
+<p class="l">Don't speak of quacks; just take your dose;</p>
+<p class="l">Why should you try to mend it,</p>
+<p class="l">If Doctor H&mdash;&mdash; concocts the pill,</p>
+<p class="l">And <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Parsons</span> recommend it?</p>
+</div>
+<p>See <span class="hi" style="font-style: italic;">Amer. Jour. of Sci.</span>, Vol. xxx., 2d Scr., pages 10-12.</p>
+
+</dd></dl></div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV.,
+April, 1862, by Various
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+
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+++ b/15065.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,9296 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV.,
+April, 1862, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV., April, 1862
+       Devoted To Literature And National Policy
+
+Author: Various
+
+Release Date: February 15, 2005 [EBook #15065]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONTINENTAL MONTHLY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Cornell University, Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci
+and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note: All footnotes moved to end of document.]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+CONTINENTAL MONTHLY:
+
+DEVOTED TO
+
+LITERATURE AND NATIONAL POLICY.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+VOL. I.--APRIL, 1862.--No. IV.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE WAR BETWEEN FREEDOM AND SLAVERY IN MISSOURI.
+
+
+It is admitted that no man can write the history of his own times with
+such fullness and impartiality as shall entitle his record to the
+unquestioning credence and acceptance of posterity. Men are necessarily
+actors in the scenes amid which they live. If not personally taking an
+active part in the conduct of public affairs, they have friends who are,
+and in whose success or failure their own welfare is in some way bound
+up. The bias which interest always gives will necessarily attach to
+their judgment of current events, and the leading actors by whom these
+events are controlled. Cotemporaneous history, for this reason, will
+always be found partisan history--not entitled to, and, if intelligently
+and honestly written, not exacting, the implicit faith of those who
+shall come after; but simply establishing that certain classes of
+people, of whom the writer was one, acted under the conviction that they
+owed certain duties to themselves and their country. It will be for the
+future compiler of the world's history, who shall see the end of present
+struggles, to determine the justice of the causes of controversy, and
+the wisdom and honesty of the parties that acted adversely. To such
+after judgment, with a full knowledge of present reproach as a partisan,
+the writer of this article commends the brief sketch he will present of
+the beginning and military treatment of the great Rebellion in the State
+of Missouri. He will not attempt to make an episode of any part of this
+history, because of the supposed vigor or brilliancy of the martial
+deeds occurring in the time. Least of all would he take the 'Hundred
+Days,' which another pen has chosen for special distinction, as
+representing the period of heroism in that war-trampled State. Any
+'hundred days' of the rebellion in Missouri have had their corresponding
+_nights_; and no one can be bold enough yet to say that the day of
+permanent triumph has dawned. Humiliation has alternated with success so
+far; and the most stunning defeats of the war in the West marked the
+beginning and the close of the hundred days named for honor. This fact
+should teach modesty and caution. For while justice to men requires us
+to admit that the greatest abilities do not always command success,
+devotion to principle forbids that a noble cause should be obscured to
+become the mere background of a scene in which an actor and popular idol
+is the chief figure. It is with a consciousness of such partialities as
+are common to men, but with an honest purpose, so far as the writer is
+able, to subordinate men to principles, that this review of the origin
+and chief incidents of the rebellion in Missouri is begun.
+
+The close connection of the State of Missouri with the slavery agitation
+that has now ripened into a rebellion against the government of the
+United States, is a singular historical fact. The admission of the State
+into the Union was the occasion of vitalizing the question of slavery
+extension and fixing it as a permanent element in the politics of the
+country. It has continued to be the theatre on which the most important
+conflicts growing out of slavery extension have been decided. It will be
+the first, in the hope and belief of millions, to throw off the fetters
+of an obsolete institution, so long cramping its social and political
+advancement, and to set an example to its sister slave-holding States of
+the superior strength, beauty, and glory of Freedom.
+
+The pro-slavery doctrines of John C. Calhoun, after having pervaded the
+democracy of all the other slave-holding States, and obtained complete
+possession of the national executive, legislative and judicial
+departments, finally, in 1844, appeared also in the State of Missouri.
+But it was in so minute and subtle a form as not to seem a sensible
+heresy. Thomas H. Benton, the illustrious senator of the Jackson era,
+was then, as he had been for twenty-four years, the political autocrat
+of Missouri. He had long been convinced of the latent treason of the
+Calhoun school of politicians. He was able to combat the schemes of the
+Southern oligarchy composing and controlling the Cabinet of President
+Polk; unsuccessfully, it is true, yet with but slight diminution of his
+popularity at home. Nevertheless, the seeds of disunion had been borne
+to his State; they had taken root; and, like all evil in life, they
+proved self-perpetuating and ineradicable. In 1849 the Mexican war,
+begun in the interest of the disunionists, had been closed. A vast
+accession of territory had accrued to the Union. It was the plan and
+purpose of the disunion party to appropriate and occupy this territory;
+to organize it in their interests; and, finally, to admit it into the
+Union as States, to add to their political power, and prepare for that
+struggle between the principle of freedom and the principle of slavery
+in the government, which Mr. Calhoun had taught was inevitable. But the
+hostility of Benton in the Senate was dreaded by the Southern leaders
+thus early conspiring against the integrity of the Union. The Missouri
+senator seemed, of all cotemporaneous statesmen, to be the only one that
+fully comprehended the incipient treason. His earnest opposition assumed
+at times the phases of _monomania_. He sought to crush it in the egg. He
+lifted his warning voice on all occasions. He inveighed bitterly against
+the 'Nullifiers,' as he invariably characterized the Calhoun
+politicians, declaring that their purpose was to destroy the Union. It
+became necessary, therefore, before attempting to dispose of the
+territories acquired from Mexico, to silence Benton, or remove him from
+the Senate. Accordingly, when the legislature of Missouri met in 1849, a
+series of resolutions was introduced, declaring that all territory
+derived by the United States, in the treaty with Mexico, should be open
+to settlement by the citizens of all the States in common; that the
+question of allowing or prohibiting slavery in any territory could only
+be decided by the people resident in the territory, and then only when
+they came to organize themselves into a State government; and, lastly,
+that if the general government should attempt to establish a rule other
+than this for the settlement of the territories, the State of Missouri
+would stand pledged to her sister Southern States to co-operate in
+whatever measures of resistance or redress _they_ might deem necessary.
+The resolutions distinctly abdicated all right of judgment on the part
+of Missouri, and committed the State to a blind support of Southern
+'Nullification' in a possible contingency. They were in flagrant
+opposition to the life-long principles and daily vehement utterances of
+Benton--as they were intended to be. Nevertheless, they were adopted;
+and the senators of Missouri were instructed to conform their public
+action to them. These resolutions were introduced by one Claiborne F.
+Jackson, a member of the House of Representatives from the County of
+Howard, one of the most democratic and largest slave-holding counties in
+the State. The resolutions took the name of their mover, and are known
+in the political history of Missouri as the 'Jackson resolutions.' And
+Claiborne F. Jackson, who thus took the initiative in foisting treason
+upon the statute-books of Missouri, is, to-day, by curious coincidence,
+the official head of that State nominally in open revolt. But Jackson,
+it was early ascertained, was not entitled to the doubtful honor of the
+paternity of these resolutions. They had been matured in a private
+chamber of the Capitol at Jefferson City, by two or three conspirators,
+who received, it was asserted by Benton, and finally came to be
+believed, the first draft of the resolutions from Washington, where the
+disunion cabal, armed with federal power, had its headquarters.
+
+Thus the bolt was launched at the Missouri senator, who, from his
+prestige of Jacksonism, his robust patriotism, his indomitable will, and
+his great abilities, was regarded as the most formidable if not the only
+enemy standing in the way of meditated treason. It was not doubted that
+the blow would be fatal. Benton was in one sense the father of the
+doctrine of legislative instructions. In his persistent and famous
+efforts to 'expunge' the resolutions of censure on Gen. Jackson that had
+been placed in the Senate journal, Benton had found it necessary to
+revolutionize the sentiments or change the composition of the Senate.
+Whigs were representing democratic States, and Democrats refused to vote
+for a resolution expunging any part of the record of the Senate's
+proceedings. To meet and overcome this resistance, Benton introduced the
+dogma that a senator was bound to obey the instructions of the
+legislature of his State. He succeeded, by his great influence in his
+party, and by the aid of the democratic administration, in having the
+dogma adopted, and it became an accepted rule in the democratic party.
+Resolutions were now invoked and obtained from State legislatures
+instructing their senators to vote for the 'Expunging Resolutions,' or
+resign. Some obeyed; some resigned. Benton carried his point; but it was
+at the sacrifice of the spirit of that part of the Constitution which
+gave to United States senators a term of six years, for the purpose of
+protecting the Senate from frequent fluctuations of popular feeling, and
+securing steadiness in legislation. Benton was the apostle of this
+unwise and destructive innovation upon the constitutional tenure of
+senators. He was doomed to be a conspicuous victim of his own error.
+When the 'Jackson resolutions' were passed by the legislature of
+Missouri, instructing Benton to endorse measures that led to
+nullification and disunion, he saw the dilemma in which he was placed,
+and did the best he could to extricate himself. He presented the
+resolutions from his seat in the Senate; denounced their treasonable
+character, and declared his purpose to appeal from the legislature to
+the people of Missouri.
+
+On the adjournment of Congress, Benton returned to Missouri and
+commenced a canvass in vindication of his own cause, and in opposition
+to the democratic majority of the legislature that passed the Jackson
+resolutions, which has had few if any parallels in the history of the
+government for heat and bitterness. The senator did not return to argue
+and convert, but to fulminate and destroy. He appointed times and places
+for public speaking in the most populous counties of the State, and
+where the opposition to him had grown boldest. He allowed no 'division
+of time' to opponents wishing to controvert the positions assumed in his
+speeches. On the contrary, he treated every interruption, whether for
+inquiry or retort, on the part of any one opposed to him, as an insult,
+and proceeded to pour upon the head of the offender a torrent of
+denunciation and abuse, unmeasured and appalling. The extraordinary
+course adopted by Benton in urging his 'appeal,' excited astonishment
+and indignation among the democratic partisans that had, in many cases,
+thoughtlessly become arrayed against him.[A] They might have yielded to
+expostulation; they were stung to resentment by unsparing vilification.
+The rumor of Benton's manner preceded him through the State, after the
+first signal manifestations of his ruthless spirit; and he was warned
+not to appear at some of the appointments he had made, else his life
+would pay the forfeit of his personal assaults. These threats only made
+the Missouri lion more fierce and untamable. He filled all his
+appointments, bearing everywhere the same front, often surrounded by
+enraged enemies armed and thirsting for his blood, but ever denunciatory
+and defiant, and returned to St. Louis, still boiling with inexhaustible
+choler, to await the judgment of the State upon his appeal. He failed.
+The pro-slavery sentiment of the people had been too thoroughly evoked
+in the controversy, and too many valuable party leaders had been
+needlessly driven from his support by unsparing invective. An artful and
+apparently honest appeal to the right of legislative instructions,--an
+enlargement of popular rights which Benton himself had conferred upon
+them,--and--the unfailing weapon of Southern demagogues against their
+opponents--the charge that Benton had joined the 'Abolitionists,' and
+was seeking to betray 'the rights of the South,' worked the overthrow of
+the hitherto invincible senator. The Whigs of Missouri, though agreeing
+mainly with Benton in the principles involved in this contest, had
+received nothing at his hands, throughout his long career, but defeat
+and total exclusion from all offices and honors, State and National.
+This class of politicians were too glad of the prospective division of
+his party and the downfall of his power, to be willing to re-assert
+their principles through a support of Benton. The loyal Union sentiments
+of the State in this way failed to be united, and a majority was elected
+to the legislature opposed to Benton. He was defeated of a re-election
+to the Senate by Henry S. Geyer, a pro-slavery Whig, and supporter of
+the Jackson resolutions, after having filled a seat in that august body
+for a longer time consecutively than any other senator ever did. Thus
+was removed from the halls of Congress the most sagacious and formidable
+enemy that the disunion propagandists ever encountered. Their career in
+Congress and in the control of the federal government was thenceforth
+unchecked. The cords of loyalty in Missouri were snapped in Benton's
+fall, and that State swung off into the strongly-sweeping current of
+secessionism. The city of St. Louis remained firm a while, and returned
+Benton twice to the House; but his energies were exhausted now in
+defensive war; and the truculent and triumphant slave power dominating,
+the State at last succeeded, through the coercion of commercial
+interests, in defeating him even in the citadel of loyalty. He tried
+once more to breast the tide that had borne down his fortunes. He became
+a candidate for governor in 1856; but, though he disclaimed anti-slavery
+sentiments, and supported James Buchanan for President against Fremont,
+his son-in-law, he was defeated by Trusten Polk, who soon passed from
+the gubernatorial chair to Benton's seat in the United States Senate,
+from which he was, in course of time, to be expelled. Benton retired to
+private life, only to labor more assiduously in compiling historical
+evidences against the fast ripening treason of the times.
+
+The Missouri senator was no longer in the way of the Southern oligarchs.
+A shaft feathered by his own hands--the doctrine of instructions--had
+slain him.
+
+But yet another obstacle remained. The Missouri Compromise lifted a
+barrier to the expansion of the Calhoun idea of free government, having
+African slavery for its corner-stone. This obstacle was to be removed.
+Missouri furnished the prompter and agent of that wrong in David E.
+Atchison, for many years Benton's colleague in the Senate. Atchison was
+a man of only moderate talents, of dogged purpose, willful, wholly
+unscrupulous in the employment of the influences of his position, and
+devoid of all the attributes and qualifications of statesmanship. He was
+a fit representative of the pro-slavery fanaticism of his State; had
+lived near the Kansas line; had looked upon and coveted the fair lands
+of that free territory, and resolved that they should be the home and
+appanage of slavery. It is now a part of admitted history, that this
+dull but determined Missouri senator approached Judge Douglas, then
+chairman of the Committee on Territories, and, by some incomprehensible
+influence, induced that distinguished senator to commit the flagrant and
+terrible blunder of reporting the Kansas-Nebraska bill, with a clause
+repealing the Missouri Compromise, and thus throwing open Kansas to the
+occupation of slavery. That error was grievously atoned for in the
+subsequent hard fate of Judge Douglas, who was cast off and destroyed by
+the cruel men he had served. Among the humiliations that preceded the
+close of this political tragedy, none could have been more pungent to
+Judge Douglas than the fact that Atchison, in a drunken harangue from
+the tail of a cart in Western Missouri, surrounded by a mob of 'border
+ruffians' rallying for fresh wrongs upon the free settlers of Kansas,
+recited, in coarse glee and brutal triumph, the incidents of his
+interview with the senator of Illinois, when, with mixed cajolery and
+threats, he partly tempted, partly drove him to his ruin. The
+Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed. What part Atchison took, what part
+Missouri took, under the direction of the pro-slavery leaders that
+filled every department of the State government, the 'border-ruffian'
+forays, the pillage of the government arsenal at Liberty, the embargo of
+the Missouri river, and the robbing and mobbing of peaceful emigrants
+from the free States, the violence at the polls, and the fraudulent
+voting that corrupted all the franchises of that afflicted territory, do
+sufficiently attest. It is not needed to rehearse any of this painful
+and well-known history.
+
+The Territory of Kansas was saved to its prescriptive freedom. The
+slavery propagandists sullenly withdrew and gave up the contest. The
+last days of the dynasty that had meditated the conquest of the
+continent to slave-holding government were evidently at hand. The result
+of the struggle in Kansas had reversed the relation of the contesting
+powers. The oligarchs, who had always before been aggressive, and
+intended to subordinate the Union to slavery, or destroy it, found
+themselves suddenly thrown on the defensive; and, with the quick
+intelligence of a property interest, and the keen jealousy of class and
+caste which their slave-holding had implanted, they saw that they were
+engaged in an unequal struggle, that their sceptre was broken, and that,
+if they continued to rule, it would have to be over the homogeneous half
+of a dismembered Union. From this moment a severance of the Slave
+States from the Free was resolved on, and every agency that could
+operate on governments, State and National, was set to work. It was not
+by accident that Virginia had procured the nomination of the facile
+Buchanan for President in the Baltimore Convention of 1856; it was not
+by accident that Floyd was made Secretary of War, or that, many months
+before any outbreak of rebellion, this arch traitor had well-nigh
+stripped the Northern arsenals of arms, and placed them where they would
+be 'handy' for insurgents to seize. It was not by accident that John C.
+Breckenridge headed the factionists that willfully divided and defeated
+the National Democracy, that perchance could have elected Judge Douglas
+President; nor was it by accident that Beriah Magoffin, a vain, weak
+man, the creature, adjunct, and echo of Breckenridge, filled the office
+of governor of Kentucky, nominated thereto by Breckenridge's personal
+intercession. And lastly, to return to the special theatre of this
+sketch, it was not by accident that Claiborne F. Jackson, the original
+mover for Benton's destruction, was at this remarkable juncture found
+occupying the governor's chair, with Thomas C. Reynolds for his
+lieutenant governor, a native of South Carolina, an acknowledged
+missionary of the nullification faith to a State that required to be
+corrupted, and that he had, during his residence, zealously endeavored
+to corrupt.
+
+We have now reached the turning point in the history of Missouri. The
+State is about to be plunged into the whirlpool of civil war.
+Undisguised disunionists are in complete possession of the State
+government, and the population is supposed to be ripe for revolt. Only
+one spot in it, and that the city of St. Louis, is regarded as having
+the slightest sympathy with the political sentiments of the Free States
+of the Union. The State is surely counted for the 'South' in the
+division that impends, for where is the heart in St. Louis bold enough,
+or the hand strong enough, to resist the swelling tide of pro-slavery
+fanaticism that was about to engulf the State? Years ago, when it was
+but a ripple on the surface, it had overborne Benton, with all his fame
+of thirty years' growth. What leader of slighter mold and lesser fame
+could now resist the coming shock? In tracing the origin and growth of
+rebellion in Missouri, it is interesting to gather up all the threads
+that link the present with the past. It will preserve the unity of the
+plot, and give effect to the last acts of the drama.
+
+The first visible seam or cleft in the National Democratic party
+occurred during the administration of President Polk, in the years
+1844-48. Calhoun appeared as Polk's Secretary of State. Thomas Ritchie
+was transferred from Richmond, Va., to Washington, to edit the
+government organ, in place of Francis P. Blair, Sr. The Jackson _regime_
+of unconditional and uncompromising devotion to the 'Federal Union' was
+displaced, and the dubious doctrine of 'States' Rights' was formally
+inaugurated as the chart by which in future the national government was
+to be administered. But the Jackson element was not reconciled to this
+radical change in the structure and purpose of the National Democratic
+organization; and, although party lines were so tensely drawn that to go
+against 'the Administration' was political treason, and secured
+irrevocable banishment from power, the close of Polk's administration
+found many old Democrats of the Jackson era ready for the sacrifice. The
+firm resolve of these men was manifested when, after the nomination of
+Gen. Cass, in 1848, in the usual form, at Baltimore, by the Democratic
+National Convention, they assembled at Buffalo and presented a counter
+ticket, headed by the name of Martin Van Buren, who had been thrust
+aside four years previously by the Southern oligarchs to make way for
+James K. Polk. The entire artillery of the Democratic party opened on
+the Buffalo schismatics. They were stigmatized by such opprobrious
+nicknames and epithets as 'Barnburners, 'Free Soilers,'
+'Abolitionists,' and instantly and forever ex-communicated from the
+Democratic party. In Missouri alone, of all the Slave States, was any
+stand made in behalf of the Buffalo ticket. Benton's sympathies had been
+with Van Buren, his old friend of the Jackson times; and Francis P.
+Blair, Sr., of the _Globe_, had two sons, Montgomery Blair and Francis
+P. Blair, Jr., resident in St. Louis. These two, with about a hundred
+other young men of equal enthusiasm, organized themselves together,
+accepted the 'Buffalo platform' as their future rule of faith, issued an
+address to the people of Missouri, openly espousing and advocating free
+soil-principles; and, by subscription among themselves, published a
+campaign paper, styled the _Barnburner_, during the canvass. The result
+at the polls was signal only for its insignificance; and the authors of
+the movement hardly had credit for a respectable escapade. But the event
+has proved that neither ridicule nor raillery, nor, in later years,
+persecutions and the intolerable pressure of federal power, could turn
+back the revolution thus feebly begun. In that campaign issue of the
+_Barnburner_ were sown the seeds of what became, in later nomenclature,
+the Free Democracy, and, later still, the 'Republican' party of
+Missouri. The German population of St. Louis sympathized from the start
+with the free principles enunciated. Frank Blair, Jr., became from that
+year their political leader; right honestly did he earn the position;
+and right well, even his political foes have always admitted, did he
+maintain it.
+
+Frank Blair was a disciple of Benton; yet, as is often the case, the
+pupil soon learned to go far ahead of his teacher. In 1852, there was a
+union of the Free Democrats and National Democrats of Missouri, in
+support of Franklin Pierce. But the entire abandonment of Pierce's
+administration to the rule of the Southern oligarchs sundered the
+incongruous elements in Missouri forever. In 1856 Benton was found
+supporting James Buchanan for President; but Blair declined to follow
+his ancient leader in that direction. He organized the free-soil element
+in St. Louis to oppose the Buchanan electoral ticket. An electoral
+ticket in the State at large, for John C. Fremont, was neither possible
+nor advisable. In some districts no man would dare be a candidate on
+that side; in others, the full free-soil vote, from the utter
+hopelessness of success, would not be polled; and thus the cause would
+be made to appear weaker than it deserved. To meet the emergency, and
+yet bear witness to principle, the free-soil vote was cast for the
+Fillmore electoral ticket, 'under protest,' as it was called, the name
+of 'John C. Fremont' being printed in large letters at the head of every
+free-soil ballot cast. By this means the Buchanan electors were beaten
+fifteen hundred votes in St. Louis City and County, where, by a union as
+Benton proposed, they would have had three thousand majority. But the
+'free-soilers' failed to defeat Buchanan in the State.
+
+Nothing discouraged by this result, Blair resumed the work of organizing
+for the future. The Fillmore party gave no thanks to the free-soilers
+for their aid in the presidential election, nor did the latter ask any.
+They had simply taken the choice of evils; and now, renouncing all
+alliances, Blair became the champion and leader of a self-existing,
+self-reliant State party, that should accomplish emancipation in
+Missouri. He again established a newspaper to inculcate free principles
+in the State. By untiring effort, he revived and recruited his party. He
+gave it platforms, planned its campaigns, contested every election in
+St. Louis, whether for municipal officers, for State legislature, or for
+Congress; and always fought his battles on the most advanced ground
+assumed by the growing free-soil party of the Union. The powerful and
+rapidly-increasing German population of St. Louis responded nobly to his
+zeal and skillful leadership. Soon a victory was gained; and St. Louis
+declared for freedom, amid acclamations that reverberated throughout the
+States that extended from the Ohio to the lakes, and from the
+Mississippi to the Atlantic. But, having wrenched victory from a people
+so intolerant as the pro-slavery population of Missouri, it was not to
+be expected that he would retain it easily. He was set upon more
+fiercely than ever. The loss of the city of St. Louis was considered a
+disgrace to the State; and the most desperate personal malignity was
+added to the resentment of pro-slavery wrath in the future election
+contests in that city. The corrupting appliances of federal power were
+at last invoked, under Buchanan's administration; and Blair was for the
+moment overwhelmed by fraud, and thrown out of Congress. But, with a
+resolution from which even his friends would have dissuaded him, and
+with a persistency and confidence that were a marvel to friend and foe,
+he contested his seat before Congress, and won it. And this verdict was
+soon ratified by his brave and faithful constituency at the polls. Such
+was the Republican party, such their leader in St. Louis, when the black
+day of disunion came. And in their hands lay the destiny of the State.
+
+As soon as the presidential election was decided, and the choice of
+Abraham Lincoln was known, the disunionists in Missouri commenced their
+work. Thomas C. Reynolds, the lieutenant-governor, made a visit to
+Washington, and extended it to Virginia, counseling with the traitors,
+and agreeing upon the time and manner of joining Missouri in the revolt.
+The legislature of Missouri met in the latter part of December, about
+two weeks after the secession of South Carolina. A bill was at once
+introduced, calling a State convention, and passed. The message of
+Claiborne F. Jackson, the governor, had been strongly in favor of
+secession from the Union. The Missouri _Republican_, the leading
+newspaper of the State, whose advocacy had elected the traitor,
+declared, on the last day of the year, that unless guaranties in defence
+of slavery were immediately given by the North, Missouri should secede
+from the Union. And so the secession feeling gathered boldness and
+volume.
+
+Candidates for the State convention came to be nominated in St. Louis,
+and two parties were at once arrayed--the unconditional Union party, and
+the qualified Unionists, who wished new compromises. Frank Blair was one
+of the leaders of the former, and he was joined by all the true men of
+the old parties. But the secessionists--they might as well be so called,
+for all their actions tended to weaken and discredit the
+Union--nominated an able ticket. The latter party were soon conscious of
+defeat, and began to hint mysteriously at a power stronger than the
+ballot-box, that would be invoked in defence of 'Southern rights.' To
+many, indeed to most persons, this seemed an idle threat. Not so to
+Frank Blair. He had imbibed from Benton the invincible faith of the
+latter in the settled purpose of the 'nullifiers' to subvert and destroy
+the government. And in a private caucus of the leaders of the Union
+party, on an ever-memorable evening in the month of January, he startled
+the company by the proposition that the time had come when the friends
+of the government must arm in its defence. With a deference to his
+judgment and sagacity that had become habitual, the Unionists yielded
+their consent, and soon the enrolment of companies began; nightly drills
+with arms took place in nearly all the wards of the city; and by the
+time of election day some thousands of citizen soldiers, mostly Germans,
+could have been gathered, with arms in their hands, with the quickness
+of fire signals at night, at any point in the city. The secessionists
+had preceded this armed movement of the Union men by the organization of
+a body known as 'minute-men.' But the promptness and superior skill that
+characterized Frank Blair's movement subverted the secession scheme; and
+it was first repudiated, and then its existence denied. The day of
+election came, and passed peacefully. The unconditional Union ticket was
+elected by a sweeping majority of five thousand votes. The result
+throughout the State was not less decisive and surprising. Of the entire
+number of delegates composing the convention, not one was chosen who had
+dared to express secession sentiments before the people; and the
+aggregate majority of the Union candidates in the State amounted to
+about eighty thousand. The shock of this defeat for the moment paralyzed
+the conspirators; but their evil inspirations soon put them to work
+again. Their organs in Missouri assumed an unfriendly tone towards the
+convention, which was to meet in Jefferson City. The legislature that
+had called the convention remained in session in the same place, but
+made no fit preparations for the assembling of the convention, or for
+the accommodation and pay of the members. The debate in the legislature
+on the bill for appropriations for these purposes was insulting to the
+convention, the more ill-tempered and ill-bred secession members
+intimating that such a body of 'submissionists' were unworthy to
+represent Missouri, and undeserving of any pay. The manifest ill feeling
+between the two bodies--the legislature elected eighteen months
+previously, and without popular reference to the question of secession,
+and the convention chosen fresh from the people, to decide on the course
+of the State--soon indicated the infelicity of the two remaining in
+session at the same time and in the same place. Accordingly, within a
+few days after the organization of the convention, it adjourned its
+session to the city of St. Louis. It did not meet a cordial reception
+there. So insolent had the secession spirit already grown, that on the
+day of the assembling of the convention in that city, the members were
+insulted by taunts in the streets and by the ostentatious floating of
+the rebel flag from the Democratic head-quarters, hard by the building
+in which they assembled.
+
+Being left in the undisputed occupancy of the seat of government, the
+governor, lieutenant-governor, and legislature gave themselves up to the
+enactment of flagrant and undisguised measures of hostility to the
+federal government. Commissioners from States that had renounced the
+Constitution, and withdrawn, as they claimed, from the Union, arrived at
+Jefferson City as apostles of treason. They were received as
+distinguished and honorable ambassadors. A joint session of the
+legislature was called to hear their communications. The
+lieutenant-governor, Reynolds, being the presiding officer of the joint
+session, required that the members should rise when these traitors
+entered, and receive them standing and uncovered. The commissioners were
+allowed to harangue the representatives of Missouri, by the hour, in
+unmeasured abuse of the federal government, in open rejoicings over its
+supposed dissolution, and in urgent appeals to the people of Missouri to
+join the rebel States in their consummated treason. Noisy demonstrations
+of applause greeted these commissioners; and legislators, and the
+governor himself, in a public speech in front of the executive mansion,
+pledged them that Missouri would shortly be found ranged on the side of
+seceded States. The treason of the governor and legislature did not stop
+with these manifestations. They proceeded to acts of legislation,
+preparatory to the employment of force, after the manner of their
+'Southern bretheren.' First, it was necessary to get control of the city
+of St. Louis. The Republican party held the government of the city,
+mayor, council, and police force--a formidable Union organization. The
+legislature passed a bill repealing that part of the city charter that,
+gave to the mayor the appointment of the police, and constituting a
+board of police commissioners, to be appointed by the governor, who
+should exercise that power. He named men that suited his purposes. The
+Union police were discharged, and their places filled by secessionists.
+Next, the State militia was to be organized in the interests of
+rebellion, and a law was passed to accomplish that end. The State was
+set off into divisions; military camps were to be established in each;
+all able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and fifty were liable
+to be called into camp and drilled a given number of days in the year;
+and, when summoned to duty, instead of taking the usual oath to support
+the Constitution of the United States, they were required only to be
+sworn 'to obey the orders of the governor of the State of Missouri.'
+These camps were styled camps of instruction. One of them was
+established at St. Louis, within the corporate limits of the city, about
+two miles west of the court-house, on a commanding eminence.
+
+Thus the lines began to be drawn closely around the Unionists of St.
+Louis. The State convention had adjourned, and its members had gone
+home, having done but little to re-assure the loyalists. They had,
+indeed, passed an ordinance declaring that Missouri would adhere to the
+Union; but the majority of the members had betrayed such hesitancy and
+indecision, such a lack of stomach to grapple with the rude issues of
+the rebellion, that their action passed almost without moral effect.
+Their ordinance was treated with contempt by the secessionists, and
+nearly lost sight of by the people; so thoroughly were all classes
+lashed into excitement by the storm of revolution now blackening the
+whole Southern Hemisphere.
+
+The friends of the Union could look to but one quarter for aid, that was
+Washington, where a new administration had so recently been installed,
+amid difficulties that seemed to have paralyzed its power. The
+government had been defied by the rebellion at every point; its ships
+driven by hostile guns from Southern ports; its treasures seized; its
+arsenals occupied, and its abundant arms and munitions appropriated.
+Nowhere had the federal arm resented insult and robbery with a blow.
+This had not been the fault of the government that was inaugurated on
+the fourth of March. It was the fruit of the official treason of the
+preceding administration, that had completely disarmed the government,
+and filled the new executive councils with confusion, by the numberless
+knaves it had placed in all departments of the public service, whose
+daily desertions of duty rendered the prompt and honest execution of the
+laws impossible. But the fact was indisputable; and how could St. Louis
+hope for protection that had nowhere else been afforded? The national
+government had an arsenal within the city limits. It comprised a
+considerable area of ground, was surrounded by a high and heavy stone
+wall, and supplied with valuable arms. But so far from this
+establishment being a protection to the loyal population, it seemed more
+likely, judging by what had occurred in other States, that it would
+serve as a temptation to the secession mob that was evidently gathering
+head for mischief, and that the desire to take it would precipitate the
+outbreak. The Unionists felt their danger; the rebels saw their
+opportunity. Already the latter were boasting that they would in a short
+time occupy this post, and not a few of the prominent Union citizens of
+the town were warned by secession leaders that they would soon be set
+across the Mississippi river, exiles from their homes forever. As an
+instance of the audacity of the rebel element at this time, and for
+weeks later, the fact is mentioned that the United States soldiers, who
+paced before the gates of the arsenal as sentinels on duty, had their
+beats defined for them by the new secession police, and were forbidden
+to invade the sacred precincts of the city's highway. The arsenal was
+unquestionably devoted to capture, and it would have been a prize to the
+rebels second in value to the Gosport navy-yard. It contained at this
+time sixty-six thousand stand of small arms, several batteries of light
+artillery and heavy ordnance, and at least one million dollars' worth of
+ammunition. It was besides supplied with extensive and valuable
+machinery for repairing guns, rifling barrels, mounting artillery, and
+preparing shot and shell. The future, to the Union men of St. Louis,
+looked gloomy enough; persecution, and, if they resisted, death, seemed
+imminent; and no voice from abroad reached them, giving them good cheer.
+But deliverance was nigh at hand.
+
+About the middle of January, Capt. Nathaniel Lyon, of the Second
+Infantry, U.S.A., arrived in St. Louis with his company; and his rank
+gave him command of all the troops then at the arsenal and Jefferson
+Barracks, a post on the river, ten miles below, the department being
+under the command of Brigadier General Harney. Capt. Lyon had been
+garrisoning a fort in Kansas. He was known to some of the Union men of
+St. Louis; and his resolute spirit and devoted patriotism marked him as
+their leader in this crisis. Frank Blair at once put himself in
+communication with Capt. Lyon, and advised him fully and minutely as to
+the political situation. He exposed to him the existence of his
+volunteer military organization. At his request Capt. Lyon visited and
+reviewed the regiments; and it was arranged between them that if an
+outbreak should occur, or any attempt be made to seize the arsenal,
+Capt. Lyon should receive this volunteer force to his assistance, arm it
+from the arsenal, and take command for the emergency. It should be
+known, however, to the greater credit of the Union leaders of St. Louis,
+that they had already, from private funds, procured about one thousand
+stand of arms, with which their nightly drills, as heretofore stated,
+had been conducted. As soon as Capt. Lyon's connection with this
+organization was suspected, an attempt was made to have him removed, by
+ordering him to Kansas on the pretext of a court of inquiry; but this
+attempt was defeated. Thus matters stood for a time, the Union men
+beginning to be reassured, but still doubtful of the end. After a while,
+Fort Sumter was opened upon, and fell under its furious bombardment. The
+torch of war was lit. President Lincoln issued his proclamation for
+volunteers. Gov. Jackson telegraphed back an insolent and defiant
+refusal, in which he denounced the 'war waged by the federal government'
+as 'inhuman and diabolical.' Frank Blair instantly followed this
+traitorous governor's dispatch by another, addressed to the Secretary of
+War, asking him to accept and muster into service the volunteer
+regiments he had been forming. This offer was accepted, and the men
+presented themselves. But Brig. Gen. Harney, fearing that the arming of
+these troops would exasperate the secession populace, and bring about a
+collision with the State militia, refused to permit the men to be
+mustered into service and armed. This extraordinary decision was
+immediately telegraphed to the government, and Gen. Harney was relieved,
+leaving Capt. Lyon in full command. This was the 23d of April. In a week
+four full regiments were mustered in, and occupied the arsenal. A
+memorial was prepared and sent to Washington by Frank Blair, now colonel
+of the first of these regiments, asking for the enrolment of five other
+regiments of Home Guards. Permission was given, and in another week
+these regiments also were organized and armed. The conflict was now at
+hand. Simultaneously with this arming on the part of the government for
+the protection of the arsenal, the order went forth for the assembling
+of the State troops in their camps of instruction. On Monday, the 6th of
+May, the First Brigade of Missouri militia, under Gen. D.M. Frost, was
+ordered by Gov. Jackson into camp at St. Louis, avowedly for purposes of
+drill and exercise. At the same time encampments were formed, by order
+of the governor, in other parts of the State. The governor's adherents
+in St. Louis intimated that the time for taking the arsenal had arrived,
+and the indiscreet young men who made up the First Brigade openly
+declared that they only awaited an order from Gov. Jackson--an order
+which they evidently had been led to expect--to attack the arsenal and
+possess it, in spite of the feeble opposition they calculated to meet
+from 'the Dutch' Home Guards enlisted to defend it. A few days
+previously, an agent of the governor had purchased at St. Louis several
+hundred kegs of gun-powder, and succeeded, by an adroit stratagem, in
+shipping it to Jefferson City. The encampment at St. Louis, 'Camp
+Jackson,' so called from the governor, was laid off by streets, to which
+were assigned the names 'Rue de Beauregard,' and others similarly
+significant; and when among the visitors whom curiosity soon began to
+bring to the camp a 'Black Republican' was discovered by the
+soldiers,--and this epithet was applied to all unconditional
+Unionists,--he was treated with unmistakable coldness, if not positive
+insult. If additional proof of the hostile designs entertained against
+the federal authority by this camp were needed, it was furnished on
+Thursday, the 9th, by the reception within the camp of several pieces of
+cannon, and several hundred stand of small arms, taken from the federal
+arsenal at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was then in the possession of
+the rebels. These arms were brought to St. Louis by the steamboat _J.C.
+Swon_, the military authorities at Cairo having been deceived by the
+packages, which were represented to contain marble slabs. On the arrival
+of the _Swon_ at the St. Louis levee, the arms were taken from her, sent
+to Camp Jackson, and received there with demonstrations of triumph.
+
+When Capt. Lyon was entrusted with full command at St. Louis, President
+Lincoln had named, in his orders to him, a commission of six loyal and
+discreet citizens with whom he should consult in matters pertaining to
+the public safety, and with whose counsel he might declare martial law.
+These citizens were John How, Samuel T. Glover, O.D. Filley, Jean J.
+Witsig, James O. Broadhead, and Col. Frank P. Blair. The last
+mentioned--Colonel Blair--was Capt. Lyon's confidential and constant
+companion. They were comrades in arms, and a unit in counsel. Their
+views were in full accord as to the necessity of immediately reducing
+Camp Jackson. Defiance was daily passing between the marshalling hosts,
+not face to face, but through dubious partisans who passed from camp to
+camp, flitting like the bats of fable in the confines of conflict. Capt.
+Lyon's decision, urged thereto by Col. Blair, was made without calling a
+council of the rest of his advisers. They heard of it, however, and,
+though brave and loyal men all, they gathered around him in his quarters
+at the arsenal, Thursday evening, and besought him earnestly to change
+his purpose. The conference was protracted the livelong night, and did
+not close till six o'clock, Friday morning, the 10th. They found Capt.
+Lyon inexorable,--the fate of Camp Jackson was decreed. Col. Blair's
+regiment was at Jefferson Barracks, ten miles below the arsenal, at that
+hour. It was ordered up; and about noon on that memorable Friday, Capt.
+Lyon quietly left the arsenal gate at the head of six thousand troops,
+of whom four hundred and fifty were regulars, the remainder United
+States Reserve Corps or Home Guards, marched in two columns to Camp
+Jackson, and before the State troops could recover from the amazement
+into which the appearance of the advancing army threw them, surrounded
+the camp, planting his batteries upon the elevations around, at a
+distance of five hundred yards, and stationing his infantry in the roads
+leading from the grove wherein their tents were pitched. The State
+troops were taken completely by surprise; for, although there had been
+vague reports current in camp of an intended attack from the arsenal,
+the cry of the visitors at the grove, 'They're coming!' 'They're
+coming!' raised just as the first column appeared in sight, found them
+strolling leisurely under the trees, chatting with their friends from
+the city, or stretched upon the thick green grass, smoking and reading.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+BEAUFORT DISTRICT,--PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
+
+
+The sovereign State of South Carolina seems from the beginning to have
+been actuated by the desire not only to mold its institutions according
+to a system differing entirely from that of its sister States, but even
+to divide its territory in a peculiar manner, for which reason we find
+in it 'districts' taking the place of counties. The south-west of these
+bears the name of its principal town, 'Beaufort.' It is bounded on the
+west by the Savannah River, and on the south by the Atlantic. Its length
+from north to south is fifty-eight miles, its breadth thirty-three
+miles, and it contains about one and a quarter millions of acres of land
+and water. Considered geologically, Beaufort is one of the most
+remarkable sections of the United States. As recent events have brought
+it so prominently before us, we propose to consider its history,
+capacities, and prospects.
+
+From its proximity to the Spanish settlements in the peninsula of
+Florida, its beautiful harbors and sounds were early explored and taken
+possession of by the Spaniards. It is now certain they had established a
+post here called 'Fort St. Phillip,' at St. Elena,[B] as early as
+1566-7; this was probably situated on the south-western point of St.
+Helena Island, and some remains of its entrenchment can still be traced.
+From this fort Juan Pardo, its founder, proceeded on an expedition to
+the north-west, and explored a considerable part of the present States
+of South Carolina and Georgia.
+
+How long the Spaniards remained here is now uncertain, but they long
+claimed all this coast as far north as Cape Fear. The French planted a
+colony in South Carolina, and gave the name Port Royal to the harbor and
+what is now called Broad River; but they were driven off by the
+Spaniards, and history is silent as to any incidents of their rule for a
+century. In 1670 a few emigrants arrived in a ship commanded by Capt.
+Hilton, and landed at what is now known as 'Hilton's Head,' the
+south-western point of Port Royal harbor, which still perpetuates his
+name. The colony was under the management of Col. Sayle; but the
+Spaniards at St. Augustine still claimed the domains, and the settlers,
+fearing an attack, soon removed to the site of Old Charleston, on Ashley
+River. In 1682, Lord Cardoss led a small band from Scotland hither,
+which settled on Port Royal Island, near the present site of Beaufort.
+He claimed co-ordinate authority with the governor and council at
+Charleston. During the discussion of this point the Spaniards sent an
+armed force and dislodged the English, most of whom returned to their
+native country. A permanent settlement was finally made on Port Royal
+Island in 1700. The town of Beaufort was laid out in 1717, and an
+Episcopal church erected in 1720. The name was given from a town in
+Anjou, France, the birthplace of several of the Huguenot settlers.
+
+For many years the Spaniards threatened the coast as far north as
+Charleston, but the settlement increased, and extended over St. Helena
+and other islands. Slavery was here coeval with settlement, and the
+peculiar institution was so earnestly fostered, that in 1724 it was
+estimated that South Carolina contained 18,000 slaves to only 14,000
+whites. The slaves were mostly natives of Africa of recent importation,
+and were poorly adapted to clear up the forests and prepare the way for
+extensive plantations, but their cost was small, and every year they
+improved in capacity and value. In the succeeding half century were laid
+the fortunes of the prominent families who have controlled the district,
+and often greater interests, to our day. Grants of land could be had
+almost for the asking, especially by men of influence; and fertile
+islands were given, containing hundreds and sometimes thousands of
+acres, to a single family, who have here been monarchs of all they
+survey, including hundreds of slaves, till _the Hegira_ or _flight_ A.D.
+1861.
+
+When we take into account the salubrity of the climate and the fertility
+of the soil, we must allow that this district has many natural
+advantages which can not be excelled by any section of the same extent
+in this country. A considerable part of the district is composed of
+islands, which are supposed to be of a comparatively recent formation,
+many of them beautiful to the eye, and rich in agricultural facilities;
+they are in number upwards of fifty, not less than thirty of them being
+of large size. Upon the sea-coast are Reynolds, Prentice, Chaplins,
+Eddings, Hilton Head, Dawfuskie, Turtle, and the Hunting Islands. Behind
+these lie St. Helena, Pinckney, Paris, Port Royal, Ladies', Cane,
+Bermuda, Discane, Bells, Daltha, Coosa, Morgan, Chissolm, Williams
+Harbor, Kings, Cahoussue, Fording, Barnwell, Whale, Delos, Hall, Lemon,
+Barrataria, Lopes, Hoy, Savage, Long, Round, and Jones Islands. These
+are from one to ten miles in length, and usually a proportional half in
+width. St. Helena is over twenty miles in extent, and could well support
+an agricultural population of twenty thousand. Port Royal is next in
+size, but, being of a more sandy formation, is not so fertile. These
+islands are all of an alluvial formation,--the result of the action of
+the rivers and the sea. There is no rock of any kind, not even a pebble
+stone, to be found in the whole district.
+
+The soil of these islands is composed mostly of a fine sandy loam, very
+easily cultivated. In most of them are swamps and marshes, which serve
+to furnish muck and other vegetable deposits for fertilizing; but the
+idea of furnishing anything to aid the long over-worked soil seems to
+these proprietors like returning to the slave some of the earnings taken
+from him or his ancestors, and is seldom done till nature is at last
+exhausted, and then it is allowed only a few years' repose. Situated
+under the parallel of 32 deg., there is scarcely a product grown in our
+country, of any value, that can not be produced here. Previous to the
+Revolution the principal staple for market was indigo, and that raised
+in this district always commanded the highest price. It was from the
+proceeds of this plant that the planters were enabled for a long period
+to purchase slaves and European and northern American productions. Soon
+after the Revolution their attention was turned to cotton; but the
+difficulty of separating it from the seed seemed to make it impossible
+to furnish it in any profitable quantity, for so slow was the process
+then followed that, with the utmost diligence, a negro could not, by
+hand labor, clean over a few pounds per day. The genius of Whitney,
+however, opened a new era to the cotton planters, who were much more
+eager to avail themselves of his invention than to remunerate him. It
+was soon perceived that the cotton raised on these islands was far
+superior to that produced in the interior, which is still called Upland,
+only to distinguish it from the 'Sea Island.' It was also noticed that
+while the common variety produced a seed nearly green with a rough skin,
+the seed of the islands soon became black with a smooth skin; the effect
+entirely of location and climate, as it soon resumes its original color
+when transported back to the interior. The cultivation of this variety
+is limited to a tract of country of about one hundred and fifty miles in
+length, and not over twenty-five miles in breadth, mostly on lands
+adjacent to the salt water, the finest 'grades' being confined to the
+islands within this district. It is true that black-seed cotton is
+cultivated to some extent along the coast from Georgetown, S.C., to St.
+Augustine, but a great part of it is of an inferior quality and staple,
+and brings in the market less than one-half the price of the real 'Sea
+Island.' This plant seems to delight in the soft and elastic atmosphere
+from the Gulf Stream, and, after it is 'well up,' requires but a few
+showers through the long summer to perfect it. It is of feeble growth,
+particularly on the worn-out lands, and two hundred pounds is a good
+yield from an acre. An active hand can tend four acres, besides an acre
+of corn and 'ground provisions;' but with a moderate addition of
+fertilizers and rotation of crops no doubt these productions would be
+doubled. If the yield seems small, the price, however, makes it one of
+the most profitable products known. The usual quotations for choice Sea
+Islands in Charleston market has been for many years about four times as
+great as for the middling qualities of Uplands,--probably an average of
+from thirty-five to forty-five cents per pound; and for particular
+brands[C] sixty to seventy cents is often paid. The writer has seen a
+few bales, of a most beautiful color and length of staple, which sold
+for eighty cents, when middling Uplands brought but ten cents per pound.
+It is mostly shipped to France, where it is used for manufacturing the
+finest laces, and contributes largely to the texture of fancy silks,
+particularly the cheaper kinds for the American market. After passing
+above the flow of the salt water, but within the rise of the tide, there
+is a wide alluvial range along the rivers and creeks, which, by a system
+of embankments, can be flowed or drained at pleasure. This is cultivated
+with rice, and, if properly cared for, yields enormous crops, sometimes
+of sixty bushels to an acre. The land is composed of a mass of muck,
+often ten feet deep and inexhaustible, and never suffers from drought.
+This land is very valuable, one hundred dollars often being paid per
+acre for large plantations. Much rice land, however, remains uncleared
+for want of the enterprise and perseverance necessary to its
+improvement.
+
+Farther in the interior the land is principally of a sandy formation,
+most of it underlaid with clay. Very little effort is, however, made by
+planters to cultivate it, although it is very easily worked, and with a
+little manuring yields fair crops of corn and sweet potatoes. The cereal
+grains are seldom cultivated, but no doubt they would yield well. A
+large portion of the main-land is composed of swamps, of which only
+enough have been reclaimed to make it certain that here is a mine of
+wealth to those gifted with the energy to improve it. The soil is as
+fertile as the banks of the Nile, and nowhere could agricultural
+enterprise meet with such certainly profitable returns. Recurring again
+to the agricultural capacity of the islands, it is certain that good
+crops of sugar-cane can be grown on them. During the war of 1812, the
+planters turned their attention to it, and succeeded well, since which
+time many of them have continued to plant enough for their own use; but
+this plant soon exhausts such a soil, unless some fertilizer is used,
+and they therefore prefer cotton, which draws a large part of its
+sustenance from the atmosphere alone. The sweet and wild orange grows
+here, and some extensive groves are to be seen. Figs are produced in
+abundance from September till Christmas. Gardens furnish abundant
+vegetables, yielding green peas in March and Irish potatoes in May,
+while numerous tribes of beautiful flowers hold high carnival for more
+than half the year.
+
+This seems to be the true home of the rose, which is found blooming from
+March until Christmas. Many of the rare climbing varieties of this
+flower, which we see at the North only as small specimens in
+green-houses, grow here in wild profusion. The grape is represented by
+many species indigenous to this State alone, and could, no doubt, be
+cultivated and produced in greater variety and perfection than elsewhere
+on this continent, as the climate is more equable. A species of Indian
+corn, called 'white flint corn,' and which when cooked is very
+nutritious and white as snow, seems indigenous to these islands. It is
+much superior to the common varieties.
+
+Of the sylva we will only say, it is equal in value and variety to that
+of any section of our country. Here is the home of the palmetto[D] or
+cabbage tree, the only palm in our wide country. The live oak, once so
+abundant, has, however, been largely cut off, mostly to supply our
+navy-yards, and some of the ships built from it are now blockading the
+very harbors from which it was carried. The pitch pine is the common
+growth of the interior, and under a new system would form a valuable
+article of commerce as lumber, and as yielding the _now_ so much
+required turpentine. Of wild animals and birds, here are to be found a
+large variety. The Hunting Islands and others are well stocked with
+deer. During the winter wild, geese and ducks abound, and a variety of
+fish, with fine oysters, can be had at all seasons.
+
+We now come to consider the present inhabitants of this district. The
+whites are almost entirely the descendants of the earliest settlers of
+this State, who were English,[E] Scotch, and Protestant Irish, with a
+slight infusion of the Huguenot and Swiss elements. A century and a half
+has rendered them homogeneous. As there has never been any interest here
+other than agriculture, and as every man may be said to own the
+plantation he cultivates, there has been as little change of property or
+condition as possible, and therefore the same land and system of
+cultivation has passed from father to son through four or five
+generations. Had there been any emigration or change of population, some
+alterations, and most likely new enterprise and vigor, would have been
+infused, and more modern and national feeling have been instituted for
+their narrow and sectional prejudices. No doubt our national character
+has been much influenced by the division of land. Where this has been
+nearly equal, as in our New England towns, a republican form of
+government has been almost a necessity. But at the South an entirely
+different arrangement has prevailed. Land was at first distributed in
+large bodies fitted to accommodate a state of slavery; and the
+consequence was that a feudal system was inaugurated from the
+settlement, which has continued with increasing power. This has been one
+of the permanent causes of Southern pride and exclusiveness.
+
+The inhabitants of South Carolina and Virginia previous to the
+Revolution were very supercilious towards the North, and even to their
+less opulent neighbors of Georgia and North Carolina; a feeling which
+was often the cause of much antagonism among the officers and soldiers
+during the war. Charleston and Williamsburg gave the tone to good
+society, and it was haughty and aristocratic in the extreme. While
+Virginia has for the last half century been in a state of comparative
+decay, South Carolina has, by its culture of cotton and rice, just been
+able to hold its own; but the pride and exclusiveness of its people have
+increased much faster than its material interests. Although the
+Constitution of the United States guarantees to every State a republican
+form of government, no thinking person who has resided for a single week
+within the limits of South Carolina can have failed to see and feel
+that a tyranny equal to that of Austria exists there. The freedom of
+opinion and its expression were not permitted. Strangers were always
+under espionage, and public opinion, controlled by an oligarchy of
+slave-holders, overruled laws and private rights. Nowhere, even in South
+Carolina, was this feeling of _hauteur_ so strong as in that portion of
+the State which we are describing. On the large plantations the owners
+ruled with power unlimited over life and property, and could a faithful
+record be found it would prove one of vindictive oppression, productive
+oftentimes of misery and bloodshed. Most of the wealthier planters in
+the district have residences at Beaufort, to which they remove during
+the summer months to escape the malaria arising from the soil around
+their inland houses. This place may be considered the home of the
+aristocracy. Here reside the Barnwells,[F] Heywards, Rhetts[G](formerly
+called Smiths,) Stuarts, Means, Sams, Fullers,[H] Elliots,[I] Draytons
+and others, altogether numbering about fifty families, but bearing not
+more than twenty different names, who rule and control the country for
+forty miles around. This is the most complete and exclusive approach to
+'nobility' of blood and feeling on our continent. Nowhere else is family
+pride carried to such an extent. They look with supercilious disdain on
+every useful employment, save only the planting of cotton and rice.
+Nothing in any of our large cities can equal the display of equipages,
+with their profusion of servants in livery, exhibited on pleasant
+afternoons, when the mothers and daughters of these cotton lords take
+their accustomed airing. So powerfully has this feeling of exclusiveness
+prevailed that no son or daughter dares marry out of their circle. For a
+long series of years has this custom prevailed, and the consequence is
+that the families above named are nearly of a common blood; and it needs
+no physiologist to tell us the invariable effect arising from this
+transgression of natural laws, on the physical and mental faculties of
+both sexes. In such a state of society is it strange that the present
+generation should have grown up with ideas better suited to the castes
+of India than to those of republican America? As a consequence they
+consider their condition more elevated than that of their neighbors in
+the adjoining States, and of almost imperial consideration. But no
+language can express their bitter contempt for the people of the North,
+more particularly for those of New England birth.
+
+In perusing the history and progress of any portion of our country, the
+statistics of population become an interesting study. Let us glance over
+a brief table, showing what the increase has been in this district for
+the past forty years, and its miserable deficiency in physical means of
+strength and defense. In 1820 the district contained 32,000 souls, of
+which there were 4,679 whites and 27,339 slaves, and 141 free blacks. In
+1860 there were 6,714 whites and 32,500 slaves, and 800 free blacks,
+making a total of 40,014,--an increase of whites of 2,035, of slaves
+5,161, of free blacks 650:--total increase 7,855 in forty years. Here we
+have nearly the largest disproportion of whites to slaves in any part of
+the South. Of the 6,714 whites, about 1,000 are probably men over
+twenty-one years of age, and it is not to be presumed that an equal
+number are capable of bearing arms. Is it possible to find anywhere a
+community more helpless for its own protection or defense? It is one of
+the truths of science and philosophy that nature, when forced beyond its
+own powers and laws, will react, and again restore its own supremacy. So
+we here find a magnificent space of country, rich in all natural
+requisites, and unsurpassed in its capabilities of producing not only
+the necessaries of life, but its luxuries, having an exclusive right to
+some of the most valuable staples of the world, which has been for a
+century and a half the abode of an imperious few, who have, by
+tyrannical power, wrung from the bones and muscles of generations of
+poor Africans the means to sustain their luxury, power, and pride. They
+have also robbed from the mother earth the fertility of its soil to its
+utmost extent, leaving much of it completely exhausted. This state of
+things has reacted on them; it has made them proud, domineering,
+ambitious, and revengeful of fancied injuries. It has hurried them into
+rebellion against the best government the world ever saw,--and this has
+at last brought with it its own punishment and retribution. It has
+placed their soil, their mansions, their crops and poor slaves in the
+possession of the hated men of the North, and under the laws and control
+of the government they affected to despise. When the last gun had
+sounded from the ramparts at Port Royal, and the Stars and Stripes again
+resumed their supremacy on the soil of South Carolina, a new era dawned
+over these beautiful islands and waters, and the day that witnessed the
+retreat of the rebel forces should hereafter mark, like the flight of
+Mahomet, the inauguration of a new dispensation for this land and its
+people. Let us, therefore, in continuing our chronicles, cast the
+horoscope, and, without claiming any spirit of prophecy, show the duties
+of our nation in this contingency, and the beneficial results that must
+flow from it, if carried out with the energy, perseverance, and
+practical Christianity due to our country and the age in which we live.
+
+The accession to any government of new territory brings with it new
+duties, which it is always important should be performed with energy and
+decision, so that the greatest good, to the greatest number, may be the
+result. A good Providence has placed the domain under consideration in
+our possession. Its political condition is to us unique, and almost
+embarrassing. If the question is asked, 'Can we hold and dispose of a
+part, or whole, of a sovereign State as a conquered province?' the
+answer must be in the affirmative. Government is supreme, and must be
+exercised, particularly to protect the weak, and for the general good of
+the whole nation. Here is a region, as fair as the sun shines upon, now
+in a great measure deserted and lying waste. What is to be done with it?
+and what is our duty in this exigency? The first want is a government,
+for without a proper one no progress can be made. Let Congress then at
+once establish a territorial government over so much of the State as we
+now have in our possession, and over what we may in future obtain;--not
+a government to exhibit pomp, and show, but one practical and useful,
+with a court and its proper officers. Let every large unrepresented
+estate be placed in the hands of a temporary administrator, who should
+be a practical and honest man, and held to a strict account for all
+properties entrusted to his keeping, and who should act also as guardian
+to the slaves belonging to the estate. Then enforce the collection of a
+tax; and if the owner comes forward within sixty days, pays the tax,
+takes the oath of allegiance, and agrees to remain in the territory and
+assist in enforcing and executing the laws, during that and the
+succeeding year, let him resume his property, and be protected in all
+his rights. But in default of any loyal response from the proprietor,
+the property should be disposed of, in moderate quantities, to actual
+settlers, who should be bound to do duty for its defense, whenever
+called upon.
+
+But then comes the great difficulty, the disposition of the slaves,--the
+great question which has so long been discussed as a theory, and which
+now has to be met as a practical measure. Let us meet it as men and
+patriots, and, rising above the clamor of fanatics, or the proclamations
+of new-fangled and demagoguing brigadiers, look at the permanent result
+to our whole country, and the real good of the African race.
+
+Humanity, society, and property, all have claims and acknowledged
+rights; let them all be considered. It is well known that the slaves on
+these islands have always been kept in a state of greater ignorance of
+the world and all practical matters than those inhabiting the border
+States, or where there is a larger proportion of whites, with whom they
+often labor and associate. To emancipate them at once would be to do a
+great wrong to the white man, to the property, in whatever hands it
+might be, and a still greater injury to the slave. There can be but one
+way of disposing of this question which will satisfy the nation, and
+quiet the fears of the conservative, and preserve the hopes of the
+radical, which is, to pursue a _middle_ course--a policy which shall as
+nearly as possible equalize the question to all parties. Let the slave
+be retained on the plantation where he is found; and, as no race are so
+much attached to their own locality, so let them remain, place them
+under a proper system of APPRENTICESHIP, with a mild code of laws, where
+every right shall be protected, where suitable instruction, civil and
+religious, shall be given, and where the marriage rite shall be
+administered and respected. Under such laws and beneficent institutions,
+this territory would soon be settled by men from the West, the North,
+and from Europe, intelligent, enterprising, and industrious, who would
+retrieve its worn-out fields, and introduce new systems of culture, with
+all the modern labor-saving utensils. With kind treatment and new hopes,
+the simple sons of Africa would have inducements to labor and to await
+with patient hope the future and its rewards. Then would Beaufort
+District become what the Giver of all good designed it to be--the abode
+of an industrious, peaceful, and prosperous community. The production of
+its great staple, 'Sea-Island cotton,' would be immensely increased, and
+its quality improved, till it rivaled the silks of the Old World. The
+yield of rice would be doubled, and its gardens and orchards would
+supply the North with fruits now known only to the tropics.
+
+So soon as the new government was fairly inaugurated, and the condition
+of the land and its future cultivation settled, a movement would of
+necessity be made to found here a city which would be the great
+commercial metropolis of the South.
+
+Charleston was 'located' at the wrong place, simply with the object of
+being as distant as possible from the Spanish settlements, and has
+always suffered from an insufficient depth of water on its bars to
+accommodate the largest class of merchant ships. It has barely sixteen
+feet of water at high tide, and ships loaded as lightly as possible
+have often been obliged to wait for weeks to enter or leave the port. A
+decrease of one or two feet in its main channel would, in its palmiest
+days, have been fatal to its prosperity. The sinking of a dozen ships
+loaded with stone has no doubt placed a permanent barrier to the
+entrance of all but a small class of vessels. The ships themselves may
+soon be displaced or destroyed by the sea-worm, but the New England
+granite will prove a lasting monument to the folly and madness of the
+rebellion. The destruction of the best part of the city by fire seems
+also to show that Providence has designed it to be ranked only with the
+cities of the past.
+
+The productions of South Carolina have always been large and valuable,
+and since the completion of their system of railroad facilities they
+have greatly increased; therefore a commercial city is a necessity, and
+Port Royal must be its locality. Here is the noblest harbor south of the
+Chesapeake, with a draught of water of from twenty-five to thirty feet,
+enough for the largest-sized ships, and sufficient anchorage room for
+all the navies of the world. Our government should here have a naval
+depot to take the place of Norfolk, since there is no more suitable
+place on the whole coast. In this connection the name, Royal Port, is
+truly significant.
+
+The precise locality for the new city can not now be indicated, but we
+would suggest the point some two miles south-west of Beaufort, which
+would give it a position not unlike New York. It would have the straight
+Broad River for its Hudson, with a fine channel on the south and east
+communicating with numerous sounds and rivers. Its situation on an
+island of about the same length as Manhattan completes the parallel.
+
+The value of the produce conveyed over the sounds and rivers connecting
+with Port Royal, by sloops and steamers, must be counted by millions of
+dollars. We may estimate the crop of Sea-Island cotton at about fifteen
+thousand bales, or six millions of pounds, and of rice about fifty
+million pounds. Yankee enterprise would soon double the amount, and add
+to it an immense bulk of naval stores and lumber.
+
+But this is but a moiety of what the exports would be. A branch railroad
+only ten miles long would connect this port with all the railroads of
+South Carolina and Georgia, which, diverging from Charleston and
+Savannah, spread themselves over a large part of five States. This road
+would make tributary to this place a vast district of country.
+
+Savannah, which has for the last few years competed with Charleston for
+this trade, will soon feel the power of the government, and it must
+yield up a large part of its business to the more favorable location of
+the new city.
+
+A few short years, and what a change may come over these beautiful
+islands and the waters that hold them in its embrace! A fair city,
+active with its commerce and manufactures, wharves and streets lined
+with stores and dwellings, interspersed with churches and schools,
+inhabited by people from every section of our country, and from every
+part of Europe, all interested to improve their own condition, and all
+combining to add strength and wealth to the Union which they agree to
+respect, love, honor, and defend!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE ANTE-NORSE DISCOVERERS OF AMERICA.
+
+
+I. THE MYTHICAL ERA.
+
+Who were the first settlers in America?
+
+Within a few years our school-books pointed to Cristoval Colon, or
+Columbus, and his crew, as the first within the range of history who
+'passed far o'er the ocean blue' to this hemisphere. Now, however, even
+the school-books--generally the last to announce novel truths--say
+something of the Norsemen in America, though they frequently do it in a
+discrediting and discreditable way. However, the old Vikings have
+triumphed once more, even in their graves, and Professor Rafn can prove
+as conclusively that his fierce ancestry trod the soil of Boston as that
+the Mayflower Puritans followed in their footsteps. It is a dim old
+story, laid away in Icelandic manuscripts, and confirmed by but few
+relics on our soil; yet it is strong enough to give New England a link
+to the Middle Ages of Europe, with their wildest romance and strangest
+elements. It is pleasant to think that far back in the night there
+walked for a short season on these shores great men of that hearty
+Norse-Teuton race which in after times flowed through France into
+England, and from England through the long course of ages hitherward.
+Among the old Puritan names of New England there is more than one which
+may be found in the roll of Battle Abbey, and through the Norse-Norman
+spelling of which we trace the family origin of fierce sea-kings in
+their lowland isles or rocky lairs on the Baltic.
+
+But there are older links existing between America and Europe than this
+of the Norseman. Of these the first is indeed buried in mystery--leading
+us back into that sombre twilight of 'symbolism,' as the Germans
+somewhat obscurely call the study of the early ages whose records are
+lost, and which can only be traced by reflection in the resemblances
+between mythologies which argue a common origin, and the monuments
+remaining, which seem to establish it. Yes, America has this in common
+with every country of Asia, Europe, and Africa: she has relics which
+indicate that at one time she was inhabited by a race which had perhaps
+the same faith, the same stupendous nature-worship, with that of the Old
+World, and which was, to reason by analogy, _possibly_ identified by the
+same language and customs. What _was_ this race, this religion, this
+language? Who shall answer? Men like Faber, and Higgins, and Lajard,
+with scores of others, have unweariedly gathered together all the points
+of resemblance between the religions and mythologies of the Hindus and
+Egyptians and Chinese, the Druids and the Phenicians, the Etruscans and
+the Scandinavians, and old Sclavonic heathen, and found in and between
+and through them all a startling identity: everywhere the Serpent,
+everywhere the Queen of Heaven with her child, everywhere the cup of
+life and the bread and honey of the mysteries, with the salt of the
+orgie, everywhere a thousand fibres twining and trailing into each other
+in bewildering confusion, indicating a common origin, yet puzzling
+beyond all hope those who seek to find it. So vast is the wealth of
+material which opens on the scholar who seeks to investigate this common
+origin of mythologies, and with them the possible early identity of
+races and of languages, that he is almost certain to soon bury himself
+in a hypothesis and become lost in some blind alley of the great
+labyrinth.
+
+Certain points appear to have once existed in common to nations on every
+part of the earth previous to authentic history, and in these America
+had probably more or less her share, as appears from certain monuments
+and relics of her early races. They are as follows:--
+
+1. A worship of nature, based on the inscrutable mystery of generation
+with birth and death. As these two extremes caused each other, they were
+continually _identified_ in the religious myth or symbol employed to
+represent either.
+
+2. This great principle of action, developing itself into birth and
+death, was regarded as being symbolized in every natural object, and
+corresponding with these there were created myths, or 'stories,' setting
+forth the principal mystery of nature in a thousand poetic forms.
+
+3. The formula according to which all myths were shaped was that of
+transition, or _the passing through_. The germ, in the mother or in the
+plant, which after its sleep reappeared in life, was also recognized in
+Spring, or Adonis, coming to light and warmth after the long death of
+winter in the womb of the earth. The ark, which floats on the waters,
+bearing within it the regenerator, signified the same; so did the cup or
+horn into which the wine of life was poured and from which it was drunk;
+so too did nuts, or any object capable of representing latent existence.
+The passing into a cavern through a door between pillars or rocky
+passes, or even the wearing of rings, all intimated the same
+mystery--the going into and the coming forth into renewed life.
+
+4. But the great active principle which lay at the foundation of the
+mystery of birth and death, or of action, was set forth by the
+serpent--the type of good and evil, of life and destruction--the first
+intelligence. It is the constant recurrence of this symbol among the
+early monuments of America, as of the Old World, which proves most
+conclusively the existence at one time of a common religion, or
+'cultus.' It was probably meant to signify water from its wavy curves,
+and the snake-like course of rivers, as inundation seems to have been,
+according to early faith, the most prolific source of the destruction of
+nature, and yet the most active in its revival.
+
+There are in Brittany vast lines of massy Druidic stones, piled
+sometimes for leagues in regular order, in such a manner as to represent
+colossal serpents. Those who will consult the French _Dracontia_ will be
+astonished at the labor expended on these strange temples. Squier has
+shown that the earth-works of the West represent precisely the same
+symbol. Mexico and South America abound, like Europe and the East, in
+serpent emblems; they twine around the gods; they are gods themselves;
+they destroy as Typhon, and give life in the hands of Esculapius.
+
+In the United States, as in Europe and in the East, there are found in
+steep places, by difficult paths, always near the banks of streams,
+narrow, much-worn passages in rocks, through which one person[J] can
+barely squeeze, and which were evidently not intended for ordinary
+travel. The passing through these places was enjoined on religious
+votaries, as indicating respect for the great principle of regeneration.
+The peasants of Europe, here and there, at the present day, continue to
+pass through these rock or cave doors, 'for luck.' It was usual, after
+the transition, whether into a cave, where mysteries, feasts, and orgies
+were held, significant of 'the revival,' or merely through a narrow
+way,--to bathe in the invariably neighboring river; the serpent-river or
+water which drowns organic life, yet without which it dies.
+
+In England, at a comparatively recent period, and even yet occasionally
+in Scandinavia, the peasantry plighted their troth by passing their
+hands through the hole in the 'Odin-stones,' and clasping them. Beads
+and wedding rings and 'fairy-stones,' or those found with holes in them,
+were all linked to the same faith which rendered sacred every
+resemblance to the 'passing through.' The graves of both North and
+South America contain abundant evidence of the sacredness in which the
+same objects were held. I have a singularly-shaped soapstone ornament,
+taken from an Indian grave, whose perforation indicates the
+'fairy-stone.' The religious legends of Mexico and of Peru are too
+identical with many of the Old World to be passed over as coincidences;
+the gold images of Chiriqui, with their Baal bell-ringing figures, and
+serpent-girt, pot-bellied phallic idols, are too strikingly like those
+of _Old_ Ireland and of the East not to suggest some far-away common
+origin. I have good authority for saying that almost every symbol,
+whether of cup or dove, serpent or horn, flower or new moon, boat or
+egg, common to Old World mythology, may be found set forth or preserved
+with the emphasis of religious emblems in the graves or ruined temples
+of ancient North America.
+
+The mass of evidence which has been accumulated by scholars illustrative
+of a common origin of mythologies and a centralization of them around
+the serpent; or, as G.S. Faber will have it, the Ark; or, as some think,
+the heavenly bodies; or, as others claim, simply a worship of paternity
+and maternity,--is immense. Why they should claim separate precedence
+for symbols, all of which set forth the one great mystery how GOD
+'weaves and works in action's storm,' is only explicable on the ground
+that 'every scholar likes to have his own private little pet
+hypothesis.' Enough, however, may be found to show that this stupendous
+nature-worship _was_ held the world over,--_possibly_ in the days of a
+single language,--in America as in ancient Italy, or around the sacred
+mountain-crags of India; in Lebanon as in Ireland, in the garden-lands
+of Assyria, and in the isles of the South.
+
+Yet all this is as yet, for the truly scientific ethnologist, only
+half-fact, indefinite, belonging to the cloud-land of fable. The poet or
+the thinker, yearning for a new basis of art, may find in the immense
+mass of legends and symbols an identification between all the forms of
+nature in a vast harmony and mutual reflection of every beautiful
+object; but for the man of facts it is unformed, not arranged, useless.
+We know not the color of the race or races which piled the Western
+mounds; their languages are lost; they are vague mist-gods, living in a
+dimmer medium than that of mere tradition. So ends the first period of
+intercommunication between Asia--the probable birthplace of the old
+mythology--and America.
+
+
+II. THE CHINESE DISCOVERERS OF MEXICO IN THE FIFTH CENTURY.
+
+But there is a second link, ere we come to the Norsemen, which is strong
+enough to merit the favorable consideration of the scientific man, for
+it rests on evidence worthy serious investigation. I refer to the fact
+that the Chinese-Annals, or Year Books,--which, according to good
+authority, have been well kept, and which are certainly prosaic and
+blue-bookish enough in their mass of dry details of embassies and
+expenditures to be highly credible,--testify that in the fifth century
+the Chinese learned the situation of the great peninsula Aliaska, which
+they named Tahan, or Great China. Beyond this, at the end of the fifth
+century,--be it observed that the advances in discovery correspond in
+time in the records,--they discovered a land which Deguignes long after
+identified with the north-west coast of America. With each discovery,
+the people of these new lands were compelled, or were represented at
+court as having been compelled, to send ambassadors wife tribute to the
+Central Realm, or China.
+
+But there had been unofficial Chinese travelers in Western America, and
+even in Mexico itself, before this time. Those who have examined the
+history of that vast religious movement of Asia which, contemporary with
+Christianity, shook the hoary faiths of the East, while a higher and
+purer doctrine was overturning those of the West, are aware that it had
+many external points or forms in common with those of the later Roman
+church, which have long been a puzzle to the wise. To say nothing of
+mitres, tapers, violet robes, rosaries, bells, convents, auricular
+confession, and many other singular identities, the early Buddhist
+church distinguished itself by a truly catholic zeal for the making of
+converts, and, to effect this, sent its emissaries to Central Africa and
+Central Russia; from the Sclavonian frontier on the west to China,
+Japan, and the farthest Russian isles of the east. On they went; who
+shall say where they paused? We know that there are at this day in St.
+Petersburg certain books on black paper taken from a Buddhist temple
+found in a remote northern corner of Russia. It was much less of an
+undertaking, and much less singular, that Chinese priests should pass,
+by short voyages, from island to island, almost over the proposed
+Russian route for the Pacific telegraph to America. That they _did so_
+is explicitly stated in the Year Books, which contain details relative
+to _Fusang_, or Mexico, where it is said of the inhabitants that 'in
+earlier times these people lived not according to the laws of Buddha.
+But it happened in the second "year-naming" "Great Light" of Song (A.D.
+458), that five beggar monks, from the kingdom Kipin, went to this land,
+extended over it the religion of Buddha, and with it his holy writings
+and images. They instructed the people in the principles of monastic
+life, and so changed their manners.'
+
+But I am anticipating my subject. In another chapter I propose, on the
+authority of Professor Neumann, a learned Sinologist of Munich, to set
+forth the proofs that in the last year of the fifth century a Buddhist
+priest, bearing the cloister name of Hoei-schin, or Universal
+Compassion, returned from America, and gave for the first time an
+official account of the country which he had visited, which account was
+recorded, and now remains as a simple fact among the annual registers of
+the government.
+
+[TO BE CONTINUED.]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE SPUR OF MONMOUTH.
+
+
+  'Twas a little brass half-circlet,
+    Deep gnawed by rust and stain,
+  That the farmer's urchin brought me,
+    Plowed up on old Monmouth plain;
+  On that spot where the hot June sunshine
+    Once a fire more deadly knew,
+  And a bloodier color reddened
+    Where the red June roses blew;--
+
+  Where the moon of the early harvest
+    Looked down through the shimmering leaves,
+  And saw where the reaper of battle
+    Had gathered big human sheaves.
+  Old Monmouth, so touched with glory--
+    So tinted with burning shame--
+  As Washington's pride we remember,
+    Or Lee's long tarnished name.
+
+  'Twas a little brass half-circlet;
+    And knocking the rust away,
+  And clearing the ends and the middle
+    From their buried shroud of clay,
+  I saw, through the damp of ages
+    And the thick disfiguring grime,
+  The buckle-heads and the rowel
+    Of a spur of the olden time.
+
+  And I said--what gallant horseman,
+    Who revels and rides no more,
+  Perhaps twenty years back, or fifty,
+    On his heel that weapon wore?
+  Was he riding away to his bridal,
+    When the leather snapped in twain?
+  Was he thrown and dragged by the stirrup,
+    With the rough stones crushing his brain?
+
+  Then I thought of the Revolution,
+    Whose tide still onward rolls--
+  Of the free and the fearless riders
+    Of the 'times that tried men's souls.'
+  What if, in the day of battle
+    That raged and rioted here,
+  It had dropped from the foot of a soldier,
+    As he rode in his mad career?
+
+  What if it had ridden with Forman,
+    When he leaped through the open door,
+  With the British dragoon behind him,
+    In his race o'er the granary floor?
+  What if--but the brain grows dizzy
+    With the thoughts of the rusted spur;
+  What if it had fled with Clinton,
+    Or charged with Aaron Burr?
+
+  But bravely the farmer's urchin
+    Had been scraping the rust away;
+  And cleansed from the soil that swathed it,
+    The spur before me lay.
+  Here are holes in the outer circle--
+    No common heel it has known,
+  For each space, I see by the setting,
+    Once held some precious stone.
+
+  And here--not far from the buckle--
+    Do my eyes deceive their sight?--
+  Two letters are here engraven,
+    That initial a hero's might!
+  'G.W.'! Saints of heaven!
+    Can such things in our lives occur?
+  Do I grasp such a priceless treasure?
+    Was this _George Washington's spur_?
+
+  Did the brave old _Pater Patrioe_
+    Wear that spur like a belted knight--
+  Wear it through gain and disaster,
+    From Cambridge to Monmouth flight?
+  Did it press his steed in hot anger
+    On Long Island's day of pain?
+  Did it drive him, at terrible Princeton,
+    'Tween two storms of leaden rain?
+
+  And here--did the buckle loosen,
+    And no eye look down to see,
+  When he rode to blast with the lightning
+    The shrinking eyes of Lee?
+  Did it fall, unfelt and unheeded,
+    When that fight of despair was won,
+  And Clinton, worn and discouraged,
+    Crept away at the set of sun?
+
+  The lips have long been silent
+    That could send an answer back;
+  And the spur, all broken and rusted,
+    Has forgotten its rider's track!
+  I only know that the pulses
+    Leap hot, and the senses reel,
+  When I think that the Spur of Monmouth
+    May have clasped George Washington's heel!
+
+  And if it be so, O Heaven,
+    That the nation's destiny holds,
+  And that maps the good and the evil
+    In the future's bewildering folds,
+  Send forth some man of the people,
+    Unspotted in heart and hand,
+  On his foot to buckle the relic,
+    And charge for a periled land!
+
+  There is fire in our fathers' ashes;
+    There is life in the blood they shed;
+  And not a hair unheeded
+    Shall fall from the nation's head.
+  Old bones of the saints and the martyrs
+    Spring up at the church's call:--
+  God grant that the Spur of Monmouth
+    Prove the mightiest relic of all!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE FATAL MARRIAGE OF BILL THE SOUNDSER.
+
+
+Reader, possibly you do not know what a 'Soundser' is. Then I will tell
+you. In the coastwise part of the State of New Jersey in which I live,
+numerous sounds and creeks everywhere divide and intersect the low,
+sea-skirting lands, wherein certain people are wont to cruise and delve
+for the sake of securing their products, and hence come to be known in
+our homely style as Soundsers. The fruitage afforded by these sounds is
+both manifold and of price. Throughout all the pleasant weather, they
+yield, with but little intermission, that gastronomic gem, the terrapin;
+the succulent, hard-shell clam, and the 'soft' crab; the deep-lurking,
+snowy-fleshed hake, or king-fish; the huge, bell-voiced drum, and that
+sheen-banded pride of American salt-water fishes, the sheepshead. During
+the waning weeks of May, and also with the continuance of dog-days, this
+already profuse bounty receives a goodly accession in the shape of vast
+flocks of willets, curlews, gray-backs, and other marine birds, which,
+with every ebb tide, resort to their shoaler bars and flats, to take on
+those layers of fat which the similarly well-conditioned old gentleman
+of the city finds so inexpressibly delicious. When the summer is once,
+over, and while the cold weather prevails, they furnish another and
+quite new set of dainties. Then the span-long, ripe, 'salt' oyster is to
+be had for the raking of their more solidly-bottomed basins; and all
+along their more retired nooks and harbors, the gunner, by taking proper
+precautions, may bring to bag the somewhat 'sedgy' but still
+well-flavored black duck, the tender widgeon, the buttery little
+bufflehead, the incomparable canvas-back, and the loud-shrieking,
+sharp-eyed wild goose. All this various booty is industriously secured
+by the 'soundsers,' to find, ere long, a ready market in the larger
+inland towns and cities. But united to this shooting, fishing, and
+oyster-catching, they have another 'trade' whose scene is on the waters,
+though it connects itself with the sea, rather than the sounds, and
+_this_ is 'wrecking.' They are prompt for this service whenever the
+occasion requires; indeed, I sometimes think they prefer it, dangerous
+though it be, before all others. Inured as they are to every sort of
+exposure, they are of course a tough and rugged race; and what with
+their diversity of occupation, calling, as it does, for a constant
+interchange of the use of the gun, net, boat, fishing line, and some one
+or other arm or edge tool, they are usually, nay, almost invariably,
+handy and quick-witted.
+
+By far the most notable 'soundser' our neighborhood ever bred was my
+hero, BILL. Physically, at least, he was a true wonder. He stood full
+six feet two, weighed eleven score pounds, and at the same time carried
+no more flesh than sufficed to hide the exact outline of his bones.
+Another man so strong as he I have never seen. I have repeatedly known
+him to lift and walk off with anchors weighing five and six hundred
+weight; and those big, thick hands of his could twist any horseshoe as
+if it were a girl's wreath. Certainly he was not in the least graceful;
+that 'ponderosity' of his could in no way be repressed. But he was still
+of rude comeliness, his shape being squarely fitted and tolerably
+proportioned, while his broad, red-maned visage wore a constant glow of
+plain, though sincere, kindliness and good-humor.
+
+As his physical man was uncommon, so he had uncommon mental endowments.
+He was the only 'soundser' I ever knew who understood farming. He had
+inherited a farmstead of some twenty-five or thirty acres, and this he
+soon had blooming as the rose. When occasion required, he wrought on
+it, day and night. He divided it, with truest judgment, into proper
+fields, experimented successfully with various kinds of novel manures
+(most of which he obtained from the sea), grew stock, planted, in
+rotation, and, with only here and there a sympathizer, gave in his full
+adherence to the theory of root culture. And he was a mechanic. He could
+build house or barn to the last beam, and ship or boat to the last
+joint; nay, he once devised the model of a self-righting life-boat,
+which I have often heard shipmasters, and even real shipwrights, descant
+upon in the highest terms of praise. Moreover, I can affirm that he was
+a navigator. It is true that the _science_ of seamanship, as set forth
+in books, he had never mastered. But he knew right well what winds of a
+certain force and direction foretold, what waves of a certain height and
+aspect meant; and this knowledge, combined with a squint, now and then,
+at his pocket compass, sufficed to enable him to take a vessel with
+safety anywhere along our coast.
+
+But while my old pal showed high abilities in other arts, as a
+'soundser' and wrecker he was not to be matched. He brought to the first
+of these pursuits a clearness of observation which would have met the
+approbation of many an acknowledged man of science. He knew every sort
+of food which bird and fish fed upon, where it was to be found, and the
+circumstances favorable to its production. He knew why the game resorted
+to certain spots yesterday, and avoided them to-day; what
+circumstances--and they are very many--impelled it to joyousness or
+quietude; and what were most of its minor instincts. And all this was
+done _thoroughly_, withal. There was no haphazard or uncertainty in any
+of his conclusions. Taking thought of sundry conditions, he could tell
+at any time when such a thing was applicable; how many sheepsheads one
+could catch in the sounds; whether the _honk_ of the wild goose, flying
+overhead, announced that he was on his way to a fresh-water pool or a
+bar of gravel; whether the black ducks were cooling their thirsty
+gizzards in a woodland pond, sitting scattered about the marshes, or
+huddling together on the bosom of the sea. In a word, his mind had
+gathered unto itself every law, of the least importance, affecting the
+existence of such wild creatures about us as cost any pains to bring to
+hand; and thus he was literally master over them, and held their lives
+subject to his will. That this power was really surprising, will hardly
+be disputed; and since we, his associates, could in no way possess
+ourselves of the like, it passed among us for something almost
+miraculous.
+
+Still, brilliant 'soundser' as old Bill was, he was far greater as a
+wrecker; since I am now about to relate an occurrence in the line which
+proves him a veritable hero. As is perfectly well known, our American
+coast is often the scene of fearful storms, which deal out wide-spread
+destruction to mariners. With us, these gales are commonest in February,
+and hence this month is held in marked dread. Some years ago, in the
+season referred to, a storm burst upon our shores, whose like only a few
+of the older among us had ever known. After fitfully moaning from the
+northward and eastward for a day or two, the wind, one morning, finally
+settled due north-east,--thus sweeping directly upon the land,--and blew
+a hurricane. It was excessively cold, too, yet not so cold but that a
+fine, dry snow was falling, though from the fury of the wind this could
+settle nowhere, but was driven, whirling and surging, before the blast
+in dense clouds. In short, it was a time of truly unearthly wildness;
+and our hearts sank the deeper in us, since we knew what ere long must
+inevitably occur. At last, within an hour or two of nightfall, the sound
+of a ship's bell, rung hurriedly, pealed towards us along the uproar of
+the tempest, and by this we were made aware that a vessel had been
+wrecked on a certain shoal rising up in the ocean, about two miles from
+that part of the beach nearest our village. To go to the rescue of this
+vessel, at this time, was absolutely impossible. For, to say nothing of
+the wrath of the winds, the air was so thick with snow that, in the
+speedily advancing hours of darkness, in which we should not fail to be
+entrapped, we would be powerless to find our way at sea a foot. There
+was no help for it; the poor victims of the shipwreck must that very
+night know death in one or another most terrifying shape, 'if it was the
+will of the Lord.' With this mournful conviction, about twenty of us
+gathered at old Bill's house with the closing in of a darkness as of
+Tartarus, and kept its watches. The anger of the storm abated in no way
+whatever till morning, and then the sole change that took place was a
+somewhat thinner aspect of the driving snow. Yet, even when this was
+discerned, every man of us hastened to draw over his ordinary winter
+garb an oil-cloth suit which enveloped him from head to foot, and
+soberly announced himself ready to do his duty in the strait. That we
+should be exposed to the greatest dangers was absolutely certain; and
+whether a single survivor of the terrors of that awful night yet clung
+to the few frail timbers in the sea, for us to rescue, none but Heaven
+knew; still, the manhood of each demanded that what was possible to be
+done in the matter we should at least attempt.
+
+And so we started; the leader being old Bill, who to some end, that I
+could not then divine, bore a boat-sail bundled on his back. Our first
+business was to make way to our surf or life boat. This lay about three
+miles from the village, reckoning as the crow flies, and was sheltered
+under a rude house which stood on the shores of a bay opening by an
+inlet into the sea. Our common way of gaining this house was through a
+circuitous passage of the sounds; but these we soon discovered, in
+consonance with a previous prediction of old Bill's, were entirely
+frozen over save in certain parts of their channels; and hence, this
+route being unnavigable for such boats as were at hand, which, without
+exception, were light gunning and fishing skiffs, we were forced to
+avail ourselves of a barely practicable land track of which we knew, and
+which, as it led about among the marshes, was also circuitous. And the
+necessity of choosing this land path added to our difficulties, in that
+we were forced to provide ourselves with a small batteau and drag it
+behind us, to be able to cross many ditches and sloughs with which it
+was barred, and which, particularly along their edges, were never really
+frozen. After toiling and battling for a long period, and at the same
+time having to face the most painfully cutting wind that burst
+unobstructedly over the level area of the marshes, we at last reached
+the house wherein the life-boat lay, and when old Bill had scrutinized
+its oars, and stored it with a mingled collection of cordage, canvas and
+spars, we ran it into the water. But now another trouble arose. The bay,
+like the sounds of which indeed it formed a part, was covered with
+ice,--either in solid sheets, or that thick slush, peculiar to ocean
+estuaries, which is chiefly known as 'porridge ice,'--and, from its
+comparative shallowness, covered so densely, too, that if we had trusted
+to getting our boat out of it by sheer rowing, it would have taken us
+the entire day so to do. In this emergency nothing would serve but that
+we must advance bodily into the water, and, crushing and clearing away
+the ice with our feet, drag the boat, in a depth at least sufficient for
+her to float, to the entrance of the inlet, where the current ran so
+strongly that no ice could gather. After a severely trying amount of
+labor, this point was finally gained, and we stood fairly in front of
+the tall, thundering breakers; whereupon each man nimbly jumped to his
+place in the craft, that of steersman being the post of old Bill.
+
+As we gave way on our oars, we shot along the inlet without much
+difficulty; and presently old Bill announced that, he caught a faint
+sight of the wreck in the distance--to all appearance 'most all gone but
+the hull.' But we had little or no opportunity to indulge in speculation
+or remark on the discovery, for in a moment or two we began to oppose
+the wildness of the open main, and the hour of our real trial set in.
+For the first time we could now appreciate the full force of the gale.
+Good Heavens, how it blew! The waters seemed alive and in direst
+convulsion. Everywhere huge walls of breakers were constantly upheaved
+to be felled and shattered with a roar as of some terrific cannonade;
+while the air became the arena for a helter-skelter tossing of sheets of
+spray, clots of froth, and spirts of brine, which plentifully assailed
+our poor boat in their madness, and, besides partially filling her with
+slush, encased every man in a complete coating of ice. If our craft had
+not been modeled with the very highest degree of skill, and if our
+steersman had not been one of a thousand, we could have made no headway
+at all in this appalling tumult. As it was, our advance was of the
+weakest, and its success seemed very doubtful, let our efforts be what
+they might. Not but what we could sufficiently hold our own in the swirl
+of the vanquished waves; but when they swooped upon us in their full
+stature, they not only sent the boat back as if she had been a mere
+feather, but with a second's awkwardness on the part of old Bill they
+would have flung her clean over from stem to stern, and our places among
+the living would have been vacant. Having strained every nerve for
+nearly two hours, we were still but part way through the breakers, while
+some of the men began to complain of fatigue; with which old Bill seized
+a favorable opportunity to put the boat about, and we were swept ashore
+on the beach as in the twinkling of an eye. Here, we secured our boat by
+hauling her high and dry on the strand; freed her from the slush and
+water which had gained in her bottom; and then retired to the leeward of
+a range of sand hills near by, to recruit our energies.
+
+With full leisure to ponder over the difficulties confronting our
+expedition, some few of the crew now began to 'speak it foully,' and
+even to emit gruff proposals to return homewards. But to these waverers
+old Bill at once administered the sternest rebuke; and, as they at last
+held their peace, he averred with a gay smile (for he dearly loved the
+presence of danger, and could never be brought to look on it other than
+as a rough sort of irresponsible horse-play, over which he was sure in
+one way or another to gain the mastery), that he had now weighed all the
+conditions of the pass, and that the next time we attempted it we should
+assuredly prevail. This assertion, coming from such a source, encouraged
+one and all very greatly; and ere long we cheerfully launched our boat
+once more, and again began to tug at the quivering oars. In a very
+little while it became apparent enough that the tactics that Bill
+intended to adopt in our present venture were very different from those
+put in practice with the last. Instead of boldly facing the breakers as
+he had heretofore done, he now began his maneuvering by laying us
+directly in the trough of the sea,--planting the boat a little
+crosswise, however, so as to prevent an untoward swell from riding over
+her side and thus filling her,--and the instant he saw an advancing
+breaker beginning to fracture, as a prelude to its downfall and
+destruction, he boldly sped us, when the thing was at all practicable,
+straight in the teeth of the gap, and as it proceeded to widen, we shot
+through it, with the surf leaping and tossing on either hand high above
+our heads. This stroke could have been possible only to a steersman
+possessed of herculean strength, combined with the rarest daring and
+coolness; and, as the result of these qualities, it was exceedingly
+effective. It lessened the danger of our being capsized almost entirely.
+Indeed, the sole mishap that was threatened by so doing, was the
+liability to being swamped by the falling fragments of the breakers;
+but this peril old Bill declared we might safely trust he would also
+avert. It being the nature of humanity to experience a mood of high
+exaltation with the surmounting of any serious obstacle, we now worked
+our way with minds light and cheery, and with all thoughts of anything
+like fatigue completely forgotten. Though our course was on the whole a
+zigzag one, and though we certainly met with one or two serious rebuffs,
+we were constantly gaining headway, and in something over an hour forced
+the last line of the breakers, and stemmed what on ordinary occasions
+would have been simply the blue body of the Atlantic. But even here a
+huge commotion was reigning, though our progress was far less tedious
+than it had previously been; and with about another hour's labor we were
+alongside the wreck, and had climbed to her deck.
+
+The plight of the vessel was mournful enough. She had evidently been
+built for a three-masted schooner, but, as Bill had observed when he
+first obtained a view of her, everything about her was well-nigh gone
+save her hull. Her bulwarks had been thoroughly crushed, and so the sea
+had successively torn away her boats, shivered her galley and
+wheelhouse, and filled her cabin and hold. Her masts were also
+destroyed, the fore and mizzen masts being carried away from their
+steppings, and the main-mast broken completely in twain just above the
+cross-trees. But a sight still more desolate, as well as harrowing, yet
+awaited us, as, in overhauling the sail-encumbered shrouds of the
+partially standing mast, we discovered several ice-bound figures rigidly
+hanging therein, which, being cut away and lowered to our boat, proved
+to be the body of a negro perfectly stark and dead, and three most
+pitiable white sailors, whose life was so far extinguished that they
+could neither move hand nor foot, nor utter more than the feeblest
+moans.
+
+When we had covered the face of the dead and sheltered the well-nigh
+dead as best we could in the bottom of our boat, of course our chief
+thought was to return to the shore as swiftly as possible. But on this
+head there was no call to entertain the smallest solicitude; for after
+old Bill, from a motive that we could not yet name, had 'stepped' a mast
+through one of the foremost thwarts of the boat, and rigged a sail all
+ready to be spread, we cast off from the wreck, and presently, dropping
+into the full strength of the wind, were swept onward like an arrow,
+with scarce the least use of any other oar than that in the hands of our
+stalwart steersman. Speedily crossing the outer waters, we leaped and
+bounded over the breakers; and when old Bill, as we were rushing along
+the inlet, gave orders for the hoisting of the sail, we not only
+hastened to obey him, but immediately saw an all-important reason for
+the command. For we were now about entering the ice of the sounds; and
+as the boat flew in its midst, her stiff, tight sail drove her through
+the stubborn obstruction as easily and in much the same manner as the
+steam plow rips up the matted bosom of the prairies. In due season we
+reached the landing where we usually disembarked from the sounds, and
+where we found a wagon awaiting us, to which we bore our sad freightage,
+and led the way for old Bill's house. On arriving, we laid the corpse in
+an outbuilding and carried the sailors into a bedroom. But what was to
+be next done? To tell the truth, most of us knew no more than so many
+children. But here our leader again showed his knowledge. Strongly
+condemning the lighting of a fire in the apartment,--which some one was
+about to do,--he set us busily at work bringing him a good supply of
+tubs, and buckets of cold water, into which he dipped the naked persons
+of the sufferers; and as this treatment, combined with a patient, gentle
+chafing, which was also administered, at last restored the flow of their
+vital forces, he gave them a few spoonfuls of broth apiece, and, while
+they looked a gratefulness they could nowise express, lifted them like
+babes with his giant arms to warm beds, where they fell into what was
+at first a fitful, broken slumber, but finally a childlike, placid
+sleep. They were saved!
+
+If the reader is now curious to know why a man like old Bill was not a
+patrician and captain in the campaign of life, rather than the mere
+private and plebeian he was, I can answer that there were several things
+which impeded that consummation. His character, though of wonderful
+height and force in some respects, was, after all, without true
+discipline, and presented many glaring incongruities. Thus, whatever he
+had of what could really be named ambition was satisfied when he had
+surprised us 'soundsers;' and our praise--and we lavished it upon him in
+full measure, as we knew he liked it--was all the praise he seemed to
+desire. Then, he was altogether one of us in his notions of pleasure and
+recreation. Like the rest of us, he cordially appreciated the sparkling
+product of the New England distilleries, and far more than any of us--to
+such a pitch did his animal spirits rule--he relished our broad sea-side
+jokes and songs, and as well our rattling jigs and hornpipes. As for
+others attempting to elevate him to a more exalted station, the thing
+was simply impossible. When led of his own accord to seek other society
+than ours, he could by no means content himself with the companionship
+of staid practical persons, who on account of his latent worth would
+have readily countenanced, and with the least opportunity even served
+him, but he invariably paid his court to adventurers; such creatures,
+for instance, as seedy 'professors' of one kind or another, who, in the
+inevitable shawl and threadbare suit of black, were constantly
+dismounting at the village tavern, with proposals either to 'lecture' on
+something, or 'teach' somewhat, as the case might happen to be, and who,
+having no affinity whatever with the brawny, awkward Viking who fondly
+hung on their shabby-genteel skirts, amused themselves at his greenness,
+or pooh-pooh'd him altogether, as they saw fit. And when, as it not
+unfrequently happened, official and influential individuals at a
+distance were moved by the story of his renown to pay him their respects
+in person, and listen courteously and gravely to his opinions, his
+discrimination stood him in no better stead, for as soon as he possibly
+could he bent the conference towards a sailor's revel, and astonished
+his stately visitants by singing the spiciest songs, and sometimes even
+by a Terpsichorean display in full costume; for he was excessively proud
+of his accomplishments in this line, and implicitly believed that the
+shaking of his elephantine limbs, and the whirling of his broad,
+coatless flanks, formed a spectacle so tasteful and entertaining, that
+no one could fail to enjoy it to the utmost. Assuredly I have now said
+enough as to old Bill's incapacities for a grander role in life. In
+reality that part of a lofty manhood to which he at first sight seemed
+fitted, was not his; for, properly speaking, he was not an actual man,
+but a boy--a grand and glorious boy, if you will, but yet a very boy;
+and at length he met the fate of a boy, as we shall learn.
+
+Once more we were engaged upon a wreck. But this time it was in no
+hyperborean tempest that we were called forth, but when the very
+sweetest airs of June were blowing. The case demanding our aid was that
+of a wrecking schooner which had gaily left her moorings in New York
+harbor to pick up a summer's living along the coast, but had
+inadvertently cut up some of her capers rather too near our beach, and
+so with one fine ebb tide found herself stranded. As it was an instance
+of sickness in the regularly graduated and scientific college itself,
+our whole shore was intensely 'tickled' at the accident. And again, as
+this doctress, like many another ailing leech, was quite incapable of
+curing her own suffering, her toddy-blossom-faced bully of a New York
+captain was pleased to salute old Bill with cup high in air, and beg
+that he would take a sufficient force and heave the distressed craft
+into deep water. Thus a crew of us were called together and set to work
+at the vessel. As the weather was so warm and beautiful, and as bed and
+board were at this time to be had on the beach, we agreed among us that
+our convenience would be the better served by taking up our temporary
+quarters near the scene of our labors. Now, the place where we were
+offered the necessary accommodation consisted of an ancient plank-built
+tenement, which stood behind a sand-ridge that a far younger Atlantic
+than ours had piled up, and then, retreating, abandoned. In winter this
+rude domicile was bare and tenantless; but in the summer months it was
+usually occupied by some thriftless gammer or gaffer from the main-land,
+who, having stocked it with a few of the coarsest household goods, and
+whatever provisions came to hand, offered entertainment to such wreckers
+and 'soundsers' as happened to be in its vicinity. The present incumbent
+of the hostel was a woman, claiming to be a widow, of the name of Rose;
+bearing in most respects no resemblance whatever to any of her
+predecessors. Where she was born, or had hitherto resided, none of us
+knew: all that gossip could, gather was that she had unexpectedly
+descended from a passing vessel with her effects and entered directly
+the abandoned house. When questioned as to the scene of her earlier
+life, she vaguely gave answer that she had disported herself largely in
+'Philadelphy;' but as no 'Philadelphy' woman that ever walked through a
+doorway was or is able to compound a chowder or bake a clam pie worthy
+of the name, and as Madame Rose understood how to prepare both these
+luxuries to a charm, her statement must have been false; she was,
+undoubtedly, a 'coast-wise' lady, and one who knew who Jack was as well
+as he himself did. Her appearance was, on the whole, agreeable. She was
+tall, slender, of regular features, and, though indisputably on the
+shady side of forty, was still free from any signs that would proclaim
+her charms to be on the wane. I remember in particular that she had
+long, white and regular teeth, thereby strongly contrasting with our
+native women, who as a rule lose their teeth early. Her manners were
+very novel to us. She was invariably of a simpering, ducking turn, and
+interlarded her curt speech with curiously hard words. In dress she
+carried matters with an incomparably high hand. She wore hoops 'all day
+long,'--a freak then never even so much as thought of in our
+village,--adorned her fingers with many rings, and her throat with large
+florid brooches, and in the evening, after having brought her household
+duties to a close, sat here or there with her sewing, in silks (though
+perhaps not of the newest), or other highly-civilized stuffs.
+
+Most of our crew regarded their hostess with greatly mingled feelings;
+but old Bill entertained but one sentiment for her,--that of unqualified
+admiration. As we only 'wrought' at the stranded schooner on the high
+water,--some five hours out of the twenty-four,--he had plenty of
+opportunity to dangle after his dearie, and did so unremittingly. While
+the rest of us were either napping, dancing the lively 'straight four,'
+hunting herns' eggs among the sand-hills, and so on, according to our
+inclination, he, in far more romantic mood, seized all possible
+opportunities to quickly gather fire-wood for his charmer, fill her
+tea-kettle, open whatever clams and oysters she was about to cook, and,
+above all, to recount for her delight one of those inimitable yarns of
+his, at whose points he himself was sure to laugh till the rafters of
+the house shook and the plates in the dresser rattled again. But this
+was merely the first stage of his passion. Before long, as is not
+unusual in such cases, it took another and more bodeful turn. That
+inextinguishable laughter of his was heard no more, or at best gave
+place to a feeble tittering; his stories dropped from his lips with but
+flat pungency; and instead of performing his lady-love's 'chores' with a
+mirthful readiness, he went through them in a heartsick way, the while
+directing towards her furtive looks of supplication. The true state of
+matters was now obvious to all Old Bill was another fatally-stricken
+victim of that spooney archer-boy who next to death holds dominion over
+men; and with his case, thus momentous, we could but feel a renewed
+interest in his behalf, and busy our tongues about him. I, for my part,
+thought that as he was a widower, and needful of a wife to comfort him
+in his advancing age, and that as the present object of his affections,
+if not a highly 'forcible' woman, seemed at all events to be one of whom
+no great harm was to be feared, there could be no valid objection to his
+being joined to her; particularly if nothing was divulged proving her to
+be other than what she seemed. But this view I found to be on the whole
+unacceptable to my auditory. Almost to a man they condemned the
+propriety of the match. It could not actually be said that they disliked
+Mrs. Hose, but they were jealous of her, as, in her manner and style of
+array, she considerably dimmed the lustre of their own women; and they
+distrusted her as she was a stranger; it being a marked habit with most
+of our folks to distrust all strangers save those from whom they expect
+pecuniary awards. But meanwhile, notwithstanding this criticism, the
+little idyl in our midst was developing itself apace. On the afternoon
+of one beautiful Sunday, a day in which we of course ordinarily did no
+work, when the dinner-table had been well cleared away, what should we
+see but old Bill swinging forth with his sailor gait from the house, and
+arrayed as jauntily as his check shirt and pea-jacket (his only suit of
+apparel at hand) would permit, to be speedily followed by Mrs. Rose, who
+with one set of finger-tips held up the light folds of a sweetly blue
+lawn skirt, and with the other bore aslant before her a bewitching pink
+parasol. Undoubtedly there was a great indulgence in sly winks and
+suppressed titterings on the part of such of us as chanced to be
+witnesses of this at once festal and sentimental sally; but the twain
+heeded naught whatsoever of these manifestations, but struck off along
+the snow-white strand where the sea was droning its hymn so lazily that
+it would have inevitably put itself to sleep, if the fish-hawks had not
+so continually disturbed it by mischievously diving headlong into its
+bosom. At last they returned again; and we soon became aware that the
+stroll had not been without great results to both; since Mrs. Rose
+affected to be laboring under a high degree of emotion, and retired to
+the privacy of her apartment, while old Bill was by no means the
+dolorous swain of a few hours before, but, making his way among us, with
+his wide mouth stretching its best, proceeded formally to shake hands
+with one and all as though he had finally got back from a long and
+arduous voyage; and then, merrily calling for a certain brown jug which
+was among our stores, removed the corn-cob which served as a cork, and
+having wetted his great heart with a draught which I have no doubt
+measured a full pint, fell, entirely regardless of the day, to
+performing his most spirited hoe-down, while the most of us looked on
+with a mirth that knew no bounds.
+
+Yes, old Bill was now 'a happy man,' Mrs. Rose could but accept such a
+suitor as he, if but from the fact that; his ardor and his pain were of
+the freshest complexion, and of an amplitude fully proportioned to that
+of his extraordinary physical bulk. As we tendered him our
+congratulations upon his happy state, he received the courtesy with
+extreme complacency. But, to tell the truth, those who did thus
+congratulate him were but few. Most of the men remained of their old
+mind as to the proposed match; indeed, I ere long found that they looked
+upon it with less favor than ever. It appeared that they had been
+inflamed with a rumor that Mrs. Rose intended to beguile her adorer to a
+foreign shore, where a scion or two of her brilliant house found happy
+sustenance; and that nothing but evil could accrue from such an act, was
+of course as clear as noonday. Now, when I came to trace this rumor to
+its source, I became apprised that it owed its publicity to an old man
+of our number known by the nickname of 'Mister,' who was remarkable for
+a rare amount of credulity, self-conceit, and obstinacy, and at the same
+time for being the invariable butt of his company. This wiseacre averred
+that he had succeeded in wringing from Mrs. Rose the confession that
+directly she and old Bill were made man and wife, they were to depart
+for Hatteras Inlet, on the coast of North Carolina, where the lady gay
+possessed 'relations;' and this narrative, wofully muttered about among
+our crew, and accompanied with a due amount of sighs and head-shakings,
+had depressed them most fearfully, not withstanding the character of the
+narrator.
+
+The fact of the matter was, that most of the men were actually desirous
+that a betrothal, contracted directly in the face of public opinion, and
+without the smallest deference to anybody, as that of old Bill and Mrs.
+Rose had been, should come to some kind of grief or other, and they were
+fain to believe that it would do so. As for me, I was without true
+concern on the subject, as I had ever been. If it should indeed fall out
+that old Bill was to take a trip to Hatteras with his bride, I was
+convinced that he would enjoy himself famously among the great abundance
+of fish and game said to abound in that place, and that in the end he
+would return to us again, to rule over us in greater splendor than ever;
+as for his sweetheart or any of her like doing him any actual injury,
+the idea seemed so preposterous to me, that whenever an opportunity
+presented itself I did not fail to ridicule it to the utmost. Still, in
+order to do my whole duty in the matter, I hastened to impress old Bill
+with the importance of his becoming acquainted with the antecedents of
+his lady-love, and thus saving himself from the possibility of a
+misstep. But this counsel did no farther good than to bring a clouded
+brow to my dear old friend, and so I did not persist in it. Indeed, we
+communed together but little more in any way; for very shortly after he
+resigned his place as our 'boss,' and left post-haste for the main-land.
+Here, as was revealed to me in due season, he amazed the neighborhood by
+incontinently renting his farmstead to a son with whom he had been on
+indifferent terms for years; dispatching his daughter, who had
+heretofore acted as his housekeeper, off to a distant town to become an
+apprentice to a milliner's trade; and stowing his clothes and a shot-bag
+of hard money which he was known to possess into a sailor's chest, with
+which, together with his gun and a Methodist preacher, he again hurried
+off for the asylum of his beloved. Arrived once more in the witching
+presence, he waited till evening (yet how he was constrained so to do is
+more than I can tell), and then, as we made it a duty to be gathered
+about him once more, the wedding took place.
+
+The occasion was one of such interest, that the preacher could but make
+the most of it. After the nuptial benediction had been pronounced, he
+straightway launched forth into a homily of such graciousness and force,
+that but few of us missed being forcibly wrought upon, while Mrs. Rose
+was stirred apparently to the depths of her being. On the day succeeding
+the marriage, our light-hearted Benedict abandoned himself to another
+jollification. But the next morning, a schooner headed in towards the
+beach, and, slackening the peaks of her sails, sent ashore a yawl, whose
+crew saluted Mrs. Rose as an old and familiar friend, and with whose
+apparition, without the least regard as to what shift we wreckers were
+to make, a great packing was begun in the house. Bedsteads were taken
+down, beds were bundled up in sheets, crockery was thrust away in
+barrels, and all borne one after the other to the yawl, where the bride,
+with her potent parasol full spread, and pretending to shudder at the
+sight of the gently heaving breakers through which she was soon to pass,
+mincingly threw herself in the thick of the luggage, and old Bill
+mounted the stern, with his huge palm extended for a good-by shake.
+'Good-by, old chap,' said I, as I took his hand the last of all,
+'good-by! You're not half mean enough to stay away from us forever; so
+in the meantime do your best to show the Hatteras boys what a nice thing
+it is to be somebody in the world!' And thus the boat put off, and,
+reaching the schooner in a few moments, was hoisted to her decks. In a
+few moments more the vessel had reset her sails, and, with a free wind,
+bore straight to the southward out of sight.
+
+Now comes the singular part of my story. In a few weeks from the time of
+their sailing, we heard that old Bill and his wife had safely landed at
+Hatteras Inlet, and rented a small house on one of the beaches there,
+with the intention of opening a kind of tavern; but no sooner were they
+fairly settled in their new abode than old Bill was found one morning
+_dead in his bed_, with evident signs of having met with foul play;
+though what kind of death these indications pointed at was very
+uncertain.
+
+The closest and shrewdest investigation failed to attach a well-grounded
+suspicion to any one. Poor Bill was dead--and nothing more was ever
+known. Singular enough, the conduct of his widow was such as to entirely
+avert even from her enemies hints of complicity in the crime,--if crime
+there was,--though none doubted that there had been a murder, and that
+murder in a few attendant circumstances seemed to indicate female aid.
+Shortly after this catastrophe, Madame Rose made 'a vendue' of her
+deceased husband's gun and apparel, packed up her own worldly goods, and
+vanished, to be heard of no more.
+
+And so our shore lost its best 'soundser'--a man of mark in his way,
+great of frame and heart, and one long to be recalled in our humble
+annals of wrecking and of sport. He was one of those vigorous
+out-croppings of sturdy Northern physique recalling in minute detail the
+stories told of those giant children, the Vikings and Goths of the
+fighting ages, and which the blood, though as healthy as ever,--witness
+the glorious exploits of our soldiers even as I write,--produces less
+frequently in these days of culture. Such as I have described was the
+character of Bill the Soundser, and such was literally and truly his
+mysterious death.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+COLUMBIA TO BRITANNIA.
+
+VIA SHAKSPEARE.
+
+
+                  Thou cold-blooded slave,
+  Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side?
+  Been sworn my soldier? bidding me depend
+  Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength?
+  And dost thou now fall over to my foes,
+  And wear a lion's hide? Doff it for shame,
+  And hang a calf's skin on those recreant limbs.
+
+KING JOHN, III. 1.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+GENERAL LYON.
+
+
+To-day all the Northland shouts for joy, flashes its announcements of
+victory along myriad leagues of wire, hurls them from grim cannon mouths
+out over broad bays till the seas tremble with sympathy, huzzas in the
+streets, flames in bonfires, would even clash the clouds together and
+streak the heavens with lightning--and for what? The flag waves again in
+Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, and the cause is safe! _The
+cause_--have we all learned what that means, brother Americans?
+Something broader than mere Union, the pass-word of so many thousands to
+suffering and death, something more than the freedom of the press and
+the ballot-box. It means Progress; and until we acknowledge this, all
+freedom is a vast injustice, luring men on to Beulahs which Fate--the
+fate they worship--will never have them reach. It would be little enough
+to regain our foothold upon Southern territory, or repossess Southern
+forts, even if forts and territory have been wrested from us by treason
+and perjury, if with every mile of advance we did not gain a stronghold
+of principle. We are not straining every nerve, struggling under immense
+financial burdens, wrenching away tender household ties, sacrificing
+cheerfully and eagerly private interests, brilliant prospects, and high
+hopes, only to prove that twenty millions of men are physically stronger
+than twelve. God forbid! This is no latter-day Olympic game, whoso
+victors are to be rewarded with the applause of a party or a generation.
+All the dead heroes and martyrs of the past will crowd forward to offer
+their unheard thanks; all the years to come will embalm with blessings
+the memory of the patriots who open the door to wide advancement,
+prosperous growth, and high activity of a universal intelligence.
+
+And among these brave men, whom the world shall delight to honor, let
+our deepest grief and our justest pride be for LYON. We have given his
+honest life too little notice;--this man whose sincerity was equalled
+only by his zeal; who, in a rarely surpassed spirit of self-abnegation,
+was content to lie down and die in the first heat of the great conflict,
+and to leave behind for more favored comrades the triumphal arches and
+rose-strewn paths of victory. The world has known no truer martyr than
+he who fell at Wilson's Creek, August 10th, 1861.
+
+'The history of every man paints his character,' says Goethe; and scanty
+and imperfect as are the recorded details of General Lyon's life, enough
+is known to prove him to have been high-minded and brave as a soldier,
+with a perseverance and a penetration that analyzed at once the
+platforms of contending factions, and read in their elements the
+principles which are to govern the future of our nation.
+
+He came of the stout Knowlton stock of Connecticut, a family of whom
+more than one served England in the old French war, and afterward
+distinguished themselves against her in the Revolution. We hear of the
+gallant Captain Knowlton at Bunker Hill, throwing up, in default of
+cotton, the breastwork of hay, which proved such an efficient protection
+to the provincials during the battle. Once more he appears as colonel,
+at Harlem Plains, rushing with his Rangers ('Congress' Own') upon the
+enemy on the Plains, and, cut off shortly from retreat by
+reinforcements, fighting bravely between the foes before and their
+reserves behind, and, falling at last, borne away by sorrowing comrades,
+and buried at sunset within the embankments. 'A brave man,' wrote
+Washington, 'who would have been an honor to any country.' With the
+memory of such a hero engrafted upon his earliest childhood, we can not
+wonder at the bent of the boy Lyon's inclinations. 'Daring and
+resolute, and wonderfully attached to his mother,' it is easy to
+imagine what lessons of endurance and decision he learned from her,
+whose just inheritance was the stout-hearted patriotism that had
+flowered into valorous deeds in her kindred, and was destined to live
+again in her son. It was, an ordinary childhood, and a busy, uneventful
+youth, passed for the most part in the old red farm-house nestled
+between two rocky hills near Eastport, where he was born. In 1837 he
+entered the Military Academy at West Point, and was a graduate, with
+distinction, four years later. Of the years immediately following, we
+have little information; but we can fancy the young soldier laying, in
+his obscurity, the foundation for that practical military knowledge
+which so eminently distinguished his late brilliant career. During his
+years of service in the Everglades of Florida, and on our Western
+frontier, he had ample opportunity to gain a thorough insight into his
+profession.
+
+He first appears in the history of the country in the Mexican war, is
+present at the bombardment of Vera Cruz, dashes after the enemy at Cerro
+Gordo, capturing on the crest of the hill a battery which he turns upon
+the discomfited foe. At Contreras his command proves as impenetrable as
+a phalanx of Alexander; and when at last the victorious Americans fight
+their way into Mexico, the city of fabulous treasures and associations
+well-nigh classical, for the first time he receives a wound. He was
+breveted captain for his gallantry at Cherubusco, and at the end of the
+war received the rank of full captain, and was ordered with his regiment
+to California. No appointment could have been more felicitous. In the
+guerilla mode of warfare demanded by the peculiar nature of the country
+and its inhabitants, his habits of quick decision, and the experience of
+a war with an enemy equally unscrupulous though less undisciplined, were
+absolutely invaluable. Here was no scope for the conception and
+excitation of deep-laid schemes; the movements of the enemy were too
+rapid. Plans that would elsewhere have been matured only in the process
+of a long campaign, were here often originated and completed in a single
+night. Simple strategy was of more avail than the most intricate display
+of military science, and the impulse of a moment more to be relied upon
+than the prudent forethought of a month. He had to combat, in the
+newly-acquired territory, the cunning of tribes whose natural ferocity
+was sharpened into vindictiveness by the encroachments upon their soil
+of a new and strange people; and every association with the intruders,
+who were for the most part men of little reputation and less principle,
+had developed in the Indians only the fiercest and most decided
+animosity. To encounter their vigilance with watchfulness as alert, to
+confound their swift counsels with sudden alarm, to penetrate their
+ambuscades and anticipate their cunning with incessant activity, to be,
+in short, ubiquitous, was the duty of Captain Lyon.
+
+After years spent in the uncertain tactics of this half barbaric
+warfare, he was removed, in the height of political strife in Kansas, to
+its very centre. Here, while comparatively free from the wearisome
+requirements of active service such as had been demanded in California,
+and at a time when events the most portentous proved clearly to the
+great minds of the country the advance of a political crisis whose
+consequences must be most important, involving--should deep-laid
+conspiracy be successful--the bankruptcy of principle and that
+high-handed outrage, the triumph, of a minority,--Captain Lyon had full
+liberty and abundant opportunity to settle for himself the great
+questions mooted in the Missouri Compromises, the Lecompton
+Constitutions and the Dred Scott decisions of the day. To a mind
+unprejudiced, except as the honest impulses of every honest man's heart
+are always prejudiced in favor of the right, there was but a single
+decision. Disgusted with the heartless policy which democracy had for so
+many years pursued, and which now threatened to culminate either in its
+utter degradation at the North, or in the establishment in the South of
+an oligarchy which would annihilate all free action and suppress all
+free opinion, he severed his connection with that party,--a step to
+which he was also impelled by the injustice that was then seeking to
+force upon the people of Kansas an institution which they condemned as
+unproductive and expensive, to say nothing of their moral repugnance to
+the very A B C of its principles. It was at this time that Captain Lyon
+contributed to the _Manhattan Express_, a weekly journal of the
+neighborhood, a series of papers in which he took an earnest, manly and
+decided stand in favor of the principles which his thoughtful mind
+recognized as alone 'reliable,' and harmonious with the grand design and
+end of the great Republic of the West. To these articles we shall
+hereafter refer, at present hastening through the career, so striking
+and so sad, which a few brief months cut short, leaving only the memory
+of General Lyon as a legacy to the country his single aim and wise
+counsels would have saved.
+
+The guns of Fort Sumter had flashed along our coast an appeal whose
+force no words can ever compute. The days had been busy with the
+assembling of armies, the nights restless with their solemn marches, and
+forge and factory rang with the strokes of the hammer and the whirr of
+flying shafts, whose echoes seemed measured to the air of some new
+Marseillaise. From our homes rushed forth sons, husbands, brothers,
+fathers, followed by the prayers and blessings of dear women, who
+yielded them early but willingly to their country. And while regiments
+clustered along the Potomac, and Washington lay entrenched behind white
+lines of tents, we find our soldier, fresh from Kansas strifes, in
+command of the United States Arsenal at St. Louis; and to his prompt
+action and decided measures at this important juncture the early success
+of the Union cause in Missouri is to be attributed. For a time St. Louis
+was the theatre of action. The police commissioners, backed by Governor
+and Legislature, in the demanded the removal of the Union troops from
+the grounds of the arsenal, claiming it as the exclusive property of the
+State, and asserting that the authority usurped by the general
+government as but a partial sovereignty, and limited to the occupation,
+for purposes exclusively military, of the certain tracts of land now
+pending in this novel court of chancery. This highly enigmatical
+exposition of State rights, pompous and inflated though it was, failed
+to convince or convert Captain Lyon, who, being unable to detect, in his
+occupancy of the arsenal, any exaggeration of the rights vested by the
+Constitution in the general government, declined to abandon his post,
+and proceeded to call out the Home Guard, then awaiting the arrival of
+General Harney, and temporarily under his command. His little army of
+ten thousand men was then drawn up upon the heights commanding Camp
+Jackson, then occupied by the Missouri militia under Col. Frost, whoso
+command had been increased by the addition of numerous individuals of
+avowed secession principles. Uninfluenced by the reception of a note
+from this officer asserting his integrity and his purpose to defend the
+property of the United States, and disavowing all intention hostile to
+the force at the arsenal, Captain Lyon replied by a peremptory summons
+for an unconditional surrender. He found it incredible that a body
+assembled at the instigation of a traitorous governor, and acting under
+his instructions and according to the 'unparalleled legislation' of a
+traitorous legislature, receiving under the flag of the Confederate
+States munitions of war but lately the acknowledged property of the
+general government, could have any other than the as most unfriendly
+designs upon its enemies. The force of Camp Jackson (which
+notwithstanding its professed character, boasted its streets Beauregard
+and Davis) being numerically inferior, and perhaps not entirely prepared
+to do battle for a cause whose legitimacy must still have been a
+question with many of them, decided, after a council of war, to comply
+with the demands of Capt. Lyon, and became his prisoners. A few days
+afterward General Harney arrived, and Captain Lyon was elected Brigadier
+General by the 1st Brigade Missouri Volunteers.
+
+Convinced of the imminence of the crisis and the peril of delay, Gen.
+Lyon immediately commenced active operations against the secessionists
+at Potosi, and ordered the seizure of the steamer which had supplied the
+offensive army with material of war from the United States property at
+Baton Rouge. In the meantime, Gen. Harney, with a culpable blindness,
+had made an extraordinary arrangement with Gen. Price, by which he
+pledged himself to desist from military movements so long as the command
+of Gen. Price was able to preserve order in the State. Upon his removal
+by the authorities at Washington, nine days later, Gen. Lyon was left in
+command of the department. At this time the rebel general took occasion,
+in a proclamation to the people of Missouri, to feel assured that 'the
+successor of Gen. Harney would certainly consider himself and his
+government in honor bound to carry out this agreement (the Harney-Price)
+in good faith.' But his assurance was without foundation. The temper of
+the new commander had been tried in the Camp Jackson affair, and an
+interview between Price, Jackson and other prominent secessionists and
+Gen. Lyon, resulted, after a few hours' consultation, in the declaration
+of the Union general that the authority of his government would be
+upheld at any cost and its property protected at all hazards. Three days
+later, Jackson fled to Booneville, fearing an attack upon Jefferson
+City, which was immediately occupied by Gen. Lyon, who was received with
+acclamation by the citizens. Unwilling to grant by delay what he had
+refused to an underhand diplomacy,--opportunity to the enemy to possess
+the government property, or entrench themselves strongly in their new
+quarters,--the general, with characteristic promptness, ordered an
+advance upon Booneville. The rebel force was stationed above Rockport,
+but retreated, after a skirmish which did not assume the proportions of
+a battle; and the Union army, two thousand strong, entered the town,
+where the national colors and the welcomes of the inhabitants testified
+their joy at the change.
+
+The army of General Lyon, amounting at one time to ten thousand, had
+decreased by the first of August--the term of enlistment of many of the
+soldiers having expired--to six thousand; and it was with this number
+that, having swept the south-west, and believing the enemy intended to
+attack him at Springfield, he advanced to meet them at Dug Springs. The
+army of the enemy was larger and their position a strong one, but they
+were unable to hold it, and, after a sharp skirmish, fled in disorder,
+while Gen. Lyon continued his march toward Springfield. His situation
+had now become a critical one. The reinforcements for which he had
+telegraphed in vain, and in vain sent messengers to entreat from the
+chief of the department, Gen. Fremont, then in St. Louis, did not
+arrive. His army was subsisting on half rations, and wearied with
+exhausting marches over the uneven country in the extreme heat of
+midsummer. And now, for the first time, hope seemed to desert the
+general. Under his direction the cause had hitherto triumphed in
+Missouri. Now, with zeal unabated and courage unflinching, he must fall
+before the enemy he had so successfully opposed, or retreat where
+retreat was disaster, disgrace, and defeat. No wonder that, as from day
+to day he looked for the expected aid as men in drought for the clouds
+that are to bless them, he grew restless and perplexed and despairing;
+no wonder that the face that had never before worn the lines of
+indecision, should now lose its accustomed cheerfulness and glance of
+calm purpose, and challenge sympathy and pity for the heart that had
+never before asked more than admiration and respect. He felt that the
+hour had its demands, and that they must be met. Action, even in the
+face of disaster, was less a defeat than an inglorious retirement. The
+public, surely unaware of the fearful odds against him, clamored for an
+engagement; the State expected it of its hero; the government awaited
+it, and with a brave heart, but no hope, Gen. Lyon prepared for the
+attack. The result all the world knows. Was it a victory where the
+conquerors were obliged to retire from the field, and carry out their
+wounded under a flag of truce? Was it a defeat where the enemy had been
+thrice repulsed, once driven from the ground, had burned their baggage
+train, and made no pursuit of the retreating army?
+
+But most mournful are those last moments of the faithful soldier's life;
+most solemn those last tones of his voice as his orders rang out on that
+misty morning amid the smoke and shouts of the battle-field. He stands
+here bare-headed, the blood streaming from two wounds which he does not
+heed, the cloud of perplexity settling over his face like a pall, his
+troubled eyes fixed upon the enemy. He turns to head a regiment which
+has lost its colonel--"Forward! men; I will lead you!" A moment, and he
+lies there: no more striving for victory here; no more anxious hours of
+weary watching for the succor that never came; no more goadings from an
+exacting public, nor any more appeals to an unheeding chief. Even the
+triumphant hush of life could not smooth out those lines cut by unwonted
+care upon his face, or answer the mute questioning of that painful
+indecision there. So from the West they brought him, by solemn marches,
+to the East, and colors hung at half-mast, and bells were tolled as the
+flag-draped hero was borne slowly by. And to the music of tender dirges,
+he, whose whole life had been, inspired by the whistling of fifes and
+rolling of drums, was laid to rest. A handful of clods falling upon his
+breast, their hollow sound never thrilling the mother heart that lay
+again so near her son's, a volley fired over the grave, and all was
+over. Of all the brave men gone, no fate has seemed to us so sad.
+Winthrop, young and ardent, with the tide of great thoughts rashing in
+upon his princely heart, died in the flush of hope with the fresh
+enthusiasm of poetry and undimmed patriotism shining in his eyes, and we
+laid our soldier to sleep under the violets. Ellsworth fell forward with
+the captured flag of treason in his hand, and the whole nation cheering
+him on in his early sally upon the 'sacred' Virginia soil. Brave and
+honorable, with fine powers cultured by study and earnest thought, death
+took from him no portion of the fame life would have awarded him. Baker
+rode into the jaws of death in that fatal autumn blunder; but the
+ignominy of defeat rested upon other shoulders. His only to obey, even
+while 'all the world wondered.' But he did not fall before the honor of
+a country's admiration and the meed of her grateful thanks were his.
+Soldier, orator and statesman, he had gained in a brilliant career a
+glory earned by few, and could well afford to die, assured of a memory
+justified from all reproach. But to Lyon, whom there were so few to
+mourn, death in the midst of anticipated defeat was bitter indeed. No
+time to retrieve the losses and disasters the cruel remissness of others
+had entailed upon him; the fruit of the anxious toil of months wrested
+from him even as it began to ripen; all his glad hopes chilled by
+suspicion, but his faith, we may well believe, still strong in the
+ultimate success of the cause he loved. A whole life he had given to his
+country, and she had not thought it worth while to redeem it from
+disgrace with the few thousands that he asked. He had outlived the
+elasticity of youth, when wrongs are quickly remedied, and new impulses
+spring, like phoenixes, from the ashes of the old. Uncertain whether he
+were the victim of a conspiracy, the tool of a faction, or the martyr to
+some unknown theory, he died, and as the country had been to him wife
+and children, he left her his all.
+
+It was known to but few that the soldier, whose career had been rather
+useful than brilliant, had, when the scheming of politicians and their
+doubly-refined arguments threatened to deceive and ruin the country,
+put by his sword and taken up the pen. In a series of articles, short,
+concise, and to the point, he effectually canvassed the State. They are
+addressed to thinking men everywhere. Free from all trickery, strictly
+impartial, relying entirely upon the soundness of his premises for
+success,--for elegance of diction he had not, and he was too honest even
+to become a sophist,--these papers manifest at once the true patriot and
+the intelligent man. Thousands of adherents the Republican cause had in
+1860, but not one more indefatigable or more heartily in earnest than
+Lyon. Outside the limits of party interests, and uninfluenced personally
+by the predominance of either faction, he had worked out in his own way
+the problem of national life, and now spread its solution before his
+readers. 'Our cause,' said he, 'is to honor labor and elevate the
+laborer.' Here we have the kernel of the whole matter; the spirit, if
+not the letter, of the whole republican system of government. The secret
+that philosophers have elaborated from the unconquerable facts of
+physics, ethics, and psychology, that men of genius have evolved with
+infinite difficulty from the mass of crude aesthetic associations that
+cluster around every object of nature or of art, Lyon, working and
+thinking alone as a citizen, has discovered, with the sole aid of common
+sense and the habit of practical observation. Carey and Godwin have
+proved by statistics for unbelievers the reasonableness of the doctrine
+enunciated by Lyon. Now, thanks to the untiring efforts of a few
+stout-hearted patriots, it is no new one to the North; but in the late
+presidential contest it was a strange weapon glittering in strong hands.
+Our society, diluted and weakened by the Southern element, revolted at
+first from the creed that is to prove its salvation. Not alone in our
+border States had the dragon crept, searing our fair institutions with
+his hot breath, but even upon the sturdy old Puritan stock were
+engrafted many of the petty notions that pass for 'principles' in Dixie.
+True, we were educated, all of us, into a sort of decent regard for the
+good old element of labor,--we call it industry,--more antique, since
+antiquity is a virtue, than aristocracy, for it began in Paradise. But
+this was a feature of our Northern character that was to be hurried out
+of sight, ignominiously buried without candle or bell, when the giant of
+Southern chivalry stalked across our borders. The bravado and
+gentlemanly ruffianism of youthful F.F.V-ism at college, and the
+supercilious condescension of incipient Southern belledom in the
+seminary, impressed young North America with a respect that was indeed
+unacknowledged, but that grew with its growth and strengthened with its
+strength. But this mock romance of ancestry, this arrogant assumption by
+the South of all the social virtues and courtesies of which the nation,
+or indeed the universe, could boast, was like the flash of an expiring
+candle to Lyon. He had little to do with first families North or South;
+his mission was to the _people_. His practical mind gathered in, sheaf
+after sheaf, a whole harvest of political facts. He saw that the
+government of the United States, originally intended to be administered
+by the people, had been for years in the power of the minority. Against
+this perversion of the purpose of the founders of the republic, this
+outrage to the memory of men who labored for its defense and welfare, he
+entered his earnest protest. The shallow effort of the Democratic party
+to establish upon constitutional grounds the monstrous phantom of
+justice they called government, was met by his hearty indignation. He
+says, 'With the artfulness of a deity and the presumption of a fiend,
+our own Constitution is perversely claimed by the Democracy as the aegis
+for the establishment of a slave autocracy over our country.'
+
+No element more fatal to our growth or freedom could Lyon conceive than
+this slave autocracy. It sapped the very foundations of republicanism,
+and, stealthily advancing to the extreme limits of the law, enjoyed the
+confidence of the people, while it plotted their subjugation. All the
+varied machinery of the new social system, falsely styled government,
+had for its object the extinction of individual rights and the
+deification of capital. Church and state united in the unholy effort to
+Crush the masses, and intriguing politicians, by dint of dazzling
+rhetoric and plausible promises, lured the people on to secure their own
+downfall at the polls. The only remedy for this Lyon saw in the
+elevation of the masses. 'It is the greatest political revolution yet to
+be effected,' he says, 'to bring the laboring man to know that honest
+industry is the highest of merits, and should be awarded the highest
+honor; and, properly pursued, contributes to his intelligence and
+morality, and to the virtues needed for official station.' 'The
+calamity,' says an eminent writer from his far Platonean heights, 'is
+the masses;' but liberty is a new religion that is to sweep over the
+world and regenerate them. And to this end Lyon boldly advocated
+emancipation for the sake of the white man. If to-day, when patriotism
+is at a premium, men tremble before the acknowledged necessity of this
+measure, and are either too cowardly or too indolent to meet the demands
+of the times, it required no little boldness in 1860 to advance a theory
+so decided, even in a Kansas newspaper. But Lyon knew the inefficiency
+of half-way measures, and the moral degradation they inevitably entail
+upon the community so weak or so deluded as to adopt them. The hue and
+cry of abolitionism did not disturb him; he was not afraid of names.
+Conservatism that sat in state at Washington, and pulled the wires all
+over the country,--a tremendous power, none the less fearful in that it
+was only a galvanized one,--was a dead letter to him, its dignity
+departed with the age that had demanded it. Conservatism would have
+resented no impositions, established no new landmarks, asserted no
+independence; would carry its mails on horseback, creep over the ocean
+in schooners, fight by sea in piked brigantines, and by land with spear
+and battle-axe; it would have emancipated no slaves in Great Britain and
+France, and no serfs in Russia. But if freedom means anything, it means
+_Progress_,--liberty to advance, never to retrograde. 'Nothing in the
+world will ever go backward,' said the old lizard to Heine. All the
+authority of a new Areopagus could never sanction that; and yet this
+liberty the South claims, nay, has already acted upon, so that the world
+may see the result of the experiment, and against its continuance Lyon
+protests. In the long silent years of preparation for the fray he has
+nursed strange thoughts on the ultimate destiny of man. He has seen in
+dreams, prophetic of a mighty accomplishment, his country growing great,
+and vigorous, and powerful, extending to struggling humanity everywhere
+the protection of her friendship, building up noble institutions,
+encouraging science and the useful arts, and leading the van in the
+world's great millennial march; and this not through any miraculous
+interposition of Providence, but by means of an exalted intelligence and
+the power of thought stimulating to action, and that of the noblest
+kind.
+
+But you argue the unfitness of the masses for this destiny. Lyon
+answers,--not in any musically-rounded sentences, in phrases nicely
+balanced; the man is plain and outspoken,--'This is a truth of
+philosophy and political economy, that man rises to a condition
+corresponding to the rights, duties and responsibilities devolved upon
+him; and therefore the only true way to make a man is to invest him with
+the rights, duties and responsibilities of a man, and he generally rises
+in intellectual and moral greatness to a position corresponding to these
+circumstances.' It is a mistake to suppose the great body of the people
+ignorant of their position, or unconscious of their growing importance
+and dignity as representatives of a mighty empire. Vice and poverty have
+indeed well-nigh quenched humanity in thousands in our great cities,
+but these are but a drop in the ocean. Behind lies our vast West, with
+its teeming population, sturdy, active and energetic. All our mountain
+districts are alive with men who, thanks to the press, are beginning to
+feel their power. Every advantage of physical development their hardy
+life gives them, and the growing consciousness and comprehension of
+freedom, blooming under a munificent free-school dispensation, will do
+the rest. Our internal manufacturing and agricultural elements at the
+North, already powerful and irrepressible, will soon exercise a
+tremendous influence in our government. Shall it be the influence of
+ignorance played upon by the sophistry of demagogues and helping to
+rebuild the vicious doctrines that have stood firmly for so many years,
+or the healthful influence of intelligent industry tending to our
+greatness and prosperity? This our war is to decide. No peaceful
+solution of the great question could be made. This Lyon foresaw in the
+truckling of politicians North to win the unit of Southern political
+sympathy: the main end and aim of the South being the appointment of
+Southern men to the Presidency, 'as security on the one hand against
+unfavorable executive action toward slavery, and on the other against
+executive patronage adverse to its interests, the democratic party North
+succeeded, by trimming party sails and decking party leaders, in suiting
+their fastidious Southern leaders.' The question once at issue, even a
+peaceful separation was impossible, though an amendment of the
+Constitution should sanction it. War was inevitable. The great bugbear
+of slavery would still exist; fugitive slave laws be forever upon the
+political carpet; formidable jealousies spring up between two nations
+founded upon such diverse principles, yet united by very natural
+circumstance of language and climate; internal wrangling would destroy
+all unity, conspiracies give the death-blow to all prosperity and all
+hope of advancement. All this if there were no great party at the North
+to rise upon the vast ground of humanity, claiming for its millions the
+privilege of an unfettered life, for its children a fair start in the
+future. Only one remedy Lyon knew, and he stood there, the early apostle
+of Emancipation, and preached it. His doctrine was not accepted then, it
+is not accepted now; but the time must come, when millions shall have
+been expended, and blood shall have flowed like water only to delay it,
+when we will fly to it for salvation. Let those who still cry 'Peace,
+peace,' when there is no peace, learn what is to be its
+price--Emancipation. It will be a bitter draught; well, so was the
+independence of her colonies to England. And every day makes it more
+bitter; the gall in the cup rises to the brim; a few more months and it
+will overflow; the people will take the matter into their own hands and
+legislate slavery into the swamps of Florida.
+
+It is a lame and blind philanthropy that cries for a respite. 'A little
+more sleep, a little more slumber. After us the deluge.' And meanwhile
+the damnable lies gain ground, and a new generation is lost to its due
+development. Have we yet to learn that we are no longer individuals, but
+parts of a mighty nation, and responsible in some sort, every one, women
+and men, for its destiny? Poland has learned this lesson. Her eyes are
+upon us now. Shall she, still struggling, find that blood and treasure,
+and all the thousand dear blessings of peace, have been sacrificed in
+vain? If you cry 'War is an evil!' we grant it; but is it reserved for
+the nineteenth century to discover a creed for which there shall be no
+martyrs? What great gift has the world ever won that was not bought with
+blood? When has independence of action or thought been purchased
+otherwise than at the cost of persecution,--more revolution? Then let us
+not slander revolutions. They are the throes of nature undergoing her
+purification; if it is as by fire, oh! let us have courage and stand
+beside her in her hour of trial. St. George will not fight forever; the
+dragon of oppression is dying.
+
+  'Yes, although so slowly, he _is_ dying;
+  Many thousand years have fled in darkness,
+  Since the sword first cut his scaly armor,
+  And the red wound roused him into madness;
+  But the good knight is of race immortal,
+  Ever young, and passionate and fearless;
+  And the strength which oozes from the dragon,
+  Blooms reviving in the glorious warrior.'
+
+And, after all, the demon of war is not so black as we have painted him.
+We do not shudder to-day as we read of the siege of Troy or the downfall
+of Carthage, or the Romance of the Cid. The song of Deborah, 'of the
+avenging of Israel _when the people willingly offered themselves_,' is
+one glorious burst of praise to God and gratitude to the martyrs. There
+was war in heaven when ambition was cast out:--what quiet pastoral
+appeals to our noblest impulses as Paradise Lost does? Wisely and well
+speaks the English clergyman when he says:--
+
+'But the truth is that here, as elsewhere, poetry has reached the truth,
+while science and common sense have missed it. It has distinguished--as,
+in spite of all mercenary and feeble sophistry, men ever will
+distinguish--war from mere bloodshed. It has discerned the higher
+feelings which lie beneath its revolting features. Carnage is terrible.
+The conversion of producers into destroyers is a calamity. Death, and
+insults to women worse than death--and human features obliterated
+beneath the hoof of the war-horse--and reeking hospitals, and ruined
+commerce, and violated homes, and broken hearts--they are all awful. But
+there is something worse than death: cowardice is worse. And the _decay
+of enthusiasm and manliness is worse_. And it is worse than death, aye,
+worse than one hundred thousand deaths, when a people has gravitated
+down into the creed, that the "wealth of nations" consists, not in
+generous hearts, "fire in each breast, and freedom on each brow," in
+national virtues, and primitive simplicity, and heroic endurance, and
+preference of duty to life--not in _men_, but in silk and _cotton_, and
+something that they call "capital." Peace is blessed--peace arising out
+of charity. But peace springing out of the calculations of selfishness
+is not blessed. If the price to be paid for peace is this, that wealth
+accumulate and men decay, better far that every street, in every town of
+our once noble country, should run blood.'[K]
+
+As we write, every telegram proves the vaunted unity of the South a
+sham, a visionary political bugbear, no longer strong or hideous enough
+to frighten the most inveterate conservative dough-face. But a few
+victories do not end the war; still earnestness and effort and
+sacrifice, for the sick man of America will fight even when his 'brains
+are out.' Not until we have proved to Breckenridge, the traitor, that we
+are not 'fighting for principles that three-fourths of us abhor,' and
+that the Union is not only 'a means of preserving the principles of
+political liberty,' but that in it is irrevocably bound up every living
+principle of all liberty, social, religious and individual; that in its
+shelter only we have security against wrong at home and insult from
+abroad; not until Emancipation has instituted a new order of things in
+society as well as in politics, will the death of the out-spoken patriot
+and brave man, Lyon, be avenged, and the Struggle be at an end. 'Genius
+is patient,' but patience has had her perfect work, and the days of
+Rebellion are numbered. On with the crusade!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+MACCARONI AND CANVAS.
+
+
+II.
+
+The voice of Rome is baritone, always excepting that of the Roman
+locomotive,--the donkey,--which is deep bass, and comes tearing and
+braying along at times when it might well be spared. In the still night
+season, wandering among the moonlit ruins of the Coliseum, while you
+pause and gaze upon the rising tiers of crumbling stone above you,
+memory retraces all you have read of the old Roman days: the forms of
+the world-conquerors once more people the deserted ruin; the clash of
+ringing steel; hot, fiery sunlight; thin, trembling veil of dust pierced
+by the glaring eyes of dying gladiators; red-spouting blood; screams of
+the mangled martyrs torn by Numidian lions; moans of the dying; fierce
+shouts of exultation from the living; smiles from gold-banded girls in
+flowing robes, with floating hair, flower-crowned, and perfumed; the hum
+of thrice thirty thousand voices hushed to a whisper as the combat hangs
+on an uplifted sword; the--
+
+Aw-waw-WAUN-ik! WAW-NIK! WAUN-KI-w-a-w-n! comes like blatant fish-horn
+over the silent air, and your dream of the Coliseum ends ignominiously
+with this nineteenth-century song of a jackass.
+
+At night you will hear the shrill cry of the screech-owl sounding down
+the silent streets in the most thickly-populated parts of the city. Or
+you will perhaps be aroused from sleep, as Caper often was, by the
+long-drawn-out cadences of some countryman singing a _rondinella_ as he
+staggers along the street, fresh from a wine-house. Nothing can be more
+melancholy than the concluding part of each verse in these rondinellas,
+the voice being allowed to drop from one note to another, as a man
+falling from the roof of a very high house may catch at some projection,
+hold on for a time, grow weak, loose his hold, fall, catch again, hold
+on for a minute, and at last fall flat on the pavement, used up, and
+down as low as he can reach.
+
+But the street-cries of this city are countless; from the man who brings
+round the daily broccoli to the one who has a wild boar for sale, not
+one but is determined that you shall hear all about it. Far down a
+narrow street you listen to a long-drawn, melancholy howl--the voice as
+of one hired to cry in the most mournful tones for whole generations of
+old pagan Romans who died unconverted; poor devils who worshiped wine
+and women, and knew nothing better in this world. And who is their
+mourner? A great, brawny, tawny, steeple-crowned hat, blue-breeched,
+two-fisted fish-huckster; and he is trying to sell, by yelling as if his
+heart would break, a basket of fish not so long as your finger. If he
+cries so over anchovies, what would he do if he had a whale for sale?
+
+Another _primo basso profundo_ trolls off a wheelbarrow and a fearful
+cry at the same time; not in unison with his merchandise, for he has
+birds--quail, woodcock, and snipe--for sale, besides a string of dead
+nightingales, which he says he will 'sell cheap for a nice stew.' Think
+of stewed nightingales! One would as soon think of eating a boiled
+Cremona violin.
+
+But out of the way! Here comes, blocking up the narrow street, a
+_contadino_, a countryman from the Campagna. His square wooden cart is
+drawn by a donkey about the size of, and resembling, save ears, a singed
+Newfoundland dog; his voice, strong for a vegetarian,--for he sells
+onions and broccoli, celery and tomatoes, _finocchio_ and mushrooms,--is
+like tearing a firm rag: how long can it last, subjected to such use?
+
+It is in the game and meat market, near the Pantheon, that you can more
+fully become acquainted with the street cries of Rome; but the Piazza
+Navona excels even this. Passing along there one morning, Caper heard
+such an extraordinary piece of vocalization, sounding like a Sioux
+war-whoop with its back broken, that he stopped to see what it was all
+about. There stood a butcher who had exposed for sale seven small stuck
+pigs, all one litter; and if they had been his own children, and died
+heretics, he could not have howled over them in a more heart-rending
+manner.
+
+About sunrise, and even before it,--for the Romans are early
+risers,--you will hear in spring-time a sharp ringing voice under your
+window, '_Acqua chetosa! Acqua, chetosa!_' an abridgment of _acque
+accetosa_, or water from the fountain of Accetosa, considered a good
+aperient, and which is drank before breakfast. Also a voice crying out,
+'_Acqua-vi-ta!_' or spirits, drank by the workmen and others at an
+expense of a baioccho or two the table-spoonful, for that is all the
+small glasses hold. In the early morning, too, you hear the chattering
+jackdaws on the roofs; and then, more distinctly than later in the day,
+the clocks striking their odd way. The Roman clocks ring from one to six
+strokes four times during the twenty-four hours, and not from one to
+twelve strokes, as with us. Sunset is twenty-four o'clock, and is noted
+by six strokes; an hour after sunset is one o'clock, and is noted by one
+stroke; and so on until six hours after, when it begins striking one
+again. As the quarter hours are also rung by the clocks, if you happen
+to be near one you will have a fine chance to get in a muddle trying to
+separate quarters from hours, and Roman time from your own. Another
+noise comes from the game of _morra_. Caper was looking out of his
+window one morning, pipe in mouth, when he saw two men suddenly face
+each other, one of them bringing his arm down very quickly, when the
+other yelled as if kicked, '_Due!_' (two), and the first shouted at the
+top of his lungs, '_Tre!_' (three). Then they both went at it, pumping
+their hands up and down and spreading their fingers with a quickness
+which was astonishing, while all the time they kept screaming, 'One!'
+'Four!' 'Three!' 'Two!' 'Five!' etc., etc. 'Ha!' said Caper, 'this is
+something like; 'tis an arithmetical, mathematical, etcetrical school in
+the open air. The dirtiest one is very quick; he will learn to count
+five in no time. But I don't see the necessity of saying "three" when
+the other brings down four fingers, or saying "five" when he shows two.
+But I suppose it is all right; he hasn't learned to give the right names
+yet.' He learned later that they were gambling.
+
+While these men were shouting, there came along an ugly old woman with a
+tambourine and a one-legged man with a guitar, and seeing prey in the
+shape of Caper at his window, they pounced on him, as it were, and
+poured forth the most ear-rending discord; the old lady singing, the old
+gentleman backing up against a wall and scratching at an accompaniment
+on a jangling old guitar. The old lady had a bandana handkerchief tied
+over her head, and whilst she watched Caper she cast glances up and down
+the street, to see if some rich stranger, or _milordo_, was not coming
+to throw her a piece of silver.
+
+'What are you howling about?' shouted Caper down to her.
+
+'A new Neapolitan canzonetta, signore; all about a young man who grieves
+for his sweetheart, because he thinks she is not true to him, and what
+he says to her in a serenade.' And here she screechingly sung,--
+
+  But do not rage, I beg, my dear;
+  I want you for my wife,
+  And morning, noon, and night likewise,
+  I'll love you like my life.
+
+  CHORUS.
+
+  I only want to get a word,
+  My charming girl, from thee.
+  You know, Ninella, I can't breathe,
+  Unless your heart's for me!
+
+'Well,' said Caper, 'if this is Italian music, I don't _see_ it.'
+
+The one-legged old gentleman clawed away at the strings of the guitar.
+
+'I say,'_llustrissimo_,' shouted Caper down to him, 'what kind of
+strings are those on your instrument?'
+
+'_Excellenza_, catgut,' he shouted, in answer.
+
+'_Benissimo!_ I prefer cats in the original packages. There's a _paolo_:
+travel!'
+
+Caper had the misfortune to make the acquaintance of a professor of the
+mandolin, a wire-strung instrument, resembling a long-necked squash cut
+in two, to be played on with a quill, and which, with a guitar and
+violin, makes a concert that thrills you to the bones and cuts the
+nerves away.
+
+But the crowning glory of all that is ear-rending and peace-destroying,
+is carried around by the _Pifferari_ about Christmas time. It is a
+hog-skin, filled with wind, having pipes at one end, and a jackass at
+the other, and is known in some lands as the bagpipe. The small shrines
+to the Virgin, particularly those in the streets where the wealthy
+English reside, are played upon assiduously by the _pifferari_, who are
+supposed by romantic travelers to come from the far-away Abbruzzi
+Mountains, and make a pilgrimage to the Eternal City to fulfil a vow to
+certain saints; whereas it is sundry cents they are really after. They
+are for the most part artists' models, who at this season of the year
+get themselves up _a la pifferari_, or piper, to prey on the romantic
+susceptibilities and pockets of the strangers in Rome, and, with a pair
+of long-haired goat-skin breeches, a sheepskin coat, brown rags, and
+sandals, or _cioccie_, with a shocking bad conical black or brown hat,
+in which are stuck peacock's or cock's feathers, they are ready equipped
+to attack the shrines and the strangers.
+
+Unfortunately for Caper there was a shrine to the Virgin in the
+second-story front of the house next to where he lived; that is,
+unfortunately for his musical ear, for the lamp that burned in front of
+the shrine every dark night was a shining and pious light to guide him
+home, and thus, ordinarily, a very fortunate arrangement. In the
+third-story front room of the house of the shrine dwelt a Scotch artist
+named MacGuilp, who was a grand amateur of these pipes, and who declared
+that no sound in the world was so sweet to his ear as the bagpipes: they
+recalled the heather, haggis, and the Lothians, and the mountain dew, ye
+ken, and all those sorts of things.
+
+One morning at breakfast in the Cafe Greco he discoursed at length about
+the pleasure the pifferari gave him; while Caper, taking an opposite
+view, said they had, during the last few days, driven him nearly crazy,
+and he wished the squealing hog-skins well out of town.
+
+MacGuilp told him he had a poor ear for music: that there was a charm
+about the bagpipes unequalled even by the unique voices of the Sistine
+Chapel; and there was nothing he would like better than to have all the
+pipers of Rome under his windows.
+
+Caper remembered this last rash speech of Master MacGuilp, and
+determined at an early hour to test its truth. It happened, the very
+next morning at breakfast, that MacGuilp, in a triumphant manner, told
+him that he had received a promise of a visit from the Duchess of ----,
+with several other titled English; and said he had not a doubt of
+selling several paintings to them. MacGuilp's style was of the
+blood-and-thunder school: red dawns, murdered kings, blood-stained
+heather, and Scotch plaids, the very kind that should be shown to the
+sweet strainings of hog-skin bagpipes.
+
+In conversation Caper found out the hour at which the duchess intended
+to make her visit. He made his preparations accordingly. Accompanied by
+Rocjean, he visited Gigi, who kept a costume and life school of models,
+found out where the pipers drank most wine, and going there and up the
+Via Fratina and down the Spanish Steps, managed to find them, and
+arranged it so that at the time the duchess was viewing MacGuilp's
+paintings, he should have the full benefit of a serenade from all the
+pifferari in Rome.
+
+The next morning Caper, pipe in mouth, at his window, saw the carriage
+of the duchess drive up, and from it the noble English dismount and
+ascend to the artist's studio. The carriage had hardly driven away when
+up came two of the pipers, and happening to cast their eyes up they saw
+Caper, who hailed them and told them not to begin playing until the
+others arrived. In a few moments six of the hog-skin squeezers stood
+ready to begin their infernal squawking.
+
+'Go ahead!' shouted Caper, throwing a handful of _baiocchi_ among them;
+and as soon as these were gathered up, the pipers gave one awful,
+heart-chilling blast, and the concert was fairly commenced. Squealing,
+shrieking, grunting, yelling, and humming, the sounds rose higher and
+higher. Open flew the windows in every direction.
+
+'_C'est foudroyante!_' said the pretty French _modiste_.
+
+'What the devil's broke loose?' shouted an American.
+
+'_Mein Gott im himmel! was ist das?_' roared the German baron.
+
+'_Casaccio! cosa faceste?_' shrieked the lovely Countess Grimanny.
+
+'_In nomine Domine!_' groaned a fat friar.
+
+'_Caramba! vayase al infierno!_' screamed Don Santiago Gomez.
+
+'_Bassama teremtete!_' swore the Hungarian gentleman.
+
+Louder squealed the bagpipes, their buzz filled the air, their shrieks
+went ringing up to MacGuilp like the cries of Dante's condemned. The
+duchess found the sound barbarous. MacGuilp opened his window, upon
+which the pipers strained their lungs for the Signore Inglese, grand
+amateur of the bagpipes. He begged them to go away. 'No, no, signore; we
+know you love our music; we won't go away.'
+
+The duchess could stand it no longer, her Servant called the carriage,
+the English got in and drove off.
+
+Still rung out the sounds of the six bagpipes. Caper threw them more
+_baiocchi_.
+
+Suddenly MacGuilp burst out of the door of his house, maul-stick in
+hand, rushing on the pifferari to put them to flight.
+
+'_Iddio giusto!_' shouted two of the pipers; 'it is, IT IS the
+_Cacciatore_! the hunter; the Great Hunter!'
+
+'He is a painter!' shouted another.
+
+'No, he isn't; he's a hunter. _Gran Cacciatore!_ Doesn't he spend all
+his time after quails and snipe and woodcock? Haven't I been out with
+him day after day at Ostia? Long live the great hunter!'
+
+MacGuilp was touched in a tender spot. The homage paid him as a great
+hunter more than did away with his anger at the bagpipe serenade. And
+the last Caper saw of him he was leading six pifferari into a wine shop,
+where they would not come out until seven of them were unable to tell
+the music of bagpipes from the music of the spheres.
+
+So ends the music, noises, and voices, of the seven-hilled city.
+
+
+SERMONS IN STONES.
+
+One bright Sunday morning in January, Rocjean called on Caper to ask him
+to improve the day by taking a walk.
+
+'I thought of going up to the English chapel outside the Popolo to see a
+pretty New Yorkeress,' said the latter; 'but the affair is not very
+pressing, and I believe a turn round the Villa Borghese would do me as
+much good as only looking at a pretty girl and half hearing a poor
+sermon.'
+
+'As for a sermon, we need not miss that,' answered Rocjean, 'for we will
+stop in at Chapin the sculptor's studio, and if we escape one, and he
+there, I am mistaken. They call his studio a shop, and they call his
+shop the Orphan's Asylum, because he manufactured an Orphan Girl some
+years ago, and, as it sold well, he has kept on making orphans ever
+since.
+
+'The murderer!'
+
+'Yes; but not half as atrocious as the reality. You must know that when
+he first came over here he had an order to make a small Virgin Mary for
+a Catholic church in Boston; but the order being countermanded after he
+had commenced modeling in clay, he was determined not to lose his time,
+and so, having somewhere read of, in a yellow-covered novel, or seen in
+some fashion-plate magazine, a doleful-looking female called The Orphan,
+he instantly determined, cruel executioner that he is, to also make an
+orphan. And he did. There is a dash of bogus sentiment in it that passes
+for coin current with many of our traveling Americans; and the thing has
+"sold." He told me not long since he had orders for twelve copies of
+different sized Orphans, and you will see them all through his asylum.
+Do you remember those lines in Richard the Third,--
+
+  '"Why do you look on us, and shake your head,
+  And call us orphans--wretched?"'
+
+They found Chapin in his shop, alias studio, busily looking over a
+number of plaster casts of legs and arms. He arose quickly as they
+entered and threw a cloth over the casts.
+
+'Hah! gudmornin', Mister Caper. Glad to see you in my studiyo. Hallo,
+Rocjan! you there? Why haven't you ben up to see my wife and daughters?
+She feels hurt, I tell you, 'cause you don't come near us. Do you know
+that Burkings of Bosting was round here to my studiyo yeserday: sold
+_him_ an Orphan. By the way, Mister Caper, air you any relation to Caper
+of the great East Ingy house of Caper?'
+
+'He is an uncle of mine, and is now in Florence; he will be in Rome next
+week.'
+
+A tender glow of interest beamed in Chapin's eyes: in imagination he saw
+another Orphan sold to the rich Caper, who might 'influence trade.' His
+tone of voice after this was subdued. As Caper happened to brush against
+some plaster coming in the studio, Chapin hastened to brush it from his
+coat, and he did it as if it were the down on the wing of a beautiful
+golden butterfly.
+
+'I was goin' to church this mornin' long with Missus Chapin; but I guess
+I'll stay away for once in me life. I want to show you The Orphan.'
+
+'I beg that you will not let me interfere with any engagement you may
+have,' said Caper; 'I can call as well at any other time.'
+
+'Oh, no; I won't lissen to that; I don't want to git to meeting before
+sermon, so come right stret in here now. There! there's The Orphan. You
+see I've made her accordin' to the profoundest rules of art. You may
+take a string or a yard measure and go all over her, you won't find her
+out of the way a fraction. The figure is six times the length of the
+foot; this was the way Phidias worked, and I agree with him. Them were
+splendid old fellows, them Greeks. There was art for you; high art!'
+
+'That in the Acropolis was of the highest order,' said Rocjean.
+
+'Yes,' answered Chapin, who did not know where it was; 'far above all
+other. There was some sentiment in them days; but it was all of the
+religious stripe; they didn't come down to domestic life and feelin';
+they hadn't made the strides we have towards layin' open art to the
+million--towards developing _hum_ feelings. They worked for a precious
+few; but we do it up for the many. Now there's the A-poller
+Belvidiary--beautiful thing; but the idea of brushin' his hair that way
+is ridicoolus. Did you ever see anybody with their hair fixed that way?
+Never! They had a way among the Greeks of fixing their drapery right
+well; but I've invented a plan--for which I've applied to Washington for
+a patent--that I think will beat anything Phidias ever did.'
+
+'You can't tell how charmed I am to hear you,' spoke Rocjean.
+
+'Well, it _is_ a great invention,' continued Chapin; 'and as I know
+neither of you ain't in the 'trade' (smiling), I don't care but what
+I'll show it to you, if you'll promise, honor bright, you won't tell
+anybody. You see I take a piece of muslin and hang it onto a statue the
+way I want the folds to fall; then I take a syringe filled with starch
+and glue and go all over it, so that when it dries it'll be as hard as a
+rock. Then I go all over it with a certain oily preparation and lastly
+I run liquid plaster-paris in it, and when it hardens, I have an exact
+mold of the drapery. There! But I hain't explained The Orphan. You see
+she's sittin' on a very light chair--_that_ shows the very little
+support she has in this world. The hand to the head shows meditation;
+and the Bible on her knee shows devotion; you see it's open to the book,
+chapter, and verse which refers to the young ravens.'
+
+'Excuse me,' said Caper, 'but may I ask why she has such a _very_
+low-necked dress on?'
+
+'Well, my model has got such a fine neck and shoulders,' replied Chapin,
+'that I re-eely couldn't help showing 'em off on the Orphan: besides,
+they're more in demand--the low neck and short sleeves--than the
+high-bodied style, which has no buyers. But there is a work I'm engaged
+on now that would just soot your uncle. Mr. Caper, come this way.'
+
+Caper saw what he supposed was a safe to keep meat cool in, and
+approached. Chapin threw back the doors of it like a showman about to
+disclose the What Is It? and Caper saw a dropsical-looking Cupid with a
+very short shirt on, and a pair of winged shoes on his feet. The figure
+was starting forward as if to catch his equilibrium, which he had that
+moment lost, and was only prevented from tumbling forward by a bag held
+behind him in his left hand, while his right arm and hand, at full
+length, pointed a sharp arrow in front of him.
+
+'Can you tell me what _that_ figger represents?' asked Chapin. As he
+received no reply, he continued: '_That_ is Enterprise; the two little
+ruts at his feet represent a railroad; the arrow, showin' he's sharp,
+points ahead; Go ahead! is his motto; the bag in his hand represents
+money, which the keen, sharp, shrewd business man knows is the reward of
+enterprise. The wreath round his head is laurel mixed up with lightnin',
+showin' he's up to the tellygraph; the pen behind his ear shows he can
+figger; and his short shirt shows economy, that admirable virtoo. The
+wings on his shoes air taken from Mercury, as I suppose you know; and--'
+
+'I say, now, Chapin, don't you think he's got a little too much legs,
+and rather extra stomach on him, to make fast time?' asked Rocjean.
+
+'Measure him, measure him!' said Chapin, indignantly; 'there's a string.
+Figure six times the length of his foot, everything else in proportion.
+No, _sir_; I have not studied the classic for nothin'; if there is any
+one thing I am strong on, it's anatomy. Only look at his hair. Why, sir,
+I spent three weeks once dissectin'; and for more'n six months I didn't
+do anything, during my idle time, but dror figgers. Art is a kind of
+thing that's born in a man. This saying the ancients were better
+sculpters than we air, is no such thing; what did they know about
+steam-engines or telegraphs? _Fiddle!_ They did some fustrate things,
+but they had no idee of fixin' hair as it should be fixed. No, sir; we
+moderns have great add-vantagiz, and we improve 'em. Rome is the Cra--'
+
+'I must bid you good-day,' interrupted Caper; 'your wife will miss you
+at the sermon: you will attribute it to me; and I would not
+intentionally be the cause of having her ill-will for anything.'
+
+'Well, she is a pretty hard innimy; and they do talk here in Rome if you
+don't toe the mark. But ree-ly, you mustn't go off mad (smiling). You
+must call up with Rocjan and see us; and I ree-ly hope that when your
+uncle comes you will bring him to my studiyo. I am sure my Enterprise
+will soot him.'
+
+So Chapin saw them out of his studio. Not until Caper found himself
+seated on a stone bench under the ilexes of the Villa Borghese, watching
+the sunbeams darting on the little lizards, and seeing far off the
+Albanian Mountains, snowcapped against the blue sky--not until then did
+he breathe freely.
+
+'Rocjean,' said he; 'that stone-cutter down there--that Chapin--'
+
+'_Chameau!_ roared Rocjean. 'He and his kind are doing for art what the
+Jews did for prize-fighting--they ruin it. They make art the
+laughing-stock of all refined and educated people. Art applied solely to
+sculpture and painting is dead; it will not rise again in these our
+times. But art, the fairy-fingered beautifier of all that surrounds our
+homes and daily walks, save paintings and statuary, never breathed so
+fully, clearly, nobly as now, and her pathway amid the lowly and homely
+things around us is shedding beauty wherever it goes. The rough-handed
+artisan who, slowly dreaming of the beautiful, at last turns out a stone
+that will beautify and adorn a room, instead of rendering it hideous,
+has done for this practical generation what he of an earlier theoretical
+age did for his cotemporaries when he carved the imperial Venus of
+Milos. Enough; _this_ is the sermon _not_ preached from stones.'
+
+
+A BALL AT THE COSTA PALACE
+
+One sunlight morning in February, while hard at work in his studio,
+Caper was agreeably surprised by the entrance of an elderly uncle of
+his, Mr. Bill Browne, of St. Louis, a gentleman of the rosy, stout,
+hearty school of old bachelors, who, having made a large fortune by
+keeping a Western country store, prudently retired from business, and
+finding it dull work doing nothing, wisely determined to enjoy himself
+with a tour over the Continent, 'or any other place he might conclude to
+visit.'
+
+'I say, Jim, did you expect to see me here?' was his first greeting.
+
+'Why, Uncle Bill! Well, you are the last man I ever thought would turn
+up. They didn't write me a word of your coming over,' answered Caper.
+
+'Mistake; they wrote you all about it; and if you'll drop round at the
+post-office, you'll find letters there telling you the particulars. Fact
+is, I am ahead of the mail. Coming over in the steamer, met a man named
+Orville; told me he knew you, that he was coming straight through to
+Rome, and offered to pilot me. So I gave up Paris and all that, and came
+smack through, eighteen days from New York. But I'm dry. Got a match?
+Here, try one of these cigars.'
+
+Caper took a cigar from his uncle's case, lit it, and then, calling the
+man who swept out the studios, sent him to the neighboring wine-shop for
+a bottle of wine.
+
+'By George, Jim, that's a pretty painting: that jackass is fairly alive,
+and so's the girl with a red boddice. I say, what's she got that towel
+on her head for? Is it put there to dry?'
+
+'No; that's an Italian peasant girl's head-covering. Most all of them do
+so.'
+
+'Do they? I'm glad of that. But here comes your man with the liquor.'
+
+And, after drinking two or three tumblers full, Uncle Bill decided that
+it was pretty good cider. The wine finished, together with a couple of
+rolls that came with it, the two sallied out for a walk around the
+Pincian Hill, the grand promenade of Rome. Towards sunset they thought
+of dinner, and Uncle Bill, anxious to see life, accepted Caper's
+invitation to dine at the old Gabioni: here they ordered the best
+dishes, and the former swore it was as good a dinner as he ever got at
+the Planter's House. Rocjean, who dined there, delighted the old
+gentleman immensely, and the two fraternized at once, and drank each
+other's health, old style, until Caper, fearing that neither could
+conveniently hold more, suggested an adjournment to the Greco for coffee
+and cigars.
+
+While they were in the cafe, Rocjean quietly proposed something to
+Caper, who at once assented; the latter then said to Uncle Bill,--
+
+'You have arrived in Rome just at the right time. You may have heard at
+home of the great Giacinti family; well, the Prince Nicolo di Giacinti
+gives a grand ball to-night at the Palazzo Costa. Rocjean and I have
+received invitations, embracing any illustrious strangers of our
+acquaintance who may happen to be in Rome; so you must go with us. You
+have no idea, until you come to know them intimately, what a
+good-natured, off-hand set the best of the Roman nobility are. Compelled
+by circumstances to keep up for effect an appearance of great reserve
+and dignity before the public, they indemnify themselves for it in
+private by having the highest kind of old times. They are passionately
+attached to their native habits and costumes, and though driven, on
+state occasions especially, to imitate French and English habits, yet
+they love nothing better than at times to enjoy themselves in their
+native way. The ball given by the prince to-night is what might be
+called a free-and-easy. It is his particular desire that no one should
+come in full dress; in fact, he rather likes to have his stranger guests
+come in their worst clothes, for this prevents the attention of the
+public being called to them as they enter the palace. After you have
+lived some time in Rome you will see how necessary it is to keep dark,
+so you will see no flaring light at the palace gate; it's all as quiet
+and common-place as possible. The dresses, you must remember, are
+assumed for the occasion because they are, or were, the national
+costume, which is fast disappearing, and if it were not for the noble
+wearers you will see to-night, you could not find them anywhere in Rome.
+You will perhaps think the nobility at the ball hardly realize your
+ideas of Italian beauty and refinement, compared with the fine specimens
+of men and women you may have seen among the Italian opera singers at
+home: well, these same singers are picked specimens, and are chosen for
+their height and muscular development from the whole nation, so that
+strangers may think all the rest at home are like them: it is a little
+piece of deception we can pardon.'
+
+After this long prelude, Rocjean proposed that they should try a game of
+billiards in the Cafe Nuovo. After they had played a game or two, and
+drank several _mezzo caldos_, or rum punches, they walked up the Corso
+to the Via San Claudio, No. 48, and entered the palace gate. It was very
+dark after they entered, so Rocjean, telling them to wait one moment,
+lit a _cerina_, or piece of waxed cord, an article indispensable to a
+Roman, and, crossing the broad courtyard, they entered a small door, and
+after climbing and twisting and turning, found a ticket-taker, and the
+next minute were in the ball-room.
+
+Uncle Bill was delighted with the excessively free-and-easy ball of
+Prince Giacinti, but was very anxious to know the names of the nobility,
+and Rocjean politely undertook to point out the celebrities, offering
+kindly to introduce him to any one he might think looked sympathetic;
+'what they call _simpatico_ in Italian,' explained Rocjean.
+
+'That pretty girl in _Ciociara_ costume is the Condessa or Countess
+Stella di Napoli.'
+
+'Introduce me,' said Uncle Bill.
+
+Rocjean went through the performance, concluding thus: 'The countess
+expresses a wish that you should order a _bottiglia_ (about two bottles)
+of red wine.'
+
+'Go ahead,' quoth Uncle Bill; 'for a nobility ball this comes as near a
+dance-house affair as I ever want to approach. By the way, who is that
+pickpocket-looking genius with eyes like a black snake?'
+
+'Who is _that_?' said Rocjean, theatrically. 'Chut! a word in your ear;
+that is An-to-nel-li!'
+
+'The devil! But I heard some one only a few minutes ago call him
+Angelucio.'
+
+'That was done satirically, for it means big angel, which you, who read
+the papers, know that Antonelli is _not_. But here comes the wine, and I
+see the countess looks dry. Pour out a half-dozen glasses for her. The
+Roman women, high and low, paddle in wine like ducks, and it never
+upsets them; for, like ducks, their feet are so large that neither you
+nor wine can throw them. I wish you could speak Italian, for here comes
+the Princess Giacinta _con Marchese_--'
+
+'I wish,' said Uncle Bill, 'you would talk English.'
+
+'Well,' continued Rocjean, 'with the Marchioness Nina Romana, if you
+like that better. Shall I introduce you?'
+
+'Certainly,' replied the old gentleman, 'and order two more what d'ye
+call 'ems. It's cheap--this knowing a princess for a quart of red
+teaberry tooth-wash, for that's what this "wine" amounts to. I am going
+to dance to-night, for the Princess Giacinta is a complete woman after
+my heart, and weighs her two hundred pound any day.'
+
+The nobility now began begging Rocjean and Caper to introduce them to
+his excellency _Il vecchio_, or the old man; and Uncle Bill, in his
+enthusiasm at finding himself surrounded with so many princes,
+Allegrini, Pelligrini, Sapgrini, and Dungreeny, compelled Caper to order
+up a barrel of wine, set it a-tap, and tell the nobility to 'go in.' It
+is needless to say that they _went_ in. Many of the costumes were very
+rich, especially those of the female nobility; and in the rush for a
+glass of wine the effect of the brilliant draperies flying here and
+there, struggling and pushing, was notable. The musicians, who were
+standing on what appeared to be barrels draped with white cloth, jumped
+down and tried their luck at the wine-cask, and, after satisfying their
+thirst, returned to their duties. There was a guitar, mandolin, violin,
+and flute, and the music was good for dancing. Uncle Bill was pounced on
+by the Princess Giacinta and whirled off into some kind of a dance, he
+did not know what; round flew the room and the nobility; round flew
+barrels of teaberry tooth-wash, beautiful princesses, big devils of
+Antonellis. Lights, flash, hum, buzz, buzz, zzz--ooo--zoom!
+
+Uncle Bill opened his eyes as the sunlight shed one golden bar into his
+sleeping-room at the Hotel d'Europe, and there by his bedside sat his
+nephew, Jim Caper, reading a letter, while on a table near at hand was a
+goblet full of ice, a bottle of hock, and another bottle corked, with
+string over it.
+
+'It's so-da wa-ter,' said Uncle Bill, musing aloud.
+
+'Hallo, uncle, you awake?' asked Caper, suddenly raising his eyes from
+his letter.
+
+'I am, my son. Give thy aged father thy blessing, and open that hock and
+soda water quicker! I say, Jim, now, what became of the nobility, the
+Colonnas and Aldobrandinis, after they finished that barrel? Strikes me
+some of them will have an owlly appearance this morning.'
+
+'You don't know them,' answered Caper.
+
+'I am beginning to believe I don't, too,' spoke Uncle Bill. 'I say, now,
+Jim, where did we go last night?'
+
+'Why, Uncle Bill, to tell you the plain truth, we went to a ball at the
+Costa Palace, and a model ball it was, too.'
+
+'I have you! Models who sit for you painters. Well, if they arn't
+nobility, they drink like kings, so it's all right. Give us the hock,
+and say no more about it.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+HOWE'S CAVE.
+
+
+Few persons, perhaps, are aware that Schoharie County, N.Y., contains a
+cave said to be nine or ten miles in extent, and, in many respects, one
+of the most remarkable in America. Its visitors are few,--owing,
+probably, to its recent discovery, together with its comparative
+inaccessibility;--yet these few are well rewarded for its exploration.
+
+In the month of August, 1861, I started, with three companions, to visit
+this interesting place.
+
+I will not weary the reader by describing the beauty of the Hudson and
+the grandeur of the Catskills; yet I would fain fix in my memory forever
+one sunrise, seen from the summit of a bluff on the eastern bank of the
+river, when the fog, gradually lifting itself from the stream, and
+slowly breaking into misty fragments, unveiled broad, smiling meadows,
+dark forests, village after village, while above all, far in the
+distance, rose the Catskills, clear in the sunlight.
+
+After two days crowded with enjoyment, we arrived in Schoharie, where we
+passed the night. Having given orders to be called at five, we took
+advantage of the leisure hour this arrangement gave us to view, the next
+morning.
+
+
+AN OLD FORT.
+
+In reality, the 'fort' is a dilapidated old church, used as a shelter
+during the Indian wars, and also in the days of the Revolution. On the
+smooth stones that form the eastern side are carved the names of the
+soldiers who defended it, with the date, and designation of the regiment
+to which they belonged. I deciphered also, among other curious details,
+the name of the person who 'gave the favor of the ground.' I would
+gladly have indulged my antiquarian tastes by copying these rude
+inscriptions; but the eager cries of my companions compelled me to hurry
+on.
+
+The western portion of the structure has also its story to tell. The
+traces of besieging cannon balls are still to be distinctly seen, and in
+one place I observed a smooth, round hole, made by the passage of a ball
+into the interior of the fort.
+
+As I stood on the walls of this ancient building, surveying the valley
+it overlooked, with its straggling village lying at our feet, and the
+fair Schoharie Creek, now gleaming in the sunlight of the meadows, or
+darkening in the shade of the trees that overhung it, the past and the
+present mingled strongly in my thoughts.
+
+The Stars and Stripes, that on this very spot had seen our fathers
+repelling a foreign foe, now waved over their sons, forced from their
+quiet homes, not to contend with the stranger and the alien, but to
+subdue those rebellious brothers whose sacrilegious hands had torn down
+that sacred flag, reared amidst the trials and perils of '76. Not less
+noble the present contest than the past, nor less heroic the soldier of
+to-day than the patriot of the Revolution. We continue to-day the fight
+they fought against injustice and oppression--a conflict that will end
+only when every nation and every race shall lift unshackled hands up to
+God in thanksgiving for the gift of freedom. A deeper love of my
+country, and a firmer trust in the God of truth and justice, sank into
+my heart as I turned away from those rude walls, sacred to the memory of
+departed valor.
+
+We hurried back to the breakfast that awaited us, and then drove to
+
+THE CAVE,
+
+which lies six miles from the village of Schoharie. The entrance is at
+the base of a heavily-wooded mountain that shuts in a secluded little
+valley. The only opening from this solitary vale is made by a small
+stream that winds out from among the hills. The entire seclusion of the
+place has prevented its earlier discovery; but the inevitable 'Hotel'
+now rears its wooden walls above the cave to encourage future
+adventurers to explore its recesses.
+
+In the absence of the proprietor of the hotel, who usually acts as
+cicerone, we took as guide a sun-burnt young man, with an economical
+portion of nose, closely cut hair, and a wiry little mouth, which we saw
+at a glance would open only at the rate of a quarter of a dollar a fact.
+He proved himself, however, shrewd, witty, and, withal, good-natured,
+and as fond of a joke as any one of us all. Bob, for so our new
+companion named himself, showed us at once into a dressing-room,
+advising us to put on, over our own garments, certain exceedingly coarse
+and ragged coats, hats and pants, which transformed us at once from
+rather fashionable young men into a set of forlorn-looking beggars. Each
+laughed at the appearance of the other, unconscious of his own
+transformation; but Bob, with more truth than politeness, informed us
+that we all 'looked like the Old Nick;' whence it appeared that in Bob's
+opinion the Enemy is usually sorely afflicted with a shabby wardrobe,
+and that, in the words of the sage,
+
+  'Poverty is the devil.'
+
+
+Being furnished with small oil lamps, we descended to the mouth of the
+cave. This opens at once into an entrance-hall, one hundred and fifty
+feet in length and thirty in width, and high enough for a tall man to
+enter upright.
+
+I inquired of Bob when the cave was discovered. 'In 1842,' he replied.
+'And by whom?' I continued. 'Why,' rejoined our guide, 'Mister Howe was
+a huntin' for caves, and he came across this one.' Rather a queer thing
+to be hunting for, I thought, though without comment; but in future I
+allowed Bob to carry on the conversation as best suited himself. He
+plunged at once into a dissertation on the state of the country, gravely
+stating that 'Washington was taken.' At the involuntary smile which this
+astounding piece of news called forth, Bob confessed 'he might be
+mistaken in this respect, as his paper came but once a week, and
+frequently only once in two weeks.' Finding him a stanch Union man, and
+inclined to serve his country to the best of his ability, we undertook
+'to post him up' on the present state of affairs, for which the poor
+fellow was truly grateful.
+
+Entrance Hall leads into Washington Hall, a magnificent apartment, three
+hundred feet long, and in the lowest part upwards of forty feet high.
+Our guide favored us at every turn with some new story or legend,
+repeated in a sing-song, nasal tone, ludicrously contrasting with the
+extravagance of the tales themselves. Yet he recited all alike with the
+most immovable gravity. It was a lively waltz of three notes.
+
+Old Tunnel and Giant's Chapel, two fine cave-rooms, were next explored.
+On entering the latter, Bob favored us with the rehearsal of an old
+story from the Arabian Nights, which--unfortunately, not one which will
+bear repetition--he wished us to believe actually happened in this very
+locality.
+
+I may here confess that, when we came to 'the dark hole in the ground,'
+I felt some slight reluctance to trust myself therein. Bob, observing
+this, immediately drew from his lively imagination such an astonishing
+increase of the perils of the way, looking complacently at me all the
+while, that my alarm, strange to say, took flight at once, and I pushed
+onward defiantly. The journey is, however, one that might justly inspire
+timidity. Above our heads, and on each side, frowned immense rocks,
+threatening at every instant to fall upon us; while the dash and babble
+of a stream whose course we followed, increasing in volume as we
+progressed, came to our ears like the 'sound of many waters.' We crossed
+this stream a hundred times, at least, in our journey. Sometimes it
+murmured and fretted in a chasm far below us; again, it spread itself
+out in our very path, or danced merrily at our side, until it seemed to
+plunge into some distant abyss with the roar of a cataract.
+
+We emerged from the windings of our tortuous path into Harlem Tunnel, a
+room six hundred feet in length. In its sides were frequent openings,
+leading into hitherto unexplored parts of the cave; but we did not
+venture to enter many of these. Never have I seen such rocks as we here
+encountered; at one time piled up on one another, ready to totter and
+fall at a touch; at another, jutting out in immense boulders, sixty feet
+above our heads, while, in the openings they left, we gazed upward into
+darkness that seemed immeasurable.
+
+From Harlem Tunnel we came into Cataract Hall, also of great length, and
+remarkable for containing a small opening extending to an unknown
+distance within the mountain, since it apparently cannot be explored.
+Applying the ear to this opening, the sound of an immense cataract
+becomes audible, pouring over the rocks far within the recesses of the
+mountain, where the Creator alone, who meted out those unseen, sunless
+waters, can behold its beauty and its terror.
+
+Crossing the Pool of Siloam, whose babbling waters sparkled into beauty
+as we held our lamps above them, we entered Franklin Hall. Here the
+roof, although high enough in some places, is uncomfortably low in
+others; whereupon Bob bade us give heed to the caution of Franklin,
+'Stoop as you go, and you will miss many hard thumps.'
+
+We arrived next at Flood Hall, where a party of explorers were once put
+in great peril by a sudden freshet in the stream. They barely saved
+themselves by rapid flight, the water becoming waist-deep before they
+gained the entrance. We had no reason to doubt the truth of this story,
+as there were evidences of the rise and fall of water all about us.
+
+Congress Hall now awaited us, but I will omit a description of it, as
+Musical Hall, which immediately succeeded, contains so much more that is
+interesting. On entering, our attention was first directed to an
+aperture wide enough for the admission of a man's head. Any sound made
+in this opening is taken up and repeated by echo after echo, till the
+very spirit of music seems awakened. Wave after wave of melodious sound
+charms the ear, even if the first awakening note has been most
+discordant. If the soul is filled with silent awe while listening to the
+unseen waterfall in Cataract Hall, it is here wooed into peace by a
+harmony more perfect than any produced by mortal invention. A
+temple-cavern vaster than Ellora with a giant 'lithophone' for organ!
+
+The second wonder of Musical Hall is a lake of great extent, and from
+ten to thirty feet in depth. The smooth surface of these crystal waters,
+never ruffled by any air of heaven, and undisturbed save by the dip of
+our oars as we were ferried across, the utter darkness that hid the
+opposite shore from our straining sight, the huge rocks above, whose
+clustering stalactites, lighted by our glimmering lamps, sparkled like a
+starry sky, the sound of the far-off waterfall, softened by distance
+into a sad and solemn music, all united to recall with a vivid power,
+never before felt, the passage of the 'pious AEneas' over the Styx, which
+I had so often read with delight in my boyhood. I half fancied our
+Yankee Bob fading into a vision of the classic Charon, and that the
+ghosts of unhappy spirits were peering at us from the darkness.
+
+At the end of the lake is Annexation Rock, a huge limestone formation in
+the shape of an egg. It stands on one end, is twenty-eight feet in
+diameter, and over forty in height.
+
+We were now introduced into Fat Man's Misery, where the small and
+attenuated have greatly the advantage. We emerged from this narrow and
+difficult passage into the Museum, half a mile long, and so called from
+the number and variety of its formations. We did not linger to examine
+its curiosities, but pushed on over the Alps, which we surmounted, aided
+partly by ladders. Very steep and rugged were these Alps, and quite
+worthy of the name they bear. We descended from them into the Bath-room,
+where a pool of water and sundry other arrangements suggest to a lively
+imagination its designation. It certainly has the recommendation of
+being the most retired bath-room ever known. That of the Neapolitan
+sibyl is public in comparison to it.
+
+We then entered Pirate's Retreat. Why so named, I can not guess, for I
+doubt if the boldest pirate who ever sailed the 'South Seas o'er' would
+dare venture alone so far underground as we now found ourselves.
+
+Leaving the Pirate's Retreat, we were obliged to cross the Rocky
+Mountains, similar in formation and arrangement to the Alps. The Rocky
+Mountains lead into Jehoshaphat's Valley, one mile in length. Like its
+namesake, this valley is a deep ravine, with steep, rugged sides, and a
+brawling brook running at the bottom.
+
+Miller's Hall next claims our attention. Here we take leave of the
+brook, which, with the cave, loses itself in a measureless ravine, where
+the rocks have fallen in such a manner as to obstruct any further
+explorations.
+
+From thence, turning to the right, we enter Winding Way, a most
+appropriate name for the place. The narrow passage turns and twists
+between masses of solid rook, high in some places, and low in others.
+The deathlike silence of the solitude that surrounded us impressed us
+with a vague feeling of fear, and we felt no disposition to tempt the
+Devil's Gangway, especially as, in consequence of a recent freshet, it
+was partly filled with water. Our guide informed us that beyond the
+Gangway were several rooms, among which Silent Chamber and Gothic Arch
+were the most noteworthy. The portion of the cave visited by tourists
+terminates in the 'Rotunda,' eight miles from the entrance; although
+explorations have been made some miles further. The Rotunda is
+cylindrical in shape, fifteen feet in diameter, and one hundred feet in
+height.
+
+We were now in a little room six miles from the mouth of the cave, and
+thought the present a good opportunity to try the effect of the absence
+of light and sound on the mind. Extinguishing our lights, therefore, we
+resigned ourselves to the influences of darkness and silence. To realize
+such a state fully, one must find one's self in the bowels of the earth,
+as we were, where the beating of our own hearts alone attested the
+existence of life. We were glad to relight our lamps and begin our
+return to upper air.
+
+I have already mentioned Annexation Rock; near it is another curious
+freak of nature, called the Tree of the World's History. It resembles
+the stump of a tree two feet in diameter, and cut off two feet above the
+ground, upon which a portion of the trunk, six feet in length, is
+exactly balanced. A singular type of the changes which time makes in the
+world above-ground.
+
+In the Museum, whose examination we had postponed till our return, we
+were lost in a world of wonders. It were vain to attempt to describe or
+even enumerate half of the various objects that met us at every turn.
+Churches, towers, complete with doors and windows, as if finished by the
+hand of an architect; an organ, its long and short pipes arranged in
+perfect order; Lot's Wife, a figure in stone, life size; in another
+place two women, in long, flowing garments, standing facing each other,
+as if engaged in earnest conversation, and a soldier in complete
+armor,--these were among the most striking of the larger objects. The
+vegetable world was also well represented. Here was a bunch of carrots,
+fresh as if just taken from the ground, sheaves of wheat, bunches of
+grain and grass hanging from the walls and roofs. Interspersed were
+birds of every species, doves in loving companionship, sparrows, and
+hawks. I noticed also in one place a pair of elephant's ears perfect as
+life. Indeed it was not difficult to believe that these stony semblances
+had once been endowed with life, and, ere blight or decay could change,
+had been transmuted into things of imperishable beauty.
+
+While waiting for our guide to unmoor the boat, which was to take us
+over the lake a second time, I ran up the bank to look at the
+stalactites that hung in the greatest profusion above the water. The
+light of my lamp shining through them produced an effect as surprising
+as it was beautiful. But no words can do justice to the scene. Imagine
+an immense room whose ceiling is studded with icicles forming every
+conceivable curve and angle, and you will have only a faint idea of the
+number and variety of these subterranean ornaments.
+
+A mile from the entrance we found some stray bats,--the first living
+creatures we had met. We endeavored to attract them by holding up our
+lamps, and succeeded so well that we were glad to leave them behind us
+as soon as possible.
+
+It is a singular fact, noted by other cave-explorers, and confirmed by
+our own experience, that while within a cave one's usual vigor and
+activity appears augmented. A slight reaction takes place on coming out
+into the upper world, and renders rest doubly refreshing and grateful.
+
+Let me, in closing, advise other visitors to Howe's Cave to choose _fair
+weather, and take time enough_ for their visit, as the windings of the
+cave and its curiosities are alike exhaustless.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+POTENTIAL MOODS
+
+
+      I sit and dream
+  Of the time that prophets have long foretold,
+  Of an age surpassing the age of gold,
+  Which the eyes of the selfish can never behold,
+      When truth and love shall be owned supreme.
+
+      I think and weep
+  O'er the thousands oppressed by sin and woe,
+  O'er the long procession of those who go,
+  Through ignorance, error, and passions low,
+      To the unsought bed of their dreamless sleep.
+
+      I wait and long
+  For the sway of justice, the rule of right;
+  For the glad diffusion of wisdom's light;
+  For the triumph of liberty over might;
+      For the day when the weak shall be free from the strong.
+
+      I work and sing
+  To welcome the dawn of the fairer day,
+  When crime and sin shall have passed away,
+  When men shall live as well as they pray,
+      And earth with the gladness of heaven shall ring.
+
+      I trust and hope
+  In the tide of God's love that unceasingly rolls,
+  In the dear words of promise that bear up our souls,
+  In the tender compassion that sweetly consoles,
+      When in death's darkened valley we tremblingly grope.
+
+      I toil and pray
+  For the beauty excelling all forms of art;
+  For the blessing that comes to the holy heart;
+  For the hope that foretells, and seems a part
+      Of the life and joy of the heavenly day.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE TRUE INTEREST OF NATIONS.
+
+
+For a litigious, quarrelsome, fighting animal, man is very fond of
+peace. He began to shed blood almost as soon as he began to go alone in
+company with his nearest relatives; and when Abel asked of Cain, 'Am I
+not a man and a brother?' the latter, instead of giving him the hug
+fraternal, did beat him to death. Cain's only object, it should seem,
+was a quiet life, and Abel had disturbed his repose by setting up a
+higher standard of excellence than the elder brother could afford to
+maintain. It was only to 'conquer a peace' that Cain thus acted. He
+desired 'indemnity for the past and security for the future,' and so he
+took up arms against his brother and ended him. He loved peace, but he
+did not fear war, because he was the stronger party of the two, his
+weapons being as ready for action as the British navy is ready for it
+to-day; and Abel was as defenceless as we were a twelvemonth ago. Cain
+is the type of all mankind, who know that peace is better than war, but
+who rush into war under the pressure of envy and pride. Ancient as
+violence is, it is not so old as peace; and it is for peace that all
+wars are made, at least by organized communities. All peoples have in
+their minds the idea of a golden age, not unlike to that time so vividly
+described by Hesiod, when men were absolutely good, and therefore happy;
+living in perfect accord on what the earth abundantly gave them,
+suffering neither illness nor old age, and dying as calmly as they had
+lived. Historical inquiry has so far shaken belief in the existence of
+any such time as that painted by the poet, that men have agreed to place
+it in the future. It has never been, but it is to be. It will come with
+that 'coming man,' who travels so slowly, and will be by him
+inaugurated, a boundless millennial time. In the mean time contention
+prevails; 'war's unequal game' is played with transcendent vigor, and at
+a cost that would frighten the whole human race into madness were it
+incurred for any other purpose. But, while fighting, men have kept their
+eyes steadily fixed upon peace, which is to be the reward of their valor
+and their pecuniary sacrifices. Every warlike time has been followed by
+a period in which strenuous exertions have been made to make peace
+perpetual. Never was there a more profound desire felt for peace than
+that which prevailed among the Romans of the Augustan age, after a
+series of civil and foreign wars yet unparalleled in the history of
+human struggles. One poet could denounce the first forger of the iron
+sword as being truly brutal and iron-hearted; and another could declare
+it to be the 'mission' of the Romans only to impose terms of peace upon
+barbarians, who should be compelled to accept quiet as a boon, or endure
+it as a burden. Strange sentiments were these to proceed from the land
+of the legions, but they expressed the current Roman opinion, which
+preferred even dishonor to war. So was it after the settlement of Europe
+in 1815. A generation that had grown up in the course of the greatest of
+modern contests produced the most determined and persistent advocates of
+the 'peace-at-any-price' policy; and for forty years peace was preserved
+between the principal Christian nations, through the exertions of
+statesmen, kings, philanthropists, and economists, who, if they could
+agree in nothing else, were almost unanimous in the opinion that war was
+an expensive folly, and that the first duty of a government was to
+prevent its subjects from becoming military-mad. Perhaps there never was
+a happier time in Christendom than it knew between the autumn of 1815
+and the spring of 1854, after Napoleon had gone down and before Nicholas
+had set himself up to dictate law to the world. It was the modern age of
+the Antonines, into which was crowded more true enjoyment than mankind
+had known for centuries; and they are beginning to learn its excellence
+from its loss,--war raging now in the New World, while Europe lives in
+hourly expectation of its occurrence. There were wars, and cruel wars,
+too, in those years, but they faintly affected Europe and the United
+States, and probably added something to men's happiness, for the same
+reason that a storm to which we are not exposed increases our sense of
+comfort. Their thunders were remote, and they furnished materials for
+the journals. So we saw a Providence in them, and thanked Heaven, some
+of us, that we no longer furnished examples of the folly of contention.
+
+The friends of peace were actuated by various motives. With statesmen
+and politicians peace was preferred because it was cheaper than war, and
+all countries were burdened with debt. England has sometimes been
+praised because she so uniformly threw her influence on the side of
+peace, after she had accomplished her purpose in the war against
+imperial France. Time and again, she might have waged popular wars, and
+in which she would have probably been successful; but she would help
+neither the Spaniards against France and the Holy Alliance, nor the
+Turks against the Russians, nor the Poles against the Czar, nor the
+Hungarians against the Austrians, nor the Italians against the Kaiser,
+nor the Greeks against the Turks. She settled all her disputes with the
+United States by negotiation, and showed no disposition to fight with
+France, except when she had all the rest of Europe on her side. But this
+praise has not been deserved. England did not quarrel with powerful
+countries, because she could not afford to enter upon costly warfare.
+She had gone to the extent of her means when her debt had reached to
+four thousand million dollars, and she could not increase that debt
+largely until she should also have increased her wealth. Time was
+required to add to her means, and to lessen her debt; and to such a
+state had her finances been reduced, that it is now twenty years since
+she began to derive a portion of her revenue from an income tax, which,
+imposed in the time of peace, was increased when war became inevitable.
+The bonds she had given to keep the peace were too great to admit of her
+breaking it. She did not fight, because she doubted her ability to fight
+successfully. She had no wish to behold another suspension of cash
+payments by her national bank; and a general war would be sure to bring
+suspension. But she was as ready as she had ever been to contend with
+the weak. The Chinese and the Afghans did not find her very forbearing,
+though with neither of those peoples had she any just cause for war.
+
+With the disunited States she has been as prompt to quarrel as she was
+slow to contend with the United States; and now she is one of the high
+contracting parties to the crusade against Mexico. We say nothing of the
+Sepoy war, for that was a contest for 'empire,' as Earl Russell would
+say. She could not, in the days of Clyde, give up what she had acquired
+in the days of Clive; and no one ought to blame her for what she did in
+India, though it can not be denied that the mutiny was the consequence
+of her own bad conduct in the East. With Russia, Austria, and Prussia to
+back her, in 1840, she went to the verge of a war with France; but, in
+so doing, the government did that which the English nation by no means
+warmly approved; and the fall of the whig ministry, in 1841, was in no
+small part due to Lord Palmerston's policy in the preceding year. The
+Russian war was brought about by the action of the English people, who
+were angry with the Czar because his empire had the first place in
+Europe. The government would have prevented that war from breaking out
+if it could, but popular pressure was too strong for it, and it had to
+give way. The event has proved that the English government was wiser
+than were the English people, France alone having gained anything from
+the departure from what had become the policy of Europe; and for France
+to gain is not altogether for the benefit of England.
+
+Of the motives of the philanthropists, we have little to say. They are
+always respectable, and it is a pity that the world should be too wicked
+to appreciate them. But those of the economists are open to remark, and
+the more so because there has been so much claimed for them. They
+reduced everything to a matter of interest. Peace, they reasoned, is for
+the welfare of all men; and, if an enlightened self-interest could be
+made to prevail the world over, war would be rendered an impossibility.
+Wars between civilized countries have mostly grown out of mistaken views
+of interest on the part of governments and peoples. Once enlighten both
+rulers and ruled, and make them understand that war can not pay, and
+selfishness will accomplish what religion, and morality, and
+benevolence, and common sense have failed to accomplish. Cutting throats
+may be a very agreeable pastime; but no man ever yet paid for anything
+more than it was worth, with his eyes wide open to the fact that he was
+not buying a bargain, but selling himself. Nations would be as wise as
+individuals, unless it be true that the sum of intelligence is not so
+great as the items that compose it; and when it should have been made
+indisputably clear that to make war was to make losses, while peace
+should be as indisputably profitable, there would be no further occasion
+to expend, annually, immense sums upon the support of great armaments,
+such as were not kept up, even in times of war, by the potentates of
+earlier days. The reason of mankind was to be appealed to, and they were
+to be made saints through the use of practical logic. Neighborhood,
+instead of being regarded as cause for enmity, was to be held as ground
+for good feeling and liberal intercourse. Under the old system it had
+been the custom to call France and England 'natural enemies,' words that
+attributed to the Creator the origin of discord. Under the new system,
+those great countries were to become the best of friends, as well as the
+closest of neighbors; and one generation of free commerce was to do away
+with the effects of five centuries of disputes and warfare. England was
+to forget the part which France took in the first American war, and
+France was to cease to recollect that there had been such days as Crecy
+and Agincourt, Vittoria and Waterloo; and also that England had
+overthrown her rule in North America, and driven her people from India.
+But it was not France and England only that were to enter within the
+charmed circle; all nations were to be admitted into it, and the whole
+world was to fraternize. It was to be Arcadia in a ring-fence, an
+Arcadia solidly based upon heavy profits, with consols, _rentes_, and
+other public securities--which in other times had a bad fashion of
+becoming very insecure--always at a good premium. Quarter-day was to be
+the day for which all other days were made, and it would never be
+darkened by the imposition of new taxes, by repudiation, or by any other
+of those things that so often have lessened the felicity of the
+fund-holder.
+
+That the new Temple of Peace might be enabled to rise in proper
+proportions, it became necessary to destroy some old edifices, and to
+remove what was considered to be very rubbishy rubbish. Protection,
+tariffs, and so forth, once worshiped as evidences of ancestral wisdom,
+were to be got rid of with all possible speed, and free trade was to be
+substituted, that is, trade as free as was compatible with the raising
+of enormous revenues, made necessary by the foolish wars of the past. In
+due time, perfect freedom of trade would be had; but a blessing of that
+magnitude could not be expected to come at once to the relief of a
+suffering world. England, which had taken the lead in supporting
+protection, and whose commercial system had been of the most illiberal
+and sordid character, became the leader in the grand reform, pushing the
+work vigorously forward, and, with her usual consideration for the
+feelings and rights of others, ordering the nations of Europe and
+America to follow her example. She had discovered that she had been all
+in the wrong since the day when Oliver St. John's wounded pride led him
+to the conclusion that it was the duty of every patriotic Englishman to
+do his best to destroy the commerce of Holland. She was very impatient
+of those peoples who were shy of imitating her, forgetting that her
+conduct through six generations had made a strong impression on the
+world's mind, and that her sudden conversion could not immediately avail
+against her long persistence in sinning against political economy, if
+indeed she had so sinned; and the question was one that admitted of some
+dispute, free trade being but an experiment. Gradually, however, men
+came round to the British view, in theory at least; and among the
+intelligent classes it was admitted that commerce without restriction
+was the true policy of nations, which must be gradually adopted as the
+basis of all future action, due regard to be paid to those potent
+disturbing forces, vested interests. France was slow to yield in
+practice, though she had produced some of the cleverest of economical
+writers; for she is as little given to change in matters of business as
+she is ready to rush into political revolutions. But even France at last
+gave signs of her intention to abandon her ancient practice in deference
+to modern theories; and Napoleon III. and Mr. Cobden laid their wise
+heads together to form plans for the completion of the 'cordial
+understanding,' on the basis of free trade. Less than forty years had
+sufficed to effect a gradual change of human opinion, and protection
+seemed about to be sent to that limbo in which witchcraft, alchemy, and
+judicial astrology have been so long undisturbedly reposing.
+
+Death, we are told, found his way into Arcadia; and disappointment was
+not long in coming to disturb the modern Arcadians, who had as much to
+do with cotton as their predecessors with wool. The dream of universal
+peace, a peace that was to endure because based on enlightened
+selfishness,--that is to say on buying in cheap markets and selling in
+dear ones,--was as rudely dispelled as had been all earlier dreams of
+the kind. Interest, it was found, could no more make men live lovingly
+together than principle could cause them to do so in by-gone times. If
+there were two nations that might have been insured not to fight each
+other, because interest was sufficient to prevent men from having resort
+to war, those nations were Russia and England. They were in no sense
+rivals, according to the definition of rivalry in the circles of
+commerce. Between them there was much buying and selling, to the great
+profit of both. England is an old nation, with the arts of industry
+developed among her people to an extent that is elsewhere unknown. The
+division of labor that prevails among her working people is so extensive
+and so minute, that in that respect she defies comparison. Other
+countries may have as skillful laborers as she possesses, but their
+industry is of a far less various character. Russia is a new country,
+and she requires what England has to dispose of; and England finds her
+account in purchasing the raw materials that are so abundantly produced
+in Russia. Commercially speaking, therefore, these two nations could not
+fall out, could not quarrel, could not fight, if they would. In all
+other respects, too, they could be counted upon to set a good example to
+all other communities. They had more than once been allies, each had
+done the other good services at critical tunes, and they had had the
+foremost places in that grand alliance which had twice dethroned
+Napoleon I. The exceptions to their general good understanding belong to
+those exceptions which are supposed to be useful in proving a given
+rule. When the tory rulers of England became alarmed because of the
+success of Catharine II. in her second Turkish war, and proposed doing
+what was done more than sixty years later,--to assist the Osmanlis,--the
+opposition to their policy became so powerful that even the strong
+ministry of William Pitt had to listen to its voice; which shows that
+the tendency of English opinion was then favorable to Russia. The
+hostility of Czar Paul to England, in his last days, is attributed to
+the failure of his mind; and the immediate resumption of good relations
+between the two countries after his death, establishes the fact that the
+English and the Russians were not sharers in the Czar's feelings. During
+the five years that followed Tilsit, Russia appeared to be the enemy of
+England, and war existed for some time between the two empires; but this
+was owing to the ascendency of the French, Alexander having to choose
+between England and France. The nominal enemies did each other as little
+injury as possible; and, in 1812, they became greater friends than ever.
+Most Englishmen were probably of Lord Holland's opinion, that England's
+interest dictated a Russian connection; and in the eighteenth century
+England was, in some sense, the nursing mother of the new empire, though
+once or twice she was inclined to do as other nurses have
+done,--administer some punishment to the rude and healthy child she was
+fostering, and not without reason. So harmonious had been the relations
+of these two magnificent states, that an eminent Russian author, Dr.
+Hamel, writing in 1846, could say: 'Nearly three hundred years have now
+elapsed since England greeted Muscovy at the mouth of the Dwina. So
+great have been the benefits to trade, the arts, and industry in
+general, arising from the friendly relations between England and Russia,
+which, in 1853, will have completed the third century of their
+continuance, that one might expect to see this period closed, in both
+countries, with a jubilee to commemorate so remarkable an example of
+uninterrupted amicable intercourse between nations.' The year 1853 came;
+but, instead of being a jubilee to the old friends of three centuries'
+standing, it brought the beginning of that contest which is known as the
+Russian war. That was a proper way, indeed, to notice the happy return
+of the three-hundredth anniversary of the establishment of
+'uninterrupted amicable intercourse' between the nations, whose soldiers
+were soon slaughtering each other with as much energy as if they had
+been 'natural enemies' from immemorial time. Interest had no power to
+turn aside the storm of war. The English people were angry with Russia
+because the iron-willed Czar had carried matters in Europe with a very
+high hand, and was, in fact, virtually master of the Old World, and
+suspected of being on uncommonly good terms with the masters of the New
+World. Nicholas had succeeded to the place of Napoleon in their ill
+graces. They liked the Cossackry of the one as little as they had liked
+the cannonarchy of the other. It was a case of pure jealousy. Russia was
+too powerful to suit the English idea of the fitness of things, and
+therefore it was necessary that she should be chastised and humbled.
+Fear of Russia there could have been none in the English mind. It has
+been thought that England contended for the safety of her Eastern
+dominions; but then the Czar offered her Egypt and Candia, possession of
+which would not only have much strengthened her Indian empire, but have
+been the means of making her more powerful at home. Nothing better could
+have been offered for her acceptance, if valuable territories would have
+satisfied her feelings; and much praise has been bestowed upon her
+because she did not close with the Czar's proposition 'to share and
+share alike' the lands of the House of Othman; but that praise is not
+quite deserved, the desire not to see Russia aggrandized being a
+stronger sentiment with her than was the desire to aggrandize herself.
+Had the question been left for British statesmen alone to settle,--had
+the British premier been as free to act for England as the Czar was for
+Russia,--poor, sick Turkey would have been cut and carved most
+expeditiously and artistically; she would have been partitioned as
+perfectly as Poland, and Abdul Medjid would have experienced the fate of
+Stanislaus Poniatowski. But English ministers hold power only on
+condition of doing the will of the English nation, and that nation had
+contracted an aversion to Russia that was uncontrollable, and before its
+hostility its ministers had to give way, slowly and reluctantly; and the
+half-measures they adopted, like the half-measures of our own government
+toward the secessionists, explain the disasters of the war. The English
+people were determined that there should be an end, for the time at
+least, to the Russian hegemony, and threw themselves into the arms of
+France with a vivacity that would have astonished any other French ruler
+but Napoleon III., who had lived among them, and who knew them well. The
+war was waged, and, when over, what had England gained? Nothing solid,
+it must be admitted. The territory of Russia remained unimpaired, and
+there is not the slightest evidence that her influence in the East was
+lessened by the partial destruction of Sebastopol. The Russian navy of
+the Euxine had ceased to exist; but as it consisted principally of
+vessels that were not adapted to the purposes of modern warfare, the
+loss of the Russians in that respect was not of a very serious
+character. Russia's European leadership was suspended; but her power and
+her resources, which, if properly employed, must soon reinstate her,
+were not damaged. England _had_ fought for an idea, and had fought in
+vain.
+
+France had as little interest in the Russian war as England, and the
+French people had no wish to fight the Czar. They would have preferred
+fighting the English, in connection with the Czar,--an arrangement that
+would have been more profitable to their country. But the emperor had a
+quarrel with his arrogant brother at St. Petersburgh, and he availed
+himself of the opportunity afforded by that brother's obstinacy to teach
+him a lesson from which he did not live to profit. Nicholas had cut the
+new emperor, and had caused him to be taboo'd by most of the sovereigns
+of Europe; and the Frenchman determined to cut his way to consideration.
+This he was enabled to do, with the aid of the English; and ever since
+the war's close he has held the place which became vacant on the death
+of Nicholas--that of Europe's arbiter. The French fought well, as they
+always do, but their heart was not in the war. The emperor had the war
+party pretty much to himself. Exactly the opposite state of things
+existed in France to that which existed in England. In the former
+country, the government was for war, and the people were for peace; in
+the latter, the government was for peace, and the people were for war.
+In each country power was in the hands of the war party, and so war was
+made, in spite of the wishes of the French people and of English
+statesmen. When Napoleon III. had accomplished _his_ purpose, he ordered
+the English to make peace, and peace was made. In this way he satisfied
+his subjects, showing them that he had no intention of making England
+more powerful than she had been, or Russia weaker. He had prevented
+Russia from extending her dominion, but he had also prevented England
+from lessening that dominion.
+
+The Italian war was waged in opposition to the sentiments of the French
+people, which was one of the leading causes of its sudden termination,
+with its object, only half accomplished, and much to the damage of the
+emperor's reputation for statesmanship and courage. Whether, in a
+comprehensive sense, that war was entered upon for purposes adverse to
+the interests of France, may well be doubted; but it is certain that it
+was an unpopular measure in that country. The French had no objection to
+the humiliation of Austria; but it would be a grave error to suppose
+that they have any wish to behold Italy united and powerful. The kingdom
+of Italy, should it become all that is desired for it by its friends in
+this country, would be to France a source of annoyance, and probably of
+danger. The emperor's power was shaken by his Italian policy, and hence
+it was that he played the confederature game so long, to the
+astonishment of foreigners, and got possession of Savoy and Nice, to
+the astonishment and anger of England; and hence it is that he is
+seeking Sardinia and other portions of Italy. Thus, the Italian war was
+begun against the interests of the French people, or what that people
+believe to be their interests, though this is the age in which there is
+to be peace, because that is not to be broken except when popular
+interests require that it shall no longer be preserved.
+
+But the most remarkable instance of the fallacy of the idea that regard
+for the true interests of nations must banish hostilities from the
+world, is afforded by the coarse of France and England toward this
+country since the beginning of the secession war. Both those countries
+have great interest not only in the preservation of peace _with_ the
+United States, but in the preservation of peace _in_ the United States;
+and yet they have done all that it lies in their power to do to
+encourage our rebels, and have been on the verge of war with us: and war
+with them, and with Spain, is exported by many Americans, who judge of
+the future by the present and the past. England had a vast trade with
+the American Union, buying at the South, and selling to the North, and
+hence any disturbances here were sure to operate adversely to her
+interests; but no sooner had it become apparent that our troubles were
+to be of a serious character, than her weight was thrown on to the side
+of the rebels, who never would have been able to do much but for the
+encouragement they have received from abroad. The trade of France was
+not so great with America as that of England; yet it was valuable, and
+the French have suffered much from its suspension, perhaps we should say
+its loss. The North has purchased but little from Europe for a year, and
+the South has sold less to Europe in that time. There has been a trade
+in food between the North and some European countries, in which grain
+has been exchanged for gold, though it would have been better for both
+parties could anything else than gold have been brought to America, true
+commerce consisting in the interchange of commodities. For all the
+sufferings that have been experienced by Englishmen and Frenchmen, they
+have none but themselves and their governments to censure. That peace
+has not been preserved is not our fault; and the war that has been blown
+into so fierce a flame has been fed from Europe; it has been fanned by
+breezes from France and England. When it was first seen that there was
+danger of civil war, the governments of those countries, if they had
+really had any regard for the true interests of their countries, would
+have discouraged the rebels in the most public and pointed manner
+imaginable, not because they cared for us, but for the simple reason
+that they were bound so to act as should best promote the welfare of
+their own peoples. War in America meant suffering to the artisans and
+laborers of Europe, who, thus far, have suffered more from the war than
+have any portion of the American people, except the residents of
+Southern cities. Napoleon III. and Lord Palmerston should have said to
+the agents of the Confederacy, and have taken care to publish their
+words, 'We can afford you neither aid in deeds nor encouragement in
+words. Our relations with both sections of the American nation are such,
+that our respective countries must suffer immensely from the course
+which you are about to pursue, not because you have been oppressed, or
+fear oppression, but because you have been beaten in an election, and
+power, for the time, has been taken from your hands. You ask us to act
+hostilely against the established government of the United States, that
+government having given us no cause of offense,--to become the patrons
+of a revolution that has no cause, but the consequences of which may be
+boundless. To revolutions we are averse; and one of our governments
+exists in virtue of opposition to the party of disorder in Europe. You
+ask us to do that which would lessen the means of livelihood to millions
+of our people; for, granting that you should succeed, still there would
+necessarily be so great a change produced by your action, and by our
+intervention in American affairs, that for years America would not be
+the good customer to France and England that she has been for a
+generation. With the merits of your cause we can have nothing to do, our
+true interests pointing to the maintenance of the strictest neutrality
+in the contest between you and the federal government; and the dictates
+of interest are fortified by the suggestions of principle. Your movement
+is essentially disorderly in its character, and it is undertaken
+avowedly in the interest of slavery; and not only are we the supporters
+of the existing order of things the world over, but we are hostile to
+slavery, having abolished it in all parts of our dominions. Our advice
+to you is, to submit to the federal government, and to seek for the
+redress of your grievances, if such you have, by means recognized in the
+constitution and laws of your country. From us you can receive no aid,
+and you should dismiss all expectation of it from your minds at once and
+forever. We are indifferent to the form of the American government, and
+its internal policy can not concern us; but the interests of our peoples
+require that we should live in peace with the people of America, whether
+they be of the South or of the North, slave-holders or abolitionists;
+and we shall not quarrel with any portion of them for the sake of
+facilitating the erection of a republic to be founded on the basis of
+the divine nature of slavery, the first time that so preposterous a
+pretension was ever put forward by the audacity or the impudence of
+men.' Had something like this been said to the agents of the rebels, and
+had the English press supported the same views, the rebellion would have
+been at an end ere this, and the commercial relations of America and
+Europe would have experienced no sensible interruption. English
+interests, in an especial sense, demanded that the rebels should be
+discouraged, and discouragement from London would have rendered
+rebellion hopeless, and have promoted peace in Savannah and New Orleans.
+
+But it was not in England's nature to pursue a course that would have
+been as much in harmony with her material interests as with that high
+moral character which she claims as being peculiarly her own. There
+appeared to have presented itself an opportunity to effect the
+destruction of the American Republic, and England could not resist the
+temptation to strike us hard: and, for almost a year, she has been to
+the Union a more deadly foe than we have found in the South. We do not
+allude to the _Trent_ question, for in that we were clearly in the
+wrong, and Mason and Slidell should have been released on the 16th of
+November, and not have been detained in captivity six weeks. Secretary
+Seward has placed the point so emphatically beyond all doubt, that we
+must all be of one mind thereon, whether in England or America. England
+might have been moderate in her action, in view of her repeated outrages
+on the rights of neutrals, but no intelligent American can condemn her
+position. It is to other things that we must look for evidence of her
+determination to effect our extinction as a nation. She has, while
+dripping with Hindoo blood, and while yet men's ears are filled with
+accounts of the blowing of sepoys from the muzzles of cannon by her
+military executioners, absolutely demanded of us an acknowledgment of
+the Southern Confederacy's independence, on the ground that it is
+inhuman to wage war for the maintenance of our national life. She has
+compared our mild and forbearing government with the savage proconsulate
+of Alva in the Netherlands! She has charged us with waging war against
+civilization, because we have employed stone fleets to close entrances
+to the harbor of Charleston, though her own history is full of instances
+of their employment for similar purposes! She has encouraged her traders
+and seamen to furnish the rebels with arms of all kinds, and stores of
+every description! She has excluded our ships-of-war from her ports,
+refusing to allow them to coal at places at which she had granted us the
+privilege, in time of peace, of establishing stations for fuel! She has
+given shelter and protection to the privateers of the rebels, vessels
+that had violated her own laws almost within sight of her own shores,
+and certainly within the narrow seas! She has acknowledged the
+belligerent character of the South, which is virtually an acknowledgment
+of its independence, for none but nations can lawfully wage war. She
+has, through her Minister for Foreign Affairs, declared that our war
+with the secessionists is of the same character as the war which the
+Spaniards carried on with their American colonists, and that there is no
+difference between it and the attempt of the Turks to subdue the Greeks!
+Monstrous perversions of history for even Earl Russell to be guilty of!
+Her leading periodicals and journals, with few exceptions, have
+denounced our country, our course, and our government in the bitterest
+language, and to the manifest encouragement of the rebels, who see in
+their language the rapid growth and prompt exhibition of a sentiment of
+hostility to this country, and which must, sooner or later, end in war;
+and war between England and America would be sure to lead to the success
+of the Confederates, even if we should come out of it victoriously.
+
+Thus we see that the attempt to establish peace on the basis of the true
+interests of nations has not only failed, but that it has failed
+signally and deplorably. The solid Doric Temple of Mammon has no more
+been able to stand against the storms of war than has the Crystal Palace
+of Sentiment. The fair fabric which was the type of materialism has
+fallen, and it would be most unwise to seek its reconstruction. That
+which was to have stood as long and as firmly as the Pyramids has fallen
+before the first moss could gather upon it. Nor is the reason of this
+fall far to seek, as it lies upon the surface, and ought to have been
+anticipated--would have been, only that men are so ready to believe in
+what they wish to believe. England, as a nation, has two interests to
+consult, and which do not always accord. She has her commercial interest
+and her imperial interest; and, when the two conflict, the last is sure
+to become first. Her position as a nation was threatened only by the
+United States and Russia. The dynastic disputes of France, which are far
+from being at an end, and the generally unsettled character of French
+politics, must long prevent that country from becoming the permanent
+rival of England. France is great to-day, and England acts wisely in
+preparing to meet her in war; but to-morrow France may become weak, and
+her voice be feeble and her weight light in Europe and the world. Three
+houses claim her throne, and the Republicans may start up into active
+life again, as we saw they did in 1848. Neither Austria nor Prussia can
+ever furnish England cause of alarm. With Russia the case is very
+different, as her government is solidly established; her resources are
+vast, and in the course of steady development, and her desire to
+establish her supremacy in the East is a fixed idea with both rulers and
+ruled. Unchecked, she would have thrown England into the background, and
+supposing that she had resolved not to allow that country a share of the
+spoil of Turkey. The hard character and harsh policy of Nicholas ended
+in furnishing to England an opportunity to throw Russia herself into the
+background for the time, and that opportunity she made use of, but not
+to the extent that she had determined upon, owing to her dependence upon
+France, which became the shield of Russia after having been the sword of
+England. The United States were a formidable rival of England; and, but
+for the breaking out of our troubles, we should have been far ahead of
+her by 1870, and perhaps have stripped her of all her American
+possessions. When those troubles began, she proceeded to take the same
+advantage of them that she had taken of the Czar's blunder. To sever the
+American nation in twain is her object, as some of her public men have
+frankly avowed; and she believes that the disintegrating process, once
+commenced, would not stop with the division of the country into the
+Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy. She expects, should the
+South succeed, to see half a dozen republics here established, and is
+not without hope that not even two States would remain together; and for
+this hope she has very good foundation. The American nation destroyed,
+England would become as great in the West as she is in the East, and
+would hold, with far greater means at her command, the same position
+that was hers in the last days of George II., when the French had been
+expelled from America and India. She would have no commercial rival, and
+there would no longer be an American navy susceptible of gigantic
+increase. She would be truly the sea's sovereign; and whoso rules the
+sea has power to dictate to the land. 'Whosoever commands the sea,' says
+Sir Walter Raleigh, 'commands the trade of the world; whosoever commands
+the trade of the world, commands the riches of the world, and
+consequently the world itself.' England never would have gone to war
+with the _United States_ to prevent their growth; but, now that they
+have instituted civil war, it is certain that she will do all that lies
+in her power to prevent the reconstruction of the Union. The war of
+words has been begun, and it is but preliminary to the war of swords.
+The savage music of the British press is the overture to the opera. The
+morality of England may be neither higher nor lower than that of all
+other countries,--may be no worse than our own,--but there is so much
+that is offensive in her modes of exhibiting her destitution of
+principle, that she is more hated than all other powerful countries that
+ever have existed. She not only sins as badly as other nations, but
+manages to make herself as odious for her manner of sinning as for the
+sins themselves. There is no crime that she is not capable of, if its
+perpetration be necessary to promote her own power. When Sir William
+Reid was governor of Malta, he said to Mr. Lushington, 'I would let them
+(_i.e._ the heathen) set up Juggernaut in St. George's Square (in
+Edinburgh), if it were conducive to England's holding Malta.' And as
+this time-blue Presbyterian was ready to allow the solemnization of the
+bloodiest rites of paganism in the most public place of the Christian
+city of Edinburgh, if that kind of tolerance would be conducive to
+England's retention of Malta,--of which she holds possession, by the
+way, in consequence of one of the grossest breaches of faith mentioned
+even in her history,--so do we find the Christian people, peers, and
+priests of England ready to become the allies of slave-holders and the
+supporters of slavery, if thereby the American Republic can be
+destroyed, as they believe that its existence may become the source of
+danger to the ascendency of their country.
+
+The last intelligence from England allows us to believe that that
+country has adopted a more liberal policy, and that her government will
+do nothing to aid the rebels. Some of the language of Ministers is
+friendly, and altogether the change is one of a character that can not
+be otherwise than agreeable to us. France, too, has declared her
+neutrality as strongly as England. These declarations were made before
+intelligence of our military and naval successes had reached Europe,
+which renders them all the more weighty. Peace between America and
+Europe may, therefore, be counted upon, unless some very great reverses
+should befall our arms.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+AMONG THE PINES.
+
+
+The 'Ole Cabin' to which Jim had alluded as the scene of Sam's
+punishment by the Overseer, was a one-story shanty in the vicinity of
+the stables. Though fast falling to decay, it had more the appearance of
+a decent habitation than the other huts on the plantation. Its thick
+plank door was ornamented with a mouldy brass knocker, and its four
+windows contained sashes, to which here and there clung a broken pane,
+the surviving relic of its better days. It was built of large unhewn
+logs, notched at the ends and laid one upon the other, with the bark
+still on. The thick, rough coat which yet adhered in patches to the
+timber had opened in the sun, and let the rain and the worm burrow in
+its sides, till some parts had crumbled entirely away. At one corner the
+process of decay had gone on till roof, superstructure, and foundation
+had rotted down and left an opening large enough to admit a coach and
+four horses. The huge chimneys which had graced the gable-ends of the
+building were fallen in, leaving only a mass of sticks and clay to tell
+of their existence, and two wide openings to show how great a figure
+they had once made in the world. A small space in front of the cabin
+would have been a lawn, had the grass been willing to grow upon it; and
+a few acres of cleared land in its rear might have passed for a garden,
+had it not been entirely overgrown with young pines and stubble. This
+primitive structure was once the 'mansion' of that broad plantation,
+and, before the production of turpentine came into fashion in that
+region, its rude owner drew his support from its few surrounding acres,
+more truly independent than the present aristocratic proprietor, who,
+raising only one article, and buying all his provisions, was forced to
+draw his support from the Yankee or the Englishman.
+
+Only one room, about forty feet square, occupied the interior of the
+cabin. It once contained several apartments, vestiges of which still
+remained, but the partitions had been torn away to fit it for its
+present uses. What those uses were, a moment's observation showed me.
+
+In the middle of the floor, which was mostly rotted away, a space about
+fifteen feet square was covered with thick pine planking, strongly
+nailed to the beams. In the centre of this planking an oaken block was
+firmly bolted, and to it was fastened a strong iron staple that held a
+log-chain, to which was attached a pair of shackles. Above this, was a
+queer frame-work of oak, somewhat resembling the contrivance for drying
+fruit I have seen in Yankee farm-houses. Attached to the rafters by
+stout pieces of timber, were two hickory poles, placed horizontally, and
+about four feet apart, the lower one rather more than eight feet from
+the floor. This was the whipping-rack, and hanging to it were several
+stout whips with short hickory handles, and long triple lashes. I took
+one down for closer inspection, and found burned into the wood, in large
+letters, the words 'Moral Suasion.' I questioned the appropriateness of
+the label, but the Colonel insisted with great gravity that the whip is
+the only 'moral suasion' a darky is capable of understanding.
+
+When punishment is inflicted on one of the Colonel's negroes, his feet
+are confined in the shackles, his arms tied above his head, and drawn by
+a stout cord up to one of the horizontal poles; then, his back bared to
+the waist, and standing on tip-toe, with every muscle stretched to its
+utmost tension, he takes 'de lashes.'
+
+A more severe but more unusual punishment is the 'thumb-screw.' In this
+a noose is passed around the negro's thumb and fore-finger, while the
+cord is thrown over the upper cross-pole, and the culprit is drawn up
+till his toes barely touch the ground. In this position the whole
+weight of the body rests on the thumb and fore-finger. The torture is
+excruciating, and strong, able-bodied men can endure it but a few
+moments. The Colonel naively told me that he had discontinued its
+practice, as several of his _women_ had nearly lost the use of their
+hands, and been incapacited for field labor, by its too frequent
+repetition. 'My ---- drivers,'[L] he added, 'have no discretion, and no
+humanity; if they have a pique against a nigger, they show him no
+mercy.'
+
+The old shanty I have described was now the place of the Overseer's
+confinement. Open as it was at top, bottom, and sides, it seemed an
+unsafe prison-house; but Jim had rendered its present occupant secure by
+placing 'de padlocks on him.'
+
+'Where did you catch him?' asked the Colonel of Jim, as, followed by
+every darky on the plantation, we took our way to the old building.
+
+'In de swamp, massa. We got Sandy and de dogs arter him--dey treed him,
+but he fit like de debil.'
+
+'Any one hurt?'
+
+'Yas, Cunnel; he knifed Yaller Jake, and ef I hadn't a gibin him a
+wiper, you'd a had anudder nigger short dis mornin'--shore.'
+
+'How was it? tell me,' said his master, while we paused, and the darkies
+gathered around.
+
+'Wal, yer see, massa, we got de ole debil's hat dat he drapped wen you
+had him down; den we went to Sandy's fur de dogs--dey scented him to
+onst, and off dey put for de swamp. 'Bout twenty on us follored 'em.
+He'd a right smart start on us, and run like a deer, but de hounds
+kotched up wid him 'bout whar he shot pore Sam. He fit 'em and cut up de
+Lady awful, but ole Caesar got a hole ob him, and sliced a breakfuss out
+ob his legs. Somehow, dough, he got away from de ole dog, and clum a
+tree. 'T was more'n an hour afore we kotched up; but dar he war, and de
+houns baying 'way as ef dey know'd wat an ole debil he am. I'd tuk one
+ob de guns--you warn't in de hous, massa, so I cudn't ax you.'
+
+'Never mind that; go on,' said the Colonel.
+
+'Wal, I up wid de gun, and tole him ef he didn't cum down I'd gib him
+suffin' dat 'ud sot hard on de stummuk. It tuk him a long w'ile, but--he
+_cum down_.' Here the darky showed a row of ivory that would have been a
+fair capital for a metropolitan dentist.
+
+'Wen he war down,' he resumed, 'Jake war gwine to tie him, but de ole
+'gator, quicker dan a flash, put a knife enter him.'
+
+'Is Jake much hurt?' interrupted the Colonel.
+
+'Not bad, massa; de knife went fru his arm, and enter his ribs, but de
+ma'am hab fix him up, and she say he'll be 'round bery sudden.'
+
+'Well, what then?' inquired the Colonel.
+
+'Wen de ole debil seed he hadn't finished Jake, he war gwine to gib him
+anoder dig, but jus den I drap de gun on his cocoa-nut, and he neber
+trubble us no more. 'Twar mons'rous hard work to git him out ob de
+swamp, 'cause he war jes like a dead man, and we had to tote him de hull
+way; but he'm dar now, massa (pointing to the old cabin), and de
+bracelets am on him.'
+
+'Where is Jake?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'Dunno, massa, but reckon he'm to hum.'
+
+'One of you boys go and bring him to the cabin,' said the Colonel.
+
+A negro-man went off on the errand, while we and the darkies resumed our
+way to the Overseer's quarters. Arrived there, I witnessed a scene that
+words can not picture.
+
+Stretched at full length on the floor, his clothes torn to shreds, his
+coarse carroty hair matted with blood, and his thin, ugly visage pale as
+death, lay the Overseer. Bending over him, wiping away the blood from
+his face, and swathing a ghastly wound on his forehead, was the negress
+Sue; while at his shackled feet, binding up his still bleeding legs,
+knelt the octoroon woman.
+
+'Is _she_ here?' I said, involuntarily, as I caught sight of the group.
+
+'It's her nature,' said the Colonel, with a pleasant smile; 'if Moye
+were the devil himself, she'd do him good if she could; another such
+woman never lived.'
+
+And yet this woman, with all the instincts that make her sex
+angel-ministers to man, lived in daily violation of the most sacred of
+all laws,--because she was a slave. Will Mr. Caleb Cushing or Charles
+O'Conner please tell us why the Almighty invented a system which forces
+his creatures to break the laws of His own making?
+
+'Don't waste your time on him, Alice,' said the Colonel, kindly; 'he
+isn't worth the rope that'll hang him.'
+
+'He was bleeding to death; he must have care or he'll die,' said the
+octoroon woman.
+
+'Then let him die, d---- him,' replied the Colonel, advancing to where
+the Overseer lay, and bending down to satisfy himself of his condition.
+
+Meanwhile more than two hundred dusky forms crowded around and filled
+every opening of the old building. Every conceivable emotion, except
+pity, was depicted on their dark faces. The same individuals whose
+cloudy visages a half-hour before I had seen distended with a wild mirth
+and careless jollity, that made me think them really the docile,
+good-natured animals they are said to be, now glared on the prostrate
+Overseer with the infuriated rage of aroused beasts when springing on
+their prey.
+
+'You can't come the possum here. Get up, you ---- hound,' said the
+Colonel, rising and striking the bleeding man with his foot.
+
+The fellow raised himself on one elbow and gazed around with a stupid,
+vacant look. His eye wandered unsteadily for a moment from the Colonel
+to the throng of cloudy faces in the doorway; then, his recent
+experience flashing upon him, he shrieked out, clinging wildly to the
+skirts of the octoroon woman, who was standing near, 'Keep off them
+cursed hounds,--keep them off, I say--they'll kill me!--they'll kill
+me!'
+
+One glance satisfied me that his mind was wandering. The blow on the
+head had shattered his reason, and made the strong man less than a
+child.
+
+'You shan't be killed yet,' said the Colonel. 'You've a small account to
+settle with me before you reckon with the devil.'
+
+At this moment the dark crowd in the doorway parted, and Jake entered,
+his arm bound up and in a sling.
+
+'Jake, come here,' said the Colonel; 'this man would have killed you.
+What shall we do with him?'
+
+''Tain't fur a darky to say dat, massa,' said the negro, evidently
+unaccustomed to the rude administration of justice which the Colonel was
+about to inaugurate; 'he did wuss dan dat to Sam, mass--he orter swing
+for shootin' him.'
+
+'That's _my_ affair; we'll settle your account first,' replied the
+Colonel.
+
+The darky looked undecidedly at his master, and then at the Overseer,
+who, overcome by weakness, had sunk again to the floor. The little
+humanity in him was evidently struggling with his hatred of Moye and his
+desire of revenge, when the old nurse yelled out from among the crowd,
+'Gib him fifty lashes, Massa Davy, and den you wash him down.[M] Be a
+man, Jake, and say dat.'
+
+Jake still hesitated, and when at last he was about to speak, the eye of
+the octoroon woman caught his, and chained the words to his tongue, as
+if by magnetic power.
+
+'Do you say that, boys;' said the Colonel, turning to the other negroes;
+'shall he have fifty lashes?'
+
+'Yas, massa, fifty lashes--gib de ole debil fifty lashes,' shouted about
+fifty voices.
+
+'He shall have them,' quietly said the master.
+
+The mad shout that followed, which was more like the yell of demons than
+the cry of men, seemed to arouse the Overseer to a sense of the real
+state of affairs. Springing to his feet, he gazed wildly around; then,
+sinking on his knees before the octoroon, and clutching the folds of her
+dress, he shrieked, 'Save me, good lady, save me! as you hope for mercy,
+save me!'
+
+Not a muscle of her face moved, but, turning to the excited crowd, she
+mildly said, 'Fifty lashes would kill him. _Jake_ does not say
+that--your master leaves it to him, and he will not whip a dying
+man--will you, Jake?'
+
+'No, ma'am--not--not ef you go agin it,' replied the negro, with very
+evident reluctance.
+
+'But he whipped Sam, ma'am, when he was nearer dead than _he_ am,' said
+Jim, whose station as house-servant allowed him a certain freedom of
+speech.
+
+'Because he was brutal to Sam, should you be brutal to him? Can you
+expect me to tend you when you are sick, if you beat a dying man? Does
+Pompey say you should do such things?' said the lady.
+
+'No, good ma'am,' said the old preacher, stepping out, with the freedom
+of an old servant, from the black mass, and taking his stand beside me
+in the open space left for the 'w'ite folks;' 'de ole man dusn't say
+dat, ma'am; he tell 'em de Lord want 'em to forgib dar en'mies--to lub
+dem dat pursyskute em;' then, turning to the Colonel, he added, as he
+passed his hand meekly over his thin crop of white wool and threw his
+long heel back, 'ef massa'll 'low me I'll talk to 'em.'
+
+'Fire away,' said the Colonel, with evident chagrin. 'This is a nigger
+trial; if you want to screen the d---- hound you can do it.'
+
+'I dusn't want to screed him, massa, but I'se bery ole and got soon to
+gwo, and I dusn't want de blessed Lord to ax me wen I gets dar why I
+'lowed dese pore ig'nant brack folks to mudder a man 'fore my bery face.
+I toted you, massa, fore you cud gwo, I'se worked for you till I can't
+work no more; and I dusn't want to tell de Lord dat _my_ massa let a
+brudder man be killed in cole blood.'
+
+'He is no brother of mine, you old fool; preach to the nigs, don't
+preach to me,' said the Colonel, stifling his displeasure, and striding
+off through the black crowd, without saying another word.
+
+Here and there in the dark mass a face showed signs of relenting; but
+much the larger number of that strange jury, had the question been put,
+would have voted--DEATH.
+
+The old preacher turned to them as the Colonel passed out, and said, 'My
+chil'ren, would you hab dis man whipped, so weak, so dyin' as he am, of
+he war brack?'
+
+'No, not ef he war a darky--fer den he wouldn't be such an ole debil,'
+replied Jim, and about a dozen of the other negroes.
+
+'De w'ite ain't no wuss dan de brack--dey'm all 'like--pore sinners all
+ob 'em. De Lord wudn't whip a w'ite man no sooner dan a brack one--He
+tinks de w'ite juss so good as de brack (good Southern doctrine, I
+thought). De porest w'ite trash wudn't strike a man wen he war down.'
+
+'We'se had 'nough of dis, ole man,' said a large, powerful negro (one of
+the drivers), stepping forward, and, regardless of the presence of Madam
+P---- and myself, pressing close to where the Overseer lay, now totally
+unconscious of what was passing around him. 'You needn't preach no more;
+de Cunnul hab say we'm to whip ole Moye, and we'se gwine to do it, by
+----.'
+
+I felt my fingers closing on the palm of my hand, and in a second more
+they would have cut the darky's profile, had not Madam P---- cried out,
+'Stand back, you impudent fellow: say another word, and I'll have you
+whipped on the spot.'
+
+'De Cunnul am my massa, ma'am--_he_ say ole Moye shall be whipped, and
+I'se gwine to do it--shore.'
+
+I have seen a storm at sea--I have seen the tempest tear up great
+trees--I have seen the lightning strike in a dark night--but I never saw
+anything half so grand, half so terrible, as the glance and tone of that
+woman as she cried out, 'Jim, take this man--give him fifty lashes this
+instant.'
+
+Quicker than thought, a dozen darkies were on him. His hands and feet
+were tied and he was under the whipping-rack in a second. Turning then
+to the other negroes, the brave woman said, 'Some of you carry Moye to
+the house, and you, Jim, see to this man--if fifty lashes don't make him
+sorry, give him fifty more.'
+
+This summary change of programme was silently acquiesced in by the
+assembled darkies, but many a cloudy face scowled sulkily on the
+octoroon, as, leaning on my arm, she followed Junius and the other
+negroes, who bore Moye to the mansion. It was plain that under those
+dark faces a fire was burning that a breath would have fanned into a
+flame.
+
+We entered the house by its rear door, and placed Moye in a small room
+on the ground floor. He was laid on a bed, and stimulants being given
+him, his senses and reason shortly returned. His eyes opened, and his
+real position seemed suddenly to flash upon him, for he turned to Madam
+P----, and in a weak voice, half-choked with emotion, faltered out, 'May
+God in heaven bless ye, ma'am; God _will_ bless ye for bein' so good to
+a wicked man like me. I doesn't desarve it, but ye woant leave me--ye
+woant leave me--they'll kill me ef ye do!'
+
+'Don't fear,' said the Madam; 'you shall have a fair trial. No harm
+shall come to you here.'
+
+'Thank ye, thank ye,' gasped the Overseer, raising himself on one arm,
+and clutching at the lady's hand, which he tried to lift to his lips.
+
+'Don't say any more now,' said Madam P----, quietly; 'you must rest and
+be quiet, or you won't get well.'
+
+'Shan't I get well? Oh, I can't die--I can't die _now_!'
+
+The lady made a soothing reply, and giving him an opiate, and arranging
+the bedding so that he might rest more easily, she left the room with
+me.
+
+As we stepped into the hall, I saw through the front door, which was
+open, the horses harnessed in readiness for 'meeting,' and the Colonel
+pacing to and fro on the piazza, smoking a cigar. He perceived us, and
+halted in front of the doorway.
+
+'So, you've brought that d---- blood-thirsty villain into my house!' he
+said to Madam P----, in a tone of strong displeasure.
+
+'How could I help it? The negroes are mad, and would kill him anywhere
+else,' replied the lady, with a certain self-confidence that showed she
+knew her power over the Colonel.
+
+'Why should _you_ interfere between them and him? Has he not insulted
+you often enough to make you let him alone? Can you so easily forgive
+his taunting you with'--He did not finish the sentence, but what I had
+learned on the previous evening from the old nurse gave me a clue to its
+meaning. A red flame flushed the face and neck of the octoroon
+woman--her eyes literally flashed fire, and her very breath seemed to
+come with pain; in a moment, however, this emotion passed away, and she
+quietly said, 'Let me settle that in my own way. He has served _you_
+well--_you_ have nothing against him that the law will not punish.'
+
+'By ----, you are the most unaccountable woman I ever knew,' exclaimed
+the Colonel, striding up and down the piazza, the angry feeling passing
+from his face, and giving way to a mingled expression of wonder and
+admiration. The conversation was here interrupted by Jim, who just then
+made his appearance, hat in hand.
+
+'Well, Jim, what is it?' asked his master.
+
+'We'se gib'n Sam twenty lashes, ma'am, but he beg so hard, and say he so
+sorry, dat I tole him I'd ax you 'fore we gabe him any more.'
+
+'Well, if he's sorry, that's enough; but tell him he'll get fifty
+another time,' said the lady.
+
+'What Sam is it?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'Big Sam, the driver,' said Jim.
+
+'Why was he whipped?'
+
+'He told me _you_ were his master, and insisted on whipping Moye,'
+replied the lady.
+
+'Did he dare to do that? Give him a hundred, Jim, not one less,' roared
+the Colonel.
+
+'Yas, massa,' said Jim.
+
+The lady looked significantly at the negro and shook her head, but said
+nothing, and he left.
+
+'Come, Alice, it is nearly time for meeting, and I want to stop and see
+Sandy on the way.'
+
+'I reckon I won't go,' said Madam P----.
+
+'You stay to take care of Moye, I suppose,' said the Colonel, with a
+slight sneer.
+
+'Yes,' replied the lady; 'he is badly hurt, and in danger of
+inflammation.'
+
+'Well, suit yourself. Sir. K----, come, _we'll_ go--you'll meet some of
+the _natives_.'
+
+The lady retired to the house, and the Colonel and I were soon ready.
+The driver brought the horses to the door, and as we were about to enter
+the carriage, I noticed Jim taking his accustomed seat on the box.
+
+'Who's looking after Sam?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'Nobody, Cunnul; de ma'am leff him gwo.'
+
+'How dare you disobey me? Didn't I tell you to give him a hundred?'
+
+'Yas, massa, but de ma'am tole me notter.'
+
+'Well, another time you mind what _I_ say--do you hear?' said his
+master.
+
+'Yas, massa,' said the negro, with a broad grin, 'I allers do dat.'
+
+'You _never_ do it, you d---- nigger; I ought to have flogged you long
+ago.'
+
+Jim said nothing, but gave a quiet laugh, showing no sort of fear, and
+we entered the carriage. I afterwards learned from him that he had never
+been whipped, and that all the negroes on the plantation obeyed the lady
+when, which was seldom, her orders came in conflict with their master's.
+They knew if they did not, the Colonel would whip them.
+
+As we rode slowly along the Colonel said to me, 'Well, you see that the
+best people have to flog their niggers sometimes.'
+
+'Yes, _I_ should have given that fellow a hundred lashes, at least. I
+think the effect on the others would have been bad if Madam P---- had
+not had him flogged.'
+
+'But she generally goes against it. I don't remember of her having it
+done in ten years before. And yet, though I've the worst gang of niggers
+in the district, they obey her like so many children.'
+
+'Why is that?'
+
+'Well, there's a kind of magnetism about her that makes everybody love
+her; and then she tends them in sickness, and is constantly doing little
+things for their comfort; _that_ attaches them to her. She is an
+extraordinary woman.'
+
+'Whose negroes are those, Colonel?' I asked, as, after a while, we
+passed a gang of about a dozen, at work near the roadside. Some were
+tending a tar-kiln, and some engaged in cutting into fire-wood the pines
+which a recent tornado had thrown to the ground.
+
+'They are mine, but they are working now for themselves. I let such as
+will, work on Sunday. I furnish the "raw material," and pay them for
+what they do, as I would a white man.'
+
+'Would'nt it be better to make them go to hear the old preacher;
+could'nt they learn something from him?'
+
+'Not much; Old Pomp never read anything but the Bible, and he don't
+understand that; besides, they can't be taught. You can't make "a
+whistle out of a pig's tail;" you can't make a nigger into a white man.'
+
+Just here the carriage stopped suddenly, and we looked out to see the
+cause. The road by which we had come was a mere opening through the
+pines; no fences separated it from the wooded land, and being seldom
+traveled, the track was scarcely visible. In many places it widened to a
+hundred feet, but in others tall trees had grown up on its opposite
+sides, and there was scarcely width enough for a single carriage to pass
+along. In one of these narrow passages, just before us, a queer-looking
+vehicle had upset, and scattered its contents in the road. We had no
+alternative but to wait till it got out of the way; and we all alighted
+to reconnoitre.
+
+The vehicle was a little larger than an ordinary hand-cart, and was
+mounted on wheels that had probably served their time on a Boston dray
+before commencing their travels in Secessiondom. Its box of pine
+boarding and its shafts of rough oak poles were evidently of Southern
+home manufacture. Attached to it by a rope harness, with a primitive
+bridle of decidedly original construction, was--not a horse, nor a mule,
+nor even an alligator, but a 'three-year-old heifer.'
+
+The wooden linch-pin of the cart had given way, and the weight of a
+half-dozen barrels of turpentine had thrown the box off its balance, and
+rolled the contents about in all directions.
+
+The appearance of the proprietor of this nondescript vehicle was in
+keeping with the establishment. His coat, which was much too short in
+the waist and much too long in the skirts, was of the common reddish
+gray linsey, and his nether garments, of the same material, stopped just
+below the knees. From there downwards, he wore only the covering that is
+said to have been the fashion in Paradise before Adam took to
+fig-leaves. His hat had a rim broader than a political platform, and his
+skin a color half way between that of tobacco-juice and a tallow candle.
+
+'Wal, Cunnul, how dy'ge?' said the stranger, as we stepped from the
+carriage.
+
+'Very well, Ned; how are you?'
+
+'Purty wal, Cunnul; had the nagur lately, right smart, but'm gittin'
+'roun.'
+
+'You're in a bad fix here, I see. Can't Jim help you?'
+
+'Wal, p'raps he moight. Jim, how dy'ge?'
+
+'Sort o' smart, ole feller. But come, stir yerseff; we want ter gwo
+'long,' replied Jim, with a manifest lack of courtesy that showed he
+regarded the white man as altogether too 'trashy' to be treated with
+much ceremony.
+
+With the aid of Jim, a new linch-pin was soon whittled out, the
+turpentine rolled on to the cart, and the vehicle put in a moving
+condition.
+
+'Where are you hauling your turpentine?' asked the Colonel.
+
+'To Sam Bell's, at the "Boro'."'
+
+'What will he pay you?'
+
+'Wal, I've four barr'ls of "dip," and tu of "hard." For the hull, I
+reckon he'll give three dollars a barr'l.'
+
+'By tale?'
+
+'No, for two hun'red and eighty pound.'
+
+'Well, _I'll_ give you two dollars and a half by weight.'
+
+'Can't take it, Cunnel; must get three dollar.'
+
+'What, will you go sixty miles with this team, and waste five or six
+days, for fifty cents on six barrels--three dollars?'
+
+'Can't 'ford the time, Cunnel, but must git three dollar a barr'l.'
+
+'That fellow is a specimen of our "natives,"' said the Colonel, as we
+resumed our seats in the carriage. 'You'll see more of them before we
+get back to the plantation.'
+
+'He puts a young cow to a decidedly original use,' I remarked.
+
+'Oh no, not original here; the ox and the cow with us are both used for
+labor.'
+
+'You don't mean to say that cows are generally worked here?'
+
+'Of course I do. Our breeds are good for nothing as milkers, and we put
+them to the next best use. I never have cow's milk on my plantation.'
+
+'You don't! why, I could have sworn it was in my coffee this morning.'
+
+'I wouldn't trust you to buy brandy for me, if your organs of taste are
+not keener than that. It was goat's milk.'
+
+'Then how do you get your butter?'
+
+'From the North. I've had mine from my New York factors for over two
+years.'
+
+We soon arrived at Sandy the negro-hunter's, and halted to allow the
+Colonel to inquire as to the health of his family of children and
+dogs,--the latter the less numerous, but, if I might judge by
+appearances, the more valued of the two.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+SOUTHERN AIDS TO THE NORTH.
+
+
+II.
+
+If war did little else, it would have its value from the fact that it
+acts so extensively as an institution for the dissemination of useful
+knowledge. Every murmur of political dissension sends thousands to
+consult the map, and repair their early neglect of geography. Perhaps if
+atlases and ethnographical works were more studied we should have less
+war. And it is by no means impossible that the mutual knowledge which
+has been or is to be acquired by the people of the South and the North
+during this present war will eventually aid materially in establishing a
+firm bond of union.
+
+That we have much to learn is shown in the firm faith with which so many
+have listened to the threats of 'a united South.' Until recently the
+fierce and furious assurances of the rebel press, that south of Mason
+and Dixon's line all were wedded heart and soul to their cause, were
+taken almost without a doubt. Who has forgotten the late doleful
+convictions of the dough-faces that the South would hold together to the
+last in spite of wind or weather, concluding invariably with the old
+refrain,--'Suppose we conquer them--what then?' Had the country at large
+known in detail, as it _should_ have known from a common-school
+education, what the South _really_ is,--or from experience of life what
+human nature really is,--it would never have believed that this boasted
+unanimity was based on aught save ignorance or falsehood. The Southern
+press itself, almost without an exception, betrays gross ignorance of
+its own country, and is very superficial in its statistics, inclining
+more than any other to warp facts and figures to suit preconceived
+views. We, like it, have tacitly adopted the belief that south of a
+certain line a certain climate invariably prevailed, and that under its
+influences, from the Border to the Gulf of Mexico, there has been
+developed a race essentially alike in all its characteristics. The
+planter and the slave-owner, or the city merchant, has been the type
+with which our writers have become familiar at the hotel and the
+watering-place, or in the 'store,' and we have accepted them as speaking
+for the South, quite forgetful that in America, as in other countries,
+the real man of the middle class travels but little, and when he does,
+is seldom to be found mingling in the 'higher circles.' Yet even this
+Southern man of the middle class and of 'Alleghania,' when at the North
+frequently affects a 'Southern' air, which is not more natural to him
+than it is to the youthful scions of Philadelphia and New York, who,
+when in Europe, so often talk pro-slavery and bowie knife, as though
+they lived in the very heart of planterdom. But the truth is that when
+we search the South out closely we find that in reality there is a very
+great difference between its districts and their inhabitants, and, in
+_fact_, as has been very truly said, 'not only is there no geographical
+boundary between the free and slave States, but no moral and
+intellectual boundary.'
+
+In the great temperate region which, parting from either side of the
+Alleghanies, extends from Virginia to Alabama, and is still continued in
+the pleasant level of Texas, slavery has rolled away from either
+mountain side like a flood, leaving it the home of a hardy population
+which regards with jealousy and dislike both the wealthy planter and the
+negro. James W. Taylor, in his valuable collection of facts, claims that
+through the whole extent of the Southern Alleghania slavery has
+relatively diminished since 1850, and that the forthcoming census tables
+will establish the assertion. 'The superintendent of the census,' he
+says, 'would furnish a document, valuable politically and for military
+use, if he would anticipate the publication of this portion of his
+voluminous budget.' If government, indeed, were to communicate to the
+public what information it now holds, and has long held, relative to the
+numbers and strength of the Union men of the South, an excitement of
+amazement would thrill through the North. It was on the basis of this
+knowledge that our great campaign was planned,--and it can not be denied
+that thousands of stanch Union men were greatly astonished at the
+revelations of sympathy which burst forth most unexpectedly in districts
+where the stars and stripes have been planted. But the Cabinet 'knew
+what it knew' on this subject. Much of its knowledge never can be
+revealed, but enough will come to-night to show that in our darkest hour
+we had an enormous mass of aid, little suspected by those weaker
+brethren who stood aghast at the Southern bugbear, and who, falling
+prostrate in nerveless terror at the windy spectre, quaked out repeated
+assurances that _they_ had no intention of 'abolitionizing the war,' and
+even earnestly begged and prayed that the emancipationists might all be
+sent to Fort Warren,--so fearful were the poor cowards lest the united
+South, in the final hour of victory, might include them in its catalogue
+of the doomed. What would they say if they knew the number and power of
+the ABOLITIONISTS OF THE SOUTH,--a body of no trifling significance,
+whose fierce grasp will yet be felt on the throat of rebellion and of
+slavery? It is grimly amusing to think of the aid which the South
+counted on receiving from these Northern dough-faces,--little thinking
+that within itself it contained a counter-revolutionary party, far more
+dangerous than the Northern friends were helpful.
+
+It should be borne in mind that where such an evil as slavery exists
+there will be numbers of grave, sensible men, who, however quiet they
+may keep, will have their own opinions as to the expediency of
+maintaining it. The bigots of the South may rave of the beauty of 'the
+institution,' and make many believe that they speak for the whole,--a
+little scum when whipped covers the whole pail,--but beneath all lies a
+steadily-increasing mass of practical men who would readily enough
+manifest their opposition should opportunity favor free speech. Such
+people, for instance, are not insensible to the enormously corrupting
+influence of negroes on their children. Let the reader recall Olmsted's
+experiences,--that, for example, where he speaks of three negro women
+who had charge of half a dozen white girls of good family, 'from three
+to fifteen years of age.'
+
+    Their language was loud and obscene, such as I never heard
+    before from any but the most depraved and beastly women of the
+    streets. Upon observing me they dropped their voices, but not
+    with any appearance of shame, and continued their altercation
+    until their mistresses entered. The white children, in the mean
+    time, had listened without any appearance of wonder or
+    annoyance. The moment the ladies opened the door, they became
+    silent.--_Cotton Kingdom_, vol. i. p. 222.
+
+The Southern _Cultivator_ for June, 1855, speaks of many young men and
+women who have 'made shipwreck of all their earthly hopes, and been led
+to the fatal step by the seeds of corruption which in the days of
+childhood and youth were sown in their hearts by the indelicate and
+lascivious manners and conversation of their fathers' negroes.' If we
+had no other fact or cause to cite, this almost unnamable one might
+convince the reader that there must be a groundwork somewhere in the
+South among good, moral, and decent people, for antipathy to
+slavery,--human nature teaches us as much. And such people exist, not
+only among the hardy inhabitants of the inland districts, who are not
+enervated by wealth and 'exclusiveness,' but in planterdom itself.
+
+There are few in the North who realize the number of persons in the
+South who silently disapprove of slavery on sound grounds, such as I
+have mentioned. Does it seem credible that nearly _ten millions_ of
+people should socially sympathize with some three hundred thousand
+slave-holders, who act with intolerable arrogance to all
+non-slave-holders? 'Even in those regions where slavery is profitable,'
+as a writer in the Boston _Transcript_ well expresses it, 'the poor
+whites feel the slaveocracy as the most grinding of aristocracies.'
+
+    In those regions where it is not profitable, the population
+    regard it with a latent abhorrence, compared with which the
+    rhetorical and open invectives of Garrison and Phillips are
+    feeble and tame. Anybody who has read Olmsted's truthful
+    narrative of his experience in the slave States can not doubt
+    this fact. The hatred to slavery too often finds its expression
+    in an almost inhuman hatred of 'niggers,' whether slave or free,
+    but it is none the less significant of the feelings and opinions
+    of the white population.
+
+As I write, every fresh thunder of war and crash of victory is followed
+by murmurs of amazement at the enthusiastic receptions which the Union
+forces meet in most unexpected strongholds of the enemy, in the very
+heart of slavedom. Yet it was _known_ months ago, and prophesied, with
+the illustration of undeniable facts, that this counter-revolutionary
+element existed. One single truth was forgotten,--that these Southern
+friends of the Union, even while avowing that slavery must be supported,
+had no love of it in their hearts. Emancipation has been sedulously set
+aside under pretence of conciliating them; but it was needless,--'old
+custom' had made them cautious, and mindful of 'expediency;' but the
+mass of them hate 'the institution.' It is for the traitorous Northern
+_dough-faces_, and the paltry handful of secessionists, 'on a thin slip
+of land on the Atlantic,' that slavery is, at present, cherished. The
+great area of the South is free from it,--and ever will be.
+
+It has frequently been insisted on that the mere _geographical_
+obstacles to disunion are such as to render the cause of slavery
+hopeless in the long run. Yet to this most powerful Southern aid to the
+North, men seem to have been strangely blind during the days of doubt
+which so long afflicted us. These obstacles are, briefly, the enormous
+growing power of the West, and its inevitable outlet, the Mississippi
+river. 'For it is the mighty and free _West_ which will always hang like
+a lowering thunder-cloud over them.'[N] On this subject I quote at
+length from an article, in the Danville (Ky.) _Review_, by the Rev. R.
+J. Breckenridge, D.D.:--
+
+
+    Whoever will look at a map of the United States, will observe
+    that Louisiana lies on both sides of the Mississippi river, and
+    that the States of Arkansas and Mississippi lie on the right and
+    left banks of this great stream--eight hundred miles of whose
+    lower course is thus controlled by these three States, unitedly
+    inhabited by hardly as many white people as inhabit the city of
+    New York. Observe, then, the country drained by this river and
+    its affluents, commencing with Missouri on its west bank and
+    Kentucky on its east bank. There are nine or ten powerful
+    States, large portions of three or four others, several large
+    Territories--in all, a country as large as all Europe, as fine
+    as any under the sun, already holding many more people than all
+    the revolted States, and powerful regions of the earth. Does any
+    one suppose that these powerful States--this great and energetic
+    population--will ever make a peace that will put the lower
+    course of this single and mighty national outlet to the sea in
+    the hands of a foreign government far weaker than themselves? If
+    there is any such person he knows little of the past history of
+    mankind, and will perhaps excuse us for reminding him that the
+    people of Kentucky, before they were constituted a State, gave
+    formal notice to the federal government, when Gen. Washington
+    was President, that if the United States did not require
+    Louisiana they would themselves conquer it. The mouths of the
+    Mississippi belong, by the gift of God, to the inhabitants of
+    its great valley. Nothing but irresistible force can disinherit
+    them.
+
+    Try another territorial aspect of the case. There is a bed of
+    mountains abutting on the left bank of the Ohio, which covers
+    all Western Virginia, and all Eastern Kentucky, to the width,
+    from east to west, in those two States, of three or four hundred
+    miles. These mountains, stretching south-westwardly, pass
+    entirely through Tennessee, cover the back parts of North
+    Carolina and Georgia, heavily invade the northern part of
+    Alabama, and make a figure even in the back parts of South
+    Carolina and the eastern parts of Mississippi, having a course
+    of perhaps seven or eight hundred miles, and running far south
+    of the northern limit of profitable cotton culture. It is a
+    region of 300,000 square miles, trenching upon eight or nine
+    slave States, though nearly destitute of slaves itself;
+    trenching upon at least five cotton States, though raising no
+    cotton itself. The western part of Maryland and two-thirds of
+    Pennsylvania are embraced in the north-eastern continuation of
+    this remarkable region. Can anything that passes under the name
+    of statesmanship be more preposterous than the notion of
+    permanent peace on this continent, founded on the abnegation of
+    a common and paramount government, and the idea of the
+    supercilious domination of the cotton interest and the
+    slave-trade over such a mountain empire, so located and so
+    peopled?
+
+    As a further proof of the utter impossibility of peace except
+    under a common government, and at once an illustration of the
+    import of what has just been stated, and the suggestion of a new
+    and insuperable difficulty, let it be remembered that this great
+    mountain region, throughout its general course, is more loyal to
+    the Union than any other portion of the slave States. It is the
+    mountain counties of Maryland that have held treason in check in
+    that State; it is forty mountain counties in Western Virginia
+    that have laid the foundation of a new and loyal commonwealth;
+    it is the mountain counties of Kentucky that first and most
+    eagerly took up arms for the Union; it is the mountain region of
+    Tennessee that alone, in that dishonored State, furnished
+    martyrs to the sacred cause of freedom; it is the mountain
+    people of Alabama that boldly stood out against the Confederate
+    government till their own leaders deserted and betrayed them.
+
+It is not a strong point, but it is worth noting, that even in South
+Carolina there is an Alleghanian area of 4,074 square miles, equal to
+the State of Connecticut, in which the diminished proportion of slaves,
+with other local causes, are sufficient to indicate the Union feeling
+which indeed struggles there in secret. These counties are:--
+
+                   FREE.        SLAVE.
+Spartanburgh,     18,311         8,039
+Greenville,       13,370         6,691
+Anderson,         13,867         7,514
+Pickens,          13,105         3,679
+
+Slavery is here large, as compared to the other counties of
+'Alleghania,' but the great proportion of free inhabitants, as
+contrasted with the districts near the Atlantic, makes it worth citing.
+In accordance with a request, I give from Jas. W. Taylor's collection,
+illustrating this subject, the table of population in East Tennessee:--
+
+    The following table, from the census of 1850, presents the slave
+    and cotton statistics of this district, in their relation to the
+    free population:
+
+    COUNTIES.          FREE.      SLAVE.        COTTON,
+                                             400 lb. bales.
+    Johnson,           3,485         206           0
+    Carter,            5,911         353           0
+    Washington,       12,671         930           0
+    Sullivan,         10,603       1,004         153
+    Hancock,           5,447         202           2
+    Hawkins,          11,567       1,690           0
+    Greene,           16,526       1,093           0
+    Cocke,             7,501         719           3
+    Sevier,            6,450         403           0
+    Jefferson,        11,458       1,628           0
+    Granger,          11,170       1,035           1
+    Knox,             16,385       2,193           0
+    Union, new county,
+    Claiborne,         8,610         660           0
+    Anderson,          6,391         503           0
+    Campbell,          5,651         318           1
+    Scott,             1,808          37           0
+    Morgan,            3,301         101           9
+    Cumberland, new county,
+    Roane,            10,525       1,544         121
+    Blount,           11,213       1,084           6
+    Munroe,           10,623       1,188           0
+    McMinn,           12,286       1,568       2,821
+    Polk,              5,884         400          29
+    Bradley,          11,478         744       1,600
+    Meigs,             4,480         395           2
+    Hamilton,          9,216         672           0
+    Rhea,              3,951         436           0
+    Bledsoe,           5,036         827           0
+    Sequatche, new county,
+    Van Buren,         2,481         175           2
+    Grundy,            2,522         236          24
+    Marion,            5,718         551      24,413
+    Franklin,         10,085       3,623         637
+    Lincoln,          17,802       5,621       2,576
+
+    The geographical order of the foregoing list of counties is from
+    the extreme north-east--Johnson--south-west to Lincoln, on the
+    Alabama line. I have included a tier of counties the west, which
+    embrace the summits and western slopes of the Cumberland Hills,
+    regarding their physical and political features as more
+    identified with East than Middle Tennessee. Such are Lincoln,
+    Franklin, Grundy, Van Buren, Cumberland, Morgan and Scott
+    counties.
+
+    I estimate the area of this district as about 17,175 square
+    miles, an extent of territory exceeding the aggregate of the
+    following States:
+
+  Massachusetts,   7,800 square miles.
+  Connecticut,     4,674 square miles.
+  Rhode Island,    l,306 square miles.
+                  ------
+                  13,180 square miles.
+
+Yet it is not many months since even this Tennessee region, it was
+generally feared, would be false to the Union, on account of its
+attachment to slavery.
+
+The reader who has studied the facts which I have cited, indicating the
+existence of a powerful Union party at the South (and the facts are few
+and weak compared to the vast mass which exist, and which are known to
+government), may judge for himself whether that party is Union _in spite
+of pro-slavery principles_, as so many would have us believe. Let him
+see where these Union men are found, where they have come forth with the
+greatest enthusiasm, and _then_ say that he believes they are friends to
+slavery. Let him bear in mind the hundreds of thousands of acres, the
+vast tracts, equal in extent to whole Northern States, in the South,
+which are unfitted for slave labor, and reflect whether the inhabitants
+of these cool, temperate regions are not as conscious of their
+inadaptability to slave labor as he is himself; and whether _they_ are
+so much attached to the institution which fosters the Satanic pride,
+panders to the passions, and corrupts the children of the planter of the
+low country.
+
+Since writing the above, the long-expected declaration of President
+LINCOLN has appeared in favor of adopting a plan which may lead to the
+gradual abolishment of slavery. He proposes that the United States shall
+cooeperate with such slave States as may desire Emancipation, by giving
+such pecuniary aid as may compensate for any losses incurred. No
+interference with State rights or claims to rights in the question is
+intended.
+
+It is evident that this message is directed entirely to the
+strengthening and building up of the Union party of the South, and has
+been based quite as much on their demands and on a knowledge of their
+needs, as on any Northern pressure. And it will have a sure effect. It
+will bring to life, if realized, those seeds of counter-revolution which
+so abundantly exist in the South. The growth may be slow, but it will be
+certain. So long as the certainty exists that compensation _may_ be
+obtained, there will be a party who will long for it; and where there is
+a will there is a way. The executive has finally _officially_ recognized
+the truth of the theory of Emancipation, and thereby entitled itself to
+the honor of having taken the greatest forward step in the glorious path
+of Freedom ever made even in our history.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE MOLLY O'MOLLY PAPERS.
+
+
+NO. I.
+
+In addressing you for the first time, you will perhaps expect me to give
+some account of myself and my ancestry, as did the illustrious
+_Spectator_.
+
+My remote ancestors are Irish. From them I inherited enthusiasm, a
+gun-powder temper, a propensity to blunder, and a name--Molly O'Molly.
+The origin of this name I have in vain endeavored to trace in history,
+perhaps because it belonged to a very old family, one of the
+_prehistorics_. As such it might have been that of a demigod, or,
+according to the development theory, of a _demi-man_. Or it might have
+been that of an old Irish gentleman, _gentle_ in truth;--in the
+formative stage of society it is the monster that leaves traces of
+himself, as in an old geologic period the huge reptile left his tracks
+in the plastic earth, which afterward hardened into rock.
+
+Then, too, I have searched in vain for anything like it in ancient Irish
+poetry, thinking that my progenitor's name might have been therein
+embalmed. 'The stony science'--mind you--reveals to us the former
+existence of the huge reptile, the fragmentary, mighty mastodon, and,
+imperfect, the mail-clad fish. But, wonder of wonders, we find the whole
+_insect_ preserved in that fossil gum amber. And even so in verse,
+characters are preserved for all time, that could not make their mark in
+history, and that had none of the elements of an earthly immortality.
+Did I wish immortality I would choose a poet for my friend;--an _In
+Memoriam_ is worth all the records of the dry chronicler.
+
+But, it is not with the root of the family tree that you have to do, but
+with the twig Myself.
+
+As for my physique,--I am not like the scripture personage who beheld
+his face in a glass, and straightway forgot what manner of man he was. I
+have, on the contrary, a very distinct recollection of my face; suffice
+it to say, that, had I Rafaelle's pencil, I would not, like him, employ
+it on my own portrait.
+
+And my life--the circumstances which have influenced, or rather created
+its currents, have been trifling; not that it has had no powerful
+currents; it is said that the equilibrium of the whole ocean could be
+destroyed by a single mollusk or coralline,--but my life has been an
+uneventful one. I never met with an adventure, never even had a
+hair-breadth escape,--yes, I did, too, have one hair-breadth escape. I
+once just grazed matrimony. The truth is, I fell in love, and was
+sinking with Falstaff's 'alacrity,' when I was fished out; but somehow I
+slipt off the hook--fortunately, however, was left on shore. By the way,
+the best way to get out of love is to be drawn out by the matrimonial
+hook. One of Holmes' characters wished to change a vowel of the verb _to
+love_, and conjugate it--I have forgotten how far. Where two set out to
+conjugate together the verb to love in the first person plural, it is
+well if they do not, before the honey-moon is over, get to the
+present-perfect, indicative. Alas! I have thus far, in the first person
+singular, conjugated too many verbs, among them _to enjoy_. As for _to
+be_, I have come to the balancing in my mind of the question that so
+perplexed Hamlet--'To be, or not to be.' For, with all the natural
+cheerfulness of my disposition, I can not help sometimes looking on the
+dark side of life. But there is no use in setting down my gloomy
+reflections,--all have them. We are all surrounded by an atmosphere of
+misery, pressing on us fifteen pounds to the square inch, so evenly and
+constantly that we know not its fearful weight. To change the figure.
+Have you ever thought how much misery one life _can_ hold in solution?
+Each year, as it flows into it, adds to it a heaviness, a weight of woe,
+as the rivers add salts to the ocean. I do not refer to the most
+unhappy, but to all. Some one says,--
+
+  'If singing breath, if echoing chord
+    To every hidden pang were given,
+  What endless melodies were poured,
+    As sad as earth, as sweet as heaven.'
+
+If breath to every hidden prayer were given, could it be _singing_
+breath? Would it not be a wail monotonous as the dirge of the November
+wind over the dead summer, a wail for lost hopes, lost joys, lost loves?
+Or the monotony would be varied--as is the wind by fitful gusts--by
+shrieks of despair, cries of agony. No, no, there is no use in trying to
+modulate our woes,--'we're all wrong,--the _time_ in us is lost.'
+
+            'Henceforth I'll bear
+  Affliction, till it do cry out itself,
+    "Enough, enough," and die.'
+
+But why talk thus? why mourn over dead hopes, dead joys, dead loves?
+'Tis best to bury the dead out of our sight, and from them will spring
+many humbler hopes, quieter joys, more lowly affections, which 'smell
+sweet' though they 'blossom in the dust,' and they are the only
+resurrection these dead ones can ever have. I have been reading, in
+Maury's Geography of the Sea, how the sea's dead are preserved; how they
+stand like enchanted warders of the treasures of the deep, unchanged,
+except that the expression of life is exchanged for the ghastliness of
+death. So, down beneath the surface currents do some deep souls preserve
+their dead hopes, joys, loves. Oh, this is unwise; this is _not_ as God
+intended; for, unlike the sea's dead, there will be for these no
+resurrection.
+
+Thus far I wrote, when the current of my thoughts was changed by a
+lively tune struck up by a hand-organ across the street. I am not 'good'
+at distinguishing tunes, but this one I had so often heard in childhood,
+and had so wondered at its strange title, that I could but remember it.
+It was 'The Devil's Dream.' Were I a poet, I would write the words to
+it;--but then, too, I would need be a musician to compose a suitable new
+tune to the words! The rattling, reckless notes should be varied by
+those sad enough to make an unlost angel weep--an unlost angel, for, to
+the hot eyes of the lost, no tears can come. 'The _Devil's_
+Dream'--perhaps it is of Heaven. Doubtless, frescoed in heavenly colors
+on the walls of his memory, are scenes from which fancy has but to brush
+the smoke and grime of perdition to restore them to almost their
+original beauty. I could even pity the 'Father of lies,' the 'Essence of
+evil,' the 'Enemy of mankind,' when I think of the terrible awaking. But
+does _he_ ever sleep? Has there since the fall been a pause in _his_
+labors? Perhaps the reason this tune-time is so fast is because he is
+dreaming in a hurry,--must soon be up and doing. But it is my opinion
+that he has so wound up the world to wickedness, that he might sleep a
+hundred years, and it would have scarcely begun to run down on his
+awaking; when, from the familiar appearance of all things, he would
+swear 'it was but an after-dinner nap.' Indeed he might die, might
+to-day go out in utter nothingness like a falling star, and it would be
+away in the year two thousand before he would be missed,--we have
+learned to do our own devil-work so rarely. Meanwhile the well-wound
+world--as a music-box plays over the same tunes--would go on sinning
+over the same old sins. Satan is a great economist, but a paltry
+deviser,--he has not invented a new sin since the flood. My thoughts
+thus danced along to the music, when they were brought to a dead stop by
+its cessation; and it was time, you will think....
+
+But, permit me to remind you that my name is not _acquired_, but
+_inherited_.
+
+At your service,
+
+MOLLY O'MOLLY.
+
+
+NO. II.
+
+I detest that man who bides his time to repay a wrong or fancied wrong,
+who keeps alive in his hardened nature the vile thing hatred, and would
+for centuries, did he live thus long,--as the toad is kept alive in the
+solid rock. Hugh Miller says he is 'disposed to regard the poison bag of
+the serpent as a mark of degradation;' this venomous spite is certainly
+a mark of degradation, and it is only creeping, crawling souls that have
+it, but the creeping and crawling are a part of the curse.
+
+Yet I have a respect for honest indignation, righteous anger, such as
+the O'Mollys have ever been capable of. And all the O'Molly blood in my
+veins has been stirred by the contemptuous manner in which some men have
+spoken of woman. 'Weak woman,--inconstant woman;' they have made the
+wind a type of her fickleness. In this they are right; for it has been
+proved that the seasons in their return, day and night, are not more
+sure than the wind. Such fickleness as this is preferable to _man's_
+greatest constancy. Woman weak! she's gentle as the summer breeze, I
+grant;--but, like this same breeze, when she's roused--then beware! You
+have doubtless heard of that gale that forced back the Gulf Stream, and
+piled it up thirty feet at its source.
+
+Take care how you sour woman's nature,--remember that, once soured, all
+the honey in the universe will not sweeten it. There is such a thing as
+making vinegar of molasses, but I never heard of making molasses of
+vinegar. Do you wish to know the turning process?
+Grumbling--everlasting fault-finding--at breakfast, dinner, and supper,
+the same old tune. I don't see how the man who boards can endure it; he
+is obliged to swallow his food without complaint. The landlady at the
+head of the table is a very different-looking individual from the meek
+woman he afterwards calls wife,--not a word can he say, though he
+morning after morning, in his breakfast, recognizes, through its various
+disguises, yesterday's dinner. By the way, this is after Dame Nature's
+plan; she uses the greatest economy in feeding her immense family of
+boarders; never wastes a refuse scrap, or even a drop of water. If one
+of these boarders dies, it is true he is not, like 'the poor work-house
+boy,' served up as one dish, but he becomes an ingredient in many 'a
+dainty dish' fit to 'to set before a king.' But I am not, like 'Miss
+Ophelia' in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' going to explore the good dame's
+kitchen,--will rather eat what is set before me, asking no questions;
+which last, what _man_ ever did, if he could help it?
+
+For an insignificant man, originally but a cipher, who owes it to his
+wife that he is even the fraction that he is, to talk about 'woman
+knowing her place--he's head,' etc.! If he had given her the place that
+belonged to her, their value, not as individual figures, but as one
+number, would have been increased a thousand fold. I have made a
+calculation, and this is literally true, or rather, you will say,
+_figuratively_ true. Well, this kind of figures can not lie.
+
+'The rose,' the Burmese say, 'imparts fragrance to the leaf in which it
+is folded.' Many a man has had a sweetness imparted to his character by
+the woman he has sheltered in his bosom--though some characters 'not all
+the perfume of Arabia could sweeten;' and, strange as it seem, most
+women would rather be folded in a _tobacco_ leaf than 'waste their
+sweetness on desert air.' Though it is a long time since I have been a
+man _lover_, I am not a man _hater_. I can not hate anything that has
+been so hallowed by woman's love,--_its_ magnetism gives a sort of
+attractive power to him.
+
+Notwithstanding all that has been said about woman's weakness, it is
+acknowledged that she has a pretty strong will of her own. Well, we need
+a strong will,--it is the great _centrifugal force_ that God has given
+to all. Only it must be subordinate to the _centripetal force_ of the
+universe--the Divine will.
+
+It is said that the centripetal force of our solar system is the Pleiad
+Alcyon. I know not whether the other stars of that cluster feel this
+attraction; if they do, what a centrifugal force the lost Pleiad must
+have had, to break away from 'the sweet influences' which, through so
+immense a distance, draw the sun with all his train. This is not without
+a parallel--when 'the morning stars sang together' over the new-born
+earth, one 'star of the morning' was not there to join in the chorus.
+
+But Old Sol will probably never so strongly assert _his_ centrifugality
+as to set such an example of _secession_ to his planets and comets.
+
+Pardon this astronomical digression. I have just returned from hearing
+an itinerant lecturer, and it will take a week to get the smoke of his
+magic lantern out of my eyes. If there is any error in these
+observations, blame the itinerant, not me.
+
+I had been low-spirited all day, had tried reading, work,--all of no
+avail. Dyspeptic views of life would present themselves to my mind. Some
+natures, and mine is of them, like the pendulum, need a weight attached
+to them to keep them from going too fast. But a wholesome sorrow is very
+different from this moping melancholy, when the thoughts run in one
+direction, till they almost wear a channel for themselves--when the
+channel is worn, there is _insanity_.
+
+Neither are my gloomy religious views to-day those that will regenerate
+the world. Those lines of Dr. Watts,--'We should suspect some danger
+nigh When we possess delight,'--it is said, were written after a
+disappointment in love--it was 'sour grapes' that morning--with the
+grave divine.
+
+As a general rule, where we possess _continued_ delight, there is no
+'danger nigh.' Where an enjoyment comes between us and our God, it casts
+on us a shadow. When we have plucked a beautiful flower, if poisonous,
+it has such a sickening odor that we fling it from us. We do not 'pay
+too dear for our whistle,' unless it costs us a sin; then it soon
+becomes a loathed and useless toy. Otherwise, the dearer we pay, the
+sweeter its music.
+
+And even if there is 'danger nigh'--because we are pleased with the
+beautiful foam, need we steer straight for the breakers? Not every
+tempting morsel is the enemy's bait, though we should be careful how we
+nibble;--he is no blunderer (a proof positive that he is not Irish),
+never leaves his trap sprung--and we may get caught.
+
+This is a synopsis of the arguments, or rather assertions, with which I
+opposed those of the blues; but, finding they were getting the better of
+me, I started out for a walk. It was a chilly afternoon; the whole sky,
+except a clear place just above the western horizon, was covered with
+those heavy, diluted India-ink clouds; the setting sun throwing a dreary
+red light on the northern and eastern mountains, adding sullenness to
+the gloom, instead of dispelling it. But why describe this gloomy
+sunset, there are so many beautiful ones?--when, as the grand, old,
+dying Humboldt said, the 'glorious rays seem to beckon earth to heaven?'
+
+Well, I walked so fast that I left my blue tormentors far in the rear.
+On the way I met a friend, who invited me to go to the astronomical
+lecture. Here you have it, after many digressions. My thoughts never
+strike a plane surface, but always a spherical, and fly off in a
+tangent.
+
+Sydney Smith says, 'Remember the flood and be brief.' You know I belong
+to a very old family; and from an ancestor, who lived before the flood,
+has been transmitted through a long line of O'Mollys a disposition to
+spin out. Unfortunately an antediluvian length of time was not an
+_heir-loom_ to
+
+Your humble servant,
+
+MOLLY O'MOLLY.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SKETCHES OF EDINBURGH LITERATI.
+
+BY A FORMER MEMBER OF ITS PRESS.
+
+
+There was a time when the little hamlet of Cockpaine, ten miles from
+Edinburgh, in addition to the charms of its scenery, was also socially
+attractive from the high literary talent of several of its residents. It
+was situated on the banks of the Esk, whose rapid flow affords a
+valuable water-power. This had been improved under the enterprise of Mr.
+Craig, an extensive manufacturer, who became at last proprietor not only
+of the mills, but of the entire village. Mr. Craig was successful for
+several years; but the revulsions of trade during the Crimean war swept
+away his previous profits, and in 1854 he sank in utter bankruptcy.
+
+The extensive domain of the Earl of Dalhousie lay next to Cockpaine, and
+the village site seemed all that was necessary to its completeness. As
+soon as the latter was offered for sale, the earl made the long-desired
+purchase, and then began the immediate eviction of its population. I saw
+four hundred operatives, of all ages, driven off on one sad occasion--a
+scene which reminded me most painfully of Goldsmith's lines in the
+'Deserted Village:'--
+
+  'Good Heaven! what sorrows gloomed that parting day
+  That called them from their native walks away,
+  When the poor exiles, every pleasure past,
+  Hung round the bowers, and fondly looked their last,
+  And took a long farewell, and wished in vain
+  For seats like these beyond the western main;
+  And shuddering still to face the distant deep,
+  Returned and wept, and still returned to weep.'
+
+A subsequent visit to what was once the thriving village, with its
+embowered cottages reflected from the waters of the Esk, its groups of
+romping children, its Sabbath melodies and its secular din, now changed
+to a nobleman's preserves, recalled the following truthful sketch from
+the same poem:--
+
+  'Thus fares the land by luxury betrayed,
+  In Nature's simplest charms arrayed;
+  But verging to decline, its splendors rise,
+  Its vistas strike, its palaces surprise;
+  While, scourged by famine from the smiling land,
+  The mournful peasant leads his humble band;
+  And while he sinks, without one arm to save,
+  _The country blooms, a garden and a grave._'
+
+Among those whom Mr. Craig had numbered with the friends of his better
+days, the first rank might have been conceded to that most eccentric and
+interesting child of genius, Thomas DeQuincey.
+
+Mr. Craig had thrown open to his use a lovely cottage and grounds,
+commonly known as 'the Paddock,' which DeQuincey and his family occupied
+for several years as privileged guests. 'The Opium-eater,' as he was
+universally called by the villagers, was not more remarkable in
+character than in appearance. His attenuated form, though but five feet
+six in height, seemed singularly tall; and his sharply aquiline
+countenance was strongly indicative of reflection. This aspect was
+increased by a downward cast of the eyes, which were invariably fixed
+upon the ground; and in his solitary walks he seemed like one rapt in a
+dream. Such a character could not but be quite a marvel to the literary
+coterie of Cockpaine, which found in him an inexhaustible subject of
+discussion; while the more common class of the community viewed him with
+solemn wonderment--'aye, there he gaes aff to th' brae--he'll kill
+himsell wi' ower thinkin'--glowrin all the day lang--ah, there's na gude
+in that black stuff; it's worse nor whiskey and baccy forbye.' Such were
+some of the ordinary comments on the weird form which was seen emerging
+from 'the Paddock' and moving in solitude towards the hills. Taciturnity
+was a striking feature in DeQuincey's character, and was, no doubt,
+owing to intense mental action. The inner life, aroused to extreme
+activity by continued stimulus, excluded all perceptions beyond its own
+limits, and the world in which he dwelt was sufficiently large without
+the intrusion of external things. In his walks I would often follow in
+his track, with that fondness of imitation peculiar to childhood, but
+was never the object of his notice, and never heard him converse but
+once. Overcome by such recluse habits, DeQuincey showed no desire to
+court the patronage of the great, and had but little intercourse with
+the lordly family of the Dalhousies. Indeed, his only intimacy was with
+Mr. Craig, whose hospitality had won his heart. He was at this time
+still consuming enormous quantities of opium, having never abated its
+use, notwithstanding his allusions to reform in the 'Confessions.' His
+two daughters, like those of Milton, cheered the domestic scenes of 'the
+Paddock,' and the trio formed a circle whose interest pervaded the
+literary world.
+
+DeQuincey was at that time writing for Hogg's _Instructor_, a popular
+Edinburgh periodical, in which his articles were a leading attraction.
+The _Instructor_ was published weekly, and in addition to the pen of the
+'Opium-eater,' could boast the editorship of the brilliant George
+Gilfillan. The former of these devoted himself to a series of
+interesting miscellanies, in which he brought out many pen-and-ink
+portraits of striking power. At times, indeed, he was almost considered
+joint editor; but his use of opium was so little abated, that it
+forbade dependence upon his pen. The quantity of the drug consumed by
+him, according to report, was astonishing. In his daily walk along the
+Esk, his form was easily distinguished, even at a distance, by the prim
+black surtout, whose priestly aspect was somewhat in contrast with his
+'shocking-bad' hat. DeQuincey had by this time escaped from the poverty
+of his early days, of which he speaks so bitterly in his 'Confessions,'
+and was, if not a man of wealth, at least in easy circumstances. He was
+reputed to own a snug little estate, called 'Lasswade;' but he abandoned
+it to a tenant, and gave preference to Cockpaine, which charmed him by
+its romantic scenery. His pay for contributions to the _Instructor_
+could not have been less than a guinea per page; and Hogg, its publisher
+(who was no relation to the Ettrick shepherd), would have given him more
+had it been demanded. The _Instructor_ was subsequently merged into the
+_Titan_, and its place of publication changed to London.
+
+Removing from Cockpaine, my initiation into Edinburgh life was through
+an acquaintance with the noted publishing house of the Messrs. Black,
+who were then getting out their splendid edition of the _Encyclopedia
+Brittanica_.
+
+This vast enterprise, which cost L25,000, was highly profitable, through
+the energy and cleverness of Robert Black, who conducted it. Among other
+distinguished contributors, I frequently met in its office Mr.,
+subsequently Lord, Macaulay, who furnished the articles on 'Pitt,'
+'Canning,' and other distinguished statesmen. Although at that time a
+man of slender means, Mr. Macaulay refused compensation for these
+papers, on the score of strong personal friendship. However, he received
+an indirect reward, more valuable than mere gold, since Robert Black was
+his strong political supporter, and frequently presided at public
+meetings held to further Macaulay's interests. I have often seen Music
+Hall crowded by an enthusiastic mass while the bookseller filled the
+chair, and the great reviewer appeared as a public orator. Macaulay's
+person was very striking and impressive. He was tall, and of noble build
+and full development. Although one of the most diligent of readers and
+hard working of students of any age, his ruddy countenance did not
+indicate close application, and his appearance was anything but that of
+a book-worm. Indeed, at first glance, one would have taken him for a
+fine specimen of the wealthy English farmer; and to have observed his
+habits of good living at the social dining parties, would have added to
+the impression that in him the animal nature was far in advance of the
+intellectual. Macaulay, on all festive occasions, proved himself as
+elegant a conversationist as he was a writer; his tone was thoroughly
+English, and his pronunciation, like that of Washington Irving, was
+singularly correct. As a speaker, he at times rose to splendid flights
+of oratory, although his delivery from memory was less effective than
+the extemporaneous style. Macaulay never married, but was always happy
+in the social circle of his friends.
+
+The Blacks were likewise publishers of Scott's novels, the demand for
+which was so great that they were seldom 'off the press.' Three standard
+editions were issued,--one of forty-eight volumes, at a low rate,
+another of twenty-five volumes, at higher cost, and an additional
+library edition, of still greater price. Of these, one thousand 'sets'
+per year were the average of sale.
+
+Shortly after this, I was in connection with the Ballantynes, who
+published Blackwood's Magazine, one of the most profitable periodicals
+in the United Kingdom. This connection led to an acquaintance with John
+Wilson, better known as 'Christopher North,' of 'Old Ebony.' When the
+printers were in haste, I have frequently walked down to his residence
+in Gloucester Place, and sat by his side, waiting patiently, hour after
+hour, for copy. The professor always wrote in the night, and would
+frequently dash off one of his splendid articles between supper and
+daybreak. His study was a small room, containing a table littered with
+paper, the walls garnished with a few pictures, while heaps of books
+were scattered wherever chance might direct. At this table might have
+been seen the famous professor of moral philosophy, stripped to his
+shirt and pantaloons, the former open in front, and displaying a vast,
+hirsute chest, while a slovenly necktie kept the limp collar from utter
+loss of place. This was his favorite state for composition, and was in
+true keeping with the character and productions of his genius. When in
+public, the professor was still a sloven; but his heavy form and
+majestic head and countenance--though he was not a tall man--at once
+commanded respect. He never appeared anything but the philosopher, and
+I, who saw him in the dishabille of his study, never lost my awe for his
+greatness. He had a worthy family, and maintained an excellent
+establishment. Aytoun, who is now editor of Blackwood, married one of
+his daughters, and has proved, by his stirring ballads, that he was
+worthy of such an alliance. In writing, the professor eschewed gas
+light, and made use of the more classic lamp. A bottle of wine was his
+companion, and stood at his elbow until exhausted. This will perhaps
+explain much of the convivial character of the 'Notes.' The
+old-fashioned quill pen was his preference; and as the hours advanced,
+and mental excitement waxed in activity, the profuse spattering of ink
+rattled like rain. As a matter of course, his pay was of the highest
+rate, and his articles were read with avidity. One reason of this may be
+found in the boldness with which he drags into the imaginary colloquies
+of _Noctes Ambrosianae_ the literati of both kingdoms. This liberty was
+sometimes felt keenly, and sharply resented. Poor James Hogg, the
+'Ettrick Shepherd,' who was just then getting a position in the literary
+world, sometimes found himself figuring unexpectedly in the scenes, as
+the victim of relentless wit. As a retaliation, Hogg attacked Wilson in
+a sheet which he was then publishing in the Cowgate, under the aid and
+patronage of a hatter.
+
+It was one of John Wilson's fancies to affect a love of boxing, and it
+was a favorite theme in the 'Ambrosial Discussions.' From this some have
+imagined that he was of a pugilistic turn, whereas he knew nothing of
+the 'science,' and only affected the knowledge in jest.
+
+Next to old 'Kit North,' the most truly beloved contributor to Blackwood
+was 'Delta,' whose poetry was for years expected, almost of course, in
+every number. As Wilson's identity was well-nigh lost in his imaginary
+character, so plain Dr. Moir was, in the literary world, merged in
+'Delta' of Blackwood. But to the inhabitants of Musselburg he sustained
+a character altogether different, and the gentle _Delta_ was only known
+as one worthy of the title of 'the good physician.' I lived at
+Musselburg two years, and had ample opportunities of personal
+acquaintance. Dr. Moir was a man of highly benevolent countenance, and
+of quiet and retiring manners. His practice was very extensive, and at
+almost all hours he could have been seen driving an old gray horse
+through the streets and suburbs of the town. The ancient character of
+Musselburg seemed to have been as congenial to his temperament as
+Nuremberg was to that of Hans Sachs. Indeed, in antiquity it can glory
+over 'Auld Reekie,' according to the quaint couplet,--
+
+  'Musselboro' was a boro' when Edinburgh was nane;
+  Musselboro'll be a boro' when Edinburgh is gane.'
+
+Moir was buried at Inveresk, where his remains are honored by a noble
+monument; the memory of his genius will be cherished by all readers of
+Blackwood. He died in 1854.
+
+While engaged on the Encyclopedia to which we have made reference, I
+made the acquaintance of McCulloch, the distinguished writer of
+finances, who furnished the article on 'Banking.'
+
+However distinguished may have been the position of this man in point of
+talent, he failed utterly to command respect; and I chiefly remember his
+coarse, overbearing tone of boastful superiority, and his abusive
+language to the compositors who set up his MSS. That they found the
+latter difficult of deciphering is not surprising, since the sheet
+looked less like human calligraphy than a row of bayonets. McCulloch had
+edited the '_Scotsman_' with decided ability, and having attracted the
+attention of Lord Brougham, had received an appointment in the
+stationer's office. But in his promotion he quickly forgot his humble
+origin, and displayed his native vulgarity by lording it over the
+craftsmen who gave form and life to his thoughts.
+
+Among the giants of Scotland at that time, Thomas Chalmers ranked chief,
+and the death of Sir Walter Scott had left him without a peer. I used to
+meet him as he took his early walks, and in his loving way of greeting
+youth he often bade me a cheerful good-morning. He was then living at
+Kinghorn, about eight miles from Edinburgh. Dr. Chalmers' robust stature
+was in keeping with the power of his intellect. He was of massive frame,
+and displayed a breadth of shoulder which seemed borrowed from the
+Farnese Hercules. Though so distinguished as a divine, there was nothing
+clerical in his appearance--nothing of that air of 'the cloth' which at
+once proclaims the preacher. His noble features were generally
+overspread with a benevolent smile, which seemed to shed an illumination
+as though from the ignition of the soul; while at other times he was
+possessed with a spirit of abstraction as if walking in a dream.
+
+As a theologian, Chalmers was great beyond any of his contemporaries;
+and yet, strictly speaking, his genius was mathematical, rather than
+theological. In this respect he resembled that famed American of whom he
+professed himself a disciple--Jonathan Edwards. Of the latter it is
+stated by no less a critic than the author of the _Eclipse of Faith_
+(Henry Rogers), that he was born a mathematician. Chalmers, however, was
+a master of all science, and it would have been difficult for even a
+specialist to have taken him at an advantage. As greatness is always set
+off by simplicity, the latter feature was one of the chief beauties in
+what we may call the Chalmerian Colossus. I have often seen him leaning
+upon the half open door of a smithy, conversing with the intelligent
+workmen, as they rested from the use of the sledge. Having referred to
+his love of children, I may add, in respect to myself, that when I, in
+my childhood, spoke to him in the street, I was generally favored with
+an apple. He was indeed an ardent lover of the young, and his genius
+seemed to gather freshness from his intercourse with childhood.
+
+Edinburgh will not soon forget his interest in the welfare of the poor,
+in which he has been so ably seconded by the present Dr. Guthrie. I well
+remember beholding the two Christian reformers, standing above the slums
+of the city, contemplating the fields which the latter had assumed.
+Suddenly Chalmers clapped his friend upon the back, and exclaimed, in
+rude pleasantry, 'Wow, Tummus Guthrie, but ye ha a bonnie parish.'
+Chalmers' pronunciation was singularly broad, and not easily understood
+by many. Stopping once, during a tour in England, at a place where there
+was a seminary, a gentleman inquired of him how many Scotch boys were in
+attendance. 'Saxtain or savantain,' was the reply. 'Enough,' says the
+gentleman, _sotto voce_, to corrupt a whole school.' As regards
+calligraphy, Chalmers wrote the most illegible hand in Scotland. He
+could not even read it himself, and was frequently obliged to call his
+wife and daughters to his aid. Many of his discourses, when intended for
+the press, were copied by them. His manuscript, when fresh from his
+hand, looked as though a fly had fallen into the ink-stand, and then
+crawled over the page. When his letters were received at his paternal
+home, the language of the father was, 'A letter from Tummus, eh; weel,
+when he comes hame, he maun read it himsel.' There was something
+Homeric in Chalmers' mind; and Hugh Miller always considered him the
+bard of the Free Church, as well as its great theologian and still
+greater benefactor; and this, too, notwithstanding the fact that he
+never wrote a line of verse in his life. The simplest truths, when
+announced by him, took a poetic shape, and moved along with all the
+majesty of his towering genius. Speaking of Hugh Miller brings him
+before us at the time that he was writing for the _Caledonia Mercury_.
+He was then editor of _The Witness_, but gave to the former paper such
+moments as he could abstract from his more serious duties. His
+department in the _Mercury_ was the reviewing new publications. Besides
+his engagement with these two journals, he was pursuing those studies
+which made him the prince of British geologists. Geology was his
+passion. Indeed, while writing leaders for the _Witness_, or turning
+over the leaves of hot-pressed volumes, his mind was wandering among
+such scenes as the 'Lake of Stromness,' and the 'Old Red Sandstone' of
+his native Cromarty. His geological sketches in the _Witness_ were a new
+feature in journalism, and formed the basis of that work which so
+admirably refuted the 'Vestiges of Creation.' I met Miller daily for
+several years. He was tall, and of a well-built and massive frame, and
+evidently capable of great endurance, both of mind and body. Considered
+as one of the distinguished instances of self-made men, Hugh Miller
+finds his only parallel in Horace Greeley, although the path to
+greatness was in the first instance even more laborious than in the
+latter. Let any one read Miller's experiences and adventures, as
+described in 'My Schools and my Schoolmasters,' and he will find a
+renewed suggestion of the thought which Johnson so pathetically breathes
+in his 'London:'--
+
+  'The mournful truth is everywhere confessed,
+  Slow rises worth by poverty depressed.'
+
+Miller's appearance, when in trim attire, was that of the Scottish
+'Dominie,' or parish schoolmaster; but, like the great American editor,
+he was exceedingly slovenly, both by nature and by long habits of
+carelessness. When in the street, he always wore the plaid, although
+that garment was quite out of use, and indicated at once something
+quaint or rustic in the wearer. At this time Miller was living in one of
+the suburbs of Edinburgh, called Porto Bello. When we exchanged
+greetings in the street, his countenance, usually overcast with the pale
+hue of thought, would light up with a bright and open smile, which
+continued as long as he was speaking, but soon yielded to returning
+abstraction. One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was the
+groups of youth whom Miller used to invite as companions of an afternoon
+walk. None were forbidden on the score of childhood, and many a 'wee
+bairn' trotted after the larger lads who accompanied 'the gude
+stane-cracker,' and 'the bonnie mon what gaes amang the rocks.' He might
+well be called the 'stane-cracker,' since I have seen him on Calton
+Hill, or Arthur's Seat, or among the crags, lecturing, in a calm, quiet
+tone, on the mysteries which his hammer had brought to light. These were
+the only recreations of one whose days and nights were, with the
+exception of a brief and often wakeful season of rest, given to
+laborious study. Had he indulged more freely in them, he might have
+escaped the terrible fate which overtook him. But he never could
+emancipate himself from the labor to which he was chained. His
+'Impressions of England,' which is one of the most delightful of his
+books, was the product of a subsequent tour for health. If such were his
+recreations, what must have been his labors? Miller's domestic life did
+much to cheer an over-worked system. He gives, in the 'Schools and
+Schoolmasters,' a pleasing allusion to the fascination of his courtship;
+and his subsequent life was graced by one whoso appearance, as I
+remember her, was singularly lovely and interesting. In his home circle,
+Miller was truly a happy man. I may remark, in passing, that this is a
+feature in Scottish genius. While Shelley, Byron, Bulwer, Dickens, and
+other English authors, have been wrecked by home difficulties, Scott,
+Chalmers, Miller, Wilson, and the whole line of Scottish authors, drank
+deep of domestic felicity. Perhaps this may be explained by the contrast
+between the warmth of Scottish character, and the saturnine and unsocial
+disposition of the English. Edinburgh could at that time boast of two
+distinguished men of the name of Miller; and the great geologist had
+almost his fellow in the professor of surgery. The two were very
+intimate, and the one found in the other not only a friend, but a
+faithful medical adviser. Professor Miller was then printing his leading
+work, and I had frequent occasion to visit him with reference to its
+publication. One morning, as I rang, the professor came to the door with
+a hurried and nervous step. As it opened, I noted that his tall form was
+peculiarly agitated, and his countenance was deadly pale. In a calm,
+subdued voice, he informed me that Hugh Miller had just committed
+suicide with a pistol. The terrible news overcame me with a shudder, and
+I almost sank to the floor. The fact was not yet generally known; and
+oh, when it should be made public, what a blow would be felt by the
+moral and scientific world! The professor knew that the affair might
+possibly be ascribed by some to accident, but he at once referred it to
+insanity. The over-worked brain of the geologist had been for some time
+threatened with a collapse. He had, in addition to the management of the
+_Witness_, been elaborating a work of deep and exhausting character, and
+the mental excitement which accompanied its completion was like
+devouring fire. I have frequently gone to his room at a late hour of the
+night, and found him sitting before the smouldering grate, so absorbed
+in thought that, as he balanced the probabilities of contending
+theories, he unwittingly accompanied the mental effort by balancing the
+poker on the bar. I have seen, on such an occasion, a greasy stream
+oozing from the pocket of his fustian coat, and supplied by the roll of
+butter which at morning market he had purchased for home use. On the
+table lay his MSS., so marred with interlinings and corrections, that,
+notwithstanding his neat and delicate hand, it was almost a complete
+blot. These habits could not but terminate in utter wreck, and I have
+ever coincided with the professor's opinion as to the cause of his
+death. This gentleman stated to me a fact not generally known, that a
+few days before the awful catastrophe, the unfortunate man called on him
+in great distress, and sought his advice. He complained of a pain in his
+head, and then added an expression of fears with regard to that which
+was to him of untold value. This was his mineral and geological
+collection in Shrub Place, which was, no doubt, the most valuable
+private one in the kingdom. He was haunted by apprehension of its
+robbery by a gang of thieves, and asked what measures of safety would be
+advisable. The professor endeavored to expel the absurd idea by playful
+remark, and supposed himself somewhat successful. The next thing he
+heard was the intelligence of his death. It is quite evident that the
+fatal revolver was purchased for the defense of his treasures. What a
+lesson is this of the danger of excessive application, of unreasonable
+toil, of late hours, and mental tension. A continued exhaustion of his
+energies had brought upon the geologist a state of mental horror from
+which death seemed the only relief. The reaction of the nervous system
+was, no doubt, similar to that arising from delirium tremens; and thus
+extremes met, and the _savant_ perished like the inebriate.
+
+The tragedy did not seem complete until another victim should be added.
+The professor took the revolver to Thompson's, on Leith Walk, in order
+to learn by examination how many shots had been fired by the unfortunate
+suicide. The gunsmith took the weapon, but handled it so carelessly,
+that it went off in his hands, and the ball caused his death.
+
+Speaking of excessive labor, we may observe that this is the general
+rule among men of science or letters. They are, as a class, crushed by
+engagements and duties, as well as by problems and questions of which
+the world can not even dream.
+
+The Edinburgh literati know but little of rest or recreation; from the
+editor's chair up to the pulpit, they are under a lash as relentless as
+that of the taskmaster of Egypt. For instance, we might refer to
+Buchanan, of the _Mercury_. He has sat at his desk until he has become
+an old man, with the smallest imaginable subtraction of time for food
+and sleep, writing night and day, and carrying, in his comprehensive
+brain, the whole details of an influential journal. This feature,
+however, is not confined to the Old World, and may easily be paralleled
+in the journalism of America. Both Raymond, of the _Times_, and Bennett,
+of the _Herald_, almost live in the editorial function; and the former
+of these, though now Speaker of the Assembly, will either pen his
+leaders in his desk, during the utterance of prosy speeches, or in hours
+stolen from sleep after adjournment. In addition to these, we might
+quote the caustic language of Mr. Greeley, in reference to some
+mechanics who had 'struck,' in order to reduce their day's labor (we
+think to nine hours). 'He was in favor of short days of work, and having
+labored eighteen hours per diem for nearly twenty years, he was now
+going to "strike" for fifteen during the rest of his life.' But I doubt
+the success of Mr. Greeley's 'strike,' and apprehend that his early
+application has continued with but little abatement.
+
+Before leaving Edinburgh for the New World, it was my good fortune to
+become acquainted with Jeffrey. He was at this time not so much
+distinguished as the reviewer, as he was by his new title of Lord
+Jeffrey, Judge of Court Session, with a salary of L3000 per annum. Lord
+Jeffrey was a small man, of light but elegant make, and peculiarly
+symmetrical. His head was quite small, but his countenance was of an
+imposing character; and his eye, brilliant but not fierce, often melted
+into a pensive tenderness. Such was Jeffrey's appearance on the bench in
+his latter days. I should have little judged from it that he was the
+relentless critic, whoso withering sarcasm was felt from the garrets of
+Grub Street to the highest walk of science or university life. My
+intimacy with Ballantyne, who published the _Edinburgh Review_, often
+brought the different MSS. before me, and I could contrast the exquisite
+neatness of Wardlaw with the slanting school-boy hand of Jeffrey. The
+tone and style of review literature have changed greatly since its
+inception, when each quarterly gloried in the character of a literary
+ogre, and dead men's bones lay round its doors, as erst about the castle
+of Giant Despair. Authors are not now thrown to the wild beasts for the
+entertainment of the multitude, as in former days; and had John Keats,
+or even poor Henry Kirke White, written and published fifty years later,
+they would never have perished by the critic's pen. Yet the same
+malignant assault which crushed their tender muse was the only thing
+which could amuse the latent powers of a far greater genius; and had not
+Byron been as cruelly attacked by the _Edinburgh_, he would never have
+given 'Childe Harold' to the world. The authorship of that most unjust
+and malignant _critique_, which, however brief, was sufficient to make
+the author of 'the Hours of Idleness,' foe the time, contemptible, was
+long a secret; but it is now admitted that it was by Jeffrey. Little did
+the murderous critic think that his challenge would bring out an
+adversary who would soon unhorse him, and then dash victoriously over
+the field under the especial patronage of fame.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE HUGUENOT FAMILIES IN AMERICA.
+
+
+III.
+
+THE HUGUENOTS OF ULSTER.
+
+
+It is said that the lands of the early Huguenot settlers in Ulster
+County were so arranged in small lots, and within sight of each other,
+as to prevent surprise from the Indians whilst their owners were
+cultivating them. Louis Bevier, one of the most honored patentees, was
+the ancestor of the highly-respectable family bearing his name in that
+region. When he was about to leave France, his father became so
+exasperated, that he refused to bestow upon him the commonest
+civilities. Nor would he condescend to return the kind salutations of
+another son in the public streets, affectionately offered by the pious
+emigrant, and for the last time.
+
+Another of the patentees, Deyo, visited France to claim his confiscated
+estates, but, failing of success, returned. Kingston, at this early
+period, was the only trading post or village for the French Protestants,
+and sixteen miles distant from their settlement, although in a straight
+line. Paltz was not more than eight miles west of the Hudson River; this
+route, M. Deyo undertook, alone, to explore--but never returned. It was
+thought that the adventurous Huguenot died suddenly, or was devoured by
+the wild beasts. A truss and buckle which he owned were found about
+thirty years afterwards, at the side of a large hollow tree. His life
+seems to have been one full of toils and dangers, having endured severe
+sufferings for conscience' sake, before he reached Holland from France.
+For days he concealed himself in hiding places from his persecutors, and
+without food, finally escaping alone in a fishing boat, during a
+terrific storm.
+
+The descendants of the Ulster Dubois are very influential and numerous
+in our day, but there is a tradition that this family at one time was in
+great danger of becoming extinct. For a long while it was the custom of
+parents to visit Kingston, for the purpose of having their children
+baptized. M. Dubois and wife were returning from such a pious visit, and
+while crossing the Roundout, on the ice, it gave way, plunging the
+horses, sleigh and party in the rapid stream. With great presence of
+mind, the mother threw her infant, an only son, upon a floating frozen
+cake, which, like the ark of Moses, floated him safely down the stream,
+until he was providentially rescued. For some time this child was the
+only male Dubois among the Paltz Huguenots, and had he perished on that
+perilous occasion, his family name would also have perished with him;
+still there were seven females of the same house, called the _seven
+zuisters_, all of whom married among the most respectable French
+Protestant families. To no stock do more families in Ulster County trace
+their origin than that of Dubois. Some antiquarians deny this tradition
+of the seven sisters, but contend that they were _Lefevres_.
+
+There were two Le Fevres among the Ulster patentees. Their progenitors
+it is said were among those early Protestants of France who
+distinguished themselves for intellectual powers, prominence in the
+Reformed Church, with enduring patience under the severest trials, and
+death itself. Le Fevre, a doctor of theology, adorned the French
+metropolis when Paris caught the first means of salvation in the
+fifteenth century. He preached the pure gospel within its walls; and
+this early teacher declared '_our religion has only one foundation, one
+object, one head, Jesus Christ, blessed forever. Let us then not take
+the name of Paul, of Apostles, or of Peter. The Cross of Christ alone
+opens heaven and shuts the gates of hell_.' In 1524, he published a
+translation of the New Testament, and the next year a version of the
+Psalms. Many received the Holy Scriptures from his hands, and read them
+in their families, producing the happiest results. Margaret, the
+beautiful and talented Princess of Valois, celebrated by all the wits
+and scholars of the time, embraced the true Christianity, uniting her
+fortune and influence with the Huguenots, and the Reformation thus had a
+witness in the king's court. She was sister to Francis the First, the
+reigning monarch. By the hands of this noble lady, the Bishop of Meuse
+sent to the king a translation of St. Paul's Epistles, richly
+illuminated, he adding, in his quaint and beautiful language, 'They will
+make a truly royal dish of fatness, that never corrupts, and having the
+power to restore from all manner of sickness. The more we taste them,
+the more we hunger after them, with desires that are ever fed and never
+cloyed.'
+
+Abraham Hasbroucq, which is the original orthography of the name among
+the patentees, was a native of Calais, and the first emigrant of that
+family to America, in 1675, with a party of Huguenot friends; they
+resided for a while in the Palatinate on the banks of the Rhine. To
+commemorate their kindness, when they reached our shores the new
+settlement was called '_De Paltz_,' now '_New Paltz_,' as the Palatinate
+was always styled by the Dutch. Here, also, the beautiful stream flowing
+through New Paltz was known by the name of _Walkill_, after the river
+Wael, a branch of the Rhine, running into Holland.
+
+The first twelve patentees, or the '_Duzine_,' managed the affairs of
+the infant settlement as long as they lived, and after their death it
+was a custom to elect a court officer from among the descendants of
+each, at the annual town meetings. For a long period they kept in one
+chest all the important papers of their property and land titles. The
+pastor or the oldest man had charge of the key, and reference was made
+to this depository for the settlement of all difficulties about
+boundaries. Hence they were free from legal suits as to their lands; and
+to this judicious, simple plan may be traced the well-known harmony of
+the numerous descendants in this region,--the fidelity of their
+landmarks, with the absence of litigation.
+
+We know of no region in our land where property has remained so long in
+the same families, as it has at New Paltz; since its first settlement,
+there has been a constant succession of intermarriages among the French
+descendants, and many continue to reside upon the venerable homesteads
+of their early and honored forefathers.
+
+Devoted as the Huguenots ever had been to the worship of the Almighty,
+one of their first objects at New Paltz was the erection of a church. It
+was built of logs, and afterwards gave place to a substantial edifice of
+brick, brought from Holland, the place answering the double purpose of
+church and fort. Their third house of worship was an excellent stone
+building, which served the Huguenots for eighty years, when it was
+demolished in 1839, and the present splendid edifice placed on the
+venerable spot and dedicated to the service of Almighty God. It is
+related that a clergyman of eccentric dress and manners, at an early
+period, would occasionally make a visit to New Paltz, and, for the
+purpose of meditation, would cross the Walkill in a canoe, to some large
+elms growing upon a bank opposite the church; on one occasion the stream
+was low, and while pushing across with a pole, it broke, and the
+Dominie, losing his balance, pitched overboard. He succeeded, however,
+in reaching the shore, and proceeded to the nearest house, for the
+purpose of drying his clothes. This partly accomplished, he entered the
+pulpit and informed his congregation that he had intended to have
+preached a sermon on baptism; but, eyeing his garments, he observed that
+_circumstances_ prevented, as he could now sympathize with Peter, and
+take the text, 'Lord, save, or I perish.'
+
+To serve God according to the dictates of their own conscience, had ever
+been a supreme duty with the French Protestants, and paramount to
+everything else. For this they had endured the severest persecutions in
+France, and had sacrificed houses, lands, kindred and their native
+homes; they had crossed a trackless ocean, and penetrated the howling
+wilderness, inhabited by savage tribes--and for what?--To serve their
+MAKER, and the RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE. They had been the salt of France,
+and brought over with them their pious principles, with their
+Bibles,--the most precious things. Some of these faded volumes are still
+to be found among the children of the American Huguenots, and we have
+often seen and examined one of the most venerable copies. It is
+Diodati's French Bible, with this title:--
+
+  LA SAINTE
+  BIBLE,
+  INTERPRETEE PAR JEAN DIODATI,
+  MDCXLIII.
+  IMPRIMEE A GENEVE.
+
+The sacred book is 219 years old, in excellent condition, and well
+covered with white dressed deerskin, its ties of the same material. It
+was brought to America by Louis Bevier, a French Protestant of Ulster,
+and has been preserved as a precious family relic through nine
+generations. It was carried from France to Holland, and thence to New
+Paltz. 'Blessed Book! the hands of holy martyrs have unfolded thy sacred
+pages, and their hearts been cheered by thy holy truths and promises!'
+There is also a family record written in the volume, faintly legible, of
+the immediate descendants of Louis Bevier and his wife, Maria Lablau,
+from the year 1674 to 1684.
+
+Above anything else did the Huguenots of France love their BIBLES.
+Various edicts, renewed in 1729, had commanded the seizure and
+destruction of _all_ books used by the Protestants, and for this
+purpose, any consul of a commune, or any priest, might enter the houses
+to make the necessary search. We may therefore compute by millions the
+volumes destroyed in obedience to these royal edicts. On the 17th of
+April, 1758, about 40,000 books were burned at one time in Bordeaux; and
+it is also well known that at Beaucaire, in 1735, there was an
+auto-da-fe almost equal to that of Bordeaux. It was a truly sad day, in
+France, when the old family BIBLE must be given up; the book doubly
+revered and most sacred, because it was the WORD of GOD, and sacred too
+from the recollections connected with it! Grandparents, parents, and
+children, all, from their earliest infancy, had daily seen, read and
+touched it. Like the household deities of the ancients, it had been
+always present at all the joys and sorrows of the family. A touching
+custom inscribed on the first or last pages, and at times even upon its
+margins, the principal events in all those beloved lives. Here were the
+Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and the Deaths. Now all these tender, pious
+records must perish at once in the flames.
+
+But mind, immortal mind, could not be destroyed; for free thought, and
+truth, and instruction, among the people, were companions of the
+Reformation, and books would circulate among all ranks throughout
+Protestant France. The works generally came from Holland through Paris,
+and from Geneva, by Lyons or Grenoble. Inside of baled goods, and in
+cases and barrels of provisions, secretly, thousands of volumes were
+sent from north to south, from east to west, to the oppressed Huguenots.
+The great work which Louis XIV. believed buried beneath the ruins of his
+bloody edicts still went on silently. At Lausanne was established a
+seminary, about the year 1725, where works for the French Protestant
+people were printed and circulated. The Bishop of Canterbury, with Lord
+Warke, and a few foreign sovereigns, actively assisted in the founding
+of this institution. Thus did that beautiful town become the source of
+useful and religious knowledge to thousands, although it was conveyed
+far and wide in a very quiet and secret way. One man was condemned to
+the galleys for having received barrels, marked '_Black and White
+Peas_,' which were found full of 'Ostervald's Catechisms.'
+
+How strange it seems to us, writing in our own Protestant land, that
+cruel authority should ever have intervened with matters of faith! What
+can be more plain or truthful than that there should be liberty of
+conscience; and that God alone has the power and the right to direct it,
+and that it is an abuse and a sacrilege to come between God and
+conscience? After the revocation of the edict of Nantes and the death of
+Louis XIV., his royal successor sometimes vaguely asked himself why he
+persecuted his Protestant subjects? when his marshal replied, that his
+majesty was only the executor of former edicts. He seemed to have
+consoled himself that he had found the system _already_ established, and
+he only carried out the errors of his predecessor. Forty years of
+remorseless persecutions against his best subjects, without asking
+himself why! Of all the weaknesses of his reign, this was the most
+odious and the most guilty; his hand was most literally weary of signing
+cruel edicts against the Protestants of his kingdom, without even
+reading them, and which obedience to his mandates had to transcribe in
+letters of fire and blood, on the remotest parts of his realm.
+
+Let us return to the Frenchmen of Ulster, who for some time after their
+emigration used their own language, until a consultation was held to
+determine whether this, or the English or Dutch, should be adopted in
+the families. As the latter was generally spoken in the neighboring
+places,--Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh,--and also at the schools
+and churches, it was decided to speak Dutch only to their children and
+servants. Having for a while, however, continued the use of their native
+tongue, some of the Huguenot descendants in the Paltz still write their
+names as their French ancestors wrote them more than two centuries ago.
+Dubois, Bevier, Deyeau, Le Fevre, Hasbroque, are well-known instances.
+
+_Petronella_ was once an admired name among the Huguenot ladies, and
+became almost extinct in Ulster at one time. The last was said to have
+been Petronella Hasbroque, a lady distinguished for remarkable traits of
+character. Judge Hasbroque, of Kingston, the father of the former
+President of Rutger's College, was very anxious that his son would give
+this name to one of his daughters. In case of compliance, a handsome
+marriage portion was also promised; but the parents declined the
+generous offer, whether from a dislike to the name, or a belief that the
+property would be theirs, at any rate, some day, is not known. A
+granddaughter, however, of a second generation, named her first-born
+Petronella, and thus gratifying the desire of her near kinsman, secured
+a marriage portion for the heir, and preserved the much-admired name
+from oblivion--certainly three important results.
+
+It was a well-known and distinguished trait of the New Paltz Huguenots,
+that but few intermarriages have taken place among their own families
+(_Walloon_); they differed in this respect from all other French
+Protestants who emigrated to America and mingled with the other
+population by matrimonial alliances. In Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and
+other neighborhoods, near by, there is an unusual number of Dutch
+names--the Van Deusens, Van Benschotens, Van Kleeds, Van Gosbeeks, Van
+De Bogerts, Van Bewer, and others, almost _ad infinitum_, whilst for
+miles around the populous and wealthy town of Old Paltz scarcely a
+family can be found with such patronymics. Notwithstanding, somewhat
+like the Israelites, these Frenchmen classed themselves, in a measure,
+as a distinct and separate people; still, the custom did not arise from
+any dislike to the Hollanders,--on the contrary, they were particularly
+attached to that people, who had been their best friends, both in
+Holland and America; and these associations were ever of a most friendly
+and generous character. After a while, the Huguenots of Ulster adopted
+not only the language, but the customs and habits of the Dutch. After
+the destruction of the Protestant churches at Rochelle, in 1685, the
+colonists of that city came in such numbers to the settlement of New
+York, that it was necessary sometimes to print public documents not only
+in Dutch and English, but French also.
+
+We do not wish to make our articles a Doomsday-book for the Huguenots,
+still it is pleasant for their descendants to know that they came from
+such honorable stock, and, with all of our boasted republicanism, we are
+not ashamed that we _are_ so born. Here are some of the names to be
+found in the old records of Ulster:--Abraham Hausbrough, Nicholas
+Antonio, 'Sherriffe' Moses Quartain, 'Leon,' Christian Dubois, Solomon
+Hasbrook, Andries Lafeever, Hugo Freer, Peter Low, Samuel Boyce, Roeleff
+Eltinge, 'Esq.,' Nicholas Roosa, Jacobus DeLametie, Nicholas Depew,
+'Esq.,' Philip Viely, Boudwyn Lacounti, 'Capt.' Zacharus Hoofman,'
+Lieut.' Benjamin Smedes, Jr., 'Capt.' Christian Dugo, James Agmodi,
+Johannis Low, Josia Eltin, Samuel Sampson, Lewis Pontenere, Abra.
+Bovier, Peter Dejo, Robert Cain, Robert Hanne, William Ward, Robert
+Banker, John Marie, Jonathan Owens, Daniel Coleman, Stephen D'Lancey,
+Eolias Nezereau, Abraham Jouneau, Thomas Bayeuk, Elia Neau, Paul
+Droilet, Augustus Jay, Jean Cazeale, Benjamin Faneil, Daniel Cromelin,
+John Auboyneau, Francis Vincent, Ackande Alliare, James Laboue
+(Minister). In 1713-14 we find, in an address of the ministers and
+elders of the Huguenot Church in New York, 'Louis Rou, Minister of the
+French Church, in New York, John Barberie, Elder, Louis Cane, _ancien_
+(the older), Jean Lafont, _ancien_, Andre Feyneau, _ancien_.' To another
+religious document there are Jean la Chan, Elias Pelletrau, Andrew
+Foucault, James Ballereau, Jaque Bobin, N. Cazalet, Sam'l Bourdet, David
+Le Telier, Francois Bosset.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'TEN TO ONE ON IT.'
+
+
+  When the Union was broken, truly then
+  One Southron was equal to Yankees ten.
+  When the Union war began to thrive,
+  One Southron was equal to Yankees five.
+  When Donaldson went, 'twas plain to see
+  One Southron scarce equalled Yankees three.
+  Now, Manassas is lost; yet, to Richmond view,
+  One Southron still equals Yankees two.
+  And lo! a coming day we see,--
+  And Oh! what a day of pride 't will be,--
+  When a Northern mechanic or merchant can
+  Rank square with a Dirt-eater, man for man.
+  Perhaps this point we may fairly turn,
+  And Richmond, to her amazement, learn,
+  When peace shall have come, and war be fled,
+  And its hate be the tale of time long sped,
+  That where there is work or thought for men,
+  One Yankee is equal to Dirt-eaters ten.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+LITERARY NOTICES.
+
+
+UNDER CURRENTS OF WALL STREET. A Romance of Business. By Richard B.
+Kimball, Author of 'St. Leger,' 'Romance of Student Life,' &c. New York:
+G.P. Putnam; Boston: A.K. Loring. 1861.
+
+In the United States about one person in a hundred is engaged in
+mercantile pursuits--in other words, in 'broking,' or transferring from
+the producer to the consumer. Of this number, a larger proportion than
+in any other country are brokers in the strict sense of the word,
+buying, selling, or exchanging money or its equivalents, and managing
+credit so that others may turn it into capital. A more active, eventful,
+precarious and extraordinary life, or one calling more for the exercise
+of sharpness and shrewdness, does not exist, than that of these men.
+They are among regular business men what the 'free lance' is among
+military men, or the privateer among those of the true marine. Any one
+who has been familiar with one of the 'craft,' has probably heard him
+say at one time or another--'what I have seen would make one of the most
+remarkable novels you ever read;' and he spoke the literal truth.
+
+Realizing this fact, Mr. KIMBALL, a lawyer of twenty years' standing in
+Wall St., and consequently perfectly familiar with all its
+characteristics, has devoted literary talents, which long ago acquired
+for him not merely an enviable American but a wide European celebrity,
+to describing this broker-life, with its lights and shadows. Choosing a
+single subject and a single class, he has elaborated it with a
+truthfulness which is positively _startling_. As we often know that a
+portrait is perfect from its manifest verisimilitude, so we feel from
+every chapter of this book that the author has, with strictest fidelity,
+adhered to real life with pre-Raphaelitic accuracy but without
+pre-Raphaelitic servility to any tradition or set mannerism. The pencil
+of a reporter, the lens of the photographer, are recalled by his
+sketches, and not less life-like, simple and excellent are the
+reflections of the business office as shown in its influence in the home
+circle. The reader will recall the extraordinary popularity which
+certain English romances, setting forth humble unpoetic life, have
+enjoyed of late years. We refer to the _Adam Bede_ and _Silas Marner_
+school of tales, in which every twig is drawn, every life-lineament set
+forth with a sort of DENNER minuteness--truthful, yet constrained,
+accurate but petty. In this novel, Mr. KIMBALL, while retaining all the
+accuracy of _Adam Bede_, has swept more broadly and forcibly out into
+life;--there are strong sorrows, great trials seen from the stand-point
+of a man of the world, and a free, bold color which startles us, while
+we, at the same time, recognize its reality.
+
+The 'hero' of the work is a merchant, who, like many others after
+incurring bankruptcy, takes to Wall Street--to selling notes as an
+under-broker for a living. In describing his trials, the author has,
+with consummate skill and extraordinary knowledge of both causes and
+effects, pointed out the peculiarities, institutions, and good or bad
+workings of the American mercantile system, in such a manner as to have
+attracted from the soundest authority warm praise of his work, as
+embodying practical knowledge of a kind seldom found in 'novels.' From
+'broking' to speculating--from that again to the old course--alternately
+buoyed up or cast down, through trials and troubles, the bankrupt, at
+last, in his darkest hour, lands on that 'luck' which in America comes
+sooner or later to every one. It is worth remarking that in all his
+characters, as in his scenes, the author is careful to maintain the
+balance of truth. He shows us that among the sharks and harpies of Wall
+Street there are phases of honor and generosity--that the arrogance or
+coldness of a bank-officer may have a rational foundation--that feelings
+as intense are awakened in common business pursuits as in the most
+dramatic and erratic lives. In this _just_ treatment of character,--this
+avoiding of the old saint and angel system of depicting men,--KIMBALL is
+truly pre-eminent, and under it even the casual SOL DOWNER strikes us
+with an individuality and a force not inferior to that of the hero
+himself.
+
+We can not take leave of this truly remarkable book without referring to
+the under-current of kindly, humane feelings with which it abounds.
+There is a delicate, tremulous sympathy for the sufferings and joys
+which he depicts, which reflects the highest credit on the author. There
+are, in this book, unaffected touches of pathos, founded on the most
+natural events in the world, which have never been surpassed by any
+novelist.
+
+We are glad that novelists are leaving romance and going to real life.
+One breaking into the harsh industry of the factory and market, another
+taking down the joys and sorrows of the humble weaver, another
+describing, as in this work, the strange hurrying life of the 'outside
+broker' to the sharpest-cut detail,--all giving us truth and observation
+in the place of vague imagination;--such are the best results of late
+literature; and prominent among these the future historian will place
+the Under-currents of Wall Street.
+
+
+MARGARET HOWTH. A Story of To-Day. Boston: Ticknor & Fields. 1862.
+
+We know of no other truly American novel into which so many elements
+have been forced by the strength of genius into harmony, as in _Margaret
+Howth_. One may believe, in reading it, that the author, wearied of the
+old cry that the literature of our country is only a continuation of
+that of Europe, had resolved to prove, by vigorous effort, that it _is_
+possible to set forth, not merely the incidents of our industrial life
+in many grades, in its purely idiomatic force, but to make the world
+realize that in it vibrate and struggle outward those aspirations, germs
+of culture and reforms which we seldom reflect on as forming a part of
+the inner-being of our very practical fellow-citizens. The work has two
+characteristics,--it breaks, with a strong intellect and fine
+descriptive power, into a new field, right into the rough of real life,
+bringing out fresher and more varied forms than had been done before,
+and in doing this makes us understand, with strange ability, how the
+thinkers among our people _think_. We all know how it flows _in_ to
+them, from lecture and book, from the _Tribune_ and school--but few,
+especially in the Atlantic cities, know what becomes of culture among
+men and women who 'work and weave in endless motion' in the
+counting-house, or factory, or through daily drudgery and the reverses
+from wealth to poverty. Others have treated a single **o [transcriber's
+note: illegible word] of life, dramatically and by events, as well as
+Miss HARDING, but no one American has dared such intricacies of thought
+and character in individuals--has raised them to such a height, and
+developed them with such a powerful will, without falling into
+conventionalism or improbability. Unlike most novels, its 'plot,' though
+excellent, is its least attraction--we can imagine that the superb pride
+which gleams out in so many rifts has induced the author to voluntarily
+avoid display of that ingeniously spinning romantic talent in which
+novelists excel precisely in proportion to their lack of all nobler
+gifts. It is a certain rule, as to literary snobs, that in proportion as
+the food which they give diminishes in excellence, does the plate on
+which it is served increase in value. But let none imagine that
+_Margaret Howth_ lacks _interest_--it is replete with burning, vivid,
+thrilling interest--it has the attraction which fascinates _all_
+readers, based in a depth of knowledge so extraordinary that it can be
+truly appreciated by but few. The immense popularity which it has
+acquired and the general praise awarded it by the press, proves that it
+has gone right to the hearts of the people--whence it came.
+
+Those who accuse _Margaret Howth_ of harshness and a lack of
+winsomeness, have neither understood the people whom it describes nor
+the degree of stern strength requisite to wrest from life and nature
+fresh truth. The pioneers of every great natural school (and every
+indication shows that one is now dawning) have quite other than
+lute-sounding tasks in hand, however they may hunger and thirst for
+beauty, love, and rose-gardens. Under the current of this book runs the
+keenest, painfulest craving to give freely to life these very
+elements--its intensest inner-spirit is of love and beauty; it throbs
+and burns with a sympathy for suffering humanity which is at once fierce
+and tearful. As regards the minor artistic defects of _Margaret Howth_,
+they are, if we regard it entirely, the shadows inseparable from its
+substance, felt by those who remain in them, but in no wise detracting
+from the beauty of the edifice when we regard it from the proper point
+of view.
+
+
+ETHICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, CHIEFLY RELATIVE TO SUBJECTS OF
+POPULAR INTEREST. By A.H. Dana. New York: Charles Scribner, 124 Grand
+Street; Boston: Crosby & Nichols. 1862.
+
+A delightful collection of essays of the most valuable character, in
+which the agreeable is throughout fully qualified with the useful. The
+titles of several of these chapters are of themselves attractive: Races
+of Men, Compensations of Life, Authorship, Influence of Great Men,
+Lawyers, Hereditary Character, Sensuality, Health, Narcotic Stimulants,
+Theology, and The Supernatural,--all of them treated with a clearness
+and comprehensiveness which can not fail to earn for the work extensive
+popularity.
+
+
+BAYARD TAYLOR'S WORKS, VOL. III. Caxton Edition. At Home and Abroad.
+Second Series. New York: G.P. Putnam.
+
+The third volume of this exquisitely, printed and fully-illustrated
+series of the works of BAYARD TAYLOR is, in all respects, fully equal to
+its predecessors, both as regards typographic and literary merit.
+
+
+THOMAS HOOD'S WORKS, VOL. III. 'Aldine Edition.' Edited by Epes Sargent.
+New York: G.P. Putnam.
+
+The materials of the present volume, as we are informed by the editor,
+have been chiefly drawn from the collections of humorous pieces
+published by THOMAS HOOD under the title of _Hood's Own_,
+_Whimsicalities_, and _Whims and Oddities_. In connection with the first
+volume of this series it completes the reprint of _all_ of HOOD'S poems.
+The present volume is, like its predecessors, most exquisitely printed
+and bound. It contains a grotesque title-page from the pencil of HOPPIN,
+with a fine steel engraving of the author.
+
+
+A SOUTH CAROLINA PROTEST AGAINST SLAVERY. New York: G.P. Putnam. 1861.
+
+A very interesting letter from HENRY LAURENS, second President of the
+Continental Congress, to his son, Col. JOHN LAURENS, dated Charleston,
+S.C., Aug. 14, 1776, now first published from the original letter. It
+contains a vehement plea for Emancipation, and speaks with bitter
+contempt of England for encouraging the slave-trade in America.
+
+
+THE REBELLION; ITS LATENT CAUSES AND TRUE SIGNIFICANCE. In Letters to a
+Friend abroad. By Henry T. Tuckerman. New York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+An excellent work, discussing the social peculiarities of the South with
+great ability.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+BOOKS RECEIVED
+
+
+PAMPHLETS ON THE WAR.
+
+Among the many publications on the War which have from time to time
+found their way to our table, are the following pamphlets:--
+
+RELATION OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS TO
+SLAVERY. By Charles K. Whipple. Boston: R.F. Wallcut. 1861.
+
+WITHIN FORT SUMTER. By one of the Company. New York: N. Tibbals & Co.
+1861.
+
+A LECTURE ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. By Noble Butler.
+Louisville, Ky.: John P. Maton. 1862.
+
+THE WAR. Correspondence between the Young Men's Christian Association of
+Richmond, Va., and the City of New York. New York: G.P. Putnam. 1861.
+
+SPEECH OF GEN. HIRAM WALBRIDGE, of New York, at Tammany Hall, Aug. 21,
+1856, on the Reorganization of our Navy. New York. 1862.
+
+THE REBELLION: OUR RELATIONS AND DUTIES. Speech of Hon. Edward
+McPherson, of Pennsylvania, delivered in the House of Representatives,
+Feb. 14, 1862. Washington. 1862.
+
+ARE THE SOUTHERN PRIVATEERS PIRATES? Letter to the Hon. Ira Harris,
+United States Senator. By Charles P. Daly, LL.D., First Judge of the
+Court of Common Pleas of the City of New York. New York: Jas. B. Kirker,
+599 Broadway. 1862.
+
+SPECIAL MESSAGE DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE
+OF IOWA. By Governor S.J. Kirkwood. Des Moines, Iowa: F.W. Palmer. 1862.
+
+PICTURES OF SOUTHERN LIFE--SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND MILITARY. Written for
+_The London Times_, by William Howard Russell, LL.D., Special
+Correspondent. New York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT MT. KISCO, Westchester Co., New York, July 4,
+1861. By John Jay, Esq. New York: Jas. G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+THE REJECTED STONE; or, INSURRECTION _vs_. RESURRECTION IN AMERICA. By a
+Native of Virginia. Boston: Walker, Wise & Co. 1861.
+
+THE INDISSOLUBLE NATURE OF THE AMERICAN UNION, considered in connection
+with the assumed Rights of Secession. A Letter to Hon. Peter Cooper, of
+New York. By Nahum Capen. Boston: A. Williams & Co. New York: Ross &
+Tousey. 1862.
+
+THE UNION. An Address, by the Hon. Daniel S. Dickinson, delivered before
+the Literary Societies of Amherst College, July 10, 1861. New York: Jas.
+G. Gregory. 1861.
+
+ALLEGHANIA. The Strength of the Union and the Weakness of Slavery in the
+High Lands of the South. By JAMES W. TAYLOR. Saint Paul: James
+Davenport. 1862.
+
+
+A pamphlet deserving close study and general circulation.
+
+AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HON. GEORGE S. BOUTWELL, in Tremont Temple,
+Boston, Dec. 16, 1861.
+
+This address has enjoyed great popularity, and will deservedly take
+place among the most characteristic and valuable pamphlets of the war.
+
+
+AMERICA, THE LAND OF EMANUEL; or, CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY A REFUGE FOR
+THE GATHERING TO SHILOH. By Lorenzo D. Grosvenor, of Shaker Community,
+South Groton, Mass. A. Williams & Co., 100 Washington St., Boston. 1861.
+
+
+SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. J.M. ASHLEY, OF OHIO, ON THE REBELLION, ITS
+CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES, at the College Hall, in the City of Toledo,
+Nov. 26, 1861, Towers & Co., Washington, D.C. 1861.
+
+
+An excellent pamphlet, which has been extensively and favorably noticed
+by the press, and been several times reprinted.
+
+
+THE AMERICAN CRISIS, its Cause, Significance and Solution. By Americus.
+Chicago, Ill.: John R. Walsh. 1861.
+
+A vigorous and able document.
+
+
+WAR AND EMANCIPATION. A Thanksgiving Sermon preached in the Plymouth
+Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 21, 1861. By Rev. Henry Ward
+Beecher. Philadelphia: W. Peterson & Brothers. 1861.
+
+Concise, spirited, and full of sound ideas.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+EDITOR'S TABLE.
+
+
+On the ninth of March President LINCOLN made the first announcement of
+an official endorsement of the great principle of gradual Emancipation,
+by transmitting to Congress a message recommending that the United
+States ought to cooeperate with any State which may adopt a gradual
+emancipation of slavery, by giving to such State pecuniary aid, to be
+used at its discretion, to compensate for the inconvenience, public and
+private, which may be produced by any such change of system.
+
+    Any member of Congress, with the census tables and the treasury
+    notes before him, can readily see for himself how very soon the
+    current expenditures of this war would purchase, at a fair
+    valuation, all the slaves in any named State. Such a position on
+    the part of the General Government sets up no claim of a right
+    by federal authority to interfere with slavery within State
+    limits, referring, as it does, the absolute control of the
+    subject, in each case, to the State and its people immediately
+    interested.
+
+It is almost needless to point out to the reader that the views, both
+direct and implied, which are urged in this message, are in every
+respect identical with those to advance which the CONTINENTAL was
+founded, and for which it has strenuously labored from the beginning.
+There is nothing in them of the 'Abolitionism' which advocates
+'immediate and unconditional' freeing of the blacks; while, on the other
+hand, the only persons who can object to them are those who hold that
+slavery is a good thing in itself, never to be disturbed. It is, in
+short, all that the rational friends of progress can at present
+desire--an official recognition of the great truth that slavery ought to
+be abolished, but in such a manner as to cause the least possible
+trouble.
+
+It is amusing to observe the bewilderment of the pro-slavery Northern
+Democratic press, which has so earnestly claimed the Executive as
+'conservative,' and on which this message has fallen like a
+thunder-clap. They have, of course, at once cried out that, should it
+receive the sanction of Congress, it would still amount to nothing,
+because no legislature of a slave State will accept it; an argument as
+ridiculous as it is trivial. That the South would, for the present,
+treat the proposal with scorn, is likely enough. But the edge of the
+wedge has been introduced, and emancipation has been at least
+_officially_ recognized as desirable. While such a possible means of
+securing property exists, there will always be a strong party _forming_
+in the South, whether they attain to a majority or not, and this party
+will be the germ of disaster to the secessionists. There are men enough,
+even in South Carolina, who would gladly be paid for their slaves, and
+these men, while maintaining secession views in full bluster, would
+readily enough find some indirect means of realizing money on their
+chattels. It may work gradually--but it _will_ work. As disaster and
+poverty increase in the South, there will increase with them the number
+of those who will see no insult or injury in the proposition to buy from
+them property which is becoming, with every year, more and more
+uncertain in its tenure.
+
+Let it be remembered that this message was based on the most positive
+knowledge held by the Executive of the desires of the Union men in the
+South, and of their strength. The reader who will reflect for a moment
+can not fail to perceive that, unless it had such a foundation, the
+views advanced in it would have been reckless and inexplicable indeed.
+It was precisely on this basis, and in this manner, that the
+CONTINENTAL, in previous numbers, and before it the New York
+KNICKERBOCKER Magazine, urged the revival of the old WEBSTER theory of
+gradual remunerated emancipation, declaring that the strength of the
+Union party in the South was such as to warrant the experiment.[O] We
+have also insisted, in our every issue, that, while emancipation should
+be borne constantly in view and provided for as something which must
+eventually be realized for the sake of the advancing interests of WHITE
+labor and its expansion, everything should be effected as gradually _as
+possible_, so as to neither interfere with the plans of the war now
+waging, nor to stir up needless political strife. We simply asked for
+some firmly-based official recognition of the rottenness of the 'slavery
+plank in the Southern platform,' and trusted that the _utmost_ caution
+and deliberation would be observed in eventually forwarding
+emancipation. We were literally alone, as a publication, in these views,
+and were misrepresented both by the enemies who were behind us and the
+zealous friends who were before us. We have never cried for that
+'unconditional and immediate emancipation of slavery' with which the
+_Liberator_, with the kindest intentions, but most erroneously, credits
+us. We should be glad enough to see it, were it possible; but, knowing
+that the immediate-action theory has been delaying the cause for thirty
+years, we have invariably suggested the _firm_ but gradual method. That
+method has at last been formally advanced by the President, in a manner
+which can reasonably give offense to no one. The beginning has been
+made: it is for the country to decide whether it--the most important
+suggestion of the age--shall be realized.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The news of the capture of Fort Donelson had barely reached us, the roar
+of the guns celebrating our rapid successes had not died away, ere that
+fragment of the Northern ultra pro-slavery party which had done so much
+towards deluding the South into secession, impudently raised its head
+and began most inopportunely and impertinently to talk of amnesty and
+the rights of the South. There are things which, under certain
+limitations, may be right in themselves, but which, when urged at the
+wrong time, become wrongs and insults; and these premature cries to
+restore the enemy to his old social and political standing are of that
+nature. They are insufferable, and would be ridiculous, were it not that
+in the present critical aspect of our politics they may become
+dangerous. Since this war began, we have heard much of the want of true
+loyalty in the ultra abolitionists, who would make the object of the
+struggle simply emancipation, without regard to consequences; and we
+have not been sparing in our own condemnations of such a limited and
+narrow view,--holding, as we do, that emancipation, if adopted, should
+be for the sake of the _white man_ and the Union, and not of the negro.
+But 'Abolition' of the most one-sided and suicidal description is less
+insulting to those who are lavishing blood and treasure on the great
+cause of freedom, than is the conduct, at this time, of those men who
+are now, through their traitorous organs, urging the cry that the hour
+is at hand when we must place slavery firmly on a constitutional basis;
+this being, as they assert, the only means whereby the Union can ever be
+harmoniously restored.
+
+In view of the facts, it is preposterous to admit that this assumption
+is even plausible. He must be ignorant indeed of our political history
+during the past twenty years, or strangely blind to its results, who has
+not learned that a belief that the North is ever anxious to concede for
+the sake of its 'interests' has been the great stimulus to the arrogance
+of the South. While the principles of the abolitionists have been the
+shallow _pretence_, the craven cowardice of such men as BUCHANAN and
+CUSHING has been the _real_ incitement to the South to pour insult and
+wrong on the North. Concession has been our bane. It was paltering and
+concession that palsied the strong will and ready act which should have
+prevented this war; for had it not been for such men as the traitors who
+are now crying out for Southern rights, the rebellion would have been
+far more limited in its area, and long since crushed out. No cruelties
+on our part, no threats to carry all to the bitter end, would so
+encourage the South at present, as this offer to shake hands ere the
+fight be half over.
+
+When the time comes for amnesty and 'Southern Rights,' we trust that
+they will be considered in a spirit of justice and mercy. Till it comes
+let there be no word spoken of them. The South has, to its own detriment
+and to ours, firmly and faithfully _believed_ that Northern men are
+cowards, misers, men sneaking through life in all dishonor and baseness.
+When millions believe such intolerable falsehoods of other millions of
+their fellow-citizens, they must be taught the truth, no matter what the
+lesson costs. Even now the Southern press asserts that our victories
+were merely the results of overwhelming majorities, and that the Yankees
+are becoming frightened at their own successes. There is not one of
+these traitorous, dough-face meetings of which the details are not
+promptly sent--probably by the men who organize them--all over the South
+to inspire faith in a falling cause. When the rebels shall have learned
+that these traitors have positively _no_ influence here,--and the sooner
+they learn it the better,--when they realize that the people of the
+North are as determined as themselves, and their equals in all noble
+qualities, then, and not till then, will it be time to talk of those
+concessions which now strike every one as smacking of meanness and
+cowardice.
+
+The day has come for a new order of things. The South must learn--and
+show by its acts that it has been convinced--that the North is its equal
+in those virtues which it claims to monopolize. But this it will only
+learn from the young and vigorous minds of the new school,--from its
+_enemies_,--and not from the trembling old-fashioned traitors, who have
+been so long at its feet that they shiver and are bewildered, now that
+they are fairly isolated, by the tide of war, from their former ruler.
+Politicians of this stamp, who have grown old while prating of Southern
+rights, can not, do not, and never will _realize_ but that, some day or
+other, all will be restored in _statu quo ante bellum_. They expect
+Union victories, but somehow believe that their old king will enjoy his
+own again--that there will be a morning when the South will rule as
+before. It is this which inspires their craven timidity. They cry out
+against emancipation in every form,--blind to the onward and inevitable
+changes which are going on,--so that when the South comes in again they
+may point to their record and say, '_We_ were ever true to you. We,
+indeed, urged the war, for we were compelled by you to fight, but we
+were always true to your main principles.' They have wasted time and
+trouble sadly--it will all be of no avail. Be it by the war, be it by
+what means it may, the social system and political rule of the South are
+irrevocably doomed. It may, from time to time, have its convulsive
+recoveries, but it is doomed. The demands of free labor for a wider area
+will make themselves felt, and the black will give way to the white, as
+in the West the buffalo vanishes before the bee.
+
+We are willing that the question of emancipation should have the widest
+scope, and, if expediency shall so dictate, that it should be realized
+in the most gradual manner. We believe that, owing to the experiences of
+the past year, more than one slave State will, ere long, contain a
+majority of clear-headed, patriotic men, who will be willing to legalize
+the freedom of all blacks born within their limits, after a certain
+time; and if this time be placed ten years or even fifteen hence, it
+will make no material difference. By that time the pressure of free
+labor, and the increase of manufacturing, will have rendered some such
+step a necessity. Should the payment of all loyal slave-holders, in the
+border States, for their chattels, prove a better plan,--and it could
+hardly fail to promptly reduce the rebellious circle to a narrow and
+uninfluential body,--let it be tried. If any of the arguments thus far
+adduced in favor of assuming slavery to be an institution which is
+_never_ to be changed, and which _must_ be immutably fixed in the North
+American Union, can be proved to be true, we would say, then let
+emancipation be forever forgotten--for the stability of the Union must
+take precedence of everything. But we can not see it in this light. We
+can not see that peace and Union can exist while the slave-holder
+continues to increase in arrogance in the South, and while the
+abolitionists every day gather strength in the North. Every day of this
+war has seen the enemies of slavery increase in number and in power,
+until to expect them to lose power and influence is as preposterous as
+to hope to see the course of nature change. Should a peace be now
+patched up on the basis of _immutable_ slavery, we should, to judge from
+every appearance, simply prolong the war to an infinitely more
+disastrous end than it now threatens to assume. We should incur debts
+which would crush our prosperity; we should bequeath a heritage of woe
+to our children, which would prove their ruin. While the great cause of
+all this dissension lies legalized and untouched, there will continue to
+be a party which will never cease to strive to destroy it. The question
+simply is, whether we will be wounded now, or utterly slain by and by.
+
+Meanwhile let us, before all things, push on with the war! It is by our
+victories that slavery will be in the beginning most thoroughly
+attacked. If the South, as it professes, means to fight to the last
+ditch, and to the black flag, all discussion of emancipation is
+needless; for in the track of our armies the contraband assumes freedom
+without further formula. But we are by no means convinced that such will
+be the case. The _first_ ditches have, as yet, been by no means filled
+with martyrs to secession,--armistices are already subjects of
+rumor,--and it should not be forgotten that the Union men of the South
+are powerful enough to afford efficient aid in placing the question of
+ultimate emancipation on a basis suitable to all interests.
+
+All that the rational emancipationist requires is a _legal beginning_.
+We have no desire to see it advance more rapidly than the development of
+the country requires--in short, what is really needed is simply the
+assurance that by war or by peace _some_ basis shall be found for
+ultimately carrying out the views of the fathers of the American Union,
+and rendering this great nation harmonious and happy. Every day brings
+us nearer the great issue,--not of slavery and anti-slavery,--but
+whether slavery is to be assumed as an immutable element in America, or
+whether government will bring such influences to bear as will lead the
+way to peace and the rights of free labor. Every step is leading us to
+
+  THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT.
+
+  O Lord, look kindly on this work for thee!
+    Yes, smile upon the side that's for the right!
+    To them O grant the glorious arm of might,
+  And in the end give them the victory!
+  Free principles are rushing like the sea
+    Which opened for the fleeing Israelite,--
+    Free principles, to test their worth in fight,--
+  And woe to them that 'twixt the surges be!
+  And as, O Lord, thou then did'st show thy care,
+    And mad'st a grave to drink thy enemy,
+  So now, O Father, sink him in despair--
+    The only blight we own--cursed Slavery.
+  O then will end the conflict! Yes, God, then
+  We'll be indeed a nation of FREE MEN!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The N.O. _Delta_ is full of indignation at the Southern men who are
+alarmed for their property, and betrays, in its anger, the fact that
+these disaffected persons are not few in the Pelican State. But,
+plucking up courage, it declares that--
+
+    Our people will retire into the interior, and in their mountains
+    and swamps they will maintain a warfare which must ultimately
+    prove successful.
+
+Doubtful--very. In the first place, 'our people' can not very well
+swamp it like runaway negroes, and, secondly, they will encounter, in
+the mountains, the Union men of the South. Give us the cities and the
+level country for a short time, and we shall very soon find the
+Pelicandidates for comfortable quarters rolling back, by thousands, into
+Unionism.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+As we write, there is a panic in Richmond, caused by the discovery that
+there is a large body of Union men in the city itself, headed by JOHN
+MINOR BOTTS, who seems to have determined to 'head off' the secession
+party in its stronghold, 'or die'--he having, since the decease of JOHN
+TYLER, turned his 'heading off' abilities against JEFF DAVIS. The
+_Examiner_ mentions, in terror, the confession of the Union prisoners,
+that there are in Richmond 'thousands of arms concealed, and men
+enrolled, who would use them on the first approach of the Yankee army.'
+One of the arrested, a Mr. STEARNS, when led to the prison, surveyed it
+in a most contemptuous manner, remarking 'If you are going to imprison
+all the Union men in Richmond, you will have to provide a much larger
+jail than this.'
+
+It is the German residents of Richmond who are said to constitute the
+majority of these Union men. All honor to our German friends of the
+South! They have received, thus far, too little credit for their staunch
+adherence to the principles of freedom. Let them take courage; a day is
+coming when we shall all be free--free from _every_ form of slavery!
+_Noch ist die Freiheit nicht verloren_!--'Freedom is not lost as yet.'
+Some of them remember _that_ song of old.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A paragraph has recently gone the rounds, which impudently assures the
+friends of Emancipation that, unless they promptly desist from further
+interference or agitation, they will speedily build up a Southern party
+in the North, which will seriously interfere with the prosecution of the
+war!
+
+That is to say, that the majority of the people of the North fully
+acquiesce in the justice of the main principles held by the South--the
+only difference of opinion being whether these slavery and
+slavery-extension doctrines can be practically developed under our
+federal Union! Yet we, knowing, seeing, feeling, in this war, the
+enormously evil effects of the slave system on the free men among whom
+it exists, are expected to endure and legalize _the cause_ which stirred
+it up! Either the South is right or wrong--there is no escaping the
+dilemma. Either it was or was not justly goaded by 'abolition' into
+secession. If the South is _quite_ right in wishing to preserve slavery
+intact forever, surely those are in the wrong who would make war on it
+for wishing to secede from a government which tolerates attacks on
+legalized institutions! What a precious paradox have we here? Yet these
+virtual justifiers of the South in the great cause of the war, claim to
+be zealous and forward in punishing that secession which, according to
+their own views, is constitutional and right!
+
+If slavery be right, then the South is right. No impartial foreigner
+could fail to draw this conclusion under the circumstances of this war.
+But _is_ it right; we do not say as a thing of the past, and of a
+rapidly vanishing serf-system, but as an institution of the progressive
+present? Witness the words of G. BATELLE, a member of the Western
+Virginia Constitutional Convention,--as we write, in session at
+Wheeling,--and who has published an address to that body on the question
+of Emancipation, from which we extract the following:--
+
+    The injuries which slavery inflicts upon our own people are
+    manifold and obvious. It practically aims to enslave not merely
+    another race, but our own race. It inserts in its bill of rights
+    some very high-sounding phrases securing freedom of speech; and
+    then practically and in detail puts a lock on every man's mouth,
+    and a seal on every man's lips, who will not shout for and swear
+    by the divinity of the system. It amuses the popular fancy with
+    a few glittering generalities in the fundamental law about the
+    liberty of the press, and forthwith usurps authority, even in
+    times of peace, to send out its edict to every postmaster,
+    whether in the village or at the cross-roads, clothing him with
+    a despotic and absolute censorship over one of the dearest
+    rights of the citizen. It degrades labor by giving it the badge
+    of servility, and it impedes enterprise by withholding its
+    proper rewards. It alone has claimed exemption from the rule of
+    uniform taxation, and then demanded and received the largest
+    share of the proceeds of that taxation. Is it any wonder, in
+    such a state of facts, that there are this day, of those who
+    have been driven from Virginia mainly by this system, men
+    enough, with their descendents, and means and energy, scattered
+    through the West, of themselves to make no mean State?...
+
+    It has been as a fellow-observer, and I will add as a
+    fellow-sufferer, with the members of the Convention, that my
+    judgment of the system of slavery among us has been formed. We
+    have seen it seeking to inaugurate, in many instances all too
+    successfully, a reign of terror in times of profound peace, of
+    which Austria might be ashamed. We have seen it year by year
+    driving out from our genial climate, and fruitful soil, and
+    exhaustless natural resources, some of the men of the very best
+    energy, talent and skill among our population. We have seen
+    also, in times of peace, the liberty of speech taken away, the
+    freedom of the press abolished, and the willing minions of this
+    system, in hunting down their victims, spare from degradation
+    and insult neither the young, nor the gray-haired veteran of
+    seventy winters, whose every thought was as free from offense
+    against society as is that of the infant of days.
+
+When an evil attains this extent, he is a poor citizen, a poor cowardly
+dallier with opinions, whatever his fighting mark may be, who can make
+up his mind to calmly acquiesce in establishing its permanence, or to
+stiffly oppose every movement and every suggestion tending in the least
+towards its abrogation.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the present number of the CONTINENTAL will be found an article on
+General LYON, in which reference is made to the generally credited
+assertion, that the deceased hero was not reinforced as he desired
+during the campaign in Missouri. This is one of the questions which time
+alone will properly answer. In accordance with the principles involved
+in _audi alteram partem_, we give on this subject the following
+abridgment of a portion of General FREMONT'S defense, published in the
+New York _Tribune_ of March 6:--
+
+    Lyon's and Prentiss's troops were nearly all three months men,
+    whose term of enlistment was about expiring. Arms and money were
+    wanted, but men offered in abundance. The three months men had
+    not been paid. The Home Guards were willing to remain in the
+    service, but their families were destitute. Gen. Fremont wrote
+    to the President, stating his difficulties, and informing him
+    that he should peremptorily order the United States Treasurer
+    there to pay over to his paymaster-general the money in his
+    possession, sending a force at the same time to take the money.
+    He received no reply, and assumed that his purpose was approved.
+
+    Five days after he arrived at St. Louis he went to Cairo, taking
+    three thousand eight hundred men for its reinforcement. He says
+    that Springfield was a week's march, and before he could have
+    reached it, Cairo would have been taken by the rebels, and
+    perhaps St. Louis. He returned to St. Louis on the 4th of
+    August, having in the meantime ordered two regiments to the
+    relief of Gen. Lyon, and set himself to work at St. Louis to
+    provide further reinforcements for him; but he claims that
+    Lyon's defeat can not be charged to his administration, and
+    quotes from a letter from General Lyon, dated on the 9th of
+    August, expressing the belief that he would be compelled to
+    retire; also, from a letter written by Lyon's adjutant general,
+    in which he says 'General Fremont was not inattentive to the
+    situation of General Lyon's column.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A daily cotemporary, in an onslaught on Emancipation, contains the
+following:--
+
+    Delaware has recently had a proposition before the legislature
+    to abolish the scarcely more than nominal slavery still existing
+    in it; but the legislature adjourned without even listening to
+    it, though it contemplated full pecuniary compensation.
+
+Yes; and the legislature of Delaware, a few years ago, legalized
+lotteries,--one of the greatest social curses of the country,--and made
+itself a hissing and a by-word to all decent men by sanctioning the most
+widely-destructive method of gambling known. The Delaware legislature
+indeed!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We are indebted to a friend for the following paragraph:--
+
+It is deeply significant that since the late Federal victories, the
+Southern press, even in Richmond itself, speaks nervously and angrily of
+the Union men among them, and of their increasing boldness in openly
+manifesting their sentiments. A few months since, this belief in Union
+men in the South was abundantly ridiculed by those who believed that all
+the slave-holding States were unanimous in rebellion, and that therefore
+it would be preposterous to hope to reconcile them to emancipation. Now
+that the Union strength in that region is beginning to manifest itself,
+we are informed that we shall lose it if we do aught contrary to
+Southern rights. And this too, although the Southern Union men have
+never been spoken of by their rebel neighbors as aught save 'the
+abolitionists in our midst!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The following communication from a well-known financier and writer on
+currency can not fail to be read with interest by all:--
+
+THE SINEWS OF WAR.
+
+These are, men and money, but especially MONEY, for on the money depends
+the men. In a good cause, with an educated, intelligent people, every
+man able to discern for himself the right side of the question
+presented, there is no difficulty about men; the state has only to say
+how many are needed, and the want will be promptly supplied. The
+experience of the last six months gives us evidence sufficient on this
+point: an army of six hundred thousand men drawn together without an
+effort, every man a volunteer,--a spectacle never before exhibited to
+the world,--puts at rest all doubt upon it; and not only that, it
+settles beyond all cavil the superiority of self-government, based on
+the broadest principles of freedom and the broadest system of education,
+over any other form which has ever been adopted. Passing from this,
+however, as a fact which needs no argument or illustration, we come to
+the more difficult question of how to raise the other sinew--money.
+
+In calling for men the state relies upon the intelligence and patriotism
+of its citizens; upon their intelligence to understand the cause, on
+their patriotism to respond to its call. It offers them no inducements
+in the shape of pay, nothing more than to feed and clothe them, to aid
+them hereafter if wounded, to keep their families from starvation if
+they are killed. This is all; and this is enough. But these assumed
+obligations of the state must be sacredly and promptly kept. Our noble
+volunteers must be fed, and clothed, and cared for, and to this end the
+state must have the requisite means. And to obtain the needed supply
+without oppressive taxation on the one hand, or placing a load on
+posterity too heavy to be borne on the other hand, is a question of
+difficult solution; and yet we shall see that there is in the present
+administration the ability and the will to solve it.
+
+It is said that our expenditures in this great struggle will, by the
+first of June, amount to the enormous sum of $600,000,000. It is said by
+the arch traitor at the head of the rebels that under this load of debt
+we shall sink. It is said by the leading papers of England that we have
+no money, have exhausted our credit, must disband our armies, and make
+the best terms we can with rebellion. Doubtless, our credit in Europe is
+at a low ebb just now, and we are thrown upon our own resources, and on
+these we must swim or sink. There is nothing to reject in this. We have
+shown the world how a free state can raise troops and create a navy out
+of its own materials; and now we will show the world how a free state
+can maintain its army and navy out of its own resources; and if the
+result proves--as it will prove--that our free institutions are the
+safest, strongest, and best for the people in war as well as in peace,
+then the great struggle we are now going through with will be worth more
+to the true interests of humanity everywhere than all the battles which
+have been fought since the dawn of the present century. For a hundred
+years, openly or covertly, but without intermission, has war been going
+on between despotism and freedom, with varied success, but on the whole
+with a steady gain for freedom; and now here, on the same field where
+it originated, is the long strife to be finally settled. On these same
+fields the same freedom is to culminate in unquenchable splendor, or to
+set forever, leaving mankind to grope in darkness and ignorance under
+the misrule of despotic tyranny. We are in arms not only to suppress an
+odious uprising of despotism against freedom within our own borders, but
+to show by our example, to all the nations of the earth, what freedom is
+and what freedom means.
+
+In seeking aid of the money power, we go beyond the line where
+patriotism gives us all we need, promptly and liberally, into the cold
+region of selfishness, whose people are too much absorbed in adding to
+and counting up their gains to be able to spare much time or thought on
+country or freedom. No voluntary sacrifices to be expected here. What we
+want we must buy, and pay for; it is only to see that we do not pay too
+much for it. Selfish, timid, grasping, these people are a skittish set
+to deal with. Nobody understands better the game of 'the spider and the
+fly,' and they are as ready to play it with the state as with smaller
+opponents, if the state will but let them. From his first visit to this
+region, to the present time, our able Secretary of the Treasury was, and
+continues to be, '_master of the position_.'
+
+When the Secretary held his first sociable with the representatives of
+the money power, neither he nor they had a very keen perception of what
+they wanted of each other; the rebellion was not then developed in the
+gigantic proportions it has since assumed; and it was hoped and
+expected, with some show of reason, that two or three hundred millions
+would be enough to put it down. This amount the power could and would
+willingly furnish for a 'consideration,' the half presently, on
+condition that it should be allowed the refusal of the other half when
+it should be wanted; and so a bargain was quickly struck, to the mutual
+content of both parties. But, as the thunder grew louder and the storm
+fiercer, it became evident that our wants would soon be doubled, at
+least. The money power hung back; the 7-3/10 remained in the banks. The
+representatives said they were only agents, the agents stopped payment,
+and the whole circulation of gold fell to the ground at once, not only
+putting a sudden check upon all business operations, but leaving the
+Treasury without any sort of currency to pay out: a sad state of things
+enough. The money power drew in its head, pretending not to see
+anything, waiting for propositions, expecting to reap a rich harvest out
+of the state's necessities, by making its own terms. How could it be
+otherwise? must not the state have several hundred millions? must not
+the astute Secretary sell the state's promises to pay, _secured by a
+first mortgage on all Uncle Sam's vast possessions_, on their own terms?
+
+It was not a pleasant predicament for a nervous or a faint-hearted man
+to be placed in. But then Mr. Chase is neither nervous nor
+faint-hearted, and when Congress came together he not only told his
+wants frankly, but proposed a neat little plan for supplying them
+without selling notes at fifty per cent. discount. Taking into view the
+want of a sound currency for business purposes, and the want of some
+currency to pay out from the Treasury instead of the gold which had
+disappeared and left a vacuum, he proposed to borrow $150,000,000, by
+issuing Treasury Notes, payable on demand, without interest, and making
+them a _legal tender for the payment of all debts_, with a proviso that
+any parties who should at any time have more on hand than they wanted
+should be allowed to invest them in bonds bearing six per cent interest.
+It was a very simple proposition--almost sublime for its simplicity;
+there was no mystery about it; and yet it was the very turning point of
+the ways and means of crushing the rebellion, without being ourselves
+crushed under an unbearable burden of debt. The money power stood
+aghast, and hardly recovered breath in time to oppose its passage
+through Congress; but the common sense of the people hailed Mr. Chase as
+a deliverer, and Congress endorsed common sense. Seriously, this
+splendid invention of the Secretary has given a new face to our
+financial affairs by placing the money power where it always should
+be,--in subservience to the people,--instead of allowing it to become a
+grinding task-master. The importance of this measure can hardly be
+appreciated yet. A member of Congress, himself a merchant, and an able
+financier, says:
+
+'My theory in regard to it is, that as the currency is increased by the
+addition of these notes to its volume, prices generally will rise,
+including the price of U.S. bonds, until they reach par; at that point,
+these notes, being convertible into bonds, the rise in the price of
+bonds will stop, because further additions to the currency, whether of
+these notes, bank notes, or coin, will only stimulate the conversion of
+notes into bonds; and that conversion will check the increase of
+currency. The _excess_ of notes will then be gradually withdrawn from
+circulation for conversion,--leaving only such an amount in circulation
+as a healthy and natural condition of the currency will require.'
+
+A theory in which we fully concur. We see growing out of it a
+restoration of business: government creditors paid in a currency equal
+to gold; low prices for all government contracts; a consequent
+diminished expenditure for supplies, and an annual payment for interest
+on the debt we shall owe, which can be easily met without heavy
+taxation. However it may turn out in the conduct of the war,--and we
+have full faith in that also,--it is very certain that in the conduct of
+the finances we have found the man for the times. The whole country
+feels this, and breathes easier for it. The arch rebel, in a recent
+address to his satellites, admits that he altogether underestimated the
+patriotism and loyalty of the men of the North, but takes fresh courage
+from the certainty that we shall shortly back down under our load of
+debt. A little further on and he will find that he has just as much
+mistaken our power in that respect,--that as his own worthless promises,
+based upon nothing, fall to nothing, the notes of the Union will stand
+as firm and as fair in the money market as her banner will on the
+battle-field.
+
+Men and money are the sinews of war. In our first trial, patriotism has
+furnished the men, and the presiding genius of the Treasury has clearly
+pointed out the means for obtaining the money. _Laus Deo_!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Note.--For the benefit of those of our readers who do not understand
+currency facts and theories, we make the following explanation. The
+relation of currency, or circulation medium, to the industry and
+business of the state, is similar to that of steam in an engine: a
+certain amount is required to keep up a regular and natural movement; an
+excessive amount causes too rapid motion, and a deficiency the reverse.
+Currency is made up of several things. Bank deposits, circulating by
+checks, bank notes, and coin, are the most important and best
+understood. The aggregate amount of these three items before the
+suspension of specie payments was above $450,000,000; and this sum is
+required to give a healthy movement to business affairs. Take away any
+portion of it, and prices fall and labor languishes, because the motion
+from it is too small for the work required; add considerably to it, and
+prices rise, because the motive power, being superabundant, is too
+freely used. When specie payment was suspended this motive power was
+reduced; the circulating medium fell from four hundred and fifty to
+three hundred and fifty millions, perhaps less; and unless this loss is
+replaced it is quite clear that prices must fall and the employment of
+labor be curtailed. The issue of treasury notes will fill the gap,
+making the business motive power of the same strength and ability as
+before. Thus it will be seen that the emission of treasury notes plays
+an important part upon the industry and business of the state, which,
+under existing circumstances, can hardly be over-valued, as well as in
+the national finances.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Darwin-development theory has of late attracted no little attention.
+One of our contributors favors us with _his_ views in the following
+'wild-verse,' which is itself rather of the transition order:--
+
+MODERN ANSWERS TO ANCIENT RIDDLES.
+
+'Whar did ye come from? Who d'ye belong to!'--_Ethiops_.
+
+    Philosophers say, deny it who may,
+    That the man who stands upright so bravely to-day,
+    Once crawled as a reptile with nose to the sod,
+    His grandfather Monad a bit of a clod.
+
+  To be sure, man's descent is not made out quite plain,
+  But one or two _guesses_ might piece out the chain;
+  If the chain is quite long a few links won't be missed;
+  Or, if you must join it, _just give it a twist_.
+
+    A bold Boston doctor, by stride superhuman,
+    Makes only a step from a snake to a woman;
+    Or, inspect your best friends by Granville's good glass,
+    And the difference's as small 'twixt a man and an ass.
+
+  'From the company he keeps we may learn a man's nature;'
+  If he will play with monkey, dog, cat, or such creature,
+  The schoolmen will say, as a matter of course,
+  'Cum hoc ergo propter hoc.' Notice its force!
+
+    If with doubts you're still puzzled, and wonder who can
+    Answer all your objections, why Darwin's your man.
+    He can bridge o'er a chasm both broad and profound;
+    The last thing he needs for a theory is _ground_.
+
+  Bring your queries and facts, no matter how tough;
+  Development doctrine makes light of such stuff.
+  One example of these will perhaps be enough:--
+  'These crawlers,' for instance, 'should they be still here,'
+  'Not yet become bipeds?' The answer is clear:
+
+    In our strangely unequal organic advance,
+    He is the most forward who has the best chance.
+    By braving the weather and struggling with brother,
+    The one who survives it all gains upon t'other.
+
+  The old Bible 'myth,' now, of Jacob and Esau,
+  Is the struggle 'twixt species, the monkey and man law;
+  One hairy, one handsome, one favored, one cursed;
+  And sometimes the last one turns out to be first.
+
+    Still, through cycles enough let the laggard persist,
+    Let the weak be suppressed since he can not resist,
+    And, proceeding by logic which none may dispute,
+    Can't we safely infer there's an end to the brute?
+
+  You may, if you please, supersede Revelation,
+  By wholly new methods of ratiocination;
+  Though, since head and heart _need be_ in contradiction,
+  Why should reason hold faith under any restriction?
+  Shut your eyes, and guess down heaven's good pious fiction.[P]
+
+    Noah's ark was superfluous. Where were his brains,
+    For those beasts and those sons to provide with such pains,
+    When they might to a deluge cry Fiddle di dee,
+    And sprout fins and scales, if they took to the sea?
+
+  Well, perhaps in those days they had not yet known
+  That _by need of new functions new organs are grown_.
+  Those drowned chaps were sure a 'degenerate' crew,
+  Or else, on their plunge into element new,
+  Some 'law of selection' had rescued a few.
+  And, 'if wishes were fishes' I think one or two
+  Would have _wished_, and swam out of their scrape, do not you?
+  Can it be that those 'Fish Tales' of mermen are true?
+
+    No wonder that racing was always in fashion,--
+    All orders of beings were born with the passion--
+    But it seems that at length Genus Man will be winner.
+    You cry 'Lucky dog!' But what now about dinner?
+
+  No oysters, no turtle, fresh salmon, fried sole,
+  No canvas duck nor fowl casserole.
+  All these he has seen disappear from the stage,
+  A sacrifice vast growing age after age.
+
+    Their successive growth upward he's watched with dismay;
+    They have come to be men, having all had their day!
+    Though he took, while its lord, quite a taste of the creature,
+    By rule Epicurean 'dum vivim.,' etcetera.
+
+  In Paradise, Adam and Eve, to be sure,
+  Since they didn't have flesh, ate their onion sauce pure,
+  But, as our old friend John P. Robinson he
+  Said, 'they didn't know everything down in Judee.'
+
+    Now the better taught modern he very well knows
+    What to beef and to mutton society owes.
+    What are homes without hearths? What's a hearth without roasts?
+    Or a grand public dinner with _nothing_ but toasts?
+
+  Yet, what government measure, or scheme philanthropic,
+  Or learned convention in hall philosophic,
+  But is mainly sustained upon leasts and collations?
+  At least, it is so in all civilized nations.
+
+    Here's a fix! Yet indeed, soon or late, the whole race
+    Must the problem decide on, with good or ill grace.
+    We cannot go hungry; what are we to do?
+    Shall we pulse it, like Daniel, that knowing young Jew?
+    Letting Grahamite doctors our diet appoint,
+    Eat our very plain pudding without any joint?
+
+  Or, shall we the bloody alternative take,
+  And cannibal meals of our relatives make,
+  Put aside ancient scruples (for what's in a name?)
+  And shake hands with the dainty New Zealander dame,
+  Who thought that she really might relish a bit
+  Of broiled missionary brought fresh from the spit?
+
+    'Twere surely most cruel in Nature our nurse,
+    Man's march of improvement so quick to reverse.
+    Will she offer a choice which we may not refuse,
+    When we're sure to turn savage however we choose?
+
+  We may slowly creep up to a lofty position,
+  Then go back at one leap to the lower condition.
+  Even so, my good friend, in a circle he goes,
+  Who would follow such theories on to their close.
+  If you've started with Darwin, as sure as you're born,
+  You're in a dilemma; pray take either horn.
+
+  T.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Who has not belonged in his time to a debating society? What youth
+ambitious of becoming 'a perfect _Hercules_ behind the bar?'--as a well
+meaning but unfortunate Philadelphian once said in a funeral eulogy over
+a deceased legal friend--has not 'debated' in a club 'formed for
+purposes of mutual _and_ literary improvement of the mind?' All who have
+will read with pleasure the following letter from one who has most
+certainly been there:--
+
+    DEAR CONTINENTAL:
+
+    I am a man that rides around over the 'kedn'try.' In the little
+    village where I am now tarrying, the school-house bell is
+    ringing to call together the members of that ancient institution
+    peculiar to villages, the debating society. A friend informs me
+    that the time-honored questions--Should capital punishment be
+    abolished?--Did Columbus deserve more praise than
+    Washington?--Is art more pleasing to the eye than nature?--have
+    each had their turn in their regular rotation, and that the
+    question for to-night is--as you might suppose--Has the Indian
+    suffered greater wrongs at the hands of the White man than the
+    Negro? As I have a distinct recollection of having thoroughly
+    investigated and zealously declaimed on each of the above topics
+    in days lang syne, I shall excuse myself from attendance this
+    evening, on the ground that I am already extensively informed on
+    the subject in hand, and my mind is fully made up. But I hereby
+    acknowledge my indebtedness to the good fellow who told me the
+    object of the ringing of the bell--for he has unconsciously
+    started up some of the most amusing recollections of my life.
+    Sitting here alone in my room, I have just taken a hearty laugh
+    over a circumstance that had well-nigh given me the slip. The
+    question was the same Negro-Indian-White-man affair. One of the
+    orators, having, a long time previously, seen a picture in an
+    old 'jography' of some Indians making a hubbub on board certain
+    vessels, and reading under it, _Destruction of Tea in Boston
+    Harbor_, brought up the circumstance, and insisting with great
+    earnestness that the white man had received burning wrongs at
+    the hands of the Indian, and that the latter had _no reason at
+    all to complain_, dwelt with great emphasis on the ruthless
+    destruction of the white man's tea in Boston Harbor by the
+    latter, in proof of his 'point.'
+
+    I remember also a debating society in the little village of
+    R----, which numbered some really very worthy and intelligent
+    members, but of course included some that were otherwise, among
+    whom was a silly young fellow, who had mistaken his proper
+    calling--(he should have been a wood-chopper), and was suffering
+    under an attack _at_ medicine. The question for debate on one
+    occasion was--Is conscience an infallible guide? Being expected
+    to take part in the discussion, he was bent on thorough
+    preparation, and ransacked his preceptor's professional
+    library--(almost as poor a place as a lawyer's) for a work on
+    _conscience_. He found abundance of matter, however, for a
+    lengthy chapter on the subject, as he supposed, occurring in
+    several of the dusty octavos, and he thumbed the leaves with
+    most patient assiduity. He had misspelled the word however, and
+    was reading all the while on _consciousness_--a subject which
+    would very naturally occur in some departments of medicine. But
+    it was all one to him, he didn't see the difference, and the
+    ridiculous display he made to us of his 'cramming' on
+    consciousness can be better imagined than described.
+
+    Years after found me inside college walls--but colleges in the
+    West, be it remembered, sometimes include preparatory
+    departments, into which, by the courtesy of the teachers, many
+    young men are admitted who would hardly make a respectable
+    figure in the poorest country school, but who by dint of honest
+    toil finally do themselves great credit.
+
+    I 'happened in' on a number of such, one evening, whose
+    affinities had drawn them together with a view to forming a
+    debating society, to be made exclusively of their own kind. I
+    listened with much interest and pleasure to the preliminaries of
+    organization, and smiled, when they were about to 'choose a
+    question,' to see them bring out the same old coaches mentioned
+    in the beginning of this article; when one of their number
+    arose, evidently dissatisfied with the old beaten track, and
+    seemed bent on opening a new vein. He was a good, honest,
+    patient fellow, but his weakness in expressing himself was,
+    that, although his delivery was very slow, he didn't know how he
+    was going to end his sentences when he began them. 'Mr.
+    President,' said he, 'how would this do? Suppose a punkin seed
+    sprouts in one man's garden, and the vine grows through the
+    fence, and bears a punkin on another man's ground--now--(a long
+    pause)--the question is--whose punkin--_does it belong to?_' The
+    poor fellow subsided, as might be supposed, amid a roar of
+    voices and a crash of boots.
+
+There is a legal axiom which would settle the pumpkin-vine query--that
+of _cujus est solum ejus est usque ad coelum_--'ownership in the soil
+confers possession of everything even as high as heaven.' Our friends in
+Dixie seem determined to prove that they have also fee simple in their
+soil downwards as far as the other place, and by the last advices were
+digging their own graves to an extent which will soon bring them to the
+utmost limit of their property!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Does the reader remember Poor Pillicoddy, and the mariner who was ever
+expected to turn up again? Not less eccentric, as it seems to us, is the
+re-apparition chronicled in the following story by a friend:--
+
+    TURNING UP AGAIN!
+
+    'You were all through that Mexican war, and out with Walker in
+    Niggerawger.--Well, what do you think 'bout Niggerawger? Kind of
+    a cuss'd 'skeeter hole, ain't it?'
+
+    'Tain't so much 'skeeters as 'tis snaiks, scorpiums and the
+    like,' answered the gray-moustached corporal. 'It's hot in them
+    countries as a Dutch oven on a big bake; and going through them
+    parts, man's got to move purty d----d lively to git ahead of the
+    yaller fever; it's right onto his tracks the hull time.'
+
+    'Did you git that gash over your nose out there?'
+
+    'Yes, I got that in a small scrimmage under old GRAY EYES. 'Twas
+    next day _after a fight_ though, cum to think on it. We'd been
+    up there and took a small odobe hole called Santa Sumthin', and
+    had spasificated the poperlashun, when I went to git a gold
+    cross off an old woman, and she up frying-pan of _frijoles_ and
+    hit me, so!' Here the corporal aimed a blow with his pipe at the
+    face of the high private he was talking with;--the latter dodged
+    it.
+
+    'That was a big thing, that fight at Santa Sumthin'; the way we
+    went over them mud walls, and wiped out the Greasers, was a
+    cortion. I rac'lect when we was drawed up company front, afore
+    we made the charge, there was a feller next me in the ranks--I
+    didn't know him from an old shoe, 'cause he'd ben drafted that
+    morning into us from another company. Says he,--
+
+    'We're going into hair and cats' claws 'fore long, and as I'm
+    unbeknownst amongst you fellers, I'd like to make a bargain with
+    you.'
+
+    'Go it,' says I; 'I'm on hand for ennything.'
+
+    'Well,' says he, 'witchever one of us gits knocked over, the
+    tother feller 'll look out for him, and if he ain't a goner 'll
+    haul him out, so the doctor can work onto him.'
+
+    'Good,' says I, 'you may count me in there; mind you look after
+    ME!'
+
+    The fight began, and when we charged, the fust thing I knowed
+    the feller next me, wot made the bargain, he went head over
+    heels backwards; and to tell the honest trooth, I was just that
+    powerful egsited I never minded him a smite, but went right
+    ahead after plunder and the Greasers, over mud walls and along
+    alleys, till I got, bang in, where I found something worth
+    fighting about it. 'Bout dusk, when we was all purty full of
+    _agwadenty_, they sent us out to bury our fellers as was killed
+    in the scrimmage; and as we hadn't much time to spare, we didn't
+    dig a hole more'n a foot or two deep, and put all our fellers
+    in, in a hurry. Next morning airly, as I was just coming out of
+    a church where I'd ben surveyin' some candle-stix with a
+    jack-knife to see ef they were silver, [witch they were
+    not,--hang em!]--as I was coming out of the church I felt a
+    feller punch me in the back--so I turned round to hit him back,
+    when I see the feller, as had stood by me in the ranks the day
+    before, all covered over with dirt, and mad as a ringtail
+    hornet.
+
+    'Hello!' said I.
+
+    'Hello! yourself,' said he. 'I want ter know what yer went and
+    berried me for, afore I was killed for?'
+
+    I never was so put to for a answer afore in all my life, 'cause
+    I wanted to spasificate the feller, so I kind of hemmed, and
+    says I--'Hm! the fact was, this dirty little hole of a town was
+    _rayther_ crowded last night, and I--just to please you, yer
+    know--I lodged you out there; but I swear I was this minute
+    going out there to dig you up for breakfuss!'
+
+    'If that's so,' said he, 'we won't say no more 'bout it; but the
+    next time you do it, don't put a feller in so deep; for I had a
+    oncommon hard scratch turning up again!'
+
+    H.P.L.
+
+We are indebted to the same writer for the following Oriental
+market-picture--we might say scene in a proverb:
+
+    PROVERBIALLY WISE.
+
+    ACHMET sat in the bazaar, calmly smoking: he had said to himself
+    in the early morning,--'When I shall have made a hundred
+    piastres I will shut up shop for the day, and go home and take
+    it easy, _al'hamdu lillah_!' Now a hundred piastres in the land
+    of the faithful, where the sand is and the palms grow, is equal
+    to a dollar in the land of Jonathan: and the expression he
+    concluded his sentence with is equivalent to--Praise be to
+    Allah!
+
+    Along came a blind fakir begging; then ACHMET gave him five
+    paras, although his charity was unseen; neither did he want it
+    to be seen, for he said to himself,--
+
+    'Do good and throw it into the sea--if the fishes don't know it,
+    God will.'
+
+    And as he handed the poor blind fakir the small coin, he said to
+    him, in a soothing voice,--
+
+    '_Fa'keer_' (which in the Arabic means poor fellow), 'the nest
+    of a blind bird is made by Allah.'
+
+    Then along came SULIMAN BEY, who was high in office in the land
+    of Egypt, and was wealthy, and powerful, and very much hated and
+    feared. And ACHMET bowed down before him, and performed
+    obeisance in the manner of the Turks, touching his own hand to
+    his lips, his breast, his head:--and the SULIMAN BEY went
+    proudly on. Then ACHMET smiled, and YUSEF, who had a stall in
+    the bazaar opposite to him, winked to ACHMET, saying, in a low
+    voice,--
+
+      'Kiss ardently the hands which you can not cut off:'--
+
+    and they smiled grimly one unto the other.
+
+    'Did you hear the music in the Esbekieh garden yesterday?' asked
+    YUSEF of ACHMET. 'I think it was horrible.'
+
+    'It cost nothing to hear it,' quoth ACHMET: 'there was no charge
+    made.'
+
+    '_Aio_! true,' answered YUSEF; 'but there were too many drums; I
+    wouldn't have one if I were Pacha.'
+
+    'Welcome even pitch, if it is gratis.'
+
+    'Wanting to make the eyebrows right, pull out the eyes,' said
+    ACHMET, contentedly. 'And as for your disliking the music,--A
+    cucumber being given to a poor man, he did not accept it because
+    it was crooked!'--'Come, let us shut up shop and go to the
+    mosque. It is fated that we sell no goods to-day. _Wajadna
+    bira'hmat allah ra'hah_--By the grace of Allah we have found
+    repose!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Our correspondent gives us a pun in our last number over again. It is
+none the worse, however, for its new coat, as set forth in
+
+    GETTING AHEAD OF TIME.
+
+    'Well now, I declare, this is too bad. Here it is five minutes
+    past ten and BUDDEN ain't here. Did anybody ever know that man
+    to keep an engagement?'
+
+    'Yes,' replied the Doctor to the Squire, 'I knew him to keep
+    one.'
+
+    'Let it out,' said the Squire.
+
+    'An engagement to get married.'
+
+    'Hm!' replied the Squire, looking over his spectacles with the
+    air of one who had been deceived. At this moment JERRY BUDDEN, a
+    jolly-looking, fat, middle-aged man entered the office quietly
+    and coolly, having all the air of one who arrived half an hour
+    before the appointed time of meeting.
+
+    'Got ahead of time this morning, any way,' said Jerry.
+
+    'The devil you did!' spoke the Squire, testily; 'you are seven
+    minutes behind time this morning; you would be behindhand
+    to-morrow and next day, and so on as long as you live. Confound
+    it, Jerry, you make me mad with your laziness and coolness.
+    Ahead of time! why look at that watch!'--Here the Squire,
+    pulling out a plethoric-looking, smooth gold watch, about the
+    size of a bran biscuit, held it affectionately in the palm of
+    his right hand. 'Look at _that_ watch!'
+
+    'Nice watch,' said Jerry, 'very nice watch. The best of watches
+    will sometimes get out of order though. How long since you had
+    it cleaned?'
+
+    The Squire looked indignant, and broke out, 'I've carried that
+    watch more'n thirty year; I have it cleaned regularly, and it is
+    always right to a minute, always! It's _you_ that want
+    regulating.'
+
+    'Can't help it,' spoke Jerry; 'I got ahead of time this
+    morning.'
+
+    'Bet you a hat on it,' said the Squire.
+
+    'Done!' answered Jerry. And, putting his hand in his pocket, he
+    deliberately produced the torn page of an old almanac, and,
+    pointing to part of an engraving of the man with an hour-glass,
+    said to the Squire,--
+
+    'Hain't I got a Head of Time--this morning?'
+
+    Jerry now wears a new hat!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'What poor slaves are the American people!' says the Times' own RUSSELL.
+'They may abjure kings and princes, but they are ruled by hotel-keepers
+and waiters.' The following translation from the Persian shows, however,
+that a man may be a king or a prince and a hotel-keeper at the same
+time.
+
+A ROYAL HOTEL-KEEPER.
+
+FROM THE PERSIAN. BY HENRY P. LELAND.
+
+  IBRAM BEN ADHAM at his palace gate,
+  Sits, while in line his pages round him wait;
+  When a poor dervish, staff and sack in hand,
+  Straight would have entered IBRAM'S palace grand.
+  'Old man,' the pages asked, 'where goest thou now?'
+  'In that hotel,' he answered, with a bow.
+  The pages said,--'Ha! dare you call hotel
+  A palace, where the King of Balkh doth dwell?'
+  IBRAM the King next to the dervish spoke:
+  'My palace a hotel? Pray, where's the joke?'
+  'Who,' asked the dervish, 'owned this palace first?'
+  'My grandsire,' IBRAM said, while wrath he nursed.
+  'Who was the next proprietor?' please say.
+  'My father:' thus the king replied straightway.
+  'Who hired it then upon your father's death?'
+  'I did,' King IBRAM answered, out of breath.
+  'When you shall die, who shall within it dwell?'
+  'My son,' the King replied. 'Why ask'st thou? Tell!'
+  'IBRAM!' then spoke the dervish to him straight,
+  'I'll answer thee, nor longer make thee wait.
+  The place where travelers come, and go as well,
+  Is, really, not a palace, but--hotel!'
+
+Yea, friends; and, as another genial poet has discovered, life itself is
+but a hostelrie or tavern, where some get the highest rooms, while
+others, of greater social weight, gravitate downwards into the first
+story, sinking like gold to the bottom of the hotel pan,--that is O.W.
+HOLMES', his idea, reader, not ours. _Apropos_ of HOLMES and kings--his
+thousands of reader friends have ere this seen with pleasure that the
+Emperor of all the French was not unmindful of one of his
+brother-potentates,--in the world of song,--when he paid OLIVER WENDELL
+the courteous compliment which has of late gone the rounds, and which
+conferred as much honor on the giver as the taker thereof.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Spring poems have begun. _Vide licet_.
+
+  TO AN EARLY BIRD.
+
+  In homely phrase we oft are told
+    'Tis early birds that catch the worms;
+  But certainly that Spring bird there
+     Don't half believe the aforesaid terms.
+
+  He's sorry that he hither flew,
+     In hopes a forward March to find,
+  And towards warm climates, whence he came,
+     To backward march is sore inclined.
+
+  Lured by one ray of sunlight, he
+     Flew northward to our land of snow;
+  And now, with frozen toes, he stands
+     On frozen earth:--the worms--below!
+
+  Tu whit! whit! whit! he tries in vain
+     To whistle in a cheerful way;
+  He feels he's badly sold, and that--
+     He came _too early_ in the day.
+
+  I sprinkle seed and crumbs around;
+    He quickly flies and famished eats:--
+  He would have starved to death had he
+    Relied on proverb-making cheats.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Of the same up-Springings, in higher vein, we have the following:--
+
+  APRIL.
+
+  BY ED. SPRAGUE RAND.
+
+  Now with the whistling rush of stormy winds,
+    'Mid weeping skies and smiling, sunny hours,
+  Comes the young Spring, and scatters, from the pines,
+    O'er the brown--woodland soft, balsamic showers.
+
+  Wake, azure squirrel cups, on grassy hills!
+    Peep forth, blue violets, upon the heath!
+  The epigraea from the withered leaves
+    Sends out the greeting of her perfumed breath.
+
+  Nodding anemones within the wood
+    Shake off the winter's sleep, and haste to greet;
+  Where in the autumn the blue asters stood,
+    The saxifrage creeps out, with downy feet.
+
+  Nature is waking! From a wreath of snow,
+    Close by the garden walls, the snowdrop springs;
+  And the air rings with tender melodies,
+    Where thro' the dark firs flash the bluebird's wings.
+
+  A few days hence, and o'er the distant hills
+    A tender robe of verdure shall be spread,
+  And life in myriad forms be manifest,
+    Where all seemed desolate, and dark, and dead.
+
+  E'en now, upon the sunny woodland slopes,
+    The fair vanessa flits with downy wing;
+  And in the marshes, with the night's approach,
+    The merry hylas in full chorus sing.
+
+  _Patience_ and _faith_, all will be bright again.
+    Take from the present, for the future hours,
+  The tendered promise. In the storm and rain,
+    Remember suns shine brighter for the showers.
+
+  To us, my countrymen, the lesson comes;
+    Our night of winter dawns in brightest day;
+  The storm is passing, and the rising sun
+    Dispels our doubts, drives cloudy fears away.
+
+  The sun of freedom, veiled in clouds too long,
+    Sheds o'er our land its rays of quickening life;
+  And liberty, our starry banner, waves,
+    Proclaiming freedom mid the battle's strife.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+STRIKING TURPENTINE.
+
+Not a bad story that of the physician, who, vaccinating several medical
+students, 'performed the ceremony' for a North Carolinian from the
+pitch, tar and turpentine districts. The lancet entering the latter's
+arm a little too deep, owing to the Corn-cracker jerking his arm through
+nervousness, one of the medical students called out,--
+
+'Take care there, doctor, if you don't look out you'll strike
+turpentine.'
+
+The Corn-cracker--full of spirit--wanted to fight.
+
+We should have handed this anecdote over to X., who travels through the
+Pines, that he might pronounce on its authenticity. The following,
+however, we know to be true--on the word of a very _spirituelle_ dame,
+long resident in the Old North State. When the present war first sent
+its murmurs over the South, an old bushman earnestly denied that it
+'would ruin everything.' 'Kin it stop the turpentime from running?' he
+triumphantly cried. 'In course not. Then what difference _kin_ it make
+to _the country_?'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The following sketch, 'Hiving the Bees and what came of it,' from a
+valued friend and correspondent in New Haven, is a humorous and truthful
+picture of the old-fashioned rural 'discipline' once so general and now
+so rapidly becoming a thing of the past:--
+
+    HIVING BEES AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
+
+    When a boy at school in the town of G----I became acquainted
+    with old Deacon Hubbard and his wife--two as good Christian
+    people as could be found, simple in their manners and
+    kind-hearted. The deacon was 'well to do in the world,' having a
+    fine farm, a pleasant house, and, with his quiet way of living,
+    apparently everything to make him comfortable.
+
+    He took great delight in raising bees, and the product of his
+    hives was every year some hundreds of pounds of honey, for which
+    there was always a ready market, though he frequently gave away
+    large quantities among his neighbors.
+
+    One Sunday morning, when passing the place of Deacon Hubbard on
+    my way to meeting, I saw the deacon in his orchard near his
+    house, apparently in great trouble about something in one of
+    his apple trees. I crossed the road to the fence and called to
+    him, and asked him what was the matter. He was a very
+    conscientious man, and would not do anything on the Lord's day
+    that could be done on any other; but he cried, 'Oh, dear! my
+    bees are swarming, and I shall surely lose them. If I was a
+    young man I could climb the tree and save them, but I am too old
+    for that.' I jumped over the fence, and as I approached him he
+    pointed to a large dark mass of something suspended from the
+    limb of an apple tree, which to me was a singular-looking
+    object, never having before seen bees in swarming time. I had
+    great curiosity to see the operation of hiving, and suggested
+    that perhaps I could help him, though at the time afraid the
+    bees would sting me for my trouble. The gratification to be
+    derived I thought would repay the risk, and calling to mind some
+    lines I had  heard,--
+
+  'Softly, gently touch a nettle,
+    It will sting thee for thy pains;
+  Grasp it like a man of mettle,
+    Soft and harmless it remains,--'
+
+    I told him that I would assist him. He assured me that if I
+    could only get a rope around the limb above and fasten it to the
+    one on which the bees were, then saw off that limb and lower it
+    down, he could secure them without much trouble.
+
+    With saw and rope in hand I ascended the tree, and, after due
+    preparation, severed the limb and carefully lowered it within
+    the deacon's reach. I was surprised, and felt repaid for my
+    trouble, to see with what ease and unconcern Dea. Hubbard, with
+    his bare hands, scooped and brushed the swarm of bees into a
+    sheet he had prepared, and how readily he got them into a vacant
+    hive. Many thanks did the deacon proffer me for my timely
+    assistance, and moreover insisted on my staying with him to
+    dine. It seemed to me that I was never in a more comfortable
+    house, and I am sure I never received a more cordial greeting
+    than that bestowed upon me by his venerable spouse.
+
+    The place where I boarded with several other boys was with a
+    widow lady by the name of White, who was very kind to me, but
+    who had the misfortune to have had three husbands, and her
+    daughters did not all revere the memory of the same father, and
+    consequently there were oftentimes differences among them.
+
+    For several days after this transaction I had noticed on the
+    table at our daily meal a nice dish of honey, an unusual treat,
+    but to which we boys paid due respect.
+
+    My term at school expired, and I went home to my father's, a
+    distance of some thirty miles, and assisted him on the farm
+    during the fall months, employing much of my leisure time in
+    studying.
+
+    My father was a stern, straight-forward man--a member of the
+    Orthodox church, and one who professed to believe in all the
+    proprieties of life, and endeavored to impress the same on the
+    minds of his children.
+
+    One day, after dinner, he said to me, in his stern way of
+    speaking,--'Gilbert, what kind of scrape did you get into in
+    G----?'
+
+    For my life I could not tell what I had been doing, and had but
+    little chance to think, ere he tossed a letter across the table
+    and said, 'Read that, and tell me what it means!' The letter was
+    directed to me, but he had exercised his right to open and read
+    it for me. It was from G----, and signed by the four deacons of
+    the church there, asking explicit answers to the following
+    questions:--1st. Did you help Deacon Hubbard hive his bees? 2d.
+    If so, did you receive any remuneration from him for your
+    services? 3d. Will you state what it was? You are expected to
+    answer the questions fully.'
+
+    'What have you to say to that, young man?' said my father, with
+    more than usual sternness; and I began to think that I had got
+    into some kind of difficulty.
+
+    I told him that I would answer the letter, so went to my room
+    and wrote, saying that I _did_ help Deacon Hubbard hive his
+    bees, and that I _had_ been paid a thousand times by the many
+    acts of kindness of himself and wife, and should always feel
+    happy in doing anything for them that I could.
+
+    As my father read this letter I had written, I noticed a smile
+    on his countenance, which lasted but an instant, when he said,
+    'You may send it; but I want to know what this scrape is, and I
+    will.'
+
+    A few days after the reply was sent, another letter arrived from
+    the four deacons, stating that I had not been explicit enough in
+    my answer, and wanted me to say, 1st. Whether I had helped
+    Deacon Hubbard hive his bees on Sunday. 2d. Whether I had ever
+    received from him a large pan of honey in the comb? 3d. Whether
+    my father was a member of the church? 4th. Whether he would give
+    his consent for me to come to G---- on business of great
+    importance if they would pay my expenses, and how soon I could
+    come?
+
+    It was cold weather, several months after I left G----, when
+    this letter came to hand, and I did not fancy a ride of thirty
+    miles at that time; I however had permission to promise that I
+    would be there on the first Monday in May, which was the day of
+    'General Training,' and a great day at that period. In my answer
+    to the second letter I said that I thought I had answered their
+    first question sufficiently before; and in answer to the second
+    I would say, that I had never received any honey from Deacon
+    Hubbard; to the third, that my father was a member of the
+    church; and to the fourth, that I would come there on the day
+    named above.
+
+    The first Monday in May was a bright and lovely day, and at an
+    early hour I mounted a horse and started for G----, arriving
+    there before noon. On my way into the village I had to pass the
+    house of Deacon Hubbard, who, knowing that I was expected that
+    day, was looking for my approach, and as I drew near the house I
+    saw his venerable form in the road. It was my intention to pass
+    his house without being seen, but that was impossible. He
+    insisted on my going into the house. His good wife met me at the
+    door with a cordial greeting, but, with tearful eyes, said she
+    feared there was some dreadful trouble in store for me, for the
+    deacons of the church had been watching for me all the morning.
+    After explaining as well as I could the reason of my visit, with
+    the little information I had, Deacon Hubbard exclaimed--'Well, I
+    don't know but they'll make you walk the church aisle, for
+    there's some trouble somewhere.' We had but little time for
+    conversation before Mrs. H. saw the venerable deacons
+    approaching the house; and I shall never forget the solemn look
+    and steps with which they advanced, the senior deacon, Flagg,
+    leading the procession. As they were ushered into the front room
+    they seated themselves in a row according to their respective
+    ages, each wearing the solemn countenance of a Pilgrim father.
+    When I entered the room they all arose and took me by the hand,
+    thanking me for faithfully keeping my promise, and hoped the
+    Lord would reward me therefor. Deacon Flagg, after a few
+    preliminary remarks, said: 'Young man, there has been a grievous
+    sin committed among the Lord's anointed in our church, and we
+    have sent for you that we may be enabled to detect the erring
+    one! and we hope you will so far consider the importance of the
+    matter as to answer truly the questions that may be propounded
+    to you. My young friend, will you have the goodness to say, in
+    the hearing of our good brother, Deacon Hubbard, whether or not
+    you ever received from him a present of a large pan of honey for
+    helping him hive his bees?'
+
+    I answered that I never had. All eyes were turned on Deacon H.,
+    and an audible groan came from Deacon Harris as I made my reply.
+    Deacon Flagg addressed me as follows:--'My youthful friend, will
+    you be willing to accompany these gentlemen to the house of
+    sister White, and say the same before her?' I was willing,
+    provided my friend Deacon Hubbard would go along, which he
+    consented to do, and we started.
+
+    It was but a short way across the Common, and ours was a solemn,
+    silent procession, and I must have appeared like a very culprit.
+    On nearing the house, Deacon Flagg said he would first enter and
+    inform sister White of our business, and return when she was
+    ready to receive us. He returned in a short time, with a longer
+    face than before, and as he approached us, clasping his hands,
+    he said with an agonized tone, 'Dear brethren, Oh! it is all too
+    true! Satan entered her heart,--she coveted the honey,--and
+    fell.' A groan of holy horror came from all the good old men. It
+    was not necessary for us to enter the abode of wickedness, he
+    said, for she would confess all.
+
+    The whole proceeding had been a mystery to me, but I soon
+    learned that the next day after hiving the bees, Deacon Hubbard
+    had sent a large pan of honey to sister White's house, intended
+    for me, but she gave us boys a little for a few days and put the
+    rest away; or, as she afterwards said, she coveted it, and said
+    nothing to me about it; and I should probably have known nothing
+    of it had it not been for a disagreement between herself and
+    daughters about a division of the honey, which finally got to be
+    a church matter.
+
+    Deacon Hubbard insisted on my going to dine with him; so, with a
+    parting shake of the hand with the other four venerable men, we
+    started for his house. Such a feast as dame Hubbard had provided
+    on that occasion boys do not often see; substantial food enough
+    for half a score of men, aside from the pies and plum pudding
+    which made their appearance in due course; and in front of the
+    dish assigned to me was a dish of the purest honey. After dinner
+    Deacon Hubbard took me to see his bees, and explained many
+    things in relation to them curious and instructive, promising
+    more information on the subject if he could prevail upon me to
+    remain in G---- till the next morning. The fatigue of the long
+    ride that day, and my desire to see a little of the 'Training,'
+    decided me to remain over night.
+
+    In the morning my horse was fresh, having been well taken care
+    of by my friend; so, after a hearty breakfast, I bade adieu to
+    the good couple, with a pleasant recollection of their
+    hospitality and kindness. When ready to start, dame Hubbard,
+    with the best intentions, brought me a large pail of honey,
+    wishing I would carry it home to my parents, but as it was
+    impossible for me to carry it on horseback, I had to decline.
+
+    It was near noon the next day when I reached home, and my first
+    greeting from my father was, 'Well, Gilbert, now let me know
+    about the scrape you got into last summer in G----.'
+
+    I told him all I had learned about the matter, to which be
+    expressed his pleasure that it was no worse, and gave me much
+    good advice as to the future.
+
+    A few weeks after I readied home there was a large tub of honey
+    left at my father's house, with a letter for me, informing me
+    that sister White had been expelled from the church in G---- for
+    covetousness; that my friends the Hubbards were well; that the
+    four deacons spoke very highly in my praise, and hoped I would
+    _feel rewarded_ for the trouble I had taken. Years have passed
+    since the matters here mentioned took place, but up to this time
+    nothing has been said to me about 'paying my expenses.'
+
+    JAY G. BEE.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mrs. Malaprop founded a school which has been prolific in disciples.
+From one of these we learn that--
+
+    Old Mr. P. died a short time ago, much to the regret of his many
+    friends, for he was a good neighbor, and had always lived
+    honestly and uprightly among his fellow-men. At the time of his
+    funeral Mrs. L. was sorrowing for his loss, with others of her
+    sex, and paid the following tribute to his memory:
+
+    'Poor Mr. P., he was a good man, a kind man, and a Christian
+    man--he always lived _according to_ HOYLE, and died with the
+    hope of a blessed immortality.'
+
+'Played the wrong card there.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+ADAM'S FAMILY JARS.
+
+IN CRACKED NUMBERS.
+
+  One fact is fundamental,
+  One truth is rudimental;
+  Before man had the rental
+  Of this dwelling of a day,
+  He was in nothing mental,
+  But an image-man of clay.
+
+    In the ground
+  Was the image found;
+    Of the ground
+  Was it molded round;
+  And empty of breath,
+  And still as in death,
+  Inside not a ray,
+  Outside only clay,
+  Deaf and dumb and blind,
+  Deadest of the kind,
+    There it lay.
+
+  Unto what was it like? In its shape it was what?
+  The world says 'a man,'--but the world is mistaken.
+  To revive the old story, a long time forgot,
+  'Twasn't man that was made, but a pot that was baken.
+
+  And what if it was human-faced like the Sphinx?
+  There's no riddle to solve, whate'er the world thinks:
+  The fiat that made it, from its heels to its hair,
+  Wasn't simply 'Be man!' but 'Stand up and Be Ware!'
+
+  And straightway acknowledging its true kith and kin
+  With that host of things known to be hollow within,
+  It took up a stand with its handles akimbo,
+  Bowels and bosom in a cavernous limbo.
+
+  Curving out at the bottom, it swelled to a jig;
+  Curving in at the top, narrow-necked, to the mug;
+  Two sockets for sunshine in the frontispiece placed,
+  A crack just below--merely a matter of taste;
+  A flap on each side hiding holes of resounding,
+  For conveyance within of noises surrounding;
+  And a nozzle before,
+  All befitted to snore,
+  Was a part of the ware
+  For adornment and air.
+
+  Now for what was this slender and curious mold?
+  Had it no purpose? Had it nothing to hold?
+  A world full of meaning, my friend, if 'twere told.
+  You remember those jars in the Arabian Night,
+  As they stood 'neath the stars in Al' Baba's eyesight:
+  Little dreamed Ali Baba what ajar could excite--
+    For how much did betide
+    When a man was inside!
+  When from under each cover a man was to spring,
+  Where then was the empty, insignificant thing?
+    It was so with this jar,
+    'Twasn't hollow by far;
+  Breathless at first as an exhausted receiver,
+  When the air was let in, lo! man, the achiever!
+
+  But an accident happened, a cruel surprise;
+  How frail proved the man, and how very unwise!
+  As if plaster of Paris, and not Paradise,
+    No more of clay consecrate,
+    He broke up disconsolate,
+  Pot-luck for his fortune, though the world's potentate.
+
+  It brings to our memory that Indian camp,
+  Where men lay in ambush, every one with a lamp,
+  Each light darkly hid in a vessel of clay,
+  Till the sword should be drawn, and then on came the fray.
+  'Twas so in the fortunes of this queer earthen race,
+  (It happened before they were more than a brace).
+    The fact of a fall
+    Did break upon all!
+  The lamp of each life being uncovered by sin,
+  The pitcher was broken, and the devil pitched in!
+
+  So much for his story to the moment he erred,
+  From what dignified pot he became a pot-sherd.
+    Since that day the great world,
+    Like a wheel having twirled,
+  Hath replenished the earth from the primitive pair,
+  And turned into being every species of ware.
+
+  There are millions and millions on the planet to-day,
+  Of all sorts, and all sizes, all ranks we may say;
+  There's a rabble of pots, with the dregs and the scum,
+  And a peerage of pots, above finger and thumb.
+
+  Look round in this pottery, look down to the ground,
+  Where bottle and mug, jug and pottle abound;
+  From the plebeian throng see the graded array;
+  There is shelf above shelf of brittle display,
+  As rank above rank the poor mortals arise,
+  From menial purpose to princely disguise.
+
+  See vessels of honor, emblazoned with cash,
+  Of standing uncertain, preparing to dash.
+  See some to dishonor, in common clay-bake,
+  Figure high where the fire and the flint do partake.
+
+  There's the bottle of earth by glittering glass,
+  As by blood of the gentlest excelling its class,
+    Becoming instanter
+    A portly decanter!
+
+  There's the lowly bowl, or the basin broad,
+  By double refinement a punch-bowl lord!
+  There's the beggarly jug, ignoble and base,
+  By adornment of art the Portland vase!
+
+  But call them, title them, what you will,
+  They're bound to break, they are brittle still;
+  No saving pieces, or repairing,
+  No Spaulding's glue for human erring;
+  All alike they will go together,
+  And lie in Potter's field forever.
+
+  At length the whole secret of life is told:
+  'Tis because we're earth, and not of gold,
+  'Tis because we're ware that beware we must,
+  Lest we crack, and break, and crumble to dust.
+
+  What wonder that men so clash together,
+  And in the clash so break with each other!
+  Or that households are full of family jars,
+  And boys are such pickles in spite of papas!
+  That the cup of ill-luck is drained to the dregs,
+  When a man's in his cups and not on his legs!
+  That meaning should be in that word for a sot,
+  He's ruined forever--he's going to pot!
+
+  So goes the world and its generations,
+  So go its tribes, and its tribulations;
+  Crowding together on the stream of time,
+  It almost destroys the chime of my rhyme,
+  While they strike, and they grind, and rub and dash,
+  And are sure to go to eternal smash.
+  Lamentable sight to be seen here below!
+  Man after man sinking,--blow after blow,--
+  A bubble, a choke,--each blow is a knell,--
+  Broken forever! There's no more to tell.
+
+         *       *       *       *       *
+
+  There _is_ more to tell, of a promise foretold;
+  Though now 'tis a vessel of homeliest mold,
+  Yet 'tis that which will prove a crock of gold,
+  When the crack of doom shall the truth unfold.
+
+  'Tis hard to believe, for so seemeth life,
+  A cruse full of oil, with nothing more rife;
+  Yet what saith the prophet? It never shall fail:
+  Life is perennial, of immortal avail.
+
+  'Tis hard to believe, for to dust we return,
+  To lie like the ashes in a burial urn;
+  But look at the skies! see the heavenly bowers!
+  The urn is a vase--the ashes are flowers!
+
+  'Tis hard to believe; like a jar full of tears,
+  Life is filled with humanity's griefs and fears;
+  'Tis a tear-jar o'erflowing, close by the urn,
+  Even weeping for those in that gloomy sojourn.
+  And yet, when with time it has crumbled away,
+  The omnipotent Potter will in that day
+  Turn again to the pattern of Paradise,
+  Will fashion it anew and bid it arise,
+  A jar full adorned and with richest designs,
+  With tracery covered, and heavenly signs,
+  With jewels deep-set, and with fine gold inlaid,
+  Enamel of love,--yes, a nature new made.
+  And then from the deep bottom, as from a cup
+  Of blessing, there ever will come welling up
+  The living waters of a pellucid soul,
+  A gush of the spirit, from a heart made whole.
+
+  So, like the water-pots rough, by the door at the East,
+  Our purpose will change, and our power be increased,
+  When we stand in the gate of the Heavenly Feast:
+  The word will be spoken: we'll flow out with wine
+  The blood of the true Life, pressed from the true Vine,
+  Perpetual chalice, inexhaustible bowl,
+  Of pleasures immortal, overflowing the soul!
+
+Dust we are and to dust we must return--but, as the old epitaph said of
+Catherine Gray, who sold pottery,--
+
+  'In some tall pitcher or broad pan
+  She in life's shop may live again,'--
+
+so, in a higher sphere we may all become vases unbreakable, filled with
+the wine of life.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Were the enemy in their senses they would probably admit that the
+annexed proposal is far from being deficient in common-sense:--
+
+DEAR CONTINENTAL:
+
+I see that it is proposed by the Southern press that the rebels, as they
+retreat, shall burn all their tobacco.
+
+I have a proposition to make.
+
+Let General McCLELLAN send a flag of truce and inform them that if they
+need any assistance in that work, nothing will give me greater pleasure
+than to assist in the consummation.
+
+I have an enormous meerschaum and a corps of friends equally well piped.
+If the seceders have no time to ignite the weed, we are quite ready, and
+a great deal more willing, considering the late frightful rise in
+Lynchburg, to do it for them. I can answer for burning one pound a day
+myself. What do you think of it? It isn't traitorous in me, is it, to
+thus desire to aid and assist the enemy?
+
+Yours truly,
+
+RAUCHER.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A CURE FOR STEALING.
+
+  Far back among the days of yore
+  There's many a pleasing tale in store,
+  Rich with the humor of the time,
+  That sometimes jingle well in rhyme.
+  Of these, the following may possess
+  A claim on 'hours of idleness.'
+    When Governor Gurdon Saltonstall,
+  Like Abram Lincoln, straight and tall,
+  Presided o'er the Nutmeg State,
+  A loved and honored magistrate,
+  His quiet humor was portrayed
+  In Yankee tricks he sometimes played.
+  The Governor had a serious air,
+  'Twas solemn as a funeral prayer,
+  But when he spoke the mirth was stirred,--
+  A joke leaped out at every word.
+    One morn, a man, alarmed and pale,
+  Came to him with a frightful tale;
+  The substance was, that Jerry Style
+  Had _stolen wood_ from off his pile.
+  The Governor started in surprise,
+  And on the accuser fixed his eyes.
+  'He steal my wood! to his regret,
+  Before this blessed sun shall set,
+  I'll put a final end to _that_.'
+  Then, putting on his stately hat,
+  All nicely cocked and trimmed with lace,
+  He issued forth with lofty grace,
+  Bade the accuser; duty mind,'
+  And follow him 'five steps _behind_.'
+    Ere they a furlong's space complete,
+  They meet the culprit in the street;
+  The Governor took him by the hand--
+  That lowly man! that Governor grand!--
+  Kindly inquired of his condition,
+  His present prospects and position.
+  The man a tale of sorrow told--
+  That food was dear, the winter cold,
+  That work was scarce, and times were hard,
+  And very ill at home they fared,--
+  And, more than this, a bounteous Heaven
+  To them a little babe had given,
+  Whose brief existence could attest
+  This world's a wintry world at best.
+    A silver crown, whose shining face
+  King William's head and Mary's grace,
+  Dropped in his hand. The Governor spoke,--
+  His voice was cracked--it almost broke,--'If
+  work is scarce, and times are hard,
+  There's a _large wood-pile in my yard;
+  Of that you may most freely use,
+  So go and get it when you choose_.'
+  Then on he walked, serenely feeling
+  That there he'd put an end to stealing.
+  The accuser's sense of duty grew
+  The space 'twixt him and Governor too.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'The Anaconda is tightening its folds,' and at every fold the South
+cries aloud. The following bit of merry nonsense, which has the merit of
+being 'good to sing,' may possibly enliven more than one camp-fire, ere
+the last fold of the 'big sarpent' has given the final stifle to the
+un-fed-eralists.
+
+  THE 'ANACONDA.'
+
+  Won't it make them stop and ponder?
+  Yes! 't will make them stop and ponder!
+  What?--The fearful Anaconda!
+     (All.) Yes! The fearful Anaconda!
+  (Chorus.) Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful; big and fearful,
+            Big and fearful Anaconda!
+
+  Is not that the Rebel South?
+  Yes! that is the Rebel South.
+  Arn't they rather down in month?
+     (All.) Yes! they're rather down in mouth!
+  (Chorus.) Rebel South, down in mouth,
+            Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful, &c, &c.
+
+  Is not that the traitor DAVIS?
+  Yes! that is the traitor DAVIS!
+  Don't he wish he could enslave us?
+     (All.) Yes! he wanted to enslave us!
+  (Chorus.) Traitor DAVIS, can't enslave us.
+            Rebel South, down in mouth,
+            Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful, &c. &c.
+
+  Isn't that the gallows high there?
+  Yes! that is the gallows high there!
+  And JEFF DAVIS that I spy there?
+     (All.) 'Tis JEFF DAVIS that you spy there.
+  (Chorus.) Hanging high there, DAVIS spy there.
+            Traitor DAVIS, you enslave us!
+            Rebel South, down in mouth,
+            Stop and ponder!--Anaconda!
+            Big and fearful, big and fearful,
+            BIG AND FEARFUL ANACONDA!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Our ever-welcome New Haven friend re-appears this month, with the
+following jest:--
+
+    The other day lawyer JONES, of Hartford, Conn., wrote a letter
+    to my friend PLOPP, whom he supposed to be in Hartford at the
+    time. The missive was forwarded to PLOPP, who is in Newport. It
+    requested him to 'step in and settle.' PLOPP replied:
+
+    My dear JONES:--
+
+    Yours of 10th is rec'd. I reply,--
+
+    1st. I can't step in, because I am not in Hartford.
+
+    2d. I can't settle, because I am not in the least riled.
+
+    3d. I notice you spell Hartford without a _t._ This is an error.
+    Allow me, as per example, to suggest the correct orthography, to
+    wit, Hartford.
+
+    I shall always he glad to hear from you.
+
+    Yours,
+
+    I. PLOPP.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The present aspect of the great question is well set forth by a
+correspondent, 'LEILA LEE,' in the following sketch:--
+
+    OUR OLD PUMP.
+
+    The writer was once placed in circumstances of peculiar
+    interest, where a word in season was greatly needed, and that
+    word was not spoken, because it would have been thought unseemly
+    that it should fall from the lips of a woman. Our supply of
+    water had failed. The well was deep, and, like Jacob's well,
+    many had been in the habit of coming thither to draw. My father
+    had called in advisers, men of experience, and they decided that
+    the lower part of the pump was rotten, and must be removed. It
+    had probably stood there more than fifty years, and had been so
+    useful in its day, that it was like an old and familiar friend.
+
+    The work was commenced, and all the family stood by the closed
+    window, the children's faces pressed close to the glass, as
+    with eager eyes we all watched the heavy machinery erected over
+    the old well. A mother came out of a neighboring house, and
+    stood with a babe in her arms to see the work. A large rope was
+    firmly placed around the pump, and made fast to the derrick.
+    Then came the tug of war, and with a long pull, a strong pull,
+    and a pull all together, the wooden pump rose up gradually from
+    its hiding-place of years.
+
+    'Oh, mother! mother!' I exclaimed; 'see, the derrick is not long
+    enough to raise the pump out of the well! Why don't they saw it
+    off, and take out the old pump in two or three pieces?'
+
+    Just then papa screamed to Mrs. Rice, 'Run out of the way,
+    quick, with your baby!'
+
+    There stood all the workmen in dismay. What was to be done? My
+    father had no idea that he had undertaken such a tremendous job,
+    and now he was in great perplexity. Who, indeed, could have
+    believed that the well was deep enough to hold a pump of such
+    immense size as this, that had become so old and rotten? Oh, for
+    ropes longer and stronger! Oh, for muscle and nerve! Oh, for men
+    of herculean strength to meet this terrible crisis! At that
+    moment, a timely suggestion, from any quarter, would have been
+    welcome. But, even then, it might have been too late; for the
+    pump fell with a tremendous crash, carrying with it all the
+    machinery. Papa fell upon the ground, but the derrick had safely
+    passed over him, prostrating the fences, and endangering the
+    lives of the workmen.
+
+    This scene, which was soon almost forgotten, is recalled by the
+    fearful crisis that is now upon us. While we rejoice in our
+    recent victories, and believe that this wicked rebellion will
+    soon be subdued, we must rejoice with trembling, so long as
+    SLAVERY, the acknowledged _casus belli_, still remains. The
+    unsightly monster, in all its rottenness and deformity, is drawn
+    up from the hiding-place of ages, and it can no more be restored
+    to its former _status_, than, at the will of the workmen, our
+    old pump could be thrust back, when, suspended in the air, it
+    threatened their destruction. God forbid that our rulers should
+    desire it! What, then, is to be done? No giant mind has yet been
+    found to grapple successfully with this great evil--no body of
+    men who can concentrate a moral power sufficient to remove this
+    worn-out system, without endangering some interest of vital
+    importance to our beloved country.
+
+    Zion must now lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes, for
+    the wisdom of the wise has become foolishness, that God alone
+    may be exalted. He will surely bring down every high thought,
+    and every vain imagination, and his own people must learn what
+    it is 'to receive the kingdom of God as little children.' How
+    shall liberty be proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of
+    the land, to all the inhabitants thereof, and, in obedience to
+    the will of God, this year become a year of jubilee to the poor
+    and oppressed of our nation? How shall the emancipation of
+    slavery conduce to the best interest of the master, no less than
+    to the happiness of the slave?
+
+    Probably some very simple solution will be given to this
+    question, in answer to the earnest cry of God's people. Should
+    it please him to hide this thought for the crisis from the wise
+    and prudent, and reveal it unto babes, God grant that it may be
+    in our hearts to respond, 'Even so, Father, for so it seemeth
+    good in thy sight.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The simple solution has already been begun by our Executive, in
+recognizing the _principle_--its extraordinary advance among all classes
+will soon fully develop it. In illustration of this we quote a letter
+which the editor of the New Haven _Journal and Courier_ vouches to come
+from an officer in the navy, known to him:--
+
+    From what we see and know of the operations of the rebels in
+    this part of the South (the Southern coast, where he has been
+    stationed), and from what we see perfidious Englishmen doing for
+    the rebels, we are fast becoming strong abolitionists. We feel
+    that _now_ Slavery must receive its death-blow, and be destroyed
+    forever from the country. You would be surprised to see the
+    change going on in the minds of officers in our service, who
+    have been great haters of abolitionists; and the Southerners in
+    our navy are the most bitter toward those who have made slavery
+    the great cause of war. They freely express the opinion that the
+    whole system must be abolished, and even our old captain, who is
+    a native of Tennessee, and who has hitherto insisted that the
+    abolitionists of the North brought on this war, said last night,
+    'If England continues to countenance the _institution_, I hope
+    our government will put arms in the hands of the slaves, and
+    that slavery will now be the destruction of the whole South, or
+    of the rebels in the South.' He further said, 'The slave-holder
+    has, by the tacit consent and aid of England, brought on the
+    most unjustifiable, iniquitous and barbarous war ever known in
+    the history of the world.'
+
+Too far and too fast--it is not Abolition, or the good of the black, but
+Emancipation, or the benefit of the _white_ man, which is really
+progressing so rapidly with the American people. But whatever causes of
+agitation are at work, whether on limited or general principles of
+philanthropy and political economy, one thing is at least certain--the
+day of the triumph of free labor is dawning, while the cause of progress
+
+    'Careers with thunder speed along!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It is almost a wonder that the late offer of the king of Siam to stock
+this land with elephants was not jumped at, when one remembers the
+American national fondness for the animal, and how copiously our popular
+orators and poets allude to a sight of the monster. Among the latest
+elephantine tales which we have encountered is the following, from our
+New Haven correspondent:--
+
+    Dr. H., of this pleasant city of Elms, has been noted for many
+    years for always driving the gentlest and most sober, but at the
+    same time the most fearfully 'homely' of horses. His steeds will
+    always stand wherever he pleases to leave them, but they have
+    rather a venerable and woful aspect, that renders them anything
+    but pleasant objects to the casual observer. A few years ago
+    there came a caravan to town, and several horses were badly
+    frightened by the elephants, so that quite a number of accidents
+    took place. A day or two after, old Dr. Knight met Dr. H., and
+    speaking of the accidents, Dr. Knight remarked that he had not
+    dared to take his horse out while the procession was passing
+    through the streets. 'Oh, ho!' said Dr. H., 'why, I took my mare
+    and drove right up alongside of them, and she wasn't the least
+    bit scared!'
+
+    'Hum--yes,' says Dr. K., '_but how did the elephant stand it_?'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+By particular request we find room for the following:--
+
+    Hon. ---- then read his Poem entitled the 'Boulder,' which must
+    be heard before we can form an idea of the genius of the poet.
+    First we are reminded of the style of the sweet songs of
+    Pherimorz as his enchanting strains fell upon the enraptured
+    soul of the fair Lady of the Lake. Then away, on painted wings
+    of gratified imagination, is the mind carried to the zephyr
+    wooings of the dying sunset, over the elevated brow of the dark
+    Maid of the Forest, as she reclines upon her couch of eagles'
+    feathers, and down from angles wings, hearing the last whisper
+    of the falling echo from the world of sound.
+
+    Whether the wild chaos of storm and whirlwind which madly raged
+    over the benighted earth before 'light was,' rushed to the dark
+    caverns where the fettered earthquake lay, when order was
+    demanded by the Father of Lights, we can not tell; but surely it
+    is a pleasing thought for the mind engulfed in the unfathomed
+    darkness of uncreated light, to be brought out and suffered to
+    rest on the peaceful bosom of the new creation. Whether 'the
+    world that then was' was overflown and perished by the causes
+    set forth, we can not tell. We regret that we can not now give a
+    more extended and particular notice of this poem; let us hope
+    that ere long we may enjoy the delight of reading its printed
+    form.
+
+That must indeed have been a poem which could inspire _such_ poetry in
+others.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Boston _Courier_ published, over the signature of 'MIDDLESEX,'
+during the months of February and March, a number of articles entitled,
+_Through the Gulf States_. So far as we have examined and compared the
+series, it appears to be a literal reprint, with a few trivial
+alterations of dates and statistics, of the _Letters from the Gulf
+States_, originally published in the _Knickerbocker New York Monthly
+Magazine_, in 1847.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE KNICKERBOCKER
+
+FOR 1862.
+
+
+In the beginning of the last year, when its present proprietors assumed
+control of the Knickerbocker, they announced their determination to
+spare no pains to place it in its true position as the leading
+_literary_ Monthly in America. When rebellion had raised a successful
+front, and its armies threatened the very existence of the Republic, it
+was impossible to permit a magazine, which in its circulation reached
+the best intellects in the land, to remain insensible or indifferent to
+the dangers which threatened the Union. The proprietors accordingly gave
+notice, that it would present in its pages, forcible expositions with
+regard to the great question of the times,--_how to preserve the_ UNITED
+STATUS OF AMERICA _in their integrity and unity_. How far this pledge
+has been redeemed the public must judge. It would, however, be mere
+affectation to ignore the seal of approbation which has been placed on
+these efforts. The proprietors gratefully acknowledge this, and it has
+led them to embark in a fresh undertaking, as already announced,--the
+publication of the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY, devoted to Literature and
+National Policy; in which magazine, those who have sympathized with the
+political opinions recently set forth in the KNICKERBOCKER, will find
+the same views more fully enforced and maintained by the ablest and most
+energetic minds in America.
+
+The KNICKERBOCKER, while it will continue firmly pledged to the cause of
+the Union, will henceforth be more earnestly devoted to literature, and
+will leave no effort untried to attain the highest excellence in those
+departments of letters which it has adopted as specialties.
+
+The January number commences its thirtieth year. With such antecedents
+as it possesses, it seems unnecessary to make any especial pledges as to
+its future, but it may not be amiss to say that it will be the aim of
+its conductors to make it more and more deserving of the liberal support
+it has hitherto received. The same eminent writers who have contributed
+to it during the past year will continue to enrich its pages, and in
+addition, contributions will appear from others of the highest
+reputation, as well as from many rising authors. While it will, as
+heretofore, cultivate the genial and humorous, it will also pay
+assiduous attention to the higher departments of art and letters, and
+give fresh and spirited articles on such biographical, historical,
+scientific, and general subjects as are of especial interest to the
+public.
+
+In the January issue will commence a series of papers by CHARLES GODFREY
+LELAND, entitled "SUNSHINE IN LETTERS," which will be found interesting
+to scholars as well as to the general reader, and in an early number
+will appear the first chapters of a NEW and INTERESTING NOVEL,
+descriptive of American life and character.
+
+According to the unanimous opinion of the American press, the
+KNICKERBOCKER has been greatly improved during the past year, _and it is
+certain that at no period of its long career did it ever attract more
+attention or approbation_. Confident of their enterprise and ability,
+the proprietors are determined that it shall be still more eminent in
+excellence, containing all that is best of the old, and being
+continually enlivened by what is most brilliant of the new.
+
+TERMS.--Three dollars a year, in advance. Two copies for Four Dollars
+and fifty cents. Three copies for Six dollars. Subscribers remitting
+Three Dollars will receive as a premium, (post-paid,) a copy of Richard
+B. Kimball's great work, "THE REVELATIONS OF WALL STREET," to be
+published by G.P. Putnam, early in February next, (price $1.)
+Subscribers remitting Four Dollars will receive the KNICKERBOCKER and
+the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY for one year. As but one edition of each number
+of the Knickerbocker is printed, those desirous of commencing with the
+volume should subscribe at once.
+
+The publisher, appreciating the importance of literature to the soldier
+on duty, will send a copy _gratis_, during the continuance of the war,
+to any regiment in active service, on application being made by its
+Colonel or Chaplain. Subscriptions will also be received from those
+desiring it sent to soldiers in the ranks at _half price_, but in such
+cases it must be mailed from the office of publication.
+
+J.R. GILMORE, 532 Broadway, New York.
+
+C.T. EVANS, General Agent, 532 Broadway, New York.
+
+All communications and contributions, intended for the Editorial
+department, should be addressed to CHARLES G. LELAND, Editor of the
+"Knickerbocker," care of C.T. EVANS, 532 Broadway, New York.
+
+Newspapers copying the above and giving the Magazine monthly notices,
+will be entitled to an exchange.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+PROSPECTUS
+
+OF
+
+The Continental Monthly.
+
+
+There are periods in the world's history marked by extraordinary and
+violent crises, sudden as the breaking forth of a volcano, or the
+bursting of a storm on the ocean. These crises sweep away in a moment
+the landmarks of generations. They call out fresh talent, and give to
+the old a new direction. It is then that new ideas are born, new
+theories developed. Such periods demand fresh exponents, and new men for
+expounders.
+
+This Continent has lately been convulsed by an upheaving so sudden and
+terrible that the relations of all men and all classes to each other are
+violently disturbed, and people look about for the elements with which
+to sway the storm and direct the whirlwind. Just at present, we do not
+know what all this is to bring forth; but we do know that great results
+MUST flow from such extraordinary commotions.
+
+At a juncture so solemn and so important, there is a special need that
+the intellectual force of the country should be active and efficient. It
+is a time for great minds to speak their thoughts boldly, and to take
+position as the advance guard. To this end, there is a special want
+unsupplied. It is that of an Independent Magazine, which shall be open
+to the first intellects of the land, and which shall treat the issues
+presented, and to be presented to the country, in a tone no way tempered
+by partisanship, or influenced by fear, favor, or the hope of reward;
+which shall seize and grapple with the momentous subjects that the
+present disturbed state of affairs heave to the surface, and which CAN
+NOT be laid aside or neglected.
+
+To meet this want, the undersigned have commenced, under the editorial
+charge of CHARLES GODFREY LELAND, the publication of a new Magazine,
+devoted to Literature and National Policy.
+
+In POLITICS, it will advocate, with all the force at its command,
+measures best adapted to preserve the oneness and integrity of these
+United States. It will never yield to the idea of any disruption of this
+Republic, peaceably or otherwise; and it will discuss with honesty and
+impartiality what must be done to save it. In this department, some of
+the most eminent statesmen of the time will contribute regularly to its
+pages.
+
+In LITERATURE, it will be sustained by the best writers and ablest
+thinkers of this country.
+
+Among its attractions will be presented, in an early number, a NEW
+SERIAL of American Life, by RICHARD B. KIMBALL, ESQ., the very popular
+author of "The Revelations of Wall Street," "St. Leger," &c. A series of
+papers by HON. HORACE GREELEY, embodying the distinguished author's
+observations on the growth and development of the Great West. A series
+of articles by the author of "Through the Cotton States," containing the
+result of an extended tour in the seaboard Slave States, just prior to
+the breaking out of the war, and presenting a startling and truthful
+picture of the real condition of that region. No pains will be spared to
+render the literary attractions of the CONTINENTAL both brilliant and
+substantial. The lyrical or descriptive talents of the most eminent
+_literati_ have been promised to its pages; and nothing will be admitted
+which will not be distinguished by marked energy, originality, and solid
+strength. Avoiding every influence or association partaking of clique or
+coterie, it will be open to all contributions of real merit, even from
+writers differing materially in their views; the only limitation
+required being that of devotion to the Union, and the only standard of
+acceptance that of intrinsic excellence.
+
+The EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT will embrace, in addition to vigorous and
+fearless comments on the events of the times, genial gossip with the
+reader on all current topics, and also devote abundant space to those
+racy specimens of American wit and humor, without which there can be no
+perfect exposition of our national character. Among those who will
+contribute regularly to this department may be mentioned the name of
+CHARLES F. BROWNE ("Artemus Ward"), from whom we have promised an
+entirely new and original series of SKETCHES OF WESTERN LIFE.
+
+The CONTINENTAL will be liberal and progressive, without yielding to
+chimeras and hopes beyond the grasp of the age; and it will endeavor to
+reflect the feelings and interests of the American people, and to
+illustrate both their serious and humorous peculiarities. In short, no
+pains will be spared to make it the REPRESENTATIVE MAGAZINE of the time.
+
+TERMS:--Three Dollars per year, in advance (postage paid by the
+Publishers;) Two Copies for Five Dollars; Three Copies for Six Dollars,
+(posture unpaid); Eleven copies for Twenty Dollars, (postage unpaid).
+Single numbers can be procured of any News-dealer in the United States.
+The KNICKERBOCKER MAGAZINE and the CONTINENTAL MONTHLY will be furnished
+for one year at FOUR DOLLARS.
+
+Appreciating the importance of literature to the soldier on duty, the
+publisher will send the CONTINENTAL, _gratis_, to any regiment in active
+service, on application being made by its Colonel or Chaplain; he will
+also receive subscriptions from those desiring to furnish it to soldiers
+in the ranks at half the regular price; but in such cases it must be
+mailed from the office of publication.
+
+J.R. GILMORE, 110 Tremont Street, Boston.
+
+CHARLES T. EVANS, at G.P. PUTNAM'S, 532 Broadway, New York, is
+authorized to receive Subscriptions in that City.
+
+N.B.--Newspapers publishing this Prospectus, and giving the
+CONTINENTAL monthly notices, will be entitled to an exchange.
+
+
+
+
+Number 5. 25 Cents.
+
+
+The Continental Monthly
+
+
+Devoted to Literature and National Policy.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+MAY, 1862.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+NEW-YORK AND BOSTON:
+
+J.R. GILMORE, 532 BROADWAY, NEW-YORK,
+
+AND 110 TREMONT STREET, BOSTON.
+
+NEW-YORK: HENRY DEXTER AND ROSS & TOUSEY.
+
+PHILADELPHIA: T.B. CALLENDER AND A. WINCH.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+NO. V.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+What Shall we do with it? Hon. John W. Edmonds
+
+A Philosophical Bankrupt
+
+The Molly O'Molly Papers
+
+All Together
+
+A True Story. Miss McFarlane
+
+Maccaroni and Canvas. Henry P. Leland
+
+Fairies
+
+John Bright. George M. Towle
+
+The Ante-Norse Discoverers of America. C.G. Leland
+
+State Rights
+
+Roanoke Island. Frederic Kidder
+
+A Story of Mexican Life
+
+Changed
+
+Hamlet a Fat Man. Carlton Edwards
+
+The Knights of the Golden Circle
+
+Columbia's Safety
+
+Ursa Major. H.B. Brownwell
+
+Fugitives at the West. S.C. Blackwell
+
+The Education to be
+
+Guerdon
+
+Literary Notices
+
+Editor's Table
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the next Number will be commenced a new Novel of American Life, by
+R.B. Kimball, Esq., entitled 'WAS HE SUCCESSFUL?' an account of the life
+and conduct of Hiram Meeker, one of the leading men in the mercantile
+community, and 'a bright and shining light' in the Church, recounting
+what he did, and how he made his money.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote A: An incident that occurred at Palmyra, in Marion County, of
+which the writer was a witness, may be given as a fair illustration of
+Benton's insulting and insufferable manner in this celebrated canvass.
+During the delivery of his speech, in the densely-crowded court-house, a
+prominent county politician, who was opposed to Benton, arose and put a
+question to him. 'Come here,' said Benton, in his abrupt and
+authoritative tone. The man with difficulty made his way through the
+mass, and advanced till he stood immediately in front of Benton. 'Who
+are you, sir?' inquired the swelling and indignant senator. The citizen
+gave his well-known name. 'Who?' demanded Benton. The name was
+distinctly repeated. And then, without replying to the question that had
+been proposed, but with an air of disdain and annihilating contempt that
+no man in America but Benton could assume, he proceeded with his speech,
+leaving his interrogator to retire from his humiliating embarrassment as
+best he could. At the close of the address, some of his friends
+expressed surprise to Benton that he had not known the man that
+interrupted him. 'Know him!' said he; 'I knew him well enough. I only
+meant to make him stand with his hat in his hand, and tell me his name,
+like a nigger.']
+
+[Footnote B: See Historical Mag., Vol. 4, p. 230.]
+
+[Footnote C: Among the cotton lately arrived from Port Royal was a
+number of bales marked with the form of a coffin. It was the growth of
+'Coffin's Island,' which is usually of the highest grade.]
+
+[Footnote D: The palmetto is a straight, tall tree, with a tuft of
+branches and palm leaves at its top. The new growth is the centre as it
+first expands somewhat resembles a cabbage. It is often used for boiling
+and pickling. The wood of the tree is spongy, and is used for building
+wharves, as it is impervious to the sea-worm. It is said that a cannon
+ball will not penetrate it. It is a paltry emblem for a State flag, as
+its characteristics accurately indicate pride and poverty. When used for
+wharves, it, however, becomes a veritable '_Mudsill_.']
+
+[Footnote E: Before 1700 a colony from Dorchester, Mass., made a
+settlement on Ashley River, and named it for their native town;
+afterwards, they sent an offshoot and planted the town of Midway, in
+Georgia. For more than a century they kept up their Congregational
+Church, with many of their New England institutions. Their descendants
+in both States have been famed for their enterprise, industry, and moral
+qualities down to the present day.]
+
+[Footnote F: The Barnwells can trace their pedigree back about one
+hundred and fifty years to a Col. Barnwell who commanded in an Indian
+war. Subsequently the name appears on the right side in the Revolution.
+This is a long period to trace ancestry in Carolina; for while nearly
+all New England families can trace back to the Puritans, more than two
+hundred years, the lordly Carolinians generally get among the 'mudsills'
+in three or four generations at the farthest.]
+
+[Footnote G: Some thirty years ago, R. Barnwell Smith made a figure in
+Congress by his ultra nullification speeches, and was then considered
+the greatest fire-eater of them all. He was not 'to the manor born,' but
+was the son of a Gen. Smith, who founded and resided in the small and
+poverty-stricken town of Smithville, N.C., at the mouth of the Cape Fear
+River. As his paternal fortune was small, and some family connection
+existed with the Barnwells, he emigrated to Beaufort, and there
+practiced as a lawyer. He was followed by two brothers, who had the same
+profession. He was the first who openly advocated secession in Congress.
+They have all been leading politicians and managers of the Charleston
+_Mercury_, which, by its mendacity and constant abuse of the North, and
+its everlasting laudations of Southern wealth and power, has done much
+to bring on the present war.
+
+Desirous to stand better with the aristocracy, some years ago the family
+sunk the plebeian patronymic of Smith and adopted that of Rhett, a name
+known in South Carolina a century previous.]
+
+[Footnote H: During Nullification times the Fullers were Union men.
+Doctor Thomas Fuller, who, a short time since, set fire to his buildings
+and cotton crop to prevent their falling into Yankee hands, is well
+known as a kind-hearted physician, and better things might have been
+expected of him.
+
+His brother is a celebrated Baptist clergyman in Baltimore. He was
+formerly a lawyer, and afterwards preached to an immense congregation,
+mainly of slaves, in his native place.]
+
+[Footnote I: Many years ago the Elliots were staunch Union men, and
+Stephen Elliot, a gentleman of talent, wrote many very able arguments
+against nullification and in favor of the Union. He always thought that
+Port Royal must some day be the great naval and commercial depot of the
+South. He may yet live to see his former anticipations realized, though
+not in the way he desired.]
+
+[Footnote J: An Inquiry laid by me it few years ago before the
+Historical Society of Pennsylvania elicited information as to several of
+these 'gates' in that State. I have not the work by me, but I believe
+that FALES DUNLAP, Esq., of New York, asserts on Rabbinical authority,
+in an appendix to _Sod or the Mysteries_, that the Hebrew word commonly
+translated as 'passover' should be rendered 'passing through.']
+
+[Footnote K: _Robertson's Lectures and Addresses._ Boston: Ticknor &
+Fields.]
+
+[Footnote L: The negro whippers and field overseers.]
+
+[Footnote M: Referring to the common practice of bathing the raw and
+bleeding backs of the punished slaves with a strong solution of salt and
+water.]
+
+[Footnote N: _Words to the West. Knickerbocker Magazine_, Oct., 1861.]
+
+[Footnote O: _Continental Magazine_, March, 1862. See article, _Southern
+Aids to the North_.]
+
+[Footnote P:
+
+  Don't speak of quacks; just take your dose;
+  Why should you try to mend it,
+  If Doctor H---- concocts the pill,
+  And _Parsons_ recommend it?
+
+See _Amer. Jour. of Sci._, Vol. xxx., 2d Scr., pages 10-12.]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Continental Monthly, Vol. I., No. IV.,
+April, 1862, by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONTINENTAL MONTHLY ***
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