every tuesday akd friday tuesday, march 13, 1838. for … · . acision to resume, makes thai...
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TUESDAY, MARCH 13 , 1838 . FOR T H E
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EVERY TUESDAY AKD FRIDAY
TSlUfS.—$4per»nnum,im<li»a»»«e,ifpaidattheoffio« ar*aatfr«aof *xpente:oT t* at the and oft he year .— *"»»«S*U«rtwill 6« :»Mfed in allCMet where a paper
XJ- Tht ^E^-YORK'TMTaTcA.v'.raUo'publlihed DAILY at the cam office, at $19 per annum. Also,
»• • • • » , to country aubecrioere only, at $5 w annum, payahle •lw*r*ia advance
t y V D VER Vli EM E.VTS in either of the above-papers •HI ••••^rtedauneealaoiijAerfcUrPTicea. F.
. v AMERICAN. FRIDAY KVE5ING, MARCH 9 , 1 8 3 8 .
in 11 1 • m m i i i ' i M i ' i i i i • • . •
OJaee,T> Ctdmr Street, tu» doors frowi Broadway.
Eaa ATP«.—I a a smalt portion of our edition yesterday, the heading of the leading article was erro-n*>u*ly, and vexatious!y enough, printed General
, tasted d of General Bonking, La w.
MEETING AT THE EXCHANGE.—On the outer sge will be found repeated for the benefit of those ho received thair papers before the Poets er i pt was |
, The Maryland House of Delegates, on Tuesday, by a very decided vote, confirmed the subscriptions to the stock of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, nod the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Companies, and the sale of State Bonds to those parties. • • • ', •-. • .
The following is the language used by Daniel Webster on the floor of th« Senate, in the year 1834: " Under pretence of a design to re t urn to a currency which shall be all specie, we are likely to have.a currency in which there will be no specie at all. - We are in danger of being overwhelmed with irredeemable paper—mere paper, representing nothing but broken premises, bad faith, bankrupt corporations, cheated creditors, and a ruined people."
Every man FUELS that the prediction has been fearfully fulfilled to the very letter.
Has every body seen ib , horse without hair 1 He is really a great curiosity. Could we introduce such a breed, there would be no more use for carry j combs end brushes, as a sponge would answer every} down.
The Telegraph at 12 o'clock, reported the ship
published in the greater , of the great meeting
| Independence, Nye, from Liverpool—day of sailing Jan. 84—in the offing. The owners immediately despatched a steamboat to bring the ship up.
That meeting was called, and was attended, by in all the various occupations of com-
and by the great employ ing master mecha n-]*jf j and their co-operation with the Bants in the . acision to resume, makes thai certain and eorhpar-
:ively easy, which, without such co-operation, light have been doubtful and difficult. Tjba. first and great step is already taken, when
I who, in a great degree, constitute the trading ty, express their conviction that the Banks
i both safely and effectually can, resume id maintain their payments. The issue of small notes, moreover, and the man-
E they are received and circulated—no specie for them except as occasional
iange— breaks the abruptness of the transition >m inconvertible to convertible paper; and will so
gradually smooth the path, that the resumption at j last will be effected imperceptibly, as it were, with* '
»c shock, and a!moit without being noticed. The current of specie which 13 set steadily this
way from almost all quarters—and the fact of this ;y being largely a creditor—are sufficient to re-
move aU doubts about the ability of our banks to maintain she stand they have taken.
The banks of the interior of the State are ready to follow suit to the city banks, and those of the otfcsr dtiee of the seaboard cannot be long behind our own, without the hazard of such loss of credit as they will not willingly encounter.
We say then, with confidence, that better days are at hand—and that even though the government tuit eantiaus to war upon commerce and credit, it is itself so wholly destitute of resources, that its hostility is measurably powerless. It most, for a
e, at least, be a borrower—and rer, however wickedly disposed, can
rarely be mischievous. Courage than, and confidence, and harmony of
opinion and action—and we shall see ence more oar banks under full weigh—discreet, yet liberal in their discounts,—and our drooping merchants, and unemployed mechanics, once again busy in all the j
I prosperous mdustry.
that,
LECTURES or THE HISTORICAL SOCISTT.—This evening Mr. Folsom will discourse on the "discoveries of the Northmen on this continent in the eleventh century"—a topic very full of interest, and which recently, by reason of the successful researches made among the ancient Norwegian archives, has received fresh illustrations.
, We learn from a respectable source according to official statements, the Baltimore Banks owe to New York nearly §700,000, which it is said is wi h in $200,000 of their amount of specie. To meet this claim they have a large sum due them from Virginia, and other Southern States, and will bo prepared to adjust their balances promptly, whenever a general resumption shall take effect.
This will be not more than ninety days after York shall set the example.
PROCEEDIKGS or THE U. S. SUPREME COURT IN REGARD TO*THE FUNERAL OP M R . ClLLET.—Curi-osity having been expressed to know the precise grounds on which the Judges of the Supreme Court declined attending this funeral, we are enabled through the kindness of a friend, to publish a copy of " the order of the Supreme Court of the United States, on their invitation to the funeral of Mr. Ci!-ley."
The Justices of the Supreme Court having been invited by a committee of the House of Representatives, to attend the funeral of the Hon. Jonathan Ciltey, late a member of the House of Representatives, and it being well known that the deceased was killed in a duel lately fought by him ; the members of the Court have on that account deemed it to be their duty to confer together in order to determine upon the course proper for them to pursue, and after mature and solemn deliberation they hare come to the following resolutions.
Resolved, That the Justices of the Supreme Court entertain a high respect for the character of the deceased, sincerely deplore his untimely death, and sympathise with his bereaved family in the heavy affliction which has fallen upon them.
Resolved, That with every desire to manifest their respect for the House of Representatives, and the Committee of the House, by whom they have been invited, and for the memory of the lamented deceased, the Justices of the Supreme Court cannot, consistently with the duties they owe to the public, attend in their official characters, the funeral of one who has fallen in a duel.
Ordered, that these proceedings be entered on the minutes of the Court, and that the Chief Justice enclose a copy to the Chairman of the Committee of the House of Representatives.
/ w i n
I I ,w' l l » I
The Journal of Commerce says that on the 18th February it published the statement of the seconds, nod again a part of it on the next day.
ten, therefore, to correct our error in saying that paper had not published it. Not being in the city at the time, we saw none of the papers, but having examined, as we thought, carefully, the file of the Journal of Commerce, at the reading room, and finding only a portion of the statement in it, we concluded the whole had net been pub-
As to the other two points made by the Journal of Commerce, we must say, whether the exhortation to discontinue subscriptions to the Courier were editorial or by communication, the effect, so long as it appeared at all in the Journal, was nearly the same; and on the editorial notice about Or. Duncan—here it is :
" We have it on what we deem good authority, that Mr. Duncan stands ready to give C I . Webb a certificate of gentility any day. He makes no secret that he considers Mr. Webb a gentleman.— Mr. Duncan, withal, is the most suitable man in the world to give such a certificate; for he used the character of the Spy and his employer much more free! y than did Mr, Cii ley."
If that doe* not sustain our representation, we know not the meaning of words.
The Journal talks of our two articles on this subject as "«parte." "It would have been
'to quote" these articles, if so "disposed," and the readers of the Journr . .rild have judged
for themselves as to that fact.
on
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I or THE LEGISLATURE.—The As-have concurred in the Senate's resolution
anient, substituting the 13.h day of April instead of the second Monday. It wHi go back to he Senate,w here doubtless the amendments will be freed to.
T H E SCB-TREAsuRT BILL.—If the votes taken on Mr. Buchanan's motion to postpone the Sub. Treasury Bill, be an indication of the final vote
that bill, it will be seen that a majority lar-tuan has Imta anticipated in any quarter, we
believe, is in favor of that ruinous schema. Fears, too, are now generally entertained, that
a majority has been secured for it in the House of Rspreseatativea.
It is said that the despatches brought by Lord Paget to Mr. Fox are important, and may possibly bring about bis recall, as the only alternative, in the event of a non-compliance with certain requests of i l l Brkish Government. We may expect a mes-sags from Mr. Van Buren on the subject
W e observe the a rri val of Sir George Arthur, the Governor of Upper Canada, in the Samson. He left town this morning. We are happy to see that ovary facility was afforded at the Custom House for expediting the baggage of the British officers. now on their wsy to Canada. It is no more than we bad a right to expect from the known urbanity of our Collector. Those little attentions go very for towards producing 1 ha t friendly feeling so necessary to be mainuinad between England and ourselves, Of this crisis. - • _ / A •
The fuaerarof Col.' StotSOs, of Hoboksn, was
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[From our Correspondent.] WASHINGTON,March 7, 1838.
"Beware of the Ides of March," was the unheeded warning to Caesar; and our Congress in its deliberate wisdom, has likewise concluded to disregard the " premonitory symptoms" which are exhibiting themselves in every quarter.
YoO will by this time have seen the Sub-Trans" ury Bill as reported by Mr. Cambreleng in the House, with the annexed report on the finances. alias, a plan to get the people out of their difficulties, by pushing them into the clutches of " Public Receivers."' It has been hinted very significantly that its patrons "will toe the mark" handsomely, and that there will be no backing out. Mr. Cambreleng will act the part of the gallant Col. Spitfire, who, on the approach of the enemy, cried oat to his men, "Be firm, my lads, and I'll stand behind to see tha: nobody runs away." Woe be to the stragglers when such gallant officers have taken the field.
The Investigating Committee on the affair of Mr. Rogglcs, are still busily engaged. From conversation I had this morning with a gentleman who has ample means of information, I learn that the matter is likely to terminate much more unfavorably than was anticipated. Some astounding facts have been brought to light, which it is hoped the Committee will have the moral courage to report to the Senate.
I had come to the conclusion that the beautiful ruins of the old Post Office would be left standing in ail their dingy glory, until the name of Amos Kendal should be remembered no more. But it appears there are some sensitive persons here, who do not like the looks of it, for reasons best known to themselves. So the Commissioner of Public Buildings has been ordered to pull it down, and use the materials for the erection of "depositaries, or other purposes." They had better allow it to remain. A little expense would convert it into a castle with " turrets mantled with ivy." We cculd then vie with the ages of romance, as we have a " magician " to guard the treasure,—Benton would be a capital gate-keeper.
We had a glorious conflict in the Senate today. A petition with upwards of 6,600 signatures was presented from your city against the Sub-Treasury Bill. After some slight skirmishing, a general battle came on, in which the chiefs joined issue and fought desperately for their respective colors. Mr. Webster arose like a giant of old, and cleft asunder " with might and main" the ranks of tha Sub-Treasurers. They did'nt cry for quarter, neither did he give them any, but dealt out death and deso* iation without measure. Senator Wright came foil tilt against him, but he and his "substitute" were quickly sent reeling. The rest of his valiant deeds, and those of his coadjutors, I presume will be properly chronicled.
The country will now see what chance they have with the dragon which so many stout knights are striving to siay. The monster struggles hard yet, and Mr. Buchanan failed to get rid of him until next session by a vote of 29 to 23. The question must now soon be decided, " to be or not to be."
The game with the Neutrality bill is truly amusing. It is thrown from House to House like a shuttle-cock, and bids fair to come to the ground at last, 1 — — • — i j l "! i" 11 »
A SCENE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.—Elbow room has been quite scarce in Nashville during the past week. Such scrouging, gouging, twisting, turning in and turning out, has seldom before been witnessed. Instance the following^—Traveller dismounts at a iaverm—" Hiiloa, landlorrf-r-ean I get lodgings here tonight %" Landlord.-r-** No, sir; every room in the bouse is engaged,** Travallar*«-"Cant'l you even give me a blanket, and a bunch of shavings for a pillow, in you/bar-room?" Landlord.—"No, sir j there's not a square foot of space unoccupied any where in the house." Traveller.— " Ttien I'll thank you, sir, to shove a pole, well ae-
_ cured, out of your second story wii roots OB that."-—[London Times.]
[ JFVom the National Intelligtncer.] TWENTY-FIFTH CONGRESS-2d SESSION.
Wednesday, March 7* In the SENATE, more than two hours of the
morning were spent in an interesting debate, which grew out of the presentation, by Mr. Tall-madgc, of a memorial and remonstrance from the city of New York, signed by several thousand citizens, against the Sub-Treasury Bill, &c. This bill was then resumed, and the question being taken on Mr. Buchanan's motion to postpone it until the next session of Congress, the motion was negatived, ayes 93, noes 29. The question then recurring on Mr. R'ves's substitute for the bill, Mr. Preston moved some amendments to the substitute, which led to a debate, before the conclusion of which, the Senate adjourned.
In the HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES, a number of reports were made from committees; and, among; other business, a joint resolution was passed without objection, (and which also passed the Senate in the same manner,) directing the Commissioner of Public Buildings to cause the walls of the bnrnt Post Office building in this city to be taken down, A conference was agreed to with the Sen-
J ate on the disagreeing votes respecting one of the Senate's amendments to the Neutrality Bill of the House. The residue of the day was spent in discussing the details of the Annual Civil List Appropriation Bill, without getting through the same.
LEOISLATURE, Tuesday.—In the Senate, after ordinary business,
Mr. Verplanck offered the following resolution : Resolved, That the committee on the judiciary
be instructed to inquire and report, by bill or otherwise, on such measures as may be within the constitutional power of the legislature to prevent abuses in the courts of record of this state in administering the naturalization laws of the U. States. ,
Mr. Verplanck Said the subject was one of importance, and, from recent circumstances, had been brought more prominently into view. He was aware that a difficulty miaht.be presented, standing on the middle ground, as these proceedings did, between the laws of this state and of the United States. The law of congress provided that all courts of record of the several states shall have jurisdiction under it; but as some courts had, on application, declined to exercise it, it might be inferred that others could be inhibited from doing so. The abuses under the law were great, as all must know who bad observed them. The theory of the law was, that the judge should preside in court, and judici-cialfy investigate the evidence offered ; the practice was, for the judge to act as a kind of administrative officer, and, particularly just before election, citizens were made on the oath of any one, without examination. He had himself known an instance where the oath of a man convicted of an infamous crime, and who would not be believed any where, was used to perfect the proceedings in a great many eases of naturalization. He had ever regarded this evil as flowing rather from the mode of administering the naturalization laws, than from those laws themselves. He trusted that it was in our power
NO. 1991.
and I'll
to correct these abuses by our legislation ; but if not, let us act by resolution, calling the attention of Congress to the subject.
The resolution was adopted. The bill appropriating the income of the United
States surplus fund, was again discussed, and after debate, the 6th section—appropriating annually for five years, and until otherwise directed by law,, 86000 to the University in this city, and $6000 to Geneva College—was adopted. "!
In the Assembly, after a discussion of some length, the resolution to adjourn was filled up with 18th of April, and, thus amended, sent to the Senate.
Postages. Mr. Mann called up his resolution urging upon
Congress the passage of a law reducing the present rates of postage, to the end that no more revenue should be collected than might be required for the proper execution of the duties of the P. O. Dopant*} ment, and the extension of mail facilities,&c, and
The House agreed to entertain it. Mr. Mann read from the report of the P. M. Gen
eral, in proof of his remarks the other day, touching the excess of the revenue of the department above its expenditures, &c.
Mr. W. Hall moved to add a request in favor of extending the franking privilege to members of the state legislatures, during the session of such legis-atures, and exempting newspapers from postage within the counties where published.
Mr. G. W. Patterson concurred with Mr. Hall, that the postage incurred by members should be defrayed by the state. He moved to amend so as to urge the exemption of documents printed by order of the state legislatures, and newspapers in the county where prnted.
In this shape Mr. Hall's amendment was finally adopted, and the resolution as amended passed.
The committee of the whole took up the bill to repeal the act regulating the weighing of merchandize in the city of New York.
Mr. P. King moved to amend by inserting a section repealing also the law giving to the corporation of New York the appointment of weigh masters, so as to take off all these restrictions upon trade.
The amendment was debated until the hour of adjournment, and rejected. The bill passed; when the committee rose.
Mr. P. King renewed his amendment in the house, and it was again rejected ; ayes 10, noes 69; and the bill ordered to a third reading.
Adjourned to 4 o'clock P. M. FOUR O'CLOCX P. M.
The house, in committee of the whole, Mr. Ten Eyck in the chair, was engaged the whole afternoon in discussing the bill to improve agriculture, but without going through with it, rose
Adjourned.
[For the JVeto York American.1 THE DEATH OF DOCTOR LEITNER,
A German Naturalist, killed in Florida. Mr. Editor: It was with deep pain we noticed
the account of the death of the above named gentleman, who was killed near Jupiter Inlet, Florida, on the 15th ult., in the action under the command of Lieut. Powell of the Navy. He was an eminent and indefatigable young naturalist, a German by birth, having been in this country about seven years. His place of residence has in general been at Charleston, but for tha bftt four or five years he had made it his business to explore the Southern portions of Florida, especially the interesting chain of Keys extending from Cape Florida to the Tor-tugas.
Very modest in his pretensions, be was remarkable for his enthusiastic devotion to natural science. For several years previous to the commencement of the Florida war, he had been devoting himself to that object, and had penetrated far into the interior of the Southern portions of the Territory, with a view to study the botany, natural history topography, &o. of all that region. With one or two boatmen as his companions, he had made his way in a small boat up the Synabel River, which empties into Charlotte Harbor, thence into the famous Ever-glades, and passing down parallel to the coast, came out near Cape Sable. He had spent many months on the Florida Keys, at and near Key West, and Indian Key. There is possibly no part of tho. United States mor° fertile in objects of interest to the naturalis than those islands. Marine products, shells, curf. ous fish, beautiful and indigenous birds, abound there, and the vegetation is of a mixed character, partaking both of the tropical productions, and of those which belong peculiarly to our most Southern States. Though Audubon gave a highly poetical and attractive account of his visit to those waters, he did not have time to do foil justice to tbs subject, end did not pretend to extend hit researches mud: beyond Ornithology. Dr. Lei trier, (we regret that we cannot furnish bis christian name,) had made many observations even upon die birds on those Keys, shedding light upon points overlooked for want of tins by Audul on.
« He had nearly preps f j | for the prow a work
j embracing all these tcpiet&x ojoMng (he topo-| graphy of that hitherto Una wcefaffs, wh*n it has
pleased a mysterious Providence to deprive man-kmdand the cause of science of the further benefit of his labors. He had, we believe, also collected a large and choice herbarilm. We trust the ma-tennis for his work are stiK in the hinds of some of his scientific f.ienda in Oiarleston,»ho will not fail to give them to the wdjld in soma form. We believe that the present accomplished head of the War Department had inteitled, soma years since, to have assisted in the publfcation of the work.
It was to pursue his researches, that he accompanied ihisexpedition in thf capacity of an Acting Surgeon. H© had also accimpanied Lieut. Powell as guide and surgeon in thi expedition which left Key West in November, 1136, to examine the coast trom Cape Florida toChaaotte Haibor.
It would seem as jf Proridence has) willed, that not only Mars, but Sdenee itself, should be frustrated m all attempts to penetrate and bring under her peaceful dominion the soil ,of that wayward Peninsula. Doctor Leaner doubtless knew more than any scientific gentleman livings of that section of Florida. He is cut off in the .midst of his researches! Denied the"privilege of advancing alone into the country for such innocent purposes, he attaches himself to the army. Wo cannot resist the temptation to repeat here the often quoted lines of Byron:
w ? h ! ,£Lat * noble heart was here undone, When Science' setf destroyed hwfavertmson! Tea, she too much indulged ihy flMHi caMiit She sowed theseeda, but Dcat}.^»a«k^Jd the fruit." On the same soil have fallen many accomplished
and heroic spirits in that protracted contest. No less than thirty officers of the army, the majority of whom were graduates of the Military Academy, have died or been kiiled there. Many of the latter were distinguished for their high civi as well as military virtues. The names of Thompson, Heile-man, Gardiner, Bassinger, Mudge, hard, Center, Adams, and many others, will long be remembered. Doctor Leitner*s bravery bad something of a kindred nature to that undaunted spirit with which he pursues any scientic object. We very much fear that he advanced himself beyond the humble post of a surgeon. It could hardly have been a stray bullet that struck him, for we learn " that his hospital steward was shot down beside him.**
Those who have friends warring in that territory, often have their acutest sympathies awakened by these events. But it becomes us not to mourn too much for those who have died nobly at their posts on the field of battle.
In the case to which we have alluded, it is a source of peculiar grief that he should have thus early consigned his corse to the desert regions of that land which it had been the simple and earnest object of his life to explore and illustrate* If, indeed, the results of his labors are not saved, we fear that many years may elapse before the same scientific knowledge of that country may be acquired.
As a student, he possessed the best characteristics of the German scholars: enthusiastic, devoted to his particular branch of knowledge, wedded to science for his unalloyed love for it, and indefatigable in his exertions. O.
B
[For the JVno York American.] CROTON AQ.UEDUCT*
Looking to the importance of the enterprise, as well as to the expenditure which, under any circumstances, must be incurred in its construction, it is somewhat remarkable thnt no notice is taken of the progress of the Croton Aqueduct by any of our public journals. About three years lave elapsed since the project was formally approved by the votes of the Electors of this city, at a poll specially appointed for the purpose; but though little has, as yet, 'been--dowdr'tinti* actual cun»tr<»t'ion uf the work, the estimated cost has been augmented from $4,250,000—the sum for which the People voted— to #7,877,466. It would now seem, that to prevent this amount from swelimg still more, It is intended to deprive the work of all that would fender it an ornament to the city and to the age, in which we live; while, by a course of experiments never before attempted, on a commensurate scale, the success of the whole plan will be jeoparded, and the Aqueduct, instead of subserving the many important objects to which it might incidentally contribute, be made permanently to destroy a portion of those advantages which, by nature, we derive from our insular position.
As neither the commissioners, not the chief engineer, whom they have recently substituted in the room of the distinguished gentleman under whose directions the original surveys and estimates were made, enjoy such a reputation for an acquaintance with either the principles of science applicable to the business on which they are engaged, or for a practical knowledge of what has been elsewhere accomplished, as to preclude all criticism, it may not perhaps be entirely useless to notice, from time to time, the propositions of an extraordinary or unusual character, which are brougjnt forward. By the by, when it is recollected that Gouverneur Morris, Dewitt Clinton, Simeon Dewitt, and John Rutherford, constituted the last analogous commission connected with the interests of our city—that for establishing the permanent avenues and streets— it certainly seems a little strange that, in a work of such a character as the Water Works, the Governor should have scrupulously excluded from the management every man whose general knowledge or previous pursuits could have been of avail, in enabling the Board to arrive at correct conclusions. I
The subject, to which it is intended to direct the attention of the public, on this occasion, is the mode of crossing the, Harlem River. The commissioners, though they admit the feasibility of both plans, and professa willingness to be guided by the decision of the Common Council in the case, give the preference to syphons, connected with iron pipes, placed on.a solid stone embankment over a continuous aqueduct or bridge, as recommended by Major Douglass.
The principal argument adduced in favor of the syphons, is that orecOnomy. In the new statements, the high bridge, which is estimated by his predecessor at $415,650, is placed by the present engineer at $935,745, while he makes the crossing by pipes amount to $426,027. How far reliance is to be placed on calculations varying so much from those for which the commissioners previously vouched—how great an allowance is to be mane for exaggerations in, the case of a plan which, as being favored by the former engineer,is now repudiated—or how far an unavoidable bias has induced deductions from the expense of the project now recommended, we shall not inquire. There is, however, one matter which seems to be lost sight of in the report. The graduation for the inclined planes required, on the plan of the pipes, will render necessary an additional expenditure in the masonry throughout the line, to the extent, according to the published statements, of $381,000. Thus we find, that oven on the score of cost, there is little to be gained by the new "experiment ;'\and hold it, like the ** experiments" in relation to the currency with which the commissioners'political friends have favored us, be abandoned, we cannot rectify bur errors, witjfeout an alteration of the-whole route. It is also tobe remera . bered, that the stoneof the most suitable quality can be obtained at the work itself, without any expense for transportation, and that by an immediate adoption of the measures proposed for opening the Harlem river: more than the cost of that undertaking may be saved in the facility of procuring the other materials required for the aqueduct. But was the difference of expenses* great as is stated in tasrs*/| cent report to the Corporation, we presume that no
in the ancient capital of the world, after a lapse of two thousand years, still fulfil the original objects of their construction, and bear testimony to the wealth and science of Rome. No one, who has examined the more modern aqueducts of Lisbon or at Casata, could for an instant hesitate as to following these safe precedents, instead of substituting for the graceful arches and magnificent pier%, in a work | intended to last for ever, a material which even the advocates of the plan do not pretend will endure for more than fifty or a hundred years. In the one case, posterity will look on the aqueduct asa monument of the resouices and elevated public spirit of our age, while, in the other, we shall feel ashamed and degraded in having brought under the notice of strangers, a work which must be constantly deteriorating, and which, though more expensive in the result, will be pointed out as an evidence of sordid parsimony. Indeed, there is no little ground for supposing that, in our soil, the iron will not last, without corroding, for more than four or fiveiyears, and this, we understand, is the experience of our Gas companies.
Besides, the principle of the syphon, however theoretically tru», will not answer for large masses of water; and to attempt to carry a river through a series of syphons, if successful at all, would be attended with continued interruptions, and to all the consequences"incident to the freqnent repairs of the iron pipes. It is well known that the ancients were perfectly acquainted with the fact that water will rise to its level, and an instance of the inverted syphon is to be found at Lyons; yet in all their great works, they preferred and adopted the continuous
aqueduct* Nor are we to be deterred from the effort of
emulating antiquity, on the present occasion, by any imaginary difficulties of construction. The long discursive remarks in the report as to the labor and skill required in making coffer-dams, and the impracticability of finding suitable foundations for the piers of a bridge in the Harlem river, are an insult to the mechanical ability of our people. The proposed aqueduct, or bridge, is only 118 feet above the level of mean-tide, while that at Casata is 178 feet high, the one at Lisbon 230 feet, and the aqueduct of Spoleto 300 feet. As to the construction of the piers in the river, it is not necessary to show what at Plymouth, and in other places in Europe, has been done in the ocean itself, but in the works executed by the United States in the Delaware, aWTbrog's Neck, and in the various breakwaters and fortifications on our coast, we have ample means of refuting the calumny against our countrymen, implied in the Report. In the objections drawn from the severity of our climate, and in the apprehensions suggested respecting frost, we again find the want of skill of those employed in the direction of the work used as an argument against the perfecting of the plan of its construction. We do not see how there can be any greater difficulty, if the proper hydraulic cement is used, in making the joints of the aqueduct impervious to water, than is found in Sweden or in Russia. The canals of Sweden are among the most prominent works of the kind in Europe, and we have never heard that any inconvenience was felt in the construction of the necessary aqueducts connected with them; nor are we aware that the wall of solid masonry, which forms the embankment of the Neva, in its passage through St. Petersburg, is affected by the severity of {the long continued Russian winters.
If there be, on the ground of expediency, any doubt as to which plan should, be preferred, let a reference be made to the really scientific men of the country—engineers who have engaged in works on an extended scale, and erected with a view to permanence,—and let not the fate of this enterprize be decided altogether by an application, to a work of a w-hollv different clas«. or̂ »»in«ij»u« oo^uirod in the construction of the ephemeral embankments of canals, whose durability is not expected to extend beyond ten years. Of Col. Token's or Col. Thayer's opinion, the writer of this article knows nothing; but their judgment, whatever it might be. would carry with it thnt conviction, which could not be expected to follow the decisions of Mr. Stephen Allen, or of Mr. Saul Alley.
The present plan is also Objectionable in not accomplishing what was anticipated from the original proposition. In the reports both of Major Douglass, who advocated the high bridge, and ot Mr. Martineau, who first brought forward the system of syphons, and which reports were submitted to the people as part of the project, respecting the waterworks to be voted on, a viaduct was distinctly contemplated. The former gentleman observes: " In summing up the estimates, I have used the amount set down for this structure as an aqueduct,notwith-standing the slight difference estimated in favor of the syphon. My impression is, that the greater simplicity and certainty of action, in an uninterrupted channel from the Croton to the distributing reservoir at Murray's Hill, will commend this arrangement to the commissioners and the community ; and it has been suggested, also, that the interests of the public in this structure, as a bridge for connecting the heights of Harlem with those of Westchester, would more than countervail.all differences of expense." Mr. Martineau remarks, that the em. bankment is estimated tO be "30 feet broad on top, "in order that it may answer the twofold purpose of a roadway across the river, and foundation for inverted syphons." With these statements before them, and in full confidence that a viaduct or bridge was to form part of the plan of the commissioners, the land was appraised, and private contracts were entered into, for the sale of portions of what was required for the aqueduct. In these transactions, the benefits to accrue from a permanent communication, free of all toll, between Westchester and New York, were taken into consideration, as well by the appraisers as by the proprietors. The adoption of any project which would dispense with the viaduct, would of course (to say nothing of the other injuries which the embankment of the river would occasion) render necessary an entirely new valuation throughout the whole route.
The dispensing with a viaduct would necessarily subject, at no distant period, the city to an additional expense for a separate structure for that purpose. It is impossible that the miserable wooden bridges which now exist, can permanently serve as the medium of communication between New York and the adjacent country. It is hardly necessary to offer any arguments to show the importance of facilitating the intercourse between this metropolis and the region to which, as being immediately adjacent, it must look for those supplies which will not bear n long transportation; but it may be well to notice the truly ludicrous argument, that although the whole funds are derived from the city, and the benefit is to accrue to those who are taxed for the expenditure, the commissioners being appointed to make an aqueduct cannot also render it a viaduct. We have seen, from the reference to the reports of Major Douglass and Mr. Martineau, that there is no foundation in fact for this subterfuge; but were it otherwise, we should like to learn in what mode these strict constructionists have found an apology for expending nearly double the sum authorized by the vote of the People, when they hesitate in matters of detail of little comparative importance. The advantages of a viaduct, besides its serving for all time to come as a medium for travel and transportation, might be extended so as to connect with it a railroad. The graduation having already been made for the purpose of the waterworks, no further expense would be requisite to render the Croton aqueduct an avenue, by means of which, at all seasons of the year, oar city might, not only be supplied with pure and wholesome water, but also, at a reasonable price, with those articles of provisions demanded by our increasing population.
To the plan of the syphons, as now suggested, there exists an insuperable objection in the injury, which it would permanently inflict, on the navigation of the Harlem riven The commissioners propose to carry an embankment of solid imsonry across the whole river, except about SO feet, damming up the entire channel and leaving the water to pass through a place where the river at high tide is now only four feet deep. This proposition, if carried into effect, would of course be fatal to any future effort for restoring to New York its insular position, and rendering available for the purposes of trade and residence the shores of the Harlem river, which.if proper measuresare adopted, are destined, by the numerous mechanical and manufacturing establishments for which they would furnish the f most appropriate sites, to contribute, in no slight degree, to the wealth and resources of our great emporimu. Thisis not tho occasion to point out
the value of the Harlem river, as affording the most suitable accommodations for our lake and canal craft, and which, after the enlargement of the Erie canal, will probably exceed, in the amount of tonnage, the whole foreign and coasting trade that now centres in our harbor.
It is strange, indeed, thata plan which involves the obstruction of the navigation of the Harlem River should be brought forward at the moment that the Corporation are about authorizing an appropriation for removing the present impediments to its free use. Neither the people of New York or Westchester can or ought to submit to a measure which tends perpetually to debar them of rights of which they have been too long deprived. There is even now a dock near the Fordham Bridge, for the repairs of which the town of Westchester last spring voted $350, and which was used by sloops and other vessels before the revolutionary war. That the river has, in a great measure, ceased to serve the purposes of navigation, is to be ascribed altogether to the artificial difficulties interposed at Cole's Bridge and Macomb's Dam, and which result from these works not being constructed in the manner prescribed in the respective grants. Either the Harlem river is a navigable water, or it is not. If not navigable, the soil to the middle of it belongs 10 the owners on each side of it, and certainly has not been acquired for the Croton Aqueduct. If
I navigable, it cannot be obstructed by the Water Commissioners. Without attempting to show that any obstruction of a navigable stream is a violation of the right of all the citizens of the United States who are entitled to use it for the purposes of trade, it is sufficient to say that the Legislature have given no warrant to commissioners even to cross the Harlem river, except such as may be deduced by implication from the authority to bring the aqueduct from West Chester to New York. This authorization can carry with it no further privileges than those usually accorded for the construction of bridges over navigable streams, and which must be so built as not to interfere with the appropriate employment of the river for commerce. As the direct grant of the whole channel of the river by a State Legislature would be resisted as unconstitutional, most assuredly the people will not allow their privileges, as riparian proprietors, to be wrested from them by implication, in order to enable the Water Commissioners, in whose judgment they have no reason to place any extraordinary reliance, imperfectly to execute a work that can best be accomplished by preserving unimpaired all the advantages of our unrivalled local position.
SIGNERS or THE DECLARATION or INDEPENDENCE.—Of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, it is stated that nine were born in Massachusetts; eight in Virginia; five in Maryland ; four in Connecticut; four in New Jersey; four in Pennsylvania; four in South Carolina; ihreeinNew York; three in Delaware; two in Rhode Island; one in Maine; three in Ireland; two in England; two in Scotland, and one in Wales.
Twenty-one were attorneys; ten merchants; four physicians; three farmers; one clergyman; one printer; sixteen were men of fortune.
Eight were graduates of Harvard College; four of Yale; three of New Jersey; two of Philadelphia ; two of William and Mary; three of Cambridge, England; two in Edinburgh; and one of St. Omers.
At the time of their deaths five were over ninety years of age; seven between eighty and ninety; eleven.between seventy and eighty; twelve between sixty and seventy; eleven between fifty and sixty; seven between forty and fifty; one died at the age of twenty seven, and the age of two uncertain.
At the time of signing the declaration, the average ftf lh« DWIDI>». »»!»» ft»i»j A»«i jcaiB.
They lived to the average age of more than sixty five years and ten months. The youngest member was Edward Rut lege, of South Carolina, who was in his twenty-seventh year. He lived to the age of fifty-one. The next youngest member was Thos. Lynch, of the same State, who was else in his twenty-seventh year. He was cast away at sea in the fall of 1776.
Benjamin Franklin was the oldest member. He was in his 71st year when be signed the declaration. He lived in 1790, and survived 16 of his younger brethren. Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island, the next oldest member, was born in 1707 and died in 1765.
Charles Carroll attained the greatest age, dying in his 96th year. Wm. Ellery, of Rhode Islard, died in his 91st year.
FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. LONGEVITT i%i0NOV%i BRITISH PEERS.—Thero
are twenty-on^ members of the House of Lords w,no have outlived f8uiscore years.
The Royal Exchange was first opened, w'^h great ceremony, by Elizabeth, a maiden Queers, and will, in all human probability, be again opened, on its reconstructs n, by another.
The great. O'Connell was christened without the aristocratic Milesian prefix O', arjrJ was called to the bar, also, as plain Mr. Con.viell, but assumed it in order to / >iss for a person of patrician extraction.
In the 11 irary of Upsal are deposited the mysterious cofi^rs left by Gr,stavus the Third. The period fix' jd by the ro^al will for opening the coffers falls this year, and it is expected that they will yiel d documents which will throw light upon the events of those times hitherto involved in impenof arable darkness.—[Nuremberg Correspondent.]
How- TO ENJOT A NswsrarER.—Immediately on recei pt of your paper, by post or otherwise, order you] - servant to spread out the whole sheet on a covered table, then pass a flat-iron moderately warm 0 ver it, and you have at once a neat, elegant, hof-pre ssed paper/fit for any drawing room, and as rich to the look and feeling as Bath post, and ad-mirabl y adapted for binding.—[Provincial paper.]
Wf/, borrow from the Temps the following account of the classification of the present Chamber of Depc ities, which is composed of 459 members, of wh'01 n it says there are 1 duke, 10 marquises, 32 conn ts, 9 viscounts, and 27 barons. The names of 75 a re preceded by the Patrician particle de, 4 are GraiUd Crosses of the Legion of Honor, 15 grand offic . rs, 32 commanders, 62 officer*, and 171 chevaliers : 12 are of the order of July. Four deputies fill n tore than three Government appointments each, 30 fill three, 178 fill two, and 172 fill one such plac e. Only 55 are perfectly independent. Of the deputies who hold places, 183 receive salaries, and 211 are nominated by Government. Thus 394 are plat '.emen, with or without salaries.
" If I weru so unlucky,"said an officer, "as to hav e a stupid son, I would certainly, by all means, ouCke him a parson.*, A clergyman, who was in the company, calmly replied," You think differently, sir, from your father."
CANNIBALU uc.—At a recent meeting of the Royal Geographical. Society, after some letters and papers on Australia b ad been read. Sir John Barrow said, that with refei fence to cannibalism, which had been alluded to in c me of the papers read, in all his reading he bad ne\ rer met with a well authenticated case of that horrid crime, nor did he believe any such was upon rect >rd.
PaiNCSLT A SuNiricEMcs.—The late Earl of Egre-mont distribt ited in acts of charity and benevolence, during, the last sixty years, upwards of one million two. hundred pounds sterling—or about twenty thousand pounds per annum.
f From Frazer*M Magazine.] . ANNUALS.- —It is hardly necessary to examine
these books a nd designs one by one—they all bear the same chai •acter, and are exactly like the "books of beauty," , 4 flowers of loveliness," and so on, which'appear ed last year. A large weak plate, done in what we believe is called.the stipple style of engraving, woman badly drawn, with enormous eyes—a tear, perhaps, upon each cheek—and an exceedingly low-cut dress—pats a greyhound, or weeps in to a flower-pot, or delivers a letter to a bandy-legged, curi'y-headed page. An immense train of-white satin , Ills up one corner of the plate; j an urn, ft stone railin %, a fountain, and a bunch of J hollyhocks,adorn the other: the picture is signed Sharpe, Pdrris, Cor.tould, Corbaux, Jenkins, Brown, as the case ma y b% and is entitled **Tbv Pearl," " La Dolorosa,"' 'La Biondin* »*VLeGage d»Amour,'» *«Tho Forsa ken One of Florence," "The Water-lily," or st me such imms. Miss Landon, Mies Mitford, or my Lady Kensington, writes a song upon the opm* tits sage, about water* lily, chilly, «ffly> ohrw»t» M n s a streamlet,I
MI
. ' PASSENGERS: In the ship Shskspea/e. from Liverpo l-Lfcut.
Col. Gaecoigne, bearer of despatches from Her M«jeety*8 government to the government of Ca-
InftB ship Orpneue, from Uvorjmdi-Cot^auV cart, and Mr. John Barker, of London ; Mr. E. Morns, Manchester; Mr. and Miss McLaughlin, and I t * Mr. Q-Meare, from London.
;
plighted, blighted, love-benighted, falsehood sharper than a gimlet, lost affection, recollection, cut connexion, Mats in torrents, true-love token, spoken, broken, sighing, dying, girl of Florence; and so on. Ths poetry is qtrite worthy of the picture, and a little sham sentiment is employed to illustrate a little sham art. ~
Departure of the Guards. " Go whan glory watts tee*J"
is weeping and wailingat «nu W*et-end. Piccadilly is the picture of affiictiott.andJowd is the lament in Mayfair. Eight hundWof the Oa-orls are going to Canada, to fight those, sanage rifle shooting rebels 1 And what makes the desolation more dieadful—the horror of the thing more horrible—the sweetest young creatures in ins Army are to be sacrificed!
" We understand," says the accurately-instructed Globe, " that the brigade of Guards tobe sent out to Canada is to be composed of young mm, who have been in the service under seven years; and that both the officers and soldiers are well pleased (?) at the prospect of seeing a little active service." The fusty old fellows are to remain at home as rusty
as ever, swilling their claret, and gaping at the win-do ws of the Clubs. Wby^ exclaims the despairing Angiolina, did they not send out old Colonel Pogrom ? He is no sort of use here—he ean't waltz— a swamp in Canada is good enough for him : but be is to remain, and Frederick is to go ! Mrs. Colonel Fogrum protests thatfttis too bad J when she prevailed upon the Colonel to got Fred, a commission in the Guards, it was on tha dear understanding that he was not to leave Lcuufao, except for nm occasional trip to Brighton or Paris ; and she wish? es the Colonel would let Lord Fkzroy Somerset know that: but Radicalism seems to have infested even the Army, and the gentlemen of the Guards are to be put on a par with the plebeians of the Line;
Such, as we learn from the best authority, (having " for this week only," engaged the PosVsfashionable intelligencer,) is a sample of the talk in tha exclusive circles.
There is another class of persons who are exceeding troubled by the announcement of the intended departure of the Guards ; and these are the worthy folks who Bupply young gentlemen with cash on post-obits. Why, the chances are that the seniors will outlive their offspring ! There never were such adepts at picking off officers as those hunters of the back-woods. And t'nen there will be Yankee riflemen, amateurs of forests and fighting, who, to use their own elegant phraseology, will join the rebels " on their own hook**—that is, will do a bit of warfare on their own Ojccount These chips disdain to kill" men" whe n officers are to be had, and marvellous is their kn»< ;k of putting bullets through embroidered jackets. A ware of this unhappy propensity, the Israelites are besieging the Horse Guards to countermand the order for despatching their aristocratic debtor* to the American swamps.
Meanwhile, the Guardsmen can think of nothing but glory. Eager and earnest are their preparations for " se tvice." It is said that Greenwood and Cox are at 1 .heir wits' end te meat the drafts that come thick and fast upon then in payment for lavender wate r and cigars. The quantity of pink kid gloves sole 1 is incredible, and double-footed silk socks are snapped up in all directions. Bond street never was in such a bustle. The jeweUs» are busy from " nig;ht to morn, from moro to dBfyaye,'' i getting up kwkets' and scent-boxes, and vinaigrettes,—the first for mementos to desolate fair ones, the other; 1 for use in the back woods. Padding never we a in such a request: for what is a soldier without 'breadth of bust ? The shooting gal lei y is filled wi th future heroes, who as yet have never pulled a trigger against any thing more formidable than a 1 >heasant. The riding-schools exhibit trembling ty ros in horsemanship t.ek»finM»v*o« *W pacing pomes they must substitute hard-trotting charger s, that snort and rear fearfully.
To gentlemen evidently so well prepared for "servi- te,"advice is probably superfluous; but our zeal in the noble cause which they go to defend must be an excuse for any thing that may seem officio us in the following suggestions.
It is 10 be apprehended that the war win" endure _ for sot ne time. There will be summer and winter camp iigns. The summer campaign w that which our young heroes will first encounter; and it is strongly recommended to them to. take out a large supply of gauze handkerchiefs, and musquito nets; otherwise their fair faces will be so scratched and blosc^ed that the lovely Angiolinaa will scarcely recounize the remnant who may return. Another P'.ece of useful advice is always to sweep the rattle* Snakes out of the tent before going to bed at night.
t So much for the summer. The most necessary 'caution to be observed in winter is, to thaw fro
zen noses in show. Probably nothing will save noses and ears frozen ; but the best plan is to bold handfuIs of snow to them for two or three hours,— unless the hero prefer losing his.nose to his fingers, for it will be extremely difficult to preserve both. When a feature has once been frozen, and recovered, for a long time afterwards it looks red and raw both in hot and cold weather,—a charming anticipation for a Guardsman and his lady love.
On Monday afternoon, a little girl, daughter of Mr. David Rickets, of this city, while standing near the kitchen stove had her apron drawn into the draft door, which took fire immediately. The child ran up stairs screaming for her mother and elder sister, who sprung to meat bar as sown as her cries were board. Th« sister found her enveloped in a sheet of flame. With great pi«s«oce of aninu • she caught her and threw her upon die hearth rug, which, in a moment, she had wrapped all around her, extinguishing the fire almost instantaneously. But alas ! it was too late. When her clothing was taken off, she was burnt to a crisp from her knees to her bead, and showed but few signs of Ids. The flames as it eddied under her little arms while she ran for assistance, consumed the very flesh, which dropped away even before she died. A sight more distressing, and truly heart-rending, could scarcely be witnessed. She lingered about ten hours, when death kindly released her from suffering.— [Baltimore Gazette.]
' How do donkeys live here V said a man, in S. America, * I see no grass.' ' Why,' said his friend, ' we put green spectacles on them, and feed them with shavings.* . . . . . .
The Evening Post says, that " the Whigs stab Col: Johnson through his family." Well, we should call dutt " stabbing in the dark."— [Prentice.]
MARRIED: On Thursday evening, March 8th, by the Rev.
J.H. Cox, C. Gillespie Jftwcomk, to Miss Elizabeth C. Palmer, eldest daughter of Beriah Palmer, all of thTscfty.
At Vicksburg, Miss., on the 4th of Fe< last, Isaac G. Bihby, Esq. late of this city, America Kinkead, of the former place.
I DIED: In this.city, on Wednesday evening,
stant, of erysipelas, Miss Abigail Ward Guilford, Conn. Her remains will be la1
native.place for interment. Yesterday morning, of scarlet fever, Aim',
tor of WMm Tm. Jfordcn, aged 4 years, relatives aud friends of the family are requested attend her funeral this afternoon, at 4 o'clock, from No. 133 Grand street.
This morning, Harriet V. wife of 8. J. Mumferd, in the 25th year of her age. The relatives and friends of the family are requested to attend her funeral from No. 146 Henry street, on Sunday afternoon, at half past 4 o'clock.
At Brooklyn, on Thursday, 8th instant, Joseph Stockton.uoa of C. Stockton Hoisted, aged 22 months and 17 days. The friends of the family are invited to attend the funeral tomorrow, (Saturday) afternoon, at 3 o'clock, from No. 21 Concord street, Biooklyn, without further invitation.
At Jamaica, on Monday last, Isaac ComtUui, son of Abraham Bergen, in ths 14th year of hjtege.
In December last, at Killna Castle, Westsoea'.h, Ireland, Sir Thomas Chapman, Barf, in tha eighty fourth year of his age.
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Thomas M. Tryniski 309 South 4th Street Fulton New York 13069
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Thomas M. Tryniski 309 South 4th Street Fulton New York 13069
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