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TWO jKl!.I.,n PER A.NXLrM,7
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AND FARMERS' M MECHANICS' BESISTEO.
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t $: 33 WILT. UU CHARGED.
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riUXTED AND PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY JONATHAN ROW, SOMERSET, SO M Eli SET COUNTY, PA.
rrcr; Series.
TUESDAY, NO VEBZBBR 3, 185:6,
Vol. 4. No. 61.
K
THE BUM) GIRL'S LAMENT.
It is not that I cannot see
The birds and flowers of spring,
'Tis not that beauty seems to me,
A dreamy unknown thing:
It is not that I cannot mark
The blue and sparkling sky,
Nor ocean's foam, nor mountain's peak,
That e'er I weep or sigh.
They tell me that the birds, whose notes
Fall rich and sweet and full
That those I listen to and love,
Are not all beautiful!
They tell me that the gayest flowers
Which sunshine ever brings,
Are not the ones I know so well,
But strange and scentless things!
My little brother leads me forth
To where the violets grow;
Ills ger.Ie, cud yet careful step,
And tiny hand I know.
My mothers voice is soft and sweet,
Like music on my car;
The very atmosphere seems love,
When these to me are near.
My father twines his arras around,
And draws me to his breast,
To kiss the poor, blind helpless girl
He savs he loves the best.
'Tis then I ponder, all unknown,
It tn3y he weep or sigh,
And think how glorious it must be
To meet affection's eye !
From the St. Louis Kcveille.
rnr:
GRILLING DESCRIPTION
OJ Sergeant Millon's share in .May's
t'hurge at Itesaca de la Pulmu.
We listened with the deepest interest,
!i Saturday last, to Sergeant Milton's
description of Capt. May's charge upon
the Mexican battery, and his own share
in that glorious struggle. Each man en
gaged in it was a hero, and perhaps none
of Uose who survived passed through a
greater share of peril than the brave vet
eran in question. His modem, unassu
ming manner, and plain relation cf facts,
stamp them with the seal of truth, and
the wounds on his person bear ample tes
timony to every word he utters.
'At Palo Alio," says he, 4,I took my
rank in the troop as second Sergeant,
;:nd while upon the field my horse was
wounded in the jaw by a grape shot,
which disabled him for .service. While
lie was plunging in agony I dismounted,
and the quick eye of Capt. May observed
me S3 I alighted from my horse. Hi
inquired if I was hurt. I answered n?
that ray horse was the sufferer. "I
sun glad it is not yourself," replied he;
'there is another," (pointing at the same
time to a steed without a rider; which
was standing with dilated eye gazing at
the strife.) "mount him." I approached
the horse, and lie stood still until I put
my hand upon the rein and patted his
in" ck, when he rubbed his head alongside
of me as if pleased that some human be
ing was about to become his companion
in the affray. He was a noble bay, which
had, with a number of others, been pur
chased for the troop at St. Louis. I be
Ftrode him, end we passed through the
first day unharmed.
"On the second day, at Resaca de la
Palm a, our troop stood anxiously waiting
f r the signal to b? given; and never had
I iouked upon men upon whose counte
nances were mere clearly expressed a de
termination to win. The lips of some
were pale with excitement, and their eyes
wore that fixed expression winch beto
kens michicf; others with shut t?eih
would quietly laugh and catch a t'ghter
rrip of the rein, or seat themselves, with
care and firmness in ths saddle, while;
quiet words of confidence and encourage
ment were passed from each to hi? neigh
bor. Ail at once Capt. May rode to the
front of his troop every reiu and sabre
was tightly grasped. Raising himself
md pointing at the battery, he shouted,
"Men, follow!" There was now a
cluttering of hoofs and a rattling of sabre
sheathes the fire of the enemy's guns
was partly drawn by Lieut. Ridgley, and
the xcxt moment we were sweeping like
the wind up the ravine. I was in a squad
of about nine men, who were separated
by a shower of g;pe from the battery,
and we were in advance, May leading.
He tnrncd Lis horse opposite the breast
work, in front of the guns, and with an
other shout to follow," leaped over them.
Several of the horses did " follow, but
mine bein new and not well trained, re
fused; two others balked, and their riders
started down the ravine to turn the breast
work where the rest of the troops had
entered. I made another attempt to clear
the gmi? with' my horse; turning him
around feeling all the time secure at
thinking the guns discharged I put his
bead towards them and gave him spur,
but he r.frain balked; so turning his head
d-nvn the ravine, I too started to ride
T'lind the breastwork.
'As 1 cape U wn a lancer dashed at
me with lance in rest. With my sabre I
parried his thrust only receiving a slight
flesh wound from its point in the arm,
j which felt at the time like the prick of a
pin. The lancer turned and lied; at that
i moment a ball passed through my horse
1 on the left side and shattered my right
i thigh.. The shot killed the horse instant
! ly, and lie fell upon my left leg, fast
ening me by his weight to the earth.
There I lay right in the midst of the ac
tion, where carnage was riding riot, and
every moment the shot,both from our own
and the Mexican guns, tearing up the earth
around me. I tried to raise my horse so
as to extricate my leg, but I had already
grown so weak with my wound that I
was unable, and, from the mere attempt, I
fell back exhausted. To add to my hor
ror a horse, who was careering about
riderless, within a few yards of me receiv
ed a wound, and he commenced strug
gling and rearing with pain. Two or
three times he came near falling on me,
but at length, with a scream of agony and
a bound, he fell dead his body touched
my own fallen steed. What I had been
in momentary dread of, from the hot fir
ing m my neighborhood, now occurred
my wounded limb which was lying a
cross the horse, received another ball in
the ankle.
' I now felt disposed to give up, and,
exhausted through pain and excitement
a film gathered over my eyes, which I
thought was the precursor of dissolution.
From this hopeless state I was aroused
by a wounded Mexican, calling out to me,
'Uueno .Inicicauo' and turning my eyes
towards the spot, I saw that he was hold
ing a certificate and calling to me. The
tide of action now rolled away from
me, and hope again sprung up. The
Mexican uniforms began to disappear
from the chapparal, and squadrons of our
troops passed in sight, apparently in pur
suit. While I was thus nursing the pros
pect of escape, 1 behold not far from me
a villainous looking Ranchero armed with
an American sergeant's short sword,
despatching a wounded American soldier,
whose body he robbed the next he came
to was a Mexican, whom he served the
same way. and thus I looked on while he
murderously slew Amr. I drew an un
discharged pistol from my holsters, and,
laving myself along mv horse's neck,
watched him, expecting to be the next
victim; but something frightened him
from his vulture-like business, and he fLd
in another direction. I need not say that
h;d he visited nie, I should have taken one
more shotnt the enemy, and would have
died content had I succeeded, in making
such an as-df?s'm bite the dust. Two
hours after, I had the pleasure of shaking
some of comrades bv the hand, w ho were
ng"ur the wounded.
Thry lined mv
a.-; to
Mexican friend, tec, :::!
say he, as well as myself, live to tight
orer again the sanguine fray of Resaca
vz la Palma."
Sergeant Milton exhibited to us the
certificate which the Mexican soldier af
tcrwards presented to him.. It is from
the Treasurer of Coahuihi, certifying that
he belonged to the regular cavalry of the
S.h regiment and was named Carlos Sd
va. It is dated Saitillo 13th of April,
1810.
MILITARY MOVEMENTS.
There appears to be no doubt that the
Government has, within a few weeks, or
dered an expedition from the Rio Grande,
under General Patterson, to move down
the coast, and, in co-operation with a part
cf the naval force blockading Vera Cruz,
to Like possession of the town of Tam
pico. This place is about two hundred
and eighty miles south of Matamoras,
and nearly the same distance, north, from
Vera Cruz. West of Tampico, about
one hundred and forty miles in the inte
rior, and near the head of the river Panu
co, (at the mouth of which Tampico is
situated,) lies the city of San Luis Poto
si, an important point on General Tay
lor's line of march to the city of Mexi
co. It is therefore highly probable that
the force, or a great part of it, under Ge
neral Patterson, after capturing Tampi
co, (where they will probably meet with
no serious resistance,) will advance inland
and form a junction with GeneralTAYLon
at San Luis. If this be the plan of the
Government, it will be a fortunate one:
fr now that the feuds and distractions of
Mexico have been reconciled, and its
whole people united, by the return of
Santa Anna, whose restoration our Go
vernment unfortunately aided or connived
at, General Taylor will have need, we
fear, of all the reinforcements at the com- j
mand of the Government, to enable him
to triumph over the ; impediments of so
long a march through a difficult and hos
tile country. What energy, courage and
prudence can do, we know that General
Taylor and his brave, and now severely
tried army, will effect; and to these we
trust to carry him victoriously through
the arduous and perilous task before him.
Compelled as we arc to condemn the war
itself as unnecessary, and its originators
as answerable for all the blood that has
been shed, the hearts that have been be
reaved and broken, and the treasure that
has been wasted by it, we trust that our
arms may every where triumph, that vie-
tory may perch upon our standards to the
end, and then that the cost and sacrifices
may be counted up, and our rulers called
to a severe reckoning. Victory cannot
repair the evils of war, but it is the only
consolation left us for the sad consequen
ces, public and domestic, which war brings
in its train. Nat. Int.
THE WAR-ITS CHARACTER,
PLANS AND PROGRESS.
FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA IXQOREK.
The Governmont has cerlninly com
mitted two awkward blunders since the
commencement of the war with Mexico.
It will be remembered that soon after the
difficulty occurred. Gen. Gaines called
out a large body of troops, under a
belief that a powerful demonstration was
immediately necessary, and a conviction
that such a policy, if promptly pursued,
and with the utmost vigor, would lead to
the speedy termination of the war. lie
was denounced for this course by the
Government: his men were, many of
them, summarily dismissed, and others
stopped in their progress to the seat of
war, while the General himself was court
raartiallcd, tried and very properly acquit
ted. In brief, his views were regarded
as altogether erroneous under the circum
stances. And yet judging from present
appearances, the men who were dismiss
ed are now greatly needed as reinforce
mcnts to Gen. Taylor, and orders, it is
probable, have ere this been issued for
more troops.
The other blunder was the admission
into Vera Cruz of Santa Anna and Al
monte. These distinguished Mexicans
were, at the last accounts, making a power
ful effort to re-animate the Republic, and
to raise a new army of 30,000 men to
march against the United States forces in
Mexico. Indeed, before the entrance of
Santa Anna, the Mexicans themselves
were divided into factions, and evidently
tumbling to pieces. Hut, since his re
turn, Yucatan has renewed her allegiance
and Santa Anna has become the head and
front of the war party.
FROM THE NEW YORK EXPRESS.
The Courier lei Elttla truin states
that it has private letters from llavanna,
w hich show that Santa Anna brought with
him, in the steamer Arab, to Vera Cruz,'
twenty Spanish officers of distinguished
ahilityjamong the number Narciso Lopez,
who. has acted a distinguished part in the
civii war of Old Spain. From other ac
counts we learn that these officers, under
Santa Anna, are to have commands in the
attempt to expel our columns of invasion.
One ofihem.it is added, is a very able
cavalry officer, who says that with a corps
of 5,000 to oppose us, we can never
reatrh the capita!. Others are good artil-iCi-isiF,
vh- will hurl death upon us in
t!:e p .jics to Sv'hi'lo, and at Saitillo or.
San Luis Polod.
Wh it infatuation could have beset Mr.
Polk that he should have let in upon us,
by a free pass at Vera Cruz, these ele
ments of destruction? How many lives
he has thus to answer for!
Fortunate is it however, that Santa
Anna did not succeed in duping Mr.
Polk out of the $2,000,000 as well as in
this matter. But for "Wihnot's proviso"
we should have lost our money as well as
our wits.
FROM THE NEW JERSEY FREDONIAN.
This most unnecessary and unjust war
with .Mexico, when is it to terminate ?
Where is it to lead us? At what point
shall we stop? Whai are to be the con
sequences of it? These are are all start
ling questions, that should be discussed
and understood. It is certain that it is to
be a more serious a flair than was at first
counted upon if, indeed, there were any
caleulations on the subject. It will roll
up a mighty national debt. It wiil beget
it has begotten already a most un
friendly and unchristian national temper.
It is a war of conquest a war of aggran
dizement a war of plunder a war of
power and bravado against weakness and
imbecility. It is also a war of assump
tions and usurpations of the most alarm
ing character. One territory after anoth
er is overun; our Generals boeome their
Governors; and the whole arc, with a
flourish of a pen, declared, to be annexed
to and the permanent possccsions of the
United States! No act of Congress is
sought for authority; no constitutional
provision is cited to sustain it, but by
mere will and order of the President or
Commander-in-chief of the United States
all these fearful strides are made to an
entire revolution in the physical, politi
cal, and moral condition of the country !
Can such things pass over us almost
without a comment without any spe
cial wonder with no popular movement
to indicate the extreme danger to. which
we are verging? And is this the progres
sive Democracy of the day? Is it for
this that our fathers toiled and bled?
Would the patriots that achieved our free
dom and independence, and those still
more devoted ones that fought to cement
secure them under the solemn covenants
and guaranties of a constitutional com
pact, have settled down thus supinely and
submissively under the overshadowing
and crushing power of Executive dicta
tion and usurpation? Would they have
looked on in sullen apathy, or with cow
ardly fear, and permitted one after anoth
I er of the pillars of their fair fabric to be
broken down, without one effort to ar
rest the destruction and avert the deso
! lation? Where arc we? What are we?
from the cincinnati chronicle.
The War aid the Armistice.
There are certain facts connected with
the movements of the Government and
the army of which we must remind our
readers, in order to keep them advised of
the true state of things.
It is now notorious that till within two
or three weeks Mr. Polk's administration
lived in constant hopes of making a treaty
with Santa Anna, w hose supremacy in
"Mexico was considered certain. For
this purpose a regular intrigue was car
ried on with that chieftain. Messengers
passed to and fro between the Napoleon
of Mexico and the President of the U
nited Stales. At a time when the two
nations were ai swords' points, the Mexi
can chief, Santa Anna, was allowed to
pass quietly, peaceably, and lovingly
through the American fleet, and land in
"Mexico, to take command of her forces !
While this intrigue was t;oing on, Gen.
Taylor was beyond doubt advised by the
Government of what the President ex
pected, and he was, of course, not at all
hurried m his movements.
In the mean while, about three weeks
since, the President became fully aware
that his intrigue with Santa Anna had
failed cf the expected results. He ac
cordingly started up, in great surprise
an internal exclamation, Perfidious Mex
icans ! War ! War !" The result of
this determination of Mr. Polk and his
advisers was orders to Gen. Taylor to
hasten his operations, and march boldly
forward.
But about the time this change was
made at Washington the army had reach
ed Monterey, and the bloody battle there
was fought and won. The commander.
Gen. Taylor, knew nothing of this
change, and of course thought that the
armistice he had made was the best step
towards peace. While his messenger is
carrying the news of the battle of Monte
rey to Washington, the President's mes
senger is carrying him fresh orders toad
vance iirto Mexico, and hasten active op
erations. These messengers probably
crossed one another.
Li the mean while ihc I'tiioir contin
ues to say thai the war is to be carried on
more actively, and the advance into Mex
ico continued. If this be the case, the
volunteers not yet called into service muM
be ordered to Mexico, and a very much
larger supply of subsistence provided.
As to the Armistice.its terms cannot he
violated with honor. The words are, no
advance fhall be tr.ad; within "eight
weeks or until hn- orders or instructions"
cf the respective Governments are re
ceived. Now, this does not refer to the
orders then on I he uxti' In Taylor, but
tu those lie should receive from the Presi
dent after the latter had received his des
patches. Five or six weeks must there
fore elapse, after the battle of Monterey,
before any advance could be made by the
army.
This is the present state of things.
In order to give the reader a clear idea
of the chief danger to the American army,
and the main obstruction in the wav of
their march to Mexico by their present
route, we copy the following extract
from the Cincinnati Daily Chronicle,
whose editor (Mr. Mansfield) was for
merly, if we mistake not, an officer of the
United States army :
We assume that Gen. Taylor is at
"Monterey. If there has been a battle we
have no doubt he has been victorious.
Wc have noie of the doubts which ap
pear to be felt in sonic quarters about the
dangers and difficulties of the army. The
army is able to Lake care of itself, so far
as battles are concerned. That is not
the difficulty. The difficulty is the
length of the line of operations, and eve
ry step into that difficulty. The reader
who has never thought of military matters
will easily perceive the truth of these
facts:
"1. An army must be supplied with
provisions from its rear. In the resent
instance there is no prospect of retting
provisions from the Mexicans. The
country through which (Jen. Taylor is to
move is thinly populated ?nd pen.r. The
supplies of the army must lie derived
Irani New Orleans. The line of supply
is, therefore an immense one.
'2. A train of baggage wagons may
be cut off by a very small party of men.
j A Guerilla warfare adopted by the Mexi
cans would be the most effectual one.
'3. It follows from this that Gen.T. can
not safely leave any part of his line of
supply beyond the Rio Grande uncover
ed. It is not a case in which a Spartan
band are simply to cut their way through
an enemy's line. It is a case in which
a large part of the army must be continu
ally engaged in getting supplies and de
fending them. Every post and every
town Gen. Taylor conquers, then, must
be defended by troons left -behind. At
! every step he advances, then, his army is
I diminished and the difficulties of supplies
increased. "
'With tliis general view of the ca?e, let
us see what sort of a journey, in distance
and country, lies before Gen. Taylor.
From Suhillo, south, to Mexico, there
is a road, but it is the only continuous
road passing in that direction. The dis
tances on that road are as follows :
Monterey to Saitillo 95 miles.
Sahiilo to Trenillo 181 do
Trenillo to Agualazcientes 121 do
Agualazeientcs to Laros 55 do
Lazos to Villa de Leon 24 do
Villa do Leon to Guanaxuato 42 do
Guanaxuato to Sjhmane.i 23 do
Salamanca to Jii:m del Rio 83 do
Juan del Rio to Tula 45 do
Tula to Mexico 50 do
Monte-rev to Mexico
724 do
"If nothing but distance were in the
way, that alone presents almost an im
possibility to the 3rmy; but there are oth
er great difficulties in the way, which it
is hard to overcome with an army which
left Camargo with only thirty days' sup
ply of provisions.
"In the first place from Monterey to
Saitillo is a very difficult road, filled with
defiles. Wc will suppose that has been
overcome. Then commences the great
est diffinclty. The next step is one hun
dred and eighty miles hrough a country
j w hich is described as an arid plain, al
' most without water, a:id equally without
inhabitants. On this point we may add
I what seems not to be entirely understood.
, that nine-tenths of the Mexican'people are
' south of San Luis de Potosi and Trenii
': lo. This being thease, very little, we
may say nothing, is gained by cur con
! quest short of the city of Guanaxuato.'
FROM TEXAS.
(From the New Orleans Picayune of Oc
tober 14.)
The Steamship Neptune arrived yes
terday evening from Galveston. We
need not say that very general joy was
! diffused throughout the citv upon learn
j ing of the, safety of a ship which most
! nautical men had given up as lost. For
! the critical situation in which the Neptune
was placed, and her escape lrom peril,
we refer to the report of ihe captain.
From the Gclveston News, extra, of
the 10th instant, we learn that the schoo
ner Blanche E. Sayre arrived there the
evening previous, from Brasos Island, ha
ving left there on the 7th instant two
days after the McKim. By this schoo
ner the Galveston papers have second
hand recounts of the battle of Monterey,
but they are by no means so full as those
we have published, nor from so good
sources of information.
From Texas there is but little intelli
gence. Wc read in the "News' of the
ihh instant as follows:
"The editor of the Texas Democrat
says that Gen. Wool's advance division,
under Col. Harney, would leave San An
tonio on the 27th September. The route
will be by the Presidio, from which place
the passes of the mountains are distant
not more than forty miles, which can be
defended by a few resolute men against
great odds. The editor of the Democrat
says many suppose resistance will be
made, but he does not know where the
Mexicans can raise troops to give battle
any where on the route to Chihuahua.
He, however, admits that it is problemat
ical whether the necessary provisions and
forage can be procured after crossing the
Rio Grande. The editor is himself at
San Antonio, and says that there are ac
tudly many complaints of irregularities
in giving and executing orders," &e.
Such :rc the reports of the Texas pa
pers. We received no papers by the
Neptune.
A "rand barbneue was given to Senator
Houston, at Huntsville, Texas, on the
2Gth ultimo, at which the General spoke
for an hour and a half.
DROPPING THE PIGEON.
An elderly gentleman who resides in
Ohio and was just returning from a visit
to Iowa, was "done" out of S2G0 on
Monday - morning by two scamp?, who
"dropped the pigeon" on him. The
mode of operation is so familiar to all
newspaper readers that it is scarcely worth
j while to repeat it minuily. The gentle
man was a passenger on the Ohio Mail,
which boat landed at Portland, and re-
I mained a short lime, previous to coming
' 1 , .1 1 TT .! 1
inrougii tiic canai. ne was mere ad
dressed by a gentleman of quite insinua
ting manner, who invited him in order
to while nway the time, to visit a remark
able Sulphur Spring, which he represent
ed as being but a few hundred yards dis
tant. On the way they met a drunken
man with a pack of cirds, and the two
by their adroit management, obtained the
lonn of the old gentleman's purse, con
taining $260 and then as soon as pos.-i-
I ku ..o Mm thn slin. This trick has
!been exposed in the newspapers a thau
t sand and one times, yef, strange to say,
! we almost daily hear of its being played
off euecesfuHy on "green ones" folks
vrho don t tekc the papers, of couss:
(XouUviHe Courier.
Pleasures of Soldiering.
Major Forsyth, the editor of the Col
umbus, Georgia, Times, has written sev
eral letters which rank high for graphia
power and spirited details. From a recent
letter the Richmond Enquirer extracts s
few passages, showing how rich a field
Mexico presents for a lover of Entomolo
gy and Natural History :
This country is distinguished, abort
all other particulars, by its mynads of
crawling, flying, stiuging and bitinj
things. Every thing you touch ha3 a
spider on it. We are killing them all
day in our tents. We never dare draw
on a boot or put on a hat or a garment
without a close search for some poisonous
reptile or insect crouching in their folds
or corners. It is wonderful that we ara
not stung twenty times a day. Yesterday
morning, while standing up at breakfast,
(wc never sit at meal? for the want where
with to make a seat,) I felt some strango
thing crawling up my leg about the knee.
It did not take me long to seize it with my
hand and to disrobe. Looking into the
leg of my offdrawer, I beheld a Tillaincua
looking creature of black and yellow,
with a long bony tail. I called my mes
to look at it, when Dr. Hoxey, who had
been before in this reptile country, pro
nounced it a Mexican scorpion, and told
me for my comfort that it vva3 as poison
ous as a rattlesnake. His sting was out,
and no doubt when I clenched him in my
hand he stuck out at my clothes, instead
of my flesh. Thinks I to myself there's
an escape. Besides these we have spi
ders, centipedes, hordes of flies, and eve
rything else that crawls, flys, bite3, and
makes a noise. A gang of locusli have
domiciled themselves in our camp, and
kept up a sleepless clatter all night. To
this is joined the music of frogs, and tha
barking of prairie dogs. A few nighti
since a panther came smelling up to the
lines of our sentries All these small
nuisances are universally prcmounced ia
camp as death to one's patriotic emotions,
and a right hard fight with the enemv. to
be followed by a radiance of this pestilent
country, would be hailed by the whole
regiment as a consummation of joy &c much
happiness. But here we are to slay fight
ing her insects and vermin, with no pres
ent prospect of finding their masters, (our
enemy,) for whose special use and appro
priate comfort they seem to hav been
formed by nature. Some few of our of
ficers profess to be enamored of this coun
try. The air here, near the sea-coast, is
certainly fine, and one is at a loss to ac
count for the sickness: but, aside from
that, I would. willingly forego the posses
sion of all the rich acres I have seen to
get back lrom this land of half-bred bug.
LIEUT. COL. M'CLUNG,
of Mississtrn.
This gentleman, who was severely
woundt-d in the attack on Monterey, it
will be seen, has died of his wounds.
We take him to be Alexander McClung,
of Jackson, "Mississippi, who was Mar
gin! of the Eastern district, having re
ceived his appointment from Gen. Harri
son. If so, he was a nephew of the lat3
Chief Justice Marshall, and fell heir to a
large portion of the talent which has ren
dered that family one of the most remark-
j able we ever knew. He was a lawyer of
full practice, and was widely known for
his undaunted courage and open d.sposi-
i lion.
We learn from an officer in the army
that those officers who fell at Monterey
were among the very flower of the ser
vice. Highly as we estimate ihe valor
of these undaunted heroes, (for heroes
they certainly were,) we cannot but de
plore the evil councils which precipitated
us into a war in which so much valuable
blood has been shed. No success, how
ever brilliant, can ever compensate the
country for the loss she has sustained in
their persons. We consider ihe lives of
such men as Ringgold, Brown, Watson,
McClung, and Barbour as of more value?
than all the spoils it i3 possible to obtain
by the acquisition of every province in
Mexico, with their rude, half civilized,
half Indian population. Richm. W
FIRING OFF THE MAMMOTH
MORTAR CANNON.
The great gun lately casl at Alger5
foundry was fired a few times at South
Boston Point yesterday afternoon. Shell
12 inches in diameter, and 180 ponndJ
in weight, were thrown various distances,
according to the charge, elevation, 2 mi
length of fuse used. With a charge of
20 pounds of powder, 20 second iwse,
at an elevation of 2 degrees, a shell was
thrown 2 miles, and buried deep in the
earth at Squantum. A ricochet shot wa
tried with a 10 feconds fuse, 20 pounds
of powder charge, and 7 pounds in tha
fhcll. It dash.pd through and over the
water at an aw ful rate, and exploded at a
distance of about two mil?s 'n the wafer,
throwing the fragments several hundred
yards in every direction. The regular
jervice charge is 25 pounds, which at a
dua'elevation" will prc-jevt thehcil some
thing between thre and n half and four
mile?. The firing w;.? under the direc
tion of Colonel Hem ford, il.e inventor of
this formidable pr.i" of frdnanc, io
itrW for hirbor def -nc. fciftoa Port.
I