« & fh &8r ths Canada line. 3 FE 1 7% rl ’ 3 % Ee —— oY % “ : TT © o ; WATCH BELLEFONTE, THURSDAY MORNING, NOV. 7, 1861. ———— m= of Port. OUR COUNTRY. On primal rocks she wgote her name : Her towers wers reared on oly graves ; The golden seed that bore her came _ Swift-winged with prayer o'er oeean waves. The Forest bowed lifx solemn crest, And open flung his sylvan doors : Moek Rivers led the appointed Guest To clasp the wide embracing shores ; Til, fold by fold, the embroidered land To swell her virgin vestments grew, While Sages strong in heart and band, Her virtues flery girdle drew. Oh Exile af the wrath of kings ! 0 Pilgrim Ark of Liberty ! The refuge of divinast things, Thelr record must abide in thee. First in the glories of thy front . Let the crown jewel, Truth, be found ; Thy right hand fling, with generous wont, Love’s happy chain to farthest bound. Let Justice, with the fanltless sealer, Hold fast the worship of thy sone ; Thy commerce spread her shining sails Where no dark tide of rapine runs. ‘Bo link thy ways to tho e of God, So follow firm the heavenly laws, That stars may greet thee warrior-browed, And sterm-sped angels hail thy eause. Ok land, the mensure of our prayers, ¢ ope of the worl din grief and wrong, Be thine the tribute of the years, The gilt of Faith, the crown of Sena. a Stiseellaneans, . A THRILLING IDCIDENT. Fourteen years aro I drove from Little- ton, a distance of forty-two miles, and as I Lad to await the arrival of two or three coaches, did not start until after dinner, =o I very often had a good distance to drive af- tor dark. It was in the dead winter, and the season had been a tough one. A great deal of snow had fallen, and the duifts were plenty and deep. The mail that T carried was not due at Littleton, by the contract, until one o'clock in’ the morning ; but thut winter the postmaster was very often obliged to sit up a little later than that for me. : One day, in January, when I drove up for my mail uc Danbury, the postmaster called me into his office: “Pete,” said he, with an important, seri- ous look, “there's some pretty heavy money packages in that bag,” und fie pointed to the bag 1s he spoke. Ife said the money was from Boston to some land agents up Then he asked me if I'd got any passengers who were going through to Littleton. I did not know; but “suppose I tav'nt #” T'said. ~~ “Why,” said he, ‘‘the agent of the lower route came in to-day, and he says that there have been two suspicious characters on the stage that cawe up to-night ; and he suspects that they have an eye upon the mail, so that it will stand you in hand to be a litle careful.” He said the agent had described one of them as a short, thick-set fellow, about forty years of age, with long bair, and a thick, heavy clump of beard under the chin, but none on the side of his face. He didn’t know anything about the other. I told the old fellow I guessed there was not much danger. . y “Oh, ng, not if you have got uny passen- gers through; but I only told you this so you night look out for your mail, and look out when you change horses.” _X answered that I should do so, ‘and then took the bag under my arm and left the office. I stowed the mail under my seat a little more carefully than usual, placing it #0 I could keep my feet against it, but be- yond this I did not feel any concern. It was past one when I started, and I had four passengers, two of whom rode on to ,m first stopping place. Ireached Gowan’s Tills at dark, where we stopped for supper, and where my ‘other two passengers con- sluded to stop for the night. About six * o'clock in the evening I left Gowan’s Mills alone, having two horses and an open pun: : : | I had seventeen miles to go—and a hard seventeen it was, too. The night was quite clear, but the wind was sharp and cold, the loose snow flying in all directions, while the drifts were deep and closely packed. It was ‘slow, tedious werk, and my horses soori‘ became leg-weary and resc- ive. "At the'distance of six miles I came to a little settlement called Ball's Oorners, where I took fresh hoises. hours going that distance. Just I was go- Ing to'start a han came up and asked me if I was going through to Littleton. T told him I should go through if the thing could possibly be done. He said he was very anxioug to go, und as he had no baggage, I told him to jimp in and make himself as comfortable as possible. I was gathering ap the lines when the hostler came up and asked me if’ I knew that one of my horses had cut himeelf badly? I jumped out and went oat with him, and found that one of animals had got a deep cork cut on the of forefout.. [gave such directions as 1 | shoot me, and perhaps he meant to perform ‘I'd been two- considered necessary, and was about to turn away, when the hostler remarked to me that he thought I come alone. I told him I did. “Then where did you get that passen- ger{?” said he. “He has just got in,” 1 answered. “Got in from where ?”’ “I don’t know.” “Woll, now,” said the hostler, “that’s kind o’ curious. There ain’t no such man been at the house, and I know there ain’t been none at any of the neighbors.” “Let,s bave a look at his face,” said I, we can get that much at any rate. Do you go back with me, and when I get into the pung just hold your lantern so that the light will shine into his face.” : He did as I wished, and as I stepped into the pung I got a fair view of such por- tions of my passenger's face as were not muffled up. Isaw a short, thick frame, full, hardy, features, and I could ses that there was a heavy beard under the chin. I thought of the man whom the postmaster had described to me; but I dido,t think se: riously upon it until I had started. Perhaps I had got half a mile when I noticed that the mail-bag wasn’t in its old place under my feet, “Hallo!” says I, holding up my horses a little, *where’s my mail 2” My passengergat on the seat behind me, and I turned towards him. r of some kind slipped back under my feet,” he said, giving it a kick, as though he’d shoved it forward. “IHere 13 a hag Just at this moment my horses lumbered into a deep snow-drift, and I was forced to get out and tread the snow down ahead of them, and lead thom through it, This took me all of fifteen minutes, and when I got in aguin I pulied the mait-bag forward and got my feet upon it.” As I was doing this [saw the man take some- thing from his lap, beneath the buffalo, and it in his breast pocket. At this I it was a piste). I had caught the barrel in the starlight, and d time to reflect, I knew I could taken. put thon glean of the when I} not he m _ About that time I began io think some- what seriously. From what I had heard and seen, T shon.made up my mind that the individual behing me not only meant to rob the mail, but he was prepared to rob me of my life. If I had resisted him he would that delectable job at any rate. While I was pondering, the horses fell into another deep snow-drift, and I was again forced to get out and tread down the snow bef if Lew feel var nm, Iasked my passenger aid he didn’t 3 so I work- ed alone, and was all of a quarter of an hour geting my team through the drifts. When f got into the sleigh again, I began to feel for the mail with my feet, and found it where I had left it; bat when I at- tempted to withdraw my foot, I discovered that it bad become entangled in something —I supposed it was the buffalo robe and tried to kick it clear; but the more I kicked the more closely was it held. I reached down my hand, and, after feeling about a few minutes, I found that my foot was in the mail bag! I felt again and found my hand in among the packages of letters and papers! I ran my fingers over the edge of the opening, and became assured that the lp me, but he well—wouldn’t try it; bac nag stout leather had been cut with a knife. II s a discovery. TI began to wish I had a little more foresight before leaving, Danbury, but as I knew that mak- ing such wishes was only a waste of time, I quickly gave it up, and began to consider what I had best do under the existing cir- cumstances. I wasn’t long in making up my mind upon a few essential points. First, the man behind me was a villain ; second, he had cut open the mail bag and robbed it of some valuable matter. He must have known the money letters by the size and shape; third, he meant to leave the stage on the first opportunity; and fourthly, he was prepared to shoot me if I attempted to arrest or detain him. I resolved these things over in my mind, and pretty soon I thought of a course to pur- sae, Iknew thatto get my hands safely | upon the rascal. T must take him unawares, | and this I could not do while he was be- | hind me—for his eyes were upon me all the time—so I must resort to stratagem. Only a little distance ahead of us was a house. An old farmer named Lougee lived there, and directly in front of it was a huge snow bank stretched across the road, through which a track for wagons had been cleared with shovel. ! As we approached the eot, I saw a light in the front room, as I felt confident I should, for the old man generally sat up un- til the stage went by. I drove on, and when nearly opposite the dwelling, stood up, as I had frequently done, when ap- | proaching difficult places. I saw the snow { bank head, and could distinguish the deep | eut which had been shoveled through it. I | urged my horses to good speed, and when { near the bank forced them into it. i ;, One of the runners mounted the edge of the bank, after which the other ran into the cut, thus throwing the sleigh over about as quick as if lightning had struck it. My passenger had not calculated upon. any such movement, and wasn’t prepared for it, but I had calculated, and was prepared. He rolled out into the deep snow with a heavy buffalo robe about him, while I light- ed on my feet, directly on top of him. I punched his head in the snow, and then sung out for old Lougee. I did not have to call a second time, for the farmer had come to the window to see me pass, and as soon as he saw my sleigh overturn, he lighted his lantern and burried out. “What's to pay 2” asked the old man," as he hurried out. \ “Lead the horses into the track, and then come here,” said I. ; As I spoke, I partially loosened my hold upon the villain’s throat, and be drew a pistol from his bosom, but I saw it in sea- son and jammed his head into the snow again, and got the weapon away from him. By this time Lougee had led the horses vut and came back, and I explained the matter to him in as few words as possible. We hauled the rascal out into the road and upon examination we found about twenty packages of letters which he had stolen from the mail bag and stowed away in his pockets, Ile swore, and threatened, and prayed, bat we paid no attention to his blarney. Lougee got some stout eord, and when we had securely bound theWillain, we tumbled him into the pung. I asked the old man if he would cecompany me to Lit- tleton, he said *‘of course.” So he got his overcont and muffler, and ere long we started. I reached the end of my route with my mail all safe, though not as snug as it might have been, and my mail bag a little the worse for the game he had played, upon it. However, the mail robber was secure, and within a week he was identified by some officers from Concord as an old offend- er, and I’m rather inclined to the opinion that he’s in the State prison at the present moment. At any rate he was there when I last heard of him. 3 rr rt QA Peres AN ADVENTURE WITH A GORILLA. M. de Chailla thus describes the killing ofa gorilla: _Saddenly, as we were yet creeping along, in a silence which made a heavy breath seem loud and distinct, the woods were at once filled with the tremendous barking roar of the gorilla. Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently befere us stood an im- mense male gorilla. He had gone through the jungle on his all-fours, but when he saw our party he erected himself and looked us boldly in the face. He stood about a dozen yards from us an! was a sight I think nev- er to forget. Nearly six feet high, (he proved four inches shorter) with immense body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with fiercely-glaring, large deep grey eyes, and a hellish expression of face, which seemed to me like some night-mare vision: thus stood before us the king of the African forests. ’ He was not afraid of us. He stood there, and beat his breast with bis huge fists till it resounded like an immense base drum, which is their mode of offering defiance : in the mean time giving vent to roar after roar. : . The roar of the gorilla is the most singa- lar and awful noise heard in these African woods. It begins with a sharp bark, like an angry dog, then glides into a deep base roll, which literally and closely resembles the roll of distant thunder along the sky, for which I have sometimes been tempted to take it where I did not see the animal. So deep is it that it seems to proceed less from the mouth and throat than from the deep chest and vast paanch. : His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as we stood motionless on the defensive, and the crest of short hair which stands on his fore- head began to twich rapidly up and down, while his powerful fangs were shown as he again sent forth a thunderous roar. And now truly he reminded me of some hellish dream creature—a being of thas hideous or- der, half man, half beast, which we find pictured by the old artists in some repre- sentations of the infernal regions. He ad- vanced a few steps—then stopped to utter that hideous roar agein—advanced again-— and finally stopped when as’ a distance of about six yards from us. And here as be began another of his roars and beating his breast in rage, we fired and killed him, With a groan which had something terri- bly buman in it, and yet was full of brut- ishuess, it fell forward on its face. The body shook convulsively for a few minutes, the limbs moved about in a straggling way, and then all was quiet—death had done its work, and I had leisure to examine the huge body. It proved to befive feet eight inches high, and the muscular development of the arms and breast showed what immense strength it had possesed. THE REBELS DESPONDING. A late issue of the Richmond Whig con tains the following rather despondent editos ;| rial: “ All the indications point to 3 long war. At one time we had hoped that the dash— the elan of our volunteers unrestrained, but simply guided by able Generals--would have planted our banners before frost in the heart of the enemy's country, and conquered an honorable peace. But different policy has obtained. We of the South who were to attack, have adopted a system of defence, and, so far, have uniformly awaited an ad- vance of the foe. This way be the safer policy, but we bave never been able to dp- preciate it. Our conviction is, that a victo- rious advance into the enemy’s country 1s the only road. to a lasting and honorable peace. We must fight and we must conquer before we can make a treaty. If we cannot do this, we must submit to the fate of the weaker party. The enemy have dominion over, the sea, he can assail us at almost in- numerable points ; he can plunder our coast and penetrate our rivers. He is supreme in the Chesapeake Bay ; he commands the Po- tomac ; he has possession of Maryland, of North western Virginia, and is contending for Missouri and Kentucky. While he threatens our whole coast, he may assail us at apy point of’ our extended frontier, The whole situation must be altered before we can have peace on any terms compatible with | honor and safety, ** We have never heard of any plan sug gested for affecting this alteration short of carrying the war into the enemy's country. While we stand ou the defensive, and the enemy is entrenched on this tice of the Po- tomac, it is impossible for us to dstroy bis supremacy at sea or prevent hig predatory incursions on our coast. We are subjected to all the disadvantages of a defensive war, of indefinite duration or to peace dictated by an enemy. The possibility of our success is not within range of an accident. To pres vent our subjugation or extermination is all that can be hoped for. ‘ We have no skill in strategy, and know nothing of the means at the command of our Generals, but if this is left to us, we had as well be looking out for terms of submission, and the sooner the better. An endless war which affords no opportunity tor victory or revenge is a bootless undertaking. ‘The Southern people who have offered themselves und their all for the prosecution of this war, and have reposed implicit con- fidence in the men entrusted with its conduct have looked for something better, 1t is not to be disguised that a sense of uneasiness and distrust is gradually supplanting that generous confidence. . A suspicion 1s gaining ground that all the advantages of our posi- tion have not been profited by as they might have been ; that the war has not been pros- ecuted with the vigor and energy demanded by the emergency. We hear mutterings and complaints. apart from those connected with the quartermaster, commissary and medical departments growing out of the appointment of so many civilians to hgh commands. — Many of these apnointments have filled the country with ~pprehensions of some great disaster.” i ey FaLse Nortons.—That the rebel army is badly equipped, th tit is deficient in food, that it is not so large as our own. Tte southern papers that reach us give a differ- ent statement of facts. The rebel army cannot be dificient in these things. ‘I'he ad vertising columns of the Richmond papers contain accounts of all zinds of military goods to be had, mcluding a large, number of blankets. The prices ot food prove thit there is a large alundance. In regard to arms, we know that an immense number was stolen from our arsenals by Floyd, bat in addition to that a large supply has been re- ceived by way of Matamoras, and up the Rio Grande. That they have plenty of men we know whenever a fizht occurs for they generally outnumber us in every engage- ment. North Carolica has sent no less than thirty regiwents into the feld, and when she can do that, other and richer States, like Georgia and Louisiana, can send a great ma- ny more. Its about time that we had got rid of the notion of the weakness of the South, and made up our minds to fight the rebels earnestly as the only way to put down rebellion. YouraruL PRrISON&RS OF WAR —Among the prisoners captured by the rebics on the steamer Fanny, at Chicamacomica. Hateras Inlet, were George W. Gerber and Henry Hines, of Lancaster city. The tormer, who is but fifteen years of age, was an-attendant to the Colonel of the Indiana regiment which came 50 near being caprared at Chicamaco mica, and the latter was an attendant of a captain of the same regiment. Young Hines is not fourteen. Both cf these youths are sons of very respectable parents of that eity, and about four weeks ago left home without the consent of their parents. ee QAR A Ap msn Love is the shadow of the morning which declines as day advances ; friendship is the shadow of the evening, which deepens as the {sun descends. THE BATTLE OF SANTA ROSA. The steamer McClellan, formerly the Jo- seph Whitney, waich arrived at New York {rom Key West, on the 23d ult., brings the following advices : x On the morning of the 9th inat., about hal? past § o'clock, the rebels attacked Col. Wil- son’s position on Santa Rosa in force. Com- pany E, of the Third Infantry, Capt. Hildt, and twenty seven of Company A First Ar- tillery—eighty five men in all—under Major Vodges, met the enemy some distance above Camp Brown. Major Vogdes ‘was taken prisoner immedistely, and Captain Hildt as- sumed the command and engaged the enemy. The loss 1n this struggle was four killed. twenty one wounded, and eight prisoners. The enemy's Joss is much larger. Eight of the rebels were found dead in one heap. Major Arnold arrived afier daylight to the assistance of Captain Hildt, The command proceeded to the point where the rebels had disembarked. Their steamers were just leaving. A des ructive fire was opened on them. The rebels left behind them on the Island twenty two killed and five wounded, and thirty three prisoriers. Many of the prisoners were carried away in the boats.-- Captain Bradford and Lieutenant Eling were killed. Three of their officers were capture ed ; one of them 1s Lieutenant Jaynes. fore merly of the United States Marines. He is badly wounded. @en. Anderson, who was in command of the rebels, was wounded in the arm after disembarking. The enemy acknowledged their loss to be 100. In addition to the loss on our side, above stated, the Zouaves lost nine killed in their camp. and eleven taken prisoners. The details of the fight at Santa Rosa says: The rebel forees, 1,500 strong, landed on the island from three steamers, abouf four miles above Wilson's camp. Their landing was effected at about two o’clock in the morning. The night was very dark. They rapidly formed in three columns, and proceeded si- lently towards the Zonave’s camp, hoping to affect a total surprise. They were bat par- tially successful in this. The picket guard, about 600 yards off, discovered and fired upon them, gave the alarm and saved the regiment from annihilation. The attack by the enemy’s column was simultaneous, and volley after volley was aimed upon the Zou- aves, who were forced to fall back, leaving the camp in the hands of the rebels. "The rebels then commenced burning the camp. Fort Pickens was by this time thoroughly. aroused, and three companies of regulars came to their assistance. The rebels re- treated to the boats, closely followed by the regulars and a small number of the volun teers, keeping up a destructive fire upon them, and killing and vrounding a large number. The rebels finally reached the boats, but the steamers were over five hun- dred yards from the beach. and our men poured repeated volleys into the crowded mass. Lvery bullet told, and by the shouts and confusion of the rebels, it was evident that we had obtained ample satisfaction .for the insult to our flag. The regulars behaved nobly. : 1 Great cred't is due to Captains Robert- son and Hill, and Lieutenants Seely and aylor. oy ‘ t The Zouaves were badly mentioned, and Col. Wilson is very much censured for inef-. ficiency. He did not reach the scene until all was over. The camp was almost entirely destroyed, the officers and men losing every= thing. Major Newly had a narrow escape from capture, being confined to his bed from dangerous iilness. One of his servants was killed, and the other taken prisoner. Major Newly shot one rebel with his revolver, got out of ms house, monnted his horse, and escaped through a storm of bullets. Wilsen’s rezimenis lost 10 killed, 16 wounded and 9 taken prisoners. The regu lars lost 4 killed, 20 wounded and 10 prisons ers. i , The rebels lost, by their own statement, 350 killed, wounded and missing. We took thirty prisoners, including three doctors, who were retcased, re harm West POINT. ACADEMY. — According to a writer in the Jersey City Sentinel, the es tablishnienc of this Academy is due, princi- pally, to the dfiorts of Washington and Hawilten. Tn © Nortou’s Life of Washing ton read follows: + The cold | threatening morning of the 12th (December, [1709]