AMERICAN VOLUNTEER. PUBLISHED EVERT THURSDAY MORNING By John B; Bratton. TERM'S: . SoDSCRiPTiON.—-Ouo’Dollar and Fifty Cents, j paid in advance; Two Dollars if paid within the year 5 and Two Dollars and Fifty Cents, If not paid within the year. These terms will bo rigid. ly v adhered to in every instance. No subscription discontinued until all arrearages are paid unless at the option, of the Editor. Advertisements —Accompanied by the Cash, ‘and hot exceeding one.square, will bo inserted throe tinios for one Dollar, and twenty-flvo cents for eaoh additional insertion.' Those of a greater Idngth In proportion. JoD-FaiNTiNO—Such as Uand Bills, Posting Bills,.Pamphlets, Blanks, Labels, &c., Btc., exc fciitcd wHh accuracy and at the shortest notice. fkictifal. ip({B EVENING skies. BY XJIELIA D. WELBY. feoft skies 1 amid your halls to-night, How brightly beams each starry sphere ; beneath your softly mellowed light , The loveliest scenes grow lovelier; How high, how great the glorious Power , That bade those silvery dew drops full; That touched with bloom the folded flower. And bcilt Iho blue shy over all 1 \ lpv6 lo glide in these still hours . with heart and thought and ftmey free, With naught but stars, and waves, and flowers May give mo their sweet company I When fur below the waves outspread , Glide softly on with liquid hue ; When winds are low —and skies o'er head Are beaming beautiful and blue. Oh, what a heavenly hour is this! Tho green earth seems an Eden-homo — Amt yet I pine amid my bliss, For purer blisses yet to come ! How can my spirit gaze aloft Upon your deep delicious blue, And float to those far realms so utt. And uovor sigh to flutter through ! And this spot, so still, so lone, Seems formed to suit my mournful mood— Tho fair blue hoar’us seems oil my own, And all this lovely solitude) A voice seems whispering on the hill Soft os my own, and on tho sea A living spirit seems to thrill And throb with mine deliciously 1 Yet, tho’ my thoughts from care seem freed, And a soft joy pervades my breast, That makes mo almost feel indeed That hearts on earth ure sometimes blest! There is a spell in those hushed skies— A something felt in tlris lone spot, That makes my very soul arise With longings for—it knows not what! Beneath such skies 1 sometimes doubt My heart cun o’ro have dreamed of slu — The world seems all so calm without. And all my thoughts so pure within 1 Such dreams play o’er my folded lid ! Such heavenly visions meet my view I 1 almost seem to glide amid Tho angel bands, an angel too ! ICH BIN DEIN.* BY ilias iIAUY MATHKB. Sunlight is sleeping on tho hills— And ’mid soil loaves of glowing green, Old ruined towers with nodding walls And arches stern, and rocks are seen. Anon, a thousand stars look down Into tho dark and wavolesa Rhino— To each a silver eye sends back A look that whispers, Ich Din Dcin ! Sweet poets unto us sung’,; - ' ’ > How, ih thq'suuny Persian bowers, • ThfaugVcotfotlcfea bloasomft hourly '• 1 THtscjliso lixjuedn of all the ’ floweVii v / -b And how-throughput tho solemn night,’ Soft shaded by a fnvoiito vine, _ Tho Bulbul sings, the while she sloops, Love me sweet angel 1 Ich Bln Driu ! Tho helianthus to her god Is over murmuring tho song— Tho ring-dovo, to her faithful mate, Repeats the music all day long. And I have heard that gentle maid Jlay breathe it to her Valentine— But never, unless ho shall ask, Will I to mine say, Ich Bin Dein ! *1 am thine. ■Biisttllnnrons, A CHAPTER UPON SNAKES. From the days when thewily serpent in I-Men templed our first mother Eve, down to the hour when the unfortunate Gurgling, by*his untime ly and sudden cud.gave flash evidence, in the modern Zoological Gardens, of the deadly ven om of tho cobra di capello, the whole snake tribe have, through oil generations and in all countries, the Implacable hatred and fear of men, birds, and the brute creation, although the greatest enemy, as welt as the greatest victim has undoubtedly been man. At his hands the snake has no mercy to hope-for or expect, and : from tho soako he, in someunguardeamoment, may in an instant receive that wound, whoso puncture, though barely larger than thr prick of a sharp-pointed needle, is the sCal of his doom on earth. A few brief minutes, or perhaps an hour, and that stately being, tho strength of whose heel could bruise the heads of a thousand such enemies, has become a lifeless, spiritless thing, gathered to the original dust from which he sprung. Snakes, wc say, then, have been, and still continue, the aversion and terror of mankind, of fowls of the air, and of the deni zens of the forest. Who, that has resided in the East, has not seen the terrors and listened to tho wild cries of some frightened bin!, ns, hovering fondly in the air over the nest that holds her yet unfledged progeny, she darts ever and anon with a sharp peck at the hungry snake that is cooly breaking upon her family. To comjueuce with my earliest experience, 1 may os well recount an incident that happened to mo when I was too young to remember any thing about it; hut the story was so often re ferred to in after years, that I should grievous ly, indeed, lack memory if I did not hourly re collect it. My parents went out to India while 1 wof) quite an infant, and I believe the lirst word I over pronounced was “pambo, H the ver nacular term for snake. I presume my native wet nurse must have cnatilled into me a duo ter ror of what ttys word signifies, for it would ap hcar that I sat un one night, holt upright m ped, and screamed out at tlic pitch of my voice, "Pambo/ pambo 1” At ilrat no noticowas ta ken of this warning note ; but my mother, at length, laying hold of me in her anus to quiet me. took up the pillow to shako it well before replacing mo, and there, sure enough, and to her inexpressible terror, she discovered a small carpet snake, carefully coiled up, being ono of the most'poisoueus species after the cobra in all India. The only way in which I can solve this enigma is, that the snake must have crawl ed oyer and awoke mo, and that, being daily terrified by the threat of a pambo if I was naugh ty or would not go to sleep, I had at once, young as I was, guessed that the snake had no business there. not the reader, however, imagine that the fact of finding a snake in your bed, or in the house at all, must bo of very rare occurence.—■ Unfortunately it is. in some places an every-day incident, especially during the monsoon months, when frogs hop into live lower cham bers, and snakes, like detective oflicera, follow them, and instead of hauling them out, save all fluch trouble by gobbling them up on the spot. In such scasons-it is no’uncommon thing for an olucor to find, when ho turns out ntfouro’clock in the morning for parade, that a snake has ta ken possession of ono boot and a scorpion of another. But living in the country where such fillings arc of frequent occurrence makes people BY JOHN B. BRATTON. VOL 41, wary, and the native servants are always care ful to shako a boot well before giving it to their masters. I remember well a flood occurring at a place called Peramboor, in Madras, where the waters of the river had overflowed the banks, and com munication from house to house .was entirely cut off. Wo were all, driven to inhabit solely the upper story of the house; for, though the lower one was pretty well elevated, the waters had risen so high that we were in momentary expectation thafthey would overflow and sub merge the lower apartments. Never before or afterward in my life have I witnessed such a destruction among birds, beasts, and reptiles, as occurred in these few days. The lower rooms of the house, where the doors and windows had’ been left open expressly to admit of the 1 water (should it rise so high) flowing through without irapedient to its force, were a perfect caravan sem of beasts, birds and reptiles, which had crept in over night, to exchange one painful. death for another. A billiard table, which was too heavy to be moved, was a lino roosting place for the feathered tribe. On it were patridges, quails, sparrows, hawks, and I know not how many other poor birds that had sought refuge . from tbe torrents of ruin and the gathering of waters, whose nests were many feet below wa ter. Some rooms were full of hares, some of man gooses, and all were replete with snakes, loads,, and other reptiles. It is needless to say, that the latter were most inhospitably receiv ed ; but in the universal feat that reigned around and though doubtless oppressed with hunger, not even a snake liad attempted to swallow a frog. Many of the birds and hares were fed and supported on charitable allowance till the waters abated, when they could again go forth and eater for thcms.lvcs. Some, however, more timid than the others, rushed into the water and were drowned, or else flew away, and met with an equally dismal fate, but uol one snake or centipede, or scorpion, would budge an inch ; they seemed to be in a torpid state and I should be almost afraid to mention, even did 1 recollect correctly, the exact number of those venomous creatures that the servants destroyed during the time that our ark-like house was surround ed by deep waters. Soon after this tlbod. I remember having my aUentioii attracted by a violent clumping among the sparrows that were lilting about from bough to bough, on a huge india-rubber tree close to my bed room windows; and on going near to ascertain the cause, I discovered a poor ewk sparrow dangling in the air, suspended bv what appeared to me to bo a piece of green tape. The bird was tlu titering violently when I stretched forth -my hand to undo the knot, and loosen the poor thing from its cap tivity. Judge, then, my astonialuuent at sw ing a whipped up into the tree in the twinkling of an eye. Looking up in amozcmencnl, I ex pected to see some urchin in the tree, who had been trapping the unhappy bird ; in lieu of this, however, 1 saw what equally suprised me, a beautiful coated green.snulic, at least a yard aud a .quarter in length, gliding noiselessly throUgh tho leaves, fionl which it could with .tfflpculty be distinguished. with v tpcu unhappy ' sparrow dsmgling-frbin stoneor' two soon made tho felon drop hisprizo, but not before lus had entirely deprived the wretched bir'd'of sight, and sucked its bruins out. These green snakes,-which arc very plentiful at Ma dras, are harmless with regard to men, but a most deadly enemy to the feathered tribe, con cealing themselves, as they do artfully, among bushus, and invariably making an unerring aim at the eyes of the victims. 1 have witnessed the effects of fear, caused by snakes, on tigers, horses, dogs, cats, and ante lopes, and the most courageous of these in fac ing and attacking a serpent is undoubtedly the cat, especially if she considers her young to be m danger. A friend of mine, in the civil ser vice of Uhittoor, had a pet tiger which he kept in a strong non cage. Lilly, as the tiger was called, wouldsomelimes get so noisy andobstre perous that nothing would appease him but a good hambooing, and to inlhct this was both a dillicult and dangerous task. At Inst some one by accident threw a fresh slain cobra at his cages which, getting entangled among the bars, hung gloomily suspended. The tiger was dreadfully alarmed at the appearance of this unwelcome neighbor, that he trembled from head rivfoot, and slunk into the farthest corner of his cige. Nor was this all, with his fore claws stuck out like spikes to receive the ene my, he carefully guarded his head, nor could he be induced to move one inch until the snake was removed. A monkey of mine ut Cochin, actually went into tits, fainted away, and be came to nil appearance dead, from excessive a larm at having a dead cobra (a cruel experiment it must be admitted) fastened to its collar while asleep at night. I shall never forget tho pallor of fear that overspread Jncko’s face on opening his eyes ami beholding the vicinity of the un welcome disturber of his rest, nor Ins wild screams of terror, and ludicrous leaps into the iur, when he found he could not disentangle himself from the loathsome touch of the snake. Oil more limn one occasion I have taxed a horse with obstinacy, whoso remarkably keen eye and scent has saved his own life and per haps mine. Riding over the rice fields and plains near Cammnorc.no inducement, no whip or spur could prevail on him to advance one step. With cais erect and eyes almost starting out of lu» head, he would stave at what appear ed to us tho vacant air. By and by the grass would move a Utile, and then a huge cobra up mir its hooded head. This was a signal for both horse and horseman to wheel round and be off at full speed ; fur these said cobras can, after raising themselves nearly upright in the air, make a wonderful spring, and fly as straight os an arrow across the road. Of cows, and gouts, and buffaloes, I have seen whole herds put to flight by tho apparition of a solitary snake; but the snakes are always (excepting in breeding seasons) as much alarmed as those they have frightened, and will wriggle away as fast as they cun in an opposite direction. Such is and ever has been the enmity exist ing between all other creatures and the snake : but tho most formidable enemy of this reptile is. undoubtedly tho mongoose, who willgo a milo out of its way to wreak his wrath upon it, and who invariably comes off victorious in the com bat, absolutely biting his enemy into minute particles (though never by any chance eating any portion,) and then flying for thoscercthorb or grass, winch he alone has been endowed with a knowledge of, from his Maker, ami which *to him is an infallible remedy against tho venom of the cobra. I once witnessed a combat between > ft cobra and a female rat, and observed it, too, in rather unpleasant proximity, for both combattantsfoll from tho roofing of tho room where I was stood ing to within two yards of my feet. Having first secured a retreat, I looked on through nn open window, and a direful battle it was. The rat was too agile for tho heavy movements of the snake, and fora long time escaped unscath ed, while her enemy was desperately wounded. At last, however, tho cobra Inflicted a sting, and, ns though awaro that precaution was now useless, tho poor rat rushed into close quarters, and (Irmly entangling her teeth in tho throat of tho venomous creature, never let go her grip again. Furiously did tho snake plunge about, but all in vain: its enemy had fixed a death- gripe on its throat, and both the duellists fell in that combat. After research led to the dis covery that the rat had faced this formidable foe to save the destruction of her young ones, for we found a neat of juvenile rats in the roofing, which met with little mercy at our hands, they being speedily all drowned. Snakes arc very fond of eggs and chickens ; in procuring tho latter dainty however, they have a formidable enemy to encounter in the mother hen, who will light for them as long as she has breath left in her body, her ruffled fea thers acting as a shield against the venomous sting of the serpent. But of all tho adventures with snakes, one of the most appalling I ever remember to have heard of, occurred to a friend of mine, Captain W ,of tho Madras Florae Artillery. Cap lain W was stationed at St. Thomas’ Mount, the then head quarters of the Madras Artillery; he was living in a small bungalow with his wife and children, and Mrs. at that period was in extremely delicate health, so much so that the slightest excitement or fear was liable to bring on a series of fainting fits. On tho day on which tho event occurred, which I am now relating, Captain \V chanced to be on main guard duty : he was caplain olf the day, and bring obliged to visit the different guards at stated hours, ho kept on his full dress uni form, including the sword, throughout the day, for no one could tell what moment the brigadier might command his presence. Sitting down to dinner with his wife, they had just finished that repast, and the servants had cleared away the table, when suddenly down fell a large cobra from the ceiling right upon the centre of the tabic, and instantly recovering the shock, it raised up its deadly hooded head, and hissing violently, rocked itself to and fro in front of the terrified lady, who had happily fainted away on the instant, for the slightest movement on her part would have liccfttinsiant death, and the snake was narrowly watchingthls movement to lly at its victim. As quick as thought, the captain had unsheathed his sword, and the snake’s head fled across the room. This was indeed presence of mind, but there is every rea son to suppose, quick os the action was, help would have come too late, had not Mrs. W providentially been too much paralyzed with fear to move or speak. Such aro a few of the truthful, though appa rently marvellous, anecdote of snakes, which are well known to all tho natives and European residents of Madras. Yet’the former are loath to destroy snakes, and the cobrais designated the milla pambo, or good shake, simply because death from its sting is more speedy, andaltend ed with less Htillering than that inflicted by many otlicr speok-s of venomous serpents. Though the Hindoos, however, idolize their snakes and will build round their haunts, feeding them carefully with milk and eggs, they aro by no means so foolish ns to admit them to any , closer , intimacy ,* and if a snake presumes to intrude* upon their quarters, he is instantly expelled 1 with noise of tomtons. Not so, however, the snakes in Egypt and Syria—at least, one pecu liar species, termed the household snake, from their invariably, taking up their abode with ' tricrii 'though-h’ateflil to the sight and loothsom’o to tho touch of the natives, are rever enced and countenanced os a necessary evil by Moslems, Christians, and idolaters, and also by not a few of the old European inhabitants who have dcwlt half h, century in those countries, and imbibed most of the prejudices audvi&pcr stition of the natives. Every house has its male and female household snake : they inhabit some nook or corner in the wall or in the store hou ses, and though they venture out of a day, and ave frequently soon by the inmates, no one ever thinks of noticingorintcrfering with their move ments, unless, indeed, U be to get out of their way as speedily as possible. Marvellous stories aro band it'd about and handed down as tradition al loro from father to son respecting these snakes. They arc said to peculiarly patronize infants and young mothers, being attracted by the smell of their much-loved, dainty milk, though hq(y or when a snake should have ac quired this taste, it is hard to imagine. Still they doubtless do like milk, for I have had oc ular demonstration of this fact, saucers full of milk being placed under the beds where moth ers and infants slccp.-to satisfy the yearnings of the serpent family. Those snakes arc reputed among tho natives to be of a most Unforgiving disposition, so that if you harm one the whole colony will bo up in arms and seeking for vengeance. Another snpersition, too, credited among them, is, that when a daughter marries out. of a family and removes to the house of her husband, the old snake, provided bo has been kindly used by the parties, sends his eldest son and his wife to go and settle In some wall in the same house; and it is considered a very propitious omen to the newly married couple, if the black snake cross their pathway during the first week of their marriage. Such, and a hundred other absurdities, are recounted of tho.se household snakes, which here live In perfect harmony with man, who Is else where usually their greatest enemy. Most pro bably the origin of this unseemly familiarity traces itself back to the black days of Paganism in tho East, and Is one of tho many relies which Is yet to be uprooted. Thu serpents are inno cuous of their kind. nor. indeed, nil over Syria, have any, so far ns we lenow, of a deadly nature been discovered. Those snakes, however, are particularly harmless, ami If they sometimes annoy and alarm you with tlu'.lr presence, they make ample amends for this by tho service ren dered in tho quantities of mice and rats they de stroy or intiniid ito; indeed, wore it not fur them and (ho cats, living would scarcely bo possible lu any house In any pari of Syria. EmAI'HOV pEmi T»R GuKAT. —“Hove llctb all that could die of man Immortal, Peter Aloxi* owitz; it is almost superfluous to add. Grunt Emperor of Russia! a title, which Instead of ad ding to his glory, became glorious by his wear ing it. Lot antlquy bo dumb, nor’ boast of bur Alexander or hur Ciusnr— how easy was victory to loaders who wore followed by heroes I and whose soldiers felt a noble disdain at being tlio’t less vigilant than their generals. lint ho who in this place first know rest, found subjects base and inactive, umvarliko,unlearned, untructablo ! neither covetous of fume, nor fearless of danger, creatures with the name of men but with quali ties rather brutal than rational. Yet oven these he polished from (heir native ruggednosa ; and breaking out like a now sun to illuminate the minds of tho people, dispelled their night of hereditary darkness, and by force of his invinci ble Influence taught them to conquer over the conquerors of Germany. Other princes have commanded victorious armies / this commander croated them. Dltish, oh, Art I at a hero who owed thoe nothing I Exult, oh Nature I fur thine Is this prodigy.” Tho foregoing is tho epitaph placed by tho Empress Catherine of Russia on the monument erected to the memory of her husband, Peter tho Groat. What a lonely life a man leads without wife or children I Ho scums to hang, ns It were, a loose, dlt\Jolutod member upon society, discon nected from tho rest of his follow-beings, by all those household ties which seem to form the connecting link to life. CH?" A man who would foac God and sloop well, should have as little to do with groggorics as possible. Remember this and slop at homo with your wife i and If you havo not one, why go uml court'soinoamart girl that is willing to be one. a OUR COUNTRY MAY IT ALWAYS JJB BIGHT —BUT RIGHT OR WRONG,. OUR COUNTRY.” CARLISLE, PA., THURSDAY, JUNE MB Sim FiSMR, BY uns.,l. U. BIQOURNEY. Saw yo the Foymer At his plow, As you weeding by 1 Or, wearied, *qeath his noonday toll, When aunimor suns were high ? And thought that bis lot was hard t And did you thank your God, That you and jours were not condemned Thus Uko a slave to plod ? Como, soo Win at his harvest home, When garden, fiolti and tree, Conspire, with flowing stores, to fill His barn and granary. His v bealthy-children gaily sport Amid the new mown hoy, Or proudly aid, with vigorous arm, His task a&beat they may. Tho dog partakes his master’s joy, And guards |ho loaded wain, Tho feathery ricoplo ply their wings And lead thcsr youngling train. Pcfchanco tho hoary grandslrc’a eye The glowingiuceno surveys, And breathes ojblossing on his race, Or guides Praise. Tho harvest g&ef la a friend— Tho Maker of tho ijpil— And earth tho ifother,gives thorn bread. And cheers the patient toil, Como, join thorn round their wintry hearth, Their heartfelt pleasures see, And you can bolter judge how blest Tho Parmer’s life must be. STREET BEGGAR. Street beggars’ seem to flourish in all the groat cities of the world. ’ The native of a European metropolis, who has been reared to the hfcltuf that the beggars who solicit alma nt the corners of the streets are tho natural creation ,of on old and impoverished country, and who Is'accustomed to drJam of America as a : seconds Paradise, or an E! Do rado, is surprised upon setting his loot upon tho wharf ot or. Now York, to observe objects of aqdfctqr and wretchedness almost as pitiable us any lib had. bohcld on the other side of the Atlantic. 'He - thought with the Irish em igrant of tho ballad-*- They say there’s work and bread for nil, And tho sun shines always there”— and yot, as ho walkci the streets of the city of brotherly love, he iflD'-'/rcqUcntly assailed with* entreaties for relief, Ahd shocked by tho exhibi tion of misvy at of tho principal thoroughfares. ,Hd is tempted to deny tho be neficence of oar fnslitutions, ami to place (hem «n a level wlth‘thosb qf his own land. lie con cludes that there hdsiyot' been discovered‘no remedy for tho groat social evil of poverty—that beggars must exist everywhere. But if ho has fairness ahd paUcncOjfcod will investigate, ho will llnd that at least nine-tenths of tho beggars who infest this boahtifpl and Industrious metro i polis are natives oliutmir lands—the creatures of oilier institutlona-rpeoplowho would bo beggars if they lived in a counUywhcro an independence might bo obtained of ft month; and that of the remaltilhg Widh, the greater number atoxolored’ associa tions have reduced to beggary and tho extreme of wretchedness. IMs.suid that few Americans can ho found, who.-hWcver destitute, will deign to ask lor alms,'and wo believe tho statement; for tho spirit of Independence Is the child of our free institutions. There are many diflbront classes among our beggars, and of some we propose to give fair types, Wo have now one before us—one whom we have long observed in our public places.— He is an Italian—we suppose about the middle ago of life. Hj Is short in stature, almost a dwarf, and rather stout, but with a strange Ca pacity of making himself appear feeble and de crepit. His face is broad and the features strongly marked. Tho hair and eyes arc of the deepest black, ami the akin, which Is much wrinkled about tho mouth, Is rather dark, oven fur an Italian. Ho had an extraordinary facility in varying the expression of his countenance, doubtless acquired by long priictlco In obtaining money from the benevolently thoughtless.— Sneaking English as well as Italian, ho has tho whole rhetoric of street-begging at the end of his tongue,and many a reluctantpcnny tins he coaxed from tho pocket. Wo cannot describe hlfl cos tume ; for the reason that it Is frequently chang ed. Sometimes ho appears a very old man scarcely able to walk, and quite blind ; at oth ers, he is an old soldier who has lost an arm, or a leg, and it is ovon assorted that ho ventures to don tho dress of an old woman, when ho makes such a pitiful appearance and pleads in such a heart-rending stylo as to draw heaps of money to his lap. He Is known among his particular chums as Bartholomew, or as ho calls It, Bar tolomeo. But Bartholomew does not confine his opera tions to asking alms. His’ bump of acquisition is one of sleepless activity, and ho is a graduate of both the begging and pilfering schools of his na- ; tivo land. Artful ns ho must bo acknowledged in (ho capacity of a street beggar, ho oven sur passes (hat exhibition of skill by his achieve monts us a petty thief. In fhet, ho combines the two professions, and makes one auxiliary to 1 tho other. Ho enters ft store or a dwelling as a beggar, and leaves It aa a thief. The otUcccs of the law have sometimes had their hands upon him, but the slippery rogue has always contrived to elude punishment. Nevertheless, Bartholo mew has been In some pressing straits. Ono day, tWproprloloT of a largo hardware ntoro being exceedingly busy In attending to a crowd of customers, was pestered with the Im portunities of a little old man, whoso back was bunt ns If by tho weight of years, and whoso bunds trembled with palsy, as If old Tlmo was giving him a furow.qll shako. Ho was clad in ragged garments, and his head was tied up In a handkerchief, so that no hair could bo soon. “Gntild you not help an old man to single cant —to buy a cako—to save him from starving— only ono cent—-only one,** ho repented many times, as if striving to gain tho attention of tho storekeeper, or tho salesman, and following thorn from ono ond of tho store to tho other. After a few moments* endurance of tho infliction, tho storekeeper throw a cent upon tho floor,exclaim ing, "There I there I clear out! Those beggars worry mo to death I” Tho cent was deposited In tho pocket of tho beggar with surprising alacrity, considering his previous display of feebleness. Ills hands Boom ed to lose their palsy very suddenly, and ns ho walked out of the store, his power of propulsion was wonderfully qolokonod. Dyt ns bo was a bout to omorgo Into tho street, an officer of tho city police stopped forward and seized him by the arm, saying « “Como, my jail bird, toko that chisel out of your pocket* Bo quick I. I saw you steal It from tho counter. Take It out!” Tho beggar started, hut did not soom disposed to acknowledge tho theft. r, “Don’t hurt a poor old man I Wfiat ohlsolf ho cried, In a trembling voice, jf “IMI show you in a minute,** siia tho officer. Ho then attempted to got bis hand in tho pocket of tho beggar, but that rocopfnolo was so ragged that ho could not fathom U« intricate depths i ho applied both hands. As quick ns lightning tho beggar seized tho opportunity, .forked away, leaving tho remnant of tho pocket In tbo hands of the ofllcor, hut saving the chlsol, and before tho bafTlod'agont of tho law could shout “stop thfofl” had disappeared up an alloy,where search was made In vain. IVlfhln an hour afterwards, Bartholomew, the beggar, now in tho disguise of an old woman, was rubbing his hands in great glee over bis exploit, and tho narrrtffpbAcape bo had made. Such incidents ore tho glory of his days.— Philadelphia iVort/i Jmcricnn. 15, 1854. TUE VIRGINIA CONVENTION OF 1838-39. SKETCHES OP CHARACTER—BY H. D. GRIGSBY. JOHN RANDOLPH, OF ROANOKE. Of all the members of tho Convention, Mr. : Randolph excited the greatest curiosity . Not a word that fell from bis lips escaped the public ' car, not*a movement in tho public eye. When * ho arose to speak, tho empty galleries began to ' fill, aud when he ended, and the spell was dis solved, the throng passed away. It was on the 14th ofNavember he made his first speech. The word passed through the city in an instant that Randolph was speaking, and soon the house, the lobby, and the gallery were crowded almost to suffocation. Ho was evidently ill at ease when ho began his speech, but soon recovered himself when he saw the telling effect of every sentence that ho uttered. Ho spoke nearly two hours, and throughout that time every eye was fixed upon him, and among the most attentive of his hearers were Mr. Madison and Mr. Monbob, who had not heard him before or since his rup ture with the administration of their predecessor in the Presidency. Prom that day he adoressed tho body with perfect self-possession, and al though lie did not at any subsequent lime speak at length, ho frequently mingled with marked ability in debate; and it was cosy to tell from the first sentence that fell from his lips when he was m fine tune and temper, and on such occa sions the thrilling music of his speech fell upon the car of that excited assembly like the voice of a bird singing in the pause of the storm. It is difficult to explain the influence which he ex erted in that body. Ho inspired terror to a de gree that even at this distance of time seems in explicable. He was feared alike by tho East and West, by friend and foe. The arrows of his quiver, if not dipped in poison, were pointed and barbed, rarely missed the mark, and as seldom failed to make a rankling wound. He seemed to paralyze the mind and body of his victim.— What made his attack more vexatious, every sarcasm took effect amid the plaudits of his au dience. He called himself, on one occasion, a tomahawker and a scalper; and, true to the race from which he sprung, he never explained away or took back anything: and, as ho knew the private as well as tho public history of every prominent member, it was impossible foi his 'opponents lo foresee from what quarter and on whom his attacks would full. Ho also had po litical accounts of long standing to settle with sundry individuals, and none could tell when the day of reckoning would arrive. And when it did come, it was astern and fearful one. — What unnerved his opponents, was a conviction of his invulnerability, apparent or real; for, un connected as he was by any social relation, and ready to fall backup a collossal was not on equal terms with men who were strug gling to acquire a competency, and whose hearts I were bound by all the endearing tie?of domes-1 tic love. Moreover, it was impossible to answer a sneer or a sarcasm with an argument. To at- I tempt anything of tho kind, was to raise a laugh at one’s expense, lienee the strong and weak 1 in a contest with him were upon tho same level. In early youth, the face ofMr. Randolph was ' beautiful,ond italihcamcntfl arolnsopo degree ' preserved in his portrait by Stuart; tut’, as ho 1 advanced his life it lost its freshness, and began to assume that aspect which tho poet Moorb , described in his diary os a young-old face, and | which is so faithfully portrayed by Harding. His voice, which was tho great source of his I Eovver, ranged from’tcnor to treble. It had no j ass notes. Its volume was Aill at all times; but, though heard distinctly in tho hall and the galleries, it had doubtless lost much of the sweetness and roandness of earlier years. lie was, too, though he had to conceal his ort from common observers, a consummate actor. In the philosophy of voice and gesture, and in the use of the pause, he was os perfect an adept as ever trod the boards of Covent Garden or "Drury Lane. When he described Chapman Johnson as stretching his arm lo intercept aud clutch the sceptre os it was passing over Roekflsh Gap, or when he rallied hint for speaking not 11 fifteen minutes as he premised, but two hours, not by Shrewsbury clock, but by as good a watch as can be made in the city of London,” and, opening tho case of his hunting watch, held it up to the view of the chairman; or when seeking lo deride the length of Johnson’s speech, ho said: "Tho gentleman said yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that,” Garrick or Keen would have crowned his action with ap plause. No weight of character, no grade of intellect, afforded a shield impenetrable by his shafts. Probably, tho committee to which was referred, near its close, all the resolutions of the 1 Convention with tho view of having-hhem drown in tho form of a Constitution, was' tho most venerable in years, in genius, in nlliho accom plishments of the human mind, and] in length and value of public service, that ever sat on this side of the Atlantic. Madison, Marshall, Taze well, Doddridge, Watkins Leigh, Johnson and Cooke, were the seven members who composed it. Yet, Mr. Randolph, almost without an ef fort, raised a laugh at their expense. It ap pears, if I am not mistaken, that some qualifi cation of tho right of suffrage, which was em braced in the resolutions, was not to be found in the reported draft, and to this omission Mv. Randolph called the attention of the house. Mr. Leigh observed that if Mr. Randolph’s views were carried out, it would virtually leave the entire regulation of the right of suffrage to the General Assembly. Randolph replied with all his peculiar em phasis and gesture: "Sir.l would os soon trust tho honor of burgesses of tho Common wealth of Virginia ns tho committee of seven!” I followed his finger, and amid tho roar of laugh- i ter which burst forth, I saw Mr. Madison and j Mr. Leigh suddenly and unconsciously bow their heads. Ho idolized Shakspcarc, and cherished a taste for the drama, and in this deportment of liter ature, os well as in that of the older English classics from Elizabeth to Anne, and indeed, in all that was embraced by the curiosity and taste of n scholar, his library was rich. lie spoke and wrote the English language in nil its purity and elegance, and his opponents had at least the gratification of knowing that they were abused in English. Indeed. Madison could not vio with him in a full and ready control over tho vocabulary or the harmony of the Eng lish tongue. Ills later speeches exemplify this ' remark in a more striking manner than his earlier ones. In his speech on retrenchment, ; delivered in tho House of Representatives in i 1828, one meets with sentences of great beauty, ond it may bo observed that towards the close ; of that speech is one of tho pathetic touches to bo found in his productions. Yet it may well bo doubled whether his speeches will hold a high place in after times. Ills sayings will bo quoted in tho South, and some of his speeches will undoubtedly bo read; but they will hardly emerge beyond Mason and Dixon’s lino, and never reach even within that limit tho dignity of models. What Sir James Mackintosh ob served to an American respecting one of his speeches, will probably convey, when orol tra dition grows faint, tho impression which they make on impartial minds—that there, was a striving after cftect—a disposition to say smart or hard things beyond tho ability. On tho shore of argument, they .’cro beneath criticism. It is but just, however, to say, that Mr. Ran dolph protested against tho authenticity of most AT §2,00 PER ANNUM. ' NO, 1, * —yl of the speeches attributed to him. Those in the published debates of the Convention are un doubtedly authentic, and must have received his revisal. But of his eloquence this may fair ly be said, that it fulfilled its office in its day ' and generation, for it is unquestionably his praise that above all his contemporaries, he was successful in fixing the attention of his audience of every class and degree throughout hts longest speeches. The lato Timothy Pickering, a com petent judge, who had known Randolph many years in Congress, observed at a time when it was fashionable to compare THslirn Burgess with him, that you might as well compare the broadsword of a moss trooper with the scymitar of Salodiu. When it is remembered that Mr. Randolph, at all times infirm, tvas sometimes during the winter of the Convention in his opin ion at the point of death, it is a fact of great import, that at no other period of his career did he speak with more judgment and acuteness, nor on any other occasion did ho so entirely gain the regards of the people of Eastern Virginia, or his genius excite greater admiration than by i his exhibition in that body. DEATH-BED OP IVASUISOX, "Nothing in the lofty drama of his existence surpassed the grandeur of that final scene ; the cold which he had taken from exposure, in over seeing some parts of his grounds, and which i had resisted the earlier domestic remedies that were applied, advanced in the course of two short days into that frightful form of the dis- : case of the throat, laryngitis. It became ne cessary for him to take hia bed. Hia valued 1 friend, Dr. Craik, was instantly summoned, and assisted by the best medical sic ill of thesdr- • rounding country, exhausted all the means of ; his art, but without allbrding him relief. lie patiently submitted, thoifgh in great distress, 1 to the various remedies proposed: but it became j j evident, from the deep gloom settling upon the | countenances ot the medical gentlemen, that 1 1 the case was hopeless; advancing insidiously, the disease had (listened itself with deadly cer tainty. Looking with perfect calmness upon the sobbing group around him, hosaid. “Grieve | not, my friends : it is as I anticipated from the ■ first; the debt which we all owe, is now about to be paid—l am resigned to the event.” Re questing Mrs. Washington to bring (wo wills from his escritoire, he directed qne to bo burnt, and placed the other in her hands, as his last will and testament, and then gave sonic final in structions to Mr. Lear, his secretary and rela tive, as to the adjustment of his business affairs. He soon after became greatly distracted; and as, in the paroxysms which became more fre quent and violent, Mr.-Lear, who was at his side, assisted him in turning, he, with kind ness, but with difficulty, articulated : “1 fear I give you great trouble, sir—but perhaps it 5s a duty which we all owe one to another, —I trust ■ that you may receive the same attention when 1 you shall require it." As the night waned, file fatal symptoms be came more imminent—his breath moro'lftborpd and suflocating, and his voice soon failed' Con, Perceiving his end approaching, he straighten ; ed himself to his full length; he folded bis own. ? handslft thenecessary-attitude upon hitT-chcst i —placing his fiiigcr upon the pulse of the left' wrist; and thus calmly prepared, and watch ing his own dissolution, ho awaited tho.Sam mons of his Maker. , the last faint hobo of his I friends hod disappeared; Mrs. Washington, stupified with grief, sat at the foot of (ho bed, her eyes fixed steadfastly upon him; Dr. Craik, J in deep gloom, stood with his face buried in his j hands at the tire—his faithful servant, Christo- J pher, the tears uncontrolled, trickling down his face, on one side, took the lust look of his dying master: while Mr. Lear, in speechless grief, 1 with folded hands, bent over hia pillow on the : other. ! Nought broke the stillness of his last mo ments, but the suppressed sobs of the affection ate servants collected on the stair-ease; the Vick of the large clock in the hall, as it measur ed off, with painful distinctness, the last fleet ing moments of his existence, the low moan of the winter wind, as it swept through the leaf less. snow-covered trees, the labored and wea- 1 ried spirit drew nearer and nearer to its goal; the blood languidly coursed slower and more I . slowly through its channels —the noble heart stopped—struggled—stopped—-fluttered—the 1 right hand slowly slid from the wrist, upon which its finger had been placed—it fell at his side —and the manly effigy of Washington was 1 all (hat remained extended upon the death couch. j \ Tlio Charnclrr of Jackson. wyrcmcmberti few years since, to hnvechlled ' on MrNRucitANAN, where a number of his po-1 liticnl fiends were present, and the conversn-j tion turned on the character of Jackson. A j gentleman present said he went one morning to j the White House, during the stormiest period j of his administration, and being on very inti matedenns with the President and his family, the servant ushered him into the breakfast room, where lie found the old General seated at the table, with two beautiful children clinging around his neck, and he remarked that the af fectionate scene, with the curling locks of child hood mingling with the blanched hair of the vcnerablo statesman, was a beautiful study for ; a painter. Mr. Buchanan said on that occasion, ■ that he considered him the greatest man ho had 1 ever known, and yet ho considered it difficult ( to pouit out any Single talent that was remar- j knblc. lie was not a student in any depart ment of learning, seldom reading a book, unless it was the Bible, and j'ct when subjects were introduced, which from his habits ii was sup posed he knew nothing of, he always joined m the conversation, and astonished those who knew the daily routine of his life, by his clear views ou tho question discussed, lie consider ed that tho great culminating point in tho char acter of Jackson, was his thorough acquain tance with human nature. He read men by a kind of intuitive perception that was almost in fallible, and those who went from his presence felt that ho had fathomed their characters to tho very foundation. —IVcst Chester Republican. The Ox that Wouldn't Stat Killed.—A former drove a very fot ox to market, expecting the animal, when killed, would yield some twelve or thirteen hundred of beef. \lo bold the ox: the buyer drove him ofl’, and at night came back representing that the unimal. had been slaughtered, and ottered to settle for him, but showing an account of hi* weight that full short or the of the farmer, who in slstcd on seeing the beef, and after weighing with tbo tallow, ho was forced to go homo, though not moro than half satisfied, with the money in his pocket. During the night after his return, the dead ox came oaok to his yand_ alive and well, having broken out of tho but-' chcr’s enclosure { and tho next day tho farmer drove the same ox back to town, and ottered to’ sclll him to tho same butcher, who, having missed tho animal, eyed the new-comer rather suspiciously, and concluded that ho it was that had been sold, bought the ox at a lumping price, and paid for him this lime. “Ih your note good?” asked a woodman the other day of n'person who offered his note for a load of maple. “Well,” replied the pur chaser, “ I should think it ought to be—every body's got one 1" EiEPWST ntatm Mr. BAkjeW, in ills “hunting in Ceylon,” re- Tales the following incident: ;Ho hadaiscoveits in "a largo plain, wliich was covered withjiugfl leinon grass to a'height of herd of ten elephants; and in' .company Wi th big brother had shot five of them.Wo jgiyd thd, story iii his own language: > - “ I had one barm still loaded, «krl. waff pushing my way through tho tangled gross fo wards t)io spot where the fiyo elephants utf for gether, when I suddenly heard .Wallace shriek out, ‘Look out, sir! Look elephant’s comingl’ . ... I turned round in a moment;' and dofo J&Sj Wallace,- from the very spot where tho last dotd elephant lay, Came tho very csscnco and incar nation of a ‘rogue* elephant in full charge. Hfg trunk was thrown high in tho. air* his were cocked, his toil stood high above his hack, ’ 4 as stiff as a poker* and* screaming exactly likfl the whistle of a railway engine, ho rashed upon me through tho high grass with a velocity that was perfectly wonderful. , Hia eyes flashed-aa he came on, and bp had singled me- out as his victim. - - .! , ‘..,1 I have often been in dangerous positiohh, but I never felt so totally devoid of hope as l didia this instance- The tangled grass, rendered re treat impossible. I had onlwonb. barrel loaded, and that was useless, os tho upraised trunk protected his forehead. X felt myself doomed » v thefew thoughts that rush through men’s tninda in such hopeless positions flew through mine, and I resolved to wait for him. till he was close upon roc before I fired, hoping tbathe,might lower his trunk and expose his forehead. He rushed along at tho-pace of a horse In IbU speed ; in a few moments, as tho grass flew to; the right and left before him, he wosclbso upon me, but still his trunk was raised and I would not fire. One second more, and ht fhiS long puce ho was within three feet of me; down . slashed his trunk with the rapidity of a whip throng, and with a shrill scream of fury htrwas upon me. ' • ’ | I fired at that instant; but, in the twinkling of an eye, I was flying .though the air like a bull from a hat. At the moment of firing, I had jumped to the left, but he struck mo wltji his tusk in full charge upon my right thigh> and hurled mo eight or ten paces from him.— That very moment he stopped, and turning round, he beat the grass about with bis trunk, and commenced a strict search for mo, I heard him advancing close to the spot where,l lay.ftf « still os death, knowing that my last chance lay in concealment. I heard tho grass rustling close to the spot where X lay; closer and closer' he approached, and he at length boat the graSa with his trunk several tipocs exactly above me, : I held my breath, momentarily expecting to feet his ponderous foot .upon me. Although I hod not felt the sensation bf fear while I had stood j opposed to him, I felt like what I never wish to feel again while he was deliberately hunting me tip. Fortunately, I bad reserved my flro until; the rifle had almost touched him, for-thopow-’ der and smokchad nearly blinded him* and bad 1 spoiled his acute power of scent. To my jov.X heard the rustling of the grass grow falhter; again I heard it at a Still greater distance» at length it was gone.’” Grateful Young America. —A day br since, an adventurous boy, numbering some ten summers, undertook to scull a skiff across the Ohio, from Cincinnati to Covington. When, a little over half his voyage had-been accomplish* ed, a German gentleman, standing on the Ken-, tacky side, saw the frail bark capsize and Uio boy struggling in the angry tide. In a moment he divested himself of coat and boots, into the stream, and swam to the youth’s assis tance. He reached him just ns bo was sinking I the lost time, and caught the youngster by tho, i head, on which tho letter seized 'him by the ' arm, and for a moment both were in danger of being lost, Happily, the gentleman possessed: great presence ofmmd,jmd gave tho boy ( a sud den kick, the.cffeofc"bfwb\ch caused him td r r6- • Tcksc hishold/and enabled bis presenter to bring : jluw£itsly to Shore. Again on. diyiand, Y«jng i4njcrica' shook himself like a true vrater dog,/ -’add, turning to his tones, " What the 3—J did you kick mo for, ' you d d old Dutcoman?” and with this ex-; pression of thanks, tho youngster started off, leaving his "Dutchman” staring after him with* mingled feelings of surprise and admiration, at 1 such u genuine and fervent expression of grati tude from so young a hand.— Cin. Com. ! Quaker Retaliation,— Friend L., hcda well .cultivated garden, and a testy neighbor had what Is called a “brcachy cow,” which he often suffered to gu at largo. Instigated by a fancy for fine cabbages, tho said cow made several nocturnal visits to friend L.’s, and became a se rious annoyance to him by reason of her depre dations. The worthy old friend, one morning, for tho nincty-ninth time, ejected “Molly” from his promises, and drove her homo to, her owner’s house. ' , “Friend T.,” said ho, “Ihflvo driven thy cow home once more, and If I find her In my gar d e n “Suppose yon do,” angrily exclaimed T., what n ill you do f” “It hy,” said friend L.. “I*ll drive her home to Mice again, friend T.” Tins was too much for T. His cow was nev er after that found In the garden of the said Quaker. ITT" “ four old Kentucky homo I st you poor soul yon !” said Mrs. Partington, as slio thrust her night-cap out of tho window away almost into the midnight to catch tho notes of tho song an individual was singing, In a disjnal voice, near her dwelling. “1 wish to my heart you was there, whore your friends conld take keor of yon ami do for you. It is & terrible thing to bo In distress away off among strangers, particular ly where you alnl acquainted with any of’em; tint 1 don’t think it looks well for a man to wnko up a whole neighborhood at midnight with his sorrows.” She saw him disappear ft moment afterwards in a simp with a red curtain, oppo site, with the remark that she guessed tho poor I creator’ hud gono In to got something to “Inva rlgate his cistern” with, sho shut down tho wln j dow and in five minutes |>y tiio wooden mantel i clock that ticked sleepily Jn hor chamber sho had forgotten all about (ho Kentucky homo.— Boston Post. Xy* Ife who. clothed in the armor of honesty, steadfastly pursues tho pkt U of rectitude, con tending manfully for tho truth, and supporting with firmness the cause of justice, despite tho frowns of those in high places and tho bootings' of the vulgar crowd, is the true and noble sol dier, and upon his banner victory will ultimate ly nerch. lie who pursues a contrary course is but a hireling mercenary, fighting for pay oc preferment.— Fenelon.. IH7* That was a very mean youth who de fined love ns “ a prodigal desire on the part of a young man to pay some young woman’s board.” And there was Deacon Overreach; now ho was so mean ho always carried a hen in his gig box when ho travelled, to pick up tho oats his horse wasted in tho manger, and lay an egg for his breakfast in'tlio morning. (D** “I am rich enough,” says Popo to Swift, ‘ * and can afford to give away a hundred pounds a I would not cvawlupon the earth with out doing a littlo good, X will enjoy tho plea sure of what I give by giving it afire, and see ing another ci\j6y it. • When I die, ” ho added, ‘•I should bo ashamed to leave enough for ft monument, if there was a wanting friend above , ground.” ’"‘DisPAUitr of Foiitunb. —Aji old gentleman once said, in speaking of tho bad consequences of disparity of fortune, especially on tho wife’s, side, m nmiTingo, that when homarricd.hohad twenty cents, and his wile twenty-five, and 1 tbit she was throwing up this extra 1m cents to bitjv over afterwards. Good Advice. —Never ottempt to drive eith er religion or virtue into men. If they won’t. lake the institution in tho regular way, depend upon it that it will do them no more good than to preach metaphysics to a’ Cooking-stove, or plain clothes to a girl who goes for tho fashions.-
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