11 Diitud ifMklFi Pi by Oi W ■ MUI ItiK
A CL.4.81C \vl"lON. fidilon «»dFtopti«lor, jit' lit lot
iu*ii|iwW“®* M
1* fitting.
ONi: COPV ONH yfIAR.IK ADVANCE.
iPNtfr PAID WITHIN THREE MONTH. 1 81
NO* PAID WITHIN SIX MONTHS. ; , ' 1
IP NOT PAID WITHIN NINE MONTHS. > 81
IP NOT PAID WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS. 1 8U(
trass Nboi&lttthoie of osf olhw
tr*' country Departs lhaStato, cad yrillba Mooted.
Notlisooslipa&soe will bsalloyrert osUlaUaiwaragaihs*'
t««apM4. ■•‘.V •
nUTV AMJ UAUIMTV Of POSTUAETEES-
PoitmtiUn ne*l*oiib*to motify *M I MWIl'ifi!s,i!i,£SSSji 1 l 'ifi!s,i!i , £SSSji
Ur Itw.ofUnraoUhitpniiomioOpthfiodbrtboittowhott
ther&rv mrioua, »r® maraialm bald jraipoaiible 101 w
•mdantoflba luworiptron nr t„ n th*n
Psnou HfUnc paper* l<Mrau*d to> th*raie»**«.OTio ptoeri,
Ciwin**atnario*r*, apd ofaliablefor iba pilcaohobiorio
llOarn»Mrli aßw osl(ie4 Ur mil I tluaMhout th# oounty
fre»#fpo>tM«. . J-i
EOBBESPQNDENCE OP THE BEPDBtICAB.
log Floating! Crops, Weather, Slave Trial.
: Washington, Daviess Co., >
Ind., Ma X 13, 1853. $
Messrs. Editors .-—Your valuable paper
of the 3d instant was' duly received by
•last nights rind'd, after eightddys travel by
“Thiele SarhV’ fast line, and I wasmiich
gratified in reading the proceedings of an
anti log-floating meeting which it contain
ed, and still better pleased when 1 readthe
able editorial remarks on the same sub
ject, The people of Clearfield county, are
beginning to look to their own interest, re
gardless of a few would bo great leaders,
and over grown monopolies, who would if
it laid in their power suck the very life
blood from our citizens, and thereby check
its prosperity., in order to still add more to
their already over gorged coffers. Indeed
it is d wonder that they have so long per
mitted their constitutional rights to be in
vaded without seeking that redress for
grievances which is more powerful than
tlio strong arm of the law. lam the last
person who would counsel resistance to our
laws. But when a set of men invade our
rights contrary to all law and order, and
bid us defiance, nnd when our legislators
will turn a deaf ear to our petition?, and
allow gold to seduce them from the path of
right and justice, it is but right and just
when we see our best interests sacrificed to
the nod of gold, to rise in the majesty of our
strength, fully aware of the wrong that has
been inflicted upon us, and protest our
selves, for in this case “forbearance has
-ceased to be a virtue.” The right spirit is
now abroad in the county, and if they do
not falter in their duty, one year hence
there vil) not be a log floater in Clearfield
county. ' ,
' The wdalher is exceedingly warm, so
much so that it is almost impossible for
men to work in the sun. Yesterday the
thermometer stood OS .in tho shadc. Crops
of all kinds ; look well and promise an
abundant yield. The hay crop is noroly
all harvested, and the farmers nre now bu
sily engaged in cu'ting their wheat.—
Wheat is selling at 50 cents per bushel,
Corn at 40 cents, potatoes at 35, and oats
.25 cents.per bushel. Laborers get 15
cents per day.
Some two weeks ago we had quite an
exciting slave trial here. Some nigger
catchers appeared here and claimed a
black man by the name of George. As
there was no (I. S. Commissioner in tho
place, they had him arrested under the old
law of ’93, which Has never been repealed,
and took him before a Mr. Houston,a Jus
fme of the Peace, and in .thirty minutes had
possession of lnm. The poor negro was
not allowed to employ counsel or look up
witnesses. He however, called on some
of tho by-standers who sworo that George
had been here over six years* and they,
/'the nigger hunters) swore that he naa
i.nly been gone 4 years. With all this dif
ference of testimony Houston- was not
three minutes in making up his verdict,
which in my humble opinion condemned
- an innocent human being to perpetual sla
very But such is ‘llooHier’ Justice, and
as there was nothing but a ‘nigger’ in the
question wo must bear with-it.
It has come to light since this event!
transpired, that a lawyer by the name of
Burk, who is nn irishman, and.who de
fended these dealers in human flesh, has
been corresponding with them for the last
year, cave them tho description of the no
cro, so that they could swear to the marks
on hifftterson, for which menial service ho
rpqeivS the paltry sum ° r 60 do
Oh! humanity, how hast thoui fallen.
Oh! shame where .is thy blush 1
I remain yours, truly, Rambler.
Breaking open an Indian Mound at
HbDOK B N.~On Friday last.hejorkmeD
employed in excavating at the foot orßer
jzctiHill for the Paterson Plank Road,
Se open a small hillock and disinterred
17 skeletons, ' Physicians have decided
' that they are Indians. One of them is seven
feet in .height, arid tho rest ,of average
size V The* largest skeleton is probably
' that'of a chief, and was enclosed in a box
• whibh is nearly destroyed. Twelve spikes
‘we e found around liis body, and a num-
balls mear by, Which,
fiiipnosed tp be trophies taken from the
There are a number of oiher hil
to contain siniilar relics. The mea w?,£ B
in which now stands Hoboken were form.
SJSredby wateK hhd it JS inferred
coi^»
foV the ; ndoDtioh /of
fCteorfidfr .fliqmblicMi*
A WEEKLY PAPER: DEVOTED TO LITERATURE, AGRICULTURE, MORALITY, AND FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE,
Volume 4,
From Cial'e Cmcinnalf'Ailvorliaer.
BORDER SCENES ON THE SUSQUEHANNA.
My readers have doubtless noticed in the
Advertiser,' some years since, a narrative
of the remarkable escape of John Harris
from being burnt alive by the Indians, on
the spot where Harrisburg, the seat of gov
eroment of the State of Penna., has since
been built. The publication has been the
means of bringing to light many interesting
incidents connected with Harris and his
wife, one of those pioneer mothers in whom
the dangers and exigencies of frontier life, j
developed the highest degree of daring,
compatible with the exercise of that sound J
judgment which is of yet greater import
ance in that sphero of existence. " ]
Harris, as has been, stated .in the narra-1
tivc referred to, was a trader among two
or three savage tribes, whose headquarters
seem to have extended along the west
branch of tho Susquehanna, even in thin
day of ipnprovemcnt embracing somo of
the wildest mountain and river sconory in
the United States. Tho wolf and the fox
still dispute possession of extensive tracts
in the region with tho settlor, and even the
panther and tho bear are occasionally
tracked to and shot in their retreats, by the
hardy mountaineers, who vary tho toils of |
hausbanary with relaxations; ns they deem
| it—of the chase, rendered here, by the
character of the country, the most arduous
species of it in the world. One of these
tribes, believed to be tho Muncies, an off
shoot of the Delawares, had built their wig
wams and settled their families,; at the
junction of the west and north branches
of the Susquehanna, on the site ol the
present villogo of Northumberland. The
towns of the others receded farther into
the wilds along the west branch. |
It will 1)9 recollected that a chain of |
posts was established during the provincial
government of Pennsylvania, probably in j
1746, by Gov. Forbes, extending from j
Philadelphia to Fort Pitt, now Pittsburg.
Ono of these was where Harris resided,
who occupied a trading houso, and had
rendered himself, in those early days, ac
ceptable to the Indians, who found it a
great convenience to trade their peltries
for powder, lead, and such other 'hings as
they needed, in their own neighborhood.
Here ho had bought a plow, the first over
seen on the banks of the Susquehanna with
other implements of husbandry, and made
a little clearing sufficient for a kitchen gar
den- and here was born John Harris, the
founder of Harrisburg, believed to be tho
only individual ever existing that laid out
a town at his birth-place, and who, ns the
first child of white parents, received from
that circumstance, a grant of four hund
red acres of land, offered as a premium by
the proprietors, for the settlement west of
the frontier parts of Eastern Pennsylva
nia—Berks and Lancaster counties.
After Braddock’s defeat, one of tho Brit
ish officers, on his way to "Philadelphia,
called at Harris’ station; forthe purpose
of staving all night. Through the neglect
of the'person whose duty it was to attend
to closing the port-holes at sundown, they j
had been on that day left open; The of
ficor was engaged in conversation with Mrs.
Harris, with his back to tho port-holes,
and she facing them. In this position,
and looking over his shoulder, she heard
the click and saw the flash of a rifle.—
Without any exclamation of surprise, or
saying anything to interrupt his discourse,
she leaned to one side where the candle
stood, and blew it out. The next day the
officer fell in with an old Indian chief and
his attendant, who acknowledged to him
that he had aimed at his life, but the weath
er being drizzling his powder had got wet
and the piece hung fire; and ho was un
willing to repeat his fire after , the candle
was extinguished, for fear of injuring Mrs.
At a somewhat later date, when Penn
sylvanians had extended themselves west
of the Donegal settlement, in Lancaster
county, and had formed a settlement on
Paxton creek, the Indians began ,0 5 n, ® r *
tain great npprehenisons of being finally
expelled from the country, and concerted
measles, with their usual secrecy,Tor the
extripation of the whites. Haying ascer
tained that they collected once a week tor
religious worship, they made their arrange
ments to attack Paxton,meeting-house, and
cut of all the iphaditants at a single blow.
They rendezvoused in considerable num-j
bersat a spot west of the Blue Mountains,
arid poured in on:tho through
Monada Gap,about fourteen miles from
the. Susquehanna, with such celerity and
secrecy *s to Station themselves in The
thicket around the meeting-house, without
the least suspicion having been formem by
the seUters of any sinister designs. They
had,however, missed one day in their reck
oning; and token Saturday in place of the
Sabbath, for their atabuscade. • As the
usual hour , passed, without any of the
whites making their appearance, tjje Inm
ans began to suspect that they had in some
way or olher been put on their guard, and,
arid made their wdy homo without IoM of
time and as quickly and secretely as they
had found their .wqy into the settlement.
oPifiri tttickri around,; revealed to W
deris the tlureate’ned dßngerjjte. well ft* the
V ; . i .
hostile intentions, generally, of their sav- i
nge neighbors. A council was held on the
spot, and determined to despatch Harris,
with some forty others, well armed, to
visit the Indian villages, and ascertain if
possible their purposes.
The Company set out next day, and. on
reaching tho town on tho opposite bank of
tho Susquehanna, found a war party as
sembled in council, painted and arrayed
with war clubs. This of course left no
doubt of their hostile designs, but in the
face of these signals, the Indians disclaim
ed any unfriendly feelings towards their
white neighbors, and assorted thoir pacific
intentions, tho design being, if possible to
put them off their guard. The party of
whites reposed no confidence in these pro
tostations, but prepared for their roturn,
their route being well known to the:lndi
ans. They had to cross tho river some
distance below, nt tho mouth of a little
creek, whero Selingsgrovo is now built.
Harris had withdrawn for a short distance
from the camp, and was returning to it,
whon he met an old Indian whom he rec-
ognised as an individual that had once
been indebted to him for his life. The sav-
age without halting or turning his head, or
even glancing at Harris, for he was aware,
on account of his attachment to that indi
vidual, that lie -was narrowly watched, i
passed him, and in a hurried manner, said,
“John Harris, don’t you cross the river!"
After starting for home, Harris mention
ed to his company this warning, as ho un
derstood it to he,of a moditated ambuscade
on the other side, and suggested the pro
priety of going down on the west side of
the Susquehanna. The party generally
judged it rattier a decoy to induco them to
rush into the danger, which they supposed
was actually on that side. Harris then
explained to his friends the relation in
which he stood to tho Indian, avowing his
conviction that he was sincere, and op-
pealing to the party whether they were
not convinced that they owed it to their
thorough preparation for battle, that thoy
had been permitted to leave the Indian
camp, instead of following the friendly ad
vice. The party, however, were obstinate,
and rather than soparate from them,
Harris, against his better judgment ac
companied them on their route. i
Scarcely had t|ie first boat in which
they crossed touched the opposite shore,
when a destructive fire opened on them
from the bushes which lined the bank.—
Harris was the only ono pf the party that
escaped to tell the tale, the residue being
either shot down in the boats or overtaken
nt a disadvantage. ,He swam the river
across threo times to baffle the pursuit
made in his case.
Harris generally rode a horse which
was. well known to the Indians. On an
other occasion, while the whites and Indi
ans were on unfriendly terms, he had been
with a party of settlers hunting on the
west side of the river, who had imprudent
ly, by some circumstance, became seper
ated from their rifles. The Indians
tacked the party, afior detaching a few
warriors to intercept their retreat by a nar
row defile.—The bank of the Susquehan
na is very precipitous in that region, and
this afforded the only opening to the ford
opposite the settlement. Harris was as
usual mounted, nnd making his way down
to the pass, when he found himself con
fronted by an old chief, well known to
him as Indian John, who stood in the
! pathway with his iiflo raised to shoot. lie
j was compelled to risk the shot. . Leaping
'instantly to the ground, he ungirthed '.he
! saddle, held it by the girts twisted over
his arm, and vaulting on his horse’s back,
stooped forwards, raised the saddle, and
holding it in front, so ns to form a shield,
he rushed at his enemy at the top of his
speed. The Indian sprang to one side,
disconcerted by the sudden movement,
and, fearful of missing, reserved his fire.
I As soon as Harris the foe, he
swung the saddle over his head, so as to
(form a protection for his'rear, and pursu
ed hia way to the river, The Indian firgd,
his ball taking.effect on the saddle, the n*
er and horse escaping unharmed.
1 One of the party, whose horse had been
shot down (a little Dutch doctor,) had
reached the edge of the river, aiffl w hen
Harris overtook him there, begged with
such earnestness, that ho would take him
on behind him, that Harris could not re
set hia entreaties, although fearful of en
cumbering his progress through the water
with the added weighty ■ He was accord
ingly taken on behind, .but they had hard
ly got fifty yards into the stream, when a
ball struck the doctor, killing him instant
ly. The Indians were at the horse’s heel a,
and the humanity of Harris, in place of
endangering his escape j had proved the
means of saving his life. .
A short time before the. massacre at Pa
oli, Harris’ house had been made* depos
itory of powder, tp protect it from falling
into the enemy’s hands incase they should
penetrate into the Lancaster; Wtlemehts,
It was stored in the garret of the building,
one barrel having been unheaded and left
open for retail purposes. His negro, Her
cules,. already alitided te, ; had been sent
UP Jo get admin grain from fhe lofti and,
havipg ocQasion to sot tjio. catullo. down,
stucicit intojhp ppeu r pb^^rj,. *? e
Clearfield, Pa., July 1, 1853.
took to be flaxseed. Fearing an accident,
Mrs. Harris followed} and comprehended
tho danger at a glatice. Reproving him
simply for : staying so long, she 1 took tho
candle between her opeh fingers, and slow
ly withdrawing it, pointed out to him the
danger he had escaped. Such Was his
alarm at the suggestion, that ho ran to the
stairs, and in his agitation, made but one
step to their foot.
During tho dark hours of the revolution
ary strugglo, when public credit was at
the lowest ebb, and Congress had appeal
ed to the public spirit of the American
peoplo for aid in contributions of money,
provisions nnd clothing, Mrs. Harris left
Harrisburg at daylight, with ono hundred
guineas, all the money her husband had
on hand at the time, and changing horses
at Lancaster, thirty-five miles on the route,
rodo in that evening to Philadelphia, being
ono hundred miles in one day, and paid
the money with her own hands over to
tho committeo appointed by Congress to re
, ceive it. Such was the patriotism of that
period.
Srnur of the South. —The Detroi
Daily Free Press, has the following jusi
remarks on the Southern Convention.
The spirit of the Southern people is seen
in the deliberations of the recent Memphis
Convention. No disunion—no dissatisfac
tion ; but the utmost harmony and frater
nal feeling. This happy state of things is
traceable directly to the passage of tho
compromise measures, —to a bejter knowl
edge of tho opinions and disposition of the
great body of the people of the North, and
ito the noble stand taken by Gen. Pierce,
in his inaugural address, in favor of pre
serving the rights or the States.
The South now look upon the crazy ab
olitionism of the day with small grains of
alarm. Although wo are convinced that
the abolition leaders aro preparing for an
other desperate assault upon the peace of
the country, wo have an abiding confi
dence that they are powerless. The ques
tion of slavery is better understood than
formerly by the masses, and the over
whelming moral sentiment in nearly every,
if not indeed in every Northern State, is
to let it alone. Besides many of the lead
ing abolitionists have become so shame
lessly atheistical, so wicked in their de
nunciations, and so reckless of consequen
ces, that moderate men who hitherto have
been inclined to act in a sectional political
organization, are abandoning tho sinking
ship. Garrison, and Phillips, and Abby
Kelly, and tho dozen others who act with
them in their insane crusade, are, literally
running abolitionists into tho ground.
Superadd to this the just feelings of repug
nance with which the action of the English
abolitionists will bometbythe American
people, and we think there is little fear from
the demon spirit of disunion. AH true men
i will rally, if necessary to put it down:
If the objects which the Memphis Con
vention met to consider are carried for
ward tp practical results, the day is not
distant when a new prosperity will dawn
upon the South—a prosperity that will ce
ment tho bonds of the common Union.-
While the North has been advancing in
nil the elements of commercial prosperity,
the South has virtually stood still. But tho
new spirit that is awake, augurs a mighty
change.. With railroads, and steamships,
and manufactories, and nil their concomi
tants, a moral revolution will ensue which
wi|l be wonderful even in the nineteenth
century.
Beautiful Compabison. —We do not
wonder that leaves, and trees, and boughs,
liave ever been the materials whereof po
ets have manufactured comparison in im
agary. One of the most beautiful wo ev
er remember to have seen, was by Dr.
Cheeyer. That tree, said he—■full-leav
ed, and swelling up into the calm, blue
summer air 1 Not a breath stirring, and
yet how it waves and rocks in the sun
shine. Its shadows are flung lavishly n
roiind it: birds sit and sing in its branch
es, and children seek refuge beneath them-
Human affections are the leaves, the fo
liage, how unsightly is human nature. —
Like that same tree it stands, with bare
and shivering arms, tossing despairingly
to heaven —a glorious fluttering of life ami
warmth before; an iron harp for the min
strelsy of the wildest winds now. .
■ ' :/ '■ Exchange.
fcJ”The Hollidaysburg Standard con
tains an account of an inhuman outrage
committed in that, place. On Friday last,
a. little daughter of Rev. D. J. Yerkes,
while playing in front of the housq, in
Gaysport, was decoyed away, and taken
to the privy, of ,the public school house,
■where it was . stripped, and beaten in the
most shsimerul manner, with a thorn bush
and a piece of hoop,* the marks , of both of
|which were plainly visible od the , child’s
back.: She wits found wandering through
the streets by a neighbor, who took her
home, and it was found that she was so
much injured, that n physician batf-to be
called in. . The aufhVr or. authors of, the
outrage are unknown, nor: pan it baourijm
sed what actuated, tin?, parpqtrator. in.the
commission a brim?.,' TbP C W*“
is not yet t'w°: year ; *» ; old! ; ; *,,y,
Number 2.1..
From the New'York Hercdd,
OUR STANDING ARMY AT WEST POINT.
Not the least striking of the phenomena
which a review of the state of this country
discloses is the fact that, while all other
first class powers maintain a standing army
of one or more hundred thousand men, our
whole regular army is hardly ten thousand
I Strong. The United States covering an
ora of more than two and a quarter mil
lions of square miles, is defended by a
handful of men who would be unable to
garrison the single city of New York in
caso of emergency. Nor is their number
found inadequate for the task. Indeed,
were it not for Camanches and Floridnln
dians, these ten thousand might bo cut
down to a few companies without endan
gering the safety of the country in the
slightest degree. A single battallion sta
tioned in the District of Columbia, the
bulk of whose duty would bo toparade be
fore the Capitol and fire peaceful salutes
on national anniversaries, might if these
Indians were once reduced to tranquility,
answer all the purposes of a standing ar-
I my. It is impossible to contemplate the
fact without a very lively feeling of satis
faction. We sec foreigners ground to the
earth bv taxes levied to support immense
bodies of men—France requiring 390,000;
Austria, 400,000; Prussiu upwards of
200,000; England, 130,000, and Russia,
probably, little short of a million—while
the United States, with n territory larger
than Austria, Prussia, France and Eng
land together, contrive to ensure almost
without an army, greater tranquility at
home and equal respect abroad. In time
of peace wo aro not cursed ns thoy are
with large bodies of idle ruffians in our
cities, whose main duty appears to be to
endeavor to keep each other in order; we
see nothing of the demoralization and so
cial evils which the presence of bands of
soldiers cannot fail to engender. In time
of war we have shown that we can cope
with nations whose military expenditure
far exceeds the whole of our revenue. —
There was no lack of soldiers, and no
lack of discipline in 1812, or when the
American flag crossed the Rio Grande.— |
Hundreds and thousands of men were rea
dy to march from the Norlhand the South,
from Massachusetts and Ohio, and thoso
who did enlist proved themselves belter
men on the field than their comrades, who
! had been born and bred in the barracks.—
1 So it would be if a war again broke out.
[ The difficulty would bo to discriminate
' among the volunteers not to raise levies.
Nor is it in nny wise a matter of aston
ishment that volunteers should flock to our
standards in case of need. Wo havo ne
cessarily among our twenty-four million
of souls a very largo number who are fired
by military ambition, and the love ofa ro
ving life. Though the class whence the
army and navy of Britain are supplied is
much smaller bore than there, it exists nev
ertheless, and can afford to send forty thou
sand men to[the west, or twenty thousand to
Mexico, without a serious eflort. There
is, moreover, a martial feeling among thp
American people, which is of itself a suf
jficjienf guarantee for levies, when the
country needs them. The wonder is hot
that we'should be able to cull an army in
to the field at a moment’s warning, but
that that-army should manoeuvre with pre
cision, fight according to rule, and endure
the toils and hardships of a campaign with
out murmuring. ' . . , „ ,
This is a gratifying fact; and we shall do
injustice to no one it wo ascribe it mainly
to the influence and example of the grad
uates bf our military school. West Point
has now been the nursery of our soldiers
for upwards of half a century, and looking
back on the caree of some of those whose
first acquaintance with the sword was mado
within its precincts, wo have every rea
son tocongratulate tho country on its
establishment. Here have arisen a large
proportion of the men whose military go
nius has reflected fame on their native
land. Foreigners have never been able
jto explain how regiments of volunteers
which had left the plough and the spade a
few months previous, were able to hold
thier ground against tho velerehs of Simla
Annn’s army. The puzzle would disap.
pear if it yvere known'that in most instan
ces these raw recruits were led by men
whose knowledge of military tactics was
not surpassed by that of the ablest Euro
pean generals. ~ .
The military horsey of West Point is,
in fafct, one "substitute ,and a perfect one
for tho armies of foreign powers. Com
pare our system with that of Great Brit
tain. There the 6o)dier is drilled—taught
bow to iparcli, wheel, shouldor a mus
ket, und fire—‘and schooled into con-,
scious’ness of the necessity of discipline.
So fur perhaps the system , needs no crit
icism; though long continued submission
to military tyranny is frequently subver
sivo of manly and natural courage.
while the soldier, is the object of the, most
earliest care and wathful vigilance on the
i part Of the authorities, the officer, strange
|to say, is left to instruct , himself. /He
joins his rogimenUon leafing a'hoarding 1
, sOhool;; spends the first; few years of his
service in.drawing room campaigns ana
jirtess table ;ejfploitsf und ifi by anymcci
dent, he is sent on active; service .before
Ktnh»ab<*QQetn do. .5 3,; do o>‘mnftlh* 0 >‘mnftlh* dIW
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do 15 momh.. ■IW) l «■£•• aJS? “*W ~
a do S moorhi. ~ «00 1 oolinmif “Ji’. 1 ‘ jaw
do U raanthi. f> M I do e soQU
do Id raontln. BCM do 1.3 ’
A Üboinirndnotlonwillba road* toMaiahnptMnd otbai*
wboadvartlM, bytheyatr. . ... by
Uni oaperoirfcotatMinnvaiy pei«ilboihSoo,»po'‘>J““., ■
nearly every larnlly in Die connty— “flir™* ■
caapty—'hn 1^' 1 " 11 '
thagreMai p
, Books, Jobs and Blanks,
UP fiVBBV t)E9CBimON. t>RiNTISD.iNTHE,VEtt»
BEST STVUG, AND ON THE SHORTEST
' NOTICE. AT THE OI'FIUE OR THE
“CLEARFIELD REPUBLICAN.” ,
routine has drubbed into him some not ion of
military tactics,;lie is as unserviceable on
the field as the lowest drummer boy. it
needed no little perseverance on the part
of the late Commander-iii-Chief to establish
a rule requiring ensigns to possess the ru
diments ofa liberal education bfore joining
the service. Artillerymen and engineers
are, it is irue, obliged to go through a reg
ular education at Woolwich; but the bulk
of the British army—the cavalry and line
know no more of the science of war than
tailors or shoemakers. Wo have pursued
a different course. ,Wo leave our “rank
and file” to plough the fields, weave cloth
and hammer anvils, until we need them;
knowing that they will be forthcoming
when called for, nnd will acquire, after
a campaign of a fortnight, as much prac*
tical knowledge as will be required of them.
Our officers on, the contrary, are educated
for thier profession. They any taught
not only military tactics, engineering and
the art of war—but also self-denial, forti- •
tudo nnd rigorous discipline. The course
they pursue at West Point is, in short, a
miniature campaign, which they must
! fight boldly, ere they can emerge upon the
actual sphere of thier duties. 1 ■
Our school system we hove mainly
borrowed from Fiance. Saint Cyr nnd
the Polytechnic school have furnished to
France all the great generals (with one or
two exceptions) whose exploits have raisad
her military glory to so great a height.
IDxperienco supplies nmplo prool of the
judiciousness of the system ; and we trust
it will never be rashly abandoned. There
was a time when men tnlked of the ex
pense of the West Point Academy, and
tho uselessness of officers where there
were no soldiers to command ; bid this
fallacy has not stood the test of time. Wo
all know, now, that war may como upon
usliko a thief in the night, and that it be
hooves us to be prepared to meet it,—
That we shall best do—not by following
foreign example in the maintenance of
standing armies—but by fostoring an in
stitution which can supply us at uny mo
ment witth able, scientific leaders for our
volunteor regiments, and thus really render
us formidable to the foe.
California Sumjieer CROPs.-Tha
Santa Clara Register says All appear
ances indicate that the harvest throughout
the valley of Son Jose will be far greater
than ever was realized before from the
labors of the field, even in this fruitful
valley. Thoyiold per acre ofall kinds of
grain will be enormous. Egypt,- at her
most fertile and best cultivated era, never
produced mote abundantly than the soil
of this garden of California. To persons
accustomed to the best wheat districts in
New York and Michigan, the luxurinnt
appearance of our grain fields, is surpris
ing. Few, until convinced by observation,
credit the newspaper accounts of Califor- >
nia productiveness and tho mammoth pro
portions the generous soil and the general
climate gives to every variety ot cultivat
ed plants in the vegetable kingdom. In
every direction throughout the country tpo
farmers are bust’ in cutting hay, and such
hay,the spontaneous growth of the country <
the wild oats now beginning to turn. No
better provender for horse or cattle eftn be
found in any country. • :
Wool Staple.—The Cleveland (Ohio)
Herald states that the wool season has
opened with vigor, and that eastern manu
facturers and dealers are flocking into that
town. Tho contracts and purchases made
so far, it thinks, aro full three fourths of
tho clip of the State, at forty to ■ sixty-fivo
cents lor the different grades; and,iladds,
it must be very wolcome to. growers-to
take the money at, such prices for their
wool.
03-The Apalachian, of.',' Blairsyijlc,
wants information of Thos. McGipity,
who left his house in September, 1852.—-
He is aged about thirteen years, fair hair,
ed, and has % slight speck on the hall of
the left eye. Any ; person knowing his
whereabouts will confer a favor upon his
widowed mother, by addressing Mrs. Mary
McGinity, Blairsvillo, Indiana county. Pa.
03“ The run of salmon in the Sacra
meuto river, this season, has been enorm
ous ; four thousand were taken daily,
weighing 17 pounds each, on nn average.
The rivers of California nnd Oregon are
nlivo with these fish at nil seasons. They
hro beginning to sail and cure them ' ar B e *
|y on the Sacramento.-.*
00-It is a question tyether being called
the “son of a shpuld not rather be
taken os a compliment, than as term of
abuse, as-it is weU. knowh that ia
good for anything unleash descends in a
straight line from a good stock. , .
, Extbaoudinaby.— A cow belonging ta
Milton r ßuchandii« of Lincoln,
cently gave birth to seven calves.-j Una
is the most extraordinary ,and prolific cow
ever mentioned in print.- . The cqw With
' her little flock, however, all died. ,
' fcr“Gcime,' sonnyi \get tip,”; skid an
■ indulgent father to o hUperplstihi theqther
morning, “Remembei 1 that’ tlie ! early bird
I catches ihe first worm:’’ * c whiiV ad, rcare
for the worms!’* replied the h , 6iwfijii‘(*'rhoih.-
er won’t lef me go n fishingf;” ; >
v