ONE D3LUW PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
TOAVAKDA :
Thursday Morning, January 30,1862.^
Original
lines to my sister.
,v S. ~. ,of s.v. Aimr. LB RV.
p.-ar lister, breathe not a murmur,
Though meet not again ;
For I must stand by my country,
AuJ its honor maintain.
Mi the bright friendships once cherished,
1 have bid them adieu,
To tight the rebels iu " Dixit,
Aud Stctnion subdue.
And" t><V" nO' heart n ™' mnm!ne9
When we speed to the iruy,
Success shall crown our endeavors—
I know for it you pray.
We'll em stand by our banner,
Aud all dangers we'll brave,
Until wc break all the fetters
That are forged for the slave.
IJc.-ide Totomae's bright waters,
Loud otir can,ions shall roar,
Till the " OH Flag" of the Uni an,
This whole nation doats o er.
U'e'll boldly meet the assassins,
Fearless stand by the right.
And hurl the seaesh rebellion,
To tbe darkest ol nig.it.
We'll rend the yoke ot opprcssim,
lis ibuscs restrain—
In truth we will slumber,
E'te vile traitors shall reign.
And he who shrinks tro.n the - >.i liat,
When ins country hath oesl.
Should lie desp st-J by lii ■ kindred-
I'e their curses his meed,
ian 11 v.;uv .-Jin 11 11 •I .
<flistflliuucrtis.
(For the Bradford Reporter )
Science of Teaching- No. 1.
The relation o; the te uthdr miy 1)3 consid
ered a mixed oue. From early ages, parents
have to a greater or less exteut, placed their
children in charge of instructors. This prac
tice steuis to have grown up in accordance
with that general law upon which the division
of labot is tounded. By it, the teacher for
the tune assumes the authority and obligation
ot the parent. Government is established
to promote "the peace, safety and happiness"
ot its membe-'s. As one means to insure this
eurf, i: has established a system ot schools,
atid r.'iv/L z d teaching as a profession. The
teacher b iug iu its employ, may be regarded
t> -n>:;:iu:ug the relatio i ot its ageut.
Sustaining these relations, the obligations
rising therefrom would sccni to require that
lie make linn himself acquainted with all the
Beans within his reach, which will aid him iu
'advancing the true interests aud high aims of
liis employers The field of knowledge over
which he 111 iv range with profit, iu search of
matter for his purposes, is a wide one. We
shall nut attempt to circam-cribe it, or classify
materials, but rather to study some ol the
more important and general laws and facts
which should guide him in hi- instructions, and
their influence upon the habits, opinions aud
practice of pupiis in after life.
Assuming thai flic laws and facts up on which
the uit of teaching is', or ought to be founded,
are worthy of the name of a science ; our
first, inquiry is, where are they to be found?—
IVtciers offering their services have, until
Unite recently, been examined only in the sui
euce- y i-s taught. But, do these determine
tin- itieury or science of leaching I Science is
I said to be knowledge systematized Knowl-
I edge c.i -is's of facts, or relations. In the
I unire of a simple fact, or relation, we find
I wining to determine the time or manner of its
I cooiuunicatiou. Indeed for aught we can see,
I'twould make no difference whether we com-
I aence at Cube toot, Alligation or Notation ;
I" to one element of kuowledge is as simple as
<:• o.hcr. Knowledge, or facts to become
*b,really to an iudividual.must be perceived,
tMbe comprehended. It would be folly to
fctltrtake tj teach a pupiljitbe rules or scieuce
graiuiar, who had no knowledge of language,
'totalk to him of colors of which be never
W any perception.
Hence, the best system of arrangement, or ;
> w.::'.atiou of the elements of science, is that
•liich tollows tn ist closely the order in which
x:nd most successfully grusps tbein.
1 ft*l instruction should always he adapted
*- '-fie degree ot advancement of the pupil, uo
! deny. Bjme pupils advance iu some
a 9Raeut. of knowledge much more easily
ra i v ■J than others. No teacher can have
,*f" l °h')Uee the fact, that there is a dif
'; Ukc onural capacities of the tniuds j
s- ; , !0t t | ie intelectual capacity j
1 ui ia the propensities, sensibilities and '
H these are to be regarded by tbe ,
"ia instructions, does it not follow j
a - k^owledge of them is necessary to in- i
• highest degree ol success ?
j"'-'iOphers assert lha; every act of the in- j
i Jil is preceded by an internal or mental ,
L - JW avcr this may be, our own experience j
L;"totfJ that it is true of our own vol- j
a aii that the internal act —as a 1
r..; 4 / ru "--'i'--:cruiiutis the external one. —
E l^e (iterna ' ,U4n Wa y regarded not l
to® executive, and defender of, but j
L; ttmmuoieatKMi with the internal
lit j'' 1 ' '' commonicatioa be injudicious
defective, on the interna! action
ruil ' rr ° r will result. Now it would seeai
L starting of the laws of aetiou
■ ( -e -t .of th mind —of this inilu-|
Bhl tx toiual uieaus, to_etber with a (
Iv. toe means of ascertaining its
1,, ; j 3 ' va ':ccineut and capacity,would great-
I >1' 10 SUcceS! of the teacher.
, ccnceive to be the science of teach- i
■\. ' sl °dy it the teu her need not travel
Hit*.... COu " tr ß'S to examine collec ions of
H, " ;e has ouiy to turu his attention
H 1 Ur L'xk as it were tbe chambers of
■ i.. ~ } a sl Tl )! y of material. The
fa prOj>cr cultivation of the in-
! tellcct,thc sensibilities,and propensities connect
intimately as it is, with our peace, prosperity
and happiness can scarcely be overrated. Our
happiness depeuds far more upon the world
within us than the one without. Man has al
ways been inclined to attach too much relative
importance to externals to make clean the
outside of the platter, neglecting the inside,
i Christ, the great teacher directed a large por
; tiou of his teachings to correction of this uni.
| versal error He taught that, " Out of th
heart proceed evil thoughts murders, Ac.—e
Those passages found in Matthew, 1, I—s are
full of philosophical truth, which will become
more apparent, as we proceed iu our inves
tigation. 0 J. C.
ORWELL, Pa.
Letter from Camp Barry.
CAMP BAKRY, Washington, D. C.,Ja. 18,1862.
E. O. GOODRICH, E-Q — Dear Sir : —Perhaps
our Northern friends are so used to reading
sensation announcements iu the New York
papers, of great battles, splcpdid victories and
successful Naval Expeditious, that I shall not
be able to furnish a suitable " Morceau" for
their m. rbid appetites. Occupying us we do,
only a place iu the Reserve Artillery uuder
Gen. Barry, we have uot seen any blood yet,
but we have heard the cannons thunder aud
smelt the smoke of powder—aud as we have
orders to hold ourselves iu constant readiness
to march, aud every four gun Battery of the
reserve has to keep ou hand four hundred
rounds of ammunition, shot aud shells, we
think you will sooa have the satisfaction of
announcing to the readers of the Reporter, a
successful "On to Richmond." The cloud of
inaction begins to break away, and the Army
of the Potomac will sooa become as grand iu
briliiant achievements as it now is iu numbers.
Congress, ac its commencement, has taken a
step in the right direction—that of confiscating
the property ot rebels We think it is high
time stveaal policies iu this war was played out,
especially that ot fighting the rebels, and at
the same time holiliug ttieir property to be so
sacred that our troops must watch over and
protect it; and also that of setting at liberty a
large portion of tbe rebels that fall into the
hands of our troops, ou tneir parols of honor,
and oaths of allegiance, when ttiey bad already
forfeited both by taking up arms agaiust the
Government. If we are to treat these rebels
as friends aud brothers, why not tpru over the
Jovernment to them at once, and trust to
their filial affection, their generosity and sense
!of honor, to do us justice. We have dallied
I long enough with this rebellion if wenregoiug
Ito fight it down. Determined aud energetic
: action on our part can soon accomplish the
deed. It is not an exotic but an indigeuous plant
and mu-t lie dug up by the roots; lopping off
a few excresent branches will uot answer. If
we would be successful we must carry the war
into 44 Africa," confiscate the property of these |
rebels, for when we touch their " niggers" we j
reach their souls, and send the dagger home
jto liieir hearts—"not that we love 'our South
-1 ern brother less, but our " country more."—
Earnest aud determined efforts on the part of
our Generals will soon extinguish the lust
lingering hope ot the Conlederate States.—
Tbtir prospects are waning very fast. The
blockade at Acqua Creek is run almost daily,
and the rebels have concluded that it does not
pay to waste their powder on our oyster boats,
as they pass up and down the Potomac. Day
before yesterday the Peusacola passed their
great batteries without receiving any injury,
though sixteen shots from their heaviest gnus
' were fired at her. It is the opinion of military
men here, that a general battle cannot be kept
off much longer. Four Batteries of the Re
serve Artillery are under marching orders now;
! and iu a couple of days they will leave the
mortar beds they have been mixing on Capi
tal Hill (the mud here has been from fonr to
six inches deep for the last month,) and will
consecrate themselves by treading the sacred
: soil of the " Okl Dominion." We will all have
to leave here shortly, for wood aud hay are
getting to be scarce articles. Wood is worth
from eight to twelve dollars per cord, and bav,
from thirty five to forty dollars per ton. All
the fences ar.uud here have been burned up,
and, eveu straw has been used up so that it is
now fetching eighteen dollars per tori.
Respectfully, X. L.
RrciMESTAL Riv.u.ry — lt is related that
a rivalry exists between two regiments en
camped on the Potomac, which is sometimes
carried to the most absurd extremes. As an .
iustauce of this, it is stated that on one occas- j
sion the Colonel of one of the regiments was
waited on by a zealous chaplain who wished i
to promote the religious interests of the regi-,
ment. The chaplain was politely received aud j
beckoned to a seat on a chest.
" Colouel,'' said he elevating his eyebrows,
44 you bave one of the finest regimeuts in the
army."
" I think so," replied the Colonel.
" Do you think yon pay sufficient attention
to the religious instructions of your meu ?"
" Well, I don't know," replied the Colo
nel.
" A lively interest has been awekened in the
regiment ! the Lord has blessed the la
bors of his servauts, aud teu men bave been
baptized." [This was the rival regimen ]
"Is that to. 'pou honor V asked the Co
louel.
" Yes, sir."
" Sergeant," said the Colonel to an attend
ing Orderly, " have tifteeu men detailed im
mediately to be baptised. 1 II be daotued if
they shall get ahead of us any way."
The chaplain made a uote of the interview,
and retired.
A POSER.—Take for granted that the rail
road tram is going at the speed with which a
cannon ball fired from a caunou would. Then
suppose the cannon on the train, and fire from
the car in opposite direction to that in which
the traia is moving, where would the ball
fall. _
It is less pain to learu iu youth thau
to be ignorant iu age.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA,, BY E. 0. GOODRICH.
A Long Story Briefly Told.
There was a certain kiug, who, like many
Eastern Kings, was very foud of hearing sto
ries told. To this amusement he gave up all
his time ; but yet was never satisfied. The
exer tious of all his courtiers were in vain. He
at last, made a proclamation, that if Hoy mau
should tell him a story thai should last for
ever he would make him his heir, and give
him the princess, his daughter, in marriage ;
but if any oue should pretend he had such a
story but should fail—that is, if the story (did
come to an end, he was to have his head chop
ped off.
For such a price as a beautiful princess and
a kingdom, many candidates appeared ; and
dreadfully long stories some of them told.—
Some lasted a week, some a month, some six
months. Poor fellows ! they all spun them
out as long as they could ; but in vain.—
Sooner or later they all came to an eud, aud,
oue after another, the uu'ucky story tellers
had their heads chopped off.
At last came a mau who said he bad a sto
ry that would last forever,if his majesty would
be pleased to give hiip a trial.
lie was warned of his danger ; they told
him how inauy others had tried, and lost their
heads ; but he said he was not afraid, and so
he was brought before the king. He was a man
of a very composed and deliberate way of speak
iug, aud after makjng all requisite stipulations
for time for his eating, drinking aud sleeping,
he thus begau his story :
" Oh, king ! there was ouce a king who was
a great tyraut. Aud desiring to increase his
riches, he seized upon all the corn aud grain
in his kingdom, and put it in an immense gran
ary, which was built ofl purpose, as h'gh as a
mountain.
" This he did for several years,'till the gran
ary was quite full up to the top. He than
stopped up doors and windows, and closed it
up on all sides.
" But the bricklayers had ;by accident
left a very small bole near the top of the
granary. And there came a flight of locusts,
and tried to get all the corn ; but the hole
was so small that only one locust could
pass through at a time. So one locust went in
aud carried of one grain of corn, and than an
other locust went in aud carried off another
grain of corn, aud then another locust went in
and carried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust went in and carried off an
other grain of corn, and then another locust
went in and carried off another grain of corn,
and then another locust went iu and carried
off another grain of corn.
He had gone on thus from morning till
night except when he was engaged at meals,
for about a month,when the k:ntr, though a very
patient king, began to be a little tired of the
locusts, and interrupted Lis story with—
" Well, well, we have heard enough of the
locusts, we will suppose that they have helped
themselves to all the corn that they wanted.
Tell us what happened afterward."
To which the story teller answered very de
liberately :
" If it pleases your majesty, it is impossible
to tell what happened afterward before I have
told yon what happened first."
And then he went on again—
" And then a loenst went in and carried off
another grain of corn, and then another locust
went in and carried off another grain cf corn,
and then another loenst went in and carried
off another grain of corn."
The kiug listened with unconquerable pa
tience for six months more, when he again in
terrupted him with,
" Oh, friend, I am weary of your locusts !
How soon do you think you will have done ?"
To which the story teller made answer—
" 01), king, who can tell, at the time to
which my story has come, the locusts have
cleared away a small place, it may be a cubit,
each way round the inside of the hole, and the
air is still dark with locusts on ail sides. But
let the king have patience, and no doubt we
shall come to the eud of them in time.
Thus encouraged, the king listened for an
other full year, the story teller goiug yu still
as before—
"An then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and then anoth
er locust went in and carried off another grain
of com, and then another locust went in and
carried off another grain of corn, and then an
other locust went and carried oil another grain
of com," till at last the poor king could hear
it no longer and cried out —
"Oh, man,that is enough ! Take my daugh
ter ! Take my kingdom ! take my everything,
everything ; only let me hear no more of your
abominable locusts !"
And so the story teller was married to the
king's daughter, and was declared heir to the
throne, aud nobody ever expressed a wish to
hear the rest of bis story, for he said it was
impossible to come to the other part of it till
he had done withjthe locusts. The unreasonable
capriece of the foolish king was thus over
matched by the ingenious device of this wise
mau.
ftp- Two poor fellows were picked up in
Washington the other day sick, au order was
procured foi their admittance to the Seminary
Hospital, and an ambulance to convey them.
The order was given to the driver, who read
it, and drove straight to the Cemetry. He
stops at the lodge. " Where are these to go?"
" Got an order ?" " Yes." How many are
there ?" "Two " " All right, I'll show yon,"
says the lodge keeper, and walks on, the am
bulance following, till he came to two freshly
opened graves. " Back around there." Dri
ver does so —tail board over the graves. The
Sexton lifts the curtain, aud a soldier sits np
and looks out. " What in thunder is this ?
I ain't dead yet by a long shot."
;>vy- Our customs and habits are like the
ruts in roads. The wheels of life settles into
them, and we jog along through tbe mire, be
cause it is too much trouble to get out of
them.
" REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER."
IP olilira 1.
Taxation of Railroads art Canals of the State.
SPEECH OF SENATOR LAN DON.
In the Senate,on Friday,the 17th iost., Hon.
GEO. LANDON submitted the followiug resolu
tion:—
Resolved, That the Committee on Finance
be, aud they are hereby iustruoted to report a
bill, to the Senate imposing a tonnage and
passenger tax on all the cauals and railroads
in the State.
The resolution was twice read.
Mr. LANDON. I offered that resolution,
Mr. Speaker, in good faith. I have no sym
pathy with any effort for buncombe on a subject
of so much importance. I want it understood,
i sir, that I have submitted the proposition of
the resolution in entire good faith. Ido not
propose to discuss its merits at this time, bat
I wish to make a remark in explanation. If
the Committee on Fiuance shall report a bill,
as tbe resolution suggests, then when that bill
comes up, the subject being open to full dis
cussion will be properly handled.
The truth is, sir, as we all know, onr Gov
ernment is just now subject to extraordinary
expenses. Well, sir, extraordinary emergen
cies always demand extraordinary efforts to
meet them. The expenses of our National
Governmen, as we are all aware, are same two
million dollars per day; and any man who is a
sufficiently experienced mathematician may
figure up what the annual expense will be, or
what the expenditure for two years will
amount to.
And if expenses are incurred, expenses must
be provided for. Pennsylvania has got to bear
her burden of these expenses, and of course
j must make provisiou to meet her liabilities.
We desire to see tbe war in which we are
engaged—though I do uot wish to launch out
! iuto a retrospect of that question—we desire
to see the war prosecuted with euergy; we are
all heartily tired of this cry at midnight and
at noon, that comes from every picket guard :
" all quiet on the Potomac." I, for oue, sir,
am heartily tired of that cry. But while we
demand energy on the part of the army—OD
the part of the Government, we must remem
ber that finances are the sinews of war. It is
just as necessary to have a fall treasury as a
full army. It is as essential to have our finan
cial credit unquestioned as it is to have the
heroism of our troops undoubted. But, Mr.
Speaker, you cannot meet expenditures by
filling a treasury with worthlsss paper. You
may trace the expenses of Government in any
direction, or follow them bftck to their Issue,
and those expenses will come at last upon the
people—will come to this principle of direct
taxation. In order to keep good the credit of
the Government, in order to keep inviolate our
State credit aud in order to show to the wide
world that we are in earnest, that we are
hound to provide means lor the prosccntion of
tbe war in which we are engo god,we must take
early measures and substantial —not fictitious
—measures, that shall form a basis, a sub
stratum upon which may rest all the financial
measures of the Government. I hope, Mr.
Speaker, that every dollar of rebel property,
that every square rod of rebel land, that every
item of rebel substance —I hope, sir, in the
name of God, that all these may be confiscat
ed, couverted iuto a circulating medium, and
that medium applied to the liquidation of the
necessary expeuses of the war. I want you to
understand, sir, to day aud duriDg the rest of
the session, that such is my position; but we
canuot do that now. You must catch your
fish before you fry thim. We have got to put
the hook into the Leviathan's mouth before
we can draw him out aud dispatch him. But
I hope the time will come when a confiscated
revenue will be applied to the liquidation of the
expenses necessarily incurred in this war.—
Now, the question arises " how shall we raise
the money necessary to meet those expenses."
Why, you have a board of revenue commis
sioners who I believe, are looking over and
itemizing the* property of the entire State, aud
no doubt but they will report a proposition to
make everything taxable, from a man's silver
plate ou his table to his south-down 6beep
that roam on the hill-side; everything from a
calf to railroad stoek is to be made taxable. 1
But I find no fault with that; extraordinary
times demand an extraordinary basis; aud a
system of taxation that would be objection- ;
able and provoke the country almost to rebel- ,
lion at one time, that system of taxation may '
be wholly necessary at another. It is uot always
pleasant to be poor,but as far as there may be 1
any pleasure iu it, I enjoy it; but as poor as I
am, I am ready to be taxed oue-haif of my
worth to sustain the Government and the
country. If that is not euougb, then take the
other half—the country first, the couutry for
ever! Maintain it at all hazards and at all
expense 1 Now, while the people iu all their
interests are to be taxed, as I understand such
will be the report, and it no doubt will be, 1
look around at these internal improvements
and the qaestson aries in my mind, "can we
uot increase our revenues ou them, justly aud
with propriety. A word upou that subject
aud 1 will pause. If a proposition was made
this day or any day duriug this session to up
hold the passage ot a passenger or tonuage tax
upon any railroad or public avenue of travel
in Pennsylvania, while other such roads and
avenues were to be exempt therefrom, I should
vote agaiust it. Ido not believe iu laying an
embargo upon one porliou of the commerce of
the Commonwealth aud leaving the remainder
exempt. 1 object to taxing one thoroughfare
aud leaving others clear of such taxation. But
if we put a passeuger or tonuage tax upon
every hue, let it not be too high; let it be con
ceived iu wisdom and executed in justice; and
if we impose it upon every line, we treat them
ail alike. I would not have a bill reported
imposing a perpetual tax. Let it be imposed,
tor two, three or five years: until we can real
ize from this aud other sources, the uecessary
revenues to meet our necessary expenses aud
deliuquincies. You understand me now, irj?
Whenever a proposition is made to lay a tax
upou one line of improvement to the exemp
tion of a similar one, I will vote against it.—
In common times when you propose to shackle
the commerce of Pennsylvania, to impose a
tax upon the passengers and tonnege of all
roads—in ordinary times, I shall not vote
against it. I mean this: we should lay such
an imposition upou the whole and not partially;
and now, in extraordinary times, we shall re
alize from such a source a vast income.
And here is another thought in connection
with this matter. The business of our rail
roads in conseqaence of the war has almost
doubled. The tonnage carried is almost as
much again, at least vastly increased. Out of
this result should come a benefit to the gov
ernment. If the war increases their business,
they can afford to be subject to a little extra
expense in order to meet the exigencies of the
country, in support of that war. While you
impose an extraordinary tax upon individual
property to meet individual emergencies, it is
but just and eqitable that organized systems
of wealth should be subject to tbe same taxa
tion to meet the same great issues. When
peace, with her sunshine and her blessings
shall again return to us—when these unwar
ranted expenditures shall have ceased, then
this extraordinary taxation can and should be
removed both from the individual aud corpora
tion. I assare you, by the by, sir, that I par
take of none of that narrow, miserable preju
dice against associated capital aud enterprise,
a prejudice that corrodes the hearts and over
clouds the whole mental horizon of some meu.
These associatiaDS bave contributed largely to
the glory and development of the country in
times of peace, and they should and will con
tribute their full quota for the maintenance of
that country now that the terrors of war are
upon ns. These considerations have induced
me to offer the present resolution. I ask the
wise and judicious committee on Finance to
take into consideration the propriety of report
ing a bill embodying the whole subject.
Mr. BENSON. I doubt not the Commit
tee ou Finance will uave no disposition to
shrink any responsibility which the Senate
may impose upon tbcm, but it seem 3 to me
that a peremptory demand upon that commit
tee to report a bill without sufficient consider
ation, is in uo wise required. I will inform the
Senator from Bradford, that the subjects of
which he has spokeu are now under considera
tion. The Governor, same time since, appoint
ed Revenue Commissioners—able gentlemen
of the Commonwealth —aod those commission
ers, in connection with the Committee on
Ways and Means of the Honst, and the Fi
nance Committee of the Senate, have already
had one interview; aud the subject of taxation
is now under consideration by that commission
in connection with those committees. Another
meeting will take place, and the design is to
have a report made, and then upon that re- ;
port a bill to be framed, covering all these ,
subjects of taxatioQ. I trust that the Senate .
will not issue a peremptory order for the Com ;
mittee on Finance to go to work immediately
and draw np a bill to be reported to this body, j
That matter is now under investigation. Those
commissioners have been appointed for the .
identical purpose of equalizing taxation, and
its proper imposition throughout the Common
wealth, and are well prepared with thel help
of the committees of both branches to digest a
bill. I can see no propriety in the passage of !
this resolution. I
Mr. LANDON. I have already gained one
very importaut object iu offering that resolu
tion. I bave learned, and the Senate has also
learned, what has been done in regard to the
matter. Now, Ido not wish to be considered
peremptory unless such a course may be neces
sary. No man respects the Committee on Fi
nance more than I do. Is the chairman of that
committee, (Mr. Benson,) to be understood as
[ asserting that the Committee on Finance will
! report iu favor of the suggestion of taxiug cor
porations?
Mr. BENSON. It is understood that the
subjeet was laid before the two committees of
the Senate and House, and the is to
impose a tax upon corporations, adjusted iu
some eqnitable and proper manner.
Mr. LANDON. Then I will amend my
resolution, aud in lieu of "instructing the com
mittee to report," merely specify that they
' be instructed to inquire into expediency of
such a measure." We will leave the disposi
tion of the matter in their hands.
Mr. PENNEY stated that a bill for rais
ing revenue could not legally be originated in
tbe Senate.
Mr. LANDON. We can make the sub
ject a matter of inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
M. SMITH, (Philadelphia,) coincided in
the opinion that a revenue measure could be
originated ouly in the co-ordiuate branch.
The amendment of Mr. Laudou was agrfced
to and the resolution, as amended, was read
as follows:
Resolved, That the Committee on Finance
be, and they are hereby instructed to inquire
Into the expediency of imposing a tonnage and
passenger tax upon all the canals and railroads
iu the State, to report by .bill or otherwise.
The resolution was then adopted.
MAKING A NEEDLE.—Needles are made of
steel wire. The wires is first cnt by shears,
from coites, into the length of the needles to
be made. After a batch of such bits of wire
have been cut off, tbey are placed in a hot
furnace, theH takeu out and rolled backward
and forward on a table until they are straight.
They are now to bo ground. The needle
pointer takes up two doiin or so of the wires
aud roils them betweeu his thumb and fin
gers, with their ends ou the griudstoae, first
one and then the other. Next is a machine
which flattens and gutters tbe beads of ten
thousand needles in an hour. Next comes the
punching of the eyes, done by a boy so fast
that the eye can hardly keep pace with bim.
The splitting follows ; which is runuiug a fine
wire through a dozen perhaps, of these twiu
needles. A woman, wtth a little anvil betore
her, files betweeu the heads, and separates
them. They are now complet needles, but
they arc rough aud ru.-tv, and easily bend.—
The hardening comes uext. They are heated
VOL. XXII. —NO. 35.
in batches in a furnace, and when red hot are
thrown into a pan of cold water. Next they
mast be tempered, and this is done by rolling
them backward and forward on a hot metal
plate. The polishing still] re mains to be done.
On a very coarse cloth needles are spread to
the amount of forty or fifty thousand. Eme
ry dust is strewn over them, oil is sprinkled
and soft soap daubed over, the cloth is rolled
hard up, and, with several others of the same
kind thrown into a sort of wash pot to roll to
and fro for twelve hours or more. They come
out dirty euough ; but after a rinsing in clean
hot water, and tossing in sawdust,they become
bright, aud are ready to be sorted adit put up
for sale.
Picketing.
While on my lonely beat about an hour ago,
a light tread attracted my attention, and on
looking up 1 beheld one of Secesh's pickets
standing before me.
" Stranger," says he, " you remind me of
my grandmother who expired before I was
I born, but this unnatural war has made QS en
emies, aud I must shoot you. Give me a chaw
' of terbacker."
He was a young man, my boy, in the prima
of life, and decended from the First Families
of Virginia. That is to say, bis mother was a
Virgin. A? least that is what I understood
by the term Frst Families of Virginia.
I looked at him, and says I—" Let's com
i promise, my brother."
" Never," says he, " the South is fightiDg
, for her liberty, her firesides, and the pursuit
l of happiness, aud I desire most respectfully
| to welcome you with bloody hands to a hospi
j table grave "
" Stand off ten paces," says I, "and let's
see whose name will come before the coroner
! first 1"
He took his place, and we fired simultane
ously. I heard a ball go whistliug by a barn
about a quarter of a mile on my right ; and
when the smoke cleared away I saw the Secesh
picket approaching me with an awfal expres
sion of woe upon his otherwise dirty counte
nance.
" Soldier," says he, " was there aDythiDg in
my head before yon fired ?"
" Nothing," says I, " save a few' harmless
insects."
" I speak not of them," says be. " Was
there anything inside of my head ?"
" Nothing," says I.
" Well," says he, " just listen now. 1 '
He shook his head mournfully, and I heard
something rattle in it.
" What's that ?" I exclaimed.
" That, "said he, " is your bullet, which has
penetrated my sknll, and is rolling round in
my brain. I die happy, and with an empty
stomach ; but there is one thiDg I should like
to see before I perish for my country. Have
yon a quarter about you ?"
Too much affected to speak, I drew the coin
from my pocket and handed it to him. The
dying man clutched it convulsively, aud stared
at it feverishly.
" This," said he, " is the first quarter I've
seen siuce the fall of Sumter : and had I
wounded yon I should have been totally nnable
to have given you any quarter. Ah I how
beautiful it is! bow bright, how exquisite, and
good for four driuks ! But I have not time to
say all I feel."
The expiriog soldier then laid down his gnn,
hung his cap and overcoat on a branch of a
tree, and blew his nose. He then died.!
Aud there I stood, my boy, on that lonely
beat, looking down upon that fallen type of
mauhood, and thinking how siognlar it was
that be had forgotten to give me back my
qnarter. The sight and the thought so
affected me that I was obliged to tarn my
back on the corpse and walk a little away from
it. When 1 returned to the spot the body
was gone ! Had it gone to heaven ? Perhaps
so, my boy—perhaps ; but I have not seen my
quarter since.
B6&* A member of the Indiana 20th Regi
ment now encamped near Fortress Monroe
writes to the Indianapolis Journal on the 23d:
Yesterday morning, Gen. Mansfield, with
Drake de Kay, Aid-deCamp, in command of
seven companies of the Twentieth New York
Germau Ritl-s, left Newport News on arecon
noisance. Just after passing Newmarket
Bridge, seven miles from camp, they detached
one company as an advance, and soon after
their advance was attacked by s:x hundred of
the enemies cavalry.
The company formed to receive cavalry, but
the cavalry advauciug deployed to the right
aud left when withiu musket range, and un
masked a body of seven hunred negro infantry,
all armed with muskets, who opened fire on
our men, wounding two lieutenants and two
privates, and rushiug forward surrounded the
company of Germans who cut their way
through, kill'mg six of the negroes and wound
ing several more. The main body, hearing tho
firiug, advanced at a double-quick in time to
recover their wounded aud drive the enemy
back but did not succeed iu taking any prisou
ers. The woauded useu testify positively that
they were shot by negroes, and that not less
than seven hundred were present armed with
muskets.
This is, iudeed, a new feature in the war.
We have heard of a regiment of negroes at
Mauassas.and another at Memphis, and still
another at New Orleans, but did not believe
it till it came so near borne and attacked our
men. Three is no mistake abont it. The 20th
German were actually attacked and fired on
aud wounded by negroes.
It is time that this thing was understood
and if they fight us with negroes, why sbou'd
not we fight them with negroes too? We hare
disbelieved these reports too long, and now let
us fight the devil with fire. The feeling is in
tense among the men. They want to know if
they came here to fight negroes, and if they
did they want to know it. The woanded men
*wear they will kill any negro they see, so ex
cited are they at the dastardly act. It re
mains to lie seeu how long the Government
will now hesitate, wheu they learn these fact*.