BY HENRY J. STAMM
37T H YEAR.
TER) S-OE-T-RE-COM-P-
W•The Republican Coutpi kr, is published
every Monday morning, - by HENRY J.SrAn LE,
at $1,75 per annum if paid in advance-2,00
per annum if not paid in advance. No sub
scription discontinued, ,unless at the option of
the publisher, until all arrearages are paid..
A.DVERTISEMNSTS' inserted at the usual rates.
diSpatch.
lie - Office on South Baltimore street, direct
ly opposite Wampler's Tinning Establi&hiuent,
one and a half squares from the Court House..
kfl)oire poctrn.
THE CRICKET.
BY FIADAgSAH
______The_cricket. he dwells in the cold. cold
At the font of the old oak tree,
And all through the lengthened autumn night
A merry song sings he,
' Re whistles a clear and merry tune
' By the sober light of the silver moon.
The winds may moan
With a. hollow tone
All through the leaves of the rustling tree,
The clouds may fly
Through the deep blue sky,
The flowers may droop and the brooklet sigh, -
' But never a fig cares he.
Re whistles a.clear and merry tune
By the sober light of the silver moon,
. All through the lengthened autumn night,
And never a fig cares he.
There's a tiny cricket within thy heart,
And a pleasant sougv - sings he;
Ile "sings of the mercies and goodness of God
That hourly fall upon - thee. -
Let him whistle loud and clear,
Never drown him in a tear; ,
There's darkness enough on earth, I trow,
Without the gloom of a gloomy brow ;
Darkness enough in the home of the poor
That never comes to thy lofty door.
Forth with a smile,
Their woe to beguile;
Forth •to lighten the heavy gloom.
Forth to brighten the clouded home;
Cheer up the soul that is shrouded in night;
Tell it in tones of love.
Of hope. on earth: and a land all bright—
The land of Life and Love.
And never fret,
That you cannot get
Just what you want %%bile you travel bore.
This is not your lasting sphere;
Trials, exations,
Are but temptations;
Use them:aright, and they'll help you along
In the narrow road
That leads to t+od.
Use them aright, and they'll help you along.
Never fret
You'll conquer yet.
Then let Lim whistle loud and clear,
Never drown him in a tear,
But all through the length of trouble's night,
Let him sing his Merry song..
Sclect
A Marvelous Story of a Picture.
'An original picture of Charles 1., which was
supposed to have been lost in the time of the
Commonwealth, when, to prevent discovery of
the portrait.. they reduced it in size by cutting
it, has been found in Barnstable. It was
painted by Vandyck in 1640, when the king
was forty years of age. one"year• before the
painter died. This painting had, fora great
many years, been thrown about as valueless ;
It'was so black - it could scarcely be perceived
'what it represented, and the frame was so rot
ten that it broke away as it hung: For the
'la'st-ten years it was in the possession of Mr.
Ward. at the Seven Stars, Anchor Lane, and
when he left the house and sold off, Mr. W.
Lewis, furniture broker, Silver street, bought
it and took it home. It was thrown about for
a long time under a heap of rubbish .: at last it
was picked up and ordered to be with
a scrubbing-brush, and when done it was hung
up in his ware-rooms to dry. Several people
passed and re-passed, who asked the price of
it; but thought tifey would consider the matter.
At last Mr. Taylor saw.it and bought it for
2s. Within a week he was offered £2O for it.
That gave Mr. Taylor an idea of the value of
it. He then took it to the National Gallery, to
know if there was such a painting m;ssing,
and had answer that there was, but :finding
that it had to go through a process to bring-it
there, he returned to Barnstable :again with
it,!and since that he has been offered as much
as £2,000. But it is considered worth £20,-
000, being one of the most valuable paintings
known.
A. HORRIBLE MEAT STORY-GIBBS THE Pm
nym named ;John Jenkins was tried
in New York city last week, for selling "Plat
ed Veal." The Witness in the case described
4 'plated veal" to be manufactured by putting
apiece of fat pork where the kidney ought to be,
in calves so yount , or starved that from them
you could not get fat enough to grease a jack
knife with. Some butchers call it "bob veal."
Jenkins was found guilty and fined $lO. But
the most interesting part of the trial was the
evidence of one George Pessinger, who said,
under oath : "I can produce a woman in Wil
liamsburg that cosked steaks from the thigh of
the pirate Gibbs, who was hung, and people
ate and pronounced them the finest they ever
ate, being under the4rnpression that it was the
flesh of an animal." Pessinger said it was at
a hotel in the Bowery, kept by the husband of
the woman referred . to, at an affair called a
"Tackle," in which every person participating
contributed some article of food to be prepared
for the dinner. This place was a resort for
medical students, and the body of - Gibbs having
been handed over to the medical faculty for
dissection, a wag of a student conceived the idea
Of playing ow a joke upon the participants at
the "Tackle." He accordingly procured some
slices of the remains of the pirate, which were
cooked and passed off as the flesh of some ani
mal —those who partook pronouncing it most
delicious.
JAPAN' STEEL—When Commodore Perry
Ciii7iit - TVlllialiTCbtoliel - tOlt, - 6f i - stot fame,
sent out by him-about fourteen hundred dol
lars' worth of his improved firearms, to be dis
tributed as presents to the Japanese Officials.
In return, the Emperor sent him several very
old-fashioned. clumsy looking, but curiously
mounted and finished arquebu , :es, or wall guns,
-- and- several—six-m . ls_ _The__Commodore_ states
that' the Japan blade is, equal if not superior
to the celebrated Damascus blade. with which
a man's leg could be sliced off like a cucumber.
(1 - At a social party one evening the ques
tion was' put "w hat is Icligiou ?" "Religion,"
replied one of the party, —religion k au insu
rance against fire in the next world, for which
honesty is the best policy."
ir,a - A fresh crater has recently opened in Mt.
Ve4nrius, from which an eruption 1, looked
for, - on account of the threatening, wspeci, of the
.3, Sandhi 31m5painr----Vtuntrb :qgrirultrar, litrrnturr, arts nu ,frinurs, JrX 31 1
-firkrtg, &Nitta Ilumrstir nub . Arrigu 3utrlligrurt, 3burriising, r.autnsrmtitt, skt.
Mil
Tffrfl
a-rtittes-Mother.
It Was the fate of the father of Lamartine, the
great living French poet and orator, to be
mixed up with the first French Revolution.
During the stormy period, he, with a great
number of his compatriots, was immured in
prison at Macon. He was not there long, - be 7
fore his wife, and her child, took lodgings op
osite the window of the cell which enclosed
the repu lican. e soon rew Its attention to
herself and his child, which though he could
not speak to her for fear of the sentinel, recon
ciled)iim in some measure to his captivity, and
lessened the burden of his woes. ""My moth
er," says Lamartine, “carried me every day
in her arms to the garret window, showed me
to ma father, gave me nourishment before him,
made me stretch out my little hands towards
the bars of his prison, then pressing my fore
head to her breast, she almost devoured rue
with kisses in the sight of the prisoner, and
seemed - thus to waft him mentally all the car-
esses which she lavished on me." At last she
hit on the happy expedient of conveying him
letters in the following manner:—She procur
ed a bow and some arrows, and tying a letter
to a thread, she shot the arrow, to which was
attached to the other end of the thread, into the
window - of the prisoner's cell. In this way
she sent him pens, ink and paper. He, then,
by the same ingenius expedient, sent love-let
ters to her. Thus the separated husband and
wife were enabled to correspond, to cheer each
other's hopes, and sustain each other in their
misfortunes. This was all done at night time,
when the scrutinizing eyes of the sentinels re
mained in happy ignorance of the medium of
communication.. Success having inspired cour
age, the lady,-with the assistance of the arrow
and. thread, afterwards conveyed a file. to the
captive, with which he silently filed through
one of the bars of his prison, and then restored
it to its place. On the next evening, when
there was no moonlight, a stout cord was fast
ened to the thread and transmitted to the pris
oner.—The rope was firmly fastened on the one
end to a beam in the garret of the lady,' and
the other end to the bars of the cell ; then,
summoning up all his courage, the prisoner
glided along the rope, above the heads of the
sentinels ; he cressed the street, and found
himself in the arms of his wife and beside the
cradle of his child. Such an adventure requir
ed the hero's courage and the philosopher's
caution, none but those who were personally
interested in it can ever imagine the feelings
which must have agitated their hearts ! From
time to time, when the night was dark, the
knotted cord would glide from window to win
dow,' and the prisoner would,pass from knot to
knot, and enjoy delightful- hours of converse
with her whom he loved best on earth.
Schamyl, the Circassian Chief, and-his
Schamyl has recently been rejoiced by the
return of his son, who, eleven years ago, when
of tender age, was taken prisoner by the Rus
sians. Since then Schamyl had not heard of
the boy, and long ago gave Jahn up for lost.
It appears. however, that when - lie was captur
ed, the Russian general; Prince Woronzoff, sent
him to St. Petersburg, where the late Emperor
took a liking to the lad, and it happened last year
that Schamyl, in sonic sudden surprise, took
several Russian ladies prisoners, amongst
whom was the Princess Techarawaddy. The
Governor-General of Tiflis sent a flag of truce
to demand the release, offering a large sum of
money, and the liberty of several Circassian
ladies who had been made prisoners by the
Russians. But Schamyl replied that if his son
were alive, and the Russians would restore
him, he . would release all the lady captiiTs.
The Emperor Nicholas sent for young Schamyl,
and the exchange took place in the end of Jan
uary. Young Schamyl has returned to his
overjoyed father an accomplishea cavalier, with
a comparatively civilized education. The fol
lowing is related by one of the Prussian officers
of the 6th Cuirassiers, (Emperor of Russia,)
who were sent, in the year 1842, to St. Peters
burg as a deputation from the regiment, to con
gratulate the Czar on his having been five-and
twenty years colonel of that corps. Nicholas.
who received the officers with marked distinc
tion, took them, in person, to inspect his differ
ent military establishments, and amongst oth
ers, to the School for Cadets, where all the lads
were drawn up in the long hall. The Emper
or, closely followed by the Prussian officers,
walked down the line, when he suddenly stop
ped before one of the youngest cadets, patted
his cheeks with both hands, and then lifting him
up, ki.q,sedhnn most affectionately. Then turn
ing to the Prtissiiins, he said, "Gentlemen, you
will never guess who this lad is. lie is the son
of my most hitter enemy, the Circassian chief
tain, Schamyl. who has placed him under my
care Thr his education."
LEGISLATIVE Stmool.uurs.—At the closing
session of the late Louisiana Legislature, in the
evening, the members amused themselves 14
rolling the stationery and documents into balls
and pelting each other, not sparing the speak
er and clerks. Having used up the lighter
materials, they threw volumes of books across
the house, and whenever a head was hit there
was uproarious laughter. In the course of the
night they sang strange songs, and, by the help
of a negro with a cracked fiddle, got up a ...stag
dance.'' The confusion grew worse till mid
night, when they adjourned. A member said
the only trouble was, they were all drunk three
hours too soon.
AGE - OF THE - WOE I.D. —Sir Charles Lvell, the
eminent English Geologist, believes" that it
must have taken 67,000 years to form the delta
of the Mississippi, and 35,000 years for the
Niagara river to Corm its present channel from
the Falls to Queenstown. Nearly all the
eminent geologists believe this, and they con
. 'der-tlter-have-facts-txr-provtr-itTSO-ShunE,
that they cannot be gainsayed.
A Got.DEN Cow.—A Devon cow in Lafayette
township, New Jersey, in fourteen days yield
ed 684 pounds of n, ilk, from which 31.) pounds
of butter were made. This is an average of
49 pounds of milk a day. It is expected, when
grass cafi — be slie will exceed the
above.
IMPOIITED SNAKES I'S' UNCLE SAM'S POSSES-
In the 31st of March, two boa con -trie
tors. one alive and the other dead, were found
in, the calar of the oldcustom house in Phila
delphia. The live one was about six feet in
length, and was immediately killed. flow these
reptiles came in such a place is a mystety.
ryTbere is a very general complaint in
Louisiana of the prospects of the sugar crop.
Heavy frosts, cold weather and the absence of
rain, have seriously affected the eaue.
Son °
GETTYSBURG, PA.: MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1855.
Ite - Sense - of - Strstice
The boys attending one of our public schools,
of the average age of seven years, bad, in their
play of bat and ball, broken one of the neigh
bor's windows : but no clew to the offender
could be obtained.. as he would not confess,
nor would any of his associates expose .
The case troubled the. governess, and on the
occasion of a I t e school she
privately and briefly stated the circumstance,
and wished him, in -- -some remarks to the
school, to advert to - the principle involved in
the case..
1 _
The address to the schoolliad• reference,
principally, to the conduct of boys in the streets
and in their. sports. The principles of recti
tude and kindness which should govern them
everywhere—even when alone, and when they
thought no eye could see, and there was no
one present to observe. The school seemed
deeply interested in the remarks.
, A v_ery shor_t_titne aft er_the_iisitorift_the_j
school, a little boy arose in his seat, and said:
1 11.1iss'L—, I batted the ball that broke Air.
L—'s window. Another boy threw the
ball, and [ batted it anti struck the window.
I am willing to pay for'it." ,
There was a deathlike silence in the school
as the boy was speaking, and it continued a
minute after he had closed.
"But it won't be -right for .to pay the
whole for the glass," said another boy, rising
in his seat, "all of us that were playing should
pay something, because we were all engaged
alike in the play ; 111 pay my par . :, !"
"And L"
“And I.”
A thrill of pleasure seemed to run through
the school at this display of correct feeling.—
The teacher's heart was touched, and she felt
more than ever the responsibility. of her charge.
]Mason and Dixon's Line.
What was the origin of it ? We hear it.fre
quently-splcen of as connected with slavery,
and as originally relating to that subject.
Nothing can be further from the truth ; at the
time that line was established, slavery existed
on both sides of it. •A brief account of its or
igin may be of some interest. As early as the
year 1682, a dispute arose between William
Penn and Lord'Baltimore respecting the con
struction of their—respective grants, of what
now form the States of Pennsylvania, Delaware
and Maryland. Lord Baltimore claimed to
and included the 40th degree of north latitude;
and William Penn mildly, yet firmly, resisted
the -claim. The debatable land was one de
gree of 69 miles on south of Pennsylvania ; and
extended west as far- as the State itself. The
matter was finally brought into, the Court of-
Chancery in England, and after tedious delays,
an the_lsth day_ of May, 1750,_ Lord Chancellor
Hardwick made a decree, awarding costs
ird Baltimore, and directing that
commissioners should be appointed to mark
the boundaries between the two parties. The
Commissioners appointed met at New Castle
on the 15th day of November, 1755, and not
being able to agree, separated. After a fur
ther litigation and delay, the
,whole matter
was settled by the mutual agreement between
the surviving heirs of the original litigants.
Tn the year 1761, Mr. Charles Mason, of the
Royal ObSetratory, was sent to Pennsylvania,
with all the needful astronomical instruments
to measure a degree of latitude. That duty
he performed, and a report of his proceedings
was made to the Royal Society of London, ter,
the year 1767. This Mr. Mason and Jeremiah
Dixon were appointed to tun the line in dis
pute. which appears to have.been done in con
formity with the Lord Chancellor's decree.
This is the famous ''Mason and Dixon's
and the boundary between Pennsylvania on the
south and Maryland on - the north. Any one
desirous of more detailed information will find
it in Douglas' History of America, published
in Boston in 1751 ; Proud's History of Penn
sylvania, the *emoirs of the Historical Society
of Pennsylvania, and 1 Vesay's Reports, 352.
Penn., Lord Baltimore. Little did the actors
in this matter think that in after times, the
line estalAished with so much trouble and ex
pense, would ever be connected with a subject
calculated to shake a great nation to its centre.
APOLOGY TO "OLD Ntcnot.As."—Rowland
Hill. the eccentric clergyman, was always ex
cessively annoyed at the least noise when lie
was preaching. In the middle of his discourse
one Sunday there was a commotion in the gal
lery, whereupon Mr. Hill called out—" What's
the matter there?- The devil seems to have
got among you ?" A plain country-looking
man immediately started to his feet, and ad
dressing Mr. Hill in' reply, said: "No, sir, it
aren't the devil as is doing it ; it's a fat woman
wot's fainted ; and she's a werry fat 'tin, sir, as
don't seem likely to come to again in a hurry."
"Oh, thht's it, is it 4" observed Mr. Hill,
drawing his hand across his chin ; "then I beg
the lady's pardon—and the devil's, too."
1 2:7-"What is chew bread, aunt ?" said Tke,
who was reading the Bible consecutively, and
tearing out the leaves as l►e went. along, so as
not to lose the place.
"Why, Isaac," said Mrs. Partington, "shoe
bread is that, which people ea► n by making
shoes. There is plenty of it in Lynn."
ii - " Margery. what did you do with that
tallow Air. Jones greased his bouts with this
morning ?"
"•Please, warm, I baked the griddle cakes
with it."
"Lucky you did, Miss, I thought you had
wasted it." Rather a nice arrangement.
..r.73lrs. &Dikes says the reason children
are so bad this generation, is owing to the
wearing of gaiter shoes, instead of the old
I fashioned slippers. Mothers find it too much
trouble to n e_gaiktrsso_syhip_cbildren,_so_
I they go unpunished ; but when she was a child,
the way the old slipper used to do its duty '
was a caution.
ri Greek, according to Dr. Baird, is not to
be classed among the dead languages; as the
language of the modern Greeks differs no more
-titat spoken-in the_ time of )cratts, than
the English spoken in the present day differs
from that of Spenser, or his coternporaries.
,117 - A distinguished Parisian physic - ian
wines to a friend in the West, who is in deli
cate health :—"Talie to yourself a young.
healthy, virtuous. and amiable wife: It will
do you -more good in one winter than all the
mineral water in America for twenty years."
A comicAi. ScENs.—A tall ladder leaning
against a buuse---a negro at the top, and. a
hog scratching himself against the bottom.
• 'way --g'way dar ! Your
"TEETH IS MIGHTY, AND WILL PREVAIL."
To Restrain the Sale of Intoxicating
Liquors. 2.
SECTION I. Be it etinaled, P., That frOm
and after the first day of October next, it shall
be unlawful to keep or maintain any house,
room or place where vinous, - spirituous, malt
or brewed liquors, or any admixtures thereof,
Pr* cold and crcPpt, os biovinnitor
vided :, and all laws or prirfs of laws inconsis
tea—vath the provisions of this act, be and the
same-are hereby repealed. -
Sscr. 2. That if any person or persons
within this Commonwealth, shall keep for sale
and sell, or in connection with any other busi
ness or profitable employment give, receiving
therefor any price, profit or advantage, by any
measure whatever, and at the same time
voluntarily afford a place or any other con
venience or inducement, by which the same
may be used as a beverage, any vinous, spirit
uous.—tualt,or-brewed-li quor—orany whin iYt ure_
thereof, he, she or they, or any one aiding,
abetting or assisting therein, shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction
shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding
fifty dollars, and undergo imprisonment not
exceeding one month : and for a second or any
subsequent offence, shall pay, a fine not exceed
ing one hundred dollars, and undergo imprison=
went not exceeding three months.
SECT. 3. That if any two or more persons
conspire or act. together. by which one may
sell and the other provide a place or other
convenience for drinkifig, with intent to evade
the provisions of this . act,_ each one so offending,
upon conviction, 0101 "be punished as provid
ed in the second section of this act.
SECT. 4. That it shall be unlawful for any
person to sell, or keep for sale, any vinous,
spirituous, malt or brewed liquors, or any ad
mixtures thereof, in cases not hereinfore pro
hibited, in a less quantity than one quart, nor
without license granted by the court of quar
ter sessions of the proper county. on petition
presented for that purpose. to be advertised ac
cording to the first section of the act of the 29th
of March, 1841, supplementary to the various
acts relating to tavern licenses ; but no such
license shall Ue granted to other than citizens
of the Unired States, of temperate habits and
good repute for honesty : Provided, Tlmt no
certificate shall be ,requited or published as
mentioned in the' act herein referred to : Pro
vided, That no license for the sale of liquors
as aforesaid, shall be hereafter granted to the
keeper of any hotel, inn, or tavern, restaurant;
eating house,_ oyster house or cellar. theatre,
or other places of entertainment, amtitranent
or refreshment.
SscT. 5. That the said Court, by their
rules. shall fix a time at which applications for
said licenses shall be heard, at which time all
persons making objections shall be heard,
SECT. 6. That it shall not be lawful for
the clerk of said court to issue any license as
aforesaid, until the applicant shall have filed
the bond hereinafter required, and the certifi
cate of the city receiver, or county treasurer,
that the license fee has been paid to him.
Swr. 7. That the appraisers .of licenses
under this act shall he appointed as provided
by existing laws, except: in the city of Phila
delphia, where on the passage of this act, and
thereafter at the beginning of every year, three
reputable and temperate persons shall be ap
pointed by the court-of quarter sessions to ap
praise dealers in spirituous, vinous, malt or
brewed liquors aforesaid, and of distillers and
brewers, and to do and perform all duties now
enjoined by law not inconsistent herewith
and said appraisers shall be citizens of the
United States. in no manner connected with,
or interested in the liquor business, and shall
be compensated as now provided by law.
SECT. 8. That no license shall be granted
without the paymert to the receiver of taxes
of the city of Philadelphia, and to the treasurers
of the other counties of the State for the use of
the Commonwealth, three times the amount
now fixed by law to be paid by venders of
spirituous, vinous, or malt liquois, or brewers
and distillers: Provided, That, no license shall
be granted I . OT a less-sum than thirty dollars.
Src'r. 9. That the bond required to he taken
of all persons who shall receive a license to sell
spirituous, vinous, malt, or brewed liquors, or
any admixtures thereof, hall bti in one thous
sand. dollars, conditioned for the faithful ob
servance of nil the laws of this Commonwealth
relating to the business of vending such li
quors, with two sufficient sureties and war
rant of Attorney to confess judgment ; which
bond shall be npprored by one of the judges of
he court of quarter sessions of the peace of
the proper county, and to he filed in said court ;
and whenever any forfeiture or fine shall have
been recovered against the principal therein,
it shall be lawful for the district attorney of
the propel county, to enter judgn►ent against
the obligors in said bond, and proceed to col
lect the same off the said principal or sureties.
Sscr. 10. That every person licensed to
sell spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors as
aforesaid, sha IT frame his license under glass,
and place the same so that it may at all times
be conspicuous in his chief place of making
sales ; and no license shall authorize sales by
any person who shall neglect this requirement
nor shall any license authorize the sale of any
spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors on Sunday.
Sixtr. 11. That any sale made of any
spirituous, vinous or malt, liquors contrary
to this act, shall be taken to be a misden►ca
nor, and upon conviction of the offence in the
court of quarter sessions of the proper county,
shall be punished in the manner prescribed by
the second section of this
SEG-r. 12. That the provisions of. this act,
as to appraisement and license, shall not ex
tend to importers who shall vend or dispose of
said liquors in the original eases or packages
as imported, nor to duly _commissioned auc
-tioneers seltiog--at-padic. , _v_tudue-ox-entery
nor to brewers or distillers selling in quanti•
ties not less than five gallons, nor shall any
thing herein contained prohibit the sale by
druggists of any admixtures of intoxicating
liquors as medicines.
Sec-r. 13. 1 hat it Shall he the duty of every
cons ta-ble-of-every-to rnughT-townnhi-per
ward withinthis - Commonweal th; at - every term
of the mit tof q 'tarter sessions of each respective
county, to make return on oath or affirmation,
whether within his knowledge there is any
place within his bath wick, kept and main
tained in violation of this act; and it shall be
the especial duty of the judges of the said courts
to see that this return is faithfully made ; and
if any person shall make known to such con
stable the name or names of any one who shall
lave violated this act, with the names of wit
nesses who can prove the fact, it shall be his
duty to make return thereof on oath or affirma
tion to the court, and upon his wilful failure
()Ao-do.-he—sha4l-be-Acemed g1.14y,
demeanor, and upon indictment ind,conviction.
shall be sentenced to imprisonment in the jail
of the county for a period not less than e,
nor more than three months, and pay ta Tine
not exceeding fifty dollars.
.. SECT-15. Iliat-this act .shalLnot int erfere
with any persons bolding a license heretofore
granted, until the time for which the same was
11 have _ piredl - nor - shall - any
licenseswhich may be granted beforeKtlie first
day 9f July next, authorize the sere of said
ligners, or any admixtures thercof..after the
first day of October next, contrary to the pro
visions of this act.
Mules and Their Treatment.
' The Mule is one of the indispensables of a
cotton plantation. He pasts less, consumes
less, works better and lasts longer than the
horse. Everything dint' concerns - tho• Mule,
orejs_of_intexest_to_the_cotton—planter
We present our readers below with two articles
on the subject, the first is a communication
from Mark R. Cockrill, of Tenn., to the Louis
.eille Journal; the other is a contribution to our
own columns from the pen of our friend. Rusti
cus, who,' though under his twin me de plume,
has not so much celebrity as M. Cockrill, is,
like that gentleman, an intelligent and practi
cal planter. We commend both articles to the
consideration of our tendera, as embodying
suggestions of interest and value.
Mr. Cockrill writes, principally, on the se
lection of Mules, and says
The mule is the great field laborer in the
commanding staples of the South, cotton, su
gar, and rice ; and as_he is one of
__the
_annual
exports of 'Tennessee, and as he will continue
to be so, he is destined to hold even . a higher
position than heretofore among the live-stock
of the State. Jacks of excessive heavy Wm,
or improper pampering, are generally lazy, or
soon become so by labor, and become .very
slow : their driver may force them on, but in a
few steps they take their slow natural steps
again. Such mules are therefore almost worth
less, and should not be bred Wit can be avoid
ed. The most perfect are not to be expected
from the excessively large coarse-boned jacks,
or excessive high feeding, but from the laws of
nature carried out to 'the greatest perfection
by skillful breeding and feeding.
An error has existed for many years, and
stilt exists. concerning the size of mules. Size
has been made a measure of value in the mule,
almost regardless of form-and spirit, -and-so--it
has- been in their sire, the jack.
I have been employing mule teams for twen
ty-five years in the' cultivation of cotton in
Mississippi, and my teams now number one
hundred. - In this time I have used every va
riety of the mule (except the most inferior kind) .
that has ever been grown.
At the commencement of planting operations,
I adopted-the prevalent error, that- size was
the measure of value, and pursued it for many
years, much to My prejudice. By long trial, •
and by comparing the relative performance:4
and lastingness of the large teams which I
have Used, aided by observation and reflec
tion. I ant fully satisfied that the medium
sized mule, full of .apirit and action.; with a
neat firm- leg and a round body, with his levers
set right for easy motion, his •head and cars
up, ready to move at the word, is the animal
of most value of this kind.
The laws of nature cannot be violated with '
impunity. The jack, when grown within the
scope of these laws, is a small animal. The
mule is a medium between the jack and the
horse. Both the jack and the triu!e by a hot
bed growth may, be forced to be large animals,
But in this forcing process, now more exten
sively pursued by KentuOky than any other
State,-what has been gained, and what lost
They have gained large hone, coarse animals
of large size, and at nn early age fUll of defects.
and soon ready to decay, because subject to
disease and large consumers of food.'
They. have lost symmetry, spirit, action,
lasting endurance, and permanent value.
• The 'error that I especially aim at, is the
abandonment of almost everything else for size.
The best combination of the requisite qualities
in the mule is not found in the production of a
hot-bed policy, which, by constant feeding,
with everything that will hasten growth;
brings out a large, coarse, forced, overgrown,
awkward animal, who decays as fast as he has
been grown. When he is designed for the
valleys of the southern rivers, where his ser
vice is active and his rations not very select,
he wants more game, more spirit and action,
more symmetry and not too much size. hence
our Tennessee mules, the produce of spirited
jacks, are really more valuable to the southern
planters than the produce of- Kentucky under
her present system.
This no doubt to some extent is the fault of
the purchasers, South, who have not generally
discovered their error. They demand large
sizes, and pay in proportion to size ; and this
in pan explains the policy of Kentucky. My
opinion is, that size in a mule is nothing after
they reach fifteen hands high. and" that many
under that height come up to the standard val
ue, fitted for cotton plantations. •
When compared to the blood horse, the mule'
is unfit for the saddle, pleasure carriage, or
any harness requiring rapid motion. His sire
is an -animal of slothful tendencies, of slow
motion generally. and. hence the necessity to
improving this quality - in the jack. Give him
spirit adaction, and stamina rather than great
height. One conforms to the laws of nature.
and the other violates them. ' -
The Spanish and Maltese jacks have spirit
generally, and for that reason are valuable as
a cross : but. they come to us without stamina,
and with a'contracted chest. These faults
must be remedied by proper crossing. before
they will produce the mule best suited for us.
not froth hear-say. I have purchased and
grown all the mules which I have driven for
twenty-five years in Mississippi. I have had
an opportunity of knowing what they have
done, and these opinions are the result of
perienee. This knowledge would have been
-of-service-to--me-in-the-commencement_of_
business.--and-I--communicate-it-for my
the -benefit
of those_ wtio may adopt my opinion hereafter.
31.Aus. R. COMMA,.
Nashville, Tenn., 1854.
I We append the corutuu►,ication from our own
correspondent : .
SELECTION OF I'iITLES.
A medium sized, compact mule, possessing
a broad chest, deep flank, and flat boiled legS,
is preferable for all plantation work. It will
plow as 'much, draw as much, keep in better
uniform condition, preserve its symthetry of
figure much longer, and, in short, be more ac
tive and energetic, than one smaller or larger.
TWO DOLLARS A-YEAIL
. NT-11+:
a horse, is more apt to move too fast thin..i.*
slow. and hence balking is rare in handling,
young mules. In harnessing a racing mule •„,
for the purpose of breaking it, it is necessary
to secure it with good strong ropes, as if it once
gets loose, it will not: foget_it.,_ and make ref_•
peated efforts to effect its escape. Gentle treat-'
ment and kind words accomplish more Than ,
-harsh *lig - lig - 0T - and care should be observed .
against the chains becoming entangled about•
its legs; as it begets a habit of kicking, and -
permanent injury is often inflicted. All strik-
ing about the head should be.avoided, as apart
from any damage that may ensue, it renders
a mule foolish about'bridling it and consider- ,
able loss of time is afterwards experienced ;
care should be observed* in the first attempt to, •
ride it. 'Two or more hands should attend it., , '
and the rider shoUld mount quickly and main
tain his hold, if possible, as if he ,is once
throWn off, the mule becomes more restless,
d----will—redoubter-its7-eltortsLTagaiust—being ,E
ridden.
Carelessitess or; ,cowardice, •in this : respect., ,
often renders a mule objectionable for, plants,-
tion purposes, as it haS to be led to.end from
the field, and, will not permit ; any burden to,
be placed on its back.. It is bettcr to break a ,
mule to a wagon.rather than :a-p)ow,:for
eral reasons. ft can be secured.. and,,sti.
the same time, be allowed more freedom. erne:.
Lion, as it. is - d illicult to carry, the wagon :And
team -in its efforts to run.: It is' sooner quieted',„ ; •
by the conduct of 'the remaining mules and'
more readily adapts itself-to , their uniform ) .
speed.. It ;earns to pull more steady,from
fact of there being fewer stoppages than. With,
the plow. When the plow hangs against a met
or stump, the mule is made to halt and back,.
for the purpose of extricating it,.and.aCquires
the habit , of 'stopping whenever. the' wheels of.
the wagon strike any obstacle, and the,pell
becomes heavier than usual: - and thus renders, „;
the labor greater on the other- portion .of .;
team.. 'When broke. to the wagon, where these,,, 4 ,,
stoppages are less frequent, it learns to . pit,ll.-
more uniformly, and exerts- its strength witla o ,,;
more certainty, when occasion requires it s
'.3lisery loves company," and all young mules
work better with others than alone,. and are
much. easier broken.
G.EI§IBRAL AFTER T nEATMENT .— MuIes should
be stabled in preference to' standing. under -a
shelter, which is no better than an -open lot.
All experience teaches that animals,-well lifP•
tected front:the weather, thrive, better, live, en., l
rditi food, work better, and are hetter calculated
to endure 'hardship and "fatigue thin,. those,
that receive. but little attention in the way of ,
comfort." When compelled- to. stand under, a
shelter and eat . at a common /rough, the. weak:
and. timid are imposed on by the:stronger,,(ax
among mules,. "might makes, right") driven
from beneath the shelter anilaivay, from the.. .
trough, and, consequently, become- KOHN!, '.,,
and look badly. If a mule is fatignedand,6o,,,-,
disposed to eat as soon as it is turned into the ,
lot, it loses all opportunity of eating afterwards,,,.,
as the other mules wile ba,apt, to consume ,
'the provisions. ' These reasons, in additiOn.t&
exposure to all kinds of weather, rendert; sbel
ter very objectionable. When stabled, . these-,
objections are overcome. Each Mule has. its
stall ;'and_if one goes into - .the stable, fatigued. ;
it reposes quietly tilldictated. by.its :appetite.;
to eat, and receives . fewer kicks and bruises '
after working all day, freedom of action insure&
rest much quicker thanconfinement,and,lience..
mules should be provided with, largo stalls ,(77
by 9 feet) -and not be. haltered, unless
prove refractory and spiteful as, this seldom ;
extends beyond one or, n
two in umber, 'they
should be haltered. Strict. attention inuntbe
paid to currying and rubbing mules,, while
tivating the crop, particUlarly, and thiashoulil
always be done before they eat. When they,
come in, from: the ,field..like men„ swirl& lalbor s ,
they feel disposed to rest awhile and caol',be.!
fore eating. 'this result. is quiCkened , by aura '
Tying and rubbing them well. and they
a much better condition to receive their,food.
than when suffered. to remain,heated and wet .
with perspiration, and cool,by , gradual evapo-,-
ratioti. They should .be well., curried and ,
rubbed twice during the day, and, in no in
stance, should the hands be allowed• to attend '.
anything before the mules. Attention must
be observed to-collars and harness. in order ,to
prevent their shoulders and backs being galled,
and the hair rubbed off their, sides and legs."..
The blinds of bridles (when used) must -be no a -
ticed closely, or injury may be done to their
eyes. When a portion only of the mules are
at work, and it becomes necessary to change
and. rest them, the change should be made at
the dinner hour. If it is made, early - in the,
morning, the mules are necessarily compelled,
to work all day, with an intermission only of„
an hour or_ two - at dinner time. When made
at 12 o'clock, they work during the, evening, .
rest through the night and proceed till 12..
o'clock, next day. In this way, they will stand'
a press much better. Salt and ashes should
be kept in their troughs continually. Instinct
dictates the amount of salt they shall consume,
and, when supplied only at stated periods. -
they may require it before they get,it. The-3
ashes are an alkali—they prevent colic. in a
great measure, and give tone to the. stomach.
Poplar poles (green,) thrown into the lot
during spring, serve to stimulate their appetite
and act. as a tonic. Resin pounded and given
in- the proportion of a teaspoon full - to each
mule, 'weekly during the nanith of February
or March, acts upon the kidueys--opens the
pores of the skin, and makes them shed kind- ,
ly and early:
Give it in-meal or mix it with salt and ashes.
A teaspoonfull of copperas given occasionally,
in the same way, acts as a tonic and vermifuge.
..When working to the wagon, similar rules
should be observed. Each plow hand should
be supplied with a curry-comb and rubbing ,
chat', and-it--is-ecoreaniy-to---purchase--the-best----:-----
curry-comb the market affords._
Soil 'f the South:]'
SPLENDID HOTEL BUILT FROM BRANDRETR'S
PILL§.--A large and handsome first class hotel
of brown stone, splendidly furnished, owned
and-built by the-famous pill maker, -Dr. Bran
d reth was-opened-last- week-in-New -York.= It_
is situated at the corner of Broadvray and Ca
nal street. The Doctor has sickened millions
of people in his day, but we presume the new -
eating shop is to be conducted on the opposite
plan. The hotel is cal led the Brandreth House,
which name will afford the guests airuitful
subject fur jokes for some time.
rr The intimation that Sebastopol is mined,
and ready to-be:blown up when the allies en
ter, is probably without truth, as the city ill
Wilt almost entirely upon solid rock. The - ,
women have all left the city.
NO. 30.
RusTrcusr
ES