I BMOCMV
I Uavo sworn upon tlio Altnr of God, eternal hostility
y form of Tyranny over tuo Blind of lllaii." Thoinas Jefferson.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED HY5(k WEBB;
Volume IV.
BliOOMSBUMG, COLUMBIA' COUNTY, PA. SATURDAY, TFElBIfcUAXfcY 580, 1841b
Niiftulicr 43.
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itfECDOTE OP THE REVOLUTION.
Almost every ono is acquainted with the
Icircumstanees of the taking of General
Piescolt, the then commanding officer of
the British forces on Rhode Island, by Cap
loin Barton of Pioviddnce. He was ex
changed for General Leo, who was previ
ously captured by the British.
I Shortly after his exchange he returned to
Rhode Island and was in"itcd to dino oil
board tho Admiral's vessel, with many oth
I er officers of tho highest grade. General
I l'refcott was naturally a haughty, imperi
lousman, and as a commander was very
unpopular with his officers and soldiers and
I with the citizens of Newport, but was
brave and skilful ofTiccrt
I It was often the case that boys as well as
Iraon werd sent from the town on board Ihe
Admiral's ship for any offence, and confin-
I ed thero for some time, by the arbitrary au
I thorily of those in power Martial law
I was the law 01 tne place, a small mo a
bout thirteen years of age was placed in
Itliu situation provious to General Prcscott's
return, and was on board with many others
I si the time the General dined there. lis
I did not know General Prescoolt.
I After dinner the wine circulated freely
I snd a toast and song was repeatedly called
for. In the course of tho evening the firs
lieutenant observed to the admiral, who was
a real jolly son of Nontune, that there was
I Yankee lad on board who would shame
I all tlioir singing.
I 4 Bring him up here,' said Prescolt. Th
boy was accordingly brought into the cab
I in. Tho Admiral called on him to giv
them a song. The lililo fellow being some
what intimidated by gold-faced coats, epu
I.. M I. I . t
lens, aie. rcpueu, t can't sing any songs
but Yankee songs.' Tho Admiral perceiv
ing that ho was embuirasscd ordered the
eteward to'give him a glass of wine, saying
como ray fellow, don't be frightened, give
us one of your Yankee songs.' General
Pretcott spoke in his usual haughty impe
rious manner, you d d young rebel,
give us a song, or I'll give you a dozen.'
The Admiral interfered and assured ihe lad
that he should be set at libcrly the next day
if ho would givo them a song, any ono ho
eould recollect.
Tho following doggerel, written by a sai
lor of Newport was given, to the great a
rnusement of tho companyi
"Pwas on a dark and stormy night
Tho winds and waves did roar,
Bold Barton then with twenty men
Went down unto tho shore.
And in a whale boat they sot off
To Rhodes' Island fair,
To catch a red-coat General
That then resided thero.
Through British fleets and guard boats strong
i They held their dangorous way,
Till they arrived unto their pott
And then did not delay.
A lawny son of Afric's raco
Them through the ravine led,
Aud entering then the Overing housef
They found him in his bed.
But to got in thoy had no means
Except poor Cuffce's head,
Who boat the door down ihon rushed in(
And siozed him in his bed.
Stop, let me put my breeches on
The General then did pray,
Your breeehes Massa I will take
For dress we cannot slay.
Then through the ryo stiibble hihi thoy led
Willi shoes and breeches none,!
And placed him in their boat quite snug
And then from shore were gone;
oon the alarm was sounded loud,
The Yankees thoy have como,
And taken Prescolt from his bed
And him they've carried home.
The drums were beat, sky rockets flew.
The soldiers shouldered aims
And marched around the grounds thoy knew,
Filled with most diro alarms.
Hut through tho fleet with muffled oaro
They held their devious wav;
And landed him on Gansett shores:):
Where Britain held no sway
When unto Ihe land they camo
Where rescue thete was none,
A d d bold push, ,' ihe General said,
Of pris'ners J am one!''
There was a genoral shout of all the
ompany during tho wholo song and at the
close, one who was a prisoner on board al
iho .time, observed, he thoucht tho deck
would come through wilh.tho stamping and
cheering.
General Prescolt joined most heartily in
the meiimont. Thrusting his hand into his
pocnei no nanacu uie boy a guinea, saying
' here you young dog is a guinea for you.'
I ho boy was set at liberty the next morn
ing
This ahecdote is often related by an rged
gentleman now'living in Newport.
There is a deep ravine leading from the
shore to the house which was occupied by
General Prcscotl.
tMr. Overing was a tory and owned the
house in which Genercl Prescolt resided
He was landed on Narraganset shore
noai Warwick.
WINTER EVENINGS.
During Iho winter season, most of the
youth of our land' particularlytthosc of the
country, have tho evening at their own dis
posal, to devote to amusement, recreation,
or whatever pursuit they cliooso. We
speak now of those who aro employed in
some acllvo r necessary pursuit dining tho
day, to whom evening brings their only lei
sure) for the youth who has not some such
employment, or who doer not seel: it, is not
the ono to bo benefited by any thing that
may be said on tho improvement of his leis
ure hours. We therefore address our re
marks to the industrious youth of our coun
try, who are trained to useful and laudable
purpose. Such young men will hall tho
long evenings of the season with delight,
anil bless the glad hours which they may
uevoto uninterruptedly to Iho cultivation of
their minds.
Few young men are at all awato of tho
amount of valuable knowledge of which
they might become tho masters and pos
sessors, by a careful and judicious improve
inent of tho leisure afforded by tho even
ings of a single winter, and when wo add (o
this the acquisition of ton or fifteen winters
ihe aggregate amount of what a youth of
common capacity might attain would mako
him a learned man in any section of tho
Union Many who rendered themselves
eminent and useful in their day tho Frank
lins, the Shermans, tho Rittonhouscs, and
Iho Bowditches of our own country tho
Walls, tho Forgusous, and tho Simpsons of
England names conspicuous in tho list of
contributors and tho benefactors of that spe
cies made themselves what they weie by
a diligent use of less leisure than falls lo
Ihe lot of four-fifths of the young men of
the United Stales. The greatest men of
every ago have in general been self taught
and self-made. They have risen from oh
scurity, and struggled with adverse circura
stancbs. A diligent uso of their lime, fain1 1
dying and laboring whito others slept or
played;) a steady peisevcranco and an in
domitable energy gave them their attach
ments and their eminence. Cicero, by far
the most learned man of all antiquity, as
well as tho greatest orator of Itdmc, let us
at once into ihb secret of all his vast and
varied learning he tells tis that tho lime
which others gave lo feasts, and dice, and
sports, he devoted io patient study.
Il matters nol what may be d young
man's intended pursuit of life; he cannot
choose any which reading and study, during
his leisure hours, will nol the belter qualify
him. If he is to bo a farmer, let him read
books and treaties on agriculture) if he is lo
bo a mechanic, lei him study tho mathema
tics and worfts on mechanifcism, architec
ture &c. if ho is to boa merchant, let him
become familiar willi the principles of po
litical economy, iho statistics ot trade, and
tho history of commerce; and, finally, if
ho is to bo an American citizen; one of the
millions to whom is to be intrusted tho rich
heritage of civil and religious liberty be
queathed to us by our fathers, let him study
well the history, and tho institution of tho
United States, and let htm oontcmplato the
lives and character of thoso who wrought
out and framed our liberties.
Nor is Iho knowledge lo be thus acquir
d the only inducement for a young man io
devote the hours of his leisure to reading
and study. Tho pleasure to io found in
such pursuits is as much superior to that
transient and giddy excitement attendant
morely on tho graver amusements, as it is
puror, more elegant, and more refined.
The young man too, who habituates his
mind to find pleasuro snd gratification in
reading and study, can nover want for so
ciety! for ho creates around hin a socioty
ol winch lie can never be deprived a so-
'ClBty WniCH-'Hltrilinwi t-jS-w
ence, which has nothing cold or artificial or
false a society composed of tho very elite
of the earth the master minds bf all ages,
all countries. With them he can retire in
to his library, to spend a leisure hour, when
ever opportunity occurs, certain of finding
them ever ready to delight and instruct
Effect of Free Material. A dealer in
wool lnlorms us that during the nasi six
months, some fifteen thousand bales of for
eign coarse wool havo been sold in this
market. A lew years ago, a cargo oi lave
hundred bales overstocked he market, and
supplied the sales for a year. But wools
costing less than eight cents a pounu were
made free under our tariff, ami immediately
there has grown up the vast business in the
manufacture of them. Wow it Is proposed
to tax the wools. What tho wholo effect
of the proposed tax may be, it is difficult
to say; but the tacts show the stimulating
effects of letting in raw materials Iree or du
ty, while they also show the danger Of go
vcrnmcnt interference for the purpose of re
dilating Iho business of the citizens, and
iho extreme difficulty of working such in
tcrferenco into any system which will on
tho whole operata beneficially, or even fair
ly. Our manufacturers will never bo safo
until all interference with their interests on
tho part of Ihe Government, is withdrawn
jour, oj uom.
LOST IN A dANEBREAKEl.
A late number of the Corydon (Indiana
Whig, stales that two citizens of that coun
ty, one by tho name of John Ellis, ihe oth
cr not remembered, whilo on their way to
New Orleans, with a fiatbdat, landed some
where in Arkansae.on account of bad wealh
er. and left the boat.laking with them thei
guns, intending to take a fotv hour s hunt
Thev soon cot into a very heavy cane
brcake; and after turning round a few time
new not tho course back to the boat; an
it had snowed so fast that they were unable
to follow back their track.
So they continued to bo lost for foil
days and nights, travelling through a deep
snow in a heavy cane-brcake, without fire
or a mouthful to eat. They were found in
a most piteous and wretched condition, one
of thorn insensible to his misery, and the
other barely able to walk but yet urging the
oilier ono forward, who was tailing an
pitching in every direction Mr. Ellis, th
most able one of them; has como home-
He. from all probability, will lose all
tnts. several of ikem having como offalrea
dy. Ho was much injured otherwise from
tho cold.
Of Governor Porter vetoing iho Bill giving
to the Legislature the appointmontof Ca
nal Commissioners,
7'o the Senate and House of Rtpresenta
tives of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl
vania: GnNTLaMEN : Tho Bill entitled " An
Act relating to Canal Commissioners" has
been presented to mo for the Executive ap
probation. Ah I cannot approve tho Bill,
I return it lo tho Senate, which il originated,
with my objections thereto, in order to such
fdrlher action thereon as is provided by ilm
Constitution;
The Bill provides for tho election andap
pointmcnt of three Canal Commissioners,
to wit : the election of one Commissioner
by the Scnato and one by tho House of Re
prcsentative, and tho appointment of :
third by the Governor This mode of ap
pointment, as to any officers of government,
is novel and without precedent"; and I con
fess I can see in the system hero proposed,
nothing but discord and confusion. It is an
event to be reasonbly expected, that diiler-
ent parties, interests and combinations in
ach House, and it may bo with the Govern
or, will lead lo frequent removals and chang
es of the incumbents, and thus our improve
ment system, instead of being conducted as
should be, with consistent steadiness, will
e constantly undergoing the changes and
experiments incident to our daily political
mutations. Collisions will take place in
the Board of Commissioners, embarrass
ment will be thrown in tho way of its ac
tion by tho minority of its own members,
nd the public interest will be sacrificed to
piomotc the objects of private or local or
political designs. By the appointment of
tho Board by each House, and by tho Gov-
rnor, nearly tho whole responsibility is
ttou i jr. wmaaa iionei, should thoy
me, it will be quilo lmpossibTe toTcacri
d the delinquents at one. The adherence
f the Governor or of either House to its
favorite, will place him beyond the reach
f popular opinion, although his associates
who ore responsible to an appointing pow
er differently elected, may bo promptly dis
missed. Tho Governor, the Senators and
tho members of tho House, aro notallelect-
d at once, nor by tho same constituents.
Pho members of each Houso are the imme
diate representatives of detached portions
of the people, with peculiar local interests
to advance, all of which must more ot less
conflict with those of the State at large; and
although each Houso, in tho aggregate, no
doubt, represents the people of the wholo
State, it is through tho medium of thirty
three members in ono, and one hundred in
tho other. Responsibility thus divided,
vanishes almost entirely, and ceases to af
fotd an adequato guarantee to the public.
Should Commissioners thus appointed,
bo guilty of official mis-conduct, how aro
thoy lo be punished ? The House impeach
cs, and the Senate tries but hero the House
is impeaching an officer whom it hns itself
just confided in, and appointed; and the Sen
ate is to try justly and impartially, for mis- j
demeanors in office, the man whom it has
but a fow days before trusted and honored.
What a spectacle of absurdity would this
exhibit I Would not combinations among
tho friends of oach in the repective Houses,
defeat tho ends of justice, and laugh to
scorn all efforts to inflict punishment I
The history of all representative govern
ments shows, that although their legisla
tures, especially wien numerous, ar'd odmiri
ably adapted to the enactment of general
laws, and the promotion of the tights and
liberties of the people, they nrei from the
very nature of divided responsibility, tho
most easily tampered with, by political in
triguers and demagogues, in their appoint
ment of officers of any other branch of the
government; and in tho selection of their of
ficers, have been often made the dupes of
intrigue, of venality and of corruption. I
beg you to understand mo as speaking in
the abstract, and not in regard to any pastor
future legislation ir. Pennsylvania. I can
not, however, consent to forego, altogether
ihe salutary lesson's bf experience. W6
have no right to expect ontire exemption
from evils that other people have suffered;
and I am determined, so far as I am con
cerned, to sharo none of tho responsibility
of introducing them into Pennsylvania.
If done by btheis, their be the hbnor, t
want it nol.
But I am satisfied that neither agreeably
lo the spirit of our Constitution, hoi on thd
ground of expediency, ought tub appoint
ment to bo vested in the Legislature: Thd
Legislature have the power of bnactlng thd
laws making tho appropriations lo purposes
at internal improvement; and thb Spirit of
the Uonslitulion, as well as the legislation,
of thb Commbnwcalth, has provided that
tho disbursement of the moneys and settle
ment of the accounts of the Commonwcaltli
should be in the hands of officers differently
appointed, evidently to prevent cdmbinai
lions or collusion, or tho operalloii of thd
same influences in the appointment or bach;
To givo io Ihb brahches of government
which appropriate the moneys, tho appoint
ment of the officers who arc to disburse1
them, would, in my judgment, lend lb treats.
down the safe-guards provided by thb Cbn1
stitution in tho disbursements bf public
moneys.
The Bill before me presents othbr UiffU
cullies. Tho constitution vests tho lcgisla:
tive power in tho General Assembly; thd
Executive po'ycr ih a Governor; and de
clares the duties of both. The leading duty
of the former is to enact law3, and of tho
latter, to tako cato that they aro faithfully
cxecuted.To enable him to perform that du:
ty, the Constitution declares " all officer
whoso election or appointment is not proviJ
ded'for in this constitution, Shall be ccctcd or
appointed as shall bo directed by law." A
plausible argument may be drawn from the
Bill before me, that it establishes a mode of
appointment within the latter clause abovd
of the Constitutiort.which declares that 'no'
member of the Senate and Houso of Repre
sentatives shall be appointed by the Governs
or to any office during the term for which
he shall have beed elected," it manifestly
shows that the people intended lo confine
the principal dutius of their Representatives
to direct legislation. If this Bill becomes a
law, and tho principal extended, they might
fill all offices out of ihoir leSpoctive bodies,
which would destroy their purity, and des
toy tho incompatible principle in the Con
stitution, which restrains the Governor from
making appointments from cither House;
during tho timo for which they shall havd
been elected.
In point of expediency I think the Bill
ought not to become a lav, and this I think
is manifest from our provious legilalion on
this subject;
Under the acts of 27th of March, 1824
11th April 1825, 10th April.1820, and lOtlt
April 1827, the Canal Commissioners werd
appointed by the Executive. At first tho
Board consisted three members; it was
then increased to fivc;ml by tho act of 10th
April, 1620, it was increased to nine; at
which number it continued until 1830.
By the act of id lit of April, 1829, nino
persons named in the law, were appointed
Canal Commissioners, and authority was
given to the Governor to fill any vacancies
which might occur in the Board, from death,
resignation or otherwise.
On the sixth day of April, 1830, in esi
than a year after its passage, the act of lOlli
April, 1820, was repealed, and tho Govern
or was authorized to appoint three persona
as a Board of Canal Commissioners: public
opinion having decidedly pronouced a
gainst tho appointment by the Legislature.
By the act of 28lh January, 1630, the time
of appointing Canal .Commissioners was
changed from the 1st of June, to the lst'of
February.and by tlio provisions Of that law;
the then existing Board of Canal Commis
sioners were legislated out of effico four
months before the expiration of their com
missions, but no change as to tho number
of the Commissioners, of their modu ol apJ
pointment was made. It will be within thd
recollection of all, that the leading reasons'