- .... i : - . . ! O III ' y4sj ' jii mis y y y la y 'rirm m---1 a,.. -a fi i II i i m m I SO-'? iV y 4. BY S B. KO AY: OLEAEFEELD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2-3, THE BLIND COY'S LOVE. There is something raournfully beautiful and touching ia the following lines, by John II. Sew. which, we copy from the ' Knickerbocker" for l'ec. List ! oh list! she is drawing near ; . For her tiny step and brief Fall sofily on lay strained ear, As the rain on Ternal leaf ! " Why beats my heart so wildly tow, , A'nd starts my blood in fiercer flight, And crimson neok and check and brow. " . As skies, they say-kc-n megs the night ? . .Why, e'en my tongue forgets its art, And croacheth down, oppressed with fear, As lilac when the north winds part, " , Or beasts whose master conieth near. Ah me! she has passed me like the breeze ,' 'With odors from tha autumn plain, -Or like a ship o'er southern seas, Whaa scarce a ripplct scars ihe main. Eut, as a wrecked ona on the shore, '' W'ten Night has set her sectries.pale, Vh os low-bowed ear for everiuora Is fillod with rustlings of a sail, ' . - I stand ailbrealhics3, hsaring yet . ' . The niurin'ring cf her f.idir.g Eight, ' While every sound i3 sweetly set To the music of her foot-fall light . Hut than," my Lily! shalt never know -The soul that, like the restless tea, To thee shall ovor ebb and flow, ; Unceasing as eternity : For who am I to dream of levo " Of thee, a twin to Eeauty born, Wham every songster of the grove, Greets with his carol, as if the Morn? No. no; those late-lite eyes of thine Should mirror back a face more fair Than this poor, dark one, sad, of mine, W'Lero moody sits each full-browed Care. ' And yet, my Gon! if for an hour Tuoc Mat grant me ia her eyes to gaze, lion cheerful would I yield the power Pf life itself through countless days! ; The mother of this patriotic family was a native of Caroline county, Virginia. Her name waj Elizabeth Marshall, and she was probably of the same family with Chief Justice Marshall, as she belonged to the same neigh borhood. Alter her marriage to Abram Mar tin, she removed to the settlement, bordering on the Indian nation, ia Ninety-Six, now Ed gefield District, South Carolina. The coun try at that time was sparsely settled, most of its inhabitants being tho pioneers from other States, chiefly from Virginia; and their neigh borhood to the Indians had caused the adop tion cf some of their savage habits. The name of Edgefield is said to have been given, be cause it was at that period the edge or boun dary of the respectabb settlers and their cul- nirried.again tivated fields. Civilization, however, increas ed with the population, and in the time of the Revolution, Xinety-Six was amonr the fore most in sending into the Cel l .its quota of har dy and enterprising troops to oppesa the Brit ish and their savage allies. At the commencement of the contest, !l"rs. Marshall had nine children, seven of whom were sons old enough to bar arms. These brave young men, under the tuition and exam ple of their parents, had grown up in attach ment to their country, and ardently devoted to its service, were ready on every occasion to encounter the dangers of border warfare. the officer as he turned and rode away, is fctill remembered in the family tradition. The eldest son married Grace Waring, of Dorchester, when she was but fourteen years of age. She was the daughter of Benjamin Waring, who afterwards became ons of the earliest settlors of Columbia when established as the seat of government cf the State. The principles of the Revolution had been taught her from childhood, and her efforts to promote its advancement were joiued by those oftrojf husband's family. She was one of the two who risked their lives to seize upon the dis patches as ahov3 stated. Her husband's un timely death left her with thrco young chil drentwo sons and a daughter ; but she never : A SKETCII OF TIIE PAST Wo like to treasure v.p all the historical le 'gveds X our Revolutionary struggle.; They are sketches of the past which grow more val nl.! Tpar after roar ms3es by, and tho in cidents they refer to become more and mere deeply enveloped in the haze-and mystery cf . frequently exposed to tho dej When tho first call for volunteers sounded through the land, the mother encouraged their patriotic zeal. . . "Go, boys," said she, "fight for your coun try ! fight till death, if you must, but never let your country be dishonored. Were I a man I would go with yon." At another time, when Col. Cruger com manded the British at Cambridge, and Colonel Bi own at Augusta, several British officers j stopped at her house lor refreshment, and one cf them atked l.o-.v rainy sona she ha 1. Sho answered eiht ; and to the question where they all were, replied promptly : 'Seven of them aro engaged in the service of their country." "Ileally, madame," observed tho officer, snceiingly, "you have enough of them." Xo, sir," sail tho matron, proudly, "I wish I had a sc''re." Her house in the absence of her sons was redatioas of the and ?rsscnge; 1 VM Tories.. -On one occasion they cut open her feather beds, and scattered the contents. HISTORY OP EXCLSSIVE WINTERS. From Graham's Hagaziue, Jn.lijj3. In a. d. -101, the Black Sua was entirely fro zen over. In 402, the Danube was frozen, so that The odorner marched over tho ice to avenge his brother's death in Sus.bia. Ia oIj, the cold was so intense in winter that the birds allowed themseivea to bo caught by the hand. lu 7G3, not only the Black Sea, but the Strait of tho Dardanelles was lrozen over. The snow in some places rose fifty feet high, and the ice was so heaped in the cities as to push down the walls. . nter was intensely cold. In ts- ih, rreat rivers of Europe, such 66 .shillings a quarter. I ' c - - - as the Danube, the Elbe, and the Seine, were so hard frozen as to bear hoavy wagons for a month. In bGO, the Adriatic was frozen. Ia b74, the winter was very long aud severe. The snow continued to fall from the beginning of November to the end of March, and en cumbered the ground so much that the forests wtre inaccessible for the supply of fuel. In 891, and again in 803, tho vines were killed by the frost, and the cattle perished in their stalls. In 031, tho winter lasted very long with ex treme severity. Everything was frozen ; the crops totally failed ; and famine and pesti lence closed the year. v ... In 101 1, great quantities of snow lay upon the ground. The vines and fruit-trees were destroyed, and famine ensued. forty days without interruption. Al.thc riv ers in Germany were frozen and the very birds took shelter in the towns. The price of wheat rose, in England, to"' - r-f even shill ings a quarter, but was ri .cc i "'-shillings in the following yerr. ' -In 14C0. tho Baltic r " t likewise, continue i i ana the vineyards in C u - lestroycd. In 14GS, the wiutcrias so severe in Fland ers, that the wino distributed to tho soldiers was cut ia pieces with hatchets. In 1514, the" same thing happened cgaia, the wino being frozen into solid lumps. In 1513, the wiiity was very cold and pro tracted. Ectwet? Denmark and Eostock, sledges avvn by horses or oxen travelled over the ice. f -. .In i:Gl, and again in 1503, the winter was extremely severe all over Europe. The Scheldt froze so hard as to support loaded wagons for three months. Z' Ia 1571, the winter was sever o and protract ed. All the rivers iu France were covered with hard and solid ice; the ru'it trees even in Languedoc were killed by the frost. In 109-1, the weather was bo severe, that the : and at Erora, in Portugal, people could hardly creep out of their houses for heaps of snow. The winters during tho five successive years, 1743. 1746, 1747, 1748, and 1749, were all of them Tery cold. In 17ol and 17.33, the winter was particular ly cold. At Taris, Fahrcnhcrt's thermometer sanklo the beginning of the scale; and in Eng land, the strongest ale, exposed to the air in a glass, was covered, in less than a quarter ot an hour, with ice an eighth of an inch thick. The winters of 17dG, 17C7 and 17GS, were ve ry cold all over Europe. In France, the ther mometer fell 0 dcg. below the zero of Fahren heit's scale. .Tho large rivers and the most co pious springs in many parts were frozen. Tho thermometer, laid on tho surface of tho snow at Glasgow, fell two degrees below zero. In 1771 tho snow lay very deep, and the Elbe was frozen to tho bottom. . Iu 177G much enow fell, and the cold was in tense. Tho Danube bore ice five feet thick below Vienna. Wine froze in the cellars both in France and Holland. Many people were frost-bitten; ar.d vast multitudes Loth of the 1'jathered and of the finny tribes perished. Yet the quantity of snow that lay upon tho ground had checked the penetration of the frost. Van Swinden found, in Holland, that the earth was congealed to tho depth of twenty-one inches, on a spot of a Ear den, which had been kept cleared, but only nine inches at another place ijcar it, which was covered with four inches of snow. The successive winters of 17S4 and 17S-5 were uncommonly- severe, insomuch that tho Little Belt was frozen over. In 17S9 the cold was excessive ; and again in 1703, whjfnihc republican armies of France overran HoIlandA The successive winters of 1709 and 1S00 were both very cold. In 1803 tho wiptcB-was remarkably severe- t'ln 1S10 quicksilver was frozen hard at Mos- . . . , , cotr. But tse winter ol isi- was ueyona au tradition. TL one which follows is full of in terest, and liuuishcs an instance of courage, as striking as any connected with, the part ta- : When the voung men returned shortly after- ken by South Carolina iu the events of thes wards, their mother bade them pursue tho ma troublesome times. rr.r.d'i-s. One of the continental soldiers hav The patriotic enthusiasm which prevailed : jng been left at the house badly wounded, Mrs. among the people during the siege of Augusta ; Martin kindly attended and nursed him till his and Cambridge, prompted to numerous acts of recover-. A party cf the loyalists who heard personal risk and sacrifice. This spirit, en- ' of his being there, came with the intention of couraged by tbe successes of Sumpter and j taking his life, but she found means to hide others over thy British arms, was earnestly him from their search. . ' fostered by General Green, whose directions j The only daughter of Mrs. Martin, Lctilia, marked at leat the outline ot every r.nderta- ! married Capt. Edward Wade, of Virginia, who king. In tho eilorts made to strike a blow at j fc v, jth his commander, Gon. Montgomery, the invader's power, the sons of the Martin J at the siege of Quebec. At tho time of the family wero among the most distinguished for J siCge of Chaileston by Sir Henry Clinton, the active service rendered, and for injuries sus- j widow was residing with her mother at 2sinc- tained at the enemy's bauds. The wives ofjty-Six." Her son "Washington Wade was then the two eldest during their absence, remained j five years old, and remembered many occur at home with their mother-in-law. One even- ' rences connected with the war. The house ing intelligence came to them that a courier, ! as about ICO miles in a direct lino west of conveying important dispatches to one of the , Charleston. lie recollects walking in tho pi upper stations, was to pass that night along zza. on a calm evening with his grandmother, the road, guarded by two British ollkcr3. j A light breeze blew from the east, and tho They determined to waylay the party, anI,'at sound ot heavy cannon was distinctly heard ia tho risk of their lives, to obtain possession of ! that direction. The sound of cannon heard at the papers. . . . that time, and in thatpart of the State, tbey For this purposo tho two young women dis- knew must come from the besieged city. As guisod themselves in their husband's clothes, report after report reached (heir ears, the agi and being well provided with arms, took their ration of Mrs. Martin increased. Slu knew station at a point en tho road which they knew i,ot what evils might be announced ; she knew tho escort" must pass. It was already late, and not but tho sound might be the knell of her they had not waited long before the tramp of j EOns, three of whom were then in Charleston, horses was heard in the distance. It may bo ; Tii(.:r wives were with her, and partook of the imagined with what anxious expectation the j sarno iienrt chilling fears. They stood fctill heroines awaited fne approach of the critical ; for a fcw minutes, each wrapped iu her own moment on which so much depended. The : painful and silent reflections, till the mother forest solitude around them, tho silence of the j &t iength, lifting her hands ar.d eyes toward nizht. and tho darkness, must have aided to ' heaven, exclaimed fervently: "thank God, "the terrors conjured up by busy fancy. . l'res- . they are tiie children of the Republic In 1W7, the cold was so intense, that most Rhine and the Scheldt wcro l'rczen, and even the sea at Venice. The vear 1C3S wa3 uncommonly cold, tind snow lay of immense depth even at Padua. Wheat rose in the Windsor market from b to i shillings a quarter. , In 1621and 1622, rdl tho rivers of Europe were frozen, and even the Ouiacr .ee. a sheet of ice covered the Hellespont ; and the Venetian fleet was choked up in the lagoons of the Adriatic. In 1G55, the winter was very severe, espe cially in Sweden. The excessive quantities ot snow and rain which lell did great injury in Scotland. ti,i ...Jntnra f if.."".. 1Cr$ and 1GC0 were in- I ....ilnn Tint:t ccvorp r,f thn nrespnt ccn- tensely coll. The rivers in Italy bore Heavy 'i, " ' f. had not fallen at lurJ "Ja 'luu,-'lu - by the sullerings of the 1 rencli army tlu ring its retreat from Russia. Several winters, since that period, of ir.oro or less severity, have been mentioned ia various cotcmpora- ries. But the last winter, in the intense and prolonged severity of cold, exceeded any ever er experienced in this country carriases; and so much snow Rome for several centuries. It was in loob, that Charles X. of S weden crossed the Little Belt over tho ice from Holstein to Denmark, with his whole army, loot aud horse, followed by the train of baggage and artillery. During these year3 the price of grain was nearly doub led in England; a circumstance which contrib- tn tht: Restoration of the travelers in Germany were frozen to -- ; 1 " " ; vw death on the roads. In 1121, the winter was uncommonly severe and the snow by very long. In 11G3, it was extremely cold in Italy. The Fo was frozen from Cremona to the sea ; the heaps of sacw rendered the' roads impassable; the wine-casks were burst, and even trees split bv the action of the frost, with immense noise In 117U, the snow was eight l'ect deep in U3lria, and lav till Easter. Tho crops and vintage failed; and a great murrain consu mod the cattle. The winters of 1209 and 1210, wero both of them very severe, insomuch that the cattl Of the seven patriotic brothers, six wero spared through all thcMangers ot the partisan wartare in tue region oi ure -u.u j cntly the courier appeared, with his attendant guards. As they came close to the rpot, tue -disznised women leaped from their covert in j the bushes, presented their pistols at tho oCi- j grounI." Tho eldest, Wm. M. Martin, was a cers. and demanded the instant surrender of j captain of artillery ; and after having terved the onrf fbnir despatches. Tho men i ,, ;th distinction in tho siege of Savannah and were completely taken by surprise, and their i Charleston, was killed at the siege of Augus alarm at the sudden attack yielded .a prompt j ta, just after he had obtained a favorable posi- snbmission. The seeming soldiers put them . on their parole, and having taken possession of the papers, hastened home by a short cut through the woods. IS"o time was lost in scn- ding the important documents by a trusty mes senger to Gen. Green. The. adventure had a i. singular ..termination. Tho paroled . officers, thus thwarted in their mission, returned by the road they had taken, and stopping at the house of Mrs. Martin, asked accommodation, as weary travellers, for the night. The hos tess inquired tho reason of their returning so , soon after they had passed. They replied lv UIIJUIUI "liiitui , f..nn (Alifl(! Tn vifi. n.n V Troze fifteen ells deer, and ny Pl"u - v.inc burst the casks. In 1231, the Fo was again frozen; and load- r , vf!"-ri;s erosseci me vu.1 iai.io io i cuiti-. " O ' fine fort was kied by the frost at Ravenna In 120G, the Danube was frozen to the hot torn, and rcius :d for a considerable length of time in that state. In 12G0, the frost was most intense in Scot- i.in.i itA fim frrniitifl bound iin. Tho Catcsrat .ti'. ...w Cj." 4 was frozen between Norway and Jutland. In 1231, such quantities of snow fell in Aus tria as to bury the very houses. In 1232, the Rhine was frozen over at Drey ABSTRACTS OF ASXUAL UEFOETS. Fosr Ofi ice Department. The Report of the Post Master General shows a net increase of 8G2 post offices dnring the year ending GOth June, 1855 the whole number of onices at that date being 24,410, and on the COlh Xovcmbcr, 21,770. On the 30th of June last there were i It r,-n ..-.o;! mnina at nn estimated IcntTtli of . 1 ,1 T. Tl ITT'll I I ,'J-J I11U11 ivuwui " - " -o 277,903 miles. The total annual transporta tion of mails was 07,41,103 miles, costing ; 3.G13.2CS. Compared with tho service of the year previous, there is an increase of 3.807,023 miles of transportation, cr of about o per Tho frost in Germany began eeut, VJ., , - percent, lno increase iy rauroau service i 3.4S0,132 miles ; by modes not specified, 3, 575,177 miles while the transportation by coaches is loss by 2,S23,G2S miles, and by stenmIoat 1.C35.G5Q. This change results mainly from the reletting of contracts iu many of the Soutliern and Western States and Ter ritories. On the 30th of June last there were in service S19 route agents at a compensation of $233,170 C3-100; 20 local agents at $10, 328 ; and CS1 mail messengers at $100,171 C3, making a total of 351,070 00 to be added to tho cost of transportation. This makes the total amount for the current year $3,S2i,0S0 20, which will probably bo increased to $G,- hnrl and Denmark, both tho JUittle ana tua Great Belt being frozen. In 1G34, the winter was excessively cold Forest tiees, and even the oaks in England, were spilt by the frost. Most of tho hollies were killed. Coaches drove aloisg the Thames, which was covered with thick. Almost all the birds perished In 1G01, the cold was so excessive that tho famished wolves entered jenna, ana auacu- ed the cattle, and even men The winter of 1005 was extremely, severe and protracted in October, and continued till April ; and ma The years 1G07 and 1G00 were nearly as bad In England the price of wheat, which in prece- ,i:v.m l!iil Koldnni Tafiliea to iJ Sliliuiia VAIU l.lo i w. a nuarter, now mounted to 713. In 1700 occurred that lamous winter, caueu by distinction the cold u-tufer. ine meia aud lakes were frozen, and even the seas, to tbe distance of several miles from the shore. The frost i3 said to have penetrated three yards into the ground. Eirds and wild beasts were strewed dead in the fields, and men per ished by thousands iu their houses. The more tender shrubs and vegetables in England were Mcn,a.wuJIB.wulu,.-8uo. w..w - millionth of France. . i. m A- 1 T . . i ' , , I crt lUlir U !1U5 a ' uaui. " ' extended ueiv.cen jor uuununauu, w - TAi'tt. The cost killed; and wheat rose in its price fromtwo to - - . fl. ICQ . . . . . ,i e... oi s r:rmi- tue onvo pianuuona tiiat travelers passe v, - rtnvo.ro.A from that Kirov eu; uui ; i-iv jv-.v.--- fatal disaster. The Adriatic Sea was quite frozen over, and even tho coast of the Mcdi- ny GOO peasants were employed to clear away the snow for the advance of t.ie Austrian arm In 1303, the rivers ia Germany were frozen; and much distress was occasioned by the scar city of provisions and forage In 1310, the crops wholly failed in Germa ny. Wheat, which some years before sold in England at 2s. a quarter, now rose to - Iu 1323, the winter was so severe, that both mounts to SG11,4G7. The Postmaster states thp.t on 3d Anril last, he concluded a contract VOL. 2.-ir0. 2i. deducting foreign balances, amounted to 810,651 81, making a ditlerence in favor cf 1853 of $518,310 10. The exces of expendi ture for 1855 over that of 1854, is $2,C26,2C5 1G. This excess is attributed partly to the in crease in compensation to Postmasters and clerks ot office, and partly to the increase cf expenditures for transportation owing to tha great extension ot the railroad service. The condition of the Department goes to show that the rates fixed by the act of Sd March, 1851, will not enable the Department to sustain it self by its own resources. Another cause of this excess cf expenditure is attributed to the letters and documents car ried free of charge for members of Congress and others, and to the immenso amount of printed matter conveyed at low rates. Tho Postmaster General thinks that tho reduction " of fifty per cent, for advance payment on naws papers, is wholly without justification, llw al- so recommends that pre-payment by stamps be mado compulsory on all kinds of matter. Tho expenditure of the Department for 185G, is estimated at $10,100,024, and tho means available for the same year, $9,010,874, leav ing a deflciency of $1,183,151, to be provided for. Rcfercnco Is again made to the fact that the Collins line of steamers receives from the Go vernment $S5S,000 for twenty-six trips, whila the British Government paid the Cunard lino SS6G.700 for fifty-two trips, which, in the opin ion of tho Postmaster-General, is amply suffi cient. Measures have been recently taken to lay before tho Mexican Government proposals on the subject of a postal convention. Tha Report alludes at some length to tho last Re-' port cf the Postmaster General of Great Brit ain, and concludes by deprecating tho denun ciation of the Department for mistakes, care lessness, or neglect, instead of advising it of. the wrong committed, and leaving it to apply the remedy. - vV " Depautmext or the IxTEMOa; MKMcClel . land devotes a large space of his report to a consideration of tha Indian question. His views are clearly expressed, and a number ot recommendations are submitted. . The Indian chiefs and warriors, addicted ta drinking and gambling, arc made the dupes of evil-disposed persons. The system of grant ing licenses to traders is indicated a3 the basis of all tho evils of which complaint is made. It is necessary to abolish the cash Bystem of payments, and enable the Indian to obtain all he requires at cost price, if we mean to reme dy the trouble, or to civilize and enlighten tha savage. A study of the history of tho Indi ans, in connection with tha conduct of the whites towards them, reveals the fact that In dian disturbances aro often traceable to the in discretions aud aggressions of tho white men. Upon this point the report enlarges. Never before has the Indian been subjected to such severe trials and hardships ; tho ofiences of which bo is guilty are too often palliated by extreme want. All this impresses the neces sity of kindness and forbearance; and accor dingly the Secretary suggests tho propriety'of attempting to civilize and christianize the Red Men. He alludes to the amount of good that has been e.Tected by missionary enterprise, and discovers in tho Indian a susceptibility of improvement and civilization, which renders it a duty to persevere in all humane efforts ta preserve tho race from extinction. In this particular, Mr. McClelland and Col. Davis are of two minds. ' The Btatistlcs of this report cover much space. Tho principal figures aro : Acres of land sold last fiscal year, 8,720,474 Amount received therefor, "" $2,358,918 Lands surveyed in 1855, acres, 15,315,2S3 Lands sold," 0,261,163 Land warrants issued, S7,95S,412 Virginia military land warrants, ' 1,460.000 Pensioners, ' ''14,480 Pensions pai l, '$1,505,112 -1,800 terrancan about Genoa, and tbe citron and or- ,-,;,!, Tr. .T,,.1M F. Jov. to convey tha mails i Patents issued since Jan. i icoo, from Cairo to Xew Orleans &tWL iack, daily, ho having full powers to negotiate such contract I 1 .1.' . S. . I -1 an-e proves suffered extremely in the finest on oenuu oi the lumois central uawroan, out parts cf Italy. In 1710, the winter was very cold. Un the Thames booths were erected, and fairs hcl. Tho printers and booksellers pursued their traveled over tho professions upon Us surface. tion for his cannon, by elevating it on one of ti.o towers constructed by Gen. Pickens. It is related that not long after his death, a Erit ish officer passing to Fort Ninety-Six, then in possession of the English, rode out of his way to gratify his hatred to tho "Whigs by carrying the fatal news to the 'mother of this gallant young man. - Ho called at the house and ask ed Mrs. Martin if she had not a son in the ar my at Augusta. ' She replied in the affirma tive. "Then I saw his brains blown out on tho Geld of battle," said the monster, who antici- t : y aj.a SIK113 OI a parent a t d his tnumuh iu 4. u showing their paroles, saying they had been j a ' But the cficct 'of tho startling an taken prisoners by two rebel lads. The ladies j nf n(, ... hc eSected: Tcr raiicu mem upon ineir want 01 inirepia;ty "Had you no arms?'.' was asked. The officers answered that they had arms, but wero allowed no time to tise their weapons. They departed rible as was the shock, and aggravated by tho ruthless cruelty with which her bereavement was made known, no woman's weakness was suffered to appear. After listening to the horse and foot passengers ice from Denmark to Lubcc and Dantzic In 1330, the crops failed iu Scotland ; and such a - famine ensued that the poorer sort of people were reduced to feed on grass, and ma ny of them perished miserably in the fields. Yet in England, wheat was at this time sold so low as three shillings and fourpence a quarter. In 1344, it was clear, frost from November to March, and all the rivers in Italy were frozen over. : In 1392, thavineyardsand orchards wero de stroyed by the frost .and the trees torn to piecc3. The year 1403 was one of the coldest win ters ever remembered. ' Not only the Danube was frozen over, but the sea between Norway and Denmark ; so that wolves, driven from their forests, came over the ice into Jutland .- . . , , i froze : In Prance, tho vineyards and orcuarus ti trcC3 were killed by tho frost; "V ' : : " ero benumbed on their sad- t , v-k nml tha Baltic and postimo... ... . . 17-10, the ill il.J, UUIU 1UU iiuiwi I -. : 41, viirs. UUJ ' 1 . i I ,i c in ni II ii luw j i eral Assemoiy w s -" - - 1720, tho v.intcr was so intense that people traveled in sledges across the strait from Co- penhagan to the province of Scania in Sweden. In 1720, much injury was done ty uie irosi, which lasted from October till May. In Scot land, multitudes of cattle and sheep were bu riod in the snow ; and many of the forest trees iu other parts of Europe were killed. The successive winters of 1731 and 1732 were likewise extremely cold. The" cold of 1740 was scarcely inferior to that of 1700. The snow lay eight and ten ft riflf..-. in Snain and Portugal. '. Tbe Zuider Zee was" frozen over, and many thousand per sons walked or skated on it. At Leyden, the thermometer fell 10 deg. below zero of Fah renhoit's scale. All tho lakes in -England and .a whole ox was roasted on the """" nin-, having - J.. idful recital, tho only replv mado ly th v.quura to the verv women whoso ioUaiitv they had claimed. American dainc, was, "he could not have died in a nobler cause !" The evident c of were frozen. Travelers passed on loom w Lnbec to Dantzic. In France, tha frost pene trated into the cellars. Corn and wine failed, and wen and cattle perished for want of food. Tho sucot ssive winters of 1432, 1433, and 13C4 wer "uncommonly severe. 'It snowed Genei onnt ordained a national last, w -----of the dearth which then prevailed. - In 1744 the winter was again very co.u. Tho Maine was covered seven 'weeks with icn ply with their engagement, they failed to do SO from tho high price demanded of them by the owners of the boats on the line, and the routo was accordingly advertised for reletting. Tho new distribution schemes have been completed, and each distributing ctuce nas now alphabetical lists cf all tha counties in ad the States, except California. In accordance with tho late act of Congress, suitable meas ures have been adopted to put in operation the new system of registering valuable letters. but it has not beeu sufficiently long in opera tion to bo able to form a just estimate of the success' of -tho plan. Tho Postmaster has, however, found abundant proofs of its useful ness, and cf the necessity of bringing, it to perfection. The expenditures of. the Department for the last fiscal year amount to $0,908,342, and the gross revenues derived from postages, (inland and foreign,) are SG,G42,1S0 13, which, adding the annual appropriations made in compensa tion of mail service to the government, by the acts of 3d March, 1810, and 3d March, 1S51, amount to $7,342,130 13. Deducting the bal J TTr;t1 States duft ta Foreisrn ative "gams j . - t.,.- lor postal accounts, from the above, .tnl eross revenue of the, Department ,i. .rwitn June 30th, 1855, will be c7 sku7. . The cross revenno of 18M, after J : Patent Office Building, - " ?1,GOO,000 Expend. National Insane Hospital, 171,341 Indian stock, now held, 2,093,8-0 Surplus fund of the Department, 350,243' The business of the General Land Office has greatly increased. Tho surveys have been vigorously prosecuted, and a largo quantity of land is ready to be brought into market daring the coming year. . ForcLATioN or Chisa. Boring, tho English Envoy to China, has made a report on the vi tal statistics of China, giving that empire population of 400,000,000. Kiang-su, tha lar gest of the eighteen provinces, has a popula tion of over 37,000,000 " ' " . .. A constable pursued a thief, who took re fuge on a stump ma swimn, and' pulled tha rail after him on which he went out. Th constable made the following return: "Sigh table conversible non - est coraetabie ia swamp um tip stumpum raih?." Tue Colored Popciatiox or CAiiroasiA. At a recent convention of colored men held . . . , . -1 1 1 T.rtf at Sacramento, me ioiai cwweM, uymun. Califonia was estimated at 54,851, witS'an ag gregate in wealth of $2,375,000..' . .7 A bachelor, ad vertisid ior a "helpit.te. one who vfould prove a oonipanioa ".j, heart, his hand, and Ids ?ot- A D- plying, R!lh.CV Miuiouj your 101 1 - - y-m stsl- M.m -w