V
X
ftMMmapatkf , alloemifcr Trrle.
Fifty year age t. word komanpathy m the
firtt time lisped in an obsenre towa in Germtny,
and, from that tlmt to thii, th science designa
ted by that word has spread with lightning speed
to the remotest corner of F.nrope, and has pene
trated the forests of America, even to the Rocky
monntatnf, - -. i .1 , 1 .' 1
Fifty yean ago, and to express a belief of the
truth of this derided science, was to bring on the
rash believer' head th anathemas of In schools,
and the propositions of legal enactments, and to
the charge of German mysticism, at that time,
synonymous almost with being leagued with the
foul linff.
At first, Contempt, silent and dignified ; next,
Ridicule, noisy and confident ; at length, Envy
and her offspring Falsehood, have sought, each in
its turn, to crash the infant rebel against hoary
headed usage.
Fifty years have passed, and to! the change !
The houseless wanderer thrown upon the tender
mercies of a selfish world, to battle with the
pampered minion o( twenty centuries, in the
words of our author, "comes before us now, not
in the garb of a suppliant, unknown and helpless,
but as a conquerer, powerful, famous and trium
phant. The disciples of Hahnemann are spread
over the whole civilized world. There is not a
town of any considerable size in Germany,
France, Italy, England or America, that does not
beast of possessing one or more homeopathic phy
sieians, not a few of whom are men of high res
pectability and learning; many of them in large
practice and patronized especially by persons of
rank. New books on homatopathy issue in abun
dance from the press ; and journals exclusively
devoted to its cause and printed and widely cir
culated in Europe and America. Numerous hos
pitals and dispensaries for the treatment of the
poor on the new system have been established,
many of which publish reports blazoning it sue
cess, not merely in warm phrases, but in the hard
words and harder figures of statistical tables.
The very fact of the publication of a third edi
tion of such a large and expensive work as Dr.
Laurie's (S vo., pp 578, London, 1846) proves
how widely the practice is spread among the
public generally. The last triumph which ho-
mcBopathy has achieved, is the converson of Doc
tor Henderson, the Professor of Pathology in the
University of Edinburg from the old faith."
In our own city, where ten years ago there
were not as many homoeopathic physicians, the
Homoeopatic Society now numbers between 40
and SO members, while the number throughout
the United States cannot be less than 700; and
within the last year, several important works
have issued from the press ; among them, trans
actions of Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases, and
Materia Medica ; Boshning -Daosen's Treatise on
Intermittent Fever; Ruckert's Therapeutics and
Hartmann's remedies. We have also a monthly
journal, the Examiner, and one published in toe
western part of this state. . The ablest periodi
cat, however, in English, is decidedly the Brt-
tfh Journal of Homeopathy, edited by Drs. Dry-
dale of Liverpool, and Russell of Edinburg. In
French there have been published since the year
1833, seven different journals, which have con
tributed during that period nearly 40 volumes
In German we have the Higea, now in its 20th
volume ; the Allegemeine HumapuVtcht Zeiiung,
now in i's 28th volume ; the Arehlr. in its Slst
volume, and the Auttrian Journal of Ihmitopath,
recently established at Vienna by Fleisehmann,
of which three numbers have been published,
containing about 630 pages.
Among the diatineuished men in various parts
of the world who have engaged in the inre
tigatioii of the truth of Homeopathic law, we
may mention Professor d' Amador, of the Univer
sity of Monteelier; Professor J. W. Arnold,
late of the University of Zurich : Professor Hen
denson, of the University of Edinburg, and Pre
fessor Andral, of the Parisian School of Medi
cine, all of whom, excepting the last, bave decla
red in favor of Homoeopathy. The opponents of
Homoeopathy refer with great satisfaction to the
experiments of Andral, undertaken as they were,
by authority of the A tat! mi de Medicine of Pa
ris. The unfairness and incorrectuess of these
experiments bave been so often proved, that we
will not here repeat them, but merely show from
Professor Andrei's own testimony, his unfitness
for the task he undertook. Dr. Curie, in his
VrinvpU of Hanutopathy, says : "A short time
indeed previous to the discussion of the question
of Homoeopathy by the Academie de Medicine, Dr.
Andral mentioned in course of conversation with
the author of this work, that although ha bad di
rected bis attention to the subject, his mind was
not made upas to its merits, and frankly avowed
that he knew very little about the practice in vol
ved in the new doctrines. How then could Mr
Andral, who acknowledged that he bad scarcely
acquired the elements of Homoeopathic practice,
venture to pronounce sentence on these doctrines?
What opinion would be formed of a jury, which
should condemn before it made itself acquainted
with the facts of a ease ! Yet each precisely
was Mr. Andxal's position.
"But there is a fact to be stated here which is
perfectly decisive as to Mr. Andral : be bad ab
solutely no guida in the prescription ol Homoeo
pathic medicines, and be made a wrong applica
tion of every one thtt he employed, as has been
clearly abowb in the Archive de la Medicine Mo.
wutvpaikiuue, Tome premier. No. 1 , for July
1834. No comments or details can add force to
this decisive fact."
Our present put pose is to show the opinions of
an Allopathic physieian, one oi the most eminent
of hie school, on the subject of Homoeopathy. Pr
.Forbes' article, from which the following ex
tracts are taken, is contained in the XLI. nam
bar of the British and Foreign Medical Review,
nader the caption "Homoeopathy, Allopathy and
Young Physic," and professes te be a review of
several works, and among them of Professor Hen
derson's "Inquiry into the Hesntaopaiai Pre
tics of Medicine." The reviewer atatee his i
Untiea to be "to lay before our readers om
hasty sketches, and some tag1rie-Ary views re
lating to the general subject wWehheve long oc
cupied our thoughts, and which, ar now, as it
were, forced from us Bomewliet suddenly- and
prematurely by the perusal of Dr. Henderson's
book "
we have not been unaware of its claims
to attention, nor regardless of its remarkable pro
gress in every country of Europe, both as a sys
tem of medical doctrine, and a tystem of medical
practice."
Of Hahnemann, the reviewer says; ,. v ft, ,
'No careful observer of his actions, or candid
reader of his writings, can hestitate lor a mo
ment to admit", that ha wss a very extraordinary
man, one wboae name will descend to posteri
ty as the exclusive exeogitatnr ' and founder of
an original system of medicine, .a ingenious
at miiny that preceeded it, and destined, proba
bly, to be the remote, if not the immediate cause
of more important fundamental chances in the
practice of the healing art, than have resulted
Irnm any promulgated since the dsys nt Galen
himself. ' Hahnemann w undoubtedly a man
of genius and a scholar; a man of indefatigable
industry, af undaunted energy. ' In the history
of medicine his name will appear in the same
list with those of the greatest systematief and
theorists; unsurpassed by few in the originality
and ingenuity of his views, superior to moat in I
having substantiated and carried out his doc
trines into actual and most extensive prac
tice.1 One of the greatest mumbling-blocks in the
way of the Allopathic non-believers ia the doc
trine of the infinitesimal doses. In the ennsi-
duration of this part ol his subject, Dr. Forbes
descends from the elevated and dignified posi
tion of a reviewer, and haa recourse to the re-
ductio hi abrurdum argument, by entering in
to an arithmetical calculation of the quantity
of matter in the thirtieth dilution.
From a very clever work on the subject of
Homoeopathy, recently published in London,
written by M. B. Sampmn, under the superin
tendence of the English Homoeopathic Associa
tion, Lord Groevenor President, we make the
following extract.
The effects of malaria, in penetrating the
system, and giving rise, in some instances, to
rapidly fatal symptoms, are aleo well known ;
yet no one has ever been able to detect any
specific matter of contagion, although many at
tempts have been made. It ia said that an in
veterate ague waa produced by the canal at
Versailles, though it was little larger than a fish
pond. It is the opinion of Dr. McCulloch and
that of several Italian physicians, that a aingle
inspiration of malaria may be quite sufficient
to cause disease. Lane is i says, that as thirty
ladies and gentlemen were making an excur-
sion of pleasure op the Tiber, the wind sudden
ly shiAed to the south, coming over the Pontine
marshes, and twenty-nine were instantly taken
ill, only one escaping. Indeed, an subtle is
its influence, that in the case ofveseela lying
ofl an unhealthy shore, the difference of half a
cable's length from the coast has caused vessels
to suffer or escape."
How much matter is there in the atmosphere
that thus deals disease and death on every hand!
Again! a single grain of mnsk will diffuse its
perfume for years in a room, the air of whieh
may be renewed daily, and yet at the expire
tion of the time the perfume will bessstronsr
as at first, and the grain of musk will still
weigh a grain; now, aa smelling i produced
by the particles of the aromatic substance flying
off and coming in contact with the olfactory
nerve, what must be the size and number of de-
cilliona of decillione of particles, whose aggre
gate weight amounts (appreciably) to nothing
at all ? Why, compared with them, the atoms
of the highest Homoeopathic attenuation are as
mountains to the sands nti the seashore. We
think Dr. Forbes haa here a fine field for the
exercise of his arithmetical power. Nsy, still
further, the very opperations of the mind hope,
fear, joy and grief, have severally produced
trodden effects, altogether beyond the power of
the moat 'h'Sro'ie' allopathic drug. Instances
are not rare, of persons being struck dumb by
terror, and of others restored from that state by
the name eaoee. ' Many persons have hid their
hair turned gray, in one nipht, nay, on thein
stant, from sudden fright. W here has been the
maimer tnorbi in all these instance? Away
then with the childishness v. hich seeks material
causes for appreciable eflects I
&now ADBIFT- As two ladies were passing
throughona of the streets of Boston, a few daya
since, a large quantity of snow became detached
from the roof of a bouse, and deecended upoo their
"devoted heads," completely burying them be
neath it. Some gentlemen who witnessed the
accident, gallantly dug them out, and ia a piti
less plight they were hurried tea carriage and
conveyed home.'
Tac Faibo Ava, who died last week, left
13000 ia gold; but owned, we are informed, about
$20,000 worth of property, all of which will go
to his wife in Cincinnati, whom he bad abandon
ed, and not lived with for twenty years.
Success 10 Hai. The Hickman (Ky.) Stand
ard says :' A lady residing within fifty miles of
this plae has recently given birth to four aoas
within aa hour.' ' They have been named Polk.
Delia,' Texaa and Oregon, and all ia a thriving
condition. The err is still, "thev come," not
"still they eoma."
Ban Pat- It ia said that ia Illinois the Cir
cuit Judge are aa poorly paid they are compelled,
whea on the cirrnit, to awap boraaa and gamble
in order to support their families.
An It alum Mosk wrote a life of St. Francis
Xavier where ha asserted that, by ana sermon he
1 converted ten (keutand perten in m itfrt Uhmd.
THE ATJX3RICAN.
Sat-rdap, Jlartk II, 1846.
1. B. fJIIMKU, Sof., mt kU JlMlJfr.
teste )imI (W Otr.ee, earner of 3d and Cmeenvt
Street VMUtdelpkim, U emthmtted to met m
Jlgent, mud receipt (or eUt mtemtee due Into
Bre, for oumoeriiHiem err eutvertiolngt .
Alto, mt Ms tUTlc .Vo. ISO Afcseom Wrert,
Jlnd a. K. Corner of Baltimore mnd Calvert
fa., Baltimore. ,
7 in another column will be found an ac
count of the ravages of the flood at Harrisburg
and the adjoining places. The loss of the Clark'
Ferry bridge will be much felt by tboae employ
ed on the public works. This bridge, which
waa rebuilt by the State in 1830, coat, if we re
collect right, $80,000. ' The amount of damages
done to the canala cannot yet be estimated or
known. We have had various contradictory ru
mors. One thing, however, is certain, that the
damages are immenie, though not as great as
was expected. .
It will be seen by the accounts of the flood
along the Susquehanna, that we have suffered
less than a number of other places. At Harris
burg the flood was higher then the pumpkin flood,
in 1787. Here it was about a foot lower.
QC?- A few thousand dollars expended in the
erection of embankmenta, would hereafter
permanently secure u from the invasion of the
'most destructive flood. These things should be
attended to. Had proper embankments been
made a few years since, the county alone would
have saved aeveral thousand dollars.
07" The mailt have been delayed in every
direction by the flood. The Philadelphia and
Harrisburg mails of Friday, due here on Saturday,
did not reach us until Wednesday.
07" Our Washington letter did not come to
hand aa usual. The mails have been very irre
gular. Between Harriabnrg and this place and
Northumberland, they are carried on horse-back
Between this and Pottsville, by two horse wa
gons.
07 The rise of the river above low water
level was just twenty one feet, as ascertained by
Mr. Jacob Seasholts.at his lime kilns, a few miles
below town. He built his kilns twenty feet above
low water mark, in order to be perfectly secure
from high water, which, however, covered them
about one foot. :
Cir Thi WaTM-Crmr Joraiui, published
by Dr. Joel Shew, of New York, ia highly in
teresting and Valuable publication. It is pub
lished semi-monthly at ($1 per annnm. We
have extracted several interesting articles from
the Journal, which will be found on our first
page, and shall continue to make extracts here
after. ' "...
A Steam Ferry.
Since the destruction ol the Northumberland
bridges, there has been some talk of establudiing
a steam Ferry between this place and North urn
berland, to touch aleo on the Union county aide,
opposite this place. .That thia would prove a
profitable investment, we have never entertain
ed a doubt, even before the bridges were dea
troyed. . For running a steam boat, there is
probably no finer basin in the Union, and as
travelling ia always increaaed in proportion to
the facilitiea afforded, we have no doubt that it
would be rreallv increased in this instaoce. So
far aa foot passengers are concerned, they would
be five fold greater than heretofore. Thj re
ceipta of the ferry between Sunbury and the
Union county aide would be, we are confident.
increaaed fourfold; and so far aa profits are con
cerned, we would not give one share of ferry
stock for three times the amount of bridge
stock. We feel confident that auch an in veal
ment would yield a dividend of from 15 to 20
per cent, a result which can readily be made
sops rent from facts snd figures.
When once persons could step on board of a
boat and for sixpence be landed either at Sunbu
rv or Northumberland in a few minutes, how
many hundreds would embrace the opportunity
who would otherwise never think of it.
The tolls of the Northumberland bridge, aver
aged of late years, we believe, about two thou
sand dollara per annum. Thia, together with
the tolls of the Sunbury Ferry the towiug of be
tween 300 and 400 boats for the coal trad the
towing of lumber, minerals, lie, would, no doubt,
amount ia all to about (3000. . Bat let us take
the receipts that hav actually been realized, and
say $2,500. From this amount, we muit de
duct tbe expenses, wear and tear, &c. Two hands,
one an engineer, would be sufficient, and could be
had at an expenae of about 12 per day. The con
sumption of coal would be about J of a ton per
day, of fine coal at ft 23, or about II per day,
for fuel. This, for 273 days in the year, would
amount to $833. Add to this 10 per cent, for
wear and tear and other contingencies, say on
$4,000 to be expended for a boat and wharfs, ma
king $400 mare, or ia all, $1,333. Bat ia order
to cover all possible contingencies, we may ab
low $373 aaora, making the whole of the expen
diture $:300, there woulojbe still a aett i acorn
of $1000 per aaaem, or a dividend of 33 percent.
per annum. Even tb inoet skeptical cannot
doubt but that tba enterprize would b highly
beneficial, aa well as profitable.
A friend of soma experience, makea the fol
lowing bill af expenses, via t Engineers, $370
Captain, 370 ; Boy, $34; Coal, Oil, ke , $403;
Landings. $300 ; wear and tear, $300 ; making
in all, $1,39
Grrat Flood nd Lou of life and Property
Tne NosTnnnsLifr, Dasvim.e? Cattawissa
Apt
Ma'
o Btawtct BaibGM'DcmoYto At.so thi
liAaaimitao, Clark's Fcrrv and otmks Bbido-
sweet orr.
We hive been visited with the most extraordi
nary freshet thet ha ever occurred in this sec
tion of country since the grrat pumpkin flood, a-
bout sixty years ago. . The immenie body of
snow that bad been accumulating during the win
ter, had been going off gradually for a week past,
until Thursday and Friday nights of tbe 19th and
13th Inst., when the whole mats went off very
suddenly with a heavy rain. , The small streams
were soon bank full. t The Susquehanna rose ve
ry rapidly, and, on Friday night, the ice started
On Saturday morning, it was evident that the
water, rialng at such a rapid rate,' must soon be
swollen beyond the limits ol the" banks of the ri
ver. The embankments, which have hitherto
kept out ordinary freshets;' were too low for the
sudden and impetuous rush of the vat bodies of
water, accumulating from every atream and rivu
let. The river continued rising rapidly until a
bout midnight, when a considerable portion- of
the town was inundated, many of the houses ic
low situation having water on the first floor
The old Northumberland bridge, east of the la-
land being previously in a tottering condition,
was hourly expected to fall. About 4 o'clock
P. M-, several heavy masses of a bridge hove in
sight which, however, proved to be the .Danville
bridge, which wss swept sway a few hours pre'
vious, raking the old Northumberland bridge con
aiderably in passing through. A I entleman from
thia place, anxious to reach home, passed through
but a few minutes previous to its fall. About 9
o'clock in the evening, several spans of the old
Northumberland bridge fell with a tremenduous
crash and were swept down the stream. On Sun
day morning, about 10 o'clock, one of the centre
spans of the new Northumberland bridge, west
of tbe Island, rebuilt about six years since, was
carried away, reating on what appeared to ns a
portion of another bridge; probably part of the
Cattawisa bridge, which was also swept away.
On Monday morning another span of the new
Northumberland bride was carried away. The
loas ol thia bridge was most probably caused by
a portion of some other bridge which came in
contact with it. The fact ia, that this has been
the highest, as well as the most destructive flood
which has been witnessed in the valley of the
Susquehanna. Every bridge from Harrisburg to
Berwick, on the North Branch, has been carried
away, the fall of the first bridge, in most cases,
causing tbe destruction of those below it. Thit
noble structure, the West Branch bridge, built by
tbe State, which spans tbe river from Northum
berlaad to the Blue-hill, standa as firm as ever.
The Lewisburg and Milton bridges, on the West
Branch, are also uninjured. The turnpike bridge
at this place, the county bridge on the lower
road, aa well as the county bridge' at 'the
month af the Shamokin creek, have all been swept
off by the torrent. ' ' 1 ' - ' k
Near tbe month of Turtle creek, a few miles
below Lewisburg, at the Union trading store, a
most distressing accident occurred. Mr. Foil-
tner, bis son, and Mr. Gundy, who had charge of
the store, were standing on a small bridge near
the mill dam, looking at the ice dam that had
formed, when it suddenly gave away, almost in
stantaneoualy burying the bridge and all on it
beneath a masa of floating ice
The extent of the damages of the canals are
not yet known. They are, however, very great,
and will, no doubt, delay the opening of the navi
gation for several months
' Several new acqneducts passed down the ri
ver, a part of one havipg been caught at this place
Several spans of the Danville bridge ate lodged
on McCarty's Island, about a mil below this
place. Two spans of the same bridge are also high
and dry above Grant's farm. ' The damages on the
Schuylkill have also been considerable. The new
works of the Schuylkill Navigation Company
have not, however, suffered as much as waa ex
pected.
At Danville, the flood has been very destroc
live. A great number of houses around the iron
works, were inundated. The Danville Furnace
waa near being drowned out, and the Rolling Mill
waa obliged to stop work. The new arqueduct
haa been swept off, as well as the bridge at the
mouth of the Mahoning creek. Soch an entire
destruction of bridges haa never before occurred
and most probably would never happen again, ae
most if not all, without an exception, have been
constructed too low. ' The bridges swept off be
tween Hsrrisbarg and Berwick cannot be repla
red at a cost lesa than $200,000. Some of theae
will no doubt soon be rebuilt, others must bills
their time
There were rumors that the middle creek acque
duct below Selinsgrove had been carried away
We are gratified to learn, that the report is not
true. The acqneduct ever the Mahantango, near
McKee's Half Falls, haa been awept off. Tbe ca
nal, it ia said, has sustained pretty serious inju
ry about tbe Junction. From thence to Harria-
bora; the damages are but trifling. The canal be
tween thi place and Selinsgrove has been wash
ed and filled up considerably in several plaees,
but the injury is nowhere as serious aa was aoti
cipated. Tb bridge at Clark's Ferry, has lost
but one spaa, (we think there are eight or nine
ia all,) which caa We repaired without any very
heavy expense. 1 : .. m : - . t
The Caaal Commissioners bave reports of the
main lino aa far as Newport, and thus far there
is no breach that will coat $30Q to repair. We
trust the damages are nowhere ao great as waa
supposed.
We have heard it said, that a handsome frame
bouse passed Cattawissa, painted white, with the
window curtains at the windows up staira.
Wa have, ainea writing the above, ba inform
ed, that but ana span of the Cattawissa bridge
was destroyed, and that the Berwick bridge was
yet standing, bnt ia tottering condition
About 800 feet af rail read between thia place
and Shamokin, haa been washed away. This,
however, will cause bat little delay in it operations.
CttHoMoeoPATHT. 4n another column, we ,
have placed, an 'interesting article on Ilomce-
p thy, from the Sew York Mirror. This sys
tem Of practise ia rapidly extending itself, and
is now being discumed on both aides by some
of the moat learned and distinguished men of
the profession.
The late conversion of Professor Henderson,
of the University of Edinburg, one of the moat
distinguished medical schools in the world, to
the principles of Homoeopathy, haa brought out
Dr. Forbes in a review against it, which forma
the aubject ol the article in the Mirror. Tb
New York Tribune also contains an able police
of the review, in tavor of Homoeopath.. Dr.
Forbes, it will be seen, makea ao many admis
sion in favor of the tew aystom, and so many
against tbe old, that it ia difficult somotimes to
tell which side he intends to condemn. , We
shall publish the conclusion and best portion of
the article next week.- 1 1 ,r 1.
OT Mr. Sawyer, a member of Congress
from Ohio, baa acquired no little notoriety in
consequence of the expulsion of the Reporters of
the Kew York Tribune from their pieces, be-
ciuseone of the Reporters who signs himself
'Persimmon," gave a sketch of the peraonal ha-
bits of Mr. Sawyer. We do not approve of
personalities, but if members of Congress ao far
lorget what is due to the dignity of their sta
tion, as to take their meals in the Halls of Con
gress, when receiving eight dollars per day, it
ia no more than jdt that the world should
know it. The press in such a case act as a
public censor, for the good of the public. , The
tatement of Persimmon was, "Mr. Sawyer, of
Ohio, feeds about 2 o'clock every day that he
has his food rolled up in a piece of paper that
after eating he throws the paper from the win
dow that he wipes his hands upon his coat
sleeves, his heed, &c." .
Mr. Sawyer admitted that :n substance the
remarks were correct Persimmon further re
marks: "I am informed by a gentleman who
was in the ladies' gallery a tew days since that
he saw a Member 'toiher day walking up and
down the floor, washing his mouth with a tooth
brush and squirting the rinsings over the car
pet."
07 The Washington Times, which charged
Mr. Colquitt and other Senatora with plotting
with the Britiah Miniater for the surrender of
Oregon, has been convicted of falsehood by the
Committee. , .
Mr. Benton, from the Select Committee, read
the report relative to the charges in the Wash
iogton Times. The report shows thst every
specification made in that paper, about collusion
between Senators and the United States, waa ut
terly false. The report says that "the charge,
in all ita bearings, is a contemptible falsehood,"
and recommends that the publisher, editor and
reporters of tba Time be excluded from the Re
porters' gallery. ' 1
07" Several important bills have been report
ed in tbe Legislature, by the committee of Ways
and Means. One is to consolidate the public
debt.
Tho other bill is yet more important ; it is en
tilled 'an act to provide fur the reduction of public
debt,' and fixes new objects of taxation , by it,
'shins, brigs, schooners, and all other sail in?
vessels, all steamboats, stages, hacks, cabs, and
other passenger vihicles, canal boats, locomotive
engines snd railroad ciirs, owned, uad, or poe
tested by this Commonwealth,' shall pay a tax
of three milla upon every dollar of their value,
anthracite coal shall pay ten cents per ton.
Every person, corporation, or firm, ia requir
ed to answer upon oath, the aateaaor'e inquiries
of his money at intereet, &c and if he doea
not furnish such a statement, the assessor slisll
aaseaa mm at Die nigneat amount, ana to inai
the commissioner add one third more, or 33
per cent Moneya, &c, owned by any person
out of the State, are to be in like manner taxed,
and the debtor or other person having tbe cus
tody shall pay the tax, and be allowed for it ;
all loans and stocks, guarantied by the Common
wealth, ehall pay a half mill for each dollar, on
which one per cent is payable and ao on in pro
portion t one per cent is to be paid on all tsxes,
professions, die, taking off the limit of $200,
making all taxable; alt dealer in goods, warea
and merchandize, the growth, product, and
manufacture of the United States, and every
atore, warehouse for selling them, where such
persona manufacture them, shall be taxed as
the foreign merchandize ia taxed, and there
ahall be in every county appraiser of mercan
tile taxes, a now exists here.
AaaxsTor tub Mcbdbbbk or tub Var Nbs
Family. The murderer of the Van Nee faoii
ly, in Ceyuge, New York, haa been arrested
He i a black man, named William Freeman, a-
bout 23 years old. The negro ha made no for
mat confession, but doe not deny that be did
the deed. H carrie hi arm in a sling on ac
count of a deep gash hi hi right hsnd, which
he acknowledge waa made by the knife break
ing against the breast-bone of Van Anadale.
The piece of the blade, about three nche in
length, wa fonnd in the boons, and tba reat of
the dirk outside of the door. Freeman hsa ser
ved five yesrs' imprisonment in tbe Stste Prf
son at Auburn, and waa aent there by Mr. Van
Nesa for dealing a horae. He now says that
"he wss imprisoned wrongfully, and be ought to
have pay for hi time. There waa no redress.
and he waa determined to have vengeance.
Mr. Wyckoff, the only victim ol thia denton
murderer who waa not instantly killed, ia dead,
It appears that George W. Hyatt mad a kaife
year or bo aioce, which was id en ti fed as the
one saed bv Fretmaa ia tho murders. It
obtained by FrteBian last Monday at Hyatt
J
. f i,- From the Harrieuarg
nreat Flood In the Bnsqr .
Dentruction of the Harriiburg tiriigt--The
Bridge at Clark' Ferry ver the 8que
hanna,and the Bridge over the mouther
the Juniata The Duncannon Iron Woritr,
nf f Ae Britigc over Sher men' Creek, te '
iW Duneannan Stoppage oj the nthra- ,
rite Fur noce Probable Dettrvclion 0 the .1
Pwftic iVorA, J-c. -c. ' '
The rise of tbe water in the Susquehanna, which ,
commenced on Friday last, has been the most
J - A I -1 . 1 1
hfm rnpii vm winnn mar nil .v.r nan vmMMn -
since the first settlement of the country on its
borders. Harrisburg, at the time of writing, ia
approachable on tfie East, South and West only
by water communication, and, standing on an el
evated place, it presents the appearance of a
town sinking' into the sea the houses ia the
lower part of it being submerged in water, in
Mime instances, nearly np to the second stary.
The grounds above it, lower than the main part
of the town, are covered with water, generally
so deep as to obliterate alt traces offences, bridges
Paxton creek it entirely lost in the mighty
congregation of waters, and the Susquehanna
from shore to shore, covering entirely the large '
Island which lay in its centre, wbith connected
the two divisions of the old Harrisburg bridge,
presents a current of fierce turbulent waters,
bearing on its botom an indescribable and innu
merable mass of flood wood, timber, &c, that
has been torn from its resting places, as trophies
of its irresintible power, ,
Between 10 and II o'clock on Saturday even
ing, the piers of the old Harrisbure bridge, (that
celebrated atructure, the first built over the os-
quehanna built by Burr, on the arch principle,
at a cost of $195,000, commenced in 1813 and
completed in IS 17,) which have buffeted many a
raging flood, began to give way on this side of
the island and to yield to the mighty current and
its battering ram of ice, and. on Sunday morning.
between three and four o'clock, two of the mid
die span of arches fell and were swept down the
stream; these were soon followed by two others,
leaving; hut a single pan, next to Harrisburg,
which also fell about Ivto o'clock and floated ma
jestically away.
The Wert part of the Harrisburg Bridge, ex
tending from the Island to the Cumberland shore
is still standing but whether it has sustained
injury is yet unknown.
Of the new Railroad Bridge, which was being
constructed by Mr. Kirkbridge, all the piers were
finished and four spans of the frame work was e
rected on them: Two spans of this went just be
fore the Harrisburg Bridge, and the two other
spans were swept off by the Duncan's Island
Bridge floating against it in its descent. Thus
the Harrisburg side of the river is entirely strip
ped of all bridges, or vestige of them, the piers
being mostly washed away, and their places be
ing only discernable by the whirl of the water as
it passes over where they were.
Two spans of the eastern end of the bridge at
Duncan's Island, erected in 1S37 one of the fi
nest structures in our country have also been
carried away. Also, the bridge over the mouth
of the Juniata, from Duncan'a Island to the Perry
County ahore ; and the bridge over Sherman's
creek in the village of Duncannon. The dam a-
cross the same stream with the extensive nail
factory and rolling mill, at the same place, has al
ao been carried away, and the works of Fishe
& Co. are reported as having suffered greatly
in the destruction of buildings, machinery, &c
The nail factory is said to be entirely destroyed
The loss at this place can acarcely be estimate)
From tbe high water of the Juniataas well a
the Susquehsnna, and a knowledge of its effect
in former floods, it is feared that tbe entire Mai
Line of the Canal will be rendered unnavigabl
for a great part, if not the whole of the openii
season ; and if the deatruetion by the flood has e:
tended up the North and West Branches of tl
Susquehanna, the Canal may be so damaged as
be irreparable the preaent year. It is a sad d
for the hopes of Pennsylvania, and on that v
fear may be felt by those who have placed d
pendeace on her ability to do justice to all.
All communication between Harrisburg a
the West side of the Susquehanna is entirely
off, and mutt remain so until the wsters subsi
and a ferry is opened. The train of the Cu
berland Valley Railroad arrived yesterday mo
ing and afternoon, on the Weal side, and bl
their whiatlea, but after finding that all cemn
nicatioo was cut off, they moved West ag
with tbeir load of passengers.
The easting house of the Aatbracite furnae
Ex Gov Poiter, was covered with water, wh
rose as high a the hearth, and into the funis
of the boilers. The furnace was stopped ;
it is supposed that the blast will be resumed
morrow.
Parts of buildings, water wheels, caaal b
rafts, lumber, logs, Sec, have possed down on
bosom of tbe flood. One canal boat waa broi
to sbor a short distant below town, in wl
were upwards of one hundred barrels of fl
The loss to individuals at well as to tbe St
and to companies, will in many instances
severe ; and it is not unlikely that hundreds
bave been toiling for months in preparing tun
for market, have been stripped and left desti'
At present tbe losses can only be copjecti
and we hope that they will not equal the pre
expectations of our community.
It is feared that great damage has alto '
done t the Wicouisco Caaal bnt nothing
tain known.
A great portion of the town of Port mouth,
miles below Harrisburg, on the Susquehani
the junction eft he Swatara ia aaid to be 1
water, and the houses secured freia floati
way by cable.'
The following is a statement of the rise of
Susquehanna at Harrisburg which contained mot
water than the terrible ke flood in the winter t
1785, or the memorable pumpkin flood of 1787
At 3 o'clock, P. M , oa Friary, the 13th instant