B2
I IC Up i (ffll ill (P, I I
VpJP pi pb pw
A. A. R 4 1: licit. Editor ami Proprietor.
J. TODD IIUTCIIIKSOX, Publisher.
I WOULD RATHER BE P.IGET THAN PRESIDENT. Henbt Clat.
terms -3-00 PE1
IDVAXCE.
VOLUME 6.
jQIRECTORY.
list of rosx offices!
Post OJices.
Carolltown,
Chess Springs,
Conemaugb,
Cresson,
Ebensburg.
Fallen Timber,
aHitzin,
Hemlock,
John3town,
Loretto,
ilunster,
Plattsville,
Roseland,
IS t- Augustine,
Scalp Level,
Sonman,
Summerhill,
Summit,
Wilniore,
Post Masters. JJistricts.
Steven L. Evans; Carroll.
Henry Nutter,. Chest.
A. G. Crooks, Taylor.
J. Ilouston, Washint'n.
John Thompson, Ebensburg
A sa II. Fisko
White.
Gallitzin.
"Washt'n.
Johnst'wn.
Loretto.
Munster.
J. M. Christy,
Wm Tiley, Jr.,
I. E. Chandler,
M. Adlesberger,
A. Durbin,
Andrew J Ferral, Susq'han
G. W.- Bowman, White.
Stan. Wharton,
George Bcrkcy,
B. M'Colgan,
George B. Wike,
Wm. .M'Connell,
J. K. Shryock,
Clearfield.
Richland.
Washt'n.
Croyle
Washt'n.
S'merhill.
CSIURCfiSES,
Presbyterian Rev. D. Uarbisox, Pastor.
I'reachin every Sabbath morning at 10 J
o'clock, and in the evening at G o clock, fcab
catu School at 0 o'clock, A. M. Prayer meet
icj every Thursday evening at G o'clock.
Methodist Episcopal Church Rev. J. S. Lem
vo'x, Preacher in charge. Rev. W. II. M'Bride,
V3isant. Preachingevery alternate Sabbath
mornin". at 10J o'clock. Sabbath School at 9
o'dockA. XI. Prayer meeting every Thursday
evening, at 7 o'clock.
Y'eleh Independent Rev Li. R. Fowell,
Pastor. Preaching every Sabbath morning at
10 o'ciock, and in the evening at G o'clock.
Sabbath School fat I o'clock, P. M. Prayer
meeting on the first Monday evening of ea.eh
mouth and on every Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday evening, excepting the Crat week iu
each ufonth.
C'xlvinittic Methodist Rev. Mokga Ell,
Pastor. Preaching every Sabbath evening at
; and 6 o'clock. Sabbath School at K o'clock,
A. M Prayer meeting every Friday evening,
t 7 o'clock. Society every Tuesday evening
at 7 o'clock.
Disciples- Rev. W. Lloyd, Pastor. rreach
npr every Sabbath morning at 10 o'clock.
Particular Uapfiefs Rev. David Evans,
Pastor. Preaching every fc'abbath evening at
o'clock. Sabbath School at at 1 o'clock, P. M.
Catholic Rev. M. J. Mitchell, Pastor.
Services every Sabbath morning at lOi o'clock
ad Vespers at 4 o'clock ia the evening.
MAILS ARRIVE.
Eastern, daily, at 12J o'clock, P.
xr.
XI.
Western,
at 12 o ciock, r
MAILS TLOSE.
Eastern, dailv, a 8 o'clock, P. XI.
Western, a 8 o'clock, P. XI.
CcjrThft mails !roraBi:tler,Indiana, Strongs
town, ic, arrive on Thursday of each week,
t 5 o'clock, P. llj.
Leave Ebensburg on Friday of each week,
it b A. XI.
3The raailsjfrom Newman's Mills, Car
rolitovrn, &c, arnve on Monday, Wednssdr.y
iai Fridcy of eaih week, at 3 o'clock, P. XI.
Leave Ebensbujg on Tuesdays, Thursdays
and Saturdays, ail o'clock, A. XI.
SCHEDULE.
OREGON STATION.
Wett Bait. Expi
3 leaves at 0.18 A. XI.
ruua. txess
10.08A. XI.
" Fast Line
c
9.50 P.
8.38 P.
6.13 A.
4.30 P.
7.36 P.
XI
XI. M.
XI.
XI.
XIail Trail
ii
ii
it
it
ii
i
i "
East
Pitts. A E
Emigrant
e Ex.
'rain
Phil a. Exp;
less
r ast Line
1.46 P. XI.
7.05 A. M.
C.32 P. XI.
11.27 A. XI.
' Fast XIail
" Pitts. 4
Ex.
" Harrisb. ,
lcom.
Don't stop.
Judjesothe cTrts President, Hon. Geo. J
Taylor, Iluniinsin ; Associates, George W. I
con'
OFFICE11S.
tasiey, iienry c. ievine
Proihonotary oseph M'Donali.
Ittjis'.cr and lit irder James Griffin.
Sheriff Jamc-si lyer3'.
District Allow, . Philip S. Noon.
County Commii loners John Campbell, Ed
ward Glass, E. I Dunncgan.
Treasurer Isa : Wike.
Poor House Di 'ctors George Xl'Cullough,
George Delany, win Rutledge.
Poor Housc Tr surer George C. K. Zabm.
Auditors Wil uu J. Williams, Francis P.
Tierney, John A. Kennedy.
County Survry . Henry Scanlan.
Coroner. --Will m Flattery.
Mercantile Ap'.ki,
Sup't. of Cotu'Jn
Mercantile An.kixer John Cox.
Schools J. F. Condon.
an m .
Jat large.
Justices of il
Peace David
II. Roberts
Harrison KinkeJ
burgee A. ,1 Barker.
Zcho'A DircctoL-Ael Lloyd, Phil S. Noon,
-osnua u. Parnh, Hugh Jones, E. J. Mills,
David J. Jones.
East waiid.
Tiiknas J. Davis.
Town Council. Alexander Xloore, Daniel
O. Evans, Riclial R. Tibbott. Evan E. Evans,
wilham Clemenj
inspectors a ander Jones. D. O. Evans.
Judge ofElec Richard Jones, Jr.
tMorThus XI. Jons.
Atsutant AtttfrtDaxid E. Evans, Wm.
v Davis.
FST WAHD."
0B'aM Wifcun XHlls, Jr.'
r Coun(U-tohn Dougherty, George C.
ahm, j3aac fawford, Francis A. Sboe-
-y-cr, jame3 S.tdd
Rectors G.. Oatman. Robert
s Evans.
m 1U1VM"V
jorJameIurray.
,77"! Auetfi William Barnes, Dan-
lata
Tlie Conscription Iuivs- let
ter from Governor Curtln to
President JLincoln.
Tho following is Governor Curtin's
letter to the President, complaining of
the injustice done Pennsylvania in the
matter of the quota assigned her under
the draft; As a State paper, involving a
discussion of the law, the examination of
a practical question, and "a plain state
ment of facts, it is unrivalled :
Executive Chambeu, Haiuusburg,
January 26, 18G5. f
To the President ;
Sir. : The. act of the 3d of March,
1863, commonly called the Enrollment
Act, provided (section 4) that for the
purposes of the act, each Congressional
district of the respective States should
form a district, and (section 11) that all
persons enrolled should be subject to be
called into the military service of the Uni
ted States, and to continue in service
during the present rebellion, not, however,
exceeding , the term of three years, and
further, (section 12,) that in assigning to
the districts the number of men to bo fur
nished therefrom, the President should
take into consideration the number of vol
unteers and militia by and Irom the sev
eral States in which said districts were
situated, and tho period of their service
since the commencement of the rebellion,
and should so make said assignments as
to equalize the numbers among the dis
tricts of the several States, considering
and allowing for the cumbers already fur
nished as aforesaid, and the time of their
service.
The time of actual service which by this
act you were directed to consider and al
low for could not, without impracticable
labor, (or indeed at all,) be fixed with
exactitude for each district, but it could
have easily been so approximated by av
erages that little, if any, practical injustice
would have been done. The commence
ment of tho third yep.r of the war wa3
close at hand at the passsgo of the act.
It would not have been diihcult to ascer
tain, of one thousand men enlisted for
three years, what was the average num
ber that remained actually in the service
at the end of the first and second years
respectively, and thus the act could have
been substantially complied with. For
instance, suppose it to havo been found
that of one thousand men enlisted for
three years, there remained in the service
an average ot torty per cent. at me ciose
ot the first year, -and twenty per cent, at
the clcce of the second year. The result
would have been, under the provisions of
tho act, that sixteen hundred one-year's
men would have been taken a3 the equiv
alent of one thousand three-years' men.
Unfortunately, the heads of bureaus, to
whom the matter seems to have been en
trusted, began by falling into a strange
misconstruction ot the act. Tbey did, in
effect, strike from the twelfth section the
phrases "period of their service" and
"time of their service," and insert in lieu
thereof the phrase "term of. their enlist
ment," and then proceeded to apportion
; credits by multiplying the number of men
; furnished from a district by the number
1 of years for which they were enlisted.
Calculations made on this basis were, of
course, most extravagant, and the peop.e
everywhere lelt that someuow injustice
was being done. In the attempt to soften
this, numerous and contradictory orders
have been issued from the Provost Mar
shal General's office, and long essays by
himself and others have been in vaia pub
lished to explain and justify their action.
In fact, as soon as they get beyond the
morally-certain limit of the actual service
of the man, their calculation has no lon
ger a practical basis. Its principle, car
ried to a legitimate extreme, would justify
the enlistment of one man for fifty thous
and years, and crediting him as the whole
quota of the State, with a small excess.
Surely every reasonable man can say
for himself whether he has found that
getting one pair of boots for three years
is practically equivalent to getting threo
pair of boots for one year. .
The visionary character of the system
on which they have proceeded cannot be
bettor illustrated than by the result at
which they have arrived on the present
occasion. The quota of Pennsylvania on
the last call was announced to be sixty-one
thousand seven hundred ; her quota to
make up deficiencies under that call was
announced to be sixty-six thousand nine
hundred and ninety-nine. On the 21th
instant, it was announced that the quota
of the Western Division had, on revision,
been fixed at twenty-two thousand five
hundred and forty-three, which would
make that of tho whole State about forty
four thousand; and late on the same day
it was further announced that the quota
of the Western Division wad twenty-five
thousand five hundred and twelve, and
EBENSBURG, PA., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1865.
that of the whqje State forty-nine thous
and five hundred and eighty-three. All
these changes being caused by no inter
vening circumstances that I am aware of.
In fact, our quota on the last call was
filled, and there can be no deficiency to
be now supplied.
Their plan is unjust to the districts and
to the Government. It wholly ignores
the losses of men by desertion, sickness,
death and casualties. The losses from
most of these causes are greater during
the first year than afterwards. A town
which has furnished three thousand men
for one year ha3 probably lost three-fifths
of them from these causes before the ex
piration of the term. Another equal town
which has furnished one thousand men
for three years may before the expiration
of that term have lost seventcen-twenti-eths
of them. Tbe first town will have
thus given sixteen hundred men to the
country the second but eight hundred
and fifty. There is no equality in this.
The exhaustion of the industrial popula
tion of the two towns is in very unequal
proportions. As to the Government the
Government has in' the first case the ac
tual service during the whole year of
fourteen hundred men ; in the second
case, the actual service of say four hun
dred men during the whole first year, of
probably not more thin two hundred men
during the whole second year, and say
one hundred and fifty men at most during
the whole third year. Besides, the amount
of service that may be required promptly
is to be considered, and not merely the
agreed term of sevice. At tbe late storm
of Fort Fisher, one at least of the Penn
sylvania one-year regiments was engaged,
and behaved most gallantly who will say
that if one-third of their number had been
enlisted for three years, it would on that
account have been able to perform as much
service as the whole number did in that
unsurpassed exploit ?
But there is even more serious error
than has been above exposed. The clause
of the act of 3d March, 1803, under which
your officers profess to be acting, has not
been in force siuce the 24th February,
18G4.
Whether induced thereto by the strange
ness of the system which had been adopted
under it, or for whatever reasons, Congress
thought fit to pass the act of 24th Febru
ary, 18G4, (entitled An act to amend the
act of 3d March, 18G3,) which provides
(section 2) that the quota of each ward
of a city, twn, &c, shall be, as nearly as
possible, in proportion to the number of
men resident therein liabla to render
military service, taking into account, as
far as practicable, the number which had
been previously furnished therefrom. -
Thus the former act was amended by
giving credits, cot to districts, but to
smaller localities, and by omitting the
provision for considering and allowing for
the time of service in estimating credits;
they were directed in future to be given,
as far as practicable, on the basis of the
number of men previously furnished, with
out reference to the time of service.
And this was followed up by the act cf
4th July, 18G4, (passed at the same ses
sion,) which provides (section 1) that the
President may, at his discretion, call for
any number of volunteers for the respect
ive terms of one, two and three years, with
bounties regulated according to their term
of enlistment, and (section 2) that in case
the quota of any town, &c, shall not be
filled within the space of sixty days after
such call, then the President shall imme
diately order a draft for one year to fill
such quota.
These cro the clauses which now regu
late the subject. It is not for mc or you,
sir, to discuss the question of their propri
ety. They are to hc obeyed.
It would be easy to show that they form
a reasonable and intelligible system. For
merly when calls were made of men for
military service, they were made by requi
sitions on the Governors of the respective
States, who then proceeded to draft tho
required number to fill the quota of the
State. In this draft, men lrom any ftale
or locality who had voluntarily entered
the service of the United States, by enlist
ing in tbe army or otherwise, were not
taken into account. No credits were given
for them on the quota, any more than for
men who had of their own accord engaged
themselves in any other lawful employ
ment. The system, however, of raising
very large bodies of men a3 volunteers,
under the act of Congress of 18G1, had
drawn upon the military population of the
respective States and localities very heav
ily, and not quite equably, and therefore
when the enrollment act of 18G3 wa3
passed, it was thought best to provide for
equalizing the exhaustion, by allowing
credits to localities for the volunteers fur
nished by. them. But the Government
had accepted volunteers for various terms
of service, and. hence the effort to render
the equalization more perfect by consider
ing and allowing for the time of their ser
vice as well as the number of men. The
acts of 18G1, above recited, have modified
this system by fixing a definite term (one
3-ear) for which men are to be drafted.--Volunteers
for not less than that term are
to be credited to their localities on the
quota and receive a certain bounty from
the Government. Such of them as choose
to enlist for longer terms receive further
bounties from the Government, but so far
as regards the increased term beyond one
year, are not to be credited on the quota,
but are to be left on the same footing that
all volunteers were on before the act of
1863. That is to say, the Government
announces that it will take by its authority
a certain number of men from a locality
for military service for one year. That i3
the lawful demand which it will enforce.
It pays bounties in case of localities to
facilitate them in complying with this de
mand without a compulsory draft. But it
has made no demand for men to eerve for
two or three years. The Government
receives and paj's additional bounties to
volunteers for these terms, but in that it
deals with men only, and, as the increased
term of service beyond one year is not
agreed to be rendered in compliance with
any demand of the Government it gives
the locality no credit on the quota for it.
The Government requires one hundred
thousand men for one year, not a less
number of man for a longer term. For a
deficiency in the number of volunteers for
that term, it makes a draft for one year.
This is to Jill the quota not more nor less
whenptfte draft has been effected the
quota is full there ia neither excess nor
deficiency.
You see that the system thus established
by law is not without foundation in reason,
and can be readily understood.
Sir, you may not have been heretofore
apprised of the fact that your subordinates
are wholly disregarding the act of 24th
February, 18G4. They are proceeding in
open and direct violation of it, and are
thus creating, naturally, great confusion
and uncertainty among the people. They
announce on the one hand that although
a three-years' man counts only as a one
year man towards the quota on which he
volunteers, yet that he shall be counted as
three one-year men towards the quota on
a future call. This is directly in the teeth
of the law. On the other hand, they ate
cyphering out a deficiency on the last call
by counting three one-year's men as only
equivalent to one three-years' man, which
is equally against law.
Thus, the quota of Pennsylvania, under
tho call of 18th July last, -.was filled in
accordanco with the law by men to serve
for liot less than one year. The term of
service of these men is not yet half expired,
and yet your subordinates are threatening
a draft to fill an alleged deficiency on that
very call, the existence of which they at
tempt to make out by persisting in their
unlawful and unsubstantial theories and
calculations.
Our people know "that the Government
requires more men. They are willing to
furnish them heavy as the burden has
become on the industrial population. Let
the requirement be made in the clear and
definite shape which the law provides for,
and it will be cheerfully complied with.
But it is hardly to be tolerated that your
subordinates should be permitted longer
to pursue the system of substituting for
the law, an eccentric plan of their own.
Sir, on behalf of the freemen of this
Commonwealth, who have always given a
cheerful and hearty support to your Gov
ernment in the prosecution of this war,
it is my duty to insist and I do insist
that you enforce upon your subordinates
that obedience to the law which you owe,
as well as they and all of us. It is of evil
example it tends to enfeeble nay, to
destroy the just power of the Government
that you should suffer your officers to
treat with open contempt any acts of Con
gress, and especially those which j ou have
yourself approved, and which regulate a
matter of such deep and delicate moment
as the enforcing of a drafl for the military
service.
Belying heartily on your wisdom and
justice to set right what has thu3 been
going wrong, and to compel henceforth on
the part of all a proper respect for and
obedience to the laws of the land,
1 am, sir, very respectfully,
A. G. CURTIN.
m m
5 Thackeray, when in the United
States, met with a western man who bad
been in England, and asked him how he
liked that country. "Oh, very well, in
the daytime," was the reply. "What is
the matter with it in the night?" asked
Thackeray. "Why, I never dared go out
in England after night, for fear I should
step off the edge 1"
If only souls were counted, instead
of bodies, the census returns might be
rather beggarly.
Tae Snow at Fredericksburg".
Drift over the slopes of the snnrise land,
O wonderful, wonderful snow !
Oh, pure as the breast of a virgin saint!
Drift tenderly, soft, au4slow
Over the slopes of the sunrise land,
And into the haunted dells
Of the forests of pine, where the sobbing
winds
Are tuning their memory bell3 ;
Into the forests of sighing pines,
And over those yellow slopes
That scem.but the work of the cleaving plow,
But cover so many hopps !
They are many indeed, and straightly made,
Not shapeu with loving care,
Eut the souls let out and the broken blades
May never be counted there !
Fall over those lonely hero-graves,
O delicate dropping snow,
Like the blessing of God's unfaltering love
On the warrior heads below ;
Like the tender sigh of a mother's soul,
As she waitcth and watcheth for one
Who will never come back from the surmse
land . . ,
When the terrible war is done.
And here, where lieth the high of heart,
Drift, white as the bridal veil
That will never be worn by the drooping girl
Who sitteth afar, so pale.
Fall, fast as the tears of the suffering wife,
Who strctcheth despairing hands
Out to the blood-rich battle-iields
That crimson the eastern sands.
Fall in thy virgin tenderness,
O delicate snow, acd cover
The graves of our heroes, sanctified
Husband, and sou, and lover.
Drift tenderly over those yellow slopes,
And mellow our deep distress,
And put us in mind of the1 shriven souls,
In their mantles of righteousness.
Terrible Adventure vrltli a Boa
Constrictor.
At the earliest possible moment after
our camp had been pitched, a hunt was
set afoot, and Capt. Grant, myself, and
some attendants were soon making our
way to "the path." There were no ani
mals there when we arrived, except a few
hippopotami, and we were therefore obliged
to wait the coming of some more palatable
game. Our patience, however, was severe
ly taxed, and after a long delaj', we were
about to "bag" a hippopotamus, when one
of our attendants, perched in a tree about
half a mile distant, commenced waviDg his
blanket. This was a signal that game was
approaching. We immediately drew into
cover, and awaited the coming up of the
latter.
We were not delayed long, for presently
a column of animals, from the elephant to
the hoo-doo, appeared in view, trotting in
a good pace to the river. Their flunks
were soon presented to us, and each select
ing his object, fired. M'Call shot a fine
young buffalo cow, whilst Capt. Grunt was
equally successful with a hoo-doo, and sev
eral spears, cast by our attendant?, alio
stopped the career of one or two different
auiinals of the herd.
At this juncture, however, occurred an
unexpected adventure, that finished our
sport for that day. I had sprung forward
immediately after firing, in order to obtain
a fair shot at a huge elephant that I
wanted to bring down on account of his
immense tusks. I got tho desired aim,
and pulled the trigger of my second bar
rel. At the moment of my doing so, a
wild cry uttejred by one of the blacks
called my attention. Glancing round, my
eye chanced to range up into the foliage
of the tree beneath which Capt. Granr
and myself had lain for several hours pre
vious. My feelings may possibly be imagined,
as I beheld an enormous boa constrictor,
whoso hideous head and neck, projected
some distance into view, shov.Ted that he
was about to make a fatal spring. II is
direction was certainly toward me; ana as
he flashed from his position like a thunder
bolt, I gave mpsclf up, for ere aid could
havo reached me, fold after fold of the
monster would have crushed my stroDg
lrame info a quivering pulp. I fell, seem
ingly caught in a whirlwind of dut, and
a etranqe, indescribable scufile ensued. In
the midst of this terrible strife, I suddenly
became conscious of the presence of a sec
ond victim, and even after the time that
has elapsed since then, I still iccollect
with what vividness the thought shot
across my mind, that this second victim
was Capt. Grant, my noble companion.
At last, after being" thus whirled about for
several seconds, each second seeming to be
inevitable death, I opened my eyes, ex
pecting to look upon those unexplored 1
Janascapes which arc only seen 111 the
country beyond the tomb. Instead of
that, 1 saw Capt. Grant leveling his rifle
toward me, while, standing behind and
beside him, were the blacks, in every con
ceivable attitude of the most intense sus
pense. In a moment I comprehended all. The
huge serpent had struck a young buffalo
cow, between which and him 1 unluckily
had placed myself at the moment of firing
NUMBER 19.
upon the elephant. A mnst singular good
fortune had attended me, however,- for,
instead of being crushed into a mangled
mass with the unfortunate cow, my left
fore-arm had only been caught in between
the buffalo's body and a single fo!d of tho
constrictor. The limb lay just in front of
the shoulder, at the root of the neck, and
thus-had a soft bed cf flesh, into which it
,was jammed, as it were, by the immense
pressure of the serpent's body, that was
iron-like in hardness.
As I saw Grant about to shoot, a terror
took possession of mo. for if he refrained,
I might possibly escape after the boa re
leased bis hold from the dead cow. But
should he fire and strike the reptile, in its
convulsions it would crush me to pieces.
Even as the idea occurred to me, I beheld
Grant pause, lie appeared to fully com
prehend all. He could see how I was
situated that I was still living, and that
my delivery depended on the will of tho
constristor. We could see every line on
each other's face, so close wer we, and I
would have shouted or spoken, or even
whispered to him, if I dared. But the
boa's head was raised within a few inches
of mir.e, and the wink of an eyelid would
perhaps settle my fate; so I stared like a
dead tnaa at Grant and the blacks.
Presently the serpent began gradually
to relax his folds, and after re-tightening
them several times, when the buffalo
quivered, he unwound one fold entirely.
Then he paused. The next iron-like band
was the one that held me prisoner; and
as I felt it little by little unclasping, my
heart stood still with hope and fear. Per
haps upon being freed, the benumbed arm
uncontrolled by will might fall into the
cushion-like bed in which it lay. And
such a mishap might bring the spare fold
around my t eck and chest, aud then
farewell to the sources ot the Nile. Oh,
how hard, Tiow desperately I struggled. to
command myself. I glanced at Grantj
and saw him handling his rifle anxiously.
I glanced at the negree?, and saw them
gazing as though petrified with horror.
I glanced at the serpent's loathsome head,
and saw its bright, deadly eyes watching
for the least sign of life in its prey.
Now, then, the reptile loosened its fold
on my arm a hair's breadth, and now a
little more, until half on inch of space
rcparated my arm from its mottled skin.
I could have whipped out my hand, bat
dared not take the risk. A.toms of time
dragged themselves iuto ages, and a min
ute seemed eternity itself! The second
fold wis removed entirely, and the next
one was easing. Should I dash away now,
or wait a more favorable moment ? I de
cided upon the former; and with light
ning speed I bounded away toward Grant,
the crack of whose piece I hesrd at tho
same instant. For the first time in my
life, I fell iuto a state of semi-consciousness,
and remained therein for several
minutes.
When I recovered, Grant and the Cer
joyed negroes held me up and pointed to
the boa, who was still writhing in hia
death agonies. I shuddered as I looked
upon the effects of his tremendous dying
strength. For yards around where he
lay, grass and saplings, and in fact every
thing except the more fully grown trees,
were cut clean off, as though they had
been trimmed with an immeriee scythe.
This monster, when mcaiured, proved
fifty-one feet two inches and a half in
extreme length, while round the thickest
portiou of his body the girth was nearly
three f?et the largest serpent, I believe,
thai has ever authentically been heard of.
Captain Spclce.
m ,
EST The seal cf the Kebel States of
America is described by the English
newspapers. It is designed by Foley" tho
celebrated Irish sculptor, and contains in
the centre a representation of Crawford's
statue of Washington. This is surroun
ded by a wreath, composed of the most
valuable vegetablo products of the South
ern soil tobacco, rice, Indian corn, cot
ton, wneat, and sugar-cane. The rim
bears the legend, "The Confederate States
of America, 22d of February, 1S32, Deo
vindice." The scul is" of silver, aud ita
diamctor is four inches.
3-The latest "oil story" is that of an
old lady in West Virginia who took the
advice of a visitor, and poured some pe
troleum along the streams which watered
her farm. The report spread abroad of
surface indication on the land, and a bri
gade of oil hunters came, who bought the
land at a fabulous price, the owners agree
ing to qive the old lady one-eighth ot tho
oil. The purchasers set up their derrick,
and in a short time struck a well whi
yields one hundred barrels per day. ,Q
JtS3"An immense cave, nearly v '3
as the Mammoth Cave of Kcntu'jpjieq
rccentlv been discovered nhmi';V
from Fort Kuby, California. ,
EST The life-preservers lrt
used in the battle field ar '
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